A WOMAN was sitting at a table writing to her husband, who was engaged in the war. The following were some of the contents of the letter: ―
“My dear heart, —The children have gone up to bed, praying to their Father in heaven for you, and I am thinking of you too. Oh, why do men fight with one another? It is terrible.”
The husband was killed in the war, and the letter was found in his pocket. A soldier read the letter to a doctor, and when he had read as much of the letter as above, the soldier said to him, “Shall I read any more of the letter to you?” The German doctor replied, “No,” very emphatically. His verdict was, “instantaneous death.” This man died for his country, but his death brought untold misery and sorrow to his home.
Now let us look at another scene, which took place more than nineteen hundred years ago, and we see by faith One dying a cruel death on the cross at Calvary, and when two persons went boldly to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus, Pilate marveled that He was already dead. This proves that our Lord laid down His life, and it was not taken from Him. Pilate knew that envy was the cause of His death, although he kept his opinion to himself; and it is said, although we have not scriptural authority for the statement of tradition, that Pilate afterward committed suicide. Now what does the Saviour’s death and resurrection bring to the homes of many who received Him in their hearts? Not untold misery and sorrow, as the husband’s death, who was killed in the war, but everlasting life, peace and joy.
W. S. G.