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Tiffin, 0., May 14, 1905—Pastor C. T. Russell spoke

twice here today to large and attentive audiences. His

evening discourse, which we report, was from the text,

“He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows

and acquainted with grief.”-Isa. 53:3

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Goodness and sorrow do not naturally associate

themselves in our minds. Neither does the statement,

“He who sins shall suffer,” commend itself to us. We

cannot suppose that our great Creator and the holy an-

gels of the heavenly hosts are sad, sorrowful, grief-

stricken: on the contrary, we naturally and properly as-

sociate with the heavenly purity the thought that there’s

no night there, no clouds, no shadows, no pain, no

sorrow, no crying, no dying; and yet, the same Scriptures

which assure us that our Lord Jesus was holy, harmless,

undefiled, separate from sinners, picture him to us as

having been a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

Why is this? Why were our Lord’s experiences so

different from what we should have expected from one

who was perfect?

The Scriptures clearly set forth that sin is the cause of all our

sorrows, our troubles. Hearken to the Apostle: “By one man’s

disobedience sin entered into the world and death as the result

of sin, and thus death passed upon all men for all are sinners.”

Rom. 5:12. Our sorrows, then, are parts of the penalty for sin,

evidences of the death sentence working in us as transgressors

of the divine law. True, this sentence came not directly upon

us but upon our first parents; yet having inherited from them

all that they could give us we find that inheritance an

imperfect or cursed condition. “We are born in sin, shapen in

iniquity.” “There is none righteous; no, not one.” Thus we

readily account for our sorrows, our pains, our troubles—in

that we are sinners. Our question, however, is, How and why

was our Redeemer a man of sorrows and acquainted with

grief, since he was not a sinner, since he was not the inheritor

of the weaknesses and imperfections common to the human

family, but had his life directly from the Father, transferred

from the heavenly condition?

WHAT AND WHY HE ENDURED

A little reflection proves to us that our Redeemer, who

knew no sin, and whose previous association had been

with the Father and the holy ones in heaven, transplanted

from the heavenly to the earthly condition, from the

heavenly surroundings to the sinful surroundings of

fallen humanity, would realize the gloom and blight of

sin and death far more than any of Adam’s race, than

any of those with whom he mingled. They had been born

amidst the gloom of sin, the weakness and depravity

resulting therefrom and the sorrow and dying connected

therewith. Never having known other conditions they

had become considerably inured to those surroundings,

even as mankind are today. For, notwithstanding the

Apostle’s declaration that “the whole creation groaneth

and travaileth in pain together,” there are many of our

race who do not sufficiently realize their condition to

groan for themselves. Blunted physically, morally and

mentally, stunted and stupefied, they are unable to

comprehend the depth of their miserably fallen

condition, and to some extent their ignorance and stupor

is blissful to them. On the contrary, we must see that it

would have been impossible for our Lord Jesus to have

been anything else than a man of sorrows and acquainted

with grief, considering how his heart was noble, pure,

true and loving, and that he was suddenly immersed into

so uncongenial surroundings.

Take an illustration from our own experience. Let one

who had been reared under conditions socially and

physically favorable, with refined sentiments and es-

thetic tastes, visit heathen lands and witness their deg-

radation or visit the slums of his own land and come in

contact with the degraded, depraved, “submerged,” and

his feeling will be that of extreme revulsion, the sights

and sounds and odors will nauseate him in every sense

of the word, and, in proportion as his heart is tender and

full of sympathy with others, he will feel sorrow and

grief for the unfortunates —  more than they feel for

themselves. Accustomed to such surroundings

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they have gradually become inured to them and have

even learned to take a certain measure of pleasure in the

sights and sounds which so grate upon and grieve the

more refined. From this standpoint we may well see that

it is no wonder that our Lord, although previously

accustomed to fulness of joy, when transplanted to hu-

man conditions was pre-eminently the man of sorrows

and more acquainted with grief than others.

