Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1900-10-19
THE THREE CROSSES.
DR.. Talmage Discourses on Redemp-
ton of the Race.
Topic Suggested by Famous Paint
ipgs of Munich--Typcs of Humans
lily Represented by the Two
Malefact0rs.
copyright, 1900, by Louis Klopsch.l
Washington,


The famous paintings in the pic
ture galleries of Munich seem TO have
suggested the topic of this discourse,
which DR.. Talmage sends from the
quaint Bavarian town, but the theme
which inspired the painters awakens
in the great preacher thoughts of the
redemption of the human race, which
was the supreme design Of that scene
of suffering and death. The text IL
Luke xiii, 80: "There they cruel
fed Him and the malefactors, one on
the right hand and the other on the
left"
Just outside of Jerusalem is a swell
of ground, toward which crowd are
ascending, for it is the day Of execu-
tion. What mighty assemblage!
Some for curiosity to hear what the
malefactors will say and how they
viii act. The three persons to be ex-
ecuted are already there. Some of
the spectators are vile of lip and
bloated of cheek. Some look up with
revenge, hardly able to keep their
hands off the sufferers. Some tear
their own hair in a frenzy of grief.
Some stand in silent horror. Some
break out into uncomfortable weep
ing. Some clap their hands in delight
that the offenders are to be punished
at last. The soldiers, with drawn
swords, drive back the mob which
presses on so hard. There is fear
that the proceedings may be inter
rupted. Let the legion, now sta
toned at Jerusalem, on horseback
dash along the line and force back
the surging multitude. Back with
you'll" is. the cry. "Have you never
before seen a man die?"
Three crosses in a rowan upright
piece and two transverse pieces, one
on the top, on which the hands are
nailed, and one at the middle, on
which the victim sat. Three trees
just planted, yet bearing fruit--the
one at the right bearing poison and
the one at the. left bitter aloes, the
one in the middle apples of love. Nor
way pine and tropical orange and
Lebanon cedar could not make so
strange grove as this orchard at
Calvary. Stand and give look at
the three crosses.
just look at the cross on the right.
Its victim dies scoffing. More awful
than his physical anguish is his scorn
and hatred of Him on the middle
cross. This wretched man turns half
around on the spikes to hiss at the
One in the middle. II the scofrer
could get one hand loose and he were
within reach, he would smite the
middle sufferer in, the face. He hates
Him with a perfect hatred. l think he
wishes lie were down on the ground
that he might spear Him. He envies
the mechanics who with their nails
have nailed him fast. Amid the set
ting darkness and louder than the
crash of the rocks hear him jeer out
these words: "Ah, you poor wretch!
knew you were an imposter! You
pretended to be God, and yet you
let these legions master you'll" 1t was
In some such hate that Voltaire in
his death hour, because he thought
he saw Christ in his bedroom, got
up on his elbow and cried out:
"Crush that wretch" What had the
middle cross done to arouse up this
right hand cross? Nothing. Oh, the
enmity of the natural heart against
Christ! The world likes q sentimental
Christ or a philanthropic Christ, but
a Christ who comes to snatch men
away from their sins away with
Him! On His right hand cross TO-
day | see typified the unbelief of the
world. Men say: "Back with Hin
from the hearth l will not let Hin
take my sins. If He will die. let Hin
die for Himself, not for me-" Their,
has always been war between thi.
right hand cross and the middle cross
and wherever there is an unbelev
ing heart there the fight goes on. Oh
If when that dying malefactor per
ished the faithlessness of man bat
persisted, then that tree which yield
poison would have budded and bios
somed with life for all the world!
That right hand cross-thousand
have persisted on it in worse agonies
For what is physical pain compared
to reihorse at the last that life ha,
been wasted and only a fleeing mo
ment stands between the soul ant
its everlasting overthrow? O God
let. me die anywhere rather than a
the foot of that right hand cross
Let not one drop of that blood fal
upon my cheek. Rend not my ca
with that cry, / see it now as neve
before-the loatbsomeness and bor
ror of my unbelief. That dying male
factor was not so much to blame n
!. Christianity was not established
and perhaps not until that day ha
that man heard the Christ. But afte
Christ has stood almost 10 centuries
working the wonders Of His grace
you reject Him.
That right hand cross, with its lon
beam, overshadows all the earth. I
Is planted in the heart of the rae,
When will the time come when TIL
spirit of God shall, with its ak. he,
down that right hand cross until
shall fall at the feet of the middl
cross, and unbelief, the railing male
factor of the world, shall perish fror
all our hearts? Away from me. tho
spirit of unbeliefl l hate thee! wit
this sword of God thrust thee bac
and thrust thee through. Down {
he'll; down, most aecursed monste
Of the earth, and talk to those tho
hast already damned! Talk no longe