SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10419, 17 April 1897, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

.SIN. A SESSION", BY AKCKDEACOX LA.VGLEY. "■Sin is the tiansjjressinn of the law."—l. John, iii., ■). One reason so mauy neglect their soul's true interests, and are content to live careless and irreligious lives, is that they do not feel their need of Christ and His great salvation, because they have no knowledge of sin. They do not really want Christ, because they have never yet felt their utterly lost condition as siuners in God's sight, hence they remain careless abaat their soul's interest, and neglect the things of God. They seek not, want uot, the divine remedy, because they do not know the soul's sickness. Now the reasou for the want of knowledge of themselves arises oftentimes from misunderstanding the nature of sin. They do not ape what sin is, aud what sin has done. Did thty really understand what sin is, iis seeii and regarded by God, they would feel that the most important thing on earth for them would be to flee from its consequences, sud to overcome its power. Were they then pointed to the Lamb of God, thai, taketh away the siu of the world—one able to deliver every soul that applies to Him from sin's penalty and power—so anxious would they be to find peace with God, they would iit once embrace God's provision for the soul's salvation. Indeed, they could not rest sitisfied \ day or hour until they had entered into the possession of pardon, peace, and eternal life. How important we should examine ourselves in the light of the word of God. The danger is not iu being sinners or knowing our siu, for once known we would flee to Christ for full forgiveuess; the danger is in ignoring the fact of sin, iu living and dying in fatal blindness and deadness, in trusting to our own fancied goodness instead of resting on the finished work of Jesus Christ. 1. God's test of siu is the law. " Siu is the transgression of the law." God has been pleased to give us in the Ten Commandments His Diviue eternal requirements from us, His creatures. He has prefixed the solemn words, to give dignity, to show the authority on which they are given, "I am the Lnrd thy God." To answer the question, " What is sin?" we must fook, uot at some standard of our own devising, not to the world around us. There is only one can give us the true answer, aud He declares " sin is the transgression of the law." Conscience in itself is not a true guide as to what sin is. We all know how consciences differ. One man's conscience sees sin in that which another does with impunity. Saul, of Tarsus, obeyed his conscience by persecuting the Church: on his conversion to Christ he speaks of himself as a blasphemer with refe-

1. God's test of sin is the Taw. " Sin is the transgression of the law." God has been pleased to give us in the Ten Commandments His Diviue eternal requirements from us, His creatures. He has prefixed the solemn words, to give dignity, to show the authority on which they are given, "I am the Lnrd thy God." To answer the question, " What is sin?" we must fook, uot at some standard of our own devising, not to the world around us. There is only one can give us the true answer, aud He declares " sin is the transgression of the law." Conscience in itself is not a true guide as to what sin is.

We all know how consciences differ. One man's conscience sees sin in that which another does with impunity. Saul, of Tarsus, obeyed his conscience by persecuting the Church: on his conversion to Christ he sneaks of himself as a blasphemer with reference to that very action. The conscience muy become so seared and blunted by a course of sin that it fails to do its work. The office of conscience is not that of a law-giver, but of a judge, to approve the good and condemn the evil, but conscience must have some standard by which to judge. To be a safe guide conscience must be enlightened by the word of God. The customs of the world are again no guide to what sin is. For instance, it is considered perfectly legitimate in some quarters to tell what nviy be called a business lie. A man declares lie is selling off his goods at an immense sacrifice, when he has not the slightest intention of doing anything more than forego a small portion, of his usual profits in order to get rid of what would be otherwise unsaleable; or he gravely informs you he gave much more for a certain commodity than he wants from you for it, when you know very well that he is not a fool, but a careful business man. If as a God-fearing man, you protest against this lying and puffing, you are told " everybody does it." The public is quite willing to be gulled; it is an understood thing; the custom of trade. The answer to all this is, God has said, " Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." You can bear false witness against your neighbour's pocket just as well as against his character. Nor are the opinions of others any guide as to what is sin. As judged by your fellow-men, your actions may be true and just; you may be regarded as in the highest degree moral, if not religious, while iu the sight of God you are quite unclean and unholy. Mauy, judged by human standards, are fair and good, but " man looketh on the outward appearance, the Lord looketh on the heart." As judged by God they come short of His standard, and are condemned by the law as transgressors. Who can take the holy law of God, commandment by commandment, and say, like that mistaken young man in the Gospel, "All these have I kept from my youth up until now?" Who can look back'over the past history of his life and say he is not guilty of sin against God ? What! Never taken God's name in vain ? Never broken the sacred rest of God's dav? Not one deed not strictly true and honest ? All this, not as man sees, but as God sees. Never guilty of one act of violence ? Never feel any excitement as the result of eating or drinking? All have sinned. Wherever you see one of the human family, there you see a sinner in action, as well as in word or thought Every statement not strictly trne, as God requires truth, is sin. David declares God "requireth truth in the inward parts." Every statement not strictly true is a distinct breach of the ninth commandment. Every word by which our fellow-men have been unintentionally deceived, half truths which give quite false impressions-all mere formal acts of worship, all imprecations, all are SID.

