West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1882-03-24

ne Is, DOT the picture OF n Christ, not the
statue ct a Christ as in Roman Cath lie
Csthed ais, bat The body OF a lying,
dying redeomer.
Some say that Christ lad FIVE wGauds.
Do, they COUNTED wrong They counted
two for the hands and two for the fee,
and one for the side, and they make out
five wounds. But they forgot To count
the worst Of the wounds and the most Of
the wounds. Do you know anything
about the strength Of That cap of ,horns ?
l saw a man on the ferry boat with "A
specimen bramble brought from a tar
country. 1t was Just such a bramble az
Christs crown of thorns was made of.
How sharp and cruel and stubborn that
bramble. When il was put upon Christ
do you say that &c had only i've wounds /?
Aye. ten wounds, twenty wounds, thirty
wounds, l cann9t count them.
There were two or three Absences at
that tilic n%de the scene worse. In the
first place there vas absence Of water.
The climate was hot, the fever, the in
hamaiioD, the nervous pros,ralion, the
gangrene had set In, and He terribly want
ed water. These wounds of Christ were
worse than any gunshot fracture, cad He
wanted water and could not get II. In
the thirteenth century a Turk was cruel
fed on the banks of a river, 90 that the
water might tantalize his eyes. And oh.
how the thirst of Christ must have been
tantalized when He thought lie had made
the EuPhrates, and the Amezon, aad all
the fountains OF earth and heaven. No
water IL is said in one place that they
offered Him wine ana myrrh-an intoxi-
eating draught-which lie refused. He
wanted to die sober. Absence of water /!
There was the absence of light also. You
know that darkness cpasperates any kind
of trouble. l never shall forget the cum
mer of 1878, when l was on board the
steamship Greece, mid-Atlantic, aud #
seemed about to 90 down, and all the
lights In the cabin had been blown out.
The Captain came in, crawling as the
steamer tossed, and said Light up
light uPl" The steward said ave can't;
the candles are gone and the holders are
gone" He replied: 81 can't help that
light upl". And by almost superhuman
efforts lights were kindled. Darkness ex-
asperates any kind of trouble. Oh, how
1t added to the gloom of Christ's last hour
when the lamp of the MONDAY sun had
gone out and left Him in darknessl Yes.
there was the absence of nursing attend
ants. When you are in suffering how
pleasant it is to have the head bathed, or
the hands or the feet rubbed. Look AT
Christs hands and feet! Look at His
face! Did He have any such attendance ?
There were women there who knew how
to take care of the sick, but they could
not come up. Christ's mother could moi
come up. The Chief Priests eud tie sol
diers must haYe it their Own way. They
had 1t their own way. The hours are
passing on. 1t is l O'Clock. 1t Is half
past l o'clock. II is 3 o'clock. Ii ia
half-psst 2 o'clock. II is almost 3 o'clock.
Take your last look of that sufferer-His
face wan and p!nched purple lips drawn
tight against the teeth me eyes red with
a fiery redhess from weeping, and sunkeu
as If pushed back with grief and black
neFs under the lower lid His body adroop
and shivering with the last chill; His
breath feebier and feebler until he sivss
one long deep sigh. lie is dead He lie
dead o., my soul, He is dead! Can
you tell why ? Was He d fanatic. dyipo
for a principle that did not amount to apv
thing2 Was He infatuated No. To
deliver your soul from sin and make
heaven possible TO your immortal nature.
Jesus Christ persisted there that dav.
Some one must die to atone for Sin. 'Let
1t be me- asid Jesus, 'let 1t be me ~ De
you not understand that idea of subs,itu-
tion5 You were drafted during the last
war. Some man went as ysur substitute.
he fell ct Gettysburg or at Atlanta. He
suffered for You-wRs your substitute.
just as the Lord Jesus Christ was our sub
stitute, coming into this great battle of
and falling Tor us, through his death
we being saved. How do you feel toward
this Jesus Christ Any sympathy toward
him z Any going out Of the hearts affec-
ton toward him ? Or have you been 90
hardened in sin, and are you so abandoned
in transgressioR that you are fearless and
unmoved before AL this scene Oh, no
hear a thousand people il the audience
out ''If Jesus did all that fer
me, l -Alst love Him, / will love Him.
do love Him. surrender myself to Him
This hour. Here, Lord, l give my self
away It's All that I can do"
But how arc you going to test your
earnestness Ny text gives a test. Chris,
a cross for you, but in the text He
sets forth the idea that you have TO carry
a cross for Him. You say, "Whati is nYi
You say, 81 hear a great deal in PRAYER
meetings about carrying a cross. What
do you mean by Il, sir 70 I will tell Won
unpleasant and hard tba, You
are called 10 do for Jesus, that il q cross.
We'll, says some oae in the church. 81
I'm ready 10 do anything just show me
what cross ! am to carry. Christ has done
much for me am ready 10 do anvtbipg
for Him" viii you keep that promise
Well, ] will show you a cross that You
may carry for Him. It Is not to morrow