Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-07-04
TALMACE ON SIN.
The Mere Profession of Religion is Poor
Wrapping for the Sou.
A Church Certificate is Poor Title to Heaven
Come OF the Biggest scoundrels in the
World Have Been the Most Fascinating.

| Sunday, Rev. Il. De Witt Talmage dealt In
characterist style with the various garbs
In which sin masquerades in modern
society, and, in stripping the monster OF its
DISCUSSES, he aimed not only 10 reveal Its
deformity to the world, but put his hearers
on their guard against self-delusiou. His
text, John Is: %: "But now they have no
cloak for their SIM"
Sin Is always disguised. Decked, and
CLOSED, and perfumed, and masked, 1t gains
admittance in places from which it would
otherwise be repealed. AS silently as when
II glided into Eden ana as plausibly as
when il talked to Christ at the top OF the
temple, it now address men. Could people
look upon sin as it always is-an exhalation
from the pit the putrefaction of infinite
capacities, the CHASTITY, loathsome, God
smitten monster that uprooted Eden and
killed Christ, and would push the entire
race into darkness and pain-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 Absalom it was the pleasure of
sitting upon a throne. To men now, sin is
laughter, and permission to luxurious graf
ihcation. Jesus Christ in my text iggests
q fact that everybody ought to know. and
that is that sin, 10 hide its deformity and
shame, Is accustomed to wearing a clio TX,
and the Saviour also sets forth the truth
that God can see straight through all such
wrappings and thicknesses. l 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 chan cling, and every
day beholds some new style of wearing
them, and, if you will tarry a little while,
will show you five or six Of the patterns
of coaks.
First remark that there are those, who
being honored with official power, expect
TO make that a successful cloak for their
sin. There is a sacrednes' in offica God
Himself Is king, and all who hold author
ity in the world serve under Him. That
community has committed q mons;rous
wrong who has elevated to this dignity
persons unqualified either by their ignor-
ance or their immortality. Nations who
elevate TO posts Of authority 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 child and thy princes drink in the
morning" While positions of trust may
be disgraC ed 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 trans
gression. Nebuchadnezzar, and Ahab, and
Herod, in the day OF Judgment, must stand
OF the level with the herdsmen that kept
their tiocks, and tho fishermen OF Galilee.
Pope, and king, and president, and goven.
or, must give an account 10 God, and be
judged by the same law as that which
judges the beg gar and tho slave. Sin is all
the more obnoxious when it is imperial and
lordly. You cannot make pride or in
Justice, or cruelty sacred by giving
II n 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 the dogs.
The imperial vestmeuts of wicked Jehoram
could not keep Jehu's arrow from striking
through his heart Jezebeps queeuly pre-.
tension could not save her from being
thrown over the wall. No barricade OF
thrones can arrest Gods Justice in its I'M
erring march. No splendor, o. thickness
OF official robes can be a sufi lent cloak of
sin. Henry the Eighth, LOUIS the Fifth
teenth, Catherine OF Rus sia, Mary of Eng
land-did their crowns save thelul No
ruler ever sat so nigh that the King Of
! kings was not above him. All victors
, shall bow before lin who on the white
horse goeth forth conquerng and to con-
quer.
Again: Elegance of manners cannot
successfully hide iniqu ty from tie eye Of
God. That model, gentlemanly apostle,
Paul, writes TO u.s. "Be courteous That
man can neither be a respectable world
ling nor a consistent Chris tian who lacks
good manners, He is shut out from refined
circles, and he certainly ought to be him
dered from entering the chur,h. We can
not overlook that in q man which we could
hardly excuse in bear. One Of the Il st
effects Of the gra g of God upon an
| individual is to make him gentleman.
| Gruffness awkwardness, impacabilty,
| clannishness, are fruits OF the devil;
while gentleness and meekness are fruits
OF the Spirit But while these excellens es
Of manner arc so important, they cannot
hide any deformity of moral character.
How often it is that we find attractiveness
OF person, suavity of manners, graceful
ness of conversation, gallantry of behavior
thrown like wreaths upon moral death.
4 he flowers that grow upon the scorie OF
Vesuvius do not make it any less of a vol.
cano. The sepulchres in Chrsrs time did
not exhaust all the whitewash Some OF
the biggest scoundrel5 have been the most
fascinating. If there are any depending
on outward gracefulness, and attractive
| ness of demeanor with any hone
that because of that God will forgive
tho sin OF their soul, let me assure
them that tn, divine justice cannot be
satisfied with smiles and elegant gesucu-
lation. Christ looks deeper than the skin,
and such ragged cloak as tho 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 pc itely you bowed,
nor how sweetly you smiled, nor how i'm
pIessively you gestured. The deeis done
in tho body VIII 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
a SOUL The Importance of making a pub.
lie profession of religion IL the heart be
renewed cannot be exaggerated. Christ
positively and with the earnestness OF the
night before his crucihXion commanded it
But it is The result of Christian character,
not the cause OF it, Our church
certificate Is poor title to heaven.
We may have the name and not no reality.
There arc those who seom to throw them.
selves back with complaceucy upon their
public confession OF Christ although they
give no signs OF renewal II Satan car
induce a man TO build on such
rotten foundation as that, he has accom-