this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews." "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above." But no; Jesus could not save himself, because he came to save others. As sin held sway on the earth and the law of God that "the soul that sinneth it shall die," must be maintained, the one who could save from the penalty of sin must necessarily undergo its punishment. Jesus lived a sinless life on earth to prove the power of man to obey God. He suffered and died that the requirements of divine law might be met and atonement made for the sinner. He rose from the dead, and thus proved his ability to fulfill every promise of salvation and eternal life which he had made to men dead in trespasses and in sin.

No

"He saved others; himself he cannot save." truer words were ever spoken. In obedience to the great law of this world Jesus must die. He could not overthrow sin and the grave except he himself grappled with sin's fell agent and man's dread enemy-death. Two men are traveling along a Judean highway. Their faces are sad as they earnestly engage in conversation. A stranger joins them and asks, "What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another as ye walk, and are sad?" Surprised at the question, they relate the strange circumstances accompanying the recent death of Jesus of Nazareth. The stranger replies to their expressions of deep and hopeless sorrow: "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things?" Afterward Jesus said to his disciples, "Thus it is written, and thus it behooved the 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 among all nations." Therefore, though Jesus saved

others, himself he could not save. Not only according to natural law, but also according to the great plan of salvation, obedient to a similar spiritual law, life comes through death. As Jesus impressively said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall to the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

In an old mummy pit in Egypt there was once found a sealed vase. It was sent to the British Museum, and by accident the librarian broke it. What was within that ancient vase? Only a few grains of wheat and two or three peas, all dried and withered and as hard as stone. In this vase these wrinkled seeds had slept for more than three thousand years. A servant of Joseph may have sowed the wheat from which those seeds came. It may be that Moses saw the parent vine. Kings have lived and died. Empires have risen and tottered to their fall. Generations of men have passed into oblivion. Yet here are these seeds. But this is not all. When those old, shriveled seeds were planted under glass beneath the warm sun they burst into life. They sprouted and put forth leaves, and the vines crawled and climbed as if they had not slept for ages. But look! Life came to those seeds through their death. Before there could be a new life they must die and decay. Mere preservation in the air-tight vase brought no fruit. All the elements of life were there, but there was no power, no growth. "Except a corn of wheat fall to the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." So Jesus, in whom was

life, died that he might give life. From eternity all the elements of life lay in him, but they remained hermetically sealed to the human race until that time when "God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons." For "as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name; which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

In this materialistic and skeptical age, when reason is deified and scientific proofs are demanded, it is well for us to observe the fact that the same principle underlying nature underlies the atonement of Christ. No doubt the preaching of the cross is to many a stumblingblock, and to others, wise in the wisdom of the world, it is foolishness, but this does not make salvation through the death of Christ unreasonable. If the gospel demands faith it does not discard reason. When I preach Christ dying that the sinner may live, I do not proclaim a doctrine which has no foundation nor parallel in the natural world. This principle of life in death and death in life meets you and me at every turn. We see it graven in the earth, painted on our forests in autumnal tints, woven into man's business and social relations. Why should it not be also in his religion? "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things?" Should not the ministry and church of Christ, then, unflinchingly maintain the glorious truth, "He loved me, and gave himself for me?" Yes, verily; but not chiefly because it is reasonable, but because it is the word of God.

As therefore we stand on Calvary watching the agonies of him there crucified, as we hear the chief priests and doctors of the law sneeringly cry, "He saved others; himself he cannot save," let us with lov

"God so

ing confidence rejoice in the words of Jesus: loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

Others he saved, himself he could not save

So scoffed the priests, and upwards rolled the wave
Of blasphemy against the dying Lord,

Until it broke upon the throne of God.

'Others he saved, himself he did not save

So sighed the mourners 'round the Savior's grave;
Their grief embittered by the mystery

Why he, who Lazarus raised, himself need die.

'Others to save, himself he would not save'-
There rests the truth; his life for us he gave.
Oh, ruined heart, thy Savior had to choose,
If he should die, or thou salvation lose."

THIS SAME JESUS.

BY REV. PERRY V. JENNESS,'

*

Assistant Pastor First Presbyterian Church, Detroit.

Text: "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:11.

The little group of faithful ones stand on Olivet's summit looking at the cloud that has received the Master out of their sight. He has gone. The risen, glorified Jesus has left his bride-the church-and now, bewildered by the suddenness of his departure, they gaze upward toward heaven, scarce knowing what to expect. Not long are they kept waiting, for behold, two angelic messengers appear beside them with the announcement "that this same Jesus will come again," and in the calm assurance of that promise they return to the upper room at Jerusalem. "This same Jesus," "This same Jesus." What did it mean to them? What

does it mean to us to-day?

* Perry V. Jenness was born at Maysville, Ind., April 21, 1866. Educated in the public schools of Akron, Ohio, one year at Buchtel College, and one year in a business college at Oswego, N. Y. Entered Y. M. C. A. work at Lansing, Mich., 1886, holding the position of general secretary there, and afterwards at Leavenworth, Kas., and Kansas City, Mo. Spent one year in evangelistic work, and in 1892 was examined and ordained by the Lansing Presbytery. Pastor at Flushing, 1892-95; of Memorial Church, Bay City, 1895-98; ass't pastor First Presbyterian Church, Detroit, 1898-.