Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-05-16
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Pilates Hypocritical Addition g.
Sign Of Coracience's Power.
with Whip OF Scorpions it Chases Guilt
visions of Il Mind Not at Rest-Con-
science Has Reproof for
Every Sin.

VIC AoIIONlng sermon on .COnSciSuCc
at the Academy OF music, New York
city basing it on the text:
He took water a-i washed mis- hands before
the multitude, sd iug. J am innocent OF the
blood oi thjS juet person; see We to it-Mat-
theW-xxyiI. "A
At about seven o'clock in the morn
Ing, up the marble stairs of a palace
and across the floors of richest mosaic
and under ceilings dyed with all the
spIes.dors OF color, and between snow
banh, OF white and glistening sculp-
ture, passes d poor, pale, sick young
man Of thirty-three, already con-
semned to death, on his way to be- cor
ienned again. Jesus Of Nazareth "a
lis name.
Coming out to meet him ON this tes-
eA@ted pavement is an unscrupulous.
compromising, tine-serving cowardly
man, with a few traces Of sympathy
and fair dealing left in his composition
-Gov. Pontius Plate. Did ever such
oppo>ilcs meet? LaXury and pain, self
lshneas and generosity, arrogance and
humility, Sin and holiness, midnight
and midnoOn.
The bloated-Iippcd governor takes
the cushioned seat, but the prisoner
stands, his wrists manacled. In a
selni-circIe around the prisoner are the
Sauhedr,ts, with flashing eyes and
brandi~hed fists, prosecuting this case
il the name of religion, for the bitter
est prosecutions 80 ovrn 4-zIIglOuS
prosecutions; ami when Satan takes
hold Of GOOD man he makes
up by intensity for brevity Of
h.
ecvlcaI.,s,,.c;.l court trying a nan, then
you nave no iuca Of the tanning in
fe;uat,aH OF ti.rae old ri. -i.us San
hearisla. Gov. Pate crOsN-questions
the prisoner, aud finds right away he
is innocent, and wants to let him go.
His caution il also increased by some
one Who comes % the governor and
whispers in liz ear The governor
puts his hand lcH;nd his ear. 50 as to
catch the words ulnOst inaudible. IL
Is a message from Claudia Procula, his
wife, who has had a dream about the
innocence of this prisoner and about
the danger ofeXecuting him, and she
awallens from his morning dream in
time to send the message to her hus-
band, then on the judicial bench. AND
what with the protest of his wife, anG
the voice of his own conscience, and
the entire failure OF the SanhedriStS to
make out their case, Gov Plate re-
solves to discharge the prisoner from
custody.
But the intimation of such thing
brings upon the governor an equinoc
tial storm of Indignation. They will re-
port him to the emperor at Rome. They
will have him recalled. They will
send him up home. and he will be
hanged for treason, for the emperor at
Rome has already suspicion in re
gard to PLATE, ana that suspicion does
not cease until PLATE is banished and
commits suicide 50 Gov. PontiuS
PLATE compromises the matter, and
proposes that Christ be whipped in
stead Of assasa. mated. SO the pris-
oner is fastened to a low pillar.
and on his bent and barred bach
come the thongs of leather, witt
pieces of lead and bone intertwineG
80 that every stroke shall be the more
awful. Christ lifts himself from the
scourgng with flushed cheeks ana
torn amt manGj>d and quivcring flesh
presenting a p2-tacie OF suffering in
which itub>u>. .hr painter, found the
theme for hi> greatest masterpiece.
But I've SuMln.!ri.t@ are not vet sat
i>ti,s They .,.yr .&I SOM Of his
nerves iacrrA.", Ihey WaH. ,hem al
lacer&teG. Inry have had some blOol
sned; they wan: ali of it, Gown to thu
last 1orpEsclr. - GOV. Pontius I'ilatc
after ali this iu,rti,uI hesitation, sur
renders to the demoniucul cry o.
j.; I.
for something. He sends Il slave out
TO set something. Although the
con~tableS are in haste TO take
the prisoner to execution and the
mob outside are ;mpatient TO glare
upon their victim, a pause is neces-
Stated. Nonier it comes. Il wash
basin. Some pure. bright water is
.oured into it, and then Gov. PLATE
OUTS his white, delicate hands into the
water and rubs them together, and
then lifts them dripping, for the towel
fastened at the slaves girdle, while he
practically says: q wash my hands
of the whole homicdal transaction. l
wash my hands Of this entire RESPONSE
bility; you will have to bear it." That
is the meaning of my text when it
says: ''lie took water and washed his
hands before the multitude, saying, l
am innocent of the blood Of this just
person; see We to it"
Behold, in this, that ceremony
amounts to nothing if there are not in
it correspondence of heart and life
1t Is good thing to wash the hands
God created three-quarters of the
world water, and in that commanded
cleanliness; and when the ancients did
not take the hint He plunged the
whole world under water and kept it
there for some time. Hand-waShing
was a religious ceremony among the
Jews. The Jewish Mishna gave par
ticular direction how that the hands
must be thrust three times up to the
wrists III water, ami the palm of the
hand must be rubbed with the closed
fist of the other. All that is well
enough for symbol, but here in the
text is a man who proposes to wash
away the guilt of sin which he does
not quit and of which he does not make
any repentance. Pilates wash basin
was a dead letter.
Ceremonies, however beautiful and
appropriate, may be no more than this
hypocritical ablution. In infancy we
may be sprin6led from the baptismal
font, and in manhood we may wade in
to deep dimensions, and yet never
q