The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-08-21


very earthly, and he talks so little
about Christ and so much about him
self. l am very glad to testify that
this is bad man"
Stop, o world with the greedy eye
and hard heart l fear you are too
much interested in this trial to give
impartial evidence. Let all those who
hear the testimony of the witness
know that there is an old family quar-
rel between the two parties There
has always been a variance between
the world and the church, and while
the world on the witness stand to-day
has told a great deal of truth about
this Christian man, you must take it
all with much allowance, remember
ing that they still keep the old grudge
good. o world of the greedy eye and
the hard heart, that will do; you may
sit down.
The second witness / call in this case
is conscience. Who art thou, o con-
science? What is your business?
Where were you born? What are you
doing here? "Oh," says conscience, II
was born in Heaven. l came down to
befriend this man. / have lived with
him. / have instructed him l have
warned him. / showed him the right
and wrong, advising him to take the
one and eschew the other. With a
whip of scorpions have scourged his
wickedness, and have tried to cheer
him when doing right; and yet am
compelled to testify on the stand to-
day that he has sometimes rejected
my mission. Oh, how many cups
of life have l pressed to his lips that he
dashed down, and how often has he
stood with his hard heel on the bleed
ing heart of the Son of God! II pains
me very much that / have TO testify
against this Christian man, and yet
must, in behalf of Him who will in no
wise clear the guilty, say that this
Christian man has done wrong. He
has been worldly. He has teen neg
lectful. He has done a thousand
things he ought not to have DONE
That will do, conscience. You can sit
down.
The third witness call in the case
is an angel of God. Bright and shin
ing one; what dost thou here? What
hast thou to say against this man on
trial? oh" says the angel, II have
been a messenger to him. / have
guarde him. l have watched him.
With this wing l have defended him,
and OftentimeS, when he knew it not,
l led him into green pastures and be-
side the still waters. l snatched from
him the poisoned chalices. When bad
spirits came to destroy him, i fought
them back with infinite fierceness,
and yet have to testify to-day that he
has rejected my mission. He has not
done as he ought to have done. Though
/ came from the sky, he drove me back.
Though with this wing 1 defended
him. and though with this voice l
wooed him, l have to announce his
multiplied imperfections. / dare not
keep back the testimony, for then 1
should not dare to appear again
amongst the sinless ones before the
great white Throne"
There is only one more witness to be
called on behalf of the prosecution, and
that is the great, the holy. the august,
the omnipotent Spirit of God We
bow down before Him. Holy Spirit,
knowest thou this man? ''Oh, yes"
says the Holy One, Il know him.
have striven with him ten thousand
times, and thou, h sometimes he did
seem to repent, he fell back again as
often from his first estate. Ten thou
sand times ten thousand has he grieved
me, although the Bible warned him,
saying; 'Grieve not the Holy spirit
Quench not the Spirit Yes, he has
driven me back. Though / am the
third person of the Trinity, he has
trampled on my mission, and the blood
of the Atonement that brou hit with
which to cleanse his soul, he some
times desp.sed. l came from the
throne of God to convert, and comfort
and sanctify, and yet look at that man
and see what he is comoareI with
what, unresisted, would have made
him.
The evidence on the part OF the pose
cution has closed. Now let the def NE
bring on the rebuttal testimony. What
have you, o Christ an soul, 10 bring in
reply 10 this evidence of the worl,. of
the conscience, of the angel of the
Holy Gho>t? No evidence? Are all
these things true? Yes. Unclean
unclean," says every Christian soul
What? Do YOU not be in 10 t-emble
at the thought of condemnat on?
We have come now to the most inter
esting part of this great trial The
evidence all in. The advocates s eak
The profession of an advocate is full of
responsibility. In England AMI the
United States there have arisen men
who in this calling have been honored |
by their race and thrown contempt |
upon those who in the profession have |
been guilty of great manv WEAKNESSES. !
That profession will be honorable |
as long as it has attached to it such |
names as Mansfield, and Marshall AMI |
Story. and Kent, and Southland, and |
William Writ. The court room has |
sometimes been the scene of very mar |
velous end thrilling things Some of |
you remem Der the famous Girard will |
case, where one of our advocates plead |
ed the cause of the Bible AMI Chris |
tiani;y in mastery Anglo-Saxon, every |
thunderbolt