The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-01-30

danger OF being inoculatcd with the virus
OF worse disease than the world has ever
seen. Possibly we fail al of us because we
allow some sin 20 tarry IN our hearts, and
with deldening influence which may be 30
mperceptible at first It blinds our ewes 20
our danger, and causes MS to DO indifferent
20 every appeal made 20 u.s. When the
old elm on the Boston Common was cut
down a fattoned bullet was found almost
40 its heart, and men estimated as they
could well do that the bullet had been
there for 200 years, and many Of ua have
allowed sins TO enter our hearts in the
DAYS OF our youth which have pursued us
until old age and caused our wreck. III
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 chan
ter we also read that they brought this
woman. tempting Him. for they wanted
10 catch Him on either one Of these two
points. first, It He accepted Moses law
then thew would turn the Roman citizens
against Him and condemn Him because
He would nut another to death If He re-
pudiated the law OF Moses the Jewish pop
ulace would have been His enemies. but
nevertheless IL ia q true picture of the
world. Have nothing to do with il, there
fore; as you love your own souls, beware
Of il. II has slain its thousands and tens
OF thousands. What ruined lots wife?
the world; what ruined Achan until be 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; inn
Projections to which your loved ones would
be blind and which you Yourself were
hardly aware of viii be pointed out and
vugarlv displayed.
Second. it Is merciless It has positively
no excuse for the man that fails. and while
never offering 10 help him over his difficult
ties when the tide is against him it laughs
nc his despair and mocks at his hopeless
ness.
Third, it is heartless There is no for
Piveness in the world. There may be some
time a disposition to overlook but not to
forgive, and this sort of forgiveness has
nothing in it Of helpful nature tn poor
lost, SHINING humanity. You who belong
to the world, may ! say to you in all Sc
robustness, don't cast @ stone at 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 exceDt
we are linked to the Son of God by faith
and walking heartily in fellowship with
Him nav hope to escape from the awful
grip Of Satan. Don't be unforgving. He
that cannot forgive others breaks down the
bridge over which he must pass himself,
and he who is unwilling to forgive others
makes it impossible for God to forgive him
but thank God we are not shut up to the
world Thereis an open door before us to
that which is 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 Thou" Verse o.
| This statement is perfectly true, that is the
! law It was written by Moses and written
| to 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 bv one or the other we must
hope to stand before God. By the way Of
! the law the case would seem to be hope
less. One act of sin Is sufficient to incul
! the penalty of death 1t is always 80 witt
law; if a man takes one false step in The
mountains he lands himself at the bottom
| of the abyss; there is no mercy shown b!
| the law DR.. Parkhurst gives the descrip
Iion of his climbing the mountains Il
| Switzerland with a rope around his waist
held by two guides, one leading and tn
\ other following after him, when he stoo'
l\pon a little piece of rock not two niche
Aoad and looked down into the depth
Which measures 5000 feet. If he had bro
ken the law of gravitation and stepped on
fro& the narrow ledge nothing could hav
saveN him from a horrible death. We ca
quite understand this in nature; the sam
thing ADplies in morals. If you sin agains
your health you suffer. Law is a shrew
detectiv9 and is ever on the watch. On
wheel broken in the machinery and tn
whole is Inefficient; one piece of a rail dli
placed means fearful disaster. Just on
transgression of one law of God the per
atty must be paid. "He that offends in on
point is guilty of all" tho Scriptures d,
clare, which simply means Nthat the leas
offense of the law means a breaking ava
from God. I repeat my statement tha
there are but two forces in oReration tt
day in the moral world, law and grace.
you have rejected Christ then Four onl
hope is in the law, and / sholNd thin
every man here must see that thatNs hop
less. First, you must suffer, for every br
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 his si
and no grave has yet ever been dee
enough to save the sinner from the scare
ing eye of God. Be sure your sin will fiji
you out. A truer text was never written.
Third, you must die. The wages of sin
death. 1 beg you, therefore, that you W
not allow yourself to be controlled by Il
law. It is like the world, merciless ar
heartless, and presents to you an oPport
nitv of escape from sin, but. thank Go
you are not shut up to it. There is WI
! opening up which leads to heaven shini
J brighter and brighter until the perfect da
To this way now commend you.
|, III.