The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-07-05
DISGUISED SIN.
DR.. Talmage on the Many Cloaks
That Cover Sin.
OniciaI Power Often Used to Hide Evil Liv.
ing-Outward Morality No Covering
For IniquIty-sin In High
Places.

AIDES in MODERN society. His text was
John, XIV. %: He said:
Sin Is always disguised. Decked, and
CLOSED, and p%erfumed, and masked, 1t
gains admittance in places from which
1t would otherwise be repealed. As
silently as when it glided into Eden and
as plausibly as when it talked to Christ
at the top Of the temple, it now ad-
dresses rGen. Could people look upon
sin as 1t always is-an exhalation from
the pit, the qualification of infinite Ca
pacities, the CHASTITY, l~oathsome, God
smitten monster that uprooted Eden and
killed Christ, and would push the entire
race into darkness n pain-the internal
charm would be broken. Before our first
parents t~ransgressed sin appeared to
them the sweetness of fruit and the
becoming as gods. To Absalom 1t was
the pleasure of sitting upon a throne.
To men now sin is laughter. and per-
mission to luxurious qualification.
Jesus Christ in my text suggests a fact
that everybody ought to know, and that
Is that sin, to hide its deformity and
shame, Is accustomed to wearing a cloak,
and the Saviour also sets forth the truth
that God san see straight through all
such wrappings and thicknesses. / want
now to speak of several kinds of cloaks
with which men expect to cover up their
iniquities, for the fashion in regard to
these garments Is constantly changing,
and every day beholds some new style
of wearing them, and II you will tarry a
little while l will show you five or six
Of the patterns Of cloaks-
First. remark that those who, being
!honored with official power, expect to
make hat a successful cloak for their
sin There Is a sacredness in Office.
God Himself is King, and all who hold
authority In the world serve under Him.
That community has committed q mon
strous wrong who has elevated to this
dignity persons unqualified either by
their ignorance or their immortality.
Nations who elevate to posts Of author
ity those not qualified to fill them will
feel the reaction. Solomon expressed
this thought when he said: "Woe unto
thee, o land, when thy King is a child
and thy Princes drink in the morning"
While positions Of trust may be dis
graced by the character Of those who
fill them, / believe God would have US
respectful to the offices, though we may
have NJ admiration for their occupants.
Yet this dignity. which Office confers,
can be no apology for transgres-
sion. Nebuchadnezzar, and Ahab, and
Herod, in the day of judgment, must
stand on the level with the
herdsmen that kept their fiocks, and
the fishermen of Galilee. Pope, and
King, and President, and Governor,
must give~an account to God and be
judged by the same law as that which
judges the beggar and the slave. Sin
is all the more obnoxious when 1t is i'm
perial and lordly. You can not make
pride, or injustice, or cruelty sacred by
giving &c a throne. Belshazzar's de-
canters could not keep the mysterious
finger from writing on the wall. Ahab's
sin literally hurled him from the throne
to the dogs. The imperial vestments Of
wicked Jehoram could not keep Jehu's
arrow from striking through his heart.
Jezebel's queenly r~etension could not
save her from being thrown over the
wall. No barricade or thrones can ar
rest Gods justice in its unerring march.
No splendor or thickness of official
robes can be q sufficient cloak Of sin.
Henry Will, Louis XIV, Catharine of
Russia, Mary OF England-did their
crowns ave them? No ruler ever sat
SO high that the King OF Kings was not
above him. All victors shall bow be-
fore Him who on the white horse goeth
forth conquering and to conquer.
~at- Eln~a-na " -
successfully hide iniquity from the eye
of God. That model gentlemanly
apostle, Paul, writes to us: "Be cour-
teons." That man al neither be a re-
spectacle wording nor o Consistent
Christian wholacks COED manners. He
10 shut out from refined circles, and he
certainly ought to be hindered from en-
'tering the church. We can not over
look that IN a man which we could hard
,ly excuse IN q bear. One of the first eff
fects of thu grace of God upon an indi-
vidual is to make him a gentleman
Gruffness, awkwardness, applicability,
c~lannishness, are faults Of the devil;
while gentleness and meekness are
fruits OF the Spirit. But while these
excellences 81 manner are so important
they can not hide any deformity of
moral character. How often 1t Is that
VIC fnd attractiveness of person, ~suavity
OF manners, gracefulness of CONVERSE
ton, gallantry Of behavior thrown like
wreaths upon moral death. The flowers
that grow upon the scori@ OF Vesuvius
do not make 1t any the less Of q volcano.
The sepulchers in Christ's time did not
n~ha,ok oil tho .rhftau,ah Gon,o A.
biggest scoundrels have been the most
fascinating. II there are any depend
ing on outward gracefulness and at
tractiveness Of demeanor with any hone
hat because Of that God illxforgive
the sin Of their soul, let me assure
hem that Divine justice can not be sat
lsfed with smiles and elegantgesticu1a-
tion. Christ looks deepersthan kin
and such q ragged cloak as the 6ne in
which you arc trying to cover yourself,
win be no hiding in the day OF His
power. God will not IN the Judgment
ask how gracefully you walked, MOI how
politely you bowed, nor how sweetly
you smiled, nor how impressiveiy yop
gestured. The deeds done In the body
will be the test and not the rules OF
Lord Chesterfield.
Again: Let me say that the mere pro-
fession Of religion is a poor wrapping
for . soul The Importance Of making
q public profession Of religion If the
heart be renewed can not be exagger-
sted. Christ positively and with the
earnestnsss of the night before his
c~ruciixiou commanded it. But 1t IL the
result Of Christian character, not the
cause OF It. Our church certificate Is ,
poor title TO Heaven We may have the
name and not the reality. There are
those who seem to throw themselves
back with c%omplacency upon their pub
lie confession Of Christ, although they
give no signs Of renewal. If Satan can
induce q man to build on such a rotten
foundation as that, he has accomplished
his object We can not imagine the alb
horrence with which God looks upon
such q procedure. What would be the
feelings OF a shepherd II he saw q wolf
In the sane fold with his focks. how
ever quiet he might cen to lie, or Q
general II among his troops he saw one
wearing the appointed uniform who
nevertheless really belonged to the OPP
posing host Thus must the Heavenly
Shepherd look upon those who, though
they are not his sheep, have climbed up
some other way, and thus must the
Lord OF Hosts look upon those who pre-
tend 10 be soldiers Of the cross while
they are his armed enemies. II any OF
you find yourselves deficient In the
great tests OF Christian character, do
not, I beg OF you, look upon your pro-
fession OF religion as any thing consola-
tory. II you have taken your present
noaition from n view that YOU have OF