The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-24
THE DARKNESS or SIN.
An Apt Comparison by Rev. MIR. Heniy of
the Presbyterian Church.

the Presbyterian Church.
John S:36: If the Son. therefore,
shall make you free, We shall be free
indeed"
'Of the four men who escaped from
the prison OF living death over on the
other side of the valley the other day.
one tried TO tell how 1t seemed to be
thus imprisoned. Among other things,
you remember, he said he felt as
though he must put his hands against
the sides of his prison house and with
one tremendous push overturn the en-
tire mountain. He tried 1t, but the
mountain refused to be removed In that
way; in fact the men were as helpless
as children TO make an opening large
enough for themselves. In the first
place, they were in the dark. They per-
haps understood better than ever be-
fore what was meant by Egyptian
darkness. Then the smoke from the
explosion made 1t impossible for them
TO work on account of the bad air.
More than that, they were so overcome
that their physical strength was ex-
hausted. And then the work was too
difficult for them to undertake without
food. In every way they were prevent
ed from escape by their own exertions.
As ! have thought of those men en-
tombed there, / have thought how
much like them we in this world are in
sin.
Il need not at this time discuss how
we came to be entombed. 1t is enough
to know that we are there; that we
have found ourselves hopeless to es-
cape of our own account. Then, we
have been, or are now, all alike In that
we have been entombed. The cave is
sin. All have sinned Yes, it is the
sad fac, of history that all have been
In this cave, and those who to-day are
set at liberty We're once behind the
black walls of sin. And the strange
thing about II is that those who are yet
entombed in this cave seem not at all
anxious TO get out. Those men in the
tunnel were overjoyed to get out the
other day-the whole city rejoiced with
them. But in this cave of sin there are
loud and repeated bursts of laughter.
The profane are cursing and blasphem-
ms. Others are shouting as though
they had found great spoil. Their faces
have in them the sparkle of gayety.
They seem more like wedding guests
than prisoners. Some who are en-
tombed tell you that they are free;
that they have never been in bondage
III you should demonstrate with them
and point to the surrounding walls as
proof that they are prisoners, they
will say to you that your liver is out of
order and that you are never willing to
let man do as he would like. They
will tell you that you are always look
ing on the dark side of life and are
another jeremiah. Sometimes a man
will let the Spirit rescue him from this
grim death. Then those yet entombed
will say he is a great sniveler. a hypo-
critic and a mean pretender. When
others are rescued their late bond fell
lows will say they have gone mad; that
they have become miserable slaves to
wild fanaticism.
Some who had gone out went back
in to point the way to freedom. They
beseeched. and when those with whom
they plead turned a deaf ear to their
entreaties they wept and said, Who
hath believed our report / we'll re-
member when / was prisoner in this
tomb / remember when ! was set free;
l remember when l Rugged to the old
darkness, when the pleasures of life
We're the dearest thing | knew. And
when by and by someone came to me
and told me the way%-Oh, the wonder
that the sovereign grace of God should
provide a way Of escape. oh, my
friends, God knows how to bring us out
from among the captves of sin, set our
feet in the way of liberty, make us His
people and keep us forever. If Christ
sets you free then are you free indeed.
Not only have all men been shut up
by sin, but they do not escape be-
cause of ignorance. Men have known
that they were entombed but they have
CROPPED and fioundered and climbed and
walled because they did not know that
there was way out. Some one has
lulu lHEiH III AliIlSl. puL lIlty dlb ilpl
believe 1t. They have said that Christ
could never bring them TO the light of
day There are some of the doctrines
of the Bible that greatly perplexed
them. One is called election. They
have said they could have had a little
hope If that doctrine did not say that
God chose those whom He wanted TO
save. Those whom He did not choose
We're without hope. They are sure that
God had not chosen them and therefore
they are hopelessly lost. 1t would not
be worth while for them 10 ask TO be
freed. What is the truth about this
doctrine? That doctrine of election is
the only ground of hope that any one
of us has. IT there was no such doc
trine there would be no hope. Salvation
must be either by Gods will or mans
merit. If our salvation depended on
our merit then we might just as well
resign ourselves to be lost one time as
another. What of merit have we to
plead to God? But since salvation is by
Gods will, and Gods will Is that none
should perish, we may all be saved. In
the meantime God says through the lips
of His Son: Him that cometh unto
God. He will in no wise cast out and
whatsoever will may come Then there
Is that doctrine of human depravity
And the entombed ones have said II IT
is true that they are totally deprayed
there surely can he no hope for them
Those men in the tunnel were totally
buried. Was there therefore no hope
for them? When a man Is sinner that
very condition fits him for salvation. IT
is because we are sinners that Christ
came to save us. Physicians are for
the sick ones, robes are for the naked,
cleansing for the filthy and forgiveness
for the guilty. Christ don't want to try
to save a man who has not been SIN
ner. So it is with many of the truths
of the gospel. They are not under
stood. Some have spoken of the doctrine
of election and have not told the truth
about IT, They have been blind guides.
They were supposed to be true teach
ers and they have taught false things
and many have been left in the cave
ignorant of the great doctrines OF
grace. Oh. my friend. tonight shut up
in the prison Of sin, may not the truth
of Gods own word lead you TO