WERE it not for the fact that many sincere I men use scriptural terminology carelessly, and others, alas, deceitfully, we could present this vital subject without reference to theories that hold no saving content.

We must not forget that sacerdotalism, by its repeated offerings in the celebration of the Eucharist, denies the saving efficacy of the sacrifice made on Calvary "once for all"; that by adding the plus of good works to God's gracious provision for lost men, (legalists negative Gods purposes; that the Modernist perverts the clear testimony of the Scriptures by affirming that Christ's death was exemplary, and not essentially vicarious; and that the sentimentalist emasculates the Word of the Cross by reposing confidence in emotions produced by the story of physical sufferings rather than upon God's plain words about the blood.

SATAN, we believe, would halt us on the threshold of reverent enquiry with mock horror that anyone (should dare intrude into the holy mysteries of His passion. Before the days of anesthetics, a veteran of Napoleon's Guards said to the surgeon who probed close to his heart for the leaden missile, "If you probe a, little deeper doctor, you'll find Napoleon." We believe that God invites us to enter the holy of holies of our Lord's dread agony. There alone has God revealed Himself as the Saviour of sin stricken souls. In giving: the wonderful type of the mercy seat, God said:

"Toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel" (Ex. 25:20-22).

We shall not let any enemy of the Cross, by mock sanctity, hinder our reverent approaches.

History makes plain the fact that the recital of the unvarnished story of our Lord's betrayal unto death, if told without the divine illumination of its meaning found in the Scriptures, has produced various reactions: Moved by the vivid presentation of the attendant indignities, men, seeing blood flow from thorn-crowned brow and nail-pierced hands and feet, have been stirred to Jew-baiting and murderous hatred of the "Christ killers." The story of the blood of Jesus shed by wicked hands cannot save! The tragedy of the ages should excite' just indignation and genuine pity, but these emotions cannot change a tragedy into a remedy. We are not saved by a tragedy but by a sacrifice. There are crosses on many Christian benevolent institutions, but none on any Jewish. The cross professes that the ministries tendered beneath its shadow are inspired by the death of its precious burden; but if these ministries are performed under the impulse of a theory that Jesus gave Himself unto death as an example — a leader in self-denying service — which if followed will win salvation, then the halo of "deeds of mercy" is changed into the dollar mark of "deeds of merit." The blood of Jesus, if thus given, could give new impulse and intensify zeal, but it could not change motive. Attach the thought of saving merit to any act and the Cross is immediately robbed of its glory. If salvation is won by works, I would rather trust the humanitarian kindnesses of the unbeliever than those wrought through perverted views concerning the purpose of God in suffering Christ to suffer the agonies of Golgotha.

OUR Lord declared that He came to give His life "A ransom," for many. He and His auditors well knew the meaning of the word used, Under the law the first-born child and the first-born of every unclean animal must be ransomed by silver. But it was further demanded that:

"Every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem" (Ex. 13:13).

The firstborn ass and the firstborn child must be redeemed. Strange combination you say? No, "in in did my mother conceive me." A clean animal death bought off an unclean animal from death! Blessed prophetic type of how a Holy One should, by His death, deliver unclean children of men from eternal death.

The plague, a visitation of divine wrath, "was visited upon Israel when David displeased God "by numbering the people. But David pleased God and stayed His wrath when he obeyed Him by offering sacrifices upon the altar hi burnt offering:

"And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offering, and called upon the Lord; and He answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt-offering. And the Lord commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof" (I Chron. 12:26-27).

The blood of the offerings was the price of their deliverance from wrath. The blood of the Passover Lamb must also be shed for the deliverance of the death-doomed first-born in Egypt. Jesus knew how the Old Testament types bore testimony, to Him when He said He would give His life "a ransom" for many . . . . .

All the apostles agree with the testimony of Jesus. Peter says:

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things. . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb Without blemish and without spot" (I Pet. 1:18-19).

The apostle Paul declares:

"Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him" (Rom. 5:9).

We could multiply passages, but we cannot make it any plainer. We are saved from wrath by the blood of Jesus.

WE BELIEVE the Scriptures teach the the blood of Jesus saves by its absolute and unsullied purity.

". . . a lamb without blemish and without spot" (I Pet. 1:19).

"For He hath made Him, Who knew no sin. to be sin for us" (II Cor. 5:21).