OUR GRIEFS, OUR SORROWS

The context corroborates this thought, saying, “Surely he

hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” It was

our condition which moved our dear Redeemer to

sorrow and grief in sympathetic compassion; it was our

helpless and pitiable condition as condemned sinners

that induced his tears, for “Jesus wept.” Not a word

throughout the Scriptures to the effect that Jesus

laughed—the surroundings as viewed from his

standpoint were too serious. A race was under sentence

of death, and mentally, morally, and physically diseases

were preying upon it and bringing it down to the tomb.

The picture is enough to excite the sympathy of all—a

race created in the image and likeness of God, in

harmony with his beneficent arrangements for its peace

and prosperity and everlasting life, had fallen to the

wretched condition which surrounded the Savior; and

although the Jewish nation had possessed much

advantage every way in that God’s favor was manifested

toward it through the Law, through the testimony of the

prophets, etc., so that it was on a higher moral plane than

the remainder of mankind, nevertheless even amongst

those with whom the Master associated it must have

seemed terrible to him that, instead of love and pity and

sympathy and brotherly kindness and gentleness and

patience and all the graces of the Spirit to which he was

accustomed, he should find the very reverse spirit

prominent amongst men— the spirit of selfishness,

hatred, anger, malice, strife, idolatry of name and fame

and wealth, an almost utter blindness to that love and

loyalty to God which should fill their whole hearts and

to the Golden Rule which should guide their conduct one

toward another. No wonder our Redeemer was a man of

sorrows and acquainted with grief—sorrow for us, grief

for our conditions.

“THE JUST FOR THE UNJUST”

But to have merely sorrowed for us and had grief for our

deplorable condition would have advantaged us little:

something more was necessary, and that our Lord did for us.

There was a penalty against Adam, in which all of his

posterity shared by inheritance. His was a death sentence (not

an eternal torment sentence). It reads, “Ye shall surely die”—

”Return to the dust from whence thou wast taken”—”The soul

that sinneth, it shall die;” and because all souls had proceeded

from Father Adam’s loins, every soul of man was under this

sentence because imperfect, unable to commend himself to

God. The thing necessary first was more than sorrow and grief

and sympathy, and this necessary thing our Lord did for us as

a race. He died as the Apostle declares, “Christ died for our

sins according to the Scriptures,” and again, “He died the Just

for the unjust that he might bring us to God.” This was indeed

sorrow and grief and sympathy taking on a most practical

form, paying the ransom price for the sins of the whole world.

We have no sympathy with those who claim to be wiser

than what is written, who claim that the death of Christ

was not necessary as the propitiation, satisfaction for our

sins. We have no sympathy with the suggestion that God

did not require a sacrifice. Everything in Scripture as

well as all the facts of history show that without the

shedding of blood there is no remission for sins. The

penalty for sin being death, the world’s condition was

hopeless unless a Redeemer took the place of the first

transgressor, through whom the entire race fell under the

curse, the death sentence. Unless that death sentence

were met by one holy, harmless, undefiled and separate

from sinners there never could be a resurrection of the

dead, there never could be a recovery from the power of

the tomb, the power of sheol, the power of hades. There

never could be a Millennial age, “times of restitution,”

so long as the original sentence stood against the race.

“BOUGHT WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD”

It is in line with this that the Scriptures everywhere hold

out the thought that our race has been purchased by the

Redeemer, that we are bought with a price, even the

precious blood of Christ—bought from the sentence of

Justice, the price of our Lord’s sacrifice being paid to

justice and in harmony with the divine plan wherein was

manifested both the love and justice of God. This is the

essence of the Gospel—Jesus has died, and there is

remission “through the merit of his sacrifice;” the sins

and imperfections of our race can be passed over by di-

vine justice, and those once condemned to death can

have opportunity of attaining life everlasting through

him who loved us and bought us with his precious blood.

Whoever hears the message has the opportunity of

accepting the Life-giver and becoming his follower.

True, not many hear of these good tidings clearly and

distinctly in the present time; but the assurance is that in

due time all the blinded eyes shall be opened and all the

deaf ears unstopped—all shall know of God’s mercy

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and goodness and love and provision. It is in view of the

ultimate results of this great redemptive work that the

angels sang at our Redeemer’s birth—”We bring you

good tidings of great joy which shall be unto all people.

For unto you ... a Savior which is Christ the Lord.”

