Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1889-08-03
AcooMAo q 4. Va SATURDAY. AUGUST g. 1889

trust in, you Tell me he was very at
tractiye person. Contemporary writ
ers describe his whole appearance as
being resplendent. There was no need
for Christ to tell the children to come
to him. Suffer little children to
como unto me, was not spoken to the
children; it was spoken to the disciples.
The children calne readily enough
without any invitation. No sooner did
Jesus appear than the little ones jump
ed from their mothers arms, an ava
lahche OF beauty and love. into his
lap. Christ did not ask John 10
put his head down on his bosom;
John could not help but put
his head there. suppose to look at
Christ was to love him. Oh, how at
tractive his manner. Why, when they
saw Christ coming along the. street
they ran into their houses, and they
wrapped up their invalids as quick as
they could, and brought them out that
lie might look at them. There was
somethingso pleasant, so inviting, so
cheering in everything he did, in his
very look. When these sick ones were
Drought out, did he say:.Do not
5bring,1ne. these sores; do,not trouble me
with. these leprosies No.1tfet,; slieEe
was a. lind look heres Sas; gentle
sword; sth eres,ya
;couldllo EEeep ava rom lin.
additionSto this softncss Of char
acter, there was a fiery momentum.
/, How the kings of the Garth turned
pale. Here is5a plain man with few
sailors at his back, coming off tho sea
of Galilee, going up 10 the palace Of
the Caesars, making that palace quake
to the foundations, and uttering a
word of mercy and kindness which
throbs through all the earth, and
through all the heavens, and through
all ages Oh, he was loving Christ.
But It was not ctfeminacy orinsipidity
of character; twas accompanied with
majesty, infinite and omnipotent. Lest
the world should not realize his car
nestncss. this Christ mounts the cross.
THE DEATH OF CHRIST.
You say: IF Christ has to die, why
not let him take some deadly potion
and lie on IL couch in some bright and
beautiful home2 If He must die, let
Him expire amid all kindly intcn-
tons" 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, Willie it looks up into
the face of his anguish. And SO the
cross must be lifted and q hole is 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 sec il it is fast, and they lleave
up the wood, half a dozen shoulders
under the weight, and they put the
end Of the cross in 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 tramplc it hard. Oh, plant that
tree well and thoroughly, for it is to
bear fruit such rs no other tree ever
bore. Why,did Christ endure it2 He
could have taken those rocks and with
them crushed, his -cruci6crs. Hc.could
have reached up and grasped the sword
of the omnipotcnt God, and with one
clean cut have tulnbled them into per
dition. But no; he was to die. He
must die. His life for your life. In
a European city young man
died on the scaffold for the
crime of murder. Some time af-
ter the mother OF this young
man was dying, and the priest came
in, and she made confession 10 the
priest that she was the murderer and
not her son; in Il moment of anger she
had struck her husband blow that
slew him. Tie son came suddenly
into the room, and was washing away
The wounds and trying to resuscitate
his father. when some ono looked
through the window and saw him,
and supposed linn to bc the criminal.
That young man died for his own
mother. You say: sit was wonder
full that he never exposed her" Bit
l tell you OF Il grandcr 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
tient, SO self sacrilicing-can you not
trust hin,f | think there are many
under 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 thou
sands is: How how?" And while
answer your question | look up ard
utter the prayer which Rowland Hill
so often uttered in the midst of his
SERMONS: Master, hclp" How are
you 10 trust III Christi Just as you
trust any one You trust your part
ner in business with important things.
If u commercial house gives you
note payable three months hence, you
CAlCCI lliC pay HiSiiI VI ettoU iiSeN e'e oi'S
end Of three months. You have per.
feet confidence iii their word and
in their ability. Or again, you
go home expecting there will be food
on the table You have confidence in
that. Now, ask you to have the
same confidence III the Lord Jesus
Christ. He says: "You believe / take
away your sins, and they are all taken
away. WHAT you say, before !
pray any more2 Before ! read my
Bible any more2 Before l cry over
my sins any more?" Yes, this mo-
ment. Believe with all your heart
and you are saved. Why, Christ is
only waiting to get from you what
you give to scores OF people every day.
What is that7 Confidence. II these
people whom you trust day by day are
more worthy than Christ, if they are
more faithful than Christ. if they
have done more than Christ ever did,