The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1907-03-22
THE UNITED OPINION FRIDAY MORNING, MAR. u, 1907.


were listening to the other night in
the Roman barracks, has been detail
ed to see that the order of PLATE in
reference to the three state criminals
is carried out. Nfethinks / see him
standing in the foreground of the cru
cifixion scene looking up at the face
of Jesus. This Roman centurion's
countenance has a troubled look. as
he GodY that countenance seems to
say. eff he is God, why does he not
come down from the cross and save
himself, as the scoffers are challeng-
ing him to do? Oh, l wish / could say
he was my Lord! Then l might go
back to Rome and tell my brothers and
sisters and old sinful companions
about him" AS the Roman centurion
soliloquizes thus it is about - o'clock
noon. Suddenly the heavens become as
black as midnight. Then there Is a
booming and a crashing, as though the
rocks were being splintered under our
feet and the firm mountains were
shaking from their foundations. There
Is a great cry of agony. I hear the
Saviour call. cell, Eli, Lama Sabach-
thani!" which is interpreted, my God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken mep'
Then I see the Roman commander in
fright trembIe and crouch as If terror
stricken. | see him arise and stand
straight up and reach out his hands
toward the cross and cry out, "Truly
this was the Son of God!'
Another Picture.
OF course in one sense this sermon is
entirely imaginative. And yet l think
there may be more truth in 1t than
many of us believe. AS I began it in
an imaginative way so l will end in
the same way. When I think of this
Roman centurion, l never picture him
as simply acknowledging Christ as the
Son of God and then going back to his
life of sin. l picture him as resigning
from the Roman army and returning
to the Roman capital. Then l picture
him as one of the Christians of old
Rome to whom Paul later wrote. Then
1 picture him as going out to the old
homestead, to the pure home of his
youth, and telling his brothers and
sisters about his new found Christ.
Then I picture the prosecutions COM
ing. Then l imagine him an old man,
bending under the weight of seventy
five years, but strong in faith and In
fidelity to Christ. He may have been
among "the saints in Caesars house
hold" of whom Paul writes. He may
even have been among the Christian
martyrs who were burned under Nero.
The change would not have been any
more extraordinary than that which
transformed Saul the prosecutor into
Paul the apostle. You may say the
story is imaginative, but it is not I'M
reasonable.
In the dark catacombs of ancient
Rome, where G.OO0,000 bodies We're en-
tOmbed, there is a martyrs grave which
has on it this cpitaph: "While on his
knees in prayer before the altar Of the
true God they took him and led him
away to execution" l wonder whose
grave that was. l have never heard
the name of the martyr who was buried
there I wonder if it was the grave of
an old man. l wonder if it was the
grave of Captain Julius. l wonder if
it was the martyrs grave Of the Ro-
man centurion whose company had
charge of the crucifXiOn of Christ and
the two thieTco in the spring OF 30
A. D. 1t may have been that grave.
When the death angel shall come to
summon us before the judgment seat
of Christ, | would that, like that mar
tyr in the catacombs of Rome, he
might find us kneeling Gin prayer be
fore the altar Of the true God" Then
will that death angel be able to lead
us into the eternal life triumphant.
Then we shall not stand at the foot of
the cross. but we shall be seated upon
a throne and wear crown of eternal
and triumphant reward. May God
bless this sermonic dream. "Truly this
was the Son of Godr Come, let us
change the text a little-'Truly this
man is and forever shall be the Son
of God and our resurrected Saviour
and redeeming Lord"
copyright 1907, by Louis Klopsch.l