The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-03-31

of that unknown sea. may seAeee'i Ao'
their hands after US when We so. IN fond
and loving farewell, but they cannot so
with us-we must go alone
The last MISUNDERSTANDING or IN
,.o,untarv-are made in solitude. Inc act
NJ renaration is before death. Ihere IS
a mysterious something-we cannot oeiii'e
(which makes the bystander 1cel tlae
the embarkation has begun 1here IS
silence Of the soul. as VIC step from Tue
things of time into the visible presence OF
God. There was, Of course, this lonel-
ness in the death of our Lord.
In Him it was dccpened by the lonell-
ness of His life. Those friends he hao
chosen. who had been with Him 1or three
wears. had never understood Ills "oius'
never appreciated His aims. never enter
ed into His inner life-they were, there
fore. not likely now to sympathize with
Him in the terrible anguish of this new
and Ito them) unexpected agony. inns
death-the fact even more than the man
ner of twas not only a mystery, it was
-, offence 70 them. Amidst all their
doubts and Observation-Disclosures the hope
that this had been He which should re-
deem Israel" had been theirs; now 1t was
failing them. j 10 4tSuVSAAS@ "
was to be a king and conqucror' sure
w not a captive, and in the END NOUS
factor. Thus, there was growing between
Him and their own thoughts during those
last hours a distance and severance
which there had not been IN NE. he
must tread the wine press alone
We have not reached the loneliness yet.
The whole text reads: II have troddeh
the wine press alone, and OF the peopie
there was none with Me-. There coulo
NOT he 81 looked and there was none TO
help If there had been, this particular
death had not been died Christ WAS ooi''s
something, in these last hours more pax
ticularly. in which He could have no as
sistance He was battling Tor nlai' iio'
with him. He must be alone BECAUSE o'
cry other life. every other soul (out ms
was being fought for, was being rescueu
.nd ransomed by that very dying.
we can never, even dimly, understand
the loneliness OF Christ in His death II
we do not grasp this reason for II. we
do NOT ask Won to understand this mEs-
terry The very loneliness OF WHICH We
speak, forbds this. But we DO ASK you
N make room for it, to say to yourselves
Our sins were there. Christ ola pa1t'e
there for our pardon, and by His deatn
He brought us peace.
Another reason for this awful loneliness
was His divinity. For Deity is lonei-
moss Not in heaven, but Oh cafth. IL
Christ was very God he must live alone
and He must die alone upon earth -
.ooounts for everything. His divine spir-
;t-,1;s soul indwelt Of the Holy Ghost
must have been a solitude. Ever sisi
ont. ever lavishing forth OF the plelliluue
If its grace and it's truth 1t conlo not
receive both Not yet. Not I'LL felt's
oos,. then in the possession OF the Holy
Ghost His people could give ooth-eNe'l
~ The, Saviour-a reality Of sympathy
and a reciprocity of love. But not yet.
Not while He hung on the cross. the ut
,le band of followers were scattereu "
their own. They who stayed to see the
end. stayed out OF an aheclioIl
than doubt. stronger than dlsappolnt-
ment yet weaker, too thah .'ie
dawn of sympathy or the beginning OIL
an Intelligent love.
ne;tv was loneliness, just as the atone
ment was Not yet had men become
that which they were to be IN Jesus Oii
mar cross, in that death, the Divine the
Goldman was. must be, alone. There is
vet a word to be spoken, OF we may co
harm. Loneliness is often isolation. iAoiie-
ly- men and women-lonelY by ciTcuh-
stance or by disposition or By cholce-ate
commonly selfish. There is a loneliness
which some cherish, Of which they al
most boast To some natures IL IS at
1ractiye and interesting to be solitary.
II nurt,1res in some philosophy, IN some
noetrv. in some piety. For the sake Oh
II some have gone into the deserts ana
some alas. have made u desert OF their
home.
,ro whom need say that neither atone
mont nor Deity made a solitary I'm TINS
sense of Jesus Christ? NO. not even ~
death, 1t is there He fought q terrloie
battle, but it was for others. ne "o' IA
no need OF redemption; not LOT rliii'o7ii
was His "vesture dipped in blood. IL
.,-,s fo, the world; it was for His Church;
- ,,-,c for each one Of US. 1t was lnai
,,a MIGHT never be lonely No, not even
:, death It was out of love. 1t was pc
oa,,ce His heart-the heart Of God-yearn-
cd over the unloving and the SINNER II
was because He could not bear heaven
If ve were left out. Therefore lie was
i,carnate. therefore lie suffered; there
fore He died. The cross was His desc
lation. but, thanks be to COD. 1t Is our
comfort our 10y and hope and crown OF
raioicinr,' Then take Him. III every
vav as our example. Be resolute, be
brave Oh. be strong and very courage
ors and renounce your sins for His sake.
You will be glad one day, when you come
TO die, that you hunted it out. and hunt-
ed it down. before it was too late Pray
God TO give YOU grace, like Him, to resist
sin, even unto blood; like Him, to endure
the cross, despising the shame; like him,
to die unto sin once; like Him, to be alive
forever unto G5d
RICHMOND'S NOTABLE FIRES.
1t is an interesting fact that the
name of Major Lewis Ginter is asso-
.,;,toI with ihrpp of the most notable