Connecticut western news., 1890-07-02
SIN CAN'T BE HIDDEN.
DR. TAtMAGE TELLS OF SOME COM. MON CLOAKS FOR INlQUlTY.

Hesrtedness, Social Advantages, Are of
 No Avail Without the Love of Christ
 in the Soul-A Good Sermon.
 WINFIELD, Kan, June 29.-Dr. Tal- mage deals in his sermon today in char aeteristic style with the various garbs in which sin masquerades in modern soci- ety, and in stripping the monster of it's disguises he aims not only to reveal it's deformity to the world, but to put his hearers on their guard against self de fusion. His text is John XIV, g: ''But now they have no cloak for their sin." Sin is always disguised. Decked and glossed and perfumed and masked, it gains admittance in places from which it would otherwise be repelled. As. silently as when it glded into Eden, and as plausibly as when 1t talked to Christ at the top of the temple, it now addresses men. Could people look upon sin as it always is-an exhalation from the pit, the putrefaction of infinite capaci- ties, the ghastly, loathsome, God s1nit ten monster that uprooted Eden and killed Christ and would push the en- tire race into darkness and pain-the internal charm would be broken. Be fore our first parents transgressed, sin appeared to them the sweetness of fruit and the becoming as gods To Alb salom it was the pleasure of sitting upon 8 throne. To men now sin is laugh ter and permission to luxurious gratifi- cation. Jesus Christ in my text sug- gests fact which everybody ought to know, and that is that sin, to hide it's deformity and shame, is accustomed to wearing cloak; and the Saviour also sets forth the truth that God can 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 iniqui- ties, for the fashion in regard to these garments is constantly changing, and every day beholds some new style of wearing them, and if you will tarry a little while Twill show you five or six of the patterns of cloaks
 THE CLOAK OF POWER
 First, I remark that there are those who, being honored with official power, expect to make that successful cloak for their sins. There is sacredness in office. God himself is king, and all who hold authority in the world serve under him. That community has com mitted monstrous wrong who has ele- vated to this dignity persons unquali fled either by their ignorance or their immortality Nations who elevate to posts of authority those not qualified to fill them will feel the reaction Sol omon expressed this thought when he said: ''Woe unto thee, o land, when thy king is child and thy princes drink in the morning." While positions of trust may be disgraced by the char acter of those who fill them, believe God would have us respectful to the | offices though we may have no admira- tion for their occupants. Yet this dig nifty which office confers can be no apology for transgression. Nebuchad- nezzar and Ahab and Herod in the day of judgment must stand on the level with the herdsmen that kept their flocks and the fishermen of Galilee. | Pope and king and president and gov ernor 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 it is imperial and lordly. You cannot make pride or injustice or cruelty sa- cred by giving it 8 throne.
 l Belshazzar's decanters 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 strik- ing through his heart. Jezebers queenly pretension could not save her from being thrown over the wall. No barricade of thrones can arrest Gods l justice in it's unerring march No splendor or thickness of official robes can be a sufficient cloak of sin Henry VIII, Louis XV, Catharine of Russia, Mary of England-did their crowns save them2 No Epler ever sat so high that the King of kings was not above him. All victors shall bow before him who on the white horse goeth forth conquering and to conquer.
 PoLIrENEss DOESN'T HIDE SIN FROM | GOD.
 | Again, elegance of manners cannot successfully hide iniquity from the eye of God. That model, gentlemanly apostle, Paul, writes to us: "Be cour- teous." That man can neither be a respectable worldling nor consistent Christian who lacks good manners. He is shut out from refined circles and he certainly ought to be hindered from entering the church. We cannot over look that in a man which we could hardly excuse in bear. One of the first effects of the grace of God upon an individual is to make him gentle man. Gruffness, awkwardness, implac- ability, clannishness are fruits of the devil, while gentleness and meekness are fruits of the Spirit But while these excellences of manner are so important they cannot hide any deformity of moral character. How often it is that we find attractiveness of person, suavi- ty of manners, graceful-ess of conver- sation, gallantry of behavior thrown like wreaths upon moral death.
 The flowers that grow upon the scori@ of Vesuvius do not make it any less of volcano. The sepulchres in Christ's time did not exhaust all the whitewash. Some of the biggest scoun- drels have been the most fascinating.
 If there are any depending on outward eracefulness and attractiveness of de meanor, with any hope that because O l that God will forgive the sin of thei