THE DELIVERANCE IS DELAYED

The inquiry is a reasonable one, Why has not the curse

of death been rolled away from humanity if it be true

that Jesus paid the ransom price—that he redeemed us

through the sacrifice of his life? We reply that God’s

ways are higher than man’s ways, God’s plans are higher

than man’s plans. God has purposed a higher and

grander and more thorough-going salvation than man

ever dreamed of. He proposes a salvation unto the

uttermost for all who will come unto the Father through

him, through Jesus.

The work of salvation is divided into two great sections,

one of which is already operative, the other to begin

where the present one ends. This first section of the

divine plan of salvation relates to the Church, a little

flock, and to a household of faith, both separate and

distinct from the world in general, which is not now

being particularly dealt with. The message of the justice

of God, the fallen condition of man, and the remedy

provided in Jesus, are promulgated now that those who

have the hearing ear may be attracted and may receive a

blessing. This blessing, which is of faith, can not reach

all now, neither is it the divine plan that it should reach

all in the present time. It is merely designed to take out

of the nations a people for his name— “a little flock.”

(Acts 15:14, Luke 12:32)

A blessing comes promptly to those who now hear and

see even a little if they will obey, and we properly

enough speak of them as saved from the time that they

accept the Lord and consecrate their hearts to him; but

when we thus express ourselves that they are saved, we

are speaking by faith in God’s promise, speaking of “the

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” We speak of being saved

in the sense that sin has no longer dominion over us. We

speak of being saved from death because we have faith

toward God in a resurrection of the dead, but the actual

salvation is to be brought to the Church and to the

household of faith at the second coming of the Lord, for,

as the Apostle declares, “We are saved by hope”—not

saved actually and will not be until our resurrection

change shall complete, finish that of which we already

have a foretaste in our hearts through faith.

WE SHARE HIS SORROWS AND GRIEFS

Those who in the present time experience salvation to the

extent of receiving the holy Spirit, the holy mind of the Lord,

are thereby lifted to new experiences and prompted to view

matters from much of the same standpoint that Jesus viewed

them. These disciples of Jesus are enabled to take his

viewpoint in looking at sin and at the fallen condition of the

world in general, at its meanness, its selfishness; and to these

come measurably the same sentiments which filled our

Master’s heart. They proportionately become more deeply

sensible of the sorrows of the world and of grief for the world.

Not that it is possible for them ever to have as deep an

appreciation of these matters as did the Master, but that in

proportion as they have his mind, his disposition, his spirit,

they view matters from his standpoint. Thus he tells us to

“Rejoice with those who do rejoice, and to weep with those

who weep;” thus he tells the same class, “Blessed are they that

mourn, for they shall be comforted,” and again, “Verily I say

unto you that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall re-

joice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be

turned into joy.” Matt. 5:4;John 16:20; Rom. 12:15

“JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING”

The prophet has declared, “Weeping may endure for a

night, but joy cometh in the morning,” the morning of

the resurrection, the morning of God’s favor, the

morning of the rolling away of the curse, the morning of

the in-shining of the Sun of Righteousness to bless the

world and to heal its sin-sickness, to dissipate its death

conditions for all who will accept the divine favors then

so freely bestowed. That, too, will be the time for the

special joy and rejoicing of the Church, the household of

faith. We will then enter into the joys of our Lord in the

fullest sense, actual joys, everlasting joys, joys and

rejoicing induced by the glorious conditions which will

then obtain, and the glorious privileges of blessing the

world of mankind shall then be ours. Meantime,

however, there is a joy of faith and hope and trust which

maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed

abroad in our hearts.

TWO STANDPOINTS—SORROW AND JOY

It would be a mistake for us to suppose that our dear

Redeemer had no joys, and an equal mistake to suppose

that his followers have no joys. We hold to the contrary

that theirs are the real joys, such as the world can not

appreciate. Of the Master we read, “Jesus rejoiced in

spirit” From the standpoint of the flesh he was in very

unfavorable and uncongenial surroundings, but from the

standpoint of his mind, his heart, he was in a very

favorable condition. He delighted to do the Father’s will;

he had joy in realizing that the outworking of the divine

plan would not only accomplish

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the grand divine will, but accomplish the blessing of all

the families of the earth, and incidentally his own glori-

fication with the Father and a glory more than that which

he had with him before the world was.

