Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-07-03

w hat did DAVID say. Il Will CONFESS
my transyressiC4is Unto the Lord" What
did Isaiah So? Woe is Inc, because
am man OF unclean lips What did
Ezra say? "Osr iniquities are increased
! over our head, and our trcss}ass IS grown
up into heaven" And among the mil
| lions 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 warning. drove with the cargo OF
immortal hope into the white tangled
foam of the breakers.
Repent! the voice celestial cries,
Nor longer dare delay;
Tho wret.h that scOrns the mandate dies
And I@cctS the fiery day.
10 SILT RIGHTEOUSNESS.
But an;slyze the publican's prayer
step further. and l find that he expected
no relief except through Gods mercy.
Why did not he say. [ am an honorable
man When get $40 taxes, pay them
right over to t1c government. | give
full permission to anybody to audit my
accounts appeal 80 thy justice, o
God, He made no such plea. He threw
himself fiat OF Gods mercy.
Have you any idea that IL 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 al the bread you ever gave
to the hungry, I'll 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-
dience. if J. am not to get anything in
the way Of peace from God in good
works, how am to be saved? BY mercy
Here stand to tell the story; mercy
mercy, long suffering mercy; sovereign
mercy. infinite mercy, omnipotent
mercy. everlasting mercy. Why, it
seems in the Bible as if all language were
exhausted. as it 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 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
Magdalcn.
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 sernicircle, were placed side by side,
in. one long line, they could all march
right through that wide open gate of
mercy. whatsoever, "whoseover." Oh, |
this mercy of Cod-there is no line long
enough TO fathom it; there is no ladder
long enou"h t. scale it: there is no arith- |
metic facile enough to calculate it; no
angels wing can fly ;>crosS it.
Heavenly h,.rpeIs. aided by choirs
with feet Ike the sun, cannot compass
that harmony of mercy, mercy. 1t
sounds III the mbling Of the celestial
gate. | hear it IL the Ginning of the &C.
lestial towers. | see it flashing in the /
uphfteG 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
ha1ps and crowns and thrones and pro-
cessions to sit down. unexpressed, on
throne overlapping all heaven-the
throne of mercy.
THE GOSPEL LIFEBOAT.
How 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 room!
push this analysis of the publican's
prayer 4 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
I'm to be saved. I'll be saved. IF Pm to be
lost I'll be lost, and there is nothing for
me to de- He knew what was worth
having was wCe.th asking for; hence this
earnest cry of the text, God be merciful
to me. a sinner
It was an earnest prayer, and it is
characteristic of all Bible prayers that
they were answered-the blind man,
lord that NAV receive my sight, the