The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-11-25


before them, 80 / suppose in one moment
the dying malefactor thought over all his
past life OF that night when he went in
to an unguarded door and took all the sill
yer, the gold, the jewels, and as the sleeper
stirred he put knife through his heart;
Of that day when, in the lonely pass, he
met the wayfarer, and, regardless OF the
cries and prayers and tears and struggles
Of his victim, he flung the mangled corpse
into the dust of the highway, or heaped
upon it stones. He says: "Oh, l am a
guilty wretch; deserve this. There is no
need Of my cursing; that will not stop the
pain. There is no need Of blaspheming
Christ, for He has done me no wrong; and
yet can not die 50. The tortures of my
body are outdone by the tortures of my
soul The past is a scene Of misdoing; tie
present crucihxion; the future an ever
lasting undoing. Come back, thou hiding
midday SUM- Kiss my cheek with one
bright ray of comfort. What, no help from
above no help from beneaths Then
must turn to my companion in sor-
row, the one on the middle cross, l
have heard that He knows how to help
a man when he is in trouble. l have
heard that He can cure the wounded. l
have heard that He can pardon the sinner.
Surely in all His wanderings up and down
the earth, He never saw one more in need
of His forgiveness. Blessed Onel l turn
to Thee. Wilt Thou look for the moment
away from Thy own pangs to pity me2
Lord, it is not to have my hands relieved
or my feet taken from the torture / can
stand all this, but, oh my SINS, my sins,
my sins, they pierce me through and
through. They tell me must die forever.
They will push me out into the darkness,
unless Thou wilt help me. I confess it all.
Hear the cry of the dying thief; Lord, re-
member me when Thou comest into Thy
kingdom. l ask no great things. l seek
for no throne in Heaven, no chariot to take
me to the skies; but just think of me
when this days horrors have passed.
Think Of me little-of me, the one now
hanging at Thy side-when the shout Of
Heavenly welcome takes Thee back into
Thy glory, Thou wilt not forget me, wilt
Thoul Lord remember me when Thou
comest into Thy kingdom Only just re-
member mep'
Likewise must we repent. You say: ~
have stolen nothing" reply: eve have
all been guilty of the mightiest felony of
the universe, for we have robbed Cod
robbed Him of our time, robbed Him Of our
talent, robbed Him of our services. Sup
pose you send a man West as an agent Of
your firm, and every month you pay himhis
salary, and at the end of ten years you find
out he has been serving another firm, but
taking your salary, would you not at once
condemn him as dishonest? God sent us
into this world to serve Him. He has given
US wages all the time. One half of us have
been serving another master. When a man
is convicted Of treason he is brought out;
a regiment surrounds him and the COM
mand is given: "Attenton, company
Take aim! Firer" And the man falls with
hundred bullets through his heart. There
comes time in mans history when the
Lord calls up the troop Of his iniquities,
and at Gods command they pour into him
a concentrated volley Of torture.
You say: 81 do not feel myself TO be
a sinner" That may be. Walk along
by the cliffs, and you see sunlight and
flowers at the mouth Of the cave; but take
a torch and go in, and before you have gone
far you see the flashing eye of wild beast,
or hear the hiss of a serpent So the world
seems in the sunlight Of worldliness; but
as have the torch of Gods truth, and go
down into the deep cavern Of the heart
alas! for the bristliug horrors and the rat
UllUR lduRSs ndNS yOu tNCI uOJlCCu lllO
climax in this passage of Scripture: "The
heart is deceitful." That seems enough
But the passage goes on to say: "The heart
is deceitful above all things" Will you
not say that is enougha But the passage
goes on further and says; "The heart is de-
ceitful above all things and desperately
wicked.n If we could see the true condi-
ton Of the unpardoned before God, what a
wringing of hands there would bel What
thousand-voiced shrek Of supplication
aHd'despair! But you are a sinner, sin
ner l speak not to the person who sits
next to you, but to you. You are sinner.
All the transgressions Of a lifetime have
been gathered up into an avalanche. At
any moment it may slip from the cliffs and
crush you forever. May the Lord Almighty,
by His grace, help us to repent Of our sins
while repentance is possible.
This left hand cross was relieving cross.
There was no guess work in that prayer;
no 'if" in that supplication. The left hand
cross flung itself at the foot of the middle
cross, expecting mercy, Path is only just
opening the hand to take what Christ Of
fers us. The work is all done, the brdgels
built strong enough for us all to walk over.
Tap not at the door of Gods mercy with the
tip of your fingers; but as a warrior. with
gauntleted fists, beats at the castle gates, so
with all the aroused energies of the soul let
us pound at the gate Of Heaven. The gate
is locked. You go to il with bunch OF
keys. You try philosophy. That will not
open it. A large door generally has pom
derous kew. / take the cross and place the
1 foot Of it in the lock, and by the two arms
of the cross ! turn the lock, and the door
/ opens.
| This left hand cross was pardoning
/ 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: Chow darest you speak to Me! /
| am the Lord of Heaven and earth. | have
seen your violence. When you struck down
| that man in the darkness l saw you. You
are getting a Just reward. Die in dark
| ness-die forever!n But Jesus said not so,
| but rather: "This day thou shalt be with
| Me in Paradise;" as much as to say: 81 see
YOU there; don't worry. l will not only
bear Ny cross, but help you with yours"
Forthwith, the left hand cross becomes
| the abode of contentment. The pillow OF
the malefactor, soaked in blood, becomes
like the crimson upholstery 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 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, ye
whose hands have for many years wrought
unrighteousness, ye who have compan
ioned with the unclean, We who have scaled
every height of transgression, and faith
omed every depth and passed every ex
treme of iniquity-mercy, mercy.