The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-07-08


God has given them 10 do The reason |
David sinned was not because be look
I'd upon "Bathsheha. the wife Of Uriah, /
the Hittit0" The reason David sinned /
vas because. Ike Achan among the /
Jericho spolls. he was idling at 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 II came |
10 pass after the year was eXpirod, at /
the ting when kings go forth 10 battle |
that David sent I0ab" That sentence |
means simply this: When the time OF
military campaign wmc-the time
whom David ought 10 have taken the
field and led on bis own troops 10 bat
tle-he sent a substitute and stayed AZ
home. The beginning OF his danger
was not In looking at Bathshcba. who
was the wife OF Uriuh. the Hittite but
ln being. like Achan. among the Jericho
spoils. in a place where he bad no
right 70 be.
Ny hrothcr. when God calls you 10 do
a work, ne Will always give you
strength 10 resist the sinful tcmpta-
tlons incident 10 that work. But when
you 90 10 a place where you have no
right 10 20. you are liable 10 expert
ence that lust Of the eye which may De
tho beginning Of long succession ot
other sins
Achan's "eyc step in the next place
was followed by his "covetous step.
We say that the sin Of coyetousness IS
only one step beyond the first sin But
the second step OF Achan's sin is even
more dangerous than the first stage.
The one may be the bare. rcpulsive
branch. with its sap frozen and con
eealed by the frosts Of winter The
other may be the spring blossoms
growing upon that branch when the
sprlng has placed the silver trumpet OF
the resurrection TO natures lip. The
lust Of the eve is nearly always accom-
oapled by hesitation and timidity. You
can see that fear In the flushed cheek
Of the young man who stands upon the
street corner debating within himself
whether or no he will enter the place
Of evil resort 10 which his dissipated
friends are persuading him. When the
mind has taken the second step and
desire is aroused, the hideous deform
/ lty OF sin disappears, and longing sees
I'm n only whnt is attractive and en-
iovahle. The second sin. the sin of
covetousness. Is blind 10 the scorpions
sting OF the adders hiss or the tigers
/ claw or the sharks threatening I'm
lifted Ike the black flag Of the pirate
Iover a threatening sea- Of green. The
"sin Of covetousness' is summer
stroll through woods filed with the
aroma OF wild flowers II Is the ianta-
sizes of the diseased brain Of the opium
enter. which the sinful Imagination can
Mace almost within the grasp OF the
/ 1reamer. II is the most gorgeous OF
air castles. the most beautiful OF Ito
pias. the sweetest OF songs. II Is the
soft couch under the shadows OF the
overhanglng tree branches. over which
the satanic spiders are spinning few
beautiful silken threads which can be
snapped 10 a day, hut which In time
may become as strong as links OF steel
Is not Achan, going to the place OF
execution. the history Of almost every
dnnerf Eye sin" first step "covet-
ous SIN" second step What we would
like 10 do nearly always precedes what
we will ultimately DO if we get the
chance. Bejazet, the sultan Of the OF
tomnn empire. was defeated by Tam
sriane In the famous battle Of Angora.
After the battle the Tartar conqueror
called Beiazet into his tent and asked
him how he would have treated Tam
Ierlane II he had won Like a dog!
said the captured sultan. Il would
have made you my footstool when l
mounted nv saddle, and when your
services were not needed would have
chained you In a cage Ike Wild
beast" Then Tamerlane replied, In
stead Of treating you like a dog shall
show you mercy and treat you Ike a
king" But all the kindness Of Tam.
erlane went for naught As were BE
Y iazefs thoughts. so were HIS ultimate
actions. He betrayed the noble kind
nesses Of Tamerlane and plotted his
assassination. Then tradition has II
that Tamerlnne commanded that BE
iazet should be treated Ike dog and
chained I'm cage Ike a Wild heast
So. nv brother like Achan Of my text
vou and can trace the degeneracy OF
our lives. If they are degenerate. by
our evil thoughts. which always pre-
D eede evn actions. What we think, We
will ultimately speak; what we desire
, we VIII ultimately DO.
3 But now. in following the four fata
stages Of Achan's sin, we find that bis
third step-the finger stcp'-changet
] him before the world from an hones
! into dishonest man. No sooner does
2 Achnn hide that Babylonish garment
under his soldiers cloak and hug tha
) wedge Of gold and bag Of silver unde
e his arm than before man, as well al
r God. he becomes amenable TO human
! law. once be was a criminal at heart
b but not a criminal In actin his owl
{ consciousness and In Gods sight
! thief. but before his fellow men 81
Z honest upright man. No one knew
4 that under that fair and respectable
e exterior there lurked the plunderer
p Like Or. Jekyll IN steyonsons famou
@ allegory. he gave no sign Of that de
l monlac personality which he marlboro
h within him. But once the boundary
I. passed. and the evil thoughts and ey
desires have taken shape In acts he
?. under the ban Of justice, and ultimau
. ". like Edward Everett Hale's we
l. known character. he becomes D ma
o from whom all but men Ike himse
q shrink-"a man without a country
o II Is an awful catastrophe when
, man by direct sin Of commissic
h4N