The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-25
THE MORNING NEWS: MONDAY, OCTOBER %, 1897

genera ton TO generation in the Christian
church. There never was Presbyterian
who believed that. "Oh," YOU say. I
heard some Presbyterian minister twenty
years ago say So You did not. There
never was a man who believed that, there
never VIII be a man who VIII believe that.
And Vet. from boyhood. I have heard
that particular SANDER sgainst a Christian
church going down through the com
munity.
Then. how often It is that there are mis-
representations on the part of individual
churches in regard to other churches-es-
pecially " a church comes to great pros
perity. As long as a church IS in poverty,
and the singing is poor. and all the sur
roundings are decrepit and the congrega-
ton are so hardly bestead in life that their
pastor goes with elbows out, then there
viii always be Christian people in church
Is who say, What pity! what a pity"
But let the day of prosperity come TO a
Christian church, and let the music be
triumphant. and let there be vast assem-
blages. and then there will be even minis
ters Of the gospel critical and denuncia-
tory and fun of msrepresentat ton and fall
sificatiOn, giving the Impression to the out
side world that they do not like the corn
because it is not ground in their mill. Oh
my friends. let us in all departments of
life stand back from deception.
But some one says, THE deception that
I practice is so small that it don't amount
to anything" An, my friends it does
amount to a great deal. You say, when
1 deceive, it is only about a case of needles
or box OF buttons, or a row of pins. -
But the article may be so small you can
put IL in your vest pocket, but the sin is
as big as the pyramids. and the echo of
your dishonor viii reverberate through
the mountains of eternity. There is no
such thing as a small sin They are all
vast and stupendous, because they will all
have to come under inspection in the day
Of Judgment. You may boast yourself of
having made a fine bargain-a sharp bar
gain. You may carry out what the Bible
says in regard to that man who went in to
make purchase and deprecated the val
Ne of the goods, and then after he had got
away boosted of the splendid bargain he
had made. 1T is naught, il Is naught, saith
the buyer; but when he is gone his way
then he boasteth." 1t may seem to the
world a sharp bargain, but the recording
angel wrote down in the ponderous tones
of eternity, Mr.. So-and-so, doing business
on Pennsylvania avenue, or Broadway, or
Chestnut street, or State street, told one
lie"
May God extirpate from society all the
ecclesiastical lies, and all the social lies,
and all the mechanical lies, and all the
commercial lies, and all the agricultural
truth of his neighbor My friends let us
make our life correspond to what we are.
Let us Danish all deception from our be-
havior. Let us remember that the time
comes when God will demonstrate before
an assembled universe just what we are.
The secret will come out. We may hide
it while we live but we cannot hide 1t
when we die. To many life is a masquer-
ade ball. As at such entertainment gen.
tlemen and ladies appear in garb of kings
or queens, or mountain bandits or clowns.
and then at the close of the dance put off
their disguise, so many all through life are
in mask The masquerade ball goes on,
and gemmed hand clasps gemmed hand,
and dancing feet respond to dancing feet,
and cleaning brow bends to cleaning
brow, and the masquerade ball goes
bravely on. But after a while languor
comes and blurs the sight. Lights lower
Floor hollow with sepulchral echo. Music
saddens into wall. Lights lower Now
the masquerade is hardly seen. The frag-
rance is exchanged for the sickening
odor of garlands that have lain a long
while in the damp of sepUlchres Lights
lower. Mists fill the room. The scarf
drops from the shoulder of beauty, a
shroud Lights lower. Torn leaves and
withered garlands now hardly cover up
the ulcered feet. Stencil of lamp-wicks
almost quenched. Choking dampness.
Chilliness. Feet still. Hands folded.
Eyes shut Voice hushed. Lights out.