Year: 1866

took up a morning paper, not long ago. and
read that a man said he would rather go to
hell with one man, than to Heaven with
another.


In the name of God, what will be the result
of all this? 1t is not the blasphemer and the
vituperative man that uses the language that
is so terrible, that is so horrible but that
such polluted lips, that such vile blasphemy
against God should be countenanced and
encouraged and lifted up by intelligent men.


remember taking up the Public Ledger
"a very truthful paper it is-and reading
report of q meeting that was held in this
city. a number Of the ministers of the
Lord Jesus were there. 1t reported this
that one Of the prominent speakers, speak
ing of certain beings-no matter who they
were-said he would chase them to the gates
of hell, and you and | viii make faces at
them as they go in. Now, in Gods name,
in the name of everything that is human,
could such language be countenanced? 1t
was, the paper said, applauded. Then do
you wonder at the drunkards? Doyou won
der at the blasphemy? Do you wonder at
the lawlessness? Do you wonder that the
little boys have become corrupt to the core


Do you not feel that everything is going
to destruction? Do you wonder why fools
mock at sin? Think of it, a fellow-creature
standing at the vey gates of he'll, and mock
ing as he sees my poor soul going down to
condemnation Ny brethren, my Ameri-
can Christian brethren, is that a subject Of
laughter? l appeal to you in the name Of
God, is that a subject of laughter?


The Bible says that fools mock at sin. ;"
The boys and girls, fifteen, sixteen, and sew
enteen years of age, have an impertinence
and assurance that are alarming. 1t is not
the children that are to blame so much as
the people Their parents take the papers,
and the children read them. Why, every
thing is turned upside down. According to
a report of the New York Herald, a church
in the city of Brooklyn was turned into a
pandenonium.


You remember the recent tour of the
Chief Magistrate of this nation. do not
say that am in favor of this journey, or
these speech-makings but have great re-
spect for that office. Ihave always believed
and maintained that it was the most dignifed
this side of Heaven. | like that chair in
the capital of this nation, first consecrated
by the Father Of his Country, whose memo
ry l love; that and the purity of his char
acter is like the jasper stone in the temple Of
God IF the Chief Magistrate of the coun-
try passes through the country, and the
people, as he passes along, desire to see him,
and desire to speak to him, and desire to
hear him let them do so. He is not the
President Of a section, nor the Chief Mag
istrate of few States, he as the President
of tjs great country, and any insult to him,
any indignity, any outrage offered to the
President of the United States is an insult
and an indignity offered to you and me.


The children read the papers. Theyread
something disrespectful, something calcula-
ted to excite Indignation, and thus they con
tract that spirit of hatred, and then a spirit
of wrath, that is kindling the fires, that when
they burst, brethren, it viii be such burst
ing of the materials of this world as Will put
to shame volcanic eruptions or theoverthrow
Of empires.


The safety and the security of the people
is to become wise and good, according to the
teachings of the Gospel. Notwithstanding
all this, God has said reverence my sanctu-
ary. God sad ye shall keep my Sabbath and
not p~otan it; but, alas my brethren, it is
Of but very little importance to the great
mass Of the people. 1 fear; and still, many
profess TO revere what the Bible says Now,
when our Lord Jesus Christ was upon the
earth, he was surrounded with as wicked
people, perhaps, as live in Philadelphia.
His omniscient eye rested upon the world
and upon the priesthood.


The Lord Jesus Christ knew just as pos
itively what they had determined to do with
Him as you know this moment that stand
before you He knew that they would put
Him to death; that they would heap upon
Him every indignity that they would bias
pheme Him (just as they have been blasphe
ming in our country for the last thirty years..
Yet after all this, what did He do? Did his
pity, or his supremely exalted character, or
his attachment for the glory of his God and
Maker and Father did that make Him say
that He would be willing to go and stand at
the gates of hell and make faces at those
poor Jews as they were going out from the
presence of God and the Glory of his pow
er


Did he say he would rather go to hellw
this man or to heaven with the other? No,
lie said, Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do" VIII you and l
act this way? VIII we lovelike Jesus Christ :?
or will we rush on and blaspheme God? A
fool viii make mock at sin, and bring de-
st-uction urooD himself This blasnhemV