Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-07-13
ARROGANCE AND HUMILITY
ARROGANCE AND HUMILITY.
FROM THE STORY OF THE
rlfARIslsE AND PUBLICAN.
pubiicnu's prayer Anaiyxed-
Persuaded Of sinfuIness-No Relic.
Except In Gods Mercy-EarIiest
Humility.

Brooklyn, N. Y, Special-Rev. DR..
HTalmage selected as his subject a pict-
urc of contrast: Arrogance and HUI
mility," the text being Luke xviii, Is:
"God be merciful to me a sinner
No mountain ever had a more bril-
liant coronet than Mount Moriah. The
giories Of the ancient temple blazed
there. The mountain top was not orig
inally large enough to hold the temple,
and so a wall 600 feet high was erected.
n the mountain was built out into
that wall. 1t was at that point that
Satan met Christ and tried to per-
suade him to cast himself down the 600
feet. The nine gates of the temple
flashed the light of silver and gold and
Cvrinthinn brass, which Corinthian
brass was mere precious stones melted
and mixed and crystallized. The tenn
pie itself was not so very large n struc-
ture. but the courts and the adjuncts
Of the architecture made 1t half q mile
In circumference.
We stand and look off at that won
drous structure. What's the matter?
What strange appearance in the tenn
pie? Is ii fire? Why it seems as if it
were a mansion all kindled into flame.
What's the matter? Why, it's the hour
OF morning sacraiice, and the smoke
on n altar rises and bursts out of
the creyices and out of the door, and
wreathes the mountain top with folds
OF smoke, through which glitter prec-
o stones, gathered and FURNISHED by
royal munificence.
l see two men mounting the steps
of the building; they go side by side;
they are very unlike; no sympathy be-
tween them-the one the Pharisee,
proud, arrogant, pompous, he goes up
the steps of the building; he seems by
his to say, Clear the track
Never before came up these steps such
goodness and conservation.
Beside him was the publican, bowed
down, seemingly, with n load On his
heart. They reach the Enclosure for
worship in the midst of the temple;
the Pharisee goes close up TO the gate
Of the Holy OF Holes; he feels he is
worthy to stand there; he says, prac-
tically. II am so holy ! want to go into
the Holy of Holes. o Lord, / am n
very good man; I'm n remarkably good
man; why, two days In the week /
eat absolutely nothing. I'm so good;
I'm very generous In my conduct to-
ward the poor; / have no sympathy
with the common rabble, especially
have l none with this poor, miserable
commonplace, wretched publican, who
happened TO come up the stairs beside
me-"
The publican went clear to the other
side of the inclosure, as far away from
the gate of the Holy of HOLES as he
could get; for he felt unworthy to stand
near the sacred place. And the Bible
says he stood afar off. Standing or the
opposite 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 a sinner!'
Oh. was there ver a greater con-
trast? The incense that waited that
morning from the priests censor was
not SO sweet as the publican's prayer
floating into the open heavens, while
the prayer of the Pharisee died OF his
contemptuous lips. and rolled down in1o
his arrogant heart. Worshiping there,
they join each other and go side by
side down the steps, the Pharisee cross,
wretched, acrid, saturine; the publican,
with his face shining with the very
joys of heaven; for II tell you that
this man went down to his house justi-
fled rather than the other"
Now, I put this p%ublican's prayer I'M
der ANALYSIS, and l discover in the first
place that he was persuaded Of his sim
falness. He was a. honest man. he
was n tax-gatherer, he was an officer
of the government; the p%ublicans were
tax-gatherers, and Cicero says they
were the adornment of the state. OF
course they were somewhat unpopular,
because people then did not like to
pay their taxes, and there were many
who disliked them. Still. l suppose this
publican, this tax-gatherer, was an hon
orable man; he had an office OF trust;
there were many hard things said
about him; and yet, standing there in
that Enclosure of the temple amid the
demonstrations of Gods holiness and
power, he cries out from the very
depths of his stricken soul. God be
merciful to me a sinner!' BY what
process shall I prove that I am a sin
ner? BY what process shall / prove
that you are a sinner? Shall L ask
you to weigh your motives, to scan
your actions. to estimate your behav-
Tor? l will do nothing of the kind: /
will draw my argument rather from
the plan Of the work that God has
achieved for your salvation.
You 60 down in a storm to the beach
and you see the wreckers put on their
rough jackets, and launch the lifeboat,
and then shoot the rockets to show
that help Is coming, out into the break
ers. and yon Immediately cry, "A ship
wreck" And when / see the Lord
Jesus Christ putting aside robe and
crown, and launch out on the tossing
sea OF human suffering and satanic
hate, going III into the laundering
surge of death, / cry, * shipwreck!"
/ know that our souls are dreardfuily
lost, by the work that God has done
to save them. Are you a sinner? Sup
pose you had q commercial agent In
Charleston, or San Francisco, or Chi
cago. and you were paying him prompt
ly his salary, and you found out, after
awhile, that Notwithstanding he had
drawn the salary, he had given nine
tenths Of al 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.