THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY From the collection of Julius Doerner, Chicago Purchased, 1918. 'E'5-E ■P'GEe 1953 Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. University of Illinois Library THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY From the collection of Julius Doerner, Chicago Purchased, 1918. B&se 1955 •X' ''f, ' V ' ■MMi ,, ' . > "■ r, >'“'■ .- ^ ■> '-V- \r. ■ ' i Vj rA% /«! 1 '■V # -V LECTURES UPON THE HISTORY OP OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. B Y TH E REV. HENRY BLUNT, A.M. RECl’OR OF UPPER CHELSEA ; LATE FELLOW OF PEMBROKE COLLEOS, CAMBRIDGE; AND CHAPLAIN TO HIS GRACE, THE DUKE OF RICHMOND. ■Met!) American IHtittfoit PHILADELPHIA : PUBLISHED BY H. HOOKER, SOUTH- VVKST CORNER OF EIGHTH AND CHESTNUT STREE ^^S 185 3 . Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Alternates https://archive.org/details/lecturesuponhist00blun_0 3 ^) (853 PREFACE. In undertaking the present history, the author felt more anxiety, and in committing it to the press he stik feels more hesitation, than on any former occasion. — The narrative of the life of our divine Lord and Mas- ter forms the sum and substance of the Gospels. To comment upon this, in a manner at all equal to its re- quirements, is far beyond the author’s pov^ers ; to com- ment upon it plainly, and scripturally, and usefully, is all at which he aims ; but for this much labour, and prayer, and time are needed. If every incident in such a life is to be noticed — and where is the Christian who would willingly part with a single line in the portraiture of his divine Master? — years must pass away before its conclusion. In ordi- nary times, and the present are not ordinary times, many are the vicissitudes which would occur during the period that such a history, if we are permitted to conclude it, needs must occupy. Many a youthful reader, now entering upon life, perhaps too full of his approaching prospects to give much heed at present to instructions such as these, will, ere they close, be so- bered by the stern realities of life, and softened by the influences of God’s good Spirit, to an attention to the things belonging to his peace.” While many an aged Christian, who now delights in the narration of all that the Beloved” of his soul said, and did, and suffered ( 3 ) 4 iv PREFACE. while on earth, will, perhaps, before this simple illustra- tion of it is concluded, have ceased from human teach- ers and their imperfect ministrations ; will have ex- changed the written for the lirmg Word; will be dwell- ing “in the light which no man can approach unto,” and hearing these passages of the mortal life of his Re- deemer, perhaps from the lips of those who witnessed them, but certainly in the immediate presence of him, “whom, not having seen, ye love.” To the sincere Christian, reflections such as these will be productive of anxiety ; it is enough that no ho- lier subject can occupy him here below; no higher sub- ject even in eternity, than to dwell upon the precious words, the mighty deeds, the almighty love of the infi- nite, the adorabJe Redeemer, the co-equal, co-eternal Son of the living God. May the prayers of the reader so accompany the efforts of the author, and the grace of God so “ prevent and follow” both, that he may not disgrace the match- less theme, but be enabled to speak of the divine Sa- viour as one who, although he has never learnt where the favoured son of Zebedee delighted to lay his head, has not been denied “ the crumbs which fall from the Master’s table.” Upper Chelsea, January, 1834. CONTENTS SECTION I. LECTURE I. Matthew i. 18. “ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise.'^ The “mystery of Christ’s holy incarnation.” The birth of the Lord Jesus Chns. The birth of the Saviour announced to the shepherds. The shepherds’ faith and the Shepherd’s bless^ ing 15 LECTURE IT. Luke ii. 21. “ When eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb^ The circumcision of Jesus. Infant baptism. “ Thou shall call his name Jesus.” The presentation in the temple Address to Christian parents. Simeon and Anna. ... 26 LECTURE III. Luke ii. 51. “ And he went down with them, and came to subject unto them^ The visit of the Magi. The flight into Egypt, in the temple in the midst of the Doctors, parents. Parental discipline. LECTURE. IV. Matthew iv. 3. “ And when the tempier came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.'^ The baptism of our Lord. The first temptation. 1 # Nazareth, and was The return. Christ Was subject to his 37 V 49 Vi C O IV T E N T S . LECTURE V. Matthew iv. 8, 9. “ Again the devil tnketh him up into an exceeding high moun- tain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of the7n; and saith unto him, all these things will 1 give thee, if thou wilt fall down aiid worship me'' The second temptation. Faith and presumption. Encouragement. The third temptation. “All these things will I give thee.” 60 LECTURE VI. John i. 49. “ Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God ; thou art the King of Israel." John the Baptist. His first testimony to Jesus. Calling of Andrew. Of Simon Peter. The future, in mercy, hidden from our eyes. Calling of Philip. Interview with Nathanael. Prejudice. 70 LECTURE VII. John ii. 1, 2. “ And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee," The marriage at Cana. First miracle. Address to married persons. The wife’s obedience. The husband’s responsibility. . 81 SECTION II. ^LECTURE 1. John ii. 13 — 15. '•^And the Jews' passover was at hand ; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen, and sheep, and doves, and the changers of money sitting ; and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple." The first Passover after the commencement of our Lord’s ministry. Jesus cleanses the temple. Zeal and discretion equally neces- sary in all reformation. 96 CONTENTS. vil LECTURE II. John iii. 1, 2. “ There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; the same came to Jesus by night''* The interview with Nicodemus. “ Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” No new doctrine. The Gos- pel, a “savour of life unto life, or of death unto death,” to all who hear it . 105 LECTURE III. John iv. 10. Jesus answered and said, unto her, If thou knewest the gif t of God, and who it is that sailh to thee, give me to drink, thou wouldesl have asked of him and he would have given thee living water." Persecution. Jesus “ wearied with his journey.” “The gift of God.” Conversion of the Samaritan woman. . . 116 LECTURE IV. John iv. 50. “ Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way, thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way." A prophet is not honoured in his own country. Jesus heals the nobleman’s son. Three striking examples of our Lord’s treat- ment of the ignorant, the sinning, and the suffering. Invitation to these three classes. 126 LECTURE V. Luke iv. 33, 34. “ And, in the synagogue there teas a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, saying. Let us alone ; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth J art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art: the Holy One of God." Our Lord resides in C ipernRum. Demoniacal possession. The un- clean spirit bears testimony to Jesus. Our Lord heals Simon’s wife’s mother of a great fever. Address to convalescents. 138 CO:ST E NTS. viii LECTURE VI. Mark ii. 5. “ When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the Jialsy^ Son^ thy sins be forgiven theey Jesus heals a leper. Heals the paralytic. Has power on earth to forgive sin. . . . . , . ' . . 147 LECTURE VII. Luke v. 27, 28. “ And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom ; and he said unto hi'm. Follow me. And he left all, rose up and followed him," The calling of St. Matthew. On conversion. Still a supernatural work — and a decisive work. ..... 158 SECTION III. LECTURE I. John v. 8. “ Jesus saith unto him. Rise, take up thy bed, and walk," lesus goes up to Jerusalem to attend the second Passover during • his ministry. Pool of Bethesda. Jesus heals the impotent man. . 170 LECTURE II. John v. 25. “ Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live," Our Lord taken before the Sanhedrim. Accused of Sabbath break- ing. Answers the charge. Accused of making himself equal with God. Acknowledges this great truth, and establishes it. Proclaims the general judgment 180 CONTENTS. \j LECTURE III. Luke vi. 12, 13. “ And it came to pass in those days that he went out mto a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples : and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles.'*' Our Lord continues “all night in prayer to God.” Chooses and ordains the twelve Apostles. The Christian’s duty of praying tor ministers. The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus entertained by Si- mon the Pharisee. A woman who was a sinner, anoints our Lord’s feet. Forgiveness of sin produces love to the Saviour. 191 LECTURE. IV. Matthew xii. 81. Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shfdl be forgiven unto men ; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men'' Our Lord cures the blind and dumb demoniac. Answers the charge of casting out devils through Beelzebub. “The sin against the Holy Ghost.” Its nature and prevention. Jesus begins to speak in parables. The storm on the Lake of Gennesaret. , 202 LECTURE V. Mark v. 25 — 28. “A certain woman, when she heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may but touch his clothes, I shall be whole." Christ visits the Gadarenes, and is urged to depart, Jairus be- seeches our Lord to go and heal his daughter. The woman healed of an issue of blood. The Lord’s “ hidden ones.” “ Only believe.” Jesus raises Jairus’s daughter. . - . • 213 LECTURE VI. John vi. 37. “ All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me, and him that comelh to me I will in no wise cast out." The third passover during our Lord’s ministry. The people fol- low Christ, “ because they did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” Jesus the true bread which came down from heaven. On feed- ing by faith upon the Son of God. “ All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me.” “ No m^m can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” . . . 225 SECTION IV. LECTURE I. Matthew xv. 28. “ Then Jesus answered and said unto her^ O woman, great is thy faith ; he it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.'*'’ The third year of our Lord’s ministry. Jesus answers the Pharisees who asked why the disciples ate with unwashen hands. Visits the confines of Tyre and Sidon. Heals the daughter of the Syro- phoenician woman. “ Great is thy faith.” Jesus feeds four thou- sand with seven loaves. 239 LECTURE TI. John vii. 37. *^In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying. If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.'*'* Jesus goes towards Dalmanutha. Thence to Bethsaida, and through the villages of Cecsarca Philippi. Peter’s confession. The trans- figuration. Jesus sends forth the seventy disciples. Goes up tc Jerusalem to attend the Feast of Tabernacles. Preaches in the temple “about the middle of the feast.” Preaches again on the “ great day of the feast.” 249 LECTURE III. St. John xi. 43. ^And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Laza- rus, come forth.'*'* The visit of our Lord Jesus Christ at the house of Lazarus. The sickness of Lazarus. His death. His resurrection. Beautiful application of our Church of the words of our Lord, “ I am the resurrection and the life.” 260 LECTURE IV. Matthew xix. 16. “ And, behold, one came and said unto him. Good Master, 7vhat good thing shall I do that 1 may have eternal life .^” Tfie young ruler’s character. His inquiry. The reply of our Lord, and its effect. The striking analogy between this case and many in the present day. ..... 273 CONTENTS. XI LECTURE V. Luke xix. 9. “ And Jesus said unto him^ This day is salvation come to tins house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham,'^'* The petition of Salome, James and John. “ Ye know not what ye ask.” Conversation of Zaccheas 287 LECTURE VI. Mark xiv. 8. “ She hath done what she couldy Jesus in the house of Simon the leper. Mary’s offering*. Judas condemns Mary. Our Lord defends her. Are we doing what we can ? Our Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. La- mentation over the devoted city. .... 299 EXPOSITORY LECTURES.^ LECTURE I. John xvii. 24. “ Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, he with me where I am, that they may behold my glory^ Object of these lectures. Our Lord Jesus Christ keeps the^ass- over for the last time. Prays for his disciples. That his heavenly Father may keep them, sanctify them, glorify them. Christ prays not for the world. Daily sanctification necessary to the believer 317 LECTURE II. John xviii. 8. “ Jesus answered, I have told you that 1 am he ; If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way." Our Lord in the garden of Gethsemane. His apprehension. 325 LECTURE III. John xviii. 19. “ The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine," Our Lord Jesus Christ before Caiaphas. Again before Caiaphas and the assembled Sanhedrim 330 CONTENTS. xii LECTURE IV. John xviii. 38. Pilate saith unto him^ What is truth Our Lord Jesus Christ before Pilate. Privately examined. Ju- dicially examined. “ What is truth P’ . . . 