The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-12-22

christian SOUL 70 bring IN reply 10 this evil |
denee Of the World of the Conscience, Of the |
Angel and Of the Holy Ghost2 No evidenced |
Are all these things truef yes, unclean, ur- |
Clean" says every Christian soul WHAT |
Do you not begin TO tremble at the thought
Of condemnation
We have come now to the most interesting
part Of this great trial. The evidence all in,
the advocates speak. The profession of an
advocate IS full Of responsibility. In England
and the United States there have arisen men
who in this calling have been honored by
their race and thrown contempt upon those
Who In the profession have been guilty OF a
great many meannesses That profession
viii be honorable as long as it has
attached 10 it such names as Mansfield, and
Marshall, and Story, and Kent, and South
ard and William Writ. The court room has
sometimes been the scene Of very marvellous
and thrilling things Some Of you remember
the famous Girard viii case, where one Of
our advocates pleaded the cause OF the Bible
and Christianity in mastery Anglo-Saxon,
every paragraph thunderbolt.
Some Of you have read Of the famous trial
in Westminster haIl Of Warren Hastings, the
despoiler Of India That great man had con-,
quered India by splendid talents, by courage,
by brides, by gigantic dishonesty. The whole
ton. Gathered in Westminster hall was one
Of the most famous audiences ever gathered
Foreign ministers and princes sat there.
Peers marched in clad in ermine and gold.
Mighty men and women from all lands
looked down upon the scene. Amid all that
pomp and splendor, and amid an excitement
such as has seldom been seen in any
court room, Edmund Burke advanced,
in a speech which will last as long as
the English language, concluding with this
burning charge, which made. Warren Hast
ings cringe and cover: II impeach him in
the name Of the Commons house of parlia-
nnent, whose trust he has betrayed / inn
peach him in the name of the English nation,
whose ancient honor be mas sullied inn
peace him in the name Of tho people of India,
whose rights be has trampled on, and whose
country he has turned into desert. And
lastly. in the name of human nature, in the
name Of both sexes, in the name of every age
and rank ! impeach him as the common enc
my and oppressor Of all"
But / turn from the recital of these mem
orable occasions to a grander trial, and l
have TO tell you that in this trial of the
Christian for the life of his soul the advo-
Gates are mightier, wiser and moye eloquent.
The evidence all being in, Justice rises
on behalf of the prosecution to make his
plea. With the Bible open in his hand he
reads the law, stern and infiexible, and the
penalty: AThe soul that sinneth it shall die"
Then he says: 90 thou, judge and lawgiver,
this is thine own statute, and all the evil
dence in earth and heaven agrees in stating
that this man has sinned against all these en-
| actments Now let the sword leap from its
| scabbard Shall man go through the very
| flames of Sinai unsingedl Let the law be
Tat fr.lo hsa cd
| Let him die / demand that he die"
o Christian, does it not look very dark for
theel Who viii plead on thy side in so for
| lorn a cause2 Sometimes a man will be
| brought into a court of law, and he will have
no friends and no money, and the judge viii
| look over the bar and say: as there any one
| who will volunteer 10 take this mans case
! and defend hing and some young man rises
up and saws: Il viii be his counsel" perhaps
starting on from that very point to a great
| and brilliant career. Now, in this matter OF
! the soul, as you have nothing to pay for
| counsel do you think that any one will vol
unteerl Yes, yes; L see one rising He is a
| young man, only 50 years of age. l see His
| countenance suffused with tears and covered
with blood, and all the galleries of heaven
| are thrilled with the spectacle Thanks be
unto God! 1--WE have an advocate with the
| Father, Jesus Christ the righteous"
| o, Christian soul, your case begins to look
| better. think perhaps, after all you may
not have to die The best advocate in all the
universe has taken your side No one was
| over so qualified to defend man as this adj
vocate is qualified to defend you. He knows
| all the law, all its demands, all its penalties.
| He is always ready. No new turn of the
| case can surprise Him, and He will plead for
| you for nothing earnestly as though you
| brought world of treasures to His feet. Be-
sides that he has undertaken the care of
thousands who were as forlorn as you, and
He has never lost case Courage, o Chris
| tian soull | think that after all there may be
| some chance for you, for the great advocate
| rises to make his plea. He says: Il admit
all that has been proved against my client. l
| admit all these sins, aye, more; but look at
that wounded hand of mine, and look at that
other wounded hand, and at my right
foot and at my left foot. But all
these wounds / plead for his clear
ance. Count all the drops of my
tears. Count all the drops of my blood. By
the humiliation of Bethlehem by the sweat
| of Gethsemane, by the sufferings of the cross,
1 demand that he go free. On this arm he
hath leaned to this heart he hath flown; in
| my tears he hath washed; on my righteous
|
l am the ransom. Let him escape the lash;
took the scourgings, Let the cup pass from
him; drank it to the dregs. Put on him the
crown of life, for | have worn the crown of
thorns Over against my cross Of shame set
his throne of triumph"
Well, the counsel on both sides have spoken,
and there is only one more thing now remain
| ing, and that is the awarding of the judg-
ment. If you have ever been in court room
you know the silence, and the solemnity,
when the verdict is about to be rendered or
the Judgment about TO be given. About this
soul on trial, shall it be saved or shall it be
lostg Attention. above, around, beneath.
All the universe cries, "Heari Hearln
The judge rises and gives this decision,
never to be changed, never to be revoked.
"There is, therefore, now no condemnation to
them who are in Christ Jesus"
THE soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
| viii not will not, desert to His foes;
That soul though all hell should endeavor to
shake,
I'D never, no never, never forsake.r
But, my friends, there is coming day of
trial in which not only the saint, but the
sinner must appear. That day of trial will
| come very suddenly. The farmer will be at
the pillow, the merchant will be in the counting
room, the woodman will be ringing his ak
on the hickories, the weaver will have his
foot on the treadle, the manufacturer viii be
| walking amid the buzz of looms and the clack
of flying machinery the counsel may be stand
ing at the bar pleading the law, the minister
may be in the pulpit pleading the gospel, the
drunkard may be reeling amid his cups, and
the blasphemer with the oath caught between
his teeth
Loi The sun hides Night comes down at
mid-noon. A wave of darkness rolls over the
earth. The stars appear at monday. The
| earth shudders and throbs There an earth
quake opens and city sinks as crocodile
would crunch a child. Mountains roll in
| their sockets and send down their granite
cliffs IN an avalanche OF rock. Rivers pause
in their chase for the sea, and ocean, uprear-
ing, cries to flying Alps and Himalayas
| Beasts below and moan, and snuff up
| the darkness Clouds fly like focks of
swift eagles. Great thunders beat and boom
and burst Stars shoot and fall The Al
mighty. rising on his throne, declares that
time shall be no longer, and the archangers
trump repeats it till all the living hear and
the continents of dead spring TO their feet,
crying: "Time shall be no longeri" Oh on
that day, win you be readys
have shown you how well the Christian
will get Off in his trial win you get Off as
well in your triall Win Christ plead on your
side or win he plead against your Oh, what
will You do in the last great assize, il your
| conscience Is against you, and the world Ii
against you, and the angels of heaven are
against you, and the Holy Spirit is against
you, and the Lord God Almighty is against
| youa Better this day secure an advocate