7/8^. 2-V LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY PRINCETON, N. J. DJ'vùioti..^.'^ /6 4- /6 O Section... f.rr^.Ù I X' THE IW A JUL 3^1924 U OF OUR LORD JE kJ Jiii m J- KJ J- I BY The Rev. Charles C. Adams, S. T. D., RECTOR OF ST. MARY'S CHURCH, N. Y. NEW YORK: No. II Bible House. CHARLES F. ROPER 1878. Copyrighted, July. 1S73. CONTENTS. CHAPTER, PAGF. I. Introduction, 3 II. Messianic Prophecies, 7 III. The Arch-Angel's Annunciation, ... 14 IV. The Time of Christ's Coming, . . . 17 V. The Birth of Jesus, 24 VI. Jesus' Circumcision and Presentation in the Temple, . , 31 VII. Visit of the Magi, 38 VIII. Jesus' Boyhood, 45 IX. Jesus' Youth and Manhood, .... 5o X. Jesus Announced as the Christ, . . • 5S XI. Christ on the Jordan and in Galilee, . 64 XII. Christ's First Missionary Journey, ... 73 XIII. Christ's Journey Continued, . . . . 81 XIV. The First Passover, . . . . . .86 XV. Christ Returns to Judea, .... 94 XVI. Second Year's Ministry, 103 XVII. The Second Passover, m XVIII. The Twelve Apostles Called, . . . .119 XIX. Our Lord's Parables, 127 XX. The Twelve Apostles Sent, .... 134 XXI. The Delegation from Jerusalem, . . . 146 XXII. Christ's Return from Jerusalem, . . . 156 XXIII. The Third Passover, i6i ^l XXIV. The Transfiguration, XXV. After the Transfiguration, . XXVI. The Church and the Seventy. . XXVII. Teaching in Cities and Villages, XXVIII. Return from Jerusalem, . XXIX. Going up to Jerusalem, XXX. The Feast of Dedication, . XXXI. In Perea, XXXII. Going into Judea, .... XXXIII. The Chief Priests' Council, . XXXIV. Christ s Entry to Jerusalem, . XXXV. The Third Day of Christ's Passion, XXXVI. Christ's Last Teaching in the Temple XXXVII. Wednesday Evening, XXXVIII. The Last Passover, .... XXXIX, Christ's Discourse with the Eleven, XL. The Last Prayer with the Apostles, XLI. Christ's Arrest and Trial, . XLII. The Crucifixion, XLIII. Christ in Paradise, XLIV. Christ's Resurrection, . . . XLV. The Great Forty Days, . . XLVI. Our Lord's Ascension, XLVII. Christ Glorified, .... XLVIII. Christ, the Judge, .... XLIX. Conclusion, . , , , . i68 176 1 84 194 205 212 222 228 235 246 252 261 271 280 28S 295 305 3n 328 342 349 359 370 375 380 395 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. If there be an eternal God, who created the earth, and made man in His image and likeness, nothing is more reasonable, than that He should have revealed to man His will, and, in whatever way it might be, it would be supernatural. According- ly, Jesus' conception was a mystery, His life superluiman, and every attempt to write it must outshadow more or less of the faith, intellect, and knowledge of the writer, — as is seen in the lives by Henan and Strauss, by Liddon, Fnrrar, and Geikie. This life aims to show from the revealed and historical records, and scientific and critical analysis, that Christ was tlie incarnate Son of God, the Messiah, of prophecy; be(iause He knew, revealed, and did, Avhat only God could, — developed Juda- ism into Christianity, offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of man, and organized a kingdom to carry on the work of salvation He began, to prepare the world for His second coming to judge it. Though Cln-ist's knowledge was in advance of His age, and He revealed more of the mysteries of God and nature than all the prophets and philosophers who lived before Him, yet, the Jews rejected Him as tlieir Messiali ; and though He foretold the future results of His ndssion, in ways which have ever since 4 LIFE OF CHRIST. been proving Hi3 Divine knowledge, men are yet divided in their opinions of Him. The title of Christ is applied to Him, in His pre-existent state as the Son of God; and He is represented as exercising the authority of a Prophet, Priest, and King in Heaven ; and these otii(;es lielp us to understand manj things in His incarnate life. St. Paul calls Him, " the image of the invisible God, the first horn of every creature," says all things were created by Him, and for Him, in heaven and earth ; and by Hitii all things consist. And St. John says, " TJie Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." And from all this, Christ's human nature appears to be a development from the Godhead, to manifest God's wisdom, power and love, in the works of C'reation and Iledemption ; and for the final destruction of all evil, and to exalt man and creation to a higher state than their original one. As the Lord God, He w^rought with the Father and the Spirit in creating the worlds, and instructed Adam concerning good and evil; and instituted a way of recovery from his fall, and promised a Saviour in the seed of the woman ; and provided a Heavenly Paradise, where neither Satan, sin, nor death can enter, while man prepares for Heaven. In Jesus, God and man, matter and spirit were forever united ; and in this mystical union, He fills the whole horizon of the past and future eternity. And it looks as if there was some- tliing (»f linmanity in the Godhead, revealed in man's creation, which could not be revealed without His son's incarnation in man's nature — Man's creation was the concurrent work of the Holy Trinity, " Let us make man in our own image, and after our likeness;" the image is man's three-fold nature, body, soul, and spirit ; the likeness, man's original holiness. That revelation was presci'ved among all nations, as is evident from the ancient LIFE OF CHRIST. 5 mythologies, polytheisms, and theologies ; and helped to prepare them to believe in the incarnation, when it should come. Moreover, the Son of God often appeared on earth, nnder a human or angelic form, to J!^oah and Abraham, Jacob and JVloses, directing the great events that were preparing the way for His incarnation. On the Mount He instructed Moses how to pre- pare the Tabernacle, and Ritual, and Priesthood, whi(;h were to develop into His Church, liturgy and ministry. St. Paul says, " The Israelites followed that Rock, and that Rock was Christ." The Psahnist speaks of "The Man at God's right hand;" Daniel saw in a vision, " One like the Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven, and an everlasthig kingdom and dominion were given Him." And this looks as if man must be more like God tlian the angels ; and so dearer to Him, because when the angels fell there was no redemption for them. From all God has revealed in creation and redemption, there is a universal law of evolution proceeding from Him, and perfec- ted in Christ, who said, " I came out from God ; " as the Son of Man, and through Him, men have ever since been changing into His spiritual likeness, and passing by death to a higher life, and in Paradise preparing for Heaven, where they will finally be changed into His likeness from glory to glory. That seems to be the higher law, similar to the develop- ment in the physical world ; creation being a development from an elementary magma " without form and void ; " and all animal and vegetable life are so created that they reproduce themselves by a similar law ; and the great works of creation and redemp- tion are passing through changes to perfe(jtion. "We discover these mysteries slowly ; only one century ago oxygen, the most abundant element in creation, was discovered ; and recently we have learned that the gases can be liquified; and the complex nature of sun light, and its economy in the animal and vegetable world are modern discoveries ; and we do C. LIFE OF CHRIST. not yet know the mystery of life, of instinct and intellect, or how the forces of nature are correlated, or cause the movements of the planets. No wonder, then, that ft took four thousand years to prepare tlie world for Christ; or that men were slow to believe in Ilim, when we cannot now understand the nature of the Trinity in God, or ourselves. But if any will believe only what they under- stand, they will have a narrow creed. AVe grow wise by studying what is revealed of these mysteries, and our present happiness and eternal life are involved in them. AVe see God's first revelation was creation, that re- vealed Ilis wisdom and power ; and the second revelation made known His justice, love, and mercy ; while the incarnation, resurrection from the dead, ascension to Heaven of Christ, and sending the Holy Ghost to abide on earth, have revealed to us a knowledge of God, and of tlie glory that awaits the righteous in a future life, that we never should have known without them. And we have such reasons to believe in Christ, as the Son of God, as no generation before us ever had ; because history, science, and fultilled prophecies of this nineteenth century have shed such liglit on Him, as no preceding generation had. And we see in the progress of man, and the development of human events, how vast the life and power of Christ on earth now are; and how certainly we may infer, that all He has revealed con- cerning the destiny of mankind in time and eternity will surely come to pass. And then, tliat His vast works of creation and re- demption, botli now progresshig towards completion, will be per- perfected when He comes again in the glory He had with the Father before creation bey-an. t. ^fr • \ —9 ^ CHAPTER II. THE MESSIANIC PROPHECIES. The first prophecy of a Saviour, to redeem man from the power of Satan, sin, and death, was, that the seed of the Avoman should produce him ; no intimation was given of the time, or place of His hirth, or of any special glory to attend Him. The first man was created fi-om matter, had no mother, and no father but God ; the Messiah was to have a mother, and no intimation of a father ; and His Divine nature was hidden for centuries, and gradually unfolded by prophecies until He came. Eve had no knowledge of the nature of the Messiah, sacrifice was appointed for the remission of sins until He came ; and when Cain was born, she evidently supposed lie was the Messiah, because she said, " I have gotten a man from the Lord." The hope of such a Saviour is manifest in the oldest religions and traditions of mankind ; and Pagans looked for a king wlio would establish a magnificent, universal, empire ; while later prophecies foretold that He would be a descendant of Abraham, a prophet like Moses, and in the royal line of David, and woukl elevate the race to a higher spiritual and intellectual state, and enable them to overcome themselves, the world, and the devil. Balaam, a Gentile prophet, said, "Messiah W(uild be a king, whose sceptre would rise out of Jacob, and His kingdom be ever- 8 LIFE OF CHRIST. lasting;" and Pagan priests preserved tlie tradition by tlieir sacri» fices, wliidi looked to Iliiu us a satisfaction for sin; they confessed iliat this life is a sad pilgrimage, and they liad no hope for its ills until a Deliverer should come from on higli. Tlie second person in the Egyptian thcogony, held a similar relation to that of Christ in the Godliead, and the deity oftenest named in the Hindu songs is Vishnu, — the second person of the Hindu Triad ; and the Greeks and Romans also expected a De- liverer like the other Pagans. The oldest Sibylline Books, which certainly have some tradi- tions of revelation and true religion that existed even before Noah, also have the promise of a great Deliverer, called " a Heaven sent king, the Mighty God," a restorer of the kingdom of justice and holiness on earth ; and again they say, " God will send a king from Heaven, "who will judge men in blood and a flame of fire." And they also predict, that man will abandon false gods, and return to the worship of the only true God. How nmch of this last truth was interpolated in later times, we do not know ; but certainly some of their oldest vaticinations are as old as the times of Moses and Homer. Revelation and tradition alike helped to preserve the hope of the Messiah; but the Psalmist foretold Him as the Lord's anointed, and describes the particulars of His earthly life, death, resurrection, and ascension to Heaven, and calls Him " God our Saviour ; " but that was only in the popular sense, in which the Jews often used the word God, as applied to an eminent person ; and that was commonly held by them, and our Lord's disciples after He came. Such was the state of prophecy and the world a thousand years before Clirist's birth, and at the end of the second stage of its development. And the prophets after David and Solomon began a new era of revelation, fortelling Christ's advent with more detail; they said He would be born of a vii'gin, and His 1 LIFE VF CHRIST. 9 name be Immanueî, " God with us ; " and, as tlie Redeemer, He would come to Zion, a liglit to lighten the Gentiles, and tlic glory of Israel; and while He would heal tlie sick, comfort the troubled, bind up the broken hearted, deliver captives, preach the Gospel to the poor, and forgive sins, He would be Himself the arciietype of all human suffering and sorrow — despised and rejec- ted by men, cut oif for the sins of the world, die witli malefac- tors, liave His burial with the ricli, rise from the dead, ascend to heaven, be glorified in the Godhead, and draw all men unto Him. Daniel foretells the exact time of Christ's birth ; Micah names Bethlehem as the place ; Haggai said : " Pie is the desire of all nations ; " and Malachi, the last of the minor prophets, said He would rise on the world as the Snn of Righteousness; Zacharias, tlie connecting link between the prophecies of the Law and the Gospel, said, taking the infant Jesus in his arms : " God hath raised up a horn of Salvation for us, in tlie house of His servant David ; " and Caiaphas, the last legal high priest and prophet of Judaism, closed the Canon of Messianic prophecy, saying to the rulers of the Jews, " Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this He spake not for Himself ; but l)eing high-priest that year, he prophecied that Jesus should die for that nation." From these paradoxical prophecies, the Jews did not know what kind of a person Christ would be ; tlie titles " God with us," and the " Lord our Righteousness," implied to them only that He would be a man highly endowed by God, would work mighty miracles, and establish an universal temporal kingdom. The Hebrews often used the term God in that sense ; Moses was called by Jehovah, the God of Pharaoh ; the Judges were called Gods, because they judged by God's authority ; and Christ said to the Jews, " Is it not written in your law, I said ye are Gods ? If He called them Gods to whom the word of God came, and the 10 LIFE OF CHRIST. Scripture onnnot be broken ; say ye of Him, whom the Father hntli saiu'titied and sent into tlio world, thon Idaspliemest, 1x3- cansc I said I am the Son God ? *' But that lie was s»>, as the second person i>f the Trinity, was one of tlie secrets they were not to know nntil His resurrection. Tlie nnchanL(able faitli of tlie Jews, that the Loi-d our God, is ONE God, and hut one Person in tlie Godhead; yet, m.'iin- tained 1)y tlieni, sliows how impossible it was for them to believe in Christ, as He is revealed in the Gospel. Though the learned Jews had learned from the Egyptians something of the Logos, as tlie word is used in the Gospel, but they referred it to the wisdom of the Messiah. History and existing monuments prove, that the prophecies were written centuries before Christ ; and the evidence is greater that they were fnliilled in Christ, who was born in the reign of Cresar Augustus, as they are recorded in the New Testament. And they have internal and external evidence of a Divine origin, because the}' f orteil events none but God could know, and are woven into the history, traditions, and religions of mankind. For all the types, sacrilices, and ceremonial of Jmlaism ; and all the religious rites of Paganism, and the rise and fall of nations, helped to prepare for the Messiah, exactly as prophecy foretold He would come. Witliout the prophecies, no such Christ could have been imagined, and when He came the Jews Avho preserved them .rejected Him as their Messiah; and unless Cln-ist had fnliilled ithe prophecies, the world would never have believed Him to be iGod's incarnate Son ; but we believe in Him, because no such man had appeared before Him, as none such has since. And these prophecies fulfilled before and since Christ, are more conclusive proofs of His divinity, than His doctrines, miracles and holy life, because imposture is impossible; we see how -they wore, and are fulfilled, and now fulfilling. CHAPTER III. THE ARCH-ANGEL'S ANNUNCIATION. The Bible represents the angels as ministering between God and men, in all the extraordinary events, that prepared the way for the incarnation of the Son; annonneing His conception, attending His birth and wliole earthly life, and witnessing His resurrection and ascension to heaven ; and Christ foretold, that they will come with Him at His second advent, and an arch- angle's trump will sound the knell of time, and summons the dead to the judgment. B. C. 534, the arch-angel Gabriel, whose place is before God's throne, was sent to reveal to Daniel the exact time m- hen " the Messiah, the Prince, should be born ; and he then disap- peared, and nothing was heard of him in this world for five centuries, when he appeared to Zacharias, while he was ofhciating in the Temple, and announced that his wife Elisabeth would I)e the mother of a miraculous child, the Forerunner of tlic Messiah. Six montlis later, Gabriel returned to Nazareth, with this annunciation to the A^irgin Mary, " Hail tliou who art highly favored, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women ; ' Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God, and be- hold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and sliall bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and 12 LIFE OF CHRIST. bUmII be called the Son of tlio Highest, and the Lord God shall give lliiii the throne of llis father David; and He sliall reign over the House of Jacob forever.' " Mary, at first terrified, then said to the angel, " How shall tliis 1)0, seeing I know not a man ? " And Gabriel ant^wered, "' The Holy Ghost sliall come upon thee, and the power of tlie llii^diest shall overshadow thee ; tlierefore, also that Holy Being, who shall be born of thee, shall be called the Sen of God." Thus he explained the first great Messianic prophecy. God gave the name Jesus, by the angel, to the child before He was conceived, and thus designated His office of Saviour; and Mary's confession to her Virginity shows, that she expected her child would be only a miraculous conception like her great ancestor's child Isaac, or her cousin Elisabeth's; calling Him the Son of the Highest, would be understood by her according to the Jewish expectation of the Messiah; and she never knew, until her child was glorified in heaven, that He was the second person of the most Holy Trinity. Tlie l^lessing then pronounced on Mary, revoked for her the curse on her mother Eve, from wliom she inherited the seed irom whicli the Saviour sprang ; and she M'as favored by God, to be the earthly mother of the human nature of Christ; she was blessed in her maternal love, in training His unfolding mind, in the joy she felt in His holy manliood, in His teucljing and miracles. His triumph over death, in His ascension to heaven, and the assurance tliat He was glorified in the Godhead, and worsl lipped by the angels. Slie was blessed also in seeing in her Son, what was fore- shadowed in the prophecy, that He would be of tlie seed of the woman, that He had a feminine delicacy and tenderness, with the strength of a perfect manhood, and the holiness of God. Besides all that, she is blessed now, as no other wonum ever was, in occupying a place in Cln-ist's Church ; two yearly festi- LIFE OF CHRIST. 13 vais in her honor, and in the religious thought of the world ; the angelic "Hail Mary" has been a continual salutation to our day. But, above all, she is blessed in the rank and glory she has enjoyed timong tlie saints in Paradise, where slio is waiting, in expectation of the eternal glory she will enjoy with Cln-ist, after her resurrection, in heaven. Surely the promise has been, and ever will be, fulfilled, — that God has blessed lier among women. Mary was told by Gabriel, that her Cousin Elisal)eth also had conceived a miraculous child ; and she went with haste to visit he]-, and when she saluted Elisabeth, the babe leaped in her womb for joy, and she said with a loud voice: "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thj- womb ; and whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me ; for lo ! as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy ; and blessed is she who believed, for tliere shall be a performance of those things that were told her from the Lord." Though these words were a benediction, they were also prophetical ; and doubtless Elisabeth knew no more of their full import, than the prophets did of their prophecies ; and she called Mary blessed, as the mother of her Lord, only in the sense of her Jewish expectation, that her child would be tlie Messiah. And thus it was, a woman who lost men their inno- cence and salvation, was chosen by God to give the race a Saviour ; and show His power over Satan, by making her seed destroy Satan's power, and consign him to eternal punishment in hell ; one woman brought sin and death into the world, and God made another woman to bring in righteousness and eternal life. Mary's anthem of thanksgiving. And Mary said: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour; for He liath re- garded tlie low estate of His handmaideti; for behold, from 14 LIFE OF CHRIST. henceforth all generations shall cmU me blessed ; for lie who is niii;hty hath done great things to me ; and holy is Ilis name ; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts ; He hath put do\vn the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree ; He hatli tilled the Innigiy with good things, and the rich Ke hath sent empty away ; He liath hol]>en His servant Israel, in remembrance of Ilis nieiH-y ; as He spake to our fatîiers, to Ahraliam, and to his seed forever. And Mary abode with her about three months Cwhirli was until John the Forerunner of her Son was born.) and rctui-ned to her own liome. All this was evidently said by Divine inspiration, being partly historical, and partly [)rophetical ; she did not understand the hidden meaning, when slie said slie njoii-cd "• in Golomon ; and so Mary confesssed that God in blessing her had remembered His promise and mere}', and truth to the House of Israel. But neither of them were thus honored of God, bec-ause of their pedigree or rank, — for the House of David was almost forgotten by num. Mary's fandly was poor, and she was betrothed to a poor num ; but both of them were righteous before God, and so were chosen by Him, to fulfill His purposes, instead of any other of David's descendants. Mary had grown to woman- hood in a quiet village, modest, devout, and her piet}- probably LIFE OF CHRIST. 15 unnhserved but by the all- seeing Heavenly Father, who chose her to be tlie Motlier of His incarnate Son. For four thousand years this child had been tlie Desire of all nations, and for eii^ht centuries He had been expected as the offsprinii- of a viri^in mother ; and ever since His birth, the faith and purity and sorrows of the Blessed Virgin have helped to cimlirui man's oclief in Christ, and to spread His religion. And lier name is embodied in the creed of His Cluirch, as Avell as the Grospel ; and from her day, women have been co-laborers in all good works for the extension of His Kingdom. The New Testament furnishes names of Deaconesses, who liclpcd the Apostles, and the roll of Martyrs has the names of illustrious women who suffered for Clu-ist ; and history tells of many who iiave aided in spreading nnssions iu tlie world. Tlie Empress Helena was conspicuous in extending Christianity in the Roman Empire, and missions in Germany, Gaul, and Britain and Russia were assisted by women ; and tJie names of Clotilda, Bertha, Giselle, Queen Ann, and a liost of others are among tlie names of the inmiortals in history. And we learn from the Blessed Virgin, that neither rank, nor riches, is essential to l.n'ing us into favor with God and honor among men ; and that we need not travel or suffer martyr- dom, as the A})Ostles did, to Avin e\'ei'la3ting renown ; because tile Blessed Virgin attained her glory l:>y doing her duty in an humble station, though she w:is of a royal line. And so may all ol>tain the honor and glory God alone can give, by doin»'- their duties patiently in that state of life where He has placed them. It is not what the world thinks of us, Ijut the way we make our character like Christ's, that determines God's estimate of us; and what v»-ill be our condition in Paradise, and our gloiy or shame, when we meet Him at the judgment. No one knows what part God designs him to play in the role of time, nor what will be the result of his life work ; but 16 ^ LIFE OF CHRIST. \ we do know, if we do our best to God and man, where our lot is cast, our labor will not be in vain in the Lord. And Oh ! what a blessed lesson the lowly Virgin's example is, for the great masses of our race, — the poor and disappointed, who are troubled because they see no way for them to do good and help the world's salvation : because she is so honored by God for humility, and righteousness, and submission to God's will. And if we stiive for these graces, in the reach of all, He will make all things to M'ork for our good as He did for hers ; for He lays no cross on any without giving them grace to bear it, if they will only ask it. He tries our faith and love and obedience here, to see how much love and glory we sliall be worthy to rcH-eive in the life everlasting. There is the Inirden of some cross in the lot of every mortal laid on him by God, as the blessed Virgin's was on lier; and when the Angel told her what was to happen to her, which, under other circumstances would have filled her with shame and sorrow, she meekly said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy word ; " so each one's cross may be designed by God, to be the training needed to discipline him into the Clirist-like temper and disposition essential to his salvation. As we look back over our past lives, we often see how much better God's ways were for us, than what we proposed or desired ourselves; and in our future lives we shall doubtless praise and adore Him for things we mourned over here. The Angel l)r<»uglit from God the name Jesus, for Mary's child ; it was a common Hel)rew name, but fully designated the otK(;e He was to fulfill; and this familiar name was in perfect keeping with the Divine humility which (-haracterized His whole earthly life. After this annunciation, Mary is hardly mentioned in the Gospel ; but while she was hidden from tlie world, the Saviour of the world wns secretly and silently forming in her, until the night when the auirels announced His birth at Bethlehem. CHAPTER IV. THE TIME OF CHRIST'S COMING. Creation and time liad a mystical relation to the incarnation of the Son of God. His human nature came out of the elements of matter, and in the course of time ; and from Creation, Revela- tion and the Incarnation, have come all we know of God, and our own origin and future eternal life. A tliousand years in God's sight are as one day, and one day as a thousand years. Time is a sequence of creation, — days, weeks, months and years represent only motion or procession of thought, and come from the motion of the planets; without that there would be no time, but one everlasting now. The Son of God was incarnate, to perfect creation by its redemption ; when that is finished time will be no more, and its whole course will be an epoch of eternity. St, Paul said, "When the- fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under tlie Law;" and our world's history shows that from creation all the great events in the development of man and nations, were a series of pre- parations for the incarnation ; and when God's plans and purposes were accomplished, the angels announced Jesus' birth. The time and manner of Christ's coming was so paradcx- •cally revealed, and the nature and design of His mission, that 18 LIFE OF CHRIST. He niii^lit be received by faitli, aiid that wlien the prophecies were fiiltilk'd tliere wouhl 1)0 no douljt of His person; like many divery;ent rays of truth they guncentratcd to fiillilhnent in Him. And now we see tliat God's mysterious way was best to furnish to all future generations, such evidence of Ilis Messiahship as no reasonable mind could doubt, and no ingumiity of man controvert. Looking back to the history of mankind before Cln-ist, we see that God first tried them witliout a written law, by oral commands and a long life, so that they might be easily trans- mitted by tradition ; Ijut this failed to restrain them from sin and temporal ruin ; then the experiment was made on one nation, with a written law and ritual of worship, which made the people superior to other nations ; but it did not save them from idolatry and rebellion against God, until they were so judi(dally blind, respecting the prophecies they preserved of the Messiali, that they rejected Him and caused His crucifixion. Jesus came to die for the sins of the world ; and the Jews prepared themselves, in spite of God's mercies to their fore- fathers, and of Christ's testimony to them by His words and works, to crucify Him. But all those preparations were .essential for the development of the new era, and new covenant in Clu'ist's blood, which were to revolutionize the world ; to introduce a reign of God on eartli, through the Holy Ghost, raise mankind to a higlier moral and spiritual condition, and a new civilization, science, and freedom, such as had never before existed. And there was no time from Adam to Christ, so appropriate to acx'omplish God's purposes of love and mercy for us men in Jesus' birth, as the beginning of the era which bears His name ; because His birth is rooted into time, and that has helped to transmit, through all the Christian centuries, the truth that the long expected Messiah did then come. That fullness of time had proved that, with all that God LIFE OF CHRIST. . 19 liad done to teach and lielp mankind, tliey were yet in a dc- ploralile condition, and needed some furtlier help from Ilim ; all hnman tçovernments were despotisms, and the people were groaning for deliverance from bondage to their sins and oppres- sors. Hardly greater wretchedness can be imagined than was universal when Jesus was born. The masses of the people were serfs and slaves, and had no rights their rulers respected — notwithstanding the theory of Roman Law, which guaranteed justice to its humblest citizens; might and money made the poor powerless to get redress. The Government of Rome was unstable ; one military despot after another was assassinated to give place to the next ambi- tious usurper ; the rich were murdered for their money ; Nero murdered his own mother long after Christ's birth ; women were degraded and shameless, and ladies of the highest rank exposed their persons to please Nero ; human passions were unrestrained among all classes, and public and private dishonesty was almost universal; and so dismal was the state of society, that some good men committed suicide to escape its horrors. All the foundations of social, domestic, and civil order, swayed under the convulsions of a corrupted and perishing world. The sense of insecurity and peril was universal, and the moral darkness which covered the people made them groan for deliverance from its worn out Paganisjn and dissoluteness, and proved how deeply a Saviour was needed. Nevertheless, the way had been preparing for centuries along with the grow- ing corruptions, which made the people feel the need of a Deliverer and for His coming ;-by the cultivation of letters, l)y the apotheosis of their great men by several nations, by the begin- ning of a reliable historical epoch, by the conquest of Palestine by the Romans, by the universal spread of the knowledge of the Greek language ; and the very men like Herod, and Pilate, Caiaphas and Judas, as well as the Blessed Virgin, and Zacharias, 20 LIFE OF CHllIST. and tlie Apostles and Evangelists, v:evc preparations for the Incarnation of the Son of God ; and without these good and bad men of that generation, llis mission could not have been accom])lished as it was. Tlic little country of Palestine, and tlie subjected nation of the Jews, were tlie only place and people wliere the true God was known and worshipped; and the rulers then liad so perverted His revelation, that Clu-ist denounced them as hypo- crites and whited sepulcln-es; and they rejected and crucitied Him. All the rest of the world was in Pagan darkness, with its Buddhism, Brahminism, Pantheism, the Precepts of Confu- cius, and Zoroaster, and Fetichism; and there were five hundred false gods worshipped in Rome, and described wdth vices which degrade and disgrace men. The grand civilization of Assyria, Egypt, and the East, and the classic culture of Greece and Rome, had done but little to elevate men morally or socially; and Christianity came as a healer of all the evils under which men groaned, and to lift them to a Idgher civilization as well as religious state. Tlie natural compassion of a common humanity, that moves to pity and re- lieve the suffering and diseased, had caused rulers in Egypt, India and Greece, centuries before Christ, to provide means to alleviate such cases ; something like the attendance of physicians at mod- ern dispensaries, and places of resort for lepers ; but there were no hospitals with medical skill, tender nursing, and means to ease suffering such as came with Christianity. And, it is said, that the first hospital ever built with these ends in view, was at Bethlehem where Jesus was born. Before Christ, peniten- tiaries were used not to reform, but punish and harden criminals; and instead of restoring them to society and a better life, they were turned out to prey with greater hatred on the world; and the dangerous classes were held in check by punishments that were cruel and inadequate. In St. Paul's day, because a slave LIFE OF CHRIST. 21 murdered his master, a whole plantation of men, women and children were put to deatli ; and one emperor fed his lish with the flesh of a slave. Thus, it was, after God had tried mankind for four thou- sand years, and showed then* incapacùty for self-government, and that even witli a written revelation, and priesthood, and Church, they could not save themselves from moral and tem- poi'al ruin, without some further help from Him ; that was the fullness of time, wlien He chose to send His Son in a human nature, to show men how to live a true manhood, and to furnish the means to help others to live like Him, to restore tliem from death, and exalt them to an eternal life with Him in heaven. Men saw the need of such a Saviour, felt that none but God could deliver the world from its crushing evils ; and then Jesus came as the second Adam, to show how grand and perfect the first Adam originally was ; how men, by following His ex- ample, could become like Him; and established His Church, and sent the Holy Spirit to help them ; and finally, to gradually dispell the moral darkness of the world, and the evils of society, exalt men to a higher civilization here, and fit them for His kingdom in heaven hereafter; and last, not least, destroy Satan's power throughout the universe, every where but in the one little prison of Hell. Civil and sacred history, and Gentile traditions, as well as the Gospel and classical writers, testify to a general ex- pectation of the appearance of an extraoi-dinary person [as about to appear] in the reign of the Roman Emperor Cseser Augustus, — which began B. C 30, and ended A. D. 14. The expectation existed, tlierefore, not only in Palestine and the Roman Empire, but also among the eastern nations; Tacitus,^^ Siietoneus, and Virgil testify to tlie expectation in the We^; and the coming of the Magi to inquire, "where is He born who is king of the Jews," testify to its existence in the East. 22 LIFE OF CHRIST. And now, on this fact, tluit tlie Son of God was incar- nate in onr nature, "made man,'- lived and died on earth, rose fi'oni the dead, ascended to Heaven, and is iiçloritied in tlie God-head, depends all revealed religion ; l)eitan6e, as St. l*:inl says, — if Christ be not risen. Christian hope is a delusion, and tliere is no ground to liope for a resun-eetion from the dead, nur of any future life, or gh.iry in Heaven. We see, also, how a good preparation liad been made at the time when Christ came. If He had come in any century Avhen Assyria, and Ba])ylon or Egypt were in their glory, they would have transmitted no historical records of any great value, and but fragments of wiitten history ; and had Christ come in a barbarous age or country, where there were no men of learning, and nothing but a barl)arous dialect, to trans- mit by tradition tlie records of His life and mission, the evidence would have been hardly convincing to the next gene- ration. But, when Christ came, all the ancient civilizations and literature had been poured into the laps of Greece and Rome, and raised to a liigher stage ; and one more capable of trans- mission, nncorrupted than had ever before existed. The (irreek and Latin languages had reached their highest perfec- Vlvu, and were better adapted than any preceding tongues to ex- press the spiritual doctrines, revealed by Christ; and were essen- tial to the new era of enlightenment, which was to begin in and with Christ, and were vehicles best suited to preserve and transmit the truths of Christianity. Though the Aramean, a dialect of the Syriac, was the vernacular uf the pef)]de of Palestine when Christ came, yet the Hellenistic was connnon in almost the whole Western wurkl, and was spoken ]»y Christ; and the Gospels, excepting St. Matthew's, were ])robMbly written in that Greek, and ex- actly as we now have them. And it was better adapted thar. LIFE OF CHRIST. 23 any existing Inngnago, to express tlie liiglier thonglits, emotions, Hiid e;[)iritnal trutlis Clnùst came to reveal. And tlie liand of God is plainly seen in all, tliat in the preparations as well as the prophecies, and the time wlien, and the jilace wliere, Jesns was bom. His coming was delayed, until tlie veiy men were born, wlio had folt the power of that civilization, and could ex]>rcss themselves in the dialect of Alex- andria; and in words and thoughts not only understood by the most cultivated people on earth, but, which was destined also to be forever the study and delight of scholars, and in which Christ's words were to be stereotyped, and last until His second coming. A]id again the hand of God is more plainly seen by us who look back at what the world then w.'is, and compare it with what it now is; and see that Christianity, penetrating the now Christian nations, has wrought the changes visil)le in their life, and inward character; modilied and humanized their govern- ments, enlarged the fredom of the })eople, elevated woman, ])ro- vided for orphans, and the alleviation of all human suffering; and introdu(;ed the graces of Christian benevolence and refine- ment, and made Cln-istendom the glory of our world: wdiere Christ is acknowledged its King, and Christendom is His Kingdom; and whei-e His army of soldiers three hundred million strong, after nineteen centuries, are going forth to otlier nations conquering and to conquer, and laying down their lives for Him, in obedience to His command; and are gathei*- ing the Gentiles into His Kingdom, doing it most effectually by means of the Christian enlightenment that has produced our modern science, inventions, and tiiscoveries. All the prophets and philosophers taught before Christ, concerning tlie nobility of man's nature, and the glory for which God created him, was but the shadow of the substance, and higher revelations made by Him. CHAPTER V. THE BIRTH OF JESUS. When Caesar Augustus liad gatliered all the power of the Roman Republic into his hands, and the Empire was at peace, and all the world was expecting some extraordinary event, four years before Anno Domini, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in tlie reign of King Herod. Augustus had issued a decree that all tlic world should be taxed; and Josepli went to Bcthleheui witli Mary his es- poused wife, being great with child, to be taxed ; wliilc tliere, she was delivered of her first born son. And the angel of the Lord appeared to tlie Slieplierds, and said : " Behold, I l)ring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born, this day in the City of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord." And they went to Bethlehem, saw the child, and repeated the angel's message. Attempts have been made to discredit St. Luke's narrative, because he says the taxing was made when Cyrenius was Governor of Syria; whereas, Varrus was Governor when Jesus was born, and Cyrenius was appointed eleven years after. The enrollment may then have begun, and its completion and the collection of the taxes may have been first made so mucli later; which is highly probable, if we consider the lack of speedy LIFE OF CHRIST. 25 communication, and that the empire extended from the Euphrates to the Athmtic, and from the Rhine and Danube to Mt. Atlas and the Fulls of the Nile, and consisted of twenty- five Provinces. Both the Empire and the decree were part of God's pre- paration for Jesus' birth. His mother's home was at Nazareth; and had He been born there, Micah's prophecy of Bethlehem would have failed; the Romans kept their archives with great care, and recorded impoi-tant events on brass, — and Tertullian appealed to them to prove Christ's condemnation and death. In those ways God provided, that the world should have unimpeachable witness, outside of the Gospel and Disciples of Christ, to prove that Jesus, who was born at Bethlehem, was the King of the Jews, — as Pilate persisted He was, in the inscription over His cross. Look, again, at St. Matthew's narrative. He was a Jew, collector of the revenue for the Romans, but became Chi-ist's disciple, lived three years with Him, was empowered to teach and w^ork miracles, and suffered martyrdom for his faith in Him; and wrote from personal knowledge, or, possibly, from the Blessed Virgin's own words, showing his countrymen that their propliecies were fulfilled in Him ; and he corroborates St. Luke's narrative, and says that He came " to save tlie people from their sins." He says Jesus was born in the days of Herod the king, because it was customary to connect remarkable events with the reign in which they occurred ; and as Herod died three years before Anno Domini, he helps to fix the date of Christ's birth ; and he perfectly identifies Him with many remarkable propliecnes, trac- ing His descent from Abraham ; while St. Luke wrote later and for Gentiles, and his genealogy traces the Blessed Virgin's an- cestry through David, Abraham and Noah to Adam, — the father of mankind. 26 LIFE OF CHRIST. ' All that is recorded respecting the thoughts or feelings of the Virgin Mother, respecting her Miraculous Child, until lie was twelve jears old and went with her to tlie Passover at Jerusa- lem, is, "But Mary kej)t all these things, and pondered them in her lieart." Here, then, is the joint testimony of Hebrew Shepherds, Roman Archives, of Holy angels, and Christ's Evangelists and Apostles, and the name of the Christian Era, that the child Jesus, who was born of the Virgin Mary, at Bethleliem, was the long expected Messiah, the Son of God, and Saviour of the world. And it looks as if it wei-e impossible to give testimony in any way more lii^ely to convince mankind that Jesus — so foretold, so conceived and so born — was any other than the seed of the woman, and the Son of God. Notwitlistanding this strong basis of sacred and civil history, on which the birth of Jesus rests, there arc cultivated ndnds, at least in science, that reject the belief of any Incjarnation of a Divine Person in Him; and regard the Gospel History as a Christian legendary story of Judea, oj-iginated in an age when there was great credulity, and little criticism, and that Christ's superhuman life and miracles are only inventions of His disci- ples ; which, if not intended to deceive others, were results only of their own deception, and grouped around Him as the wonder- ful being He appeared to be to tlie unsophisticated Disciples — who believed in Him, and recorded them. P>ut tlieir misled intelligence is readily proved false, by fair criticism ; and it is chiefly a lack of the full knowledge of revealed truth, which leads such minds astray. Men who study only matter, and the forces and laws of nature, and believe nothing they cannot understand or demonstrate, are iucapalde of interpreting God's written revelation ; because it is presented to our faith, and can be understood in no other way. Indeed, St. Paul says, it is true also of God's physical revelation, LIFEOFCHRIST. 27 " By faith we understand that the worlds were made ; " and no study of the laws of matter will tell the student who their maker was ; without revelation it is impossible to imagine that the world ever had a beginning, or any Creator, but its own laws. Hence, such men can never be safe guides respecting anything revealed by God, and addressed solely to our faith; for, however much we can learn of nature's laws, without faith we are com- pelled to admit that from nature alone their Author is unknow- able. If conceit and self-sufficiency persuade a fevv' men to Ije- lieve that they are wiser than the majority of intelligent and well educated men of Christendom, because they doubt the prophecies of the Old Testament, and deny their exact fulfill- ment in the New Testament — in the miraculous conception, the birth, supernatural life, and the well attested death, resurrection and ascension of Christ to Heaven — how can they explain the fulfillment of Christ's prophecies, which for nineteen centuries have been unfolding in the progress and development of men and nations, mentally and morally ? The absolute truth of Christianity is proven by the history of Christian civilization, and by the experience of individual men for all these Christian centuries ; and the whole tenor of human faith and philosophy is the reasonableness of Christianity, and the unshakable historical basis on which it rests. And it must he by strict criticism of the world's past history, and its present condition, that we shall attain the best knowledge of the probability of the truth of the Bil^le, as a revelation from the God who made us, and our world, and has directed and controlled all the great events here ; for no study of the laws of nature, or investigation of its forces, or the elements and molecules of matter, can tell us who or what God is; or how^ He would reveal His attributes of wisdom, love and mercy to His intelligent creatures. 28 LIFE OF CHRIST. God has made a created and written and incarnate revelation to man, and tliey como to us as parts of one grand whole. Tlie first visible sight we see, is the earth and the heavens ; and the first words we read in revelation are, " In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Both revelations are full of mysterious laws and invisible forces ; each one helps to explain the other. Without the Bible man never could have known that creation had a beginning ; and the difficulty with unbelievers is, that they look at only one side of Divine revelation, and attempt to interpret the whole from that imperfect view. It is impossible now, with our vastly increased facilities for investigating the laws of nature, and all our experience, learned from fulfilled prophecies, to forecast future events, respecting the world's development, or the destiny of nations. And the loftiest genius, and most poetically inspired imagination, never could have con- ceived of that succession of human events, which foretold and prepared the way for Christ's birth, or for the revelation He made that there are three Divine Persons in the Godhead, or that it was possible for the incarnation of one of them, which things never were understood until Christ revealed them. Again, how could a false Christ institute a religion which denounces all falsehood, and demands truth and righteousness from its disciples ? A religion that experience proves creates men of the highest types of manhood, and of the purest morals, and produces the highest social, civil and domestic happiness. A religion that has been the consolation of millions in the suffer- ings, sorrows, and trials of life, and an unfailing support in death for nmeteen centuries. How could a false Christ ordain a ministry, and institute a Church to teach men to be true and righteous, and give the world His words, which show that His life was holy, and as an example for all mankind ; and a ritual into which are inwoven the story of His miraculous conception, His birth, and all the extraordinary events of His earthly life, LIFE OF CHRIST. 29 and palm this on tlie world, and have it received, and used to worsliip Him as God, by millions of the wisest, best and most cultivated of our race ? How could His disciples incorporate into that Liturgy, called by St. Paul, " A Form of Sound Words," before the death of St. John, a festival, called Christ- mas, to commemorate the birth of Jesus, wliich has been ever since celebrated ; and, as we know, from certain history, on the 25tli day of December, ever since A. D. 137 ? How ac- count for the chronology of the new Christian era, dating from Clirist's birth, which history teaches is more than fourteen centu- ries old, and now accepted by all Christendom, if Jesus never was born at Eethlehem, in the days of Herod, and the reign of Augustus, — and He is only a Mythical Person ? And last, not least, how shall we account for the mighty revolutions and regen- eration, which has been ever since going on in the western world, and the extension of the force and light in Christendom to other nations, elevating them wherever they are introduced, raising them above any people that lived before Christ ? And how explain the difference of character between men in Christendom who believe in Christ and practice His religion, and those who deny that such a Person ever lived, and follow only their own wills and corrupt ways ? Until these questions can be answered more satisfactorily than they have yet been, the best and most enlightened men and nations will continue to believe that the child Jesus, born at Bethlehem, in the beginning of the Chris- tian era, was " very God of very God," the long expected Sav- iour of our world. When we consider the mysteries which now enshroud the forces and laws of matter, and of our present life, and how God yet hides Himself, and after all the manifestations He has made in revelation, creation and His incarnation, and of om- mysterious relation to Him — and the material world into which our bodies enter by our birth and death — we cannot but believe that God 30 LIFE OF CHRIST. devised the best way possible to convince such beings as we are of tlio trutli of our Lord's incarnation. And the reasonableness and probability of the whole plan is seen, because all the parts and events are in perfect harmony ; and as we attempt to penetrate the manifestations of His power and wisdom in the laws of na- ture, we iind similar mysteries and liounds to our investigation that we encounter in the written revelation, and in oui own being. And tliis is conclusive proof, that the God who created us was incarnate to I'edeem us, and was born of the Yii-gin Mary ; and Avhoever will not believe it on sucb testimony as God has given us, would not believe it on any testimony He coidd give. It is not probable that they would have believed, because tlie in- carnation was, and must forever be, the next greatest mystery to man after God and creation; and, as it has proved, the greatest blessing God has ever given man ; and the higliest token of His love and mercy towards us ; and the strongest reason we have to love, believe in and adore Him ; therefore, it is probable that anv other mode chosen by Him would have failed to overcome their unbelief. CHAPTER VI. JESUS' CIRCUMCISION AND PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE. Our "World's History testifies, in an unbroken stre.im of blood, from Adam's first sacn-ifice, until the last great sacrifice of Christ, that there is no remission of sins without shedding of blood. God's first covenant with man, for the forgiveness of sins, was in the blood of animals, wliich looked by faith to Christ's atonement. His second covenant was in man's own blood by circumcision, which was a higher symbol of Christ's blood, as the Son of Man ; and this continued until Christ came ; and the last covenant is in His own blood ; for the night before His cru- cifixion, in the institution of tlie Blessed Sacrament, He said of the Cup : " This is my blood of the New Covenant," as if it were the completion of the sacrament of baptism. The first covenant was the germ from which the last one was developed, and was to last until the world's end ; and they are correlated as mysteriously as the great forces in nature, be- cause the first two were types of the Blood of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world for the remission of its sins. When Jesus was eight days old. He was circumcised according to the law ; and the name Jesus was given Him, as He 32 LIFE OF CHRIST. was so named by the Angel. This was His covenant name, and signitied to all who received it circumcison of the heart; and the cutting off the corruptions of the flesh, inherited from Adam, and justifying tlie receiver by faith in a coming Messiah ; and the faitli of the parents was the ground of justification ; and they were responsible to God to see their children trained for Him, until they were old enough to take their vows on themselves. The name Jesus signifies His oftice, " for He shall save His people from their sitis." The original name was Osliea; but Moses added to it Jah, one of the tithîs of the Son of God, — and contracted to Joshua, with a Greek termination it means " God uill save us." These little mysterious details, and correlated links in Jesus' name and history, and the long chain of prophecies which pre- ceded His birth, exactly correspond to tlie mysteries in the laws and forces of nature ; and so assure us that the God of creation and revelation is one God. i>ut why should Jesus, if He was sinless, submit to a rite which signified the remission of sins ? The reason is revealed, that as He took a human nature into His Divine nature, as the Son of Man, He came to fulfill the Law, and restore by His obedience what Adam lost by disobedience ; and His first act was the painful shedding of His OAvn blood ; and it was tlie be- ginning of perfect obedience, and atoning blood-shedding, which were to perfect His human nature, and make propitiation for the sins of the whole world. The first Adam's sin destroyed his original righteousness, lost him God's favor, and introduced suffering and death into this world. Now, the obedience and suffering of the second Adam were to bring righteousness and eternal life to all man- kind, who would believe and obey Him ; and the covenant of circumcision had been two thousand years looking to His com- LIFE OF CHU I ST. 33 ing to abolish it and institute a better one, with better helps to keep it. Moreover, the first Adam was created an adult, and so was no example for children; and would not have been, had he maintained his original righteousness. But the second Adam was created an infant, and passed through infancy and (childhood sinless; and through all the stages of life a holy man, to be an example in all. And His circumcision was the key note to His M'holc life, for he said: " I came not to do My own will, but the will of the Father who sent Me ; and I do always the things that are pleasing to Him." The rite bound the child to take his (covenant on himself, as soon as he was old enough to understand it ; and this Jesus did when He was twelve years old. By the Mosaic Law every mother giving birth to a male child " shall continue in the blood of her purifying eight days," until her child was entered into covenant with God by circum- cision ; and for " thirty-three days more she shall touch no hal- lowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary ; " but when the days of her purification are ended, she shall bring a yearling lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtle dove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, unto the priest ; M'ho shall offer it before the Lord, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be clean from the issue of blood. " And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons — one for a burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering, and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean." In obedience to the law, when the mother's purification was ended, she carried Jesus to Jerusalem, when He was forty davs old, and presented Him to the Lord. The pains of child-birth being part of the penalty for Eve's disobedience, and entailed on her posterity ; the sacrifice of the lamb or doves was an acknowl- a 3-1 LIFEOFCHRIST. edfçoncnt of lier personal demerit, and an emblemafic-al transfer of her guilt and its penalties to the victim slain. That taking of Jesus to the Temple, to be presented to the Lord, fulfilled Mnlachi's pi-ophecy, " The Lord shall come sud- denly to His Temple;" for the first place Jesus visited after His birth was the Temple, -which He had come to glorify and to abolish its worship. There was also a further act of obedience to the law, in presenting Jesus in the Temple, because every male child was required to be presented to the Lord, and redeemed from thi' priestly office and Temple service, by the payment of five shekels — about three and three-quarter dollars — which service was first jDcrformed at the Tabernacle. This incident also has a profound interest, showing the inti- mate relations of the three great stages of the development of Christianity ; the priesthood of the primitive Church was ap- pointed by God in every first-born son, who was to offer sacrifice, and minister before Him; and the priestly son was a type of God's only Son, and His eternal priesthood, and also of the unity of the Godhead, under which He first revealed Himself to man. •" The Lord our God is one Lord." And this lasted for twenty- .five centuries, until Moses' time. Then God came down on Mount Sinai, and reformed the priesthood and ritual — the three-fold priesthood being a type of the J3oly Trinity, and of the Christian priesthood Christ would institute. And to show the connection between the two dispen- sations, and preserve the doctrine of tlie unity of the Godhead, the law for the redemption of the first-born was made. In these mystical ways, God was four thousand yeai-s pre- paring ior Christ's coming to the Temple as its Lord ; and f ul- tilling JLiggai's prophecy, " The glory of the latter house shall be greater than the glory of the former." Because the glory of the Lord's invisible presence filled Solomon's Temple, Init the LIFE OF CHRIST. 35 Temple built by Herod was glorified by the visiljle prcscnee ot God's incarnate Son ; by the miracles He wrouglit there ; and by the Father's voice from Heaven, declaring Him His Son. And this act is memorable, from the double witness of two devout Israelites — the first, after the angels, to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. Simeon was expecting the Messiah, for the Holy Ghost revealed to Him that He should not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ ; and, when Jesus was in the Temple, he took Him in his arms, and blessed God that he had seen His salvation — "Prepared before all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people, Israel ! " And his anthem has ever since been a precious treasure of Christ's Church. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mai-y, " Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel ; and for a sign which sliall be spoken against ; yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul, also." She lived to see the prophecy pain- fully fulfilled. Meanwhile, a new witness appeared in the prophetess Anna. As Simeon finished his prophecy, she came in and thanked the Lord ; and spake of Jesus to all them, who looked for redemp- tion in Israel. Wlien the parents had performed all things, according to the Law, they returned to Naxareth ; and there they remained until the next great events in Jesus' life — of the visit of the Magi, and His flight into Egypt. Mary's example in presenting her Child to the Lord is a lesson for all mothers ; and the great and good men of all times have been trained by pious mothers. Hannah took her child Sanmel to the Lord's Tabernacle, to devote him to His service ; Elisabeth was the miraculous mother of the Baptist, because she was righteous; and Mary, highly favored by God, to be the Mother of Jesus, because of her righteousness. Christianity had its earthly origin from those pious mothers, and their examples 36 LIFE OF CHRIST. should inspire all mothers to faithfulness in training their chil- dren. Tlie Blessed Virgin's place in Theology is between the two extremes of an immaculate conception and disrespect. Tlie idea of her perpetual virginity is pleasing to an esoteric mind ; and God could easily liave maintained it liad He chosen so to do, and tliere M'ould be no difficulty in believing it, did the Gospel so teach. But there is no prophecy giving such an intimation, and no words in the Gospel teaching tliat any special reverence be paid her; and tlie fact that she offered the sin offering of the law for her purification, proves that she is included in Adam's sinful race; and tlie saying, " Joseph knew her not until she brought forth her first horn Son,^'' warrants the belief that she afterward had children. If marriage was not a sacred appointment by God, there might be some probability of her perpetual maidenhood ; and no special honor is assigned her in the Gospel, except " all nations shall call her blessed." And neither the Epistles, Creeds, nor tlie Epistles of Clement and Polycarp — both ordained by the Apostles — nor the Œcumenical Councils say anything of her immaculateness, or perpetual virginity, or of any worship to be paid her ; and these things are not even sacred traditions, bec^ause it was nearly three centuries after Christ before they were so broached. The four Evangelists speak of Jesus' brothers and sisters, not cousins or relatives, as the Jews often used the words; but uterine relatives. And Christ's ever cautious words to His mother shows that He forsaw the idolatry in the future, and warned against it. And His words to her at Cana: " Woman, what have I to do with thee ?" though not disrespectful, accord- ing to their common usage, declare that she had no part in His Messianic work. And again, when He was told His mother and LIFEOFCHRIST. 37 brethren desired to speak with Him, He said: "Whosoever shall do the will of God, tlie same is My brother, and sister, and mother ;" showing that discipleship to Him is as great an honor as being His mother. She belonged to the old Dispensation, was eminent for her rigliteonsness, which was of the law; in her that righteousness ended, to spring again to the spiritual right- eousness of the Gospel, by faith in her immaculate Son. Tlie three views now held of the Blessed Virgin's place, are : First, that she is the immaculate mother of the Son of God, entitled to worship, and our intercessor in Heaven; but Christ is the only one born of woman in Heaven, and she is in Paradise. Second, Mary was only a pure and pious Jewess, chosen to be the mother of Christ, and entitled to no more rev- erence than any great benefactor of our race. Third, that she was the holiest woman under tlie law, the Yirgin mother of God's incarnate Son, and ever to be remembered and loved ; this view the Holy Catholic Church has embodied in her Creed, and held from the Apostles' time to our own. And while the Church neither invokes her intercession, nor worships her, she fuMlls the Gospel requirement " to call her Blessed " by two great yearly festivals in her honor. The expectations of a Virgin, to give the world a son, its Saviour, sustained the heart and hopes of God's people four thousand years ; and ever since the belief, that the Blessed Vir- gin was the mother of Christ, has helped to confirm men's faith in Him, and to spread His religion. CHAPTER VIL VISIT OF THE MAGI. St. Matthew is the only Evangelist who mentions the visit of the wise men of the Eiist to Jesus, saying, " in Herod's reign they came to worship Him, as the King of the Jews." Herod (lied before Jesus was two years old, and this is all known of the time. The term Magi affords no clue to discover from whence they came, because the name was common to a sect of philoso- pliers in Chaldea, Media, Persia, Syria, Greece and Rome ; and Cicero says, "in Persia they comprised a college that assembled monthly, and no man could be king who did not belong to the order ; they interpreted dreams and prophecies, and directed public affairs." The sect was widely spread; and all that is known of these men is, fliat they were Gentiles; and their coming to Jerusalem shows that they knew the Hebrew prophecies, and lielpcd to confirm them, and that Jcsns was their Messiali ; and they make an important link in the chain of testimony, that the birth of Jesus was expected by Gentile nations as well as the Jews ; be- cause the Psalmist said, " The kings of Tarshish and tlie Isles shall bring presents, and the kings of Sheba and Seba offer irifts," it is supposed the Magi were these persons; but the tradi- LIFEOFCHRIST. 39 tion— that thej were kings descended from Noah — f which all mankind now are) is not older tl)an the fourth century. Whether the wonders attending Jesus' annunciation and birth had reached the people the Magi represented or not, their coming is important testimony to confirm the Gospel ; ])ecause it is incidental, and was not inserted to corroborate it. Wliile their report to Herod, that they liad come to worship Jesus implied only — that Oriental reverence paid to kings ; and it aroused his fears lest He would be a rival for his tin-one. And tlie people were troubled because they knew his horrid character, and prob- ably feared the slaughter that followed. And their inquiry for the king of the Jews, sliows that they expected Herod would be as glad as themselves that the Saviour was born ; and the star, they saw in the East, identified the child they sought wdtli both Hebrew and Gentile prophecies. For Ba- laam in Mesopotamia fifteen centuries before, and Isaiah in Israel eight centuries before, had foretold tlie Messiah — as a star out of Jacob, and a light to lighten tlie Gentiles, " and that kings should come to the brightness of His rising." The appeal of the Magi to Herod, and his appeal to tlie Council of the Jews, to learn where Clu'ist would be born, are important testimony to the identity o'f Jesus, and the fultilhnent of propliecy. When they learned that Betlilehem was the place, Herod charged them to find the Child, and bring him word that he might come and worship Him. Herod's attempt to deceive the wise men was frustrated, be- cause the Holy Child Avas in the keeping of the King of Kings. And tlms the prophecy was fulfilled, in this first enmitj^ sliown to the child Jesus, that " tlie kings of the earth take counsel to- gether against the Lord and His anointed ; " because Herod acted in the interests of Augustus as well as himself. The star that led the Magi to Jerusalem, there disappeared ; and appeared, again when they departed to seek Jesus, and went 40 LIFE OF CHRIST. before them until it stood over the house where He was. It had tlie appearance of a star, hut prophecy said it would be a new light. " A star shall arit^e." It was a miraculous tomporai-y orb sent 1)y God for a special purpose. If it had been a planet of our sohir system, it would have been remembered hy Jew and Gentile forever ; and it was no planetary conjunction — because in leadin<^' the men to Jerusalem, it moved in a northwest rly direc- tion, and in going to Nazaretli wliere Jesns was, its course was due north; and no known conjunction of planets could have caused such motions. It is certain Jesus was not at Bethlehem, because St. Luke says, forty days after birth He was taken to Jerusalem, and went from tliere to His home at Nazareth, where he remained until the flight into Egypt — more than a year. Entering the house, the Magi, as representatives of the Gentile world, worshipped Jesus as the King of the Jews, and the long-expected Saviour of the woi'ld. The offerings they made expressed their faith in Ilis royalty as King ; in His Divinity, as the anointed of God ; and in His priesthood and sacrifice. He had come to inaugurate and offer. The Magi, warned in a dream by God not to return to Herod, departed to tlieir own country another way. If they had found Jesus at Bethlehem, the warning would not have been needed ; but if He were at Nazareth, it was important, as his- tory proN'es, that they should not report it to Herod. Otherwise, the children of Nazareth would have been slaughtered; and the prophecy of Jeremiah — of Rachel weeping for her children — would have failed of fulfillment; and the first martyr witnesses for Jesus, would not have l)cen at Bethlehem. Herod's order to kill all children from two years and under, "according to the time that he diligently inquired of the wise men," proves that Jesus was neither recently born, nor at Bethlehem. But his atrocious murder of the infants, is histo- LIFEOFCHRIST. 