The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-06-04

:
home, at every thump a groan, a groanl
Alas alas the hour passes ON and the
time comes when they must cruelty Him.
Christ has only one garment left now, a
cap, a cap OF thorns. No danger that il
will fall or for the sharp edges have
punctured the temples and il is sure and
fast. One rutlian takes hold OF one end OF
the short beam of the cross, and another
rutlian takes hold OF the other end OF the
short beam of the cross, and another ruff
fan puts his arm around the waist OF
Christ, and another rutlian takes hold OF
the end of the long beam Of the cross,
and altogether they move on until they
come to the hole diggcd in the earth, and
with awful plunge IL Jars down with its
burden of woe. 1t is not the picture OF
n Christ, /. is not the statue Of Christ, as
You sometimes see in cathcdral but II is
the body of bleeding, living, dying
Christ.
They sometimes say He had five wounds,
but they have counted wrong Two
wounds for the hands, two wounds for the
feet, one wound for the side, they say, five
wounds. No, they have missed the worst
and they have missed the most. Did you
ever see the bramblc ont of which that
crown OF thorns was NADER | saw one on
n Brooklyn ferryboat, in the hands OF n
gentleman who had just returned from
Palestine, brumblo just like thnt out OF
which the crown OF thorns was made. q!
how cruel aud how stubborn were the
thorns. And when that cap Of thorns was
put upon Christ, aud IL was pressed down
upon Him, not five wounds, hut ten,
twenty-five cannot count them.
There were three or four absences that
made the scene worse. First, there was
the absence OF water. The climate was
hot, the fever, the inflammation, the nervous
prostration, the gangrone had seized upon
Him, and lie terribly wanted water. His
wounds were worse than gunshot fractures,
and vet no water. A Turk in the thr-
tcenth century was crucihcd on the banks
OF a river 80 that the sight Of the water
might tantalizc him. And o. how the
thirst OF Christ must have tantalized as lie
thought OF the Eurphratcs 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 myrrh, but
lie declined IL. lie wanted TO die sober.
No water.
Then, my friends, there was the absence
Of light. Darkness always eXnspcatcs
trouble. never shall forget the night in
the summer OF 1873, in the steamer Greece,
mid-Allantic, every moment expecting the
steamer 10 go down. All the lights in the
cabin were blown out. The captain came
crawling in on his hands aud knees, for he
could not stand upright, so violently was
the vessel pitching and he cried out /:
Light up, light upl" The steward said
eve can't light up, the candles arr gone
and the holders aro gone. The captain
said: 81 can't help that; light up!' Tho
storm was awful when the lights were
burning. worse when the lights were out.
Then there was the absence Of faithful
nurses. When YOU are III IL II pleasant to
have the head bathcd and the hands and
feet rubbed. Look nj the hands and iec'
OF Chiisi. There were women there who
lad cared for tho sick, but none Of then
might come up near enough 10 help. Their
was Chris's mother, but she might
not como up near enough 20 help.
They said: "Stand back, stand back this
n no place for YOU" The high priests
and the soldiers wanted Il their own way.
The houn, pass on and Il II ~ o'clock
Of the Sayior's suffering, aud II h o'clock,
aud Il is2 O'Clock, aud tits almost DO 'clock.
Take the last look nj that suffering face,
wan and pinChcd the purple lips drawn
back against the teeth the eyes red with
weeping, aud sunkcn a. though grief had
pushed them back, blackncss under the
lower I'D, the whole body adroop aud
ghiycring with the last chill, and breath
growing iccbler and iccblcrand iceblor and
iooblor until lie gives one long deep last
sigh. lie is dead.
OH my soul, lie Is dead! Can you tell
Why2 Was lie fanatic dying for n princi-
pie that did not amount 10 anythingl
Was lie n man iniatuaicd2 No, 10 aye
your soul from sin, aud mine, aud make
eternal life possible lie died. There had
81 be n substitute for sin. Who shall II bcl
''I.et Il be Me, +" said Christ, let Il be Me. "
You understand the meaning Of that word
substitution. You were drafted for IL
last war; some one took your place,
marched your march, suffered your
wounds, and died at Gettysburg. Christ
comes b. us while We are fighting our bat.
lie with sin and death and hell, aud lie ID
our substitute. lie marches our march,
fights our battle, suffers our wounds, aud
dies our death. substitution Substitution
How do you feel in regard 10 that scene
described In the text aud In the region
around about the tcAR Are your Gympa.
thirs nrouscd2 or are you ~ dead IN sln,
aud ~ abandoned by reason oi your trans.
grcssluns that you eau look upon all that
fearless and unmoycd. No, no, there arr
thousands Of people hero this morning
who can say In the depths OF their soul.
ono, no, no, II Jesus endured that, and
all that Tor me, | ought 30 love Him.
,,.ttst Loo. Him 1 utti tuUa Him 1 ia lUVa
him. Here, Lord, give myself 10 Thee;
liz all that ! can do
But how are YOU going 10 test your love,
and test your carncsincss3 My text gives
n test. II SAYS that while Christ carried a
cross for you, you must be willing ~ carry
n eros for Christ "Woll," you say, II
never could understand that There arc
no crosses 10 be- carried In this land, ilosc
prosecutions have passed, and In all the
land there II no one 10 be cruciiicd, and
yet In the pulpit and In the prayer meet
ings you al keep talking about carrying a
cross. What do you mean, sirl mean
this that IL q cross which Christ calls you
TO do, which Ia unpleasant and hard. "Ol
you say, "aitcr hearing the story Of tai,
Christ and all that lie has endured Tor mc,
| am ready 10 DO anything for Him. Just
tell me what ! have 10 do and III do II.
am ready 10 carry any cross
Suppose / should ask you nj the close o.
a religious service 10 rise up announcing
yoursclf on the Lords side-could you dC
| iR "Ol no. you say, 81 have a shrink
ing and sensitive nature, and Il would
/ be impossible for me 20 rise boiOr
n large asscmblagc, announcing myself On
ON the Lords side" just rs feared