Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-22
The End Which Was the Beginning
of the Christian Religion.
ALL HOPE SEEMED THEN TO DIE
But Now Before That Symbol Of Suffering
1t Springs Eternal.
THE BURIAL IN The TOMB OF STONE
WRITTEN FOR THE D1sPArcH.1


into heaven above Him. ALL is black about
Him. The mystery Of the cross touches its
awful crisis. The face of God is hidden.
'My God, My God," He cries, "why hast
Thou forsaken Me?"
Into this mystery of suffering we may not
enter. They who spoke misunderstood Him.
Reverent silence best befts this cry out Of
the darkness.
Christ died for our sins that, at least, we
know. He offered Himself upon the altar Of
the cross, as sacrifice for human sins-the
Lamb OF God that taketh away the sin of
the world, that we know. but all beyond is
hidden. Somehow it was our sin which
darkened the sky above the face of Christ,
and shut out from His human heart the
light of the love of God. And this was the
supreme moment, this was that hour of
which the Master sill His life looked for
ward, this was the achievement of His pur-
pose. Now.He bears the burden of our sin
upon Him. All else was as nothing beside
this All the pain and shame, all the
forsaking and deriding, all the whips and
nails-all as nothing beside this moment of
distress unknowable.
And They Gave Him Vinegar.
ST thirst" He cries, as the crisis passes.
And somebody is quick. now, to give Him
drink. All hearts at last are touched. They
who, sitting down, had watched Him there,
have been impressed with the sense of a
somewhat mysterious happening. One of
the soldiers gives his vinegar in a sponge.
from the end of Il reed of hyssop.
'It is finishedp' The sacrifice is offered,
the strange agony is over, the mission Of the
Master is accomplished. His blessed work
is done.
"Father, into Thy hands commend my
spirit" so He cries. And Jesus Christ
hangs dead upon the cross.
Behold the Son of God, who, for love of
US, came to earth and took mans nature on
His, and that we mig mt live, became
obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross.
Behold the work of sinl This cross, sin
planted. Sin held the hammer when these
nails were driven. Sin brought this agony
upon the loving heart Of God. And we
are partakers in it. Oh what great object
lesson in the dreadfulness of sin! The Son
of God crucifed that we might be freed from
it! And we think sometimes so lightly
about il, and sin so easily. so cheerfully,
taking unworthy words upon our lips, work.
ing dishonesty with our hands for which
Christ's hands were pierced, walking in
forbidden paths with the feet for which
Christs feet were rent and wounded. Here
We learn what sin means.
We look into our hearts, and what do we
see there? How much love for Christ our
Savior? How much real gratitude to Him
for all His life and all His death for us?
How much of the sin still kept for whose
banishment out of our hearts He suffered?
The Vail In tho Tapopla Rant
Christ dies and the earth trembles.
Away in the city the great veil IN the
temple is rent from the top to the bottom
that great veil which hangs between the
holy place and the most holy. No longer
need the high priests 60 in and behind the
veil make atonemenr for the peoples sins.
There is no need of the symbol now. The
Great High Priest has made the one great
and effectual atonement. The way from
man to God is open.
The short spring day draws near its close
Evening approaches. Tomorrow is the
Sabbath. The bodies may not hang upon
the cross tomorrow. The Jews 60 to
Pilate and ask leave to put an end to the
lives of the three crucifed ones. So care ul
again OF the infinitely little in the pres
ence OF the infinitely greatI So scrupulous
about the letter of the law, and yet cruelty
ing their Messiah!
plate gives consent They may break the
bones of the dying men, and end their
miseries with the thrust of spear. But
Christ, the soldiers iud, is dead already.
So they break with their clubs the legs of
the two thieves. But when they came to
Jesus, and saw that He was dead already.
They break not His legs. but one of the SOL
diers with a spear pierced his side, and
forthwith came out blood and water. And
he that saw 1t bore record, adds St. John,
setting the emphatic seal of his own per-
sonal witness to the fact, 'he that saw 1t
bore record, aud his record is true, and he
knoweth that he saith true. that ye might
believe. For these things were done that
the Scriptures might be fulfilled. A bone
OF Him shall not be broken. And again,
another Scripture saith, they shall look on
Him whom they pierced"
They smote Their Breasts.
All mockery was silenced in the presence
of that death, all hatred hushed. The Cap
tain of the guard of soldiers is profoundly
moved Certainly this was right
eous Man," he says. "Truly this Man
was the Son Of God" "And
all the people that came together
to that sight," the idlers, the revilers. the
bitter enemies, go back with strange fore
boding and msgiving in their hearts. What
does it mean? What have they done? There
are tears IN their eyes, and as they
go they smite their breasts. Afar off stand
His acuuaintauces, those who had loved
Him. beholding the end. Against the dark
sky stand out the three crosses with their
burdens. Evening falls. the shadows of the
night begin to mingle with the shadows of
the day. After all the tumult, after all the
noise of discordant voices, at last is silence.
The bodies of the crucifed were common
lv buried by being flung into trench, and
covered over with earth. But no sooner was
Jesus dead than there came to Plate men,
ber of the Sanhedrim, man of standing
among the Jews, known among all as Just
man and good, and begged the body Of
Jesus. Joseph of Arinathen was secret
dlsciple. 1t had been bitter day for him.
Love and fear had struggled for the mas
terry of his heart. But fear
had conquered. Joseph had kept
silence. Now it may have been re-
morse which drove out fear. At any rate,
love only was lett. He could make amends
for cowardice by last tender care. He
could not save Him, and he had not dared
to show his sympathy while He was alive,
but he could at least bury Him. He begs
the body OF Jesus.
The Tomb in the Rock.
plate gladly consents. Joseph has a
tomb ready in u garden of his, not lar from
the place OF crucifxion, new tomb hewn
out in the rock. This is made ready. An
other Jewish ruler, also member of San
hedrim, and long secret disciple joins him.
Once he had come by night and talked with
Jesus; again he ventured to make his pro-
test against the prejudice of his colleagues,
saving, Doth our law judge any man be-
fore it hear him?"
Now Nicodemus comes along bringing
mvrrh and aloes for His burial. A few iov-