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32X

GOSP

STUDIES

IN THK

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW.

BY THE SAME AUTHOR.

AV PREPAKATIOX,

STUDIES

IN IHK

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN.

STUDIES

IN THK

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO
ST. MATTHEW.

REV. J. CYNDDYLAN JONES,

AUTHOK OK "STI'DIKS IN TIIK ACTS."

fteconD (SHittont

TORONTO:
WILLIAM BRIGGS,

78 & 80 KINO STREET EAST

I i

Entered according to the Act of the Parliament of Canada,
in the year one thousand eight hundred and eighty-one. by
William Bkiuoh, in the Office of the MiniHter ot Agriculture,
at Ottawa.

j (

4
I

PREFACE.

Canada,
•one. by
iculture,

Thk favour with uhich my "Studies in the Acts**
has been received bv the press and the ])ublie, encour-
ages nie to bring out another voknne. I trust that
those into whose hands it may chance to come will
not find the perusal of it altogether fruitless.

J. CYNDDYLAN JONES.

Cardiff, Jan. i, 1881.

4
I

CONTENTS.

FAUB

JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY ... I

*' Now all this was clone, that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken of the Lord by the propiiet, saying, Behold, a virgin
shall be with child," &c. - St. Matt. i. 22, 23.

II.

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BAHK

" Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the
days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from
the East to Jerusalem, saying. Where is He that is born
King of the Jews ? " &c.— St. Matt. ii. i, a.

III.

JOHN THE BAPTIST

" in those days came Jo)m the Baptist, preaching in the
wilderness of Judaja, and saying, Repent ye : for the king*
dom of heaven is at hand." — St. Matt. lii. z, a.

IV.

1 I

THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST

"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to
be tempted of the devil." — St. Matt. iv. x.

CONTENTS.

▼ii

FAUB
I

vhich was
d, a virgin

aea in the
men from
it is born

FARg
JESUS CHRIST AS A PUBMC Tl ACHKR ... 93

"And seeing the multitudes, Me went up into a mountain :
and when He was set. His d'sciples came unto Him ; and
He opened His mouth and taiipht them, saying," &c.
— St. Matt. v. i, a ; vii. a8, 29.

VI.

JESUS CHRIST AS A MORAL LEGISLATOR . . .Ill

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the pro-
phets ; F am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." — Sx,
Matt. v. 17.

VII.
THE GOSPEL RIGHTEOUSNESS I30

" For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall
exceed the righteousness of the Scrilies and Pharisees, ye
shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." —
St. Matt. v. ao.

VIII.
ANXIETY ' . 146

" Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life,
what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor yet for your
body, what ye shall put on, ' &c. — St. Matt. vi. 25-34.

THE TOUCH OF FAITH

\g in the
the king*

IX.

.... 164

" And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of
blood twelve years, came behind Him, and touched the
hem of His garment : for she said within herself, If I may
but touch the hem of His garment, 1 shall be whole," &c.
—St. Matt. ix. ao-22.

HEARING THE WORD l84

" He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."— ST. Matt. xf. 15.

• . 70

emess to

XI.
THE PARABLE OF THE TARES

199

'* Another parable put He forth unto them, saying. The King-
dom of Heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good
seed in hi5field,"&c.— St. Matt. xiii. 24-30.

II I >

{ ,

r f

) t

i I

VIII

CONTENTS.

XII.

CHRIS r IN THR STOHIV!

I'AGR
215

" But Mraii^htw.iy Jesus sp.ike unto them, siying, Bp of good
" cheer ; it is I ; lie not afriiil. " — St. Matt. xiv. 37.

XIII.

IHK SON OF MAN— THE SoN OF GOD . . .235

'* When Jesus cimc into the co.ists of Cnesarea PhilippI, He
askedf His disciplt'5, saying, Whom do men say that I, th«
Son of Man, am ?" &c.— St. Matt. xvi. 13-16.

XIV.

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH . . . • . 255

•* And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, atid upon this
rock I will build my Church ; and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it."— St. Matt. xvi. 18.

XV.

THE TRANSFIGURATION

374

•t

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his
brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain
apart, and was transfigured before them," &c. — St.
Matt. xvii. 1-9.

XVI.

THE JUDGMENT 29I

" When the Son of Man shall come In His glory, and all the
holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne
of His glory," &c. — St. Matt. xxv. 31-33.

XVII.

TIIF GREAT COMMISSION

305

*' And Jesus came and spake unto them, saving, All power ii
given unto me in heaven and in earth,' &c. — St. Matt.
xxviii. 18-20 ; and St. Mark xvi. 15.

! !

I'AGB
215

good

235

>i. He
I. th«

255

>n this
1 shall

n his
ntain

h-ST.

391

11 the
bron*

305

rer is

ATT.

3ej5u« Cfirtst tfje Centre of JHstoro.

•• Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
of the Lord by the prophet, saying, lUliold, a virgin shall Ik: witli
child, and shall bring forth "• son, anrl tiicy shall call His name
Emiiiaimel, which being interpreted is, God with us." — ST. Matt,
\. 22, 23.

St. Matthew, in the first chapter of his Gospel,
adchiees a propheey oF Isaiah to ratify his strange
account of the birth of Jesus Christ, and to pave the
way for its reception among the Jews. The propliet
had foretold that a " virgin " should bear a son ; he
referred possibly to a case which actually happened
in his own days. One who was a virgin when the
prophet uttered the words, would, in the ordinary
setjuence of events, bear a son ; and before her son
would be of age to distinguish between right and
wrong, the danger that threatened the land would
have passed away. But the Evangelist perceived
another and a richer meaning in the words; he
instinctively applied them, and justly too, as we shall
presently see, to the miraculous birth of Christ.
" Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring
forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel,

t i

;

S JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

which being interpreted is, God with U8." Evidently
St. Matthew aims at connecting this event with what
had previously been announced, and showing that it
fits in to the current of history.

That the words had been spoken by the prophet
shows that the world expected a Messiah. That
they were spoken of the Lord by the prophet shows
that Me was preparing the world for His coming.
That a virgin should be found with child by the
overshadowing of the Moly Ghost shows that the
world could not produce Him. And lastly, that it
should occur at the period it did, shows that He was
the goal of the old dispensation, and the starting-
point of the new.

I. The World expected an Emmanuel.

The popular view of prophecy is, that it was mere
prediction of things to come. There is truth in it,
to be sure, but only a part. We should get nearer
the heart of the matter were we to look upon pro-
phecy as vitally connected with the present, as
bodying forth the aspirations which were then
heaving in the hearts of men. Prophecy is only
inspired poetry ; and if you want to know what the
deepest faith, the divinest heart, of a nation is, you
will find it in its poetry. This is equally true of the
Jewish nation. Prophecy was its {)octry ; it shows
to us what the best aspirations of that people were.
The prophet spoke out of the present, and to the
present, and about the present, though implicitly and
not less truly about the future too.

Tl
nect

for i
I that
; prov
thro
■ and
M(iii
true
rctr^i
pcrif
clotl
inin
recci
dust
phct
H h(
spiri'
of .
suflii
absti
tutu
ot tl
life (
;uid

►RY.

JRSUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

Evidently

with what

ing that it

le prophet
iah. That
phet shows
is coming,
ild by the
3 that the
ly, that it
at He was
5 starting-

UEL.

was mere
ruth in it,
get nearer
upon pro-
resent, as
/ere then
y is only
what the
)n is, you
rue of the

it sliows
)ple were,
id to the
licitly and

"'ii
I

That prophecy sustained a vital and organic con-
nection with the hr*- <!!' the people, and was dependent
for its form, and to a large extent for its matter, on
that Hie, a very cursory investigation will suffice to
prove. When the national pride centred in the
throne, when the fame and royal splendour of David
and Solomon and tiieir inunediate successors dazzled
ii(i(j:lil)()uring countries, and caused the hearts of all
true Israelites to swell with glowing admiration, the
regal element predominated in the prophets of the
pttriod ; they portrayed the Messiah as a king, and
clothed Him with befitting dignity; their lofty paeans
mirrored the national heart. But when royalty
received a rude shock, when its dignity trailed in the
dust, when the nation was led to ca[)tivity, the pro-
j)luts no longer sang in stately rhythm of a king and
a hero; they attuned their song to the national
spirit, and warbled in subdued and plaintive strains
of r)ii(; "stricken of God, and afllicted." This
^uffices to show that proj)hecy is not a bare, cold,
;ib>fract announcement from heaven concernirj(r the
future, without any relation to the present. NothiuLT
()\ the kind. It is indissolubly connected with the
life of tlie people; it is first the aspiration of man,
and next the insj)iration of (jod.

To ascertain what l\ut ex|)ectations of the Jews
were, we have oiilv to consult prophecy. What
then was the burden of prophecv ? The advent of
llinmanuel. Who was He, and what was He, thev
did not always clearly understand; consequently
there was much vagueness characterising their hope

, I

4 JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

and their literature. Generally it was feeling rather
than thought. Only now and again in their great
men- their poets, their prophets — did it resolve
itself into intelleetual shape and find for itself
articulate utterance. Wherefore it was capable of
many a])plications, and would admit of more than
one Kmmaiuiel. The name is not specific — it is
" God with us ; " and may be accommodated to any
case of Divine interference on behalf of our race. If
we see God with us in the history of Abraham, of
JVIoses, or of David, we arc justified in looking upon
them as Kmmanuels in their de(>;rees. We have a
case in point in the seventh chapter of Tsaiah. Judah
was in imminent danger; Israel and Syria had con-
spired together to crush it ; but the word of the Lord
came to Ahaz, the king of Judah, to assure him that
the peril would shortly i)ass, and as a sign a virgin
should conceive and bear a son, and call his name
Enunanuel ; and where such a faith in the theocracy
existed, it was impossible the nation should perish.
The prophecy did not point to an arbitrary, capricious
sign ; it embodied an eternal prihcii)le — that no evil
shall befall the people who have their faith in " God
with us.'*

But was the sign exhausted in that individual case?
Certainly not; the principle was eternal, and awaited
a truer realisation of itself. Every good man in his
dejrree was an Emmanuel, but no one in a full de-
gree. No one had a pre-eminent claim to the title ;
no one filled the name ; no one nailed down the idea
to himself so as to render it robbery for another

JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

ing rather
;heir great
t resolve
for itself
lapablc of
lore than
ifie-it is
ed to any

raee. If
rahani, of
cing upon
^e have a
ti. Judah

had con-

the Lord
I him that
1 a virgin

his name
theocraey
Id perish,
capricious
lat no evil
I in " God

idual case?
id awaited
nan in his
I a full de-
the title ;
n the idea
r another

to adopt it; no one converted the general into a
specific term. They were signs that God was with
us ; none of them claimed to be " God with us."
But the imperfect realisation of an idea always
points to a more perfect to follow ; the thought
never rests till it finds a perfect incarnation and a
lasting home. The son who was called Emmanuel
in the reign of Ahaz was a prophecy of One who
would be Emmanuel in the reisrn of Herod. The
prophet Isaiah gives utterance to an idea ; the idea
is (jreater than the man who first wears it; therefore
it losses on to the future to be realised thereafter.
"Saul armed David with his armour, and he. put an
helmet of brass on his head, he armed him also with
a coat of mail ; " but any one who might chance to
see David would at once conclude that the accoutre-
ments were not originally intended for him; they
were too big for him, " and David put them off," for
a bigger than he to wear them. And the idea of
Emmanuel was too big for any in the Old Testament,
which is a sufficient proof that, though first worn by
one of them, it was not primarily intended for them.
It was designed for him that could fill it, for him whom
it fitted. And St. Matthew tells us that One was
born in Bethlehem who Julfillcd it, who nailed it to
Himself, who perfectly realised it, who converted a
common into a proper noun. He the '")re has a
pre-eminent claim to it. Every book at one time
might be called a Bible ; but since the inspired
volume has been completed, the general name has
been converted into a specific one. " Bible " is now

JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

I !

( ' I

I . '

(

t ■

the exclusive title of one book. And there was a
time when the term Emmanuel might be applied to
any good man ; but One has since appeared tliat
()ccu[)ies the same place among men that the Bible
docs among books; He has made the name Mis own,
and that because it suited Him and suited no one
else. Judge to whom it belongs bv discovering whom
it fits. In St. Matthew's opinion it fitted Jesus; he
does not accommodate the words of Isaiah by mak-
ing the use he does of them; it was the prophet that
accommotiatcd in apj^lying them to one who did not
J'ul-?)\ them, to one who only /ia//-filled them. In
Christ the words of the prophet were first yw/-filled.

I have said that at first the expectations of the
Jews for an Emmanuel were very vague, but as cen-
turies rolled on thev be2;an to crvstallize and define
themselves. About the days of the Maccabees and
after, there was a fresh effervescence of the national
life. A general impression prevailed that the long
expected One was about to aj)pear; so deep was it
that several impostors could palm oft' their spurious
pretensions on the public, the one after the other, in
rapid .succession. And when John the Baptist ap-
peared, an intense excitement blazed up throughout
the land ; the tension was so great that the least
whisper made the Jewish heart vibrate to the vcrv
core. Indeed, so electrifying was it that the Gentiles
heaved with expectancy; they looked eagerly for tlie
eominn; of the Divine Stranjrer. The conviction was
universal that the world had reached a crisis. The
Aise men everywhere expected a Teacher from

ere was a

applied to
cared that

the Bible
e f lis own,
;ed no one
ring whom

Jesus ; he
h by niak-
ophet that
ho did not
them. In
/^/-filled.
>ns of the
)iit as een-
and define
cabees and
le national
t the lonir
eep was it
r spurious
c other, in
•aptist ap-
hroughont
: the least
> the verv
e Gentiles
rly for the
iction was
isis. The
:her fVoni

JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

God. The far East expected Him to come from
the West, the West expected Him from the Kast, and
thus East and West gravitated towards Judaea. Put
a flower into a dark room, and let the light shine in
tiirough the keyhole; the flower will instinctively turn
towards the door, and stretch out its little leaves for
the sunbeams to give them a kiss. There is sympathy
between the flower and the light. And the world
was shut up in darkness. There was but one sky
partly relieved by streaks of celestial light, but one
land favoured with true illumination, and the religious
nature of man quivered in its direction. The wise
men came from the East to Jerusalem, saying,
" Where is He that is born King of the Jews ? "

H. God was preparing the World for the
Coming of Emmanuel.

I have represented prophecy as an embodiment in
language of the best aspirations of the Jewish nation.
That, however, is only half the truth. The other
half is this : it is the result of the inspiration of God.
According to the first half, the prophets interpreted
the latent thioughts of their age ; according to the
second, they declared to that age the thoughts of
God. They were the messengers of God, crying,
" Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths
straight."

This of course implies that fhe world was not in
a state of preparedness. God is a being of perfect
order, and the Incarnation must not be an untimelv
intrusion upon the world. The ground must be

[

;i 1 1

! i

1 1

JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

cleared for it ; it must take its proper place in the
sequence of history ; it must run into the eternal fit-
ness of things. It might take place as an outward
fact in space at any moment of time, but at anv
moment it would not answer any moral purpose — it
would not bring about the redemption of the world.
The mind of the world required to be disciplined
before the physical miracle could have to it any
spiritual significance, or exert upon it any moral
influence. At an earlier age the Incarnation would
be meaningless. The mariner's compass has been
known in China for thousands of years; neverthe-
less, for the most part of that time it was but little
better than a toy — the Chinese mind was not edu-
cated enough to estimate its value. Only a few cen-
turies ago the compass became a blessing to mankind,
because only a few centuries ago we attained the
intellectual state requisite to apprehend its usefulness.
And did the Incarnation take place in the days of
Abraham, or of Moses, or of David, it would have
been an idle, purposeless miracle, so far as its human
aspect is concerned, and Christ would have died in
vain. Under the Old Testament, therefore, God was
educating the world up to the fact. He was beget-
ting Christ in the human mind before conceiving
Him in human nature; and to do the former was
apparently harder than to do the latter. To form
Christ in the human mind took God full four thou-
sand years j to beget Him in human nature was only
the act of a passing moment. The history of the
inward conception in the mind occupies the whole

lY.

JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

ace in the

Jternal fit-

n outward

)ut at any

urpose — it

the world.

disciplined

to it any

my moral

ion would

has been

neverthe-

but little

not edu-

a few cen-

mankind,

tained the

usefulness.

he days of

ould have

its human

v^e died in

?, God was

was bcget-

Donceiving

armer was

To form

four thou-

j was only

)ry of the

the whole

of the Old Testament ; a few verses in the Gospeli
suffice to give an account of the physical conception
in the nature.

I . Look at the preparation that was going on among
the Gentiles, to which St. Matthew refers in the verses
following. Two things strike us at once — first, that
mankind had lost sight of God; second, that God
had not lost sight of them. " The times of ignorance
God winked at; " but you are not to suppose that He
utterly neglected them. He overlooked them so far aiS
not to grant them a direct revelation from heaven.
He did not overlook them so far as not to care or
trouble "Himself about them at all ; He gave them
a revelation from the earth. In order to tca»',h the
infant to walk, the mother leaves it to itself, and the
child for a time forgets its mother with its toys;
but the mother does not forget the child, her eyes
constantly revert in its direction. That is a faint
picture of the Divine treatment of the Gentile
world. God was a tender Father to the poor
pagans who were wandering far away and amusing
themselves with religious playthings; He had some
gracious end in view, which in due time will be
revealed. One good lesson we know was taught
the world : what it could do, and what it could
not do; what it could accomplish, and what it
could not accomplish.

What then did the world learn to do ? It 1* arnt
to ask questions, but it did not learn to answer tl" ':m.
Some people think it a very easy thing to ask qi 'js-
tions; but in reality it is a hard thing, the next

JBSUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

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Hardest to answering thcni. An uneducated mind
rannot interrogate; the power to do it is the result
<»t long and severe drilling. Here then is the cliujax
m which the preparation of the Gentiles culminated:
'hey learnt to ask deep and subtle questions touching
fhe innnortality and final destiny oF the soal, and the
!iature and character of the Maker of the universe.
They propounded the most momentous problems it
18 possible for a finite being to be employed upon ;
Wut here comes in their ignorance — they could only
propound them, they could not solve them. Sof-rates
and Plato and others confessed that they could only
ask questions, that a teacher must come fron) God
to answer them. God trained the Gentiles to ask
questions; in the very next chapter you see their
wise men coming with a question on their lips,
'••Where is lie that is born King of the Jews?"
They could only ask it, they could not answer it,
Paganism, therefore, is only the world's note of inter-
rogation ; Christianity is the answer which follows.
For God to give the answer when nobody asked the
question, would be out of place ; therefore He waited
vind worked, worked and waited, till the time should
-irrive when it would slide in naturally and without
violence to the current of secular history.

2. But His method of procedure with the Jews
was different. He came out of His hiding-place, and
committed to them His oracles. It was needful to
familiarise the mind of a portion of mankind with
some of the leading truths of the Kingdom of God.
Without this the life and discourses of the Emmanuel

JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

would escape unheeded, just as a lecture on the higher
inatherriatics would he uniiiteliigihle jargon to a man
who has never learnt his arithmetic. 'I'he human
mind cannot make a long leap at a time; it must
hmiili.irise itself with lower truths ere it can grasp
the hi<fher; it must see tliem singly hefore it can
understand them collectively, '''hat is a necessity ol
our nature, and with it God nuist contorm. I am
therefore prepared to find most of the truths of the
New Testament in the world prior to the Incarna
tion ; and this, so far from detracting from the glory
of Christianity, considerahly enhances it. It links it
to the past; it shows that God had for hundreds ot
years heen prcjKiiing the mind of man to receive and
understand it. The sceptics who lahour so indefatig-
ahly to show that the New Testament contains
materials previously extant, do solid service to the
cause of Kmmanuel : they show that the world had
heen prepared for F lis coming, and that His advent
was not an interpolation. But as a matter of fact
the Jews were trained hy every possihle means to an
apprehension of spiritual truths; God granted them
His revelations, and hy His providence strove to
engrave them on their inner soul. The progress was
very gradual, it is true, for He could not reveal faster
tlian they could receive. The master can never teacli
quicker than the pupils can learn. Oftentimes tlie
Jews were obliged to learn the same lesson over and
over again ; and after the days of Malachi no new
lesson is taught them. Why ? Because they ha*l
better review the old. The volume of the Mosaic

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JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

dispensation closes by bidding the nation to reflect
on the old lessons, and lay them dce])ly to heart.
" Remember ve the law of Moses mv servant, winch
I commanded nnto him in Iloreb for all Israel, with
the statutes and judgments." That is going back,
you say. No; it is going back in order to go on. Tlie
student who reviews past lessons before the day of
examination is doing better service than he who
learns new ones. And their day of trial was at hand,
the day that would sift every soul of them ; and
Malaehi bids them con over their old lessons and review
their former history and improve upon it before the
coming of the "great and dreadful day of the Lord."
And the four hundred years that elapsed from the
days of Malaehi to the appearance of Jesus Christ
saw, no doubt, a great change in the nation. Well,
then, did the nation arrive at last in a state of pre-
paredness for the coming of Christ ? I answer, Yes.
They were not so prepared as we should like to see
them ; they were not so prepared as to receive Him, in
fact they rejected Him; but they were prepared enough
partly to apprehend the significance of His life and
death. Here we have a proof in the existence of the
New Testament, written by men of that age and
that nation. The disciples afford us a specimen of
the education of the ordinary Jew. They were not
cultivated, but they were not ignorant ; they were
not polished, but they were well versed in the Scrip-
tures; and their previous national training enabled
them to lay hold of the words of Christ, and gradu-
ally by the aid of the Holy Spirit to evolve their

to reflect
to heart,
nt, winch
niel, with
ing back,
I on. The
he day of

he who
5 at liand,
lem ; and
md review
before the
he Lord."

from the
us Christ
p. Well,
te of pre-
wer, Yes.
ike to see
e Him, in
^d enough
s life and
ice of the

age and
ecimen of

were not
;hev were
he Scrip-
g enabled
nd gradu-
olve their

JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

meaning. " God at sundry times and in diveri
manners spoke to the fathers by the prophets," His
words were extensively read and commented upon ;
and no other nation could present such an intelligent
jioiiulace. The Gentiles were taught to ask (jues-
tions ; the Jews were taught to answer them. The
wise men came from the East to Jerusalem, saying,
"Where is He that is born King of the Jews?"
And the scribis answered and said, " In Bethlehem
of Judaea, for thus it is written by the prophet."
The Gentiles asking, the Jews answering.

HI. The world could not produce the
Emmanuel.

He was begotten by the overshadowing of the
Holy Ghost and the power of the Highest. The
world expected Him; the world was prepared for
Him ; yet the world could not produce Him.

I . Look for a moment at heathenism. The heathen
world laboured lono; under the delusion that it could
prow its own Saviour, and God gave it a fair and
ample opportunity of unfolding its resources. The
highest intellectual culture of which human nature
is capable in its sinful state was attained prior to the
Incarnation. The stateliest heights of eloquence
were then reached. Statuary arrived at perfection.
Philosophy never soared higher. Greek poetry re-
mains still unrivalled. God sent His greatest souls
into the world during that period that it might have
every facility of working out its own salvation ; and
if the master minds of classic history failed, then it is

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JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

useless for us who have come after to say that possibly
wc might succeed. The ablest thinkers of the race
lived before Christ, to demonstrate once for all that
if thev failed, much more would we. Their writinirs
occupy the same place in the history of the work!
tlwit the Holy Scriptures do in the history of the
Church. They are the standard of taste in litera-
ture, just as the Bible is the standard of faith in
theolotrv.

All those bright lights had once shone but were
now gone, and tlie world was none the better, but
rather the worse. AH experiments had been tried,
and all had failed. The world was brought to a solenni
and hopeless pause. Men were " sitting in darkness."
There had been a time when they were walking in
darkness, when they were groping in darkness; but
now they are " sitting,'' thoroughly convinced that
no efforts of their own can bring them salvation.
Now, then, is the time for God to interpose. They
have despaired of their religions and philosophies.
These were only torches of their own kindling, and
they rejoiced for a while in their lurid light; but now
rlie last torch has burnt out, and left nothing behind
but darkness and stench ; and therefore it is safe for
God to make His Sun — the Sun of Righteousness —
rise with healing in His wings. Why not make Him
rise earlier? Because men would delude themselves
into the belief that the Sun Himself was only a bigger
torch of their own kindling, and greatly pride them-
selves on their success. They must be first brought
to confess their impotence, their utter inability to

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JBSUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OP HISTORY.

lat possibly
of the race
for all that
:ir writings
the world
ory oF the
I ill litcni-
Dt' faith in

! but were
better, but
been tried,
to a solemn
darkness."
walking in
<ness; but
inced that

salvation,
►se. They
lilosophies.
idling, and
; but now
ing behind

is safe for
iousness —
make Him
themselves
ly a bigger
ride them-
st brought
lability to

produce a Saviour. And at the time of the birth of
Christ that was the general impression. And when
all the earthly lights had been extinguished, the
heavens began to twinkle. " A star appeared unto
them." And they forswore their self- con fidaices
they followed the star and found the Sun. **Tlit
people which sat in darkness saw great light, and tc
them which sat in the region and shadow of doath,
light is sprung up." They found light but did not
kindle it.

2. We have seen that heathenism could not pro-
duce the Saviour; we further notice that Judaism
could not produce Him. The Jews had produced
several false Messiahs lately ; but they were false, aad
it was not in the power of Judaism to bring forth a
true one. Though their knowledge of the Old Tea
tament was very extensive, though they were familmr
with most of the truths enunciated in the New Tes-
tament singly, yet they could not compose one whole
out of them. Their constructive power had died out
They knew that the Messiah was predicted as Divine
and as human; yet they could not bring the two
ideas together and frame an Emmanuel, one who was
very God and very man at the same time. They
knew that He was portrayed as a king and slb a
sufferer, but could not wed the two thoughts together
and see He was a king of spirits, ruling over them in
virtue of His agony and death. They knew these
truths singly and separately; but could neither liar-
monise nor combine them. The most wretched lite-
ralness was prevalent everywhere. Their intdloct

HMH

JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

cjoald only analyse and split; it could not put to-
gether and build. It was the age of scribes, not seers.
Morally they were blind and sterile. Politically they
v^/ere at the lowest ebb ; the sceptre had departed
frum Judah, and a bloodthirsty Edoniite was on the
throne, and he a vassal to Caesar. Intellectually they
Were mere analysts, capable of laying down minute
roiinularies, but not of enunciating any grand prin-
ciple. In every sense their glory was departed. The
voice of revelation had hushed. The tree of Judaism
had borne no fruit for many a long century ; several
buds had been struggling into life ; but they all
withered for want of greater vitality in the tree. It
was old " and ready to vanish away." The last words
rjf the Old Testament s})oke only of fire. " For,
behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven;
and all the proud, and all that do \. ickedly, shall be
Stubble : and the day that cometh shall burn them
upj saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them
neither root nor branch." The nation was like an
aged, decayed tree ; one could not look upon it with-
out tl linking with the prophet what fit fuel it was
for the fire. It was sere and lifeless, barren of fruit,
despoiled of blossom, stripped of foliage. Now then
is the time for the " plant of the Lord, the plant of
renown," to grow. In a meadow in one of the
counties adjoining Wales is a willow tree.

** Aged is the willow,

In the sere and yellow lea^
Seeming to the fancy
Emblematical of grief.

St0(
the
roo
tha
brai
cxci
1 brai
son
woi
the
wafe
vine
to

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JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

t put to-
not seers,
cally they

departed
IS on the
ually they
n minute
rand prin-
ted. The
if Judaism
y; several
t they all
; tree. It
last words
i. " For,

an oven;
y, shall be
lurn them
eave them
as like an
)n it with-
uel it was
n of fruit,
Now then
e plant of
ne of the

** Growing on the willow,

So melancholy bare,
Is a fragrant rosebush

Luxuriantly fair ;
Methought it strange that beauty

Should choose to blossom there.

" Perchance into the willow

Some birds the first germs bore
Of those commingled roses,
Which yearly blossom more."

There the old willow stands still, dead in itself, yet
in summer covered with beautiful roses. Like it was
the condition of the Jewish nation, dead to the very
roots; but when everybody thought its dissolution
was near and inevitable, a lovely rose was seen
growing upon it. The Hose of Sharon displayed
His beauty, and loaded the centuries with His Divine
perfume. How came that to pass ? God let a seed
drop from heaven, and it grew out of the ancient
stock. " And there shall come forth a rod out of
the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his
roots." The house of David was more humiliated
than any other in the land. But when all the
branches were cut down, and nothino; remained
except the bare stem, a rod was seen to grow and a
branch to wave, and on it the most charming blos-
soms. If the branch grew at an earlier period, it
would have been attributed to the latent vitality of
the stem ; but it was now evident to all that the life
wa& long gone out; and when the world was con-
vinced of that, God caused His " plant of renown "
to grow to redeem the former glory of the tree.

JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

The Saviour grew on Judaism, but not out of it«
He is the gift of God.

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IV. As THE Emmanuel was the goal of

ANCIENT, so He is THE STARTING POINT OF
MODERN HISTORY.

Jesus Christ is a new starting point for the race.
The Old Testament begins with the creation of man,
the New with the Incarnation of God. In the open-
ing chapters of the Pentateuch we behold man;
in the opening chapters of the Gospels we behold
" God with man." We are here on the brink of an
awful mystery, and I am not surprised that men
sometimes shrink from believing it. It is almost too
great for belief. " God manifest in the flesh 1 " It
seems sometimes as if we should feel bound to refuse
credence to this doctrine were it not for one con-
sideration, — the greater, and, I might say, the insuper-
able difficulties involved in denying it. There are
difficulties on the side of faith ; there are greater
difficulties on the side of unbelief. That God exists
is a mystery ; that He does not exist is an absurdity.
That God works daily in nature, and can modify,
change, or suspend its laws, is a mystery; that He
cannot modify, change, or suspend them is an absur-
dity. That God should tabernacle in human nature
is a mystery ; that the story of the old world with all
its disquietude and perplexity should culminate in
nothing, and the strange narrative of the last two
thousand years begin in a myth, and be founded on
a lie, is an absurdity. Belief in the Incarnation is

JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

hard, its denial infinitely harder. " Great is the
nivsterv of cfodliness — God manifest in the fiesh."

And it is gratifying to know that the course of
modern history has been steadily upward. Seeing
that it bee-ins from the hiiih vanta<j;e jrround of
Emmanuel, we expect to find corresponding results
markins: it throu^-hout. The Incarnation i>ave God
a firmer and a more vital hold upon the human race ;
we therefore expect to discover in modern historv a
Diviner character and more abundant energy. The
movement of ancient historv was, on the whole,
downward. From comparative liberty the nations
sank into thraldom ; class was in bondage to class ;
at the epoch of which we speak the Caesar had his
foot on the neck of a prostrate world. " It came to
pass in those days that there went out a decree from
Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
And all went to be taxed." The moral life of the
world, too, slanted downward throughout the ages ;
and at the time Jesus Christ was born, it had reached
the lowest possible stage of degradation. In Palestine
religion was a whited sepulchre, full of filthiness and
dead men's bones, neither life, nor warmth, no;-
beauty left. And among the heathen the moral
sense was well-nigh obliterated, moralitv had been
swamped in vice and irreligion. Read the conclud-
ing paragraph in the first chapter of the Epistle to
the Ron)ans; can you conceive a darker picture?
Can the most impure imagination add one shade to
its darkness, or one feature to its horrors? Sins are
mentioned, foul, gross, horrible, which happily have

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JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

I* tjt||!ii'-i;!

been stamped out of modem life. The course of the
world was downward. But there is a line of demar-
cation sharply drawn across history ; a new era was
born differing widely from all previous eras; modern
civilisation is not wilHng to go back more than one
thousand eight hundred ami eighty years, to find its
fountain-head; we make but little more count of the
years before the Incarnation than of the years before
the Flood, they form no part of the real progress of
the race. In the first century of our era something
happened which stopped the downward headlong
career, and changed the entire drift of history.

If we consider the history of the Church, we
observe about that period a great elevation in its
spiritual tone. Humanity is putting forth new
virtues; it is heaving with fresh potencies; it is
all aglow with holy enthusiasm ; it exhibits nobler
courage and develops more heroic qualities of endur-
ance; in a word, we see it quivering with new life.
In the year one of our era the w^orld was lying numb,
bound hand and foot, in dense darkness; before the
year fifty there are magnificent outbursts of fresh
life. In the year one there is a deadly torpor oppress-
ina: the heart of the world, an ominous stillness;
but in a few decades after there is a remarkal)le
movement throughout the nations; there is stir,
commotion, faith, life. Now there is no movement,
especiallv a movement upward, without a mover.
Who, then, is the great Mover that pushes tlie
nations forward in the upward path of progress?
Evidently we must go back to the first beginning of

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JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

rse of the
)t' deniar-
,v era was
; modern
than one
o find its
LUit of the
ars before
roixress of
something

headlong
.ry.

iiireh, we
ion in its
brth new
nes; it is
>its nobler

of endur-
new life.

nvr numb,
before the
s of fresh

)r oppress-
stillness;

emarkai)le

e is stir,

fiovement,

a mover.

ushcs the
progress ?

rinning; of

the movement in the first century; and who there
can be the mover but Jesus Christ, the God-man ?
God in human nature is the mighty power that
carries the world onward.

Ves, vou say, we must confess that Jesus Christ,
God in our nature, is the Creator of modern history,
the energising power of European civilisation ; but
how did He give impetus to the movement ? How
did IJe bring about the change? W'iiat is it in the
Incarnation that did it? I answer — the Incarnation
first changed God's relation to men, and when thev
apprehended that, it changed their relation to Him ;
and a change in their relation to Him necessarily
involved a change in their relation to one another.
That is the true genesis of modern life.

First, God changed His relation to man ; the God
over us is a God with us ; the God who created our
nature is a God in our nature; the Lawgiver has
become a sin-bearer.

Second,. This infinite change in His relation to us
brought about a corresponding change in our relation
to Him, Before Christ, apart from anticipations and
hopes of His coming, mankind regarded God, when
they knew Him at all, as a stern, relentless, infiexible
lawgiver and judge; therefore they recoiled from His
touch, they cowered in His presence. They miglit
give Him their obedience, but they refused Him
their affections. They could perceive no interest in
common between Him and themselves. How to
chaiige their relation to Him? Only bv changing
His relation to them. Loving messages through

JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OP HI3T0RY.

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the prophets could not completely do it; something
more than words, even deeds, were necessary to
restore it. We would not believe in communion
between the Divine and the human till we had seen
them in union. In the history of Moravian Mis-
sions, we read of a missionary who undertook to
make known the unsearchable riches of Christ to
the suffering, despised, down-trodden slaves of the
West Indies. So cruelly were they treated, so hard
were they worked, so mercilessly were they flogged,
that their spirits rankled with bitterest hostility
against the more favoured race which had doomed
them to their sad, hopeless condition. Under such
untoward circumstances the missionary could not
get a hearing. It became a grave problem with him
how to reach their hearts, win their sympathies, and
thus fulfil the purpose of his mission. At last he saw
a way to overcome the difficulty. How ? By selling
himself into servitude. He became a slave ; he par-
took of the same fare, and endured the same priva-
tions as his dusky brethren. Thus he obtained an
access to their hearts. In like manner men, before
Christ, were afraid of God ; " they were all their life-
time subject to bondage." When He spake they
feared and quaked, and " entreated that the Word
should not be spoken to them any more;" they
dreaded His presence, and " hid themselves among
the trees." But at last God rent the heavens and
came down. In the first page of the Gospel we see
not God over us as a taskmaster, but God with us as
a brother ; and as we proceed from page to page, we

■■I

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something
ecessary to
communion
ve had seen
avian Mis-
idertook to
f Christ to
ives of the
;ed, so hard
ley flogged,
st hostiHty
lad doomed
Under such
could not
111 with him
Dathies, and
last he saw
By selling
ve; he par-
same priva-
Dbtained an
men, before
,11 their life-
spake they
the Word
ore;" they
Ives among
leavens and
)spel we see
I with us as
to page, we

JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

behold Him toiling in our world, sharing our con-
dition, and encountering our temptations. ** He
made Himself of no reputation, and took upon
Him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men." " He was made of a woman, made
under the law." What for ? " To redeem them
that were under the law, that ye might receive the
adoption of sons." Men thought that " to be under
the law " was bondage and degradation, but seeing
the only begotten Son " made under the same law,"
our views are changed ; we begin to understand that
" to be under the law " means freedom, and in place
of a sense of slavery, there grows the spirit of liberty.
We looked at a God in the skies with fear and
trembling; the distance between Him and us was
imnieasLirablv great. But when we see Him sending
His Son, " made of a woman, made under the law,"
we beg:in to feel there is a nature in common between
Him and us, and the sense of fear yields to a grow-
ing consciousness of sonship. The Incarnation has
changed our views of God, and, as a consequence,
has revolutionised our feelings towards Him.

Third, This change in men's relations to God has
effected a corresponding change in our relations to
one another. Spiritual freedom has translated itself
into civil liberty; and Divine sonship has construed
itself into human brotherhood. Freedom and brother-
hood I They are the watchwords of modern progress.
Liberty and fraternity! Both are founded on the
Incarnation of the Son of God. Liberty is extending
its sway daily ', new races shake off the fetters of the

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JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

■I'i-

despot; new classes fling away from their wrists the
shackles of the oppressor; fraternity is drawing men
and nations together; the middle wall of partition is
falling; the spirit of equality is stalking on the troubled
sea of European life and politics. Many good con-
scientious people are alarmed, and exclaim, " It is a
ghost;** and like every ghost it at first frightens the
timid and creates much excitement, and, perhaps,
confusion. But by and by a voice will reach us
across the troubled waves, saying, " It is I, be not
afraid ; ** and we shall diseover to our agreeable sur-
prise that it is the spirit of the Master.

Thus the Incarnation has chano-ed the character
of history, and will continue to change it; and not-
withstanding many serious drawbacks and grave
hindrances, the world will progress, till by degrees
the face of the earth will be made like the face of
heaven. Yes, assuredly, the impulse of history is
upward. God is with men bearing them aloft to the
skies. He is a living energy, an irresistible abiding
presence in modern society. It was not enough to
give the world an impulse two millenniums ago and
then leave it. The path of progress is steep and
rugged ; the impulse, therefore, would soon expend
its force, and mankind would again rush along the
downward road to ruin. There must be a con-
tinuous outflow of moral force from Him to us.
Let us then put ourselves in the proper attitude
•* to receive of His fulness, and grace for grace.**

What, then, is the goal which awaits humanity
under the Gospel economy? Its starting point is

JESUS CHRIST THE CENTRE OF HISTORY.

ir^

" God with man ; " its goal will be " man with God."
In ancient history God was coming down; in modern
history man is going up. Ancient history reached
its goal when God partook of human nature ; modern
history will reach its goal when man will partake of
tlie Divine nature. Oh the grandeur of the era in
which we live 1 At its beginning we see God made
in the likeness of man; at its close man made in the
likeness of God. Behind us we behold God coming
down to earth ; before us we behold man going up to
heaven !

W \

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II.

•' Now when Jesus was bom in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of
Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jeru-
salem, saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we
have seen His star in the East, and are come to worship Hira." —
St. Matt. ii. i, 2.

What part of the East the wise men came from we
cannot definitely settle — probably from Persia, or one
of the surrounding countries. Tradition says that
they were three kings, which, however, we dismiss by
simply naming it. They might be kings and they
might be subjects, they might be three and they
might be thirteen, for aught the Evangelist says on
the subject. All we are warranted in gathering from
the narrative is, that they were men of considerable
wealth, and of a sufficiently high standing in society
to obtain from Herod a courteous reception and a
considerate treatment. They were generally known
as the Magi, the priests and philosophers of the East.
The particular form their philosophy took was that
of astrology, or the study of the stars in their bearing
upon human destiny. They believed the heavens
indicated, probably shaped, the course of human
history. This belief of theirs is obviously traceable

■s

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

n the days of
; East to Jeru-
! Jews? for we
rship Him." —

le from we
sia, or one

says that
dismiss by

and they

and they
St says on
ering from
)nsiderable
in society
ion and a
lly known
f the East.

was that
;ir bearing
e heavens
jf human
' traceablfe

in the words of my text : " We have seen His star in
the East, and are come to worsliip Him."

They were stvled wise, not because they possessed
wisdom, but rather because they sought it. At an
earlier date their philosophy wore a more dogmatic
form, but now its dogmatism is toned down into a
fair, candid, anxious inquiry. Youth is always dog*
niatic. The young man propounds his views witli
nuich more confidence and assurance than those ad-
vanced in age and experience. And philosophy in
its youthful days is oftentimes very opinionated, and
sometimes intolerant; but as it grows into maturity
it assumes the accent of the hesitant learner rather
than that of the accomplished teacher. Physical
science in England at the present day is very dicta-
torial and self-sufficing; but .we must not, on the one
hand, be alarmed overmuch, nor, on the other, be too
censorious. She is as yet young. She will grow
wiser as she grows older. Astrology at an earlier
period had made very high pretensions, and talked
very ambitiously : but bitter experience has stripped
her of her delusions; she is now convinced that she
has not possessed wisdom, and that her best course is
humbly to inquire for it.

Philosophy in the West had to go through pre-
cisely the same stages. At the first outset its votaries
called themselves by the once dignified name of
Sophists, the possessors of wisdom ; but as the utter
barrenness of all their speculations became apparent,
they were obliged to relinquish their old position and
abandon tlieir old name, and become not sophists

PHILOSOPHY AND TFIF BARE.

".llrhu!

hut phil()S()j)!icrs — not tlu' possessors oF wisdom but
its lovers. Thcv hail not " .ittaincil, hut prrsscd for-
ward." And if wi" wish to studv the world hcf'orii
Christ with anything like success, this nuist he our
kcv to unravel it. Its attitude was that of inquiry
and expectancy. Humanity was deeply conscious it
had left its moorings ; it tossed restlesslv al)()ut ; it
knew it had lost somethinir, tiioutrh it could not tell
exactly what, and was husily seeking it. Its whole
course was one of intense investigation. Its religions
were experiments rather than solutions; its philoso-
phies queries rather than answers ; its whole litera-
ture was one solenm note of interrosi-ation. It has
been often asked, What was the real nature of the
system propounded and believed in by the sublimest
of ancient thinkers? But it seems to me that he had
no system ; his philosophy was an inquiry, not a
solution; he refutes the fallacious, but seldom lavs
down the true ; his dialogues generrllv close before
the reader can learn his opinion upon the questions
in dispute. He is an incomparable interrogator ; you
must look elsewhere for the answer. He was not tiie
possessor of wisdom, only its lover; not a teacher,
but a seeker. The greatness of the ancient world
culminated in Socrates and Plato, and the greatness
of Socrates and Plato culminated in their power to
ask questions, and not in their power to answer them.
The ancient world started problems; it remained for
the new world to solve them.

And here you will permit me to note one vital
difierence between the wise men of the East and the

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

Wist ami the Founder of Christianity. They Nvere
iiK-re seekers after truth ; He was its revealer. They
were trying to gather together from all (juarters the
treasures of wisdom and of knowledge; in Iliu) all
tiiose treasures dwelt as in their native home. They
eame to the world to seek ideas ; Me eame to the
world to give them. They asked, What is truth?
ill- testified of the truth.

Having premised so mueh, let me have your
attention, if you please, to two points —

I. 'I'he Wise Men seekini:: Ciirist.

II. The Wise Men findiu"- Christ,

I. The Wise Men Seeking Christ.

I. They are presented to us here w^acckcrs. Now,
to seek is a condition with which the wise men of
every age must acquiesce in order to find. There are
soiMC who find Christ without seeking, others find
Ilim only in consequence of seeking. You may
remember that Jesus Christ spoke the two following
parables to His disciples. One is this: "The king-
dom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field,
the which, when a man hath found, he hideth, and
lor joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hatn,
and buyeth that field." Evidently that man was not
seeking treasures ; he was simply walking or working
in the field when he accidentally discovered a treasure,
the value of which suddenly flashed on his mind ;
and he there and then resolved to sell all he had and
buy that field. In the very next verse another par-
able is spoken : " Again, the kingdom of heaven is

■i III'
" III'

I . I

tii''

ip:

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

like unto a merchantman seeking goodly pearls, who,
when he had found one pearl of great price, went
and sold all that he had and bought it.** Unlike the
other, this was anxiously seeking pearls. He was
not merely a man but a merchantman, one whose
avocation it was to find precious stones, and do
merchandise therein. These two parables, placed by
the Saviour in closest juxtaposition, were no doubt
intended to describe two types of men. Some in
every age find Christ without seeking Him ; they
walk through the world thoughtlessly and carelessly ;
but all of a sudden their attention is arrested, the
value of a Saviour flashes on their minds, and, with-
out conferring with flesh and blood, they barter all
they have to possess themselves of the Saviour. But
the wise men belonged to a totally different class.
They were merchantmen in a spiritual sense; it was
their profession to seek the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge; in the course of their studies they had
possibly made a few discoveries ; but none of their
acquirements could appease the vearnings of the
mind ; they had to go on still seeking. And it is
remarkable, that what we call sudden conversions
seldom take place among the intelligent classes of
the community. The dark masses are still visited
bv sudden gleams of heavenly light; but it is ex-
pected of the wise men of every age to seek ere they
find, to follow the glimmering light of the stars
before they are privileged to see the sun. Spiritual
enlightenment generally comes as the reward of
sincere investigation.

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

ice, went

2. The history further shows that they were
earnest seekers. Abundant evidence if this is fur-
nished in the context. They left their homes in the
far East ; overcame difficulties on the road and in
Jerusalem that would have unnerved the hearts of
thousands; offered liberally of their substance — gold,
frankincense, and myrrh ; incurred much expe nsp ;
and, finally, disobeyed the king's commandment, not
counting their lives dear. All this betokened terrible
earnestness. Bear also in mind that thev^ lived in an
age in which all the old systems, religious and philo-
sophic, had miserably collapsed. The hewn cisterns,
which never held much water, had thrown off their
hoops and given way. Some tried to forget their
forlorn condition in levity, some in animalism, others
in scepticism and despair. But in the East and in
the West there were a few choice souls which wit-
nessed the ruinous failure of philosophy with sadness,
if not with dismay; they sent a half-articulated cry
to heaven, muffled and sorrowful, like the sound of
a heart breaking. They felt they never could be
satisfied with the visible and material. Man siffhs
with grnanings which cannot be uttered for the
Infinite. If you apply a shell to your ear, you will
find in it reminiscences of its original home. The
roar of the sea, the wail of the wind, the gr ;an of
the dying wave are all discernible therein ; it has the
witness in itself that it belongs to the might v deep.
And if we only listen attentively to the human heart,
we will find constant proofs of her destined abode ;
the sighs and the yearnings, the dreams and the

¥1 ■

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

:4'

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|!i|i|!i:i|

liii

I i.iii

tears, the sadness and the music — all testify that we
are made for God, and that the Divine only can
satisfy our wants. Perhaps no more telling proof
of this can be adduced than the very science which
these men pursued. The study of the stars had its
origin in the vague, yet intense, aspiration of the
soul for the High, Holy, and Sublime. It was some-
thing to gratify the heavenward breathings of the
soul. And in the transition from astronomy to
astrology there was a tremendous effort on the part
of man to grasp the heavens, and to link his destiny
to the Higher Powers. Astrology, magic, and all
the kindred arts testify to the immortal longings of
humanity ; it was not, however, in the power of any
or all of these to pacify those longings. Human
wisdom in none of its wide domains could grow that
which would break the hunger of the spirit. Instead
of water it had only the sand of the mirage to offer ;
instead of bread it had only the stones of the desert
to give. And now the initiated Magi, the very priests
themselves, are turning away to seek satisfaction
in another quarter. Tl'^ir hungering for wisdom
was simply agonising. The shadows of things in the
heavens they had seen, now and again, flitting before
them in visions and dreams; but the things them-
selves they had not yet beheld ; yet the sight of the
shadow sufficed to convince them of the existence of
the reality somewhere. We should never see the
shadow of a bird gliding softly across the field were it
not that a real bird is flying in the air. We should
never see a moon in the pool on the roadway, were it

1fi

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

y that we
only can
ing proof
nee which
rs had its
3n of the
was some-
lo-s of the
onomy to
I the part
lis destiny
ic, and all
ono;ino:s of
ver of any
Human
grow that
Instead
e to offer ;
the desert
^ery priests
atisfaction
3V wisdom
ncvs in the
ing before
njTS them-
ght of the
xistence of
cr see the
eld were it
We should
ay, were it

not that a real moon is shining in the sky. The
shadow of truth proves the existence of the reality
somewhere. And these Magi are hungering and
thirsting after true satisfying wisdom. " All that a
man hath will he give for his life," said Satan once ;
but surely he has found out his mistake before to-
day. Looking upon the wise men and kindred souls
in different countries, one might venture to affirm
that man would gladly forfeit life itself for wisdom ;
for what is life worth without wisdom ?

3. We further learn from this narrative that the
wise men sought Christ revere?? th/. All the context
bears witness :o their deep reverence. They saw the
mysterious and wondrous star in the East, and fol-
lowed its beckoning ; it could speak to them about
higher things than navigation, and the best time to
unfurl the sails to the wind; it could speak to them
about worship ; and having found the young child,
notwithstanding His poor surroundings, they fell down
and worshipped Him. They declared that they had
come from the far East for the express purpose of
worship. Surely their sense of veneration must have
been very intense to induce them to travel all that
distance to gratify it. " We are come to worship
Him." This is refreshing to contemplate in an age
which was driven by the fruitlessness of all previous
searchings, either to superstition on the one hand, or
to unbelief on the other. There were plenty of credu-
lous people about — astrology had degenerated into
magic. There were plenty of scoffers about — philo-
sophy had drivelled into scepticism. But here is a

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

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band of men who still believe in the existence of
truth ; and who, permeated with reverence, verging
on awe, incur much trouble and expense, and set out
on a fresh pilgrimage after truth — after that wisdom
which, according to tradition, dwelt in the bottom of
some well or other. Mav be they will find her in the
well of Bethlehem ! No studv, if honestly and faith-
fullv pursued, tends more directly than astronomy to
ennoble the mind, to expand its powers, to fill it with
solemnity, and to excite it to adoration and praise.
You look up and see the stars stretching out on every
hand, far, far into infinity. You turn your eyes to
the sky, and are overwhelmed with a sense of the
boundless and the vast. You try to take a survey of
the illimitable fields of immensity, and your nature
instinctively strives to grow and swell, that it may
mirror them back in all their amplitude. You, more-
over, pursue it under the deep shades of the night,
the shadow and symbol of the Inscrutable. I can
never walk out in the nio^ht and meditate seriously on
the awful blank round about me, but I feel engulfed
in infinite sadness and infinite mystery. And the
Magi were students of the night, the mother of re-
verence and devotion. And whenever a frivolous,
sneering spirit creeps over us, we can do nothing
better than steal out to the still, aud sable, and solemn
ni<rht: and the probability is- that our hearts will be
subdued into awe. We speak flippantly enough of
the "dim, religious light;" but the words embody a
deep and lasting truth — dimness tends to foster reve-
rence. The consciousness of this guided our fore-

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

:istence of
:e, verging
ind set out
lat wisdom
bottom of
her in the
and faith-
iron omy to
) fill it with
and praise,
ut on every
mv eyes to
2nsc of the
a survey of
,'our nature
hat it may
You, more-
• the night,
Die. I can
seriously on
^el enffulfed
And the
other of re-
a frivolous,
do nothing
and solenm
sarts will be
' enough of
s embody a
foster reve-
d our fore-

fathers in the construction of worshipping-places;
tiiev felt that daylight, if too glaring, tended to dissi-
pate the sense of devoutness. This is the truth that
(Tiiidcd the ancient Britons — whose Druids belonged
to the same fraternity as the Magi, and whose
functions, social and religious, were nnich the same —
to the woods, there to adore the inefl'able Light under
the deep shades of the spreading oak. This was one
reason, perhaps, why God planted the Garden of
Kden with trees and placed man there, for humanity
feels a strong impulse to fall on its knees whenever it
walks among trees. This, too, is the reason why all
nations of antiquity had their sacrificial groves, and
chose the hour of twilio;ht, mornin<j; and eveninir, as
the fittest season to offer worship to their respective
ixods.

But, as already intimated, the learning of that age,
as a whole, was pervaded with an irreverent, unbe-
lieving spirit. It was a very superficial age, a very
sliallow age. Faith had died out. The Magi were
the exception and not the rule. And, looking upon
the history of human knowledge for the last two
centuries, what must we say is one of its character-
istics? I am afr .id we must point out irreverence as
the chief. With his usual insight, a great poet has
depicted the devil of the eighteenth centurv as a sar-
castic, sneering, irreverent scoffer. That appears to
me to be the radical idea of a devil — an inveterate
scoffer. Read the Book of Job, where, if the received
clironology be right, we find the first sketch of him
on record. What sort of a devil is portrayed there?

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

■

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Read the first two ehapters and you will find that he
is the embodiment of utter irreverence. So irreve-
rent is he that he jests in the presence of the Eternal ;
so irreverent is he as to sneer at virtue in a special
meeting of the sons of God ; so irreverent is he as to
talk of blasphemy beneath t4ie effulgence of the Divine
and holy Eye that rests upon him. That was the
devil of the days of Job — the embodiment of utter
irreverence. Ikad the last great poet of Europe, and
vou will discover that that was also the devil of his
days — a sneering, jesting, frivolous, light-headed,
light-hearted spirit. The age was ingrained with un-
holv levitv. Voltaire, its guiding genius, could not
ask a serious question nor entertain a solemn thought.
He never asked what was true in the world, what was
true in humanity, what was true in religion. He
only asked what was false, what was ridiculous, what
was out of joint. To him the earth was nothing
better than a paradise of fools, and he a fool among
the rest. And in a world like ours, where sin has
deranged the faculties and depraved the affections,
there is abundance of things out of gear which a
jester may laugh at. Irreverence had impregnated
the age. It has not disappeared altogether yet ; would
to God it had ! It still lingers, especially in that
branch of natural science which concerns itself about
the earthly and minute. It may be partly accounted
for, perhaps, on this principle : there is an ineradicable
belief in man that he is the lord of Nature, and, there-
fore, her superior ; that he is greater than anv truth
he may discover, for, certainly, the discoverer is

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

id that he
So irreve-
e Eternal ;
[1 a special
is he as to
the Divine
Lt was the
It of utter
urope, and
devil of his
;ht-headed,
;d with un-
could not
in thought,
i, what was
iffion. He
ilous, what
as nothing
^ool among
ere sin has
affections,
ir which a
npregnated
vet; would
ly in that
itself about
accounted
neradicablc
and, there-
i any truth
scoverer is

greater than the discovery ; and if a man spends his
life in exclusively prosecuting a line of study in which
he meets with nothing greater tlian himself, the sense
of reverence gradually dies out of his breast. And I
am sometimes disposed to think that the greatest
dancrer that threatens the Nonconformity of Enirland
and Wales in the present day is lack of deep awe and
ffodlv fear. The worshipping-jilaccs have been frc-
quentlv constructed, and the services conducted, on
a principle which tends directly to slav the sense of
reverence in the worshipper. How else can we
account for the grievous defections to Rationalism on
every hand ? On what other principle can we account
for the fact that some of the eminent churches of the
Puritan period, over which such men as Matthew
Henry presided, fast degenerated into Unitarianism ?
I account for it partly on this wise — that, in the
desire to avoid the extreme of Popery, they fell into
the other extreme, and the sense of reverence was
graduallv stifled in the heart. And once a man loses
the sense of reverence he is essentiallv a Rationalist ;
you can make nothing else of him. Fn vain the stars
look down upon him from above as if they were
angels' eyes suffused with love — he does not under-
stand their language. In vain the evening zephvrs
play among the flowers — he hears no Divine Voice
walkino; in the warden. In vain is there a rustlino;
of leaves among the mulberry trees — he sees no white-
winged angels between the branches. In vain would
God rend the heavens and disclose to his vision the
unsullied brightness of the oreat white throne — he

PHILOSOPHY AND THK HABK.

