Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1904-12-12
SERMON ON FLIMSY EXCUSES
PREACHED AT THE PRESBY-
TERRAIN GHURCH
Yesterday Morning BY The Pastor
of The Church, Rev.
George S. Bell.
LARGE CROWDS ATTEND
THE SERVICES.


Gorge ,. Bell, pastor. In the morn
ing Governor Warfield, Mrs. Warfield
and their son, Edwin. Jr, were num.
bered among the congregation, together
Win number of officers of the Naval
Academy and their families. midshin.
men and strangers. The subject of
the pastor 5 morning sermon was "Ex.
cnses. The text was Matt. xiv .lS
And they al. with one consent heran
TO make excuse. Mr.. Bell smoke in
part as follows:
Jesus was guest in the home of
a Pharisee. The other guests were
Pharisees and Sadusees. the society
people OF the day who tried to imnress
our Lord with the idea that thev
were deeply interested in His mission
He knew their hearts, however. and
could not be cajoled by words of fiat
terry as we are sometimes deceived
de knew with what stony indifference
lie and His cause had been treated by
this same class of Jewish society TO
which bis host and fellow guests be-
longed. Therefore, when one of the
guests uttered the sentimental refiec
tion, Blessed is be that eateth bread
in the kingdom of God, He heard il
with impatience. Ii was the hypoerit
ical cant of the times. While IL was
true in itself, it.was not true for the
speaker, and it is characteristic of all
earnest souls to have an adherence of
cant.
The prophet Jeremiah lashed with
a pen of scorching sarcasm those who
We're talking of Tho Burdens of the
Lord, while they were living in
their own selfish ease and pleasures.
Similar, doubtless, were the feelings
awakened IN the breast of Jesus by the
pious reflection of the sentimental
guest, and He uttered a parable In
place OF what He might have said,
turning to the guest: Think YOU so?
Let me tell you, how little many
such as you care for the privilege you
seem to value so highly. We have
the great lesson in the Scripture |
read you this morning. Fliinsy pre-.
texts, conveniently called excuses.
were held up as in a mirror before
tina rldly-minded company. MANY
centuries have come and gone since
that great banquet, and the lesson
which is more vivid to- us now. re-
mains. Time, however, sad to say.
has served to increase rather than
diminish the number of excuses. The
world under the benign influence of
Christianity, has OF ,rown many of
its faults, but so far as its apologies
tor wrong doing is concerned, it has
not improved one whit. This is a
generation Of apologists. There is no
crime, no shorteoming, that fails to
find its apologists. Mention any duties
left undone in church or state, aud re.
creant Christian and recreant citizen
will come with twenty excuses why it
is left undone-
1.-The Bible condemns sins, and laws
down precepts for honoring God and
right living; but men are found who
excuse the sins and assure us that the
world has .outgrown the Bible. The
Sabbath day. can no longer be kept as
holy day, because times have
changed and business and pleasures
cannot be confined to six davs of the
week. Some things that are wrong IN
the abstract, are, under certain con-
dltlons, not wrong in the concrete.
The Jesultical notion that the end
justifies the means was not entirely
sloughed of along with other evils at
the Reformation. War is hell is the
dictum OF famous general, and the
opinion OF the wise and .good every
where, but you have read words like
these which / quote Every war is
as beneficial as thunder storm to
clear the air. Every generation needs
one war TO prevent its SONS from be-
coming soft and easy going How
easy it is to paint the picture Of
battle field with pen, so that we see
the heroism and almost hear the cheer
ing OF the soldiers, but no pen can
portray, no tongue can tell tile waste
Of war, the horrId decentralization OF
the people, the vices of q soldiers
lite. the mourning households, the
aching hearts and desolate lives OF
mothers, widows and orphans, and
yet there are those VINO would plunge
their country into war on the most
fiimsy pretext!
''1hen, as an excuse, they dip their
pens in ink and call war thunder
storm which clears the ART How
many excuses are made for the in
famous rum traffic? Men will
drink, it is said, so let us by law fur
nish them their liquor. Regulation
and revenue are sufficient excuses for
it. All the excesses of youth are ex-
planned away quite as easily. The
young man must sow his wild oats.
but it is forgotten that he will reap
them, too. such excuses are cOnven-
lent, but the devil is the maker Of
them all Not necessary is an ex-
cuse frequently heard By us who be-
seech men to accept Christ as Saviour
aud follow HIM as guide and teacher.
/ am living the best / know how. /
wouldn't { be found guilty of some in
consistencies / know many Of your
church members are guilty of. / ad-
mire Christ honor Him, yes believe
in Him. / know He founded the
church. and should be grieyed to see
the church go down. 1t is the great
est institution on earth today. Moth
ing, save in slight degree, is CON-
parable to it. 1t is the only thing here
that Will outlast time. Still / do not
feel it is necessary for me to belong
TO it.
"There are others who feel no need
Of a saviour. There is no sin TO be
conquered, but I can conquer it; no
worldly desires.to be subdued, but l
can subdue them. i refuse 70 accept
salvation on account of sins pardoned. ;
This is the most difficult class to reach
nov, as our Lord found them in His
dav. They excuse themselves from
@.I1<~asu0 Christ hoQarsa fhav xuor1I