Democratic messenger., 1889-06-01

yea, though ~ wash myself with snow
water. and should cleanse my hands In
alkali, yet shall thou plunge me in the
ditch, and my own clothes shall abhor
me-"
INIQuITY IN MEzz0TINT.
You see from the last part Of this text
that Jobs idea Of sin was very different
from that Of Eugene Sue, or George Sand,
or VI. J.Michelet,or any OF the hundreds Of
writer's who have done up inquity In mez.
zotint, and garlandcd the wine cup with
eglantinc, and rosemary, and made the
path Of the libcrtine end In bowers Of ease
instead Of on the hot tagging Of eternal
torture. You see that job thinks that sin
Is not u flowery parterre; that Il is not a
tablcland Of fine prospects; that 1t Is not
music, dulcimer. violonccllo, castanct and
Pandean pipes, all making music togcth.
er. No. He says 1t is ditch, long, deep,
loathsome, stenchfnl, and we are all plung.
ed into II, and there we wallow and sink
and struggle, not able to get out. Our
robes Of propriety and robes Of worldly
profession are saturated in the slime and
abomination. and our soul, covered over
with transgression, hates its covering, and
the covering hates the soul until We are
plunged into the ditch, and our clothes
abhOr us.
know ,ba. some modern rclig,onis,s
caricature sorrow for sin. and they make
out an easier path than the "Pilgrim's
Progress" that Bunyan dreamed Of The
road they travel does not stop where
Johns did. at the city of Destruction, but
at the gate of the university. and l am
very certain that II will not come out
where Johns did, under the shining ram.
parts of the celestial city. No repentance,
no pardon. lfyou do not. my brother,
feel that you are down IN the ditch. what
do you want Of Christ to lift you out? If
you have no appreciation Of the fact that
you arc asiray, what do you want of Him
who came TO seek and save that which
was lostg Yonder Is the City Of Paris,
the swiftest of the Inman's coming across
the Atlantic. The wind is abafi, so that
she has not only her engines at work, but
all sails up. am on board the Umbria,
of the Cunard line. The boat davits are
swung around. The boat Is lowered. |
get into il with red flag and cross over
to where the City of Paris is coming and
| wave the flag. The captain looks of
from the bridge and says: "What do you
WANT" ] reply: ~ come To take some
of your passengers across TO the other yes.
sci l think they will be safer and happier
there" The captain would look down
with Indignation and say Get out Of the
way, or will run you down. And then
| would back oars. amidst the jeering of
two or three hundred people looking over
the tail rail. But the Cmhria and the
City of Paris meet under different circum.
stances after awhile. The City of Paiis
Is coming out of n cyclone the life boats
are smashed the bulwarks gone the YES.
sci rapidly going down. The boaiswain
gives his last whistle Of despairing com
mand. The passengers run up and down
the deck, and some pray, and NIL make n
great outcry. The captain says: "You
have about - minutes now to prepare for
the next world" mo hope" sounds from
stem To stern and from the ratlincs down
To the cabin. | see the distress. I am let
down by the side of the Umbria. push
off as fast ms can toward the sinking
City Of Paris. Before come up people
are lcaping into the water in their anxiety
10 get to the boat, and when have swung
up under the side OF the City Of Paris the
frenzied passengers rush through the
gangway until the officers. with axe and
clubs and pistols, try to keep back the
crowd, each waiting his turn to come
next. There is but one life. boat, and they
all want To get into II, and the cry is:
Me next me next" You see the appre.
citation before | make II. AS long as n
man going ON in his sin feels that all il
well, that he is coming out at n beautiful
port, and has all sail set, he wants no
Christ, he wants no help, he wants no
rescue; hut IL under the flash of Gods
convicting spirit he shall see that by rca.
son of sin he is dismasted and watcr.log.
ged, and going down into the trough of
the sea where he cannot live, how soon
he puts the sea. glass To his eye and sweeps
the horrison. and ut the first sign of help
cries out : Il want 10 he saved I want To
bc saved now want 10 he saved for.
ever" No sense Of danger. no applica.
tion for rescue.
OH FOR 4 SENSE or sINfuLSEss.
oh that Gods eternal spirit would flash
upon us sense Of our sinfulncss. The
Bible tells the story in letters of fire, but
we get used 10 II. We joke about SIN. We
make merry over il, What is sin. Is l, II
triiling thing: Sin Is u vampire that Is
sucking out the life blood of your immor.
tai nature. Sin! II is n Bastilc that no
earthly key ever unlocked. Sin! II is ex.
patria,ion from God and Heaven. Sin
II is grand larceny against the Almighty,
for the Bible asks the question: "Will u
man rob Cody" Answer il in the affirm.
atiye. This Gospel is writ Of rcplevin
To recover property unlawfnl:y detained
from God.
In the Shetland Islands there is man
with leprosy. The hollow Of the foot has
swollen until II is Hat On the ground. The
joints begin to fall away. The ankle
thickens until il looks like the root of u
wild beast \ stare unnatural comes Ia
the eye. The noslril is CONSTRUCTED. The
voice drops TO almost inaudiblc hoarsc.
ness. Tuhcrclcs blotch the whole body,
and from them there comes an emulation
that is unhcarablc to the bcholder. Tha,
is leprosy. and we have all got II unless
a. = a.