The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1892-08-17

man heart are disorganized, that some
thing ought to be done and done right,
away for its repair and readjustment
But the height, and depth, and length,
and breadth, and hate, and reckless
ness, and internal energy Of the human
heart for sin would not have been dem
onstrated II against the holy and inno-
cent 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 in
consistencies. But when the mob out
side of Jerusalem howled at the Son
of God, it was hate against goodness,
1t was blasphemy against virtue,
it was earth against heaven. What
was it In that loving and innocent face
Of Christ that excited the vituperation
and the contumely and scorn OF men?
II He had bantered them to come on, If
He had laughed them into derision, If
He had denounced them as the vaga-
bonds that they were, we could under
stand their ferocity; but it was against
inoffensiveness that they brandished
their spears, and shook their fists, and
ground their teeth, and howled and
scoffed. and jeered and Knocked. What
evil had he done? Whose eyesight had
He put out? 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 broken? None; but He had in
culcated obedience to government.
What foul plot had He enacted
against the happiness 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 publi-
cans and sinners, and wash the dis
ciples' feet The only selfshness 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 red-hot scorn of the
world Kissing in the pools of Saviour's
bloodl And standing there to-day, let
us see what an unreasonable, loathsome,
hateful, blasting, damning thing is the
iniquity of the human heart Unloosed,
what will not sin do? It will scale any
height, it will revel in all lascivious-
ness. There Is no blasphemy II will not
utter, there are no cruelties on which 1t
will not gorge itself 1t will wallow in
filth, it will breathe the air of charnel-
houses OF corruption, and call them
aroma; 1t will quaff the blood of Inn
mortal souls and call II nectar. When
sin murdered Christ on the cross, it
showed what it would do with the
Lord God Almighty II it could get at
Him. The prophet had declared-I
think IL was Jeremiah-had declared
centuries before, the truth, but not
until sin shot out its forlied tongue at
the crucifxion and tossed its sting into
the soul of martyred Jesus was II
illustrated that "the heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately
wicked"
Again: "It behooved Christ TO suffer" t"
that our affections might be excited
Christward. Why, sirs, the behavior Of
our Lord has stirred the affections Of
those who have heard of It II has
hung the art galleries of the world
with such pictures as Ghirlandajo's
"Worship of the Magi;" Giotto's "Bap-
tism of Christi" Holman Hunts Christ
In the Temple;" Tintorets agony in
the Garden" Angeles "CruciAxion;"
and 1t has called out Handel's MES
siah," and rung sweetest chimes in
Young's Night Thoughts, "and filed the
psalmody Of the world with the peni-
tential tones Of sorrow and the hosan-
mas of Christian triumph. Show me
any other king who has so many sub
jecta What Is the most potent name
to-day in the United States, in France,
in England, in Scotland, In Ireland?
Jesus. Other kings have had many
subjects, but where Is the king who
has so many admiring subjects as
Christ? Show me n 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 one man
has given his property and his life for
anyone else, and will show you in his
tory hundreds and thousands OF men
who have cheerfully died that Christ
might reign. Aye, there are hundred
men in this house who, II need were,
would step out and die for Jesus. Their
faith may now seem TO be faint, and
sometimes they may bo inconsistent; but
let the fire Of martyrdom be kindled,
throw into the pit, cover them with
poisonous serpents, pound them, fail
them, crdsh them, and will tell you
what their last cry would be: Come,
Lord Jesus, come quicklyp
o, 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
eternity" Altogether lovely thou art
Ny 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 dark
ness, Lord Jesus, I cannot give thee up.
1 have heard thy voice. / have seen
thy bleeding side. Lord Jesus, II I had
some garland pluoked from heavenly
gardens, l would wreathe II for thy
brow. II had some gem worthy Of
the place. would set in thy crown. II
had seraphic harp, would strike It In
thy praise. But I come lost and ruined
and undone, to throw myself at thy
feet
No prioe bnngs
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