The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-06-20

back, blackness under the lower lid, the whole
body adroop 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 principle that
did not amount to anythinga Was he man
infatuated! 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 it be me" said Christ
s1et it be me-" You understand the mean
ing of that word substitution. You were
drafted for the last war; some one took your
place, marched your march, suffered your
wounds and died at Gettysburg. Christ
with sin and death and hell. and He is our
substitute. 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 de-
scribed in the text, and in the region around
about the text9 Are your sympathies
arouseda Or ara you so dead in sin, and 80
abandoned by reason OF your transgressions
that you can look upon all that fearless and
unmoved? No, no; there are thousands 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,
I do love him. Here, Lord, give myself to
thee; 'tis all that can do"
But how are you going to test your love,
aud test your earnestness? My text gives a
test .Itsays 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 Eo crosses
to be carried in this land; those prosecutions
have passed, and in all the land there is no
one to be crucified, and yet in the pulpit and
in the prayer meetings you all keep talking
about carrying cross. What do you mean,
sir?' Imean this: That this is a cross which
Christ calls you to do, which is unpleasant
story Of this Christ and all that he has en-
dured for me, / am ready to do anything for
him. Just tell me what have to do and I'll
do it am ready to carry any cross"
Suppose should ask you at the close Of q
religious service to rise up, announcing your
self on the Lord side-could you do it9 "Ol
no." you say, tI have a shrinking and SEN
sitive nature, and it would be impossible for
me to rise before a large assemblage, an
nouncing 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 ID man whose cross will be to
announce among his business associates to-
morrow morning on exchange that he has
begun new life; that while he wants to be
faithful in his worldly duties, he is living for
another. world, and be ought to advise all
those who are his associates. 50 far as ne can
influence them, to begin with him the Chris
tian life. Could you do that, my brother?
"Oh, no." you say, mot Just that l think
religion is religion, and business is business,
and it would be impossible for me to recon-
mend the Christian religion in places Of
worldly business" Just as feared. There
is a second cross offered you, and you can
not carry it. Christ lifted a mountain for
you; you cannot 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, if your
brother and sister were looking at youa
Could you ask q blessing at the tea table?
Could you take the Bible and gather your
family around you, and read of Christ and
heaven and your immortal soul? Could you
then kneel and pray for a blessing on your
household "Ohm you say, mot exactly
that; couldn't quite do that because have
a very quick temper, and If professed re-
hold, and then after that should lose my
temper, they would scoR at me and say:
you are pretty Christianr" So you are
cowed down, and their sarcasm keeps you
out of Heaven and away from Christ, when,
under God, you ought to take your whole
family into the kingdom. Christ lifted a
mountain, lifted world, for you; you cannot
lift an ounce for Him. Isee how it is; you
want to be favorable to religion, you want
to support Christian institutions, you like to
be associated with those who love Jesus
Christ; but as to taking q positive step on
this subject, you cannot-you cannot; and
NV 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 sim
ply, for the lack OF manliness and womani-
ness, stray away from God. They. dare not
take Thee. Thou has redeemed me by Thy
blood. here is nv immortal spirit. Listen,
all nv friends Listen, all the world" They
are lurking around about the kingdom Of
God-they are lurking around about it, ex-
pectng to crawl in some time when nobody
Is looking, forgetful of the tremendous words
of my text: "Whosoever doth not bear his
cross, and come after Me, cannot be My dis
ciple."
that he was in store in New York--just
happened in-where there were many CLERKS,
and a gentleman came in and said to young
man standing behind the counter: "Are you
the Young man that arose the other night in
tina BROOKLYN Tabernacle and asked for pray
ersr' Without any flush of cheek he replied:
"I am. I haven't always done right, and !
have been quite bad; but since arose for
PRAYERS I think am better than was" 1t
was only his was Of announcing that he had
started for the higher life. God will not cast
out a man who is brave enough to take a
step ahead like that.
I tell you these things this morning be-
cause, my dear friends, want to show you
how light the cross is that we have to carry
compared with that which Christ carried for
u.s. You have not had the flesh torn OFF for
Christ's sake in carrying your cross. he
tainted dead away under his cross. You
have not carried the cross until it fetched the
blood. Under his there was pool OF car
mage that plashed the horses fetlocks- You
have friends to sympathize with you lp
carrying the cross Christ trod the wine-
press of Gods wrath alone, alone! The cross
that you and ought to carry represents
only q few DAYS or few years Of trial. The
cross that Christ carried for us had COM
pressed into it the agonies OF eternity.
There has some one come here to-day whom
you have not observed. He did not come
through the front door; he did not come
down any Of these aisles; yet l know ne Is
here. He is from the East, the far East. He
comes with blistered foot, and with broken
heart, and checks red not with health but
with blood from the temples. take hold OF
his coat and I say: "It does not seem to tit
thee" NO." he says, 'it is not mine; it is
borrowed; it does not belong, to me now;
For my vesture did they cast lots" And l
say to Him: "Thine eyes are red as though
from loss Of sleep" He says: "Yes, the Son
Of man had not where to lay His head.
And I touch the log on His back and say:
ssWhy earliest Thou this?" "Ahm He says,
s'that is cross carry for thee and for the
sins of the whole world. That is cross.
Fall into line, march on with Me in this pro
cession, take your smaller crosses and yoai
sos~ sv,f Too ~