Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1895-05-10
SERMON
ISTEREs THEME RY THE
NV YORK PREACHER.
cntieet: "U0nsc.eRcc. 4"

rExr; Ill tlpy wafer AMI wa-'i-i bis
hands hr or. the mu,titu L. ~ayin.: am ,n-
nOceui ~ the blood Of this just I,e--ou. SCI
veto H. Matthew xvii. -.
Al about o'clock "a the morning. ur the
marble staif- 81 a palace Aui aero, th-
fio0rs of richest mosaic AMI under Getting
dvei with all the splrndors 90 color an b.
tween SnawhankS 81 white aud clisi-Eing
SCULPTURE. uasSes pIs~, pa'". sics Young
man of thi1y-thn.n. already condemned tu
death. "a His way t. hr condemned again.
Jesus of Nsztr'th l. H. name.
Coming out {, meet Him oa this teSsgiia
pavement i AN uusrrupul0us. romurlm So
ing times-rying. rOwarily man. with few
traces at sympathy and fair dealing lee IA
his composition Governor p1ntiu- Plate.
Did ever such uppp-il = meet Luxury aud
pain. selhshn.ss aud generosity. arrogance
and humility. sin AMI niineS-. midnigh. and
midu0on.
The hluHtei Eppel governor take ilr
cushioned seat. hut tin uriS pu'' stan T. 'i.s
wrists mauariei. In "a >emicir'ls u~'urd
the prisoner are IN, >inh-iri-t~. witt drsl-
ins eyes aud bran iishr | list. prosecuting
this ease in the nam al religion los Ia hi.-
trrrst prosecutions hay. he-u religious Gr'--
prutionS. aui when sttsu takes hol ot q
good man he make uu hy intensity Tor
hrevity { Occupation. /, Won hav' ney't
seen an ecclesiastical eur. try ngH mlI.
then yoJ have no idea pi the foaming in
frrnuliSm OF th,.s, old religious sanhe lri~t-
Gov amor Pilatr cross questions tn prispna.
aud ilnlS right away VI j. innocent m
wants t. let Him -. lbs cu'ion is al~p ia
creased bY some one who comes t. the gpN-
rrnor aul whispers in his ear. TIE guyr--
nor puts his han benin his ear - ~ a
catch the WORKS almost iuIu lihle. | j. a
m aSsicp from ClHuiia Procula. his wife. VIII
has hal dream abpat Ia inn p'' nee of this
prisoner an about tn. danger 81 executing
Him. aul ia. awdkrns from this morning
dream il time t. send the message t. her
husband. then on tn ia irial bench. Apl
what VITA tn protest oi his wife. aai thu
entire failure OF the ,aqhe lrists To- maze out
their cas-. q pyernnr Plate resolved to dis
charge the prisoner from custody
But the intimatipn ~ such thing brings
upon the governor au eJuiuortial storm ui
Indignation. They will rrpprt him e. tn"
emperor ~ ROME. they VIII hay him re-
callpl they will send him Up home. ant h,
will b, hung Tor ire ison. for tn emperor A.
Rome has already a suspicion in regard 10
Plate aud that suspicion does not cease uu-
til PLATE Is blnished AMI commits suicide.
50 Governor Pontiu- Plate compromises tn"
matter and proposes that Christ DE whipped
instead Of aSsaSsnatcd. 50 the prisoner il
fastened to a low pillar, and on His bent AMI
barred back come the thongs of leather. with
pieces OF lead and bone intertwisted. 81 that
eTcry stroke shall be the more awful. Christ
lift, Himself from the scourging with flushed
cheek aud torn and quivrrinS and mangled
flesh presenting a spectacle Of suffering in
which Rubens. the painter, found the theme
for his greatest masterpiece.
But the sanheirists are not Vet Statistic !.
