The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-10
THE DELUsION OF SIN.

Sermon Delivered at the Second Con-
gregational Church, Eleventh and
Wood Streets, by the Rev. George w.
Smiley.
Rev. Mr.. Smiley yesterday morning selected as his
text the ity-third verse of the 10th Psam as fo-
lows:-
Horror hath taken hold upon me, because of the
wicked that lorsake hy law"
travellers tell us that IN the desert Of Sahara,
when weary and exhaus ed, and almost ready to-
faint there is seen in the distance, suddenly TO rise
from the horizon, beautiful ake. Eager TO quench
their thirst ana bathe in its waters they start tor
ward. 1t recede' and disappears. IL has been
eDly deceitiul delusion So it is with sin.
II is an en%c6an'ment. % It presents something
forward to embrace it, 1t is not there. 1t s
gone. The bu BILE has burt before you gra it,
the Dead Sea-ar to the eve, yet ftled only with
dust and bitter ashes So, there is pertnancy IN
the LANGUAGE Of Of the Apostle, when he asks "What
The reason whv horror bad taken hold of the
tie majesty and Holiness of the d vine Being, and
OF The immaculate purity Of His law The same
blindness not only presents things delusively the
e, but the unders anding becomes dar kened in
re ard to spiritual things. so hat in the guage
they have ears but the1 hear not; they have under
standings but they perceive not and naturally man
mot not 'he .hngs OF The spirit nelth,r can
WI recoIec in the history of Paul, tna he received
Instruction in spiritual Things, and as it were the
scales iell off his eyes, and no comprehended what
he did not comprehend befort-.he ,aw OF God IN
Its beauty purity and mai site holiness
When q soul is saved, it Is brought out of dark
ness-as the Blole expresses i'-out into a marvel
ous light 1t has spiritual dscelnment impaired
into IT. whereby that which was before fImsy and
shadowV becomes rea, and slbstan lal One of the
reasons why the Psaimst troubled about his
soul was because he looked at the conseuueno 8 of
transgresson-the end OF the results OF franspres.
SON He looked AZ the violation of the law nd the
Penay a6PSSeG Sst to it, 1t thee ia j. ag there i
rally and necessarily supposes Ienalty. 1t is not q
IA unless e taere S is penalty In regard to the
wo are not able TO conceive what its terrible conse
What is deaths 1t was something that was SUPER
induced by tTaLsgressIOn Ad I'M was created mate
rial as well as immaterlal. Desth reached both
natures WI en- Eve submitted 20 the influence OF
the great tempter, she trampled down the law of
hand to TAX the uit that moment there wSs DEATH
to the soul. She became spiritually dead and
aheIated from the love of God through the evil
that was in her, and because of the blindness that
was 10 her heart We conceive that the feeling OF
I e Psalmist, when he spoke IN the words OF the
II you saw poor blind man walking onward be-
yond your reach toa nrec'pce.
There is dark terrible, almost fathom!sss gulf
INTO which he will precnitate himself You shout,
but he hears you not. He walks steadily tor ward,
with his staff in his band, until you see him stand.
ing the very edge and at last his foot Is lifted up
he makes step and disappears into the fathomless
gut Something analogous 10 this is where the
Isalmlst saw sinner standing with the lamp OF
God IN his hand walk rOht INTO the guilt Of eternal
perdition. No wonder that he excla med. orror
that torsake Thy law"
Is there any dec ara ion in this blessed book in
regard to the infc ion of punishment You cannot
turn TO sinRle page In the o d or New Testament
Scriptures that will not tell you there is punishment
to be inflicted upon the sinner. "He that OeieYetn
and is baptized shall be saved and he that beleyeth
not shall be damned" Do you want ANYTHING
palmer than tba 1t falls from the lips of Eternal
Truth Know We not" says the Apostle, that the
nnr ghteous shal not inherit The kingdom of GOdT
We need not detan you any longer on this CUES ion
cannot doubt for a single moment, that God has
threatened, The question now comes up, Will God
fluff these thu eateningsH avenue of escape
in this regard II God does not fulfil HIS threaten
ngs have guarantee that He will fulfil His pro-
mses. In cluson, he urged his healer to pause
not TO delay not, aud TO tarr not, but TO take the
high road that leads from Babylon to Jerusalem
Escape Ior your lite, for the aveDger OF blood is just
behind You. .. ..r .