Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-07-03
n This moment sryiaG MERCY. mercy.
TTiE HUNnLE TrAYTn

THR HUMBLE fHAYEh
This prayer ~ ths publican Wa aise
an hHmb.s prayer. TIE pharisse looked
up; tas publican looked down. You can
nof b. saved ~ ametaphysician ~ ~
rhetoriciau, yOu cannot BE- saved ~ q
scholar; you cannot bo saved a. an art.
ist: yOu cannot BE- saved ~ an Ofiiciai
n you are ever saved at all. II will be as
asinnsr. "Ciod bo merciful 30 me. q an.
nerr'
Another characteristic % the prayer
Of the publican was. u had q ring % CON.
fdence II was not a cry of despair. re
knew he was going 10 get what he asked
for. Ho wanted mercy; he asked for IL,
expecting IT, And do you tell me, G
man, that God has provided this saliva
'tion aud Is not going 70 let you have ~
II man build bridge across river.
will he not lot people go over iD II
physician gives n prescription 10 n sick
man, will he not let him take III II an
architect puts up building. will he not
let people in III II God provides saliva.
tion, will he not let you have it7 Oh, II
there be a pharisee here, man who
says. 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 90 down and spend eter.
nifty with the 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 a very imperfect
life, how many things have said that
should not have said, how many things
have done should not have done, j
want to change my life, l 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, now, | 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
Christian.
Ny uncle, the Rev. Samuel K. Talmage
of Augusta, Ga, was passing along the
streets of Augusta one day, and he saw
a man, black man, step from the side
walk out into the street, take his hat off
and bow very lowly. My uncle was not
a man who demanded obsequiousness,
and he said, "What do you do that forP"
"Oh," says the man, 'massa, the other
night was going along the street, and
had 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,
sinnerr and | stood there at the door
long enough to hear you say that if a
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, sinnerr but it got darker and
darker, and then, massa, got down on
my knees, and said God be merciful
to me, sinner' and the burden got
heavier, and it got darker and darker.
knew not what to do. Then got down
on my face, and cried, God be merci.
full to me, a sinnerr and away OF | saw
light coming and it came nearer and
nearer and nearer until all was bright in
my heart, and arose. I am happy now
the burden is all gone--and Isaid tc
myself if ever met you in the street ]
would get clear off the sidewalk, and ]
would bow down and take my hat of
before you. feel that I owe more to
you than to any other man. That is the
reason bow before you"
THE CALL rs 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, a sinner While ]
halt in the sermon, will you not all utter
it? do not say audibly, 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 bemerciful to me. a
sinnerl
Have you all uttered 1t? 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 nerciful to me, n sin
nerl Have all uttered itY Then utter
III.