Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-07-03

I overheard the conversation when ne
said, "John, you can go Oh with this
lawsuit, and will see you through IS
well as [ can, but ] want to tell you
before you start that Il lawsuit is equal
to Il fire. (" Under the tremendous temp
tations that GENE upon the legal pro-
fession there arc scores Of men who
have gone down, and some of them from
being the pride Of the highest tribunal
of the state have become disgrace to
the Tombs COURTROOM. Every attorney,
in addition to the innate sense of right,
wants the sustaining power Of the old
fashioned religion Of Jesus Christ.
Bring Zenas the lawyer. y
Temptation.
There are two or three forms of temp
tation to which the legal profession is
especially subject. The first of all is
skepticism. Controversy is the lifetime
business of that occupation. Controver-
sy may be incidental or accidental with
us, but with you it is perpetual. You
get so used to pushing the sharp ques-
ton "Why?" and making unaided rea-
son superior to the emotions that tho
religion of Jesus Christ, which is a
simple matter of faitl, and above hui
man reason, although not contrary to
it, has but little chance with some Of
you. A brilliant orator wrote IL book,
On the first page Of which he announced
this sentiment, An honest God is the
noblest work of man" Skepticism is
the mightiest temptation of the legal
professio on, and that man who can stand
in that profession, resisting Ill solicita-
tons to infdelity, and can he as brave
as George Briggs Of Massachusetts, who
stepped from the Gubernatorial chair TO
the missionary convention, to plead the
cause Of dying race, then Oh his way
home from the convention, on a cold
day, took eff bis warm cloak and threw
it over the shoulders of thinly clad
missionary, saying "Tako that and
wear it it will do you more good than
it will me, on, like Judge Mclean,
who can step from the supreme court
room of the United States GU to the
anniversary platform of the American
Sunday School union, its most powerful
orator, deserves congratulation and en-
comium.
O men of the legal profession, let
me beg Of you to quit asking questions
in regard TO religion and begin belicv
ing! The mighty men of your profess
sion, Story and Kent and Mansfield, be-
came Christians, net through their
heads, bat through their hearts. eek
cept sc hecorue as q little child ye shall
in no wise enter the kingdom OF God. "
If you do not become a Christian, O
man of the legal profession; until you
can reason this whole thing out in re-
gard to Cod and Christ and the immor-
tality OF the soul, you will never be-
come Chnisti;n at all. Only believe.
Bring zcnas the lawyer. -
Sunday Observance.
Another mighty temptation for the
logul profession IS Sabbath breaking
Che trial las been going ca for 10 or
Is days. The evidence is all il. 1t is
Saturday night The judges gavel falls
OH the desk, and he says, "Crier, adj
journ the court until 10 O'Clock Mon
day morning." On Monday morning
TIE counselor is TO sem up the case.
Thousands of dollars yea, the reputa-
ton and life Of his client, may depend
upon the success Of his Plea. How will
he spend the intervening Sunday? There
is not one lawyer out OF Il hundred that
can withstand the temptation to break
the Lord IS day under such circumstances.
And yet if he does he hurts his own
soul. What, my brother, you cannot do
before ~ O'Clock Saturday night Or
after IL ocloclz Sunday night God does
not want you to do at all. Besides that
you want the 81 hours Of Sabbath rest
to give you that electrical and magnetic
force which will be worth more to you
before the jury than all the elaboration
Of your case or the sacred Gay. Ny in
innate aid lamented friend the late
Judge Nelson, in his interesting rcni-
nisc2nces OF RuTus Choate, says tlat
during the last case that gentleman
tried in New York the court adjourned
from Friday until Monday on account
Of the illness of Mr. Choate, but the
chronicler says that On the intervening
Sabbath he saw Mr. Chcato in the old
"Brick church," listening to the Rev.
Dr Gordiror Snri,icr
do not know whether, OH the fol-
lowing day, Rufus Choate won his
cause or lost it, but I do know that his
sabbatic rest did not dc him any harm.
Every lawyer is entitled to one days
rest out Of seven. If he surrenders that,
he robs threc-God, his own soul and
his client Lord Castlereash and Sir
Thomas Romilly were the leaders Of the
bar in their day. They both died sui
cides. Eilberforce accounts for their
alteration Of intellect on the ground