The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-07-14
FARMvILLE, VA, FRIDAY, JULY "A, 1905

GOA wnue MS COmpSuOns sept an
BE- kept saying TO himself, III this gold
was only mine" This passion, this
evil passion kept growing and growing
upon him. II kept growing upon him
just as the desire for gold or fame or
social position may have been growing
upon you Once Judas would have
Knocked q man down who would have
placed q menaclng or murderous hand
upon his Christ. But now he kept say
ing: Gold, gold must have gold.
must have gold, even II | do destroy
Christ TO get IT," Listen! Let me trace
the downfall Of Judas-hrst, the hon
ored apOstleshlp; second, the election
to the treasurership Of the apostolic
band; third, the hugglng of the gold
bags TO satisfy the cravings Of bis de-
veloping avarIce; fourth. the protest
because the box Of ointment Of spike
nard. very precious. was poured upon
Christs head, fifth. the selling Of
Christ's life for thirty pieces Of silver
Judas was not q devil always. Judas
went down to the betrayal step by step.
lie went down 10 the betrayal Of Christ
rs some Of us ore going, slowly, surely.
awfully, Economically. step by step,
step by step.
The field OF blood teaches us. in the
next place, that the most awful danger
that can be done against Christ is done
by his apostates and not by his out and
out bitter enemies. For weeks and
months, az | said before. the high
priests were trying TO take Christ and
cruelty him. But when they sought to
lay hands upon him they feared the
multltudes, because they took him for
prophet" What is the meaning OF
this? They dared not touch him.
Christs benelclarles at that time
would have risen up and swept the
high priests and the Pharisees from Off
the earth.
Supposing toward the close of the
Crlmean war the English general had
given orders that Florence Nightingale
was to be shot as a spy. what would
have happenedI Methlnks about the
commanders tent would have been seen
5000 poor fellows pleading and pray
ing and threatening. One soldier would
say: "She nursed me through fever
and saved my life. She shall not dier'
Another would say: "She held my hand
when they cut Off my leg She must
not dicw Another would have said:
"She bandagcd my eyes. blasted by
the gunpowder explosion. II was on
account of her care that now can
see" So those whose limbs Christ had
Strengthened and those whose eyes
Christ had opened and those whose lep- |
rous skin Christ had cleansed would |
have risen up and cried out: He shall
not die. He shall not dier But when !
Judas led the Roman officers 10y night |
10 the garden Of Gethsemane and show |
Cd where Christ was In retreat then !
Jesus was taken by stealth and tried |
while Jerusalem slept He was tried |
by night. He was crucifed on the |
early morning Oh, my friends, shall
1t be that you and as apOstates have |
betrayed Christ into the hands Of his
enemiesI
But the last thought 10 me is the |
sweetest Of all Standing by "Acelda-
Is, the field Of blood find |
that, no matter how much we have |
slnned, God never loses his love for the |
sinner We have wandered far, far
away, but Christ is today still loving
us. VIII you accept his pardonIng
lover VIII you accept II now1
This is a worldwide Invitation which
| am giving you to come to the saving
cross Indeed, so great. 30 far reach
Ing are the possibilities Of human re-
1emption through Christ, that while
was writing this sermon In the Quie-
tude Of my study the thought arose:
How 90 know that Judas was eter-
nally dsetroyedi God changed his
mind In reference 20 the Ninevites
when they repented Of their sins. How
10 l know that Judas. even when be
was dangling on the end Of that rope,
AID not make such supplication as
brought him within the influence Of
the divine Fathers forglving lover
Perhaps In the death struggle Judas
called upon Christ for rescue. II be
lid. who shall say that Christ did not
pardon himI He could pardon Judas
sins Just as he forgaye PauPs, who
was the "chief Of sinners" II Judas
iid call for divine forgiveness, know
10 received II. just as the penitent
.hief, as Mary Magdalene, as the wo-
nan Of samaria, received forgiveness
when repentant, Just as freely as you
,an be forgiven today. Oh, my friends,
With such a divine love surrounding us,
viii you not throw yourself upon the
mercy and atonement Of Christ, which
lave saved In the past, which save
low and which will save through all
liner The cross can be changed into
/ crown by changing the last two let
ers. Remorse can be changed into
IL today, in Christ's mercy,
7ou will reach up and look and live.