The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-29


so it is in this gospel OF Christ. If you
once step within its fun precincts, you will
md your whole character reflected; every
feature of moral defOrmity, every spot OF
moral faint. II I understand the Word OF
God, its first announcement is that we are
lost. I care not, my brother, how magni-
ficently you may have been born, or what
may have been your hostage or ancestry,
you are lost by reason Of sin. But you
say, what is the use Of all this-of show
ing a mans faults when he can't get rid
of them2'' Nonei What was the use of
that FURNISHED surface TO this LAYER Of
looking-glasses spoken of in the text if
IL only showed the spots on the counten-
ance and the need of washing. and there
was nothing to wash WITH" Glory be to
God. l find that this laver of looking
glasses was filled with fresh water every
morning and the priest no sooner looked
on it's Furnished side and saw his need Of
cleansing, that 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.
I want you to notice that this laver in
which the priest washed-the laver Of
looking-g lasses-was filed with fresh wa
ter every morning. The servants of the
tabernacle brought the water in buckets.
and poured it in this laver. So it is with
the gospel of Jesus Christ; II has a fresh
salvation every day. It is not a stag
nant pool filled with accumulated corrup-
tions. 1t is living water, which Is brought
from the eternal rock to wash away the
sins Of Nesterday-of one moment ago.
oh" says one" l was Christian twenty
yeas ago. That does not mean anything
to me. What are you now? We are
not talking, my brother, about pardon ten
years ago, but about pardon nova fresh
salvation. Suppose a time of war should
come, and I could show the government
I E,,I . wu~11v~
ago, would that excuse me from taking
an oath of allegiance now? Suppose you
ask me about my physical health, and l
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 Chris
tians there are seeking to live entirely
in past experience who seem to have no
experience of present mercy and pardon!
When l was on the sea, and there came
up a great storm, and officers and crew
and passengers all thought we must go
down, I began to think of my life insur-
ance, and whether, if were taken away.
my family would be cared for; and then
I thought, is the premium 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-fall-
ing back on the old insurance policy of
ten, twenty, thirty years ago. If l want
to find out how friend feels toward me,
do l go to the drawer and find some old
yellow letters written to me ten or twelve
years ago? No; go to the letter that
was stamped the day before yesterday in
the postoffice. and I find how he feels
toward me. It is not in regard to old com
munications we had with Jesus Christ, 1t
"a TT -
Are we not in sympathy with
him this morning, and is he
not 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 MORN
ing and take the glittering robe of Chrsts
righteousness from the Saviour's hand.
You say you were plunged in the fountain
of the Saviour's mercy a quarter OF q GEN.
fury ago. That is nothing to me; ! tell
you to wash now in this LAYER of looking
glasses and have your soul made clean.
1 notice also, in regard to this laver of
looking glasses spoken of in the text, that
the priests always washed both hands and
feet. The water came down in spouts, so
that, without leaving any filth in. the ba-
sin, the priest washed both hands and feet
So the gospel of Jesus Christ must touch
the very extremities of our moral nature.
a man cannot fence off a small part of his
soul, and say, Now, this is to be a garden
in which I will have all the fruits and
flowers of Christian character, while out
side IL shall be the DEVILS commons" No,
no; it will be all garden or none. some
times hear people say, He is a very good
man except in politics." Then he is not a
good man. A religion that will not take a
man through an autumn election will not
be worth anything to him in June, July
and August They say he is a useful sort
I 80 - -
] deny the statement. If he is a Christian
anywhere, he will be in his business. 1t is
very easy to be good in the prayer-meet
| ing, with surroundings kindly and blessed
| but not so easy to be a Christian behind
the counter, when by one skillful twitcl
of the goods you can hide a flaw in tn,
| silk so that the customer cannot see it
1t is very easy to be a Christian with
| psalm book in your hand and a Bible il
| your lap, but not so easy when you cal
| go into shop and falsely tell the mer
| chant you can get those goods at
| cheaper rate in another store, so that h
| will sell them to you cheaper than he cal
afford to sell them. The fact is, the re
| ligion of Christ is all-pervasive. If yor
rent house. you expect full possession o
| 1t. You say. Where are the keys Of thos
| rooms? If 1 pay for this whole house
want possession of those rooms" And tn
| grace of God when it comes to a soul take
| full possession OF a man, or goes away an
| takes no possession. 1t will ransack ever
room in the heart, every room in the life
from cellar to attic, touching the yer
extremities of his nature. The priest
washed hands and feet.
l remark, further, that this laver of look
ing-glasses spoken of in the text was
very large laver. I always thought, fror
the fact that so many washed there, an
also from the fact that Solomon after
ward, when he copied that laver in tn
temple built ito a very large scale in til
it was large; and so suggestive of the go.
pei of Jesus Christ and salvation by him
vast in its provisions. The whole worl
may come and wash in this laver and /
clean.
When our civil war had passed, the go,
eminent of the United States made proc
lamation of pardon to the common so
diery of the confederate army, but not
the chief soldiers, The gospel of Chri.
does not act in that way. 1t says pardo
for all, but especially for the chief {
sinners. 1 do not now think of a sing
passage that says a small sinner may /
saved, but do think of passages that 50
a great sinner may be saved. If there [
sins only family hued, just little tinget