reets of the world, and is hanging exposed to contempt and
ill-treatment; and it is possible to admire the Christ of the Bible and
yet be persecuting and opposing the Christ of our own century. The
Christ of to-day signifies the truth, the cause, the principles of
Christ, and the men and women in whom these are embodied. We are
either helping or hindering those movements on which Christ has set His
heart; often, without being aware of it, men choose their sides and
plan and speak and act either for or against Christ. This is the
Passion of our own day, the Golgotha of our own city.

But it comes nearer than this. The living Christ Himself is still in
the world: He comes to every door; His Spirit strives with every soul.
And He still meets with these three kinds of treatment--apathy,
antipathy, sympathy. As a magnet, passing over a heap of objects,
causes those to move and spring out of the heap which are akin to
itself, so redeeming love, as revealed in Christ, passing over the
surface of mankind century after century, has the power so to move
human hearts to the very depths that, kindling with admiration and
desire, they spring up and attach themselves to Him. This response may
be called faith, or love, or spirituality, or what you please; but it
is the very test and touchstone of eternity, for it is separating men
and women from the mass and making them one for ever with the life and
the love of God.

[1] Keim strangely surmises that there was no great crowd; but this is
impossible.

[2] As, however, the Jews would have objected to this, Edersheim
argues--but not convincingly--that there must have been at least a
slight covering.

[3] Sueskind, _Passionsschule_, _in loc_.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE FIRST WORD FROM THE CROSS[1]

In the last chapter we saw the impressions made by the crucifixion on
the different groups round the cross. On the soldiers, who did the
deed, it made no impression at all; they were absolutely blind to the
wonder and glory of the scene in which they were taking part. On the
members of the Sanhedrim, and the others who thought with them, it had
an extraordinary effect: the perfect revelation of goodness and
spiritual beauty threw them into convulsions of angry opposition. Even
the group of the friends of Jesus, standing afar off, saw only a very
little way into the meaning of what was taking place before their eyes:
the victory of their Master over sin, death and the world a