Milford chronicle., 1905-05-12
Stewards Great Plea.


The gospel orator is mighty when he
pleads for one whom he would save
from eternal death. He naturally has
all the fire. all the enthusiasm, all the
pent up passion of a lawyer pleading
at the bar of justice trying to save the
neck of a client who is being tried for
murder in the first degree. Aye, he
has more than that. He has all the In
tense earnesness that was felt by Viii
liam Seward in 1876 when he pleaded
for the life Of William Freeman, an
idiotic black pauper who had killed the
entire Van Nest family of Auburn, n.
Y. It was during the agitation of the
abolitiOnist movement. The white men
of the north as well as the south were
against him. His own friends at the
bar were against him. Yet there VIII
liam H. Seward pleaded and kept
pleading. When at last his client was
hung byN the neck until he was dead
by pOstmOrtem examination it was
found out that William Freeman was
in truth an idiot and irresponsible for
the crime which he had committed and
that William H. Seward, the young at
torney, was right in his defense Of
him.
Cannot you feel the earnestness Of a |
Seward pleading? l can. cannot think
Of a lawyer defending a client who is
being tried for his life unless that law
yer is in an agony of suspense until
the acquittal comes in the two words,
mot guilty" spoken by the foreman of
the jury. "Do you make your clients
interests your interests?" once asked |
a lawyer friend. YES" he answered. |
$50 much do make their interests my
interests that IL they are being tried |
for life I am disturbed in my sleep and |
dream about them. Every moment Of |
my waking thoughts is with them. I
often get up in the middle of the night |
during a trial and write, so anxious am
1 to save them" "Ah," then l said to
myself, mo wonder you are a great
speaker when you plead for a life in
this way. No wonder your whole soul
goes forth into a mighty plea for your
clients when you are as one pleading
for your own life" No wonder the gos-
pei orators plea is a mighty plea Ev-
cry word he utters, every gesture he
makes, every thought that is born in
his brain, has the mighty purpose Of
saving some man from eternal death.
as a Christian lawyer does
he plead for the salvation of men.
But the Christian orator has a higher
md even a greater inspiration than the
iaving Of sinful men and women from
eternal death. He stands in a unique
position. He is not only pleading for
he salvation of men, but also for what
s pleasing to God. And of all irspira-
ions to "sublimest oratOry" there is no
Inspiration like unto that.
The Christian orator, the advocate of
he divine will and pleasure: Let me
Illustrate my thought by a simple YER
al picture. You are not the only son (
f your mother. She has anOthIr boy,
Ounger than you. But, whereas you
re in one sense the good boy, he has
cen the bad. He drinks; he swears;
e lies; he does everything he ought
OF to do. Again and again your moth
r came to his rescue. = Your father left !
er little money She has spent it all J
-ying to save him. One night he came |
ONE from a drunken spree. When
he spoke to him it made him mad. In
rage he knocked her down and kick
4 her in the breast As a result Of
nat kick a cancer has formed She is 1
Ding to die. You are heartsick "Oh, G
lother, motherw you say. 'If could /
My make you well and happy againr' d
5 you kneel by her bedside she runs c
er fingers through your hair just as d
le did when you were a boy and
nswers: "Harry, you can make me c
Apply. viii you? Then l want you c