Litchfield enquirer., 1859-08-25

ever took kindly my admonitions and my coun- sells. He ngennously, and with selfloathing, acknowledged his faults. He wept, he pray ed, he resolved, he struggled. he promised, he tried but the arch-tempter had many willing I'helpers watching, laying snares for the de- strnction of body and of soul.
 Who were the men who ought to have been this our brotller's keeper?
 God only knows how far he was respons- ble {; God only knows, whether by miracle of grace, in the last hours, after the eatal in- jury was received, when, perhaps seemingly unconscious, he so sought Gods mercy in Christ--so believed--and the work of Gods Spirit was so wrought as to rescue his precious soul. That soul is now in the hands of the Judge of all the earth, who will surely "do right" Happy is it that man is not the final judge of his ftllow-mortal. But here I ar- raign as guilty of his death every man who, knowing his weakness, partook with him in that most debasing of vices, in which only when reason was dethroned by alcoholic drinks lie could stoop to indulge These men--drug- gists, salcoll-keepers, hotclkeepers--who,km know ing the first glass would open the flood-gates of evil, supplied him with the maddening poi son, must answer to God when He maketh in- quisition for blood and woe to them if they dare say with the first murderer, Am my brother's keeper p
 Those men, who, masking themselves as friends lure their victims into their lurking dens, and when they have destroyed for the time all sclt-t control, plunder them of that which belongs to their families, it may be their creditors or their employers those men must meet the investigations of all Omniscient, in- flexible Judge, who has power to cast soul and body into hell. There will they find what is the guilt of him who not his brothers keeper, has been his brothers destroyer There they will find what is Gods, estimate of conduct
 Ike that which the past weeks investigations have disclosed /; what the decision of Heavens Supreme Court will be as to the man who protesting friendship, could take to his own room companion who, he kneu, lost his self control as quickly as he partook of the first intoxicating glass who made of that room what the just verdict of society's unanimous execration calls a hell who, with magnty that one might have looked for in the realm where the devil--the first murderer--rules, piled his companion with the draught of nor al death who won from him (so the world describes this trade of robbery) all the money in his possession and who (f his own tale be true) opened his door, led forth his victim; then incapable of standing unaided--and, as though he would ensure his injury if not his death, extinguished the light und left him in darkness on the stairs to grope and to stuul- ble, and to plunge hcadlong to destruction
 To each one of us, my hearers, the Provi- dcnce of God in this cal; mty has voice.
 It speaks to each of us of the sin of drum kenness. There is not word in this sacred book, from first to last, of the disease of drum kenless. do not say it is never Q disease, nor ever to be treated as disease but where d man has such use of his mental and moral faculties as enables him to know right from wrong, he cannot excuse himself before God, if, whatever his appetite or propensity, he ulunkard ,ritI, L-,------l------u- --x---4A-.- for such there is no part in the kingdom ot Christ or of God. Not that it is an unpar- donable sin but that it is like any other sin of the flesh, and one which the Divine justice cannot let go unpunished. The current con- l versation of society, the common language of the press deals altogether too lightly with this offrnce against God aud against man. Even Christian men and women are to ready to make a jest of the drunkard aud his habits, fault which may we'll remind us of the Divine declaration Fools make mock of sin." l Of the other v:ce into which our friend fell, l can scarcely briug myself to speak at all. Drunkenness drags a map down to level with the brute. Gambling, persevered in, degrades him to the baseness of a fiend. It was only by destroying his moral sense through the in- toxicating cup that he could be made to stoop to such degradation. The essential nature of gambling is seen in the revelation that has been even partially made in the investigations ns of the past week. It is worse than theft worse than highway robbery worse than a hundred other crimes for which the law sends culprits to the Penitentiary. So even the inl- perfect legislation of most we'll ordered com muuities deals with it. Why, then, let me ask, has it been tolerated in this city Why has not public sentiment demanded the ell- forcement of existing laws? Why have not those in authority felt themselves under con- tlnual pressure of public opinion insisting that the laws, both as to this vice and as to the traffic in poisonous drinks, should be vigorous ly executed ? Have any of us said " It is not my business ?" Have any said, If do not drink and gamble, have nothing to do with others who may thus offend ?"
 But where is Sterling, our brother Dare l, dare you, say, " am not my brothers keeper ?" Nay," we are verify guilty con cerning our brother" Every one of us ought to have been |" his keeper" his guardian, his true, watchful friend
 There are other men in like peril at this hour Other brethren, fathers, sons, citizens, are in danger of being plnndered, degraded, runed--lt may be, murdered, through the al- !urements of these destroyers Men and brethren--before God, charge you, save them Let the thuuders of public indigna- tlon expel from our city all who would contin- ae to ply this trade of death amongst us! Let the voice of our brothers blood be heard