The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-04
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| Just like that out Of which the crown OF
thorns was made. OF how cruel and how
stubborn were the thorns. And when that
cap OF thorns was put upon Christ, and it
| was pressed down upon him, not five
wounds, but ten, twenty, thirty-I cannot
! count them.
There were three or four absences that
made that scene worse. First, there was
| the absence Of water. The climate was hot,
the fever, the Inflammation, the nervous
prostratlon, the gangrene had seized upon
hlm, aud he terribly wanted water. His
wounds were worse than gunshot fractures,
and Yet no water. A Turk, in the thir-
teenth century, was crucified on the banks
OF a river so that the sight of the water
might tantalize him. And OF how the
| thirst of Christ must have tantalizei as he
thought OF the Euphrates and the Jordan
and the Amazon and all the fountains of
earth and heaven poured out of his own
hand They offered him an intoxicating
draught made out of wine and mvrrh, but
he declined it. He wanted to die sober.
| No water.
Then, my friends, there was the absence
! OF light Darkness always exasperates
trouble. never shall forget the night in
the summer of 1873, in the steamer Greece,
inid-Atlantic. every moment expecting the
steamer to 90 down. All the lights in the
cabin were blown out The captain came
crawling in on his hands and knees, for he
could not stand upright, so violently was
the vessel pitching, and he cried out:
Light up, light up" The steward said:
we can't light up; the candles are gone
and the holders are gone" The captain
said: ~ can't help that; light up!" The
storm was awful when the lights were
burning, worse when the lights went out
Then thore was the absence of faithful
nurses
When you are i'll, it is pleasant to have
the head bathed and the hands and feet
rubbed Look at the hands and feet of
Christ; look at the face of Christ. There
were women there who had cared for the
sick, but none Of them might come up near
enough TO help. There was Christ's mother,
but she might not come up near enough to
help. They said: "Stand back; stand
back; this is no place for your The high
priests and the soldiers wanted ii their own
way; they had il their own way.
The hours pass on and it is twelve o'clock
OF the Saviour's suffering, and it is one
o'clock, and 10 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 rod with weeping and sunken as
thodgh grief had pushed them back black
ness under the lower lid, the whole body
adroop and shivering with the last chill,
the breath growing feebler and feebler aud
feeblcr and fee! Ter until he gives one long,
deep, last sigh. He is deadl
q! my soul, no is dead. Can you tell
why2 Was he fanatic dying for a prin-
ciple that did not amount TO anythingl
Was he a man infatuatedl No; TO save your
soul from sin, and mine, and make eternal
life possible he died There had TO be a sub
stitute for SIN. Who shall it LEI "Let ID
be me-" said Christ, 'let 10 be me-" You
updoy.afa nd tbn r1aauipcr ~ that x.entd n
stitutionl You were drafted for the last
war; some one took your place, marched
your march, suffered your wounds, and died
at Gettysburg. Christ comes 10 us while
we are fighting our battle with sin and death
and hell, and he is our substitute. He
marches our march, fights our battles, suf-
fers our wounds, and died our death. Sub
stitution Substitution
How do you feel in regard to that scene
described In tho text, and in the region
around about tho text1 Are your sympa-
thies arouSedl or are you so dead in sin,
and 30 abandoned by reason Of your trans
gressions that you can look upon all that
fearless and unmovedl No, mo- there are
thou ands Of people here this morning who
can say in the depths Of their soul: mo,
no, no: If Jesus endured that, and all that
for me, ought to love him. | must love
him, | will love him, | 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 earnestnessf My text gives
test. 10 says that while Christ carried a
cross for you, you must be willing to carry
a cross for Christ. "Well," you say, II
never could understand that. There are no
crosses 30 be carried IN this land those per-
secutions have passed, and in all the land
there is no one To be crucihed, and yet In
the pulpit and In the prayer meetings you
all keep talking about carrying a cross.
What do you mean, sirT ! mean this:
that Is a cross which Christ calls you to do
which is unpleasant and hard. "O!" you
say, latter hearing the story of this Christ
and all that he has endured for me, am
ready to do anything for him. Just tell
me what have to do and I'll do it. l am
ready TO carry any cross"
Suppose / should ask you at the close Of
religious service to rise up announcing
yourself on the Lords side-could You do iti
"Ol no." you say, 81 have a shrinking and
a sensitive nature, and 1t would be impossi-
BILE for mo 10 rise before large assemblage,
announcing myself on the Lords side"
Just as feared. You cannot stand that
cross. The first one that is offered you, you
reject. Christ carried a mountain, Christ
carried Himalaya, Christ carried world
for you, and you cannot lift an ounce for
him.
But here IL a man whose cross will be to
announce among his business associations
tomorrow morning on exchange, that he
hns begun new life, that while he w0uts to
be faithful I'm his worldly duties, he is living
for another world, and he ought 10 advise
all those who are his associates, 50 far as he
can influence them, to begin with him the
Christian life. Could you do that, my
brother7 "Ol no." you say, mot just that.
! think religion Is religion, and business is
business, aud il would be impossible for me
10 recommend the Christian religion in
places Of worldly bus ness" Just as /
feared There IS a second cross offered you,
and you cannot carry IL. Christ lifted a
mountain for you; you cannot lift an ounce
for him.
There is some one whose cross will be 10
present religion in the home circle. Would
YOU dare tO kneel down and pray II your
brother and sister were looking at youi
Could you ask blessing at the tea-tablei
Could you take the Bible and gather your
family around you and read of Christ and
heaven and your immortal soull Could
YOU then kneel and pray for a blessing on
your household. "Ohm you say, mot
exactly that. / couldn't quite do that, be-
cause have a very quick temper, and II |
professed religion and tried b talk religion
in my household, and then after that /
sh ould lose my temper, they would scof at
me and say: You are a pretty Chrstianr"
SO you are cowed down and their sarcasm
keeps you out Of heaven and away from
Christ, when under God you ought to take