Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-08-25

given vision to the blind. Whose child
had he slainf None; but he restored the
dead damsel to her mother. What law
had he brokeni None; but he had incul-
Gated obedience to government. What
foul plot had he enacted against the hap
piness Of the racer None; he had come TO
save world. The only cruelty he. ever
enacted was to heal the sick. The only
ostentation he ever displayed was to sit
with publicans and sinners and wash the
disciples feet.
The only selfishness he ever exhibited
was to give his life for his enemies. And
yet all the wrath of the world surged
against his holy heart. Hear the redhot
scorn of the world Kissing in the pools Of
a Saviour's bloodI And standing there
today, let us see what an unreasonable,
loathsome, hateful, blasting, damning
thing is the iniquity of the human heart.
Unloosed, what will not sin dor 1t will
scale any height, it will fathom the very
depth of hell it will revel in all lasciv-
iousness. There is no blasphemy it will
not utter, there are no cruelties on which
it will not gorge itself. 1t will wallow in
filth, it will breath the air of charnel.
houses Of corruption and call them aroma,
it will quaff the blood of immortal souls
and call it nectar.
When sin murdered Christ on the cross
1t showed what it would do with the Lord
God Almighty if it could get at him. The
prophet had declared-I think it was Jere-
miah-had declared centuries before the
truth, but not until sin shot out its forked
tongue at the crucifixion and tossed its
sting into the soul of a martyred Jesus
was it illustrated, that "the heart is de.
ceitful above all things and desperately
wicked"
TO STIR OUR AFFECTIONS.
Again, "It beloved Christ to suffer"
that our affections might be excited Christ.
ward. Why, sirs, the behavior of our Lord
has stirred the affections of all those who
have ever heard of it. 1t has hung in the
art galleries of the world with such pic.
lures as Ghirlandajo's worship of the
Magi," Giotto's Baptism of Christ" Hol.
man Hunts Christ in the Temple" Tin
toret's agony in the Garden" Angeles
"Crucifxion," and it has called out Han.
del's Messiah" and rung sweetest chimes
in Young's might Thoughts" and filled
the psalmody of the world with the peni.
tential notes of sorrow and the hosannas
of Christian triumph.
Show me any other king who has so many
subjects. What is the most potent name
today in the United States, in France, in
England, in Scotland, in Ireland9 Jesus.
Other kings have had many subjects, but
where is the king who had so many ad.
miring subjects as Christi Show me
regiment of a thousand men in their army,
and will show you battalion of ten
thousand men in Christ's army.
Show me in history where one man has
given his property and his life for any one
else, and I will show you in history hun.
dreds and thousands of men who have
cheerfully died that Christ might reign.
Aye, there are hundred men in this house
who, if need were, would step out and die
for Jesus. Their faith may now seem to be
faint, and sometimes they may be incon-
sistent; but let the fires of martyrdom be
kindled, throw them into the pit, cover
them with poisonous serpents, pound them,
fail them, crush them, and l will tell you
what their last cry would be, "Come, Lord
Jesus, come quicklyp'
Oh, yes! the Lord Jesus has won the
affections of many of us. There are some
of US who can say this morning, Lord Je-
sus, my light and my song, my hope fol
time, my expectation for eternity" Alto.
gether lovely thou art. My soul is raw.
ished with the vision. Thou art mine.
Come, let me clasp thee. Come life, come
death, come scorn and pain come whirl.
wind and darkness. Lord Jesus, cannot
give thee up. 1 have heard thy voice.
have seen thy bleeding side Lord Jesus,
If had some garland plucked from heav.
emily gardens, would wreathe it for thy
brow. If had some gem worthy of the
place, 1 would set it in thy crown. If !
had seraphic harp, I would strike it in thy
praise But come, lost and ruined and
undone, to throw myself at thy feet.
No price bring;
Simply to thy cross cling.
Thou knowest all things Thou knowest
that love thee.
LEARN HOW TO SUFFER.
But remark again, "It beloved Christ
to suffer- that the world might learn how
to suffer. Sometimes people suffer because
they cannot help themselves, but Christ
had in his hands all the weapons to punish
his enemies, and yet in quiescence he en-.
dured all outrage. He might have hurled
the rocks of Golgotha upon his pursuers;
he might have cleft the earth until it
swallowed up his assailants; he might
have called in reinforcement or taken any
thunderbolt from the armory of God Om
nipotent and hurled it seething and fiery
among his foes, but he answered not again
Oh, my hearerl has there ever been in
the history of the world such an example
of enduring patience as we find in the
cross? Some of you suffer physical dis
tresses, some of you have lifelong ailments
and they make you fretful. Sometimes
you think that God has given you cup
too deep and too brimming. Sometimes
you see the world laughing and romping
on the highways of life, and you look out
of the window while seated in invalid's
chair.
I want to show you this morning one
who had worse pains in the head than
you have ever had, whose back was
scourged, who was wounded in the hands
and wounded in the feet and suffered all
over, and l want that example to make
you more enduring in your suffering and
to make you say, Father, not my will
but thine be DONE" You never have had
any bodily pain, and you will never have
any bodily pain chat equaled Christ's tor
ture at beloved Christ to suffer" that
he might show you how physically to
suffer.
Some of you are prosecuted There are
those who hate you. They criticise you.
They would be glad to see you stumble
and fall. They have done unaccountable
meannesses toward you. Sometimes you
feel angry. You feel as if you would like
to retort. Stopl Look at the closed lips,
look at the still hand. look at the beauti-
full demeanor of your Lord. Struck, not
striking back again. Oh, if you could
only appreciate what he endured in the
way of persecution you never would COM
plain of persecutionl The words of Christ |
would be your words, "Father, if it be