Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-07-03
Ibis moment crying, Mercy. mercss
THE GUNDLE PRAYER.

THE eUNDLE PRAYER.
This prayer Of the publican was also
an humble prayer. The pharisee looked
ND: the publican locked down. You car,
rot be saved as a metaphysician or as 4
rhetorician; you cannot be saved as IL
scholar: you cannot be saved as all art
list; you cannot be saved as an official.
If you are ever saved at all, it will be as
sinner God be merciful to me, a sin
nerr
Another characteristic of the prayer
of the publican was, it had ring of con-
fidence 1t was not q cry Of despair He
knew he was going to get what he asked
for He wanted mercy: he asked for it,
expecting it. And do you tell ME, O
man, that God has provided this saliva
ton and is not going to let you have it?
If q man build bridge across a river,
will he not let people go over it? If a
physician gives u prescription to sick
man, will he not let him take it? If an
architect puts up a building, will he not
let people in it? If God provides saliva
ton, will he not let you have it? Oh, if
there be pharisee here, a man who
says, l am all right, my past life has
been right, don't want the pardon of
the gospel, for have no sin to pardon,
let me say that while that man is in that
mood there is no peace for him, there is
no pardon, no salvation, and the proba-
bility is he will go down and spend eter-
nifty with tho lost pharisee of the text.
THE GRATEFUL NEGRO.
But if there be here one who says !
want to be better, want to quit my
sins, my life has been q very imperfect
life, how many things have l said that
I should not have said, how many things
I have done I should not have done,
want to change my life, | want to begin
now, let me say to such soul. God is
waiting, God is ready, and you are near
the kingdom, or rather you have en-
tered it, for no man says | am deter
mined to serve God and surrender the
sins Of my life; here, nc5v, | consecrate
myself to the Lord Jesus Christ who died
to redeem me; no man from the depth
of his soul says that but he is already a
Christian
My uncle the Rev. Samuel K Talmage
of Augusta, Ga. was passing along the
streets Of Augusta one day, and he saw
man, q black man, step from the side
walk out into the street take his hat off
and bow very lowly. My uncle was not
man who demanded obsequiousness,
and he said, what do you do that for:'
"Oh," says the man, ''massa, the other
night was going along the street, and
had a burden on my shoulder, and was
sick, and | was hungry, and came to
the door of your church, and you were
preaching about God be merciful to me,
a cir | OF no
long enough to hear you say that if q
man could utter that prayer from the
depths of his soul God would pardon him
and finally take him to heaven. Then |
put my burden on my shoulder and |
started home. | got to my home and |
sat down. and | said, God be merciful
to me, a sinner! but it got darker and
darker, and then. massa, [ got down Oh
my knees, and | said God be merciful
to me, a sinnert and the bur6sn, got
heavier. and it got darker and darker
knew not what to do. Then I got down
on my face, and | cried God be merci-
full to me, sinnerr and away off | saw
q light coming, and it came nearer and
nearer and nearer until all was bright IL
my heart, and | arose. | am happy now
the burden is ali gone-and | said to
myself if ever met you in the street /
would get clear off the sidewalk. and l
would bow down and take my hat off
before you. | feel that | owe more to
you than to any other man. That is the
reason | bow before you
THE CALL IS ON YOU.
Oh, are there not many now who can
utter this prayer the prayer of the black
man, the prayer Of the publican, God
be merciful to me, q sinner While
halt in the sermon. will you not all utter
it? | do not say a1dibly. but utter it
down in the depths of your souls CON
sciousness. Yes, the sigh goes all
through the galleries, it goes all through
the pews, it goes all through these aisles. |
sigh after sigh-God be merciful to me. a
sinner!
Have you all uttered it? No, there is
one soul that has not uttered it, too |
proud to utter it, too hard to utter it.
o Holy Spirit, descend upon that one
heart Yes, he begins to breathe it now.
No bowling of the head yet, no starting
tear yet, but the prayer is beginning
it is born. God be merciful to me, q sin
ner! Have all uttered it? Then [ utter
it myself, for no one in all the house
needs to utter it more than my own soul
God be merciful to me, sinner!