The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-04-04


sympathy with our Lord as he ut
tered these words. A great sorrow ii
always sacred; we do not come into
its presence carelessly or thought
lessly, but alphabetically. This
sorrow is of all SORROWS the most sa
cred, and it is Exceeding great, ever
unto death" Its cry comes from
Gethsemane. That we may appreci
ate and understand its divine lessons
we must go back to that time in the
biography of Jesus when the shadow
of the cross first fell upon his soul
and it was borne in upon him that
his life would end in tragedy. From
that time," writes st. Matthew, "be-
gan Jesus to show unto his disciples
how he must go unto Jerusalem and
suffer many things of the elders and
chief priests and scribes, and be
killed, and be raised again the third
day"
Two years of his ministry had
passed. He had taken Peter, James,
and John as companions and had
gone upon the Mount where he was
TRANSPORTED, and where heaven was
opened and Moses and Elias had
come and conferred with him con-
corning his death, which should be
accomplished at Jerusalem. Into
his words, from this time, a new ten
derness seemed to enter, his works
were wrought with grace touched
and sanctified with diviner pity,
and there was that in his manner that
awed his disciples as they had not
been awed before. He was facing
death and facing that which gave to
death all its poignancy of sorrow
the ingratitude of the world.
The days that remained to him
were filled with intense activity and
watchfulness. He had resolved to
die, if die he must, in Jerusalem. He
would battle every scheme for secret
assassination which his enemies might
plot. There should be no mystery
hanging over his death like that
which had surrounded Johns in
Herod's prison, yelling the last mo-
ments of the martyr from all human
knowledge. No, there should be no
secret assassination, but public ex-
ecution, that all the world might
know how he died, and by whose
hand, and by what authority. The
divine purpose was to make the
cross the supreme glory of his life.
Out of the darkness of that awful
hour when evil would seem to tri-
,umph, and all the baser passions of
men would be most rampant, and
while malignancy would curse, and
folly deride, and bigotry scott, reve-
lation would be made of Loves SUBJ
lime power that would turn defeat in
to victory, and make the cross the
sanctifying glory of his religion.
Lifted upon the cross he would
draw all men unto himself" Thus
his enemies, seeking to rid themselves
of him. would become, unwittingly,
the helpers of his work. No possible
occasion than this furnished by his
.enemies-we may say, furnished by
the malignant nature of sin-could
have t,een made the opportunity for
d cath so gloriously divine. In no
other way could Jesus have revealed
himself in the fullness OF his love, or
opened to view the heart of the Inf
mite Father. On the cross, heaven
and hell were measured, and hell
the powers of the darkness of this
world-received a mortal blow-the
"head of the serpent was crushed"
and "evil at last must die" There
fore, as Jesus saw the vital impor-
lance of public execution-a cruel
fixion before all the world-he
planned to avoid secret assassination.
We follow him from the Mount of
TRANSPORTATION and come at last to
his journey from Jericho with his
"face set toward Jerusalem" we'll
knowing what awaited him there.
We must think of him on this jour
ney with his soul occupied with great
thoughts and high purposes. He
was all alone though multitudes were
with him and his disciples were
around him. He looked in vain into
their faces for the sympathy he
craved. These very men at this time
were in hot temper over questions of
political preferment in the kingdom
they expected him to establish. He
busy with plans for meeting what
awaited; they busy in scheming for
personal ACKNOWLEDGMENT; he praying
for strength to endure; they too dull
and slow of heart to understand him,
How patient he wasl The discord OF
sordid contention fell upon his ears