Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-08-15

sufferings OF his death. proving beyond
controversy that for our ingiate earth
God has yearned with. stupendous and
inextinguishable love.
THE EXCEEDING sINruLNEss or SIN.
But remark again, ut beloved
Christ to suffer-" that the nature Of hu-
man guilt might be demonstrated. Tiere
il not common sense man in the house
today that will not admit that the ma
chinery of society is out Of gear, that
the human mind and the human heart
are disorganized. that something ought
30 be done and done right away for its
repair aud readiustment. But the height
aud deptn and length and breadth and
hate AMI recklessness and Internal en-
ergy of the human heart for sin would
not have been demonstrated II against
the holy and innocent one Of the cross
It had not been hurled in one bolt Of
fire.
Christ was not the first man that had
been put TO death. There had been
many before him put to death, but they
had their whims, their follies, their SINS
their Inconsistencies. But when tho
mob outside of Jerusalem howled ut Il e
Son Of God 1t was hate against good
ness, It was blasphemy against virtue, it
was earth against heaven. What was
it in that innocent and loving face Of
Christ that excited the vituperation and
the contumely and scorn of men? If he
had bantered them to come OH, If he had
laughed them into derision, IL he had de-
nounced them as the vagabonds that
they were, we could understand their
ferocity, but it was against inoffensive-
ness that they brandished their spears,
and shook their fists, and ground their
teeth, and howled and scoffed aud jeered
and Knocked.
What evil had he done? Whose eye
sight had he put out2 None; but he had
given vision to the blind. Whose child
had he slain? None; but he restored
the dead damsel to her mother. What
law had he brokenp Monet but he had
inculcated obedience to government,
What foul plot had he enacted against
the happiness Of the race? None; he
had come to save world. The only
cruelty he ever enacted was to heal the
sick. The only ostentation he ever dis
played was to sit with publicans and
sinners and wash tho 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 Saviours bloodl And
standing there today let us see what an
unreasonable, ioathsome. hateful, blast
ing, damning thing is tie iniquity OF
the human heart, Unlossed, what will
not sin do? II will scale any height, 1t
will fathom the very depth of hell, 1t
will revel in all lasciviousness. There
is no blasphemy it will not utter, there
are no cruelties on which it will not
gorge itself. 1t will wellow in filth, II
will breathe the air of charnelhouses 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 it showed what it would do with
the Lord God Almighty If 1t could get at
him. The prophet had declared--I think
it was Jeremiah--had declared centuries
before the truth, but not until sin shot
out its forked tongue at the cruciiix and
tossed its sting into tho soul Of mar
tyred Jesus was it illustrated, that "the
heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked"
OUR LOVE TOWARD CHRIST.
Again, "It beloved Christ to suffer-"
that our affections might be excited
Christward. Why, sirs, the behavior of
our Lord has stirred the affections of all
those who have ever heard of it. 1t has
hung the art galleries Of the world with
such pictures as Ghirlandajo's "Wor-
ship of the Magi," Giotto's Baptism OF
Christ" Holman Hunts "Christ in the
Temple" Tintoret's "Agony in the Gar
den," Angelo'o "Crucifxion," and it has
called out Handel's "Messiah." )" and rung
sweetest chimes in "Young's might
Thoughts and filled the psalmody OF
tho world with the penitential notes of
sorrow and the hosannas of Christian
triumph.
Show me any other king who has so
many subjects. What Is the most po-
tent name today in the United States, in
France, in England, In Scotland, In Ire
land? Jesus. Other kings have had
many subjects, but where is the king
who has so many admiring subjects as
Christ? Show me regiment of thou
sand men in their army and will show
you battalion Of ten thousand men in
Christ's army
Show me in history where ono man
has given his property and his life for
any one else, and will show you in his
tory hundreds and thousands of men
who have oheerfully 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
they may be inconsistent,
but let the fires of martyrdom be kin
died, throw them into the pit, cover
them with poisonous serpents, pound
them, fail them, crush them, and will
tell you what their last cry would be,
"Come, Lord Jesus, come quicklyr
oh, yesl the Lord Jesus has won the
affections of many of us. There are
some of us who can say this morning,
Lord Jesus, my light and my song; my
hope for time, my expectation for eter-
nifty" Altogether lovely thou art. My
soul Is ravished with the vision. Thou
art mine. Come, let me clasp thee.
Come life, come death, come scorn and
pain. come whirlwind and darkness.
Lord Jesus, cannot give thee up.
have heard thy voice. | have seen thy
side. Lord Jesus, II had some
garland plucked from heavenly gardens
would wreathe II for thy brow. II l
had some gem worthy OF the place /