ZION’S LANDMARKS
DEVOTED TO THE DEFENSE OF THE PRIMITIVE BAPTISTS.
TO Till-r: T.^'W TO THIS TESTIMONY.”
VOI. 3.
WILSON, NOmH CAKOLIISA, NOYEMBP]R 15, 1870.
NO. 24.
Buii.er, Taylor (,'ounty, Ga.,
October 20tli, 1870.
Two men went up into the Teiii le to prav /• n i t rrii • t
Die one a PLiariciee and IheoUiera I'uldicaii. — ; tiUit 1 pOSSGSS. i.lllS J SUppoSG ^ i n j Tj- j. vi
' ' erJy called mercy, it was not so with
Blit the Pharisee continues :
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes
Pharisee cannot pray acceptable ; he
feels himself worthy and cannotthere-
^ I fore fee! a need of that which is prop-
Luke IS ; 10.
This parable our Saviour spake
unto certain who. trusted in them-
iselvcs that they were rigldeous,
w l’.ciein is illustrated the two grand in tlieir place; however, these things
oSspring systems of worship in the
world, from the days of Cain and
was true, for which Pharisees should !
not be re})roaclifcd. To refrain from
injustice, extortion, adultery, to pray,
give tithes, &c., arc excellent things
Abel to the end of time. Although
the PI larisee and Publican both go
up to the temple, and both go for
(lie same purjiose, yet, I su])p( sc no
two men were of more opposite char
acters; morally the Publicans must
have been of very low repute, as our
Saviour seems to class them with har
lots, (see jyjati). 21 : 31) while ihc
Pharisees were (at least in their own
esteem) of a very elevated moral
character and very strict in their
obedience to the law, so much so that
they frequently comjilained of many
acts of Christ, impeaching Him as be
ing even immoral in His walk. Such,
reader, was briefly the character \ of
the two men who went iqi into tlic
temple to pray. Let us now consid
er the substance and success of their
prayers. The Pharisee stood and
prayed thus with himself: God I
thank thee that I am not as other
men are, extortioners, unjust, adul
terers, or even as this Publican. Now
we may grant all this, and I suppose
that tlie Pliarisee was not as many
others of his time, that he was not
unjust in his dealings with men; that
he was not an extortioner as many
were; that he was not an adulterer.
All this, I say we may grant, and
really conclude that this Pharisee
had refrained from those vices
which he justly charges upon others.
nor any other thing, except Clirisc,
must not he relied upon for justifica
tion, hut that such like things was
the Ph arisee’s reliance is plain from
his prayer, for he not only does not
even confess that he was a sinner,
hut he does not ask anything at ail
of the Lord, from which wo may just
ly infer that he did feel in need
of anything excei t that the Lord
should be reminded of his excellent
virtu"“ ■
3s; witii which we will
now
yet, however he was a sinner, he
sprang from Adam who corrupted
himself by transgression; hence his
children must partake of his nature,
and from him they can derive no
other ; but of this, we peceive noths
ing like a confession in tiie Pharisee’s
prayer which may justify us in the
conclusion that he knew the na
tural vanity and deception of his i in 'we perceive the reason why the
leave the Pharisee for a while, and
consider llie Piihlie.-iu \nd his jiraycr.
But first, his character, what was it ?
Perhaps he was an ex'ortioner; in
gathering taxes it may be that he had
defrauded many; it is likely that he
was an adulterer and unjust general
ly. Certain it is he was a sinner and
had no plea to enter. Perhaps he
thought that he was unlike other men;
but unlike tlie Pharisee, lie thoindit
that he was the worst of all. Cocon-
seious Avas he of his guilt that he
would not lift up so much as i is eyes
unto fieaven, but smote upon his
breast, saying, God be merciful to me
a sinner. He docs not state any rea
son why mercy sliould be granted
him ; this he could not then have
done; he could see in himself a suffix
cient cause for judgment, but noth
ing to iiiliuence the mercy of the
Lord. But his inability to see the
channel of mercy did not lessen his
need nor silence iiis crying for mercy.
