The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-04-05
H.BARABBAS OR CHRIST? ~

I .
Cselected \ for Tho Times p ispatch.)
The Governor answered, and said unto
them Whether OF the twain will We that
I release unto you 2 They said Rara bias
Plate saith unto them, What shall !
do then With Jesus. which Is called
Christ 2 They all say unto him. Let Him I'm
be crucifed. IS t, Matt. xviii: q. %.
q. "l3arabbas or jesus 2, That Is the aues-
ton to-day. IT Is "a question which never
changes. Our choice Is not between
things similar, but things exactly an
lrreconclably3 opposite. We shade 'tNlle!
things SO much till We delldo ourselves
that the difference IS merely nominal. We
must got rid Of that idea II we would be- '-,
gin the real w ork OF life. i. 5315
There are but two spirits in this uni uni
verse, both present at the opening OF hui
man history. and they rule the world ORD
to day Those spirits are good and evil,
God and the devil, the pure and the i'm
pure. he4heavenly and the Internal. !; 70
one or the other OF these we belong.
We may not appear to belong to either
vet to one or the other we give our al
legance daily. 39 n
Our character is not in the broken deed,
the insanity Word the passing temper;
no! nor even in the sudden fall fall. Il Our
character is in our heart Of hearts, our
secret motive, our supreme purpose. I. hi. !
/. Herein are men much misjudged, both
on one side and the other. Herein has
been found great difficulty even IN tho
Bible itself, when tho actions OF Gods -''ll
saints, contrary to 1.-The spirit Of holiness
and Justice. are recorded. How 3 can
Peter be a disciple OF Christ when he
has sworn with am oath that he knew
not the man? Surely there must be
another standard than ours by which Which
judgement Is made. 4 b 81, i,
The way to really know ourselves I've rs: IS
TO ask, s.'What is my spirit IN What ia fis
nv supreme desire /? What do ! really
Wish to be?' IL hidden in Gods sa a. lt'Il
airy, shut up with God face to face you OF
can can truly say, Lord Thou knowest that
Il love rhee'-talse comfort Thou art
Els, and none shall pluck Thee @, out ut OF
Els hand. +.
PLATE was in a great dilemma. T n
storm was upon him, and he was the vic-'
tim OF popular clamor; cross lghss per- e'i !
picked Ills vision-it was right. It was vas
wrong: he would be tender; he must not
be disloyal he would be gracious; he.
must not be reasonable; ;all these thoughts
dashed across his mind, but did not give
him courage to act. 5 55t B XVI
plate is with us no more in the flesh
Int the spirit OF PLATE Is not dead. What
does it do? 1t affects friendship; II pays 70
compliments; 1t transfers responsibility; u
wants to be on both sides; 1t washes a1t !.
its hands and Nuts Its eyes to the great
question Of the times.
Where Is the honest follower Of CHRISTI
Where the steady. loyal, loving, disciple l's
whose life is the gospel, and whose speech
Is eloquent with messages OF the cross?
Men are surglng around Christ now r. WI
want to cruelty Him again, on q literary
or critical cross.
ole delivered Him to ri be crucified."
The law that could find no fault. gave
way before an angry mob. and the pow
ers Of darkness rejoiced. II wolves can
be glad when they fasten their gleam-
Ing teeth in the flesh OF their prey, then
we're these men glad when they laid their
cruel hands on the unresistlng Christ. s$
From Him there came no cry OF pain
no shudder Of mortal fear. The bitter
ness OF death was past. He had fought
His fight, and won, In the garden d OF
Gethsemane, They could not touch His
lofty spirit, They could tear down tho
house in which lie lived, but Himself
was beyond the cruel act!
See what hell can do at its best! Try
to realize the scene! NJ!
They stripped Film, who had said II
thine enemy take thy coat let him have
thy cloak also" They gave q crown OF
thorns to Him, who; had refused TO pc
King, They, Knocked Him who taught US
that God was "Our Father They spat
on Him who had left ell the glory OF
heaven to win back the lost pr,odigal,
They gmote Him on the head who never
had ono thought or wish but Tor the
good OF ALL They led Him away to be,
crucihed who had blessed little children
and healed tho sick.
AS we stand by that cross, we see SIN
In all It's direful consequences Your SIN
and mine! nailed Him and Kept Him
there! In the length and depth and
height OF that cross, we learn OUT sim,
His love and our forgiveness. AZ
3"Thus while His death my sins display
In all their BLACKLIST hue;
Such is the mystery OF grace;
1t seals my pardon, too S.5 I'd
EFAs -EE-===--------
I 1t is interesting to 500 how statements
that onco are started on the rounds OF
the press get twisted by repetition unin- 4
tentionally, a case in point Is the canard
which stated that Mr.. "A. q, Braxton was
unable to got his brothers support This
report orisinaly started In Newport
News, was repeated In Alexandria, and
was emphatlcally denied by Mr., Brrxton
and by his brothers as q most prepos-f;
ferrous and absurd statement IA we re- \