Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-06-15

mountain. llIteU WOflO Tor you. you
cannot lift an ounce for Him. / see how
1t is; you want to be favorable to relig-
ion, YOU want to support Christian in
situations, you like to be associated with
those who love Jesus Christ; but as to
taking positive step on this subject,
you cannot-you cannot; and my text,
like gate of hundred bolts. bars you
away from peace on earth and glory in
Heaven.
There are hundreds of men and wo-
men here brave enough in other things
in life who simply. for the lack of man
illness and womanliness. stay away
from God: They dare not say: "For-
ever and forever. Lord Jesus, take thee.
here is my immortal spirit. Listen. all
my friends. Listen, all the world.
They are lurking around about the king
dom of God-they are lurking around
about it. expecting to crawl in some time
when nobody is looking, forgetful of the
tremendous words of my text: who
soever doth not bear his cross, and come
after me. cannot be my disciple"
An officer of a neighboring church
told me that he was in a store in New
York-just happened in-where there
were many clerks, and gentleman came
IN h;n and as said to young man standing be-
|
man that arose the other night in the
Brooklyn tabernacle and asked for
prayers" Without any flush of cheek
he replied: Il am. haven't always done
right. and have been quite bad; but
since arose for prayers 1 think am
better than I was.' 1t was only his way
of announcing that he had started for q
higher life. God will not cast out a
man who is brave enough to take step
ahead like that.
tell you these things this morning,
because. my dear friends, want to show
you how light the cross is that we have
Christ carried for us. You have not had
the flesh torn off for Christs sake in car
rying your cross. He tainted dead away
under His cross. You have not carried
the cross until it fetched the blood.
Under His there was Il pool of carnage
that FLASHED the horses fetlocks. You
have friends to sympathize with you in
carrying the cross; Christ trod the
wine-press of Gods wrath alone, alone!
The cross that you and ought to carry
represents only few days or few
years of trial. The cross that Christ car
ried for us had compressed into it the
agonies of eternity.
There has some one come here to-day
come through the front door; He did not
come down any of these aisles; yet
know He is here. He is from the East,
the far East. He comes with blistered
foot, and with broken heart, and cheeks
red not with health but with blood from
the temples. 1 take hold of His coat and
[ say: 1T does not seem to fit thee. "
NO" He says, it is not mine; it is bor-
rowed; it does not belong to me now.
For my vesture did they cast lots" And
say to Him: Thine eyes are red as
though from loss of sleep" He says:
Eyes. the Son of man had not where to
His back and say: why earliest thou
this?" "Ah!" he says. that is a cross
carry for thee and for the sins Of the
whole world. That is cross. Fall into
line. march on with me i'll this process
sion, take your smaller crosses aud your
lighter burdens, and join me i'll the
march to Heaven" And we join that
procession with our smaller crosses and
our lighter burdens, and Christ looks
back and sees some are hating because
they cannot endure the shame, OF bea1
the burden. and with voice which has
in it majesty and omnipotence, He cries
until all the earth trembles: Whose
ever doth not bear his cross, and come
o! my brethren. my sisters-for dc
not speak professionally, l speak as ;
brother would speak to a brother OF
sister-my brother. can you not bear q
cross if ut last you can wear crown:
Come, now. let us divide off. Who
is on the Lords side? Who is ready
to turn his back upon the Lamb Of God
that taketh away the sin Of the world?
A Roman Emperor said to a Greek
architect: you build me coliseum, q
grand coliseum, and if it suits me l will
crown you in the presence of all the
people, and l will make great day OF
architect did his work, did it magniti-
Gently, planned the building, looked
after it's construction. The building was
done. The day for opening arrived. In
the coliseum were the Emperor and the
great architect The Emperor arose
amid the plaudits of vast assembly and
said: "We have gathered here to-day tC
open this coliseum and to honor the
Greek architect. 1t is a great day fol
the Roman Empire. Let this building
be prosperous, and let honor be put
upon the Greek architect. o! we must
have festival to- day. Bring out those
Christians and let us have them put tc
death Mt the mouth Of the lions" The
Christians were put in the center of the
amphitheater. Itswas to be IL great eel
ebration in their destruction. Then the
lions, hungry and three fourths starved
were let out from their dens in the side
of the amphitheater. and they came
forth with mighty spring to destroy and
rend the Christians, and all the gal.
leries shouted: "Huzza, huZza! Long
live the Emperor" Then the Greek
architect arose in one of the galleries,
and shouted until in the vast assemblage
all heard him: Il, too, am a Christian!
and they seized him in their fury and
flung him to the wild beasts, until his
body, bleeding and dead, was tumbled
over and over again in the dust Of the
amphitheater.
Gould you have done that for Christ?
Could you, in q vast assemblage, all OF
whom hated Christ, have said: Il am y
Christian" or I want to be a Christian
Would you have had the ten thousandth
part of the enthusiasm and courage Of
the Greek architect? Nay, 1 ask you
another question: Would you in an as
semblage where they are nearly all
Christiane-in an assemblage, vast
multitude Of whom love Christ and are
+ | willing To live and If need be- TO die for