The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-07-16

AMI expose the putrefactlon. Sunday
faces cannot save him. Long prayers
cannot save him. Psalm singing and
churchgoing cannot save him. God will
expose him just as thoroughly as
though he branded upon his forehead
the word "Hypocrite. He may think
he has been successful in the deception,
but at the most unfortunate moment
the sheep will bleat and the oxen will
below.
One of the cruel bishops of olden
time was going to excommunicate one
of the martyrs, and he began in the
usual form-"In the name of God,
amen. - "Stopp' says the martyr.
Don't say in the name of Godp" Yet
how many outrages are practiced under
the garb Of religion and sanctity. When
in synods and conferences ministers of
Che gospel are about to say something
unbrc'herly and unkind about mem
Der, t',ey almost always begin by 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 hypoorite
successfully now, but the Lord God will
after awhile expose our true character.
You must know the incident mentioned
in the history of Ottacas, who was ask
ed to kneel in the presence of Randol-
plus |, 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 servants of the king had ar
ranged it so that by drawing cord the
tent would suddenly drop. Ottacas aft
er awhile came in, and supposing he
was in entire privacy knelt before Ran
dolphus. The servants pulled the cord,
the tent dropped, and two armies sur
rounding looked down on Ottacas kneel-
ing before Randolphus. If we are really
kneeling to the world while we profess
to be lowly subjects of Jesus Christ,
the tent has already dropped and all
the hosts of heaven are gazing upon our
hypocrisy. Gods universe is very
public place, and you cannot hide hypoc-
risy in it,
Going out into a world of delusion
and sham, pretend to be no more than
you really are. If you have the grace
of God, profess 1t; profess no more than
you have. But l 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 fatter-
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 have the fierceness of catamount,
the slyness of snake and the spite of
q hONAAs NIOd NllI Ca pObO buCu. 1uC Ruu
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 de-
ceiving you and deceiving the world the
sheep will bleat and the oxen will bel
low.
Responsibility.
learn further from this subject how
natural it is to try to put off our sins
on other people. Saul was charged with
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 in all ages. Adam,
confronted with his sin, said, 1.-THE
tempted me, and l did eat"
And the woman charged it upon the
and if the serpent could have
spoken it would have charged it upon
the devil. l suppose that the real state
If the case was that Eve was eating
the apple and that Adam saw it and
begged and coaxed until he got piece
Of it. l suppose that Adam was just as
much to blame as Eve was You can
not throw off the responsibility of any
sin upon the shoulders of other people.
Here is young man who says: II
Know am doing wrong, but have not
had any chance. had father who de- I
pised God and a mother who was
disciple of goddess fashion. am not to
blame for my sins; it is my bringing {
lp." All, no; that young man has
'een out in the world long enough to
ZEE what is right and to see what is
wrong, and in the great day Of eternity ,
lie cannot throw his sins upon his ia
her or mother, but will have to stand
or himself and answer before God. {
You have had a conscience, you have
lad Bible and the influence of the {
Holy Spirit. Stand for yourself or fall I
or yourself.
Here is business man. He says, 81
now don't do exactly right in trade, {
nut all the dry goods men do it and all I
he hardware men do this, and / am 6
lot responsible. " You cannot throw {
IF your sin upon the shoulders of other {
merchants. God will hold you respon- t
ible for what you do and them re- 6
pOIAible for what thew do I want To