Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-08-21
THE GREAT LA WSUIT.
A SERMON DRAWN FROM SCENES IN
THE COURTROOM.

lfE COOh hOOm.
1t Appears That Rev. DIR. Talmage Over
studied Law. rut When the World Lost
Great Advocate 1t Gained a Greater
Preacher.
WASHINGTON, Aug 1G.-The illustra-
tions Of this sermon are drawn from the
scenes in a courtroom, with which DR..
Talmage became familiar wien he was
studying law, before he studiet, for the
ministry. The text is l 5ohn Il, !,
I'VE have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ, the righteous. "
Standing in a courtroom, you say to
yourself, cat this bar crime has often
been arraigned; at this witness stand
the oath has often been taken; at this
jurors bench the verdict has been rem
derod; at this judges desk sentence has
been pronounced. But l have to tell
you today Of trial higher than any
oyer and terminer or circuit or supreme
or chancery. 1t is the trial of every
Christian man for the life Of his soul.
This trial is different from any other in
the fact that it is both civil and crimi-
nal.
The issues at stake are tremendous,
and l shall in my sermon show you
first what are the grounds Of complaint,
then who are the witnesses in the cause
and lastly who are the advocates.
When a trial is called on, the first
thing is to have the indictment read.
Stand up then, O Christian man, and
hear the indictment Of the court of high
heaven against thy soul. 1t is an indict-
ment Of ten counts, for thou hast di-
rectly or indirectly broken all the Ten
Commandments. You know how it
thundered on Sinai, and when God came
down how the mountain rocked, and the
smoke assembled as from a smoldering
furnace, and the darkness gathered thick,
and the loud, deep trumpet uttered the
words, 1.-The soul that sinneth, it shall
diet" Are you guilty or not guilty? Do
not put in a negative plea too quick, for
have to announce that "all have sinned
and come short of the glory Of God.
There is none that doeth good; no, not
one. Whos0cver shall keep the whole
law, yet offend in one point, he is guilty
Of all. " Do not, therefore, be too hasty
in pronouncing yourself not guilty.
A Broken Contract.
This lawsuit before us also charges
you with the breaking Of solemn con-
tract Many a time did we promise to
be the Lords. We got down on our
knees and said 30 Lord, I am thine
now and forever" Did you keep the
promise? Have you stood up to the ccl-
tract? l 60 back TO your first commu-
Mon. Yol remember il as well as if it
were yesterday You know how the
vision Of the cross rose before you. You
remember how from the head, and the
hands, and the side, and the feet there
came bleeding forth these two words,
"Rcmember me. You recall how the
cup of communion trcmbled in your
hand when You first took it, and as IN q
seashell you may near, or think you
hear. the roaring of the surf even after
the shell has been taken from the beach,
so You lifted the cupof communion, and
you heard in it the surging Of the great
ocean Of a SaviOur's agony, and you
came forth from that communion serv-
ice with face shining as though You had
bcen ON the mount Of TRANSPORTATION,
and the very air seems tremulOus with
the love Of Jesus. and the woods, ard
the leaves, and the grass, and the birds
were brighter and sweeter voiced than
ever before, and you said down IN the
very depths Of your soul, Lord, thou
knowest all things; thou knOwest that
l love thee. Have you kept the bar
gain, O Christian man? Have you not
sometimes faltered when you ought to-
have been true? Have you not been
proud when yen ought to have been
humble? Have you not played the cow
ard when you ought to have been the
hero? | charge it upon you, and charge
it upon myself-we have broken the
contract.
Still further, this lawsuit claims
damages at your hands. The greatest
slander on the Christian religion is an
inconsistent professor. The Bible says
religion is one thing; we, by our incon-
sistency, say religion is some other
thing, and what is more deplorableI
about it is that people can see faults in
others while they cannot see any In
themselves. If you shall at any time
find some miserable old gossip, with
imperfections from the crown Of her
head to the sole Of her foot, perfect
blotch Of sin herself, she will go tat
Ting, tattling, tattling all the years OF
her life about the inconsistencies OF
others, hayingno idea that she is incon-
sistent herself. God save the world from
the gossip, female and malel l think
the males are the worstl Now the char
lot Of Christ's salvation goes on through
the world; but it is our inconsistencies,
my brethren, that block up the wheels,
while all along the line there ought TO
have been cast nothing but palm
branches, and the shout should have
been lifted, "HoSanna to the Son of
Dayidn
Now YOU have heard the indictment
read. Are you ready to plead guilty or
not guilty? Perhaps you are not ready
vet to plead. Then the trial will go on.
The witnesses will be called, and we
shall have the matter decided. In the
name Of God I now make proclamation;
Oyeal Oyezl Oyezl whosoever hath any
thing to offer in this trial in which God
is the plaintiff and the Christian soul
the defendant, let him now step forth
and give testimony in this solemn trial
Call the Witnesses.
The first witness call upon the stand
in behalf of the prosecution is the
world-all critical and observant Of
Christian character. You know that
there are people around you who per-
petually banquet on the frailties Of
Gods children. You may know, if you
have lived in the country, that a crow
cares for nothing so much as carrion.
There are those who imagine that out
of the faults of Christians they can
make bridge of boats across the stream
of death, and they are going to try IT.
~ n.