The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-11-07
THE CROSS OF GOLD.
Rev. Thomas Hines Reads the Judases
and Iiypocrites Forcibie Lesson.
He Defends Bryan as Pat
riot and Christian
la.aI

preached for many day is that OF the
Rev. Thomas Hines, rector of Holy
Trinity church, Manistee, Mich. in
answer to the false and stupid charges
of blasphemy brought against William
j. Bryan for the metaphor he used in
his great speech about the "crown Of
thorns.
Following is the sermon of Mr.. Hines !;
they put it upon his head. And they crucihed
him and parted his garments. casting lots
Matthew. xvii: 1885,
The religious and secular press,
preachers and politicians, are condemn
ing VIM. J. Bryan, the Democratic
Populist free silver candidate for the
presidency, 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 a
cross of gold. Because of this Ian
guage Mr.. Bryan is charged with the
sins OF irreverence and blasphemy. He
is accused of mixing up sacred and
solemn things with things secular and
political. The religious world profes
SEES to stand aghast, and old line party
UiIC phAd oeUoihOJp Va oCoA
less corporations, trusts and combines,
and editors of only party organs, which
have sold their brains and columns for
gold-betrayed their trust, like Judas,
for bribe-pretend to be shocked at the
thought But there are certain things
which we must bear in mind.
First, that Bryan is 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
crucifed not as the son of God, but as
the son of man. His divine nature was
not crueifed on Calvary, but his human
nature only. 1t was not God who died
on the cross, but only man. Hence
that terrible and heartrending cry which
he uttered in his death agony: MY
God My God What hast thou for
saken me?''
Then that crown of thorns was placed
upon the brow of Christ, and he was
| nailed to the tree and crucified upon the
cross to death for what2 You say as a
punishment. Yes, but as punishment
| for what2 You may answer for man S
sin, because it was necessary to redeem
the world This deny. There is not
line anywhere in the Bible which
| teaches such monstrous doctrine. If
| this was true. then the murderers OF
Christ were only doing God s will.
| They were the Instruments of the
world redemption and deserve vote
of thanks from all redeemed humanity
and great reward in the world to
come, while Judas and plate were
saints of the highest order whom we
should love and honor. But then what
| became of Christ s words concerning
| the treachery of Judas: lit would have
been good for that man if he had never
been born?' and his prayer for the
murderers when dying upon the cross
Father forgive them, for they know
not what they DOR What, then, did
ST. 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 scourging, the insults and mockery
and death by crucihxion were not in
accord with the will of God, but the
work of vile, brutal and wicked men.
Then why was Christ crucitied and
crowned with thornsf 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
tiers before the account of the cruel
fixion, we shall see the reason IL was
because he had preached the fatherhood
of God, and the universal brotherhood
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, beauti-
to the eye, but inwardly full of rotten
ness and corruption, said it was easier
for camel to pass through the eye OF
a needle than for a rich man to enter
heaven. He called them den of
vipers and lot of hypocrites, and asked
them this startling question:: How
can you escape the damnation OF hellf'' >
He insulted the national bankers in the
| temple, kicked over the tables of money
accused them of being lot of thieves,
and with a whip dashed the rascals
severely and in fiery wrath drove them
out into the street. No wonder that
we read that the money power and rich
aristocrats plotted for his death, bribed
Judas to betray him, arrest him,
charged him with awful crimes of trea
son against the government and bias
phemy against God. Upon these
charges Christ was condemned, crowned
with thorns and crucified. He was
murdered, not by infdels and heathens,
but by the rich aristocratic church
members of his day, the priests and
leaders in the church. 1t was those
who clamored so loudly for his blood
and cried out; Away with him
Cruelty himl He is not fit to live. -
The same element in the church today
would cruelty Christ again should he
return to earth. If not actually, yet
they would cruelty him with vile words,
denunciation, bitter epithets, the boy
colt and prescription.
Human nature is still the same as of
old. The logical descendants 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 government and bias
phemous against God. They try to stir
up the ignorant rabble against Bryan
and call loudly for his political death.
The truth is that the past 20 years the
money power has pressed down a
crown OF thorns upon the brow of labor
and crucihed it upon cross of gold. -
AS a result, vast multitudes have died
of starvation, many committed suicide
4 to escape slow, lingering death upon
the cross of poverty, while many more
have died by inches, lacking food,