41 rical confirmation of the birth of Jesus — the Messiah of the Jews, and Saviour of mankind ; and they were prototypes of tlie painful way His mission in their human nature wouhl end ; and they have ever since been witnesses, tliat Jesus was born in the days of Herod the king. Tlie liistorical character of tliat debauched old king, proves that he would be likely to do such an atrocious deed. His reign of forty yeai's had been a series of plunder, and murder, and brutality ; he had strangled a wife, murdered a son, and high priest who was his relative ; and burned and drowned nobles, so that Jewish ambassadors to the Roman Emperor declared, that " survivors, during his life time, were more miserable than the sufferers ;" and the blood of the innocents of Bethlehem, was but a drop in comparison with the stream that flowed through his reign. The murderers must have been many, and their work nearly simultaneous; and the wail of anguish from the bereaved mothers, was predicted by their great ancestress Rachel, who died in travail there seventeen centui'ies before, and was buried at Bethlehem ; the wail of agony by the dying mother, " by a beautiful poetic figure, was said to weep passionately for her off- spring, because she beheld them torn from her." This slaughter was caused by the report of the Scribes to Herod and the Magi, and that all children imder two years were slain ; Jesus must then have been more than one year old, and Herod's death soon after confirms it. All these details concentrate like so many rays to a focus to prove the certainty of the birth of Christ, as the expected Messiah. There is no record of the death of any man whose end was more wretched than Herod's, or more cei'tainly by direct visita- tion from God ; while he was sinking in intolerable anguish, from a loathsome disease, the corruption of the grave was already begun in him : and he spent the last weeks of his life in 42 LIFE OF CHRIST. savnge frenzy ; tortured l)y a guilty conscience, surrounded bj liatiug and plotting sons, and thieving slaves, and a detesting l)eople, knowing liis death was near, and that no tears would be siied for him ; as the last act of his infamous life he ordered, under penalty of death, that some of the principle families of jiis Kingdom should come to Jericho ; and shutting them in the Hippodrome, he secretly commanded his sister Salome to have them massacred as soon he died. And so still plotting blood shedding, wdiile dying, he passed into the Kingdom of the dead; but his dying order was not executed. The people were so glad of his death that they instituted a festival to rejoice for it. His sons died in infamy, or exile, and before the century ended his name was extinct. As soon as tbe Magi departed, the Angel of the Lord warned Joseph, in a dream, of Plerod's evil intentions toward Jesus, and the family departed to Egypt; the intercourse be- tween Palestine and Egypt had been frequent for centuries, and they had only to pass the boundaries between the two countries, and they would l)e safe from Herod's power. And there were two causes for this flight; one, to save Jesus from Herod's power; the other, to fuliill the prophecy, " Out of Egypt have I called My Son." This looked as if the Messiah were to be born there ; but is another link in the mystical chain of prophecy, which is so like the laws of nature, that it also helps to conlirm our belief that one God is the author of both. No Evangelist tells wliere Jesus abode in Egypt, nor how long He lived there; but tradition says it was near Cairo; and the time of His return, in Arclielaus reign, renders it prol)able that He was there not many months ; because Herod died within two years after Jesus' birth, and his son's reign began. When Herod was dead, the Angel of the Lord again ap- peared to Joseph in a dream, telling him to return: "for they are dead who sought the young child's life." The Greek is to LIFE OF CHRIST. 43 paidion^ wliich shows Jesus was not an infant ; and His depart- ure from Egypt was before His abode there would be renieni- bered, or exert any influence on His mind. The time, appar- ently, was near the Passover; and so as a descendant of Israel, He was called out of E<>ypt, by God, as His earthly ancestors Avere flfteen centuries before ; but when Joseph came to Pales- tine, and heard Archelaus reigned, he was afraid to go to Naz- areth. And well he might be ; because in the beginning of his reign he murdered three tliousand of his subjects, and the country was infested with lawless men and robbers; but God told him, in a dream, to go to Galilee. Galilee had been a long time the abode, or resort, of Phœnecians, Arabs, Greeks, and Romans to suctli an exteut, that it Avas called Galilee of the Gentiles; and to its little town of Nazareth Joseph went ; and there Jesus passed His cliihlhood, youth, and manhood, in obsciurity, until He began His public ministry. And prophecy said Christ would be called a Naz- arine, though it did not name Nazareth ; but the Hebrew word Nezer, from which the name was derived, means also a branch ; and several prophets call Christ " the Branch, and He shall grow up out of His place;" and Pilate's last witness for Christ was putting the insciiption over His head, " This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews ;" and by all tlieso occult ways, God chose to furnish future generations powerful proofs that He was the Messiah, and the Son of God, the Saviour. The name was applied to Clirist, because He is the Branch who grew up at Nazareth ; and not bectiuee He was a Nazarine a sect of tlie Jews, to which tlie Baptist belonged, for He never belonged to it. The town was contemned by the Jews, gener- ally ; and when Pliilip told Nathaniel thai Jesus of Nazareth was- the Prophet foretold by Moses, he asked: "Can any o-ood thing come out of Nazareth?" And the Scribes urged it, to Nicodemus, thar Clirist could not be Messiah, "for out of 44 LIFE OF CHRIST. Galilee arisetli no prophet." Nazariiie was given as a term of reproaeli to Clu'ist and His discdples ; but He was not asliamed of it, but applied it to Himself after His resurrection, and ap- pointed Galilee as the place to meet His disciples; for He for- saw how the name would help to contii*m men's faith in Him. CHAPTER VIIT JESUS' BOYHOOD. St. Luke is tlie only Evangelist who says anything of Jesus childhood, after his return from Egypt until his twelfth year, " The child grew and waxed strong in spirit, and the grace of God was upon Him." What God has concealed, I would not lift the veil from were it possible. But there is a lesson in it. For what is revealed in a mystery, is designed to exercise our faith and intellect. And it is the same in His revelation in nature's laws and forces. By investigation we perceive God's wisdom, and there is a wonder- ful harmony in all His revelations. The little revealed of Jesus' boyhood proves that He was perfect, and such as might have been expected from His super- human manhood. The same mystery envelopes it as seen in His conception, and in who, or what, would be the seed of the woman. And how unlike it is to human biographies, whi(;h relate all the earliest manifestations of genius in men who become famous ; and it is especially unlike what might be expected from the men' who wrote, after they had witnessed His extraordinary subse- quent life, when they must have known the interest future generations would feel in every event of His earthly life. The 46 LIFE OF CHRIST. silence is so unlmnian that it must liave been directed by God; yet all is in perfect harmony witl» all the prophecies concerning Ilim, It proves how different God's M'ays are from man's; Avit- nesses to the sincerity of tlie narrative ; and is wonderful that nothin wonderful is related of His boyhood. Whereas the Apo(;hryplial Gospels relate many boyish mir:i- cles and fictitious acts, which convince us that the Evangelists wrote as they were directed by the Holy Ghost; because there is no attempt to make an interesting story of his l)oyhood, and no heralding of His coming glory as the Messiah ; no promise of His wonderful works, or doctrines ; and the little said is simple, and testifies that His life was holy. And the way His youth is portrayed is evidence of the truth of the narrative ; that it is neither invention nor fiction, but the fulfillment of the prophec}', referring to Christ's youth. " He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and a root out of dry ground." His early life, doubtless was like other village children of Nazareth; like other cliildren he was born unconscious, and learned by observation and experience ; impressed by the scenes and scenery around Him, in a lovely rural region, where He heard the languages and saw the costumes and customs of many countries, which influenced His mental development. Yet St. Luke's saying, " the grace of God was in Him," denotes that He had another source of spiritual development not in other children ; and its unconscious influences made Him inno- cent and holy as no other child was before or since. But there are no instances of the flashes of His Divine life, or niind, as there would have been had the Gospel l)een an inventi(^n, or even written l)y human direction, or to give reputation to a mytJiical person, t)r an iiuaginary Christ, to deceive the world ; and yet it is exactly in accordance with idl God's words and works — simple, natural, and as might be expected from the pi'ophecies concerning Him. And in His childhood He would not be likely LIFE OF CHRIST. 47 to atttract any more notice tlian any good and intelligent child, but Fie did; for He grew in favor Avitli men, while, probabl , His lioly life and filial obedience were known only to His Blessed Motlier. WJien Jesus was twelve years old, His parents took Him to tlie Passover at Jerusalem, " after the custom of the feast."" This is tlie next and last glimpse of His boyhood. Hebrew parents trained their cliildren for confirmation ; and, in that rite, they took their covenant vows on themselves; and, afterwards, were called Suns of the La^v. The age of responsibility differs in cliildren ; and that Jesus was taken at twelve, denotes an early intellectual and religious development. History says nothing of schools for children in Cralilee. But Hebrew parents were required by the Law to instruct their children; and texts of Scripture were put up in their houses, and woven into their garments ; and writing was chiefly confined to the Scribes. The neighbors testified after He began His mis- sion, that He never attended schools, and wondered at His knowl- edge and learning; but his spiritual knowledge doubtless came by communication from His Divine nature, and that helped His human nature to other knowledge. Jewish children, after confirmation, were taught some trade ; and, as Jews and Egyptians commonly taught children the father's trade, Jesus learned from Joseph the trade of a carpenter ; for the people asked, after He began His ministry, " Is not tliis the Car- penter, the Son of Mary ? " As Joseph and Mary returned from Jerusalem, after a day's journey, they missed Jesus, and went back to seek Him. From this incident, we learn the most extraordinaiy event in His early life ; and the only words recorded that He spake until His thir- tietli year. After three days, they found Him in the Temple, hearing the doctors and questioning them ; and astonishing them by His wisdom and answers. 48 LIFE OF CHRIST. His mother askod why lie luid so dealt with them, nnd saîd, " Tliy father and I have sought Thee, sorrowiiif^.'" And lie an- swered, in the mysterious words, " Do you not know that I must he ahout My Father's business ?" A flood of light emenates from these words, as to His knowledge of His Divine nature ; and it seems tliat, on the day He was confirmed, His human mind first became conscious of its union with His Divine nature : and of the nature of His mission in this world ; and that not Joseph, but God, was His Father. And the words must liave recalled to the mother's mind Jesus' mii-aculous conception ; the Angel's message, at Hisl)irth ; and the wonders, at His presentation in the Temple — which slie had treasured in her maternal heart, and with a mother's hope and ambition, pride and love. And she saw, witli the quickness of her womanly and motherly instinct, that Jesus knew that Joseph — whom she called His father — was not His Father : nor the Father whose business He must be about. And there is a lesson for all the world in tlie example of the parents and the Child. They entered Jesus into God's covenant when eight days old ; took Him to the Temple, to be pi-esented to the Lord in infancy, and to be confirmed at twelve ; and used all the means God appointed in His law and Church, to train the Child righteously. They did not wait for Jesus to be old enough to choose His religion — wdiether He would be Jew or Gentile — but used their authority to train Him, according to God's covenant. And it is a lesson for all parents tolling tliem that training cliildren in obo- dience to God's ways, is the way to God's favor and liappiness here, and to His kingdom in heaven hereafter. Thus Jesus hallowed His infancy and childhood with the beauty of holiness, and left His example for ail children. The prophets had taught men, by God's conmiand, "Be ye holy, for I am holy." But they were sinners themselves, and their message was LIFE OF CHRIST. 49 lightly received ; but Cliiist tanglit it all His life by His example. T]iis stage of Jesus' boyhood closed with these woi'ds, that His parents did not understand what He meant by His Father's business; but " He went down with them to Nazareth, and was subject unto them." Tliere, the curtain fell. " He was subject to His parents ; and thus gave the lessons to all children — of earnestness in doing God's will, and obedience to parents. " But His mother kept all these sayings in her heart." She knew she was the mother of a superhuman Child, knew He would be a Great Prophet, and hoped He might be the Messiah; but had to wait, in doubt, thirty years, until He began His puljlic ministry. ■-i_o {j-[ CHAPTER IX. JESUS' YOUTH AND MANHOOD. This period includes the eighteen years of Jesus' life, be- tween the twelfth and thirtieth years, which he spent at Naz- areth, and prepared Himself for His Divine Mission. All the Evangelists, except St. Luke, pass it unnoticed ; and while it is useless to speculate, on what God purposely conceals, it is not unprofitable to consider the rays of light that flash out in the few words respecting it ; because all the mysteries of Divine revelation in creation, in the Bible, and incarnation are designed to awaken curiosity, and lead us to a fuller understanding of His works and ways, and are threads and clues to other myste- ries. And the single sentence in St. Luke is like a torch in a dark cavern, that throws its light before, and enables us to penetrate further into its darkness. We learn from these few words, respecting Jesus' retired years at Nazareth, something of its results, and of God's reasons for it. Indeed the hiddcrness of Jesus' life all those years, and the silence as to what He did, and said, and how He passed them, is exactly like the mystery which hung for four tliousand years over tl\e popliecy of the seed of the woman, and the mystery of the Messianic propliecies, nud the mystery of His incarnation, and of the prophecies of Simeon and Anna, whose meaning was LIFE OF CHRIST. 51 unknown for tliirty years ; and like all the revelations God has made in the forces and laws of nature, and the mystery which still liides the time, and place, when and where Christ's second coming will be. Jesus' retirement in Nazareth, was by God's direction, and part of His infinitely wise plan to prepare Him, as the Son of Man, for the great work He had come to accomplish as the Son of God ; and it was a way to anticipate and remove any possible suspicion, that He owed His power and wisdom to human culture, or occult science obtained from man ; He attended no school of the Propliets, or Rabbi's, and sat at the feet of no Gamaliel to prepare Him for His perfect triumph over the learned Scribes, Pharisees, Doctors, and Lawyers whose cunning and learning He singularly baffled. Unrecognized and unknown as the Messiah, He had time and leisure to make such prepai-ation as His human nature required, to fit Him for His earthly mission, and lielp the world to believe in Him as its God and Saviour. But it is revealed, that while Jesus was thus hidden. He " increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." The home where Jesus passed these hidden years was humble and poor, but it had. a mother of angelic purity and piety, and a reputed fatlier who trusted in God ; and Jesus' own Divine nature — known only to Himself — made that house a place of such earthly love and peace as the world never before, nor since, has had. For, though the radiance of the Godhead was hidden in Jesus, the beauty of His holiness could not be con- cealed ; though it might have been known by the l)lessed inmates — without their knowing the cause — because His brethren doubted His Messiahship, even after He began His teaching and miracles. Jesus' human mind developed — like all others — by reflec- tion and experience, by observation and str#dy. Schools for 52 LIFE OF CHRIST. 1 i-aining the prophots liad existed in Palestine, from the âiiys of Samuel; and schools for training young men were established there a century licforc ; but the prol)abilities are against Jesus ever attendins: them. The last words which aniuauiced His en- trance into tliat dark period of retirement, and tlie ast(jnishing words wliich He spake on emerging from it, are two ends in the links of an invisible cliain, wliich help us to some reasonable conje<;tures as to what passed within it. Because it is certain, lie could never have come out of it, so thoroughly prepared for His first great mission, with such knowl- edge of men and things, and the Holy Scriptures, without some ntlier preparation than His condition and surroundings furnished — prepared to confound by His logic, and to silence by His knowl- edge, the most learned men of His nation and times. The influence of the lovely scenery, unsuipassed by any in the Holy Land, — which was visible from the neighboi'hood of ^'azareth — and the mixed population of Galilee, have been men- tioned as probably exerting an influence on His developing mind :ind manhood ; for no one can grow up, amid such scenery of 1 leauty and sublimity, without being impressed by it. The little town of Nazai-eth was built on the side of a hill, which rises six hundred feet above the sea, and overlooks other distant mountains and lovely valleys. To the north lies a fej-tile plain, from which rises the woody hills of Naphtali ; and 1 icyond, on the far horizon, Hermon upheaves into the blue sky — the huge and splendid mass of his colossal shoulders, white witli perpetual snow. Eastward — a few miles distant — is the great woody sunnnit of Tabor, clothed with tcrebrinth and oak; ;;nd westerly is seen, through the pure air, the purple ridge of Carmel, and the dazzling line of Avhite sand that fringes the Mediterranean sea ; and southerly, in graceful outlines, are little Hermon, and Gilboa, and the famous plain of Esdnelon. This region — where Jesus passed those eighteen years, and LIFE OF CHRIST. o3 prepared for liis life work — was tlie lieart of the land of Israel ; îmd it was separated hy onlj' a narrow boundary of hills and streams from Phoînccia, Syria, Arabia, Babylonia and E,<>'ypt ; and the Isles of the Gentiles, and the i^dorious region of Europe, were almost visible over the Western Sea. And Jesus was in the heart of tlie world He had come to save. There Jesus grew to manhood, and there He labored as a carpenter, and forever hallowed mannal lalior — made it l^oth honorable and glorious, as done by the hands of ihe Man, Wiio was in union with God, Who built the worlds. And there He a{;quii-ed that earthly learning and wisdom, which enabled Him to emerge from its obscurity as a blazing meteor on the horizon of time ; and to astonish the world with an astonishment, which lias increased, in wonder and intensity, for nineteen centuries. In all those years, Jesus lived and increased in knowledge, through the inflnence of the two spheres of His existence in His single Personality. His human nature was subject to all the limitations of matter, time and sense. He had the same feelings, the same hopes and fears, the same temptations, and desired, and vastly greater sorrows than other men. His life was all self- restraint, self-denial, and self-renunciation, such as no other man ever felt, in keeping hidden the Divine Life, which grew more and more conscious within him. That He increased in wisdom, as He grew in stature, is saying that His mental development followed the common lav»'-s of man- kind, and His human nature accpiired knowledge exactly as others do; yet He had another kind of spiritual development, peculiar to Himself, and such as no other man or prophet ever had. It was the operation of His Divine nature on His human nature, which enabled Him to acquire knowledge easily; and through that influence, as He grew in stature. He grew in favor, both with God and man. The favor with God, was from His submission to the condition 54 LIFE OF CHRIST appointed llim, and obedience to His laws in it: Hispatient, ■willing, waiting, in obscurity, unknown to the world lie had fume to redeem ; and His faithfulness in making such prepar- ation as was in llis powder to prepare Himself for His public mission ; as He afterwai-ds said, " I do always the things ivJiich please the Father.-'' And His favor with man was, lje(;ause He was always meek and lowly, thoughtful and tender of others feel- ings, and universally courteous, as we shall see in considering His after life. If, then, in this interval, He attended no school, learned nothino- from the Scribes and Pharisees, and belonged to no Jewish sect, and acquired nothing from the literature and philosopy of Greeks, Romans, Egyptians or Persians — for He never alludes to, or quotes them in His teaching, except from JEschylus once — there is no way to account for the wisdom and knowledge which He brought forth from that seclusion, when He l»urst with such splendor on the world — wiser than the wisest and oldest scholars of His day, and to use them as no prophet ever did; but from the fact, that they were superhumanly derived, from a superhuman source. Doubtless He applied all the resources within His reach, and all the powers of His human mind to the task l)efore Him ; that He studied and mastered a knowledge of the Holy Scrip- tures, and the laws and wonders of the natural world, as His constant allusions to them show" the most perfect knowledge of them ; and the great book of human life and character, of which there was such diversities in the manifold nationalities of His native land ; and, above all. He was taught oy that WORD OF GOD, which St. John calls His Divine Nature, which was in Him. ' Palestine was a Roman Province : a Roman Governor, and Rom'an soldiers, and adventurers were everywhere, and Latin must have been a common language ; a dialect of Greek was also LIFE OF CHRIST 55 common among the people, and most of the New Testament was written in it, — and without knowledge of these, Jesus would not have been prepared for His work ; and though He probably habitually thought and spoke in His native Aramean dialect. He certainly conversed in Greek and Latin and Hebrew ; Ijecause He quoted the exact words of the Greek Septuagint, as well as the Hebrew version ; and He changed some of His Apostle's names from Syriac to Greek, and spake to Greeks in the Temple ; and He also knew Latin, or He could not have talked with Roman soldiers, nor Pontius Pilate ; and the common use and knowledge of these languages may be inferred from the inscription Pontius Pilate put over the crucified Saviour's head, in Heln-ew, Greek, and Latin, — that all who saw might know, "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS." And because He was so learned. He so easily baffled the plotting of enemies, who tried to entrap Him in His words ; and it is also implied by the question the Jews asked in the Temple : " How knoweth this man literature, having never learnedy It was, therefore, by Plis own personal application and self- culture, quickened by the light reflected from His Divine nature, that Jesus, using all the means within reach in His retirement, and at intervals of leisure from His daily work, that He acquired the knowledge requisite for His Human nature to begin His pub- lic ministry ; and the evidence that he had that superhuman help is certain from His remark in the temple in boyhood, — " I must be about My Father's business," which was such a revelation. Those hidden years showed by their results on Jesus, when He appeared as Christ, that they had been devoted not only to acquiring human knowledge, but also to practicing the Christian virtues He came to teach, and which made His after life so Di- vine, and His doctrines so far beyond what the world had ever before heard or imagined. And this silent life outshadowed to the world some most useful lessons ; out ot this darkness shines 56 LIFE OF CHlilST. the example of Jesus' huiiiility, and patient waiting all these years, to prepare Himself to be recognized by the Father as His Beloved soiT, and to teacli all mankind that woi-ldly culture and helps are not essential to make human life successful ; that we may live unknown by men, and yet be known of God, and be trained by Him to do this life's work well in the luiml>lest home, and most retired walks of life. Jesus' holy boyhood and youth developed into a holy man- liood away from the excitement and turmoil of the busy world, and daily occupied in manual labor, by meditation and prayer, and Using His time as best He could at intervals for personal culture, He gave a perpetual example for the encouragement and conso- lation of the masses of mankind, who are doomed to common place and uneventful lives ; and showed them, that it is possible in humble homes to prepare for honor and usefulness, and favor with God and man; surely this is no unimportant lesson to learn, and for the comfort of God's hidden saints, from the unwritten record of those hidden years. Jesus' thorough knowledge of the Holy Scriptures was shown, in the frequency and appropriateness with which He quoted and applied them in the interpretation of the Prophecies, and how they related to Him. When he began His mission, He read in the Synagogue a prophecy of Himself, and said : " This day,. is this fulfilled ;" when He was tempted of the devil, He repelled him by " It is written ;" and when the Jews souglitto kill Him, because He disregarded the Saljbath, and claimed to be its Lord, and " called God His Father, making Himself equal with God," He said to them, " Ye indeed search the Scriptures, for iii them ye think ye have eternal life : and they are they which testify of Mer This was said ironically ; it is the indicative, and not im- perative, as in the English version. And when we come to consider His doctrines, then will be seen the glorious proofs of His Divine origin, and perfect origi- LIFE OF CHRIST, 57 nnlity, which must have come from God alone, because they so transcend all tliat was ever before known or tanglit by man; and as He once told His disciples He had food that they knew not of, so also is it probable that he received wisdom and knowledge from God, in those yeai's of preparation for Plis appearing as the Christ, which no man knoweth of, and which could have been communicated by no one l)ut God. Jesus' enemies confessed He spake as man never spake, and to show their inconsistency in not 1)elieving in Him asked how He knew letters, having never learn- ed, and thus became witness against themselves, showed that they were excuseless for rejecting Him. Then God caused that seem- ing void of eighteen years, so deep that no human mind has yet been able to fatliom it ; that men then, and to the world's end, might see, and know, and believe, that while He spake as man never spake. He also tauglit what none but God could have t luoht Him. CHAPTER X. JESUS ANNOUNCED AS THE CHRIST. Centuries before Christ, two prophets announced that He would be preceded by a Forerunner, to prepare His way ; and Malachi called him Elijah the propliet, because he would be a bold rebuker of sin like him, and (;all men to repent as a pre- paration for admission into Christ's kingdom. Three Evangelists mention John's appearing, and two of them relate incidents that show lie began his cry in the wilderness, about one year before Christ began His ministry. St. Luke says it was in the fifteenth year of Tiberius' reign, when Pilate was Governor of Judea ; Herod tetrarch of Galilee, and Annas and Caiaphas were high-priests, that John preaclied saying, " Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make straight a highway in the desert for our God." God had mysteriously revealed the time and manner of Jesus' birth, and of His messenger's coming; but He provided that John's ministry should make such a record, as tliat the Jews then, and future generations, could not reasonably doul)t, l)ut that he was sent by Him to prepare Christ's way. The group of names mentioned, and the time in wliich they lived and their characters, all unite to establish the truth of the narrative. LIFE OF CHRIST. 59 After John had preaclied about a year, tlie new doctrines of confession, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins ; and the people were aroused hj liis boldness in rebuking the Pharisees and Sadducees, calKng them a generation of vipers, great multitudes began to follow him, and some supposed him to be Christ ; Then the Jews sent a delegation of Priests and Lévites to ask him, " Who art thou ? " and he said, lie was neither Christ, nor Elias, nor tliat prophet ; and when they urged him to tell, " Who art thou ? " he answered, " I am tlie voice of one crying in the w-ilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah." And they asked again, " Why baptisest thou, if thou be not Christ, nor Elias, nor that prophet ? " This shows that tlie Jews were expecting the Messiah, and that He would be a reformer, and rebuker of sin. Then John announced Christ as about to appear, saying, " I baptize with water ; but there standetli One among you, Whom ye know not ; He coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose ; He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with ûre ; He will purge His floor, gather the wheat into the garner ; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable Are ; " and it is a synopsis of the whole work Christ came to do. No other way imaginable could better testify, that John was Christ's messenger, and that He had already come, " stand- ing among you ; " and his message w- as revolutionar}^, struck a death blow at Judaism, which had become a mere formalism ; the spirit of the law was dead, and the people trusting to a ritual and ceremonial righteousness for salvation: and John's teaching ignored its covenant, sacrifice, and ceremonial; and he called them to the new covenant in baptism, that He who was coming would make to convey regeneration, and forgiveness of sins, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 60 LIFE OF CHRIST. This was tlie boi^-inning oi John's preparation for Christ, to transfer Judaism to Christianity ; and the transition period histed until Christ finished His ministry, and S3nt the Jloly Ghost to inaugurate the New Dispensation. John's work was the link l)etween the Law and the Gospel ; lie began the change from ceremonial and sacrifice, to the worship in spirit and truth that Chritt instituted. The people were in the darkness and shadow of death, deeply needing reformation ; and th.e rulers were corrnpt, and at no time before could the changes Cluàst came to make, have been accomplished without shocking the feelings, and causing violence of the people. Thus things looked, near the end of John's mission. Then came Jesus from Galilee to Jordan, to be baptized of John ; but John forbade Him, saying he had need to be baptized of Him. He had known Christ from childhood, and knew Him to be more righteous than himself; but he did not know that He was the Christ. And it looks as if John's work in awakening the people, was God's signal to Christ to l)egin His woi'k : for He said, to John's refusal : " Suffer it to be so now ; for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Under tlie Law, obedience gave righteousness ; and Christ showed that He had come, not to destroy, but fulfill the Law. His baptism was to sanction Jolui's ministry, as well as manifest His obedience, and to begin His ministr3\ AVater was used in religious ceremonies, with other nations l)eside the Jews, as a symbol of purity and cleansing, and espec- ially before anointing a king or high priest ; and Christ was going lO institute Ijaptism, as the new covenant in His blood, for regen- erating and cleansing men from Sin ; and, as the sign and seal of dlsciplesliip to Him. When Jesus was baptised, as He went up out of the Avater, the Heavens were opened, and the Spirit of God descended like LIFE OF CHRIST. 61 a clove, lighting upon Ilim. All the ancient pictures of His l>up- tism represent Him as standing in the Avater, and John pouring it on Him; and the baptisms of the Law were made chiefly by sprinkling ; and St. Paul speaks of Christ, as " the Mediator of the New Covenant, and the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than the blood of Abel." Jesus was praying as He came out of the water, v.dien the Heavens were opened ; and the lirst act after His consecration was prayer ; and the coming of the Holy Spirit was the sign given John by God, to know the Mightier One, who would l)ap- tise with the Holy Gliost. And as it was the dove, which bi-onglit the sign to Noah, to signify that tlie temporal ruin man's sin had wrought upon the earth was passing away, so now the dove was the herald of the greater Ijlessing — Christ had come to bring, to repair the world's moral ruin. " And Lo !" a voice from Heaven, saying, " This is My Be- loved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Thus, for the firbt time since creation, were the Three Divine Persons of the God- liead represented as on earth together, and concuring in the con- secration of Christ's human nature; for His earthly mission, and the acknowledgement of His Sonship by the Father, was the reward He received for His obedience. And His was the first Christian baptism, and the type of all future t>aptism^. Christ, by the Holy Spirit, consecrated water to forever convey spiritual u regeneration, which it did not under the LaW; ma tiiat was the meaning of His " baptizing with the Holy Gihos-t,. and with fire." Thus began Christ's regal, priestly hikI pro|>hetical mission, as the Messiah, and Saviour of the world. And John said, " 1 saw, and bear record that this is the Son of God," — that is, as the Messiah ; for he had no knowledge then that Christ was a person of the Godhead. That consecration was the first step towards preparing to set up tlie kingdom of David, and of God, tliat would never end ; and probably there was no day 82 LIFE OF CHRIST. in Christ's life He looked forward too more anxiously thaï this, be- cause Ho was to emerge fVom obscurity into the turmoi! and ex- citement of the World ; and knew all the trials and suffering He would endure, before He said, on the cross, " It is finished." By His own act, Christ ehniiijed the covenant in the blood of man and animals, to tlie new and easier covenant by water and the Spirit, in His own blood; by which men could be made par- takers of His righteousness, and iidieritors of the kin.dom of Heaven ; and tlie descent of the Spirit, shoM'ed how the baptized are made spiritual children of God. But John's witness was not finished ; lie had announced Jesus as the Son of God, and it remained for him to declare His mission in such a way that in all future times men might believe and know that He was the Christ. The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "Be- hold the Lamb of God, who taketli away the sins of the World ;" yesterday He called Him the Son of God, but now he said, " He is the Lamb of God, slain to take away the sins of the World ;" and thus at the opening of His ministry, John told how it would end; calling Christ the Lamb of God, was, to the Jewish mind, an explanation of all their sacrifices, and of the coming Saviour ; and John and two of his disciples followed Christ, and He turned and said to them, " What seek ye ? " He knew their motive, and their longing to know more respecting Him ; and they answered, ''Rabbi, where dwellest thou?" He said, "come and see;" and they went and remained with Him that night. John knew Jesus well ; and this new address of " Rabbi," showed that the wonders at the baptisms had caused new reverence for Him ; Rabbi, be- ing also the title of a learned man. Andrew was one of John's disciples, who went with them to Christ ; and when he saw his brother Peter, he said, " We have found the Messias," and he brought him to Christ; and He said to him, "Thou shall be called Peter, a rock;" thus, Jesus' next act LIFE OF CHRIST. 63 was calling two disciples, whom John's testimony had pursuaded to believe in' the Messiah ; and John so far confirmed the pro- phecy, that, in the power and spirit of one like Elias, he had proved himself the forerunner. 3-»»- CHAPTER XI. CHRIST ON THE JORDAN. AND IN GALILEE. All attempts to harmonize or chronologically arrange the events of Christ's public ministry have failed ; God lias not so revealed them; the Gospels are so fragmentary and disjected, that it is impossible to reduce their records to any connected order; and the attempt liere is approached with humility and difildence, relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit who inspired theh* writers. As Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, so also did He immediately begin His mission, as the Christ, there. No mention is made of the way in which He spent the remainder of the day of His baptism ; but, as He came out of the water praying, it is probable it was passed in retirement, meditatichi and prayer. John's report concerning Him, increased the excitement created by the wonderful scene at His baptism ; and the valley of the Jordan, which means the river of judgment, and the ford of Bethabara, or the house of passage, were fitting places for Christ to begin His ministry ; who had come as a reliner's tire on the Jews, and to transfer the old kingdom of Israel to the kingdom of Heaven, — announced by John as at hand. From the time of Abraham, the valley of the Jordan liad been sacred-classic ground, and the scene of many remarkable LIFE OF CHRIST. 65 events. "Wlien the Isralites came out of Egypt, God jndged them there; and turned them back to wander hi the wilderness, until all the adults, except Caleb and Joshua, died ; and when the children returned, as the priests' feet, who bore the Lord's Ark, tour',hed the Jordan's water, it parted to let them pass on dry ground ; and there the ravens fed Elijah, there its waters had opened for him and Elisha, and from there he went to Paradise in a chariot of fire ; there, Naaman was cleansed of his leprosy; there, David slew the lion and the bear; and, now Christ passing through its waters, was preparing to destroy Satan's power, and open the way, across the Jordan of death for all lielievers, to the Promised Land of Heaven. John's baptism of Jesus was the culminating act in his ministry, and his prophecy began to be fulfilled : " He must increase, but I must decrease ; " and from that day the multi- tudes who had followed John, flocked to Christ; and as He was returning to Galilee, accompanied by His three disciples, they met Philip, a townsman, and he joined them ; and Philip told Nathaniel they had "found Him whom Moses, the Law, and the Prophets foretold," "Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph." This shows they knew nothing of His divine con- ception ; but that they did know well the prophecies concerning Christ, and that He was- Joseph's reputed Son. Nathaniel asked, " Can any good thing come out of Naza- reth ? " and Philip answered, " Come, and see." Jesus saw Nathaniel coming, and said: "Behold an Israelite indeed, in Whom is no guile." He gave him that first proof of His omni- science ; and he asked, " Whence knowest Thou me ? " And He said, "Before Philip called thee, when thou wast Tmder the fig tree, I saw thee." He perceive'l that Christ knew what his thoughts there had been, and he confessed: " Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel; " meaning only in the Hebrew sense, the anointed seed of the woman. G6 LIFE OF CIIKIST. Natlianiel was one of the few devout men wlio were wait- ing and cxpettting Christ, and lie was cliosen then as a disciple, and became an Apostle, whose name Christ changed to Bar- tholomew; because, like Simeon, he had not only " Avaited for the consolation in Israel," but had believed in His Messiahshij) as soon as he saw Ilim. Thus, by degrees, Jesus began to call the disciples lie knew would be fittest to build His Kingdom on. Christ told Kathaniel, for his confession of fjiith, that he should see greater things than he had seen at his baptism ; namely, " the heavens opening and the Angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man ; " which title He then lirst gave Himself, and which was verified at His ascension. The next event recorded in Cln-ist's life was, after He returned to Galilee, full of the Holy GJiost: then the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to he tempted of the devil ; it seems a strange event, and a strange time, when He was begin- ning His mission to destroy Satan's power, and begin His work of man's salvation. It was the first trial of Christ's human nature ; and after He had fasted forty days, that the devil assaulted Him. I^ut it fulfilled the type of Moses, who fasted forty days Avhen he went to the mount to receive the Law, and to learn how to establish the Tabernacle and Priesthood; so Christ now prepared Himself, to begin to teach the Gospel, and institute the Chris- tian Church and niinistrj'. Satan first enticed Cln-ist's human will to act against the Father's will; he knew the seed of the woman would bruise His head, he suspected Christ was that seed, — probably from the wonders that attended His baptism ; but he expected to overcome Him as he did the first Adam, by tempting His appetite ; and so he said, " If Thou be the Son of God, com- mand these stones to be made bread." To have done so, would have interrupted the discipline LIFE OF CHRIST. 67 the Father imposed on His luiman nature, and opposed His will to the Father's will; and Clu-ist said : "It is written, 'thou shalt not live by Ijread alone, l)nt l)y every word that cometli from God.'" Satan was batHec', l)ut again tempted Clirist t.i cast Himself from a pinnacle of the Temple; quoting the Psalm that foretold the ministry of " Angels to hold Him np, that He should not dash His feet against a stone; " but He omitted the last part of the promise, that He would " tread the lion and dragon under His feet." These trials of Christ's human nature failed ; and Satan was doul)tful if He were the Christ; to have done either act, would have revealed His divine nature, and draw upon it, to do Satan's will, instead of the Father's, in submitting to this trial of His obedience. But the devil's effrontry was not quite confounded ; and He made his last assault on Christ's ambition, offering Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory, if He " would fall down and worship him." That looks as if he hoped by the blasphemous provocation, to impel Christ to reveal Himself; but He said, " Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written : tliuu shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." Thus tlie Son of David smote His spiritual enemy with words from Holy Scripture, and sent him away confouniL'cl by one born of woman, for the first time in his long career uf wickedness in tempting mankind. He had bruised the race's heel, and he now knew the Ijruiser of his head had come; for he felt again the power of the Son of God, by whom he was cast out Heaven, and knew He would finally cast him into Hell. When the devil left Christ, angels came and ministered unto Him. An angel announced Jesns's conception ; and angels attended His birth, and now they ministered to His human nature, for that only needed support ; and they continually attended Him G3 LIFE OF CHRIST. t]u-i)uii:li all His earthly life ; were present at Kis resurrection, and escorted Him at His ascenscion to Heaven. And in Christ's temptation, there was a lesson for all His disciples ; He was holy — yet tempted ; we shonld never have known why we are t3mpted, but for Christ. His human nature made perfect by re^sistance, and our spiritual strength is increased, Avlien we re- sist manfully as He did ; and that He triumphed is our assur- ance that He is God, and can make us conquer also if we look to Him for help. Some of the inhabitants of Heaven, Earth, and Hell, God and ano-els, the devil and men were present at Christ's temptation ; and we see what a mystery our human life and nature are, and what helps and hopes we have for the final conquest of our spiritual enemy. Anotlier lesson is : Christ did not seek tlie temptation — He was led by the Spirit ; and our duty is to resist the first enticement to evil ; and we learn, also, that doing our duties does not exempt us from temptation, — but when we are most earnest, we may expect the hardest trials ; but the resist- ance increases onr spiritual strength, and makes us like Christ. Though Satan withdrew from Christ, it was only for a time ; he never ceased occasional temptations — ^for He was tempted in all points, as we are, yet without' sin — until he wrung from Him on the cross the anguish cry : " My God, My God, why hath Thou forsaken Me?" Christ gave His disciples an example of fasting and obedience, by which Plis human nature was perfected ; so must ours be made perfect in His way; and when we resist temptations, more than angels come to our help, even the Holy Spirit, He sent as His last, best gift to His Church after His ascension to Heaven. There are no clues to help us trace Christ's course or doings immediately after His temptation, only that He re- turned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and His fame spread abroad. But He next appears puljlicly at Cana of Gali- LIFEOFCHRIST. 69 îee, where He wronght His first mii-acle of changing water to wine. He, and His mother, and disciples were present at a wedding; Joseph is not mentioned, and so probably was dead. Thus He honored matrimony by His presence, and turned water to wine to save the family the mortification of not having suffi- cient for the guests. WJien His mother told Him of the want of wine, He said, " What have I to do with thee ? Mine hour is not yet come," which looks as if slio expected He was al)out to plainly manifest His Messiahsliip to the world. No irreverence was implied in His words, only she must understand that, — though she was His mother as the Son of Man, she liad notliing to do with His work as the Son of God ; and thus, in the ])eginning of His ministry, He gave the warning against the idolatry He foresaw would be paid to her as the Mother of God's incarnate Son. Mary surely saw something in Christ's manner, that as- sured her her wishes would be regarded ; and she told the ser- vants to do whatever He commanded. And they filled six jars with water, and drew wine from them, and bore it to tlie Governor of the feast ; and He called tlie bride-groom, and asked why he had kept the good wine until the last ? The Mother's petition was the cause of Christ's first miracle, and it was a change of a law of nature by His Mdll for no word was spoken ; and it anticipated tlie unbelief of future ages, when man would deny God's power to arrest, or control His own laws ; and it was no more a miracle to chano-e water to wine, than it was to make grapes to produce wine. It was a manifestation of His power over nature's laws, and " His disciples believed on Him." There was also a spiritual lesson in tlie miracle; it was a symbol of the work He had come to do, by changing the water of the old covenant and kingdom into the sacraments of His LIFE OF CHRIST. kingdom of God ; and tlie water of John's baptism, into water consecrated by the Holy Ghost, to regenerate and sanc-tify men; to raise them ont of the moral darkness in which the world grovelled, into the light and glory of the Gospel. If Christ had created wine in empty jars, it would have signified the regeneration of the Law ; but putting in water, and chang- iïia- that, signified the development of the Gospel out of the Law. Moses' first miracle turned water to blood, but Christ's chanîjed water to wine ; the Law was a ministry of death ; the Gospel brought life and immortality to light. And it was a sym- l)ol of what Ilis Church would forever do; while His presence at a marriage feast, where was dancing and wine, showed that He had come to hallow times of joy and gladness, as well as of suffering and sorrow, and at last give men the wine of eternal life and glory in His kingdom inlieaven. Henceforth water was to be forever a symbol of regeneration and washing from sin, and wine tlie means of strengthening aîid refreshing .the souls of believers ; and the out-ward and visible signs of the sacraments He would institute, to take the place of the covenant and sacrifices of the mother Church. From Cana, Clu'ist went with His motlier and disciples to Capernaum, and He taught and wrought miracles ; but they ro- mained there not many days. John began his cry in the wilderness, but Christ chose the greater publicity of teaching in the cities and villages of Galilee, where He must have been well known. Josephus says that Province was very populous, and peopled with many nationalities ; bold and shrewd adventurers, the last people an impostor would seek, but which would soonest make His fame widely known. In fulfilling the Law, Christ showed its spirituality, — which the Scribes and Pharisees had buried under their ceremonial, — restored the almost lost knowledge of true righteousness, and LIFE OF CHRIST. 71 made new revelations of man's future life and destiny. lie did not come to revolutionize, but to regenerate society ; and He knew that before His kingdom would be established, to elevate mankind socially and morally. He must suffer persecution until He found rest in death on the cross. He knew He was King of the Jews, and of a kingdom not of this world ; but He would liave no earthly glory, and came to do the Fathe]"'s will, and not His own, that is,^ — human will. The Evangelists agree that soon after this, Jesus went to Nazareth, where He grew up, and in the Synagogue declared His Messiahship by reading the prophecy of Isaiali concerning Himself saying, " tliis day is tliis propliecy fulfilled in your ears ;" and the eyes of all the people wei-e turned on Him, and tliey wondered at His gracious words. And they said, " Is not this Joseph's son ? " They had known Him only as a carpenter, and now He claimed to be the Christ. That was not the way an imposter would have been likely to have done, where He was best known. That question was the very first murmur of the doubt of Christ's Messiahship, and it was destined to begin a persecution that would incu-ease until it ended in the cry at Jerusalem " to crucify Him." He knew the doubt; and that they wondered why He had done no nnracle there, as they heard He had done else- Mdiere ; and He said, " No prophet is accepted in his own coun- try," and He showed them the miracle, that He knew their thoughts ; and quoted Scripture to prove His words true : that in the famine in Israel there were many widows, but to none was Elisha sent, but to a gentile at Sarepta ; and there were many lepers in Israel, but to none of them was he sent but to Naaman, the Syrian ; thus telling tliem He was exorcising His ministry as tlie Pi-opliet did according to God's will. He had shown by His works elsewliere, that He is the Christ ; but He had told them, by His words. 72 LIFE OF CHRIST. The people were filled with wrath at Ilis sayings, and led Him to the brow of the city to cast Ilini down headlong ; and the geology of the city now testifies to the truth and genuineness of the narrative, — for on its south-west side is a perpendicular preci- pice fifty feet high, where the mob intended to cast Him down ; He had shown them in the Synagogue, that He knew their thoughts, and now He showed them the miracle of escaping from their violence. Passing through tlieir midst He departed, they knew not where, nor liow^ ; and thus He did begin His ministry at Nazareth, as He had done at Cana and Capernaum, by miracles. The want of faith in Christ, as the Son of God, in the Son of Man, " God with us," caused His rejection in the beginning of His ministry, and His death at its end ; and has caused His rejection ever since by many to our day, after all the new proofs of His divinity that have been accumulating for nineteen centmies. CHAPTER XII. CHRIST'S FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. The persecution of Clirist at I^azaretli, led to His departure to other places and to new proofs of His Messiahship ; soon after He taught in the synagogue, at Capernaum, and wrought a notable miracle. It was then a populous town, in the centre of Palestine, the resort of foreigners from the East and West ; and where caravans from the East, and commerce brought by ships of the Mediterranean, passed through on the way to Damascus, and its market abounded with adventurers ; so Christ's acts there would be conveyed to many Gentile nations, as well as severely scrutinized. There, Christ cast an unclean spirit out of a man ; and the act was notorious by the devil's calling Him Jesus of Nazareth, and asking : " Art thou come to destroy us ? I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God ! " Before Christ spake a word, or the people knew His intention to cast the devil out, he was alarmed at His presence, and acknowledged His power to destro}^ them ; which shows Satan had learned, at the temptation, that He was the seed of the woman. His townsmen had rejected Him, but a devil had confessed Him to be the Holy One of God ; this was Christ's first exercise of His power over a devil, for the benefit of another ; but He 74 LIFE OF CHRIST. rebuked the spirit — told liirn to hold his peace, and come out of the man ; and throwing him down before the people, " he came out, and hurt him not." While tiie devil testified to Christ's Divinity, He proved it l)y His power over the invisible kingdom of darkness, and fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy — " setting the cap- tives free ;" and also the prophecy of 2achariah — that when Christ came, " unclean spirits would pass out of the land ;" not that they would no longer tempt, but could not injure the bodies of men. Tliatwas a thrilling scene; and tlie people were amazed, and said aniong themselves : " What Word is this ! for with author- ity and power He commands tlie unclean spirits, and tliey obey Him." They saw and (îonfessed that the a(;t was supernatural ; and " the fame werit out into every place of the country round about." From Capernaum Christ went to Simon's house at Bothsaida, and healed his Avife's mother of a fever suddenly, so that she rose and ministered to them. And these miracles spread His fame so, that " Avlien the sun was setting, many sick with diverse diseases, and possessed of devils, came to Him, and He healed them." This incidental mention of sun-down, proves the reality of th^ scene, and the truth of the nan-ative : because, in a warm climate, the sick could not endure exposure to the sun. The casting out of demoniacs, was a different miracle from healing diseases ; and revealed clearly the mystery of man's subjec-tion to their power, and was one of the evils Christ came to remedy. No wonder then, that people flocked to Him, and l)elieved Him the Clirist; and that the devils confessed Him, as their de- stroyer. Again the scene changes, and a glimpse is given of His private life: ''In the morning, rising up a great while before day. He went into a solitar}- place, and there prayed;" and that was no act of an impostor, or presumptuous, or vain glorious man. LIFE OF CHRIST. 15 He was about to extend His journey, and enlarge His work, and He sought help and direction from God; but liere occurs one of those gaps, that neitlier Gospel helps us to bridge over. Si- mon and other disciples sought for Christ, and wlien they found Him, said, " All men seek for Thee." And He said unto them " Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach tliere also. And He preached in their synagogues throughout- all Galilee, and cast out devils." In what direction Christ and the disciples first went no ac- count is given; but apparently it was to the Mount of Beatitudes north of Capei-naum, when He preached that sermon which set forth the great principles of the Gospel, and was His primal act in transforming the Law to the Gospel, and the old Kingdom of God to His new Kingdom of Heaven. Moses went into the Mount to receive the Law, from the same Lord who now pro(daimed the Gospel ; the Law was given amid thunderings and lightenings, and " made notliing perfect," and its despisers died without mercy ; but tlie G<.)spel began with benedictions, revealed the spirituality of the Law, and a better rightcijusness through Clu'ist, and a linal salvation. The multitude followed Clu-ist, expecting He was come to establish a temporal kingdom, or seeking some personal benefit y but His first words were the key note to His Gospel, and the first step of departure from Judaism, as it was, to Cln-istianity. " Blessed are the poor in spirit," the humble, and lowly in heart for they feel the need of a Saviour, and theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. He knew that the Jews expected earthly riches and glory, but He said His Kingdom would give only spiritual l^lessiugs ; and swept away tiieir hopes of a temporal kingdom, and showed Himself no agrarian, or revolutionist like Judas, who had caused political disturbance in Galilee; The second beatitude was for mourners; not those weeping 76 LIFE OF CHRIST. the loss of friends or property, but the contrite, and broken hearted, they shall lind comfort in His Kingdom, a heavenly consolation in doing its duties : The third beatitude was for the meek, they shall inherit the earth ; this was a blow to Jewisli pride, which looked for political power in Messiah's kingdom, and expected tlio whole world as their inheritance: The fourth beatitude was for "those M'ho hunger and thirst after righteousness," and not earthly power and di-itinction — they shall be tilled ; because His Kingdom will give righteousness and peace to iill and quench such hunger and thirst : The fifth beatitude was for the merciful, which rebuked the hard hearted rulers, who laid heavy burdens, and had a spirit of revenge towards their enemies ; and whom Cln-ist knew would show no mercy to Him ; only such would obtain admission to His Kingdom, and receive mercy from God. The sixth beatitude was for the pure in heart. The Jews were careful observers of their ritual, while their liearts were un- clean and far from God ; and so they nmst repent, or they could not inherit His Kingdom, or even see God. The seventh beatitude was for peace makers; Christ knew how the Jews had been rebels and revolters against God, and the Roman rule, and how they would persecute and kill Him ; and they expected the Messiah would deli^'er them by violence from the Homans, but He taught them He had come lO bring peace, by peaceable means. The eighth benediction foretold how His Kingdom would be received, and what His disciples nmst expect for righteous- ness sake, but their reward will be great in Heaven ; and thus, for the first time, that future eternal reward was revealed to His disciples, as a motive to bear His cross, suffer persecution for His sake, all of which was very different from the proclamatioii they looked for from the Messiah. LIFE OF CHRIST. 77 Clirist continued, that His disciples would l)e the salt of tlie eavtli, and salt is a syml)ol of purity; but if tliey were unfaithful, would be despised by men. They must let their light shine, to be seen of men, and so glorify God ; and, for the lirst time, He called Him their father in Heaven. And He enforced His doctrines, as no other prophet ever did, by His authoritive '■'■ I say unto yow. I have not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it ; " and unless His disciples' righteousness exceeded the Scribes and Pharisees, they could not enter the Kingdom of Heaven ; proving Himself Messiah, by proclaiming mysteries of God, and foretelling who will be admit- ted or excluded from His kingdom. And He revealed the spirit of the Law, forlndding anger, which leads to murder ; lustful looks are adultery of the heart ; and urged a new motive, not in the Law, — the danger of eternal punishment in Hell; saying it were better to pluck out an eye, or cut off a hand than to be cast into Hell : there must be no di- vorce but for adultery, and no marriage again for the guilty. Oaths, resistance of evil, hatred of enemies and praying to be seen of men, are condemned ; and alms-giving are urged as a means to make men like the Heavenly Father, who is good to the evil and unthankful. In these ways Christ repealed the Law, as in- terpreted l>y the Scribes, "It is said;" and rebuked the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, by His Divine authority, " I say unto you." Christ also made a departure from the Hebi-ew Kitual, and the beginning of a Christian Liturgy in His prayer ; the address " Our Father," and the doxology, were from old forms, and the first petition accorded with the first command of the Law ; but that for the condng of the kingdom, was His kingdom, and to be continued for its prosperity until His second coming. The petition for God's will to be done, and for daily bread, and for- giveness, and deli^'erance from temptation, were in exact accord with the principles of His Gospel, and revealed the spiritual 78 LIFEUFCHRIST. nature of the old Ritual ; while the principles of forgiveness had no parallel in any IIol)row prayer. And it was not nntil near the end of His mission, that He told the Apostles to ask and conclude prayers to the Father in His name ; and no prayer so comprehensive as His, and adapted to all from childhood to old age, has since been compiled. Each duty taught was a departure from the popular religion, and alms, and self-sacrifices were substituted foi the old animal sacrifices ; and purity of heart for the washing and anointings of the Law; and treasures were to be laid up in Heaven — because where they are, there the heart will be ; and Christ's words respecting the singleness of the eye, evinced a knowledge of physiology, which modern science alone has explained. The command '*'not to be anxious abont temporal things, to trnst in God, and to seek first His kingdom, and He will care for ns," were new doctrines, and His disciples have ever since found them true ; the Law promised earthly blessings, and righteous- ness, for obedience ; but the Gospel promises tribulation, Christ's righteousness, and eternal life, for entrance into and faithfulness in the coming kingdom of God : and this was His first mention of His kingdom, in this new aspect. All rash judgments and deeds are warned against — l)ccause of the mysterious law of retribution, as well as false oaths and profanity; and all prayers will be answered — not always as we ask, but as God knows is best for us ; and all must do as they would be done by, — and this, Christ said, " is the law and the prophets." And then, as the instruction draws to an end, He warns the people that the gate to the kingdom is straight, and the way to walk in it nari-ow, and few will find it ; and they nmst l)cware of f;dse prophets, for every tree that does not produce good fruit will l)e cut down and cast into the fire; and calling Him LIFE OF CHU IS T. 79 Lord, Lord, will not save tliern from condemnation in the jndg-- inent, unless they depart from evil. Tims the new Dispensation dawned with its doctrine of future reward's and punishments for the deeds done here ; and that there is no salvation for any who build their hopes on any other ground than faith in Him as the Christ, and obedience to His Gospel and kingdom. Jesus called this discourse, "sayings of Mine;" He deliv- ered it by His authority as God, "I say unto you;" He announced Himself the future Judge of mankind, with power over heaven and hell ; and laid down the duties men owe to God and their fellow-men, in every relation of life, as king or subject, master or servant, parent or (;hild, Iniyer or seller, husband or wife, rich or poor, clergy or laity, with a wisdom God alone possesses; and now, after all the changes society has since passed through. His doctrines are infallilJe, and no one ever tried to conform to them without being convinced that they are of God. Is it any wonder, then, that the people who heard the ser- mon, were astonished at His doctrines, so exalted in principle, and so vastly in advance of the practice of His age ? It is im- possible that any man, who was not holy himself, could have taught such doctrines, and given such a prayer, and with such con- summate wisdom prepared the way to transfer Jewish ideas and service to Christian doctrines and worship. And Christ's interpretation of the Law, viewed only in its relations to this life, as a sytem of etliics based on reason, and wise earthly policy, and to secure happiness, far surpass any tiling ever propounded by prophets, philosophers, or legislators. Certainly nothing can be imagined better adapted to exalt mankind; no question of right or wrong that is too high or low to be adjusted by it; audit presented new motives for men to believe in, and obey Him as the Christ ; gave an impulse to a 80 LIFE OF CHRIST, liiglier civilization, art, and science; and when it is considered tliat it was delivered by a young man, who had grown up, and labored as a carpenter at Nazareth, tliere is no other way to ex- plain it, but that He was " very God of very God," incarnate in our human nature ; for the doctrines were incarnate and exem- plilied in His life. CHAPTER XIII. CHRIST'S JOURNEY CONTINUED. " "When He was come down from the mountain, great multi- tudes followed Him " to the Lake Gennesaret, and so pressed upon Him to hear His words, that He went aboard a boat, and taught the people as they stood on the shore. When His discourse ended, He told Peter to launch into the deep and let down his nets for fish ; but he said they had toiled all night and taken nothing; but at His command he obeyed and enclosed a multitude of fishes, so that the net broke ; and they called their partners, Andrew and John, in another boat, and they came and rilled both boats. And when Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, " Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." And Jesus said to him, " Fear not ; for from henceforth thou shalt catch men." And wlien they brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. Some weeks before this, these men had met our Lord and professed their faith in Him, but returned to their employment until this time; as they appear afterwards, several times occasion- ally, to have done. With His followers, Jesus now returned to Capernaum ; and as He was entering the city, there came a lep- er and worshipped Him, saying : " Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou 82 LIFE OF CHRIST. cans't make me clean/' And He put forth His hands and touched liim, saying : "I WHX : be thou clean;" and immediately his lepi'osy was cleansed. He had been teaching in virtue of His own Divine power ; but now, in virtne of His own Divine will, He told the man and the people, that He healed him of his loathsome disease ; which the Jews held incurable but by God ; and by the law, whoever touched a leaper was unclean. It Avas a type of sill ; and by touching him, Chiist showed that neither could defile Him ; and He gave His words and deeds as proof of His Messiahship. But He commanded the leper to tell no man, but go and show himself to the priests — and offer the gift for his restoration, which Moses commanded. This showed that He had not come to destroy the law ; and it was also to make known to the priests, that Christ had come, who could heal sickness, and do what only God had power to do. Scarcel}' had the leper departed, when a Centurion came to Christ, and besought Him to heal his servant, sick of the palsy ; and the elders of the Jews approved his petition, saying, " He iovetli our nation, and hath built us a synagogue," which looks as if he were a proselyte. But the centurion said : " Lord, I am not worthy Thou shouldest come under my roof ; but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed." And Christ said He had not found so great faith in Israel, and told him to go his way ; " and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee ; " which was the first recorded expression of the infinite part faith was to exercise in His Xingduui. And that Homan soldier was the first disciple Christ re- ceived from the Gentile world ; but he appears not to have for- saken liis profession, nor to have followed Christ — His personal missicm being exclusively to God's covenant people. The cen- turion's faith coujpared Christ's dominion over the unseen world. LIFE OF CHRIST. 