The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-03-20
OUR SUNDAY COLUMN.
Original and otherwise--Pre.
pared by Mark.
NO. xI
SATAN AN HONEST pAYMAsTER.


Wages of Sin is Death" And yet it is
true. The devil is prompt and GER
tain paymaster. If some bills are kept
standing unpaid for time they are
sure to be paid with interest. His
maiesty's servants will get all the more
at last.
There are many in Roanoke who are
at work on turnkey job for the devil,
and he will be sure to settle with them
in full. do not remember ever to have
known single tran saction whereSatan
disputed bill. 1 have known a great
many where his wage-earners contend
that he did not owe them much, but he
would insist on paying the full amount.
THE wages of sin is death" "Sin,
when it is finished, bringeth forth
death" 1 once read of q. tyrant who
sent for. one of his subjects, and said to
him: what is your employment?"
home and make me a chain Of such and
such LENGTH" said the tyrant. He
went home; it occupied him several
months, and he had no wages all the
time he was making it. Then he
brought it to the monarch, and he said:
go and make it twice as long" He
brought 1t up again. and the mouarch
said: go and make it longer still"
Each time he brought it, there was
nothing but the command to make it
longer still; and when he brought it up
at last, the monarch said: "Take
it, and bind him hand and
foot with it, and cast him into fire."
These were the wages of making the
chain.
Here is meditation for those who
are the servants of the devil. Your
master, the devil, is telling you to
make chain. Some have been fifty
years welding the links. and Satan saws
go and make 1t still longer" Some
to-day will break the Sabbath and put
another link on; some will get drunk
and put another link on; some on Mon.
day will do dishonest action and put
on another link, and thus tho servants
of the evil one will keep on making
fresh links to this chain, and when they
have lived twenty more years, the devil
will still say, more links on still"
Andsthen at the last will say, stake
! him and bind him hand and foot and
cast him into the furnace of the fire."
Yes, THE wages Of sin is death, but
the gift OF God is eternal life through
jesus Christ, our Lord"
Satan is a hard master, and sin is
wretched drudgery when ones eyes are
opened to see its guilt, it's degradation,
its reward. But it is difficult to get the
servants of the devil to change mas
tiers. They prefer the pleasures of sin.
Rejoice, o young man, in thy youth;
and let thine heart cheer thee in the
ways of thine heart, and in the sight of
thine eyes; but know thou that for all
these things God will bring thee into
judgment"
The pleasures of sin are only for
season. If the servants of the devil
would stop and think they would quit
his service. There is nothing in sin to
create happiness. Conscience often
spoils the pleasures of the wicked.
There is q story of one who undertook
in. few days to make a fat
sheep lean, and yet to allow
him daily and large provision of food.
soft and easy lodging, with security
from all danger, that nothing should
hurt him.
This he effected by putting him into
an iron cage and placing a ravenous
wolf hard by in another cage The
wolf was always bowling, fighting.
scouting and scratching to come at the
poor sheep, which was SO sffrighted at
this sad s)und and worse sight that he
had but little Joy to eat and less to
sleep. whereby his flesh was suddenly
abated. And thus it is that all wicked
men have the terrors of an affrighted
conscience constantly not only barking
at them, but biting them. This .spoils
all their mirth, embitters all their
pleasures with the sad considera-
ton Of the sins they have committed,
a nd hn nfo1r
undergo, when, in another world,
they shall be called to an &C.
count for what they have done here
in the flesh. Burns understood it when
he said:
You seize the ilower-its bloom is shed,
Or like the snowflake in the river,
moment white-thcn mets forever"
1t is not thus with religion. "Iier
ways are ways of pleasantness and all
her Paths are peace"
''She is tree of life to them that Law
hold upon her and happy is every one
that retaineth her.
Christ is not a hard master. Hear
him saying to every one who Is bending
and suffering under the CALLING yoke OF
Satan and sin, "Come unto me, all ye
who labor and are heavy laden, and
will give you rest"
Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me; for l am meek and lowly in
heart, and We shall find rest unto your
souls"
For my yoke is easy and my burden
is light"
Then lot every servant of the devil
change masters and put on the yoke of
Christ. "For the wages of sin is death:
but the gift OF God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord. -
MARK.