The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-09-01
Sermon,

Sermon.
Text, IS Psalm, part of the 9th verse: 81 have
seen violence and strife in the city"
The authorship and occasion of this
Psalm will be apparent as we proceed.
There was rebellion, crime and blood
shed in Israel. The whole land was
seething with excitement like boiIing
cauldron. The law of the land had been
violated, its officers resisted and
fought with. The desperate and dan.
gerous elements were, for the time, in
the ascendant, and no laW-abiding man
or officer of the law was safe The
wholesome restraints of law were defied,
the authority of government was spit
upon. This state of things filed Jeru-
salem with violence and strife" The
leader of this lawlessness and fighting
was a man capable of much better
! things. In intellectual endeWments and
in opportunities for noble and useful
service he was the superior Of most men
and the peer of any. In social position
and in family connection he stood in the
| front rank. Usefulness, happiness and
! an honorable distinction were within
his reach, but he allowed the demsn Of
IawIess ambition and Of defiance of God
and man to take possession Of him, and
to make Of him dangerous and desper-
ate man. This man was Absalom the
superb, the son of David, king of Is
rael Yet he wasted his grand oppor-
tunities and perverted the mighty forces
of his royal nature. Had he lived in
our day he would have been a swagger-
ing and swearing bravade, carrying a
pistol in his pocket.
This Absalom was the leader in law
less and bloody deeds; and, as is usual
with such men, he met a bloody and
horrible death. He took the sword and
he perished by the sword. In him Gods
word was made good, that ''bleody and
deceitful men shall not live out half
their days"
We have seen this town full of "vio-
lence and strife" within the last forty
eight hours. We have seen a circus
an institution of the devil, yet having
the effrsntery to call itself strictly
moral" that it may catch Weak-kneed
christians,-bring together the worst
and most lawless elements of this c0un-
try; we have seen these men in defiance
of law armed with pistols; we have seen
them furnished with Intoxicating liquor
by the bar-rooms of this place; we have
seen them thus armed and drunk violat-
ing the law and resisting the officers.
We have seen one officer, as brave and
faithful man as ever served people,
brutally shot dead while doing his duty,
another unfincbing officer shot danger
ously, and a third shot slightly. We
have seen defer of God aud man shot
to death and falling dead from his horse
in the middle of this town; we have
seen five men shot, tive of them killed,
all in less than one days time, and
within the last f0rty-eight hours. We
have seen the city full of drunkenness,
blood and murder. Almighty God grant
that we may never see another such day
while the world lasts.
II you ask me who was the AbsalOm
of these tragedies, their leader and re-
sponsib1e actor, answer that you know
the origin and history of these bloody
and murderous deeds as well as / do. l
am not here to narrate that history, but
as minister of Jesus Christ; as lover
of my race; as an advocate Of religion,
morality and law; and, in the presence
of the God whom serve, to warn you
of your danger and arouse you to your
duty; to urge you to the adoption of
such principles and conduct as will more
effectually throw around us the safe
guards of wholesome law and secure to
US the blessings of peace and safety, and
prevent the recurrence of scenes SO dia-
bolical and disgraceful as these that
have set their bloody blot upon this
community.
If you enquire further as to the re-
meter causes of these tragedies, reply
that hold three classes Of persons re-
sponsible for them. 1st-the dealers in
Intoxicating liquors; 2d-the drinking
and lawless class of this vicinity, and
3d-you, yourselves, my christian fell
low-citizens, as I shall show you before
1 am done.
When DaYid and his people saw the
state of things that existed, he went to
work to correct the evils. He did not
hesitate or temporise. 1t was a time
fer prompt aud vigorous actien. Note
well what he did. he called upon the
Lord to help him and went to work to
help himself,-a most wise course to
pursue, most worthy example to fol-
low. He determined that the rightful
supremacy of law and order should be
maintained, and that lawlessness should
be put down and kept down. 1t cost
the death of some true men in Israel and
the death of the desperate leader to se-
cure these ends. But "good govern
ment is cheap at any price," and the
people who will enjoy its blessings must
pay the price. Government, divine
gift to man, must be maintained. Every
soul should be subject to the powers
that rule. Fer the powers that be are
ordained of God. WhosOever therefore
resisted the power, resisted the ordin-