Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-10-04

self upon the nails to look at the centre
cross, yet not to scoff. 1t is to worship.
He, too. would like to get his hand loose
not to smitc, but to deliver the sufferer
OF the middle cross. He cries to the rail-
er cursing on the other side: Silence.
Between us innocence in agony. We
suffer for our crimes. Silencc!" Gather
rounl this left hand cross. @ ye people.
Be not afraid. Bitter herbs are some
times tonic for the brain, and the bitter
aloes that grow on this tree shall give
strength and life to thy soul. This left
hand cross is repenting cross.
! AS men who have been nearly drowned
tell that in one moment, while they
were under water, their whole life passed
| before them, so l suppose IN one moment
the dying malefactor thought over all his
past Efeof 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 knife through his
pass. he met the wayfarer and regardless
OF the cries and prayers and tears and
struggles OF his victim he flung the man
glcd corpse into the dust of the highway
or heaped upon it the stones. He says:
| II am a guilty wretch; ] deserve this!
not stop the pain. There is no need OF
5laspheming Christ for He has done me
no wrong. and yet | cannot die SO. The
tortures OF my body are undone by the
tortures OF my soul The past is a scene
OF misdoing. The present c~ucifixion.
The future an everlasting undoing. Come
back. thou hiding midday sun! Kiss my
cheek with one bright ray OF comfort.
What. no help from above-no help from
beneath! Then | must turn to my com
panon in SORROW, the One on the mid
die cross. | have heard that He knows
how to help a man when he is in trouble
| have heard that He can cure the wound
ed. | have heard that lie can pardon the
sinner. Surely, in all His wanderings up
and down the earth He never one
One! | turn to Thee! Wilt Thou turn
for the moment away from Thy own
pangs To pity me: Lord. it 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
must die forever. They will push me out
into the darkness unless Thou wilt help
me- | confess it all. Hear the cry of the
dying thief. Lord. remember me when
Thou comest into Thy kingdom. | ask
no great things. seek for no throne in
heaven, no chariot to take me to the
skies. hut Just think OF me when this days
horrors have passed. Think of me little
of me, the one now hanging at Thy side
when the shout OF heavenly welcomes
takes Thee back into Thy glory Thou hoy
remember me when Thou comest into
Thy kingdom Only just remember me-.
Likewise llust we repent. You say. II
have stolen nothing | reply: We have
all been guilty OF the mightiest felony 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 man ont AZ 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 an.
other firm, but taking your salary, would
you not at once condemn hlm as dlshon-
est! God sent us into this world to serve
Him. He has given us wages all the time.
| Yet how many of have been serving
another master! When man is con-
victed of treason he is brought out; a
regiment surrounds nm ana the eommann nar'a
is given Attention, company. Take
aim! Fire." And the man falls with a
hundred bullets through his heart, There
comes time in a mans history when the
Lord calls up the troop of his iniquities
and at Gods command they pour into
him concentrated volley OF torture.
TO this middle cross look. that your
souls may live | showed you the right
hand cross in order that you might see
what an awful thing it is to be unbeliev
ing / showed YOU the left hand cross
that you might see what it is to repent:
Now | show you the middle cross that
you may see what Christ has done to save
sculptors have attempted to eommemor'
ate it in marble, martyrs have clung to it
in the fire and Christians diving quietly
in. their beds have leaned their heads
against it.
This hour may all our souls embrace it
with an ecstasy of affection. Lay hold OF
that cross. Everything else will fail you.
Without strong grip on that you perish.
Put your hand on that and You are safe,
though world swing from beneath your
feet
Oh that I might engrave on your souls
inefiaceably the three crosses, so that 1t
in YOUR waking moments you will not
heed. then in your dreams at night you
may see on the hill back of Jerusalem the
three spectacles - the right hand cross
showing unbelief, dying without Christ;
the lett hand showing what it is to be
parG,ned. while the central cross pours
upon Your soul the sunburst OF heaven as
it says: by all these wounds plead for
lhy heart. | have loved thee with an
everlasting love. Rivers cannot quench it.
Floods cannot drown it,
But, no: we will not wait for such a
dream. In this our most aroused mood
we throw down at the foot of that mid
die cross sin. sorrow. life. death-every-
thing. We are slaves; Christ give deliv-
erance to the captive. We are thirsty;
Christ is the river OF salvation to slake
our thirst. We are hungry; Jesus says.
II am the bread OF life We are con
demned to die; Christ says. Save that
man from going down to the pit; am the
ransom We are tossed OH the sea OF
trouble; Jesus comes over it. saying, 1T
is | be not afraid" We are in darkness: /:
Jesus says, II am the bright and morning
star" We are SICK Jesus is the balm
Of Gilead."
We are dead hear the shrouds rcnd
md the grave hillocks heave, as He cries.
L am the resurrection and the life; he
that bclieveth in Me. though he were
dead. yet shall ne live We want justifi.
cation: Being justified by faith. we
have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ" We want to exercise
faith; Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved" | want to get
from under condemnation; There is now,
therefore. no condemnation to them who
are in Christ Jesus" The cross--He car
RED it, The flames OF hellHe suffered
them. The shame-He endured it. The
crown-He won it, Heights OF heaven
sing it and worlds OF light to worlds of
light Ill round the heavens cry, GLORY.