The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1855-10-26
Death in the Midst Of Life.

Death IN The Midst OF Life.
This is the title OF a sermon delivered by Dr..
Doane, Bishop of New Jersey, on the Sunday
following the terrible catastrophe on the Camden
and Amboy Railroad. The opening, which We
quote, dscloses some personal incidents oil pain
tul interest.
1t is related OF the distinguished Robert Hall,
that having written funeral sermon from the
words ''In the midst Of llie we are in DEATH
he searched the Bible to 6Ed the place to am
nounce them from, and wondered that he could
not. They are IL that which is only not the BIZ
Bile, the Book OF Common PRAYER, and if not
Scripture, were conceived and born of it. [
venture the opinion that they have been utter
ed from more hearts within the last four DAYS
than any other sentence in our language. And
have been SO perfectly possessed with it N.Y.
self, that il must be the theme, although 1t may
not be the text, of what | say TO you this MORN
ing ''In the midst of life we are in death.'
You all remember how beautiful day was
"Wednesday. We may suppose such weather
constantly in Paradise. spent the morning on
our unsurpassed Green Bank with two friends,
one OF more than thirty years, who had come to
put their children at the college. They left me
with their little sou, in the most perfect enjoy
ment Of all that makes up life, to return to their
homes in New York. In less than an hour
heard of all that had happened on the railroad.
L thought at once OF them, and rather flew than
run TO find their mangled bodies God had
preserved them perfectly uninjured.
There came to me, from Boston, twenty years
ago, young man Edward q. Prescott, ESQ.,
who had early taken high stand at the bar
He was of patriot name the very blood of Bun
ker Hill. His father had adorned the bench.
His brother had not been surpassed, as a histoSlr
rian, in modern times. He had lived careesslyss
and away from God But his heart had beeu
touched. 1t had melted under the gospel 1t
yearned to preach to. others the unseaI chable
riches which had been more than rubies to itself.
And he asked me to receive him as a candidate
for holy orders. I did. There are many here
who must remember him. He studied faithfully
and well. He was ordained. He went to Sa-
lem as minister Of the parish. He was most ac-
ceptable as a preacher: and, as a pastor, most
devoted. He married as lovely woman as ever
lived. His life was filled to over flowing with
the double tide of usefulness and happiness.
But 'his is not our rest" His health failed.
He sought in vain its restoration. He went to
SEA. He died on board the ship. He left a
widow without children. Possessed of hand
some fortune, and what is better, with a sense
that it was not her own, she was another Dor
cas-, in the ''good works and the aIms-deeds
which she did," At ten O'Clock ON Wednes-
day she started, with her dear friends, upon a
tour Of health and recreation, And. in little
more than an hour, had yielded upsher soul to
God. Is it not true, s.that in the midst of life
we are in death 2" Do we or can We know
''what shall be on the morrow 90 Which one
OF us might not have been in that disastrous
train? Which one OF US might not have been
of that dead company which filled our streets
with collins, and hung our houses and our hearts
with sackcloth.
My brethren, there can need no preacher to
bring this mournful Providence home to our
heart OF hearts. Those nearing trains The
signal TO break up. The carriage on the track.
The crash The crush. Car mounted upon car.
Car rushing through the midst of car The
cloud OF dust The storm of splinters. The
groan The shrek. The wall. The woun-
ded. The mutilated, The crushed. The torn
asunder. The buried alive. The fearful row
upon the bank. The hurt. The dying. The
dead. Cur public houses filled with The maim-
ed and mang!ed. Our public halls receiving
vault for unknown corpses. Our private hou-
ses SO many hospitals. Every man a servant.
Every woman nurse. Through the whole
day business checked. The social currents all
directed TO one point. Not an act, not a word,
no, thought, but OF the wounded, OF the dy-
ing, OF the dead The very centre of our city
choked graveyard. There is no human elo-
quencr, that is no; brggarrd BY such sermons as
that scene preached TO every heart. God spoke,
and man was still. "In the midst of lfe," all
Eel, ,-''in the midst Of life-wr are in death.'
The VIcToEy.-rhe Louisville Times states.
as an incident OF the mob in that city, the fol-
lowing
"A woman who attempted to save her hus-
band, was pitched down stairs, breaking her
neck and limbs so that she died The mob.
finding their game scarce, set the torch to the
houses the women hed-one who was heeins
with young infant in her arms, was followed
by hard-hearted wretch, who, coming up. put
the muzzle OF the weapon TO the child's head.
fired, and bespatered Its brains oyer its mothers
arms ~
VERMoNT.-ln the Legislature of Vermont
two amendments to the Constitution have been
reported, and The council has indicated a defer
mhnatlon TO recommend their adoption. The
first provides for biennial sessions ofthe I,ecis-
laturs. the other for th.a ,.l.c.,c, er