Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1893-07-08

salary, and you found out, afterawhile,
that Notwithstanding he had drawn the
salary he had given nine-tenths OF all
the time to some other commercial
establishment. Why, your Indignation
would know no bounds. And yet that
is just the way we have treated the
Lord.
He sent us out into this world to serve
Him. He has taken good care of us
lie has clothed us, He has sheltered us,
and He has surrounded us with 10000
benefactions, and yet many of us have
given nine-tenths of our lives to the
service of the world the flesh and the
devil. Why, my friend, the Bible is
full of confession, and do not find any
body is pardoned until he has con-
fessed.
What did David say? 81 will confess
my transgressions unto the Lord"
What did Isaiah say? "Woc is me. be-
cause / am n man of unclean lips"
What did Ezra say? "Our iniquities
are increased over our head, and our
trcspass is grown up into heaven"
And among the millions before the
throne of God tonight not one got
there until he confessed. The coast of
eternal sorrow is strewn with the
wreck of those who, not taking the
warming, drove with the cargo of i'm
mortal hope into the white tangled
foam of the breakers
Rcpent, the voice celestial cries,
Nor longer dare delay;
The wretch that scorns the mandate dies
And meets the fiery day.
But analyze the publican's prayer u
step further. and find that he expected
no relief except through Gods mercy.
Why did he not say. am an honorable
man. When get $40 taxes, pay them
over to the government. l give
full permission to anybody to audit my
accounts. appeal to thy justice. o
God. lie made no such plea. He threw
himself fat on Gods mercy.
Have you any idea that man by
breaking off the scales of the leprosy
can change the disease? Have you any
idea that you can by changing your life
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 ire
mendous aggregate of good words and
works, and then you will see Paul
sharpen his knife rs he cuts that spirit
of self satisfaction. as he cries, by
the deeds of the law there shall no
flesh be justified"
Well, say u thousand men in this au-
dience, if am not to get anything in
the way of peace from God in good
works, how am to be saved? by mer-
cy Here | stand to tell the story
mercy, mercy. long suffering mercy,
sovereign mercy. infinite mercy, omnip-
otent mercy. everlasting mercy. Why.
it seems in the Bible as if all language
were exhausted, as if ii were stretched
until broke. as if all expression We're
struck dead at the feet of prophet and
apostle and evangelist when it tries to
describe Gods mercy.
Oh. says some one, that is only add
ing to my crime if come and confess
before God and seek his mercy. No,
no. 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 love.
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,
/ will throw it open wider. will take
the responsibility of saying that if all
this audience, instead of being gathered
in semi-circle, were placed side by
side in one long line they could all
march right through that wide open
gate of mercy. "Whosoever," whose
ever" Oh. this mercy of God. There
is no line long enough 10 latnon IT,
there is no ladder long enough to scale
it; there is no arithmetic facile enough
to calculate it; no angels wing can fly
across it.
Heavenly harpers, aided by choirs
with feet like the sun, can not compass
that harmony OF mercy, mercy. 1t
sounds in the rumbling of the celestial
gate. l hear it in the Ginning of the
celestial towers. / see it flashing in
the uplifted and downcast coronets of
the saved. hear it in the laundering
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 n
throne overlapping all Heaven-the
throne of mercy.
uoxu 7 .vas offactad when some ono