The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-03-22

40 Gays.
he fed the snake and nourished it
until it was a monster. The actor
would go through an act every night,
letting the snake coil himself about
his body, until the eyes of the man
and the beast met. And those of the
latter wavered, for he knew the man
was his master.
Hitch in Program.
"But one night there was a hitch in
the program. The huge monster,
while coiled about the body of the
man, suddenly frightened his hold and
held the struggling, helpless man in
the grip of death. The man strug-
gled, but all in vain. His eyes popped
from their sockets, the blood oozed
from his nose and face, the veins in
his head popped until he dropped a
Iifeless mass on the floor.
$50 it is with sin," said the preach
er. "First it is only small thing
and can easily be crushed by the
man. But if we let it run on and on
until before we know it sin is the
master and we are the slaves.
"a man can go out and drink wine,
and play cards all night long, and So
ciety endorses it as the proper thing.
But let him go step farther. Let
people know that he is drunkard
and that he is slave to whiskey, and
what is the result? People shun him,
they have nothing to do with him; he
is branded for life, and is thrown out
from decent society. Because he is
leperi
ut is the question that you have
to decide. The question of which
shall bethe conqueror of your soul
sin or the Word of God.
Is Matter of Pride.
"With some it is a matter of pride
that they will not submit themselves
to God. Just as the rich man Naaman
was too proud to do as the prophet
told him and battle himself seven
times in the river Jordan, if he would
be cured, so we are too proud to hum
BILE ourselves to God.
'You may be man of great POI
litical power. You may carry the
voting populace of this county be-
hind you. You may be a good father
and husband. But I do not care how
much power you have if you TURF
down God you are leper. A monu-
ment may be erected to you and PEG
pie may sing your praises, but the
fact remains you are leper, and sin
like leprosy, is incurable this side OF
the gates of heaven"
Sin Separates.
Here the evangelist described how
sin separates, in breaking ties of love
and friendship and destroying happy
homes.
"Leprosy is segregated. Sin act
the same way. Men are separated by
it from wives and relatives. Give ms
those three letters, sin, and I'll tel
you why there is sickness and death
hospitals and jails, penitentiaries ant
insane asylums. Sin is the undertake,
of every funeral. The Bible is for
ever true, The wages of sin is death.
These three letters are like the his
of the serpent away back in the Gar
den of Eden.
"The great medical societies woul
honor the man who can permanentl
cure leprosy, but, like sin, there is n
cure this side of the gates of heaven
Only Christ can help you here.
big doors very often swing on lit
tie hinges. The devil would soone
get hold of the boys and girls than al
the old rummies.
| II would sooner have them save
and to a height than to go down to tn
bottom to save old soaks. God does
fine thing when he saves and Erigh
ems these little ones, unmarked b
sin.
Naaman's Healing.
Il can see in my minds eve Naa
mans wife sitting sobbing and griey
ing when her beloved husband ha
!, been stricken with the vile diseas
and the little Hebrew maiden VIII
had been brought as a captive an
had been adopted by the wife as
. maid.
i Upon learning the cause of hs
, distress she tells the captains vii
OF the wonderful prophet Elish,
, VINO, she said confidently, could effe,
cure. Naanan, being a man of il
fluence, obtained letter from Il
3 King to the King of Israel and $,
4 out to visit Elisha with large pre,
ent and money and retinue of sery
ants and soldiers.
"All are families. x,,S+I, AZ.