River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-06-24

York whose IA
Their offered him $4,000 if he would
give up his Christian nonsense and re-
turn to the faith of his fathers. The
reply was Jesus is worth more than
$4,000 to me. 1 cannot sell him for
| that" Are you, as judge, estimating
Jesus at so low a rate that you are
willing to sell him for paltry present
indulgences?
The next tribunal was that of re-
ligious prejudice represented by the
Jewish Sanhedrim. One of the great
est enemies to Christ is religion. The
matter with China, India and Africa is
to a large extent religion which wor-
Shipping monstrous idols brings it's vo-
taries down to their level. The mat
ter with people calling themselves
Christians who are satisfied with elab-
crate ritualistic observances, while in
their daily lives they are bad, is that
they have large religious nature
which has not been purified by the
blood of Christ and mastered by his
life. Their religious prejudice often
bars their hearts against the entrance
of Christ
Jesus came also before the tribunal
of patronizing pride with Herod as
| Judge. Herod would like to see him
perform some miracles and asked
some questions which Jesus treated
with dignified silence There are
Herods OF wealth and scholarship liv-
ing to-day who assume a patronizing
tone toward Christ.
Plate represents the tribunal of
conscientious weakness. He is con-
vinced that. Jesus is innocent and he
would like to release him, but he
lacks the moral courage to assert his
conscientious convictions.
The world is full of Pilates who
know their duty toward Christ while
they lack the moral courage to do it.
If some of them had stamina enough
to take the advice of their good Chris
tian wives, they would do right and be
happier.
The tribunal of weak faith with
Peter as judge decided against Christ
under stress of great temptation, but
one earnest, loving, compassionate
look from the eyes of the prisoner
convinced the judge that he was
wrong and caused him to reverse his
decision, while it sent him out into
the dark to weep over his blunder.
have described these tribunals be-
fore which Jesus was tried. But aft
err all l am mistaken. Jesus is really
the Judge and these men are the pris-
oners before him. He is trying them.
Judas is found guilty of base treach-
cry and executes judgment upon him
self. The Jewish Sanhedrim and the
mob, full of religious prejudice, have
judgment passed against them. The
prayer His blood be upon us and our
children" has been answered and I
hear the execution of the sentence in
the tramp of the Roman army and in
the thud of battering rams beating
down the wall of the sacred city.
Herod's patronizing pride took him
to Rome in search of kingdom, but
he received instead a decree of ban
ishment and died miserable death
Such will be the end of all pride
which merely patronizes Jesus, while
it refuses to accept him as Saviour
and Lord.
PLATE was summoned to Rome, and,
though his vacillating weakness would
evade the issue, he must go and an
swer charges made by his enemies.
Seeing that he will be condemned he
commits suicide. A legend tells us
that his body was thrown into the Tt
Der and in storm was cast upon the
bank. 1t was then thrown into the
Rhone, but the river would not hold
it. It was at last cast into a Swiss
lake and once a year the devil takes
it out and makes it go through the
process of washing its hands in the
presence Of the people. The weird
legend has in it a suggestion Of truth
Those who know the right and refuse
to do it can never find peace. The
soul that is convinced of the truths
of the claims of Jesus Christ but re-
fuses for any reason to take his side
will be restless and storm-tossed, a
plaything, sooner or later, in the
hands of the devil.
After his resurrection Jesus said:
"Go, tell my disciples and Peter" as
if he knew that Peter after his back
sliding would not consider himself a
disciple, unless he should receive such
a personal assurance. Peter, restored
to fellowship and power, breaches at
Pentecost with a tongue of fire and
5000 are converted in one day.
Reader, you are a judge before
whom Jesus stands, and you must an
swer the question: What shall l do
with Jesus?" He is on your hands and
you must do something with him. Will
you sell him like Judas? Will you let
religious prejudice cause you to re-
iect his claims upon your faith and
love? Will you patronize him like
Herod? Will you vacillate like Plate
and refuse TO be true to your convic-
tons? Will you deny him like Pet sr?
But 1 am mistaken again. You IRE
not trying Jesus so much as he is
trying you. You are on trial and he
is your judge. What will he do with
you? To sell him is to court the doom
of Judas. To let religious prejudice
exclude him is to meet the doom of
the Sanhedrim and the mob. To pat
ronize him is to meet the doom Of
Herod. Simply to refuse to confess
him is to meet the doom OF PLATE. To
IL