Daily Republican., 1878-11-20
A sCATHING SERMON. =
bishop Rockers ermon - the
Murder OF PslSaek GessS5as.

TO st. Peters Cathedral, at which time
Bishop Becker showed his utter detes-
tation Of causes which led TO the perpe
tration Of the crime by preaching the
following brief but pointed sermon:
IA murder of the most terrible sort
has been committed in our usually quiet
community Of Wilmington, Del. And |.
Is not only murder Of the body, but the
soul Of the victim has hardly escaped
that fearful sentence pronounced by AL
mighty God upen the drunkard. Cor.
VI. 10: "Nor shall drunkards inherit
the kingdom OF God"
This special murder has, however,
brought in its train overwhelming evi
dence of the foulest perjury, lies innu-
merable, and crimes revolving to the
heart Of any who have yet spark ofde-
cency in their frame, and at the sight Of
such crimes christianity is, indeed, ap-
palled. Should not then the origin
and source OF all these evils be sought
out, and stamped with this mark Of IN
fanny, and those who are directly guilty
be brought to condign justice? And
ought not those who are directly gull
ty, by aiding or abetting the natural
cause of such fearful injury to society,
be pointed at by the finger of scorn;
whilst Religion is proved to be in no
matter the accomplice of those who
under her garb, or in her livery, are
the most active tools OF the Devil
If va look around US, it will not be
difficult to trace home the cause of such
wide spread misery. Were We to visit
our prisons, our hospitals and aim
houses; were TO examine our place Of
correction, under what name soever
they come--from police stations to the
homes for nebriates; from the asylums
for orphans, through the sad history Of
tramps, liars, thieves, suicides and
murderers, it would be no exaggeration
to state that nine tenths OF them all
may be directly traced to drink.
We, the sober portion of the commu
nifty, are taxed heavily, nay, fearfully
burdened, to support them. We are
bounded dOwuor upbraided as enthusi-
asts when we dare speak out but tithe
of what we and all know to be the
truth; nay, many say that the church
has no riget to condemn what is in IT.
self not necessarily wrong-tha use Of
wine and spirituous liquors-and they
take refuge, as it were, under the shad.
ow of religion, by saying the church
buries the drunkard with even the ap
pearance of honors, and that she does
not excommunicate the living sot Of
either sex with the mark Of murder on
his, or her head
Now, 1t is our duty to say tina: il the
State would but second the demands Of
religion, nor wink at the transgressions
Of the law known to her public men, and
especially to her magistrates and police off,
GERS to erist; If citizens would give in
formation, as they should, when houses
OF infamy and dens Of drunkenness are
known to be kept by men and women,
these latter would full tsoon be brought
to merited punishment, and innumer-
able crimes would be thus hindered.
If people would but listen to the
voice of the Church, teaching clearly
and authoritively by the command of
her Divine Founder, that "drunkards
cannot possess the Kingdom of God,"
the miserable crimes degrading our COM
mon humanity, and of which We have
sad specimen before us to-day, could
not long continue in our midst, nor
would the murderer of soul and body
long 60 unwhipt ofjustice.
Drunkenness is crime. 1t is one Of
the most revolving forms of vice. Yet it
is exceedingly common among people
who would consider themselves insul-
ted ere the name OF title of "Chris-
tian" refused them. This crime has
produced more misery in itself and in
its consequences than any other vice,
and truly it leads to every other sin.
Yet people treat it mildly as though
it did not fill our penitentiaries, pris-
ons, hospitals and asylums; as though
it did not produce more lawsuits, per-
uries, adulteries, murders, suicides
and divorces than any one of the other
crimes specifically condemned in the
Decalogue !
Here is the body of man. Where is
the murdered spulY Where is the hand
that struck him down to die without
benefit of clergy and with all his sins on
his wretched soul! Probably the hand
which did the deed is before me! Those
who sell drink in low tippling houses
where vile men and low females congre-
gate; those who mingle and participate
in their orgies are muderers already in
their hearts! We know from report what
style Of language is in use among such
people, even in the public street. We
know who they are that made night
hideous by their shameless speeches
and wicked oaths; and We are not una
ware of the fear that police are always
conveniently for themselves, absent,
whilst politicians and magistrates
equally wink at the plain transgressior
of the law.
The murderer will be found by the
voice of conscience at last. May the
hand that dealt the blow never pros
per; may those who aided and abettsd
the fearful, loathsome murder have
their life just as summarily extin
guished! Yet, No! Rather may they
aid the ends of justice, and be convert
cd; made sober and live! This would
be a greater wonder than their utter
destruction. We pray the All Merniful
Father through Jesus Christ, His Son,
for the poor fool who lay wallowing in
his blood on that Sunday morning
when he should have been at church
commencing the sanctification of that
day by his prayers. Verify the only
cpitaph we can put upon him is: "He
died as the fool dieth." But the per-
ured pack of red handed and foul
4l,nl .l /i,1 O a VA thxa m a ri ~ |