The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-11-14
ulace would have been HI, enemies but


OF thousands. What ruined Lots wife.
the world; what ruined Achan until he de-
feated the whole camp OF lsraels 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 man II ne gain the whole world
and lose his own soul
First, the world is critical. II will find
every flaw that exists in your nature; i'm.
perfections TO which your loved ones would
be blind, and which you yourself were
hardly, aware OF will be pointed out and
yulgarly displayed.
Second. IL is merciless. IL has positively
no excuse for the man that fails, and while
never offering 10 help him over his Difficult
ties wnen the tide is against him IL laughs
az his despair and moeks at his hopeless
ness.
giveness in the world. There may be some
time a disposition TO overlook but not 20
forgive. and this sort of forgiveness has
nothing in II of a helpful nature 10 poor
lost. shining humanity. You who belong
10 the world, may i say 10 you In all Sc
riousness, don't cast stone az a man
that is a sinner for the reason that you
are, or have been, or may be- just what you
condemn IN others. No one of us except
we are linked 20 the Son OF God by faith
and walking heartily in fellowship with
Him nav hope 20 escape from the awful
grip OF Satan. Don't be unforgiving He
that cannot forgive others breaks down the
bridge over which he must pass himself,
and he who is unwilling 10 forgive others
makes it impossible for God TO forgive him;
but thank God we are not shut up 10 the
world. There is an open door before US TO
that which il infinitely better than any
thing the world has ever seen.
ii.
The laws treatment. Now, Moses in
the law commanded us that such should be
stoned, but what sayest IhouE Verse 3.
This statement is perfectly true, that Is the
law. Ii was written by Moses and written
70 him of God. There are only two forces
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 must
hope TO stand before God. BY the way Of
the law the case would seem 10 be hope
less. One act OF sin is sufficient 10 incur
the penalty of death. IL is always so with
law; if a man takes one false 81 p IN the
mountains he lands himself at the bottom
OF the abyss; there is no mercy shown by
the law. DIR. Parkhurst gives the descrip-
tion OF his climbing the mountains IN
Switzerland with rope around his waist,
held by two guides, one leading and the
other following after him, when he stood
upon little piece of rock not two inches
broad and looked down into the depth,
which measures 5000 feet. If he had bro
ken the law of gravitation and stepped out
from the narrow ledge nothing could have
saved him from a horrible death. We can
quite understand this in nature; the same
thing applies in morals. III you SIN against
your health you suffer. Law is a shrewd
detective, and Is ever on the watch. One
wheel broken in the machinery and the
whole Is inefficient; one piece of rail dis
placed means fearful disaster. just one
transgression of one law of God the pen
atty must be paid. He that offends IN one
point is guilty of ALL the Scriptures de-
clare. which simply means that the least
offense of the law means breaking away
from God. | repeat my statement that
there are but two forces in operation to-
day in the moral world. law and grace. If
you have rejected Christ then your only
hope is in the law and j should think
every man here must see that that is hope
less. First, you must suffer, for every bro
ken law means a penalty 10 pay, and every
transgression of Gods plan brings down
upon YOU a burden you cannot well bear.
Second, you will be found out. No man
has sufficient ingenuity to cover up his sin,
and no grave has yet ever been deep
enough TO save the sinner from the search
ing eye of God BE sure your sin will find
Third. you must die. The wages OF SIN is
death | beg you. therefore, that you will
not allow yourself TO be controlled by the
law. It is like the world. merciless and
heartless, and presents TO you an opportu-
nifty OF escape from sin, but, thank God,
you are not shut. up to 1t. There is a way
opening up which leads 10 heaven shining
brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
To this way / now commend you.
Christ's treatment of a sinner. "But
Jesus stopped down and with His finger
wrote on the ground, as though He heard
them not. So when they continued asking
Him, He lifted up Himself and said unto
them He that is without sin among you
let him first cast a stone at her. And again
He stopped down and wrote on the ground.
And they which heard 1t, being convicted
by their own conscience, went out one by
one, beginning at the eldest even unto the
last and Jesus was left alone and the wom-
an standing in the midst. When Jesus had
lifted up Himself. and saw none but the
woman, He said unto her, Woman, where
are those thine accusersf Hath no man
condemned thee? She said. No man, Lord.
And Jesus said unto her, Neither do | con-
denim thee; 60, and sin no more" From
verse to IL. You have a great picture
presented TO you in this story.
First, the angry crowd.
Second the infinite Saviour. II | were
an artist ! should paint II, and yet no man
could ever paint the picture of Christ. ]
know Of one who attempted il and then de-
termined that he would never paint again.
because after working upon the face OF
Christ no other face could be worthy OF bis
skill. | doubt If any man could paint the
trembling woman, her face now flushed and
now pale, trembling IN every part OF her
body and vet YOU can see II all as you stop
and think ! know why He was so merci-
full. You say II was because He was dl-
vine, and that Is true without saying IT,
but IL seems TO me He must have been es-.
pecially merciful because OF the night He
had spent at the Mount OF Olives. i am
perfectly sure that that man who prays
much with Christ il ever charitable in his
treatment OF those who have gone astrav.
Mrs Whittemore's treatment OF Bluebird,
the poor fallen girl, who becomes the mis-
sionary 10 the outcast; Jerry McAuley's
arm about s. II. Hadley and his prayer,
Jerry McAuley knew Christ. are but illus
trations OF the spirit OF which / speak.
The man who has the spirit OF Christ
il ever gentle with the erring, and
up and down the streets OF our cities men
go in multitudes longing for just one word
OF sympathy
said a young business man 10 me this
week Il have been four years in New
York. most Of the time with heavy heart.
No one has ever spoken 20 me Of Christ,
nor invited me 20 the church, nor asked II
he could be my friend. and j have never
craved money from any one, for | have not
needed IT, but my heart has been hungry
for sympathy and the touch Of a brothers
hand" Do you notice the manner OF Jesus.
First. He stopped down and wrote in
the dust" Some one has said that He did
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