The citizen., 1919-11-20

shall point out In the elaboration of
our text.
To begin with. Lot made q worldly
choice. When the herdmen Of Abra-
ham and Lot quarrcled In Canaan,
Abraham gave Lot the choice Of the
land before them. Lot bebeld the fer
tile plain OF Jordan and chose II, but
ge read these significant words: "The
men Of Sodom were wicked and sim
ners before the Lord exceedingly"
lGen. 13 :13.)
After this fatal choice, he progressed
downward. First, he pitched his tent
toward Sodom" (Gen. IL :12) then he
dwells sin Sodom" C14:12); finally,
ne sits "ln the gate OF Sodom" (19:D, &,
apparently n magistrate in that wicked
city. The Christian who compromises
/ becomes more and more enmeshed In
| sin.
Stin, God warned Lot. Other eyes
han his could see the fertility Of the
plain Of Jordan about Sodom. and
hence we find several kings OF the East
swooping down upon this section.
Among others, they took Lot captive.
| together with his goods which he loved
so well. and he was delivered only
through the valor OF Abraham. How
ashamed he must have been when he
met his uncle. whom he had dealt with
so ungenerously In choosing the most
| fertile section But. even though he
may have been ashamed, he settled
down In Sodom again. God today
warns men Of the Insecurity Of wealth
and Of Its uselessness In time Of trial.
Alas that 80 few heed the warning
The Unhappy compromlser.
And now we note the interesting fact
that Lot was unhappy. ii Peter "a, s
tells how he was vcxed by the filthy
ways OF the men Of Sodom. whose sin
Is proyerblaL The same passage
speaks OF him as ''just Lot" and "thai
righteous man" We should hardly
have dared TO call him such. but here
Is clear evidence that he was a saved
man by the grace Of God. Indeed. II Is
because he had divine life In his soul
however weak. that the ways Of Sodom
vexed him. No Christian is happy with
| the WAYS OF the world with which he
has compromised!
| One OF the most pathetic OF all the
| facts about Lot is that he had no In
| Auence for God In Sodom. After he
had lived there twenty years, GOO
could not find ten righteous men there
n. Alas, they knew why he had come
amongst them and attached little i'm
portance 60 any pious talk on his part
N Is always thus with compromisers
Worst OF all. Lot lost his influence
over his children, for when he be
sought them TO fee from Sodom "h'
seemed as one that mocked" (Gen
1910.
Lots lossea
Finally, as the result Of Lots world
ly choice he lost all. He lost his pos
sessions: in the overthrow Of the cit,
all these things on which his heart wa,
set were consumed. He lost his wife
lingering, because her heart was ir
Sodom. she was overtaken by an erup
don Of salty mud and encrusted. HI
| lOSt nls Chiiufths hAS ih"i''SN N.ee"
tiers were probably destroyed II
Sodom. and his two single daughters
had better have died rather than com
nit their shameful deed OF incest with
their father. (See Gen. 49,
How cheap do we sell out to satan
DR.. ii. Webb Peploe tells OF CIR
who was ensnared by Jewel she
wore. an heirloom. She liked the al
mlration Il brought her. Finally, feel
ing Il was marring her communion
with Christ, she had II appraised
After a sleepless night she went to th'
jeweler who said: Il am sorry to dis
appoint you, but II is an imitation
worth only a couple Of dollars" Ye'
she had lost hours Of communion witt
Christ for iti