Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-09-14

! for many years have wrought I'M
! righteousness. We who have companion
ed with the uucican. We who have seal
! ed every height of tTaasgreSslon and
fathomed every depth and passed ey-
cry extreme of iniquity mercy, mercy,
The dying tsicf rcioccd to see
That fountain IN his cay.
And there may I. though vile Is he
Wash all ms sirs away
This Cross Was For Yoa.
have shown YOU the right hand
cross and the left hand cross: now
come TO the middle cross. We stood Mt
the one and found il yielded poison.
We stood ut the other and found 1t
| yielded bitter alces. Come. now. TO The
middle cross and shake down apples
OF love. Uncover your head. You new
er saw so tender scene as this. You
may have seen father or mother or
companion or child die. but never SO
affecting scene as this. The railing
thief looked from one way and 81 ?
only the right side Of Christ's face. IN.
penitent thief looked from the cther
way and saw the left side Of Christ's
face. But today. in the fun blaze OF
gospel light. You see Christ's fun face.
1t was 4 suffering cross. IL the weap-
ons of torture had gone only through
the fatty portions Of the body. the tor
ture would not have been so great. but
they went through the hands and feet
and temples-the most sensitive por-
tons 1t was not only the spear that
went into his side, bat the sins Of all
the race-a thousand spcarS-plunge
| after plunge. deeper and deeper. until
the silence and composUre that before
| characterized him gave way to n croan
! through which rumbied the SORROWS OF
time and the woes &C eternity. Eu-
man hate had done its worst and hell
had hurled its sharpCst iavelin and
devils had vented their hottest rare.
when, with every nerve of his body in
torture and every fiber of his heart in
eXcruciatioa. lie cried out. MY God.
my God. why hast thou forsaken rneY'
IL WAS a vicarious cross: the right
hand cross suffered for itself. the left
hand cross for itself. but the middle
cross for you. When king was dy-
ing. young man cried. Pour NV
blood into his veins. that he die not. -
The veins of the young man were tap.
ped and the blood transferred: so tha;
the king lived but the young man
died. Christ saw the race perishing.
He cried, Pour nay blood into their
veins. that they die not" My hand is
free now. because Christs was crush.
ed. My brow is painless now. because
Christs was torn. Ny soul escapes.
because Christ's was bound. | gain
heaven, because Christ for me endured
the horrors of hell.
| When the Swiss were many years
ago contending against their enemies.
they saw these enemies arrayed in
solid phalanX and knew rot how TO
break their ranks. but one of their
heroes. Arnold Won Winkelried. rushed
out in front OF his regiment and short-
cd Make way FOR libertyr The
weapons OF the enemy were plunged
into his heart. but while they were
Staying him. of course their ranks were
broken. aud through that gap i'm the
ranks the Swiss dashed TO victory.
Christ saw all the powers OF darkness
assailing men. lie cried out. make
way for the redemption of the world. -
| All the weapons of Internal wrath
struck him. but as they struck him our
race marched out free
4 Cross TO Cling To.
To this middle cross look. that your
souls may live. | showed you the
right hand cross in order that Won
might see what an awful thing il is 10
be unbelieving. | showed you the left
hand cross that you might see what IL
Is 20 repent. NowI show you the middle
cross that You may see what Christ
has done TO save your soul Poets have
sung its praise. sculptors have attempt-
cd TO commemorate It In marble. mar
tyrs have chung TO It in the fire and
| Christians dying quietly in their beds
have leaned their heads against II.
This hour may all our souls embrace
II with an ecstasy of affection. Lay
hold or that cross! Everything else
VIII fail you. Without strong grip on
that YOU perish. Put your hand on
that and You are safe, though n world
swing from beneath your feet.
Oh. that / might engrave on your
souls intellectually the three crosses. SO
that If in your waking moments YOU
VIII not heed, then in your dreams Mt
night you may see on the hill back of
Jerusalem the three spectacies-the
right hand cross showing unbelief. dy-
| Ing without Christ; the left hand.
showing what it is to he pardoned.
while the central cross pours unon
your soul the sunburst Of heaven as il
says: BY all these wounds plead for
thy heart. | have loved thee with an
everlasting love. Rivers cannot quench
It. Floods cannot drown It," And
while You look. the right hand cross
viii fade out OF sight. and then the
left will be gone, and nothing will re-
main but the middle cross and even
that In your dream will begin to
change until il becomes Il throne. and
the worn face OF Calvary will become
radiant with gladness. and instead OF
the mad mob 1T the foot OF the cross
viii be n worshipful multitude, kneel-
ing. And you and will be among.
them.
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 gives de-
iiverance to the captive. Weare thirsty:
Christ is the river OF salvation TO
Stake our thirst. We are hungry; Jesus
says, Il am the bread of life" We are
condemned to die; Christ says. Save
that man from going down TO the pit;
| am the ransom" We are tossed on
the sea OF trouble; Jesus comes over it.
saying. 1T is 1. be not afraid" We
are III darkness: Jesus says. II am the
bright and morning star" We are
sick; Jesus is the balm OF Gnead."
The Resurrection and s:ie Life.
We are dead; hear the shrouds rend
and the grave hlllocks heave. as he
cries. II am the resurrection ana the
life; he that believeth in me. though
he were dead. yet shall he live" We
want justification; "Eeing justified by