The Washington times., 1901-08-05

run into their hiding place and mudtied
the water about them and they cannot be
reached. Sin is fundamental thing and
II is an awful thing. II shuts out the
sight and sound of all Gods grace. II we
could knock loOphole through the sin
which has crusted over and deadened and
blinded the heart OF this world so that
one Seam of Gods holiness could enter
in and these deaf ears could be made 20
hear these wonderful words, God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten
Son that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting
life, the churches would not hold the peo-
pie and the clerks could not write the
names of those who would flock in to lay
hold of the salvation of God: and many
of us whose names have long been on the
roll of the church, and who have sat
with lukewarmness toward every good
work. would bestir ourselves and call out
to know what God would have US to do.
Your iniquities have separated be-
tween you and your God. and your sins
have hid his face from you that he will
not hear Because God is holy he sepa-
rates the sinner from himself But now
in Christ Jesus ye, who once were far off,
are made nigh by the blood of Christ
and the life; 10 man cometh to the Father
but by me- All approach to God is on
the ground of shed blood. Look upon
Calvary and see Gods hatred of sin. Did
Jesus not say, Father. If 1t be possible.
let this cup pass from me?' Wouldn't 1t
have passed If it had been possible? 1t
and had to punish sin, therefore. do we
see Jesus Christ toiling on through this
world, undergoing the miseries Of this
life, the wrath of God. and the cursed
death of the cross. l see many things in
Calvary. see 1t, the hub around which
this world is turning, but underneath 1t
all l see the awfulness of sin rendering
its agony necessary.
Il feel somehow that IL il had been pos
sible some good man would have worked
out the salvation of this world. or one of
the angels would have worked it out; but
II took Jesus Christ the Son of God. equal
with God God himself That Is an awful
thing which the great God had to come
here in human form to conquer. when the
angels of God were looking on in wonder
desiring to look into these things. My
Father. Is II not enough that l have lived
childhood and youth and young
manhood free from sin, have / not work
ed-at the carpenters trade, and been inf
nitely humbled from the station I had
with thee?' No. my Son. sin is not yet
punished My Father, is it not enough
that | have for forty days tasted Cad re-
sisted all the temptations OF he devil?'
NO. my Son, sin is not yet punished
My Father, is 1t not enough that have
taught my disciples through all my min
istry and have now given them my fare
yet punished My Father, is it not
enough that ] have prayed and sweat the
bloody sweat of the garden? My Father.
Is 1t not enough that / have been betray-
ed and brought before the judges? Is
1t not enough that / have been scourged
and spit upon and had the cruel thorns
pressed down into my head? Is 1t not
enough that the nails have been driven
into my hands and my feet? 1t is not
yet enough. for sin has not yet been pun
ished. You have taken the place of the
sinner and must suffer, suffer till YOU die.
1t takes blood to cover sin
And the Fathers face was turned away
and through the long hours he suffered,
until he cried out. My God. my God, why
IL
his life. o, IL you think sin Is a little
thing, an excusable thing in the name of
God. look on the Cross and see what sin
Is; see 1t as it rent the rocks and opened
the graves and eclipsed the sun, and fear
before God II you are a sinner. l would
rather this day the earth open and swal-
low me up. / would rather the hills and
mountains fall on me and hide yle. IL
thereby could escape the wrath of God,
rather than stand before him with sin
gle sin upon me. a single lie, a single
theft, a single oath, single adultery. a
single Sabbath desecration. uncovered by
the blood OF Jesus Christ for the bottom
less pits of Gods eternal, burning wrath
are revealed from heaven against every
sin.
II DO not believe that the estimate man
puts upon sin affects its character at ALL
Fools make a mock at sin. They con-
slider It smart thing. thing to be
boasted of, but God does not reveal him.
self to us as thinking that way of it. I
feel that the Church of God today is drift
ing away from the great doctrine of per-
sonal sin. and. as result. that Jesus
Christ Is losing his power and his beauty
to the world If I have no conviction of
sin. what is Jesus Christ to me but a
pleasant name, or a dark riddle; what
the Garden and Calvary. with their sweat
and blood and awful cries. but a dark
mystery. an inexpiicable tragedy?
But let me see myself in the light of
Gods holiness, let me feel that l am a
sinner in the sight of God and under his
wrath and curse, and will flee with joy
to him who shed his blood on the cross
for my sins, and for the sins of the whole
IL