The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-12-22
"THE LOOKING GLASS"
Rev. Dr Talmage Holds the Mirror
Up to Mankind.

The Brass LAYER In the Midst of the Tab
ernacle Suggestive of the Gospel,
Through the Medium of Which
Our Faults are Reflected.
The following discourse on THE
Looking Glass" was selected by Rev.
7. Dewitt Talmage for publication this
week. 1t is based on the text:
And he made the laver Of brass, and the foot
of II was brass, of the looking-glasses Of the
women observation-disclosures xxxviii.,s
We often hear about the Gospel in
John, and the Gospel in Luke, and the |
Gospel in Matthew; but there is just |
as surely Gospel of Moses, and Cos
pei of jeremiah, and 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 tabernacle. 1t was a pitched
tent; very costly, very beautiful. The
framework was made of forty-eight
boards of acacia wood set in sockets OF
silver. The curtains of the place were
purple, and scarlet, and blue, and fine
linen, and were hung with most ar
tistic loops. The candlestick 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,
and shutters of gold, and tongs OF
gold, and rings of gold; so that skep-
ticism has sometimes asked: Where
did all that precious metal come from?
It is not my place to furnish the pre-
cious stones; it is only to tell that they
were there.
wish now more especially to speak
of the laver that was built in the midst
of that ancient tabernacle. 1t was a
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 laver or basin was made out OF
the looking glasses of the women who
had frequented the tabernacle, and
who had made these their contribution
to the furniture. These looking
glasses were not made of glass, but
| they were brazen. The brass
was of a very superior quality
and polished until 1T reflected
easily the features of those who
looked into it. So that this laver OF
looking glasses spoken of in my text
did double work; it not only furnished
the water IN which the priests washed
themselves, but it also, ION its shin
ing, polished surface, pointed out the
spots of pollution on the tace which
needed ablution. Now, my Christian
friends. as everything in that ancient
tabernacle was suggestive of religious
truth, and for the most part positively
symbolical of truth, shall take thai
laver of looking-glasses spoken OF II
the text as all-suggestive OF the Cos
pel, which first shows us our sins as il
a mirror, and then washes them ava.
by Divine ablution.
Oh, happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away
have to say that this is the onl.
looking-glass in which a man can sc
himself as he is. There are some min
rors that fiatter the features, and max
YOU look better than you are. The
there are other mirrors that distor
your features, and make you loo
i worse than you are; but want to te
, you that this looking glass of tn
| Gospel shows man just as he Il
{ When the priests entered the ancien
Z tabernacle, one glance at the burnishe
. side of this laver showed them the
, need of cleansing; so the Gosp'
' shows the soul its need of d
s vine washing. "All have sinned an
come short of the glory of God" Thi
+ is one showing. ''All we, like sheel
o have gone astray." That is auoth'
y showing. From the crown of tt
v head TO the sole of the foot there is I
}, health in u.s." That is another sho'
. ing. The world calls these defect
imperfections. or eccentricities,
cratic behavior, or wild oats"
i .'high living" but the Gospel cal
them sin, transgression, filth-tl
abominable thing that God hates.
was just one glance at that mirror tn
y made Paul cry out: "Oh, wretched ma
i that am, who shall deliver me fro
. the body of this death?" and that ma
m David CIV Outs uTSC ihC "AoAi ~
\. SOD. and l shall be CLEAN" and tn
h. made Martin Luther cry out: 20
ar nv sins, my sins!" / am not talki
w about bad habits. You and do n
: need any Bible to tell us that b
4. habits are wrong, that blasphemy a
evil-speaking are wrong. But
a. talking of a sinful nature, the soul
NJ of all bad thoughts, as well as OF b
as actions. The Apostle Paul calls tn
roll in the first chapter of Romal
a They are regiment of death encan
ma ing around every heart, holding it
tyranny from which nothing but
". grace of God can deliver it.
It Here, for instance, is ingratitu
tn Who has not been guilty of that S
ID. If man hands us a glass of water,
ne say: Thank you;" but for the
thousand mercies that we are ev'
it day receiving from the hand OF G
ri. how little expression of gratitude
nv thirst Stacked, for hunger fed,
shelter, and sunshine, and sound sic
mt and clothes to wear-how little than
, / suppose there are men fifty years
~. are who have never yet been down
their knees in thanksgiving to God
Ter His goodness. Besides that mgr