The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-11-02

and wash away their crimes. Let them
/ come up from the almshouses and wash
| away their poverty. Let them come
up from their graves and wash away
their death.
If there be any one so worn out in
sin that he cannot get up to the laver,
you will take hold of his head and put
your arms around him. and will take
hold of his feet. and we will plunge
him in this glorious Bethesda. the vast
| laver of Gods mercy and salvation. In
Solomon's temple there were ten LAYERS
and one molten sea-this great reser-
voir in the midst of the temple filed
with water-these LAYERS and this
molten sea adorned with figures of
palm branch. and oxen and lions and
che-ubim. This fountain of Gods
me.cy is a vaster motion sea than that.
1t is adorned not with palm branches.
but with the wood of the cross; not
with cherubim but with the wings of
the Holy Ghost: and around its great
rim all the race may come and wash in
the molten sea.
But l notice also. in regard to this
laver of looking-glasses spoken of in
the text. that the washing in it was
imperative, and not optional. When
the priests came into the ia bernacle
(vOu will find this in the thirtieth chap
ter of Exodus). God tells them that
they must wash in that LAYER or die
The priest might have said: Cant
wash elsewhere? / washed in the
laver at home. and now you want me
to wash here" God says: mo matter
whether or not you have washed be-
fore Wash in this laver or die
But" says the priest, there is water
just as clean as this-why won't that
do?" Wash here" says God, cor die"
So it is with the gospel of Christi is
imperative. There is only this alterna-
tive: keep our sins and perish, or wash
them away and live.
Instead of quarreling because there
are not more ways. let us be thankful
to God there is one-one name given
unto men whereby we can be saved
one laver in which all the world may
wash. So you see what a radiant Cos
pei this is | preach. / do not know
how a man can stand stolidly and pre-
sent it. for it is such an exhilarant Cos
pei 1t is not mere within or caprice;
it is life or death; it is Heaven or hell.
You come before your child, and you
have present in your hand. You put
your hands behind your back and say:
(which hand will you ta1e?'' In one
hand there is a treasure, in the other
there is not" The child blindly
chooses. But God our Father does not
do that with us. He spreads out both
hands, and says: Now this shall be
very plain. In that hand are pardon.
and peace. and life, and the treasure OF
Heaven: in that hand are punishment,
and sorrow, and woe. Choose. choose
for yourselves He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved. but he
that believeth not shall be damned"
Oh, my dear friends. L wish I could
coax you to accept this gospel. If you
could just take one look in this laver
of loOking-glasses spoken of in the
text. you would begin now spiritual
addition. The love of Christi dare
not. toward the close of my sermon
begin to tell about it. The love of
Christ, Do not talk to me about a
mountain: it is higher than that. Do
not talk to me about sea; it is deeper
than that.
An artist in his dreams saw such a
splendid picture of the TRANSPORTATION
of Christ that he awoke. and seized his
pensil, and said: Let me paint this
and die" Oh. have seen the glories
of Christ. I have beheld something of
the beauty of that great sacrifice ON
FL
would be willing to give anything if
might Just sketch before you the won
ders of that sacrifice. / would like to
do it while live. and would like to
do it when / die. Let me paint
this and die He comes along
weary and worn. His face wet with
tears, His brow crimson with blood,
and He lies down on Calvary for you.
No. / mistake. Nothing was as COM
Portable as that. A stone on Calvary
would have made soft pillow for the
dying head of Christ. Nothing so COM
Portable as that. He does not lie down
to die: He stands up to die; His spiked
hands outspread as If to embrace
world. Oh, what hard end for these
feet that had travelled all over Judea on
ministries of mercy. What hard end
for those hands that had wiped away
tears and bound up broken hearts,
Very hard. Oh dying Lamb of God,
and yet there are those who know it
and do not love Thee. They say:
What is all that to me? What
if He does weep, and groan. and die?
don't want Him" Lord Jesus Christ,
81 % Hn1r& rThA, r.
cross. The soldiers will come. and
they will tear Thee down from the
cross. and put their arms around Thee
and lower Thee into the tomb; but
they will not help. They see nothing
to move them. Oh. dying Christ, turn
on them Thine eyes of affection now.
and see if they will not change their
minds,
L saw one hanging on tree.
In agony and blood.
Who fixed His languid eyes on me,
As near His cross 1 stood
On. never till my latest breath
VIII forget that look.
He seemed TO charge me with His death.
Though not a word He spoke
And that is all for you, Oh. can you
not love Him? Come around this laver,
old and young. 1t is so Furnished you
can see your sins; and so deep you can
wash them all away. Oh. mourner,
here battle your bruised soul; and sick
One. here cool your hot temples in this
LAYER Peace. Do not cry any more,
dear soul. Pardon for all thy sins,
comfort for all thy Affections. The
black cloud that hung laundering over
Sinai has hoated above Calvary. and
L.