Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-08-09

they saw Christ coming along the street
they ran into their houses, and they
wrapped up their inyalids as quick as
they could, and brought them out that
He might look at them. There was
n something so pleasant, SO inviting, sc
! cheering in everything He did, in His
# very look. When these sick ones were
brought out. did He say: DO not bring
me these sores; do not trouble me with
f these leprosies?" No, no; there was a
kind look, there was a gentle word,
, there was healing touch. They could
not keep away from Him.
In addition TIC this softness of charac-
ter, there was fiery m momentum. How the
kings of the earth turned pale. Here
is plain man with u few sailors at His
} back, coming off the sea of Galilee, go
ing up to the palace of the Caesars,
making that palace quake to the foun-
and kindness which throbs through all
the earth, and through all the heavens,
and through all ages. Oh, he was a
loving Christ. But it was not effimi-
macy or insipidity of character; it was
accompanied with majesty, infinite and
omnipotent. Lest the world should not
realize His earnestness, this Christ
mounts the cross.
You say: IF Christ has to die, why
not let Him take some deadly potion and
lie on couch i'll some bright and beau
tiful home? If He must die, let Him
expire amid all kindly Intentions" No,
the world must hear the hammers on the
heads of the spikes. The world must
listen to the death rattle of the sufferer.
The world must feel His warm blood
dropping on each cheek, while it looks
up into the face of His anguish. And so
the cross must be lifted and hole dug
on the top of Calvary. 1t must be dug
three feet deep, and then the cross is
laid on the ground, and the sufferer is
| stretched upon it, and the nails are
pounded through nerve and muscle and
bone, through the right hand, through
the left hand, and then they shake His
right hand to see if it is fast, and they
heave up the wood, half dozen should
ers under the weight. and they put the
end of the cross ill the mouth of the
hole, and they plunge it in, all the weight
OF His body coming down for the first
time on the spikes; and while some hold
the cross upright others throw in the
dirt and trample it down, and trample it
| hard. Oh, plant that tree we'll and
! thoroughly, for it is to bear fruit such
as no other tree ever bore. Why did
| Christ endure it? He could have taken
those rocks and with them crushed His
crucifers. He could have reached up
and grasped the sword of the omnipo-
tent God, and with one clean cut have
tumbled them into perdition. But no;
He was to die. He must die. His life
| for your life. In European city u
young man died on the scatfold for the
crime of murder. Some time after the
mother of this young man was dying
and the priest came in, and she made
confession to the priest that she was the
murderer and not her son; in q moment
OF anger she had struck her husband
blow that slew him. The son came sud
denly into the room, and was washing
away the wounds and trying to resusci-
tate his father, when some one looked
through the window and saw him, and
| supposed him to be the criminal. That
young man died for his own mother.
You say: 1T was wonderful that he
grander thing. Christ, the Son of God,
died not for His mother, nor for His
father, but for His sworn enemies. Oh,
such Christ as that-so loving, so pa
t!ent, SO self sacrifcing-can YOU not
trust Him? | think there are many I'M
der the influence of the spirit of God
who are saying: Il Will trust Him if
you will only tell me how;" and the
great question asked by thousands is:
| How? how" And while I answer your
| question L look up and utter the prayer
which Rowland Hill SO often uttered in
the midst of his sermons: Master,
help How are you to trust in Christ?
just as you trust anyone. You trust
your partner in business with important
things. 1t commercial house gives
you note payable three months hence,
you expect the payment of that note ut
the end of three months. You have per.
feet confidence in their word and in
their ability. Or again, YOU 90 home
expecting there will be food on the
table. You have confidence in that.
Now, ask you to have the same conf
dence in the Lord Jesus Christ. He
says: You believe 1 take away Your
sins, and they are all taken away"
What" you say, before pray any
more? Before read my Bible any more?
Yes, this moment. Believe with all your
heart and you are saved. Why, Christ
is onl y waiting to get from you what
you give to scores of people every day.
What is that? Confidence. If these
people whom you trust day by day are
more worthy than Christ, ii they are
more faithful than Christ, if they have
done more than Christ ever did, then
give them the preference; but if YOU
really thank that Christis as stworthy
as they are, then deal with him as fairly.
oh, says some one in light way, II
believe that Christ was born in Bethle-
hem, and l believe that He died on the
cross. Do you believe it with your head
or your heart? l will illustrate the diff
ference. You are in your own house.
In the morning you open newspaper
and you read how Capt. Braveheart on
the sea risked his life for the salvation
of his passengers. You say, What
grand fellow he must have been! His
family deserves very we'll of the coun-
try You fold the newspaper and sit
down at the table, and perhaps do not
think of that incident again. That is
historical faith.
But now you are on the sea. and it is
night, and you are asleep, and YOU are
awakened by the Shrek of "Fire!" You
rush out on the deck. Your hair amid
the wringing Of the hands and the faint
ing, the cry, No hope! no hope! We
are lost! We are lost" The sails puts
out its wings of fire, the ropes make a
burning ladder in the night Heavens,
the spirit of wrecks Kisses in the wave,
and on the hurricane deck shakes out
it's banner Of smoke and darkness.
Down with the lifeboats!" cries the
r. NfnJp