Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-05-22


His subject was s'A Poisoned Dinner, 4"
and his text II Kings iv., 40: $50 they
poured out for the men to eat. Ard it came
to pass, as they wers eating of the pottage,
that they cried out aud said, 0 thou man of
God, there is death in the pot And they
could not eat thereof"
Elisha had gone down to lecture to the
students in the theological seminary at Gil
gal. He found the students very hungry,
as students are to be. 1t is very seldom
the world makes large provision for those
who give themselves to intelligent toll. In
order that these students may be prepared
to hear what Elisha says, he first feeds their
hunger. He knew very well it is useless to
talk, to preach, to lecture with hungry
men.
So Elisha, recognizing this common-sense
principle, which every Christian ought to
recognize, sends servants out to get food for
these hungry students. They pick up some
good, healthful herbs, but they happen to
poisonous, deathful herb. They being all
these herbs, they put them into the boiling
pot, they stir them up, and then portion
of this food is brought to the students aud
their professors. Seated at the table, one
of the hungry students begins Immediately
to eat, and he happens to get hold of some
of the coloquintida. He knew it by the
taste. He cried out: "Poison, poison. c
thou man of God. there is death III the pot!'
| CONSERVATION is thrown over the whole
group What fortunate thing it was that
this student SO early found the coloquintids
in the mixture at the table! You will by
reference find this story is precisely as
have mentioned it.
| Well, in our day there are great caldron'
of sin and death. Coloquintida of might!
temptation is pressed into it. Some dip i
out, and taste, and reject it and live. Other
dip it out, taste it, keep on and die. Ant
1t is the tusine Of every minister of relig
ion and every man who wishes well to thu
human race, and Who wants to keep tht
world back from its follies and its suffer
ings, to cry out: "Beware! poison, poison
Look out for this caldron! Stand back Be
warer
Sin has done an a ful work in our world
II has gone cut through all the ages, it ha
mixed up a great caIdron of trouble ant
suffering and pain, and the whole race i
acknowledgement in body, poisoned il
mind, poisoned in soul. But blessed be Get
that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the anti
dote, and where there was sin there shall b,
pardon, and where tbere syas suffering Their
shall be comfort and where there was deatI
there shall be life.
| Some time ago, you will remember, Iper
suaded you Of the Importance of being
charitable in judgment of others. At tht
same time said to you briefly what this
morning l wish to say with great emphasis
that while we sympathise with the sinne
we must denounca the sin, that while W.
pity the unfortunate we must be vehemen
against trangression. Sin is a jagged thing
that needs to be roughly handled. Yol
have no right to garland it with fine phrases
or lustrous rhetoric. You cannot catch q
buffalo with silken lasso.
|. A group of emiglants settle in wild re
gion. The next day wild beast come
down from the mountain and carries off ON
of the children. The next day wild beas
comes down from the mountain and GA. rie
off another child. Forthwith all the neigh
bors band to together, and trey 60 out wit
torch in one hand and gun in the other t
hunt these monsters down, to find their hi6
ing place, to light up and ransack th
caverns, and to destroy the invaders q
their houses So we want now not merel
to talk about the sins and follies of th
world, we want to go bbhind then, back {
them. Down into the caverns where the
hide we need to go with the torch of God
: Word in one hand and the sword of God
e eternal Spirit in the other to hunt out an
!. . slay these iniquities in their hiding place
Or, to come back to the figure suggested
my text, we want to find what are the ca
drons of sin and death from which the il
liquities Of society are dipped out.