Evening journal., 1916-01-26
A RUINED LIFE
Sermon preached in the Tabernacle yesterday

sand they took AbsalOm and east
him into a great pit" quoted the
evangelist, from ii Samuel 1S:17.
"This Bible is a book of biography
Some lives are represented to us for
example other lives for a warning
Some lives are like light houses she'd
ding forth beautiful divine rays of
illumination to show the way into the
harbor of safety, and others are like
the black buoys that are placed above
the rocks to steer all ships from the
sands and from the shoals. This life
of Absalom's was a ruined life, a life
given for a warning.
"Absalom's life was one OF great
! possibilities. First of all, he was a
man of great ancestry. He came
from the stock of David and the stock
OF Jesse. the stock Of Ruth and Boaz.
From the human standpoint the same
blood ran in veins Of Absalom as in the
veins Of Jesus Christ, the Son of Cod
1t is a great thing, friends, to be we'll
born. Oliver Wendall Holmes says:
II you want to reform a man begin
with his grandmother If God has
given to you an ancestry whose
minds have been clean, thank God
for it.
Moreover. Absalom was also a
man of type of physical perfection;
from the crown OF his head to the
soles OF his feet there was not a
blemish. He was a man of remark
able beauty of face and form. More
over. he was a man of attractiveness
] Of ahar 81 Il s.I
! nature, a warm heart. He was pos
| sessed of that peculiar unansalysable
element Of personal magnetism that
won everyone to himself Moreover
he was a man of great opportunities
He had the favor of his father. He
would undoubtedly have been placed
as king on the throne. yet Absaloms s
life went out in darkness and despair
and he was buried in a pit.
"What was the cause of his way
wardness?" asked the evangelist. 81
want to emphasize three things-the
cause. the characteristics and the re-
suit. First. the cause of Absalom s
waywardness was of malice. He cher
ished in his heart envy bitterness
and vindictiveness There is no can.
Ger that will do more deadly destruc-
tion in human souls than this moral
cancer of unforgiveness and bitter
ness. There are those undoubtedly
in this building that have been har.
boring in their hearts envy. a grudge
il may be a family quarrel, perhaps
over the distribution OF the parenta
estate You can never get God:
blessing until these things are cas-
from your heart
"And again. the cause Of Absalom'
waywardness was selfish ambition
Absalom lived for himself In hi
pride and egotism he was willing 4
step over the dead bodies OF all hi
friends and relatives if It could NOV
him to a higher place. There are mel
that are probably seeking for som
political position and are unwilling L
take a definite. positive stand 70
Jesus Christ for fear they would hav
, to break with the lawless element o
this city, and they are letting thei
political ambitions prove TO be tn
damnation of their souls.
What are you living. for, to pleas
yourself? To advance your own ma
terial interests or selfish desires? o
are you going TO please Jesus Christ
Right here we are going TO draw
sharp contrast between these tw'
blood relatives. Absalom and Jesu
Christ, the Son OF God, one living 70
himself and AbsalOm was buried Il
pit and his name has been a stencil
in the nOstrils of centuries. Jesu
lived TO please God. and it pleased tn
7 Father to highly exalt Him and Civ
/ Him a name which is above ever
: name
) Always Find Deceit.
: "What were the characteristics o
Absalom's life? First, there was tn
element Of deception and deceit
wherever you find other sins. you vii
+ always find deception. II a man lie'
\ if he murders. il he commits adulter,
G you will always find the element
Y deception. There is a woman in tn
town who is untrue TO her husban