THE THIEF ON THE CROSS. A SERMON, PREACHED IN SANDFORD CHURCH, DIOCESE OF DUBLIN, BY THE REV. ALEXANDER IRWIN, A.M. LUKE Xxiii. 42. "And he said unto Jesus, Lord! remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." THE riches and power of Divine grace | and feet to the beams of their respective were never more signally manifested in the salvation of a sinner than in the instance of the person who spoke these words. It is a transaction deserving our most devout and thoughtful contemplation. The sacred history informs us, that two thieves were led along with Jesus to the place of crucifixion, outside the gates of the city. As they were proceeding to the fatal spot, they overheard the plaintive outcry of the women who followed Christ, bewailing and lamenting him, and they heard his touching and prophetic answer, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck; then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, cover us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry ?" Having arrived at Golgotha, their sufferings begin together, Quivering with pain, they are nailed through their hands crosses, and lifted up erect, with the prospect of lingering for hours in horrible misery before death would put an end to their sufferings.-Yet, they hear Jesus saying, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do :" and they saw the accusation written and set up over his head, "This is the King of the Jews." And now, if any hope of reprieve had been indulged by these two criminals, it is altogether given up; they feel that they have begun to die. What a scene was around them! "The people stood beholding, and they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.' ' They were not, however, the common people only who formed the crowd, assembled on that sad occasion to feast their eyes on his sufferings, and vent their hatred in these inhuman taunts. "The Chief Priests likewise, with the Scribes, and Elders, and the Rulers”— the ministers of religion, the respectable, the educated, the higher classes are mixed with the basest of the people! | Why did he so meekly bear with this torture mocking him, they said, "he saved others, himself he cannot save; if he be the Christ, the chosen of God, (the King of Israel,) let him now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe; he trusted in God, let him deliver him now, if he will have him; for he said, I am the Son of God." Another party, too, joined in this shamefull and cruel business; "the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, and saying, If thou be the King of the Jews, save thyself.”— Such was the scene on the top of Calvary, and, to complete it, writhing with pain as they hung on their crosses, "the thieves which were crucified on each side of him, reviled him and cast the same in his teeth." What a spectacle was here! Could hell itself furnish any thing more desperately wicked? To what can it be ascribed, but to the omnipotent and gracious working of the Holy Ghost, that one so fearfully involved in guilt, so far gone in the ways of sin, and now in the very jaws of death, should be converted and saved? Nothing short of his divine, all powerful and undeservedly communicated influence, could effect the change that took place in one of these crucified malefactors. Through the secret operation of Almighty grace, conviction seizes his mind, conviction, that this Jesus, the man so tortured and insulted beside him, was in very deed the Son of the living God. Who can describe what his feelings were, when the truth rushed upon his mind, and he was convinced of it? What unspeakable awe must have come over his spirit to find himself hanging on a cross beside the Son of God, who was dying amidst the revilings of men! When, like the prodigal, "he came to himself," he must indeed have wondered at what his eyes were witnessing, and his ears heard. Why was the Son of the Highest submitting to these cruel sufferings? and this railing, and not consume them in a moment? What, but most divine compassion toward their souls, could have brought him at all into such a scene as this, and induced him to say amidst it all," Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do?" When the eyes of his understanding were opened to know who Jesus was, he could not behold what was happening there, without being persuaded that he who submitted to such things must have a heart overflowing with love towards men. Deep must have been the pangs of contrition, at the thought of the guilty share which he had in this awful scene, and when he heard the mockings still continued, he was filled with anxiety to convince his fellow culprit of a truth it so concerned him to know, and thus save him (if it were possible) from dying with such blasphemies on his lips.Tears and confusion must have kept him silent for a while, but, when the railing was again renewed, and his wretched comrade's voice was heard among the rest, crying, "if thou be Christ, save thyself and us,”—then, in spite of all his pain of body, and still more painful self reproaches, "he rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation ? And we inded justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man hath done nothing amiss." What was produced by this expostulation, we have no account. But now that the penitent has had courage to open his lips, he turned an imploring look to the Saviour of sinners, and said "Lord remember me, when thou comest into thy kingdom.”