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

no sympathy with the followers OF
Aristotle, who, after the telescope was
invented. would not look through il
lest it contradict some of the theories
of their great Master, shall be glad
to put against one lid Of the Bible the
microscope and against the other lid of
the Bible the telescope,
But what did CAvst write on the
grounf9 The Bible does not state. Yet
as Christ never wrote anything except
that once, YOU can not blame us for
wanting to know what He really did
write. But l am certain lie wrote moth
ing trivial or nothing unimportant
And will you allow me TO say that |
think l know what He wrote on the
ground? l judge from the circum-
stances, He might have written other
things, but kneeIing there in the
temple surrounded by pack OF
hvpocrites, who was selt-appointed
constabulary, and having in his pres
ence u prosecuted woman, who evident
lv was very pcnient for her sins, | am
sure He wrote two words, both OF then
p"""hic and tremenduouS aud rever-
berating. And the one word Was
"hypocrisy," aud the other word was
forgiveness.
Scrihes vacated the premises and got
out into the fresh air, MS Christ, with
Just one irouical sentence unmaskcd
them, l know they were first-class
hypocrites. 1t was then as it is now.
The more faults and Inconsistencies
people have of their own, the more SEE
we're and ceusorious are they about the
faults of others. Here they are-2o
stout men arresting and arraigning
ness TO be engaged in! They wanted
the fun of seeing her faint away under
a heavy judicial sentence from Christ,
and then, after she had been taken
outside of the city and fastened
at the foot of the precipice, the
Scribes and Pharisees wanted the sat.
isfaction OF each coming and dropping
Il big stone on her head, for that was
the style OF capital punishment that
they asked for. Some people have
taken the responsibility Of saying that
Christ never laughed. But | think as
He saw those men drop everything,
chagrined, mortified, 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, dramatizing indigna.
ton against impurityl Blind bats lee.
turing on optics! A hock of crows on
their way up from carcass, denounc.
ing carrlon
Yes, think that one word written
on the ground that day by tn. finger OF
Christ was the awful word hypocrisy.
What pretensions to sancity are the
part of those hypocritical Pharisecsl
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, amen "Stop!" says
the martyr, don't say in the name of
God!' Yet how many outrages
are practiced under the garb of
religion and sanctity! When in
synods and conferences, ministers
of the Gospel are about to say som C.
thing uubrotherly and uutind about a
member, they almost always begin by
being ostentatiousty pious, the venom
of their assault corresponding to the
Heavenly flavor Of the prelude. About
to devour reputation, they say grace
before meal.
But ! am sure there was anotne.
word in that dust. From her entire
manner | am sure that arraigncd wom-
an was repentant she made no
apology, and Christ in no wise bclittled
her sin. But her ,upplicatory behavior
and her tears moved him. aud 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 as by a
chiSe into the hard granite surface.
But when He writes the otfcusc of this
woman He writes it in the dust, SO
that il can be easily rubbed out, and
when She repents of it, oh, He was q
merciful Christ. | was reading OF a
legend that is told in the far east
dDOul IlilI liz was waning ~
the streets of city and lie saw a
crowd around dead dog. And one
man said: What "A loathsome object
is that dog!' Yes, said another,
"his ears are mauled and bleeding"
YES" said another, even his hide
would not be of any use to the tanner.
"Yess, said another. 1.-THE odor of his
carcass is dreadful" Then Christ,
standing there, said: But pearls can
not equal the whiteness of his teeth. "
Then the people, moved by the idea
that anyone could find anything pleas
ant concerning the dead dog, said:
"Why, this must be Jesus Of Nazareth"
Reproved and convicted, they went
away,
And now | can believe that which |
read, how that a mother kept burning
candle in the window every night for
ten years, and one night, very late, a
poor waif Of the street entered. The
aged woman said TO her: "Sit down
by the fire" and the stranger
said: Why do you keep that light
in the Window" The aged woman