The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1894-11-16

/ hot SUBMIT TO Tod; tnat wants It's OWl
way-a nature that prefers wrong
sometimes instead of right-that pre-
fers to wallow instead of rise up. d.
not care what you call that; l am no
going to quarrel with any theologian
or any man who makes any pretension
you call it "total depravity' or some
thing else; simply make the announce
ment of Gods Word, affirmed ant
confirmed by the experience o.
hundreds of Christian people; the
Imagination of the heart of man is evil
| from youth. "There is none that doeth
| good; no not one." We have bad ma
ture. We were born with it. We got
! it from our parents; they got it from
their parents Our thoughts are wrong
our action is wrong; our whole life is
obnoxious to God before conversion;
and after conversion, not one good
thing in us but that which the grace
of God has planted and fostered.
"Well," you say, 81 CAN'T believe that
to be So" All! my dear brother, that
is because you have never looked into
this laver of looking-glasses.
If you could catch glimpse of your
natural heart before God, you would
cry out in amazement and alarm. The
very first thing this gospel does is to
cut down our pride and self-sufficiency
If man does not feel his lost and
ruined condition before God, he does
not want any Gospel. think the rea-
son that 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
"a few touches of Divine grace, and
then you will be all right; instead of
proclaiming the broad, deep truth that
Payson and Whitefeld hundred to
race trembling on the verge of infinite
and eternal disaster. "Now," says
some one, "can this really be true? Is
there no good in us?" In Hampton
court saw room where the four
walls were covered with looking
glasses, and it made no differ
ence which way you looked, you
saw yourself. And so it is in
this Gospel of Christ. If you
once step within it's full precincts you
will find your whole character reflect
ed; every feature of moral depravity;
every spot of moral faint If / under
stand the Word of God, it's first an
nouncement is that we are lost. l care
not, my brother, how magnifcently
you may have been born, or what may
nave been your heritage or ancestry,
you are lost by reason of sin. "But,"
you say, "what is the use of all this
If showing a mans faults when he
ant get rid of them?" None!
What was the use of that
Furnished surface to that laver
If looking-glasses spoken of in the
ext, II it only showed the spots on the !
and the need of washing. |
md there was nothing to wash with?"
ilory be to God, find that this laver
# looking-glasses was filled with
resh water every morning, and the
'riest no sooner looked on its FURNISHED |
ide and saw his need of cleansing,
hen he washed and was clean-glori-
us type of the Gospel of my Lord
esus. that first shows man his sin,
nd then washes it all away.
l want you to notice that this laver
n which the priest washed-the laver
f NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. filed with
resh water every morning. The SER
ants of the tabernacle brought the
7ater in buckets and poured it into
To- c. &c ,e1, |
esus Christ; it has fresh salvation
very day. 1t is not stagnant pool
lied with accumulated corruptions.
is living water, which is brought
rom the eternal rock to wash
way the sins of yesterday
of one moment ago. oh"
,ys some one, II was a Christian
venty years ago!" That does not
lean anything to me. What are you
ow? We are not talking, my brother,
bout pardon ten years ago, but about
ardon nova fresh salvation. Sup
ose a time of war should come,
nd I could show the government
nat I had been loyal to it
welve years ago, would that excuse
e from taking an oath of allegiance
DIV? Suppose you ask me about my
nysical health, and should say was
ell fifteen years ago-that does not
" how l am now. The Gospel CT
ssus Christ comes and demands pres
1T allegiance. present fealty, present
oral health; ard yet how many
iristians there are seeking to live en-
rely in past experience of present
ercy and pardon! When l was on
&c sea, and there came up great
orm, and officers and crew and pas
myers all thought we must go down.
began to think of my life in
rance, and whether, if 1 were
ken away. my family would
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