the cross should be the great symbol of our highest measure, that that which stands for consecration, that that which stands for the divine statement that a man does not live for himself and that a man loses himself when he does live for himself—­that that should be the symbol of our religion and the great sign and token of our faith?  What sort of Christians are we that go about asking for the things of this life first, thinking that it shall make us prosperous to be Christians, and then a little higher asking for the things that pertain to the eternal prosperity, when the Great Master, who leaves us the great law, in whom our Christian life is spiritually set forth, has as His great symbol the cross, the cross, the sign of consecration and obedience?  It is not simply suffering too.  Christ does not stand primarily for suffering.  Suffering is an accident.  It does not matter whether you and I suffer.  “Not enjoyment and not sorrow” is our life, not sorrow any more than enjoyment, but obedience and duty.  If duty brings sorrow, let it bring sorrow.  It did bring sorrow to the Christ, because it was impossible for a man to serve the absolute righteousness in this world and not to sorrow.  If it had brought joy, and glory, and triumph, if it had been greeted at its entrance and applauded on the way, He would have been as truly the consecrated soul that He was in the days when, over a road that was marked with the blood of His footprints, He found His way up at last to the torturing cross.  It is not suffering; it is obedience.  It is not pain; it is consecration of life.  It is the joy of service that makes the life of Christ, and for us to serve Him, serving fellow-man and God—­as he served fellow-man and God—­whether it bring pain or joy, if we can only get out of our souls the thought that it matters not if we are happy or sorrowful, if only we are dutiful and faithful, and brave and strong, then we should be in the atmosphere, we should be in the great company of the Christ.

It surprises me very often when I hear good Christian people talk about Christ’s entrance into this world, Christ’s coming to save this world.  They say it was so marvellous that Jesus should be willing to come down from His throne in heaven and undertake all the strange sorrow and distress that belonged to Him when He came to save the world from its sins.  Wonderful?  There was no wonder in it; no wonder if we enter up into the region where Jesus lives and think of life as He must have thought of life.  It is the same wonder that people feel about the miracles of Jesus.  Is it a wonder that when a divine life is among men, nature should have a response to make to Him, and He should do things that you and I, in our little humanity, find it impossible to do?  No, indeed, there is no wonder that God loved the world.  There is no wonder that Christ, the Son of God, at any sacrifice undertook to save the world.  The wonder would have been if God, sitting in His heaven, the wonder would have been