Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-12-13
John CARRIERS SIN.

John Carter was Il Christian man by
profession, and in heart too, but he had
been sorely tempted to great sin; 1t
does not matter 20 us what it was. In
a state of such despondence, such de-
spair Of life aud happiness, such deep
affection for others who suffered with
him that he scarcely cared what he did,
and iorgot all things except the present
distress and the offered escape, he did a
thing that he knew was wrong and
wicked a thing that would have blasted
his reputation and wrecked his charac-
ter i'm AN mems ewes itit were found out.
Rutit was not found out; IL hung about
hs4 neck like a secret milestone alter the
distress that tempted him was gone and
the sin done with. There were years
when hc could not pray or read his Bl-
bile. when memory brought up 10 nun
nh fhp texts of condemnation AMI none
of tlcmprri'ul words Of Scripture. lie
sail to himself that he was another
Esau. and could tiui no place Of repent
ance. His voice was never heard IN
PRAYER meeting; he avoided the COM
muniou table-framlng some excuse or
illness or making absence from town
necessary at those stated times; he
could not pray by his dying father,
though the pale lips whispered request
that he should DO 80. The bitterness Of
death compassed him about, and though
he loved his father deeply he was glad
Tho oIl man died before he knew his
SON. iuiguitv.
Time after time the wish rose in his
heart that he could confess tO man ms
trausgrpSsiOnS audbe freed from the IN
tnlerable burden of this secret, but this
coulI not b, done without bringing TO
his family a disgrace and grief he had no
right % involve them IN. lie had, IN
the worlds phrase, harmed nobody but
himself by his transaction, since he mad
come out of il without exposure; had
been successful in covering up an action
i'm itself criminal, but harmful most TO
himself
The position was peculiar, and exquiS-
itelv painful 20 a man with a tender con-
science. for 10 such sin is misery; and
vet they fall into il Us easily a worse
men. as all history assures us. But al
ter a time of heart-brOken agony and
hopeless penitence John Carter began
to iiud out once again that God Is merci-
iul. he ceased 10 look into his own heart,
and fixed his heart upon that saviour
Who came 10 save from sin rs well as
from sins penalty. Humbly and slow
Ia ike punished child, he crept back
INFO new religious life; wounded, II Is
true, crippled To a certain extent 0ui
submissive, repentcnt, and hlled win
charity for his fellows. lie knew that
/ pa, could never recover his sclt-reSpcct,
never forget his fall. but Ia accepted
I that a. the result of tranSgresSlon, ami
/ said like Jeremiah:
Wherefore doth a living man COM
plain. man for the punishment OF ms
sins
AlItlis was within himself; 20 his
family and his friends he was only ht'
tie srayer than usual, rs many men De-
cOn,E grave with increasing year,; he
WIS now a constant attendant at church
gave freely % good objects, and seemed
10 other men quiet, earnest, klnd'
hearted man, implicitly to be trusted
leaning rather to generosity than to JUS
| tice.
What he endured in all this time Wa
known only 10 himself and TO God; his
conscience tormented him continually
I il was by a constant recalling OF the
promises 10 repentant sinners that he
/ endured life. No doubt he knew hun
I bred who had sinned as deeply as he
| had and rs successfully concealed theu
sin. but he did not know that probably
! in all the hundred not one suffered such
agOnies OF regret and repentance as he
I did. To them the thing was over, doiI'
with: their business was to see 10 tins
DAVIS work or duty; they put the past
decisively behind them not because they
ought TO but because they wanted 20
| But 10 a sensitive moral nature like ms
| this course vas impossible; even though
/ he felt assured that for Christs sake ms
grievous sin was forgiven above, M
! could not forget its commission. DaNN
after day he retraced every step oil M
temptation recalled the halt-craEed stat
of mind in which he was for weeks; TN
sin itself; the eoneeslments he had ne
sorted TO, in themselves degrading; tn
terrors OF discovery; the agonies OF re
morse.
lie grew morbid with this intrOspeC
ton; perpetually thinking OF himself