Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-09-10
ON CALVARY
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM THE
THREE CROSSES.

} WASHINGTON, Sept. 9.-The famous
paintings in the picture galleries of
Munich seem to have suggested the
topic of this discourse, which Dr. Tai
image sends from the quaint Bavarian
town. but the theme which inspired the
ipainters awakenS in the great preacher
Thoughts of the redemption of the hui
man race, which was the supreme de-
sign of that scene of suffering and
death. The text is Luke xiii. 30,
i'sThere they crucified him and the
imalefactors, one on the right hand and
the other on the left"
Just outside of Jerusalem is a swell
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
.malefactors will say and to see how
they will act The three persons to be
iexecuted are already there. Some of
the spectators are vile of lip and blOat-
led of cheek. Some look up with re-
'Yenge, hardly able to keep their hands
off the sufferers. Some tear their own
hair in q frenzy of grief. Some stand
in silent horror. Some break out into
uncomfortable weeping. Some clap
their hands in delight that the offend
iers are to be punished at last. The sol
ldiers with drawn swords drive back
the mob, which presses on so hard.
There is fear that the proceedings may
be interrupted Let the legion, now
stationed at Jerusalem, on horseback,
dash along the line and force back the
surging multitude. Back with you:"
lis the cry. Have you never before
seen a man dieY'
Three crosses in a rowan upright
piece and two transverse pieces, one
at the top, on which the hands are
mailed, and one at the middle, on which
the victim sat. Three trees just plant
ed, yet bearing fruit-the one at the
right bearing poison, and the one at the
Aeft bitter aloes; the one in the middle,
apples of love. Norway pine and trop-
ical orange and Lebanon cedar would
orchard of Calvary. Stand and give
look at the three crosses.
The Talk on the Crosses.
Just look at the cross on the right.
Its victim dies scoffing. More awful
than his physical anguish is his scorn
land 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 sufferer in
the face. He hates him with q perfect
hatred. I 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 hear
him jeer out these words: "Ah. you
poor wretch l knew you were an i'm
poster! You pretended to be a 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 a sentimental
Christ or a philanthrOpic Christ, but @
Christ who comes to snatch men away
from their sins-away with him! On
this right hand cross today l see typi-
fed the uabelief of the world. Men say:
t'Back with him from the heart. l will
not let him take my sins. If he will
die, let him die for himself, not for
me" There has always been war
between this right hand cross and the
middle cross. and wherever there is an
iunbelieving heart. there the fight goes
on. Oh, if when that dying malefactor
perisfIad. the faithlessness Of man had
perished, then that tree which yields
poison would have budded and bios
somed with life for all the world!
Look up into that disturbed counte-
nance of the sufferer and see what q
CHASTITY thing it is to reject Christ. Be-
hold in that awful face, in that pitifCl
look, in that unblessed death hour, the
stings of the sinners departure. What
IA 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 l go out of miserable life
into a wretched eternity One. two.
three, Listen to the crash Of the fall,
all We ages! So Hobbies, dying after he
had 40 years in which to prepare for
eternity, said, ''Were l master Of al
the world 1 would give it all to live one
day longer" Sir Francis Newport,
towering over the brink. cried out:
'Wretch that 1 am. whittier shall fly
from this breast? What will become
iof me? Oh, that We're to lie upon the
fire that never is quenched thousand
years, TO purchase the favor Of God
land to be reconciled to him again! Oh,
ieternity; oh, eternity Who can dis
cover the abyss of eternity? Who can
,paraphrase these words: Forever and
lforeverT"