The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-21
THE vIRGINIAN,S WEEKLY SERMON
sABSOLUTION AND RELEASE


go, and sin no more" These are
the words OF Divine. authority. The
speaker was Christ. The scene w9s
the Temple at Jerusalem, and 1t was
morning. There was an assembly of
people in whose midst the Master sat
down, and began to teach.
The scribes and Phariseess brought
into His presence woman whose SIN
was commonly punished with death.
what ,sayest Thou?" they asked Him.
This they. said, tempting Him. that
they might have whereof to accuse
Him"
How He met this ruse We know.
What the characters were that lie
traced upon the ground we are not
told. He stopped and wrote "as though
He heard them not"
II they, had gone out then they
might at least have saved their faces.
but they continued asking Him. and,
in pressing the question, they .overdid
It. lowering their guard.
At last He lifted Himself up. and said.
He that il without sin among you.
let him first cast stone at her." And
again He stopped down and wrote upon
the ground.
He neither challenged the law nor
excused the woman's guilt, nor sanc-
toned the manner of the prosecution.
Which man among them was worthy
to be this woman's executioner: II
there was one man good enough and
courageous enough to do 1t, let MIN 90
It. let the Law take 10 course.
The law was not abrogated. The law
Is greater than the judge. and Goes rot
wait upon his offencelnessness. But
these words Of Christ do pierce to the
dividing asunder OF soul and spirit
they do mean that men should examine
themselves before they condemn.
He put It to these men very calmly:
"He that 10 without sin among you,
let him first cast stone"
They we're dumbfounded. 1t was az
II lightning. fash had laid bare some
bidder horror: n II 4 thunder-peal had
filled them with panic. They spake no
further question. they spake no further
word. Being convicted By their own
conscience. they went out one BY one,
beginning ii the eldest. even unto the
last" That silent procession!
There was silence deep as death.
And the boldest held his breath
For time.
When Jesus had lifted up Himself
and saw none but the woman, He said
unto her, Woman. where are those
thine aecusers? Hath no man con-
demned thee? She said, No man. Lord.
And Jesus said unto her, neither do
condemn thee: 90, md sin no more"
The whole scene II changed with
solemn sense Of Divine authority
which holds as spelEbound. -Never
man spake like this man" We feel
that One Is here who not only
holds the keys Of the conscience and
the heart, but who lays His calm claim
upon the entire life,- lifting It into
heavenly places.
Go. and sin no more" 1t Is the
Divine discharge. ss
For It, 10 ahundantly clear that In
this woman's soul there was genuine
sorrow and repentance. II she had
stood there bra1ening 1t out: II her
bearing had been defiant or Indifferent.
or frivolous, the tender. absolving
words had never been spoken
She did not attempt to defend or ex-
cuse herself: she did not seek to shift
the responsibility: she was silent con.
corning her aecusers. There was no
semhlance OF triumph or recrimina-
ton.
She replied az briefly as possible, and
there would seem to be something
fr~ NJ ho
gave to Christ. She called Hint
Lord" think she was overwhelmed
by His reserved and chivalrous bear.
ing towards her in that public place.
and before all those people. and that
she awoke to perception OF His d.
vine character and TO holy. cleansing
love In which her guilty past became
at once . chame and loathing. Surely
It was to pitiful wonder. and break
Ing heart that He said. Neither do
/ condemn thee: 30. and sin NO 'more!"
The discharge was equivalent to ab-
z solution. The 06n-ot Man asth power
on earth to forgive utns.' Here-is thai
august authority and that hevenly
grace In which = the hepe OF the
werld. -
Uhquestionably. this woman would
reap ~ she had sown. We All do.
The law 10 not rot. aside. She would
reap her sin, In : IaStfng regret and
shame. In . sense of Inquiry done to-
others % well - to herself. done In
that s6cfSt tuftful6A, II not hahishimsnt.
which SUCH ~ lie ~ made TO know.
But what- tho IN. ana society could
not do, Christ could do. aud aid do.
~ fofxave her. He. ahgo)ved her. He