Democratic messenger., 1893-07-08

body to audit my accounts. Iappcal to thy
| justice. o God. He made no such plea He
threw himself flat on Gods mercy
NO HOPE ~ SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Have you any idea that man by break
ing off the scales of tho leprosy can change
the disease? Have you any idea that you
can by changing your life change your
heart, that you can purchase your way TO
heaven, Come. try IT, Come. bring all the
bread you ever gave to the hungry, all the
medicine you ever gave to the sick, all the
kind words you have ever uttered, all the
Kind deeds that have ever distinguished
you. Add them all UP into the tremendous
aggregate Of good words and works. and
then You will see Paul sharpen his knife as
he cuts that spirit Of self satisfaction. as he
cries. by the deeds Of the law there shall
no flesh I've justified"
Well, say thousand men in this audi
dience, il am not TO get anything in the
way Of peace from God in good works, how
am to he saved, by mercy. Here stand
to tell the story-mercy, mercy. long suf-
fcring mercy, sovereign mercy, infinite
mercy. omnpoteLt mercy, everlasting
mercy. Why, it seems in the Bible as il all
language were exhausted. as il it were
stretched until it broke, as if all expression
WIZ SiEuth btitti at tue IetL Oh prophet anu
apostle and evangelist when it tries to de.
scribe Gods mercy
oh. says some one. that is only adding to
my crime il come and confess before God
and seek his mercy No, no! The murderer
has come. and while he was washing the
blood Of his victim from his hands looked
into the face of God and cried for mercy,
and his soul has been white in God s pardon
ing love. And the soul that has wandered
off in the streets and down to the very gates
of hell has come back TO her fathers house.
throwing her arms around his neck, and
been saved by the mercy that saved Mary
Magdalen
THE DOORS OF MERCY
But, says some one, you are throwing
open that door Of mercy too wide. No, !
will throw IL open wider. | will take the
responsibility of saying that il all this au
dicnce. instead of being gathered in semi
circle. were placed side by side in one long
line they could all march right through
that wide open gate of mercy. "Whosocv
er. whatsoever" Oh this mercy of God
There is no line long enough To fathom it,
there is no ladder long enough To scale il.
there il no arithmetic faciic enough To cal
culate il; no angels wing can fly across il,
Heavenly harperS, aided by chorS with
feet like the sun, cannot compass that har
mony Of mercy. mercy. IL sounds in the
rumblin2 of the celestial gate. hear il III
the Ginning of the celestial towers ! see
1t flashing in the mplifted and lownca
coronets Of the saved | hear il in rhc thnn.
dering tread of the hammered host round
about the throne. and then it comes from
the harps and crowns and thrones and pro
cessions To sit down, unexpress,,i, on
4 n 4
of mercy.
How was affected when some one told
me in regar! to that accident on Long j..
land sound, when one poor woman came
and got her hand ON raft as she tried TO
save herself. but those who We're 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 off.
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.
push this analysis OF the rublican's
prayer a step further and find that he did
for it. He did not fold his hands together
as some do. saying. IF I'm to be saved. I'll
be saved: il I'm 10 be lost, I'll be lost, and
there is nothing for me to do" He knew
what was worth having was worth asking
for; hence this earnest cry Of the text,
God he merciful to me, n sinner
II WAS au earnest prayer. and il is char
acteri>iic Of all Bible prayers that they
were answered The blind man, Lord,
that ] may receive my sight" the lepcr,
Lord. il thou wilt. thou canst make me
clean" sinking Peter, Lord save me-"
the publican. God be merciful to me, n
sinner. liui il You come up with the tip
of your finger and tap ut the gate of mercy
it will not open You have got to have the
earncstncss Of the warrior who, defeated
and pursued dismounts from his lathered
steed and with gauntletcd fists pounds at
the palace gate.
You have got to have the carnestness Of
the man who AT midnight in the fourth
story has Il scnsc of suffocation with the
house in flames, goes To the window and
shouts To the iircmcn. Help" oh, unfor
given soul. il you were in full earnest |
might have Ia command silence in the au
ditory, for yomr prayers would drown the
voice of the speaker. and we would have TO
pause in the great service! IL is because
you do not realize your sin before God that
you are not this moment crying mercy,
mercy, mercy
uE WAS TIULY EEPENTANT.
This prayer of the publican was also an
humble prayer. The pharisce looked up, |
the publican looked down. You cannot be |
saved as a metaphysician or as rhetor- |
clan; you cannot be saved as IA scholar; you
cannot be saved as an artist. you cannot be !
saved as an official II you are ever saved |
at all, il will be- as II sinner God be mer-
ciful to me, a sinner"
her characteristic nf th,. nravar of
the publican was. it had "a ring of conf |
dcnce. 1t was not cry of despair. He
knew he WAS going to get what he asked /
for. lie wanted mercy. He asked for it,
expecting it. And do you tell me- o man,
that God has provided this salvation and I
is not going To let you have it:
IL II man builds a bridge across a river |
will he not let people 80 over it? II ply |
sician gives prescription 10 sick man.
will he not Jet him take il? II an architect /
puts up "A building. will he not let people in |
il? II God provides salvation. will he not |
let You have it: oh, il there be pharisec
here n man who says: | am all right Ny |
past life has been right. | don't want the .
pardon of the gospel, for | have no sin to /
pardon. let me say that while that man is I
in that mood there is no peace for him,
there is no pardon, no salvation, and the /
probability Is he will 20 down and spend /
eternity with the lost pharisee Of the text
But if there be here one who says, want !
to bc better; | want to quit my sins; my
life has been very imperfect life: how
many things have | said that should not
have said; how many things ! have done
| should not have done; | want to change
my life; want To begin now; let me say to
such IA SOUL God is waiting God is ready.
a
you have entered it, for no man says am
determined to serve God and surrender the
sins of my life; here, now. consccrate my
self to the Lord Jesus Christ who died To
redeem memo man from the depth of his
soul says that but he is already IA Christian.
EEPENTANT NEGRO.
My uncle the Rev. Samuel X. Talmage
of Augusta Ga. was passing along the
streets of Augusta one day and he saw IA
man, "A black man, step from the sidewalk
out into the street. take his hat of and