Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1902-11-20
NEW sERIES--VOL. XXI. No. "A.

paper but in it you will see the awful de-
tails OF. some heartbreaking scene, and be-
tore you know 1t you are as familiar with
the circumstances as if you had lived IN
them yourself, and you place yourself in
danger of being inoculated with the virus
of worse disease than the world has ever
seen. Possibly we fail all OF us because we
allow some sin to tarry in our hearts, and
imperceptibie at first it blinds our eyes to
our danger, and causes us to be Indifferent
to every appeal made to us. When the
! old elm on the Boston Common was cut
| down hattened bullet was found almost
at it's heart and men estimated as they
could well do that the bullet had been
there for 200 years, and many of us have
allowed sins to enter our hearts in lie
days of our youth which have pursued sus.
| until old age and caused our wreck. 1t
women are not exempt from sin God pity
| the men.
But, this mob that hurried this poor.
| woman into the presence of Jesus was not
! an honest company of men. know it be-
| cause in the seventh chapter I read they
| called Him a deceiver, while in the eighth
| they addressed Him as Master and Teach
er. In the sixth verse of this eighth chap
| ter we also read that they brought this
woman, tempting Him, for they wanted
| to catch Him on either one of these two
| points. first, if He accepted Moses law
then they would turn the Roman citizens
He would put another to death. If He re-
pudiated the law of Moses the Jewish pop
| ulace would have been His enemies, but
nevertheless it is a true picture of the
world. Have nothing to do with it, there
fore; as you love your own souls, beware
of thousands. What ruined Lots wifes
the world; what ruined Achan until he de-
/ feated the whole camp of Israel? the
world; what ruined Judas until he sold
his very soul for greed of wealth? the
| world; what has ruined ten thousand souls
that are to-day shut away from God and
hope, this same old world, "And what shall
it profit a man if he gain the whole world
and lose his own SOUL
First. the world is critical. It will find
every flaw that exists in your nature; I'M
perfections to which your loved ones would
hardly aware Of will be pointed out and
vulgariy displayed.
Second, it is merciless. It has positively
no excuse for the man that fails, and while
never offering to help him over his difficult
ties when the tide is against him it laughs
at his despair and mocks at his hopeless
ness. ~
Third, it is heartless. There is no for
giveness in the world. There may be some
time a disposition to overlook but not to
forgive, and this sort Of forgiveness ~
nothing in it of helpful natureS to spoaa(
lost, SHINING humanity You who belo
to the world may / say to you in all
riousness, don't cast stone at a ma
that is a sinner for the reason that "
are, OF have been, or may be, just what y
condemn in others. No one Of us exceJ
we are linked to the Son Of God by faiAq
and walking heartily in fellowship wi
Him may hope to escape from the awt
grip of Satan. Don't be unforgiving. H.
| that cannot forgive others breaks dowa t /
bridge over which he must pass himsssl
: makes it impossible for God to forgive him
but thank God we are not shut up to the
world. There is an open door before us tC
that which is infinitely better than any
thing the world has ever seen.
The laws treatment. "Now, Moses II
the law commanded us that such should bt
, stoned, but what sayest Thou?" Verse 8
This statement is perfectly true, that is the
law. 1t was written by Moses, and writer
to him of God. There are only two force.
in operation to-day in the moral world
law and grace. Through one or the Other
of these forces we have submitted our
: selves and by one or the other we mus
7 hope to stand before God. By the way o
! the law the case would seem to be hope
less. One act Of sin is sufficient to incu1
; the penalty of death. 1t is always so will
law; if man takes one false step in th
: mountains he lands himself at the bottom
OF the abyss; there is no mercy. shown b,
, the law. DIR. Parkhurst gives the descrip
: ton of his climbing the mountains il
: Switzerland with rope around his waist
= held by two guides, one leading and tn
: other following after him, when he stoos
!, upon little piece of rock not two inche
broad and looked down into the depth
}. which measures 5000 feet. If he had bro
ken the law of gravitation and stepped ou
: from the narrow ledge nothing could hav
E saved him from a horrible death. We cal
y | quite understand this in nature; the sam
! ! thing applies in morals. If you sin agains
your health you suffer- Law is a shrew
,. detective, and is ever on the watch. On
{ Z wheel broken in the machinery and tn
u Il whole is Inefficient: one piece of a rail dis
e placed means fearful disaster Just on
) transgression Of one law of God the per
atty must be paid "He that offends in on
y point is guilty of ALL" the Scriptures d.
p clare. which simply means that the leas
offense of the law means a breaking ava
from God. I repeat my statement tha
there are but two forces in operation tx
day in the moral world. law and grace.
: you have rejected Christ then your onl
hope is in the law. and I should thin
every man here must see that that is hop'
T less First, you must suffer, for every brt
ken law means penalty to pay and ever
transgression of Gods plan brings dow
upon you burden you cannot well bear.
- Second. you will be found out. No ma
- ! has sufficient ingenuity to cover up ms Sll
= - and no grave has vet ever been dee
- enough to save the sinner from the searcl
- ing eye of God. Be sure your sin will fin
~ you out. A truer text was never written.
y Third. you must die. The wages of sin
- death I beg you. therefore, that you wy
= not allow yourself to be controlled by t
y law. It is like the world, merciless an
- - heartless. and presents to you an onp ,rt
- nifty of escape from sin. but. thank Co
= YOU are not shut up to it. There is a wa
~ ~ opening up which leads to heaven shirir
" ~ brighter and brighter until the perfect de
as as To this way I now commend you.
~ III.
1r Christ's treatment of sinner. "B'
b. Jesus stopped down and with His fng
n wrote on the ground, as though He heal
as them not So when they continued askil
n Elm. He lifted up Himself and said un
chem, He that is without sin among "
rt | let him first cast stone at her. And aga
IN He stopped down and wrote on the groun
!" And they which heard it, being convict,s
es bv their own conscience. went out one
ID one, beginning at the eldest even INTO tt
a last. and Jesus was left alore and the wo1
,k an standing IN the midst When Jesus h:
e. lifted up Himself, and saw none but. t
ds woman, He said unto her, Woman, whe
lI are those thine accusers? Hath no m;
he condemned thee? She said. No man, Lor