National Republican., 1883-09-10
GOSPEL TEACHINGS.
Rev. 7. S. Childs's Interesting Discourse on
"The Judgment Of Sim"
justification Before God" as Ex-
planned by Rev. Mr. ShieveIy,
The Story of the Widow Of Main Told by Rev. DR..
John 7. Lindsay
A CeIored Moody Rouscs the Enthusiasm
at Asbury Church.
THE JUDGMENT OF SIN.

THE JUDGMENT OF SIN.
SERMON BY REV. t. 8. oHILDs, AT THE WEST
ERN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The pulpit of the Western Presbyterian
church was occupied yesterday morning by
the Rev. T., s. Childs. He took his subject
from Amos, iii, 6, "shall there be evil in the
city, and the Lord hath not dono itH' Mr..
Childs sketched the true meaning Of the text
in an eloquent manner, and said the trans
lators have given u.s. in the margin, the
privilege of an alternative reading which /
think preferable-"Shall there be evil in
city, and shall not the Lord do somewhatp
The inevitableness of Judgment upon sin is
then the subject This is taught In the con-
text in connection with Gods relation to the
Herbew nation. The terribleness of this
Judgment has been proportioned to tho great
ness of their privileges. Nowhere. with one
exception, has there been so solemn and
terrible an answer TO tho question Shall
there be evil in city, and shall not the
Lord do somewhat" The history Of Israel is
fearful and persistent demonstration of the
connection of sin and judgment.
All human history is the same. States and
empires have lived and passed away under
this law. In our quiet self confidence it was
well for us not to lose sight of this fact. Just
as sure as there are national sins there must
be national retrbution. There is no here
after for nations; their existence is here, and
hero must their judgments be. Is there any
thing in the character or the history of our
own nation, love it as we may, that can save
us from the operation of this law?
The speaker alluded 70 the glaring disre-
gard of God as evinced in the growing dsre-
guard of His law of the Sabbath all over the
land. Even in Puritan New England in the
needless issue of Sunday papers and the gen.
eral drift toward sweeping away of all dis
tinction between the Sabbath and other days.
This may go on-is likely to go on. TIE
proud may be happy. They that work wick
edness may be established. Such is the man
ner of God for reason. But as sureas there
is a God there is judgment. There can be
no such evil as this in q city and tho Lord
not do somewhat soon eror later. Somewhere
in some way, God will call a reckoning for
his Sabbath. What if it be such reckoning
rs He called for France?
AS far as the nation is responsible for the
evil of fintemperance, either in what it does
or in what it refuses to do in the way Of
righteous legislation, the same principle
holds. And surely it is no fanaticism, M
morbid sentimentalism, to claim that the ma
tion has the right to save itself from this gi
Rantic curse There are evils that appeal Il
all true patriotism, to common philanthrop!
as well as to Christian right. They go bount
to their judgment in the face o
day. They cannot be in the city
and the Lord not do somewhat. The neces
sity of this law being in the very motive of God
Holiness and justice are His necessary at
tributes. You cannot conceive of Him with
out them. Attempt 1t and you have lost th
very conception of God But holiness mus
repel Eoral evil and sin as unfailing as ligh
repels darkness; and justice must punish it
not for reformation, not for moral impression
but because it is right. Reformation ma.
come, or it may not; moral impression ma.
be made; but deeper infinitely than all tina
is the ground of eternal justice. 1t acts be
cause it must act; it strikes because its strok
is due and must be paid.
And SO our principle passes bey ond nation
and communities and rests upon each indi
vidual life. Should there be evil in the sou
and shall the Lord not do somewhat? ii
has done somewhat in the sorrowful histor,
of these lands, in the signing and suffering
of one humanity, enough to teach us some
thing of the awful relation of sin and judg
ment. But beyond all this He has don
somewhat for the evil that is in the city no
in Sedan, not in Capernaum, not in states an
empires that He has swept in His wrath do yo
see what He has done, but there, there, out
side the walls of Jerusalem, there on calvary
there ON that central Gloss, there is somewhs
that God has done for the evil of the world
great city! o, my hearers do you see itp ID
you believe it2 Behold the Lamb of God this
taketh away the sin of the world Here W
gather up all we have to say, and here "
leave you face to face with the supreme que
tion of life. You are here with all tht
makes up the evil and the woe aud tn
tragedy of life, and here is what God has dor
for 1t. Enough, enough for you and for m
the evil of the city, the evil of the soul.