Democratic messenger., 1893-07-08
AT THE TABERNACLE.
DR.. TALMAGE ON THE LESSON OF THE
PHARlSEe AND THE PUBLICAN.
Truo Repentance Is 70 Cody sorrow For
Sin-By tho Deeds of the Law No Flesh
Can Bc Justified. aud So the Self Satisfied
Are Condemned.

Sin-By tho Deeds of the Law No Flesh
Can Bc Justified. and So the Self Satisfied
| Are Condemned.
! BROOKLYN. July Rev DR. Talmage
bad selected as his subject for today PIC
lure OF contrast. Arrogance and Humil
ity, the text being Luke xviii. l3. God be
mcrcful To me. sinner
| No mountain ever had n more brilliant
coronet than Mount Moriah The glories
OF the ancient temple blazed there The
mountain top WAS not originally large
enough to hold the temple. and so a wall
600 feet high erected and the mountain
was built ont into that wall IL was at that
point that satan met Christ and tried to
persuade him To cast himself down the COO
feet. The nine gates OF the temple flashed
the light of silver and gold and Corinthian
brass. which Corinthian brass was mere
precious stones melted and mixed and crys.
tallized. The temple itself was not 80 very
large structure. but the courts and the
adjuucts Of the architecture made it half n
mile in circumference.
We stand and look off upon that won
drous structure What : the matter. What
strange appearance in the tcmple' Is it
! fre2 Why. it seems rs If il were man
sion all kiniled into flame. What's the
mattcr7 Why. it's the hour Of morning
sacrifice. and the smoke on the altar rises
and bursts out Of the crevices and out OF
the door and wrcathcs the mountain top
with folds Of smoke. through which glitter
precious stones gathered and FURNISHED by
royal muniiccnce.
| see two rlcn mounting the steps of the
building They go side by side they are very
unlike. no sympathy between them-the
one tho phariscc. proud, arrogant, pom
pous he goes up the steps Of the building.
! lie seems by his manner to say: Clear the
track Never before came up these steps
such goodness and conservation"
TIE EEPENTANT SINNER
Beside him was the publican, bowed
down seemingly with u load on his heart.
They reach the inclosurc for worship in the
midst OF the temple The pharisce goes
close up to the gate Of the holy Of holics.
He feels he il worthy tn stand there. lie
says practically: Il am 81 holy want to
20 into the holy Of holics. Lord. am
a very good man. I'm u remarkably good
man. Why, two days in the week | eat alb.
solutely nothing I'm so good. I'm very
generous in m- conduct toward the poor
have no sympathy with the common rab-
BILE: especially have none with this poor,
miserable, commonplace, wretched publi-
can who happened to come ur the stairs
beside me"
The publican went clear TO tho her side
OF the inclosure. as far away from the gate
OF the holy of holics as he could get, for he
felt unworthy to stand near the sacred
place. And the Bible says he stood afar of
Standing on the opposite side of this in
closure he bows his head. and rs 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 sinner."
Oh, was there ever "a greater contrast,
The incense that waited that morning from
the priests crnSer WAS not sweet as the
publicans prayer iloatin. into the opening
heavens. while the PRAYER Of the pharisee
died "n his cuniv,un'lnls lips and rolled
down into hts arrogant heart Worshiping
there they join each o;..cr and 90 side by
side down the steps. tie pharisee cross,
wretchcd. acrid, s1;urnin-: the publican
with his face shining with the very joys Of
heaven. for Il tell you that this man went
down to his house justified rath than the
other"
Now, put this publicans prayer under
analysis. and discover in the first place
ic WIS hl Ills SlUiulItSS
lie was an honest man. he was taxgath-
ercr he was an officer Of the government
The publcans observation-disclosures, and Cicero
says they were the alOrnmcmt Of the state
OF course they wcrc somewhat unpopular
because people then did not like TO pay
their taxes any better than people now like
To pay their taxes. and there were many
who dislikcd them. Still. suppose this
publican. this taxgathcrcr, was an honor
able man. lie 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 stricken soul, God
bc merciful To me, a sinner" BY what
process shall | prove that ! am n 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 | will do nothing of the
kind. ! will draw my argument rather
from the plan of the work that God has
achieved for your salvation.
THE IMPEEILED SOUL
You 20 down in storm To the beach,
and you see wreckcrS put on their rough
jackets and launch the lifeboat and then
shoot the rockets tn show that help is com
ing out into the breakers. and you imme-
diately cry, "A shipwreck." And when |
see the Lord Jesus Christ putting aside
robe and crown and launch ont on the toss
ing sea of human suffering and satanic
hate. going out into the laundering surge
Of death. cry, "A shipwrcck"'
know that our souls are dreadfully lost
by the work that God has done to save
them. Are You sinner! Suppose you
had a commercial agent in Charleston or
San Francisco or Chicago. and you were
paying him promptly his salary. AMI you
found out, after awhile, that notwith-
standing he had drawn the salary he had
given ninc-tenths of all the time to some
other commercial establishment. Why,
your indignation would know no bounds
And yet that is just the way we have
treated the Lord,
He sent us out into this world TO serve
him. lie has taken good care Of is-he has
clothed us, he has sheltered us, and he has
surrounded Us with l0.0d0 bcncfactions,
and yet many of rs have given nine tenths
Of our lives To the service of the world, the
flesh and the devil. Why, my friend. the
Bible is full of confession. and do not find
anybody is partioned until he has confessed.
What did David say? Il will confess my
tTduSITtNSlOuN UNTO tic l4OTu w Ustt
Isaiah sayl Woe is me, because / am "A
man of unclcnn lips" What did Ezra say?
"Our iniquities are increased over our head,
and our trcspass is grown up into heaven. "
And among the millions before the throne
of God tonight not one got there until he
confessed The coast of eternal sorrow is
strewn with the wreck of those who, not
taking the warning, drove with the cargo
of immortal hope into the white tangled
foam of the breakers.
Repent! tho 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 a step
further. and find that he expected no re
lief except through Gcd's mercy. Why did
NOTICE