The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-08
"Ies,,s Delivered."

tSclccted for tho Times Dispa tch.)
But no delivered Jesus TO their
wll."---I.uke Mil. %.
That WINS the most awful moment IN
tho history OF tho great universe. Man
binding, scourging, cruclfying tho only
bcgotten Son OF God" This power was
given unto men. God delivered HIM
self into their hands.
Plate who delivered Jesus to the VIII
of the Jews. was the representative Oh
the great ruling force of this world. He
was. ne may say. worldly power ncar-
nate. II we put aside all that comes to
this earth from, God. then the Roman
Emperor would be the grandest repre-
sentative OF all that was lcft.G#}fRome
ruled absolutely. in the sphere. Of that
worldly force which could and did work
It's will with the unresistng Jesus It
was justtthe world simply acting out It's
own natural instinct following Its own,
bent. which delivered Jesus to the will
Of tho Jews.
That wll-the will OF the chosen pco-s
pie was a more malignant thing stll:-5
not the world only. but the devil 1n-3
spired and maddened that hate. Rome
was merely the hand and With It gave
the needed power, bilt@3sthe mind which.
set that hand in motor, wa ri thot Jewish
hatred of the Divine X Ing. y. a
What was this Will? What wis, thet
moving spring of their fierce resolution
that Jesus of Nazareth should die?
They writhed under His vehement de-
nunciation Of their sins. His bold hand
rent OFF the cloak OF their sancllty, and
revealed beneath tho foul sink OF de-
pravty. Till John the Baptist appeared
the religious leaders had been supreme
In Judea.
Light is come into the world, was
the proclamation Of the new gospel. The
life Of Jesus was that Light. That light
flushed In on a world OF fostering cor
ruptlon. The unclean things were made
manifest; the putrid things ragged under
Its beams.
They willed that witness to the truth
should die.
The Lord belonged to another world.
which they did not care to cntcra world
which troubled their selfish, sensual lives.
1t distracted them with visions, 1t op-
pressed them with dread There Is moth
Ing which a thoroughly sensual man
fears more than the thought Of tho spirit
lml. "Iet us alone Is the cry OF all
such hearts They have q vague dread
OF the unseen and unknown which they
do not care to put into words. 1t Is like
a great Eye looking IN upon their deeds
of darkness. They are happy when they
can cvade it., even for moment and
please themselves with the thought that
they have escaped It forever.
But there lies deep down In mems
hearts tho knowledge that there Is truth;
that truth is of God, ana that truth must
stand, whatever else In tho universe may
fall. The presence OF One whose life Is
a mute witness to a world of truth and
reality, makes men wrctchcd and deter
mined to destroy then So did the Athcn-
ian to Socrates, and Ahab's court to
Mlcaal.
And now Jesus stood among them as
the witness, to which all other witnesses
were but an echo Here was the living
witness for God. Come, let us kill
Him" was their wish and their pur-
pose.
They willed that this teacher Of tho
people, this friend of publicans and sim
ncrs should die,
They We're n ruling class, almost q
caste. Such rulers hate mono so BIT
torly as those who speak loving, quick
oning, emancpating words to the poor
'"rhc common people heard Him gladly
From tho moment llo preached tho