Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-05-09
A DISTURBING FORCE
REV. DR.. TALMAeE's ELOQUENT SER
MON ON THE CONSCIENCE.

MON ON The CONSClENCE.
Christ Before PiIate-The Power of tho |
.sstnI, Small volce"-The True Conver-
sion-A Wash In the Glorious Gospel
Laver-Pardoning Mercy.
NEW YORK, May 5.-Rarely does any
discourse hold an audience with such In
tense interest as did that which Rev. DR..
Talmage delivered this afternoon in the
Academy Of Music. He chose for his sub
jcct Conscience, the text selected being
Matthew xvii, "a: "He took water and
washed his hands before the multitude,
saying: am innocent of tho blood of this
just person. See ye to it"
At about o'clock in the morning, up
the marble stairs of palace, and across
the floors of richest mosaic, and under cell
ings dyed with all the splendo-s of color,
and between snowbanks of white and
glistening sculpture, passes poor, pale,
sick young man of 80, already condemned
to death, ON his way to be condemned
again. Jesus Of Nazareth is his name.
Coming out to meet him on this tessel-
lated pavement Is an unscrupulous, COM
promising, timeserving, cowardly man,
with few traces of sympathy and fair
dealing left in his composition-Gove
Pontius PLATE Did ever such opposites
meet2 Luxury and pain, selflshness and
generosity, arrogance and humility, sin
and holiness, midnight and midnoon.
The bloated Tipped governor takes the
cushioned seat, but the prisoner stands, his
wrists manaeled. In semicircle around
the prisoner are the sanhedrists, with
flashing eyes and brandished fists, prose-
cutting this case in the name of religion,
for the bitterest prosecutions have been re-
ligious prosecutions, and when satan takes
hold of q good man he makes up by inten-
sity for brevity of occupation. Ii you have
never seen an ecclesiastical court trying
man, then you have no idea Of the foam
ing infernalism of these old religious san
hedrists. Governor PLATE cross questions
the prisoner and finds right away he is in
nocent and wants to let him go. His eau
tion is also increased by some one who
comes to the governor and whispers in his
ear. The governor puts his hand behind
his ear. so as 20 catch the words almost in
audible. 1t is message from Claudia
Procula, his wife, who has had dream
about the innocence Of this prisoner and
about the danger of executing him, and
she awakens from this morning dream In
time to send the message to her husband,
then on tho judicial bench. And what
with the protest of his wife, and the voice
of his own conscience, and the entire fall
ure of the sanhedrists to make out Their
case, Governor plate resolves to discharge
the prisoner from custody.
The Fanatical sanhedrists.
But the intimation Of such thing
brings upon the governor an equinoctia
storm of indignation. They will report
him to the emperor at Rome. Tney vii
have him recalled They will send him VI
home, and he will be hung for treason, fol
the emperor at Rome has already sus
picion In regard to plate, and that sus
picion does not cease until Pilate is ban
ished and commits suicide. So Governo
Pontius PLATE compromises the matte
and proposes that Christ be whipped in
stead Of assassinated. So the prisoner i
fastened to a low pillar, and ON his bent an'
barred back come the thongs of leather
with pieces Of lead and bone intertwisted
so that every stroke shall be the more aw
full Christ lifts himself from the scourG
ing, with flushed cheek and torn and quiy
ering and mangled flesh, presenting
spectacle of suffering in which Rubens
the painter, found the theme for his great
est masterpiece.
But the sanhedrists are not yet satisfied
They have had some Of his nerves lacerat
ed: they want them all lacerated. The
have had some of his blood; they want a
of it, down to the last corpuscle. So Coy