Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1861-02-09

In the fifth and sixth verses God speaks
to us -
"For if ye thoroughly amend your ways
and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute
judgment between man and his neighbo1
if ye oppress not the stranger, the father
less, and tue widow, and shed not innocent
blood in this place, neither walk after
other gods, to your hurt"
Nothing could be palmer than this
The sins of our nation are unquestionably
fearful, and it is our business to look at
some of them. We have personal sins,
ministerial sins, State sins, and National
sins in which all are more or less concerned.
The violation Of every command in the
dccalogue, is to be Witnessed in all the
towns, boroughs, and counties throughout
our land. Some may think this a hard
saying and one needing some qualification
We have no qualification to make, belicv-
ing as we do, that epery command on the
decalogue is violated in every town, and
township of our country, God Almighty
laws are set at defiance
Let US look moment at the decalosue.
We have not right to speak TO you, but
with "thus saih the Lord ard if we
utter one syllable not thus qualified, throw
it from you. Cast it from your mind, as
the Summer breeze carries the chat from
the threshing floor.
First, then-''I am the Lord thy God
thou shalt have no other gods before
me-
How many of the people of our cities,
towns, and counties are living, totally,
practically, and daily in the service ofany
Being, save God Almighty?
Then-"Thou shalt not take the name
Of the Lord thy God in vain"
Can you find spot in the geographical
boundaries Of this nation, where the name
of God is not blasphemcd!
Then--Thc Sabbath day. Is there a
State that keeps strictly the Sabbath a
city, or county that observes it! You
know, and | know that men most positively
and absolutely violate this holy day. Yet
iu the lviii Chapter CT Isaiah, God gives
the observance Of the Sabbath as one
reason why prayer will be answered and
repentance accepted.
Then in relation to honoring parents.
How many families can you find in which
the children act toward the parent as Coo
commands? Is there not total disregard
of parental authority? Gray hairs are
trampled upon, and the venerable fOrn
hurried in sorrow to the grave.
"Thou shalt not kill" l. not murder
rife everywhere? Some can remember
when a murder, committed in any part of
eur la'.i, eoe".,d - ~t.ihv .es.~. ~ H.
bosom of every man. Your speaker can
remember when the idea of murder was
a terrible idea. Occasionally the mail
would be stopped, the life of the driver
jeopardizcd, but now murder is almost .
daily occurrence. And when the assailant
is lcprous with crime, he is shielded and
protected.
"Thou shalt not commit adultry"
All over this land is this abomination
found. How many in your own city, even
those high in position, are rccrcant to this
holy obligation.
" Thou shalt not steal" Why we arc
almost a nation of thieves (f we believe the
half of what we say one of anothor). If q
man is seeking an office, the hope of emo
lument and gain is ascribed as his ONLY
motive. The deepest plans of deception
and fraud are everywhere to be seen.
"Thou shalt not bear false witness"
This is one of the great sins ofsthe peo
plc, We are all the time bearing talsC
witness the one of the other, The pres!
groans with false statements of one por
ton of the community against the other
We, of the ministry too often take up gar
bled statements and repeat them to thc
detriment of our fellows. There is almos
premium offered to any one who vii
abuse our public officers. he papers
would lose half their interest and circula
ton if they told the simple truth. Al
this forms one of the sins Of which we mus
repent
Thou shalt not covot" Is not thi
violated feariully every day? We not on
ly covct, but we steal, regardless Of the oh
legations to God. And here let me say i
: passing, that this command, in my judy
meut, bears directly upon the yeXed quos
ton which is this very day at the bottor
of our political disturbance, Is it not a
, undeniable fact that the tenth command
inert as absolutely recognizes the right {
property in the man servant and the mai
a servant as in the wife, the house, or any