The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-08-26
THEGREAT LA WSUIT.
A SERMON DRAWN FROM SCENES IN
THE COURTROOM.
It Appears That Rev. DR.. Talmage Over
studied Law, but When the World Lost
a Great Advocate It Gained . Greater
Preacher.

Preacher.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 16.-The illustra-
tions Of this sermon are drawn from the
scenes in courtroom, with which DR..
TaImage became familiar when he was
studying law, before he studied for the
ministry. The text is John ii, ],
"We have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ, the righteous.
Standing in 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
dered; at this judges desk sentence has
been pronounced. !" But I have to tell
You today of trial higher than any
oyer and terminer CT circuit or supreme
or chancery. It 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 crilnl-
nal.
The issues at stake are tremendous,
and 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 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. tits an indict-
ment of ten counts, for thou hast di-
rectly or indirectly broken all the Ten
Commandments. You know how 1t
thundered on Sinai. and when God came
down how the mountain rocked, and the
smoke ascended as from smolderlng
furnace, and the darkness gathered thick,
and tho loud, deep trumpet uttered the
words, ''The soul that sinneth, it shall
diep' Are you guilty or not guilty? Do
not put in negative plea too quick, for
have to announce that ''all have slnned
and come short of the glory of God.
There is mono that doeth good; no. not
one. Whosoever shall keep the whole
law, yet offend i'll one point, he is guilty
of ALL" Do not, therefore, be too hasty
in pronounciDg yourself not guilty.
A Broken Contract.
This lawsuit before rs also charges
You with the breaking of a solemn con-
tract. Many time did we promise to
be the Lords. We got down cn our
knees and said, 80 Lord, am thine
now and forever" Did you keep the
promise? Have you stood rp to. the con-
tract? I 20 back to your first commu-
MON, You remember it as we'll as II 1t
yere 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,
Remember me- You recall how the
cup of communion trelnbled in your
hand when you first took it, and as III q
seasbell you may hear, 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, ana
Won 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
been on the mount Of TRANSPORTATION,
and th{ very air seems tremulous with
the love Of Jesus, and the woods, and
the leaves, and the grass, and the birds
we're brighter and sweeter voiced than
ever before, and you said down III the
very depths of your soul, Lord thou
knowest all things; thou knowest that
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 you ought to have been
humble? Have you not played the cow
ard when sou 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 neon
sistency, say religion is scme other
thing, and what is moro deplcraoie
about it is that people can see faults III
others while they cannot see any III
themselves. If ycu shall at any time
find some miserable old gossip, with
imperfections from the crown OF her
head to the sole Of her foot. perfect