The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1913-03-21

| C1Oh OF MS QeaCn is Satisfactorily, VI
even possible, than that he suffered
as a substitute for guilty men.
| We have been trying to recall some
of these reasons while meditating on
the transcendent event commemorated
on Good Friday.
|. % His death occupies the fore
most place In the New Testament.
There are, for example, twenty-eight
chapters in the Gospel of Matthew,
and eight of them, at least, or more
than one-quarter of the whole, is ia
ken up with the story of his crucifix-
ion and the events Immediately lead
ing up to and following it. About the
same proportion is seen in Johns
gospel, to say nothing of the emphasis
laid upon his death in the eptstles of
Paul and the book of Revelations.
(2) His death awakened the greatest
Interest In Heaven as well as on earth.
since in Peters first epistle, Chapter
I, IL, he tells us that these things
the angels desire to look into" More
over, when Moses and Elijah, brought
back to earth, were conversing with
Jesus on the Mount of TRANSPORTATION,
it was about, His decease which he
should accomplish at Jerusalem"
Uuke TX. 3D.
(3) 1t was the central object ever
present In Christ's own thought and
teaching. Men come into the world
to live, but he tells us that he came
into the world to die. 1.-THE son of
man, said he, came not to be minis
tered unto, but to minister, and to
give his life ransom for many"
Matt Xxx, 49, In another place. with
application to himself, he says, "Ex-
cept a corn of wheat fall into the
ground and die, It abideth alone, but
If it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. I"
John xii, 24.)
(4) His death was voluntary. In
John VII, 80, we read that at a GER
tain crisis, mo man laid hands on
him, because his hour was not yet
come" And again he himself said, 81
lay down my life that 1 might take it
again. No man taketh it from me- but
l lay it down of myself. l have power
to lay it down, and I have power to
take it again." John K, II, 49, Fur
thermore, it Is specifically said that
in his death he yielded up the ghost"
In other words, the passing out of his
spirit from his body was the act of
his own will.
(5) At the same time He died with
peculiar agony, not merely that of a
physical but a spiritual kind, crying
out, my God! My Cod, why hast
thou forsaken me?" Whoever heard
of God forsaking martyr to his
truth? And if Jesus were forsaken in
substitute for us?
CO. There were wonderful pheno-
mena accompanying his death as of no
other man,-"the veil of the temple
was rent in twain from the top to the
bottom; and the earth did quake, and
| opened, and many bodies of the saints
which slept arose, and came out of
the graves after his resurrection, and
went unto the holy city and appeared
unto many" Matt xvii, 81, 53)
CD 1t was a predicted death. A
way back in the Garden of Eden 1t
was pointed to in the words addressed
to the serpent, Il will put emnity be-
tween thee and the woman and be
| tween thy seed and her seed: it shall
bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise
his heel (Gen. iii, 15.) Isaiah, the
prophet. spake of Christ seven or
eight centuries before his birth, say.
ing, "He was wounded for our trans
| gressions, he was bruised for our mi.
| quities; the chastisement of our peace
was upon him; and with his stripes
we are healed" (53, So And Daniel
said he should be cut off, but not for
himself. g. 26)
~ 1t was a predestined DEATH
since Peter says, yet are not re
deemed with corruptible things as sill
yer and gold but with the pre-
cious blood of Christ, as of lamb with
out blemish and without spot; who
verify was foreordained before the
foundation of the world"
(9) Finally, 1t was a death which
! ndS UCCu ny dH ODSSF
vance that never can be hid or ex
planned away, namely, the communion
of the Lords supper. in which Chris
ttans eat the bread and drink the wine
In remembrance of his dying love-
Putting all these things together, Il
there any other reasonable explana
ton Of the death of Jesus Christ thar
that already indicated, and which i:
expressed with such childlike simplici
ty in DR.. Bethune's noble hymn, begin
ming,
1T read Gods Holy Word and find,
Great truths which far transcend m,
| mind;
! And little do I know beside,
OF thought so high. and deep and wide
This is my best theology,
I know the Savior died for me-"
This is the reason an inspired apps
tie is able to say, whatsoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord, shall
be saved" (Rom. K, 49,