The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-11-02
glasses; and it made no difference which

yOo OhSC otCR
within its full precincts, you will
find your whole character reflected;
every feature of moral deformity,
every spot of moral faint. If I under
stand the word of God, it's first an
nouncement is that we are lost. Icare
not, my brother, how m%agnifcently
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 them?' None! sWhat
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 countenance and the need
of washing, and there was nothing to
wash with?" Glory be to God, l find
hat this laver of looking glasses was
filled with fresh water every morning,
and the priest no soone looked on it's
FURNISHED side and saw his need of
cleansing. than he washed and was
clean-glorious type of the gospel of
my Lord Jesus, that first shows a man
his sin, and then washes it all away!
want you to notice that this laver
in which the priest washed-the lave,
of looking glasses-was filed with
fresh water every morning. The ser
wants of the tabernacle brought the
water in buckets and poured it into
this laver. So it is with the gospel OF
Jesus Christ; it has a 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
er, about pardon ten years ago, but
about pardon nova fresh salvation.
Suppose a time of war should come,
and 1 could show the government that
l 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
l 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-
perience, who seem to have no exper-
ience of present mercy and pardon!
When l was on the sea, and there came
up great storm, and officers and crew
and passengers all thought we must
go down, 1 began to think of my
life insurance, and whether, if 1 were
taken away, my family would be cared
for; and then 1 thought, is the pre-
MUM paid up? and 1 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 a friend feels toward me-, do l
go to the drawer and find some old vel
low letters written to me ten Or twelve
years ago? No; 1 go to the letter that
was stamped day before yesterday in
the postoffice, and 1 find how he feels
toward me. It 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 o in
sympathy with us? Do not spend SO
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 the fountain of the Savior's
mercy a quarter of a century ago.
That is nothing to me; 1 tell you to
wash now in this laver of looking
glasses and have your soul made clean.
When our civil wal 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
VI IL OOCS " dSu Ill UlAdo way. IL
says pardon for all, but especially for
the chief of sinners. 1 do not o
think of a single. passage that says a
small sinner may be saved, but L do
think of passages that say a great sin
ner may be saved. If 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 glazing, red like Grim
son, then they shall be as snow. Now,
my brother, I do not state this to put a
premium upon great iniquity. Imerely
say this to encourage that man, who
ever he is, who feels he is so far gone
from God there is no mercy for him. 1
want to tell him there is agood chance.
Why, Paul was a murderer;
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. It is a vast laver.
Go and tell everybody to come and