The Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1870-1875, 1870-12-03

be their in this world. No judgment
aequitting can give them back self
respect and the serene beauty Of
purity. No forgiveness of ours can
wash cut the foul stain, nor il there
rain enough in the sweet heavens to
make them white as snow.
And so. too, no judicial sentence of
ours can make blackness blacker, or
souls degradation deeper and in.
tenser. We may grind beggar IN
der cur gilded chariot wheels, and
forget that
alt IS noble TO have giants strength,
But It's cowardlY to use Il like giant"
Now, in confronting this terrible
leprosy, which is corruptiDg even the
innocent, and visiting the sins OF the
present upon the on-ooming genera
ton, we are to meet it as other sins
are met-in the light and By the pre-
cedents Of the gospel.
/. Christ died for all; admitted.
Then, the redemption is universal.
If we confess our sins, God is faith
full aud just to forgive US our sins, and
to cleanse us from all anrighteousRess. :
Therefore His mercy is over all
His works. ~
This is our sanction the great
charter Of our hopes.
2. Next, I'VE are My friends, it ye
DO whatsoever / command you
That outlines the general duty of all.
Sd. Human iaStrunlelataEities become
the ordinary method of the extern
sion of the life and work of Christ on
earth. Go ye unto allthe world and
preach the Gospel to every creature. "
This exempts no dark corners, no IN
pleasant places, no disreputable class.
To come directly to the case, there
fore. we cannot modify this proeiama-
ton of Christian duties. Christ's
mission Of !. peace on earth, good will
to men," was to be carried on By sim
ple human means, preaching His Cos
pei, making known His Word; and
we are either His Stewards. Ambas-
sailors, Friends, in our several sta
tons, or we are not. We must dis
avow every pretension of being His
followers. or we nl1tst be willing to be
led by His example, TO tread in Ills
blessed footsteps, and " do good unto
all men,"
No class of sinners, no type Of sin,
but claim our thoughts and efforts,
(the worst, the more earnestly copying
Him in so doing.
I need say no more of the hideous-
ness of the sin under consideration.
The world is full of outcries against
these fallen ones. Every one comes
into Court with stone in his hand
| to throw at them. But it Is fair to
inquire. what has become of impair
tial justice and equity in the mean
| time? Who stops and asks how came
this state of things to exist2 Who
have aided or Allotted the crime?
Who contribute to influences which
swell this stygian stream By permit
ting the practice of the sin under the
/ fgment of a legal right? Who is re-
sponsible for the public opinion which
makes that to be no sin. which our
Lord says Is sin2 Which sanctions
every day adulterous marriages of
| divorced persons?
We hunt with our scorn these poor,
weak, friendless women, through our
streets, while we say to those who
have violated their nuptial oaths and
married another: "Come up into
our parlor, and sit in our pew and ac-
cept our society" where God hath
.
and marrieth another, conmitteth
adultery, and whatsoever marrieth heI
that is put away from her husband
committeth adultery.
Who and where are those who are
sending many of these moral wrecks
robbed, despoiled, worse tran muir.
dered. to be jeered, and despised, and
spit upon?
Obi we are silent here. That wo
man was detected In unchastity. Why
did not her jealous accusers bring bel
accomplish in guilt also before Jesus
/ since the Law of Moses commanded
that both should be punished?
Like those we'll dressed gentry tn
Scribe and Pharisee, we wink at tn
notion of honor which banishes on
from the social pale and not the 9th
err, easily forgiving the strong mar
while damning the weak woman TO
offences which rank alike in tn,
Judgment of the Great Exemplar.
The world casts the stone of infam.
upon a lost frail woman, but shield
with polite excuse and apologize cir
euml0cution the mean and eoHardl
! william who takes the all, the littli
eve lamb" of another and spares
himself"
He brands alike criminal and Grim
inator; sheltering no more the ont
than the other. To Him and befor,
Him there was no place for tina
abominable heresy of oar day tina
vice loses half its evil, by losing al
its grossness.
He who rebuked sin in high places
and in low, melting out even iustict
and truth to sinners of every sex anG
degree, sends back to the i7ener seize
these influential personages il
Church and State, who come in
to His courts with their sweeping
trains and broad phylacteries,-
these who are so ready to Stay q
helpless, SHINING woman,-these
imposing people who walk in good so.
ciety, when at home), and hold of
fee, and make long prayers. "All
We young men and old, He says
bankers, merchants, Priests, lawyers
who Turk in the thievish corners oil
the streets, ye who cover your OWL
corruption with a mantle of secrecy
and gid your guilt with gold; all ye
fine ladies and gentlemen who dispar-
age honest labor by your idleness, and
pomp, and fnery, and high heads.
and drive the poor, weak sisterhood
to the wages of SIM ye who are
forming this public opinion in society,
which torbids poor girl the claim Of
responsibility, vino works with her
hands for daily bread" all ye,
| whose wives. sisters, and daugh-
ters indulge an extravagancy of dress
and slavish submission to fashion,
and thus create q standard and love
of display. to Initiate which costs the
souls OF these outcasts; "You," He
says, who are siniess, first cast a
stone. You, whose hearts have not
cherished the thought or desire of sin,
remain to execute judgment. and let
others go out and prepare for another
Judge and judgment"
What, then, shall we do for these
wretched exiles from the world Of
purity2
What are we Christians. who. aided
By divine grace. are never to be
weary in well doing, what are we
doing TO prove our imitation Of
Him who was the Friend Of Dnfli-
cans, sinners and Magdalenes?
oh, some are ready to say. Eve
can not eradicate this evil. We are
sorry for these creatures; but their
Generalization is too radical for re