Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-08-16

year that woman who was so bitter
in her criticism of her sister was
proved guilty Of the same ofense
which she charged against another
My father in his younger days had
almost the same experience When he
was about to be licensed for the Chris
tian ministry, a minister was being
tried before the church court. While
my father stood waiting to be called
for his examination he heard n conver-
sation between a mcrciless old minister
and n forglving young minister The
old minister was very bitter against his
brother minister who was up for trial.
But" said the young minister to the
old minister. perhaps there Is some
mistake" "Now exclaimed the old
minister. 81 do not want to hear any
thing in that mans favor. | feel and
know he is guilty and therefore should
be condemned" within one year"
said my father. that old minister who
was so hard In his criticisms upon his
brother minister was charged with the
same crime Within one year not only
was that old minister condemned in
the church court. but In the criminal
court of the state he was convicted by
jury which did not leave their seats"
SO my text has Il more farrcaching ef-
feet than at first might be supposed.
The words Judge rot that ye be not
Judged" imrly that when we are harsh
and unforgiving and merciless and bit
ter and cruel in our criticisms OF 9th
ers then we ourselves are in all likel-
hood goaded on by our own sins In
making these criticisms about others.
Therefore If you ard | feel bitter
against the sins Of others it is high
time for us to examine our own sinful
hearts: it is high time that we fall upon
our own knees in supplication and plead
with the Lord God Almighty that he
might cleanse us, that he might purify
us. that he might forgive us. 1t is the
sin in our own lives that urges Us on TO
condemn the sins in others. 1t Is our
own evil eyes that are able to see only
the imperfections in others.
be Not Hnsty TO Condemn.
No man should rashly condemn an
other. because il is often impossible for
him to realize what were the mitigat-
ing circumstances in which the sin was
conceived If all men were born free
and equal. as the American Declara-
ton of independence optimistically de-
clares. you could judge them in the
bulk. You could judge any two men
as you might test two bars of steel
which come from the same mold. You
could Judge them, as you might say
that a pound of coffee ought to weigh
as much as pound of tea; but all
men are not born free and equal. We
are different in hereditary tendencies
Only a short time ago at a convention
of the Women's Christian Temperance
union n delegate read the record of q
woman with criminal tendencies who
died in 1927. The name Of this WON
an. for obvious reasons, was not told
This woman of criminal tendencies
has had up to date over 800 descend
ants Seven hundred Of these descend
ants have been criminals, and all were
convicted at least once and most OF
them more than once for crime. Thir
ty-six of those descendants have beer
murderers. "And," said the speaker
1.-the blood of that one woman of Grim
inal tendencies has cost the nation IL
eighty years over S3,000,000 for trials
and executions and for the property
stolen or destroyed" Is not the BLOOD
that flows in your veins happily dliter
ent from that which flowed in th'
veins of those children?
We are different in the surrounding
of babyhood and boyhood and yount
manhood. Some men never knew th'
love of n parent. Their father anC
mother died when they were yer!
Young. Instead Of being able to &c
an education. as you and have been
they were pushed out into the grea
world unprepared for the struggle o
life and told to shift for themselves
We are as different as flowers are diff
ferent. Some qre planted In rich SOIL
others in poor. Some are cared Tor D.
loving hands: others have to fight TO
their lives among the bristly thorn
and the overshadowng weeds. Som
have enough sunlight to incubate ant
develop them and just enough shower
and dews to slake their thirst. Othe
flowers are continually being scorche'
by the droughts and deluged by ID
freshets.
Faiths Saving Grace.
We are all different in our inherlte
temperaments and our power to resls
temptation. Oliver Wendell Holmes
the quaint poet and philosopher, ono
wisely said. Every child's trainin
should begin at least 100 years befor
that child is born" Have you and
any right to condemn a mans action
unless we can put ourselves in tha
mans place? Then after we have pr
ourselves in our erring brothers plac
have we a right to affirm that we. !
our own strength, would have don
other than he has done? If we q
thus affirm, we are not honest and tru
to ourselves, for some of the mightle'
and best men Of God have testife
lust the opposite. Glorious John New
ton. trumpet throated John Newtol
Holy Spirit inspired John Newto
once declared that he never saw mu
derer being led away to the galloN
but he always said to himself, "Thel
goes John Newton unless he had bee
? saved by the grace Of Cod" Horat
Seymour, twice governor of New Yor
I In q large religious meeting once sc
e emnly declared: I'm my time, as Il
e chief executive of the state of Ne
. York. have had to examine hundred
: Of applications for pardons. After
+ had carefully examined them and ful
e entered into the lives Of the convict
e and realized the influences whi
= caused those crimes l am free to co
g a. 49, bod bo6 thp same lDtl