The representative., 1896-09-23

THAT CROSS OF GOLD.
A Sermon for the Common People
OH Candidate Bryan.
The Son of Man Crucified in the Nineteenth
Centurv-The Charge Of Blasphemy
Answered by an Eminent
Michigan Divine.

And when they had plated a crown of
thOrns, they put it upon His head. And
they Lrucifed him. and parted his gar
ments casting lOts.-Matt. NAvii %-35.
The religious and secular press,
preachers and politicians are condemn
ing w. J. Bryan, the Democratic Pop
ulist free silver candidate for the pres
idency, because he said in his speech at
the Chicago convention, You shall not
press down upon the brow of labor this
crown of thorns. You shall not cruelty
mankind upon cross of goid." Because
of this language Mr.. Bryan Is charged
with the sins of irreverence and bias
phemy He is accused of mixing up sa-
cred and solemn things with things secu-
lar and political The religious world
processes to stand aghast, and old line
party politicians, the paid attorneys
of soulles corporations, trusts and
combines. and editors of only party
organs, who have sold their brains and
columns for gold-betrayed their trust,
like Judas, for a bribe-pretend to be
shocked at the thought But there are
certain things which we must bear in
mind.
First, that Bryan is a member OF the
Presbyterian Church, one OF the most
conservative and orthodox bodies, and
which has great reverence for the
Bible as the inspired word of God, hence
he would not intentionally be profane.
Second, that while the Bible teaches,
and most earnestly believe, that
Jesus Christ was the son OF God, yet
he was crucified, not as the son OF God,
but as the son Of man. His divine
nature was not crucified on Calvary, but
his human nature only. 1t was not
God who died on the cross, but only
man. Hence that terrible and hearrend-
ing cry which he uttered in his death
agony. "My God. my God! why hast
Thou fOrsaken me?"
Then that the crown OF thOrns was
placed upon the brow OF Christ, ana
he was nailed to the tree and crucified
upon the cross to death, for what! You
say, as punishment Yes, but as a
punishment for what? You may answer
for mans sin, because it was necessary
to redeem the world. This / deny. There
is not line anywhere in the Bible that
teaches such a monstrous doctrine. IT
this was true, then the murderers OF
Christ were only doing Gods will; they
were the instruments of the worlds re-
demption; and deserve vote of thanks
from all redeemed humanity, and great
reward in the world to come, ,whileJudas
and PLATE were saints of the highest Or
der, whom we should love and honor.
But then what becomes of Christs words
concerning the treachery Of Judas.
1T would have been good for that man
PRAYER for his murderers, when dying
upon the cross: Father forgive them,
for they know not what they do" What
then did Peter mean when he charged
the Jews with the murder Of Christ, and
exhorted them to repent for this sin IN
order to escape the wrath of God and win
heaven? Christ came into the world to
redeem it, but not by death upon the
cross The crown of thorns, the scourg-
ing, the insults and mockery, and death
by crucifixion, were not in accord with
the will of God, but the work Of vile,
brutal, wickeu men.
Then why was Christ crowned with
thorns and crucified? 1t was but few
days before that the whole city had bid
him welcome into Jerusalem with
shouts of joy. If we read few chap
ters before the account of the crici-
f1xion, we shall see the reason. 1t was
because he had preached the father
hood of God, the universal brother
hood of man, denounced every form
of usury, legalized robbery and wrong;
defied the money power, called the
rich oppressors Of the poor lot Of
tombstones. beautiful to the eye, but
inwardly full of rottonness and cor
ruption, and said that it was easier
for camel to go through the eye of
needle than for a rich man to enter
heaven" He called them a den of
yipers and lot of hypocrites, and
asked them this starting question:
How can We escape the damnation
of hell?" He insulted the national
bankers in the temple, kicked over
the tables of money, accused them of
being a lot of thieves, and with
whip lashed the rascals severely, and
in fiery wrath drove them out into the
street No wonder then that we read
that the money power and rich aristo-
Gratis plotted for his death, bribed
Judas to betray him, arrest him.
charged him with the awful crime
of treason against the government and
blasphemy against God. Upon these
charges Christ was condemned, crowned
with thorns and crucified. He was
murdered, not by infidels and heathens,
but by the rich aristocratic church
members of His day, the priests and
leaders in the Chdrch. 1t was those
who clamored SO loudly for his blood,
and cried out: Away with Hin; cru
city him. He is not fit to live" The
same element in the church today would
cruelty Christ should he return to
earth. II not actually, yet they would
cruelty him with vile words, denunct-
alton, bitter epithets, the boycott and
prescription. Human nature is still
the same as of old. The logical descend
ants of Christ's murderers bring the
same charges against Bryan and the
free silver men and all reformers as the
Jews did against Christ. They charge
us with being traitors to the govern
ment and blasphemers against God.
They try to stir up the ignorant rabble
against Bryan, and call loudly for his
political death. The truth is that the
mast Ok Years the money power has