Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1894-11-17

A man cannos fence oS a .mall
part cf his soul and say. Now. |
this Is TO Re a car+en In which will have |
all the fruits and flowers Of Christian char. |
acter. while outside /, shall be the devils |
"onmons.' No. nc. II Will be all 9ar5en
Or none. sometimes hear people say, he
Ia very good man except in politics" tn Ell
be Il hnt q good man. |
A religion that will not take a man through
An autumn election xll no. be worth anv. |
thing TO him In June. July and August. |
They say he is q useful sort % a nan. bur hs
overreaches Ia a Nar2ain. deny the state
nent. II be Is a Christian anyvaere. he will
"a in his business. II ia yerv easv TO BE eoot
In the prayer me-tinS. with su-roun1ingz
kindly and blessed. hut not SO easy 10
re a Christian behini tha counter. when
by one ssilitul tw;'ch o. the goo IA Won
can hide a eaw IN the silk SO that the Gus
toner cannot See II. II is very easv 10 - a
Christian with a ~psalnhook In Your haui
and a Bible IN your lap. bu, no. 80 easy
when you can 90 into a shop AMI falsely tell
the merchant you can &c, those goods at a
cheaper rate In another store. so that he
will sell them 10 YOU cheaper than he can
afford 70 sell them.
remark. further. that this lavar o. look
ing glasses spoken OF In the text was a very
large LAYER. | always thong ht. from the
fact that so many WASHED there. and alse
rom the fact tina: Solomon afterwsri. wlenA
he copied that lav-r in the tanpla built II
On a very large scale. that It was large. AMI
so gu ,gestive OF the gospel Of Jesus Christ
and salvation by Hin-vast in its provisions.
The whole world may cone and wash in this
lavrr and b. clean.
When our Civil War had passed, the Gov
eminent Of the United States made procla-
nation Of pardon to the common soldiery 10
the Confederate army, but not TO the chief
soldiers. The gospel OF Christ does not act
in that way. 1t says pardon for all, but
especially for the chief OF sinners.
Now, my brother. l do not state this to
put a premium upon great iniquity. merely
say this to encou age that man. whoever he
is. who feels he IS so far gone from God that
there is no mercy for him. / want to tell
him there is a good chance. Why. Paul was
a murderer. He assisted at the execution
Of Stephen. and yet Paul was saved. The
dying thief did everything bad. The dying
thief was saved. Richard Baxter swore
ireadfuilv. hut the grace o. God met him,
and Richard Baxter was saved.
It Is a vast laver. Go and tell everybody
TO come and wash in 1t. Let them come up
from the penitentiaries and wash away their
crimes. Let them come up from the aims
houses AMI wash away their poverty. Let
them cone mp from their graves and wash
away their death II there be any one SO
worn out IN sin that he cannot get up to the
LAYER. YOU will take hold Of his head and
put } ia atiLS aIouA'A IAtbs IA L VA thh0
hold OF his feet. AMI we will plunge him in
this glo.lons Bethesda. the vast laver OF
Gods mercy and salvation. In Solo,non's
temple there were ten LAYERS and one molten
saa-thIs great reservoir in the midst OF the
temple filed with water-these LAYERS and
this molten sea adorned with figures Of
palm branch AMI oxen and lions and
cherubim. This fountain OF God melcy
Is a vaster molten sea than that. 1t Ms
not adorned with pain nrancnes, but with
the wool OF the cross not with the
rherubim, but with tha wings OF the Holy
Ghost. and around its great rim all the race
NAV com ant WASH in the molten sea.
But I notice also. in regard to this laver OF
looking glasses spoken Of in the text, that
the washing In it was imperative and not
optional. When the priests came into the
tabernacle (vou will find this In the thirtieth
chapter Of Exodus), Godtells them that they
must wash in that laver or die. The priest
might have said Cant l wash elsewhere7
washed in the laver at home, AMI now you
want me to wash here" God says \
matter whether or not you have washed
before. Wash in this LAYER or die
.'But." SAYS the priest. there is water Just
as clean rs this. Why won't that dog"
Wash here" says God. cor die. So it is
with the gospel Of Christ. 1t Is imperative.
There Is only this alternative-keep our sins
and perish. or wash them away and live.
But, 5ys, some one. why could not Goa
nave Iuhlt illDIe VA " ~ kubA OuTt
I do not know but He could have made half
a dozen. l know He made but one. You
say, "Why not have n long line OF boats
running from here to heaven" I cannot
say, but I simply know that there is
only one boat. You say. "Are there not
trees as luxuriant as that on Calvary, more
luxuriant, for that had neither buds nor
blossoms. it was stripped and barked?"
Yes. yes, there have been taller trees than
tina. and more luxuriant. but the only path
to heaven Is under that one tree. Instead
OF quarreling because there are not moro
ways. let US be thankful to God there Is
one. one lame given unto men whereby We
can be saved. one lavpr In which all the
world may wash. SO you see what a radiant
gospel this is I preach. l do not know how
a man can stan stolidly and present it, for
it is such an exhilarant gospel. 1t is not a
1t is heaven or hell. You come before your
child, and you have a present In your hand.
You put your hands behind your back and
say "Whichshand will you take? In ono
hand there Is a treasure; In the other
there is not" The child blindly chooses.
But God our Father does not do that
way with Us. He spreads out both hands
antssays: Now this shall be very plain.
In that hand are pardon and peace and life
and the treasures OF heaven. In that hand
are punishment and sorrow and woe.
Choose, choose for yourselves" "He that
''tiF ~ hiA'i ~ hRAALVA oAoA pC "a bAA
he that helieveth not shall be damned"
An artist 10 his dreams saw such a splendid
dream OF the transiguration OF Chlst that
be awoke and seized his pencil and said,
Let me pain, this and die" Oh, I have
seen the glories OF Christ have beheld
something OF the beauty OF that great sacri-
flee on Calvary, and l have sometimes felt I
would be willing TO give anything If l might
just sketch before you the wonders OF
that sacrifice. would like to do 1t while I
live, and | would like TO do 1t when l die.
Let me paint this and die" He comes
along, weary and worn. His face wet With
tears, His brow crimson with blood. and he
lies Town on Calvary for youI No, | mis-
take. Nothing was as comfortable as that.
A stone on Calvary would have made a soft,
pillow for the dying head OF Christ. Moth
Ing so comfortable as that. He does not lie
down TO die r. stan ! Ut 70 dLa Hissptkei
hands outspread as II 70 embrace a worii.
Oh. what a hard end for those feet that haf
fYAyHla9 all cyay Yp:Ha np -oiptc.r a G -