But further than this: The law of God reaches to the very thonghts of the heart. As expounded by the Lord Jesus, the evil desire is of the same order as the sin actually committed. The thought of hatred, the anger without a cause is murder. The tenth commandment is especially addressed to tbe thoughts and desires of the heart. Thou shalt not covet. Are we not all convicted here? AH have sinned. The very attitude of the soul of many to God is sin.

_ This is the case with vast numbers, all. indeed, who are living without a personal saving interest in Christ. Look at the idolatry of worldliness. The world is loved, regarded, more than God. Mammon is made a Rod, or pleasure, self in some form. Whatever takes most of your time and thought and worship and regard-that is your god. God says, Thou shale have none other gods but me. If the love of your heart, the desire of your soul, are set on the world, or on some other object than God, your life is a perpetual sin. livery moment of your being, every preatn you draw.every thought of your heart, The very existence of each ungodly man is a centre of rebellion against God. The first commandment includes all the rest. Until God la our God, until we begin to love Him and serve Him in sincerity, our Tery liie is Uα,

9 -f.SS I 11. Let me further set before vouwhttft; " I sin involves. I. It pat. the s iun« "J? 1 I pusittnu of direct antagonism to God * i J God's holiness is an esseu'ial attrih nl ' His character. We cannot think of Him C 1 lus one glorious in holiness. The wonshin • ' * ! hosts of Heaven, M they how ST* ' ; cry holy, holy, holy, Lord oflfc > I Everything unholy i 8 hateful to Him Ev 6 ' 4' ihoi;iZG,-;r I I God spares man because of His eternal I love, hut He hates our sins. He can Z „ '• ?"' less, because of His holiness. As T ong "»! there is sin onus, a* long as sin is tolerated 3 by us, there is that which separates us from ;: God: it is a harrier between us and God >\t ?r keeps us afar oft from Go.l's favour from ' ■ happiness, peace, and heaven. But' ev,» V* worse. Sin, nnrepentnl, unforyiven can ' only meet one end. The wages of in b - ; death, the blackness of darkness. The un- '■'■ ehanacnbleness of God is "the great onli " v fixed that will separate the saved and th« " ; lost tor ever. Go.l cannot endure sin. M en ; - r ; will not separate from it. they live and die '"'.'l in it. they are necessarily separated from ■$ God, they are banished from W, presei] ™ -• for ever. This is no mere arbitrary iudV ■' meat, but the legitimate issue of certain '* principles of tight and truth universally acl ' knowledged. | Sin brought about the death and sacrinV. *' of the Sou of God. God loves the sinner 1 but he bates the sin. Tims, the Son of God • cornea to save, the one ami coudeinn the ■■< other, to be a just God and yet a Saviour His whole wonderful, blessed life was a con ? damnation of sin. Why was He persecuted', Because of his unfailing testimony against sin; whence the enmity of Scribes anc Pharisees, the orthodox, the religions of th( day ? It was because He unmasked them ' He held up the mirror of truth and shoved 'hem as they really were. Then they gnashed upon him with their teeth. The exposure rankled in their hearts, they repressed theft anger, they waited their opportunity, thej i struck home. Jesus died a martyr to th« divine principles of righteousness He ' : taught. But not alone as a martyr to truth. By that death sin was atoned for. The guilt was infinite; the atonement vai infinite, even the sacrifice of the Son of God, •He died, for sin, to take the place of the guilty. He made His soul an offering for sin. If you want to see sin in its true colours, behold the suffering crucified Lamb of God taking away the siu of the world. So awful is its nature, so fearful its consequences, thai when the Sou of God alone could atone for i| God spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. That Son, one with th/ Father in the eternal unity of the