Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-10-22


that bore him gazing in tears upon his face, and
with feeble and tremulous voice, he turned to
john, who had so often lain in his bosom, and
said, Son behold thy mother Then turning
to his mother, he said Behold thy SON. His
business with earthly things was now over and
he summoned his energies to meet the last most
terrible blow, before which nature itself was to
give way He had hitherto endured all without
complaint-the mocking-the splitting upon
the cross, the nails and the agony-but now
came woe that broke his heart His fathers
his own fathers frown began to darken upon
him, Oh who can tell the anguish of that
loving, trusting, abandoned heart at the sight
1t was too much, and there arose cry so pierre
ing and shrll and wild that the universe shivered
before it. and as the cry, { My God, my God,
why hast thou forsqken met fell on the ears of
astonished mortas, and filled heaven with alarm.
The earth gave groan, as if she too was about
expire; the sun died in the heavens; an earth
quake Numbered on to complete the dismay; and
the dead could no longer sleep, but burst their
ghastly cerements, and came forth to look upon
the scene. That was the gloomiest wave that
ever broke over the soul of the Savior, and he
fell before it. Christ was dead; and to all
human appearance, the world was an orphan.
How heaven regarded this disaster, and the
universe felt at the sight, cannot tell. | know
not but tears fell like rain-drops from angelic
eyes, when they saw Christ spit upon and stuck.
know not but there was silence on high for
more than half an hour when the scene of the
crucfxon was transpiring-a silence unbroken
save by the solitary sound of some harp string
on which unconsciousIy fell the agitated, trem-
bling fingers of seraph. know not but all
the radiant ranks on high, and even Gabriel him
self turned with the deepest socitude to the
Fathers face, to see if he was calm and I'M
troubled amid it all. | know not but his COM
posed brow and serene majesty we're all that
restrained heaven from one universal shrek of
horror, when they heard groans on Cali airy, dy-
ing groans. know not but they thought God
had given his glory to another but one thing
| do know-that when they saw through the vast
design, comprehending the stupendous scheme,
the hills of God shook to a shout that have new
er before rung over their bright tops, and the
crystal sea trembed to song that had never
before stirred its bright depths, and the Glory
to God IN the highest was a 'seven-fold chorus
of hallelujahs and harping symphonies.
Yet none of the heavenly cadences reached
the earth, and all was sad, dark and despairng
around Mount Calvary The excitement which
the slow murder had created, vanished. With
none to resist, and none to be slain, change
came over the feelings of the multitude, and
they began one by one to return to the city
The sudden darkness also, that wrapped the
heavens, and the throb of the earthquake which
made those three crosses reel to and fro like &C.
dars in a tempest, had sobered their feelings,
and all but the soldery were glad to be away
from scene that had ended with such super
natural exhibitions. Gradually the noise and
confusion around the hilltop receded down the
slopes-the shades of evening began to creep
over the landscape, throwing into still more
ghasy relief those three white corpses stretch
ed on high and streaked with bood-and all
was over No, not over, for the sepulchre was
yet to open, and the slain Christ was to mount
the heaven of heavens in his glorious ascen-
sion.
will not speak of the moral grandeur of the
atonement-of the redemption purchased by
the agony and death on Calvary, for they are
familiar to all. Still they constitute the great
ness and value of the whole. 1t is the atone
ment that makes Mount Calvary chief among
the Sacred Mountains gives it such altitude
that no mortal eye can scan its top, or bear the
full efugence of its glory. Paul called on his
young disciples to summon their strongest ener-
ges and bend their highest efforts to comprc-
bend the length and breadth and depth and
height of this stupendous theme-'a length
which reaches from everlasting to everlasting;
breadth that encompasses every intelligence and
every interest; depth which reaches the lowest
state of human degradation and misery; and
height that throws floods of glory on the throne
and crown of jehovah