Skip to main content

Full text of "The birth and boyhood of Jesus"

See other formats 


:m^H 


t  ■'■ 


<■■:  /"     t     ■(. 


^:   APR  10  1897  "^ 


^^>Ax. 


;<i,„il  C-v:-' 


;?. 


Olvlsi  on  ..iat^^^  ^" '^  ^ 


THE  BIRTH  AND  BOYHOOD  OF  JESUS 


THE 

BIRTH  AND  BOYHOOD 

OF  JESUS 


y      BY 

GEO.    F.    PENTECOST,   D.D 


HODDER    AND   STOUGHTON 

27    PATERNOSTER   ROW 


MDCCCXCVI 


Butler  &  Tanner, 

The  Selwood  Printing  Works, 

Frome,  and  London. 


NOTE 

"  I  ^HE  sermons  contained  in  this  volume  were  extem- 
poraneously delivered  in  the  course  of  regular 
ministry,  with  no  thought  of  publishing  them  in  per- 
manent form.  In  doing  so  now  no  attempt  has  been 
made    to    change    them    from    their   original    form   or 

style. 

G.  F.  P. 


CONTENTS 


I 

PAGE 

A  Notable  Couple i 


II 

Great  in  the  Sight  of  the  Lord i8 

HI 

A  Good  Man's  Unbelief 35 

IV 

The  Penalty  and  Cure  of  Unbelief    ....      56 

V 

Heavenly  Service  to  Lowly  People     .       .       .       -      7Z 


PAGE 


vi  CONTENTS 

VI 
"  Hail,  Mary  !"— Not  "Ave  Maria"       ....      91 

VII 
The  Son  of  the  Highest 109 

VIII 
A  Mystery— NOT  a  Myth 130 

IX 
Mary's  Great  Confession 153 

X 

Magnifying  the  Lord 173 

XI 

The  Loving-kindness  of  God 193 


CONTENTS 
XII 

The  Day-spring  from  on  High 


XIII 
Joy  over  the  Child 233 

XIV 
Gold  and  Frankincense  and  Myrrh    ....    254 

XV 
"Good  Old  Simeon" 276 

XVI 
Simeon's  Testimony  to  Jesus 297 

XVII 
Losing  and  Finding  Jesus 318 


viii  CONTENTS 

XVIII 

PAGE 

The  Boy  Jesus  in  the  Temple 338 


XIX 
Jesus'  Great  Confession 359 

XX 

"  My  Father's  Business  " 379 


A   NOTABLE  COUPLE 

"  There  was  in  the  days  of  Herod,  the  king  of  Judaea,  a  certain 
priest  named  Zacharias,  of  the  course  of  Abia  :  and  his  wife  was 
of  the  daughters  of  Aaron,  and  her  name  was  Elisabeth.  And 
they  were  both  righteous  before  God,  walking  in  all  the  command- 
ments and  ordinances  of  the  Lord  blameless.  And  they  had  no 
child,  because  that  Elisabeth  was  barren,  and  they  both  were  now 
well  stricken  in  years." — LUKE  i.  5-7. 

THE  scene  into  which  we  are  introduced  by  Luke's 
graphic  pen  is  essentially  Jewish — the  Holy  City, 
the  temple,  the  solemn  service  of  prayer,  the  ministering 
priest,  and  the  waiting  people,  expecting  the  re-appear- 
ance of  Zacharias  and  his  priestly  benediction. 

The  time  was  one  of  crisis.  The  Jewish  people  were 
at  that  period  of  their  history  fallen  to  the  lowest  point, 
both  nationally  and  spiritually.  Their  religious  life  had 
degenerated  into  a  proud  self-righteousness  ;  their 
national  life  was  broken  under  the  iron  rule  of  Rome. 
Instead  of  being  humbled  by  their  national  misfortunes, 
they  had  developed  a  fierce  and  fanatical  spirit  of 
rebellion  toward  their  earthly  masters,  and  a  haughty 
self-sufficiency  before  God.  The  priestly  and  Rabbini- 
cal classes  were  arrogant  and  overbearing ;  the  rich 
oppressed  the  poor,  and  lived  in  disdain  of  all  the  softer 
virtues  of  life.  John  the  Baptist  characterized  them  as 
"  a  generation  of  vipers  " ;  ^  and  our  Lord,  a  few  months 

'  Luke  iii.  7. 
P.B.  I 


2  A   NOTABLE  COUPLE 

later,  denounced  them  as  hypocrites  and  robbers.  He 
told  them  that  as  to  their  religious  life  they  were  whited 
sepulchres  in  pretence — fair  without,  but,  in  fact,  full  of 
corruption  and  dead  men's  bones.  They  were  punctili- 
ous as  to  mint,  anise,  and  cummin,  but  habitually 
neglected  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law,  justice,  and 
charity.  Such  were  the  Pharisees.  The  Sadducees 
were  no  better  in  these  respects  ;  and  worse  in  this,  that 
they  had  developed  a  materialistic  philosophy  which 
led  them  practically  on  to  the  ground  of  our  modern 
agnostics.  They  denied  the  existence  of  angels  and 
spirits,  and  so,  logically,  the  very  existence  of  God. 
They,  of  course,  repudiated  the  supernatural  origin  of 
the  Hebrew  nation,  and  scoffed  at  all  the  miraculous 
elements  contained  in  their  sacred  history.  Herod,  the 
king,  was  a  pagan  by  birth,  though  a  proselyte  to  the 
Jewish  faith.  He  was  the  servile  friend  of  Rome  ; 
greedy,  rapacious,  avaricious,  tyrannical,  and  wholly  of 
this  world  worldly.  These  were  the  predominant  powers 
in  the  Jewish  nation  at  this  time — Phariseeism,  Saddu- 
ceeism,  and  Herodianism.  The  people  were  poor, 
oppressed  by  their  political  rulers,  and  robbed  and 
neglected  by  their  spiritual  guides.  It  was  a  dark  time 
indeed  ;  but  it  was  the  darkness  which  preceded  the 
dawn. 

In  the  midst  of  that  untoward  generation  God  had 
His  faithful  witnesses,  who  had  not  forsaken  the  way  of 
His  commandments,  and  were  awaiting  with  longing 
desire  the  Consolation  of  Israel.  Such  were  good  old 
Simeon  ;  Anna,  the  aged  prophetess  of  the  Lord  ;  the 
righteous  couple  who  are  brought  before  us  in  our  text  ; 
the  lowly  virgin  Mary  ;  her  espoused  husband,  Joseph 
of  Nazareth  ;  and  doubtless  many  others  whose  names 
are  not  recorded  in  any  earthly  book,  but  who,  like  the 
seven  thousand  in  Elijah's  day,  were  well  known  to  God. 


A   NOTABLE  COUPLE  3 

The  seed  of  the  righteous — children  of  faith— shall  never 
perish  off  the  earth ;  and  God  shall  never  lack  for 
witnesses  in  any  time  of  the  world's  history.  As  He 
has  never  lacked  in  the  past  for  such  testifiers,  so  shall 
He  never  lack  in  the  future,  however  great  and  universal 
the  apostasy  from  the  faith  may  be  among  men. 

I.  A  Noble  Family.  Both  Zacharias  and  Elisa- 
beth were  of  the  family  of  Aaron,  as  it  was  the  custom 
of  that  priestly  family  to  marry  only  within  their  own 
tribe,  that  the  order  of  priests  might  remain  intact  as 
God  had  ordained.  Of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  Moses  and 
Aaron  were  the  most  distinguished  members.  Aaron 
was  the  head  of  all  the  priesthood  who  ministered  about 
the  altars  of  the  Lord  ;  outside  his  immediate  family, 
the  Levites  were  a  sort  of  lay-priestly  order,  who  came 
not  into  the  Holy  Places  of  Jehovah. 

From  the  earliest  times  certain  families  among  men 
have  forced  their  way  to  the  front,  risen  to  the  top,  and 
gained  the  first  places  among  their  fellows  by  the  sheer 
force  of  their  characters  or  abilities,  and  thus  obtained 
for  themselves  and  their  descendants  patents  of  nobility. 
In  the  case  of  the  two  royal  families  in  Israel,  the  kingly 
and  the  priestly  houses  of  David  and  Aaron,  their  no- 
bility was  conferred  by  God  Himself,  according  to  His 
discerning  wisdom  and  grace.  Amongst  men  the  orders 
of  royalty  and  nobility  have  come  about  in  a  different 
way,  mainly  through  military  ability  and  power.  No 
doubt  there  are  many  and  grave  faults  and  abuses  con- 
nected with  the  earthly  orders  of  nobility  ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  there  is  no  lack  of  great  excellences  amongst 
many  men  and  women  in  the  world  who  have  descended 
from  long  lines  of  noble  ancestors.  We  certainly  are 
not  to  despise  good  birth  and  noble  family  traditions, 
any  more  than  we  are  to  ignore  and  pass  by  greatness 
of  character  and  high  ability  in  those  who  have  sprung 


4  A   NOTABLE  COUPLE 

from  ignoble  ancestors,  as  some  are  inclined  to  do.  The 
gentle-born  man  and  woman  should  count  their  birth  an 
inheritance  to  be  cherished  and  made  honourable  in 
their  own  lives.  The  meanly  born  should  always  re- 
member that  though  they  may  never  establish  titled 
families,  they  may  become  noble  themselves  and  the 
ancestors  of  noble  children,  in  the  best  sense  of  the 
word.  It  is  true  that  not  many  wise  or  noble  or  great 
of  this  world  are  found  in  the  household  of  faith  ;  yet 
there  have  always  been  some  of  this  class  who  have 
loved  and  honoured  God  in  testimony  and  life.  Joseph 
of  Arimathea  and  Nicodemus  were  among  the  early 
disciples  of  our  Lord.  They  were  both  men  of  high 
rank,  perhaps  of  noble  birth.  Saul  of  Tarsus  became 
the  disciple  of  Christ  soon  after  the  resurrection.  He 
was  of  aristocratic  birth  and  parentage,  of  high  rank 
both  in  his  profession  and  in  the  political,  social,  and 
religious  world  ;  yet  he  forsook  all  outward  advantages 
of  worldly  position  in  order  to  devote  his  life  to  the 
service  of  his  Master.  All  through  the  ages  there  have 
been  noble  men  and  women  in  the  ranks  of  believers 
who  have  alike  honoured  themselves  and  their  Master 
by  their  faith  and  devotion.  The  Church  of  to-day  has 
in  her  fellowship  men  and  women  of  high  family  and 
great  wealth  who  adorn  her  communion  and  are  bul- 
warks of  strength  to  the  cause  of  true  religion.  No  man 
in  England  excited  more  universal  love  and  respect  than 
did  the  late  Earl  of  Shaftesbury.  No  doubt  he  has 
spiritual  successors  in  his  own  rank.  Of  noble  women, 
in  both  a  social  and  religious  sense,  there  are  not  a  few. 
All  honour  to  them. 

God  honoured  the  ancient  priesthood  of  Israel  by 
creating  them  an  order  of  nobility.  They  were  a  royal 
priesthood.  They  were  not  the  worse  for  that  high 
distinction  ;  they  ought  always  to  have  been  the  better. 


A   NOTABLE  COUPLE  5 

Every  minister,  nay,  every  servant  of  Christ,  whether  of 
common  or  aristocratic  family,  should  be  in  himself  a 
nobleman,  by  cultivating  and  maintaining  that  character 
which  would  have  ennobled  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth 
even  had  they  not  been  of  the  house  of  Aaron. 

From  this  righteous  father  and  mother  sprang  John 
the  Baptist,  the  forerunner  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
He  was  "  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,"  not  because 
of  his  honourable  birth,  but  because  of  his  truly  noble 
life.  Our  Lord  Jesus  was  a  nobleman  by  birth — nay, 
more.  He  was  a  Prince — the  Prince  of  the  House  of 
David  ;  and  yet  He  did  not  count  His  high  nobility 
something  which  should  separate  and  lift  Him  away 
from  His  fellows.  He  was  not  ashamed  to  call  the 
poorest  of  His  disciples  friends  and  brethren,  and  treat 
them  as  such.  He  put  no  barrier  between  Himself 
and  those  of  lowly  birth  and  calling.  He  digged  no 
gulf  which  should  divide  the  common  people  from  Him- 
self. He  was  the  Friend  of  publicans  and  sinners.  He 
voluntarily  took  a  position  which  enabled  Him  to  use 
His  high  descent  both  from  God  and  man  as  a  gift  and 
talent  by  which  He  might  bring  blessing  and  help  to 
the  poor.  It  was  His  choice,  in  coming  into  the  world, 
to  choose  for  His  mother  a  lowly  maiden  of  a  decayed, 
poor,  and  obscure  family  of  the  house  of  David,  and  to 
be  born  in  a  stable.  He  did  not  despise  or  treat  with 
contempt  His  high  birth,  but  used  it  rather  as  a  means 
by  which  to  ennoble  many  obscure  and  lowly  men  and 
women  by  taking  them  into  kinship  with  Himself 

n.  A  Righteous  Couple.  Matthew  Henry  well 
says  that  "  grace  does  not  run  in  the  blood."  Noble 
blood  may  flow  in  a  man's  veins,  and  yet  his  heart  and 
life  may  be  destitute  of  righteousness,  which  is  the  only 
badge  of  nobility  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  A  man 
may  be  of  ignoble  family  and  blood,  and  yet  by  right- 


6  A  NOTABLE   COUPLE 

eousness  be  a  very  prince  with  God.  In  the  case  of 
Zacharias  and  Eh"sabeth  we  have  the  happy  combination 
of  earthly  nobility  and  heavenly  righteousness.  They 
were  not  righteous  because  they  were  the  descendants  of 
Aaron.  No  doubt  they  owed  much  to  their  heredity, 
and  more  to  the  environment  in  which  they  were  reared. 
But  neither  heredity  nor  environment  can  altogether 
account  for  that  righteousness  which  distinguished  them. 
That  supreme  characteristic  was  determined  by  their 
own  free  faith  and  choice.  The  question  of  hereditary 
righteousness  has  been  much  debated  on  either  side. 
There  are  some  who  hold  that  the  children  of  believing 
parents  are  thereby  endowed  with  certain  hereditary 
and  gracious  characteristics  which,  in  birth  and  nature, 
differentiate  them  from  "  common  children."  I  do  not 
believe  this  theory,  for  I  do  not  think  there  is  any 
warrant  in  the  scripture  for  it.  "  Think  not  to  say  with- 
in yourselves,  We  have  Abraham  to  our  father  :  for  I 
say  unto  you,  that  God  is  able  of  these  stones  to  raise 
up  children  unto  Abraham." '  In  our  own  Church 
Creed  we  define  the  Church  as  being  composed  of 
believers  and  their  children  ;  and  yet  we  deny  that 
article  of  our  Creed  when  we  exclude  or  debar  the 
unconverted  children  of  believing  parents  from  the 
Lord's  Supper.  Until  the  child  of  believing  parents 
is  born  from  above,  just  as  any  other  sinner  must  be, 
he  cannot,  though  Abraham  were  his  father,  and  Sarah 
his  mother,  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  Neverthe- 
less, I  am  one  of  those  who  believe  that  next  to  the 
gift  of  the  Spirit  Himself,  the  highest  blessing  which 
any  man  possesses  in  this  world  is  a  holy  mother  and  a 
godly  father.  To  have  descended  from  such  parents 
does  not,  it  is  true,  guarantee  your  salvation,  but  it  does 

^  iMatt.  iii.  9. 


A   NOTABLE  COUPLE  7 

give   you   an    immense   advantage,  so  far,  at  least,  as 
heredity  and  environment  are  concerned. 

The  question  of  heredity  and  environment  is  one,  as  I 
have  already  said,  very  much  discussed  and  debated  in 
our  days.  For  myself,  1  am  more  inclined  to  believe  in 
environment  as  a  superior  advantage  to  a  child  than 
heredity.  That  is,  I  would  rather  be  born  of  unrighteous 
parents  and  reared  in  a  godly  famil}',  than  be  born  of 
righteous  parents  and  reared  in  a  godless  family.  En- 
vironment has  more  power  to  modify  heredity  than 
heredity  has  to  overcome  environment.  We  have  a 
striking  illustration  of  this  truth  in  connection  with  the 
results  of  Dr.  Barnardo's  work  among  and  for  the  waif 
children  of  London.  He  takes  these  poor  little  outcasts 
absolutely  irrespective  of  their  parentage.  In  fact,  the 
more  desperately  wicked  the  parents,  the  more  pity 
seems  to  go  out  to  their  abandoned  and  neglected 
children  from  the  heart  of  that  greatest  christian  philan- 
thropist in  London.  He  has  five  thousand  of  these  waif 
children  in  his  Homes  at  all  times.  They  are  of  every 
age,  from  the  tiny  babe  of  a  few  months  old,  to  the 
sturdy  lad  and  lass  of  seventeen  and  eighteen  years. 
These  children  he  keeps  from  the  time  he  takes  them 
into  his  Home  until  they  are  old  enough  and  sufficiently 
well  trained  to  go  out  into  the  world  well  armed  and 
equipped  for  life's  battle.  All  do  not  become  christians, 
but  a  very  large  proportion  of  them  do.  These,  in  all 
human  probability,  would  have  ended  their  lives  in 
prison,  or  in  association  and  fellowship  with  criminals, 
had  they  not  been  placed  by  the  loving  hand  of  christian 
philanthropy  in  a  new  environment.  This  is  a  marked 
demonstration  of  the  fact  that  heredity  may  be  overcome 
by  environment.  Righteousness  is  neither  communi- 
cated by  natural  birth  nor  excluded  from  those  who  are 
born   with  the  worst    hereditary   taints  of  sin   in    their 


8  A   NOTABLE  COUPLE 

blood.  How  many  bad  sons  have  sprung  from  good 
fathers  ?  and  how  many  good  sons  have  had  bad  fathers  ? 
Hezekiah,  one  of  the  best  of  the  kings  of  Israel,  was  the 
son  of  Ahaz,  one  of  the  worst  ;  but  the  order  was  re- 
versed when  Hezekiah,  the  good  son  of  the  bad  Ahaz, 
became  the  father  of  the  wicked  Manasseh.  It  is  so  in 
our  own  families  to-day ;  good  sons  spring  from  bad 
fathers,  and  wicked  sons  are  born  of  holy  parentage.  It 
is  from  such  facts  that  I  say,  I  have  more  hope  for  a 
child  well  and  wisely  trained  in  the  nurture  and  admoni- 
tion of  the  Lord,  than  I  have  for  one  who  is  merely  well 
born,  so  far  as  righteousness  is  concerned.  An  examina- 
tion into  the  righteous  lives  of  these  two  worthy  servants 
of  God  will  reveal  characteristic  marks  which  cannot  be 
mistaken. 

Theirs  was  no  spurious  righteousness.  There  were 
current  in  our  Lord's  time,  as  in  ours,  several  types  of 
religious  life  and  character  which  passed  for  righteous- 
ness. The  greater  part  of  these  were  of  a  spurious  kind. 
It  was  base  coin  which  did  not,  and  could  not,  pass  the 
judgment  of  Christ  ;  which,  when  He  rang  it  on  the  rock 
of  truth,  sounded  false,  and  was  rejected.  Some  of  these 
types  were  more  base  than  others,  but  all  of  them 
counterfeit.  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth  were  not  Phari- 
sees in  the  hypocritical  sense  of  that  term,  though  it  is 
possible  they  may  have  been  of  that  sect,  as  Martha,  the 
confessor  of  Christ,  and  Paul,  were.  The  Scribes  and 
the  Pharisees  had  a  righteousness  concerning  which 
Jesus  said,  "  Except  your  righteousness  shall  exceed 
the  righteousness  of  the  Scribes  and  the  Pharisees,  ye 
shall  in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  ^ 
Now,  the  righteousness  of  these  two  classes  consisted  in  a 
strict  conformity  with  the  outward  letter  and  ceremonial 
of  the  law  of  Moses  ;  but  more  particularly  in  the  minute 
•  Matt.  V.  20. 


A   NOTABLE   COUPLE  9 

observance  of  certain  customs  enjoined  by  the  renowned 
doctors  of  the  law,  who  had  made  void  the  word  of  God 
by  their  traditions.  It  will  be  observed  that  our  Lord 
pronounced  sentence  against  the  spurious  righteousness 
of  these  classes  during  the  delivery  of  His  great  and 
searching  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  in  which  He  revealed 
the  spirituality  of  the  law  and  exposed  the  hidden  foun- 
tain of  sin  in  the  human  heart.  This  type  of  righteous- 
ness is  much  in  vogue  to-day,  and  is  no  better,  and 
scarcely  less  ostentatious,  than  it  was  in  our  Lord's  time. 
It  is  pretentious  and  formal  without  any  real  piety  be- 
hind it.  These  outwardly  righteous  professors  of  religion 
have  the  form  of  godliness,  but  not  the  power  of  it.  The 
most  conspicuous  example  of  this  kind  given  in  the  New 
Testament  is  seen  in  our  Lord's  parable  of  the  "  two 
men  "  who  "  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray  ;  the  one 
a  Pharisee,  and  the  other  a  publican.  The  Pharisee 
stood  and  prayed  thus  with  himself:  God,  I  thank  Thee, 
that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are,  extortioners,  unjust, 
adulterers,  or  even  as  this  publican.  I  fast  twice  in  the 
week  ;  I  give  tithes  of  all  that  I  possess."  ^  Zacharias 
and  his  wife,  Elisabeth,  were  not  righteous  after  this 
kind.  Then  there  was  another  and  honester  kind  of 
righteousness,  such  as  that  which  Paul  sought  to  attain 
by  honestly  striving  to  keep  the  law,  not  for  the  sake 
of  display,  but  for  conscience'  sake  and  God's  sake. 
"  Touching  the  righteousness  which  is  in  the  law,"  he 
says  he  was  "  blameless  "^ ;  "  and  was  zealous  toward 
God."  ^  His  was  not  an  hypocritical  righteousness,  but 
it  was  a  faulty  one,  because  it  is  not  possible  for  sinful 
man  to  attain  to  righteousness  by  any  deeds  of  the  law 
which  he  may  do.  Therefore  Paul  flung  it  from  him  as 
soon  as  he  discovered  "  the  righteousness  of  God,  which  is 
by  faith  in  Christ."  *  Of  this  kind  was  the  righteousness  of 
'  Luke  xviii.  10-12.      ^  Phil.  iii.  6.      ^  Acts  xxii.  3.      ^  Rom.  iii.  22 


lo  A   NOTABLE   COUPLE 

the  young  ruler  whom  Jesus  "  loved,"  but  who,  when  put 
to  the  test,  loved  his  wealth  more  than  he  desired  eternal 
life.  Of  this  kind  also  was  the  sincere,  but  mistaken, 
righteousness  of  Nicodemus  and  Joseph  of  Arimathea, 
who  also  abandoned  the  law  for  the  gospel  in  their  search 
after  life.  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth  were  not  righteous 
after  this  kind.  Nor  were  they  righteous  after  the 
manner  of  the  Sadducees,  who  practised,  or  at  least  pro- 
fessed, the  cold  and  lifeless  morality  of  Moses'  law,  with- 
out the  spirit  of  love  that  breathes  in  that  law.  Nor 
were  these  holy  people  righteous  after  the  sentimentalists 
of  our  day,  who,  if  only  they  can  maintain  a  certain  high 
degree  of  emotional  experience,  count  all  things  else  of 
little  worth.  With  such  it  is  not  so  much  faith  as  it  is 
feeling,  not  so  much  obedience  to  the  commandments 
of  Christ  as  it  is  an  inward  experience  which  has  the 
approval  of  their  school. 

Their  righteousness  was  iiiwr ought  and  spiritual  — 
manifesting  itself  hi  a  holy  ivalk  with  God.  "  Abraham 
believed  God,  and  it  was  counted  unto  him  for  righteous- 
ness." ^  This  holy  couple  were  the  children  of  Abraham 
both  by  natural  descent  and  by  spiritual  likeness.  They 
believed  God  and  feared  Him,  and  counted  nothing 
dear  or  worth  possessing  beyond  His  favour  and 
approval.  They  were  righteous  before  God.  They  did 
not  their  deeds  of  service  before  men — that  is,  to  be 
seen  of  men — but  before  God  ;  because  they  feared, 
loved,  and  reverenced  Him,  and  desired  above  all  things 
else  to  please  Him.  They  observed  the  law  not  as  a 
means  to  righteousness,  but  as  expressing  their  subjec- 
tion to  God.  It  was  spiritual  because  it  brought  them 
into  real  fellowship  with  God.  When  Zacharias  offered 
up  the  ceremonial  prayer  on  the  altar  of  incense,  his 
own  heart  was  in  holy  communion  with  God.  He  had 
'  Rom.  iv.  3. 


A   NOTABLE   COUPLE  n 

learned  that  "  in  burnt-offerings  and  sacrifices  for  sin  "  ^ 
God  had  no  delight  when  they  were  unaccompanied  by 
"  a  broken  spirit  and  a  contrite  heart."  ^  The  smoke 
from  the  altar  of  incense  ascended  toivard  heaven,  but 
the  prayers  of  Zacharias  passed  through  the  heavens  and 
reached  the  ear  and  the  heart  of  God.  He  had  that 
communion  of  righteousness  which  Moses  had  when  he 
talked  with  God  as  to  a  friend.  It  is  true  that  right- 
eousness is  something  imputed  to  us  by  faith  in  Christ ; 
but  it  is  more  than  that,  it  is  something  imparted  by  the 
Spirit  of  God.  They  were  righteous  before  God — and 
therefore  they  did  righteousness.  The  supreme  test  of 
righteousness  is  found  in  communion  with  God. 

Their  righteoiisness  was  practical.  It  did  not  stand  in 
profession  or  in  boasting  of  their  descent  from  Abraham 
and  Aaron,  or  in  their  ceremonial  observances  ;  but  in 
walking  before  God  in  all  His  ordinances  and  command- 
ments blameless.  They  were  first  righteous  in  heart  and 
spirit,  and  then  they  did  righteousness,  or  walked  in  it. 
There  is  an  outward  form  of  righteousness  which  may  be 
seen  of  men,  and  which  makes  the  heart  of  man  proud, 
but  which  has  no  inward  counterpart,  or  rather  no  inward 
root  and  spring.  It  is  like  the  gilding  on  base  metal,  or 
veneering  on  soft  wood.  True  righteousness  pervades 
the  heart  and  fills  the  spirit  of  man,  and  always  mani- 
fests itself  in  his  life.  This  kind  of  life  is  called  the 
"  fruit  of  righteousness  " — the  fruit  of  the  Spirit.  It  was 
in  the  power  of  such  a  spiritual  righteousness  that  this 
good  man  and  woman  lived  and  walked  before  God,  and 
in  the  sight  of,  but  not  for  the  sight  of,  men.  To  them 
all  the  commandments  and  ordinances  of  God  were  of 
importance.  They  did  not  pick  and  choose  among 
them,  but  studied  them  all,  and  sought  to  make  them 
all  honourable  by  obeying  them.  They  maintained,  or 
'  Heb.  X.  6.  -'  Ps.  li.  17. 


12  A   NOTABLE   COUPLE 

rather  lived,  their  righteousness  before  God.  This  made 
the  precincts  of  their  own  home  as  sacred  and  holy  as 
those  of  the  temple.  They  were  as  careful  when  no 
human  eye  was  upon  them  as  when  they  walked  to  the 
temple  in  presence  of  a  multitude.  Had  they  been 
modern  merchants  and  members  of  society,  their  offices 
and  drawing-rooms  would  have  been  as  sacred  to  them 
as  the  sanctuary  on  the  Sabbath  day. 

They  devoted  themselves  to  the  service  of  God.  With 
them  religion  was  not  merely  a  private  matter  for  the 
benefit  of  their  own  souls.  They  regarded  themselves  as 
the  servants  of  God,  and  identified  themselves  with  His 
cause.  In  the  best  sense  of  the  word  they  were  Levites, 
servants  of  God.  They  were  careful  to  save  their  own 
souls,  but,  having  done  that,  they  were  as  careful  to  give 
their  saved  lives  to  the  service  of  God  as  they  had  been 
to  seek  God  for  their  own  salvation.  When  I  consider 
a  multitude  of  professors  of  religion  to-day  who  seem 
only  anxious  to  secure  their  own  salvation,  and  get  for 
themselves  the  benefits  which  may  accrue  from  fellow- 
ship in  the  Church  of  God,  and  yet  care  not  for  His 
service,  I  long  for  a  revival  of  that  righteousness  which 
characterized  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth.  The  Pharisee 
serves  to  live  ;  the  truly  righteous  man  lives  to  serve. 

They  were  blameless  in  their  zvalk  and  service.  This  is 
a  high  designation,  and  speaks  marvels  to  the  praise  of 
these  righteous  servants  of  God.  There  are  two  words 
used  in  the  New  Testament  of  believers  that  are  some- 
times confounded.  We  read  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Ephesians  that  Christ  will  present  His  Church  to  Him- 
self "  a  glorious  Church,  not  having  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or 
any  such  thing,  but  that  it  should  be  holy  and  without 
blemish."  ^  That  is  faultlessness — "  without  fault."  That 
is  the  end  in  view  in  our  salvation,  and  the  end  which 
^  Eph.  V.  27. 


A   NOTABLE  COUPLE  13 

God  will  work  out  for  us ;  therefore  it  is  said,  He  "  is 
able  to  keep  you  from  falling,  and  to  present  you  fault- 
less before  the  presence  of  His  glory  with  joy."  ^  A 
child  or  a  servant  of  God  may  be  blameless  while  he  is 
not  yet  faultless.  Faultlessness  is  perfection  ;  blame- 
lessness  is  not  faultlessness,  but  a  state  of  not  being 
worthy  of  rebuke.  A  child  or  servant  may  be  far  from 
faultless  in  his  task,  and  yet  a  parent  or  master  may 
perceive  such  an  honest  and  sincere  purpose  in  the  work 
done,  or  the  task  attempted,  that  no  blame  is  attached  to 
the  doer  of  it.  Such  a  blameless  one  may  be  even 
praised  and  encouraged,  notwithstanding  fault  or  lack  of 
perfection  in  the  service.  Moral  perfection,  faultless- 
ness in  life  or  service,  is  never  attained  in  this  life  ;  but 
blamelessness  may  be  attained.  We  may  be  blameless 
before  God.  Therefore  Paul  prayed  for  the  Thessa- 
lonians  that  their  "  whole  spirit  and  soul  and  body  be 
preserved  blameless  unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  2  "  Walk  before  Me,  and  be  thou  perfect  "  ;  ^ 
that  is,  obedient  to  My  word.  This  was  the  perfection 
or  blamelessness  of  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth.  This  may 
be  ours  if  we  follow  in  their  footsteps. 

HI.  An  Old  and  Childless  Couple.  "  I  am 
an  old  man,"  said  Zacharias,  "  and  my  wife  well  stricken 
in  years."  There  is  no  reproach  in  old  age,  nor  is  there 
in  it  necessarily  any  measure  of  affliction.  It  may  have 
stored  up  many  regrets  and  recorded  many  disappoint- 
ments ;  but  there  can  be  no  reproach  in  it,  unless  past 
days  have  been  characterized  by  sin  and  disobedience. 
Jacob  indeed  said,  when  he  was  an  old  man,  "  Few  and 
evil  have  the  days  of  the  years  of  my  life  been  "  ;  ^  but 
all  the  evil  in  his  long  life  was  traceable  to  his  own  sin 
and  shortcomings.     On  the  other  hand,  Joshua  left  a 

'  Jude  24.  ^  I  Thess.  v.  23. 

^  Gen.  xvii.  i.  ^  Gen.  xlvii.  9. 


14  A   NOTABLE  COUPLE 

testimony  which  was  joyous  because  of  the  continuous 
and  unbroken  record  of  gracious  promises  fulfilled. 
Joshua  was  a  man  of  faith.  He  believed  God,  and 
walked  in  all  His  commandments  and  ordinances  blame- 
less. When  old  age  is  associated  with  wickedness  and 
godlessness,  there  is  indeed  both  reproach  and  affliction. 
What  so  utterly  forlorn  as  to  witness  the  hopelessness  of 
a  wicked  old  man  and  woman,  who  have  spent  their 
days  in  rebellion  against  God  ?  The  memory  of  the 
past  can  be  of  no  solace  to  them  ;  their  present  is  full  of 
bitter  reflection,  and  the  dry  and  salt  ashes  of  spent  and 
vanished  pleasures  ;  with  nothing  to  look  forward  to  but 
death,  the  grave,  and  the  judgment  of  God.  But  the 
righteous  have  hope  in  their  death  ;  there  is  nought  of 
misery  or  affliction  in  it  to  them.  To  look  back  upon  a 
life  spent  in  the  service  of  God,  to  bring  to  remembrance 
all  the  good  things  which  God  hath  done  in  the  past, 
and  to  look  forward  to  all  the  good  things  which  He 
hath  laid  up  for  them  that  love  Him  in  the  world  to 
come — this  is  a  joyful  experience.  The  backward  look 
fills  us  with  thanksgiving,  and  the  forward  look  with 
hope  ;  and  the  present  is  full  of  peace  and  quiet  waiting, 
even  while  there  is  still  service  to  be  done.  Let  us  not 
fear  old  age,  but  rather  glorify  it  with  the  spoil  of  a 
youthful  and  mature  life  spent  in  the  righteous  service  of 
God. 

IV.  Thev  were  Childless.  There  was  one  bitter 
drop  in  the  cup  of  this  good  couple :  they  were  child- 
less. They  had  spent  their  long  lives  together  in  love 
and  happiness  ;  but  their  home  had  never  been  glad- 
dened by  the  voice  of  children  and  the  patter  of  their 
tiny  feet ;  by  the  joy  of  their  childhood,  the  care  of 
their  youth,  and  the  hope  of  their  manhood  or  woman- 
hood. In  their  old  age,  no  children  gathered  around 
them  to  repay,  by  their  devotion,  all  the  years  of  love 


A   NOTABLE   COUPLE  15 

and  care  expended  upon  their  training  and  upbringing. 
No  children's  children  gathered  about  them  and  made 
them  young  again.  There  are  those  in  these  latter  days 
who  regard  children  as  an  encumbrance  and  a  clog  to 
their  freedom,  and  an  impediment  to  their  pleasure ;  a 
bane,  and  not  a  blessing  ;  a  misfortune,  and  not  a  joy. 
They  even  sin  against  God  and  nature,  rather  than  be 
inflicted  with  the  care  of  them  ;  to  be  without  them 
they  violate  the  law  of  their  being,  and  the  very  or- 
dinance of  marriage  which  they  have  sworn  to  maintain 
sacred.  They  have  no  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes, 
and  of  course  no  appreciation  of  that  promise  of  His 
word  which  says,  "  Happy  is  the  man  that  hath  his 
quiver  full  of  them."  ^  Apart  from  the  personal  afflic- 
tion of  a  childless  state,  these  good  people  could  look 
forward  with  no  hope  and  satisfaction  to  the  preserva- 
tion of  their  name  and  family  among  men.  With  them 
their  name  would  die  and  their  family  come  to  an 
end.  No  sons  nor  sons'  sons  would  rise  up  in  coming 
generations  to  call  them  blessed  and  preserve  blameless 
the  traditions  of  their  honourable  lives.  The  love  of 
posterity  and  the  desire  to  keep  one's  name  alive  on 
the  earth  is  God-implanted  and  worthy  of  cherishing, 
Zacharias  and  Elisabeth  could  not  have  hoped  to  be  the 
parents  of  the  Messiah,  for  He  must  be  born  of  the 
house  of  Judah  ;  yet  they  might  have  hoped  that  a  son 
born  to  them  should  be  closely  associated  with  Him  for 
whose  coming  they  were  waiting  and  praying.  But  their 
deprivation  did  not  sour  them  ;  it  did  not  lead  them 
to  entertain  hard  and  rebellious  thoughts  in  their  hearts 
against  God.  They  had  continued  in  prayer  for  many 
years  for  two  things — for  the  coming  of  the  Consolation 
of  Israel,  and  for  a  son.     The  time  had  passed  accord- 

'  Ps.  cxxvii.  5. 


1 6  A   NOTABLE  COUPLE 

ing  to  nature  for  the  answer  to  their  personal  prayer, 
and  they  had  doubtless  given  it  over  years  ago ;  but 
that  did  not  prevent  or  hinder  them  from  earnestly 
praying  day  and  night  for  the  coming  of  the  Messiah. 
They  continued  to  serve  God  with  faithful  blameless- 
ness.  They  had  longed  for  children,  but  they  did  not 
doubt  God's  goodness.  What  a  beautiful  lesson  there  is 
in  all  this  for  us.  We  make  prayer  to  God  both  for  the 
coming  of  the  Kingdom  of  Christ  on  earth,  for  the 
prosperity  of  His  cause  among  men ;  and  we  make 
prayer  to  God  for  those  things  which  we  personally 
wish  for  our  own  pleasure  or  for  what  we  esteem  to  be 
needful  for  our  best  good.  If  our  personal  desires  are 
not  gratified,  we  are  apt  to  have  hard  thoughts  against 
God,  to  give  over  praying  for  His  kingdom  and  glory, 
and  to  make  our  disappointment  a  reason  for  ceasing 
from  His  service  ;  thereby  showing  that  we  are  not  the 
sons  of  His  love  and  grace,  but  mere  hirelings,  working 
for  wages,  the  prompt  payment  of  which  we  demand  as 
a  condition  of  our  services.  Not  such  servants  were 
Zacharias  and  Elisabeth.  They  did  not  serve  God  for 
hire,  nor  walk  before  Him  for  gain.  They  were  the 
servants  of  love,  and  God  honoured  them  for  it  and 
in  it. 

And  now  a  great  surprise  was  in  store  for  them.  A 
blessing  that  they  had  ceased  to  expect  was  come  to 
their  door.  God  was  about  to  pension  them  in  their 
old  age  with  a  dowry  which  would  make  up  for  all  their 
years  of  leanness  and  disappointment.  God  had  not 
forgotten  their  work  of  faith  and  labour  of  love.  Their 
eyes  were  to  behold  the  coming  of  the  King,  and  tJuir 
son,  born  to  them  out  of  the  course  of  nature  and  in 
their  old  age,  was  to  be  His  herald.  Even  so  will  God 
deal  with  those  who  are  faithful  and  true  to  Him.  In 
this  world,  or  in  the  next,  we  shall  see  all  the  desire 


A   NOTABLE   COUPLE  17 

of  our  hearts  fulfilled,  and  much  more.  Nothing  is  more 
certain  than  that  God  answers  prayer.  Only  let  us 
remember  that  His  time  and  our  time  may  not  syn- 
chronize ;  and  that  He  has  two  worlds  in  which  to 
make  good  His  promises. 


P.B. 


II 

GREAT  IN   THE  SIGHT  OF   THE  LORD 
"  For  he  shall  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord." — LuKE  i.  15. 

FOUR  hundred  years  had  passed  away  since  God 
had  made  any  visible  or  audible  communication  to 
His  people.  That  was  a  long  hiatus  between  the  last  ol 
the  prophets  and  the  appearance  of  the  Angel  Gabriel 
to  Zacharias.  It  was  a  time  during  which  His  people 
had  to  live  by  faith.  Yet  there  were  many  true  hearts 
who  continued  to  wait  upon  the  Lord,  read  His  word, 
long  for  His  salvation,  and  believe  His  promises. 
Among  these  were  the  faithful  Zacharias  and  his  good 
wife  Elisabeth,  who  were  both  righteous  before  God, 
"  walking  in  all  the  commandments  and  ordinances  of 
the  Lord  blameless."  Nor  was  their  faithfulness  in  vain, 
for  one  day  while  Zacharias  was  praying  beside  the  altar 
and  offering  up  incense,  there  came  the  angel  of  God, 
even  Gabriel,  and,  standing  beside  him,  told  him  that  he 
had  not  been  forgotten,  nor  his  prayers  disregarded. 
God  does  not  forget,  though  to  our  short-sighted  im- 
patience it  sometimes  seems  that  He  does.  He  is  not 
unmindful  of  our  faith  and  prayers,  though  He  tarry 
long  before  answering  them.  The  fruit  that  hangs 
longest  on  the  tree,  drinking  in  the  sunshine  slowly,  is 
usually  the  sweetest.  Prayers  lose  nothing  in  their 
answers  because  they  have  lain  long  before  the  Lord. 
Such  prayers  accumulate  interest,  as  did  the  prayers  of 
Zacharias.      Had   his  prayers  been  answered  when  he 


GREAT  IN  THE  SIGHT  OF   THE   LORD  19 

first  made  them  years  before,  an  ordinary  child  might 
have  been  given  him,  who  would  have  been  nothing 
different  from  other  children  ;  but  now  a  child  had  come 
to  him — the  fruit  of  supernatural  power — whose  coming 
should  bring  joy  and  gladness  to  him  ;  who  should  be 
great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  do  a  wondrous  work  ; 
whose  influence  and  power  shall  endure  as  long  as  the 
world  lasts,  nay,  which  shall  extend  into  eternity  itself 
We  may  well  reflect  on  the  matter  suggested  by  this 
incident ;  one  full  of  profit  and  comfort  to  ourselves,  if 
we  are  disposed  to  question  in  the  least  degree  the  good- 
ness and  faithfulness  of  God.  I  am  sure  that  God 
answers  prayer.  Nothing  in  this  world  is  more  certain 
than  this.  I  am  sure  also  that  He  answers  prayer  at  the 
best  time,  and  in  the  best  manne7',  both  for  our  good  and 
His  glory.  We  should  desire  nothing — and  I  trust  none 
of  us  do — unless  it  can  come  to  us  out  of  His  glory  and 
for  His  glory.  Is  it  not  good  for  us  to  remember  that 
all  prayers  which  God  answers  are  "  according  to  the 
riches  of  His  glory  "  ?  ^  This  makes  them  worth  while, 
and  insures  to  us  something  of  the  glory  of  God  out  of 
which  they  come.  No  right-thinking  christian  would 
for  a  single  moment  wish  to  have  any  personal  desire 
gratified  if  it  had  to  be  gratified  at  the  cost  of  diminish- 
ing the  glory  of  God,  or  even  if  it  did  not  tend  to  in- 
crease it.  In  the  meantime,  let  us  continue  to  pray  in 
this  spirit,  as  I  am  sure  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth  did, 
coupling  their  request  for  a  child  with  their  constant 
prayer  for  the  coming  of  Messiah  and  the  establishment 
of  His  kingdom.  There  is  no  better  argument  in  prayer 
than  to  plead  it  along  with  our  desire  for  the  glory  of 
God.  Let  us  pray  then,  and  wait  patiently,  for  the 
Lord's  time  and  way.  He  will  not  disappoint  us  either 
in  granting  or  withholding  our  petitions.  It  must  have 
'  Eph.  iii.  16. 


20  GREA  T  IN  THE  SIGHT  OF  THE  LORD 

thrilled  the  hearts  of  these  aged  people  who  had  waited 
so  long  to  have  heard  not  only  that  their  prayer  was 
answered,  but  that  their  son  should  "  be  great  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord," 

I.  The  Greatness  of  John  the  Baptist.  "  He 
shall  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord."  This  declara- 
tion at  once  sets  John  the  Baptist  in  contrast  with  a 
multitude  of  men  who  have  been  great  in  the  sight  of 
the  world.  The  number  of  men  who  have  been  born 
great,  have  achieved  greatness,  or  had  greatness  thrust 
upon  them  in  this  world,  is  very  considerable  ;  but,  after 
all,  compared  with  the  vast  multitudes  of  men  in  every 
rank  and  condition,  they  make  a  very  small  company. 
The  captains  and  kings,  the  philosophers  and  scientists, 
the  poets  and  painters,  upon  whom  the  world  has  set 
the  seal  of  greatness  are  really  very  few.  A  century 
scarcely  produces  one  of  a  kind.  In  comparison  with 
the  greatness  of  any  one  of  them,  or  all  of  them,  the 
judgment  which  is  awarded  to  John  the  Baptist  is  a 
glory  which  places  him  before  them  all.  He  was 
"great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord."  Here  is  a  verdict 
handed  down  direct  from  heaven  itself,  and  from  God 
Himself;  for  it  was  not  the  angel's  testimony,  but  that 
which  he  was  commissioned  to  give  from  God. 

Amongst  the  greatest  men  who  have  ever  lived  in 
this  world  have  been  the  prophets  ;  those  men  to  whom 
God  has  spoken,  and  who  in  turn  have  spoken  for 
God  ;  God's  chosen  ambassadors  ;  men  like  Moses  and 
Samuel,  Elijah  and  David,  Isaiah  and  Ezekiel,  and 
Daniel  and  Jeremiah  ;  with  whom  we  should  include 
Noah,  Abraham,  and  Job,  of  whom  the  world  was  not 
worthy.  These  were  all  great  with  a  greatness  akin  to 
that  of  John  the  Baptist.  They  were  the  friends  of 
God,  beloved  of  God,  mighty  men  of  valour,  men  after 
God's  own  heart,  men  concerning  whom  He  has  said, 


GREAT  IN  THE  SIGHT  OF   THE  LORD  21 

"  There  are  none  like  them  in  the  earth."  And  yet 
Jesus  said  of  John,  "  Among  those  that  are  born  of 
women,  there  is  not  a  greater  prophet  than  John  the 
Baptist."  ^ 

His  7vas  the  only  greatness  worth  having.  Because 
it  was  a  greatness  to  which  God  set  the  seal  of  His 
approving  judgment.  God  only  knows  what  true  great- 
ness is,  and  therefore  His  judgment  is  the  only  judgment 
worth  having.  Let  me  illustrate  what  I  mean.  Here 
are  two  diamonds,  or  what  appear  to  be  diamonds. 
They  both  shine  and  glow  with  what  seems  to  be  an 
internal  fire.  One  is  larger  than  the  other,  and  first 
catches  the  eye  of  the  beholder ;  and  most  men  would 
choose  it  out  of  hand  as  being  the  one  of  greater  value. 
But  who  shall  decide  as  to  their  relative  worth?  At 
last  they  are  taken  to  a  famous  expert  in  precious 
stones,  and  his  judgment  is  that  the  one  which  seemed 
the  more  valuable  is  made  of  paste  ;  but  the  other  and 
lesser  one  is  a  stone  of  purest  water.  The  really  great 
stone  was  not  so  artistically  cut,  was  not  so  elaborately 
set  as  the  paste  imposture.  It  is  the  real  stone  that 
possesses  the  value.  Who  would  be  content  with  paste, 
however  large  and  brilliant,  when  a  real  stone  may  be 
had  ?  In  such  a  case  as  this  the  judgment  of  the  lapi- 
dary is  final.  So  as  between  the  greatness  which  most 
of  us  snatch  at  and  true  greatness,  the  judgment  of 
God  is  final. 

The  Pharaoh  who  was  contemporary  with  Moses  was 
one  of  the  greatest  kings  of  the  earth ;  how  much 
greater  in  the  sight  of  men  than  Moses,  the  foundling 
slave  child,  whom  the  king's  daughter  adopted  and 
reared  in  the  palace,  but  who,  a  few  years  later,  was  a 
fugitive  from  the  palace  and  the  wrath  of  the  king. 
Yet  in  the  sight  of  God  Moses  was  greater  than  Pha- 
'  Luke  vii.  28. 


22  GREAT  IN  THE  SIGHT  OF   THE  LORD 

raoh  ;  and  the  verdict  of  the  world  to-day  is  that  the 
man  despised  by  the  world  in  which  he  lived,  but  chosen 
and  honoured  of  God,  was  greater  than  his  great  adver- 
sary. Where  are  the  Pharaohs,  their  writings,  their 
laws,  their  works  ?  Gone,  gone,  are  they  all  ;  but  Moses 
lives  green  in  the  memory  of  all  ages — his  great  writ- 
ings are  extant  and  current  to-day  as  never  before ; 
his  life,  his  labours,  and  the  impact  of  his  character 
have  affected  for  good  the  nations  of  the  earth  for 
nearly  four  thousand  years.  Herod,  the  great  king, 
was  a  greater  man  in  the  sight  of  the  world  than  was 
John  the  Baptist,  the  poor  prophet-preacher  whom  he 
beheaded.  The  people  said  he  was  a  god.  He  was 
great  in  the  possession  of  a  throne,  and  worldly  power 
and  pomp,  and  the  glitter  of  regal  splendour ;  but  John 
was  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.  The  high  priests 
and  Jewish  senators  and  doctors  were  greater  in  the 
sight  of  the  world  than  Jesus,  the  carpenter's  Son,  who 
had  not  where  to  lay  His  head,  and  whom  they  accused 
before  Pilate.  Pontius  Pilate  was  greater  in  the  sight 
of  the  world  than  Jesus,  whom  he  delivered  to  be 
scourged  and  crucified  ;  but  Jesus,  the  Man  of  Naza- 
reth, was  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  for  He  had 
this  testimony  before  His  birth,  "  He  shall  be  great " ; 
and,  later  on,  the  word  from  God  out  of  the  heavens, 
"  This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased  "  ^ ; 
and  again,  "  Behold  My  Servant,  whom  I  uphold  ;  Mine 
Elect,  in  whom  My  soul  delighteth  "  ^ ;  and  "  Him  hath 
God  highly  exalted  with  His  right  hand  to  be  a  Prince 
and  a  Saviour."  ^ 

Greatness  in  the  sight  of  tlie  Lord  carries  with  it  God's 

loving  favour.     Enoch  was  regarded  by  his  generation 

as  a  puritanic  exclusivist,  because  he  would  not  walk  in 

the  way  and  order  his  life  according  to  the  course  of  the 

*  Matt.  xvii.  5.  ^  Isa.  xlii.  i.  ^  Acts  v.  31. 


