Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-11-15

Inv JUG " ituoOu upholstery Ol hluk .
couch, When the body became still, and
The surgeons feeling the pulse said one to
another 'He is dead" the last mark of
pain had gone from his face. Peace had
smoOthed hts forehead. Peace closed his
ewes. Peace closed his lips. Now you
see why there were two transverse pieces
on the cross, for 1t has become a ladder
into the skies. That dying head is easy
which has under it the promise: "rhis
day thou shalt b. W tn me in Paradise"
He whose lips have been filled with bias
phemy, ye whose hands tor many years
have wrought unrighteousness, We who
have cOmpanioned with the unclean, yP
VINO have scaled every height of trans
gresston, and tathomed every depth, and
passed every extreme OF tiniQuity--mercy!
mercyl
Tire dying thief reioIced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I. as vile as he,
Wash ali my sins away"
have shown you the right hand cross
and the left hand cross; now come to the
middle cross. We stood at the one, and
tound 1t yielded poison. We stood at the
other, and found it yielded bitter aloes
Come now to the middle cross, and shake
down apples OF love. Uncover vour head.
You never saw so tender n scene as this.
You NAV have seen father, or mother, or
companion, or child die, but never so
affecting a scene as this. The railing
thief looked tom one way, and saw only
the right side of Christ's face. The peni-
tent thief looked from the other way, aud
saw the left side Ot Christ's face But
from where YOU sit to-day, in the fun
blaze Of Gospel light, you see ChrIst's
full face. 1t w2s a suffering cross 1t
the weapons of torture mad gone only
through the fatty portions OF the body,
the torture would not have
been SO great, but they went
through the hands, and feet, and
temples; the most sensitive portions. 1t
was not only the spear that went into His
side, but the sins OF all the race--a thou
sand spears-plunge alter plunge, d. eper
and deeper, until the silt nee and compos.
ure that before characterized Him gave
way into grOan, through which rumbled
the sorrows Of time and the woes of eLer-
nIty. Human hate had done It's worst,
and hell mad hurled its sharpest javelin,
and devils had vented their hottest rage.
when, with every nerve OF His body in
torture, and every fibre of His heart in
excruciatiOn, He cried out: "My God,
my God why hast Thou fOTsaken mev'
1t was a VicariOus crOss-the right
hand cross suffered for itself, the left
hand cross for itself; but the middle cross
for you. When king was dying young
man cried: "POur my blood into his
veins, hat he die not" The veins of the
young man we're tapped, ana the blood
transferred, so that the king lived, but
the young man died. Christ saw the race
perishing. He cried "POur my blood
into their veins, that they die not"
My nand Is free now, because Christ's
was crushed. My brow is painless now,
because Christs was torn. My soul es-
capes, because Christ's was bound. i
gain heaven, because Christ for me en-
dured the horrors OF hell. When the Swiss
were many years ago ooBtendng against
their enemies, they saw these enemies
arrayed in solid phalanx, and knew not
how TO break their ranks; but one OF their
heroes rushed out in front of his regiment
and shouted; "MRke way for liberty
The weapons of the enemy were plunged
into his heart, but while they were slay-
ing him, of course their ranks were
br0ken, and through that gap in the ranks
the Swiss marched to victory. Christ saw
all the powers OF darkness assailing men.
He cried out: Make way for the redetnp-
ton OF the world" All the weapons of
internal wrath struck Him, but as they
struck Him our race marched out free.
To this middle cross, my dy Ing hearers,
look, that your souls may live. | showed
you the right hand cross In order that YOU
might see what an awful thing 1t is to be
uDbelieYing. / showed yGu the LETT hand
cross that you might see what 1t Is to re-
pent. Now l show you the middle cross
that you NAV see what Christ has done TO
save your soul. Poets have sung its
praise and sculptOrs have attempted to
commemorate it. In marble. and martyrs
have clung to 1t in the fire, and Christians
dying quietly in their beds have leaned
their heads against it. This hour may all
our souls embrace IL with an ecstacv OF
affection. Lay bold OF that cross. sinnerl
Everything else will fail you. Without a
strong grip on that you perish. Put your
hand on that and you are sale, though a
wcrd swing from beneath your feet. O.,
that I might engrave on your souls inef-
faceaby the three crosses, and that IL IN
your waking moments you VIII not heed,
then that in your dream this coming
niRht, you might see on the bill back Of
Jerusalem the three spectacles--the right
hand cross showing unbelief, dying with
out Christ; the lett hand, showing what
it is 20 be pardOned, while the central
cross pOurs upon your soul the sunburst
of heaven as IL says: "By all these
wounds | plead for thy heart. | have
love. Rivers cannot quench It. Floods
cannot drown it," And while you
look, the right hand cross will fade out Of
sight, aud then the left will be gone;
nothing will remain Duttbe middle cross.
and even that IN your dream will begin TO
change, until IL becomes throne; and
the worn face Of Calvary Will become
radiant with gladness; and instead Of the
mad mob at the foot Of the cross will be
multitude kneeling. And you and viii
De among them. But mol we will not wait
for sucn a dream. In this our most
aroused mood we throw down at the foot
OF that middle cross sin, sorrow, life,
death, everything. We are slaves; Christ
gIves deliverauce TO the captive. We are
thirsty; Christ Is the river OF salvation to
stake our thirst. We are hunery; Jesus
says: 81 am the bread Of lie" We are
condemned TO die; Christ saws: "Saye
that man from going down TO tie pit: |
am the ransom" We are tossed on a sea
Of trouble; Jesus comes over 1t, saying:
"It Is J, be not afraid" We are IN dark
ness; Jesus says: II am the bright and
morning star" We are SICK; Jesus Is
the "balm OF Gilead We are dead;
hear the sbrouds rend and
the grave hlllocks heaye, as Be
cries: ~ am the resurrection
and the life; be that belieyoth IN Me,
though he were dead, yet shall he hye."
We want Justification: "Being iusiided
Dy faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus ChHst." We want % ex-
ercise faith: "BelieYe In the Lord Jesus
ChTiet. and thou shalt be- sayed.v / want
% get from under condemnation; "fhore
js now, therefore, no condemnation 10