Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-07-03

BODY to nuait my accounts. 1appeal tot tn.
Justice, o God lie made no such plea. II
threw himself fiat on Gods mercy.
no HoPE n sEtF RTgnrEorsSRss.
Have you any idea thai man By break
ing off the scales Of the leprosy can chang
the diseascg Have you any idea that yoI
can by changing your life ohanae YOU
heart. that Won can purchase your way I,
heayenf Come, try Il. Come. bring all thl
bread YOU ever gave TO the hungry. all thu
medicine you ever gave 10 tile SILK, nj th'
kind words you have ever uttered. all thl
kind deeds tlint have ever distinguished
YOU. Add them all up into the tromendoul
aggregate Of good words and works, nnt
then you will see Paul sharpen his knife a,
he cuts that spirit Of self satisfaction, as h,
cries, "By the deeds OF the law there shall
no flesh be justified"
Well, say n thousand men In this audi
diencc, " ! am not to get anything in the
way OF peace from God in good works, how
am to be savedY by mercy. Here stand
to tell the story-mercy, mercy, long suf-
fering mercy, sovereign mercy, infinite
mercy, omnipoteLt mercy, everlasting
mercy. Why, 1t seems n the Bible as II all
language were exhausted, as If It were
stretched until IL broke, AS If all expression
were struck dend at the feet OF prophet and
! apostle and evangelist when II tries to de
scribe Gods mercy.
Oh says some one, that is only adding to
my crime II | 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 Godsparlon-
ing lovei And the soul that has wandered
off In the streets and down to the very gates
OF hell has come buck to her fathers house,
throwing her arms around his neck and
been saved by the mercy that saved Mary
Magdalen.
THE DOORS OF MERCY.
But, says some one, you are throwing
open that door OF mercy too wide. No,
will throw II open wider. will take the
responsibility Of saying that II all this au-
dlcnce, instead OF being gathered IN a semi
circle, were placed side by side in one long
line they could all march right through
that wide open gate Of mercy. "Whcsoev-
er, whatsoever" Oh, this mercy Of God,
There ia no line long enough to fathom IL;
there Is no ladder long enough to scale III;
there Is no arithmetic faclle enough to cal
NultAtN hHgel y Nlll-T NtAll ny tAAlb1H IT,
Heavenly harpurs, aided by chOirs with
feet like the sun, cannot compass that har-
mony Of mercy, mercy 1t sounds in the
rumbling Of the celestial gate. hear II Ia
the Ginning Of the celestial towers see
It flashing in the uplltted and downcast
coronetgof thesnvcd hear IL In the thuu-
dering tread Of the hammered host round
about the throne, and then il comes from
tl.t md fttu Nl gitHYftaa
cessions 70 sit down, unexpres-el, on a
throne overlapping all heayen-the throne
Of mercy
How WIS affected when some one told
me Ia regard TO that accident ON Long Is
land sound, when one poor womnn crme
aud got her hand on rift 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 otT
Oh, bless God that this lifeb1at OF the
gospel has room enough FOR the sixteen
hundred millions OF the racr-room for one.
room for all, and yet there Is room
push this analysis OF the bublican's
prayer u 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, III I'm to he saved, I'll
he saved; II I'm TO be lost, III 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 nerciiul to mo, u sinner"
II was an earnest prayer. aud It is char.
acteristc Of all Bible prayers TINT they
were answered The blind man, Lord,
that ! may receive my sight, the leper.
Lord, IL thou wilt thou caust make me
clean" sinking Peter, Lord save me:"
the publican, God be merciful to me, a
sinnerV' But II you come up with tho tip
of your finger and tap At the gate of mercy
il will not open. You have got to have the
enrnestnrss Of the warrior who, defeated
and pursued, dismounts from his lathcrrd
stced and with glluntletcd fists pounds at
the palace gate.
Hou have rot to have the earnestncss OF
the man who ~ midnight IN the fourth
story has Il sense Of Auifocatiun with the
hOti In flames, goes to the window aud
shouts to the lipmen, "Hclpn Oh. uufor.
| given soul, II you were In full earnest /
might have to command silence IA the au-
ditory for your prayers would drown tho
| voice Of the speaker, and we would have Ia
l pause in the great scryicel II is because
| you do not renlize your sin betogc God that
| You are not this moment crying mercy,
mercy, mercy,
ne WAS TRULY RErESTASr.
This prayer OF the publican was also an
humble prayer Tho pharisee looked up
the publican looked down You oauno, i,
saved as a mctaphysleiHn or rs II rhetor
clan, you cannot be saved rs scholar; you
cannot bo saved III an artist; you cannot b,
saved as an Official. II you are ever saved
az ALL IL will be- ~ II sinner. God be mer
ciful to me, a sinntrl'
Another characteristic Of the PRAYER o
the publican WAS, n had ring Of conf
denoe, II was not a cry of despair II,
knew lie was going To get what he asket
for He wanted mercy, He asked for IL
expecting 10, And do You tell me, o man
that God has provided this salvation nnt
is not going to let you have its
II aman builds bridge across a river
will he not let people go over 10y II ply
stefan gives prescription 10 sick man
will lie not let him take ity fan architec
puts up building, will he not let people Ii
it, II God provides salvation, will he no
let you have itt Oh, II there be pharisc
herr, man who says am ali right. NJ,
past life hes been right, don't want tn
pardon of the gospel, Tor have no sin 4
pardon, let me say that while that man /
in that mood there is no peace for him
there is no pardon, no salvation, and tn
probability Is he will 20 down and spen,