.i'li

would onlv theorise on the nature of its jxranite.
" Instead of drinking the water of life he will ana-
lyse it; instead of eating the heavenlv manna he
will speeulat'j on its make." " Fools rush in where
angels fear to tread." Parents, eultivate reverence in
your own hearts; eultivate reverence in the hearts of
your children. Reverence becomes the worship of
bod.

" EartlTs crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God ;
But only he, who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it and phick blackberries.**

4. We further learn from this story that God
assisted thejn in the search. " We have seen His star
in the East." This star has caused a great deal of
fruitless discussion. God put it in the sky to guide
the wise men of old ; but by some means or other it
serves to confound the wise men of the present.
Sonie sujipose it to be a comet ; some a special
meteor obeying special laws; some see in it the
Shekinah of Judaism. Kepler arrived at the con-
clusion that it was a strange conjunction of the
three planets — Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, and an-
other strange star, such as occurred only once since,
in the year 1603. His astronomical calculation
agrees perfectly with the appearance of the star to
the Magi. It looks certainly a very plausible expla-
nation. The other views are only suppositions ;
this is a supposition backed by demonstration. But,
whatever hypothesis we adopt, it must at last come
to this — the star was to the wise men a supernatural

PHILOSOPHY ANlJ THE BABt.

o-iiidc. Bv means oF it GoJ iruided them to the
cradle of the Infant Kedeemcr.

But we are not to sii))|)ose tliat Divine help was
confined to a few IVJagi. God had heen edncating
the whole Gentile world. That world, it is true,
uroped in darkness; hut the darkness was not total.
There was a glinnner of light, a star twinkling
above it; not enough to chase the darkness, hut
(juite enough to show it. There were ravs of pure
lii'ht streakinir the firmament of the Gentile world.
The sj)irit that decries the excellences of the heathen
world is greatly to he deprecated. To call the stars
" dark spots " in the sky, does not in the least degree
enhance the brilliancy of the sun. Better call light
litrht, thono;h it be but a sinirle rav. In the philo-
sophv of those who were outside the connnonwealth
of Israel, we see irlinnnerintrs of the true; in their
poetry and sculpture, wonderful conceptions of the
beautiful ; in their history, many examples of the
most heroic virtue. But such sentiments are op-
posed to received dogm.a, you say, which dogma
denies the possibility of virtue apart from Christ, and
goes the length of calling their very excellences only
" splendid sins." The worse for the dogma, then, I
say. I freely admit that virtue is not possible apart
from Christ, any more than flowers can grow with-
out liirht and heat. The Bible clearly teaches so
much. But if we say that the existence of virtue
depends upon our hold on Christ, we assert that for
which we have no warrant. The existence of virtue
depends, according to the Bible, not upon our hold

!'i

Til .

PHILOSOPHY AND THi: BABE.

ill'

:j',i:

on Christ, but upon His hold on us ; and He has a
hold on us oftentimes before we have a hold on Him;
and that is the root of all goodness. The litrht is
not o/'miin — there your dogma is right; but, thougli
it is not of man, yet it is in man— there your dogma
is wronff. " This is the true liirlit, that htrhtetli evcrv
man that cometh into the world." Well, do I not
believe in original sin ? Certainly I do ! and I
believe in oritrinal lijrht too. I believe in original sin
through the transgression of the earthly parent ; and
I believe in original light through the grace of the
Heavenly Parent by means of the Eternal Word.
Original sin is only half the truth ; original light is
the other half; and you must have the two halves to
form the complete circle. " This is the true light,
that lighteth every man that cometh into the world."
This light burned in the spirits of the heathen — not,
indeed, with noonday splendour, not even with the
soft light of the roseate dawn, but with the glinmier-
inir litrlit of the stars. God was silently educatinii;
the nations of the earth ; He was preparing them for
the advent of Jesus Christ in the flesh.

And we must not forget that a Divine star is shed-
ding down its soft pure light on the science of the
present day. Do you think God takes no interest in
the march of intellect? Do you think the procession
goes by and He heeds it not ? No : God is leading
the van. Scientific men, many of them, are serving
a Master they know not. Cyrus, though ignorant
of God, did the work of the ancient Church man-
fully and creditably; and many men of science^ who

PHILOSOPHY AND THE RABE.

le has a
in HiiTi;

liirht is
, thougli
r dogma
th every
lo I not
! and I
irinal sin
nt ; and
e of the
.1 Word.

light is
halves to
lie light,
; world.'*
en — not,
with the
Tlinnner-
ducatiniz;

hem for

is shed-
e of the
iterest in
rocession

lead in 2
e serving
ignorant
ch man-
nce, who

will have none of onr Christianity, do it great and
solid service; and by and by it will be seen that the
wise men have been taken in the craftiness of their
hearts, and that they have been, if not journeying
themselves towards Bethlehem, then j)reparing the
wav for others to travel there. Men of science are
doing solid service to the cause of Christ. As sure
as that Eastern star pointed to the Saviour, so does
each of her sister stars. "We have seen His star in
the East ; ** and have we not seen it in tlie West ?
Are not all the stars His? And this is the grand
ultimate purpose of nature — to testify to Christ.
This is the final aim of philosophy — to pave the way
for Christianity. *' Search the Scriptures," said
the Saviour once, "for in them ye think ye have
eternal life, and they are they which testify of Me."
The Jews blindly believed that eternal life was
contained in the Book which tliey daily read and
expounded. " You are mistaken," says the Saviour:
" eternal life is not, cannot be in a book ; eternal life
is in Me ; and the Book was given you to lead you
to Me, who can c:ive you all that you need." He
addresses the same kind of lano-uaffc to the students
of physical science at the present day : " Ye search
the elements of nature, for in them ye tl ink ye have
all that is requisite for the development and perfec-
tion of the race ; but the elements of nature are they
which testify of Me." They think the new Gospel
of Science can yield satisfaction to human nature j
but science was not desiirned to yield it — she is
intended to lead to Christ, who can abundantly

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

■ ; 11

't 'it

I'"?

ill

supply all our need. The paircs of Nature, ponderous
thousrh thev be, testify of Hiuj : and if we fail to see
His name inscribed in the rock, then we do not
understand geolo'iv in its profoundest import. "The
roek was Christ." if we cannot decipher His name
in the flowers of the field, we do not apjireciate hotanv
on its divincst and most delicate side. '' I am the Rose
of Sharon, and the Lily of the valleys." If we do not
hear the evening zephyrs chanting His name, and the
purling brook singing a song about 11 im, then tlie
hiirhest simiificance of Nature is hid from our eyes.
" They are they which f^stify of Me." But, to attain
this desirable end, science must submit to be en-
lightened by revelation ; philosophy nuist go to
theology for the solution of her greatest problems.
Philosophy can ask questions; revelation only c:\n
answer them. I told you just now that the great-
ness of the ancient world culminated in its power to
ask questions; beyond that it could not go. And
here we see human piiilosophy coming to Divine
revelation with a question on its lips — " Where is
He that is born King of the Jews? " It could only
ask it, it could not answer it; it had to look to theo-
logy for the answer. To be a doctor of philosophy
is a noble distinction enough, for aught I know; but
the doctors of philosophy must go to Jerusalem to
the doctors of theology to be enlightened on the
greatest questions. " Behold, there came wise men "
— the doctors of philosophy — " from the East to
Jerusalem, saying. Where is He that is born King
of the Jews? " ** And the chief priests aiid scribes "

PHILOSOPHY AND THK BAnE,

— the doctors^ of theoloirv — " answcrctl, Fii F^itliK'hi'in
of Jiidira, for thus it is written 1)V the j)r(»|)het."
IMiilos()|)hv askiiitr, tlieoloirv answerintj; ; siieiue
(jiiestioiiiiig, Cliristi.inity solving; tlie old world
startiii<r problems, the new world settling thenj.

11. The wish mkn finding CiiRrsr.

I. Flere let me remark that they were seekiiii: a
person. Thev were not seekinir a system, or a
theory, or a religion — their hearts were set upon a
person. Man eannot find rest in a system, thouirh
it be the right one; he eannot find peace in a tbeorv,
though it be the true one; he eannot find (juiet in a
religion, though it be a Divine one — Judaism was
divine, but it afforded no home to the human heart.
I am a person, and in a person only ean I find repose.
Were I onlv a thintr, 1 mii^ht feel at home amonj;
thinirs. Were I nothinir but intelleet, I niiirht fiiul
rest in a theory. Were I nothing but eonseienee, I
njight find peace in religion. But I am difl'erent from
each of these, and diH'erent from their sum total. I
am a person, and in a person only ean I find rest
Mv whole nature cries out, " Where is lie that is
born King of the Jews ? '*

3. But it was not a mere person that thev sought
— that person must be a King. Man is created to
rule and have dominion; but it is equally true, much
truer, that he is made to serve and obey. It is
inscribed deeply on his nature that he is a subject,
and that in subjection his true happiness consists;
wherefore, he has been going about through the ages

nin

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

lookir.ff for a King:. Only some three or four years
ago we witnessed the sad spectacle of a large country
going the round of Europe looking for a ruler. Wliy,
it is only what the world has been doing; ever since
the Fall. Man is always seeking a King, for he feels
in the depths of his being that he is never so great
as in the presence of his greater. , Let a great uian
appear in the w^orld, and smaller men spontaneously
rally round him; for they feel they are never so great
as in the presence of their greater, never so noble as
in doinii ^he work of obedience. " He that is ureat
among you, let him be the servant of all." That is
an axiom engraved within us before Christ formu-
lated it into words and connnittcd it to the pages
of inspiration. Mankind desire a king — one whose
behests they deem it all honour to obey, and in
whose presence they think it exaltation to bow. On
what other principle can we account for the terrible
despotisms that have crushed the world? How were
they possible, a few tyrannising over millions? They
were possible only ori one condition, that they were
a response, or the semblance of one, to a deep craving
implanted in our nature by the Creator. "Where
is He that is born King?" The vast empires were
only answers to the question — false ones if you like,
but answers nevertheless — and the poor distracted
heart of humai:ity deenjcd any answer better than
none at all. And please to mark the language of
the text, "In the days of Herod the king" — mark
that — " behold, there came wise men from the East
to Jerusalem, saying, Wliere is He that is born King?"

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

>>>

In the days of one king they cried otit for another.
Herod did not reach their ideal ; Ninirod, " the
mighty hunter," did not come up to their standard;
Caesar did not satisfy their expectations. In the davs
of all those kings humanity was asking for another.
They were made kings ; we wanted a horn king.
They were manufactured rulers, many of them of
a verv raw material ; we wanted a ruler in his
native rijiht. Thev rcicrncd bv risrht of blood,
or right of conquest, or right of power; we
wanted a kinir that should rei<rn bv rijxht divine.
"Where is He that is horn King?" cried the nations.
" We have had enough of vour made kings and
manufactured rulers ; cfive us a kini»; whose crown is
the blossom of his nature, and whose sceptre is the
outcome of his heart ; give us one that is a horn
king."

3. The story further teaches that they sought a
king and found a Child. There is something very
remarkable in the fact that they came from the
distant East, and after all their sojourning and seek-
inii: found onlv a — Child. Yet it was worth all their
toil and trouble to learn the hard, but precious lesson,
that true greatness consists in childlikeness. The
world all the aii;es througjh had been irrowimr awav
from the Child ; its notions of greatness lay quite
in the opposite pole. The Evil Spirit in his interviev/
with our first parents succeeded in confusin»r tlie
mind of the world relative to this point, and to put
the case altogether on a false issue. *' Ye shall be as
gods," said he, " knowing good and evil." He put

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PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

likeness to God to lie in knowledge ; and the whole
drift of the Divine education of the race has been to
counteract that notion, and teach us that it consists
not in knowledge or power either, but in childlikc-
ncss. As wc review tlic historv of the world we sec
it dividing itself into three stages. In the first,
Power is niatrnified, Force is deified. The jrreat
man is the strous: man. In that era Nimrod is
the hero after the world's heart ; strength receives
the homaire of men. In the S'.cond stasrc Power is
pushed back a step or twi), and Intellect comes to the
front. The great man is the intellectual man. In
that era Homer is the favoured idol before whom the
j)opulacc delight to bow ; genius receives the homage
'^f men. But Christianity has inaugurated a new
period ; it points tlie world not to Nimrod or Homer,
hilt to a Child — not to Power or Genius, but to
(jroodness. The o;reat man of the future will be the
good man. The time is fast approaching when good-
ness will be the regnant power on the earth.. Most
men live through these eras in their individual history.
I rciuember a time when^ if any one mentioned the
names of Napoleon Buonaparte or the Duke of
Wellington, my heart responded in admiration, and I
wished to become a soldier. I remember a time after
that when, if you mentioned the names of Shake
speare or Milton, mv heart responded in admiration,
and I wished to be a poet. Yes ; I have had mv
heroes, and I have worshipped them devoutlv. But,
were I to tell vou mv experience to-day, it is this^ — I
have lost a great deal of mv respect for power; I

PHILOSOPHV AND THE BABE.

have lost a great deal of my admiration for genius;
the suprenic desire of mv heart to-day is that I may
be a good man, a childlike man, one whose life and
character will mirror the Divinity. The great man
of the future will be the good man. " Blessed are
the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." That
verse ha)- always been more or less evaded by com-
mentators ; but it seems to me that the meaning is
that the era is to arrive when meekness, goodness, is
to be the regnant virtue — the Queen to which all
other powers a'-e to bend. Power has had its era —
it has reigned ; but its reign has come to an end.
Genius has had its era — it has reigned ; but its reign
is fast closing. Goodness will have its era i:. -^ when
the world will transfer its homage from men of power
and men of genius to men of goodness. The great
man of the future will be the good man. The period
is fast dawning when a good man, though dependent
upon public charity for a living, shall be more
honoured than the hero of a hundred battles, or the
mightiest unsanctified genius that has flashed its
brilliant, lurid light across the centuries. " Blessed
are the meek, for thev shall inherit tlie earth." The
old world reached the goal oF its education in its
recognition and worship of the Divinity of the
child-like. "Except ye be converted, and made
like little children, ve cannot enter the kingdom
of heaven."

4. Having found the Child, their seeking cawe to
an end. Thev had fully attained their object. " The
tar stood over where the young child was." Heaven

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and earth here found a meeting place. Angelic
intelligences had, douhtless, hcen pursuing truth
throughout the ages; and, having made one dis-
covery, would turn their backs on it, and proceed to
make another; having found one truth, they would
leave it behind and go in search of a greater; but
here at last they have reached, the climacteric of
truth — they have discovered the King — beyond this
they cannot go. " The star stood ; " heaven has
found a resting-place; angels look down, with out-
stretched necks, in rapt amazement to behold Him
whose name is Wonderful. I know not how vast is
the range of the knowledge possessed by angels and
archangels; but I venture to think that they know
of nothing nobler than the Incarnation — that they
have discovered no truth which will eclipse " God
manifest in the flesh." And here also the wise men
found the object of their search ; where the heavens
rested, there the earth rested too — " over the place
where the young Child was." Finite intelligences
cannot go beyond this ; neither angels nor men can
turn their backs on the Incarnation in hope of find-
ing more glorious truths. I do not say that we can-
not turn our backs on Christ, if we like ; but I do
say that we cannot turn our backs on Him, and go
on. Many in England and on the Continent turn
their backs on Flim every year; but it does not
require much sagacity to perceive that from the
moment they leave Him they begin to retrograde.
The wise men of the East might turn their backs on
Zoroaster, and go on. The wise men of the West

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might turn their backs on Plato and Aristotle, and
go on. The wise men of Judaea might t irn their
backs on Moses and David and Isaiah, and go on.
But men cannot turn their backs on Christ, and — go
on. If you leave Christ, you must go back — there
is nothing else for you. "The star stood " — and the
wise men stood — " over the place where the young
child was." Heaven and earth had reached their
goal.

5. Having found Him, " they fell down and wor-
shipped Him." I otllcr vou no explanatory remarks
upon these words. I let tliem alone in their grandeur.
" They fell down and worsliipped Him." Repetitions
like this do not accord well with the laws of homi-
letics, perhaps, but there are occasions when I like
them. " They fell down and worsliipped Him." A
memorable spectacle that ! The wise men, their
venerable tresses grey with age, their long, silverv
beards flowing down their chests, and that look of
mvsteriousness which the studv of astrolosrv and a
continued peering into the future inevitably engender,
combined with the dignified visage of the Eastern
hierarchy — the ancient and renowned re])resentatives
of the riches, and the philosophies, and the religions^
of the world, prostrating themselves before the un- V
conscious Infant. " They fell down and worshipped
Him." They are only the first-fruits; the harvest is
to follow. The princes of this world are to bow
before Him. Now they make obeisance to one
another; they worship success, they respect station
and pomp. But tlie mighty ones of the earth are to

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PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

learn that there is something better than success and
nobler than rank — '

** Rank is but the guinea's stamp ;
Man is the gold for all that."

^Wealth must learn to acknowledge the greatness
of the Babe, though it can boast of no better birth-
place than a stable. And by the side of wealth,
human learning is to bow its head in silence and
awe. Isaiah, in the glorious vision granted him, saw
the seraphim above the Throne of Glory ; " each one
had six wings ; with twain he covered his face ; and
with twain he covered his feet; and with twain he
did fly." Of the six wings they used four for adora-
tion and praise ; two only they used for private pur-
poses. Of the six they gave four to God, and kept
only two for themselves. And there live men in our
age of vast capacity and unsurpassed culture; they
are richly endued with six wings ; but, alas ! with the
six do they fly; they devote all their wondrous facul-
ties to further their own ends, and none to promote
the worship and service of God. But as sure as the
wise men of old went to Bethlehem to worship the
mystery of the Incarnation, the wise men of the
future will follow in their track. With twain will
they cover their face; with twain will they cover
their feet as they bow themselves in the presence of
the Babe; and twain only will they reserve for pri-
vate and secular purposes. Four-sixths of human
nature are intended for communion with the higher
world: onlv two-sixths for connnunion with the
world of sense.

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

We are further taught that they accompanied their
devotion with fitting gifts. " And when they had
opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts;
gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." To the devotion
of the Spirit we must add the gifts of the hand.
And please to observe that they opened their trea-
.:i res of their own accord, and made the gifts at the
spontaneous impulse of their hearts. The Gospel
never opens men's treasures for them ; that it leaves
them to do for themselves. What, then, does the
Gospel do? The Gospel opens the heart; but,
believe me, whenever the Gospel opens the heart,
the hands open the coffers. It is a mistake to
suppose that Christianity breaks open your safes
against your wish; it only breaks open the heart.
And it is a mistake, on the other hand, to think that
the Gospel has opened the heart when the hands
refuse to open the treasures. " They fell down and
worshipped Him ; and when they had opened their
treasures, they presented unto Him gifts — gold,
frankincense, and nivrrh." Do vou hear, ve rich
men of England ? " Gold ! gold ! gold ! and fran-
kincense and myrrh." Here is the culmination of
religion, the union of devotion and service. The
angels, according to the vision, have wings; but
underneath the wino;s thev have hands. Thev have
winjTS wherewith to cover themselves in the Divine
Presence; they have hands wherewith to make them-
selves useful in the Divine service. The IVing and
the Hand: godliness first, usefulness afterwards.
" They fell down and worshipped Him " — there you

PHILOSOPHY AND THE BABE.

.sec godliness; "and when they had opened their
treasures, they presented unto Him gifts" — there
\()u see usefuhicss. Some Cliristians seem to have
winirs but no hands; others seem to have hands but
no wings; but the perfect Christian, like the perfect
angel, has wings and hands : wings to join in the
worship of God, hands to serve in the Church of
God!

I II''.

III.

3ofjn tije Baptist

" In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of
Judoea, and saying, Repent ye : for the kingdom of iicavcMi is at
hand." — St- Matt. iii. i, 2.

There lived in the hill country of Judcea two aged
people oF the name oF Zacharias and Klisabeth his
wiFe. " Thev were both righteous beFore God,
walkinij; in all the coinniandments and ordinances oF
the Lord blameless." Some people are very obser-
vant oF the commandments whilst neslectFul oF tlie
ordinances. Others, again, are observant oF the
ordinances whilst neirlectFul oF the conmiandments.
But Zacharias and h^lisabeth his wiFe were equally
observant oF both. " They walked in all the com-
mandments and ordinances oF the Lord blameless."

To this aged couple was born a child, who mav
very ap))ropriatelv be called a "child oF mirack-."
This is the child spoken oF in the text as John the
Baptist; and my object will be to give you a brieF
sketch oF the liFe, character, and ministry oF this
remarkable man.

L "In those days came John the Baptist.'* We
shall stop there, in the first place, For by so doing an

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JOHN THE BAPTIST.

opportunity will be given us of directing attention to
John's character as a man.

1. John was a man of extraordinary pieti/. " He
shall be filled vvitli the Holy Ghost even from his
mother's womb," filled with a view, not to inspira-
tion, but to sanctification. Paul also was " separated
unto God from his mother's womb," that is, set apart
and mentally endowed for his allotted task in the
world. But he was not filled with the Holy Ghost
and sanctified — that belonged to the period of his
manhood. But John was " filled with the Holv
Ghost even from his mother's womb " — he was a
godly child, a godly boy, a godly man, the greatest
saint probably of his dispensation.

2. His piety was marked by extreme abstemious'
ness. He was a Nazarite from his cradle to his
grave. His abstemiousness shows itself in his drink.
" He shall drink neither wine nor strong drink," said
the an2;el of him before his birth ; or according to
Wiclifi'e's translation of the Bible, " he shall drink
neither wine nor cider." We must not forget that
cider also is included in the list of intoxicating
beverages, and is forbidden to the total abstainers of
the present day just the same as to the Nazarites of
ancient times. His monasticism is further shown in
his food. " His meat was locusts and wild honey."
By " locusts " here I prefer understanding a species
of grasshoppers well known in the East, and by
"wild honey" the honey deposited by the Palestinian
bees in the clifts of the rocks. "This same John had
his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle

JOHN THE BAPTIST.

about his loins" — a loose coarse robe fastened around
the l)ody with a belt of skin, liear also in niind that
as a life-long Nazarite neither scissors nor a razor
had ever come near his head. His hair had never
been cut, his beard never trimmed. Portray to your-
selves, accordingly, the hermit who came preaching in
the u'ilderness of Judaea: a tall, lank man; beard
shaggv and flowing down the chest ; hair long, dis-
hevelled, unkempt, growing in wild profusion ; eyes
flashing fire; visage wan and spectral; a coarse
rough cloak tiglitly strapped round the loins; his
daily fare being water, grasshoppers, and honey.

" Parched body, hollow eyes, some uncouth thing
Made him appear long since from earth exiled."

3. Partly as a consequence of his Nazaritic obliga-
tions, his dwelling was in the wilderness. " He
abode in the desert until his appearing unto Israel."
Herein we partly see the diflbrence between the Old
Testament and the New Testament holiness. The
Old Testament holiness manifested itself principally
in isolation from the world. Its primary idea was
separation. The word *Mioliness" meant separation.
But the New Testament holiness consists, not in
separation from the world, but in the pervasion of the
world. Its primary idea is permeation. The King-
dom of God under the Old Testament was " like
unto leaven which a woman took " and hid away by
itself. But the Kini2;dom of God under the New
Testament is " like unto leaven which a woman took
and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was

' HI

JOHN TMK UAPTIST.

leavened." Under the Old Testament, separation;
under the New, i)ernieati{)n. I lenee John lived and
lal)()ured in the wilderness; he was the last and
highest end)()dinient of tlie Old Testament holiness.
But Jesus Christ lived and lahoured in towns; Me
was the first and hi<jhest embodiment oF the New
Testament holiness. It follows, therefore, that soei.d
life is a hiirhcr style of life than the monastie ; to
serve God in towns is nobler and diviner than to
serve Him in deserts.

4. At tlie age of tliirtv, the " word of the Lord
came unto John " — he received his oOicial call to be
a prophet. "There was a man sent from God, whose
name was John." Tliat verse shows the hollowness
of the theory that John the Baptist or any one of
the prophets or apostles was the product of his age,
the incarnation of the tendencies silently working in
contemporaneous society. Can darkness produce
light, or pollution engender holiness? Could the
most degraded age in the history of Judaism produce
the greatest man of the dispensation ? I trow not.
The Pharisees and Sadducees were the products of
the age, not John. John did not so much QoxnQJriym
society as to society. He had not a mission y/vw/ his
age, but a mission to his age. He borrowed not his
lio-ht from his generation: say rather that iiis genera-
tion borrowed itslioht from him. Were he of the at^c
he would have swum with the current. But instead
of that, we see him meeting it, opj^osing it, resisting
it with might and main. A grand sight that! A
lean, emaciated, spectral monk, a veritable son of the

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JOHN THE BAPTIST.

desert, hovering on tlic frontiers of the two worlds,
confronting liis age, keeping it at l)av, hurhng de-
lumeiations hke ilaniing thunderbolts into its midst,
till he made it (juiver with emotion from Dan to
Beerslieba ! 'I'he nature and magnitude of the work
he had to do depended on the age. But the worker
derived his energy and momentum and inspiration,
not from the aire, hut from the heavens. "'I'iiere was
a man sent //'om God^ whose name was John."

That the great man should he an interpreter of his
age is true; but to interpret does not mean to share.
John elearly saw that the Ijias of his age was towards
evil ; he could nowhere discover a bias towards holi-
ness. He did interpret it, not to partieijnite of it,
i)ut resolutely to resist it. He was an interpreter of
his age, not because he was the visible embodiment
of it, but rather because he came " from God." The
little men are the incarnation of the thoughts of their
age, the surface thoughts of humanitv. The great
men — the poets and philosophers — are the incarnation,
not of the thouuhts of one age, but of the thoutrhts
of all ages, the deepest thoughts of humanity.
But prophets and apostles are the incarnation,
not of the thoughts of one age nor of the thoughts
of all ages, but of the thoughts of eternity, the
deepest thoughts of God. This constituted John a
prophet and not a poet : a poet expresses the
thoughts of time, a prophet the thoughts of eternity.
A poet gives utterance to the thoughts of man, a
prophet to the thoughts of God. And preachers in
the New Testament are called " prophets." Why ?

JOHN THE BAPTIST.

.!■ 'I;,

To teach u? that it is our function to speak not the
thoughts of time but the thoughts of eternity, not
the thoughts of the human heart but the thoughts of
the Divine Heart. Every true preacher must, Hke
John the J^aptist, be " sent from God." You cannot
grow preachers as you grow soldiers; every true
preacher must have Divine authorisation. "Pray ye,
therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that He send
^brth labourers into His harvest." "Send forth:"
literally, thrust forth. The words teach that the
same Almighty power which created the worlds must
grow preachers; that the same hand which started
the planets in their orbits must start ministers on
their career.

U. " In those days came John the Baptist, preach-
ing in the wilderness of Judaea." We shall stop
theie in the second place, for by so doing an oppor-
tunity is given us to speak a little of John's character
as a Preacher. His character in this capacity is
well summarised in the third verse. " The voice of
one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of
the Lord, make His paths straight."

I . John IS here described as a Voice. Jesus is de-
nominated a Word, but John only a Voice. What
is the difference? This: a word carries its meaning
in itself, but a voice must fetch its meaning from
another quarter. Jesus Christ was a Word — He
carried His mission in Himself; but John was only a
voice — he had to fetch his mission from Jesus Christ.
A deputation once waited upon him from Jerusalem,
asking, " Who art thou ? " He answered, " I am

JOHN THE BAPTIST.

the Voice of one crying in the wilderness ; T am no-
body in myselF; I am not a person but a thing ; I
am only a voice." Not only he raised his voice, but
he himself was a voice. Not only he bare witness,
but he himself was a witness. " The same came for
a witness." To behold John was a sermon in itself.
" I am a voice; I am not the Speaker, onlv the voice
of one ; the Speaker is coming after me, for He was
before me." In this John was typical of what all the
servants of Christ ought to be. We are nobody in
ourselves; we are only voices crying in the city or in
the wilderness as the case may be; the Speaker is
behind us and above us. We ought to sink self in
the message, to reduce ourselves into mere voices.

2. He was a Voice crying, literally, crying aloud.
He did not content himself with deliverino; his
message in a quiet, hushed undertone. His voice
was loud, clear, and strong. His speech was a wild
shriek, reverberating between the rocks of the wilder-
ness. He delivered his sermons at the top of his
voice. Let me guard you, however, against the sup-
position that his ministry consisted of nothing but
sound. "John was a burning and a shining lamp,"
says the Saviour. " He was a burning lamp : " thereby
we are to understand the warmth of his preaching;
he powerfully roused the consciences of his hearers.
He was also a "shining lamp:" thereby we are to
understand the light of his preaching — he informed
the understanding as well as moved the conscience.
Some preachers are only " burning lamps;" they give
out plenty of heat, but yield no light. " They tear a

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passion to rags." Otlicr.s again are "shining lamps;"
they emit plenty oF light, but impart no heat. Like
the moon, thev shine and freeze the same moment.
John the Baptist, however, eombined to some degree
the two extremes. Me gave out light and heat, but
heat first ; he was more remarkt.ble for his passion
than for his thoughts.

3. He was a Voice crying aloud in the wilderness.
Those whose lifework it is to break uj) the fallow
ground of a nation have special need of sound lungs
as well as sound minds. Thunders frighten the un-
educated even more than the lii»:htnini2;s. Sound
wields magical influence over the illiterate; but, in
the graduc.l growth of knowledge, the time surely
arrives when sound must be superseded by sense.
First came John the Baptist crying aloud in the
wilderness, shouting lustily at the highest pitch of
his voice. Then came Jesus Christ, the very opposite
of John, sitting quietly whilst teaching, and speaking
in calm, subdued, and measured tones. " He sat and
taught them ; " and in a sitting posture one cannot
indulge either in loud declamation or violent gesticu-
lation.

These two stages are clcarlv observable in the
history of preaching in our own country. The last
generation of preachers in Wale?, was a generation (^f
criers. They were men of massive build, expanding
chests, maonificent voices. Thev cried till thev
awoke the echoes in the rocks, vea, in hearts harder
than rocks. But loudness begins to be at a discount
in the land. The ministers are no longer robust and

JOHN THE BAPTIST.

sturdy; they caniu^t slioiit if" they wished, and they
need not particularlv wish it, for on the whole tliey
can afford to dispense with it. Because we do not
keep as much noise as our fathers, some innocentlv
hclieve that we do not accompHsh as much work.
But it hehoves you to remember that, though the
thunders terrify, yet it is the Hghtnings which kill.
Our predecessors thundered much ; let us hope that
we flash more. Yoimg ministers as a rule believe
much in thunders; as they grow in years and ex-
perience they believe less in tlunulers and more in
lightnings. The normal method, perhaps, after all,
is to believe in botli. Thunder, if you can; but if
vou cannot, shine.

4. He was a Voice crying aloud in the wilderness,
" Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make I] is paths
straight.'' His was the work of preparation ; strength,
therefore, was more re(]uisite than refinement. " He
grew mighty in spirit." He had rough work to do ;
therefore a man of refined taste and delicate organi
sation could not perform it. John is fitted for his
work — a coarse man leyellinsr mountains and fillinii' up
valleys, sternness in his looks, vehemence in his voice.
The truth is — Reformers must despise the convention-
alities of S(,::iety. They have rude work to do, and they
must not be too dainty respecting the means thev
adopt to effect it. Adorn your frontispieces, embel-
lish your corner-stones, but let the foundations be as
rugged as you please. J)eeorations are for the super-
structure, strength and solidity for the base. Luther
has often been charged u ith rudeness, coarseness, and

JOHN THE BAPTIST.

liittir

even scurrility. The indictment contains, perhaps,
too much truth for us successfully to gainsay. But
we should not forget that he had a coarse age to deal
with, coarse enemies to contend with, coarse sins to
battle with. Coarse or not coarse, the question is —
Did he do his work? If he did that, who are we to
cavil at the means he used ? Would our smooth
phrases and rounded periods accomplish the task of
regenerating half Europe, and of giving the other
half a shaking from which it has not yet recovered,
nor is likely to recover this century ? Regenerate half
Europe indeed 1 Shame upon us ! We cannot regene-
rate half a parish, and who are we to find fault with
a man who regenerated half a continent ? Who will
go to fell forest trees of a thousand years' standing
with a superfine razor? Is not the heavy axe the fit
tool wherewith to cut them down ? " And now also
the axe is laid unto the roots of the trees." John the
Baptist was wielding the axe to cut down with fell
strokes the mighty overshadowing trees of Jewish
superstition and corruption. Luther also was swing-
ing the axe to clear Europe of the mighty overshadow-
ing trees of Popish superstition and corruption. I
am not sure but the great need of the present day
is a powerful, ponderous axe ; and the next great need
a strono; robust man to wield it with a firm resolute
|)urpose against the colossal falsehoods which bring
disaster into trade and dishonour upon religion. Oh,
for the ministry of the axes once more ! Let us all
do our part to prepare a path to the Lord in our
neighbourhood ; and the path being prepared, pray

JOHN THE BAPTIST.

«3

the Lord to come to His path. A path to the Lord,
the Lord to His path — your salvation is then secure.

in. "In those days came John the Baptist, preach-
ing in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent."
This gives us an opportunity of saying a word upon
the character of his ministry. Austerity in the
man generally indicates austerity in the preaching,
which in this case may be sunnned up in one word,
" Repent."

I. His ministry consequently chiefly aimed at the
conscience. " Repent : " it is a word addressed not to
the understandinc: or to the imajrination, but to the
conscience. John was the last and greatest of the
Old Testament prophets; it is but reasonable, there-
fore, to find all the lines of the Old Testament
teaching focussed in him. What was the main
objeft of the Old Testament teaching? To develop
the conscience and make it profoundlv conscious of
the terrible odiousncss of sin. Herein the national
training of the Jews differed widely from the national
training of the Greeks and Romans. The paramount
object in view in the training of the Greeks was the
development of the intellect — in Greece you see in-
tellect in its meridian brilliance. The paramount
object in view in the training of the Romans was the
development of the will — in Rome you see will
screwed up to its highest pitch. But the paramount
object in view in the training of the Jews was to
develop the conscience, to make the moral nature
keenlv alive to the eternal distinction between ri.'xht
and wrong. Accordingly, God gave the Jews, not

JOHN THE BAPTIST.

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the canons of taste, but the canons of morality. Not
through tlie understanding nor the will, but through
the conscience can the world be saved. God there-
fore took the discipline of the conscience into flis
own hands. The truth must not be overlooked that
the great function of Judaism was to cultivate the
conscience by constant and emplmtic insistance on
the radical difference between right and wrong. And
John, following in the wake of the Old Testament
prophets, strove to awake the national conscience
from the profound torpor of centuries. " Me came
preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying,
Repent.'*

This kind of ministry, which appeals straight to the
conscience, is sorely needed in our own country and
century. The High Church clergy appeal principally
to the imagination : they endeavour to please refined
taste ; their services conform to the principles of art
rather than to the principles of morality. The Broad
Cliurch clergy, again, appeal principally to the under-
standing : they are inspired by an ardent love of
truth ; they esteem truth above all other things, even
above holiness itself. It should therefore be the chief
aim of the Low Church and Nonconformity to appeal
to the conscience and rouse that. The chief charac-
teristic of Calvijiism is that as a system it is based on
the conscience. Calvinism satisfies neither the reason
nor the heart, but it has a mighty fascination for the
conscience. It lays infinite stress on rhhteoiisness.
and rii2:hteousness constitutes the factor by which the
conscience is roused and invigorated. Calvinism is,

JOHN THE BAPTIST.

first and last, the theology of the conscience ; wliere-
fore it has given the world in the I^rotestant Re-
formers and the English Puritans men unrivalled for
the undaunted strength of their convictions, men who
would sacrifice their livings, lil)ertv, and life itself,
rather than be guilty of the slightest act that would
do damatre to the conscience.

'I'he supreme object of the ministrv of every age
should be the cultivation of the conscience. I do not
assert it should be the only object, but without con-
troversy it should be the first object. Man is not all
conscience. He is reason and imagination besides;
and Christianity, as the religion of humanity in the
totality of its powers, is designed to cover the whole
area. But its paraniount work is to awaken the con-
science. " By manifestation of the truth we commend
ourselves to every inan's conscience." " I will make
thee," says the Lord to Isaiah, " a new threshing
instrument with teeth." That describes preciselv
the kind of ministry the Church just now wants- a
ministrv with teeth to it, a ministrv that will bite.
Preachers especially should beware lest their sermons
lose their teeth.

2. His aim being the conscience, he neither reasoned
nor apologized, but stated the truth in its stark naked-
ness. Ratiocination is best adapted to satisfy the
understanding; but declamation is best adapted to
quicken the conscience. Ministers should speak the
truth, and not be over-anxious to construct an elabo-
rate argument in its defence. W'c should shoot the
lightnmgs into the conscience, and not be over-careful

JOHN THE BAPTIST.

to elucidate the laws of electricity ; it is the lightnings
and not an exposition of their laws which kill.
Many preachers in the present day are afraid to be
dogmatic ; is not the dogmatism of theology sternly
forbidden by the dogmatism of science ? Con-
sequently many assume "nconseiously a timid,
a,)ol()^etio toni. J^ui if i> y )'jser\Mtion be right,
dogmatics, not apol )gL; c . i' s which save the world.
I do not sav we should bo do<^! ^tic as to the geolo-
gical construction of the globe, or the evolution of
the human species, or such like questions which lie
far away on the remote boundaries of theological
science. But are we forbidden to speak positively of
the Incarnation of the Son of God? Of the atone-
ment He ottered on Calvary for the sins of the world ?
Of His ascension to the right hand of the P'ather?
Are these questions to be doubtfully canvassed in the
pulpit? Are we to hesitate and waver? If we must
hesitate and waver at all, let us do it, not in the pulpit,
but out of it. The man who hesitates concernino;
the fundamentals of religion, has no right to enter the
pulpit at all. On the central topics of the Gospel,
ministers are and oui»;ht to be dojrmatic.

IV. " In those days came John the Bapti ^.^ preach-
ing in the wilderness of Judaea, and saving, Repent ve,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." This attbrds
me an opportunity of saying a few words on the
^fioTiVE FORCES of his ministry. Now the Kingdom
wears two aspects : of wrath, to those who obstinately
refuse allegiance to it ; of grace, to all who submit and
accept its overtures of peace.

JOHN THE BAPTIST.

1. The first clement i3 the Divine wrath. This
is tl. truth to '.vhich J^hu gives special prominence.
Sever' tv accords better than irrace .ith the irenius of
his ii-ind -^nd of his dispensation. K\erv kingdom,
whilst conciliatory to its confederates, is terrible to
its foes. '^ Who iiath warned von tf) flee from the
wrath to come?" The Jewish nation was about to
he overwhelmed bv an irresistible outburst of Divine
fury. It had enjoyed advantages beyond all the
nations of the earth ; but instead of maiinifvinii: God
for them, it magnified itself upon them. The Jews
excelled the other nations in privileges, not in con-
duct. Divine anirer was hovcrint:; like a thunder-
cloud over them, ready to burst upon them in wild
cataracts of sad misfortune. It was their imperative
duty to " flee."

What is true of the Jewish nation as a whole, is
true of every individual sinner in this congregation.
" 'i'he wrath of God abideth on him." Flee — flee —
flee. But whither? Whither, too, but to the place
God has appointed ? " There is, therefore, now no
condenmation to them who are in Christ Jesus." A
company of travellers were journeying together
through one of the vast prairies of America, covered
with the hav and stubble of centuries. As thev were
about to encamp for the night, the guide observed
that the frintre of the distant horizon looked ruddier
than usual. Presentlv he gazed again, and the skv
appeared to be all in flames. 'I'he solemn truth
dawned on his mind that the prairie was on fire.
What to do? Escape through the high, entangling

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JOHN THE BAPTIST.

^ '!i!i'

grass ill their then weary and exhausted state was
iiHjiossihlc. lie tlierefore struck a match, set the
grass on lire just wliere they stood. The fire huriit
slowlv at first, more fiercely afterwards. Preseiitlv
it hurnt a larue circle, and the iruide lookino; with
satisfaction at it devourinii; its wav to meet the
fierv wave that was rolHng towards them, cried out
to the coiiijianv " Rnsli into the circle ; stand all
where the fire has hurnt." W ithin that circle they
were all safe, notwithstanding the wild conflagration
that was raging round them on every hand. And
as I look far av*av to the sloping horizon of time,
I behold the firmament red with the wild flames of
the Judgment Day. " The heavens shall pass away
with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat ; the earth also and the w orks that are
therein shall be burned u])." fs there a place of
refuge where poor trembling sinners may witness
the srrand panorama of worlds all in a blaze shootin*'*
like rockets tiirouirh the sky, and \et be safe? Yes!
Another fire was kindled on Calvary, it burnt
fiercely and hot; but, blessed be God, it burnt a
place of safety for us. We are now invited to
enter within the Circle of the Sacrifice. "Stand
all where the fire has burnt " — no harm shall befall
you there.

2. The other factor is Divine Grace. John
dwelt chiefly on the Divine Wrath : but we, livino:
at the zenith of the Gospel dispensation, should
expatiate more particularly on Divine Grace. Re-
pent — why? Because Wrath is coming. Repent —

1 ■

JOHN THE BAPTIST.

why ? Because Grace has come. Grace has over-
taken us before Wrath, and bv accepting tlie Grace
we may escape tlie Wrath. Jolin Hvctl just l)er()re
the Sun of Righteousness arose, tlie coldest liour of
the lonijj niixlit. lie therefore snatclud a few tlaminir
brands from the Everlasting Burnings, and wildlv
fluuir tlieni here and there on the sea of ice. 'i'hc
flames jrlowed fiercely, and thawed the ice wherever
they fell ; but the thawing was only in |)at('hes.
But now the Sun has risen high above the horizon,
he has climbed the slopes of the morning, he sheds
down his lioht and heat, and the ice is irraduailv
melting from pole to pole. In flinging the flames
about there is more excitement; but the Sun melts,
though silently, yet more efTcctually. Wratli frightens
and overcomes; Grace wins and subdues. Hej)cnt
— why ? *' Our God is a consuming fire." Repent
— why? " God is love.'*

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IV.

t^^

€\)t STcmptation of (Tfjrist.

"Then was Jesus led up of tlie Spirit into the wildt-rness to be tempted
of tlie dLvil."— St. Matt. iv. i,

A HOT controvcrsv was waged in the Middle Ages
concerning tlic peccabilJtv oK Christ. Could Christ
sin? One class oF theologians, taking their stand on
f lis Divine nature, answered in the negative ; another
class, taking their stand on His human nature,
answered in the affirmative. Orthodox divines, how-
ever, all agree that He had the power not to sin ; and
that was the power humanitv most urgcntlv needed.
The po^ver to sin was connnon enouuli, alas ! too
common, in this world of ours. Unfortunatelv it does
not require much ability to sin. What was rare
among men was ability not to sin ; and this ability
Jesus Christ possessed, and is willing to impart to all
His faithful followers.

Taking this truth then for granted, T now proceed
to the consrideration of the Temptation of Christy as
presented to us in the co!itext. 'I'ime will not allow
me to comment on the numerous theories touchintj;
this subject; as much as I can do is to comment on
the story as related by the Evangelists.

THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

7«

I. Jesus led up op tin: Spirit.

Luke says that He was Av/, Matthew that He was
led N/), words siLrr.iiyinir the (oiKiirremc of His will
with the impulses of tlie Spirit. lie was not letl re-
luctantly like a victim in the train of" the xietor; lie
Mipremely desired to retire for a while from hmnaii
society, till He could again eomjiose His excited
h'clings consequent on the marvellous revelations
granted Him in His haptism. Mark uses a stroneer
word: "And innuediately the Spirit (Iririth Him

into the wilderness

IS capacious nature was

lilled to the hrim with the Holy Spirit. As the wind
blows in the unfolded canvas of a ship and hears her
powerfully along, so the Divine afllatus blew (piire a
gale in the outstretclied faculties of the Saviour, and
carried Him out of public view into the solitudes of
the wiklerness. He was in a state of unusual excite-
ment, the Divine seeming for a time to overpower the
human. But the ^rue Divine always nioves in the
lines of the true human, so that after all the " driv-

IS on I

lead

The Divine iiower docs

not break, it only bends, the human will.

n. Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilder-
ness.

What wilderness is here meant cannot be defi-
nitely settled, probably one of the Judoean wilder-
nesses. Observe the marked contrast between Christ's
temptation and Adam's. Adam was placed in a
garden — the scenery charming and food abundant;
and yet he fell. But Christ was tempted in a

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THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

wilderness — the landscape grim and food scarce; and
vet He stood. Amid evciy advantage to stand,
Adam fell ; amid everv facility t'^ fall, Christ stood.
The (juestion, no douht, has often presented itself,
W'liv lead Him into a wilderness? Whv not con-
duct Him to some secluded enclosure, well stocked
with fruit trees, from which He miii;ht occasionallv
refresh His exhausted nature? '!'he answer is — that
the Saviour must be absolutely (.le|)rivcd of all carthlv
resources, and thrown back ent:relv upon His moral
centre. He must stand in the bare n.ikedness of
His inner personalitv, and fight out the trreat battle
of humanity without anv extraneous aid, and thus
demonstrate for 'iver His love of the right and
hatred of the wrong for their own sakes,

St. Mark adds ancjther very significant feature —
" He was there with the wild beasts." The preposi-
tion " with " signifies He had established Himself
with them on terms of happv intimacy. He was
under no necessity of devising means of protection
ajrainst their sudden raids: He moved amono- them
on terms of sweet amity. In His holy ])resence
their ferocity seemed immediately to depart. They
were once more brought into right relationship with
man and with one another.

" Among wild l)easts ; they at His sight grew mild,
Nor sleeping, Mini, nor waking, harmed."

Man in his creation was entrusted with the
supreme sovereignty of the world. *'Have domi-
nion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of

II:

: !'■'■

THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

the air, and over everv livino; thitio" that niovcth
upon the earth." " The Lord God fornR-d evcrv
heast of the field, and every fowl of tlie air, and
i)rouoht them unto Adam." But throuiih sin man
lost his riirhtful dominion. The moment man fell
from His allegiance to God, the universe fell from
its allegiance to man. Adam's fall involved not
only himself and his posterity, but the entire world.
Tn his fall the lion and the tiger fell ; even the soil
of the earth became impoverished. " Cursed is the
ground for thy sake." Before the introduction of
sin, Adam dwelt with the beasts in Paradise on
terms of closest friendship — nature had not theti
grown wild. But upon the entrance of evil, the
nature of man and of beasts became sadlv deterio-
rated — man irrew cruel, and the beasts lircw fierce.
\'estiges of the original sovcreigntv continued to be
seen throughout the centuries. When human nature
and the animal nature were brought face to face, the
lormer generallv succeeded in demonstratino; its supe-
rioritv. vStill their relation was one of warfare and
animositv. But when Christ, " the second man,"
appeared, free from the degrading taint of sin, the
old relation was temporarilv re-established, and
the old kingship revived. The lion, thr tiger, and
the leopard instinctivelv acknowledged Ilim as their
lawful monarch, and made Him obeisance accord-
ingly. The Lord (jod led the wil,d beasts to the
first Adam ; He led the second Adam to the wild
beasts. The disturbed harmony of Kden was restored
in the wilderness. On the ^ame i^rinciple we arc to

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THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

understand the strikinii: incident in Christ\? last
journey to Jerusalem. "And lie saitli unto them,
Go your way into the village over airainst vou ; and as
soon as ye be entered into it, ve shall find a eolt tied,
whereon never man sat: loose him, and Ijring him.
And thev brought the eolt to Jesus^ and lie sat upon
him." How eame an unliroken eolt to walk quietK-
to town, and to carry its burden sedatelv the first
time it was ever ridden? The answer must be
found, not in the skill or dexterity, but in the moral
character of the Divine Hider. He manifested such
royal dio;nitv and oentlcness that an untrained ass at
once submitted willingly to His rule. Goodness is an
unrivalled tamer of the animal creation. And His
sojourn in the desert with savage, bloodthirsty beasts
is an infallible pledge of the sure advent of the mil-
lennium. His short life of thirty-three years is the
type and condensation of the 1 life of

humanity.

if'
II

I '1

;,:ll!

ni. Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness

IMMEDIATELY AFTER HrS UaI'TISM.

The Evangelists take care to note that His with-
drawal at once sueeeedetl His Baptism. The secpi^iiee
of events, no doubt, is governed by a deep rhvthin,
whether we be able to discover it or not. What,
then, was the object of His sudden disappearance?

I. One object, doubtless, was to commune with
His Father. The strange occurrences of the Baptism
threw His nature, moral and intellectual, into a
seething ferment. The witness He had just received

THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

to His Divine Sonship thrilled through His whole
being:, and evoked a deep and awful response. He
retired, therefore, into the loneliness of the desert,
there to reflect devoutly on the revelation vouch-
safed Him, and to find sweet reposi- in the jiaternal
hosoni whence He came. So absorbing was His
contemplation, that, like JNIoses on the Mount, He
forgot all the most urgent needs of His physical
nature. " He fasted forty davs and forty nights."
" And in those davs He did eat nothino." fie
buried Himself deep in the bosom of God, antl
entered eagerly and sympathetically into the pur-
poses of His love,

2. Another end in view was to realise the j)lan
of His life. To say that Christ drew a plan of
I lis life is, perhaps, hardly right. In fact, the plan
was already drawn ; He had only intelligently to
recognise it, and then firmly to execute it. For
forty days He endeavoured to comprehend the Divine
Idea respecting Himself; gradually as His human
capacities could receive, the Divine revelations
were given. He came out of the wilderness per-
fectly aware of the self-denvinir course He was to
follow, and of the stubborn resistance He should
encounter. From the first moment of His public
ministry, He is free from hesitation or wavering ;
He makes no tentative efforts; He stamps on every
word and deed the impress of perfection. The
teaching, of course, is characterised by progress ; but
no improvement, mental or moral, is discernible
in the Teacher. Take in your hand an English

^ilk^i'i

THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

Grammar. You discover progress in the plan of
the Grammar; the last lessons are more advanced
than the first ; hut vou do not discover progress
in the autlior. lie could not have evinced such
mastery of the suhject in the lirst pages, did he not
know the end when he composed the heffinnintr.
Thus progress marks the teaching of Jesus Christ.
The first eighteen months of His puhlic ministrv are
characterised hy cheerfulness, bordering almost on
buoyancy, and contain hardly an allusion to Flis
death. But the last eighteen months are deeply
tinged with sadness, now and again verging almost
on despondencv, and teem with allusions to His
approaching end. Some see in the change of tone
a change of plan, but I jierceive in it onlv progress.
He could not have tauglst with such authoritv and
certitude in the carlv staires of His ministrv, did He
not foresee the tragic events of the close. Into
those forty davs was comjiressed the thinking of the
twenty centuries which have followed. In that
brief period He thought out the leading truths of
the Church from that date until now. What
intense thinking! No wonder He had no time to
attend to the necessities of His physical nature.

3. Another object he hnd in view w'as to
encounter the Devil. Run with the wind, and vou
hardly know it is blowing. Run against it, and
yov. are convinci'd of the existence' of a resisting
mediuiTi ; and hi direct proportion to the speed with
which \\.d run, will be vour consciousness of the
forcii V iih which you ar;. opposed. Thus as long

THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

as you run with the Devil and jiromjitlv do his
behests, you mav be inclined to dcnv his existence.
Disobev him, and you will be made painfully aware
of a spectral being; casting his dark shadow upon
vou, and endeavouring to thwart all vour elforts in
the direction of goodness and holiness. The Divine
ind the Devilish are closely allied in human experi-
eii'je. In this world the Devil-consciousness is in
lireet proportion to the God-consci()us:iess ; where
the latter is superficial, the former is proportionately
shallow. The measure of our sympatlu with good-
ness is the measure of our antijiathv to evil.
Whereas the saints almost invariablv beliL've firmlv
in the Devil — St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. Luther —
and dolefully bjmoan his sore temptations, the
poets and philosophers are dispos^'d to ridicule him
and deny him. W'hv? Because in the absence of a
vivid consciousness of the Divine, a vivid conscious-
ness of the Diabolical is well niirh an imi)ossibilitv.

Now the Baptism is remarkable for the conscious-
ness of God which biu'st in uj)()n the Saviour. A
warm glow of holy enthusiasm pervaded llim, bodv,
mind, and spirit. He never afterwards, perhaps,
attained such loftv heights of ecstatic experience.
Of course, He was full of the Holy Ghost all along
from the Baptism to the Crucifixion ; but fulness o
the Holy Ghost does not imply a state of continuous
rapture. A believer is as full of the llolv Cjhost
when he is asleep as when he is awake, when hi>
feet follow his secular avocations as when his coun-
tenance glistens in tin Sabbath worship. Xeverthe-

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THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

less, the tides of his emotions continually ebb and
flow. In like manner, Christ was always, after His
Baptism, "full of the Holv Ghost;" but His spi-
ritual experiences often fluctuated. His emotional
nature, I imagine, was never more powerfully wrought
upon than at His Baptism. A joy almost too ex-
hilarating to bear thrilled through all the chords of
His being. It follows that in the j)eriod immediatelv
succeeding He would most fully realise His anta-
gonism to all that is inimical to God. Thus the
Baptism with the Holy Spirit must, in the nature of
things, be succeeded by the Baptism with the Evil
Spirit.

IV. Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness
immediately after His Baptism to be tempted.

Now " to tempt " has two nieaiiings : first, to try
test, prove; next, to allure, seduce, entice to evil.

I. To trj/. " He was led up of the Spirit into
'^'■' wilderness to be tempted;" that is, to be tried
o |>roved, Lhat He might ro' "al His celestial mettle
and show clearly of what stuff He was made. The
man who is never tried knows not his own strength ;
nav, he acquires not the strength of which he is
capable. An untried spirit necessarily means an un-
developed spirit. God, therefore, makes every moral
being, whether angelic or human, go through a
severe ])rocess of probation. In exercise only can
man, physically and spiritually, gain strength. Con-
sequently, if Christ was to become morally Stronger
than all other men, it could only be by being morally

THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

exercised above all other nuii. Sinlcssncss is nega-
tive, holiness is ])o>4tive; and it was requisite the
" second Adam," like the first, should eneounter the
temptation of the devil before His sinlessness eould
untold into holiness. The temptation was, therefore,
not a matter of choice, but of stern necessity, in the
development of His character.

