The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1913-02-21

the outcome of a dark page in the his
tory Of David, king Of Israel. First
there was the adultery with Bath
sheba, then the murder of, Uriah, then
concealment and hardness of heart
for a year. Psalm 80 tells us how
David felt while refusing to confess:
When l kept silence my bones
waxed old through my roaring all the
day long. For day and night thy
hand was heavy upon me: my mois-
ture Is turned into the drought OF
summer" Then came Nathan the
prophet and stirred David's heart to
anger with the story of the pet eve
lamb. Nathan's stern words. Thou
art. the man." were like lightning
| flash in a dark night, David saw him.
self as he was before God, and con-
fession and forgiveness followed. Aft
er all these events-sin, conceal
ment, murder, threatening, penitence,
pardon, punishment-he cries, Have
cleanse me from my sin, wash me
and I shall be whittier than snow. The
entire psalm Is a perfect path for a
| penitent sinner, and you and I do
well to walk in it's steps.
Confession.
| David recognizes the inherent evil
of sin. He saw it as transgression.
as rebellion, iniquity, twisted thing.
as sin-missing the mark set for the
soul. David knew it was no light
thing.
Sin in relation to God is transgres-
sion, failure, denial, turning away,
| b1asphemy, hatred. In relation to
man it Is shame and isolation, tire
some and dreary monotony, degener-
acy, bondage, death. There are sins
| Of thought, of word, of deed; secret
sins, family sins, business sins, social
sins An awful Catalogues: Adultery.
fornication, uncleanness. lascivious-
ness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred.
| variance, emulations, wrath. strife.
seditions. heresies, envyings. MUIR
| ders, drunkenness, revelings, and such
like (Gal 5:19-2D. Fools make a
mock of sin. Society goes to the
theater, sees a story Of sinful hus-
bands and wives, and laughs; it
speaks of a drunkard, or hbertine. or
| unbeliever. and calls him pretty
name. But Christ went to the cross
| for sin-your sin and mine-and so
long as we have small ideas of sin
we shall place slight value on re-
demption. Let US recognize sin as it
is-enduring, personal and against
God.
David did not excuse himself, nor
| plead the force of circumstances,
bodily organization, conventionalities
of the times, royal prerogatives, pecu-
| liar temptation, maxims of society,
not even the woman in the case. But
-"my sin is ever before me-" $50
then, every one of us shall give an
account Of himself unto God"
Prayer.
Have mercy, blot out, wash, cleanse.
We see how deep was David's realiza-
ton of the enormity of his sin, and
how real the need he felt for cleans
ing. He wants a change of state
"blot out my transgressions; and a
change of nature-"cleanse me from
nv sim" Up amid the SHOWS Of the
Arctic circle region is the grave of an
explorer who went out with Sir
George Mares At the head of the
grave is a single inscriptions: Wash
we, and I shall be winter than snow"
Yes, your past may have been black
as midnight and foul as this sin of
David. but Christ can wipe it clean
off the page. What can wash away
nv sin? Nothing but the blood of
Jesus" And when by faith you &C.
cept this cleansing you will know the
| truth of what the girl meant when
she said, in answer to the question
as anything whittier than snow?"
Eyes, a pardoned soul
Wash me thoroughly from mine
tniuuity." Though your sins be as
scarlet they shall be as white as
snow" Cleanse me from my sin"
81 will, be thou clean" Look at Da-
yid's basis Of confidence for such a
prayer-"according unto the multi
tude of thy tender mercies." The
greatest wonder of God is the mercy
of God; and it is the sinners only
plea.
Sin is the worst word in any Ian
euage and the worst thing in any
soul. at the cross you can see Gods
hatred Of sin. his love for the sinner.
his fidelity to his promises, and your
opportunity. my sin is greater than
I can bear?" You do not need to
hear it. who his own self bare our
| sins in his own body on the tree. "
Take your stand by the side of Da-
vid, and the publican, BE merciful to
me a sinner" Ask God, for Christ's
sake, to forgive, to pardon, to cleanse.
and to renew. The answer is yours
already-"The blood Of Jesus Christ
his son eleanseth us from all sin"
Come now, and by faith walk the path
from sin through penftence. confes-
sion and faith, to pardon, peace and
purity. Let the new year in your
calendar be a new year in your char
acter, your conduct and your career