Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1893-07-08
THE SINNERS HOPE.
THE PUBLICAN WAS JUSTIFIED BE-
CAUSE OF HIS HUMILITY.

ITHE PUBLICAN WAS JUSTIFIED BE-
CAUSE OF His HUMILITY.
Tho Self Righteous Phnrisco-why the
T. Publicans voro DislIked and Their Tito
Used ms Byword Among tho Jews-Tlis
Ia One Admitted His sin--Praotical Appeal.
+ BROOKLYN, July 2.-Rcv. DR.. Talmage
Ehad selected as his subject for today o
picture of contrast, Arrogance and HUI
|mility," the text being Luke xviii, 10.
|1God be merciful unto me, sinnerl"
f No mountain ever had q more brilliant
;coronet than Mount Moriah. The glories
of the ancient temple blazed there. Tho
mountain top was not originally large
|enoughto hold the temple, and SO wall
500 feet high was erected, and the noun
tain was built out into that wall.
twas ut that point that satan met
Christ and tried to persuade him to cast
himself down tho 600 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. Tho temple itself was not SO
very lnrge a structure, but The courts
and the adjuncts Of the architecture
made it half mile In circumference.
TILE MORNING SACRIFICE.
We stnnd and look upon that won
drous structure. What's the natter
What strange appearance in the temple?
Is 1t fire? Why, 1t seems as if it were o
mansion all kindled into flame. What's
the natter 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 wroathes 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-thc one the pharisee, proud arro-
giant. pompous he goes up the steps of
the building; lie seems by his manner to
say: Clear the track Mover before
came up these steps such goodness and
.consecration."
( 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.
Tho pharisec goes close up to the gate
of tho holy of holes. he feels he is
worthy to stand there, He says prac-
tically: II am so holy want to go into
Che holy of holes. 0 Lord, am very
good man! | am remarkably good
man. Why, two days in the week ! eat
absolutely nothing. I'm so good I'm
very generous in my conduct toward
tho poor l have no sympathy with the
common rabble especially have none
with this poor, miserable. commonplace,
wretched publican, who happened to
como up the stairs beside me.
THE REPENTANT PUBLICAN.
The publican went clear to the other
side Of Tho inclosure, as far away from
the gate of tho 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
Ass. : Z, bows
have any trouble beat their breasts, So
he begins to pound his breast es he cries.
"God be merciful to me, a sinnerl'
Oh. was there ever greater contrast?
The incense that waited that morning
from the priests censor was not so sweet
as the publican's prayer foating 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 20 side by side down the steps, the
pharisee cross, wretched, acrid, satur-
nine-thc 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 were the
adorn,nent of tho state. Of course they
were somewhat unpopular, because peo-
ple 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 IN 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 soul, God
be ,nerciful to me. 6 sinner!'' By what
process shall prove that am a sinner?
BY what process shall l prove that you
are sinner? Shall7l ask you to weigh
your motives, to scan your actions, to
estimate your behavior | will donothing
of the kind. will draw my argument
rather from the plan of the work that
God has achieved for your salvation.
sIiIpwRECKED SOULS
You go down In storm to the beach,
and you see wreckers put on their rough
jackets aud launch tho lifeboat and
then shoot the rockets to show that help
is coming out into the breakers, and you
Immediately cry. "a shipwreckT And
when see the Lord Jesus Christ putting
aside 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, IA shipwreckp
lknow that our souls are dreadfully
lost by the work that God has done to