Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-10-19
No. 2.

yolted, he points to the proofs of their
wretchedness. These they are, ''The whole
head is sick, the whole heart faint" The
faintness of insensibility had fallen upon
them so that the heart did not feel its mis-
ery. From the sole of the foot to the crown
of the head there was no soundness in it;
but wounds and bruises and purifying
sores. To these crimes which men who
commit them are always reeking in misery,
to these the finger Of God points as the Wis
ible outward expression, and evidence of
what reigns within, when the heart turns
from the living God. Fevers and chills
and cholera and scrofula and madness are
often the signs that men who are afflicted
are living in malarious districts. But these
diseases are not themselves the miasma,
they are only the outcome and evidences
of it. So these special and great sins, as
we call them, are but the outcome, the first
fruit and beginning of the product of a
life apart from God. He points to them
rs signs that something is wrong because
men are obliged to admit that they are
wrong. Cancers and decayed lungs are
very hurtful and dangerous; but you cut
them out and still get no cure. The dis
ease is in the system yet, and these are the
accumulated concentrated proofs Of it
Parch and deathly thirst come upon one
who strays in the desert. These are proofs
to him that his way is unsafe But give
him water, and yet he dies from sullocation
The parching wind dries to ha. dness the
very blood in his veins. His tongue and
eyeballs inhame and crack, though they
are kept covered with water So these
crying sins mentioned, are the breaking
out of a disease in a sore caused by the fa-
tai poison of one great sin OF. man; which
is that they have forsaken the fountain of
living waters, that they have gone, and do
not wander in thirsty land where no
water is.
They are in a waste wilderness, and this
thirst, clamoring, "Who will do us any
good ?" is a kind and symptom of the parch-
ed tongues across the fearful gulf But
the mischief is not in this thirst and first
sore; it is in dwelling in this land ofdeath.
Hence God calls, how often and how loud
ly to come out. "Turn ye; turn ye; why
will we die? As | live have no pleasure
in the death of the wicked" Such are his
words, and the reason for their fearful
eathestness is that men who thus suffer are
away from God, and suffer by being away
So he calls them 20 return and be atpeace
finding rest to their souls.
This view Of what sin is, explains some
things otherwise hard to be understood
1t is evidently the bible view of what con
stitutes the essence of sin, to say that it il
all summed up in the phrase, "Departin:
and staying away from the living God. -
The substance and root of all guilt beior
God, is in staying away from him, and re
fusing or neglecting to return. Such
view helps us to see how Il man is to b
judged according as his deeds shall be-
The abominably wicked, and he who onl,
forgets God, oaway together, because the,
are together in committing the sin Of sins
which is hearing not God when he calls
This graduation of crimes is very much
thing of our own invention evidently. For
saking God, neglecting him is the prim
sin, the substance of sin in the sight Q
heaven. aye would none of my ways,
and "Ye shall be filled with your own way,
ate terrible indictments for the God an
make who is himself life, pronounced t
frail dependent man. We are lookin
about to see which is the most high, tow
ering and defiant sin; and like one in tn
deep ravines, wandering from hillock t
pinnacle; we find the bald and wintry eli
still above us. Now one, now another seem
highest. But when we look in the guild
book and see that one whose top may pos
sibly be hidden in the mists and clouds, bu
whose sides seem not so PERCEPTIONS an
forbidding is the "father of mountains,
then we begin to climb. The summit seem
to recede from us. But as the sun drive
away the clouds, our impression of the loft
mess Of other eminences vanishes, till a
seem spread out before us as plain. S
when we come up to see, as God sees i
the great sin of man in forsaking the Lore
and the rays Of his truth drive away tn
mists of earthly wisdom, how do all error
and wickedness and guilt appear as bU
fragments thrown down from the sides
this one mountain of his great transgre.
sion. He learns this from the bible, tn
guide book to heaven where only God ha
told us what sin is, and which is creates
No act of his life will appear good enoug
TO be reason why lie should not have HI
part with those who hate God This h
will see, who gets the bible view of all h
deeds done while refusing to return to th
God of love. Another thing troubelsom
to many is this scripture which speaks
our offence rendering a man guilty
breaking the whole law. Light is shed VI
on this by getting the heavenly and NJ
the human view of sin. By the one offent
he who commits it goes out from the pre-
ence and protection ofGod, that is, he go
out to commit that one offence, for no ma
sins where God is felt to be present. An
the storm comes upon him alike wheth,
he goes out for one thing or another, viii
he is hidden and urged to stay in.
After God sent Noah into the ark, al
shut the door, no doubt Noah could vet
out ifhe liked. But the flood would ha
caught him alike had he gone to gather
flower, or.to seek revenge by the murd
OF hooking neighbor Had one of Israe
families neglected to obey Gods commal
to sprinkle the doorposts with blood,
would, no doubt, have been all the same
them with the Egyptians, when at mi
night the destroying angel came to ia
life from all the first born. 1t probal
would have been all the same with tn,
as If they had committed all the abomir
tons of which Pharaoh was guilty. I
danger is in being away from God. A
one wilfull, loved, cherished, persiste
unrepentent sin just as really turns
away from God, as it would for us to co
init all that are named in the Decalogu
In the volcanic regions, there is a d
valley strewn with skeletons of amin
and birds and men. All breath of lif
quenched in the deadly air that settle
the deep broad basin. Now man mi
go down the sides Of this valley for wi
ever cause--to learn tidings of fri
whose last days are buried in the mys