Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1879-09-13

and bring out all tho anvils, and cannon
and guns, and fire off such Il salute as to
startle the devils in hell, who would rush
out and join in the cry "hurrall for our
sidew
There is a story of a man, q short time
| ago, visited by u christian laborcr who
began to talk to him about God, and the
man turned round with an angry express
sion on his face and said: ~ don't want
God i'll this house." There are very few
people who would have the honesty to say
it; but there are thousands of people who
if they spoke ont what they feel, would
use precisely these words; they don't
want to have anything to do with Cod
God would be II troublesome friend, God
would see tho unhealthy and hollowness
OF their lives, God would be check upon
their carnal desires, God would stand be-
tween them and their business and ambi-
ton and pleasures. And so they practi-
cally say in their hearts, what this fool
says "No God"
Thus We see that the root,-the root
from which everything else is but Il mere
development is, "apostocy of the human
soul from it's God" Thus Adam, foolish
Adam, the father of our sin, poor dcludcd
man, said in his heart, only for IL moment,
"No Cod" 1t was done, and the deed
was committed which spread its dark
up as branches over the earth. We will
not, however, talk more about Adam, but
about Ourclvcs, for as it was with our
first parents so it is with us. I look into
my own bcart and l ask, how did sin be-
gin! from what l see there, l judge of
yours, and say to you, friends, how did
sin begin with you:
The preacher then drew n picture of
! life from it's earliest dawn of intelligence,
and showed that if one tenth of The pains
had been taken with our religious c,luca-
ton rs had been bestowed upon our
worldly trimming, satan mi ght have spread
his net in vain. He showed that in our
innocent childhood we began to say "no
God," that as boys NJ school, from the
fear of riticulc we began to be ashamed
of the very name of God, that us years
passed on, the pleasures Of youth were set
before us and as we grew up, we gave
the loose rein to our lropcnSitics. We
met with restraints, from time to time,
from those who watched over us and
| cared for us when we We're helpless want
ing children, and who since have spent
their lives, and grirvrd their hearts over
our growing way-warlncSS; but we said,
"who are you, now we arc of age, that
should attempt to restrain us, and who is
the Lord that He should reign over us"
SO we turned away that wicked and re-
voting heart. The fool said in his "No
God now You are man or woman, in
this or that condition of life, full of W orld-
ly cares; but it matters not whether it
be pleasure or trouble or wealth or bust
ness, all seem to swell the great chorus Of
| that rebel cry which is continually ring
| ing through the soul, the vast chorus of
God-lctying man, "the fool hath said in
his heart no God
Now brothers obscure the sequel in this
Psalm, they are corrupt This is the
next thing, the root is no Cod. e., apos-
| tary of til" human soul from its GoI then
| follows the result, the moral dcpra witty
| - they are corrupt We ought to know
something about that. Let us be honest
ut this time. 1t is so easy to make adj
missions like this; O yes, we are all sin
| nrrs like every body else. 1t it said with
| Il bright smile and calm tone of voice, o
! YES! we are sinners and so is every body
] else MY dear friends, that is simply
| sprcious t;llSchood. The man who talks
| about his sins like that, does not know
what he is talking about. 1t is an awful
| thing to be Il sinner; and still more aw-
full thing to rest satisfied, and go on day
hy day in sin thus satisfied, ana the fact
| that every body else is a sinner does not
make it one whit better i'll the sight OF
| God, but all the worse, God looks down
on our hcarts--cvcn the best Of us, and
sees it still corrupt and if we will just
be honest with ourselves, and look our
own nature in the face, we will admit II
too. 1t is corrupt, Our very morality
and charity may be corrupt, our very
church membership may be corrupt, our
| example to the world as such may be cor
rllpt. o,lr conversation and habits, our
associations and ways Of doing business
may be corrupt, and be leading he young
to ruin; for no monkeys are greater lml-
tators than the young are prone to follow
! the example of respectable. men, 1t may
be baptisctl or protesting men-in every
| fashion or habit which may lead the weak
to ruin you drink and have strong
head to keep sober, they will initiate you,
and yet drunk, if yon go into bar-room
now and then, they will make it their
haunt, if you attend to your bust
ness unnecessarily on the Lords day,