The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-07-05

rect, one wound 1Or the size, tney say
five wounds. No, they have missed the
worst and they have missed the most.
Did you ever see the bramble out of
which that crown of thorns was made? l
saw one on a Brooklyn ferryboat, in the
hands of gentleman who had just re-
turned from Palestine, bramble just like
that out of which the crown of thOrns was
made. O.! 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 can not 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 prostrations, the gangrene had
seizea upon Him, and He terribly wanted
water. His wounds were worse than gum
shot fractures, and yet no water A Turk
in the thirteenth century was cruciied on
the banks of river so that the sight of
the water might tantalizs him. And oh?
how the thirst of Christ must have tanta-
lized 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 in
toxicating drought made of wine and
myrrh, but He declined it. He wanted to
die sober. No water.
Then there was the absence of faithful
nurses. When you are ill 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 YOU"
| The high priests and the soldiers
wanted it their own way; they had it 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 it 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 red with weeping and
sunken as though grief had pushed them
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.
But how are you going to test your love
and test your earnestness? My text gives
a test. 1t says that while Christ carried a
cross for you, you must be willing to car
ry a cross for Christ.
"Well," you say, 81 never could UNDER
stand that. There are no crosses to be
carried in this land; those prosecutions
have passed, and in all the land there is
no one to be crucifed, and yet in the pull
pit and in the prayer meetings you all
keep talking about carrying a cross.
What do you mean, sir?"
| l mean this: that is cross which Christ
calls you to do, which is unpleasant and
hard.
"Ohw you say, "after hearing the story
of this Christ and all that He has endured
for me, am ready to do any thing for
Him. just tell me what l have to do and
I'll do it. l am ready to carry any cross"
Suppose l should ask you at the close
of a religious service to rise up announce
ing yourself on the Lords side-could you
do it?
20! no." you say, "I have shrinking
and sensitive nature, and it would be i'm
possible for me to rise before large
assemblage, announcing myself on the
Lords side"
Just as I feared. You can not stand
that cross. The first one that is offered
you, you reject. Christ carried mount
ain, Christ carried Himalaya, Christ
carried world for you, and you can not
lift an ounce for Him.
But here is man W hose cross will be to
announce among his business associates
tomorrow 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 he ought to
advise all those who are his associates, sc
far as he can influence them, to begin
with him the Christian life. Could you dc
that, my brother?
80! no." you say, mot just that.
think religion is religion, and business is
business, and it would be impossible fol-
me TO recommend 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 can not
lift an ounce for Him.
There is some one whose cross will BIZ
to present religion in the home circle
Would you dare to kneel down and pray
If your brother and sister were looking a.
you? Could you ask blessing at the
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
blessing on your household.
"Op you say, mot exactly that.
couldn't quite do that, because I have &
very quick temper, and if 1 professeG
religion and tried to talk religion in my
household, and then after that l should
lose my temper, they would scott at me
and say: You are pretty Christianv'
? So you are cowed down and theil
sarcasm keeps you out of Heaven ant
, away from Christ, when under God vol
ought to take your whole family into the
Kingdom. Christ lifted mountain, l,ftet
: world for you; you can not lift an Dance
/ for Him. see how it is; you want to b.
favorable to religion, you want to supper
} Christian institutions, you like to be as
ISOLATED with those who love Jesus Christ
but as to taking positive step on thi.
, subject, you can not-you can not, ans
my text, like gate of a hundred bolts
, bars you away from peace on earth ant