It, furthermore, revealed the latent forces which
lay deep down in His nature. He had just felt the
Divine call to be tlie Saviour of the race. But has
He the moral calibre necessary for His task ? Is He
endowed with the powers of doing and sufl'ering
adequate to carrv Him through till " Fie brings
forth judirment unto victory"? At the first outset
He is led to a personal encounter with the rrch-
fiend ; the Deliverer and the Destroyer are lockcu in
a death-strugule. And no sooner has He practical
demonstration of F^is superior might than a new
confidence possesses Him. " He returned unto
Galilee in the power of the Spirit." What was only
plenitude of the Spirit at the conniieneenient oi the
Temptation, becomes the " power of the S|)irit " at
its close. And forthwith He beiran to " cast out
devils." HaviniT overcome the Prince of devils, H (
cast out the little devils with ease. " He east them
out with His word"— onlv with His word. No
grappling of sj)irit with spirit, no strcinious w restling
as of giants in mortal combat -that'uas behind in
the wilderness; His mere word sufficed to drive them
^ut like vipers from their hiding-places.
2. To allure to evil. The question may natu-

THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

; m

rally be asked, W'hv did the IIolv Glmsr lead lli 11
to be tcnijited, whilst we are taught to pray that we
may be delivered iVoiii temptation ? There is some-
thiiiir in the text startlimr to the ortliiiarv eurrent oF
our thoughts. But we should remeudx-r that Jesus
could not be thoroughlv tried without being tempted,
nor thoroughlv tempted without being seduced to evil.
The first meaning in its Fulness includes the second.
To be thorouirhlv tried means to be tried, not in one
vvav, but in everv wav; not onlv bv sulferino; but
also by sin. Divine Wisdom thought proper to
expose the "First Man" to the temptation of the
Devil, and shall the "Second Man "escape? Hu-
manitv is sorely tried bv sutreriiig, it is true; but it
is and always has been more st)relv tried by sin ; and
Christ must not escape the peril the onlv great
peril — to which His human brethren are all exposed.
Not only He must bear the burden of" sin's guilt, but
He must fee', ^he force cf sin's temptation. The
solicitation of » lim to evil formed, therefore, an indis-
pensable process in the wav of salvation. Strike out
the temptation, which is a stumbling-block to so
many connncntators, a:id you have no Saviour. No
one can deliver from the power of the Devil who has
not first conquered the Devil. The temptation was
necessarv to perfect Nim as a Saviour, and an im-
perfect Saviour would be no Saviour at all.

V. Jesus led up of the ^Spirit to be tempted of the
Devil. The question inevitably arises — Whence did

the suiTiTcstions to evil arise ?

THE TEMPTATION OF CIIRISF.

1. A few w ritLM's go on flic supposition that they
hat! their origin in a Jci/oir- tna/i in a scrihi* or a
(IcjHitation of scrihcs, ck-spatclicd from the Sanhedrim
to siihniit to Ilim the conditions upon which thev
would liail Ilim as the long-))r()mised Messiali. iiut
as tlie history contains not tiic shghtest intimation
to tliat" eflcct, we are l)ound summarily to dismiss it.
'Hie materials oF the tenijitation were prohahlv suji-
plied bv the ideas in vogue in Jewish societv at tin.'
time. Hut we should not forget that "the spirit oi'
tlie times" is olten the spirit of evil. There are
spirits wliicli rule in tlie air.

2. Manv otherwise fair authors seem to tra'-e them
to the natural operations of Christ's oic/i mind. As

e was

uentl

V rechninti: ni a cave o

f th(

ild

e u iluerness.

reflecting on the dismal condition of the world and
the course lie should, pursue therein, the train of
thought here parabolicallv described started itself.
The different temptations arose in virtue of the law
of suggestion, and therefore did not argue the exist-
ence of evil in Christ. But no sophistry, ho\\c\er
jilausible, can explain awav the plain truth that, if
the thoughts were morally wrong, as contesscdlv thev
were, and originated spontaneously in the mind of
Jesus, then His nature must have been corrupt. I.vil
thoughts are never dissociated from an evil heart.
But we are taught He was "harmless, imdetiled,
separate from sinners." "Harmless" in that He did
not originate evil; "undefiled" in that He was not
contaminated bv evil; "separate from sinners" in
that He neither imparted nor contracted evil.

IHK TKMI'lATION OF CHRIST.

3. It remains, tlicrdorc, tliat the tcinptatloiis must
have protccdcd froiii a personal Devil. " To be
teinptcd of the Devil." "The Tempter eame unto
Him."

It it he asked, How the Tempter eame? In what
shape? I cannot tell. Maybe that he came as a
bare naked spirit, and whispered inaudibly, yet dis-
tinctlv, in the Saviour's ear his wicked thoutrhts.
But I confess that I am inchned to believe he ap-
jK'ared in visil)le corj^oreitv. Not, however, as pictured
in the storv-l)ooks of our childhood — an uglv satyr in
rags, with his tail and horns and cloven feet clearly
visible. It would not re(juire much moral courage
to repel indignantly the insidious approaches of such
an one. In my illustrated copy of Milton, the artist,
borrowing his conception from the poet, portrays
him as a rustic she|)herd with the pastoral crook in
his right hand and a bundle of fire-wood under his
left arm. But I rather think that he appeared as
an antrel of litrht or some hi<rh ecclesiastical or civil
functionary, one whose outward mien would lend
weight and plausibility to his arguments. You ask,
Why I believe in the visibility of the Devil ? First,
because that is the first impression the narrative
makes on every unsophisticated reader. Second, be
cause a visible emb )dimcnt would lend force to the
temptation. A sinless nature is not as accessible as
a depraved nature to sinister influences; a sinless
nature, it seems to me, can most effectually be
tempted through the bodilv senses. A fallen nature
has sin within, ready to respond to the artful solici-

THE TKMl'TATKJN ol c I i K : ST.

tations of sin without. " TIr' f")i\il cntiTcd Judas "
-he found an open avenue bv uliich to coniniuiu'
with tlie traitor t^pirit. But the Devil tould not so
enter Jesus. The puritv of the Saviour, in virtue
of the hiw of antipathies, etfeetuallv l)arrei.l liis
entranee. Likes attraet, unlikes repel. The re was,
therefore, no faeile way of aeeess to the mind of
Christ exeept through the open gates of the senses ;
and to gain access therehv the adversary must heeonie
visible, capable of articulating human speech. 'I'his,
I believe, was the reason he had to emi)()dv him-
self in a serpent before he could tempt our sinless
Representative in I'aradise ; and the same rea^on de-
mands he should assume the semblance of a human
body to tempt our sinless Representative in the
wilderness. Good spirits possess the power to
materialize themselves, then why not evil sj^irits?
At the close of the temj)tation, "angels came and
ministered unto Him;" and in Gethsemane "an
angel appeared unto Him, strengthening Hiu)."
And if aniicls have inherently the power to assume
hun)an shapes, then why not devils?

What impression did the Devil's temptations make
upon Christ? Did they awake any responsj within
Him? We nmst answer Yes and No. Yes, from His
physical and intellectual nature ; No, from liis moral
nature, and the moral nature is the seat oF good and
evil. Did they meet with no response, there would
have been practically no temptation. But tlie
Scriptures teach us that He felt the power of temp-
tation. " He suflered, being tempted ; " that is, the

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THE ri:MPTATK)N OF CHRlsr

temptation \ ioleiitlv w rcnclied His nature, causing
llini acute mental agonv. Take tlie first temptation
— " Connnand tliat tliLse stones Ije made bread."
Were this sunuestion made to Ilim in the midst of
))lentv, it would liave darted otV like a wooden
shaft from a marble j)illar, and left not a trace
behind. Mut at the time the pangs of starvation
were uj)on Him. In His hunger, therefore, the
temptation gained a foothold; in His natural appe-
tite it founil a |)lace to griji Him. His bodilv cravings
at once joined issue with the solicitations of evil, for
tlie stomach knows no distinction between o()od and
bad; and as a c()nse()uenee the Saviour felt His whole
being uj)heavcd and convulsed to its deepest depths.
'I'ake the other temptations. " Then the I^evil
taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him

on the j)innacle of the Temph

((

Auain, the Devil

taketh Him uj) into an exceeding high mountain.''
I take the words literallv. To understand them
literallv up to the fourth verse, and s])iritually after-
wards, as most conmientators do, is to introduce
into the narrative two antagonistic princij)les of
interpretation, and to rob the tem{)tati()n of a great
deal of its force. " We cannot bring ourselves to
bel

leve

exclaim the learned critics, " that the
blessed Saviour should be so far surrendered to the
power of the Devil, as to be led on foot or trans-
ported through the air, from jilace to place, at the
Devil's pleasure. We rather jiicture Him as sitting
under the sliadow of a huge rock in the desert, and
making the«e journeys only in imagination." The

IWE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

••^5

old storv again — men cannot believe as much as the
Bible affirms. The temptation must be shorn of a
part of its realitv, to square with our preconceived
notions respectinir the power of the Kvil SjMrit, and
tlie jiroprieties that should l)i.' ob-jcrvcd between him
and the Saviour of the woiKi. Hut the fact is — the
Saviour was more severely tenijHed and more roughlv
handled bv tiie liciul tlian we arc bold cn()u<ih to
picture. It is with this as with other truths -the
Utter of the Bil)le goes fartlier tlian our sjiecious
philosophies. The believers in the letter are intel-
k'ctuallv bolder than the advocates of the svnd)olic
interpretation ; thev think and i)elieve more, not
less. 'Ihe temptation of Christ was severer than
our learned eonnnentators dare conceive. Ihe Devil
liad a terrible power over His body and mind, a
power similar to that he had over Job, not alto-
gether dissimilar to that he exercised over demoniacs,
and vet His moral nature continued all throuirh in
its strict integrity without twist or flaw 1 The
Saviour was tearfullv bruised in His dread conflict
with the malignant foe ; His entire nature received a
terrible shock. " He shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise His heel." We cannot believe it, crv
the critics. Very likely not; it is almost too awlul
for belief.

VI. Jesus led up of the Si)irit into the wilderness
innnediately after His Baptism to be tempted of the
Devil in all possible ways.

I. Notice the extraordinary prolongation of the

111

ill I-

1, t

THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

! 1

' !!'

temptation. Two of the Evangelists inform us
that it extended over the forty days. The Devil
eagerlv witnessed His baptism, persistently dogged
His steps in the wilderness. The very presence of
the Devil must have had a depressing influence upon
Him. Some climates repress the energy of the
blood ; and some persons by their mere presence
freeze our buoyancy. In words they may praise
goodness ; but their very breath, like the east wind,
blasts its bloom. A deadening influence emanates
unconsciously from them and damps our ardour.
Margaret in Faust felt this withering influence of
Mephistopheles —

*' His presence chills my blood ;
Besides, when he is near I ne'er could pray,
And this it is that eats my heart away."

And no doubt the Devil's presence cast a chill on
the delicate lily of the Saviour's humanity. This
imconscious, but sickly, influence must form a con-
stituent element in the temptation of the forty days.
2, The wide area covered* by the temptation is
as remarkable as its extraordinary length. " When
the Devil had finished all the temptation, he de-
parted from Him.'* " All the temptation," literally,
every temptation. The Devil had completely ex-
hausted all his wiles ; he had directed his virulent
attacks upon every power and faculty of the Saviour.
The first temptation was directed against His physical
nature; the second against His spiritual nature; the
third against His intellectual or imaginative nature.
No point was left unassailed. " He was tempted in

THE TKMPTATION Ol CUKiSI,

«*^7

all points like as vvc arc." Not in a few poi its, but
in all points. He was teinpted roiuul about the
entire circumference of His being. There is no
faculty for action or endurance tried in us but the
same faculty was previously tried in Him. He
knows exactly how every man feels under every
temptation ; not because He suffered preciselv under
the same circumstances, but because Fie sufl'ered pre-
cisely in the same faculties. No trial, no sorrow, no
suffering can befall us in any point of our being but
Christ has suffered the same.

3. To the length and breadth of the temptation
we must add its de[)tli. The intensity of the tempta-
tion baffles our description. The Evangelists give
us to understand that it steadily increased to the
verv last. The davs immediately following the
baptism, wiicn He was at the white heat of the
Divine enthusiasm, all aglow with the fire of the
Spirit, the assau'ts of the fiend could hardly make
any impression upon Him. In that high state of
sj itual temperature man is well-nigh above tempta-
tion. Evil sutrirestions die before thcv are born. But
as the temperature cooled, the temptation increased
in virulence ; and when He was at His weakest, the
temptation was at its strongest. Temptations borrow
their strength from our weakness. The temptation
which one day we cast from us in an instant, another
day quite overpowers us. Why? It is the same
temptation ? Yes, but we are not the same ; we are
changed in mood and circumstances; we are changed,
perhaps, in health. When we are bodily and men-

!ll

THK rrMITATIOX OF ( HRIST.

li II

tally strong', tlu' tc'ni])tari:)n is weak; when we are
bodily and nicntallv weak, riic temptation is strong.
Thus Jesus, on I lis first rctircMncnt to the wilderness,
fresh in body and flushed in mind, could hardly be
reached by teniptation. But as the forty days wore
on, and His yigour gradually declined, tenjptation
was jratherintr stren<»;th at the siame ratio. When
His body utterly collapsed for want of food, and His
brain reeled almost deliri')usly under the awful strain,
the temptation had L'^athered fearful streni2:th and
burst u)i()n Him in terrible fury.

Wide surface and irreat depth seldom go together.
But thouLLh thj tc'm|)tation of Christ covered the
entire area of humanity, yet in every point the temp-
tation was most intense. Kvery faculty in EJim was
strained to its highest tension. Never was there
such tremendous force brought to bear upon any one
as upon Him; His whole nature quivered under the
awful concussion. "He suffered, being tempted."
The desperate assaults of the b^nemv, inspired as
they were by the fellest maliirnity, irave Him keen
anguish ; His holy nature was severely bruised. His
divinity did not blunt the qlU^l". of the satanic ap-
peals; rather did He, b cause of His divinity, feel
theni all the morj keenly. As His Divine nature did
not deaden His susceptibilities to physical pain, but
rather excite and intensify them, so it did not numb
his susceptibilities to moral pain, but rather quicken
and sharpen them. The storm wliich creates only
tiny ri|>ples on the inland lake, produces mountain-
ous waves upon the Atlantic. " He sufTered, being

THK TI MI'IATION' OI" ( MUIST.

tciDptfil," aiicl all tilt' more hccausu of the Divine
volume of beiiiiT within Him.

He did not live lonir in the world, hut He sus-
tained in that brief period the whole foree oF everv

temptation whieli may possibly assail humanitv

ii h

did not live long, but He lived nuieh. He lived
throuuh lite. The maioritv oF men live onlv throuirh
a small |)ortion oF lite. A man spends elir'ntv v<'ar-i
in the world, and yet, at the end ot" that long term,
vast tracts of exjurience remain wliieh he has not
touched. But Christ traversed everv reirion ot life,
drank the goblet to its verv dregs. It is a com-
mon remark that when Christ cHrd, He finished
(King— He went througn death and emerged tri-
umj)hantlv the other side. Others die— die — die, but
thev never finish dvin«j. But Christ died the death,
lie finished dving ; "He acrowp/i'i/ird His decease
in Jerusalem." The same remark is e(|nallv applicable
to His life. He lived throuiih life. In thirtv-three

vears

e cxnaus

ted

everv emotion it is ))()ssil)le for

man to experience

e crieo out on the cross

((

is finished." Not onlv had He finished doine, but

He had finished feeling. Had He lived a hundred
vears lontjer, there would be no new regions of ex-
perience for Him to explore. He finished living ere
He beiran dving. He traversed the whole continent
of finite existence, and vet " without sin."

A vairuc, undefinable feelinir lurks in manv minds
that it cost Him less than it costs us to resist "the
Wicked One," that He con(|uered in virtue of the
active exercise of His Divine attributes. But we

THE TFMPTATION OF CIlRrST.

•.ii ;

should endeavour to (ii<tinctlv appri'lu'iul that the
battle was f'ouirht out on the fitld of our humanity,
and won hv forces avaihhli' to fviTv child of man.
He triumphed, not as Ciod, hut as uiiin. It is not
without a purpose that the Kvaiigeli<its all note that
Jesus was '* an hunirercd." His luuiirer must not be
overlooked in our estimate of the temptation. The
Devil cliose the hour most favourable to the accom-
plishment of his infernal designs, the hour of the
Saviour's extreme anguish, when a sinking, dying
sensation had possessed Ilim, in consequence of His
long fast, when bodv and mind seemed utterly to
collapse. He will succumb? No; Christ at His
lowest vanquished the Devil at his highest; the
Saviour at His weakest routed the adversary at his
strongest. Here, then, we behold the strange spec-
tacle of humanity in its extremest condition, on
the very brink of starvation, overcoming " princi-
palities and powers." Weak man at his weakest
proved too strong for the Devil at his strongest.

You may rest assured the Devil exerted himself to
the utmost to give His nature a wrong bent, His
faculties a false development. He marshalled all
his forces to overbear Him — to press Him in the
direction of evil. We all incline to evil. Look at
the forest ; you can sav from the bent of the trees
from which quarter the wind chiefly blows through-
out the year — more boughs branch out on one side
than on the other. And if vou look on the dense
forest of humanity, you can easily infer from the uni-
form bias of mankind that a strong current has been

THE TF.MrTATION OF C HRIST.

9»

steadily blowing thcni in the direction of evil. The
same current blew on Christ. Did He bend? No;
" tempted like as we are, yet without sin," He ap-
peared when the wind was blowing higher than usual,
when it had waxed to a furious tempest. Men by the
score were possessed of devils ; there has not been
such a period in the world's history before or since.
The blast blew fiercely. The scribes and priests and
elders of the people — the hearts of oak of the nation
— were shaken to the roots. Did Christ yield ? No ;
He stood firm and erect in the midst of the storm.
"When the Devil had finished all the temptation, he
leaveth Him." "Tempted i^ all things like as we
are, yet without sin."

His victory is a source of encouragement to us.
When Correggio first saw the unrivalled creations of
Raphael, he rapturously exclaimed, " I also am a
painter I " The successes of Raphael carried inspira-
tion to his soul. And when we read that Christ
held on His way without swerving to right or left,
notwithstanding the tremendous pressure brought to
bear upon Him, a fresh courage possesses us, and we
cry out, "We also are men!" What the "man
Christ Jesus " did, we also may hope to do in His
strength. " Resist the Devil, and he will flee froro
you."

( 92 )

,! Hi

I S.

^csiis Cfjrist as a IDublic STfadicr.

•• And seciriij the niultitiides. He wont up into a niouiitaiii : and when
He was set, Mis ilisciplcs canu' unto llini ; ami Ho o|)ened His
niouth and taught tlieni." — Sr. Mait. v. r, 2.

"And it came to pass, when f('su.s liad eniii'd these sayings, tlie people
were astonished at His doctrine : lor He tauglit tlieni as one hav-
ing authority, and not as liie scribes."— Sr. Matt. vii. 28, 29.

Studknts of the Saviour's historv jrciicrallv observe
tluit the lirst vt'ar of I lis pubHe hfe was chicflv re-
niarkal)U' For the " niiirljty works " He performed,
and the last vear for the " iTiiu;htv words " I fe de-
livered. At the outset miraeles, at the close seniioiis.
We are able partlv to discover the reason for this
procedure. i'he Saviour's first duty was niauifestlv
to arrest public attention, and call too-cther a
crow d ; and this He could more succcssfullv do bv
performing niiracles than by delivering sermons.
Works always more deeplv impress the untutored
than words. Some one has compared miracles to
a '* bell," and the comparison is a verv felicitous
one. And in the verses before the text we see
Jesus Christ going " round about all Galilee,"
ringing the bell of miraeles. To whichever neigh-
bourhood he went He rang the bell — He healed
the sick or cast out devils. As a natural conse-

Fr:si;s chrisi as a ithlk ikachi-r.

<|iu-iur |)ii)|)K' tmiK'il out c.iirt'rlv fioin tlu-ir houses
ami villauvs to asct-rtain tln' cause, to Kmih \\\\y the

)cll was rniiiini:, (.•s|)r( la

llv tl

U' Liri'at I)

tin-

Di-

es.

wljich liad uot runir iK-torc for li\e or six iiiituri
Thcv liatl olten lir.iril tlu* little bells of the >eril)es and
Pharisees ring, hut this is the first tiuje tor them
to liear God's hell riii^-. C\)use(jueiitlv thev flocked
from all the hamlets ami towns to iiKjuire the reason.
"There followed Ilim LH'eat multiluiles from (jalike.

tl fi

>li

il t

d fi

ami trom I ;eea|)ou-;, ami nom Jerusalem, and rrom
JuduM, .iml from hesond Jonlan."

Mere is a large conureiiation gathereil together hv
the hell of miracles; now then for a sermon worthy
of the occasion. A congretiation first, a si-rnjon
afterwards. "And seeim:- the nndtitudes, lie went

e was set, I lis dis-

up into a mountain : and when II

ciplcs came unto Ilim; antl lie ()})eiied Mis mouth

and tauirht them.

That

IS the Kvantrelist's intro-

duction to the sermon ^eneraUv known as the
Sermon on the Mount. " And it came to pass,
when Jesus had ended these sayings, the jK'()|)le
were astonished at I lis doctrine, for He taught then)
as One havino- authority and not as the scribes."
That is the lOvamrelist's criticism on the sermon
after it was delivered — a very fine criticism, for it
was a very fine sermon. Now if we put the intro-
duction before the sermon and the criticism after the
sermon in juxtaposition, we shall learn that this re-
markable discourse was delivered, not only in the
hearing of the disciples, but also in the hearing of
the people. The subject, therefore, which presents

JESUS CHRIST AS A PUBLIC TEACHER.

1:1

i' '

i :'

itself to our mtrilitation is — Jesus Christ as a Prtachcr ;
ill other vvonls, Jesus Christ as a I'ublic Teacher. The
subject diviiles itself naturally into three parts : —

I. Jesus Christ s|>eakiny:.

II. Jesus Christ speakinsx with authority.

IM. Jesus Christ speaking with authority to the
people.

I. Jesus Christ spkakino. Two sentences are
used ill the text to describe Mis great power and >kill
as a sjK'aker.

I. 'I'he first is this: "He opened His mouth
and taught tlieni " — words denoting tlie naturalness
of His speech. " He ()|)ened His mouth." Many in-
genious conjectures have been made respecting the
precise meaning of these words. Stier explains
them thus: "Humanity is the mouth of creation,
Christ is the mouth of humanity." Luther explains
them thus: "Open thy mouth, speak boldly, finish
(juicklv " — a very necessary exhortation to preachers
who are apt to spin out their sermons longer than the
hearers can spin out their patience. But they seem
to me to contain a clear intimation that to Jesus
Christ to speak was no effort. He had not to elabo-
rate His discourses beforehand. He had only to
open His niouth, and Divine thoughts at once flowed
out in a deep river of golden speech. Read the ser-
mons of other men and vou everywhere discern sitrns
of effort, symptoms of a certain straining aftereffect.
Read the sermons of Jesus Christ and you nowhere
perceive signs of effort; in ;ill His utterances you are

JESUS CHRISI AS A PI Hl.K IFACHKR.

conscious of the most scrciic repose. Flis thoughts
grew freely, naturally, spoutaneously within I lini, hke
primroses in the corner of a liekl. lie liail only to
"open Ilis mouth," and forthwith " ur.icious" words
proceeded out thereof. We «ire t lULrht to look upon
Him as a Propiiet, Priest, .uul King; a».vi in the text
for the first time He assumes puhliclv the office of a
Prophet. What, tlien, is the fundauiental idea of
a prophet? Well, the Hehrew word for prophet,
the famous word naiif is derived from another which
signifies " to huhhle u|)." In Israel, therefore, a pro-
phet was compared to a fountain of water gushing up
spcmtaneously fronj the ground, and, without the aid
of hvdraulie machinerv, sending forth a mightv river
to refresh the thirsty land. A prophet, then, is one
whose thoughts huhl)le up spontaneously in his soul,
without educational or any other human aid. And
Jesus Christ fulfilled the idea of a pro|)het as lie did
every other idea. To speak to Him was no effort.
He had but to open His mouth, and majestic thoughts
at once flowed forth like water from a spring. He
was the most natural and easy speaker the world
ever saw. " Never man spake like this man."

2. The second sentence is this : " The people
were astonished at His doctrine " — words denoting
the effectiveness of His speech. " The people were
astonished," not at Him, but "at His doctrine."
Their admiration ran out, not in the direction of the
Speaker, but in the direction of the sermon — an inci-
dental" but infallible proof of the exquisite perfection
of His oratory. When the sun shines in His meri-

. '.V !

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JESUS CHRIST AS A PUBLIC TEACHER.

clian splendour and covers liill and dale witli his golden
radiaiR",', men exclaim, " How beautiful the earth
looks! how fine the landscape in front of us! " Thev
mutter not a syllable about the sun ; they forget
him in the intensity of their admiration for the earth
which he illuniinates. But when the moon shines,and
only half enlightens the globe, men cry out, " What
a fair, fine, full moon!" Thev positivelv sto)) in the
street and gaze rapturously at her. They say not
a word about the earth ; they forget her in the in-
tensity of their admiration for the moon. It is
precisely the same in the world of human kind. A
great man, like the sun, makes people forget him
in his sul)ject ; a little man, like the moon, makes
])eople forget his sul)ject in him. A first-rate
preacher sinks liiniself in his sermon; a second-rate
preacher sinks his sermon in himself. This, says an
ancient historian, incontrovertibly demonstrates the
superiority of Dcmostlienes as an orator over Cicero.
People listening to Cicero admired Cicero. Alter
a srrand oratorical display, every tonirue in Rome
would be set uuiiio; to maunify the rare abilities of
Cicero. The soundness or sophistry of the argu-
ment was overlooked — all the praise went to the
credit, of Cicero. But people listening to Demos-
thenes forciot Demosthenes. They returned home,
firmly knittino; their brows, convulsively cL'nchinjr
their fists, and ominously hastening their tread,
saying, " Let us go and fight I'hilip." Not a word
about the matchless eloquence of the orator; they
forgot him in the eagerness of their desire to go and

JESUS CHRIST AS A PUBLIC TEACHER.

hurl back the ruthless tyrant. And it is noteworthy
that at the conclusion of this discourse of Jesus
Christ, it is recorded that the j)e()i)le's admiration
was directed not towards the Preacher, but towards
the sermon. The time was to conic, it is true,
when He was to direct special attention to Himself,
but not as yet. His special aim now wds to lead
their thoughts to the fundamental principles of the
kingdom He came to establish, and in this He suc-
ceeded admirably. He was doubtless the most mas-
terly speaker that ever addressed an assembly. " The
people were astonished," not at Him, " but at His
doctrine."

H. Jesus Christ speaking with authority. "For
He taught them as One having authority and not as
the scribes." The scribes were practically the philo-
sophers, poets, and commentators of Jewry ; we are,
therefore, quite justified in taking them to represent
these three classes of men.

I. "He taught them as one having authority " and
not as the philosophers. Well, how did the philoso-
phers speak ? They spoke hesitantly, had recourse to
long and tortuous arguments, and at last arrived by
means of logical deduction at what they dindy sup-
posed to be the truth. They did not know the truth
— they only sovght it. Hence their investigations,
prolonged and intense though they were, are viewed
in the Bible as mere gropings. " That they might
seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Hrni
and find Him." If haply. There was a good deal

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of " hap " in the teaching of the pliihjsophers, but
there was no hap in the teaching of Jesus Clirist.
iic never spoke at a venture; His feet were planted
on the rock of eternal truth; Ilis tread was firm and
vigorous. The philosophers were great reasoners ;
but Jesus Christ never reasoned. He never arrived
at truth by way of argument, because the truth was
already present to his mind. What is reasoning?
Tiie mind feeliny; its way from the known to the un-
known, proceeding warily from a near and manilest
truth to a truth more remote and obscure. Reason-
ing is only a search after truth, and they only have
to search who do not already j)osscss. Jesus Clu'ist,
therefore, had not to search, for He was already in
possession.

Read the philosophers and they are always seek-
ing truth; they strain every nerve; they pant for
breath. Read the Gospels and you never see Jesus
seeking ; no strain or effort is anywhere perceptible ;
the truth is already in His grasp and under His com-
plete control. Accordingly the philosophers taught
walking — they were peripatetics. But Jesus taught
sitting — the truth was in his possession. "And
seeing the multitudes. He went up into a mountain ;
and when He was set, He opened His mouth and
taught them." " I sat daily with you teaching in
the Temple." " He entered into one of the ships
and He sat down and taught the people." The
philosophers taught walking — they were seeking
truth. Christ taught sitting — He possessed truth.
The great words of the philosophers are " because "

JESUS CHRIST AS A PUBLIC TEACHER.

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and " therefore " — the two neccssiiry links in every
chain of reasoninir. But tliev are not the jrreat
words of Jesus Christ. What, then, are His great
words ? That is one, the word declare. " Tlie onlv
begotten wSon who is in the bosom of the Father, He
hath deelared Mini." " I have declared unto them
Thy name and will declare it." His business was
not to draw inferences, but to make deelarations.
The philosophers sought a God lost; the Saviour
advertised a God found. Another iireat word in His
ministry is the word testify. " We speak that we do
know, and testify that we have seen." Vou know a
witness is not to appear in court to speculate and
tlieorise, but to testify that which he lias seen and
heard. And Jesus Christ was not a speculator or a
theoriser — a seeker after truth, but the witness of
truth. He spoke with the directness of an eye and
ear witness.

2. " He taught as one having authority " and not
as the poets. How do they teach ? They imagine,
jiuess, teach by happy conjecture. But Jesus Christ
never imagined — He knew; and inasmuch as He
knew, why should He again imagine ? The great word
of poetry is the word " perhaps " — always understood
if not expressed. Men are not very certain of their
ground, and therefore they say " perhaps " — " Per-
haps like this," " Perhaps like that." We sav
" perhaps " a hundred times a day. But the word
" perhaps " found no place in the vocabulary of the
Saviour. He never said the word " perhaps." Read
the Gospels, and you find it not from beginning to

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end. A great doctrine in the education of men is
the "doctrine oF prol)al}ilities." Only a year or two
ago one of tlie greates^t hving statesmen wrote a
learned and elaborate article to one of the leading
I^ondon journals on this important subject. Men
are not quite sure of the truth ; we therefore pile
probability on the top of probability to form what is
called a "cumulative argument," and conclude by
savinir, " i'robaljlv it is like that." But the doctrine
of probabilities found no place in the metaphysics of
the Saviour. lie never uttered the word "proba-
bility." " Perhaps " and " probably " are the great
words of poetry ; but they are not the great words
of Jesus Christ. What then are His great words?
That is one — the word I'crili/. " Verily, verily —
indeed, indeed — amen, amen " — assurance doubly
sure. He takes His solemn oath that what He
says is the pure unadulterated truth. Men build
castles; the majority, however, build their castles in
the air; but as for that we are thankful for a place
to build them anywhere. Jesus Christ built castles
too, magnificent and grand ; but He never built one
in the air. No : He founded all His castles on the
immovable rock of eternal truth. Some fifteen
years ago or thereabouts a very able book was
published by two brothers of considerable repute,
entitled, " Guesses at Truth." A very appropriate
title for all books of human composition — " Guesses
at Truth '' But when you read the Gospels beware
of labelling them " Guesses at Truth." They con-
tain not a single guess from beginning to end — they

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lOT

arc The Truth. Jesus Christ somewhere calls John
the Baptist a "lamp." "John was a burninir and
a shining lamp." Like John the Baptist, all other
thinkers and writers are only lamps ; and lamps,
however multiplied, will never make a dav. Plant
thousands of lamps in this town of CardiH', and tlic
thousands together will not make a day even in our
own neighbourhood. Jesus Christ, however, was
not a lamp, hut a sun; and one sun sufliccs to make
a day in eight planets the same moment. " I am the
Light of the World." Not, however, Ilolman
Hunt's " Liiiht of th€ World," who is obliL^cd to
carry a lantern in his hand to show him the wav ;
but One whose own person is filled with the infinite
plenitude of Divine Light, and who scatters it
broadcast upon the Universe. Lamps have to
borrow their light, but suns make their own light.

3. " He taught as one having authority " and not
as the commentators. The scribes were commen-
tators by profession. How then did thev teach ?
They dissected truth ; and, dissecting it, thev killed
it. The scribes killed living truths ; but Christ
quickened dead truths. "My words, they are spirit
and they are life." Commentators take the truths
of the Bible and mercilessly analvse them, and therei)v
rob them of their vitality. But the Saviour did
with truths as He did with men — " He healed all
their sicknesses and diseases." Many a lame truth
He made to leap again ; many a truth struck with
palsy He again restored to strength ; and manv a
dead truth He raised ajrain from the "Tave. The

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JESUS CHRIST AS A PUBLIC TEACHER.

V!.'

general resurrection of truth is already passed. But
I am afraid that we as preachers are in danger in the
present day of following the example of the scribes
too mucli, and of Jesus Christ too little. We be-
come critics in tlic pulpit, and not preachers. We
have taken the grand verities of Divine Revelation,
miniitciv dissected them in the studv, embalmed their
bones in what we are jilcased to call " Bodies of Di-
vinity." And on Sundavs we take these skeletons
with us to the puljiit, and rattle their joints in the
hearinji; of the c()n<>rc2;ations. No wonder that

O DO

njanv timid souls are scared awav. What then
should we do? Imitate Christ; put flesh on the
bones, and infuse life into the whole. A Body of
Divinity is all very well, but the Spirit of Divinity
is Ijctter. We have taken the Trcj of Life into our
workshops, stripped it of its foliage, lopped off its
branches, split up the trunk, and tied the chips in
well-assorted bundles. And on Sundays we take
these bundles with us to the j)ulj)it, and hold up one
after another to the people, saving — " See here ; this is
the Tree of Life ; its leaves will heal the sick ; its fruits
will quicken the dead." But the men who know
how God makes trees answer — " No ; God never
made a tree like that; He is not the author of chips,
for God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
What then should we do ? Oh, show you the Tree
of Life growing in the Paradise of God, with the
verdant leaves waving in the wind, and the luscious
fruit ripening in the sun ; and the people who deny
the Divine authors!. ip of ti.e chips will be the first to

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JESUS CHRIST AS A PUBLIC TEACHER.

acknowledge the Divine workniansluj) of tlie Tr(.c
with everlasting; life tlir()!)bintr at its heart.

The commentators irenerallv discuss the minor
truths, but Jesus Christ din ctud attention to the
great truths, truths of eternal and jiaramount inte-
rest to universal humanity. The s ribes titlied the
"mint, the anise, and the cunniiin " of theology.
They wrangled and quibbled about trifles. But the
Saviour spoke of the " weigiitier matters of the law,
judgment, mercy, and faith." The doctrines He ex-
pounded were of supreme importance to every human
being. Speaking world truths and not class truths,
whole truths and not half truths, He awoke a distinct
echo in the universal heart of hun.anitv. Great things
are more easily seen than small ; fundamental truths
are more intelligible than auxiliarv ones. It is easier
to see the sun than a star, and easier to see a big
star than a little one. It is preei.-ely the same witii
truths. It is the small doctrines that perplex the
people; the saving doctrines are intelligible to all.
Jesus Christ preiched the great truths, and men in-
stinctively felt their weight. Read the sermons of
fii'ty and sixty years ago, and to me th^y are in-
sufferably tedious. Why ? Because the authors
walked the boundaries of Divine truths and endea-
voured to explain wherein Calvinism and Armin-
ianism differ, instead of to explain wherein they
agree. But mark you — the differentiating truths of
any system are its small truths. Knowledge of the
"five points" of Calvinism will not save any one,
nor will ignorance of tbem damn any one. They

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JESUS CHRIST AS A PUBLIC TEACHER.

do not constitute the " saving truths." Which,
then, arc tlie " savins: truths ? " The truths common
to the two systems. The Incarnation in Bethle-
hem ; the Atonement on Calvarv; the Intercession
on the Riuht Fland : tiiese are the savinu; truths — the
great facts of the Saviour's life and death : not the
philosophy of the facts, hut the hare facts themselves.
Some of you, like myself, have read that little book
styled " The Philosophy of the Plan of Salvation."
I like the philosophy very well, but I like the plan
better. And did we only preach the great truths,
they would lend their own Divine \veii2;ht to our
feeble discourses. In their strentrth shall we be
strona:.

III. " He taught with anthority " the people,
I. His special endeavour was to reach the people.
The Jewish rabbis were very scornful in their treat-
ment of the people. "This people who knoweth
not the law is cursed;" literally, "this rabble."
And when officials high in authority call those under
them by hard and uncomplimentary names, it, is a
sure sign that they are deficient in the "enthusiasm
of humanity." They did not love the sheep, they
only loved the wool ; they did not love the flock, they
only loved the fleece. But Jesus Christ loved the
sheep, let who will have the wool. He yearned over
them with infinite compassion. "When He saw
the multitudes, He was moved with compassion, be-
cause they fainted and were scattered abroad as
sheep having no shepherd."

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JESUS CHRIST AS A PUBLIC TEACHER.

105

In this the Saviour diffLTcd also from the paiian
philosophers. Than Plato a ncjhlcr soul never
breathed. But with sorrowful sadness we confess it,
he bestowed not a moment of his^^me nor a fraction
of his brilliant abilities to educate the masses. Tie
and his contemporaries looked upon the large bulk
of the people as well-nigh incapable of cither mental
or spiritual improvement. Jesus Christ, however,
distinctly discerned the Divine germ in every human
heart, and strove day and night with ardent hopeful-
ness to vitalise and develop it. Plato had inscril)ed
in large legible letters over the portals of his cele-
brated academy, " No admittance except for geome-
tricians." His philosophy was intended for the
exclusive benefit of scholars. Jesus Christ cried,
" Come unto Me all ; take My yoke upon you, and
learn of Me."

2. He taught the people in a way they could
vinlcrstand. " The common people heard Him
gladly '* — sweetlv. His kind gracious words carried
" sweetness and light " into the inner recesses of
their souls. He was a very sweet preacher. "The
people were very attentive to hear Him." On the
margin, they " hanged " on Him. You have seen
bees in sunmier time delicately poising on the sof'
lips of the flower, and daintily imbibing honey there-
from. In like manner the multitudes of Judaea
"hanged" on the lips of the Saviour, and eagerly
drank in the honey of His love. He adapted His
teaching to the capacities of all, without doing the
•lightest damage to the truths He was conmilssiontd

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to reveal. Some deny His popiilaritv, and others
His success. But the truth is — lie was l)()th |)0|)ular
and successful. The crowds tollowed Mini wherever
He went; and, on the whole, His preaching was
crowned with success. Wher^- is the proof? Mere
— five hundred bn'tlinni met together after His death
upon a mountain in Galilee — five hundred men with-
out women and children. Five hundred men in
three years — that is not had, is it?.

What was the secret of His popularity? That
He spoke so that tlie people could understand Him.
He invariahly used the shortest, plainest words —
words easily intelligible to the artisan, the labourer,
and the child. Have you ever seen a man, however
illiterate, reading the Sermon on the Mount with a
Dictionary at his side ? I have not. The Saviour's
style is perfectly simple, transparent, and restful —
everyone at once understands His vocabulary. You
are brought face to face with n.iked truth, and you
hardly know that lanouaffe intervenes. You ffo out
on a clear sunshiny day, and view with rare delitjht
the scenery round about you. But so serene is tlie
atmosphere, that you are quite unconscious of the
material medium through which you look. And
the style of Jesus Christ is so plain, simple, and
pellucid, that you never bestow a passing thought on
His language — you only behold the truths behind
and beyond.

As was the diction, so were the thoughts — clear
as crystal. Do not misunderstand me; they were
infinitely profound, but profundity is not obscurity.

JESUS CHRIST AS A PUBLIC TEACHER.

107

The powcrlcssness of philosophy consists in tlic fact
ihat it is profound and ol)scurc ; tliu strength of
Cliristianity that it is profound and clear. One of
the nidst iHustrious German thinkers said on his
(k'athl)ed — " I carry one regret witli me to the grave,
that of having been understood by l)ut one man m
the world; and he has onlv half un(ler>to()d me."
A system like that was not destined to live, and
llegclianism is already dead. But Jesus Christ
made every truth shine; and herein consisted f lis
greatness. Some fondly imagine that the gnat is
(lark. No : the great is clear. The sun, the
greatest world in our system, is clear. God, the
greatest beitig in the Universe, is " light, and in
Ilim is no darkness at all." Jesus Christ was the
" Light of the world " — He made every truth shine.
A model preacher!

3. But He further urged the people to do what
thev heard. We often conclude our sermons bv
ajipealing to the emotions; but Christ concluded the
Sermon on the Mount by appealing to actions.
" Whosoever hcareth these savimxs of Mine and
docth them." He taught no purely speculative
truths; that is, truths which have no relation to
practice. This shows the marvellous energy and the
comprehensive grasp of His mind. In the liistorv
of truths we behold two stages. The first w hen the
truth exists merely in the region of speculation.
The mind has discovered it, but does not perceive
its manifold relationships, and is not consequently
able to apply it to the practical purposes of life.

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JESUS CHRIST AS A FUULIC lEACIItR.

It may remain in that nebulous stiitc oF tljcory for
a century or two. Then couks a mind who con-
verts the truth to sonic jinictical end ; and thcnc;-
forward it will enter as an appreeiahk" factor into the
history of civilisation. And to apply a truth often
evinces as great intellectual power as to discover it.
Thus almost everv truth recpiires two minds to
introduce it from the domain of speculation to the
region of life— one to disct)ver it, the other to ajiplv
it. But in Tesus Christ the two ixo together. Not
only Tie revealed truth, hut lie also applied it. I fe
showed its hearing upon the daily practice of the
world, lie left no truth in the dim and cloudy air
of speculation^ — lie invariably incarnatcil it, brought
it down from the sky and made it walk the earth.

Not onlv the truths lie tauirht were capable cF
being realised in daily life, but lie further inspireil
His hearers to attempt their realisation. Many or
the most beautiful and strikino; savin(j;s contained
in the Sermon on the Mount are supposed to have
found utterance before, more or less perfect, in the
maxims of the Jewish rabbis and heathen philo-
sophers. But they were only uttered — they were
not done. Men's power of conceiving was inconi-
parablv greater than their power of accomplishinir.
It is the distiniruishino; merit of Christianity, how-
ever, that it enables the humblest peasant to do
what the noblest philosopher could only intermit-
tently think. The ordi)iary actions of Christians
are on a level with the sublimcst ideas of philosophy.
"We not only think — we live great things," said an

JESUS CHRIST AS A PUBLIC TEACHER.

lOQ

ancient father of tlu' Cluircli. Christianity, thr-r-.'-
forc, in its ultimate form is not theory hut HIV, nf)t
speculation l)ut practice. Kach of us ran do the
savings of Christ. \Vc can practise tlie Sermon on
tlic Mount. It is a beautiful sermon to read — it
makes our liearts throb, and our eyes ghsten ; hut
iiilinitelv more Ijcautiful to Hvc. Ima<j:ine this bril-
liant discourse hved in our town! Iniai^ine everv
verse of the New 'lY'stament translated into corre-
sponding deeds in the Drama of the world! The
New Testament, as written and printed, is only a
hook of ideas, and a most precious hook it is in this
respect. Xo hook like it. But the New Testament
ideas are to be construed into New Testament lives.
Live Christianity. "Whosoever heareth these say-
in^i-s of Mine \\\\f\ doeth them." You hear them,
vou understand them, hut do you do them ? I
know the religion you like. You, Knglish people,
like the relitiion of tiie understandinir ; you, Welsh
people, like the religion of feeling; hut what about
the religion of doing ? " And doktu them."
" Enoch walked with God." FTe did not understand
much — the Bible was not given. Me did not feel
much — sentiment was not born. But wiiat for that
— " He walked with God." True rcliirion must
enter the head, go down through the head to the
heart, sink down through the heart to the very feet.
" How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of
him who bringeth good tidings." The ideas? Yes.
perhaps. The emotions? Yes, possibly. But, above
all, how beautiful the feet ! " Thy word is a lamp

•

JSSUS CHRIST AS A PUBLIC TEACHER.

unto my feet." A lamp unto the head? Yes. A
lamp unto the heart? Yes. But, above all, a lamp
unto the feet ! You have the religion of the head ;
you have the religion of the heart : what about the
religion of the feet?

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3esus Cfjrist as a JHoral £egtslaton

*' Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets ; I
am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.'' — St. Matt. v. 17.

From something; Jesus Christ had done or said, the
rumour had widely spread that He was going to set
up a kingdom in antagonism to the Kingdom of
God under the Old Testament. The burden of His
preaching hitherto had been, " The kingdom of
heaven is at hand." The peoj^le naturally but
erroneously jumped at the conclusion, that the king-
dom which was "at hand" was radically difi'erent
from the kiuirdom " in hand." In the text the
Saviour corrects this view. F-]e distinctly states the
position He wished to occupy in relation to the
ancient Theocracy. "Think not that I am come
to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come
to destroy, but to fulfil." By " to destroy " here we
are to understand to annul, dissolve, abrogate.
What the Saviour then says is, that F^e was not
come to repeal either the \a.\\ or the prophets, but to
supply whatever in them was lacking. His teachmg
was not contradictory to that of Moses, but confirm-

113

JESUS CHRIST AS A MORAL LKGISI.A TOR.

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atory and complcinentarv, carrving on to a pc feet
goal the lessons he so adininihlv com.nenced. The
suhjeet, then, is —Ji'sus Christ as d Moral Legislator.
In other words, Jesus Christ perfeeting the teaehing
of the Old Testament on the iinj)ortant subjeet of
praetieal morality. "To fulfil " is a very large v -)rd,
and must be split up into three or four others to
express its full meaning. Jesus Christ fulfilled the
law by spiritualising it, by developing it, and by
generalising it. In other words, lie made it deeper,
He made it higher, fie made it broader.

I. Jesus Christ fulfilled the law by spiritual-
ising it. In the verses following the text, He
passes under rapid review several of ;he Connnand-
ments, and, instead of explaining them away, He rivets
them more elosely upon the eonseienee of the world.

I. He first reverts to the law of murder. "Ye
have heard that it was said by them of old time,
Thou shalt not kill ; and whosoever sliall kill, shall
be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you.
Whosoever shall be an<>-rv with his brother without
a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment." The
law of Moses as pojiularly expounded, took eognis-
ance only of the act of murder, it threatened punish-
ment only upon the act. But the same law as
expounded by Christ fastens upon the feelings in
which the act originates. It i)ronounees judgment
not only u])on the deed, but uj)on the thought.
Moses forbade nmrder; Christ forbids anger. That
is not relaxing the law, but tightening it; not de-
stroying it, but fulfilling it.

JESUS CHRIST AS A MURAI. LtGlSLATOR.

113

((

2. Me then s))C'iiks of tlic law oF a(l///ti'ri/.
have heard that it was said hy them of" old time,
Thou shalt not commit adultery. J5ut I sav unto
vou, That whosoever looketli on a woman to lust
after her, hath conunitted adulterv with her alrcadv
in his heart." 'I he law of Moses, as |)o|)ularlv
expounded, onlv forbade the outward transgression.
Ijut Jesus ('hrist carries it into the deepest ahvsses
of ttie soul, and perenintorily prohibits the momen-
tarv induluence of illicit love in the breast. Moses
enjoined men to keep their lives clean ; C'hrist
enjoins men to keep their souls clean. Moses
f()rbade the adulterous act; Christ forbids the adul-

terous

look.

That is not iclaxinu- the law, but

tightening- it; not destro\ing it, but fuhillino- it.

3. IJe next alludes to the law of oalhs. " Atrain
ye have heard that it hath been said bv them of (^Id
time. Thou shalt not iorswear tlivself, but shalt

rform unto the Lord thine oaths. I>ut I sav unto
yoii, Swear not at all." Swearing was very general
in judica at tliis period, connnon swearing, I mean,
h as is prevalent in the lower strata oi society at

sue

the j)resent tune,

And

much swearinu' is alwavs a

svniptom of nuieh vice and innnoralitv. The exist-
enee of unibrellas in our country proves the humidity
of the fc^niilish climate ; where there is no rain there
are no umbrellas. And the nndtiplication (jf uni-
l)rellas, as has been the case this year, witnesses to
the unusual prevalence of rain. In like manner, the
existence of oaths proves the existence of dishonesty
— where there is no Ivinu, tiiere is no swearinir. And

114

JESUS CHRIST AS A MORAL LEGISLATOR.

the unusual multiplication of oaths in the later davs
of Judaism is a proof positive of sad degeneration in
morals — one man could not believe another except
upon his oath, and not always upon that. Now
Christ forbids indiscriminate swearing. How? By
forbidding false speaking. " Let your communica-
tion be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more
than these cometh of evil." If your Yea alwavs
meant yea, and your Nay always meant nay, oaths
would be gradually rendered unnecessary. Any
term stronger than these is an evidence of moral
rottenness, either in the individual who speaks, or in
the connnunity in which he lives — *' it cometh of
evil." Moses said, " Swear not falsely ; " Christ says,
" Swear not at all." That is not annulling the law,
bat screwing it more closely upon the conscience
of humanity; not destroying it, but fulfilling it.

r ri

II. Jesus Christ fulfilled the law by developing
it. I shall illustrate this truth by two examples con-
tained in this ciiapter.

I. Take first the law of Justice. "Ye have heard
that it hath been said. An eye for an eye, and a
tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you. Resist not
evil ; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right
cheek, turn to him the otiier also." That is, if a
man smite thee on thy right cheek without thy
prior knowledge or consent, no thanks to thee for
bearing the blow: to show thou art a willing sufferer
in the cause of truth, suffer a little more than thou
must — "turn to him the other also." "And ifanv

JESUS CHRIST AS A MuRAL LEGISLATOR.

man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy
coat, let him have thy cloak also." That is, if in a
lawsuit ihou loscst the trial, and art ordered bv the
judge to part with thy coat, in order to the satis-
faction of the plaintiff, no thanks to thee for giving
it — the law constrains thee: to show thv good will,
give him a little more than thou must — "let him
have thy cloak also.' " And wliosoever shall compel
thee to go a mile, go with liiin twain." That is, if
a superior officer of the Roman Government make
thee go with him a mile, to help him forward
with his transports, no thanks to thee for going —
the imperial law compels thee : to show thy lovalty,
go with him a mile further than thou nuist — " go
with him twain.** By these and similar paradoxes,
the Saviour teaches His followers to uproot all feel-
iiiiTS of resentment.

In the development of this idea we discern three
stances. The first is characterised by the unlimited
indulirence of revenue. If a man wronirfullv injured
his neiirhbour, the latter took into his own hands the
means of retaliation, and, instigated by his savairc
nature, he would not desist till he had paid doubly
and trebly for the harm he had suHlrcd. Resent-
ment knew no limits; it persecuted its victim to the
very death. Cast your eye back to the antediluvian
period. Then justice was not recognised - might
everywhere triumphed over right. The earth was
full of violence. In the beginning of that era, we
behold Cain, actuated by unholy jealousy, conunit-
ting one murder, and afterwards sinking into despair.

flu '

ii6

JESUS CHRIST AS A MORAL LEGISLATOR.

hil'iP'

So urcat is his tK'snair tliat he becomes a fuiiitive
antl a vagabond on the earth. At the close of that era
we behold Laniech peijietrating two nuirdcrs, and
nroudlv irlorvinir in his deeds of" bloodshed, and con-
signing them to song. " And Lamech said unto
his two wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice ; \c
wives of Laniech, hearken to my speech : for I have
slain a man to mv wounding, and a young man to
mv hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, trnlv
Lamech seventv and sevenfold." It is the oldest
poem extant, the onlv snatch of poetry that has
come down to us from the days beyond the flood,
and is devoted to the celebration of nmrder. And
when nun'tler is thouirht deservin*:; of innnortalisa-
tion in sone, it is a sure indication of mournful cor-
ruption in morals. No wonder that God washed
the earth with the waters of the deluo-e — it sorelv
needed washing !

Moses inaugurated a second period — a period
characterised bv certain judicious restraints set upon
the fcelino; of reveno-c. " An eve for an eve, and a
tooth : " that is not intended so much to encourage
retaliation as to regulate it. Man needs not to be
commanded to requite insult — he is stronglv im-
pelled thereto by the constitution of his nature. It
is the first impuls." of every man. But he nuist be
sternly eommanded to restrain his anger; and this
is what Moses did. Much evil for little— two eves
for one : that is the law of fallen nature, and upon
that the world hitherto had acted. No; one eye for
one eye; the evil inflicted upon the criminal must be

JESUS CHRIST AS A MORAL LEGISLATOR.

117

in exact proportion to the magnitiulc oF his crhne :
that is the law of Moses, and upon tliat the Israelitish
nation was called upon to act. It marked a step for-
ward in the moral education of the race.

Jesus Christ, in the Sermon on the Nfount, ushers
in a third jieriod -a j)eriod characterised !)V tlu> eradi-
cation of the feelinu; of reveno-c ; not its indulirence
according to the law of nature, not its limitation ac-
cording to the law of Moses, hut its compK'te (.-raili-
cation — nothing less will satisfv the law of Christ.
Judgment bv weight, and righteousness bv i)lunnnet
— one eve for one eve, and not two : so sj)oke
Moses, for to say more just then would be to say too
nuich. Rut Christ says, " Resist not evil," " over-
come evil with good," uproot all feeling of resent-
mcut. "Phat is the Christian law; but if is another
(jucstion whether we live up to it. Moses taught
men ro restrain their anger; Christ teaches them to
uproot it. Zacharias, the son of Barachias, whom
the Jews slew between the tcnij^leand the altar, died
exclaiming, " The Lord recjuire it" — it is the spirit
of the Old Disj)ensation. But Stephen, the jiroto-
martyr, died under the shower of stones, exclaiming,
"The Lord forgive it" — it is the spirit of the New
Dispensation. "Overcome evil with evil, onlv do it
in measure" — that is the law of Moses. "Over-
come evil with good " — that is the law of Christ.
That is not degrading the law,' but ennobling it ; not
destroying it, but fulfilling it.

■2. The Saviour next develops the law of love.
"Ye have heard it said, [.ove thy neighbour, hate

1 'I

ti8

JESUS CHRIST AS A MORAL LEGISLATOR.

I ;j

■p a,i.

thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your
enemies, l)less them that curse vou, do good to theui
that hate you, and j)ray for the ni that despitetully
use you and persecute you."

We discern three periods again in the growth of
this idea. 'I'he first is distingiiislied l)y h)ve only to
l)l()()d relations, hatred to all hjsides. The rule now
is — Believe a man to he honest till you find him to
he a thief. The rule then was — Believe a man to he a
thief till you find him to he honest. Every strain'cr
was innnediately set down as a thief, and therelore
to he narrowly watched. That is the general con-
dition of society as revealed to us at the dawn of
history — love was confined to the family or trihe,
hatred roamed over all the world heyond. Ulysses
sacked a citv for no other reason than that it had not
formed a compact with Home. Had it offended him ?
No, Provoked him ? No. Without the shadow of
justification or excuse he smote all the inhahitants w ith
the edge of the sword. Love to a few relatives, hatred
to all hesidcs : that is the law of primitive times.

The second period was introduced hy Moses,and has
for its leading feature — Love to neighbours, hatred
to enemies. But the remarkable thing is, that in
this period hatred duly received the sanction of law.
Men foster enmity now as well as then, but they do
it in spite of law and not in virtue of it. But in
times anterior to the advent of Christ, enmity re-
ceived the public recognition of law ; it had a
large and legitimate place in every code of ethics. It
was as honourable, nay, more honourable, to hate

jF.'-^CS CHRIST AS A MORAL I,F,GISI..\TOR.

119

than to love. Look to Grcccr ajul Home

th(

lireraturL' transmitted to iis, hatred of enemies is as
nnuli reeomnicnded as love oF IViends. Not to n>ake
(jiiotations, allow me to state an ordinary praeriec in
tlie legal courts of classic lands. If a man thonirht
fit to prosecute another, tlie first tiling he endeavoured
to do, or his counsel for him, was to demonstrate
that he had private and personal grounds of enmity
an^ainst him. That alwavs told innnenselv in favour
of the prosecutor — that he hated the defendant for

II our courts, if the prosecutor

pri

vate reasons.

admits that he has sworn never-dvin<i; enmitv ;iirainst
the defendant, he has practicallv lost his lase — his
testimony is rendered invalid. Now it is a point
lost, then it was a point gained. Hatred received the
sanction of law.

