Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-07-24
ACTS VII, 3O.31.
Glove, Law and JUSTICE the subject of
the Rev. Mr.. Sweeney's Ser
mon at the
Liaden Street Christian Church sunday
Night-A Discourse on Timely
Topics.

norance @ ID overlooked; but now command
eth all men everywhere TO repent. Because
he hath appoinled a day in which He will
Judge the world in righteousness, by that
man whom He hath ordained; whereof He
hath given assurance IN that He hath
raised him from the dead" The prophets
and apostles testified or proclaimed a
future Judgments judgment after death.
And their testimony was not arbi-
trary, but an emphasis of the nature OF
things. The world plan, TO he complete, de-
mands a future judgment. Ii il a necessity
IN the divine government, and therefore Il
certainty. Under the laws of this life there
is not a just dispensation Of tnings. Our
social law, with its criminal code, pubic
opinion, ussges and alliances fails to dis
pense impartial Judgment. The boy from
the ''slums" of London and "pests" Of
CREST cities Is taught to steal, and
grows to manhood and becomes 4 thief.
His deed is branded Chef" and the
severest punishment Of the code and
public opinion is meted out to him. Ga
the other hand, the educated young maR
from a Caristian home, and one of the "6rst
families" commits the same sin az society"
and "pubIic opinion" and the "criminai
code" declare the poor felloE guilty OF "pecu-
latioD, ""breach Of trust, "defalcaiiou!" And
for the "sake of his family" the crime is
winked a., and the sinner is soon restored 10
the confidence of the best society aud the
bosom of family affection. The man who
throws a few cards and gathers 10 or loses a
small sum is denounced as a gambler" and
unworthy of a place in home or society;
! while the man of his thousands commits tue
same Sin and stands on plushy carpet, and
receives the nod of heads and the clack OF
the tongues OF "toadiep." The rich young
man can live Unexpectedly and carry a
breath as foul as
i A DEN OF AGE BEASTS,
and our "sweet girls" and Christian mothers
calls him a 'tippler" aud "good-hearted fel-
low" The poor boy, orphaned in youth,
motherless and friendIess, goes out in the
world and violates the same Law
and the same mothers and sisters
call him a "sot" .and "drunken dogp'
10 the light of just law here is an injustice !
And natural Law" viewed as related TO this
life only is not any better. The poor man
who is not able 10 enjoy the best food, air
and exercise is punished with bad health
and broken constitution. He has not the sd-
v~antases of mental culture, and his portion
is ignorance and social ostracism. He
labored his early years to MAINTAIN a widowed
mother and fatherless sisters. We see on
the other hand a man with opposite advsn-
tages and all things in his favor, but he
wiifully ~neglects them. He violates the
laws of health wilfully in dissipstions, and
idles away bis college days and plays the
dude" with soft brain and lily iogers.
Nstural.law follows hem both with physical
suferisgs aud the ban Of ignorance. Ard
this law, uuless it asserts on the other shore
as TO merit and demerit in the instances
given, and pronounces judgment according
to innocence and guilt, l denouuce 90 mercl-
less and unjust. II has no moral discI imins-
ton. Those three blind orphan children
yon,ier in Chicago, deserted by the nurse,
walked OF the top of a sIx-slory
building and were jerked down by
the natural law OF gravitation into
a %lifeless pulp OF jelly. The responsible
suicide being haunted by mis- restless con
science violates the same Law voluntarily,
and meets with The same punishment for his
> legal infraction. Unless there is some unseer
compensation l denounce such natural sd
ministration as
GUILTY OF GROSS INJUSTICE.
