ey incurred the same hatred
on the part of the religious leaders of their nation, and suffered
violent deaths--the one beneath the headsman's blade in the dungeons of
Herod's castle, the other on the cross, at the hand of Pilate and the
Roman soldiers. Each suffered a death of violence at the hand of men
whom he had lived to succour; each died when the life-blood throbbed
with young manhood's prime, and while there was sweet fragrance as of
early summer; each was loved and mourned by a little handful of devoted
followers.

But there the similarity ends, and the contrast begins. With John, it
was the tragic close of a great and epoch-making career. When he died
men said--Alas! a prophet's voice is silenced. What a pity that in a
moment of passion the tyrant took his life! Let him sleep! Rest will
be sweet to one who expended his young strength with such spendthrift
extravagance! Such men are rare! Ages flower thus but once, and then
years of barrenness! But as we turn to the death of Jesus, other
feelings than those of pity or regret master us. We are neither
surprised, nor altogether sorry. We do not recognise that there is in
any sense an end of his work--rather it is the beginning. The corn of
wheat has fallen into the ground to die, that it may not abide alone,
but bear much fruit. Here, at the Cross, is the head of waters, rising
from unknown depths, which are to heal the nations; here the sacrifice
is being offered which is to expiate the sin of man, and bring peace to
myriads of penitents; here the last Adam at the tree undoes the deadly
work wrought by the first at another tree. This is no mere martyr's
last agony; but a sacrifice, premeditated, prearranged, the effects of
which have already been prevalent in securing the remission of sins
done aforetime. This is an event for which millenniums have been
preparing, and to which millenniums shall look back. John's death
affected no destiny but his own; the death of Jesus has affected the
destiny of our race. As his forerunner explained, He was the Lamb of
God who bore away the sin of the world. The Lord hath laid on Him the
iniquity of us all.

But there is another contrast. In the case of John, the martyr had no
control on his destiny; he could not order the course of events; there
was no alternative but to submit. When he opened his ministry, he had
no thought that such a fate would befall. As he stood boldly forth
upon his rock-hewn pulpit