Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-11-15
TREATING A SINNER"
Sunday Discourse by DR.. Chapman, the
Noted Evangelist.
Il tells Of the Worlds Treatment, tie Laws
- Treatment and the Savicur's
Treatment OF The Erring.

man. has prepared the following sermon
for the press. 1t is entitled Three Mays
Of Treating Sinner, and was preached
from the text: Neither do | coad mn
thee; go, and sin no more" John S: IL.
There is something exceedingly pathetic
in the beginning OF this chapter where we
read Jesis went unto the Mount of Olives
i know the critics say that this story does
not belong to the New Testament. but did
YOU ever see better representation OF
Christ. first. in His going out to the
Mount OF Olives rs lie was accustomed 10,
secondly, in His rising early in the morn
ing that He might come again IN touch
with the great throbbing mass of people so
much IN need OF His service. Thirdly. in
His sitting down and teaching. showing
that He spoke with authority Fourth. IN
the scorn with which He treated the Phar.
isees as they condemned this poor. unfor.
tunate woman, when He said. He that is
without sin among you let him first cast
Stone at her, and finally III His tender
treatment OF the sinner herself when He
said. Neither do ! condemn thee; CO. and
sin no more" This is al. very like Him.
and somehow ! cannot get 1t out of my
mind that il belongs Just where we have
ever found it, and that anything which
shls SO genuine ring a this must have
been given to us by inspiration OF God.
Bat the pathos OF the first verse comes 10
ms when we connect it with the last verse
OF the 9TH chapter oil John. And every
man went unto his own house. Jesu.
went unto the Mount OF Olives. They all
had houses. His commonest accuser had
home. The pcop.c that helped Him all had
lodgings somewhere. but the Son OF Man
had not where to lay His head. He was
rich. but for our sakes He became poor. a
homeless wanderer. although the cattle on
thousand hills were Ills and the very
world in which He lived had been only. as
II were. His iootstool. II Is really touch
ing TO see Him going to the Mount OF
Olives. IL may be that He went TO lodge
with friend. possibly TO sleep out in the
open air. with only the blue sky above
Him: perhaps he went to pray. for again
and again do We frd Him ip communion
with His Father on this mountain side. and
He may have gone just to wait upon God
that lie might have some new message
from heaven or that some new direction
might be given to His life of self-sacriiice
He was always going in the direction OF
this mountain. and il is for this reason
tha. Christian travellers always are ever
delighted 10 do the same thing. but at this
particular time lie was mp cary in the
morning. What . worke: He was. The
most tire.css servant the world has ever
seen was orr Master. BEGINNING in Hin
childhood when He sad. .'Wist We not that
i must h2 above Slv Fathers business"
going ont in His ministry when lie re
clares. II must work the works of Him
that sent Me While il is CAY. for the night
cometh when no man can work" saying as
He said on the well curb. MY meat is &c
do the will OF Him that sent Ne" and
then stepping into boat and pushing oil
from the shore when the crowd is too great
70 rake His ministr: helpful. thus using
the boat for His pulpit. By day and by
night He toilcd. in heat or in cold He Ia.
bored. with the meltitudes following Him
shouting hosanna, and the mob close
tracking after Him. let Him ne crucified
! He did nothing but WORT. What JOY il
{ was to Him 20 say aS lie came up To the
cross. II have finished the work Thou
gavest Me 10 90. How few men can say
it. Most men feel aS il they were but at
the beginning of their LIES Journey when
they stop it. and sav with regret. il ]
could but live my life over again | would
do something WORTHY nj note. bit Jesus
fin: ned His work. | Ike To picture Him
rising in the Mount of Olives. The scene
must have been most beautiful. There is
the city OF tho king lying at His very feet.
the CITY He loved with passionate de-o-
tion. That valley ynnde: is the kidron
between Him and Jerusalem. and that
stretch OF hills n tho distance with the pc.
cuiiar haze OF tho Hoy Land n1on them.
looking more like a string OF Jewels than
anything else. are the Mountains OF Mohab.
Looking eff IN the direction in which Jesus
must have ever turned His eyes. that Clis-
fenng light in tho distance comes from The
Dead Sea. hut He cares not for hcartfrl
scenery, although He was in love with all
nature. He taught al dav yesterday and
He mIst teach to-day. so down the mnant-
am side lie goes. past the garden where
later Ile Is 70 suffer. over the Kidron. ~
through tho gates and lie is at the tempe
and takes His seat with the peonlc thron:-
ING about Him. The davis work is begun.
[ shall never take this story ont Of my
il ever in my heart till | see Him. | find
IN it three ways Of treating a sinner.
First. the worlds way. which is cruel in
the extreme.
Second. the laws way. which is rs re-
lcntless as death.
Third. the Savionr's treatment. which
presents to us y suh,imer picture than any
thing the word has ever seen.
The worlds treatment of sinner ".ind
carly in the morning He came again into
the temple. and al the people came unto
Him, and lie sat down aud taught them.
And the Scribcs and Pharisees brought
unto Him woman taken in adultery. and
when they had set her in the midst they
say unto Him. Master. this woman was
: taken IN adultery, in the very act" Verses
-. Sin is an awful thing lou do not
need to turn to the Bih.e to understand
this; read the daily newspapers. kceI
your eyes and ears open as you walk the
streets of the city: but still YOU may read
years ODD Ii Is woman the mob ha.
taken and hurried into the presence of tn,
Master. You can understand how mar
could sin. but not woman. vet ii ON
hearts we're known how many OF us. with
out respect to sex. won,d stand con
demned in the presence OF Him who has
said that anger Is murder and an evil i'm
agination Is sin.
The other day in a place of sinful resort
a man suddenly stood mp and rappng or
the table with a revolver said. Hear me-
ard when other men with frightened faces
would have lett the room he commanded
them to stop aad said. Il used TO have
happy home, a wife and children: now look
at me-. horrible wreck my family gone
r my situation taken from me. my friends
have forsaken me" and before they conlG
stop him he had sent his soul into the
: presence of his maker This story of a
man is OF common occurrence but i know
almost identcally the same wretched story
concerning woman. Satan has no respect
for sex, and since women seem 10 fall from
greater heights than men. somehow. alas
they seem to go to greater depths. | suppose
that we all OF US fall because we come to
trifie with sin. You avoid the house that
has the mark of a contagious disease upon
it, and yet you can scarcely read 4 news.
paper but in il YOU will see the awful de.
tails of some heartbreaking scene and be
fore Won know IL YOU are as familiar with
the circumstances as ii you had lived in
them yourself. and you place yourself in
danger OF being inoculatcd with the virus
OF 4 worse disease than the world has ever
seen. Possibly we fail all of us because we
allow some sin to tarry in our hearts. and
with de1denng influence which may be so
~ fr-4 n lind -,