, The man with 4 strong body and robust
: constitution violate natural law aud suff ri
G a trhs, while the poor invalid breaks tn,
same lew and suffers untold agonies. NAtura
law, 10 it's earthly execu ion, seems Indeed
too often eyeless and merciiess and void o
8 Just discrimination ss TO merit and demeri,
o Conscience has been thought by som- 10 b
the Just arbiter, and yet how INSULT Glen
a trinunalI Conscience in a strong constitu'
ton is quite kind, Indeed, compared viii
conscience in a feeble body with s~ensItiv,
nerves. Conscience is modified, too, by ten
permanent! There is a vast differences in il
execution OF law on coarse sn1 foe tempera
I ments. The conscience speaks soothing
ly TO the coarse man, while the msB 0
: tender, sensitive nature hears the Shakes
: pearean cry, "Liy on Macduff, an,
: damned be the one who cries hold, enoughi
Circum -tsnces have much 10 do also witt
. conscience. Ii the sinner succeeds in Iii
villainy the voice OF cons fence is qui
quiet. But the deed detected and conscIenc,
hounds and hacks him to the verge Of al
earthly hell. CONSCIENCE Is a thing ais
vastly subj ct TO education. The conscience
e ucated by a Romans, will go al the earl,
: hour and through the morning frosts 10 tn
} confessional "and feel ~compunc,ions" whel
the seeming duty is neglected. The Protest
4 ant conscience, on the other hand, lies quie
q and sleeps away the morning hours witt
impunity. And the difference of conscienc.
\ is the difference of education. And what
. lesson of charity there is for us all jus
a here We discover in the light of thes
facts that conscience lie a tickle factor in hi
administration so subject ii is TO custom
ussges of society, constitution, temperament
conceslment or disclosure and education
THE natural Law that forms character, too
ia not much better, as 10 just judgment
A surface view would, perhaps, lead u
10 believe that a man should accept a
4 just what the formative forces Of The pas
have made him. In many instances We ar
justly what We should be ss to character ant
= position 10 this life. But The standard c
such a law is more frequently
MERCILEss IN ITS MEASUREMENTS
o. just judgment to men and women in on
e world than it is fair and impartial. The ex
ecution of this law is subject to example
e education, country, climate, food, soil an,
sky. Man quite generally is what these en-
vironmeuts make him. And for these larg.
n ly he should not be held responsible. Tn
man born in a "malariap country walls
q with brow in PAIN, and performs with grea
diff .ulty his material and mental tack
while his fellow m n blessed with highly OF
ygenized air and clear sky AMI pure water
performs his task with cheprfulness an,
gives from time TO time a bright book or USE
full ;pyention to his world, aud stands f,ro
most a. scholar, philosopher or states
man. Each man is the sum o
!, his past. They are the expression
of the formative law of character
But 10 our vision how uni at isn the iudg
ment. There has been no discrimination a
to merit and demerit arising from unavoid
able facts in the hindrances and helps @
the past. And the injustice, seemingly, "
dlC W ehi IL az
, lion Of judgment in our world. In the ligh
y of these and similar facts, 1 am led to be
lieVe that, under the present constitution @
J ihings, just judgment is an impossibility i
i this life. And hence a future Judgment is
necessity, ani, therefore, a certainly. II
logically certain that We Erst meet our sin
n in the world to come. 1t is true that cor
science is largely subject 10 qualification
IF but it is equally true that there are native
instructive forebodiags 10 the human bres:
that demand a future judgment az a %correls
ton. The instincts of the bee calls for il
correlate in honey. The instinct of tn
migratory bird demands a c~orrelate in tn
"Flowery South" or tropics to match i
Aod the instinctiEe foreboiings OF cor
science argues logically a judgment in th
life to come to match il and complete, thu
THE DIVINE ~sDIcATIoN
l. Justice calls out lou1ly Tor aday OF jul
W and righteous retribution. It's execution I
b this life, from the Mayors Court TO The ST
preme bench, ia a foul, false and damnabi
g mockery. Jefferson said: "When l remeu
Der that God La just l iremble for the fate
If my country" loo often our iuriss are see
planting the white flag oyer the grave OF b
innocent man. 10 justice, God ought t
make the judgments OF this wot Id righf, an
h what God ought, He will do. In the Iigt
OF this worlds failures TO dispense righteoI
retribution, aud in the light OF The dem auc
g of conscience and justice and the Wor
OF God for a future day of juds
menf, for one, believe that it
not only Biblically, but scienti6call
and phiiosophicaliy certain that y
It And that "God hath" az my text declare
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