Daily Republican., 1886-02-17
Revival Services.
WHAT TINE P.EsBYTERIANB
AkE DOING-FHE z HEUEssI
OF CHRISTIANs. tH
REV. DIR. NIXON'S SERMON,

II 49, - Ats AN4<AO y ~ i.
1 -
Il Ii probably a long tima s,pca ~
large q congregation assem- bled far "a.
ligious worship In this city as that
which gathered In old Hanover churob
last night, the spacious audience room
being literally crowded.
The Rev. DIR. Nixon, pastor of Gem
trai church, delivered an able, instruc.
tive and very searching sermon from
q aoh. XII, 10. And they shall look nm
on me whom they have pierced ana
mourn.
These words, written hundreda of
years before Jesus was born, began To
bs fulfilled at his death, when manv ef
tas people, heholding the things that
were done, smote their breasts and re-
irned to the city. A more striking
folfllment was seen at the day of PEN
tecost, when thousands OF the mob
w 10, seven weeks before, had clamored
Tor the death Of Jesus, were struck bv
the sermon OF Peter with powerful CON.
viction OF their guilt, and pricked in
their heart cried out Men and
brethren, what shall we do ?"
| But We must not limit the application
OF these words to the jews, who had
taken part In the death Of Christ, They
AoNDeA w oo AOOoooity buu DIl6 WAY OF
true gospel repentance for all who know
| Of Christ. Its necessity, because Ne
have all pierced Christ as truly a. ala
the Jews, and the way because we shall
never exercise . true godly sorrow for
our sins until like them we look nv
faith upon him whom we have pierced.
The proof that we in common with
the Jews are guilty of the blood Of
Christ was found first in the statement
OF Rev. i, 7 that not the Jews alone but
all kindreds OF the earth shall wall be.
cause they have pierced him. Second
that the motives which led the chief
priest to conspire against him, Judas. to
betray him, the populace TO cry cruelty
him and PLATE to give him up 10 their
will, are the very same motives which
lead men now to neglect or reject the
claims Of Jesus as Saviour and King.
The envy of the priests, the fear that
the popularity Of Jesus would deprive
them Of place and power, Judas love
OF money, Pilates cowardly fear and
failure to act up to his real conviction.
the thoughtlessness of the population.
who cried one day HoSanna to the Son
Iof David and the next cruelty him
all these things influence men to day
as truly as they Influenced those whe
DAN w 0bOuh eAO ACAbu vi 004uh GU tu0
cross.
Sd. The real piercing OF Jesus was.
the piercing of his soul His bodily
sufferings, real as they were, must NOT
be compared with the sorrow of his
soul That was caused by two things
In which We all have q shars. First,
the fact that He bore our sins as our
substitute. Our sins formed o part Of
thAt great cloud Of trans0ression which
l went mp over His head when he made
Of His soul an Offering for sin, SO that
he could no longer see His Father faco
In love. And second, the deep pain
THAT he felt in his own soul on account
of the sins of men. This was seen in
his tears over Jerusalem. His pure.
holy soul abhored all sin, but 81 D
compasslon for sinners is so deep that
their sins pierce Him with anguish.
Think Of what the best man and the
4 p1rest woman you know would suffer
IN view of the profiigacy OF q wicked
son or abandoned daughter and you
will get glimpse Of what Jesus en-
dnred In view of the wickedness Of men.
In this respect We have all pierced him
with our sins. As Holy Scriptures say
In this way we cruolfy the Son of God
afreSh. Every new sin is like q new
spear thrust In his loving heart; the
lme yesterday, to-day and forever; SO
of old he wept over Jerusalem 80 to-day
perchance he weeps over many in Will
mington going on in the sins which
will be the death of their souls.
The realization Of those things will
prod nee the deepest, truest repentance.
1t is not repentance merely to be
sorry that sin has injured us. Repent.
aDce sses sin rs injuriDg God. When
we look on Him whom we have pierced
then we mourn.
No subject as to which men of all re--
liRions are SO agreed as upon the neces-
sity OF repentance. And yet how diff
cult truly TO repent with that gen uine,
lasting sorrow for all siu which drives
US from 1t and keeps MS upon it. That
we may thus repent let us row and
often look upon him whom we have
pierced.
Let US see our sins in the light Of the
cross Of Christ. So We shall learn to
bate the pride, the envy, the W lrldli.
ness, the covetousness, the thoughtless-
ness, the yielding to evil, aud all tho
sins which combined to pierce the body
and the soul OF the holy, loving Son Of
God. Let us mourn for them now in
true repentance, that we may not here.
after wall with an anguish that shall be
hopeless.
The sermon was followed with earn.
est prayer for the Divine blessing, and
brief, earnest remarks by DIR. Marks,
aud Revs. FL. ID, Lindsay and A. N.
keigwin. Services at Hanover church
to- night, and every night this week
except Saturday. All are cordially in
vited attend.