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4 :1 H I 11': \ / i ■HHHAt JBMM e W « The Law of Sin. “For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?’’ Mark 8: 36. E are carried away at this day and time with the idea of law—natural law, phy sical law and moral law. It is a day of law. We like to think of the law that governs the earth. We like to think of the law that governs elec tricity. There was just as much elec tricity in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve walked up and down its R <5 beautiful gardens as there is today; yet for years the world was in utter ignorance of the mighty fact. Until man became inspired, as it were, with ability to comprehend the law that governs this force, it was practically useless. We like to think of the law that governs steam, which by proper use men set to the turning of the mighty mass of machinery which turns the com merce of the world. Yet we may remember that for hundreds of years steam was practically use less. Man had not appreciated the fact that there was a definite, fixed law that governs steam. And so with all force. There are always laws that gov ern it. Now, sin has its definite law. And it is my pur pose to discuss with you, as best I can, some of these laws. What Is Sin? There are those who would have us believe that sin is a mere infirmity, a weakness. The Apostle John gives us a good definition of sin: “Sin is a transgression of the law.” The moment I trans gress the law of God, I am a sinner. Then, he gives us another definition of sin: “All unrigh teousness is sin.” A man said to me some time ago: “I have not committed a sin in fifteen months.” I am sure he was wrong. I believe it grew out of a wrong conception of sin. Grant we have not committed known sin in the last fifteen months. When we have said that much, we have not begun to touch the question of sin. I said to this man: “Here is a man who stays in your store; has been with you two years; sits by you every day; boards in your home, and he is akin to you by blood. Have you ever spoken to that man about his soul’s salvation ? Have you ever tried to lead him to Christ? Have you ever knelt down by him, and prayed for his salvation? He told me you had nev er spoken to him about his soul. Do you know you have failed to do for that man what you should have done? Do you not call that sin?” It is a question that goes deep. It is a question that goes down and shows up the very heart root of our nature. John also says: “Ye are condemned already be cause ye have not believed.” That is to say, un belief in Christ is sin. The simple failure of a man to accept Christ is sin. Not a Sinner. I remember going down the aisle of one of the churches in Norfolk, Va., to a beautifully dressed woman. I had asked all who were Christians to stand. I said to her: “I see you are not standing. I presume you are a sinner.” Said she: “I hope Mi you do not think I am a sinner.” “Are you a Christian?” I asked. “Oh, no,” she replied, “but I want you to understand lam not a sinner.” Then I asked: “If you are not a Christian, and you are not a sinner, what are you?” Her reply was, “I am a respectable woman.” “But in the sight of Almighty God, you are a sinner,” said I. It is not the overt sin or some wilful violation of a known law that sends a man to hell. Mur der never sent anybody to hell. Drunkenness nev er sent anybody to hell. Lying never sent anybody to hell. It is the thing that lies back behind the overt transgression. Jesus Christ said: “Ye are condemned already.” Not because you have broken the moral law, but because “ye have not believed.” Unbelief is back of the overt act. My brother, you might be the most upright, moral man in the community, but unless you accept Christ, you are lost world without end. Right beside the murderer, thief and liar, you go to the bottom less pit of hell. When Is Man a Sinner? Since this tis sin, when does man become a sin ner? Some may say he becomes a sinner when he does his first known wrong, when he arrives at the age of accountability and violates the law. Others would have us believe that a man becomes a sinner the moment he arrives at the period of per sonal responsibility, that is, when he passes from the state of irresponsibility into the state of re sponsibility he becomes a sinner. Let us see the Scriptural view of sin. Thank God, I stand with the Bible. Man is a sinner from the day he is born. David said: “I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” From the very day you become a soul, you are in sin, and therefore, need an atoning Christ to keep you from hell. “You mean to say,” says one, “that I am to be responsible for Adam’s devilment in Eden?” “Yes sir. You can understand that when you look at it in the light of general headship. If I go plunge into disgrace, that innocent boy of mine, who has nothing in the world to do with my conduct, has to share in the result. My wife, who has nothing in the world to do with it, has to share in the result. If I were to give up my job to play .mumble-peg for three months, and my credit