Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-08-07

Long Branch. The young man ventured
too far out in the surf. The telegraph
hurled the terror up to the city. An earth
quake struck under the foundations Of that
beautiful home. The piano closed; the
curtains dropped; the laughter hushed.
Crash! go all those damestic hopes and
prospects and expectations. So, my friends,
we have all felt the shaking down of some
g.eat trouble, and there was time when
we were as much excited as this man of the
text, and we cried out as he did, "Wbat
shall do2 What shall l doe'' The same
reply that the apostle made to him is ap-
propriate to us: ''Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved"
There are some documents of no little
Importance that you do not care to put any
more than your last name under them, or
even your initials; but there are some docu-
ments of so great Importance that you write
out your full name. So the Saviour in some
parts of the Bible is called "Lord," and in
ether parts of tha Bible He is called
"Jesus," and in other parts of the Bible
He is called "Christ;" but that there might
be no mistake about this passage, all three
names come together-"Tbe Bord Jesus
Christ"
Now, who ia this being that you want me
to trust in and believe in? Men sometimes
come to me with credentials and certificates
of good character, but l cannot trust them.
There is some dishonesty in their looks that
makes me know | shall be cheated if I con-
fide in him. Ynu cannot put your hearts
confidence in man until you know what
stuff be is made of, and am unreasonable
to-day when l stop to ask you who this is
that you want me to trust in? No man
would think of venturipg his life on yes.
sci going out to sea that bad never been in
spected. No, you must have the certificate
hung amidships, telling how many tons it
carries. and how long ago it was built, and
who built it, and all about it. And you
cannot expect me to risk the cargo of my
immortal interests on board any craft till
you tell me what it is made of, and where
it was made, and what it is. When, then,
1 ask you who this is you want me to trust
| in, yon tell me he was very attractive
person. Contemporary writer's describe his
whole appearance as being Respondent.
There was no ueed for Christ to tell the
children to come to him. "Suffer little chill
dren to come unto me-" was not spoken to
the children; it was spoken to the disciples.
The children came readily enough without
any invitation. No sooner did Jesus ap.
pear than the little ones jumped from their
mothers arms, an avalanche of beauty and
love, into his lap. Christ did not ask John
to 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 attractive 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 he might
look at them. There was something so
pleasant, so inviting, SO cheering in every
thing he did, in his very look. When these
sick ones were brought cut, did he say:
500 not bring me these sores; do not trou-
Bile me with these leprosies ~ No, no;
there was kind look, there was gentle
word, there was a healing touch. They
could not keep away from him.
Ia addition to this softness of character,
there was fiery momentum. How the
kings of the earth turned pale. Here is a
plain man with a few sailors at his back,
coming eff the sea Of Galilee, going up to
the palace of the Caesars, making that
palace quake to the foundations, aad utter
ing q word of mercy and kindness which
throbs through all the earth, and through
all the heavens, and through all ages. Oh,
he was a loving Christ. Bat it was not ef-
feminacy or insipidity of character; it was
accompanied with majesty, infinite and
omnipotent. Lest the world should not
realizs 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
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 Oh 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 an
guish 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, and the sufferer
is stretched upon it, and the tails are pound
ed through nerve aud 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 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
same hold the cross upright others throw
in the dirt and trample it down, and tram
pie it hard. Oh, plant that tree well and
thoroughly for it is to bear frnit such as no
other tree ever bore. Why did Christ en-
dure il? He could have taken those rocks
and with them crushed His crncifers. He
could have reached up and grasped the
sword of the omnipotent God, and with one
clean cut have tumbled them into perdi-
ton. But no; He was to die. He must
die. His life for your life. In European
city young man died on the scaffold for
the crime of murder. Some time after the
mother of this young man was dying, and
@I,a in nd CHI
to the priest that she was the murderer and
not her son; in moment of anger she had
struck her husband blow that slew him.
The son came suddenly into the room, and
and was washing away the wounds and
rying 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: sit was wonderful that be 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.
On, such Z Christ as that-so loving, SO pa
tient, SO self-sacriicing-can you not trust
him? l think there are many under the
influence of the spirit of God who are say
ing: 81 will trust him if you will only tell
me how" and the great question asked by
thousands is: Chow? how?" And while l
answer your question look up and utter
the prayer which Rowland Hill so often ut
tered in the midst of his sermons: "Master,
helpp' "How are you to trust in Christ?
Just as you trust any one. You trust your
partner in business with important things.
If commercial house gives you note pay
able three mouths 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 to 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, ''be-
fore pray any more? Before 1 read my
Bible any more2 Before l cry over my sins
any more?' Yes, this moment. Believe
oil vt