Connecticut western news., 1893-07-06
THE SINNERS HOPE.
THE PUBLICAN WAS JUSTIFIED BE- CAUSE OF HIS HUMILITY.

THE PUBLICAN WAS JUSTIFIED BE-
 CAUSE OF HIS HUMILITY.
 The Self Righteous Pharisee-why the
 Publioans Were Disliked and Their Title
 Used as Byword Among the Jews-This
 One Admitted His sin-Practical Appeal.
 BROOKLYN, July 2.-Rev. Dr. Talmage had selected as his subject for today picture C. contrast, Arrogance and Hu- mtlity," the text being Luke xviii, 13, "God be merciful unto me, a sinnerp
 No mountain ever had more brilliant ooronet 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 wall.
 It was at that point that satan met Christ and tried to persuade him to cast himself down the 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- talhxed. The temple itself was not so very large a 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 What strange appearance in the temple? Is 1t fire? Why, 1t seems as if it were mansion all kindled into flame. Whats the matterr Why, it's 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 burnished 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 arro- gant, pompous; he goes up the steps of the building; he seems by his manner to say: "Clear the trackl Never before came up these steps such goodness and conservation"
 Beside him was the publican, bowed down, seemingly, with a load on his heart. They reach the inclosuSe for worship in the midst of the temple. The pharisee goes close up to the gate of the holy of holies. He feels he is worthy to stand there. He says prac- tically: 'eI am so holy want to go into the holy of holies. O Lord, I am very good man! I am 8 remarkably good man. Why, two days in the week eat absolutely nothing. Pm 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 inclosure, as far away from the gate of the holy of holies 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, sinnerp'
 Oh, was there ever greater contrast? The incense that waited that morning from the priests censer 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 'I tell you that this man went down to his house justified rather than the other"
 Now, put this publcan's prayer un- 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 publcans were tax gatherers, and Cicero says they were the adornment of the state. Of course they were 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 were many hard things said about him, and yet, standing there in that inclosure 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, sinnerp' By what process shall prove that am sinner? By what process shall prove that you are sinner? Shall I ask you to weigh your motives, to scan your actions, to estimate your behavior? will do nothing of the kind. I will draw my argument rather from the plan of the work that God has achieved for your salvation.
 SHPwRECKED SOULS.
 You 20 down in 8 storm to the beach, end you see wreckers put on their rough Jackets and launch the nfeboat and then shoot the rockets to show that help Is coming out into the breakers, and you immediately cry, "A shipwreck" And when see the Lord Jesus Christ putting pside robe and crown and launch out on the tossing sea of human suffering and satanic hate, going out into the thunder lng surge of death, I cry, "A shipwreckl"
 I know that our souls are dreadfully lost by the work that God has done to rave them. Are you sinner? Suppose you had commercial agent in Charles ton or San Francisco or Chicago, and you were paying him promptly his sal ary, and you found out after awhile that notwithstanding he had drawn the salary he had given nine-tenths of all the time to some other commercial estab- hshment. 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 giver nine-t -tenths of our lives to the service ol 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.