334 LECTURE V. John xix. 12. “ And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him , but the Tews cried out^ sayings If thou let this man go, thou art not CcBsaPs friendy The character of Pilate. Lessons to be drawn from Pilate’s con- duct. “ Behold the man.” 339 LECTURE VI. John xix. 17. “ And he bearing his cross icent forthP Our Lord Jesus Christ delivered to be crucified. “Bearing* his cross.” Crucified. Commends his mother to the care of the beloved apostle. “ It is finished.” .... 344 LECTURE VII. John xix. 41, 42. “ Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden . and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid, there laid they Jesus y The soldiers break the legs of the malefactors. “ A bone of him hall not be broken.” “ One of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side.” Sanctification and justification. Jesus in the sepul- chre. 351 LECTURE VIII. John xx. 13. “ And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou ? She saith unto them. Because they have taken away my Lord, and 1 know not where they have laid himy Visit of the women to the sepulchre. Appearance of oiir Lord to Mary Magdalene. The risen Saviour. . . . 350 THE HISTORY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. SECTION 1. FROM HIS BIRTH TO THE FIRST PASSOVER AFTER THE COMMENCEMENT OF HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY. # 2 ( 15 ) LECTURES LECTURE I. St. Matthew i. part of the 18th verse. “ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise.’' In opening to you the subject of the Lectures for the ensu- ing season, as has been usual with me upon this day, I confess I never felt so much oppressed by the difficulty of the under- taking as at the present moment. My plan has heretofore acen to bring before you for ‘‘reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,” the lives of some of the eminent servants of the Most High, as recorded in holy Scripture, and to point out, according to the ability which God has given me, the striking features of their history, either for your imitation or avoidance. If we have felt, and I confess that I have often deeply felt, that there was a degree of presumption in one so ignorant and so imperfect taking upon him to comment with all freedom upon the language, and actions, and tenor of life of these most holy men of old, how must this feeling be increased, when we ap- proach, for a similar purpose, not the servants, but the Master — not those who, with their highest degrees of holiness, were still but the poor, sinful followers of the great Jehovah, but the co-equal and co-eternal Son ! Often have I desired to minister to you upon this high and holy theme, and as often have shrunk from it dismayed at the arduous task, and fearful of laying an unhallowed hand upon this greatest mystery of godliness, the true Ark of the Covenant. That I now address myself to it with the greatest diffidence and distrust of my own powers to do justice to :t, ( 15 ) 16 LECTURE I. it is unnecessary for me to add ; and but for one importan\ object, I would not hazard the imputation of egotism, by alluding thus to my personal feelings; but that object con- strains me : I need not name it to you who are united to your ministers “ in one hope of your calling,”* who love them as the helpers of your joy and the pastors of your souls, for the “ spirit of prayer and supplication”! will have already sug- gested it to you ; and I shall not name it to others ; for to those who know not the value and the blessedness of a throne of grace for themselves, how can we say, “ Brethren, pray for us.”! Hoping, then, to be “ filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,”^ and to be strengthened and supported by the prayers of God’s people, while engaged in the highest subject which can occupy the heart and tongue of man, I shall, without further remark, commence upon the undertaking. No history of the Lord Jesus Christ would be complete without some reference, however brief, to the cause of his advent from the bosom of the Father, to live, and travail, and agonize, and die, in a world of sin ; or without some mention of the manner in which that advent was effected. The cause is revealed to us in the unerring word of God, when it declares, ‘‘ Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and is plainly recognised by our church, when she says that God’s “ blessed Son was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil, and make us the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life ;”|| and still further that God has given him “ to be unto us a sacrifice for sin, and also an ensample of godly life .’’IT These were the motives of his advent, to “ finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness.”* § ** ♦ Ephes. iv. 4. t Zechariah xii. 10. t Thess. v. 25. § Coloss. i. 9. y Collect for the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany. It Second Sunday after Easter. Daniel ix. 24. LECTURE I. 17 The manner of our Lord’s advent was equally remarkable, and, until God’s own word had revealed the mystery, equally incomprehensible. “ A virgin was to conceive and bear a son ,*”* a new thing the Lord was to create upon the earth, ‘‘ a woman was to compass a man,”f that so a body was to be prepared for the incarnation of the eternal Son of God without spot of pollu- tion, or taint of sin, in which he should do and suffer the will of his God. Our church, in her admirable Litany, has with peculiar propriety and precision called this the “ mystery of Christ’s holy incarnation and well would it be if her mem- bers were guided by the same spirit of deep humility which influenced her when she thus expressed herself. We should not then have been called to combat the fearful heresy of Christ’s sinful humanity, or have heard language applied to the immaculate Jesus, which cannot but lead us to tremble for the spiritual welfare of those who use it. It is enough for the humble-minded Christian to be assured that the incarnation is a mystery, and a holy mystery ; that the miraculous concep- tion of the Virgin was, as the angel of God had pronounced it, a “ holy thing that he who was born of her was “ holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,” partaking of all the innocent infirmities of our nature, and of none other. So much God has been pleased to reveal even of this high mys- tery, and therefore this is the believer’s portion ; over all be- yond, the same God has thrown an impenetrable veil, and the true child of God will sit down in faith and patience before that veil, waiting contentedly for the coming day when it shall be drawn aside by God’s own hand, and the inscrutable secrets as well as the unutterable glories which lie within it, shall be made the subject of the clearest vision. “ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise.” Joseph, his reputed father, having been warned by the angel of the Lord that Mary, his espoused wife, had been selected from * Isaiah vii. 14. 2 # t Jeremiah xxxi. 22. t Luke i. 35. 18 LECTURE I. among all the daughters of men to be the mother of the Mes- siah, and that that holy thing which should be born of her should be called the Son of God, no longer feared to take unto him Mary his wife. While they were dwelling together in Nazareth, a city of Galilee, in holy expectation of that great event, which was the “ desire of all nations,”* a decree was passed by the Roman emperor, that all persons throughout the empire, then embracing the larger portion of the known world, should be enrolled. In consequence of this decree, Joseph and Mary, as the lineal descendants of David, left Nazareth, and journeyed to Bethlehem, his native city, a small town distant about sixty miles from the place in which they were then resident : thus fulfilling, under the most im- probable circumstances — circumstances over which they them- selves had no control — the important prophecy of Micah, that out of Bethlehem should “ He come forth who was to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from ever- lasting.”! Remarkable evidence have we here of the manner in which the prophecies of the Most High are brought to pass ! The Roman Emperor, seated upon his throne, knowing nothing and caring nothing for the God who placed him there, issues a decree, the result of his own vainglory, to enrol the names, and occupations, and properties, of the widely-spreading my- riads who acknowledged his authority ; and all for what pur- pose, and for what high and mighty end ? That a poor carpenter should be obliged to undertake a journey of sixty miles, at a time when nothing but compulsion would have induced him, that so the Church of God throughout all ages might have unquestioned and unquestionable evidence to the identity of the child now to be born, with him “ of whom Moses and the Prophets did write.”! Blessed be God, brethren, that we have this “ more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark Haggai ii. 7. t Micah V. 2. t John i. 45. LECTURE I, 19 .nlace, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts.”* Having arrived at Bethlehem, they found, as might natu- rally have been expected, that this little town was crowded to excess by the influx which the decree of the emperor had occasioned. ‘‘ And so it was,” says the inspired historian, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”! We sometimes hear the Christian, and the true Christian speak in tones which appear not wholly destitute of self-gratulation, of having renounced the world, foregone its vanities and its splendours, and given up, it may be, some one of the thou sand comforts and luxuries with which their cup is filled, for the honour and glory of God, and for the sake of the Rc deemer. Some of you, perhaps, can recollect the manifesta- tion of no very dissimilar state of feeling, even by an apostle, by one whose heart beat high with love to his Redeemer, and who rejoiced in the prospect of attending his career of poverty and suffering, and yet who could not so completely silence the feelings of the natural man, as to repress the vain- glorious exclamation, ‘‘ Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.”:]; Turn, then, for a moment from such examples, from the very highest example which man can ofler, to this, of ‘‘ the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords ;”§ see him volun- tarily descending from the most exalted throne in heaven to the lowest, poorest, humblest station upon earth. Dwell for a moment in imagination upon this amazing scene, upon this wondrous effort of redeeming love, and then say, are you not ashamed of the manner in which you over-rate your sacrifices and your self-denials of the cause, or for the sake of Christ ! Behold the Ancient of Days, whose goings forth have been from everlasting, condescending, for you, and for your salva- 2 Peter i. 12. t Luke ii. 6, 7. t Luke xviii. 28. § 1 Timothy vi. 15 20 LECTURE I. tion, to become a child of a span long; look into the manger at Bethlehem, and see him lying there a little helpless babe ; you need not carry on your thoughts to the thirty years of misery which awaited him, while thus coming unto his own, and his own receiving him not bearing their rejection, suffering their contempt, perishing from their cruelty. No ! this opening scene is sufficient to convict us all. We have need to blush and be ashamed for the poor, miserable pittance of self-denial, devotedness, and love, which we are returning for this costly sacrifice. At such a sight, the language of our hearts should be, “ Lord, nothing which I possess is too good for thee ; nothing which thou hast ever given shall be with- held from thee, if thou demandest it ; myself, my soul, my body, all, all are at thy disposal, my best but a blemished sacrifice, and myself an unprofitable servant.” But I would yet once more call you to look for a passing moment into the stable at Bethlehem, and draw from thence another lesson. I do not refer to this humble and obscure abode, that the view may exalt your ideas of the infinite hu- mility and self-abasement of the Incarnate Son ; for to have been born the noblest potentate that earth has ever seen would have exhibited as large a share of humility, and have been in itself as deep a degradation for one so unspeakably glori- ous, as to pass for the son of that poor carpenter, and to lie in that obscure and humble stable ; but I call upon you to view him there, that you may rightly estimate the value of all earthly distinctions in the sight of God. They are, doubt- less for wise and admirable purposes, not only permitted, but appointed by himself ; but when we see him thus in the per- son of the only-begotten Son selecting from tfiem all, the poor man’s lot, in which to visit us, we must surely feel, that there is naturally in our minds, and in our hearts, an overweening attachment to the great things of the world, its glittering fol- lies, and its splendid lies, which ought to be uprooted and sub- ^ John i. 11. LECTURE I. 21 dued before vve can, as we are bound, resemble him whose name we bear. Surely the first faint and feeble cry which issued from the manger of Bethlehem said, in language which cannot be misunderstood, ‘‘ My kingdom is not of this wwld.”* “ Love not the world, neither the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”t Surely we cannot be, in heart and in life, the followers of this self-denying Saviour, unless we are content with the portion of this world’s good which he sees fit to be- stow upon us, however small ; unless we are willing to lay down, without repining, our worldly blessings, however dear, and to acknowledge, heartily and sincerely to acknowledge, that we had rather be ‘‘ rich in faith and heirs of the king- dom,”:]: than rank among the wealthiest, or take our place among the noblest of the world. We pass on to the first incident recorded by the inspired writers, after the birth of our divine Saviour. “ There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo ! the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them. Fear not, for behold, I bring 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, which is Christ the Lord.”