The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-11-19
THE THREE CROSSES. ]
Bermon by Rev. T. Dewitt Tai
mage, D, ID.
"The Orchard on the Hi1 The Poison
Gus Fruit, and the Bitter Aloes-
t-- Glorious Triumph OF tho
Middle Cross.

Middle Cross.
BRooKLYN, n. Y, Nov. 14-After the ]
opening exercises at the Tabernacle this /
morning DR. Talmage announced as his /
text Luke % :33: 'tAnd when they were /
come 70 the place which is called Calvary, /
there they crucitied Him, and the maletac-
tors, one on .2e right hand and the other On 4
the left" He then said:
just outside of Jerusalem is g swell OF /
ground toward which crowd is ascending /
for it is the day of execution. What 1
mighty assemblagel Some for curiosity to |
hear what the malefactors viii say, and TO |
zee how they viii act. The three persons /
TO 10 executed are already there
some OF the spectators are vile OF
lip and blOatcd of check; some look up
with revenge, hardly able 10 keep their
hands of the sufferers; some tear their
own hair in a frenzy of grief; some stand
In silent horror; some break out into UNI
Controllable weeping; some slap their
hands in delight that the offenders are TO
be punished at last. The soldiers with
drawn swords drive back tho mob which
presses on so hard. There is fear that the
proceedings may be interrupted. Let the
Roman legion. now stationed Mt Jerusalem,
On horseback dash along the line and force
back the surgiug multitude. " Back with
youp is the cry Have you never seen a
man die befOrcf"
Z
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 alOcs; 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 "a look at
the three crosses; just look ut the one on the
right; its victim dies soothing. More tre-
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 sc0ffer 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 We're 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,
ah, you poor wretch, i knew you were an
impOstcr You pretended YOU were God,
and yet you let these lcgiOns master yOuH'
u was in some such hate that NoltaIre, 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 % rouse up this
of the natural heart against Christ. The
world likes q sentimental Christ, or
philanthropic Christ, but q Christ who
comes to snatch men away from their sins
away with Him.
On this right hand cross to-day see
typifed tho unbehef of the world. Men
say: "BacS 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"
There has always been "a war between this
right hand cross and the middle cross, and
wherever there is an uubelicving heart,
thus the fight goes on. ., if, when that
dying malefuctOr persisted, the fuithless-
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 Couulcnance Of the
sufferer and see what CHASTITY thing it is
30 reject Christ. Behold in that awful
face, i'm that pitiful look, in that un-
blessed death hour, the stiugs of the
sinners departure. What plunge into
darknessl Standing high upon the cross
at tho top OF the HILL so that all the world
may look at him, he says: 'HCre go out Of
miserable life into Wretched eternity"
One, two. three. Listen to the crash of the
fan, all We ages. So Hobbies, dying after
he had seventy years i'm which to prepare
for eternity, said ''Wcrc L master of the
world, would give il an TO live one day
longer Sir Francis Newport, lowering
over the brink cried out: wretch that L
am, whittier shall 1 fly from this death
What win become of me3 Oh, that / were
TO lie upon the fire that never is qucnchcd
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 forever2''
That right hand cross-thousauds have
persisted ON it., i'm worse agOnics. For what
IS physical pain compared to remorse, at
the last, that life has been wasted, and
only iieeting moment stands between the
soul and its everlasting overthrow Oh,
God let me die anywhere rather than at
the foot of that right-haud cross. Let not
one drop of that blood fall upon my cheek
Beud not my ear with that cry 1 see IT
now as never beforc-the loathsomcness
and horror of my uubelicf That dying
malcfactor was not so much to blame
as /. 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 overshudows the earth
1t Is planted in the heart uf the race when
win the time como when the spirit Of God
SHALL with its axe, hcw down that right
hand cross. until 10 shall fan at the foot OF
chat middle cross, and nbclicf, the railing
malefaCtor OF the world, shall perish from
all our hearts Away from me thou spirit
of uuheHefl 1 hate thee. With this sword
of God 1 thrust thee back and thrust thee
through. Down TO hell; down most ac
cursed monster of tho earth. and talk to the
millions thou hast already damned Tails
no longer to these sons of God, these heirs
OF Heaven
'If Thou be the Son of God" Was there
any 'if'' Gbout it3 Tell me, thou star, that
i'm robe OF light did rum 60 point out His
birthplace Tel me, thou sea, that didsj
put thy hand over thy hp when He bid thee
bc stiul Tell me, we dead. who got up to
sec Him diet Tell me, thou sum i'm mid
face thy vail of dariuC,sl Ton me, We lep-
crs who were ClcdusCd, Sc dead who were
raised, is He the son of God! Ave, aye, ne
spends the universe. The flowers breathe
st. the stars chime it,, the redeemed Cclc
bratc 10, the angels rise up on then
thrones 60 announce it, And vet ON the
miserable m0lcfactor's 'ir' how many
shall be wrecked for an eternity. That lit
tic "if" has enough venom it its sting Il
cause the death or the soul No ''if'' ubou
it, / know it, Ecce Dcust / feel IL thor
oughly- through every muscle Of the body
and through every faculty Of the mind, ant
through every energy of my soul Living
! viii preach it, dying / viii pillow my
head upon its consultations Jesus the God
Away, then, from This right hand cross
The red berries of the forest are apt TO b
poisonous, and around thi~ tree OF caruag
grow the red, poisonous berries, of whic
many have tasted and died Il cam see NJ
use for this right hand cross except ~ b
used n "a lever with which to upturn IA
unbeuCf Of the world.
Here, from the right hand cross, 60 {
the left; pass clear to thc other side. Tina
victim also twists himself upon the nails
Ia R On $40 It'll