The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-07-14
DIR, TALMAGE'S SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
He Praises Lawyers, and Declares That If
HI Were on Trial For His Life He

"ouAu ga . -
Rather Than One OF ~Clergymen?
TEXT: Bring Zenss the lawyer" Titus
ILL.,, 10.
The profession OF the law is here intro
duced. and within two days In the Capital
City 3O3 young men Joined 1t, and at this
season in various parts Of the land other
hundreds are taking their diplomas forthat
illustrious profession, and is 1t not appro-
pirate that I address such young men from
a moral and religious standpoint, as upon
them are now rolling the responsibilities of
that calling represented in the text by
Zenas the lawyer?
We all admire the heroic and rigorous
side Of Paul's nature, as when he stands
coolly deliberate on the deck OF the corn
ship while the jack tars OF the Mediter-
are covering in the cyclone; as
when he stands u~ndaunted amid the
marbles Of the palace before thick necked
Nero, surrounded with his twelve cruel
lictors; as when We find him earning his
livelihood with his VT needle, sewing
haircloth and preaching the gospel in the
interstices; as when we find him able to
take the thirty-nine lashes, every stroke Of
which fetched the blood, yet continuing in
his missionary work; as when we find him,
regardless of the consequence to himself,
delivering a temperance lecture to Feliz,
the Government inebriate. But sometimes
we catch a glimpse Of the mild and genial
side of Paul's nature. It seems that he had
O friend who was a barrister by profession.
His name was Zenas, and he wanted to see
him. Perhaps he had formed the acquaint-
ance Of this lawyer in the courtroom. Per-
haps sometimes, when he wanted to ask
some question in regard to Roman law, he
went to this Zenas the lawyer. At any rate,
he had a warm attachment for the man,
and he provides for his comfortable escort
and entertainment as he writes to Titus,
'Bring Zenas the lawyer"
Yhis man OF my text belonged to q pro-
fession in which are many ardent supper
tiers Of Christ and the gospel, among them
Blackstone, the great commentator on Eng
lish law, and Wilberforce, the emancipation,
and the late Benjamin F.; Butler, attorney
general OF New York, and the late Charles
Chauncey, the leader Of the Philadelphia
bar, and Chief Justices Marshall and Ten
terden and Campbell and Sir Thomas More,
who died for the truth on the scaffold, say
ing to his aghast executioner: "Pluck up
courage, man, and do your duty. My neck
Is very short. Be careful, therefore, and.
do not strike awry."
Among the mightiest pleas that ever
have been made by tongue OF barrister
have been pleas In behalf OF the Bible and
Christianity, as when Daniel Webster stood
In the Supreme Court at Washington plead
ing in the famous Girard will case, de-
%nouncing any attempt to educate the peo-
pie without giving them at the same time
moral sentiment as Glow, ribald and vulgar
deism and infdelity;" as when Samuel L.
Southland, Of New Jersey, the leader OF The
forum in his day, stood on the platform at
Princeton college commencement advocat-
ing the literary excellency Of the Scrip
lures; as when Edmund Burke, In the fam
Gus trial Of Warren Hastings, not only in
behalf of the English government, but in
behalf Of elevated morals, closed his speech
In the midst Of the most august assenblage
ever gathered In Westminster hall by say
ing: "I impeach Warren Hastings in the
name Of the House Of Commons, whose
national character he has dishonored; I
mpeach him in the name Of the people OF
India, whose rights and liberties he has
subverted; 1 impeach him in the name of
human nature, which he has d~isgraced.
In the name Of both sexes, and Of every
rank, and Of every station, and OF every
situation In the world, I impeach Warren
Hastings"
Yet, Notwithstanding all the pleas which
that profession has made in behalf OF God
and the church and the gospel and the
rights of man, there has come down
through the generations among many peo-
pie an absurd and wicked prejudice against
It. So long ago as In the time OF Oliver
Cromwell 1t was decided that lawyers might
not enter the parliament house as members,
and they were called 'sons OF Zeruiah."
The learned Dr.. Johnson wrote an epitaph
tor n Of them In these words:
God works wonders now and then.
Here lies a lawyer, an honest q
Two hundred years ago q treatise was IS
sued with the title, "Doomsday Approach
ing With Thunder and Lightning for Law
yers." A prominent clergyman OF the last
century wrote in regard to that profession
these words: ''There Is among US a society OF
men bred up from their youth In the art OF
proving, according as they are paid, by
words multiplied for the purpose. that
white Is black and black Is white. For ex-
ample: If my neighbor has q mind to my
COW, he hires a lawyer to prove thai
he ought to have my COW from me. l must
hire another lawyer to defend my right, 1t
being against all rules Of law that a man
should speak for himself. In pleading they
do not dwell upon the merits Of the cause,
but upon circumstances, foreign thereto.
For instance, they do not take the shortest
methods to know what title my adversary
has to my cow, but whether the COW be red
or black, her horns long or short or the
like. After that they adjourn the cause
from time to time, and In twenty years they
come to an issue. This society likewise has
a peculiar cant or jargon OF their own, IN
which all their laws are written, and these
they take especial care to multiply, wnere-
by they nave 80 COMPOUNDED truth n false7
hood that it will take twelve yearst to decide
whether the field left to me by my ances-
49, o. civ Oaparofiopa hplon09 tO me or TO
one 800 miles off,"
I say these things to show you that there
has been a prejudice going on down against
that profession from generation to genera
ton. I account for it on the ground that
they compel men to pay debts that they DO
not want to pay, and that they arraiSn
criminals who want to escape the conse-
quences Of their crime, and as long as that
Is so, and it always will be so, just SO long
there will be classes Of men who will affect
at any rate to despise the legal profession.
know not how it Is in other countries, but
have had long and wide acquaintance
with men Of that profession. l have found
them in all my parishes. I tarrled IN one
of their offices for three years, where there
came real estate lawyers, insurance lawyers,
criminal lawyers, marine lawyers, n !
have vet to find a class of men more genial
or more straightforward. There are In that
occupation, as in all our occupations, men
utterly obnoxious to God and man, but II !
were on trial for my integrity or my life and
I wanted even handed justice administered
to me I would rather have my case submit
ted to a jury Of twelve lawyers than to a
jury Of twelve clergymen. The legal pro-
~fession, I believe, has less violence OF preIu-
dice than Is to be found in the sacred call
ing.
There is, however, no man who has more
temptations or graver responsibilities than
the barrister, and he who attempts to dis
charge the duties Of his position with only
earthly resources Is making q very great
mistake. Witness the scores OF men VINO
have in that profession made eternal ship
wreck. Witness the men who, with the
law OF the land under their arm, have vio-