Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1888-06-09
THE ASSASSINATION.
sAcRAMENTAL pAY SERVICES m
THE BROOKLYN TABERNACLE.

Rev. Dr. TalNage Gives Graphic Do
scription the scourEinE and Cruel.
Axiom of Our sayiour--Th- Terrible
Crown of Thorns.
BROOKLYN. June 3.--The congregation
at the Tabernacle sang this morning:
Id sing the precious blood he split.
Ny ransom from tho dreadful guilt.
This is Sacramental day. and n large
number of persons joined the church.
making the conmunicant membership
4.i94. But this isonly part Of the great
attendance that Sunday mornings and
evenings overflow the immense audience
room. The Rev. 7. Dc Witt Talmage,
ID. d.. took for his text the passage:
"Whos"vcr doth not bcur his cross. and
come after mr. cannot bc my disciple.
Luke xiv. %. lie preached the fol-
lowing sermon:
The eros, was u gilbct on which GRIM
inals were put to death. It was some-
times made in the shape Of the letter 7,
sometimes in the shape of the letter X.
sometimes in the shape of the letter Ia
simple upright: sometimes two cross
pieces against the perpendicular bar. 10
that upon the lower cross piece the GRIM
inal partially sat But whatever the
style of the cross. il was always disgrace
ful and always agonizing.
When Darius conquered Babylon he
put 600 eaptivcs 10 death on the cross.
When Alexander conquered Tyre he put
1000 captivcs TO death on the cross. So
1t was just an ordinary mode Of punish
ment. But in nj! the forest Of crosses on
the hills and in the valleys Of the earth
there is one cross that attracts more 1T
tcntion than any other. Il il not higher
than the others: il Is not made out Of
different wood; there is nothing peculiar
In the notch at which the two pieces arc
joined: and. rs TO the scene. they wit
messed cruciflxions every few weeks, SO
that see n reckless man walking about
the hill and kicking carclessly aside a
skull. and wondering who the villain was
that hal 80 flat and misshapcn head;
am here is anotlerekull. and there on
hillside Is another skull. Indeed. the
able says it was "a place Of skulls"
but about the victim on one u these
crosses all ages are crying: s'Who is he?
man and Gol."
Through the darkness Of that gloomy
day. come closc mp enough to that
cross to sc'. what il is. II Is Jesus. How
did he come there: Had he come up on
the top of the hill io look Oft upon the
beautiful landscape. nr upon brilliant
sunset: No. lie came there i'll and *.
haustcd. People sometimes wonder why
Christ expired So quickly on the cross. in
six or seven hours. while other victims
have lscn on the cross for forty-eight
hours before life was extinct. will tell
you III" reason. He was exhausted when
he came there. He had been scourgcl
We are mortified at the crucltics Of the
whipping post. hut those crucltics were
mercy as compared with the scourging Of
Jesus Christ.
saw at Antwerp picture made by
Rubcns- Rmbcns' picture of the scourg.
ing Of Jesus Christ. It was the most
overmastcrng picture ever looked ut
or ever expect tn see. As the long
frocked official opened the door that hid
the picture, there he was-Christ with
back bent and barcd. The fagcllator
stool with the upper teeth clinched over
the lower lip. ms though 10 give violence
to the blows. There were the swollen
shoulders Of Christ. There were the
black and blue ridges. denied even the
relief Of bleeding. There was the flesh
ndhcring to the whips rs they were lifted.
There were the marks where the knots
In the whips gouSc,l out the flesh. There
stool the prosecutor with his foot on
the calf Of the leg Of the Saviour. bal.
ancinc himself. o! the furious and
helIish hook on those faces. grinning ven
gcancc against the Son Of God. The
picture seized met overwhelmed me;
it sceme'' us il il would kill me. do
not think conld have looked nj II five
minutes and have lived.
But that, my friends, was before
Christ had started for Calvary. That
was only The whipping. Are you ready
for your journey to the crossl
The carpenters have split the timbcrs
into two pieces. They are heavy and
they are long pieces. for one Of them
must lc fastened deep down in the earth
lest the struggling ~ the victim upset
the structure. They put this timber
upon rhe shoulder of Chris: very yratlu.
ally: first. to see whether he can stand Il,
and after they find he can stand il, they
pnt III" whole weight upon him. Forward
now. 10 Calvary. Tho hco,ing aud the
yelling mob follow On. Und, the weight
of the cross. Chris, bcing weary and sick.
he siumbl''S and falls. ard they jerk nj
his rnls indignant TINT he should have
stumbled and fallen. and they cry: '.Grt
up. grt up" Christ. putting one hani
on the ground and tho other on the cross.
rises. looking into the face of Mary. lis
mother. for sympathy. hut they tell her
TO stand lr,ck. II is no plack for y woman
stand back nni stop this CRYING"
Christ moves on with his burden upon
his shoulder. nud thTc is boy that
passes aln with him. hoy holding n
mallet and n few nails. wonder what
they ar. for. Christ moves ON until the
burden Is so great he staggers and falls
fiat into the dust and fainis dead away,
and ruflian puts his foot on him and
shakes him as he would dead ,log. while
another rni,ian looks down ai him won.
dering whether Ii, has tainted away. ar
whether he is only pretending To faint
away. AMI with j'cr and contempt indie.
scrihablc says: Painted. have yon,
tainted. get mp, yet on!"
Now they have arrived at the foot Of
the hill or with his clothes. Shall
that loathsomc mCb look upon the un-
robcd buly of Christi Yes. The COM
manding officers say: "Unfastcn the
girdle. take OFT the coat. strip him.
The work Is done but bring hack the
coat, for here are the gamblers tossing
up coin on the ground. saying: "Who
shall have the coati" One rufiian says:
II have Il, have it-it is minew lie
rolls II up and puts Il under his arm. or
hc examines Il 10 see what fabric II 10
made Of. Then they nut the cross upon
the ground. and they stretch Christ upon
Il. and four or five men hold him down
while they drive the spikes home. at
every thump n groan. n groan! Alasi
alas! the hear passes on and the tim
comes when they must cruelty him.
Christ has only one garment left now.
n cap. n cap of thorns. No danger that
a. - N n - u l.