The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-06-15
THE CRUCIFIXION.
Dr.. Talmage Discourses GA the One
Great Cross.
Christ's Great Sacrifices and SufYerinxs-
The Cruc,fixiOu and Its fruit-The Test
OF Christ,anity-T nudity in the
Home Circle.

The Cruc,fixion and Its fruit-Ths Test
or Chr,st,anity-T nudity in the
Home Circle.
In his late sermon at Er 'okiyn on the
Cruc ii xion Rev. 7. Dewitt Talmage took
for hi. text the passa ze: "WhosOever doth
not lear his cross and come after Me can
not be My 4 sciri.." Luke, xiv, q. He said :
The cross was gibbet on which GRIM
inals were pat TO death. 1t was sometimes
made In tn. shape OF the letter T, some
times in the shape Of the letter X, some
times In the shape Of the letter Ia simple
upright, sometimes two cross pieces
against the perpendicular bar, so that upon
the lower cross pisre the criminal partially
sal. But whatever the style Of cross 1t
WAS alwa disgraceiul and always agon-
izing. VII a Darius conquered Babylon
he put 2OJ captives to dea h on the cross.
When Alexander conquered Tyre he put
1000 captives to death on the cross. So it
was ju>t On ordinary mode OF punishment
But in all the fOresta Of crosses on tho
hills and in the valleys Of tie earth, there
Is one cross that attracts more attention
than any other. II Is not higher than III I,
other; 1t 10 not made out Ut different wood !;
there Is nothing peculiar in the notch mt
which The two pieces are Joined, and as to
the scene. they Witnessed crucItix IONS
| every few weeks, so that see reckless
man walking about the hill and kicking
| carelessly aside a skull, and wondering
who the villain was who had SO Hat and
misshapen u head; and here is another
| skull, and there Oh the hill is another
skull. Indeed, the Bill, says it was "a
| pl'ce OF skulls" But about the victim on
one Of these crosses ell ages ara CRYING:
| "Wio is Hell Was He man. Was He a
Gudl Was He man and COLI" Through tho
darkness Of that gloomy day come close
| up enough to the cross TO see who it is. 1t
is Jesus. How did He come thercl Had
He como up on top Of the hill 10 look OF
upon the beautiful landscape, or upon a
brilliant sunset! No. He came there i'll
ana exhausted.
People sometimes wonder why Christ
expired 50 quickly on the cross. in six or
seven hours, while other victims have been
on the cross for fOry-cight hours before
life was extinct. Twill tell you the eason.
He was exhausted when He came there.
H. had been scourged. We are Mortified
ut the cruelties Of tho whipping post, but
those cruelties were mercy as compared
with the scourging Of Jesus Christ.
l saw at Antwerp picture made by
Rubcns-Rubcns' picture Of tie scOurging
Of jews Christ. II was the most over
mastering picture / every looked at, or
ever expect to see. As the long frocked
official opened the door that hid the picture
there He was-Christ was back bent and
tarci. The fiageliator stood with the
upper teeth clenchrd over the lower lip, as
though to give violence to tho blows.
There were the blncx and blue ridges,
denied even the relief Of bleeding. There
was the flesh adhering to the whips as
they were lifted. There were the marks
where the knots in The whips gouged out
the flesh. There stood the prosecutor,
with his foot on tho calf Of the leg Of the
Saviour, balancing himself. o! the furious
and RELISH look on those faces. grinning
vengeance on the Son Of God. Thu picture
seized me-, II overwhelmed me; it seemed
rs il it would kill ME. 1 do not think l
could have looked at IL five minutes and
have lived.
But that, my friends. was bsfore Christ
had started for Calvary. That was only
the whipping. Are you ready for your
journey TO tho crossf
The carpenters have split the timber into
two pieces. They are heavy and they are
long pieces, for one Of them must b. fast.
ened deep down in the earth lest tho stru2-
CLING OF the victim upset the structure.
They put this timber upon the shoulder Of
Christ very gradually. first, to scs whether
He can stand it, and after they lind He can
stand it, they put tho whole weight upon
Him. Forward now TO Calvary. The boot
ing ami the yelling mob follow on.
Under the weight Of thu cross, Christ be.
ing weary and SICK, stunlbles AID falls and
they jerk at His rOte indignant that He
should have stumbled and fallen. and they
cry: Get up, get up!' Christ putting
one hand on the ground aud the other hand
on the cross, r,ses, looking into the face Of
Mary, His mother. for sympathy, but they
tell her to stand back. 1t Is no place TO-.
wOman-''stand back anu stop this crying"
Christ moves ON with his burden upon His
shoulders and there il boy that passes
along with HIM. hoy holding mallet and
u few nails. I wonder what they are for.
Christ moves on until tie burden is so
great He staggers and falls flat INTO tho
Gust and faints dead away. and n ruf.ian
puts his foot on Him and shakes Him az he
would u dead hog. while another ruf1ian
looks down Mt Him wondering whether he
has faintsd away or whether lie is only
pretending to FAINT away and with jeer and
have youl tainted! get up, get onr'
NUw, they have arrived at the foot OF the
hill. OF with HIS clothes. Shall that loa,h.
some mob look upon the unrobed toiy Of
Christ! Yes. The commanding officers say {:
"Unfasssn the girdlc, take OF the coat,
strip Him." The work is done. But bring
back his cont, for hero are tho gamblers
toss.ng up coin on the ground, Saving:
"WhU shall have the cont ~ O.c rutfjan
says: Il have it, l have lit il miner
lie rolls It up and puts j. nder his arm, or
no examines il 70 see wha. fabric it is |
made OF. Then they put the cross upon tho
ground, and they street h Christ upon II,
ind four or five men hold HIM down while
they drive the spikes horie. at cveNy thump
o .roan, groan! Alas! las! the hour |
passes on and the time comes when they |
must cruelty Him.
Christ has only one garment left now. |
cap, u cap OF thOrns. No danger that it will |
fall ri. for the sharp edy ~ have puncfured
th' temples md It IL sure and fast. Ono /!
ruffian takes hold Of one end OF tho short |
beam Of the cross. and IN other ru.iian takes |
hold of the other end OF tbs short hcam OF |
around the waist Of Christ, and another |
beam Of the cross, and altogether
they move on until they como |
TO the hole diSgrd In the earth, and with |
awful plunge it jars down with its burden |
Of woe. ltis not The picture OF Christ; It |
is not the statue Of Christ, d. you some |
times see in q cathedral; but it il the body |
of bleeding, living, dying Christ They
sometimes say He had five wounds, but |
hnv have foA la |