The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1847-06-02

VI the mon, lnerc came wlld lament
Friends were following after, whose sick
Christ had healed, whose wounded hearts
he had bound up, and on whose pathway of
darkness he had shed the light of Heaven,
and now they lifted up their voices in one
mourniul cry. He turned at the sound and
lls.cncd moment. then murmured, in
mournful accents: ;' Weep not for me, but
aceep for you1sezres, your ,cipcS und your
chad7en." Jerusalem on fire suddenly rose
to his vision; together with It's famnr-strucls
and bloated population staggering and dy-
ing around the empty market places-the
heaps Of the dead that loaded the air with
pestilence, and all the horror and woe and
carnage of that last dreadful siege and
forgetlul OF his own suffering, he exclaimed:
" Weep not for me: but for yoursevles, your
aoices and chilcl1en."
AT length the procession reached the hill
top and Christ was laid upon the ground,
and his arms stretched along the timber he
had carried. with the palms upturucd, and
through them spikes driven, fastening them
10 the wood Mcthinks hear the strokes
Of the hammer as it sends the iron, with
blow after blow, through the quvcring
tendons and behold the painful working Of
that agony-wrung brow, and the convulsivc
heaving add swelling Of that blessed bosom,
which seemed striving to rend above the
imprisoned heart.
At length he is lifted from the ground
his weight dragging on the spikes through
his hands, and the cross-picce inserted into
the mortice Of the upright timber, and
heavy iron through his Ieet, fastening them
TO the main post, and he is left to die
Why speak of his agony-of his words Of
comfort to the dying thief-or of the dis
grace of that death. Not even to look on
tina, pallid face and flowing blood could one
get any conception Of the suffering victim.
The 6 loom aud terror that began to gather
round the soul, as every aid human and
divine: withdrew itself, and it stood alone in
the deserted darkened universe, and shud-
dcrcd, was all unseen by mortal eye Yet
even in this dreadful hour his heart did not
forget its friends. Looking down from the
cross, he saw the mother that bore him ga
zng in tears upon his face, and with feeble
and tremulous voice, he turned to John, who
had so often lain on his bosom, and SAID,
"Son, behold thy mother" Then turning
to his mother, he said, Behold thy son. !"
His business with earthly thing was now
over, and he summoned his energies to NEE,
the last most terrible blow, before which ma
turc itself was to give way. He had hith-
erto ndured all without complaint; the
mocking-the splitting upon the cross, the
nails and the agony-but now came woe
that broke his heart Has tather's-his o,om
fathey's frozen bosgam TO aarkcn upon hm.-
Oh, who can tell the anguish of that loving,
trusting, Abandoned heart at the sight. 1t
was too much, and there arose cry so
piercing, so shrill and SO wild that the uni
| verse shivcred before it and as the cry ::
My Col, My Col, ohyhastthomto torsakemm mc?"
fell on the ears Of astonished mortals, and
filled heaven with alarm the earth gave a
groan as if she too WAS about TO expire the
| sun died in the heavens, an earthquake
thundered ou',o complete the dismay; and
the dead could no longer sleep, but burst
their ghastlv ccremen,s: and came forth 10
look upon the scene. That was the gloom
lest wave thht ever broke over the soul OF
the Saviour, and he fell before it. Christ
acas 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 struck. l know not but
there was silence on high for more than
"hay an hour" when the scene of crucifc-
ton was transpiring-a silence unbroken
save the solitary note OF some harp string on
which unconciously fell the agita,ed ,rem-
bling fingers of some seraph. know not
but all the radiant ranks on high and even
Gabriel himself, turned with the deepest
solicilude to the Fathers face, to see if he
was calm and untroubled amid it ALL l
know no, but his composed brow and serene
majesty were all that restrained heaven
from one universal shrek of horror, when
they heard groans on Calvary-dying
groans. know not but they thought that
God had "given his glory to another" bu,
one thing | do know-that when they
saw through the vast design--comprehended
the stupendous scheme, the hills of God
| shook to shout never before rung over
q %1o,~ kx,o L. l. I