Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-05-11

holy reminiscence and Christian consecra-
ton. But ceremony Is only the sheath 70
the sword, 1t Is only the shell TO the kernel,
It Is only the lamp TO the flame, Il is only
the body to the spirit. The outward must
bo symbolical of the inward Wash the
hands by all means, but, morc than all,
wash tho heart.
Behold also, as you see Governor Pom
thus Pilatc thrust his hands into this wash
basin the power of conscience. lie had an
idea there was blood on his hands-tho
blood OF an innocent person, whom he
might have acquitted II he only had tho
courage. Poor Pilatel His conscience was
after him, and he knew the stain would
never be washed from the right hand or
the left hand, and until the day of his
death, though he might wash In all the
LAYERS of the Roman empire, there would
be still eight fingers and two thumbs red
at the tips.
oh, the power of conscience when 1t is
fully aroused With whip of scorpions
over bed Of spikes in pitch Of midnight
1t chascs guilt. Arc there ghosts? Yes,
not of the graveyard, but Of ones mind
not mt rest.
And thus Brutus, amid his slumbering host
Startled with Cesar's stalwart ghost.
midnight assassination, and he says:
will all great Ncptuncs ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No; this my hand will
rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.
The Voice Of Conscience.
For every sin, great or small, conscience.
which Is the voice of God, has n reproof,
more or less emphatic. Charles TX, re-
sponsible for St Bartholomew massacre,
was chased by the bitter memories, and in
his dying moment said to his doctor, Am
brosc Parry: Doctor don't know whats
the matter with me; am In n fever Of
body and mind and have been for a long
while. Oh, II had only spared the inno-
cent, and the imbccilc, and the cripplc!"
| Rousseau declared in old ago that n sin he
committed In his youth still gave him
slccplcss nights. Charles ii Of Spain could
not sleep unless he had in the room n CON
fcssor and two friars. Catiline had such
bitter memories he was startled at the
least sound. Cardinal Beaufort, having
slain the Duke of Gloucester, often in the
night would say: Away, away. Why do
you look at mcs' Richard III, having
slain his two ncphews, would sometimes
In the night shout from his couch and
clutch his sword, fighting apparitions. DIR.
Webster. having slain Parkman in Boston,
and while waiting for his doom, com
planned to the jailer that the prisoners on
the other side Of the wall all night long
kept charging him with his crime, when
there We're no prisoners on the other side
of the wall. 1t was the voice of his own
conscience.
From what did Adam and Eve try to
/ A., xxhn hat- had nj ho ~. fhnV
selves: From their own conscience. What
made Gains punishment greater than he
could bear? His conscience. What made
Ahab cry out 10 the prophet, Hast thou
found me, o mine cnemys" What made
tho great Felix trcmblc before the little
missionary? Conscience. What made Bel
shazzar's teeth chatter with chill when
he saw finger come out of the black
sleeve of the midnight and write on the
plastcring? Conscience, conscicnccl
A Grave Accuser.
Whyis it that that man In this audience.
with all the marks Of worldly prosperity
upon him, is ag;tatcd while / speak and is
now flushed and Is now pale, and then the
breath Is uneven, and then beads of per
spiration on the forehead, and then the
look Of unrest comes TO look of horror and
despair? know not But he knows, and
God knows. II may be that he dcspoilcd
n fair young life and turned innocence in
10 u waif, and the smile of hope into the
brazcn laughter of despair. Or IL may be
that he has in his possession the property
of others and by some stratcgcm he keeps
IL according To law, and yet he knows IL Is
not his own, and that IL his heart should
stop beating this moment he would be in
hell forever. Or 1t may be he Is RESPONSE
BILE for great mystery, the disappearance
I of some one who was never heard of, and
the detectives were ba.iicd, and the tracks
were all covered mp, and the swift horse
or the rail train took him out of reach, and
there are only two persons in the universe
who know of it-God and himself. God
present at the time of the tragedy and
present nj the rctro>pcction and conscience
conscience with stings conscience with
pinchcrS. conscience with fails, conscience
with furnaccs-is upon him, and until "a
mans conscience rouses him he does not
repent. What made that farmer converted
to God go to his infldcl neighbor and say:
''Ncighbor, l have four Of your sheep.
They came over into my fold six years ago.
They had your mark upon them, and
changed il To my mark i want you TO
have those sheep, and want you To have
the interest on the money, and want you
TO have the increase of the fold II you
want to send me to prison. shall make no
complaint The infidel heard Of the
man 5 conversion, and he said: Now. now,
II you have got them sheep, you are wei
come to them. don't want nothing of
those things at all. You just go away
from me. Something has got hold of you
that don't understand. / heard you were
down ut those religious meetings" But
the converted man would not allow things
to stand In that way, and so the infldcl
said: well, now, you can pay me the
value of the sheep, and per cent interest
from that time to this. and i shan't say
anything moro about it, Just 60 away
from me-" What was the matter with tho
two farmers. In tho one case convicted
conscience leading him to honesty, and in
the other case n convicted conscience warn
ing against infdclity.
Converted Hearts.
Thomas Oliver was one of John Wcslcy's
preachers The early part Of his life had
been full OF recklcssncss, and he had made
debts wherever he could borrow. He was
converted To God, and then he went forth
to preach and pay his debts. He had
small amount Of property left him and inn
mcdiatcly set out To lay his debts, and cv-
eryhody knew he was in earnest and TO
consummate the last payment he had To
sell his horse and saddle and bridlc That
was conscience. That Is converted con
science That is religion. Frank Tirhout,
= converted ru;rsellcr, had large amount
II liquor ON hand tho time Of his con
version, and hc put all tn kegs and bar
r''ls and dcmiiohns in q wagon and took
them down in front II the old chi. y
4 a