Delaware State journal and statesman., 1863-02-13
Communicated.
RELIGIOUS.

Rev WILLIAM AIRuAs, Pastor OF the Hano-
YER Street Presbyterian Church, has just con-
cluledR short series Of sermons on The Impre-
caory Psalms; those Psalms in which the D-
vine punishment is invoked upon the psaluisls
enemies. In the concluding discourse the prin-
ciples of these Psalms are made TO bear upon
the general interests of public morality and law.
After having shewn that these imprecations are
not the result of spirit of private malice or
revenge but spriBg out of an intense desire that
iniquty should not be successful, but that JUS.
lice aud the right should triumph, and the honor
and glory Of God should be maintained in the
punishment of wicked men. Mr.. Aikman speaks
Of the aspects Of the present time in this way:
In this view, for this roproof, correction, for
Instruction in Righteousness, these imprecatory
psalms have their design and we can see why
they have held their place so firmly aud so we'll
in the sacred volume. In the Psalter we have
consolation, and hope, and cheer we have the
example Of how piOus soul ought to express its
desires toward God and the good, but we have
also vivid delineations of the sentiments which
ought 10 be in that same heart in respect to sin
and the guilty enemies Of God. As the one
class of emotions are conveyed in language the
most emphatic and intense, SO is the other. And
l may add just in proportion as man enters
the most intellgenty and deeply into the senti--
ment Of the 30 will he sympathize with the
other the more he in truth understands aud
n9mphiulAta WIN NHt GOuFplhllOn anu tue uOpeb
Of the Psalms, the more Clearly will he appre-
ciate these burning denunoiatons of sin and sin
ful men, believe that the time has come for
these Psalms to be exhibited in their inner and
solemn meaning. The church and the world
have lessons yet to learn from them. This is
their time.
have already remarked that in these times
and for long time, there has been gradual
lowering Of the public mind in respect TO law.
We have net now the clear and high views which
our fathers had. The change has been gradual
30 gradual and deceptive, that few are aware
how far we have sunk. Yet who that thought
fully regards the matter, can fail to be impress
ed with the fact Grimes which half century
ago would have startled the whole land, scarce
excite ripple on the bosom of the community
in which they are committed. Consider the at.
tituie of the mind of men in respect to crime
against property. Forgery, breach of trust
lyHg, stealing, embezzlement tf funds, dshon-
esly In official positions, have come to be regard
ed as very trivial affairs. They are called by
soft names, which hide their defOrmity, and men
seem to lose the idea that they are crimes at ALL
II one ventures TO speak Of the guilty perpetra-
tors of these crimes, if lie calls them forgers,
thieves, robbers liars, he lays himself open to
the charge of being excited, of calling harsh
names he ought to speak more gently, indeed
lie had better speak in general terms Of the
crimes and not of the criminals at al Ah, there
IL fearful mistake here, and one of dreadful
consequence The dsvil has achieved great
success when he has gotten o soft word into
vogue to describe crime, and men become un-
consciously his agents when they use IT, To
speak right is the next thing to thinking right,
for 'eordl make Mou0dis even as thoughts make
eoros. Mnrk how plainly the Bible always
speaks. IL should be our model Il calls dis
honest man u thief, it cals false man liar
We need TO be careful how we disguise crime
under soft names.
Morris this deprivation of the public mind
seen in regard to merely crimes against proper
". Who that has thankfully considered the
matter has not been alarmed at the manner in
which murder has come to be regarded by many.
II would seem that in the minds Of had al
most sRid, the majority Of men, the convicted
murderer claims more of pity than the victim
whose life he took or the family he bereaved.
All the misery he has caused seems to be forgot,
ten. The prosecuting attorney is looked upon
as prosecuting and blood-thirsty, so he is spo-
ken Of the witnesses as cruel, the judge as hard
hearted, his execution Is regretted and every
effort made to stay it. So capital punishment
comes to be regarded as relic Of barbarous
times, and men are found even TO violate theiI
oaths, peIjure themselves as they give o verdict
against evidence because they do mot wish Of
they think, to be the cause of the mans death
They forget the crime as they lock at the penal
ty, they think Of the murderer and pass hii
victim by, they regard his life, but think nothing
of justice or law, or the well being Of society
Such men do'not know that when q crimina
escapes, blow has been struck at the good o
oil men, yea at the guilty man himself ON
swift conviction, Que quick, inexorable punish
ment, like thunder bolt clears the atmosphere
Bee how it has been OF late. The conviction
and the execution of the slave-t trader Gordol
has done more than a thousand arguments Il
stamp upon the minds of all man the enormit
OF his horrid traffic. That prosecuting attorne
was most eloquent preacher Of Righteousness
But consider how far we have drifted in thes
late days from true and clear views of justic
aud law, in regard to the crimes OF men in hig
places. Crimes which even a short time az
would have startled us by their enormity, excil
10 many minds scarcely remark. Peculatior
gigantic fraud, treaohery, has assumed here 1
this country proportions which while ago woul
ave bafied belief, and yet how faint an imprel
sion they make upon the public mind The i'm
munity from punishment, and continued famil
iarity with the crimes themselves, seem to hav
blunted the conscience of men, so that the
cease to regard crime az crime This, think
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