Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-16

blessing. May He so deal with US also
whether we will or not, whether we know
what is best for US or not-giving us spiritual
| gifts; and the other gifts, too, if He will,
but the spiritual ones first and best, as He
did here. But this gift which is so freely
| given here-is it possIble one to give? 1t
is the blessing of the forgiveness of sins.
But who can forgive sins? Man cannot, say
the scribes, looking on and listening and
whispering horror-stricken accusations of
blasphemy. God cannot, say the philoso-
pliers, studying the laws of cause ana effect,
teaching the doctrine of inevitable conse-
| quences, and taking for their text, "W hat
soever man soweth that shall he also reap"
And yet Christ is perfectly confident. He
declares His power to forgive sins. There is
no nistaking that. And He claims the be-
stowal of this gilt not only for God. but for
man also. The Son of Man hath power on
earth to forgive SINS" Presently we hear
Him sending His apostles on their mission
into the world, and He commissions them
not only to bear the message of the forgive
ness of sins, but to forgive sins themselves.
"Whose sins thou dost forgive, they are for
given" Can anything be palmer?
| What shall we say, then? Between the
doctrine OF inevitable consequences, and the
] doctrine of divine forgiveness. which shall
we choose? Why, both. Because they are
both true. We may be quite sure of that
beforehand. There can be no contradiction
between Christ and truth But look at it.
| What is it to be forgiven for our sins? That
may mean either one of two kinds of
pardon. Because all ain bears two-fold
relation-a relation toward the sinner, and
relation toward God.
CAUSE AND EFFECT.
So far as the sinner is copcerned, the con-
sequence of sin is spiritual injury. Sin ia
always followed by an effect on Character.
That is inevitable. An ofense against the
laws of the soul is just as sure to be followed
with harm to the soul as an offense against
the laws of the body is sure to be followed
with harm to the body. There is no pardon
IN the world which can intervene
between the burning OF a finger and
of forgiveness which will heal cut hand.
And this is just as true of A
lie and the soul. "W Whatsoever man soweth
that shall he also reap." is as true as truth
can be. And there are no spiritual excep-
tlons to it. Every sin will have its proper
consequence of punishment.
AT the same time, there is comfort in re.
membering that the law of cause and effect
In the spiritual world, as in the physical
world, includes a thousand possibilities of
modification. Good may be made to grow
even out ofevil and curses NAV be translated
into blessings. Suppose ethatimprudencel leads
to illness, and that illness teaches so sharp
lesson that the sick man when he gets we'll
is prudent ever after. Probably he is a
stronger man all the rest of his life because
he was sick. Suppose that some sin teaches
sharp lesson, too, the sinners repentance
may change his whole life. Even along
the path OF sin and sorrow he may draw near
to God. This is common experience. Every
day good men and women are turning
stumbling blocks into stepping stones
There is no interference here, no removal
of the consequences OF transgression. The
offense Is punished. And that is the best
part of it. To interfere between the sin and
the penalty, even If it were possible, would
be to blot out the salutary lesson.
THE RELATION TO GOD.
But sin is also the setting of a separation
between the sinner and God, Whoever sins
repeats the beginning of the parable of the
prodigal son. He departs from his father.
and makes his way into some other country.
And that is the evil of evils. To be away
from God, to be at enmity with God, to be
setting the will of God at naught and defy
ing His commandments and despising His
love-this is what sin is. This. you see, is
quite different way of looking at sin from
the point OF view which we occupied a mo-
ment ago.
Now, can anything be done? That de-
peuds entirely upon God, and upon the sim
ner. This consequence of sin-that it sep-
arates between God and the sinner-may
be done away, if God will and
the sinner will. Is there any-
thing difficult about that? Your child
disobeys you. There is separation between
you and the child. Shall the separation last?
Shall there be no reconciliation between YOU
two? That depends upon you both. There
is no doctrine of inevitable consequences to
be preached here.
Suppose the child is sorry, and all his old
love comes back, and he wants to make
amends for his ofense, and to have your
trust and love again. Shall any law Of any
world forbid you to forgive him? But this
is what forgiveness means in Christ's re-
lIglon. Just this. 1t means a reconciliation
between God and man. 1t means that the
old dreadful distance which sin made be-
tween the child and the father has been
brldged over, and there is love again be-
tween them; there has been an atonement-
an t-one-ment-made This is the Christian
doctrine of forgiveness of sins.
And so the spiritual gift which Christ
gave here to this man at His feet was the
gift OF this blessed revelation of the Fathers
love: "Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be
forgiven thee" Thy Father loveth thee.
MESSAGE OF THE SON.
That was what our Lord was forever saw
ing. He came here to say that. You know
very well how He was forever going about
among the prodigals, and saying You poor
children, wanderers, sinners and miserables1
listen! have message for you from home
Your Father loves you. You have dis
obeyed Him, you have grieved His heart.
you have refused His love. But He loves
you, nevertheless. Why not turn away
from the swine and the husks, and come
back to Him."
Christ gave His life for US sinners on the
cross, that He might be lifted up within the
sight of all of US, to tell US this. He died
that He might make this blessed truth of
the love of God for every SHINING mortal on
this earth so plain that everybody might be
able to read it, and so turn from sin, and
come back to God, and be reconciled to Him,
That is the atonement.
And when Christ sent His first disciples
to teach His religion to the world, this was
the message which He gave them,-this
divine message of forgiveness, this blessed
revelation of the Heavenly Fathers unend
ing and unwearied love. "Go find out sim
ners, and whoever repents him of his sin,
and wishes to turn back to God, tell him
quick that God forgives him. Nay, you
yourselves forgive him in the name of God. "
And that is absolution.
God awaits us, every one. Though our
sins be as scarlet, He will make them white
as snow. As far as the East is from the
West so far will He set our sins from us