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


eous Judgment of God.
The Lust Of the Eye.
The first stage in AclIan's fatal course
was what the apostle describes as the
lust of the eye" Achan's curiosity was
excited lie wanted 10 see the wonder
full treasures which were to be conse
Grated To the Lord. His first step in
the downward path which ended i'm his
destruction WAS taken when lie rose
from among his sleeping comrades. and.
slipping past the guards. lie wended his
way among the shattered walls of the
captured city. Ii was one act for
Achan with sword and spear and shield
10 fight his way into that doomed cap
ital. swarming with enemies. but Ii
WAS another act. after the battle was
won. for this brave soldier TO arise at
night and crawl past the scntinels and
begin To examine the spells which were
not his and by right never could be
his. II is one act. and commendable
act. for a young physician ut the call
of duty 10 20 down 10 the place of evil
resort in Il large city 10 help some suf
fcrcr Frustrated by physical infirmity
IL is another act. and a very danger
Gus act. for II young man or n young
woman. actuated merely by an idle Gu.
riosiiy. To join Summing party to
look upon vice and gloat over il as n
spectacle Sometimes temptations come
10 man i'm the ordinary walks of life.
I.tNe in. Ill mi 4.
Achan. temptations TO sin most sue
ccssfully assail man when that man
is idling in n place where he has no
business TO be.
Let me illustrate my thought from
an old scene in the Bible. How often
has the downfall of DaviS been the
subject of the pessimist's diatribe.
How he exults over the spectacle of
the shepherd boy who conquered Co
Hath and climbed TO the throne of
Israel. yielding To his infatuation for
woman. Yes. yes" he says. men
are all alike: the best of men are vile
ut heart. Here is the sweet psalmist
OF Israel the perfect specimen of noble
manhood. the man after Gods own
heart. so enslaved by his guilty pas
sion for another mans wife that he
Stays the husband TO get possession of
her. No man is TO he trusted"
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 if they
do not stick scrupulously 10 the work
God has given them TO do. The reason
David sinncd was not because he look
ed upon 'Bathshcba. the wife of Criah,
the lIittite." The reason David sinned
was because, like Achan among the
Jericho spoils. he was idlng nj home
instead of being with his army. In
the first verse of the eleventh chapter
of II 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 .Ioab." That sentence
means simply this: When the time of
military campaign came-thc time
when David ought TO have taken the
field and led Oh his own troops Ia bat
tle-he sent Il substitute and stayed at
home. The beginning OF his danger
was not in looking ut Bathsheha. who
was the wife of Uriah. the Hittitc. hut
spells. in place where he had no
right Ia lie.
My iiother. when God calls you TO do
work. lie will always give you
strength 10 resist the sinful tcmpta-
tions incident To that work. But when
you 20 TO n place where you have no
right To 20. you are liable To- expert
ence that lust of the eye which may be
the beginning of 81 long succession Of
other sins.
Young man. beware of the tcmpta-
ton 10 absent yourself fr,rI the post
Of duty. Beware. when Sabbath day
comes around. il Your minister does not
see you in the house Of God. You may
say you are tired You may say you
will stay nj homc and read the Bible
and have your devotionS in your room
but beware. In comm. tn :. large city.
do not let your new made friends en-
tice yon into II saloon. just 10 look nj
the beautiful pictures upon the walls.
ana the expensive mosaics on the
floors. AMI the gorgeous rugs and the
fine set banpuets i'm the gambling halls.
IL 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. II enables the l,o
licenian 10 scc whether business is he
Ing done in the prohibited hours. and
is so far an advantage. but il makes
conspicuous the decorations and at
fractions of those places. and so tends
To allure passersly 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 as far as possible.
Achan's First Step.
Achan's eye step" in the next place.
was followed 10y his ''covciouS step"
We say that the sin of covetolIsncss is
only one step beyond the first sin. But
sI,o Sr.n.,I stan IF tcl ii il nvan