Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1897-07-21
CHURCH OF GOD
Is in Danger From the vermin of
Hypocrisy.
when the Fox Plays Watch Your Chick
ems Carefully Religious Impo-ter,
Who Are Always Uncomtort-
abie-sermon by Row. T.
DEWITT raimage ID

/. Sam, xv., Ia: And Samuel s,id
What meaneth then this bleatinp of
the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing
of the oxen which l hear?"
The Amalekites thought they had
conquered God, and that He would
not carry into execution His threats
against them. They hal murdered
the lsraelites in battle and out of bat
tie, and left no outrage uutried. For
400 years this had been going on. and
they say; God either dare not punish
us or He has forgot to do So" Let us
See Samuel, Gods prophet. tells
saul to go down and slay all the Amel-
ekites, not leaving one of them alive:
also to destroy all the beasts in
thelr possession-ox, sheep. camel and
ass HarkI L hear the tread of
10000 men, with monstrous Saul at
their head, ablaze with armor. his
shield dangling at his side, holding in
MS hand spear, at the waving of
which the great host marched on or
halted. see smoke curling in the sky.
Now there Is a thick cloud OF it, and
now l see the whole city rising in a
chariot of smoke behind stccds of fire
1t is Saul that set the city ablazc. The
Amalekites and Israclitcs meet. the
trumpets of battle blow peal on peal.
and there is death hush.
Then there is signal waved.
swords cut and hack. iavclins
ring on shields, arms fall from trunks
and heads roll into the dust. Cash aft
er cash, the frenzied yell, the gurgling
OF throttled Threats, the cry OF pain.
the laugh of revenge, the curse Kissed
between clcnched teeth-an armv's
death groan. Stacks OF dead on all
sides, with eyes unshut and mouths
yet grinning vengeance Huzza for
the lsraelites! Two hundred and ten
thousand men wave their plumes and
clap their shields, for the Lord God
hath given them the victory.
Yet that victorious army of Israel is
conquered by sheep and oxen. God.
through the prophet samuel, told Saul
to Stay all the AmalelSites, and to slay
all the beasts in their possession; but
Saul, thinking that he knows more
than God, saves Agag the AmaIekitish
king, and five drove of sheep and a
herd of oxen that he can not bear to
kill Saul drives the sheep and oxen
down toward home. He has no idea
that Samuel, the prophet, will find out
that he has saved these sheep and oxen
4OA AAAl4SSAA- SAMUEL Comes ana ASKS
Saul the news from the battle. Saul
puts on a solemn face for there is
no one who can look more solemn
than your genuine hypocrite, and he
says: Il have fulfilled the command of
the Lord samuel listens, and he
hears the drove of sheep a little wav
off. Saul had no idea that the proph-
cts ear would be SO acute Samuel
70 NO.,
God told you, and slain all the Anele-
kites and all the beasts in their pos
session, what meaneth the bleatinr Of
the sheep in mine ears and the low
ing of the oxen that hear? An, one
would have thought that bushes would
have consumed the cheek of saul. No.
no! He says the army-not himself.
of course, but the army-had saved |
the sheep and oxen for sacrifice; and
then they thought it would be too bad /
anyhow to kill Agag, the Amelekitish |
king. Samuel takes the sword and he |
slashes Agag to pieces; and then he |
takes the skirt of his coat. in true
Oriental style, and rends it in twain.
as much as TO say, You. Saul, lust
like that, shall be torn away from your
empire, and torn away from your
throne" In other words, let all the
nations of the earth hear the story
that Saul, by disobeying God, won a
flock of sheep, but lost a kingdom.
learn from this su biect that God
will expose hypocrisy. Here Saul pre-
tends he has fulfilled the divine com
mission by Staying all the beasts be-
longing 70 the Amalekites, and vet at
the very moment he is telling the !
story, and practicing the delusion, the
secret comes out and the sheep bleat
and the oxen below.
hypocrite is one who pretends TO
be what he IS not Saul was only a
type Of a class. The modern bypocrite
looks awfully solemn, whines when he
prays, and during his public devotion
shows great deal Of the whites Of his
eyes. lie never laughs, or IL he does
laugh, he seems sorry for % afterward
as though he had committed some
great inuIScretion. The first time ne
gets chance he prays 20 minutes in
public. and when hc exhorts he seems
% imply that all the race are sinners
with one exception. his modestv for
bidding the stating who that one is
There are great many churches who
have two or three ecclesiastical Uriah
Heeps.
When the fox begins ~ pray look
out for your chickens. The more gen
uine religion a man has the more com
Portable be will bc; but you may know
religious impOstor by the fact that
he prides himself on being uncomfort-
able. a man Of that kind is Of inn
nense damage 10 the Church of Christ.
q ship Ady Outride % hundred storms.
and yet handful Of worms i'm the
planTs may sink 10 20 Tine bottom
The Church of cod is NOT so much
in danger Of the cyclones OF trouble
and persecution that come upon 10
as the yermin Of hypocrisy that ufest
IL Wolves are OF no danger % the
fold 81 God unless they look like
sheep. Arnold was or more damage
20 the army than CornwalIis and his
hosts. Oh, we can not deceive cod
with church certificate, tie secs bee
bind the curtain as well as before The
curtain; He sees every thing
inside and out 4 man may.
through policy hide his real char.
acter, but God will after a
while tear open the whlted scpg.cner
and expose the putrefact0u. SUNDAY
faces can not save him long prayers
can not save him, psalm-siugiug and
church-gDIng can not save him. col