The Publican's Cry.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4212, 1 July 1882, Page 4

The Publican's Cry.

%£By Be&. T.-'SC Stevenson, Debbx.' God be merciful to me a sinner.—Luke xviii., 18.; .^Tfiere ,may}ibe v a Fethere is great inward ditersityP " men went up ;to the temple tor-pray?'.! They-.were bottfmen; Thejr were warned -by"the same; 4 statf, : fanned by: thefsapie breeze,-, walked the earth. "They went to one t^lace, ."-." the temple," fnot this "man to the .temple Ctnd thit to Jhe exchange,,-theatre, -or Th«jy v ,. went." for "an | identical cbpwyweJ '* to prayj" 'Jjo> alike! j£Yes•; £i butane parallel there. Inwardly ,** thejTwere " wiße as tKe poles asunder.": " the was promt and unfeeling;, the publican contrite^ndhumpletr; Hence ojje *' went down totii house justified, £pd not the other." ? . ™ -' ' ,v T r. ;£The cry, "jGbd be merciful to me,a sinner," is as ofieerin^and; instructive'as it is familiar. Let us once ..more think tJbfQuiit. "Me a sinner "'^notice this. To'say that, is the AB C" of*personal xci llgion. "Me a sinner !" the exclamation^ %she first step in a new course. " MeW sniper 7': such is the cry uttered amid the, throbs and throes of new birth. Hpw, many fail to feel their guilt! In a story; by otaorge Eliot, a woman is made to say, " I never was a sinner." This provokes a :: .as-. : well ' mourn oVer itTfor it indicates an ignorance ot self which isiby; no-means rare. . And-yet what abundant proof exists 'of our f depravity 4 ! , Take,,/or instance, tbip common aversion- to^realising Eivirie

omniscience, _Tbat God sees all and know* all is often a, t terror to. men ; where it is vn6t'a "source of dread, it is a source of' : ffririoyancd to tbrem. 'f\ Usiially'they shrink . from the fack': But who does not observe /that in so doing they emphatically pro-nounce.their-own condemnation P Why • shbulii they fear theeye r of, God if ifc looked on nothing but hbliness_and goodness P — Ah'"it*is"a~de'eply>seated*~consciou*sness of 4 gnilt whichllies at the bottomjof^he matter. ' Aaa'^and^ve fled "from Jehovah's pre->-s Bence-~whmP< .■ After, eating the.'fctrbidden '* fruit. In the parable of. the pounds one' -■ Oj?f |he servants hangsv.back,'iand^does not come forward to give an account of his j 'P t itewardshipi until last. ,V?,hyj? Because '<>r fie had wrapped the money in a napkin and hidden it 7 Or Jook, again, at another evidence- { of sin, namely, the "wide-spread . , neglect; of, prayeri' "Thou restraintest prayer before God" Js always a charge, ' which truth demands that we should bring

, against nun^bersofpurfellows. Multitudes ' ire* sirahgers_to "supplication If next .., f week, in almo.st any town wlnchyou chooße ' / jfa*'ta i .IjOiji"^theße,' ltwo were annqunced—a prayer-meeting and, a concert —which would be the more .largely attended ? We ne.e t d,not/reply. So different is the condition of the human race from that of other

beings. '' When He bringeth His first begotten into the world,, He saith, Let all Ithe abgels~of God worship Him." And J .they'did. 1 Listen :' " Suddenly there was ' a'jmultitude of' the heavenly host, praising and blessing God " because of, Messiah's birth. Were- men -and -- women-* to be removed from our habitations, and angels put in the abodes thus vacated, cities and - towns and villages would all be Bethels. > ,Praise'?aasTSprayer would ascend like * fragrant* incense^ from all habitations. I That .men: are .forgetful of devotjon is a damning 1 proof of their sin. Wef, there fore, may r we draw nigh to the Almighty in speaking of ourselves thus—"Me a • f . '-, '. " ' s // ■{< 'V Brit the publican .was not satisfied with confession*; he went' further. What boots it that I know my disease if I do not seek a remedy ? " Be/merciful," implored the pnbiiean; she is not contend to lie in the miserable slough-of depravity, No r; in J /effictl He says, '<" Lift? me out'; ffbrfiive, ■i' t-Lord, save I " Moreover, "he went do w"h

