Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-07-03
THE SINNERS HOPE.
THE PUBLICAN WAS JUSTIFIED BG-
CAUSE or HIS HUMILITY

Pabiioans We're Dlsliked snd TbeirTitis
Ussd ss AByword Among the JsN - , i,Is
one Admitted His sis--Praotieai 4 ppeai.
BRooKLYN. July REV. DIR. Talinage
bad selected as shis subject for today n
picture Of contrast. Arrogance and HUI
Inility," the text heihg Luke xviii. 10.
God be merciful unto me. sinner"
No mountain ever. had a more brilliant
coronet than Mount Moriah. The glories
of the ancient temple Hazed there. Tho
mountain top was not originally large
enough TO hold the temple. aud 30 wall
600 feet higlI was erected, and the noun
tain was built out into that wall.
II was ut that point that satan met
Christ and tried to persuade him to cast
himself down the 800 feet. The nine
gates of the temple flashed the light Of
silver and gold and Corinthian brass.
which Corinthian brass was mere pre-
cious stones melted and mixed and crys-
tallized. The temple itself was not so
very large structure, but the courts
and the adjuncts Of the architecture
made it half mile in circumference.
THE MORNING SACRIFICE.
We stand and look upon that Won
drous structure. What's. the matter?
What strange appearance in the temple?
Is it firep Why, it seems as if it were a
mansion all kindled into flame. What's
the matter1 Why, its the hour of morn
ing sacrifice, and the smoke on the altar
rises and bursts out Of the crevices and
out of the door and wreathes the noun
tain top with folds of smoke through
which glitter precious stones gathered
and FURNISHED by royal munificence.
see two men mounting the steps of
the building. They go side by side; they
are very unlike; no sympathy between
them-the one the pharisee. proud arro-
giant, pompous; he goes up the steps of
say: Clear the tracki Never before
came up these steps such goodness and
conservation"
Beside him was the publican, bowed
down. seemingly, with load on his
heart. They reach the inclosure for
worship in the midst of the temple.
The pharisee goes close up to the gate
of the holy of holies. He feels he is
worthy to stand there. He says prac-
tically: II am SO holy want to go into
the holy of holies. o Lord, am a very
good man! | am a remarkably good
man. Why, two days in the week eat
absolutely nothing. I'm so good. I'm
very generous in my conduct toward
the poor. have no sympathy with the
common rabble; especially have none
with this poor, miserable, commonplace,
wretched publican, who happened to
come up the stairs beside me-"
THE REPENTANT PUBLICAN.
The publican went clear to the other
side Of the inclosure, as far away from
the gate of the holy of holies as he
could get, for he felt unworthy to stand
near the sacred place. And the Bible
says he stood afar off. Standing on the
opposite side of this inclosure, he bows
his head, and as orientals when they
have any trouble beat their breasts, so
he begins to pound his breast as he cries,
''God be merciful to me, a sinnerl"
Oh, was there ever greater contrast
The incense that waited that morning
from the priests censer was not so sweet
as the publican's prayer floating into the
opening heavens, while the prayer of the
pharisee died on his contemptuous lips
and rolled down into his arrogant heart.
Worshiping there, they join each other
and go side by side down the steps, the
pharisee cross, wretched, acrid, satur-
nine-the publican with his face shining
with the very joys of heaven, for 81 tell
kl,aA 10 hse,
house justified rather than the other"
Now, put this publican's prayer un-
der analysis. and | discover in the first
place that he was persuaded of his sim
fulness. He was an honest man; he
was taxgatherer; he was an officer of
the government. The publicans were tax
gatherers, and Cicero says they were the
adornment of the state. OF course they
were somewhat unpopular, because peo-
pie then did not like to pay their taxes
any better than people now like to pay
their taxes, and there were many who
disliked them.
Still suppose this publican, this tax
gatherer, was an honorable man. He
had an office of trust; there were many
hard things said about him, and yet,
standing there in that inclosure of the
temple amid the demonstrations of
Gods holiness and power, he cries out
from the very depths of his soul, God
be merciful to me. sinnerr' BY what
process shall prove that am sinner
BY what process shall prove that you
are sinner Shall ask you to weigh
your motives, to scan your actions, TO
estimate your behavior win do nothing
Of the kind. viii draw my argument
rather from the plan of the work that
God has achieved for your salvation.
sHIPwREcKED SOULS
You go down in a storm to the beach,
and you see wreckers put on their rough
Jackets and launch the hfeboat and
then shoot the rockets to show that help
is coming out into the breakers, and you
Immediately cry. "A shipwreckF And
when see the Lord Jesus Christ putting
aside robe and crown and launch out on
the tossing sea Of human suffering and
satanic hate, going out into the thunder
ing surge Of death. Icry, "a shipwreckr
know that our souls are dreadfuly
lost by the work that God has done to