§ How inscrutable are the ways of God ! Of all classes of men, thus to select those who were least favoured by outward circumstances ; of all orders of intellect, thus to choose those least enlarged by education or culture, to whom first to com- municate the wonderful intelligence of the salvation of a world! O, what honour was that day poured upon the humble and the lowly among the sons of men, who gain their daily bread by daily labour, when crowned kings and mitred priests were * John xviii. 36. § Luke ii. 8-11. + 1 John ii. 15. t James ii. 5. 22 LECTURE I. passed over, and the poor shepherd at his midnight watch was selected to be the first depositary of the glorious intelligence ! My poorer brethren, here is much in this little incident for your encouragement and comfort. You are, perhaps, some- times tempted to believe that, in placing you in the station in which your lot has been cast, your heavenly Father, so boun- tiful to others, has dealt unkindly and unjustly by you. There are, undoubtedly, privations to which you are peculiarly ex- posed, and from which your wealthier brethren are exempt. It is vain for me to tell you, although it is unquestionably true, that these are far fewer and less important than you imagine; for we are aware that it is an inseparable principle of our fallen nature to multiply our own woes, and to magnify our neighbour’s happiness. I will not, therefore, occupy your time in the fruitless endeavour : but of this, as a minister of God, and upon the authority of God, I may assure you, that God hath chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him that as you to whom I am now speaking — the laborious poor — were the first to whom the advent of the Saviour was re- vealed, the first to whom the gospel was proclaimed, and that by the lips of the angel messengers of God, so in all ages have you been the first to receive and to obey, and to delight in, these good tidings; while the very privations and restric- tions of your lot are instrumentally among the motives which induce you to lend a willing ear and an open heart to their reception. Many efforts are making at the present time, un- happily, to rob you of this marked and blessed superiority. The sabbath-breaker, with a cruelty which few can equal, is striving, by every means in his power, to tempt you to the desecration of this day of heavenly rest ; the politician to engage your thoughts and attention upon subjects which can- not profit you, and which, perhaps, have never really profited, as an immortal being, a single individual who engaged in ^ James ii. 5. LECTURE I. 23 them ; the infidel, to seduce you to the perusal of blasphemous and irreligious publications, which, injurious as they are to all, add a refinement to their injury when they address them. se;lves to you, destroying not only your hope of joy hereafter, but the only possession of joy which has been vouchsafed to you here. Before you listen, even for a moment, to those who would thus deprive you of the most invaluable prerogative which God has, as a compensation, affixed to the poor man’s lot, ask yourselves, “ If this be taken from me, what have I left ?” Others may, amid the transient pleasures, and joys, and wealth of this world, revel for a time in forgetfulness of all that is to follow^ but you have not even these miserable comforters.”* In taking from you your belief in God, your trust in Christ, your hope of glory, your sabbath peacefulness and holy joy, they are robbing you of that which alone can make the hovel of the pauper happier than the palaces of princes ; and if they succeed, they will inevitably leave you “ of all men most miserable.”! But why should I confine the application of this instructive incident to the poor ? The language of the angel to the shep- herds was, not only “ Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,” but, “ which shall be to all people.” Yes, bre- thren, “ to all people :” for all was the Saviour born, for all did the Saviour die, to all is the Saviour preached, and to all and to each, without exception and without reserve, is the Saviour most freely offered. We would, therefore, say to every individual of every class and rank in society — from the king upon the throne to the prisoner in the dungeon — Here are, if you will receive them, “ tidings of great joy” to you, the way to the Father freely opened, reconciliation and pardon fully offered. For when that angel choir united in the heavenly anthem, “ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will towards men,”! joyous hour that, in the person of the •Job xvi. 2. t 1 Corinthians xv. 19. t Luke ii. 14. 24 LECTURE I. babe in Bethlehem, a Deliverer was found by God himself, and the “everlasting gates” were lifted up, and a passage was opened for all kindred, and nations, and people, and tongues, into the eternal kingdom and joy of our Lord. Turn we now from the announcement of this great mys- tery hy the angel, to its effect upon the shepherds. No sooner had the last of that angelic company winged his flight back to those regions of bliss from which he came, and the last notes of the heavenly anthem died upon the gale, than we find the shepherds saying to one another, “ Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known to us.”* What a remark- able evidence of faith, and zeal, and love ! “ Let us now go ;” not to-morrow, but to-day, this very hour, this moment, although they had been watching their flocks throughout the livelong night ; no feelings of fatigue, no consideration of per- sonal inconvenience, could delay them for a single hour ! And observe ,* not, let us go and see whether this thing he come to pass, which the Lord hath made known ; but, let us go and see this thing which is come to pass. They never for an instant questioned the certainty and the reality of all that had been revealed to them. What an instance of that true faith which is “ the substance of things hoped for, the evi- dence of things not seen,”! which believes God so implicitly as to take him instantly at his word, and to think nothing too great, nothing too good, to be true, which he has once plainly declared ! Brethren, this is the faith of which we all so greatly stand in need. We are for ever disposed to question, and to doubt, and to reason, where we ought in all child-like simpli- city to believe and act. Our feeling should be, God has him- self of his unspeakable mercy offered to me, a miserable sin- ner, pardon and peace ; he has told me in the plainest and most unquestionable language, that they who come to this Sa- viour shall in no wise be cast out. This, then, is all that you * Luke ii. 15. t Hebrews xi. 1. LECTURE I. 25 require; if you cannot remember, if you do not know an- other offer of salvation, another promise of acceptance through- out the Bible, you do know and can remember this ; and one such promise “ which the Lord hath made known,” is suffi- cient for you in life and death, in time and in eternity. You may at once, God’s grace enabling you, receive and act upon it ; you may at once betake yourself to that Saviour, and with all your numberless transgressions, which you desire deeply to deplore, and truly to forsake, cast your soul unhes- itatingly upon him to justify you and to sanctify you here, and according to his most gracious promise, to glorify you in the world to come. This is realizing the shepherds’ faith, and must draw down the Shepherd’s blessing : you shall, like them, “ return glorifying and praising God,”* for your eyes will have seen, and your heart will have felt, his salvation. One more consideration, and I have done. While these poor shepherds, who entered into the stable and sought and found the Saviour, received the blessing, many among the Bethlehemites, no doubt, passed and repassed the stable-door, but never thought of entering in, or of inquiring after him who lay there. Brethren, see that it be not thus with your- selves during the ensuing season. You who have sufficient time at your command for many an hour of frivolous occu- pation during the day, remember that these doors will be open — that your ministers will be at their post — that if God be- stows upon us health and grace, the Saviour will be here pre- sented, in all the important circumstances of his mortal his- tory, to the minds and hearts of his people. You need no angel messenger to tell you where to find him; if you pass unheeding by, you will find no angel monitor to charge you with indifference and neglect. And you, my Christian bre- thren, let me entreat, to unite your prayers to mine, that many poor, and blind, and ignorant, wanderers, may be led, during the course of lectures which we h-ave this day commenced, to 3 * Luke ii. 20. 26 LECTURE ir. receive the offers of salvation as freely as they will be freely tendered ; to draw near with a true and lively faith to the great Deliverer of their souls, and ultimately to leave this house of God, as the shepherds left the stable, rejoicing in the sight and in the knowledge of him, “ whom truly to know }s everlasting life;”* glorifying and praising God, and ena- bled to say from a broken, a contrite, and believing heart, I have oftentimes before heard of thee ‘‘ by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee.”f LECTURE IL St. Luke ii. 21 , “When eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” We continue the narrative this morning, as recorded by the same evangelist, from whom? we derived the account of the shepherds’ visit ; and we commence with the first act of obedience and of suffering to which the infant Saviour was summoned — the rite of circumcision. It may, at first sight, appear matter of astonishment, that the pure and sinless Jesus should be subjected to a rite which pre-supposed impurity and sin. It is indeed obvious, that foi one at least of the purposes for which all the other children of Abraham received this rite as a symbol of the renewing of a corrupt nature, and the putting away the lusts of the flesh, it was to our Lord wholly unnecessary; for what pur- pose, then, did he, the spotless Saviour, subject himself to this painful, and, as regarded his own person, if we consider him Individually and not federally, unnecessary rite? * Collect for St. Philip and St. James’s Day. j Job. xlii. 5. LECTURE II. 27 The reason, brethren, was doubtless this. The Lord Jesus came to fulfil the whole law of God, that he might work out a perfect righteousness ,* as he came to suffer the whole pen- alty for sin, that he might offer “ a perfect sacrifice.” Now the rite of circumcision was the initiatory rite of the Jewish religion, just as baptism is the initiatory rite of the Christian. When, therefore, upon the eighth day of his mor- tal life, the infant Saviour submitted to this important rite, it was in effect saying, as plainly as actions could proclaim, that he was willing to be made in all things like unto his brethren — that he came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfil them. And this, it is evident, would be perfectly in- telligible to the Jews, however it may need explanation to us ; for it was most clearly understood that, as St. Paul expresses it, every man who was circumcised was “ a debtor to do the whole law.”* Circumcision, therefore, was the gate by which the holy Jesus entered the temple of the Mosaic Cove- nant, and having so entered, he could not leave the house, but as a voluntary bondsman whose ear had been bored to the door-post, f he became bound to its ordinances for ever. Here then was the commencement of that active obedience, by which the law of God was to be honoured in every part, and the precepts of God fully and entirely obeyed, and an everlasting righteousness brought in as a justifying righteous- ness for his redeemed people ; “ that as by one man’s disobe- dience many were made sinners, so by the obedienqe of one should many be made righteous.”:j: But important, deeply important, as this consideration is to the spiritual life of the Christian, there is yet another deduc- tion to be drawn from the rite of circumcision, to which, in this place, it may not be unprofitable to allude. Observe how powerful an argument the circumcision of infants offers for the baptism of infants. Is not the most frequent objection which we hear urged against this valuable sacrament, the fact * Galatians v. 3. t See Exodus xxi. 6. t Romans v. 19. 28 LECTURE II that the child knows nothing of the truths involved in it, or the obligations enforced by it ; and does not the same objec- tion apply with equal force against the rite of circumcision? Can we imagine, then, that the children of the Jew were to be allowed, as they obviously were, that sign of the right- eousness which is by faith,”* and to take upon themselves the obligations of that covenant to which it was initiatory, and to be partakers of its blessings and its privileges ; and can we suppose for a moment that the children of Christian parents were to be robbed of these comforts and advantages? No, we cannot but believe that if, as the word of God assures us, Christ in all things was to “ have the pre-eminence ”j* over Moses, then can there be no blessing, no privilege, no immu- nity, granted under the old dispensation, which is not retained, with at least its full endowment of Old Testament blessings, under the more gracious dispensation of the New ; else,’ as the apostle emphatically declares, ‘‘ else, were your children unclean, but now are they holy,”:]; that is, else were they debarred from entering into covenant with God, but now are they free to be admitted. Else, as we may fairly add, did the pious Jew live under a happiw and more benign dispen- sation than ourselves — for he was repeatedly assured that the promises were to him and to his seed — while we, if debarred from the privileges of infant baptism, have no such assurance, but must leave our dear children to the uncovenanted mercies of God.'