83 to his absolute military Hiitliority over his soldiers ; and for that, his petition was (granted. Several months luid now elapsed since Christ began His min- istry, and He seems to have returned to Capernaum for a short time, and left because the Jews' Passover was at hand; and be- cause His fame had so increased : multitudes were flocking to Him ; and He went down to the lake of Gennesaret, and taught the people there. And a scribe came, and desired to become His disciple; but He said to him: "The foxes hav^e holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." That was the second time Christ applied the title, " Son of Man," to Himself, which the Psalmist liad given the Messiah a tliousancl years before, and which He often used in reference to His human nature ; and thus He told the scribe, that He was the Christ. But he, evidently, was thinking of Him as a king, and expected some great honor as His disciple; but the poverty — not where to lay His head — sliook his faith, and he turned away. At the same time came another man, wlio ]iad professed himself a disciple, and said unto Him, " Lord suffer me first to go and bury my father ?" But He said to him : " Follow Me, and let the dead bury their dead." This was apparently an excuse for not accompanying Him ; he, too, had probably ]ieard the words of the scribe, and began to doubt the expediency of fol- lowing Him an}^ more. And Christ appears always to have tried the faith of all who offered to become His disciples, before He accepted them. "And when He entered the boat. His disciples followed Him. And, beliold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that tlie boat was covered with the waves ; but He was asleep. And His disciples awoke Him, sajdng : Lord, save us ; we per- ish." The disciples who followed Him, believed Him to be the 84 LIFE OF CHRIST. Christ, and that He could control the hiws of the ncatural world, because they liad seen Him turn water into wine, "And He saith unto them, Wliy are ye fearful, O ye of little faith { Then, He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea ; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, "NMiat manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him ?" This was the exercise of His power over two natural laws — the winds and the water; ai)d He instantly interrupted their mo- tions. And how perfectly natural, as the description of a real scene, by one who had witnessed it ; and how natural the in- quiry, from men who believed Christ was tlie Messianic Son of Man, but did not know or believe Him to be the incarnate Son of God ? These miracles were not contrar}^ to the laws of nature, but was an exercise of Divine power in controlling them. God was the tirst cause of them, and certainly He could govern them ; Christ wrotight the miracle to show His disciples that He could control botli winds and waves, and therefore was their Creator ; and He did it, not to inspire their reverence or wonder, but to save them from drowning and allay their fears ; though it was, also, inci- dental testimony to His Divine nature. And when He was come to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two possessed of devils, com- ing out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out saying, "AY hat have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God ? " "What perfect consistency and reasonableness in this nar- rative ; a few weeks at most before, the devils knew Jesus, and confessed that He was the Holy One of God ; and now they ex- . press the same dread of Hira, and call Him " Jesus," — the name God gave His hinnan nature, and say, " Thou Son of God ; " and they use the same cry, showing knowledge of their impend- LIFE OF CHRIST. 85 ing doom. " Art thou eome Inthcr to torment ns before tlic time ; " tliey knew that God had appointed the time, when Christ would judge and condemn them to the torment of liell ; and thus the devils testify to the truth of one of the great doctrines of a future judgment, and eternal punishment in hell, which Christ came to reveal. They saw in anticipation, the day when the devils who destroyed mankind would be " cast into the lake of fire and brimstone," wdiere " the smoke of their torment will ascend forever and ever." The devils acknowdedged Christ's power over them, and asked permission to enter a herd of swine ; Christ gave it, and the swine rushed down a precipice and perished in the lake. This is the only miracle of our Lord, whereby an injury was done to a living creature ; every other one was an act of benevo- lence, but this exercise of His power proved His words — that He would judge and condemn both devils and wicked men; for the law forbid Jews to keep swine to eat, or sell ; they had violated the hiw, if they were owned by Jews ; and so He acted as their judge, in punishing them with the loss of their property. " And they who kept them tied, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the pos- sessed of the devils. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus ; and when they saw Him, they besought Him to depart out of their coasts." Thus the Jews and Gentiles of Gadera, had memorable wit- ness that He who had come to lighten the Gentiles, had been among them ; and so fulfilled another prophecy, that, when " the people should see Him, there is no beauty that we should de- sire Him." The winds and waves had just obeyed Christ's voice, the devils had submitted to Him ; but the unbelief and will of wicked men, He would not violently turn away. The time of the Pass- over was now at hand, and He went on His way to Jerusalem. CHAPTER XIV. THE FIRST PASSOVER Four Passovers are mentioned in the Gospel, that Christ attended after He began His ministry; in His boyhood, He tirst declared in the Temple, that He must be al)ont His Father's Inisiness ; and on this first visit, He proclaimed it My Father's House; and on the fourth Passover He was crucified. He had gone through Galilee, preatthing the kingdom of God, and working miracles ; His fame had spread every where in Palestine, many disciples believed in, and followed Him ; and He went to Jerusalem, to the rulers of the Jews, and proclaimed Himself Lord of the Temple ; and finding men tliere selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and exchangers of money ; Pie made a scourge of snail cords, drove them all out, and overthrew the tables, and said to the men, " make not My Father's House an house of merchandise." The animals were for sacrifice, and the doves for offerings for the poor ; and the money changers were brokers for the ex- change of foreign coin — Ijecause current Jewish money could only be used as tribute for the Temple service, and to purchase animals for sacrifice. These persons were in the outer court of the Gentiles, the least sacred part of tlie Temple ; but the exercise of His authoiity LIFE OF CHRIST. 87 was ail extraordinary scene ; not tlint there was any use of the scourge, or violence, but it was Christ's Divine majesty, that awed siKîh persons as would be likely to be employed in defiling God's House ; and it foreshadowed another cleansing He had come to make, in abolishing animal sacrifice, and the Temple cremonial, and instituting a new worship in sjjirit and in truth. And the disciples saw in the fulfillment of the prophecy, " The zeal of Thine House hath eaten me up." Christ patiently submitted to the unbelief and persecution of the Jews, but His indignation was aroused by the defilement of the Temple. And a greater miracle can hardly be imagined, than the submission of such men to this stranger, apparently a peasant; but the act helps to confirm the authenticity and genuineness of the narrative, as M'ell as show Christ as Lord of the Temple. Nor did the scene pass unnoticed ; it attracted the attention of tlie rulers of the Jews, as Christ intended it should; and they demanded of Him, " What sign showest Thou unto us, seeing Thou doest these things ? " These rulers knew Christ was the great pi-ophet, who had risen in Galilee, and they asked for a miracle to convince them of His Lordship of the Temple. But they did not believe in Him, and He would work no miracle to compel their belief. But He answered them in a way, that foreshadowed what their unbelief would bring on the Temple, and that would help future generations to believe in Him, saying, " Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up again ; " it foretold to them, what they would do to His human body, the Temple of the living God, and on which would be built the new kingdom, and also His resurrection from the dead on the third day ; but they did not understand Him. But said the Temple was forty-six years building, and " wilt thou raise it in three days ? " When Christ rose from the dead, His disci])les remembered His words, and believed the 8S LIFE OF CHRIST. prophecy which foretold His three days burial. The disciples did not understand Christ's words any more tiian tlie Je\\> ; there was the same obscurity' in Ilis prophecies, as in tlic old propliets, until tliey were fulfilled. And this candor, in incri- dentally telling of their ignorance, proves their honesty; and the time of the temple's building proves tliat the event occured at the time named, because it was nine years after that it was finished. Christ arrived at Jerusalem some days before the Passover, and wrought several miracles, though not one is mentioned in the Gospel ; because it is said, " many believed on Him when they saw the miracles He did." And the expulsion of the violaters of the Temple, without opposition from tliem, must have looked like a miracle to the beholders, and been subject of notoriety in Jerusalem ; and one at least of the believers, was a rich and eminent man, Nicoderaus, though he did not publicly profess it ; and Christ made no special efforts to win the rulers to believe in Him, for He knew their minds, and needed not their help to make Him known, or His doctrines to prevail; and it was essen- tial for the success and conclusion of His mission, that He should not positively declare His Messiahship to them, until He w^as ready to be crucified on His fourth attendance at the Pass- over. It is probable Nicodemus was present at the cleansing of the Temple, and when tlie rulers asked a sign from Christ ; and though he belonged to the l)igoted sect of the Pharisees, lie ap- pears to have been a true Israelite expecting the Messiah, and ready to believe on sufficient testimony ; and he went to Christ by night to learn moi'e of His doctrines, and w^as gladly received and instructed. The night visit shows, that the rulers doubted that Jesus was the Ciu-ist ; and Nicodemus was afraid to confess his faith in Him, until he had learned moi-e of His doctrines. Ar.d he said LIFE OF CHEIST. 89 to Christ, "Rabbi, we know that Thou art a teacher come from God : for no man can do these miracles Tliou doest, except God be with Him." And Christ said, " Verily I say nnto thee, ex- cept a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost he can- not see the kingdom of God ; " the original, {cmothev) means " from al)ove," a second birth from God, and without that birth man has no understanding of spiritual things ; and IMicodemus showed it, asking, " How can a man be born again when he is old ? " Though the question was not reverently expressed, Christ's courtesy neither noticed nor resented it ; but caused Him to repeat the truth in another way, " Yei'ily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Both sayings were strange to the ruler, and the learned Pharisee, whose word was law to the peo- ple; and he must have been astonished at Christ's dictum, " I say unto you." That was the first time Christ had come in direct personal instruction to a ruler of the Jews, and he was iiuich older than Christ ; yet He proved vastly his superior in spiritual knowledire, and of the analogy between the laws of man's physical and spiritual birth, and of the mysteries of the natural and spiritual worlds, which were known to Christ, or He could not have made the comparison, and which Nicodemus could no more understand than the cause of the blowing of the winds, as great a mysterv now as it was then. Then Christ began that illustration of Divine truth by earthly analogies, tliat He so often used, — wliich were so in advance of the teachings of any preceding prophet or philosopher, and which is now a stronger proof of His D'ivinc Nature than all His miracles ; for it is knowledge yet known only to God. When Nicodemus asked, " How can these things be ? " Christ said, " Art thou a master in Israel, a d knowest not tliese 93 LIFE OF CHRIST. tliiîi2çs ? Ycrily, verily, ' I say unto thee, -vve speak that vtg do know, and testify that we have seen ; and ye receive not our tes- timony. If I liave told you earthly things, and ye believe not, Low shall you helieve if I tell you Heavenly thing's." This too must have seemed strange language for this young peasant of Nazareth, as Jesus appeared to Nicodemns; and though it was designed to confirm his faith in Ilim as tlic Messiah, his unljelief made it only bewilder him. Had Nicodemus known what we now know, as Christ knew it then, that the living foetus in embryo floats in water, and is helped to the birth by it, into the kingdom of nature, he would have seen the beautiful analogy to which Christ referred ; and why he could not see, nor enter the kingdom of God without the second spiritual birth from above, the new way opened to the kingdom of Heaven. And how wonderful it looks, when we read, that, "In the beginning" the earth was an embryo in water, and received its organization and birth by " the moving of the Spirit of God on the face of the water." Jesus said to him, " That Avhich is l)orn of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Marvel not that I said unto you, ye must born again," Jesus not only reproved this Doctor of the Law^ for his want of understanding of spiritual things, which comes from a pure heart and enlightened mind, and so was a type of the regenera- tion he had come to introduce, but He showed him how nnicli more He knew of these mysteries then he did ; and if he could not understand what he knew of earthly things, how could he expect to understand what He knew of Heavenly things, — thus intimating His Divine nature. The doctrine of regeneration was not entirely a new thing, because the Prophets and ancient Philosophei-s had taught that a renewal of man's life and character were essential to his high- est attainment; but they had no knowledge of a spiritual change. LIFE OF CHRIST. 91 •but of one made bj their own self-culture. Tlie doctrine of mstenpsycliosis was also a type of tlie struggle foi a higher life. But Christ taught a new regeneration wrought only by the spirit of God, througli the sacrament of Baptism, that admits the person into new spiritual relations with God, and was one of .the great blessings Pie came to l)ring. We owe to this interview of Nicodemus with Cln-ist the only clear revelation of the doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration in the Gospel, and that it is the sacrament for admission into His kingdom on earth and in Heaven. Then our Lord propounded to Nicodemus anotlier mystery, respecting Himself as the Christ, which is as inscrutible to this day, that, " No man hath ascended up to Heaven, but He who came down from Heaven, even the Son of Man who is in Heaven." Nicodemus knew that the title Son of Man belonged to Christ ; and this %vas teaching him that infinite mystery, that the Son of God in Him came from Heaven ; and in virtue of that union He was in Heaven, and derived His knowledge of the mysteries He taught him from Heaven. And to this mystery of Himself He also revealed another, which pointed onward to the connection of this union with the mystery of the regeneration of which He had spoken, through His own sacrifice. " As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up : that whosoever Ijelieveth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." Thus in the early part of His ministry, Christ foretold to this ruler, who three years later was to play an important part in it, how it would end. Because ISTicodemus knew, that that serpent was a symbol of the Messiah, and of the salvation of man, and the destruction of Satan's power, which were to come through Him ; and then He told him the reason for all this, " Because God so loved tlie world, tliat He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 93 LIFE OF CHRIST. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world ; but that the world, thron^li Him, miglit be saved." And thus Jesus delivered to Nicodemus an epitome of the whole Gospel ; and of all that had besn promised In' tlie Proph- ets. And then lie swept away the false expectation of the set;t to wliicli he belonged, that the Jews were to inherit His king- dom because of their descent from Abrah.am and David ; but now, faith in Hinl and obedience to His Gospel was the only way to salvation ; and without faith in Him, he and all others were condemned already; because they "believed not in the Xame of the only l)egotten Son of God." And this is the condem- nation, that Light is come into the world, and men loved dark- ness rather than light because their deeds are evil ; " and Light is a title which Christ applied to Himself, as a symbol of the reo'eneration of mankind and society, wliich He had come to produce. Words could hardly express to Nicodcmus more directly, that He who talked with him is the Christ; or could liave warned him more effectively of the danger of unbelief in rejecting Him; and no prophet or revelation from God, ever before shed such liglit on the mysteries of God, and the incarnation, and tlie king- dom of Heaven, and man's relation to God, and God's love for men, and the glorious destiny whicli Christ's coming was open- ing to them. It showed Nicodemus how the Avater of the Law was about to be changed into the wine of tlie Gospel. And it made an impression on him that future events show was never lost. This discourse was intended not only for Nicodemus, and tiic rulers of the Jews, to whom as their representative He would naturally tell it, but also for all mankind to whom His Gospel sliould come ; and as condemnation to all wlio refuse to believe ia Him, because He said, " Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that We do know, and testify that We liave seen; and ye LIFEOFCHEIST. 93 receive not Our testiinony." The plural form of we, may have been accord mg to a Hel)rew nsage to give emphasis to His M'ords ; but it was also a declaration of a great mystery, that the Father was speaking witli Him ; as He said at Bethany, in a speech made to the people tliere, six days before His crucifixion : " I have not spoken of Myself ; but the Fatlier who sent Me. He gave Me a commandment, what I should say, and what I sliould speak. And I know His commandment is life everlast- ing : whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak." Is it any wonder, tlien, when we see how mys- terious the w./rks of God are, that there should be a similar mystery in His words ? CHAPTER XV CHRIST RETURNS TO JUDEA After Christ's visit to Jerusalem, and the public and private testimony He gave the rulers of the Jews of His Messialiship, He and His disciples journeyed towards Capernaum ; and at Aenon He tarried and taught, and there met His Messenger the Baptist, and their disciples, baptized there. Tliere was no dif- ference yet between Christ's and John's baptism ; l)oth were only professions of repentance of sins, of faith in Christ as at hand, and preparations to enter His kingdom when it did come ; for Christian baptism, and regençration, did not take place until the Holy Ghost came, and His kingdom was inaugurated : And there, a question arose between John's discij^les and the Jews about purifying ; and his disciples told him that Christ was baptizing (thougli He baptized none but by His disciples) and all men were going to Him. They saw John's fame paling l)ef()re tlie rising Sun of Righteousness, and were jealous lor their master, and so complained. Jolm's first testimony to Christ was, that He is the Lamb of God, and Son of God; but now he called Him the Bride- groom, and Himself His Messenger; though He' did not know tliat He was soon to go before him to martyrdom and Paradise. He declared Christ to be from above, and His doctrines from Heaven, and foretold His reception: "no man receiveth His tes- LIFE OF CHRIST, 95 timoiiy,''' and that the wrath of God will abide on all rejectors of Ilini. John wrought no miracdes, preached no doctrines like Christ's, and never spake as He did by His, " I say unto you ; '" and he was not annoyed by His increasing popularity, for he was only the friend of the Bridegroom ; and his joy was fulfilled in Him, because He w;;s from above, and above all, and sent from God to speak God's words, and do His works ; and then as his last testimony to Christ, he declared, " Ho must increase but I must decrease ; " he said, " The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hands; he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life ; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." Returning from Judea to Galilee, Cln-ist and His disciples must needs pass through Samaria, which was near the heart of the Holy Land ; but was classed by the Jews as a Gentile region, because of the foreigners introduced there by the king of Assyria, after the ten tribes were carried into captivity, and because of the schism of the Samaritans from the Jewish Church, They erected a rival Temple, 13. C, 400, on Mt. Gerazini, and insti- tuted a priesthood and worship of their own, Avithout Divine authority; the Temple was destroyed B. C. 109, but the Sama- ritans maintained their rival worship, and were hated by the Jews. This helps to explain the incident which occured on this visit of Christ. At every place, where we catch a glimpse of His life and acts, some new truth is revealed appropriate to the time and place, but of universal application. Al)out noon-day Jesus arrived at Sychar, in Samaria, the an- cient Sl)echem, and rested on the curb of a well there dug by His great ancestor, according to the flesh, two thousand years l)e{'ore. The Patriarch Jacob bought the land from a man named S^^char, and called the place after him; it had many associations of in- terest for our Lord ; for there, as the Lord God, He had wrestled 96 LIFE OF CHRIST. with. Jacob, at the ford Jabbok ; and here we learn, tliat liis Inunan nature felt weariness, hunger, and thirst as the ^on of Man, like all the race, as prophecy foretold He would. AVliile resting there a woman of Samaria came to (haw water, and Christ asked her to give Him a drink : " Fcir His disciples had gone to the city to buy food." The won;an a.te His claim to be the Messiah; and He wrought the miracle to convince tliem, that He could forgive sins, as well as cast out devils, and heal diseases; saying. He did it as the Son of Man, which title they knew the Psnlmist and Isaiah applied to the Messiah, and by which He afterwards said He would judge the world; and that He knew their thoughts, and could forgive sins was the highest proof He had yet given of His Messiahship. Tliei-e was a cluster of miracles, healing a paralytic, telling them their thoughts, forgiving a man's sins, and all confirmed by the ac(;lamations glorifying God, — ^proving, at least, that the healing of the 'man was no deception; and it was testimony to the Scribes and Pharisees, that He had power to forgive sins. And tliat is another picture of the place and customs of the time wlien Christ was on earth; the very house testifies to tlie truth of the scene; an humble cottage, covered with thatch of palm or straw, — as they are in peasant's houses to tliis day in Pidestinc, where the miracle was wrought. These incidental details, if tJiey were not true would have made any imposture to be easily exposed. LIFE OF CHRIST. 105 Christ would work no miracle, except as a reward for faith ; but ill this case the faith was as strong in the men who bore the palsied man, as it was in him; and He appears to have healed him before many witnesses, to show that He could, and God would, forgive sins on the faith of others — wliich is the ground on whicli children are brought by parents and sponsors and entered into God's covenant, and obtain remission of original sin. All things wore now ready for our Lord to make His next grand move, that looked like preparation for His Messianic Kingdom, John had prepared the way for Him, and He had now prepared the way for a further development of His king- dom. And He returned to Cana, and there met a nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum, and who entreated Him to return and heal him, as he was at the point of death; his faitli was tried by our Lord's command, "Go, thy son liveth;" and he departed for his home, and met his servants coming to tell him in the very words Jesus spake to him, " Thy son liveth," and he learned that the recovery was at the identical time Jesus said " he liveth;" and he and his household believed. The nobleman's faith was at first weak, he supposed Christ's presence essential for the healing; but when his faith failed not, then the blessing followed. This was the second miracle He wrought after His return from Judea to Galilee ; and the men- tioning that it was at Cana, where he changed the water to wiue, would not be likely to liave been told, if the narrative were fiction or falsehood. As Christ returned to Capernaum, He saw Matthew, the Publican, at the Receipt of Custom, and said to him, "Follow me;" and he arose and followed Him. The Publicans were generally extortioners, they paid large l)ril3es to Roman officials for their offices, and compelled the people to repay them ; and so were hated for their extortion, and fi-iendship to the conquerors 106 LIFii, OF CHRIST. of the conntiy. But our Lord saw something in Mattliew wliich showed that he was worthy to be His first Evangelist, and an Apostle, and He took him to ti-ain him for his office ; and the world's experience since has proved the wisdom of Oln-ist's judgment and choice, — ^for his Gospel, to this day, is one of the crown jewels in our world's literature. That day Matthew, whose Hebrew name was Alplicus, the Son of Levi, invited Christ and His disciples lO dine with him ; and when the Scribes and Pharisees saw it, they asked His disciples how He could eat and drink with Publicans and sin- ners? When He heard it, He said, "the whole need not a ]ihysician, but the sick. Put go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice : I came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." This was another fore- shadowing of the change He had come to make, by transferring the sacrificial ceremonial of Judaism, to the more merciful sac- ramental service of Cliristianit3\ And He showed the Scribes and Pharisees, that in going among sinners, He was doing the Messiah's work; and it rebuked their self-righteousness, as they knew the Scriptures declared there are none righteous. Thus their complaint caused Christ to make His gracious proclamation, that He came not to call the righteous, but sinners, and so all mankind; and repentance, not sacrifice, would save them. Not long after this John's disciples came to Christ and asked, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but Thy dis- ciples fast not?" This occasion He used also to declare His Messiahship, by the name of the Bridegroom, which their master had given to Jesus more than a year before. God appointed fasting for man, when He created him, as a law of discipline to keep his will obedient, his mind pure, to promote his health and longevity ; and John's disciples doul)ted if Christ was the Messiah, because He and His disciples neg- lected it. But He used their unbelief to give them another LIFE OF CHKIST. 107 proof, calling Himself the Buidegroom — a title applied to tlie Messiah by the Psalmist and Isaiah ; and giving it as a reason why His disciples did not fast, because He the Clirist was witli tliera ; but when He was taken away, thus foretelling tlie violeul end, they would fast. And how all this now confirms our faith ; as it rebuked their pharisaical fasting, it proclaimed a larger liberty undei the Gospel, when each one would show his love and obedience by voluntary fast — but all looking back to His " taken away." And His allusion to a new patch and an old garment, and new wine in new bottles, meant that Judaism was too old to hold the Gospel truth ; too weak not to burst and run to waste by the new spiritual doctrines He had come to reveal. In these M'ays He taught them the reformation He had come to make, and that the calling of sinners was the special work He was doing. Christ called no Scribe, Pharisee, or noblemen to be His inti- mate friends or Apostles, to give eclat to His mission ; in Him was the unworldliness of God who created the world, and He cared nothing for its fame or glory ; had He courted and convinced the Rulers of His Messiahship, it would have thwarted the pur- pose for which He came ; and earthly renown was nothing to Him, who had lived eternally in the glory of the Godhead in Heaven. Soon after John's disciples had departed, there came a Ruler of the Jews, saying to Jesus, that his daughter was dead, and praying Him to come and lay His hands on her and " she shall live ; " and as He went, a woman with an issue of blood twelve years came behind Him, and touched Hid garments, and He turned about and said, " Daughter be of good comfort thy faitli hath made the whole, and she was immediately healed. But when He came to the Rulers house the child was dead, and the mourning minstrels were making lamentations. Jesus said she is not dead but asleep, not dead to Him; and "He took her by the hand and she nruse." lOS LIFEOFCHRIST. There were two successive miracles, one in a throng on the higliway, for a woman's faith, wntliout solicitation on her part; the touch of His garments healed her ; the other was a direct exercise of His power over death ; that caused the scorn of the people, at Christ's calling the death, a sleep, when He did it as the first proof of Plis power to raise all the dead. These miracles yet more increased His fame. Soon after depai-ting from Capernaum, Christ and the disciples made another circuit of Galilee ; and as they journeyed two blind men followed crying. Son of David have mercy upon on us ; " and as He entered a house they came to Him, and He asked them, "Believe ye that I am able to do this? They answered yea, Lord." They first professed their faith in Him, by calling Him by His Messianic title — Son of David ; and they did not ask to have their sight restored, but only for mercy ; and He touched their eyes, saying "according to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened." In all these instances Jesus taught, that all blessings from Him are proportioned to the faith of the seeker ; and by tliese miracles He identified Himself with the prophecy of Isaiah, that " Christ would give sight to the eyes of the blind, and bear our sicknesses." And, notorious as the last act was, He chai-ged them to let no man know it. It is difficult to understand why our Lord should have given such a charge, when His own works were making Him daily more known. It may have been, that He wanted them and the public to see that He felt no vain glory in His power, and He did not wish it blazoned as something He was proud of; but the charge was disregarded ! And they departed, and spread the report in all the coun- try ; and this, caused an influx of other sufferers ; and as Jesus went on His journey, they brought to Him a dumb man, pos- sessed with a devil, and He cast the devil out and restored the LIFE OF CHRIST. 109 ■ man's speech. Thus, one miracle after anotlier proved His power over all sin, and the works and power of the devil, and hninan maladies, and showed Him fulfilling the prophecy of healing all diseases, as things had never been seen before in Israel, in the times of the greatest Prophets; becanse their miracles were chiefly works of power, done only by calling on God to work them: His were works of benevolence, and done by His own will and power ; commanding the devils by His " I say unto yon." Samuel had raised a dead child to life, but lie did it by praying to God to restore him; but Christ raised the child by His own will, taking her by the hand. And we see liow critically His miracles were scrutinized, and liow impossible any deception could have been on Christ's part, when the Pharisees were ever about Him ; and their enmity helps to confirm our faith in the genuineness of the nn racles, because they admitted their power and reality, but said He cast out devils through the prince of the devils; they jealously watched our Lord, to detect any fault or deception, and un- consciously made themselves witnesses for Him. They had no faith in Clirist, tliey could not deny the miracles, and tliey saw no way for accounting for His works of love and merc}^ like healing the sick, raising the dead, and forgiving sins, Init attrib- uting tlicm to the power of the devil; that unbelief could so pervert their minds, shows what a perilous state it is for the limnaa mind. As Jesus and His disciples journeyed on towards Jerusalem we calch only here and tliere a glimpse of Him and His doings, in the Gus})cls; and no wonder, when St. John tells us of His contiinial teacîhing and working of miracles, of which they give us only snatches or dim outlines. One incident is His poino- through the corn fields — His disciples plucked and ate the grain on the Sabbath, and the ever alert spies complained to Him, of the violation of the day ; and He referred to what David once 110 LIFE OF CHRIST. did in i^ivirig liis followers slvew-brcad from the T!il)crna('le, which it M-;is lawful only for the priests to eat; but lie, as "the Son of Man, was Lord of the Sabbath." Thus He turned their complaint into a new proof of His Messiahship, and Divine Nature, because none but God is Lord of tlie Sabbath, or could annul it l>y His own act and will. The Pharisees followed and M'atclied Him for three years to find some fault in Him which would confirm their nnbelief^ but found no.ic ; and vet, they con- tinued unbelievinsr. 4^— 9 3-* •-£ CHAPTER XVII^ THE SECOND PASSOVER. Christ continued His journey toM\ii-cls Jerusalem, preaching the kingdom of God and working miracles ; and His teaching respecting the kingdom henceforth, was prominent. He had said but little respecting it the first year, because it implied the uprooting of the old kingdom of God, and the growing of another on its soil; and He could not teach that without instant opposition, and provoking His crucifixion. And there was super- human wisdom in the way He pursued His plan, until His purposes were accomplished. The next sight of Christ, He was at Jerusalem, to attend the second Passover ; and each one was an epoch in His public life. There was, by the sheep-market a Pool — called Bethesda; where the lame, and blind, and halt, and sick were laid to wait a miraculous moving of the water, at certain seasons, by an angel — when whoever first stepped in was healed of his infirmity. Clirist went there on the Sabbath, and saw a man who had been atfiicted eighteen years, waiting the moving of the water, and He asked hhn, "Wilt thou be made whole?'' And he answered, he had no one to put him in the pool ; and Christ said to him, " Rise, take up thy bed and walk," and he was immediately restored. 112 LIFE OF CHRIST. Tliat Pool of Betliesdn was a type of tlie Fountain, prophecy foretold, M-ould be opened at Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness by Christ; and He showed the people that an ano-el was not needed to stir the "svater, because He had come. Tims He weni on giviniç new proofs of His Messiahship. That lonir afflicted man, selected as the object of Christ's mercy, was weri known in Jerusalem ; and was not restoi-ed for an}' faith in Christ, but to manifest His power to tlie Rulers; and to let the man know that his affliction was for some temporal sin. and designed to make him repent and amend ; and he must beware and sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto him. The Jews rebuked the man for violating the Sabbath, by carrying his bed. and he said the man who healed me told me to do it; and they asked, "Who is He?" But the man did not know ; afterwards he saw Christ in the Temple, and told the Jews, it Mas He ; and they sought to kill IHm. This accords with the bigotry of the Jews, in the beginning of the Christian era, and is another incidental proof of the truth of the narrative. And Christ improved the occasion, to declare His Divine nature and authority over the Law : saying, " My Father work- eth hitherto, and I work;" they perceived His claim — that it made Him equal to God, and called it blasphemy, and sought again to kill Him. But He knew their evil intentions, and delivered His great Discourse in the Temple, beginning witli His authoritative, "Yeril}'', verily I say unto you, the Son of Man (adopting the Messianic title for Himself) can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do ; " and He said He could do any- thing the Father did, because He loved Him, and showed Him all that He doeth ; and that they would see greater things than they had seen, — for the Father could niise the dead, and so could He ; and the Father had committed all judgment to Him as the Son of Man, that all should honor Him, as they honor the Father; LIFE OF CHRIST. 113 and not to lionor Ilim, was not to lionor the Father who sent Him. And then, as if to leave them cxcnsclcss for not l)eliev'mg in Him, after the words and deeds tliey ]iad lieard and seen, He said, " Verily, verily I say nnto you, he that hearcth My word, and believeth on Him who sent Me, hath e\ erlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." And again, "Verily, verily I say nnto yon, the hour is coming, and now is, wjien the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God ; and they who hear, shall live. For as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given the Son to liaA'c life in Him- self.'' And it looks as if human speecli could hardly have declared more forcibly the fact, that He was and is the incar- nate Son of God, possessed of the same power and glory as the Father. But this Passover was a great occasion in onr Lord's life ; the Tlulers of the Jews, and a vast multitude of people were present f i-om all Jewry ; and He poured forth other mysteries concerning Himself, well calculated to confirm all that He said respecting His Divine origin and Messiahship ; for He continued the Father hath given Him power, as the Son of Man, to raise the dead, and judge and reward or punish all mankind for deeds done here ; and the deeds He was doing was by the Father's will, and they testilied that He is the Christ. And He appealed to John's witness, and to the Father's confession of Him at His btiptism, as confirmation of His words and works that were from Him. And as a final effort, to turn them from their unbelief' and evil intentions towards Him, He said, " Ye have not His word abiding in you ; for whom He hath sent, ye believe not." But the}^ quoted Scripture against Christ, saying, "Art Thou not of Galilee ? Search, and look ; for out of Galilee ariseth no 114 LIFE OF CHRIST. prophet." But Christ reproaclied tlieir unbelief, saying, " Yon indeed search the Scriptures to Und eternal life in them, and they bear witness to Me ; and yon will not come to Me, that you may have that life. I receive not lionor from men ; l)ut I know you, that you have not tlie love of God in j'on.'' And thus lie proved that the Scriptures they quoted condemned them. " 1 come in My Fatlier's name, and ye receive Me not ; if anutlier come in liis own name, him ye wll] receive. How can ye l)elieve, who receive honor of one another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only ? •■ 1 have no need to accuse you, for Moses, in whom you trust, condemns you : " for had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me; for he wrote of Me ; but if yc believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words ? " ' These incidents at tin's Passover, at the pool, and in the Temple, were the fullest declaration of His Messiahship He had yet made to convince tlio Rulers of tlie Jews of His Divine nature, and to arouse them from their unbelief ; and it was such an exercise of power and revelation of mysteries as none but God could make ; and they were declarations of the truth of His Messiahship, grounded on His veracity as the Christ. Yet with Divine humility He confessed He could do nothing without the Father, and that He was not seeking His own glory, but their salvation who were plotting to kill Him. And although for two years the Jews continued their inten- tions to nun-der Him, there was the continuous miracle, that they could not until He was ready to deliver Himself to their power wlien He did ; while He went about increasing the wonders of His words and woi'ks all that time ; and that was evidence to them, as it was intended to be to all future generations, of His Messialisliip. Nevertheless, none of Christ's doctrines were novelties; tliey were the development of truths di ndy revealed to former gene- LIFE OF CHRIST. 115 rations, and imperfectly transmitted by tradition, which lie brought to light, and enforced as new motives for men to believe in God, to love and obey Him. No similar discourse, and no such miracles wei'e ever said and done ])y any other man ; and all mankind knew of God and man's future eternal life, from all the prophets, was nothing in comparison with what Christ revealed. What more Christ said and did at the Passover, Ik.-w long Hei-emained in Jerusalem, and in what direction He went — going from it — are not related ; but He left behind Him truths enough to convince any honest mind, that He was the Christ of God, and Himself " very God of very God." Three Evangelists agree, that Christ's next public teaching was in the Synagogue at Capernaum, on the Sabbath, and there restoi ing a man's withered hand ; and the ever watchful Phari- sees were present, and were full of wrath, because He heahxl the man on the Sabbath; and He asked them, "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath ? " but they held their peace, and took counsel with the Herodians, whom they hated as friends of the Ilomans ; but hoped to use to accuse Chi ist to the Romans as dis- loyal to them, and so have Him executed ; but He withdrew to the Sea of Galilee, followed by multitudes from Galilee and Jn- dea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond Jordan, and from Tyre and Sidon. What a vivid picture that is of the scenes occuring nineteen centuries ago ? What a confirmation of its truth it is, that these towns and places ai-e named, whence tlie people came to Chi-ist ? How easily the narrative could have been proven false, if it were not true? Civil liistory says: Scribes, Pharisees, and Herodians then lived in Palestine, and held relations as there described. We almost sec, through these by-gone centuries, Christ standing there before those hypocrites — calm and self-possessed — and they quailing before His divine majesty, silenced by His logic, but re- fusing to believe in Him, and powerless to find any fault in Him, or to kill Him. 116 LIFE OF CHRIST. That iimltitucle that followed Christ to the sea, shon-s liow His fame was increasing among the peoj)le, which furtlier pro- voked the inimical Pharisees, who had followey His power tliat He cast tliem out; and tins was proof to tliem that He was tlie Son of God, since He was doini;' the works of God ; and this was proof to them tliat He liad come to destroy Satanés kingdom, because He could c;?st them out of men. Christ's holy indignation was aroused by the blaspliemy of the Pharisees, and He called them " a generation of vipers, l)e- cause their hearts were evil ;" and there is majesty and sublimitv in this Gospel picture, in this carpenter of Nazareth, — as His enemies looked on Him — standing before the multitude unmoved by their wrath, telling them He knew their hearts, giving them proofs of His power over them, as well as the devils, and yet mercifully warning them against the awful condemnation to winch their unbelief would bring them. And in these ways. He showed them how much more He knew of God, and future worlds, and man's destiny tliere than they did; and more, even, than they knew of their future life and destiny on earth. The Pharisees saw this application of Christ's words to lliem, and though provoked wei-e unal)ashed, l)y the way in which He had silenced them ; and they returned to attack Hiin again, saying, "Master, we would see a sign from Thee." They did not call Him Lord, and the Master was probably intended as mockery, because their unbelief was unshaken. They had found Him too nnich for them in argument, and proposed to refute His claim, by testing His power to do a miracle at their request. Jesus called tliem an evil and adulterous generation, and re- fused them any sign except that of the miracle of Jonah, tln-ee days and nights in tlie whale, and said it was a type or prophecv of the burial of the Son of Man in the earth for three days and nights. Thus, long before the event, did He foretell this pai-- ticular of His own burial, as well as explain the type of Jontdi. History confirms what He said of that generation ; and He re- mained "Master" of the situation, as they called Him; for He 118 LIFE OF CHRIST. confoniulecl tlieni a^ain by that mj'sterious type of Himself aa Ho (lid before by His knowljtlge and logic; and yet, as if reluct- ant to leave them in their unbelief, He delivered another solemn ■warning to the Avhole nation. Declaring to them, that, in the Judgment, the men of JSine- vah and the Queen of the South Avill condemn them — because the one repented at the preaching of Jonah, and the other came from far to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and " behold a greater than Solomon is here," And He warned them of the peril of hardening their hearts, and falling into unbelief and sin, after being in God's coveiiant ; because they made themselves seven-fold more the children of the devil than they were before, and the last state of such a man is worse than the first ; and so would it be with this wicked gene- ration. After this scene, Christ appears to have made another par- tial circuit of Galilee, and then returned to the Sea of Galilee, where the people thronged to hear and see Him, and where He did many mighty works, charging the persons healed not to make Him known, which, it is probable, besides the reasons already given for imposing silence, was also to show that the prophecy was fulfilled in Him, " neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets," — that is, seeking His own praise, or desiring fame of ma;i. Being again in the house at Capernaum, He was told Hia mother and brethren desired to speak to Him. And He asked, "Who is My Mother? And who are My brethren ? For who. soever shall do the will of My Father Who is in Heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother ; " and so, He again warned His disciples against any undue reverence for her, which might lead to idolatry. CHAPTER XYIII. THE TWELVE APOSTLES CALLED. The plan on which the Gospels were written gives intcrnn,! evidence of supernatiu-al M'isdom ; lor the narrative is niore con- clusive than it would have been if written chronologically, and as men commonly write: it presents ch.aracteristic incidents of the men, times and places, and of particular events; and details of passing scenes, apparently trivial and unimportant to that generation and country, which give a better idea and view of the epoch than any general description could ; and there is no other history of any age of the world, in which we can see into the hearts of men, their modes of thouiiht, knowledge, and homes as in the Gospels. Our Lord, having now made several journeys through the cities and villages teaching the people and working miracles, a7id having publicly declared Himself as the Christ to His townsmen in Nazareth, and to the Eulers of the Jews in the Temple, to the people of Samaria, to the Elders in the Syna- gogues, to the Scribes, Pharisees, and Herodians, and kindled up a light in the darkened Galilee, which shined throughout all the Holy Lt^nd, and created the general expectation that He was the Christ; rmd having given the credentials to prove Himself the Messiah of prophecy, finding the Held widening and whitchiug 120 LIFE OF CHRIST. for harvest, and requii'ing more lal)orers, next proceeded to exer- cise His Pi-iestly and Regal power in choosing twelve Apostle», on whom lie would lay tlio foundations of His kingdom, and its rulers. " When He saw the nniltitudes. He was moved with com- passion for tliem, because the}' fainted, Jind were scattered abroad, as sheep having )io shepherd. Then said He nnto His disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborei-s are few ; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest." He had given them a prayer a year before, to pray for His Kingdom to come ; and now they must pray for laborers, as if the time of the coming of the kingdom was drawing near. And we see infinite wisdom in this plan of gradual development of the tremendous changes He had come to make, in changing the Levitical Priesthood to the Christian, tlie sacrifices of the Jewish. Church to the Sacraments of the Christian, and the whole cere- monial worship, hallowed by tlie associations of fifteen centuries, to the Liturgual worship in spirit and truth He would institute for His kingdom, the Christian Churcli. Aiid it came to pass in,those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray; and continued all night in prayer to God. After a day of wearisome labor in travelling, teaching, and working miracles by the Sea of Galilee, our Lord went to a mountain alone, probably the same one from which He delivered His introductory sermon, and spent the night in prayer. He was about to begin one of the most important acts of His minis- try, which looked I'evolutionary, or tending to a Eeformation of the old kingdom of God, its Rulers, and ceremonial ; for St. Paul says: the Priesthood being changed, there was made of necessity a change of the Law; so He went to the heavenly f'ather for wisdom and guidance, because Lie came to do His ■will. X LIFE OF CHRIST. lil This picture of the Son of God, as tlie Son of Man, alone in the solitude of night in the mountain wilderness, to ask coun- sel of tlie Father, before He choose the Apostles who were to govern His kingdom, when His work was done, was evidently repeated to identify Himself as the Prophet, foretold by Moses ; like unto himself, who went alone into Mt. Sinai, to receive the Law and authority from God, to consecrate the Levitical Priest- hood, and to set up the tabernacle, and organize the old kingdom of God. The next morning when He came down from the Mount, multitudes were assembled waiting for Him; and from them He chose twelve Apostles whom He empowered to teach and work miracles. They were only called to the Priesthood then, but liad no power to ordain other persons ; as the great Higli Priest, our Lord reserved this power in Himself, until after His resur- rection. This was tlie transition epoch, when old things wei'e passing away ; but the number twelve was chosen, to fulfill the type of the twelve foundations of the kingdom of Israel, in the Heads of the twelve tribes. The whole kingdom of God was then in Christ, as a germ in a seed ; and out of Him came its Priesthood, and Holy Catholic Church, which »was finally or- ganized after His ascension to Heaven, and through whose sac- raments every member since received his spiritual life. Before noticing the twelve men chosen by our Lord, let us look for a moment at the character of the Master, who had been long enough before the world for men to form an opinion of Him, — as it appeared then from wdiat had already transpired, after He left Nazareth where His life was so long hidden. His character appeared to be superhuman, for He had neither human ambition, pride, nor vanity; it looks now super- human, — because no one since has lived such a life as a man, look- ing only at His human side ; but it was only an example of perfect manhood, the likeness in which God created tlie first 122 LIFE OF CHRIST. Adam, but wliich he lost by Sin. There was perfect common sense in all He said and did, and perfect holiness of life ; His enemies accused Him of being in league with the devil, not be- cause He did any evil devil work, but l>ecause He cast devils out, and restrained their power to do evil; and His humility was as grand as His power; and He had such fertility and readiness of speech and perception, that He was Master of every occasion and situation into which He had come, or been driven by His enemies. He was so exalted above this world — that insults, injuries, or blasphemy, gave Him no personal pain or distress; these things passed over Him like soft clouds over a summer sky. He had done nothing to excite the^ adulation or admiration of men ; He had never made an error in judgment, nor spoken a word which was found untrue. Sincerity and infallibility char- acterized everything He said and did. His great spirit was stirred to its Divine depths, by the M'orld's wickedness; but His innate refinement prevented Him from reljuking it with any more se- verity than its infinite need required. The soil of the old decayed world's civilization was prepared to receive His doctrines, and He gave a new movement to the thought of the age, — which was not only to raise society to a higher social, civil, and religious condi- tion, but to open the way to a deeper knowledge of the Laws of Nature ; and the momentum has increased, contrary to all the laws of physical forces, in proportion to the time and distance of its removal : until it has turned the darkness of Pagandom into the noon-tide light of Christendom, the water of time into the wine of eternity, and opened new views of God's love and mercy — which have been increasing and spreading among the nations from His day to our own. "And when it was day. He called His disciples; and of them He choose twelve, Avhom also He named Apostles." An Apostle is one sent by another; and St. Paul calls Christ " the Apostle and LIFE OF CHRIST. 123 High Priest of our profession," because He was sent from God : and lie named the Apostles He chose after Himself; because tliey were, at His death, to succeed to His office as Apostle and High Priest, over His Kingdom or Church. He M'as now about to send them out, two by two, empowered with Priestly functions to tea(;h, baptize, and work miracles; but they had no consecration by the laying on of His hands, or by the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, but by His own will He gave them power to act as co-lal)orers with Him. The names of the Apostles are, " The first Simon, wliom our Lord named Peter, and Andrew his lirother ; James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, whom our Lord called ' Sons of Thunder;' Philip, and Nathaniel whom Christ named Bar- tholomew; Thomas and Matthew the Publican; James, the son of Alpheus ; and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus ; Simon the Canaanite ; and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. These twelve Christ sent forth, after He had further instruct- ed tliem, charging them not to go to Gentiles, or Samai-itans, but to God's own people first ; they were to make no provision for their journey, to trust to the hospitality of the people for their support, to teach, work miracles, and preach the kingdom of God is at hand. And He forewarned them how the Gospel would be received, and themselves persecuted; and that whoever received them would receive Him, and that neither they nor those who ministered to them would in any wise lose their re- ward. At that time, when Christ came down from the mountain, there was a gi*eat multitude waiting for Him — from all Judea, and Jerusalem, and Tyre, and Sidon ; and working many mira- cles. He also delivered to them another discourse, an epitome apparently of the Sermon on the Mount, charging them to labor and suffer, and endure for His sake, so should their reward be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. This was another new de- 134 LIFE OF CHRIST. parture from Jiulaism ; tlie Law promised temporal rewards for obedience ; but notliing was said of tliem as a motive for suffering for righteousness' sake ; l)ut the new ghid tidings was eternal rewards in Heaven. And He pronounced a woe on the rich and worldy now, because hereafter they would weep and mourn ; and " a woe, when all rnen shall speak well of you. For so did theii- fathers to the false prophets." Til is was another of our Lord's characteristic discourses, en- forced by His Divine " I SAY unto you," in which He repeated many of the doctrines and duties delivered in the Sermon on the Mount, a synopsis ot" the principles which must govern all the members of His kingdom in their relations to God and man; and M'hich was really only an interpretation of the spirituality of the law, wliich the Scribes and Pharisees had over-ridden by their traditions, but which Lie now restored to their original place. For the principles of true religion are unchangab^e, and have al- ways been the same; because a thousand years before Christ the Brahmins of the East, who had perserved the principles of true religion l)y tradition, though they had lost the Priesthood and Ritual of the ancient Chur(di, taught them, as they have con- tinued to do in parts of the British Empire in the East, Mhere they have neither Christianity nor science ; that to be hapi»y and please their God, men must be self-denying, moral, truthful, honest, o1)edient to, parents and to reverence the aged, and be faithful to marriage v<.)ws. Jesus taught them to forgive enemies, bless those who cursed, — the hardest of duties, done perfectly only by God, MJiich He daily manifested in Llis example, — and in this way sliowed Llis Messiahship ; and they must expect forgiveness from God, exactly as they exercised it to their fellow men ; and they must do good without hope of reward, but from God. And wjiat inconsistency and hypocrisy there would have been in all this, were He not the Christ ; and what proof it now is to the world LIFE OF CHRIST. 125 that He was the Christ. For wliere could this young man — a pupil of no Kablji, a grailnate of no school, — have acquired this superhuman knowledge and wisdom so much in advance of the learned Doctors of the Law ? How did He know so much more of God than that generation, which human experience has ever since been conlirming ? AVhiie the whole drift of His teaching was directly opposed to the Spirit of the age, not only of His own nation, but to the general practice of the wdiole world. How could He, then, have been so much superior to all other men, who lived before or since, — unless He were, as He claimed to be, the Incarnate Son of God ? But little is known of the history of the twelve Apostles after our Lord's death ; St. James, the Bishop of Jerusalem and author of the Epistle with his name, was our Lord's first martyred Apostle, slain by Herod at Jerusalem, A.D. 44; of James the Less, little is known ; S. S. Peter, James and John Avere favorites of Christ, and were chosen to witness His transfiguration and agony in the garden, and were the first to w^hom He showed Himself after His resurrection; Matthew and John were the only Apostles who wrote an account of His ministry, S. S. Peter, James and Jude wrote Epistles; St. John wrote Revelation and was beloved by Christ, and St. Peter most loved Him; St. Bartholomew probably suffered death in India; and St. Peter at Babylon, for there is ilo evidence that he was ever in Rome: but on the contrai-y, St. Paul "wrote an Epistle to the Cliurch there, and speaks of two Apostles there, older in the ministry than him- self (Rom. xvi : 7); and he would no more have written such an Epistle to the Roman Church had St. Peter been there, than a Bishop now would send a Pastoral to a neighboring Bishop's Diocese. The Gospel tells us something more of their characters, as will be seen further on ; but they all did their work, and laid down their lives for the truth and defence of His Gospel ; and the works and fiijlds of labor of a majority of them are unknown; 126 LIFE OF CHRIST wliile tlio nnbL'lief of Thomas is one of the best proofs of our Lord's Divinity, as the betrayal of Judas is that He is the Christ; and each, in their way, died for the c-onfirination of the truth as it is in Jesus, and are yet witnesses to the world's ends for His ininistr}', Gospel, and Cluirch; while Judas, the betrayer, is a self Martyr-witness for Christ's divinity. CHAPTER XIX. OUR LORD'S PARABLE'S. Christ retained the Apostles with Him for a time after they were chosen, to further instruct them, hefore He sent them two by two, to preach the kingdom themselves ; and as the appoint- ment of the Apostles on whom the kingdom was to be founded, looked like an organic beginning, there was a necessity for con- ceahnent, and from that time He taught them chiefly in Para- bles ; and what He said in public, wdiich they did not understand He privately explained to them. Parables were nsed long before Christ, to give instruction by the analogies of familiar natural objects; the Hebrew word is the same as proverb, which is commonly more obscure; the prophets spake parables, but not like Christ's, — because He re- vealed heavenly and spiritual truths by earthly analogies; things which God only knew, and so were evidences of His Divine na- ture. And He used the whole visible world, with all its panorama of changing seasons, its governments, its agriculture, its myste- ries of life and death, as well as its invisible forces, to teacîh spiritual truth ; and to help His disciples comprehend the higher mysteries of the spiritual world, and the relations of God's two great kingdoms of nature and of grace. And His great under- lying aim see:ns to have been, besides instructing them in their 128 LIFE OF CHRIST. duties, to convince them that lie was God manifest in a liuman nature, to accomplisli the Fatlier's phms of love and mercy for His cliildren of men. And in no instance did He ever trans- gress the order of nature, as it is now revealed to us l;y modern science, while using- its mysteries to illustrate the higher spiritual truths. He showed that both kingdoms have common laws and mysteries, that evince a common origin; and are the product of a good, and loving, and Holy God, and are under His inniicdiate control. All Christ's parables are gems of Divine wisdom, and pro- phetical prescience of the coming power of His kingdom, ex- pressed with wonderful beauty, and showing a perfect knowledge of the mysterious analogies of earthly and heavenly things. AVe know not when, or where, most of them were spoken; l)ut they relate chiefly to His kingdom, which most engrossed His mind, as His own mission was drawing to its end. And there is apparent in them, that which is observable in all His teachings, a gradually ascending scale of Divine truth; the flrst one, was of the Blind leading the Blind. That was evidently a rebuke to the Pharisees, for their false teaching and misleading the people, and their watching to find some evil in Him, which proceeded from their corrupt hearts. He said a good man bringeth iovûi good treasures from a good heart, — so the people might compare His teaching and theirs, and judge which were best; and He reproved others for calling Him Lord, and yet not doing as He said ; and assured them, that who- ever obeyed His instruction would be like a man who built his house on a rock, which no inundation coidd sweep away. And the reference to building on the Rock, was on faith in Him ; and a referem^e to the Prophecy by Isaiah, respecting I'hc Messiah, "Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Ziun for a founda- tion Stone, a tried stu:ie, a sui'c foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste ! " LIFE OF CHRIST. 129 It looks as if our Lord, leavins; the Sea of Galilee, journeyed towards Nain, a town al)out twenty-iive miles from Capernaum, followed by His disciples and a nanltitude of people; and as He was entering the town, a dead man, the son of a widow, was carried to burial; and He had compassion on the motlier, told her not to weep, touched the bier, and said, " Young man, I say unto thee, arise," and he sat up and began to speak ; and He de- livered liim to liis mother. And fear came on all, and they glo- rified God, and said a great prophet is risen, and God hath vis- ited His people ; and the fame of it spread througli all Judea, and the neighl)oring region. No one aslced Christ to raise the dead man, — it was His com- passion for tlie desolate mother, and to show the people His power over the kingdom of the dead; the first year of His min- istry. He raised the Iluler's daughter, at the father's request, in the house before a few witnesses; this second year He raised the man publicly before a multitude, and manifested His power in an ascending scale. From Nain Christ and the Apostles, followed by many peo- ple, went through the towns, villages, and country, preaching the glad tidings of the coming Kingdom of God, and Jiealing all manner of sickness; thus identifying Himself w4th Isaiaii's prophecy, as " the Lord wlio liealeth all thy diseases," and hath " born our griefs and carried cur sorrows.'' And the uppermost theme in His mind and teaching was the Kingdom, as the result of His incarnation and death, which was to carry on His work of salvation, and prepare the world for His second advent. " When much people had gathered together, and came to Him out of every city," He spake tlie Parable of the sower, " whose seed fell on the way side, and was trodden down, and de- voured by birds ; and on the rock, and withered from lack of moisture : and among thorns, and was choked by them ; and on the good ground, and prodnced an hundred fold." 130 LIFEOFCHRIST. The disciples asked what the Parable meant? and He said, " it was given them to know the mysteries of the KingJoin of God, but not to alL" Not because He did not wish all to l)elieve and be saved, Ijut because of their unbelief; and if they understood tliat He Avas about to transfer the old Kingdom of God to it, they would have arrested Him as a i-evolutionist, before His preparations were completed. Then He privately explained the Parable to the Apostles. Seed is a type of God's Word, or gracie; and the different places where it fell, of the way it would be received by men ; — that in the good ground would be in His kingdom; the tares, or thorns, represented the' mixed ; visible aspect of the kingdom which will continne until the world's end. And He said, that the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled in the rulers of the Jews ; and they had closed their eyes, and hardened their hearts, lest they should be converted, and He heal them. And turning to the Apostles, He said, " Blessed are your eyes, for they see ; and jowr ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see and hear the things which ye see and hear, and have not seen or heard them." All this Ciirist foretold, that the Apostles might not be dis- couraged, when they saw how little apparent good their teaching produced; and also that future generations might believe in Him as the Christ, because He foretold what none but God could fore- know. And it is true to this day, that there have always been these four classes of hearers, — no more and no less; and the result of their hearing is now, exactly as He predicated in the Parable. And in calling tlie Seed the Word of God, there was a subtle reference as to the way He was received; because it was one of His titles in the Old and New Testament. He was both the Sower, and the Seed; He sowed the mysteries of the kingdom of God, its foundations, and sacraments, which give His right- eousness and eternal life, — "and whosoever hath, to him shall be LIFE OF CHRIST. 