Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-05-05
Calnnage
Sermon
BY Rev.
Prank De Witt Talmasc. d. d.

Los Angeles. Cal, April so.-In this
sermon the preacher draws from the
old story a powerful lesson on the sins
or modern society and shows the WY
OF escape from such sins and their con-
sequences. The text is Luke xvii, 30,
Remember Lots wife"
Truth Is truth at all times. But truth
Is never more powerfully driven home
TO the consciences OF men than when
Illustrated BY parable or symbollzed by
biograrhy or exempllfied by anecdote.
Christ always symbolizes truth In q
very simple way. Today he appears to
US, ss well as to the Pharisees of old.
and saysi Men, you know the history
or Lots wife. With great opportunity
OF usefulness. yet she became false to
her trust. DO not make the sinful mis-
takss abe made. Do not have her doom
your doom. By yonder pillar of salt
learn that the wages OF sin is always
death. Repent Of your sins while there
is yet time. Repent as John the Bap-
fist exhorted you to repent. Come and
bow at Gods mercy seat, and bow
now" May God teach us one and all
to linger only long enough in the plains
OF Sodom and Gomorrah to learn the
mighty gospel lesson that there is no
safety anywhere for sinful man out
side the protecting and forglving love
OF Jesus Christ.
Like Lots wife, the most of us!
Why7 We are freed from the bitter
temptations which, as a pack of hun
cry wolves. follow in the wake of
mercilsss poverty. We have never
ing and have nothing to eat. We have
never KNOWN what it is to shiver in
cold because we could not afford a
warm garment for our backs. We
never knew what 1t was to stagger
about q great city after the hours of
midnight In q snowstorm because we
did not know where to lay our heads
and then had to apply TO the police
station ana sleep with a lot of filthy,
dirty tramps upon the stone floors,
with our ragged shoes under our heads
for pillow. We may not have been
able to Count our sheep by the thou
sands aud our herds of horses and
cattle by the hundreds, as Lots wife
did We may not have servants ga
lore and messengers TO do our slightest
Bidding. But, like Lots wife when
she and her husband separated from
the Abrahamic household, we have al
ways had enough food to eat, enough
clothing to wear and a comfortable
place In which to slumber. We have
never been IN a position where hunger
was gnawing at our vitals and where
temptation came snarling and snap
ping at our heels in our desperate
struggle Cor a physical existence. We
never knew what 1t was to long to
earn our bread by the sweat Of our
brow and never be able to crunch a
crumb.
Deserves Pity.
Even murder. the worst OF crimes,
has degrees OF turpitude. God pity the
man who Is placed in the awful posi-
ton or one who realizes that he has to
slay his brother or die himself. God
pity the starving shipwrecked sailor
who crouches upon the edge OF a raft
In the middle OF the Atlantic ocean
watching his companion at the other
side OF the raft, who is hunger mad
like himself. God pity him as he leaps
forward rs tiger might leap upon the
back OF trembling fawn and buries
his teeth In the jugular vein OF his
friend and drinks the flowing blood in
nendish glee as n mountain lioness
would bury her teeth I'm the soft fur
OF rabbit or fat prairie dog. tell
you, my friends. God has different
standards OF judgment for sin. 1t
makes great deal OF difference how
he condemns us for sin IL, on the one
hnnd, we, like Lots wife, have finan-
cial plenty and II, on the other hand,
we are poor, hungry outcasts, with no
work and no means OF earning any
kind OF an honest livelihood. To sin for
pleasure and to sin because you do not
know which way TO turn for food are
two entirely different propositions In
Gods economy.
oh, the temptations that come to
some men on account OF their struggles
for physical existence! / was never
more Impressed with the awfulness of
such temptations than when reading
this tragic story: Some years after the
overthrow OF Napoleon n banquet was
being given IN London TO the British
oricers who had fought under yelling
ton at Waterloo. During their dinner
the old commander, then the most hon.
ored man In England, took out of his
pocket beautifully jeweled snuffbox
which had been presented TO him by
his sovereign In order that his COM
panions In arms might see 1t he passed
IL down the table. A short time after
Wellington asked where 1t was, and no
one could find 1t. The jeweled snuffbox
had disappeared. or course all the off,
GERS present felt that there was a thief
among them Some one proposed that
the doors be locked and every one
searched. Much to the surprise of the
company. an honored ex-colonel. OF a
line regiment refused to be searched.
evidence OF course, pointed to him as
tne guilty man, but on account OF old
association sake Wellington let him 60
That night when the great duke was
undressing for bed much TO his sur
pSise he found the jeweled snuffbox
IN his pocket 1t had not been stolen.
lie had absentmindedly thrust it into
his pocket At once Wellington order
cd his carriage and rode to the resi-
denee or the suspected colonel. In and
out or the streets. he went until his
coachman drew up before q poor tene-
ment house. wellington climbed the
rickety stairs and found his old com.
panion living in poverty and squalor.
de threw his arms about the coIonePs
neck and begged his pardon. Then he
SAID, Colonel, why did you not let US
search you and free you from the sus.
picion OF the theftg" Because" an.
swered the colonel, though am poor,
1 am very proud. My wife and chill.
dren have not had enough to eat for
months. Meat they have net had fol
week And while you were eating /
slipped the meat or my plate and hid
1t In my pockets, that they might eat
1t after ] reached home" All. the
temptations Of sin, which must con.
tinually abide with such starving men
ana the homeless! God is going to
Judge such sinners differently from
the way he will condemn our sins
Like Lots wife xyo ha~a hod -