The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-19

plunge him in this glorious Bethesda, the vast
LAYER of Gods mercy and salvation. In Solo
| mons Temple there were ten LAYERS and one
molten sea-this great reservoir in the midst OF
| the temple filed with water-these LAYERS and
this molten sea adorned with figures of palm
branch, and oxen, and lions, and cherubm
This fountain of Gods mercy is vaster sea
than that 1t is adorned, not with palm
branches but with the wood of the cross; not
with cherubim, but with the wings of the Holy
Ghost; and around its great rim all the race may
come and wash in the golden / was reading
of Alexander the Great, who, who when he was
very thirsty and standing at the head of his
army, had brought to him a cup of water He
looked off upon his host and said cannot
drink this; my men are all thirsty" and he
dashed it to the ground Blessed be God There
is enough water for all the host-enough for cap
tans and host. whatsoever will may come and
partake of the water of life freely'-a LAYER
broad as the EARTH high as the heavens, and
deep as hell
WASH HERE OR DIE.
But notice also in regard to this laver OF
looking glasses spoken of in the text, that the
washing in it was imperative and not optional
When the priests come into the Tabernacle
you will find this in the 30th chapter of Exodus
God tells them that they must wash in that
LAYER or die. The priest might have said: MT
| wash elsewherel I washed in the lay t
home, and now you want me to wash here 20
matter whether or not you have washed before, !"
God says Wash in this laver or die" But,
says the priest there is water just as clean as
thls-why won't that do9" Wash here says
G cd, cor die" SO it is with the gospel of Christ
it is imperative. There is only this alterna-
tive: Keep our sins and perish or wash them
away and live sButp says some one s'why
could not God have made more ways to heaven
than oneT do not know but he could have
made half Dozen l know he made but one
You say: why not have long line CT boats
running from here to heavenW | cannot say, but
l simply know that there is only one boat You
say: Are there not trees as luxuriant as that on
Calvary-more luxuriant, for that had neither
buds nor blossoms; it was stripped and barked!'
Yes, yes; there have been taller trees than
that. and more luxuriant, but the only path to
heaven is under that one tree Instead Of
quarreling because there are not more
ways, let US be thanful to God
there is one-one name given unto men whereby
we can de saved-one LAYER in which all the
world may wash. So you see what a radiant
gospel this is preach. l do not know how q
man can stand stoldy and present it, for it is
such an exhiarant gospel. 1t is not mere
whini or caprice; it is life or death; it is heaven
or hell. You come before your child and you
have present in your hand You put your
hands behind your back and say (Which hand
will you takeT In one hand there is a treasure,
in the other there is not The child blindly chooses
But God, our Father, does not do that way with
this shall be very plain. In that hand are pardon
and peace, and life and the treasures of heaven;
In that hand are punishment, and sorrow, and
woe. Choose, choose for yourselves 'He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he
that believeth not shall be damned"
o, my dear friends, | wish l could this mo-
ment coax you to accept this Gospel. If you
could just take one look in this laver of looking
glasses spoken of in the text, you would begin
now spiritual ablution. You will not feel in
SultGN I fo1l at q
lost soul without pardon9 Christ offers all the
generosity of his nature to you to-day. Tho
love Of Christi dare not, toward the close of
my sermon, begin to tell about it. The love of
Christ! Do not talk to me about mountain it
is higher than that Do not talk to me about a
sea; it is deeper than that
An artist in his dreams, saw such splendid
dream Of the TRANSPORTATION of Christ that he
awoke and seized his pencil and said: 'Let me
paint this and die" Oh, have seen the glorios
of Christ! have beheld some of the beauty Of
that great sacrifice on Calvary, and have some
times felt would be willing to give anything if
might just sketch before you the wonders
of that sacrifice. would like to do it
while l live, and 1 would like to do it
when l die. "Let me paint this and diet"
He comes along weary and worn, His face wet
with tears, His brow crimson with blood, and He
lies down on Calvary for YOU No. mistake
Nothing comfortable as that A stone on
Calvary would have made soft pillow for the
dying head Of Christ. Nothing so comfortable
as that. He does not lie down to die; he stands
up to die, his spiked hands outstretched as if to
embrace a world. Oh, what hard end for those
feet that have travelled over Judea on ministries
mercy. What a hard end for those hands that
have wiped away tears and bound up broken
hearts! Very hard, o. dying Lamb OF God
And yet there are those here now who do not
love Thee. They say: "What is all that to me2
What if He does weep, and groan and die;
don't want Him." Lord Jesus Christ, they will
not help Thee down from the cross The soldiers
will come and they will tear Thee down from the
cross and put their arms around Thee and lower
Thee into the tomb But they will not help.
They see nothing to move them. 0, dying
Christ! Turn on them Thine eyes of affection
now, and see if they will not change their minds
And that is all for you'll Oh can you not love
him} Come around this laver old and young.
1t is so FURNISHED you can see your sins, and so
deep you can wash them all away. 0, mourner,
here battle your bruised SOUL and sick one
here cool your hot temples in this LAYER! Peace
Do not cry any more, dear soul! Pardon for all
thy sins, comfort for all thy Affections The
black cloud that hung laundering over Sinai has
| fioated above Calvary aud burst into the shower
of a Saviors tears
/ saw in Kensington Garden. London.
picture of Waterloo, good while after the battle
had passed and the grass had grown all over tho
field. There was dismounted canon, and a
lamb had come up from the pasture and lay
sleeping in the mouth of that canon. SO the
artist had represented it-a most suggestive
thing Then I thought how the war between
God and the soul had ended; and instead of the
announcement: "The wages Of sin is DEATH
there came the words ''My peace 1 give unto
had once quaked with tine fiery hail of death,
behed the lamb of God which taketh away the
sins of the world