Godhead, must come forth to save a lost, a ruined world. Yet how lightly do men sin. Surelj it is because they do not know the lore o! Christ, or they fail to understand the story oi the Cross, or to see the nature of thesacrffin for sin. To love Christ and continue in sii is impossible. Two antagonistic principle! are here; met. must be governed byoneot the other. The law which reveals to us our sin thin becomes the power to lead us to Christ. Under the law we sec ourselves lost and undone. Now, when the gospel— tidings of salvation from sin in Christ, is brought to us we come to Him, we rest in Him, we givt ourselves to Him for safety, life, and holiness Nothing is now to us at all of the important* of having God's favour; we want His love tt beam full upon our souls. This favour, this love is ours because of the Lord's sacrificial work. We rely on Him. His great salvation becomes our actual personal possession. Of Christ alone it can be said that He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. Let anyone among us only set apart ope day to the consideration of what sin is—its : nature as an offence against God, its conse- j quences as revealed in the Word of God, its awful power in bringing us into antagonism with God—the dr.y would not close without finding him seeking, as he never sought before, pardon, peace, and life from God in Christ. Ho; would he seek in vain. The sins of hi] heart and life might be so black, so deadiy, that he would shrink from opening the casket ' of memory lest he should see what was -'. hidden there. But the Lord can and will take ; all away when we seek Him. The power of ; your own evil heart may be so great that yon imagine it never could be conquered. The Lord Christ has controlled hearts and wills, and affections, and passions more deadly than yours. Evil habits, habits of sin yon I have tried to break and failed to break ma; ] bind you like chains. Bift just as Samson j burst the new ropes with which he was ■ bound by the Philistines will the Lord Jesus burst the bonds that hold you, and set yon free to serve Him. All you need is to turn to Him, to trust in Him, to call upon His name. He makes his people more than conquerors. Become one of His people in sin- j oerity and truth, and yours will be the vie- : tory. , The best evidence that we are really God 1' servants is that we are brought into the same opposition to siu as is found in Goi. " Striving against sin" is the true attitude ol every justified believer. How we need to- 1 watch and pray that we enter not into ~ temptation. That which we find within us, the forces of evil around us, the power of the tempter still seeking to overthrow us, as he sought to conquer our Master— are all against us. Thank God, Christ's power U the same iu us as it was seen to be in the temptation in the wilderness. Do we seek j His grace ? Do we but walk with Him, abide j in His strength we need not fear, for "He is | able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of Hisglory i with exceeding joy." A SABBATH MORNING PRAYER. Grant me, 0 gracious Lord ! to-day A blessing when I tread The dear old pathway to Thy home, Wherein Thine own are fed, Where from the finest of the wheat Is made the children's bread. Grant me, 0 Spirit all divine! The sweet in-dwelling grace That for the reverent waiting soul' Pervades the hallowed place,The place where God himself reveals The brightness of His face. Grant me, 0 thou Most High 1 to know The comfort Thou dost send To those who leave their care with The* Thou strong ami steadfast Friend ; In the rich fulness of Thy peace Bid my long conflicts end. Grant me, 0 Lord ! in Thy fair house To learn Thy holy will, And, learning it, to lay mine own Before Thee, and be still, So finding joy unspeakable My inmost soul to thrill. Grant me a blessing in Thy house, 0 gracious Lord! this day. Go with me evermore, dear Lord, And ever with me*tay, And shed the light of heaven upon My upward-climbing way. Margaret E. Sanosth.