The Indiana State sentinel., 1893-07-05


kind deeds that have ever distinguished
you. Add them all up into the tremeu-
dous aggregate of good words and works,
and then you will see Paul sharpen his
knife as he cuts that spirit of self-satis.
faction. as ne cries. by the deeds of
the law there shall no flesh be justified"
Well, say a thousand men in this audi
ence, if / am not to get anything In the
way of peace from God in good works,
how am 1 To be saved? BY mercy Here
/ stand TO tell the story-mercy, mercy,
long-suffering mercy, sovereign mercy.
infinite mercy, omnipotent mercy, ever
lasting mercy. Why il seems in the
bible as if all language were exhausted,
as if it We're stretched until il broke.
as if all expression were 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 adding
10 my crime If l come and confess be
fore God and seek His mercy. No, no!
The murderer has come, and while ne
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 pardoninS 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 Masdalen.
The Doors of Mercy.
But, says some one, you are throwing
open that door of mercy too wide. No, L
will throw it open wider. 1 will take the
responsibility of saying that if all this
audience, instead of being gathered in
semicircle were placed side by side in
one long line they could all march right
through that wide open gate of mercy.
| whatsoever" ''whosoever." 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 70 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.
| hear IL in the Ginning Of the celestial
towers. 1 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 professions to
| sit down, unexpressed, on throne over
| topping all heaVen-the throne OF mercy.
How 1 was affected when some one
| told me in regard to that accident on
| Long Island sound, when one poor wO-
| man 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, 1 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 rOOmi
| l push this analysis of the publican's S
| prayer a 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 I'm 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 merciful to me, sinner!
| 1t was an earnest prayer and it is
| characteristic Of all bible prayers that
| they were answered. The blind man.
Lord, that 1 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-, a sinneri' But if you come
up with the tip OF your fingers and tap
at the gate of mercy it will not open
! You have got to have the earnestness of
| the warrior who, defeated and pursued
| dismounts from his lathered steed and
| with gauntleted fists pounds at the
| palace gate.
You have got to have the earnestness
/
| fourth story has a sense of suffocation
| with the house in flames, goes to the
| window and shouts to the firemen,
Help Oh, unfOrgiven soul, if you
were in full earnest 1 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! 1t is because
you do not realize your sin before God
| that you are not this moment crying
mercy, mercy, mercy.
He Was Truly Repentant.
This prayer of the publican was also
an humble prayer The pharisee looked
up. the publican looked down. You can
| not be saved as a metaphysician or as
| a rhetOrician; you cannot be saved as
a scholar; you cannot be saved as an
| artist; you cannot be saved as an official
| If you are ever saved at all, il will be
as a sinnerr'
Another characteristic Of the prayer
of the publican was, it had a ring of con-
| f1dence. 1t was not cry of dispair. 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 il d?
| If man builds a bridge across a river,
\ will he not let people go over il? If a
| physician gives a prescription To sick
4 man, VIII ne not let MIN take ltI II an
| architect puts up a building, win he not
| let people init? If God provides salvation
| Will he not let YOU have it? Oh if there
| be a phariSee here, a man who says:
am all right. My past life has been
right. l don't want the pardon of the
| gospel, for l 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 prob
ability is he will go down and spend
| text.
But if there be here one who says, l
want to be better; l want to quit my
/ sins; my life has been "A very imperfect
| life; how many things have 1 said that
! should not have said; how many things
| l have done l should not have done:
want to change my life; I want TO be-
| gin now let me say 70 such a soul, God
| is waiting, God is ready and you are
near the kingdom, or rather you have
| entered it, for no man says. L am de-
| termined 10 serve God and surrender
| the sins Of my life; here, now, ] cOnse-
| crate myself to the Lord Jesus Christ,
| who died to redeem memo man from
| the depth of his soul says that but he
! is already a Christian.
Repentant Negro.
My uncle, the Rev. Samuel K Talmage
| Of Augusta, Ga, was passing along the
streets of Augusta one day and he saw
a man, a black man, step from the side
walk out into the street take off his hat
| and bow very lowly. My uncle was not
a man who demanded Obsequiousness,