Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-02-06

when l have had enough. You neve
saw me drunk and. never will. Poo
SOU; be is like the eagle trying to carry
off a weasel. OF course the king of bridi
can carry off an insignificant little weasel
: but as he soals aloft in his pride, the
! weasel sinks his fangs in his captor''
breast and begins to suck his life's blood,
and soon the proud bird comes tumbling
on ungraceful wing. to the ground Is it
not just so, as history proves with the
vast majority of those who try to carry
their little glass of strong drink dailyH
Does 1t not nearly always tumble them
at last into the gutter? And it is just so
with every sin. Men think they can in
dulge little. transgress moderately
They rely on their own wisdom and
strength in time. forgetting the cunning
and strength of their enemy. AS well
might a fly who ventures into the web
expect to escape the spider. As well
might general expect to gain the victo'
~ who let his opponent choose the battle
ground. honeycomb it with mines, train
his guns, put his men in ambush and
then set the hour for the assault. The
general who would walk into such trap
would be court martialed and shot.
Yet he is not more foolish than
those who walk into known sin,
who toy with evil habits. lie who thinks
he can cope with sin and give it all the
odds is blind with self.conceit and GER
tain to fall, for God says pride goeth |
before destruction and naughty spirit |
before fall" If children would only |
be less cOnceited and head the instruc
tons of parents and elders, how much
shame and misery they could escape.
And, ii men would only heed the lnstruc-
tons of their Heavenly Father how much
of life's bitterness would be eiminatedr
Reason adds its voice to the voice of the1
Word saying, ''the fear o! the Lord is the
instruction of wisdom and before honor
goeth humanity"
But back of curiosity and conceit lies
the deep and real reason why men are not
as discreet as the birds. Because they
love sin. They are only obcying the die
tates of an evil heart when they walk into
satanic snares. Nothing shows how men
owe sin more forcible than the risks they
lake TO enjoy it. There is horrible
fascination to wrong doing of some kind
n every unregenerate heart. 1t is the
bias communicated in birth The drink
ng parent communicates thirst tor
rink to his children.
The frivolous, fashionable woman of
pleasure, even though she repent and be- Il
,ome a consistent christian, will have to Il
contend with the disposition to frivolity
md fashion in her children. Thus our s.
ins find us out to the third and fourth
generation. We all know how popular D
he idea with the young that cody life +
5 tame and insipid; while life with
title venturesome naughtine is exceed IL
ngly jolly and attractive. Now this
owe of sin is Satan's great advantage.
This is the secret of the tenacty of life t'
n the evils that burden society. The "
aloon and gambling den and house of
l-fame; the wine drinking and polite
of high life the immoral lit :,
nature art and drama, the greed and in
lstice that cloaks itself under the garb
I business, and fraud that sails under the
anne of charity and piety; the Peter,like
Ais of protesting chrisLians--all this sin
as its root ia the love of sin. These
wills exist because men want them to.
hey know full well the dangers. They
sc the net and know its purpose, but
ley love the bait well enough to risk o,
eath-eternal death to get it. And that di
why men are not as discreet as the af
rds. 80
And does not this analysis of the folly R,
sin suggest the true way of salvation? m,
it not plain that this love of sin must an
, rooted out, this pride BUNDLED? The
ay to make tree bring forth new fruit
to engraft it with new fruit principle
} men must be cngrafted with new so
C principle-the love of holiness create r,
them clear hearts, and renew their ole
irits and they will begin TO be as wise idt
the birds This is what the church of n
lrist is trying under God today. GO