GREAT  IN   THE   SIGHT  OF   THE  LORD  23 

great  antediluvian  world,  whose  great  men  were  "  giants 
in  those  days,"  and  who  filled  the  world  with  violence, 
as  a  majority  of  the  world's  great  men  have  ever  done. 
But  Enoch  had  this  testimony,  "  that  he  pleased  God."  ' 
In  the  eyes  of  the  world  Noah  was  a  cracked-brained 
visionary  and  fanatic  of  whom  the  people  made  a  mock  ; 
but  God  distinguished  him  for  his  righteousness  and 
the  true  greatness  of  his  faith,  and  he  found  favour  with 
the  Lord,  and  was  honoured  by  being  made  the  new 
head  of  the  race,  who  planted  the  earth  again  with  men, 
after  the  judgment  of  God  had  swept  it  bare.  His  name 
is  included  in  one  of  the  two  small  lists  of  great  men 
mentioned  in  the  scriptures — Noah,  Job,  and  Daniel. 
Abraham  was  God's  friend.  Job  was  God's  pride,  of 
whom  He  boasted  that  there  was  "  none  like  him  in  the 
earth."  ^  David  was  a  great  and  much-loved  favourite 
with  Jehovah,  because  his  heart  was  right  with  God. 
Yes,  I  know  that  David  sinned  greatly  against  the 
Lord,  but  also  that  he  deeply  repented  of  his  sin.  God 
did  not  cast  him  away,  but  forgave  him,  and  continued 
His  favour  upon  him  because  he  was  a  great  man  in 
His  sight ;  and  greatness  in  God's  sight  always  means 
favour — loving  favour — from  God.  He  was  not  so 
"  goodly "  a  man  as  Saul,  in  the  judgment  of  Israel, 
but  he  was  greater  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  than  that 
splendid  hero-king  of  Israel,  chosen  after  the  flesh  or 
according  to  a  worldly  judgment  of  greatness.  Daniel 
was  "  greatly  beloved  "  of  God,  and  though  only  a 
servant  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  was  an  infinitely  greater 
man.  I  have  selected  only  a  few  well-known  names 
with  which  to  illustrate  this  point ;  but  there  are  many 
thousands  of  men  and  women  whose  names  are  not 
known  amongst  men,  and  who,  of  course,  have  no 
worldly  greatness,  and  yet  "  of  whom  the  world  is  not 
»  Heb.  xi.  5.  2  Job  i.  8. 


24  GREAT  IN  THE   SIGHT  OF  THE  10 RD 

worthy."^  If  we  would  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord,  we  must  be  something  as  well  as  do  something 
that  will  win  for  us  the  loving  approval  of  God — His 
"  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant  ;  enter  thou  into 
the  joy  of  thy  Lord."  ^  A  railway  porter  in  America, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  stand  by  the  door  leading  from 
the  waiting-room  to  the  station  platform  and  examine 
the  tickets  of  the  travellers,  was  beset  by  a  great  and 
pressing  throng.  It  was  winter  time,  and  many  had  put 
their  tickets  into  their  inner  pockets  and  were  angry 
because  they  had  to  get  them  out.  In  vain  they  pro- 
tested that  they  had  their  tickets,  and  abused  the  porter 
for  his  inexorable  demand  that  the  tickets  be  produced. 
Presently  a  gentleman  (?)  came  to  the  gate  completely 
enveloped  in  fur,  and  made  as  though  he  would  pass 
through  without  showing  his  ticket.  The  porter  stopped 
him  with  a  polite  "  Your  ticket,  if  you  please,  sir." 
"  Oh,  that  is  all  right !  I  have  my  ticket  in  my  inner 
coat-pocket,  and  cannot  be  bothered  to  get  at  it  now. 
I  am  Mr.  Blank  ;  let  me  through,  I  have  little  time."  "  I 
must  see  your  ticket,  sir,"  and  straightway  the  porter 
interposed  himself  between  the  struggling  gentleman 
and  the  gate.  Whereupon  the  gentleman  began  to 
curse  and  swear  at  the  porter.  He,  however,  was  not  in 
the  least  ruffled,  but  firmly  demanded  the  ticket,  and 
got  it.  I  said  to  him  afterwards,  "  You  do  not  appear 
to  be  very  popular  with  the  ordinary  traveller,  and  yet 
you  do  not  seem  to  mind  much  the  abuse  which  I  have 
heard  heaped  upon  you  the  last  five  minutes  for  simply 
doing  your  duty."  "  No,"  he  replied,  "  of  course  I  do 
not  enjoy  being  sworn  at ,  but  I  do  not  care  what  this 
man  or  that  may  think  of  me,  if  only  I  can  get  and 
keep  the  good  opinion  of  the  gentleman  who  sits  up 
yonder  (pointing  in  the  direction  of  the  Superintendent's 
^  Heb.  xi.  38.  '^  Matt.  xxv.  21. 


GREAT  IN   THE  SIGHT  OF   THE  LORD  25 

office) — I  am  indifferent  to  all  others."  If  only  we 
would  be  mindful  of  this,  and  so  live  and  serve  that  we 
may  win  and  keep  the  approval  of  our  Divine  Master — 
that  will  be  for  us  true  greatness. 

Greatness  in  God's  sight  is  true  greatness,  because  it  is 
the  only  enduring  greatness.  The  world's  judgment  is 
often  wrong,  and  has  to  be  reversed.  Many  a  man  has 
dazzled  the  eyes  of  the  world  which  made  haste  to  pro- 
claim him  great  under  false  apprehension  of  his  worth. 
A  later  generation  has  reversed  this  first  judgment  and 
consigned  the  yesterday's  hero  to  obscurity  or  ignominy. 
The  world's  judgment  is  proclaimed  with  palm  leaves 
and  plaudits  to-day  and  to-morrow  is  fiercely  voiced  in 
a  murderous  cry  of  "  Away  with  him  !  Away  with  him  ! 
Crucify  him  !  "  ^  A  Robespierre  is  cheered  as  a  patriot 
to-day  and  guillotined  as  a  traitor  to-morrow  by  the 
same  world.  The  world  and  its  judgment  and  applause 
and  glory  passes  away  and  all  human  greatness  fails  ; 
but  the  greatness  which  receives  the  approving  judgment 
of  God  endures  for  ever.  The  glory  of  Solomon — where 
is  it  ?  what  was  it  ?  His  palaces,  his  hanging  gardens, 
his  singing  men  and  his  dancing  women,  his  harem,  his 
stables  and  his  horses,  his  worldly  knowledge,  his  earthly 
power  among  the  rulers  of  the  world — all  that  which 
dazzled  the  eyes  of  the  world  has  passed  away,  and 
nothing  is  left  to  us  of  Solomon's  greatness  but  the  great 
humility  of  spirit  which  characterized  him  when  he  was 
a  youth.  All  the  rest — that  which  made  him  great  in 
the  sight  of  men — was  vanity ;  and  no  one  knew  it 
better  or  confessed  it  more  bitterly  than  Solomon  him- 
self. The  greatness  of  the  Caisars — where  is  it  ?  and 
what  is  it  to  the  world  ?  The  greatness  of  Napoleon — 
where  is  it?  and  what  is  it  worth  even  as  a  memory? 
It  only  excites  the  execration  of  all  good  men.  His 
'  John  xix.  15. 


26  GREAT  IN   THE  SIGHT  OF  THE  LORD 

was  the  greatness  of  a  remorseless  ambition  guided  by 
an  intellect  which  was  Satanic  in  its  fibre.  What,  in- 
deed, is  the  worth  of  greatness  which  rests  on  the 
approbation  of  princes  and  the  applause  of  the  world  ? 
I  think  I  can  even  now  hear  the  lament  of  Henry's  great 
Cardinal  in  answer  to  the  question  : — 

"  Farewell,  a  long  farewell,  to  all  my  greatness  ! 
This  is  the  state  of  man  :  To-day  he  puts  forth 
The  tender  leaves  of  hope,  to-morrow  blossoms, 
And  bears  his  blushing  honours  thick  upon  him  : 
The  third  day,  comes  a  frost,  a  killing  frost  ; 
And — when  he  thinks,  good  easy  man,  full  surely 
His  greatness  is  a-ripening — nips  his  root, 
And  then  he  falls,  as  I  do." 

But  he  who  is  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  "  shall 
shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament."  ^  Nineteen 
centuries  have  not  dimmed  the  fame  or  diminished  the 
greatness  of  John  the  Baptist  ;  rather  it  is  true  that  the 
world  is  steadily  moving  toward  a  complete  approval 
and  agreement  with  the  judgment  of  God,  and  that  is  a 
great  thing  for  the  world. 

II.  In  what  his  Greatness  consisted.  It  is 
a  fond  fashion  with  the  world,  when  some  man  has 
achieved  a  great  success  in  life,  in  any  department — as 
a  preacher,  a  politician,  a  lawyer,  a  statesman,  a  business 
man,  an  author,  or  an  artist — to  set  to  work  to  find  out 
the  secret  of  his  success.  It  is  not  an  altogether  un- 
worthy inquiry.  To  know  wherein  the  greatness  of  any 
man  of  real  or  reputed  worth  consists  is  a  knowledge 
worth  having.  This  poet  is  great  because  of  his  human 
soulfulness,  his  exquisite  pathos  and  close  kinship  to 
men — as  was  Burns.  This  one  is  great  because  of  his 
profound  knowledge  of  human  nature — as  was  Shake- 
speare.    This  one  is  great  because  of  the  purity  of  his 

*  Dan.  xii.  3. 


GREAT  IN  THE   SIGHT  OF   THE  LORD  27 

thou^^ht  and  the  crystalline  clearness  and  beauty  of  his 
style  and  the  rhythmic  cadence  of  his  metre — as  was 
Tennyson.  And  this  one  because  of  the  far-reaching 
and  mystic  depths  of  his  penetration — as  was  Browning. 
And  this  one  for  the  sublimity  of  his  theme,  the  majesty 
of  his  language,  and  the  stately  movement  of  his  verse — 
as  was  Milton.  That  was  a  great  soldier  because  of  his 
daring  strategy  and  the  swiftness  of  his  movement — as 
was  Napoleon.  That  one  because  he  knew  how  to  feed, 
as  well  as  fight,  his  soldiers — as  did  Wellington.  That 
one  because  of  the  dogged  persistency  which  kept  him 
"  pounding  away  "  and  prompted  him  to  declare  in  his 
famous  dispatch,  "  I  propose  to  fight  it  out  on  this  line, 
if  it  takes  all  summer" — as  did  Grant.  Among  the 
scientists,  speculative  and  practical,  there  are  many  great 
names — such  as  Faraday,  Tyndall,  Huxley,  and  Spencer. 
They  all  have  their  characteristics  of  greatness.  So 
among  the  great  preachers,  we  find  one  distinguished  for 
his  learning  and  argumentative  force ;  another  is  great 
because  of  his  eloquence  ;  another  because  of  his  fervent 
piety,  and  another  because  of  his  patient  zeal  for  God, 
both  in  and  out  of  the  pulpit.  Among  men  who  have 
been  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  each  one  has  had 
his  peculiarity  of  greatness.  Job  was  great  because  of 
his  unswerving  integrity  of  soul — who  would  not  yield 
it  even  to  God.  Abraham  was  great  because  of  the  un- 
movable  character  of  his  faith.  Moses  was  great  because 
of  his  love  for  the  people  who  were  committed  to  his 
care,  and  for  his  reverence  and  meekness  before  God. 
Samuel  because  of  his  great-hearted  patience  with  a 
stiff-necked  and  rebellious  nation,  and  for  his  humility 
before  God.  David  because  of  his  right-heartedness 
and  flaming  love  for  God.  Daniel  for  his  loyalty  and 
courage  in  the  midst  of  his  pagan  surroundings.  Paul 
for  his   tireless  zeal  and   unquenchable   enthusiasm   in 


28    GREAT  IN  THE  SIGHT  OF  THE  LORD 

the  service  of  Christ.  I  might  mention  many  other 
examples,  but  these  may  suffice,  while  we  turn  to  John 
the  Baptist  and  make  inquiry  into  the  secret  of  his 
greatness. 

It  was  not  in  the  accidentals  of  his  life  and  position. 
It  was  not  in  his  birth,  for  although  he  was  honoured  in 
his  parentage,  that  gave  him  no  high  standing  with  the 
world,  because  of  his  calling.  It  was  not  in  worldly 
position  and  patronage,  for  he  had  none ;  he  was  a 
desert  prophet  and  preacher.  Nor  was  it  in  the  power 
which  wealth  gives  one  in  this  world,  for  his  raiment 
was  of  the  skin  of  beasts,  and  his  food  locusts  and  wild 
honey.  It  was  not  in  the  flattery  of  his  speech,  for 
though  he  lived  on  honey,  none  of  it  stuck  to  his  tongue 
to  sweeten  his  words  when  he  denounced  the  sins  of 
the  people.  No  ;  John  was  not  great  in  the  sight  of  the 
world  ;  loved  by  a  few,  and  hated  by  the  many  because 
of  his  faithfulness.  Nor  did  his  greatness  stand  in  the 
long  years  in  which  he  lived  to  serve  the  Lord  ;  for  his 
whole  public  career  was  of  only  half  a  year's  duration. 
He  was  murdered  at  the  age  of  thirty-one  because  of  the 
hatred  of  a  wicked  woman  and  the  weakness  of  a  guilty 
king  whose  sins  he  had  reproved.  Nor,  we  may  say, 
was  it  because  of  the  uniform  strength  of  his  faith  ;  for 
though  he  was  a  saint,  he  was  not  a  perfect  one. 
Though  he  were  as  bold  as  a  lion  in  the  wilderness  and 
on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  where  he  confronted  the 
embodied  wickedness  of  the  nation  in  the  persons  of  the 
priests,  the  Pharisees,  the  Sadducees,  and  the  Herodians, 
when  in  prison  his  faith  failed  him,  and  despair  took 
hold  on  him.  He  doubted  of  the  Lord,  and  his  faith 
swerved  as  concerning  Jesus  ;  and,  like  Elijah,  his  great 
prototype,  he  surrendered  himself  to  despondency,  if  not 
to  despair.  This  leads  me  to  observe  here  that  all  God's 
great  servants  were  men  of  like  passions  and  infirmities 


GREA  T  IN   THE  SIGHT  OF  THE  LORD  29 

as  ourselves.  Job,  Abraham,  Moses,  Jacob,  and  David 
were  men  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  yet  they  all 
had  great  faults.  But  the  virtues  of  these  men,  exercised 
by  grace,  were  greater  than  their  faults,  grave  as  they 
were.  We  seem  to  despise  and  pass  judgment  upon 
Jacob  because  of  a  certain  meanness  in  his  character  ; 
but  we  forget  the  greatness  of  his  soul  in  choosing  and 
cleaving  fast  to  the  birthright,  which  redeems  him  from 
the  pit  of  his  weakness  and  sins.  Elijah  had  his  weak- 
ness ;  so  had  Jeremiah  and  Jonah.  Peter,  Paul,  and 
John  were  all  great  men  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and 
yet  they  were  all  blemished  men.  Let  no  one,  therefore, 
say  that  true  greatness  is  not  within  your  reach,  because 
of  inherent  faults  and  natural  weakness  of  character  in 
this  or  that  direction. 

John's  greatness  is  seen  in  the  voluntary  sacrifice  of  the 
world.  How  old  John  was  when  he  retired  to  the 
wilderness  we  do  not  know  ;  but  it  may  be  fairly  in- 
ferred that  he  gave  up  the  world  at  a  time  when  most 
young  men  desire  it  with  fierce  enthusiasm.  If  he  was 
ever  in  it,  he  was  never  of  it.  He  was  a  Nazarite  from 
his  birth.  He  eschewed  all  the  luxuries  of  the  table  ; 
all  the  softness  of  fine  raiment ;  all  the  delicate  refine- 
ments of  life  which  are  so  eagerly  desired  by  the  lusts 
of  the  flesh,  the  lusts  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life  ; 
in  fact,  everything  which  makes  the  strongest  appeals  to 
our  natural  life.  It  requires  true  greatness  of  soul  to  do 
this.  Only  men  and  women  who  have  been  strongly 
wrought  upon  by  the  Spirit  of  God  can  voluntarily 
sacrifice  the  seen  to  the  unseen,  the  natural  to  the 
spiritual.  Such  a  man  was  Abraham,  and  such  men 
afford  the  only  true  types  of  the  christian  life.  Yet  let 
me  be  not  misunderstood.  To  give  up  the  world  for 
God,  to  be  a  Nazarite,  does  not  necessarily  involve  the 
wilderness  or  the  monastery.     John  had  some  great  sue- 


30  GREAT  IN  THE  SIGHT  OF  THE  LORD 

cessors  of  this  sort  in  later  times,  in  such  men  as  Francis 
of  Assisi,  Bernard  of  Clairvaux,  and  other  holy  and  good 
men,  who  felt  called  to  imitate  him  in  retiring,  in  a 
literal  way,  from  the  world  and  all  its  associations — 
even  from  the  ordinary  activities  of  the  Church,  Yet 
there  have  been,  and  there  are  still,  thousands  of  souls, 
some  of  them  poor  and  obscure,  and  others  living  in 
circumstances  of  worldly  competence  and  comfort  and 
immersed  in  all  the  common  activities  of  life,  who  have 
as  truly  betaken  themselves  to  the  wilderness  as  did 
John  and  those  others  who  retired  to  desert  places  and 
lived  apart  from  men.  In  the  world,  but  not  of  it,  they 
are  leading  lives  of  holy  consecration  and  self-sacrifice 
for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  and  the  salvation  of 
men.  They  are  true  Nazarites,  though  they  are  not 
dressed  in  camel's  skin,  nor  feed  on  locusts  and  wild 
honey.  Loyal  to  Christ  and  devoted  to  His  cause,  they 
are  witnessing  a  good  confession  in  the  midst  of  a 
crooked  and  perverse  generation.  I  repeat  the  declara- 
tion that  it  is  possible  for  us  to  live  the  true  Nazarite 
life  in  the  place  and  station  in  life  in  which  we  are 
called,  either  in  the  midst  of  the  family  or  in  the  busy 
activities  of  the  affairs  of  the  world.  The  world  as  God 
has  made  it  is  not  an  evil  world,  it  is  the  place  of 
ministry  and  service,  and  requires  and  demands  in  God's 
name  the  service  of  those  who  are  or  would  be  great  in 
the  sight  of  the  Lord.  But  who  among  us  are  really 
great  enough  to  embrace  this  "  high  calling  "  ? 

"  What  millions  died  that  Caesar  might  be  great." 
How  many  of  us  are  dead  to  the  world  that  God  may 
be  great,  and  that  those  for  whom  Christ  died  may  be 
saved  ! 

He  %vas  great  in  the  endoivvient  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
"  He  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  even  from  his 
mother's  womb."     His  greatness  stood  not  in  wealth,  or 


GREAT  IN  THE  SIGHT  OF  THE  LORD  31 

birth,  or  position,  or  in  the  splendour  of  his  genius  ;  but 
in  that  he  was  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God.     It  is 
true  that  this  great  endowment  was  God's  gift,  so  far  as 
we  know,  without  having  been   sought  after  by  John  ; 
but  God  gives  the  Holy  Ghost  "  to  them  that  ask  Him," 
and  yet  when  the  Spirit  is  given  He  may  be  so  grieved 
and  quenched  as  to  amount  to  rejection.     John  was  not 
a  mere  passive  recipient,  but  the  active  and   voluntary 
partner  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     He  chose  God's  choice  for 
him   in  this   matter,  even  as  zve  may  inherit  what  we 
choose  in  this  respect.     Measured    by  this   standard  of 
greatness,  who  are  the  great  ones  in  our  congregation  ? 
Those   who   have  wealth,  position,  great  abilities,  and 
large  influence  of  a  worldly  kind  only  ;  or  those  who, 
known  or  unknown,  are  true  Nazarites,  who  have  volun- 
tarily renounced  the  world,  its  ambition  and  its  pride, 
and   are   filled  with   the    Holy  Ghost?     The  humblest 
disciple  may  have  this  great  endowment.     Thank  God 
there  are  some  gifts  which  cannot  be  monopolized  b}' 
the  rich  and  great  of  this  world.     We  may  be  great  in 
the  sight  of  the  world  and  totally  unknown  by  the  world. 
There  is  an  aristocracy  of  spiritual  power  and  service  to 
which  the  king  and  the  peasant  may  alike  belong.     I 
would  rather  have  the  endowment  which  Billy  Bray,  the 
Cornwall  miner  had,  than   the  greatness  of  the  greatest 
kingdom  of  this  world. 

John  was  great  in  his  profound  humility.  With  great 
spiritual  gifts  there  is  always  a  temptation  to  spiritual 
pride ;  a  temptation  so  subtle  that  if  there  be  ever  so 
small  a  break  in  the  joints  of  our  spiritual  harness,  the 
enemy  will  get  home  one  of  his  fiery  darts.  John  closed 
all  such  breaks  by  his  profound  humility.  "  Who  art 
thou  ?  "  asked  the  commission  from  the  Sanhedrim.  "  I 
am  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness."  ^  Nothing 
'  John  i.  23. 


32  GREAT  IN  THE  SIGHT  OF  THE  LORD 

and  nobody  in  himself,  but  only  a  voice  belonging  to 
Another,  who  was  greater  than  he.  How  nobly  and 
humbly  he  served  his  Lord  !  "  He  must  increase,  but  I 
must  decrease."  ^  "  Whose  shoe's  latchet  I  am  not 
worthy  to  unloose."  ^  There  is  nothing  more  trying  to 
human  nature  than  to  see  another  come  before  us  and 
displace  us  in  the  admiration  and  affection  of  those  who 
erstwhile  crowded  our  ministry  ;  and  yet  John  rejoiced 
in  the  coming  and  the  increasing  greatness  of  Jesus,  and 
was  glad  to  be  set  aside  for  His  sake  after  a  brief  but 
brilliant  ministry.  He  was  happy  in  being  the  friend  of 
the  bridegroom  and  glad  in  the  joy  of  his  Lord. 

Jo/m  was  great  hi  his  faithfulness.  First  as  a  preacher 
of  the  gospel.  I  have  read  many  sermons  preached  by 
men  of  distinguished  talent.  The  reviews  have  spoken 
of  them  as  marvels  of  learning  and  spiritual  insight  ; 
and  so  I  have  bought  and  read  their  books.  As  litera- 
ture and  depositaries  of  learning  they  are  great.  I  have 
read  them,  have  laid  them  down  with  a  sigh,  because  it 
is  not  my  gift  or  ability  to  write  such  books  or  preach 
such  sermons.  Yet,  after  all,  it  has  occurred  to  me  that 
they  are  very  unlike  the  sermons,  both  in  matter  and 
manner,  which  John  the  Baptist  preached.  How  faith- 
ful in  matter,  how  rugged  in  manner  was  John  !  He 
began  his  ministry  by  preaching  repentance,  and  faith  in 
the  coming  Messiah.  How  faithfully  and  fearlessly  he 
rebuked  the  sins  of  the  Pharisees  and  the  Sadducees  \ 
He  set  judgment  clearly  before  them,  and  warned  them 
of  the  levelling  axe  and  the  winnowing  fan.  He  was  as 
fearless  in  denouncing  the  adultery  of  Herod  as  he  was 
gentle  in  welcoming  to  his  baptism  the  repentant  pub- 
licans and  sinners.  As  soon  as  Jesus  appeared  he 
changed  this  theme,  and  twice  in  one  day  preached  from 
the  text,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  that  taketh  away 
*  John  iii.  30.  ^  John  i.  27. 


GREAT  IN   THE   SIGH 7    OF   THE  LORD  33 

the  sin  of  the  world."  ^  He  was  no  wild  socialist,  pan- 
dering to  the  passions  of  the  lower  orders  against  the 
privileges  of  the  upper  classes.  He  was  a  conservator 
of  law  and  order,  counselling  the  soldiers  to  do  violence 
to  no  man,  and  to  be  content  with  their  wages.  To 
handle  the  great  themes  of  revelation  faithfully  and 
reverently,  to  be  fearless  and  faithful  before  the  great, 
and  tender  and  gentle  yet  faithful  toward  the  weak  and 
lowly,  is  to  be  truly  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  as  a 
preacher  of  His  gospel. 

If  you  say  that  it  is  not  your  calling  to  be  a  preacher 
of  the  gospel,  and  that  it  is  only  in  some  public  trust 
that  one  may  be  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  I  say, 
''Not  so!"  It  is  possible  that  you  may  not  be  possessed 
of  the  burning  and  fiery  eloquence  of  John,  you  may 
not  be  able  to  draw  thousands  to  the  river  side,  kings 
may  not  come  to  hear  you  or  invite  you  to  their  private 
chapels  to  preach  to  them  ;  but  you  may  still  cherish 
and  teach  the  great  truths  which  John  taught,  and  be 
as  faithful  as  he  was  in  the  discharge  of  your  trust. 
Your  congregation  may  be  no  larger  than  the  number  of 
children  about  your  own  knees,  or  in  your  own  house  ; 
your  husband  or  wife  ;  your  Sunday  school  class,  or  the 
fellow-servants  in  the  house  or  shop  where  your  duty 
and  calling  lie,  or  that  friend  and  neighbour  with  whom 
you  have  such  close  relations.  You  may  be  the  fathers 
and  mothers  of  great  and  good  men  because  of  your 
faithfulness  to  your  sons  in  things  pertaining  to  God. 
How  many  women,  like  the  mother  of  Wesley,  mothers 
in  Israel,  whose  biographies  have  never  been  written, 
who  have  lived  and  died  in  some  shepherd's  cot  on 
the  lonely  mountain-side,  or  in  some  obscure  place  in  the 
great  cities,  have  sent  forth  their  sons,  reared  and  trained 
in  all  the  commandments  and  ordinances  of  the  Lord, 

'  John  i.  29. 
P.B.  3 


34  GREAT  IN   THE  SIGHT  OF   THE  LORD 

to  do  God's  service.  This  is  to  be  great  in  the  sight 
of  the  Lord. 

Nor  is  it  in  these  directions  only  that  one  may  be 
great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.  One  may  be  great  in 
faith  as  the  centurion  was,  or  as  the  Syrophenician 
woman,  who,  when  put  to  a  severe  trial,  stood  the  test ; 
when  opposed,  wrestled  ;  when  rebuffed,  still  persisted 
until  she  gained  her  cause.  Or  you  may  be  great  in 
your  beneficence,  as  the  poor  widow  was  who  gave  her 
two  mites — all  her  living — to  the  Lord.  In  this  field 
there  is  a  large  opportunity  for  many  christians.  You 
may  be  great  in  love,  as  the  woman  was  who  broke 
the  alabaster  box  of  spikenard,  a  precious  and  costly 
ointment,  upon  the  feet  of  the  Lord,  and  filled  all  the 
place  with  its  perfume.  There  is  much  need  of  great 
christians  who  shall  fill  the  world  with  the  perfume 
of  their  devotion  to  Christ.  I  might  easily  multiply 
ways  and  openings  for  the  culture  and  development  of 
true  greatness.  I  assure  you  there  is  ample  opportunity 
for  the  cultivation  of  greatness  in  our  congregations. 

John  was  great  in  tlie  mission  he  discharged  and  the 
zvork  he  accomplished.  He  was  the  forerunner  of  Christ, 
and  announced  His  coming.  "  He  was  a  burning  and 
a  shining  light,"  ^  which  lighted  men  to  Christ.  His 
ministry  among  men  was  beneficent  and  gracious.  He 
turned  many  to  righteousness.  He  reconciled  families. 
He  rescued  many  a  lost  and  hopeless  soul.  In  all  these 
respects  we  may,  in  a  measure,  be  his  imitators ;  for 
it  is  given  us  to  be  lights  in  the  world  and  the  ministers 
of  salvation  to  lost  sinners.  For  myself,  I  covet  this 
kind  of  greatness  ;  and  though  I  cannot  thrust  it  upon 
you,  I  long  that  you  may  seek  after  it  and  possess  it. 

'  John  V.  35. 


Ill 

A    GOOD    MAN'S    UNBELIEF 

"  Whereby  shall  I  know  this  ?  for  I  am  an  old  man,  and  my  wife 
well  stricken  in  years."^ — Luke  i.  i8. 

IN  this  incident  we  have  an  exceedingly  interesting 
example  of  the  unbeh'ef  of  a  good  man,  the  indig- 
nation of  the  angel  of  God,  and  the  consequences  of  his 
unbelief  to  himself  The  whole  situation  is  dramatic 
and  poetic,  as  are  all  the  incidents  recorded  by  Luke. 

On  the  first  reading  of  this  story  we  are  forcibly 
reminded  of  the  almost  parallel  case  of  Abraham  and 
Sarah,  who  in  the  days  of  their  old  age,  long  after  the 
time  when,  according  to  nature,  they  could  expect  such 
a  blessing,  God  promised  them  a  child.  In  both  cases 
the  promise  of  God  was  doubted  by  one  of  these  old 
couples.  In  the  case  of  Abraham  and  his  wife,  it  was 
the  woman  who  doubted  and  the  man  who  believed.  In 
the  case  of  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth,  it  was  the  man  who 
doubted  and  the  woman  who  believed.  In  the  account 
given  of  this  concerning  Abraham,  we  are  told  that  both 
he  and  Sarah  laughed  when  the  promise  came ;  but 
Abraham,  it  is  evident,  laughed  with  the  gladness  of 
faith,  while  Sarah  laughed  in  the  derision  of  unbelief  at 
the  bare  thought  of  such  a  thing.  Laughter  does  not 
always  mean  the  same  thing.  One  may  laugh  with 
joy  and  another  may  laugh  with  scorn.  When  Jesus 
assured  the  people  that  the  little  maid  whom  He  came 
to  heal  was  not  dead,  but  sleeping,  they  laughed  Him  to 


36  A    GOOD  MAN'S   UNBELIEF 

scorn. ^  But  wherefore  should  we  doubt  because  accord- 
ing to  nature  or  experience  a  promise  of  God  seems  to 
us  to  be  beyond  fulfilment  ?  "  Is  anything  too  hard  for 
the  Lord  ?  "  ^  There  are  some  other  interesting  similar- 
ities and  differences  suggested  both  in  close  and  remote 
connection  with  the  case  of  Zacharias.  Abraham  asked 
God  for  a  sign  ;  that  is,  something  whereby  he  might 
know  that  he  should  inherit  the  blessing  which  God  had 
promised  him.  But  this  was  not  an  unbelieving  request. 
It  was  rather  the  request  of  one  who  wished  something 
by  which  his  faith  and  conduct  might  be  guided.  So,  a 
little  later,  when  the  angel  went  to  Mary  and  announced 
to  her  that  she  had  been  chosen  of  God  to  be  the  mother 
of  the  Saviour,  she  asked,  "  How  shall  this  be,  seeing  I 
know  not  a  man  ? "  ^  It  should  seem  from  this  that 
Mary  was  as  unbelieving  as  Zacharias.  But  a  closer 
study  of  the  two  cases  reveals  the  fact  that  Mary's 
question  was  the  inquiry  of  innocent  curiosity  as  to  how 
God  could  do  such  a  wonder  ;  there  was  in  her  question 
no  unbelief.  Whereas  in  the  case  of  Zacharias  there 
was  downright  unbelief,  and  a  demand  that  the  promise 
or  declaration  of  the  angel  should  be  endorsed  by  some 
supernatural  sign.  Zacharias  was  a  "  seeker  after  signs  " 
in  that  sense  which  is  so  reprehended  in  God's  word,  and 
for  which  he  was  severely  chastened. 

There  is  nothing  more  offensive  to  God  than  unbelief 
in  His  people,  especially  in  those  who  by  reason  of  know- 
ledge and  years  of  experience  ought  to  have  better 
thoughts  of  God  than  to  doubt  His  word.  It  is  true 
that  God  does  not  cast  off  His  people  for  their  moment- 
ary lapses  of  faith,  nor  cease  to  be  merciful  to  them. 
He  still  fulfils  His  purposes  of  grace  toward  them  ; 
though  He  sometimes  shows  His  just  displeasure  and 

*  Luke  viii.  52.         '■^  Gen.  xviii.  14.         ^  Luke  i.  34. 


A    GOOD    MAN'S   UNBELIEF  37 

wise  discipline  by  causing  the  unbelieving  believer  to 
suffer  a  severe  penalty.  In  all  this  there  is  comfort  and 
profound  instruction.  Comfort,  because  the  conscious- 
ness of  our  unbelief  has  often  filled  us  with  the  fear  that 
great  promises  which  contain  all  grace  for  us  will  not 
now  be  fulfilled.  But  God  is  merciful.  Zacharias 
doubted  ;  and  yet  the  angel,  while  announcing  the 
visitation  of  an  afflictive  punishment  upon  him,  also 
announced  that  the  glad  tidings  which  he  had  doubted 
should  yet  be  fulfilled.  We  are  not,  however,  to  take 
advantage  of  God's  mercy  in  this  respect  to  sin  pre- 
sumptuously in  the  matter  of  unbelief.  Rather  we 
should  understand  that  these  things  God  has  shown  us 
are  to  induce  faith  and  not  to  condone  unbelief. 

It  is  interesting  also  to  note  this  fact.  Zacharias  had 
or  many  years  continued  his  prayer  before  God  for  a 
son,  until  perhaps  of  late  years,  moved  by  considerations 
of  old  age,  he  and  his  good  wife  had  ceased  further  to 
urge  the  matter,  and  had  long  since  given  up  hope. 
God  had  waited  long,  and  had  in  the  meantime  been 
silent,  giving  no  sign  that  the  prayer  had  even  been 
heard  in  heaven,  much  less  entertained  ;  but  now,  on  a 
sudden,  an  angel  comes  and  says,  "  Zacharias,  thy  prayer 
is  heard."  How  long  God  waits  sometimes  !  How  it 
seems  to  us  that  He  has  not  heard  at  all,  that  He  does 
not  care,  that  it  is  no  use  to  pray,  and  we  give  over  and 
say,  "  Well,  at  least  it  is  now  past  possibility  of  being 
answered.  I  am  an  old  man,  and  my  wife  also  is  well 
stricken  with  age  "  !  And  yet  God  has  not  forgotten  ; 
but  in  His  own  time  of  wisdom  and  grace  brings  forth 
the  answer.  On  the  other  hand,  note  how  swift  God 
is  to  answer  unbelieving  prayers.  "  Whereby  shall  I 
know  this  ?  "  asked  Zacharias  in  unbelief ;  and  swift  as 
thought — no  sooner  were  the  words  out  of  his  mouth — 
the  answer  came  :  "  Thou  shalt  be  dumb,  and  not  able 


38  A    GOOD  MAN'S    UNBELIEF 

to  speak,  until  the  day  that  these  things  be  performed."  ^ 
Since  unbeHef  is  so  serious  a  matter,  and  since  we  are 
all  more  or  less  prone  to  its  indulgence,  let  me  try  to 
expose  its  root  and  some  of  its  branches  ;  and,  later, 
endeavour  to  point  out  the  cure  for  this  fell  evil, 

I.  The   Source  and  Root  of   Unbelief.     Za- 
charias  was  a  true  believer  in  God  and  in  the  covenant 
which  He  had  made  centuries  before  with  His  people. 
Moreover,  he  was  a  good  man,  being  "  righteous  before 
God,  walking  in  all  the  commandments  and  ordinances 
of  the  Lord  blameless."     Yet,  strange  to  say,  though  he 
had  persevered  in  his  faith  throughout  the  long  years 
of  his  life,  without  a  sign  from  God  of  any  kind,  the 
moment  an  angel  straight  from  the   presence  of  God 
comes,  stands  by  his  side,  and  declares  the  gracious  ful- 
filment of  his    prayers,  he   is   seized   with   doubt,  and 
demands  security  for  the  angel's  word.     We  often  hear 
christians  and  others  say,  "If  only  God  would  give  me 
something  tangible  to  take  hold  of;    if  only  I  could  see 
something  out  of  the  invisible  world  ;    if  only  I  could 
hear  something — a  voice  out  of  heaven  ;   if  an  angel 
would  appear  to  me  ;    if  the  dead  would  rise  and  come 
to  me  ;    if  I   might  be  favoured  as  Peter,  James,  and 
John  were  on  the  Holy  Mount ; — then  I  would  have  no 
difficulty  in   believing.     Now,  why  does   not  God   help 
me  in  some  such  way  as  this  ?  " — as  if  God  were  really  to 
blame  for  their  doubts  and  unbelief     And  yet  what  do 
we  find  ?     That,  of  old,  God  did  thus  deal  with    His 
people.     From  the  time  of  Abraham's  call  down  to  the 
captivity,  God  spake  to  His  people  by  signs  and  won- 
ders.    Wonders  in  Egypt ;  wonders  in  the  desert ;  won- 
ders  in   the   land.     Angels  came  and   went  and  spake 
with   them    as  familiar  guests ;    the  hosts  of  the  Lord 
encamped  about  them  and  fought  their  battles  ;  prophets 
'  Luke  i.  20. 


A    GOOD  MAN'S    UNBELIEF  39 

spoke  to  them,  and  confirmed  their  messages  with  signs 
and  wonders  ;  the  heavens  withheld  the  rain,  and  then 
again  poured  it  down  in  floods  at  the  word  of  the  pro- 
phet of  God  ;  fire  fell  from  heaven  and  consumed  the 
sacrifice  on  the  mount,  in  the  very  eyes  of  the  people, 
who  were  halting  between  two  opinions,  doubtful 
whether  Baal  or  Jehovah  were  God  !  And,  after  all, 
what  came  of  it  ?  The  people  sank  lower  and  lower  in 
unbelief,  until  God  carried  them  all  away  into  captivity, 
there  to  discipline  them  with  sorrow  and  suffering,  until, 
zvithout  signs  and  wonders,  they  began  to  believe  the 
word  of  God  alone,  and  plead  that  word  with  confession 
of  sin,  humiliation  of  person,  and  many  bitter  prayers. 

In  Zacharias  we  have  a  remarkable  instance  of  the 
perversity  of  the  human  heart  in  this  respect.  Zacharias 
had  all  his  life  been  a  steadfast  believer  in  God,  without 
sign  or  wonder  to  help  his  faith.  For  centuries  God 
had  been  silent  ;  not  even  a  prophet  had  spoken  ;  there 
was  no  Shekinah  glory  in  the  Holy  of  Holies  ;  there 
were  no  Urim  and  Thummim  ;  but  silence  always,  and 
a  blank  and  unopen  heaven  above  him.  And  yet  he 
believed  God,  served  Him  blamelessly  in  all  His  ordi- 
nances and  commandments.  He  had  so  far  no  extraneous 
helps  to  his  faith.  Behold,  now  God  sends  an  angel  to 
him — and  that  angel  is  Gabriel — with  a  message  that 
his  faith,  so  long  steadfast,  was  about  to  be  rewarded  in 
the  answer  of  his  most  cherished  hope  ;  and  forthwith 
he  meets  this  supernatural  messenger  with  distrust,  and 
doubts  the  truth  of  his  message.  He  could  believe  God 
and  serve  Him  faithfully  witJwnt  an  answer  to  his 
prayers  ;  but  he  could  not  believe  Him  in  the  answer 
to  his  prayers,  even  though  an  angel  from  heaven  had 
been  sent  to  assure  and  comfort  him.  Gabriel  comes  to 
assure  him  of  God's  favour,  and  forthwith  he  demands  a 
sign.     Could  anything  be  more  perverse  than  this  ?     In 


40  A    GOOD  MAN'S   UNBELIEF 

this  connection  we  are  reminded  of  the  words  of  our 
Lord  put  into  the  mouth  of  Abraham  in  his  answer  to 
the  prayer  of  Dives  for  one  to  be  sent  from  the  dead  to 
warn  his  brethren  "  lest  they  also  come  into  this  place 
of  torment."  And  Abraham  said  unto  him,  "  They  have 
Moses  and  the  prophets,  let  them  hear  them.  If  they 
hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither  will  they  be 
persuaded,  though  one  rose  from  the  dead."  ^  From 
this  we  learn  that  unbelief  does  not  arise  from  lack  of 
evidence,  but  rather  from  other  causes,  as  a  lack  of  will, 
or  a  secret  and  determined  opposition  in  the  affections 
to  God. 

The  filial  cause  of  unbelief  is  sin  ;  and  arises  out  of  an 
"  evil  heart  of  unbelief  "  ;  not  from  any  lack  of  knowledge 
or  deficiency  of  reason,  either  in  the  subjective  or  objec- 
tive meaning  of  that  word.  "  O  fools,  and  slow  of  heart 
to  believe  all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken."  -  Sin 
had  its  rise  in  the  human  heart  through  a  doubt  of 
God's  word  and  of  His  goodness.  "  Yea,  hath  God 
said  ? "  was  Satan's  first  word  of  attack.  Then  he 
followed  that  up  with  "  For  God  doth  know."  ^  In  the 
one  case  Satan  impeaches  God's  revelation,  and  in  the 
other  His  goodness.  As  though  he  had  said  to  the 
woman,  "  Are  you  sure  God  has  said,  Thou  shalt  not 
eat  of  the  tree  of  knowledge,  lest  ye  die  ?  He  has  not 
said  so,  and  thou  shalt  not  surely  die."  Or :  "  Even 
if  God  has  said.  Thou  shalt  not  eat  of  the  fruit,  He  has 
done  so  through  jealousy  of  you  :  for  He  doth  not  wish 
you  to  become  wise  ;  but  would  withhold  from  you  the 
best  gifts."  Is  it  not  just  after  this  fashion  that  Satan 
tempts  to-day  ?  First,  "  Are  you  sure  the  Bible  is 
true  ? "  And  after  that,  "  Even  suppose  it  to  be  true 
(which  it  is  not),  it  is  not  good  to  live  a  christian  life. 
To  do  so  is  to  deprive  yourself  of  that  which  is  pleasant 

'  Luke  xvi.  31.  -  Luke  xxiv.  25.  ^  Gen.  iii.  i,  5. 


A    GOOD  MAN'S   UNBELIEF  41 

to  the  eye  and  the  taste  ;  and  hinders  highest  and  best 
knowledge."  Thus  did  sin  enter  into  the  world  through 
the  door  of  doubt  and  unbelief ;  thus  it  continues  in  the 
world  ;  and  thus  even  believers  are  cursed  with  doubts 
entertained  and  unbelief  indulged.  One  of  the  frightful 
penalties  of  unbelief  is  that  it  corrupts  the  heart  with  its 
poison  ;  so  that  it  becomes  "  an  evil  heart  of  unbelief," 
and  loses  the  power  of  faith.  Just  as  drunkenness 
creates  a  thirst  for  more  drink,  which,  instead  of  quench- 
ing, only  adds  more  thirst,  so  it  is  with  unbelief.  The 
penalty  of  unbelief  is  a  disposition  to  doubt.  Therefore 
the  exhortation,  "  Take  heed,  brethren,  lest  there  be  in 
any  one  of  you  an  evil  heart  of  unbelief,  in  departing 
from  the  living  God."  ^ 

II.    PROVOCATION.S   TO    UNBELIEF. 

I.  The  fact  that  tve  are  not  accustomed  to  deal  pract'.- 
cally  with  the  unseen  ivorld.  We  speculate  and  theorize 
about  it,  and  believe  in  our  theories.  But  believing  in  a 
theory  or  in  an  article  of  faith  no  more  meets  the  real 
wants  of  the  soul  than  does  a  printed  bill  of  fare  satisfy 
the  hungry  man.  A  man  does  not  dine  on  a  bill  of  fare. 
Yet  many  believers  are  vainly  trying  to  live  on  their 
articles  of  faith.  They  deal  with  the  proposition  rather 
than  with  the  things  proposed.  Our  intelligence  and 
reason  may  carry  us  midway  between  earth  and  heaven, 
but  cannot  take  us  into  the  heavenlies  themselves,  nor 
put  us  into  possession  of  the  things  which  "  eye  hath  not 
seen  nor  ear  heard,"  but  "  which  God  has  prepared  for 
them  that  love  Him."^  It  is  only  the  spirit  of  man 
trained  to  familiarity  with  spiritual  realities  which  en- 
ables us  to  deal  v/ith  God  practically  and  at  close 
quarters.  A  faith  which  does  not  turn  unseen  into  sub- 
stantial realities  ;  which  does  not  introduce  the  soul  to 
the  '■  powers  of  the  world  to  come "  ;  which  does  not 
'  Heb.  iii.  12.  "^   I  Cor.  ii.  9. 


42  A    GOOD  MAN'S    UNBELIEF 

bring  heaven  down  to  earth  ;  which  does  not  carry  the 
soul  into  heaven  with  Christ,  is  not  a  faith  that  will 
believe  in  the  presence  of  the  supernatural.  Zacharias 
had  believed  God,  and  in  God,  all  his  life.  He  had  been 
a  faithful  servant  of  God,  in  the  offices  of  personal  relig- 
ion, such  as  prayer  and  praise  ;  in  the  public  offices  of 
religion,  such  as  serving  the  altar  of  the  temple  ;  in  prac- 
tical righteousness,  such  as  "  walking  before  God  and  man 
in  all  the  ordinances  and  commandments  blameless "  ; 
but  the  moment  the  unseen  became  seen,  and,  as  it  were, 
the  supernatural  became  natural,  then,  instead  of  his  faith 
flaming  up  into  a  glorious  conflagration,  it  died  down 
into  cold  ashes  of  doubt  and  unbelief  He  doubted  if 
the  angel  before  him  was  sent  from  God,  and  asked  for 
credentials.  The  supernatural  had  come  before  him,  and 
he  doubted  its  reality  or  genuineness.  How  many  times 
we  have  asked  of  God  certain  things,  and  when  they 
have  come  to  us  we  were  disposed  to  say  (in  unbelief), 
'■  This  would  have  happened  in  any  case  "  ! 

2.  Because  we  are  fiot  certain  of  the  messenger  of  the 
iinseen.  In  all  probability,  when  Zacharias  saw  Gabriel 
standing  by  his  side,  he  did  not  recognise  him  as  the 
angel  of  God.  He  probably  thought  him  to  be  onl)- 
a  man.  He  doubtless  did  wonder  how  any  man  came 
to  be  standing  there  in  the  Holy  Place,  which  was  not 
lawful  for  any  but  the  priests.  And  why  should  he 
have  recognised  him  as  the  angel  of  God  ?  If  I  am  not 
mistaken,  in  all  the  appearances  of  angels  recorded  in 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments  there  is  no  evidence  that 
in  outward  appearance  they  differed  from  ordinary  men, 
though  I  fancy  the}'  must  have  been  wondrously  fine- 
looking  men.  It  is  only  artists  who  portray  angels 
bathed  in  supernatural  light,  supplemented  with  wings, 
and  represent  them  as  females.  The  Bible  always  speaks 
of  angels  as  being  "  men,"  and  on  their  first  appearance 


A    GOOD  MAN'S    UNBELIEF  43 

they  are  never  attended  with  any  outward  evidence  of 
the  supernatural.  When  Joshua  saw  "  the  captain  of  the 
Lord's  host "  standing  before  Jericho,  he  mistook  him  for 
an  ordinary  military  chieftain,  and  straightway  went  up 
to  him  and  demanded  on  whose  side  he  had  drawn  his 
sword.  He  did  not  know  that  it  was  the  Angel  of  the 
Lord.  When  the  three  angels  appeared  before  Abra- 
ham's tent  at  Mamre,  the  patriarch  did  not  recognise 
them  as  angels,  but  only  as  men  on  a  journey,  to  whom 
he  made  haste  to  offer  hospitality.  It  was  not  until  they 
had  communicated  their  message  to  him  and  to  Sarah 
that  they  were  revealed  in  their  true  characters.  Neither 
did  Lot  recognise  the  two  angels  who  came  to  rescue 
him  from  Sodom  ;  nor  did  the  Sodomites  distinguish 
them  as  being  other  than  men,  whom  they  would  have 
defiled.  Peter  did  not  at  first  recognise  the  man  as  an 
angel  who  came  and  delivered  him  out  of  the  prison. 
When  the  women  went  early  to  the  sepulchre  of  the 
Lord  and  saw  the  angels  there,  they  seemed  to  them 
but  two  men  in  white  robes.  Nay,  when  a  moment  after 
Jesus  stood  before  Mary,  she  did  not  recognise  Him  as 
her  Lord,  but  supposed  Him  to  have  been  the  gardener. 
The  disciples  on  their  way  to  Emmaus  did  not  at  first 
recognise  the  risen  Lord,  but  supposed  Him  to  have 
been  a  stranger  passing  through  the  country,  ignorant 
of  the  great  events  of  the  past  few  days.  Is  there  not  in 
all  this  a  wonderful  lesson  ?  The  supernatural  is  veiled 
to  us  in  the  natural.  Angels  appear  as  men — nay !  are 
we  not  told  :  "  Be  not  forgetful  to  entertain  strangers, 
for  thereby  some  have  entertained  angels  unawares  "  ?  ^ 
We  are  in  the  habit  of  associating  the  supernatural  with 
the  marvellous,  especially  with  the  outwardly  marvellous. 
When  the  greatest  supernatural  event  of  all  time  occurred 
in  this  world,  it  came  in  form  and  to  outward  appearance 
'  Heb.  xiii.  2. 


44  A    GOOD  MAN'S    UNBELIEF 

as  natural  as  that  of  the  birth  of  a  peasant  child  ;  and 
yet  that  Babe  of  Bethlehem  was  the  Eternal  Word  of 
God  incarnate  in  human  nature.  If  this  mightiest  and 
greatest  supernatural  manifestation  of  the  Eternal  and 
Unseen  came  clothed  in  the  natural,  then  may  we  not 
expect  that  there  is  less  difference  between  what  we  call 
the  natural  and  the  supernatural  than  we  have  supposed  ? 
Men  are  demanding  some  supernatural  manifestation  of 
the  unseen,  and  behold  the  supernatural  is  all  around  us 
and  before  our  eyes  every  day,  and  we  do  not  recognise 
it.  We  have  become  so  accustomed  to  count  everything 
seen  as  being  purely  natural  that  we  have  ceased  to  see 
God  in  anything,  and  have  remanded  Him  to  some  region 
of  the  imagination,  or  resolved  Him  quite  out  of  the 
universe.  We  study  the  laws  of  the  universe,  and  con- 
template the  working  of  what  we  call  Nature  ;  but  so 
intently  do  we  consider  second  causes  that  we  often  fail 
to  recognise  in  these  natural  phenomena  the  First  Cause. 
Thus  it  is  that  certain  scientists,  by  constantly  dwelling 
upon  the  material  shadows,  have  altogether  lost  sight  of 
the  immaterial  substance  of  things.  Because  Gabriel 
was  so  like  a  man,  Zacharias  could  not  recognise  him 
as  an  angel.  He  doubted  the  messenger  because  he 
was  to  appearance  too  human. 

