The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-08-05
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Discourse to Young Men About to
Embrace the Law.
The Lawyer as Christian-His Relation
to HIS Clients Forms of Tempta-
ton to Which He is Is
pecially Subject.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage addresses
the following discourse especially to
young men who expect to adopt the
law as profession and to all who are
friends of lawyers. 1t is based on the
text:
Bring Zenas, the lawyer.-Ttus ill.,. 1a
The profession of the law is here in
troduced, and within two days in the
capital city 303 young men joined 1t,
and at this season in various parts OF
the land other hundreds are taking
their diplomas for that illustrious pro-
fession, and is it not appropriate that l
address such young men from 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 rigor-
Gus side of Paurs nature, as when he
stands coolly deliberate on the deck of
the corn ship while the jack tars OF
the Mediterranean are covering IN the
cyclone; as when he stands undaunted
amid the marbles of the palace, before
thick-necked Nero, surrounded with
his II cruel lictors; as when we find
him earning his livelihood with his
own needle, sewing haircloth, and
preaching the Gospel in the interstices;
as when we find him able to take the
SO lashes, every stroke of which fetched
the blood, yet continuing in his
| missionary work; as when we
find him, regardless of the con-
sequence to himself, delivering
temperance lecture to Felix, the
government inebriate. But some
| times we catch glimpse of the mild
and genial side of Pauls nature. 1t
seems that he had a friend who was Il
barrister by profession. His name was
Zenas, and he wanted to see him. Per
haps he had formed the acquaintance
| of this lawyer IN the courtroom. Per-
| haps, ometimes, 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 attach
ment for the man, and he provides for
his comfortable escort and entertain
ment as he writes to Titus: Bring
Zenas. the lawyer
Among the mightiest pleas that ever
have been made by tongue of barns
ter have been pleas in behalf of the
Bible and Christianity-as when Dan
iel Webster stood in the supreme court
at Washington, pleading in the famous
Girard will case, denouncing any at
tempt to educate the people without
giving them at the same time moral
sentiment, as low, ribald and vulgar
deism and intidelty' as when Samuel
l.. Southland, of New Jersey, the leader
of the forum in his day, stood on the
platform at Princeton commence
ment, advocating the literary ex-
cellency of the Scriptures; as when
Edmund Burke, in the famous trial of
Warren Hastings, not onl y in behalf
of the English government, but in be-
half of elevated morals, closed his
speech in the midst of the most august
assemblage ever gathered in Westmin-
ster hall by saying: Il impeach War
rem Hastings in the name of the house
of commons. whose national character
he has dishored, l impeach him in the
rights and liberties he has subverted;
| impeach him in the name of human
nature, which he has disgraced; in the
name of both sexes, and of every rank,
and of every station, and of every stu
alton in the world, impeach Warren
HASTINGS"
Yet, Notwithstanding all the pleas
| h i.,l, no l,o do l.
half of God, and the church, and the
Gospel, and the rights of man, there
has come down through the genera
tions among many people an absurd
and wicked ejudice against it, So
long ago as in the time of Oliver Crom-
well, it was decided that lawyers might
not enter the parliament house as
members, and they We're called Sons
of Zeruiah.' The learned DIR. John
son wrote an epitaph for one of them
in these words:
| God works wonders now and then
Here lies lawyer, an honest man
l say these things to show you that
there has been prejudice going on
down against that profession, from
generation to generation. l account
for it on the ground that they compel
men to pay debts that they do no,
want to pay, and that they arraign
criminals who want to escape the con.
sequences 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, tc
despise the legal profession. | know
not how it is in other countries; but ]
have had long and wide acquaintance
with men of that professional have
found them in all my parishes
l tarrled in one of their offices for three
years, where there came real estate
lawyers, insurance lawyers, criminal
lawyers, marine lawyers, and have vet
to find a class of men more genial or
more straightforward. There are in
that occupation, as in all our occupa,
tlons, men utterly obnoxious to God
and man; but if | were on trial for nv
integrity or my life, and l wanted
even-handed justice administered to
me, would rather have nv case sub.
mitted to jury of 10 lawyers than to
a jury of II clergymen. The legal pro-