Sharp County record., 1888-06-21

| Did you ever see the DramDle out OF
which that crown of thorns was made! |
saw one on Brooklyn ferrybOat, in the
hands of a 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, thilty-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
seizeu upon Him, and He terribly wanted
water. His wounds were worse than gun
shot fractures, and yet no water A Turk
in the thirteenth century was cruclhed on
the banks of river so that the sight OF
the water might tantaliz9 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 i'll 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 feeber 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? Ny text gives
a test. 1t says that while Christ carried a
cross for you you must be willing to car
ry 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 r-meetings you all
keep talking about carrying cross.
What do you mean, sir?"
mean this: that is a 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 have to do and
Ill do it. am ready to carry any cross"
Suppose | should ask you at the close
of religious service to rise up announc-
ing yourself on the Lords side-could you
do it?
80! no." you say, 81 have ashrinking
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 l feared. You can not stand
| that cross. The first one that is offered
you, you reject. Christ carried a mount
ain, Christ carried Himalaya, Christ
carried a world for you, and you can not
| lift an ounce for Him.
But here is man whose 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, so
| far as he can influence them, to begin
with him the Christian life. Could you do
that, my brother?
90! no." you say, mot just that.
| think religion is religion, and business is
business, and it would be impossible for
me to recommend the Christian religion
in places of worldly business" Just as
f0"'~a There is a second cross offered
you, ana you ca" N>t carry it, Christ
lifted mountain for you, ynu 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,
if your brother and sister were looking at
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
a blessing on your household.
"Ow you say, mot exactly that. l
couldn't quite do that, because l have a
very quick temper, and if | professed
religion and tried to talk religion in my
household, and then after that | should
lose my temper, they would scoff at me
and say: you are pretty Christian' y
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 q mountain, bfted
a world for you; you eau 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 as
sociated with those who love Jesus Christ;
but as to taking positive step on this
subject, you can nOt-you can not, ana