May  I  venture  to  apply  this  tJiongJit  a  little  further  ? 
God  does  not  now  send  angels  to  communicate  with  us 
concerning  Himself  and  His  purposes,  but  has  given  us, 
once  for  all,  a  written  word,  in  which  He  has  both 
recorded  for  our  profit  and  understanding  all  the  former 
manifestations  of  Himself  and  the  unseen  world  to  His 
servants,  and  also  all  His  promises  and  purposes  toward 
us.  Now,  this  Bible  stands  before  us  as  did  Gabriel, 
saying  to  us,  "  Thy  prayer  is  answered  ! "  But  we  are 
doubting  the  authority  as  well  as  the  authenticity  of  the 
Bible.     It  seems  to  some  of  us  merely  a  human,  just  a 


A    GOOD  MAN'S   UNBELIEF  45 

natural  book.  A  great  volume  containing  the  writings 
of  Moses,  David,  Isaiah,  Peter,  James,  John,  and  Paul. 
This,  say  the  naturalists,  is  not  the  word  of  God,  it  is 
only  Hebrew  literature !  It  is  not  an  angel,  only  a 
man  !  For  how  can  such  a  natural  thing  as  this  Bible 
be  of  supernatural  origin  ?  They  might  as  well  say, 
and  they  do  say,  how  can  so  natural  a  thing  as  the  sun, 
or  the  moon,  or  the  stars  be  of  supernatural  origin  ? 
They  are  not  of  divine  creation,  but  of  natural  evolution  ; 
not  supernatural  because  familiar.  The  temptation  is 
like  this.  "  How  am  I  to  know  when  I  read  the  promises 
in  the  Bible  whether  I  am  reading  God's  promises,  or 
merely  the  words  of  men  ?  How  was  Zacharias  to  know 
that  Gabriel  was  an  angel,  and  not  a  man  ?  Is  it  not 
so  with  our  own  spiritual  experiences  ?  '  The  Spirit 
itself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit  that  we  are  the 
children  of  God  ' ;  ^  but  how  am  I  to  know  that  this 
profound  conviction  is  of  the  Spirit,  and  not  the  result 
of  my  own  natural  imagination  ?  "  The  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  so  veils  itself  under  and  in  the  natural  powers 
and  characteristics  of  men  that  He  is  scarcely  perceived 
even  by  the  spiritually-minded.  The  most  precious 
experiences  of  our  Christian  lives,  from  our  conversion 
to  the  latest  thrill  of  the  joy  of  salvation,  sometimes 
seem  to  us,  especially  in  moments  of  coldness  and 
scepticism,  to  be  only  the  results  of  some  natural 
religious  enthusiasm,  or  the  effect  of  some  magnetic 
human  influence.  When  God  answers  prayers,  as  I  have 
once  before  said,  it  seems  to  us  that  these  answers  are 
all  brought  about  by  natural  causes.  Ishmael  was  perish- 
ing for  water,  and  God  answered  the  anguished  Hagar's 
prayer  for  her  son  by  pointing  out  a  well  of  water  near 
by.  Was  that  less  an  answer  to  prayer  because  the  well 
was  already  there,  and  God  only  opened  her  eyes  to  see 
^  Rom.  viii.  i6. 


46  A   GOOD  MAN'S    UNBELIEF 

or  directed  her  to  the  place  where  it  was  ?     Was  it  any 
the    less    an    answer    to    the   prayer    of   Elijah  for  rain 
because  the  rain-cloud  began  to  rise  on  the  horizon  as 
at  other  times,  at  first  no  bigger  than  a  man's  hand,  and 
then  filled  all  the  heavens  as  with  a  fountain,  and  poured 
down  its  wealth  of  waters  upon  the  earth  ?     Must  God 
never  make  use  of  the  natural  in  order  to  make  manifest 
the  supernatural  ?     Was  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  any  the 
less  the  transcendent  Son  of  God  because  He  was  born 
of  a  human  virgin  ?     Nay,  rather  is  not  this  the  glory  of 
the  supernatural  that  it  is  so  closely  associated  with  the 
natural  ?     May  not  this  be  one  of  the  joyful  surprises  of 
the  future,  that  the  natural  and  the  supernatural  will  be 
so  perfectly  blended  that  there  will  be  only  a  difference 
in    the    degree    of    glory    which    will    break    upon    our 
astonished   eyes  ;    so   that   when    we   shall    come    into 
heaven  we  shall  exclaim,  "  How  glorious !  but  oh,  how 
deliciously  natural  it  all  is  ! "      We  look  for  signs  and 
wonders,  but  God  meantime  reveals  Himself  to  us  in  the 
most  natural  way.     At  Cana  of  Galilee  Jesus  was  there 
an  almost  unrecognised  guest ;  a  poor  relation,  perhaps, 
of  the  family  who  gave  the  feast.     Another  master,  or 
ruler,  sat  at  the  head  of  the  table  ;   but,  unknown  and 
unrecognised  as  Jesus  was,  He  was  the  true  ruler  of  the 
feast,  supplying  all  their  need,  and  "  manifesting  forth 
His  glory."  ^     In  all  this  there  is  great  comfort,  at  least, 
to  my  own  soul,  and  I  trust  also  to  yours.     Let  us  not 
doubt  the  messengers  of  God  because  they  seem  to  us  to 
be  but  human. 

3.  Because  the  things  promised  of  God  are  out  of  the 
ordinary  course  of  nature.  Strangely  enough,  while  we 
are  denying  the  supernatural,  because  it  so  often  appears 
as  the  natural,  we  deny  that  God  can  fulfil  to  us  any 
promise  that  involves  any  power  or  event  transcending 
'  John  ii.  II. 


A    GOOD  MAN'S    UNBELIEF  47 

the   natural.      The    paramount    objection    of    agnostic 
science    is   that   God    cannot    answer    prayer    because 
nothing  can  happen   out  of  the    ordinary  or  observed 
course  of  nature ;  and  whatever  does  happen  has  come 
to  pass  in  regular  sequence,  and  not  as  a  special  inter- 
position.     Even  though  we  are  believers,  we  have  all 
more   or  less    been  influenced   by  this   rule  of  natural 
science.      We  have  assumed   that  we  have  made   final 
observations,  and  know  all  there  is  to  know  about  nature 
and  God's  relations  to  it ;  that  God  cannot  do  anything 
extraordinary  ;  that  He  is  a  voluntary  prisoner  in  His 
own  world,  manacled   by  laws  which   He  made  not  to 
use,  but  to  limit  His  power.     O  shame  upon  us,  for  such 
low  thoughts    of  God  !      Abraham  once   fell    into  this 
narrow  line  of  thinking  when  he  said,  "  Shall  a  child  be 
born  unto  him  that  is  an  hundred  years  old  ;  and  shall 
Sarah  that  is  ninety  years  old  bear  ?  "  ^      Happily  his 
faith    triumphed    over    this    momentary    philosophical 
scepticism.     So    Zacharias   fell    into  the  same  error  of 
thinking  when  he  unbelievingly  opposed  the  fact  of  his 
age  and  that  of  his  wife  to  the  promise  of  God.     He  had 
forgotten  God's  answer  to  the  unbelief  of  Sarah  :    "  Is 
anything  too  hard  for  the  Lord  ?  "  ^     Mary  wondered  in 
her  innocent  and   pure   heart  how  she  could   conceive 
without  knowing  a  man  ;  a  very  natural  opposing  of  the 
limitations   of  human    knowledge   to   the   supernatural 
resources  of  God.     Thomas  said  he  would  not  believe 
the  resurrection  of  the   Lord  on   the  testimony  of  his 
brethren,  because  the  thing  seemed  not  only  incredible, 
but  impossible.     Thus,  by  our  constant  habit  of  limiting 
the  Almighty  in  His  actions  to  the  sphere  of  our  know- 
ledge  and    experience,   we   dishonour    Him    and   give 
ourselves  as  prisoners  over  to  doubt  and  the  devil. 

4.  Because  we  have  forguttcn   God's  dealings   in   the 
'  Gen.  xvii.  17.  ^  Gen.  xviii.  14. 


48  A    GOOD  MAN'S   UNBELIEF 

past.  Had  Zacharias  really  remembered  the  story  of 
Abraham  or  believed  it  in  other  than  an  academic  way, 
instead  of  demanding  a  sign,  he  would  have  broken  forth 
into  joyful  thanksgiving,  saying,  "  And  will  God  indeed 
do  unto  me  as  He  did  for  His  servant  Abraham  of  old  ?  " 
Is  not  the  whole  Old  Testament  record  a  magnificent 
testimony  to  the  supernatural  power  of  God  ?  Is  not  its 
every  promise  based  on  this,  "  The  things  which  are  im- 
possible with  men,  are  possible  with  God  "  ?  ^  "  How  can 
these  things  be  ?  "  ^  said  Nicodemus.  "  Art  thou  a 
master  of  Israel,  and  knowest  not  these  things  ?  "  ^  We 
think  we  shall  suffer  need  because  we  have  forgotten 
how  the  five  thousand  were  fed.  We  fall  into  terror 
before  new  difficulties  because  we  have  forgotten  how  in 
times  past  God  has  delivered  and  helped  us.  We  have 
either  not  erected  an  Ebenezer  or,  having  done  so,  have 
forgotten  all  about  it.  There  is  no  better  passage  of 
scripture  for  us  to  call  to  mind  :  "  Hitherto  the  Lord 
hath  helped  us."  ^  For  in  this  Ebenezer  there  lies  a 
promise  and  guarantee  of  future  help  as  well  as  a  record 
of  past  deliverance.  It  was  one  of  God's  constant  com- 
plaints against  the  ancient  people  that  they  had  such 
short  memories.  Present  fear  or  anxiety  seems  to 
paralyze  our  memories  so  that  we  run  not  back  to  gather 
up  security  from  the  past.  The  Hebrews  forgot  the 
wonders  in  Egypt  as  soon  as  they  were  hemmed  in  by 
the  sea  before  them  and  Pharaoh  behind  them,  even 
though  the  Cloudy  Pillar  was  present  with  them.  They 
forgot  God  again  at  the  waters  of  Marah,  almost  before 
the  echoes  of  the  triumphant  song  of  Miriam  over  the 
destruction  of  the  hosts  of  Pharaoh  in  the  Red  Sea  had 
ceased  sounding  in  their  ears.  They  forgot  all  these 
wonders  in  the  wilderness,  and  became  unbelieving  con- 
cerning water  and  food,  and  the  will  and  power  of  God 
'  Luke  xviii.  37.     ^  John  ill,  9.     ^  Ibid.  iii.  10.     ■•  i  Sam.  vii.  12. 


A    GOOD  MAN'S    UNBELIEF  49 

to  give  them  the  promised  land.  So  they  fell  away  into 
unbelief  and  rebellion — and  death.  The  disciples  forgot 
all  the  sayings  of  Jesus  concerning  His  resurrection  from 
the  dead,  and  so  were  unbelieving  when  the  event  tran- 
spired. But  for  this  forgetfulness  Thomas  would  not 
have  asked  for  a  physical  proof  of  the  resurrection.  If 
Zacharias  had  remembered  how  God  had  dealt  with 
Abraham  and  Sarah,  he  would  not  have  said  in  unbelief 
"  Whereby  shall  I  know  this  ?  "  How  often  in  his  epistle 
does  Peter  seek  to  stir  up  our  minds  to  the  remem- 
brances of  God's  precious  promises.  If  we  would  avoid 
unbelief,  then  let  us  call  to  mind  the  former  things  of 
God — His  past  faithfulness  in  giving,  and  in  fulfilling 
promises  alike  to  ourselves  and  to  others.  Even  though 
you  be  newly  converted  and  have  had  no  great  ex- 
perience of  His  faithfulness  concerning  promises,  yet  you 
need  only  to  ask  other  christians  and  they  will  tell  you 
how  true  God  is,  though  He  sometimes  tarries  long. 
But  is  not  your  own  conversion  a  pledge  to  your  faith  ? 

5.  Because  of  excessive  anxiety  and  selfishness.  In  our 
haste  and  impatience  we  forget  the  power  and  resources 
of  God  ;  and  remembering,  we  would  bind  Him  down  to 
our  ways  and  thoughts.  "  Come  down,  ere  my  child 
die."  ^  How  the  impatience  of  this  nobleman's  unbelief 
contrasted  with  the  splendid  faith  of  the  centurion,  who 
said,  "  Speak  the  word  only,  and  my  servant  shall  be 
healed."  ^  Jesus  said  to  the  nobleman,  "  Unless  ye  see 
signs  and  wonders,  ye  will  not  believe."  Nothing 
hinders  faith  more  than  a  spirit  of  selfishness  and  im- 
patience. So  it  often  comes  to  pass  that  if  God  does 
not  answer  at  once  we  fall  into  unbelief,  and  question 
both  His  power  and  His  goodness.  But  has  God 
nothing  to  do  in  this  universe  but  to  attend  to  our 
immediate  demands  ?  To  recur  to  a  former  thought  : 
'  John  iv.  49.  '^  Matt.  viii.  8. 

P.B.  4 


50  A    GOOD  MAN'S    UNBELIEF 

we  pray  for  the  speedy  coming  of  Christ,  and  are  bidden 
to  "  hasten  "  that  day  ;  ^  and  yet  He  has  not  come,  and 
why  ?  Because  though  God  has  not  forgotten  iis.  He 
still  remembers  the  zvorld.  So  He  may  delay  fulfilling 
His  promise  and  answering  our  prayers,  because  the  sal- 
vation of  others  may  be  hindered  by  the  event  we  seek 
for  ourselves.  Would  it  not  be  more  becoming  in  us  to 
consider  that  we  are  but  one  of  many  ?  Our  immediate 
interests  may  be  supreme  to  us  ;  but  then,  though  God 
counts  the  hairs  of  our  head  for  minuteness  of  His  care, 
yet  we  belong  to  the  whole  family  and  are  members  one 
of  another,  and  it  may  not  be  wise  or  best  to  deal  with 
one  member  until  all  are  ready  for  the  blessing  in  which 
they  too  may  be  involved.  We  grow  selfish,  and  sup- 
pose that  the  only  in.terests  in  the  kingdom  of  God 
worth  attention  are  those  which  affect  us.  The  Hebrew 
children  were  confident  that  God  could  deliver  them  out 
of  the  fiery  furnace,  and  that  He  would  deliver  them  if 
that  were  best  for  them  and  His  glory  ;  but  in  any  case 
they  would  not  worship  the  image,  and  left  the  issue  of 
the  conflict  to  God.  They  did  not  lose  faith  because 
they  were  cast  in  the  furnace,  and  therefore  there  was 
the  Form  of  the  Fourth  walking  with  them.  Had  they 
been  selfish  and  impatient,  He  could  not  have  come,  and 
the  fire  would  have  kindled  upon  them.  If  you  would 
escape  the  sin  of  unbelief,  beware  of  dealing  selfishl}- 
with  God. 

6.  Because  zve  are  iinivilling  to  obey  God's  command. 
Much  unbelief  arises  from  this  cause.  Moses  was  reall)- 
unwilling  to  give  up  the  quiet  repose  of  the  wilderness 
and  go  forth  to  the  excitement  and  hardships  of  con- 
troversy and  war.  Therefore  he  said,  "  They  will  not 
believe  me,"  ~  and  practically  asked  for  a  sign.  It  is 
often  so  with  us.  P'aith  and  obedience  are  .so  closely 
^  2  Pet.  iii.  12.  '  Exod.  i.\.  i. 


A    GOOD  MAN'S   UNBELIEF  51 

allied  that  we  cannot  embrace  the  one  without  the 
other  ;  and  so  it  comes  to  pass  that  rather  than  obey 
God  we  will  doubt  Him. 

7.  Because^  sometimes,  of  a  real  sense  of  tmwortJdness 
and  of  sin.  That  God  should  do  great  things  for  us 
who  are  so  unworthy,  and  especially  who  have  so  sinned 
against  Him,  passes  our  power  of  belief.  That  is 
because  we  do  not  know  and  trust  His  great  grace. 
Gideon  felt  his  insignificance  in  presence  of  the  commis- 
sion brought  by  the  angel  ;  therefore  he  doubted.  Eli- 
sabeth said,  "  Whence  is  this  to  me  ?  "  ^  and  Mary  said, 
"  He  hath  regarded  the  low  estate  of  His  handmaiden."- 
So  we  often  doubt  because  of  a  sense  of  insignificance 
and  a  knowledge  of  sinful  unworthiness  before  God. 
We  do  not  understand  the  infinite  and  boundless  gener- 
osity of  God's  grace.  Study  again  the  profound  principle 
underlying  that  great  test  which  Jesus  put  to  the  Jews, 
"  If  any  man  willeth  to  do  His  will,  he  shall  know;"^  that 
is,  he  shall  have  a  faith  that  shall  be  to  him  as  know- 
ledge. Faith  is  knowledge — assurance.  Think  what 
might  have  been  the  disaster  to  this  world  had  not  Mary 
obeyed  the  voice  of  the  angel  and  said,  "  Behold  the 
handmaiden  of  the  Lord  ;  be  it  unto  me  according  to 
thy  word."  "^  True,  hers  was  a  negative  obedience  ;  yet 
it  was  truest  obedience.  Now,  to  love  God  is  to  keep 
His  commandments,  and  to  believe  God  is  to  observe 
and  do  them.  When  faith  as  an  emotion  or  a  power  of 
the  mind  seems  not  to  be  in  exercise,  or  when  doubt 
rises  to  usurp  the  throne  of  your  will,  then  do  thou  at 
once  begin  to  obey  God  with  all  thy  heart  in  the  things 
that  lie  next  to  thy  hand,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be  kept 
from  the  power  of  unbelief;  otherwise  not.  Nothing 
brings  in   unbelief  like  the  neglect  of  duty.     Half  the 

^  Luke  i.  43.  '■'  Luke  i.  48. 

3  John  vii.  17  (R.V.).  '  Luke  i.  38. 


52  A    GOOD  MAN'S   UNBELIEF 

unbelief  of  God's  people  is  just  the  other  side  of  their 
careless  living  and  life  of  daily  disobedience. 

8.  Because  of  deep  depression  of  spirit  and  the  indulgence 
of  Jiard  tho7ights  against  God,  it  seems  to  us  that  God  has 
treated  us  badly.  That  He  has  forgotten  us  ;  that  He 
does  not  care ;  and  so,  falling  into  the  dungeon  of 
depression  and  despair,  we,  like  John  the  Baptist  in 
prison,  begin  to  doubt  God,  forgetting  and"  counting  as 
nothing  all  the  previous  evidences  of  His  love,  grace, 
and  power.  When  faith  ceases  to  act,  the  old  nature 
triumphs.  That  old  nature — the  evil  heart  of  unbelief — 
is  always  enmity  against  God,  and  resumes  the  old  habit 
of  misrepresenting  God's  goodness.  When  faith  is  weak, 
then  the  devil,  our  adversary,  takes  occasion  to  suggest 
all  evil  thoughts  and  forebodings.  I  can  well  imagine 
John  the  Baptist  indulging  doubtful  and  hard  thoughts 
against  our  Lord.  He  had  been  in  prison  for  six  months 
or  more,  and  yet  Jesus,  whom  he  had  announced  and 
introduced  to  the  world  as  the  Messiah,  had  never  once 
sent  him  one  word  of  cheer  or  comfort — had  never  used 
the  vast  power  He  had  to  set  him  free.  From  our  low 
human  standpoint  it  is  hardly  possible  that  he  should 
not  begin  to  doubt  both  the  love  and  the  power  of  Jesus, 
who,  it  should  seem,  had  so  utterly  deserted  him.  And 
a  Messiah  without  love  or  power  is  no  Messiah.  Have 
we  not  in  hours  of  depression  and  suffering  allowed  such 
hard  thoughts  to  come  in  and  breed  unbelief  in  our 
hearts  ?  Or,  more  likely,  the  unbelief  has  caused  the 
depression.  Jesus  indeed  gave  John  an  answer  to  his 
inquiry,  but  He  did  nothing  to  deliver  him  from  prison. 
He  left  him  to  die  under  Herod's  sword.  But  John  had 
done  his  work  ;  he  was  now  to  seal  his  testimony  with 
his  blood.  God  had  a  better  deliverance  in  store  for 
him  than  the  mere  opening  of  Herod's  prison.  He 
opened  heaven  to  him.     Will  we  never  learn  that  we 


A    GOOD  MAN'S   UNBELIEF  53 

belong  to  two  worlds,  and  that  God  has  two  worlds  in 
which  to  make  good  His  promises  ?  Will  we  never 
remember  that  God  has  reserved  in  His  wisdom  some 
knowledge  from  us  ?  Or  that  there  are  divine  reasons 
too  great  for  our  understanding  ? — reasons  which  shall 
be  as  the  noonday  for  clearness  when  they  are  unfolded 
to  us.  Has  He  not  said,  "  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not 
now,  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter  "  ?  ^  Oh,  I  entreat 
you  to  resist  those  attacks  of  depression  out  of  which 
an  evil  brood  of  wicked  thoughts  arise  !  Believe  God. 
"  Fear  not,  believe  only."  ^     "  Why  art  thou   cast  down, 

0  my  soul,  and  why  art  thou  disquieted  within  me  ? 
Hope  thou  in  God  ;  for  I  shall  yet  praise  Him."  ^ 

9.  Because  of  God's  long  delays.  Because  years  have 
passed  and  God  has  not  answered  prayer,  we  conclude 
that  He  is  either  unfaithful,  unloving,  or  unable.  I  meet 
more  cases  of  this  kind  than  almost  all  others  together  ; 
a  kind  of  arbitrary  impatience  at  God's  delays.  Per- 
haps there  was  something  of  this  in  Zacharias'  doubt. 
"  God  has  delayed  to  answer  for  so  many  years,  that  I 
do  not  believe  He  means  to  answer  now  ;  especially  as 

1  fear  it  is  too  late."  Our  time  and  God's  time  do  not 
always  synchronize.  There  may  be — and  if  prayer  is 
not  answered  in  the  affirmative  at  all,  or  is  long  delayed, 
there  is — a  divine  reason  for  it.  If  He  has  delayed  to 
answer  thy  prayer,  it  is  because  He  would  give  thee  rich 
and  luscious  fruit,  well  ripened  in  a  long  summer's  sun, 
and  not  the  hasty,  green,  and  unripe  stuff  your  impatient 
hand  would  grasp.  "  When  God  is  slow  in  giving,"  says 
Augustine,  "  He  sets  off  His  own  gifts  to  advantage. 
He  does  not  withhold  them."  Let  me  entreat  you  not 
to  charge  unfaithfulness  against  God.  How  long  and 
bitterly  Job  cried  and  God  was  silent !  And  yet  God 
was  loving  Job  all  the  time,  and  compressing  his  prayers 

'  John  xiii.  7.  "^  Luke  viii.  50.  '  Ps.  xlii.  ii- 


54  A    GOOD  MAN'S    UNBELIEF 

into  blessings  such  as  he  had  never  dreamed  of.  Was 
not  the  long-delayed  answer  to  Zacharias'  prayer  in- 
finitely better  than  if  it  had  been  answered  long  before 
the  "  time  "  of  Jesus  had  come  ?  Have  we  forgotten  the 
words  of  Jesus,  "  Mine  hour  has  not  yet  come  "  ?  ^  Shall 
we  force  God's  time  to  ours,  or  shall  we  yield  ours  to 
His  ?  Hear  David  again  :  "  I  waited  patiently  for  the 
Lord,  and  He  inclined  unto  me,  and  heard  my  cry.  He 
brought  me  up  also  out  of  an  horrible  pit,  out  of  the 
miry  clay,  and  set  my  feet  upon  a  rock,  and  established 
my  goings.  And  He  hath  put  a  new  song  in  my  mouth, 
even  praise  unto  our  God.  Many  shall  see  it  and  fear, 
and  shall  trust  in  the  Lord."  '  Oh,  my  friends,  "  trust  in 
the  Lord  ;  .  .  .  delight  thyself  also  in  the  Lord  ; 
and  He  shall  give  thee  the  desires  of  thine  heart."  ^ 

lO.  Filially,  because  "  God's  promises  are  too  good  to  be 
truer  When  God  told  Abraham  that  a  son  should  be 
born  to  him  and  to  Sarah  in  their  old  age,  and  that 
neither  the  son  of  a  strange  woman  nor  Eliezer  his  slave 
should  be  his  heir.  "  he  fell  on  his  face,  and  laughed  "  for 
joy  and  gladness.^  As  we  sometimes  say,  "It  is  too 
good  to  be  true."  The  women  to  whom  Christ  spake 
after  the  resurrection  fled  to  spread  the  news  of  this 
great  wonder,  and  as  they  fled  they  believed  not  for  joy. 
I  am  sure  that  many  of  you  know  what  this  is.  Indeed, 
when  we  think  of  all  God's  goodness  and  mercy  to  us 
from  the  day  when  He  called  us  by  His  grace  till  now, 
it  is  difficult  for  us  to  believe  that  God  has  wrought  these 
things  for  us.  And  yet  has  not  God  challenged  us  to 
ask  and  expect  large  things  from  Him  ?  Is  He  not  a 
wonder-working  God  (the  Almighty),  and  does  He  not 
delight  to  work  those  wonders  for  His  own  whom  He 
has  redeemed  by  working  the  wonder  of  the  universe — 

'  John  ii.  4.  2  Ps.  xli.  1-3.  ^  Ps.  xxxvii.  3,  4. 

*  Gen.  xvii.  17. 


A    GOOD  MAN'S   UNBELIEF  55 

the  incarnation  of  Jesus?  Was  He  not,  then,  just  bring- 
ing about  that  wonder  of  which  Zacharias  doubted  the 
prekide?  If  faith  should  only  deal  with  ordinary  things 
such  as  might  admit  of  an  easy  explanation,  then  we 
might  soon  become  "  naturalists,"  and  leave  God  out  of 
account  altogether.  But  faith  is  given  us  that  we  may 
deal  with  God  about  large  things.  Things  "  too  good  to 
be  true." 

I  have  endeavoured  thus  to  point  out  to  you  some  of 
the  immediate  provocatives  of  unbelief,  in  order  that  I 
might  put  you  on  your  guard  against  this  great  sin  for 
the  future,  and  encourage  you  to  believe  God  in  the 
present  moment  of  the  trial  of  your  faith.  I  implore 
you  not  to  dishonour  God  by  unbelief;  because  you 
cannot,  and  do  not,  understand  the  counsels  of  His  will ; 
because,  especially,  you  are  not  able  to  reconcile  all  the 
questions  involved  in  the  natural  and  supernatural  mys- 
teries of  the  universe.  Believe  these  two  things  :  "  All 
things  are  possible  with  God  " ;  and  that  all  His  power 
and  wisdom  are  subordinated  to  His  love  and  grace. 


IV 

THE  PENALTY  AND  CURE   OF  UNBELIEF 

"And,  behold,  thou  shalt  be  dumb,  and  not  able  to  speak,  until 
the  day  that  these  things  shall  be  performed,  because  thou  be- 
lievest  not  my  words,  which  shall  be  fulfilled  in  their  season." — 
Luke  i.  20. 

NO  one  can  read  with  the  least  care  the  word  of 
God  without  noting  how  continuously  we  are 
warned  and  cautioned  against  unbelief.  The  whole 
epistle  to  the  Hebrews  is  a  warning,  and,  as  our  old 
Puritan  fathers  used  to  say,  a  "  dehortation,"  against 
unbelief.  It  is  "  the  sin  that  doth  so  easily  beset  us."  ^ 
"  Take  heed,  brethren,  lest  there  be  in  any  of  you  an 
evil  heart  of  unbelief,  in  departing  from  the  living 
God."  '^  "  But  with  whom  was  He  grieved  forty  years  ? 
.  .  .  And  to  whom  sware  He  that  they  should  not 
enter  into  His  rest,  but  to  them  that  believed  not?  So 
we  see  that  they  could  not  enter  in  because  of  unbe- 
lief." '  "  Let  us  labour,  therefore,  to  enter  into  that  rest, 
lest  any  man  fall  after  the  same  example  of  unbelief"  * 
The  only  harsh  word  our  Lord  ever  spoke  to  His  dis- 
ciples was  when  He  exclaimed  on  a  certain  occasion, 
"  O  fools,  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe  all  that  the 
prophets  have  spoken."  ^  He  is  said  never  but  twice  to 
have  been  surprised  during  His  earthly  ministry.  Once 
on  the  occasion  of  the  vicious  rejection  of  Him  by  His 
own  townsmen  :   "  And  He  marvelled  because  of  their 

*  Heb.  xii.  i.  '  Heb.  iii.  12.  '  Heb.  iii.  17-19. 

*  Heb.  iv.  II.  ^  Luke  xxiv.  25. 

56 


THE  PENALTY  AND   CURE   OF   UNBELIEF      57 

unbelief."  •  The  other  time  was  on  the  occasion  of  the 
faith  of  the  centurion  who  came  to  Him  on  behalf  of 
his  servant,  who  was  sick  :  "  He  marvelled  at  him,  .  .  . 
and  said  unto  the  people  that  followed  Him,  I  say  unto 
you,  I  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no,  not  in  Israel."  ^ 

Unbelief  is  a  great  surprise  and  astonishment  to  our 
Lord.  Faith  itself  was  not  so  much  of  a  marvel  to 
Him,  but  that  a  Gentile  should  give  so  great  an  example 
of  it  while  His  own  people  were  filled  with  unbelief! 
This  was  why  He  marvelled  at  the  centurion's  faith.  It 
was  really  in  both  cases  the  unbelief  of  the  Jews  that 
excited  His  astonishment.  And  why  should  not  our 
Lord  be  amazed  and  astonished  at  our  unbelief?  "  I 
am  Gabriel,  that  stand  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  am 
sent  to  speak  unto  thee,  and  show  thee  these  glad 
tidings."  This  was  the  indignant  expression  of  his 
astonishment,  that  the  word  of  him  (Gabriel)  should  be 
for  a  moment  questioned.  If  Gabriel  expressed  aston- 
ishment and  indignation  at  the  unbelief  of  Zacharias 
in  his  message,  what  must  be  the  grief  and  indignation 
of  God  at  our  unbelief  in  Him  and  His  word? 

It  might  well  go  without  saying  that  unbelief  is  the 
gravest  of  all  sins.  It  is  the  one  sin  of  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  sent  to  convict  the  world.  That  this  sin  is 
most  displeasing  and  dishonouring  to  God  there  can  be 
no  question.  It  discredits  His  word  ;  it  makes  Him 
"  a  liar  "  ^ ;  it  hinders  the  operation  of  His  purposes  of 
grace  towards  us.  Jesus  could  do  no  mighty  works 
among  His  own  townspeople  "  because  of  their  unbe- 
lief.""* God  cannot  do  mighty  things  for  us  because 
of  our  unbelief.  Moreover,  it  involves  us  in  trouble 
and  distress,  and  not  unfrequently  brings  down  upon 
us  the  afflictive  displeasure  of  God,  such  as  came  upon 
Zacharias  at  the  word  of  the  angel   Gabriel,  "  because 

*  Mark  vi.  6.     '  Luke  vii.  g.     ^  i  John  v.  10.     ■*  Matt.  xiii.  5S. 


58      THE  PENALTY  AND   CURE   OF  UNBELIEF 

thou   believest   not  my  words,  which  shall    be   fulfilled 
in  their  season." 

I.  God's  Answer  to  Unbelieving  Sign-seekers. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  unbelievers.  First,  there  are 
what  may  be  called  the  believing  unbelievers,  or  the  un- 
believing believers.  Zacharias  was  such  an  unbelieving 
believer.  The  whole  tenor  of  his  life  testified  his  faith 
in  God.  Nay,  his  faith  in  God  was  of  the  most  steadfast 
kind.  It  had  endured  through  a  long  dreary  time  of 
silence ;  it  had  not  forsaken  him  in  all  those  years  in 
which  God  seemed  indifferent  to  his  prayers,  nor  gave 
any  sign  even  of  His  being.  The  unbelief  of  Zacharias 
came  upon  him  as  a  surprise — leaping  upon  him  as  a 
sudden  temptation.  It  was  foreign  to  his  habit  and 
to  his  desire.  So  it  is  that  unbelief  comes  to  many 
believers  now.  They  do  not  love  it  ;  they  do  not 
cherish  it ;  they  loathe  and  despise  it,  and  condemn 
themselves  for  indulging  it  for  a  moment.  It  is 
hateful  to  them  ;  it  distresses  and  grieves  them  ;  and 
they  get  rid  of  it  as  soon  as  possible.  Such  unbe- 
lievers are  both  reverent  and  reluctant.  These  are 
they  who  cry  out  in  distress,  "  Lord,  I  believe  ;  help 
Thou  mine  unbelief."  ^  Like  John  the  Baptist,  they 
doubt,  but  send  at  once  to  Jesus  to  have  the  doubt 
resolved.  Like  Thomas,  they  are  ready  at  the  first 
answer  to  their  unbelieving  inquiry  (made  not  with  a 
determined  scoff,  but  with  a  reluctant  incredulity)  to  fall 
at  Jesus'  feet  and  cry  in  penitent  faith  and  longing  love, 
"  My  Lord  and  my  God."  ^  Second,  there  are  the  wilful 
unbelievers — those  who  are  determined  not  to  believe, 
who  wisJi  not  to  believe,  and  who  seek  by  all  and  every 
means  to  strengthen  their  unbelief  against  the  testimony 
of  God.  Such  men  are  either  scoffers  or  defiers  of  God, 
and  their  attitude  of  unbelief  is  that  of  enmity  against 
'  Mark  ix.  24.  ^  John  xx.  28. 


THE  PENALTY  AND   CURE   OF  UNBELIEF      59 

God,  or  contempt  ;  or  else  they  are  men  who  have 
adopted  some  speculative  system  of  science  or  philo- 
sophy, opposed  to  God  and  His  revelation.  These  are 
they  whom  Paul  describes,  "  Professing  themselves  to  be 
wise,  they  became  fools  "  '  ;  of  whom  Peter  says,  "  They 
willingly  are  ignorant."  ^  They  are  men  blinded  with 
the  excess  of  their  own  h'ght ;  or  they  have  peered  so 
steadily  at  one  point  that  they  are  blinded  to  every 
other  view.  It  is  not  an  uncommon  experience  that 
after  gazing  steadily  at  one  object  for  a  long  time  and 
then  closing  your  eyes  you  still  see  the  object  you  have 
been  looking  at.  It  dances  before  your  eyes  like  a  spot 
of  light  in  the  darkness.  This  process  of  intellectual 
scepticism  persevered  in  soon  becomes,  as  it  were,  a  part 
of  one's  consciousness. 

With  the  former  of  these  two  classes  of  unbelievers — 
the  reluctant  sceptic  or  the  unbelieving  believer — God  is 
most  patient  and  tender  ;  even  when  He  chastises  them 
in  His  displeasure,  He  does  so  more  to  correct  and  to 
recover  than  to  punish  them.  Take  the  case  of  Zacha- 
rias  as  an  illustration  of  this.  Zacharias  doubted  the 
message  of  Gabriel,  and  asked  for  a  sign  or  something 
beyond  his  word  whereby  he  might  know  that  his  word 
was  true.  In  answer,  the  angel  rebuked  his  unbelief, 
and  gave  him  this  for  a  sign  :  that  he  was  instantly 
stricken  dumb,  and  the  ban  was  laid  upon  him  until  the 
fulfilment  of  the  promise.  God  did  not  alter  His  pur- 
pose of  grace  toward  him,  or  withdraw  His  promise  that 
Elisabeth  should  conceive  and  he  should  have  the  long- 
wished-for  and  prayed-for  son,  the  birth  of  whom  the 
angel  had  come  to  announce.  When  Abraham  asked 
for  a  sign  or  something  whereby  his  faith  and  obedience 
might  be  guided,  God  was  most  tender  with  him.  His 
question  indicated  an  imperfect  faith,  but  it  was  not 
'  Rom.  i.  22.  '  z  Pet.  iii.  5. 


6o      THE  PENALTY  AND  CURE   OF  UNBELIEF 

dictated  by  unbelief.  When  Sarah  laughed  in  pure 
derision  of  unbelief,  God  condescended,  even  while  re- 
buking her,  to  repeat  His  promise  and  reason  with  her 
on  the  point  of  her  scepticism,  saying,  "  Is  anything  too 
hard  for  the  Lord  ?  "  ^  Sarah  had  no  precedents  to  fall 
back  upon,  as  Zacharias  had.  With  Moses  He  was 
equally  patient,  bearing  with  his  doubts  and  hesitancy  ; 
He  instructed  him  in  all  the  mysteries  of  His  name,  and 
gave  him  the  double  sign  of  the  rod  and  the  leprous 
hand  healed  again.  When  Gideon  asked  in  great 
humility  for  a  sign  in  confirmation  of  God's  commission 
to  him,  even  indicating  what  the  sign  should  be,  God 
was  not  angry  ;  and,  discerning  that  this  request  was 
not  in  unbelief,  but  for  strength.  He  gave  him  the  sign 
on  the  fleece  twice  over.  When  Hezekiah  asked  for  a 
sign  in  confirmation  of  God's  promise  to  him,  in  the 
matter  of  his  recovery  from  sickness,  God  gave  him  the 
sign  of  the  shadow  going  backward  ten  degrees  on  the 
dial  of  Ahaz.  When  John  the  Baptist,  in  his  lonely  and 
gloomy  prison,  became  the  prey  of  depression  and 
doubts  concerning  the  true  Messiahship  of  Jesus,  and 
sent  to  Him  for  some  token,  our  Blessed  Lord  sent  back 
a  message  full  of  gentleness,  and  at  the  same  time  one 
which  would  reassure  John  by  a  new  reference  to  pro- 
phecy and  its  fulfilment  in  the  events  of  His  ministry. 
When  Thomas  doubted  the  testimony  of  his  brother 
apostles  concerning  the  resurrection,  and  declared  that 
nothing  would  satisfy  his  scepticism  but  his  own  touch 
of  the  wounded  hands  and  side  of  the  Lord,  the  Lord 
most  graciously  and  with  pathetic  tenderness  complied 
with  this  troubled  but  honest  "  sign-seeker's  "  demand. 
At  first  glance  all  these  cases,  and  others  which  might 
be  mentioned,  seem  not  to  have  differed  greatly  from 
that  of  Zacharias,  who  was  so  promptly  punished  for  his 
unbelieving  demand.  But  a  more  careful  examination 
'  Gen.  xviii.  14. 


THE  PENALTY  AND  CURE   OF  UNBELIEF     6i 

will  reveal  that  there  was  in  these  cases  not  so  much 
unbelief  as  anxious  longing  for  a  strengthening  of  faith, 
in  which  there  was  more  serious  inquiry  than  doubt. 
Even  in  the  case  of  Zacharias,  where  unbelief  is  directly 
charged,  there  was  great  goodness  and  tenderness  mixed 
with  the  chastisement. 

On  the  other  hand,  God  deals  with  severity  when  the 
sign-seeker  is  a  deliberate  and  determined  unbeliever. 
Take,  for  example,  the  lord  upon  whose  arm  the  king  of 
Israel   leaned  in  the  days  of  the  siege  and   famine  of 
Samaria.     The  prophet  of  God   had  declared  that   to- 
morrow food  should  be  abundant  and  cheap  in  the  city, 
now  starving  and  straitly  shut  up  by  an  investing  army. 
This    nobleman    sneered    out   his    unbelief,   and    said, 
"  Behold,  if  the  Lord  would  make  windows  in  heaven, 
might  this  thing  be  ?  "  ^     To  the  unbelieving  challenge  of 
this  scoffing  and  haughty  sceptic  for  a  sign  from  heaven, 
the  prophet   immediately  replied,  "  Behold,  thou  shalt 
see  it  with  thine  eyes,  but  shalt  not  eat  thereof."  ^     The 
next  day  the  siege  was  raised,  and  the  abandoned  camp 
of  the  Syrians  was  free  spoil   for  all  Samaria,  and  food 
became  as  plentiful  to-day  as  it  was  scarce  yesterday. 
In  the  wild   rush   through   the  city  gates  the  scoffing 
nobleman  was  overthrown  and  trodden  to  death.     Thus 
was  his  sneering  unbelief  answered.     When  Jesus  was 
a   helpless    prisoner   before    Herod,   that   wicked    king 
demanded  a  sign  from  Him.     He  got  his  answer  later 
when  he  died,  "  eaten   of  worms."  ^     The  Jews  in  our 
Lord's  time  were  a  sign-seeking  and  adulterous  genera- 
tion.    Their  punishment  came  in  the  utter  destruction 
of  their  city  and  their  own  dispersion  abroad,  to  be  the 
objects  of  hatred  and  contempt  for  twenty  centuries. 
The  sign  of  the  prophet  Jonah — that  is,  the  resurrection 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead — has  been  given. 
'  2  Kings  vii.  2.  *  Ibid.  vii.  2.         *  Acts  xii.  49. 


62      THE  PENALTY  AND  CURE   OF  UNBELIEF 

If  the  sign-seeking  Jews  and  wisdom-seeking  Greeks  are 
not  convinced  with  that,  then  they  will  find  their  punish- 
ment in  permanent  moral  and  intellectual  blindness,  and 
an  utter  incapacity  for  believing  even  though  other  signs 
were  given.  Therefore  Paul  declared,  after  he  had 
preached  Jesus  to  the  Jews,  and  proclaimed  the  resur- 
rection and  the  full  and  free  forgiveness  of  God,  "  Behold, 
\'e  despisers,  and  wonder,  and  perish :  for  I  work  a  work 
in  your  days,  a  work  which  ye  shall  in  no  wise  believe, 
though  a  man  declare  it  unto  you."  ^  Oh,  it  is  a  peril- 
ous thing  to  come  before  the  Lord  with  deliberate 
unbelief,  and  challenge  Him  to  prove  His  word  by  a 
sign  !  It  makes  my  soul  tremble  when  I  hear  people 
thus  challenging  and  insulting  God,  lest  before  they 
know  it  there  come  a  sign  upon  them  which  will  cause 
them  to  behold  and  wonder  and  perish.  Even  when 
doubt  is  reverent  and  has  more  of  inquiry  than  unbelief 
in  it,  it  is  not  a  wise  thing  to  challenge  God's  word  with 
a  demand  for  a  sign. 

II.  The  Method  for  the  Cure  of  Unbelief.  In 
the  previous  sermon  I  tried  to  point  out  the  prime  cause 
of  unbelief,  and  some  of  the  occasions  of  its  manifesta- 
tions. I  shall  now  endeavour  to  point  out  some  of  the 
means  by  which  sincere  unbelief  or — may  I  say  it  ? — 
believing  unbelief  may  be  cured.  Zacharias  was  a  be- 
liever temporarily  afflicted  or  assaulted  by  unbelief, 
which  led  him  to  demand  some  sign  for  the  confirma- 
tion of  God's  word  and  promise.  In  answer,  God  gave 
him  at  once  a  sensible  sign  and  renewed  His  promise, 
the  truth  of  which  should  be  seen  in  the  fulfilment  of 
His  gracious  purpose.  Let  us  now  consider  these  two 
things  in  the  reverse  order  of  their  fulfilment. 

I.  The  angel  Gabriel,  to  whom   Zacharias  made  his 
demand  for  a  sign,  replied,  with  a  kind  of  amazed  indig- 
'  Acts  xiii.  41. 


THE  PENALTY  AND  CURE   OF   UNBELIEF     63 

nation,"  I  am  Gabriel,  that  stand  in  the  presence  of  God, 
and  am  sent  to  speak  unto  thee,  and  to  show  thee  these 
glad  tidings."  It  is  as  though  he  had  said,  "  Is  it  pos- 
sible that  you  doubt  me,  and,  much  more,  the  word  of 
God  which  I  deliver  unto  you  ?  "  It  is  true  that  God 
does  not  now  send  to  us  an  angel  to  announce  His 
gracious  purpose  and  promise ;  nor  does  He  in  other 
ways  make  so  obvious  to  our  senses  the  presence  and 
nearness  of  what  we  call  the  supernatural.  Signs  and 
wonders,  the  appearance  of  angels,  and  such-like  mani- 
festations, were,  if  we  may  say  so,  the  early  and  sporadic 
forerunners  of  Christ  in  whom  the  final  revelation  of  His 
grace  was  given.  These  signs  have  fulfilled  their  mission 
and  disappeared  ;  just  as  John  the  Baptist  appeared  and 
for  a  while  blazed  forth  as  a  daystar  upon  the  horizon, 
and  then  began  to  decrease  before  the  increasing  wonder 
of  Christ,  whom  he  heralded.  The  angel  that  now  per- 
manently announces  God's  purpose  of  grace  is  the  written 
Word  of  God.  In  this  blessed  book  God  now  speaks  to 
us  and  brings  us  glad  tidings.  Do  you  ask,  then,  why 
we  should  believe  the  word  of  God  and  receive  its 
message  with  confidence  ? 

Consider  the  reliability  of  His  message  to  7is.  In  the 
first  place,  because  it  is  the  word  of  God,  and  cannot  be 
broken.  No  word  of  man  has  ever  been  given  to  man 
containing  such  promises.  If,  instead  of  Gabriel,  a 
mere  man,  however  wise  and  mighty,  had  stood  before 
Zacharias  and  promised  him  that,  in  spite  of  his  old  age 
and  that  of  Elisabeth,  a  son  should  be  born  of  them  in 
the  set  time  of  such  an  event,  it  would  have  seemed  pre- 
posterous and  unworthy  of  belief;  but  when  Gabriel, 
who  stands  in  the  presence  of  God,  proclaims  it,  then  all 
doubt  as  to  possibility  and  faithfulness  should  cease. 
Should  the  wisest  philosopher  have  announced  to  us  the 
resurrection  from  the  dead  and  the  forgiveness  of  sins. 


64      THE  PENALTY  AND   CURE   OF   UNBELIEF 

we  might  well  have  asked  some  sign  to  confirm  such 
glorious  tidings ;  but  God,  who  raised  up  Jesus  from  the 
dead  (there  can  be  no  greater  sign  than  this),  proclaims 
these  things  and  gives  us  His  word.  We  know  now  that 
it  is  His  word,  and  that  that  word  cannot  be  broken. 
"  God  is  not  a  man,  that  He  should  lie,"  ^  or  be  mistaken, 
or  fail  in  power  to  fulfil  His  promise. 

Then  consider  that  God  has  voluntarily  given  to  us 
this  promise  of  glad  tidings.  It  has  not  been  reluctantly 
wrung  from  Him,  or  hastily  or  immaturely  spoken.  But 
according  to  His  eternal  purpose,  which  He  purposed  in 
Christ  Jesus,  as  an  act  of  free  grace  to  sinful  men,  He 
has  declared  His  promise.  Why  should  He  not  fulfil 
His  word  so  freely  and  voluntarily  given  ?  Then,  as  if 
to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  "  that  by  two  immutable 
things  in  which  it  is  impossible  for  God  to  lie,"  He  has 
confirmed  His  word  with  an  oath  ;  and  because  there  is 
none  greater  than  Himself,  that  oath  was  given  by  and 
in  the  full  sanctity  of  His  own  name.  "  Because  He 
could  sware  by  no  greater.  He  sware  by  Himself."  ^ 
Thus  did  God  ratify  and  confirm  His  word  to  Abraham  ; 
and  thus  He  ratifies  and  confirms  it  to  us. 

Then  consider  that  God  in  times  past  has  ever  been 
faithful  to  His  word.  Is  not  the  coming  of  Christ  the 
best  guarantee  of  the  absolute  truthfulness  of  God's 
word,  and  the  faithfulness  of  His  promises  to  sinful 
men  ?  "  How  shall  I  know  that  the  promises  contained 
in  the  Bible  are  true  ?  "  so  ask  men  and  women  of  me 
almost  every  day.  My  reply  is,  "  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord, 
who  was  born  in  Bethlehem,  of  the  seed  of  David  accord- 
ing to  the  flesh,  who  died  on  Calvary,  and  was  raised 
again  the  third  day,  and  thus  declared  with  power  to  be 
the  Son  of  God,  is  the  demonstration  of  the  truth  of 
God's  word."  For  all  these  things  were  done  "  accord- 
*  Num.  xxiii.  19.  ^  Heb.  vi.  13-20. 


THE  PENALTY  AND   CURE   OF   UNBELIEF      65 

ing  to  the  scriptures."  Until  men  can  successfully 
disprove  the  existence  of  the  scripture  containing  the 
promise  of  Christ's  coming — His  birth,  His  death,  and 
His  resurrection — or  can  successfully  deny  these  facts, 
they  cannot  impeach  the  truth  of  this  word  of  God, 
which  stands  by  our  side,  as  did  Gabriel  beside  Zacharias, 
to  show  us  the  glad  tidings  of  His  love  and  salvation. 
It  is  easy  for  the  wilful  sceptic  to  deny,  but  it  is  not 
so  easy  for  him  to  make  good  his  denial.  Have  not 
twenty  centuries  of  unbelief,  scorn,  and  derision,  heaped 
upon  the  word  of  God,  failed  to  remove  it  from  its 
impregnable  rock  of  truth  ?  Have  not  twenty  centuries 
of  philosophy  and  science  (?)  failed  to  dislodge  the  word 
of  God  from  its  place  of  testimony  ?  "  Heaven  and 
earth  shall  pass  away,  but  My  word  shall  not  pass 
away."  ^  "  All  flesh  is  as  grass,  and  all  the  glory  of  man 
as  the  flower  of  grass.  The  grass  withereth,  and  the 
flower  thereof  falleth  away  ;  but  the  word  of  the  Lord 
endureth  for  ever.  And  this  is  the  word  which  by  the 
gospel  is  preached  unto  you."  ^  Are  not  the  ringing 
words  of  the  old  veteran  Joshua,  who,  after  a  long  life 
spent  in  the  stern  service  of  God,  still  full  of  force  to  us 
after  the  passage  of  long  centuries  ? — "  And  behold,  this 
day  I  am  going  the  way  of  all  the  earth  :  and  ye  know 
in  all  your  hearts  and  in  all  your  souls,  that  not  one 
thing  hath  failed  of  all  the  good  things  which  the  Lord 
your  God  spake  concerning  you  ;  all  are  come  to  pass 
unto  you,  and  not  one  thing  hath  failed  thereof."^ 
Wherever  we  have  observed  the  conditions  of  God's 
promise,  there  have  we  seen  the  fulfilment  of  His  word. 
If  in  any  case  it  should  seem  to  us  that  His  word  has 
not  been  fulfilled,  we  have  learned  that  this  also  belongs 
to  God,  and  is  included  in  the  essential  condition  of  His 
promise — that  time  and  eternity  are  alike  His  in  which 
'  Matt.  xxiv.  35.  ?  I  Pet.  i.  24,  35.  *  Josh,  xxiii.  14. 
P.B.  5 


66      THE  PENALTY  AND   CURE   OF  UNBELIEF 

to  work.  Zacharias  might  have  said  a  month  or  a  single 
day  before  the  appearance  of  Gabriel,  "  For  forty  years 
I  prayed  for  a  son  ;  all  my  life  have  I  prayed  for  the 
coming  of  Messiah,  and  yet  neither  of  these  things  have 
come  to  pass."  Yet  lo  !  out  of  a  clear  sky  comes  an 
angel  of  God  to  announce  that  the  fulfilment  of  both 
these  long-delayed  prayers  was  at  hand.  You  say,  "  I 
have  prayed  for  many  things  that  have  not  come  to 
pass,  and  therefore  I  have  a  right  to  doubt  the  truth  of 
the  promises  of  the  Bible."  Even  supposing  that  your 
prayers  have  been  within  conditions,  is  the  time  so  spent 
that  God  cannot  fulfil  ?  Has  He  bound  Himself  to  a 
day  and  an  hour  with  you  ?  Has  He  bound  Himself  to 
your  wish  and  will  without  reference  to  His  will.  His 
wisdom,  and  His  love  ?  You  say,  "  I  prayed  for  the 
conversion  of  my  dear  one,  and  he  did  not  come  out  on 
the  Lord's  side."  Are  you  sure  that  in  heaven  you  shall 
not  greet  that  loved  one,  won  to  God  even  in  last 
moments  ;  or  may  it  not  appear  that,  hidden  deeply  in 
his  heart  as  a  flower  blossoming  under  snow  before  the 
spring-time,  the  grace  of  God  was  waiting  to  burst  into 
beauty  and  revelation,  even  on  the  very  threshold  of 
heaven  itself?  Oh,  how  shall  we  dare,  in  the  face  of  so 
much  that  has  come  to  pass,  limit  the  truth  and  grace 
of  God  to  the  narrow  range  of  our  observation  and 
present  experience  ?  "  Is  anything  too  hard  for  the 
Lord  ? "  Believe  it,  my  friends,  God's  delays  are  not 
breaches  of  promises.  Does  not  the  delay  of  our  Lord's 
second  coming  seem  almost  like  a  breach  of  promise, 
since  even  the  apostles  looked  for  His  return  in  their 
day?  But  "the  Lord  is  not  slack  concerning  His 
promise  as  men  count  slackness."  ^  What,  then,  is  this 
delay  but  slackness  or  breach  of  promise?  It  is  the 
long-suffering  of  God,  who  is  not  willing  to  cut  the 
^  2  Pet,  iii.  9. 


