Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-08-15
TALMACE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMaGE, DID,.
Pastor OF Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

mon on the text Matthew vii, l.,
Judge not, that We be not judged"
After Massillon, the great court
preacher OF France. had finished one
of his sermons. Louis XIV. summoned
him 70 his side and said: "Massillon.
how is it you impress me as YOU do?
i have heard many great orators
preach. They nearly always please
me- But when you preach, instead of
being pleased with you 1 am always
discontinued with myself. l always
Ieei that l want to be a better man
as well as a better king" Well"
answered the great preacher. the
only way L can account for Il. your
majesty, is because 1 am always
preaching against myself. When 1
am about TO make UP a sermon, / say
10 myself, Massillon. what is the sin
which you have hardest work to battle
todayT And when L preach against
my own sins generally find that there
are similar sins i'm other hearts which
1 am also preaching against" IL there
Is any truth in the words which Mas
sillon spoke to Louis XIV, this sermon
will carry message to every pew.
OF ali sins there is none more easy
for speaker as well as nearer TO fall
into than the sin of hypercriticism.
The sin of censorious criticism is al
most universal because one is apt to
commit it at first unconsciously and
without generalization or fOrethorc bit
If n party Of young people are togeth-
or, 1t is not hard to find fault with the
minister, and the doctor, and the dress
1-nr fhA
child and house and all that be has.
1t is not difficult to lay the reputation
of an absent member upon the dissect-
ing table of traducement and cut and
hack it into pieces with cruel sharp.
merciless tongues. 1t is not always a
disagreeable opportunity to repeat the
ISLANDERS and the vilifcations and the
defamations and the wholesale con-
demnations which have been circulated
about the neighborhood in reference to
other peoples characters.
Now, my text is n divine protest
against the hasty and the unjust judg-
ments with which we condemn our fell
low men. 1t is a divine protest to
bring men and women to the realiza-
ton OF the awful damage they are do
ing themselves, as well rs others, by
the pernicious habit of censorious crit
tcism. 1t is n protest to prove that,
though we can honor men and love
men and praise mon and help men, vet
we must not hate men or deride men
or condemn men. Condemnation is n
divine prerogative. Condemnation is
thunderbolt which will shatter every
human hand that tries to grasp IL and
10 huri II. Condemnation is n poison
Gus fang which will destroy our own
lives rs well rs lacerate and instill the
fatal poison into their flesh.
- Sin OF Hypocrisy.
Personally we should not condemn
men. because, having imperfections in
ourselves. we have no right 10 expect
md demand perfection in others. IL we
were holy. perhaps we might have n
right to expect other people to be holy.
III we were pure minded, we might
have right TO expect other people TO
be pure minded. II we loved the Lord
our God with all our heart and soul
and mind and strength; If we were
perfect husbands and perfect wives,
perfect parents and perfect children,
perfect I'm our love for our fellow men,
we might expect others to be perfect. |
But what right has the kettle TO CON-
plain about the pot being unclean? |
What right has the raven to croak be-
cause her young have wings as black |
as the night? What right has the
Pharisee TO stand up and condemn the |
poor publican, who stood afar of and
beat his breast, moaning, "God be mer-
ciful to me. u sinner" when the Phari-
see himself was so sinful that he was
like whited sepulcher. which indeed
appeared beautiful outward. but was
within full OF dead mems bones and all
uncleanr' And What right have you,
y nearer, 10 say your neighbor is q
bad man or bad woman and should
be condemned when you yourself have
IN evil eye and have not yet, by the
grace OF God. plucked it out? When
you yourself have an evil hand or foot
and have not yet amputated it? When
You yourself have an evil tongue to
speak or an evil ear TO listen against
the deeds of your neighbors?
! What would you think OF a absolute
Judge condemning q prisoner ut the
bar for the same sins OF which he him.
self was fiagrantly guilty? Why, such
hypocritical and unjust judge would
be submerged under a tidal wave OF
popular scorn. Such a dishonest Judge
would be treated as mercilessly as was
mat Judge who in the darkest days of |
Home's fnfamies undertook to sentence
some conspirators to death while he
himself was one OF the conspirators.
de would be dragged from the Judi
cal bench. And yet this sin of con- ,
uemning others when we ourselves are
guilty OF sin Is habit which can be
laid at many door. We supercilious-
~ demand perfection in others while
we ourselves are imperfect.
Judge Not.
10 illustrate the truth that the more !
we ourselves have gone astray the I
more we are apt to condemn short {
comings In others, would read from | {
q leaf out CT the book Of memory. (
remember many years ago a lady's
character was being assailed on a hotel
f'orcn. d member or the party at | G
mat time denounced the absent woman s
SO severely that 1 turned and said: :,
Madam, you have no right to pub =
hciy make a charge like that against =
any one. Even IL you had positive :,
PROOF that what you say is true. Won =
should Keep your lips firmly sealed, =
because no one knows but that some =
lay the hloodhounds OF Islander may !,
De hunting your own tracks" This :,
ady was very indignant. She said Il
hat L charged her with the same n
'rimes OF which the absent woman | a
vas supposed to be guilty. Within one -
'ear that woman who was so bitter :.
her criticism of her sister was 90
proved guilty of the same offense n,
which she charged against another. m
My father in his younger days had az
lmost the same experience. When he n,
vas about to be licensed for the Chris n,
ian ministry, minister was being w
rled before the church court. While ey
ny rather stood waiting to be called IT.
or his examination he heard a CONVEX in
auon between merciiess old minister No