He had been for some time a disciple of Jesus, but had never avowed the fact.  But after standing on Calvary and seeing the death of his Lord, sorrow, shame, and indignation so stirred him, that at once he went in boldly unto Pilate.  It was the turning-point in his history, when obedience to God-given impulse decided his whole destiny.  The spiritual influences which play upon our souls are not even in their flow.  There are times when one is strangely moved, although in outward environment there is little to account for it.  The sermon listened to may be illiterate, the hymn sung may be destitute of poetic beauty, the friendly word may be spoken by a social inferior—­yet one of these sometimes suffices as the channel of divine power, which shakes the soul to its very depths.  We have known the unexpected avowal of love to Christ on the part of one obscure scholar set all in the class thinking on the subject of personal responsibility to God, and to His Church.  And sometimes the sorrow of leaving home for the first time, or the death of a dearly-loved friend, has sufficed to arouse the question, “What must I do to be saved?” We must beware of allowing such opportunities for decisive action to slip away unimproved.  When a vessel has grounded at the harbour-bar, she must wait till the tide lifts her, or she will not reach a safe anchorage; but when the tide does flow in, no sane man will let the chance go by, lest a storm should rise and wreck her within reach of home.

It is noteworthy that Joseph was moved to decision and confession by the crucifixion of the Lord; for this might have been expected to seal his lips.  It would seem to have been easier to follow the great Teacher when listening crowds gathered round Him, and multitudes were being healed of whatsoever diseases they had, than to acknowledge loyalty to Him when He was crucified as a malefactor.  Yet it was from the Cross that this man went into the Church.  The light came to him when darkness seemed deepest.  It was in the presence of the crucified Saviour, of whom even the Roman centurion said, “Truly this was the Son of God,” that Joseph learned to say, “Because thou hast died for me, I will henceforth live for Thee.”  This was one of the earliest triumphs of the Cross, in which Paul gloried, and of Him who died thereon—­dying for us all, that we who live should not henceforth live unto ourselves but unto Him.  In the presence of that memorable scene we are called on for more than admiration or adoration, even for a passionate devotion to Him who gave Himself up for us all.