The same spirit reigned in Judaism, though not to
the same extent. In the light of this principle arc
we able to understand the maledictory Psalms.
They contain imprecations which make our flesh
creep, and which no geiuiine Christian dare repeat.
"When he shall be judged, let him be condemned,
and let his prayer become sin. Let his clnldren be
fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children be
continually vaoabonds, and bejx. Let the extortioner

igers spoil

his labour. Let there b.' none to extend mercv to
him ; neither let there be anv to favour his fatherless
children." Many are puzzled how to account for
these and similar impreca'ions, forgetting that thcv
are not to be judged by the Christian, but by the

catch all that he hath, and let the straii!

I i

■ ' 1

(if ' 1 .

)
1

Ill u

120

jr.St'S CHRIST AS A MORAL LEGISLA'HjR.

Jcuisli, standard. Such curses were ()ard()naljl(' then,
nay, they were the le<ritiinate outcome oF the cciiius
of the ihspeiisatioii. Thev contain much to shock
the heart of a Christian ; thev contained nothinii; to
shock the lieart of a Jew.

The third perif)d is inau<i;urated l)v lesus ('hrist in

the text — fie raises the standard of iiiorahtv

((

[

hl(

that

say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them
cur>e you, do good to them that hate you, and |)rav
for them thnt (h'Spitefully use vou and |)ersrcute you."
Love tliy relative>, hate all st raiijjcrs : that was
the law of j)rinMti\'e times. I.ove thv neiuhl)f)urs,
hate thine enemies, and all the had are thine enemies :
that was the law of the Mosaic dispensation. f^ov(;
all, hate none: that is the law of C>hrist. I.ove the

^ove the uood, iov(

1J<

g'ood, hate the had, said Moses,

tlie had also, savs C!hrist. So far from makinti; void the

'I en Conmiandments, the Sa\ lour adds an Eleventh:

A new connnandment gise I unto you

that

ove one another as

f 1

lave

loved

vou.

com-

mandments under the Old 'I'estament, I'lleven under
tlie New. rv)ve others less than thyself : that was the
law of primitive times. Lo\e others as thyself : that

was

the I

aw o

f M

OSes.

ove others more than th\

self: that is the law of C'hrist.
lino; of the law."
)eirinnin<r of wisdom

r.o\e is the fulfil-

((

'I'he fear of the Lord is the
herfinninir of wisdom." J''ear is the heoinninir, hut

DO C C

it is not the all of wisdom — it is the heiiinninir, hut
it is not the end

What, then, is the end ?

-5

Thi

end of the commandment is charity." iMorality,
like rel.gion, l)egins in fear and ends in love. " Love

JKSUS CHF.IST AS A MORAL IJ/WSF.A TOR.

Itt

is the I)oih1 of j)('rf({"tncss." In the Old TotaiTU'iit
\\v. sec ir()f)(lii('ss ill its inripiciit sfaucs oooiliicss ii)
t!i(! roots. In the New 'I cstaMunt we sic irooihu'ss
ill Tull (l('vc'lo|»iTi('iit — goo(hi(ss in the llowor. Jol)
savs that, the "root of the matter" was fouiul in
hiiD, l)iit r)nlv the root ; you iiiiist look elsewliere for
the flower. iJeliLnon in its root lie j)os»( s-^ed ; hut
religion in (lower and fruit was re<er\i(l lor New
'I'estaineiit times. Mverv heljevcr lla■^ tlie roots
nianted in his heart, the root> nt all the virtues;
and our supreme diitv consists in cult uatiiiL! the roots
and seekinii" to unfold them into lloucr and truit.

III. Jesus ('hrist fulfilled the law \>y (;i:.\i:uALis-

INO it, or inakinir it universal

e made the

aw um\(r<al iii

le sense o

hreakinir down all class distinctions in moralitv.
ileathenism maintained the^c mischievous distinc-
tions. It divided mankind into two classes, the
learned and the iiinoiant, and hetween these two it
erected a high partition wall. Accordintdv, know-
ledge was divided into two parts esoteric and exo-

teric.

ic esoteric, or

lOW

led

()■(;

pro)

)er.

hel

oiHjed

()

nlv to the initiated; the great hulk of the* people

d)l(

)f tr

ue intellectual or

was consicl<''"-(i nicaj)at)ie o

spiritual enlightenment. These distinctions, though

discountenanced in ewis

>h 1,

iw, were adnii

tted

Jewish practice.

((

This ])eople, which krioweth

not the law, is accursed,

Onlv tl

arned shall

reach unto the resurrection," had passed into a maxim
in conteixiporancoiis Jewish society. True, the Kaf)-

laa

JESUS CHRIST AS A MORAL LEGISLATOR.

' I

hinical doctors discussi'd problenis of liigh morality
in the schools, but thcv did not ciidcavoiir to dis-
seminate liirht among tlic people. They advocated
inonopolv in knowledge, human and divine.

The Siiviour, however, declared in favour of free
trade, lie holdiv demolished the wall of partition
built himh and broad between tlu* cultureil and the
illiterate, lie enti'red the <i:ranarv of I^ivine truth,
took out the golden grain, and scattered it broadcast
on the face of tlie common earth. The trutjjs of the
favoured few fie made the conmion proMcrtv of the
uncultured many. lie alone of all His contempora-
ries or predecessors, perceived the intrinsic worth and
vast possibilities of tlie human soul. Fie alom*, there-
fore, recognised in their fulness the inalienable rights
of human nature, whether to be found in the plebeian
or the patrician. The advocates of what is called
Secularism proclaim with a loud voice that there is
a strong undercurrent of deep feeling in the populace
strongly inimical to Christianity. If that be true, then
the people war against the onlv religion which recog-
nises in full the inherent claims of every individual soul.

Look to Oriental religions and empires: they onlv
allow liberty to one — the king ; all others are slaves
existing only at the sovereign pleasure of the mon-
arch. Look to Greek religion and philosophy : they
only allow liberty to the few — the oligarchy ; the
masses of the people are reduced to hopeless and
abject bondage. Christianity alone proclaims libcrtv
to all, bidding every human being go free in virtue
of his inherent personality. Tom Paine, the well-

JESUS CHRIST AS A MORAL LEGISLATOR.

"23

known infickl, piihlished a book under the preten-
tious title of "'I'he liights of Man," in whieh he
atlvoeated denioeracv in i:overnnient and inHdcIitN
in reliixion. The hook hccaine so obnoxious to tlie
then reigning powers ol' I jiuland, that its sale was
strictly interchcted. An old man in Cil.unorgan-
shire, lolo Morganwg by name, suspeeted of" undue
svnipathv with radiealism, was narrowly watched bv
certain spies of the Cjovernnunt. The grcy-lieadi'd
old man, coming to a knowledge of the Tact, cun-
ningly wrapped up a book in paper, wrote on the
back of it in large letters "Thk Khjiits of Man,"
then exhibited it in the window of his little shoj) for
sale. The agents of the British Government, glad
of the opportunity of entraj^jjing hiu), w hose like for
anti(piarian lore was not to be found within the four
seas, entered the shop, eagerly purchased the book,
paid for it, cash down, considerably more than its
full market value. Opening the book to lay cri-
minal information against him, lo ! they beheld, to
their chagrin and disappointment, a veritable copy of
the Holy Scriptures. Well done, old man! With
laudable intuition, he distinctly saw that the Bible is
the only book which clearly expounds and staunchly
vindicates " the rights of man " as against the despo-
tism of governments on the one hand, and the com-
munism of infidelity on the other.

a. He made the law universal in another sense —
He broke down all national distinctions in morality.
In ancient times morality was strictly national. This
was emphatically the case among the pagan nations

124

JESUS CHRIST AS A MORAL T.T.GISLATOR.

of the earth. Their iritis hcinir national, their re-
ligion was national ; and their moral oblig'ations
never extentled bi'vond the hounds of their religion.
Members of the same nation were believed to be
under oblijiation to one another; but thev were not
supposed to owe anv dutv to the inhabitants of other
countries. fleathen ethics did not aeknowleduv
the rights of strangers. A (ireck was ex])eeted to
respect a Greek ; but he could murder, rob, or
enthral a stranger at pleasure. A Greek could
exercise what severities he liked towards shipwrecketl
foreigners, and vet be looked upon bv his neighbours
as an honourable and high-minded citizen of \\v
state. Foreigners had no rights in Attic soil, and
conserjuentlv natives had no duties in their relation
to them. I am not forgetful that here and there we
perceive a kind of vearning after cosmopolitcUiism in
morals as in empire. But these vearninus existt'd
onlv in the transient dreams of a small school of
j)hilos()phrrs — r!.c\' did not permeate societv and
fashion its cour.e. 'I'hev onlv served to show thai
God was silentlv j)reparing the highest thought of
the world for the great transition about to be macK'
in the Gospel of His Son.

Jewish moralitv was also national. F need not
adduce proofs — the idea is familiar enough ro vou.
The intense nationalism of the Jews in the time of
the Saviour is proverbial ; thev surrounded sea and
land to make one proselvte. Instead of trying to
make Judaism commensurate witli the world, they
tried to make the world connnensurate with Judaism.

If if

^11'

JESUS CHRI6T AS A MORAL LLGISLATOR. 12$

However, Jewish morality lierc, a.> iii everv other
iiif^tanec, was superior to conteinporaiieoiis pagan
morahtv. Notwitlistaiuhno; its intense nationahsiii,
fiidaisin always inculeatecl kindness to stranuers.
'' 11ie seventh dav is the Sabbath of the Lord thv
God; in it tliou shalt not do any work, tliou, nor
thv son, nor thv dauuhter, thv nian-su\ant, nor thv
maid-servant, nor thy eattle, nor tlie strdturcr wit'hin
thv gates." 'I'rue, the stranger i> put aiter tlie
cattle, as of less consecpience than ihev ; nevertlie-
less, it is to be remembered that Judaism is tlie onlv
ancient code of morals which accords him a j^laee at
all. "The strano-er within thv uates : " the recur-
renee of that phrase in the Mosaic ethics lifts them
above all other ancient ethics whatever.

What Moses onl\ began, Jesus Christ beautifidly
perfected. lie made morality absolutelv lunnan.
Politics still practically remain within the thick
barriers of nationalism, though we hope to see the
dav when thev also will become cosmopolitan. But
Christian moralit\- is cosmopolitan already — perfectly
so in theory, increasingly so in practice. Jesus
Christ has laid e\erv man under obligation to every
other man on the face of the iilobe. ft is no longer
(heck under obligation to Greek, but man under
obliiiation to man. What the Greek poet onlv
inomentarilv conceived, Jesus Christ has converted
into a powerful element in modern civilisation —
" I also am a man, and nothing human is foreign
to me." Ancient morality was founded upon the
differences between men. Christian moralit\' uno \

; ;■ I

;

126

JESUS CHRIST AS A MORAL LEGISLATOR.

their likenesses ; and men are more like than unlike
after all. Uiunan is now the oriiz;in of humane.
The Gospel thus created a new virtue. Patriotism
was known to the \\ orld before ; it was the cardinal
virtue of ancient history — the love of country. But
Jesus Christ introduced philanthropy — not love of
country, but love of race. Paul could exclaim, " I
am debtor to the Greeks and to the barbarians, to
the wise and to the unwise.'* The Gospel engen-
dered in his breast a sense of indebtedness to the
entire race — a sentiment new to the history of
humanity. PViuelon said, " I am more of a French-
man than of a Fenelon, and more of a man than of
a Frenchman." " I am more of a man than of a
Fdnelon : " therein he teaches that he belonged more
to the State than to himself, a sentiment pervading
all ancient codes of morality. " I am more of a
nian than of a Frenchman : " therein he teaches that
lie belonged more to his race than to his country, a
sentiment distinctively Christian, and utterly unknown
to ancient thinkers. Ancient ethics sufficed to
create the enthusiasm of nationality ; and that is
the only enthusiasm to be discovered in the early
annals of mankind. But Christian ethics have
served to create the enthusiasm of humanity; they
flower naturally in evangelising efforts at home and
missionary enterprise abroad. Love of man, in his
bare capacity as man, independently of the colour of
his skin or rank in the social scale, throbs in thou-
sands of human hearts. Not love, cold and formal,
as expressed in the old classic word for philanthropy;

% ■{■

JESUS CHRIST AS A MORAL LEGISLATOR.

127

have
they
c and
in his
our of
thou-
ornial,
iropy ;

but love, varm, glowing, burning, as expressed in the
iiewly-coinnd word agapce, a love all ablaze to deliver
others from ignorance and vice, a.id to introduce them
to the inestimable benefits of knowledge and religion.

3. He, moreover, abolished ,vt'.r distinctions in
morals. The idea of man as orisrinallv conceived
bv his Maker contains the two genders. " God
created man ; male and female created He them : "
the singular in the first clause being equivalent to
the plural in the second. But ancient civilisation
apprehended only the masculine element. It is
unnecessary to dwell at length upon the servile posi-
tion of woman in the pre-Christian ages. Let one
illustration suffice — vou can see bv the bent of one
straw which way the wind blows. In modern times
all public speakers, standing before promiscuous
assemblies, beuin bv addressinsi; the ladies. " Ladies
and gentlemen," not " Gentlemen and ladies." It
was not so, however, from the besrinninir. Ao-ain
and again in classic literature we come across the
phrase — "children and women." Women were
uniformly placed, not only after the men, but after
the children ; they were looked upon simplv as
" necessary evils." The. woman was denied all rights
— the right to knowledge, and the right to liberty.
Man was everything, and woman nothing; hence the
manly qualities were sedulously cultivated to the utter
neglect of the womanV. Strength, severity, self-pos-
session : these are the priine excellences of the heathen
svorld. Th-* idea of man was broken and fragmentary.

But the Saviour gathered up the fragments, that

128

JESUS CHRIST AS A MORAL LEGISLATOR.

III

f li

nothing should be lost. He presents the idea of
humanity once more in its proportionate totality.
" Male and female created lie them." He first
unites them in His own character. The title for
which He evinces the ureatest fondness is that of
the " Son of Man." Tiiis term, as is well known, is
generic, including the masculine and the feminine.
In Him, therefore, we first discover the full realisa-
tion of the ideal humanity. He is man in His
strength, woman in His tenderness ; man in the
indomitablencss of His will, woman in the invin-
cibleness of I J is love. Artists have intuitively seized
this idea — they universally give Him a face noted for
delicacy and pathos. More; this idea has well nigh
revolutionised the world of Art. In the classic ages,
the prevailing form was sculj")ture. The granite was
fetched from the (juarry, carefully chiselled, and
elegantly polished to represent the " human form
divine." Their art was characterised by simplicity,
severity, and stern grandeur. But whereas Sculpture
was the prevailing form of art among the ancients,
Painting is the prevailing form in the Christian era.
Why has prnnting thus to a large extent superseded
sculpture? Because painting is more feminine, and,
therefore, more capable of giving adequate expression
to the softer, warmer virtues. Firmness and severity
in sculpture, w armth and love in painting.

This softenimr influence of the Saviour's teachiuLi"
is more particularly felt in the domain of ethic;;.
"He restored to woman her orioinal riohts, and im-
posed upon her the corresponding- duties. Woman

iiijf

JESUS CHRIST AS A MORAL LEGISLATOR.

T29

is now an appreciable factor in the civilisation of
the world. Christianity bv no means discouraffes
the masculine properties. Certainly not : as much
heroism is to be observed in modern as in ancient
history. But it has added to the rude strength of
the man the seductive grace of the woman, thcrebv
producing a new type of goodness —that based on
the non-resistance of wrong. There is a nobler
heroism than that displayed in the exercise of power
— the heroism shown in the restraint of power.
Kindness, meekness, patience ; that is the tap-root
of Christian morality. Kindness to all in spite of
bitter provocations to the contrary, kindness even
to the animal creation. It is to be remarked that
neither was the Jewish law quite forgetful of the
cattle. " In it thou shalt do no work, thou, nor thy
cattle" The cattle also are comprised in the moral
law. How ? To keep it ? No ; but to be kept by
it. But still Judaism had not the power to convert
the precept into a sentiment operative in the history
of mankind — that was reserved for the Gospel. We
have been long before understanding the lesson ; but
we now begin to comprehend it. Most civilised
nation? have enacted regulations which have for
their object " the prevention of cruelty to animals.**
That is not contracting the law, but expanding it;
not destroying it, but fulfilling it.

'* He prayeth best who loveth best
All things both great and small ;
For the dear God who loveih us,
He made and loveth all."

i :■

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( 130 )

VII.

** For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, yc shall in no case enter
into the Kingdom of Heaven. " — St. Matt. v. 20.

In the verses immediately preceding, the Saviour
gives utterance to a very momentous truth. " Who-
soever shall break one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in
the Kingdom of Heaven ; but whosoever shall do
and teach them, the same shall be called great in the
Kingdom of Heaven." To do evil and teach others
to do it, is to increase evil enormously ; on the othjr
hand, to do good and teach others to do it, is to mul-
tiply good indefinitely. It is, therefore, of supreme
importance that the followers of Jesus not only do
good themselves, but teach others to do it. Our
personal goodness must become social; our piety
must have in it the power of self-propagation. This
distinguishes the New Testament from the Old Tes-
tament goodness, that it has the power to propagate
itself. This suggests a subject for our present con-
sideration — The super-excellemry of the New Testa-
ment righteousness or goodness or morality, call it

»>, I

|]#l

THE GOSPEL RIGHTEOUSNESS.

131

by what name you like. This subject received our
attention in the last sermon ; but enough yet re-
mains to be said to occupy our time to-day.

I. The Gospel morality excels all other moralities
in KIND — in the ethereal delicacy of its texture. It
lays infinite stress upon holiness, an idea which
receives full development only within its pale.

I. Examine Paganism, its worship and philosophy.
The religious cultus of the ancients afforded a direct
encouragement to the depravation of morals. The
gods of Paganism were only deifications of human
nature; deifications of its sins as well as of its excel-
lences, of its carnal lusts as well as of its more spiri-
tual aspirations. Consequently the character of the
gods was the condensation of all unnameable impuri-
ties, and tended directly to contaminate the morals
of the worshippers. Indeed, the only way to render
acceptable homage to some of the deities of Greece
and Rome, was by unlimited indulgence in the
coarsest and most repulsive sins. So great cor-
rupters of morals, public and private, were the gods
supposed to be, that the later philosophers found it
necessary to dissociate ethics from religion, and form
them instead into a distinct department of philosophy.

Seeing that the idea of holiness is absent from the
heathen religions, is it to be found in the heathen
philosophies? I think not. In Aristotle's enumera-
tion of the cardinal virtues, no place is found for
holiness. He mentions wisdom, courage, temper-
ance, and justice; but he seems to have failed to

III

I::

wil

>3«

THE GOSPEL RIGHTEOUSNESS.

discover the idea of holiness. Hence a brilliant
writer very properly remarks, that in the annals of
the Pairan world we look in vain for a " saint."
Sages, warriors, orators, poets, artists we find in
abundance, but saints none. The best men of
heathenism, such as Socrates and Plato, were guilty
of abominations which would blight for ever the
reputation of any modern. Heathenism possessed
neither the idea of holiness nor the quality repre-
sented bv the idea; hence its morals were earthlv
and coarse.

2. Consider Judaism again. Doubtless it was
vastly in advance of Paganism, for it did possess the
incipient idea of holiness. Nevertheless, the Jews at
the conuiicnccment of their career betrayed a lament-
able tendency to worship God in the old Egyptian
fashion, by giving unbridled license to the animal
appetences. "They rose up to dance;" "they saw
God and ate and drank : " the vision of the
Almighty only whetted their appetites. The vision
of Him would inevitably make Christians fast; but
it made the Jews eat and drink all the heartier.
This shows the raw, barbarous material Moses had
to work upon and fashion into shape. Neverthe-
less, Moses did succeed in introducing into the world
the idea of holiness ; but he has scarcely had the
praise due to him for the discoverv of such a grand
idea. Aristotle is much eulogised for discoverincf
the laws of thought, and Newton for discovering the
laws of astronomy; how much more should Moses
be praised for discovering the fundamental laws of

THE GOSPEL RIGHTFOUSNESS.

>33

morality? Every excellence, to be acceptable with
God, must be holy.

3. In Christianity y however, we see the idea in full
bloom. Holiness is twofold, outward and inward,
Judaism embodied only the first half — the consecra-
tion of the outer man to the Divine service. The
Hebrew word for holiness meant external separation,
not internal purification. Only by degrees could
the idea of holiness be revealed in its comprehensive
totality, for only by degrees could the mind ade-
quately apprehend it. Judaism only insisted on the
first half, outward consecration ; but Christianity
insists upon the second half, inward purification.
Hence Judaism developed into a system of bap-
tisms and divers washings; but Christianitv deve-
loped into the doctrine of regeneration and sanctifi-
cation. Accordingly, in Paganism we see no vestige
of holiness; in Judaism we do discover it, but only
in the germ, holiness in a state of raw incipiency ;
in Christianity, however, we behold it in full deve-
lopment, holiness of body, soul, and spirit. Other
systems contain creditable exhibitions of virtue ;
Christianity is the only system in which all the
virtues are white.

I:!

n. Christian morality excels all other moralities in
degree; it comprises all that is good and praiseworthy
in prior or contemporaneous systems. " Let patience
have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and
entire, wanting nothing." " Perfect " — all the parts
present. ** Entire " — all the parts in perfect develop-

»34

THE GOSPF.L RIGHTEOUSNESS.

i'l 'r

ment. " And the very God of peace sanctify you
wholly," that is sanctification perfect in cicgrcc ;
" and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, anil
body be preserved blameless unto tlie coming of the
Lord Jesus Christ," that is sanctification perfect in
all its parts.

I. Christian morality contains all the aid virtues
which distiniruished the ancient world. Of course,
many virtues flourished outside Christianity and prior
to its establishment. But you discover no excellence
outside it and before it, but you discover the same
within it. Whatever in humanity was noble and
good, was immortalised, not destroyed, in Christianitv.
The history of virtue runs parallel with the historv
of truth. Paganism contained many truths of vital
importance. Infidel writers, such as Voltaire, have
delisrhted to dio; in the old mines to brin<r to
light forgotten maxims, and to show that Jesus
Christ was antedated in their utterance. That
many of the truths contained in the Gospel were
to be found outside the Gospel, they look upon as
militating against the Gospel. But so far from
militating against it, it militates for it. It proves
that the Gospel is true to human reason, and fully
recognises all truths relative to conduct to which
the human reason has ever given utterance. Be it
further remembered that the grand principles under-
lying all the old religions are buried under cumbrous
superstructures of error, like a few gold grains under
a thousand tons of rubbish. But Christianity is all
truth without any error, all gold without any base

I ,

THE GOSPEL RIGHTEOUSNESS.

»35

alloy, all precious stones without any hay, straw, or
stubble. And how is this to be accounted for ?
Only on the supposition that the Founder was
divinelv aided and inspired.

Similar remarks hold true oF the Gospel virtues.
The heatlien world was not all l)ad, totally and irre-
trievably bad ; doubtless it could boast of many solid
excellences. On closer examination, however, they
betray a lamentable want of proj)ortion. Some few
virtues stand out prominently, like Corinthian
columns amid wildernesses of ruin. These select
virtues are sedulously cultivated, whilst all the other
virtues, which give balance and strength to character,
are utterly disregarded. One system gives great promi-
nence to one virtue, another system to another virtue,
but none of them to the whole round of virtues.
The Gospel, however, has gathered them all together ;
no excellence is recognisable in the heathen world
but the same is to be found in Christianity trans-
figured and glorified. All the colours of the rain-
bow must be proportionately blended to make white;
and all the virtues now Ivinc: scattered over the de-
vastated surface of humanity, must be biouirht to-
gether and properly arranged to form the pure white
of the Christian character. Herein Christianity towers
hiirh above all Pa<ran codes of morality — that whereas
their several lists of virtue are partial and incom-
plete, the Gospel list is " entire, wanting nothing."

2. This leads me to remark further that the Gospel
introduced new virtues to human life, the virtue?
which grow out of love as their tap-root. ** Brethren

'1ft'

III

136

THE GOaPtL KIGIITEOUSNESS.

ye also should love one another;" "Love your
cneniies." Your love is to embrace, not only vour
brethren, but your enemies. In this again the
Gospel morality cliflTers mneh from the morality of
the heathen world. Love in its modern sii^iiification
is nowhere to be found in the ancient writings. The
heathen religions did not consist in the love, but
in the feai, ^>f the gods. Their very word for tiieir
religious services denoted fear as the predominating
inriuence; and where fear governs in our relation to
the gods, suspicion governs in our relation to men.
Whether the story in Genesis means a literal serpent
or not, I am not going now to discuss; but certainly
it indicates the intr()ductif)n to human life of the
serpentine sul}tilty which forms so prominent a
feature in all savaire communities. And as in
the ancient religions, so in the ancient philosojihies,
love in its evanirelical siirnification is nowhere
inculcated. Ancient philosophy found its noblest
outcome in Stoicism ; and Stoicisn) means self-
assertion, not self-denial — self-exaltation, not self-
sacrifice. Love of self, in various disguises, lies at
its basis; hence pride, self-control, contempt of pri-
vations and sufferings, are its chief products. The
gentle, delicate, feminine virtues, it held in supreme
abhorrence. From three to four hundred letters of
Cicero are still extant; but notwithstanding the nume-
rous items of news thev contain about thinjrs trivial
and things important, they contain not a single allu-
sion to his mother. On the contrary, in a letter ad-
dressed to him by an intimate friend, he is roundly

THE GOSPEL RIGHTEOUSNEJ-S.

»37

rebuked for being so weak as to grieve at the loss oF
liis omIv and beloved dauiihter. Such virtues as love
of mother or love of daughter were deemed un-
worthy of true, proper manliood.

Judaism, however, is su|)erior to Paganism ; never-
theless love, and the excellenees immediately spring-
ing from love, find in it but a very subordinate
plaee. Reading the Old Testanjent we cannot but
be painfully struck with the absence of the word
" love " from its pages. In Judaism, as in Paganism,
the paramount element is iear. " This is the whole
duty of man: Fear God and keej) His connnand-
nicnts." Consequently the Jewish virtues are only
such as could be evolved out of fear; they have all
an evident touch of servility about them. This, I
suppose, is what is meant by the charge of legalism
brought against the Jewish righteousness. I do not
forget that the Beatitudes with which the Lord Jesus
opens the Sermon on the Mount, and which are de-
voted to the celebration of the gentle virtues, are all
borrowed from the Old Testament; but so scattered
were they up and down its pages, that they failed to
attract particular notice. Jesus Christ was the first
to behold their modest beauty, and to bring them
together and to bind them into one sweet bouquet.
This is His peculiar merit among all the moral sages
of the world, that He is the first to give special
prominence to the suffering virtues. The excel-
lences lying isolated under the Old Testament, like
"flowers born to blush unseen," He has placed in
the forefront of His religion, and upon their cuiti-

>>*»

'1* £

|, .,:

1 ■;'
1'

138

THE GOSPEL RIGHTEOUSNESS.

yation He exhorts His disciples to bestow double
care.

The central principle of Christian morality being
love, a new class of virtues sprang into existence, to
represent which the old Greek language had no terms,
its richness and fertility notwithstanding. Therefore
the New Testament writers found themselves under
the necessity of coining new words, or of infusing
new meanings into old words. You have often
heard that the word " humility " had to undergo a
radical change in its meaning, in fact, to be regene-
rated, in order to express aderjuately the new virtue
which Jesus Christ introduced into human conduct.
Humility in ancient times signified meanness of
spirit — a humble man meant a base man. But
humility in modern times indicates greatness of spirit
— a humble man means a noble man, and the more
humble the more noble. Very remarLible also is it
that the old classic word for love (e/5a;?) is not once
used in the New Testament. It had contracted so
nmch defilement in the roll of the years, that He
who shrank not from the touch of leprosy recoiled
from the slightest contact with it. He invented a
new word in preference (ayaTny^, a word to be found
in none of the secular writers, a word signifying love:
not, however, the love which arises from the pas-
sions of the animal nature, nor the love which arises
from the perception of beauty by the mind, but the
love which arises from the principle, of goodwill in
the heart. " Love your enemies : " love them, not
because there is any beauty, moral or physical, in
them, not because they deserve it, but because you

THE GOSPEL RIGHTEOUSNESS.

139

are impelled thereto by the resolution of the moral
will. No thanks to you for loving them who love
vou; do not even the publicans so? Your love, like
the Divine love, must be self-moving; it must carry
its cause within itsirlf. The word " philanthropy "
Hiiain {(j)iXav9po7ria) ori*.'inally signified culture,
politeness, courtesy — a creditable meaning enough
so far as it went, but it did not iro far enoi'iih to
satisfy the genius of the Christian religion. The
New Testament writers have, therefore, given it a
deeper meaning — a meaning certainly imjilying out-
ward decorum, but implying, further, an ardent love
of mankind, manifesting itself in persevering efforts
to mitigate the manifold evils, temporal and spiritual,
which afflict them.

Thus with Christianity came into social currency
a new class of virtues. The human mind, since the
advent of Christ, has shown gre.^t ingeniousness, and
has been marvellously fruitful in inventions; but it
is a fact, patent to all, that it has not succeeded in
adding a single new virtue to the sum total of
human goodness. Every excellence finds its type
in the Gospel. As "corruption" means the break-
ing up of human nature, the promiscuous collapse
of all its faculties, so " holiness " means wholeness,
the resetting of the broken powers, and their beauti-
ful re-arrangement in a complete system. Humanity
is to be restored to more than its original complete-
ness; the ideal Christian is a compendium of all
the virtues — " perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

3. Not only Christianity contains all the virtues,

i ■

I I

|! I

I 11
!

140

THE GOSPEL RIGHTEOUSNESS.

new and old, but it further contains them in a state
oi full, mature, perfect development. The virtues it
teaches and deinands are not virtues \n a state oF
rawness, but virtues in their ripest, sweetest, mellow-
est stage. Many of them, as already intimated, are
to be found in the green stage in other religi(>ns and
philosophies J in Christianity alone do they unfold
the richness of their hue and the delicacy of their
fragrance, in it alone do they reveal their innate
wealth of colour and svs^eetness. It has been often
remarked that the New Testament is remarkable for
its enthusiasm. V. possesses light, more light than
any other book ; but the main secret of its influence
lies not so much in its liirht as in its heat. The
great motive power of the world is not light, but
heat. And the New Testament is full of bo h, full
of light and full of heat. It is a very hot book.
You cannot read it for any length of time but it
makes you hot — you grow enthusiastic, and invent
comprehensive schemes for the renovation of the
planets, schemes which astonish and bewilder your
cooler acquaintances. " Not slothful in business,
fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." " Fervent in
spirit," or, literally, " boiling in spirit." I like to see
Christian professors boil in spirit ; I have no objec-
tion to see them boil over; at all events, better to
see them boil over than not boil at all. " The effec-
tual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much " — the hot, boiling prayer. Our prayers are
often very cold, they freeze like icicles upon our
lips ; but to avail in heaven, they should be at

THE GOSPEL RIGHTEOUSNESS.

141

boiling point, no harm if they splash over. Yes,
our virtues require to be well boiled ; till then they
are raw and sour, setting people's teeth on edge.
" He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and
with fire." That was to be the distinguishing
feature of the New Dispensation as compared with
the Old — its fire, its heat, its enthusiasm. Only
when virtue is hot is it infectious. Fevers never
spread except in hot weather; cold always kills the
infection. Be that as it may ; virtue, goodness,
piety, never spreads except when it is hot. Religion
cold will never kindle the fires of a new life in hearts
"dead in trespasses and sins.**

HI. Christian morality excels all other moralities in
POWER — in the hold it has upon, and the strength it
imparts to, men in their endeavours after a higher life.

I. Christianity, and it alone, presents us with a
perfect ideal of morality. From what has been
already advanced, it is clear that preceding codes of
morality are defective on the one side or the other.
But I challenge any man to put his finger on a
jingle blot in the Gospel page. A few, I know,
have attempted it; but the attempt has recoiled in
disgrace upon the authors. The imperfections thev
pointed out did not inhere in the Gospel, but in
their one-sided interpretation thereof; they did not
:!xist in the New Testament, but in the ingenious
brains of the critics. An astronomer examines the
stellar heavens through his telescope. At first he
sees, as he believes, worlds half formed in the empy-

14»

THE GOSPEL RIGHTEOUSNESS.

rean ; presently he beholds what seem to be ruiMs
of planets, black and ugly, tumbling helter skelter
through space. Before publishing his strange dis-
coveries to an astonished world, however, he takes
the precaution to examine the disc of his telescope ;
and, lo ! there he finds the cause of the strange
phenomena he had just witnessed in the planetary
svstem. Flies inside the telescope impeached the
integrity of the universe ! And the writers I Imve
just alluded to have turned the ends of their tele
scopes or microscopes — it is all one — to the Gospel
history; and they find it deficient in veracity in one
place, in sincerity in another, in love of liberty in a
third place. Alas ! they ought first to carefidly
examine their mental discs ; and probably they
would find, some in their brains, and others in their
hearts, the cause of all the sup)»osed aberrations in
the life of the Saviour. Their interpretation it is
which is at fault. The Gospel continues a living
embodiment of our highest conception of morality,
of what is due from man to man, and of what is due
from man to God.

2. It further exhibits a perfect example of moral-
ity. Its standard of morality is higher than any-
thing to be found outside itselt^ whether in Judaism
or Paganism ; still the great want of the world was
not so much a new ideal as a new example. Man-
kind knew a great deal more than they could do;
their ideal was immeasurably higher than their prac-
tice. Not the power of conceiving, but the power
of performing, was the chief want of the world ; not

THE GOSPEL RIGHTEOUSNESS.

light, but the ability to live up to the light. The
philosophers showed men, a. they supposed, the
sovereign good ; but the question still remrtlned,
How can we attain it? VVe do see it, but how can
we reach it? We needed an exaniple even more
than an ideal. The Gospel meets this want ; in
Jesus Christ it shows us a perfect example. Not
only it lavs before us a theory perfect in all its parts;
but the theory is reduced into practice. His life
was a commentary upon His teaching. He lived
His ideal before the eyes of men. " Which of you
convinceth me of sin ? " Not which of you chargeth
me, but which of you convinceth me' Many then,
and a few now, charge Him with immorality ; but
which of them has substantiated the charge? Which
of them has proved their wild accusations? " I have
sinned," exclaimed Judas, " in betraying innocent
blood." There is some evil in everybody's blood
save Christ's; however exemplary the outward con-
duct, some evil always lurks in the blood. But here
is One exempt from taint, both in the blood and in
the life. " A Lamb without spot" — not a single
speck on His character. " He magnified the law,
and made it honourable." In other instances the
law makes the men who keep it honourable ; but
here Christ makes the law honourable. The com-
mandments reflect credit upon us, if we obey them ;
but here is One too great, too holy, to receive credit
from them, He reflects credit upon them.

3. The perfect ideal embodied in a perfect ex-
ample fills the breast with inspiration. The standard

If!

144

THE GOSPEL RIGHTEOUSNESS.

is high; but One has reached it, One in our nature;
that fires us with a hot, holy ambition to reach it
also. Seeing Cin-ist, we feel an ardent desire to
Follow in His steps. " Example is better than pre-
cept.*' Precepts give light, but examples give heat;
and heat is the great motive power of the world.
Jesus Christ produces heai;. We cannot contem-
plate His life and death, but " our hearts burn
within us as we talk of Him by the way." Wc
can never accomplish much till our hearts burn, till
our souls are all aflame. Still Jesus Christ as an
example is not enough ; to inspire is one thing, to
enable is another. Jesus Christ as an example serves
to fill us w ith inspiration ; but one may have the
desire to live holily without possessing the ability.
As a minister was dwelling, in the hearing of some
of the lowest dregs of society, on Jesus Christ as an
example, and exhorting his hearers to walk in His
steps, one of them cried out in anguish of soul :
"Your rope, sir, is too short; it cannot reach me
in the depths of my wretchedness and sin." Take
Christ as an example, follow Him. " We should
like to, but we cannot," I hear some of you cry ;
"sin has depraved our nature, weakened our strength
— we have not the ability." " What we hate, that we
do." Well, is there any way of lengthening the rope,
of imparting the power as Well as the desire ? Yes —
4. The crowning glory of the Gospel morality is
its doctrine of the possible regeneration of the nature.
Christian ethics are founded upon a radical change
in the quality of our being. The Gospel imparts a

THE GOSPEL RIGHTEOUSNESS.

new nature to the human soul. Much stress is laid
in the present tlay upon culture. Culture is doubt-
less irood. But what is there to be cultivated ? The
seeds of all goodness are hid in the soil of our nature,
answers a certain school of philosophy, and all we
have to do is to awaken and develop them. That
they were once sown, I believe ; but the Enemy
came and sowed tares. Anv theory which i<2:nores
the Fall is incomplete and one-sided. And if good
fruit is to be grown, good seed must be once more
sown, and that is done in regeneration. " Being
born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible,
by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for
ever." " Whosoever is born of God doth not com-
mit sin, for His seed rcmaineth in him." And the
Divine seed produces a Divine crop. Cultivate the
ground as much as you like, you will not have a
aolden harvest unless vou sow it. And cultivate
human nature as much as you like — I say not a
word against the Gospel of Culture; but I do sny
that culture alone will not suffice. Besides culture,
there must be regeneration ; besides lioht in the
intellect, there must be grace in the heart. Jesus
Christ imparts grace ; He makes us strong in the
inner man ; and by deirrees '* the riuhteousness of
the law shall be fulfilL-d in us." " His Divine power
hath given us all things that pertain unto life and
godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath
called us to glory and virtue . . . that ye might be
partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust."

' i:

( 146 )

VIII.

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye

shnll eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor yet for your body, what ye
shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than
raiment? Behold the fowls of the air," &c.— St. Matt. vi. 25-34.

In the paragraph preceding the text the Saviour
warns the rich against laying up treasures on the
earth. In the text He warns the poor against over-
carefuhiesG respecting this world's goods. Between
these two extremes — the greediness of the rich and
the anxiety of the poor — tie places that significant
statement, " Ye cannot serve God and Mannnon."
Now that statement looks backward and forward.
It looks backward to aniassing earthly treasures, for
to do that to the neglect of religion is to serve
Mammon. It looks forward to over-anxiety con-
cerning the future, for to be guilty of that to the
neglect of the soul is to serve Mammon. if yiu
are covetous, you render service to Mammon ; if you
are anxious, you render him service all the same.
The avariciousness of the rich and the carefulness
of the poor, belong equally to the worship of the
"god of this world."
■ " Take no thought for your life. Take no

ANXIETY.

147

thought for the morrow." The word " thought "
has undergone considerable modification in its
meaning since the authorised translation of the
Bible was made. Thought then often meant soli-
citude, worry, vexation. Thus Hacon writes —
*• Queen Catherine Parr died of thought," that is,
of anxious exciting thought, she died of a broken
heart. The Sa\ ic ur, therefore, in the words of my
text prescribes an antidote to IJis hearers against
anxiety. One class of considerations He bases upon
Nature, the other class upon Religion.

I. Reasons based upon nature against anxiety.

1. " Behold the fowls of the air. Are ye not
much better than they ? " The argument is — If
God is careful to supply the wants of the lower
creation, it is only reasonable to infer that He will
not be regardless of the wants of man. "Behold
the fowls of the o/r " — not the fowls which nian has
domesticated, not the fowls which are confined in
l)ent-up houses, but the fowls of tlie air which have
no man for an owner, and consequently no one to
take care of them. " Behold the fowls of the air " —
there are millions of them in this little island, and
vet everv one of them contrives to »iet a livinir; and
certainly a man ought to be ashamed of himself if
a bird can get a living and he cannot. " Your
heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much
better than they ? " If God feeds His fowls, it is
not at all likclv He will starve His children.

2. " Consider the lilies of the field. Wherefore,

14«

ANXIETY.

if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day
is and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not
much more clothe you, O ye of little faith ? " The
care He bestows on the grass is a proof positive He
will not be forgetful of man. " Consider the lilies
of the field " — not the lilies of the garden, not the
lilies of the conservatory, but " the lilies of the
field,'' the wild flowers growing profusely up and
down your farms. " Consider the lilies of the
licld," and yet each one bears evidence to the most
exquisite skill and the most delicate care on the
part of the Divine Artist. " Consider the lilies of
the field," and learn a lesson of economy, for God
makes one suit of raiment last them the whole year
round. Not but that He could afford to give them
a change of raiment every month, but at best it
would be but beautiful waste. " Consider the lilies
of the field " again, and learn a lesson of trustful-
ness, for He who decks the lily and arrays the grass,
shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little
faith ? A very touching incident is recorded in the
life of Mungo Park, the great African traveller.
Reduced to the extremest exhaustion, he one day
laid himself down on the ground to die, his body
sufllering from hunger and fatigue, and his mind
from gloominess and despondency. Presently his
eye caught in the barrenness around him a little tuft
of moss, green and cheerful ; and that tuft of moss
preached to him a sermon, short but pointed, on the
folly of anxiety. " Look here at me," said the tiny
moss J "here am I, a little wee thing, in the midst

ANXIETY.

149

of a desert of sand ; here am I, a little lonely thing,
just like you with no companion to talk to. But
God feeds me, and clothes mc, and watches over me,
how much more will Tie feed thee, and clothe thee,
and watch over thcc, O thou of little faith. I have
more faith than tliou ; thou art Ivinii; down to die,
but I intend living yet for months, O tliou of little
faith ! " And the distinguished traveller drank in
the lesson taught him by the tiny grass ; he soon
revived, and lived afterwards to wonder at his weak-
ness and unbelief.

3. "Behold the fowls of the air. Consider the
lilies of the field. Yet I say unto you, That even
Solomon in all his glory ivas not arrayed like one of
these'' Beauty has a large place in Nature, proving
to us the copiousness with which the Divine Being
delights to bless. God never gives grudgingly or
with stint — He gives largely, liberally, up to the
measure of beauty. Some people always harangue
on the vanitv of beautv, thev reiterate to weariness
that it is but skin-deep. Well, what of that, pro-
vided we always \v>sar our skin? If it be but skin-
deep, it is deep enough for all intents and purposes;
what would you do with it deeper? Look where
you will, God does not give scantily, but bounti-
fully, abundantly, even to the measure of beauty.
See yonder birds. It would answer precisely the
same practical purpose if God created them all in
grey uniform, just like the sparrows. But instead
of that, He has arraved them in gay plumage. He
has given them life, and given it more abundantly.

ISO

ANXIETY.

He not only gives them down to keep them warm,
but He gives them feathers to make them beautiful
as well. Look to yonder field. It would answer
just the same utilitarian objcet if it contained no-
thing but green grass. But instead of that, God
has bespangled it with lovely flowers, so lovely that
Solomon in all his jrlorv was not arraved like one
of them. He gives not only to fill the farmer's
barns, but also to please the fanner's eye. Look at
yonder trees, " dressed in living green." How
graceful the branches, how gorgeous the foliage,
how luscious the fruit! Yet they would realise the
same aminnit of profit to the cottager if God sent
the ap]")]{'S without cither blossoms or leaves. But
when He gives. He gives largely, copiously, up to
the measure of beauty.

I do not believe that God departs from this rule
in His treatment of the human race. I do not
believe He would lavish so much considerate care
and artistic skill on the " grass of che field, which to-
day is, and to-morrow is cast mto the oven," and
fling man upon the world, destitute, forsaken, for-
lorn, unloved, and uncarcd for. In the vast store-
houses of Nature, He has, doubtless, provided not
only for the bare necessaries of life, but over and
above that for the sweet gratification of the sense of
taste and enjoyment which He has implanted within
our breasts. That is not universally the case now ;
for every one who ig surrounded with refinement
and comfort, there arc twenty surrounded with
squalor and filth, dcpri\'?(l of tlic simrlest requisites

ANXIETY.

i5«

of life. But wnose fault is it? Assuredly not the
fault of Him who paints the lily and colours the
daisy. Think you He would take so much loving
pains to embellish His flowers whilst He neglected
His children ? I have never known a father yet
fond of his flowers but regardless of his children ;
the love of flowers and the love of children always
ffo together. And if the heavenly Father has taken
such care to clothe His flowers, it is a proof tanta-
mount to certainty tliat He spared no pains to make
His children happy, and to surround them with the
true, the beautiful, and the good. If men are in a
worse plight than the birds of the air and the flowers
of the field, the blame lies at the door, not of
Divine, but of human. Providence. The Saviour's
argument is — If they are abundantly fed and beauti-
fully clothed, how nmch more shall we? Are we
not nuich better than they ?

4. " Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow noty
neither do they reap, nor gather into hams ; and yet
your heavenly Father feedeth them. Consider the
lilies of the field, how they grow ; they toil not,
neither do they spin.** They are not able to contri-
bute to bring about the result — they can do nothing
to feed and clothe themselves. But men can ; and
if they pre helped which cannot help themselves,
how much more they who can ? Many people
innocentlv imadne that not to sow and not to
reap on the part of the birds, and not to toil and
not to spin on the part of the lilies, indicate their
superiority to us in those particulars. But, closely

*Sa

ANXIETY.

t y

considered, those things are signs of inferiority, not
superiority. Who is the superior, he who sows or
he who sows not? To answer this question, we
must ask another — Who is the nobler, he that
receives one grain of wheat from God and muhi-
plies it into a hundred, or he in whose hand the one
will for ever remain one? Certainly the one that
can multiply. Again, who is the superior, he tliat
spins or he that spins not? To answer this ques-
tion, we must ask another — Which stands the
higher in vour estimation, he who wears a coat
given him out of charity, or he who has earned the
coat he wears? Certainly he who has earned his
own coat. You therefore perceive that to sow is
preferable to not to sow, for to multiply God's gifts
is better than to diminish them. To spin is more
commendable than not to spin, for to wear a coat of
our own making is better than to wear a coat of
our own begging. Young people, remember that
work is infinitely more honourable than idleness, and
resolve to stand in the world upon vour own basis
or upon no basis at all. One cannot help admiring
Dr. Johnson when a penurious student at Oxford,
"a poor, rough, rawboncd, scrofulous lad," stalking
about the streets in midwinter with his shoes worn
out. Compassionating his povertv, a gentleman
kindly sends him a new pair. Younir Johnson
raises them, inspects them in his nearsighted way,
and then — pitches them right out through the
window. There was poverty there, but manliness
and independence withal. Let us stand like the

ANXIETY.

153

Doctor on our own foundation, on shoes such as we
ourselves can get; on frost or mud, if you like, but
honestly on that. Remember — toiling is superior to
not toiling, spinning to not spinning. To sow the
seed for man, to spin the raiment for rnan, would be
to degrade man in the scale of existence. God sows
for birds and spins for lilies ; the earth is to-day a vast
factory, where He weaves many coloured garments
for creatures innumerable. But He expects man to do
it for himself, for to do it is an honour to him.

Take no carkinjr, consuminir thouirht for the
morrow ; nevertheless, persevere in the faithful per-
formance of duty, because only as you fall in with
the specified conditions will you reap the promised
results. "They that pass through the valley of
Baca make it a well : " that is, it was the business of
the travellers in their journeys through the valley
to dig wells therein. What next? "The rain also
filleth the pools " — that is God's part of the busi-
ness. You are asking the question, What shall we
drink ? Now do not fret about it, but go and
dig a well — that is your share of the work. What
then? "The rain also filleth the pools" — God will
fill the well with water : that is His share of the
work. " Surely," says Solomon, " the churninc:
of milk bringeth forth butter;" and you all like
butter, but do you all like churnino:? You all
covet the butter of prosperity whether in trade or
in study ; but you cannot get the butter unless
you make up your minds to churn, and hard work
churning is, I can assure you. You ask your-

! (i,!,l '

154

ANXIETV.

self the question^ What shall we eat ? Now do not
worry about it, but go and churn — that is your part
of the process. What then.? "The churning of
milk bringeth forth butter" — that is God's part
of the process. Once upon a time Simon Peter was
hard pressed for money to pay the taxes, as many
have been since his day, as for that. He went to
Jesus Christ and told Him the predicament he was in,
not at all a pleasant one. " Well, Simon," answered
Christ, '' there are fish in the sea, and there is money
in the fish." But how to a;et the monev? Onlv
by catching the fish. And Simon Peter had to
tackle his rod, row his boat, and set about his work
like any other fisherman on the lake. But why give
him all this toil and trouble ? Why not send the
monev there and then straight into his pocket ? Be-
cause that would be too wide a departure from God's
method of sending money to men. If Peter is to
have m.onev wherewith to pay the taxes, he must
work for it, and work he did. And I need not tell
you that there are fish in the sea to-day, and that
there is money in the fish; but if you want to get
the monev vou must sfo and catch the fish. The
exhortation not to take *' thought " is not inconsis-
tent with strenuous and persistent effort on the part
of man, rather is it founded upon it. This truth
Oliver CromweJi understood well when he bade his
soldijrs *' Trust in God, and keep the powder dry."
To trust in God and lose the powder would never do;
to trust in God and keep the powder damp would
never send a shell into the enemy's camp. What

ANXIETY.

155

then? "Trust in God and keep the powder dry" —
do vour duty honestly and manfully, and leave the
results without chagrin or misgiving in the hands of
God. The God who feeds the birds and clothes the
lilv, shall He not much more feed you and clothe you
who have done your best to feed and clothe your-
selves? If He helps those who do not help them-
selves, He will not neglect those who do.

5. Or turn the current of your thoughts from irra-
tional to human nature. " Is not the life more than
meat, and the body than raiment?" In giving the
greater, God always pledges Himself to give t!; •
lesser. Do you doubt the validity of the plcdg. "•
In giving you being, God shows that nothing will
be lacking on His part to give you well-being. I
think we may safely lay down this principle — God
never confers life without amply providing for its
subsequent sustentation. He did not create fish and
put them aside in a vase till He should have time to
create the sea. No; the sea first, and fish afterwards
— He provided the means of sustaining life before
imparting life. He did not make birds and put
them aside in a cas^e till He should have leisure to
make the atmosphere. No ; the atmosphere first,
and birds afterwards — He provided the means of sup-
porting life before giving life. He has always made
it possible to exalt being into well-being, to crown
existence with happiness. He has given you life ;
did He intend that life to be miserable? To say
so would be to libel His holy name. The resources
of nature are amnlv suffirMont to support all the lives

156

ANXIETY.

upon it. But you reply — We have actually seen
people without anything to eat. Have you ? Well,
all I have to say is — It was not God's fault; it was
theirs, or vours, or somebody else's, because for every
mouth which does not receive it? proper portion,
another receives a double portion. Yonder is a man
who has not bread enough in his house. How to
account for it? Because another man in the same
town has bread enough and to spare: if one man
has not enough, another has more C.zn enough ; and
if they do not divide, it is their fault and not God's.
The principle is this — God sends life, He also sends
means to support that life, but it is man's part and
not God's to bring both together. A holy fire, you
all know, was alwavs fflowino: in the tabernacle :
that fire descended to the altar from heaven, but
it devolved on the priests to feed the fire and keep
it burning. God sent the fire and God sent the
fuel; but it was man's duty to bring the fuel to the
fire and not let it die out. It is precisely the same
with us — God sends down to our frame that fire which
we call life, and He sends the fuel which we call food ;
but it is our dutv and not His to brino; tos!:ether the
fuel and the fire, the food and the life. " Is not the
life more than meat, and the body than raiment ? "

II. Reasons based upon Religion against anxiety.

I. The Saviour here teaches that His followers
should be different from worldly and irreligious men.
" For after these things do the Gentiles seek."
" What shall we eat ? what shall wc drink ? where-

ANXIETY.

«57

withal shall we be clothed ? " These three questions
arc a fair summary of all worldly life. They may be
disf^uised, but they are not changed. 'I'he rejectors
of Christ, whoever they be and whatever their pro-
fession, are materialists in thought and action. They
differ in nothing from the brutes around them save
in the intensity of their unceasing pursuits after
worldly thinirs. All the tumult and bustle of busi-
ness, all the rattle and energy to be witnessed in our
populous cities, are direciod to the answer of the
questions enumerated in the text. But many men
who reject Christ cultivate Philosophy? Yes; as a
rule, however, their Philosophy gravitates strongly
to the earth ; and it is an ominous sign of the times
that the Philosophy chiefly in vogue in the nine-
teenth century completely ignores the higher faculties
of man. Nothing is deserving of study except nature
and her iron laws. The taunt holds true, that
whereas Philosophy among the ancients dwelt in
the clouds, it has in England been dragged down to
the earth and sent to serve in the kitchen and the
shop. "Be ye not like unto them." "Set your
affections on the things which are above, and not on
the thino-s which are on the earth."

2. Another consideration is based upon our pecu-
liar relationship to God. " Your heavenly Father
knoweth ye have need of all these things." When
the children of Isrr.el were reduced to sore extremitv
in the wilderness, God gave them the bread of angels
to eat. He does better for us — He gives us the
bread of men. "Your heavenly Father knovveth

TS«

ANXIETY.

ye have need of all these things ** — He knoweth and
administereth accordingly. An emergency in Provi-
dence is not a sum in arithmetic, which you can work
out to a proper conclusion with slate and pencil.
You are possibly much involved in commercial em-
barrassments, you are much perplexed by distracting
thoughts. But remember — another is thinking of
your difficulties and seeking; the best way to extri-
cate you from their confusion. " The morrow shall
take thou2;ht for the thinirs of itself" — an invisible
Divine Agency in the morrow will take thought, and
a way will be discovered to deliver you from all your
troubles. "The morrow shall take thought " and
the problem be gradually solved. P^or this cause
the Divine Government of the world is properly
styled Providence — a government which provides
and nevci' fails in an emergency. Human govern-
ments often commit mistakes, and where help is most
needed no provision is at hand. But the Divine
Government always provides, i.e., as the etymology
of the word shows, JoreseeSy and foreseeing procures
the requisite aids to upbear us under adverse for-
tune. God foresees, and foreseeing provides. " Your
heavenly Father knoweth ye have need of all these
thin2;s." But we see no sions of connnc; deliver-
ance? Perhaps not — was there a sign of a sun be-
fore God created it? Believe firmly in God's paternal
care. He feedeth the fowls of the air and clothes the
grass of the field. He is not their Father, but He is
your Father. The EnoHsh lanouayie cannot boast of
a pweeter word, except it be, perhaps, mother. But

AKXIETT.

5159

father and mother meet in God; fatherhood and
motherhood are combined in one deep, mysterious,
infinite emotion in His breast; you may, therefore,
repose impHcit trust in His watchful, loving kindness.
"Your heavenlv Father knoweth." A deservedly
popular preacher has a sermon entitled — " God our
Mother." I do not quite approve of the title — it is
unnecessarily novel and sensational ; but still I like
the truth embodied in it, that God's great heart is
full of motherly tenderness. " I am God Almiphtv,"
said God to Abraliam after his return from the
pursuit of the kings. Literally, " I am God full of
breasts," a metaphor borrowed from the sacredness
of motherhood ; and He invites Abraham to dismiss
all gloomy forebodings and draw his succour from
Himself as a child from the breast of his mother.
God the Mother was revealed in Genesis to the in-
taut Church before God the Father was revealed in
the Gospels to the adult Church.