THE  PENALTY  AND   CURE   OF   UN  BE:  LIEF     67 

world  off  in  sudden  and  irretrievable  judgment,  but  will 
have  men  come  to  repentance  and  live.  Much  as  we 
desire  the  Lord's  speedy  coming,  shall  we  pray  for  it  to 
the  exclusion  of  mercy  for  a  dying  world  ?  Shall  we 
demand  the  immediate  fulfilment  of  this  great  promise 
for  the  gratification  of  our  desire  and  glory,  at  the  price 
of  withdrawing  the  long-suffering  love  of  God  from  a 
world  still  "  lying  in  the  wicked  one  "  ?  Nay,  rather  let 
me  die  and  escape  to  heaven,  and  there  with  millions  of 
saints  gone  before,  wait  and  come  with  them  and  Him 
when  it  shall  seem  good  to  God  to  rise  up  and  shut  the 
door  of  mercy  upon  the  world. 

Again,  if  you  zvould  cure  your  unbelief,  lay  His  ivord 
up  in  your  heart,  as  did  Mary.  Instead  of  laying  God's 
words  up  in  our  hearts  and  pondering  them  deeply  day 
and  night,  until  the  fire  burns,  we  open  our  hearts  to  all 
sorts  of  arguments  of  men  and  philosophies  of  this  world, 
and  are  spoiled  through  these  vain  delusions.  Show  me 
the  man  who  is  carefully  treasuring  up  God's  words  in 
his  heart  and  meditating  upon  them  day  and  night,  and 
I  will  show  you  a  man  whose  heart  is  burning  within 
him,  glowing  with  love,  and  faith,  and  expectation.  It 
is  a  rare  thing — I  may  say,  an  impossible  thing — to  find 
a  real  lover  of  God's  word  among  the  doubters.  The 
word  pondered  becomes  a  witness  to  itself 

If  you  woidd  be  rid  of  your  doubts,  be  obedient  to  His 
word.  God's  word  is  not  for  curious  study,  but  to  be 
reverently  heeded  and  faithfully  obeyed.  The  loving 
heart  of  Mary  was  full  of  wonder  and  innocent  curiosity 
as  to  how  these  things  should  be,  yet  she  quickly  and 
humbly  said  to  the  angel,  "  Behold  the  handmaiden  of 
the  Lord  ;  be  it  unto  me  according  to  thy  word."  ^ 
Willing  and  obedient  souls  need  no  other  sign  from  God 
than  His  word,  for  they  prove  that  word  in  their  obedi- 
*  Luke  i.  3S. 


68      THE  PENALTY  AND   CURE   OF   UNBELIEF 

ence.  "  If  any  man  will  do  His  will,  he  shall  know  of 
the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak  of 
Myself"  ^  You  sign-seekers  !  are  you  willing  to  accept 
this  sign  of  willing  obedience}  "  Oh  that  My  people  had 
hearkened  unto  Me,  and  Israel  had  walked  in  My  ways. 
I  should  soon  have  subdued  their  enemies ;  and  turned 
My  hand  against  their  adversaries.  He  should  have  fed 
them  also  on  the  finest  of  the  wheat  ;  and  with  honey 
out  of  the  rock  should  I  have  satisfied  thee."  ^  "  O  that 
thou  hadst  hearkened  to  My  commandments,  then  had 
thy  peace  been  as  a  river,  and  thy  righteousness  as  the 
waves  of  the  sea."^  "  If  ye  be  willing  and  obedient,  ye 
shall  eat  the  good  of  the  land  ;  but  if  ye  refuse  and 
rebel,  ye  shall  be  devoured  with  the  sword  :  for  the 
mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it."  ^  Here,  my  friends, 
is  the  clue  to  the  maze  of  unbelief  in  which  you  have 
become  entangled.  Follow  this  clue  of  willing  obedience, 
and  it  will  lead  you  out  into  green  pastures  and  beside 
the  still  waters  of  faith  and  peace.  Do  not  stand  and 
argue  with  the  promise  of  Christ,  asking  for  signs  and 
wonders,  but  "  Go  thy  way,"  in  obedience  to  His  gracious 
command,  and  ye  shall  surely  find  the  word  fulfilled, 
even  as  He  hath  said. 

If  you  would  be  cured  of  your  unbelief  deal  with  Gods 
word  reasonably.  Jesus  referred  the  doubt  of  John  the 
Baptist  to  the  prophecies  of  the  scriptures  and  their  ful- 
filment in  Him.  Do  you  also  do  that  ?  Lay  the  prophecy 
of  the  Old  Scriptures  alongside  the  fulfilments  in  the 
New  Testament  record.  Inquire  concerning  the  promises 
of  God  now,  and  their  fulfilment  to  them  who  have 
walked  in  the  commandments,  and  you  will  not  long 
remain  in  doubt.  It  is  he  who  obeys,  and  not  he  who 
haggles  and   cavils  at  God's  word,  who  finds  out  the 

'  John  vii.  17.  ^  Ps.  Ixxxi.  13-16. 

^  Is.  xlviii.  18.  ■*  Isa.  i.  19,  20. 


THE  PENALTY  AND   CURE   OF  UNBELIEF     69 

truth  of  it — who  has  the  sign  in  himself.  Deal  with 
God's  word  reasonably  as  to  time.  When  Cain  was  born, 
Eve  thought  the  promised  "  Seed  of  the  woman  "  was 
lying  in  her  bosom  ;  but  four  thousand  years  must  yet 
go  by,  and  the  time  be  filled  up  with  the  world's  experi- 
ments, before  God  sent  forth  His  Son  born  of  a  woman. 
A  close  study  of  the  words  of  Jesus  shows  us  an  almost 
total  absence  of  the  time-element  in  them.  Doth  not 
the  husbandman  wait  long  and  labour  patiently  for  the 
promised  harvest  hidden  in  the  seed  to  spring  forth  and 
make  glad  his  heart  ? — and  cannot  we  zvait  for  God's 
promises  to  come  to  harvest  in  our  lives  ?  Did  not  the 
man  who  found  the  treasure  hid  in  the  field  go  and  sell 
all  that  he  had  and  buy  that  field  ?  Have  we  been 
willing  to  forego  the  possessions  and  pleasures  of  this 
life  that  we  might  find  the  heavenly  treasure  ?  Did  not 
the  pearl  merchant  sell  all  his  lesser  treasures  that  he 
might  gain  the  pearl  of  greatest  price  ? — and  have  we 
been  even  willing  to  part  with  the  lesser  treasures  of  our 
lower  life  that  we  might  find  this  heavenly  pearl  ? 
Surely  we  make  unreasonable  demands  on  God's  word 
— demands  that  we  do  not  make  upon  Nature — His 
other  word.  We  observe  the  laws  and  conditions  im- 
posed in  Nature,  but  we  would  snatch  out  of  God's 
hands  our  impatient  demands,  as  though  there  was  no 
law  in  the  spiritual  world. 

HI.  The  Punishment  of  Unbelief.  In  his  un- 
belief Zacharias  asked  for  a  sign.  As  we  have  before 
said,  this  unbelieving  prayer,  or  the  prayer  of  this  un- 
believing heart,  got  a  swift  answer.  That  prayer  was  a 
sight  draft  on  God,  and  it  was  honoured  on  demand  ; 
but  he  lost  the  sweet  and  joyful  experiences  of  the 
believing  Elisabeth  and  Mary,  whose  hearts  were  filled 
with  praise  and  gladness — whose  lips  were  bursting  with 
song,  whilst  he,  poor  man,  was  silent  in   his  dumbness 


70      THE   PENALTY  AND   CURE   OF  UNBELIEF 

and  deaf  in  the  midst  of  their  songs.  It  would  seem 
that  Zacharias  was  both  deaf  and  dumb,  for  when  they 
were  about  to  name  the  son  of  Elisabeth,  they  had 
to  make  "  signs  to  his  father  how  he  would  have 
him  called."  We  do  not  make  signs  to  people  who 
can  hear. 

He  zi/as  deaf  and  dumb  toward  God.  In  this  deafness 
and  dumbness  we  suspect  there  is  a  latent  suggestion  of 
one  of  the  deadly  effects  of  unbelief.  When  the  soul  is 
attacked  by  this  dreadful  sin,  and  it  is  yielded  to,  there 
comes  a  spiritual  deafness  to  the  soul.  God's  word  does 
not  speak  to  us.  We  read  its  pages  ;  hear,  as  it  were, 
the  sound  of  words  ;  but  we  cannot  discern  their  mean- 
ing and  power.  How  dreary  the  Bible  is  to  an  unbe- 
lieving, deaf  soul !  The  penalty  of  unbelief  is  unbelief. 
Deafness  toward  God's  word  is  a  sign  of  unbelief  in  the 
heart.  And  then  what  may  the  dumbness  signify  but 
that  we  have  lost  the  power  of  speech  with  God  ? 
Prayer  had  gone  out  of  the  soul.  "  I  cannot  pray  "  is 
one  of  the  commonest  complaints  of  the  unbelieving 
believer.  In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  a  prayerless  condition 
of  soul  is  the  immediate  result  or  effect  of  some  unbelief 
to  which  the  soul  has  yielded.  Of  course,  if  we  begin  to 
doubt  God's  word,  how  can  \\&  pray  to  God  ?  How 
should  I  pray  to  a  God  whose  existence  I  doubt,  of 
whose  word  I  am  not  sure  ?  Do  you  know  the  misery 
of  this  state  ?  Alas  !  I  do  ;  for  I,  too,  once  called  in 
question  God's  word,  and  for  nearly  nine  months  I  went 
about  my  weary  duties  as  a  christian  and  a  minister, 
and  yet  no  words  came  to  my  soul  out  of  His  word,  and 
all  prayer  died  on  my  lips.  May  God  save  you  from 
such  a  penalty  as  this  visitation  upon  unbelief  An  un- 
converted man  can  live  without  God's  word  making 
music  in  his  soul,  and  without  any  opening  of  heart  to 
God   in   prayer  ;  but   a   man   who  has   once  known  the 


THE  PENALTY  AND  CURE   OF  UNBELIEF     71 

secrets  of  God's  truth  and  the  comfort  and  joy  of  prayer 
does  but  live  in  misery  when  these  things  are  taken 
away  from  him. 

He  was  deaf  and  dumb  toivard  men.  Once  it  had 
been  Zacharias'  joy  to  hear  the  brethren  with  whom  he 
associated  talk  over  the  wonderful  things  of  God  as  they 
read  the  inspired  record.  Now  his  ears  were  closed  to 
the  believing  speech  of  those  around  him.  He  could 
not  hear.  There  are  times  when  the  believer  has  no 
greater  delight  than  to  hear  other  believers  tell  of  the 
goodness  and  grace  of  God  to  them.  The  testimony  of 
the  righteous  is  sweeter  than  poetry,  more  comforting 
than  music.  When  unbelief  comes  in,  the  language  of 
faith  is  a  dead  language,  and  the  testimony  of  the 
righteous  is  meaningless.  Can  you  imagine  what  it 
would  be  to  be  cut  off  absolutely  from  ever  hearing 
another  sermon,  another  believing  prayer,  another  joyful 
testimony  ;  to  have  all  speech  concerning  God  and  sal- 
vation shut  off  from  you  ?  For  nine  months  Zacharias 
was  so  shut  off  from  the  speech  of  his  godly  family.  No 
longer  did  he  hear  the  voice  of  Elisabeth,  his  believing 
wife ;  and  when  Mary  came  to  visit  her  in  her  retire- 
ment, and  the  Holy  Ghost  came  upon  those  two  holy 
women  so  that  they  broke  forth  in  the  poetry  of  hea- 
venly song,  Zacharias  was  deaf  and  could  not  hear. 
Beside  this,  his  own  testimony  was  gone.  When  the 
brethren  were  speaking  often  one  to  another,  and  the 
Lord  was  hearkening  and  hearing,  he  could  not  speak. 
No  soul  was  strengthened  by  his  testimony  ;  no  record 
was  made  in  the  book  of  remembrance  of  his  believing 
and  faithful  words.  Oh,  it  is  an  awful  thing  to  be  dumb, 
to  have  lost  one's  testimony,  so  that  he  can  no  longer 
speak  for  God  !  My  brother,  my  sister,  do  you  know 
what  it  is  to  have  been  stricken  with  dumbness,  so  that 
you  cannot  speak  for  God  ?     "  We  cannot  but  speak  the 


^2      THE  PENALTY  AND   CURE   OF  UNBELIEE 

things  which  we  have  seen  and  heard,"  ^  said  Peter.  So 
neither  can  we  help  giving  testimony  for  God  and  to 
the  glorious  truth  of  the  gospel,  unless  we  are  living  in 
unbelief  or  have  been  smitten  in  consequence  of  it.  I 
once  knew  a  man  who,  when  he  was  about  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  was  under  conviction  for  sin,  but  turned 
away  from  the  house  of  God,  saying,  with  an  oath,  that 
he  would  never  again  listen  to  a  sermon  or  hear  the 
word  of  God  read.  A  few  weeks  afterwards  he  was 
smitten  with  scarlet  fever,  and  after  a  long  illness  arose 
from  his  bed  stone  deaf  and  with  little  power  of  speech 
left  to  him.  He  came  to  God  under  that  affliction,  and 
I  used  to  see  his  pitiful  face  before  me  in  the  house  of 
God  and  in  the  prayer-meeting  of  the  church,  but  he 
could  not  hear  ;  standing  in  a  company  of  christian 
people,  his  ears  were  dead  to  their  conversation.  God 
had  taken  his  daring  and  presumptuous  oath  at  its  face 
value,  and  he  never  heard  the  word  of  God  again,  either 
in  sermon  or  testimony.  He  used  to  say  that  his  one 
comfort  left  was  his  unweakened  power  of  sight  ;  and 
subordinate  to  that  was  the  privilege  of  sitting  in  the 
church  and  seeing  others  worship  and  listening  to  their 
pastor.  Oh,  my  friends,  God  pity  you  !  do  not  allow 
the  demon  of  unbelief  to  take  possession  of  your  souls, 
lest  dumbness  and  deafness  come  upon  you,  ay,  and 
blindness  too  ;  so  that  every  av^enue  of  divine  know- 
ledge and  grace  be  shut  up  from  you. 

*  Acts  iv.  20, 


V 

HEAVENLY  SERVICE    TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE 

"And  in  the  sixth  month  the  angel  Gabriel  was  sent  from  God 
unto  a  city  of  Galilee,  named  Nazareth,  to  a  virgin  espoused  to  a 
man  whose  name  was  Joseph,  of  the  house  of  David  ;  and  the 
virgin's  name  was  Mary." — Luke  i.  26,  27. 

ABOUT  five  hundred  years  had  passed  since  this 
great  angel  who  stands  in  presence  of  God,  as 
His  chief  servant,  had  been  sent  to  the  beloved  Daniel 
in  Babylon,  to  tell  him  that  his  prayer  was  answered, 
to  show  him  favour,  to  instruct  him  in  and  give  him 
wisdom  and  understanding  concerning  things  to  come. 
Six  months  before  the  event  recorded  in  our  text,  he 
had  been  sent  on  a  somewhat  similar  mission  to  Zacha- 
rias,  to  bring  to  him  the  glad  tidings  of  the  near  ap- 
proach of  the  Redeemer  of  the  world,  and  of  the  birth 
of  John  the  Baptist  as  His  forerunner.  Now  we  find 
him  back  and  down  upon  the  earth,  charged  with  a  more 
exalted  commission.  It  was  just  now  a  busy  time  with 
Gabriel.  Stupendous  events  were  nearing,  and  the 
mystery  of  the  ages  was  on  the  verge  of  accomplish- 
ment ;  but  we  are  sure  this  glorious  spirit  did  not 
grudge  this  earthly  service.  How  could  he  ?  who  was 
the  servant  and  herald  of  Him  who,  in  coming  from 
the  bosom  of  God  to  undertake  a  still  more  lowly  ser- 
vice, said,  "  Lo,  I  come ;  .  .  .  I  delight  to  do  Thy 
will,  O  my  God."  ^      It  was  more  than  enough  for  him 

'  Ps.  xl.  7,  8. 
73 


74       HEAVENLY  SERVICE    TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE 

to  be  and  do  as  his  Lord.  This  time  he  does  not  come 
to  the  great  capital  of  the  mighty  kingdom  of  the 
East,  nor  to  the  sacred  precincts  of  the  Holy  Place  in 
the  Temple  of  God  in  Jerusalem,  to  communicate 
with  Daniel,  the  Prime  Minister  of  the  great  king,  or 
to  Zacharias,  the  priest  of  the  God  of  Israel ;  but  to 
a  mean  little  city  in  a  despised  province  of  Judaea, 
and  to  an  obscure  and  lowly  maiden,  the  espoused  wife 
of  a  poor  builder  of  fishing-boats — a  carpenter.  He 
came  to  Mary  to  announce  the  high  honour  which 
God  was  about  to  confer  in  choosing  her  out  of  all  the 
millions  of  women  who  had  lived,  and  might  yet  live, 
to  become  the  mother  of  the  Eternal  Son  of  God — the 
Incarnate  Word. 

This  passing  to  and  fro  of  angels  between  heaven  and 
earth,  and  between  God  and  men,  gives  to  us  a  sense 
of  delightful  confidence  concerning  the  world  to  come. 
It  assures  us  that  the  world  to  come  is  not  only  a 
reality,  but  a  place  inhabited  by  intelligences  deeply 
interested  and  intimately  connected  with  ourselves  ;  that 
it  is  at  no  infinite  distance  from  us,  and  that  passage 
from  one  world  to  the  other  is  not  insuperable.  It 
intimates  to  us  the  presence  in  the  universe  of  laws  and 
modes  of  being  and  action  which  lie  beyond  and  above 
those  which  come  under  ordinary  observation.  More- 
over, it  gives  us  assurance  that  that  world  from  whence 
Gabriel  came  is  the  source  from  whence  comes  to  us 
all  our  highest  and  best  good.  The  angel  brought  no 
message  of  wrath  to  Mary,  or,  through  her,  to  us  ;  but 
glad  tidings  of  great  joy  indeed.  No  angel  ever  yet 
visited  the  earth  except  as  a  friend  and  helper  of  man. 
"  Are  they  not  all  ministering  spirits  ?  "  ^  How  lovely 
and  benignant  they  always  appear !  How  deeply  inter- 
ested in  our  good  !  How  anxious  to  push  forward  their 
»  Heb.  i.  14. 


HEAVENLY  SERVICE    TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE       75 

heavenly  commissions !  How  full  of  good-will  to  us  ! 
We  fancy  we  can  detect  in  the  very  words  in  which 
they  communicated  their  tidings  or  instructions  tones 
of  tenderest  love.  One  can  almost  hear  the  softness 
and  intense  sympathy  with  which  Gabriel  spoke  to 
Daniel  as  "greatly  beloved,"^  and  to  Gideon  as  "thou 
mighty  man  of  valour." 2  Gabriel's  "Hail"  to  Mary 
thrills  with  an  ecstasy  of  homage  and  delight.  No 
haughtiness  ;  no  air  of  superiority ;  no  cold  condescen- 
sion ;  but  a  noble  and  heavenly  courtesy,  in  which  he 
seemed  to  delight  in  the  message  he  brought;  and 
gave  to  her  all  the  high  honour  which  was  about  to 
be  conferred  upon  her.  "  Hail,  highly  favoured  ;  the 
Lord  is  with  thee  ;  blessed  thou  among  women."  ^  I 
might  fully  occupy  your  time  and  attention  by  bringing 
to  your  mind  the  sweet  and  blessed  ministry  of  God's 
angels  to  men  during  all  the  ages  since  which  they 
began  to  visit  the  earth.  I  must  not  yield  to  this 
temptation,  but  proceed  at  once  to  the  topic  we  have 
in  hand. 

I.  The  Mission  of  Gabriel  to  Mary.  The 
thought  that  strikes  first  as  I  ponder  this  incident  is  the 
wondrous  and  gracious  humility  of  the  mighty  angel  in 
discharging  this  great  service  to  this  lowly  and  obscure 
/irgin.  Very  helpful  and  cheering  are  the  suggestions 
which  come  from  the  contemplation  of  this  event. 

I.  The  glad  and  gracious  service  of  God's  highest 
ministers  to  the  lozvliest  people.  We  are  not  so  much 
surprised,  perhaps,  when  we  read  of  Gabriel's  visit  to 
Daniel  in  Babylon,  for  Daniel  was  a  very  great  and 
distinguished  man.  He  was  the  Prime  Minister  of  the 
mightiest  kingdom  on  the  earth.  He  lived  in  the  palace 
of  the  great  king  ;  he  was  clothed  in  courtly  raiment  ; 
he  wore  the  gold  chain  of  high  office  ;  he  was,  beside,  the 
'  Dan.  ix.  23.       ^  Judg.  vi.  12.       ^  Luke  i.  28. 


76       HEAVENLY  SERVICE    TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE 

beloved  and  high  servant  and  prophet  of  God,  But  now 
we  find  this  heavenly  ambassador,  of  the  highest  rank, 
sent  to  a  poor,  obscure,  unknown  peasant  maiden,  who 
lived  probably  in  a  very  poor  little  house,  not  much 
better  than  a  hut,  in  the  most  despised  town  of  a 
province  held  even  by  the  Jews  in  great  contempt,  be- 
cause of  the  rude  speech  and  uncultured  manners  of  its 
inhabitants.  This  embassage  to  Mary  fills  us  with 
swelling  thoughts  of  the  love  and  condescension  of  God 
to  the  lowliest  of  mankind,  and  gives  us  the  assurance 
that  no  obscurity  of  residence,  no  poverty  of  purse,  no 
meanness  of  surroundings,  excludes  us  from  the  very 
choicest  gifts  of  God,  or  from  highest  honours  which 
heaven  can  bestow. 

Let  us  take  the  case  of  the  present  controversy 
between  Great  Britain  and  Venezuela  concerning  the 
interests  of  a  very  small  and  almost  unknown  colony  of 
English  people.^  There  is  some  question  of  rights  and 
boundaries  between  the  English  colony  and  the  Vene- 
zuelan Republic.  Perhaps  a  governor  not  much  above  a 
consular  agent  in  dignity  is  the  highest  representative 
of  the  Queen's  government  there.  Now,  how  would  that 
little  colony  spring  into  prominence  if,  in  order  to  pro- 
tect their  rights  and  defend  their  integrity  against  the 
stronger  power.  Her  Majesty  should  detach  Lord 
Dufferin  from  the  Court  of  St.  Cloud,  and  send  him, 
the  greatest  of  English  diplomats,  to  attend  to  that 
matter !  Not  only  would  such  an  act  dignify  the  little 
colony,  but  it  would  convince  the  world  in  a  most 
striking  manner  that  Great  Britain  cared  to  the  very 
last  extent  for  the  least,  the  most  unknown,  and,  if  it 
might  be  so,  the  meanest  of  her  small  colonies.  And 
would  not  all  men  honour  and  admire  the  loyalty  of 
Lord  Dufferin  if  he  should  gladly  turn  away  from  the 
'  Dec.  1st,  1895. 


HEAVENLY  SERVICE    TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE      77 

splendours  of  the  English  Embassy  and  the  RepubHcan 
Court  at  St.  Cloud  to  perform  the  lowly  service  required 
of  him  to  the  colony  in  South  America  ?  and  if  we 
should  hear  of  his  courtly  and  enthusiastic  service  out 
there  as  being  equal  to  his  best  manner  in  France,  or 
other  great  Courts  of  Europe,  would  we  not  all  say, 
"  Truly  Her  Gracious  Majesty  has  a  minister  in  Lord 
Dufferin  worthy  of  herself"?  Well,  was  not  Gabriel's 
mission  a  greater  display  of  high  service  to  lowly  people, 
discharged  in  the  most  gracious  manner  ? 

Lowly  as  Mary  was,  and  mean  as  were  her  surround- 
ings, Gabriel  "  went  in  unto  her,"  in  her  little  house  (a 
mere  highland  cottage),  and  saluted  her  as  though  she 
had  been  a  queen  upon  her  throne — the  very  first  and 
greatest  of  women  in  the  land — instead  of  the  least  and 
most  obscure.  But,  in  fact,  he  or  she  to  whom  such  a 
message  and  such  a  messenger  comes  is  great  indeed, 
independent  of  any  earthly  position,  wealth,  or  surround- 
ings. In  this  service  there  was  no  thought  or  suggestion 
in  the  mind  of  Gabriel  that  he  was  in  any  sense  lowering 
his  dignity,  or  doing  something  beneath  him  ;  nor  was 
there  any  of  that  supercilious  condescension  which  some- 
times accompanies  service  rendered  by  the  great  in  this 
world  to  the  lowly  people  with  whom  they  may  have 
to  do.  A  real  servant  of  God  can  only  feel  himself 
honoured  in  doing  God's  service  wherever  and  to  whom- 
soever he  may  be  sent.  I  know  of  a  very  wealthy  and 
good  woman  who  visits  amongst  the  very  poor,  and 
extends  to  them  very  considerable  help,  but  who  goes 
always  under  an  assumed  name,  because  she  does  not 
care  that  her  society  friends  should  know  that  she  does 
such  things.  In  fact,  she  is,  from  her  social  point  of 
view,  just  a  little  ashamed  to  be  known  as  a  visitor 
among  the  very  poor.  To  blazon  such  service  abroad 
and  proclaim,  as  the  Pharisee  might,  "  See  how  humble  I 


78      HEAVENLY  SERVICE   TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE 

am,  how  lowly  in  spirit  I  am  to  condescend  to  do  such 
work  as  this  !  "  would  only  be  the  opposite  sin  and  error 
to  that  of  doing  a  good  work  and  yet  being  half  ashamed 
before  men  of  doing  it.  A  true  humility  in  service  does 
not  take  into  account  what  a  man  may  say,  or  what,  in 
fact,  any  human  or  heavenly  intelligence  may  think. 
Beside,  any  object  of  God's  gracious  care  becomes  at  once 
"  highly  favoured  "  and  one  to  be  courted  and  served 
with  gladness  and  joy.  The  old  legend  of  the  two 
angels  is  in  point.  It  is  affirmed  in  this  legend  that 
on  a  time  God  sent  two  angels  to  the  earth.  One  He 
commissioned  to  rule  an  empire,  and  the  other  He  sent 
to  sweep  a  street-crossing.  Either  flew  to  his  post  with 
the  same  glad  alacrity,  not  considering  at  all  ivhat  they 
were  to  do,  but  only  for  zvJioin  they  were  doing  it. 
Therefore  the  angel  who  swept  the  street-crossing  felt 
as  highly  honoured  as  he  who  ruled  the  empire,  be- 
cause they  were  each  doing  the  will  of  God. 

The  condescension  of  angels  to  lowly  places  and  men 
excites  our  wonder  and  gratitude,  and  ought  to  stimulate 
us  to  emulate  the  spirit  which  animated  Gabriel  in  coming 
to  earth  with  this  message  and  mission  to  Mary.  But 
the  condescension  of  Gabriel  in  this  matter  fades  away 
as  the  stars  pale  before  the  rising  sun  in  presence  of  the 
condescension  of  God  in  grace  to  us  sinners.  When 
David  thought  of  the  grace  of  God  to  sinful  men,  he  was 
filled  with  wonder  and  amazement.  "  When  I  consider 
Thy  heavens,  the  works  of  Thy  fingers  ;  the  moon  and 
the  stars  which  Thou  hast  ordained  ;  what  is  man,  that 
Thou  art  mindful  of  him  ?  or  the  son  of  man,  that  Thou 
visitest  him  ? "  ^  For  the  time  being  lower  than  angels, 
and  yet  highest  angels  are  employed  in  serving  and  ad- 
ministering to  him.  Nay,  far  beyond  that.  The  Eternal 
God  humbled  Himself  to  be  born  of  a  woman  and  take 
'  Ps.Sviii.  3,  4. 


HEAVENLY  SERVICE    TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE       79 

upon  Himself  all  the  limitations  of  our  nature,  to  be 
formed  and  fashioned  and  take  the  place  of  a  servant, 
to  suffer  shame,  and  pain,  and  death  for  us.  No  wonder 
David  was  astonished  at  this  display  of  divine  grace. 
But  David  went  even  beyond  that  in  his  amazement. 
That  God  should  thus  do  for  the  sake  of  the  whole  race 
of  man  as  such  might  possibly  be  a  thinkable  thing  ;  but 
that  He  should  do  all  this  for  an  individual  sinful  man 
such  as  David  knew  himself  to  be — oh  !  that  passed 
knowledge.  We  see  him  sitting  down  in  the  house  of 
God,  overwhelmed  with  "  wonder,  gratitude,  and  love," 
saying  to  the  Lord,  "  Who  am  I,  and  what  is  my  house, 
that  Thou  hast  done  these  great  things  for  us  ?  "  David 
was  the  youngest  of  all  his  brothers — a  mere  sheep- 
tending  lad,  disposed  a  good  deal  to  dreams  and  poetry. 
His  father's  house  was  not  a  princely  one,  but  only  one 
among  many  of  the  humble  families  of  Israel.  And  yet 
God  chose  him  and  his  house  to  be  the  earthly  head 
of  His  kingdom  among  men  and  the  ancestor  of  the 
Eternal  Son.  Who,  indeed,  was  Abraham,  whom  God 
so  highly  honoured  with  His  grace  ?  The  son  of  an 
apostate  Semitic  family,  of  whose  father  tradition  says 
he  was  a  maker  of  idols.  Who  were  the  Hebrews,  that 
they  should  be  called  out  to  be  a  holy  nation,  a  royal 
priesthood,  and  a  peculiar  people,  for  a  possession  of 
Jehovah  ?  A  nation  of  slaves,  degraded  beyond  measure, 
who  were  even  themselves  sunk  into  the  worst  forms  of 
Egyptian  life  and  religion  ;  a  people  concerning  whom 
God  warned  them  that  He  did  not  save  or  love  them 
because  they  were  a  great  and  worthy  people,  for  He 
said  they  were  at  once  the  fewest  and  the  most  stiff- 
necked  and  rebellious  of  all  people.  In  later  times  this 
favoured  people  were  reproached  with  being  descended 
from  a  Hittite  mother  and  an  Amorite  father,  allied  on 
the   one   hand    with    Samaria   and   on    the   other   with 


So      HEAVENLY  SERVICE    TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE 

Sodom.  And  yet  God's  love  and  service  were  to  such 
people  !  When  Jesus  chose  His  apostles,  He  did  not  go 
to  the  Sanhedrim  and  make  a  selection  from  the  doctors 
and  lawyers,  but  called  a  company  of  fishermen  and 
tax-gatherers  to  be  His  ministers.  It  is  easy  of  proof 
that,  for  the  greater  part,  the  men  who  have  been  most 
used  of  God  in  spreading  His  gospel  for  the  past  two 
thousand  years  have  been  men  sprung  from  what  the 
world  calls  the  lower  ranks  in  life. 

2.  God  regards  Jminble  places  as  well  as  humble  people. 
In  coming  to  Mary  the  angel  also  came  to  Mary's  mean 
city  and  her  very  humble  house,  and  came  in  to  her  there. 
If  one  were  to  ask  at  random  a  half-dozen  well-informed 
people  in  the  congregation  what  were  the  five  or  six 
greatest  cities  of  the  world,  he  would  get  answers  in  which 
the  names  of  Babylon,  Thebes,  Memphis,  Athens,  Rome, 
Paris,  London,  and  New  York  would  figure.  But  are 
these  the  great  places  of  the  world  ?  Are  they  really 
the  great  cities  judged  by  the  standard  of  heavenly 
policy  and  judgment  ?  Nay  ;  but  I  think  we  might 
venture  to  put  in  their  places  Nazareth,  Bethlehem,  Nain, 
and  Bethany.  The  greatness  of  a  city  consists  not  in 
the  splendour  of  its  buildings,  the  magnitude  of  its  popu- 
lation, the  extent  of  its  commerce  ;  but  in  the  greatness 
of  the  events  which  have  marked  its  history,  and  in  the 
character  of  its  citizens.  "  And  thou,  Bethlehem,  in  the 
land  of  Judah,  art  not  the  least  among  the  princes  of 
Judah  ;  for  out  of  thee  shall  come  a  Governor  that  shall 
rule  My  people  Israel."  ^  Measured  by  this  rule,  Bethle- 
hem, the  little  village,  the  home  of  the  shepherd  David, 
and  the  birthplace  of  Jesus,  was  far  greater  than  Jeru- 
salem ;  Nazareth  was  greater  than  Caesarea  ;  Nain  was 
greater  than  Bethsaida  ;  Bethany  greater  than  Chorazin. 
Verona,  the  birthplace  of  Virgil,  is  a  greater  city  than 
^  Matt.  ii.  6, 


HEAVENLY  SERVICE    TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE      8i 

Rome,  the  place  of  Augustus'  throne.  Little  Stratford- 
on-Avon  has  reflected  more  glory  upon  England  by- 
giving  birth  to  Shakespeare  than  London  has  by  being 
the  home  of  her  vast  population  and  the  moneyed 
centre  of  the  world.  We  count  up  and  name  with  pride 
the  great  houses  in  London  ;  the  splendid  palaces  of 
our  nobility  and  citizens  of  fortune  ;  but  if  Gabriel 
should  come  to  London  and  propose  to  take  us  to  the 
great  houses  according  to  God's  estimate  of  greatness,  I 
think  he  would  lead  us  to  some  strange  places — to  some 
garrets  ;  to  some  cellars  ;  to  some  very  humble  homes 
indeed  ;  to  some  modest  apartments  ;  possibly  also  to 
some  fine  houses.  Why  would  you  call  these  great  houses? 
They  are  not  to  be  compared  with  Grosvenor  House,  or 
Dorchester  House,  or  a  hundred  others.  Oh,  these  are 
great  houses  because  they  are  the  homes  of  great  souls, 
of  those  beloved  of  God  who  are  great  in  His  sight.  No 
great  house  in  itself  can  make  the  inhabitant  of  it  great; 
but  a  great  soul,  be  he  man  or  woman,  rich  or  poor,  can 
make  the  house  great  in  which  they  live.  Just  in  the 
same  way,  neither  money  nor  position  can  really  dignify 
a  man  ;  but  a  man  may  dignify  and  ennoble  both  money 
and  position.     These  are  God's  estimations. 

3.  This  cojidescoision  to  men  mid  things  of  lotu  estate 
is  undoubtedly  the  fixed  and  settled  policy  of  God.  "  For 
My  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts,  neither  are  your 
ways  My  ways,  saith  the  Lord  ;  "  ^  and  it  is  well  for  us 
if  we  carefully  study  His  ways,  and  as  far  as  possible 
make  them  ours.  "  God  has  chosen  the  foolish  things 
of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise  ;  and  God  hath  chosen 
the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  things 
which  are  mighty  ;  and  base  things  of  the  world,  and 
things  which  are  despised,  hath  God  chosen,  and  things 
which  are  not,  to  bring  to  naught  things  which  are  :  that 

'  Isa.  Iv.  8. 
P.B.  6 


82      HEAVENLY  SERVICE    TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE 

no  flesh  should  glory  in  His  presence."  ^  We  are  wedded 
to  the  conventionality  of  the  world,  in  our  estimate  alike 
of  men  and  things.  We  render  service,  and  honour,  and 
homage  to  those  whom  the  world  esteems  to  be  great ; 
we  bow  down  before  wealth  and  station,  and  pass  by 
circumstances  of  poverty  and  obscurity.  But  God 
renders  service  to  the  poor,  the  obscure,  and  the  lowly. 
He  pours  contempt  upon  the  worldly  greatness  of  wealth 
and  station,  and  emphasizes  again  and  again  the  truth 
that  He  is  no  respecter  of  persons.  We  worship  the 
wisdom  of  the  world,  but  Jesus  thanks  His  Father  that 
the  salvation  of  God  is  revealed  to  babes.  We  deal 
more  with  the  outward  and  seeming ;  God  deals  with 
that  which  is  real  and  eternal.  That  which  we  esteem 
the  wisest,  the  mightiest,  and  of  most  worth  very  often 
contains  all  the  possibilities  of  the  worst  evils.  Can  we 
say  that  the  wisdom  of  the  world,  the  might  of  the 
world,  the  most  highly  honoured  of  the  world  have  been 
the  ministers  of  that  which  is  best  to  the  world  ?  Surely 
not.  The  world's  wisdom  has  proved  its  greatest  dark- 
ness ;  its  might,  its  greatest  weakness  ;  and  the  most 
honoured  things  have  been  the  breeders  of  the  worst 
evils.  On  the  other  hand,  out  of  the  Nazareths  and 
Bethlehems,  despised  and  insignificant  places,  have  al- 
ways come  to  the  world  its  best  gifts.  In  what  seems  to 
have  been,  and  still  is,  the  uniform  policy  of  heaven,  we 
may  detect  a  purpose  of  God  to  reverse  the  whole  con- 
ventional order  of  the  world  ;  and  with  the  things  which 
men  despise,  and  with  a  policy  that  the  wisdom  of  the 
world  condemns.  He  will  overturn  the  world  and  cause 
the  first  to  be  last  and  the  last  first.  Dives  shall  be 
found  in  hell  torments  in  spite  (not  because)  of  his  riches, 
and  Lazarus  shall  be  found  in  heaven  in  spite  (not  be- 
cause) of  his  poverty  and  sores.  The  proud  man  shall 
'  I  Cor.  i.  27-29. 


HEAVENLY  SERVICE    TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE      83 

be  humbled,  and  the  humble-minded  man  shall  be 
exalted.  Mary  hinted  at  this  heavenly  policy  in  her 
song,  "  He  hath  put  down  the  mighty  from  their  seats, 
and  exalted  them  of  low  degree."  ^  "  These  that  have 
turned  the  world  upside  down  have  come  hither  also,"  ^ 
was  the  complaint  of  the  world  against  the  apostles.  Were 
they  not  rather  turning  the  world  right  side  up  ?  As 
God  does  nothing  out  of  mere  sovereignty,  but  always 
because  of  love  and  wisdom,  may  w^e  not  profitably  look 
about  us  and  learn  that  just  as  there  are  great  potenti- 
alities for  evil  in  those  things  which  the  world  most 
highly  esteems,  so  in  the  poor  and  despised  and  weak 
things  of  this  world  there  may  be  hidden  the  potenti- 
alities of  greatest  good  and  power  ?  Behold  the  evil 
that  was  in  Saul  of  Kish,  that  mighty  and  splendid  man 
who  was  the  choice  of  Israel  for  their  king  ;  and  then 
behold  the  good  that  was  in  the  despised  shepherd  lad 
whom  God  chose  in  the  room  of  Saul.  When  we  would 
form  a  great  society  (even  we  christians),  the  first 
thing  we  endeavour  to  do  is  to  secure  a  half-dozen  or 
more  great  names  as  patrons  and  patronesses.  Then 
we  think  our  society  will  march,  by  reason  of  the  power 
and  influence  of  human  greatness.  But  when  Jesus 
founded  His  church.  He  not  only  selected  poor  men  for 
His  apostles,  but  gathered  for  the  body  of  the  church 
men  and  women  who  were  of  the  lowest,  the  weakest, 
and  most  unfortunate  of  mankind.  Blind  beggars, 
publicans,  and  harlots,  the  very  outcasts  of  society. 

Whom  did  He  come  to  call  to  repentance  ?  Not  the 
righteous,  but  sinners.  Whom  did  He,  as  the  great 
Physician,  turn  His  attention  to?  Not  those  who  were 
whole,  but  those  who  were  sick.  Do  we  not  see  this 
principle  of  God  to  hold  true  even  in  our  half-apostate 
faith  and  practice  ?  How  many  rich  and  great  and  wise 
'  Luke  i.  52.  ^  Acts  xvii.  6. 


84      HEAVENLY  SERVICE   TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE 

men  and  women  are  enrolled  among  the  disciples  of 
Christ  in  our  churches  ?  Not  many.  We  do  not  say — 
not  any,  but  7iot  many.  If  we  had  our  way,  would  we 
not  reverse  all  this  and  fill  up  our  communion  roll  with 
the  wise  and  the  mighty  and  the  great?  If  in  our 
Sunday  night  after-meetings  there  should  come  forward 
twenty-five  or  thirty  souls  to  confess  Christ,  and  it  were 
to  get  abroad  that  of  these  two-thirds  were  men  and 
women  of  the  upper  classes — all  rich  and  wise  and 
distinguished — would  not  the  world  say,  and  would  not 
zve  feel,  that  we  were  getting  on  ?  But  last  Sunday 
night  twenty-five  souls  came  forward  to  confess  Christ, 
the  greater  part  of  whom  were  servants ;  and  there  is 
little  care  about  that  work  of  grace  because  God  has 
only  come  to  some  obscure  Nazarene  men  and  maidens. 
And  yet,  my  friends,  let  me  ask  you  who  it  is  that 
maintains  the  cause  of  Christ  in  the  world  ?  Who  fill 
the  pulpits  ?  Not  the  sons  of  the  nobility  or  of  the  men 
of  wealth  ;  but,  for  the  most  part,  young  men  from  the 
families  of  the  poor.  Who  make  our  congregations  on 
the  Lord's  day  ?  Not  the  wealthy  and  the  great,  but 
the  common  people.  Who  attend  our  prayer  meetings 
and  other  mid-week  services  ?  Not  you  who  are  well 
off  and  on  the  road  to  greatness  in  this  world.  You 
have  no  time ;  no  inclination  ;  no  relief  from  the  social 
duties  of  the  world.  But  come  and  see,  and  I  will  show 
you  nine  out  of  ten  there  to  be  servants  and  other 
humble  people.  These  are  they  who  keep  the  fires  burn- 
ing. Who  are  they  that  support  the  church  and  send 
abroad  the  gospel  ?  Not  the  rich,  but  the  poor.  You 
that  are  rich  and  well  off  (not  all,  but  nearly  all)  use  the 
bulk  of  your  money  for  personal  gratification,  and  give 
the  tailings  of  it  to  God.  When  I  look  over  the  sub- 
scription lists  of  those  who  offer  for  the  maintenance  of 
the  cause  of  worship  here,  I  am  amazed  and  ashamed. 


HEAVENLY  SERVICE    TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE      85 

I  find  many  servants,  whose  incomes  do  not  exceed  i^20 
to  ^^"25  in  the  year,  giving  in  weekly  offerings  from  6d. 
to  two  shilHngs  per  week  ;  on  the  other  hand,  I  miss 
the  names  altogether  of  many  very  well-to-do,  and  even 
rich  men  from  the  list.  I  turn  again  to  those  who  are 
represented  on  the  list,  and  find  there  are  people  in  our 
congregation  who  ride  in  their  carriages  and  are  able  to 
give  costly  dinner  parties,  spend  months  away  from 
London  in  the  fairylands  of  the  South  in  winter  and  the 
romantic  Highlands  in  the  summer,  who  seem  to  be  ill 
able  to  give  to  their  own  church  above  that  which  some 
of  their  own  servants  give.  Surely  our  Lord  was  wise 
with  heavenly  wisdom  in  condescending  to  choose 
Nazarene  maidens  and  Galilean  fishermen  with  whom 
to  build  His  church.  Do  you  say  that  I  cannot  judge 
of  what  a  man  gives  by  a  pledge-card  or  an  outward 
sign  ?  There  are  those  who  give  otherwise.  Perhaps  ; 
but  they  do  not  give  it  in  the  open  basket,  nor  do  they 
send  it  to  the  treasurer.  I  confess  I  have  little  faith  in 
a  man's  liberality  who  will  not  support  his  own  church 
and  build  over  against  his  own  door.  A  man  who  can 
afford  to  give  a  pound  a  week  and  only  gives  a  shilling, 
on  the  ground  that  he  has  claims  elsewhere,  raises  in 
my  mind  a  doubt  of  his  sincerity.  Do  not  be  surprised 
if  in  the  end  you  will  have  with  bitterness  to  know  what 
Mary  meant  in  her  song :  "  He  hath  filled  the  hungry 
with  good  things,  and  the  rich  He  hath  sent  empty 
away."  ^ 

H.  Lessons  from  these  Facts.  Let  me  now 
bring  this  sermon  to  a  close  by  drawing  a  few  practical 
lessons  from  the  theme  suggested  by  Gabriel's  visit  to 
Mary. 

I .  No  man  or  woman  is  so  high  in  station  or  opulent  in 
possessions  or  talents  but  that  he  or  she  should  be  willing, 
'  Luke  i.  53. 


86       HEAVENLY  SERVICE    TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE 

glad,  and  proud  to  do  God's  work,  even  when  it  is 
ministry  in  lowest  places,  and  to  the  humblest  people. 
But,  alas !  this  is  a  lesson  little  perceived  and  followed 
out.  This  mind  for  lowly  service  which  distinguished 
Gabriel,  and  was  pre-eminent  in  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord, 
is  conspicuously  absent  from  the  vast  majority  of  those 
in  the  church  who  occupy  high  positions  in  the  world  or 
are  the  possessors  of  its  wealth. 

2.  No  man  is  too  poor,  too  obscure,  too  lonely,  or  too 
sinful  to  be  the  object  of  the  ministry  of  God's  dear, 
great  love  and  grace,  or  a  fit  person  for  us  to  go  to,  as 
Gabriel  did  to  Mary,  with  the  messages  of  God's  love 
and  favour.  A  certain  missionary  spent  six  months 
among  the  low-caste  natives  of  India,  and  then  threw  up 
his  commission  and  returned  home.  When  asked  why 
he  had  done  so,  he  replied  that  he  "  had  carefully  looked 
these  miserable  natives  over,  and  had  reached  the  con- 
clusion that  they  were  not  worth  saving."  Yet  I  know 
the  granddaughter  of  a  Hindu  sweeper  (the  lowest  and 
most  despised  caste)  who  to-day  is  one  of  the  foremost 
educationalists  in  India,  exalted  by  the  gospel  of  Christ 
into  a  place  that  not  one  Brahmin  woman  in  a  hundred 
thousand  could  ever  attain  to  from  her  coign  of  vantage 
in  worldly  position.  That  missionary's  judgment  is  the 
judgment  of  many.  Yet  Jesus  preached  the  gospel  to 
the  poor ;  He  healed  the  lepers ;  the  blind  beggars 
found  Him  gracious  to  them  ;  He  spoke  words  of  love 
and  forgiveness  to  the  harlots,  and  was  a  friend  to 
publicans  and  sinners.  The  early  christian  church  had 
in  its  membership  murderers,  adulterers,  thieves,  forni- 
cators, and  covetous  men.  God  thought  them  worth 
saving,  and  visited  them  with  His  favour.  It  is  out  of 
the  so-called  social  waste  of  this  world  that  God  largely 
recruits  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  He  condescends  to 
men  of  low  estate. 


HEAVENLY  SERVICE    TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE      87 

3.  No  place  is  too  obscure  or  mean  to  be  an  Jionoiired 
place  of  service.  How  can  we  think  of  Him  who  was 
conceived  in  the  virgin's  womb  and  born  in  a  stable  and 
forget  this  lesson  ?  There  is  no  lack  of  ministers  of 
the  gospel  who  are  willing  to  be  called  to  the  strong 
churches  of  the  great  cities  who  feel  that  the  small  and 
obscure  charges  hitherto  open  to  them  are  not  worthy 
their  great  abilities.  There  are  not  a  few  workers  who 
would  be  willing  to  have  some  service  in  the  drawing- 
rooms  of  the  great  who  cannot  see  their  way  clear  to 
work  in  the  slums.  We  have  not  a  few  well-to-do  and 
very  able  men  who  might  be  induced  to  take  office  and 
responsibility  in  our  Church  Court  if  only  there  were 
two  or  three  noblemen,  half  a  dozen  great  bankers,  and 
a  few  members  of  Parliament  among  the  office-bearers 
now  ;  but  as,  for  the  most  part,  our  Court  is  composed 
of  humble  men  in  comparatively  low  positions  in  the 
world,  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  induce  some  men  of  our 
congregation  who  have  large  talents  and  means  to  take 
office  and  service.  They  seem  content  to  be  ministered 
to,  but  have  no  idea  of  being  themselves  ministers 
(deacons).  There  are  many  ladies  who  would  attend 
the  Dorcas  Society  and  work  diligently  for  an  hour  or 
two  each  week  for  the  poor,  if  the  society  held  its  meet- 
ings in  the  drawing-room  of  some  Duchess,  but  who 
cannot  find  it  worthy  of  their  time  and  station  or  con- 
venience to  meet  with  the  score  and  a  half  humble 
women  of  our  congregation  in  the  modest  little  rooms 
at  'i^'j^  Upper  George  Street.  There  are  some  noble  ones 
and  some  rich,  but  not  many.  I  often  read  the  names 
of  the  rich  and  great  ones  of  the  earth  printed  among 
the  patrons  and  patronesses  of  some  of  our  missions  and 
charities,  but  I  have  met  very  few  of  them  any  nearer 
the  work  of  the  charity  they  patronize  than  to  come  now 
and  again  to  be  gazed  at  while  they  open  a  fair  or  bazaar 


88      HEAVENLY  SERVICE   TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE 

4.  There  are  none  so  lowly  and  poor  but  that  they  are 
rvorthy  (so  far  forth)  of  our  hospitality  and  cordial  saluta- 
tion. We  may,  and  ought  to  give  our  "  hail  "  and 
"  greeting  "  to  the  lowliest  about  us,  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord.  A  stranger  was  in  our  church  recently.  He  was 
dressed  rather  plainly,  and  was  not  a  man  to  attract 
superficial  attention.  As  he  passed  by  me  going  out,  I 
spoke  to  him,  offered  my  hand,  and  gave  him  a  usual 
greeting.  "  I  notice  that  you  are  a  stranger  among  us  ; 
I  am  glad  to  see  you  here  ;  hope  the  service  has  been 
helpful  ;  shall  be  glad  to  see  you  at  any  time  you  may 
be  free  to  come,"  etc.  He  thanked  me,  and  said  he  had 
been  pleased  with  and  profited  by  the  service,  and  would 
certainly  come  again  when  next  he  was  up  in  town. 
Then  he  handed  me  his  card,  and  I  was  surprised  to  note 
the  name  of  a  nobleman  whose  fame  is  in  both  State  and 
Church.  He  was  out  of  my  reach  by  this  time,  and  had 
just  passed  one  of  our  gentlemen,  who  came  to  speak  to 
me  about  some  matter.  I  said  to  him,  "  Do  you  know 
the  gentleman  who  has  just  passed  you  ?  "  describing 
him  and  pointing  him  out  as  he  went  through  the  door. 
"  No  ;  who  is  he  ?  "  "  Why,  that  is  Lord  Blank."  "  No, 
not  really  !  If  I  had  knoivn  that,  I  should  have  spoken  to 
him."  Had  it  been  Joseph  or  Mary  of  Nazareth,  he 
would  probably  not  have  thought  it  worth  while  ;  but 
since  it  was  Lord  Blank,  why  he  regretted  not  having 
been  hospitable  and  cordial.  Many  of  God's  noblemen 
go  in  plain  clothes.  Gabriel  left  heaven  to  give  Mary  a 
royal  salutation,  and  a  Greater  than  Gabriel  left  the 
bosom  of  the  Father  to  come  and  wash  our  feet  and  lay 
down  His  life  for  us  miserable  sinners ;  and  is  not 
ashamed  now  to  call  us  brethren,  who  are  so  often 
ashamed  of  Him. 

