The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-09-29

'he- W. ANR sko s3O OPthiOuo mOr6
than the Judgment of God Write down
your name, hypoorite.
This class.of professors are apt to
indulge In some ain when they are away
from home, that tboy would not commit
at home.
Many a man who is temperate at home.
whom he gets TO o distance, Will toss off
his glass Of brandy and water at the
table or step Up to the bar and call for
liquor without shame; or If they ara in
Europe they will go to the theatre.
When l was in the Mediterranean, at
Messiua, gentleman asked me If [
would go to she theatre with him
What. go to the theatre?' A minister
go to the theatre?" Why said he,
"you are away from home, and no one
would know It." but would not God
know it?" Ii was plain thai he thought,
although WAS minister, could 10 to
the theatre when l was away from home
No matter il God knew Ii, so long as
men did not know 1t. And how should
be get that idea, but by seeing ministers
who would do just such thingsP
5 Another development Of the char
acter Of these individuals Is, that they
indulge themselves in secret sin.
am now speaking OF something, by
which you may know yourselves. II
yoa oAho" yooEoOlfEb III huY 6lQ6 SEC
reilly, when you can get along without
having any human being know it, know
that God sees it, and that he has already
written down your name, hypocrite
You are more afraid Of disgrace in the
eyes OF mortals, than of disgrace in the
eye Of God. II you love GOD supremely,
1t would be q small thing to you that
any and every body else knew your sins,
In comparison to having them known to
God. IL tempted to any such thing
you would exclaim, WHAT shall |
commit sin under the eye of God ?"
6. They indulge in secret omission
of duty, which they would not dare
have others to know.
They may not practice any secret sins,
or indulge in those secret pollu lions
that are spoken of, but they neglect
those duties, that II they were known to
neglect, 1t would be called disreputab BILE
to their Christian character. Such as Sc.
cret prayer for instance. They will go to
the communion-yes, to the communion !
and appear to be very pious on the
Sabbath, and yet, as 10 private piety,
they know noshing OF it. Their closet
| for prayer Is unknown to Cod or man.
1t Is easy 20 see their repu tation Ia their
| idol. They dread to lose their reputa-
tion more than to offend God.
How Ia 1t with you? Is it fact, that
you habitually omit those secret duties,
and are more careful to perform your
public duties than private ones? Then
what is your oharacte-2 Do you need
| to be told? They loved the praise OF
men more than tho praise Of G 3D."
7. The conscience of this class OF per-
sons seem to be formed on other prin-
| clples than those OF the gospel.
Iney seem to have conscience in
those things thai are popular, and no
conscience at all ia these things that
are not required by public sentiment.
You may preach to than ever so plainly,
their duty, and prove il ever 80 clearly,
and even make them confess that II is
their duty, aud yet SO long as public
Rentiment does not require 1t, and it is
no, matter of repu :ation, they will
| continue on in the same way as before
Show them o "Thus saith the Lord, -
| and make the m see that their course is
| palpably inconsistent with Christian
| perfection, and contrary to the Interests
of the kingdom of Christ, and yet they
will not alter. They make 1t NANTES,
| that 1t Is not the requirements of G ID
| they regard. but the requirements OF
| public opinion. They love the praise Of
| men more than the praise Of God.
8. This class of persons generally
dread, very much, the thought Of being
| considered fanatical.
They are ignorant, practically, of the
first principle In religion, that all the
world Is wrong. That the public senti
ment of the world is oil against God
and that every ona who intends &c
serve God must in the first instance sci
his face against the public sentiment oil
the world. They are to take it fol
| granted, that in a world of rebels, pub.
! lie sentiment is as certainly wrong as
that there is q controversy with God
They have never had their eyes open tc
| this fundamental truth, that the world
| Ia wrong, and that Gods ways are d.
rectly over against their ways. Con-
| sequent)y, 1t is true, and always has
been true, that sail that will live godly
In Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. .
They shall be called fanatical, supersti-
tious, ultras, and the like. They al
ways have been, and they always will
be. as long as the world Ia wrong.
But this class OF persons will never &c
further than Is consistent with the
opinions of worldly men. They say
| they must do this and that in order to
have influence over such men Right
over against this is the course OF the
true friends of God and man Their
loading aim Is to reverse the order OF
the world and turn the world upside
down, to bring all men to obey God, and
all the opinions of men to conform to
the word OF God, and all the usages
and institutions OF the world to accord
with the spirit Of the gospel.
They are intent On making friends
or both sides.
They take the middle course always.
'Hhou nunfc no -
righteous over much, on the one hand,
and on the other hand OF being lax or
irreligious. 1t has been so for centu ries
that q nRrann cnnld m aintnIn a zann-