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

!: :: !: J; :: !:
NM greater light, the
3kM WI Son of Righteous
.. ness, into the dark
~ 81 ness Of the world
@&Y sin. Some one has
]ZA said that "the first
wonderful and
beautiful as it is, is but faint type of
the true and glorious Light Of Life.
10 every man that second Light is as
Tree as the first. and II he will accept
1t the darkness Is forever past. More
God cannot do The Sun of Righteous
ness is shining even more brightly
than the orb Of day, but, If men will
smut themselves up in the darkness of
sin, rs In a subterranean vault, they
alone are to blame that His glorious
rays do not penetrate its blackness.' =
And as the man who would shut HIM
self away in the dark cavern where
the sun could never penetrate might
refuse to believe that there was any
sun and any glorious light, 50 the man
who loved the darkness of sin and re-
fused to come to the Divine Light
might contend that there was no Sun
OF Righteousness, and no glorious
Light to chase away the blackness of
sin, but 1t would not alter the facts
in either case. The great sun Is in the
heavens giving freely, fully and con-
stantly Of its glorious, life-giving light,
and the greater Light, the Son of God,
has come into the world and shines
with ever increasing brilliancy and
~ Apov 10 I'll noo
and "the region and shadow of death"
to the light and safety in Him. The
man In the sunlight does not need ar
gument to convince him that the sun
is in the heavens sending forth its
light. He knows 1t because he sees
and feels it. But the man in the cave
might be prone to argue the point and
you would never be able to convince
him while. he chung to the dark recesses
, Of his retreat. But get him out in
the sunlight and all doubt and all de-
sire to argue would disappear. We are
not going to argue the point that Light
has come into the world, for Gods
Word and the testimony Of the multi
tudes who have seen the Light and felt
it, blessed influence are evidence In
contrOvertible We want to consider
those who are abiding in the darkness
and seek to draw them out into the
Light.
\ NOTWITHSTANDING the fact that
IN Light has come into the world.
there are many who love darkness
rather than the Light. They prefer to
sit in the shadows instead of coming
out into the blessed, life-giving Light
They abide IN the darkness. They see
the Light, even as one in a dark cav
ern might see far In the distance the
glimmering light Of the sun as 1t crept
through the crevasses Of the rocks.
They know 1t is shining out in the re-
gions beyond them, but they cling to
the place Of darkness Such were those
who came into touch with Jesus when
He was upon earth-His neighbors at
Nazareth who allowed prejudice and
envy to blind their eyes and who
sought to destroy the true Light which
had shined unto them-the scribes and
Pharisees and the multitudes that fol-
lowed their leadership; all these were
they OF whom Scripture declares that
the Light shined in their midst and yet
their darkened minds and hearts Of I'M
belief apprehended It not. And such
are those to-day who come into touch
with the Light Of the Gospel-C Christ in
the world in the Spirit-and yet who
will not turn to that Light but prefer |
the darkness of their own ways. Pre-
ferrin9 the darkness when the soul Of |
man was intended to md life in the |
light. We do not wonder that the
earth worm delights to burrow into |
the dark bowels Of the earth. We do
not wonder when the hideous crawling |
things which Turk in the darkness fee
frnm The light and plunge into the
darkest hole that can be found. 1t Is
their nature. They can know nothing
higher and better. But think Of the
flower whose beauty and
verv life depend upon abiding in the
glorious light of the sun, choosing
rother the darkness of some damp cell
Iar, Could 1t thrive? Gould 1t live?
indeed no. you say. And neither can
The soul of man thrive and live In the
worlds darkness OF sin. 1t has been
made for q higher and better expert
ance: for Light instead OF darkness;
Ior Heaven instead Of eternal separa-
Inn from God in the outer darkness.
strange. Is 1t not, that there are men
md women, young men and maidens.
,ovs and girls. who prefer the darkness
. ain to the light and purity which Is
,ound IN Christ Jesus? And yet they
10 They choose to abide in darkness.
= on calls 1t darkness, for such It Is.
But the Devil gives 1t other names.
70 calls 1t worldly enlightenment, per-
,onal liberty, pleasure, ease. luxury,
! dnlgence, etc. etc. The Devil always
ties 70 change the names of things
"a learned the trick away back in the
,a,,nnine OF mans history when he
siIed the fruit Of the forbidden tree
,ac5 and wholesome and desirable.
"A the present advertising age has
= rned the trick to an amazing degree,
~ attractive and high-sounding
-. : mas and phrases are tackled upon
rticles for sale which help sell the
ocds. but do not in the least change
|. IL true character. The world has t
!. sweyed the question: whats in q y