Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-10-15

and "all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God" Our history and
our conscience bear witness to the
truth of it. The present writer and
reader must make the same humiliat-
ing confession Il have trespassed
against my God"
The evil thing is already done and
the record is already made. The
temptation to think that we can do
enough good to blot out the evil is
subtle one, We cannot go back over
the road and live it over in such a
manner as to hide the record we have
left. We sometimes say, Il wish
could go back and do it differently"
but time refuses to turn back for us.
| The record is there and all we can
say of it is. in the words of Pcntius
PLATE, What | have written l have
written" The words spoken that
should have remained unuttered may
be forgotten but they are all record
ed. The deeds of evil we cannot undo
The sins are already committed and
the sinner should not be so much ex-
ercised about what will happen in the
future as about what has happened in
the past.
There may be a difference in the
number and character of sins commit
ted but trespass there is against each
one To trespass means to get "over
the fence" or "out Of bounds" God
has set bounds for man to walk in
and as far as the fatal results are
Concerned one might as well be a
mile out of those bounds as merely
4 foot God says that "he that keep
9Th the whole law and yet offendeth
in one point is guilty of all" If a
mans life depended on the strength of
a chain, nine strong links would not
avert the catastrophe resulting from
4 weak link that breaks. One sin is
enough to put one "out of bounds. .
Therefore this is a proper confession
for everyone to make, Il have tres,
passed against my God"
IT. The gracious comfort for the sin
nef-'syet now there is hope concern.
ing this thing
In spite of the trespass whether
large or small, every sinner has this
hope God says to ALL "Come now
and let us reason together: Though
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be
as white as snow The natural thing
for a sinner to do is to hide from the
One who has been offended This
Adam did when God came into Eder
after the fall But not in judgment
but in grace does God come. Not te
condemn but to save. In the future
he will come to Judge and to condemn
but today there Is hope fer all The
message from Gods Word is, Nov
is the accepted time, behold today il
the day of salvation" Many say, :.
will think about the matter but thu
Lord says today" at once, now. no
tomorrow. Many have gone to a hope
less eternity just because they per
sisted in thinking about instead o
accepting Gods gracious offer of
present salvation. And this text pro
claims universal hope, including al
/ who have trespassed. It is extendet
to everyone. Over and over God
Word declares that "Whosoever shal
q call upon the name of the Lord shall
>, be saved" whatsoever will may com
!. and take of the water of life freely
4 'Whosoever believeth on him shal
: not perish but have everlasting life.
III. The wise conduct for the sir
ner Therefore let US make cove
! nant with our God"
. This is not merely covenant t
II turn over new leaf or to mend GU
n ways or any of the many expedient
"a resorted to to give peace and rest t
the troubled conscience, but it is turI
ing to God, coming out from benin
the tree to him who alone can bic
out the record of the trespasses an
give US a clean record. The word
of the prophet are as true today a
- they were when uttered, Let th
wicked forsake his way and the III
- righteous man his thoughts and Il
~ him return unto the Lord and he wi
- have mercy upon him and to our Go
for he will abundantly pardon" The1
- is abundant pardon with the Lord fe
=, :, every trespass and for every sin an
:, the blood of Jesus Christ Gods So
io can blot out every mark and stai
from the sinners record