The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-09-08

No one sins with impunity, and tits
often worse for those who sin than for
those against whom they sin. Seldom
is wrong done without bringing some
occasion for repcnting of it, ii only in
the sorrow of the world which workcts
death. Whoever gives way TO the IN
stigations of an evilnalure is quite like
Nv to feel the recoil of the evil-doing
prompted by vindictive or revengc!ul
feelings. Those who endeaver to come
up with" others usually get "come up
with" themselves. Nc good comes of
retaliatory measures. They generally.
if not always, cost more than they
come to, and no one can afford to resort
to them. Much are they like a kicking
blunderbuss which harms him who
fires it hardly less than him at whom it
is fired. No one can hope to overcome
evil with evil. 1t costs too much to
make the attempt; for merely failingin
the undertaking is not ordinarily the
worst result. Very much experience
and observation confirms the justice
and wisdom of the Great Teacher when
He discarded the old saying: IAN eye
for an eye and tooth for n tooth. y
! When the disciples of Christ would
| call down fire from Heaven to consume
their adversaries. He rebuked them,
saying: ''Ye know not what manner
of spirit We are Of" Hardly any thing
is more expensive than the indulgence
of sinful feelings. No one can afford
to pay the price,. Trace, wherever we
may, the dealings of God with sinners,
and We shall be constrained to say, in
the words of the proverbs of Solomon:
1.-The way OF transgressors is hard" 1t
was the sins of Jerusalem that brought
most terrible calamities upon her; and
sin always has fatal power to attract
the tokens of Gods displeasure. Most
of the evils suffered in this life are in
some way connected with the indul-
gence of sin, in some form, b. the sui
ferer. The sinner must, sooner or
later, be sufferer. In multitude of
ways do the consequences of sin affect
us in this world. Greatly is prosperity
by this means diminished, and adver-
sity increased.
Retribution enters into present ex-
perience, though it is not thus eN-
hausted. 1t has future us well as Il
present development. In the present
suffering thereof, there is, however,
enough of admonition. regardless OF
the future. 1t often comes in temporal
calamities; in sickness and poverty; in
disgrace and misery, caused by evil
doing Behold the woes that descend
upon the drunkard, as he shrieks in
the horrors of delAium tremens, and
staggers senselessly to an early and
, dishonored grave! Look again, and
see the doom of the thief, the robber
! and the murderer, in the prison and
! on the scafiold! Concerning multitudes
, of mankind no. more fearful words
could be spoken than those uttered by
the prophet, saying: They shall eat
, OF the fruit of their dongs." God is
! the same in His holiness from age to
age, and He has the same adherence
of sin now that He ever had. He can
: not be reconciled to evil, because it is,
;, and must be, as it ever will be, directly
: in opposition to His pure and incor-
: ruptible nature.
;, Sin is ever the same in it's nature and
- effects. 1t is hateful to God and ruin
= Gus to the sinner There is no better
attested truth of the Bible than that ut
:, tered by the psalmist when he said:
J, evil shall Stay the wicked" Con-
!, stantly are the wicked being thus slain.
: This order of things is absolutely ire
- versible. There can be no change in
y the Divine conduct towards persistent
= and impenitent sinners. Through pen
- itence alone can deliverance be found
- There is nothing so hopeless as impen
e itence. Vastly more is to be feared
= from that than from any thing else. AL
II the contingency in any sinners cast
! hangs upon his penitence or impeni
- tence. His sins leave all relating tC
:, his welfare in terrible suspense; his re-
: pentance alone can bring favorable
~ issue - Wdtchman.
, .