Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-07-19
REV. DR.. fALMAGE'S SERMON
he BROOKLYN Divfnes Sunday
BermonI
Subject :-''Arrogance and Humility"
TEXT: "Gcd be nlerciJt,l unto me, sinae,,"
II. xviii

coronet than Mount Moriah. The glories OF
the ancient temple blazed there. The noun
tain top was not originally large enough to
hold the temple, and so wall 600 feet high
was erected, and the mountain was built out
into that wall.
1t was at that point that satan not Christ
and tried TO persuade Him to cg7t Il sr,salf
Gown the 500 feet. The nine gates OF the
temple flashed the light of silver ana gold
and Corinthian brass, which Corinthian brass
was mere precious stones melted and
mixed and crystallized. The temple itself
was not so very iar-e = structure, out the
courts and the adiuu 'is of the architecture
made it half mile III circumference.
We stand and LOOK upon that wondrous
structure. What's the nultar? What
strange appearance in the templey IA il fire?
Why, it seems as if 1t were u mantle all kin
died into flame. What's the matter? WY.
its the hour of morning sacrifice and the
smoke on the altar rises and bursts out of
the crevices and utofthe door and wreathes
the mountain top with folds of smoke
through which glitter precious stones
gathered and FURNISHED ty royal mu-
nifcence.
! 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 arrogant, POM
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 inclosure for worship In tho midst
OF the, temple The pharisee goes close up
10 the gate of the holy Of holies. He feels he
lsworthyto stand there. He says practically:
81 am SO holy want to go into the holy of
holies. Oh Lord, l am very good man l
am remarkably good man. Why, two days
In the week eat absolutely nothing. l am
toward the poor. 1 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 publican went clear to the other side
OF the ipclosure as far away from the gate
Of the holy OF holies as he could get, for he
felt unworthy 10 stand near the sacred place.
And the Bible says he stood afar Off. Stand
Ing on the opposite side OF this inclosure,
be bows his head, and orientials when
they have any trouble beat their breasts. so
he begins to pound his breast as he cries,
"God be merclful to me, sinner"
oh, was there ever greater contrast? The
Incense that waited that morning from the
priests censer was not so sweet as the pub
hcan'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. WorshipinS
there, they join each other and go 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 al tell you that this man went
down to his house Justified rather than the
other"
Now, I put this publican's prayer under
analysis, and discovered in the first place
that he was persuaded of his sinfulness. He
was an honest man; he was taxgathererI
he was an officer Of the government The
publicans were tSrgathcsers, and Cicero
says they were trC adornment of the State.
OF course they wero somewhat unpopular,
because people then did not like TO pay their
taxes any better than people now Ike to pay
their taxes, and there We're many who dis
liked them.
Still 1 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, and yet, standing there in
that enclosure of the temple amid the
demonstrations ofGod's holiness and power,
he cries out from the very depths OF his soul,
God be merciful to me, sinnerI' By what
process shall prove that 1 am q sinner? By
what process shall prove that you are sin
ner2 Shall ask you to weigh your motives,
to scan your actions, TO estimate your be-
hsvior? l will do nothing Of tho kind. 1
will draw my argument rather from the plan
of the work that God has achieved for your
salvation.
You go down in n storm to the beach, and
you see wreckers put on their rough jackets
and launch the lifoboat and then shoot the
rockets to show that help IS coming out into
the breakers, and you Immediately cry, "A
shipwreck ~ And when l see the Lord Jesus
Christ putting aside robe and crown and
launch out on the tossing sea of human suf-
fering and satanic hate, going out into the
thundering surge Of death, l cry, "a ship
wreck y
know that our souls are dreadfully lost
by the work that God has done to save them.
Are you sinner Suppose you had COM
mercial agent In Charleston or San Fran
cisco, or Chicago, and you were paying him
promptly his salary, and you found out after
awhile that notwithstanding he had drawn
the salary he had given nine-tenths OF all the
time to 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 out into the world to serve
Him He has taken good care of US. He
nas clothed US, He has sheltered Us. and He
has surrounded us with 10. 600 benefactions
and yet many of US 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 confessions. and DO not find ANYBODY
IS pardoned until he mas confessed.
What did David say? 81 will confess nv
transgressions unto the Lord" What did
Isaiah say? "Woe is me, because L am a
man of unclean lips" What did Ezra saw?
Our iniquities are increased over our head,
and our trespass is grown up into heaven
And among the millions before the throne of
God tonight not one got there until he con-
fessed. 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.
Rerenti 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 n step
further. and find that he expected no relief
except through Gods mercy. Why did not
he say, am an honorable man. When I get
$40 taxes, 1 pay them right over to the gov
ernment. give full permission to anybody
TO audit my accounts. I appeal to Thy jus
tice, o God! He made no such plea. He
threw himself fiat on Gods mercy
Have you any idea that man by breaking
of the scales of the 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 II. Come. bring all the bread Won
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 audience,
IL l am not to get anything in the way of
peace from God in good works, how am l to
be saved? BY mercy Here stand to tell
the story; mercy, mercy, long suffering
mercy; sovereign mercy. infinite mercy,
omnipotent mercy, everlasting mercy Why,
1t seems in the Bible as if all language were
exhausted, as If it were stretched until it
broks, as II all expression were struck dead
at the feet Of prophet and apostle and evan
gelist when 1t tries to describe Gods mercy.
Oh, says some one, that is only adding to
my crime IL L come and confess before God
and seek His mercy. No, no. The mur-
derer 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 Gods
pardoning 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