The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-08-26

Y goOonesS; IL was blaSphemy against
virtue; it was earth against
Heaven. What was it in that innocent
and loving face of Christ that excited
the vltuperation and the contumely and
scornJof men? df'IIe had bantered them
to come on. if He had laughed them il
/ TO dcrision, if He had denounced them as
! the vagabonds that they were, we could
understand their ferocity; but it was
against inoffensiveness that they bran
dished their spears, and shook their
fists, and ground their teeth. and howled,
and scoffed, and jeered, and mocked.
What evil had He done? Whose eye
sight hadHe pdt 'out?z None; but He
/ had given vision to the blind. Whose
child had He slain? None; but He re-
stored the dead damsel to her mother.
What law had He broken? None;
| but He he'd inculcated obedience to
government What foul plot had lie
enacted against the happiness Of
the race? None; but He had come
to save a, world The only cruelty He
ever enacted was to heal the sick. The
only ostentatioh He ever displayed was
to sit with publicans and sinners, and
wash the disciples feet The only
selishness 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 a Saviour's blood! And stand
/ ing there to-day, let US see what an UNI
reasonable, loathsome, hateful, blast
ing, damning thing is the iniquity of
the human heart
Unloosed, what will not sin DO? 1t
viii scale any height, it will fathom
the very depth OF he'll, il will revel in
all lasciyiousness. There is no bias
phcmy it viii not utter, there are no
cruclties on which it will not gorge
itself Il viii wallow in filth. it will
breathe the air OF charnel houses Of
corruption, and caI them aroma: ii will
| quGff 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 it could get at Him.
The prophct-I think it was jeremiah
had declared centuiss before the
! truth, but not until sin, shot out its
| fOrlled tongue at the crucihXion and
tossed its sting into the soul of 4 mar
tyrcd Jesus was it illustrated, that
"thc heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately,viclled."
Again 1T. beloved Christ to suffer
that our affections might be excited
| Christward. Why. sirs, the behavior of
our Lord has stirred the affections OF
al those who have ever heard of it. 1t
has hang the art slueries Of the world
with such pictures as GhirlanGajo's
worship of the Magi," Giotto's ''Bap-
tism OF Christ" Holman Hunts Christ
in the Temple" Tintoret's Agony in
the Garden" Angeles "Crucifixion,
and it has called out. Handers Mes
siah' and rung sweetest chimes in
Young's Might Thoughts" and filed
the ,psalmody of the world with the
panftenial notes 'of sorrow and the
hosannas of Christian triumph. Show
me any other king who has 50 many
Subjects. What IS the most potent
name to-day in the United States, in
Erance;-in- n-EnglaHd, in Scotland, in Ire
land? Jesus. Other kings have had
many subjects, bat where is the king
whUlias So many admiring subjects rs
! Christ? Show me regiment of 1,o0o
! men in their army, and l will show you
\ battalion of 10000 men in Christ's
army. -
Show me in history where one man
has gwen his property and his life for
anyone else, and l will show you in
history hundreds and thousands OF men
who have cheerfully died that Christ
might reign. Aye, there are one
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 inconsist-
ent, 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 woald be:
Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly
o. yes! 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
nifty. altogether lovely Thou art. My
soulis rsvished with the vision. Thou
art mine. Come, let me clasp Thee.
Come lie, come death, come scorn and
pain. come whirlwind and darkness,
Lord Jesus, cannot give Thee up. 1
have heard Thy voice. have seen Thy
bleeding side. Lord Jesus, if l had
some gariands pluckcd from Heavenly
gardens l would wreath it for Thy
brow. If I had some gem worthy OF
the place 1 would set it in Thy crown.
If had sera phic harp would strike
it in Thy praise. But coIne lost and
ruined and undone to throw myself at
Thy feet
4 mo price bring:
Simply TO Thy cross cling.
Thou knowest all things. Thou know
est that love Thee"
But I remark again: 'Tt beloved
Christ to suffer" that the world might
learn how to suffer. Sometimes people
suffer because they cannot help them
selves: but Christ had in His hands all
the weapons 70 punish His enemies, and
yet in quiesence lie endured all out
rage. He might have hurled the rocks
OF 'Go!gotha upon His pursucrs; He
might have cleft the earth until it
swallowed up His assa;lants; He might
have called in reinforcement or taken
ant -thunIerbolt from the armory Of
God pnnipotent, and Hurled it seeth-
ing and >fery among His foes; but He
answered not again.
o. nay hearer! has there ever been in