Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1904-03-11
TRAGEDY OF CHRIsTs DEATH.
ByRey. ". ). williamson. D. D.

BY Rev. ". }. williamson. D. D.
The birth, the life and the death of
Jesus differ SO widely from similar
experiences among men that we shall
find it forever impossible to explain
them apart from the statements of the
Bible Every cradle in which rests a
little child Is holy place, yet every
Christian mother holds her babe aloft
that its face may catch the light from
the manger Of Bethlehem.
The interest which heaven takes in
the birth of a child is utterly unlike
that attendance of the heavenly host
when the Christ of prophecy took upon
himself the form of man. The birth
Of Jesus was unique in that he asserts
that he came into the world of his
own volition. Only once does he speak
Of being born, and then to the duIed
ears of the Roman Governor
We need constantly to assert the
great and fundamental fact of the pre-
existence Of Christ. He was the ac-
tive agent in the worlds creation. in
the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word
was God" He constantly asserts that
he was sent, and associates with his
coming his own definite purpose. We
enter upon life by no choice of our
own, but Jesus Christ, whose previous
existence is recognized by all Chris
tian sources Of truth, and who could
say, Before Abraham was, 1 am,"
chose to humble himself and to become
"God manifest in the flesh"
Just as the birth of Jesus was mat
ter of choice, prompted by an infinite
compassion, so his death was utterly
unlike any other in all the world
tragedies. We assert of our dead
friends that they gave up their lives
but do not mean what we say. On
the contrary, their lives were taken
by foe, whose advances We're bitterly
contested at every step by all that love
and science could do. But the Son OF
God asserts that he has authority ov
er his life, so that he has power II
take it up, and power to lay it down
The goal of his earthly career was not
Bethlehem, but Calvary. He came will
the definite purpose to die on the cross
'The Son of Man came to give his
life" and any other conception of his
death utterly fails to grasp its essen
tial meaning.
Christ also regarded his death a,
accomplishing the redemption of mai
from the penalty and the power of sin
1t Is far beyond the human mind tt
satisfactorily explain the mysteries OF
the atonement nor should the indie
pendent reader of the Bible regard
himself as bound by men. You ant
have to do with the great fact a,
asserted by Christ himself, that 18th,
good Shepherd giveth his life for tn,
sheep" 1.-The Son Of Man must b,
lifted up" "He bore our sins in hi,
own body on the tree" Even tn,
casual reader Of the Bible must Sc,
that Christ regarded his death as tn,
price paid for lost world.
We cannot enter into the hiddeI
things Of God and construct syllogisms
of the plan of redemption which will
satisfy our human reason, but we ma,
participate in all its blessed results
Many Of the most important truths
make their last appeal to our con
sciousness. When we walk abroad
In the morning light and air, we hav,
no difficulty in saying God made tn,
world" but when we attempt to dog
matize as to the method and time o.
Its making, we soon find mankind di
vided into many schools Of thought
and the conclusions of none of then
are too certain.
So with this great central fact O.
revelation, the death of Christ; it ha!
its perfect Interpretation in the maj
who yields his soul to the Christ O
Calvary. The man who has forsake7
sin and is keeping his heart open to tn,
message Of heaven, has no difficult,
with the Scripture teaching of th
cross. AS Thomas exclaimed in tn,
presence of the risen Savior, my Lore
and my God" so the life which has ex
per'ienced forgiveness instantly say,
Christ died for my sins according t,
the gospel.
The value placed upon the death o
Jesus, rather than his birth and hi,
life, determines the growth in grac
of the individual Christian. The word
of the Sermon on the Mount are beau
ttful and exceedingly worthful, but tn,
power from the cross makes their at
talnment possible.
1t is forever the suffering Savio