"But was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15).

Our Lord could success! fully challenge criticism with

"Which of you convinceth Me of sin?" (Jno. 8:46).

His is indeed, "precious blood!" Under the law the priest had to examine carefully each beast offered for sacrifice, to| ascertain if there were any blemish or physical defect. Our Lord was diligently searched by Satan in His wilderness temptation, and, I believe, again in Gethsemane, but hell found "nothing in Me." With in the immediate shadow of the Cross the Father again bore witness, to the glorious worth of His beloved Son (John 12 27-33). We gladly acclaim, "Worthy is the Lamb!"

Again, the blood of Jesus saves by its voluntary surrender.

". . . Who loved me, and.gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

"Who gave Himself for our sins. . ." (Gal. 1;4).

"Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself, i I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father" (John 10:17-18).

When a friend expressed sympathy with a French soldier who had lost his arms in battle, the, soldier replied, "I did not lose them; I gave them." In a much fuller sense our Lord gave Himself for man's salvation. In sight of Calvary He exclaimed, "For this cause (to give His life) came I unto this hour." When Jesus turned His back upon Nazareth, the Cross was His destination. Yea, before the foundation of the ages, He had chosen to become "the Lamb of God which beareth away the sin of the world."

The blood of Jesus saves by its gracious substitution.

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent. His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (I John 4:10).

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in.Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" • (John 3:16).

"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).

"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift" (II Cor. 9:15).

It was wondrous love which prompted the gracious gift. God loved sinners enough to give His well-beloved Son! We are dumb with trembling astonishment! It is truly an inexpressible gift!

"Bearing shame and scoffings rude.
     In my place condemned He. stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood
     Hallelujah! What a Saviour!"

The blood of Jesus saves by its unfathomable suffering. Who can measure the depth of awful isolation in the agonizing cry:

"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46).

Peter said:

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit" (I Pet. 3:18).

Moses, in loving anguish of soul over others' sins cried, "Blot me out of the book of life!" David, in deep sorrow at Absalom's death, uttered the lamentable wail, "Would God I had died instead of thee." But no suffering for others' sins approximates what our Lord endured when He "suffered for sins, the just for the unjust." The anguish of that dreadful hour literally broke His heart.

"The wrath of God which was our due
     Upon the Lamb was laid.
And by the shedding of His blood,
     The debt for us was paid."

Dr. Dale of Birmingham, England, wrote, "It is from divine condemnation and the divine wrath that men need to be delivered. . . From this just condemnation, from this righteous wrath, there is redemption in Christ; and His blood — not. His personal holiness merely — has been placed by God before the eyes and heart of all mankind as a propitiatory sacrifice. Sacrifices are not offered to men, but to God, and the direct intention of this sacrifice is to avert that supreme peril which according to the preceding argument menaces the race. The death of Christ is represented — not as the method by which God touches the human heart — but as the ground on which God cancels human guilt, and delivers the guilty from the wrath which threatened them."

The blood of Jesus saves by its glorious triumph. "It is finished," swiftly followed, "Why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

"And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up, the ghost" (Mark 15:37).

"And when the centurion, which stood over against Him, saw that Fie so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said. Truly this man was the Son of God" (Mark 15:39).

". . . By His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Heb. 9:12).

It was the shout of a conqueror. Who through death, had triumphed over "him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." "Had not death by death borne to death the death of death, the gate of eternal life would have been closed." When David slew Goliath, the lord of the Philistines, with his own sword could not he have led in the exultant shout of victory? The veil of the temple spoke of hindrances to access into God's presence. But no matter what had hindered, every foe now vanquished, every debt of righteousness is paid. Immediately following the shout of victory the veil was rent in twain, "a new and living way" is consecrated for us. "Whosoever will may now come."

"Lifted up was He to die,
     "It is finished," was His cry.
Now in heaven exalted high
     Hallelujah I What a Saviour!"

The blood of Jesus saves by its being gratefully appropriated. The blood of the Passover did not benefit any until it was sprinkled upon the lintel and door post. We plead with any unsaved reader gratefully and penitently to ^, appropriate what God has graciously provided for his salvation. Faith can trustfully affirrn:

"My faith looks hack to see
     The burden Thou didst bear,
Whilst hanging on the accursed tree,
     And knows its guilt was there."