- At the time of his circumcision, our Lord, according to the Jewish custom, received his name, and was called Jesus ! which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”§ — “Thou shalt call his name Jesus,” said the angel to our Lord’s reputed father, “ for he shall save his people from their sins.”ll Then was that name bestowed jpon the incarnate Son which has now for eighteen centuries * Romans iii. 22; iv. 11. fColossians i. 18. 1 1 Corinthians vii. 14« § Luke ii. 21. 11 Matthew i. 21. LECTURE II. 29 been the watchword of peace, and joy, and strong consolation, to the Church of God. That name of power, of which the Holy Spirit has declared that God had given him a name which is above every name, that “ at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” That name of mercy, of which the evangelist de- clared, “ signs, and wonders, and healings, were done by the name of the holy child Jesus at the sound of which the lame walked, the lepers were cleansed, the deaf heard, and the very dead were raised. That name of love, of which the» church of old -declared, “ Thy name is as ointment poured forth,’ therefore do the virgins love thee.”f All of power, all of mercy, all of love, which the weak, and wounded, and bleeding heart can need, is treasured up for it in that blessed name. My brethren, have you experimentally found that there is virtue in the name of Jesus ? Have you ever suffered from deep depression of spirit, when all around you was dark and lowering, and no single ray of hope from earthly objects came struggling through the gloom, when you have felt as if all had forsaken you, and no man cared for your soul at such an hour have you never experienced the matchless power and efficacy of that name of love? O, there is in those short syllables a sound more soothing than the fanning of a seraph’s wing, more musical than the melody of an angel’s harp. For that name alone is able to sustain the sinking spirit, to bind up the broken heart, and to bring peace and comfort to the despairing soul. Nay, more, that name can bring, what no other name which the lips of man have ever littered can aspire to bring, pardon and acceptance to the most hardened, most rebellious, most God-forgetting spirit among ns all He w^as called Jesus, because he came to save his Acts iv 30. 3 * t Canticles i. 3. X Psalms cxlii. 4. 30 LECTURE II. people from the guilt, from the power, from the consequences of their sins. Has, then, that name no charms for you ? Have you heard it often, and repeated it often, and does it convey no pleasura- ble feelings to your heart? We do not usually hear unmoved the name of one we love ; the quickened ear catches the sound amidst a thousand voices ; and of a thousand names hears that and that alone ; the throbbing heart beats faster and higher when that name is mentioned, for it comes laden with the recollection of past joys, and hopes of future hap- piness. So is it to the true children of God with the name of Jesus, their Saviour, Redeemer, Friend ; it reminds them of all that God has done for their souls ; of all the assurances of pardon and peace which that blessed name has sealed to them ; of those short and transient moments of close and intimate communion with him who bears that name, which they have already realized ; of those ages, those eternal ages of happiness and joy, which they yet hope to spend in the Redeemer’s presence, and amidst the endearments of the Redeemer’s love. Blessed, thrice blessed is every soul among you, who can in that holy name jecognise one who has saved you from your sins, who is the best-beloved of your soul now, and who, when your heart and flesh fail you, shall be the strength of your heart, and your portion for ever. The next incident in the infant history of our Lord, to which the evangelist calls our attention, is his ‘‘presentation in the temple:” — “ they brought him to Jerusalem,” says St. Luke, “ to present him to the Lord.”* This was again an act of obedience to the ceremonial ritual of the Jews. I need scarcely remind you that the custom originated in an express command of God, when he preserved the children of Israel, but slew all the first-born of Egypt. At that most remarka- ble instance of the Divine interference, God declared, “ Sanc- tify unto me all the first-born, whatsoever openeth the womb * Luke ii. LECTURE II. 31 among the children of Israel, both of man and beast : it is mine.”* “ And all the first-born of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.”*!* In pursuance of this command, the parents of the infant Jesus brought him, when he was forty days old, to the temple, probably to redeem him by offering in his stead the sum of money, five shekels, required by the law, but certainly to “ present him to the Lord.” The first act, then, which his parents performed for the infant Jesus, was this , — they 'presented him to the Lord. Many are the Christian parents whom I am now addressing : many who delight, far above all other gifts with which the Lord has blessed them, in the thought of those young heirs of immor- tality who are so especially commended to their regards, and entrusted to their guardianship. May I not, then, venture to ask all such, have you imitated the example of this holy pair, by presenting your little ones as a free-will offering to the Lord ! How beautiful to the Christian mind is the picture of a mother receiving for the first time her babe into her arms, and while pressing it to her bosom, and raising a silent thanksgiving to him who gave it, freely presenting it to the Lord, giving it back again to the Author of all her mercies, and declaring, from the very ground of her heart, that, as her first and dearest petition, she asks for it neither health, nor fortune, nor power, nor fame, but a portion in the love of God and a place in his kingdom ! I trust there are many among you in all ranks, who have realized these Christian feelings, and have already had reason to believe, by the open- ing indications of divine grace visible in the first dawnings of your children’s minds, that your offering has been accepted. Some of you, perhaps, there are, who have seen even more than this, who have lived to see the Lord, to whom you pre- sented your offspring, prepare by the more than ordinary outpourings of his Spirit, their young hearts for the enjoyment pf himself, and you have mourned over their early grave, * Exodus xiii. 2. t Exodus xiii. 13. 32 LECTURE II. where you should, perhaps, rather have exulted over their early blessedness, and have praised God that some of the best and dearest have been removed from the coming evil, and safely housed before the tempest has set in. And are there not a few who in all sincerity and devotedness of heart have presented your children to the Lord, and yet are called to exercise much faith and patience while awaiting his decision, who see no signs of early grace, no evidences that he has condescended to accept your offering? Christian parents, be of good courage, continue to bear your children upon your heart before the Lord ; he will not disdain a mother’s offering, he will not despise a mother’s prayer. You may never yet have had reason to know that your offering has been accepted ; but if you are conscious that it has been sincerely, and faith- fully, and heartily made, there is every encouragement which revelation and experience can supply, to lead you to believe /hat your Father will yet be their Father, and your God their God. It was while Joseph and Mary were in the temple, pre- senting their first-born to the Lord, and making the accus- tomed offering for the mother’s purification, that one of those strikingly touching incidents, which so often adorn the gospel history, took place. An aged man of God, who had long been waiting for the consolation of Israel, and whose footsteps even *now lingered upon the brink of eternity, entered the temple. He had been living for many years in a humble dependence upon an express revelation from God, “ that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”* That long-expected day had now arrived ; and by the inspira- tion of the Holy Ghost he was led to enter the house of God at the very hour when the great prophecy of Malachi, con- cerning ‘‘ the glory ” of this “ latter house ’’f — “ The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple — was fulfilling. How inexpressible must have been the feelings of * Luke ii. 26. t Haggai ii. 9. t Malachi iii. 1. LECTURE II. 33 this aged’ saint, when the Holy Ghost revealed to him his in- carnate Saviour, “ the Lord’s Christ,”* — in the person of the babe of Bethlehem ! If, like many among his brethren, he had been expecting a temporal kingdom, and a Messiah from among the great ones of the world, what would have been his disappointment at the sight of this poverty-stricken couple and their helpless infant! Yet, nothing doubting, the old man received the child in his arms, and blessing God for a mercy of which he felt himself undeserving, burst forth into that hymn of praise which has since been, in all ages, the delight and solace of the church, “ Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.”! While at the same instant, Anna, a prophetess, a widow of fourscore and four years, coming in, and hearing Simeon thus declaring by Divine revelation the dignity and glory of the holy child Jesus, united her praises also to the God of their salvation, that the prayers of Israel were answered, and the long-looked-for redemption of Israel was achieved. How great an honour did the Almighty here put upon these aged saints, that, of all the dwellers in Jerusalem, of all the worshippers in that temple, they, and they alone, should be selected for this first interview with the Lord of the temple I There were many wise, many learned, at that time in Jerusa- lem, some even of those who often trod the courts of the temple, and who had well read and understood the prophecies of the Messiah ; for we shortly afterwards find that they were able with great accuracy to inform Herod where the Christ should be born ; and yet no one of these was led to the tem- ple upon that day and hour, to behold the infant Jesus, and participate in the joy of which Simeon and Anna were par- takers 1 And why, brethren, speaking after the fashion of men, why did God select this humble pair for this high honour? Surely it was because they were pre-eminent among those who were “ waiting for the consolation of Israel whose * Luke ii. 26. * Luke ii. 29. t Luke ii. 25. 34 LECTURE II. prayers, and thoughts, and affections, were continually going forth to meet the coming Saviour, who acted up to the degree of light which God had vouchsafed to them, and prayed fer- vently, and sought diligently, and waited patiently for more. Therefore were they guided to the temple on that auspicious day, and on that happy hour. Now let us inquire what is there similar to this, in God’s dealings at the present day with ourselves ? The generation among whom our lot has been cast is, unquestionably, an intelligent generation, a wise and understanding people. “ Many,” as the prophet Daniel foretold, “ run to and fro, and knowledge is increased men of wisdom, men of learning, men of science abound ; but, alas ! how often are all their thoughts and meditations engaged upon subjects which, if they do not necessarily exclude God, certainly do not necessarily lead to God ,* who, if they, according to the false reasonings of a natural religion, profess to pay some respect to the God of nature, are lamentably ignorant of a God of grace, of the triune God of the Christian, of him who has said that “ all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father.”*]' And what is the consequence? The Holy Spirit of God passes by these learned and these scientific men, and delights in bringing to the temple the man whose heart, like Simeon’s, overflows with love to God, and whose mind and thoughts are filled with desire after his name ; the woman, who, like Anna, departs not from the service of God night or day ; persons like these, who in the sight of men have little, perhaps nothing to recommend them, but who possess that which, in the sight of God, is above all price ; who, in the quiet, unobtrusive duties of a lowly Christian walk and conversation, are daily waiting upon God ; and amidst the toils and business of life, are looking anxiously forward to the day when the Lord Jesus shall appear unto their complete salvation, seeking more of that light which cometh down from above, and of that peace ♦ Daniel xii. 4. 