Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-06-04

gentleman who had just returned from
Palestine. brsmble just like that out OF
which the crown of thorns was made. 0,
how cruel and how stubborn were the
thorns. And when that cap Of thorns was
put upon Christ, and ii was pressed down
upon Him, not five wounds, but ten,
twenty, thirty-I cannot count them.
There were
THE HOURS PASS ON
and it is twelve o'clock of the Ssyiour's
suffering, and it is one o'clock, and it is
two o'clock, and it is almost three O'Clock.
Take the last look at that suffering face;
wan and pinched, the purple lips drawn
back against the teeth, the eyes red with
weeping and sunken as though grief had
pushed them back, blackness under the
lower lid, the whole body adroop and shiv-
eripg with the last chill, the breath grow
ing fesbler and fsebler and feebler and
feebler until He gives one long, deep, last
sigh. He is dead!
o! my soul. He is dead. Can you tell
why? Was He a fanatic dying for prin-
ciple that did not amount TO anything?
Was He man infatuated? No; to save
your soul from sin, and mine, and make
eternal life possible He died. There had
to be q substitute for sin. Who shall it be?
LET it BIZ me, said Christ, "let 1t be me /"
You understand the meaning OF that word
substitution. You were drafted for the last
war, some one took your place, marched
your march, suffered your wounds, aud
died at Gettysburg. Christ comes to us
while we are fighting our battle with sin
and hell, and He is eur Substitute. He
marches our march, fights our battle, sui
fsrs our wounds, and dies our death. Sub
stitution! Substitution!
How do you feel in regard to that scene
described in the text, and in the region
around about the text? Are your sympa-
thies aroused, or are you 50 dead in sin and
80 abandoned by reason OF your transgres-
sions that you can look upon all that tear
less and unmoved? No, no; there are
thousands Of people hare this morning who
can say iu the depth of their soul; mo,
no, no, Ii Jesus endured that, and all
that. for me, ought to love Him, l must
love HIM, will love Him, l do love Him:
Here, Lord, give myself to Thee; IT'S all
that can do"
But how are you going
TO TEST YOUR LOVE
and test your earnestness. My text gives
a test. 1t says that while Christ carried q
cross for you must be willing to carry
eros, for Christ. "Well," you say, Il
never could understand that. There are
no crosses to be carried in this land those
prosecutions have passed, and in all the
land there ia no one to be crucifed, and
vet in the pulpit and in the prayer meet
irgs you oil keep talking about carrying
cross. What do you mean, sit?' mean
this-that is cross which Christ calls you
to do which is unpleasant and hard
ooh" You say, latter hearing the story Of
this Christ and all that He has endured fol
me, am ready to do anythiAg for Him
Just tell me what have to do and I'll dc
it. am ready to carry any cross."
Suppose that ! should ask you at the
close of a religions service to rise up an
nouncing yourself on the Lords side.
could you do il? 80 no." yor say, y
have shrinking and sensitive nature
and it would be impossible for me to riss
before large assemblsge, announcing my
self on the Lords side" Just as | feared
You cannot stand that cross. The frs
one that is offered you, you reject. Chris
carried mountain, Christ carried Hima
lava. Christ carried world for You, and
YOU cannot lift IN ounce for Him.
Bat here ia q man whose cross will be tc
announce among his business associates
to-morrow morning on Exchange, that ht
has begun a new life, that while he want
To he faithful in his worldly duties, he i:
living for another world, and he ought tt
advise all those who are his associates, 80
far "a ne can influence them, to begin with
him the Christian life. Gould you do that
nv brother! 30! no." You say, mot Just
that. think religion is religion, and bus
mess is business, and it would be impos
sible for nae to recommend the ChristiaI
religion in places Of worldly business. .
lust az feared. There is second eros
offered you, and you cannot carrylt. Chris
lifted mountain for you; You cannot LII
an ounce for Him.
There are
HUNDREDS OF MEN AND WOMEN
here brave enough in other things in life
who simply for the lack of manliness ant
womaulines stay away from God. The.
dare not saw. ''Forever and forever, Lore
Jesus. take Thee. Thou hast redeeme'
me by Thy blood, here is my immorts
spirit. Listen, all my friends Listen
all the world" They are lurking aroun'
about the kingdom of God-they are lurk
ing around about it, expecting TO era"
in some time when nobody ia looking, for
getful of the tremendous words OF m
text: "Whosoever doth not bear his cross
and come after Me, cannot be My disc
pie"
An officer of neighboring church tol
me that he was in store in New York
inst bappened in-where there were man
clerks, and gentleman came in and sal
to a youug man behind the counter: "Ar
Won the Young man that arose the oth'
J night aud asked for prayers!" Withor
, any flush of the cheek, he replied: II an
I haven't always done right, and l ha'
been ute bad; but since arose for pra.
ers. I think l am better than / was"
, was only his way of announcing that
hsd started for the higher life. God wi
not cast out man who is brave enoug
to take step like that.
tell you these things this morning b
. cause, my dear friends, l want to show "
how light the cross is that we have
carry compared with that which Chr
carried for US. You have not had the fie
, torn off for Christ's sake in carrying yo
cross. He tainted dead away under b
cross. You have not carried the cross n
til il fetched the blood. Under His the
u was q pool of carnage that FLASHED t
u horses' fetlocks. You have friends
svmpathize with you in carrying the cro'
Christ trod the wine press Of Gods wra
alone! The cross that you and l ought
: carry represents only few days or Il
y years of trial. The cross that Christ CT
y ried for us had compressed into it the
. onies of eternity. =,
e There has some one come here to d.
u whom you have not observed. He did u
i come through the front door; he did n
: come down any of those aisles; yet knit
= he is here. He is
y FROM THE EAST,
, the far East He comss with blister
q foot, aud with broken heart, and chez
It red not with health but with blood frt
AZ lnl1 ~