The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1886-06-24
OUR EVENING SERMON !!
"But when the raw flesh appeareth in
him, he shall be unclean." 1914.

but when the raw 1leSn appearetn In
him, he shall be unclean. 1914.
Thus declared the Supreme Being un-
to Moses, in describing uncleanness of
the flesh, as noticed in leprosy. A simple
statement, but comprehending a great
deal, and being susceptible of various
constructions. To be unclean is terrible.
That unfortunate creature who permits
himself or herself to be classed with the
unclean, has reached considerable depth
of degradation. The ambition becomes
deadened, and all the nobler impulses
wiped out. The neglect or laziness
which brings uncleanness is ineXcusable.
But there are stages of uncleanness not
brought on by these causes. There is an
uncleanness which may come through
misfortune. Of this kind it is not best to
speak, but Of the kind which comes
through personal neglect we have right
to speak.
1t has been noticed perhaps by all man
kind, that great portion of animate Gre
alton have natural tendency toward un-
clean, even filthy things. This is thor
oughly british. What shall we say,
then, of the man who voluntarily drifts
into uncleanness? Let us illustrate: A
man comes to town to live; he seems to
be a healthy, strong man, and might be
said to be clean man. Some months
pass away, and the first faint speck of
raw flesh" begins to show upon his coun-
tenance. An insignificant thing in itself,
but the seed of a deadly poison that will
soon spread through community with
worse plague than all other human ills
could bring. Only little blister, it may
be, coming gradually, by easy stages, up
on the end Of the nose. Then another,
and still another; by and by the whole
body is polluted with the plague. The
flesh becomes swollen, the eyes bloodshot,
the breath offensive, and the whole sys-
tenn is wrecked. The plague has grasped
its victim with clutch of death. The
raw fesh," miserable, offensive, disgust
ing. is spreading over the whole system.
We are told of a minister who used the
expression that "there is a good deal of
genuine religion in bar of soap" We
are satisfied that he spoke a truth. The
Creator never intended mankind to be a
sloven, and when man begins to study
the truths and teachings of Gods word,
he naturally turns toward cleanliness.
The Lord permitted many of his Great
ures to die the temporal death from the
effects of disease. He permits many to
linger along in condition worse than
death, from disease far worse than lep-
rosy. The victims are among men in al
most every town and city. The wad-
ding, halting steps, the labored breath
ing, the horribly offensive stencil, all pro-
claim, for rods around, that this one is
victim of this worst leprosy. The di-
sease advances rapidly until at last the
parts of the human machine decay and
fail, and the whole structure falls to piec
es. This disease is the most contagious,
only known cure is the exercise of deter
minatiOn-wi1 power. When the di-
sease has gained such headway that the
will is weakened, crushed, it becomes
desperate struggle between life and
death, hope and despair. This disease
has a more far-reaching influence than
all others. In addition to affecting the
bodies with the horrid leprosy, it fills
and prisons, destroys fami-
lies, breaks up houses, and consigns souls
to eternal despair. Death turks by its
path, and it is terribly fatal Even the
abode of the victim sends forth a stencil
that is sickening and dangerous. And a
strange feature about the loathsome and
fatal disease is the fact that its victims
Dr. many of them-are engaged in spread
ing it among those who are as yet COM
paratively safe from it.
A man who has the smallpox, or yell |
ow fever, is put away, by his fell
oW men, out of reach of those who
Ire not affected. A strict guard is !
Kept, quarantine maintained, and dam
yer-dags kept flying What for? That
,he curse may not spread. Yet how is it
with this worst leprosy? Is the man who
S afflicted with the leprosy of intemper-
lnce ever cast away to himself? Is the
criminal who is engaged in spreading the
disease ever placed under surveillance?
How many of us would be willing to
lave our children associate with those
who were afflicted with smallpox, yellow
ever, itch, or any other loathsOme di-
'ease? Yet the man who is literally rot
;en from itch, does not display as much
ilthiness, offensiVeness, and ''raW-aesh,'
IS the Intemperance leper, who sits in
lis den and gives forth his offensive od-
or day and night. Should disgusting
md offensive animal take up its abode
near the residence of man, it would be
sacrificed to the public health. Yet no
animal in the entire kingdom OF the
Lord could be SO dangerous to the health
If community as the saloOn-leper. The
measles, the whooping-cough, the small
DoX, the various fevers, are all friends
md benefactors to mankind compared
with the death which follows in the
wake Of this disgusting leper. Like
many a man afflicted with disease he
loves to display his infrmities, and when
a gag of disgust escapes from his obserV-
ers, he construes it to be shout of praise.
He comes to believe that the community
looks up to him as representative of all
that is desirable in a good citizen. He
feels that he is beneftting the commun-
ity by living in it. He feels that he is an
object of admiration, when he is really |
an object Of loathing and disgust. He |
construes disgust for friendship and con-
tempt for admiration. Yet, as surely as
the days go by, the hand of the Devil |
continues tracing the "raw flesh" Of re-
tribution and horrible punishment upon
the tainted person of the victim. His
doom is fixed, as long as he remains in
his present state. The only safety from
this horrible leprosy is to keep away
from the source of it. Let the den where
the leper makes his abode be avoided as
plague hospital would be. Let those who
would avoid sugering from like horrible