WEBVTT

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This is my third in a series of heart -to -heart

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talks on the Great Christian Pledge. Or perhaps

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you know it better as the Apostles' Creed. And

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the document consists of 110 words, that's all.

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Just 110 words, and it's divided into 12 sections,

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each dealing with a different segment. of New

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Testament truth. No Christian who sincerely seeks

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to gear his beliefs according to this pattern,

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according to the pattern that's laid down in

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the Apostles' Creed, will go astray. And it's

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just like that. As I begin, This my third heart

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-to -heart talk with you regarding this great

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Christian pledge. May I again refresh your memory.

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I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of

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heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only

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Son, our Lord. who was conceived by the Holy

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Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under

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Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried.

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He descended into hell. The third day he rose

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again from the dead. He ascended into heaven

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and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father

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Almighty. From thence. He shall come to judge

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the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy

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Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion

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of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection

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of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

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under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and

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buried. As we read the precious word, we find

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these words. Now in the 15th year of the reign

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of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate was governor

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of Judea. This brief historical reference ushers

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in to the New Testament narrative, a representative

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of the Roman government under whose rule a series

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of strange movements were destined to occur.

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His ten -year term as governor of Judea was fraught

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with momentous events that changed the course

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of human history. It was during this time that...

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Jesus walked through the country healing the

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sick, cleansing the lepers, even to the raising

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of the dead, teaching as never another man taught.

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And of course, during all of this time, he drew

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to himself the wrath of persecutors, evaded many

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schemes of entrapment, was falsely accused. He

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endured mock trials in both Jewish and in Roman

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courts. He was condemned on perjured testimony.

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A mob shouted lies with such force that he was

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finally forced to carry a cross up Golgotha's

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Hill and there be executed with hardened... criminals,

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he the very son of the living God. His body was

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placed in the tomb of a rich man, one Joseph

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of Arimathea. Failing to entrap our lord, the

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persecutors charged him with sedation. It was

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on these grounds that they were able to bring

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him before the Roman court. Succeeding in this,

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They relied upon other false charges and mob

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hysteria to complete the Satan -inspired scheme.

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Watch it. Thou ought not Caesar's friend if thou

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let this man go, was their cry before Pilate.

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Remember that some hours prior to the appearance

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in Pilate's court, The high priest put Christ

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under solemn oath to answer whether or not he

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was the Son of God. And Jesus said, I am. When

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asked that question directly, he never batted

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an eye. He never paused for one moment. He never

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hesitated a split second. I am, he replied. Then

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following his firm reply, the master condemned

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the accusers and announced his second advent

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in language which a commentary improvises as

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follows. I know the scorn with which you are

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ready to meet such an avowal. To your eyes, which

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are but eyes of flesh, there stands at this bar

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only a mortal like yourselves. And he at the

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mercy of the ecclesiastical and civil authorities.

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But nevertheless... A day is coming when ye shall

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see another sight. Those eyes which now gaze

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on me with proud disdain shall see this very

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prisoner at the right hand the majesty on high

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and coming in clouds of heaven. Then shall the

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judged one be revealed as the judge. and his

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judges in this chamber appear at his tribunal.

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Then shall the unrighteous judges be impartially

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judged, and while they are wishing that they

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had never seen him born, he whom they now watch

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as their victim shall be greeted with the hallelujahs

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of heaven. For this impudence, members of the

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tribunal ordered him insulted, slapped, beaten,

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dragged to Pilate's judgment hall. They could

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not carry out an execution without the approval

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of the governor. Pilate told them to state their

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charges. They did. The false accusation of sedition

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was repeated. And the word says, and they began

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to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting

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the nation and forbidding to give tribute to

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Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ, a king.

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Pause a moment. Consider. Perverting the nation.

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Forbidding tribute. saying he is a king. More

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despicable falsehoods never fell from lips of

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human beings. Yet these untruths sank into the

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minds of a sufficient number of people to create

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hysteria against an innocent man. The creed rings

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true. Suffered under Pontius Pilate. The Roman

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questioner put the matter straight to the victim,

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and this is what he asked. What hast thou done?

