necessary that he should die. "Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name." "The wages of sin is death," and man had sinned. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins." Man could not save himself. If salvation was to be secured, God himself must secure it. "When there was no eye to pity and no arm to save, God pitied and his arm brought salvation." "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Christ so loved the world as to die for it. The punishment which men could not bear he bore for them. "He was crucified for our offenses." He himself bore our sins in his own body upon the tree. "We are justified by his blood." "By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Christ gave "himself a ransom for us all." "He became sin for us who knew no sin." "He redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." "He is the end of the law for righteousness for every one that believeth." The only ex planation of Christ's death which meets the language of Scripture and the necessities of men is that he died as the sinner's substitute. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. "All we like sheep have gone astray, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Calvary was the manifestation of divine love. It is an object lesson for all time. It moves the hearts of men and influences them for good; but all this avails nothing if there be no sacrifice for sin and no way of approach to God. "If Christ be not risen, your faith is vain. Ye are yet in your sins." So if Christ did not die for our sins, "the just for the unjust," we are still in our sins. If he did not bear their penalty, we must bear it. The only hope of humanity is in the truth that he did bear it, and that whosoever believeth in him is free. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." As "Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness," so every man who by faith accepts the righteousness of Christ is counted righteous. The purpose of Christ's death was that men might be reconciled to God, and made fit for his presence. "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." Christ's part in the salvation of men has been done. He has made it possible for God to be just and yet justify sinners. This "justification is an act of God's free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, and received by faith alone." This receiving by faith is our part, and it is just as necessary to salvation as that which Christ has done. He has secured terms of reconciliation; we must accept them. He has opened a way of salvation; we must walk in it. Salvation is offered to all men. It is promised to those only who believe. The atonement is sufficient for the sins of the world. It is efficient only for those who lay hold on the hope set before them. Those who do not believe or who neglect divine mercy are in the way of death. "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" The crucifixion of Christ is the central fact of history. We count dates before and after his birth because his birth was the beginning of the chapter which ended with his death. From the Fall men looked forward, as we look back, to the fullness of time. God manifest in the flesh bearing the penalty of his own law is the mystery of the ages. Angels wonder at it. We rejoice in it. With the inspired apostle we "joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the atonement." Joy moreover begets love. "We love him because he first loved us and because he is altogether lovely." "His love constraineth us." As he has died for us, we will die to sin and live to him. "Let the same mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." As he came to seek and save the lost, we will above all else seek to make known and persuade men to accept his salvation. THE RISEN SAVIOR, Faith in the resurrection is the test of a rising or falling church. Christ, when asked for a sign proving his authority, referred to his rising from the dead. During his ministry he taught his disciples the details of his betrayal, death and resurrection, saying of himself, "And the third day he shall rise again.' made Such prophetic announcements their impression upon the disciples. The Cext day after the crucifixion even "the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again." The enemies of the Savior feared nothing so much as his resurrection; for, said they, in case he should rise, "the last error shall be worse than the first." By the order of the Roman Governor, who unconsciously served the truth, saying, "Make it as sure as ye can," a guard was set and the stone sealed. These and other details of the great |