The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-12-02
CR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE ORCHARD ON THE HILL.

lace, which is called calvary, there they
crucited Hin, and the ma.efactors, one on
tie right hand, and the other ON the left. ~
Luke XIII. 49,
ground, toward which crowd are ascend.
ing; for it is the day Of exc ution. 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. Somo of the
spectators are vile of lip and bloated Of cheek.
Some look up with revenge, hardly able to
keep their hands oil the sufferers Some tear
their own hair in frenzy OF grief. Some
stand in silent borrow. Some break out into
uncomfortable weeping. Some clap their
hands in delight that the offenders are to be
punished at last, The soldiers, with drawn
swords, drive back the mob, which press on
so bard. There is fear that the proceedings
may be interrupted; Let the German
horseback, dash along the line, and force
back the surging multitude. Back with
you" is the cry; "Have you never seon
man die before!'
Three crosses in a row. An upright p;e-e
and two transverse pieces-one en- 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 on the hill Stand, and give
a look at the three crosses. Just look at the
one ON the right. Its victim dies scoffing.
More tremendous than his physical anguish
is his scorn and hatred of Him on the middle
cross. This one on the right twists half
around on the spikes to hiss at the One on 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! ali! you poor wretch, l
knew you were an impostorl You pretended
to be God, and yet you let these armed
legions master you" 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 arouse
up this right-hand CROSSE Nothing Oh, the
enmity of the natural heart against Christ
The world likes a sentimental Christ or q
phi lanthropic Christ: but Christ who
comes to snatch men from their sins, away
night, see typifed the unbelief of the world
Men say: Back with Him from the heart
will not let Him take my sins. Ii He will
die, let Him die for Himself, not for me-"
There has always been q war between
this righthand cross and the mid
die cross and wherever there is Ian
unbelieving heart, there the fight goes
ished, the faithlessness of man had perisned,
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 Belle Il
in that awful face, in that pitiful look, in
that unblessed death hour, the stings of the
sinners departure. What plunge into
darkness! Standing high upon the cross on
the top Of the hill, SO that all the world may
look at him, he says: "Here l go out
OF a miserable life into a 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 / master of all the world, would
give it all to live one day longer" Sir Fran
els Newport, lowering over the brink, cried
out: wretch that am, whittier shall l fly
from this breast! What will beco ne of ne.
0, that were to lie upon the fire that never
is quenched, thousand years, to purchase
the favor of God and be reconciled to Him
again! o, eternity! o, eternity! Who can
paraphrase upon these words: For ever and
for ever"
That right-hand cross, thousands have
perished on it, yea, in wors, agonies.
For what is physical pain COM
pared with remorse. at the last,
that life had been wasted, and only feeting
moment stands between the soll and its ever
-o-fb n E1l 1nt ,,,a ia
where rather than at the foot OF that right
hand cross Let not one drop of that blood
fall W on my cheek. Rend not my ear with
that cry. l see it now us never beeore-the
loathsomeness and horror of my unbelief.
That dying malesactor was not SO much to
blame as Christianity was not established. 1.
and perhaps not until that day had that man
heard the Christ. But after Christ has st %
almost nineteen centuries, working til, won
ders OF HIS grace, You reject HIM. That
| right-hand Gro s, with its long team, oy er-
| shadows all the EARTH 1t is planted in the
! heart If TIE ra e. When viii tn, time cone
| that the Spirit of God STALL, with its axe,
hew down that ri2ht-hani cross, until it shall
fall at the foot of that middle cross. AMI un.
belief, the railing malefactor of the world
shall perish from all our haaits Away frou
me. thou spirit of unbelief! ! hate thee
With this sword of God thrust the. bacs
| and thrust the through. Down to hell
down, most &C cursed monster of the earth
and talk to the millions thou has: ALREADY
damned. Talk no longer to these sons Of God
these heirs of heaven.
If thou be the Son of God" Was there
any 'ifa about it' Tell me. thou star that
IN robe of lightdid run topoint out His birth.
Fla g. Tell me, thou sea that ddst
put thy hand over thy lip when
! He bid thee be still. Tell me. ye
dead who got uo to see Him die Tell me
thou sun in mid-heaven, who for Him didst
pull down over thy face the veil of darkness
Tell me, ye lerers who were cleansed, ye
dead who were raised, is He the Son OF God
AYE, ayel responds the universe. The flow
ers breathe it; tho stars chime it; the re.
deemed celebrate it; the angels rise up oil
their thrones to announce it. And yet Oh
TINT miserable malefactor's "ifn how many
shall be wrecked for ull eternity. That little
If" is the insect which has enough venom in
its sting to cause the death of the soul Nc
'if' about it. know it Ecce Deusl 1feel
it thoroughly-through every musele of the
body, and throu3 hevery faculty of my mind
and through every energy of my soul. Liv-
ing, will preach it: dying, will pillow my
Away, then, from this right-hand cross
The red berries of the forest are apt to be
poisonous, and around this tree of carnage
grow the red, poisonous berries of which
many have tasted and died. can see mouse
for this right-hand cross, except it be use a:
lever with which to upturn the unbelief Of
the world. Here from the r.gh:-hand eros:
go to the LETT. Pass clear to the other side
That victim ais, twists himself upon the
nails to look at the centre cross-yet not tx
scott. 1t is to worship He, too, would like
to get his hand loose, not to smite, but to de
liver the sufferer of the middle cross H,
cries to the railer cursing on the other side
Silence, between us is innocence in
agony. We suffer for our crimes Silencer
Gather around this left-hand cross. .! ye
people, be not afraid. Bitter herbs are some
times tonic for the body, and the bitter
aloes that grow on this tree shall give strength
and life to thy soul. This left-hand cross !:
q repenting cross. As men who have beer
nearly drowned tell us that in one moment
while they were under the water, their whole
life passed before them, SO suppose that il
one moment the dying malefactor though
over all his past life. Of that nigh. when h
went into an unguarded door and took tn
silver, the gold, the jewels, and as the sleepe
stirred, he put knife through his heart. o
that day when, in the lonely pass, h
met the wayfarer, and, regardless of tn
cries, anil prayers, and tears. and struggle
of his victim, he flung the mangled corps
into the dust of the highway, or heaped upo
it the stones. He says: .'Uhl / am guilt
wretch. i de erve this There is no need o
my cursing. That will not stop the pain