— How sweet to the ear of Jesus was the sound of such a petition in the midst of his agonies! And how must the answer which he gave to it have thrilled through the heart of the dying suppliant, and raised him above the pains he was enduring? Jesus said unto him, " Verily, I Is not this a brand plucked from the burning? Here is indeed an instance how "with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation." Here is a proof, that "the Lord is rich unto all that call upon him," and that" whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." say unto thee, to day shalt thou be with | tinct and imperfect—but he believed him me in paradise." to be the long promised King who was to sit upon the throne of David, and have a universal, glorious, and eternal dominion, and as such, he addressed him. And, observe the great trials his faith had to undergo! those mysterious words soon fell upon his ears, "my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"—was he to place all his confidence in one whom God had forsaken ? When he heard him languidly saying "I thirst," could this be indeed "the Mighty One of Jacob ?"-Yet his faith held on.-After a time he heard him, with a loud voice, saying, "Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit :"-and then, he whom he believed to be his Saviour hung a lifeless corpse beside him!—was this to be his Saviour?—what a trial for his faith was there! While his own mangled frame was exhausted after hours of pain, while his spirit could scarcely sustain its intolerable burden, still unhesitatingly to rely on one as the Prince of Life who had just expired before him,there was faith—yes, there was vigorous faith and that at a time when some of the disciples, who had been with Jesus from the beginning, were almost shaken in their confidence and saying, if not faithlessly, at least despondingly,-"we trusted that it had been he who should have redeemed Israel." Verily we have not found so great faith, no not in Israel. My brethren, whatever shades of difference there may be between the former character of this robber and our character in the sight of men, and however the degrees of our guilt may vary in the sight of God, it is only in one and the same way we can obtain salvation; even by thus casting our sinful souls upon the mercy of the Lord Christ, and asking him to undertake for us; for as we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, (in this respect "there is no difference,") unless a like change take place in our minds, from their natural enmity against God, none of us can enter his kingdom; it is the belief of the same truth that produced such a revolution in the sentiments, the demeanor, and the language of this expiring malefactor, which can work a similar transformation in ours. We have in this person one of the most remarkable instances of faith in Christ. Under what circumstances did he manifest this confidence in Him as the only begotten Son of God? It was while his eyes beheld him dying a shameful and accursed death, sinking apparently under the power of his enemies, it was while his ears heard the ministers of religion, those who sat in the seat of Moses, and were venerated for their sanctity, while he heard these guides of the Church branding him as an impostor, and rejoicing at his punishment, that this penitent clung to him as the Redeemer and the Holy One of Israel. We cannot tell what were his views of Messiah's kingdom: most likely they were indis The soul of Jesus was now departed. and the graves were opened, " and all Calvary, while this penitent is sinking with mortal weakness, and the pains of death are getting faster hold of him, how must his mind have stayed itself on those words of Jesus, "verily I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise?" The shadows of evening begin to lengthen, soldiers are sent to break their legs, and by this additional suffering, hasten, their end and then he had but a little longer to endure, and his soul was with Jesus in the paradise of God. My brethren, it is instructive to observe, not only the strength of his faith, how it stood the trials to which it was exposed, but also how, being living faith, it purified his heart, overcame the world, and worked by love,-of this we have clear and sufficient evidence. It purified his heart-for, whereas before, his mind was filled with enmity to Christ and blasphemous railing against him, now the fear of God solemnized his thoughts, and made him afraid of sin. This is evident from what he said to the other thief" dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation ?" i. e. suffering death. We see its purifying effect on his heart, in the full confession which he made of his own guilt, and the justice of his punishment: a confession not elicited by a hope of escaping or mitigating his punishment, for conjoined as it was with a vindication of Christ's innocence, it evidently could not be intended to attract the sympathy of the revilers around him.