Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-08-18
KETIERs BIG FAIR August 29th 3Oh and 3st 1906

God said unto PharOah, Let my peo-
pie GO" Pharoah would not. Then the
river Nile was turned into q river of
blood and every challice the king lifted
to bis lips seemed to be filed to the
brim with the refuse OF the public
slaughterhouse. Then the frogs came
leaping up the palace stairs and crowd
ed into every nook and corner, and, as
cobblestones, they covered every street
and they filled every hallway and bed
room. Then came the plague Of MUIR
rain, which killed the cattle. Then
came the falling hail and buzzing To-
Gusts. Then came the plague Of dark
ness. SO dark was It that all men had
to feel their way around like blind men.
Then came the death Of the frstborn
In every house. No sooner did these
plaques come than Pharaoh would
cry out: Enough, enough, enough! o
God of Israel, have suffered enough!
| will let thy people gO." But as soon
as the night Of suffering and OF pun
ishment ended the beautiful morning
clouds of his repentance only fingered
a little while, and then they were gone
and gone forever. Do you not see the
beautiful simile of the repentances or
our lives which come only because we
are being punished for our past sins?
But there is another fact about these
morning clouds you ought to consid-
er. They live very near to the earth.
They are the lowest clouds we have
In the heavens. II might use a vul-
gar illustration, they smell Of the CON-
mon soil. You know when you were
housekeeper In the east every spring
time you would carefully put away
your winter garments, that the moths
could not get at them. If they were
furs, you were especially careful and
wrapped them around and around.
Then inside Of these bundles you put
lot of camphor. Then, In the fall,
the odor from that camphor in those
garments was sickening. When you
unrolled the bundles you at once shook
the garments out and hung them up
to air upon a line. Having been wrap
ped I'D for months In camphor, the gar
ments smelled of the camphor. Thus
are these morning clouds of repent
ance. They live SO near to the earth
that they never learn what repentance
in Christ truly means. Let me ex-
plain more in detail
Not Enough.
Here, for instance, Is man who mas
been a drunkard for fifteen years. His
wife at last makes up her mind that
for her own sake and for the sake OF
her children she will not stand the
misery any longer. With that the hus-
band begins to plead and beg. He
says: 81 repent. l will sign the pledge.
promise. promise. / promise" "
Well, man, what do you promise?. on
promise l will not get drunk any
more" Is that all you promise? why,
YES. What more do you want me 10
promise| Or here Is a woman who
enters a rescue home. She says: II
promise. promise" What do you
promise? "Why, promise that | VIII
cease to be a social outcast." Is that
all you promise? "Yes, that is all.
What more do you want me to prom
ise! Is not that my besetting SIM"
Nay, my frlend-nay, that is not your
! besetting sin. That Is mere result
of your besetting sin. Your besetting
sin Is that you do not throw yourself
upon the mercy of Jesus Christ and
have him cleanse you wholly, and then
he will give you strength to resist all
sin. The gospel Of Jesus Christ Is not
a mere matter of negation. 1t does not
consist of long succession Of "don'ts
don't do this and don't do that and
don't do the other things. But 1t does
consist In one positive assertiVe act
and then all the other attributes OF
Christian life shall be yours. seek
va first the kingdom Of God and his
righteousness, and all things will be
added unto you The great trouble
with our morning cloud" repentances
Is that they live too near the soil and
they smell Of the earth earthly.
Are YOU ready to here and now seek
| first the kingdom Of God and his right
eousness and have all things added
unto you? John Cough, the temperance
orator used to tell this pathetic story:
In Edinburgh many years ago there
WAS a clubhouse rented for the pur-
nose of caring for reformed drunkards.
One night there staggered into that
house a man who was appalllngly
drunk. "Do you know what place this
is?' the superintendent said. This is
not a saloon. This is teetotalers'
club" Il know it," said the man.
"and am a teetotaler." "You a tee
totaler? Why, you are beastly drunk.
81 know that" said the man. II know
I am awfully drunk, but am tee
totaler Just the same. l signed the
pledge an hour ago, and I hsvs not
touched d drop since. have come here
for safety. l want TO keep the pledge
but / know | cannot keep 1t In my
own strength, so l have come here TO
have you help me keep it," All, the
man was right. Not in his own strength
could he keep the pledge. Not In our
own strength can we keep from sin
ming. Let us sign the pledge. Let us
resolve not to sin. But let US run to
Christ to have him help us to keep that
pledge. In our own strength we are
helpless. Let US be like the cirrus
clouds living high up in the heavens
and not like the morning clouds living
near the soil and of the earth, smelling
earthly.
Protected by the Air.
But the morning clouds, in addition
IA all their short lived beauty, are