The Caucasian., 1907-03-26

gatory for him. No sooner had his
lungs ceased TO breathe than at once
his liberated and redeemed spirit went
to heaven. And no sooner do our dead
ones leave is than at once they go to
God. Aye, quicker than that, Even
before their tired. wornout spirits are
liberated from their prisons of clay
they catch a glimpse ct Che joys auJ
the rartures beyond.
But cannot close this sermon with
out lingering iuSf one instant under
the empty cross of the unrepentant
thief OH. Ct is 50 empty. 1t seems To
cry ont in words of agony: The last
chance for heaven j. gone. The last
chance for salvation is foreser, ever.
dSer gone.
The cursine Thief.
] come under that cross, and ! look
again. 1t ~ not empty now. see the
sunken eyes of the dying man. I see
the hot sun burning into that parched.
bleeding brow Q see the swollen lips
and the thick tongue Then | see those
swollen lips turn and tllst tongue he
gin t. move. and Z hear the thief. the
dying thief. turn and curse his Lord
Oh. my God is he cursin% thee? oh.
my Iorti wilt thou rot forgive him
even though he curses thc%? Thea /
seem c. hear my Saviour say: My
love is infinite. My pardon is infinite
But Gods love has its limitations. lie,
does not forgive chose who will not rsa.
Dent of their sins. Within few mo
ments that dying thief's chance of sal
walton will be gone forever. The 81
lent, empty cross of this Easter proves
thaT mans last chance for salvation
NAV be passed over and be gone FOR
ever. My Lord and my God, can some
of us be losing our last chance fo@
heaven now, now, even now2
l'anSe thou not feel that this pulpit
shis very day is the hill Of Golgothaf
Gsanst Chou not see the three empty
crosses standing here amid these bow
ers and wrcaths an1 columns of flow
ers? Canst thou not touch these crosses
now? I have often wondered what be-
came of those three crosses after the
crucifixion By the old Roman law if
a nnan was crucified his body was al
lowed to hang upon the cross. week III
and week ont and month ia and month
Ouf ulNll it rotte,l away. But that wa
not the Hebrew custom. As SOON "a
the criminal was dead then his BODY
was tal;cn down and buried. Thu
! Gp-t I III "a
if the disciple; took these crosse; anf
cut Gem into pieces and kept them q
sacred relics: wonder if they th0ng.i'
they had any spiritual efficacy: | won
der if we had Il few piece; Of oHa %
those cro;sa., now would We l32,I uron
those pieces of wood as having a saw
ing grace in their touch: Perhaps we
would Perhaps that is the rea so: cGd
has made all parts of those crosses dis
appear Perhaps by the complete dis
appearance of those crosses God i:
now saving t, Us on this Easter day.
"Chil1ren of the t,--entieth century.
knoweSt thou not hat there are three
crosses in thy midst today? They arc
not emnty crosses either The center
cross holds Jesus. One of the outside
crosses holds n rcpentlnt sinner. The
other outside cross holds Il blasphpm-
ing thief Thou. O child. must mount
one of those crosses. Thou. O child.
must carry one of those crosses! Thor
alone can choose Which one it shall he
Which cross shall he thy frfendf Thou
alone must decide this question today.
And with him they crucified tw"
thieves. one on his right hand and I'll"
other on his left" oh. my friend wilt
thou not this Easter morn bravely ana
nobly carry the cross Of the repentan
thief:
The cnnsecrated cross I'll bear
Till heaven shall set me free
And then go home. my crown to wear
For there's a cross for me.
Copyright 1907, by Louis Klopsch.l