Connecticut western news., 1893-07-06
himself flat on Gods mercy.

that you can by changing your nfe change your heart-that you can pur- chase your way to heaven? Come, try it. Come, bring all the bread you ever gave to the hungry, all the medicine you ever gave to the sick, all the kind words you have ever uttered, all the kind deeds that have ever distinguished you. Add them all up into the tremendous aggre- gate of good words and works, and then you will see Paul sharpen his knife as he cuts that spirit of self satisfaction as he cries, By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified"
 Well, say thousand men in this au- dence, if am not to get anything in the way of peace from God in good works, how am I to be savedp By mercy. Here stand to tell the story; mercy, mercy, long suffering mercy; sovereign mercy, infinite mercy, omnipotent mercy, everlasting mercy. Why, 1t seems in the Bible as if all 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 describe Gods mercy.
 HOPE FOR THE REPENTANT.
 Oh, says some one, that is only adding to my crime if I come and confess before God and seek his mercy. No, mol 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 his soul has been white in Gods pardoning lovel And the soul that has wandered off in the streets and down to the very gates of hell has come back to her fathers house, throwing her arms around his neck, and been saved by the mercy that saved Mary Magdalen.
 But, says some one, you are throwing open that door of mercy too wide. No, I will throw it open wider. I will take the responsibility of saying that if all this audience, instead of being gathered in 8 semicircle, were placed side by side, in one long line, they could all march right through that wide open gate of mercy. "Whoseover," "whoseover." Oh, this mercy of God-there is no line long enough to fathom it, there is no ladder long enough to scale it; there is no arith- metic facile enough to. calculate it; no angels wing can fly across it.
 Heavenly harpers, aided by choirs with feet like the sun, cannot compass that harmony of mercy, mercy. It sounds in the rumbling of the celestial gate. hear it in the chiming of the ce- lestial towers. I see it flashing in the uplifted and downcast coronets of the saved. I hear it in the laundering tread of the hammered hosts around about the throne, and then it comes from the harps and crowns and thrones and pro sessions to sit down, unexpressed, on throne overlapping all heayen-the throne of mercy.
 THE GOSPEL LIFEBOAT.
 How I was affected when some one told me in regard to that accident on Long Island sound, when one poor wom- an came and got her hand on a raft as she tried to save herself, but those who were on the raft thought there was no room for her, and one man came and most cruelty beat and bruised her hands until she fell off. Oh, bless God that this lifeboat of the gospel has room enough for the sixteen hundred millions of the race-room for one, room for all, and yet there is rooml
 push this analysis of the publican's prayer step further and find that he did not expect any mercy except by pleading for it. He did not fold his hands together as some do, saying: "If Pm to be saved, I'll be saved. If Pm to be lost, I'll be lost, and there is nothing for me to do." He knew what was worth having was worth asking for; hence this earnest cry of the text, "God be mercifu1 to me, sinnerF
 It was an earnest prayer, and it is characteristic of all Bible prayers that they were answered-the blind man, 'Iord, that may receive my sight," the leper, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean;" sinking Peter, "Lord, save me-" the publican, "God, be merci- ful to me, sinnerl' But if you come up with the tip of your finger and tap at the gate of mercy, 1t will not open. You have got to have the earnestness of the warrior who, defeated and pursued, dis mounts 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 fremen, "Help" O unforgiven soul, if you were in full earnest might have to command silence in the auditory, for your prayers would drown the voice of the speaker, and we would have to pause in the great service. It is because you do not real ize your sin before God that you are not this moment crying, Mercy, mercy, mercyp
 THE HUMBLE PRAYER.
 This prayer of the publican was also an humble prayer. The pharisee looked up; the publican looked down. You can not be saved as metaphysician or as 8 rhetorician; you cannot be saved as a scholar; you cannot be saved as an art ist; you cannot be saved as an official. If you are ever saved at all, it will be as asinner. "God be merciful to me, sim ner!''
 Another characteristic of the prayer of the publican was, it had ring of con- fidence. It 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. And do you tell me, o man, that God has provided this saliva tion and is not going to let you have it2
 If man build bridge across river, will he not let people go over itp If a physician gives prescription to sick man, will he not let him take it? If an architect puts up building, will he not let people in it? If God provides salya- tion, will he not let you have it? Oh, if there be pharisee here, man who says, l 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 go down and spend eter- nifty with the lost pharisee of the text.
 THE GRATEFUL NEGRO.
 But if there be here one who says l want to be better, want to quit my