The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-02

eyes upon the world and fearlessly de-
clared what He saw, and what He
thought. Whoever does that must ex-
pect opposition. so you expect to re-
form the world, do your said a gouty
old English peer to Wilberforce in the
early days of the agitation against sla-
very. Look at that" He pointed him
to a cross, and said, That's where men
go who try to reform the world" And
it is sublimely true. If you have not
found it so it is because you have not
tried to reform anything. But if there
be some one here in whose heart the
fire of a true reformer burns, who knows
that it is laXity of custom that makes
the Magdalene. and heartlessness of leg
islstion that makes the drunkard, and is
filled with passionate indignation, and
resolves to alter all this, then remember
the price you have to pay for interfer-
ence; remember that where Christ an
pears, a Sanhedrin assemblies too. and
where a Bethlehem begins a life with
divine amounting, Calvary Is its certain
close.
Again, you will notice that Caiaphas is
also prophet. The gift of prophecy was
supposed to be hereditary in the Jewish
priesthood and therefore when the High
Priest spoke the Sanhedrin listened with
profound attention. On this occaSi0a It
is evident that he did not speak Of him
self. All that he meant to say was that
as matter of policy it was wise to sac
riffce Jesus. And a more Infamous and
INSCRIPTIONS speech was never made.
But mark the larger meaning God
raises the speech of this bigot into the
prophetic forecast of the worlds re-
demption. Tt is thus that God speaks and
acts through men, and often through men
that are evil, who serve the very pur-
pose they think they are opposing and
destroying.
And, then, thirdly, you notice that Cal
aphas is philosopher. He recognizes
the great sacriicial element which has
, always been at work in the midst OF
society when he said. 1T is expel.ent
that one man should die for the peo-
ple.y
Life is built upon sacrifice. Sacrifice
is the law of motherhood, the law OF
love. 1t is the essence of heroism, the
soul of nobility. The path of human
progress is one long path of sacrifice.
There is nothing diviner that a man can
do than to die for sins that are not his
own, and in such dying the life of the
world is assured and the victory of great
moral causes has been made complete.
The world will never be cIeansed and
redeemed till we are ready to die for It.
Aud so this saying of Caiaphas IS sim
ply one of the grandest sayings ever ut
tViNb ~ human ups" IL Perfectly uS-
fines the meaning of Christ in history
He is the sacrificial presence, the Lamb
of God, the Precipitation for sin; He
speaks TO men of all time of the eternal
need of sacrifice, that we must lose our
lives. If we would save them: that we
must know how to die, If we would learn
how to live.
Christianity is not only law, a creed.
it is life and the fountain of that life
is VITA sympathy with Christ, vital IN
ion with Him. The end of all ta aching
and preaching is to bring men and wom-
en- 10 the love of God through the love
of Christ, and through men and women
=. t'us changed to set up the Kingdom of
! God upon the earth. The church If it be
ANYTHING is a mandatory of Christian
character. IF it be not that, close the
doors. for it is useless to society. 1 put
! 10 you the question of the hour. the
question OF the ages, What think We OF
christ? VIII We also be His disciples?'
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
Sunday being Palm Sunday Rev. Mr.
Pearson took for the theme of his morn
ing sermon, Growing Jesus King" The
text was John, 18th chapter and 18th
verse. The following is brief outline
of the discourse:
Christ has ever been a King He as
sumed his me1iatnrial kingdom after His
resurrection. This kingdom was long
predicted. It was noted in the promise