The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1896-03-12
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
s,1NpAx,s DISCOURSE By THk
NOTED DIVINE
Subject: "Gathering Around Christ"

TEXT: unto Him shall the gathering ofthe
people be. "-Genesis Xix, 10.
Through supernatural lens, or what 1
might call prophescope, dying Jacob looks
down through the corridors of the centuries
until he sees Christ the center of all popular
attraction and the greatest beingin oil the
world, so everywhere Acknowledged. 1t was
not always so. The world tried hard to put
Him down and to Pct Him out In the year
1900 while excaSating for antiquities fifty
three miles northeast Of Rome.a copper plate
tablet was found containing the death war
rant of the Lord Jesus Christ. reading in this
wise:
I'm the year II OF the empire Of Tiberius
Cesar, and on the 25th OF March, L, Pontius
PLATE, governor of the PrBtore, condemn
Jesus OF Nazareth to die between two thieves
Quintius Cornelius to lead him forth to the
place of execution"
The death warrant was signed by several
names. First, by Daniel, rabbi Pharisee;
secondly, by Johannes, rabbi; thirdly. by
Raphael; fourthly by Capet, a private citi-
zen. This capital punishment was executed
according 10 law. The name OF the thief
cruched on the right hand side OF Christ
was Dismas. The name OF the thief cruci-
fled on the left hand side of Christ was Ges-
tus. Pontius Plate describing the tragedy
says the whole world lighted candles
from noon until night. Thirty-three years
OF maltreatment. A wall OF the city, built
about those times and recently exposed by
archRolo9ists, shows a caricature OF Jesus
Christ, evidencing the contempt in which He
was held by many In His day, that caricature
on the wall representing a cross and dom
key nailed to it. and under Il the inscription,
This is the Christ whom the people wor-
ship" But rejoice that that day i5 gone
by. Our Christ is coming out from under
the worlds abuse. The most popular name
on earth to-day is tho name OF Christ. Where
He had one friend Christ has a thousand
friends. The scoffers have become the wor-
shippers OF the twenty most celebrated in
fdels in Great Britain in our day sixteen have
come back to Christ, trying to undo the
blatant mischief Of their lives - six
teen out OF the twenty. Every man
who writes a letter or signs doc
ument. Willingly or unwittingiy, honorS
Jesus Christ. We date everything as B. G..
or A. D.-B. c., before Christ; A. D., Ammo
Domini in the year Of our Lord. All the
ages of history on the pivot of the upright
beam Of the cross of the Son of God, B. O.,
A. d, l do not care what you call Him
whether Conqueror or King or Morning Star
or Sun of Righteousness or Balm OF Gilead
or Lebanon Cedar or Brother or Friend or
take the name used in the verse from which
take my text and call Him Shilo, which
means His Son, or the Tranquilator, or the
Peacemaker, Shiloh. | only want to tell
you that "unto Him shall the gathering of
the people be-"
In the first place, the people are gathered
around Christ for pardon, No sensible man
or BEAUTIFULLY ambitious man is satisfied
with his past life. fool may think he is oil
right. sensible man knows he Is not, l
do not care who the thoughtful man Is the
review of his lifetime behavior before God
and man gives to him no especial satisfac-
ton. "Oh," he says, there have been so
many things l have done 1 ought not to
have doneS there have been so many things
l have said ought never to have said; there
have been so many things / have written 1
ought never to have written; there have been
so many things l have thought ought never
to have thought! l must somehow get
things readjustod. I must somehow
have the pa Johqucted There are days
and me phinvs which cry out against
mo - brother
,.,;th Il d. Nh lA. V/14 HOW = oe