Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1901-07-26

u Sn,,atimes it seems to me as If society
- ro;no hack to the state of morals OF
Me ercr1 ane{m, when it sculptured Its vile
w.. fn nillars and temple wall and moth
inc but the lava of burning mountain
conld hide the immensely OF CRIME: AZ
What time God will rise up ana e&trpate
these evils upon society / know not nor
whether He will do it by, hre or hurricane
or earthquake, but holy you, ~ IoV
i tn,n the thunderbolts are kissing hot,
n ma that when God comes to chastise; the
n immunity for these sins, against, which
I d. Ia q uttered Himself more bitterly than
lie anv other, the fate Of Sodom and
Gomorrah will be tolerable as compared
U ,',;th tbe fate of our modern society,
VIII Inew better, but did worse.
We want about 10000 pulpits IN Amer
Zoo r. thunder. "All adulterers and whore,
monGers shall have their place IN tne nen
that burneth with fire, ana a, oIih hsI nn
which is the second DEATH, !. ls men nt On 3n
earth and hell forever we hafe EUo !;
m HUI Ar Fifth avenue or Beacon Hill is
% Samnable ia the sight of God as 1t Is
IN the slums. L 49, e;der.
down or dwells amid the pntrldity OF a
low tenement house, God is after IL 10 E Iiis
VEN Yet the pulpit of the Chris
tian church has been so cowed down on
This subject that it hardly .dares speak,
and men are almost apologize when they
read the Ten Commandments:
Then look at the destinations thrown
around assassination. There are IN a.. a.
communities men who have taken ane
lives of others unlawfully; not as eHecu'
TONERS Of the law, and they 60 SCOT iree'
You say that they had their provocatlohhs.t
God gave life, and He alone has rignV
to take it. and He may take it by vista
ton of Providence or by an executloner
of the law, who is His messenger. but
when a man assumes that divine preroga-
tive he touches the lowest depth, OF CRIME.
Society is alert for certain kinds OF muir
der. If a citizen going along the road at
night is waylaid aud slain by a robber,
we all want the villain arrested and exc
cuted. For all garrotng, for all beating
out of life by club or an axe or slung-
shot, the law has quick spring and heavy
stroke, but you know that when men get
affiuent and high position and they avenge
their wrongs by taking the lives OF others
great sympathy is excited. Lawyers plead,
ladies weep, judge haltsi Jury is bribed,
and the man goes free. If the verdict
happen to be against him a new trial ls
called on through some technicallty, and
they adjourn for witnesses that never
come and adjourn and adjourn until the
community has forgotten all about 1t, and
then the prison door opens and the muir
derer goes free.
Now, if capital punishment be right L
say let the life of the polished murderer
60 with the life of the vulgar assassin.
Let us have no partially OF gsallows' no
aristocracy of electrocution chair DO
NOT let us float back to barbarism, when
every man was his own judge, jury and
executioner, and that man had the su,
premacy who had the sharpest knife and
the strongest arm and the quickest step
and the stealthiest revenge. He who Will
fully and in hatred takes the life OF an
other is a murderer, | care not what the
provocation or the circumstances.
He may be cleared by an enthusiastic
courtroom. he may be sent by the Gov
eminent of the United States as Minister
to some foreign court or modern literature
may polish the crime until it looks like
heroism, but in the sight of God murder
is murder, and the Judgment day VIII SO
reveal it.
Now, do not be fascinated by the gla-
NOR thrown over crime of whatever sort.
Because others have habits that seem bril-
liant, but yet at the same time are wicked,
do not choose such faults. Stand indie
pendent of all such influences. Put your
confidence in the Lord God. He will be
your strength. Vengeance is mine.
will repay, saith the Lord. ,,.
Cultivate old fashioned honesty. This
book is full of it. Old fashioned honesty
such as was spoken OF by DIR. Livingstone,
the famous explorer. You may not know
he was descended from the Hilghlanders::
DIR. Livingstone said that one day one OF
the old Highlanders called his children
around him and said: "Now, my lads,
have looked all through our family line n :
| have gone back as far as can, and l
find that all our ancestors were honest
people. There doesn't seem to be one
rogue among them, and you have good
blood. Now, my lads, be honest"
There are hundreds of young men who
have good blood. Shall | ask three or four
plain questions? Are your habits as good
as when you left your fathers house?
Have you good ticket in your pocket!
Have you fraudulent document? Have
you been experimenting to see how accur-
ate an imitation you could make OF your
employers signature? Oh, you have good
blood. Remember your fathers prayers.
Remember your mothers example. Turn
not in an evil way. Have you been going
astray? Come back. Have you ventured
out too far?
As l stand in pulpits looking over au
dences sometimes my heart fails me-
There are so many tragedies present, so
many who have sacrificed their integrity,
so many far away from God. Why, my
brother, there have been too many prayers
offered for you to have you 60 overheard
And there are those venturing down into
sin, and my heart aches to call them back
At Brighton Beach or Long Branch you
have seen men go down into the surf to
battle, and they waded out farther and
farther, and you got anxious about them
You said, II wonder if they can SWIM"
And you then stood and shouted: Come
backi Come back You will be drowned"
They waved their hand back, saying;
mo danger" They kept. on wading deep
er down and farther out from shore until
after awhile great wave with a strong
undertow took them out, their corpses
the next day washed on the beach. So /
see men wading down into sin farther and
farther, and / call to them: Come back!
Come back! You will be lost; you will be
ing, mo danger; no danger!" Deeper
down and deeper down until after awhile
n wave sweeps them out and sweeps them
off forever. Oh, come back! The one
farthest away may come.
] came from. You don't know what my
history has been. You don't know what
iniquity / have plotted. I have gone
through the whole catalogue of sim" My
brother, do not know the story, but I
tell you this: The door of mercy is wide
open. Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as snow; though they be red
Ike cSTimson they shall , be as ~, Moo D.,
worst Of crimes though Won have been
you have been fred with all evil passions,
this moment on your brow, hot with mi
quitous indulgences, may be set the flash
ing coronet of a Saviour's forgiveness.