The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-16

listers OF the gospel are about to say
something unbrotheriy and unkind
about a member, hey almost always
begin in being tremendously pious, the
venom of their assault corresponding
to the heavenly flavor Of the prelude.
Standing there, you would think they
were ready to go right up into glory
and that nothing kept them down but
the weight of their boots and overcoat.
when suddenly the sheep bleat and the
oxen below.
SIMPLICITY.
Oh, my dear friends, let us cultivate
simplicity of Christian character! Jesus
Christ said, Unless you become as this
little child you cannot enter the king
dom OF God" We may play hypocrite
successfully now, but the Lord God
will after awhile expose our true char
acter. You must know the incident
mentioned in the history of Ottacas.
who was asked to kneeI in the presence
Of Randolphus /, and when before him
he refused to do it, but after awhile he
agreed to come in private when there
was nobody in the kings tent, and then
he would kneel down before him and
worship, but the servant Of the king
had arranged it 50 that by drawing a
cord the tent would suddenly drop. OF
tacas after awhile came in, and suppos-
ing he was in entire privacy knelt h-
fore RandOlphus. The servants pulled
the cord, the tent dropped. and two
armies surrounding looked down on OF
tacas kneeling before Randolphus. If
We are really kneeling to the world
while we profess to be 1owly subjects
of Jesus Christ, the ent has already
dropped and all the hosts of heaven
are gazing upon our hypocricy. Gods
universe is a very public place, and you
cannot hide hypocrisy in it.
Going out into a world of delusion
and sham, pretend to be no more than
you really are. If you rave the grace
Of God, profess it; profess no more than
you have . But I want the world to
know that where there is one hypocrite
in the church there are 500 outside of
it, for the reason that the field is larger.
There are men in All circles who will
bow before you, and who are Obsequi-
Gus in your presence and talk f1atter-
ingly, but who all the while in your
conversation are digging for bait and
angling for imperfectiOnS. In yOur pres
ence they imply that they are every
thing friendly, but after awhile you find
they AVE h fierceness of a cata-
mount, the slyness of a snake and
the spite of a devil. God will expose
such. The gun they load will burst in
their own hands, the lies they tell will
break their own teeth, and at the very
moment they think they have been
successful in deceiving you and deceiv-
ing the world the sheep will bleat and
the oxen will below.
RESPONSIBILITY.
I learn further from this subject how
natural it is to try to put off our sins
on other people. Saul was charged with
disobeying God. The man says it was
not he; he did not save the sheep; the
army did it-trying to throw it off on
the shoulders of other people. Human
nature is the same III all ages. Adam,
confronted with his sin, aid 1.-The
woman tempted me, and 1 did eat"
And the woman charged it upon the
serpent, and if the serpent could have
spoken it would have charged it upon
the devil. I p that the real state
Of the case was that Eve was eating
the apple and that Adam saw it and
begged and coaxed until he got a piece
of it. I suppose that Adam was just as
much to blame as Eve was. You cam
not throw off the responsibility of any
sin upon the shoulder of other people
Here is a young man who says: Il
know I ann doing wrong, but I nave not
had any chance. I had a father who
despised God and a mother who was
a disciple of goddess fashion. I am not
to blame for my sins; it is my bringing
up" All. no; that young man has
been out in the world long enough to
see what is right n to see what is
| wrong, and in the great day of eternity
he cannot throw his sins upon his ia
| Their or mother, but will la to stand
for himself and answer before God.
You have had a conscience, o have
had a Bible and the influence of the
| Holy Spirit. Stand for yourself or fall
for yourself.
Here is a business man. He says, Il
| know I don't do exactly right in trade,
but all the dry goods men do it and all
the hardware men do this, and I am
not responsible" You cannot brow
off your sin upon the shoulders of other
merchants. God will hold you respon-
sible for what you do and them re-
sponsible for what they do. I want to
| quote one passage of Scripture for you
I think it is in Proverbs-"If thou be
wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself,
but if thou soonest thou alone shalt
bear it,
ALL OR NONE.
7 learn further from this subject what
| God meant by determination. Saul was
told to STAY all the Amalekites and the
beasts in their possession. He saves
Agag, the Amalekite king, and some Of
the sheep and oxen. God chastises him
for it. God likes nothing done by
halves. God will not not stay in the
soul that is half his and half t~hedevils.
There may be more sins in our soulthan
there were Amalekites. We must kill
them. Woe unto us if we spare Agag.
Here is a Christian. He says: II will
drive out all the Amalekites OF sin from
my heart. Here is jeaIousy-down goes
that Amalekfte. Here is backbiting-
down goes that Amalekite," n what
slaughter he make among his sins,
striking right and left! What is that
out yonder, lifting up his head? 1t is
Agag-it is worldliness. 1t is an Ole sin
he cannot bear to strike down. 1t is a
darling transgression he cannot afford
to sacrifice. Oh, my brethren, I appeal
for t.1tire conservation. Som of the
Presbyterians call it the higher life
The Methodists, i believe, call it per
fection." I do not care what you call
it, without holiness no man shall see
the Lord" 1 know men who are living
with their soul in perpetual communion
with Christ and day by day are walk