Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-09-10
REPENTANCE "a
DIR. coHEN's SERMON AT oHEF
SHOLONIi TEMPLE.

SHOLONI TEMPLE.
On Friday evening DIR. S. r. Cohen,
the new rabbi of Ohef Sholom Temple,
preached an eloquent sermon on RE
resume:
Iext. Hosea xiv:2: "Return Israel,
unto God. your Lord. for you are
Stumbling in your transgressions."
You are not wholly sinful, you are
not PROSTATE in sin--you have merely
sluilpIed. 1t is In your power to return
unto GOD. to cease transgression and
become pure again.
Juualsm never holds that q man Is
wholly sinful. that man is thoroughly
paa. !. VIII merely say he has trans
crossed. Judaism meets this problem
as it meets all other problems-in an
essentially practical manner. 1t knows
mat the human being is n bundle of in
consfstencies. One moment he has high
Ideals. while in the next he has low
uIins. one minute he does n mean act,
the next minute he covers uo his re-
treat by grand sacrifice as atonement
for his evil. Judaism knows, therefore,
that the majority of evil acts perform
eel are done in moments of careless
ness. Most of our acts are done when
we are really ignorant Of the result,
and when we find that theresult is evil
we usually cease performing the act.
In other words we have within our
selves the power to return to God at all
times. We are merely stumbling. aud
yet the fact that we are stumbling is
warning to us that we may go too
far.
a practical Illustration of this fact
would be ocean bathing. The strong
under-tow weakens YOU, and YOU are
at last compelled to return to the shore
IT you do not, this untler-current will
drag you to a watcry grave Our text
here could be read: Return unto the
shore and safety, for thou art STUN
bling In thy weakness.
In the soul there is strong under
current Of transgressions from the
ocean of evil. When we wade out into
the ocean we hardly feel the strong
under-current that is sapping our soul
of It's strength. We hardly realize when
we do some little unkind deed or say
an unkind word, that the under-tow of
evil is gaining the mastery over us.
All mt once we venture out II little too
far-we become n little more unkind, n
little more selfish, a little more asper-
sive. Our friends see this and begin to
talk about us, begin to avoid us. We
are left severely alone. These nre the
indications that we have gotten out n
little too far in the ocean Of evil: Re
turn unto God. thy Lord. thou art
stumbling In thy transgressons."
Another practical illustration is n
building built upon an insecure foun-
dation. 1t does not fall at once. but
gives Indication of collapse long before
the accident. If repairs are made in
time the building can be saved and
lives SHARED. SO we build the health of
the body upon an insecure foundation.
The fin dc-siecle boy or girl must know
everything human or dv,ne-lnnguage
literature, music, philosophy. The body
cannot stand the strain and the health
gives away. They can't sleep. they
can't eat. Their nerves are put on end
BIZ the least excitement. Their whole
bodily structure is being rcnded and
torn by the great strain. If something
is not done to remedy the evil the
crash will come-denth! Thou arr
stumbling in thy transgressions; return
unto God"
So with the merchant who puts too
great n strain upon his bodily health
He will work fifteen hours n day. VIII
pay no attention to social, intellectual
or religious functions. All at once his
mind becomes dull, he can't think. IIc
has become splritless. listless, nervous
These are premon!tlons of greater
danger. These are warnings that the
f n change is not made. Thou art
Stumbling I'm thy transgressions; return
unto God!'
The young man starting out in life.
with the whole business and social
world before him. is lead to believe by
the glib talk of his associates that he
can twist the straight line of morality,
Justice, honor, probity He might go
through the whole gamut of shady
proceedings. The time comes when he
finds that he has builded his card
house upon shifting bed of sands. lie