The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-12-01
THE THREE CROSSES.
Sermon by Rev. T. Dewitt Tai
mage, D. D.
"The Orchard On the Hill"-The Poison.
Gus Fruit, and the Bitter Aloes-
Glorious Triumph Of the
Middle Cross.

opening exercises at the Tabernacle this
morning DR.. Talmage announced as his
text Luke % :33: And when they were
come TO the place, which is called Calvary,
there they crucified Him, and the malefac-
tors, one on the right hand and the other on
the left" He then said
Just outside of Jerusalem is swell of
ground toward which crowd is ascending,
for it is the day OF execution. What
mighty assemblage! Some for curiosity to
hear what the malefactors will say, and to
see how they will act. The three persons
to be executed are already there
Some Of the spectators are vile of
lip and bloated of cheek; some look up
with revenge, hardly able to keep their
hands of the sufferers; some tear their
own hair in frenzy of grief; some stand
in silent horror; some break out into un-
comfortable weeping; some slap their
hands in delight that the offenders are TO
be punished at last. The soldiers with
drawn swords drive back the mob which
presses on 80 hard. There is fear that the
proceedings may be interrupted. Let the
Roman legion, now stationed at Jerusalem,
on horseback dash along the line and force
back the surging multitude. "Back with
NOu 10 tut CIy. Law yOu uCSCI oCCu d
man die before1"
Three crosses in row. An upright piece
and two transverse pieces-one on the top
on which the hands are nailed, and one at
the middle, on which the victim sat. Three
trees just planted-yet bearing fruit-the
one at the right bearing poison, and the
one at the left bitter aloes; the one in the
middle apples of love. Norway pine and
tropical orange and Lebanon cedar would
not make SO strange a grove as this or
chard of Calvary. Stand and give look at
the three crosses; just look at the one on the
right; its victim dies scoffing. More ire
mendous than his physical anguish is his
scorn and hatred of Him on the middle
cross. This one on the right turns half
around on the spikes to hiss at the one in
the middle II the scoffer could get one
hand loose, and He were within reach
he would smite the middle sufferer
in the face. He hates Him with perfect
hatred. ! think he wishes he were down on
the ground, that he, might spear him. He
enyies the mechanics who, with their nails,
have nailed Him fast. Amid the settling
darkness and louder than the crash Of the
rocks hear him jeer out these words: "Ah,
ali, you poor wretch, ] knew you were an
imposter You pretended you were God,
and yet you let these legions master youp'
1t was in some such hate that Voltaire, in
his death hour, because he thought he saw
Christ in his bedroom, got up on his elbow
and cried out "Crush that wretchw What
had the middle cross done to rouse up this
right hand crossl Nothing. o, the enmity
of the natural heart against Christ. The
II ;ox
philanthropic Christ, but Christ who
comes to snatch men away from their sins
away with Him.
On this right hand cross to-day see
typitied tho unbolief of the world Men
say: Back with Him from the heart; l
will not let Him take my SINS If He will
die, let Him die for Himself, not for me-"
There has always been war between this
right hand cross and the middle cross, and
wherever there is an unbeleving heart,
thus the fight goes on. D, If, when that
lsdying malefactor persisted, the faithless-
ness of men had persisted, then that tree
which yields poison would have budded and
blossomed with life for all the world. Look
up into that disturbed countenance of the
sufferer and see what a CHASTITY thing it is
to reject Christ Behold in that awful
face, in that pitful look, in that un-
blessed death hour, the stings of the
sinners departure. What plunge into
darkness! Standing high upon the cfoss
at the top Of the hill, so that all the world
may look at him, he says: Here go out of
miserable life into wretched eternity"
| One, two, three. Listen to the crash of the
fall all ye ages. So Hobbies, dying after
he had seventy years in which to prepare
for eternity, said: "Were l master of the
world, would give it all to live one day
longer" Sir Francis Newport lowering
| over the brink, cried out: "Wretch that |
am, whittier shall | fly from this death'
What will become Of me9 Oh, that were
to lie upon the fire that never is quenched
one thousand years TO purchase the favor
of God and be reconciled to Him again. Oh,
eternity! Oh, eternity! Who can discover
| the abyss of eternity. Who can paraphrase
| upon these words: Forever and forever"
That right hand cross-thousands have
| persisted on it, in worse agonies. For what
is physical pain compared to remorse, at
| the last, that life has been wasted, and
only fleeting moment stands between the
soul and its everlasting overthrowl Oh,
God let me die anywhere rather than at
the foot Of that right-hand cross. Let not
one drop of that blood fall upon my cheek.
Rend not my ear with that cry. see II
now as never before-the loathsomeness
and horror Of my unbelef. That dying
malefactor was not so much to blame
Us l. Christianity was not established,
and perhaps not until that day had
that man heard the Christ. Blu,
| affar Chr;at hou ctnod a I'm oct N; N ataop con+
uries, working the wonders of His grace,
| you reject Him. That right hand cross
with its long beam overshadows the earth
1t is planted in the heart of the race. When
will the time come when the spirit of God
shall, with its axe, hew down that right
hand cross, until it shall fall at the foot OF
that middle cross, and unbelief, the railing
malefactor of the world, shall perish from
all our hearts, Away from me, thou spirit
of unbelief, hate thee. With this sword
of God thrust thee back and thrust thee
through Down TO hell; down most &C
cursed monster of the earth, and talk to the
millions thou hast already damned. Tall
no longer to these sons of God, these heirs
of Heaven.
IF Thou be the Son Of God" Was there
any "if'' about it, Tell me, thou star, that
in robe of light, did run to point out Hi.
birthplace! Tell me, thou sea, that dds
put thy hand over thy lip when He bid the,
be still! Tell me, We dead, who got up Il
see Him die! Tell me, thou sun in mic
heaven, who for Him didst pull over thy
face thy vail of darkness. Tell me, We lep
ers who were cleansed, We dead who wer,
raised, is He the son of God. Aye, aye, re
spends the universe. The flowers breath,
II, the stars chime il, the redeemed cele
brate it. the angels rise up on thei
thrones to announce it. And yet on tn,
miserable malefactor's "if' how man,
shall be wrecked for all eternity. That Ii.
tie ''if'' has enough venom it its sting +