The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-03-23 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL SPRING ASSIZES.

These assizes commenced yesterday. It having been inti-
mated to the sheriff and to the mayor, that the judges would
meet them at the boundary of the town, near Kirkdale, at two
o'clock yesterday, shortly before that hour, the usual cavalcade
of javelin men, consisting of the yeomen and tenantry on the
estate of the High Sheriff, were assembled before the Adelphi
Hotel, where the High Sheriff was stopping. The cavalcade
was one of the most splendid we have seen in Liverpool, the
javelin men being more numerous, better dressed, and better
mounted. The cavalcade soon after proceeded in the following
order:
Four offiters of the court, in scarlet coats, as outriders.
'l'wo trumpeters.
The High Sheriff, in full dress, cocked hat, sword, &c., on
horseback, the horse superbly caparisoned, the saddle cloth
embroidered with his coat of arms; and the Deputy Sheriff
also on horseback, the horse similarly caparisoned.
Fifty or sixty javelin men.
The High Sheriff's carriage and four horses for the judges;
the coachman and jockey in superb livery. This contained
the Sheriff's Chaplain, the Rev. Rector Brooks.
Mr. Peter Bournett in his private carriage.
Javelin men bringing up the rear.
In this order they proceeded to Kirkdale, where they were
joined by the Mayor's carriage, with the corporation servants
in full livery, containing the Mayor, the Rev. Rector Campbell,
and the Town-clerk and Deputy Town-clerk.
Soon after two o'clock the judges' carriage arrived at Kirk-
dale, containing, however, only one of the judges, Sir J.
Patteson, Sir J. T. Coleridge, the other judge, not having con-
cluded the Nisi Prius business at Lancaster, His Lordship
then drove rapidly to the town, escorted by the High Sheriff,
and the Mayor and suite, and proceeded at once to the Assize
Court, where her Majesty's commission ofgeueral gaol delivery
was opened with the usual formalities. His Lordship then
drove to St. George's Church, accompanied by the Sheriff's
chaplain, and followed by the Mayor, several gentlemen, and
the javelin men. The Mayor took his seat in the corporation
seat, behind the Judge, and was unattended by the usual para-
phernalia, and wore no robe of office, Mr. Joseph Langton
escorting him into his pew.
Prayers were then read by the Rev. J. B. Monk the incum•
bent. The usual chaunts, we believe by order of the Mayor,
were not sung.
The Rev. Rector Brookes, the Sheriff's Chaplain, then
ascended the pulpit, and after most expressively delivering a
beautiful preparatory prayer, preached with great impress►ve-
ness the following excellent sermon, of which we have endea-
voured to give a verbatim report, (so far as a disadvantageous
position would permit,) feeling that its intrinsic excellence is
deserving of being perpetuated beyond the transient effect of a
spoken address.

He took for his text the Bth chapter of the Gospel according
to St. John, and the latter part of the 11th verse, "Go and sin
no more." Our blessed Saviour had been travelling from one
city, the city of Galilee, to another, preaching the doctrines
of the gospel, and conveying his words with many and wonder-
ful miracles. He had begun to attract universal attention.
The people in general could not but consider him to be some
extraordinary person, though they differed materially in the
opinions which they had formed of him; some believing him to
be a great prophet sent to make the way straight for the coining
of the promised Messiah; others regarding him as the very
Christ himself; whilst some again adopting the vulgar error that
he was born at Nazareth altogether rejected him. The chief
priests, however, whose fears had been awakened by his grow-
ing popularity, had sent their officers to apprehend him, for he
had come up to Jerusalem to the feast, and had taught publicly
in the temple. The officers were so much astonished at what
they saw of him—so impressed by the Almighty dignity of his
manhood—so affected with the power of his eloquence, and so
impressed with the authority with which he spake, that they
abandoned their intention of committing anr'violence against
him, and returned without accomplishing their object; and in
answer to the inquiries of the ruler why they had not executed
their orders so positively given, declared that they could not,
for "never man spake like he spake." And therefore when the
Scribes and Pharisees found that they had no chance of securing
him by open force, they determined on trying a different me-
thod, and endeavoured to gain their end by stratagem and de-
ceit. It was his usual custom to retire in the evening to the
Mount of Olives, and he had done so the night before the
transaction took place which is here recorded in St. John.
