The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1895-05-18
TALMAGE's SERMON.
Pilates Hypocriticai Addition a
Sign Of Conscience's Power.
With Whip of Scorpions IL Chascs Quilt
Visions OF q Mind Not at Rest--Con-
science Has Reproof for
Every Sin.

the following sermon on Conscience
at the Academy of music, New Yorl
city, basing it on the text:
lie took water and washed his hands befor
the multitude, saying. am innocent OF tn
blood OF this Just person; see ye TO it-Mat
ihew-xxvii. "a
AT about seven o'clock in the morn
kag, up the marble stairs of palac
and across the floors of richest mosaic
and under ceilings dyed with all tn,
splendors of color, and between snow
banks OF white and glistening sculp
ture, passes poor, pale, sick young
man Of thirty-three, already con
demned to death, on his way to be con
demned again. Jesus of Nazareth i,
his name.
Coming out to meet him on this ties
sellatcd pavement is an INSCRIPTIONS
compromising, time-serving cowardly
! man, with few traces OF sympathy
and fair dealing left in his composition
--Gov. Pontius PLATE. Did ever such
| opposites meet? Luxury and pain, self
ishness and generosity, arrogance and
humility, sin and holiness, midnight
md midnoon.
The bloated-lipped governor takes
the cushioned seat, but the prisoner
stands, his wrists manacled. In a
! semi-circle around the prisoner are the
Sanhedrists, with flashing eyes and
brandished fists, prosecuting this case
in the name of religion, for the bitter
est prosecutions have been religious
prosecutions; and when Satan takes
hold of n good man he makes
up by intensity for brevity of
occupation. If you have never seen ain
ecclesiastical court trying man, then
you have no idea of the foaining in
fernalism of these old religious San
hedrists. Gov. PLATE cross-questions
the prisoner, and finds right away he
is innocent, and wants to let him go.
His caution 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 to
catch the words almost inaudible. 1t
is n 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 hus-
band, then on the judicial bench. And
what with the protest OF his wife, and
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, and that suspicion does
not cease until Plate is banished and
commits suicide. So Gov. Pontius
PLATE compromises the matter, and
proposes that Christ be whipped in
stead of assassinated. So the pris-
oner is fastened to a low pillar,
and on his bent and barred back
come the thongs of leather, with
pieces OF lead and bone intertwined,
SO that every stroke shall be the more
awful. Christ lifts himself from the
=,
torn and mangled and quivering flesh,
presenting a spectacle of suffering in
which Rubeus, the painter, found the
theme for his greatest masterpiece.
But the Sanhedrists are not yet sat
isfied. They have had some of his
nerves laccrated; they want them all
lacerated. They have had some blood
shed; they want all of it, down to the
last corpuscle. So Gov. Pontius PLATE,
after all this merciful hesitation, sur
renders to the demoniacal cry OF
Cruelty him. But the governor sends
for something. He sends slave out
1 10 get something. Although the
! constab les are IN haste to take
| the prisoner TO execution and the
mob outside are impatient TO glare
| upon their victim, pause is neces'
| stated Yonder it comes, wash
basin. Some pure, bright water il
| poured into it, and then Coz. PLATE
puts 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 be
! practically says: II wash my hands
| of the whole homicidal transaction.
wash my hands Of this entire response
| bility; you viii have 70 bear it," That
is the meaning Of my text when j
says: ale took water and washed hi'
hands before the multitude. saying.
am inDccnt of the blood of this just
person; see ye TO it,"
Behold, in this, that ceremony
amounts to nothing IL there are not Ii
it correspondencies of heart and life
1t is good thing TO wash the hands
God created tbrec-quarters OF The
world water, and in that commanded
cleanliness: and when the ancients dit
not take the hint He plunged tb'
whole world under water and kept ]
there for some time. Hand-washiDl
was religious ceremony among tn
Jews. The Jewish Mishna gave par
ticular direction how that the hand
must be thrust three times up to th'
wrists in water. and the palm OF tb'
hand must be rubbed with the close
fist of the other. All that Is wei
enough for a symbol, but here In th'
text Is n man who proposes TO wasl
away the guilt vf sin which lie doe
\ x,rt ,,,,;t ri ~ xyltch be dooa mt m "A H.