Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-10-21
sin wherever found.
No Immunity Given.

But L find in the next place another
trenchant lesson. The divine Inv does
not accept zeal In bringing others 10
justice as n ground for absolving the
prosecutor OF his own wrongdoing. The
scribcs and Pharisees cannot atone for
their sins by denouncing and condemn
ing others. Though a man might prove
every other man Il living example of
total dCpravlty ana devote his life 10
the exposure and arraignment of Grim
mails. he must take his own place at
the bar and answer the indictment of
his own iniquities. Instances have
been known of criminal under hu-
man government securing for himself
immunity from punishment for his own
crimes by betraying his leader to the
officers of the law or even by himself
executing sentence on that leader, but
such men are despised for their per-
tidy. even by the community that profits
by the treachery. a similar principle
Is applied i'm our courts OF justice when
n man is allowed to turn states evil
dence. 1t sometimes happens that
there Is no way of'convicting a notori-
Gus criminal but by the testimony OF
4
dence has to be purchased. and the
price paid is pardon for him OF his
own share in the crime. 1t is heavy
price to pay, miscarriage of Justice.
but III is result OF the inadequacy OF
human administration, and it has no
place under divine law.
When PoririO Diaz became president
OF the Mexican republic he did not i'm
the beginning employ honest men To
capture scoundrels. The hills and the
mountains of Mexico were the retreats
OF scores and hundreds OF brigands
and robbers. What Diaz did in the
beginning was to send for some of the
leaders of the rowing bands OF thieves.
He then commissioned these leaders as
representatives OF his own govern
ment. He dressed them up in Mexi-
can uniforms and sent them forth as
police to hunt down and bring to JUS
tice their late companions in thievery
and murder. He sent these scoun-
drels forth to capture seoundrels. Ave.
and they did their work well! Javert.
because he had at heart all the make
up of n scoundrel. made a fine sleuth-
hound on the heels of n Jean Vatican.
And thus many scoundrels in Mexico
during the first administration of Diaz
won their pardon for past crimes, not
Dy rcpentant hearts, but by trying to
bring the outlaws of MeXico-men like
themselveS-to justice. In the scene of
my text these scribes and Pharisees.
sinful men at heart, sinful in their
past lives, were striving by their ac-
cusation of this wicked woman to gain
character for virtue and purity that
they knew they did not deserve
Each Must Answer For His own.
But what did Christ do? Did he
say: "Pharisec, thou art a libertine.
Scribe, thou art morally corrupt" Oh,
no! He turned and simply held up be-
fore their countenances the mirror of
convicting conscience, I'm which they
could see their own sinful selves.
Christ said, HE that is without sin
among you, let him first cast stone ut
her" Then one by one they skunk
away. So my friends, when you and I
today, going forth into n sinful world,
are trying to prove this woman is bad
and that man is bad and that young
boy is bad and that young girl is bad.
we are not dcceiving God as to our
own characters. We do not improve
our standing at his bar by denouncing
others. Rather by our harsh and I'M
charitable Judgment we are proving
ourselves deserving OF condemnation.
Let us refrain from casting stones at
the sinner. We must all answer for
our own deeds at his bar who said,
HE that Is without sin, let him first
cast stone at her." And without one
exception we must all either stink
away before the flashing eye Of Christ
or, like the poor publican in the temple.
moan, God, be merciful to me, sinnerr'
The divine law is omniscient. Evil
deeds that the world does not know Of
are known to God, and at his judg-
ment bar the evidence OF them will
confront the wrongdoer IL they have
not been pardoned through Christ.
Even in this world crimes long ago
committed and successfully hidden
have been unexpectedly disclosed and
brought home to the perpetrator. The
Rev. DIR. Dome in one OF his sermons
gave n very dramatic incident of his
early life. During his first passionate
he was one day watching the sexton
digging n grave by his village church.
Suddenly he threw out OF the grave
the skull or man. When DR.. Donne
picked IL UP lie found headless nail
sticking In the top of the skull. He
said nothing about the nail, but asked
the sexton, ITO whom did this skull
belOngT He found that 1t was the
skull OF a drunken fellow who one
night was found dead In his bed from
the results. as the people supposed, of
an attack OF delirium tremens. DIR.
Dome asked: Had he wifer Was
she living yetr What character was
sheY' Very good" said the sexton.
with one exceptions; the neighbors do
say she married her second husband
on the day after the funeral OF her
hrst husband" DIR. Donne walked from
that graveyard to where the woman
was then living, who was once the
wife or the dead man. He held before
her Mortified eyes the skull and the
nall sticking in the skull. Woman"
said he. do you know this nailY' She
acknowledged that she did. She con-
fessed to the crime Of murder commit
ted many years before. And on ac-
count of her confession and the con-
victinS evidence she was hanged for
that crime. Oh, my friends, be not
among the scribes and Pharisees who
have no mercy. no charity for sinners
Have our lives been immaculate? Is
there any evidence against us that NAV
confront US when we are mercIiessly
assailins our erring brother or sister?
1t Will be II shameful, aHiumiliating.
position 10 stand convicted before
Christ OF those sins. Do you not feel
that Jesus is speaking to us, as he
spake to the prosecutors of old, He
that is without sin. let him first cast
stone at herr"
Gensieness For the Repentant.
But, though the divine law was and
is SO hard upon the unrepentant sinner.
how gentle. how loving, how pardon