Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-06-01
prIrnre Revenge.
SERMON ny WASHINGTON cLEaGYNAS on the
sIcKLEs HOMICIDE.
[From the washington star.l

sICRLEs HOMICIDE,
[FrOm the Washington star.l
We have before us the able sermon upon
"Priyate Revenge" preached by Rev. c. NJ.
Butler, D. D., in Trinity Church, in this city,
on Sunday, the 9Th instant and published by
request of the wardens and vestry of the church.
Tho text selected for the discourse is the follow
ing: "Proud and naughty scorner is his name
who deaeth in proud wrath. Proverbs, xxi, "a.
AS ancient instances of the "proud wrath
alluded to in the text, the speaker says that
Pharoah'S wrath was proud when he pursued
Israel with his chnriots and horses; that Saul's
was proud wrath when he aimed his jaVelln ut
David; and that so was Ahab's. when Naboth
refused to give him his vineyard. "FrOud
aorath." 1t would be difficult, says the preach
err, to put two words together which would
more truly express the anger of hearts self
willed, pampered by Sclf.indulgence, and made
arrogant by prosperity and power. Let it be
remembered that proud wrath, even when in
licting deserved doom, never can achieve the
true ends of justice.
Such revenge, the sermon urges, corrupts the
moral sentiment of society. 1t creates n false
sentiment that honor demands that a man should
perpet:atc n crime, if no moro than justice is
neted out to him, or still moro peremptorily il
Justice he evaded or delayed. 1t is easy to see
how demoralizing and dreadful the prevalence
of such sentiments in society must prove They
bring the sense of shame-which should act
only on men for evil.doing-to act upon them
for wcll-dUing, or for not doing evil. Hence
communities grow dissatisfied with the infection
of mere juStiCe-SO much more awful than re-
vcnge-upon offenders, especially when they
have been high-handed, cruel and atrociOns
criminals. Hence they strive to put the sharp
poison Of their personal and private revenge
even on the point of the venerable sword of
magistracy and judgements. Hence mObs howl
under prison windows and execute Lynch law.
TTnDoo in tho cirroS IF fhn md Vn1iUinuc
will be heard approval Of those who would not
wait for the slowly rising, or who have struck
down the uplfted sword Of tnagistracy, and who
have piled the dagger or fired the revolver Of
the assnSsan. Thus is the moral sentiment of
the community horribly corrupted. II learns
to approve what it should abhor-private re-
venge-and despise what it should venerate-
public justice.
Upon another aspect Of the case the preacher
proceeds, i'll imprcssiYely, truthful terms, to
say:
"Hy brethren, rlo but utter the solemn and
uneXaggerated conviction Of my conscience
when declare that, however much evil intlu-
cnce on the community he may exert who, un-
der whatever circumstances of enormous provo
cation, strikes down foe it is far less than that
of the Christian who stands by his side and
says, al approve of the deed; would have
done the same" The one murders only the
man; the other murders the moral sense of the
community. The one removes single life; the
other taints and poisons the air which is the
breath of all lives. The one strikes down but
n single cuIprit; the other uunervcs the
arm of law, whose office is to strike down
all culprits The one destroys human often
der; the other destroys a Divine principle
In short, while in the one case it is only the
guilty that is punished in the other tits Justice
herself that is gibbetcd. Oh, let the Christian
leave the approval and the sanction of this evil
spirit OF revenge to those who know nothing OF
the grandeur Of the liz, of Jesus in the heart
That he may not yield cowardly assent to the
seemingly brave and noble, but in reality base
and selfish sentiments of n Goddess world, in
reference to revenge, let his heart be fortified
in advance with the true spirit and the right
principle ana feeling with which to meet imju-
ries inflicted upon himself, and with which to
Judge Of the true mode in which they should be
treated in the case of Others"