131 given ; and wliosoevcr h;itli not, from liim shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have;" teaching the importance of cul- tivating tlie Divine grace after it is received. And so we see a perfect consistency in Christ's life and teachings ; He came to give His life to call sinners to repent, and be saved. The Parable of the Sower, was followed by that of the Kingdom of God, which He said would be like seed sown in the ground that grows day and night, that brings forth first a blade and then an ear, and the full grain; yet, we know not how; — but then comes the harvest. This was a prophecy, that as the seed of the Word grows in each human spirit, so would His Kingdom grow in the world. And, again, Christ likened His Kingdom to a grain of mus- tard seed, the least of seeds which grow to a tree ; greater than all herbs, and the fowls lo:lge in its branches; representing the way it would spread in the world, and the blessings the nations would find in its shelter. Looking over the realms of creation, with its millions of species of plants and animals, Jesus knew there was no more perfect type of His Kingdom than a seed. The Psalmist foretold Christ, as the vine from Egypt, whose roots would fill the land, and His lu-anches cover the hills, and spread over the rivers and seas : the vine was a symbol of Christ and His Church, as it was also of the Jewish Church. It has been said Christ erred in calling mustard the least of seeds, for there are many smaller ; but in the East there is an ar- boreus mustard, with a woody bole, greater than all herbs, its seed tlie smallest of the trees, and His words are literally true. And He made known that the same mysterious law of the physi- cal cosmos, exists p^^so in the spiritual world ; and so the seed pro- phetically prefigured the growth of His Kingdom from its insig- nificant beginning. The growth of seed is often invisible for a time, but it springs and grows men know not how ; and this was a lesson for 133 LIFE OF CHRIST. ufie Apostles — not to be discouraged, though tliey saw no imme- diate gn)\vth of His King.loin. The Parable of the Good Seed predicted the visible aspect of the Churcli in all ages, and forwarned the Apostles, and aW ministers, of the trials awaiting them in doing their dnties ; Christ is the Sower, the field is the world, the Seed His spiritntd life; and the enemy sowing tares, is the devil, while careless or nnfaithful ministers are asleep. The darnel is a false wheat, with stalk and head, but no gi'ain ; yet both must grow until the harvest, because none but the Lord, the Judge, can discern between the true and false, except in the case of notorious evil lives. Then comes in the new doctrine, and new motive Clirist revealed — of future rewards and punishments ; the wicked to be bound in bundles to be burned, the righteous gathered into the Kingdom of Heaven. Christ speaks of the devil as an actual personal being, hav- ing power to do evil, but only for a time. He represents him as the enemy of God as well as man; but He had come to destroy his power: and iinally cast him into Hell. So Hell is a necessity of God's moral government, for the devil is God's adversary, and he always will l)e, and so must always be confined in that world of woe ; and men will not be punished merely for sins done here, but because they made themselves evil, and will forever I>e adversaries of God, because He punished their evil ; they will hate and sin, and so their punishment will be continued; because sin has a self-inflicting penalty, and there can be no repentance in Hell, — and if it were possi])le, there will be no mediator l)e- tween God and the condemned. The Parable of the Leaven hid in three measures of meal, foretold how the kingdom would leaven the world, without man's observation ; and the number three, the Hebrew symbol of per- fection, that it would help the good, the better, and the best, LIFE OF CHRIST. 133 in accomplishiniç its own mission, — leaven begins its expansive force immediate]}^, so would Ilis Kingdom. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure, and the Pearl, and the Draw-Net, wliicli belong to this cluster, and were delivered to the Apostles for their especial instruction, just before tliey were sent out to help Christ prepare for the kingdom, and bear upon the same point, and tell how the treasures hid in the earth, and the shells of the sea, representing the Divine grace of the Church, must be obtained by personal exertion ; though it may be stum- bled on while digging, yet both must be seeking for it ; and when it is found, tlie tinder gladh'' gives up the whole world for it. Tlie Draw-Net looks foward to the iinal separation of the wheat and tares in the kingdom; the sea is the world; the net the Church. It will, like the field, have good and bad, so long as it remains in time; but when tlie angels drag it to the shores of eternity, then the tinal parting of the good and bad will l>e- The pearl of great price is the inward holiness of each member, and that represents the final aspect of the whole kingdom of God, when it is gathered for its harvest in the heavenly world ; and so the future eternal destiny of Christ's Church is represented, and also that that grandest discovery of modern scientific investiga- tion, of the unity of all the forces of the universe, has a like cor- relation in the spiritual cosmos. Christ spake many Parables to the people, and when they were alone He explained them to the disciples. And thus they were gradually trained to understand greater mysteries when the kingdom came, and were prepared to teach them, while He ful- filled the prophecy, that He " would open His moutli in paral)les; and utter dark sayings of old;" and want of faith was a l)andage over the Pharisees' minds, which made Christ's words darkness to them. ^^e.^:?^^^) CHAPTER XX THE TWELVE APOSTLES SENT. Some of the Apostles had been with Christ nearly two years, liearing His teaching, and seeing His miracles, and holy life, and being trained by His example to assist in His work, which had grown too great for Him alone. All of them were older than Christ, yet tliey looked to Him for counsel, and were obedient to His requests; and He did not send them out uneducated, or un- prepared. He empowered tliem to teach, to cast out devils, and Ileal the sick ; and said, " I send you as sheep among wolves, and men will deliver you to rulei-s, and governors, and scourge you ; " but they must be harndess as dctves, and they need fear nothing, for the Spirit of the Fatlier w^ould be with them and teach them. They must take neitlier clothing, food, nor money, but preach the kingdom of God; and where they were not well received, make no contest, but depart, — and shake tlie dust from their feet for a testimony against them. "And they went through the towns preaching the Gospel, and healing every where." Surely it required faith and preparation for su(;h men to begin such a mission, when they knew how their Lord was watched, and hated, by the Rulers of the nation. He charged them on entering a house to "salute it," which included all Christian courtesy. He aimed to have His disciples show the L I F E O F C H m s T 135 power of His religion in their outward manners, as well as in- ward life; because true politeness has its foundation in the attri- butes of God, and a Cliristian gentleman would foi-ever be the t3'pe of perfect manhood, — and Christ's example is the model; and politeness, a tender regard for the feelings of others, hj per- sonal sacrifice, is an eminent Christian virtue, and an outward sign of a Christ-like life; and is not Jesus Christ alone, in our world, such a Man, — living in that age of brutality and moral corruption, — as great a proof of His Divine Nature as any miracle He ever wrought? And as they went they must freely give the grace and power received from Him, as it was freely given ; and, finally, it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorroh in the day of judg- ment, than for those who refused to receive them. They knew the conflict His preaching and doctrines had already caused in the world, and had been told by Christ, how it would set men and brethren against one another; but it was not from any evil in the religion, but because of its opposition to the evil and unbelief in men's hearts. But they need not fear those who could only kill the body, and their final reward would be to be confessed by Him, before His Father in Heaven ; thus He was Itringing life and immortality to light, ignoiing the Legal Sacri- fices and rewards and punishments, and transferring all to a fu- ture tribunal. This was the way they were prepared, and sent out to preach the coming of His kingdom; and to as many as received them. He promised that they should become Sons of G^^d, — after the higher spiritual type of the Gospel. And He cliallenged men then, and to time's end, to try the doctrines, and they would learn that they are from God. And that Discourse to the Apostles, foretold things none but God could know, and that have ever since been fulfillinçr. The sword Clirist brought. His ministers have ever since been wielding, conquering peace for all believers,a8well as sundering 136 LIFE OF CHRIST. f.amilj ties by the heresies and schisms wliich they cat off. All His teacîiings were adapted to the world He made, and also to its future history to be developed, — which no impostor could have foreseen and predicted, and none but the Son of God have known. The Apostles soon returned and reported their t^ucccss to Him, and He took tliem apart privately to thank God in prayer for all they had accomplished. After Christ had given the Apostles their charge and sent them out, He departed again to teach and preacli in the cities. And here occurs another of those gaps in His earthly life, whicli the Evangelists furnish no clue to bridge over. But some inter- val of time had evidently elapsed since Herod Antipas had im- prisoned John the Baptist; and he sent two of his disciples to our Lurd, to ask whether He was the Messiuh, or if they were to look for another? It is not strange that John should doubt Christ's Messiah- ship, even after his testimony, and all the marvels which attended His baptism; because nearly two years had passed, and he saw no signs of a kingdom. And, as he was related to CIn-ist in the flesh, and was conscious of his office as His messenger, he could not but expect, that, if He were the Messiah, He would deliver him. But we now see, that this incident helped to bring out Christ's testimony concerning John more clearly, and so incidentally more plainly establishing His messiahship. In answer to the question of John's disciples, Christ told them to report to him what they j^.^^^v, — the blind are restored, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the dead are raised, the poor have the Gospel preached to them, "and blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me."' Jesus said nothing personal of Ilin.self, but showed them His works, and told them to report them to their master; but He thereby identified Himself as the Messiah of prophecy; and LIFE OF CHRIST. 137 warned John not to doubt it. And wlien they departed He de- livered another of those speeches, which seem paradoxical, Imt plainl)^ contirmed Jolm as His Messenger, as the Messiah. John was a reed shaken by tlie wind, yet more tlian a Propliet; His Messenger, yet the least in the kingdom of Heaven was greater than lie. John was greater than any prophet, because he was a miraculous child, announced by the Arcli Angel Gabriel, as the Messenger of Clirist, and His first adult martyr for righteousness' sake; yet he was less tlian the least in Cnrist's kingdom, because he died before it was organized, and before the H0I3' Gliost came, and so never received its spiritual regeneration in this world. John's greatness was in his relations to God, and not to man. He wrought no miracle, wrote no Gospel, ordained no minister, organized no society, and left no disciples; after one year's labor he was imprisoned, and before his death his followers became Christ's disciples. But John began the great transition of Juda- ism to Christianity, and the new mode of salvation by faith in Christ, I'cpentance of sins, and baptism, instead of the old cove- nant and sacrifices; and so lie was a conspicuous person in work- ing OUH of the greatest revolutions in our world's history. For Christ says, with John the kingdom of Heaven began to suffer violence, and the rending of the old kingdom began to prepare the way for the building of the new kingdom of God on its ruins. It received its first death blow from John; the coming king- dom suffered violence by tlie assaults of the Scribes and i'harisees, while the violent, the Publicans and sinners began taking the old kingdom from its rulers, by a Divine force too powerful for them to resist. And this kind of testimony from Clirist, this knowledge of the part the mission of John played in our world's history, is more conclusive as to His Own Divinity than His miracles; for it reveals what the rulers did not perceive, and what none but God knew. Christ then, renewing His discourse to the people, rebuked 138 LIFE OF CHRIST. the whole generation, comparing it to cliildren ph\ying in the jNTarket; because they accused Jolm of having a devil, for his asceticism; and rejected Him, because of His socialii^m with the Publicans and sinners. And He repi-oached by name some of the cities, where He had wrought miracles, because they did not l)elieve and repent; and foretold their penalty at the day uî juilg- meat. Many of His discourses pointed His hearers forward to that, as a chief motive to believe and obey Hira. And it required superhuman courage, for this young man to stand and rebuke a whole generation, before a mulitude; and to teli them no matter how God sent prophets to teach them the way of salvation, they would not receive them; and tliat they would be cast into Hell, and their punishment be worse than the people of Sodom ?.nd Gomorrah. It is therefore certain, that some of the Jews believed in Hell, a place of punishment by hrej as their term Gehenna signified ; or Christ's words would have had no signiticancy, and hence no warning to His hearers. And then, as if deeply grieved at the foresight of the painful picture, and at the hard-heartedness of the people. He thanked the Father, "the Lord of Heaven and earth," that tliere were some meek and lowly who believed in Him, while He was hidden from the wise in their own eyes, and Avorldly prudent not to confess Him, lest they should be put out of the Synagogue ; and He repeated His testimony of Himself, as the Son of the Father, endued with all power in Heaven, Earth, and Hell, be- cause He is the Son of Man ; and He invited the weary and heavy laden to come to Him and find rest for theij* souls; and to learn of Him, " for I am meek and lowly in heart," — an infinite contrast with the proud rulers of the day, and a perfect description of what the Gospel shows His whole life was. And finally He declared, what all Christians have since found true, " My yoke is easyi and its burden light;" very light in comparison with the devil's, which the men of tlie world are compelled to bear. LIFE OF CHRIST. 139 Not long after tliis, Herod beheaded John in prison, and his disciples buried liis body, and went and told Christ. The Apostles also had returned from their late missionary journey, and reported to the Lord all they had taught and done; and He departed thence with His disciples, and a great multitude, into a wilderness near Bethsaida, and the sick were brought to Him, and He healed them ; and there He wrought the great miracle of feeding five thousand, which tells how large the multitudes were who followed Him. As it drew towards evening, the Apostles asked Him to send away the people, to the neighboring villages to buy them- selves food. But He said, "Give ye them to eat;" and He asked Philip, " AVhence they should buy bread for so many,'' to try him; but He knew what He would do. The disciples answered, that " they had but five loaves and two fishes ; " and He commanded them to be brought, and made the multitude sit down, and He blessed and brake the bread and fishes, and gave them to the disciples to distribute; and when all had eaten He ordered the fragments to be gathered, and they took up twelve baskets full, — apparently each Apostle collecting a basket. This mh'acle was wrought for a double purpose; first to show His compassion for the famishing, and second as a lesson for the Apostles; because, St. Jolin saj^s, this occurred near the time of the Passover, as if it had some relation to that Festival. Which was, perhaps, to show that its sacrificial bread and wine prefigured those eieme-nts, which He was to make sacramental for His Kingdom ; and to convey His righteousness and eternal life, as the benefits of His own sacrifice, as the true Pascal Lamb of God. Christ did not distribute tlie food, nor gatlier the frag- ments, botli miracles took place in the Apostles hands, — thereby Ho t'oreshadowed the- channels through which He would trans- 140 LIFE OF CHRIST. mit His power, in His kingdom And the remainder, after all had eaten, showed that the salvation through tlieni wouUl be more than enough for the whole world; and it Avas forever to be ;i memorial of His Divine power, and mystical, life-giving Pres- ence in these elements. The Incarnation of the Son of God is an infinite mystery ; yet it is of the same kind as His spiritual Pi'esence now in the elements of the blessed sacrament, — to give spiritual life; and now, as then, the miracle is wrought by Him, in His ministers' hands. And the supernatural quantity is explained, in that l)0th the quantity of bread and its distributors have increased, — until now, day and night, all over the globe, these elements are being given to the living and the dying, and both are increasing; while modern science has furnished means to understand and believe the mystery. Because the Sun, millions of miles distant, sustains all life on the earth, and makes plants, flowers, and fruits grow; and this is one kind of proof that Christ, tlie Sun of Righteous- ness, can infuse His life and righteousness into matter, and make it give S])iritual strength and life to men. The transmission of heat and life on sunbeams, explains how Christ can transmit His life and grace from Heaven to l)read and wine here ; and yet, after consecration, they remain bread and wine, — a new spiritual element being added to them, while they are unchanged. Besides this, age, that destroys all human things, has in- creased the distributors and receivers. Alexander and Cœsar inspired their armies with valor b}' their presence; but Mhen they died their ai-mies dispersed, and tliey were forgotten but in Histor}-; but Christ was crucifled, and His disciples persecuted for centuries. But He has an army of three hundred milUons who believe in Him, and w-orship Him, and would lay down their lives for Him ; and ever since multitudes have loved Him, have lisped His prnyer from childhood, have shown His righteousness LIFE OF CHRIST. 141 in tlieir lives, and its power in death, by partaking of the Blessed Sacrament as the last act of tliis life ; and showino; nnfulterinir trust in Hira, for time and eternity. And this, after so many centuries and the changes of time,- is more wonderful than the original miracle, by which He antetyped it. And no wonder the people, who saw the miracle, said: "This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the world;" and that they wanted to take Him by force, and make Him a King; but He departed into a mountain, alone. That evening the Apostles sailed over the Sea of Galilee to- wards Capernaum ; at dark the wind blew, and the waves arose, and they saw Christ coming walking on the sea, and they were afraid ; but He said to them, "It is I," and they received Him into the boat, and immediately they were at the land whither they went. Tliere was a double miracle, differing essentially from that when He stilled the winds and waves : then they obeyed Him as servants; but now He walked on the water as its Lord, and transported the boat l)y His will to the shore. Three Evangel- ists give particulars of that stormy night: St. Peter, attemptino- to walk to Christ, began to sink, and He held and saved him; when He entered the boat the wind ceased, and the disciples worshipped Him, saying, "of a truth Thou art the Son of God." And, "They were sore amazed, and considered notthemiracleof the loaves and fishes ; for their hearts were hardened." This is not the kind of record men would make who were attempting to foist a false Gospel, or were themselves deceived, or trying to deceive others. In this worship of Christ, and confession: "Thou art the Son of God," there was only the reverence due Him as the Messiah, — it was a confession of faith in Him according to their Jewish ideas, because, — with their monotheism, — if He had told them plainly of His Divine nature, they would conceived of Him oiiiy as a second God. 142 LIFE OF CHRIST. Clirist never taught tlie Apostles before His resurrection, that tliere is more than one person in the Godhead, but " I and My Father are ONE; and "he wlio hath seen Me, hatli seen the Father." And His words conveyed to their minds only a super- luiman origin, a miraculous conception, having a will in accord with God's will. He continually spake of the Father's love, and of Plis coming forth from the Father, Vjut said but little of Him- self, even as the Christ ; and never in such a way as to declare Himself as the Son of God, in His relation as the second Person of the Holy Trinity, so that they could understand it. But may not Christ have taught the Apostles privately con- cerning His Divinity, when He said, "To you it is given to know the mysteries of God?" The answer is, there is no evidence of it except as one of the mysteries of the kingdom of God ; this is apparent in all the Parables, and this was to prepare them for the part they had to take in it. It was as essential that this revelation should be hidden from them, as it Avas from the Jews, — until after His resurrection, — for they were not able then to bear it. The next day Christ and His disciples went to Capernaum, and the people came to Him from the country and villages, l)i-ing- ing all kinds of sick persons, and He healed them. There, also. He delivered another discourse; which shows how He taught and reasoned with the people, and answered their questions and raurmers, — ^"by revealing greater truths and mysteries. He begun with His Divine "Verily, verily, I say unto you," as if He were God, and there was no appeal from His dogma; and it bears internal evidence, that it was no imaginary speech, but a true report of things both probable and real. There is the same confident tone, the same superhuman knowledge revealed, in His discourses, whi(îh none but God could know, explaining things He could not have done, unless He had been in Heaven, and knew them as God; doctrines of Heaven, Hell and Paradise, LIFE OF CHRIST. 148 and man's future eternal life ; and He promised — tliat coming to Him, and believing in Him, would assuage that immortal hun- gering and thirsting all the race have for something this life and world can never give. And millions have since found His words true; and have said, — like the Samaritans to their country- — woman, now we believe, because we have seen Him ourselves, and know that He is the very Christ of God. He told the multitude a secret of their hearts, which many knew was true — that they followed Him to see His miracles, and eat the bread ; and warned them to seek the meat which gives eternal life, which He can give, be(;ause God the Father has sealed Him, as the Son of man, to give it. And when they asked what they shall do ? He says, " Believe on Me, whom the Father hath sent. And when they ask, what sign He could give to show, as Moses did, when He gave the Israelites bread from Heaven ? He renewed His dogmatic declaration, " Yerily verily, I say unto you, Moses gave yon not that bread fom Heaven, but My Father giveth you the true Bread." Moses' bread was made from this world's elements ; and not Moses, but God gave it to their fathers from the sky. " But My Father giveth you the true Bread froin Heaven ; for the Bread of God is He who cometh down from Heaven, and giveth His life for the world." The life of the Son of God, in His huma.n body, had come from Heaven, and made Him Heavenly bread ; how He could give it to them they did not understand, until the night before His crucifixion, and the institution of the Blessed Sacrament. This was the beginning of our Lord's revelation to His dis- ciples, of the use of Bread and Wine in the old sacrifices; and especially in the Pascal Supper, which were types of His Body and Blood. And when the disciples said, "Lord, ever more give us of this bread : " " Jesus said, I am the Bread of Life : he who cometh to Me shall never hunger: and He who believeth in Me shall never 144 LIFE OF CHRIST. *. thirst;" and "nil that the Father giveth Me, shall conic to Me; and he who conieth to Me, I will in no wise cast ont," And in this, He was doini!; the Fathers will; and it was the seed of the doctrine wliich He revealed at the institntion of the Blessed Sac- rament, which He fonnded on the Pascal Snpper. AVhen the Jews mnrrnnred and asked among themselves, " How can this man give us His flesh to eat ? " He showed them that He knew their thoughts; and said, "Verily, veril}', I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood (as the Lamb of God,) ye have no life in you." And whoever did would receive eternal life, and He would raise him at the last day; because thereby He would dwell in them, and they in Him; and as He lived by the Father who sent Him, so they would live by him ; and to this day all Christian experience proves that His words were true. It was a declaration of one of the deepest mysteries of His incarnation, and our redemption ; and impossible for His disci- ples to understand, until the coming of the Holy Ghost, — and some said, "It is a hard saying." Would men, writing to deceive or make out a good case for cur Lord, record such damaging testimony as this? But if they believed He were the Christ, then tliey knew it could not injure His cause; and they wrote the simple truth just as it was, and as God inspired them to write. In this way He taught, that the Sacraments of the kingdom of God, were to convey infinitely greater blessings than the sacri- fices of the old kingdom of God. The murmurs also drew from Christ another revelation of Himself, as the Son of Man, that He would ascend to Heaven, from whence He came as the Son of God ; and that the Holy Spirit quickens by His sacraments, and conveys the •eternal life to men ; and that His word is both spirit and life, because He is the WOBD of God, and so able to give eternal life to all who believe in and obey Him. LIFE OF CHRIST. 145 And then He ended His discourse, showing them He not only knew what thonglits were in thei)' minds ; that some, there, did not helieve in Him ; that one of His Apostles would betray Him. So that He knew what Judas would think almost two years after, and saying that he had tlien a devil. And when some disciples turned away from following Him, He asked the twelve, "Will ye also go away?" And Peter answered, " Lord, to whom shall we go. Thou hast the words of eternal life ! We believe and are sure tliat Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God!" And we now know that He was, from His omniscience then shown, from the fullillnient of His prophecies, and because none but God, who endures so mucli from the unbelief and wickedness of sinners, would have suffered Judas' presence as an Apostle for nearly tw^o yeai's more. CHAPTER XXI' THE DELEGATION FROM JERUSALEM. The report of Christ's increasing popularity, tliat He healed many diseases, and virtue went out of Him, to those wlio touched His garments and made them M'hole, was public rumor at Jeru- salem; and tlie rulers sent the Scribes and Pharisees to examine into the truth of the repoi-ts, and they unconsciously made testi- mony to prove Him the Messiah. Tlie number of our Lord's miracles must have been enormous, on account of tlie prevalence of disease from the immorality of the mixed population of Galilee. But these spies, instead of examining into Christ's miracles, and the truth of His doctrines, or if He violated God's laws, ques- tioned Him about violating their traditions, — why He and His disciples washed not their hands before eating? Is such a ques- tion probal)le, if there were a possibility that His miracles were not real ? Although the accusation was trivial, yet it is important to confirm tlie truth of the Gospel; since Josephus and others of that age, confirm the existence of these parties in the Jewish Church, and that they exalted their ti-aditions above God's law. With that Divine readiness, and logical force, with which Christ ever met His adversaries, He answered their question with anoth- er, "Why do ye transgress God's commandments?" This was a challenge for them to compare His life witJi their own. One of our Lord's greatest revelations of iiimself was His holiness; His perfect manhood; His ideal of human perfection, in all He said and did. And He proved Plimsclf master of every LIFE OF CHRIST 147 situation, where His enemies assuulted Him, and vastly superior to the shrewdest and most learned men of the age. He quoted one of their traditions, and saves Himself the discourtesy of callinii; them hypocrites — as tliey knew they were — by repeating Isaiali's propliecy concerning their ancestors, which made them see them- selves their inheritors; He never used liarsh words, unless it w^ere with the desire to bring sinners to repentance. He dechu'ed that tlieir traditions dishonored the Heavenly Father, and tlieir own parents: they destroyed the spirituality of the Law, and made all righteousness come from ceremonial obe- dience. But His interpretation of it showed, that its grand aim was to make a pure heart, and a holy life. The disciples knew the Pharisees were offended at Christ's reception and discourse, and told Him; and He replied by warn- ing the people against their teaching, and that they w^ere blind leaders of the blind; and so was subtilely preparing the way for transferring their authority and teaching to His Apostles, and leading the people to a higher standard of moralit3', and to the new worship of His kingdom, in spirit and in truth. St. Peter supposed the Lord's words were a Parable; and, annoyed by his duluess, He asked with unusual severity, and included all His disciples, "Are ye yet witliout understanding?" as if He were astonished that, after being so long with Him, they were yet so dull. After the delegation went awa}^, Christ and the Apostles went down to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, and there met a Syrophœnecian woman, who besought Him to have mercy on her, îvnd Ileal her afflicted child- And Lie did so; but in a way which made the miracle one of the most impressive pictures in tlie Gospel, by revealing how féiith and importunity move His Divine compassion. His mission w^as only to God's covenant people, though His kingdom would be for all mankind; the first offer of sah'ation 148 LIFE OF CHRIST. must be to Israel. This woman was a Gentile, and she had no claim then to His personal work. Eut she professed her faith in Ilim, as the Christ, the Son of David, and prayed for mercy on herself and child ; but He took no notice of her, and the disciples asked Him to send her away; and she might well have asked, — Is this the merciful Jesus of wliom I have heard so much ? and have gone away. But she did not; but cried on until He said to her, He was sent only to tlie Jews; then she drew nearer and worshipped Him, saying, " Lord, help me." This was an expression of strong faith, under a hard trial; and it did not fail of its reward; although His next words might again have caused her to despair, they did not. Christ said to her "It is not meet to give children's bread to dogs;" with the quickness of maternal instinct, and ready mother wit, she replied, "The dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from the Master's table." Then Jesus appeared in His true character: "O woman, great is thy faith, l)c it unto thee even as tliou wilt;" and her daughter was healed. Here were three stages of faith, of trust, and of waiting on Christ; first crying at a distance, calling Him Lord; second, approaching and worship- ping Him ; third, persevering in humility until her prayer was answered. So she, and the Centurion, and Samaritan woman were pledges of the blessings promi*ed in Christ for the Gentile world. Our Lord returned with His disciples from the region of Tyre and Sidon into the wilderness near the sea of Galilee, and many cime to Him, and He did many mighty miracles of healing and casting out devils ; and the people glorified the God of Israel, foi- all they saw and heai'd from Him. Here, again, after the people had been threo days in the Avildernoss without food, Christ's compassion was moved, because He knew if they were sent home they would faint by the way; saying so to the disciples, they asked whence would they have fco nuich bread, as to feed such a multitude in the wilderness? LIFE OF CHRIST. 149 So soon had thej forgotten His Divine power, manifested oiilv a few weeks before, in feeding five thousand in tlie wihlerness ; and it is not the act of imposters to record such damaging incidents of themselves. Jesus asked, " How many loaves have ye?" and tliey said seven and a few little fishes." And He commanded the multitude to sit down, and He blessed the loaves and fislies, and the disci- ples gave them to four thousand men, besides women and children; and the disciples took up of the fi*agments se\'en baskets full. Christ prefaced this miracle, as He did the former one of feeding the people, with asking a blessing, and giving thanks ; though Ity His Divine power He was about to multiply the food, an example to all His disfdples ; and at the conclusion of tiie feast, gathering the remnants of food He created, was another example of economy, — for always it i-equires the economy of God to supply the waste of man. The beginning of the miracle was the simultanenous seat- ing of such a multitude by Clu'ist's command. And what masses followed Him, and how eager they were to see and hear Him, is seen by the fact that in this wilderness were four thousand men, besides w^omen and children; and, judging from the M-ay children now outnumber adults, when any exciting things occur, it is probable many more thousands of persons were fed that day. (Jur Lord and His disciples departed from the wilderness, and crossed to the west side of the lake to Magdela, and there the watchful Pharisees again come to Him, tempting Him, and seeking a sign from Heaven. But He declared with His absolute "Yerily I say, there shall no sign be given this generation:" meaning none especially to convince the askers, because He was daily working miracles and casting out devils ; and every miracle was a sign from Heaven, to the meek and lowly who were ready to believe. 150 LIFE OF CHRIST. THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. Tliero is no i-ccovd of liow Christ spent His time, nor wliere He "was in the interval between His departure from Ma^-dehi, and His appearance at Jerusalem, at tlie Feast of Tabernacles. This festival, called also the Feast of Ingatherings, because it was celebrated in the time of the liarvest, was a memorial of the Israelites' dwelling in the wilderness, and prefigured Christ's dwelling in a tabernacle of flesh. And it was originally cele- brated with great pomp and ceremonial;- and in Christ's time tiiere Avas a solemn assend)ly in the Temple on the first day, and on tlie octave when it ended ; and every pious Jew was required to attend; and caravans of pilgrims went to Jerusalem, trumpets were sounded in the Temple, the Law was read, and seventy animals "svere sa(;riiiced for the seventy nations supposed to be on the earth. Every event in Christ's life brings out something new in Him, or helps us to see His power over the laws of nature, or to look into the hearts, the minds, and homes, and habits. of the people, and see what was going on as it is seen in no other generation before, or even since the invention of printing. There is no other epoch in the woi-ld's history, where such details are recorded, and where the distinction between truth and falsehood can be more easily discerned, than in the three years of Christ's public ministry. The men, the towns and cities, the manners îuid customs, and transpiring events are photographed and trans- mitted to us, because He who is tlie God of Truth describes them. As the time of the Feast drew near, Christ's brethren de- sired Him to go to it; and here comes out the honest confession, — that '.hough the people gencr.illy believed Him to be the Christ, His brethren did not. And we see what real men they were, for it was a worldly and selfish spirit which made them urge Christ to go; if He were the Messiah, why did He delay in asserting LIFE OF CHE 1ST. 151 His office? Why delay settiiiî^ up His kingdom? Doubtless looking to office, or honors, they hoped for themselves. Yet tiieir douhts help to confirm our faith in Him; for they fulfilled His M'ords then, that "a Prophet is not without honor except in his own countr_y," and " a man's foes shall he of His own house- hold ; " and they show how He knew^ the human heart, and how it e\'cr would be, that "all the world's akin." But Christ only said to His brethren, "My time is not yet come." There is no evidence of any effort on His part to convince His relatives of His Divine nature ; He did not begin, like Mahomet, to proselyte His relations first to believe in Him, — but told them to go to the Feast. They went and He soon followed them; He knew the Pharisees expected Him, and that they were trying to injure His influence, by accusing Him of deceiving the people; and those who believed Him a good man, were afraid to publicly say so, from fear of the Rulers. Tliis shows how fully Christ's character and w^orks were scrutinized by friends and foes; and the under-currents of love and hate were suppressed from natural causes; the rulers dared not express their enmity, becrus ■ of His popularity with the peo- ple; and the people's entliusiasm was restrained at Jerusalem, from fear of the Rulers. This does not look like invention; but was inevitable, were the narrative true. About the middle of the Feast, Christ appeared in the Tem- ple and taught. What His first instruction was, is not related. There is no instance in which He delivered a discourse for ora- torical display, or merely to show His superior knowledge; but, in His interpretations of the Law and tlie Prophets, it is ever apparent that He knew more of the spirit of the Law, and hidden meaning of the Propliets, than the Scribes and Pharisees; while in His deep humility He^onfessed, "TJie doctrines are not Mine but Hi? who sent Me.'' And if they would do Goal's will, they 152 LIFE OF CHRIST. would know the doctrines were from Ilim, and wlietlicr He was ceeking His own glory. Then He asked, "Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you keepeth tlie Law. AVhy go ye about to kill Me?" This exposing of tlie'r intentions enraged the enemies, and they said, "Tliou liast a devil; who goeth about to kill Tliee?" And He answered, not resenting their cnlumny, "1 have done one M'ork, and ye all marvel;" and He told them that they violated the Law of Moses, by circumcising on the Sabbath; and why should they be angry because He made a man whole on that day, and saying, "Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment." His defense was sanctioned by tlicir own custom, and He transferred it to administering His new covenant of baptism on the Lord's day; and in tliis waj-, undisccrnable ])y the Jews, He gradually prepared to change the old ceremonial and ritual of the Law, to the Liturgy of His Churcli. Some one present asked if Christ were not the man the Rulers sought to kill, and said that He spake boldly and they said nothing to Him, "Do the Rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?" This confirms Christ's words, and shows that tlie people knew of the evil intention to kill Him. And they said, "We know whence this man is; but when Clirist comes, no m^n will know." Here we see into the heart of the Rulers and the people, and how public opinion was divided respecting Christ; this secret talk among the multitude He knew, and there in the Temple de- clai-cd, " Ye both know Me, whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom ye know not." He spake of the true God, and said, "I know Him: for I am from Him: and He hath sent Me." And human language could hardly more dii'ecth^ assert His Divhie origin, mission, and authority ; 'and to suppose that He, whose whole life was righteousness and truth, and wliose proph- LIFE OF CHRIST. 153 ecies have heen fulfilling throngli all the Christian centimes, would make such a dechiration if not true, requires more faith tlian to liclievc in Him and His miracles. Then look at the result: He, a seemingly helpless young man, rebuking the Kulers in tlie Temple ; and tliey seeking His life, and yet no man laid hands on Him ; because His hour was not yet come. "And many people believed in Him, and asked, when Christ comes can He do more miracles than this Man hath done ? " In almost every attack of His enemies, Christ brings forth new contemporary proofs to be transmitted to future generations that He is the Christ. Tlien how natural, and in accord with the acts, the scene which followed in the Temple; He telling the Eulers, that shortly He would go to Him who sent Him, and they could not find Him. And they sent officers to arrest Him ; and yet, awed by this helpless Man^ they dared not touch Him ; His enemies were continually worsted in all their inter- views with Him. And He continued His discourse, and, for the first time, publicly announced in the Temple His approaching end, and His return to the Father who sent Him. But, as they did not believe He came from God, neither did they understand His words; but supposed He would leave His own country, and go among the Gentiles. And He continued to teach in the Temple, until the octave, the last great day of the Feast; and as it was the time of the greatest solemnity, and when most people were present, Christ stood there grandly con- spicuous; and with a loud voice cried, "If any thirst let Him come unto Me and drink; he that believeth on Me, as the Script- ure hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." This is a similar mystery in Christ's woi'ds, to all that is seen in His works, and in all creation. It was a call to all wlio were hungering and thirsting aftei- righteousness, and for all who wanted that peace of God, which this world can neither give nor take away. He told them, as ir)4 LIFE OF CHRIST lie liud told the Avomau of Samnria, that the living Avatev, the fountain of eternal life, was in Him, and would be opened at Jerusalem; but the Apostles, even, did not perceive the full meaning of His discourse, until tlie Holy Spirit came to abide. Some of the people were so impressed by Christ's words that they said, "Of a trutli this is tlie prophet, others, that He it the Christ; but some said. Shall Clirist come out of Galilee? Doth not the Scripture say, Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of Bethlehem. And there was a division of the people, and some of them would have taken Him, but no man laid hands on Him." Could anything be raore reasonable or natural tlum this, were Christ the Messiah? How exactly it accords with the whole Gospel narrative. It is utterly impossible such a scene could have been imagined, were it not real. Only a generation before Pie was l)oru in Bathlehem, a notorious event at the time — and yet the people had forgotten it, or were divided in opinion; and the officers of the Jews had been there several days watching to take Him, but dared not lay their hands on Him. He was Himself a perpetual miracle before the people, bnt the Rulers were too blind and hardened to see it. When the officers re- turned withont Him, the Pharisees demanded, "Why have ye not brouglit Him?" And hov/ plainly we now see the wisdom of Christ in this whole scene in the Temple, and in these notorious incidents, making these notorious enemies and their agents sent to arrest Him unimpeachable witnesses for His Divine power and wisdom; they could not take Him, and they returned and said to the Rulers, " NEVER MAN SPAKE LIKE THIS MAN ! " One substantial coniirmation of the truth of these officers' words is, — that Clu-ist's words had so overawed them, that this Man, with no friends among the Rulers; and, were He any other LIFE OF CHRIST. 155 tlmn tlie Son of Man, would Imvo been so helpless to resist their authority, — had not been brought by them, but remained there Lord of the Temple, They did not plead want of opportunity, nor fear of the multitude, as on a former occasion; but His dis- course, His majesty, and holiness repelled tliem. They dared not touch Him, nor say, you are our prisoner; their repoi't is a confession for His claim, that He is more than man, and so the Son of God ; and they preferred to return and encounter the risk of the anger of the Rulers, and the loss of their office possibly, rather than incur the danger of laying their hands on Him. The Rulers asked the officers, if " they also were deceived," and had an}' of the Rulers or Pharisees believed on Him, saying, that the people were cursed because they knew not the Law; and exposing their own ignorance of it, and justifying Christ's con- demnation of them, because they did not understand their own prophecies concerning His birth in Bethlehem, and His home at Naza]'eth. And here tlie timid Nicodemus, who came to Jesus secretly at the time of His iirst Passover, in Jerusalem, appears again as one of His witnesses, more believing and bold, and de- mands justice and fair dealing in any proceedings against Him. This appearing of the same person, under different circumstances and yet with the same characteristics, is another peculiar proof of the authenticity and genuineness of the Gospel narratives. CHAPTER XXII CHRIST'S RETURN FROM JERUSALEM. No record appears of the way Christ went from Jesusalem : it is another abrupt break in tlie Gospel, like the geological faults in the earth's rocky foundations; but He journeyed towards Capernaum, teaching and working miracles. And near Bethsaida the Pharisees and Sadducees came and asked of Him a sign from Heaven, as a proof of His Messiahship; and they were as much puzzled by His answer, as they were on a former occasion by the sign of Jonah. He told them they judged of the M'eather by the aspect of the heavens; and they were hypocrites in asking a sign from Him, when He had wrought miracles enough to con- vince them of His Messiahship, and they were seeking a pretence for rejecting Him. And a recent proposal to try God, by testing prayer on the sick would now receive a similar answer, — because He promised no answer to prayer not offered in faith; prul)al)ly they hoped His pride or ambition would be moved to pro\-e His power, so that they might discover some legerdemain by which He exercised it. But He gave them no satisfaction, and departed. In the evening the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they reminded Christ; and He warned them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which they supposed referred to their brejid. But He made them undcjrstand, that it was to their seek- LIFE OF CHRIST 157 ins visible sii»;us to find out if He were the Christ, instead of receiving Him by faith. And He reproved their weak faith, by reminding them of tlie thousands fed in the wilderness, and they need fear no lack of bread while He was with tliem; and so He drew tlicir minds from the doctrines of the Pharisees, to the spirit and truth which He was revealing. Not long after, Christ appeared at Capernaum teaching and working miracles, but He remained there a short time ; and is next reported in Northern Galilee, near Csesarea Pliilippi, where a blind man was brought to Him to touch. The man expressed no faith, and asked no help; but He took him by the hand, led him aside, put spit on his ej'es, and asked him if he saw? And he said, "Yes, I see men as trees walking;" and touching Him again his sight was restored. That was an unusual act; and it was a lesson to the disciples that mercies may be obtained by tlie intercession of friends when the person has no faith, or is indifferent himself ; and Chiist's kindness in taking the man b}" the hand, and touching his eyes, made him feel that the compassionate Saviour had come and opened his eyes. There, the curtain drops; nothing is told of the impression on the man, or of any gratitude ; so he is a type of the multitudes who daily receive God's mercies, and give Him no thanks. And Clirist sent him home, and charged him to tell no one of his recovery ; this command to silence, apparently, was a gentle rebuke for hia unthaifkfulness. How long Christ continued there, and of what He said and did, not much ie related ; but the second jgs* of îlis ministry was near its end, and He spake often of the end of His eartlily life, as if it weighed on His mind. And then He asked the dis- ciples, "Whom do men saj' that I, the Son of Man, am?" It was not curiosity that prompted the question, for He knew; but an introduction to another question to the Apostles, because wlien tlicy said, some called Him Elijah, John the Bap- 15S LIFE OF CHRIST. tist, or one of tlie prophets, He asked, " But whom say ye tliat I am ? " And Peter answered " The Christ, the Son of the living God." On a former occasion Peter, speaking for tlic Apostles, said, "We believe and are sure, that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God;" but now his faith had grown, no prefix of belief and surety, but "Thou art the Son of the living God." Yet he meant no more here, than on the former confession, re- specting Christ's divinity; that He was the Son of God, not by creation like Adam, but of a higher type, the very life of God in Him. And Christ said the Heavenly Father had revealed it to Him ; and because of this strong faith. He said, thou art Peter, a rock in faith, and on this Rock, " Clirist the Son of the living- God," I will Iniild my Church ; both the Old and Kew Testament call Christ the Kock; and Isaiah says, "Thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion a foundation Stone, a precious corner stone ; " the Rock that gave the Israelites Avater in the desert was a type of Christ, and as the Rock He led them through tlie wil- derness. And to refer the Rock to Peter is a perversion of the prophecy, and of Clirist's interpretation of it, and of the idea of the kingdom of God, built on Him as the Rock of Ages ; for He imderlies the kingdom, as granite nnderlies and upholds the kingdom of nature on onr globe. And He is the rock against which unbelief and persecution have beaten two thousand years in vain ; it is one of the couplings of the Old and New Testa- ment, and one of the links of prophecy which prove Christ and God are one. The Church was built on Christ ; it rests on Him now ; and St. Peter never either claimed or exercised authority over the other Apostles. St. James presided over the first Apostolic Coun- cil ; St. Paul relinked St. Peter at Antioch for double dealing with the Jews ; and St. Paul wrote the Epistle to the Romans, where it is said St. Peter resided, but wh;ch history teaches he never saw. LIFE OF CHRIST. 159 A key, is a symbol of autliority; and wlien Chi'ist snid He would give it to Peter, it was for the twelve Apostles — and what- soever Ye shall bind. He will ratify — that tlierc might be twelve lines of Apostolic succession, against wliich the Gates of Hell should not prevail; and the Acts of the Apostles prove that each one exercised the power in founding the Church, and ordaining its rulers. Though Christ had been teaching tliat His kingdom was at hand, this was the first time He called it the Churcli, — which to the Jews signified the separation of God's people from the Gentile world. The new covenant for entrance to it was repentance and baptism, because of faith in Him; and their future obligation was to devote themselves to the new Christian worship, so they would be members of Christ, children of God, and inheritors of the kingdona. Thus they were being drawn away from the old ceremonial, and the expectations of temporal rewards and pun- ishments; and calling the Church, the kingdom of God, and kingdom of Heaven, revealed new views of it, as relating to the kingdom of God in Heaven. Thus gradually was Pie letting in light, on tlie transfer going on from Judaism to Christianity. Christ had now trained His disciples into a belief in His Messiahship, and made tliem perceive that tlie old kingdom was being transformed into something new ; of which, however, they had as yet no clear understanding. And He aimed to make the Apostles see and feel the great responsibilities that would de- volve on them after His departure, of which He had plainly told them. And at that time happened the only instance, in which an Apostle ever presumed to remonstrate with Christ — havino- told them that He was to suffer deatli at Jerusalem: Peter objected, and He said, " Get tbee behind Me, Satan; thou art an offence to Me," — the only severe words He ever spake to an Apostle. Peter did not know that Christ must die before His kin«-dom 160 LIFE OF CHRIST. came, and he was expecting a sliare in the glory of His temporal kingdijni ; and surely he was not tlie Apostle must likely to be chosen, if any sn]>remacy were to be given to an Apustln. In concluding this characteristic discourse, our Lord renewed His warning to them of the hardships and perils they nuist endure for His sake^ and that following Him was no easy road to travel ; but demanded self-denial, self-zestraint, and self-sacritice, — even unto death if need be, for His kingdom, and their own and the world's salvation. Then His thoughts seemed to glance forward to tlie world's end, when He said the Son of Mpn will come in the glory of His Father, and judge the world. And thus while speaking of His death. He tijlso told them of the glory whieli would come from it, and that some then present would not die until the}- had seen His kingdom come; and this was one grand step forward in revealing Himself to His disciples, — because wliat He had been calling the kingdom of Heaven, and the kingdom of God, He now calls His kingdom, as the Son of Man: that is, the kingdom some of them would live to see come on earth, would not have its completion until He comes to take possession of it in Person, — as the King of Glor3\ This was not understood by them, until after the Resurrection; but it was recorded for the consolation of all His suffering disciples, and to encourage them to bear His cross cheerfully to the end. CHAPTER XXm. THE THIRD PASSOVER. Departint^ from Northern Galilee, Christ went tlirough the towns and villages teaching and working miracles, until near the end of His second year's ministry; when He was on His way to Jerusalem, to attend the third Passover, where He arrived several days before the Festival. His abode was Bethany ; and coming from the Mount of Olives, early in the morning, He went to the Temple; and there found the Scribes and PJuirisees expecting Him, and intending to entrap Him in His words, or to discover the secret of His miracles; and in this interview He made new revelations of His power and wisdom. While He was teaching, these enemies pressed into His presence, bringing a woman taken in adultery ; and quoting Moses' authority that such sinners should be stoned, asked, "What sayest Thou ? " tempting Him, to find some accusation against Him. Their question was a compliment to His character; they evidently expected that His clemency was so great, as he had forgiven sinners unsolicited, He would forgive her, — and so ap- prove of a violation of the Law, and tlie execution of its penalty ; and for tliat they could arraign Him before the Sanhedrim. But here, as always wliere His enemies expected to entrap Him, 162 LIFE OF CHRIST. He proved too much for their intrigue and cunning, and turned their attacks to their own condemnation. He liad before called the Scribes and Pliarisees a generation of adulterers, and now He proved it. Apparently disregarding their question He stooped down and wrote in the dust at His feet; it is tlie only time He is said to have written, and no record remains of what He Avrote. The (juestioners preouming He did not hear, or else being sure of entrapping Him, pressed their question; wlien He raised up and said, "He who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." And again He stooped down and wrote on the sand or dust. " And tliey who heard Him, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one l)y one, — beginning at the eldest, even unto the last." Hov.- graphic; this scene is. How prol)able from what Christ and history says of society then. How triumphant the ])easant of Galilee appears in the Temple of the Lord, over its earthly liulers. How perfectly Muster of the situation. How now it assures us that He was the Lord of the Temple. And then look at what followed: "And Jesus was left alone, and tlic woman standing in the midst; raising up and seeing none but the woman, He asked, Where are those thine accusers? Hath no man con- demned thee? Slie said:' No man. Lord. And Jesus said unto her. Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." Jesus spake as her God and Judge, "Neither do 1 condemn thee." What presumption and deception, were He not the Son of Man. Plow certain these incidents prove Him the Son of God, when He challenged these .enemies to accuse Him of un- truth, or an}" sin. These Pliarisees had come to see tJie Moman condemned, and to have Christ accused; but l)oth were acquitted and the enemies convicted by their withdrawal. They were hard hearted, the woman was not only penitent, l)ut believed in Christ for she called Him Lord; and she was foi-given on condition tliat she sinned no more.. He proved Himself here, LIFE OF CHRIST 163 as elscwlicre, tlic friend of sinners wlio believed in Ilim and repented. The following day Christ appeared in the Temple again, and taught in the Ti-ensury, saying, "I am the Liglit of the World,'' and whoever followed Him shall not walk in darkness. This was an astonishing de<*laration of Himself as the Messiah, to the people and the Scriljes and Pharisees, who knew from their sacred writings that Light is one of the Divine titles; an.l the Psalmist applied it to Christ, "The Lord is my Light, and my salvation;" and God is the Lord, who hath showed us Light. And they knew also that Isaiah had foretold what they had seen and heard M'as going on in Galilee, if they would not admit it of Judea and Jerusalem, that the people who walked in dark- ness had seen a great Light." But how mueh more astounding to us, that the Light, wliieh then shined in darkness from the Sun of Pighteousness, has been increasing in splendor, and spreading over the earth, until it lias tilled the whole horizon of time, and made Christendom the glory of our world. But the judicially blind Pharisees could not see the Light, and complained that He bore record of Himself; and this again led Him to a clearer confession of His Divine origin, as if He were truly anxious to dispel their blindness and unbelief. They said His record was not true, because the Law required two wit- nesses to establish a fact in Court. His answer is a subtle argu- ment for His Messiahship, and two-fold nature, both God and Man. And this was the drift of His whole discourse ; "I bear record; I know whence I came, as the Son of God; I know whither I go, as the Son of Man. Here are the two witnesses re- quired by the Law; but you are blind, and do not see whence I came nor whither I go, — because ye judge after the flesh, only what is seen and known by your animal nature. And then to make them more excuseless for their unljclief. 164 LIFE OF CHRIST. He said His jn(1g:mcnt is true, l)ceause it is coupled witli tlio Fatliei-'s; I bear witness of Myself, and the Fatlicr beareth Mn't- ness of me. And the_y saw in Ilis works God's witness to Him; tliey donbtless had heard of the Father's witness to Him, at His baptism; and they would hear it agaui in the Temple l)efore an other Passover. The saying that His judgment is true, had more meaning than is apparent; it is so true that all who are judged l)y Him in this life, or the life to eome, will admit His judgment to be l)oth true and just; for it is not in the power of the human mind to conceive of any other way by which the millions of mankind would be judged so fairly, and so as to remove all possibility of injustice, all possibility of error in judgment, and to silence all fear or complaint on those M'ho are judged, as this which the wisdom of God devised ; in committing it to the Son of Man, who is the Son of God, and so brings all the wisdom of God, with all the experience of man, to niake His judgment pcrfec^t. This testimony of Christ did not remove their blindness, nor carnal views; and they returned His efforts to teach them with what was intended as a scoff, "Where is Thy Father?" And then looking at the hopelessness of their unbelief He said, "Ye neither know Me nor My Father:" thus reiterating His unity with the Father, and His Divine origin as the Christ, whom they would not know, He left them. And though they longed to lay hands on Him, they could not, which ought to have convinced them of the truth of His words; but it did not, for the next day, apparently, they had again come to the Temple, and find Him teaching. AVe know not how many days He taught in the Tem- ple, but on the last gre;it day tliere was a mighty contest between truth and error, as tiie one was in the Son of God, and the other in His l)lin(k(l, chosen people; Christ reasoning to persuade them to believe in Hiu), and the Rulers parrying His arguments, and continuing their unbelief, — hardening their hearts as Pharaoh LIFE OF CHRIST. 1C5 and the Egyptians did, when Moses appeared and delivered their ancestors from hondage. Christ tohl them, in a mysterious way, of His approacjhing death, resurrection, and ascension to Heaven; and that they would die in their sins, and could never follow Him there. And they pretended they did not understand His words, and asked sarcastically if He would kill Plimself ; but He renewed His testimony concerning Himself, that He is not of this world, and therefore is the Clu-ist from God, as Isaiah foretold, Immanuel, God with us, — and if they do not believe " I am He," they will die in their sins. Yet they persist in pretending to misunder- stand Him, and ask again, " Who art Tliou ? " His ansAver was: the same as I have declared to you all along f]'om the beginning; and then assuming His offi(?e as Teacher from God, and Judge as the Son of Man, that is wlio I am ; one from the true God, to deliver you from bondage to unbelief and sin, and tell you truth from God, things I heard in Heaven; yet they did not understand Him. Then He foretold, that, when they had crucified Him, then they would understand that He is the Christ; that Ho had come from their Father, tmd had done His work, — showing them the unity of His M'ill with the Father's; and this made some believe in Him. And He said to those who believed, " If ye continue in My words, then are ye My disciples indeed;" doubtless said, be- cause some who had followed Him a little while before, had turned away and left Him, because His doctrines respecting Himself were too hard for their faith ; but if they continued steadfast the truth would make them free from bondage to the flesh and sin. The unbelieving Jews interrupted Him, saying, " We are Abra- liam's seed, and never were in bondage to any man," so would not be to His teachings. And He said their b(jndage was to the devil. And assuming His authority as a. teacher come from God, He said, "Yerily, verily, I say unto you, whoever commits sin, is 166 LIFE OF CHRIST. the servant of sin;" and lie made those enemies see that Ho knew their sins and malicious intentions towards Him, "because My words liave no phice in you ; " and if they were Abraliam's seed they wouki not seek to kill Him. But they renewed their claim as Abraham's posterity, and Christ accused thom of hypoc- risy, in doing so differently from what Abraham did when God tried his faith ; otherwit^e they would love, and not hate Him, f(»r telling them the truth, and trying to bring them to repent- ance and salvation. And, with a rebuke, tliat must have aroused their deepest indignation. He declared that neither God nur Abraham, but the devil was their father; he was a liar and nuirderer from the beginning, and "his lusts ye will do;" and to nudce tliem forever witness for Him, and against themselves. He declared Himself the Holy One of God. Kever befoje had Christ so plainly de- clared His Messiahship to His enemies, or spoken such severe rebukes to them; and because He saw His words oidy hardened their hearts. He asked, "Which of you convinceth me of sin?" Smarting as these enemies were under the stinging provocation of the ac(;usation that they were children of the devil, the father of liars and nuu'derers. He challenged them to return His accu- sation if they could ! And certain it is, that, if there had been one stain on His whole life, one single error in His doctrines, one act of what men call dishonor, not to say sin, known by the hundreds of thousands, who had heard His teaching, or one act (.>f fraud in His ndracles, that these persons would have known it, îind not let the provoking challenge pass without pointing it out. Ihit inst(uid of accusing Him of sin, their very rage was testimony for Him: "Say we not wxll that Thou ait a Samaritan and hast a devil?" lie denied this charge, said that Jle hon- ored God, and they dishonored Him, and that He sought not His own glory; yet to remit not one iota of His claim, He re- Viumed His Divine authority as a Teacher from God. LIFE OF CHRIST. 167 "Yerily, verily, I sny unto you, if a man keep my sayings he shall never die;" that is, if he believes and obeys he will have that eternal life that the second death and Hell can never touch. To this His enemies replied, "Now we know Tliou hast a devil," because the saints are dead. "Art thou greater than our father Abraham ? " In answering this question, our Lord's testimony of Himself reached its grand climax. He had tried in various ways to make them see and feel that He is the Son of God, and ecpial with the Father ; and when all else had failed, He made that unmistakable claim, that no learned Jew could possibly misunderstand; — that He whom you claim as your God is My Father, that He was be- fore Abraham, and he rejoiced to see His day; and with tiie aw- ful solemnity of His "Yerily, verily, I say unto you," He applied to Himself the ineffiablc title of the one only living, eternal and true God, the "I AM;" and the enemies understood this, and they left us the testitnony that they did understand it ; and did not believe it, because they took up stones to cast at Him. And He gave them that new proof that His words were true, and He is God, because no stone hit Him, no injury was done Him; but passing through the throng, which luul been hanging wrapt with His power and wisdom. He left the Temple and disappeared from Jerusalem. f-^QQim^'^ ■^^r ,-V1~^ CHAPTER XXIV THE TRANSFIGURATION. Leaving Jerusalem after the Passover, Christ and His disci- ples went towards Galilee, and entering a village they saw a lilind man on the wayside, begging. He was born blind, and a well-known person in the vicinity; and Christ made an ointment of clay with spittle, and pnt it on His eyes, and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam; and he went and washed, and came Tills caused the disciples to ask a question, showing the popular Jewish belief, and which none but God could answer, " Who did sin, this man or his parents, that He was born blind ? " He answered, neither; but that God's will might be done by Him in the miracle; and it opened the way for a further revelation of His Messiahsliip to His disciples, and Rulers of the Jews, and concerning His departure from this world. He said, "As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world," which was a mystery of God and science tliat none but He then knew; for modern investigation has revealed the mystery of the triple ele- ments the symbols of the Godhead in sunlight, and the fact that all animal and vegetable life are sustained by it — God's agent to 2;ive life here — and so a type of Christ, and His eternal life giving salvation. The Psalmist foretold that at Christ's coming, LIFE OF CHRIST 169 men would "see the Li,i>lit;" and St. John said, that Clirist lighteth every man who conietli into the world ; having brought life and inunortalitj to light. When the Pharisees heard of the miracle, they had the man brought to them ; and they asked him, how he received his sight ? He told them : and mej said, " this Man is not of God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." But some friends of Christ present, asked: "How can a man, who is a sinner, do such miracles ? " This shows that the friends and foes admitted that the miracle was wrought, and elicited the confession of some that Christ was immaculate ; so the investigation brought out new testhnony to His Messiahship, and the genuiness of the miracle. Again the man was asked, what he thought of CJirist ? And he said "He is a Prophet." Then the enemies called tlie man's parents, and asked them if he were their son who was " born blind, and how then doth he now see ? " And by their unbelief they elicited new testimony for Christ ; the parents said, " We know he is our son, and was born blind ; he is of age, ask him." They so answered, because they feared the Jews would cast them out of the Synagogue. Thus the two king- doms were coming in conflict, and the strife of the sword Christ came to bring was unsheathed — never again to rest in its scab- bard until He comes again ; but then, as ever since, all opposition to Him, only adduced new proofs of His Divine nature. The Pharisees told the man to " give God the praise " — this confessed the miracle genuine ; and the reason given was, " We know that this man is a sinner." And thus they proved what Christ said of them, two days before in the temple, — that they were "lying children of the devil;" because He had then chal- lenged them to accuse Him of sin, and they did not, because they could not. And it looks as if nothing but the wisdom of God could have so planned it, as to make this testimony of n/> LIFE OF CHRIST. Christ's enemies prove Him to be tlie Christ of God, whom they were rejecting. The man annoyed by their impertinence and nnbelicf, sarcasticall}' asked tliem, if they wanted to hear more about the miracle in order to become Christ's disciples. And they reviled Him, and saicfthey " were Moses disciples, and knew God spake to Moses: but as for this Man, we know not whence lie is. And tlie man replied with the unanswerable ai'o-ament, "We know God lieareth not sinners; since the world began it was not heard that any man opened the eyes of one born blind! If this Man were not of God, He could do nothing." They were mastered in logic, but they cast him out of the Synagogue ; and he became the first one of the great army of Confessors for Christ, whose names have been cast out for believing in Him, from that day to this. Christ heard it, and sought the man, and asked him : " If he believed in the Son of God?" And he asked, "Who is He that I might believe in llim ? And Christ confessed Himself to Him? and He said, " LORD, I believe; and he Avorshipped Him." And this was not that Oriental reverence, customary to be shown to Rulers and distinguished persons, — but the worship and adoration, which came from his faith and love, and gratitude for wdiat Christ had done for Him. A nndtitude were present, at this interview between Christ and tlie man, and some were the ubiquitous Pharisees, and Christ renewed His instruction to tliem. " For judgment am I come into tliis world, tliat they who see not might see ; and tliey who see, might be made blind." It was a further revelation of Himself, that He had (;ome from the Father in Heaven to do His work ; and a wai'iiing to them of tlie penalty for their spiritual blindness, because seeing His miracles, they would not sec Hint, as the Christ. LIFEOFCHRIST. 