GOOD FRIDAY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 658, 8 April 1914, Page 6

GOOD FRIDAY.

"Then Jesus came forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, 'Behold the man!' ".—St. John xix., 5.

How simple, and yet how perfect, ' is this picture! A few short words, and yet we can see it all. Let us stop and gaze upon it; for it is not a picture to be lightly passed by. See, He come forth from the judgmenthall, "wearing the crown of thorns, and the porple robe." And who is this that comes forth? It is the "man of sorrows and acquainted witfc gri6f"; it is Jesus of Nazareth, the "despised and rejected of men" and yet, of wonderful love, it is our Saviour, our King, our God. There He stands, and we can see the bleeding brow, and the Bmitteu face, and the mangling of the cruel scourge; we can see the look of patient suffering, of holy meekness, of tender love. And Pilate points Him out to us, and says, "Behold the man." And can we turn away from such a picture? Does it not touch and melt our hearts? Do we not hear His pleading voice as He stands there in His crown and robe of mockery, crying to us and saying, "Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto My sorrow?" Or pass on a few hours, and look upon another picture. It is a still more wonderful and touching one. Pass on from the judgment-hall to Calvary. Go, and stand ifar off, in loving awe and lowly reference, and behold that awful sight. See there that dim Cross standing up against the darkened midday sky. Trace the suffering Form that hangs upon it. Mark the drops of blood falling fast from the piercinig thorns upon His sacred head, and raining down from the curel nails in His holy hand and feet. Once again, "Behold the man." And know that He you look upon is none other than yonr God, giving His most precious Body, shedding His most precious Blood, to save you from the wrath to come. Oh! "is it nothing to you, ail, ye that pass by?" Such are the pictures Good Friday sets before our eyes. It ia a day to be much observed amongst us, —a day to fill our whole heart and minds with thoughts of the Ciosb of Christ. It ia a solsmn, mournful, day; a day of fapting and prayer; a day for much secret thought and self-exam-ination, and repentance. Let us try to think of Jesus Himself watching our hearts to see how the great things of this day touch them, and what will be their fruit in us. Alas! how many go upon their way—of business or pleasure, it matters not which —and never turn aside even for a moment to gaze where their Saviour Himself hangß bleeding for them. They hurry on: it ia nothing to them: atid they pass by. But is it really nothing to them? They may think it so, and feel it so, but it cannot really be so. It must make a difference to them, for good or for ill, -whether they will or no. They tannot despise their Lord, and refuse to heed Him, and "pass by," and be none the worse for it. If they will not know Him as their living ana crucified Saviour, they shall know Him, one day, as their wrathful and terrible Judge.

But many stop to eaze. There are many eyes that turn to look on the wondrous scene. But not all alike: not all in the spirit of faith and love, great many look because it is the custom to look. They go to church, and listen to the story of their Saviour's death, because it ia the right thine to do. But though that solemn story falls on the ear does it always go down deeper? Does it always get to the heart? Is it never heard with listlesu weariness, with wide unconcern? Let us each make sure, at least, about ourselves. How have we heard tfie Btory? How have we looked upon the great Good Friday pictures? Have we really taken our part in the great scene? If we have been standing by the Cross of Jesus at all, haß our place been with the careless, godless, Roman soldiers, who, though so near the Cross, knew nothing of ita power and its love; or with the holy women, who "stood afar off," gazing with full hearts on that sight, from which the very sun in heaven hid his face? Has it all been a real living thing to our hearts? Has it led them, so that there was no room for vain and idle (and much less for sinful) thoughts this day? Have we really felt, and mourned, and loved? Remember, there may be much inward coldness under much outward observance. The great question is, Do we love the Lord or no? If we do love him, we cannot pass by all His sorrows, and His sufferings for us, with hearts cold and unconcerned. God grant that this day may not be without its fruit in us, but that we may so learn its holy lessons that "Christ may dwell in our hears by faith; that k we, being rooted and ground in love, may be able to comprehend, with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ which pas eth knowledge, that we may be filled with all the fullness of God." Amen.