3. Furthermore, true religion carries within it a
sure guarantee that our earthly wants shall be sup-
plied. " Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added
unto you." The word " seek " liere means persistent,
honest, earnest endeavour. Instead of concentrat-
ing the energies of vour soul upon the possession of
perishing wealth, bend them in earnest quest after a
kingdom. Man is destined to De a king, and it does
him infinite dishonour to leave ofi' seeking a king-
dom to go seeking the asses. One who possesses a
kingdom need not fear he will lack food, drink.

i6o

ANXIETY.

and raiment. Anxiety concerning things tcmjioral
answers no good purpose. ** Which oF you bv
taking thought can add one cubit unto liis stature? "
Instead of adding a cubit, you arc nuich more likely
to take a cid^it off". But anxiety concerning spiritual
things and ar, tirnest endeavour to possess thr.-T) will
se:u^'e infii.u- iy \ rich revVan^ Leave oftj therefore,
the 'uic r!.i;.n and desire that which is steadfast and
abidino;. "' Set'' ve first the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness " — temporal things will naturally follow.
A good man is always provided for in this universe
of God. The construction of the planet is favour-
able to the cultivation of virtue. A well-known
writer has declared that there is a " Power in IVovi-
dence makinij; for rit2;hte{)usness." As a definition of
God, it is wretchedly inadequate; as an exposition of
the fundaniental laws of the world, it is profoundly
true. Therefore " seek ye first the Kingdom of God
and His righteousness " — cultivate goodness, for
goodness is the first essential element in success.
Yonder is a woodsman wielding his axe in pursuit
of his calling. He swings it upward to lop off' the
heavy branch, but finds it hard work. His skyward
strokes are feeble, for the law of gravitation operates
against him and to a certain extent neutralises the
power of his arm. He next swings it downward,
and every stroke makes the hills resound. He works
with and not against the law of gravitation ; and the
power of this central law of creation being added to
the power of his muscles, he prosecutes his work
with energy and success. Every stroke has a double

ANXIETY.

i6i

power — the power of the arm and the power of
gravitation. Thus man in pursuit of evil proceeds
in tb? teeth of tlie most potent laws of the Divine
Government — the '.Jds are all against him, his
strokes are all upwards; and sooner or later he must
he rrde to feci the weariness of wronjr-doing. But
the good man places iiimself in harmonv with the
moral law of God, and thus the strength of the
law becomes his panoply. His goodness is so far
an advantage to him and not an inijicdiir nt. And
in prophecy the reign .of goodness is alway^ a' .ciated
with the reign of plenty ; when the k.jowl .Jge of
God will cover the earth, then and nc. i-f^j re will a
harvest of wheat be reaped upon the lops of the
mountains. Evil and famine on tnc one hand,
goodness and abundance on the other, always go
together. '

I do not say that goodness is the only element of
success, but assuredly it is the chief element. There-
fore our principal business should be to " seek the
Kingdom of God and His righteousness " — all other
things lie in the line of goodness. This teaches us
to put this world and the next in a straight line witli
one another, so that working for the one may be
preparing for the other. The great mistake of men
consists in putting them side by side in a cross line,
so that in turnino: their attention to the one thev
divLTt it from the other. *' Take no thought," liter-
ally, do not divide or cut up your mind; let your
whole moral and intellectual life move in one plane
towards one object. Plow? Do not divide the two

< J.

J 11.

! (

. : !

^11

:| '

162

ANXIF.TY.

worlds, do not separate tliis from the next; let tlicni
lie in a straight line l)efore yonr spiritual \i>i()n, so
that in the pursnit of the one yon will render ser-
vice to the other. The Savionr inenlcatcs nnitv ol
thoiiirht and pnrpose as against distraetioii and
division. lUit how to secure this nnitv? Onlv 1)\
nniting the two worlds and putting one in a straight
line with the other. " Ye cannot serve two masters."
The emphatic word is " masters." Ve can serve two,
))rovided onlv one of them is master, "^'e can serve
this world and the next, provided the next is allowed
the place (jf snpremaev in vour meditations ami
strivinirs. "Seek ve first the Kins:tlo:n of (iod aiul
His righteousness, and all other things will be added
unto von."

This word " riiihteousness " is a larjie word, and
comprehends under it not only efinrts after goodness,
hut efforts also after understandinu'. To be i>()c)d, in
the narrow sense of that word, is not enough to
ensure success. Goodness is the chief factor, but it
is not the only factor. To goodness \on nuist add
understandino-; and the " riiihteousness " of the text
includes both. Bv means of goodness \ou secure in
your favour whatever power inheres in the moral
laws of the universe; and bv means of understandiiiL!
you secure whatever power inheres in the natural
laws of the universe ; and this double pow er is neces
sarv to perfect success. " vSeek the Kinirdom of (lod
and liis rio^hteonsness : " that means manl\- \\\\-
waverine: disehar<j,e of duties in whatever sphere or
life we are placed. It will make you ardent in the

ANXIKTY.

pursuit ot know Icdgf aiul diliiiint in the prostTutioii

t' trade. '1\) coiiR" to ciiurch or cliapcl, sing livnm;

join \n the prayers, anti then return home to spend
the dav in idle reverie or eestatie talk, w ill not seemv
vou the addition of the temporal mereies promised in
the text. No; there must he earnest endeavour all
round the eiremnlerenee of life, a faithfid diseharge
of duties to the I'amily and to society as well as to
(lod. No comfort here to the idle, no eneourage-
nient to those who ncgleet the seeuhu' emplovments
of life to seek religious exeitement. Religion, pro-
perU understood, grasps the two worlds; lighteous-
iiess, properlv apprehended, inculeates seeular as well
.ts spiritual duties; goodness, in the Hibli' sense,
siirnilies faithfulness to man as well as faithfulness
to the Saviour. Heliuion, righteousness, uoodness.

, . ii,i

' cr

thus interpreted, earry with them the j)romise of the
life which now is as well as of that which is to come,
"'i'rustin God and do the right," and your future
uill he briii;ht — food, drink, and raiment will be

added unto vou.

Trust in Ciod " and do the

wrong, and your future will grow d;irk ; food, drink,
and raiment w ill be denied you ; vour sun will set
under dark and thiek elouds.

( i64 )

IX.

5Cfje JTouclj of jFaitij,

'i :

ih 'i ^i

"And, behold, a womin, which was diseased with an issue of blood
twelve years, came behind Hitn, and touched the hem of His
garment : for she said withm liersclf, If I may but touch His
garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned Ilim about, and when
He saw her, He said, Dauijhter. be of good comfort ; thy faith hath
made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that
hour."— St. Matt. ix. 20-22.

This woman had been ailing for twelve years.
Instead of improving, her disease was growinij
gradually worse. Matthew does not notice this
feature, but Mark and Luke do. Luke was himself"
a physician, and understood something of her com-
plaint, whereas evidently he had a strong sympathy
with the profession, of which he was so distinguished
a member. Yet he is obliged to confess that her
case had baffled all the medical skill of the age.
" She had spent all her living upon physicians,
neither could be healed of any," says he. In Luke's
opinion, she was manifestly an incurable. A sad
state, the saddest you can picture upon this earth —
to be cast aside by doctors as incurable.

Mark, however, is much severer in his denun-
ciation of the doctors. He did not belong to the
privileged guild, and consequently he could aflford

■1

THl TOUCH OF FAITH.

i6s

::|

to be more explicit and downright. " She had
siiffered many things of physicians, and was nothing
bettered, but rather grew worse : " that is Mark's
version of the story. " She had suffered many
things of them." So far from alleviating her dis-
order, thev had considerably a<rsz;ravated it ; so ^';ir
from curing her, they had made her worse.

Moreover, she was now poor as well as sick.
"She had spent all she had upon physicians" — she
had parted with the last cent slie possessed for the
inestimable privilege of growing worse. The lan-
guage seems to imply that, when her ailment first
came on, she was in comfortai)le circumstances.
But in twelve years " she spent all she had upon
physicians." Fortunate woman 1 I spent all I had
upon them in two years. " Everything that a man
hath will he give for his life." Invalids know that
right well. If there be the remotest chance of a
cure in any quarter, however high the fee, the
invalid is quite willing to pay it. And this woman
had gone from physician to physician in the san-
guine hope that her sad condition might be amelio-
rated ; but the physicians had only succeeded in
complicating her disorder, and, unintentionally no
doubt, reducing her to poverty withal.

Once more the news reached her of a great
Healer, who had risen up in the land, and lier heart
throbbed again with high expectation. The strange
tidings respecting the Wonder-worker imiuc iicr
spirit flutter. " She said within hcrseli, If I may
but touch the hem of His garment, f shall be

liM

i'i

i66

THE TOUCH OF FAITH.

whole." The sequel of the story vou all know.
The subject t(> which T solicit your attention is —
The uarums i'loin^.its in ike cure of this wanKui.

I. Si

le i^ossesset

1 r

Arm

T\\\ Faith halh tiiach

thee whole."

I. vSlic exercised Jailh in the Saviour. Xot that
faith was ahsoliu^'lv nt'ccssarx' to the hcalinir of tin-

bod'

So rmicli has been saitl of tlie connection

between faith ■i\\\i\ miracles, that in most minds an
inij)res>ion exists that the one is an essen-

ludihtnict
con

tial

ition oi the other. That, however, is not

by anv meau'^ tlie case. Jesus Christ did nor
deriand faitli before performing the first mirav_le in
Cana of Galilee ; but, in the so\'ereign exercise of
[lis power, He at once turned tlie water into wine.
He did iiot re(|uire faith of the widow of Xain
before raising her son to life; but, at the sudden
impi'.ise of His conrnis-jonate heart, He resnseit.Lteil
the voung man
And, douL>tless,

and Ui

\\\\\ unco Ins motliei

dd 1

, It woultl be a strain upon our
cliaritv to suppose that He iliscovered faith in each
one of the cro\vds, whom he healed on special occa-
Now when the sun was setting, all thev

sions.

that had any sick with divers diseases brouiiht them

unto

id He laitl His hands on everv

one c

them and healed them." 1'rue, we rend o( a certain
'own that " He did no mightv works iIumv, because
op their unbelief." In other words. He rerformed

;i() miracles, n

lot b

ecause

e was iitusieall\' una

but

t)ecau?e

lid

e could accom

plish tl

iere;)\' no nio

ble,
ral

.:% ^

THE TOUCH OF FAITH.

167

purpose. It would hn a sheer waste of jiower, tiie
means of conllrniing tlieni In sin instead of lifting
them out of ir.

Faith, liowever, was ahsohitelv neeessary if the
phvsical niiraclr was to issue in the salvation of the

soul. "■ i'liv lairh hath made thet- wiiole.
tilings are possible to him that l;tlie\etii.

'All
And

whenever Christ demanded iaith, it at onee shows
that He intended somethinsj: ureater than the liealiiiii-
of the hodv, that lie fiuther intended the healinu; of

the

and

■^011

enee m

the (.

lonnveness

a I

jospel narrative, jieaee
e al\\a\s assoeiated with the
miraeles w hieh ha\'e iaith as a condition. Aeeord-
inglv, the miraeles ol healing recorded in the (jospel

na\ c

a doid)le

asi)eet, nhvsiea

^' i

1 and

mora

1: tl

lev are

iii,-toric> of spiritual ei-n\ersit)n^ as well as of phv.^ieal
v.ures, and in virtue of this ahMU' are they entitled to
a place in the sacred story.

2. Her faith was in the pcrMi/i of Jesus Christ,

an(

not m an\- douiuas concernin

u H

im,

cloi>;mas liad then been elaborated - doirnias are the
consequents, not the antecedents, of laitii. Faith in

lie nerson

of Chi

rist IS the root virtue : othei- \ irtues

th(

will in time be added, sueh as temperanee and know-
ledge. First, faith in tlie person of Christ ; next,
kii(>wledge of the doctrine of Christ. This j)oor
woman possessed faith, but hhe had no knowledge.
She had never heard the Sa\iour jjreaeh^ had licver
read a chapter of the New Testament, had never
been instructed in the "fundamentals," as thev are
called. Very iu;norant, and yet bclievinir. She

! 1

' I :

1' 1;

t68

THE TOUCH or FAITH.

exercised a kind of large,, liberal trust in Jesus
Christ. Hence the New Testament writers adopt
a peculiar phrase, a phrase never to be found in
classical authors — to believe in or on Christ. You
believe Phito, not in Plato ; you believe Aristotle,
not on Aristotle; but you believe in and on Jesus
Christ. Despairing of a cure anywhere else, this
woman cast herself wholly on the power and good-
ness of the Saviour. Here we come upon the primi-
tive meaning of faith — to lean upon, to rely. The
Hebrew word in its root siirnifics to lean, to rest
upon, hence to trust. It is a figure of speech
borrowed from infancy, the child putting its weight
and resting itself upon its father. " Abraham
believed in God, and it was counted to him for
righteousness." That is, Abraham leaned on the
Everlasting Arms, and rested himself there as a child
upon the arms of its father. And this poor invalid
relies upon Christ, trusts in Him for a cure; she
believes in His Love, and not in any doctrine con-
cerning His nature. She has no clear conception of
the Divine dignity of His rank, has never heard
of the Incarnation, knows nothing of the relation
between the Divine and the human in the mys-
terious constitution of His person ; and yet she has
d genuine saving faith in Him. Not but that it is
well to educate this faith and enlighten it; but then
the faith must be there to be enlightened. The
faith may be there without any education, it may l)e
there despite a false education, a kind of large blind
trust in the Almighty Love. Who knows but

ii I

THE TOUCH or FAITH.

169

manv a Unitarian has faith in the right person,
though in the wrong creed? Who knows hut the
gracious Redeemer perceives the germs of true faith
in the superstitious Papist, counting his beads aiu!
repeating his Ave Marias ? The faith of this
woman, though vague and indefinite, was yet

genuine.

II. Her faith manifested itself in her touch.
" If I may but touch the hem of His garment, I
shall be whole."

I. The word touch here means more than a slight
contact of the languid fingers with the extreme
border of the Saviour's robe ; it means literally to
feel about, hence to seize, clutch, pluck. " If I may
but clutch the hem of His garment, I shall be
whole." Tnere is here an eairerness of desire, an
earnestness of purpose. Her faith, though dark
and confused, was yet vigorous. Through a debili-
tating illness of twelve years' continuance, she is
reduced to a mere skeleton of humanity ; and, owing
to the nature of her disorder, she is laid under a civil
and a reliirious ban — divorced from her husband,
separated from her friends, and forbidden to worship
in temple or synagogue. But no sooner did she
hear that Christ was passing by, than she forgot the
prohibitions of the ceremonial law, and, throwing
herself into the dense throng, she wound her wav till
she came within reach of the Wonder-worker. Her
excitement was so great that her fingers nervously
twitched, and she snatched eagerly at the flowing

! '

robe, and gave it a sudden pull. The Sa\ lour Mr
the pull, and turned round, savinir, " Who pulled
me?"

And if you earnestly desire to be saved, you will
not be content with a passive acceptance of proffered
salvation ; vou will stretch out your hand and
eagerlv snatch it. " Lav hold of eternal life " — a
lirni, powerful hold. " ITc^ld fast vour profession " —
not loosely or iiulilTcrcntlv, but with a tight grip.
" The Kingdom of Hea\en sufllereth \ iolence, and
the violent take it b\' force." Stranue words, hut
yet true. Onlv men of" moral violence, of stronsj;
spiritual determination, can enter the Kingdom.
Whilst others are dallying, these stretch fortli their
hands and clutch the Kingdom, they take it, as it
were, by force.

2. The word " //r;// " is also significant, indicating
])roperly the fringe. ^^ W \ may but touch the fringr
of His garment, 1 shall he whole." Ijiit why the
frintre ? Because the frinuv was usualK' considered
as extraordinariK' sacred. Of the Pharisees we read
" that tlicy made wide their ph\ lacteries." 11u-
Saviour does not censure them for wearing phylac-
teries, He wore one Himself; He only condeimis
them for mak'ng them wider than requisite, tor
measurinti; their holiness by the width of their
flounces. And this hem or friny-e means the sacred
phylactery. '^ And the Lord spoke unto Moses,
'iaying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and hid
them that they make them fringes in the borders <^\
V.heir garnicnts through uit their generations; and

THE TOUCH OF FAITH.

171

ndicatiiio-

wliy tlif
onsidcTC'd
s uf read

phvlat-
oiulemiis
isitc, tf)r
of their
le sacred

Mises,
and hid

IS : and

that thcv put upon tlie Fringe of the borders a
til hind of llui' ; and it sliall l)c unto you tor a
iVinii'e, that \e nia\- htok upon it, and reniemher all
the eoniniandinents ot the Lord, and th) them-"

Nuni,

1 -_

39:

was this

•ii)i)ancl o

F hi

blue, the colour of hea\ en — this sash ot" the eoxcuant,
that the poor invalid touched. ft w;!-. x) to speak,
tjie jioint of contact hetween ln.a\en and earth, t he-
point in which the Divine \irtue and grace hccan.c
operative factors in the historv of the Jewish nation.
Preachers and commentators ck'clai'i' tlu' wouian's

hiitli was aclmixcc' witli much supcrstuion

not so su

re (jf that; at all e\cnts, wr nnist allow it
was superstition \erging on the most exalted truths
of the Old 'lY'stament. She re^ohfck not to sci/e
an\ random part oF the garment, hut tiiis sash ot
peculiar sacredness, the verv article oF dress to which
Jclu)\ah had hound IlimselFhv c(Aenant.

Jesus Christ is now ascended to heaven. We can-

not come mto j)hvsical contact wi

ith 11

•n

hut

the ordinances oF I lis house we arc still ai to touch
the very hem oF \\\> iiarment. All nat re ma\' he
looked upon as IJis vestm'c ; hut the Christian Faith
is like a sash oF blue fluntr across the hr d shoulders
oF creation, by touchimj; which we p i evoke the
healinir virtues. Men mav walk on on Sabbath-
days and admire the beautv and the grandeur oF
Nature, but thev do not draw Forth virtue From the
Cod of Nature; they touch the robe but iu)t tlic;
sash, the garment but not the h.cm ; hen^e they miss
the blessing. In the house oF God and in the ordi-

t' hi

X72

THE TOUCH OF FAITH

nances of His grace it is that we touch the hem ;
here has He bound Himself by covenant to bless.
" I will meet with thee there." " Where two or three
are gathered together in my name, there am T in the
midst of them." We often feel that the public wor-
ship of God is loaded with Divine virtues; stretch
forth the hand of faith and vou will be healed.

HI. Her touch drew forth virtue out of Christ.
"Somebody hath touched me, for virtue is gone out
of me."

I. By her touch of faith the woman liberated the
healing powers which were lodged in Christ. His
whole nature quivered to the touch. As the zephvr's
breath awakes the music asleep in the wire, so faith's
touch excites the powers slumbering in the Saviour.
Virtue is gone out of me.'

"How will you know the pitch of that great bell.
Too large for you to stir? Let but a flute
Play 'neath the fine-mixed metal. Listen close
1:11 ♦' « right note flows forth, a silvery rill :
Then shall the huge bell tremble — then the mass
With myriad waves concurrent shall respond
In low, soft unison."

Thus the slightest touch of faith makes the nature
of the Godhead quiver to the centre. The crv of
faith at once awakes resounding echoes in the Divine
Heart. " Somebody hath touchiu me, for virtue is
gone out of me." The miracle, it would appear, was
performed passively rather than actively by Jesus
Christ, and seenjs to suggest to us the law of faith

THE TOUCH OF FAITH.

173

the hem ;

' ''Ui

t to bles^.

'5b

wo or three

iiTj I in the

Dublic wor-

es; stretch

■ i

alcd.

of Christ.

■;

> gone out

berated the

■1

hrist. His

le zephvr's

■M

.% so faith's

e Saviour.

'11.

)se

lass

:he nature
he crv of
the Divine
r virtue is
ppear, was
bv Jesus
w of faith

in the spiritual world. Where faith is weak, the
active energy of the Saviour is strong — faith at its
minimum exhibits the Saviour's activity at its maxi-
mum. On the other hand, where faith is strong, the
active energy of the Saviour is correspondingly qui-
escent — faitli at its maximum exhibits the Saviour's
activity at its minimum. We witness here no active
exertion of W ill on His part; He seems to be passive
whilst faith was stealing a cure.

a. " Virtue is gone out of me ; " the miracle then
was the result of a direct efflux of power resident in
His person. This disposes of the theory now current
respecting miracles, that they arc the combined
result of the conjunction of unknown laws. The
"rei""n of law " is certainly a desj )tii^iii ; it exercises
a kind of tyranny over the modern mind ; and such
devout thinkers as Bushnell perceive in miracles, not
the contravention or suspension, but sinv,)ly the con-
junction, of laws — the laws of the higher \\.;rld cross-
iuii the laws of the lower, and in the crossinir bubblinir
up into miracles. A respected President of the Con-
crregational Union declared not very long ago, in an
address from the chair, that the Lord Jesus per-
formed His miracles in virtue of His more intimate
knowledge of the "mystic streams of healing," circu-
lating through the creation, that He took the sick
and plunged them in these "mystic streams," hence
the astonishing cures He effected. That, however,
is only a rationalistic mode of accounting for miracles,
none the less rationalistic for being a little poetic.
The teaching of the Saviour is — " Virtue is gone out

i 'J.

!.■

174

THE TOUCH OF FAITH.

of me '/' not out of Niitiirc, hut out of Christ; nor
out of the creation, hut out (jf the Creator. Aeeoi\l-
inglv, miracles are the ininiediate result of tlie iiii-
nieclinte interference of God, the direct result of tlir
direct exertion of power to he found nowhere exeej)!
in (rod. " \ irtue is gone out of^//<'."

3. If virtue went out of Ilini, tlien virtue wa-
(ihcajis rrs'idint in lli> person. Men are powerlul
onlv as thev utilise the jiowers of Nature — ))o\\(r
doLS not reside in us. lUit power roided in Chri-i.
it oriianicallv inhered in His person. "In liim \\a>
life" — in Him it dwelt. It flows through otluTs,
hut in Him it rises and ahides. " The first Adam
was made a living soid ; " that is, he received life aiul
in consequence lived. " But tlie second Adam was
made a quickening spirit;" tliat is, He originates lili'
and is ahle to impart it to others. Just the same
with the miracle-working p()\\er; it dwells in Him,
and exists nowhere else except as it emanates hum
Him. He wrought His miracles, not hy a power re
eeived hv Him or delegated to Him, but hy a power
original and innate.

Hence the difference between Him and His dis-
ciples in the performance of miracles. He does
evervthiuiz: without the slii2:htest eO'ort. In none of
His miracles, although they he prodigies of power, do
we discover a simple clement to remind us of an\-
thing in the shape of strain. Herein He standi
alone and without a j)arallel in history. We arc
keenly alive to more or less of the artistic in every-
thing and everybody human till we come to Christ.

THE TOUCH OF FAITH.

175

lirist ; nor
)f' the- iiii-

ult. of tlir

ere cxcfp!

•irtiic \va-
' jtowrrliil
re; — j)<)\\ (!•
in Cliri-i.
IJini \\a^

>-h ()lluT>,

rst Adam
L:d life aiul
V clan I was
>'inatcs lite

the same
in nil!!,
ates from

power n-
y a power

His di.-
Hc dots
1 none oF
power, do
s of anv-
le stands

We arc
in every-
o Christ.

r .ii

1 ...Vfl

Other men >!)o

ke truths, hut we feel them to he the

rcsu

It of haril and ])rolonLred >tudv ; 1 le spok(.' truth?

and we lie! as it they siiontaneou

dv 1

eai)e(

uito

existenee. Other men jierformed wonders, hut we
labour under the con\ietion that they eost a iireat
deal to their author^; Christ j)erh)rmed wonders, and
lie ever\w heri' (.winces j)erk;ct ease, naluralness, and
c()nn)osure. fie never appears to h • nmler the stern
neeessit\ of exerting Himself. The (li-eij)les j'erform
niiraeles, and we naturallv susj)ret that thev rise
ahove themselves, that they mount liiglier than their
ordinary and pr()i)er level. Christ performs miracles,

ifl

ukI we sutler irom no sucn nnsoivniiis.

hi-

nlies wonders as He lists, and we ne\c'r see Him p

to the strani,

On tl

le present occasion He is on 111

wav to Ileal the daughter of Jairus, sick unto death ;
nevertheless lie has leisure to pause on tlie way to

^al th

ith th(

)f hlood,

neai the woman witn tne issue ot oioou. von nave
seen doctors hurrvinir to the sick on the brink of
death, hastening on at the top of their spei'd, for fivi'
minutes ma\' make all the diflerenci' to them between
life and death. 'Hiey have no ))ower in aiul of them
selves to heal ; all they can do is to help ami direct
the powers of nature; and once life becomes extinct,
the most skilful jihvsician is as j)owerless as a babe.
Jesus Christ, however, had boundless power lodtiing
in Hi? jK-rson ; and I lis diflitultv was, not to exert
it, hut to repress it and keep it ii? clu'ck. lie was
on a level with the supernatural ; niiraeles. there-
lore, ceased to be supernatural tc llini and became
natural, as natural as digoing a garden cjr buildino- a

! !

1 wr

Vi i!

I\'

■»

176

THE TOUCH OF FAITH.

ship is to us. Supernatural influences dwelt in Him
as in their natural home.

4. The healing virtue which was in Him was
not special but universal — a power to heal not one
but every disease. lie is the primal fountain of all
virtue; in Him, therefore, we find combined all the
healing powers of nature. No curative property
lodges in any medicinal herb but it has derived it
from Jesus Christ. But what is divided in nature
among many herbs is whole and undivided in Christ.
Very properly is He designated the " Branch of Heal-
ing;" "and the leaves of the tre<' are for the heal-
ing of the nations." He is the universal panacea for
the universal evils of the world. " He healcth all
sickness and diseases among the people." " Him-
self took our infirmities and bore our sorrows."

IV. The virtue which proceeded out of Christ
made the woman whole. " And straiiz-htwav she was
made whole." '* Thy faith hath made thee whole."

I. She was cured straightway. No sooner did she
grasp the fringe of blue than she felt a Divine flow
of health rushing into her wasted frame, and tingling
in every vein and nerve like a stream of electricity
from a powerful battery. " The fountain of her
blood was dried up" — there the cause of her disordei
is removed. "The issue of her blood staunched " —
there the symptom of her disorder is removed. She
had not to undergo a tedious process, but was cured
"straightway." This is a very important word in
the history of the Saviour — He did everything

THE TOUCH 01 FAHH.

177

*' straiglitway." Wtv few iliiuirs an wc do
"straigluway ; " we are generally ohliLieil to do
thiuLT!* in a round. ihoiit way. Bitter experienee has
tauszlit us that the (iiiickest w.iv to cross the inoun-
tain is to go round it. Christ, liowcver, thd evc-rv-
thiiig "straightway." Pliysicians use nie.ms ami
recjuire time — they |)hysie you and diet you, ami
aeeoniplisli their purpose gradually But the Be-
iKc'incr never physicked or dieted I lis jiatients —
"straightway" He cured tlieni. " Straiglitwav the
fountain of her hlood was dried up." liow did she
know? "She felt in herself she was liealed of that
j)lauue." The ditVerence in feeling hetween robust
health and extreme exhaustion is great. 'I'he lan-
ouor, the faintness, arisinii" from lack of \ital enerirv,
left her suddenly, antl lo ! life was throbbing in her
system, and she felt she was well. Well, after twelve
years* lingering illness; well, after twelve vears' ex-
clusion from synagogue and temple; well, after
twelve vears' separation from the sweet society of
relatives; well, after twelve vears' steady uazimr in
tlie grim face of Disease. IVell^ Well! Oli, the
silent joy which glowed in her heart, and wanted to
blaze into publicity 1 " She felt in her body she was
healed of that plague."

2. Her cure was moreover perfect. "She was
made whole." Not better, but whole ; she was made
sound every whit. An alleviation of her suffering
would have been much prized by her; but the text
declares that she was restored to perfect health. All
traces of the disease at once vanished. She felt as if

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! '

T78

THE TOUCH or FAITH.

she had never seen ilhiess. Doctors at best can only
accomplish partial cures; vestiges of the old sickness
still remain. Weakness, scars, furrows in the face,
greyness in the hair, rigidity in the limbs— something
to indicate that disease had planted its venomous
tooth in our too sensitive flesh. But Jesus Christ
" straight way ** effected complete cures. He healed
the ear of Malchus with a touch, so that not a scar
was left behind. In the verses immediately following
our text we read that He raised from the dead Jairus'
daughter. " He took the damsel by the hand, and
said unto her, Talitha cumi ; which is, being inter-
preted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise." " And
straightway the damsel arose, and walked ; and He
commanded that something should be given her to
eat" — a complete, perfect, instantaneous cure; the
damsel arose, walked, and ate the next moment.

V. The cure she had received demanded confes-
sion on her part.

I. Having been touched by the woman, though
on His way to the house of Jairus, the Saviour
paused, turned rounds and asked, "Who touched me?"
Rationalistic writers have striven to make much capital
out of this incident. There, they say, your Saviour
is not divine, your Jesus is not omniscient; He knew
not who touched Him in the crowd. We answer —
Jesus is to be judged by His object, which is at pre-
sent not to display His omniscience, but to strengthen
the faith and draw out the confession of this bashful,
timid creature, who has just touched Him. It does

THE TOUCH OF FAITH.

179

:ONFES-

iiot prove His divinity, say tluy. We answer, Who
ever said it did? We do not base IJis di\inity upon
this, but upon other passages; what we base upon this
is not His proper divinity, but His proper humanity.
Two traits prove His superlative hunianness.
First, He does not ask. Who is she ? but. Who is he
that touched me? He did not hke to pounce upon
the poor woman and cause her a sudden shock ; He,
therefore, changed the gender — Who is he that
touched me ? When you have occasion to ehcit a
confession from one of your children, you frame your
question in the most general way possible, to create
heart-searchings in the little one, but not to cow him
with a too pointed query. Who is he that touched
me? Doubtless it excited quick thought in the poor
woman, but the gender served to take off the edge a
little. The second trait of hunianness is this — " He
looked round about to see her that had done this
thing." He could, doubtless, have fixed His piercing
eyes upon her in a moment ; but that would over-
awe her and overwhelm her. What then did He do ?
He let His eyes wander about in the far distance, as
if He were looking into the outskirts of the crowd for
the person who had furtively touched Him. That is
exceedingly human. When you want to draw forth
a voluntary confession, you ask a question and seem
to look in the wrong direction for an answer. The
blessed Jesus was most considerate in His teclings
and actions. The woman was abnormally shy,
nervous, and timid ; it would never do to swoop sud-
denly down upon her, like a hungry hawk upon its

I /

iSo

TML I OUCH OF FAITH.

prey. Accordingly Uc asks, Who is he that touched
me ? and professes to h^ok to the outer rim of the
hronir, as if one from tliere could have touched Him.
•'He is able to have compassion on them who are
DUt of the wav."

2. He turned round because there was a special-
ness in the touch. The disciples remonstrate with
[fim on flis question. "Thou scest the multitudes
thronirinir Thee, and sayest Thou, Who touched
me ? " Judged by human sense, Divine wisdom is
often arraiirued with follv. " Nav," answers the
Master, "somebody hath touched me, for I perceive
that virtue is gone out of me." Somcbodi/ : it is not
the touch of the thougiitless crowd ; there is pecu-
liarity in the touch ; there is want in it, there is faith
in it. Oh no ; it is not the touch of the excited
throng — "somebody hath touched me." This kind^
symjiathetic language of the Saviour administers
strong consolation to us. Amid the countless mul-
titudes who crowd around Mis skirts this evening. He
distinctly feels the slightest touch of faith. "Some-
body hath touched me." " He immediately knew in
Himself that virtue was gone out of Him." This
virtue flowed not to the crowd, because thev could
not receive it — they had not the spiritual capacity to
take it in. They were necessitous enough, as neces-
sitous in their way as the poor shrinking invalid ;
but it is not need that draws out the virtue, but the
sense of need ; not want, but faith.

3. His urgent appeal brought the woman to her
knees, "The woman, fearing and trembling, know-

THF. TOUCH (^F FAITH.

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ins; what was done in lur, came and fell down before
llini, and told Him all the truth." Why did He not
allow her to iro awav in secrecv? Tliere are two
reasons. The llrst is to strengthen the faith of Jairus.
This nohlenjan was in inucli anxietv eoneerninir
his little danghter; proh.ihlv he wavered between
faith and unbelief. Hut as he listened to the
woman's storv, and learnt the marvellous eure elan-
destinely wrought upon her, his eves must have
hriuhtened and his faith oained additional strenirth.
The Man who cured an inveterate disease of twelve
vears' standing, cannot He heal my little daughter?
His soul nuist have bounded at the thought. Honest,
sincere confession on our part will bring blessings to
others.

The chief reason, doubtless, lay in the spiritual
benefit the woman herself would derive from confes-
sion. Jesus Christ is a rare discerner of character.
In the same chapter we read that He gave sight
to two blind men. "Jesus straitly charged them,
saying, See that no man know it." These blind
bcirsrars, like blind becrirars wnerallv, were ffiven to
talk and chatter a great deal, making up in speech for
what thev lacked in si2:ht ; and too nuich babblini!:
on the present occasion would dissipate the solenmitv
of the impression the Saviour had made upon their
hearts. Therefore FTe enjoined silence. But the
mental temperament of the woman with the issue of
blood was vastlv different. She was fearful and re-
tiring, and instinetivelv shrank from a public confes-
sion of the miracle of healing performed upon her.

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The very mention of her aihnent fetched the burning
blush to her cheek. Is she then to nurse her sliame
and hide her faith ? Nay ; the Discerner of hearts
inquires for her, induces her at once to avow the
cure. "She told Him all the truth." "She de-
clared unto Him, before all the people, for what cause
she had touched Him, and how she was immediately
healed."

What good is to be derived from open confession?
Peace. Faith l)rings health, confession brings peace.
" Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole ; go in
peace, and be whole." She probably imagined that
magic virtue lodged in His garment. " No," says
He, " thv faith hath made thee whole " — I sanction
the cure — "go in peace, and be whole." Did He
demand a high fee ? No ; she had spent all she had
upon others, and had nothing to give Him; and,
blessed be His name, He claimed nothing. Never
was there such a poor man's friend as Jesus — He laid
all the poor of the world under obligation to Him.

According to tradition, she was once more visited
with temporal prosperity, but she continued a stead-
fast disciple of her gracious Benefactor. Two or
three years afterwards, as He walked up the f^ia
Dolorosa — the Way of Sorrows — to the top of Cal-
vary, bearing on His bent shoulders the heavy, cum-
brous Cross, the blood and the sweat trickling down
His wan but sacred face, there stepped out of the
mocking crowd a woman, and with her handkerchief
tenderly wiped the hallowed countenance. Who was
she? Tradition answers, St. Veronica, the woman

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183

with the issue of blood, who was so niarvellouslv
healed by touching the hem of His garment. Years
after she erected in front of her house in Paneas —
80 further runs the tradition — the other side of the
Sea of Galilee, a marble statue to the Saviour com-
memoratinjr the miracle of our text. The Saviour
stands erect, stretching forth His hands in sweet
benedictions; prostrate at f^is feet is the figure of a
woman, fearing and tremblinjr, but c;atherini:^coura2;e
as she hears the words — " Go in peace and be whole."
St. Eusebius, the oldest of Church historians, says the
statue was extant in his day, and that he saw it with
his own eyes. Be that as it may ; but she did put
up in her soul a monument to her Deliverer and
Redeemer, a monument more precious than tliat
of glowing marble or solid gold, a monument which
will outlast the finest monuments of earth. " Thy
faith hath made thee whole," said He. He always
attributes the cure to men's faith; but they always
attribute it to His goodness and power. He puts
the crown upon their heads; but they take the
crowns and fling them at His feet.

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"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." — St. Matt. xI. 15,

Vou are all familiar with this verse. It recurs so
often in the teaching of Je.«iis Christ that it has
hiirnt itself into the meniorv of each one of us.
" He that hath ears to iiear, let him hear." The
commentators tell us it is a proverh. May be; but
whether it is a proverb adopted by Christ, or
invented by Him, is more than they tell us. At
all events, it is a proverb which I have not met
with on the lips of any other teacher, inspired or
uninspired, a proverb distinctive of the teaching of
the Lord Jesus. In the text we come across it for
the first time ; a fitting opportunity, therefore, pre-
sents itself to us of elicitino; its mcanin<r. If we can
only crack the outer shell, we shall no doubt find a
nutritious kernel within — empty nuts never grow on
the Tree of Life.

Three points: I. Take heed that ye hear. II.
Take heed how ye hear. HI. Take heed what ye
bear. The fact, the manner, the matter.

I. Take heed that ye hear. "He that hath ears
to hear, let him hear."

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I. This implies wil/ifigncss to hear; it presupposes
a mind exempt from prejudice. The misclnef in
many quarters in the present day is lack of candour,
the judgment being: suhtillv biassed in favour oF
infidehtv. As we read the Gospels, we discover two
s))ecies of utibi'lief. The first occasions sorrow to
tlie mind ; the man would gladly rid himself of it, if
he could. 'I'his type you will find in the man to
whom the Saviour addressed the (pustion, " Be-
lievest thou ? " "Yea, Lord, I believe; help Thou
mine inibelief." What a strange answer! 'I'he end
contradicts the beginning. " I tcl'icvt' ; help Thou
mine tnilelief.^* Mis doubts cans d him keen
anguish ; he contended hard against them, at last
dragged them to the presence of the Saviour, to
be settled there favourably or adverselv as the case
might be. Other men's doubts drove them from
Christ J his doubts drove him to Christ.

*' There is more faith in honest doubt,
Believe me, tii.in in iia.f the creeds."

Not in doubt, but in honest doubt; not in scepti-
cism, but in the integrity at the bottom of scepti-
cism. " I believe ; helj) Thou mine unbelief.'* The
best place to decide for or against infidelity is in
Jesus' presence, and not in His absence, as, alas! is
too often the case.

The other species of unbelief vaunts itself, gives
itself superior airs, and prides itself on its manifold '
accomplishments. Instead of striving to solve objec-
tions, it always strives to raise them. It exaggerates

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difficulties which exist, and creates difficuhies which
do not exist. Some oF vou have probably heard of
the cuttle-fish. Whenever it is in danger oF being
cauglit, it ensits from its mouth a dark Huid, which
troul)U's all the water, thereby successfully concealing
itself from the eves of the anujler. And tliere are
cuttle-fisli doubters. The moment thev a|)proach a
passage of Scripture, they vomit their doubts; they
trouble the " pure river of water of life, clear as
crystal," and charge the Bible with difficulties
entirely of their own creation. God preserve the
Church from cuttle-fish doubters!

2. The words further imply a devout earnestness
to hear. It is to be feared that our time is so taken
up with our connnercial and literary avocations that
we have but little leisure left to hear or peruse the
Word of God. Christian, in the " Pilgrim's Progress,"
turns in to a shady bower on the mountain side to
rest; he unfolds the roll which Evangelist gave him
to guide him on his journey; but, says Bunvan, he
soon feel asleep. A faithful representation of many
Christians in the present day — we soon fall asleep
over our Bibles. The Gospel acts as a mighty
soporific on certain constitutions; men who never
find sleep anywhere else, generally find it in the
house of God. In the fifty- eighth Psalm the writer
charges sinners with dumbness and deafness — dumb-
ness in the first verse, deafness in the fourth. " Do
ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation ? "
More correctly, " Are ye dumb when ye should
speak righteously, O congregation ? " And not only

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187

they were iliiinl) wlien they should spcnk tor God,
but they were .ilso drat" wlien they were spoken to
by God. "They are like the deaf adder that stop-
jK'th her ear, wliieh will not hearken to tlie voiee of
eharniers, charming never so wisely." All serpents
arc more or less deaf, the construction of the ear
being very imperfect ; but when they do hear, tin y
are singularly su8ccptil)le to th-' sweetness of melody.
Some, however, are so deaf that they hear not the
voice of the charmer; or so malignant that, when
they do hear it, they refuse to be subdued by it. In
like manner siiniers make themselves deaf to the
nuisic of the Gospel, defiantly resisting the most
vehement j)leadings of the ablest ministers. This
country of ours has reared cunning charmers : " they
have piped to you, and ye have not danced ; they
have mourned to you, and ye have not wept."
" Ears ye have, but ye hear not." The deafness,
however, is not natural, but moral, and consequently
highly reprehensible in the sight of God. The
Saviour gives utterance to a parallel truth in the
memorable words — " If ye were blind, ye should
have no sin; but now ye say, We see; therefore
vour sin remaineth." Sinners are not blind, but
blinded. Were they blind, they could not be held
blameworthy for not seeing ; but as they have wil-
fully blinded themselves, their responsibility con-
tinues intact, " and their sin remaineth." Their
health may be lost, their friends may depart, their
reason may go, but " their sin remaineth."

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HFARINO TU¥. WOHn.

TT. Take liccd now \v hear. " Tic that hath cars
to lu'ar, K't liiin licar."

I. This nu'aiis that wr should sick to understand
tlu' (josjH'l. "Search the Scriptures, for it] thcni ve
think yt' have eternal hfc, and thev are thev which
testify of me." Mere the Divine Teacher horrows a
comparison From spf)rtini!: l'^^'. Yon have seen tlie
dog hunting the rahhit : how earnest his endeavour-,
how vigilant Ins movements, how perseverinjr his
efVorts. f fe scents in the hole, he seeks in the hush,
he rests not till he discover his pri'v. Thus should
we study the Scrijitures — diligentlv, earnestly, praver-
fully. It is not enough that we hear them drowsilv
or read them lazilv, we nuist hunt cunninirlv for tlu;
nicaning. We should study attentively verses of the
Rihie to see the Divine ideas coming forth like rah-
hits from their holes. " For which things the pro-
phets inquired and searched diligently " — another
illustration horrowed from mining life. You have
ohserved miners digging for the ore ; thev carefullv
remove the earth, violently hiast rocks, till thev reacli
the metallic vein. So ouirht we to diir in the field of
Holy \\ rit, forcing our way down through the petri-
fied incrustations hoth of learned orthodoxy and
learned heterodoxy, till we come at the Divine truth
underneath. Some are able enoui»h to discover lary-e
nuggets of truth, adding sensibly thereby to the spiri-
tual wealth of the collective Church. Others of us
are not sufficiently learned to do that; but we can
gather the dust, and the dust of verses, like the dust
of gold, has made the fortune of many a man.

HEARING THK WORD.

iSc

:. \\r shoiilil furtljcT iMiikavoiir to ij/jiric/itc the
( j()>|)il, to verity its truth in our own piisoual liistorv.
Acc'orchiig to tilt' pliilosoplicrs, knouKil^a- foiiics to us
Irom two sources — reflection ami sensation, tlu lacul
tiis of thought and the oiirans of" scnsi-. And lull
Christian knowlccliic is the conihincd result oF the
cogitation of the intellect and of the processes of in-
w aril experience. "Wherein lie hath ahounded to-
wards us in all knowledge anti judgment" on the
margin, " in all know ledue ami .>en>f." No iloid)t,
the spiritual sense is an imj)ortant factor in Christian
science. " Blessed are the pure in hiart, for the\ shall
>ee God." 'I'he logical faeultv niav eniulov itself in
demonstrating His existence, hut the Christian is not
left entirely to its ouidance he sees God. 'I'o him
the Divine existence is not a matter of pure specula-
tion, hut of experience. The knowledge of Ciod
comes to him hy the organ of sj)iritual vi^ion. Take
airain the character of God. The undcrstandini; mav,
indeed, concern itself about His goodness; hut it can
come to no definite, settled conclusion. The believer,
however, is not shut up entirely to the operation of
the understanding; he has a fine sj)iritual sense which
comes to his aid. "O taste and see that the Lord
is good ; " " If so be that ye have tasted that the
Lord is gracious;" "Having tasted the heavenly gift
and the good Word of God." Your know ledge of the
graciousness of God comes to you, not by hearing,
reading, or reasoning, but by tasting. " Thy word is
sweeter than honey, yea, than the droppings of the
honeycomb.** You may w rite erudite essays on the

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HEARING THE WORD.

properties of honey ; but a cartful of essays cannot
convey to the uninitiated an adequate impression of
what honev reallv is. What then to do? Let him
taste it ; one grain upon the tongue will convey a
more vivid notion of what honey really is than a
score of essays on the subject. Thus, really to know
the good word of God we must experience it. The
reason may pronounce on its beauty and symmetry,
the taste alone can pronounce upon its sweetness.
" His deliirht is in the law of the Lord : and in His
law doth he meditate both dav and nitrht." To medi-
tate here siijnifies not to meditate in thou<rht but in
words; hence St. Augustine very properly translates
tluis — "in His law doth he chatter both day and
night." He meditates; and his meditation finds
l)roken utterance in half syllables and unconscious
soliloquies. See the bird on the branch of yonder tree :
he chirps merrily all day long to his associates, if thev
are near ; and if not, he chirps merrily to himself —
twitwit, twitwit, tweetwee. Thus the godly chatters
in the Divine law ; he chatters to his friends, if thev
are near ; if not, he chatters to himself. " In His
law doth he chatter both day and night."

3. We should further hear with a view to reduce
what we learn to practice. A few verses before we
read that " the Kino-dom of Heaven suffereth vio-
Icnce, and the violent take it by force." Whatever
else these words teach, thev evidently teach that we
must exercise a kind of holy violence in our pursuit
of the Divine Life. " Strive to enter in at the strait
gate." Strive — agonise. In one sense to be saved is

HEARING THE WORD.

IJX

easy enough — you have only to believe; in another
sense it involves a terrible conflict. You arc to strain
yourselves even unto the point of agonv. " Agonise
to enter in at the strait gate." And after you have
effected an entrance, vour labour is bv no means
ended, " for strait is the gate and narrow is the wav
which leadcth unto life." The wav is as narrow as
the gate is strait; therefore the same strenuous en-
deavour must continue unto the end. " I keep
under my body and bring it into subjection " — " I
make my body black and blue." The Apostle was
afraid that the lusts of the flesh would impede his
progress in the Divine Life; he, therefore, made his
"body black and blue" — he severely curbed the un-
ruly appetences of the animal nature. Monasticism is
not to be encouraged ; but is there no risk that we
swing to the opposite extreme, that of unbridled in-
dulgence? Full fiery blood is inimical to heavenly-
mindedness. The Lord Jesus in the Sermon on
the Mount exhorted His disciples to " fast " — an
exhortation, however, which Protestants have pur-
posely disregarded, lest they be found mimicking the
Papists. ** This kind goeth not out except by prayer
and fasting." You pray God to be delivered from
your sins, and you do well ; but there are sins fronj
which you cannot well be delivered by merely pray-
ing — you must fast, you must purify the blood, you
must reduce the grossness of the flesh. Proper diet
much helps the growth of religion in the soul. Who
will favour the Church with a course of sermons on
Christian dietetics?

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HEARING THE WORD.

Til. Take heed wi.at vc hear. "He that hath
ears to hear, let him hear." *' And all the people
pressed upon Ilim to hear the Word oF God."

1. You should therefore desire to hear the Word
of God. And if the Bible be the Word of God, as
we all believe, then it is of paramount autlioritv in
the domain of faith and morals. A disposition is
observable in Roman Catholieism to subordinate it to
tradition; and a disposition is observable in Protes-
tantism to subordinate it to private judgment. Men
judge the Bible by the commentaries, instead of judg-
ing the conuTientarics by the Bible. We interpret St.
I'aul according: to the Thirtv-Nine Articles, instead
of interpreting the Tiiirty-Nine Articles according
to St Paul. We understand St. John according
to the Creed, instead of understandinir the Creed
according to St. Jolni. Let us by all means consult
the fathers, the reformers, and the modern theo-
loirians, and act what assistance we can from them.
At the same time, let us beware lest we devote so
much attention to the " aids " as to forget the Book
intended to be aided.

2. Desire also the pure Word of God. "As
newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word,
that ye may grow thereby." Literally, the una-
dulterated milk. In ancient as In modern times
milk was much adulterated, especially the milk of the
Word ; and the Apostle cautions his readers against
these compound admixtures. T am not without my
fears that Divine Revelation Is much tampered with
in the present day. Only yesterday I was glancing

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>93

over a volume of sermons by a man of distinguished
ability, who has made for himself a considerable name
in certain circles of religious thought; and I could
not help noticing and lamenting the great promi-
nence he gave in every scjrmon to his doubts. No
matter what the subject was, he must preach the dif-
ficulties which he and others experienced ; he seldom
ever preached his convictions — he alwavs preached
his doubts. Instead of being the advocate of Chris-
tian Faith, he seemed to me to be the exponent of
Christian Doubt.

3. Desire further the plain Word of God, espe-
cially the doctrines which make directly for salvation.
What I want vou and other contrretjations to jruard
yourselves against is, a morbid craving after novelties,
subtleties, and flashy elegances in the pulpit. Never
grow tired of plain truths — the guilt and depravity of
man, on the one hand, and the all-sufficiency of the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus on the other.
Never grow weary of sermons which insist upon re-
pentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ. What would you think of the man who
would complain that he was daily fed with the best
bread made of the finest wheat in the land ? Is not
bread the stafFof life ? And is it not more conducive
to health and longevity than delicate confectioneries
and sweet sugar-plums? But, alas! congregations
nowadays loathe the Bread of Life, and cry out for
the sweet-smelling flowers of superficial rhetoric. I
say nothing against these latter; I dearly love them,
though I cannot grow them. But I tell you this —

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vou cannot live upon flowers; bread is the staff of
life. "And this is the Bread of God, which cometh
down from heaven, and givetli life unto the world."

Am I opposed to the exposition of the great truths
of our Redemption? Certainly not. The plain
truths arc the great truths. And whereas I want
you, on the one hand, to " hold fast your profession,"
to clinc: tcnaciouslv to the fundamental doctrines, I
want you, on the other hand, to be tolerant of new
views, and to encourage rather than oppose any
attempts at further exploration. Orthodoxy is a most
misleading term, changing its meaning at least once
every hundred years. The Pharisees supposed that
they had explored all the Old Testament, and that,
therefore, whatever did not dovetail with their fan-
tastic theories deserved excommunication. Accord-
ingly, when Jesus Christ and His apostles, possessed of
the holy violence of which the verses before the text
speak, ventured on new voyages of discovery, they
were angrily branded as dangerous heretics — the reve-
lations of God were impiously labelled the revelations
of the devil. Again, when Luther and his zealous
coadjutors disdained any longer to travel in the beaten
paths of the reputed orthodoxy of the centuries, they
were hunted and persecuted like partridges on the
mountains. The vital doctrine of justification by
faith was deemed the hugest falsehood of the ages.
V'ere it not for their spiritual violence, their fearless
intrepidity, this rich province of grace would not
have been annexed to the Kingdom of Heaven upon
earth. And is the whole continent of Divine truth

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already explored ? Nay, certainly ; new light will yet
hurst forth, new truths will yet he disclosed. Be con-
servative of the old, he generous to the new.

4. Inquire diligently after the sure Word of God.
The Bihle speaks of the ^^sure word of prophecy;" but
men now often think, write, and act as if no cer-
tainty were possible in religious things. Religion is
peremptorily excluded from the realm of the " posi-
tive sciences." This, however, is a delusion and a
snare. Certainty is possible in religion. "Things
most surely believed among us." The words are
borrowed from a ship sailing into port, with all the
Hags flying and all the sails hoisted, filled with the
winds of heaven. Thus the Gospel story sailed into
the minds of primitive believers — no need to fold
a single canvas. "That thou mightest know the
certainty of the things in which thou hast been
instructed." " Know intensely the certainty " — no
room for doubt there. Let philosophers account for
it as they may, or fail to account for it, as is most
probable, thousands of the best men and holiest
women in the land enjoy an unwavering certitude
in respect of the doctrines of the Gospel. " That
thou mightest know intensely the certainty." Do
I believe in the existence of God ? Yes, without a
doubt. Do I believe in the Incarnation? Yes,
without a doubt. Do I believe in the Atonement?
Yes, without a doubt. I cannot explain these doc-
trines to your satisfaction, perhaps; I cannot always
explain them to my own satisfaction. But what for
that? Though I do not understand the geology of the

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rock, yet 1 feel it under my feet. And strange to say,
this certainty grows upon believers as they approach
the Valley of tht* Shadows. Whereas the sceptic be-
holds his misgivings multiply and his doubts thicken,
the believer as a rule sees them all vanish. Schiller,
tlic great Gern)an thinker, goes to his study, sits
down as usual to his desk, writes with that masterly
al)ility which distinguished him, begins a new sen-
tence, writes the word "But," and then — dies. A
faithful portraiture of unsanctificd reason. The great
advocates of scepticism always die with a doubt, ex-
pire witli a But. The Christian, however, grows in
faith as he approaches death. '* I know whom I have
believed." " I am persuaded that neither life nor
death can separate me from the love of Christ." " I
know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand
at the latter day upon the earth ; and though after
my skin worms destroy this body, yet in niy flesh
shall I see God ; whom I shall see for myself, and
mine eyes behold and not another." The marginal
reading is more beautiful, and, I believe, more cor-
rect : "I shall see Him and not a stranger." "J
know that my Redeemer liveth " — my Goel, njy
kinsman, my nearest relative; and when I arrive in
the land of spirits I shall see Him, my kinsman, my
nearest relative, and not a stranger. Oh, blessed
faith ! The first face you will behold in eternity, on
your arrival there, will be that of your kinsman, your
Elder Brother, and not that of a stranger.

5. As I speak, I hope you feel it to be a living
word, and a living word is lull of warmth. "My

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words, they are spirit, and they are life." I trust
" our hearts are burning within us, as we talk oF
these things by the way." Mine is. There is heat
enouQ-h here to warm the coldest lieart, liirht enousfh
to dissipate the densest darkness. Some of our
popular j)reacliers have been descanting of late upon
what they call " Bibliolatry " — idolatry of the Bible.
The people they come in contact with, T conjecture,
make too much of the Bible. I wish I knew where
such people live. I should like to go and live
amongst them. The people I know make too little
of the Bil)le, a jrreat deal too little. Thev read it too
little, study it too little, believe it too little. I would
travel far to see an idolater of the Bible. I have not
seen one yet. The truth is, that, as to love Christ
supremely is not idolatry of His human nature, so
to believe the Bible intensely is not idolatry of mere
thoufrhts and words. ThrouQ-h the Bible and in
the Bible I find my Saviour. Look at the ci;as —
whence has it its light and heat? You answer,
From the coal. But whence has the coal them?
Science answers, From the sun. The light and heat
of the gas are only the ancient light and heat of the
sun, shinino; on the earth millions of years a2:o. The
trees imbibed the light and heat, and locked them in
their soft fibres; they were submerged and trans-
formed into coal, but they still retained the light and
heat with a firm grip ; and, in the nineteenth cen-
tury, science emancipates them from their prison of
millenniums. And devoutly studying Holy Writ, we
see its light and feel its heat; we grow warm, we

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198

HEARING THE WORD.

grow luminous. Whence the light and the heat?
Oh, they are the ancient light and heat of the Sun
of* PightcousiRss. " My words, they are spirit nnd
they are life." May we continue to behold more of
the liiiht and feel more of the heat conccaKd for our
use in verses of the Bible !

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I «99 )

XI.

€i}t ^Parable of tl)e Eares.

" Another parable put He forth unto thetu, saying, The Kingdom of
Heaven is likened unto a man which i-owcd good seed in his field :
but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the
wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and
brought fortl> fruit, then ai^pe.irocl the tares also. Su the servants of
the householder came and said unto liiin. Sir, didst nf)t thou sow
good seed in thy field? from wlienee tiieii iintli it tares? He said unto
them, An enemy hath done this. Tlie servants said unto him. Wilt
thou then that we go and gatlier tiietn \\p? Hut Ik; said. .\ay ; lest
while ye gather up the tares, ye root uj) also the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest : and in the time of harvest
I will say to the reapers. Gather ye to^'etlier first tlie tares, and hind
them in bundles to burn them : but gather the wheat into my
barn." — St. Matt. xiii. 24-30.