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What had you really done? What had he done? He

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had healed the sick. He had set captive soldiers

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at liberty. He'd gone about doing good. But with

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it all, he incurred the displeasure of a group

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whose anger knew no bounds. Jesus answered, My

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kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were

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of this world, then would my servants fight that

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I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now

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is my kingdom not from fence. Then Pilate asked,

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Ought thou a king? There was no sarcasm. There

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was no disdain in this question, none whatsoever.

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Ought thou a king? He was trying in every conceivable

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way to find some grounds, hoping to satisfy the

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demands of those who demanded his execution.

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And finally... The Roman jurist cried, I find

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no fault in him. This was the official verdict

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of the Roman governor and should have been accepted

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as final. Far from yielding to the decision,

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the accuser shouted the louder. The rapist was

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next released as a gesture to quiet the mob.

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This availed nothing, absolutely nothing. They

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were not to be quieted. They refused to be stopped.

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A mock coronation was enacted. Behold, a crown

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of thorns were placed upon his head. In mockery

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of a regal crown, they stripped him of every

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garment. They wrapped his form in a purple robe.

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Thereby... imitating the imperial purple robe

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worn by monarchs. A reed was placed in his hand

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like an imitation scepter in contempt. The word

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says they bowed the knee before him. Hail, they

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shouted. using such homage to the man from heaven.

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Not satisfied with their indignities, they spat

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in his face, they smote him on the head with

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the reed, they removed the purple robe, they

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returned the original raiment. Thinking this

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would surely satisfy the accusers and quell their

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passions, Pilate stepped forward and said, Behold!

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The man. There is no reason to suppose that hatred

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for Christ dictated these words. There was clearly

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a struggle in the breast of the governor. I have

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always felt it was thus. Not only was he reluctant

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to surrender to mere clamor and innocent man,

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but a feeling of anxiety. about the mysterious

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claims that Christ made heavy demands upon his

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soul. Moreover, he could not forget the vision

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his wife had experienced and her admonition to

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be cautious in disposing of this case, whatever

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the motive. These three words had been appropriated

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by all Christendom. and permanently enshrined

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in the hearts of multitudes as a sublime expression

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of calm, rapt admiration for the suffering Christ.

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These three words, which shall never be forgot,

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behold the man. Then delivered he him therefore

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unto them to be crucified. The sun set that night

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upon a sadder picture than any artist ever tried

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to paint. A heartbroken, forlorn band of humiliated,

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disappointed, Defeated followers gained permission

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from the ruler to lift the precious body from

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the cross and bear it away tenderly to a prepared

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resting place. But were they really defeated?

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Really? A United States Senator. Sent me something?

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Is author being unknown? Here is a man who was

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born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant

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woman. He grew up in another village. He worked

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as a carpenter's shop until he was 30. He never

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wrote a book. He never held an office. He never

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owned a home. He never had a family. He never

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went to college. He never put his feet inside

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a big city. He never traveled 200 miles from

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the place where he was born. He never did one

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of the things that usually accompany greatness.

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He had no credentials but himself. While still

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a young man, the tide A private opinion turned

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against him. His friends ran away. One of them

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denied him. He was turned over to his enemies.

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He went through the mockery of a trial. He was

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nailed to a cross between two thieves. They gambled

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for the only piece of property he had on earth

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while he was dying, and that was his coach. And

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when he was dead, he was taken down. He was laid

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in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

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Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and

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today he is the centerpiece of the human race

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and the leader of the column of progress. I am

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far within the mark when I say that All the armies

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that ever marched, and all the navies that were

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ever built, and all the parliaments that ever

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sat, and all the kings that ever reigned. All

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of them put together have not affected the life

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of man upon this earth, as has that one solitary

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life. years old yet he through his death gave

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life a velocity