St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-07-31
TALMAGE'S SERMON.

| TALMAGE'S SERMON
Discourse to Young Men About h
Embrace the Law.
The Lawyer ~ . Christian-IlIs Relation
to His Clients-Forms Of Tempta-
tioa to which He h Es-
peclally Subject.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage addresse
the following discourse especially t.
young men who expect to adopt th'
law as q profession and to all who ar,
friends Of lawyers. It is based on th'
text:
Bring zenas. the lawyer.-Titus ILL. n
The profession of the law is here in
troduced, and within two days in th'
capital city 303 young men Joined it
and at this season in various parts o
the land other hundreds are takin.
their diplomas for that illustrious pro
fession, and is it not appropriate that
address such young men from q mora
and religious standpoint, as upon then
are now rolling the responsibilities O
that calling represented in the text BY
Zenas, the lawyer.
We all admire the heroic and rigor
GUS side of Paurs nature, as when hi
stands coolly deliberate on the deck ot
the corn ship while the jack tars ol
the Mediterranean are covering in ths
cyclone; as when he stands undaunted
amid the marbles Of the palace, before
thick-necked Nero surrounded with
his - cruel lictors; rs 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
80 lashes, every stroke Of which fetched
the blood, yet continuing in his
missionary work; rs when we
find him, regardless of the con.
sequence to himself, delivering
. temperance lecture to Felix, the
government incbriate. But some
times we catch . glimpse of the mild
and genial side Of Paurs nature. 1t
seems that he had . friend who was q
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, 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 . 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 barris-
ter have been pleas in behalf Of the
Bible and Christianity-asw when Dam
iel Webster stood in the supreme court
at Washington, pleading in the famous
Girard will case. den6uncing any At
tempt to educate the people without
giving them ut the same time moral
rs slow, ribald and vulgar
deism and infidelity" as when Samuel
L. Southland. of New Jersey. the leader
Of the forum in his day, stood ON the
platform Ut Princeton commence
ment advocating the literary ex-
cellency Of the Scriptures; IS when
Edmund Burke, in the famous trial of
Warren Hastings, not only in behalf
Of the English government. but in be-
half Of elevated morals, closed his
speech in the midst of the most august
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; impeach him in the
name Of the people of India, whose
rights and liberties he has subverted;
I 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 situ-
alton in the world, 1 impeach Warren
Yet, Notwithstanding all the pleas
which that profession has made in be-
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 IN absurd
and wicked prejudice against it. So
long ago as in the time of Oliver Crom-
well. it was decided that lawyers might
not enter the parliament house IS
and they were called Sons
Of Zeruiah." The learned DR.. John
son wrote an epitaph for one of them
in these words:
God works wonders now and then,
Here lies lawyer. IN honest man.
l say these things to show you that
there has been . prejudice going on
down against that profession, from
to generation. I account
for it on the ground that they compel
men to pay debts that they do not
want to pay, and that they arraign
criminals who want to escape the con-
sequences Of their crime; and Is long
IS that is 20. and it always will be 50.
Just 50 long there will be classes Of
men who will affect at any rate, to
1espise the legal profession. l know
not how it is in other countries; but I
have had long and wide acquaintance
with men of that professional have
found them in all my parishes-
tarried in one Of their Offices for three
years, whore there came real estate
lawyers, insurance lawyers. criminal
lawyers, marine lawyers, and ! have yet
10 find . class of men more genial or
more straightforward. There are in
that occupation, - in al our occupa-
ions men utterly obnoxious to God
md man; but il I were on trial for nv
or my life, and wanted
justice administered to
ne, would rather have my ease sub
nitted to . jury Of - lawyers than to
} jury Of II clergymen. The legal pro
.ession. ] believe, have less violence Of
prejudice than il to b found in the 81
red calling.
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