"To the first of these we have already alluded;—loss of communion with God. Paul, in his Epistle to the Corinthians, says,— "'For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? what communion hath light with darkness?' "We have seen, too, how Adam and all mankind are under God's wrath and curse, and so are made liable to all the miseries of this life—to profaneness, idolatry, and other sins. Even the tilling of the ground, which before the fall was a recreation and delight, now became laborious and painful. "Mankind are liable also to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever. It is written,— "'Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them.' "And who can lay his hand upon his heart and say that he has done this? No one born of woman except the Son of God. How terrible to be under the wrath and curse of the Almighty! Thanks, everlasting thanks to Him who hath given up his own life to redeem us from this dreadful curse, and to provide a way for us to be again received into favor. "Perhaps there is not a more impressive illustration of the miseries of sin than that afforded by the battle field. An inspired apostle inquires,— "'Whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts, that war in your members?'" "As a specimen of those, I will relate an incident, from the pen of a clergyman, concerning the battle of Soldin. "'At one o'clock the cannonading ceased. Toward evening, seven hundred Russian fugitives came to Soldin, a most pitiful sight! Some holding up their hands, cursing and swearing; others praying and praising the King of Prussia; without hats, without clothes; some on foot, others two on a horse, with their heads and arms tied up; some dragging along by the stirrups, and others by the tails of the horses. "'When the battle was decided in favor of the Prussians, I ventured to the place where the cannonading had been. After walking some way, a Cossack's horse came running at full speed toward me. I mounted him, and on my way, for seven miles and a half on this side the field of battle, I found the dead and wounded lying on the ground sadly cut in pieces. The farther I advanced, the more these poor creatures lay heaped upon one another. That scene I shall never forget. The Cossacks, as soon as they saw me, cried out, "Dear sir, water, water, WATER!" "'Righteous God! What a sight! Men, women, and children, Russians and Prussians, carriages and horses, oxen, chests, and baggage, all lying upon one another to the height of a man! Seven villages around me in flames, and the inhabitants either massacred or thrown into the fire. "'A noble Prussian officer, who had lost both his legs, cried out to me, "Sir, you are a priest, and preach mercy: pray show me some compassion, and despatch me at once."'" "In the next lesson I shall give you an account of a new covenant of grace." CHAPTER XX.