The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-08-07

LnrODS through all the eartn ana through
all the heavens and through all ages. Oh,
He was loving Christ But it was not
effeminacy 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: eff Christ has TO die why not
let Him take some deadly potion and lie
on a couch in some bright and beautiful
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 lis
ten to the death rattle of the sufferer. The
world must feel His warm blood dropping
on each cheek while il looks up into the
face of His anguish. And so the cross
must be lifted and hole is dug on the top
of Calvary. Ii 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 10 see II
IL is fast, and they heave up the wood,
half dozen shoulders under the weight,
and they put the end of the cross in the
mouth OF the hole, and they plunge il 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 il down, and
trample il hard. oh. plant that tree well
and thoroughly for il il 10 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
cruciiers. lie 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. lie must die His life for your life.
In European city young man died on
| the scatold tor the crime of murder. some
| time after 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 n mo-
ment of anger she bad struck her husband
| n blow that slew him. The son came sud
| denly into the room and was washing
away the wounds and trying 20 resusctate
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 own mother. You say: 1T
was wonderful that he never exposed
her" But | tell YOU a grander thing.
! Christ, the Son of God, died not for His
mother nor for His father, but for His
sworn enemies. oh, such Christ ~ that
so loving, so patient, so selfsacrilicing-
can You not trust Him. ] think there are
many under the influence Of the spirit OF
| God who are saying: 81 will trust Him il
| you will only tell me how" and the ques-
ton asked by thousands is: flow
how? And while | answer your ques-
ton / look no and utter the prayer which
Rowland Hill so often uttered in the
midst OF his sermons: Master, help"
How are YOU 10 trust in Christ? Just as
you trust any one. You trust your part
ner in business with important things. II
n commercial house gives YOU n note paw
able three months hence you expect the
payment OF that note at the end OF three
months. You have perfect confidence in
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 10 have the same
confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ He
says: "You believe take away your sins
and they are all taken away" what"
you say, "before | pray any more? Be-
fore read my bible any more? Before
cry over my sins any more~ Yes, this
| moment Believe with all your heart and
YOU are saved Why, Christ is only wait
ing TO get from you what you give TO
scores OF people every day. What is
l
YOU trust day by day are more worthy
than Christ ii they are more faithfultha
Christ, if they have done more than Christ
ever did, then give them the preference
but ii YOU really think that Christ is as
Trustworthy az they are, then deal with
! Him as fairly. ooh, says some one in a
! light way, II believe that Christ was born
in Bethlehem, and | believe that lie died
on the cross" DO you believe IL with
your head or your hearth / will illustrate
| the difference. You are in your own
house. In the morning you open q news
paper and you read how Capt. Braveheart
on the sea risked his life for the salvation
OF his passengers. You say: "What q
grand fellow be must have been! His
family deserve very well of the country.
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 il is
night, and you are asleep, and you are
awakened by the shrek of "Firew You
rush ont on the deck. You hear amid the
wrnging of the hands and the fainting the
cry mo hope! no hope! We are lost we
| are lostW The sail puts out its wings OF
fire, the ropes make burning ladder in
the night heavens, the spirit OF wrecks
misses in the waves and on the hurricane
deck shakes out its banner of smoke and
darkness. down with the life-boats. ~
cries the captain. 'Down with the life
boatsp People rush into them. The
boats are about full. Room only for one
more man. You are standing on the deck
beside the captain. Who shall il be? You
or the captain The captain says "You.
You jump and are saved. He stands
there and dies. Now, You believe that
| Capt. Braveheart sacrificed himself for his
passengers, but you believe It with love,
with tears, with hot and long-continued
EXPLANATIONS with grief at his loss and
Joy at your deliverance. That is saving
faith. In other words, what you believe
with all the heart and believe in regard Ia
yourself On this hinge turns my sermon
aye, the salvation Of your immortal soul
You often 90 across a bridge YOU know
nothing about. You do not know who
built the bridge; you do not know what
material il is made OF, but you come TO il
and walk over it and ask no questions
| And here is an arched bridge blasted from
the "Rock OF Ages, and built by the arch.
itect OF the whole universe, spanning the
dark gulf between sin and righteousness
and all God asks you is TO walk across it.
and you start and you come 10 it and YOU
stop, and you go little way on and you
stop, and you fall back and you expert
ment You say, Glow do | know that
bridge will hold me ?" instead of marching
on with firm step, asking no questions
| but feeling that the strength of the eternal