Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1890-10-04


err. Who redeemed you? Who made
peace between you and God a? Who
brought pardon and justification from
the King and court of heaven? Who
took away your filthy rags and
clothed you with the garment of SAL
walton? Who conquered Satan? Who
removed the Sting of death? Who
triumphed over the grave? Who
offers you crown, a throne, and a
kingdom Who unlocked the gates
of the golden city and babe you ems
ter? What think you it cost Jesus to
procure these things for you? What
think you it cost him to make it pos
sible for you to be a Christian? Go
ask those who followed his weary
footsteps about Judea, Samaria, and
Galilee. Ask those who heard him
say, my soul is exceeding sorrowful
even unto death. Ask those lonely,
signing cedars in Gethsemane, that
witnessed the blood pressed from his
pores as he groaned beneath the
weight of the sins of the whole world.
Ask those who saw the teacherous
kiss, and his arrest by the Infatuated
rabble. Ask those who saw him
stand at Pilates bar, smitten, spit
upon, reviled, without an advocate
or friend. Ask those who crowned
him with thorns, put on him the
scarlet robe, and placed the mock
sceptre in his hand. Ask those who
saw him faint beneath the cross as he
struggled up the mount of crucifxion.
Ask those who nailed him to the
accursed tree. Ask those who heard
his dying cry. Ask the rend-
ing rocks, the opening graves,
the trembling earth, the darkening
sun. Ask those who stood amazed
amidst that awful scene. Ask God,
the Father, who gave his only Son
thus to suffer and die for a rebellious
world. They can tell you what ii
cost Jesus to make it possible for you
to be Christian.
What it costs yon to be Christian
and what it cost him to make it pos,
sible for you to be a Christian, CONS
prehends the whole cost. What il
costs you, compared with what il
cost him, is but single grain to the
whole world. If every item were
demanded of every one, all at once
} the demand would not be unrea.
e sonable.
r But Christ does not require that al
< these sacrifices shall be made, at al
times, by all his followers. They ar,
: to be actually made as circumstance
demand. There must, however, b,
b, an ever present willingness to Civ,
= up all for him when the necessit,
s arises. Every follower of Chris
d must have the spirit Of a martyr
It Although he may never be led t
y crucifxion, yet he must bear hi
:, cross, and be ready to be nailed to j
u when the sacrafice is demanded.
: Here may be found the reason VIII
there are so few real, earnest, whole
O hearted Christians. To be a Christ
It ian, sacrifices must be made, crosse
I must be borne, self must be denied
. 1t may be that business must beabar
" doned home with its comforts an
d endearments, left behind; propert
re surrendered and appropriated to be
W nevolent purposes relatives near an
is dear, may have to be given up; fee
ing sacraficed life itself be laid upo
le the altar or it may be that a who
3, burnt offering, of all these thing
le must be made. When this fact
d realized, and when there appears n
s. room in the narrow way to avoid i
q, many halt, mot few turn back. The
in did not count the cost of building II
i'd tower. If they did, it was hurried
70 or thougtlessly done. All the item
ut were not included in the accoun
to When the expenses began to accum,
late and they came to realize Il
es magnitude of the sum, and means fe
n, short, they ceased to build.
nv They did not consider the DANCE
n, to be encountered in the war in whiC
ry they were about to engage. The
ng did not carefully estimate Il
r, strength of the enemy against who
rs they were to contend. Dazzled /
lie the pomp and circumstance of he
lie. day parade, they did not see the ca
of mage and death of real battle. TIT
er. did not expect to lose a right eye, OF
no right hand, much less to die.
nd Hence, when they encountered Il
zee world, the flesh, and the devil, wi
,,,, their twenty thOuSand draUn nm