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tioned, where Napoleon's fatal military blunder
changed the current of history and the whole
map of Europe. If you wish to read an interesting
description of this battle read Major Cotton's
"Voice from Waterloo."
Brussels. With its beautiful atrents Polnno
Justice, Royal Museum and Royal Palace and
Antwerp, with its Zoo, second largest in Europe,
the Cathedral which contains Ruben's masterpiece,
"Descent from the Cross," and the Royal
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Queen AVilhelmina of Holland, who stirred
Paris last June to admiration by placing a beautiful
wreath on Admiral Coligny's monument.
Museum containing many of Ruben's, Van
Dyck's and Jordaen's celebrated paintings are
the most interesting cities of Belgium. No city
in Europe can produce a larger list of world
famous painters than Antwerp. Quintern, Teniers,
Jordacns, Segher, Rubens and Van Dyek
lived here and gave to it much of its fame. A
description of their paintings can be done only
by an artist, and so no attempt is made.
What shall we say of Hollandt A country
with a great history; a people with an intense
love for independence and self government.
When you read of the Spanish tribunal known
as the "Court of Blood." And the Snanish armv
of over 60,000 endeavoring to crush this liberty
loving people, you will gain some conception of
the many sacrifices they made for national and
religious freedom. In no country did Protestantism
furnish a larger or nobler army of martyrs
as in Holland.
But sad to say there seems to be a blight upon
the national Protestant Church of Holland.
Rationalism has crept in and disrupted it A
new organization known as the Christian Ro
formed Church with such leaders as Dr. Abraham
Kuyper is becoming a large leaven which
may bring the State Chjurch back to its moorings.
A rather amusing incident occurred to the writer
in Amsterdam. Spcakiug to the portier in the
hotel on the political conditions of Holland, he
Askori " Dn vpii lik? Abraham Knvner as a nolit
ical leader 1" At once came the reply, "No,
he had too mueh religion when he was prime
minister," and gave his reasons for making the
The beautiful Caatle of Chan till}
>RESBY TEB1 AN OF THE 8<
statement. The wnter had no more to say to
this intelligent young man on politics.
SINNING AWAY THE DAY OF GRACE."
BT REV. M. B. LAMBUiN.
in a letter recently to liand from some unluiowu
person, who appears to be in deep spiritual
distress, we are asked to explain, through the
columns of The Presbyterian of the South,
"what is meant by sinning away the day of
grace."
The request would have received earlier attention.
had not the letter been misdirected, and
thus considerable time has been lost before it
tinally reached us.
The teurm, "sinning away the day of grace,"
though a familiar one, and heard frequently
from the puljiit, occurs no Where in the Bible.
There arc a number of such near expressions as
"Fallen from grace," Gal. 5:4; "Lest any man
fail of the grace of God," literally, "fall from,"
tlcbs. 12:15. While the precise terminology is
not found in the Holy Scriptures, the idea or
truth involved is unquestionably there.
In the first chapter of Proverbs, from the
24th to the -'list verses, we have a prediction of
the doom awaiting those who treat the repeated
calls of Wisdom, or Kcligion, with an indifferent'
ear and heart, as they are left to "eat the fruit
of their own ways, and to l>e filled with their
own devices."
Jesus Christ, also, in Matt. 12:31, 32; Mark
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no forgiveness." The apostle John likewise, "a
sin unto death," 1 John 5:16.
In Ilebs. G -.4-6 and 10:26-29 there is a warning
note against running in such a way', that it
will be "impossible to renew them again unto
repentance-"
The clear and obvious import of these and similar
passages is, that there is such a thing as
"sinning away the day of grace."
"The day of grace" is that period of time
within which we may lay hold of God's gracious
offer of mercy through Jesus Christ as our Saviour.
There is none other way to be saved, than
through this unmerited grace of God. Salvation
is not a right, but a gift. "By grace are ye
saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God." Eph. 2:8.
How blessed arc the terms of the gospel offer!
" wnosoever will may come," and stretching out
their empty hands may take the grace of pardon
and salvation "without money and without
price."
Though their sins be as scarlet and red like
erimson, that "grace," through the cleansing
blood of Jesus Christ, will make them as white as
snow.
The day of grace is limited to this life only.
There is not the remotest hint, throughout the entire
volume-of Divine Revelation of a "second
probation," a "Larger Hope" in the world to
come. "Now is the accepted time; now is tho
clay of salvation." 2 Cor. 6:2.
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r, the ancient seat of the Condia.
51
O D T H IFebruary 12, 15*13
. "i * ' ' . ! . . : . ...
The lore of liod not only extends to us this day
. i grace, but that same love warns us against its
lata! abuse. We can sin it away.
By a deliberate rejection of Jesus Christ as
our only; Hope and Saviour.
By an infatuated choice of the world as our
eluef good. "The lust of the flesh, the lust of
the eyes, and the pride of life," may be chosen
rather than "glory, honor and immortality."
By building our hopes of future salvation on
i he sandy foundation of false doctrines.
But the larger number "sin away their day
of grace" by simple neglect. They do not outright
spurn the otters of grace, follow a false
faitli, live reprobate lives, they simply?do noth
mg. just unit through tile; let these goldeu
days of grace slip away unheeded and unused,
and suddenly pass out of life unsaved. 4 4 How
shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?"
While the Bible is full of warnings against pursuing
any sinful course that may result in the
loss of the soul, no one need fear that he is
"sinning away his day of grace" who is truly
anxious to be saved, and who is honestly and
diligently striving to 4 4 work out his own salvation
with fear and trembling." For the positive
assurance is that, "God is working in them, both
- to will and to do Mis good pleasure."
The man or woman, boy or girl, who truly
repents of sin, hates sin, turns from sin, and
turns to God "with full purpose of and endeavor
after new obedience," can be absolutely
sure that God has graciously accepted them, and
need have no fear whatever that they have " sinned
away their day of grace "
Because one may have a morbid fear that he
lias thus sinned, is no more in evidence than the
fear that the rock-ribbed mountain has shifted
its base, because its towering form is
hidden from sight by the circling vapors of the
miasmatic fog bank. The person who has actually
"sinned away his day of grace" is the very
last person to be conscious of it or concerned
about it, for he is "past feeling," and "given
up to believe a lie/' lie is spiritually dead to
all fear and apprehension. The dead never ache
nor quake, moan nor groan.
The troubled heart that cries out in contrition,
"God be merciful to mc a sinner;" ,:Keep back
thy servaut from presumptious sins," has the
very bc9t..proof possible of being in a state of
grace.
Judas sinned deliberately and presumptuously,
and died in despair and remorse, with not &
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fall from his lips. David and Peter sinned
grievously, but."inadvertently, but with them
you hear the penitent heart cry, "Have mercy
upon me, O God! Take not Thy lloly Spirit
from me.'
And we look upon the broken-hearted Peter as
he "went out and wept bitterly." In these
Scriptural instances of sinning, we sec the wide
distinction between total apostacy, as in the case
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David and Peter.
Not to encourage us to continue in sin, but to
encourage us to abandon sin, that the beloved
Word says, "If we confess our sins He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us "from all unrighteousness.I John 1:9.
But does not that same apostle say, "Whosoever
is born of Ood doth not commit %in"? 1
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uuun o :v. ieu. m ine sense oc a aeuDcraie idt<"nt
to sin. It is not his habit to sin. If he sins
it is by accident, not by design. But the worldr
ling seeks the places and occasions o? sin. He
sins by preference, for he follows the law of his
unregenerate nature.
While the true child of God prays to be kept
from sin and strives to avoid sin, the indifferent
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