Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-04-15
"THoU SHALT NOT STEAL"
A Sermon Preached In the Old School
Presbyterian Church, sunday.
g. April 8sh. 1915. by Rev. q,
J. A. Quarles. "a .-.f

=
all; for 1t is one of the common prtn-
ciples recognised by our universal
- -.
.o Stealing is not only q crime ard Z
sins Q crime against man and g sin
ngn4ns+ Ssetf. but II il, saaareoyef, ne,
of the mealest and basest Of crimes.
1t is All abdication Of our manhood
when, by taking from others'we con-
fess our inability or udwillingness to
provide for ourselves. 1t ia either a
living or a cowardly act; for, even
when it is not done in secret, 1t ls'al-
ways under circumstances when the
thief thinks that lieohss every advan-
tage of the man; whom he rObs.
Laziness, deceit. and .cowardice are
thus it's chief characteristics, and are
themselves the sure marks of corr
rupt and degraded spirit.
1t would seem strange, when we
consider the baseless of this vice aud
the natural and universal condemna.
ton which it receives from every
sound mind, that it should be found
to- be, even in civilized communities,
one of the most common of evils. At
first it might appear altogether inap-
propriate to discourse OF this sin
before an audience of average re-
spectability while to an ,assemblage
of christian people it ought to be
entirely out OF place. Such. homily
would seem rather befitting gather
ing upon the wharves of our populous
cities, or such as are unwiiiingly col
lected in our jai1s and penitentiaries
The homely Saxon words, "Thou
a h Of vr fn hi lvy0 hk,
refined sensibilities of ears polite.
No minister'is justified in speaking
to one congregation of the sins Of an
other, except for the purpose of
warning or as All Indictment to efforts
for the reclamation of the, offenders.
Too much Of this is done in the pull
pit and too much of a correspond
ing spirit is felt in the pews. Each
one of US needs to look more closely
at home, to sweep before his own
doors, to cleanse his own linen. Each
one of us would do we'll to look less
at the mote that is in the brothers
eye, and far more at the beam that is
in our own. The ministry, to be a
living, earnest, practical, useful min
istry, needs to look into the eyes and
into the hearts of those right before
it, and to say with direct. loving
faithfulness, "'fhou art the man."
Is the injunction of the text, then,
practical one for us Are we yio-
lators of the eighth commandment. or
are we in danger of becoming so ?
Let US look at ourselves, first, as q
part of the general community. which,
makes US one Of the nations of the
earth. We are young people. In
all the sisterhood Of nations, Coiuml-
bia is The Youngest Of them > all.
Though a youthful matron, in this
her centennial year, she finds at her
family board gathering of over
thirty children, all of them with the
ruddy vigor OF early prime upon their
cheeks. We are too young to have
the vices of old age; and we have
lived long enough to discard the be-
setting sins of immaturity.
Owing to the peculiarities of our
origin, we have escaped the curse OF
imheritiEg the ignorance or the vices
of our fathers. Other nations have
struggled on to civilization from the
bogs and quaginires of barbarisIn, and
have been compelled to see more oil
less of its evils still clinging to them
through the tyranny OF custom Ol
tradition. We were privileged to be.
gin our career as an enlightened, civ.
ilized people. t 81.
Every circumstance has combined
to afford us an unlimited, unfettered
scope for self development. Iu q new
country separated by the ocean from
the halnpering or moulding influences
nf nj IL z 1,
government. affording the Utmost lib
erty for individual and social growth
we are to-day just what we have
made ourselves, and d'just what we
have chosen to make ourselves. I'm.
der heaven and above hell, we have
no one to thank, and no ono to blame
for what we are, except ourselves.
What are we to-day? What ust
have we made Of the peculiar and al
together unparalleled opportunities
which we have enjoyed !? What all
swer does our experience give to tht
perfectibility of human nature under
the most favored circumstances2
We are great people, we say. So
in some respects, we are. That ole
bell, which from Independence Hal
pealed forth a hundred years ago
"Liberty to all the nations" finds it,
echoes repeated in this centennia
year by the answ ering shouts of forty
millions OF freemen, come from
every nation to enjoy here the com
mon rights of sovereign, n,unrestricteC
citizenship. We are not only free
but we are also a poWertuI people
This we have shown i'll the terrible
struggles of war, and in the more
beneticeut enterprises OF peace. Ii
the mine, Oh the field, on the water
in the exchange and the counting
room, our power is universally az
knowledged. We are a0edlthy peo
pie. Possessed of natural resources
not inferior to any ever enjoyed, We
have steadily and skillfully developed
them until we have grown rich even
to marvel. We are an intelligent
people; not only in the learning Vi
the books in which our common peo
pie have few to compete with them
but also in that practical wisdom
which is most needed in the daily
struggle of life. AS people, We are
powerful, even to boastihg, free even
to RIGHTEOUSNESS, rich even to luxury
ard intelligent even to conceit.
But our text leads us to ask, how
are we as to honesty Let the Credit
Mobilier aud Pacific Mail scandal.
answer. Let the judgment rendered
against VIM. NJ. Tweed for over sia
millions of stolen trust funds answer
Let the unknown but enormous pecu
lations of our Southern state govern
ments answer. Let the shameless.
swindling of the untutored Indian,
unswer. Let the straw bids of ouI
postal contracts answer. Let the
comparatively W worthless ships of oul
texpensive navy answer. Let the five
millions surplus which we wruns
from old England answer. Lei
the tarnished honor Of dis
tinguished statesman from Ohio all
swer. Let the dishonored retirement
of our late minister to the court o
St. James answer. Let tho broke,
banks and their absconded president.
and cashiers answer. Let the lat,
pampered favorite of the Whit,
House answer. Let the stupendou
whisky iraud-, from Milwaukee t,
New Orleans, answer. Let the con
fessiou and impeachment Of the lat
secretary of war answer. Nay, le
the sad impression that our civi
service, from the highest to tn
lhumblest official, is under the sus