After having indulged in the wonted privilege the retirement of
this place afforded him, he had returned into the city and again
entered the temple, where a great multitude of people were as-
sembled to listen to his instruction as he sat down and talked.
In this employment he was soon interrupted by the arrival of a
company of Scribes and Pharisees, bringing with them a
woman guilty of an offence which the Jewish law invariably
punished with great severity, and by which she had incurred
the penalty of death. They addressed him with every out-
ward appearance of respect, "Master, we have brought you
one who has been guilty of a most heinous crime; and
as it is a case beyond suspicion, in which the fact is clear
and unquestionable, we are come to advise with you as
to what is to be done; the law of Moses orders, that such
offenders should be stoned; but what sayest thou?" Now this
conduct had on the face of it every appearance of sincerity;
but this was far from being its real purport. We read that t hey
did it with a view to tempt him, in order that they might have
something on which to ground an accusation. Their design
was to ensnare him, to place him in a dilemma, from which they
imagined that he could not possibly extricate himself. If, on the
one hand, he sentenced the immediate infliction of the punish-
ment, be would incur a double hostility. His whole conduct
had been characterised by a constant succession of acts of mercy.
His mild and affectionate deportment had endeared him to the
people. He had appeared amongst them not as a judge ; that
was the office which was reserved for his second coming, but as
a Saviour. He had repeatedly declared, that he was not come
to destroy, but to save; that he was not come to condemn the
world, but to call them to repentance. If he had acted then
against the woman all these impressions would have been weak-
ened, if it had not destroyed the popular favour which he then
enjoyed. But besides this, it would have been assurning.an
authority which he had no right to exercise. Then the great
council of the Jews bad not the power to carry the sentence of
death into execution in any case, without the express sanction
and permission of the Roman governor. if then he had issued
any such order, or given any such advice, it would have been
construed into such an act of rebellion against the state, that
he would have subjected himself to the greatest personal danger.
If, on the other hand, he had directed the release of the woman
after she hail been so notoriously guilty of so disgraceful a viola-
tion of the law of Moses, they then hoped he would expose him-
self to the indignation of the people, who were very jealous of
that law, and fall a victim to their intemperate zeal. Jesus
was well aware of the malicious feelings which they entertained
against him. He knew that they were not actuated by a pure
desire to encourage virtue, or to restrain vice. If this had been
their object, they would have come before their regular tribunal,
and have taken the case before those who were invested with
legal authority to decide upon it. He, therefore, appeared not
to regard them, but to be intent on another occupation, " for,
stooping down, he wrote with his finger on the ground, as
though he heard them not. They were determined, however,
not to be satisfied without an answer; they, perhaps, flattered
themselves that they had put him in a difficulty from which his
silence proceeded, and continued, therefore, to urge the ques-
tion. He at length raised himself up, and, surveying them
with a calm and placid dignity, said unto those around him—
" He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a
stone at her." No words could have conveyed in gentler
yet stronger terms, his opinion of their conduct, his detec-
tion of their malignity, and his reproof of the bitterness of
their spirit. They were calculated to awaken the consciences
of these hallowed of men, and to expose their awful sin. "You

who come here under the pretence of being the great patrons
•and asserters of virtue— you who would urge me with so much
importunity to pass sentence ou this woman, whom it is no part
of my office to condemn, do you feel or express the same indig-
nation against your own crimes?. Is there anv one amongst you
who can assert his own innocence, that he is -free from all guilt?
Has be no infirmity, no errors to answer for that he has no need

of compassion, that he requires no pardon ? If there be such an
one, let him proceed to put this law into execution, let him that I
is pure and perfect in himself—" let him who is without sin
first cast a stone at her!" Having thus spoken he resumed his
former employment. The effect of this answer was immediate
and powerful. It flashed like lightning on their consciences.
Never was triumph more complete. The hypocrisy of these
men was at once unmasked. They who had come with the in-
tention of entangling another, were caught in their own swire.
