Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1894-11-09
REV. DR.. TALMAGE
Til eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: "The Looking Glass"

ing glasses OF the women assembling. -
Exodus xxxviii., 8.
We often hear abont the gospel in John,
and the gospel in Luke, and the gospel in
Matthew, but there is just as surely n gospel
OF Moses and gospel OF jeremiah. and a
gospel C. David. In other worls. Christ Is
as certainly 10 be found in the Ola Tesla
ment as in the New.
When the Jsraelites were marching
through the wilderness they carried their
church with tEc=c. They called it the taber-
nacle. 1t was nit she'd 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 candlesticks o.
that tabernacle had shaft AMI
branch and bowl OF solid gold, AMI the
figures OF cherubim that stood there had
wings OF gold, AMI there we're lamps OF gold,
and snuffers OF gold, and tongs Of gold, and
rings OF gold so that sSepticism has some
times asked, Where did all that precious ma
terial come from? 1t is not my place to fur.
nish the precious stones. 1t is only 10 tell
that they were there.
wish now more especially to speak OF the
LAYER that was built in the midst Of that
ancient tabernacle. 1t was 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
cat OF the looking glasses OF the women
who had frequented the tabernacle AMI
who had made these their contributions to
the furniture. These looking glasses were
not made Of glass, but they were brazan.
The brass was of very superior quality and
polished until it reflected easily the features
OF those who looked into it, 50 that this
LAYER of looking glasses spoken OF in my text
did double work. 1t not only furnished tho
water in which the priests washed them
solves, but it also. on its shining, polished
surface, pointed out the spots OF pollution
on the face which needed ablutio1.
have to say that this is the only looking
glass in which man can see himself as he
is. There are some mirrors that 1atter the
features and make you look better than you
are Thenthere are other mirrors that dis
tort YOUR features and make you look worse
than YOU are, but l want 10 tell you that
this looking-glass of the gospel shows man
lust as he Is. When the priests entered the
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. Gall have sinned and come short
Of the glory Of God" That IS one showing.
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,
imperfectlons. or eccentrlcites, or erratic
behavior, or wild OATS" or "high living"
but the gospel calls them sin, transgress'on,
fllth-!he abominable thing that Col hates.
IT was just ono glance at that mirror that
made Paul cry out, lob, wretched man
that am, who shall deliver me from
the body Of this death?" and that made
David cry out, "Purge me with hyssop, and
1 shall be cleaD," and that made Martin
Luther cry out, "Oh, my sins, my sins" |
am not talking about bad habits You an !
do not need any Bible 10 tell us that bad
habits ere wrong, that blasphemY and evil
speaking are wrong. But / am talking OF
a sinful nature, the source Of all bad thoughts
as well as OF all bad actions. The Apostle
Paul calls their roll in the first chapter OF
Romans. They are regiment OF death en-
camping around every heart, holding 1t in n
tyranny from which nothing but the grace
Of Col can deliver II.
| Here. for instance, Is ingratitude. Who
has not been guilty OF that sin? II man
hand US q glass OF water we say, "Thank
you," but for the 10, QUO mercles that we are
| every day receiving from the hand OF Col
| how little expression OF gratitude-!or thirst
saksd, for hunger fed, for shelter, and SUM-
shine, and sound sleep, and clothes to wear
! how little thanks 1 suppose there are
men fifty years o; age who have never vet
been down on their knees in thanksgiving to
| God for His goodness. Besides thai ingrati-
tude OF our hearts there is pride-who has
not felt it?-pride that will not submit to
| God that wants its own way-a nature that
| prefers wrong sometimes instead OF right
that prefers 10 wallow instead OF rise up.
If you could catch glimpse ofyour natur-
al heart before God, you would cry out in
amazement and alarm. The very first thing
this gospel does is to cut down our pride
| and self suff1ciency. If a man does not fee
| his loss and ruined condition before God. he
| does not want any gospel. THINK the re3-
| son that there are so few conversions in this
dav is because the tendency OF the preach
ing is to make men believe that they are
pretty good anyhow-quite clever, only
wanting O little fixing up, u fey touches o
| divine grace, and then you will be all rlgnt
instead of proclaiming the broad, deer
truth that Payson and Whitefeld thundered
| 10 race trembling on the verge of infinite
and eternal disaster "Now," says some one
"can this really be true? Have we ali CONS
astray? Is there no good in usY' Ii
| Hampton Court l saw a room where the
| four walls were covered with looking
| glasses and it made no difference which
way you looked you saw yourself. And so II
| is IN this gospel OF Christ. II you once step
within its full precincts, YOU will lind your
whole character reflected, every feature o
moral deformity, every spot OF moral faint.
| If / understand the word of God, its first an
| nOuncpmpnt is that we are lost.
Glory be to God, find that this LAYER oil
| looking glasses was filled with fresh water
every morning, and the priest no sooner
looked on IFS FURNISHED side and saw his
need of cleansing than he washed and was
c.ean-glorious type Of the gospel OF my
| Lord Jesus, that first shows q man his Sill
and :hen washes it all away
| want you to notice that this LAYER IN
which the priest washed-the LAYER OF look
! ing glasses-was filed with fresh water every
morning. The servants of the tabernacle
brought the water in buckets and poured II
| into this LAYER. SO it is with the gospel Of
Jesus Christ. II has fresh salvation every
| day. It is net stagnant pool filled with ac'
cumuIated corruptions. 1t Is living water
which Is brought from the oterna
rock 10 wash away the sins of yesterday, oil
| one moment ago. "Oh," says some one
II was a Christian twenty years ago !!
That does not mean anything TO me- What
| are YOU now? We are not talking, my
brother, about pardon ten years ego, bu
about pardon now, fresh salvation.
Ill want to find out how a friend feels to-
ward me, DO go to the drawer aud find
some old yellow letters written to me ten or
twelve years ago? No. 1 go TO the letter
that was stamped the day before yesterday
in the postofflce, and find how hs feels to-
ward me. 1t is not in regard to Old com.
| munications we had with Jesus Christ. 1t Il
! the communications we have now. Are WI