The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-11-07
The DIVINE MIRROR.
Froua the Far East DE-. Talnasae Seeds q

Frona the Far East DE-. TalDosae Seeds
Message ot Grace.
BROOKLYN, Oct. 2S.-Rey. Dr. Ia-'
mage, who has lef. India and IS now on
his homeward journey, has selected as
the subject Of his sermon To-Day throusn
the press 1.-The Locking Glass" his
text being Exodus xxxyiii, S, And he
nsda the laVer Of brass, and the foot ot
it wss brass, of the looking glasses OF
the wsmsn ASSEMBLING"
We often hear about the gospel n
John, and the gospel il Luke, and the
gospel in Matthew, but there is just as
surely gospel of Moses, snd q gospei
of jeremiah, and gospel Of David. In
other words, Christ is as certaiOly to be
found in tie Oid Testament IS IN the
New.
When the Israelites were marching
through the wilderness they carried
their church with them. They called It
the tabernacle. It was q pitched tent,
very costly, very besutitul. The frame
work was made OF 4S boards OF scacie
wood set IN sockets of silver. me
curtains of the place were purple and
scarlet and blue and fine linen and Here
hung with most artistic loops. The
candlestick OF that tabernacle had sbait
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 snufers Of gold, and tongs
of gold, and rings Of gold, 50 that skep.
ticism has sometimes asked, Where did
all that precious material come tron'
1t Is not my place to furnish the pre-
clous stones. It is only to tell that
they were there.
I wish now more especially to speak
OF the laver that was bull. IN the midst
OF that ancient tabernacle. It was q
great basin from which the priests wash
ed their hands and feet. The Wster
came down from the basin IN spouts and
passed away after the cleansing. This
la7er, or basin, was made out OF the lock-
ing glasses OF the women who frequsnt-
ed the tabernacle, and who had made
these their contribution to the ful nlture.
These looking glasses were not made OF
glass, but they were brsSan. The brass
was OF 8 very superior quality and pol
ished until it reflected easily the
features of those who locked INTO 1t:
80 that the laver spokea Of in my text
did double work-it not only furnished
the water in which the priests washed
themselves, but it also, on its shining,
polished surface, pointed cut the spots
ofpollusiSn On the face which recded
ablution. Now, my Christian friends,
as everything in that ancient tabernacle
was suggestive Of religious truth, and
for the most part positively symbollcal
OF truth, I shall take that layer effook.
ingglssses spoken Of IN ihetext IS all
suggestive of the gospel, which first
shows us ouf sins as in a mirror and
then washes them awsy oy divine ablu.
ton.
Oh. happy Day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away!
IhaYe to say that tnis is tie only
hooking glass IN which man can see
himself as he is. There are some mir.
rors that latter the features and make
you look better than you are. Then
there are other mirrors that 6isto-t your
features and make you lock worse than
you are, but want to tell you that this
looking glass of the gospel shows man
Just as he is. When the priests entered
the ancient tabernacle, ons glaece st the
FURNISHED side Of this lsver showed them
their need of cleansing, so this gospel
shows the soul its need Of divine wash.
ing. s'All have sinned and come snort
of the glory of God." That IS one
showing. "All We, Ike sheep, have
gone astray." That is another show
ing. "From the crown of the hesd to
the sole OF the foot there is no health in
us'' That is another showing. The
world calls these defects, impertections,
or eccentricities, or errat,c behavior, or
'sWild OATS" or sshlgh living" but the
gospel calls them sin, transsression,
flth-the abomiuabls thing that God
hates. It was just one glaEco at the
mirror that made Paul cry cut, "Oa,
wretched man that am, who shall de-
liver nae from the body Of this deslh?"
and that made David cry out, purge
me with hyssop, and I shall be clear" :"
and that made Martin Luther cry out,
sob, my sins, nay sinsw I am not
talking about bad habits. Yon and I
do not need any Bible TO tell US that
bad habits are wrong; that blasphemy
and evil speaking are wrong, but am
talking of 8 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 ercamping
around every heart, holdinglt in tY-
ranny from which nothing but the grace
of God can deliver it.
Here, for instance, Is ingratituGe.
Who has uot been guilty of that sin? If
q man hand Us glass Of water, we say,
s'Thank you," but for the 10, ,000mercies
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 and sound
sleep and clothes to wear, how little
thanks! 7 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
ingratitude of cur hearts there is pride
who has not felt it?-pride that will not
submit to God, that wants its own way,
nature that prefers wrong sometimes
instead OF right, that prefers to wallow
instead of rise up. I Go not care what
you call that. am not going to quar-
rel with any theologian or any man who
makes any pretensions to theology. I
do not care whether you call it "total
depravity" or something else, I simply
make the announcement of Gods word,
affirmed and confirmed by theexperience
Of hundreds Of Christian people, the
imagination of the heart Of msn is evil
from youth. "There IS none .oat doeth
good-no, not one" We have bad
nature. We were born with t. We
goi it from cur parents. They got it
from their parents. Our thous ats are
wrong. cur action is wrong, cur whole