171 Tliey saw the application ; and, nettled by it, sought further controvei'sey witli Him, asking, "Are M-e blind also?" And He answered, "If ye were blind ye would have no sin; but now ye say, we see, tlierefore your sin reniaineth." AVhile it warned them for blinding their minds against Him, as their God and Saviour, it drew from Him words full of comfort and consolation for all who do not sin wilfully, for He will pardon them. Christ's transfiguration. Leaving the place wliere the blind man was restored, our Lord went on His way to Capernaum; and as they wont He told the disciples, that they would live to see His kingdom come with power. They did not understand His words, until tlie Holy Ghost came. St. Luke says, it was about eight ihiys after that discourse, that the Transfiguration occurred; and that Christ led the three Apostles chosen to witness it into a mountain to pray. Neither one of the Apostles mention tlie locality except St. Peter, and he calls it the Holy Mount; and if it Vi^ere Mount Tabor, He would have ample time to make the journey, and to teach and work miracles by the way. The three A])0stles, chosen as witnesses of this supernatural scene, were our Lord's favorites, who were present wlien He first raised the dead child, and manifested His power over death; they were now called to ])ehold His glory as the Son of God, recognized by the Father's voice from Heaven ; as they afterwards witnessed His agony, as tlie Son of Man in Gethsemane. We do not know if His human nature expected tliis mani- festation. He had recently told the Apostles of His approaching death; and tlie retire:nent for praj'er may have been because of His mental dL]M'!^s<)(ly, after its resurrection, and ascension, and «^-lorifica- tion in tlio Godhead. The necessity for tlie conccahnent of thi:i is plain, — it was an intimation of the ])assing over of the Law and kingdom of Israel, to Christ's Gospel and kingdom ; and the revelation of the purpose would have caused His inunediate ar- rest and crucifixion. Christ had recently told the Apostles of His coming death, now lie showed them the glory which would follow it in Para- dise, and assured them of His resurrection from death; and tliat they would be alive to see Him after it, because then they might report His Transfiguration. And we learn from this, that the Saints in Paradise have glorified spiritual bodies; and that they not only know what is going on in this world, but that it is pos- sible for them to appear here, — but impossible for mortals to comnumicate with them, for Moses and Elias talked only with Christ. And the question the Apostles asked Christ, why the Scribes say that Elias must come l)efore Christ, as it was answered by Him, warrants the interpretation, that the Elias at the Transfig- uration was John the Baptist; because He never speaks of any other Elias. And in this case declared that he had come, and had ])een martyred ; and He, as the Son of Man, would likewise suf- fer. Moses had led the Israelites out of bondage, through the Red Sea; Christ would deliver the Avorld from bondage thi'tiugh His blood, and bring all believers in Him into the glorious lib- erty of the Saints in Paradise, and children of God in Heaven. Christ said, the Law and the Prophets were until John, then salvation could be had by repentance and faith in Christ; and now that transition way of salvation was passing away, John had departed, and Christ's kingdom was coming; and the Trans- fio-m'ation helped to confirm the Apostles faith and trust in Christ — and to hear, believe, and ol)ey whatever He told them to do; because after St. John was permitted to speak of it, he said, LIFE OF CHRIST 175 ""We bfheld His glory as the i^lory of tlie only begotten of the Father;'' and of all the wonders, and glories of our L )rd's earthly life, tliere is nothing more wonderful than this; nothing up to that time that so assured the Apostles of immortality be- yond death, and of the glory whicli awaits tlie righteous beyond it. The Baptist, as Christ's Forerunner, had already reported there wliat lie had done on earth ; and now he and Moses re- turned to tell the Saints that He would soon finish His mission to the earth, and be with them in the spirit in Paradise. As the Apostles then first understood that the Elias of Prophecy was not Elijah the Tishbite, so also did they then first learn, that the Elijah there present was John the Baptist: and Christ gave them some further instruction, telling them the ob- ject of John's coming was to restore all things; by restoration, lie meant to restore the spirituality of the Law, the necessity of faith and repentance for salvation, which had been over-ridden by the traditions of the Scribes and Pharisees, and that He would finally suffer a violent death as John had. à-9 »-{ CHAPTER XXV. AFTER THE TRANSFIGURATION. After tlie Transfigui-ation, Christ and the three Apostles remained all night in the mountain, and when they came down they found the Scribes and Pliarisees questioning the other Apostles, and all the people came running to meet Him ; and there was another of those marvellous scenes, so often witnessed during His ministry. Those enemies liad taken advantage of Christ's absence to interview the Apostles, to try and find out by what necromanc}' or demoniacal power they wrought miracles; and when CJirist came, He asked them what they had been discussing with tlie Scribes and Pliarisees ? And before they could answer, a man came kneeling down to Him, saying, " Have mercy on n)y son, he is a lunatic, and hath a dumb spirit, and he taketh liim, teareth him, and he crieth out, and foameth and gnasheth witli his teeth, and pinetli away ; and I spake to Thy disciples tu cast him out, and tliL-y could not." And here, again, the attempt of Christ's enemies to prove fraud resulted in increasing His fame. It was the first time that the xVpostle:: liad failed to work a miracle, and while Christ was absent His enemies hoped to discover the cause of their failure, and solve the mystery of His power; but their faihire was His opportunity to sliow wlience LIFE OF CHRIST 177 their power came, and that it never failed H in;. He said to the man, all tilings are possible to him who l)e]'cvcth ; and he cried out " Lord I believe, help Thou mine unbelief.''' And on tiiat con- fession, He rebuked the Evil Spii'it who, throwing the child down, came out of liim; and the child was as one dead j but Christ raised him up and lie was well. Christ had recently told the Apostles of His death, and His absence had weakened their faith, and they could not heal the child; so there was a lesson for the disciples and the Scribes and Pharisees, as well for His disciples for all time, that prayers offered for children in faith will pi'evail. But the disciples were too dull to perceive, that their power depended as much on their faith, as the healing did on the faith of the afHicted ; so when they came into the house they asked, " Wliy could not we cast him out?" And He said, because of their unbelief, and neglect of prayer and fasting ; He had prescribed no fasts, but they had probably neglected those of the Jewish Church. And then, as if their particular unlielief was respecting His death. He renewed the declaration, saying: "The Son of Man is delivered into tlie hands of men, and they shall kill Him; and after He is killed He shall rise the third day." And this was the third time Christ had spuken of His death and resurrection within a few weeks; its nearness apparently was weighing upon His mind. He mysteriously revealed to the Scril)es and Phari- sees by the sign of Jonali, that He would be three days in the tomb; but He plainly declared it tu His disciples. Yet they understood not His words, and were afraid to ask Him; but after His rcsuri-ection they saw ho\v His death was a preijaratiun for His kingdom, and it helped them to believe in Him, as tlie second pei-son of the Godhead, as it has ever since assured men of it. This narrative carries probability on its face, as well as has internal evidence of it in every feature, and is in perfect 12 \ 178 LIFEOFCHRIST harmony with the Gospel rovchition ; there is no otlier example like it in the annals of mankind. And to believe it a story inven- ted, is to ascribe more genius to the authors than was evt-i* shown by any otlier men ; and to believe that three Evangelists conspirc; disciples; that Ave shoukl go to the Heavenly Father, as children do to an earthly one for the eupply of all our wants, both temporal and eternal ; and since Christ, there never was a child, who did not l)clieve in Him, and have his little heart touched witli tender emotion, when he was old enough to understand the story of His love. It was probably while Christ was at Capernaum this time, that the Collectors of the Tribute Money were collecting the annual tax of half a shekel, about tldrty cents, which was de- manded fi-om every Jew, for support of the Temple worship at Jerusalem; it was called atonement, or ransom money to the Lord. These men asked St. Peter, if his Master paid the tax ? And he said, Yes; so it is presumed that He had paid it before, a3 He carefully observed all the ordinances of the Jewish Church ; and Peter told Christ of the demand, and He asked him of whom do the kings of the eartli take tribute, of their own 6ul>jects or strangers? And he answered, of strangers. The question aimed to show Peter His exemption from the tax, because His soul re- quired no atonement, and He was Lord of the Temple. Peter had witnessed Christ's power over the laws of nature, and sickness and death ; but now He manifested it in a new way over the animal kingdom belonging to God, and the financial world administered by man. He sent him to the sea to catch a fish, and find the tribute money in its mouth ; and his faith wav- ered not at the singular command, and he found the exact ain(»unt required; and Christ told him to give it "for Me and liiee." Though sinless, and exempt as Lord of the Temple, He submit- ted to that as to all the oi'dinanccs of the Jewish Church, — as an example of obedience, and to fultill all righteousness; while He showed here as in every instance of His life, where His humanity was concerned, that He subndtted as the Son of God, having dominion over all thiuirs. LIFE OF CHRIST. l«l In consequence of Christ's remarks about liutïiility to tlio Apostles, wlien He reproved tlicni for disputing about supreni- îicy, their cariosity was excited to know more of what greatness in His kingdom would consist; because tliey now believed it could not be long before tlie kingdom appeared, as He had told them — some then living would see it. And the lirst opportu- nity, they asked Him, " Who is [i.e. will be) the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" And He called a little child unto Him and set him in the midst of them; and with His divine " Ver- ily, I say unto you," declared, " Except ye be converted, and be- come as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." . What He demanded was — the faith, meekness, and docility of childhood; the cor.version was a turning from the ambition, and desire for earthly power or distinction they manifested — a devilish spirit — to serve God and do all for His glory. This must be their preparation of heai't for regeneration; for one might be converted for a time, and if it did not lead him to the docility of cliildren in going on to repentance, and baptism into the kingdom, it would not avail for salvation. He had had some such converts, and they had gone away without waiting for the kingdom. Two things 'were required: first, conversion; second, repent- ance and becoming like little children, — they were all in God's covenant, and had humble and docile minds to be trained in, and for, the kingdom. And whoso becomes as a little child, is tlie greatest in the kingdom of Heav^en; it is childlike faith, child- like love, childlike obedience, and freedom from pride and am- bition, which Christ pointed out as constituting Christian great- ness. And He sliowed how deep His love for all such disciples would forever be, — that receiving one such in His Name, would forever be receiving Him ; and the awful retribution for reject- ing them would be worse than temporal death- 182 LIFE OF CHRIST And He foresaw, as He liad before foretold, how botli Himself, His name, and divine character, and mission, would be received by future generations, — offences, unbelief, and pei'secu tions will come, but woe to the man by whom they come; better suflPer any maiming of the body here, than the awful penalty of everlasting fire hevcîifter. Heaven and Hell are the great mo- tives He urges, to persuade mcni to godly lives. And here again He revealed another great mystery of God, and of the Heavenly world from which He came, respecting the ministry of Aiigels — He so united His teaching, respecting both little children, and the members of His Kingdom, that He im- plies, that both have guai'dian angels Avho minister to them. And they are sent from God's immediate presence in heaven ; and we know from His exp(;rience and teaching, that angels continually minister between Heaven and Earth, and Paradise, and Hades ; besides what other services, we know not exactly, in convej'ing the spirit of the departing to their new abodes, when they leave this worhl. They ministei'cd to Him in every ex- igency of His human life ; one, releasetl Peter from prison after Christ's death, another was sent to tell Cornelius his pray- ers and alms had come up as a memorial before God. And He says, they will be present at the end of the world to assist Him at the Judgment ; and nothing is more reasonable if man and the world be related to God, as He represents them. As the son of Man, He revealed His great office as Saviour, come to save that which is lost ; not some, but generally the whohî race. He came to save those who will be lost, as well as those who will be saved. No one will fail of salvation by God's will, and oidy :n oy-position to His will ; it will be only by re- sisting all He has done in love and mercy, and at personal cost tv Himself. And the costliness of His sacrilice, and self-irapose»i suffering, in giving His son to die in our nature, for our sins, and to save us from an eternal penalty, proved the intensity of His love LIFEOFCHRIST. 183 and desire for onr salvati(Mi ; and every sinner struggles against God's will wlien lie sins, and worlds for his own eternal punish- ment. And to prove tliis, Christ rehited the Farahle oC the Lost Slieep, an appropriate type of a sinner, or straying Christian ; it is defenceless against its enemies, and has no instinct like the dog, or bee, to help it return to the fold. And the owner's leav- ing the ninety-nine to seek the lost one, outshadowed God's love in Christ, who had come to seek and save the lost; Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd ; and here He tells how He rejoices over every penitent sinner who comes to Him. And that it is not the " Father in Heaven's will, that one of these little one's should perish ; " and He calls all " little ones," who manifest the inno- cence, meekness, and docility of little children. CHAPTER XXVL THE CHURCH AND THE SEVENTY. Tlie new kinçrdom of Heaven — whicli was ffrowinir ont of the old kingdom of God — that was to transmit the benefits of Cln-ist's incarnation and sac;riti(^e, He now for the first time called the Church; and this was revealed only to His disciples, as a moral kingdom founded by spiritual force. He had already taught the Apostles, that His kingdom would be founded on Hhnself, — the ll(jck; and now He instructed them that its authority must be supreme, and man's last appeal,^and He, as its king, would ratify and annul in Hea\'en all they did in His name on Earth. The mission of the Cliurcli was — to continue Christ's woi'k, to preach the Gospel to the poor, to comfort the troul)led, carrj' the glad tidings of salvation everywhere, gather the natioiis, main- tain the new worship, and transmit the ministry and the Gospel unimpaired, until He returns to annex it to His kingdom in Heav- en. And it was called " Holy Catholic," in tlie Creed, because its sacraments would make men righteous; andCatholic because it embraces all the holy angels, and the saints in Paradise, as well as righteous on earth. And whoever refuses to liear the Church, any their self- righteousness, prayers to be seen of men, and tithing herbs, and ostentatious alms-giving, — while within they wei-e full of hy- pocrisy and excess. Christ did not condemn those acts, but the way the,y did them. He transferred fasting arid alms to His Church, as duties expressive of obedience to God ; and self-sacrifice, to take the LIFE OF CHRIST. 193 place of the burnt sacrifices of the old kingdom. Tliey are hard Cliristian duties ; and -most Christians fall below the Pharisees, who gave a tenth for tlie support of Divine worship, and tliree or four tenths more for religious objects ; and whoever neglects these Christian sacrifices, never will know whether his selfishness is overcome, and his love of God sincere. But our Lord had not discharged all His duty by tlie rebuke and instruction, but de- nounced woes against tlie Scribes and Fli arasées for their pride and hypocrisy ; and upon the Lawyers, for their extortion and robbing of others by their inordinate demands for their services ; and He accused them as the posterity of the Prophet-killers, be- cause they kept in repair the tombs of the men their fatliers murdered. And He concluded this discourse with a Prophecy, which He called, " the Wisdom of God," that that generation would peisecute and slay the Apostles and Prophets He would send; l)ut v/ithholding the final act of His own death, which would fill up tlie measure of its iniquities. He said, " the blood of all the Martyrs from Abel to Zacharias would be required of it." The Pharisees were enraged at the prophecy, and tried to provoke Him to say something they could lay hold of to accuse Him to the Rulers, and put Him to death ; but His wisdom was greater than their cunning. ^ I ■ i -^»^ CHAPTER XXVII TEACHING IN THE CITIES AND VILLAGES. Clirist sent out tlie seventy discdples ap^tiin, into the cities and villages, where He intended to follow them; but the Gos- pels do not tell what their course was. And we only catch a sight liere and there, of His doings ; though He apparently did not re- turn to Capernaum, until He went to Jerusalem to the Feast of Tabernacles, the Fall before His crucifixion. As He came to fulfill all righteousness, according to tlie Law, He was prol)ably present always at the three great festivals, when all pious Jews were required to present themselves, — though the Evangelists relate but little of these visits; for they recorded nothing merely to gratif}" curiosity, but only to show His obedience to the Law, and liow He prepared them, and the M^ay, for the transfer of the old kingdom to the new one, and for the duties which would de- volve on them, after His mission had ended. He said, the fields are white to harvest. And this going out of increased laborers into all the cities and villages, must have shaken the whole land ; and the increase of His fame and nn'ghty works, and caused a corresponding increase of hatred and watch- fulness of His enemies. One day a lawyer came tempting Him, and asked wliat he should do to inherit eternal life ; and the question reveals how LIFE OF CHRIST. 195 Christ's tcacliing had taken root in tlie land, that the old idea of workiniç out salvation by the Law, was dispelling, whether lie were in earnest or no; and Christ told him to love God with all his heart, and his neiglibor as himself, which has always been the wdiole of true religion — because it leads to obedience to all God's requirements, and that brings grace to do all duties to neighbors. The lawyer acknowledged Christ had answered rightly; but willing to justify hiinself, and not believing in Christ, or vtishing to be His follower, he asked, "Who is my neighbor?" He did not believe the Samaritans came under that head, and Christ spake the Parable of the Good Samaritan. A certain man went clown from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, who stripped, wounded, and robbed him, leaving him on the road-side half dead ; and a priest went by and paid no attention to him ; and a Lévite also came along, and looked on him, and passed Iw on the other side ; but a Samaritan saw the M'ounded man, and had compassion on him, washed and bound up his wounds, put him on his own beast, and took him to an inn, paid his fare, and became responsible for him until he should be M^ell. And Christ asked the lawyer, which of the three was the man's neighbor? The lawyer would not call the Samaritan by his name, but said, "He who showed mercy;" and Jesus said unto him, "Go thou and do likewise," and in this way rebuked his bigotry, and taught him how to show mercy. As He went through the cities and villages teaching, going towards Jerusalem, some one asked Him, " Lord are there few that will be saved ? " He had answered this question before in His Sermon on the Mount ; saying, the gate is narrow and the way strait, and few there be that iind it ; and now He adds a new motive to strive to enter, because some who seek will not be able. Not that there is no room, not that His salvation is not suf}i(;ient for all; 196 LIFE OF CHRIST. l)ut unbelief, or indolence, engrossment by tliis 'world, will pre- vent many of that generation fi-om finding it. And He declared with His Divine autl)ority, "I say," that there is a limit to the Father's mercy and long suffering ; and so to human probation, when tlie door of the kingdom will be shut and it will l)e too late to cry for mcr(;y. The disv-iples knew that under the Law, there was God's solemn warning to tiie reprobate, — that, if they despised His mercy in life, at death He would mock at their calamity, and laugh when their fear came. This warning was for a disciple, and so for all Christians; that, if they are not faithful unto death, at the judgment He will tell them, though they have eaten and drunk at Ids table, and taught in His name, "1 know you not from whence ye are; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity." And they will have tlieir lot with the lost in Hell ; and the old saints, and the Gen- tiles shall inherit the kingdom of God, while they will be thrust out, — an awful warning to the Rulers of His Clmrch, if tliey are unfaithful in doing the work committed to them. And He con- cluded, " there are last which shall be first, and first which shall he last." The ministers of His Church may, in the great day of reckoning, be found less worthy of high places in His Heavenly kingdom, than the faithful laymen who did their humble duty well; they will be first there, and those who were first here will there be last. The fame of Christ had now l>ecoroe so general, and the fact known that the people had proposed to make Him a king, that Herod Antipas, whom Joscphus says killed John the Bap- tist because of his influence over the people, was alarmed ; as Herod his^father was, thirty years before, when he ordered tiie murder of tlie children of Bethlehem; now fearing the loss of his Governorship, sought Christ's life. Is this fiction? Did the Evangelists invent these stories, and the cliaracters and acts of LIFE OF CHRIST. 197 these two men ? No ! be(;a«se Instoiy confirms both, as well aa the Gospel narrative. It is not related how Plerod's animosity showed itself, but Christ had some friends among the Pliarisees, because they in- formed Him that Herod sought to kiil Him; and His reply, scAorning his threat, <^-alling him a fox, and telling him He would work raira<;les until He was ready to be perfected, and rise from the dead, shows His consciousness of His divine power, and con- firms its truth, as it is rep'-eseuted in the Gospel. And it proves that He knew the time of His death was approacliing, but it was n(jt in Herod's power to touch Him ; and that on the third day He would rise from the dead, perfected in a spiritual body. Nevertheless, He must walk a little longer, and die at Jeru- salem ; all the types and prophecies foretold Jerusalem as the place where He would suffer. And then He utters that mournful but tender lament over the City of David, and the Temple of God. " Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets," tell- ing how He longed to gather the people, and they would not, and their House was becoming desolate, — words He repeated the last time He visited the Temple, Wednesday before His cru- cifixion. Tliey were not words of reproach more than compas- sion, whk'h none but God could have expressed under the cir- cumstances; not even any mention of His own personal sorrow for His rejection and conring death, but only His desire for Israel's salvation; for Jerusalem to Him represented His own (avenant people, and the grief He felt at the desolation they were to bring on themselves, the city and Temple desolate, and the daily sacrifice and worship of God, which had been there a thousand years, about to cease forever. A recent visitor to Je- rusalem confirms His prophecy, saying, " All is so mournful, so inexpressibly solemn- The v^ery sunsliine on those cruml)ling walls is unlike sunliglit elsewhere, and liiis no cheer, no gladness 198 LIFE OF CHRIST al)(»ut it. In tliis sud city there is notliiiig to talk of but ruins, and its story, decay, and sad memorials.'" As the time for Christ's departure approached. He devoted His instruction more particularly to the Twelve and the Seventy M'ho began to he more with Him. And He spake to them the Parable of tiie ricli man whose abundant harvests led him to jiropose to tear down his barns and build greater, and then to take his ease and enjoy himself; hut God that night required his life; "And so is he," He said, "who layeth up treasure for him- self, and is not rich towa)-ds God."' And He wai-nod them to take no thouglit for earthly things, for God, wlio feeds the ra- vens, and clothes the lilies more gorgeously than even Solomon was clothed, would take care of them. He would give tliem the kingdom of God, and l)y their labors and alms for it they would lay up treasures in Heaven. And they must gird up their loins, and let their light shine, like servants who are waiting for their Lord; for such servants felmll be blesed when He returns to the wedding. And He will make them sit down at His table and serve them, and make them Ilulers over all He hath; while He also warned them that he who knew his Lord's will and did it not, would be beaten w-ith many stripes. And He declared He had come to kindle a lire on earth, which was already kindled; and He had a baptism to be l)aptized with, and His soul was straitened until it be accom- ûliàlied. He did not wish to conceal what He foreknew of the tu- mult, tribulation, and divisions His religion Avould make among men ; l)ecause His Kingdom would not only divide households, and arraign parents and children against one another, but would also go forth to break in pieces the old Paganism of tlie Gentile world, and increase the strife and divisions He had already kindled ; and it was a prophecy of what has been going on ever since; His Divinity denied, His ministi'y rejected. His Church divided, and LIFE OF CHRIST. li<9 rnit l)_y lieresies find scliisms. And, conld any one but God liave torseen this? Or have fortold, that it will go on until the end of the world, until His kingdom luis lost its dominion over men, and faith in Him is almost lost, and the corruption become so genei'al, that God can endure it no longer; and the world will be destroj'ed by lire, as it was for corrupting itself before, by water, and the unfaithful will perish, together with tlie unbelievers. And although He was thinking of His own awful bap- tism b}'' blood, it looks as if the anticipation of the evils He had foretold, weighed even more heavily upon His mind than His Own fate; then, turning to the people, He addressed to them (me of those familiar discourses, easily understood by them, re- specting judgments of the weather b}^ the state of the clouds and winds. They could discern them, and determine what the fu- ture would be ; why could they not discern, that His doctrines and miracles that were agitating society around them, proved that the Christ, who was to shake all nations, had come. And He concludes with the warning to tliem, to make haste, judge and choose, what is right — between His Doctrines and the Law, be- tween Him and His enemies, — before it was too late. There is but little recorded of the events of this journey, throngh the towns and villages at this time; but soon after, Christ and His disciples arriv^ed at Bethany, where He cotnmonly made His home, when He Avas at Jerusalem or in its vicinity. And we notice on what friendly terms the Lord, was witli that li,Vimble family; because Martha's coniplaint to Him, respecting lier sister, shows her confidence in His consideration ; and how sure she was, that He would order even their household affairs with justice. And we learn from this incident, tlie character of the two sisters. Mary had heard Christ, and not only believed in Him l)ut had chosen the good part, to be His disciple ; and He told Martha, it shall never be taken away from her. And then, with 200 L I F E F C H R 1 S T . a divine grasp, tlio Lord condenses onr salvation to a jxniit, — onlv one thing needful; tliat is, faitli in Ilini, Avliicli makes one su- perior to tlie anxieties and cares for the tilings of this life. Mar- tha believed in Christ, too; because St. John tells us later in her history, that Jesus loved both Martha and Mary. But at that time, Avhich was six months earlier, she might not have attained that degree of faitli her sister had. Little incidents like tliis, let us see into the hearts and homes of the people of Judea, all these years ago, — wldch won- derfully corroborate tlie whole Gospel narrative; they are so simple, so natural, so like to what i-hey would be if Christ were the long expected Messiah, the Son of God, — to whom earthly distinctions are nothing, and purity of heart, and holiness of life is everything — that they give a stronger assurance of the truth and reality of the scene, than even His miracles. Because there is no suspicion, or probability that they were recorded to prove His Divinity ; while they do sliow the exercise of both liumanity and Divinity. THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. Our Lord waited at Simon's house until the morning, when He went up to Jerusalem. It was His custom always, when near Jerusalem, to be present at tlie Daily Sacrifice; and if He arrived atBethany the evening l)efore, it is proba])le that the next day was the beginning of the Feast ; and He went there to teach. And it was there, in the Temple, that He was told of the recent atrocity of Pi'ate, in suppressing a revolt among the Gal- ileans ; when he savagely punished the rioters, while they were engaged in the religious duty of offering sacrifi(;e, and caused their blood to mingle with the blood of the animals. And here, as on all occasions. He used the incident to give the reporters a useful lesson ; not a word is said of Pilate's mei- cilessness, — that would be repeated to His injury; but He knew the minds of the persons present, that they presumed it was LIFE OF CHRIST. 201 God's pun 'sliment for their sins; and He said, "Nay; but ex- cept ye repent, ye sliall likewise perish." Pie does not say they were not punished for tlieir sins, but tliey were not the chiefest sinners in Galilee; admitting that there is a connection between sin and punishment, bnt that it is not in man's power to trace it, and it was not for them to jndge. And again He asked, if they thought the men on whom the tower in Siloam fell were tlie chiefest sinners there. And Him- self answered as before, Nay; and unless they repented, they would likewise perish. Ilepentan(^e was the constant theme of His teaching, and the only ground with faith for admis- sion to His kingdom ; the only hope, through His one great sacrifice, for salvation. And then to illustrate His meaning He spoke the PARABLE OF THE BARREN FIG TREE. The ancient Chur(;li was called the Lord's vineyard ; God was its Lord ; the single fig tree, with its sweet fruit, was His covenant people, Israel. But it was barren; three years the Lord had been on earth seeking fruit from it; and now He, the Dresser, was going to cut it down, because it liad borne none. It cumbered the ground, — it occupied tlie place He wanted for His Vine and His Yineyard ; and then He represents Himself as pleading for it, for one year more, or until His present year of lal>or had ended, and then it will be cut down. It was a warn- ing of the end, which was fast coming to the ohl kingdom; it w;!S a practical and personal application to the Rulers of the Jews. Here and there were Pharisees who treated Christ cour- teously ; but it does not appear whethe]* it was from fiicndly mo- tives, or that they might know more of His doctrine, or better scrutinize His miracles. One warned Christ that Herod had evil intentions towards Him, and another invited Hira to dine on the Sabbatii, when there was a man present who had the dropsy ; 203 LIFE OF CHRIST. Avliic'li looks as if it were intentional to see if He would heal the man. And knowing tlio plot, Christ asked tlie lawyers and Phari- sees if it M'cre lawful to heal on the Sahbatli? And thej held their peace. And He healed him, and let him go. And then He di'd something quite as wonderful, — they would not answer Him, and He showed them He could make them keep silent. "Which of you having a beast fallen into the ditch w'ill not pull him out on the Sabbath?" And their silence was sealed up with shame. Ko shrewd lawyer or crafty Pharisee ever once got the better of Christ in such like attempts, and what is this but infal- libility, and God alone is infalli])le. Then He put forth a Parable to them, when He saw their pride, and anxiety for recognition of rank and place; and by calling it the invitation to a wedding, He conveyed a lesson which was adapted to the acuteness of such minds as were pj'es- ent; enfoicing the duty of humility, and that especially as es- sential for admission to His kingdom, and to the Last Great Supper of the Lamb; telling them how they would fare then, and there, with the pride and desire for rank and place they now manifested. And He concluded with advice for the prac- tice of humility in another way, which no doubt seeilied ridicu- lous to them, — though it was the way of doing good to the poor, and those who could make no returns, — that would bring eternal rank and exaltation from God. One among the guests was a true Israelite ; he believed in the coming kingdom of God, though he did not understand the meaning of his own words, nor tlie blessedness of eating its Sacramental Bread. And then Christ especially addressed to him the parable intended for all present, and for all mankii.d, until His kingdom is gathered up at the Judgment, to be taken to the kingdom ia Heaven above. It was the Parable of Ihe man who made a great supper, LIFE OF CHRIST 203 and hade iiuiny to coine for :ill things were ready ; and all ex- cused themselves, hecaiite of some worldly cousideration. The master, being angry, told the servants to go into the streets, and lanes, and bring the poor, the halt, tlie maimed, and the blind; and when tliis was done, and they said, "Yet there is room," he sent them into the higliways and hedges to compel men to come in, that liis house might be filled; and declared that none of them bidden who had refused, should be admitted. This Parable is obscure in some things, and He gave no ex- planation to His disciples; while it was applicable to His hearers it was also prophetical, and would be best understood by future generations. In one feature, it looked back to all the world's past history, to the way God's truth and revelation had always been re- ceived by mankind ; and it foretold how they w^ould continue to be until time's end. The cares, and duties, and pleasures of tliis life, being a perpetual excuse among men, for not paying to God the obligations of love and gratitude for His love and mercies, by obedience to His Church and Law. God is the certain Man who made the Feast; it was the Tree of Life in Paradise; after the expulsion, it was the Bread and Wine of Sacrifice ; since Christ, the Sacramental Bread and Wine, which gives the eternal life man lost by first eating the fruit of the forbidden tree. Or it may refer to the Baptist's call to the Jews, wlien God sent him to tell them all things were ready for tjiem ; it is so coujprehensive, that it includes the call of the Baptist to the Jews, or to Christ's personal ministry, or to the sending out of the Apostles and Seventy. For in all these instances, all things were I'eady for the meek and humble who were willing to believe and come. In the first instance, the guests were simply invited to come; in the second case they were to be brought in; but in the third 204 LIFE OF CHRIST and last, tlicy were to be compelled fiMin the lii<^li\vajs and liedi!;es. It possil)]}^ refers to the three covenants of God with man : the lirst with Adam, — of Sacrifice, in the Blood of Animals; the second, with Al)raham — of Circumcision, in the Blood of Man; the third, in and with Ciirist, in the Christian Covenant of Baptism, — in the Blood of the God-Man, through whose blood under the for- mer covenants, all had received the sign and seal to admit them to His Great Supper in Heaven. But the compulsory woi-k was not to begin until the Apos- tles received their great conmiission after the resurrection, to go into all the highways and hedges of the world, and compel men to come in by the wonderful story of the Son of God's love in coming down from Heaveîi, and showing His love unto death for their salvation. The Sacramental Bread and "VYine of His Church is the Great Supper, — because it is the completion of the Pascal Supper, because it increases spiritual strength in the re- ceiver, and because it entitles the receivers to the Lamb's Supper in Heaven. Christ had already told these Pharisees, "Except yo eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you ; " and ever sint^e, all who have refused the compulsory call to His kingdom, belong to the class He declares ''shall never taste My Supper.'^ The conclusion of the Parable, " I say unto you, none of those men under former dispensations, or now, who were called and refused, shall taste My supper," was to proclaim Himself the Author and Giver of salvation, and eternal life, under all the dispensations. No word is said of the way such an announce- ment was received; but, as things were, it was certainly prudent for Him to soon leave Jerusalem. CHAPTER XXVIII RETURN FROM JERUSALEM. After the feast, Christ departed from Jernsalem, followed by many people, going towards Galilee; and from that time there was a decided change in His teaching and doctrines; and the Parables are less obscure, and designed to interest all classes. Christ often stopped on His jonrneys to instruct the people, or work miracles; at tliis time He taught them respecting dis- cipleship to Him, — saying, tliey must be willing to leave wife and children, father and mother, and hate their own lives also for His sake. He meant hate only in a martyr spirit, because His own ex- ample was love ; but they must endure persecution, as He had left Heaven, and come down to suffer here for their sakes. Each one must patiently bear the cross of the hatred of man, the sliame of excommunication by the Rulers, or anything opposing their confessing Him : And He spake the Parable of a man's building a tower, or a king's going to war; each must reckon the cost before hebeo-ins, lest failm\- expose him to ridicule. So they, likewise, each one must deliberately bear His cross to obtain His salvation. That is, make all things here subordinate to doing God's will. And He enforced the lesson by the figure of salt losing its savor, M^hich is 206 LIFE OF UHUIST. tlii'own awîiy, and trodden down by mon ; so they would be re- jected by Iliin, if they should be unfaithful disciples. At aiioth'jr pliice many publicans and sinners were present, with Scribes and Pharisees, and Christ knew the hitter innr- nnu'ed liecause He manifested no displeasure at such persons ; }ind He spake the Parable of the Lost Sheep, that the shepherd will leave ninety and nine to seek one straying ; and when he finds it, calls his neighbors to rejoice with him. And then He told them news from Heaven, which God onl^' could know, that the angels rejoice when one sirmer repents, more than over ninety and nine who need no repentance. It was a rebuke of their unbelief and self-righteousness; telling them He had come from Heaven, into this wilder- ness of men estranged from God, to seek sinners, as prophecy said the Messiah would do. Then Christ spake the Parable of the Lost Piece of Silver, a woman seeks it — showing He had come to transfer His love and care for sinners, to His bride the Church; the coin stamped with the king's image, represented a disciple signed and sealed in His Name ; these the Church will seek when from infirmity they fail, and are lost for time from His treasury. And He i-e- peated by His divine, ' I say unto you," the angels of God will rejoice over every such penitent who returns. If the angels rejoiced at creation, and when Jesus was born, how reasonable that they should rejoice in mens' salvation ? He said every Christian has a guardian angel in Heaven ; and St. Paul's commentary on His words is, " They minister to all who sliall be heirs of salvation." And the Parable of the Two Sous, is another example of Christ's teaching the Scribes and Pharisees, and telling them how they looked i")efore God, in comparison with penitent Pub- lic:ins and sinners; and it applied also to the Church and nation. For tiie elder son represented the Israelites, and the younger son LIFE OF CHRIST. 207 the Gentiles, — who departed from tlie Father's house, and lost their righteousness and knowledge of His law, and were feeding on the husks of their false religions. And it had a future application, the elder son to any Chris- tian unthankful for God's mercies, and murmuring hecause the less righteous are more blessed ; or tlie jounger son who squan- ders his youthful innocence and baptismal grace in sin ; and then comes to himself and resoh^es to return, and then the Father hastens to receive him, and the angels rejoice. The Father did not say the elder son must rejoice, because my son is found; but your brother is found. The lesson is — separation from God, is misery; union witii Him, is peace and salvation. Thus Christ used all the ways of men, as well as the laws of nature, and natural objects, to illustrate God's dealings with them ; and there is no otlier way imaginable by which spiritual mysteries could so well be explained ; and none but God could have known so well how to apply them. And we arn inde])ted to those spies, who watched Christ to prove His miracles, necro- mancy, or His teaclimgs false, for many of the most interesting proofs, that His miracles were by the power of God, and His doctrines the truth of God ; and notwithstanding their hatred He proved His Divine love, by striving to make them believe in Him, and to repent. And He spake the Parable of the unjust steward, which is general as well as personal, and universal in its application. God is the rich man, and the Rulers of His Church, the unjust steward. He was accused of wasting his lord's goods ; and the charge was just, — he was dishonest ; l^ecause when called to give his account, he resolved on more dishonesty, and to implicate others for his benefit. And when his lord heard of it, he com- mended liis worldly wisdoin, — not his fraud, — but his shrewd ras- cally cunning, Avhich wicked men call wise : because he acted more wise tluir. God's children do, in trying to provide a iieavenly 208 LIFE OF CHRIST. habitation fur tliemselves, wlien they are removed from their earthly stewardship. Christ liad come to turn the old Rulers out of God's Kingdom; but they were making no provision for them- selves, by forestalling an entrance into His Kingdom. And He bears down on them with the severe irony, — to make themselves friends of mammon, the God of Kiclujs, of this world's wealth, that when God turns them out, He may receive them into everlasting habitations. It was also a warn- ing to His Disciples, to take heed how they used the steward- ship, which He was transferring to them, and act more wisely, that when they were called to account, they might be received into a Heavenly home. And He cautioned them to be faithful in their least duties, because that would ensure fidelity in greater ones ; and warned them that it is hopeless to expect anything but eternal poverty in the life to come, if we have been unfaith- ful to the trust God has committed to us here. Of the true riches of the Heavenly kingdom, He will give them none; and it is useless to try to serve two masters, God and the World, — He wants no divided heart : " He who loveth Father or Mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me ; " and he who Avill not give up all to be Christ's disciple, is not worthy of His love and His great salvation. This is an example of the jjractical teaching of Christ ; there is no circumlocution. He drives the truth right home to the mind and henrt. The Pharisees saw the application of Christ's w'ords, and they could not controvert them ; so they derided Him, tiius con- fessing their defeat. And He turned on them, rebuking their covetousnoss, and self-righteousness, and hypocrisy before men; telling them God knew their hearts, and they were abominable in His sigiit. And Christ's boldness increased, in teacliing that the king- dom was passing away fiom the Rulers to the new kingdom of God. He said, "The Law and the Prophets were until John," LIFE OF CHRIST. 209 that salvfition bj the Law then ended; and conkl he had onlj by the new way of faith in Him, repentance, and admission to Ilia kingdom. Not that tlie Law liad failed, or would not forever continue in force; but as it was mterpreted, hj His Gospel and kingdom. And He gave the example of the way they made di- vorce easy, as one of their perversions of it. Moses allowed it, only because of the hardness of their hearts. All we know certainly of the intermediate state, Mdiere the spirits of men are between deatli and the resurrection, was taught by Christ. Hebrews and Pagans believed in a kingdom of the dead called Hades, having two departments, Elyseum and Tar- tarus; and Christ's parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus proves how well the doctrine had been preserved by tradition, — the two men representing the two conditions into which men are there divided. The beggar's name was Lazarus; the rich man's is not told because lie had no name written in the Book of Life. Li this world their conditions were perfect contrasts, and in that world tliey were exactly reversed ; the giver of crumbs begged for drops of water, and was denied. And one soon found out that Hell, — and the other, that Heaven, — would be his future eternal abode. Dives called Abraham father; lie was, therefore, one of God's covenant children ; and he was told he had had liis o-ood tilings in this life, and there were none for him there. Is this iiction, or even a Parable? Could Christ, who never misrepresented any earthly thing, deceive concerning a sjDiritual one? The seeing and communicating may be real; we see millions of miles into space, and the worlds there, and can send our thoughts millions of miles into space by one impulse of the will; and spiritual beings may do, as Christ there represents. We learn also anotlier fact, that death cliangcs neither our identitv nor feelin2;s. The rich man was anxious that his breth» 210 LIFE OF CHRIST. ren sliouM not come to liis plncc of torment; but tlie pnintly bej^jgar's joy is not tokl, — eitlier because we could not understand it, or else it would niaUe us ini]);(t:ent in lieariui; our crosses, Jiud Wiuting for that lii<2;her life. And Christ twice proved A))r:>." ham's words true, that men would not believe tliough one rose from the dead; because after IIo raised Lazarus, and Himself re- turned to this world from Pai-adise, and Ilomau Soldiei's testilied it to the Hulers, they were as unbelieving as before. And now, modern Pharisees are as unlKdieving as they were then. Where Christ passed His time in Galilee, is not related; but the time for His departure, never to return until after His res- urrection, was near. And He then gave the Apostles and Sev- enty personal instructicm for their warning and encouragement. And He concealed from them none of the dangers or ditticulties that awaited them; they nmst suffer for His sake, in doing the work He would commit to them; but men had better be cast into the sea and .drowned, than to offend one of tl>e least of them. ■ AV^hile He aimed to inspire tlieir courage to endure persecu- tions, He cautioned them to beware not to do anything to de- serve reproof themselves; and to forgive offences according to the new rule He had given them. Tluis He gradually trained and taught them how to go on witluuit Him, when the kingdoui shovdd come and rest on them. And they, either conscious of their inability, or ambitious for more power, asked Him to increase their faith; which was asking what God only could do. And to that petition He replied, if they had faith like a grain of mustard seed, they could say to a neighboring sy(^amore tree, " Be thou plucked up and cast into the sea, and it would obey." That promise has been said to be hypei'bole, and unM'oi-thy of Christ; but the Apostles knew He had given them ] owei- over devils and diseases, and they did not doubt it, — for they had seen Him command the winds and waves, and they obeyed Him. A self-axtting universe, or uncontrolled by its Creator, is pantheism. LIFE OF CHRIST. 211 There can ho no power without a Creator, and no force without law to i>-overn it; no hiw without a Lawgiver, who can amend, control, or annul it. If Christ could do this, He could also give the power to others, on any conditions He chose. Here also is another incidental fact, to prove the genuine- ness of the narrative, that Clu'ist was then in Galilee; because this species of the sycamore, an indigenous mull)erry, is said to have grown nowhere in Palestine, but in Lower Galilee. The sudden transition of our Lord's teaching, to the duties of servants waiting on, and submitting to their Lord, seemingly, was said in reference to the secret thoughts of the Apostles, and the desire for power to do such mighty acts as they knew^ He could do. But they nuist wait until He had prepared His king- dom, — then they should eat and drink in it and exercise His power; but, to repress their pride, He said after they had done all, they mnst confess themselves nnprofitable servants — the pow- er belongs only to God. Their petition shows that they believed that in Him was that divine power wliich controls all natural law, which holds the worlds suspended in space, that gave the move- ments to all the celestial bodies, that their laws were under His control, and ever ready to obey His will; and without that faith, man's reason and senses are too dull to perceive it. So they had asked for increased faith, l)ecause any faith or knowledge short of this is inchoate and un-Christian. CHAPTER XXIX. GOING UP TO JERUSALEM. Christ went from Galilee, passing tln'ongh Samaria, to tlic region of Judea beyond Jordan ; and but few clews arc preserved to tell us where He tarried, or what He said and did ; but now and then the veil lifts. He sent messengers befoie Him to pre- pare His way; and in a Samaritan village the people declined to receive Him, because He was going to Jerusalem. And James and John wei'e indignant, and asked Him to call down fii'e from Heaven to consume them. But He rebuked them, saying. He had not come to destroy men, but to save them. Here are two facts to prove the truth and genuineness of the Grospel, — the known animosity of Jews and Samaritans, and the faith in the disciples, — that Christ had poAver in Heaven and over the elements. At another village, when aman desired to become a disciple, Christ said to him, " The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." No more is said of him; he was tried, and found wanting, and went his way. Another said, "I will follow Thee, but let me first go and bid them farewell at home;" but He, too, Avas unfit for the kingdom of God. Christ knew who could bear His cross; and He sifted out the chaff, and chose only those who had the manhood to endure persecution for His sake. LIFE OF CHRIST. 213 It was on this journey that He met the ten lepers, Avho cried from afar for mercy, whom He sent to show themselves to the priests ; leprosy was infectious, and lepers lived in the suburbs of towns; it was a type of sin, and supposed incurable but by God. The lepers called Christ, Master, and confessed their faith by asking Him to cure them. On a former occasion He healed a leper by His touch, prov- ing that He was superior to its infection ; but now, witliout a word or touch, He sent them to the priests; and as they went they were healed. The going to the priests had a three-fold object: first, a trial of their faith; second, it fulfilled the Law, which required a leper to be pi-onounced clean by the priest, be- fore he could be restored to the congregation; third, it revealed to them that Christ, the Immanuel, had come. Tlie lepers supposed they M^ere sent to the priests to be cured, but found themselves well before they reached them, and so knew He had restored them ; but only one, a Samaritan, returned to give thanks, and with "a loud voice glorified God;" and Christ asked, " Were there not ten cleansed ? But where are the nine ?" To this one. He said, "Thy faith hath made thee whole." The wholeness w-as not his healing, — that was done before he re- turned ; it was the other cleansing He had come to bring, cleans- ing from sin, and for salvation And there was a lesson for all mankind, and all times, in this: that when they cry to God for mercy, and He hears their cry, if they return Him thr.nks, then their affliction and recovery have been sanctified to them, and new spiritual blessings will be conferred. WJiile those who feel no gratitude show their un- worthiness for their mercies, and ar& left to perish in their in- gratitude and unbelief. After Christ came into Judea, the hostile Pharisees renew their temptations and assaults, asking Him a question about mar- riage. There were two parties in the Sanhedrim, holdinç: differ- 214 LIFE OF CHRIST. eut opinions respecting divorce ; and this party belonged to the most powerful one, which admitted divorce for trivial causes. And knowing our Lord's strict views of the Law, supposed He would discountenance it for every cause except adultery; and then, they would accuse Him of teaching contrary to Moses. And here, again, we perceive how readily He saw through their motives; and how effectually He turned their craft to their condemnation and confusion, — for they were silenced. He first referred them to Moses, and asked what he said ; and then told them it was for the hardness of their hearts, the permission was given. Thus He exonerated Moses, and charged the criminality of easy divorce on themselves. Then He referred them to God's original Law, enacted at man's creation when He did not make the woman from elemen- tary matter, but took her out of the man, that man and wife mio-ht be truly one, — never two, always one flesh, joined togeth- er by God; that out of them should come the one family, and one world of mankind, to be a perpetual rule for the race, — and not to be severed by man, except for cause given by God. And how this brings out the sacredness of the relation. But this was not all Christ did; He revoked Moses' permis- sion, and by His own divine authority — which they so often hetird, — "I say unto you," and as the King of the new kingdom, gave a new Law, fixing the life for life, indissoluble by man, ex- cept for fornication, and declaring any other divorce adultery; and whoever married the woman, an adulterer, — and so, necessa- rily, marrying the man, an adulteress. How much the world is indebted to those Rtrocious enemies (»f our Divine Lord, for deeply interesting instruction, which it mi'dit never have had but for their malevolence; and how God made their wrath to praise Plim, and bless the world. And St. Matthew confesses, that the disciples were so in- fected with this Jewish blindness, that they said to our Lord. LIFE OF CHRIST. 215 tliat, if sueli were the case, it M'ere not good for a man to marrj. They had not perceived, that God appointed it for the beneficent purpose of making each family a little kingdom for disciplining the members, binding them togetlier in unity, and pin'ity, and godly love, wliere children are to be trained for the kingdom of God and citizenship on earth, and fitted for the kingdom of Heav- en. Tiie tie must be of the strongest human affection, stronger, even, than the filial relationship, — to leave father and mother that the twain may be one. And, as Milton says, it is the only bliss of Paradise which has survived man's expulsion from it. Soon after, tliere happened another of tliose scenes in our Savior.]'" ij life, which makes such a lovely Gospel picture ; and manifests to us His tenderness to the children, taking them in His arms and blessing them. Yisil)le- membership of infants in the kingdom of God existed from the beginning ; and always on the parents' faith; they were admitted to the Patriarchal Church by sacrifice, to the Hebrew Cluu'ch by circumcision, and to the Christian by His appointment, by baptism. And His words, " Of such is the kingdom of God," have a deep significancy ; because in all times the majority. of the king- dom have been children. In all times more than half of the race have died before passing that age, or had connnitted actual sin ; and so the kingdom is chiefly composed of them, through the covenants v/hich made them piirtakers of Christ's redemption. Tkus He taught that unoonsciousness »of the blessing; is no bar to tlie reception of regeneration and the new spiritual life, any more than unconsciousness at the natural birth is any bar to the Adamic life. So, also, did the laying on of our Lord's hands, the Great Bishop and Shepherd of souls, upon these children who had been in God's covenant from infancy, mean moi-e than the expression of kindness; it was accompanied by prayer, and conveyed a Divine blessing — surely the transfer of the rite of Confirmation from 216: LIFE OF CHRIST. Judaism to Cliristianify. It was a precedent for His kingdom, and for pa rents to bring their children for admission in baptism, and the spiritual blessings obtained in Contirniation ; and that they have rights there, which none may debar them from. And the Church lias woven this scene in her Lord's life into her Ritual, in the Baptismal office, saying, " Ye perceive how by Ilis outward gesture and deed He declared His good will toward them. Doubt ye not, therefore, but earnestly l)elieve that lie will likewise favorably receive" (your children in Holy Baptism) "that He will oiiibrace them in the arms of His mercy ; that He will give unto them the blessings of eternal life, and make them partakers of His Everlasting Kingdom." Nor is this all; parents and sponsors are to look after the chil- dren, to see them tanght, and tnke care that they ])e brought U) the lîishop to be Confirmed by him — so soon as they are of sufficient age and instructed. And St. M^rk adds other words of our Lcu'd, at that time, " Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child he shall not enter therein;" that is, that adults must have the faith, meekness and docility — if they have not the innocence — of ciiildhood, before they are lit for admission to His Kingdom. Meaiiwhile a certain man came to Christ, and asked Him " what he should do to obtain eternal life 'f He was young and wealthy, and we learn from the question, how Christ's doc- trines were beginning to be understood ; the eternal life mean- ing, a future eternal life with God in Heaven. He had felt the quickening power of the new and fuller revelations of the iuture life, that Christ's teacliing had revealed, and desired to know how he might be nuule ])ai'taker of it. . And Christ asked him, " Why callest thou Me good ? " He knew, that not, faith, but curiosity had brought him to inquire; he did not recognise Him as God the Saviour, but only as a learned Rabbi; and so Christ said, "There is none good but LIFE OF CHRIST. 217 one, tliat is GOD." And becunse the man looked on Him only as H prophet, He answerd his qnestion by referring him to the Law, to " Ivcep the commandments;" and he said he had done so from his youth. But Christ knew his self righteousness and Want of faitl), and said to him " one thing thou lackest; sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treas- ure in Heaven." That world looked too far off, to make invest- ments in; and he went away sorrowful, the beginning of a never ending sorrow. He had neither the faith, nor the character to make a good disciple; our Lord knew it, and He made him see it. The disciples perceived that Christ meant, not onl}^ riches, but an inordinate desire for them, would hinder men's salvation; and they were amazed, and asked, " Who then can be saved ? " The saying that "It is easier fora camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven," was a proverbial expression for anything which seemed impos- sible; and the saying, "That all things are possible to God, was aimed at the doctrine of possibilités, common among the Aca- demicians and philosophers, that " nothing is possible but what is true, or is going to be true," — which is the doctrine of fate, all else is chance. No God can make riches help men into the Kingdom, and make them blessings to those who nse them for His glory after they are in it. Then answered Feter, and said unto Him, " Behold we have forsaken all, and followed Thee: what shall we have there- fore ? " It is remarkable, that every incident in our Lord's life, or in the persons named in the Gospel, tends to illustrate some dogma of His religion or Kingdom ; and as often as 8t. Peter appears in the narrative and speaks or. acts, some new charac- teristic of the man, or new truth flashes out. And no more gen- nine man, appears in the history of our race ; — now bold and impetuous, now weak and cowardly ; first an imperfect Christian, 218 LIFE OF CHRIST. afterwards a heroic saint and martyr. And he passed through all the phases, connnon in the life of all Christians, in rising from a state of sin and ignorance to one of righteousness and knowledge. How perfectly natural and human was his question, "What shall we have, who have forsaken all?" Thei'e was un-Christian selfishness in it, which had no accord in anything he had heard from, or seen, in Christ. It manifested a calculating spirit, a hankering for loaves and fishes of power, a working for wages, r;itlier than from faith and love; it was natural, in the child- hood of his Christian life, and Christ did not rebuke his weak- ness, hut encouraged him to forsake all for Him. Peter's Christian life began in weakness, and continued so until after our Lord's resurrection ; then came a great turning point, of new development of spiritual force, which made him one of the boldest of the Apostles in preaching and suffering for Christ ; his selfishness was turned to self-denial and love, tliat patiently endured martyrdom for the Lord he thrice denied. This was the way Peter followed Christ, "in the regeneration." And for him, and the other faithful Apostles, which exclu- ded Judas, Cin-ist promised them in the world's regeneration seats on twelve thrones; and the judgment, or condemnation of the posterity of the twelve tribes, who rejected Ilim. Kegener- ation is a wide reaching term and root: First, "a cu-relative and opposite of original sin," lifting the regenerated to a spiritual life; Second, the raising of mankind, a fallen world out of that nioral darkness in which Christ found it; and finall}^ by restor- ing Creation from the evils sin introduced into it, and making men innnortal. The work of the Baptist, and CHRIST and His Apostles, was the beginning of the Regeneration of the old kingdom of God from a carnal to a spiritual state, by which it was to work the world's regeneration; first translating Judaism into Chiifctianity, LIFE OF CHRIST. 219 tlien translating Pagandom into Christendom ; and at last, in tlie end of time, regenerating Creation by fire, and making it eternal. After the Son of Man was glorified in Heaven, the Holy Ghost came to (^arry on the work of regeneration Christ began; and tlie Apostles reccived Plis Apostolic power, Matthias being numbered with the Eleven, and their thrones were raised in His Kingdom ; through them His power has ever since been exercised, and now they occupy tliem in the Gospel and in His Kingdom. And now they are judges of the twelve tribes, scattered over the globe; and condemn their ancestors for unjustly condemning the Son of God, now on tlie throne of His glory in Heaven, yet ever present with His Church and ministry on earth. Thus our Lord directl}- declared, that His power, as this Great High-Priest and Apostle sent from the Father, was to be given to the twelve. And wliile He in Heaven, would continue on the Throne of His glory as the one, only, everlasting Head, from whom, through the Holy Spirit, all the power of the ministiy to regenerate men and the world would come ; so when Matthias was chosen, the eleven prayed to Christ, in Heaven, and said, " Thou Lord AVlio knowest the hearts of all . men show wliich of these two Thou hast chosen." And He concluded with the gracious promise, iiiut all who forsake all for Him, shall receive a hundited fol'd, wifh persecu- tions ; " and all," was an answer to both tile rich young man, and St. Peter's question: all feuch " s^adl inherit everlasting life." But there are first who will be last, a"nd hv^t who will be first ; it depends on the privileges we have, and the way we use them, who will be ûv6t and wiio last, in the Heavenly Kino-dom. to whom much is given, of them, much will be required. And they will rank bektw othci's, who, with less help or blessino-g, Uriod them for God's glory, and the world's benefit. /a\(] then, as ir to give the Apostles some further li^-ht ?2(> LIFE OF CHRIST. respecting St". Peter's question, He spake to tlieni the Parable of the Laljorers in tlie Vineyard. The vineyard is God's kin<^doni on eartli ; the Cluirch being, as it were, a Province of the King- dom of God in Heaven ; the laborers here, are working for its eternal M'jiges, when the kingdom will I e annexed to the Heavenly Empire. And it represents all mankind as divided into two great classes — the laborers in the vineyard, and the idlers outside ; and all admitted, who are ready and willing to work as soon as they are called. To serve God, to escape Hell, is tlie obedience of a slave : to serve for tlie reward of Heaven, is tlie act of an hire- ling ; but to obey from love and gratitude to God, is what Christ inculcated, and makes us His true children. This life is the working-time in His Kingdom, the life hereafter will be the paying time; God calls the laborers who will work, and He will reward them justly and liberally, — for He can do as He mhII with His own. The work-day began at six o'clock, and the laborers were called early in the morning, and at the third, sixth, ninth and eleventh hours ; a penny promised the first, the other's whatever was right. It looks as if these liours represented the stages of infancy, childhood, youth, manhood, and old age ; infants called in holy baptism, the others at different stages, — idlers in the nuir- ket, but going as soon as called. The Penny is " the gift of God, eternal life," v/hicli He sives to whom Ho will, and refuses to none who work for it. The last called, were iirst paid ; the aged, woi'ked but one hour. When the tirst came they received a penny, but murmured; be- cause others who had done less work had the same wages. And so they were last, in as much as they received less in propor- tion to their time and labor ; yet they had no ground of com- plaint, being paid according to agreement. So it warned the Apostles, that, "though they were first LIFE OF CHRIST. 