The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-07-07
THE SINNERS HOPE.
THE PUBLICAN WAS JUSTIFIED BE-
CAUSE OF HIS HUMILITY.

BROOKLYN, July 2.r-Raa DR.. Talmage
had selected as his subiEyt for today a
picture of contrast, "Au'&h nce and HUI
mility," the text being luke xviii, 10,
God be merciful unto iIh, n sinner!'
No mountain ever had pmore 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 wall
600 feet high was erected, and the noun
tain was built out into that wan.
1t was at that point that satan met
Christ and tried to persuade him to cast
himself down the 900 feet. The nine
gates of the temple flashed the light of
silver and gold and Corinthian brass,
which Corinthian brass was mere pre-
cious stones melted and mixed and crys-
tallized. The temple itself was not so
very large structure, but the courts
and the adjuncts of the architecture
made it half mile in circumference.
THE MORNING SACRIFICE.
We stand and look upon that Won
drous structure. What's the matter?
What strange appearance in the temple?
Is it fire? Why, it seems as if it were
mansion all kindled into flame. What's
the matter? Why, its the hour of morn
ing sacrifice, and the smoke on the altar
rises and bursts out of the crevices and
out Of the door and wreathes the noun
tain top with folds of smoke through
which glitter precious stones gathered
and FURNISHED by royal munifcence.
| 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 AFRO
CANT, 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 inclosure 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 prac-
tically: 81 am so holy want to go into
the holy of holies. o Lord, am a very
good man! Il am a remarkably good
man. Why, two days in the week eat
absolutely nothing. I'm so good Pm
very generous in my conduct toward
the poor. 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 REPENTANT PUBLICAN.
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 inclosure, he bows
his head, and as 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 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, satur-
nine-the publican with his face shining
with the very joys of heaven, for 81 tell
you that this man went down to his
house justified rather than the other"
Now, put this publican's prayer I'M
der analysis, and discover in the first
place that he was persuaded of his sin
fulness. He was an honest man; he
was taXgatherer; he was an officer of
the government. The publicans were tax
gatherers, and Cicero says they We're the
adornment Of the state. OF course they
We're somewhat unpopular, because peo-
pie then did not like to pay their taxes
any better than people 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 We're 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. soul, "God
be merciful to me, a sinner!" By what
process shall prove that am a sinner?
By what process shall l prove that you
are a sinner? Shall | ask you to weigh
your motives, to scan your actions, to
estimate your behavior? Twill do nothing
of the kind, ! will draw my argument
rather from the plan of the work that
God has achieved for your salvation.
SFiIPwRECKED SOULS.
You go down in storm to the beach,
and you sec wreckers put on their rough
jackets and launch the lifeboat and
then shoot the rockets to show that help
Is coming out into the breakers, and you
Immediately cry, ga shipwreck" And
when | see the Lord Jesus Christ putting
fside robe and crown and launch out on
The tossing sea of human suffering and
satanic hate, going out into the thunder
ing surge of death, cry, ga shipwreck"
| know that our souls are dreadfully
lost by the work that God has done to
save them. Are you a sinner? Suppose
you had commercial agent in Charles
ton or San Francisco or Chicago, and
you were paying him promptly his sal
Dry, and you found out after awhile
lhat notwithstanding he had drawn the
salary he had given nine-tenths of all the
time to some other commercial estab-
lishment. 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
has clothed us, he has sheltered US, and
he has surrounded us with 10000 bene-
factions, 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 confession
and do not find anybody is pardoned
until he has confessed.
What did David say? II will confess
| my transgressions unto the Lord" What
did Isaiah say? "Woe is me, because
am man of unclean lips What die