Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-06-30

when there is 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 1t is appropriate to throw
black pail upon the coffin as it passes
along. so 1t was appropriate that every
thing should be somber that day as the
great hearse Of the earth rolled on, bearing
tho 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 n deathbed making
faces and scofling. But Christ in his last
hour cannot be left alone. What! pursu-
ing him yet after SO long pursuit. You
have been drinking his tears. Do you want
to drink his bloodP They come up closely,
so that notwithstanding the darkness they |
can glut their revenge with the contortions
of his countcnance. They examine his !
feet. They want to feel for themselves |
whether those feet are really spiked. They |
put out 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 |
1t wants "a heart that crime has turned into |
granite.
The waves of mans hatred and of hell's
vengeance dash up against the mangled
feet, and the hands of sin and pain and tor
ture clutch for his holy heart. Had he not
been thoroughly fastened to the cross they
would have torn him down and trampled
| him with both feet. How the cavalry
| horses arched their necks and champed
their bits, and reared and snuffed at the
blood Had Roman officer called out for
] Errht l. huUa hpan
heard in the tumult; but louder than the
clash of spears, and the WISHING of woman
hood and the neighing of the chargers,
and the believing of the crucifiers there
comes voice crashing through - loud.
clear, overwhelming, terrific. 1t is the
grooming of the dying son of Godi Look
what a scene! Look, world, at what you
have done!
CALL TO THE UNCONVERTED.
lift the covering from the maltreated
Christ to let you count the wounds and
estimate the cost. Oh, when the nails
went through Christ's right hand and
through Christ's left hand, that bought
both your hands with all their power to
work and lift and writel When the nails
went through Christs right foot and
Christ's left foot, that bought your feet,
with all their power to walk or run or
climb When the thorn went into Christs
temple. that bought your brain, with all
its power to think and plan. When the
spear cleft Chrst's side that bought your
heart, with all its power to love and re-
pent and pray.
Oh, sinner, come, come back If a man is
in no pain, if he is prospered, if he is well,
and he asks you to come, you take yodr
time and you say: Il can't come now. III
come after awhile There is no haste.
if 10, :, -, Il a.
Il must go right away. I must go now"
Today Jesus stretches out before you ;wo
wounded hands and he begs you to come
Gro 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 successes. would we could think
of nothing else, but come to Christ. lie
is SO fair. He is so loving. He is so SYM
pathizng. He is so good | wish we could
put our arms around his neck and say.
Thine Lord viii be forever" Oh, that
YOU would begin to love him. Would that
| could take this audience and wreathe ii
around the heart of my Lord Jesus Christ.
When the Atlantic cable was lost in lSG5,
7 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 half miles deep in wa
ter After awhile they found the cable
4 and brought it to the surface. No sooner
4 had ri been brought to the surface than
II they lifted u shout Of eXultation but the
f cable slipped back again into the water
i and was lost. Then for two weeks more
4 they swept the sea with the graphing
hooks, and at last they found the cable
and they brought it up in silence. They
J., fastened it this time. Then, with great
7 eXcitcmcnt they took one end of the cable
=, ,l,, ,;,;,, - l,,.
Y were really any life in it, and when they
. saw spark and knew that message
n could be sent then every hat was lifted
a and the rockets flew and the guns sound
r. ed until all the vessels on the expedition
y knew the work was done and the CONT
: nents were dashed together
a We'll my friends Sabbath after Sabbath
f. Gospel messengers have come searching
= down for your souls. We have swept the sea
q with the graphing hook of Christ's Cos
q pei. Again and again we have though
u. that you were at the surface, and we begal
"a to rejoice over your redemptiOn but at tin
moment of our gladness you sank bacl
a again into the world and back again int
k sin. Today we come with this Gospe
n searching for your soul. We apply tn
"a cross of Christ first to see whether there i
l. any life left in you, while all around tn
n people stand, looking to see whether tn
"a work will be done and the angels of Go,
il bend down and witness, and oh if now W
- could see only one spark Of love and hop
= and faith, we would send up shout tina
- would be heard on the battementS O
~ heaven, and two worlds would keep jubile
N because communication is open bctwee
,e Christ and the soul. and your nature tina
49, has been sunken in sin has been lifted int
f. the light and the joy of the Gospel.
-, How He Popped.