Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-07-06
TABERNACLE PULPIT
DIR. TALMAGE BREACHES ON
ARROGANCE AND HUMILITY.
Repent! the Voice Celestial Cries--Nor
Longer Dare Delay-The Wretch that
Scorns the Mandate, Dies, and Meets
the Fiery Day.

the temple, and so IL wall six hundred
feet high was erected, and the noun.
tain 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 six hundred
feet The nine gates of the temple
fashel the light of silver and gold and
Corinthian brass, which Corinthian
brass was mere precious stones melted
and mixed and crystalized The tenn
pie itself was not so very large struct.
ure, but the courts and the adjuncts
of the architecture made it half mile
in circumference.
We stand and look off upon the won.
drouS structure. What's the matter
What strange appearance in the
temple? Is it fire? Why, it seems as
il it were mansion all kindled into
flame. What's the matter? 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
wrea thes the mountain-top with folds
of smoke, through which glitter prec-
ious 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 sympa by be,
tween them-the one the Pharisec-
proud, arrogant, pompous, 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 load on his
heart. They reach the enclosure
for worship in the midst of the temple;
the Pharisee goes close up to the gate
of the Holy of Holes; he feels he is
worthy to stand there; he says, practi-
cally: Il am so holy want to go into
the Holy of HOLES. o, Lord. | am
very good man; I'm a remarkably
good man; why, two DAYS in the week
| eat absolutely nothing. I'm so good;
Pm very generous in my conduct to-
ward the poor; | have no sympathy
with the common rabble, especially
have | none with this poor, miserable
common place, wretched publican, who
happened to come up the stairs beside
me-
The publican went clear to the other
side of the enclosure, 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. Standing
on the opposite side of this enclosure
he bows his head, and as Orientals
when they have any trouble beat their
breasts, so he begins to pound his
Jreast, as he cries, God be merciful
10 me a sinner!'
Oh, was there ever a greater con-
traSt? The incense that waited that
morning from the priests censor 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, saturnine: 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 rather
than the other"
Now, | put this publican's prayer
under analysis, and | discover in the
first place that he was persuaded of
his sinfulness lie was an honest man,
he was a tax-gatherer, he was an Off
Ger of the government; the publicans
were taX-gatherers, and Cicero says
they were the adornment of the state.
Of course they were somewhat unpop-
ular, because people then did not like
to pay their taxes any more than peo-
pie 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 enclosure Of the
temple, amid the demonstrations of
Gods holiness and power, he cries out
from the very depths of his stricken
soul, God be merciful to me a sinner
by what process shall | prove that
am sinner? by what process shall |
prove that you are a sinner? Shall
ask You to weigh your motives, to scan
Your action, 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.
You go down in q storm to the beach,
and you see wreckers put on their
rough Jackets, and launch the life
boat, and then shoot the rockets to
show that help is coming, out into the
breakers, and you Immediately cry,
"A shipwreck" And when / see the
Lord Jesus putting aside robe and
crown, and launch out on the tossing
sea of human suffering and satanic
hate, going out into the laundering
surge of death, cry, "A shipwreck"
know that our souls are dreadfully
lost, by the work that God has done to
save them. Are you a sinner? Sup
pose YOU had commercial agent in
charleston or San Francisco, or Chi.
cago, and you were paying him prompt
ly 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 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. He has taken good care OF
us; he has clothed us, he has sheltered
us, and he has surrounded us with ten
| thousand benefactions; and yet many
, of us have given nine-tenths of our
| lives to the service or the world, the
| flesh. and the devil. Why, my friends,
| the Bible is full of confession, and
do not find anybody is pardoned until
! he has confessed.
What did David say? 81 will con
| fess my transgressions unto the Lord. y
What did Isaiah say? "Woe is me,
because / am man of unclean lips.
What did Ezra say? Our iniquities
| are increased over our head, and our
trespass is grown up into Heaven. y
And among the millions before the
throne of God tonight, not one got
there until he confessed. The coast oil
eternal sorrow is strewn with the
wreck of those who, not taking the
warning. drove with the cargo of i'm
mortal hope into the white-tangle(
foam of the 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
a step further, and / find that he ex
pected no relief except through God
mercy. Why did not he say, am al
honorable man; when get ten dollars
! taxes pay them right over to the gov
I'll