ZION’S LANDMARKS.
183
er of men This confession is made
under a sense of sin and guilt, at>
tended v/ith an indescribable pain of
Heart, and a fervent prayer for mercy
and pardon, with a returning to God,
saying, “ 1 will arise, and go to iny
father,and will say unto him. Father,
I have sinned against heaven, and
before thee.” Matthew 15:18. Sin
also, when truly felt, produces a sense
of unwortluness. “And the son said
Unto him, Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and in thy sight, and
am no more worthy to bo called thy
son.” (21st verse.) Oh! how nn-
wortby we feel, when we go astray,
and wander in forbidden paths!
But how blind we ai’e, while spend
ing our substance of peace, in riotous
living, in the enjoyment of the world
and of the llesli, forgetting at the
time that wm are going astray, until
aur lives have wasted our peace, then
we begin to feel the pinch of famine
in our .souls. This lashing of con
science brings us to our self, or to our
spiritual senses, and we begin to hate
tvhat we have just enjoyed. What
was one minute ago sweet to us, is
now bitter to the soul as gall, and in
a flash, we exclaim; “1 have sinned!”
and the next breath is, “ I will ari.se
And go to my father, and will say
unto him. Father, I have sinned.”
What an honest heart is that, that can
approach an offended God, and say,
“ I have sinned.” Such an one feels
that their crimes are such as will for"
ever render them unworthy to be
called His son, or a Christian ; hence
be writes against himself, “and am no
more worthy to be called thy .son.’’
But did his wanderings, his sense of
unworthine.ss, or his sins, tm-n the love
cfhufather from him? If so, why
did he say to his servants, “ Bring
forth the best robe, and put it on him”?
Oh ! love I Oh ! W'ondrous love !
What hast thou done, what art thou
now doing, and what wilt thou yet
do ? Hence Job saith, “I have sin
ned,’’ and he turned to the Lord and
was pardoned. The prodigal son
paid, “I have sinned,” and he return
ed to his father’s house, and found
mercy. David was a man of God,
vet he sinned, and goes to God to
confess his faults, saying, “Against
thee, thee only have I sinned, and
done this evil in thy sight/’ .X'salras
61:4. Hence he comes to GckI pray
ing to be Avashed Avith hyssop, and
for God to create in him a clean
heart, and to renew a right spirit
within liim. This is alsu the prayer
pf every ebristian, who- traasgresscs
God’s laAv, and can say of a truth,
“ I have sinned.” Again, David
tells us AV'hat steps he took, after he
had sinned, saying, “I said, Lord, be
merciful unto me; heal my soul, for
I sinned against thee.” l/salms 41:4.
David’s sense of sins committed,
caused him to coufe.ss them to God,
and ask for mercy, not justice. Da
vid AA'cnt astray when he numbered
Israel. Hence he says, “ I have sin
ned greatly, because I have done this
thing, but now I beseech thee, do
away the iniquity of thy servant; for
1 have done very foolishly. P.salms
2 l;S. So the Christian sins, and con
fesses to God, and turns from and
abhors his sins, and obtains mercy of
the Lord. The Christian seen the
sword of jfisticc drawn against his
.sins at times, so that he not only says,
“I have sinned” hat that I have sin-
ed wickedly, or knowingly. “ And
David spake unto the Lord, when he
saw the angel tliat smote the people,
and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I
have done wickedly.” Psalms 24;lt.
But he turns and builds an altar, and
offers sacriflee to God, and the Lord
accepted him, though he had sinned.
Again, David, AAffen off‘ his guard,
.sinned a compound sin, for he ooui"
mittcA adultery with Uriah’s Avife,
and then to keep from confessing his
sin, and to conceal the trutli, he had
Uriah put to death. But when God
.sent Nathan with a parable to him,
he said to Nathan, “ I have sinned
against the Lord ; and Nathan said
unto David, the Lord also hath put
avA'ay tliy sin : thou shalt not die.’'
Psalms 12 : 13. David condemned
hira.self to death by the laAv of Mose.s\
saying, “ The man that hath done
this thing shall surely die.” 6th vs.
