Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1882-05-26


Following is an extract. from the
sermon Of Rev. l. 5. McElroy deliver
Ell at the Stanford Presbyterian church
last Sunday night. Text, Jonah l.
11-16: a b.
Jonah told these sailors plainly that
they must cast him into the sea or the
ship could not be saved, nevertheless
the men rowed hard 10 bring II 10
land In doing this they seem to
have acted nobly, and have been prais
cd by many whereas they deserve 10
he censured severely, for they acted
most wickedly. They deserve praise
Tor shrinking from shedding the blood
ola fellow man without divine war.
rant, but they deserve the severest
censure for positively refusing to exc.
cute Gods sentence against clearly
condemned criminal They acted the
wicked part that is played by so many
so called Christian juries in our own
land eho feinse to execute the law II
God Incorporated ia man tnloral con
stitution, revealed to Noah immediate
" afterthe food. and repeated all thro'
the sacred recot,i that "whoso she'd
deth mans blood, by man shall his
blood he she'd Gen. 8 ,6) for the
blood Of murder deiilelh the land and
the land cannot be cleansed but by
the bod Of man that shedit > mum.
1888. Jonah was not guilty Of muir.
der, but he was guilty OF great sin,
and as the prophet o. Jehovah he de
clared Gods judgment Of his case 50
that These mariners ia refusing 10 exc
cute that sentence did lust what those
iuries do, who refIse 10 execute Gods
sentence against the murderer, rob
bling Justice Of her pay and leaving the
land dcfiled with blood. In the name
of pity these sailors were enacting
great cruelty to all on shipboard. en-
dangering the lives Of the entire crew,
lust as men in many places are now
shielding crime at the expense of vir-
tue, aud practicing cruelty upon the
community and Commonwealth, under
the influence Of sickly sentimental
ism falsely called mercy. IL il not
mercy nor pity that shields the mur.
derer. but shameful weakness and
moral cowardice, Sinking n painful
duty at the expense Of public's peace
and virtue. God says the murderer
must be executed; that the land eau
not be cleansed Of his crime but by his
blood, and we bring Gods curse upon
Ourselves, when we refuse % execute
that law by turning the criminals
loose 20 endanger the lives Of good
aud useful men or shutting them up in
prison TO be pardoned by the Governor
after few years of confinement. Ani
We, our Commonwealth has enacted a
law that is in direct defiance OF this
law of God, encouraging this cogardly
spirit that prevails already TO an
alarming extent, and thrusting an open
insult into the face Of Him who ruleth
over nations and yisiteth Kingdoms
with his curse. refer to that stat
ute which makes imprisonment Tor
life a substitute for capital punish
ment. ii the criminal deserves only
10 be imprisoned for life he should moi
lie punished more than this, but il he
is clearly guilty of murder. God says
he must be executed or he viii hold
the Commonwealth responsible for his
crime, aud he will ultimately visit IL
with his curse. HIS curse has begun
10 work in our land, and the end is
not vet unless we shall learn lesson
from the example OF the great Ruler
ofall who pities, from the very depths
of bis great heart Of love, pities the
wicked while he visits him with his
proper punishment. We need to
learn this lesson OF plying aud yet
Furnishing. Ii those sailors had not
obeyed Gods voice and cast Jonah in
to the sea their ship would have sunk,
and IL we do not obey Gods voice and
execute his law against murder, on
ship of state will sink in sea o.
crime and cruelty, Of anarchy aud
mob law, of strife and carnage and
blood. There are those who do no
believe these things any more thar
those heather sailors believed Jonah
but like them we will learn at las
that Gods way even though il SEEM
harsh and CRATES upon our sentmen
talism is the only way Of safety, 0
peace and prosperity. And my pray
er is that those whose hands are OF
the helm of state may learn this lessor
ere il be too late.