Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1840-04-15
From the Oberlin Evangelist.
REVEALS.
Confessing and Forsa king Sin.

Y
REVEALS.
Confessing and Forsa king Sin. P
{" Now therefore Inake confession unto the Lord n
God of your fathers, and do His pleasure. Then \
all the cOngresa alton answered and said, with loud
voice, as thou hast said must we do" Elk,
vi, IL. &
This direction of Ezra and this answer B
OF the people was made in reference to o
putting away the strange wives which 5
the children of Israel had taken, in viola
ton of the law of God This was one of
the most difficult cases any where record
ed, and perhaps more intricate and diff
cult case cannot we'll be conceived. L. was
not the sacrifice or restoration of their
worldly goods. but it was the putting away
their wives and children. They had in
volved themselves in as great difficulty |
as they could. Ezra reproved them for
this sin, and required them TO confess and
; forsake it. To this they readily assented.
And though it was a time OF great raln,'
|, yeti they Immediately set down to exam
f inc the matter and spent two entire
, months in searching out and putting away
f all this iniquity. There is no account Of
any resistance to the will of God. or any
reluctance in performing it. Though it
was right hand and right eye sin, yet
$ they ceased not till the whole was put
D away. This leads US TO remark.
e g. That full confession and forsakang
n of san are accessory to promote rerarat.
! The Bible so often insists upon this that
it will not probably be denied, that who
,s ever covereth his sins shall not prosper,
a. but whose confesseth and forsaketh them
, shall have mercy This we suppose, will
# moi, in theory be denied. But still is 1t
: not in practice very nearly denied !? Are
N not such general aud indefinite confessions,
:. as can do no good, substituted for thor
Of ough brokenness of heart, and thorough
: forsalling of sin? 1t is very common Tor
as christians to confess their sins in gener-
- al and careless manner, and just as com
ne mon for them not to forsake their sins, no.
re to intend to forsake them. Nay they new
a. er fix their eye upon their particular sins
n and confess them. And if they are point
50 ed out, by others, they will deny them
If. They will say, We are poor miserabI
,,s sinners. We are filled with sin. Their
red is no good thing in US. We are grea
nee sinners and always expect 10 be- Br
did point them to this, and that, and the othe
M, and all their sins, and they will deny ii
srs whole. So that it is as evident as can
ms that they do not really mean to forsal
and ana sin. Such persons manlfestly ha'
noh no proper conception of the holiness
re, Gods character nor ofthe deep depravl
con of their own hearts. Not so did Job CO
fess sin. He had been in self-justlfyil
-, state. But when the Lord revealed hir
g. . self, and showed him his own heart,
- - I II, hot oh.
and | answer thee2 will lay my hand I
was on nv mouth? l have heard of thee
him the hearing of the ear but now mine
, ~. SETH thee; wherefore | abhor mys
:, - and repent in dust and ashes Not
E ,hs does Jeremiah represent Ephraim as c
rost tossing his SIM Surely after that '
LID INSTRUCTED, | smote upon my thigh
,.as was ashamed, yea, even confounded.' ]
III so did Isaiah confess his own sins.
'o,,nh the year that king Uzziah died saw
, nc so the Lord sitting upon throne, b
''''O and lifted up, and his train flledsthe
nle. Above it stood the seraphim; {
rver. one had six wings; with twain he co
;, ,b,, ed his face. and with twain he did Il
orld a And one cried unto another. and
.ver 10 HOLY. holy, holy is the Lord OF hosts
$ II the whole earth is full of his glory,
,lnsss. the posts ofthe door moved at the VOL
h ,ha, him that cried, and the house was
should with smoke.
e a,r. Then said | Woe is me! for an
fitness done; because am man OF UNI
n;ri, or Inns, and | dwell in the midst of p
l;no to Of unclean lips; for mine eyes have
,dy;sed the King, the Lord of hosts
wi.k. This is the feeling which every
street will experience, when he sees the
70 ms as He is, and himself as he IS. W
esence. contrast is there between the comics
, i NO, 50 common among cold-hearted pfoft
err oh. christians now Suppose We these
bea.a,b exnected to continue in the SINS the
confessed Whose mind does not
Is to the at the idea? Theirs Was heart.
npor,an, fession and hearty forsaking Of sin
litlo'us. Now this is the kind of confesslt
presence this IS the kind Of forsaking sin VIII
; mean and which is necessary for tn
ing, motion of REVEALS. Who does not
g words.S that the Church is filled with "
Ience and spirit-tbat she is deeply involved
year and ulations-that she has much prop
ht read it her hands fraudulentiy obtained-t
eaven, in is indulging in many foolish and
wn glory. llusts which drown men IN destruct
led by his perdition,' that she is eaten up
We might party and sectarian spirit, and
and see it THAT she is very far from having
sh. Eve. it Of Christ without which she