3 i John V. 23. LECTURE ir. 35 which passeth all understanding. These, and such as these, the Holy Ghost still leads to his temple, at those blessed seasons, and those favourable opportunities, when the necessi- ties of their souls can be the most abundantly supplied. Yes, we scruple not to say, for we believe that the experience of some who hear us will fully bear us out in the assertion, that many are the times when you, whom we have now described, have come to the temple of God with your minds anxiously inquiring after some of the great and saving truths of his word, and you have found your doubts cleared up, your diffi* culties removed, your fondest expectations more than realized. Or you have come weighed down with the consciousness of sin, or oppressed with sorrow, or tried by temptations, and have found in the temple of the Lord, that a word in season has been prepared for you, so peculiarly adapted to your wants, that had you yourself selected the subject, you could have chosen none better calculated to bring peace and conso- lation to your souls. Or, again, the time has been, when you were beginning to inquire respecting heavenly things, and were groping your way painfully and erringly amidst much apprehension and mistake ; and your feet have been led by the Spirit of God to the temple of God, and there, before you left those walls, your search has terminated ; the hope and “ consolation of Israel,” even Christ the Lord, has been re- vealed to you ; and, like the holy persons of whom w^e are speaking, you have seen what many prophets and kings de- sired to see, and have not seen. And, brethren, even more than this is prepared for you ; the same who is engaged in leading you into all truth, will lead you into all peace and all consolation, until he present you blameless before the presence of him “ whom, not having seen, you love.”* Finally, if you can experimentally testify to these things, bless God who has so graciously and so bountifully fulfilled to you his promise, that “ they who seek shall find.”*]* And * 1 Peter i. 8, * Matthew vii. 7. 36 LECTURE II. while you rejoice, as you have reason to do, and in gratitude are bound to do, for what the Lord has done for your soul, keep in mind the closing testimony which Simeon bore to the Saviour whom he loved, “ Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”* It is as essential a part of the revelation of Jesus that he should be “ set for the fall,” as for “ the rising of many in Israel ;” his Gospel has ever been, and must ever be, a savour of death unto death,” as well as a “ savour of life unto life and he will in all ages of the church, be to many “ a sign which shall be spoken against.”J Be not, then, discouraged, if there are those who view not the Lord Jesus Christ as you view him ; be not cast down, if there be those who even dare to speak against ”§ the Lord of glory. Simeon foretold, even while he held that innocent babe in his arms, and with prophetic eye foresaw the full-grown man walking in his innocency as perfect as that spotless infant, that all would not secure him from the breath of calumny, the tongue of slander, the language of contempt, and mockery, and hate ; and while he announced the painful truth, he as plainly divulged the reason for which a God of justice would permit it — “ that the thoughts of many hearts might be revealed.” In this our time of trial, brethren, the tongue of the enemy and the blasphemer must remain un- bridled, that “the thoughts of their hearts may be revealed” before men, and may find a passage upward to the throne of God, and be entered in those books of his remembrance, out of which we shall be called to an account for every guilty word which we have spoken. Be not, then, cast down, that the Saviour whom you love is still “ a sign which shall be spoken against ;” but O, let the recollection of this painful fact render you unceasingly watchful that no part of your own conduct, no tempers, language, actions, words of yours. Luke ii. 34, 35. t2 Corin. ii. 16. t Luke ii. 34. § Numbers xii. 8. LECTURE HI. 37 shall justly give occasion to the enemy to speak against the Saviour whose name you bear, and whose example you profess to follow; lest, as regards your enemies, you are instrumental in increasing their guilt and their condemnation, and, as regards your Redeemer, you compel him to say, I was wounded in the house of my friends.”* LECTURE III. St. Luke ii. 51. ‘ And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was sub- ject unto them.” One of the many difficulties which present themselves, while endeavouring to give a connected view of the history of our blessed Lord, is to ascertain the order in which the different circumstances related by the different evangelists, took place. There are, it is true, many excellent harmonies of the gospels, but these vary frequently from each other, and are not infallible even when they agree; so that the careful inquirer must be content, at the best, with adopting that arrangement which appears the most probable, although aware that there will still be many points upon which the arguments which have influenced his own mind in the decision he has arrived at, can scarcely be expected to have equal weight with those who hear him. These observations have arisen from considering at what period the visit of the Magi to jhe infant Jesus, mentioned by St. Matthew, but omitted by all the other evangelists, occurred. We are generally in the habit of considering it almost simul- taneous with the visit of the shepherds ; and in this opinion 4 * Zechariah xiii. 6. 38 LECTURE III. some of the earlier biblical critics agree; but, upon the whole, there appears more reason for inserting the incident, as we are now doing, after the return of the parents of our Lord to Bethlehem, upon the presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple. Probably, therefore, our Lord was about a twelve-month old when the following remarkable incident took place. Cer- tain wise men, or Magi, the inhabitants of that part of Arabia which borders upon Judea, came from the east of Jerusalem. They had been directed from their own country by the ap- pearance of a star, in all probability of a meteoric nature, which, it is reasonable to conclude, had been connected in their minds, by some direct revelation from God, with the birth of the Messiah. As soon as they entered Jerusalem, their first inquiry was, ‘‘Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”* Whatever might be the manner in which it had pleased God to reveal this astonishing fact to them, one thing therefore is certain, that they implicitly believed the revelation ; for they never thought of asking. Is the King of the Jews born ? but, Where is he born? How ought such an inquiry, proceeding from such a quar- ter, to have put to shame the inhabitants of Jerusalem.! That Gentile strangers should be inquiring in the streets of the holy city for him who was born to be her King, while her children possessed so little desire, so little anxiety upon the subject, that not one could answer the important question I After some little time, the zealous search established by the stran- gers reached the ears of the king, and Herod, even at his advanced age, for he was then more than seventy years old, still dreading a rival, took immediate alarm at the birth of this native prince, and assembled the chief priests and scribes, to ascertain from them in what part of his dominions such an event might be expected to take place. * Matthew ii. 2. LECTURE III. 39 So accurate was the language of Divine prophecy upon his important point, that they had no hesitation in declaring, ‘ In Bethlehem of Judea ; for thus it was written by the prophet. And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda, for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.”* All knew by the wisdom of their books where the Christ should be born ; but none, it appears, had prayed, and thought, and dwelt upon the blessed subject; — none had been waiting, and looking, and longing for the event, as one in which they were deeply and individually interested ; and therefore none, like Simeon and Anna, had seen the infant Jesus with their eyes, and embraced him in their arms, and pressed him to their hearts. O, how little is there of comfort, of spiritual life, of soul- encouraging, heart-enlightening views of the Lord Jesus, to be found in a mere book knowledge of him ! we may speak of him with the tongues of men, or even angels, and under- stand all mysteries and all knowledge, but if we have not love — that love to Christ which seeks him as the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the Saviour of our soul — we are no- thing. One poor woman, like Anna, who can come into the temple of God, and there find the Saviour to be all-sufficient for her necessities, and all-precious to her soul, is more, in- finitely more blessed, than whole colleges of the most learned doctors who, without such feelings, ever propounded the mys- teries of science, or the mazes of prophecy, to their wondering disciples. Brethren, while you are careful not to despise even a verbal knowledge of the Scriptures of God, which has its residence only in the mind and in the memory, remember there is something far beyond it ; that that same word has said, ‘‘ With the heart man believeth unto righteousness ;”f that all knowledge of religion which does not centre and settle there, and through the heart influence the life and conversa- tion, however accurate or however perfect, can neither sanc- ♦ iVIatthevv ii. 5, 6. t Romans x. 10. 40 LECTURE III. tify nor save — can neither enable us now to delight ourselves in the presence of the Lord, nor hereafter in the fruition of his glory. The Magi having ascertained in what direction they should search for the new-born King, took their departure from Jeru- salem, that they might without delay fulfil the great object of their journey, by paying their adorations to the Messiah. Of all that large and populous city, not a single individual appears to have accompanied them ; not one was there in whose breast sufficient anxiety, or even sufficient curiosity, had been aroused to induce him to seek the star of Bethlehem. Yet was the indifference of all around them no hindrance to these truly “ wise men,” Gentiles though they were ; they left the holy city alone, as they had entered it alone ; and though none of the nominal people of the Lord went with them, neither the pleasures nor the business of that city could detain them, while their hearts and hopes were set upon him whose pre- sence they so ardently sought ; — an instance, surely, of no common faith and no common perseverance. It is easy in religion, as in every other pursuit, to go with the crowd, to seek the Lord Jesus Christ when and where all are seeking him ; but to come boldly out from the multitude, to seek him steadfastly, resolutely, and alone, when no other members of the society in which we move, of the family in which we live, r^re seeking him, when none will accompany us in our search; this is a great and distinguishable test of a spirit of inquiry which cometh down from above, and which God will most fully and abundantly prosper. Yes, brethren, if there be among you but one poor, blind, ignorant sinner, who is anxious to arrive at the knowledge, the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, let him take this incident to himself for his encouragement and comfort. Though all your neighbours, all your friends, all your family, be in ignorance of the Saviour, and unable to help you, or in enmity to him, and unwilling to do so, rather than you should miss your way to the Lord of your salvation, or “ your feet LECTURE III. 41 Bhould stumble upon the dark mountains,”* God himself \\ill lead you by a way which you know not ; sometimes simply by the secondary means which abound within the reach of all, sometimes by the more especial aids and influences of his Divine Spirit; but whatever be the method, and this will vary according to your need, and according to his unerring wisdom, lead you, yea constantly, surely, and at last triumphantly, he most unquestionably will, even though it were necessary to create a new star for your guidance, until he has planted your trembling feet in safety upon the Rock of your salvation. Thus did Jehovah now act towards the wise men of whom we are speaking. No sooner had they left Jerusalem, than the star, which had disappeared while they were among the habitations and haunts of men, the supernatural aid ceasing while natural aid was sufficient, now re-appeared, and ‘‘ went before them, until it came and stood over where the young child was and “ when they saw the star ” — it is the beauti- ful addition of the evangelist — ‘‘ they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.”f How readily can we enter into these feelings, how fully understand the heartfelt pleasure, which that safest, surest guide, dropt as it were from the hand of God himself, to be a light to their feet and a lantern to their paths, must have awakened ! Something not wholly dissimilar to this is the feeling with which the inquiring soul, after wandering with much of darkness, much of separation from God, during the week, hails with delight the day which God has sanctified •ind blessed. On that hallowed day, while waiting upon God :n his temple, and hearing of the pardoning love and abound- ing mercy of the Saviour — of all that can be told, alas ! how little, of him who is “ the chiefest among ten thousand, ’’f that inquiring soul is, as it were, gazing upon the star which leads to Jesus. You, therefore, who know experimentally the happiness and the blessedness of the feeblest means which bring you nearer to your Lord, will readily conceive the ♦Jeremiah xiii. 16. f Matthew ii. 9, 10. 4* t Canticles V 10. 42 LECTURE III. meaning of the declaration, “ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” And now the Magi had arrived at the long-looked-for dwelling, surprised, we may well imagine, that so bright a star should set in so lowly a hemisphere ; and yet, strong in faith, no sooner did they find the young child, than they “fell down and worshipped him ; and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts ; gold, and frankin- cense, and myrrh.”