-No, it was the ingenuous acknowledgment, that conscience impelled him to make, he had no other way of repairing the injury he had done his fellow-men, but by acknowledging that he deserved to engaged. This course he was himself pursuing :-but, when he believed, he not only abandoned it, but stood out against it; and, while others were deriding Jesus as an evil doer and blasphemer, he bore this testimony to him,— "this man hath done nothing amiss.”While others were mocking, he worshipped him, as his Lord and King. this he did when it was likely to draw down upon himself the jeers of the assembled multitude, as one who was trusting in a detected and dying impostor. And His faith overcame the world in another respect also. He knew, that Jesus was the Christ, and able to do all things; the very taunts of the crowd reminded him of the miracles by which he had "saved others," and suggested the very thought of trying his power, in coming down from the cross-a miracle could release him from the cross, heal him of his wounds, and set him beyond the reach of pursuit, and all fear of being retaken,but, though fully persuaded that Jesus with a word could do this for him, and that the Lord had never refused a miraculous interposition when applied to in faith; yet his heart longed for a better deliverance-his life was deservedly forfeited-ands o, instead of seeking to have it prolonged on earth, he sued only and earnestly for a place in heaven. Here was a victory over the world. Short as the interval was between his conversion and his death, we can observe his faith most plainly and beautifully working by love. Yes, it was love, real love to the Lord Jesus made him vindicate the honour of his name, and proclaim him spotless and innoceut, when others triumphed over him as a justly punished sinner. We see a most affectionate clinging unto Christ in those words, " Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom”—Remember me that is all my desire-think of me— in the glories of thy kingdom deign to think of one who was dying at thy side on earth, and who cast himself on thy mercy-one thing do I desire of thee, Lord, that will I seek after-do not, O do not forget me! Was ever geuuine love toward God found in any breast unaccompanied by love toward our neighbour? Never. And it was not only zeal for the honour of Christ, and grief at hearing His name reviled, but also love toward his poor fellow-sinner, a desire to bring him to repentance and save his soul alive, that made him expostulate with him-"Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation ?" And now, must we not say concerning this malefactor, "old things are passed away, behold all things are become new." Would to God that we, my brethren, were made like unto him in these respects! that faith wrought in us such love to Christ, and compassion on the ignorant, and them that are out of the way that it overcame in us the love of this present world, the dread of its scorn, and the desire of its vanities, and that it purified our hearts and kept us in the fear of God all the day long. If these effects are not accomplished in us, be assured, that it is from want of that faith, that living faith, which looks simply and steadfastly unto Christ: and if we be not brought into the temper of mind he exhibited, we are not meet to be partakers with him of the inheritance of the saints in light. can imagine, and human nature would be impatient of any demand on its attention, while a staring and reviling multitude is putting him to shame-He listens to this poor suitor, whose very presence there was intended to add to his ignominy, and he grants him his heart's desire! One would have thought that if ever there was a day which could not be a "day of salvation," it was that in which the Son of the Most High God was nailed to a cross by the hands of his own sinful creatures,-if ever there was an hour when the ear of mercy would be closed fast against all who wore the human form, it was while human beings were mocking at the expiring Saviour, and pouring contempt upon the great sacrifice for sin while it was offering up! But no-even then, in that darkest hour of this world's guilt, the Lord heard and answered prayer, and that, the prayer of one who never prayed before.-Oh, what encouragement is there given us here to come unto him that we may be saved. He is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever”—and if he heard even then, he will surely hear you now,-Call upon him, he will receive you graciously, he will love you freely. The sufferings of Jesus on that day, have opened a holy channel of communication between us and our offended God, through which his mercy and his blessing can flow down upon us, without But, let us turn our thoughts from a shadow of suspicion resting on his chaconsidering this man's faith and its effects, racter that he thinks lightly of our guilt, and let our closing meditations rest on and has no abhorrence of it. Jesus has the object of his faith, even Jesus. been set forth as a propitiation to declare How glorious does He appear in this God's righteousness, that he might be transaction! It is a glory beyond that of just, and the justifier of him that beliemen or angels; it is "the glory of the veth. Relying on this Scripture testionly begotten of the Father, full of gracemony, let us draw near his throne with and truth!" Here was one evidently full assurance of faith, that we may undeserving of his favor, but he upbraids obtain mercy. him not-he delays not his answer-he gives liberally more than he is asked for! -while his own bleeding wounds are paining him, while his agonized and fainting frame is suffering more than we The usual inference drawn from the account of the thief on the cross is, that if a peason repent even in the last moments of life, his soul will be safe. Yes-and that is the true inference-and |