Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-07-08

it was an earnest prayer, and II Is charac-
| teristic OF all Bible prayers that they were
answered--the blind man, Lord, that may
receive my sight !, the leper, "Lord, II Thou
| wilt, Thou eanst make me dean;'' sinking
Peter, s.Lord. save me = the publican, God
be merciful to mo, sinnerf' But II you
come up with the tip of your finger and tap
q. the gate of mercy, it will not open. You
/, have got to have the earnestness of the war
rior who. defeated and pursued, dismounts
I from his lathered steed and with gauntleted
fist pounds at the palace gate.
! You have got to have the earnestness OF
/ the man who. at midnight, in the fourth
story. has sense OF suffocation, with the
| house In flames, goes to the window and
| shouts to the ffremen. "Hepi" Oh, unfo--
! given soul. II you were in full earnest
| might have to command silence in the audi
| tory, for your prayers would drown the voice
OF the speaker, and we would have to pause
in the great service. 1t IL because you do
not realize your sin before Go1 that You are
1 not this moment crying, Mercy, mercy,
/ mercy y
This prayer of the publican was also an
| humble prayer. The pharsee looked up the
| publican looked down. You cannot be saved
as metaphysician or as rhetorician you
cannot be saved as a scholar you cannot be
saved as an artist; 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 sinner
Another characteristic OF the prayer of the
! publican was, it had ring of confidence.
I 1t was not cry of despair. He knew he was
| going to get what he asked for. He wanted
mercy he asked for it, expecting it. AMI
| do you tell me, 0 man. that Col has pro-
yided this salvation and is not going to let
you have it?
| If man build a bridge across a river.
| will he not let people go over it, If a ply
| stefan gives a prescription to a sick man.
will he not let him take it? II an architect
puts up building, will he not let people in
| it? If God provides salvation, 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, l don't want the
| pardon ofthe gospel. for / have no sin 10
/ 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 probability
| is he will go down and spend eternity with
The lost phar.see of the text.
But if there be here one VINO says want
TO be better, want to quit my sins, my life
mas been very imperfect life. no = many
things have | said that l sho1ld not have
1 said. how many things / have done / should
not have done, want to change my life.
want to begin now. let me say to such asoul,
1 God is waiting. God is ready, and YOU ars
near the kingdom, or rather you have en-
tered it. for no man says / am determined 10
serve God and surrender the sins OF my life !:
mere. now. l consecrate myself TO the Lord
Jesus Christ who died 10 redeem me mo man
1 from the depth of his soul says that but hc is
already Christian.
My uncle, the Rev. Samuel K. Talmage. Of
| Augusta, Ga, was passing along the streets
I Of Augusta one day, and he saw man, a
black man, step from the sidewalk out into
/ the street take his hat off and bow very
| slowly. My uncle was not man WAC de-
manded obsequiousness. and he said, "What
/ DO you do that for?" "Oh,' says the man,
''massa, the other night / was going along
he 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,
sinner and | stood there at the door long
enough to hear you say that If man could
! utter that prayer from the depth OF his soul
God would pal don him and finally take him
to heaven. Then | put my burden on my
shoulder. and l started home. l got to my
home and sat down, and l said, God be
nerciful to me, sinner but it got darker
and darker, and then, massa. got down on
my knees and l said, God be merciful
to me, a sinner and the burden got
heavier, and it got darker and darker. l
knew not what to do. Then l got down
on my face. and | cried, God be merci-
full to me- a sinner and away off 1 saw
.
and nearer until all was bright in my heart,
and rose. l am happy now-the burden
is all gone-and | said to myself il ever /
meet You in tie street 1 would get clear of
the sidewalk, ami l would bow down and
take my hat off before you. feelthat owe
more to you than to any other man. That is
the reason | bow before 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 mercful 10
me, a sinner" While halt in the sermon,
will you not all utter it, / do not say audi
bly,, but utter ii down ia the depths of your
Souls consciousness. 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 merctfu TO me- sinner
Have you all uttered 1t? No, there is one
soul that has not uttered it, too proud to ut
ter 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- sinner. Have all uttered it? Then [
utter it myself, for no one in all the house
needs to utter it more than my own SOU
God be merciful to me, a sinner.