The Washington herald., 1918-01-24

so close TO the pit that you can
smell the sulphur fumes as they
vomit from the funnel, and God will
snatch you from the brink. and then
you will become a man after Gods
heart. II you are man enough to
tell God that you are an old sinner
and that you want to go square
with Him. And that is why David
was a man after Gods heart, not
because he sinned. but when, he
sinned he was man enough to tell
God he was a sinner and so you
will become a man after Gods
heart when you do that"
Now 1t was a great sin for David.
i think 1t was a worse sin for David
than 1t might have been for any
other man in the world. God looks
at a mans surroundings. He takes
into account your opportunities and
II you have opportunities. and you
have one tonight, that would con-
denim you. 1t is your business 70
know what God wants you to do.
God takes into account the chances
men have. There Is church bell
ringing, there Is a church near you
some of you haven't darkened the
door.
All Have Cnuucc.
There is your opportunity. but
YOU won't improve it. Don't blame
God. God has given you a mind OF
Intelligence. He has revealed His
word to US in His book, the Bible.
and He has given the revelation
within the capacity Of our minds
to understand it, and God holds as
upon It
n God had revealed and told us
TO do something that He could not
do, and told us to do 1t, and damned
us when we could not, that would
not be reasonable. But when God
tells me to do so through His book
He win damn me II don't do II
So the Lord gives every man in tnis
world a chance. He Is gifted by ugnt'
and the more light you have tne
greater your guilt. I would rather
be a Heathen In Africa, bowling down
to idols Of wood and stone' than l
would to be q man or woman IN thls
city, In these days with opportunities
and privileges that God gives you 70
know about your souls saNauon,
what YOU have to do to be saved and
not To take advantage of the oppor-
tunity. Yet you needn't go outside OF
needn't leave the tabernacle.
A Heathen Is any man that doesn't
believe in God. His skin doesn't need
to be black. He doesn't need to have
a queue hanging down his back Ike
a Chink. Anybody Is a Heathen thaI
doesn't believe In God, whether from
China, or Africa, whether his SKIN Is
white or black. The same old Heath
en-, although you are President Ola
bank. You are a Heather II you don't
believe in God 1t makes no difference
whether you live under the stars and
stripes or in the jungles Of Africa, II
YOU don't believe in God you are a
Heathen-
So guilt Is graded by light. the more
hight you have, the greater the guilt.
Now it might be just as, bad for me
to lose my temper as it would be FOR
you to get drunk. I was not born
with an appetite for drink, but 1 was
born with a disposition to lose a little
piece of my temper once in a WHILE
and, gosh, I haven't gotten over II
yet. I can clear for action like a
battleship when it comes to show
down.
So you who put your thumbs in the
arm holes of your vest, and swell up
like a poisoned pup, and thank God
you are not like other people. You
may be worse in the sight OF God
than the very one you condemn, Tor
YOU may have had a greater chance
than he had, more light. I say guilt
Is graded by light.
Jesus said, Woe unto thee, Beth
saida and Capernaum, IL the mighty
works done in thee, had been done in
Tyre and Sidon, they would have re-
pented long ago in sack cloth and
ashes. II shall be more tolerable for
Sodom and Gomorroh in the day of
Judgment than for YOU" Why? The
people that lived on Sodom and Go
morah never saw Jesus Christ They
never heard him.
SHINING Against Light.
Jesus said, you people of Caper-
naum and Bethsaida have looked in
my face, and heard my voice, and
seen me raise the dead. You have
seen me speak and unstop the ears
of the deaf. You have heard me
speak and the eyes Of the blind
have been opened. You have heard
me speak and devils have gone out
Of men. Sirs, for you are worse sin
ners than the people Of Sodom and
Gomorrah, for you have got more
light than they have. So 1t will be
more tolerable for Sodom and Co
morroh than it will be for you"
Why, because they had more light
than Sodom and Gomorrah. They
sinned against their light. You are
SHINING against your light. You have
got more light than the people of
Tyre and Sidon. You have got more
light than the people of Capernaum.
So the people of this city are worse
sinners than they were in the days
Of Jesus Christ for you have got
more light. There you stand con-
demned before God.
Here is one of the sweetest pic
lures of the love of God to man that
has gone astray that can find, so
I bring 1t to you for my text. II
you would ask me how best to
overcome temptation. and 1 could
only answer in a sentence, would
say, Keep busy for God. Satan
finds some mischief still for idle
hands to do, and an idle man tempts
the devil"
Tatooed on the arm of a French
convict. were the words. II never
did q days work in my life"
The fellow that stands around
with his hands IN his breeches'
pockets up to his elbows, 1t won't
be long until he tries to get into
the other fellows pockets. Idle
ness ID the foe of youth It is the
curse Of mankind. Oh, mo trade"
Is the passport and the pass word
by which so per cent of our Grim
inals enter the reformatories and
the penitentiaries OF the land.
street loafers grow up to be gun
men. with no object and aim in life.
On. an idle brain Is the DEVILS
workshop. Keep busy for God, my