The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-07-19
inc, they could all march right through that

harmony of mercy, mercy. 1t sounds in the
rumbling Of the celestial gate. hear it in
the Ginning of the celestial towers. see it
flashing in the uplifted and downcast
| coronets Of the saved. [ hear it in the
laundering tread Of the hammered hosts
| around about the throne, and then it comes
from the harps and crowns and thrones and
professions to sit down. unexpressed. ON a
throne overtopping all heaven-the throne
of mercy.
| How I was affected when some one told me
in regard to that accident on Long Island
| sound, when one poor woman came and got
her hand on raft as she tried to save her
SELF but those who were on the raft thought
there was no room for her. and one man
came and most cruelty beat and bruised her
hands until she fell of. Oh, bless God that
this lifeboat Of the gospel has room enough
for the sixteen hundred millions Of the race
| room for one, room for all, and yet there
| is room
I push this analysis OF the publicau's
prayer step further and find that he did
not expect any mercy except by pleading for
it. He did not fold his hands together as
| some do, saying: If I'm to be saved, XII
be saved. If I'm to be lost, I'll be lost, and
there is nothing for me to do" he knew
what was worth having wac worth asking
for hence this earnest cry OF the text, .'God
be merciful to me, q sinner"
1t was an earnest prayer, and it is charac-
teristic Of all. Bible prayers that they were
answered-the,blind man, "Lord. that may
receive my sight = the leper, ''Lord, if Thou
wilt, Thou canst make me Clean y sinking
Peter, Lord, save me )" the publican, 'God
be merciful to mo, q sinnerm But II you
come up with the tip of your finger and tap
at the gate Of mercy, it will not open. You
have got to have the earnestness Of the war
l~q1
from his lathered steed and with gauntleted
fist pounds at the palace gate.
You have got to have the earrestness o,
the man who. at midnight, in the fourth
story, has q sense of suffocation. with tha
house in flames, goes to the window, and
shouts to the firemen. "Help!' Oh. uhfor-
given soul. if you were in full earnest
might have to command silence in the audi
tory, for your prayers would drown the voice
of the speaker, and We would have to pause
in the great service. 1t is because you do
not realize your sin before God that you are
not this moment crying, "Mercy, mercy,
mercy" ,s'''
This prayer of the publican was also III
humble prayer. The pharisee looked up the
publican looked down. You cannot be saved
as metaphysician or as rhetorician you
cannot be saved as scholar you cannot be
saved as an artist; you cannot be saved as
an official. II you are ever saved at all, it
will be as q sinner. "God be merciful to me,
O sinner"
Another characteristic Of the prayer OF tho
publican was, it had ring Of confidence.
It was not cry of despair He knew he was
going to get what he asked for. He wanted
mercy: he asked for it, expecting it. And
do you tell me, o man. that God has pro-
vided this salvation and is not going to let
you have it?
If man build bridge across a river,
will he not let people 60 over it2 II ply
sician gives prescription to 4 sick man,
will he not let him take it? If an architect
puts up building, will he not let people in
it? IF God provides salvation, will He not
let you have it? Oh, IL there be pharisee
here, man who says, I am all right, my
past life has been right. I don't want the
pardon ofthe gospel, for I have no sin to
pardon, let me say that while that man is in
that mood there is no peace for him, there is
no pardon, no salvation, and the probability
is he will 60 down and spend eternity with
the lost pharisee of the text.
But il there be here ono who says I want
to be better, want to quit my sins, my life
has been q very imperfect life, how many
things have said that I should not have
said, how many things have done should
not have done, want to change my life, l
want to begin now, let me say to such asoul,
God is waiting, God is ready, and you are
near the kingdom, or rather you have en-
tered it, for no man says am determined to
serve God and surrender the sins of my life;
here, now, consecrate myself to the Lord
Jesus Christ who died; to redeem me no man
from the depth Of his soul says that but he is
already Christian.
NV uncle, the Rev. Samuel K. Talmage, OF
Augusta, Ga, was passing along the streets
OF Augusta one day, and he saw man,
black man, step from the sidewalk out into
the street, take his hat Off and bow very
slowly. My uncle was not man who de-
manded obssquiousness. and he said, "What
do you do that for?" "Oh," says the man,
':massa, the other night I was going along
the street, and I had burden on my shoulder.
and was sick, and was hungry, and came
to the door OF your church, and you were
preaching about God be merciful to me,
4 sinner = and stood there at the door long
enough to hear you say that II man could
utter that prayer from the depth OF his soul
God would pa, don him and finally take him
to heaven. Then I put my burden on my
shoulder, and I started home. l got to my
home and sat down, and said, God be
merciful to me, sinner but it got darker
and darker, and then, massa, got down on
my knees, and said, God be meretfui
to me, sinner! and the burden got
heavier, and it got darker and darker. l
knew not what to do. Then got down
Oh my face. and I cried, God be merci-
full to me, q sinner! and away of 1 saw
light coming, and it came nearer and nearer
and nearer until all was bright in my heart,
and l rose. l am happy now-the burden
is all gone-ard 1 said to myself II ever
meet you in the street I would get clear of
the sidewalk, and I would bow down and
take my hat of before you. feelthat owe
more to you than to any other man. That is
the reason bow before you."
Oh, are there not many now who can utter
this prayer, the prayer of the black man. the
prayer OF the publican, 'God be merciful to
me, sinnsr?'''. While halt in the sermon,
will you not all utter IT, do not say audi
bly,, but utter 1t down in the depths Of your
souAt consciousness. Yes, the sigh goes all
through the galleries. it goes all through the
pews, it goes all through these aisles, sigh
after sigh God be merctful to me, sinner /!
Have you all uttered it? No, there is one
soul that has not uttered it, too proud to ut
ter it, too hard to utter it. o Holy Spirit
descend upon that one heart. Yes, he begins
to breathe it now. No bowling OF the head
yet. no starting tear yet, but the prayer is
Deginning-it is born. God be merclful to
me, 4 sinner. Have oil uttered 1t? Then I
utter 1t myself, tor no one in all the house
needs to utter it more than my own SOUL
God bs merciful to me. a sinner
TEE Australian banks fell into the
custom of superseding the merchants,
who are naturally their customers, as
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