Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1903-03-17
Churches.

4
Rev Bowden conducted two extra
services in the High School Aud
itorium both of which were well
attended. The Rev. Hathaway Is
a very enthusiastic evangelist and
Is doing much good In our city. At
the regular morning service in the
Methodist church he preached
very eloquent sermon taking his
text from the Fl verse of the IL
chapter of St. Luke: "Aud who
soever doth not bear his cross, and
come after me, cannot be nv dis.
cIp,e."
He said In part: AS we look back
through the pages OF history, a
forest of crosses present themselves;
the whole world Is made up Of
crosses, of one kind and an other.
Early history tells of such crosses
as the Israelites met with, the
crosses OF Babylon and the thous.
ands that met death there, and so
on through all ages. But crosses
are not alike. There Is one cross
that the whole world bows down to
not because of the Cross itself but
because of the one who died upon
that cross. 1t Is the one
great cross that gathers about
1t the hope OF the world, stranger
going into the far east sight seeing,
wanders into valley, perchance,
picks up skull, looks at II, won.
ders whose 1t was, drops 1t, passes
on, and picks up another, and still
another, thinking the whole valley
Is land of skulls. But soon he IS
climbing a hill On the summit he
sees a cross. 1t Is the cross where
! Jesus died. But how came he
there? Not as this sightseeing
stranger - No. far different, he
came whipped, bleeding, scorned
and dying to the hill of Calvary.
Thousands gathered to see Christ
bear this wooden cross upon his
shoulder. Made way tor, through
the angry mob, by Roman soldier,
who lead the way. This soldier of
God carried his own burdens while
his enemies shouted, "He saved
others, let him save himself"
When he would faint beneath the
load, he was lifted up, and made to
struggle on, when thirsty, be was
given no drink, but he was stripped
of his garments and they were sold
and gambled for. Nothing was
given him but a crown of
thorns. for his pale and
noble brow. He was nailed by hit
hands and feet to the cross and it
was raised and planted In the
ground and on that cross hangs
the healing of the world today.
Was there ever love like that?
Alone, the sky becoming darkened
In clouds of mourning, without
even the consolation of a mother,
our dying Savior hung upon that
cross and In the hour of agony was
heard to whisper the prayer,
Father, forgive them, they know
not what they do" He died that
you and I might have eternal life.
He died for a purpose. When we
see how he suffered and died for
US, what truly selfish creatures we
are, unless we try to do something
for him. When he spoke this text
he was thinking of his cross, trying
to encourage US to bear our
crosses; we all find crosses; we
cannot expect to 60 to
heaven on flowery beds of ease
We must bear some cross for Christ.
Do something for Christ
thing unpleasant or hard. but for
Christ, and 1t Is bearing a cross for
him To have family worship, to
speak In public Is very hard at first
but 1t Is a cross for Christ.
Pride keeps many from bearing
cross for Christ, but he worked
hard and prayed, he suffered and
died for US, can we, In the face of
all this, allow our pride to keep US
from bearing a cross for him? God
wants ,cross.bearing Christians.
How, brave we are IL worldly
things, In society, In politics, but
how weak In religion, Be careful
thatiyou do not refuse to do Gods
will and Gods work-Can we
muster together band of workers
who are nor ashamed to bear
cross for Christi will hold up the
cross of Jesus; flaming with love,
power and victory. Will you bear
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