The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-07-05
TAtMAGE'S SERMON.
Tho Story of the Cross-An Eu-
charistal Sermon.
Only Those Who Bear Their Cross in
This Life Fitted to Wear the Inn
mortal Crown in That to Come
Business and Religion.


following sermon in the Brooklyn Taber-
nacle on a recent sacramental occasion.
His text was:
Whosoever doth not bear his cross and come
after me, can not be my disciple. xiv.
81
The cross was gibbet on which GRIM
inals were put to death. 1t was some
times made in the shape of the letter T,
sometimes in the shape of the letter x,
some times in the shape of the letter Ia
simple upright; sometimes two cross
pieces against the perpendicular bar, SO
that upon the lower cross-piece the GRIM
inal partially sat- But whatever the style
of cross, it was always disgraceful and
always agonizing.
When Darius conquered Babylon he
put two hundred captives to death on the
cross. When Alexander conquered Tyre
he put two thousand captives to death on
the cross. So it was just an ordinary
mode of punishment. But in all the for
est of crosses, ON the hills and in the val
leys of the earth, there is one cross
that attracts more attention than any 9TH
er. It is not higher than the others, it is
not made out of different wood, there is
nothing peculiar in the notch at which the
two pieces are joined, and as to the scene,
they witnessed crucifxions every few
weeks, so that / see reckless man walk
ing about the hill and kicking carelessly
aside a skull, and wondering who the
villain was that had so fat and mis-
shapen head; and here is another skull,
and there ON the hillside is another skull.
Indeed, the Bible says it was "a place of
skulls" But about the victim on one of
these crosses all ages are crying: "Who
is He? Was He man? Was He God?
Was He man and God?"
Through the darkness of that gloomy
day, come close up enough to the cross
to see who it is. 1t is Jesus. How did He
come there? Had He come up ON the top
of the hill to look off upon the beautiful
landscape, or ill and exhausted. People
sometimes wonder why Christ expired so
quickly on the cross, in six or seven hours,
while other victims have been on the cross
for forty eight hours before life was ex-
tinct. | will tell you the reason. He was ex-
hausted when He came there. He had
been scourged. We are Mortified at the
cruelties of the whipping post, but those
cruelties were mercy as compared with
the scourging of Jesus Christ.
lsaw at Antwerp picture made by
Rubens-Rubens' picture of the scourg-
ing of Jesus Christ Itwas the most over
mastering picture l ever looked at, or
ever expect to see. AS the long frocked
official opened the door that hid the pict-
ure, there He was-Christ, with back bent
and barred. The fagellator stood with the
upper teeth clenched over the lower lip,
as though to give violence to the blows.
There were the black and blue ridges,
denied even the relief of bleeding. There
was the flesh adhering to the whips as
they were lifted. There were the marks
where the knots in the whips gouged out
the flesh. There stood the prosecutor,
with his foot on the calf of the leg of the
Saviour, balancing himself. Oh! the furi-
GUS and hellish look on those faces, grim
ming vengeance against the Son of God
The picture seized me, it overwhelmed
me; it seemed as if it would kill me. lido
not think l could have looked at it five
minutes and have lived.
But that, my friends, was before Christ
had started for Calvary. That was the
only whipping. Are you ready for your
journey to the cross?
The carpenters have split the timber
into two pieces. They are heavy and they
are long pieces, for one Of them must be
fastened deep down in the earth lest the
struggling Of the victim upset the struct-
ure. They put this timber upon the
shoulder of Christ very gradually, first,
to see whether He can stand it, and after
they find He can stand it they put the
whole weight upon Him. Forward, now,
to Calvary. The hooting and the yelling
mob follow on. Under the weight of the
cross, Christ being weary and sick, He
stumbles and falls, and they jerk at His
robe, indignant that He should have STUN
bled and fallen, and they cry: "Get up,
get up!" Christ, putting one hand on the
ground and the other on the cross, rises,
looking into the face of Mary, His mother
for sympathy; but they tell her to stand
PACK, 1t Is no place for woman-"Stand
back and stop this crying.".
Christ moves on with His burden upon
His shoulders, and there is boy that
passes along with Him, boy holding a
mallet and few nails. l wonder what
lhey are for. Christ moves on until the
burden is SO great He staggers and falls
nat into the dust and faints dead away,
and a ruffian puts his foot on Him and
SNAKES Him as he would dead dog, while
another ruffian looks down at Him, won.
dering whether he Has tainted away, OF
whether He is only pretending to faint
eeh0 "htii lCCI dutt contempt 1Du6-
scribable says: Tainted, have YOU,
Fa1nted! Get up, get ont"
Now, they have arrived at the foot of the
hill. OFF with His clothes. Shall thai
loathsome mob look upon the unrobed
body of Christ? Yes. The COMMANDING
officers say: "Unfasten the girdle, take of
the coat, strip Him." The work is done
But bring back the coat, for here are the
gamblers tossing up coin on the ground
saying:
who shall have the coat?" One ruffiar
says:
II have it, have tit is minew He
rolls it up and puts it under his arm. OF
he examines it to see what fabric it il
made OF. Then they put the cross upon
the ground and they stretch Christ upon
It, and four or five men hold Him down
while they drive the spikes home, at every
hump groan, a groan! Alas! Alas
the hour passes on and the time comes
when they must cruelty Him.
Christ has only one garment left now.
cap-a cap of thorns. No danger that i,
will fall off, for the sharp edges have
punctured the temples, and it is sure and
FAST One rufian takes hold of one end O,
the short beam of the cross. and anotbe,