* All uninstructed as these Gentile strangers were, how well had they learnt the character of him whom now, for the first time, they approached. They began by offering, as a freewill offering, themselves, and then ventured to lay at his feet their treasures, which, costly as they were, were in comparison of themselves but little worth. Many have been the fanciful in- terpretations which have been affixed to these wise men’s gifts; the myrrh — because he to whom they offered them was a man, and myrrh was used in embalming, and therefore well marked mortality. The gold — to testify that he was a king; gold being a regal offering. The frankincense — to demon- strate that they acknowledged him to be a God ; incense hav- ng been in all Eastern nations an accompaniment of divine worship. These, perhaps, are the most plausible of the many interpretations which have been offered ; but the natural and unexceptional method of accounting for these gifts, is simply that they were the produce of the country from which the wise men came ; and as in the East, men never approach a supe- rior without a present, they marked the sense of the Magi with respect to the kingly pretensions of the Messiah, and were not only permitted, but appointed by God, to afford a suitable supply for the necessities of the holy family. Are there none who hear me who are half inclined to envy the lot of those who were permitted to enjoy so high an ho- nour, as to bring an acceptable offering to the infant Saviour? * Matthew ii. 11. LECTURE III. 43 none who are inwardly saying at this moment, there is nothing which I possess that I should consider to be too great, too good, too rich to offer to my Lord ; but I have nothing which he would not from his soul abhor, for all is polluted, worth- less, and insignificant ! “ my best is nothing worth Brethren, we are permitted, nay encouraged, to say even to the most sinful among you, you have that to offer which far surpasses the most splendid present of gold, and frankin- cense, and myrrh. You have that which the Saviour will certainly condescend to receive, for he has condescended to ask for it, when he said, “ My son, give me thy heart yea, he has condescended to die for it, when he laid down his life for the sheep.” Carry him this offering, bring him this poor, polluted gift, a heart stained with sin, a broken, contrite, and yet a believing heart, and at the moment you make him that worthless present, there will be joy among the angels of God, there will be notes of thanksgivings and praise throughout the mansions of eternity, which all the gold of Arabia could not have produced. O, then, how countless in the sight of God must be the value of one sinner’s soul ! of one poor broken heart ! While the wise men were passing through Jerusalem, Herod had desired that when they had found the new-born King they should bring him wwd again, that he might go and worship him also. This it pleased the Almighty to counteract, by directing the Magi not to return to Herod ; while, at the same time, the omniscient Jehovah, foreseeing what would be the conduct of the king, desired Joseph to take the young child and his mother, and to flee into Egypt. No sooner had the holy family thus providentially removed into a place of safety, than the wrath of Herod manifested itself by the destruction of all the infants “ from two years old and under,”'!' who were in Bethlehem and in all the coasts thereof. To dwell upon this dreadful incident would carry us too * Proverbs xxiii. 26. t Matthew ii. 16. 44 LECTURE III. iar away from the more immediate subject of our history ; it may be, however, as well to remark, that instead of the fable of fourteen thousand children having been thus destroyed, which appears to have been an early tradition in the Church, it is probable, from the population of Bethlehem and the coasts thereof, that not more than fifty could have been thus in- humanly sacrificed. A number fearfully large, indeed, when we consider the agonized parents and wretched families of these murdered little ones ; and still more so, when we think of the awful weight of guilt accumulated upon the soul of the i wretched Herod, who, shortly after this deed of blood, closed I a life of unusual depravity by a death of no common horror When this event had taken place, the Almighty recalled the holy family from Egypt, and they “ dwelt,” says the in- spired historian, “ in a city named Nazareth,”* “ And the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom ; and the grace of God was upon him.”f After this period, the only incident which has been recorded during the childhood of our Lord, is, that at twelve years of age, when he went up with his parents to Jerusalem at the feast of Passover, he tarried behind, unknown to them, in the holy city, after they had left it, upon their return home. Tra- velling as men have always done in those eastern countries, in caravans, where many families are united, the parents of Jesus journeyed during a whole day without discovering their loss ; and then, sorrowing and disconsolate, they retrace their weary steps to Jerusalem. There, after three anxious days of solicitude and search, they find the holy child Jesus, “ in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions,”:]: affording so wonderful a {display of his divine knowledge, that ‘‘all who heard him,” 'even the most learned doctors of the Sanhedrim, “ were as- tonished at his understanding and answers. ”§ Now for the first time do we hear his mother’s voice; she * Matthew ii. 23. f Luke ii. 40. t Luke ii. 46. § Luke ii. 47 LECTURE III. 45 who had kept all the former incidents which shed a ray of glory upon his infancy, and had “ pondered them” prayerfully and silently “ in her heart,”* could not restrain the feeling of pain and anguish which his temporary loss had inflicted upon a mother’s heart. What was it to her that he was ex- citing the astonishment of the assembled Sanhedrim — that he was speaking as never child before had spoken — she would far rather that he had been running at her side in all the harmless glee of happy childhood, and gladdening the eyes of his fond parents, than attracting the applause of the wisest sages in the world. Yet how meekly, how tenderly, does she address herself to her supernatural child, as if she felt, while asserting a parent’s authority, she was trenching upon some high, though undefined prerogative, — “ Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us ? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them. How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business ?”f — words which, although in after days as clear as light itself, were now so dark, so unintelligible, that the evangelist ex- pressly adds, “ They understood not the saying which he spake unto them.”:j; They knew not yet the wonderful rela- tionship in which the boy of twelve years old stood to the awful Being who inhabiteth eternity ; they knew not the man- ner in which the child before them was filled “ without mea- sure” with his Spirit whose goings forth were from everlasting; that his Father, to whose business he was now called, was the Father of the universe, the Father of time, yea, the Father of eternity, and of heaven itself; and that he, that wonderful and blessed child, could truly say, “ Before Abraham was I am.”§ But though they might not comprehend his present words, well did they understand and appreciate his after con- duct, — “ He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them.” How peculiarly striking is this subsequent conduct of our Lord, when viewed in connexion with his own declaration, that he “ must be about his Father’s • Luke ii. 19. t Luke ii. 48, 49. tLukeii. 50. § John viii. 58. 46 LECTURE III. business;” and what a lesson does it bequeath to us! Surely that Spirit who never indites one line to gratify curiosity, one word to satisfy even what we might imagine a natural inquiry, never would have mentioned this simple fact, were it not to encourage filial obedience under the new dispensation, by the example of our Lord, as it had been before encouraged under the old, by the promise of our God. “ Honour thy father and thy mother, which is the first commandment with promise.” It is painful at the present day, to see in all classes, how often both the command and the example are alike neglected. Go into the cottage of the poor, and there behold the self-willed children, unrestrained even by the appearance of parental au- thority, beyond the hasty blow, or the harsh, unkind, and unholy word ; see them soon outgrowing the momentary effects of such poor substitutes for a high religious principle, looking and acting defiance, where there ought to be only obe- dience and submission. Go into the palace of the rich, and you will find no change, except in the tinselled gloss which courtesy can throw even over opposition the most determined, and insubordination the most complete. We need not scruple to affirm, because every day is more entirely establishing the fact, that the habit of disobedience to all constituted authorities, which is so widely spreading in this country, and which will at no very distant period, unless God of his mercy interfere, not only loosen the bonds of society, but as with an iron hand break them into ten thousand fragments, has been born, and bred, and nurtured within our domestic walls, and at our own firesides. Yes, it is the self-willed, disobedient child, never from earliest infancy subjected upon principle to a steady obe^ dience to the parents’ word and command, who becomes in after life the violent opponent to all the constituted authorities of man, and, not unfrequently, the rebellious subject of God. Think not then, my younger brethren, that you are advancing in religious knowledge, or in spiritual attainment, if you are refusing to render honour where honour is due, and where God commands you to pay it, even to your earthly parents ; or if LECTURE III. 47 you are unkindly and ungratefully, I might add unholily, throwing off your subjection to them. As the ungrateful man has well been said to possess but one crime, for all others are but as virtues in him, so the undutiful child possesses but one sin ; but that one sin is like the one plague spot of antiquity, which spread, and widened, and festered, and destroyed, until, from the top of the head to the sole of the foot, all was dis- ease, corruption, and decay. And to you, Christian parents, I would offer an affectionate admonition. If the tide which has now set in against the powers which are ordained of God for the preservation and comfort of society, can be stemmed, I believe, however para- doxical it may appear, that it must be stemmed in the nursery ; that it is to be done by the early implantation of the most de- cided habits of obedience in the hearts of your children, an obedience founded in love, and regulated by filial fear, and con- sistent with the truest and tenderest affection. It is by teach- ing them to be subject to you, as God’s representatives to them, that the great principle of Christian subjection can alone be implanted, without a return to which, it requires no pro- phetic eye to see, no prophet’s voice to declare, that our days as a sober-minded, obedient, Christian nation, are numbered ; that the most valuable institutions which the world has ever seen, will be like the vine of Israel, trampled beneath the feet of the wild boar of the forest ; we ourselves, with suicidal hand, having torn up her hedges and levelled her walls, and encouraged the marauder to come in. The fact of our Lord’s subjection to his earthly parents, is the only circumstance which any of the evangelists have re- corded from the twelfth to the thirtieth year of the life of Jesus. We have, therefore, eighteen years of our Lord’s mortal sojourn during which not a single incident has been bequeathed to us ! How often in reading sacred history do we long for more minute details of the lives of the holy men which are there presented to us ! and, if this be the case with regard to others, 48 LECTURE III. how much more ardently do we experience it with respect to him who is now the subject of our meditations ! We canno* but feel that every incident of the days of his boyhood, every transaction of his youth, every word and sentence of his ma- tured manhood, would have been a treasure to the Christian, for which he would readily have sacrificed the brightest volumes of Roman oratory, or of Grecian song. But God’s ways are not our ways, nor his thoughts our thoughts ; doubt- less he has permitted all to be handed down to us which the necessities of the Church required, and we must await an- other day and another place for more. What time has con- cealed, eternity perhaps will tell ; but eternity itself will not be long enough to disclose all the infinity of a Saviour’s per- fections, and of a Saviour’s love. Still, as it is permitted to the Christian to look forward even now, amidst the trials and troubles of earth, to that “ rest which remaineth for the people of God,” it cannot surely be wrong to anticipate those delight- ful moments when, dwelling in the bowers of light, and seated it may be at the feet of the companions of our Lord’s earthly pilgrimage, we may perhaps receive from their lips, or even from the lips of that Lord himself, many a passage in his earthly history, full of interest, and instruction, and delight, which no pen has chronicled, but which shall rejoice our hearts, and swell our praises into louder and louder anthems to the glory of Him that sitteth upon the throne, and of the Lamb for ever and ever. LECTURE IV. 49 LECTURE IV. St. Matthew iv. 3. “And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” We mentioned at the close of the last lecture, that holy Scripture observed a remarkable silence re&pecting eighteen years of the life of our blessed Lord. From the twelfth to the thirtieth year no single event is recorded, no observation made, except that upon which we have already commented — our Lord’s subjection to his earthly parents. It has been a tradition from time immemorial in the Church, that during these eighteen years the death of Joseph, the re- puted father of our Lord, took place, and that Jesus himself maintained his mother during a portion of this time, by work- ing at the trade of a carpenter. Both these circumstances are rendered extremely probable, from the internal evidence of the gospels ; the fact of our Lord himself working at his paternal trade receives great countenance from the appellation applied to him by the unbelievers in his own country, recorded in Mark vi. 3 : “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary While the probability of his father’s death may be gathered from his name not being mentioned or alluded to in this in quiry. Indeed, the certainty of his decease during some period of our Lord’s life, seems to be established by the fact that Jesus, while on the cross, committed his mother to the beloved apostle ; which, had her husband been still living, would surely have been an unnecessary precaution. Men- tioning these things merely as interesting probabilities, with- out attempting to insist upon their certainty, we pass on to the “ more sure word of God,”* where all that is recorded is, to the very letter, unquestionable and true. 5 * 2 Peter i. 19. 