Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out.
By E. Hilliard
It is often the case that sin is its own detector. When an individual commits a crime, he carefully conceals everything that would serve to expose his deed. It often happens that the very things that he was so careful to hide are brought into court as the strongest evidence to condemn him. But whether he is found out and brought to justice in this life or not, he must lead a miserable life. He nervously watches every avenue of detection, and his life is one of painful anxiety. This shows that sin brings fear, and with fear there is torment. It is not always the sinfulness of the deed that causes this state of mind with the criminal, but it arises from a knowledge of the just penalty that is only awaiting the detection of the deed. It is the great, and seemingly the only, anxiety of many who are following in the pathway of sin, to see that their sins do not come to public view. Many, many professors of Christ have no greater burden than this. How little such realize the Saviour's words: "For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known." Searching words! Those who have a greater burden to conceal their sinful deeds than they have to repent of and forsake them, will at last stand trembling victims before a vast multitude, while their sins are exposed to all. When the penetrating gaze from the eyes of Him who cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance will be fastened upon them, then, for once, although it may be for the first time, they will realize the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Why will men be so foolish as to fear the condemnation of their fellow-men more than that of the great God? God has provided a way by which our sins can be forever buried in oblivion. Christ, the great sacrifice, has borne the wages of sin—death—that he might thereby be enabled to blot from his book of remembrance the sins of all the truly penitent. He says: "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." There is no work that causes more joy in Heaven than that of forgiving and forgetting sin. When God forgives us, for Christ's sake, we stand as innocent in the sight of Heaven as though we never had committed a single sin. Through faith in a crucified Saviour, Christ's righteousness is imputed to us. Oh how great and wonderful is the plan of salvation! If we just believe that Christ lived a righteous life and suffered an unrighteous death, and believe that this was for us personally, we are accepted the same as though we had lived a pure, holy life. But this must be upon conditions that we live not henceforth unto ourselves, but unto Him who died for us. 2 Cor. 5:15. What unparalleled mercy! Surely "He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him." How much better to come to such a loving, forgiving Saviour, and in tears of repentance, have our transgressions removed as far from us as the east is from the west, than to carry a load of guilt through our lives, and at last experience the wrath of an offended God. But a little while longer will the invitation from the sacred word be held out to the sin-laden soul, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." When our load of sin and guilt is rolled upon the Redeemer of the world, and in faith we grasp his hand so graciously reached down to help us, how little we care for the opinion of men. The stinging sense of sin is gone, and deep love and gratitude fill our hearts. How we love such a merciful, forgiving Saviour, above any of our earthly friends! How willingly will we sacrifice and labor to the best of our ability for the up-building of his kingdom! We shall feel that a debt has been paid for us that never could have been canceled by any other being but Christ. We shall realize, too, that it took his life to cancel it. Who can desire eternal life for any other reason than to love and praise him throughout the endless ages? May God help us, dear reader, to appreciate the great offering so freely made. Medford, Minn. E. HILLIARD.