Part 13. The awful idea of blending, in one rash act, the daring guilt of suicide and murder; of rushing himself, or of precipitating another into an endless eternity, unprepared, might be sufficient, it should seem, to stay the most vengeful hand from blood! But, unfortunately, it is not the morality of the deed, nor its future recompense, but the estimation of sinful dust and ashes, by which combatants of this sort are governed. They recoil from the imputations of a spiritless pusillanimity!… Is it then demonstrative of a noble mind, in defiance of than dread Being who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [Matt 10:28], to engage in a contest, which the laws of the realm have denounced as a capital offense; and which, without the most cautious artifice to evade those laws, must subject the survivor to the pangs of an ignominious death? Or is it cowardly and timid, like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding [Ps 32:9], leaps the rocky precipice at the rustling of fallen, corrupted leaves, whirled in the wind? Is it patriotic, is it generous, is it even manly, for a personal insult or abuse, to demand the sacrifice of a life due to the public, and necessary to the subsistence and comfort of a rising family; and to insist on piercing the victim, through the heart of a doting parent, an affectionate wife, or a defenseless offspring? O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their anger they slay men, and in their self will they dig down the barriers of domestic and social peace. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel [Gen 49:6-7]. Is it not devoutly to be wished, that all classes of the community would combine their efforts to discountenance and punish this nefarious usage? May it not be expected that our civil fathers, among their other deliberations for the general good, will turn their serious attention to the subject? God, in mercy, lead them to the discovery and application of a prompt and efficacious remedy. (Source: A Sermon Preached Before The Ancient And Honorable Artillery Company, In Boston, June 5, 1809, Being The Anniversary of Their Election of Officers, By: John Foster, A.M. Minister of Brighton. (Part 13))
Posted on: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 05:44:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015