Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-05-27

why David Sinned.
Is that your idea OF men? Then. my
brother and sister. you have not read
human nature Alright. All men are not
bad. But all men will be bad IL they
do not stick scrupulously TO the work
God has given them to do. The reason
David sinned was not because he look
ed upon "BathSheba. the wife OF Uriah.
the Hittite." The reason David sinned
was because. like Achan among the
Jericho spoils. he was idling ut home
instead of being with his army. In
the first verse of the eleventh chapter
OF III Samuel we read the secret Of
the whole sinful story: And IL came
to pass after the year was expired. at
the time when kings go forth TO battle
that David sent Joab." That sentence
means simply this: When the time OF
military campaign came-the time
when David ought 10 have taken the
field and led on his own troops TO bat
tle-he sent a substitute and stayed at
home. The beginning OF his danger
was not in looking mt Bathsheba, who
was the wife of Uriah. the Hjttite, but
In being, like Achnn, among the Jericho
spoils, in n place where he had no
-
right to be.
My brother, when God calls you to do
work. he will always give you
strength TO resist the sinful tempta-
tons incident TO that work. But when
you go to place where you have no
right to go, you are liable TO expert.
ence that lust of the eye which may be
the beginning of a long succession OF
other sins.
Young man. beware of the tempta-
ton to absent yourself from the post
OF duty. Beware, when Sabbath day
comes around. If your minister does not
see you ia the house of God. You may
say you are tired. You may say you
will stay at home and read the Bible
and have your devotiOns in your room.
but beware. In coming to large city.
do not let your new made friends en-
tice you into saloon, just to look at
the beautiful pictures upon the walls,
and the expensive mosaics on the
floors. and the gorgeous rugs and the
fine set baDquets in the gambling halls.
1t is doubtful whether the step some
cities have taken OF ordering the re-
moval OF screens from the doors and
the lifting of curtains from the win
dows OF saloons ON Sundays has not
its disadvantages. 1t enables the po-
liceman TO see whether business. is be-
ing done in the prohibited hours, and
is so far an advantage, but ii makes
conspicuous the decorations and at
fractions OF those places. and so tends
to allure passersby TO visit them when
they are open. Sin so often begins In
the looking on temptation that the
safest course for every one is TO avoid
the spectacle of IL rs far as possible.
Acban's First step.
Achan's "eye STEP. Ia the next place.
was followed by his ''coyetous stepv
We say that the sin OF covetousness is
only one step beyond the first sin. But
the second step OF Achan's sin is even
more dangerous than the first stage
The one may be the bare. repulsiye
branch. with its sap frozen and con-
gealed by the frosts OF winter. The
other may be the spring blossoms
growing upon that branch when the
spring has placed the silver trumpet OF
the resurrection 10 natures lip. The
lust OF the eye is nearly always accom-
panied by hesitation and timidity. You
can see that fear in the flushed cheek
of the young man who stands upon the
street corner debating within himself
whether or no he will enter the place
OF evil resort to which his dissipated
friends are persuadlng him. When the
mind has taken the second step and
desire is aroused. the hideous deform.
~ Of 81,
IN IL only what is attractive and en-.
1oyable. The second sin. the sin of
covetousncss. is blind 10 the scorpions
sting or the adder's hiss or the tigers
claw or the sharks threatening lin
lifted like the black flag OF the pirate
over threatening sea OF green. The
sin OF covetousness'' is summer
stroll through woods filled with the
aroma OF wild flowers. 1t is the fanta-
sizes OF the diseased brain of the opium
eater, which the sinful Imagination can
place almost within the grasp OF the
dreamer. 1t is the most gorgeous OF
air castles, the most beautiful OF Uto-
pias. the sweetest OF songs 1t IS the
soft couch under the shadows of the
overhanging tree branches, over which
the satanic spiders are spinning a few
beautiful silken threads which can be
snapped in day. but which In time
may become rs strong as links OF steel.
All, Achnn on that fatal night may
not have gone forth with the premedi-
tated idea OF stealing that goodly Bah
ylonish garment and the 200 shekels
OF silver and the wedge OF gold. but
after his eyes had rested on the gold
and the silver and the goodly garment
desire was awakened, and his longing
TO possess them became Irresistible.
oh" he said TO himself. az wish / had
that garment! How beautiful ii would
look hanging from my shoulders! II
wish L could have that lump OF gold.
1t would protect me against poverty
all the days OF my life. And why
should l not have them? There are so
many spoils OF war here these few
treasures Will not be missed"
Is not Achan. going to the place of
execution, the history OF almost every
sinner! Eye sin." first step; 'coVet-
Gus sin." second step. What we would
like to do nearly always precedes what
we will ultimately do IL we get the
chahce. BeJaZet. the sultan of the OF
toman empire, was defeated by Tam
erlane in the famous battle of Angora.
After the battle the Tartar conuueror
called BeJazet into his tent and asked
MIN how he would have treated Tam
eriane II he had won. Like o dogp"
said the captured sultan. "I would
have made you my footstooI when / l
mounted my saddle, and when your
services were not needed would have
chained you in a cage like a wild
beast" Then Tamerlane replied. "In-
stead or treating you like dog shall
show you mercy and treat you like
king" But all the kindness of Tam
CRANE went for naught. AS were Be-
)azets thoughts. SO were his ultimate
actions. He betrayed the noble kind
nesses OF Tamerlane and plotted his
assassination. Then tradition has it
that Tameriape commanded that Re