They were self convicted, foiled, and abashed in the presence of
all the multitude. Thus foiled in their object, "they," says the
Evangelist, "being convicted by their own consciences, went out
one by one, beginning at the eldest even to the least, and Jesus
was left alone with the woman standing in the midst." The
accusers v ere all gone; they found they had to do with one
"before whom all hearts were open," and they dare not face
the exposure of their own wicked deeds. - When our Savior
perceived that they were gone, he said to the cnlprit, "woman,
where are these thine accusers? Where are those who were
lately so importunate in demanding that the law should be en-
forced against you ? Amongst all these, have none of them
ventured to condemn you?" She said " no man, Lord." And
Jesus said unto her, "neither do I condemn you; go, and sin
no more." Such is this interesting and affecting narrative; and
the first'consideration which it suggests to us, is connected with
the circumstances nnder which we are now assembled. That
there is no foundation for drawing the conclusion from it, that,
because our Saviour dismissed without any punishment, the wo-
man who had been guilty of so serious an offence against the
Jewish laws—he therefore intended to defeat their efficacy, or
is the remotest degree to censure or impugn the constitutions
of civil governments. We are told by St. Paul that "all power
is of God ;" it is his will that there should be governments in
human society as the best means of securing the peace and hap-
piness of mankind. There must be some persons invested with
authority to protect the innocent and to defend the weak from
the violence of oppression. Civil institutions were from the
earliest ages the remedy appealed to, to counteract the inconve-
nience of a state of nature ; not by depriving men of their
natural rights, but by confining them within such due bounds
as would be most likely to advance the general good. So far is
christianity from supercedinl.s, these institutions, that, on the
contrary, its decided tendency is to ameliorate and improve
them. By the infusion of its own spirit into the minds of men,
it raised the character of those principles upon which human
associations have been founded, and has engendered a mole
universal and mole uniform attention to truth, to h uma-
humanity, to clemency, and to all the milder traits of humanity.
The Gospel inculcates obedience in ordinary cases as a matter
‘,f conscience, and directs that prayer be made for all that are
in authority, as being the ministers of God fur the good and
benefit of the community over which they are raised. So

highly important did our Saviour consider this doctrine that he
took every occasion to throw the whole weight of his example
into the scale of established governments. When he was asked
by the Pbariseees whether it was lawful for the Jews to give
tribute to the Roman Emperor, they themselves contending
that, as the peculiar people of God, He alone was to be admitted
as their rightful sovereign, and that they owed fealty to no
other, he plainly asserted in his reply that homage to God was
perfectly consistent with civil obedience " Render," says he,
" unto Caesar the things which are Ctesar's, & unto God the things
which are God's." When again he was seized by order of the
Jewish councillors, and one of his own disciples offered resist-'
mice to the authority of their officers, he bade them desist, telling
them that his submission to the law was not because he had not
the power of getting himself free, but because obedience iu this
respect was a part of his duty. And when the judgment hall before
Pilate, and when told that the power of life and death was in his
hands his answer was, "thou couldest have no power at all against
me unless it were given thee from above;" evidently implying that
he bowed to that authority with which as a judge Pilate was
invested. Rulers, therefore, are necessary for the good of all ;
and where laws are founded upon equitable principles, and
administered with purity and impartiality, it is impossible to
conceive that society can enjoy a greater blessing. It must
have been far then from our Saviour's inteotion.to countenance
any improper relaxation eithef of their letter or their spirit.
The-application which the Pharisees made to him was not in the
regular course of judicial administration; he held no office
which would entitle him to decide on the question at issue.
He came in another capacity, as a teacher of Heavenly
truths. On a former occasion, when called on to adjudi-
cate in a difference between two individuals, what was his
answer? "Man, who made me a judge or a ruler over you?"
