The log cabin Democrat., 1916-04-15

word Of that great inspired sentence! He It is no mere man of whom this pronoun speaks, but the mighty God, the Fla ther of Eternity, the Pri~e oi Peace," as Isaiah testifies. "Imman uel, which, being interpreted, is God with us,' as Matthew echoes Oh wonder of wonders, that the Eternal God, in the person of his Son, should have become incarnate of the Virgin Mary. It will take us all eternity to grasp the thought.
 Was delivered" Who delivered" him? We think of Judas, who be- tr2yed him, of the Roman soldiers who arrested him, of the Jewish sanhedrin who persecuted him, of Pontius Pi- late who illegally tried him, of the cruel executioners who nailed him to the cross. And yet it was the hand and the counsel of his Father that had before determined 1t should be done, or else these wicked men had had no power. Far back in the counsels of eternity God so loved us as to freely offer his Son on our behalf.
 
 For our offenses." We are born into a state of sin, but that is not all, for the moment we arrive at point of moral consciousness, we ac tually transgress the law of God. Tn many things we offend all,'' as the epistle of James says. There is none righteous, no, not one," we are taught IL this, They resent it, they hate it. But, Oh, what love, that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" The very ones who hate to hear of mans sinfulness, are those who talk about divine love. But who can sound the depths of that love until he ac- cepts the truth of the cross of Cal vary. And it is that truth which this text presents most fully.
 And was raised again" The same one who died was the one who was raised. This truth must not be mini mixed. We must hold with all the tenacfy of faith to the bodily resurrec- tion of our Lord and Savior. We must do this not because our peace de- bends upon it, but because the Bible teaches it, and because history proves it. He showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs. Historic Christianity is a testimony to Christ's resurrection which cannot be accounted for unless he arose from the dead The change of the day of rest and worship from the sev- enth to the first is another proof which meets and challenges the skep- tic 52 times a year.
 For our justification. That word, 'our," how we should love it and praise God for it. Deliver for our of lenses" raised again for our justifica- tion." What kindness to the human race is in that word! How close it brings the heart of God to our hearts. What interest it should awake on our part to learn all we can about it from the Holy Scriptures.
 And Justification" what does that mean? Sometimes when Christians thing of salvation, they get no fur ther than the forgiveness of sin; and indeed that were glorious enough even if it stopped there. But one might be forgiven for the past and still be very wretched for the present and the future. Justification therefore is q bigger word, and stands for a greater thing than simply forgiveness. The Justified man is one who stands in Gods sight free from the guilt. the penalty of all sin, past, present and to come! The reason of this is that his penalty has been paid, not by him. self, but by another, whose resurrec- tion from the dead Is the proof of it. That event is Gods testimony. to his acceptance of the atoning sacrifice of his Son.
 This is what the song calls Tho Old, Old Story" Those who know it best seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest" and no apol. ogy need be made to them for repeat ing it, especially at this season of the year.
 There are others, however, who have heard it and whose hearts are hardened against 1t. One pities them because they have cut away their only hope.
 Let me lovingly urge them to yield. to step over the line today, to make this the acceptable time for their salvation. Oh, that the resurrec. / tion of the year might witness the ' a%akening of faith, and hope. and life within them through receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lordi