Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-11-15
good; no. not one" We have a bad ma

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our action is wrong; our whole life is
obnoxious to God before conversions
and after conversion, not one good
thing in us but that which the grace OF
God has planted and fostered. well,
you say, Il can't believe that to be so. y
IN my dear brother, that is because
you have never looked into this 'aver OF
looking glasses.
If You could catch a glimpse of your
natural heart before God, you would
cry out iii amazement and alarm. The
very first thing this gospel does is TO
cut down cur pride and self-sufficiency.
II man does not feel his lost and
ruined condition before God, he does
not want any gospel. | think the rea-
son there are so few conversions in this
day Is because the tendency of the
preaching is to make men believe that
they are pretty good anyhow-quite
clever, only wanting little fixing up
few touches of divine grace, and then
you will be all right; instead of pro-
claiming the broad, deep truth that
Payson and Whitfield Numbered to a
race trembling on the verge of infinite
and eternal disaster. Now says
some one, can this really be true?
Have we all gone astray? Is there no
good in u.s." In Hampton court
saw room where the four walls were
covered with looking glasses; and il
made no difference which way you
looked, you saw yourself. And so it is
in this gospel of Christ. If yon once
step within its full precincts, you will
find your whole character reflected;
every feature of moral deformity. every
spot of moral faint. If ! understand
the word of God, its first announce
ment is that we are lost. | care not,
my brother. how magnifcently you
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 mans faults when he can't
get rid of them?n Nonel "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 countenance and the need of
washing. and there was nothing to
wash with?" Glory be to God. find
that this laver of looking glasses was
filled with fresh water every morning,
and the priest no sooner looked on
its FURNISHED side and saw his need Of
cleaning than he washed and was clean
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 in
which the priest washed-the laver of
looking glasses-was filed with fresh
water every morning. The servants of
the tabernacle brought the water in
buckets and poured it into this LAYER
SO it is with the Gospel of Jesus Christ;
it has fresh salvation every day. II is
not stagnant pool filed with accumu-
lated corruptions. 1t is living water,
which IS brought from the eternal rock |
to wash the sins Of yesterday-of one
moment ago 20, says some one, u |
was Christian twenty years ago. !
That does not mean anything TO me |
What are you now? We are not talk
ing, my brother. about pardon ten
years ago, but about pardon nova
fresh salvation. Suppose time of
war should come, and I could show
the government that had been loyal to
it twelve years ago, would that excuse
me from taking an oath of allegiance
now9 Suppose you ask me about my
physical health and | should say was
well fifteen years ago-that does not
say how | am now. The gospel of Jesus
Christ comes and demands present al
legiance. present fealty, present moral
health. and yet how many Christians
there are seeking to live entirely in past
who seem to have no ex
perience of present mercy and pardonl
When was on the sea, and there came
up a great storm. and officers and crew
and passengers all thought we must go
down, began to think of my life insur-
lnce, and whether if were taken away,
nv family would be cared for; and then
| thought is the premium paid up? and
said YES. Then | felt comforta BILE
Yet there are men who, in religious
matters. are looking back to past insur
lnee. They have let it run out, and
.hev have nothing for the present, no
hope ror pardon-falling back on the
I'D insurance policy of ten, twenty,
thirty years ago. If | want to find out
now a friend feels toward me, do 60
% the drawer and find some old yellow
etters written to me ten or twelve
years ago? No, go to the letter that
vas stamped day before yesterday in
.he post office, and | find how he feels
.oward me. 1t is not in regard to old
we had with Jesus
'hrist, it is communications we have
low. Are we not in sympathy with
lin this morning, and is he not in sym
1athy with Us? Do not spend so much
If your time in hunting in the ward.
-obe for the old worn ont shoes OF
hristian profession. Come this morn
ng and take the glittering robe OF
'hrist's righteousness from the saw
ours hand. You say you were
plunged in the fountain of the Saviours
Mercy a quarter of century ago.
rhat is nothing to me: | tell you to