Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-07-17

One or the cruel DlShOpS OF Olden
time was going to cXcommunicatc one
of the martyrs, and he began i'll the
usual fornl-''In the name of God,
amen. "S.op!" says the martyr.
"Don say i'll the name of God!'" Yet
how many outrages arc practiced under
the CARL, of religion and sanctity. When
in synods and conferences ministers of
the gospel are about to say something
unbrotherly and uukind about men,
Der, they 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 ovcrcont, when suddenly the
sheep blcat 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 character.
You must know the incident mentioned
III the history of Ottacas, who was ask
ed to kneel in the presence of Randol-
phus /, 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
knccl down before him and worship,
but the servants of the king had AZ
ranged it so that by drawing II 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 luwly 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 world of delusion
and sham, pretend to be no more than
you really are. If you have the grace
of God, profess it; profess 10 more than
you have. But 1 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 ohsequl-
Gus in your presence and talk fatter-
inely, but who all the while i'll 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 Il 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, aud at the very moment they
think they have been successful in de-
cciving you and decciviug the world the
sheep will bleat and the oxen will bel
low.
Responsibility.
1 learn further from this subject how
natural it is to try to put off our sins
OH 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 in all ages. Adam,
confronted with his sin, said, "The
woman tempted me, and l 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. l suppose that the real state
of the case was that Eve was eating
the apple and that Adam saw 1t 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: i
know l am doing wrong, but l have not
had any chance. l had father who de-
spised God and mother who was a
disciple of goddess fashion. 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 and to see what is
wrong, and i'll the great day of eternity
he cannot throw his sins upon his IA
thor or mother, but will have to stand
for himself and answer before Cod
You have had conscience, you have
had Bible and the influence of the
Holy Spirit Stand for yourself or fall
for yourself.
Here is a business man. He says, Il
know l don't do exactly right Ill trade,
but all the dry goods men do it and all
the hardware men do this, and l am
not responsible. - You cannot throw
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. l want tc
quote one passage of Scripture for you
Il think it is i'll Proverbs-"If thou be
wise. thou shalt bc wise for myself,
but if thou sccrnest thou alone shalt
bear it. -
All o: None.
I learn further from this subject what
God meant ty extermination. 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 HIN
for it. God likes nothing done b. halves.
God will not stiy i'll the soul that Is
half his and half tie devils There
may be more sins in OH soul than there
were Amalekites. We must kill them.
Woe unto us if we spare Agag. Here Is
Christian. Re says: II will drive out
all the Amalekites of SIN from my heart.
Here is iealousy-down goes that Anal
exile. Here is Neutrality-suspicious. goes
that Amalekite," and what slaughter
he makes among his sins, striking right
and left! What is that out yonder, lift
ing up his head? 1t is Aeag-it is world
illness. 1t is an old sin he cannot bear tc
strike down. 1t is a darling transgres
sion he cannot afford to sacrifice. Oh,