The Caucasian., 1907-03-26

But in Rubens' Descent From the
Cross there is no doubt about Christ
being dead. His skin is as CHASTITY
white as the white sheet they are
wrapping about him. The blue veins
seem to be standing out like whip
cords upon his forehead. His feet his
hands and his head seem to be hanging
as heavy as tons of lead He could not
have been more utterly beyond reStora-
ton if he had lain in his grave Il thou
sand years. And yet within three days
within sight of his empty cross Christ
arose and walked and moved and lived
and had his being. Ny friends. like the
crucifiers OF Old, you may be able to
defy Christ for little while. but ve-
member the day of shrists burial is
to he followed by his day Of restlrrec-
ton. Remember that question of Fl
late. "What shall | then do with jesus
who is called the Christi" must find its
echo in What shall Jesus then do with
me at his Judgment seat" christ in
the tomb means Christ coming to his
resurrection The empty cross of Che
first Easter morn proves it
But there Is another fact Z want you
~ notice about this central cross on
Golgotha hill, IT proves that even aft
er Il man has sinncd seventy times
seven Christ is willing o. pardon him
of his sins if he will only throw him
self upon the Saviour's grace and love.
Christ is not one wha claims an eye
for an eve footh for a fOoth. a hand
for hand and a fok for a foot. He
is Got Shylock demanding a. full
pound of flesh nearest to the human
hear% because Cit is so nominated in
Che bond" RlN Jesus is one who is
willing o. give a full forgiveness for
all wrong if we are only willing u
come and bow nc his feet and accept
kis pardon and his love. Jet me il
lustrate this ehought by Che picture of
Che empty cross
o. whom Gid this centraI crpss right
aully belong: e. Jesus: Nay. e. the
one whose face must have been 50
pure. 70 true. SO gentle. so dloving that
all who saw it musf have felt that only
love and mercy could dwell there:
Nay. Thae central cross rightfully be-
longed to one whose brow was SCARED
and wrinkled with bitterness and hate.
to one whose mouth was cruel and
merciless, to one whose hairy haetla
We're often covered with human blood
That cross. that central one rightful}V
belonged to Barabbas. the murderer
nd i,,S,rJ of ict pi r1,t NIL 1,n
longed to the brutal murderer whose
heart was so hardened that he thought
no more of taking human life than Il
tiger would have of Staying a kid. Md
yet after all the mO"kery of that farci-
cal trial was over. after Jesus had
been adjudged guilty and sentenced to
death, God gave the Jews another
chance to accept Christ. Then pilate
came forward and said: "Whom will
We that | release unto YOU Jesus or
BarabbaS? You know. Jews. that once
year ii is the custom of the governor
to liherate one prisoner. Will We let
me release You Jesus instead Of Ear
abbas?' Yes. Even today, after Il
long life of sin and evil. God comes to
us and says: ''Will ye now accept
Jesus or Barabbas? Which: WhichT'
Oh, the mercy of God, oh, the for
giveness of God. Can any human love
surpass it: Can any human love equal
it! Aye. human love may be very
great. but it is not as great as the
love of my Lord and my Cod Some
years ago I received Il letter from ii
lady in the east which went something
like this: Il am a lonely woman who
cannot do much in this world. | am
what you call a 'shut-in. But, though
l can do but little. 1 do feel l have
strength enough to care for some poor
little crippled orphaned child. So if
you can find one that no one would
care to love send him to me- and l
will adopt him and love him and look
after him as if he We're my own child"
Was not that Il beautiful letter? But
how much more beautiful is this empty
cross of Jesus Christ. hear n voice
from the form unjustly stretched upon
1t saying: 81 am on this cross instead
of Barabbas. Even after the Jews un-
justly condemned me | was willing to
pardon their sins Oh. child, even in
thy sins today | will pardon thee if
thou Witt only come to me. Come, ye
sinners Come We who have plated =
crown faf thorns upon my bleeding
brow. Come We who have spit upon
me- Come, and come now and find
a Sayiour's love and n Saviour'S
peace"
Death a liberator.
But there is another great lesson
which we can learn from these empty
Easter crosses. They prove that death
for the redeemed spirit is not tyrant.
He is not one who can manacle his
victims and shut them up in a leaden
coffin and lock them in tomb and bolt
the door of that tomb for a thousand
years But death for the redeemed
spirit is liberator, al emancipator
He is a messenger who can fly swifter
than the winds He is one who can
fly swifter than the light, One mo-
ment he is here: the next. with one
futter of the wing, he is nesting In