The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-11-07

but he overreaches in bargain. 1
deny the statement. If he is Chris
.ian anywhere, he will be in his busi-
ness. 1t is very easy to be good in the
prayer meeting, with surroundings
kindly and blessed, but not SO
easy to be a Christian behind the
counter, when by one skillful twitch
of the goods you can hide flaw in the
silk so that the customer can not see
it. 1t is very easy to be Christian
with psalm book in your hand and
Bible in your lap, but not so easy when
you can 60 into shop and falsely tell
The merchant you can get those goods
at a cheaper rate in another store, so
that he will sell them to you cheaper
than he can afford to sell them. The
factis, the religion of Christ is all-per-
vasive. If you rent house, you expect
full possession of it. You say: "Where
are the keys of those rooms? If I pay
for this whole house, I want posses
sion of those rooms" And the grace
of God when it comes to soul takes
full possession of man, or goes away
and takes no possession. IL will ran
sack every room in the heart, every
room in the life, from cellar to attic,
touching the very extremities OF his
nature. The priests washed hands and
feet.
I remark. further, that this 1aver OF
looking-glasses spoken of in the text
was very large laver. I always
thought, from the fact that so many
washed there, and also from the fact
that Solomon afterward, when he cop
led that laver in the temple, built it on
a very large scale, that it was large;
and so suggestive of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ and salvation by Him
vast in its provisions. The whole world
may come and wash in this laver and
be clean.
When our civk war had passed, the
government of the United States made
proclamation of pardon to the COM
mon soldiery in 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 espe-
cially for the chief of sinners. do not
think of single passage that says a
small sinner may be saved, but do
think of passages that say great sim
ner may be saved. If there be sins
only faintly-hued, just little tinged,
so family colored that you can
hardly see them, there is no
special pardon promised in the Bible
for those sins; but if they be glaring,
red like crimson, then they shall be us
snow. Now, my brother, I do not state
this to put premium upon great
iniquity. merely say this to encour-
age that man, whoever he is, who
feels he is SO far gone from God that
there is no mercy for him. I want to
tell him there is 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 drea d.
fully; but the grace of God met
him, and Richard Baxter was saved.
1t is q vast laver. Go and tell
everybody to come and wash in it. Let
them come up from the penitentiaries
and wash away their crimes. Let
them come up from the almhouses and
wash away their poverty. Let them
come up from their graves and wash
away their death. If ther: by anyone
so worn out in sin that he can not get
up to the 1aver, you will take hold of
his head, and put your arms around
him, and will take hold Of his feet,
and we will plunge him in this glori-
GUS Bethesda, the vast laver Of Gods
mercy and salvation. In Solomon's
temple there were ten LAYERS and
one molten sea-this great reser-
voir in the midst Of the temple
flled with water-these LAYERS and
this molten sea adorned with figures OF
palm-branch, and oven and lions and
cherubim. This fountain Of Gods
mercy is a vaster molten sea than
that. It is adorned not with palm
branches, but with the wood of the
cross; not with cherubim, but with the
wings of the Holy Ghost; and around
it's great rim all the race may come and
wash in the molten sea. I was read
ing the other day of Alexander the
Great, who, when he was very thirsty
and standing at the head of the army,
had brought to him a. cup of water. He
looked off upon his host and said: II
can not drink this, my men are all
thirsty" and ne dashed it to the
ground. Blessed be God! there is
enough water for all the hosts-enough
for captain and host. "Whosoever will
may come and take Of the water of life
freely"-a laver broad as the earth,
high as the heavens, and deep as hell.
saw one hanging on tree,
In agony and blood,
Who fixed His languid eyes on me,
AS near His cross stood.
Oh, never till my latest heath
VIII forget that lookl
He seemed to charge me with His death,
Though not q word He spoke.
And that is all for you! Oh, can you
not love Him? Come around this laver,