The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-12-16
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.

BROOKLYN, N Y, Nov. 14.-After the
opening exercises at the Tabernacle this
morning DIR. Talmage announced as his
text Luke % :33: land 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 a
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 off the sufferers; some tear their
own hair in frenzy of grief; some stand
in silent horror; some break out into I'M
controllable 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 so 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
you'll" is the cry. "Have you never seen a
man die before?"
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 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 If 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 a perfect
hatred. think he wishes he were down on
the ground, that he might spear him. He
envies 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,
alb, you poor wretch, knew you were an
imposter. You pretended you were God,
and yet you let these legions master YOUR,
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 wretch ~ What
had the middle cross done to rouse up this
right hand CROSSE Nothing o, the enmity
OF the natural heart against Christ. The
world likes sentimental Christ. or
phllanthropic Christ, but Christ who
comes to snatch men away from their sins
away with Him.
On this right hand cross to-day I see
typified the unbelief of the world. Men
say: "Back with Him from the heart; 1
Will not let Him take my sins. If He will
die, let Him die for Himself, not for me.n
There has always been a war between this
right hand cross and the middle cross, and
wherever there is an unbelieving heart,
thus the fight goes on. o, if, when that
dying 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 pitiful look, in that un-
blessed death hour, the stings of the
sinners departure. What plunge into
darkness! Standing high upon the cross
at the top OF the hill, so that all the. world
may look at him, he says: "Here 90 out of
miserable life into wretched eternity.n
One, two, three. Listen to the crash of the
lali, all ye ages. So Hobbies, dying after
ne mad seventy years in which to prepare
Tor eternity, said: "Were I master of the
world, would give it all to live one dav
longer" Sir Francis Newport, lowering
over the brink, cried out: ssWretch that I
am, whittier shall l fly from this death2
what Will become of me2 Oh, that were
to lie upon the fire that never is auenched
one thousand years to purchase the favor
OF TOD and be reconciled to Him again. Oh.
eternity Oh, eternityl Who can discover
the ABYSS OF eternity? Who can paraphrase
upon these words: Forever and foreyerr,
That right hand oss-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 aeeting moment stands between the
soul and its everlasting overthrow9 Oh
God! let me die anywhere rather than at
the foot Of that rightrhand cross. Let not
one drop OF that blood fall upon nv cheek
Rend not my ear with that crv. 7 see il
now as never before-the loathsomeness
and horror Of my unbelief. That diving
maiefactor was not so much to blame
as l. Christianity was not established.
and perhaps not until that day had
that man heard the Christ. But
after Christ has stoodalmost nineteen cent
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
maiefactor of the world, shall perish from
all our heartsa Away from me, thou spirit |
OF unbeliefl 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 Talk
no longer to these sons Of God, these heirs
Of Heaven. :" -
"If Thou be the Son of God.n Was there
any ''lt'' about it, Tell me, thou star, that.
IN robe Of light, did run to point out His
olrthplaoel Tell me, thou sea, that didst
put thy hand over thy lip when He bid thee
De still Tell me, We dead, who got up to
see Him diel Tell me, thou sun in mid