The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1890-07-10
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
weekly Discourse Of the Great
Brooklyn Preacher.

CLOSED and perfumed and masked it gains
admittance into places from which it would
otherwise be rePelled. As silently as when
y glded into Eden, and as plausibly as when
II 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.
tics the CHASTITY, loathsome, God smitten
monster that uprooted Eden and killed
Christ and would push the entire
internal charm would DO broken. Before
our first parents transgressed, sin appeared
to them the sweetness Of fruit and the be-
coming as gods. 10 Absalom it was the
pleasure Of sitting upon q throne. To men
now sin is laughter and permission to luxur-
lous qualification. Jesus Christ In my text
suggests a fact which everybody ought to
know and that Is that sin, TO hide its de-
tormity and shame, is accustomed to wear
ing 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 gar.
ments is constantly changing, and every day
beholds some new style of wearing them, and
| II 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 servo under Him. That community
has committed q monstrous wrong who has
elevated to this dignity persons unqualified
either by their ignorance or their immoral
| lty. Nations who elevate to posts of author
ny those not qualified to fih them will feel
The reaction. Solomon expressed this
thought when he said: "Wos unto thee, o
and, when thy King is child and thy
Princes drink in the morning" While
The character Of those who fill them l
believe God would have us respectful to the
,flices, though we may have no admiration
Tor their occupants. Yet this dignity which
,ffico confers can be no apology for trans.
preston. Nebuchadnezzar and Ahab and
Herod in the day of judgment must stand on
.he level with the herdsmen that kept their
aocks and the fishermen Of Galilee. Pope
md King and President and Governor must
give an account to God, and be judged by the
ame law as that which judges the beggar
md the slave Sin is oil the more obnoxious
when it is imperial and lordy. You cannot
make pride or injustice or cruelty sacred by
giving it throne. Belshazzar's decanters
could not keep the mysterious finger from
writing on the wall. Ahab's sin literally
hurled him from the throne to tho dogs.
|
could not keep Jehu's arrow from striking
through his heart. Jezebels queenly pre-
sension could not save her from being
thrown over tie wall. No barricado Of
throne can arrest Gods justice in its un-
,rring march. No splendor or thickness
Of official robes can be sufficient cloak of
sin. Henry VIII, Louis XIV, Catharine Of
Russia, Mary of England-did their crowns
save them? No ruler ever sat so high that
the King of Kings was not above him. All
yictors shall bow before Him who on the
white horse goeth forth conquerins and to
conquer.
Again, elegance OF manners cannot sue
.cssfully hide iniquiiy from the eye Of God.
That model, gentlenianly apostle Paul,
can neither lie a respectable wording nor
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 over.
look that in n man which we could
hardly excuse in n bear. One of the first
effects of the grace of God upon an indi-
vidual is to make him gentleman. GruG-
ness, awkwardncss, implacability, clanish-
ness are fruits of the devil, while gentle
ness and mcekness arc fruits of the Spirit.
But whilo these cxcellences Of manner
are SO important they cannot hide any
lcformity of moral character. How often
is it that we find attractiveness of person,
suavity Of manners, gracefulness Of
conversation, gallantry of behavior
thrown like wreaths upon moral DEATH
The flowers that grow upon the scorie OF
Vesuvlus do not make it any less of vol.
cano. The sepuchers in Christ's time did
not exhaust all the whitewash. Some Of the
biggest scoundrels have been the most fas.
cinaiing II there are any depending on out.
ward gracefuness and attractiveness of de.
meanor, with any hope that because of that
God will forgive the sin of their soul, let me
be satisfied with smiles and elegant gesticula.
ton. Christ looks deeper than the skin, and
such a ragged cloak as the one in which you
aretrying to cover yourself will be no hiding
In the Gay of His power. God will not i'll the
judgment ask how gracefully you walked,
nor how politely you bowed, nor how sweetly
you smiled, nor how impressvey you
gestured. The deeds done in tho body will
be the test, and not the rules OF Lord Ches.
terfeld.
Again, let me say that the mere profession
OF religion is but apoor wrapping OF naked
soul. The Importance Of making public
PROFESSION OF religion If tho heart be re.
newed cannot be exaggerated. Christ posi-.
lively and with the earnestness of the night
before His crucifixion commanded it. But it
is the result of Christian character, not the
cause of it. Our church certificate is a poor
title to heaven. We may have the name and
not the reality. There are those who seam
to throw themselves back with complacency
upon their public confession of Christ a.
though they give no signs of renewal. II
satan can induce a man to build OH such a
rotten foundation as that he has accom-
pIshed his object. We cannot imagine the
adherence with which Col looks upon such
procedure. What would be the feelings Of
shepherd il he saw wolf in the
same fold with his focks, however
quiet he might seem to lie, or gen.
eral il among his troops he saw one
wearing the appointed uniform who never.
theless really belonged to tho opposing hosLi
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
, pretend to be soldiers Of the cross while they
are His armed enemies. II any of you find
: yourself deficient in the great tests of Chris
tan character, do not, | beg of you, look
upon your profession of religion as anything
consolatory. If you have taken your pres
ent position from view that you have
of Christ and your need of Him, rejoice with
joy unspeakable and full Of glory and claI
your hands for gladness; but il you find
yourself with nothing but the name of life,
while dead in trespasses and sins, arouse be
, fore the door is shut. That gilded profes
;on-the world may not be able to Sc,
through it. but in tho day OF divine reckon
, ing it will be found that you have no cloak
: for your sin.
Furthermore, outward morality will ba
no covering for the hidden iniquity of tbs
D Spirit. The God of Christ makes no assault
4 upon good works. They are as beautiful il
D Gods eye as in ours. Punctualty, truthful
A hess, almsgiving, affection and many othel
, excellences Of life that might be mentione,
will always be admired of God and man, bu
we take the position that good works cannot
be the ground Of our salvation. What we dc
right cannot pay for what we do wrong
e Admit that you have all those traits o
!, character which give merely worldly re
: spectability and influence, you must at tn
e same time acknowledge that during tn;
e course Of your life you have done many
: things you ought not to have done. How
!. are The difficult matters to be settleii All
my friends, we must have an atonement
!. No Christ, no salvation. Tho great Re
r deemer comes in and says: " will pay you
e indebtedness So that which was darl
enough before is bright enough now. Tn
stripes that we deserve are fallen upon Christ
On His scourged and bleeding shoulders 81
carries us up over the mountain of our sin
and the hills of our iniquities. Christ's goo
I works accepted are sufficient for us, but the
. who reject them. depending upon their own