The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-07-11

back with complacency upon their
public confessions of Christ although
they give no signs of renewal. If
Satan can induce man to build on
such rotten foundation as that, he
has accomplished his object. We
cannot imagine the abho rrence with
which God looks upon such pro-
cedure. What would be the feelings
of shepherd if he saw wolf in the
same fold with his focks, however
quiet he might seem to lie, or gen
eral if among his troops he saw one
wearing the appointed uniform who
nevertheless really belonged to the
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
the Lord of hosts look upon those
who pretend to be soldiers of the
cross while they are His armed enc
mics.
Furthcrmore: Outward morality
will be no covering for the hidden mi
quity of the spirit. The gospel of
Christ makes no assault upon good
works. They are as beautiful in
Gods eye as in ours. Punctuality,
truthfulneess, almsgiving, affection
and many other excellences of life
that might be mentioned will always
be admired of God and man, hut we
take the position that good works
-cp6tfRshAe the ground of our saliva
fnmgs What we do right cannot pay
for What we do wrong Admit that
you Have all those traits of character
which give merely worldly respecta-
bility and influence, you must ut the
same time acknowledge that during
the course of your life you have done
many things you ought not to have
done. How are these difficult mat
ters to be settled? All, my friends,
we must have an atonement. No
Christ, no salvation. The great Re
deemer comes i'll and says, 81 will
pay your indebtedness" So that
which was dark enough before, is
bright enough now. The stripes that
we deserve are fallen upon Christ.
On His scourged and bleeding should
ers He carries us up over the noun
tain of our sins and the hills of our
iniquities. Christ's good works &C
cepted are sufficient for us, but they
who reject them, depending upon
their own, must perish. Traits of
character that may make us infuen-
tlal on earth willnot necessarily open
to us the gate of heaven. The plank
that will be strong enough for house
floor would not do for ships hulk.
Mere mortality might be enough
here, but cannot take you through
deaths storm into heavens harbor.
Christ has announced for all ages,
Il am the way, the truth, and the
life; him that cometh unto me I will
in no wise cast out" But pitiable i'm
the day of accounts will be the con-
dition of that man, though he may
have given all all his estate to benev-
olent purposes and passed his life i'm
the visiting of the distressed and done
much to excite the admiration of the
good and the great, If he have no in
innate relation to Jesus Christ. There
is a pride anda dapravity in his soul
Bs dass;is sssas .MH b5sfSSaSaa IL SS spdros7 =
for d deprayed inside. It is no theory
Of mine, but, an announcement of
God, who cannot lie. ''By the deeds
Of .1he law:shall no flesh living be
justified. -.
Again: Exalted social position will
be no cloak for sin. Men look through
thewicked doors of prisons, and see
ingi the Incorporated wretches ex-
claim; "Oh, hJw much vice there is
in the world" And they pass through
streets of city, and
looking into the doors of novels and
the. Of corruption they call them
abodes. But you
might walk along the avenues through
which the opulent roll in their lodr-
ishmg pomp and into mansions elc-
ggantly adorned, and find that even
in the admiEsd walks of life Satan
works mischief and death. The first
temptation Satin wrought in a gar
den, and he understands yet most
thoroughly how to insinuate himself
into any door of ease and splendor.
Men frequently Judge of sin by the
places h which it is committed, but
iniq1f$.h satin is to God as loath-
some rs iniquity in rags, and in the
day of judgment the sins of Madison
avenue and Elm street will all be
driven in one herd. Men cannot es-
cape at last for being respectfully
sinful. You know Dives was clothed
in purple and fine linen and Jared
every day, but his fine
clothes and good dinners did not save
him. He might on earth have drunk
something as rich as champagne and
cognac, but ut last he asked for one
drop of water. You cannot trade off
your attractive abodes here for q
house Of many mansions on high,
and your elegant shade groves here
will not warrant you a seat under the
tree of life.
Furthermore: Mere soundness of
religious belief will not hide our in
iquitieb. There are men whose heads
are as sound as Jonathan Edwards
OF John Wesley, whose hearts are as
rotten as Tom Paine's or Charles
Guiteau's. 1t is important that we
be theoretical Christians. It is utter
folly In this day for man to have no
preference for any one form of faith,
L L L.