The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-02-28
HIDDEN SINS.
than wore.


He that covercth his sins shall not
prosper. Proverbs XEviii:ll.
Solomon, with all his wisdom, never
made II trucr or wiser utterancc than
this. The moral laws that govern the ac,
tions of men are as fixed and mmutable
as the physical laws that control the uni
verse. AS in the economy of nature
single dew drop has Its essential func-
tions, SO in the life of man every word
and every action is helping to forge link
in the chain of events of which he is Il
part. AS long as such words and deeds
are in conformance with right, their ten
dency is for good, but every departure
from the line Of recJitude is leading
for Il time, conceal his shortcomings from
those with whom he is associated: but
every attempt to hide one trhns9ression
with another only adds to the danger of
come to every wrong-docr in the world
For a-time he may deceive others: hut
he cannot smother the protests of that
monitor which tells him when he has
gers that surround him. He knows from
the experience Of Others that folly is it's
own reward, and that he may he sure his
sins will find him out He reads of wreck
and ruin daily, as the consequences of
some hidden wrong, and he knows if he
is untrue To himself, his neighbor, his
country or his God, that. in spite of all
his cunning or his slrewdness, the hour
will come when he will be forced to con
fess the utter futility Of all attempts TO
hide himself from his sins
Besides the immediate effect of wrong
doing upon the sinner, its evil effects
upon others are incalculable, and in this
life it often happens that long after IL
mans transgressons have been forgiven
and forgotten by the world at large, the
heart and co'irage OF the cvil.doer are
Slapped and withcred ny the constant
cravings of IL conscience that never
sleens. He cannot escape the colsc-
quences Of his sins, even if he would,
and, though the danger of bolts and
bars he removed he finds in his mental
agony aud remorsc that the laws of God
hold him to Il strict accountability for
every departure from the path OF recti-
tudc and virtue
Often, too, the sinner with brazen
efirontery sits high in the,,synagoguc: but
the voice that is never hushed is con
stantly accusing lin, and the worm
that dicth not is guawing. lat. his vitnls
Realizing that exposure will come some
day, lie shrnks within himself ut the con.
seriousness OF his sins, while in haste to
hide them he piles mp wrong upon WRONG.
In his cagcrness for money he CANDLES To
increase his stock, and when once he has
stepped aside to play with cash thar does
not belong to him, stealing and forgery
are likely 90 follow, until finally his .losscs
become so great that exposure and death,
by his own hands. bring an end to his
populations and TO himself
Not only * it true in such cases as
these that ones sins will find him out
but it j. 50 in al the walks of life, in
small as we'll rs in great things Besides
the terrible workings of the moral law
upon the character and prospects of the
sinner, it is equally trnc that every devil
alton from the laws OF health and purity
will bring their own penalty uuon those
who disregard them. Although Il free
agent in his choice of good and evil
thngs, the punishment for wrong is rs