The Ordway new era., 1915-02-19

-. moEAib, OI tne
most generous
-==- disposition even
to the sacrifice OF himself for his
friends. But when claims are made be-
yond such manifestations. there are
hesitation, denial. and. ultimately,
either in thought or word. malice. He
is despised and rejected Of men.
The Deity Of Jesus Christ.
The incarnation is denied-God did
not become flesh. the person who
stands before men is not God, only
man. very superior indeed, but
nothing more than Q man. When the
proposition is made that he was not
Of human fatherhood. many who claim
to be his friends. and even professed
believers In his deity, at once object
on the ground that this initiates
against his perfect humanity.
In these things 1t must be remem-
bered that II the claims that are made
for the beautiful character of Jesus
be allowed. we are forced to accept
something beyond his mere humanity.
for he said: Il and my father are
one." and "He that hath seen me, hath
seen the father" These statements
are made in such connection that 1t is
impossible to make them mean less
than that Jesus Christ claimed to be
God. II any record Of Jesus Christ
which enables men to speak of his
beautiful character is to be believed.
the record must be believed that he
was born Of the virgin, and that the
holy thing that was born was Of the
Holy Ghost-otherwise the integrity
Of the biblical record ~ to the per-
sonality Of Jesus Christ is properly
challenged.
The Death Of Jesus Christ.
Men said as Jesus hung on the
cross, Let him now come down from
the cross. and we will believe him"
That is simply another evidence OF
the offense Of the Cross. Many who
study Jesus In the light of his death
say that he entirely misunderstood his
mission. that he became the victim
of his folly and suffered premature
and unnecessary death. and in so do
ing deprived mankind of three score
or more years Of a perfect life which
might have regenerated the race.
The offense of the cross has not eased
to this day, and when Jesus, in mis-
willing and purposed death. suffered
on Calvary, he invited the malice and
hatred Of all subsequent ages. The
rash VOW Of the Jews: His blood be
upon us and our children" has kept
that race in hatred of that cross, and
all likewise who do not love that
cross are in league with the Jews in
their opposition to the Messiah. What
has been the testimony Of history us
to the relative effect Of the life or
death of Jesus Christ? Secular his
tory. even, proves to us that where
men have accepted the salvation that
was secured through the cross. they
have risen to the highest morality, aad
to the highest social culture of the
best sort. 1t was not the life OF
Christ that struck at the root diff
Guilty. but the death. Except corn
OF wheat fall into the ground and die,
1t abideth alone. but II It die. 1t bring
eth forth much fruit"
Jesus said to PLATE: II am a king"
He came to establish q kingdom, of
which himself should be the head.
and the worlds history would have
been entirely different from what it
has been IL he had been accepted by
the Jews at Jerusalem as their king
when he made his triumphal entry.
But there is something in the king
snip or Jesus that seems at once to
arouse antagonIsm, not simply among
his enemies, but his professed friends.
During his earthly life he was SEN
sitive to his kingship, and at one time
said that he could command twelve le-
gions of angels and they would come
to HIM.
The cry of the citizens in the par
able OF the nobleman: I've will not
have this man to reign over u.s." can
be applied to the man of this day. Our
view of Jesus as king cannot be COM
piete until he rules as King of Kings
and Lord Of Lords. That manifesto
ton must be at his second coming,
when he shall execute Judgment on
pis enemies. This kingly coming is
maligned and hated,
out 1t will be realized as certainly as
ne incarnation and the death on
the cross. The deity. the sacrifice. the
atonement. and the kingship OF Jesus
Christ always have and always were
received by the worlds hate.