5.  //  may  be  answered :  that  the  greatness  of  Gabriel's 
commission  made  his  visit  to  Mary  a  distinguished  privi- 


HEAVENLY  SERVICE   TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE      89 

lege.  So  it  did.  And  I  have  no  doubt  that  if  we  fully 
realized  that  we  were  bearing  a  message  to  one  who 
should  be  raised  to  greatness,  we  would  go,  and  wait  for 
the  vindication  of  our  dignity  by  the  revelation  of  the 
greatness  of  the  object  of  our  ministry  and  salutation. 
Well,  when  God  sends  you  and  me  to  some  Nazareth 
place,  to  some  poor  woman,  or  sick  working  man,  or 
sinner  sunk  in  shame  and  vileness,  He  is  sending  us  on 
a  like  mission.  Has  He  not  bidden  us  go  to  them  with 
the  "  Hail  "  of  joyful  salutation,  and  put  the  message  of 
His  love  in  our  lips  to  tell  them  that  it  is  of  His  gracious 
will  and  favour  that  they  should  receive  Christ  Jesus,  the 
Giver  of  Life  and  the  Hope  of  Glory,  into  their  hearts  ? 
Is  not  every  soul  that  is  overshadowed  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  the  chosen  womb  for  another  incarnation  ?  When 
He  sends  us  on  the  least  of  His  errands  to  the  humblest 
of  His  disciples,  does  He  not  accept  the  service  as  done 
unto  Himself?  Have  we  forgotten  His  word  :  "  Inas- 
much as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these 
My  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  Me  "  ^  ?  Alas  !  how 
we  do  forget !  Nay,  rather,  how  little  we  believe  of  all 
this  !  When  we  are  bidden  to  give  ourselves  to  hos- 
pitality, has  He  not  told  us  as  an  encouragement  that 
we  may  thereby  entertain  angels  unawares,  as  some  have 
done  before  us  ? 

6.  The  real  greatness  of  our  church  is  not  dependent 
upon  its  wealth  or  the  high  social  station  of  our  conumini- 
cants,  but  upon  the  number  of  those  who  enjoy  the 
favour  of  the  Lord,  and  are  so  taken  up  with  service,  so 
full  of  sympathy  with  God's  gracious  purpose,  that  they 
have  only  this  one  care  and  thought — to  do  the  will  of 
God.  Let  me  be  among  those,  whatever  my  earthly 
station,  who  have  entered  into  fellowship  for  breaking 
up  the  conventionality  of  this  world  ;  overturning  its 
'  Matt.  XXV.  40. 


go      HEAVENLY  SERVICE    TO  LOWLY  PEOPLE 

false  principles,  and  bringing  to  light  the  true  worth  and 
power  of  the  things  which  are  not. 

Believe  it,  my  friends,  you  who  are  withholding  your 
hands,  your  persons,  your  money,  your  presence,  and  the 
whole  enthusiasm  of  your  life  from  the  service  of  God  to 
the  lowliest  of  His  chosen  ones,  are  depriving  yourselves 
of  the  joys  of  salvation,  preparing  for  yourselves  great 
and  bitter  disappointment  in  the  things  for  the  sake  of 
which  you  turn  your  back  upon  heavenly  service,  and 
are  most  likely  losing  your  own  souls. 


VI 

"  HAIL,  MA R  Y  >  "—NO  T  "  A  VE  A/A  RIA  " 

"  And  the  angel  came  in  unto  her,  and  said,  Hail,  highly 
favoured,  the  Lord  is  with  thee  ;  blessed  thou  among  women." — 
Luke  i.  28. 

IF  I  seem  disposed  to  linger  over  these  incidents 
initial  to  the  incarnation  of  our  Lord,  it  is  because  their 
interest  is  most  fascinating  and  profound.  Here  we  are 
on  holy  ground,  and  it  is  inspiring  to  abide  awhile  with 
shoes  taken  off.  It  is  not  often  we  get  glimpses  of 
angels  ;  and  but  seldom  in  the  world's  history  has 
Gabriel  visited  the  earth.  We  may  be  sure  that  he 
never  comes  except  the  matter  of  his  visit  and  the 
contents  of  his  message  are  of  surpassing  importance. 
Here  we  are  in  presence  of  the  most  highly -favoured 
woman  of  her  race  ;  the  one  woman  out  of  millions  who 
came  before  her,  and  millions  who  have  come  after  her, 
upon  whom  the  choice  of  the  Lord  fell  that  she  might 
be  the  mother  of  the  Incarnate  Word.  For  her  we  feel 
all  the  interest  possible — so  sweet  in  character,  so  simple 
in  faith,  so  patient  in  suffering,  so  raised  above  her 
sisters  in  privilege  and  honour,  and  yet  who  never  left 
her  lowly  station  in  life,  and  chose  only  to  be  counted 
as  one  among  many  other  holy  women  in  the  gatherings 
of  the  early  Church. 

I.  Concerning  Mary.  In  this  connection  it  seems 
proper  that  we  should  consider  two  or  three  facts  and 
theories  concerning  the  Virgin  Mother  of  our  Lord,  to 
whom  the  angel  made  this  communication. 


92  ''HAIL,   MARY r— NOT  ''AVE  MARIA'' 

I.  She  was  the  obscure  descendant  of  two  noble  houses. 
We  know  that  she  was  cousin  to  EHsabeth,  who  was  of 
the  house  of  Aaron,  and  also  a  descendant  of  the  house 
of  David.  While  it  is  true  that  Joseph,  her  espoused 
husband,  is  alone  declared  to  be  of  the  house  of  David, 
it  is  fairly  inferred  that  Mary  also  was  of  that  Royal 
line.  How  could  our  Lord  have  been  of  the  "  seed  of 
David  according  to  the  flesh  "  had  not  Mary  been  a 
descendant  of  the  great  king  of  Israel,  seeing  that  He 
was  not  the  child  of  Joseph  at  all  ?  Though  she  is  not 
mentioned  by  name  in  the  genealogical  tables  either  of 
Matthew  or  Luke,  yet  her  immediate  ancestors  are 
mentioned.  According  to  the  best  information  within 
our  reach,  it  seems  most  probable  that  Mary  was  the 
cousin  of  Joseph,  her  espoused  husband,  and  so  de- 
scended from  Matthan,  who  was  the  grandfather  of  both 
Joseph  and  Mary.  But  of  this  we  have  no  certain 
record.  It  is  not  material  to  the  case,  however,  as  we 
are  well  assured  from  other  scriptures  that  Jesus  was  the 
son  of  David  as  to  the  flesh  ;  and  so,  of  course,  His 
mother  must  have  been  of  that  house.  The  utter 
absence  of  all  details  concerning  Mary's  birth  and  early 
life  has  given  rise  to  a  vast  legendary  literature,  much 
of  it  full  of  interest,  but  all,  so  far  as  we  are  concerned, 
of  an  absolutely  worthless  character.  It  would  seem 
that  it  was  the  very  intention  or  purpose  of  God  in  thus 
hiding  from  us  the  early  history  of  Mary  that  she  might 
not  be  exalted  into  undue  prominence  because  of  being 
the  mother  of  our  Lord.  She  was  the  instrument  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  bringing  the  Eternal  Word  into  the 
world  incarnate  in  human  nature.  Henceforth  it  is  her 
Son  who  is  to  fill  the  whole  horizon  of  our  thought 
and  faith,  and  not  herself.  It  is  a  comfort  in  this  con- 
nection to  know  that  God  does  not  overlook  or  despise 
those   whom    the   world    knows   not   or   has    forgotten. 


''HAIL,   MARY r'— NOT  ''AVE  MARIA"  93 

"  He  hath  regarded  the  low  estate  of  His  handmaiden."  * 
True  greatness,  as  we  have  before  remarked,  depends 
upon  the  favour  of  God  rather  than  the  circumstances 
of  our  earthly  life.  When  we  behold  God  casting  down 
a  prince  and  exalting  a  peasant,  we  are  sure  that  true 
greatness  belongs  to  the  peasant  and  not  to  the  king. 
We  should  learn  to  regard  those  who  are  "  greatly  beloved 
of  God,"  whether  a  Daniel  or  a  Mary,  as  being  worthy 
of  our  best  honour.  The  poorest  man  or  woman  in  this 
world  who  has  been  the  means  of  leading  one  soul  to 
Christ  is  worthy  of  more  honour,  and  in  the  day  of 
Judgment  will  receive  more  honour,  than  the  mightiest 
king  or  millionaire  upon  the  earth.  "  He  hath  put 
down  the  mighty  from  their  seats,  and  exalted  them  of 
low  degree."  ^  And  He  does  this,  not  by  an  arbitrary 
rule  of  mere  sovereignty,  but  on  principles  of  grace  and 
divine  discernment  of  real  worth.  Paul  was  a  nobleman 
and  a  scholar,  while  John  was  a  fisherman  without 
culture  ;  but  both  alike  were  noble  in  the  truest  sense  of 
the  word,  because  both  of  them  were  chosen  to  be  the 
servants  of  Jesus  Christ.  Mary  was  the  espoused  wife 
of  Joseph,  of  the  house  of  David.  The  Divine  Wisdom 
chose  an  espoused  virgin  to  be  the  mother  of  our  Lord, 
rather  than  an  unespoused  one,  it  should  seem,  that  she 
might  have  in  a  husband  a  shield  to  her  virginity  and 
fair,  good  name,  and  at  the  same  time  a  natural  pro- 
tector for  herself  and  her  Holy  Son.  We  are  told  that 
the  angel  who  appeared  to  Joseph,  when  he  thought  ill 
of  Mary,  distinctly  informed  him  of  the  true  origin  of  her 
pregnancy,  and  bade  him  not  to  put  her  away,  and  so 
cause  shame  to  come  upon  her,  but  to  take  her  to  him- 
self with  all  confidence,  and  to  be  a  husband  to  her. 
Later  on  the  angel  came  again  to  Joseph  and  warned 
him  of  the  wicked  purpose  of  Herod,  and  bade  him  take 
'  Luke  i.  48.  *  Ibid.  i.  52. 


94  ''HAIL,   MARY!''— NOT  ''AVE  MARIA'' 

the  young  Child  and  His  mother  and  go  down  into 
Egypt.  Again  Joseph  received  heavenly  direction  for 
bringing  Mary  and  Jesus  back  again  into  their  own 
land  and  their  highland  home  at  Nazareth.  In  all  this 
there  is  manifested  a  divine  and  tender  care  both  for 
Jesus  and  His  mother.  We  know  less  of  Joseph  than 
we  do  of  Mary,  but  we  believe  that  he  was  in  every  way 
a  wise  and  loving  foster-father  to  our  Lord,  and  that 
with  His  mother  he  surrounded  the  Child  with  the  very 
best  influence  of  a  home  in  which  God  was  reverenced 
and  served  with  pure  sincerity  of  heart  and  purpose,  and 
with  a  mighty  and  holy  regard  for  the  trust  which  was 
committed  to  their  joint  care. 

Mary,  the  mother  of  our  Lord,  has  been  the  victim  of 
two  false  judgments.  It  is  remarkable  that  this  pure 
and  chaste  virgin  whom  God  has  so  highly  honoured 
should  have  been  the  subject  of  the  most  vile  and  cruel 
slanders  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  that  she,  who  was  of 
such  low  degree,  and  whom  the  scriptures  have  purposely 
left  in  apparent  obscurity,  should  have  been  exalted  by 
the  judgment  of  men  even  into  an  equal  place  in  the 
Godhead  with  the  Holy  Trinity.  The  one  judgment  is 
so  vile  as  to  be  almost  unthinkable,  and  the  other  so 
blasphemous  as  to  cause  a  shudder  of  horror  on  every 
thought  of  it.  About  the  middle  of  the  second  century, 
Celsus,  the  first  writer  against  the  christian  religion,  gave 
out  a  story,  that  after  having  been  espoused  to  Joseph, 
she  had  abandoned  him,  and  took  up  with  a  Roman 
soldier,  who  was  the  true  father  of  Jesus  ;  thus  branding 
Mary  as  a  fallen  woman,  and  Jesus  as  the  illegitimate  child 
of  a  guilty  human  love.  This  is  so  shocking  a  theory 
that  it  has  been  only  with  bated  breath  that  the  worst 
enemies  of  Christ  and  His  gospel  have  dared  repeat  it 
down  through  the  ages.  And  yet,  if  the  account  of  the 
miraculous  conception  of  Jesus  is  not  the  true  one,  we 


''HAIL,  MARY!''— NOT  ''AVE  MARIA''  95 

must  conclude  that,  at  least,  the  most  charitable  sus- 
picions of  Joseph  concerning  her  at  the  time  of  her  early 
pregnancy  were  founded  on  fact.  But  with  the  whole 
story  of  Mary  and  Jesus  before  us,  and  considering  the 
unimpaired  stream  of  high  moral  influence  which  has 
continued  to  flow  down  upon  the  world  from  both  Mary 
and  Jesus  (if  Celsus  was  right  in  his  conjectures),  then 
henceforth  let  us  wish  that  all  women  may  be  un- 
chaste, and  all  sons  born  of  illicit  love  ;  with  the  hope 
that  the  world  may  be  furnished  with  lovely  and  holy 
women  and  great  and  unselfish  men. 

On  the  other  hand,  very  early  in  the  history  of  the 
Church  the  imagination  of  men  began  to  gather  about 
the  virgin  mother  of  Christ,  invested  her  with  supernatural 
honours,  and  clothed  her  with  supernatural  powers, 
which  exalted  her  not  among  women,  but  above  all 
women,  men,  and  angels.  The  pseudo-gospels  are  full 
of  the  wildest  romances  concerning  her ;  and  there  is 
little  doubt  that  during  the  third  and  fourth  centuries 
there  were  many  individual  christians  and  some  fore- 
most teachers  who,  if  they  did  not  give  her  absolute 
worship,  did  render  to  her  an  adoration  which  came 
little  short  of  it.  In  the  middle  of  the  fifth  century,  say 
about  A.D.  430,  the  doctrines  of  the  Nestorians  became 
so  alarming  in  their  wide-spreading  influence  that  a 
general  Council  of  the  Church  was  called  to  meet  at 
Ephesus  in  order  to  condemn  this  heresy.  According 
to  Nestorius,  our  Lord  had  two  complete  personalities — 
one  purely  human,  and  one  purely  divine.  The  human 
nature  was  born  of  Mary,  and  the  divine  nature  com- 
municated to  Him  after  His  human  birth.  Whereas 
it  was,  and  ever  has  been,  the  orthodox  teaching  of  the 
Church  (as  of  the  apostles)  that  our  Lord  had  but  one 
personality,  in  which  the  human  and  the  divine  were 
perfectly  united,  and  that  that  union  took  place  in  the 


96  ''HAIL,   MARY r'— NOT  '' AVE  MARIA" 

womb  of  the  virgin  at  the  time  of  the  miraculous  con- 
ception. The  Council  of  Ephesus,  in  condemning  the 
doctrine  of  Nestorius,  applied  to  Mary  a  term  which 
designated  her  as  the  mother  of  God  (  Theotokos).  This 
term  was  adopted  to  counterbalance  the  teaching  that 
Mary  was  only  the  mother  of  the  human  nature  of  Jesus, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  doctrinally  the  true 
divine  nature  of  our  Lord.  It  is  almost  certain  that  the 
Council  of  Ephesus  had  no  intention  of  sanctioning, 
much  less  of  inaugurating,  any  worship  of  Mary.  The 
controversy  over  this  word  has  been  a  long  one,  and  is 
beset  with  difficulties  which  it  is  not  my  purpose  to  go 
into.  It  is  perfectly  proper  in  a  sense  to  use  it,  for 
Jesus,  while  He  was  truly  man,  was  also  God,  manifested 
in  the  flesh,  and  Mary  was  His  mother.  But  the  people 
about  that  time,  by  reason  of  a  growing  tendency  to 
exalt  the  mother  of  our  Lord  into  a  place  of  divine 
honour,  quickly  took  this  decision  of  the  Council  as 
approving  the  adoration  or  worship  which  was  already 
being  given  to  her.  Thenceforward  till  now  the  worship 
of  the  virgin,  or  Mariolatry,  as  we  term  it,  has  been  the 
prevailing  cult  and  custom  of  the  Roman  and  the  Greek 
Church  ;  and,  alas  !  there  is  not  wanting  many  symptoms 
of  the  spread  of  this  blasphemy  even  in  the  Church  of 
England.  At  the  present  time  the  worship  of  the  virgin 
Mary  has  almost  superseded  the  worship  of  Christ,  and 
even  of  God  Himself,  in  so-called  Catholic  countries. 
She  is  the  Queen  of  Heaven  ;  she  is  the  only  mediatrix 
between  the  soul  and  Christ ;  she  holds  in  her  authority 
all  gifts  of  grace,  all  earthly  blessing  ;  she  is  the  bestower 
and  dispenser  of  salvation  ;  she  guards  both  the  gates  of 
hell  and  of  heaven  ;  it  is  only  through  her  that  God  the 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  can  administer  salvation. 
Nay,  she  has,  according  to  these  idolaters,  been  assumed 
into  the  Godhead  and  become  one  with  the  Holy  Trinity, 


''HAIL,  MARY!''— NOT  ''AVE  MARIA''  97 

thus  making  it  a  Quarternity.  Even  Dr.  Pusey,  the 
founder  of  the  present  Anglican  movement  in  the 
Church  of  England,  taught  that  "  Mary  is  the  comple- 
ment of  the  Trinity,"  ^  and  that  "  the  intercession  of 
Mary  is  needed  for  the  salvation  of  the  followers  of  Jesus 
Christ."  We  might  quote  pages  of  this  blasphemy  were 
it  necessary.  The  steps  which  have  led  up  to  the 
worship  of  the  Virgin,  as  she  is  invariably  styled,  are 
these: — (i)  The  doctrine  of  the  perpetual  virginity  of 
Mary.  That  even  though  she  were  married  to  Joseph, 
she  never  became  in  fact  his  wife,  and  never  bore  other 
children  after  Jesus.  (2)  The  doctrine  of  the  miraculous 
birth  as  well  as  the  miraculous  conception  of  Jesus  ;  that 
our  Lord  passed  out  from  the  virgin's  womb  in  a  man- 
ner similar  to  the  miracle  by  which  He  came  in  to  the 
disciples  after  the  resurrection,  "  the  door  being  shut " 
(John  XX.  26).  (3)  The  declaration  of  the  Council  of 
Ephesus,  which  bestowed  upon  her  the  title  of  Theotokos. 
(4)  The  dedication  of  chapels  and  churches  to  her  honour, 
until  there  came  to  be  no  limit  to  the  worship  given  her, 
and  no  gift  of  God  her  worshippers  did  not  seek  at  her 
hands,  even  to  the  utmost  salvation.  (5)  The  horrible 
and  blasphemous  mutilation  of  the  scriptures,  in  which 
throughout  the  whole  Psalter  the  name  of  Mary,  or  some 
title  representing  her,  is  substituted  for  the  names  and 
titles  of  God  and  Jehovah.  As,  for  instance,  in  the  first 
Psalm,  "  Blessed  is  the  man  who  loveth  thy  name,  O  Vir- 
gin Mary."  As  in  the  ninth  Psalm,  "  I  will  confess  thee, 
O  Lady  (Domina) ;  I  will  declare  among  the  people  thy 
praise  and  glory.  To  thee  belong  glory,  thanksgiving, 
and  the  voice  of  praise."  As  in  the  fifteenth  Psalm,  "  Pre- 
serve me,  O  Lady,  for  I  have  hoped  in  thee."  As  in  the 
seventeenth  Psalm,  "  I  will  love  thee,  O  Queen  of  heaven 
and  earth,  and  will  glorify  thy  name  among  the  Gentiles." 

'  Eirenicon^  ii.  167. 
P.B,  7 


98  "  HAIL,  MAR  Y!  ''—NO  T  ''AVE  MARIA  " 

As  in  the  forty-second  Psalm,  "  As  the  hart  panteth 
after  the  waterbrooks,  so  panteth  my  soul  for  thy  love, 
O  Holy  Virgin  ";  and  so  on  to  the  end.  The  Te  Deum 
is  likewise  parodied  in  the  office  of  worship  :  "  We  praise 
thee,  Mother  of  God  ;  we  acknowledge  thee  to  be  a 
Virgin.  .  .  .  To  thee  all  angels  cry  aloud  with  a 
never-ceasing  voice.  Holy,  Holy,  Mary,  Mother  of  God. 
The  holy  Church  throughout  all  the  world  doth  invoke 
and  praise  thee,  the  Mother  of  Divine  Majesty.  Thou 
sittest  with  the  Son  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Father. 
In  thee,  sweet  Mary,  is  our  hope  ;  defend  us  for  ever- 
more. Praise  becometh  thee  ;  empire  becometh  thee  ; 
virtue  and  glory  be  unto  thee  for  ever  and  ever."  Can 
we  conceive  anything  more  blasphemous  than  this  ? 
And  yet  this  is  the  Cult  to  which  some  of  our  Anglican 
brethren  are  longing  to  have  the  grand  old  English 
Protestant  Church  united  again.  This  apostate  body 
the  whole  English  Church  recognise  as  being  a  part,  if 
not  the  chief  section,  of  the  Holy  Catholic  Church, 
whose  orders  and  priesthood  they  recognise,  whilst 
excluding  from  their  fellowship  all  the  dissenting  Pro- 
testant bodies  of  the  world,  refusing  to  recognise  the 
validity  of  their  ministry  and  ordinances.  (6)  The  final 
step  toward  completing  this  blasphemy  was  to  declare, . 
as  the  Roman  Church  did  by  decree  of  council  in  1870, 
the  doctrine  of  the  immaculate  conception.  That  is,  that 
by  a  miracle  no  less  great  than  that  of  the  incarnation 
the  Virgin  herself  was  conceived  without  sin,  and  was 
therefore  a  sinless  being  in  nature  as  she  was  subse- 
quently in  her  life. 

There  are  but  few  references  to  Mary  in  the  New 
Testament,  and  every  one  of  these  most  distinctly  dis- 
courage any  thought  of  exalting  her  to  be  an  object  of 
worship.  It  should  seem  that,  foreseeing  this  movement 
of  the  spirit  of  Antichrist,  our  Lord  has  specially  spoken 


"  HAIL,  MAR  Y.'  ''—NO  T  ''AVE  MA  RIA  "  99 

to  her,  and  of  her,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  show  that, 
highly  honoured  and  greatly  beloved  as  she  was,  in 
respect  of  her  relation  to  God  and  man,  she  was  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  any  other  woman  save  by  grace, 
although  chosen  to  the  high  honour  of  being  the  mother 
of  the  Christ.  In  the  song  which  Mary  sang  on  her  visit 
to  Elisabeth  she  appears  a  devout  and  humble  worship- 
per, not  as  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  demanding  worship 
of  others.  She  acknowledges  that  she  has  been  highly 
exalted,  but  not  to  a  place  of  adoration  or  worship. 
Twelve  years  later,  when  we  find  her  seeking  Jesus,  who 
stayed  behind  in  the  temple  to  reason  with  the  doctors, 
she  seems  not  fully  to  have  understood  the  import  of 
His  words,  "  Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  My 
Father's  business  ?  And  they  understood  not  the  say- 
ing which  He  spake  unto  them  ;  .  .  .  but  His 
mother  kept  all  these  sayings  in  her  heart."  ^  At  Cana 
of  Galilee,  where  Jesus  made  the  water  into  wine,  it 
would  seem  that  Mary  rather  officiously  interfered  by 
a  suggestion  to  Him  as  to  what  He  ought  to  do,  and 
drew  from  Him  this  rather  stern  but  yet  gentle  and 
respectful  rebuke,  "  Woman,  what  have  I  to  do  with 
thee  ?  Mine  hour  is  not  yet  come."  ^  Here  certainly 
there  is  no  hint  that  Mary  was  in  His  mind  exalted  to 
any  position  of  especial  authority.  The  next  place  Mary 
appears  in  the  New  Testament  record,  she  and  her  other 
sons  came  to  where  Jesus  was  teaching  and  preaching. 
A  great  crowd  was  gathered  about  Him,  and  it  should 
seem  that  it  was  the  desire  of  His  mother  and  His 
brethren  to  get  Him  away  and  take  Him  home,  as 
though  they  thought  Him  either  in  danger  or  perhaps 
too  enthusiastic  in  His  mission.  "  Then  came  to  Him 
His  mother  and  His  brethren,  and  could  not  come  at 
Him  for  the  press.  And  it  was  told  Him  by  certain 
'■  Luke  ii.  49-51,  ^  John  ii.  4. 


loo  "  HAIL,  MAR  Y>  "—NO  T  ''AVE  MARIA 

which  said,  Thy  mother  and  Thy  brethren  stand  with- 
out, desiring  to  see  Thee.  And  He  answered  and  said 
unto  them.  My  mother  and  My  brethren  are  these  which 
hear  the  word  of  God,  and  do  it."  ^  In  this  speech 
Jesus  distinctly  puts  Mary  and  His  natural  brethren  on 
no  pinnacle  or  platform  above  other  disciples  who  hear 
and  do  the  word  of  God.  On  another  occasion  an 
enthusiastic  woman  breaks  out  into  a  rhapsody  of  praise 
upon  Mary,  "  Blessed  is  the  womb  that  bare  Thee,  and 
the  paps  which  Thou  hast  sucked.  But  He  said,  Yea 
rather,  blessed  are  they  that  hear  the  word  of  God,  and 
keep  it."  ^  Surely  if  ever  there  was  a  thought  that  Mary 
was  to  be  exalted  to  the  position  which  the  Romanists 
and  Anglicans  give  her,  this  was  when  our  Lord  might 
have  signified  something  which  would  have  warranted 
at  least  adoration.  But  He  even  checks  a  warm  ascrip- 
tion of  praise  to  her,  and  turns  our  thought  to  hearing 
and  doing  the  word  of  God.  We  next  see  Mary  at  the 
foot  of  the  cross,  and  hear  Jesus  commending  her  to  the 
care  of  John  ^ ;  but  in  this  tender  address  to  her  and  to 
John  there  is  no  hint  of  adoration  or  worship,  or  that  at 
any  future  time  such  should  be  given  her.  She  was  His 
mother,  dearly  and  tenderly  beloved,  but  beyond  that 
and  the  honour  of  that  relation  she  was  as  other  women. 
We  last  see  Mary  with  some  of  the  other  holy  women 
assembled  with  the  brethren  in  the  upper  room  in  Jeru- 
salem, whither  they  had  repaired  to  wait  for  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  Here  she  takes  her  place  with  the  rest 
of  the  disciples,  and  unites  her  prayers  with  theirs  for 
the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  of  the  Father.  It  is  a 
remarkable  fact  that  among  the  various  manifestations  of 
Himself  after  the  resurrection  there  is  no  mention  that 
He  appeared  to  Mary,  His  mother.    To  James,  His  half- 

'  Luke  viii.  ig-2i  ;  cf.  Mark  iii.  32-35  ;  Matt.  xii.  46. 
^  Luke  xi.  27,  2S.  ^  John  xix.  25-27. 


" HAIL,  MARY! "—NO T  "  A  VE  MARIA  "  i oi 

brother,  He  did  appear,  and  seems  to  have  satisfied  hii, 
doubts,  for  afterwards  James  took  his  place  amongst  the 
disciples,  and  became  the  first  minister  of  the  Church  at 
Jerusalem. 

Whilst  we  must  protest  with  all  our  power  against 
this  antichristian  worship  of  Mary,  it  is  not  necessar}' 
for  us  in  any  way  to  lower  her  from  the  high  and  holy 
place  which  she  must  ever  hold  in  the  affectionate  re- 
gard of  believers  in  all  ages.  Mary  will  always  remain 
to  us  the  sweetest  among  women,  the  holiest  among 
mothers,  the  most  perfect  type  of  motherhood  and 
womanhood,  an  example  of  lowly  and  obedient  faith, 
and  of  sweet  humility  and  grace. 

II.  The  Salutation  of  the  Angel.  It  is  time 
now  that  we  should  turn  to  the  facts  before  us,  and, 
by  examining  them,  find  out  the  true  position  of  Mary 
as  set  forth  in  this  salutation.  When  Gabriel  stood 
before  her  and  saluted  her,  he  did  not  either  offer  wor- 
ship or  make  a  prayer  to  her.  He  came  to  announce 
a  wondrous  thing,  and  saluted  her  as  it  became  them 
both. 

I.  "Hail/"  The  Romanists  have  changed  this  simple 
salutation  into  ''Ave  Maria"  a  term  which  implies  wor- 
ship and  conveys  a  supplication.  They  use  this  saluta- 
tion in  their  approach  to  her,  "  Mary,  we  worship  thee  ; 
we  pray  to  thee."  Though  we  may  suppose  the  angel's 
salutation  was  made  with  rare  and  gracious  dignity,  as 
it  became  him  that  stood  in  the  presence  of  God,  in 
bringing  a  message  to  the  one  woman  whom  God  chose 
to  be  the  mother  of  the  Lord,  it  does  not  convey  even 
a  hint  that  he  either  worshipped  her  or  made  petition 
to  her  for  favour.  We  are  told  that  "  all  the  angels  of 
God  worship "  *  the  risen  Christ,  but  nowhere  in  scrip- 
ture is  it  intimated  that  they  ever  offered  worship  or 
'  Heb.  i.  6. 


I02  "  HAIL,   MARY! "—NOT  "  A  VE  MARIA  " 

made  supplication  to  a  mortal  man  or  woman.  The 
meaning  of  the  word  "  Hail "  {chairoo)  is  joy.  In  the 
imperative  form  used  here  it  signifies  "Joy  to  thee." 
It  is  not  a  prayer,  but  a  happy  greeting  which  has  in 
it  the  suggestion  of  good  tidings  or  the  wish  for  joy  to 
be  to  the  one  who  is  saluted.  It  was  a  co7nmunication 
of  joy  to  Mary,  and  not  a  solicitatio7i  of  favour  from 
her.  Bishop  Hall  thus  quaintly  and  beautifully  says, 
"  The  angel  salutes  the  virgin ;  he  prays  not  to  her 
as  a  goddess.  For  us  to  salute  her  as  he  did  were 
gross  presumption  ;  for  neither  are  we  as  she  was,  and 
neither  is  she  (now)  as  she  was  (then).  If  he  that  was 
a  spirit  saluted  her  that  was  flesh  and  blood  here  on 
earth,  it  is  not  for  us  that  are  flesh  and  blood  to  salute 
her  which  is  a  glorious  spirit  in  heaven.  For  us  to 
pray  to  her  in  the  angel's  salutation  were  to  abuse  the 
virgin,  the  angel,  and  the  salutation."  The  word  in  this- 
form  is  used  in  three  other  places  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment ;  and  reference  to  them  will  help  us  to  understand 
its  true  meaning.  We  are  told  that  Judas,  who  betrayed 
our  Lord,  approached  Him  and  said,  "Hail,  Master!" 
and  kissed  Him.^  The  "  Hail "  of  treachery.  The 
Roman  soldiers,  when  our  Lord  had  been  delivered  to 
them  to  be  reviled,  clothed  Him  in  an  old  cast-off 
military  cloak,  put  a  reed  in  His  hand,  in  mockery  of 
a  sceptre,  a  crown  of  thorns  upon  His  head,  and,  bowing 
the  knee  in  derision,  mocked  Him,  saying,  "  Hail,  King 
of  the  Jews  !  "  ^  The  "  Hail  "  of  derision.  After  the 
resurrection,  Jesus  met  the  women  who  were  going  to 
His  disciples  with  the  good  news,  and  greeted  them 
with  "All  hail!"^  upon  which  they  fell  at  His  feet  and 
worshipped  Him.  This  was  the  "  Hail  "  of  joy.  In 
many  other  places  the  word  is  used  in  other  forms,  but 
always  to  express  joy  and  joyful  greeting.  Well  did 
'   .Matt.  xxvi.  49.  -  Matt,  xxvii.  29.  ^  Matt,  xxviii.  9. 


"  HAIL,  MARY! ''—NO T  ''  A  VE  MA RIA  "  1 03 

the   angel    use   this    joyful    salutation,  for   he   brought 
joyful  news  to  her  and  to  all  the  world. 

2.  HigJily  favoured.  Here  we  have  another  word 
which  the  blasphemers  have  twisted  into  a  meaning 
which  it  does  not  bear.  The  Romanists  would  have 
us  believe  that  these  two  words  mean  "  full  of  grace  "  ; 
as  though  the  angel,  having  saluted  her  with  worship 
and  prayer,  now  ascribes  to  her  fulness  of  grace,  from 
which  favour  may  be  granted.  The  Greek  word,  liter- 
ally translated,  means  "  much  graced,"  and  is  correctly 
translated  "  highly  favoured."  "  Joy  to  you,"  said  the 
angel  ;  "  thou  art  a  much  graced — or  greatly  favoured — 
woman."  We  are  at  once  reminded  of  the  salutation 
of  the  same  angel  to  Daniel,  five  hundred  years  before 
this  date,  whom  he  approached  and  touched  and  said. 
"  O  man,  greatly  beloved  ;  fear  not ;  peace  be  unto 
thee  ;  be  strong,  yea,  be  strong."^  These  words  are  the 
communication  of  grace  to  the  one  so  saluted  and  ad- 
dressed, and  must  have  thrilled  his  heart  with  a  sense 
of  God's  favour ;  as  I  am  sure  it  would  your  heart  and 
mine  if  the  words  were  spoken  to  us.  Perhaps  we  may 
even  get  a  fuller  idea  of  the  meaning  of  this  part  of 
the  salutation  if  we  look  at  the  word  in  another  place 
where  it  occurs  in  the  New  Testament.  In  Ephesians 
i.  6,  Paul  says  of  the  saints  that  "  we  are  accepted  in  the 
Beloved."  Now,  then,  we  find  that,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
the  salutation  of  Gabriel  to  Mary  was  the  declaration 
of  her  own  salvation  in  Christ,  as  well  as  the  prelude 
to  the  announcement  that  she  had  been  chosen  to  bear 
the  Lord  her  Saviour  in  her  own  body.  Mary  was  first 
accepted  in  the  Beloved,  or  greatly  graced  by  Him,  and 
then  brought  Him  forth  into  the  world  that  we,  through 
grace,  might  also  be  "  highly  favoured,  or  accepted  in 
Him."      How  great  was  that  favour — beloved  of  God  ; 

'  Dan.  x.  19. 


104  "  HAIL,  MAR  Yl  ''—NO  T  "A  VE  MARIA  " 

accepted  in  the  Beloved  ;  and  highly  favoured,  as  the 
providential  means  of  giving  to  the  world  the  Incarnate 
Saviour !  May  we  hope  in  some  way  to  inherit  such 
a  blessing ;  not,  indeed,  as  Mary  did,  but  in  some  such 
way  that  we  shall  be  accepted  in  the  Beloved  and 
highly  favoured  with  the  privilege  of  bearing  at  least 
His  name  to  others,  who  also  shall  be  accepted  in  Him, 
And  does  not  his  subsequent  word  to  her  make  this 
very  plain  ? — "  Fear  not,  Mary,  for  thou  hast  found 
favour  with  God."  ^  The  Romanists  have  distorted  all 
this,  and  have  made  her  to  be  the  fountain  of  grace, 
instead  of  the  recipient  of  grace. 

3.  T/ie  Lord  with  thee.  This  expression  reminds  us 
at  once  of  an  almost  identical  one  used  by  the  angel  to 
Gideon  when  he  came  to  announce  that  God  had  chosen 
him  to  be  the  judge  and  deliverer  of  Israel :  "  The  Lord 
with  thee,  thou  mighty  man  of  valour."  ^  Taken  with 
the  next  word  of  assurance  we  have  an  expression  with 
which  we  are  all  familiar,  which  we  have  had  many 
occasions  to  appropriate  to  ourselves  :  "  Fear  not  ;  I 
am  with  thee."  Why  he  should  have  thus  assured  her 
is  not  far  to  see.  He  was  about  to  make  a  communi- 
cation to  her  which  might  well  stagger  her  faith  and 
fill  her  with  a  sense  of  responsibility  almost  beyond  the 
possibility  of  human  support.  In  the  first  place,  to 
be  made  the  mother  of  the  Incarnate  God  was  such  a 
responsibility  that  it  might  in  her  simple  mind  far  out- 
balance the  honour  which  it  conferred.  Then,  perhaps, 
the  angel  would  anticipate  the  terrible  thought  which 
would  come  to  her,  that  should  she  be  found  with  child 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  not  having  known  a  man,  and  being 
betrothed  to  a  fond  and  loving  husband,  it  might  involve 
her  in  shame  and  sore  trouble.  Therefore  the  angel 
gave  her  good  consolation,  and  would  anticipate  or  pre- 
'  Luke  i.  30.  *  Judg.  vi.  12. 


"  HAIL,  MAR  Y!  "—NOT  "  A  VE  MARIA  "  105 

vent  her  fears.  We  may  take  these  words  to  ourselves. 
For  though  we  are  not  in  the  same  case  with  Mary,  yet 
every  call  of  God  to  us,  every  grace  of  God  received  b)' 
us,  every  event  in  our  lives  brought  about  by  reason  of 
our  acceptance  with  God  and  devotion  to  Him,  brings 
us  into  circumstances  that  awaken  in  us  the  fear  of  men. 
It  is  always  at  cost  that  we  accept  the  favour  of  God. 
For  to  be  a  friend  of  God  is  to  incur  the  enmity  of  the 
world.  Let  us,  however,  call  to  mind  some  circum- 
stances in  which  this  oft-repeated  assurance  of  God  is 
full  of  comfort.  When  God  called  Moses  to  go  down 
into  Egypt  and  bear  to  Pharaoh  His  message  and  com- 
mand to  let  His  people  go,  and  to  the  people  to  deliver 
them  from  the  house  of  bondage,  many  things  arose  in 
his  mind  that  made  him  afraid.  He  said  boldly  that  he 
feared — nay,  was  convinced — that  neither  Pharaoh  nor 
the  children  of  Israel  themselves  would  believe  the  story 
he  should  have  to  tell  them  of  the  Burning  Bush  and  his 
commission  received  from  God.  Pharaoh  would  deride 
him,  and  the  children  of  Israel  would  certainly  distrust 
him  as  either  mad  or  a  self-seeking  man.  To  this 
natural  and  very  reasonable  fear  God  replied  out  of  the 
bush  that  burned  with  fire,  "  Certainly  /  zm//  be  with 
thee."  *  So  also  when  in  later  times  He  who  dwelt  in 
the  bush  of  human  nature  called  His  disciples  about 
Him  and  showed  them  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  with 
all  the  powers  of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil  con- 
federate together  to  resist  and  oppose  His  gospel.  He 
bade  them  go  and  preach  and  make  disciples  of  all 
nations — ^He  allayed  their  fears  and  encouraged  their 
hearts  by  saying,  "  Lo,  I  am  ivith  you  alway,  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  age."  ^  It  was  this  assurance  of  the 
Divine  Presence  and  Power  that  made  them  strong  ; 
that  makes  us  strong  to  do  and  dare  for  God.  As  the 
'  Exod.  iii.  12.  *  Matt,  xxviii.  20. 


lo6  "  HAIL,  MAR  Y!  ''—NOT  "  A  VE  MARIA  " 

Lord  was  with  Moses  and  with  Gideon,  and  with  the 
first  disciples  in  prosecuting  their  great  calling  against 
the  odds  of  the  world  and  all  enemies,  so  is  He  with  us 
and  all  those  who  undertake  service  for  Him.  Then  we 
have  this  same  good  word  of  cheer  and  encouragement 
when  we  are  compassed  about  or  confronted  with  afflic- 
tions and  dangers  personal  to  ourselves.  "  Thou  art  My 
servant ;  I  have  chosen  thee,  and  not  cast  thee  away. 
Fear  thou  not :  for  I  am  with  thee.  Be  not  disma)'ed,  for 
I  am  thy  God  :  I  will  strengthen  thee ;  yea,  I  will  help 
thee  ;  yea,  I  will  uphold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  My 
righteousness.  .  .  ,  For  I  the  Lord  thy  God  will  hold  th)- 
right  hand,  saying  unto  thee  :  Fear  not ;  I  will  help  thee. 
Fear  not,  thou  worm  Jacob.  ...  I  will  help  thee, 
saith  the  Lord  and  thy  Redeemer,  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel."  ^  With  such  assurances  as  these  Daniel  went 
into  the  lions'  den  ;  the  children,  Hebrew  children,  into 
the  fiery  furnace ;  and  in  all  ages  God's  people  have 
faced  dangers  and  difficulties,  suffered  afflictions  and 
trials,  passed  through  periods  of  darkness  and  spiritual 
distress,  sacrificed  themselves,  their  pride — their  good 
name  even — rather  than  withdraw  from  their  allegiance 
to  Him,  or  shrink  from  duty  imposed  upon  them.  When 
human  nature  shrinks  and  hangs  back,  when  foes  assail, 
when  friends  forsake,  when  men  sa}'  all  manner  of  evil 
against  us  for  His  name's  sake  ;  by  honour  and  dishonour, 
by  evil  report  and  good  report,  as  unknown  and  yet 
well  known  ;  the  people  of  God,  with  this  sweet  and 
precious  promise  in  their  hearts,  "  Fear  not,  the  Lord  is 
with  thee,"  have  been  able  to  go  forward  without  terror. 
It  was  this  promise  that  gave  David  comfort  in  prospect 
of  death,  and  it  is  this  which  comforts  us  as  well :  "  Yea, 
though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death, 
/  will  fear  no  evil ;  for  Thou  art  ivitJi  vie  ;  Th}'  rod  and 
'  Isa.  xli.  9-14. 


''  HAIL,  MARY /''—NOT  ''AVE  MARIA''  107 

Thy  staff  they  comfort  me."  '  lint  for  this  assurance, 
what  would,  what  could,  we  do  as  we  enter  the  waters 
of  death  ?  It  is  likewise  this  assurance  which  gives  us 
comfort  and  peace  when  we  meet  toi^ether  to  pray  or 
worship  in  His  name,  for  "  Where  two  or  three  are 
gathered  together  in  My  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst 
of  them."  ^  This  is  to  be  with  its  in  all  the  fulness  and 
plenitude  of  His  love.  His  power,  and  His  grace.  Look- 
ing forward  to  the  time  when  we  shall  have  done  with 
earth,  what  is  the  chief  joy  we  are  to  anticipate?  Why, 
is  it  not  that  we  are  to  be  with  Him  as  He  has  been 
with  us  ?  "  Father,  I  will  that  they  also  whom  Thou 
hast  given  Me,  be  with  Me  where  I  am,  that  they  may 
behold  My  glory,  which  Thou  hast  given  Me."^  Had 
He  not  comforted  His  disciples  with  this  promise  just 
before,  "  And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will 
come  again  and  receiv^e  you  unto  Myself ;  that  where  I 
am,  there  ye  may  be  also  "  '^  ?  We  shall  never  exhaust 
the  promise  of  God  given  alike  to  Mary  and  to  us  : 
"  Fear  not  ;  the  Lord  is  with  you." 

4.  Blessed  thou  among  ivojiien.  With  every  responsibility 
comes  blessing.  It  is  true  that  Mary  was  highly  favoured  ; 
but  that  favour  also  involved  great  sorrow  and  suffering, 
for  a  sword  should  pierce  through  her  heart.  Yet  Gcxl 
does  not  call  to  suffering  and  responsibility  without  be- 
stowing compensating  blessing.  The  most  lowly  among 
women,  she  was,  by  reason  of  her  high  destiny,  to  become 
greatest  among  them.  "  All  generations,"  she  sang  after 
that,  "  shall  call  me  blessed."  ^  Now,  the  Romanists 
have  changed  this  to  mean  that  God  then  and  there 
deified  her  above  all  women  ;  whereas  it  was  a  simple 
statement  that  among  women  no  one  should  be  esteemed 
to  have  been  so  highly  honoured.     Jael  w^as  called  b}' 

'  Ps.  xxiii.  4.         ^  Matt,  xviii.  20.         ''  John  xvii.  24. 
''  John  xiv.  3.  ■"'  Luke  i.  48. 


1 08  "  HAIL,  MA  RY!  "—NO  T  "A  VE  MA  RIA  " 

Deborah  "  blessed  adove  all  women  in  the  tent."  ^  Mary 
is  blessed  among  them — a  chosen  and  highly  favoured 
one,  but  not  lifted  above  them  as  an  object  of  adoration 
and  worship.  Her  blessedness  was  in  being  permitted 
to  bear  in  her  body  the  Incarnate  God,  and  for  His 
sake,  and  in  the  sanctification  which  came  to  her  through 
the  favour,  to  set  before  us  in  her  own  person  and  char- 
acter the  first,  the  highest  example  of  sweet  womanhood 
and  motherhood — a  type  of  saintship  which  has  honoured 
all  women  in  all  ages. 

'  Judg.  V.  24. 


VII 

THE   SON  OF    THE   HIGHEST 

"  He  shall  be  great,  and  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  the  Highest." 
— LUKK  i.  32. 

IN  a  most  remarkable  manner  Plato,  the  Athenian 
sage,  anticipated  by  a  philosophical  speculation  the 
great  doctrine  of  what  John  calls  "  The  Word,"  which 
was  the  fundamental  tenet  of  that  great  thinker's  theo- 
logy. But  the  speculations  of  Plato  concerning  the 
Logos  or  Word  of  God  were  too  deep  for  common 
understanding.  Athanasius,  the  greatest  of  the  early 
christian  theologians,  confessed  that  the  more  he  studied 
and  wrote  about  Plato's  doctrine  of  the  Logos,  the  less 
he  understood  it,  and  the  less  able  he  was  to  express  his 
thoughts.  Whatever  of  truth  there  was  in  the  doctrine 
of  the  Logos,  as  announced  and  expounded  by  Plato, 
it  must  be  confessed  that  "  the  immeasurable  distance 
between  the  size  of  the  object  and  the  capacity  of  the 
human  mind  "  put  it  beyond  the  reach  of  mankind. 
Philosophers  might  silently  meditate  upon  this  mystery 
which  was  suggested  to  the  profound  mind  of  the 
Athenian  sage,  and  temperately  discuss  it,  "  but  their 
lofty  speculations  neither  convinced  the  understanding 
nor  stirred  the  passions  of  the  Platonists  themselves, 
and  were  carelessly  overlooked  by  the  idle,  the  busy, 
and  even  the  studious  part  of  mankind."  But  when 
John,    the    beloved    disciple,    adopted    the    term    which 

Plato  had    used    as   a   key  with  which    to  unlock   the 

loy 


no  THE  SON  OF   THE   HIGHEST 

mystery  of  the  Godhead,  and  introduced  it  into  the 
wonderful  prologue  to  the  fourth  Gospel,  saying,  "  In 
the  beginning  was  the  Word  (Logos),  and  the  Word  was 
with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God,"  ^  he  put  the  whole 
Platonic  speculation  into  a  single  sentence.  By  his 
further  statement,  "  And  the  Word  was  made  flesh,  and 
dwelt  among  us  (and  we  beheld  His  glory,  the  glory  as 
of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father),  full  of  grace  and 
truth,"  ^  he,  in  another  simple  sentence,  embodied  that 
philosophy  in  the  person  of  the  Incarnate  Jehovah — 
Jesus,  and  brought  the  whole  matter  level  to  the  under- 
standing of  all  men,  to  the  peasant  as  well  as  to  the 
sage.  The  revelation  of  the  Word  as  the  Incarnate  God 
in  the  person  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  object  of  christian 
faith  and  worship,  has  ever  since  been  embraced  by  an 
increasing  multitude  of  men  and  women  in  every  nation 
of  the  earth  ;  while  the  philosophical  doctrine  of  Plato 
remains  unknown  to  the  world  outside  a  select  few 
scholars.  Certainly  it  has  no  power  with  men,  for  it  is 
impossible  for  men,  even  of  the  loftiest  understanding, 
to  comprehend  a  metaphysical  speculation  so  subtle. 
For  who  by  searching  can  find  out  God  ? 

The  doctrine  of  the  Incarnate  Logos  is  no  less  a 
mystery  than  the  speculative  doctrine  of  the  philosopher 
of  Greece  ;  but  it  is  such  a  mystery  in  revelation  that  it 
attracts  rather  than  repels  the  mind,  and  engages  the 
heart  as  well  as  the  intellect  of  mankind.  We  do  not 
pretend  that  we  comprehend  the  hidden  depth  of  the 
great  "  mystery  of  Godliness  ;  God  was  manifested  in 
the  flesh";  but  we  do  most  cordially  embrace  the  fact. 
And  although  we  can  neither  comprehend  the  measure 
of  this  eternal  mystery,  nor  explain  the  Jiow  of  it,  we  do 
know,  by  an  inner  power  of  knowledge  greater  even 
than  the  reason  itself,  the  truth  of  it.  It  is  a  singular 
*  John  i.  I.  -  Ibid.  1.  14. 


