River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-03-13


ton of his death is satisfactory. or
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.
Q) 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.
(2) His death awakened the greatest
interest in Heaven as well as on earth,
since in Peters first epistle, Chapter
4, IL, ne tells us that these things
the angels desire to look into More
over, when Moses and Elijah, brought
Jesus OF the Mount of TRANSPORTATION,
1t was about, ''F1is decease which ne
should accomplish at Jerusalem"
duke TX, 81
(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. The son OF
man, said he, came not to be minis
tered unto, but to minister, and to
give his life a ransom for many"
Matt. Xxx, 28,) In another place, with
application to himself, he says, "Ex-
cept corn of wheat fall into the
ground and die, it abideth alone, but
if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit .
John xii, 24)
"a 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, Il
lay down my life that / might take it
again. No man taketh it from me, but
| lay it down of myself. / have power
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
| (5) At the same time He died with
peculiar agony, not merely that of
nh h11f Lis ~
out, "My God! My Cod, why hast
thou forsaken me?" Whoever heard
of God forsaking a martyr to his
truth? And if Jesus were forsaken in
any sense, must it not have been as
a substitute for us?
| co. There were wonderful phenp-
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.)
way back in the Garden of Eden it
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 ini-
quities: the chastisement of our peace
was upon him; and with his stripes
we are healed" (53, 81 And Daniel
said he should be cut off, but not for
himself %. 26)
(S) II was a predestined death,
since Peter says, yet are not re-
deemed with corruptibIe things as sill
yer and gold . but with the pre-
cious blood of Christ, as of a lamb with
out blemish and without spot; who
verify was foreordained before the
foundation of the world"
co. Finally it6was death which
has been commemorated by an obser-
vance that never can be hid or ex-
planned away, namely, the communion
of the Lords supper, in which Chris.
tians eat the bread and drink the wine
in remembrance of his dying love.
Putting all these things together, is
there anySother reasonable expIana-
ton of the death of Jesus Christ than
that already indicated, and which fs
expressed with such childlike simplici-
ty in Or. Bethpne's noble hmm, begin
ming.
II read Gods Holy Word and find.
Great truths which far transcend my
mind;
And little 90 7 know beside.
or 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 apos-
tie is able to say. whatsoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord, shall
be saved" rom. X, 49,
Habits are soon assumed; but
xrba,.o ma WOULD ,t~ 49,,