Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1905-08-11
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RjAI|IG PULPIT

ence and say with real meaning, Il
believe in the forgiveness of sins"
No one needs to travel far along
life's high-road before he becomes
conscious of something wrong. He
cannot stand up before high heaven
and say that he is without guilt.
Turning to the Bible he reads that:
IF we say that we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves that coming short
of the glory of God is sin; that "the
thought Of foolishness is SIM and
that whatsoever is not of faith is
sim" Then almost despairing he turns
his eyes inward and sees written
large across the parchment Of the in
ner life, THE soul that sinneth it shall
die" Going a step further we discov-
er that the sinful acts are the outcome
OF nnwholesome dispositions. The
wrong acts are but the flowers spring
ing naturally from such roots as Pride,
~Selfshness and Tyranny.
If a nan walks in his sleep and
stumbles owe a p%recipice he is dashed
to pieces. If a little child seizes hold
Of a. live electric wire she receives the
fatal shock. We pity them both, but
cannot cancel the effect. Is it not true
in the spiritual world in the same way,
that the act of sin sets in motion GER
tain forces? Every sin carries its own
punishment.
What happens to the selfish man
who persists in his s%elfishness? He
becomes hard, and cannot be gener-
when he would. What happens to
the man who %surrenders himself to
passion and appetite? He becomes
weak, and cannot stiffen his will when
he tries. This stern Gospel is taught
in the kindest parable that Jesus
ever spoke, the parable Of the prodigal
son. Do you remember what the
father said to his elder son? "Son, all
that is mine is thine" He could pot
have said it to the younger. 1t is true
that the younger had the affection Of
his father but that affection could not
suspend the law of retribution. He
""o W iCuP dtNolulbS w lht
sowing. The money had been spent
and could ever be- brought back. The
constitution had been undermined and
could never be built up to its fullness
and strength. The past could not be
recalled by the wave of any magic
wand. The prodigal came back, but
every time he looked at the burrows
on his fathers face he cursed himself.
He felt he was nearer heaven and
further off at one and the same time.
l cannot see any way Of pardon ex-
cept through Jesus Christ's doctrine
of the Divine Fatherhood. That is to
me the one hope and stay in all my
thought on this subject. Only when
you believe in the Divine Fatherhood
is there room for pardon. 1t should
not be difficult for God to forgive. At
any rate, don't let us give God worse
than we give ourselves. Love Is
the restoring force always at work In
the world. Just as the law of gravity
is always bringing back to earth the
stones that the boys throw into the
air, so there is this great force at the
center Of Gods universe seeking to
bind the erring hearts Of the children
to the eternal heart of God. Jesus
comes and takes us by the hand and
leads us back to God. Jesus saves
us because He never doubts that we
can be saved. He saves us because of
the invincibility of His faith in us.
Salvation is finding the right road; it
is into that road that Christ leads us.