October 1928
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
587
4. I nfin ite V alue of A tonement With a low view o f sin there follows as a necessary consequence a low view of the atoning death o f our Lord. If sin be what we are now told it is, what need is there for Calvary with its sorrow or the cross with its suffering, and what inexplicable mysteries Gethsemane and Calvary are. But if sin be what Scripture tells us it is, then Gethsemane» and Calvary, awful and solemn though they be,■are not inexplicable— for without the shedding o f blood there is no remission. The shedding of that blood sealed the bless ings o f the everlasting covenant. That life o f obedience and suffering had a definite purpose, and in laying down His life our Lord not only gave proof of the boundless love o f His heart to those for whom He died, but as their surety He met all claims o f divine justice.' Calvary’s cross, where that blood was shed, on which the great Surety gave His life a ransom for the sins of many, is unspeakably' solemn, but it was from that tree o f shame that the most comforting message to His Church was announced, ere the Redeemer breathed His last— “ It is finished.” It would be well that His followers would meet often here— oftener than perhaps they do— not so much to view the shame, as to ponder over what the shedding of that blood meant for them, and the whole redeemed Church of Christ. • 5. W ork of the H oly S pirit With an open Bible it might appear almost unneces sary to emphasize again and again that the religion of Jesus Christ is supernatural in its origin and in its im plantation in the hearts o f sinners; but the whole trend o f modern religion proclaims the necessity of doing so. “ The natural mail feceiveth not the things o f the Spirit o f God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2 :14 ). Across that barrier no: natural gifts can carry a man. The words make it plain that between' the natural religion o f the best living men and the religion o f the truly regenerate, there is a difference as great as between creation and the greatest that man can do. The Master’s own words guard the door into the kingdom, and chal lenge all those who would seek to enter in to give heed to them: “ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born o f water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” ( Tohn 3 :5 -7 ). , >3 Wk jig Letters of Pontius Pilate A N alleged eye-witness description of Jesus Christ as a fiery and militant agitator against established reli gion and law is given in the translated letters of Pontius Pilate, Roman governor o f Judaea, which are shortly to be published.in the United States-by f. H. ,Sears & Company. The account of the founder o f Christianity, then known as “ The Preacher Jesus,” says in part: ' “ He is a strange man, gaunt and rugged, as though he were burnt up by the fire of his passion. When you see his face and hear him speak, he is full of self-confidence, imperious, often fierce. The crowd was noisy at first and there were interruptions, lie put them down with a few words. He was like a general among the legions and they obeyed like common soldiers. He.spoke always as though he thought no one could contradict him. He began
quietly but then raised his voice and it became harsh and vehement . . . . I have never heard anything so pas sionate and bitter. “ The gatherings that he addresses have been like clay between his hands. In controversy no one can stand against him. He is at daggers-drawn with the priests, the lawyers and the law ., He is terrible in his attacks upon them: most fierce and unsparing. He would overthrow the whole system which the priests have imposed upon the Jewish nation, and the priests will never forgive him for it. A t the first sign that the people are turning against him, the priests will make an end o f him. “ There are signs that they are about to turn .against him now. They have hailed him as the expected deliverer, the new king o f the Jews. He refuses the titles. This afternoon he beat the crowd off almost by force when they acclaimed him. In his own mind he is no king or Mes siah. He has tried to prevent the people from hailing him as the deliverer.” In describing Jesus’ bearing when he sentenced him to death, the Roman dictator says : “ He was bold and resolute, defiant, almost insolent. Standing alone he might be, forsaken and with enemies on every side who meant his death, with his own country men delivering him to the Roman executioner, but he was cool and determined.” . The letters of Pontius Pilate were written to his friend Seneca, in Rome at various intervals during his ten-year governorship of Judaea. They also contain many current references incident to his administration o f the province, such as the building o f the great aqueduct, the introduc- 110,1 o i the Roman amphitheater games, and his efforts to conciliate the'.¿subject population. He believed in allowing a maximum of local self-government within the structure of Roman military control and practiced a policy of non- interference in matters in local customs, tradition and religion. The “ Letters” have been published in London by Jona than Cape. ■A'fc. Is “ Stone Bible” Dependable? Dr. D. M. Panton published the following in the July issue of his magazine, The Dawn: M R. W A YM AN D IXON , M.I.C.E., writing in the Times (May 29, 1928) says: ‘I suppose there is no one living who has such an intimate acquaintance as I have with the interior passages and chambers o f the Great Pyramid, acquired over 50 years ago, when I was resident engineer erecting the Ghizeh Bridge on the main road to the Pyramids, and subsequently while living for some months in a tomb on the Pyramid hill. At that time, accompanied by the late Dr. James Grant, o f Cairo, I spent many days and nights in measuring and drawing down the lengths and particulars of all the entrances-and the first ascending,passage and grand gallery, as!‘well as the King’s and the Queen’s Chambers. These researches were carried out in close correspondence with Professor Piqzzi Smyth, F.R.S., Astronomer Royal for Scotland, who about this-time first promulgated his fanciful theory of a chronological significance in the measures. We could, however, find no trace o f any such significance, nor any prophetic reference. And there is not any point from which they may be presumed to start. Hence the whole chronological theory collapses)^”
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