Milford chronicle., 1893-07-07

fering mercy, sovereign mercy, infinite
mercy, omnipotert mercy, everlasting
mercy Why, it seems in the Bible as If an
language were exhausted, as If It were
stretched until It broke as if all expression
were struck dead at the feet of prophet and
apostle and evangelist when it tries to de
scribe Gods mercy
Oh, says some one, that is only adding to
my crime If ] come and confess befoke God
and seek his mercy. No, moi The murderer
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 hls soul has been white in God $ pardon
ing lovel And the soul that has wandered
of in the streets and down to the very gates
OF he'll has come back to her fathers house
throwing her arms around his neck. and
been saved by the mercy that saved Mary
/ Magdalen.
THE DOORS OF MERCY
But, says some one, you are throwing
/ open that door Of mercy too wide. No,
/ will tlSOw it open wider ! will take the
responsibility Of saying that if all this au-
dience, instead Of being gathered in a semi !
circle, were placed side by side in one long
line they could all march right through
that wide open gate Of mercy. "Whosoev- I
er, "whosoever." Oh, this mercy of God. I
There IS no line long enough to fathom it;
there is no ladder long enough to scale it.
there is no arithmetic facile enough to cal
culate it; no angels wing can fly across it.
Heavenly harpers, aided by chcirs with
feet like the sun, cannot compass that bar-
mony Of mercy, mercy. 1t sounds in the
Fumbling Of the celestial gate. hear it in
the Ginning Of the celestial towers. | see
it flashing in the uplifted and downcast
coronets of the saved | hear it in aetbun-
dering tread of the hammered host round
about the throne, and then it comes from
the harps and crowns and thrones and pro
cessions to sit down, unexpressed. on
throne overtopping all heaven-the throne
of mercy.
How | was affected when some one told
me in regard to that accident on Long Is
land sound, when one poor woman came !
ana got her hand on raft as she tried TO
ave herself, but those who We're on the
iF9t thought there was no room for her.
and Que man came and most cruelty beat q
and bruised her hands until she fell off :
Oh, / bless God that this lifeboat of the
gospel has room enough for the sixteen Il
hundred millions of the race-room forone :,
room for all, and yet there is rooml !
] push this analysis of the publicau's -
prayer step further end find that he did !,
not expect any mercy except by pleading :,
or it. He did not fold his hands together .,
Is some do, saying, III I'm to be saved. III :;
le saved if I'm to be lost I'll be lost, and q
here is nothing for me to do" He knew "
What was worth having was worth asking -.
or hence this earnest cry Of the text =,
God be merCiful to me, a sinnerl" -
1t was an earnest prayer and it is char -
cteristic of all Bible prayers that tbev ~
7ere answered. The blind man, Lord. -
hat may receive my sight3 the leper. IS,
Lord, If thou wilt, thou canst make me 4,
lean;" sinking Peter, Lord save me;V -,
be publican, God be merciful to me. a '-
nneri' But if you come up with the tin e.
your finger and tap at the gate of mercy ~
will not open. YOu have got to have the ~.
nnestness Of the warrior who, defeated no
nd pursued, dismOunts from his lathered In,
eed and with gauntleted fists pounds at 90
le palace gate. -
You have got to have the earnestness of ~.
e man who at midnight in the fourth -
ory has a sense Of suffocation with the ~, U
luse in flames, goes to the window and
outs to the firemen, "Helpl" Oh, unfor
ven soul, if you were in full earnest l
light have to command silence in the au- 5
tory, for your prayers would drown the pre-
ice OF the speaker, and we would have to has
use in the great servicel 1t is because the
u do not realize your sin before God that ma
Il are not this moment crying mercy. resi-
srcy, mercy. biri
HE WAS TRULY REPENTANT. larl
This prayer Of the publican was also an INST
mbie prayer. The pharisee looked up. sun
3 publican looked down. You cannot be the
red as a metaphysician or as a rhetori- her
nSyou cannot be saved as a scholar. Won of W
mot be saved as an artist; YOU cannot he she
red as an official If you are ever saved "
all, it will be as a sinner "God be ner- few
III to me, a sinnerl" she
mother characteristic Of the prayer of Am
publican was, it had ring Of conf thol
ice. 1t was not cry Of despair. He by t
sw he was going to get what he asked her
He wanted mercy. He asked for it. days
'ecting it. And do you tell me, o man.
{ God has provided this salvation and
ot going to let you have it? "I
man builds a bridge across a river. ent.
he not let people 90 over it? If a ply book
an gives prescription TO sick man, of a
he not let him take it2 If an architect visd
$ up a building, will he not let peoplein furn
If God provides salvation, will he not fou
you have it? Oh, if there be a pharisee smil,
, a man VINO says; am all right. My and {
life has been right. don't want the that
ion OF the gospel, for | have no sin to for Il
lon, let me say that while that man is plete
hat mood there is no peace for him, mani
e is no pardon, no salvation, and the some
ability IS he will go down and spend NV n
nifty with the lost pharisee Of the text. the 81
1t II there be here one who says, want The C
10 better; l want to quit my sins: nv tbouf
has been a very imperfect life; how were
y thlngs have l said that l should not York
said; how many things I have done
)uld not have done; I want to change
lte; want to begin now; let me say to The
asoul God is waiting, God is ready, so des
you are near the kingdom, or rather a wra
have entered it, for no man says, am be St
mined to serve God and surrender the whot
Of my life; here, now, consecrate my In a S
% the Lord Jesus Christ who died to ligees
m memo man from the depth Of his treme
says that but he is already Christian. that a
A REPENTANT NEGRO. black
uncle, the Rev. Samuel K. Talmage ion, is
ugusta, Ca, was passing along the go to
IS OF Augusta one day, and he saw a for he
black man, step from the sidewalk with /
lto the street, take his hat off aud remoy
,,o-,, 1,,,l,, Nf,.,,.a,... the kr
obsequiOusness, and he said. u "e
at do you do that for?" ''Ohn SAYS que, sue p
ian, 'massa the other night was 90 49,. 49,
long the street, and had burden on ts,,.,l ,.st
houlder, and was sick, and / was ou.yoi I1..,'..
ry, and I came to the door of your tle91 io.iiil
n and ,-o, ,,.o,.,, -, N 49, 49,. ~ - Uicle
eroif,i ~ ~, tlt,, ~ - her m,
al tbe oo- I,,,,, s,,,-,, ~ 1. per po
90 20 49, -.. 81 t1l ~ te''l yuu And
the depths of his soul God would par t;,.4 "
lim and finally take him to heaven. .3i1'a eio4s0
put my burden on my shoulder, and a,,tiv' ;t..
d home. | got to my home, and ! sat - 30 !
, and / said, God be merciful to me, a 5us, p
n but it got darker and darker and si' ~ - =
massa, got down on my knees, and / .Il. ~ M,
God be nierciful to me, sinnerF and -s.
lrden got heavier, and it got darker et " / /,
arker. knew not what to do Then .s ;., !
down on my face and I CRIED God & - u
rciful to me- sinnerp and away off seiias iile =
~, anu ~ os,ile nSaies ana tiously
Ietisi unull al was oflehb IN and FIRE