The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-07-07
creation of the world was when the
carnage of Calvary was enacted.
IL WaR about IUhan tho ~

teRan to be drawn. 1t was not the
coming on of a night that sOothes and
refreshes; it was the swinging of a great
gloom all around the heavens. God
hung it. AS when there is q dead one
In the house you bow the shutters or
turn the lattice,so God in the afternoon
shut the windows of the world. AS it
is appropriate to throw black pail
upon the coffin as it passes along, so it |
was appropriate that everything should
be somber that day rs the great hearse
OF the earth rolled on, hearing the
corpse Of the king.
A mans last hours are ordinarily
kept sacred. However you may have
hated or caricatured man, when you
hear he is dying. silence puts its hand
on your lips, and you would have a
loathing for the man who could stand
by deathbed making faces and scott
ing. But Christ in his last hour can
not be left lone. What! pursuing him
yet after so long pursuitp You have
to drink his blood? They come up
closely, 50 that Notwithstanding the
darkness they can glut their revenge
with the cOntortions of his counter.
once. They examine his feet. They
want to feel for themselves whether
those feet are really spiked. They putout
their hands and touch the spikes, and
bring them back wet with blood and
wipe them on their garments. Women
stand there and weep, but can do no
good. 1t Is no place for the tender
hearted women. Itwants a heart that
crime has turned into granite.
The waves OF mans hatred and of
helPs vengeance dash up against the
mangled feet, and the hands OF sin and
pain and torture clutch for his holy
heart. Had he not been thoroughly
fastened to the cross they would nave
torn him down and tranpled him with
both feet. How the cavalry horses
arched their necks and champed their
bits, and reared and snutrcd at the
blood! Had a Roman officer called out
for a light his voice would not have
been heard in the tumult; but louder
than the clash OF spears, and thelwailing
of womanhood, and the neighing OF the
chargers, AMI the believing of the
crucitiers there comes a voice crashing
thrOugh--loud, clear, overwhelming
terrific. 1t is the groaning of the dying
son OF God! Look! what q scene! Look
world. at what you have done!
| lift the covering from the maltreated ID
|
estimate the cost. On, when the nails
went through Christs right hand and
through Christ's left hand, that bought
both your hands with all their power
to work and lift and write! When the
nails went through Christ's right foot
and Christs left foot, that bought your
feet, with all thier power to walk or
run or climb. When the thorn went
into ChristS temple, that bought your
| brain, with i'll Its power to think and
| plan. When the spear cleft Christ's
side, that bought your heart, with all
its power to love and repent and pray.
On, sinner, come, come back! If a
man is in no pain, If he is prospered, if
he is we'll, and he asks you to come, you
| take your time and you say: ~ can't
There is no haste. But it he Is in
want and trouble you say: II must 20
| right away. l must 60 now" Today
Jesus stretches out before you two
wounded hands and he begs you to
come. Go and you live. Stay away
and you die. Oh, that to him who
bought us we might give all our time,
and all our prayers, and all our sue
cesses. | would we could think of MOTH
ing else, but to come to Christ. He is
so fair. He is so loving. He Is 50 SYM
pathlzing. lie Is so good. | wish we
could put our arms around his neck
and say. Chime. Lord. will be for.
over" Oh, that could take this audi
ence and Wreathe 1t around the heart of
my Lord Jesus Christ.
When the Atlantic cable was lost, In
1879, do you remember that the Great
Eastern, and the Midway, and the
Albany went out to find it? Thirty
times they sank the grapnel two and a
half miles deep in water. After awhile
they found the cable and brought it to
the surface. No sooner had 1T been
brought to tue surface than they lifted
a shout of eXultatiOn, but the cable
slipped back again into the water and
was lost. Then for two weeks more
they swept the sea with the graphing
hooks. and at last they found the cable,
and they brought it up in silence. They
fastened 1t this time. Then, with great
excitement. they took one end Of the
cable to the electricians room to see If
there were really any life in 1t, and
when they saw u spark and knew that
a message could be sent, then every hat
was lifted, and the rockets flew and the
guns sounded until all the vessels on
the expedition knew the work was done
and the continents were lashed to-
gether.
Well, my friends, Sabb .th after Sab.
bath Gospel messengers have come
searching down for your souls. We
have swept the sea with the grapoling
hook of Christs Gospel. Again and
again we have thought that you were
at the surface, and we began to rejoice
over your redemption; but at the mo-
ment of our gladness you sank back
again into the world and back again
into sin. To-day we come with this
Gospel searching for your soul. We ap-
ply the cross of Christ first to see
whether there Is any life in you, while
all around the people stand, looking to
see whether the work will be done and
the angels Of God bend down and wit.
ness, and ohl if now we could see only
one spark Of love and hope and faith,
we would send up a shout that would
be heard on the battlements Of heaven,
and two worlds would keep Jubilee be-
cause communication is open between
Christ and the soul, and your nature
that has been sunken in sin has been
lifted into the light and the joy of the
Gospel.