The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1894-11-03
TABERNACLE PULPIT.
TUE LOOKING GLASS AS A SER
MON SUBJECT.
- We Could Only Soc . Reflection Of
Our Hearts the World Would Indeed be
nctter-The Truths Of Jesus Christ
Are Forever Interesting.

BROOKLYN, Oct oS.-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, 3S:vlll:
and he made the laver of brass, and
the foot of it was of brass, OF the
looking glasses of the women as
'embling.'
We often hear about the gospel IN
John and the gospel il Luke. and the
gospel in Matthew: but there is just as
surely a gospel Of Moses, and gospel
Of jeremiah. and gospel OF David IN
| other words Christ is as certain 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 pitched
tent: very costly, very beautiful. The
frame work was made of forty-ciGlt
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 artistic
loops. The candlestick of the taber-
nacle 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; so that scepticism
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 toll that they were
there.
wish now more especially to speak
of the laver that was built in the midst
of that ancient tabernacle. It 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 taber!
nacle, 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 very superior quality, and polished
until it 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,
ON its shining, polished surface, pointed
out the spots of pollution on the face
3 which needed ablution. Now, my
l Christian friends, as everything in
Y that ancient tabernacle was suggestive
/ Of religious truth, and for the most
part positively symbolical of truth,
shall take that laver of looking glasses
, spoken of in the text as all suggestive
e of the gospel, which first shows us ou1
sins as in mirror, and then washes
them away by divine ablution.
Oh, happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away!
e Ihave to say that this is the only look
o Ing glass in which man can see him
9 self as he is There are some mirror
y that fatter the features, and make 20,
n look better than you are. Then Their
$ are other mirrors that distort you
9 features, and make you look wors
n than you are; but want to tell yo'
x that this looking glass of the gospe
}; shows a man just as he is. When tn
% priests entered the ancient tabsrnacl
vt one glance at the FURNISHED side Of thi
1T laver showed them their need o
% cleansing; so this gospel shows tn
If soul its need Of divine washing. "A]
~ have sinned, and come short Of th
in glory Of God" That is one showing
d "All we, like sheep, have gone astray.
le That is another showing. Error
is the crown of the head to tn
t, sole of the foot there is n
10 health in US" That is anothe
showing. The world calls these, d.
fects, imperfections. or eccentricitie'
or cratic behavior, or wild OATS" c
IN "high living" but the gospel cal
IS them sin. transgression, filth-th
" lbominable thing that God hates.
10 was just one glance at that miro
e. that made Paul cry out, "Oh, wretche
no man that am, who shall deliver n
ne from the body Of this death?' and tn,
y, made David cry out, purge me wit
w hyssop, and shall be clean;' and TIL
n made Martin Luther cry out, "Oh, n
ut sins, my sins!" / am not talking abo1
as bad habits. You and I do not ne.
OF any Bible to tell us that bad habi
are wrong, that blasphemy and ev
speaking are wrong. But I am tai
he Ing Of q sinful nature, the source of a
bad thoughts, Is well as Of all b
vo actions. The apostle Paul calls the
40 roll in the first chapter of Roman
on They arc regiment Of death encam
ia ing around every heart, holding it in
~ tyranny from which nothing but t
~, grace OF God can deliver it.
" If you could catch q glimpse of 20
mn natural heart before God, you won
~ cry out in amazement and alarm. 7