The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-09-13

eu " cheek. some look up with re-
venge, hardly able to keep their aands
on the sufferers. Some tear their own
halr In 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 Id with drawn swords, drive back
the mob which presses on so hard.
mere is fear that the proceedings may
De interrupted. Let the legion, now
stationed at Jerusalem. on horseback
dash along the line and force back the
surging multitude Back with you!"
Is the cry. Have you never before
seen man die?"
Ihree crosses in 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 APP
pies OF love. Norway pine and tropical
orange and Lebanon cedar would not
make so strange grove as this orch
ard OF 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 scoffer could get one
hand loose and he were within reach.
he would smite the middle sufferer in
the face. He hates him with perfect
hatred. 1 think he wishes he were
down on the ground that he might
spear him. He envies the mechanics
who with their nails have nailed him
fast. Amid the settling darkness and
louder than the crash of the rocks
near him ieer out these words: "Ah.
you poor wretch! knew you were an,
tmpostor! You pretended to be God.
and yet you let these legions master
.you!" 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 sentimental
Christ or philanthropic Christ, but
a Christ who comes to snatch men.
away from their sins with him,
On his right hand cross today / see
typified the unbelief of the world. Men
say. Back with him from the heart,
! will not let him take my sins. If
he will die. let him die for himself,
not for me-" There has always been a
war between this right hand cross and
the middle cross, and wherever thereis
an unbelieving heart there the fight
goes on. Oh, if when that dying male
factor persisted the faithlessness of
man had persisted, then that tree which
yields poison would have budded and
blossomed with life for all the
world!
A Plunge Into Darkness.
Look up into that disturbed counte-
aance of the sufferer and see what
CHASTITY thing it is to reject Christ. Be-
hold in that awful face. in that pitiful
look, in that unblessed death hour, the
stings of the sinners departure. What
a plunge into darkness! Standing high
upon the cross on the top of the hill.
SO that all the world may look at him.
<he says, Here go out of miserable
life into wretched eternity!" One!
Two! Three! Listen to the crash Of
the fall. all ye ages! So Hobbies, dying
after he had 70 years in which to pre-
pare for eternity, said, Were master
of all the world, would give it all to
live it one day longer" Sir Frances
Newport, lowering over the brink, cried
out: Wretch that am, whittier shall
i fly from this breast? What will be-
come of me? Oh. that | were, to lie
upon the fire that never is quenchett a
thousand years to purchase the favor
of God. and to be reconciled to him
again! oh, eternity. Oh, eternity,
Who can discover the abyss Of eter-
nifty? Who can paraphrase these
words, Forever and forever?'"
That right hand cross-thousands
have persisted on it in worse agonies.
For what is physical pain compared to
remorse at the last that life has been
wasted and only fleeting moment
stands between the soul and its ever
lasting overthrow? o God. let me die
anywhere rather than at the foot of
that right hand cross! Let not one
drop of that blood fall upon my cheek.
Rend not my ear with that cry. see
1t now as never before-the loathsome-
ness and horror Of my unbelief That
dying malefactor was not so much to
blame as l. Christianity was not es-
tabiished. and perhaps not until that
day had that man heard of Christ. But
after Christ has stood almost 10 CEN
turtles. working the wonders of his
grace, you reject him.
That right hand cross, with its long
beam, overshadows all the earth. 1t is
planted in the heart of the race. When
will the time come when the spirit Of
God shall. with its ak, hew down that
right hand cross until it shall fall at
the foot OF that middle cross. and I'M
belief. the railing malefactor of the
world, shall perish from all our hearts?
Away from me. thou spirit Of unbelief!
hate thee! With this sword OF God
thrust thee back and thrust thee