The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-06-15

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the summer OF 1873, in the steamer Greece,
mid-Atlantic. every moment expecting the
steamer 10 go down AL 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 violent was the
vessel pitching, and he cried out: ''Light
up, light upr' The steward SAID: 1--WE
can't light up; the candles are gone AMI the
holders are gone" The captain said: ~
can't help that; light upr' The torn was
awful when the lights were burning, worse
when the lights went out.
Then there was the absence Of faithful
nurses. When you are Ill it il pleasant to
have the head bathsd and the hands and
feet rubbed. Look ut 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 conc up near
enough to help. They SAID: 'Stsnd back,
stand back; this is no place for you" The
high priests and the soldiers wanted 1t
their own way; they had it their own way.
The hours pass on and II is twelve o'clock
OF the Saviour's suffering, and it Is one
O'Clock, and it is two O'Clock, ard 1t - al-
most three o'clock. Take the last look at
that suffering face; wan and pinched, the
purple lips drawn back against the teeth,
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though grief had pushed them back, black
ness under the lower lid. the whole body
adrcOp and shivering with the last chill,
the breath growing feebler and feebler 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 = fanatic dying for "a prin-
tiple that did not amount 10 any thingl
Was He q man infatuateda No; to save
your soul from sin and mine, and make
eternal life possible, He died. There had
to be substitute for sin. Who shall It be!
Let 1t be Me-" said Christ, ''let it 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,
and diei at Gettysburg. Christ comes to
US while we are fighting our battle with
sin and death and hell, and He is our sub
stitute. He marches our march, fights our
battle, suffers our wounds and dies our
death. Substitution! Substitution!
How do you feel in regard to that scene d.
| scribed in the text, and in the region around
about the text! Are your sympathies
aroused or are you SO dead in sin, aud 50
abandoned toy reason Of your transgres-
sions that you can look upon all that tear
less and unmovedl No, NO; there are
| thousands Of people here this morning who
can say in the depths Of their souls: mo
no, no; il Jesus endured that, and all that
for me, ought to love Him. l must love
Him, will love him, do love Him. Here.
Lord, give myself to Thee; Ills all that
can DO
But how arc you going to test your love
and test your earnestnessl My text gives
"a M MI nj al iod
cross for you, you must be willing to carry
cross 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 - no one to be crucifled, and yet
in the pulpit and in the prayer meetings
you all keep talking aboui carrying a
cross. What do you mean, siri" mean
this: that is q cross which Christ calls
you to do, which is unpleasant and hard.
TO-" you say, latter hearing the story of
this Christ AMI all that He has endured for
me. am ready to do any thing for Him.
Just iell me what have to do and I'll do
it. am ready to carry any cross" Sup
pose I should ask you at the close OF
religious service to rise up announcing
yourself on the Lords side. Could you do |
It'll 20, no." you say. II have shrinking |
and sensitive nature, and II would be i'm |
possible for me 70 rise before large as |
semblage, announcing my self Oh the Lords |
side" Just us I feared. You can not |
stand that cross. The first one that Is |
offered you you reject Christ CARR I'd y |
mount lin, Christ carried q Himalaya,
Christ carried world for you, and you can |
not lift an ounce for Him. |
Bat here is u man whose cross will be to |
announce among his business associates
tomorrow morning on exchange that he |
has b,gun a new life, that while he wants |
to be faithful in his worldly duties. he is |
living for another world. and he ought to |
advise all those who are his associates, so |
far as he can influence them, to begin with |
him the Christian life. Could you do that, |
my brother! 20. no." you say, mot just
that think that religion II religion, and |
business Is business, nnd it would be I'M
possible for mo to recommend the Chris
tian religion in places Of worldly bust
ness" Just as feared. There is second
cross offered you, and You can not carry
it. Christ lifted mou utain for you; you
can not lift an ounce for Him.
There is some one whose cross will be to
present religion in the home circle Would
you dare to kneel down and pray, il your
brother and sister were looking at you!
Could you ask q blessing at the teatablei
Could you take tho Bible and gather your
family around you, and read Of Christ aud
reaven and your immortal soul! Could you
then kneel and pray for a blessing on Your
household! 90" you say, mot exactly
that. couldn't quite do that. because
have very quick temper, and II I rofessed
religion and tried to talk religion in my
hou >eholj, and then after that I should
IN fnY at |
me aud say: '.YOa are o pretty
Chrisiian" so you are cowed down
and their sarc ISM keeps you out Of Heaven
and away from Christ, when under God
you ought to take your whole family into
The kingdom. Christ lifted q mountain,
lifted n world for you; you can not lift an
ounce for Him. see how it is, you want
TO be favorable to religion, you want to
support Christian Institutions, you like to
be- associated with thnss who love Jesus
Christ; but ~ to takinx a positive step on
this subject, yOu can nOt-yOu can not, and
my text, like gate OF hundred bolts,
bars you away from peace on earth and
glory In Heaven.
There are hundreds Of men and women
here brave enough IN other things in life
who simply for the lack Of manliness and
womaniiness stay away from God. They
dare not say: Forever and forever, Lord
Jesus, take Thee. Thou hast redeemed
mo by Thy blood; here IL my immortal
.p ri'. Listen, all the world" They are
lurking around about the kingdom Of Cod
they are lurking about it. expecting to
crawl in some time when nobody Is looking,
forzetfui o: the tremendous words of my
text: "Whosoever doth not bear his cros-,
and come after Me can not be Ny disciple"
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