National Baptist world., 1894-11-09
SEE THYsELF.
DR.. Talmage Discourses on Self
Examination.
The Gospel the Only Looking-GIa in
Which Man Can See Himself as He
Really Is-Sinful Thoughts
Revealed.


out by Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage to the
public through the press, the subject Sc
tected being THE Looking-Glass, and
the text from Exodus xxxviii., s: And
he made the laver Of brass, and the foot
Of it.was brass, Of the looking-glasses
Of the women assembling"
We often hear about the Gospel in
John, and the Gospel in Luke, and the
Gospel in Matthew; but there is just as
surely Gospel of Moses. and a Gospel
Of jeremiah, and a Gospel Of David.
In other words, Christ is as certainly
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
1t the tabernacle. 1t was pitched
tent; very costly, very beautiful. The
frame work 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 artis-
tic loops. The candlestick of that
tabernacle 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 snuffers of gold, and tongs of gold
and rings Of gold; SO that skepticism
has sometimes asked: Where did all
that precious metal come from? 1t is
not my place to furnish precious stones;
1t is only to tell that they were there.
L 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
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 ia ber-
nacle, and who had made these their
contribution to the furniture. These
lOoking-g1asses 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 intosit. SO that this
iaver of looking glasses spoken of in
my text did double work; it not only fur
nished the water in which the priests
washed themselves, but it also, on it's
shining, polished surface, pointed out
the spots of pollution on the face which
needed ablution. Now, my Christian
friends, as everything in 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 of the gospel,
which first shows US our sins as in a
mirror, and then washes them away
sby drv Unae c'nai 2es es.s-''------------
Oh, happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away
have to say that this is the only
looking-glass in which a man can see
himself as he is. There are some mir
rors that fatter the features, and make
you look better than you are. Then
there are other mirrors that distort
your features, and make you look
worse than you are; but want to tell
you that this lookingglass Of the gos-
pei shows man just as he is. When
the priests entered the ancient taber-
nacle, one glance at the FURNISHED side
of this laver showed them their need
of cleansing; SO the gospel shows the
soul it's need of divine washing. "All
have sinned and come short of the
glory of God" That is one showing.
"All 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 de-
fects, imperfections, or eccentricities,
or erratic behavior, or wild oats or
'high living" but the gospel calls
them sin, tranSgreSSiOn, filth-the
abominable thing that God hates. 1t
was just one glance at that mirror that
made Paul cry out: ''Oh, wretched
man that I am, who shall deliver me
from the body Of this death?' and that
made David cry out: purge me with
hyssop, and shall be clean;" and that
made Martin Luther cry out: 'Oh, my
sins, my sinsr' [ am not talking about
bad habits. You and do not need any
Bible to tell nS that bad habits are
wrong. But ara talking of a sin full
nature. the source Of all bad thoughts,
as we'll as Of bad actions. The Apostle
Paul calls their roll in the first chapter
Of Romans. They are a regiment of |
death encamping around every heart, |
holding it in a tyranny from which |
nothing but the grace of God can de-
liver it.
Here, for instance, is ingratitude. |
Who has not been guilty Of that sin? |
If man hand us a glass of water, we |
say: "Thank you;" but for the ten
thousand mercies that we are every |
day receiving from the hand of God,
how little expression of gratitude-for
thirst slaked, for hunger fed, for
shelter, and sunshine.a and sound sleep,
and clothes to wear-how little thanks!
suppose there are men so years of
age who have never yet been down on
their knees in thanksgiving to God for
His goodness. Besides that ingrati-
tude of our hearts, there is pride (who
has not felt it?)-pride that will not
submit to God-that wants it's own
way-a nature that prefers wrong
instead of right-that
prefers to wallow instead of rise
up. I do not care what you call
that; am not going to quarrel with
any theologian, or any man who makes
o%onc;opc RI fhaolouy T do not |