THE  SON  OF  THE  HIGHEST  in 

fact  in  human  experience,  testified  alike  by  the  learned 
and  the  unlearned,  the  wise  and  the  simple,  that  it  is 
just  at  the  point  of  our  deepest  need,  both  intellectually 
and  spiritually,  that  we  fly  for  refuge  to  that  which  most 
utterly  confounds  our  reason  and  staggers  our  faith.  "A 
faith  that  is  not  founded  on  revelation,"  says  an  acute 
thinker,  and  one  not  at  all  friendly  to  the  christian 
religion,  "  must  remain  destitute  of  any  firm  assurance." 
Hence  all  systems  of  religion  founded  on  the  observa- 
tion of  nature,  or  upon  speculative  inquiry,  have  invari- 
ably degenerated  into  mere  superstition.  Nothing  less 
than  the  mysteries  of  revelation  will  satisfy  the  human 
mind  and  heart.  No  resource  in  ourselves,  and  nothing 
in  nature,  nor  anything  which  the  human  mind  can 
conceive,  has  in  it  that  which  can  satisfy  our  deepest 
longings  and  necessities.  We  are  reproached  for  be- 
lieving that  which  we  can  neither  understand  nor  explain, 
and  which  seems  to  some  to  be  a  denial,  and  is  con- 
fessed by  us,  at  least,  to  baffle  the  intellectual  reason. 
Our  reply  to  this  is  : 

"  The  heart  hath  a  reason  that  the  reason  knows  not  of." 

Abraham  could  not  understand  how  God  could  fulfil 
what  He  had  promised,  but  he  believed  "  that  what  He 
Jiad  promised  He  was  able  also  to  perform."  Therefore 
he  "staggered  not  at  the  promise."^  His  faith  was 
counted  to  him  for  righteousness.  So,  in  like  manner, 
we  do  not  understand  how  the  Word  could  be  made 
flesh,  nor  Jiow,  in  the  person  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
there  should  exist  a  perfect  and  unconfused  union  be- 
tween the  human  and  the  divine  nature.  Yet  we  firmly 
believe  this,  and  it  is  not  only  counted  to  us  for  righteous- 
ness, but  "  is  made  unto  us  wisdom,  and  righteousness, 
and  sanctification."  ^     The  world  has  yet  to  learn  that 

*  Rom.  iv.  20,  21.         '^  I  Cor.  i.  jo. 


112  THE  SON  OF   THE  HIGHEST 

which  our  faith  has  taught  us,  "  That  in  the  wisdom  of 
God,  the  world  by  wisdom  knew  not  God.''  Yet  it  has 
"  pleased  God  by  the  foolishness  of  preaching  (the  de- 
claration of  the  revelation  of  God)  to  save  them  that 
believe."  ^  We  therefore  go  on  preaching  Christ,  "  unto 
the  Jews  a  stumbling-block,  and  unto  the  Greeks  foolish- 
ness, but  unto  them  which  are  called,  both  Jews  and 
Greeks,  Christ  the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of 
God."  ^  In  a  recent  little  book  on  the  "  Creed  of  the 
Christian,"  Canon  Gore  treats  of  the  holy  mysteries  of 
our  faith.  In  the  chapter  on  the  Holy  Trinity  he  sup- 
poses that  this  question  is  put  to  him  :  "  How  can  three 
persons  be  one  God?  If  the  Father  is  God,  and  the  Son 
is  God,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  is  God,  here  then  are  three 
Gods,  according  to  the  simple  law  of  addition."  In 
answering  this  difficulty,  the  Canon  gives  an  interesting 
extract  from  a  letter  from  the  late  Professor  Huxley, 
Canon  Gore  says  : 

"  I  do  not  think  it  would  become  a  thoughtful  man  to 
reject  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  on  this  ground.  At 
any  rate.  Professor  Huxley  would  not  allow  you  to.  He 
once  said  as  much  in  a  private  letter  which  he  gave  me 
leave  to  quote,  and  I  learned  his  words  by  heart,  for  I 
thought  they  might  be  useful.  '  I  have  not,'  he  said, 
'  the  slightest  objection  to  offer  a  priori  (that  is,  on 
grounds  of  reason)  to  all  the  propositions  of  the  three 
creeds.  The  mysteries  of  the  Church  are  child's-play 
compared  with  the  mysteries  of  nature.  The  doctrine 
of  the  Trinity  is  not  more  puzzling  than  the  necessary 
antinomies  (that  is,  contradictions)  of  physical  nature.' " 

Now   this   remark    concerning  the   mysteries  of  the 

Trinity  applies,  of  course,  to  the   mystery  involved   in 

the  unique  personality  of  our  Lord,  which  is,  indeed,  a 

part  of  the  mystery  of  the  Trinity.     Ought  we  not  to  be 

'  I  Cor.  i.  31.  -  Ibid.  i.  23,  24. 


THE   SON  OF   THE  HIG/fEST  113 

careful  not  to  allow  ourselves  to  be  mystified  by  these 
puzzling  questions  ?  A  wise  and  intelligent  scientist 
does  not  reject  a  truth  of  revealed  religion  because  he 
cannot  fathom  the  mystery  involved  in  it.  He  has  been 
compelled  to  bow  before  the  mysterious  facts  with  which 
he  is  everywhere  confronted  in  nature  ;  but  he  does  not 
and  cannot  deny  those  facts.  Now,  we  are  confronted 
with  a  mystery  in  the  divine-human  personality  of  Jesus. 
We  do  not  understand  the  apparent  contradiction  here 
presented  to  our  understanding,  but  here  it  is,  and  ex- 
plain it  or  deny  it  as  we  will,  the  fact  remains.  When 
I  say  the  fact  remains,  I  do  not  mean  alone  the  inexplic- 
able mode  of  His  dual  nature,  but  the  undeniable  fact  of 
His  unique  personality.  Many  may  deny  the  Deity  of 
our  Lord  Jesus,  but  they  are  unable  to  account  for  the 
moral  glory  of  His  character  on  any  theory  of  human 
nature,  or  development,  or  culture,  which  they  can 
suggest.  It  is  far  more  easy  for  the  reason  to  accept 
the  truth  concerning  Jesus  as  set  forth  in  the  scriptures 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  than  it  is  to  construct 
a  satisfactory  theory  of  His  unique  personality — His 
pre-emiyient  greatness — apart  from  the  mystery  of  the 
Incarnation. 

Let  me  give  you  one  illustration  of  what  I  have  just 
said  about  flying  to  the  greatest  mysteries  in  the  time  of 
our  greatest  need.  The  best-known  verse  in  the  Bible 
is  :  "  For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life,"  ^  Now  here  are 
just  the  two  things  which  we  most  need  and  must  have, 
if  we  are  to  have  peace  at  all — the  "  Love  "  of  God,  and 
"  Everlasting  Life,"  The  love  of  God,  without  everlast- 
ing life,  will  not  suffice  us.  Neither  would  everlasting 
life,  without  the  love  of  God,  meet  our  need.  To  live 
'  John  iii.  16. 

P.B.  8 


114  THE  SON  OF  THE  HIGHEST 

everlastingly,  without  the  love  of  God  and  all  that  His 
love  implies,  would  be  to  be  saddled  with  a  burden  of 
existence  simply  intolerable.  But  where  shall  we  go  to 
discover  the  love  of  God,  and  where  shall  we  find  ever- 
lasting life  ?  "  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God, 
and  the  firmament  showeth  His  handiwork,"  ^  but  they 
do  not  reveal  His  love  nor  discover  to  us  eternal  life.  A 
vision  of  beauty,  a  glory  of  sunshine  is  indeed  there  ;  but 
just  at  the  moment  of  our  highest  delight  in  contem- 
plating the  power  and  wisdom  of  the  Creator,  a  bolt  of 
lightning  leaps  from  the  same  heavens  and  strikes  us 
dead,  or  a  hurricane  sweeps  us  off  our  feet  and  away  out 
of  life.  We  are  less  assured  concerning  love  and  life 
when  we  contemplate  the  inscrutable  ways  of  Provi- 
dence ;  for  that  which  baffled  Job  and  made  his  life 
miserable  confounds  us.  If  we  look  within,  we  find  only 
darkness  ;  and  in  whatever  direction  we  look  without, 
we  behold  only  confusion.  Where,  then,  is  the  love  and 
life  of  God  revealed  to  us  ?  For  these  two  great  neces- 
sities of  the  human  soul  we  must  needs  go  to  that 
Nazareth  maiden  in  whose  womb  the  Incarnate  God 
was  conceived,  and  to  that  manger-cradle  in  little  Beth- 
lehem where  the  Saviour  of  the  world  was  born  ;  and 
there,  bowing  down  before  Him  with  the  Magi,  we 
behold  both  the  Love  and  Life  of  God  revealed  to  us 
and  for  us  ;  and  as  we  behold,  we  hear  again  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  holy  angel  which  spake  to  the  shep- 
herds of  Bethlehem,  "  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."  ^  It  is  of  this 
Saviour,  Christ  the  Lord,  the  Incarnate  God,  that  we 
are  to  speak  this  morning,  especially  in  regard  to  the 

^  Ps.  xix.  I.  *  Luke  ii.  lo. 


THE  SON  OF   TFTE  HIGHEST  115 

one  distinguishing  characteristic  of   His    personality — 
"  He  shall  be  great!' 

I.  The  Greatness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
John  the  Baptist  was  great  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  ; 
that  is,  according  to  the  judgment  of  God,  as  God 
knows  and  judges  men.  But  the  Son  of  the  Highest 
zvas  great ;  not  as  compared  with  other  men,  but  great 
in  Himself.  Every  element  and  substance  of  greatness 
was  in  Him.  Reading  the  brief  life  and  work  of  John 
the  Baptist,  great  and  honourable  as  they  were,  if  we 
had  been  called  upon  for  a  judgment,  we  should  not 
have  called  him  so  great  a  man  as  Moses,  or  Isaiah,  or 
Elijah  ;  but  we  bow  to  the  judgment  which  God  has  put 
upon  him,  and  call  him  the  peer  of  the  greatest  men 
who  have  ever  lived,  for,  says  Jesus,  "there  hath  not 
risen  a  greater  than  John  the  Baptist."  ^  But  greatness 
among  men  is  only  a  comparative  greatness.  One  man 
may  be  greater  than  another  ;  but  the  difference  is  onl)' 
one  of  degree,  not  in  kind.  Let  me  suppose  the  ver}- 
greatest  man  in  the  world.  His  greatness  towers  above 
me  and  excites  my  admiration  and  wonder.  But,  after 
all,  he  is  only  greater  than  I  ;  his  genius  or  abilities 
are  of  the  same  kind,  be  he  soldier,  statesman,  poet, 
or  philosopher.  I  am  something  of  all  these,  and  so 
are  you — something  of  a  soldier,  something  of  a  poet, 
something  of  a  statesman,  something  of  a  philosopher. 
It  is  true  that  I  have  no  great  degree  in  these  character- 
istics or  qualities  ;  still  they  are  in  me  and  in  you.  The 
greatness  of  Jesus  was  not  one  of  comparison  or  degree. 
He  was  incomparably  great.  He  was  immeasurably 
great.  In  a  word.  He  was  great  without  qualification. 
I  cannot  hope  to  set  all  His  greatness  before  you,  yet  I 
may  try  to  present  to  your  thoughts  some  of  the  main 
points  of  His  greatness. 

'  Matt.  xi.  II. 


Ii6  THE  SON  OF  THE  HIGHEST 

I.  He  was  great  in  His  divine-human  personality. 
Jesus  was  the  God-man.  I  can  conceive  of  God,  and  I 
know  something  of  what  man  is ;  but  here  I  am  pre- 
sented to  a  unique  personality.  Not  a  deified  man,  not 
a  humanized  God  ;  but  God  and  man  in  one  perfect 
personaHty — perfect  in  His  Godhead  and  perfect  in  His 
humanity.  There  are  two  words  used  in  the  Greek  to 
designate  man  ;  one  describes  a  male  of  the  human 
species,  and  the  other  describes  the  human  race.  Jesus 
in  His  humanity  was  a  man  in  the  sense  of  being  a 
male  man  ;  but  He  was  man  in  the  sense  of  being  of  the 
human  race.  "  For  verily  not  of  angels  doth  He  take 
hold,  but  He  taketh  hold  of  the  seed  of  Abraham."  ^ 
He  was  not  two  personalities  under  one  form,  but  one 
personality.  The  union  between  God  and  man  was  so 
perfect  that  there  was  neither  confusion  nor  division  in 
his  personality.  This  is  too  high  a  theme  to  be  debated 
here,  but  it  is  a  part  of  the  glorious  mystery  which  the 
heart  understands,  although  the  reason  cannot  compre- 
hend nor  human  language  describe  it.  There  are  un- 
speakable things  and  things  past  understanding.  No 
one  can  fully  understand  or  set  forth  in  words  either 
"  the  peace  of  God  that  passeth  understanding,"  *  "  the 
love  of  Christ  that  passeth  knowledge,"  ^  or  the  gift  of 
God  which  is  "  unspeakable."  '^  Paul,  when  he  was 
caught  up  into  Paradise,  "  heard  unspeakable  words, 
which  it  is  not  lawful  [marg.,  "  possible "]  for  a  man  to 
utter."  ^  In  this  sense  the  greatness  of  His  divine-human 
personality  passeth  understanding.  "  His  name  shall  be 
called  Wonderful ;  "  '^  that  is,  one  with  whom  nothing 
can  be  compared,  and  who  can  be  compared  with 
nothing.  "  In  all  things  He  hath  the  pre-eminence." ''' 
If  any  of  you  think  that  such  thoughts  of  Jesus  are  vain 

'  Heb.  ii.  i6  (R.V.).     »  Phil.  iv.  7.    »  Eph.  iii.  19.    *  2  Cor.  ix.  15. 
*  2  Cor.  xii.  4.         6  ig^  ij^  ^  7  Col   j    jg 


THE  SON  OF  THE  HIGHEST  117 

thoughts  or  useless  thoughts,  then  let  me  assure  you 
that  your  faith  will  never  be  strong,  appropriating,  and 
wonder-working  until  it  is  firmly  built  upon  this  Rock 
of  Ages.  It  will  never  be  a  victorious  faith  until  it  is 
energized  by  union  with  the  Son  of  the  Highest.  There 
is  nothing  more  pernicious  and  dangerous  to  the  chris- 
tian life  of  our  times  than  the  incessant  outcry  against 
"  theology."  The  spiritual  life  of  man  cannot  live  on 
ethics,  however  much  it  must  embody  itself  in  ethics  to 
demonstrate  its  genuineness.  The  spiritual  life  of  man 
is  first  awakened  by  contact  with,  and  then  fed  on,  the 
mysteries  of  God.  The  closer  we  get  to  those  mysteries, 
the  more  we  familiarize  ourselves  with  them,  the  closer 
we  get  to  God,  and  the  more  sure  our  hope  in  God 
becomes. 

2.  He  is  great  in  His  love.  If  I  were  to  ask  any 
thoughtful  person  among  my  hearers  what  was  the  out- 
standing revelation  contained  in  the  New  Testament — 
what  was  the  first  and  greatest  impression  made  upon 
his  mind  or  heart  in  reading  the  New  Testament  ? — I 
have  no  doubt  I  should  get  this  answer :  "  The  principal 
revelation,  and  the  first  and  deepest  impression  made 
upon  my  mind  by  reading  the  New  Testament  is,  tJie 
great  love  that  God  hath  toward  fnan."  And  that  is  true. 
With  the  coming  of  Jesus  into  the  world,  we  cannot  but 
perceive  and  feel  that  a  new  power  has  come  along  with 
Him,  and  that  power  is  Love  ;  the  love  of  God  toward 
man.  Love,  not  only  in  words,  but  in  deeds  ;  and  not 
in  words  and  deeds  only,  but  in  manner — a  divine 
manner  of  tenderness  and  sympathy — such  as  the  world 
never  knew  or  dreamed  of  before.  It  was  this  fact  and 
conviction  which  lived  deepest  down  in  Paul's  soul,  and 
which  led  him  to  exclaim,  out  of  his  bursting  heart, "  He 
loved  me,  and  gave  Himself  for  me."  ^  God  in  Christ 
*  Gal.  ii.  20. 


ii8  THE  SON  OF   THE  HIGHEST 

loves  us  not  a  little  ;  not  even  much  ;  but  with  all  His 
love.  He  has  measured  it  out  to  us  in  the  infinite 
measure  of  the  Incarnation,  than  which  there  is  no  larger 
measure.  All  the  angels  of  God  together  could  not 
convey  the  fulness  of  God's  love  measured  out  to  us 
in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  God  has  no  more  love  than 
is  in  Jesus  Christ.  And,  blessed  be  God,  nothing  less 
than  this  infinite  measure  of  God's  love  will  satisfy  my 
soul,  or  your  soul,  if  you  really  have  been  awakened  to 
the  need  that  is  in  you.  It  has  pleased  God  to  re- 
present Himself  as  being  a  husband  unto  us.  Well,  let 
me  ask  you  with  what  would,  or  ought,  a  wife  be 
satisfied  in  her  husband  ?  Let  us  suppose  that  one 
should  come  to  a  good  woman,  or,  for  that  matter,  to 
any  right  womanly  woman,  and  propose  himself  to  her 
for  a  husband.  He  says  to  her,  "  I  am  great  in  position, 
in  wealth,  in  power,  in  wisdom  and  human  culture. 
There  is  no  one  greater  than  I  in  these  respects  ;  and 
all  these  I  lay  at  your  feet.  You  may  draw  on  them  all 
at  your  will  and  pleasure,  and  you  shall  never  find  me 
wanting,  either  in  willingness  or  ability,  to  honour  your 
drafts."  The  woman  looks  at  him  and  says,  "  But  you 
have  said  nothing  about  loving  me.  To  me  neither 
position,  wealth,  wisdom,  nor  power  would  signify,  unless 
I  had  your  love.  Do  you  not  love  me  ?  "  "  Well — yes 
— a  little.  I  will  try  and  be  good  to  you."  The  woman 
would  reply,  if  she  were  a  real  woman,  "  You  say  you 
love  me  a  little.  Sir,  unless  you  love  me  vnich,  yea,  with 
all  the  strength  of  your  love,  I  shall  never  be  sure  of  any 
part  of  it."  So,  though  the  least  of  God's  favours  to  us 
would  be  condescending  grace,  we  cannot  do  without 
His  love,  and  must  have  the  full  measure  of  it.  Any- 
thing less  than  all  His  love  would  leave  us  in  doubt  as 
to  the  possession  of  any  part  of  it.     It  is  the  revelation 


THE  SON  OF   THE   HIGHEST  119 

of  the  Love  of  God  in  all  its  fulness  that  gives  us  hope 
and  peace,  and  makes  us  sure. 

Love  may  send  a  gift,  or  love  may  bring  a  gift.  God 
did  not  send  us  the  gift  of  His  love  by  Jesus  ;  but  in 
Christ  He  brought  us  His  love.  You  may  have  sent 
many  gifts  the  past  Christmas  to  many  poor  people.  It 
was  good  of  you  to  do  it.  In  a  few  cases  you  took  into 
your  own  hands  and  carried  your  gift ;  it  may  have 
been  a  Christmas  dinner  to  some  one  poor  and  needy. 
Ah  !  it  was  that  personal  coming  with  the  gift  that 
made  it  so  precious  to  the  one  you  brought  it  to.  Now, 
Jesus  is  at  once  the  full  measure  of  God's  love  to  us,  and 
in  Him  it  is  personally  administered.  Had  God  sent 
word  of  His  love  to  us  by  an  angel,  even  by  Gabriel 
himself,  and  commissioned  him  to  attend  us  by  day 
and  night,  to  guard  and  keep  us,  that  would  have  been 
great  grace  ;  but  it  would  not  be  to  us  what  the  love  of 
God  in  Christ  is — for  Jesus  is  Love  Incarnate,  and  He 
abides  with  us  always. 

3.  He  is  great  in  His  condescension.  This  great  truth 
is  frequently  set  forth  and  illustrated  in  the  scriptures. 
When  Paul  would  excite  his  beloved  Philippians  to  a 
sweet  condescension  toward  each  other,  he  said,  "  Let 
this  mind  be  in  you,  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus  : 
who,  being  in  the  form  of  God,  thought  it  not  robbery 
(something  to  be  for  ever  snatched  and  insisted  on)  to 
be  equal  with  God  :  but  made  Himself  of  no  reputation, 
and  took  upon  Him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  was 
made  in  the  likeness  of  men  :  and  being  found  in  fashion 
as  a  man.  He  humbled  Himself,  and  became  obedient 
unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross."  ^  And  the 
writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  says  of  Him, 
"  Forasmuch  then  as  the  children  are  partakers  of  flesh 
and  blood.  He  also  Himself  likewise  took  part  of  the 
»  Phil.  ii.  5-8. 


I20  THE  SON  OF  THE  HIGHEST 

same.  For  verily  He  took  not  hold  on  the  nature  of 
angels,  but  took  hold  on  the  seed  of  Abraham." '  Thus 
in  all  things  He  was  made  like  unto  His  brethren. 
There  is  no  such  example  of  condescension  as  this. 
With  what  may  we  compare  it?  When  we  consider 
who  He  was,  and  whence  He  came  to  us,  and  what  we 
are,  and  where  we  are,  we  are  amazed  that  He  should 
have  condescended  to  our  low  and  wretched  estate,  not 
only  in  coming  to  us,  but  in  becoming  one  of  us.  For 
what  he  thought  to  be  the  good  of  the  Republic,  Diocle- 
tian renounced  the  purple  of  Rome  and  retired  to  a 
PRIVATE  PALACE.  He  did  not  take  his  place  down 
among  the  people  from  whom  he  sprang.  But,  suppos- 
ing he  had  resigned  his  throne  in  order  to  become  one 
of  the  humblest  citizens,  in  position  and  circumstances, 
what  would  that  have  been  in  condescension  to  the  step 
down  which  Jesus  has  made  in  order  to  be  among  us 
and  save  us  ?  Another  Roman  emperor  was  taken 
prisoner  in  one  of  the  wars  with  Persia,  and  was  reduced 
to  slavery  by  the  haughty  Eastern  king,  and  made  to 
do  menial  work  among  his  palace  servants.  That  was 
humiliation,  but  it  was  not  condescension.  Or  another 
emperor,  Julian,  when  he  was  the  Caesar  of  Gaul,  and  in 
time  of  great  hardship  and  discouragement,  left  his 
royal  tent,  abandoned  his  horse,  distributed  the  Imperial 
provisions  among  his  troops,  and,  taking  his  place  at 
their  head,  marched  barefooted  with  them,  and  lived  on 
the  coarsest  fare  of  the  common  soldiers.  That  was 
condescension.  And  yet  such  an  act  is  not  worthy  to  be 
compared  with  the  voluntary  condescension  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who  came  from  the  throne  of  the  uni- 
verse to  be  one  with  us  ;  and,  under  the  broken  law, 
became  obedient  unto  death  for  us.  How  hard  it  is 
for  a  man  who  has  been  rich,  surrounded  with  every 
*  Heb,  ii.  14,  16. 


THE  SON  OF   THE  HIGHEST  121 

comfort,  luxury  and  elegance  of  life  ;  who  has  been 
looked  up  to  and  honoured  and  served  by  all  about  him, 
to  be  forced  into  an  estate  of  poverty  and  contempt ! 
You  remember  how  bitterly  the  iron  of  such  a  fate 
entered  into  the  soul  of  the  patriarch  Job.  But  Jesus, 
"  though  He  was  rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  He  became 
poor,  that  ye  through  His  poverty  might  be  rich."  ^  An 
entire  picture  of  perfect  condescension  and  grace  is  seen 
in  this  voluntary  descent  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  from 
heaven  to  earth  ;  from  inhabiting  the  praises  of  eternity 
to  an  inheritance  of  shame  and  contempt  among  men, 
even  the  very  men  whom  He  came  to  save. 

This  great  condescension  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  He 
entered  into  nnioii  with  human  nature  tinder  any  circum- 
stances. Although  He  did  not  take  hold  on  sinful 
human  nature,  He  took  hold  on  our  nature,  and  was 
made  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh  and  in  fashion  as  a 
man.  He  came  not  only  as  a  man,  but  as  a  servant. 
It  would  have  been  amazing  had  He  come  as  a  king, 
and  been  born  in  a  palace,  and  condescended  to  us  from 
the  most  glorious  throne  on  earth.  But  He  came  as  a 
servant,  and  as  the  lowliest  of  all  servants,  to  mete  out 
His  own  and  His  father's  love  in  the  greatest  as  in  the 
meanest  offices,  even  to  the  washing  of  our  feet.  When 
I  consider  another  fact  in  His  condescension,  as  set  forth 
in  the  two  genealogies  preserved  to  us  by  Matthew  and 
Luke,  my  soul  is  filled  with  wonder  and  amazement. 
What  shall  we  say  when  we  discover  that  in  taking 
human  nature  He  chose  to  take  it  through  a  line  of 
ancestors  on  whom  the  bar  si?iister  was  conspicuously 
drawn  ?  For  among  His  ancestors  I  read  the  names  of 
Rahab  the  harlot,  Tamar,  another  harlot,  and  Bathsheba, 
the  dishonoured  and  adulterous  wife  of  Uriah,  not  to 
speak  of  Jacob  the  supplanter,  and  David  the  adulterer 
'  2  Cor.  viii.  9. 


122  THE  SON  OF   THE  HIGHEST 

and  murderer.  Oh,  surely  our  Lord  in  His  condescen- 
sion wanted  us  to  know  that  there  is  no  man  or  woman 
so  fallen  or  sunk  in  sin  but  that  He  came  to  declare  His 
love  and  bring  His  saving  help  to  them !  No  wonder 
He  has  drawn  the  heart  of  humanity  to  Himself;  no 
wonder  that  in  all  ages  the  sinful  and  the  poor  have 
ever  seen  in  Him  the  only  possible  hope  of  salvation 
and  recovery. 

Again,  we  see  this  great  condescensiofi  in  that,  having 
come  to  us,  He  zvas  not  ashamed  to  call  us  brethren. 
Having  identified  Himself  with  our  race,  He  took  the 
full  measure  of  kinship  upon  Him.  He  did  not.  He 
does  not,  He  will  not  shirk  any  of  the  logical  relations 
of  that  kinship.  He  is  not  ashamed  to  call  us  brethren, 
and  to  do  so  openly.  To  the  weakest,  to  the  poorest, 
and  to  the  most  sinful  He  comes  and  says,  "  I  am  yotir 
brother,  you  are  My  brother."  He  who  made  the  worlds 
and  created  the  angels  was  not  ashamed  to  take  in  His 
blessed  arms  the  children  of  the  poor  women  who 
brought  their  babes  to  Him.  What  a  sight  is  this  to 
behold,  the  Son  of  the  Highest  cuddling  little  children 
in  His  arms!  He  was  not  ashamed  to  lay  His  spotless 
hand  on  the  rotten  flesh  of  a  vile  leper  and  say,  "  My 
brother,  be  thou  clean."  He  was  not  ashamed  to  allow 
a  poor  fallen  and  outcast  woman,  who  crept  into  Simon's 
house,  where  He  was  dining,  to  wash  His  feet  with  her 
scalding  tears,  and  wipe  them  with  the  hairs  of  her  head, 
and  kiss  them  with  her  burning  lips.  The  Pharisees 
who  sat  at  meat  with  Him  would  not  have  suffered  that 
indignity  to  their  holy  feet.  They  whispering  among 
themselves  said,  "  Ah  !  we  have  been  mistaken  in  Him  ; 
He  is  no  prophet,  else  would  He  have  known  what 
manner  of  woman  she  is  that  kisses  His  feet."  They 
did  not,  could  not,  understand  such  condescension.  But 
they  did  not  know  Him.     He  was  not  ashamed  of  His 


THE  SON  OF  THE  HIGHEST  123 

poor  fallen  sister,  for,  turning  to  Simon,  He  said,  "  Her 
sins,  which  are  many,  are  forgiven."  ^  Before  those  proud, 
self-righteous  Pharisees  He  openly  acknowledged  her. 
He  was  not  ashamed  to  sit  upon  the  well's  kerb  and  talk 
of  "  the  gift  of  God  "  with  an  outcast  Samaritan  woman, 
whom  her  own  townspeople  would  not  be  seen  in  com- 
pany with  at  the  well.  He  was  not  ashamed  to  pro- 
claim openly  before  the  crowd  that  Zacch^eus  was  His 
brother,  and  that  He  had  come  to  bring  salvation  to  his 
house.  Mr.  Forbes,  the  great  war  correspondent,  has 
recently  written  the  story  of  what  he  says  was  the 
bravest  deed  he  ever  saw.  It  was  the  rescue  of  a 
common  soldier's  life,  in  the  face  of  what  seemed  certain 
death,  by  Lieut.-Col.  Beresford.  But  I  will  tell  you  the 
bravest  thing  I  ever  saw.  A  fashionable  and  wealthy 
young  man,  walking  down  Fifth  Avenue  in  New  York 
in  company  with  some  of  his  social  companions,  espied 
before  him  the  slouching,  ill-clad  form  of  what  seemed 
to  be  a  common  tramp — miserable,  dirty,  and  forlorn. 
Looking  at  him  a  second  time  with  a  keen  glance,  he 
left  the  side  of  his  fashionable  friends  and  went  straight 
to  the  tramp,  and,  laying  one  arm  across  his  shoulder, 
said  to  the  surprised  and  miserable  man,  "  Why,  Charlie, 
dear  chum,  what  does  this  mean  ?  How  come  you  here 
and  in  this  condition  ? "  The  young  man  had  recog- 
nised in  the  poor  outcast  the  much-beloved  chum  of  his 
college  days,  and,  without  waiting  to  inquire  or  know 
anything  of  the  history  of  his  life  during  the  years  in 
which  they  had  dropped  apart,  he  hastened  to  call  him 
friend  even  in  the  face  of  his  great  fashionable  com- 
panions, and  at  once  said  to  them,  "  Excuse  me,  gentle- 
men, this  is  an  old  college  chum  of  mine  whom  I  have 
not  seen  for  years,  and  I  am  going  to  dine  with  him." 
Taking  him  by  the  arm,  the  )'oung  man  walked  his 
'  Luke  vii.  47. 


124  THE  SON  OF   THE  HIGHEST 

miserable  and  fallen  friend  off  to  Delmonico's,  and,  in 
the  face  of  day  and  all  the  fashion  of  New  York,  ordered 
dinner  fit  for  two  kings,  and  feasted  with  him.  He  was 
not  ashamed  to  be  known  as  his  friend.  That  was  a 
brave  deed,  a  deed  worthy  the  love  of  Christ.  But  oh, 
what  was  such  condescension  as  that  compared  with  the 
condescension  of  the  Son  of  the  Highest,  who  confesses 
us  before  His  Father  and  His  angels,  and  even  down 
here  calls  us  brethren  ?  He  is  not  ashamed  to  call  us 
brethren  ;  alas !  that  we  are  sometimes,  and  very  often, 
ashamed  to  call  Him  Saviour,  except  in  the  privacy  of 
our  own  closets. 

In  His  condescension  He  was  made  sin,  suffered  shame, 
and  tasted  death  for  us.  Do  you  ask  me  how  He  was 
made  sin  ?  I  do  not  know  hoiv,  I  only  know  that  He 
^vas  made  sin  for  us — that,  somehow,  He  bore  in  His 
body  our  sins  upon  the  tree,  after  all  our  iniquities  were 
laid  upon  Him.  Somehow,  He  entered  into  the  shame 
and  horror  of  our  condition  before  God.  How  horrible 
it  was  for  Him  to  do  it  let  those  blood-drops  of  sweat 
that  covered  His  body  in  the  garden  tell.  How  His 
holy  soul  must  have  shrunk  from  even  the  imputation  of 
sin,  only  He,  who  knew  no  sin,  can  tell.  I  say  again,  I 
do  not  know  how  He  was  made  sin,  and  I  say,  reverently, 
I  don't  care  how.  I  accept  the  condescending,  gracious 
fact,  and  rejoice  in  the  unspeakable  love  of  it.  How 
was  He  made  shame  for  us  ?  That  is  somewhat  easier 
to  see,  at  least  in  some  of  the  outside  features  of  this  act 
of  condescension.  Look  at  Him  who  was  rich  becoming 
the  poor  wanderer  on  the  earth.  Born  of  a  poor  virgin 
peasant,  reared  in  a  poor  little  house,  apprenticed  in  His 
boyhood  and  youth  to  the  poor  trade  of  Joseph  the 
carpenter ;  always  living  in  a  despised  province  and 
town.  Later  on  in  His  life  He  said,  "  The  foxes  have 
holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests,  but  the  Son  of 


THE  SON  OF  THE  HIGHEST  125 

Man  hath  not  where  to  lay  His  head."  ^  This  was 
shame  for  Him  as  we  count  shame.  But  it  was  small 
shame  to  that  which  cost  Him  His  reputation  among 
men — one  of  our  dearest  possessions.  He  was  de- 
nounced as  a  wine-bibber  and  a  glutton  ;  sneered  at  as 
the  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners ;  proclaimed  the 
agent  and  partner  of  the  devil  himself ;  arrested,  after 
betrayal,  as  a  common  breeder  of  sedition ;  falsely 
accused,  smitten,  spat  upon  ;  the  hair  pulled  from  His 
cheeks  ;  condemned  as  a  criminal  ;  bound  to  a  pillar  and 
whipped  by  the  brutal  soldiers  of  Rome  ;  clothed  in  an 
old  cast-off  military  coat,  and  mocked  ;  crowned  with 
thorns,  and  crucified  between  the  two  worst  criminals 
found  in  the  Roman  prisons  at  Jerusalem.  Oh,  who 
can  know  the  shame  to  which  He  condescended  for  our 
sakes  ?  How  shall  we  measure  the  amazing  condescen- 
sion of  that  act  which  led  the  Lord  and  Master  of  death 
Himself  to  submit  to  that  awful  executioner  of  sinners — 
the  last  enemy  of  mankind  and  of  God  ?  Yet,  for  the 
joy  that  was  set  before  Him,  of  delivering  us  whom  He 
was  not  ashamed  to  call  brethren,  He  endured  the  cross 
and  despised  the  shame  of  it.  Was  He  not  rightly 
called  "  great "  by  Gabriel  ? 

Jesus  did  all  this  for  21s  voluntarily.  He  was  not 
forced  into  any  position  which  He  took.  "  Lo,  I  come ; 
I  delight  to  do  Thy  will,  O  my  God."  ^  There  was  no 
reluctance,  no  hesitancy,  but  an  infinite  delight  in  His 
heart  all  the  time.  Great  deeds  must  be  judged  by  the 
motives  which  inspire  them.  Napoleon  did  great  deeds 
— deeds  that  dazzled  the  eyes  of  the  world  ;  deeds  which 
made  him  for  a  time  the  world's  hero ;  but  we  must 
judge  of  the  greatness  of  Napoleon  and  his  deeds  by 
the  motive  which  inspired  him.  The  more  we  study 
his  life  and  character,  the  more  we  execrate  both.  His 
'  Matt.  viii.  20.  "  Ps.  xl.  7,  8. 


126  THE  SON  OF  THE  HIGHEST 

only  motive  was  a  mean,  selfish,  and  diabolical  ambition, 
for  the  sake  of  which  he  overturned  the  world,  slaugh- 
tered hundreds  of  thousands  of  men,  and  filled  the  earth 
with  the  lamentations  and  cries  of  countless  widows 
and  orphans.  In  Jesus  we  see  real  greatness  in  the 
voluntary  love  which  He  had  for  us.  He  came  will- 
ingly. He  came  and  achieved,  that  we  might  share 
with  Him  His  own  blessedness. 

4.  He  was  great  in  His  grace  toivard  us.  Grace  is 
unmerited  favour.  "  Ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  ^  Grace  is  a  much-used  word  in  the  New 
Testament,  as  if  not  enough  could  be  said  of  this  dis- 
position of  our  Lord.  "  Grace  abounding,  to  the  chief 
of  sinners " — a  title  we  might  all  borrow  from  Bun- 
yan  with  which  to  give  title  to  our  own  autobio- 
graphies. Considering  His  greatness  in  this  respect, 
we  must  take  into  account  who  and  what  we  were.  A 
race  dishonoured  and  outcast  from  God  ;  driven  forth 
under  the  curse  of  the  law.  Characters  lost,  standing 
with  God  lost,  helpless  and  hopeless.  We  who  were 
created  for  God  and  eternal  happiness  are  by  sin  des- 
tined to  be  the  companions  of  devils  in  eternal  misery, 
shame,  and  contempt.  We  may  shrink  from  taking 
or  admitting  this  heavy  indictment  against  our  race, 
but  such  is  the  truth.  If  a  few  remnants  of  our  glorious 
nature  have  been  saved  from  the  wreck  of  the  fall,  and 
diligently  cultivated  into  the  appearance  of  some  kind 
of  virtue  and  refinement,  the  study  of  human  history, 
with  its  wars,  its  crimes  of  every  nameless  kind  and 
descrijotion,  its  hates  and  enmities  and  jealousies,  and 
treasons  and  unspeakable  wickednesses,  should  show  us 
that  God's  indictment  against  the  race  of  man  is  a 
true  one.  If  we  withdraw  ourselves  individually  from 
the  mass  of  mankind,  and  make  some  kind  of  stand 
*  2  Cor.  viii.  9. 


THE  SON  OF   THE   HIGHEST  127 

for  ourselves  against  this  indictment,  each  one  of  us 
knows  that  in  our  own  hearts  we  are  alienated  and 
estranged  from  God ;  that  our  boasted  virtues  are 
largely  superficial ;  that  in  our  hearts,  in  our  thoughts, 
if  not  in  our  words  and  deeds,  there  is  a  fountain  of 
evil,  a  cesspool  of  corruption  which  we  would  not 
willingly  have  the  world  look  into.  "  The  carnal  mind 
is  enmity  against  God."  ^  The  works  of  the  flesh  the 
world  over  are  "  adultery,  fornication,  uncleanness,  las- 
civiousness,  idolatry,  witchcraft,  hatred,  variance,  emula- 
tions, wrath,  strife,  seditions,  heresies,  envyings,  murders, 
drunkenness,  revellings,  and  such  like."^  If  we  have 
not  all  gone  astray  alike,  we  have  all  alike  gone  astray, 
every  one  in  his  own  way.  There  are  none  of  us 
righteous — no,  not  one ;  for  all  have  sinned  and  come 
short  of  the  glory  of  God  ;  and  there  is  no  greater  sin 
among  our  many  sins  than  that  which  leads  us  to  deny 
our  sin.  Now,  the  greatness  of  His  grace  is  seen  in 
that  He  comes  with  grace  to  such  a  race  and  such 
individuals  of  the  race  as  we  are,  collectively  and 
individually. 

Theti  consider  His  grace  in  what  He  brings  to  7is. 
He  did  not  come  to  condemn,  but  to  forgive  the 
world.  Almost  the  first  words  of  His  public  ministry 
were  words  of  forgiveness :  "  Son,  be  of  good  cheer  ; 
thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee."  ^  How  these  words  of  our 
Lord  filled  all  the  land  where  He  lived  and  wrought  for 
God  and  man  !  The  opening  words  of  the  apostolic 
gospel  are  in  the  same  strain.  "  Be  it  known  unto  you, 
therefore,  men  and  brethren,  that  through  this  man  is 
preached  unto  you  the  forgiveness  of  sins."  *  His  for- 
giving grace  is  not  a  commodity  to  be  bargained  for,  to 
be  bought  with  good  works,  or  by  prayers  and  repent- 
ance. Forgiveness  is  the  full  and  free  proclamation  of 
'  Rom.  viii.  7.     -  Gal.  v.  19-21.     "  Matt.  ix.  2.     *  Acts  xiii.  38. 


128  THE  SON  OF  THE  HIGHEST 

God  to  the  whole  world.  Yes,  the  unconditional  favour 
of  God.  He  does  not  proclaim,  "If  you  will  repent,  I 
will  forgive  you  "  ;  but  He  proclaims,  "  Hear  Me  ;  I  for- 
give you  ;  repent  and  be  reconciled  to  Me."  "  God  was 
in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  Himself,  not  im- 
puting their  trespasses  unto  them."  ^  Believe  it,  my 
friends,  we  do  not  half  understand  the  grace  of  God  in 
Christ.  There  is  a  fulness  and  freeness  in  it,  there  are 
depths  and  heights  and  breadths  and  reaches  in  it  that 
we  have  not  grasped.  With  forgiveness  He  brings  justi- 
fication, which  sets  us  right,  as  to  standing,  with  God  ; 
and  with  justification  comes  the  new  birth,  which  begins 
to  put  us  right  characteristically  before  Him,  to  restore 
to  us  by  a  new  creation  that  which  was  lost  to  us  in  the 
old  creation,  by  reason  of  sin.  Nor  does  He  deal  out 
these  gracious  gifts  and  then  stand  apart  from  us  ;  but 
when  God  sends  forth  the  Spirit  of  His  Son  Jesus  Christ 
into  our  hearts  crying,  "  Abba,  Father,"  He  makes  us 
the  heirs  of  God  and  joint-heirs  with  Jesus  Christ,  as 
well  as  the  sons  of  God.  He  does  not  save  us  and  then 
fling  us  back  upon  ourselves  to  make  the  best  of  a  new 
trial  and  opportunity  ;  but  Himself  enters  into  us  and 
becomes  the  substance  of  our  hope  and  the  hope  of  our 
glory.  He  abides  with  us  on  the  earth  in  the  person  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  our  Comforter  ;  He  interceded  for  us 
as  our  Advocate  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  He  has 
gone  to  prepare  a  place  for  us,  that  we  may  be  with  Him 
in  His  glory  and  share  it  with  Himself  He  stooped  to 
our  low  estate  and  position  that  He  might  lift  us  to  His 
high  estate  and  into  His  glory.  Having  first  taken  part 
with  our  nature.  He  has  given  it  to  us  to  be  partakers 
of  the  divine  nature.  Truly  we  can  understand  a  little 
what  the  angel  meant  when  he  said,  "  He  shall  be  great." 
Who  that  was  not  great  in  Himself — unconditionally 
'  2  Cor.  V.  19. 


THE  SON  OF  THE  HIGHEST  129 

and  incomparably  great — could  venture  to  do  such  great 
things  for  us  ?  Surely  it  is  not  in  man  to  do  these 
things  ;  and  yet  these  things  only  have  to  be  mentioned 
to  convince  us  that  nothing  short  of  them  will  suffice  us 
in  the  long  run.  We  only  have  to  compare  all  earthly 
greatness,  and  what  comes  of  it,  with  the  true  greatness 
of  Christ  Jesus  and  what  comes  to  us  of  that,  to  say  of 
a  truth,  "  There  is  none  great  but  God  in  Christ,  who 
hath  done  great  things  for  us,  whereof  we  are  glad." 

This  Son  of  the  Highest,  this  great  Saviour,  is  God's 
gift  to  you.  He  came  to  bring  and  to  administer  God's 
love  and  life,  God's  grace  and  power.  How  can  you  not 
with  all  your  sin  and  need  accept  and  trust  Him  ?  How 
can  you  not,  having  accepted  Him  as  your  Saviour, 
knowing  His  greatness  (of  which  I  have  too  inadequately 
spoken),  confide  your  whole  spirit,  soul,  and  body  to  His 
keeping ;  and  how  can  you  not  give  to  Him  all  that  you 
are  and  have  to  serve  and  glorify  H  im  for  ever  ? 


v.v>. 


VIII 

A   MYSTERY— NOT  A   MYTH 

"And  the  angel  answered  and  said  unto  her,  The  Holy  Ghost 
shall  come  upon  thee,  and  the  power  of  the  Highest  shall  over- 
shadow thee  :  therefore  also  that  Holy  Thing  which  shall  be  born 
of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God."^LuKE  i.  35. 

WRITING  to  his  son  Timothy,  Paul  says,  "With- 
out controversy,  great  is  the  mystery  of  Godli- 
ness :  God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh,  justified  in  the 
Spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preached  unto  the  Gentiles,  be- 
lieved on  in  the  world,  received  up  into  glory."  ^  The 
first  meaning  of  the  word  mystery  is  "secret."  If  we 
had  only  the  account  of  the  creation  before  us,  in  the 
Bible,  we  might  suppose  that  God  had  completed  His 
purpose  when  He  finished  that  work,  declared  the  whole 
to  be  good,  and  then  rested  on  the  seventh  day  and 
hallowed  it.  But  a  further  reading  and  study  of  the 
word  of  God  shows  us  that  the  creation  was  but  the 
beginning  of  the  "  mystery  of  God."  God  had  a  great 
purpose  in  the  creation  of  man,  the  mystery  or  secret  of 
which  has  only  been  gradually  unfolded  to  us  through 
the  course  of  the  ages.  The  centre  of  this  mystery  is  at 
last  seen  in  Christ  and  the  Church.  "  This  is  a  great 
mystery,"  says  Paul,  "  but  I  speak  concerning  Christ 
and  the  Church,"^  which  is  His  body,  and  which  in  the 
ages  to  come  will  at  once  reveal  and  embody  the 
mystery  of  the  hidden  wisdom  of  God.     Little  by  little 

^  I  Tim.  iii.  16.  -  Eph.  v.  32. 


A   MYSTERY— NOT  A    MYTH  131 

God  has  taken  us  into  His  confidence,  until  at  last  we 
are  fairly  able  to  understand  the  "  mystery  of  the 
Gospel."  ^  In  the  passage  quoted  in  the  opening  sen- 
tence of  this  discourse  there  is  a  statement  of  the  "  great 
mystery,"  and  of  several  of  its  many  chapters.  They 
stand  in  this  order  : 

The  mystery  of  the  hicarnatioii,  "  God  manifested  in 
the  flesh." 

The  mystery  of  the  Resurrection^  "  Justified  in  the 
Spirit "  ;  that  is,  raised  from  the  dead. 

The  mystery  of  redernptioji,  "  Seen  of  angels,"  which 
may  refer  either  to  the  resurrection  or  to  the  crucifixion, 
that  mystery  "  which  the  angels  desire  to  look  into."  ^ 

"  The  mystery  .  .  .  that  the  Gentiles  should  be 
fellow  heirs  and  of  the  same  body."  ^  The  Incarnation 
was  "  preached  to  the  Gentiles." 

"  The  mystery  of  Faith" '^  "  believed  on  in  the  world.". 

The  "  mystery  of  the  kiiigdom  "  ^ — the  first  radiant 
movement  of  which  was  seen  when  Christ  "  was  received 
up  into  glory." 

To  these  and  other  mysteries  mentioned  in  the  scrip- 
tures of  both  Old  and  New  Testaments  may  be  added 
the  Second  Coming  of  our  Lord,  which  is  the  central 
fact  in  the  closing  chapter  of  wonders  by  which  shall  be 
"  finished  the  mystery  of  God."  ^ 

If  we  hold  steadily  in  our  mind  the  thought  that  the 
revelation  of  God,  both  in  word  and  in  event,  is  the 
gradual  unfolding  of  the  "  eternal  purpose  which  He 
purposed  in  Christ,"  '^  we  shall  be  able  to  surmount 
many  difficulties  which  we  find  in  the  scriptures  and 
which  are  propounded  to  us  by  the  common  unbelief  of 
the  world.  As  we  have  been  able  to  bear  the  "  revela- 
tion of  the  mystery,"  God  has  from  time  to  time  "  un- 

^  Eph.  vi.  19.     ^  I  Pet.  i.  12.      ^  Eph.  iii.  3-6.     ^  i  Tim.  iii.  9. 
^  Mark  iv.  11.        ^  Rev.  x.  7  (R.V.).        "'  Eph.  iii.  11. 


132  A   MYSTERY— NOT  A   MYTH 

covered  our  ears,"  and  whispered  His  purpose  and  plans 
to  us.  "  Unto  you,"  says  our  Lord,  "  it  is  given  to  know 
the  mystery  of  the  kingdom  of  God."  ^  This  method  of 
God  in  reveahng  to  us  "  things  to  come,"  or  explaining 
to  us  things  wonderful  and  strange  that  have  come  to 
pass,  prevents  surprise  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the 
other,  enables  us  to  understand  many  things  which  we 
otherwise  could  not  understand.  It  also  prepares  us  for 
"  new  things  "  which  the  world  cannot  accept  or  receive, 
because  the  world  knoweth  not  the  mysteries  of  God. 
It  is  true  that  the  secrets  of  God  when  once  communi- 
cated are  open  secrets,  "  but  the  natural  man  receiveth 
not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  because  they  are 
spiritually  discerned."^  Having  ears  to  hear,  he  hears 
not ;  and  eyes  to  see,  sees  not ;  for  had  they  heard  and 
seen  that  which  was  communicated  by  the  prophets  and 
enacted  before  their  eyes,  they  would  not  have  rejected 
and  crucified  the  Lord  of  Glory,  nor  would  they  now 
turn  away  from  those  things  which  are  reported  and 
demonstrated  to  be  true  "  by  many  infallible  proofs."  ^ 

Since  the  first  announcement  of  the  coming  of  a 
Saviour,  given  to  fallen  man  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  the 
world  has  been  prepared  (by  this  promise)  for  the  larger 
development  of  this  great  mystery.  When  God  en- 
larged and  made  this  Edenic  promise  more  plain,  in  the 
covenant  made  with  Abraham,  concerning  his  seed,  in 
whom  "  shall  all  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed,"  ^  this 
"  mystery "  of  God  was  further  unfolded.  From  that 
time  onward  the  coming  of  the  Messiah  became  the 
passionate  expectation  of  the  Jewish  people.  As  the 
time  drew  nigh  for  Christ  to  come,  that  expectation 
flamed  into  an  uncontrollable  fanaticism.  The  Jews 
of  our  Lord's  time  became  infatuated  with  the  belief 
and  desire  that  the  coming  Messiah  would  be  a  great 
^  Mark  iv.  ii.     ^  i  Cor.  ii.  14.     ^  Acts  i.  3.     *  Gen.  xii.  3. 


A   MYSTERY— NOT  A   MYTH  133 

temporal  prince.  They  had  not  given  heed  to  all  the 
unfoldings  of  the  mystery  by  the  prophets,  and  so  were 
led  to  expect  only  a  great  conquering  prince  who  should 
deliver  them  from  the  oppression  of  their  enemies  and 
establish  them  on  the  earth  amid  the  glories  of  the 
Messianic  kingdom.  In  other  words,  they  had  over- 
looked the  mystery  of  our  Lord's  humiliation  ;  and  so 
rejected  Him  when  He  came.  "  He  came  unto  His 
own,  and  His  own  received  Him  not."  ^  This  "  mystery 
of  God,"  though  especially  communicated  to  the  Hebrew 
people,  was  not  altogether  confined  to  their  knowledge. 
The  secret,  so  to  speak,  had  gotten  abroad,  and  the 
prophet  Haggai  tells  us  that  He  "  was  the  desire  of  all 
nations."^  In  the  meantime  His  coming  has  been  the 
theme  of  all  the  prophets  and  the  inspiration  of  all  holy 
song.  Since  His  coming  millions  of  souls  have  turned 
to  Him  for  relief  from  the  intolerable  burden  of  human 
sin  and  guilt,  and  for  deliverance  from  the  fear  of  death, 
in  the  hope  of  immortality. 

