The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-10-31

hide flaw in the silk so that the GUS
toner cannot see It. 1t is very easy
to be Christian with psalm book in
your hand and Bible on your lap, but
not SO easy when you can go into a
shop and falsely tell the merchant you
can get those goods at cheaper rate
In another store, so that he will sell
them to you cheaper than he can afford
to sell them. The fact is the religion
of Christ is all pervasive. If you rent
house, you expect full possession OF
It. You say: Where are the keys OF
those roomsP want possession OF
those rooms2 If pay for this whole
house, l want possession Of those
rooms" And the grace of God when it
comes to soul takes full possession OF
man, or goes away and takes no pos
session. 1t will ransack every room in
the heart, every room in the life, from
cellar to attic, touching the very ex-
tremities OF his nature. The priests
washed hands and feet.
Iremark further, that this layer OF
looking glasses spoken of in the text
was very large laver. always
thought, from the fact that so many
washed there, and also from the fact
that Solomon afterward, when he copied
that laver in the temple, built it on
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 civil war had passed the
government of the United States made
proclamation Of pardon to the common
soldiery in the Confederate army,
but not to the chief soldiers. The Cos
pei Of Christ does not act in that way.
1t says pardon for all, but especially
for the chief of sinners. do not now
think of a single passage that says
small sinner may be saved, but do
think of passages that say great sim
ner may be saved. If there be sins
only family 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 Grim
son, then they shall be as snow Now,
my brother, do not state this to put
a premium upon great iniquity. l mere
ly say this to encourage that man, who
ever he is, who feels he is so far gone
from God that there is no mercy for
him. l want to tell him there is a
good chance. Why, Paul was MUIR
derer; 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 dreadfullyj but the grace of God
met him, and Richard Baxter was
saved. 1t is vast laver. Go and tell
everybody to come and wash in it. Let
them come up from the penitentiaries
and wash away their crime. Let them
come up from the almshouses and wash
away their poverty. Let them come up
from their graves and wash away their
death. If there be any one so worn out
in sin that he cannot get up to the
laver you will take hold of his head
and put your arms around him, and l
will take hold of his feet, and we will
plunge him in this glorious Bethesda,
the vast laver of Gods mercy and sal
walton. In Solomon's temple there
were ten LAYERS and one molten sea-
this great reservoir in the midst of the
temple filed with water-these LAYERS
| aI< ,r,1
with figures of palm branch,
and oxen, and lions, and cher
ubim. This fountain of Gods mercy
j is vaster molten sea than that.
1t is adorned not with palm branches,
but with the wings of the Holy Ghost;
and around its great rim all the race
may come and wash in the molten sea-.
was reading the other day Of Alex
ander the Great, who, when he was very
thirsty and standing at the head of his
army, had brought to him cup Of
water. He looked off upon his host and
said: ST cannot drink this; my men are
all thirsty" and he dashed it to the
ground Blessed be God! there is
enough water for all the host-enough
for captains and host. "Whosoever
will may como and take of the water OF
life freely"-a laver'broad as the earth,
high as the heavens, and deep as hell
But notice also, in regard to this
laver of looking glasses spoken of in the
text, that the washing in it was imper.
ative, and not optional. When the
priests come into the tabernacle (you
will find this in the thirtieth chapter Of
Exodus), God tells them that they
must wash in that laver or die The
priest might have said Cant wash
elsewhereP 1 washed in the laver al
home, and now you want me to wash
here" God says: mo matter whether
or not you have washed before Wash
in this laver or die" "But, says the
priest, ''there is water just as
clean as this-why won't that do%
"Wash here" says God, cor die?'
So it is with the gospel of Christ--it is
imperative. There is only this alter
native; Keep our sins and perish, OF
wash them away and live But says
some one: why could not God have
made more ways to Heaven than onep
I do not know but he could have made
half dozen. know he made but one.
You say: "Why not have a long line
of boats running from here to Heaven?
cannot say, but l simply know that
there is only one boat. You say: "Are
there no trees as luxuriant as that or
Calvary?-more luxuriant, for that had
neither buds nor blossoms; it was
stripped and barked?" Yes, yes
there have been taller trees than that
and more luxuriant; but the only path