The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1906-07-20
Sunday Sermon.

|IIl cAr'
.naed us that such should be
s,oued; but what sayeth thou? =
ia that is without sin among you,
1t him cast the first stone at her.
xs,tber do condemn thee: go and
~ no more.-St. John, S:3-11.
N this very plain and vivid picture
- have a clear exemplification of
ne true spirit of the gospel of Jesus.
yet Notwithstanding more than eigh-
ian hundred years have passed away,
va find those who profess to be fol-
,ouers of the Divine Master-yea,
even some of those who profess to
be his ambassadors, and. as they
claim. called to preach His gospel. go
ING along through the world with a
sack full Of stones slung to their
s,des even while behind the sacred
desk--casting stones right and left
a. the unfortunate sinners who have
fallen victims to the wiles OF the
devil Their consciences are even less
sensitive than that of the Scribes and
pharisees mentioned in the incident
where the text is found. They con-
fessed their sins by going out one
after the other until the unfortunate
fallen stood alone. Not one of them
condemned her. Not one cast a stone,
for the reason that they could not
measure up to the standard laid down
by the Master. But our latter-day
saints are holier than they, and by
their indiscriminate casting of stones
at the fallen say, by their acts, I'VE
are without sin" and therefore we
can cast stones. We ask of them, was
the Master without sin? Did He cast
a stone at her? Mo- He realized the
fact that she had an immortal soul as
precious in. the sight of the Eternal
Father as the soul of any other one
of his creatures. The Master knew
that He had come to offer salvation
to every creature, and that the end
Of His work on earth and the tri-
umph of his gospel was to seek and
to save that which was lost. "The
whole need not physician, but they
that are sick" The angels of God re-
joice over one sinner that repenteth
more than over ninety and nine just
persons who need no repentance. If
We have one sheep that has gone
astray, leave the ninety and nine and
go out and seek diligently until the
Cost one is found, and then take it in
your arms and bring it into the fold,
and rejoice over it more than over
those which went not astray. Light
the candle and sweep until the lost
piece of silver is found, and then call
in the neighbors with you to rejoice
over that which was lost and is found
again.
There is no casting of stones in the
gospel Of Jesus it IS all love ono
mercy and tender compassion for the
unfortunate who have been overcome
BY the temptations of the devil anc
the carnal desires and sinful appe
titles Of this world.
Go and preach His gospel! Don't *
out like David went to meet Goliaf
OF Gath, but go seek and saVe-no
seek to stone unto death-those whC
are lost Not only such unfortcnate'
AS the one called to our atteution il
the text, but all those of other classes
who have gone down in their weak
ness under the temptations Of thi
world-all classes and conditions o
allen humanity. There are many "a
around us, who have fallen into tn
hands Of robbers, and have beef
beaten and bruised and fallen by thu
wayside. Don't act the part of tn
Leyite or the priest and turn you
gaze away and pass by on the othe
side; Don't cast stone at them! Ac
the part Of the Good Samaritan, an
20 fulfil the law of Christ.
Oh! what sorry plight multitude
q the preachers and professed TO
lowers Of Christ will find themselve
IN when they are called upon to Civ
an account of the talents committe
70 them! When He shall ask, "Whs
nave you been doing to reclaim tn
lost In the field in which you wer
called to labor? How many of the III
fortunate Magdalenes have you eve
sought out and pleaded with to TO
sake their sinful ways and roper
ana accept the salvation / died to 81
cure for them? How many OF the poo
unfortunates of the drink fiend hay
you ever approached and urged
seek the better way and implore
Them to come to Me and that ! woul
oe able to give them grace an
strength to overcome their appetite
-