The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1917-10-19

ferings.
John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, was
one of the most brilliant and licen-
tjouS mobiles of the dissolute court OF
Charles II, but he was laid aside by q
fatal disease.
In the hope of breaking the monot-
ony of the sick room he began the
reading of books, and happened one
day to pick up the Greek translation
of the Old Testament. His eyes fell
on this chapter which he read care
fully several times.
'Where did this man, Isaiah, obtain
a conception as this?" he exclaimed.
Putting aside the question of the real
ity Of the career he describes, how did
he Or how could any human being, I'M
aided by the divine. come to the knoWl-
edge of such a character?
Thus he pondered, and the problem
would not be driven from his mind
until he himself was driven to admit
the divine inspiration of the book and
to accept the Lord Jesus as his Savior.
Bishop Burnet who knew him well, tes-
titles that if ever there were a case
of real repentance on earth that of
John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, was
one.
But the fact which convinced him Is
the same that must convince any man
who will devote to 1t the same cOnStd-
Grafton. AS some one has POLITICALLY
said mortal man could as we'll create
a sunbeam as he could create the con-
ceptiOn of such an one as Christ, with
out the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
III.
This chapter furnishes one of the
clearcSt evidences of the viCariOus ma
ture of ChriSt's sufferingS,-in other
words. that he died in our stead. In
its few verses there are no less than
II asSeveratiOnS of this truth: "11e
bore our griefS;" ''he carried our sor-
sows :" 'he was wounded for our trans
grcSSionS: :" "he was bruised for our
iniquties; 1.-THE chastisement of our
peace was upon him. "by his stripes
are we healed :" "the Lord laid on him
the iniquity of us all :" for the trans
erosion of my people was he strick-
en-"
We read in Roman history of Regu-
luS who had been delivered to the
Carthaginians as a hostage. Suisse
Guently he was sent back TO Rome to
persuade the senate to 4 certain course
under Il pledge tbs: if they would not
comply he would return to Carthage
and yield up his life. The story is that
he himself advised the senate not to
comply with the conditions of the Car
thaginians and then voluntarily re-
turned to Carthage and suffered death
under torture. In fact his sutferings
and death were substituted for the
vengeance the CarthaginianS would
have taken upon Rome itself If they
could have done so. Thus we perceive
that the idea of substitution is not I'M
known to history. Why then should
finite man presume to question the
ways of God in such q case, instead
of Submissively receiving and conf
IDENTIFY repOsing upon the great fact of
the substitution of his only begotten
Son in the place of guilty race?
III.
The language of this chapter is pc
culiar in that though it was COM
posed more than 700 years before
Christ, yet so much of 1t concerning
him is written in the past tense. The
prophet seems to have had a vision of
the retrOSpCctiOn in which his nation
would engage when. after their accept
anCe of Jesus as their Messiah and
Savior in the latter days, they will
consider his earthly history and reflect
upon the part they had taken in his
rejection.
Some of you have read Charles Dick
ems Tale of Two Cities" and recall
Sydney Carton. The man who so hero
fcally surrendered his life to the gull
lotine in order that the life of Charles
Barney might be spared to his wife
and child.
Up until that time the associates OF
sydney Carton had not regarded him
very highly. He was slOvenly in dress
dissolute in habits. aimlesS in life. But
as he stands on the platform before
the ieerng crowd. awaiting the signal
for the AK to fall upon his head, there
draws across his mind a vision of the
sanctuary made for him in the hearts
of Charles and Lucy Barney and he
sees their children and children's chill
dren. making annual pilgrimages to
that spot and their tears as they re-
count the story of his sacrifice.
1t is much like that that Isaiah pic
lures contrite Israel. They are look
ing back upon him whom they pierced.
"Ah." say they. eve hid our faces from
him." We did esteem him stricken,
smittnn of God and afflicted. But he
was wounded For our transgressions.
he was bruised for our iniQuities!"
It is an experience with which every
converted man he he jew or Gentle.
must have some acquaintance. And he
who claims to he washed from his sins
IN the RcdeemcrS blood and yet feels
no blame for his rejection and cruel
liXion has vet to learn the meaning OF
that nHSSa~n which speaks of our
crucifying him afreSh and putting him
to an open shame.
Seeing God Through Nature.
Ill l. 10, ,Y.T,s, II