New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-11-12
SERMONS WORTH READING.
"
PAUL'S THREE-FOLD CROSS
THE REV. DR. THOMAS ARMITAOE OF TILE sAAn
AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH DISCUSSES
CRUCIFIXIO


they extremely 10th to part with one who has
been their devoted and loving pastor for more 'hah
forty years Dr. ArmitaGe has recently returned rom
Europe, where he went early In the spring, and ne
is much improved In health that he will probably
continue for some time his work in this important
Baptist church. His sermon yesterday morning
was on PauPs Threef fold Cross" his text being
Galatians vi, IA: God forbid that should glory,
save in the Cross OF our Lord Jesus Christi Thc
following is verbatim report Of his sermon:
samuel Rutherford said: "Chrst's Cross Is tho
sweetest burden that ever bore. IL is such burden
wings to bird, sails TO ship III Is fuiier
Of gems than any Empelors diaden, and Is SO ~,
of the universe The greatest events of earth have
happened at It's foot and taken their splendor rom us
efuigence Its influence fills immensely, spreading
Itself through all points of Time past, present and 70
come. 1t reaches and affects ali beings in earth ana
Heaven and hell 1t challenges and uses all thought
awakens and controls all feeling and shall move
the deepest admiration OF men anu anIes, tlu timo
shall be no mo INC g tb OF Sar 9 Of e cross us
ever Increasing Time viii draw out the last beam
from the sun, when 1t will grow dim with age, but
Beams Of infinite wisdom and love must fame from
its very cene while its Victim lives. 1t Is the life
of all true saints ard the strength Of all true preachers
A minister without the Cross is Ike pilot without
his compass, like artist without his pencil Ike an
astronomer without his glass, like soldier without
his musket. Morality ard law, teachings about tho
place TO the glory of the Cross Christ cucIfed is the
doctrine that God delights in and hence II has ever
hsn SSpoa by the % S ana d5 as @
burnt Offering on which His Lamb was sacrificed,
which God declared His righteousness.
II is the scadold which tho Grca surrey endured
the curse in sacred humanity, and the sepulchre IN
icarance of Heaven asserted itself there and there
tho remission OF sins that are passed was secured.
AN ILLUSTRATION FROM FRENCH HISTORY.
Before Louis MI OF France assembled the throne
he made a list Of his Prosecutors and marked large
black against each name. On learning this
his foes fed afraid that It a sign of their punish
mont but hearing this, the King recalled them
with the promise Of pardon. He said that he had
put the black cross beside each TO remind him Of
Chris;'s example when His Cross lie prayed for
His murderers saying: Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they do so, the Apostle Paul.
old cnmity toward God and man might endure cruel
fXion. lie says that by the Cross: The world Il
previously wounded Christ and put Christs friends to
death then he had fed for refuge TO the foot Of the
Cross which he had dishonored
Its shelter became his fascination. ifs shame became
the object OF is gorying aud the death which Christ
destroyed there crcGcd Paul 10 ill evil He uses
tho word criched' here to Indicate HAT he was dead
with Christ, In all the enmity of his nature. He
on tho tree, so he had personally died as His disciple
because he was dead to every hateful purpose which
cause he had orsaten ali he ambitions for which ho
wished 70 live The death Of Christ had wrought
and intense sellshness had made him willing sacri-
fee for others for its very disappontments had made
WHAT PAUL MEANT BY THE CRUCIFIxIoN.
Paul became Chrst's disciple many years after the
crucfxion-what, Them does he mean by saying that
he was crucfed with Christi He says that by Christ
I" Tho world is crucihed unto me. and l unto tho
world" How. then. he united with Christ IN
that crucfXIon! lie died in his substitute, and there
fore was relieved of his penalty as transgressor.
for Jesus trod tho wine press alone. yet he saws,
when Jesus lifted up in sacrifice " l died with
benefits of the Redecmer's death as he sings in
another place There IS no condemnation TO them
ali d e IN Him and With Him" When T' l e NEE
and gave Himself for mr. He carried Paul and
I. through the law. dead unto the law that
might live unto God' Il am cruciflcd with Christ,
nevertheless | live Cruc!nXlon in the religion OF
Christ IS the way to life. The sinners death IN Jesus
his substitute. is vital point in the doctrine Of
Ioushsd by the crois he dies; or more than lives
God lights them. And So, a sinner, crIci1ed with
Christ, arises to a life OF immortal beauty when
with Christ; nevertheless. llvc,' h says; in ali
the aims. and hopes. and emotions of his true se!f
and transforming Nevertheless" he says. ~ g
not than live. but Christ who lives In me- His
Te 'IS life IS not MS own, bur 0hig Ives In me-
AMI every sphere Of his being in consequence Of rs
springng from CrOSs-dcath and PaIfs first Cross
IS found in that he died vi h the Lord.
PAUL'S SECOND CROSS DESCRIBED.
The Apostle speaks of his second Cross in this
cruc xionepstlc in the nineteenth and twentieth
verses of the second chapter, thus: through the
law am dead 10 the law, that might live unto
God. l am criciicd with Christi Law hero is
but another word for the act of God, I'm giving the
Son of His love TO atone for our sin II We speak
OF dead law here, only phrase to hide
our ignorance. There is dead law In the Cross,
a
law of love. We say that the earth moves by law,
only meaning that COTS living propels it through
love, eater into tho fellowship OF ChriSi's suncle
ings. and made contormablo TO HIS dclih 1t Is
precisely hero thnt tail into sntGospel notions
Of our LORDS sacrifice for SIN They lay The founda
love and not in The sccuride, Of the law of love
Law without penalty is so!ecism. That IS an
Its whole force lies In Its pcua.ty The M steiies
OF law in the Divine love are nowhere so brightly
revealed in the obedience 10 death watch Christ
THIS obed enco shows both what thu divine love
demanded. and what Chrlsfs conception thereof
and greatness Of HIS own soul and bod Dy tho love
which lie cherished for Ills Fother He conld mt
His faculties. and hence the Father and His lcqullc-
S9GGsTSd all that Powerful s ps , s n
all that noble In HIS being, and EXPRESSED all
that was one between. Him and His Father. IN the
passion that Jesus master of. and It would have
been base in Him TO have bestowed it upon an object
that unworthy OF Him. When therefore, He
died " tho Just for tho unIust' he died under the
demands of the law of love; The supreme attribute
which He hOnOred in the Father the sup RENE
attribute in Himself Love Himself, ard Himself
was love. God so loved the world that he gave
| Him." and herein IA love, not that we loved Him,
| but that lie loved us, and gave Himself for u.s.
Violence coud take otto things from him
| as comfort and uhcrty. but no power could rifle HIM
Of love. He could more part with Ills love than lie
could with Himself
And for this reason, when the Father gave Him for
u.s. rs a son. God gave Himself with HIN, for God +
Iovcp God gave not only all that lie hal, but al
! that lie was The Father and the son saw In MS
objects OF infinite worth This wa n,edm or the
love Of the Godhcad In fixing Itself ms would have
been troubled dsquletcd for when there Is not worth
enough in the object OF love 10 meet the vestness OF
It's capacity, IN craving of love cannot be satisfied
and so Us holy violence must b. disturbed 81 Infinite
Is the nature Of Gods love that 70 would be confined
md shattered II lavishcd upon Us IN ~! Us viPn,
: 1911 : 49, 1 -. .--. L-..a.