Our Master, addressing all of us who are his disciples,

assures us that it is our privilege not only to enter into

his sorrows and griefs but also sympathetically to enter

into his joys, his rejoicing—by faith to realize the

victory which he was granted and which he assures all

who are his followers will share with him. Even while

we are privileged to suffer for righteousness’ sake, for

obedience to the Lord, we may still rest upon the assur-

ance, “Your sorrow shall be turned into joy,” “My joy

shall remain in you, that your joy may be full.” In har-

mony with this we find the Scriptures testifying that the

followers of Jesus were always rejoicing, in everything

giving thanks.

Even in trials and difficulties and persecutions, in prison

and with bleeding backs from stripes received, the

Apostles were enabled to sing praises to God and to

thank him for the privilege of being associated with

Christ in the sufferings of this present time, in an anti-

cipatory sense, for the pleasure of being associated with

him in the glories that shall follow. Such joy the world

indeed can neither give nor take away. Such joys are not

for those who have earthly joys to the full in the present

time, but rather to those who because of faithfulness to

the principles of righteousness, to the Word of the

Lord’s testimony, are to some extent dis-esteemed

among men, ostracized, whom the world knoweth not

because it knew not their Master, because it is still

blinded to its own fallen condition and alienation from

God and righteousness, because the eyes of its un-

derstanding have not yet been opened to see its true

condition and needs and the divine provision for these.

DESPISED AND REJECTED

It may appear to some that Jesus is no longer despised

and rejected of men, and that his followers are no longer

despised and rejected. How is this? Have matters so

changed? Have the Lord’s words ceased to be true?—

”Marvel not if the world hate you; ye know that it hated

me before it hated you.” Has the world ceased to despise

and reject Jesus and his followers?

We reply that at the first advent the multitude said, “Never

man spake like this man.” They did not despise his message in

every particular. We remember that great multitudes followed

him because they saw the miracles that he did, and because

they ate of the loaves and fishes which he had provided. So

today there are some who follow the Lord as disciples, but few

who are willing to take up their cross and follow him. There

are multitudes who are ready to declare that the sermon on the

mount represents the highest ideals ever presented to

humanity, but very few of those who thus commend the ideals

of the sermon on the mount would confess themselves to be

followers of the Lamb, or confess that they lived or

endeavored to the best of their ability to live in harmony with

the holy precepts which they to some extent commend.

There are many who partake of the loaves and fishes of

civilization and who realize that the name of Jesus is

somehow connected with many of the blessings which

are now common to civilized nations, who, nevertheless,

are far from being footstep followers of the meek and

lowly Jesus. The multitudes who followed Jesus crying

“Hosanna!” and the multitudes which testified to the

gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth, the

multitudes who followed him because, as he said, of the

loaves and fishes, were not in evidence when the High

Priest and scribes and Pharisees, moved by jealousy,

sought the Lord’s life. So today, men who commend

some of Jesus’ teachings would not be inclined to

disturb themselves if doctors of divinity and high priests

and scribes and Pharisees should for claimed political

reasons seek to suppress those who most loyally seek to

walk in We reply that at the first advent the multitude said, “Never

man spake like this man.” They did not despise his message in

every particular. We remember that great multitudes followed

him because they saw the miracles that he did, and because

they ate of the loaves and fishes which he had provided. So

today there are some who follow the Lord as disciples, but few

who are willing to take up their cross and follow him. There

are multitudes who are ready to declare that the sermon on the

mount represents the highest ideals ever presented to

humanity, but very few of those who thus commend the ideals

of the sermon on the mount would confess themselves to be

followers of the Lamb, or confess that they lived or

endeavored to the best of their ability to live in harmony with

the holy precepts which they to some extent commend.

