The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-09-21

MaIefactors.
The M paintings in the picture
gale les OF Munich seem to have sug-
gested the topic of this discourse,
w len DIR. 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 is
Luke xiii, SO, There they crucified
him and the m~aIefactors, one On the
right hand and the other on the left"
Just outside of Jerusalem is a we'll
of ground, toward which a crowd are
ascending, for it is the day Of execu-
ton What a mighty assemblage!
Some for curiosity to hear what the
m~alefactors will say and to see how
they will act. The three persons to be
executed are already there. Some of
the spectators are vile of lip and bloat-
ed of cheek Some look up with re-
venge, 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 weeping. Some clap
their hands in delight that the Offend
ers 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 proceed
ings may be interrupted Let h le-
gion, now stationed 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
just planted, yet bearing fruit-the
one at the right bearing poison n
the one at the left bitter aloes,
the one in the middle apples of love.
Norway pin and tropical orange n
Lebanon cedar would not make so
strange a grove as this orchard of Cal
vary. Stand and give a 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. If the scoffer could get
one hand loose and he were within
reach, he would smite the middle suf-
ferer in the face. He hates him with
a perfect hatred. I think he wishes
he were down on the ground that he
might spear him. He envieS the me-
chanics Who with their nails have
nailed him fast. Amid the settling
darkness and louder than the crash
of the rocks heal him jeer out these
words: "Ah, you poor wretch! L
knew you were an impostor!Y You pre-
ended to be a God, and 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
wretchl" 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 a 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 today I see typifed the I'M
belief CT the world. Men say: a
with lin from the hear | will not
let him take my sins. If he Will die
let him die for himself, not Tor me.
There has always been a war between
this right hand cross and the middle
cross, and wherever there is an unbe-
lieving heart there the fight goes on.
Oh, if when that dying mals1actor
persisted the faithlessness of man had
DerlShe0, then IndC Tree WHICH yICiuo
poison would have budded and bios
somed with life for all the world!
A PLUNGE INTO DARKNESS.
Look up into that disturbed counte-
nance of the sufferer and see what a
CHASTITY thing it is to reject Christ.
Behold in that awful face, In that
pitiful look, in that unblesSed death
hour, the stings OF the sinner depart
ure. What a plunge into darkness!
L,~l ,~n- thu oYnc0 on the
Top of the hill, so that all the world
may look at him, he says, Here I go
out of q miserable life INTO a wretched
eternity" Onei Two Three! Listen
to the crash of the fall, all We ages!
So Hobbies, dying after he had 20
years in which TO prepare for eternity,
said: Were I master Of all the world
I would give it all to live one day
longer" Sir Francis Newport, hover
ing over the brink. cried out: Wretch
that I am, whittier shall I fly from this
breast? What will become Of ne?
that never is quencned a thousand
years to purchase h favor Of Goa
and to be r~econciled to him again.
Oh, eternity! Oh, eternity! Who can
discover theabyss of eternity? Who
can paraphrase these words. Forever
and forever?"
That right hand cross-thousands
have persisted on 1t in worse agonies.
For what Is physical PAIN compared
to remorse at the last that life has
been wasted and only a fleeing mo-
ment stands between the soul and its
everlasting overthrow? O God, let
me die anywhere rather than at the
foot of that right han cross: Let
not n drop Of that blood fall upon
my cheek. Rend not my ear with that
cry. I see it now as never before@ Tie
loathsomeness and horror of my un-
belief. That dying maiefactor was
not so much to blame as L. Chris
tianity was not established, n per-
haps not until that day had that man
heard h Christ. But after Chr1fl
has stood almost 10 centuries, work
ing the wonders of his grace, You re-
ject him.
That right hand cross, with it's long
beam, o~vershadows all the earth. 1t
is planted in the heart of the race.
When will the time come when the
spirit of God shall, with it's ak, hew
down that right hand cross until it
shall fall at the foot of that middle
cross. and unhelief. the railing male.