" Another parable put He forth " — propounded
He unto them, and it required consicleral)lL' thought-
fulness and not a little ingenuity on thuir part to
discover the meaning. " Another panil)le put He
forth unto them, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is
likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his
field." The people had lost all knowledge of spiritual
realities, and the only way of imparting that know-
ledge to them was by telling them what those things
were like. They had lost all comprehension of the
Kingdom of Heaven, a spiritual reign of God in the
world; the Saviour, therefore, tries to enlighten
them by informing them what it was like. Not

doo

THE PARABLE Of THE TARES.

iS^I^

what it was, but what it was like. They could not
untlLTstand what it was till they had first learnt what
It was like. " Thi* Kingdom of I leaven is Hkencd unto
a Mian which sowL'd good seed in his fijld." "The
KiiHjdom of Flc'avcn is like to a jrrain of mustard
seed." " The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto
leaven," and so on. " What do vou think of the
sernjon ? " asked one of Robert Hall. " A good
sermon, sir," w as the reply, ** but it would be better
if it had more likes in it."

But to return to the parable of the wheat and the
tares. VVe discern three stages in it. First, the
sowing. Second, the growing. Third, the reaping.

I. The Sowing.

" A man sowed good seed in his field." " He that
soweth the good seed is the Son of Man." You w ill
observe that the field orii»:inallv had no seed in it, that
it could not produce any seed; it was necessary to
sow the good seed in it. In like manner goodness is
not innate to human nature; there are not inhering
in it any germs of goodness. " In me, that is, in my
flesh, dwelleth no good thing," not even a good seed.
This is true not only of fallen man, but of man in his
pristine integrity. Whatever goodness Adam had
must have been infused into him from without; the
seed must have been sown in him by his Maker.
" He that soweth good seed is the Son of Man ;"
there is not one sound seed in your nature but it has
been deposited there bv the Son of Man. You may
grow the seeds; but you cannot make them — you

THI PARABLt OP THE TARES.

to I

must receive them. " Every good gift and every
perfect gift is froii] above, and eonieth down from
the Father of lights." Everything that is good has
its origin, not in human nature, but in the Divine
nature; not in man, but in God. I do not aver that
there is no good in you, bui I do aver that it is not
o/"you; you did not make it — you received it. I do
not say that there is no Hgiit in you, but I do say
that it is not o/'you; you did not kindle it — you re-
ceived it. " lie tliat soweth the good seed is the
Son of Man."

"The field is the world." More controversy, I am
told, has been waged over this sentence than any
other sentence in the Bible. " The field is the
world," says Jesus Christ; " the field is the Church,"
sav the commentators. Assunnnii; the field to be the
Church, the parable teaches that the bad as well as
the good should be allowed to remain in it; what
then becomes of Church discipline? Upon that
hinjies the violent controversy which has been carried
on from before the days of Augustine down to our
own. But you see that Jesus Christ teaches clearly
that the field is the world ; therefore, it cannot be the
Church. Within the Church discij)line nmst be
upheld; the bad, so far as practicable, must be
separated from the good, believers from unbelievers.
That is often taught us in the New Testament ; the
apostles cast men out of the con)mnnion of the saints.
It is about the world, and not about the Church, that
Jesus Christ is speaking. Me does not say. Do not
cast bad men out of the Churchy but^ Do not cast

303

THE PARABLE OF THE TARES.

them out of the world. In other passages both He
and His apostles prescribe that ungodly men should
not be allowed to remain in the Church; but they
everywhere teach they should be allowed to remain
in the world. You may discipline them, if they be-
long to the Church ; but under no circumstances are
you to kill them. " The field is the world."

"The ijood seed are the children of the kingdom."
According to the preceding parable, the Parable of
the Sower, the good seed is the Word of God ; ac-
cording to this parable, the good seed are the children
of the kingdom. Any inconsistency? Not the
slightest; there is, however, a marked advance.
The Saviour here contemplates the seed in its full
growth. It is quite right to say — The acorns are the
seed of the forest. But it is equally right to say —
The acorns are the trees of the forest. In the first
otage the good seed are the good thoughts sown in
your mind, the good principles instilled into your
nature; but in the last stage the good seed are the
good men. Good principles must grow into good
men; holy thoughts must develop into holy women.
The good seed are good thoughts, says the parable of
the sower; the good seed are good men, says the
parable of the text. The time comes when goodness
must be identified with your will, when it must be-
come part and parcel of your nature. In its prelimi-
nary stages religion is goodness in the man, you feel
that it is not quite identified with your will ; but the
time approaches when goodness will appropriate you
as its own, when the idea of goodness will be fully

THE PARABLE OF THE TARES.

ao3

incorporated in men of gooilncss. "The good seed
.ire the ehildren of the kiiigiloni."

But anotluT is sowing. "While men sKpt his
eneniv eanie and sowed tans aniontj; the wheat, and
went his way." " Tlu" tares are tlie chiKhx-n oF the
wieked one." 'I'he sowing lu're, too, hegins with evil
tlioiiglus and ends with e\il men; it lu'gins with
wieked principles and ends with wicked person*.
"The tares are the ehiklren of the wieked." K\ ii
has become identified w ith tlieir will ; w iekedness has
become part and parcel of their nature. At first man
feels that sin is foreign to his nature, he is conscious
that it is not a thino; indi'icnous to his heart. I le
distinguishes between himself and the evil that is in
him, between his true self and his false self. Hut by
degrees evil eats its way into tiic very core of his
being, it becomes incorporated with his inner soul ; he
is evil, wholly evil, and only evil contituially. "The
tare? are the children of the wieked." This broad
classification of men is to be found in the opening
chapters of Genesis. " I w ill put enmity between
thee and the serpent, and between thy seed and her
seed." In that verse mankind are divided into two
classes — the seed of the woman and the seed of the
serpent. One portion is, as it were, cut off from
humanity ; they are not worthy to be classed with
the seed of the woman, they are a degenerate race,
they are the seed of the serpent. And in the text
they are called " the children of the wicked." The
use of the article here shows the word to be em-
phatic. " The wicked one " — one the ground of

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204

THE PARABLE OP THE TARES.

whose being is evil, one whose core is corrupt.
"The tares are the children of tlie wicked one."

" The enemy that sowed tlieni is the devil."
Wicked men are of the sowinir of the devil, thev
are of the planting of tlie evil spirit. I said just
now that good is not indigenous to our nature, tliat
it has been implai^ted in us by the Son of Man.
Neither is evil indigenous to our nature, it has been
sown in us by the devil. An awful consideration !
The devil comes into personal contact with us; his
spirit brushes against our spirits ; he drops evil
thoughts into our hearts ; at last he claims the men
that yield to his sinister suggestions as his own off-
spring and property. "The children of the wicked."
The Son of Man sows good seed; the devil sows bad
seed. The devil is alwavs mimicking the Saviour.
In the words of St. Chry-ostom, " After the pro-
phets, the false prophets; after the apostles, the false
apostles ; after Christ, Antichrist." When God
became incarnate, the devil became incarnate too;
the very land and the very age which saw God
dwelling in human nature saw the devil also dwell-
ing in human persons. The God-filled Man has
His counterfeit in devil-possessed men. The text
shows the Son of Man sowing good seed in the field
of humanity ; it also shows the devil going after
Him, and sowing tares in the same field. " The
•wicked one" — one the ground of whose being is
evil, one who is identified with the principle of evil.
" He abode not in the truth, neither is there any
truth in him." It may be said of man as of the

THE PARABLE OF THE TARES.

205

devil, that he abode not in the truth. God created
man upright, but he found out many inventions ;
and his first invention was sin. He al)()de not in
the trutli ; but it cannot be asserted indi^-^crinnnatelv
of him what Christ asserts of the devil, that " in
him is no truth." There is a little truth in the
worst man I know; not much perhaps, still there is
a little. But there is no truth in the devil, not an
atom ; he is evi', wholly evil, and only evil continu-
ally. There is a little conscience left in the worst
man I ever met; not nnich perhaps, still there is a
little. But there is no conscience in the devil — not
one bit: he has suppressed it altogether; he sins
with all his mind, with all his might, with all his
being, not one faculty protesting. Tlie devil of the
Scriptures is a very different one from the huge
creation of Milton's imatrination. The devil of the
"Paradise Lost" is a grand, magnificent, and on the
whole magnanimous spirit; he is a hero, every incli
of him ; and I defy any one to read the poet's
sublime description of him without more or less
sympathising with him ; we look upon him as an
unfortunate rather than a criminal demon. The
poet had the best of the theologian in Milton's
conception of the evil spirit. But according to the
Scriptures there is nothing magnificent or magnani-
mous about him. He is the sum total of the refuse
of the creation. He is a perfect theological devil
without a touch of poetry about him. " He was a
murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the
truth, because there is no truth in him. When he

2o6

THE PARABLE OF THE TARES.

speaketh a He, he speakcth of his own: for '.e is a
liar, and the father of it." The devil is the " wicked
one," the groiuul of whose being is false ; and the
tares are his children. Bad men are of the planting
of the bad spirit. " An enemy hath done this ; "
"and the enemv is the devil."

ifi

II. The Growing.

" When the blade was sprung up, and brought
forth fruit, then appeared the tares also." The
difference between the wheat and the tares became
manifest only after a ))eriod of growth. In the seed
the difference was scarcelv perceptible ; in the bud
the difference was exceedinsilv . mall, vou could
hardlv tell one blade from another; but when the
season of earing and ripening arrived, the difference
was perceptible to all. When a theory is pro-
pounded to you in the abstract, it is extremely
difficult to tell whether it is rinht or wron«r: it is
onlv in the growing and ripening that you can
discern the inner nature, and pronounce emphati-
callv upon it. Take much of the current philo-
sophy of the day. Certain principles are enunciated ;
their pr?pounders argue ably concerning them ; they
almost persuade you their views are sound and
wholesome. But wait for a couple of centuries ;
give them time to bear fruit in life and iuntitutions;
and "by their fruit shall ye know them." It is
hard to distinsfuish between trees in their roots.
Did I show you a piece of the root of an oak, and
a piece of the root of an ash, and a piece of the root

THE PARABLE OF THE TARES.

307

of a fir, some of you would be considerably puzzled
to distiniriiisli between them. But if T brouL^ht vou
a branch of an oak, and a branch of an ash, and a
branch of a fir, you would be able to tell theui in a
moment. By the branches, the leaves, tlie fruit, ye
know the trees, and not by the roots. Thus you
know philosophies: to distinguish between tliem in
their root principles is hard ; but give them time
to develop, and the dilference will be obvious to all.
Much of the vaunted philosophy of the day is over-
run with tares.

These remarks are equally applicable to persons.
At first you can hardly tell between him who serves
God and him who serves Him not. In early youth
the wheat and the tares are very much alike. No one
would venture to go to the Sunday-school this after-
noon and pick out the wheat from the tares — the
resemblance is too great. At the age of ten the two
boys look to the eye of man exactly alike ; they have
been brought up in the same family ; they have en-
joyed the same religious and educational advantages;
there is no difference apparently between them. But
let the years fly past, and the dilference will be patent
to all. One grows into mellow age, to be esteemed
and loved of all men, and angels will ixather him at
the last, and count him as the wheat of the kingdom.
The other grows also; but, alas! the evil nature
triumphs; he is avoided as an abomination; angels
will cut him down as a poisonous darnel, and tie him
up with the tares which the enemy has sown. In
the growth the inner difference is made known.

. 1 1

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908

THE PARABLE OP THE TARES.

When the servants discovered the tares, they said
to the householder, " Sir, didst thou not sow good
seed in thv field? from whence then liath it tares?"
The servants were sorely perplexed concerning the
tares. Thev were sure that wheat was sown, whence
then came the tares? That is the ever-recurrinsr
problem of the servants in every age. Is not God
good, and did He not create man good ? whence then
has sin come? Men are much amazed at the pre-
sence of evil in a field of God's sowing; we are
much astonished at the presence of sin in the
universe of a good and Almighty God. Didst Thou
not sow good seed in Thy creation ? whence then the
tares of the ungodly ?

The same difficulty j)resses upon us when we con-
template the Church. It was founded in the Incar-
nation and Sacrifice of the Son of God ; His conver-
sations and sermons are the good seed sown in the
Christian field; whence then come the tares? whence
the controversies, the heresies, the persecutions?
" Didst Thou not sow good seed in thy field ? from
whence then cometli the tares?" The invariable
solution of the Bible is — " An enemy hath done
this ; " " and the enemy is the devil." Other solutions
have been attemjUed; but the scriptural solution is
the only satisfactory one, that there is an evil spirit in
the creation going about sowing tares. In the first
and second chapters of Genesis we see God sowing
good seed in His field; in the third chapter we see
the devil following after and sowing tares. In the
Gospels we behold the Son of Man sowing good seed

! .

THE PARABLE OF THE TARES.

209

ill His field ; in the Epistles we discover tluit tht- devil
I'ollovvcd after and sowed iniquity; and from tliat day
down to our own the two have erov.n toijether.

"The servants said unto him, Wilt thou that we
go and gather up the tares? He answered, Xav ; let
both grow till the harvest." Here is brought into
proxiinitv the human method and the Divine method
of dealing with sin. What is the human niethod r
It is to destroy sin at once. Man has no j)atience
with the tares; he wants to root them up and burn
them forthwith. That, I am sorry to sav, s\as the
method pursued by good men for manv a long cen-
tury. Did any dare entertain views dillerent from
the mechanical majority ? The Church decreed that
he must be forthwith burnt. Does Scrvetus cherish
views different from those self-stvled the orthodox r
Even Calvin thinks he must be slain. Think of the
vexations, and persecutions, and njartvrdoms which
have occurred : what were thev all ? Tlie servant's
method of destroying sin — plucking up the tares at
once bvthe roots. That also was the wavin whicli both
Judaism and Paganism acted. Inasmuch as the early
Christians diH'ercd from them in their religious views
and practices, they resolved that the Chri^Lialls sliould
be killed, and kill them they did by the thousands.
When the Church got the ascendancy it followed tht
same method — if a man did not in all particulars con-
form with the prescribed doctrine and litual, he nuist
be either excommunicated or martyred. The Cluu'ch
has the right to cut a man of^' from its fellowship if

there be adequate cause, suc^ is flagrant immorality ;

sxo

THE PARABLE OF THE TARES.

but under no circumstances has it a rioht to cast
out from the world. I once heard a preacher say :
" I often wonder why God leaves the ungodly to
flourish like palm trees on the earth ; were I in the
place of God," said he, " I am afraid I should kill
all atheists and infidels before sundown." " Wilt
thou that we go and gather up the tares?"

That is man's way of dealing with sin. But God's
way is not our way, and His thoughts are not our
thoughts. "He said, Nay; lest, while ye gather up
the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them."
Good men and bad are wonderfully mingled in the
world ; you cannot destroy the bad without seriously
damaging the good. They are mingled in the family ;
you cannot kill the father without hurting the
mother. They are mingled in society ; you cannot
shoot the tenant without injuring the landlord.
They are mingled in the same church and congrega-
tion. Were God to commission His angels to come

and gather up the tares in this congregation to-day,
many saints would break their hearts in consequence.
Let us go and kill the wicked, cry the servants before
the Throne. Nay, says He who sits upon it, let the
evil and the good live together undisturbed at pre-
sent; I could stamp out sin before the morrow's
dawn, but it is better for men that I should not
crush it out at once — I could not do it without vex-
ing the hearts of thousands of my children.

in. The Reaping.

" Let them grow until the harvest," " and the har-

'ff^W ;

THE PARABLE OF THE TARES.

>II

vest 18 the end of the world." A hint is thrown out
here that at the end of the world good and evil shall
have attained maturity; good will continue to grow
better, and evil to grow worse, till the harvest time.
Good men will grow meet for heaven ; bad men will
grow ripe for destruction. Goodness is growing every
vear; good principles arc embodying themselves in
good institutions; and the jirocess will continue till
every good thought will be incorjioratcd in a good
deed and every good purpose will bear fruit in a
good life. Every good seed will bear an ear of good
corn. At last the wheat will be white for the sickle.
But simultaneous with the development of good will
be the development of evil. I do not know that evil
will continue to grow in bulk, that is, by the multi-
plication of bad men. I hope not. But it will grow
in intensity, in bitterness, in subtlety, in poisonous
ness. There will be a cunning and a depth in evil in
centuries to come far exceedinir anvthint; that has
ever been witnessed in the past ; the tares w ill grow
till the harvest, and the harvest is the end of the
world. The future of evil is depicted in dark gloomy
terms in Holy Writ. You remember what St. Paul
says in 2 Thessalonians ii. 6-10 about tlie " mvstery
of iniquity," literally, "the mystery of lawlessness."
Evil will go on working, says he, more bitterly and
intensely till the coming of the Lord, or, in the lan-
guage of the parable, till the harvest time.

Three dispensations are observable in the history of
God's Kingdom upon earth. The first is the dispen-
sation of the Father ; the second, the dispensation of

2X2

THE PARABLE OF THE TARES.

H'li

the Son; the third, tlic dispensation of the Spirit.
In the first the authoritv and disrnitv of the Fatlier
arc asserted ; in the second tlie authoritv and dignity
of the Son; in the third the authority and dignity
of the Spirit. As ah'cady stated, the devil always
mimics Jehovah ; and accordingly we have three
dispensations in the history of the kingdom of dark-
ness. The first is a counterfeit of the dispensation of
the Father: the despotisms of the ancient world were
a flat denial of the authority of the Father; the huge
empires and unmiritratcd tyrannies of olden times
were a direct contradiction of the soverciiiiirv of the
Father, under the semblance of imitating it. The
second is a counterfeit of the dispensation of tiie
Son : the imposing hierarchy of Catholicism was a
practical denial of the lieadshij) of Christ; over
against the Christ, in imitation of Christ, is the
Antichrist. But the third will be a spurious, dam-
nable counterfeit of tlie dispensation of the Spirit.
Political despotisms, such as flourished in ancient
times, are things of the past. Religious despotisms,
in the form of privileged and compactly organised
hierarchies, are destined soon to fall. Then will come
what may be called n)ob-despotisms in imitation of
tlic disjiensation of the Spirit. "Where the Spirit
of the Lord is, there is liberty." But false ideas ol
liberty will prevail and triumph for a season; already
they are seethintr and fermentino; in society; com-
munism under ever varying disguises is striking roots;
and spurious freedom, false liberty, will be the tfeirriblc
bane of the future. Men will despise authority, will

I \^

THE PARABLE OF THE TARES.

ai3

tmniple laws under foot, and evil will ripen for the
judtrnient. "The mvsterv of lawlessness."

When good and evil shall have fullv ripened, then
will begin the proeess of separation : " The Son of
man sliall send forth Mis ani:el<, ;md thev shall gather
out of Mis kingdom all things that otKnd, and them
which do iniquity." "Tilings tiiat oflend ; " on the
jnargin, " scantlals." Manv seandals ])revail in the
kingdom now ; but, thank God, seandals shall be
taken awav. Manv a good heart is sore opjiressed
with scandals; but scandals sliall be destroyed and
thev who do iniquitv. Wicked men, do vou hear
vour fate as set forth bv the Lord Jesus ? " 'I'lie
angels shall gather them who do iniquity, and tie
them in bundles, and cast them out into a furnace
of fire, and there shall be wailino; and irnashintr of
teeth." That is figurative, vou say. Suppose it is,
the question is, Does it mean anything? My friends,
believe me, hell is a terrible reality.

Some see in the lanouage the same idea that Dante
has wrouiiht out with terrible realism in his " Divine
Comedy." "Bind them in bundles and burn them."
Is there here an intimation that in eternity sinners
shall congregate togetiier according to their sinful
jiropensities ? that misers shall be gathered to mis.rs,
drunkards to drunkards, adulterers to adulterers?
"Thev shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there
shall be wailimj: and irnashinir of teeth," — extreme
heat and extreme cold. Mere again some perceive the
idea of Dante, that in hell the damned are one moment
plunged in hottest fire, and the next thrust out to

«I4

THE PARABLE OF THE TARES.

extremest cold. T do not mean to convey to vou —
neither did Dante, neither did Christ— that hell
means corporeal piuiishinent ; but it is an attempt to
depict to you in graphic language — the only language
we can understand — the awful sufTerings of the lost.

Now, young people, do not try to explain these
words awav as if hell was not such a dreadful place
after all. I know that able, excellent men question
the doctrine of the eternity of punishment ; but thev
all agree, nevertheless, that the punishment, so long
as it lasts, is awful in the extreme ; none of them
make light of it. Whether hell be never-ending or
not, I shall not discuss to-dav ; but under any cir-
cumstances, it is a dread, incomprehensible reality.

The congregation now before me is composed of
wheat and tares ; but I rejoice to think that to-day
♦he tares may be made wheat. Many critics believe
that the tares were only degenerate wheat. Many
Oriental scholars affirm, on the testimony of native
farmers, that bad weather will so change the character
of the wheat, that instead of the golden grain there
will develop the black darnel. The tares of the text
are a species of degenerate wheat. But I have not
discovered that the tares may be improved into wheat.
But spiritually both processes are possible. The
good man whom God created in Eden became a bad
man — the wheat degenerated into darnel. Good man
became bad. Is that all I have to tell you ? No ;
thank God, no; bad men may become good, sinners
may be made saints, the children of the wicked may
become children of the kinirdom : the tares may be
converted into wheat, and thus escape the burning.

( "5 )

XII.

(!ri)rtet in tije Storm.

**But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer ; it
is I ; be not afraid. "—St. Matt. xiv. 27.

The miracle of feeding the five thousand men, be-
sides women and children, deeply impressed the large
multitudes which had gathered together in the desert
to hear the Saviour preach. At the impulse of the
moment, they conceived the bold idea of listing under
His standard and proclaiming Him King. Where-
upon " He constrained His disciples to get into a
ship, and to go before Him into the other side, while
He sent the multitudes awav ; " and thus by prompt
action He frustrated the crude intentions of the
people. " And when He had sent the multitudes
awav, He went up into a high mountain apart to
pray : and when the evening was come, He was there
alone."

The sequel of the story you all know. A serene
beginning is not a sure liarl)inger of continued calm.
A sudden hurricane set in, and the disciples were in
peril of their life. " The night was dark ; the wind
was contrary; and Jesus was not come unto them."
But in the fourth watch — about three o'clock in the

ii6

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

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morninir lie canic unto tlicm, ualk'inir on the sea.
The jiarticipi.il torm Irtc used suggests tlie probability
that to tread oil the waves oF the sea was not an un-
usual exereise witlj flini. The same fbrni is used in
St. Matt. iv. i8: "And Jesus, walking by the Sea of
Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and
Andrew his brother." Oftentimes before fie had
taken a walk along the shore of this sea — it was His
favourite resort ; and the two brothers, Simon and
Andrew, had been often in His company l)efore ; but
on one of His walks fie bade them forsake their
secular avocation and follow I fin). 'I'he partieijiial
form suggests this train of thought, and, as it a|)])ears,
purposely. 'I'he verse in the context is caj)able of tin.-
same renderino; — "as tie was walkiiisj on the sia ! "
Perchance fie had crossed it dryshod repeatedly l)e-
fore in the same fashion in order to overtake f (i> dis-
ciples, who had travelled on whilst lie was engaged
in solitary communion with His Father.

This narrative divides itself » ..j two branches:

I. The history of the disciples in the storm.

II. The history of Christ in the storm.

I. The history of the disciples in the storm.

I. You will please notice that the party caught in
this terrible tempest were the disciples of J.sus Christ,
the dear objects of His solicitude and love. If the
boat were full of malicious, narrow-minded Pharisees,
the Saviour's bitter enemies, we should not ))e sur-
prised to find that they were in inmiinent risk of
their life. But inasmuch as it was a boatful of dis-

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

ai7

ciplcs, the only raitliful otu's Goil hail on the* earthy
we confess to a tccling of ania/iniciU. To obviate
tins, some of the olck-r c()niiin.'iit.it(ir> hail leeourse to
the supposition that tlie storm was prochieed hv tlie
ageni'V of evil spirits, W'u need not t.iki the trouble
to jormallv ef)nfute thi< faneiliil iiiti rpri'tation ; foi
iiclnui)tecllv it was Cioil rli:it sent the storm. Tiie
incls are the blasts of I lis nostrils, savs Moses; the
elouds ari' I lis ehariots, says I)a\ iil ; and iK-jx-nd upon
it, Me would never allow the di\il to ride in the
Hoval chariot.

God is the principle of motion in \ature.
Inertia is the projK-rtv of matter-- motion always
of spirit. And if you behold the elements in
motion, von mav rest assiu'ed that the Divine Spirit

IS at wor

le winds would not blow did

|{(

not

fan them ; the clouds would not tlv did I le not
stir them. What is a tempest? (iod njovinji the
elements. Storms, no doubt, are (jod-sent. What

then s

hall

we sa\' {

Shall

w c

lool

K upon

em as

sure manifestations of Mis anger? CJod forbid.
The unbeliever may inti rpret God by Mis works;

mav ar

iruc — Nature frowns, therefore God i*

ano"rv. But the Christian must benin with God,
and descend to Mis works; he must reason — Goil
is good, therefore all the dispensations of Nature'
and Providence nuist be conducive to mv ultimate
welfare. Given the character of God, we must
arrive at the conclusion that Me has a worthy object
in view, to the attainment of which the storm is
necessary. The disciples are the party exposed to

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CHRIST IN THE STORM.

the tempest ; God it '< who sends the tempest.
How to explain it? Only by looking at the object
in view.

The puzzle which confronts us in this history,
we find continually reproduced in Providence.
What is Providence ? God in motion — nothing,
more, nothing less. History, profane and sacred^
is only the faint echo of His marches through th(
world. Who are the afflicted? God's own people.
Did we see the ungodly cast down, we think the
difficulty would be removed. But that is not the
case. " They are not in trouble as other men,
neither are they plagued like other men. Their
eves stand out with fatness; they have more than
heart could wish. Behold, these are the ungodly
who prosper in the world ; they increase in riches.
When I thought to know this, it was too painful
for me." The facts are these : Providence is only
another name for God in motion ; His movements
seem to spare the wicked, but to cast down and
break in pieces His own favourites. Surely a riddle
hard to be solved. What is the clue to it? The
end He has in His eve. We are assured over and
over again that He has a noble end in view; and
consequently afflictions must be looked upon as
indispensable means to the attainment of that end
What then is the end ? Not happiness but holiness,
not worldly success but pure lofty manhood. And
in order to the realisation of this noble purpose,
God finds it requisite to insert much tribulation in
the programme. You may call it a misfortune or

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

319

a calamity ; it is neither the one nor the other, but
a necessary process in the construction of character.
You do not call dressing the stone for the edifice a
misfortune — it is part and parcel of the process of
building. And afflictions are only edged tools in
the hands of God to dress us, to prepare us to fulfil
our functions in the world to come. In our natural
state we are coarse rough stones, and we must
undergo the operation of chisel raid hammer.
Walking among thie blocks of marble in his studio,
Michael Angelo cried out to his servant — " Bring
me mv tools; I see an angel here in chains, and [
must release him." Under sudden inspiration from
above, the renowned sculptor saw the imprisoned
form of a cherub or a seraph ; and with the sharp
rendings of the chisel, and the heavy strokes of the
hammer, he proceeded to release him from his bon-
dage, and to develop his goodly propoitions. In
like manner, but with a clearer insight and nobler
design, does the God of Providence perceive within
the rough material of our humanity the perfect
form of a man of God, and then proceeds to fashion
it after the ima2:e of His own Son, Yes! there is
an angel of God asleep in the vessel with every
man. An angel of God, did I say ? I beg your
pardon — there is a Son of God as cep in the bosom
of every man, and God must send storms to awake
Him. May it be ours to hear His voice, saying,
"Be of good cheer; it is I ; be not afraid."

2. Another thing that strikes us is, that the
disciples were caught in this fearful storm in the

'■' i'

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

I f

very act of nbcy'tnif. Jesus " constrained His dis-
ciples to get into a ship, and go Ix'fore Him into
the other side ; " and havinir set forth, " the sea
rose l)v reason of a irreat wind that blew." If thev
set sail, like Jonah, in disf)l)edicnce to their Master's
injunction, we should not be so much surprised that
they were exposed to imminent danger; but here
in the verv act of yielding obedience thev are sur-
rounded with difficulties.

This passage on the face of it serves two pur-
poses. For one thing, it flatlv contradicts the
opinion which had obtained currency in society"
from the earliest ages — that the path of duty i<
always smooth, and that the path of disobedience
alone is beset with obstructions. This fallacy scenjs
to pervade a great deal of the argument in the Book
of Job. His friends inferred his criminality on the
supposition that the virtuous never suffer such dire
calamities as he was called upon to endure. This
notion had spread far and near. That religion wa>
a shield to ward oft^ adversity, was the universal
belief of the primit've ages. Now the whole tenor
of the Gospel runs counter to that opinion — the
disciples in the very act of yicldmg obedience are
overtaken bv a wild hurricane. No ; tlie path of
obedience is not always smooth. That one's career
is tempestuous is not a proof ot his criminality and
guilt. An aged and venerable preacher in the Prin-
cipality was wont to sav — *' If a man only breaks
his leg, some of his neighbours shake their heads,
and sav that there was som 'thintr in him callino; for

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

221

this sad visitation of Providence; but," added the
old preacher, " it' it be according to that in us which
calls, there would be no sound leus in the wliole
country." The most virtuous man in the com-
munity may be also the most afflicted, For our
relation to Clirist does not frighten sorrows away.
" And Martha said uiito Jesus, If Thou hadst been
here, my brother had not died. And Jesus answered
and said unto her, I am the resurrection and the
life; believest thou this?" As though Cln'ist had
said, Martha, thou misjudgest of me and mv
mission; I am not come to suvt J'roin death, but out
of death; I am not a Saviouryro??/ tlie grave, but a
Saviour out of the grave. " I am the resurrection
and the life; believest thou this?" And I lis
reli";ion contains no ouarantee atrainst e\il. " He
hath led tlieni out bv a riuht wav to the citv of
habitation." You are thinking of tlie smoothest
way, God of the rightest. Your road niav be
ruffiied and bleak ; but let this comfort vou — it is
the right road ; and if you take the word right in its
etvmolouical siunification, it is also the straiuhtest :
and if the straiirhtest, then the shortest to the citv
of habitation. Let not difficulties, disappointments,
and sorrows damp your ardour, as if they marked
you out as the victims of the Divine displeasure —
the path of duty is often dangerous.

This passage answers another purpose — it serves as
a test to the spirit of obedience. Jesus '*' constrained
His disciples to go into a ship and get before Him
into the other side." He had to press hard ; this

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322

CHRIST m THE STORM.

implies that they were very loath to go. They possibly
participated in the feelings of the crowd and wished
to proclaim Him King. They thought the right
moment had arrived, that everything was ripe. But
they are told to get at once into the other side ; their
hopes are dasljcd to pieces — no wonder they are re-
luctant to hoist the sail. Or perhaps as experienced
mariners they saw indications of a coming storm, and
felt unwillinc: to hazard a vova<rc in foul weather. Be
that as it may — He pressed them hard to go, and go
they did ; and the w ind broke loose and lashed the sea
to fury. " The wind was contrary." But on a small
lake like that, whv not alter the course of their vovaire?
Why not turn back and steer with the wind for the
shore they had left? The reason lay in the com-
mand, which was " to get into the other side." The
order is explicit — do they possess the right spirit to
obey? The storm is sent to test them — will thev
stand the test? Yes; they will continue to row right
in face of the wind ; the storm shall not bend their
spirits nor change their course; thev will reach the
other side or die in the endeavour. They could obey
in the face of difficulties.

Thus we also are often tested. Obstructions arise ;
we cannot tell whence, whither, or wherefore. Whv
does God permit them? What purpose do thev
answer? They answer the purpose of -testing us, if
none other. We must persevere in the face of oppo-
sition. Luther is persuaded bv his friends not to go
to Worms. The counsel of friends and the liostilitv
of foes go against him — " the sea rose by reason of a

; .1

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

•«3

great wind that blew." Now is his spirit tested. Is
he the right man to go through with the work of the
Reformation? Yes; "he will go to Worms though
as many devils set at hini as there are tiles on the
housetops; " he will row on thougii there be a demon
on the ridge of every wave. Yonder voung man has
embarked in the vessel of Christianity at the biddinu;
of the Master. At first he trlidcs smoothlv alonir,
but anon the wind blows eontrary ; public opinion is
opposed to him. Now is the season to try him.
Will he row against the storm ? To many public
opinion is well-nigh almighty. It would be easier to
them to fight Waterloo over again than do battle
with public opinion. What will you do? Will you
go forward? If this Book forbids gambling and
drinking, if this Book j)rohibits your nightly visiting
theatres and singing saloons, you must stick to it at
the expense of being made the butt of the sarcasm and
spite of your thoughtless companions. Pontius Pilate
was a slave to society ; in the trial of Christ he said,
" I find no fault in Him." The crowd answered,
" Crucify Him, crucify Him." i^ilate could not
resist the current — he rested on his oars — and Christ
was crucified on Calvary to Public Opinion. Oh,
my Saviour and God ! I am afraid Thou art daily
sacrificed in Britain too to Public Opinion. Manv
disciples turn their backs in the day of tempest —
they forget the command to " get into the other side."
3. This narrative teaches another lesson — that we
cannot understand the meaning of the storm till it is
wer. The question occurs to us, and no doubt it

i't,i;.'j

I !

224

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

presented itself to the disciples — Foreseeing the
storm, why did Christ eonipel His disciples to set
sail? Why not permit them to abide on shore in
safety? "Me constrained them" — there is some-
thinir stroniT, almost coercive, in the lan!j;ua(»e. The
disciples, I am sure, cotdd not ai^svver the question
till the storm was past, till Christ had manifested
His glory unto them. When the storm had cleared
up, having witnessed this sublime iiiiraele, " they
that were in the ship came and worship|)ed Him,
saying, Of a truth Tnou art the Son of God." I feel
very confident that none of the disciples in after-life
regretted that storm. Notwithstanding the inniii-
nent danger to whicli they were exposed, they
would not for anything have lost the opportunity of
witnessing this magnificent spectacle — Christ coming
to them walkino; on the sea ! The end of the story
explains the beginning and the middle. This is a
faithful portraiture of the doings of Providence- we
cannot explain the beginning and middle apart from
the end. Providence like Hebrew must be read
backward. All God's works are inexplicable till you
reach the end. Why does God afflict me? W^hy
conmiission the raging tempest to shatter mv tiny
bark ? I cannot answer that question quite satisfac-
torily to-day, but never mind — the end will clear up
the beginning and the middle. The disciples, while
the storm was going on, made a grievous mistake.
They beheld an object approaching them at a dis-
tance, and in their bewilderment cried out — " It is a
ghost." But when He neared them they discovered

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

22$

their sad mistake — in the ghost they found a Saviour.
In like manner you see trouble looming in the future
— next week or next month or next vear; vou writhe
in agony, believing it is a ghost eome to cast its
deadly blast upon you. But wait patiently a while,
and probably the trouble will turn out to be a Saviour,
"and you will receive H'uu gladly into thesihij)." A
cloud darkens the distant horizon ; it looks heavy and
flies swiftly. Men cry out in dismay, " It is a spirit
— it is charged with thunderbolts — God comes to
pour the vials of His wrath upon the earth." Wait
patiently a while ; let the clouds begin to rain, and
you will find that not judgments but blessings are
lodged therein.

** Ye fearful sainte, fresh courage take,
Tlie clouds ye so mucli (Iread
Are big vviih mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head."

" God rides upon the wings of the wind " — He and
He only. You are apt to imagine when you see
lowering clouds traversing the sky like maniacs,
that they are ridden by Fate or Wrath or Destiny.
But be ye not deceived — it is Love, it is God that is
driving along; and if the winds blow higher than
usual, it only shows that He is in greater hurry to
bless. God it is who msses by you in storms and
tempests, in thunders and lightnings. Submit there-
fore graciously to His sovereign will, knowing that
the end will clear up the bejrinnino; and the middle.
" Be of good cheer; it is I ; be not afraid."

M <»

326

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

;

II. The history of Christ in the storm.

I. The first thing which arrests attention is His
deep u atvhf Illness over the disciples. " And when
even was come, the ship was in the midst of the
sea, and He alone on the land. And He saw them
toilino- in rowing." Thev were about three miles
from shore in the midst of the sea : and He was
on land, on a mountain top close by; and it was
night — a night of unusual darkness ; and yet He
saw them. He saw them at a distance of about
four miles through the thick gloom. This is cer-
tainlv most marvellous, and in one wav or another
forms an integral part of the miracle. The body
which could counteract the law of gravitation could
also transcend the science of optics. The bodily
senses were, for a season at least, supernaturally
refined in Christ. I have no wish to transmute
humanity into Divinity in His Person ; but then
we cannot conjecture in our present sinful condition
how high our senses may be refined without doing
the slightest violence to our nature. " The ship
was in the midst of the sea, and He was alone on
the land, and it was night '* — " and He saw them
toiling in rowing." There are degrees of power in
the physical senses among men. The faculty of
vision in one man is incomparably stronger than the
same faculty in another. And if men differ in
degree in the exercise of this power, it is quite con-
sistent with analogy to believe that angelic vision is
more excellent still, that angels can see clearer and
farther than men. And if this be true, what about

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

337

the power of vision in the God-nian, especially in a
supernatural state as He was that night and is now
in heaven ? " He saw them toiling in rowing;."

If His power of vision was so remarkable, is it
out of place to suppose that His sense of hearing
was commensurate ? Degrees are observable in the
acutcness of hearing among men, and if there be
degrees among men, is it incongruous to believe that
angels arc much quicker than men in this power
also? I speak hardly high enough for man to hear
me from the street. But if the theory of sound be
correct, that it is caused by ripples of air breaking
on the auricLilum like waves on the beacli, it is quite
possible that an angel is endowed with a sensibility
so delicate as to hear me this moment from Holy-
head or Land's End. But what about the power of
hearing in the God-man ? No doubt He heard
them as well as saw them. And if we will not
agree to attribute this power to His humanity, then
we must agree to ascribe it to His Divinity — we
must contrive somehow or other to put the crown
upon His head. He saw them and He sees vou;
He heard them and He hears you. " Fear ye not,
therefore; the hairs of your head are all numbered,"
and the wind shall not blow one away " without
your Father." The disciples supposed themselves
unseen by the Master. Their unbelief whispered —
We are at the mercy of the waves ; faith ought to
answer — No, but at the mercv of the Master.
Their unbelief was savino; — The winds and the
waves rage at their will; faith ought to say — No;

S28

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

thcv rairc at the will of the Master. All the
elements are under His control. " He inaketh the
winds His angels, and the flames of fire His minis-
ters." They have not broken loose or abandoned
His service. He is not bound to the laws of
Nature, but the laws of Nature are bound to Him.
The Beina: that made the suJi the fourth day, created
lijrht the first dav. Whv ? To teach us to bind the
sun to Him, and not Him t(j the sun ; to teach us
that the law* of Nature must conform with His
will, and not His will with the laws of Nature.
Believe, therefore, in His vigilance — " He saw them
toiling in rowing."

3. Another thousjht deservino; our consideration
is, that He canie to thciu in a waij thcji never
hnair'ineiL " In tlie fourth watcli of the nicht,
Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea." The
disciples, doubtless, looked upon the foaming billows
as an impassable barrier between Him and them;
but what thev deemed an impediment He converted
into a highway.

The unexpectedness of their rescue is seen in two
things. First, a miracle was wrought on their behalf
— " He went unto them, walking on the sea." It sig-
nifies not much whether the water was congealed into
a solid mass under His tread, or whether His body
was ethercalised and thereby shorn of its weight — I
say, it signifies not much which view you take so that
you firmly believe in the miracle itself. And this
miracle has a message to us. The Saviour interposed
miraculously in their case* but bear in mind — the

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

299

miracle consisted in the Jorm^ not in the power.
Miracles niaiut'est not an extraordinary amount, but
an unusual form oF power. We are not warranted
in looking out for miraculous forms in Providence;
but we are justified in expecting a full display of tlie
miracle-working power. The same power is exerted
on our behalf as was exerted tliis night on belialf
of the disciples, though not in the same manner. I
am anxious vou should firndv irrasp this truth. No
greater degree of jiower was exerted in the perform-
ance of miracles than is constantly exhibited in the
dailv sustenance and irovernment of the world. The
same Divine might which was brought to play on
the Sea of Galilee to deliver the alarmed disciples,
has been a thousand times afterwards exerted to save
the saints in troubles innumerable.

The miracle, moreover, assujued a shape they never
anticipated. Christ did not from the mountain top
command the storm to fjuell — " He went unto them,
walking oji the sea." Who would have expected it?
When they saw Him they cried out, " It is a spectre."
We also have His promise that He will not forsake
us in adversity. " When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers,
they shall not overflow thi-e; when thou walkest
through the fire thou shalt not be burned, neither
shall the flame kindle upon thee." Therefore cry
unto Him in your distress; He will come to you,
"walkino; on the sea" — in a wav you have never
imagined. " For the Son of Man when He cometh,
shall He find faith on the earth ? " He came to the

23©

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

! *

'J- ,

.\ i

succour of His disciples, and they cried, " It is a
spirit." Fie found no faith in that little ship, shall
He on the earth? For He comes in a way peculiar
to Himself, from a point in the compass we should
never expect. When He works He always works in
circles. When He made sun, moon, and stars, He
made them all in circles. WHien He made a l^ible,
He made it in a circle : the end thereof returns upon
the heginning, the same sul)jccts are treated of in the
closing chapters of Kevelation that arc discussed in
the opening chapters of Genesis. In Genesis I see
a creation coming up; in Kevelation I see a creation
coming down. In Genesis I see a river watering the
garden ; in Hevelation I see a " pure river of water of
life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of
God and the Lamb." In (jcnesis I see the Tree of
Life in the midst of the garden ; in Revelation I see
the Tree of Life in the midst of the strict and on
either side of the river. In Genesis I see i*aradise
Lost; in Hevelation I see Paradise Heuained. Thus
the Bible is round like a circle. And when God
comes to the aid of His people in answer to their
supplications He generally moves in circles; and one
property of a circle is this — there is a way from every
point in the circumference to the centre. You pray
God to deliver you ; you expect Him to come from
a certain fixed point ; and if He choose to come from
another you are frightened, and cry out, "It is a
spirit." You expect Him to come from the point in
your front ; but He comes, perhaps, from a point
behind your back — in a way you never imc\gined.

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

»3«

"The Son oF Man, when Me conieth," in answer to
prayer, shall He find the man who made the prayer
beUevins; that He comes in resi)()nse to his earnest
crv ? Thousands of pravers are answered w ithout
our knowledge, from otlier points in the eireumfer-
encc tlian we expeeted. An old lady in Cardiiran-
shire had two sons on the sea, captains oF vessels.
She used to pray morning, evening, and midday
For their safety and prosperity. But on a certain
occasion, when one oF her sons was leaving England
For Gil)raltar, the other was leaving Gibraltar For
England. Now iF the aged Christian praved that
the wind would blow with the son who was leaving
home, it would go right against the son who was
:oming home. For some time the perplexed mother
was at a standstill before the Throne of Grace — she
had never been in such perj)lexity bcFore. But at
last it occurred to her that, instead oF praving For
fair wind, she had better pray for side wind ; and I
am told the side wind was Favourable to both cap-
tains. That is just an illustration oF the manner in
which God comes to your relieF. You complain
that trade is bad and you Fear bankruptcy ; you
pray God to send you more customers; but you do
not consider that He cannot send customers to your
shop without taking them From the shop oF your
neighbour, who is struggling quite as hard as you in
Face oF much adversity. What will God do? Turn
a deaFear to the cry oF your supplication? Oh no;
He will answer you bv side winds, From a point in
the circumference whicli vou would never imagine.

432

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

He will come to you " walking on the sea " — in a

way you would never guess.

3. We finally see that the example and presence of
Christ inspired the disciples. They had been toiling
in rowing all night long, and the fury of the tempest
did not seem to abate one jot — a heavy sea was still
rolling and a high wind still blowing. No doubt
they were on the brink of despair, expecting every
minute to be engulfed in the yawning deep. At this
critical moment an object appeared on tiie sea, white
and tilistenintj: amid the surrounding; irloom ; thev
were at first terrified, but soon terror gave wav to
confidence and joy. It was the Saviour. Peter,
alwavs the representative of the rest, in tlic strength
of faith descends frouj the ship, treads the waves, and
hurries t'> meet Him. His enthusiasm buoyed him
up and kept him from sinking: but ''when he saw
the wind boisterous " he feared and began to sink.
No wonder — men always sink when they tear. So
long as he gazed on Jesus he could walk j when he
looked awav from Jesus he sank.

What a valuable lesson to us! You, my friend,
are in trouble; your frail skiflT seems to be the
laughing-stock of the elements, the sole object of their
gibes, derision, and spite; the waves dash against the
groaning sides and fill the air with clack and clamour;
the winds midly shriek in the sails. Tiie little vessel
in which you have always lived and floated is about
to be shattered — you believe vou nuist sink. To vou
the Divine voice comes — " Be of good cheer ; it is F,
thy tender Sponsor and Guardian; 1 narrowly watch

CHRIST IN THR STORM.

»33

the complex operations or Providence ; the storm is
sent, not to sink thee, but to give thee a fair oppor-
tunity to swim, yea, to walk on the Sea oFTrouble.
Any one can walk on the solid earth, but I want to
teach thee, my disciple, tc- walk on the sea. when
thy hopes and comforts and riches arc whirlinir
around thee, when thy circumstances are surging
like the angry deep. * Lord, bid me come to Thee
on the waters. And He said unto him, Come.' "
*•' It is I, thy Teacher and Exemplar, come to rescue
thee from the dread and slavery of materialism ; it is
I, come to teach thee to ascend sujierior to worldly
adversity and worldlv prosperity ; I am not depen-
dent upon Nature and its laws, and I want thee to
acquire, if not the same, yet a similar superiority.
On dry ground and on the surging sea, be the
master and not the creature of circumstances. ' Lord,
bid me come to Thee on the waters. And He said
unto him. Come, Come.'" March forward with
a steady ey*e on Jesus, and you will walk on the sea
of circumstances. Faith mysteriously appropriates
the power of God — His moral, if not His physical
power. Let storms assail the believer, he has a power
u'ithin which successfullv resists ev^'ry onset. The
stronger the wind, the hioher soars the eaalc — he
never mounts so high as he does on the dav of
tempest. And the Christian takes advantage of the
power of the hurricane; his faith outspreads her
pinions and flies heavenward. Break his nest — he
can live on the wing. Sink his ship — he can walk
on the sea. "Being strengthened with all might,

«34

CHRIST IN THE STORM.

according to His glorious power, unto all patience
and longsufTering with joyfulness." What d'^es that
verse teach us? That the Christian is Ahiiighty in
sufTering, that he possesses a sort of omnipotence to
endure tribulation. " Strengthened with all might "
— the first two syllables in the Almighty Him-elf.
In the face of such a truth as this, shame on our
fretfuLiess. Why should we complain though Alps
of sorrows be piled upon us, provided we have
an Almighty shoulder to carry them along? Why
murmur though Himalayas of troubles be heaped
upon us, provided we liave Omnipotence to bear
them aloft? " As thy days, so shall thy strength
be." Our Saviour is Almighty, and that is the
same to us as if we were Almighty in our own
persons. What therefore has the oeliever to fear?
Let the storm play in savage fury around him ; let
the winds lift the sea from its bed and pour it ou
the mountains; let a mad lightning cut the sky in
twain and set the earth on fire; let a clap of thunder
herald Doomsday ; what has he to fear ?

" With Christ in the vessel,
He smiles at the storm."

The terrible din shall not hurt a hair of his head;
after the turmoil will come the — Hush,

( »35 )

XIII.

JTfje Son of JHan— Cfje Son of (Koti*

"When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Phihppi, Ke asked His
disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?
And they said. Some say that Thou art John the BaiMi^t : soiiu-,
Elias ; other5, Joremius, or one of the propliets. He b.iitlj unto
them. But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered
and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the hving God." — St.
Matt. xvi. 13-16.

As we read this history in the Gospel according
to St. Luke, we are told that Jesns Christ prayed.
The habitual state ot His mind was a praverful one;
but the fact is recorded only before some eventful
occurrence?, which served as transition points in His
life. And if the Son of God had need to pray, how
much more have we?

We are not informed what He was praying; for:
that is left to the unerring divination of the re-
ligious instinct of the reader. He was about to ask
His disciples a very momentous question, on their
answer to which depended their future history and
usefulness. He was going to experiment upon
theni, and the issue would prove to be either life
or death. " But whom say ye that I am ? " Upon
this question, and the answer it will elicit, hangs
their future destiny. Christ, therefore, pray.s — He

m
m

!■';.

236

THE SON OF MAN— THE SON OF GOD.

prays that Divine light may illumine their hearts,
and that the right answer may be evoked.

He here brings His disciples to a test. He had
been in their society now over three years, en-
deavourins; to cstdblish them in the fundamental
truths oF the Kingdom He came to set up on the
earth. It is, therefore, high time they should un-
dergo an examination. And in the text the exami-
nation is being held. There are only two questions,
but then they are test questions — " Whom do men
say that I, the Son of Man, am ? " and " Whom
say ye that I am ? " If they have not, in their
former intercourse with Him, apprehended Him on
the Divine phase of His bi'ing, then it is obvious
there is no point of contact between the human
mind and the Divine. Now the connecting link is
to be tried. The world's weioht is tied to one end
to drag it down — " Whom do men say that I, the
Son of Man, am ? " Will the link snap ? If so,
salvation is impossible. Will it hold? If so, man
can be drawn up to God. The Divine Sower went
forth to sow. He let Christ drop like a seed from
heaven into the human mind. Did it fall upon
barren soil? If so, the world must die from sheer
hunger. Did it fall upon good ground? If so, it is
time for it to show good fruit. In the text, accord-
ingly, the Lord Jesus goes in quest of fruit. As the
gardener shakes the apple-tree, so He gently shakes
the spirits of His followers — " Whom say ye that I
am ? " " Peter answered and said, Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God." 'I'he truth was

,\»<

THE SON OF MAN — THE SON OF GOD.

237

hanging like ripe fruit From the outspreading
branches ; Jesus Christ is now conceived in tlie
mind of man. He was conceived over thirty years
ago in the nature of inan, but in the text for tlie
first time is He conceived in the mind of man ; and
the conception in the mind was as necessary to our
salvation as the conception in the nature.

Herein then lies the reason of Christ " praying
alone." The issues of the present transaction were
to tell upon the future destiny of an entire planet.
Benjamin Franklin made an experiment, one of the
most daring ever made by mortal man. Seeing a
cluster of thunder-clouds hanging overhead, he let
fly into their midst a paper kite, to which was
attached a metallic chain. As the kite was flvincr
among the clouds, anxiety weighed heavily on his
heart. At last he presumptuously applied his
knuckles to the chain and called forth sparks of
wild lightning ; and had the stream of electricity
been a little stronger at the time, the philosopher
would have met with instantaneous death. He has
left on record, that so surprising was the discovery
to him, that in the ecstasy of the moment he
expressed his willingness to die there and then. In
like manner there were clouds of opinion afloat in
society respecting Jesus Christ, indeed the thunder-
clouds were natherinfr fast. " Whom do men say
that I, the Son of Man, am?" "Some say that
thou art John the Baptist " — that is one cloud.
" Others, Elias " — that is another cloud. " Others,
Jeremias, or one of the prophets " — that is a cluster

338

THE SON or MAN — THE SON OF GOD.

'S-'i

i|:

of clouds. Everything seemed mist and haze,
vagueness and uncertainty. Jesus Christ prayer-
fullv and anxiously flics a question into the niidst
of these dark clouds. What will the result be ?
His heart trembles, thjrefore He prays. See the
question fly — "But whom say ye that I am?"
What answer will be called forth ? " Simon Peter
answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of
the living God." The right reply is given ; tiie
preliminary teaching, therefore, has not failed of its
end. So satisfactory is the answer that the Saviour
fails to suppress His emotion ; He bursts out into a
joyful exclamation — "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-
jona — it is the first time for me to hear my name
distinctly articulated in the world ; and now that
there is one at last who understands me on the
Divine phase of my being, I feel more than half
ready to die." " From that time forth " — the Evan-
gelist takes care to note it — " began Jesus to show
unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jeru-
salem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief
priest and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again
the third day." This is the firPt time for Him to
speak clearly of His death. He had given dark
intimations of it before ; but this is the first time for
Him to speak unambiguously enough for His dis-
ciples to understand Him. As soon as He saw that
He was conceived in man's mhid, He spoke of
departing from man's world. Till then His depar-
ture was morally impossible.

Having cleared the ground thus far, let me have

THE SON OF MAN- THE SON OF GOD.

«39

haze,

prayer-
iiiidst

lit be?

)cc the
am r

[1 Peter
Son of

n ; the

d of its

Saviour

It into a

on Bar-

ly name

ow that
on the

han lialf
e Evan-
to show

[ito Jeru-
nd chief
;ed again
Him to
en dark
time for
His dis-
saw that
[spoke of
Is depar-

me have

your attention, if you please, to a closer analysis of
the passage under consideration. It naturally divides
itself iiUo three parts.

I. The question of Jesus Christ. " Whom do
men say that T, the Son of Man, am ? **

II. The answer of the world. "Some sav that
thou art John the Baptist ; others, Elias ; others,
Jercmias, or one of the propliets."

III. The answer of the Church. "Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God."

I. The Question of Jesus Christ. "Whom
do men say that I, the Son of Man, am ? ** Sir
Matthew Hale, the eminent lawyer, once said that
more could be learnt from some people's questions
than from other people's answers. And certainly
more can be learnt from the questions of Jesus Christ
than from the answers of other authors ; more can be
gleaned from the problems of Christianity than from
the solutions of philosophy. " Whom do men say
that I, the Son of Man, am ? " In order to get at
the meaning of this question, we must emphasise
two or three words in succession.

I. The first word we shall emphasise is the word
" men." " Whom do me?i say, that I, the Son of
Man, am ? " Not whom do the Jews, or Scribes, or
Pharisees say, but " whom do nieji say, that f, the
Son of Man, am ? " Jesus Christ is now in the
coasts of Caesarea Philippi, on the border dividing
Jews from Gentiles. His mind naturally soars
above all national distinctions, and He contemplates

« I lU

ii-^>: M

Ji' 1

^=1

if ! Kf ^

240

THE SON or MAN— THE SON OF GOD.

men not as Jews or Gentiles, but in their l)are capa-
city of human beings. "Whom do vien say that I,
the Son of Man, am?" There arc many questions
m heaven and cartli concerning which it would be
barefaced presumption in the majority of men to
hazard an opinion. We are not called upon to pro-
nounce judgment on the geological construction of
the globe, or to calculate the momentum and velo-
city of the stars. Those are questions which the
learned must decide among themselves, and which-
ever way chey settle them, it will not interfere much
either with our temporal prosperity or spiritual
happiness. But we are all called upon to answer one
question — "But uhom say ye ttiat I am?" You
are asked to answer that, my friend, and you, and
you ; you must answer it, and upon the answer you
make will depend your weal or woe throughout the
endless eternity.

