Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-11-14
RBV. DR.. ThLMAGR
THE BROOKLYN DIvINEs syh.
DAY sKRMON.
Subject: "The Looking Glass.'s

-
Exodus xxxviii., 8.
We often hear about the gospel In John,
and the gospel in Luke. AMI the gospel in
Matthew, but there is just as surely gospel
o. Moses. and a gospel OF Jeremiah. and a
gospel OF David. In other words. Christ Is
as certainly to be found in the Old Testa-
ment in the New.
When the Israelites were marching
through the wilderness they carried their
church with them. They called 1t the taber-
nacle. 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
artistic loops. The canilesticks o.
that tabernacle had shaft ant
branch and bowl OF solid gold. anil the
figures OF cherubim that stool there had
wings o. gold. AMI there were lamrs of gold,
and snuYers OF gold, and torgs of gold, and
r nGs o''gold. so that skepticism has some
tim"s asked. Where dill all that precious ma
terial come from? II is not my place to fur.
nish the precious stones. 1t Is only TO tell
that they were there.
I 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 spnuts an. passed away after the
out Of the looking glasses o. the women
who had frequented the tabernacle an
who had made these their contributions TO
the furniture. These looking glasses were
not made Of glass. but they ware brazen.
The brass was OF very superior quality and
polished until it reflected easily the features
OF those who looked into II, so that this
LAYER OF looking glasses spoken OF in my text
did double work. 1t not only furnished the
water in which the priests washed them
selves, but it also. on its shining. polished
surface, pointed out the spots of pollution
on the face which needed ablutfou.
have to say that this is the only looking
glass In which man can see himself as he
is. There are some mirrors that faiter the
features and make you look better than you
are. Then there are other mirrors that dis
tort your features and make YOU look worse
than YOU are, but 1 want to tell you that
this looking-glass OF the gospel shows man
Just as he Is. When the priests entered ths
ancient tabernacle. one glance at the
FURNISHED side OF this laver showed
them their need OF cleansing. So this
gospel shows the soul its need OF divine
washing. "All have sinned and come short
ofthe glory of God" That is one showin-.
"Alt we, like sheep, have gone astray."
That is another showing. "From the
crown OF the head to the sole OF the foot
there is no health in u.s." That is another
showing. The world calls these defects,
impPrfections. or eccentricities, or erratic
behavior, or ''wild oats" or "high living"
hut the gospel calls them sin. transgression,
finh-the abominlble thing that Go hates.
II was just one glance at that mirror that
made Paul cry out, "Oh, wretche | man
that I am, who shall deliver me from
the body of this death?' and that made
David cry out, "Pnrse me with hyssop. AMI
/ shall lie clean," and that made Martin
Luther cry out. "Oh. my sins, my s.ns!'
AN not talking about bad habits. You an
I do not need any Bible TO tell US that bad
habits are wrony, that hlasphemy and evil
speaking are wrong. But I am talking OF
sinful nature, the source of all bad thoughts
well as of all bad actions. The Apostle
Paul calls their roll in the first cSapter OF
Romans. They are n regiment Of death en-
camping around every heart, holding 1t in q
tyranny from which nothing but the grace
of God can deliver il.
Here, for instance, is ingratituia. VINO
has not been guilty OF that sin? II man
hand US glass of water we SAY, "Thank
you," but for the II, QUO mercies that We are
every day receiving from the hand of Col
how little expression of gratitude-for thirst
elaked, for hunger fed, for SHELTER. and sum
shine, and sound sleep, and clothes to wear,
how little thanks! I suppose there are
men fifty years o age who have never vet
been down on their knees in thanksgiving to
God for Fl goodness. Besides that inyrati-
tude OF our hearts there iS pri1e-Tno has
no, felt it?-pride that will not submit to
God hat wants its own way-a nature that
prefers wrong sometimes instead OF right |;
that prefers 10 wlllow instead of rise up.
II you could catch a glimpse OF your natur-
al heart before Col, you would cry ont in
amazement and alarm. The very first thing
this gospel does is to cut down our pride
and self sufficiency. If a man does not ieel
his loss and ruined condition before God, he
does not want any gospel. think the raa-
son that there are so few conversions in r1t5
dHy is because the tendency of the pr 'r.h-
ing is to make men believe that they
pretty COOL anyhov-quite Clever, only
wanting little ixin, up, few touch's ot
divine grace, and then you VIII he ali rig It
instead of procaimin: fie broli. deep
truth that PaysOn and Wniteirld tnun !aTel
TO a race trembling on the verge of infinite
and eternal disaster. ''Now," says some one,
'can this really be true? Have We all gone
astray? Is there no good in us?' In
Hampton Court 1 saw room where the
four walls were covered with looking
glasses and 1t made no difference which
way you looked you saw yourself. AMI SO il
is In this gospel of Christ. If you once step
within its full precincts. you VIII ini your
whole character reflected, every feature OF
moral deformity, every spot OF moral tant.
If understand the word of God, its first an
1ouncement is that We are lost.
Glory be to God. find that this laver Of
looking glasses was filed with fresh water
every morning. and the priest no sooner
looked on its FURNISHED side AMI saw his
ned of cleansing than he washed and was
ciean-glorious type of tue gospel OF my
Lord Jesus, that first shows a man hiG sin
and then washes it all away!
l want you to notice that this laver in
which the priest washed-the layer of look
ing gasses-was filed with fresh water ev 'ry
morning. Tne servants of the tabernacle
brought the water in buckets and poured it
into this laver. So it is with the gospel OF
Jesus Christ. 1t has a fresh salvation every
day. 1t Is not stagnant pool filed with ac-
eunulated corruptions. 1t is living Water,
which is brought from the eternal
rock to wash away the sins OF yesterday, of
one moment ago. "Oh," SAYS some one,
81 WIS Christian twenty years ago =
That does not mean anything to me. Wnat
are you now? We are not takinc, my
brother, about pardon ten years ego, but
about pardon now, a fresh salvation.
II want to find out how a fri.n feels to-
ward me, do l go to the draw.r AMI fin |
some old yellow letters written to me ten or
that was stamped the day before yester lay
In the postofflce, and find how he feels to-
ward me. 1t Is not in regard to old COM
munications we had with Jesus Christ. 1t j:
the communications we have now. Are W,
not in sympathy with Him this mornin'
us? Do not spend so much o
your time in hunting in tn,
wardrobe for the old, wornout shoes Of
Christian profession. Come this mornin
ana take the g1tferlnS robe OF Christ
righteousness from the Saviour's hand. Yor
say you were plunged in the fountain of IN,
6aviour's mercy quarter of century ago
That 10 nothing to me. l tell you 10 was
now in this laver of looking glass . and
have your soul made clean.
notice also in regard to this lav,r o,
looking glasses spoken of in the text that Ia,
priests always washed both han Is AMI feet,
Tho water cane down in spours, so thar
without leaving anv nth in the has'n. IN
priests washed both hands AMI feet. So ~,
gospel OF Jesus Christ must touch the var
eYtremities OF our moral nature
A man cannot fenrs of sn1
part Of his soul ar' s-v. "Nov
thi. 's to re +. gar zen in whirt will hav
all the fruits anI fov-ers Of Chrts'iir "'r'-
ecfer, while or.sida II shall 10 the dav >
common" No nc. II Will ba all glr'e
or none Ts~ns;isrps hair ,o,'" saw. "H
Is very goJ / man ey,rot n poll. -" The