should give out, and I could not get a thing to eat, my boy would get lean like me, all because he is my child.” That reminds me of a mother I knew. She had a boy about nine or ten years of age. She brought him out, and had him perform for me. This mother thought he was very bright, and so he was. The child was converted, and wanted to join the Church. When he told his mother what he wished to do, she said: “No, sir, you can not join the Church, be cause you are not old enough.” The minute the child wanted to serve the Lord, she had the biggest idiot in town. Suppose the President of the United States should raise an army, and go out to whip a nation. Sup pose I should lift my voice to prevent his doing such a thing. It would not make any difference; he is determined to go to war. Suppose half the Uni ted States should protest. It would do no good. Half the English people were not in favor of the war in Africa. Yet their sons had to go to war, and be killed because of their royal headship. The war was the will of England’s head. It is in keeping with natural law that we have to suffer the result of our forefather’s sin in Eden. Only understand the nature of sin above every thing else in this world, and it will work out sur prising results. Some Results of Sin. ' What are some results of sin ? First, upon the human mind. I had an experience the other day I The Golden Age for August 30, 1906. Len G. Broughton shall never forget. A young fellow, who had been a prominent lawyer in Tennessee, boarded the train as I was coming home. He was in charge of a policeman who was carrying him to an asylum. I asked what was the cause of his insanity. The po liceman replied: “The doctors say it is from smoking cigarettes.” We went on three or four stations when a man brought a woman in the coach. It seemed it was a regular day for lunatics. I ask ed why she was insane. I cannot repeat the story, but it was a story of straight out sin. Do you know why it is so hard to agree on whether a thing is right or wrong? You may 'Start out and ask men if they think a certain thing is wrong. Ono will say: “'I think it is right.” An other, “I think it is wrong.” Still another will say, “I think it is ‘sorter’ right.” Why all this difference about sin? It is because of sin. I heard of a little scrap of a country boy, tallow-faced, his pants too short, his coat cut too soon, his hat run to seed, that illustrates my point. As he went down the street, he saw a man with a canary bird for sale. This young fellow went up to him, and said: “What do you ask for him?” “Three dol lars,” was the reply. “Gosh,” said the boy, “he hasn’t got three cents worth of meat on him.” He was simply judging a canary by his idea of bird meat. So, with our judgment of sin; we judge from the viewpoint of sin in us. Look at the effect of sin on a man’s body. You are as afraid of sin as yon can be. I tell you, there is a disease that is universal. It has done more to damn men than all the epidemics and plagues that ever came to this old world. Take a few types: Lock at those little tallow-faced children. What is the matter? The poor little things have dropsy. That is simply a doctors’ term to cover up a lot of ignorance. Their father died of Brights disease. For five or six generations, that means Brights dis ease, unless great care is exercised. You are not only wrecking and ruining your own body, but you . are wrecking and ruining the bodies of those who will look in your face some day, and call you father. I had a man come to me once, just after I had spoken along this line, and say: “Look here, I do not want you ever to talk that way again. My child seems to come in, and step on my very heart, and charge me with his own frail body.” It was true. Long ago, that man’s child died, and is now’ in Heaven. Sin and Conscience. But, my friends, look at the effect of sin on a man’s conscience. Surely, there is not a man who will not agree that this is awful. What is that which will not let you sleep at night? “Oh,” you say, “it is insomnia.” That might be true, but nine times out of ten, it is the effect of sin on your conscience. One night I preached on hell. During the couse of my sermon, I took occasion to say a few things about memory in hell. That night as I approached tho house where I was staying, I saw a man on the porch. He was talking to the lady with whom I was staying, and I observed he was crying. I went in, and sat down. In a few minutes, she came in, and asked me to come out, and talk to this young man. He put his arms around my neck, and said, “I want you to pray for me. You said tonight, ‘There are men in this house who, if they do not come out from a life of sin will disgrace them selves and the community and all those dear to them.’ I have a wife and children. If something does not take place, I do not know what is to be come of me.” The next day, before the afternoon service, I was up in my room studying. Some one knocked. I went to the door. It was my hostess. Said she, “I wish you would come downstairs. Something has to be done. That fellow is about to