50 LECTURE IV. The first incident which is there narrated, after what is usually but improperly termed, our Lord’s “disputation in the temple,” is his baptism ; the time of which is thus determined by St. Luke, “ Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age.”* We shall quote the narrative of this wonderful event, as it is recorded by three of the evangelists, each sup- jjlying some minute circumstance which the other has omitted. “ It came to pass in those days,! when all the people were baptized,:}: that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, § to Jordan, unto John, to be baptized of him, but John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me 1 And Jesus, answering, said. Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him ; and he was baptized of John in Jrrdan.”l| This was, in all probability, the first time tha the holy Baptist had ever seen his Lord and relative, Jesus. For it had pleased the providence of God that John should dwell in the wilderness, while our Lord abode in the resorts of men ; that thus, in after times, no collusion might even be suspected between them, and that the testimony of John to the Messiah- ship of Jesus might, to his own disciples, be most satisfactory and conclusive. We find John’s ignorance of our Lord ex- pressly stated in the first chapter of St. John’s gospel, where the Baptist declared, “ I knew him not ; but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me. Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.”** Most natural was it, therefore, for the Baptist, knowing that he who now offered himself for this holy rite was one “whose shoe’s latchet he was not w'orthy to unloose,”f f that “ he was the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world, — most natural was it for him to feel that Jesus had no need of such an ordinance as baptism, or that if he had, no mortal man was worthy to administer it. Therefore, “ John forbade * Luke iii. 23. t Mark i. 9. t Luke iii. 21. § Mark i. 9. il Matthew iii. 13. *^Johni. 33. ft Luke iii. 16. John i. 27. ttJohni. 29. LECTURE IV. 51 him !”* Observe, brethren, in what widely different channels nature and grace are forever running. The holy Baptist, like the ardent and affectionate Peter, could agree to any thing more readily than to the supernatural humility and condescension of his Lord ; this, even the hum- ble Baptist could not understand. How utterly unable are the holiest, humblest of the fallen sons of Adam, fully to appre- ciate, or even perfectly to conceive the perfections of their Lord ! Alas, then, brethren, at what an infinite distance must our imitation of his graces be, when even our imagination and conception of them lag so far behind ! One blessed purpose will be fully answered by the history before us, if by such obvious truths as these, we are led more rightly, though still imperfectly, to know the length, and depth, and breadth, and height of the character of Christ, which passeth knowledge; for every increasing ray of light which is thrown upon it, will tend, by God’s grace, to humble us the more deeply as sinners, and to exalt the more highly our blessed and adorable Redeemer. In the instance before us, our Lord at once corrected the misapprehension of the Baptist by the single observation, “ Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.”'!' We are, perhaps, while reading the account of our Redeem- er’s baptism, very little, at first sight, aware of the pain and the degradation by which this fulfilment of righteousness was in the present instance accompanied. It is not as if John’s baptism had been a rite acknowledged and honoured by all the members of the Jewish church ; very far was this from being the fact ; the baptism of John was, although essentially of God, despised and rejected by all those (a very large and influential body) who followed only their own traditions ; for we are told expressly by St. Luke, “ The Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.”:}: To form, therefore, any adequate * Matthew iii. 14. t Matthew' iii. 15. t Luke vii, 30 52 LECTURE IV idea of this instance of the humility of the blessed Jesus, we must behold him coming down to the banks of Jordan, un- distinguished from his fellow-men, following the publicans and harlots, who were crowding to the water’s edge, confessing their sins, and desiring to be renewed unto repentance. We may easily imagine the scornful and contemptuous bearing of the chief priests and elders who rejected John’s baptism, although they attended, from curiosity, upon his preaching; the insulting ribaldry of the open and presumptuous sinner, while the meek and lowly Jesus was approaching the water for the purpose of partaking of this despised ceremony. At once would he be stamped, for this very act, by all the class ol persons of whom we have been speaking, as some poor degraded sinner, who, like the rest, had been deceived by the statements of the Baptist, and had come down to swell the crowd of fanatics and enthusiasts. And, brethren, do you think that these things carried with them no pang to the heart of Christ? Do you think that because he was removed, im- measurably removed, from every taint and capability of sin, he was equally far removed from the innocent infirmities of our nature ? No, be assured that he knew and felt — how often and how bitterly, during his earthly sojourn, did he know and feel them all ! Else what means the language of prophecy, which represents every suffering of Jesus as aggravated by those feelings which aggravate our own. “ All they that see me laugh me to scorn, they shoot out the lip, they shake the head at me;”* “ shame hath covered my face.”f This is the way in which the Psalmist, speaking in the person of Christ, f:)retells his sufferings ; while many other instances will occur to your own minds, which will demonstrate that the feelings of our Lord were as certainly wounded by the “ despitefulness of the proud and the scornful reproof of the wealthy,”:]: as his side in after days was lacerated by the Roman spear Bear these things in mind, and you will see that the baptism of Jesus was not one of the least bitter of the ingredients in ♦ Psalm xxii. 7. t Psalm xliv. 15. t Psalm cxxxiii. 4. L i: C T U R E IV. 53 his most bitter cups No ! at the very moment of thus enter- ing upon his public life, he entered upon its penalties and its pains. He filled that cup on the banks of Jordan, which he never afterwards laid down until he had drained its very dregs: he there placed that cross upon his shoulders, which he bore, and bore contentedly, until he planted it as a tree of life upon the summit of Mount Calvary. “ And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water, and lo, the heavens were opened unto him- and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him : and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”* Deep and grievous had been the humiliation of the only- begotten Son, and great and glorious was the testimony of the eternal Father. These things were so with a remarkable uni- formity during every stage of our Redeemer’s life. Never did he submit himself lo more than ordinary degradation, that he did not receive more abundant honour. Was he, for in stance, cradled in a manger, and did not Eastern princes, led by a new-made star, pay even there their adoration to him ? Was he, in after days, so troubled in spirit, as to manifest the timidity and weakness of our nature, in the cry, “ Father, save me from this hour !”f and was it not at that hour that “ a voice from heaven” spake unto him ? Did he, in the garden of Gethsemane, show more than common apprehension of his dreadful lot ; and was it not in that same garden that angels comforted him? So was it even now; the baptism of Jesus was one of the lowest points of his humiliation ; and the glory which followed it, perhaps without exception, “ the most excellent glory”:]: of which he was partaker while on earth. For it was then that his heavenly Father honoured the opening ministry of the only-begotten Son, by pouring down upon him, without measure, the anointing of the Holy Ghost ; and by the glory of the Shechinah hovering over him, ^ Matthew iii. 1 6. t John xii. 27, 28. t 2 Peter i. 1 7. 5* 54 LECTUEE IV. and by the voice from heaven publicly acknowledging him, demonstrated before all Israel, that the promise of God made unto their fathers was fulfilled, and that in the person of the carpenter of Nazareth, “ God had visited his people.”* Learn one lesson at least, brethren, before we leave the consideration of this important incident. Are you the follow- ers of the Lord Jesus — are you his baptized and professing people — and are you slaves to the fear of man 1 Do you shrink from duties, plain, unquestionable duties, because your fellow-men, the great, or the rich, or the noble, look with no favourable eye upon them ? Is this “ the mind that was in Christ Jesus,”f when, that he might “ fulfil all righteousness,” he mingled with the crowd of common sinners, content to be mistaken and misrepresented, and it might be ranked among them 1 Away with this false shame and dread of human cen- sure; never will you be enabled to “ follow the Lamb whither- soever he goeth,”:]: until by God’s grace you are content to endure obloquy, reproach, and ridicule, while endeavouring to “ fulfil all righteousness” which your heart approves ; never will you be rendered meet to reign with Christ, until you are well content to suffer with him. It is scarcely necessary to point out to you the well-known demonstration which the baptism of our Lord affords of the Holy Trinity; God the Holy Ghost made manifest “in a bodily shape like a dove ;”§ God the Son ascending from the waters of Jordan in that body which had been prepared for him ; and God the Father, “ whom no man hath seen or can see,”|| manifesting himself by the voice from heaven ; the three persons but one God of the Christian Trinity, co-equal and co-eternal. Most blessed, glorious, and unquestionable truth ! the most important and all-pervading truth of the Bible! Until you receive it, Christianity has not even effected an entrance into your mind. Until you are able, in a clear and scriptural manner, to appreciate the three distinct offices of * Luke vii. 16. fPhilippians ii. 5. t Rev. xiv. 4. § Luke iii. 22. 1] 1 Timothy vi. 16. LECTURE IV. 55 the three distinct persons in the ever-blessed Trinity, Chris- tianity has done but little for your soul. It then, and then only, has its perfect work within you, when you are enabled to have near access to God the Father, through the mediation of God the Son, and by the grace of God the Holy Ghost. When you acknowledge how the three persons in this glorious Godhead are engaged in the salvation of your soul, God the Father freely bestowing it upon you, God the Son as freely purchasing it for you, and God the Holy Ghost as freely ap- plying it to you — each of the persons of the ever-blessed Trinity engaged in all the different parts of your salvation, and yet all the persons engaged in each — then do you com- prehend as much of this high mystery as can be learnt on earth : the remainder you shall know hereafter. And now the incarnate Son, ‘‘being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan,”* spending, as it appears, not even a day with the blessed Baptist, but so intent to “be about his Father’s business,”f that he retired at once into the wilderness, under the guidance of the Spirit by which he was filled, to prepare himself by prayer, and fasting, and spiritual exercises, for the stupendous work he was commencing. For forty days did our Lord endure a wonderful and supernatural fast,:]: and “ in those days he did eat nothing while during the whole of the period he was tempted of the devil ; not, as we most certainly know, by any inward temptation, by any even the remotest solicitation to evil from the inner man ; for did he not himself declare, “ The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me,”|| and had not the word of God just pronounced that he was “ full of the Holy Ghost,”** so full that no single thought or wish of evil could find an entrance into that pure and spotless mind? Therefore do we most cer- tainly know that there was no “ lusting of the flesh against the Spirit,”'!"]’ no possible injection of any evil feeling or desire. All that the devil could do against such a heart as * Luke iv. 1. t Luke ii. 49. t Murk i. 13. § Luke iv. jj John xiv. 30. *^Luke iv. 1. ft Galatians v. 17. 56 LECTURE IV. the heart of Jesus, was to propose external temptations, to show to the outward senses what in any other case might have captivated the mind, and eternally ruined the soul of the tempted ; but in the case of our Lord could gain not even a momentary - access. Every attempt of Satan to inject a temptation there, must have been (if it be not a derogatory simile) like the attempt to thrust a lighted torch into the ex- hausted receiver of an air-pump ; the moment of its entrance would necessarily be the moment of its extinction. When the forty days and forty nights were finished, our Lord “ was afterward an hungered then commenced the series of temptations which two of the evangelists have re- corded for the benefit of the Church and people of God, and from which we may gather the nature of those which are not recorded. “ And when the tempter came to him, he said. If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” It seems extremely probable that Satan was not, at the time of making the proposition before us, aware of the real dignity and divinity of our Lord. We do not know to what extent the power and the sagacity of that evil spirit extend, but we can deduce from Scripture that he is neither omniscient nor omnipresent, although he is able, probably from the in- calculable number of his agents, to imitate both these attri- butes of Deity in such a manner, that man cannot detect the counterfeit. Satan, then, had certainly either himself, or through some of his attendant spirits, heard the miraculous attestation to the Sonship of the Messiah vouchsafed from heaven at his bap- tism ; and he now approached him for the purpose of ascer- taining his identity, and sifting his pretensions, as well as, if possible, to lead him into sin, and thus ruin the scheme of man’s redemption. For had the second Adam once sinned, he could not have repaired the ruin of the first, because he could not have offered a perfect obedience and an unblemished * Matthew iv. 2. LECTURE IV. 67 sacrifice. Satan begins by grounding the temptation entirely upon the declaration of the heavenly voice, “ This is my beloved Son saying, “ If thou he the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.” “And Jesus answered him, saying. It is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”* How remarkable an answer to flow from the lips of Jesus himself, the fountain of all wisdom and all know- ledge, — an answer from the written word of God. Had, then, our Lord no reply to the word of the tempter, which could be drawn from the infinite treasury of the eternal mind — no re- sources within himself, from which to baffle and to overthrow the evil one? Yes, brethren, but then, whence would have been the example and the comfort to be derived by us, when we are called to conflict with this great enemy? Should we not have said, “The Saviour resisted Satan successfully, be- cause he drew from the resources of his own infinite wisdom, but where shall I seek a weapon against such a foe ?” How encouraging, then, that we can answer, “ From the same armoury in which your Lord sought and found one; from the written word of God !” There is no temptation which can assail you, that may not, God’s grace assisting you, be met and vanquished by “ the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.”f The feeblest Christian among you, with that word in his hand and in his heart, is invincible. The text which our Lord here quotes is from the eighth chapter of Deuteronomy, and was addressed by Moses to the Israelites, when reminding them that though God had suffered them to hunger, he had fed them miraculously with manna, to show that he had other methods of sustaining man than by bread alone. Our Lord’s intention in quoting it seems to have been, to have put a firm and decisive negative upon the devil’s proposition. Satan says, “ You are an hungered, here are stones, which, if you are the Son of God, you can transform into bread ; demonstrate your right to the title, therefore, by * Luke iv. 4 ; Matthew iv. 4. t Ephesians vi. 17. 58 LECTURE IV. your acquiescence.” Our Lord’s reply infers, My Father of old sustained six hundred thousand persons for forty years without a single loaf of bread ; I have been sustained for forty days without it ; I shall still rest as Mediator upon my Father’s love, and upon my Father’s power. Thus did he, who was shortly about to turn water into wine, refuse at Satan’s bidding to turn stones into bread ! thus did he, who, in after times, to supply the exigencies of the multitude who had fasted three days, create bread for five thousand people, refuse, after fast- ing forty days himself, to create a single loaf to satisfy the tempter, or to supply his own pressing necessity. How blessed an example of the infinite forbearance and self-denial, the meekness and wisdom, of him of whom we speak ! He brings no railing accusation against the destroyer ; he does not even vindicate his own questioned authority; but commit- teth himself to him who judgeth righteously, knowing that a God will provide.”* My brethren, there is not a more frequent or a more successful temptation by which the spirit of evil endeavours to destroy your souls, than by tempting you, as he tempted the Redeemer, first to distrust God’s provi- dential regard for you, and then to supply improperly your own necessities. When, for instance, your worldly calling is unsuccessful, when it appears to the eye of sense as if your heavenly Father, instead of bread, was giving you a stone ; withholding the needful supplies from yourself and family ; then it is that Satan plies the heart most strongly with tempta- tions such as these. “ Turn your stones into bread be not ^ over-scrupulous as to the m,eans, where the end is so obviously necessary and unexceptionable. You must be fed ; a trifling act of dishonesty, a mere overcharge, a little overreaching, or equivocation, a short measure, an unjust balance, or even a little Sunday trafficking, will do all that is needful; and surely, if you are a child of God, your heavenly Father will not be offended at such a trifling act of disobedience for so pressing a necessity. At seasons such as these, brethren, remember * Genesis xxii. 8. LECTURE IV. 59 the answer of your Lord, “ Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Bread alone, without God’s blessing, cannot nourish you, while with God’s blessing, the want even of bread itself cannot starve you. “ God will provide if “ he feedeth the young ravens which call upon him,”’]' shall he not much more feed you, O, ye of little faith.”:}; Yes, truly, even in regard to temporal things, you “ shall want no manner of thing that is good,”§ for so has his immutable promise de- clared, and so will his parental love abundantly fulfil. If you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, his word is pledged to you that “ your bread shall be given you, and that your water shall be sure.”}} And as in temporal, so in things spiritual and eternal. Is your mind enfeebled by anxiety, or your body weakened by disease, then it is that your spiritual enemy urges the most distressing doubts of the love of your heavenly Father to you, or of your relationship to him. These are then often his suggestions, — If thou wert a child of God, would it be thus with thee ? would there be such coldness of affection, such wandering thoughts, such poor, and rare, and transitory glimpses, of a Father’s love ? If thou be a son of God, cast off this sadness, remove this spiritual famine of the soul, es- tablish your right to the blessed title, and act for yourself. Precisely the same rebellious suggestions which he offered to our Lord, — Help yourself, since your Father refuses to help you. In hours like these, (and where is the true child of God who has never known them ?) take refuge in the written word, lie down in peace on many a blessed promise ; reply to the tempter, that though God withhold for a time the spiritual bread which strengthens and the wine which cheers, “ man does not live by bread alone, but by every word which pro- ceedeth out of the mouth of God,”"^* and that you have enough, and more than enough, in that blessed word to subsist ♦Genesis xxii. 8. t Psalm cxlvii. 9. t Matthew vi. 30 ; Luke xii. 28. ^ Psalm xxxiv. 10. IJ Isaiah xxxiii. 16. ♦♦ Deuteronomy viii. 3 60 LECTURE V. Upon, until God shall again comfort you with the light of his countenance and the fulness of his blessing. Trust as simply and entirely to God, during the famine of the soul, as your blessed Redeemer did in the famine of the body ; and in the darkest hours and most trying deprivations, say of spiritual things as the prophet Habakkuk said of temporal things, “ Though the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls ; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of my salvation.”* The powers of darkness cannot make head against feelings such as these ; they are not walls of untempered mortar, but impregnable ramparts thrown up by the Spirit of God himself ; and though Satan with all his hosts may sit down before the fortress, yet so resisted, he shall flee from it, and in the end you shall be more than conquerors, through him that loveth you. LECTURE V. St. Matthew iv. 8, 9. “Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and saith unto him. All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” ^ In the last lecture we reviewed the first of the three tempta- tions to which our blessed Lord was subjected at the close of his miraculous fast in the wilderness. We left the history at that point where, by quoting a passage from the written word of God, the Saviour had silenced the tempter. Satan, how- ever, determining not to be thus easily foiled, resolved upon * Habakkuk iii. 17. LECTURE V . 61 making another effort. For this purpose, he carries our Lord out of the wilderness, and “ taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple.”* Satan had seen in the first temptation, that the dependence of Jesus upon God was unlimited ; that even at the risk of starving, he had refused to change stones into bread, so entirely confident was he that his heavenly Father possessed both the power and the will to supply him. Imagining that now he had discovered the weak point of the Messiah’s character — that he possessed more love than prudence, more zeal than wisdom, more ardour than discretion — Satan arranges his new temptation accord- ingly ; and having placed him upon this high and dizzy eleva- tion, the extremes! point of the temple, “ he saith unto him. If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written. He shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee ,*”f he does not add, as the Psalmist from whom he quotes the verse has added, “ to keep thee in all thy ways”J — all the ways which God had appointed him to walk in — for this did not suit the devil’s purpose ; he, therefore, misquotes the passage as if it were a general promise of safety in all ways, whether ways of duty, or ways of folly and of sin ; and “ in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.”§ As if he had said. You were willing to trust God for your food, although he must have worked a miracle to supply that food ; now show that you can trust Him equally for your safety ; throw yourself boldly over into the courts of the temple, and there, amidst its thousand wor- shippers, proclaim by this act at once the strength of your faith, the completeness of your dependence, and the reality of your Sonship ; thus tempting our Lord, as it were, by the very excess of that Christian grace which he had before so beautifully exhibited. Observe, then, the consummate wisdom and holy meekness of our Lord’s reply, — “ Jesus answering, * Matthew iv. 5. f Matthew iv. 6. t Psalm xci. 11. § Psalm xci. 12 6 62 LECTURE V . said unto him, It is written again, Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God.”* He who, as we have seen, could trust God with all the con- fidence with which a child can trust the most affectionate father while in the plain and obvious path of duty, and there- fore would not help himself supernaturally even to a loaf of bread, but left it to God to help him, now would not, for the sake of appearing more abundantly to trust him, incur danger where no duty called ; and therefore refused to lift a foot from off that pinnacle at Satan’s bidding. How valuable a lesson to the Christian ! You cannot trust God too simply or too exclusively, or too largely, when in the assured pa>th of Chris- tian duty. If the ocean itself lay before you, you might boldly advance ; for God would sooner divide the sea for you, as he did for Israel, or harden it into a solid pavement as he did for Peter, than that it should impede your progress to the promised land, or hinder you from going to Jesus. But, if it lie not in the path of duty, expect no miracle, look for no help from God ; that same sea would be to you, if you dared t