The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-05-30

the captives, and the opening Of the
prison to them that are bound. .
In substance Rev. Swertfager said:
In the city of Cambridge, Mass,
there lives veteran of the Civil War
whose age has passed the four-score
mark. AS the wielder of an active
and able pen, and as public-spirited
citizen, he still holds position of
eminence among the representative
men of New England. This man is
Col. Thomas Wentworth Higginson.
Some time ago, while discussing the
subject of Memorial Day, Col. Hig-
ginson referred as follows to an in
cident in his Civil War career: 81
remember that once black sergeant
in my colored regiment was making
an enthusiastic speech to the men at
Fourth of July celebration in camp
lin 1851 think), and he pointed to
the flag and said: Oars dat flag!
1t hab foated above US for eighteen
hundred and sixty-three year, and
we'll lib an die for it now!' I
thought that he had got his historical
figures a little mixed, but that his
heart was certainly in the right place."
We all agree with Col. Higginson,
I think, that the colored sergeant's
heart must have been in the right
place. His words indicate it most
surely. But do they not indicate
something more: Are this black
soldiers historical figures so very
inaccurate after all? I have not re-
ferred to this incident for the purpose
of amusing you. I have called it up
because it has a vital connection with
the text before US. Let US therefore
return to the text and consider the
message it conveys.
The prophesy of which this verse is
part was evidently delivered to the
Jews who were in exile in Babylon.
It's immediate significance lay in the
fact that it was proclamation of i'm
minent ending of the long exile. The
captives were looking with longing
and weary eyes for the day of release
to dawn. Freedom and restoration
had been foretold to them, and they
were waiting for the good news that
the promise was to be fulfilled. This
good news meant more to them, also,
than restoration to their native land.
It carried with it the assurance of
Gods pardoning love and providen-
tial care. So the words of the text
were received by the exiled Jews as
gracious and inspiring tidings from
God against whom they had sinned.
1t is interesting to note here this
aspect of messages purporting to come
from God. AS George Adam Smith,
the famous Old Testament scholar,
remarks, we owe the Greek words of
the New Testament for "gospel" and
"preaching" to this time of Israel's
history.
Now, it was exactly this prophesy
that Jesus applied to himself in the
synagogue at Nazareth centuries
later. Luke tells US how, as was His
custom, Jesus entered the synagogue
on the Sabbath and stood up to read.
"And there was delivered unto him
the book of the prophet Isaiah. And
he opened the book and found the
place where it was written, "The Spirit
of the Lord is upon me, because he
anointed me to preach good tidings to
the poor: He hath sent me to pro-
claim release to the captives, and re-
covering of sight to the blind, to set
at liberty them that are bruised, to
proclaim the acceptable year of the
Lord. And he closed the book, and
gave it back to the attendant, and sat
down, and the eyes of all in the syna-
gogue were fastened on him. And he
began to say unto them, Today hath
this scripture been fulfilled in your
ears.'
So Jesus takes up these prophetic
words and begins to apply them with
a wonderfully deepened and expanded
meaning. Thus the Christian era
marks the raising of a new standard
before the eyes of men. In other
words, Jesus stands up before the
world and unfurls Gods flag of free
DOM. With it he proclaimed not
merely the release of an exiled nation,
but the freedom and salvation of all
men, the right of all men everywhere,
of whatever age, race or circum-
stances, to develop freely the divine
powers and possibilities with which
God has endowed the human soul.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a
mere guarantee of political or econo-
mic freedom, though it is diametric-
ally opposed to all forms of human
slavery. The proclamation of Jesus
is infinitely deeper and more compre-