The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-29
OUR SINS AS IN A MIRROR.
Tdlmage DiSCOuTSeS on the Looking
Glasses Of the Tabernacle.

Shows a Man Just What He Is-Ac-
cording to the Gospel All Sinners May
Be Saved.
Brooklyn, Oct. Is. Rev DR.. Tai
mage. who has left India and is now on
his homeward journey, has selected as
the subject of his sermon to-day through
the press: The Looking Glass" his
text being Exodus ISIS. And he made
the laver of brass. and the foot of it was
of brass. of the looking glasses of the
women assembling.
We often hear about the Gospel in
John, and the Gospel in Luke, and the
Gospel in Matthew; but there is just as
surely a Gospel Of Moses, and a Cos
pei Of jeremiah, and a Gospel of David.
In other words, Christ is as certainly to
be found in the Old Testament as in the
New
When the Israelites were marching
through the wilderness, they carried their
church with them. They called it the tab
ernacle It was a pitched tent; very cost
ly; very beautiful. The framework was
made of forty-eight boards of acacia
wood set in sockets of silver. The cur
tains of the place were purple, and scar
let and blue and fine linen, and were
hung with most artistic loops. The cam
dlestick of that tabernacle had shaft,
and branch, and bowl of solid gold, and
the figures of cherubim that stood there
had wings of gold; and there were lamps
of gold, snuffers of gold, and tongs Of
gold, and rings of gold; so that skeptic-
ism has sometimes asked, Where did all
that precious material come from? 1t
Is not my place to furnish the precious
stones; it is only to tell that they were
there.
I wish now more especially to speak
of the laver that was built in the midst
of that ancient tabernacle. 1t was
great basin from which the priests washed
their hands and feet. The water came
down from the basin in spouts and
passed away after the cleansing. This
LAYER or basin was made out of the
looking glasses Of the women who had
frequented the tabernacle, and who made
these their contribution to the furniture.
These looking glasses were not made of
Elass but they were brazen. The brass
was of very superior quality, and pol
ished until it reflected easily the features
of those who looked into it. So that this
laver Of looking glasses spoken or IN my
text did double work. 1t not only tur-
uiSheQ the water III WHICH inc bAiSSSS
washed themselves, but it also on its
shining polished surface pointed out
the spots of pollution on the face
which needed ablution. Now my Chris
tan friends, as everything in that an
cient tabernacle was suggestive Of re-
Iigious truth, and for the most part posi-
lively symbolical of truth shall take that
laver Of looking glasses spoken OF In the
text as all-suggestive of the Gospel which
first shows us our sins as in a mirror,
and then washes them away by divine
ablution.
Oh happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away!
have to say that this is the only look
ing-glass in which a man can see himself
as he is. There are some mirrors tnat
fatter the features and make you look
better than you are. Then there are other
mirrors that distort your features ana
make YOU look worse than you are; nut l
want to tell you that this looking glass
of the gospel shows a man just as ne IS
When the priests entered the ancient tab
ernacle one glance at the FURNISHED side
of this laver showed them their need OF
cleansing; so this gospel shows the soul
its need of divine washing "All have
sinned, and come short of the glory OF
God" That is one showing. An We
like sheep, have gone astray.' That Is
another showing. From the crown OF
the head to the sole of the foot there is
no health in us" That is another show
ing The world calls these defects, i'm
projections or eccentricities, or erratic
behavior, or wild oats" or high liN-
ing;'' but the gospel calls them sin, trans
gression, flth-the abominable thing that
God hates. 1t was just one glance al
that mirror that made Paul cry out: "Oh
wretched man that am, who shall deliver
me from the body of this death?" and that
do ma hXrG.
sop, and ] shall be clean" and that made
Martin Luther cry out: ooh, my sins, my
sins" I am not talking about bad hab
its. You and l do not need any Bible &c
tell us that bad habits are wrong. thai
blasphemy and eVil-speaking are wrong
But am talking of a sinful nature, thu
source of all bad thoughts, as well as o.
all bad actions. The Apostle Paul call
their roll in the first chapter of Romans
They are a regiment of death encampinl
around every heart, holding it in
tyranny from which nothing but the grac
of God can deliver it.
Here, for instance is ingratitude. VIII
has not been guilty of that sin? If a maj
hand us a glass of water we say, "Thanl
you" but for the ten thousand mercle
that We are every day receiving from tn
hand of God, how little expression of graf
itude-for thirst slaked, for hunger fec
for. shelter, and sunshine, and SCUM
sleep, and clothes to wear-how uttl
thanks! I suppose there are men so year
of age who have never yet been down o
their kness in thanksgiving to God 70
his goodness. Besides that ingratitude Q
our hearts. there is pride (who has nc
felt it?)-pride that will not submit to Goo
that wants its own way--a nature tina
prefers wrong sometimes instead of RICH
that prefers to wallow instead of ris
up. ] don't care what you call that;
am not going to quarrel with any theolI
gian, or any man who makes any Pre-
tension TO theology. / do not care whethe
you call it total depravity," or somethin
else; I simply make the announcemel
of Gods Word. affirmed and confirme
by the experience of hundreds of Chris
tian people; the Imagination of the heal
of man is evil from youth. There is non
that doeth good; no, not one" We ha4
bad nature. We were born with /
We got it from our parents; they got
from their parents. Our thoughts al
wrong, our action is wrong; our whole lii
is obnoxious to God before conversion
and after conversion not one good thin
in us but that which the grace Of God hs
planted and fostered. We'll" you sa,
Il can't believe that to be So" All! M
dear brother, that is because you HAY
never looked into this laver of lookln,
glasses.