The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1913-03-18

preston was IuaC
no other explana-
ton of his death is satisfactory; or
even possible, than that he suffered
as 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 epistles OF
Paul and the book of Revelations.
t2) His death awakened the greatest
interest in Heaven as we'll as on earth.
since in Peters first epistie, Chapter
1, II, 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 or the Mount of TRANSPORTATION.
it was about, His decease which ne
should accomplish at Jerusalem"
| duke tx, 81
CD Il 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. 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, 2S.) In another place, with
application to himself, he says, Eek
cept corn of wheat fall into the
ground and die. it abideth alone, but
if 1t die, it bringeth forth much fruit"
John xii, 24)
! (49 His death was voluntary. In
John VIZ 80. we read that at 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 / might take 1t
again. No man taketh 1t from me, but
| LAY IL uO"n Vi NY bCll- i AdfO pOhOl
to lay it down, and have power to
take it again" John x. 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
| go At the same time He died with
peculiar agony, not merely that of a
physical but a spiritual kind, crying
out, "My God! Ny Cod, why hast
thou forsaken me?" Whoever heard
of God forsaking a martyr to his
truth? And il Jesus were forsaken in
any sense, must it not have been as
substitute for US?
(6) 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
the rocks rent, and the graves were
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 It was a predicted death. A
way back in the Garden of Eden it
was pointed to in the words addressed
to the serpent, 81 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 OF
eight centuries before his birth, say
ing, He was wounded for our trans
egressions, he was bruised for our ini
quities; the chastisement of our peace
|. was upon him; and with his stripes
we are healed" (53, 3D. And Daniel
said he should be cut of, but not fol
himself. GO. 26.)
49, II was . predestined death
since Peter says. "Yet are not re
. deemed with corruptihle things as sil
yer and gold s. 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.
(9l Finally, II was death which
has been commemorated by an obser
!, vance that never carr be hid or ex
planned away, namely, the communion
of the Lords supper. In which Chris
tians eat the bread and drink the win,
in remembrance Of his dying love.
Il This is the reason s.n inspired apos
tie is able to say. whatsoever shall
call upon the name Of the ord. shall
be saved from. Z, 12}