Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-07-03
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
He PULLS AWAY THE RAGS
THAT HIDE INIoUITY.
A Good Many Men Who Are Polite. Kind
Hearted, Rich and Powerful VIII Have
Less Chsncs for Heaven Than the Hum
bIest Person Who Loves God.


] style with the various garbs in which sin
masquerades in modern society. and In
stripping the monster Of his DISCUSSES he
aimed not only to reveal its deformity tC
the world. but to put his hearers on their
guard against self delusion. His text was
John XIV, %; But now they have no cloak
| for their sim"
Sin is always disguised. Decked and
| CLOSED and perfumed and masked it gains
admittance in places from which it would
otherwise be repelled. As silently as when
| 1t glided into Eden, and as plausibly as
when it talked to Christ at the top OF the
temple, II now addresses men. Could peo-
| pie look upon sin as 1t always is-an exhala-
ton from the pit, the putrefaction OF infinite
| capacities, the ghastly, loathsome. God
smitten monster that uprooted Eden and
killed Christ. and would push the entire
race into darkness and ruin--the internal
| charm would be broken. Before our first
parents transgressed, sin appeared to them
the sweetness OF fruit and the becoming as
gods, To Absolom it was the pleasure Of
sitting upon a throne. To men now, sin is
laughter and permission to luxurious graft
f1cation. Jesus Christ in my text suggests
fact which everybody ought to know, and
that is that sin, to hide its deformity and
shame, is accustomed to wearing cloak;
and the Savior also sets forth the truth that
God can see straight through all such wrap
pings and thicknesses. l now want 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 il you
will tarry little while will show you five
or six Of the patterns of cloaks.
First, remark that there are those who
being honored with official power. expect
to make that a successful cloak for their
sin. There is sacredness in Office. God
Himself is King, and all who hold authority
in the world serve under Him. That COM
munity has committed monstrous wrong
who has elevated to this dignity persons
unqualified either by their ignorance or
their immortality. Nations who elevate to
posts Of authority those not qualified to fill
them will feel the reaction. Solomon ex-
pressed 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 disgraced
by the character of those who fill them, /
believe God would have US respectful to
the offices, though we may have no ad-
miration for their occupants. Yet this dig
nifty which office confers can be no apology
for transgression. Nebuchadnezzar and
Ahab and Herod in the day Of Judgment
must stand on the level with the herdsmen
that kept their hocks 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 it is imperial and
lordly. You cannot make pride or injustice
or cruelty sacred by giving it throne.
Belshazzars 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 vest
ments of wicked Jehoram could not keep
Jehu's arrow from striking through his
heart. JezebePs queenly pretension could
not save her from being thrown over the
wall No barricade Of thrones can arrest
Gods justice in its 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 ruler ever sat so high that the
King OF kings was not above him. ALI
victors shall bow before Him who on the
white horse goeth forth conquering and to
conquer.
Again, elegance of manners cannot sue
cessfully hide iniquity from the eye of God
That model. gentlemanly apostle. Paul.
writes to us: BE courteous" That man
can neither be respectable worldling nor
a consistent Christian who lacks good
manners. He is shut out from refined cir
cles. and he certainly ought to be hindered
from entering the church, We cannot
overlook that in man which we could
hardly excuse in a bear. One of the first
effects of the grace of God upon an indi-
vidual is to make him gentleman. Gruff-
ness, awkwardness, implacability, CLAN
nishness 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
Nfto 10 4hnk QaI -
person, suavity OF manners. gracefulness
of conversation. 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 vol
cano. The sepulchers in Christs time did
not exhaust all the whitewash. Some of
the biggest scoundrels have been the most
fascinating. If there are any depending
on outward gracefulness and attractive
cause Of that God will forgive the sin Of
their soul. let me assure them that the div
inc justice cannot be satisfied with smiles
and elegant gesticulation. Christ looks
deeper than the skin, and such a ragged
cloak as the one in which you are trying to
cover yourself will be no hiding in the day
Of his power. God will not in the judg-
ment ask how gracefully you walked, nor
how politely you bowed, nor how sweetly
you smiled. nor how impressively you
gestured, The deeds done in the body will
be the test. and not the rules Of Lord Ches-
terfeld,
Again, let me say that the mere profess
sion of religion Is but poor wrapping of a
naked SOUL The importance of making a
public profession of religion if the heart be
renewed cannot be exaggerated. Christ
positively, and with the earnestnesS OF the
night before His crucitlXion. commanded
it. BUTT is the result Of Christian charac-
ter. not the cause Of 1T. Our church certifl-
cate is poor title to Heaven. We may
have the name, but not the reality. There
are those who seem to throw themselves
back with complacency upon their public
confession Of Christ, although they give no
signs Of renewal. II Satan can induce a
man to build on such rotten foundation
as that he has accomplished his object.
We cannot imagine the adherence with
which God looks upon such procedure.
What would be the feelings Of a shepherd II
he saw a wolf in the same fold with his
hocks. however quiet he might seem to lie,
or a general. if among his troops he saw
one wearing the appointed uniform who
nevertheless really belongedto the oppos-
ing host? Thus must the heavenly shep-
herd look upon those who. though they are
not his sheep, have climbed up some other
way, and thus must tse Lord of hosts look
upon those who pretend to be soldiers Of
the cross. while thew are his armed enc
mics. If any of you find yourself deficient
in the great tests of Christian character, do
not. beg OF you. look upon your profession
OF religion as anything consolatory, Ii you
have taken your present position from
view that YOU have Of Christ aud your need
or him, rejoice with Joy unspeakable and
full or glory and clap your hands for glad
ness; but if you find yourself with nothing
but the name Of life. while dead in tres
passes and sins, arouse before the door is