Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-08-11

subject in q heroic manner, ana APP
plies TO modern society the rule laid
down by Christ on a memorable occa-
SION The text is:
Jesus stopped down and with his finger
wrote on the ground John Wit. &
You must take your shoes off and
put on the especial slippers provided at
the door If you would enter the Mo
hsmmedan mosque, which stands now
where once stood Ierod's temple, the
scene of my text Soiomon's temple
had stood there, but Nebuchadnezzar
had Numbered it down. Zerubbabels
temple had stood there, but that had
been Frustrated. Now we take our
places in a temple that Herod built,
because he was fond of great archi-
lecture, and he wanted the preceding
temple to seem insignificant. Put
eight or ten modern cathedrals togeth.
er, and they would not equal that
structure 1t covered 10 acres. There
were marble pillars supporting roofs
of cedar, and silver tables on which
stood golden cups, and there were
carvings exquisite, and inscriptions
Respondent, glittering balustrades and
oruamented gateways, The buildings
of this temple kept 10000 workmen
busy 46 years.
In that stupendous pile of pomp and
magnifcence sat Christ, and listen
ing throng stood about him, when
a wild disturbance took place. group
of men are pulling and pushing along
awoman who had committed a crime
against society When they have
brought her in front OF Christ, they
ask that He sentence her to death by
stoning. They are critical. merci.
less, disingenuous crowd. They want
to get Christ into controversy and
public apprehension. If He say: LET
her die" they will charge Him with
cruelty. If He let her go, they will
charge Him with being in completely
with wickedness. Whichever way de
does, they would howl at Him.
Then occurs a scene which has not
been sufficiently regarded. He leaves
the lounge or bench on which lie was
sitting, and goes down on one knee, or
both knees, and with the forefnger OF
His right hand He begins to write in
the dust of the floor, word after word.
But they were not to be diverted or
hindered. They kept on demanding
.that He settle this case If transgres-
sion, until He looked up and told them
they might themselves begin the
woman's assassination if the complain
ant who had never done any thing
wrong himself would open the hire.
go ahead, but be sure that the man
who filings the first missile is lmmacu-
late" Then He resumed writing with
His finger in the dust Of the floor, word
after word. Instead of looking over
His shoulder to see what He had writ.
ten. the scoundrels skulked away.
Finally the whole place is clear of pur-
suers. antagonists and plaintiffs, and
when Christ has finished His strange
chirography in the dust He looks up
and finds the women all alone.
The prisoner is the only one of the
court roon left, the judges, the police,
prosecuting attorney having cleared
out Christ is victor, and lie says to
the woman: where are the prosecu-
tors in this case? Are they all gomez
Then discharge you; go and sin no
more have wondered what Christ
wrote on the ground. For do you
realize that is the only time that lie
ever wrote at all know that Euseb bus
saws that Christ once wrote letter TO
Abgarus, the king of Odessa, but there
is no good evidence of such corre-
spondence The wisest being the
Sorld ever saw, and the One who had
more to say than anyone who ever
lived, never writing a book or chap
!, n rab In.
ment. Nothing but the literature of
the dust, and one sweep Of brush or
one breath of wind obliterated it for
ever.
Among all the rolls of the volumes
of the first library founded at Thebes
there was not one scroll of Christ.
Among the 700, 600 books Of the Alex
andrian library, which, by the in
famous decree of Caliph Omar, were
used as fuel to heat the 1000 baths of
the city, not one sentence had Christ
penned Among all the infnitude OF
volumes now standing in the ibaries
of Edinburgh, the British museum, or
Berlin, or Vienna, or the learned re-
positores of all nations, not one word
written directly by the finger of Christ.
All JNal l1et ever "TOJc nc NIOlc III " ust
uncertain, shifting dust.
MY text says He stopped down and
wrote on the ground. Standing
straight up a man might write on the
ground with a staff, but if with his
fingers he would write in the dust he
must bend clear over. Aye, he must
get at least on one knee, or he can not
write on the ground. BE not surprised
that He stopped down. STOPPING down
from castle to barn. STOPPING down
from celestial homage to monocratic
ieer. From residence above the stars
to where a star had to fall to de.
signatc lis landing place. From
Heavens front door to the worlds
back gate. From writing in round
and silvered letters OF constellation and
galaxy on the blue scroll OF Heaven &c
writing on the ground IN the dust
which the feet or the crowd had left in