Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-10-29

through an autumn election will not be
worth anything to him in June, July
and August. They say he is a useful
sort Of Il man, but he oyerreaches in a
bargain. I deny the statement. If he IS
a Christian anywhere, he will be in his
business. 1t is very easy to be good in
the prayer meeting, with surroundings
kindly and blessed, but not so easy to
be @ Christian behind the counter, when
by enc ski1lful twitch of the goods you
can hide a flaw in the silk so that the
customer cannot see it. It is very easy
to be q Christian with psalmbook in
your hand and Bible in your lap, but
not so easy when you can go into a
shop and falsely tell the merchant you
can get those goods at a cheaper rate in
another store SO that he will sell them
to you cheaper than he can afford to
sell them The fact is the religion Of
Christ is all pervasive. If you rent a
house, you expect full possession of it.
You say: "Where are the keys of those
rooms? If I pay for this whole house,
I want possession of those rooms. - And
the grace of God when it comes to a
soul takes full possession Of a man or
goes away and takes no possession. 1t
will ransack every room in the heart,
every room in the life, from cellar to
attic, touching the varying extremities
of his nature. The priests washed hands
and feet
There Is a Chance For All.
I remark, further, that this laver Of
looking glasses spoken Of in the text
was a very large laver. I always thought,
from the fact that SO many washed there,
and also from the fact that Solomon aft
onward, when he copied that laver in
the temple, built it on a very large scale,
that it was large, and SO suggestive Of
the gospel Of Jesus Christ and salvation
by him-vast in its provisions. The
whole world may come and wash in this
laver and be clean.
When our civil war had passed. the
government of the United States made
proclamation Of pardon to the common
soldiery in the Confederate army, but
not to the chief soldiers. The gospel of
Christ does not act in that way. 1t says
pardon for all, but especially for the
chief of sinners. [ do not now think of
single passage that says a small sinner
may be saved, but do think of passages
that say great sinner may be saved. IL
there be sins only family hued, just a
little tinged, so family colored that you
can hardly see them, there is no special
pardon promised in the Bible for those
sins, but if they be glaring red like
crimson then they shall be as snow.
Now, my brother, do not state this to
put a premium upon great lnlqulty.
merely say this to encourage that man,
whoever he his, who feels he is so far
gone from God that there is no mercy
for him. | want to tell him there is a
good chance Why, Paul was murder
er. He assisted at the execution of
Stephen, and yet Paul was saved The
dying thief did everything bad. The
dying thief was saved. Richard Baxter
swore dreadfully, but the grace of God
met him, and Richard Baxter was saved.
Wash and BE Clean.
1t is vast laver Go and tell every
body to come and wash in it. Let them
come up from the penitentiaries 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.
II 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 Solo !
mon S temple there were ten LAYERS and
one molten sea--this great reservoir in
the midst of the temple filed with wa
ter-these LAYERS and this molten sea
adorned with figures Of palm branch
and oxen and lions and cherubim. This
fountain of Gods mercy is a vaster
molten 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. I was
reading the other day Of Alexander the
Great, who, when he was very thirsty
and standing at the head of his army,
had brought to him a cup of water. He |
looked off upon his host and said, ST can
not drink this; my men are all thirsty"
and he dashed it to the ground. |
Blessed be God, there is enough water
for all the host-enough for captains |
and host! "Whosoever will may come
and take Of the water of life freely
Iaver broad as the earth, high as the |
heavens and deep as hell.
1T Is Cleansing or Death.
But [ notice also, in regard to this |
laver Of looking glasses spoken of in the |
text, that the washing in it was impera-
tive and not optional. When the priests |
came into the tabernacle (you will find |
this in the thitieth chapter of Exodus) |
God tells them that they must wash in
that laver or die. The priest might have
said: Cant wash elsewhere? I wash
ed in the laver at home, and now you
want me to wash here" God says: "No |