Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-09-03

ter. 10 was dCCOm painful WIN UoJOSeyt
II was accompanied with majesty, inf
mite AID omnipOtent. Lest the
world should not realize his
earnestness, this Christ mounts the
cross,
You say: "If Christ has to die. why
not let dim take some deadly potion and
lie on couch lie some bright and beau
tiful home? If be must die, let him ex-
plre amid all kindly attentions" No,
the world
MUST HEAR THE HAMMERS
on the heads OF the spikes The world
must listen TO the desth-rattls Of the
sufferer. The world must feel his warm
blood dropping on each cheek, while II
looks I'D into the face Of his anguish.
And so the cross must DO lifted, and
hole Is dug on the top Of Calvary.
IL must be dug three feet deep, and
then the cross is laid on the ground,
aud the sufferer stretched upon il, and
the nails are pounded through nerve
and muscle and bone, through the right
hand, through the left hand; and then
they shake his right hand TO see il it is
fast, and they hesve u0 the wood, half
q dozen shoulders under the weight.
and they put The end OF the cross 10 the
mouth OF the hole, and they plunge II
In, all the weight OF his body coming
down for the first time on the spikes;
and while some hold the cross upright,
others throw in the dirt and trample II
down, and trample il hard.
Oh, plant that tree we'll and thor
Oughly, for IL Is 20 bear fruit such as no
other tree ever bore. Why did Christ,
endure il? He could have taken those
rocks, and With them crush his cruci-
tiers. lie could have reached up and
grasped the sword OF the Omntpotent
God, and with one clean cut have tum-
bled them into perdition. But no; be
was to die. He must die. His life Tor
your life. In q European city a young
man died on the scaft0ld for the crime
OF murder. Some tine after, the moth
er of this young man was dying, and
the priest came in, and she made con
fession TO the priest that she was the
murderer and not her son; In moment
OF anger she had struck her husband
blow that slew him. The son came
suddenly into the room, and was wash
ing away the wounds and was trying to
resuScitate his father, when some one
looked through the window and saw
him, and supposed him to be the crimi-
nal. That youHg man died for his own
mother You say, at was wonderful
that he never exposed her." But l tell
you OF a grand thing. Christ, the Son
OF God, died not for his mother. not for
his father, but for his sworn enemies.
Oh, such a Christ as thst-So loving, so
patient, so seli-sacrl6clng-c yoH not
trust him?
think there are many under the in
fluence Of the Spirit OF God who are
saying, II will trust him II you will
tell me how" aud the great question
asked by many is, How? how?" And
while / answer your question l look up
aud utter the prayer which Rowland
Hill so often uttered 10 the midst OF his
sermons, Master help" How are you
20 trust in Christ?
just az YOU trust anyone. You trust
your partner in business with important
things. III commercial house gives
yon q note paya Die three months hence,
you expect the payment OF that note at
the end OF three months. You have
PERFECT CONFIDENCE
in their word AID in their ability. Or
again, you 60 home to-day. You expect
'there will be- food on the table. You
have confidence in that. Now, l ask
you to have the same confidence in the
Lord Jesus Christ. lie says. "You be-
lleve; I take away your SINS" and they
kaf
"beiore l pray any more? before l read
my Bible any more? before / cry over
my sins any more?' Yes, this moment.
Believe with all your heart and you are
saved. Why, Christ is only waiting to got
from you what you give to scores OF
people every day. What is that? Con-
fdence. II these oNpeople whom you
trust day by day are more worthy than
Christ, If they are more faithful than
Christ, If they have done more than
Christ ever did, then give them the
preference; but II you really think
that Christ is as trustworthy as they
are, then deal with Him as fairly.
"Oh," says some one in light way,
81 believe that Christ was born in
Bethlehem, and that He died on the
cross" Do you believe 1t with your
head or your heart? l will illustrate
the difference. You are in your own
house, In the morning you open a
newspaper aud you read how Captain
Braveheart on the sea risked his life for
the salvation Of his passengers. You
say, What q grand fellow he must
have been! His family deserves well Of
81 ~ 10 . h0 M ne
and sit down at the table, and perhaps
you do not think Of that incident again.
This Is historical faith.
But now you are on the the sea, and
it is night, and you are asleep, aud you
are awakened by the shrek OF "Firel"
You rush out on the deck. You hear
amid the ringing OF the hands and the
fainting, the cry; "No hOpel No hope"
1--WE are lost! We are lostm The sail
puts out it's wing OF fire, the ropes make
a burning ladder in the night heavens,
the spirit OF wreck Kisses in the wave,
adk on the hurricane deck shakes out
its banner OF smoke and darkness.
Down with the life boatsl"cres the
captain. "DOwn with the life bostsl"
People rush into them. The boats are
about full. Room only Tor one more
mau. You are standing on the deck
beside the captain.
Who shall It be? You or the cap
tain? The captain says, you" You
Jump, and are saved. He stands there,
aud dies. Now, you believe that Cap
tain Braveheart sacrificed himself for
his passengers, but you believe it with
love, with tears, with hot and long con-
tinued EXPLANATIONS; with grief at bis
loss and JOY at your deiverance. That
Is saving faith. In other words, what