Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-07-15

the case Of the State VS.. Columbus
Warren and others, for house e-breaking
and larceny with the same witnesses.
We beg to thank your honor for your
kind indulgence and also the solicitor
for the aid given us during the term.
There being no other business we beg
to be discharged.
THE CRIME OF MURDER.
Rev. w. G. Neville. pastor of the
Presbyterian church of Yorkville,
preached last Sunday morning on the
crime of murder. His sermon was
timely and of such obvious strength
that 1t gives us pleasure to reproduce
it in full. He took his text from Exodus
Xxx, 13: Thou shalt do no murder
and discussed the subject as follows:
Murder. Let us consider first, the
enormity of this crime. God teaches
|:us in his word that murder Is one or
the most atrocious crimes that can be
committed by man; and mans enlight-
ened judgment corroborates Gods es-
innate of this sin. AS far as man Is
concerned, there Is more involved IN
this sin, perhaps, than In any other. In
order to realize to some extent, at least
the comprehensive sweeps OF the IS
sues involved in this sin, just consider
murdered Is affected. He Is ushered
into the awful and untried realities OF
l:eternity, and, as rule, without mo-
inent's warning. His connection with
this world Is forever severed and MS
destiny Is eternally fixed.
The man who commits murder Is eX-
ercising a prerogative which belongs
to God exclusively, and one which IS
especially sacred to him. Hence the
man who assumes the prerogative OF
| taking his fellows life, and exercises
this prerogative without the direct per-
mission Of God, is guilty Of a very
heinous crime in the sight Of God.
Murder is sacrilege In the sight OF
Cod. It is infinitely different from TAX
| ing the life Of dumb brute. 1t Is not
only violating a commandment Of God
this Is bad enough: but 1t Is defacing
the image of God. 1t Is practically
an effort to put an end to being who
is made in the image Of God. Yes, the
murderer does all he can to annihilate
| not only a product Of Gods creative
power, but a person who Is made In the
| image Of God and who bears upon his
very being the stamp Of Diety.
Oh, how deep man has. sunk Into
the depths Of iniquity, who can commit
this crime! Human language Is made.
uuate to depict the real character OF
this sin.
In the next place, let me call your at
| tention to the fact that this crime has
been on the increase in recent years In
this country. Statistics show thai
murder in the United States In the last
| fifteen or twenty years has increased
with startling and alarming rapidity
| I believe the number Of homicides IN
this country did not exceed the l,OOC
mark till 1886; but in one year since
that time it has reached the 10000
mark. Just think of tan increase
Of ten hundred per cent In little over
| ten years. We have been sowing the
wind and we are now reaping the
whirlwind. Human life is cheap In the
United States. Look at England
of only 377 murders each year. The
l;average in this country from 1895 to
| 1901 was 7,746. While our population
is only two and one half times as large
as England, the number Of homic1des
lin this country Is more than twenty
times as many as in England. That is
fif we had the same standard on this
subject that England has, we would
lhave only 942 homicides a year, In
stead of 7,746 There was In South
Carolina 225 homicides last year. If
our record had been as good as Eng
lands, there would have been only fif-
lteen.
When we study these figures, it is
not surprising that thoughtful people
are seriously considering the subject
and are trying to devise some plan by
which this great evil may be abated
Truly can we say that our land Is pollut-
ed with the sin Of murder. Just think
of it-46,478 homicides In this country
in six years!
Let us now consider some Of the
causes which are at work In produc-
| ing so much evil. Sometimes by dis
cussing the causes Of malady, an ef-
ffcaclous remedy can be found and pre-
scribed.
+ What are the causes for so much
bloodshed?
OF course, the fundamental cause OF
murder Is the depravity of the human
heart. God says: 1.-The heart is deceit
full above all things, and desperately
wicked" While the depravity Of the
human heart is the fountain-head OF
this deadly stream of murder and IN
iouity, it Is not the cause that demands
our attention just now; for this cause
has been in existence ever since the hrst
murder was committed, and 1t Will con-
tinue to exist as long as there is hu-
man heart that remains in state OF
total depravity.
which have been instrumental In In
creasing the number Of homicides IN
our land.
: l. The sentimentalism OF the age
Is one cause. Many people think that
| Il is barbarous to punish even the most
notorious scoundrel who has commit
ted an atrocious crime-except In the
| tnildest manner. This idea has 80 TAX
en- hold of people in some quarters that
they have practically annihilated In
their wicked and distorted imagina-
tions the reality Of sin and the doc
trines Of retributive justice. This new
and dangerous theology has gone into
some churches and even into some pull
pits. You can hear of men even In the
pulpit hooting at the doctrine OF future
punishment-yes men who profess to
be ministers Of that Christ whose
preaching had so much Of this doctrine
in it. They are too sentimental, falsely
so-called, and too cowardly, rightly So
called, to preach what Christ preached.
They have so magnifed the love OF
God that they have completely destroy
ed the justice Of God.
AS long as the tendency continues In
this direction, you may expect an In
crease Of crime, not only Of murder,
but of every species Of crime. If the
sin of murder is to be arrested In Its
bloody and hellward march, there must
be a return in our believing and In
our practicing to the doctrines taught
by Christ and Paul and Augustine and
Knox and Spurgeon. You teach men
that God is all love and only love, that
the doctrine of future punishment Is a
freak of the bewildered imagination,
then you open up the flood gates Of in
in11itN and orr country will be swept