The Penn's Grove record., 1904-04-08

AAAAOnJ VI u nOOu
Conscience-No Compromise With Sin.
BRooKLYN, N. Y.-The Rev. j. A. Ira.
cy, 9. M, of Germantown, Pa, preached,
Sunday, IN the Church of the Visitation,
on Perseverance" Father Tracy took
as his text, "Be faithful until death. and
l will give thee the Gro IN of life" APO
calypso ii: l0), and said.
l can imagine no sight 4lore inspiring
or more consoiing than that which | be-
hold before me to-day. Hundreds of souls
have listened obediently to the voice of
God speaking through us and hundreds of
hearts have been opened to the infusion
OF grace from on high. Checrfully and
braveiy you have looked into the condi.
ton OF your consciences and on detecting
the marks of sin there you fastened to the
tribunal of enance, you exposed the guilt
contracted by sin, you resolved that with
the hep OF Gods grace you would never
compromise yourselves in the sight of God
again. The absolution of Gods represen-
tatlve was pronounced over you and you
went forth with light hearts and pure con-
sciences and grace filling your souls. By
the reception OF Holy Communion the seal
was set upon your resolutions and the act
recorded in the book of life. Your bodies
are now the temples Of the HOLY Ghost.
your souls are burning with His grace and
IN your present condition you are worthy
to De called saints, the name given by St.
Paul to the early Christians.
Hence l have no hesitation in saving
that the congregation assembled here to.
day, pure, holy, unspotted, cleansed from
the dehlement OF sin, is N object of com
placency to the blessed and adorable Trim
lty; to God the Father, becau~e He sees
his people, the work of His hands. faith
ful, loyal and obedient;; to God the Son.
because His tremendous sacrihce has not
been IN vain; to God the Holy Ghost. be-
cause your souls are the receptacles of His
grace n you show the work of His
mighty hand. And the guardian angels of
this church participate in the common ioy.
Tor they see the glory given to God by His
faithful people. Yes, from the heights Of
heaven above the cherubim and seraphim
iook down upon you to-day and bless God
their Master for His mercy tn you and
Tor the wonders of gree wrought in your
souls.
And we, too, bless God and fall down
IN humility before Him at the thought of
having been His unworthy instruments
IN this mighty work. For it is not we
that have lone it. Irresistibly the convic-
ton is borne home upon us th,t "this
change Is the work of the right hand of
the Most High" But we have in His
name received your confessions; we
nave listened to your signs of repent
anee; we have heard your resolutions of
amendment, and have satisfied ourselves
OF your determination to persevere in grace
and holiness. By your own free act you
declared an eternal divorce from sin. That
resolution was registered in heaven. and
when you stand before the throne of God
IN Judgment it shall be brought forth as
testimony-for your everlasting Joy if you
have kept it; for your eternal confusion
II you have failed.
Now, there is no doubt about your pres
ent dispositions. We know that as you
now stand your hearts are for God and
against sin. But we cannot close our ewes
to the melancholy fact that the flesh is
weak. When the present religious fervor
has passed your old enemy, the devil, will
return to the attack and you must be pre-
pared to meet him. You must not deceive
yourselves, but look the situation straight
IN the face and take measures according
~. In a matter so serious it will be of
Immense service to us to consider what it
means to fail.
Think, first, of the base ingratitude to
Christ implied In a return to sin. With
eyes of faith you have been able to dis
Germ as never before the significance of
the life and death of your Redeemer. You
have made a personal application of the
lessons you have seen. You realize that
1t was all done for you. Yes, our Saviour
had you in mind when He was subjected
to outrage and ignomy in the court of Pr
late; when the fierce scourges descended
upon His face and back; when the thorny
crown was cruelty pressed upon His sacred
brow; when He hung bleeding and torn
upon the cross. The thought that you
would appreciate His sacrifice and profit
by 1t, and through it be enabled to obtain
mercy and forgiveness from His heavenly
Father reconciled Him to the cruelty of
winch he was a victim. If our Lord ad-
dressed you personally to-day He would
assure you of this and tell you that the
thought of your conversion made His suf-
ferings sweet. Moreover, He took the
most etfectual way of making you compre-
bend the infinite love of His sacred heart.
God 8 love for man might have been writ.
ten IN characters of blazing gold across the
heavens; 1t might have been proclaimed
throughout the universe by an arehangel.
and man would have still remained skeDti.
cal. He would ask for further proof. But
when the Son of God Himself takes flesh
and suffers and dies for man, what heart
can be so hard and stony, so insensibie to
gratitude as to refuse to be drawn to God
and return love for love.
n What baseness, then, and what treach-
cry 1T is to receive the gifts of God and to
turn over to His enemy that which should
serve His honor and glory. How migrate
tul the heart made for God and virtue
which uses the power that God gave it
In self-indulgence and sin. How wicked
the soul redeemed by Christ which renews
again his terrible passion. For we do re-
new Christs sutferings when we sin. We
wave aside the marks of His love
for MS and as far as we are able we
say, these things mean nothing to me. |
have passions which must be satisfied, am
billions which must be attained. avarice
which must be satiated. The teachings.
the passion of Christ stand in the way of
these and must give way before them"
And is it possible after all the manifesto
lions Of Christ's goodness that you will
again JOIN forces with His enemy, the de-
vi! Shall you again take up the scourge
and shed the blood of your Saviour! Shall
you again press down upon His head the
crown of thorns? Shall you make Pin
cry out in bitter complaint, "Of what use
was My blood?" Oh, God forbid; God pre-
serve you from such cruelty and treaeh-
cry.
Again, remember that a return to sin
Will replunge you into the pitiful state
from which you have just emerged. Bear
IN mlnd the significant words of Christ.
mo man putting his hand to the pillow
and looking back is fit for the kingdom of
heaven" We have begun the good work.
why should we look back? Can you again
face the misery and remorse you expert
enced while under the guilt of sin? Wa
1T not difficult enough for you to summon
up courage to break away from sinful hab-
its, to confess the sins that oppressed your
soul, to triumph over the concupiscence
that held you captive? Would YOU again
place your souls in the slavery of the evil
one who seeks your destruction? You
are now healed; take to heart, then. the
words of Christ, go now and sin no
more lest some worse thing befall thee"
Strengthen you resolution, remain faithful
and do not fall into the happy condition
of him of whom our Saviour spoke when
He said: "All who shall see aim shall be-
gin to mock, saying this man began to
build and was not able to finish"
And then comes the very serious
thought of the limitations of Gods mercy.
1t is possible, indeed, that If you despise
and reject His grace now, you may never
have the opportunity of returning to Him
again. "Now is the acceptable time, now
is the day of salvation" The promises of
God are annexed to the performance of
present duties. To-day is the day of mer-
cy; the future holds the day of justice and
of Judgment. 1T is a horrible thing to
fall into the hands of the living God" If,
Notwithstanding your present conversion