The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1893-08-24
A SUBLIME SACRIFICE,
HOW CHRIST PURCHASED our DE-
49,. LivERANCE ON CALVARY.

Interoessor at the Throne of God:
BROOKLYN, Aug l3.-Rev. DIR. Tai
mage today chose for his subject 81
Bold Challenge" The text beng 10
mans viii, 81: "Whois he that condemn.
ethp 1t Is Christ that died, yea, rather
that is risen again, who is even at th
right hand of God, who also maketh III
tercesslon for us.D
'This is the last sermon | shall ever
preach,'' said Christmas Evans on The
18th of June, 1888. Three days after
ward he expired. do not know wha
his text was, but | know that no man
could choose i letter theme though he
knew it was the last time he should ev-
or Preach-than the subject found IN
this text.
Paul flung this challenge OF the text
TO the feet OF all ecclesiastical and civil
authority. lie feared neither swotds nor
lions, earth nor hell. Dinclctlan slew
uncouuted thousands under his admi"ls-
tration, and the world has been full OF
persecution; but all tho prosecutors OF
the world could not alright Paul. Was
it because he was physically strong? Oh,
no. suppose he was very much weak
ened by exposure and maltreatment.
Was il because he was lacking in sensi-
tiveness? No; you fad the most deli
cate shades OF feeling playing IN and out
bic letters and sermons. Some OF his
communications burst into tears. What
was it that lifted Raul into this trum
phant mood? The thought of Saviour
dead, Y a Saviour risen, Il Saviour eXalL-
ed, Saviour interGeeding.
All the world has sung the praise OF
Princess Alice. One child having died
OF contagious dlseasc-she was in tho
room where another vas dying, and the
court physician said to her, "You must
not breathe the breath Of this child or
you yourself will die" But seeing the
child mourning because OF the death OF
her brother the mother stopped down
and IN sympathy kissed the little one,
caught the disease and persisted. All
the world sang the heroism and the sell
sacrifice of Princess Alice, but have to
tell you that when our race was dying
the Lord Jesus stopped down and gave
us the kiss OF his everlasting love and
perished that we might live. "IL is
Christ that died."
Can you tell mo how tender heal tee
Paul conld find anything to rejoice at il
The horrible death scene of Calvary? w,
weep at funerals; we are sympathctl
when we seea stranger die; when
murderer steps upon the scailold W,
pray Tor his departing spirit, and hov
could Paul-the great hearted Paul
lind anything to be pleased with at tn
funeral of God? Besides that; Chris
had only recently died, and the sorrow
was fresh in the memory of tho wOrl,
and how in the fresh memory of Il Saw
iour's death could Paul be oxulta1t?
1t was because Paul saw in that dcatl
his own delverancc, and the delverancC
OF race from still worse disaster. lit
saw the gap into which the race must
plunge, and he saw the bleeding hand,
OF Christ close il. The glttcrDg stoc
on the top of the cXecutioner's spear il
hls sight klndled into u torch to light
men heavenward. The prosecutors saw
over the cross five words written in He
brew, Greek and Latin; but Paul saw
over the cross of Christ only one word
"expiatiOn" lie heard in tho diving
groan OF Christ his own groan of ct er-
nal torture taken by another. Paul
said TO himself, Had it not heen that
Christ volunteered IN my behalf, those
would have been my mauled hands and
feet, my gashed side, my crimson tenn
ples."
Men of great physical endurance have
sometimes carried very heavy burdens
900 pounds, 400 pounds-aud they
have still said, "My STRENGTH sis not yet
tested. Put on more weight" But al-
ter awhile they were compelled to cry
Out: stop, can carry no more." But
the burden OF Christ was iii nitab!e.
First, there was his own burden OF hun
ger and thirst and bereavement and a
Thousand outrages that have been heaped
upon him, and on top OF that burden
were the sorrows of his poor old mother
and on the top OF those burdens the
crimes OF the rullians who were cxecut-
ing him.
"Stop" you cry. at is enough.
Christ can bear no mofe.' And Christ
says, "ROll on more burdens. Roll ON
me the sins OF this entire nation, and af.
ter that roll on me the sins of the in
hablted earth, and then roll on me the
SINS OF the 1000 years past, SO far az
those sins have been forgiven.n And
the angels OF God, seeing the awful pres.
sure, cry: "Stop! lie can bear no more,
And the blood rushing to the nostril and
rps seems to cry out; "Enoughu lie
can endure no more." But Christ saws,
'Eoll ON greater burden-roll on the
SINS OF the next 900 years, roll on me
the SINS OF all the succeeding ages; roll
on me the agonies of hell, ages on ages,
the furnaces and the prison houses and
Inc tortures." That Is what the Bible
means when it says, ale bore our sins
and carried our sorrows."
"New,' says Paul, 81 am free. That
suffering purchased my deliverance
God never collects debt twice. ! have
receipt in full. 1t God is satisfied with
me, then what do all the threats of earth
and hell am cunt to? Bring on all your
Wltnesses," says Paul. "Show all your
10fGe: do your worst against my soul.
uefy you. 1 dare you. l challenge
you: Who is he that condemnetb? Il
Is Christ that died." Oh, what a strong
argument that puts in the hand of every
Cnr'stian mani Some day all the past
SINS OF his life come down on him in a
merry troop, and they pound away at the
gate OF his soul, and they say: Eve