The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-10-03

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 these leprosies?" No, no; there
wa, a kind look, there was gentle word,
there was a healing touch. They could
not keep away from Him.
In addition to this softness Of charac-
ter, there was a fiery momentum. How
the kings of the earth turned pale. Here
is q plain man with a few sailors at his
back, coming off the sea of Galilee. going
up to the palace of the Caesars, making
that palace quake to the foundations, and
uttering 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 1t
was not effeminacy or insipidity OF char
acter; 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 in some bright and beauti-
full home? If He must die, let H1ra 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 is dug on
the top of Calvary. 1t must be dug three
feet deep. and then the cross is laid on
the ground, ard 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 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 hard. Oh,
plant that tree we'll and thoroughly, for
| ii is to bear fruit such as no other tree
ever bore. Why did Christ ensure it? He
could have taken those rocks and with
them crushed His cruciiers. He could
have reached up and grasped the sword OF
the Omnipotent 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 a young man died
on the scaffold 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 angef she had
struck her hus band blow that slew Him
The son came suddenly in the room, and
was washing away the wounds and trying
to resuscitate his father when some one
looked through the window and saw him
and supposed him to be the criminal
The young man died for his mother. Yor
say: 1T was wonderful that he never
exposed her."
But l tell you of a. grander thing
Christ, the Son of God, died not for His
mother, nor for his Father, but for Hi
sworn enemies. Oh, such a Christ a
that-so loving SO patient so self-sacri
ficing-can you not trust Him? l thinl
there are many under the influence o
God who are saying: 81 will trust Him;
you will only tell me how;" and the grea
question asked by thousands is: "How
how?" And while 1 answer your ques
ton look up and utter the prayer which
Roland Hill so often uttered in the mids
of his sermons:
master, helpw
How are you to trust in Christ? Just a
you trust any one. You trust your part
ner in business with important things. l
a commercial house gives you note pay
able three months hence, you expect tn
payment of that note at the end Of tire
months. You have perfect confidence il
their word and in their ability. Or, again
you go home expecting there will be foo'
on the table. You have confidence il
that. Now, ask you to have the sam
confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. H
says:
"You believe 1 take away your sins, ant
they are all taken away"
"Whatw you say, ''before pray an
more? Before read my Bible any more
Before cry over my sins any more?'
Yes, this moment. Believe with al
your heart and you are saved. Why
Christ is only waiting to get from yo
what you give to scores of people ever,
! day. What is that? Confidence.
these people whom you trust day by da
are more worthy than Christ, if they ar
more faithful than Christ, if they hav
done more than Christ ever did, then Civ
them the preferences; but if you reall
think that Christ is as trustworthy a
they are, then deal with HIM as fairly.
oh" says some one in a light way, q
believe that Christ was born in BethIe
, hem, and / believe that He died on tn
cross" Do you believe it with your hear
. or your heart? Twill illustrate the differ
, ence. You are in your own house. I
, the morning you open newspaper an
, you read how Captain BRAY eheart on til
, sea risked his own life for the saivatio
} of his passengers. You say: ''What
: grand fellow he must have beenl HI
) family deserve very well of the coun
! try" You fold the newspaper and s
down at the table, and perhaps do nc
think of that incident again. That
/ historical faith.
, But now you are on the sea, and it
J night, and you are asleep. and you al
| awakened by the shrek of 'Fire!" Yo
t rush out on deck. You hear amid the wrin
of the hands and the fainting, the cry
mo hope, no hope! We are lostl we al
, lostW The sail puts out its wings of fir,
, the ropes make a burning ladder in tl
. night eavens, the spirit of wreck
Kisses in the wave, and on the hurrican
deck shakes out its banner of smoke an
darkness.
''Down with the life- boatsl" cries ii
captain. down with the life boats 20
. Paon1o Yrch into 1ho 1,ooEs -.