2. The other word we shall emphasise is the
word " So?i of Man." " Whom do men say that
I, the Son of Man, am?" He is humanity con-
densed, the second edition of our nature revised and
amended by the Author. He is not an excrescence
of our nature. No poet He, no philosopher He, no
man of science He. He was all these in one, He
was man, thoroucrh man, growing out of the depths
of our nature. The sea on the surface is divided
into waves — go down and you will soon come to a
region where there are no waves, where there is no-
thins; but water. And hun.anitv on the surface is
broken into nationalities and individualities. But go

THE SON or MAN — THE SON OP GOD.

24X

down a little wav, and von will soon come to a
region where differences give place to resemblances ;
force vonr wav down and von will soon arrive at the
region of human unities, where every man is like
every other nian. Now Jesus Christ emerges from
the profoundcst depths of our nature, from the
region of unities. No Jew He — no Greek He — no
Roman He — but Man. He touches you and me
not in our branches but in our roots. Show me an
oak and show me an ash tree : it is easy to tell the
difi'erence between them in the branches, but not
so easv in the roots. Show me a rose and show me
a tulip : any one can tell the difference between them
in the leaf, but only a very few can tell the difference
between them in their seeds. And Jesus Christ is
the " Root of Jesse," " the Seed of Abraham and of
David ; " and all nations and all men in their roots
and seeds are very much alike. The Saviour touches
us not in our branches, \\ here we differ, but in our
roots, where we are all the same.

3. We shall next emphasise the two words to-
gether — men and Son of Man. " Whom do men sav
that I, the Son of Man, am? " Men — Son of Man.
The Saviour in the question presents Himself" on the
level of" our connnon humanity, and appeals to our
connnon sense, nay, to our common nature, to say
who He is. Every man, in his bare capacity as man,
has within him the faculty to know Jesus Christ
and to pronounce judgment upon Him. Wherever,
therefore, a human bjing may be found with faculties
underanged, we need not be afraid to preach to him

J42

THE SON or MAN — THE SON OF GOD.

•*'.-.-'.iS

lit

J 4^

'-■'•

lf-^4

the Gospel. I do not say we may preach to him
our Bodies of Divinitv or Systems oF Theolocrv, but
the Gospel. Many public teachers oF religion, I am
told, in preparing their discourses, study the capacity
and culture oF their hearers. For my part, I rather
study my subject. 1 am never afraid n y congre-
gation will not understand my sermon, if I under-
stand it well myself. Ooscurity arises, not from lack
of intelligence in the pew, but from lack of intelli-
gence in the pulpit. Young preachers are often
cautioned by their well wishers to avoid erudite dis-
quisitions, and to shoot low, I am not aware the
Scriptures anywhere give the exhortation. Do not
shoot low ; do not shoot high. How, then, should we
shoot ? Shoot level, and you will be sure to shoot a
man. " Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man,
am?"

The Apostle Paul never consulted the cultivation
of the heathen he visited. As soon as he could muster
a company of them together, he would dwell with
fervour and unction on the great facts of the Gospel
— the beneficent life and atoning death of the blessed
Saviour. You may point to the oration on Mars
Hill as a refutation of my statement. On that occa-
sion, I readily admit, Paul had the weakness to con-
sult the educational advantages of his hearers — he
delivered a harangue upon philosophy to philoso-
phers. But he ever afterwards regretted it, and deter-
mined never to give way to the temptation again.
You demand a proof. Here it is : Paul failed to
establish a church at Athens. Dionysius, Damaris,

THE SON or MAN— THE SON OF GOD.

«43

him
', but

I am
)acity
rather
>ngre-
mder-
n lack
ntelU-

otten
te dis-
jc the
)o not
>uld we
shoot a
f Man,

ivation
muster

II with
Gospel
blessed
1 Mars
Lt occa-
Ito con-
lers — he

)hiloso-
Id deter-
again,
tiled to
lamaris,

and a few others believed, l)ut not enough to consti-
tute a church. You read of liis Kpistle to the Romans,
of his Kpistle to the Corinthians, but nowhere of his
Epistle to the Athenians. Why ? Because he mistook
the subject of his preacliiuii-. Kcad his sermon at
Athens, and the bulk of it is taken up with natural
theology, only about half a verse is devoted to revealed
theolouv — no wonder, therefore, that he failed. After
his sorry adventure at Athens, the history says he
came straight to Corinth ; and on his way to the
latter city he himself tells us he saw the mistake he
had committed, and resolved never to commit it anain.
"For I determined" — on n)y way from Athens to
Corinth after my bitter disappointment in the former
place — " I determined not to know anything among
you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified." He knew
a great many other things at Athens — he spoke o\
philosophy to philosophers, and consequently made
but a slight impression. But in Corinth he per-
sisted in preaching Christ, and as a consequence men
believed by the score. It is a dangerous experiment
to regulate our preaching by the educational advan-
tages of our hearers. Rather let us preach the Gospel
with as much power and clearness as we can, being
fully persuaded that it will not be too low lor the
learned, nor too high for the illiterate. Why — the
great Chalmers would preach the same able discourses
to a Highland assembly that he would to tlie polished
society of Edinburgh, and they seldom or never fell
upon a listless crowd. The Gospel is as sweet to the
palate of a barbarian as it is to that of an English-

•44

THE SON or MAN — THE SON Of OOD.

man — suj^ar is sweet all the world over. A ncuro,
reading of the love of God, could exclaim, "If the
crun)l)8 here arc so sweet, what must the great loaf
in glory be 1 " Every mother in this congregation
can understand as well as your most learned divine
tiiat verse — " God so loved the world, that He gave
Mis only begotten Son, that whosoever belie veth in
llini sliould not perish, but have everlasting life."
What is necessary to understand it? Light in the
intellect? No, no; but love in the heart. Every
man, in his bare capacity as man, has within him
the faculty to understand the Gospel.

nm I

* I ;

11. The Ansvi'ER of the World. "Some say
that Thou art John the Baptist; others, Elias; others,
Jeremias, or one of the prophets."

1. " Some say that Thou art John the Baptist" —
John the Baptist risen from the dead. By this class
the Saviour was looked upon as an apparition from
eternity. It is Arianisni in embryo. To this the
disciples made reply, " No; Thou art the Christ, the
Son of the living God." He is not a departed spirit
revisiting the earth, but God Himself taking up
His abode here. Jesus Christ is not a preternatural
being as the Herodians supposed, nor merely a super-
natural being as the Arians held, but emphatically a
Divine being. You think, sirs, could you behold a
spirit from tlie other world, you would believe. In
Christ you see more — in Him yon see not a ghost
but a God, ar.d do you now believe? *' If they be-
lieve not Moses and tlie projihcts, neither would they

VM^

THR SON Of MAN — THE SON Of GOD.

be persuaded though one rose from the dead." If a
ghost pushed aside the veil oF eternity and stood up
in this puljiit to preach to you, you would not be one
step nearer believing. Indeed, we read that after the
resurrt'ction of Clui<t ** nianv bodies of the saints
which slept arose and went into the holy city and
appeared unto many." A frightful spectacle — a com-
pany of ghosts \\alking to town together — corpses
fresh from the cemetery — and appearing unto many I
Well, did any believe? No, not one. Why, voung
people, you would rush to perdition through a bat-
talion of orhosts. But I am here to tell vou that
not a ghost, but a God, has placed Himself be-
tween you and destruction. Will you pause and
consider ?

2. " Others say. Thou art Elias." These peoj)le
thought that Jesus Christ was EHas returned from
heaven, or, perhaps, they supposed He only intended
to assume the character of Elias. Either '"^v it
comes practically to the same thing. What, ttien,
was the character of Elias? It may be sunnned up
in one word — Rrjhrjner. And a considerable portion
of society believed Christ was onlv a Reformer.
Many modern writers adopt the same view. Thev
class Him with Moses, Elias, Cakya-iTH)uni, Confu-
cius, and Luther — the worthiest of the lot, never-
theless of the same class. No, say the disciples. He
is more than a Reformer, He is a R-jvolutionist. " I
came to send fire on the earth." " Think not that I
am come r> send peace; I am not come to send
peace but a sword." What meaning does such Ian-

94^

THE SON or MAN — THE SON OF GOD.

I ) J}

Hi '

guage convey? That Christianity is not a Refor-
mation but a Revolution. You can picture to your-
selves a body of men sunk so low that no reformation
could adequately meet their case. Am I wrong in
Ruppo'^ing that France in the last century had de-
scended to such an abvss of irreligion and vice that
only a revolution could effect the salvation of that
unhappy country ? Be that as it may, one thing is
certain — society in the time of Christ was too bad to
be reformed, it absolutelv needed to be revolutionised.
And we also as individuals mu«t experience a power
from above, coming down from the skies, and enter-
ing into the depths of our nature, and turning our
whole being upside down. And even that view is
not extreme enough to set forth the whole case :
Christianity is a new creation. Humanity must be
"created anew in Christ Jesus." " Marvel not that
I say unto you, Ye must be born again," unmade to
the very foundation and built up all new. " And now
also the axe is laid unto the roots of the trees." Elias
and other reformers lopped off withered branches,
Christ lops off withered roots. And every one of
us must experience feebleness — a kind of utter help-
lessness at the basis of our personality; we must feel
the axe cutting at the roots, nav, cutting through the
roots of our beinir; it must dissever us from the old
corrupt stock va Adam — it must loosen us in our old
sockets — that we mav be lifted bodily and grafted in
Christ Jesus. Have you felt this power of the axe?
The ministry of tlie present day, it is to be feared, is
a ministry of superfine penknives — we just scratch

,i*V

THE SON OF MAN — THE SON OF GOD.

247

the surface of humanity. Oh, for a ministry of the
axes once more!

3. " Others said, Thou art Jeremias, or one of the
prophets." They believed Him to belong to the
honoured line of seers. And you will please notice
that all these people, of whom mention is made in
the text, thougnt well of Jesus Christ. We know
there were many others who thought ill of Him,
who went about the country saving; He was a
" gluttonous man and a winebibber," that He per-
formed His miracles throuirh unduci intimacy with
" Be'ilzebub, the prince of devils." But no mention
is made of these people here. Why not? I know
not, unless it was that the disciples were ashamed
to look Jesus in the face and tell Him what some
people were saying about Him behind His back.
Be that as it may — all the people mentioned in the
text thought well of Jesus Christ. They thought
Him better than the ordinary run of the race, they
classed Him with the prophets. And yet they were
not saved ! Why not ? Because, though they
thought well of Him, they did not think well
enough ; though they spoke highly of Him, they
did not speak highly enough. Alas! there are many
like them in the present day — people who come to
church or chapel every Sunday, people who teach in
our Sabbath schools. Thcv think well of Christ,
they speak highlv of Him. They would be shocked
if they heard His greatness questioned, and yet they
are not saved. Whv not ? Because they do not
think well enough of Him. They must see His

III 1.1

' m

I-

! ' 'J 5i I

ffli]

948

THE SON OF MAN — THE SON OF GOD.

head towering abovs the stars ; they must see His
glory n citing into the glory of Divinity; they must
see Him taking His place in the Triune Godhead
between the Father and the Spirit. Any view short
of this fails to efie'Jt our salvation : " Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God.'*

HI. The Answer of the Church. "Thou
qrt the Christ, the Son of the living God."

I. Here we have the fact of Christ's Godhead
taught us. At the time of Jesus' birth hunian
thought was perfectly still. But no sooner did He
come than a vast excitement blazed up throughout
the land. He set in motion the whole machinery
of thought in friends and foes alike. Strike the
sonorous brass — it will not resound unless it vibrate.
Jesus Christ, descending from heaven, smote the
human mind, and all of a sudden it began to vibrate
and peal forth various sounds. " When Herod the
king beard these things, he was troubled, and all
Jerusalem with him." And when, in the heyday of
His fame, He came to Jerusalem, "all the city was
niored, saying, Who is this?" "Some say tliat
Thou art John the Baptist; others, Elias; others,
Jeremias, or one of the projihets." All were giving
forth sounds — erroneous and uncertain. But gathered
together around Christ's person was a small b.md
whose minds He oftentimes touclied. He kept them
near Hiniself, that the vibration of His own nature
miiiht thrill and modifv tlicirs. As the leader of a
choir throws the vibration ol his own voice to the

THE SON OF MAN— THE SON OF GOO.

249

voices around him till he can get them to emit the
same sound, so Christ was throwinjr the vibration of
His own mysterious Being to His disciples till He
could get them to sound the keynote — " Thou art
the Christ, the Son of the living God." Everybody
wa« trvino; to hit the kevnote. The keynote of
some was John the Baptist; of others, Elias; of
others, Jeremias. Then amidst all these discordant
voices He turns to His disciples, saying, " Whom
sav ve that 1 am ? Let me see if you can cive the
kevnote of mv reli2;ion.'* " Then Peter answered
and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God." "Yes," replies the Saviour, "that is the key-
note, Peter; it is music to my ears; it is the first
time for me to hear my own name pronounced by
human lips. Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona!
Because thou art the first to sound the keynote of
Christianity, to thee I give the keys of the Kingdom
of Heaven. Thy confession is the key to unravel
the mysteries of my kingdom, and whosoever rejects
this key shall not be able to open and enter."

2. In subsequent ages we discover the analysis of
the fact. Peter here simply states the doctrine ; the
exposition of it is the work of following generations.
Does tbis surj)rise you ? It is only a repetition of
one of the well-known laws of history. History is
made up of two continually alternating periods.
One period is creative ; it gives birth to new truths
and new forces, it is full of energy and power. Then
follows a period of reflection : no new thoughts are
born, but the old thoughts arc examined and re-

«So

THE SON OP MAN — THE SON OP GOD.

arranged. The ideas of the creative period are
opened and constrained to show their contents ;
they are put on the dissecting table, and every joint
is examined, and then they are compacted together
into a new system.

The age of Moses was creative — new, glorious,
powerful thoughts were born into the world. The
age of the Judges was reflective : no new truths
were produced, but time was given for the old truths
to sink and germinate in the national mind. The
age of the Prophets again was creative : new, large,
fiery thoughts were born into society — fresh forces
were introduced into the world. The age of the
Scribes was reflective: no new ideas obtained cur-
rency, but the old ideas were carefully examined, the
writings of Moses and the prophets minutely studied.
The Scribes were adepts in analysis — they could split
truths with marvellous precision. They could not
compose, but they could split! Again with Jesus
Christ and His apostles came a creative period — new
truths of ineflable beauty were born, novel forces
introduced. The newest of all the truths, and the
most potent of all the forces, was that to which
ixpression is given in the text — " 1 hou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God." If you asked
Peter what he meant, if you asked him to analyse
his answer, if the human and Divine natures were
mixed or distinct in the person of the Saviour, he
would have looked at you in blank astonishment, he
would not, at this stage in his tuition, have under-
stood your language. The text does not express in

.\»v

THE SON OP MAN — THE SON OF GOD.

«5»

a scientific way the constituent elements in the
person of" Christ or their relation to one another.
Such treatment belonss to an affe of reflection and
analvsis, not to an asfc of creation and imagination.

How, then, could Ptter be said to believe that Jesus
was the Son of God ? Can you not tell that man is
man without subjecting him to a process of vivisec-
tion ? Can you not tell that a rose is a rose without
first analysing it, and ascertaining how much of earth,
of water, and of air go to compose ii ? It did not
occur to the impetuous Peter just now to analyse
his idea — analvsis was not necessary to make the
confession. It did not occur to him to take the Rose
of Sharon to the laboratory, there to learn how much
there was of earth, how much of sky, and how
adjusted; it was enough that he knew it to be a
rose. "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God." Many good, pious, useful Christians are to
be found in all our churches wh-^ cannot answer our
hard questions touching the metaphysics of Chris-
tianity, and who in an examination on the Person of
Christ would fall into all manner of heresies, Arianism,
Sabellianism, Eutychianism, Apollinarianism, and
other errors which have never had a name. Whether
Divinity tenants His body to the exclusion of the
human soul they cannot tell, and have never thoujrht
of it. Enough that they have seen a beauty in His
face which is not of the earth, that they have felt a
power flowing from His life which is not of the will
of man. Why, how, and wherefore they know
nothing at all about ; of one thing alone they are

iff) .:

352

THE SON OF MAN — THE SON OP GOD.

in ■

sure — " Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God."

Following the creative age of the Apostles came
reflection with the ecclesiastical Fathers. They began
to discuss the constituent parts of the Person of
Christ. The result of their labours is embodied in
the Athanasian and other early creeds. Then fol-
lowed a period of great sterility. But with Luther
came again a creative period, not in the sense that
new truths were born into the world, but that new
truths were born into the consciousness of the
Church. Then followed an age of reflection and
analysis, an age famous for its Catecliisms and
Bodies of Divinity. We live, it appears to me, in
the beginning of a creative period. The old land-
marks are being removed, the old creeds are being
torn up. In one sense I am not sorry — I am glad
to iiee the present generation of Christians going
straight to the New Testament for its ideas. Not
that I wish to disparage creeds, or treat them with
disrespect. Creeds embody the ripest and most
advanced thoughts of the ages thev represent. It is
not against the use of creeds that I speak — we can-
not very conveniently do without them — but against
their abuse, against setting them up in every jot and
tittle as infallible standards for all subsequent ages.
If you look at a picture of the sky in our picture
galleries, you will find that with rare exceptions it
has been rendered too hard and too material. The
sky on canvas is a ceiling beyond which the eye
cannot wander. But if you go out of the gallery a

\V' 1

THE SON or MAN — THE SON OF GOD.

253

very difi'erent sky will open itself before you — a sky
which seems to recede for ever before your vision.
The sky of painters is too often a thing to be looked
at : the skv of nature is not a thinir to be looked at,
but a thinii: to be looked throui^h. In like manner,
the truth concerning Christ as rendered in creeds and
systems is hard and dry — it is the sky of the picture.
'I'he truth concerning Christ as presented in the
Gospels is deep, living, infinite — it is the skv of
nature. And I greatly rejoice that men try to
understand the Christ of the Gospels and not the
Christ of the creeds, the Christ of the evangelists
and not the Christ of the schools. "Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God."

A great deal of controversy rages in the present
day on this important sul)ject; old systems are rent
asunder. But let not vonr hearts be troubled, neither
be afraid. There will soon come in the natural ordc r
of things an age of sober, calm reflection. The chaft*
will be sifted from the wheat, and it will be found
that we also have contributed our quota towards the
clearer exposition of Divine Truth. The confession
of Peter has gained ground in the past, and it will
gain ground in the future. Let sceptics rail and
authors quarrel, they will never dim the brilliant
light of the Gospel. Shall storms blow out the sun?
They may blow out street lamps, but a breeze has
never fanned the face of the sun. Shall theological
controversies cxtinuuish the " LiQ:ht of the World "?
They may extinguish creeds, but Jesus Christ —
never! They may raise clouds of dust and the

14 (M

U >i

;i .

* I

»54

THE SON OF MAN — THE SON OF GOD.

clouds may for a while conceal the Sun from sight;
but a breeze from the B'.verlasting Hills will sweep
them all away, and the Sun will continue to shine
with increasing brilliance, and children yet unborn
shall rejoice greatly in His light and heat. " Tliou
art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

< 1 tt.

. M!

( ns )

MV.

A\-l

<!n)e Jfountiatton of tije Cljurcl;*

"And t say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this roclc 1
will build my Church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it."— St. Matt. xvi. i8.

It is a remark worthy of our notice that Jesu^
Christ makes use of the word "church" only twice
throughout His entire ministry. The first time i-
in the text : " upon this rock I will build my
Church." The other time is in St. Matt, xviii. 17 :
" Tell it unto the Church, and if he neglect to hear
the Church, let him be unto thee as an heathen
man and a publican." This startling fact admi-
nisters a severe rebuke to that class of religious
teachers who are always endeavouring to magnify
the Church even at the expense of the Saviour.
I have in my study several sermons by clergymen
of a certain type, in which the word " church "
occurs almost in every sentence, but the word
" Christ " very seldom or not at all from beginning
to end. But if in any ministry more frequent
references are made to the Church than to Christ,
you may rest assured that that ministry is drifting
away from the simplicity of the Gospel.

What, then, is the true position of Christ in rcia-

!■ I

m0- *

^!*ll

p'- i f-

356

THE FOUNDATION OP THE CHURCH.

tion to the Church? He is the foundation thereof
— that I take to be the teaching of the text.
"Thou art l*eter, and upon this rock I will l)uild
my Church." The judicious discrimination of the
terms here used seems to me to lead to this con-
clusion. " Thou art Petros (a stone), and upon this
Petra (a rock) I will build my Ciuirch." Petros —
Petra. The Petros is only a fragment of the Petra,
the Petros rests on the Petra. But here we en-
counter an objection. In the Greek a slight difler-
ence is observable in the termination of the words;
but in the Aramaic, the vernacular of Galilee, and
the language in which Christ probably carried on
this conversation, the two words are preciselv the
same ; the distinction w hicli occurs in the Greek
does not exist in tlie lanuuas2;e which the Saviour
then spoke. The objection is admittedly very
sjiecious. But the objectors forget that if the
Aramaic was the language of Jesus Christ, the
Greek is the lamruao-c of the Hulv Ghost ; and if
the Holy Ghost n)akes the distinction, we are not
at liberty to ignore it. The Holy Ghost best knows
what the mind of the Saviour was.

I take then that the teaching of the text is —
Jesus Christ the foundation oj' the Church. And even
if this were not the exact signification of the passage,
we are still warranted in adopting it as the subject
of our discourse, for no one will denv that it is
clearly taught in other passages of Holy Writ.
" For other foundation can no man lay than that is
laid, which is Jesus Christ."

v. i

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

S57

I. The Church is built on Christ.

I. It is built on Jesus Christ, and not upon any
idea or representation of Him. F'^fTorts have been
made within this century to rob the Church of the
Saviour; books have been written to present us with
Chrij^tianitv without Christ. What then is left us?
The ideas em!)odied in Christ, but not Christ Him-
self. The ideas, like the grave-clothes, arc neatly
wrapjicd together ; but when we seek Christ, wc
find Him not. The Church is said to be built on
an ideal, but not on a real, Christ. This, however,
is not the teaching of the New Testament. The
Church, according to it, has not ideas, but facts as
its basis; and the greatest of all the facts is Jesus
Christ Himself. It is the facts, and not the ideas,
whicti save us; the fact of the Incarnation, and not
the idea, which elevates us ; the fact of the Atone-
ment, and not the idea, which redeems us ; the
actual, personal Christ, and not any phantom of
Him, who is the Redeemer of tlie world. vSin is
not a mere idea, but a fact ; depravity is not a mere
idea, but a fact; guilt is not a mere idea, but a fact :
and to meet the facts of the Fall we must have the
facts of Redemption. To those who look upon
human sin and its adjuncts as mere ideas, a Gospel
of ideas will suffice. But to those who know sin to
be a dread reality, and have agonised under the
burden of its guilt, a Gospel of ideas is miserably
inadequate — their conscience imperatively demands
a Gospel of facts. For an ideal Fall, an ideal
Gospel will suffice — an idea always suffices to save

258

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

If !

an idea ; but for an historical Fall, we mupt have an
historical Gospel. A person only can be the Saviour
of persons.

2. It follows, therefore, that the Church is built
upon the historical Christ. Not upon the Christ
of criticism, but upon the Christ of the Gospels ;
not upon Christ as portrayed in the brilliant pages
of more than one of the recent " Lives" of Him, but
as He is painted by the four evangelists. No uncer-
tainty must be allowed at the foundation of our
faith. The " things concerning Jesus were most
surely believed " among the early Christians.
" Most surely believed : " the word is borrowed
from a ship driven into the harbour by a strong
stiff gale filling tlic sails. Thus the story of Christ
was so abundantly verified that it sailed with ease
and carried conviction into the mind ; its outspread
snowlike sheets were so filled with the testimony of
eyewitnesses that it entered the soul without once
foundering. The disciples not only had faith in the
facts of Jesus' life and death, but " full assurance of
faith ; " the evidence was more than ample, it was
overwhelming.

The Church is built upon the historical Christ —
not exactly upon the history of Christ, but rather
upon the Christ of history. Christ is infinitely
greater than any history of Him, however well
authenticated ; the foundation of the Church is
broader and deeper than even the four Gospels
The very titles of the Gospels are significant —
" The Gospel according to St. Matthew," " The

THE rOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

»59

ave ail
iaviour

8 built

Christ
ospels ;
t pages
im, but
) uncer-

of our
re most
iristians.
lorrowed
1 strong
,f Christ
L'ith ease
(Utspread
mony of
3ut once
th in the
.1 ranee of

le, It was

J Christ—

lut rather

linfinitely

:ver well

[hurch is?

Gospels

lificant —

"The

Gospel according to St. Mark," and so on. Matthew
caught a few of the rays which emanated from the
Saviour, and reproduced them in his pages; Mark
caiinht a few others whieh cscajied Matthew*
and so on of the other evangelists. But between
tin in all they did not catch the half. "And there
arc also many other things which Jesus did, the
which, if tliey should he written every one, I
suppose that even the world itself could not contain
the hooks which should be written." Indeed, the
books already written have well stocked the world;
they have more than filled the human mind — the
world of th()ui2:ht could not contain more. The ravs
flung upon us by the evangelists are quite as much
as we can comfortably bear — a few more and we
should be confounded with the transcendent dorv,
we should ffrow blind with the excess of lisrht.

3. But if it is built on the li; lorical Christ, then
it must be built on the thcoloaical Christ — the
Christ as represented in the doctrines of the Church.
The material universe found its unity and centre in
man — every other idea was suspended and regulated
bv the idea of man. Fish, bird, animal are only
counterparts of man, they are framed on the human
model. Fish, bird, animal — the human idea pene-
trates and unifick them ; physiologists perceive in
them a rough iniitation of man. In other words,
every member of the human body may be traced in
embryonic form in the lower animals. Take, for
instance, the human hand. Man has five fingers —
physiologists will point out to you feeble indications

26o

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

iii

]''

•/T '•

■ '-i

1 ■

i '

of them in every living creature. Any stableboy
can show them to vou In the leo; of the horse or ox,
only he docs not, in these ahor«-ive efforts, perceive
iiilallihic signs of the unity of creation. Or con-
template it in an inverse method. Man, tliey tell
us, li\es the lives of lower animals before lie attains
his jjiopcr human condition. So in Genesis we have
th • Hebrew idea of creation — it finds its centre and
uiiirv in mau. But in the New Testament we have
lliij Christian idea of creation — man and the creation
liiid their centre and unity in the Word Incarnate,
lu Genesis we see "man made after the likeness of
God." Every other creature v/as made "after its
kind," that is, after a Divine idea. But man was
created, not after his kind, but after another kind;
not after a Divine idea, but after a Divine Person.
The human model God found, not in His thoughts,
but deep down in His essence. " Let us make man
in our image, after our likeness." The words seem
to intimate that the human has its essential arche-
type in God — t!ie Divine Heart has a human heart
at its core, 1 he Divine Essence has a Divine Man
at its centre. Now this truth of the Creation is
explained and consunnnated by the greater truth of
the Incarnation. Man was made after God in the
Creation ; God was made after man in tlie Incarna-
tion. The hidden properties of the Divine Nature
are evolved, and the innate capacities of human
nature demonstrated. Jesus Christ is the vital root
of the universe, men and all livinir thinus beiusi; onlv
branches iirouini; out of Ilini. lUit there can be no

;i] '•!

ii m'

THE FOUNDATION OF THK CHURCH.

26l

eboy

r ox,

ceive

con-

' tell

:tains

have

I and
have

:ation

mate.

ess of

;er its

n. was

kind;

ersoii.

Lights,
man
seem

la re he-
heart

i Man
ion is

nth of
in the
barna-
[ature
luman
il root
Ir onlv
be no

life in the branches which wtiS not first in the roots,
and there can be no life in the creation which is not
derived from Christ. " In Him was life, and the
life was the lio;ht of men." " In Him all thinsfs
consist " — stand together. The Church or the new
creation, conse(|uently, is built upon the first and
deepest foundation of the old creation ; not upon
God, and not upon man, but upon the juncture of
both. As a Divine-human society, the Church rests
its weight upon that point in time when, and that
point in space where, the forces of the Creator and
creation became eternally and indissolubly wedded.

II. This leads us to the second point — the Church
is built upon Christ as the God-man. "Thou art
the Christ, the Son of the living God " — " Upon
this rock I will build my Church : " this second
thou<rht is clearly involved.

I. It is built upon the God-wan. And you will
please observe here the difference between the
Christian Church and the Jewish Church. You
are all aware that there has been one true Church
in the world besides the Christian — the Church of
the Hebrews. What, then, is the essential difference
between them ? As already intimated, the truth
lying at the foundation of tlie Christian Church is
" God manifest in the flesh." What w as tlu- funda-
mental truth of the Jewish Church ? A careful
perusal of the Old Testament will show it was the
oneness of God and His distinct existence from the
world. Judaism was instituted to maintaui the

m¥

• .if.

!; :;.' '

mii

v'f :

262

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

distinction between God and the world. God and
man are one, says Christianity : God and man are
two, savs Judaism. The Jews were solemnlv and
repeatedly warned against falling into the delusion of
the surrounding nations bv identifying God with
sun, moon, or stars; thcv were cautioned not to
merge or lose sight of the essential distinction
betw een God and the creature ; they were scvereK"
admoni.sh.'d against the deification of nature. That
was the vital truth at the core of Judaism. The first
commandment taught the nation there was bat one
God, — one, not many. The second taught them that
all objects cognisable bv the senses were creatures
and not gods, and consequently unworthy of adora-
tion : it even forbade the cultivation of art lest it
should prove to them a snare as it did to other
peoples, which explains tlie striking fact that though
the Jews have produced names of world-wide reputa-
tion in jurisprudence, philosophy, music and com-
merce, yet they have never produced a great painter
or a great sculptor. Moses, Spinoza, Mendelssohn,
and Rotiischild suffice to Maintain their celebrity in
the former departments of thought ; but no great
name is forthcoming to show their aptitude for art.
The third connnandment forbids familiarity with the
Divine Name — He is too great to be mentioned
with levity or irreverence. The fourth taught them
to partition off a portion of time to the worship of a
God separate from the world. The God of Judaism
is thus a Being with a wide gulf fixed between Him
aiid the creature.

THB FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

2t)

.•)

But He is represented as holding communion with
men and inspiring prophets, you say. Yes, and there
Judaism stops. The inspiration of prophets was on
purpose to testify to the distinction between God and
the world. The people sometimes lost sight of the
distinction and fell into idolatry ; the prophet was
raised and inspired on purpose to reclaim them by
testifying that God is not nature, that God is not
man. The Incarnation is fundamentally different
from Inspiration. Inspiration testifies to the distinc-
tion between God and man ; the Incarnation pro-
claims the union of God and man. Inspiration
made the prophet keenly alive to the distinction
within himself between himself and God ; he was
painfully conscious of a duality of voices within him.
The Incarnation, on the other hand, harmonised the
Divine and human ; on<; personal pronoun " I " re-
present the God and the man in Christ Jesus. The
distinction between the Divine and human is the
truth lying at the foundation of the Jewish Church ;
the union between them is the truth lying at the
foundation of the Christian Church. Jesus Christ is
the Son of Man at the same time that He is the Son
of the living God.

Here precisely arose the greatest impediinentto the
success of His ministry and the establishment of His
Church. The Jews were familiar enough with the
idea of a prophet — they were always ready to believe
in a prophet of the Highest, in a man taught and
inbreathed by God. More than once they evinced
their willingness to receive Jesus Christ in the capa-

1' 1

.»■••

LI,

■liii, !

IL.

264

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

city of a prophet. "A great prophet hath arisen
among us." They were willing enough to accord
Him the lionours due to a prophet. But He claimed
to be something more than a prophet or a man in-
spired by God — He claimed to be God. No one ever
before claimed to be God. Many set themselves forth
as His prophets, and the nation was only too ready
to be l;'d astray by them. No one in all their history
or in all the history of the world claimed to be God.
Jesus alone advanced this astounding claim, and the
Jews, shocked at His pretension, took up stones to
slay Him. The fundamental truth of His teaching
is — the union of God and man in His person. God
and man are two, savs Judaism : God and man are
one, says Cliristianitv. A great gulf separates God
from man, says Judaism ; the gulf has been bridged,
says Christianitv. " Fie that sanctifioih and thev
that are sanctified are all of one." "Great is the
mystery of Godliness^God manifest in the flesh."

2. The Church is built uj)on the God-mau, and
not upon the Man-God. What is the radical differ-
ence between Christianity and Paganism? In a
word, it consisted in this — Christianity taught that
God was man. Paganism averred that man was God.
That was the first fallacy sin introduced into the
world, and it continues to be the great fallacy under-
lying all the other religious fallacies of mankind.
*^ Ye shall be a? gods, knowing good and evil."

Toe r(,'hginns of Europe all started with the notion
that iiii.i either was or could be God. Most of their
ffjd;:' were deified men. Thev reached their firtimr

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

J 6

climax at the time of the Incarnation in the apo-
theosis of the Caesars. At the epoch when the God
of heaven was being made man, the Caesars of Rome
were beinu; made jious. The rcHiiions of the East did
not start with this notion, it is true; but in their
later developments they failed in observing the dis-
tinctions between God and the world, and ended in
practically making man God. God is man, says
Christianity ; man is God, says heathenism : two
statements perfectly antagonistic. The God-man is
the foundation of the Christian religion and the
Christian Church; the Man-God is the foundation
of heathen relio;ions and all their grand sacerdotal
oroanisations.

If you examine Christianity pure and simple and
Christianity as corrupted by n an, Christianity as
taught in the New Testament and Cln-istianity as
exhibited in the dogmas and practices of Rome, you
will discover the same fallacy j)ervading the latter.
Rome has not doctrinally denied tliat God is man —
of course not; why, then, do we find fault with it?
Because it makes man God. The sovereign Pontiff
"as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing him-
self that he is God." Divine properties are ascribec',
and worshipful homage paid, to mortal man. The
Church of Rome strives to hold the two propositic-ns
that God is man and that man is God, but they can-
not hold together long, they are mutually destructive
of each other. Whilst we strenuously maintain tluit
God is manifest in our nature, we must beware not to
deify that nature. This is the poisonous error which

266

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

vitiates the whole religious organisation of Popery — it
drifts more and more towards idolatry. Pagan Rome
found its natural climax in the apotheosis of the
Emperor; Papal Rome will find it too in the apothe-
osis of the Pope.

To the same pernicious conclusion comes the
science of the present day. It is well known to
students of philosophy that the most seductive and
imposing form it wears among our contemporaries is
Pantheism. Indeed, one might venture to say that
Pantheism is now the regnant power in several schools
of no mean pretensions. And what is the upshot of
Pantheism ? That man is God. It leaves off just
where Satan began — " ye shall be as gods, knowing
good and evil." Modern science scorns religion, it
holds it up to ridicule and contempt. But we have
often heard that extremes meet : and it is remarkable
that the extreme of European science should meet
the extreme of European superstition, both proclaim-
ing in their different dialects that rnan is God. Of
vhe two I prefer the Romish uperstition. The devo-
tees of Rome deify only good men and holy women,
good and holy at least in their estimation. They
would shrink with horror from pronouncing the
thief, the liar, the murderer infallible; they must
have the best men under heaven, so far as they can
judge. They would shrink with horror from cano-
nising the dissolute woman — they must have a
Virgin Mary to do her Divine honours. The
Romish Church undoubtedlv evinces a strono- ten-
Jency to deify men and women; but they must be

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

26:

good men and holy women, at least in its opinion.
But Pantheism, the fashionable philosophy of the
day, draws no moral distinctions; it deifies the
wicked as well as the good, the criminal as well as
the saint, the strange woman as well as the Virgin
Mary. All is God, cries Pantheism. I am not
iiXnorant of the nice distinctions and fine al)strac--
tions in which its accomplished votaries indulge;
but its practical upshot seems to me to be — the
deification of man.

The same tendency is observable in Positivism. It
bcuins bv forswearinii: all reliuions and denvina; all
worship; it ends — where? In the worship of huma-
nity. I am not sure but I perceive in its ilkr iri'uis
founder an irresistible impulse to worship hjp.;self.
It begins bv denvinsi: God and all revelations of
Him : it ends in the opposite extreme, even the
deification of man. The doctrine of the Christian
Church is — God is man. The doctrine of Anti-
christ, wl.>ether he wear the name of poj)e or philo-
sopher, of religion or science, is — Man is God.

3. It is built on the God-man^ and not upon any
theory. This indicates the superiorityof Christianity
to all systems of thought, such as Deism. Whilst these
give us an idea to build upon, Christianity gives us
a person; whilst they give us the conception of God
as a foundation, Christianity dves us God Himself
in the nature of man. The Gospel it is that converts
Deism into an operative factor in the daily affciirs of
life. Deism gives us the idea of God, and beyond
question the idea is graiid, sublime, majestic ; never-

r :K

"ti

:| M

268

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

theless it was not the idea of God that mankind
needed, but God Himself. "Oh that T knew where
I niiL'"lit find God!" The idra ol" God ? No; T have
the idea, I have not lost the idea, it is the Being
represented by the idea that I need. The idea of
bread will not break your hunger — you must have
bread itself to do that. The idea of water uill not
([iieneh vour thirst — you nnist have water itself to do
that. In like manner the idea of God will not satisfy
the eravin^'-s of the inniiortal spirit within us — God
Himself nuist do that. Deism o-ives us the idea,
Christianity gives us the Being. It is well to have
the idea: the idea bare and naked, no doubt, exerts
eonsiderable influence upon society. But after all,
it is but little the idea can do — it is God Himself
I hat is Almightv. The idea caimot save vou and
bear your burden of sin and sorrow — it is God Him-
self that is your Saviour. The idea cannot check
sin: many have the idea and sin on much the same;
but let God Himself enter tiie mind, and the man
instantly ceases from sin. Remember that God is
the foundation pf the New Testament Church, not
God outside our nature, but God within it. " Upon
this rock I will build my Church."

HI. The Church' is built upon Jesus Christ as the
God-man slain. " From that time forth bco;an
Jesus to show unto His disciples, how that He must
go unto Jerusalem, and be killed, and l)e raised again
the third day."

T. To be the foundation of the Church it was

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

269

nankind
w where
; T have
le Being
I idea of
list have
will not
;eU" to do
ot satisfy
us — God
the idea,
1 to have
ht, exerts
after all,
I Himself
vou and
Jod Hini-
K)t check
he same ;
the man
t God is
ureh, not
" Upon

list as the
ih hcgau
I He must
bed again

ti it was

necessary He should be slaiji. Had men kept their
estate of primeval innocence, the Incarnation aloni
would have sufficed as an adequate basis whereujioii
to build the living temple of humanity. But men
are sinners; hence the Incarnation must be follow ei!
bv the Atonement — the God-man must be slain.
It was in death that He was fitted into His plaeo
as the foundation of men redeemed. The foundation
nuist be undor the buildin(j:, and Christ nuist c;et
beneath humanity — not humanitv in its integritx , but
humanitv in its iruilt. And " from this time forth "
we behold the blessed Saviour treadins; down the
slopes of death, down " to parts lower th'an the earth."
He sinks out of sight in the terrible darkness. Where
goeth He? Oh, sinners have descended that way,
Mary Magdalene and the thief, and He must descend
lower than the lowest, that they may be able to roll
themselves on Mim and be uj^lifted by His Divine
power. " Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone,
elect, precious." But to lay it God must excavate
the mountain, and dress the stone to fit it for its
place. The God-man must die. The weight of
humanity with all its sins was laid upon Him. Under
a burden so heavy any other beino; would have been
crushed. Before our persons be built upon Him,
our sins must first be put on His shoulders. He
alone can bear the weight of our persons who is first
able to bear the weitrht of our sins.

2. This idea of the God-man slain seems to be the

foundation of all the tlwiights of God. " The Lamb

slain before the foundation of the world." How

ml '!

ryo

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

slain? Not actually, but in the Divine thoughts.
The " Lamb slain " was the central idea in the Divine
counsel, and around it and hanging upon it all the
other ideas revolved in their prescribed orbits. It
seems to have covcrntd the Divine Plan in the verv
construction of the planet. Scientists tell us the
ireolojiv of Mount Zion is different from that of all
other known mountains; the strata of rocks cross
and recross each other in curious shapes, forming
manifold subterranean passages, opening upon the
valley of Jehoshaj)hat. How to account for them?
Geology confesses its inability. But where geology
fails, may not theology shed a ray of light? "The
Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world."
Foreknowino; Mount Zion to be the scene of the
temple, where thousands of beasts would be weekly
sacrificed, God provided in the verv make of tiie
planet natural aqueducts to carry away the blood and
the offal, so that, whilst the spirits of men were being
healed, their bodies should not suffer from decay. God
planned the world with a view to its redemption.

3. And as the " Lamb slain " was the centre of
the Divine thoughts before the creation of the world,
so will He be the centre of the mvriad thoughts of
redeemed humanity after the creation shall have been
burnt up and reduced to ashes. All eyes and all
thoughts will cum to Him " who is a Lamb, as it

had been slain, in the midst of the throne.'* He
has seven horns and seven eyes — seven horns to de-
note His power, and seven eyes to denote His know-
ledge: and by means of the horns and the eves He

V' *

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

27T

carries on His reign on the earth. But His reign is
founded on His death — His sceptre is none other
than the wood of His cross. And the thousands of
thousands of redeemed men around His throne " sine
a new sonir, savinji, Thou art worthy to take the
book, and to o|)en the seals thereof: for Thou wast
slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood."
But the "new song" suggests an old song. Where
is that? Vou will find it in the preceding chapter :
" Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and
honour, and power; for Thou hast created all things,
and for Thy pleasure they are and were created."
The old song is about God creating, the new song
about God dying; and God dying fairly eclipses God
creating.

In conclusion, let me urge upon you to make sure
of your foundation. Build upon Christ. Let nothing
intervene between you and Him. The function of
the apostles was precisely similar to that of John the
Baptist. " The same came for a witness, to bear
witness of the Liirht, that all men throunh Him
might believe." It was not intended that men should
believe on John, or in John, but through John. John
possessed not a sufficient volume of being to be the
object of faith ; the man who would put his trust in
him would forthwith strike through him. And what
is true of John is equally true of tiie apostles — thcv
bore witness of the Liirht that "men throinrfi them
might believe." Occasionally an effort is made to
thrust St. Peter or some other saint between us and

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iji

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

the Saviour. We should, however, respectfully but
firmly bid them all step aside and " not stand be-
tween us and tlie sun." "Who then is Paul, and whr
Apollos, but ministers I'lj whom ye believe?" They
are the instruments of our faith but not its object.
We must pass bv them and bevond them, and lodce
the whole weight of our being on a personal Saviour.

Build upon Christ, and not upon creeds. Creeds
do not uphold the Church, rather does the Church
uphold them. "The Church of the living God, the
pillar and ground of the truth." The Church is com-
posed of persons, and persons must have a person to
rest upon. Christ's teaching, doubtless, would suffice
as a basis whereupon to construct systems of theology j
but His person only can suffice as a basis whereupon
souls without number arc to be built up a living
temple unto God. Believers find rest, not so much
in the Gospels of Christ as in the Christ of the Gos-
pels. Many seek the truth and Und it, without seek-
ing and finding the Christ. You may be perfectlv
orthodox in vour thcoloirv, vou mav niusicallv recite
the creeds every Sund.iy, and yet not be i)ui]t upon
the Rock. Not the truth apart from Jesus, or the
truth about Jesus, but the truth /"// Jesus it is that
saves. You must not stop at the Divine Truth; tear
your way through it till you find the Divine Person.
"The violent take it by force."

Neither must we assume the B'd'le to be our true
and ultimate foundation. Think not for a moment
that T depreciate the Bible — I esteem it above all
earthly treasures. But still it is possible to look

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.

273

upon the Bible as an adequate substitute For Christ,
and worship the Word oF God instead of the
Son of God. The Bible is only the rule of faith,
whereas it is to be feared that many make it the
object of faith ; it is only the standard of belief,
whereas many make it the foundation of belief.
The Bible was never designed to take the place of
Christ, but to lead to Christ. The Bil)le is not
the Saviour — it only shows the way to the Saviour.
" Search the Scriptures, for they are thev which
testify of me." Search not so much to seize their
meaning and discover their ideas, though doubtless
that is good ; search them rather to find the Divine
"Me" underlvint!; them all. You must <ret behind
the Book to the living Christ, through the Book
to the personal Saviour. Nothing whatever should
intervene between believers and their foundation, not
even verses of Scripture. You must get back of all
the verses and come into warm personal contact with
the Divine Person therein exhibited. Dr. Alexatider,
the celebrated commentator, on his deathbed re-
quested a friend to repeat for his comfort a portion of
Scripture. The friend, complying, began in a low,
subdued tone, " I know in whom I have believed,"
&c. "No, no," gasped the dying divine, 'not I
know in whom I have believed, but * I know whom
I have believed.' I cannot allow even the little word
in to go between me and my Saviour." " I know
whom I have believed, and am persuaded He is able
to keep that which I have committed unto Him

against that day."

( 274 )

XV.

?r!je transfiguration.

" And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother,

and bringeth tlieni up into an hiijh mountain apart, and was trans,
figured before them : and His face did sliine as the sun, and His
raiment was white as the liglit. And, beliold. there appeared unto
them Moses and l-lias talking with Him. Then answered Peter,
and said unto Jc^us. T.ord, it is good for us to be here : if Thou
wilt, let us make here three tabernacles ; one for Thee, and one for
Moses, and one for Elias. While he yd spake, behold, a bright
cloud overshadowed them : and liehold a voice out of the cloud,
which said, This is my beloved Stm, in whom I am well pleased;
hear ye Him. And when the disciples iieard it, they fell on their
face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them,
and said. Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up
their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And as they came
down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the
vision to no man. until the Son of Man be risen again from the
dead." — St. Matt. xvii. 1-9.

We are confronted at the outset with the question
— What mountain is here intended ? Tradition,
datinjr from the third or fourth eenturv, points to
Tabor in Galilee. The primitive Christians, there-
fore, to show their devotion, built three ehurches on
the top, in allusion to the three tabernacles which
Peter wished to set up. A strauire wav certainly of
honouring the Lord, to erect three churches where
the apostles were not allowed to construct three
tabernacles. Most writers of the present day, how-

1HK TRANSFIGURATION.

275

ever, dispute the elaini of Tabor : first, beeause the
narrative rather points to the ncighbourliood of
Caesarea I^hiHppi; seeond, beeause Tabor in the
time of the Saviour is proved to have been the
site of several Kouiau fortresses, oecu|)i^d of course
by imperial soldiers. Tor these and other reasons too
recondite to be discussed in a sermon, the honour
tliat is denied to Tabor is ascribed to one of the
horns of llermon. Let us now " turn aside and see
this great sight;" may we do it witli the reverence
becoming the occasion !

I. The vviTNESSKs of the Transfiguration : Peter,
JaiYies, and John- why these three?

1. Because three could kcc/) a secret, but twelve
could not. The context .-how s that it was of extreme
importance that the Transliguration sliould Ijc kept
hid till after the resurrection. On their descent
"Jesus charged them, saying. Tell the vision to no
man, until the Son of Man be risen again from the
deat' " Not only they were not to declare it to the
promiscuous public, but they were not to disclose it
to the reniaining nine, for thev were in a >pirituid
stage too low to make proper use of it. Iii> il-j pest
ex})erience, whether of jov or sorrow, the S.i\ iour
always concealed from the obtuse crowd, and even
from the undiscerning among His jDcrsonal retinue.

2. Because probably these three were in ilccpcr
sympathy with the Saviour. Peter is the 01 dy one
of whom it is expressly stated that he loxcd Jesus;
John the only one of whom it is partieuhuly atlinned

276

THE TRANSFIGURATION.

that he was loved by Jesus ; and James was the first
to testify to the sincerity of his attachment by mar-
tyrdom. Such a vision as this of the Transfiguration
was not designed for unprepared or unsympathetic
souls, but for those specially trained to gaze reverently
upon the Divine mysteries. This law always regu-
lates the Divine procedure — revelations according to
the spiritual capacity. Every man sees as much truth
as he is morally fit to sec.

3. But notvvitlistanding their sympathy, the autho-
rised version represents tiicm R'^fai ling asleep. " Peter
and they that were with him were heavy with sleep;
and when ihev were awake, thev saw His glorv, and
the two men that stood with Him." Trench pro-
poses another translation — " Having kept themselves
awake throughout, they saw Mis glory and the two
men that stood with Him." The authorised version
teaches that they slept at the conniiencement of the
scene, but awoke before it was over. But according
to the other rendering, they were eyewitnesses of the
whole transaction. Either way the language implies
that they felt drowsy, that they wanted to sleep.
Was this drowsiness natural ? Not altogether; the
excessive splendour around them produced a sensa-
tion of heaviness. Abraham, in the midst of the
vision granted unto him, fell into a deep sleej).
Daniel also, consequent upon the vision of the
Almighty, fell on his face and slept. Zcchariah fell
into the same state of inspirational clairvoyance, and
required to be roused by an angel, " as a man that is
wakened out of his sleep." Upon the same prin-

V\^'^

THE TRANSFIGURATION.

277

ciple are we to account for the heaviness of the
three disciples — supernatural radiance always proves
too much for human nature in its present infirmity
comfortably to bear. Nevertheless, says St. Luke,
by sheer eflbrt of will they nianaircd not to succumb.
"They kept themselves awake throughout, and saw
His ixlorv, and the two men that stood with flim."

II. The PRINCIPLE of the Transfiguration.

I. One of the evangelists notes that as " He
prayed " the marvellous change in His appearance
was effected. In connn union with His Father such
intense rapture possessed His soul that it visibly
glowed through the dark covering of the body. " As
He prayed the fashion of His countenance was altered,
and His raiment was white and ixlisrcrino:." Are we
to perceive in this notable occurrence a principle
illustrated or a principle defied ? Is there anything
in it for the race? I believe there is; it is onlv a
marked exemplification of a universal principle — that
the outward form receives its lustre or its baseness
from the spirit. A pure soul, penetrated by Divine
light, will make a plain countenance look beautiful ;
a sensual soul will by degrees stamp its own unclean-
ness on feature^ the most classic. Again, suddca
disappointment will make the face turn pale; Divine
inspiration, says Daniel, made his face turn pale too.
Physicians tell of a disease whi h imparts delicate
luminosity to the body : extremes meet — life at its
lowest and life at its highest agree in producing cor-
poreal translucency. " Be ye transformed in the

278

TMIi IKANSFIOURATION.

spirit of your mind " — the same word that is used
in the text for transfigured. The Spirit of C'hri-r
ii. prayerful fellowship with His Father hecanie im-
bued with a celestial irlow ; jrrachiallv the inner radi-
ance burst through the irrossness of the flesh as the
irolden sun throusih the lowerin«r niantlinir clouds,
converting them into pictures of heautv and jov. In
exact proportion as prayer transfigures the soul, the
soul transfiirures the bodv.

2. Tiic word " transfigured " means literally ^^mcta-
}uor[)liosedy Matthew and Mark use it; but Luke,
uritinir to the (j reeks, among wiiom tlie word was
prostituted to base ignoble purposes, avoids it, usinir
circumlocution in preference. " He was metamor-
phosed before them " — a term signifving that the
change began at the innermost centre of His being,
and jrraduallv spread therefrom till it ulorificd the
remotest extremities of the body. The transfitjuration
of Moses and Stephen proceeded from without to
within, an external reflection of the Brightness wliich
shone upon them from the Unseen Holv. But the
transfiguration of Christ proceeded from within to
without, an overpowering outshining of the Radiance
at the core of His personality. "He was metamor-
phosed before them." "His face did shine as the
sun ; Fiis raiment was white as the light." A spec-
tacle never to be forgotten by the tliree disciples!
Around them the ebon curtain of niirht ; vonder the
virgin snow capping the peaks of Lebanon ; ami
right before them ** a face shining as the sun," illu-
minating the landscape with more than meridian

THE TRANSFKiL RATION.

^70

brilliance. For a whik" Me laid bv "the body of His
humiliation," and appeared in a body similar to that
which He now wears in heaven. His whole form
glowed with Divine lustre like burnished irold smitten
bv the sun — in this a pattern oF tlu- resurrection
body. Matter for the time being was spiritualised,
the bodv sweetlv attuned to the high temperature of
the soul. In the stone wall vou behold matter in a
state of exceedin<r grossness ; in the wiiulow vou
behold the same matter refined aiui made transparent.
Thus the bodv is now in a state of oj)aeitv and con-
sequent corruptibilitv ; but in the resurrection it will
be changed, refined, transfigured, "and niade like
unto His glorious l)o;lv." '•Then shall the riirhteou-*
shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father."
The soul will flash into visibility through the external
covering of the bodv spiritual.

3. Many critics of no mean ability maintain that the
emphatic words in the verse are — " before them'' " Hi'
was transfigured I'e/hrcf/iein." Professor Tavler Lewis,
for instance, savs that the tense of the verb sngeres's
that transfiguration was not a rare exception in the
Saviour's career upon the earth. That F^e should be
transfiiTured was not at all stranire ; the stranireness
was that He should be " transfiirured before them''
Communinir niirht after nitrht with His Father on
solitary mountain tops, it was not unusual for Him
to be transfigured ; the sweet jov of Fiis soul oftcji
pierced like sunbeams through His frail tenement of
clay; the extraordinary thing on this occasion was,
that He permitted the Divine Ecstasy to be witnessed

38o

THE TRANSFIGURATION.

by Others. Professor Godwin in his " Notes" throws
out a sinnlar hint. This was not the only transfiiru-
ration, he supposes, in His history; and Moses
and EHas were not the only inhabitants of heaven
who visited Him during His lowly sojourn in our
world. " Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my
day, and he saw it and was glad." Twiee it is here
stated that he saw, and twice that he was glad.
" Abraham rejoiced to see my day " — that is the
joy of anticipation and the seeing of faith. " And
he saw it and was glad " — that is the joy of fulfil-
ment and the seeing of the reality. According to
this interpretation, Abraham also must have visited
Christ at an earlier staire in His historv, as Moses and
Elias visit Him now on the Holy Mount. Who

knows but we shall hear of many transfigurations in
the Gospel of Eternity ?

III. The celestial Visitants at the Transfigura-
tion — Moses and Elias.

I. These departed saints appeared probably as
representatives of the ancient economy. Moses was
the founder of Judaism, Elias its reformer. Now
the system, which the one inaugurated and the
other ratified, was about to undergo a change, not
indeed of destruction, but of transfiguration. That
which was glorious under the Old Testament was to
be made more glorious under the New. And the
Founder and the Reformer of the ancient cultus
came d(iwn to witness its jxlonfication in the new
religion. Moreover, the Jewish Church could boast

THE TRANSFIGURATION.

s8i

of Divine origin — it had rcci.'ived Divine sanction,
it had enjoyed Divine protection. All this could
not be controverted. But Jesus also claimed to be
Divine. Here, then, is the Divine Cluirch about to
reject the Divine Man — how to solve the riddle?
The Transfiguration explains the ditliv ulty. Moses,
the founder of th ; Church, and Klias, its reformer,
receive Him. The Divine Church, therefore, receives
the Divine Man; only the apostate Church rejects
and crucifies Him.

2. They further appeared probably as represen-
tatives of the other world. Jesus is on the eve of
His passion; in less than a fortnight He will be
nailed to the Wood Consequently tlie attention of
the other world is concentrated on this — two appear
as a deputation to convey to Him the sympathy of
the saints already made perfect. Presently one from
among the angels also will appear at His side in the
agony of Gethsemane, to whisper words of cheer in
His ear, thereby " strengthening Him." He stood in
extreme need of sympathy, egregiously misunderstood
as He was by all around Him; and the grandest
purpose of this scene was to gird Him for the
hour of His ajronv and death. Our world is small,
yet the centre of attraction to more worlds than we
often imagine, " that now unto principalities and
powers in heavenly places might be known, through
the Church, the manifold wisdom of God." It is
incredible, people say, that a small world like ours
should be of such importance to the universe. But
I cannot sec what its bigness or sniallness has to do

w ■■

2S2

THE TR A.NSFrr.rKATION.

