Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-08-06

you allow me TO say that l think know
what he wrote on the ground? I judge
from the circumstances. He might have
written other things, but, llneeling there
in the temple, surrounded by pack of
hypocrites who were self appointed
constabulary and having in his presence
a prosecuted woman, who evidently was
very penitent for her sins, am sure he
wrote two words, both of them graphic
and tremendous and reverberating. And
the one word was hypocrisy" and the
other word was forgiveness. "
From the way these Pharisees and
scribes vacated the premises and got out
into the fresh air, as Christ, with just
one ironical sentence unmasked them, I
know they were first class hypocrites. It
was then as it is now. The more faults
and inconsistencies people have of their
own the more severe and censorious are
they about the faults of others. Here
they are-20 stout men arresting and ar
raigning one weak woman Magnifi-
cent business 20 be engaged in! They
wanted the fun of seeing her faint
away under heavy Judicial sentence
from Christ, and then, after she had
been taken ontside of the city and fas-
tened at the foot of the precipice, the
scribes and Pharisees wanted the salts
faction of each coming and dropping a
big stone OH her head, for that was the
style of capital punishment that they
asked for. Some people have taken the
responsibility of saying that Christ new
er laughed. But think as he saw those
men drop everything, chagrined, morti-
fed, exposed, and go out quicker than
they came in, he must have laughed.
At any rate it makes me laugh to read
of it. All of those libertines, dramatic
ing indignation against impuriay Blind
bats lecturing on optics! A flock of
crows on their way up from carcass,
denouncing carrion!
Jesus Reproof
Yes, l think that one word written
on the ground that day by the finger of
Christ was the awful word hypocrisy.
What pretensions to sanctity are the
part of those hypocritical Pharisees !!
When the fox begins to pray, look out
for your chickens. One of the cruel
magnates of olden times was going to
excommunicate one of the martyrs and
he began in the usual form, "In the
name of God, amenl' "Stopl" said the
martyr. Don't say in the name Of
Godp Yet how many outrages are
practiced under the garb of religion and
sanctity! When in synods and confer
ences ministers Of the gospel are about
to say something unbrotherly and IN
kind about member, they almost al
ways begin by being ostentatiously
pious, the venom of their assault CORE
spending to the heavenly favor of the
prelude. About to devour reputation,
they soy grace before meal.
But am sure there was another word
in that dust. From her entire manner
I am sure that arraigned woman was
repentant She made no apology, and
Christ in nowise belittled her sin. But
her supplicatory behavior and her tears
moved him, and when he stopped down
to write on the ground he wrote that
mighty, that imperial word forgiveness
When on Sinai God wrote the law,
he wrote it with finger of lightning on
tables of stone, each word cut as by e
chisel into the hard granite surface.
But when he writes the offense Of this
woman he writes it in dust so that it
can be easily rubbed out, and when she
repents of it-oh, he was merciful
Christi was reading of legend that
is told in the far east about him. He
was walking through the streets Of
city and he saw crowd around dead
deg and one man said, what loath-
some object is that dogr' Eyes, said
another, "his ears are mauled and
bleeding. " Yes, " said another, "even
his hide would not be of any use to the
tanner. " "Ycs, said another, 1.-THE
odor of his carcass is dreadful. Then
Christ, standing there said, But
pearls cannot equal the whiteness Of his
teeth" Then the people, moved by the
idea that any one could find anything
pleasant concerning the dead dog, said,
"Why, this must be Jesus of Nazareth !'
Reproved and convicted, they went
away.
Surely this legend of Christ is good
enough to be true. Kindness in all his
words and ways and habits Forgive
nessl Word OF II letters, and some Of
them thrones and some Of them palm
branches. Better have Christ write close
to our names that one word, though he
write it in dust, than to have our name
cut into monumental granite with the
letters that the storms of thousand
years cannot obliterate. Bishop Bnbing-
ton had book of only three leaves
The first leaf was black, the second leaf
red, the third leaf white. The black leaf
suggested sin, the red leaf atonement,
the white leaf publication. That is the
whole story God will abundantly par
don.
Mans Guilt Equal.
| must not forget to say that as
Christ, STOPPING down, with his finger
wrote on the ground it is evident that
his sylnpathies are with this penitent
woman and that he has no sympathy
with her hypoorit1oal pursuers. just op'
posite to that is the worlds habit. Why
didn't these unclesn Pharisees bring
one of their own number to Christ for
excoriation and capital punishment?
No, no. They overlook that in man
which they damnate In woman. And
SO the world has had for offending wom-
an scourges and objurgation, and for
lust one offense she becomes an outcast,
while for men whose lives have been
sodomic for 20 years the world swings
open its doors of brilliant welcome, and
they may sit in high places. Unlike the
Christ of my text, the world writes a
mans misdemeanor in dust, but chisels
a woman's offense with great capitals
upon ineffaceable marble.
For foreign lords and princes whose
names cannot even be mentioned IN re-
spectacle circles abroad because they
are walking lazarettos Of abomination
some Of our American princesSea OF for
tune walt and at the frat beck sail out
with them into the blackness Of DARK