Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-07-06

a
government. give full permission to any
bodyto audit my accounts. Iappeal thy
justice, o Coil He made no such plea. lie
threw himself flat on Gods mercy.
no HOPE IN SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Have you any idca that man by break
ing of the scales of the lcprosy can change
the disease? Have you amy 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 be justified"
Well say thousand men in this audi
dienCc, il am not to get anything in the
way of peace from God in good works, how
am to be saved? by mercy. Here | stand
to tell the story-mercy, mercy, long suf-
fcring mercy, sovereign mercy, infinite
mercy, omnipoteLt mercy, everlasting
mercy. Why, it seems in the Bible rs if all
language were exhausted, as if it were
were struck dead at the feet of prophet and
apostle and evangelist when it tries to de-
scribe Gods mercy
Oh. says some one, that is only adding to
my crime if | 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 pardon
ing Lowell 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 arc throwing
open that door of mercy too wide. No, |
win throw it open wider l will take the
responsibility of saying that if all this au-
dience, instead of being gathered in q semi
circle were placed side by side in one long
line they could all march right through
that wide open gate of mercy. "Whosocv-
err" whatsoever" Oh, this mercy of God
There is no line long enough to tathom it;
there is no ladder long enough to scale it;
there is no arithmetic facile enough to cal
oulate it; no angels wing can fly across it.
Heavenly harpers, aided by choirs with
feet like the sun, cannot compass that har-
mony of mercy. mercy. 1t sounds in the
I 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 he thun-
dcring tread of the hammered host round
/ about the throne, ana then it comes from
the harps and crowns and thrones and pro-
! cessions to sit down, uneXpresscd, on a
| throne overlapping all hcaven-the throne
of mercy.
How was affected when some one told
me in regard to that accident on Long Is
/ land sound, when one poor woman came
and got her hand on a 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 OFT.
Oh, bless rod 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 publcan's
prayer a step further and find that he did
| not expect any mercy except by pleading
for it. lie did not fold his hands togethol
as some do, saying, IF Pm to be saved, III
be saved; if I'm to be lost I'll be lost, and
There Is HOlnllG IO4 l4lt " 10. ne NllcN
what was worth having was worth asking
| for; hence this earnest cry of the text
"GOd be merciful to me, a snner!"
It was an earnest prayer, and it is char
acteristic 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" sinking Peter, Lord save me-
the publican, God be mcrciful to me, 1
sinner!' But if you come up with the til
OF your finger and tap at the gate OF mercy
it will not open. You have got TO have the
earnestness of the warrior who, defeated
and pursued, dismounts from his latheret
stecd and with gauntleted fists pounds a
the palace gate.
You have got to have the earnestness o
the man who at midnight in the fourtl
story has a sense of sutfocation with thu
house in flames, goes to the window anC
shouts to the liremen, Help" Oh, unfor
given soul, if you were in full earnest
might have to command silence in the an
ditory, for your prayers would drown thu
voice of the speaker, and we would have t,
pause in the great service! 1t is becaus
You do not realize your sin before God tina
you are not this moment crying mercy
mercy, mercy
he WAS TRULY REPENTANT
This prayer Of the publican was also al
humble prayer. The pharisee looked up
the publican looked down. You cannot b
saved as a metaphyscan or rs rhetoli
clan; you cannot he saved as n scholar; yot
cannot be saved Us an artist you cannot b
saved as an official. If you are ever save
at all, it will be ms sinner. God be mel
, ciful to me, a sinner
. Another characteristic Of the prayer q
the publican was it had II ring of conf
dence. 1t was not a cry of despair. II
E. knew he was going to get what he aske
! for. He wanted mercy. He asked for il
= expecting it. And do you tell me, O MAJ
L that God has provided this salvation an
is not going to let you have it?
ii a man builds bridge across rivel
/ will he not let people 90 over it? If phi!
o stefan gives prescription to II sick maI
will lie not let him take il? If an architeC
. puts up Il building, will he not let people i
g it, If God provides salvation, will he NJ
let you have it? Oh, il there be pharisc