THE KING’S BUSINESS
515'
(3) God judged Him, found Him guilty, put Him to death. (4) Crucifying Him did not make Him a criminal, nor mocking make Him a malefactor, but by pouring out His blood, He purged our sin. (5) Piled upon the Prince of Life were the sins of the world.
( 6 ) He sacrificed Himself in order to save others. , (7) When her Maker died, Nature wore her mourning garments. ( 8 ) See Him on the cross and say “He died for me.” (9) “Truly, this Man was the Son of God.”
PERTINENT ILLUSTRATIONS
By W . H. Pike.
^ P H E cross of Calvary is unquestionably the greatest demonstration of love that the world has ever seen or will ever see. The Cross the Source of Love —It was father’s birthday. The little daughter entered and threw her arms around her father’s neck and kissed him, saying, “Many returns of the day papa.” Then she gave him her present. Next the son came in h is' boyish way shouting, “Good morning pa, many happy returns.” He presented his gift and received his kiss. Then came the little three year old climbed into her father’s lap and said, “Me love ’ou too, papa,” and kissed him. Happy children thus to love their father and thrice happy father to have such children. Did they think of their love for their father or his love for- them ? Surely it was the father’s love that drew out their love. So it is not our love but God’s love in Christ that makes us love Him. “We love Him because He first loved us.” Sam Jones said: I have sometimes in my life, in better, sweeter moments, said, “Where, O where is the storehouse of God’s music?”* All nature responds in harmonious tones, “We know not where.” Then I said, “Where is the storehouse of God’s colors,; from which every flower gets its tint and every rainbow its color?” But there is a greater mystery. “Where is the storehouse of God’s love, from which every mother gets her love for her child, and every wife her love for her husband ?” - The answer comes back “It is the great heart of God itself beating against every heart in the world.”
The Cross the Only Hope of Redemption. —“In Scotland, years ago, a certain chain bridge was famous for its massive strength. A French engineer came over and took its dimensions, and in due time built a similar structure on the Seine at Marly. It was much lighter than its; pro totype. When its gates were onened to the people, it began to sway to and fro omi nously beneath their feet, and presently it gave way. The trouble was that the archi tect had omitted the middle bolt. The middle bolt of the whole Gospel fabric is the cross of Christ, God’s plan for the deliverance of the race from sin. You can run Mohammedanism without Christ, Mormonism without John Smith, Confucianism without Confucius, but you cannot run Christianity without Christ. Napoleon .said,- “Alexander, Charlemagne and myself founded our kingdoms on force, and they have crumbled under our feet, but Jesus Christ founded His kingdom on love, and today millions of men would die for Him.” On Broadway, a male quartet was pick ing up drunks and getting them to their homes, one bitter cold New Year’s eve. These young men worked nearly all night, singing in the resorts and helping the sin-cursed to shelter and safety. Above this scene of sin and wretchedness, against the dark sky, could be seen through the drifting snow an electric cross. Its rays of light penetrated the darkness all about us. What a picture of the Cross of Calvary, that shines into this world, giving the only ray of hope to its sin-cursed creatures.
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