And in the present instance he saw through the flimsy pretence
which had brought them; 'he knew under the cover of pure
justice they were plotting against his life, and he determined
without doing anything to weaken his power, to push the matter
home to their consciences. Neither could he contend that the
conduct of this woman could be construed into. any excuse of
her sin. Far indeed from that. It was not his province to
carry the law into effect, and he therefore refused to interfere
judicially; still, however, feeling a moral indignation, he would
not allow the woman to leave him without reproof. She had,
no doubt, been under great uneasiness, great distress and
anguish of mind at the fearful situation in which her crime had
placed her; he therefore addressed her with a mixture of ten-
derness and of kindness, " Neither do I condemn thee." I
have no commission to pass any civil sentence upon you, and,
therefore, I will not take upon me .to condemn you to death;
but I cannot allow you to pass Without giving you an important
admonition; .go, and in fear of Divine judgment, repent,
and sin no more. Do not presume upon the escape
which you have just experienced ; let it not be the
means of hardening you in wickedness; you have heard
the punishment which the law awards to-. your crime; if you
had been taken before a different tribunal, instead of being
brought to me, you would have met with a very different fate.
I am the author of salvation, and it is my peculiar privilege to
direct you how to seek for pardon, and forgiveness of sin; this
must be done by sincere repentance, and.brearoest prayer for
that grace from above, which can alone keep you from falling;
endeavour by your future conduct to deserve, so far as possible,
the mercy you have just experienced, and remember there is no
safety for you but in a change of life, take heed, therefore, that
you sin no more It is surely impossible to contemplate our
Lord's conduct throughout the whole of this trying scence with-
out admiration ; it is impossible not to be charmed with the
wisdom which he displayed in the struggles with his adversaries,
the calm dignity with which he exposed the interested hypo-
crisy of the Pharisees, and the compassionate tenderness, which
be showed, not only for the present situation of the offender,
but for her everlasting welfare. The time will now only admit
of my making a short application of what has been said to our-
selves as regards our own conduct, and our feeling towards
those unhappy persons who are now awaiting the just sen-
tence of the law which they have violated. With the
lesson which is here held out to us, of forbearance to-
wards the faults and infirmities of our brethren, how forcibly
does it tell us that humanity and charity are the most consistent
with the spirit of the Gospel, and most becoming a Christian.
It is very difficult for us to form a right judgment of the actions
of others. There may be many things which we cannot disco-
ver, and yet which iu the sight of God may plead in their be-
half. We can only judge of .the outward acts, whilst the
searcher of the hearts of all judges of the motives. We know
not the temptations to which they have been exposed; we know
not the ignorance with which they have been imbued ; we know
not the unruly affections which they never may have been
taught to control; we may detest the sin which they may
have committed, and yet we may compassionate the sinner.
We may be satisfied that they deserve punishment—that in
many of their cases mercy to the individual would be injustice
to the public; yet we may earnestly hope and pray that their
consciences may' be awakened and their hearts softened ;
that they may be checked in their habits of vice and profli-
gacy ; that the dark gloom of their dungeon may excite re-
flection; that punishment may produce penitence; that
they ,may be turned from their evil way, and then eneavour
to save their own souls. As for ourselves, let us be more
anxious to consider the beam that is in our own eye, than the
mote that is in that of our brother. When we fancy we are
most secure, we are often then most in danger. It is more par-
ticularly incumbent on him " who thinketh he standeth to take
heed lest he fall." We may be free from the grosser crimes and
yet we may be far from the. Kingdom of God. We may have
been negligent of our social duties; we may have been too in-
dulgent in our secret sins; we inay have been cold in our devo-
tion ; we may have been impure in our thoughts; and instead
of making the law of the gospel the rule of our life we may have
regulated our opinions by the dictates of some human philoso-
phy, and our conduct by this imperfect standard. But let us
keep in mind that it requires no specific offence to condemn us;
we shall be judged by the whole tenour and spirit of our lives.
If our lives be unholy it requires no one glaring sin to show its
evil nature. " The wicked shall be cast into hell." Not they
only who have committed murder or theft, or perjury, or the
like sins' but, all they who forget God. How fearful is this!
He that forgets God is placed upon the very same footing with
the workers of iniquity ; not the slightest difference made be-
tween them in the road o their eternal wretchedness. Oh! con-
sider this and be wise, and " go and sin no more."

His lordship then left the church about live o'clock, and was
couve)ed to his lodgings.