Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1894-11-01

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every feature of moral deformity.
every spot of moral faint. If / under
stand the word of God, its first an
nounccment is that we are lost. Icare
not. my brother, how magnificently
you may have been born, or what may
have been your heritage or ancestry
you are lost by reason of sin. But,
YOU say. what is the use of all this
of showing a mans faults when he
can't get rid of theme" None. What
was the use of that FURNISHED surface
to this laver of looking glasses spoken
of in the text, if it only showed the
spots on the countcnance and the need
of washing and there was nothing to
wash with?'' Glory be TO God, | find
that this laver of looking glasses was
filed with fresh water every morning,
and the priest no sooner looked on its
FURNISHED side and saw his need of
cleansing, than he washed and was
clcan-glOrious type of the gospel of
my Lord Jesus, that first shows man
his sin. and then washes it all away.
! want YOU to notice that this laver
of looking glaSses-was filled with
fresh water every morning. The ser
wants of the tabernacle brought the
water in buckets and poured it into
this lavcr. So it is with the gospel of
Jesus Christ; it has fresh salvation
every day. 1t is not a stagnant pool
filed with accumulated corruptionS. 1t
is living water, which is brought from
the eternal rock to wash away the
sins of yesterday-of one moment ago.
"Oh. says some one, Il wasa Christian
twenty years ago. That does not
mean anything to me. What are you
now? We are not talking, my broth
cr, about pardon ten years ago, but
about pardon nova fresh salvation.
Suppose time of war should come,
and could show the government that
| had been loyal to it twelve years ago,
would that excuse me from taking
an oath of allegiance now? Suppose
you ask me about my physical health,
and | should say l was well fifteen
years ago-that does not say how
| am now. The gospel of Jesus Christ
comes and demands present allegiance,
present fealty, present moral health;
and yet how many Christians there are
seeking to live entirely in past eX-
periencc. who seem to have no cXper-
fence OF present mercy and pardon.
When | was on the sea. and there came
up a great storm, and officers and crew
and passengers all thought we must
90 down. | began to think of my
life insurance, and whether, if | were
taken away, my family would be cared
for: and then | thought, is the pre-
MUM paid up? and | said, yes. Then l
felt comfortable. Yet there are men
who. in religious matters, are looking
back to past insurance. They have let
it run out. and they have nothing for
the present, no hope nor pardon
falling back on the old insurance
policy Of ten, twenty, thirty
years ago. If | want to find out
/ how friend feels toward me, do |
go to the drawer and find some old yell
| low letters written to me ten or twelve
| years ago? No; go to the letter that
was stamped day before yesterday in
! the postoffice, and | find how he feels
| toward me. 1t is not in regard to old
| communications we had with Jesus
! Christ. it is communications we have
now. Are we not in sympathy with
him this morning, and is he not in
sympathy with us? Do not spend sc
much of your time in hunting in the
wardrobe for the old, worn out shoes
of Christian profession. Come this
morning and take the glittering robe
of Christ's Righteousness from the
Savior's hand. You say you were
plunged in tlc fountain of the Savior'S
mercy quarter of century ago
That is nothing to me; tell you tC
wash now in this LAYER of looking
glasses and have your soul made 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, bu
not to the chief soldiers. The gospe
of Christ does not act in that way. /
says pardon for all, but especially TO,
the chief of sinners. | do not nov
think of single passage that says ;
small sinner may be saved, but L de
think of passages that say great sin
ner may be saved. If there be sin
only family hued, just a little tinged
so family colored that you can hardl,
see them, there is no special pardon
promised in the Bible for those sins
but if they be glazing, red like Grim
son. then they shall be as snow. Now
nv brother, / do not state this to put
premium upon great iniquity. Imerel
say this to encourage that man, who
| ever he is, who feels he is so far gon
from God there is no mercy for him.
| want to tell him there is good chance
| Why, Paul was murderer
r he assisted at the eXecutio
of Stephen; and yet Paul wa
saved The dying thief did everythin
l bad. The dying thief was saved
g Richard Baxter swore dreadfully; bu
the grace of God met him and Richar
r Baxter was saved. 1t is a vast lave
1 Go and tell everybody to come an
e wash in it. Let them come up fro
o the penitentiaries and wash away the
:, crimes. Let them come up from tt
d aims houses and wash away their pc
& ertv Let them come up from the