The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1893-07-20
REV. @DR.s TALMAGE,
THE BR0OKLYN -DIVINE,S- SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: A'Arrogance and Humility. -

Luke xviii. H.
/ No mountain ever had a more brilliant
! coronet than Mount Moriah. The glories o.
! the ancient temple blazed there. The noun
tain top was not originally large enough to
hold the temple. and so wall GOO feet nigh
was erected and the mountain was built out
| into that wall.
II was at that point that satan met Christ
! and tried to persuade Him to cast Himself
/ down the 500 feet The nine gates of the
! temple flashed the light o. silver and gold
| and Corinthian brass, which Corinthian brass
was mere precious stones melted and
mixed and crystallized. The temple itself
| was not so very large a structure, but the
| courts and the ad juncts OF the architecture
| made it half a nile in circumference
We stand and look upon that wondrous
| structure What's the matter? What
strange appearance in the temple? Is it fre2
| Why il seems as if it were q mantle all kim
| died into flame What's the matter? Why
| its the hour Of morning sacrifice, and the
! smoke on the altar rises and bursts out OF
the creyices and out ofthe door and wreathes
| the mountain top with folds Of smoke
| through which glitter precious stones
| gathered and FURNISHED by royal mu-
| nifcenea.
| I see two men mounting the steps of the
| building. They 20 side by side; they are
! very unlike no sympathy between them
| the one tI4e DLGt l>te. pGOul arrogant, POM
pous he goes up the steps of the building !;
| he seems by his manner to say: CLEAR the
track Never before came up these steps
| such goodness and conservation"
Beside him was the publican, bowed down,
| seemingly, with a load on his heart. They
reach the inciosure for worship i'll the midst
OF the temple. The pharisee goes close up
to the gate Of the holy of bolies. He feels he
is worthyto stand there. He says practically
II am so holy want TO go into the holy Of
holes. Oh Lord, / am very good man /
am a remarkably good man. Why, two days
in the week I eat absolutely nothing. / am
so good. I'm very generous in my conduct
toward the poor. | have no sympathy with
the common rabhle especially have l none
with this poor. miserable, commonplace,
wretched publican, who happened to come
up the stairs beside me.
The publican went clear to the other side
of the inclosure as far away from the gate
OF the holy Of holes as he could get. for he
felt unworthy TO stand near the sacred place.
And the Bible says he stood afar off. Stand
ing on the opposite side of this inclosure
he bows his head. and as orientials when
they have any trouble beat their breasts. so
he begins TO pound mis- breast as he cries,
God be merciful to me. a sinner ~
Oh, was there ever greater contrast? The
incense that waited that morning from the
priest censor was no1so sweet as the pub
leans 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 90 side by
side down the steps. the pharisee cross.
wretched, acrid saturnine-the publican
with his face shining with the very joys of
heaven, for II tell you that this man went
down to his house justified rather than the
other
Nou- mt +l,is ,,,ll;oop1s ,r,1,ar ,,plor
analysis, and / discovered in the first place
that he was persuaded OF his sinfulness. He
was an honest man he was a taXgatherer
he was an officer of the government. The
publicans were taxgatherers, and Cicero
says they were the adornment Of the State.
OF course they were somewhat unpopular,
because people then did not like to pay their
taxes any better than people nolg like to pay
their taxes, and there were many who dis
liked them.
Still / suppose this publican, this tax gath
erer, was an honorable man. He had an
office OF trust there were many hard things
said about him, aud yet, standing there in
that enclosure OF the temple amid the
demonstrations of Gods holiness and power,
he cries out IRON the very depths OF his soul,
God be rnerciful to me, sinner {" By what
process shall / prove that I am a sinner? By
what process shall prove that you are a sin
ner! Snail l ASK you to weigh your motives,
TO sean your actions, to estimate your be-
havior? L will do nothing of the kind. [
will draw my argument rather from the plan
OF the work that God has achieved for your
| salvation.
You 20 down in a storm to the beach, and
| you see wreckers put ON their rough jackets
| and launch the lifeboat and then shoot the
| rockets 10 show that help IS coming out into
| the breakers, and you Immediately cry. "A
| shipWreckn And when 1 see the Lord Jesus
TI,-sa~ /
| launch OUT on the tossing sea OF human sui
| ferinc and satanic hate. going out into tine
| laundering surge OF death, l cry, a ship
wreck ="
l know that our souls are dreldiully lost
! by the work that Got has done 10 save them.
| Are you 4 sinner! suppose you had a com
| mercial agent ia Charleston or san FrIn-
| cisco, or Chicago. and you were paying him
| promptly his SALARY, and YOU found out = sr
| awhile that Notwithstanding he rad drawn
| the salary he had given nine-.entbs Of all the
| time 10 some other commercial establish
| ment Why, your indignation would know
| no BOUNDS. And yet that is just the way We
| have treated the Lord
He sent us oat into the world to serve
| him. He has taken good care Oi u. H.
has clothed us, He has sheltered us. and H
| has surrounded us with 10 900 benefactions
| and yet many OF us have given nine-tenths o
! our lives to the service OF the world, the fles
and the devil. Why, my friend, the Bible i
| full OF confessions and do not find anybod
| is pardoned until he has confessed.
What did David say? ~ will confess m,
| transgressions unto the Lord" What di,
| Isaiah say? Woe is me, because l am
man of unclean lips" What did Ezra say
| Our iniquities are increased over our head
and our trespass is grown up into heaven.
| And among the millions before the throne o
God tonight not one got there until he con
fessed. The coast of eternal sorrow is strewl
| with the wreck of those who. not taking tn
warning, drove with the cargo of immorta
hope into the white tangled foam OF tn
| breakers.
| Repent. the voice celestial cries,
| Nor longer dare delay:
| The wretch that scorns the mandate dies
| And meets the fiery day.
But analyze the publican's prayer stel
further, and find that he expected no relic
except through Gods mercy. Why did no
he say, am an honorable man. When | ge
| $40 taxes, pay them right over to the gov
eminent. give full permission to anybod
to audit my accounts. 1 appeal to Thy jus
tice, o God He made no such plea H
threw himself fiat on Gods mercy