.If he had feU, as many now speak,
that God would be unjust if he does
not something for iis, this would hin
dered his penitent cry for mercy, for
Ave must deserve that Avhieh God
would be unjust to leave us without,
and that which a man deserves is but
justice to him, and should not in any
case deserve the name of mercy. Here-
ican, he knew that he had
meiited nothing but AVrath, and it
Avns that caused his cry for mercy ;
and though he may have heard the
Pharisee thanking God (or himself
rather) tliat he Avas not as this Pub
lican, I have no idea that he was
offcmled thereliy ; no doubt that the
Publican Avould sincerely have con
fessed that the Pharisee was a much
mi ire excellent character than himself.
Reader have you ever seen the time
that you had no plea to offer, and yet
felt that you Avere siidiing down uik
der the Aveight of God’ -Avrath ; Avhen
you had reformed your Avalk to the
utmost of your capacity, and prayed
as sincerely as you knew hoAV, did
yon see that your reformation was
no atonement, and did you feel that
your prayers Avas unavailing ? Sup
pose one had then told you tliat God
Avould be just to banisii you, what
Avould have been your reply ? Would
you have said He is unjust, or did
you not conclude that the justice of
God must oblige your condemnation^
Suppose then, one bad told you that
God Avas a gracious and merciful
sovereign, and that He had made
ample proA’isions for every poor,
needy soul, whatever might be the
number and magnituda of their sins.
Suppose you had been told that Christ
hasborneall your transgressions in his
OAvn body, aii'l tbat He has put away
all vonr numerous sins bv the sacri-
flee of himself, and that your present
troubles Avas the etfect of spiriTim!
lip'ht, and good evidence that Christ
vvas your friend and Saviour; and
moreover, tliat salvation Avas wholly
by grace and not of Avorks, that the
best yon could do would not merit
salvation, and the worst yon had ever
done could not hinder His love and
mercy ; do you think such preaching
would been an offence unto you then,
when it AA'as plain to your under
standing that nothing but free and
unmerittd mercy could reach your
case? Nay, it is Pharisees and not
the heart broken penitent that object
to the sovereign mercy and abounding
grace of God. No doubt the Pharisee
had more expectation of being justi
fied than the Publican did, but what
AA'ere the grounds of his hope, he tells
us plainly in his prayer, he did not
feel to be as other men Avero, extor
tioners, unjust, adulterers, &c. These
bad things he says he was not guilty
of, but he had fasted, given tithes,
alms, &c., these good things he had
done, and such was the ground of
his hope. And doubfess if one had
told him that trusting in his own
goodness Awas a false liope and Avould
avail nothing, he would have been
offended ; and so it is now, modern
Pharisees cry as loudly against the
doctrine of grace witb'out AVorks as
their ancient brethren did against
Christ. But be it so, the Publican
AAY'ut down to bis house justified rath
er than the Pharisee, which furnishes
an unanswerable argument for the doc
trine of grace, for if human goodnes.s
should he considered a condition of
mcri-y, then the Pharisee had been
justified rather than the Publican, for
no doubt his moral deportment was
much better. This eri’or has been
and e\’er Avill he an irreconcilable
mystery to Pharisees, that the wise
and prudent, self-righteous man,
V, ho iVoin self-love refrains from
outward vice ami immorality,should
be cast oil wliileour Lord will soon
er receive into His kingdom Publi
cans and harlots, and such us are
base and vile among men ; riot that
Ills peo[de walk in such a niannt*r
alter they are called therefrom. No,
if any walk perversely, it any art?
thieves, rminlerers, lornicators,adul
terers, di uukards, defrauders, &c,,
&c., such give but poor evidence
that they have ever prayed the
Publican’s [uaycr, tbough they
may have used bis words with the
Pharisee’s spirit. If vv3 are j)ossC8.s-
ed of a boastl'ul spirit ; if any cons
lend that salvation is conditional,
depending upon some work t»r
worthiness of man, which they
profess to have performed, such pro-
lessors UiHA' use the Avords uf the