The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-02-07

| ana perh1ps not until that day had thai
man heard ,ne Christ. But AFTER CGTis
1 fsGs stood almost nineteen centuries, ~ot X
/ ing the Rou1ers OF us EFact' m~ty ~
| Jet Him Thst right-hand cross, "iin II
| long beam. oveTshad0ws ell The earth. II
/ Is planted IN tie heart OF the race y hei
/ VII the time come That the spirit O,
I God VIII. with its OK, heW down taal
/ riSht-Eand cross, Until IL shah taH q.
/ the foot u mt middle cross, ana uu-
belief the railing n,alefactcT Of the wogll
/ shall perish from all our hearts. Away
I frCm me. thoI spirit OF unDehef, ] maze
thee With this sword Of GoI thi ISL
/ thee hack end thrust thee through. Down
/ 10 the pit, Down. most accuTsed mon
/ ster Of the earth. and talk 70 those thou
/ hast already destroyed, Talk no longer
/ 10 the sons and daughters of God. these
heirs OF heaven.
Whole Universe Responds "YeS."
a. If thou be the Son Of God.' Was there
any IL about g.? Tell me. thou star, that
/ in robe OF I-ht did run to point out His
birthplace Tel me. thou sea. that didsi
Put thy Eoad ever thy liz when He oid
/ thee be still Tell NE. We dead, who got
( up in their winding sheets 10 rec Him die.
/ Tel ne. thou sun in r1ld-heaven, who for
HIM dldst pull down over thy face the
veil OF darkness. Tell me, ye lepers who
were clcaused. We dead who were raised.
is He the Son Of God? Aye. aye, re-
spends the universe. The flowers breathe
it; the stars chime Il; the redeemed cele-
brdtc il: the angels rise up on their
thrones 10 announce IT, And yet on that
miserable malefactor's if how many
shall yet be wrecked? That little
If has enough venom in its sting to
cause tho death Of the soul. No IF about
it. ! know IT, Ecce Deusi ! feel il thor
oUGhiy-throush every muscle OF the
body and through every faculty Of my
mind, and through every energy of my
soul Living, l will preach it; dying, l viii
pillow my head upon it's consultations
Jesus the God! Away. then, from this
risht-hand cross. The red berries Of the
forest are apt 10 be poisonous, ana around
this tree OF carnage grow the red. poison
Gus berries OF which many have tasted
and died [ can see no use for this right
hand cross, except II be used as lever
with which 20 Upturn the unbelief OF the
world.
Here. from the right-hand cross. 7 go
to the left. Pass clear TO the other side
That victim also twists himself upon the
nails TO look at the center CrosS-yet not
to scoff. It is to worship. lie. too. would
Ike TO get his hand loose; not to smte,
but TO deliver the sufferer of the middle
cross. He cries TO the Tailer eursing on
the other side: 'SileneeI between US is
innocence, IN agony. We suffer for cur
crimes. Silence Gather around this
left-hdnd cross o. We peOplei BE not
afraid You who have been cOnValesCeIJ
know that the tOnics given you by the
doctor are almost always bitter Bitter
herbs are sometimes a tonic for the body,
and the bitter aloes that grow on this tree
shall give strength and life to thy soul.
This left-hand cross is a repeating cross.
The Rcpcutant Criminal.
"As men who have been nearly drown
ed tell US that in the moments while they
were under the water their whole life
passed before them, and | have that from
my own experience, so l suppose in one
moment the dying malefactor thought
over all his past life; of that night when
he went into an unguarded door and took
all the silver, the gold, the jewels, and as
the sleeper stirred he put his knife
through his heart; Of that day. when in
the lonely pass, he met the WayfaTer, and
regardless of the cries and prayers. and
tears, and struggles of his victim, he flung
the mangled corpse into the dust of the
highway or heaped upon it the stones. He
says: oh, L am a guilty wretch; l de-
serve thisi There is no need of my ours
ing. That will not stop the pain. There
is no need Of disappearing Christ, for
He has done me no wrong; and yet | can
not die so. The fortunes of my body are
OutdOne by the fortunes of my soul. The
past is a scene Of misdoing. The present
a crucifxion. The future an everlasting
undoing. Come back. thou hiding mid
day sun! Kiss my cheek with one bright
ray Of comfort. What, no help from
abOve-no help from beneath? Then 1
must turn 20 my companion in sorrow,
the One on the middle cross. | have heard
that He knows how to help a man when
he is in trouble. l have heard that He
can. cure the wounded. / have heard that
He can pardon the sinner Surely, in al
His Wanderings up and down the earth
He never saw one more in need Of His
forgiveness. Blessed One! / turn 10
Thee! Lit Thou look for the moment
away from Thy own pangs to pity me?
Lord, 1t is not to have my hands relieved
or my feet taken from the torture
can stand all this; but oh, my sins. my
sins! my sins. they pierce me thFouh
and through. They tell me |
must die forever. They win push
me into the darkness unless Thou
wilt help me. ] confess II ALL Hear
the cry of the dying thief; Lord. remem-
Der me when Thou contest in Thy king
dom. / ask no great things. l seek for
no throne in heaven, no chariot to take
me to the skies; but just think OF me
"
Think Of me little-of me- the one now
hanging at Thy side-when the shout Of
heavenly welcome takes Thee back into
Thy glory. Thou wilt not forget me, wilt
ThOu2 Lord. remember me when Thou
contest in Thy kingdom. only just re-
member me-
All Have Robbed God.
Likewise must we repent. You sly,
I have stolen nothing l reply, we
Of tho f..l4Ff 81
uny Of the universe, for we have robbed
God-robbed Him Of our time. robbed
Him Of our talent, robbed Him Of our
services. Suppose you send a man West
as an agent OF your firm, and every
month you pay him his salary, and at
the. end Of ten years you find out that
he has been serving another firm. but
taking your salary; would you not at
once condemn him as dishonest God
sent Us into this world to serve Him
He has given US wages all the time. One
half of US have been serving another
master. When a man is convicted Of
treason and condemned 10 death he Is
brought out; a regiment surround him,
and the command IS given Attention.
company Take aim, Fire" And the
man falls with a hundred bullets through
his heart. There comes q time in a man
history Nhcu the LOIu Calls up lle troop
Of his lifetime iniquities, and a. Gods
command they pour into him d cOncen-
tTated yolley OF torture, and that Is what
We call conviction. You say. 1 don't feel
myself 10 be a sinner That may be-
Walk along by the cliffs. and you see
sunlight and flowers al the mouth Of the !
cave; but take a torch and 90 In, ana
before you have gone far you see the
flashing eye OF a wild beast or hear the
hiss Of a serpent. SO the human heart
seems In the sunlight Of wOrldnness. but
as l wave the torch Of Gods truth. and
90 down into TIE deep cavern Of the soul
alasi for the bristling horrors and fbe
rafting fangs. Have you ever noticed
the climax In this passage Of ScriptiIr..
The heart Is dece!tful' That sae,-s
enough. But the passage goes on a.d
says, The heart Is deceltf3l above -
things VIII YOU not say that is enouTn ,
But the passage goes on farther asd
a vs.. "rha haarf g. Ancelts..l - -.