Milford chronicle., 1904-05-27

osrse the magistrates Of StrassDurB
were going to put out his two eyes 50
THAT he could not build another ciocA
ike It for any other city. Thus IKE
tbe old clock builder of StrassDuig'
many and many a man. by one slntul
net. can destroy all the usefulness ana
the work of lifetime. Aehan's nrst
sin was his ''eye STEP Achan sec
ond sin was his heart step OF
Thought step" Achan's third sin was
that which drove him at once out OF
brotherly fellowship with man. 1t was
his Finger step" or his sin Of commis-
sion. Cannot you read the stages OF
progression in the words of the human
tragedy. Il saw Il coveted" Il
took?" Perhaps we can translate 1t in
even better way: Il looked; Il de-
sired" q did"
Achnn's COwnrdtce.
But now, after the finger step has
been committed, comes the fear and
the horror. Aye, the "covetous step
NAV lead through an embOWercd gar
den. The buzzards may there be feath-
cred in the gorgeous colors Of yellow
breasted. black tipped oriole. The fin
ger step" may be a leap, jump, an
impulsive bound. but no sooner IS that
fourth step taken than comes the foot
step" or the stealthy fugitive step. As
soon as Achan, the thief, got posses
sion of this gold and silver and this
BabylOnish garment he did not know
what to do with them. He could not
wear the cloak; he could not spend the
money; so, like a coward, he skulked
away and went and hid them in his
tent.
Sin nearly always makes a coward
out Of a man. Achan did exactly what
our first ancestor did in the garden Of
Eden after he had sinned. No sooner
was that forbidden fruit eaten than
for Adam the heavens seemed to be
overcast. He not only skunk away and
hid in the thcbets as n cowardly hye-
ma would run away from the hounds,
but when God called him forth he did
even a meaner act than that He turn
ed and tried to throw the blame upon
the woman by his side as he said, Yes,
l did eat, but the woman whom thou
gavest to be with me, she gave me. and
l did eat" Oh, my friends, the crimi-
nal uncOnsciOusly reveals himself. The
accusing voice of his conscience saps
his manlineSs and robs him of his open
demeanor. If there is not an honest
heart in Il man. his face and his bear
ing will not be honest The lowered
eyelid, the trembling hand the shuffling
fOOt-all reveal the error of his past
a despicable sin always makes a cow
ard out of a man-withOut an eXcep-
ton. always. always. Sin by its very
nature is only another name for cow
ardice. No sooner did Achan take the
gold than he ran away and hid it, no
sooner do you sin against God, then,
like all other sinners you try to get as
far as possible away from God.
Shall we follow on and see the end
Of this human tragedy? Shall we stop
and watch the twitching limbs of the
Hebrew apostate who is being stoned
to death by his late comrades in arms?
No, l would not for one minute have
you look at the death agony and the
eternal despair. Death by execution is
too terrible for any human eyes to
unless it is our duty TO wit
ness it. l remember, some years ago,
was invited, as one of the jurors, to
be present in Sing Sing prison when a
murderer was electrOcuted for his
;rimes. am always thankful that
missed the train and did not arrive in
line for the execution So, today,
would not lead you forth to where
Achan is uttering his mOans; but rath- |
n would close this sermon with this |
hOught: Terrible as sin is in its ma !
ure and its effects, there is a divine |
'emedy for it. God, in his infinite
Dity, has had compassion on the sinner
md has stretched out his hand to
escue him from his ruin and his de-
pair Not only does he offer pardon /.
o the sinner, but deiverance from the |
'Ower Of sin. Sin" he says to all /
Who put their trust in Christ. shall |
lot have dominion over you" Though. |
ike Achan, you may have fallen un-
er its power, if you come to Christ |
nd put your faith in him, you shall |
e saved. There is salvation for you.
nd peace for you. and eternal life for
Ou, through the blood Of Jesus Christ.
rho loves you and who has given
is life for you in order that you
light live.
His Real Birthday.
May this moment be the supreme
loment for your eternal redemption
nd not eternal damnation. When
'ertel Thorwaldsen. the great Danish
culptor, was asked the day of his ma
witty, he answered: Il was born on the
tn Of March. 1907. Before then
id not exist" This was not the date
his physical birth. Thorwaldsen
'as physically born Nov. 10 177O and