to his house justified," because he, had . asked i for . pardon.,- The of Scripture irthWwe mustapply for mercy, if we a»->to-gejfc£it.^".;He will be very gracious* unto Jhe'e at the voice of thy cry." " Whosoever will call on {the name , ofaheiiord shall be saved." ;•«Ask, and it shali.be given you.", At^the close of this Very chapter, which'it ells us, of the '" publican and the pharisee, we read of a „' \ third'beggar who called out to Jesus and ' implored that he might have, his sight, . *'* otherwise he. would have remained blind „' toadying day." , We.are told to", "lay .\ hold pi : eternal life.", Qf.what.use to a r drowning person would.a rope 1 be, unless he grasped it P " That Thou givest them' they gather," says the psalmist. l Fppd limitless, and riches beyond computation, would be of no more*value than dross and rubbish' except they are "gathered: My •'' friend, if you are to be forgiven, you must ' seek'pardon.'.*;Go., to God,'. I«pray, for mercy. There is no other way of obtain- ., ing it. , . ' Very important is one word, and that a little one, in the, publican's prayer:— . *fMe." He individualised. . His own > needs were, vividly present- to him. He- . ligion is a personal thing. Act for your-, •elf! Cardinal Newman, in his own «i*iMlfol#e£wnttf*> $*. religion every, man should be an egotist." So he should. - "The Lord, is my shepherd." The prosoun, Martin Luther remarks, is the hinge on which the whole psalm turns. It would have'been'nothing to' David that Gbd'was- « shepherd, or the, Shepherd of others, if He was jn6t his." The beautiful'ana daily - < priestly benediction was to" the following __..effect:rs?"The Lord-.bless -thee and keep , thee ; the Lord be merciful and gracious nnto ihee?-'■ Thereisa fine used bj two illustrious Hebrews :—■" As for tte.j":, JosfiuSkand David .both employed it/, "As for vie arid "my house we will •'- serve the Lord." You may act' as you *..:will, my choice is made, my. resolution is . .fixed. .Does it seem good to you to do as '->< your fathers did, and worship false gods? »"! Not tWis shall it be with me and'mine ; we* will remain true to Jehovah." Such was 1 the'determination' of Joshua. "As for me;" isaysDavia, " I will behold Thy • face ''in*;!righte'ousness."l He had been 1 thinking, .and writing' of wicked 'neighbprs/were" a^ grief to him. ,' But; however successful and; prosperous they *, may he, he will notbe led astray by them! honor God, and, the end ! shall be bliss immortal.. Let us catch his tone and" imbibe his spirit. " This, above -- ill, to (hine.own ulf be true." Each has a Though all "'■round-be' s false, 1 it is' for-us lo do the * "right! a-;-<i* u^ *»^r,.' XiJj ' - ' ' i\ i-<<. *t Qo& 1,0 mefeifulio me &' f sinner." A 1 brief grayer, 4 but' ■^ !;pne. A 1 yet quite-long enough to reach to heaven itself. As a powerful

author, has shown, few words may be mighty; nay, a single word may prove "electuair" WfielT"every man is on his horse, and every foot in his .stirrup, and , every..hand grasps the sabre, one; word suffices to launch the regiment like a thuuderbolt. on the foe—" charge!" When the smoke rises and the fire ;bursts from the burning house, one word^ is ..enough to' summons needed laid, —•t'fFire! " . When the poor victim :of* cruelty, is stabbed or; trodden down, * a word procures sympathy and. ready hflp —'^Murder I" Nor is it otherwise as .regards the soul and'its .Maker.' God I looks not at the length but the intensity' I oCprayer. I „We,-wpuld add another remark: If you raise the publican's. cry,:never doubt that L it is'answered. You are "justified," as he wag. Do we honestlyTnean to abandon our evil practices, Iwhile^ at the same time, we~Bincerely"ask for pardon? Then .we, not only may believe," but we^ ought to be* lieve that we are forgiven, for it is written, " If we confess our sins, He* is, faithful ancT just to iForgive us~t>ur sinsl" ■ That ought to be the death-blow of all doubt and -misgiving. One --day at a review, Nftpoleon the First, in a fit of abstraction, let-;fall the bridle of his charger.; The j beffßt Iwas ..jiigh-mettled, aud off it galloped at a furious perilous, speed.. A ' private soldier, seeing the danger, : ran foijsrard^ andi at considerable risk to himself, stopped the runaway. " Thank you, captain," said^the Emperor. " " Of' what regiment ?" asked the man.: "Of myguardsj" replied Bonaparte. The soldier immediately rode up to and joined the imperial staff, taking his place among officers and marshals. That was faith. So let us trust the Captain of our salvation, taking Him even at His word, and never doubting that He will do all that He has-promised. •