The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-10-18

child die, but never 80 affecting = scene
as this. The railing thief looked from
one way and saw the left side of Christ's
face. But to-day, in the full blaze Of
Gospel light, you see Christ's full face.
1t was suffering cross. If the weapons
of torture had gone only through the
fatty portions of the body, the torture
would not have been so great, but they
went through the hands and feet and
temples, the most sensitive portions.
1t was not only the spear that went
into His side, but the sins of all the
race-a thousand spears-plunge after
plunge, deeper and deeper, until the
silence and composure that before char
acterized Him gave way to eroan,
through which rumbled the sorrows Of
time and the woes Of eternity. Human
hate had done its worst, and he'll had
buried its sharpest javelin. and devils
had vented their hottest rage when,
with every nerve Of His body In torture
and every fiber of His heart in excru-
tiation, He cried out: my God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me?" II
was q vicarious cross. The right hand
cross suffered for itself, but the middle
cross for you. When king was dying,
. young man cried: "Pour my blood
into his veins, that he die not" The
veins of the young man were tapped
and the blood transferred, SO that the
king lived, but the young man died.
Christ saw the race perishing. He
cried: "Pour my blood into their veins,
that they die not" My hand is free
now because Christ's was crushed; my
brow is painless now because Christ's
was torn; my soul escapes because
Christ's was bound,
To this middle cross look. that your.
souls may live. Ishowed you the right
hand cross in order that you might see
what an awful thing it is to be unbe-
lieving. I showed you the left hand
cross that you might see what it's to
repent. Now I show you the middle
cross that you may see what Christ has
done to save your soul.
Oh, that l may engrave on your
souls ineffaceably the three crosses,
SO that ii in your waking mumenta
you will not heed, then in your
dreams at night you may see on the
hill back of Jerusalem the three spec
tacles-the right hand cross showing
unbelief, dying without Christ; the
left hand showing what it Is to b.
pardoned, while the central cross
pours over your soul the sunburst Of
Heaven, as it says: .'By all these
wounds plead for thy heart. / have
loved thee with an everlasting love.
Rivers cannot quench it. Floods can
not drown it." And while you look
the right hand cross will fade out
Of sight, and then the left will be
gone, and nothing will remain but
the middle cross, and even that IN
your dream will begin to change un.
til it becomes throne, and the worn
face of Calvary will become radiant
with gladness. and instead Of the mad
mob at the foot OF the cross will be
a worshipful multitude, kneeling. And
you and will be among them.
But, no; we will not wait for such
. dream. In this our most aroused
mood we throw down at the foot
of the middle cross sin, sorrow, life,
death-everything. We are slaves;
Christ gives deliverance to the cap
tive. We are thirsty; Christ IL tho
river of salvation to slake our thirst.
We are hunghy; Jesus says: II am
the bread Of ife." 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 1t, say
ing: 1T is I; be mot afraid" We
are in darkness: Jesus says: II am
the bright and morning star" We
are sick;- Jesus IL the "balm Of Gil
cad" We are dead; hear the shrouds
rend and the grave hillocks Yheaye 40
He cries: II am the resurrection and
the life: he that believeth In Ne,
though he were dead. yet shall he
live" We want justification; "Being
justified by faith. we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ" |"
We want to exercise faith: Believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved" want to get from
under condemnation: There n now,
therefore, no condemnation to them
who are in Christ Jesus" The cross:
he carried 1t. The flames Of hell; He
suffered them. The shame; He en-
dured it. The crown; He won II.
Heights Of Heaven sing It, and worlds
OF light to worlds Of light nj round
|, the heavens cry: "Gloryl Oioryi~
Let US go forth and gather the tro-
phies for Jesus. From Golconda mines
we gather the diamonds, from Ceylon
shores we gather the pearls, from
all lands and kingdoms we gatheI
precious stones, and we bring the
. glittering burdens and put them
down at the feet of Jesus and say:
J .An these are thine. Thou art wor
; thy" We go forth again for more
. trophies, and into one sheaf We gath
, er all the scepters Of the Caesars. and
the Alexanders, and the csars, and
I the sultans, and Of all royalties AMI
! dominions, and then we bring th,
, sheaf OF scepters and put II dowl
at the feet of Jesus and say. 'sThol
Il vys- IL - Al Al =.