There are many who partake of the loaves and fishes of

civilization and who realize that the name of Jesus is

somehow connected with many of the blessings which

are now common to civilized nations, who, nevertheless,

are far from being footstep followers of the meek and

lowly Jesus. The multitudes who followed Jesus crying

“Hosanna!” and the multitudes which testified to the

gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth, the

multitudes who followed him because, as he said, of the

loaves and fishes, were not in evidence when the High

Priest and scribes and Pharisees, moved by jealousy,

sought the Lord’s life. So today, men who commend

some of Jesus’ teachings would not be inclined to

disturb themselves if doctors of divinity and high priests

and scribes and Pharisees should for claimed political

reasons seek to suppress those who most loyally seek to

walk in accord with the Master’s teachings.

“WE WILL NOT HAVE THIS MAN”

The Jews were willing to concede that our Master’s

teachings were grand in many particulars, but they did

not wish to be put under such restraints—they would not

have him for their Master, their king, their lawgiver.

“We will not have this man to reign over us,” is the way

the Lord describes their attitude, and herein the world

differs from the true followers of Jesus, who so desire

that Christ shall be their King, that his will shall be done

in their hearts, that they may please him more and better

day by day. They “delight to do his will.” Not so the

world and the merely nominal Christians who approve

some of the Lord’s beautiful sayings. They esteem him

not as a ruler; they prefer to keep the reins of their own

hearts in their own hands— yea, they prefer their plan to

his even as respects the establishment of his Kingdom

and the method by which the world shall be blessed.

They have plans of their own, schemes of their own.

Their prayer is, Our wills be done on earth; yours, 0

Lord in heaven. accord with the Master’s teachings.

“WE WILL NOT HAVE THIS MAN”

The Jews were willing to concede that our Master’s

teachings were grand in many particulars, but they did

not wish to be put under such restraints—they would not

have him for their Master, their king, their lawgiver.

“We will not have this man to reign over us,” is the way

the Lord describes their attitude, and herein the world

differs from the true followers of Jesus, who so desire

that Christ shall be their King, that his will shall be done

in their hearts, that they may please him more and better

day by day. They “delight to do his will.” Not so the

world and the merely nominal Christians who approve

some of the Lord’s beautiful sayings. They esteem him

not as a ruler; they prefer to keep the reins of their own

hearts in their own hands— yea, they prefer their plan to

his even as respects the establishment of his Kingdom

and the method by which the world shall be blessed.

They have plans of their own, schemes of their own.

Their prayer is, Our wills be done on earth; yours, 0

Lord in heaven.

The true disciples of Jesus accept his will, his plan, and

pray: “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as

it is done in heaven.” Very soon the prayers of this class

will be answered: very soon they, with Christ, as his

glorified Church, shall be associated in his Kingdom,

shall sit upon his throne, changed by resurrection power

to the glory, honor and immortality of the divine

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nature, and associated with Jesus in the ruling and

blessing of all the families of the earth, purchased by his

precious blood.

Then will come their time of special rejoicing, and, thank God,

it will not mean a permanent time of sorrow and torment and

torture upon the world. The Scriptures, however, do intimate

to us that the world in the present time is so out of accord with

the Lord that a great time of trouble will be necessary to

introduce the Millennial Kingdom properly—that the

plowshare of trouble shall go deeply through the souls of

mankind, that the fallow ground may be broken up and be pre-

pared for the good message of salvation as the Lord and his

then glorified Church shall make it known to every creature.

We may well thank God, then, that in his wisdom and love he

will not spare the world from those experiences which will be

profitable to it, and that he has promised that when the

judgments of the Lord are abroad in the earth the inhabitants

of the world shall learn righteousness.

Meantime let those of us that have tasted that the Lord is

gracious, who have covenanted to be his footstep

followers, see to it that we refuse not a participation in

the sufferings of Christ, that we may be counted worthy

of a share in the glories to follow. The sufferings last

only until the closing of the Gospel age; the glories will

follow immediately afterward, glories and blessings for

the faithful and opportunities for blessing all mankind.

Let us not only appreciate the sorrows of our Savior, but

let us see to it that he is not despised and rejected by us

as the King, the Ruler of our hearts— that, on the

contrary, we call upon our souls and every power within

us to praise and laud and magnify his name, and to show

forth the praises of him who hath called us out of the

darkness into his marvelous light.

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