221 called by Christ, they might be last in the Kingdom of Heaven," if they worked for Him from mereinary motivées. And so, also, tliat those brought to the Kingdom in infancy, if they are not faithful in keeping their vows, may be less in the Heavenly Kingdom than those called later in life. The eleventh hour laborers are not dying men, but idlers ready to go and work as soon as called ; idle only, because un- called. There were none called at the twelfth hour ; it was too late, there was no time to work. And there is no hope held out to such a repentance in the Oid Testament, or New ; there must follow " a doing that which is lawful and right," which the dy- ing have no time to do, and so no wages to receive. Finally it concludes with the warning for all, " Many are called but few chosen ; " all are called who hear of Christ and His Church ; all are chosen Mdio believe in Him, and are admit- ted into His Church. Those who have not the Law may be saved without the law, by the law written on the heart. 3-^^-€ CHAPTER XXX, THE FEAST OF DEDICATION. A. T>. 29, December. This Festival was instituted by Judas Maccabeus, to celebrate the cleansing of the Temple, six years after its defilement by Antiochus Epiplianes, B. C. 164. Like all the great Hebrew Festivals, it lasted until the octave ; and our Lord's presence there evinced His patriotism, and sanction of the seasons designed to honor tlie Temple. The Eastern porch of the Temple was called Solomon's, because it was built of a part of the materials of his Temple. The excitement created by the teaching and miracles of Christ, the Apostles, and Seventy, had became universal throughout Pales- tine; miiltitudes followed Him, and the belief that He was the Christ continually increased. And it may well be supposed, that His appearance at this Festival was anxiously expected by the llulers of the Jews, and h>oked forward to by Him, with deep interest, — because He knew it was the last time He would ever he present at it; as it was only about four months to the last Passover, when His earthly mission would end. St. eTohn alone mentions this visit, and his details are few; saying nothing of when our Lord first appeared in the Temple, nor how often He was there, — except inferentially, until the last day of the festival, when He taught in Solomon's Porch; and told LIFE OF CHRIST. 223 the Killers piainly tliat He was Christ, and they accused Him of bhisplieiny and soui2;ht to stone him. Yet the discourse concerninjj^ the Sheepfokl and the Shepherd was probably de- livered in the Temple at that time, and as a public declaration of Himself as the Christ. He told the Apostles, that He spake to the Rulers of the Jews in Parables, that seeing they might not see; and the Psalmist foretold that the Messiah would open His mouth in Parables, and utter things which had ])een kept secret from the foundation of the world. So it was testimony to them that they might see; and there was superhuman wisdom in the way He liegan His discourse, declaring His authority in a way that the Rulers could not but perceive His meaning, or fail to arouse their indig- nation. Christ's presence and teaching proved His Lordship of the Temple ; there He stood and calmly rebuked those powerful enemies who were seeking His life, l)ut were powerless to touch Him. Beginning with His solemn, " Yerily, verily, I say unto you," asserting His right to teach the Levitical priesthood and Rulers of the Jews, who claimed to be God's only authorized teachers, — and calling His kingdom a sheep-fold, and Himself the door to enter it, — He accused them as thieves and robbers who climbed into it some other way. But His sheep know His voice and follow Him, and a stranger they will not follow. This comparison of His Kingdom to a shepherd, and His, disciples to sheep following their shepherd, were two usages familiar to the people of Palestine, when Christ was on earth; for the sheep-folds were built of stone, in the open country, with one low door, to be easily defended from wild beasts and robbers, and the sheep followed the Shepherd. And to make His teaching more direct, and that there should be no misunderstanding of His words. He asserted with His ''Verilv, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep; all who came before Me, are thieves and robbers." He 224 LIFE OF CHRIST. is Himself the door to enter His Kingdom, not only for sheep but also for slieplierds ; if any e:\tcr in by Ilini, Jew or Gentile, tliey sliail go in and out and iind pasture, — tliat is security of salvation, and the peace of God that comes from citizenship in His Kingdom. They may live in the distractions of the world, but His grace will enable tlicm to walk unharmed. By thieves and robbers, He did not mean the prophets, but the false Christ's — like Judas of Galilee and The udas ; while there was an undertone of allusion to the S{;ribes and Pharisees, who had made the Temple a den of thieves, and robbed God of tithes and offerings. Christ came down from Heaven, as the Son of God, and He returned to it as the Sou of Man, taking up a liuinan nature; and so, opening its door for all His disciples. The Apostles did not then understand what He meant, by calling Himself the Door; but when the Holy Ghost came He made them under- stand, that Christ was the second person of the God-head incar- nate. And that, through the sacraments of the Church, men are regenerated and grafted into Him, and througli the elements of bread and wine are made partakers of His body and blood; according to His saying, " he that eatetli My body and drinketh My blood hath eternal life." Neither the Pharisees nor disciples understood the Parable. He resumed His teaching, with His " Yerily, verily, I say unto you," giving them a fuller declaration of the same truth, under a new tigure that made His meaning more apparent. First, He represented Himself as the door of the sheep-fold; but now He is the Door of the sheep, by which they enter His Kingdom. The thief comes to kill and destroy souls; false teachers seek their own glory, and plunder the flock. He had come to give eternal life to all the dead; but to the sheep, more abundantly, the regenerate spiritual life to flt them for the Kingdom iu Heaven. LIFE OF CHRIST. 225 As He goes on, the parable rises into liiglier proplietieal revelations concerning His Divine origin, and eartlily destiny. As the Good Sheplierd, He has come to give His life for tlie sheep ; hirelings — false teachers — will flee in danger, and the wolf — Satan — catcheth the sheep. He knows His sheep by His life in them, and the mark of His cross on them ; and they know Him ])y the Feace of God Avronght in them. And as the Father know^ Him, even so He knows the Father; which was saying, We are One. And He will lay down His life for the sheep, and take it again ; and then the other sheep, the Gentile world, shall be gathered in — and there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd, Christ the only Head — and in Him prophecy said, the Gentiles should trust. How this pro- phecy looks after nineteen centuries, wifh all Christendom built upon the foundation of the Gentile nations ; and they, sending men, and spending millions to gatlier in the outlying Gentiles. He said, the Father loved Him, because He liad come to lay down His life for the sheep ; but it was His voluntary act, " I have power to lay down My life, and power to take it again." " This commandment I Iwve received of My Father." This discourse produced great reasoning among the Jews ; some said, " He hath a devil ; " and others defended Him, saying, " Can a devil open the eyes of the blind ? " The devil blinds men ; and the question was undeniable, that the devil never is the bene- factor of any. When Christ finished His discourse in the Temple, amid the Tlulers and a vast concourse of people, some one approached Him, and earnestly asked, " How long dost Tliou make us to doubt ? If Thou be Christ, tell lis plainly." He had told them many times, and in many ways, and that day He declared Himself in the Temple as the Door to tlie Kino;do:u of God, and the Good Shepherd who had come down from Heaven, and was there faliilling the Prophecj' of the 13 226 LIFE OF CHRIST. Psalmist, concerniniç Christ, wlio foretold Ilini as the Good Shepherd ; and so lie said to tlieiu, " I told you, and ye believe not ; the works I do in My Fatlicr's name, they bear witness of Me." Christ had prepared the way for tlie Jews to put tlie ques- tion, then and there, in the Temple of God, and before the people, that He might give tliat answer; and also make the most distinct declaration of His divine nature that He had ever made, — as if to leave tliem without excuse. First telling them tliey would neither hear nor believe, because they were not His sheep ; He said, those who believe, " My Father giveth Me, and none is able to pluck them out of My Father's hands. I and my Father are One." Though they did not know, that His words were a full revelation of His Sonship in the glorious God- head, and a claiming the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, that He was " Immanuel, God with us," they called it blasj)hemy and took up stones to stone Him. And what a natural scene fol- lowed, proving to them that His words were true ; standing there calm and undismayed in that surging and excited throng of enemies, He declared that He had shown them many good works from His Father; and asked, " For which of these do ye stone Me?" He had drawn from them the confession, "Thou makest Thyself God ; " and He proved His words true, by showing that they had no power to injure Him, because His claim was true, while they wished to stone Him for blasphemy. In this defence, our Lord answered His accusers in the way their wickedness deserved ; and that helped to confirm their blindness. He quoted from the Eighty-second Psalm, where men are ca'led " the children of the Most High," and so it was no blasphemy to call Himself the Son of God ; because He was sanctified and sent into the world by the Father, thus asserting. Ills Messiaship. And as Closes' miracles, to con- vince Pharoah that God had sent him to deliver the Egypti ins, LIFE OF CHRIST. 227 hnrdened his heart, — so ulso did our Lord's words and miracles, to convince the Rulers that He was the Ciirist, the Saviour of the world, harden their hearts. Tliey took up stones to cast at Him, but could not; He was defenceless, but they could not touch Him. The Romans had deprived the Jews of the right to execute criminals ; but the mob miglit kill by stoning, without any trial, as was St. Stephen. So Christ's escape was a manifestation to the Jews, of His Divine power ; and of their inability to take Him. This lesson was for all time, because Christ knew that men would continue to reject Him, as the Jews did ; because they could not understand, or believe how it is^ that — Ijeing man, He could be God, — or because His revelation of Himself did not convince their minds of His Divinity. For three years they had watched Him. He had challenged them to accuse Him of sin, untruth, or unrighteousness ; and no one had done it. He had shown tliem that all the Messianic Prophecies were f uliilled in Him; and plainly declaring Himself one with God the Father, and proving it by their inability to injure Him, He departed from the Temple, never to appear there again, until He wont up to present Himself as the Lamb of God, — ready to be sacrificed to take away the sins of the world, to give His last awful warning to the Jews, to declare their doom sealed, and the Temple desolate; because Salvation would no longer be attainable by its sacrifice, after His one great sac- rifice had been offered. The going away from Jerusalem was according to tlie command He gave tlie Apostles; when they persecute you in one city, flee ye to another. CHAPTER XXXL IN PEREA. Christ and the disciples went from Jerusalem, to avoid tlie wrath of the Rulers of the Jews, into the solitude of tlie wilder- ness of Bethabara, beyond Jordan, where John baptized and proclaimed Him the Lamb of God, and the Father acknowl- edged Him as His Son ; doubtless also to rest and gatlier courage and strength for the Baptism of Blood, He knew He was soon to be baptized with, and many followed and believed in Him there. But there was no place that He retired to, that the inimical Pharisees did not find out and pursue Him plotting to entrap, or tempt Him to say something, for which tliey could have Him arrested and brouglit before the Rulers. The transi- tion which began with John's mission created intense religious excitement, not only as to Christ's Messialisliip, but also as to wliat was to be the result of the doctrines and changes in religious Avorship thnt He announced; and the Pharisees watched mainly to disprove Christ's claim to the Messiahship ; because the con- test between the old faith and worship, or the visiblencss of His Kingdom, was not apparent until after His resurrection and the Holy Ghost came. How long Christ remained in Perea, or of His sayings and LIFE OF CHRIST. 229 doing's there, but little is recorded ; but the people testified, that all John said respecting Him was true. And the admission that John wrought no miracles showed Christ's superiority, and also that He did there some works. The Pharisees watched Christ there seeking accusations, but as usual finding instruction; for He was becoming daily- more bold in His teaching, and leaving them without excuse for misunderstanding or disbelieving in Him. And as He told them that the Kingdom of God was soon to appear, they asked when it would come ? And He said, " The kingdom of God cometh not with observation." They meant Messiah's Kingdom, which they supposed He falsely announced, as they saw no signs of it ; yet His words implied that it was already in process of formation, but not coming in a way to be perceived with such observation and unbelief as tlieirs. He had before told them, it would grow like a mustard seed, and develop invisibly like leaven : "Neither shall they say, Lo, here ! or lo, tliere ! For behold the Kingdom of God is within you." Our Lord here used the Kingdom of God as a synonym for regeneration, or a figure for the effect produced by being made a citizen of His Kingdom ; because tliereby His spiritual life, as Head of the Kingdom, is engrafted on us. He had before taught a Chief Ruler, Nicoderaus, that without regeneration, by w^ater and the Holy Spirit, lie could neither see nor enter tlie Kingdom ; as long as any remain in unbelief it is now, as it was then, an inexplicable mystery. If He had answered tlie question concerning the kingdom, so that the Pharisees could understand His full meaning, they would immediately have caused His arrest and crucifixion ; and even the explanation to the Disciples was not understood by tliem until after His resurrection. Isot long after this, Christ delivered to His Disciples an- 230 LIFEOFCHRIST. Other of those discourses concerning Himself, and the past and future history of this world ; which proves how clearly He fore- knew all that was before Ilini, and that all things would go on as they had done to the world's end. He told them He was going away from them, and the days would come, when they would long for such a day as they had enjoyed with Him as the Son of Man, " and ye shall not see it;" Imt He would come again. And meanwhile He forewarned tlieni that false Christs would appear, but to give no heed to them ; because at His next coming His glory would fill the heavens, as lightening which shines from one end to the other. But before that He must suffer many things, and be rejected by the Jews. Then follows a double prophecy, of the destruction of the old Kingdom of Israel, and of the world. The first would l)e a type of the last; as it wns in tlie days of Noah and Lot — when men were engrossed in the business and pleasures of life, and al- most universal corruption reigned, — suddenly water and fire from God destroyed the old world and cities of the plain — so would come the destruction of Jerusalem, and the Temple, and the Daily Sacrifice, and the end of the kingdom, and the disper- sion of the Jews among the nations. Then the Son of Man will be revealed, and His prophecies be fulfilled, and the end of that Dispensation, proving that tlie Son of Man is the Son of God. And this was, and is, a t^'pe of the state of society Avhich will exist at the end of the world ; and of the suddenness, and awful destruction, which will follow the appearing of the Son of Man, in the glory of God the Father. In the av,-ful destruction of Jerusalem, as it will be in the end of tlie woj-ld, tiiere will be no time to go down from the house-top to look after one's goods, nor to turn back from the field to secure them. To remember Lot's wife, had become a proverb; and Christ used it to illustrate this saying of His, " No man having put his LIFE OF CHRIST. 231 hand to tlie plouj^li, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God ; " entering His service we must be patient and enduring, under wliatcver persecutions and trials await us. The laborers in the field, and grinders at the mill, represent the only two class- es into which mankind will be divided, when Christ comes to judgment — one, the righteous will be taken ; tlie other, the unrighteous will be left — and the fire and brimstone of Sodom foreshadows their doom, whatever that may be in tlie life and world to come. The disciples were puzzled by Christ's words, and asked, "AYliere Lord [when or where], shall these things be?" His answer must have more perplexed them : " Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together;" luit it foretold His coming to judgment on Jerusalem, ami would liave forever remained an enigma, but for the explanation He made when He repeated the prophecy on the Mount of Olives. The destruction of the world by deluge, and of Sodom by fire and brimstone, were types of the destruction of Jerusalem ; and these presaged the more terrible scenes of the world's cjonflagration, when He comes a second time, as the Son of Man, to judge it. Then He spake the Parable of the Unjust Judge. His char- acter is delineated with Divine brevity, — he neither feared God, iror regarded man, — which was worse than the devils; for they fear God, and tremble. He was unjust and reckless. It presents him in strong contrast with God's mercy and compassion ; and teaches that He always hears and answers prayers, though often He ma}^ seem to disregard them, — because of lack of faith, or im- portunity in asking. Here, a widow is the suppliant; because she is a type of desolation and helplessness, and so most likely to move the pity of the liard-hearted judge to redress her wrongs. But she came, time and again, and he would do nothing for her ; until, at last, her persistency nuide him grant her petition. 232 LIFE OF CHRIST. This lesson was especially given to His disciples, — Ihey must be importunate like the widow, watching and praying while suffering persecution, until God sends them relief. They saw that tlie hatred of the Pharisees was incessant and increasing; and Christ knew they wondered why He did not use tlie power they knew He had, to destroy them. By this example of the importunate woman, Christ taught that an answer to prayer de- pends on our perseverance; and delays increase patience and submission, as well as faith. These form in ns a disposition like Christ's; and when tliis is accompliehed, then the prayer will be answered, — not always as we expect, but in the way God knows will 1)0 best for us. And beneath all this personal instruction, there was also an- other lesson respecting His Kingdom which His enemies were watching and plotting to hinder its coming; though now, God seems not to regard their hatred and importunity. He, also, would speedily be avenged. And He concluded with tlie ques- tion, "When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find failh 0:1 the Earth?" Either when He cometh to judge Jerusalem, or the world, will He find faith on Earth. This question He bad answered, — as it was in the days of Noali and Lot, so will it bo then. Then followed the Parable of the Pharisee and Publican. Our world's literatuie has no more beautiful gems than our Lord's Parables ; they are charming stories, teeming with in- struction, on the profoundest mysteries of our present and future life, which none but God could reveal. This Parable may describe an actual scene, witnessed by Christ in the Temple; and, whether it was spoken for the Pharisees, or His disciples, it was a lesson for all mankind on the duties of humility and charity, which He gave the world the oidy perfect example it has ever had, — the Pharisees con- du(;t being in the extreme contrast to His, and to the temper and spirit of His religion. LIFE OF CHRIST. 233 These two men went to the Temple, at the same time, and for the same purpose, to pray and worship God ; but tlie one was self-righteous, and the other righteous in God's sight, Tiie Fliari- see- was in high esteem witli the Rulers of his nation, the Pub- lican was despised by them ; one went to the inner court, near the altar ; the other stood in the outer court among sinners, and their prayers differed with their characters. The Pharisee stood and prayed with himself, his address was to thank God ; but it was not for what God had done for him, but for what he had made himself; — no extortioner, nor un- just, nor adulterer, a faster twice a week, and payer of tithes. All this, was only what the Law required; not satisiied with this self-gloryfying, he exalted himself by a disparaging comparison with other men, and scorn of the humble Publican in the outer court. He confessed no sins, asked for no mercy, and he lacked humility and charity; and his pride and self-righteousness were as great sins in God's sight, as those he boasted of exemption from. How different the conduct and prayer of the Publican ! As a Jew he was entith d to all the privileges of the Temple, but his humility led him to stand in the outer^ com-t ; and his thoughts were not on his righteousness, nor the sins of others, but on his own sins; and with down-cast eyes, and deep humility, beating his breast, he begged mercy from God. And He who is to be the world's judge, the Son of Man, said, "I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other ; " justified in God's sight, and so pardoned for Christ's sake. And the Paral)le concludes with the warning so often repeated by our Lord, "That he who exalteth himself shall be abased, and he who huml)loth himself shall be exalted ;" pride is sure to bring humbling from God. Notliing but humility and repentance, a broken and contrite heart makes us acce])table to God, through Christ; and all comparison of ouiselves with 234 LIFE OF CHIIIST. ■>tliers is forbidden, except to ex;ilt tlieni and depress ourselves, St. Luke sums up his narrative of tliis visit of Christ to Pcrea, with the brief comment, — that many i-esortcd to Him. and believed on Him there. Tims it appears that His Di*c;- ples were continually, silently increasing, without attracting ob- servation ; and He was preparing the foundations for the re- stored Kingdom of GoJ, whicii was soon to be made visible. For, in fact, the Ciu'istian Chun;h is but the development ar.d completion of the Church into M'hich Christ was admitted in in- fancy, and by Him was made more spiritual, by changing its ceremonial and s- criticial worship into the Sacramental and Spiritual worship of His Kmgdom; and by His own act in trans- ferring the Levitical to the Christian priesthood, and preparing for the new order of religious worship He was introducing. ^^~< o i • 4> CHAPTER XXXIL GOING INTO JUDEA. Cliri&t and the disciples went from Perea towards the Jor- dan, crossing it near Jericlio; and the Apostles were troubled, because they sup|*)sed He was going to Jerusalem, as they knew the wrath of the Rulers, and that they had resolved to kill Him. And they were afraid, — they feared that they, too, would be murdered ; because they were His disciples, and had taught and wrought miracles by H.s authority. Though Christ did not in- tend to visit Jerusalem until the Passover — when He would de- liver Himself to the liulers, and finish His earthly mission — yet this incident remarkably confirms the truth of tlie wdiole narra- tive. Christ took the Apostles aside, and told them privately, " The Son of Man shall be delivered unt® the Chief Priests, and unto the Scribes; and tliey shall condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles." And this is anotlier proof of His foreknowledge, that, though the Jews would condemn Him for blasphemy. He would not be stoned according to their Law, but they would deliver Him to the Gentiles to be scourged and cru- cified; and tlie third day He would rise again, — that beino- es- sential to fulfill tlie prophecy, "Not a bone of Him shall be broken."" And the con([ucst of Palestine by the Romans, was 236 LIFE OF CHRIST. one of the preparations for tlie incarnation of the Son of God, and for the fulfillment of that prophecy. Je?us went before, the people following Ilim, as the Good Shepherd. And there was no longer need to conceal from them His approaching death, which would be the final act for intro- ducing His kingdom. The Passover — on which He was to be crucified — was near; and His words and deeds were not onl)^ to convince His Apostles, but all future generations, that Ho knew all that was before Him, and that all the events leading to His death were controlled liy Him ; and that He had power over His life, to lay it down and take it again, and man could not take it until He was ready to offer it. And it was proof to the Disciples and Jews, as it has ever since been to the world, that He is the Christ ; Elijah and Paul raised the dead, but no other man but Jesus Christ ever raised himself from the dead. The Apostles understood that He would soon go to deliver Himself to the Jews; and then occn red an- other incidental insight into onr common humanity, which con- firms the reality of the characters of the men, and the truth of the narrative. If He were about to leave, and His Kingdom to come, then there must be Chief-Rulers for it ; and not Peter, but James and John ask, that they may sit on His right and left hand in His glory, — referring to His recent promise, that the Apostles should sit on twelve thrones in His Kingdom. But Christ answered them, saying ; " Ye know not what ye ask ; " they had witnessed His glory at His transfiguration on the Mount ; but tliey did not know what His Kingdom, or His glor}»^, meant then. And He asked them, if they could "drink of His cup, and be baptized with His ba]itism ? " Snrely not un- derstanding Him, they said, " We are able." And Christ fore- told their martyrdom, " Ye shall indeed drink of My cup and be baptized with My baptism;" and they were. James was the first, who sniferect for Christ; and so was, in one sense, on His LIFE OF CHRIST. 227 riglit hand ; and John was tlie last Apostle, and so was on the left. Bat the request looked foward to Christ's Kingdom in Heaven, in glory, as they called it; and He said, "that is not Mine to give," not now; or else it is reserved by tlie Father, and we sliall never know the full import of His words, until Christ comes again in His glory to take His Church on earth and in Paradise, to annex them to the Kingdom of God in the glory of the Father in Heaven. When the other Apostles heard of the request, they were indignant; not probably at the ambition of the two so much, but at their device to get the best places in the Kingdom. And He used the incident, to give them a lesson on the duties of humility and self-denial ; and pointed them to His ow^n example, " The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and give His life a ransom for many ; " and they must follow Him. And He said, it sliall not be with you as among the Gentiles, where Rulers exercise their authority with pride and arrogance ; but they must be as servants. Which shows how vastly superior His principles were to all other men's, and to what this world's subjects long and strive for, — therefore He was superhuman; because His was the greatness of God, and reversed all the ways of man and of this world. And they came to Jericho, followed by a multitude, and re- mained some days there ; but as they resumed their journey, go- ing out of the village, a blind-man, named Bartimeus, sat by the w^ay-side begging. St. Matthew says there were two l)lind-raen; and St. Mark called one of them by name, whom he probably knew, — and he cried out, when he heard Christ was passing by, " Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me." This was a profession of faith in Him as the Messiah ; but the people told him to hold his peace. But he cried out the more, " Thou, Son of David have mercy on me." And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be brought; and the people told 238 LIFE OF CHRIST. liiin to be of good comfort, for He culletli tlice. ^Vlicn lie oanie Christ asked liiin, " AVlmt wilt thou tli.-it I should do unto tliee ?' and he said, " Lord, that I might receive my sight? " And lie said to liim, " Go thy way, tliy faith liath made thee whole; '' and iimncdiatcly he received iiis siglit, and followed Christ. And it is trne now, that nothing else so enlightens the mind, and enlarges spiritnal vision, and the knowledge and love of God, as faith in Christ, — as the incarnate Son of God, the Son of Man crucified for our sins, resurrected for onr justification, glor- ified in Heaven, as the assurance tliat He has opened the way tliere for all believers ; and so we can believe, that it Avas for that man's faith, Christ restored his sight. And there is no earthly romance so captivating as this heavenly truth ; nothing which inspires such love and trust in Christ, as God, and so raises the mind above the pride, and pomp, the amljition and charms of this world. Christ's popularity had now so increased, that the multi- tude following Him, was more like the ti'iumphal procession honoring a king, or conqueror, returning from some successful wai-, than tliat of Jesus of Nazareth on His way to Jerusalem to l>e condemned and crucified by His enemies. He Avas now at some point between Jericho and Bethany, where He tarried with His Disciples ; knowing what was soon to happen, and give rise to the mightest miracle ever wrought by any prophet, or by .Himself to that time, and v/hich He knew would l)e the menus of hastening His death. They had not gone far from Jericho, when a rich publican, namcable the incident. And when Christ saw him, Ho LIFE OF CHRIST. 239 called liim, and said He would dine with him that day. It Avas doubtless joyful news to him ; in his Imniility, lie desired only to look on the wonderful Man whom he was ready to believe in and love. Christ knew his mind ; he was a good publican, rich, but made his money honestly. He was not afraid of Cln'ist's scrutiny of His conduct and conscience. But, when On-ist's enemies saw that He was going to be Zaccheus' guest, they all murmured at Him. They murnnired, because He had gone to be the guest of a Publican, whom they said was a sinner ; if he had been a sin- ner, lie was then in a state of mind tliat attracted our Lord's at- tention, and was such a one as He had come to save. He did not tell him to sell all he had ; he was ready to give half of his goods to the poor, and restore four-fold, if he had taken anything by false accusation. This was the severest penalty imposed by the Law ; and as our Lord saw he was a true Israelite, He said to him, "This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham," he believed in Him as the Christ. Not asserting that Zaccheus belonged at first to the lost, He only justified Himself for going among Publicans and sinners ; for those. He had come to save. And it is these little notices of those common impulses of our human nature, and common humanity, so universal now — like those mentioned respecting Zaccheus — which show that the Evan- gelist described a real ' scene, and assure us of the truth of the Gospel ; for it does not lie within the power of any human mind, to depict scenes like these with such details and fitness, and descriptions of a time in which they did not live. There is an in- finite distance between this and any fiction ever written. The next glimpse of Christ, after leaving Zaccheus' house, shows Him not far from Jerusalem ; and at some pause on the journey. He spake the parable of the nobleman who went into a far country ; because His disciples supposed He was going to 240 LIFE OF CHRIST. Jernsîilcm to iniinediately proclaim Ilis Kingdora. And it was reasonable they should so expect, because He had recently said so much concerning His Kingdom's coming ; and they were anxious for it, because they expected to share in its honor and power, and occupy the twelve thrones He had promit^ed them. And He spake the Parable, to remove their false ideas. The Parable is similar to that of the Talents ; only tliat was general, and this was particular for the Apostles, and adapted to the circumstances under which it w^as spoken, — to repress their impatience respecting His Kingdom's coming, and to teach them that they must wait His time, and work faithfully during His absence, and render an account of their stewardship to Him, M'hen He returned; while it also Avarned His enemies of the penalty awaiting them, for rejecting Him. The nobleman is Christ, — noble by His earthly descent from Abraham ; royal, by David's line ; and king of kings, as the Son of God come into the far country of this woi'ld to receive a king- dom, and inaugurate it by His death and resurrection, and then to return and receive it, and reckon wùth the Rulers to whom He entrusted it. The ten servants represent the number usually attendant on noblemen; and so, Christ's ministers. They have their sev- eral trusts, and were to occupy His Kingdom themselves, and by their successors, until He returns. But the citizens, a cautious representation of His enemies who were seeking His life, as well as all wdio would reject Him, He will have slain before Him. Thus the reckoning was transferred to the end of the world, and to His second coming to judge it; and this showed the Apostles their erroneous expectations respecting the real nature of His Kingdom. The rewards are regal — authority over cities, and proportioned to their fidelity; and he who hid his one pound, will have it taken from him and given to him who had LIFE OF CHRIST. 241 nsed liis ten pounds fnitlifuUy. He gave ns a reason for not using his pound, tliat lie knew liis Lord was a liard Master» wliicli was a reason wliy lie should have done his best with it — and so the king condenmed him, out of his own mouth, as a wicked servant. Christ remained at the phace wliere He spake the Parable of the nobleman's going to receive a Kingdom, until a messenger brought Him word of Lazarus' sickness ; nothing is said of his sickness, nor how long it had been. He kncM^ what would fol- low from Lazarus' death, and said it Avould be for " the glory of God, and that the Son of God might be glorified thereby;" and He and the Disciples crossed the Jordan. Two days after, hearing of Lazai-us' sickness, Christ said to His Disciples, " Let us go again into Judea? " And they remon- strated again, because " the Jews of late sought to stone Thee." He had waited, that Lazarus might be three days dead .before He awoke him ; and so be a type of His own three days in the tomb. And He said, in answer to their objection to His going into Ju- dea, "tliere are twelve hours in a day, in which a man walking ■doth not stumble." The light was a mysterion* reference to Him- self as the light of the MM:)rld, and tlie day to the time of His being on earth. There was no danger for His personal safety; the stumbling in the night, would be in the darkness to follow His disappearing from the world. Then He said, "Our friend Lazarus sleepetli; but I go to awake him out of sleep." The Apostles probably thought that sleep was a favorable symptom; but Christ told them plainly, " Lazarus is dead." And He was glad for their sakes that He was not there, but He was going to awake him ; thus Ho began to reveal the doctrine of the resurrection of all mankind. And ever after, sleep was a symbol of death with the Apostles ; they called it " sleeping in Jesus," and burial grounds were ceme- teries, or sleeping places. 16 242 LIFE OF CHRIST. i When Christ said to the Apostles, " Let ns go unto Laza- nis," Thomas said to the other Apostles, " Let us go also, that we may die with Him;" which sliows that they knew Christ's deep and tender love for this eartlily friend, a manifestation of the Divine love Mhicdi l>ronglit Him from Heaven to take ow na- ture, and die in it for our sins. Thomas appears only three times (;onspicuously in the Gospel, but always tlie same man — incredulous, reluctant to believe only on sufficient evidence, capable of strong impulses and attachments, and one of tlie best witnesses for Christ's Divinity and resurrection. Christ was glad, for their sakes, that He was not present while Lazarus was sick; because He would have been asked to restore him, and He would not have had occasion to work the mightier miracle of raising him from death, " to the intent ye may believe," and so to increase their faith. Wiien He came to Bethany, Lazarus had been already four days in the grave; and many friends were present, to comfort the sisters concerning their brother. When Martha heard that Christ was coming, she went out to meet Him; and expressed her faith in Him, saying, "If Thou hadst been here, my brother had not not died. But I know now M'hatsoever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee." "Je- sus saitli unto her, thy brotlier shall rise again;" and Martha said, she knew it — at the resurrection. And from this remark -it is seen how Christ's doctrine of a final resurrection of tlie dead • was known among the common people; and this confession of her faith, caused a new revelation of the docti-ine. He said, " I am the Resurrection and the life: and he that believeth in Me, thougli he were dead, yet shall he live;" and tliis He was about io prove by raising Lazarus — now, at least, four days dead; and He demanded from her if she believed Him ? And she said, ■"Yea Lord; I believe that Thou art the Christ, tlie Son of God, who should come into the world." LIFE OF CHRIST. 243 Saying this, she went immcdiatel^y to call her sister Mary, saying, "Tiie Master is come, and calleth for thee;" and she arose quickly, and went to Him. Those consoling words of God, onr Savionr, to His sorrow- ing disciple, are incorporated into tlie Burial Office of His Church, and embodied in her Creed ; and are the first words mourners now hear, as thej' begin to perform the last sad offices of love in the burial of their dead. And there was a deptli of meaning in the words, which Christ, the Lord of Life, then only knew : that death does not touch man's immortal spiritual life. The death of the animal soul releases his spirit from its union with the body; and though that be dead, he is alive with increased knowl- edge and capacity to know the mysteries of God, and a higher life. And the promise He made to believers, that that life shall never die, looked onward to the second death — which is suffer- ing with no last gasp and pang to end it. Here were two purposes accomplished: first, the faith of the woman expressed in Him as the Christ; second, her knowl- edge of the resurrection — and this, before she had witnessed the mighty miracle of raising to life her brother, so long dead. The world could not well spare this testimony, from a woman who had seen Him often, at intervals, during three years, in the un- guarded intercourse, where He was a guest in her father's house. Then she hurried with her sister Mary to where Cin-ist was; and many friends, who had come to comfort them, followed — suppos- ing they were going to Lazarus' grave to weep — and so were present as witnesses of his resurrection. The burial place was near Bethany, Avhere Mary met Him ; and she fell down at His feet, and expressed her faith in Him, in the same words of Mar- tha, "If Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." Jesus was troubled at the sorrow and tears of these friends. His human sympathy was moved to its depths ; and He asked, " Where have ye laid him ? " " They say, come and see." And 244 LIFE OF CHRIST. as He stood by the grave of tlie man lie had loved, "He wept;" showing His Inunan nature, as the Son of Man — in sweet con- trast M'ith the exercise of Divine power He was going to use, as the Son of God. The only instances of Christ's weeping, are at the grave of Lazarus, and when He foretold the destruction that Mould come on Jerusalem. The earth is called a vale of tears; the world is full of mourners ; all the saints are represented as shedding tears. Jesus wept here, but in the kingdom above He will wipe aMay all tears. And the assurance we have of it is, that on this occasion He showed Himself able to do so, turning their mourning and weeping into joy and rejoicing. The Jews saw and spoke of Christ's tender love — and here comes out another fact of their belief in Christ's divine power: c(nild not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, liave saved this man's life? That is an incidental proof, that He wrought that miracle recently at Jericho; and in this way the Gospels pile mite after mite of testimony to our Lord's Divinity, until it becomes a mountain, as unshakable and endurable as the exis- tence of the eternal God. Lazarus was buried in a cave, and a stone lay upon it. And Christ, groaning in Himself, came to the grave; and He said, "Take away the stone ; " and Martha remonstrated, saying he had been dead four days, and decomposition must have begun. She supposed the staying of corruption was a work beyond His power; and He said to her, "Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shalt see the glory of God ? " He liad told the Apostles, when the news of Lazarus' sickness was brought to Him, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby." He fore- saw that His own death and glorification in the Godhead would be the result of Lazarus' resurrection. The stone was removed from the tomb where Lazarus was LIFE OF CHRIST. 245 laid, and "Jesus lifted up His e_yes, and said: Father, I thank Thee that Thou liast heard Me, and I knew that Thou hearest Me always; but because of the people wlio stand bv, I said it, that tliey may believe that Thou hast sent Me." Then He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth; and he who was dead came forth, bound hand and foot," and his grave clothes about him; and Christ said, "Loose him and let Him go." And one marvel of the miracle was, that, though he was thus bound, he stood erect in their midst. There can be no doubt but that decay had begun in Lazarus, in that latitude; for, in a similar one, I have known it needful to say the burial service over a young person, who, twelve hours before, possessed her senses and speech. What Lazarus saw in that interval, and where his spirit was — while his soul was dead, and his body in the tomb — are hiddeji from us, until we solve the mj'stery by our own experience. But many Jews believed in Christ because of this miracle, and reported it to the Phari- sees; and, it was the direct cause of Christ's crucifixion. The miracle has been questioned, because only St. John re- corded it; but the reason is apparent: The other Evangelists wrote while Simon and his children were alive, and to have re- lated it then might have led to their njurder by tlie Jews; but when St. John wrote they were probaljly dead, and there was no no need of witholding names and details, — while there must have been many alive, who would have denied it were it not true. All the particulars have the impress of truth, and are so nat- ural that it is hardly possible tliey could have been imagined, unless they were real. No writer of iiction has ever invented a story so plausible, and which so carries with it the conviction of its truth. And then it is conlirmed by tlie fact, that the Phari- sees called a Council to consider the expediency of killing Christ, because, " If we let Him alone, all will believ^e on Him ; and tlie Konums v.dll come, and take away our place and nation." CHAPTER XXXIII. THE CHIEF PRIESTS' COUNCIL. "When the report of Lazarus' resurrection reached the Chief Priests and Pliarisees, they culled a Council to decide what should be done because of Christ's popularity; and they feared the people would make Him a king, and create a revolution that would cause the loss of their authority. Meanwhile, Christ went from Bethany into tlie region be- yond Jericho — the wild and mountainous wilderness of Ephraim —to avoid His arrest, until He was ready to deliver Himself to His enemies. No record is preserved of what our Lord said or did, in that retreat. He went there for repose, and preparation for tlie try- ing scenes before Him on Passion A¥eek; all was personal for Him, and it was too sacred to be blazoned to the world. He- moved from His enemies, He doubtless passed His time in prayer and gathering strength for His last conflict Avith Satan and death ; and giving His Apostles instruction how to continue the miglity wo)-k He was about to commit to them, of carrying the glad tid- ings of His Gospel and Church into all the world. Meanwhile, that Council of the Jews was making history nnd themselves unimpeachable witnesses that Christ did suffer. They lirst decided, " If we let this Man alone, all men will be- LIFE OF CHRIST. 247 lieve on Hiiii ; and the Homans Avill come, and take away our place and nation." And this will be seen to be an important fact, when Christ is brought to trial before Pilate. Then Caiaphas said to the Council, "Ye know nothing at all nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not." This he spake as prophecy ; but, in his judicial blindness, did not know the import of his words, and that Christ's death would finally cause what he proposed to kill Him to avoid. And the history of that Council is unimpeachable testimony for the Gospel nar- rative; because it reveals tliat the very men named there, and the characters they bore, were historical. There were then two High Priests, Annas and Caiaphas; tlie former had been de- posed five years before by the Romauf, but the Jews regarded him as the lawful one. Yet God appears to have recognized Caiaphas, and gave him the spirit of prophecy; and made both of them witnesses for Christ's Divine character and mission as tlie Messiah, v/ho was to die not only for that nation, but to gather together God's children in the Gentile v/orld. But the ground on which he advocated Christ's death was political, un- scrupulous, and unjust; and proves true what He said of the Rulers of the Jews. God did not withdraw the gift of prophecy from His peo- ple, until they had filled up the measure of tlieir iniquity, by doing what they had prepared themselves for, by crucifying His Son; and while Caiaphas told the Council they knew nothing at all about this expediency of one Man's dying for them and the nations, he probably knew as little of the real import of his M'ords; and, that they were but the renewal of an older prophecy of tlie Messiah's death. But he and Pontius Pilate are the world's two great witnesses, that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Son of God ; because they jointly caused His cruci- fixion. 248 LIFE OF CHRIST. And now we look l>!U'k over the world's history, and see that the pruphcey of this nrijnst man proved trne — that Christ is the Saviour of the woi'ld, the one Man who should die for the people; and that his fear, that the Rouians would come to take away their place and nation, which he was plotting to prevent, actually took place before that whole generation was dead — be- cause they crucified Cln-ist. Such is the example which history gives of God's retrilnition fur the unjust condemnation of His eternal Son. From the day of that Council, the Pharisees sought Christ's death ; and they published a commandment requiring any man who knew where He was, to make it known to them. And it was probabl_y their intention to have Him privately assassinated without any legal forms. But God's will, and the fulfillment of prophecy and the world's salvation, and the testimony for Christ, required a publi(; jndiciïd trial to end His life ; so that He sliould not only die at the hour the Pascal landj was killed, but also have the testimony of the Sanhedrim, and tif the Koman Governor, that He was crucified because He claimed to be the Son of God, and the king of the Jews. THE JEWISH PASSOVER. For fifteen centuries the Jews had annually celebrated the Passover, to commemorate their ancestors miraculous deliverance from bondage, in Egypt ; and as a type and preparation for tlie coming of the' Son of God, to deliver mankind from bondage to Satan and death. The spi'inkling of blood on tlie door posts of the Israelites — which saved them from tlie destroying angel — was tv'M'-:"»,] of G'>4's mercy in pa^^sing over and sparing all who are sprinkled with the blood of Christ, in His new covenant of holy baptism. The week preceding the Passover Avas kept as a time of purification, in acts of humiliation and repentance. The Law LIFE OF CHRIST. 249 required certain rites in the Temple, and all pious Jews went up to Jerusalem for that purpose; and it was the root of the Lenten Season, grafted on it by our Lord's example, and that has ever since been observed by His Church. Tlie time for the last legal celebration had come; and Christ, the Lamb of God — who was, by the one sacrifice of Eiimself, to make a perfect satisfaction for the sins of the whole world — was on His way, going up to present Himself as ready to be offered. And six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, to Simon's house, where He was wont to aV)ide when near Jeru- salem; and where Lazarus was, whom He had raised from the dead. And it is a wonderful confirmation that the miracle was wrought there, that now — after nineteen centuries — the modern Arab name of the village of Bethany, means Lazarus; and so the earth, with its Jerusalem, and Bethany, Gethsemane, and Cal- vary, and angels, and devils, and men, and His Own Miracles, and God the Father's voice, and the Gospel and Church, an>\ Christendom, all unite tlieir testimony to assure us that Jesus was the Christ, the Licarnate Son of God, and the world's great Saviour. The sixth day before the Passover was the original seventh day, on which God rested after He finished the work of Crea- tion; and is the first day, and Sunday, of the Christian week. "Wlien the Israelites can^e out of Egypt, that ri^-ht Gcid institut- ed the Passover, and put back the original Sabbath one day, to our Saturday; and that was the Hebrew Sabbath for fifteen cen- turies, kept as a memorial of Creation, and of God's merciful deliverance of their ancestors from Egyptian bondage. And on that original Sabbatli Christ rose from tlie dead, and restored it, as the Lord's day, to its original seventh day; to forever com- memorate God's works of Creation, the deliverance of His people from Egyptian bondage, and His own resurrection, and man's redemption from bondage to Satan, sin, and death. And Sunday 350 LIFE OF CHRIST. lias, over since, been kept as the day of rest for man, and for the worship of God by Ilis Chureli and Cln-istendoin; and as the Gentiles observed a festival (called Sunday, in lionor of the Sun, it was a help to bring them to Cln-istian worsliip. And that has, ever since, been one of the names of the Lord's day. It was a Jewish custom to make a festive supper live days before the Pascal lamb was taken to the Temple, to b(! shut np, as devoted to God, until it was sacrificed. This feast Simon, the leper, made; and Lazarus was with Christ at the table. And there Mary poured the ointment on His head, and anointed His feet, and wiped them with her hair; and but for Judas' com- plaint — that it might have been sold for mucli and given to the poor — it might not have been known that it was for His l)urial. It is strange that this Mary and her act should have been con- fonude*^' with that of Mary Magdalene, which occurred two years before in the house of Simon, a Pharisee; for there is nothing in common with the women, except their names, and that both acts were in the house of a man named Simon. One, was a sin- ner living at Magdela; the other, had chosen the good part, and lived at Bethany. At that feast reclined Judas, a thief and reprobate, who ?vas to betray and prepare the way for his Lord's crucifixion ; and, also, to forever be the chief and most reliable witness the w^orld has for His divinity. In reply to Judas' complaint, Jesus suid, "She hath done this against the day of My burial;" which tells how perfectly He knew what was before Him ; and that all the preparations for His death were proceeding according to His w-ill and direction. Prophecy foretold that there would l)e one traitor Apostle, who would forfeit his Bishopric; and Christ needed this betrayer, who had known Him in private and publie, and seen His holy lite, heard His pure doctrines, been present at His mighty mir- acles, to be an unimpeachable witness to His innocence, and LIFE OF CHRIST. 251 perfect the testimony concerning Him, as Judas afterwards did. And so Christ said to Judas, "Let her alone; the poor ye have with you always, and whensoever ye will may do them good; but Me, ye have not always." And, in saying slie had done it for His burial. He swept away the disciples false expect.itions of a temporal kingdoin; for what could He, who was about to die, do for their earthly glory, as they saw no signs of a kingdom. It was a timely warning to Judas, to awaken him to a sense of the enormous crime he was soon to commit. Then Christ said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, whereso- ever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this that this woman hath done be told for a memorial of her." This was a prophecy none but God could have foreseen and foretold; it was not even likely to be fulfilled. But His words consecrated it for perpetual transmission; and now, after all these centuries, they are part of His Church's Gospel for the Monday before Easter, and are read twice every year in the Lessons in every branch of the Anglican Church ; and so over all the world — for the sun never sets on her worship, and they have been translated into five hundred dialects of human language, and have been sent wherever man has wandered. So His words prove His Divine foreknowledge ; and besides that, the world is filled with the blessings of His death, as that house was with the sweet odor with whick He waa anointed for it. CHAPTER XXXIV. CHRIST'S ENTRY TO JERUSALEM. It is estimated tliat three millions of people had assembled in and around Jerusalem, havint^ come to the Passover, tliere being a general expectation that something extraordinar}' was to occur; though none but Christ knew that it would be tlie last legal festival celebrated, and that lie wjis the Lamb of God who was to end the sacritices. Clirist and the Apostles had rested at Bethany — on the last legal Jewish Sabbath — where many people had came to see Him and Lazarus; and on Sunday morning He went up towards Je- rusalem, followed by a multitude going to the daily sacrifice. It was through faith in Ilim that all sacrifice had been effectual for salvation; the Churcîh of God never had but one Lord, one faith, and one sacrifice. Before creation Christ loved the Church, for it was a development from the kingdom in Heaven ; and Christ gave Himself for it, for all who lived before Ilim, !is well as all since. This day His popularity reached its climax, and the scenes on His ascent to tlie city, and in the Temple, caused the wrath of the Eulers to increase, until it exhausted itself in reviling Him as lie was expiring on the cross. The procession from Bethany atti-acted multitudes, and when it reached Bethphage, LIFE OF CHRIST. 2r)2 Christ sent two disciples to bring Him an ass and lier colt; and if the owners objected, to say, "The Lord liath need of them;" and everything happened as He foretold. The mother animal syml)olized Judaism passing away with old age; and the colt WHS a ty])e of Cin-istianity, with its larger freedom and univer- sal adaptation to mankind. It was no triumph of ambition or pride, and no desire for self-glory, that influenced Christ. The disciples brought the colt, put their garments on him, and placed Christ thereon; kings and prophets anciently rode on asses, and Solomon so entered Jerusalem, a thousand years before, going to his coronation, as a type of Christ's now triumphal entry. And though He was going to the Temple to take possession of it, as its Lord ; and to be recognized by the Father's voice from Heaven, as His Son ; and to fulfill a prophecy; and the scene had all the signs of royalty; yet, He w^ent humbly and sorrowfully, knowing what the end would be. As He approached the city, the people and the enthusiasm increased; and they threw branches of palms, and strewed their garments in the way — the palms, emblems of victory — and the garments, as if the earth were not good enough for Him to ride on. And the disciples, enraptured by the honor to Christ, began to praise the Lord, in the Psalm in wiiicli this scene had been predicted, a thousand years before, and in which the angels an- nounced His incarnation and birth. "Blessed is He who cometli in the name of the Lord, Hosannah in the High.cst; peace in Heaven and glory in the Highest." And He moved on amid the surging and tumultuous stream of living beings whi(;h went before and followed after, like a river of life, until He reached the angle of the road that hid the Temple from His view; and, coming in sight of its mag- nificent and dazzling ])innacles and Avrdls, He paused for a mo- ment; and, consjcious of the judgment the Rulers would bring 254 LIFE OF CHRIST. on tliemselves, tlieir Temple, and city, lie wept; — for He knew tliat, after five days more other voices would cry, "Away with Him ! crucify Ilini!" Jesus had wept, a few weeks before, at Lazarus' grave; but now He wept for the blindness and unbelief of the Eulere of the nation, dead in trespasses and sins, from which there would be no resurrection. He wept in love and sorrow, because they were sinning away their last days of grace; and lie knew no rebukes of His, nor His own death, would bring tliem to re- pentance, nor avert God's judgments that were coming on the place and people. And there He foretold their destruction, which was in Btrano-e contrast with the whole scene, and the Hosannas that had not yet ceased filling the air; saying that they might have known what belonged to their peace, but now it Avas hid from them; and the days were coming when their enemies would compass them and their children on every side, and level Jeru- salem with the ground, and notileave one stone on another, be- cause they knew not the time of their visitation. He had already foretold to His disi-Jples, that Jerusalem would be destroyed for rejecting Him; but now He includes the Temple and inhabitants; because they would not know the things which bcdonged to their peace, nor His visitation — therefore, their day of probation was ending. And He described their de- struction with all the particularity of one who had witnessed the event, and it is confirmed by Josephus who did witness it; sal- vation was then hidden from the eyes of the Rulers. But the days will come — they were forty years off — when the enemies will compass the city and Temple, and lay them and the inhal)itants within them level with the ground. And this was literally fulfilled by the Romans, though Titus tried to save the Temple; yet the obstinacy of the Jews so enraged the sol- diers, that he could not refrain them from destroying it, and they LIFE OF CHRIST. 255 crucified many besides those killed by the sword, and an hundred thousand people perished. And no wonder Christ wept, as He foresaw that terrible scene. And this prophecy is better proof of His divinity than all His miracles, historically considered, be- cause if tliere were possibility of deception in them, there is none in this ; for Jerusalem is now a monument of that foretelling, bnilt out of, and over the massive ruins of tlie old city and Temple. The vast throng paused while Christ wept, and made His lament over the City of Zion, endeared to Him by so many asso- ciations with the 2:)eople of God; where the Temple had preserved His worship, and the priesthood had guarded and transmitted His revelation for so many centuries, while the whole Gentile worla was sunk in idolatry. Again the great river of human beings, which had come from Eethany, now moved on towards the city, met another- stream pouring out to swell its volume, and their meeting re- newed the enthusiasm; and the multitude that went before, and that followed after, united in shouting, " Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the Highest." When He reached the city all Jerusalem was moved, and the tumult increased, and a murmiir of disapprobation was ex- pressed in the cry, " WHO IS THIS ? " This Son of David; this Man, coming in the name of the Lord; this Man, to whom is applied, "The King of Glory." And this has ever since been the great central question in Theology, the momentous one w^hich has been asking for almost two thou- sand years, and never more anxiously than now — and which each one must answer for himself, if he will be saved by Him — "Who is Jesus Christ? What is He to me? And what am I to Him ? While the people were hailing Christ as the King of Glory, 2S6 LIFE OF GHlllST. He passed into the Teiuj)!!', und decUired Himself its Lord ; and a second time cleansed it, driving ont the sellers of merchandise from its onter conrts, and said unto them, "It is written My House shall be called the House of Prayer; hut ye have made it a den of thieves." This exercise of Christ's Divine power, and the quailing of the intruders, increased the excitement of the people ; and entering the Temple, the lame and the blind came to Him and He healed them — and that caused a renewal of the acclamations, and the children catch the inspiration and raptur- ously joined in the Hosanna's to the Son of David. And when the Chief Priests and Rulers saw the wonderful things, and heard the children shout, they were sore displeased; and said to Christ, " Hearest Thou what these say ? " "And He said unto them, Yea; have ye never read, out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, Thou hast perfected praise ? " " If these should hold their tongues, the stones would immediate- ly cry out." In quoting these words of the Psalmist, our Lord admitted that He both heard and understood the meaning of tlie children's praise; that they were fulfilling the prophecy which proclaimed Him the Lord, whose glory is above the Heavens, and whose praises had provoked their enmity. And He left it for tliem to remember the rest of the sentence, " that Thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger." And these enemies were evidently abashed and confused by this reference to the prophecy; for though they were enraged by their impotence to check the en- thusiasm of the people, and had given orders to arrest Him, He remained undisturbed for the remainder of the day. And the Pliarisees said among themselves,. "Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after Him." Thus Christ went on accumulating testimony for His Messiahship, in ways that no genius of man could have invented, and nothing but the wisdom of God could hfve executed. Tlie S(îribes and Chief LIFE OF CHRIST. 257 Priests sono-ht then to destroy Him ; but tliey feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His doctrine and mir- acles. Certain Greeks present said to Pliilip, "Sir, we would see Jesus;'- and he told Andrew, and they told Christ; but He did not Tiotice their request — probably because the time drew near for the special act He had come to do^ at the evening sacrifice. For He said, " The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified ; it was the hour when the Pascal Lamb was taken to the Temple, to be shut up until it was taken out to be sacrificed. And then Christ offered Himself to the Fatlier, ready and willing to fulfill the type. And He said, " Yerily, verily, I say unto you, except a seed of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone ; but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit;" and thus He symbolized . His own death and burial, as the Seed of the Woman, and foretold its result. And nothing is more appropriate than the vitality and productiveness of seeds; because wheat from the pyramids in Egypt has grown in our day, and one grain has produced two thousand ears. It has been sprouted on ice. is man's best food and grows where he attains the highest development. When Christ had made the great promise to His disciples- that he who hated his life should save it eternally, and whoever will follow Him, and be His servant, he shall be where He is, and His Father will honor him; then He made the offering of His own soul to the Father, saying, " Now is my soul troiibled ; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour; but for this cause came I unto this liour. Father, glorify Tliy name." And His voice sounded out from Heaven, and filled the Temple, so that the people said it thundered ; or that an angel spake to Him, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." This offering of Himself as the Lamb of God, and the shrinking .>om it as the Son of Man, manifested His two natures 258 LIFE OF CHRIST. and showed tliat He was preparin LIFE OF CHRIST. and trifling witli oaths. Tiicy .ire called fools and blind, because they taught that swearing hy tiie altar and Temple were noth- ing; but swearing by the gold of the Temple and the gift of the altar, was sinful. And they were asked, " Whether is greater, the gold, or the Temple that sanctified the gold: or the gift, or the altar that sanctified the gift?" And Christ said, " Tliat whoso sweareth by the altar sweareth by it, and by all things thereon ; and whoso sweareth by the Temple, sweareth by it, and by llim who dwelleth therein; and whoso SAveareth by Heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by Ilim who sitteth thereon." Thus, He convicted them of their blindness and profanity. The fifth woe, was for their hypocrisy in paying tithes on mint, annis, and cummin; and neglecting the weightier matters of the Law, judgment, mercy, and faith. They knew their own prophets taught that — to deal justly, and love mercy, and walk Immbly with God, was of more value in His sight than whole burnt offerings — much less their pretentious paying tithes on garden herbs; and He repeated to them the Proverb of "strain- ing at a gnat and swallowing a camel," which they did as blind guides leading the blind. The sixth woe, was carefulness in making clean the outside of household vçssels, while their hearts within were full of ex- tortion and excess ; and He warned them to make their hearts clean, and then the outside conduct would be clean also. The seventh woe, was in substance like the former; they were, by their hypocrisy, like whited sepulchres — beautiful with- out, but full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness within. And He accused them of being descendants of the men who murdered the prophets; and He concluded, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, (who are filling up the measure of your fatliers) how can ye escape the damnation of Hell ? " And this language would have had no sting, if these men did not believe in Hell, and its future eternal punishment. LIFE OF CHRIST. '277' Then follows the prophecy of what these men will do to the Rulers, Christ will send to take their places; they will per- secute and scourge them from city to city. And looking at tlie vast aggregate of their hypocrisy and wickedness, how they have abused and profaned the trust of the kingdom of God committed to them, and are in two days more to cause His crucifixion. He concluded with the «'.rushing indignation of His Divine wrath — . that the blood of all the martyrs from Abel to Zachai-ias will be required of them for their stubborn unbelief, and willful hard- heartedness in rejecting Him. And this with His solemn declaration, "Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come on this generation ; " and, as if overwlvelmed with sorrow, that neither His love nor mercy. His warnings or threatenings would arouse them from their unbe- lief and wickedness, or save them from their impending destruc- tion; and, as He saw in prophetic vision the awful retribution, and the utter desolation which the fury of the Roman soldiers would bring on Jerusalem, His pity and compassion were moved to their depths; and He poured out that loving, mournful, and touching lament: " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the Prophets, and stonest them who are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" " B^iold your house is left unto you desolate ! " Thus He pronounced their probation ended. There was no longer salvation to be obtained in the old kingdom, the Temple was henceforth desolate, deserted by its Lord ; and He departed from the Temple never again to appear there. And after two days more, He was to offer Himself as the one Great Sacrifice ; and the Daily Sacrifice would no longer be available for the true worship of God,, or for man's salvation. The Temple will be desolate, until it is made a desolation. 