! They have had some Of His nerves laceratei;
| they want them all laceratcd they have had
some Of His blood; they want all of it, down
| to the last corpuSrie. So Governor PontiuS
PLATE. after all this merritul hesitation. sur
| renders to the demOniacal cry OF Cruelty
| Hin, But tn" governor SENDS for S1ma-
| thing. He sends II slave ou' t. get sDm'-
| thing. Although the conStable- are IN hast"
| to take the priS )uer 10 execution AMI tn
MOB outside are impatient 10 glaze upon
| their victim, n pause is necessitated Gonder
! it come, wash basin. Some pare bright
water is poured into it, aud then Governor
! PLATE put his white, delicate hands into the
| water and rdbs them together and then lifts
them dripping for the towel fastened at the
| slaves girdlr. while he practically SAYS: Il
wash my hands ofthis whole homicidal trans
| action | wash my hauls II this entire re-
| spOusihility. You will have to BEAR il. Tllt
! is the meaning OF my text when IL says. H"
| took water and waShe his hands before tn
multitude, saving. | am innocent Of the
| blood ofthis Just person. See We t. il"
Behold in this that ceremony amounts To-
| nothing il there are not init spOniencleS
| Of heart and life. Ii is a goo thing to wash
| the hands. God created three quarters OF
| the world water and in that commanded
! cleanliness aud when the ancicnts did not
| take the hint H. plunged the whole world
| under water and kept il there for some time.
! Haniwashng was "A religious ceremony
among the Jews. The Jewish Mishna CAV.
| particular direction how that the hands
must be thrust three times up 10 the wrists
, in water and the palm of the hand must be
| rubbed with the closed fist Of the other All
| that j. well enough for symbol, but herr 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 auy re-
! peutance. Pilates wash basin was a dead
| failure.
Ceremonies, however beautiful AMI appro-
! pirate, may be no more than this hyp0criti-
cal ablution. In infancy We may BE- sprinkle |
| from the baptismal font. and in manhood We
may wade into deep immersion, ami yet
| never come to moral purhration We NAV
| kneel without prayer and bow without rever.
ence and sing without any acceptance. All
! your creeds and liturgieS and Sacrdments
| and genutiectiOns and religious cOnyocatlOn,
amount to nothing unless your heart life gO
into them. When that bronzed slave took
from the presence OF PLATE that wash basin
ne carried away none of Pilates cruelty. OF
| Pilates wickelness, or Pilates guilt.
Nothing against creeds; We all have them
either written or implied. Nothing against
| ceremonies; they are OF infinite importance.
| Nothing against sacraments they are divinely
commanded. Nothing against rosary, ii
there bea' many heartfelt prayers Is b, dis
| counted. Nothing against incense floating
! up from censor amid GDthir arches. il the
| prayers be as genuine aS the aroma is sweet.
Nothing against Epiphany or Lent or Ash
Wednesday or Easter or Good Friday or
Whitsuntide or Palm Sunday, ii these SYM
bo.S have behind TIA IN genuine repentance,
and holy Renaissance, and Christian conse
Grafton. But ceremony is only the sheath t,
the sword. it is only the shell to the kernel
ii is only the lamp to the flame, it is only
the body to the spirit The outward mus
| be symbOlcal of the inward. Wash tho
hands byall means; but, more than all, wast
the heart.
Behold, also. rs you see Governor p, ntiu
PLATE thrust his hand into this wash basin
the power of conscience. He had an ide;
there vas blood on his hand-the blood of al
innocent person, whom he might have ac
quilted if he only had the courage. Poo
PLATE His conscience was. after him. and h
knew the stain would never be washed from
the right hand or the left hand, and until tn
day of his death. though he might wash il
all the LAYERS Of the Roman empire, Their
would be still eight fingers and two thumb
red at the tips.
Oh, the power Of conscience when it l.
fully aroused. With whip of scorpions owe
a bed of spikes in pitch of midnight it chase
guilt. Are there ghosts? Yes, not of tn
graveyard, but of ones mind not at rest
Ana mus BrutuS. AMID his SlumberinG host
Startled with Caesars stalwa~t ghost.
Macbeth looked at his hand after the mid
night assassination, and he says:
viii all great Neptune's ocean wash thi
blood
Clean from my hand? No; this my han
will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.