II.;

w ith the question. Was it l)ig enough ior the Son
oF Ciod to he l)orM in it ? Big enough for Hiui to
hve ill poverty in it? Hiir enouirli for Mini to die in
it? If so, it was big enouirh for all intents and pur-
posts. I 111 ^ize of tlie planet is a no more valid
objeetion to the truth of the (jospel than the size of
the slate u|)on whieh Sir Isaac Newton wrought out
his logarithms is a \aliil objection to the correctness
of his e(?niputations. His tables have been trans-
ferred to every work upon navigation, and are the
eonfidciiee of mariners far off upon niiil-ocean. And
(jod in the (lospel of I lis Son solved problems in
this world relative to sin ; the results probably enter
into the practical knowledge of innumerable worlds.
" Upon these things the angels desire to look."
Waterloo ilid not prove too small a field to have
decided upon it the destiny of Eurojie; and Calvarv
is not too small a mount to have settled upon it the
doom of a universe.

3. " They appeared unto Him in glory, and
spake of the decease^*' literally, exodus or depar-
ture. What a strange conmningling of colours !
" They appeared in glory, and spake of the decease."
Glory and decease, heaven and death, are brought
into closest juxtaposition. This goes right against
the myth theory. Man, painting a scene so tran-
sccndentallv Divine, would never flinjr Death into the
midst of Glory.

As already pointed out, " decease ** here means
exodus or departure. Christianity has changed the
vocabulary of the world concerning death. " Sleep **

THE TRANSFUirRAllON.

2«3

is one word it has inserted in the dietionary as a
synonvni for iKjith ; l)ut of that \<n\ have heard
upon otlier oeeasions. " Aseent " U anotlur word.
W lieu tin* Saviour spoke of death, Me was wont to
sav — " f am asceU(Hu«j- to niv I'atlier." 'I he chs-
eiples eould not luulerstand Mis language; and no
wonder — the lan«iua<ie was perfeetK' novel. Death
was a deseent aeeording to the worltl, a going down
into Hades, fie, however, ne\er speaks of it as a
deseent, hut al\\a\s as an aseent — never as a going
down, hut always as a g(;ing up. Another new
word is introduced in the text — "exodus" or dep.ir-
ture. This at once eoinieets the work of Christ
with that of othirs who had preceded Mini, the
work of Hedeniption heing progressive, stretching
like a suspension hridge from the promise of the
First Advent in Kden to the fulfilment oi' the
Second Advent in the Judgment l)av. " The
exodus whicli He should accomplish :" this refers to
an exodus hegun elsewhere, the exocUis which Moses
commenced hut was not ahle to finish. Joshua
resumed it where Moses left it; hut neither did lu-
lead the people into rest, " for if Jesus had given
them rest, he would not have spoken of another
dav." But what Moses commenced and Joshua
continued, Jesus Christ was destined to accomplish.
Death is an exodus: not a goal, hut a fresli depar^
ture; not a going to cajnivitv, hut a going from
captivity; not a leaving home, hut a going home.

4. " They talked of the decease which He was
about to accomplish in Jerusalem." Not the decease

284

THE TRANSFIGURATION.

which He should suffer, hut the decease which fTe
should accomplish. In death others are passive,
save as thev strugirle against the dissolution of the
nature; but He was active, focussing the everlasting
energies of His being ujion its performance. He
strove, endeavoured, strained to die. His decease
was more the result of strength than of weakness.

An interesting question and often debated is this :
What was the direct jihvsical cause of the Saviour's
death? How came He to die before the malefactors
on each side of Him ? How came He to die so
much sooner than men generallv crucified ? The
answer has been returned that He died of a broken
heart. Be it far from me to deny the impressive
pathos of this theory — the Saviour dying of a
broken spirit, dying because the heart, unable to
bear a heavier weight of sorrow, burst its sides
and let the life-blood flow out! A very touching
picture! But still it must be confessed that the
language of Holy Writ seems to indicate greater
activity of moral will on the Saviour's part. All the
verbs used are active ones, denoting the triumph
of strength and not the defeat of weakness. In
Matthew's language (xxvii. 50), "He dismissed His
spirit," or sent it away. In John's language (xix.
30), " He gave or delivered up His sj)irit." Mark
(xv. '^']) and Luke (xxiii. 46) say, " He breathed out
the ghost." Therefore it has been inferred that
He breathed hard and breathed lonir, and therebv
breathed His spirit out of His body. He died, not
because of a sudden rupture of the heart, that is,

■vH

THE TRANSFIGURATION.

»8s

because He could live no longer ; but because by
a long, deliberate, determined expiration of the
breath, He "dismissed" His spirit to His Father.
But be that as it may; what I want to impress upon
vou is this, that in His death He exercised the
mightiest activity, that He died because He pur-
posely willed it, and not because He could not help
it. He did not sufler death, but He accomplished it.
Men, dvintr, uive up the lihost and tiien bow the
head ; but Christ, dying, first bowed His head and
then gave up the ghost. Stcj)licn, d\ing, said,
" Lord, receive my S})irit ; " but Christ, dying, said
with a loud voiye, " Father, into Thy hands I com-
inend my spirit." He was a priest as well as a
sacrifice, "having power to lay down His life;"
and He voluntarily deposited it on the altar of
Atonement.

IV. The WITNESS OF the Father at the Trans-
figuration.

I. "A bright cloud overshadowed them " — a cloud
made luminous by the Divine efiulgence witiiin.
Moses and Elias drew near in the nakedness of their
celestial splendour. But God durst not so approach
— " no man can see me and live." He is obliged to
shroud Himself in clouds to attemper His glorv to the
weakness of human vision. The Shekinah-cloud w hich
hovered over the gates of Paradise, which brooded in
the Tabernacle and the Temple, now gently alights
on the Holy Mount, and settles on Christ, Moses,
and Elias, whilst the disciples remained outside the

286

THE TRANSFIGURATION.

cncircliiiir halo, and tlu; latter three feared as the
former tliree entered into the eloud.

2. From out the overshadowinii; cloud came a
uoicc, sayiiiti", " This is mv heloved Son, in w hom I
am well i)ieasL'd ; hear ye Him." In this exelama-
tion one Ijrilliant thinker sees the climax of the
Divine education of the race — from man^ througli
servant, up to Son. In Genesis we Ijehold Man : in
the prophetical books we beliold tiie Servant oF the
Lord — man pressed into the Divine Service : in the
Gospels we behold the Son of God —man rising-,
through the discipline of service, to a clear conscious-
ness of his Divine Filiation. Je^us Christ is the
consunmiation of human history, the crown and
flower of the human race. f

The words further denote progress in Christ's own
life, lie is now entering upon His work as a jiricst.
At His baptism similar words were uttered bv the
Father to inaugurate Him to His prophetical olHcc;
from that time forth He began to preach and to
teach in their synairouues. >^ow thev are uttered to
inaugurate Him to Flis sacerdotal office ; forthwith
His passion will begin. Similar words will be again
uttered to instal Him in His kingly office alter H»is
resurrection — "Thou art mv Son; this dav ha\e 1
begotten Tiiee." He mav be considered from flis
birth as beinii virtually invested with the three
offices : but from His birth He did not actively
exercise them. At His baptism did He enter
activelv upon His work as a proj)het : at His
transtiguration did He enter actively upon His work

THE TRANSFIGURATION.

287

as a priest? at His ascension did He enter actively
upon His work as a king? This, tlien, throws new
light upon the Transfiguration scene. ihe un-
tarnished irlorv was only the investiture of Mini in
the white robes of the priest to qualify Iliu) to enter
the Holy of Holies, in the name of His brethren,
"through the blood of the Kwrlasting- Covenant,"
there to make expiation for the sins of the world.

3. Seeing that He is the beloved Son of God, it is
our paramount duty to ^'^ hear H/)n.'' In Him as its
organ the Divine Revelation has reached its climax —
His word is an end of all controvcrsv. \\ c look to
"Jesus onlv." Not to Moses or lllias, Socrates or
Plato, but to " Jesus onlv." The love and holiness
we conten)j)late in Jesus are our highest manifesta-
tions of God, highest because belonging to a nobler
sphere than the wisdom and omnipotence displaved
iu Nature. There is a ritualism of the iniaoination
as well as of ceremonies, upholsteries, and millineries,
a ritualism appealing to the mental as well a> to ilic;
bodilv eye, as, for instance, when we dcui.ind pli\>iial
glitter and display to help us to conceive of tlic
majesty of (jod. God pure as Jesus, gracious a>
Jesus, patient as Jesus: that is the highest i\\ elation
of the Infinite Love the human luuier-tantli lo- is
capable of receiving. Fix, therefore, your thoughts
and affections upon Jesus. " Hear ye Him."

V. The EFFECT of the Transfiguration.
I. The effect upon the disciples was to exhilarate
them, to throw them into a rapture of wonder and

a88

THE TRANSFIGURATION.

joy which they could hardly restrain. " It is good
for us to be here; let us build tliree tabernacles,
one for Thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias."
What did Peter mean? How can we tell when he
did not know himself? Strange that conmientators
should labour hard to discover his meaning when the
Bible expressly declares that he had no meaning.
But if he knew not what he thou2;ht, he knew riuht
well how he felt. "It is good to be here.'* His
experience was vastly difl'erent from that of the
Israelites at the transfiguration of Moses. They
feared; Peter and his f('llow-disci|)k'S rejoiced. How
to account for the difference? Doubtless by some
subtle difference in the transfiiruration of each. There
is a white, dry, withering, electric light destructive of
all life, vegetable and animal ; it kills the fairest rose,
blinds the keenest vision. There is another kind of
light, cheering, inspiring, comforting, tlie cherisher
and nourisher of all life. The first is lio-htnino- liiiht,
the second is sunlioht. Thus the dory shinini!; on
Moses' face, like the Dispensation he introduced, had
a tendency to terrify, depress, kill : it was the reflec-
tion of the lightnings which shot through the gloom
of Sinai. But the glory shining in the face of Jesus
Christ tended to elevate, ennoble, stimulate: it was
the light of the Sun rising upon the world with heal-
ing in His wings. " It is good for us to be here; let
us build." Do not many of you sympathise with the
wild exclamation of the bewildered Peter ? You also
have seen His glory, you have seen Him attired in
shining robes of inefl'able beauty; and you were sorry

THE TRANSFIGURATION.

280

the vision should cease, you were reluctant to come
down from the Mount. You have seen, if not Moses
and Elias, yet saints dearer to vou than either of
them. You lived with them from day to day, vou
associated with them in secular and spiritual service ;
the society was growing daily sweeter; at last vou
perceived signs of departure, the spirit fluttering its
wings as if to take the final flight. You cried out in
the sudden excitement of the moment, not knowing
what you said, " Let us build — pity the fellowship
should cease ; the communion is sweet — let us build."
But before you had time to begin, a cloud over-
shadowed you. A cloud of darkness ? Nav, a cloud
of glory, and the wife disappeared in a flash of briglit-
ness. " I am alone," cries the desolate husband in
the sore anguish of his heart. " No," answers a
Voice from the cloud ; " I have only taken away a
saint, my Son is still with you ; I have only with-
drawn Moses and Elias, my Well-beloved still re-
mains." " This is my Well-beloved Son ; hear ve
Him."

2. The effect upon the Saviour was to gird Him
for the comins: conflict. " They were in the way
going up to Jerusalem ; and Jesus went before tliem ;
and they were amazed ; and as they followed they
were afraid." Such determination to suffer possessed
Him, in consequence of the interview on the Holy
Mount, that it imparted extraordinary solemnity to
His countenance, unusual dignity to His movements,
unwonted grandeur to His step; His disciples were
filled with astonishment, and timidly slunk behind.

290

THE TRANSFIGURATION.

i) '

f^ f

They could not bear His lofty gaze. " How I am
straitened till it be accomplished ! " Others are
straitened because they must die; He was straitened
because He wanted to die. Others are distressed
because of the approach of death ; He was distressed
because it did not approach fast enough. " How I
am straitened till it be accomplished!" He stretched
forth the arms of His desire in the direction of the
Cross more eagerly than the racer on Olympus ever
stretched his towards the winning-post. " Peter said
unto Him, Be it far from Thee, 'Lord ; this shall not
be unto Thee. And Jesus turned and said. Get thee
behind me, Satan." " And Jesus turned " — turned
His head, say modern expositors; but turned His
colour, says Thomas Goodwin, the eminent Puritan
divine. " This shall not be unto Thee, Thou shalt
not die," remonstrated Peter. " Not die, Peter,
having come all the way from eternity on purpose to
die; not die, having come out from God for the
express purpose of laying down my life; not die,
having set my mind steadfastly upon it from days
of old, ere ever the earth was ! " And He changed
colour, grew pale at the very thought!

( 39' )

XVI.

?CJ)e 3ul»gmcnt

" When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy
angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory:
and before Him shall be gathered all nations : and He shall
separate them one from another, iis a shepherd divideth his sheep
from the goats : and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but
the goats on the left." — St. Matt. xxv. 31-33.

In the preceding chapters the Lord Jesus foretells the
destruction of Jerusalem, and with it of Judaism,
" the world which then was." The end of the
Jewish economy by the demolition of Jerusalem
suggests to His mind the end of the Christian
economy by the dissolution of the world. These two
events float before His mental vision till they seem
to overlap each other; and, therefore, commentators
find it difficult to trace with exactitude the line of
demarcation between them. It is a long recognised
characteristic of prophecy that in it events hang in
time as the worlds hang in space, which makes it
extremely perplexing for the untrained eye to judge
of their relative distances. Most commentators,
however, agree that the words of the text refer to the
final judgment; and to this momentous theme I now
solicit your attention.

2Q2

THE JUDGMENT.

Three points : — I. The Judge. II. The Saved.
III. The Lost.

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41^

I. The Condition of the Judge.

1. The Judge is the Son of Man. "God hath
given llini authority to execute jndgment also, be-
cause He is the Son of Man." His fitness to judge
the world is based, not on His divinity, but on His
luinianity. " He will judge the world by that Man
whom He hath ordained." Tliis is the fundamental
]irinciple of the administration of justice in the
jiritish realm, and is the foundation of the jury
8ystem — man must be judged by his own compeers.

2. The Judge will appear in glori/. The first time
He came, He came in the garb of His humiliation.
" He made Himself of no reputation." He had
great reputation in eternity, Plis fame was blazoned
upc 1 every star. But when He came into our world,
He travelled beyond the boundaries of His renown.
True, He was a prince still, but a prince in disguise,
rovalty in rags. Or take the marginal reading — " He
emptied Himself." Strange language to be used in
such a connection: the Son of God coming empty
into our world 1 His First Advent, tlierefore, was in
shame; but His Second will be in glory; and it is
only becoming that the magnificence of the second
should be a recompense for the dishonour of the first.

And not only He came to the world in shame,
but He also left it in shame. He was hung on
the tree of ignominy. He made His grave with
the wicked. He departed this life in deep dis-

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293

grace, but He will return in ineffable glory. " So
Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;
and unto them that look for Him shall He appear
the second time without sin." This implies that
He came the first time under sin, " bearing the
sins of many." Accordingly, He had " neither form
nor comeliness that we should desire Him." The
ploughers ploughed His back and made their furrows
^ong. But He will " appear the second time without
si'i," the burden being cast down, and Mis frame
having recovered its elasticity. He wil! api)ear in
glory, surrounded by the dazzling sliL-en of the
Divine Shekinah. St. Paul in one of his Epistles
compares the wreaths of glory to flames of fire.

3. He will be attended by a grand escort — " and
all the holy angels with Him." Only on two
occasions do we read of all the angels paying a
sinmltaneous visit to our earth. The first occasion
was the First Advent — ^Jesus coming to save. " And
when God brin(i;eth in the first becrotten into the
world, He saith, Let all the angels of God worship
Him." Not one or two, but ail. " The angel of
the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the
Lord shone round about them." " And suddenlv
there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host, praising God." The scintillations of their
glittering pinions flashed light over all the meadow.
The next occasion when heaven will be again vacated
by all the angels will be the Second Advent — Jesus
coming to judge. " And all the holy angels with
Him." What must be the dazzle of their holiness!

294

THE JUDGMKNT

n :

In the Apocalypse St. John beheld an angel descend
from heaven, "and the earth wa? lightened with his
dorv ; " the fliirht of one anjrcl athwart the firnianieiit
iihnTiinL'd the globe like a lightning flash. The pro-
phet Kzekiel saw another angel, " and the earth
sliined with his glory ; " his britrhtness was seven
tvnes the briirhtncss of dav. And if the briirhtness
of one be so great, what nuist be the glory scattered
from the wings often thousand times ten thousand!
In the presence of such a flood of radiance " the sun
will be darkened and the moon turned into blood."

4. Amid this l)laze of triumph, the Son of Man
" 'ill sit npon the Throne of His gfori/." Under
trie weiirht of irrandeur here described lancruaire
groans, hence the fretpicnt repetition of the word
"glory." The Lord Jesus now sits upon the
Throne of Grace to dispense pardon to all sincere
suppliants. Presently He will sit upon the Throne
of Glory, not to dispense pardon, but to execute
judgment. May it be ours to see Him on the
Throne of Grace, before we behold Him on the
Throne of Glorv ! This Throne is described else-
where as " sfrcat and white" — irreat to denote its
majesty, white to denote its purity. No stain shall
ever dim the glow of its marble. Earthly thrones
are by no means white; the best of them show the
dark blots of injustice and the red spots of persecu-
tion. No vigilance will ever secure perfect righte-
ousness in the administration of this world's affairs
— drops of blood will often splash on the whitest
thrones of earth. But here is a Throne without

THE JUDCMENT.

^95

either blot or spot, "a great white Throne," "the
Throne of His glory."

5. No sooner is He seated than " all the nations
of the earth are gathered before Him.*' " We who
shall he alive sliall he caught up in the clouds to meet
Him in the air." The original omits the definite
article before clouds— not in " ihe clouds" but in
"clouds." We shall be caught up in clouds, soaring
ihick like flocks of birds. But that is not all ; the
dead also shall be there, the dead of all the genera-
tions of mankind, not one wanting. " Kvery eye
shall see Him." Myriads have not seen Him yet;
but God intends that every soul in His wide uni-
verse shall see His Son and iraze in [lis holy face.
"Death and Hades shall give up the dead which
are in them." Departed souls will be returning
to earth, as doves to their windows, to be reunited
to their bodies. There will be bustle and excite-
ment throughout the vast expanse of creation,
through this world and the next ; bustle in the
grave, wild excitement in hell; the whole creation
eagerly pressing to the great assize ! Picture the
uncounted millions of earth of cverv clime and aire,
all the family of Adam without one missing, meeting
for once in a vast contrrfcffation whicli no man can
number, meeting once havincr never met before,
meeting once never to meet again. " All the holy
angels " face to face with " all the nations of the
earth!" The Christian dispensation is a dispensa-
tion of gathering — of gathering all things together in
Christ to be saved ; and, failing that, of gatherine all

296

THE JUDGMENT.

things together before Christ to be jiulgccl. What
an awful gathering! What a solemn concourse!
" AikI lie sliall separate them one from anotlier, as
a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; and
lie shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the
•roats on the left."

I'M

l-if.'

m 1

II. The Rfavard op the Righteous.

1. Notice the ground oi' their blessedness as here
set forth — deeds of kindness to men in want and
distress. Justification is by faith, but judgment is
by works. In other words, faith it is that makes
our persons acceptable, but works it is that make
our lives acceptable. The Judgment w ilJ go accord-
in<j; to our serviceableness or otherwise. " Everv
man according to his works, whether thev be good
or evil." We are apt to imagine that true religion
consists in extraordinary frames of mind, ecsratie
moods. It consists in nothing of the kind, but in
the faithful discharge, in the si)irit of Christ, of the
human duties of our every-day existence. Manv are
the legends concerning the Quest of the Holy Grail,
the traditional Cup of Healing from which the
Saviour drank the sacramental wine the night He
was betrayed. Bnt the prettiest of them all,
prettiest because truest, is that which represents a
bold knight of the Round Table travelling far over
mountains and through deserts in search of the
mysterious Grail. His protracted and exhaustive
journeys, however, turned out fruitless. At length,
wan in countenance, depressed in spirit, and fatigued

)]

THE JUDGMENT.

297

in body, he resolved to return to Arthur's Hall, a
sacklcT but not a wiser man. However, as he was
Hearing the gate of Camclot, he saw a poor man
writhing in the ditch, evidently in the last agonirs
of death. Moved with compassion, the sworn de-
fender of the rights of the poor and tlic weak (Hs-
mounted from his steed, sought a cup of water, and
handed it to the suffering man; wlien lo! tlie cup
glowed as if it were a tiling alive, flamed as if it
were the sapphire of the New Jerusalem. The
knight at last saw the Molv Grail, not, however, in
traversing barren wildernesses or jierforming deeds of
prowess, but in succouring the poor and forlorn.
" Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of tiiese little
ones, ye have done it unto me." '* Whosoever shall
give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of
cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I
say unto you, he shall not lose his reward." A little
gift to a little one — it will be honourably mentioned
in the Judgment Day.

2. The nature of their blessedness. " Come, ye
blessed of my Father." Doubtless this blessedness
consists chiefly in the spiritual temper of the soul.
" Heaven is principle," said Confucius. " A good
man shall be satisfied from himself." " The water
that I give him shall be in him a well of water,
springing up to everlasting life " — leapifig yp. Tliere
is such force in the spring that its water leaps uj).
This blessedness even now makes the believer dance
in anticipation. " Wherein ye rejoice greatly " —
exult, leap, dance. Dancing religion, I know, is

298

THE JUDGMENT.

!''3

' u

it'-l ,1

Hill 1

unfashionable, but it is not unscriptural. David
danced before the ark of the Lord : his wife charged
him with madness, whereas she ought to have
charcred him with gladness. David was not a mad-
man, but a glad-man. " T can speak religion," said
an old saint, " I can sing religion, I can dance
religion." "Ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and
full of glory " — a joy glorified, a joy made trans-
parent with Divine lustre, a joy shining like rubies
in the sun. And if the joy here be so glorious,
what will it be yonder when purified from all the
dross of sin ? " To you who are troubled rest with us,
when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven,
when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and
to be admired in all them that believe in that day."
These words reveal to us two features in the future
state of believers. Thev shall " rest," the word sig-
nifying relaxation of the muscles. In this life we
are all screwed up to our highest tension, every
faculty is strained to its utmost capability. Wei-
come, therefore, shall be the season of relaxation,
when we shall unbend the bow and enter upon our
holiday. But in addition to rest there will be ijlory —
" when He shall come to be glorified in His saints,
and to be admired in all them that believe in that
day." Their persons will be glistening with the re-
flection of the Divine brilliance. " The glory which
Thou hast given me I haye given them : " that is
one kind of glory, a glory which the Saviour will
communicate to His people, a glory which He intends
to share with us. " Father, I will that they also,

THE JUDGMENT.

299

whom Thou hast given me, be with me where T am ;
that thev mav behold mv fflorv, which Thou hast
given me : " that is another kind of glory, a glory
which He cannot share, but which He can show.
He will impart all the glorv He can ; and what He
cannot impart He will exliibit. "Then shall the
righteous shine as the sun in the Kingdom oF their
Father." Did one of the saints made perfect return
to earth to-night, his appearance in the sky would be
like the rising of the sun as beheld from the top of
Snowdon — grand, glorious, poetic.

3. The co««^77?w«/io« of their blessedness. "Come,
ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom pre-
pared for vou before the foundation of the world."
" Come" — a sweet word, full of encoura<reni ^ and
cheer. " Come unto me, all ve that lal)our and are
heavy-laden " — the same " come " that is used in the
text. " Come, inherit the Kingdom." Now be-
lievers are heirs under age ; then they shall attain
their majority, and enter upon the possession of their
heritage. " We are begotten to an inheritance in-
corruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not awav,
reserved in heaven for vou, who are kept bv the
power of God through faitii unto salvation." Here
is presented to us a double keeping. P'irst, we are
kept by the power of God, carefullv guarded as if in
a fort against mishap; we are "garrisoned" bv the
Divine protection. But not only are we kept for
the inheritance, but the inheritance is kept for us.
What sort of inheritance is it? "Incorruptible" —
it will not originate corruption. " Undefiled " — it

' il f

■f

iir

•Mi

II i 1

I I

F I
I

300

THE JUDGMENT.

will not contract corruption. "Unfading" — all the
trees are evergreen. " Inherit the Kingdom pre-
pared for you;" hence I infer that the human is the
dominant type of the universe, visible and invisible.
Even the eternal world is prejiared for man, fashioned
on the human model. " He ijavc all judii'mcnt to

o Jo

Jesus Christ, because He is the Son of Man."

in. The Punishment of the Wicked.

I. They are here blamed for works o\' omission, for
their habitual neglect of opportunities to sliow kind-
ness to their fellow- men. They did a great many
other things; but, lacking deeds of benevolence, thev
fail to come up to. the standard of judirnient. They
were eloquent preachers — proj)hesving in His name;
famous miracle-monirers — in His name doinff many
wonderful works ; originators of grand schemes of
social improvements— in His name casting out devils.
But lacking genuine philanthropy, the philanthropy
which relieves the trivial ills of the world, they are
sternly repudiated by the Judge. Their acquittal or
condemnation will be determined according to their
relation, friendly or inimical, to Him in His human
brethren. But that does not hold true of the heathen
nations of the earth, you say. Perhaps not; but it
holds true of you. " As many as have sinned with-
outlaw shall also perish without law; and as many as
have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; "
and as many as have sinned under the Gosjicl shall
be tried by the Gospel. In our country two kinds of
measures are recoirnised — tlic common and the impc-

!'il )]

THE JUDGMENT.

301

rial. The common varies according to the prevaiHng
customs of diflferent neighbourhoods; but the impe-
rial is always and everywhere one and the same. Thus
in the Divine administration of the universe there are
different standards, the common and imperial. The
pagan po})ulations of the earth shall be tried by the
connnon standard, in strict accord with the lights and
advantaires thev respcctivclv enjov. Sinning without
law, they perish without* law. But we shall be tried
bv the imperial standard, the sta^idard set up in the
Gospel. We had better measure ourselves by it now,
before we be measured by it in the Day of Doom.
" And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and
prepared not himself, neither did according to his
will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that
knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes,
shall be beaten with few stripes."

2. Notice also the nature of their punishment.
"Ye cursed." Not cursed of the Father, but cursed in
and of themselves. Their heaviest calamitv is their
own sinful depraved nature. Every man carries
within him the materials of his own heaveti or hell ;
the fire which will burn you must find its fuel in
vour own nature.

" The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven."

This you have to dread above all things — the hell
which you carry in your own bosom. Peradventure
there is a material hell, a hell of wind and fire; but,
if there be, it is not to be compared in the anguish of
its terror with the hell you carry in your own heart.

302

THE JUDGMENT.

:;tS

I'M

The great peril of the earth lies in the fires smoulder-
ing at her core. The winds may beat upon her
from without, and the rains descend, and the thun-
ders roll, and the lightnings flash, yet the earth will
remain steadfast and immovable, and wheel in her
orbit with her usual composure. Its great danger
lies in the central fires within it, which occasionally
make continents quake, and which rive the sides oF
the everlasting rocks, sometimes threatening to burst
the sides of the planet. And your greatest danger
lies in your own heart, latent for a season perhajis ;
but when the smallest spark will alight upon it, there
will ensue a terrible exi)losion. Now and again, in
the silence of your solitude, you hear the nuiffled
rumble of suppressed thunder deep down at the foun-
dation of your being ; ever and anon you are obliged
to heave awful sighs; and if you only narrowly watch
yourselves you will frequently discover your spirits
quailing with fear. " Conscience makes cowards of
us all." " For if we sin wilfully, after that we have
received the knowledge of truth, there remaincth no
more sa",rifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking
for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall
devour the adversaries."

3. But in the Judgment Day the suflferings of
the wicked will reach their terrible consummation,
"Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,
prepared for the devil and his angels." The internal
state will find a corresponding external condition.
Some people deny the material fire ; but on any
supposition the agony is fearfully, incomprehensibly

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303

intense. Hell on any hypothesis is a horrible place,
«o horrible that it signifies but little whether it be
material or sj)iritual or both. " Prepared for the
devil and his angels." Heaven is prepared for man,
fashioned with a view to man's comfort and progress.
But hell is built on a difi'erent plan — man will for
ever feel out of place there; hence uneasiness, pain,
mortification. " These shall go away into everlast-
ing punishment." It is foreign to my purpose to-
day to discuss the problem of the duration of punish-
ment; but this I will venture to say — punishment
will last as lonii; as vou sin. The extinction of hell-
fire will be simultaneous with the extirpation of hell-
sin — not a moment sooner, not a moment later.
Do not, therefore, delude yourselves with the infinite
mercifulness of God. He is merciful, I know,
merciful enough to save all the damned. But their
salvation is possible only on two conditions : that a
sacrifice has been or will be offered for their sins, and
that they cease from their sins — two conditions very
problematical indeed. Hell will burn as long as man
will sin — the eternity or non-eternity of punishment
will depend on the eternity or non-eternity of sin.
If you want to escape hell, flee from sin. But men
differ in their opinions on this subject, you say ;
what are we to believe? Well, if we differ uj)on
what you are to believe on this particular article, we
all agree about what you are to do — feed the iuuigry,
clothe the naked, rescue the dissolute. By so doing
you will secure the favour of the Judge. Trouble
not yourselves overmuch about the metaphysics of

304

THE JUDGMENT.

11 i^

theology ; have faith in goodness, and let your fai A
show itself in works. The only way to serve God is
to help man. It is not one way among many, it is
the only way. If you do not serve man you do not
worship God. However fervent your prayers, how-
ever hearty your singing, however devout your de-
portment, if you are not kind and helpful to vour
fellow-men, vou do not render God service. To vou
the Tudcre will sav in the last dav — " I know vou
not; depart from me, ye workers of iniquity." On
the other hand, if, in the name of a disciple, vou
help your fellow-men; if you. speak words of gentle-
ness to the downcast, and of cncourao-cment to
the desponding, and of purity to the polluted ; if
you allay suffering and assuage grief, you render God
true and genuine and acceptable service, and you
will be ranked among the righteous in that day.

" Abou Ben Adhem — may his tribe increase !
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw amid the moonlight in the room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom, ^

An angel writing in a book of gold ;
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the vision in the room he said,

* What writest thou ? ' The vision raised its head,
And with a voice made of all sweet accord.
Replied, 'The names of them that love tlie Lord.'

* And is mine one ? ' asked Abou. ' Nay, not so,'
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low.

But cheerily still, and said, ' I pray thee, then,
Write me as one who loves his fellow-men.'
The angel wrote and vanished. Ti e next night
He came again with a great wakening light ;
He showed the names whom love of God had blestg
And lo ! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest."

( 3^5 )

XVII

STfje ®reat (fTommisston^

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given
unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations," ice. —St. Matt, xxviii. 18-20, and St, Makk xvi. 15.

Some time before His death the Saviour made an
appointment with EI is disciples to meet them after
His death. The place was a mountain in Galilee;
the time is not sjiecified in the histoVv, but was well
known to the discij)les. llie tragic events of the
Crucifixion had, however, made them forgetful of
the appointment; and not till thev were reminded
of it by the angel did they give it the attention it
deserved. " He goeth before you into Galilee; there
shall ye see Him." This announcement spread with
great rapidity among the disciples in all parts of the
country, and on the appointed day, and in the
appointed place, more than five hundred brethren
were gathered together. A strange appointment to
make, a stranger appointment to keep ! And in this
interview He delivered the commission which I have
read as a text, a commission to go to the whole world
and preach the Gospel to every creature. The sub-
ject is — The Great Covimission,

:oC

THE GRFiAT COMMISSION.

m I

I. "Go yc and preach:" this teaches us the
NATURE of the Christian ministry. This word
*' prcaclj " is a great word under the Christian Dis-
pensation. What, then, does it imply?

1. It iin|)Iies cnliglitcning the intellect. "A
bishop must he ajit to teach." Jesus Christ " taui2;lit
the j)eoi)k'." Not FTe amused them or entertained
them or allVighted them, but He " taught " them.
Men's uiukTstaiulinus are darkened; and it is a
))rime duty of the preacher to. dissipate the dark-
ness. No ministrv answers the true purpose of a
ministrv if it does not furnish the mind with solid,
substantial instruction. Sermons besprinkled with
a few toucliinii; anecdotes mav sensiblv afltct the
aninial nature, but they do not permanently edify
the "inner man" — they flare, but they neither illu-
minate nor burn.

2. It also implies to ivarm the affections. This
constitutes the main difference between a sermon
and an essav. An essay is only intended to shed
light on the subject; but a sermon is intended both
to shed light on the subject and to engender heat in
the heart. The angel in the vision took a " coal of
fire " from off' tlic altar, and with it touched the lips
of the pro})hct — the angel wanted to set the pro|)het
on fire. x\nd certainlv the Christian minister should
be on fire, and should endeavour to kindle fire in
others. The successful preachers have always been
men noted for their fire. Baxter's biographer says
that Baxter would set the world on fire whilst others
were lighting a match. He preached

THL GRIiAT COMMISSION.

307

US the
is word
ian Dis-

ct. "A
" taught
itertaiuLcl
t" them.
I it is a
the dark-

pose

of a

vith sohd,
kled with
affect the
;ntly edify
:ither lUu-

lons. This
a seruiou
_'d to s\ied
nided both
idcr heat iu
a " coal of
l^ed the lips
he prophet
ster should
die fire iu
ways beeu
|-apher says
Ihilst others

" As though lie shouUl never preach again,
And as a dying man to dying men."

It is said of Hugh Blair, the author of the lectures
ou " Belles Lettres," that he took so uuich paius to
embellish his thoughts that they lost all their heat
before rliev left his lips. f5ut Johu Augell Jauies
savs somewhere that even Blair iirew a little warui
as he ap])roached the Cross, which, however, he too
Sv'ldoui did iu his published discoiu'scs. rrcachers
should sow liii;ht aud euueuder heat, teach kuow-
kdge aud produce wariuth. Seruious are essays all
ablaze, illuuiiuatiuir aud euliveuiuir.

3. It further iuiplies to trdhi the life. " Tcachiug
theui to observe all things whatsoever I have coni-
iiiauded you." The idtimate jnirpose of the Gospel
is not siuiply to teach uieu to luiderstand aud to feel,
but also to do. Christianity is not speculation or
emotion, but life : so declare the authors. Better still
did they sa\- it was all three together — speculation,
euu)tion, and life. The preacher should denotmce
sin and enforce virtue. He shonld brandish his
sword and strike everv liviuii; thino- that lifts itself
against the knowledge of God. It is an exceedinglv
easy task to strike an obsolete sin, to smite a dead
lion; it is quite anotlier thing, and nuich more dit-
ficult, to resist a present sin, to light a living lion.
For instance, in bygone years when slavery was rife
iu America, few ministers, to their shame be it said,
were rourac;eous enough to raise their voices against
it. Now that it is dead, there is not a preacher iu
the laud but thinks it his dutv to irive it an occasional

3o8

THE GRi:.\T COMMISSION.

fli

blow. But that is only killing the dead lion. The
amljassadors of Jesus Christ, however, should be
ashamed of sueh eowardiee. 'I'hey ought to defy
the living troojis of the Prince of Darkness, to
direct their keenest sliafts against j)resent sins, to
attenii)t to kill the living lions which go about
devouring, mining, devastating our own country and
our own century. Hence it was custoniarv among
the great preachers to conclude their sermons with
applications. This was a characteristic feature of the
great Metliodist Revivalists in I'^ngland and Wales.
Thev did not discover any new truths; tliey have
not lei t their mark on the history of theology ; they
were illustrious not for their power of expounding
truth, but for their power of aj^plying it. Whit-
field and Wesley were great |»reachers, not great
theologians. The Apostles, Paul and John, were
remarkable for their power to reveal truth ; the
Reformers, Lutiier and Calvin, were remarkable for
their })ower to expound truth ; but the Methodist
Revivalists, W^hitfield and Wesley in England, and
Harris and Rowlands in Whales, were remarkable for
their power to enforce truth. The age of the Apostles
was the age of revelation ; the age of the Protestant
Reformers was the age of exposition ; but the age of
the Methodist Revivalists was the age of application.

n. " Go ye and preach the Gospel : *' this teaches
us the SUBJECT of the Christian ministry.

I. The Gospel is the great theme, for in the Gospel
is made lully known to us God's purposes respecting

THF. GRFAT COMMISSION.

309

, The

aid be
;o defy

L'SS, to

ins, to

about
try and
among
18 with
c of the
Wales,
cy have
y ; they
[)iinding

Whit-
)t irrcat
n, were
th ; the
able for
icthodist
|ntl, and

able for
postles
[otestant
at!;c of

(licatiou.

teaches

Gospel

Ispecting

pinjicrs. In the Gospel is revealed to us the Divine
I leart. In Nature we l)eholtl the Divine Hand. "The
heavens deelare the cflorv of Gf)d, and the firnianient
showeth His IkukIij work." " I c(Uisider the heaveiis,
the work of Tliv fi/nrrrs.'* Belshazzar in the feast
saw a hand wririnu' on the wall, a strange hand, a
detached liand, a hand from eternitv nothinsr but
a hand. In like manner, when we look n\Mm Nature
we behold writing upon its walls a Hand, a strange
I land, a strong Hand, a cunning I land, a Divine Hand
— still nothing but a Hand. In Jutlaism again we
behold rh'.' Divine Back. " And it shall come to jiass,
while m\- glory passeth bv, that I will |)ut thee in a
elift of the rock, and will cover thee with mv hand
while I pass by ; and I will take away mine hand, and
thou shalt see my back parts ; but my face shall not
be seen." God showed His Baek to the children of
Israel, a strong Back, a broad Back, upon which He
carried them for fortv vcars lonu; ; but still onlv His
]5ack. But in the Cjospel He reveals His Face, and
in His Face His Heart. " He shincth into our hearts
in ihiijace of Jesus Christ." " The Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of (jocI also." His Hautl
in Nature, His Back in Judaism, I lis Face in the Gos-
pel : He has thus turned Himself completelv round in
the sioht of humanity and revealed His whole Bcinii".
2. Not the Gospel in parts, but the Gospel as a
whole. The Apostle Paul declared unto the Kphc-
sians the " whole counsel " of God. During his
three years' ministry in that eirv he expounded the
Gospel in its completeness. This does not mean that

TirF. r.RKAT CONfMISSION.

l>\\

i'll-

:■!.:,

il.,. '

cvcrv tiiitli is to ricfivc c(|iial prominence — proj)or-
tion niii-t 1)1- ohscrvici in tlu-oloLiy as in ardiitccturc.
Soiiii' tiMtlis a.f to i)c alwavs urecd ujioii tlic atten-
tion of tlu he.irers, otliers onlv oeeasionallv — thev
act n|)on tin- C^hureli as j)livsie does njioii Mr' con-
stitntion. Truths tonchiipi" (^Inireli government and
Cliurcli discipline arc to l)i' ixpomuleil and vindicated

Tlie doctrines concernint::
the Divine deerus are to he declared onlv oeeasionallv.

|)i'eial emcrii-encies.

d d

when tluri- is a special clanger or men derogating
Ironi the free Lirace of CJod. These are to act ujio

thr C'hnrch like iiKciicinc ujion the hodv, fortifvin
it in grace and dri\ iiig out spiritual maladies. BuL

imii do not h.vc uiu)n sue

h d

octrines-

-hrcad,

not

)h\ sic, is the stall' of life

((

e who conic

to tl

th d(

And the hread oF God

th liFe

own trom neaven aiul uive

le wor

Id.

esus L hrist is ttie sjiiri

itual

iUS-

tenanec oF the Church ; He, theretore, should he the
centre oF everv sermon ; and iF He be not in the text,
it is worth our while to uo throuirh hedoes and over
ditches to find Him.

OF course, here, as in everything else, judgment
must have its perFect work. The Faithful and wise
minister " rightly divides the word oF truth.*' He
divides it — breaks it up into small digestible portions.
To fling a bulky truth beFore men, without explaining
it as thev are able to understand, is labour thrown
awav. 'I'o place a loaF on a table surrounded with
inFants is not enouirh— thev would starve with the

loaF b'jFore their eves. IF it is to nouris

h th

em. It

must be cut and riulitlv distributed. Tn like manner,

THE GRKAT COMMISSION

3i»

the (j(),>|n'l truth must \k' wisely iliviik-il, tlwit nun
may cat thiTcof and live. Not only Christ came
down From luavcn as tin' Urcad oTCiod, hut on Cal-
vary tlu' Brcail was hrokcn.

3. \\ V arc to preach the (iospel, the whole (jospcl,
anil /Kit/iifii^ hit the (iospii. All attempts to asso-
ciate human speculations with it must he sternly
resisted. Kepeatiil elKorts were maile in the lirst cen-
turies to I n'lct a c()m|)romise hetw'cen it ami heathen-
ism. The llomans were prepared to assiirn Christ a
place in the i'antheon, to acknowlediic Ilim as a iroil
— one amonji: nianv. But the j)roposal was indiii-
nantlv rejected -Christ could not give I lis p.resence

ni anv heathen temple, except on the sole condition
that lie had it all to llimsclt. A compact hetween
Christ and Jupiter was an injpossihility. In the
inetccuth century, on the other hand, iiiirenious

cHorts M\' hcing made to elVect a comjiromisc hetween
Christianity and philosophy — that is the essence of
Christian nationalism. The \cw 'restament nnist
ahjnrc its supernaturalism, and philosophy will, on
its jKirr, make lilieral concessions in return, lint [
seriously protest against any such scheme. As no
compact could be efi'ected hetween Christ and Jupiter,
so F^c will abate none oF Ills claims in favour of
Plato. Christianity, like the Saviour's coat, is seam-
less and all of a piece ; hut as exhibited in the nation-
alistic writings of the day, it is full of seams, and,
like Joseph's coat, of many colours.

I for one enter my most serious protest against
this ruthless mutilation ^^\' the Ciospel. A stained

312

THE GREAT COMMISSION.

^!li

;;•*»

&-L , .

window may attract greater notice and command
louder admiration; but a plain window is best
adapted for the manifold purposes of daily life. A
sermon patched up of a little Scripture and much
pliilosophic jargon, glossed over with dreamy senti-
mentalism, mav elicit loud applause. But of this
we are convinced — a plain sermon, containing sound
evangelical doctrine, is the best adapted to save men
and to satisfy their moral and spiritual cravings. A
desire is manifested in many quarters to hide the
Cross under o;audv Jiarlands, gathered in the garden
of human wisdom ; but T see no reason why we
should strive to make the Cross more ornamental
than God made it. Wliy conceal it under a heap
of roses ? Rather let the Cross be seen, though every
rose wither and die. The Roman Catholic mission-
aries to the far East, knowing the Cross to be a
stumbling-block to the human mind, suppressed, it is
said, all mention of it, and preached bare, dry, barren
morality. That, I believe, to be also the drift of the
teachintj; of some of the most eminent writers of the
Broad Church party. Preach the truths in common
between Christianity and other religions, say they, if
you want to succeed. Nay, say I, rather preach the
truths which are distinctive of Christianity, which
differentiate it from all other religions; its strength
lies not in the truths which it possesses in common
with others, but in the truths which peculiarly belong
to itself. ** I determined not to know anything
among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified."
Constantine the Great, on the eve of the memoral)le

THE GREAT COMMISSION.

^ T ^

battle which was to decide th : fate of the Homan
Empire, saw in the heavens a fiery ChjoS, and heard
a voice from above sav to him — " Bv tliis conquer."
That is tlie legend, and doubtless it embodies a valu-
able truth — if the Church is to conquer the hoarv
idolatries and shocking immoralities of the world,
slic must do it by the Cross. "By this conquer."

:h the

TTI. '"Go ye into all the world and preach the
Gospel : " this teaches us the area of the Christian
ministry.

1. They were to preach the Gospel to the Jews.
" Beginning at Jerusalem." And it is satisfactory to
know that manv believed, not only of the common
people, but also of the priests. " And the Word of
God increased; and the number of the disciples
multiplied in Jerusalem greatlv ; and a great com-
pany of tlie priests were obedient unto the faith." A
little further on the figure is put down as myriads.
" Thou seest, brother, how manv thousands (literally,
mvriads) of Jews there are which believe."

2. They were to preach it to the educated Greeks
and Roinatis. No wider difference can well be con-
ceived than between the unpolished Jews and these
highly-civilised European nations. But the same
Gospel that satisfied the moral and spiritual cravings
of the former, satisfied the moral and sp\itual crav-
ings of the latter. And as the Gospel subdued the
civilisation of the ancient world, so will it prove more
than a match to the civilisation of the modern world.
The title written over the Cross of Christ in He!)rew,

THE GREAT COMMISSION'.

It'

Greek, Jind Latin, liad more than a siiperfieial mean-
ing — it was in a sjiecial sense proj^lictic of the future
destiny of the reli(j,i')n He eame to estabh'sh. "This
is the Kino- of the lews." "This is the Kincr " in
flci)ie\v, tlie language of the world's religion and
the(>loirv. " Tliis is tlie Kinir " in (jlreek, the lan-
guiirc of the world's pliilosophv and literature.
"This is the Kiiig " in Latin, the language of the
world's polities and commeree. The hour is advanc-
'ng witli a steady thouirh a slow step, when Jesus
Christ will reiun supreme in the theology, the philo-
sophy, and the polities of the world, when He will
he aeknowletleed King in the religion, the literature,
and the eommeree of the earth.

3. Thev were furthermore to preaeh it to the bar-
iarous tril)es afar otV. Celsus, and eonteniporaneous
seoffers generallv, objected that the same religion
would never meet the re(juirenients of the high-bred
Romans and of the swarthv savages of Africa — thev
looked u))on a universal religion, equallv adapted for
the whole world, as a wild chimera of some over-
heated brain. But what savs historv ? That Chris-
tianitv suits the extreme of culture on the one hand,
and the extreme of barbarisn. on the other. It is
a religion for that part of humanity where the sage
and the savage are one, for that region too deep for
culture to improve, and too deep likewise for bar
barism to utterly destroy. Luropeans as a rule have-
blue eves, and Africans as a rule have dark eyes.
Phvsioloirists miirht arjrue beforehand that the same
sun would not suit such diflerenilv coloured eves.

THE GREAT COMMISSION.

O'O

that certain niodifications in the llght-mys would be
absolutclv nccissarv. But experience teaches that,
notwithstanding the difil-rence in the colour of the
eyes, the same sun meets the requii2nients of tlie
inhabitants of the two continents. And men might
argue a priori tliat the same (jospel could not suit
all nations alike, the civilised and the savage; but
experience confutes this rcasoninir as it does many
other reasonings besides — the same Christ wants all
and is wanted bv all. Religions of human invention
are local and temporary — limited to times and places;
but the Gospel is universal, above time and above
place. Bread-corn will grow anvwhere. Certain
growths are exotics, thriving only within certain
(Iporees of latitude : outside these thev languish and
die. But wlieat is confined to no zone — it will grow,
thrive, and ripen all the wovid over. And all rcli-
i^ions of man's device are exotics, strictly confined
within certain definite belts of the irlobe ; but the
Bread of Life acclimatises itself everywhere — it is
needed evervwhcr.', and it will grow everywhere.

The Saviour compares the " Kingdom of Heaven
unto leaven which a woman took, and hid in three
measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."
Why did He mention "three measures"? vSonie
answer that He meant to predict the spread of the
Gospel over the three continents then known — Asia,
Europe, and Africa. Others suppose that the three
measures refer to the three «;ons of Noah, who sever-
ally populated the three contiii^'Uts — Slum populating
Asia, Japhcth Europe, and Ham Africa; and that tie

3i6

TWZ GREAT COMMISSION.

live

Ir^.

t rt
I )

,1 11

Saviour wislud to foretell the ultimate evangelisation
of" the whoK' huuiau raee. Others again perceive in
the words a setting forth of the influence which the
Gospel exerts over individuals, and see in the "three
measures" a mystic allusion to the threefold nature
of man — spirit, soul, and body. In these different
views, however, tliere is a point of union. The
three continents were populated respectivelv by the
three sons of Noah — Shem, Japheth, and Ham.
These three again represent the threefold nature
of njan — the spirit, soul, and body. In Shem you
see the development and degradation of the spirit —
Asia is t!ie theatre upon wliich religion worked out
its problems. In Japheth vou see the development
and degradation of the soul — Europe is the platform
ujion which intellect worked out its problems. In
Ham again you see the reign and degradation of
the passions— Africa is the field in which the bodv
worked out its problems, and finally exhausted itself
in abominable lusts. Asia had to solve the reliirious
problems of the world ; Europe had to grapple with
its intellectual problems ; and Africa demonstrates
to what length the physical appetences may rush,
and to what ignominious depths the race is capable
of sinkijig in its mad pursuit after sinful indulgences.
But take what view you please, and it answers my
purpose. Christianity is to subdue the spirit of man,
the religious sentiment in you and in me — it is to
pervade Asia, overturn its colossal idolatries, and
bring the religion of Shem into its sweet captivity.
It is to subdue the soul of man, the intellectual
factor in you and in me — it is to penneate all

THE GREAT COMMlSSIONf.

Europe, humble our uiisauctificd reason, and bring
us low to the foot of the Cross. We beliold a great
deal of unsanetified intelleet in England at the pre-
sent dav ; but Divine Grace will leaven it by and by
— the soul will be subdued to the Saviour. We
read in the Bible of cherubim and seraphim. The
seraphim are represented as a flame of fire, the
cherubim as being full of eyes ; the seraphim have
more heart, the cherubim more intellect; the sera-
phim more love, the cherubim more knowledge. In
the seraphim I behold the religious sentiment brought
in subjection to the throne — in them I see the chil-
dren of Shem, all heart, all fire, all flame. In the
cherubim I behold the intellect brought into the cap-
tivity of the Gospel — in them I see the proud chil-
dren of Japheth, all intellect, all knowledge, all eves.
Is that all? No; the Gospel not only sanctifies the
spirit and claims all Asia to itself. It not onlv sanc-
tifies the reason and claims all Lurope to itself. But
it sanctifies the body likewise, and claims all Africa to
itself. The Gospel aims at spreading itself through-
out the world. '

IV. "Go ye into all the world and preach the
Gospel to everv creature." This teaches us the inten-
siveness of the Gospel, the particular care it bestows
upon individuals.

I. The Gospel is to be preached to every man. As
the phrase " all the world " teaches its broad univer-
sality, 80 the phrase " every creature " teaches its
minute individuality. It is to be preached to all, and
oflercd to eacli. And, perhaps, the ministrv- of the

THE GREAT COMMISSION.

nineteenth century fails in nothing more than in per-
sonal dealing with individuals. Jesus Christ preached
to individuals. Two of the most interesting chapters
in the whole New Testament and most fraught with
momentous truths -the third and fourth of John —
were s))()ken to individuals. It would prohahlv be a
healthful exercise to modern ministers to preach occa-
sionally to a congregation of one — it would strip our
discourses of their elaborate showy trapj)ings, and
make us speak sim|)ly and naturally as men to men.

2. I am not sure but the words further imj)ly that
fiterally " crcrij creature " will advantage by the pro-
pagation of the Gosj)el. When man fell, the lion
and the tiger fell with him — iunnan sin entailed un-
told misery on the irrational creation. To suppose
man's sin brought death upon the brute animals is a
mistake; science teaches us that death reigned in the
animal creation thousands of years before man was
created. The Scripture doctrine is that human sin
brought deatlj on the human race. " Wherefore, as
by one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all
have sinned." " Death passed upon all men,'' but it
had passed on all animals before. But though Adam's
Fall is not the cause of death amono; the beasts ol the
field, yet it is the cause of much pain and wretched-
ness. Think what the domestic animals suffer because
of human cruelty !

The Gospel, however, brings the animals " glad
tidiuiTS of great joy." Into whatever country the
G(>spe^ is introduced, sooner or later it enacts laws
for *' tiic jircvcntion of cruelty to animals." Into

THE GRF.Vr COMMISSION.

319

\vhatcvcr family it enters, it ensures the kindlier
treatment of all animals enijiloved in the serviees
of the household. " I would not ijive a fiir," said
Rowland llill in his (juaint fashion, "for that man's
relitrion whose eats and dous are not the hetter lor
Are vou eonverted?" asked a u'entleman onee

" a

f a eabman.

((

Ask

mv iiorse-

-he k

now

was the

strange reply ; but though strange it was true.
Belore the man was eonverted he treated his horse
harshlv, lashed him unmereifully, exposed him eruellv
to the eold winds, whilst he was drinkino- awav his
reason and his heart in the

djl

nujue-liouse.

inee ne

is eonverted, he sjieaks to his horse more gciitlv, uses
the whip more sparinglv, and is more earrtul that he
be eomfortablv stal)led. I'he horse knew that his
driver had been made a new ereature, bteause he
reeeived a new treatment. 'I'lie Gospel alleviati-s the
lot of every ereature, and in proportion as it will l)e
praetised at home and disseminated abroad, w ill the
eurse of suffering be lifted from the beasts of the Held
and the fowls of the air. Some theologians eoujee-
ture that manv of the now earnivorcnis animals wrrc
graminivorous in th.' normal state of ereation ; that
many of tlie beasts whieh now live bv >laut:lHer,
lived in the world's pristine and unfallen eonditioii
bv eating grass. Be that as it mav, the Scriptures
prediet a tiu.e when another great change for the
better will come over the animal creation — the car-

come iiTaminn orous.

nivorous beasts will again be
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the
leopard shall lie tlown with the kid; and tlu'cilf and
the vouno; Hon and the fatlini»- together ; and a little

320

THE GREAT COMMISSION.

h^w^

child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear
shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together;
and the lion shall cat straw like the ox. They shall
not hurt nor destroy in all niv holv mountain." A
marvellous change! But the language is metapho-
rical, you say. Perhaps; hut metaphorical or literal,
it pictures a marvellous improvement to be brouuht
about by the Gospel of Christ.

3. Nay, more; it will lift the curse from the very
grnifi/H. " Cursed is the ground for thv sake; briars
and thistles will it brins: forth." Man's sin has im-
poverished the verv soil on which he treads; and in
proportion as man will recover his holiness will the
ground recover its fertility. The best manure for the
soil is — goodness in the hearts of its cultivators. A
period of great fruitfulness is predicted, when a
harvest of wheat will be gathered on the tops of tlie
mountains. When ? When holiness will be inscribed
on the bridles of the horses. Christianity is the
infallible panacea for all the maladies of the world,
spiritual, intellectual, and physical. Many medicines
are advertised in the present day, and each one is re-
commended as a cure for all the ills to which flesh is
heir; and reading the advertisement columns of the
newspai:>ers, one wonders that there is any sickness,
or deatli either, in the world. But I may say with
confidence of the Gospel that it is the universal
remedy — " it heals all manner of sickness and all
manner of disease among the people." Yea, it will
also deliver the earth from its groanings and travail,
and make it share in the joy of the children of God.
Oh ! erlorious day, when will it come?

lit ft!

:he bear
Dgether;
icy shall
in." A
jetapho-
ir literal,
brought

the very
c; briars
1 has ini-
i; and in
s will the
re tor the
itors. A

when a
)ps of the
: inscribed
Xy is the
he world,
medicines

one is re-
ich flesh is
;ins of the
y sickness,
y say with
J universal
;ss and all
*fea, it will
nid travail,
•en of God.