278 LIFE OF CHRIST. It ]ias been said tliat Christ's discourse has a seventy and bitterness unwortliy of a Christian gentlen^.an, nmcli less the Son of God. But to judge it correctly, the times and circumstances M'hich called for it nrust be considered, and the provocation and aim in view; and then, so far from being censurable, it was b(.ith merciful and commendable. Our Lord had been three years warning and lovingly mani- festing His Divine power, and calling the Scribes and Pharisees to believe in Him, to repent, and be sivcd; and He had shown them by His benevolence, and humility, and lioly life, that He was more than any man they had ever known, or heard of. Yet they had reviled Him, accused Him of blasphemy, of having a devil, and being in league with the devil, and casting out devils by tlie Prince of Devils; thus making themselves witnesses that He did cast them out. And all this time they had seen His self- lestraint; and that while He had it in His power to injure or destroy them, He did not, until tliey had tilled up tlie measure of their wickedness, had sinned away their day of grace. And as He was that day to end His mission to the nation, nothing else remained to be done but to tell them truths they did not and could not deny; and of the destruction they were bringing on the n^ition, and the eternal punishment on themselves. But they were uttiei-ly rejjrobate; that awful discourse, which it would seem were enough to arouse them from their unbel%f, niî^e no impression on their adamant hearts; they had slmt up the kingdom of Heaven from themselves and others, and notliing remained for Him but to pronounce their doom. And there was also a lesson there for His disciples, 'and for all mankind to the world's end. Those woe& are yet sounding down the Christian centuries, a Prophecy .yet; a standing memo- rial to their descendants of the consequences of their ancestors' unbelief, and persecution, and killing of the Land) of God — and the Saviour of the world; and as a warning to all mankind of LIFE OF CHRIST. 279 the future eternal penalty which awaits all who reject Him now, by refusing to believe in Plim, and obey His Gospel and Chnrcu. As Christ left the Temple, li"ving foretold its destruction, the last words He said were, " Ye shall not see Me hence- forth till ye sliall say, Blessed is He who comcth in the name of the Lord,"' This meant that by His departure the Temple was deserted by the presence of tlie Lord, no more sacrifice or ser- vice there would be acceptable to Him — its Door of Mercy was shut. Yet God's love and mer^y for His covenant people was not exhausted; out of this chastisement, and the perpetual desolation of the Temple, Christ threw this rainbow of hope, this propliecy of a better day, wlien they would hail Him as " Blessed is He who cometh in tlie name of the Lord," and acknowledge Him as their own God and Saviour; when tlie prophecy shall be fulfilled that God will gather the outcasts of Israel from afar^ and He will comfort His people and have merc}^ on them. And St. Paul says this will bf, by grafting them back into Christ's kingdom, whi(;h is the Branch grown from the root of their own old kino-- dom of God. And this day may not now be remote ; Christianity is breaking up the old kingdoms of darkness, it has emancipated millions of slaves and serfs in a day, it has lifted up the whole aitjstratuui of the common people to a condition better than the nolilcs before Christ; and when God causes it to take hold ot Jttdaism, it^ return to His kingdom will also be in a day. Already we see its dawn — more real conversions have been made in this century, probaTlly, than in the eighteen which preceded it. That Christ should have so taught in the Temple that day, and so held the wrath and power of the S(;ribes and Pharisees that they could not molest nor arrest Him, and that He should have been permitted to go away peaceably, is really as great a miracle as any He ever wrought. CHAPTER XXXVir- WEDNESDAY EVENING. On leaving the Temple Christ lingered a moment near the Treasurj^; and the disciples, remembering His word" respecting its destruction, and expressing their doubts, called His attention to its magnificent walls, and immense foundations, which all Jews believed would last until the world's end. And He re- newed the prophecy, prefaced by His Divine ''I say unto you," and declared its ruin would be so entire, that not one stone would be left on another ; and for forty years tlie Jews, doubt- less, ridiculed the prophecy. Chiist did not return witli His disciples to Bethany, as He did daily before, but went to the Mount of Olives. And there the Apostles asked Him privately, "«^lien tins destruction of Je- rusalem and the Temple would be; and Avhat signs would ; I'e- cede it. They supposed it would soon happen ; and then the end of tlie world would come, because they expected the two events w^'uld be contemporaneous. Three Evangelists recoj-ded this solemn discourse, and each one relates some particular omitted by the others ; because His answer to tlieir question led to many notable prophecies and rev- elations, '^nd proves that He had a perfect knowledge of the future rise and fall of nations, and of all political as well as L I F E F C H R I s T . USl religious events, and of the evils to come on the "world before its final catastrophe. Christ said, false Christs and Prophets would ai-ise to draw away disciples, and deceive, if it were possible, the elect ; and there would be wars and rumors of wars, and fearful siglits in tlie Heavens — men's hearts failing tliem from fear of things coming on the earth, with earthquakes, famines, and pestilence". But it has been said, I^o foreknowledge was needed to foretell these things, because they had ahvays been; but history teaches that tliey were more terrible before, and at Jerusalem's fall. Tiberius was banished, Caligula was killed by conspirators, Galba, Otho, and Yitellius were dethroned, and Nero declared a public enemy by the Senate. And Josephus says: A flaming meteor, like a iiery sword, Iiung over the city for a year; and chariots and armed soldiers were seen in the clouds above the city, as if besieging it. And these were but the beginnings of sorrow, the prelude to the terrible catastrophe which, he says, " exceeded all the destructions either God or man had ever brouglit on the world." This was to be the final death agony of the old kmgdom, when its worship and daily sacr'fice were to '-ease; and to leave the world's course free f"r Clu-ist's kingdom to run and be glorified. Before that, the Apostles would be persecuted and brouglit before kings: St. James was killed by Herod; Paul, by JSTero: and Péter and others suffered before its fall, as witnesses for Christ; and when the Gospel had been preached to all nations, then Jerusalem's end would come. St. John carried it to Asia ; Mark, to Africa; Peter, to Babylon; Thomas, to India; Paul, to Greece, the islands of the Mediterranean, and Great Britain. They were commanded not to fear men, for the Holy -Ghost would teach and guide them; and though the love of many would wax cold, whoever endured to the end would be saved. And in answer to when this would be. He said, "When the abomination of desolation foretold by Daniel appeared before the 282 LIFE OF CHRIST. city, tlien His disciples must flee from it. " That was, the eagles on the Roman banners, which the soldiers sacriliced to and wor- shipped as eml^lems of the Emperors. Then they must not delay, for it would be a time of woe such as the world had never before seen; and the proverb, "Where the carcass is, the eagles will gather," referred to the desolation of Jerusalem, and tlie end of the world. For the eagles were also symbols of the evil angels, who will conduct tlie wicked to Hell, wliere the evil days for tiiem never Avill be sliortened. Those prophecies were made to correct the false opinions of the Apostles, that tlie fall of Jerusalem, and the end of the world would be siinulttineous. And He told them before the latter event the sun wouhl be darkened, the moon withdraw her liglit, and the powers of the heavens Ije sliaken; and His second coming wonld be like the blazing of lightening across the hori- zon; and in a time of great enlightenment and immorality, then the end would come. The Sun represents the Son of Man, the Sun of Kighteons- ness; the Moon is His Clnirch; and the Stars, great national Churches. The dai-kness began in the denial of Christ's Divinity among the Gentiles, the corruption of tlie Catholic Churcli and its divisions, and the fall of national Ciun-ciies in Asia and Africa, even before St. John's death. Tlie powers of tlie heavens wa8 the Divine grace, which was seen in the Chiinjli before its cori-iip- tion and division, that has been shaken; and the result is — tliat weltering sea of a. divided Christendom, and the turl)ulent swel- lings of the numerous and ever increasing divisions, having the form ol Christ's righteousness without its power, that has nearly girdled the earth. Tlie day of vengence came, and the prophecy was literally fulfilled. The western world Was astonished at the report, and to this day the siege and desti'uction of Jerusalem is unparal ^eled in history. When the soldiers entered the city, they found LIFE OF C H HIST. 282 the streets filled with piles of festering dead bodies — and they slew men, women, and f.hildren nntil tlie i^ntters ran with blood; and entering the Temj)le, six thousand yet alive v/ere killed, and the blood of the priests and people mingled together; the Temple was fired, and made a ghastly ruin of burning embers and smoking bodies; its foundations were dug up, and the walls of the city, except at the west, were torn down; pestilence, fam- ine, and robbery followed, but for which the exasperated conquer- ors would have carried slaughter to the Christians, who remem- bered Christ's prophecy, and wdien the siege began escaped to Perea. For their sakes the days of terror wei'e shortened; but not until the blood of all the martyrs, from Abel to Christ, was avenged by God, for whom they suiïered for righteousness sake. And now the city looks old and decayed, and its lines and walls are hardly any where identical with those Christ saw ; the houses are old and miserable, the streets are filthy, the pavements brok- en and trodden down by the Gentiles, and look as if Christ's woes yet rested on it. Finally, telling them that some of that generation would live to see His predictions on Jerusalem fulfilled, He closed His pro- phetical vision, saying the Gospel would be a second time preached over all the world ; then the sign of the Son of Man would be seen coming on the clouds of Se^i^n, witji His angels, to summcns the dead aQd judge them. But of il-iat day and lioiir neither the angels, nor He, as the Son of. -Man, knew. Eut the condition of the woïld woukl be the same ffg.it was in the davs of Noah — men eating, ^and drinking, and Knaî-rying, and giving in marriage — angodl}', and con-upt, until the flood came and swept them away. Such was the case, when Jerusalem fell; and such will it be the tlfird time, when Christ comes to judge the world. Meanwhile, His disciples must watch and pray, during His absence into the far country; lest coming suddenly He find them sleepi;;g, "for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man 284 LIFE OF CHRIST. ^ cometli." x\nd faitliful servants sliall be made rnlers over many things; ami the unfaithful shall have their portion with the liypocrites, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teetli. Christ, yet alone with the Apostles in the darkness and soli- tude of night in the Mount of Olives, continued His personal instruction to them, on the responsibility to devolve on them as the Rulers of His Cliurch, whicli was also for their successors to the world's end, in the Parable of tlie Ten Virgins and Ten Talents; and it was His last teaching respecting His kingdom. He likened the universal Church to the kingdom of Heaven, and illustrated His meaning l)y the wise and foolish vij-gins. The vessels are their bodies, temples of the Holy Ghost; tlie lamps are their visible righteousness; tlie oil is the Holy Spirit, received through His regenerating and sanctifying influences; and the time of waiting for the Bridegroom is tlie interval be- tween Christ's departure from the world, and returning to receive the Church as His Bride. At midnight the trump of the Arch- Angel will announce His coming, and the end of the woild; and the going out to meet Him, is the resurrection of the dead; the taking of their lamps and trimming them, is the test of their righteousness; tlie wise virgins have oil in their lamps and vessels, but the foolish virgins' lamps go out — there is no oil in their vessels; they have received the grace of God in vain. They are then prompt in going to buy, but it was too late ! And when they returned the door was shut, and the Bridegroom knew them not. They asked to borrow oil of the saints whose lamps burned ; but they had no su})erfluous stock to supply their neglect — not enough for us and for you — and they remained in the outer darkness. Then He spake the Parable of the Talents. This is sub- stantially the same as the former, only repeated in another figure more easily understood. The talents are called the Lord's LIFEOFCHRIST. 285^ money ; and so, like the oil, signify the grace of God committed to His ministers and people. And the kingdom of Heaven is Christ's Chnrcli, travelling into a far country, down the course of time; in that, each mem- ber has a trust of one, two, or ten talents, according to the measure of God's gifts, which he must use to increase his riglit- eousness, and finally render an account of. The man with one talent may have the approving sentence, " Well done, good and faithful servant," and the reward of eternal life, by wisely using it, as well as others with five or ten talents; and tlie warning is to do duty faithfully in whatever state of life God puts us, or use whatever measure of spiritual grace we have to tlie best of our ability ; then we shall be sure of entering into the joy of our Lord, and having eternal trusts of our own, in our future life, when He returns to reckon with us. And if we fail to do so — this was the warning to the Apostles, to the Christian ministry, and to every member of His Church — then the sentence will be be, "Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." And then, as if in a fuller explanation of the two Parables respecting the kingdom of Heaven, He concluded His solemn discourse with His Apostles by telling them that the Son of Man will then come in His glory, with all tlie holy angels with Him; and He will sit on the throne of His glory, and all nations shall be assembled before Him; and He will set the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on the left; and then He speaks of Himself as the King of the Kingdo,m, King and Judge. "He will say to those on the right hand, come ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the founda- tion of the world: for I was hungrj^, and ye gave Me meat; thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; a stranger, and ye took Me in; I was sick, and ye visited Me; and in prison, and ye came unto Me." The wicked are charged with neglecting these duties, and 286' LIVE OF C II RI 3 T. His sentence is, "These sliall go away into everlasting punish- ment, 1»ut the riglitcuus into life eternal." The last marvel of the Parable is, that Christ takes tlie least evil clone to His disciples as done to Himself; that the good and evil reach to His glorified linnianity in Heaven, and the rewards and punishments will be eternal. It was so, under the former dispensation: to touch prophet or priest, was to touch God Himself; and that is the reason whj» the penalty is so terrible, and why the world's destruction will be, and Hell is, so terrific. But it is said this term " everlasting " is applied to mountains, and other things in the Bible which are not eternal ; and, there- fore, it may be figurative respecting Hell. The meaning of Scripture can be understood only by the context; if tlie punisli- ment of Hell may not be eternal, then the reward of Heaven may not be; the same words are used for both. Then eternal life may come to an end ; God is said to be the everlasting God, and then He may come to an end. The whole drift of revelation is against such an interpretation; and the eternal moral govern- ment of God requires that Heaven and Hell be eternal. The Greek aionois applied to temporal things means lasting, until the end of time; but applied to spiritual things, means as lasting as God and eternity: and the context always shows which mean ing it has. Christ first taught future rewards and punishments, as mo- tives to influence mens' conduct, and declared that they M'ould be eternal in Heaven, or Hell ; and His words are positive that the latter will be in unquenchable fire. It may be spiritual fire, as it is to he, suffered in a spiritual body — a torture to that as intolerable as fire here to a physical body ; even if the fire be figurative, it represents eternal and intolerable anguish. But it is urged God is good, and cannot punish eternally temporal sin. No, He will not; and Christ never said He would. But the wicked will go into eternal punishment, because they are LIFE OF CHRIST. 287 wî(;kecl, for the character they formed lierc as enemies of God and sinners. Sin lias in itself a self-inflicting suffering — they will sin there; because, if the love and mercy of God will not make them repent here, Ilis justice and punishment will not there. And if they could repent, there will be no Redeemer to s;rve them, because Christ's mediatorial work will have come to an end; and sinning, sin will inflict its penalty — the second death — suffering with no last pang to end it. Men do not consider it unjust to inflict death here, or im- prisonment for life, on the guilty and incorrigible; because it promotes the security and happiness of the majority, and the stability of government. It would be an impei-fect government that did not punish rebels ; and if God can endure the loss of His children from Heaven, when we know His reasons for eter- nal punishment, we would not have it otherwise if we could. If it were possible for His justice to remit from His foes, it would be possible for His mercy to His friends to end ; and that would destroy our ideas of His immutability, and the joy of Heaven. All Christ said respecting earthly tilings, was true; why should we doulit His word, respecting spiritual things? If He were not God He could not have known these things; and it is more difficult to believe that He invented such doctrines, than to believe they are true. It is because He is a loving God and Saviour, that He revealed the one for our warning, and the other for our encouragement. CHAPTER XXXVm THE LAST PASSOVER. When Christ had explained to the disciples the prophecy concerning Jerusalem and the end of the world, He said, " After two days is the Feast of the Passover, and the Son of Man is be- trayed to be crucified;" and notlung now remained l)ut to give the last instruction to the Apostles, to comfort them resjiccting His departure, to celebrate the last Pascal Supper, and institute His Sacramental Supper thereon. It was impossible, that the rebukes and woes Christ pro- nounced on the Rulers and Jerusalem, and the way He con- founded them before the people yesterday, should not have excited their wrath ; and He had reserved the denunciation to that day, in order tliat they might have exactly time enough to arrest and try Him, that He might be crucified two days after, at tlie cime of the killing of the last Pascal Lamb ever accep- tably offered to God. And we see, that all the preparations were controlled by Him ; for, while He was telling His disciples of His coming death, the Cliief Priests and Rulers called a Council in the palace of Caiaphas, and consulted how they miglit take Him, and by subtlety put Him to death. And lo ! while they were assembled, Judas had stolen away in the darkness, to the Coun- LIFE OF CHRIST. 289 cil, and bargained to deliver Ilim to them for thirty pieces of silver; and they dismissed the plan of private murder, and from that time, "he sought opportunity to betray Him," Nothing more is related of the transactions that night in the Mount, nor the doings of the next day until towards evening; and it looks as if the Apostle did not know how, or where, Christ spent the interval. It donl)tless was alone, in prayer, gathering strength and courage for the appalling scenes ])efore Him ; and He could not appear publicly, witliout being arrested before He was ready to deliver Himself. An awful silence and mystery hang over Thursday, until towards evening, like the stillness which precedes some great convulsion in nature — as there was the next day when, as [Nature's God, He suifered. But towards evening the veil lifts, and two disciples come to Christ, and ask, " Where wilt Thou that we ^prepare for Thee to eat the Passover ? " It would be most likely that He would say, with Simon at Bethany; but no, they must go to Jerusalem. He would show them that His enemies, who were seeking His life, could not touch Him until His pre- parations to die were made; and He told them, that there they would meet a man bearing a pitcher of water, to follow h.im, and tell him, the Master will eat the Passover with His disciples at his house; and he will show them his guest chambei-, and there they must make ready. They went and found it as He said, and prepared the Passover. The Jews ate their Pascal Lamb on the fourteenth day of the Month Nisan, which day was our Saturday ; but killed it the erening before at three o'clock, and Christ celebrated His Pas- sover Thursday night, that He might be crucified the next eve- ning at the hour when the Jews killed their Pascal Lamb. And as He amuilled the old Sabbath, by transferring it to the origi- nal seventh day, the Cliristian first day — so also. He abolished the old Passover, by keeping it the day before its institution, 1» 290 LIFE OF CHRIST. and founding His Sacramental Supper on it, and to take itâ place in His kint^dom; for He said He would drink no more of it, until He received it new in His kingdom. Wlien the hour was come, Jesus sat down with the twelve. He had told the eleven that Judas had betrayed Him ; but he came with the others; and Christ's first words evinced tliat He knew the significancy of this a(;t. "With desire I liave desired . to eat this Passover with you before I suffer ; for I say unto you I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the king- dom of God." For fifteen centuries the Passover had been a type of Christ, and the germ which would develop into a sacrament for His kingdom ; and on that last celel)ration He transferred and trans- muted it into the Blessed Sacrament of His body and blood, as the true Pascal Lamb of God — by His consecration of the ele- ments, and changing them from a Sacrificial to a Sacrtimental character — so as to convey all the benefits of His Sacrifice to the worthy receivers, and help it to fit them for an inheritance in the the kingdom of Heaven. Tlie kingdom of God had been at hand ever since the Bap- tist began his ministry; and now, it was to come. Cln-ist would eat it no more as the Passover of the old kingdom, until the new kingdom had come; tlie true Lamb of God was about to l)e offered on the cross, then the veil of the Temple would rend, and the Ceremonial Law would end, and the Gospel and the kingdom be prepared when the Holy Gliost came from Heaven to inspire the Apostles, and empower them to begin the kingdom. On the morrow the Lamb of God was to pass over the Red Sea of His own blood; and the old covenant — ratified witli the blood of animals and man, wliich typified Christ's blood — was to end, and the new covenant in His blood would begin; and tho old kingdom would die in Him, and pass over to tlie whole world — Jew and Gentile. And the Daily Sacrifice and Yearly LIFE OF CHRffeT. 291 Passover would be clianged for the Sacrament of His Body and Blood, in remembrance of Him, that He ]iad given His life to take away the sins of the world, and convey that righteousneiLS which is by faith in Him. The Supper being ended, Christ laid aside His garments, girded Himself with a towel, poured water into a basin, and began to wash His disciples' feet, as an example of humility, and, doubtless, a symbol of the washing of regeneration; be- cause, when Feter said, "Thou shalt never wash my feet," Christ answered, " If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me," And Christ renewed the warning to Judas, ''Ye are not all clean," though his feet were washed; and it was a warning to all His disciples, that the washing of regeneration will not save without a righteous life. Then Christ resumed His seat at the taflle, saying, that He had given them an example as their Lord and Master; "and ye also ought to wash one another's feet." The Pascal Supper had three courses, in which were mystic- ally enclosed the germ of the Christian Sacraments: first, a cup of wine taken w^ith bitter herbs in a sauce made for the occasion, prefiguring the humbling dipping, or washing of baptism ; second, a cup of wine, with unleavened bread, to be drunk with the lamb — the elements of the Blessed Sacrament; and a cup of blessing, and a Psalm ended the repast. It was this Sacramental Yiaticum Christ received, as the support for His human nature across the valley of the shadow of death ; and which He blessed and gave to the disciples as a perpetual remembrance of Him, and to be celebrated until His return from the far country He was going to, and as the abrogation of the whole ceremonial law. Christ blessed the bread, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, "This is My body which is given for you;" not the body present, for it was not yet ofPered in sacrifice. But it was the foregiving of His flesh, after a spiritual manner, as it was ever after to be given to His disciples: "Do this in remem- 292 LIFE OF CHRIST. brancc of Me." But in giving tlie Cup, lie said, "Tliis Cup is the New Covenant in My Blood, that is shed fur you, and for many, for the remission of sins" — which implies that baptism is not pei-fected until the Blessed Sacrament is received; and that the bread alone without the wine is no Sacrament, and gives no assurance that the baptismal covensint is ratified. Thus tl>e Christian Sacraments Avere designed to convey Christ's spiritual life, to keep in remembrance His Sacrifice until He comes again in the glory of the Godhead. The Sacrament does what Sacrifice could not — gives the life of the Sacrificed Lamb of God to the worthy receiver, so that it becomes a living spiritual force in him; as He said, "He that eateth My body, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and even he shall live by Me." Eternal life is more than immortality; sinners, as well as saints, will rise from the dead immortal, be- cause of Christ's resnrrection. But the eternal life He promised, is one of eternal glory, with God, our Father, in Heaven. The Son of God was incarnate in our nature, to institute the Sacraments to make us partakers of His Divine Nature; and tliey sow in our bodies spiritual life, as tlie means to overcome evil in ourselves and the world, and attpjn a glorious I'esnrrec- tion. And the celebration of the Eucharist is one of the rich- est means of grace, and tlie most exalted worship we can render Him. Then He said, "Now I tell you before it come to pass, thnt when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am He." And, as if M-eighed with sorrow, as much for Judas as for Himself, He said His spirit was troubled ; and, as His last warning to Judas, He said, " Yerily, verily, I say unto yon, one of you shall betray Me." Each disciple anxiously asks, "Is it I?" until Judas' turn, and to his question Christ answered, "Thou hast said." The Eleven did not understand the reply; and St. Peter asked St. John — who was reclining so that his head was near our Lord's LIFE OF CHRIST. 293 breast — and he asked Ilim; and was told, "He to whom 1 give the sop" — a bit of bread dipped in the Pascal sauce. And He gave it to Judas, saying, "What tliou doest, do quickly;" it was again night, and he went away in its darkness to the Council. The Passover was the root of Clirist's two Sacraments, and foreshadov/ed the regeneration and sanctification to come by them. The flesh, and bread, and wine, gave vigor to man's soul; but His consecration made them convey strength and re- freshment to the spirit, and make it partaker of His rio'hteous- ness, and an inheritor of the kingdom of Heaven. Christ's consecration of the Bread and Wine chano-ed them from a Sacrificial to a Sacramental nature; while they remained bread and wine, tliey had a Spiritual grace added to them ; and analogy teaches how it was, and is, done. One of Christ's titles is the Sun of Righteousness — and He transfuses the elements with His i-ighteousness, so that it can be conveyed to the re- ceiver; just as bread and wine exposed to the Sun's rays receive caloric from tliem. The bread and wine are not chano-ed but a new principle is added — and we feel the heat in them; and how much more surely can Christ convey Spiritual blessings in a sim- ilar way, and all the benefits of His Sacrifice. By the Sacrifices of tlie ancient Church, tlie death of CJirist was prefigured to the w'orld for four thousand years, to prepare the way for His coming; and for fifteen hundred years the Pas- cal Supper was partly Sacrificial and partly Sacramental — tlie beginning of the development of Sacrifice into Sacrament, as it was fulfilled and perfected by Christ on this last celebration. The Blessed Sacrament grew out of the Pascal Feast, and was engrafted on its root, and superceded it ; and as the Pascal Lamb was slain to keep in remembrance that Christ would come to die so also was the Blessed Sacrament instituted to keep in remem- brau'-e tiiat He did come and die for us men and our salvation. 294 LIFE OF CHRIST. And the breaking of the BrCcad and pouring of the "Wine, are the memorials of His Body broken, and Bh>od shed, by which His Church -was to show forth His death, and receive tlie bene- fits of His Sacrifice, and prepare the world for His second coming. ^ e. 3-~« H CHAPTER XXXIX. CHRIST'S DISCOURSE WITH THE ELEVEN. When Judas had gone, Clirist said to the eleven Apostles, "Now is tlie Sun of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God be glorified in Him, God shall glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him" — \\ords incomprehensible to them then; but showing that He knew His hnman nature was going to be glorified in the Godhead, and that His death would cause the final destruction of Satan's power. Such language was impossible, unless Christ were the Son of God, the second person of the Godhead; and imless He were the Son of Man, going to God would give Him no new glory. And He said, " A little while I am with you (before another sunset He would be gone) ; a new connnandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Ly tliis, shall all men know that ye are My disciples." Peter inquired, " Lord, whither gocst Thou ? " And Ho said, "Whither I go thou can'st not follow^ Me now; but thou slialt follow^ Me afterwards." Peter replied, " I will lay down my life f or TJjy sake ; " but He replied, with His Divine "I say unto you," "Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny Me thrice. And Satan has desired to have and sift tliee as wheat; but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not; and when thou art con- 296 LIFE OF CHRIST. I I verted, strengthen tliy l^retlircn." TJi;it lie did, after liis conver- sion ironi liis denial of Him, bj liis tears and re} ontance of his sin. And in these ways Christ showed tliat lie knew the de- tails of all the events about to transpire. And, although His own spirit was troubled at the foresight of the desertion and denial of His Apostles, He comforted them by the assurance that He was going to the Father in Heaven; to prepare places for them, and He woidd return and take them with Him to abide forever. Was there ever any such liuman love and forbea]-ance? His divine love rose, as their poor, hu- man love was about to fail; and wlicu Tlion:as said, "AVe know not whither Tliou goest, and how can we know tlie way^' Cln-ist answered, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man conieth to the Father but by Me." And He is yet the AVa}', l)y His holy example; the Truth, by His Gospel; and the Life, by the sacraments of His body, the Church. And He said, ••' If ye had known Me, ye sliould have known My Father also; a)id from henceforth ye know Him, and have see,n Him." AYe see how imperfect the knowledge and understanding of the Apostles were; for PJjilip said, "Lord, show us tlie Father and it sutiiceth us." And this drew from Him the confession, "He who hath seen Me, hath seen the Father;" and He re- proved their dulness, saying, "Bclievest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?" And He declared that His W(jrds and works were by the life of the Father in Him, and they must believe it. That dulness looks strange to us; but it was impossible for them to believe in Him as a Person of the Godhead, while they retained their Jewish ideas of God, and u til the Holy Ghost came to enlighten them. But Christ promised, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, lie who will believe shall do greater works, because I go unto the Father." AVas that a vain boast? Did those Apostles, who afterwards believed, do greater works 2 ^- LIFE OF CHRIST. 297 Yes; they laid the foundations of His kingxlom. Christ never made disciples out of Palestine; they planted Churches, and carried the Gospel over all tiie then known world. And Chrifctendom is a greater work than all Christ's miracles, except the great one of man's redemption. And He promised that Mdiatsoever they asked the Fathei in His name "That will I do." The promise of power is to His name; and He knew His disciples would not ask for what He would not approve; and the Father will give you another Com- forter who will abide with you forever. Here the mystery of the Holy Trinity was revealed — the Father, the Son, and the Comforter, whom the world cannot receive; but He shall be in you, and dwell in you, and guide you into all truth. And the ministrations of the Holy Spirit, through Christ's ministers, are greater works than Christ's miracles; because there is no visible presence or voice in His operations for our regeneration and sanctiUcation. And this great mystery was revealed, that Christ would return in the Comforter: "I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; Init ye see Me: because I live, ye shall live also;" and then they should know that He and the Father are one, and "ye are in Me and I in you." And had this promise not proved true, faith in Christ would have soon perished. And Jude asked, how He would manifest Himself to them, and not to the world ? And He answered, "My Father will love him (wdio loves Him and obeys His Word) and We will come unto Him, and make our abode with Him ; " and when the Com- forter comes — whom He now says is the Holy Spirit — He will bring all things to your remembrance; and had not this proved true, there would luive been no written New Testament, no Christian Church, no Christian ministers; and all Christ did would have made no lasting impression in the world. 298 LIFE OF CHRIST. Again, He promised to give His disciples "My Peace;" siicli as they saw nothing earthly could disturb. And, therefore, their liearts need not be troubled nor afraid, at whatever was to l)efall Him, or them; because He was going to the Father, and would return to them; "If ye loved me ye would rejoice... for My Fatlier is greater than I." Tims He laid Himself open to such tests as it was impossible for tliem to mistake, and as it would be impossible for Him to accomplish were He not God's incarnate Son. And He said. He told them all these things be- fore they came to pass, "tliat when it is come to pass ye might ])clicve." And the Evangelists testify tliat when they did come to pass, their faith in Him was established. It looks as if Clirist used every means possible to bo given, to prove to the dij?ciples His Divine Omniscience, Omnipresence, :md Onmipotence; and if there had been imposture in His words or works, the stupidest of men could not have failed to see it, and none were more deeply interested to expose it. But they tes- tify that after His resurrection they found His promises true, and every Cliristian now finds some of them coniirmed by his own experience ; and for this they believe in Him, trust in Him, as their all in all, and only liope of salvation. After declaring Himself God, and one with the Father, He said, "1 am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman.*' The vine was a syndjol of tlie Church of God; the members, tlie V>ranches drawing their spiritual life from Him. Every branch not bearing fruit would be cut off; and fruitful ones would be purged to make them more fruitful; and the withered brandies would be burned. And Christian experience testifies, to tlie truth of some of these words. Tlie promise, looking like exaggeration, that His disciples shall have what they ask in prayer, is confirmed by experience now; if not given as asked, yet as best — as Christ's prayer in the Garden, otherwise impossible, was answered, without ûia- LIFE OF CHRIST. 299 f-urbing a law of the moral government. And if they believe, love, and obey Him, God will be glorilied ; and they will abide in His love; and His joy would be in them, and their joy be full. The promise to give what they asked, included physical as well as spiritual things. God made and controls all laM's ; be- cuuse they would not ask things inconsistent for Him to give. In this way prayer was designed to educate them, to trust in God, to look to Him like children to a Father; because commun- ion witji Him will rétine and elevate, and reflect His rJgliteous- iiess. And no one can live habitually in sin, who habitually prays; he will soon leave oif sinning or praying. One universal answer to prayer is increasing power to do God's will, and in- creasing love of Him, learned by trying this promise. Christ repeated His commandment to love one another, as if it f ulhlled all duties. To die for a friend is a perfect test of human love; but His love is greater — to die for His enemies. If they will do His will, they shall be His friends. He had re- vealed to them His love by telling them what He had heard from the Father; and in the next life He will make them heirs of what He had received from the Father. He had ordained them to bring forth much fruit; and their fruit should remain, as the kingdom they organized, and the ministry they trans- mitted have remained, and will remai^i to the world's end. But they will meet opposition and persecutio.n^ as He had ; and as the world had hated Him, so wmild it hate them, and their successors. And at this dny a thonsand enoîiiies in Christ- endom — many of them Scribes and Pharisees of worldly culture — prove His words true. Books are written denying His divinity and miracles, and reviling His disciples and religion ; and a stream of the blood of Mai-tyrs for His truth, has flowed from Calvarj' to our day, ending with Bishop Patterson pierced by the arrows of tiie Fijees, and the Christian Soldier, A. D. 1878, a victim of 300 LIFE OF CHRIST. Moslem fanaticism and liate, whose liead cleaved by an axe into four parts, was said to be signed with the Sign of the Cross. Christ said, "All these things tlie,y will do unto you for My Name's sake, because they know not Ilim who sent Me.'' Such are some of the modern jjroof 's of Christ's truth and Messiahsliip; and it would have been impossible for any one but God, to thus foretell what would be going on in this world two thousand years after these words were spoken. Tlien, summing up His own mission to the Jews, He s=aid, "If I liad not done among them works which none othei- man did, they iiud not had sin ; but now have they both seen and hated both Me and My Father." And thus, lie says, was ful- tilled wliat the prophets foretold, "They hated Mc without a cause." Tiion followed His last great promise — that which was to be the climax of His Incarnation, and the last grand result of His work of redemption — the coming of the Comforter, who would take up His work and carry it on until the world's end. He is the Spirit of Truth; He will bring all things to their minds He had taught them; He would testify to Christ, and guide them into all truth, and bear witness to the world. But the Apostles had an especial witness to bear, "because ye have been witli Me from the beginning;" and now the Gos- pels and Epistles, and the very name of Apostles, and the Litur- gies of His Church, and Churches, have come to us named after tliem; and their Gospels and Epistles are daily read by thousands, and tlms testify fur Christ. And He foretold this, that tliey might 1)0 steadfast under persecution ; and fu'ure generations might be inexcusable if they did not believe Him to be the in- carnate Son of God. But Christ renewed His discourse, saying, " Now I go My way to Him who sent Me; and none of you ask, Whither goest Thou?" Either regret at His departure, or surprise that He LIFE OF CHRIST. 801 was to die — not crowned as king and leaving no visible kingdom — made them sorrowful, and afraid to ask whither He was going; without His presence and Almighty help, what could these few, poor, and uninflucntial disciples do. Nevertheless, it was expe- dient that He should go away, else the Comforter would not come: "If I depart, I will send Him unto you." It was, better for them, and for Christ, and the world, that He should go; be- cause He was never in but one country, was hated and perse- cuted unto death. But the Holy Spirit would be in all tne world, and Christ in Him invisible, and so impossible to persecute Him. He would comfort, teach, lead, and sanctify them — bring all things He had said to their remembrance; and His great office for the world would be to reprove it of sin, righteousness, and judgment; striving in millions of hearts at the same time, and bringing all who will repent into the ways of righteousness, and making lliem God's spiritual children. The time for this last interview with His disciples, in the flesh, and the last discourse He was to speak to them, was draw- ing to an end ; and He said, " I have yet many things to say to you, but ye cannot bear them now." One, that He was the Second Person of the Godhead, "Howbeit when the Spirit of truth is come. He will guide you into all truth," tell them wliat He hears from the Father, and show them things to come. "He shall receive of Mine and show it unto yon; all things the Father hath are Mine; therefore I said He shall take of Mine and show it unto you." Surely, no words could declare more distinctly His unity in the Godhead. And then followed the equally distinct assertion that in "a little while (before another day ends), ye shall not see Me; and again, a little while (after three days in the tomb), ye shall see Me, because I go to the Father." Here was: First, His going away to Paradise; Second, His return to this world; Third, His coming back to see them, before His ascension to Heaven. 303 LIFE OF CHRIST. The disciples said amono; themselves, " AYliat is this, He saitli unto ns ; a little while and ye shall not see Me; and again a little while and ye shall see Me; and, because I go to the Father." And they confessed they did not know M'hat He meant. CoiiUi any human mind Jiave invented such a natural and beau- tiful incident as this, were it not real? Or would any men bent on deceiving the world have so recorded their own want of per- ception, after all Christ had said and done before them, if they were telling what was not a real fact ? Our Lord knew they were desirous to ask Him to tell them plainly what He meant by these little whiles, and going to the Father; and then hear His words, spoken with that oath-like solemnity, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall Aveep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and ye shall be sorrow- ful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy." "What a transi- tion, this. Tlie next day they saw Jesus on the cross, and that evening the Rulers were rejoicing; and the disciples hid them- selves for fear that they, too, would follow Him by a similar death. Then, on the third morning, their sorrow was turned to jo}', when the angel told Mary the Lord had risen, and the dis- ciples found the tomb empty. But Christ's soul was troubled as the time for His agony in tlie garden approached, and He was to be torn from His disci- ples; but He said, "I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you; and wluitsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you." He had promised before, " Ask, and I will give you ; " but now it is — ask the Father, in His name, and He will give — because " I and My Father are one." Is there not a Divine subtlety in this doul)le statement of the truth, in a way no human mind would have thought of; but designed to convince cultivated minds, after they were enliglitencd by the Holy Spirit, and after Cliristianity had been for centuries expanding and quickening LIFE OF CHRIST. 303 the luminn intellect ? Surely the Scribes and Pharisees of our day, wlio do not believe in the divinitj^ of Jesus Christ — wlien they compare Pagandom, when Christ came, with Christendom now — will 1)0 more guilty at the judgment, than those who cru- «•ilied Him. That new mode of prayer in Christ's name was incorporated into the Liturgies, and its petitions and Collects nearly all end, "for the sake of," or "through the merits of, Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ." And then, assuring the Apostles of the Father's love — because they loved Him, and believed that He came forth from the Father — He renewed His declaration, "I came fortli from the Father and am come into the world; again, I leave the world, and go to the Father." And the Apostles said, "Lo now speakest Thou plainly, and in no proverb. Now we are sure that Thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask Thee; I)}' this we believe, that Thou camest forth from God." But He had yet one more thing to tell them, before the dis- course ended, to help future generations also believe as they did; while they were on the top of this wave of faith, how must these words have fallen like a thunderbolt on their hearts and faith: "Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, ye^, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to His own, and shall leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things have I spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have Peace, In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." And He continued the discourse, asking the disciples, "Lacked ye anytbing when I sent you out without purse, scrip, or shoes?" And they answered, "Nothing." Then said He unto them, "But now, he who hath a purse, let Him take it, and likewise his scrip; and he who hath no sword, let him sell his 304 LIFE OF CHRIST. garment and buy one. For I say nnto yon, tliat tin's wliîcli is written must yet be accomplished in Me: And He was reckoned Avith the transgressors; fur the things concerning Me have an end." And they said, "Lord, here are two swords." And He said nnto them, " It is enough." They utterly misunderstood His words; but the swords were there to be further witnesses for Christ, and for the painful scenes which were 3'et to be enacted. And then He ended, foreteUing what would soon follow: "All ye shall be offended because of Me this night; for it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered," quoting the Prophecy of Zachariah concern- ing that very night; but 3'et comforting them by the promise, "But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee," whereby He assures them that He will continue to be the Shep- herd of His Flock yet after His resnrrection And the Angel, whom the women met at the sepulchre on the resurrection morn, assured them that the promise and prophecy of Christ would be fulfilled in His own words, "Behold, He goeth before you into Galilee." CHAPTER XL- THE LAST PRAYER WITH THE APOSTLES. Pra_yer, mental or vocal, is communion with God — though we do not know how the prayers go, nor the answers come — but all mankind have always prayed to idols, false Gods, or to the true God. And the earth has always been like a great censer, hanging in space, and swinging the prayers of its inliabitants like incense up to its Creator. Before Cln-ist, God was addressed as the Almighty, Jcliovah, and the Lord God ; and it was twenty-tive centuries after Adam before He w^as called the Father. And Christ first taught men to pray to God as our Father, and in His name; and He ended His discoui'se at the last supper by commending the Apostles in prayer to the Father, before He went to Gethsemane to pray for strength to deliver Himself to His enemies. And tlius He began and ended His public ministry wâth prayer. That was His last intercession for His Church; and abounds, like all His teachings, in both prophecies and instruction. And He was probably offering it at the time wlien Judas was witli the Rulers of the Jews, preparing to conduct the officers to arrest Him. That Jesus prayed at all is proof that He is the Son of Man; while the nature of His prayers sliow that thej could have 306 LIFE OF CHRIST. lieen framed bj none but the Son of God. They testify to His Divinity as stronj^ly as His Doctrines and Miracles; so tliat at all times, in all His words and works, He continnally appears in the double aspect of the God-Man, and as no other man ever appeared. Before calling His Apostks, He passed the night alone in prayer; and now, about to leave them, His last act was praying with, and for, them. In Gethsemane He pr-yed for Himself; on the Cross, for His enemies; and He breathed out His so\d, commending His departing spirit to the Father. " And He lifted uj) His eyes to Heaven and said, Father, the hour is come" — the hour to deliver Himself to His enemies — ready and willing to be sacrificed as the Lamb of God. In His eternal High-Priesthood, He offered Himself to the Father, the work given Him to do, all done but the final sacrifice ; and He prayed, " Father, glorify Thou Me with the glory I had with Thee before the world was." Had He returned to Heaven in only the one nature of God, in which He came do\vn, the prayer would be meaningless; but did He take up His liuman natm'e to be glorified with it, then the prayer is evidence that God and man are inseparably united in Plim. And it is one of the most convincing proofs that He is the Messiah, the Christ, the Mighty God, the Saviour, who, as St. Augustin said, "So came into this world as never to leave the Father, and so went to the Father as never to leave this world." He said He had manifested the Father's name to His disci- ples, given them the words He had given Him, and prayed that He would keep them when He left the world, and sanctify them through His truth. By not praying for the world He meant only the reprobate; while the etei'nal life the Father had given Him, and He had given HiS disciples — who know the only true God and the Christ Whom He sent — is an eternal life, to be lived in His kingdom in Heaven; which shows the Father's co- operation in His work of Redemption. He had taken His dis- LIFE OF CHRIST. 307 ciplcs out of the world and made them know the Father's love; and He was glorified in them, because "all Mine are Thine, and Tliine are Mine" — so also would all be wlio should believe on Him tlirough their word. And. again He said, "Now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I eome to Thee," for the disciples are to remain. He knew how forlorn they will be in the little time of His absence, and how persecuted they will be to their lives' ends; and so He adds tins marvellous petition, "Holy Father, keep through Thine own Name those wiiom Thou hast given Me (it includes all the whole Church) that they may be one, as We are One" — of one mind and will with them, for this is the result of Christ's righteousness, the fruit of man's regen- eration and sanctification through the Holy Spirit. And we learn from this prayer, that He had kept in His Name all whom God the Father had given Him, and none is lost but the Son of Perdition, Judas ; and he, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, that Christ should have a betrayer in one of His own Apostles. Not tliat He or the Father willed it, but be- cause Judas fitted himself for the predicted office. And from His address, "Holy Father," He gave His disciples a form, through which He offered His most earnest supplication for the unity of His Church ; and alf Christians are sanctified by God the Father, tin-ough our Lord Jesus Christ. But this prayer does not imply that He did not know the divisions which would follow, and the dissensions His religion would make in the world, or that the praj^er would not be an- swered ; it was a prayer for tlie faitliful, that they might con- tinue in that spiritual relation of unity of mind and will, under the trilnilation which awaited them, that He enjoyed in His tribulation — in doing the Father's will. The next petition reveals the reason of Christ's desire for the unity of His Church, "That the world may believe that 308 LIFEOFCHRIST. thou liast seen Mo." Tiie desire tliiit His Chureli might be joined to Ilini, tlie Head in the nnity of the faith, and ministry, and worship He fj;ave it; and liad it remained so, liow different wouhl l)e the aspect of the religions world and its literature. Schism would not exist, nor Christendom he an arena of con- Hicting religious opinions; and heathen, as well as nnhelicvers in Christian lands, pointing to them as evidences that Christian- ity is a failure; and (cultivated Fagans telling missionaiies to settle their own disputes, l)efore tlioy come to convert them. These divisions arc tlie chief causes of all the unhelief of the masses in Christendom; the uninstructed helieve — that any relig- ion which recognizes Christ as the Divine person, and any min- istry which professes to teach Chri--t, and any way men may choose to worship Him, is jnst as good as His one way, He prayed so earnestly to have maintained. But this is impossible, from what followed in the prayer respecting His Church, "The glory Thou gavest Me 1 have given them, that they may be one, even as We are One;" that through the spirit we may 1)e njade one with Him, as the God- Man, as He is One with the Father; and He said, "I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in One." It is this which makes the Communion of Saints, of which Christ is the Head; and so St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "All things are yours, and ye are Clu'ist's, and Christ is God's." And He repeats the reason for this petition, "That the world ma}' know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them as Thou hast loved Me;" that is, that all in this communion may have the assur- ance that they are loved of God the Father, for Christ's sake, and their salvation through Him is sure; and thrice He used that word One, that the world might believe. But now a thousand centers claim the oneness in a wrang- ling; Christendom, and the world is running into unbelief and ungodliness. One Center would make Chi-ist's Churcii a uni- LIFE OF CHE I ST. 309 versai kingdom su(;h as the would never saw, and enable it to concentrate all its power in breaking np heathendom, and pre- paring the way to hail Ilim with joy at His second advent; and that was the reason for this last j^rayer with His disciple^^, and for His Church, He foresaw the unity would be broken, and so prayed tlie more earnestly tliat in all future times His will miiiht be known, and men should have no excuse for rending it. And He knew the prayer will be answered, not on earth, but by the unity in the millions in Paradise, who are one with the faithful on earth ; and it will be perfected after the resurrection in Heaven, with the next petition of the prayer: " Father, I will tliat they also whom Thou hast given Me be with Me where I am" — be with Him eternally. He can endure man's unbelief, and self-will, and self-sufficiency until tlien; and so must we be patient under it, and watch and pray, and so do our work that we may at last be of that blessed com- pany. And there behold, aye more, be partakers of that glory the Father gave Him before the world was; and there forever enjoy that greatest gift of God, " that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them.'" IN GETHSEMANE. When our Lord and the Apostles had sung an hymn, they went from Jerusalem to tlie Garden of Gethsemane — at the foot of the Mount of Olives, about lialf a mile from the city — wliere they often resorted, which was well known to Judas. And when they came to the place. He said to the Apostles, "Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder ; " and He took Peter, and James, and John, as witnesses of His humiliation, as they had been of His Transliguration. And He said to tliem, " My soul is ex- ceedingly sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here and watch with Me. The watching was for the coming of Judas and the officers. And He went a little from them, and fell on His face 310 LIFE OF CHRIST. and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it be possible — all tilings are possible to Tliee — let this cup pass from Me;" the cup was not death that He feared, for He had foretold that M'ithout regret; but it was all that was involved in it — the betrayal, de- sertiou, and denial by those He most loved on eartli, and diiefly the anguish of bearing the wliole world's sins. The prostration was an act of the deepest humiliation and supplication, and the beginning of the bearing in His body the sins of all mankind. It was the struggle of His liuman will against His Divine will, as He was offering Himself as ready for the sucrilice; one hour He suffered the anguish, and His human will endured it; and He said, "Nevertheless, not as I will, Init as Thou wilt." Then He returned to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said," " What, could ye not watch witli Me one hour ? " The interrogative and emphatic '• what," to remind Peter of His recent boast of being ready to follow Him to death. Again He charged them to watch and pray, lest they ho led into temptation ; and went away a second time. And He prayed, saying, "O Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done." The tirst hour's prayer had wrought some change in His will, and was tending to harmony with His Divine will; but the great stru"'iïlo was to come. He returned to the Disciplcb and found tliem asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. And He excused their want of sympathy, because the foretelling His speedy death liad made them sorrowful. For twenty-four hours they had been hiding in terror from the Jews; and now, at midnight, in the solitude of the mountain, they were heavy with sleep. How this incident confirms the truth of the whole narrative. And He went away the third time and prayed, saying the same words; and then, knowing that Judas and His band were approaching, He made the final surrender of His will causing such excruciating agony that He sweat, as it were great drops LIFE OF CHRIST. 311 of blood falling to the ground. And as His will triumphed, Hia prayer was answered, an angel came and strengthened Him ; and returning He f(nind the Disciples asleep again, and said, "Why sleep ye, rise and pray lest ye enter into temptation." And while He spake, Judas and the olKcers approached. From this prayer we see how God can answer a prayer, im- possible to grant as it is asked, and yet witliout changing His purpose; and in a way best for CIn-ist, best for God, and best for our salvation. St. Paul said, *' Christ offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears, unto Him wlio was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared," — which was the struggle of His human will against the anguish of the world's sin to be laid on Him. The angels strengthened Him, and His fear vanished; and He never flinched under the arrest, insults, unjust condemnation, scourging, or the agony of His crucifixion; for when His human soul felt the death agony, He only asked why God had deserted Him. Some men say Nature's laws are unchangable, and it is useless to pray to alter them; jet Christ without prayer stilled the winds and waves, and made M^ater turn into wine, and the dead come to life; and men now interrupt or modify natural laws, convert water to force, divert the lightning from its natural C(uirse, make electricity act against its ordinary laws. And God, who created the universe, can far more easily stop the motion of the solar syijtem, or the revolution of a planet, •without disturbing its vorder, than a nrechanic who makes a watch, or engine, or battery, can stop its action without injuring it. And the power, by which God interrupts natural laws, ma}-' be by a higher law of the supernatural world, of which we know nothing. Prayer is a discipline — it does not change God's mind, but brings guidance fi-om Him. Once David praj'ed to God, to tell him if the Men of Keilah would deliver him to Saul. And He 31% LIFE OF CHRIST. answered, yes; but David departed and saved iiisl'fe; and there is no answer promised except to faith, and offered in Christ's name. AVe pray for prosperity, and adversity "omes; for removal of troubles, or deliverance from temptations, and they increase. AVe ask for restoration of cliildren or relatives from sickness, and they die; but God's way is best — disciplines us into Christ's like- ness, removes cliildren from evils to come, or friends to a l)etter life, and makes all to help our sanctitication. He withholds in love what we ask for, and sends what He knows is better for us; and what wo shall eternally tliank Ilim for in the life to come. Even in this life we often find what we mourned over at the time, was a blessing in disguise ; and that our hardest trials have been our richest means ^-f grace. It is the triumph of faith to submit to God's will in adver- sity; to trust in Him when all earthly trusts fail ns; and keep on praying, as our Lord did, when the shadows of death encompass ns. Because, in this way our life is made like Christ's; and when we can pray in the darkest hours of distress, as He did, " Tiiy will be done," we have become so far Christ-like, or true Christians, that we are fitted for the employments and enjoyments of the Saints in Paradise, where He went when He overcame the sharp- ness of death. Such is the blessed lesson we learn from our Sav- iour's example — which is largely confirmed by our own expéri- ence — of the blessed fruits of earnest, persevering prayer, offered to our Hcavenl}- Father, in our dear Lord's Name. CHAPTER XLI CHRIST'S ARREST AND TRIAL. When our Lord returned the tliird time, and found the Apostles asleep, He said, "Why sleep ye? Arise, let us go, be- hold, he is at hand who betrayetii Me" — a caution against the cowardice and want of sympathy they were about to manifest towards Him. And lo ! while He was speaking, Judas came witli a band of officers — armed with swords, and clubs, and lanterns — to arrest the meekest and holiest Man who ever lived; Judas had given the officers the sign that, Whosoever lie kissed, Him they must take and lead away safely. And he went to Christ and said, "Hail Master," and kissed Him: and He said, "Friend, where- fore art thou come ? Betrayest thou the Son of Man, witli a kiss?" Judas had seen Christ often save Himself from His enemies, and doubtless expected He would do so then; and that he would earn his bribe money, and cheat the rulers. Bat Peter drew his sword and asked, "Lord, shall we smite?" And with- ont waiting an answer, he cut off the .right ear of Malchus, a servant of the High Priest; but Christ said to him, "Put up thy sword ; all they who take the sword shall perish with the sword. The cup My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it ? How, then, sliall the Scripture be f iiltilled that thus it must be ? Think- 314 LIFE OF CHRIST. est thon that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall pres- ently give Me more than twelve legions of angels ? " More than a legion of defending angels for each helpless Apostle. And, un- disturbed by the mob, and confusion, and His arrest, Pie touched Malchus' ear and restored it ; otherwise, it would have been evi- dence in the Council that He and tlie disciples were dangerous enemies of society. Christ then said to the officei-s, " Whom seek ye 3 " And tliey said, " Jesus of Nazaretli ; " and He said, " I am He." And they went ba(^kward and fell to the ground; and by this miracle He showed them they had no power to arrest Him, except by His will. And He said to them, "Are ye come out as against a thief, with swords and staves to take Me ? I sat daily with you in tlie Temple teaching, and ye laid no hold on Me." And again He asked, "Whom seek ye?" And they an- swered, "Jesus of Nazareth;" and He said, "I have told you I am He. If, therefore, ye seek Me, let these go their way ; " that His words might be verified, " Of them wliich Thou gavest Me, have I lost none but the Son of Perdition." And Christ said, "This is your liour, and tlie power of darkness; bat the Script- ure must be fulfilled." Then laid they their hands on Him, and bound Him with cords; seeing this, the Apostles all forsook Him and ficd. And two prophecies of that event were fulfilled — His enemies had stumbled and fallen; and His friends forsaken Him and fled. The officers led Him first to Annas' house, the father-in- law of Cîdaphas, whom the Rulers held as the lawful High Priest; and as they went, passing a young man with a linen cloth about Ids naked body, tliey laid hold of him; and he es- caped from the cloth, and fled from them naked. This fulfilled a remarkable type of the Jewish day of atone- ment, when the High Priest presented two goats before the Lord, at the door of the Tabernacle ; and cast lots, one for the LIFE OF CHRIST. 315 Lord, and the otlier for the scape-goat. Tims minutely did Christ show to the Jews — and to tlie Gentile world ever since — that Be was the true Pascal Lamb of God, foretold by all the prophets since the world began. Because the escape-goat into the wilderness signified that Christ's atonement was for the sins of the Gentile world, as well as the Jews. The blood of the goat of the sin offering was carried within the veil, and sprinkled before the Mercy Seat, to make an atonement for the Holy Place, and for the transgres- sions and sins of the people; this fnllilled type, as Clirist was being led to the Council to be condemned to death, was another proof to the Jews of His Messiahship. Pie was taken to Ann;is iirst, to get his approval of the arrest, l)ut no examination was lield there; but he sent Christ bound to Caiaphas, that he might order His trial and condemnation — because the Roman Governor would approve and execute his sentence. It was past midnight before Christ was led to Caiaphas, where the Council had assembled and the pretence of a trial began. But it was the mockery of a Hebrew judicial trial, with- out either its form or fairness ; because it required the accused to have his crime stated, to be confronted with his accusers — not to be tried for liis life hurriedly or in the night, and not to be condemned except on the testimony of two witncsses>, and never on his own testimony;- and all these conditions Were violated. ■ St. John recovered îvom Iris aUrm and flighty had returaied and followed Christ to the ilall of Judgifent; he knew, also, tliat Peter was at the door, and he went out to bring him in. And a woman at the door said to him, as he was entering, " Art not thou, also, one of this Man's disciples?" And he said, "I am not." Meanwhile, the High Priest asked Christ of His disciples and doctrines. And Jesus, claiming His legal rights, replied, " I ever spake openly in tiie Synagogue and Temple, whither the 316 LIFE OF CHRIST. Jews always resort ; and in secret liave I said nothing." This was a protest against the illegal proceeding, and a claim of His rio-ht, according to tlie law, to be informed of His accusation, and confronted by witnesses. And He said, "Ask those who licnrd ]\ïe, what I have said nnto them; beliold, they know what I have saith" These words evince conscions innocence of any crime; they were dignitied and respectful, and He knew that the Rulers had heard His discourses in the Temple. ' "When He had thus spoken, one of the otKccrs present struck Him with tlie palm of his hand, saying, 'AnswerestThou the Hiject was to make testi- mony to put Him to death. But it found none; though many testitied, their testimony did not agree. But certain false wit- nesses said, "AYe heard Him say, I will destroy this Temple made with hands, and in three days will build another made without hands." This was to prove Christ an incendiary, or pro- fane person, who would dcsti-oy God's temple; but the witnesses did not agree. Thus far, thene was a pretence of justice; and, as the testimony was insuthcient to convict Him, He was legally entitled to be set at liberty. Chrisi, was silent, during these pro- ceedings; He would take no part, because they were illegal. It then looked to the High Priest as if tlie Council would fail to find any cause to condemn Him; and he said to Jesus, "Answerest Thou nothing? Wluit is it these witness against Thee?" But Jesus kept silence. Then the High Priest said to Him, " I abjure Thee by the living God, that Thou tell us LIFE OF CHRIST. 