The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-23
ANOTHER PURITY sermon
Lecture by DR.. Mcleod on the Seventh
Commandment. ~
TRIBUTE TO MAYOR CONNELL
Dut the Mayor Should Dc Strictly Held to
the Enforcement Of the Laws.
blessings Of Marriage and
Evils of Divorce.

addresses and comment, which nave
followed the recent police inquiry, was
last nights sermon of Rev. James Nc
Leod in the First Presbyterian church.
DR.. McLeod's thought was a plea for
higher morality. He had something
complimentary to say of Mayor Con-
nell, but frankly gave his opinion that
any officer who fails to see that the pro-
visions of the law are enforced should
be summarily dealt with.
The lecture was entitled 1.-THE Sew
enth Commandment Is the Gospel or
Purity" and. as indicated by the first
three words of the title, was the sew
enth of a series Of lectures on the ten
commandments. DIR. McLeod's texts
were Thou shall not commit adultery,
Exodus, xx:14, and blessed are the
pure In heart for they shall see God"
Matthew, VS.. He said:
The seventh commandment breaches
the gospel of purity. AS interpreted by
Christ, 1t forbids not only the impure
act but the impure thought; 1t requires
the preservation Of our own and our
neighbours chastity. in heart, speech and
behaviour; 1t forbids all unchaste
thoughts. words and actions. The ad-
vent Of Christ gave to this command
ment new force and interest. He
preached and practiced the gospel of
purity. He was truly, harmless, unde-
filed and separate from sin.
Marriage and Divorce.
1t would not he convenient to discuss
at this time, all the questions involved
in this part of the decalogue. The value
and the Importance of this holy law
can hardly be overestimated. The
sanity and sainted theologian, DIR.
Hodge has devoted more space to it's
consideration than to any other of the
commandments
portance to the individual, to the fam
lily, to the church and to the society at
large. If the fifth commandment puts
sacred guard around the home in re-
spect of parental and filial conduct, the
seventh commandment puts another sa-
cred guard around it in respect of the
divine institution of marriage. The
most sacred of all earthly relationships
is marriage-the best lock in any home
Is wedlock, and to break that holy
lock Is to break Gods most holy law.
which He has made for the peace and
the purity Of the home. The divine
law on this subject is explicit, for mar
riage is a divine institution. 1t is not
simply civil contract. In the ancient
church polygamy was tolerated. not
hardness of the Hebrew heart; but
from the beginning 1t was not So"
Polygamy was tolerated among the
Hebrews somewhat as Mormonism was
too long tolerated by our government.
Both were wrong. They were crimes
against God and against humanity, and
both We're great national disgrace.
The world owes it's elevation in the
scale of family and social purity to the
advent Of Christ. If the New testa-
ment does not occupy higher plane
than the Old, 1t is. at least. more pro-
nounced. The gospel of Christ lifts us
up into a higher, sweeter, clearer at
mosphere. and in this higher, purer air
we can see more clearly than did the
old Hebrews, that "the law Is spirit
ual."
On the question of divorce the law of
Moses was almost as lax as the law of
Maine, while, on the other hand, the
law of Christ Is far less stringent than
the law of South Carolina, for no di-
vorce has ever been granted In that
state. 1t would be happy day for this
nation-God speed it's coming!-if all
civil laws in all our states, touching the
question Of family purity, were brought
into harmony with the law Of Christ.
The devil of divorce is a most impure
as well as a most industrious devil and
he cannot be sent too quickly to his own
place.
Standard OF Purity Rising.
The Bible gives great prominence to
the subject Of purity because of it's
great Importance The goal of purity
is heaven. The goal of impurity is hell
Be not deceived, God Is not Knocked, for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he
also reap. Neither drunkards. nor idol
aters, nor the covetous, nor fornicators,
nor adulteresses shall inherit the king
dom of God. But Notwithstanding this
word Of God with his holy warning, the
sin of impurity Is far too common in
Christendom.
But while this Is true 1t Is my thank
fully cherished belief. that Christs gos-
pei Of purity has never been so widely
appreciated, nor SO widely practiced as
1t is today. The Christian religion is
doing it's holy work. The standard of
purity has been steadily raised and it is
steadily rising. If 1t be true that, too
often, Mans VOWS are womans trait
ors." 1t is no less true that manly honor
and wOmanly virtue We're never held in
higher esteem than at this good hour.
Occasionally the vices of the few re-
ceive more public attention than the
virtues Of the many. Wrecked lives,
like wrecked ships, are widely heralded.
1t is well to call public attention to the
wreck and ruin wrought by sin; but are
there not in our land, an hundred sober
men for every drunkard; an hundred
honest men for every thief; an hundred
loyal men for every traitor, and an hum
dred knightly souls for every one who
Is a stranger to virtue and whose name
Is synonym for dishonor?
Neither Swift nor Sterne would
be tolerated today in any Chris
tian pulpit The tone OF English
literature has been greatly ele-
waited since that time, and, more
over, it is cause for gratitude that pure
and healthy literature Is, nowadays,
quite as cheap as that which is filthy
and degrading.
A small skirmish has taken place in
our own city l hope 1t will do good.
Our mayor and some elect ladies' and
physicians have spoken plainly and di-
rectly on the subject. The Christian
pulpit should welcome all such Chris
tian helps. The words of st. Paul:
Help those women which labored with
me in the gospel" are as applicable to
the pulpit of today as they were to that
of the Apostolic age.
Tribute to Scranton.
have said more than once that this
city is cleaner morally, and that 1t Is
better governed than any city of its
size in this country. This is not hasty
judgment. and believe 1t to be capable
Of abundant proof. But still there is
room for improvement. The officers of
the law, from the mayor down, should
be, and trust they will be henceforth,
held to a strict accountability for the
Co 30 IL
against Sabbath breaking and against
the liquor traffic, and against impurity,
| as well as against theft and murder.
An officer Of the law who refuses 10
obey the law and to carry out its pro-
visions, even when, according to his
| own confession, 1t is boldly and bra
Tenly violated, is not fit to be a public
| officer, and he ought to be relegated as
speedily as possible to private life.
Txs IL -.