The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1913-03-14

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 10 and following it. About the
same proportion is seen in Johns
gospel. 10 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 well as on earth
since in Peters first epistle. Chapter
l. u. 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
it was about, His decease which he
should accomplish at Jerusalem"
Nuke tx. 81
(3) II 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 10 die The son OF
man, said he, came not TO be minis.
tered unto, but TO minister and 10
give his life a ransom for many"
Matt. Xxx. 2S) In another place, with
application TO himself, he says. "Ex-
cept a corn OF wheat fall into the
ground and die. il abideth alone. but
If it die, it bringeth forth much fruit"
John xii, 24)
t4) His death was voluntary. In
John VII, so, 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 might take IL
again. No man taketh il from me. but
| lay il down Of myself. | have power
To lay it down. and | have power TO
take II again" John X. Il, 49, Fur.
thermore. il 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 spiritual kind. crying
out. "My God! My Cod. why hast
thou forsaken me?" Whoever heard
OF God forsaking a martyr 10 his
truth? And if Jesus were forsaken in
any sense. must it not have been as
a substitute for US?
90 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 20 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. 53D
90 II was a predicted death. A
way back in the Garden OF Eden II
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: 1t 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" (j3 s. And Daniel
said he should be cut OF. but not for
himself %. 26J
(sD II was predestlnec death.
since Peter says. Yet are not re-
deemed with corruptib!e things as sill
yer and gold but with the pre-
cious blood OF Christ az OF lamb with.
out blemish and without spot; who
verify was foreordained before the
foundation OF the world"
(9) Finally, u was a death which
has been eommemorated by an obser.
vance that never can be hid or es.
planned away. namely, the communion
OF the Lords supper. in which Chris
tians eat the bread and drink the wine
in remembrance Of mis- dying love.
This is the reason an inspired apos-
tie is able 10 say. "Whosoever shall