317 wlic'tlior Tlioii be the Clirist, the Son of Go.]?" Tliis \v;is put- ting Iliin on His oath, as was cn.-tuninry tlien to Irt a criininal testify for liiniself. The Higli Priest knew that Jes\is churned to he tlie Clirist, and supposed He would tlicn admit it; and he had refrained from putting this question, until he saw liis first effort to convict had failed; and he showed his confidence in Cin-ist's ti-utliful- ness, believing He would not deny it. Here, again, it was the Court's duty to bring witnesses that He claimed to be the Christ. But He made it needless, saying, " If I tell you, ye will not believe; and if I also ask you, ye will not let Me go;" but say- ing "Thou hast said," was assent, I am, as you say, the Christ, the Son of the living God, and " hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of Heaven." Then the High Priest rent his clothes, sig- nifying that Christ had spoken blasphemy ; and said, " WJiat need we further witness, ye have heard out of His own mouth ; what think ye?" And they answered, "Pie is guilty of death." Then •followed the scene which set law and justice at defiance: "They spit in His face, and buffeted Him; and smote Him with the palms of their hands." Had Christ been» guilty of blasphemy, that was treason against the Theocracy, and He would have been justly condemn- ed; but so far from that. He asserted the truth of His Divine character and office, and was unjustly condemned. Tiiis settled the matter of His death, so far as the Sanhedrim had the power. But the Romans had deprived it of authority to execute the con- demned; and the whole multitude arose and led Jesus to Pilate. An hour had now passed since Peter had a second time de- nied the Lord; and apparently just before the departure from the Sanhedrim, another woman confidently affirmed, "This fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean, and his speech agreeth thereto;" and Peter began to curse and swear, "I know not 818 LIFE OF CHRIST. what thon sayest." And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew; and the Lord tnrned and looked on Peter. And he reinemliered the Avords of tlie Loi-d, liow IIo said, "Before the cock ci-ow twice, thou shnlt deny Me tliriee;" and lie went out and wept T)itterly. The Divine compassion in tlio Lord's look, melted Peter's heart. Put wliile he wept for liis nnworthiness, lie was confirmed in his faith and love of Christ, and w-as ever more faithful unto death — more devoted, and willing to bear His cross than lie ■would have been, but for His terrible fall and merciful forgive- ness. As one Apostle, Judas, had his special work to betray Christ; so had Peter his, to deny Him — to teach His disciples another lesson, tlie power of faith. Judas' faith failed, and he was lost; Christ prayed that Peter's might not fail, and it did not; and he Avas saved, thongli his gnilt was apparently as great as Judas'. And it lias been a consolation to Christians evei- since; and with- out tliis example of Clirist's great forgiveness at such n time, and under such circumstances, we should not have known liow far reaching His love and mercy arc; and there are V)ut few Christians who would not, sometimes, despair of tlie forgiveness of their sins. Now the scene had changed, and Christ is arraigned before Pontius Pilate. The Rulers of the Jews, in their rage and haste, assembled a midnight Council, and made themselves imimpeach- able witnesses for Christ ; and were doing His will in hastening His trial, that He might also be arraigned before the Roman Governor, to have their sentence confirmed, and His cru(dfi.\ion accomplished — so that He would die at the exact hour when the last Pascal Lamb was killed, and foi-ever abolish the Passover. Pilate was appointed Procurator of Judea, A. D. 27, by Tiberius, and he had resided at Jerusalem; and though he cared but little for the Jews, he must have heard of Clirist's miracles LIFE OF CHRIST. 319 aîîd doctrines, and it is evident he desired to save Ilini from IJis enemies. There w:is really no trial of Cliris't before Pilate, accoi'ding ti» Roinnn judicial forms; the Rulers of the Jews led Jesus there for Pilate to confinn their sentence, and to order His crucitix- ion. And Pilate declared that their demand was unreas(mal)le; he knew the sentence of tlie Council was illegal, and he detcr- n)ined rot to confirm it, hut to release Him. His conduct to- wards the Jews was commonly arbitrary ; and he did not c;a-e to please them, as his efforts to release Christ proved. The Chief Priests and Elders accompanied Christ to the Roman Court, but they would not go in — lest they should be de- filed, and could not eat the Passov^er. When Jesus came l)cfore Pilate, he put himself in the place of a judge — by asking the witnesses, " What accusation bring ye against this Man ? '• And the Jews avoided a direct answer to his question, saying, " If He were not a malefactor, we would not have brought Him to you." Tliey said, " He is a pe-tilent fellow, stirring up all Jewry — beginning at Galilee, fori adding to give tribute to Cfesar, and saying Himself is a King." The condemnation of Christ by the Council was for blas- phemy, a theocratic crnne ; but the llulers knew that was no violation of the Roman Law. So they made a new accusation before Pilate, and demanded sentence for a political crime — for refusing tribute to Cœsai, and making Himself a King; the chargé was partly true, and partly false — wholly false in the view in wliicli it was made — and that prevented agreement in the witnesses. And here, again, because the proceeding was unjust, Christ said nothing, and made no plea or defence; He knew tiiey were making testimony to prove, to future ages, wliat they denied, that He Is the Clirist. Pilate listened to the accusation, and then said to Christ, "Behold how many things they witness against Thee; answerest 820 LIFE OF CHRIST. Thon nothing ?" Tliis was to put tlie hnrden of defence on Christ, and was illegal; and He made no reply, and Pilate marveled at His patient silence. Meanwiiile a new witness for Christ's innocence appeared, which increased Pilate's desire to release Him; his wife sent to him, on the Judgment Seat, saying, " Have thou nothing to do with that Just Man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream, because of Him:" then Pilate went out to the Rulers of the Jews, and said, " Take ye Him, and judge Him according to your Law; for I lind no fault in Him." This was pronouncing Him innocent, and it was his duty to relase Him ; but the Jews answered, " It is not lawful for us to put any man to death ; " for God had so ordered it that they could not — that the prophecies concerning His death by cruci- fixion, and not by stoning as the Jewish law required, might be fuimied. The evasion and persistency of the Jews, appears, to have angered Pilate; and returning to the Judgment Seat, he asked Christ, "Art Thou the king of the Jews?" And He answered, "Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of Me?" This was admitting it; yes, it is so. Pilate again asked, "Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the Chief Priests hq,ve delivered Thee unto me; what hast Thou done?" This, again, put Christ on His defence, and He answered: "My kingdom is not of this world; if My kingdom were of this world, then should My servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews ; but now is My kingdom not from hence." This was a denial of the accusation of the Jews — that He was a political revolutionist, or had any designs of establishing a king- dom opposed to Caesar's, which was one of the greatest crimes known in Roman Law. Pilate again asked, "Art Thou a king, tlien?" And He answered, "Thou savest that I am a king! To this end Nvas I LIFE OF CHRIST. 321 born; and for tins cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one who is of the trutli lieareth My voice." This was equivalent to sayino-, "If you ask in a political sense — No, I am no king; but if you ask respecting my inheritance, nature, and mission — Yes, I am a king. And Pilate asked, "What is truth?" not in a jesting spirit, as Lord Bacon supposed, but with a real desire to know; because it was one of the great questions that occupied the discussions of the learned men of that age. And the Academicians taught that "probability, and the resemblance of truth, is the utmost men can attain;" and Cicero said, "There is no subject on which learned men differ so strenuously as on the nature of truth." No wonder, then, if Pilate believed Christ a Prophet of the true God, that he asked, desiring to know how He would define it. Our Lord had really anticipated and answered Pilate's ques- tion, before it was asked, by the saj'ing, "Every one who is of Truth lieareth My voice ; " that is, every one who is of God, who believes in the true God, and the revelation He has made, will believe in Me. The Psalmist said, "The Lord is the God of Truth:" all that God is in and of Himself, is Truth ; all He revealed through the Prophets and Christ, is Truth; Jesus Christ is Truth, as God; all He spake was Truth, the words v^hich the Father taught Him, and so were infallible Truth. St. John says, " Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ;" He is the only Man wlio ever lived and never misrepresented, or told a lie; "He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God." Christy therefore, stood before Pilate as the embodiment of Truth — the true God — and there was a profound meaning in His words, "Every one who is of the Truth heareth My voice." And thus He testified in Pi- late's Court, exactly as He declared Himself before the Jewish Council — that He is God, the Son of the one, only living, and true God; and this was His o;ood confession before Pontius Pi- 323 LIFE OF CHRIST. late; find it was a climax to tlie testimony of His enemies, the Pharisees — wlio pnbliclj' dec-l;ii-ed in the Temple, "We know that Thon art trne, and teachest the way of God in trnth." Thongli they confessed it with an evil intent, yet it was believed l)y all who knew Ilim. AVhen Pilate heard tliat, lie went ont to the Chief Priests and Elders, and said, "I find no fanlt in Him;" thus declaring Him innocent of tlic accnsations a second time, and prononncing Him not uuilty. " But," said he, "yon have a '-nstom that I release one prisoner nnto you at the Passover; will ye, therefore, that I release unto yon the King of the Jews?" because he knew tliat for envy, they had brought Him to be condemned. And there was sarcasm, if not jesting, in Pilate's question — calling Christ the King of the Jews, when they were publicly rejecting Him. It looks as if all Pilate's sympathies were with Christ, and he had about decided to release Him, in spite of the sentence of the Sanhedrim. But, meanwhile, recollecting that He had been spoken of as a Galilean — which Province was under Herod's jurisdiction, and He was then in Jerusalem, hoping to escape the responsibility of either releasing or condemning Hin^, — he sent Him to Herod, who had long wished to see Him, and hoped to witness some miracle done by Him ; the Chief Priests and Scribes went also, aiid violently accused Him. And Herod asked Him many questions, and He answered none; and Herod and his men of war set Him at nought, and mocked Him, and arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate, errjbed as King of the Jev\s. Pilate then went again to the Jews, and said, "You have brought this Man unto me, as one Who perverteth the people, and behold I have examined Him before .you, and lind no fault in Him, touching those things whereof _ye accuse Him; no, nor yet Herod, for I sent you to him; and lo, notliing worthy of death is done unto Him. I will, therefore, chastise and release LIFE OF CHRIST. 323 Him." Pilate declared their accusation not proven. That was his verdict. But he reminded the Jews of tlie custom of rele;is- ing a criminal at the Passover, and proposed to let Christ go, offering to scourge Him — hoping to appease the Jews, and save CJirist's life. Eut he knew not the extent of their malignity, nor that God was perofiitting their wickedness to fill up its meas- ure, by causing the death of His Incarnate Son; and that He might accomplish His mission in dying for the sins of the world. But they cried out, "Not this Man, but Barabbas," who had committed murder in an insurrection; and for Christ, they said, "Crucify Him, crucify Him." But Pilate was yet determined to release Him, and He delighted in tyranny over the Jews; and a third time he demanded, " What evil hatli He done ? I have found no cause of death in Him." Pilate had showed increas- ing courage after Christ's return from Herod; and he again said, "I will, therefore, chastise Him and let Him go." The Jews, seeing Pilate's firmness, were alarmed; and an- swered, "We have a law, and by our law He ought to die; be- cause He made Himself the Son of God." AVhen Pilate heard that, he was more afraid; and went again into the Judgment Hall, and saitli unto Jesus, " When e art Thou?" But He gave him no answer. And here again was fulfilled the prophecy — first before the Jewish Court, then before Herod, and now be- fore Pilate, "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before his shearers is dumb, so opened He not His mouth." Who, but God, could have maintained silence under such indigo nities? Or who, but the Christ, the Son of God, could have so fulfilled the prophecy ^ Then Pilate said to Christ, "Speakest Thou not unto me? Knowest Thou not that I have power to crucify Thee, and power to release Thee ? " Jesus then broke His silence, saying, "Thou couldest have no power at all against Me, except it were given thee from above; therefore, he who delivered Me unto S24 LIFE OF CHRIST. tliee liatli tlic grentcr sin." This shows how calm niid cool Jesus was ; liow He saw through all the scenes içoing on ; and how, in His own extremity, He exercised that Divine courtesy to withhold the names of Judas and Caiaplia? ; and it was also consideration for Filate, because of his efforts to release Him. Pilate thenceforth sought to rescue Christ from the Jews; and seeing this, they seized on a last re sort to compel Pilate to délivrer Him to be cruciiied. They knew their man, and his weakness; and how to excite his fear and selfishness, and compel him to jdeld to their demand: "An! they cried out. If thou let this Man go, thou art not Caesar's friend; whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against Cfesar." The Jews here shifted their accusation from the theological crime of blasphemy, to the political crime of conspiring against Caeîer; and in this, Pilate was officially and personally involve':!. His moral conrage weakene:!, his Governorship was endangered, and they carried their point against liis determination, though the accusat'on w^as false; because Christ publicly taught to pay tri lu to and honor to Cfesar. And Pilate brought Jesus forth, and sat down on the Judg- ment Seat, and said to the Jews, "Behold your king!" There was both anger and sarcasm in his words, because the Jews had over- reached him, and he saw himself powerless against their plot- ting; and he said this, as most insulting to them. The Jews cried, "Away with Him, crucify Him, crucify Him," Pilate said unto them, "Shall I crucify your king?" The Chief Priests answered, "We have no king but Cœsar." And Pilate, seeing he could prevail nothing, but rather a tumult was made, took water and washed his hands before tlie multi- tude — as if washino; his hands would cleanse him for vioLitino; his conscience — saying, " I am innocent of the blood of this Just Person. See ye toit." Thus the Jews, Ciirist's fo:s, forced this Roman Ruler into the position wh. re he was made an unimpe:;cli- LIFEOFCHRIST. 225 able witness for both Christ's innocence, and His royalty as the King of the Jews. But the multitude answered, "His blood be on us, and on our cliildren." This did not relieve Pilate of his responsibility; it was his duty to preserve peace, but he had no right to do it by illegal or unjust means. But he released Barabbas unto them, and when Christ had been scourged he delivered Him to be cru- cified. The scourging was a usual preliminary before the cruci- fixion of great criminals; and no indignity was spared Jesus, wliicli the half barbarou;;! Roman customs allowed. But He pa- tiently und unnnu'muringly endured the indignity and suffering, "dumb before His shearers." But no power of man could stay the v/ill of God, and flis Christ; He had come to do the Father's will, and fulfill His promise and revelation to man. And His crucifixion was essential to fulfill the prophecies, and finish His mission. Meanwhile, another scene was being enacted in the Temple, almost as wonderful as the unjust trials before Caiaphas, and Herod, and Pilate; and is as memorable in the world's history, and the best testimony to the Divinity and innocence of Christ, furnished on that remarkable day — which was, the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Psalmist, that one of His disciples should sell Him for the price of a slave, and die a mysterious death, and leave his office vacant. Pi-obably, at the time of the morn- ing sacrifice, as soon as Judas heard that the Sanhedrim had condemned Jesus to death, he brought the money to the Chief Priests and Elders, and confessed, "I have betrayed the innocent blood;" and he sealed the confession by his tragical death — "went out and hanged himself" — probably from some high place, and the rope broke — as St. Peter says, he "fell head-long, and all his bowels gushed out." Judas knew Christ intimately, saw Him in His most unreserved moments, and He could have no better witness; and God caused this wicked man's testimony 326 LIFEOFCHRIST. to be eui::raven into the earth, to serve as a perpetual memorial of His Son's Divinity and innocence. The Chief Priests took the money, and bought the Potter's Field to bury strangers in ; and many years after, St. Matthew said, " It is called the Field of Blood to this day." And all such cemeteries are now called Potter's Fields. No liuman mind can imagine any l>etter way in whicli God or man coidd li:i\e nccuinnhited more satisfactory testimony to prove Christ the Son of God, the Messiah of the Jews, and the Saviour of the world. For here was Christ's solenm declaration, under oath, that He is the Son of God; and the testimony of the Cliief Priests and Elders to Pilate, that He ouglit to die because He made Himself the Son of God. And the fact that when they found Pilate would not condenm Him, on that accusation — after lie had three times declared, "I find no fault in Him," and was determined to let Him go — tliey changed it to a political one whicli induced Pilate to deliver Him to be crucilied. And, finally, Judas testified to Christ's innocence, and sealed it with his suicide. All these are well known historical persons, known to be contemporaries at the time and place where they figured, and also that all of them had the veiy characteristics by which they are represented in the Gospel ; and unitedly they concur to prove that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and the Saviour promised in the seed of the woman. Then Pilate scourged Jesus and delivered Him to the sol- diers, knd tlu'y led Him away to the Hall, called Pretorium, and put a crown of thorns on His head, and a purple robe on Him, inaugurating Him as king of the Gentile world — for they were Gentiles who did it; but they saluted Him, "Hail, King of the Jews." And they smote Him on the head with a reed, and spit upon Him. And when the}^ had mocked llim, they took off the purple robe from Him, and put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him." This was the beginning LIFE OF CHRIST. 327 of Clu-isfs coror.ation as King, of both the Jews and the Gentile workl. These trials were both unjust and unfair; Christ suffered on two different charges. The Sanhedrim condemned Him unjustly for blasphemy; îind Pilate unjustly, because the Jews accused Him as an enemy to Cœsar — which, when Pilate examined Him, he said was not proven ; because Christ confessed that His king- dom was not of this world. And Christ was unjustly condenmed, both by Hebrew and Roman law, as no sentence of death could be justly passed until the accused had his accnsors face to face, and two, at least, agreed in their testimony as to His guilt. CHAPTER XLIl THE CRUCIFIXION. Crucifixion was by binding, or nailing, the pei-son to trans- verse pieces of wood, called a cross; it was a painful and lin- gering death, applied chiefly to slaves and great criminals, and regarded as the greatest dishonor by a Roman citizen or freed- man. The cross is probalJy tlie oldest instrument of punislnnent, and oldest emblem of suffering love; its origin is uidut they were terrified, and supposed Him to be a spirit. And He said unto them, "Why are ye troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet; it is I Myself." The disciples were glad; and He said again, " Peace be unto you ; as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you;" and He breathed on them, and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted; and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained." Thus the two great acts of this day were, to open His disci- ples' minds to understand the Scriptures, and to empower them to act as His successors until the Holy Ghost came — and em- powered them to organize His kingdom, and transmit that power to their successors — which they could not do until His sacred Immanity was glorified in the God-head. The Apostles had assembled with closed doors, because they feared the Jews might arrest and murder them — as they had Christ; but He entered and vanished from the room, the door being shut. His spiritual body was not subject to the laws of matter. 356 LIFE OF CHRIST. No other event in our Lord's life is confirmed by such proofs as His resurrection ; because it was the strongest evidence of His Divine nature, foreknowledge, and power, and it is ^he key-stone in Christian Theology. St. Paul calls Easter, " The Festival," by way of eminence, which shows it was celebrated by th3 Apos- tles, and is the root of all the Christian Holy Days; because it is the anniversary of the first Lord's Day, of the first Easter ever celebrated, and is the great central doctrine of the Gospel, wliicli gives vitality to all the others. And so, St. Paul says, " Unless Clirist be risen, our preaching is vain, and your faith is vain ; " ' for on that fact rests the proof that He is the Resurrection and the Life, as He declared Himself to be. And he says, also, " We Apostles are false witnesses of God; (because they testified) that God raised up Christ, whom He raised not, if the dead rise not." Jesus' resurrection perfected His human nature — it was a new birth from its material to a spiritual body; and it showed that death and the resurrection are means of man's development fi-om a mortal to an immortal state. Christ's death, without His resurrection, would have been fruitless; because it would be too much for human faith to believe He could raise our bodies, if He had not raised His own. The first Christian Festival of Easter was instituted by Christ, to commemorate His own resurrection ; and as bread and wine were the common food of all classes when our Lord came, it is certain, also, that He personally consecrated the elements of the Blessed Sacrament, and gave them as the memorials of His death and resur. ection, and as means of imparting spiritual en lightenment. The resurrection was a preparation of His body for its ascension to Heaven ; and on that depended the coming of tlie Holy Spirit to abide, and through whom, Christ Himself, in the Spirit, would carry on the work of salvation, which He l.tegan in the flesh, to give His eternal life and righteousness to all believers. And the Church embodied it into her Holy Seasons, LIFE OF CHRIST. 357 Creed, Gospel, and Epistles; and especially into tlie Preface for the Holy Communion on Easter: " To praise God for the resur- rection of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord." He was the resplendant first-fruit of what all mankind will be at the resurrection ; matter liad no more dominion over ELis body. Mary did not know Him at the tomb, nor the disciples at Emmaus, nor the Apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem; nor ever on the forty days He remained on earth — except as He assumed a human form or voice, like that He had while in the flesh. No eye ever saw His resurrection body in its spiritual state, which is evident from St. Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians, where he says, " Now henceforth know we Christ no more after the flesh." And we learn from Christ, that death and the resurrection are the new birth struggles of our bodies to immortality ; that we grow in the nursery of the Church Militant, to prepare us for the Church at Rest, in Paradise, to be fitted for the Church in Glory, in Heaven. And this reveals to us an infinite view of God's wisdom and love, and of the dignity and glory of the eternal life for which He created us; and of the debt of love a,nd gratitude we owe Him for the wonders of our Creation, and Redemption, and capabilities for an endless progress in knowl- edge and glory in His eternal kingdom. It was Christ's resurrection which made the Apostles begin to believe in Him, as the Incarnate Son of God, a person of the God-head ; but that faith was not perfected until His ascension to Heaven, and the Holy Ghost came. The Life of Christ — whi(;h then began to enter into the life of men — became a great spiritual power, that has ever sinve been operative; it gave a new impulse in every realm of intellectual activity and develop- ment of the human mind, entering into, and exalting, and civil- izing the nations, improving arts, civilization, and science. And no new law of matter has been discovered, which does not owe 858 LIFE OF CHRIST. it to the spiritual expansion that then begun, and is now mani- fest in the religious development that is spi'eading among the nations, and preparing the way for Christ to return as the Sou of Man, in the glory of God, to judge the world. CHAPTER XLV. THE GREAT FORTY DAYS. * St. Luke says Clirist showed Himself alive after His resur- rection forty clays, being seen of tlie disciples by many infalli- ble signs, and teaching them concerning the kingdom of God. John prepared Christ's wa}^, "preaching the kingdom of Heaven is at hand;" and He took np John's message, sajn'ng, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand." And when He sent the Apostles, it was with the same message; but he charged the Seventy "As ye go, preach; saying the kingdom of God has come near you." And after His resurrection. He instructed the Apostles how to organize it, after the Holy Gliost came, to make it a visible kingdom to convey His spiritual life and right- eousness, through its ministry and sacraments. And those forty daj's are -a distinct and marvellous period in His earthly missiorv All His appearances were supernatural; ilo one ever saw His spiritual body, knew its nature, or where He abode wliile He remained on earth. All the Apostles Avere convinced of His identity, except Thomas, on tlie day He rose; but he refused to believe until he saw the wounds of the cruci- fixion in His body, and remained in unbelief eii^ht days, until Christ miraculously showed them to him. Such a man would not be likely to be deceived, or countenance deception in others; 360 LIFE OF CHRIST. ^ and no one was more deeply interested to discover fraud, if there were any, Clirist remained those forty days to fulfill the type of Moses in the Ivluunt, receiving instruction from God liow to prepare the ministry and ritual, and to C)rganize the old kingdom of God, after the Heavenly pattern shown him ; so Christ devoted these days to teaching the Apostles respecting His kingdom, the Chris- tian Church, how to perfec-t the work He began, and prepare it to go on without His visible presence. All His teaching before this was prospective; and the calling of the Apostles and Sev- enty, the institution of the Sacraments, were but preparations for receiving the Holy Ghost. The Evangelists relate but few of Christ's appearances, on the forty days, and but few of His sayings; and they are so con- cise, and differently narrated, that it is impossible to tell exactly when or where they were spoken. And they are involved in a similar mystery to that seen in His earthly life and sayings; and all were revelations only to the Apostles, to confirm their faith in Him, and prepare them for the res}:orxsibility to devolve on them. And they gave commandments afterwards, which they said were received from Clu*ist, of which the Gospels make no mention. Christ told the Apostles how to fill up the outline of the kingdom He had given them, and all that they embodied in the Eitual of the Christian Church. And there was no need to record this in the Gospel, because it was done before the Gospels were written, and there was the visible Church to be seen and known of all. And if more had been written in the Gospel, it would not have added more weight to the testimony, nor been any more effectual to convince mankind, nor to save the Church from schisms. Christ promised that the Holy Ghost should empower them to succeed to both His High Priesthood and Apostleship, and LIFE OF CHRIST. 361 bring to their minds all He liad said to them. So St. Paul said, "The Church is built on tlie foundations of the Prop]iets and Apostles, Christ being the chief corner stone;" and the Ministry, Sacraments, Creed, and Liturgy He ordained, yet survive in His Cliurcli. And thirteen centuries ago, and two centuries before St. Augustin went to Britain, Gildas called the old Liturgy of the British Churcli, "The Lord's RrruAL." And all this proves that the Christian Church is but the development from the mother Cluirch, which the Son of God inaugurated in Paradise, organized on Mt, Sinai, and perfected after His resurrection; and so revealed it as to manifest the spiritual depths of the Law, and prepare it to continue until the world's end, and to transmit all the blessings of His Incarnation and Atonement. And now the Ministry called Apostolic, and the Apostle's Creed, are not so called from the Apostles — but from the gj-eat High Priest and Apostle, tlie Son of God, who was sent by the Father from Heaven to establish His kingdom, with its Sa(;ra- raents. Ordinances, and Ritual, and to produce a higher spiritual life and righteousness than the Jewish Church could ; for, as St. Paul says, "The Law made nothing perfect." And it was "nec- essary, therefore, that the patterns of the things in the Heavens should be purified with these; but the Heavenly things (sacra- ments and priesthood, and ordinances sanctified by the Holy Ghost) themselves with better sacrifices;" that is, of Christ's hu- miliation and death, so as to produce the righteousness whicrh is by faith in Jesus Christ. One whole week passed after Christ's resurrection, and no one knew where He abode ; or whether they would ever see Him again, until He fulfilled His promise to Mary, to meet His disci- ples in Galilee. But after eight days, the disciples were again assembled — the next Lord's day — and He appeared again, and stood in their midst; and giving them His salutation, "Peace be 863 LIFE OF CHRIST. unto yon," and saying, "All power is given nnto Me in Ilen'en and on earth," He reproved them for their unbelief and liard- ness of heart — bei^ause all doubted His resurrection at first, and Thomas had remained unbelieving until then. Tlierc was no an- nouncement of His coming, but the same mysterious and supernat- ural entrance — tlie doors being closed; and He said to Thomas, "Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless but believing." Rationalists, reasoning from material laws, deny that Christ could pass into a house, the doors and windows being shut ; but, until we know more of a spiritual body, it is Christian faith to believe as the Gospel represents it. There is no evidence that Thomas made any attempt to touch the Lord; if it were possible that any signs of tlie wounds were visible in His glorified body, they would not have been vis- ible to Thomas. For Christ evidently miraculously revealed to him the appearance of His human body, as it looked soon after His crucifixion; and when he saw it, he cried out, "My Lord and My God." Theologians commonly regard tliese words as an expression of Thomas' faith in Christ's Divinity; but there is no probability of it, because Christ had never publicly or pri- vately taught it — except in a mystery not to be explained until the Holy Ghost came. And, so far froni believing in Cln-ist as the incurnate Son of God, he did not believe in His resurrection; and declared he would not, unless his senses were convinced by tlie siglit of the prints of the wounds in His body. And when Christ mani- fested them, he was convinced that His body had risen, and tliat He was the Christ; and he called Him, "My Lord and My God," in the Jewish sense. And I gratefully acknowledge my oblioation to a learned and critical Ronuin Catholic theologian, for calling my attention to this obscurity concerning Clu'ist, as a person of the God-head. LIFE OF CHRIST. 363 There is no instance wliere Christ taught it in the Gospel, Lcfore Wi< resurrection, though we now see plainly that it was <.)ften in His words ; and it would have defeated the final object of His mission, had it heen understood by tlie Rulers of the Jews. Because, as St. Paul said, years after the Ascension, had they known it, " they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory ; " and had the Apostles known it, St. John would not have con- fessed on the resurrection morn, that they did not know He was to rise from the dead. Nor would Thomas' confession have been unconfirmed by Christ, when he made it. He did not commend his faith, even, but left him in his Jewish belief; saying, "Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet believed." Moreover, on all those forty resurrection days, Christ gave His disciples no new proofs of His divinity — except the awful mystery surrounding Him. He was no longer the Prophet-like Moses or Elijah, living in the lowest plane of humanity, and demanding no special reverence from His Apostles; but when- ever He appeared to tliem they were astonished or terrified, but as yet, they did not know His Divinity. And on that single occasion, where the Rulers of the Jews did perceive tlie deeper meaning of His words, in claiming to be the Son of God — and accused Jesus of blasphemy, because He said, "I and My Father arc One"— He instantly gave them to understand that tlieir Ltiw ad^nitted of such application to Him as the Christ. He asked, "Is it not written in your Liiw, I said ye ai-e Gods; and if He called them Gods to whx)m the word of God came, and the Scripture cann.^ b« broken; gay ye of Him, whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blaspliemest, because I said, I am the Son of God?" St. John relates only four of our Lord's appearances, when tliere were many more; and lie says Christ said and did many th'ngs in the forty days, wiiicli are not recorded. But many of them are visible in the or^ranization of the Church. And he re- 364 LIFE OF CHRIST. corded what the Holy Ghost directed, or what looked sufficient, ill his judgment, to convince all future generations that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God, who was made flesh, and dwelt with tlie Apostles; and in whom they behold the glory, as tlie glory of the only begotten Son of the Father, and that "believ- ing in Ilim, they might have life through His Name." Christ's next appearance was to the seven Apostles, at the Sea of Tiberias. A week had passed, and where He abode, or what He did, was unknown; but the disciples waited, expecting a call to meet Him in Galilee, when they expected His kingdom would be instituted — for they yet looked for a political one. And these atoms from God's word to build the kingdom on, make the bulk of revelation correspond to the atoms of gases and matter, and the remains of the protozoa, which form the foundations of the kingdom of nature, and the ether and atmos- phere, in which the solar system floats, and prove that one God is the Autlior of both. Meanwhile, the Apostles seem to have returned to their former occupation as fishermen, and did not know what awaited them. They had toiled all the old Sabbath night, and had taken nothing, and in the morning dawn saw a stranger standing on the shore. They did not know Him ; but it was not from tlie darkness or distance, because He hailed them and asked if they had any food. And they answered, No ! As on all former meet- ings. His appearance was as a strange man. And He said, " Cast your net on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find ; " and they did so, and the net was immediately filled witli fish. St. John said to Peter," "It is the Lord;" and he pulled off his coat, and cast himself into the Sea. And the disciples, in another boat, helped to drag the net asliore. On a former occa- sion the net break, but not so now; it was a symbol of the great, drag-net of the kingdom, which was to gather in men, and land them safely on the Heavenly sliore. No word is told of how LIFE OF CHRIST. 365 Peter fared, in the water. But he had some knowledge of tlie power of Christ's will over fish, when he caught that one witli the tribute money in its mouth; and he saw, that, in His resur- rection body, He yet lield dominion over them. When the disciples landed, they saw a fire, and fish, and bread; and OIn'ist told them to bring their fish, but none durst ask, "Who art Thou? Knowing He was the Lord." Whether His act of eating before the Apostles was real, or only appeared so to them, His mystical body needed no earthly food to sustain it; and His object was to convince them of His personal identit3\ After the meal ended, Christ said to Peter, " Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these?" And he said, "Yea, Lord, Tliou knowest that I love Tliee;" and He said, "Feed my lambs." Tlius He committed the children to His Cliurch; they were the first objects of His love and i;are, after His resurrec- tion. Again He said, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? " He answered, "Yea, Lord, TJiou knowest that I love Thee;" and He said, "Feed My sheep." After the lambs have grown to sheep, they must yet be cared for. Tl^en a third time, He saM to Peter, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me?" Peter was grieved because He asked the third time, and he said, " Lord, Thou knowest all things, Thou knowest that I love Thee;" and He said, "Feed My sheep." This last word to feed, is the same as was used for the lambs; all in the fold are His now, all are objects of His love and care — and He turned tliem over to His Church, to be fed and trained ; and love for Him must be the impelling motive, to make His ministers do their duties to the flock. But why ad- dress Peter, as if this supervision were especially for him ? The reason is plain : after Peter's recent blasphemy and denial. He miglit well fear, that, like Judas, he had forfeited his right to the Apostleship ; but the Lord thus assured him of His forgive- ness, and that he should have his throne in His kingdom with 86e LIFE OF CHRIST. the otlicr Apostles. And the triple repetition of the qnestion rcspectiui^ his love could not but have recalled to Peter's inind Jiis three denials of Christ; and the Lord's words to Simon, the Pharisee, when He asked Him about the two debtors, and he said he supposed he would love most to wliom most was for- given — and thus assuring liim tliat he was forgiven. Therefore, instead of conferring any supremacy on St. Peter, our Lord's intention, evidently, was to assure him that he iiad not forfeited his Apostleship; in no instance did he exercise any supremacy over the other Apostles, but, on the contrary, appears always subordinate. AVlien the candidate was selected to fill Judas' place, the eleven Apostles "gave their lots;" when the seven deacons were chosen to complete the three-fold ministry, the twelve Apostles said, "Look ye ont seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint." And though there were twelve lines of Apostolic succession, when the first Apostolic College assembled to decide about doctrine, St. James presided; and St. Paul rebuked St. Peter, because of his com- piomising with the Jews at Antioch, and "withstood him to the face." And when St. Peter was an old man, and laboring in Babylon — from whence he wrote his Epistles, and where he suf- fered martyrdom — St. Paul wrote the Epistle to the Romans, which he would hardly have done if St. Peter were Bishop there, or had ever been at Rome. There is no particle of his- torical evidence, civil or sacred, to show that Peter ever saw Rome — until one hundred and fifty years after his death, when the statue of a Syrian God named Semo, pretended to be Simon Peter, was dug up; and on that fact hangs all the later history of his Apostleship there. Then s:iid the Lord to St. Peter, "When thou shalt be old another shall gird thee, and carry thee where thou wouldest not. Follow Me." This would recall to his mind the words He LIFE OF CHRIST. 367 spake to ]\\m, the evening before His crucifixion, after t]^,e Pascal Sir-^por, " Wliitlier I go thou canst not follow Me now, l)nt thou slialt follow Me afterwards;" which foretold His violent deatii l\v crue iixion, as the way he would follow Him, and as the end of his Apostleship, and '' thereby glorified God," Then Peter, turning to St. John< said, " Lord, what shall tliis man's end he?" for the answer shows that is the prol)able meaning of the interrogation; and He said, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" And Peter and the disciples mfei-rcd that Christ meant St. John should not die until He c;ame at the end of the world to judgment; but He referred to His first coming — of which he had before told thom — to judg- ment on the Jewish nat'on, to destroy their polity and Temple, and put an end to the Daily Sacrifice, and scatter them among the nations; and He was the only Apostle who lived to witness it. The next appearance of Christ to the Apostles was espe- cially devoted to opening their minds to understanding all that Moses, and the Prophets and Psalmist had foretold respecting His death and resurrection, and the new Avay for forgiveness of sins that was to be preached to all nations in His Name — which was another act of His Divine royalty; but He charged them to remain at Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high, to exerci=e this new authority. Though the Lord then gave the Apostles power to under- stand the old Scriptures concerning Himself, He did not give them the understanding of all He said to them whi-h was to be M-ritten in the New Testament, and enable them to ordain the Rulers and organize the Church, until His ascension, and tlie Holy Ghost came to abide — that it might be foi'ever known that the Church is not of man, nor from man, nor of this world, but of God. Wiiat time transpired between this appearing of our Lord, 868 LIFE OF CHRIST. and tlie last one — when He led five hundred disciples out to Beth- any, and t^ave His last great charge, and Resurrection Commis- sion to the Apostles, and revealed to them tlie name by which God was forever to l)e known in His Church — not a word is said in the Gospels; and all this m3'stery identifies Him as the God of tlie Old Testament, of whom Isaiah said, " Yerilj Thou art a God who hidest Thyself." When He met the disciples there, some worshipped Him. hut others doubted; and the reason of the doubt was that He appears never to have manifested Himself under His former appearance, to compel the faith of any but the eleven Apostles, who were His chosen witnesses for His resurrection; to them He committed the duty of convincing the world. At that last solemn meeting, when the Lord was to depart from this world, in His bodily presence, and commit to His Chur(;h to carry on the work He had begun, He renewed the declaration He made to the Apostles on the evening of His res- urrection, "All power is given Me in Heaven, and on Earth;" and in virtue of that. He gave the great Resurrection Commis- sion and promise, to go into all the world and disciple all nations, " baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost " — whoever believed and was baptized, would be saved ; and whosoever sins they remitted or retained, He would ratify in Heaven, and whoever would not believe should be con- demned. This great Christian doctrine of the one God, in the most Holy Trinity, into whose name the disciples were to be baptized, was then given to the Church — to be held, taught, and trans- mitted, as the fountain of all power and truth — and from whom came all the sacred doctrines of the Gos-el, and all the authority of tlie Church. The only living and true God, wdiose Name is above every name, to wh^m every knee must bow; and so bow to Christ, because He was to be glorified in the God-head. It LIFE OF CHRIST. 369 \v;is the ];!st revelation of Clirist to man, the daj He ascend- ed to Heaven, of the One in Tiiree, and Three in One, tlie greatest mystery of God and eternity; and it was the only doc- trine He revealed on the forty days, as the summary and sourc3 of all truth, and the foundation of His kingdom's cliarter. And .~o it has ever since stood in the Creed, and Doxologies, and Prayers of His Clmrch, as the bond of unity for all Gospel trutli. And all who are baptized and signed with Christ's cross in that Holy Name, know they have received remission of their sins, through His most precious blood. By this Holj' Name, the Apostles were empowered to organize Christ's kingdom, to ordain its Kulers, to teach, to bind, and to loose, to tjovern it, and transmit their powxr and authority to their sncce&sors, until Christ comes again; for He promised, as His last great promise, and before He pionounced His last blessing as He was ascend- ing to Heaven, "Lo! I am with you always, to the end of the world." And the power to forgive sins is not in the priest — but from Christ, through the Hoi 3^ Spirit, in the Sacraments; tlie priest is the agent, through Christ, in the Spirit — He Himself < onveys the sacramental grace. But the Apostles did not even understand the doctrine of the Trinity, nor His Divine nature as it was then revealed in their great commission, until the Holy Giiost came with power; they were yet to remain- at Jerusalem until they were elidued with power from on high. CHAPTER XLVL OUR LORD'S ASCENSION. There have been three Ascensions of men to other worlds, witliout passing throngh the common dissohition of the body^r- under the three dispensations, or covenants, of God with man — and each one in an ascending scale. The first was Enoch, under the Covenant of Sacrifice, which extended from Adam to Abra- ham ; he was translated because he walked witli God, but the time and manner aj-e not related. The second was Elijah, under the Covenant of Circumcision, which prevailed from Abraham to Christ; that was seen by Elisha, Elijah rising on the air, and received by a Heavenly chariot. These both went to Par- adise. The third was Christ, under His own Christian Cove- nant, after He returned from Paradise, going up at noon-day from the presence of many spectators, ascending by His own Divine power to Heaven — as the first fruits of mankind, as the Forerunner of the race, and the assurance that He opened the way for all believers. A thousand years before Jesus' birth, the Psalmist foretold His ascension to Heaven, and tiie blessings that would follow it; in a prophetic vision he saw His triumphal ascension, and, in the rapture of poetic inspiration, cried out, as if he saw Him approaching the Heavenly world, " Lift up your heads, O Ye 24 LIFE OF CHRIST. 371 Gates! and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in." And again, "Thon hast ascended on High, Thon hast led captivity captive : Thou hast received gifts for men: yea, for the rebellious also, tliat the Lord our God niiglit dwell among them." And on the resurrection morn, Christ foretold to Mary that He was about to ascend to His Father in Heaven. Of the last interview of Clu'ist, at Bethany, with the disci pies, that continued from morning to noon-day, but little is re- corded ; but He never could have looked so gracious and Divine to thera before, nor can it be imagined that His own emotions were ever deeper, than at the two things about to happen to Him — the parting from His beloved disciples, and His ascen- sion to, and admission of His human nature into the glory of the God-liead in Heaven. While they were grouped around Him, listening with awe and wonder at His words, and expecting some new manifesta- tion, their minds were yet dull, after all they had seen and heard from Him, for they still expected a political kingdom; because they asked, " Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? " But His answer furnished no explan- ation of the nature of the kingdom — only they nuist Avait at Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on High ; and He had before told them, that, when the Holy Ghost came, He would enable them to understand all things respecting Hitn. There is no record of any parting embraces, no words of farewell, no tears which such a separation, and the sundering of such love, would be likch' to cause; but, suddenly, while the Lord was blessing them, He ascended on the air, and was met by angels, who came down to the Apostles and told them He had gone to Heaven, to be seated at God's right hand; and He would come again, as they saw Him go, on the clouds, to judge 372 LIFE OF CHRIST. the wofIi]. And but for the angels' testimony, they woiihl not have known hut that Christ returned to Paradise. What unity there is in the GospeL AVhat consistency and reasonableness in the narrative. Christ said, "I came down from Heaven," and that He is the Son of God; and leaving the world. He said He was going to Heaven; and only His risen, spiritual body could ascend there. And the ascension confirmed what the Apostles had seen — that He was no longer subject to mate- rial laws, but gravitated by the force of His own will to Hea- ven ; and by a mightier law than that which governs the universe, He passed from the earth, and took His sacred humanity to the throne of God, No human imagination ever invented such a story. That day there was seen a new sight in Heaven — the Son of Man glorified, and worshipped by angelic hosts. As the Son of God, He resumed His phice in the God-head, because He could do more for His Church there, than on earth; He told His disciples, "I go to prepare a place for you, that where T am, there ye may be also." And He glorified His human nature in the God-head, that He might return in the Holy Spirit, and abide in His Church, according to His promise, until the end of the world, and finish the work of redemption He began in the flesh. And there, from His throne, He has ever watched over His Church ; and here on earth, in the Holy Spirit, He has ever since called and consecrated its ritlers, helped them in theiu Jabors, and sustained them in their trials and sufferings, and regenerated and sanctified all believers. And from all this, we learn that the Incarnation of the Son of God wrought as great changes in Heaven, as on earth. Be- (jause once, there was but one nature in the God-head — then, a human nature was added to it. Once, no man had seen God ; but now, the Son of Man, Christ Jesus, lives in the blaze of His glory. Once, all the angels were holy; througli the revolt of LIFE OF CHRIST. CTS one, many fel]; and l)y the Blood of the Lamb, they were over- come and cast out; and now, all who were stable can never more be tempted by Satan. Once, none but Christ conld enter Heaven; now, He has opened the kingdom to all believers — so that, after the resurrection, they can also enter there. There is something, in this world's romance, in splendid, self-sacriiicing deeds, which touch the deepest sensibilities of oiir nature; and it is because the spirit is immortal, that everything supernatural inspires us with awe or delight. And all God has revealed to us, through Christ, of our future relations to Him, and the Heavenly worlds, and our future existence in them, is Heavenly romance, and the poetry of religion, adapted to our nature, and designed to awaken in us the desire and effort to fit ourselves for onr higher life. St. Paul makes this practical application of the doctrine — " If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." "We see in t]\n whole plan of the Incarnation, the wisdom and love of God, in giving us a religion so adapted to our nature ; so ermobling to it, and so designed to excite us to exertion in doing its duties, and fitting ourselves for a higher eternal life. It is often said that the truth of Christ's Divine origin and nature — and so of Christianity — rests chiefly on the fact of His resurrection; but the death and resurrection were but interme- diate and connecting links in the two more essential facts of tlio Incarnation and Ascension to Heaven. If these were true, then the resurrection was a reasonable event; for unless He ascended to Heaven after His resurrection, it would have been too mu(/h for human faith to believe that He ever came from Heaven. Easter is sometimes called the Queen of tlie Cliristian Festivals; but the Ascension is the King of the Festivals, because Christ then ascended to Heaven, to be enthroned as the Son of Man, in the Royalty of the God-head. 374 LIFE OF CHRIST. And in all our world's romance, there is nothing so marvel- lous, bewilderiufj;, and enchanting, as this story of the infant Jesus — Ijorn in this world of a virgin Avonian Mother, grown here to Manhood the Son of God incarnate in Him — now enthroned in the glory of the God-head in Heaven, yet Head of His Churcli on earth; and besides tliis, reproving the world of sin, calling men to repentance, exalted — as St. Peter said — to Heaven, to be a IMnce and Saviour, and give repentance to Israel. Our Lord's resurrection from death does not so inspire our imagination, nor quicken our faith, nor raise our hopes of future glory, as His ascensicn; because we see in that the possibility and proof of our own ascension, and inheritance with Him in Heaven. He said to His disciples, "I ascend to My Father, and your Father, to My God, and to your God;" and "where 1 am, there shall ye be also." And His ascension is proof that we can ascend and live with Him in that Divine presence; and it is a motive to impel us to do all in our power to live so as to secure tlie inheritance. It teaches us to reverence our bodies, to strive to be holy; because, without holiness no one can see God. And we know that we are seeking the things above, when here be- low we are doing all our duties in Christ's Church according to His example. The Mother Church prepared the way for our Lord's iirst comhig, and His Church is now preparing for His second coming; and our rejoicing then will be proportioned to what we have done to prepare ourselves, and the world, for that auffust event. ^^•r■ CHAPTER XLVIL CHRIST GLORIFIED. Our Lord said to His Apostles, in that last discourse, tlie evening before His crucifixion, "It is expedient for jou that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send Him unto you; and He will reprove the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment," and guide them into all truth, and regenerate and sanctify believers. They did not know what He meant by going away, nor where He was going to, nor who the Comforter would be. But on the resurrection morning. He told Mary to tell tlie disciples, "I ascend to My Father and God, and to your Father and God;" and when He ascended, the angels told them He had gone to Heaven. And all we yet know of that kingdom is that it is the place of God's abode and throne, and a realm of infinite glory; and He said, "Heaven is My Throne, and the Earth My footstool;" and as God is a Spirit, it must be a spiritual kingdom. Jesus also told the Apostles, "All that tlio Father hath is mine; tlierefore I said the Comforter shall take of Mine, and show it unto you." As tlic Son of Man, His human nature w^as admitted, at its glorifie;! tion, into the same union with God the Father, and tlic Spirit, that He had, as the Sou of God, before His incarnation; ;^ 376 LIFE OF CHRIST. by wlncli His sacred humanity became omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. And that was one reason wliy it was expedient forllis Apostles, and the Church, and tlie worhl, that He should ascend to Heaven; because, there He could do more for them than in the flesh on earth. Because, while in the flesh. He was only in one country, and came to call only tlie Jews to repent- ance, and to prepare the way for His kingdom ; but in the Spirit, His presence w^ould be universal, His kingdom organized — and wdiile He called men to repent here. He would intercede for them in Heaven, and give repentance and forgiveness to those who asked, and righteousness to all believers. And, finally — His presence being invisible — He could never again be persecuted, or crucified. After our Lord's resurrection, a visible change came over His bodily presence and powers: but a vastly greater change attended His glorification in the God-head. When the first Christian Martyr suffered for Christ, he saw Heaven opened, and Christ standing at God's right hand; and he prayed to Him to forgive his persecutors, and to receive his spirit. And #. when Christ appeared to Saul of Tarsus, a light from Heaven shined on Him so bright that he fell to the earth, and heard Him saying, "I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest" — persecut- ing His Church, or disciples, is yet persecuting Hhn. And when He appeared to St. John, at Patmos, he was overcome by the splendor of His Divine presence. His countenance was like the brightness of the Sun, His voice like the sound of many waters, in His right hand were seven stars, and out of His mouth was a sharp sword; and His name was no longer the Son of Man, but "I am the Aljlia and Omega, the beginning and the end." And He sent back this message to His disciples and a dying world: "I am alive forever more, and have the keys of Hell and of Death; him that overcometh I will make a pillar in the Temple of My God; and I will write upon him the LIFEOFCHRIST. 877 Name of My God, the Name of the City of My God, and My new Name; and will grant him to sit with Me on My tlirone, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father, on His tlirone; and he shall inherit all thing.-, and I will be his God, and he shall be My son." Sncli were to be some of the grand results — so far as our race is concerned — of the Incarnation of the Son of Man on earth, in man's nature; and the glorification of the Son of Man in the God-head, in Heaven. And no human mind can imagine the inaJGsty and grandeur, the might and magnificence, of the God-Man, on the throne of God and the universe ; or of His increr.sed power to bless and save men, on earth. And no other world, or race of beings, can be as dear to Him as man ; because He has taken the earth's elements and man's nature, and glori- fied them in the God-head. And it looks as if ten of our days were occupied in the festivities in Heaven, as the Apostles waited so long after the Ascension, until Fentecost — the anni- versary of the giving of the Law, and the institution of tlie old kingdom and priesthood — before the Holy Ghost came; and then Christ returned in and with the Holy Spirit, to abide on earth, in the miraculous way described by St. Luke; on the Lord's day, when the Apostles were assembled for wors^'.ip, "Suddenly there came a sound from Heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven' tongues like fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance, the wonderful works of God." The names of fifteen countries are mentioned, and there were, doubtless, many dialects and different languages spoken by them; and "tliey were all amazed, and marvelled, saying one to another, behold these are all Galileans, and how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born." It might be supposed that the 378 LIFE OF CHRIST. tongues were fi tompornry niirafulons gift for tlie occasion, wcro there not evidence to tlie coiitrary ; for^ eight years h\ter, there was a simihir manifestation at Cœsarea, when "tliey Iciird tliem speak with tongues, and magnify God." (Acts x:46.) From that retm-ning of Clirist, in the Holy Ghost, the Apostles received power to organize His kingdom, to conse- crate "the Christian priesthood, and to prepare the way for His second coming, in the glory of the God-head; from tiiat day the Man Christ Jesus has exercised dominion over the visible and invisible worlds; has abode in His Church, and made every member's body a Temple of the Holy Ghost. And from this it is seen how intimately, through Him and His kingdom, all it 3 members are allied to God, and to Heaven. The going away of our Saviour in the fiesh, Avas the crown- ins act of His incarnate life on earth ; and His return in the Spirit, was the crowning blessing of His manhood's glorifit^ation in Heaven. It was the beginning of His new work in Heaven — ^for us men, and our salvation — of His preparation for His Church there; and of His new work, on earth, of carrying on the salvation He began in the flesh, a thousand fold more effec- tively in the Spirit — whereby we perceive, more clearly, the depths of the mystery of the love of God, in Christ, of the plan of our. Creation and Redemption, and future eternal life; and of His plan for spreading His Gospel and Church among all na- tions, and of imparting His life and righteousness to all believ- ers, and carrying on the world's salvation. St. Peter said to the High Priest, when he was brought before him for teaching and working miracles in Christ's Name, " The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree; Him hath God exalted, with His right hand, to be a Prince, and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and f oro-iveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things ; so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them who obey LIFE OF CHRIST. 379 Him;" and all such then, and ever since, have found Him an all-sutMcient Saviour, and He will be their God forever. The Holy Spirit wrouglit with the Father and tlie Son, in creating our world as He has ever since co-operated with them in its moral government; He inspired the Prophets, He caused the immacculate conception of Jesus, He descended on Him to consecrate Him for His earthly mission. And thus began the New Dispensation on earth — far more wonderful than C]'eation — ^by sanctifying men, and exalting them to be God's spiritual children, through Christ entering into them as He did into Him, to abide forever. The first mission of the Holy Spirit was by His eternal procession from the Father and the Son; but His second mis- sion brought Christ's glorified humanity with Him, in which the fiery glory of the God-head is so softened that it can enter into our bodies and make tliem His temples; so that every good thought, every holy desire, and every longing after Christ's righteousness, come through His Divine operation. And He can be every where at the same time, reproving the millions of our race of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come; regen- erating the penitent, comforting tlie mourning, succoring the tempted, and sanctifying believers. Thus began the reign of Christ in the Spirit, after He was glorified in Heaven; and now we see wliy it was expedient for Him to depart. St. Paul says, "The love and kindness of God our Saviour appeared towards man, by tlie renewing of the Holy Ghost, w^hich He shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour." And this is the mystery of Godliness: That, as the union of the Holy Spirit with Jesus' human nature made Him the God-Man, so Christ, in the Holy Spirit, regenerating our human nature in Holy Baptism, makes rus Christ-Men, or Christians; which enables us to receive the Gifts of the Spirit, when that life is Confirmed in us, and thenceforth to bring forth 880 LIFEOFCHRÎST. th e Fruits of the Spirit, which are u righteousness like Christ's. St. Paul says, Ave are "buried into Christ by baptism," wliicli is "Christ in you, the liope of glory;" and, as all know, if thoy liave so received Him, no one can doubt as to wbcther he be a Christian or no. And it affords no ground for merit on our part, but hangs all on Christ ; and is designed to intensif}' our love of Him, to inspire our zeal to obey Him, and give us patience in bearing His cross. The organized Christian Church was first mentioned by name the day the Holy Ghost came, and the people asked what must we do to be saved. And three thousand converts were that day added to it. And St. Luke says, from that day " The Lord added to the Church dail}'' su(^h as should be saved." And the doctrine that our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Spirit, now con- veys all Divine grace through His Church to our world, runs through the Acts of the Apostles, the Canonical Epistles, and Ritual of the Church. Without our Lord's return in the Spirit, thei'e would have been no speaking of tongues with the Apostles to fit them to go into all the world to preach the Gospel ; no power in them to ordain other Apostles, whom the Holy Spirit named Bishops (Acts xix:28); no Church organized; no regeneration and sanc- tification tlirough the Sacraments; and no Gospels written. And all Christ did in the flesh would liave made no more lasting im- pression in our world, than the teaching and miracles of tlie Prophets. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit which has made Christ's ministry the power of an endless life*— a world embrac- ing, time enduring power — in impelling men to long, and strive for, tlieir own and the world's salvation, and so prepare them for His Second Advent. And the consciousness of His invisible presence on earth, reproving, restraining, and sanctifying men, and drawing tliem by the invisible cords of His love from the ways of sin to the LIFE OF CHRIST. 381 patlis of righteousness ; gathering the nations into His kingdom, diffusing knowledge, elevating the people, refining their civiliza- tion, has incïi-eused century after century, and gloriiied His Name. Christ in the Spirit is doing more powerfully on the whole world, what He did in one country, while He was in the flesh — Avorking miracles of love and mercy, calling sinners to repent, sanctifjang believers, calling and empowering His ministers — for when Matthias was elected, it was by Christ, and in ans¥/er to tlie Apostles' prayer: "Tiiou Lord show which Thou hast chosen." And He has always given success to their labors, and comforted them in their troubles, exactly as they liave looked to Him for help; and has also made Laymen a Royal Priesthood in praying, and giving, and w^orking for all benevolent objects, and for the world's salvation; for they, also, receive grace for their work, from Christ, through the Holy Spirit, as His Minis- ters do. Meanwhile, He has also been everywhere raising the fallen, healing the broken hearted, and supporting the dying. All these are His works, from the first desire of the penitent sinner until the last Holy Communion of the dying Christian, preparing for his entrance, in the spirit, to the Saints in Paradise. Jesus now, by the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, yet speaks to the conscience of men^ who nevef heard of His Name, or deathless love ; and makes Himself heard above the tumult of the passions within, and the strife of the world without, and writes His law on every mind, and moves more mysteriously than the blowing of the wind. Thei-e is notliing too hio-h for His majesty and power, for He is God; and nothing too lowly for His love, for He is Man, and knows all our infirmities, and experienced our death. When Christ returned in the Spirit, miracles were con tinned only for a short time, as they were no longer needed ; because His witness to man's spirit more than supplied their 382 LIFE OF CHRIST. place. It is the Regal and Priestly power of the Son of God, which makes Iliiu our intercessor in Heaven, as well as our lielper on earth, and keeps open the clumnels of grace be- tween God and men; and from wlience has flowed the life and light of Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, that have flooded the eai-tii, and made our Christian civilization and science so much superior to any whicli existed before Him. Thus our Lord has fulfilled His promise that He would re- turn to tliis world — would not leave His disciples comfortless, but would draw all the world to Him. He has drawn tlie hea- then by the law written in their minds; and drawn Cliristendom by the story of His love unto death, His rcsurrei;tion, and ascen- sion, and glorification in the God-head, and the revelation that He has opened the kingdom of Heaven to all who believe and obey Him, and made these doctrines understood as they never were before — and never could have been, but for His Divine love and infinite condescension. Thus the Father's promise to glorify Christ, is fulfilled: First, by exalting His humanity to the God head, and kingdom of Heaven; Second, by erecting Him a kingdom on earth, more renowned, universal, and lasting, than any other which ever ex- isted — King of a kingdom that has engirdled the earth, on which the sun never sets, and its worship of Christ as God goes on day and night, which has kings and queens as its subjects wh