St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-04-30

place for them to stay. There was
Bunyan's Christian cropping in the land
of darkness, conscious that he was in
the place Of danger, and then there
were the members of his household,
and his neighbors and friends who sat
at home and ridiculed his anxiety and
tried to get him to sit down quietly at
home. Thank God! Bunyan gives us
the picture Of the wife Christiana
rising and following her husband later
into the land Of Light, whittier he had
gone, but in that city of Destruction in
the land of darkness there were many
who never were troubled and who new
er arose to fee the darkness and come
out into the Light. What is your at
titude in the land Of darkness? Are
you at ease? Are you satisfied? Are
you sitting, sitting, sitting, enjoying
all that this life can give and utterly
Indifferent to the Light which is shin
ing for you? Do you realize that you
are sitting ''in the region and shadow
of death?" Think you that there were
any who were content to sit quietly in
the house while the angry Mount Pelee
was belching forth its fire and smoke
and deadly ashes? "In the region and
shadow of DEATH" There were none
who sat then. The danger of death
forced them to fee. Death stalks
through the land Of darkness as surely
as destruction wasted Martinique Dare
you sit contentedly in the darkness?
Dare you be Indifferent to the Light
which is shining for you? Flee fee
to that Light and escape the region and
shadow of death!
THEY who abide in darkness are un-
der judgment "And this is the
judgment, that the Light is come into the
world, and men loved the darkness rath-
er than the Light" "He that believeth
on Him (that is. he that cometh to the
Light is not Judged" but che that be-
lieveth not hath been judged already"
Under judgment! Do you realize what
that means? Itmeans that here and now
the sentence of death has been passed
upon those who persist in abiding in the
darkness; who will not come to Christ,
the Light. It means that those who
are abiding in the darkness become their
own judge. Somehow or other the Devil
has circulated the thought and impress
sion that judgment is not passed upon
guilty and unbelieving mankind until
the presence of God is gained. and then
it is hoped and expected that some ex-
tenuating circumstances will be pre-
sented; some loophole of escape dis
covered; some way in which the Judge
may be notified and punishment es-
capped. How often you hear one saying
that he will take his chances In the next
world. That he will do the best he can,
and thinks it will be all right. And what
does this attitude of mind mean? It
means that there is no thought that judg-
ment has already passed upon those who
Will not come to Christ They think
that the matter is not settled until the
presence of God is reached. OF course.
the ruler Of the darkness seeks to delude
his subjects in that way. Why should
ne not try to still the conscience and lead
people to hope for escape from the dark
ness beyond the grave? But, oh, friend,
you who are abiding in the darkness.
hear Gods Word! Believe no longer
the DEVILS lie! The Devil calls You
good man. He holds up before you
ali your virtues He shows you all the |
ugly failures and sins of those who are |
in Christ, and then he SAYS:
1T will be all right, my boy. God
will never condemn such q splendid
fellow as you are. Take your chances"
But stop! The Devil is binding You
to your peril by an awful lie. God is
not the one that will Judge you. You
pass judgment upon yourself, when
you turn from Christ, the Light. God
only executes that condemnation
which you have pronounced against
yourself when you choose the darkness
'ather than the Light. "And this is the
Judgment. that the Light is come into
he world, and men loved the darkness
'ather than the Light"
A ND why do they love darkness rather
. than the Light? Because their
works were evil" This may require a lit
lie examination to discover its exact and
ull meaning. There may be those to
whom this message will come who will
'bject to having it said of them that they
owe darkness rather than the Light, and
hat their works are evil, and that they
ONE not to the Light lest their works
hould be reproyed. To such we want to
i've Gods definition OF evil, as con-
rasted with what man means by the use
t the same term. The reason there is
'ften SO much confusion as to the mean
ng Of Gods Word is that man applies his
tandards and definitions to the things
t God, and he thus often loses their force
nd meaning. What IL evil in Gods
light? Is 1t only what evil means to
baser manifestation Of sin?
)r does it include everything which can
ot meet the white light Of Gods right ,
BUSINESS? Why was it Jesus could say ,
o the woman sunken in the grosser sins
the flesh: Neither do l condemn
bee" and then could turn to the scribes
nd Pharisees who had been her accusers
nd who perhaps were not guilty of any !
UGH gross sin, and say: Woe unto you,
g hypocrites?" Was it not because their
ttitude of unbelief was greater sin in I
DDS sight than that of the grosser in
ulgences of the flesh? The term evil
icludes everything from the positive
ms Of the flesh to the sins of the heart
nd head which shut out the Christ by
nbelief. And those who are abiding in
arkness are there because their works
re evil. because they love the darknesa