The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-09-15

w - 5l:5) He said:
(PASI0R RUSSELD Diagnosis Is val
liable in the at
tempted cure of any malady. This is
as true Of sin-slckness, deprayity, as Of
any other aiIment Of humanity. The
better We understand the origin Of sin
and the methods of its operation in
ourselves and in others, the more sue
cessful we shall be In combating 1t.
We must know what helps to feed the
ailment and what tends tc destroy 1t.
Our forefathers erred, evidently, in
their declaration Of total depravity.
None of us ever met human being
entirely depraved-entirely devoid Of
sympathy for righteousness and truth
dead to all good influences Expert
encc. however, does corroborate the
Bible statement that there is none
righteous. no. not one"-all are sin
ncrs. Moreover. the Bible goes to the
root of the matter; and experience cor
roborates its statement in our text
that We and all humanity were born
in Il state of sin. with the prediction
or inclination toward sin.
We are not. however. 10 conclude
that God made us sinners; for the BIZ
bile contradicts that thought. and as
sures us that "all His work is perfect"
According to the Bible, we received
our lives from our parents; and they
theirs from their parents; and so buck
to Father Adam. The Bible tells lis
that our parents Einned. and came I'M
der tue Divine sentence Of death; and
that this meant mental and moral, MS
well rs physical, degeneracy.'i The
Apostle declares, by one mans dis
obedience sin entered into the world.
and death by sin."-Romans 5:12.
This curse OF death which came upon
the race. and which affects us from
the moment OF birth. is terrible
blight. Even though 1t Is much more
reasonable than the curse declared by
our mistaken creeds-the curse Of eter-
nal torment-nevertheless the curse
of God Is sufficiently terrible, and
worldwide. The penalty, Dying. thou
shalt die" is much less horrible than
II it had read. Living, thou shalt live
in eternal torment"
When. therefore. we find in ourselves
and others hayward, sinful tendencies.
we reflect that these are evidences Of
the fall. the curse, and that all who
are under such influences are 10 be
pitied. True pity, however, must not
be sympathy with sin, but with the
sinner. who is handicapped by the
prcdisposition to sin, Sin calls for
radical measures for its determination
for the release of the sinner; but our
best efforts for them and for others
will be attained through knowledge
Of the facts, and through the exercise
or the proper sympathy. There are
probably more people injured through
lack OF sympathetic help than are help,
cd by the administration OF cold
blooded justice without tenderness or
sympathy. We have been slow tt
learn this lesson.
Parental Sympathy Needed.
Undoubtedly us human sympathy
expands through Il knowledge of the
facts, both parents and children will
be blessed by that increase Of knowl-
edge. Parents need 10 learn that their
own mental moods and sympathies
with right or wrong serve to stamp.
to birth.mark their children. either fa-
vorably or unfavOraOly The parents
of vicious child should reflect that
they had much to do with that vicious
ness. Properly informed and right
willed. they might have produced the
Ihlld with much more favorable or
ganlsm. II requires great deal OF
training to work out Of the childS dis
positlon that which was inbred at Its
birth. Indeed. the probability Is that
only small portion of it will ever be
eradicated In this life.
We are not forgetting the Scripture
which says. who can bring a clean
thing out of an unclean:" We rcmem'
her this, and merely suggest that the
imperfect slnner-chiId, shapen In III
idIity aud conceived in sin. may have
more or lcss Of sinful disposition. We
are suggesting that II weighty respon-
slbility rests upon parents IN respect
to the prenatal influences exercised
as well MS to Ihcir parental obligations
after their children are born.
With what care what loyalty to God
and righteousness, what desire t"
maintain purity Of heart and lovclIncss
Of character. the procrCatiNe powers
should be exercised! With what care
the father should surround the mother