But God had mercy and pardon,
grace and truth, treasured up in Christ
for David, .«!g he escaped justice,
through mercy. His life, offeretl to
justice through the law, wmidd have
went for his sin but ChrisFs right"
e©itsness, offered to ju^stiee, through
mercy, rele;ised him. Hence justice
Avas satisfied, David humbled, and
mercy adnaired.. We Avill now notice
the manner in Avhich the ungodly
say, “ I have sinned.”’ Men often
confess, Avith an air of dignity, that
they have sinned, ©r- that they are
poor sinners, wlien they do not feel a
single pang of sin, but do it boasting-
ly, while the Christian says, “ I have
sinned,” Avith an earthquake in his
heart and soul, that rends his temple
in tAvain from bottom to top. Again,
men say, “I ha.ve sinned,” when
God’s naked bow is turned loose
upon them in judgments and plague.s,
they also confess that the Lord is
righteous, as it is written: “And Pha"
raoh sent and called for Moses and
Aaron, and said unto them, I have
sinned this time: the Lord is righte
ous, and I and my people are Avick-
ed.” Exodus 9 : 27. But this con
fession did not cau.se him nor his peo
ple to love the Lord, nor to ask for
forgiveness of their sins, but for
Moses to entreat the Lord that there
be no more terrific tlmuderings and
hail, (the frightful storms of coii"
science.) When the Lord terrified
Baalam, he said, “I have sinned,”
Numbers 22 : 44, though his heart
was hard enough to curse Israel.—
Some times wicked men will confass
they have sinned, because they think
their deeds are knOATn, and that con
fessing it their time punishment Avill
be lessened, an it is written, “And
Achan answ'ered Joshua and said, in
deed I have sinned airainst the Lord
. O
God of Israel, and thus, and thus have
I done.” But he did not feel after nor
turn to God. Again, men acknowls
edge that they have sinned in order
to hold their position in offiee, as it
is Avritten of king Saul: “And Saul
said unto Samuel, I have sinned, for
I have tran.sgi’essed the command
ments of the Loixl, and thy Avords:
because I feared the people, and obey
ed their voice, 1 Sam. IS : 24; his
confession afterwards shows Ills first
confession to be a confession of policy,
and not of principle, as it is written
of him, saying: “Then he said, 1
have sinned : yet honor .me novAq I
pray thee, before the elders of my
people, and before Israel, and turn
again A\dth me, that I may Avorship
the Lord thy God, (30th A'crse); thy
God, (Samuel’s God) not Saul’s God.
Again, tlie ungodly are constrained
by Divine poAver to confe.ss that they
have sinned in order that their own
testimonies shall be a witness against
themselves, and for those they are-
trying to condemn; such Avas the
confession of Judas, as it iSj.written
of him, “saying I have sinned in that
I have betrayed innocent blood.”—-
Math. 27 : 4. But instead of his
doing better afterwards, he did Avorscy.
for he committed selt-murder, kistead
of asking for mercy. Judas confess
ed that he had sinned under the ter
ror of a guilty conscienecy aud com
mitted suicide to get out of the indig
nation of the Imrdi. But the- chriss
tian says, “I haA^e* sinned” and am
willing to bear the indignation, of the
Lord, a-s it is written of them saying :
“I will bear the indignation of the
Loi*d, because I have sinned against
him, until he plead ray cause and ex
ecute judgment for me : he will bring
me forth to the light, and I shall be
hold his righteousness.” Micah 7 : 0.
Hence, aa'C see and feel that the Chris
tian sins great as Avell as small sins,
but the difference in his confession
and the confession of the Avicked Ls,
that the Christian repents, and turns
to the Lord saying, “I have .sinned,’'
Lord p:irdon my sin, Avhile the Avick-
ed sa.ys “I have sinned” but keeps on
in his way. Then if any of u.s sin, we
have an advocate Avith the Fathery
Jesus Christ the righteous. Then
let us go to him and say, “I-have
sinned” and beg his mercy, and in
tercession AAoth the Father for ns.—
For He saith “And him that cometh
unto me I Avill in no wise cast out,”
Then may God help us to go to Him
with all our sins, large ones, as Avell
as smalFones, He knows our weakr-
ness, was touched with onr infirmi
ties, and hath borne our griefs, ami
carried our sorrows, and with His
stripes only are we healed. Thau
dear Christian, if you are weak, and
tempted, and liave sinned, do not
despair, but remember the greatesS
Christians have committed the
greatest sins. Then let us contin
ually go to him, and tell Him vve
have “sinned," and beg Him to be
merciful to our unrighteousness,
and to restore unto us the joys of
His salvation.—Ed.
AYe have just learned, by letter
from the bereaved companion, that
our beloved brother, Elder A. P.
Eanes, of Yirginia, departed this
life on the 2d of 0-ctober 1870, in
the 70th year of his age, ' An ap
propriate obituary notice of this
aged servant of the Lord will ap
pear hereafter.
APPOINTMENTS.
Elder JOHN IL DANLEL. will preaoU as
follows :
As Wbite Oftk, Saturday and. Sunday, 3tb
and StU, Novemljei-.
Lower BJaok Creek, Monday 'i.t'b.
At David A. Scott’s,.on Titesd.ay'-Sth.
Contsatna, on Wednesday Ucli. .
Wilson, TUiU-sday K)tl>.
Old Tow.n Craek, Saturday and. Sunday, 13lli
and 13ch.
Elder .TAS. S. DAMERON will preach as
follows:
December 14tb, 1970, Falls Tar River.
“ l-lth, Williams’.
“■ lO&b, ®«ep Creck.
“ 17th, Kebukea.
“ IStk, Conolio.
“ Mt.h, Spring. Green.
“ 20th, Skew.arkey.
“ 20th, Flat Swamp.
“ 30lh, Great Swamp.
“ 81st, Tyson’s. ,
January!, 1871, M,e:tdow.
“ 2d, White Oak.
“ 8d, Wilson.