Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-06-14
OF CHARITABLE JUDGMENT.

OF CHARITABLE JUDGMENT.
We should much prefer writing moth
ing editorially, Of a controversial nature,
for the SUNDAY APPEAL. For the one
day Of rest in the seven, it would be
more fit that the Press should endeavour
to make meu think better and not worse,
Of each other.
Nothing is so necessary and so wise,
in private or in public life, as charitable
judgment. II all were just in judging Of
the motives Of others, that OF itself
would go far to remove the evils Of the
world and of life. Nothing is so essen
tisl to Power; since, without it, there
can be no just exercise of Power.
We know but little of the real merits
or dement's of any feilOw-creature.
." We can rarely say with certainty" it
has been wisely said, that this man is
more guilty than that; or even that this
man or that is very good or very bad"
The worst persons often leave behind
them excellent regulations. When we
condemn or pity one who has sinned,
how do we know that, tempted like him.
we should not in like manner have
fallen? Very many live without COM
uniting particular sins, only because
they are not tempted. That is the
wieest petition in the Lords prayer by
which we beg that we may not be led
into temptation.
Human justice is, and always must be,
uncertain. TIE criminal laws them
selves are imperfect and unjust and IRA
tional, the fruits Of the fears and selfish |
interests Of society; and their admins |
trstion Is even more imperfect still. |
Many, many Judicial murder has been /
committed, through judicial and legisls-
tive ignorance of the phenomena of in |
sanity. The punishment is often not Of |
the act intended, but according to the |
consequences; and thus the same guilt |
by no means always receives the same |
measure Of retribution.
q" God Seeth not as man Seeth.n He
KNOWS ire only guess. 1.-THE aban-
dored criminal" it has been truly said,
" black as be is to the world, may have
continued to keep some little light burn
ing in 8 corner of his soul, which would |
long since have gone out IN the souls Of |
those who walk proudly In the sunshine
Of Immaculate fame, If they had been
-irieu and tempted like the poor out
csst.n
It is a small portion of cur evil deeds
and thoughts that ever comes to light;
and OF our few redeeming goodnesses,
the largest portion is known to God
alone.
We are only Just, therefore, in judging
Of others, when we are charitable Yet |
we are ever ready to assume that prerOg- |
alive Of judging though almost certain
to err and though the consequences of
error are 50 serious: and we are quite as
certain to judge unchsritably. We are
ever ready TO condemn our neighbOr, and /
upon the same state ofcase to acquit our
selves. And yet, in every false judg-
ment, We commit greater wrong than |
that for which we condemn him whom |
we judge; and the consequences Of this
false Judgment are eternal.
When we, who were engaged twenty |
five years ago, in the political contro- /
versies that then sgitated the country,
look back upon the scenes Of the time, |
we wonder at and are ashamed OF the /
vehemence with which We then de- |
nouneed those to whom we were op- |
posed and we all admit that the accu- /
sations OF each party and Of it's chiefs by
the other, were exaggerated and often |
utterly false that their words were per-
verted, their acts misrepresented, and |
purposes imputed to them which they |
never entertained. There were the Bit
terness Of hate and the malignity Of 1
malice in all our hearts. Ought we not |
10 be ashamed and hang our heads and |
blush for humanity, when we remember
the unjust abuse lsvished upon Henry |
Clay and Andrew Jackson ? Is it not |
true that the chief business Of party is to |
blacken regulations and of the Press to |
mske men think worse of each other
and OF human nature
Those who are political antagonists
never judge esch other charitably. We
do lot. We acknowledge it with sorrow
and shame. It is not too much TO say
that no man judges his rival with
charity and there is even less OF that
virtue of charitable judgment, in the
church and the pulpit, than In the forum
and the nnarket-Dlaaa
And yet when we have become recon-
oiled, as we constantly do, to those who
hsve been our enemies, and when our
rivals become our friends, how plain it
becomes to u, that even where they were
in fault, we were unjust in the harsh
ness Of our Judgment, and imputed to
them motives far blacker and baser than
those by which they were Lctuated.
Should not these reconcilistions, these
Teversals and corrections Of erroneous
Judgments, teach Us to distrust the IN
charitable opinions we now entertain,
and lead us to more lenient ones, and
juster because 3 kinder estimate Of mems
motives and intentions "a It is better ,
To love than to hate"
-----z-
CHARITY
the Church Home" established in
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