The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1884-08-21
JUDGMENT! I!
LET THE STONES BE UNDIS-
TURBED.
0UIESCENT REMAIN THE
PEBBLES.
The Political PharaseeS
RebUked.
SERMON TO THE FAITHFUL
AND SINNERS.
BY PARsoN ANGUS ATwELL.

BY PARSoN ANGUS ATWELL.
A Rock House Arrival.
THxr-"He that is without sin among
You, LET him first cast stone at her."-St
John, Chap. VIII, Verse VII.
The incident of which the text
is part of the history, occurred
during the second year of the
ministry of our Lord, the place
of its occurrence being Jerusa-
men, and il the great temple OF
the Jews, where were congregat
ed at that time a vast cOncourse
of the inhabitants of that most
remarkable city, to hear the
words of Him who spake as new
er man spake.
Into the assembled multitude
came the Jewish scribes and
pharisees to test the Divine Mas
ter with a question, Involving a
great moral principle, and the
execution of the Jewish law,
hoping thereby to gain an ad-
vantage over the Divine Teacher,
whom they both hated and fear
ed. But contrary TO their expec-
tations, He neither denounced
the law nor doubted the truth of
their charges, but with Divine
wisdom He seized upon the op-
portunity to enu.,ciato a princi-
pie of moral action as inscrutable
as the Most High, and as endur-
ing as eternity.
she that is without sin among
you, let him first cast a stone at
her."
As though He would say to
those sticklers for forms and GER
emonies, those faithful observers
of the outward, and disregarders
of internal morality: Yes, the
case is clear, the proof is suGci-
ent, the law pure, holy and just !;
but pure and hcly law must
have a pure and sinless execu
toner. Come now, you who are
eager that the wrath of a broken
law shall be visited upon the
heads of others, see to it that the
stones are handled with hands
that will leave no taint of sin, for
that judgment We award to 9TH
ers will be meted to you again,
''for wherein thou judgest anoth-
er, thou condemest thyself; for
thou that judgest dost the same
things
We have need at this time TO
consider the lesson so impressive
Iy taught to the hypoc;itical
Jews, and see that the same spirit
is not nurtured in our own breasts
until society becomes one great
school of scandal mongers, ready
and willing to cast the stones of
malice and the pebbles of re
vense at every public and pri-
vate character until we lose faith
in man. and public virtue and
private honesty are universally
The business of the scandal
monger is a disease as contagious
as the smallpox and as odions
and communicating as the lepro-
sy, setting at naught the peace
Of the family, the community and
the world, and the only remedy
for this stupendous wrong, this
giant sin, is found in the words of
our text, "He that is without sin
among you, let him first cast
stone."
We are forcibly reminded of
the necessity for the application
this rule of moral conduct at this
time for the reason that one of
the candidates for the highest
Office in the government has his
private character assailed, and
Immediately tn /, tongues of NAL
ice and lips of SANDER take up
he refrain, until the whole land
S filed with the polluted and 20
uting sound.
But who was it in this case
hat threw the first stones Was
t Blaines No, it could not be
Blaine, with burden Of Mulligan
etters and subsidizing checks.
Was it Conkling? No, it could
lot be Conkling-high. imperial
md mighty as he would fain ap
year, with the memories of his
orced march at Carronchet in
ront of Sprague's shotgun.
Was it John A. Logan? No,
or the pebble handled by HIM
would retain the odor of certain
limos law suits.
We dispair of finding an exc
utioner not tainted by sin or
moved by malice, revenge or
upidity.
This is only case that may be
multiplied by the number of
IN the land, in all