It  is  here,  at  the  place  of  the  unfolding  of  the  great 
"  mystery  of  godliness,"  the  announcement  of  the  Incar- 
nation to  Mary,  that  we  get  close  to  the  source  of  our 
salvation.  Now  we  know  what  and  whom  to  trust.  The 
arm  of  flesh  cannot  save  us.  It  is  vain  to  put  our  trust 
in  princes.  "  Silver  and  gold  shall  not  be  able  to  deliver 
in  the  day  of  the  wrath  of  the  Lord."  ^  And  we  know 
that  "  by  the  deeds  of  the  law  there  shall  no  flesh  be 
justified  in  His  sight."  ^  Despairing,  then,  of  all  self- 
help,  of  all  earthly  powers,  of  riches  and  self-righteous- 
ness, where,  and  to  whom,  shall  we  turn  ?  "I  will  trust, 
and  not  be  afraid  :  for  the  Lord  JEHOVAH  is  my  strength 
and  my  song;  He  also  is  become  my  salvation."^  It 
is  here,  then,  in  the  Incarnation  of  the  Lord  JEHOVAH, 

^  John  i.  II.        ^  Hag.  ii.  7.        ^  Ezek.  vii.  19. 
*  Rom.  iii.  20.  ^  Isa.  xii.  2. 


134  A   MYSTERY— NOT  A   MYTH 

that  all  human  hope  for  time  and  eternity  centres.  The 
Jehovah  of  the  Old  Testament  is  the  Jesus  of  the 
New  Testament. 

There  is  a  disposition  in  our  time  to  deal  only  with 
second  causes.  The  too  exclusive  and  too  close  study 
of  natural  phenomena  has  blinded  the  eyes  of  many 
scientific  inquirers  to  the  existence  of  anything  be- 
hind phenomena.  This  disposition  to  deal  with  second 
causes  has  led  to  much  confusion  both  in  the  world  of 
philosophy  and  of  science. 

If  only  we  could  get  behind  the  mysteries  of  nature, 
what  revelations  of  glory  there  would  be  !  I  am  con- 
scious of  my  consciousness,  therefore  I  know  that  "  I 
am."  But  what  lies  behind  consciousness  ?  Shall  I  be 
content  with  simply  knowing  ex  cogito  that  "  I  am  "  ;  or 
shall  I  push  the  question  back  and  ask,  "  Whence  am 
I  ?"  If  only  we  could  know  what  lies  behind  all  things 
— behind  what  we  call  matter,  behind  life — what  peace 
would  come  to  us  in  our  pursuit  after  knowledge !  On 
the  other  hand,  if  there  is  a  popular  disposition  to  deal 
with  second  causes,  there  is  also  a  strong  movement  on 
the  part  of  more  thoughtful  students,  in  every  branch 
of  human  knowledge,  to  get  behind  original  sources  of 
knowledge  ;  partly  that  doubts  may  be  resolved,  and 
that  the  great  gaps  now  existing  in  our  present  know- 
ledge may  be  filled  in.  A  history  written  fifty  years 
ago,  no  matter  how  conscientiously,  has  to  be  re-written 
to-day  in  order  that  it  may  be  reliable,  or  at  least  edited, 
to  correct  mistakes  or  supply  new  facts  gathered  from 
further  sources  of  information.  I  have  been  recently 
re-reading  Gibbon's  great  history.  We  have  been  wont 
to  rely  upon  Gibbon  for  facts,  however  we  may  have 
questioned  his  ingenuousness  in  those  matters  where  his 
prejudices  led  him  astray ;  but  now  we  have  to  read 
Gibbon  with  Guizot's  and  Millman's  notes  in  order  to 


A   MYSTERY— NOT  A   MYTH  135 

be  measurably  sure  of  the  facts  which  he  records.  The 
scientist  is  pushing  his  investigations  farther  and  farther 
in  toward  the  origin  of  phenomena,  and  standard  scien- 
tific books  must  be  revised  at  least  every  ten  years 
to  keep  in  touch  with  our  advancing  knowledge.  The 
archaeologist  is  literally  spading  up  the  whole  ancient 
world,  in  order  to  discover  some  new  clue  to  the  maze 
of  history.  Every  rough  arrow  head  is  preserved  and 
treasured  beside  every  fragment  of  broken  pottery,  the 
smallest  cylinder,  and  rudest  brick,  upon  which  some 
hieroglyphics  may  be  found.  This  that  scepticism  may 
be  satisfied,  and  the  gaps  in  our  historical  and  scientific 
knowledge,  if  not  filled  in,  at  least  bridged.  Nor  is 
this  spirit  of  backward  inquiry  content  with  matters  of 
common  history  and  science.  The  sacred  scriptures 
themselves  have  come  in  for  their  share  of  this  deeper 
inquiry.  A  hundred  years  ago  the  christian  world  was 
content  to  accept  the  scriptures  as  we  have  them,  with- 
out question,  as  the  word  of  God.  But  now  the  question 
is  asked  on  every  hand,  "  How  do  you  know  that  the 
present  canon  of  scripture  is  the  true  one  ?  How  do 
you  know  that  Moses  wrote  the  Pentateuch  ?  that  Daniel 
wrote  the  book  attributed  to  him  ?  that  John  wrote  the 
fourth  gospel,  or  Peter  the  epistles  that  bear  his  name  ?  " 
We  may  not  shut  our  eyes  and  ears  and  say,  "  We  will 
not  inquire  ;  we  will  accept  what  our  fathers  accepted  ; 
we  desire  not  to  look  to  foundations ;  we  are  content 
with  superstructure."  If  the  scriptures  are  the  inspired 
record  of  a  divine  revelation,  we  want  to  know  it ;  but 
we  want  to  know  why  and  how  we  know  it.  It  is  well 
that  it  should  be  so.  We  do  not  oppose,  but  welcome 
all  criticism  which  carries  us  back  toward  the  beginning, 
and  that  deals  in  the  most  thorough  manner  even  with 
the  sacred  scriptures,  which  have  received,  and  still  hold, 
our  profoundest  veneration   and  confidence.      All   this 


136  A   MYSTERY—NOT  A   MYTH 

radical  inquiry  as  to  the  source  of  thinc^s,  this  indis- 
position to  accept  anything  which  does  not  and  cannot 
produce  its  pedigree,  has  disturbed  the  whole  superstruc- 
ture of  our  knowledge.  But  as  I  have  said,  if  all  this 
drives  us  back  to  the  beginning  of  things,  and  settles 
our  knowledge  on  the  eternal  foundation  of  truth,  then 
these  seismic  disturbances  will  not  have  been  in  vain. 
Among  theologians  the  same  tendency  is  observable. 
"  Back  to  the  Fathers,"  cry  the  Romanist  and  Anglican. 
"  Back  to  the  Apostles,"  cries  the  Protestant  Dissenter. 
"  Back  to  Christ,"  cry  a  certain  school  of  new  theologians, 
who  are  doubtful  of  the  Apostles.  "  Back  to  God  "  is, 
and  must  be,  the  final  cry.  Back  to  GOD  IN  CHRIST 
—to  CHRIST  IN  GOD.  This  is  to  take  us  to  the 
little  city  of  Nazareth,  and  place  us  by  the  side  of 
Gabriel  and  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  listen,  with  all  our 
hearts,  as  the  "  great  mystery  of  godliness  "  is  unfolded. 

There  is  a  striking  and  significant  similarity  in  the 
record  of  the  old  and  the  new  creation,  but  in  comparing 
them  we  feel  that  we  have  made  great  progress  ;  that 
the  mystery — the  secret  of  God — is  being  wonderfully 
unfolded,  so  that  we  really  begin  to  see  the  glorious  end 
of  it.     "  In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens  and 
the  earth."  ^      What   is   the  mystery  of  the  creation  ? 
GOD  !  God  creating — unfolding  His  purpose  in  creation. 
"  In  the  beginning  was  the   Word,  and  the  Word  was 
with  God,  and  the  Word  WAS  GOD  ;  and  the  WORD 
WAS    MADE    FLESH   AND  DWELT  amongst  us 
(and   we   beheld   His  glory,  the   glory  as   of  the  only 
begotten    of    the   Father),   full   of    grace   and   truth."  ^ 
What,  then,  is  the  mystery  of  the  new  creation  ?      Why, 
GOD  manifest  in  the  flesh.     God  in  Christ,  reconciling 
the  world  to  Himself.     We  begin  to  see  !     The  creation 
recorded  by   Moses  was  only  the  first  chapter  in  the 
^  Gen.  i.  i.  *  John  i.  i,  14. 


A   MYSTERY— NOT  A   MYTH  137 

"  mystery  of  godliness  "  ;  the  new^  creation  recorded  by 
John,  the  full  details  of  which  are  given  by  Luke,  is  the 
centre  and  key  to  the  whole  mystery,  explaining  all  that 
went  before,  and  illuminating  the  pathway  along  which 
the  finished  mystery  of  God  is  seen.  Let  us  now  turn 
to  the  consideration  of  the  "  great  mystery "  of  the 
Incarnation. 

I.  The  Great  Mystery.     We  must  dismiss  from 
our  minds  all  thought  that  a  mystery  is  necessarily  some- 
thing vague  and  uncertain  as  to  fad.     I   have  already 
said  that  the  first  meaning  of  mystery  is  "  a  secret " — 
something  not  generally  or  heretofore  known.    We  often 
speak  of  the  mysterious  actions  of  this  or  that  man,  or 
the  mysterious  purposes  of  this  or  that  statesman,  of 
movements  which,  as  yet,  are  unexplained,  or  purposes 
not  yet  unfolded.     We  read  of  some  great  crime  which 
has   been    committed,   but   which   is   still   shrouded   in 
mystery ;    that    both    the   perpetrator  and    his    motive 
are  secret  or  unknown.     A  "  mysterious  man  "  is  none 
the  less  a  man  ;  he  is  only  an  unknown  man.      Now, 
the  Incarnation  is  a  mystery,  or  was  a  secret,  in  the 
purpose   of  God,  but   now   fully  revealed   by  the   an- 
nouncement of  the  angel  to  Mary.     The  world  for  long 
centuries  had  been  apprised  of  the  coming  of  Immanuel 
— God  with  us — and  that  He  should  be  born  of  a  virgin, 
and  where  He  should  be  born — in  Bethlehem.     But  all 
this  was  an  unsolved  mystery  until  the  angel  announced 
to  Mary :  "  The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee,  and 
the  power  of  the  Highest  shall  overshadow  thee  :  there- 
fore also  that  Holy  Thing  which  shall  be  born  of  thee 
shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God."     Here  is  no  myth,  but 
the  unfolding  of  a  mystery. 

A  myth  is  the  creation  of  the  imagination,  usually 
invented  and  developed  for  the  purpose  of  embodying 
some  idea  or  belief.     The  mythologies  of  Greece  and 


138  A   MYSTERY— NOT  A   MYTH" 

Rome,  or  of  the  Hindus,  were  not  facts,  but  fancies ; 
fancies,  I  believe,  embodied  in  the  stories  of  their 
imaginary  gods,  originating  in  that  mysterious  longing 
in  man  for  the  embodiment  of  God,  which  was  im- 
planted in  his  nature  from  the  beginning,  to  prepare  and 
qualify  him  for  the  reception  of  the  Incarnation  when  in 
the  fulness  of  time  Christ  should  come.  While  there  is 
this  much  connection  between  myths  and  mysteries,  it 
is  utterly  wrong  and  misleading  to  confound  a  mystery 
with  a  myth,  and  especially  misleading  to  confound  the 
mystery  of  the  Incarnation  with  a  mythology.  And  yet 
there  is  a  school  of  interpretation — the  mythical  or 
legendary  school — which,  instead  of  reasoning  from  the 
ancient  mythologies  (the  product  of  the  religious  imagin- 
ation in  its  effort  to  bring  the  "  gods  "  within  the  region 
of  sense)  to  the  great  mystery  of  godliness  which  brought 
God  Incarnate  before  us,  has  reasoned  backward  from 
the  Incarnation  to  the  mythologies.  On  this  principle 
the  story  of  the  creation  of  man,  his  temptation  and  fall, 
are  treated  as  myths,  pictorial  allegories,  by  the  aid  of 
which  we  may  explain  or  grasp  the  mystery  of  man's 
appearance  upon  the  earth,  and  his  present  degeneration. 
In  like  manner  the  story  of  the  Exodus  from  Egypt  is 
treated  as  a  mere  poetical  account  of  a  great  struggle  for 
liberty,  in  which  the  Hebrews  were  gloriously  victorious 
over  the  Pharaoh  of  Egypt.  Abraham  and  Isaac,  these 
same  interpreters  tell  us,  were  not  real  living  men,  but 
myths,  creations  of  the  religious  and  poetical  imagina- 
tion, for  the  purpose  of  explaining  or  making  history. 
By  many  the  story  of  Job  is  so  treated.  The  struggle 
of  Jacob  with  the  angel  is  not  historical,  but  mytho- 
logical, a  story  of  the  imagination  by  which  we  better 
learn  the  nature  of  the  mental  conflict  of  a  bad  man 
with  his  better  self  So  Elijah's  conflicts  with  the  priests 
of  Baal  on  Mount  Carmel  is  treated.     "  This  is  not  his- 


A   MYSTERY— NOT  A  MYTH  139 

tory,"  these  interpreters  tell  us,  "  but  poetry."  They 
condescend  to  say  it  is  very  good  poetry  and  very 
useful  mythology.  The  story  of  the  Hebrew  children 
in  the  fiery  furnace,  and  of  Daniel  in  the  lions'  den,  are 
likewise  myths.  The  story  of  Lot's  wife,  and  of  Jonah 
and  the  whale,  are  of  the  same  nature,  only  not  so  good 
as  some  of  the  others.  Only  recently  one  of  our  own 
ministers  justified  belief  in  the  story  of  Jonah  by  appeal- 
ing to  the  myth  of  Andromeda,  saying,  as  we  can  get 
good  out  of  the  old  Greek  myth,  why  should  we  reject 
the  story  of  Jonah,  when  we  may  likewise  draw  useful 
and  helpful  lessons  from  it  ?  Having  disposed  of  all  the 
Old  Testament  mysteries  and  miracles  by  an  applying 
to  them  the  mythical  theory,  it  is  not  so  difficult  to 
apply  the  same  method  to  the  Incarnation,  which  some 
boldly  do.  The  resurrection  of  Jesus  from  the  dead  is 
treated  in  like  manner ;  as  is  also  His  ascension  into 
heaven.  As  for  His  second  coming,  that  is  mythed 
away  into  death,  the  revival  of  christian  enthusiasm  in 
some  time  to  come,  and  a  score  of  other  intellectual 
and  religious  movements.  The  resurrection  promised 
to  believers  is,  of  course,  only  the  promise  of  the  survival 
of  the  spiritual  nature  of  man  ;  a  very  small  advance,  if 
any  advance  at  all,  upon  the  speculative  immortality  of 
the  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans.  But  as  we  read  these 
Bible  records,  we  feel  sure  that  we  are  called  upon  to 
contemplate  facts  and  not  fancies.  Myths  originate  in 
remote  periods  of  past  ages,  but  the  Incarnation  took 
place  in  the  days  of  Augustus  Caesar,  when  Herod  was 
on  the  throne  in  Judaea.  It  was  announced  in  Nazareth 
and  consummated  in  Bethlehem  of  Judsea.  It  is  not 
easy  to  unite  the  historical  and  the  mythical  in  such 
a  modern  case.  Who  will  tell  us  in  what  country,  in 
whose  reign,  and  what  were  the  attending  historical 
circumstances  in  connection  with  the  birth  of  Jupiter, 


I40  A   MYSTERY— NOT  A   MYTH 

or  Siva,  or  Vishnu,  or  Krishna  ?  The  historical  setting 
of  the  Incarnation  is  too  vivid  and  real  for  us  to  treat 
it  in  any  sense  as  a  myth,  or  otherwise  than  as  a  fact, 
extraordinary  and  stupendous  as  it  is.  Let  us  consider 
this  point  a  little. 

I.  The  Incarnation  is  ati  extraordinary  event,  but  7iot 
therefore  to  be  rejected  as  a  myth.  Extraordinary  !  Yes  ; 
of  course.  If  there  had  been  nothing  extraordinary 
in  the  advent  of  JEHOVAH  into  the  world,  on  His 
mission  of  salvation  to  men,  how  should  we  have  known 
that  it  was  JEHOVAH  ?  On  what  ground  should  we 
have  been  exhorted  to  trust  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ? 
If  He  were  after  all  only  a  man,  conceived  and  born 
as  other  men  are  conceived  and  born,  with  the  same 
hereditary  taint  of  sin  and  subject  to  the  same  inex- 
orable law  of  mortality  as  the  rest  of  us — in  that  case 
we  might  indeed  embrace  His  teachings  so  far  as  they 
relate  to  abstract  truth  or  practical  ethics  ;  but  trust 
Him,  commit  the  keeping  of  our  souls  to  Him,  receive 
from  Him  the  gift  of  eternal  life,  we  could  not.  The 
best  and  most  we  could  do  would  be  to  canonize  Him 
along  with  Socrates,  Marcus  Antoninus  Aurelius,  and 
other  great  ethical  philosophers.  The  Unitarians  are 
entirely  consistent  in  this  matter.  Having  denied  the 
supernatural  character  of  Jesus  Christ,  they  refuse  to 
worship  or  trust  Him  as  God,  but  accept  Him  as  the 
greatest  of  religious  teachers.  Their  faith  still  stands 
on  the  earth,  and  cannot  lift  them  into  the  heavens 
from  whence  came  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  "  To  believe 
that  a  virgin  who  had  never  known  a  man  should  con- 
ceive and  bring  forth  a  son  is  to  believe  an  incredible 
thing.  "  To  believe  this,  we  must,"  they  say,  "  believe 
that  the  invariable  order  of  nature  has  been  revolu- 
tionized, or  at  least  transcended,  in  such  a  way  as  to 
contradict   and   overthrow   all   law."      No  doubt  some 


A   MYSTERY— NOT  A   MYTH  141 

such  thought  as  this  was  in  the  innocent  mind  of  the 
virgin  herself  when  she  remarked  to  the  angel,  "  How 
shall  this  be,  seeing  I  know  not  a  man  ?  "  Will  the  laws 
of  nature  be  suspended,  broken,  overturned  ?  This, 
the  sceptics  affirm,  they  cannot  believe.  But  is  it  not 
a  rather  large  assumption  to  make  when  they  say  that 
God  can7iot  accomplish  a  purpose  which  was  present 
with  Him  when  He  created  nature  and  man,  without 
violating,  suspending,  or  overturning  His  laws?  Must 
we  assume  that  we  are  familiar  with  all  the  laws  of 
nature  and  of  God  ;  that  we  know  everything  already ; 
that  God  made  no  provision  for  this  event  when  He 
made  man  and  purposed  his  redemption  ?  We  do  not, 
for  a  moment,  believe  that  the  Incarnation  or  any  of 
the  lesser  miracles  in  connection  with  the  "  great  mys- 
tery of  godliness "  involve  any  breach  or  overturning 
of  the  laws  of  nature.  We  do  believe,  however,  that 
here,  as  in  every  other  event  which  we  characterize  as 
miraculous,  the  ordinary  course  of  nature  has  been  de- 
parted from  ;  that  nature,  as  we  understand  nature,  has 
been  transcended  ;  that  here  a  higher  power  than  any 
stored  up  in  nature  is  at  work.  To  Mary's  amazed 
inquiry  the  angel  made  answer,  "  For  with  God  nothing 
shall  be  impossible."  ^  Here  is  the  crux  of  the  contro- 
versy. The  angel  did  not  announce  a  natural,  but  a 
supernatural  event.  He  did  not  say  that  the  Holy 
Thing  to  be  born  of  her  should  be  conceived  according 
to  the  course  of  nature,  but  according  to  the  power  of 
God  ;  acting,  if  you  please,  in  nature,  out  of  the  course 
of  nature  and  off  the  lines  of  any  previous  human  ex- 
perience. Jesus  Himself  announced  the  same  great 
truth  when  He  said  to  His  disciples  on  a  certain  occa- 
sion, "  With  men  this  is  impossible,  but  with  God  all 
things  are  possible."^  And  so,  on  a  later  occasion, 
^  Luke  i.  yj.  ^  Matt.  xix.  26. 


142  A   MYSTERY— NOT  A   MYTH 

when  Paul  was  making  his  defence  before  Agrippa,  he 
put  the  case  thus  to  meet  the  same  sceptical  spirit, 
"  Why  should  it  be  thought  a  thing  incredible  with  you 
that  God  should  raise  the  dead  ?  "  ^  You  will  perceive 
that  this  is  not  a  question  as  to  what  is  possible  with 
nature,  but  whether  it  is  possible  with  God.  If  we  push 
this  controversy  back,  I  think  we  shall  find  that  with 
the  sceptic  it  is  not  so  much  a  question  as  to  whether 
it  is  possible  that  God  could  or  would  bring  about  this 
miracle,  as  it  is  ivhether  there  be  any  God  at  all ;  whether 
there  is  any  power  in  the  universe  that  transcends  that 
which  we  call  nature.  Even  Prof.  Huxley,  in  his  later 
and  more  thoughtful  years,  speaking  as  a  scientist 
\purely,  says  that  it  is  unscientific  to  say  that  anything 
is  impossible.  I  think,  then,  we  may  safely  say  that, 
either  from  the  theistic  or  the  scientific  point  of  view, 
the  Incarnation,  as  related  by  Luke  and  Matthew,  af- 
firmed by  John,  and  taught  by  all  the  Apostles,  was 
not  an  impossible  event,  transcendent  though  it  was. 

The  Incarnation  is  a  new  revelation  in  human  experi- 
ence, but  not  for  that  reason  to  be  rejected  as  a  fact.  We 
admit,  not  only  readily,  but  joyfully,  that  the  Incarna- 
tion is  entirely  new  to  human  experience.  Were  it  not, 
or  had  it  only  been  another  event  more  or  less  common 
to  human  experience,  we  would  not  have  been  lifted  out 
of  our  human  environment,  or  helped  to  anything  above 
our  present  helplessness  and  hopelessness.  But  why 
should  there  be  no  new  revelations  in  human  experi- 
ence ?  Have  there  never  been  new  revelations  in  human 
experience?  Was  everything,  as  we  know  it,  complete 
and  perfect  from  the  foundation  of  the  world  ?  The 
first  man  was  not  born,  but  created.  The  first  woman 
was  not  created  as  the  first  man  was,  neither  was  she 
born,  but  taken  from  man's  side  in  an  extraordinary 
'  Acts  xxvi.  8. 


A   MYSTERY— NOT  A   MYTH  143 

manner.  Cain  did  not  come  into  the  world  as  either  of 
his  parents  did.  He  was  begotten  by  his  father  and 
born  of  his  mother.  That  first  birth  was  a  new  experi- 
ence, and  what  a  wonderful  experience  it  was — what  a 
revelation  of  the  purpose  of  God — what  an  unfolding  of 
His  secret !  The  birth  of  the  first  man  was  as  much  of 
a  wonder,  in  its  way,  as  the  Incarnation  itself  It  was 
as  much  of  a  departure  from  the  "  ordinary  course  of 
things  "  as  was  the  miraculous  conception  of  our  Lord. 
But  there  were  other  new  things  or  experiences  to  come 
after  birth.  We  do  not  know  how  long  after  the  first 
birth  of  man  into  the  world  came  that  next  great 
mystery — death.  The  possibility  of  death  was  foretold 
at  the  time  of  the  creation  ;  but  the  experience  of  it  was 
unknown.  When  it  came,  what  a  dreadful  shock  it  was  ! 
Then,  indeed,  the  whole  creation  began  to  groan  and 
travail  in  pain  together.  Does  some  one  say  that  death 
was  contemplated  from  the  beginning  ?  Well,  who  then 
shall  say  that  the  Incarnation  was  not  contemplated  and 
provided  for  in  the  beginning  ?  Did  Adam  and  Eve 
know  the  mysterious  provisions  made  in  their  physical 
constitution  for  the  reproduction  of  their  own  kind,  by 
generation  and  birth  ?  And  though  they  heard  the 
warning  word  at  the  beginning,  "  In  the  day  that  thou 
eatest  thereof,  dying  thou  shalt  die,"  ^  did  they  under- 
stand what  death  was,  or  did  they  deny  the  fact  when 
it  came,  with  all  its  shuddering  horror,  because  they  had 
lived,  perhaps,  a  hundred  years  before  ?  Therefore,  if 
from  the  beginning  God  provided  for  birth,  and  death  to 
follow  in  the  course  of  time,  after  creation,  why  should 
it  be  thought  an  incredible  thing  that  God  should  have 
from  the  beginning  contemplated  and  provided  for  re- 
surrection ?  Shall  we  say  that  because  life  and  immor- 
tality were  not  brought  to  light  for  a  thousand,  or  four 
'  Gen.  ii.  17. 


144  A   MYSTERY— NOT  A   MYTH 

thousand,  or  any  number  of  thousand  years  after  death 
entered  into  the  world,  that  therefore  it  was  not  con- 
templated in  God's  plan  ?  Geologists  tell  us  that 
■>nUlions  of  years  elapsed  after  the  appearance  of  what 
we  call  the  substantial  matter  of  this  world  before  life 
appeared  on  the  earth.  But  shall  we  say  that  it  was  an 
incredible  thing  that  life  should  appear  in  a  world  in 
which  there  had  been  no  life  for  a  million  years  or  a 
million  ages  ?  Does  not  all  nature  teach  us  that  God 
unfolds  His  secret  purposes — His  mysteries — slowly  ? 
Shall  we  say  to  Him,  because  He  has  not  wrought  a 
wonder  such  as  the  Incarnation  frequently  from  the 
beginning,  He  must  not  presume  to  introduce  such  a 
mystery  at  a  later  period  in  the  history  of  man,  because 
it  is  upsetting  to  our  settled  ideas  of  uniformity  and 
sequence  in  nature  ?  Shall  God  never  do  a  new  or  an 
extraordinary  thing  in  His  own  world  ?  Has  He  ex- 
hausted Himself  in  the  present  creation  ?  Are  there  no 
more  possibilities  in  Him  who  made  all  worlds  ?  We 
allow  that  even  human  genius  may  go  on  inventing  and 
bringing  to  perfection  scientific  and  mechanical  wonders. 
Should  the  genius  of  Edison  slumber  for  fifty  years, 
dare  we  forbid  that  he  should  rouse  himself  and  bring  a 
new  thing  out  of  his  laboratory  ?  Shall  we  say  "  No  !  " 
to  him,  because  after  having  ceased  to  work  for  so  long 
a  time,  it  would  be  unseemly  for  him  to  disturb  us  again 
after  we  had  settled  down  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
wonders  of  electricity  had  been  exhausted  ?  Oh  no  !  it 
is  not  the  power  of  man  which  we  limit ;  we  do  not  say 
to  him,  "  Thus  far  shalt  thou  go,  but  no  farther  "  ;  we 
reserve  that  prohibitive  mandate  for  God. 

In  a  zvorld  hifinitely  fill  of  variety,  both  in  phenomena 
and  law,  must  we  bind  God  down  to  those  varieties  of 
His  creative  power  which  have  already  appeared  on  the 
stage  of  the  world's  development  ?     Has  not  God  in  the 


A   MYSTERY— NOT  A    MYTH  145 

infinite  and  ever-increasing  variations  in  nature,  which 
we  are  constantly  discovering,  given  us  a  prophecy  of 
new  wonders,  yet  reserved  within  His  purpose  ?  It  is 
the  more  common  order  of  nature  that  flowers  should 
bloom  annually ;  yet  there  is  a  plant — the  century  plant 
— which  blooms  but  once  in  a  hundred  years.  Is  not 
this  extraordinary  when  compared  with  the  common 
habit  of  flowers  ?  So  the  common  rule  and  order  in 
nature  is  that  flowers  bloom  in  the  day  time ;  yet  there 
is  a  flower  known  as  the  Jiight-blooming  cereus,  which 
closes  its  petals  to  the  sunlight  and  opens  them  to  the 
darkness.  In  my  country  there  is  a  lovely  little  ground- 
vine  which  we  call  the  arbutus,  which  flowers  under  the 
snow,  and  there,  in  the  very  earliest  month  of  the  spring 
time,  we  find  it  under  its  cold  white  blanket,  beautiful  in 
form,  exquisite  in  colour,  and  delicate  in  perfume.  Shall 
we  reject  the  little  arbutus  because  it  chooses  to  "  violate 
the  common  order  of  nature,"  and  blossoms  where  other 
flowers  would  die,  or  at  least  refuse  to  bloom  ?  It  is  the 
common  order  for  trees  to  shed  their  foliage  annually, 
but  then  we  have  non-deciduous  trees  which  refuse  to 
shed  their  leaves  at  all.  Can  any  one  tell  why  this 
deviation  is  persisted  in,  in  the  face  of  the  common 
habits  of  the  forest? 

In  a  world  infinitely  full  of  mystery,  each  one  of  which 
seems  to  be  a  promise  and  portent  of  more  mysteries, 
shall  we  refuse  belief  to  the  culminating  mystery  of  the 
universe,  one  which  seems  to  crown  and  give  meaning  to 
all  those  which  have  gone  before  ?  Must  we  conclude 
that  we  are — that  creation  is — bound  hand  and  foot  by 
a  fixed  and  exclusive  law,  to  a  fixed  and  unvarying 
order  of  events  brought  about  by  a  fixed  and  invariable 
method  ?  That  were  to  pronounce  God's  world  a 
viachine,  and  not  a  part  of  a  great  universe.  Because 
an  Italian  organ-grinder  can  only  produce  six  tunes  in 

P.B. 


146  A   MYSTERY— NOT  A   MYTH 

regular  sequence  upon  his  poor  little  rriechanical  barrel, 
shall  we  say  that  there  can  only  be  so  many  tunes  played 
on  the  great  church  organ,  which  is  not  manipulated  by 
fixed  pegs  on  a  barrel,  but  by  the  skilful  and  sensitive 
fingers  of  a  great  musician  whose  whole  soul  thrills  to  the 
melody  which  he  produces  ?  Shall  we  say  that  on  a  pipe 
organ  no  new  tunes  can  be  played,  no  new  combinations 
executed,  no  new  harmonies  extemporized  ?  That  would 
be  strange  indeed.  But  there  are  those  who  hold  that 
God's  universe  is  a  machine — a  mechanism — not  a  crea- 
tmi  ;  that  it  is  constructed  on  the  principles  of  a  barrel- 
organ,  and  not  on  those  that  enter  into  the  structure  of 
the  great  cathedral  or  church  organ.  I,  for  one,  have  no 
such  low  thoughts  of  God  and  His  infinite  resources — no 
such  low  thoughts  of  this  glorious  creation,  of  which  I 
also  am  a  part. 

Mtist  there  be  no  deviation  from  the  common  laiv  of 
natural  birth,  inevitable  and  calamitous  death  ?  Is  there 
no  remedy  or  deliverance  from  this  inexorable  treadmill 
of  miserable  experience — birth,  sin,  suffering,  struggle, 
death  ?  That  were  indeed  to  have  a  hard  thought  of 
God.  I  would  a  thousand  times  rather  be  an  atheist, 
than  to  believe  in  the  existence  of  a  God  who  was  great 
enough  to  create  a  universe,  wicked  enough  to  abandon 
it  to  its  own  devices,  to  a  fixed  and  remorseless  fate  of 
evil,  or  too  feeble  to  come  to  its  help  and  rescue  in  the 
time  of  its  sorest  need. 

II.  The  Incarnation  not  an  Unexpected 
Event.  To  hear  some  sceptics  and  thoughtless  un- 
believers talk,  one  would  suppose  that  the  Incarnation 
was  a  mystery  suddenly  sprung  upon  an  unexpecting 
world.  But  was  this  the  case?  Let  us  see.  God  for 
ages — from  the  beginning  of  the  creation  of  the  world 
— had  been  whispering  this.  His  secret,  and  glorious 
purpose  into  the  ears  of  man. 


A    MYSTERY— NOT  A   MYTH  147 

I.  In  promise  and prophec)'.      Like  the  first  faint  strain 
of  an  organ,  preluding  the  grand  burst  of  harmony  in  the 
mind  of  the  composer,  so  the  first  promise  of  the  Incar- 
.nation  was  given  to  the  first  man  and  woman  just  after 
their  sin  and  fall  from  their  paradisaic  innocence.     And 
God   said   to  the  serpent,  "  I   will   put  enmity  between 
thee  and  the  woman,  and    between    thy  seed    and  her 
seed  ;  it  shall  bruise  thy  head,  and  thou  shalt  bruise  his 
heel."^      How   came   it   that    God    gave   this    promise 
through  the  ivoinan,  and  not  through  the  man  ?     Why 
did   He  say  her  seed,  and  not  his  seed  ?     Why !  just 
because  God  knew  what  His   promise  was,  and  how  He 
would  fulfil  it ;  and  that  when  it  came  to  pass  we  might 
know  and  understand   it.     Even  so  Jesus  said  to  His 
disciples,  "  And  these  things  have  I  told  you,  that  when 
the  time  shall  come,  ye  may  remember  that  I  told  you 
of  them."  2     This   promise  to  the  woman  was  the  first 
whispered  syllable  of  His  secret.     Did  He  not  foretell 
and   confirm   the  manner  oi  His  coming  when  He  said 
through   Isaiah,  "Behold,  a  virgin  shall   conceive,  and 
bear  a  son,  and  shall  call  His  name  Immanuel  "?^     Did 
He  not  further  detail  this  secret  when  Pie  told  another 
prophet   ivhere  He  should  be  born,  saying,  "  But  thou, 
Bethlehem  Ephratah,  though  thou  be  little  among  the 
thousands  of  Judah,  yet  out  of   thee  shall    He   come 
forth  unto  Me  that  is   to   be  Ruler   in  Israel ;    whose 
goings  forth  have  been  from  of  old,  from  everlasting  "  ?  * 
We  might  easily  multiply  such  promises  or  intimations 
of  the  great  mystery  as   these,  were  it  necessary,  even 
those  giving  the  details  of  His  sorrowful  life,  and  the 
circumstances  attending  His  cruel  and  bitter  death. 

2.  In  miraciilons  intimation.     Following  the  words  of 
promise,    God    has    further   unfolded    the   transcendent 
character  of  this  mystery  prepared  from  the  foundation 
*  Gen.  iii.  15.     ^  John  xvi.  4.     "  Isa.  vii.  14.     *  Mic.  v.  2. 


148  A    MYSTERY—NOT  A   MYTH 

of  the  world.  Following  the  first  intimation  of  the  com- 
ing of  the  "  seed  of  the  woman,"  God  gave  us  a  hint  of 
His  purpose  to  transcend  and  break  the  ordinary  course 
of  nature,  and  bring  about  a  rescue.  Enoch  lived  in  the 
days  before  the  flood.  He  separated  himself  from  the 
course  of  the  world,  which  then  ran  in  rebellion,  violence, 
and  wickedness,  and  walked  with  God.  Enoch  was  the 
first — the  father — of  the  Puritans.  At  the  end  of  three 
hundred  years  he  won  this  testimony,  "  that  he  pleased 
God,  and  was  not  found,  because  God  had  translated 
him."  ^  Thus  early  God  whispered,  by  a  miracle,  that 
He  had  a  purpose  of  deliverance  from  death,  which  the 
world  did  not  know,  and  which  was  not  provided  for  in 
nature.  Oh,  thank  God  for  this  early  hint  of  His  pur- 
pose to  break  the  iron  rule  and  law  of  death,  and,  by 
anticipation,  prepare  us  for  the  resurrection,  the  fulfil- 
ment of  this  mystery  !  And  did  He  not  give  to  Abra- 
ham an  earnest  of  great  things  to  come,  when  He  quick- 
ened his  body,  as  good  as  dead,  and  strengthened  Sarah 
so  that  she  conceived  and  bare  a  son  when  she  was 
ninety  years  old  ?  Here  was  a  further  unfolding  of  the 
great  mystery,  in  which  two  new  facts  are  intimated. 
The  promised  seed  should  be  the  son  of  Abraham,  after 
the  Jiesh,  but  the  Son  of  God  with  poiver,  by  the  resur- 
rection from  the  dead.  Of  this,  the  transcendent  birth  of 
Isaac  and  his  subsequent  deliverance  from  death  were 
the  hints.  Verily,  the  writer  of  Genesis  must  have  been 
a  clever  man  to  have  put  these  hints  and  suggestions 
of  things  to  come  into  his  story  ;  hints  such  as  never 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  and  which  could  not  pos- 
sibly have  been  understood  except  in  the  fulfilment  of 
the  event  which  they  foreshadowed.  This  is  a  seduc- 
tive theme,  but  we  must  leave  it. 

3.  In  the  poetry  of  the  whole  mystery.     Poets  are  pro- 
1  Heb.  xi.  5. 


A   MYSTERY- NOT  A   MYTH  149 

phets,  and  poetry  is  prophecy.  Poetry  is  the  art  of 
setting  forth  things  in  apposite  and  wonderful  beauty,  in 
a  way  which  illuminates  and  fires  the  imagination.  And 
how  full  of  poetry  the  Bible  is  !  Its  highest  strains  are 
those  which  sing  the  coming  glories  of  the  Incarnation. 
We  lost  our  inheritance  through  the  sin  of  the  first  man  ; 
we  are  to  gain  it  again  through  the  obedience  of  the 
second  man.  Since  by  man  came  sin  and  death  into 
the  world,  so  by  man  came  righteousness  and  life  back 
to  it  again.  The  coming  in  of  sin  brought  death  ;  the 
expiation  of  sin  brought  life.  By  man  came  the  sin  ;  by 
man  came  the  expiation.  But  what  man  could  expiate 
the  sin  of  man  ?  "  For  all  have  sinned,  and  come  short 
of  the  glory  of  God,"  ^  and  so  condemnation  passed  upon 
all  men  unto  death.  But  now  one  man  has  appeared, 
by  whose  righteousness  and  death  judgment  has  passed 
upon  all  men  unto  life.  But  who  is  this  "  one  man  "  ? 
Surely  not  the  son  of  Adam,  of  whose  sin  we  have  all 
partaken  and  ratified.  One  bankrupt  cannot  be  security 
or  bondsman  for  another  bankrupt.  The  one  man  who 
brought  justification  unto  life  was  not  the  seed  of  the 
man  Adam,  but  the  seed  of  the  woman.  The  continuity 
of  the  law  of  nature  was  interrupted  by  the  introduction 
of  a  new  and  transcendent  law  or  power,  "  the  power  of 
the  Highest,"  which  came  upon  the  virgin,  "who  was 
found  with  child  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  And  look  again 
at  the  poetry  of  this  thing.  Eve  was  called  "  the  mother 
of  all  living,"  ^  and  Mary  became  the  mother  not  of  the 
living,  but  of  Him  who  had  "life  in  Himself"^  Since 
it  was  through  the  woman  that  sin  and  death  entered 
into  the  world,  so  it  is  by  woman  that  righteousness  and 
life  is  given  back  to  the  world.  I  cannot  refrain  from 
repeating  to  you  an  exquisite  bit  of  poetry,  the  product 
of  this  Christmas  time.  It  came  to  me  only  yesterday 
^  Rom.  iii.  23.  ^  Gen.  iii.  20.  ^  John  v.  26. 


ISO  A   MYSTERY— NOT  A    MYTH 

from  across  the  sea,  and  is  called  "The  Song  of  the 
Man." 

"The  woman  gave,  and  I  did  eat." 

Whereof  gave  she  ? 
'Twas  of  the  garden's  fruitage  sweet — 

A  portion  fair  to  see  ; 
She  plucked  and  ate,  and  I  did  eat, 
And  lost  alike  are  we  : 

God  saith, 
"Ye  die  the  death." 

"The  woman  gave,  and  I  did  eat." 

Whereof  gave  she  ? 
'Twas  of  her  womb,  a  Burden  sweet — 

But  sad,  alas  !  to  see  ; 
She  took  and  ate,  and  I  did  eat, 
And  saved  alike  are  we  : 
God  saith, 
"Thus  dieth  death." 

III.  The  Mysterious  Fruit  of  the  Incarna- 
tion. "  That  Holy  Thing  which  shall  be  born  of  thee 
shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God."  If  the  miraculous 
conception  of  our  Lord  was  a  great  mystery,  our  Lord 
Himself  is  a  still  greater  mystery.  Who  shall  under- 
stand how  the  Eternal  God  could  enter  into  union  with 
human  nature  ?  how  this  flame  of  Eternal  God-head 
could  dwell  in  the  bush  of  human  nature  and  yet  not 
consume  it  ?  We  may  well  turn  aside  to  see  "  this  great 
sight "  and  take  off  the  shoes  from  our  feet,  for  this  place 
whereon  we  stand  is  holy  ground.^  Who  can  tell  how 
the  Eternal  Son  could  become  truly  and  really  man  ? 
and  how  the  man  Christ  Jesus  could  be  truly  God  ? 
How  such  a  union  could  be  perfected  in  one  personality  ? 
how  there  could  be  the  union  of  these  two  natures,  the 
infinite  and  the  finite,  the  Eternal  Spirit  of  God  and 
mortal  nature  of  man,  and  yet  not  be  confused,  thQ 

^  Exod.  iii.  3-5. 


A   M YSTER  Y-NOT  A  M  YTH  1 5 1 

human  nature  not  losing  itself  in  the  divine,  and  the 
divine  not  diminishing  itself  into  the  human?  "All  this 
is  beyond  our  comprehension,"  say  the  sceptics  ;  "  there- 
fore we  cannot  believe  it."  Very  likely ;  but  when  you 
urge  that  as  a  reason  for  not  believing  the  Incarnation 
and  in  the  Incarnate  God,  would  you  have  us  believe 
that  you  understand  even  one  of  the  coinuion  mysteries 
which  are  involved  in  our  own  nature  and  being  ?  How 
does  the  soul  and  spirit  of  man  unite  with  his  body? 
How  do  such  diametrically  opposite  substances  as  spirit 
and  matter  come  together  in  such  complete  union  as 
they  do  in  our  persons,  the  spirit  being  entirely  distinct 
from  the  body  and  yet  permeating  it  at  every  point  ? 
Can  any  wise  man  tell  us  at  what  point  in  the  body  the 
spirit  unites  with  it  ?  Do  you  understand  the  lesser 
mystery  of  life  ?  "  The  life  is  in  the  blood."  ^  So  says 
the  scripture,  and  after  five  thousand  years  science  has 
at  last  consented.  But  can  you  find  life  in  the  blood  ? 
Is  a  drop  of  blood  from  a  dead  man's  veins  any  lighter 
or  different  in  substance  from  what  it  was  when  per- 
vaded and  filled  with  life  ?  Can  you  explain  or  even 
understand  the  mysteries  of  your  own  consciousness  ? 
We  discriminate  between  consciousness  and  will,  and 
reason  and  affection ;  but  who  can  locate  the  one  or 
the  other  ?  Love  and  hate  dwell  together  in  the  same 
heart ;  but  who  can  tell  how  the  one  or  the  other  is 
excited,  or  how  they  are  differentiated  in  the  same 
consciousness  ?  Yet  these  powers  and  emotions  of  the 
human  soul  are  never  confused  the  one  with  the  other, 
though  they  are  united  in  one  consciousness.  Surely  if 
we  ourselves  are  such  a  mystery  to  ourselves,  we  should 
not  be  startled  at,  much  less  protest  against,  the  mystery 
of  the  Incarnation.  Nor  should  it  stagger  our  faith, 
even  though  it  transcends  our  understanding  and  reason, 
*  Lev.  xvii.  11. 


152  A   MVS  TER  Y—NO  T  A   M  YTH 

except  that  highest  reason  which  bows  before  the  mys- 
teries of  God.  Rather  let  us  gladly  avail  ourselves  of 
the  help  of  faith. 

Let  me  ask  one  question  in  conclusion  of  this  mat- 
ter. If  any  of  you  are  disposed  to  reject  the  mystery 
of  the  Incarnation  because  you  cannot  understand  it, 
or  because  it  is  an  event  out  of  the  common  order  of 
nature,  can  you  suggest  how  or  by  what  means  we  are 
to  deliver  ourselves  from  the  plague  of  sin,  the  curse  of 
the  law,  and  the  despotism  of  death  ?  Can  you  imagine 
how  else  God  Himself  could  have  redeemed  us  and 
given  to  us  eternal  life?     Amen. 


IX 

MARTS   GREAT  CONFESSION 

"  Behold  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord  ;  be  it  unto  me  according  to 
thy  word."— Luke  i.  38. 

THE  scenes  and  incidents  in  connection  with  the 
nativity  of  our  Lord  have  been,  ever  since  the 
rise  of  christian  art,  the  point  upon  which  the  genius 
of  great  painters  has  been  concentrated.  The  visit 
of  the  angel  to  Mary,  his  salutation  and  the  announce- 
ment of  the  purpose  of  God  concerning  her,  known 
as  the  Annunciation,  has  been  a  favourite  subject  with 
painters.  While  the  two  persons  concerned,  the  angel 
and  the  virgin,  must  always  fill  the  foreground  of  such 
a  painting,  the  conceptions  of  the  artists  have  differed 
widely,  and  the  interpretations  of  the  great  event  have 
been  as  varied  as  the  number  of  artists  who  have  un- 
dertaken the  task.  The  imagined  environment  in  which 
Mary  and  the  angel  are  depicted  in  many  of  the  older 
masters  shows  in  a  striking  manner  the  influence  of 
the  Romish  doctrine  of  Mariolatry.  In  most  of  these 
pictures  the  virgin  is  represented  as  a  young  woman 
of  exalted  rank,  surrounded  by  all  the  accessories  of 
wealth  and  station.  In  some  she  is  portrayed  in  the 
portico  of  a  magnificent  building,  the  angel  approaching 
her  in  most  deferential  manner,  with  outstretched  hands 
presenting  her  with  a  stalk  of  lilies,  the  emblem  of 
virginity ;  in  others,  the  angel  is  prostrate  upon  his 
knees  adoring  her,  or  offering  homage  and  worship ; 
in  others,  she  is  surrounded  by  ecclesiastical  dignitaries 


154  MAjRV'S  great  confession 

who  are  auditors  and  spectators  of  this  interview.  The 
later  artists  have  returned  to  a  more  hteral  interpreta- 
tion, in  which  the  virgin  is  seen  in  an  ordinary  Oriental 
house  surprised  by  the  appearance  of  the  angel,  who  is 
represented  as  a  man  only,  without  the  adjunct  of 
wings.  In  still  another,  the  angel  is  seeti  as  a  mere 
spot  in  the  midst  of  effulgent  rays  of  light,  which 
stream  from  his  body  in  every  direction,  poised  in  the 
air  above  the  virgin.  One  of  the  very  latest  pictures 
seems  to  me  the  best.  In  this  one  the  virgin  is  de- 
picted as  a  young  maiden — one  might  suppose  sixteen 
or  eighteen  years  of  age — sitting  in  a  very  humble 
room,  with  the  angel  standing  before  her,  grave  and 
dignified,  while  she  is  looking  up  into  his  face  with 
every  expression  of  wonder  and  amazement.  This  is 
more  likely  to  have  been  the  true  situation.  If  we 
revert  to  the  inspired  pen-picture  limned  by  the  beloved 
physician,  there  is  presented  to  us  just  these  simple 
facts.  A  virgin  of  a  small  and  mean  village  or  "  city " 
of  Galilee  is  surprised  by  the  sudden  appearance  before 
her  of  a  strange  man.  For  we  are  told  that  the  angel 
entered  in  to  her — that  is,  came  into  the  house  where 
she  was — greeted  her  with  a  stately  salutation  of  joy, 
and  immediately  communicated  his  message.  It  does 
not  require  any  great  effort  of  the  imagination  to  set 
this  simple  picture  before  our  minds.  We  may  fancy 
the  maiden  busy  about  her  household  duties,  her  mind 
and  thoughts  filled  with  happy  dreams  of  the  future  ; 
for  she  was  betrothed  to  a  good  though  poor  man, 
Joseph  the  carpenter.  As  any  other  maiden  would  be 
thinking,  so  Mary  was  thinking  of  her  approaching 
marriage,  of  her  future  home,  in  which  she  was  to  be 
the  honoured  mistress,  the  beloved  wife,  for  so  she 
would  certainly  be  in  Joseph's  care ;  and  possibly  of 
what  that  home  would   be   to   her  when,  in  years  to 


MARY'S   GREAT  CONFESSION  I55 

come,  children  would  play  about  her  feet  and  be  taught 
out  of  the  scriptures  the  things  concerning  the  kingdom 
of  God,  as  they  stood  about  her  knees.  In  such  sur- 
rounding, and  occupied  with  some  such  holy  thoughts 
as  these,  her  occupation  was  interrupted  and  her  heart's 
dreams  were  awakened  by  the  words  of  the  angel,  who 
had  entered  unannounced  and  unawares,  "  Hail !  highly 
favoured,  the  Lord  is  with  thee ;  blessed  art  thou  among 
women."  We  can  well  imagine  the  surprise  and  amaze- 
ment which  this  salutation  under  the  circumstances 
aw^akened  in  Mary's  mind  and  heart. 

I.  The  Amazement  of  Mary.  "And  when  she 
saw  him,  she  was  troubled  at  his  saying,  and  cast  in  her 
mind  what  manner  of  salutation  this  should  be."  ^  In 
like  manner  we  are  told  that  Zacharias  "  was  troubled  "  ; 
he  being  filled  with  fear,  while  Mary's  mind  was  set 
thinking  what  it  all  might  mean.  The  scanty  records 
concerning  Mary  given  us  in  the  New  Testament  lead 
us  to  conceive  of  her  as  an  extremely  thoughtful  woman, 
not  given  to  much  talking,  but  to  much  thinking.  She 
laid  things  up  in  her  heart  and  pondered  them  deeply. 
We  can  well  imagine  why  Mary  should  be  disturbed 
and  agitated  by  this  appearance  of  Gabriel  (whom,  of 
course,  she  did  not  know),  and  by  the  extraordinary 
character  of  the  message  communicated  to  her. 

