Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-07-10
DISGUISED SIN,
DR.. Talmage on the Many Cloaks
That Cover Sin.
OnhcIaI Power Often Used to Hide Evil Liv-
ing-Outward Morality No Covering
For Iniquity-SIn in High
Places.

Rev. L. Dewitt Ialmage dealt with The
many DISCUSSES in which sin masquer
AIDES in modern society. His text wa
John, XIV. %: He said;
Sin is always disguised. Decked, and
CLOSED, and perfumed, and masked, il
gains admittance in places from which
it would otherwise be repealed.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 temples it now ad'
dresses men, Could people look upon
sin as it always is-an exhalation from
the pit, the qualification of infinite Ca
pacities, the CHASTITY, loathsome, God
smitten monster that uprooted Eden and
killed Christ, and would push the en- IRE
race into darkness and pain-the internal
charm would be broken. Before our first
parents transeressed sin appeared to
them the sweetness of fruit and the
becoming as gods. To Absalom it was
the pleasure Of sitting upon {. throne.
To men now sin is laughter, and per-
mission to luxurious qualification.
Jesus Christ in my text suggests fact
that everybody ought to know, and that
is that sin, to hide its dcformity and
shame, is accustomed TO wearing a cloak,
and the Saviour also sets forth the tfuth
that God can see straight through all
such wrappings and tblCknesses. l 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 if you will tarry
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 that 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 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 no 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 f1ocks, 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 i'm
perial and lordly. You can not make
prde, or injustice, or cruelty sacred by
giving it 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 |
sIezebePs queenly retension 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 a sufficient cloak of sin. |
Henry Will, Louis Nv, Catharine of |
Russia, Mary of England-did their |
crowns save them? No ruler ever sat |
so high that the King of Kings was not
ahOVn Oh
fore Him who on the white horse goeth
forth conquering and to conquer.
Again: Elegance of manners can not
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 re-
spectacle wording nor consistent
Christian who lacks good manners. He
is shut out from refined circles, and he
certainly ought to be hindered from en-
tering the church. We can not over
look that in man which we could hard
ly excuse in a bear One of the first eff
fects of the grace of God upon an indi-
vidual is to make him a gentleman
Gruffness, awkwardness, applicability,
clannishness, are faults of the devil:
while gentlenesS and meekness are
fruits of the Spirit But while these
excellences of manner are so important
they can not hide any deformity of
moral character. How often it is that
we find attractiveneSs of person, suavity
of manners, gracefulness of conversa-
ton, gallantry of behavior thrown like
wreaths upon moral death. The flowers
. o4 = L., !
do not make it any the less of a volcano.
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 depend-
ing on outward gracefulness and at
Effectiveness of demeanor with any hope
that because of that God will forgive
the sin of their soul, let me assure
them that Divine justice can not be sat
isfed with smiles and elegant gesticula-
ton. Christ looks deeper than the skin
and such 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 Judgment
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 Chesterfield.
Again: Let me say that the mere pro-
fession Of religion is a poor wrapping
for soul The Importance of making
a public profession of religion if the
he9rt be renewed can not be exagger-
ated. Christ positively and with the
earnestness of the night before his