The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-06-04
The Horrors and Beauties of the
Crucifixion OF Christ.
A Powerful Word Picture of the
Death on Calvary.
Are We, for Whom He Died, willing to
Bear His Cross to Inherit
Eternal Lifo with the
Redeemed9

"Td sing the precious blood lie split
My mnsom from the dreadful guilt"
This is sacramental day, aud large
number Of persons Joined tho church,
making the commitment membership
4,19i. But this is only part Of the great
attendance that Sunday mornings and
evenings overflow tho immense audience
room. The Rev. Il. Dewitt Talmagc, ID.
d., took for his text the passage: "Who-
soever doth not bear his cross, and come
after me, cannot be my disciple. Luke,
XIV, %. lie preached the following
sermon:
The cross was gibbet on which crimi-
nails were put to death. II was sometimes
made in the shape OF tin letter T, some
times in the shape Of the letter X, some
times in the shape Of the letter Ia simple
upright; sometimes twonoss piecesagainst
the perpendicular bar, NJ that upon the
the lower cross piece thdoriminal partially
sat. But whatever the style OF the cross,
IL was always disgracefui and always agon-
izing.
When Darius conquered Babylon, lac
put 200 captiyes TO death on the cross.
When Alexander conquered Tyre, he put
1900 captiyes 10 death on the cross. So IL
was Just an ordinary mode Of punishment.
But in all the forest Of ,rosscs on the hills
and in the valleys Of the earth, there is one
cross that attracts more attention than any
other II is not higher than the others;
II is not made out OF different wood, there
is nothing peculiar in the notch at which
the two pieces are joined, and a. 10 the
scene, they witnessed cruciilxions every
few weeks, 40 that ] see n reckless man
walking about the hill and kicking care
lcssly aside a skull, aud wondering who
the villain was that bal ~ flat and mis-
shapcn head, and hero is another skull,
and there ON the hillside IL another skull.
Indeed, the Bible says Il was "a place Of
skulls" But about tie victim ON one of
these crosses all ages We crying "Who
Is he2 Was lac ma Was he a God7
Was he man aud God7
Through the darkness Of that gloomy
day, come close M though 90 the cross
to see who IL h. II Is Jesus. How did he
como thcrc9 Had lac come up on the top
Of the hill 30 look of on the beautiful
landscape, or upon brilliant sunset No.
lie came there IN and exhausted. People
sometimes wonder why Christ expired 20
quickly on the cross, In six or seven hours,
while other victims have been on the cross
for iorty-eight hous before life wascXiinct
| will tell you the reason. lie was cN.
hausicd when lac came there. lie had
been scourgrd. We are Mortified NJ the
crucltics Of the whippingpost but those
crueltics were mercy o. compared with the
scourging OF Jesus Christ.
saw at Antwerp a picture made by
Reubens- Rcubens' picture Of the scourg-
ing Of Jesus Christ. IL was the most over
mastering picture / ever looked At, or ever
expect 10 see. As the long irocked official
opened the door that held the picture,
there he was-Christ Aiih back bent and
barred. The ilagcllator stood withih upper
teeth clcnchcd over the lower lip, as
though topyc viOlcncato the blows There
wcrc the black and luc ridges, denied
even the relief Of bleeding There was
the flesh adhering "a the whips a. they
were lifted. There were the marks
where the knots In the whip gougcd out
the flesh. There stood the prosecutor,
/ with his foot on the cali NJ tho leg Of the
/ Savior, balancing himarlf. o. the furious
and hclish look on those faces gtinning
/ vengeance against the Son OF God. The
picture seized me, Il overwhelmed me. II
seemed a. II Il would Nh me. ! do not
think could have looked at Il five min
utcs aud have lived.
But that, my friend was before Christ
had started for Calynfy. That was only
the whipping. Arc you ready for your
| journey 10 the Croes7
The carpenters have fplit the timber
into two pieces. Thoy arc heavy and
they are long pieces, 81 one Of them must
be fastened deep down In the earth lest
the struggling Of the victim upset the
structure. They put his timber upon the
shoulder Of Christ yery gradually, tint, 10
see whether lie can stand II, and after
they find lie can stand il they put the
whole weight upon lin. Forward, now,
90 Calvary. The hooiug and the yelling
mob follow on. Undrr the weight Oi the
cross, Christ being weary and sick, lie
stumblcs and falls, an they jerk at His
robe, indignantthat H. should have STUN
BLEED and fallen, aud they cry. Get up,
get up" Christ, puiUlg one hand on the
ground aud the othrf hand on the cross,
rises, looking into the face Of Mary, His
mother, iof sympathy but they tell her
b. stand back, Il isnO pncc for woman
"stand back and stop ibis crying
Christ moves ON Will Ills burden upon
His shoulders, aud tlrru b boy that
passes along with Hin o boy holding a
inallet and a few nas. ] wonder what
they are for. Christ moves on until the
burden Is NJ great No. siaggcr aud falls
fiat into the dust nil iuinh dead away,
and n rullian puts hi foot ON Him and
shakes Him IA lac would dead dog,
while another runan looks down at
Him wondering who.Hpr lie has tainted
away, or whether Ilc unly pretending 10
faint away, aud with j,rr aud contempt
indoscribablc says TAINTED, have your
tainted! get up, yet on
Now they have arrived at the foot OF the
hill. or with Ills clothes Shall that
loalhsome mob look upon the unrobed
body Of Christi Yes. The commanding
officer says; "Unfas,en the girile, take
of the coat, strip Him The work IL done
But bring back the coat, for here arc the
gamblers tossing up coin on the ground
saying "Who shall have the coall' One
sultan says 81 hayc b. have tilt u
mincl" lie rolls II up and puts II unlel
bis arm. OF he e.amines 1t TO See wha