Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-11-27

the cliffs, and you see sunlight and
flowers at the mouth of the cave; buI
take a torch and 90 in, and before you
have gone far, you see the flashing eye
of "A wild beast, or hear the hiss Of a
serpent. SO the world seems in the
sunlight of worldliness; but us | wave
the torch of Gods truth, and 90 down
into the deep cavern of the heart
alas! for the bristling horrors and the
rafting fangs. Have you eve motto
ed the climax in this passage of scrip
ture: The heart is deceitful" That
seems enough. But the passage goes
on and says: ''The heart is deceitful
above all things" viii you not say
that is enough? But the passage goes
on further and says: The heart is
deceitful above all things and desper-
ately wicked" If we could see the
true condition of the unpardoned
before God, what %wringing of hands
there would be! What a thousand
voiced shrek of supplication and des-
pair! But you are a sinner, "A sinner.
| speak not to the person who sits
next to you, but to you.
YOU X A SINNER.
All the transgressions of a life time
have been gathered up into an v a
lanche. At any moment it may slip
from the cliffs and crush you forever.
May the Lord Almighty, by his grace,
help us 20 repent OF our sins while re-
pentance is possible.
This left hand cross was a relieving
cross. There was no guess work in
that prayer; no ''if" in that supplica-
ton. The left hand cross flung itself
at the foot of the middle cross, expect
ing mercy. Faith is only just opening
the hand to take what Christ offers us.
The work is all done, the bridge is
built strong enough for us all to walk
over.
This left hand cross was a pardon
ing cross. The crosses were only two
or three yards apart. 1t did not take
long for Christ to hear. Christ might
have turned away and said: How
darest thou speak to meP l am the
Lord of heaven and earth | have seen
your violence. When you struck down
that man in the darkness. | saw you.
You are getting a just reward. Die in
darkness-die forever But Jesus
said not so, but rather: This dav
thou shalt be with me in Paradise as
much as to say: II see you there;
don't worry. l will not only bear my
cross, but help you with yours"
Forthwith the left hand cross be-
comes
THE ABODE OF CONFINEMENT.
The pillow of the malefactor, soaked in
blood, becomes like the crimson uphol-
stery Of a kings 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 his forehead. Peace closed
his eyes. Peace closed his lips. Now
you see why there were two transverse
pieces on the cross, for it has become
a ladder into the skies. That dying
head is easy which has under it the
promise: This day thou shalt be with
me in Paradise" Ye whose lips have
been filled with blasphemy, We who's,
hands for many years have wrought
unrighteousness, we who have compan
Toned with the unclean, We who have
scaled every height of transgression
and fathomed every depth, and passed
every extreme of iniquity-mercy
mercy!
"The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain In his day;
And there may |, as vile as he,
Wash all my sins away"
| have shown you the right-hanC
cross and the left-hand cross; now
come to the middle cross. We stood
at the one, and found it yielded poison
We stood at the other and found i
yielded bitter aloes. Come now to tn,
middle cross, and shake down
APPLES OF LOVE.
Uncover your head. You never saw SC
tender a scene as this. You may hav,
seer father, or mother, or companion
or child die, but never so affecting z
scene rs this, The railing thief looked
from one way, and say only the righ'
side of Christ's face. The peniten,
thief looked from the other way, anC
saw the left side Of Christ's face. Blu
from where you sit to-day, in the full
blaze of Gospel light, you see Christ:
full face. 1t was a suffering cross. Il
the weapons of torture had gone only
through the fatty portions of the body
the torture would not have beer
so great, but they went through
the hands, and the feet, and the
temples; the most sensitive portions.
1t was not only the spear that went
into His side, but
THE SINS OF ALL Ii RACE
"a thousand spears-plunge after
plunge, deeper and deeper, until the
silence and composure that before
characterized Him gave way into a
groan, through which rumbled the sor-
rows of time and the woes of eternity.
Human hate had done its worst. and
hell had 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 forsaken mep'
1t was a vicarious cross--the right
hand cross suffered for itself, the left
hand cross for itself; but the middle
for you. When a king was dy-
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