Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-05-28

claw or the shark = threatening fin
lifted like the black flag of the pirate
over threatening sea of green. The
sin of covcto,lsncSs' is summer
stroll through woods filled with the
sizes of the diseased brain of the opium
eater. winch the sinful Imagination can
place almost within the grasp of the
dreamer. II Is the most gorgeous of
air castles the most beautiful of ITO
pias. the sweetest of SONGS. Ii is the
soft couch under the shadows of the
overIanging tree branches. over which
the satanic spiders are spinning a few
beautiful silkcn threads which can be
snapped in II day. but which in time
may become us strong as links of steel.
All. \cllan on that fatal night may
not have gone forth with the prcmcdi-
tated idea of stealing that goodly Bab-
ylonish garment and the 200 shckcls
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. Il wish had
that garment. How beautiful il would
look hanging from my shoulders. |
wish ! could have that lump of gold
Ii would protect me against poverty
all the days of my life. And why
should | not have them? There are so
many spells of war here these few
treasures will not he missed"
Is not Achan. going to the place OF
execution. the history of almost every
sinner: Eye sin." first step; "covet-
Gus sim" second step. What we would
like To do nearly always precedes what
we will ultimately do IL we get the
chance. BejaZet. the sultan of the OF
toman empire. was defeated by Tam
crlane i'm the famous battle of Angora
After the battle the Tartar conqueror
called EcjaZet into his tent and asked
him how he would have treated Tam
crlane II he had won. Like n dogr'
said the captured sultan. II would
have made you my footstool when l
mounted my saddle. and when your
services were not needed | would have
chained you in cage like a wild
beast. Then Tamerlane replied. In
stead of treating you like dog shall
show You mercy and treat you like
king. But all the kindness of Tam
crlanc went for naught. As were Be
jaZct's thoughts. So were his ultimate
actions. lie betrayed the noble kind
ncsScs of Tamerlanc and plotted his
assassination. Then tradition has il
that Tamerlane commanded that Be-
jazet should be- treated like dog and
chained i'm n cage like wild beast.
So. my brother. like Achan OF my text
You and ] can trace the dcgeneracy of
our lives. If they are degenerate. by
our evil thoughts. which always pre-.
cesic evil actions. What we think. we
will ultimately speak: what we desire.
we will ultimately DO
Hard to Resist.
oh. the evil sin Of covetoh>ness. Re
ware. Beware. Evil thoughts are
only II step from evil actions. Are we
not all i'm danger of the covctous sin?
Would you tell u lie for 10 cents?
No. you emphatically answer. NO.
of course not of course not" Would
You tell Il lie. just one little lie. for
Slh: No. you answer again hut MT
so emplaiically. Would you tell lie
for S1O.DnD u lie which in one sense
would mol hurt anybody: You look ut
me in II lnz2ical way ana say. PLEASE
don't ask ne" Well. l do ask you. !
ask you. not for il;r purpose of givin.
You the Offer. hut of iindin. ont what
Is the condition of your thoughts.
AclEin coveted .lW shckrlS Of silver
ana Il wedge of gold. which must have
been worth nj least SlntMO in our
money. lie coveted them without the
idea Of hurting amy one else. yet for
that sin of covctouSncSs. which was
the forcrnnnrr of other sins. AchIn
had Ia die. Beware. q man. how You
allow your evil thoughts 10 live.
Achan'S eye sin WAS followed 10y
Achan's "covcious sin" Evil thoughts
will ultimately he the parents of evil
actions
But now. in following the four fatal
stages of .Nchan's sin. we find that his
third step the finger step" changes
him before the world from an honest
into II dishonest man. No sooner does
Achan hide that HabyloniSh garment
under his soldiers cloak and hug that
wedge of gold AMI bag of silver under
his arm than before man. rs we'll as
God. lie becomes amcnalilc TO human
law Once hc WAS n criminal NJ heart.
but not u criminal in act in his own
consciousness AMI in Gods sight
thief. hut before his fellow men an
honest. upright man. No one knew
that under that fair ana respectable
exterior there Iurked the plundcrer
Like Dr. .Ickyll in Sicvcnson'S famous
allcgoiy. lie gave no sign Of that de
moniac personality which he harborcd
within him Hut once the boundary Is
passed. AMI the evil thoughts AMI evil
desires have taken shape in acts. he Is
under the ban of Justice. and ultimate
ly. like Edward Everett Hale's well
known character. lie becomes man
from whom all hut men like himself
shrink - man without u country"
IL is an awful catastrophe when