The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-12-17

THIS iorbearance SoiieBed hy ihis love
Led TO repent Of sin J.? To obey. 10 serve
and glorify the God of pity @, that ths
lext did read that way But II r. just the
|, opposite, for II says "7hgefoyc TIE heart
OF the sons Of men is fully set in them 10
10 evil. This - a weiehiv charge-ih,
most solemn indictment ever brought
against evil doers Ii declares that
men make Gods goodness, reason
for going on in sin--that they presume
On His iOrbearance and insult Him over
and over, only because they believe he
will not strike They say, we hag,
seen thousand cases " here trausgress
ors OF the law have escaped punishment,
why should there not be thousand
more 90 Listen TO the way men argue
about II God secs NY sin and haze.
! IL God has the power 10 blast me with
he breath of Ills nCstIils: lie could
stop my breath as easily as / could blow
out a candle, lie has the power 10 cast
both soul aud body into hell, tut lie is go
indulgent that ] may as wen 90 on ex.
perimening with His patience in time O.
come, as have safely done in lime past.
and yet God fOrbears 10 smile The yeIy
n9n that insults him with such AN argu.
msnt. Which is The most wonderful,
The patience of such God or The pre-
sumption Of such Ii sinner the love oi
such God or the ingraliiude
that so tramples on that love- Notice
another thing. There IS great differ
cnce between breaking the laws oi God
and breaking the laws of man. The
magistrate or the Judge does not feel
personally injured when the law is bro
ken. He msy be sorry he may be indig-
nsnt as any other citizen might Dee, bnt
The violation of The law l. no Olense 10
him SIS o man. The yiolator has outraged
a code bat not the Judge as a person; but
YOU cannot make this separation between
God and His laws. Whoever strikes at
ibe Divine Law strikes al the L1'r 6icer.
Sin is not only transgTessi0n Of the
Commandments, but Il is a personal
wrong done to Him who wrote the Com
mandments with His own finger on The
tables OF stone.
More than this. God stands toward
mankind not in the character OF King
only, bat in the character of Father, and
dn is the ingratiiude Of child. Sin is
the basenrss of AN INDUCED and cherished
son, who says Ny father Is SO patient
and loving that lie will bear
anything rather than punish me.
] know how much he hss
already borne, aud think he can bear a
good deal more-he las very tender
heart and ther fore will give 1t another
wrench No wonder that God As God
in grief-as a God in amazement,
cries ont "Hesr o Heavens and give ear
o earth, for have nOurished and brougt.
up children, end they have Iebehed
against me"
o my hearers I am sure you cannot
have looked at the subject In this light
/ / cannot believe that YOU will persist in
The abuse Of the very goodness which T.
most calculated TO touch your hearts
+ with sorrow and fill you with resolu-
lion no longer 10 triie with such love
There have been times when You your
self haye felt that you have gone too far
you have been startled at the thought Of
the anger YOU have provoked Ia times
of sudden and alarming illness did
YOU not pray God 10 spare you and raise
YOU up once more, with a promise that
YOU would lead new life When you
passed through sore trial-when one
very dear 20 you died-as you looked on
f the pale face of your beloved One-when
YOU returned from the cemetery-did you
not say. Hereafter | will try so 10 live
as TO meet my dear departed one In
Heaven f" Once when a great sin
brought YOU in danger Of detection and
disgrace, did YOU not pray that @ Cd
would shield YOU once more, and VOW
that # He would allow you TO escape that
d q. Nlf arrI ~ n
the sickness, the bereavement, the peril
was over. did you keep that solemn
promise, or did you break it Did you
fulfil that vow, or did YOU forget 1t, and
perhaps laugh at your fears when the
danger was over, You say all this may
be so. but God is patient with me sill;
then remember that His patience IS last
ing-it is not egglWtiag. DO you say
that God Is too good 10 punish You
caunOf-you dare not, with tie whole
history of the world conlradictins you
the goodness Of God did not prevent the
food that drowned the old wicked world
the goodness OF God did not
prevent the fire which consumed Tie
wicked cities of the plain The goodness
of God did not prevent the destruction
of Jerusalem-ihe city that He loved so
well. when II had filed up the measure OF
its iniuuity. Our merciiul Lord wept
over IL when He saw ils doom approach
ing and he cried 90, that thou mast
known, even thou, Ia this thy day the
things that belong TO thy peace, but now
they are hid from thine eyes" lie wepi,
but his tears did not prevent It's faii-it
came suddenly-it came terribly
II was flash, d roal,
ruin 0. let the goodness OF God lead
you 10 repentance Lit the patience
Of God persuade you 10 repent
ance. Let the love Of God sweetly
draw YOU TO repentance. Wait moi tOI
the terrors Of the law to drive you 10 the
Mercy Seat, bat yield 10 the attractions
of The cross on which Jesus died for you
. Prodigal from thy Fathers house, .
Thou lost child, come back q come
back 10 the arms OF Mercy. Come psck
10 the bosom Of Patience. Come back TO
the heart of Love. Come back TO the
home whose doors stand wide open TO
admit yon. Come back 10 the welcome
Of the Father. who even now Is waiting
10 say Rejoice with me, for this my
Son was dead but is alive again Was
lost bot now Is found
PRACTICAL. SERMON OF REV Mr.. RToN
At Old ST. JOHNS.
After morning prayer yesterday at Old
81 Johns Church, Rev. Lewis W Bu:.
ton preached a most excellent practical
sermon. which wss listened to with tie
most careful attention by congregation
which filed the church
His text was Nehemiah iv., verse o: so
buill we the wall, and all the wall was
ioinad together unto tho hall thereof, ior
lbe people had a mind to work
Several hundred years before Christ
there stood in Shushsn. the palace OF
King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah, the kings
eup. bearer In that palace he vas hon
ored. but he did not love this high office
40 close 10 the king. He had warnings
and hopes and a strong desire that the
walls OF Jerusalem should be rebuilt.
lie had IN bis head and heart the
INI a