El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-08-08
Baptist Church.

day At IL q. m. he had for his text a
part of Gal, II:20 81 am crucifed
with Christi. He spoke in part as
| follows: Someone has said. Give me q
great thought that 1 may live on it.
Surely this was such a thought to
Paul. The crucifixion OF Christ is the
greatest event that ever took place in
the world. The truths growing
our of the atonement are the greatest
known to the world. Atonemeut
means at-one-ment. Through it q
\ man may be brought into that oneness
with the son of God that will cause, as
Pascal has said, Everything which
happens to Jesus Christ to come to
pass in the soul and in the body of"
cardinal thoughts that fed the apostle IS
soul and furnished an incentive that
inspired his noble life. Like every
man he had sinned. He knew the PEN
atty of the law, "the soul that sinneth
it shall die" He felt the curse of con-
domination resting on him, when the
law came Gin revived and L died" says
he In the agony of his condemned
state he cried out so wretched man
that am, who shall deliver me?"
But now be looks towards calvary,
bloody cross appears. On this rugged
tree hangs the lowly Nazarene. PLATE
had declare his innocence. Every
honest and Thoughtful man said amen to
the verdict. Then why should Jesus
suffer as q vile wretch? All. 1t was
because all other men had sinned.
1t was because the curse rested on me,
and on you, my friend. 1t was because
in our awful peril there was no hand to
rescue and no arm to save. Great love,
it was, that sent Jesus to rescue US.
Did Paul ask ''who shall deliver me?"
He sees his answer in the cross. Had
not Isaiah foretold it? Surely
he hath borne our griefs and
carried our sorrows. He was
wounded for our transRressiOns, he was
bruised for our iniquities: the chastise-
ment OF our peace was upon him, and
with his stripes we are healed" All.
it was plain enough now. Paul rejoic-
ed in the cross for he knew his sin was
there. Henceforth he would not fear
the law, for he saw himself with Christ
paying its penalty. He reckoned the
penalty that Jesus had paid as his
penalty, and realized much of its ben
efits in his soul and in his body. 81
am crucifed," said be, with Christ"
What was true in the case of Paul may
be realized by every man. The provis-
ion of the cross was without benefit,
''as by the offense of one judgment
came upon all men tOi condemnation:
even SO by the righteousness of one the
free gift came upon all men to justifica-
tion." "He is the Precipitation for our
sins, and not for ours only, but also for
the ems of the whole world" That is
to say, ''Christ died for the ungodly"
He made it possible for all men through
faith to enter into his death and re-
ceive its benefits.
But there is q vast difference in say
ing Christ died for me-" and 81 am
crucified with Christi l can say the
latter only when 1 have surrendered
my life into the keeping of Jesus and
trusted him fully for salvation. When
this is done / die with him-first, in a
legal sense. 1t is a we'll known fact
that when a man is summoned to war,
If he can get someone who will go in
his stead and meet the requirements OF
the law, the man summoned in the eyes
of the law is actually ON the field full
filling these demands himself. Should
his substitute be killed, the death is
recorded to the man whose name ap-
pears on the roll. So with those who
accept Jesus rs their substitute. He
when the condemnation ap-
pears against them and the
penalty is fixed in the book of heaven,
the recording angel writes opposite
the penalty assessed, executed on the
cross of calvsry-dead," and hence
forth the books in the penal court OF
heaven has no account with that name.
"Christ is the end of the law for right
eousness to everyone that believeth."
But secondly: We die with Christ in
a moral sense. 1t would be poor policy
for God to allow us GO free from con-
domination If we were to be the same in
character as we were before we accept
ed Jesus as a substitute. This would
fill heaven with criminals. But this is
not true. When we by faith enter in
to the death of Jesus, he by some mys-
FERROUS power strikes a death blow to
the man of sin that is in us. "Knowing
this, that our old man is crucified with
him that the body of sin might be de-
stroyed, that henceforth we should not
serve SIM"
True, the struggle of sin NAV be pro-
longed. Crucifxion is slow death.
Jesus was six hours dying. Some hold
on for days So sin may struggle for
long time, but it is the struggle of
death. Be not alarmed, God hath sign
ed the death warrant, Jesus struck the
death blow as soon as you yielded the
man of sin into his hands, and already
he reckOns sin dead in you. Moreover,
he bids you ''reckon yourselves dead
unto sin." 1t may seem strained and
even false, but God hath said it. Let
us say with Isaac Watts
MY soul looks back to see
The burden thou didst bear
When hanging on the accursed tree.
And knows her guilt was there"