Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-10-04

Errors Which Cause Men to Die
Without Salvation.

A Scholarly Discourse Delivered
Yesterday Morning at ST. Matth-
ew's Church by Rev. VIM. F.
Pierce, Of Gambler, Ohio-Some
Of the Ways by Which Men De-
Deceive Themselves and Waste
Their Good Intentions--A Ser
mon Helpful Not Only to Those
Who Profess Religion But to
Non Christians as Well.
Rev. William F. Pierce, of Gambler,
o., preached a. cermOn at st. Matth-
ew's P. e. church, yesterday morning,
that made a deep impression. 1t was
an able, scholarly production, ana
eloquently delivered. Extracts from
his sermon were as follows:
"As he reasoned of righteousness,
temperance and judgment to come,
Felix trembled and answered, Go thy
way for this time; when have con-
venient season l will call for thee"
-Acas XIV. 25.
In the second lesson for this ninth
Sunday after Trinity, it is written:
"As he reasoned of Righteousness,
temperance, and judgment to come,
Felix trembled and answered, Go thy
way for this time; when l have con-
venient season l will call for thee"
(Acts XIV. 25.) go thy way for
this time; when I have a convenient
coocop T will coll for fboo -
Felix and his wife Drusilla doubt
less sent for ST. Paul out Of mere
curiosity to hear what the ''ring-
leader of the sect of the NaZarenes"
would say to them, and to discover, if
possible, the secret of his sway over
the people. They had little notion
that his eloquence would touch them,
or his strange doctrine appear to them
anything but a novel form of supersti-
ton. Yet when they heard him con-
corning the faith of Christ, and as he
reasoned of Righteousness, temperance,
and judgment to come, Felix trem-
bled." The burning words of the holy
apostle and the glorious and terrible
doctrine he proclaimed, moved even
the skeptical, avaricious, dissolute Ro-
man, and he "trembled.
Who can doubt that Felix's emotion
was sincere? And yet how does it
take issue? What does he say, and
still more, what does he do? He says:
go thy way for this time; when
have a convenient season I will call
for thee So far there is no reason
whatever to doubt his sincerity; it is
only when we read that latter two
years Porcius Festus came into Felix's
room; and Felix, willing to show the
Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound" and
further that Drusilla's shameless life
ended apparently unrepented in the
ruins of Pompeii-it is only then that
we have any ground for questioning
his sincerity; his acts lead us to doubt
the genuineness of the emotion he pro-
fessed.
But I think that we do Felix an in
justice if we doubt that he was really
and profoundly moved at the moment,
and that he really intended to con-
slider the matter at another time. His
repentance, though not lasting, was
for the moment genuine, but he did
rot quite have the courage to aban-
don his sins upon the spot. His con-
science was aroused, however; he
could not dismiss the subject altogeth-
er; so he salves his conscience (and
remains in his sins at the same time),
by resolving to give the matter his
attention at some future day. He
probably fancied that he would fulfill
that promise to his conscience, and,
meantime, waiting for his convenient
season." he could give the rein as be-
fore to unrighteousness and intem-
perance. He was no hypocrite in this
that is, no hypocrite in the sense OF
trying to pass, in the sight of others,
for better than he was; he was only a
hypocrite in the way most Of us are
hypOcrites: he was trying to pose in
his own eyes; he was self-deceived.
The usual lesson drawn from the
narrative of Felix recorded in the Acts
of the Holy Apostles is most valu-
able and necessary one, viz: that it is
fatal to defer the consideration Of re-
ligiOus matters, that now is the ac-
cepted time, now is the day of saliva
ton" G. Cor. vi. 81 But it is to an
other side of the story that l wish to
Cdll yOuI dIIcullOu ILLS uOI
to the fact that Felix. by once letting
pass the opportunity for repentance,
lost it forever but to the fact that he
deceived himself into thinking that he
would seek the opportunity again. He
was self-deceived: he allowed his con-
science to be quieted too easily. He
not only dismissed his scruples, but
deceived himself into believing he had
settled them. By telling himself he
would look into the matter at some
future time he gave himself respite.
as it were, during which he might still
do the things which did not belong to
and temperance, and yet
and herein, think, lies his chief in
terest for us-be troubled meantime
by no scruples of conscience. Like us,
he deceived his own heart
There is another very common way
OF deceiving conscience into silence,
its object being. like that of the other,
to gain an excuse for persisting in sin.
A young child often shows this trait
He will not 90 the thing he is COM
manded, but he is willing to do a
great many other things to commend
himself to favor.
Truly our consciences are easily