The service in Appleton Chapel last evening was conducted by the Rev. Professor C. A. Briggs, D. D., of Union Seminary, New York, He preached from the text, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." I John III: 16.

If we eliminate the doctrine of atonement from the text we see that its real meaning is that Christ by laying down his life became the redeemer of the world in several different relations. First, Jesus by the shedding of his blood cleansed the divine altar contaminated by the sins of men, thus providing an open path by which man can approach the throne. Secondly, the shed blood of Jesus cleanses the man himself making him pure and clean and invigorating him with the energy of a new life. In this verse, however, the author is thinking of the shedding, not the use of blood after its being shed. He has in mind the self-sacrificing of men for the life of others, - Esther interposing herself to save the Jews, or the engineer standing by his engine as it rushes on to certain destruction. This spark of heroic fire which is in men is God-like; and Jew or Christian, Mohammedan or Pagan, who can look death in the face and say, "Where, O grave, are thy plagues," is victor over death and is redeemed from the grave. Jesus Christ was such a martyr, for he interposed his life to save his disciples. Christ's life could not be destroyed by physical forces because it was ethical and spiritual. If we love Christ as a martyr we should lay down our lives for the brethren. The call to duty today is no less real than in the days of the martyrs. The age craves heroes - heroes in the professions, in the church, in business, - heroes to face the great social, economic, and industrial problems.