The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-08-01

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brought out, did he say: ''Do not
bring me these sores do not trouble me
with these leprosiesg" No, no; there
was kind look, there was a gentle
word, there was healing touch. They
could not keep away from him.
In addition to this softness of char
acter, there was a fiery momentum.
How the kings of the earth turned
pale. Here is plain man with o 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 twas not effeminacy or insipidity
of character; it was accompanied with
majesty, infinite and omnipotent. Lest
the world should not realize his ear
nestness. 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 couch in some bright and
beautiful home2 If He must die, let
Him expire amid all kindly inten-
tons" No, the world must hear the
hammers on the heads of the spikes.
The world must listen to the death
rattle of tho 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 tho 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 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 trample it hard. Oh, plant that
tree well and thoroughly, for 1t is to
bear fruit such as no other tree ever
bore. Why did Christ endure ita He
could have taken those rocks and with
them crushed his crucifiers. He could
have reached up and grasped the sword
of the omnipotent God, and with one
clean cut have tumbled them into per-
dition. But no; he was to die. He
must die. His life for your life. In
European city a young man
died on the scafold 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 to the
priest that she was the murderer and
not her son; in moment of anger she
had struck her husband a blow that
slew him. The son came suddenly
into 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.
That young man died for his own
mother. You say: ''It was wonder
full that he never exposed her." But
/ tell you of grander thing. Christ,
the Son of God, died not for his
mother, nor for his father, but for
his sworn enemies. Oh, such a
Christ as that-so loving, SO pa
tient, SO self sacrihcing-can you not
trust him2 ! think there are many
under the influence of the spirit of
God who are saying: II will trust
him if you will only tell me how"
and the great question asked by thou
sands is: "How2 howe" And while
/ answer your question look up and
utter the prayer which Rowland Hill
so often uttered in the midst of his
sermons: Master, helpw How are
you to trust in Christi Just as you
trust any one. You trust your part
ner In business with important things.
If a commercial house gives you a
note payable three months hence, you
expect the payment of that note at the
end of three months. You have per-
feet 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, l ask you to have the
same confidence in the Lord Jesus
Christ. He says: You believe take
away your sins, and they are all taken
away "Whatl" you say, before !
pray any more2 Before I read my
Bible any more2 Before l cry over
my sins any more2' Yes, this mo-
ment. Believe with all your heart
and you are saved. Why, Christ is
only waiting to get from you what
What is thatf Confidence. If 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,
then give them the preference; but
il you really think that Christ
is as trustworthy as they are,
then deal with him as <airly. "Oh, p"
says some one in a light way, II be-
| heve that Christ was born in Bethle-
hem, and I believe that he died on the
cross" Do you believe it with your
head or your hearth | will illustrate
the difference You are in your own
house In the morning you open a
newspaper and you read how Capt.
| Bravehcart on the sea risllcd his life
for the salvation of his passengers.
! You say, What grand fellow he
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 Incl
dent again. That is historical faith.
YOU ARE SAVED.
But now you are on the sea, and it is
night, and you are asleep, and you
are awakened by the shriek of FIRE.
You rush out on the deck. You hear
amid the wringing of the hands and
the fainting, the cry, mo hopel nc
hopol We are lost we are lostl" The
sail puts out its wings of fire, the ropes
make O burning ladder in the night
| heavens, the-spirit of wrecks Kisses In
the wave, and ON the hurricane deck
shakes out its banner of smoke anC
darkness. ''Down with the lifeboats !
cries the captain Down with the
lifeboatsp People rush into them
The boats are about fall. Room only
for one more man. You are standing
on the deck beside the captain WhC
shall it bel You or the cap
tain2 The captain says, You.
| You jump and are saved. II,
stands there and dies. Now, you be
lieve that Capt. Braveheart sacrificed
himself for his passengers, but yor
believe il with love, with tears, with
hot and long continued exclamations
with grief at his loss, and JOY at you
dclivermce That is saving faith. II
other words what you believe with al
the heart, and believe in regard t
yourself. On this hinge turns m,
sermon; aye, the salvation of you
immortal soul You often go across
bridge you know nothing about Yo'
do not know who built the bridge
YOU do not know what material it i
made of; but you come to 1t and wall
over it and ask no questions. AM
here is an arched bridge blastes
from the Rock OF Age" And bull