The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-04-05

We may suppose it to have been asked, first of all, by the angels who knew and dearly loved Christ before His incarnation. Surely those were among the things which, we are told, the angels desire to look into. Christ was their friend, their commander, the great arehangel who had stood with the three trusty servants of God, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery fur mace; who, in form. was like unto the Son of God. Possibly He had led forth the angelic armies to God-giyen mis- sions to other worlds. He knew and recognized,-while on earth,-the near ness of the angels to Him. To the vir- gin mother they had announced His coming. They had sung the glad tid- ings of His birth to the shepherds near Bethlehem. After His great victory over the temptations of the devil; be- hold, angels came into the wilderness and ''ministered unto Him." In His great agony in the garden of Gethmen- ane there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him." It was ''an angel of the Lord who descend ed from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door" of the sepulehre; and whose countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow" before whom the soldiers did shake and become as dead men"
 Of all the heavenly host, they would certainly have been among the first to ask, in the indignation of intense loyal ty and love, What are these wounds in Thine hands?"
 But, again another class of the heav- ! enly ones must have been eager to learn the answer to this question, namely, all those saints who had lived on earth under the Old Testament dis pensation, who had labored and hoped and prayed for His appearing, and had prophesied of it;-Abraham, Isaac and
 Jacob; Joseph, Moses, Aaron and Mir jam; David and the prophets; and
 spirits in prison," to whom He had preached when He descended into the place of departed souls after His cruci- fixion, and who, through the power of His revelation, had been released from their spiritual bonage; those men and women, too, who, perhaps had pleaded with God for centuries for their fellow men on earth,-that it would please Him to send them still another,-a greater prophet,-even His Own Son; for surely they twill hear Him." With what bit ter disappointment must they have joined in the question: What are these wounds in Thine hands?"
 But still another would have asked the question: Not that He did not all ready know the answer, for He knoweth all things; but that Christ might off, cially bear witness before the host of heaven of His mission to mankind. Go would have asked His well-beloved Son: My child, what are these wounds in Thine hands?" What are they but the everlasting symbols of Thy perfect sonship, of Thy obedience to My commands, even though the path of that obedience has led Thee through the death upon the cross. o, My blessed Son, by these sacred wounds,-yea rather, by the self-sacrificing love they lshow,--mankind shall be savedi"
 But what was the prophetic answer of the Messiahic of Jesus to this ques- ton of the heavenly throng? These wounds are those with which I was wounded iii the house Of My friends. T was rejected by Mine own country lmen'' ssI came unto Mine own, and Mine own received Me not" q longed for human sympathy; I needed human help; but I was forsaken even by My chosen disciples. In the midst of My agony they fell asleep! One denied, an- other sold, Mel In the hour of My ar rest they all forsook Me and fled. My lnation,-among whom I lived; many of lwhom healed of their diseases, and taught them the principles of my heav- enly kingdom: they, they-did but shout with angry cry: Cruelty Him, cruelty Him!''
 Yet note the merciful tone of the Mes siah's answer: Wounded in the house of My friends" He would not give them up. They might hate Him; He would not hate them They were still
 His friends and should always be! His lifting up on the cross should in the | end draw all men unto him. Through the guilty ignorance of sin and unbe- lief they nailed Him to the cross. Some day, if they would only let it,-the light of truth, shining from that cross, would ldispel the darkness of-their lives, and I they should say: Blessed is He that has come in the name and spirit of lGod!" Yes, It was the same loving, merciful spirit that,-even when pierced and being nailed unto the tree, ,''-exclaimed Father, forgive them; they know not what they dol" 1 Mankind has rejected, yea crucified Him,-is still 'the house of His Ifriends!" Oh! blessed truth! Oh! merciful Savior!
 | Finally we must remember that the wounds in those sacred hands are the everlasting symbol of two things: They manifest the depth of Gods love for us; the love of Him who so loved the world l that He gave His only begotten Son, to the end that all who believe on Him might not perish, but have everlasting life; they also display the heinousness of mans sin in crucifying His Lord, the Lord of glory.
 l Christ may to-day be wounded in the house of those from whom He has a right to expect obedience, sympathy, friendship, humble discipleship. Yes! Christ is pierced yet, and He is often the most deeply wounded in the house 1 of His friends. How? do you ask? He 1 is pierced by our indifference to our souls welfare, for the salvation of which He was willing to die; by our