I.  The  appearance  of  Gabriel  himself  would  have 
naturally  agitated  her.  Not  that  she  was  unaccustomed 
to  see  young  men,  her  own  townsmen  and  acquaint- 
ances, but  here  was  a  stranger  who  suddenly  appears 
within  the  precincts  of  her  house  and  salutes  her. 
Strangers  were  not  common  in  Nazareth,  and  the  first 
natural  wonder  was  as  to  whom  this  unknown  young 
man  might  be.  There  was  nothing  extraordinary  in  the 
appearance  of  Gabriel  to  indicate  that  he  was  an  angel ; 
*  Luke  i.  29. 


156  MARY'S  GREAT  CONFESSION 

for,  as  we  have  before  remarked,  the  arigels  of  God  who 
have  appeared  to  men  at  different  periods  of  the  world's 
history  have  always  come  simply  as  men,  with  nothing 
in  their  appearance  to  indicate  that  they  were  heavenly 
beings.  Doubtless  Gabriel  was  in  appearance  a  young 
man  of  extraordinary  dignity,  and  handsome  beyond 
the  type  of  men  with  whom  Mary  was  acquainted.  I 
say  a  young  man,  because  though  he  may  have  been  a 
million  of  years  old,  according  to  our  reckoning  of  time, 
yet  he  was  endowed  with  that  everlasting  youth  which 
belongs  to  the  immortals.  With  the  angels  there  is  no 
sense  of  years,  no  signs  of  decay.  These  two  facts  alone 
must  have  given  to  Gabriel  the  appearance  of  a  man  of 
princely  bearing  and  looks.  What  young  girl  would 
not  have  been  "  agitated  "  by  such  a  visitor,  even  when 
the  open  hospitality  of  the  East  made  it  possible  for  a 
stranger  to  enter  a  house  unbidden,  as  did  Gabriel  ? 

2.  The  salutation  of  the  angel  would  have  still  further 
increased  her  astonishment.  The  ordinary  salutation  of 
the  East  was  not  greatly  different  from  the  opening 
words  of  the  angel's  salute.  "  Hail !  "  or  "  Joy  to  you  !  " 
might  have  been  spoken  by  any  friend  who  was  the 
bearer  of  good  news  or  pleasant  tidings.  The  language 
of  heaven,  I  fancy,  is  not  greatly  different  from  the 
language  of  earth,  only  more  elevated  in  tone  ;  more 
serious,  yet  more  joyous  in  the  mode  of  delivery.  That 
the  angel  prostrated  himself  before  the  virgin  we  do  not 
for  a  moment  believe ;  but  that  his  manner  was  pro- 
foundly respectful,  and  his  speech  mellow  with  tones 
of  great  regard,  there  can  be  no  doubt.  The  elevated 
strain  in  which  he  began  his  salutation  was  only  the 
fitting  prelude  to  the  message  he  immediately  delivered. 
"  Thou  art  highly  favoured  "  would  indicate  some  great 
good  news.  Was  this  by  any  chance  a  messenger  from 
Joseph,  bringing   her   some   good    news   of  him  which 


AfA/iV'S  GREAT  CONFESSION  157 

intimately  affected  her  ?  or  was  he  the  messenger  of  her 
kinsfolk  and  friends,  who  had  combined  to  surprise  her 
with  some  great  gift  in  honour  of  her  coming  marriage  ? 
A  number  of  such  curious  inquiries  might  have  passed 
with  the  rapidity  of  thought  through  her  mind,  in  an 
instant.  "  The  Lord  is  with  thee  "  ;  this  next  part  of  the 
salutation  would  naturally  lift  her  thoughts  higher,  and 
cause  her  to  wonder  yet  more.  That  the  Lord  was  with 
her,  as  with  every  other  truly  pious  soul,  was  true ;  but 
this  declaration  had  a  deeper  and  more  special  meaning 
than  that.  The  Lord  is  with  us  always ;  He  never 
leaves  us,  nor  forsakes  us  ;  but  there  are  times  when  He 
is  with  us  to  bless  us  in  a  peculiar  way.  Certainly  Mary 
was  wondering  what  this  declaration  might  import  to 
her.  Still  further,  as  the  angel  proceeded,  was  her  sur- 
prise increased.  "  Blessed  thou  among  women."  Now 
Mary  was  but  a  humble  maiden,  both  in  station  and  in 
the  habit  of  her  mind.  She  had  not  been  accustomed 
to  think  great  thoughts,  nor  to  dream  great  things 
for  herself  Though  she  belonged  to  the  house  of  David 
by  descent,  yet  she  was  so  far  removed  from  any  of  the 
possible  honours  which  might  still  come  to  that  royal 
house,  that  no  thoughts  of  distinction  among  women 
or  eminence  in  any  way  had  ever  entered  her  mind. 
What,  then,  could  this  salutation  mean,  and  especially 
what  the  declaration,  "  Thou  art  highly  favoured  among 
women  "  ?  This  salutation  seems  to  have  wrought  sur- 
prise and  agitation  to  the  point  of  fear,  for  the  angel 
said,  "  Fear  not,  Mary,  for  thou  hast  found  favour  with 
God."^  Thus  speaking  to  calm  her  mind,  and  to  prepare 
her  for  what  was  to  follow. 

3.    Tke  ariminciation    fnessage  %voidd  still  further  in- 
crease her  agitation.    The  angel  immediately  proceeded 
to  make  the  stupendous  announcement  of  the  miraculous 
*  Luke  i.  30. 


158  MARY'S   GREAT  CONFESSION 

conception  of  our  Lord — an  announcement  of  the  greatest 
and  profoundest  mystery  of  the  universe.  "  Behold,  thou 
shalt  conceive  in  thy  womb,  and  bring  forth  a  son,  and 
shalt  call  His  name  Jesus.  He  shall  be  great,  and  shall 
be  called  the  Son  of  the  Highest :  and  the  Lord  God 
shall  give  unto  Him  the  throne  of  His  father  David  :  and 
He  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  for  ever ;  and  of 
His  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end."  ^  Here  were  two 
new  facts  communicated  to  Mary.  First,  that  she  was 
to  be  the  mother  of  the  Messiah — that  glorious  hope 
which  had  animated  the  breasts  of  ten  thousand  Jewish 
women  in  all  ages.  Was  it  possible  that  this  most 
glorious  honour  had  come  to  her  ?  Small  wonder  if  her 
young  heart  was  stirred  with  surprise  and  amazement. 
But  then,  beyond  that,  here  was  a  matter  that  for  the 
moment  overshadowed  even  the  thought  of  being  the 
mother  of  the  Messiah.  The  mode  of  the  accomplishment 
of  this  wonder  was  now  announced  to  her,  and  her  mind 
fairly  staggered  under  the  thought.  For  the  first  time 
she  found  speech,  and  there  came  from  her  lips  this 
astonished  and  innocent  inquiry,  "  How  shall  this  be, 
seeing  I  know  not  a  man  ?  "  ^  The  human  and  natural 
impossibility  of  such  a  thing  happening  to  her  or  to  any 
other  woman  at  once  presented  itself  to  her  mind,  and 
prompted  not  so  much  a  doubt  as  an  inquiry,  to  which 
the  angel  made  immediate  answer,  "  The  Holy  Ghost 
shall  come  upon  thee,  and  the  power  of  the  Highest  shall 
overshadow  thee :  therefore  also  that  Holy  Thing  which 
shall  be  born  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God."  ^ 
No  doubt  this  extraordinary  communication  filled  her 
mind  with  the  greatest  wonder— a  wonder  which  the 
angel  made  haste  to  prevent  from  degenerating  into 
doubt,  for  he  immediately  assured  her  with  the  words, 
"  For  with  God  nothing  is  impossible."  ■* 

^  Luke  i.  31-33.     ^  Luke  i.  34.      *  IhW.  i.  35.     *  Ibid.  i.  37. 


MAUV'S   GREAT  CONFESSION  159 

We  are  so  familiar  with  the  particulars  of  this  won- 
drous story,  have  heard  it  so  often,  believed  it  for  so  long, 
that  we  are  apt  to  forget  how  astounding  it  must  have 
sounded  to  Mary's  ears,  and  how  overwhelming  it  must 
have  been  to  her  mind  and  heart.  I  have  dwelt  on  these 
details  as  being  necessary  for  a  fuller  appreciation  of  the 
greatness  of  Mary's  confession  of  faith  which  immediately 
followed  upon  the  completion  of  the  angel's  message. 

II.  The  Foundation  and  Warrant  of  Mary's 
Faith.  This  is  suggested  to  us  by  her  own  words,  "  Be 
it  unto  me  according  to  Thy  Word."  Before  that  word 
her  amazement,  her  curiosity,  her  understanding,  and 
even  her  reason  all  bowed.  On  that  word  her  faith  took 
its  stand,  and 

"...     laughed  at  impossibilities, 
And  cried,  It  shall  be  done." 

In  this  case  the  word  of  the  angel  was  the  word  of  God  ; 
and  the  word  of  God,  which  we  cannot  disassociate  from 
God  Himself,  is  not  only  the  warrant  of  our  faith,  but 
the  final  centre  and  source  of  all  authority  and  power, 
even  the  source  of  all  things  in  heaven  and  earth.  The 
universe  seems  to  have  been  constructed  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  centres.  The  moon  circles  about  the  earth,  and 
the  earth  about  the  sun,  as  do  a  vast  number  of  planets  ; 
the  sun  itself,  drawing  in  his  train  a  thousand  worlds,  is 
moving  majestically  about  some  more  distant  centre  ; 
and,  for  aught  we  know,  this  procession  of  worlds  mov- 
ing in  circles  goes  on  indefinitely.  But  what  is  the  cen- 
tre of  all  things  ?  There  can  be  but  one  answer  to  this 
question.  "  In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heaven 
and  the  earth,"  ^  "  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and 
the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God.  All 
things  were  made  by  Him,  and  without  Him  was  no- 

^  Gen.  i.  i. 


i6o  MARY'S  GREAT  COxYFESSION 

thing  made  that  was  made."  ^  God  and  His  Word  are 
one,  and  the  same  in  their  eternity  and  authority.  "  For 
by  Him  were  all  things  created,  that  are  in  heaven,  and 
that  are  in  earth,  visible  and  invisible,  whether  they  be 
thrones,  or  dominions,  or  principalities,  or  powers  :  all 
things  were  created  by  Him,  and  for  Him  :  and  He  is 
before  all  things,  and  by  Him  all  things  consist  (are  held 
together).  And  He  is  the  head  of  the  body,  the  church  : 
who  is  the  beginning,  the  first-born  from  the  dead  ;  that 
in  all  things  He  might  have  the  pre-eminence."  ^ 

Leaving  the  material  universe  and   the  centre  of  its 
obedience,  we  find  the  same  principle  obtains  among 
men.    All  earthly  governments  centre  about  the  Throne, 
if  they  be  monarchies,  as  Great  Britain  is.     Should  the 
Queen   be  taken   away,  with   no  successor  found  to  as- 
cend the  throne  of  England,  the  monarchy  would   fall 
into  confusion    and    momentary   chaos ;   but  the  body 
politic    would    immediately   tend    to    re-organize    itself 
about  some  new  governmental  centre.    The  same  is  true 
of  the  social  life  of  a  country  or  community.     It  has  its 
centre   of  authority,    which    regulates    customs,   habits, 
dress,  and   manners.     The  man  or  woman  who  is  not 
associated   with   some   social    circle,   and   amenable   to 
some  social  centre  of  authority,  is  an  outcast.    The  busi- 
ness world  has  its  centre  about  which  it  moves.     The 
Bank  of  England  regulates  the   rate   of  interest,   and 
determines  the  value  of  money  from  day  to  day.      The 
scientific  world  has  its  centre  in  the  British  Association. 
The    family  life    is    organized    about  the  husband  and 
father,  whose  word  is  the  final  law  on  all  domestic  mat- 
ters.    The  Church  of  Christ  has  its  hundreds  of  smaller 
circles  and  centres  ;  but  all  these,  like  the  starry  worlds 
above  us,  move  about  the  great  Head   of  the  Church, 
whose  word  is  the  final  authority  in  all  matters  of  faith 
'  John  i.  I,  3.  *  Col.  i.  16-18. 


MARY'S  GREAT  CONFESSION  i6i 

and   practice.      Synods,   General   Assemblies,  Convoca- 
tions, States,  Popes,  and  Patriarchs  are  only  subordinate 
centres  of  authority  ;  and  these,  with  the  local  Churches 
which  they  govern,  whether  they  are  in  fellowship  with 
each  other  or  not,  move  about  the  centre  common  to 
them  all — Jesus  Christ,  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church. 
When   the  end  of  all   God's  purposes  concerning  us  is 
accomplished,  we  are  told  that  the  Son  of  God  Himself 
will  become  subject  to  the  Father  ;  for  "  when  all  things 
shall  be  subdued  unto   Him,  then  shall  the   Son   also 
Himself  be  subject  unto  Him  that  put  all  things  under 
Him,  that  God   may  be  all  in  all."  ^     From  all  this  we 
easily    learn    that   as   God   is  the  centre  of  all  created 
things  in  the  material   world,  so  is  He  the  centre  of  all 
authority  and  power  in  things  spiritual.     In  all  matters 
of  personal  faith  and  conduct  the  individual  believer  is 
subject  directly  to   God   in  Christ.     Thus,  when   Mary 
said,  "  Be  it  unto  me  according  to  thy  word,"  she  struck 
the  high  key-note  of  the  soul's  allegiance  to  God,  and 
freedom  from  all   human  lordship.     God's  word  is  final. 
Every  faculty,  nay,  the  whole  spirit  and  soul  and  body 
of  man,  is  bound  to  Submit ;  and  the  believing  soul  of 
man  does  joyfully  acquiesce  and  unite  with  the  word  of 
God.     That  word  of  God  is  voiced  in  Jesus   Christ,  the 
Son  of  God,  whose   holy  and    mysterious    Incarnation 
Mary  now  accepted  with  a  humble  yet  sublime  faith. 
Since  His  coming  we  turn  to  the  Son  of  Mary  and  yield 
our  whole  conscience,  heart,  and  will  to  Him.      For  "  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."  ^     It  is  to  this 
principle  of  yielding  all  to  the  final  authority  of  Christ — 
the  Word  of  God — that  we  owe  all  spiritual  liberty  as 
'   I  Cor.  XV.  28.  ^  Phil.  ii.  10. 

P.B.  1 1 


i62  MARY'S   GREAT  CONFESSION 

well  as  all  individual  peace.  It  is  only  when  other 
authorities  and  powers  intervene  that  the  Church  is 
distracted,  and  the  individual  soul  confused  and  left  in 
darkness.  He  that  followeth  Jesus  shall  not  walk  in 
darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life.  Mary,  by  her 
confession,  implied,  "  I  acknowledge  the  Word  of  God 
to  be  the  true  and  only  centre  of  my  life,  and  I  gladly 
fall  into  my  proper  orbit,  and  by  faith  will  order  my  life 
henceforth,  according  to  His  word." 

HI.  Mary's  Confession  of  Faith.     "Behold  the 
handmaid  of  the  Lord  ;  be  it  unto  me  according  to  thy 
word."     In  this  declaration  we   have  a  simple,  sublime, 
and    beautiful    confession    of   faith — a   confession    than 
which  there  has  been  no  greater  one  made  by  man.     It 
is  equal  to  that  of  Martha,  who  confessed,  "  Yea,  Lord  : 
I   believe  that  Thou  art   the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God, 
which   should    come    into  the  world "  ^  ;   or  to   that  of 
Peter,  who  confessed,  "  Thou  art  Christ,  the  Son  of  the 
Living    God."  ^     I    even    venture    to   say   that    Mary's 
confession  was  greater  than   these  and  all  subsequent 
confessions  of  faith.     Hers,  indeed,  was  the  first  great 
confession  of  Christ,  for  she  confessed  Him  as  the  In- 
carnate Son  of  God   before   He  came  into  the  world  ; 
whilst  they  and  we  confess  Him  after  the  fact  of  His 
incarnation    was   demonstrated    before   our   eyes.      All 
honour  and  glory  to  this  the  greatest  heroine  of  faith 
the   world    has   ever   known !     In    regard    to  the  great 
honour  conferred  upon  her  she  was  pronounced  by  the 
angel  to  be  "  blessed  among  women."     In  respect  to  her 
sublime  faith  in  the  word  of  God  she  is  the  greatest 
among  both  men  and  women. 

The  word   or   exclamation,  "  Behold,"  is  not  in  this 
case  to  be  taken  as  a  word  of  direction,  as  when  John 
the  Baptist  cried,  saying,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  "  ^ ; 
'  John  xi.  27.  ^  Matt.  xvi.  16.  ^  John  i.  j6. 


A/ARV'S   GREAT  CONFESSION  163 

or  when  Pilate  said,  "  Behold  the  Man  "  '  ;  or  when  John 
the  revelator  said,  "Behold,  He  cometh  with  clouds"^; 
but  rather  as  a  word  of  consent,  as  when  the  prophet 
said,  "  Here  am  I  :  send  mc"-^ ;  or  as  when  Samuel  said, 
"Speak,  Lord,  for  thy  servant  heareth,"*  So  Mary- 
would  seem  to  say,  "  Amen  "  ;  "  So  be  it "  ;  "  Behold,  I 
am  from  this  moment  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord  ;  be  it 
unto  me  according  to  thy  word " ;  "I  hear,  and  I 
accept ;  I  consent ;  I  gladly  yield  all  to  Thee  and  to 
Thy  will."  It  will  be  observed  that  Mary's  faith  was 
not  a  blind  credulity,  but  was  declared  after  the  angel 
had  replied  to  her  amazed  inquiry,  "  How  shall  this 
thing  be?"  by  his  "With  God  all  things  are  possible"  ; 
which  proposition  at  once  commended  itself  to  her  in- 
telligence as  well  as  to  her  faith.  True  faith  is  always 
associated  with  the  highest  intelligence.  When  I  say 
this,  I  do  not  mean  that  the  highest  intelligence  is  always 
found  in  the  most  highly  cultured  and  trained  minds. 
God  often  reveals  things  of  sublimest  import  to  babes 
and  sucklings  which  the  wise  and  prudent  fail  to  grasp. 
There  is  an  old  saying  that  a  woman's  intuition  is  better 
than  a  man's  reason.  We  would  not  dare  say  that  the 
quick  intuition  of  many  very  simple-minded  people  is 
not  instinct  with  highest  intelligence.  The  men  and 
women  of  faith  are  those  to  whom  the  Spirit  of  God 
gives  the  most  enlightenment.  There  is  a  vast  meaning 
in  that  word  of  our  Lord  to  Peter  after  his  confession  : 
"  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-jona  :  for  flesh  and  blood 
hath  not  revealed  it  to  thee,  but  My  Father  which  is  in 
heaven."  ^ 

IV.  Mary's  Surrender.  The  faith  of  Mary  carried 
along  with  it  the  entire  surrender  of  herself,  and  all  that 
she  had  and    was.      There  is    a  spurious  kind    of  faith 

'  John  xix.  5.  '-^  Rev.  i.  7.  ^  Isa.  vi.  8. 

■*  I  Sam.  iii.  10.  ^  Matt.  xvi.  17. 


i64  MARY'S  GREAT  CONFESS/ON 

which  surrenders   the   intellect  to  a  speculative   propo- 
sition, but  which  does  not  affect  the  heart  or  move  the 
will  to  action.     This  is  abundantly  seen  in  the  compara- 
tive absence  of  moral  results  from  the  classic  philoso- 
phies.    The  Greeks  and  the   Romans  believed  in  God 
and    immortality,  but   their   faith   did    not   affect   their 
conduct   in    any  great   degree.      So   there  are  a  great 
many  people  among  us  who  have  accepted  the  doctrines 
of  the  christian  religion  as  being  true,  but  they  have  no 
faith  in  God.     Their  faith  goes  no  further  than  to  the 
propositions  of  their  creed.     They  are  hearers,  but  not 
doers  of  the  word.     With  Mary  it  was  different.     From 
the  moment  she  accepted  the  word  of  God,  she  became 
the  handmaid  of  the  Lord.     Wherever  there  is  real  faith, 
there  will  be — there  must  be — unconditional  surrender. 
This  characterized  the  faith  of  Saul  of  Tarsus.     When 
he   became  assured  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ,  he  cried, 
"  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to   ^(3  ?  "  ^      "  Hence- 
forth   it  is    Thine    to   speak,  mine    to    hear ;    Thine    to 
command,  mine  to  obey.     Do   to  me  v/hat  Thou  wilt ; 
command  me  to  do  what  Thou  wilt."     Such  was  Mary's 
surrender. 

I.  Her  surrender  was  passive.  That  is,  she  first  of 
all  fully  consented  to  be  the  subject  of  this  great 
miracle.  She  yielded  her  body  as  well  as  her  soul  to 
the  power  of  the  Highest.  She  consented  to  become 
the  virgin  mother  of  the  Son  of  God.  It  is  often  more 
difficult  to  be  passive  in  the  hands  of  God  than  it  is 
to  be  active  in  obedience  to  a  command.  The  passive 
obedience  of  our  Lord  throughout  His  earthly  ministry 
was  as  great,  if  not  greater,  than  His  active  exercise 
of  power.  It  would  have  been  much  easier  for  Him 
to  have  overthrown  His  enemies  and  escaped  out  of 
their  hands,  than  to  submit  to  their  power.  This  He 
'  Acts  ix.  6. 


MARY'S   GREAT  CONFESS/ON  165" 

demonstrated  when  the  soldiers,  with  Judas  at  their 
head,  came  to  arrest  Him  at  the  gate  of  the  garden. 
He  "  became  obedient  unto  death."  ^  To  submit  to  an 
insult  is  harder  than  to  resent  one. 

2.  0)1  the  other  hand,  Marys  surrender  was  intensely 
active.  She  not  only  surrendered  to  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  but  she  became  intelligently  and  intensely  active 
as  the  champion  of  that  word.  There  was  no  mere 
negative  assent  in  her  faith.  Having  accepted  the  high 
commission,  and  yielded  to  the  will  of  God,  she  became 
eager  that  the  word  of  God  should  be  fulfilled.  "Be 
it  unto  me  according  to  thy  word"  may  mean,  as  it 
doubtless  did  mean,  "  I  submit "  ;  but  it  meant  more. 
There  was  an  eagerness  of  consent  in  it.  We  may  even 
imagine  a  joyous  consent  and  a  quick  desire  that  the 
wonderful  thing  might  be  done  unto  her.  She  already 
embraced  in  her  heart  the  Son  of  God,  whom  she  was 
to  conceive  in  her  body.  Her  whole  spirit,  soul,  and 
body  went  out  with  yearning  desire  that  God's  great 
purpose  should  be  performed.  Holy  motherhood  awak- 
ened in  her  at  the  very  thought,  and  she  was  all 
eagerness  now  for  the  will  of  God.  Her  heart  was 
beating  with  quick  desire  and  expectation,  which  is 
hope.  It  was  not  only  "  Be  it  unto  me,"  but  it  was 
also  "  Lord,  let  it  be  unto  me  according  to  Thy  word." 

3.  What  zvas  involved  in  this  active  surrejider  on  the 
part  of  Mary  ?  There  is  more  in  her  surrender  than 
at  first  reading  appears.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  the 
surrender  of  her  understanding  and  her  reason.  She 
could  not  understand  how  this  wonder  was  to  be 
wrought ;  but  she  surrendered  her  ignorance  or  her 
inability  to  understand  to  the  double  argument  of  the 
angel.  "  With  God  nothing  shall  be  impossible."  This 
her  faith  accepted,  though  she  did  not  understand  how 

'  Phil.  ii.  8. 


1 66  MAIiV'S   GREAT  CONFESSION 

the  thing  should  be.  Then  the  angel  further  fortified  her 
faith  by  declaring  that  the  Lord  had  already  wrought  a 
similar  miracle  upon  her  cousin  Elisabeth  ;  though  not 
so  great,  it  was,  nevertheless,  just  as  real.  If  God  calls 
upon  us  to  surrender  our  understanding  or  reason  to 
His  word.  He  never  insults  or  dethrones  it.  It  is  no 
dishonour  to  submit  the  reason  to  the  word  of  God, 
which  deals  with  matters  higher  than  the  reason 
can  attain  to,  until  the  understanding  is  enlightened 
by  revelation.  I  do  not  either  insult  or  abandon  my 
sight  when  in  a  dark  room  I  cease  to  depend  on  sight, 
and  bring  into  play  the  sense  of  feeling,  in  order  to 
find  a  lost  object,  or  make  my  way  out  into  the  light. 
So,  in  dealing  with  the  high  mysteries  of  God,  I  do 
not  insult  my  reason,  or  deny  it,  when  I  appeal  to 
faith  to  guide  me  where  reason  cannot  see.  The  ex- 
perience of  the  world,  wherever  the  revelation  of  God 
has  come,  proves  that  the  highest  intelligence  of  man 
has  been  dignified  and  strengthened,  rather  than  de- 
graded, by  the  action  of  faith.  Thousands  upon  thou- 
sands of  men  of  highest  mental  endowments  and 
greatest  intellectual  attainments  have  not  felt  their 
reason  to  have  been  dishonoured  by  the  cordial  accept- 
ance of  the  mystery  of  God  and  the  Incarnation.  On 
the  other  hand,  they  confess  with  gladness  that  the 
revelation  of  God  in  Christ,  which  they  have  accepted 
by  faith,  has  quickened  their  understanding  and  glori- 
fied their  reason.  No  countries  have  made  such  strides 
intellectually  as  those  where  the  gospel  of  God  has 
been  preached  and  believed.  The  surrender  of  what 
I  may  call  the  Western  mind  to  the  revelation  of  God 
has  sent  them  forward  far  beyond  the  dead  point  in 
intellectual  development  at  which  the  Eastern  mind 
came  to  a  full  stop  centuries  ago.  There  never  came 
to  this  world  so  great  a  stimulant  to  the  mind  of  man 


MARY'S  GREAT  CONFESSION  167 

as    the   gospel    of   the    mysteries   of   God.      The    Httle 
carbon   film    enclosed  in  yonder  incandescent  lamp  is 
incapable  itself  of  giving  light ;  but  once  it  is  touched 
by  the  electric  fluid,  it  shines  and  glows  with  a  glory 
of  light   which    fills   all    the   church.      So   the   human 
reason  in  itself  cannot  by  searc/mig  find  out  God,  but 
it  is  capable  of  receiving  a  revelation  from  God  ;    and, 
having  so  received  it,  becomes  the  light-bearer  to  the 
world.      It  is  not  merely  the  act    of   believing  which 
gives  light.     It  is  the  thing  believed.     The  heathen  be- 
lieve, perhaps   sincerely,  the  stories  of   their  mythical 
gods,  but  their  faith  gives  them   no  light,  and   moves 
them  to  no  high  and  holy  living ;    because  what  they 
believe  is  vanity,  and  has  in  it  nothing  to  communicate 
of  light  or  life.      The  result  is  that  the  beliefs  of  the 
heathen    have    produced    superstition    and    fanaticism. 
The  Unitarian  believes  that  Jesus  is  a  good  ?nan  ;  but 
Unitarianism    has  never  had  warmth  enough  in  it  to 
move  the  world  to  any  great  moral  action.     When  the 
Roman   Church    ceased    to   believe  in   Jesus   Christ  as 
the  one  only  Mediator  between  God  and  man,  and  her 
votaries  betook  themselves  to  belief   in  the  virgin  as 
the   source   and    centre   of   power,  and    to   praying   to 
saints  and   angels,  then  it  became  dark  with  supersti- 
tion,  and    morally   powerless    to    subdue    the    grosser 
passions  and  tendencies  in  man. 

4.  Mary  stirrendered  her  Jminility  to  God  when  she 
accepted  His  word.  Let  us  remember  that  Mary  was  a 
very  lowly  woman,  with  nothing  either  in  her  birth  or 
surroundings  to  recommend  her  to  this  transcendent 
honour  and  dignity.  She  might  well  have  said  to  her- 
self, "  Even  accepting  this  great  purpose  and  mystery 
of  God  as  a  possible  thing,  it  is  quite  unreasonable  to 
believe  that  God  should  have  chosen  vte  to  be  the  instru- 
ment of  His  great  purpose.     I  am  not  only  personally 


1 68  MARY'S   GREAT  CONFESSION 

unworthy  of  such  a  favour  and  honour,  but  it  is  not 
worthy  that  the  Son  of  the  Highest  should  have  for  a 
human  mother  one  so  obscure  and  unknown  as  I  am. 
It  would  prejudice  the  whole  purpose  of  His  coming  to 
have  Him  associated  in  this  way  with  one  so  unknown 
and  mean  in  position."  This  is  not  an  extravagant  sup- 
position. It  was  Nazareth  which  prejudiced  the  thought- 
ful and  pious  Nathanael  against  Jesus,  and  led  him  at 
once  to  reject  with  sarcastic  scorn  the  declaration  of 
Philip,  that  in  Jesus  of  Nazareth  he  had  found  the 
Messiah.  According  to  the  thinking  of  the  world — shall 
I  say  the  reason  of  the  world  ? — the  proposition  of  a 
Saviour  associated  with  Nazareth,  Mary,  Joseph  the 
carpenter,  little  Bethlehem,  and  the  stable  there  in  which 
He  was  born,  and  His  subsequent  association  with  Gali- 
lean fishermen  and  hated  publicans,  would  have  been 
absurd.  But  God's  thoughts  are  not  our  thoughts, 
neither  are  His  ways  our  ways.  I  can  easily  fancy  that 
Mary's  consciousness  of  unworthiness  and  unfitness  to 
be  the  mother  of  our  Lord  must  have  been  a  point  at 
which  she  would  have  stumbled,  and  which  it  would  be 
hard  for  her  to  give  up.  That  she  did  feel  this  is  certain, 
from  one  expression  in  her  beautiful  song,  "  He  hath 
regarded  the  low  estate  of  His  handmaiden."  ^  The  con- 
descension of  God  to  this  humble  maid  was  very  great ; 
but  it  agreed  with  the  voluntary  humility  of  our  Lord, 
who  "  made  Himself  of  no  reputation,  and  took  upon 
Him  the  form  of  a  servant."^  Our  Lord's  humility  was 
in  stooping  from  the  height  of  glory  which  was  His  ; 
while  Mary's  humility  was  in  her  reluctance  to  be  lifted 
in  the  high  place  of  honour  to  which  God  had  destined 
her.  In  a  very  subordinate  way  this  feeling  of  un- 
worthiness not  unfrequently  stands  in  the  way  of  men 
and  women  deeply  conscious  of  their  sinfulness.  It 
1  Luke  i.  48.  ^  Phil.  ii.  7. 


MARY'S   GREAT  CONFESSION  169 

hinders  their  faith  from  promptly  accepting  the  amazing 
grace  of  salvation,  offered  to  them  in  Christ — a  salvation 
which  exalts  men  of  low  degree.  For  "  He  raiseth  up 
the  poor  out  of  the  dust,  and  lifteth  up  the  beggar  from 
the  dunghill,  to  set  them  among  princes,  and  to  make 
them  inherit  the  throne  of  glory."  ^  But  this  is  the 
grace  of  God.  Peter  very  naturally  expressed  this  feel- 
ing when  he  said  to  Jesus,  "  Thou  shalt  never  wash  my 
feet."  2  It  was  the  surrender  of  his  humility  into  a 
deeper  humility  which  led  him  afterward  to  cry,  "  Lord, 
not  my  feet  only,  but  also  my  hands  and  my  face."  ^ 
Mary  saw  all  this,  and  it  was  a  great  point  in  her  active 
surrender  that  she  quietly  and  joyfully  acquiesced  in  this 
also.  It  was  a  great  act  of  faith  and  humility  which  led 
Mary  to  say,  "  Behold  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord  ;  be  it 
unto  me  according  to  thy  word." 

5.  Her  surrender  involved  all  the  consequences  7vhich 
iviniediately  followed.  Among  them  I  cannot  but  feel 
that  there  was  the  one  which  affected  her  more  nearly 
than  life  itself,  and  which  gave  rise  to  those  early  and 
later  scandals,  which  have  followed  to  some  extent  this 
holy  and  pure  virgin-mother  ever  since.  It  could  have 
been  no  small  thing  for  Mary  to  face  the  suspicions  of 
her  friends  and  relatives  regarding  her  subsequent  con- 
dition. Even  Joseph,  just  and  good  man  as  he  was,  in 
his  charity,  was  unwilling  to  deliv^er  her  to  the  law,  but 
was  privately  minded  to  put  her  away,  because  of  the 
unjust  and  false  suspicions  he  entertained  in  common 
with  others  concerning  her.  This  possibility  and  fear, 
the  hardest  of  all  for  her  to  bear,  must  have  instantly 
presented  itself  to  her  mind  ;  and  yet  she  did  not  hesi- 
tate a  moment.  The  giving  up  of  all  plans  for  her 
earthly  life  went  with  it.     Of  course,  even  could  she  have 

^  I  Sara.  ii.  8.       ^  John  xiii.  8.      *  John  xiii.  9. 


I70  MA/^V'S   GREAT  CONFESS/ON 

escaped  the  deep  shame  which  would  be  put  upon  her, 
she  could  no  longer  think  of  marriage  under  these  new, 
holy,  and  mysterious  conditions.  Look  at  it  as  she 
would,  her  entire  life  would  have  to  be  changed  and 
surrendered  to  the  will  of  God.  Shall  any  one  say  that 
it  did  not  require  a  heroic  faith  to  face  all  this  ?  In 
defending  her  from  the  false  and  blasphemous  honours 
which  the  Romanists  have  sought  to  put  upon  her,  it  is 
meet  at  the  same  time  to  bow  before  her  in  wonder  and 
admiration,  beyond  that  which  we  give  to  any  woman 
who  ever  lived,  because  of  her  sublime  surrender  to  God 
in  this  holy  emergency, 

6.  Finally,  zue  note  her  inuncdiate  and  active  obedience. 
The  angel  having  left  her,  after  receiving  her  word  of 
acceptance,  she  at  once  made  her  brief  preparations  for 
the  journey,  which  she  immediately  took,  to  Juda,  in 
order  to  greet  and  confer  with  Elisabeth,  Henceforth 
these  two  cousins,  the  one  an  old  woman  and  the  other 
a  young  maid,  came  into  new  relations.  To  Mary 
henceforth  Elisabeth  took  the  place  of  a  human  mother, 
and  her  maidenly  instinct  sent  her  to  this  aged  relative, 
now  so  closely  associated  with  her  in  this  great  mystery 
of  godliness,  that  she  might  confide  her  secret,  and  get 
the  motherly  protection  she  would  so  much  need.  Like 
every  true  believer,  she  sought  the  company  and  com- 
panionship of  those  who  were  likewise  related  to  God. 
When  Peter  was  released  from  prison,  he  immediately 
went  to  the  house  w^here  the  believers  were  assembled 
for  prayer,  and  made  known  to  them  the  fact  of  his  de- 
liverance. It  is  true  that  it  was  Barnabas,  a  man  older 
in  the  faith  than  Saul,  who  sought  that  new  disciple  out ; 
but  Saul  was  happy  and  content  to  be  for  a  time  under 
the  immediate  protection  of  Barnabas,  and  to  dwell  for 
a  whole  year  in  fellowship  with  the  Church  at  Antioch. 
A  common  kinship  to  Jesus  makes  us  kin  to  each  other, 


MARY'S   GREAT  CONFESSION  171 

and  the  possession  of  the  common  salvation  draws  us 
toward  each  other  and  awa}'  from  the  world. 

/  ifiust  close  this  sermon  zvith  noting  tzvo  points  only. 
First,  no  sooner  did  Mary,  in  obedience  to  the  working 
of  faith  within  her,  come  into  the  presence  of  Elisabeth, 
than  the  consciousness  of  her  new  condition  came  upon 
her,  and  her  soul  was  filled  with  a  baptism  of  holy  joy, 
the  spirit  of  prophecy  and  song  coming  upon  her  with 
the  Holy  Ghost.  This  is  a  suggestion  of  a  great  truth 
which  we  should  never  lose  sight  of  Those  who  are 
obedient  to  faith  are  not  left  long  without  some  holy 
experience,  which  confirms  their  faith  and  fills  their 
lives  with  substantial  joy.  After  we  believe,  we  are 
sealed  with  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise.  Those  who 
receive  Christ,  presented  to  them  by  the  word,  are  not 
long  in  finding  Christ  hi  them,  the  hope  of  glory. 

My  last  observation  is  that  tJie  faith  of  Mary  in  al- 
most evejy  detail  ought  to  be  a  guide  to  ns  in  dealing  with 
God  on  the  authority  of  His  zvord.  He  has  announced 
to  us  His  great  love  and  grace  in  Christ.  We  should  at 
once  receive  it,  no  matter  how  extraordinary  it  may 
seem  to  us,  or  how  incomprehensible  to  our  unenlight- 
ened reason.  "  He  that  heareth  My  word,  and  believeth 
on  Him  that  sent  Me,  hath  everlasting  life,  and  shall 
not  come  into  condemnation,  but  is  passed  from  death 
unto  life."  ^  How  we  do  not  know.  As  many  as  be- 
lieve that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God  are  born  again.  How 
we  do  not  know  ;  but  we  do  know  that  "  as  many  as 
received  Him,  to  them  gave  He  power  to  become  the 
sons  of  God,  which  were  born  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the 
will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God."  ^ 
So  when  the  word  of  God  comes  to  us  in  regard  to  any 
duty  to  be  done  or  sacrifice  to  be  made,  it  is  for  us,  even 
though  we  do  not  know  the  reason  or  see  the  wisdom  of 
'  John  V.  24.  -  John  i.  12,  13. 


172  MARY'S   GREAT  CONFESSION 

the  command,  to  say  at  once,  "  Be  it  unto  me  according 
to  Thy  word,"  and  become  not  hearers  only,  but  doers 
of  the  word.  If  we  are  faced  by  some  unexpected  and 
surprising  providence,  the  inscrutabihty  of  which  baffles 
and  confounds  us,  then  it  is  for  us  to  say,  with  implicit 
trust  and  acquiescence,  "  Be  it  unto  me  according  to 
Thy  word  ;  "  "  Though  He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust 
Him  ;  "  ^  "  It  is  the  Lord  :  let  Him  do  what  seemeth 
Him  good."^  If  His  ways  with  us  or  the  world  are 
past  finding  out,  it  is  ours  to  say,  "  Be  it  unto  me  ac- 
cording to  Thy  word  ;  "  "  Even  so,  Father  ;  for  so  it 
seemed  good  in  Thy  sight."  ^  In  regard  to  the  afflic- 
tions which  come  upon  us,  we  must  take  up  the  same 
word,  "Be  it  unto  me  according  to  Thy  word  ; "  "Never- 
theless not  my  will,  but  Thine,  be  done."  *  Therefore  I 
will  take  pleasure  in  afflictions,  if  they  be  according  to 
Thy  word  or  Thy  will  ;  for  the  word  and  the  will  of 
God  come  to  the  same  thing,  and  must  always  be  good 
to  us.  Taking  up  this  attitude  of  prompt  faith,  whole- 
hearted surrender  to  God,  both  passively  and  activel)-, 
we  may  expect  to  find  the  same  baptism  of  joy  which 
greeted  Mary  when  she  confirmed  her  confession  to 
Elisabeth. 
^  Job  xiii.  15.     -   I  Sam.  iii.  18.      ^  Luke  x.  21.     "•  Luke  xxii.  42. 


X 

MAGNIFYING  THE  LORD 

"And  Mary  said,  My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord,  and  my  spirit 
hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour." — LuKE  i.  46,  47. 

WE  know  that  Mary  of  Nazareth,  and  Eh'sabeth,  the 
wife  of  Zacharias,  were  cousins  ;  but  how  closely 
they  were  related  otherwise  we  do  not  know,  Mary 
lived  in  the  far  north  of  the  Holy  Land,  and  was  a  poor 
and  obscure  maiden  ;  while  Elisabeth  lived  in  the  south 
not  far  from  Jerusalem,  and  was  an  aged  woman  occupy- 
ing a  position  much  higher  than  Mary's,  as  the  "  daughter 
of  Aaron  "  and  the  wife  of  Zacharias.  Whether  the  two 
families  had  hitherto  visited  each  other  or  held  any 
correspondence  we  do  not  know.  It  is  possible  that 
they  had  met  occasionally  at  some  of  the  annual  feasts. 
Whether  the  remarkable  visitation  of  the  angel  Gabriel 
to  Elisabeth,  six  months  before  his  visit  to  Mary,  had 
been  communicated  to  the  family  at  Nazareth  we  have 
no  means  of  knowing.  It  is  just  possible  that  Mary 
may  have  heard  of  the  favour  of  God  to  her  cousin 
Elisabeth,  and,  being  a  thoughtful  young  woman, 
pondered  the  news,  and  secretly  and  sympathetically 
rejoiced  with  her  relatives  in  the  good  gift  which  had 
come  to  them,  and  in  the  near  advent  of  the  Messiah 
whose  forerunner  Elisabeth's  son  was  to  be. 

The    mention   of  Elisabeth's   condition    to   Mary    by 
Gabriel  was  a  sufficient  hint  to  her  that  henceforth  they 


174  MAGNIFYING   THE  LORD 

were  bound  by  closer  ties  than  that  of  mere  kinship. 
"  Thy  cousin  Ehsabeth  hath  conceived  a  son  in  her  old 
age."  Mary's  Son  and  her  cousin  Elisabeth's,  so  closely 
related  in  the  great  mystery  just  revealed  to  her,  would 
henceforth  form  a  new  bond  between  them.  Mary  was 
a  reticent  young  woman,  and  had  evidently  the  good 
habit  of  thinking  much  and  speaking  little.  The  angel's 
word  concerning  Elisabeth  brought  her  to  quick  decision, 
and  as  soon  as  he  departed  from  her  she  made  some 
hasty  preparations,  and  immediately  started  to  visit  her 
cousin  in  Juda.  It  was  a  long  journey,  covering  more 
than  two-thirds  of  the  length  of  the  land ;  but  that 
seemed  as  nothing  compared  with  the  great  importance 
of  the  visit.  If  Mary  was  a  motherless  girl,  as  is  supposed, 
then  she  would  naturally  turn  to  her  aged  cousin 
Elisabeth  as  the  one  to  whom  she  should  confide  her 
secret,  and  from  whom  she  should  seek  that  motherly 
sympathy  and  protection  she  would  so  surely  need  dur- 
ing the  serious  and  anxious  time  just  before  her.  How 
she  made  the  journey,  and  in  whose  company,  we  do  not 
know  (Mary  would  not  have  travelled  alone).  That  she 
had  told  her  great  secret  to  any  one  in  Nazareth  I  can- 
not for  a  moment  believe.  Elisabeth  and  Zacharias 
were  the  only  two  persons  who  would  be  likely  to  know 
and  understand.  It  is  evident  that  Joseph,  her  espoused 
husband,  knew  nothing  of  the  matter  until  she  returned, 
three  months  later,  to  her  own  home  in  Nazareth.  We 
know  from  Matthew's  gospel  (i.  18-25)  what  a  painful 
revelation  this  was  to  that  good  man,  and  how  his  very 
natural,  but  unfounded,  suspicions  were  removed  by  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  coming  to  him  in  a  dream,  and  en- 
lightening him  as  to  the  true  state  of  the  case. 

I.  The  Meeting  of  Mary  and  Elisabeth. 

No  sooner  had  Mary  entered  into  the  house  of  Elisa- 
beth and  saluted  her,  than  her  unborn  babe  was  agitated 


MAGNIFYING    THE  LORD  175 

by  a  strange  emotion,  which  seems  to  have  been  a  sign 
to  EHsabeth  by  which  she  understood  the  import  of 
Mary's  visit,  and  recognised  in  her  the  future  mother 
of  her  Lord.  At  the  same  moment  when  her  child 
manifested  itself  in  this  unusual  manner  Elisabeth  was 
filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  began  to  utter  in  a  loud 
voice  a  beatitude  upon  Mary  and  upon  her  child.  It  is 
thought  by  many  commentators  that  it  was  at  this 
moment  that  the  Incarnation  took  place.  Elisabeth's 
beatitude  was  in  the  exact  language  of  the  angel's.  She 
was  speaking  under  the  immediate  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  therefore  intelligently,  as  to  the  high  honour 
and  great  dignity  God  had  conferred  upon  Mary.  She 
had  accounted  herself  a  highly-honoured  woman,  but 
now  there  came  to  her  one,  lower  in  earthly  station  and 
younger  in  years,  upon  whom  higher  honour  and  a 
greater  dignity  had  been  conferred. 

Elisabeth's  humility.  No  spark  of  jealousy  arose  in 
her  heart ;  on  the  contrary,  the  elder  woman  felt  herself 
deeply  honoured  by  the  visit  of  her  young  relative,  now 
the  destined  mother  of  the  Lord.  Therefore  in  deepest 
humility  she  addressed  Mary  in  these  words :  "  And 
whence  is  this  to  me,  that  the  mother  of  my  Lord  should 
come  to  me?"  In  the  next  sentence  she  tells  Mary 
how  she  had  recognised  her  as  the  mother  of  the  Lord. 
I  cannot  refrain  from  here  remarking  that  in  this  in- 
cident we  have  a  hint  of  what  is  the  true  rule  of  preced- 
ence and  honour  among  men  and  women.  In  this  world 
noble  birth,  great  wealth,  exalted  position,  and  power  in 
the  State,  are  the  accidents  by  which  precedence  is 
awarded.  But,  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  we  find  that 
those  whom  God  has  highly  honoured  are  they  to  whom 
we  should  give  precedence  and  pay  reverence.  The 
world  bows  down  to  the  ducal  coronet,  to  the  million- 
aire's bank  account,  and  to  the  statesman's  power ;  but 


176  MAGNIFYING    THE  LORD 

it  does  not  follow  that  these  have  been  highly  favoured 
or  honoured  of  God.  The  world  passes  by  many  men 
whom  God  has  gifted  with  spiritual  power  (to  win  men 
to  Him,  to  be  the  guides  and  succourers  of  distressed 
souls,  and  to  fill  the  world  with  the  perfume  of  holy 
lives)  because  they  lack  those  things  which  command 
the  estimation  of  men.  But  let  us  learn  the  higher  rule. 
"Honour  to  whom  honour"  is  due  ^  is  God's  rule.  To 
whom,  then,  is  honour  due?  Why,  of  course,  first  and 
before  all  others,  to  those  whom  God  honours.  We  are 
to  honour  all  men,  because  they  were  made  in  the  image 
of  God.  We  are  to  honour  the  king,  because  God  has 
conferred  on  him  great  power  and  responsibility  in  the 
government  of  men,  and  as  such  he  is  God's  servant  and 
magistrate  ;  but  above  such  honour  is  that  which  makes 
us  children  of  God,  "  heirs  of  God,  and  joint-heirs  with 
Jesus  Christ."  ^  I  remember,  years  ago  in  England, 
being  introduced  to  a  lady  as  Mrs.  So-and-So.  Having 
saluted  her  and  passed  on  with  my  friend,  he  whispered, 
"  Do  you  know  who  that  lady  is  to  whom  I  introduced 
you  ?  "  "  No,"  I  replied,  "  not  beyond  the  fact  that  she 
is  Mrs.  So-and-So."  Then,  with  an  air  of  profound 
respect,  he  said,  "  When  her  husband's  father  dies  (and 
he  is  not  expected  to  live  much  longer)  she  will  be  Lady 
So-and-So."  She  was  to  be  honoured  because  of  her 
heirship  to  a  great  title.  Suppose  I  should  introduce 
some  of  you  honourable  people  who  are  before  me  to 
some  ordinary  person,  and  then  tell  you  quietly  after- 
wards that  he  was  a  man  to  be  highly  honoured  (though 
in  a  position  in  this  world  much  lower  than  your  own), 
because  he  was  a  son  of  God,  and  the  joint-heir  with 
Jesus  Christ  to  all  the  glory  of  the  Father,  would  not 
such  a  case  deserve  your  honourable  recognition  ?  Jesus 
said  on  one  occasion,  "  He  that  honoureth  not  the  Son 
'  Rom.  xiii.  7.  ^  Rom.  viii.  17. 


MAGNIFYING   THE  LORD  177 

honoureth  not  the  Father."  ^  And  we  may  say,  without 
irreverence,  "  He  that  honoureth  not  the  least  of  the 
sons  and  daughters  of  God  honoureth  not  God."  Let 
us  not  forget  that  all  God's  children,  however  obscure  or 
poor,  are  His  heirs,  and  are  therefore  in  themselves 
princes  royal.  Beggars  they  may  have  been  ("  taken 
from  the  dunghill  ") ;  they  are  now  by  grace  set  among 
the  princes,  and  will  be  exalted  to  the  throne  of  glory. 
We  cannot  afford  to  ignore  or  slight  the  least  of  God's 
children. 

Tlie  blessedness  of  Marys  faith.  Mary  was  blessed 
of  God  among  women  ;  but  she  was  more  blessed  be- 
cause of  her  faith.  Zacharias  had  doubted,  while  Elisa- 
beth had  believed.  Zacharias  had  been  stricken  with 
dumbness  for  his  unbelief,  but  Elisabeth  had  conceived 
a  son  in  her  old  age  through  faith.  She  now  perceived 
by  the  Holy  Ghost  that  Mary  had  also  believed,  and 
should  see  the  performance  of  those  things  which  were 
told  her  from  the  Lord.  Here  is  another  lesson  worth 
our  learning  :  that  faith  in  God  and  obedience  to  His 
word,  a  certainty  that  the  things  which  He  has  promised 
shall  be  performed,  and  the  immediate  ordering  of  our 
actions  in  accordance  with  His  word,  will  bring  blessed- 
ness and  honour  to  us.  "  Without  faith  it  is  impossible 
to  please  God."  ^  "  All  things  are  possible  to  him  that 
believeth."  ^  Our  Lord  constantly  inculcated  this  lesson 
during  His  earthly  ministry  among  men.  Let  us,  like 
Mary,  cultivate  this  grace,  and  say  with  her  and  the 
Psalmist,  "  I  will  hear  what  God  the  Lord  will  speak."  * 
"  Be  it  unto  me  according  to  Thy  word."  ^  I  know 
many  people  who  are  miserable  because  they  cannot, 
or  rather  because  they  will  not,  believe.  They  are 
constantly    saying,  "  How    can    these  things   be  ? "  and 

*  John  V.  23.      ^  Heb.  xi.  6.      ^  Mark  ix   23.      *  Ps.  Ixxxv.  8. 

^  Luke  i.  38. 
P.B.  1 2 


178  MAGNIFYING    THE  LORD 

will  not  hear,  as  Mary  did,  the  answer  of  the  angel, 
"  With  God  nothing  shall  be  impossible."  A  believing 
life  is  not  an  emotional  life,  but  an  obedient  one. 
"  Blessed  is  she  that  believes,  for  there  shall  be  a  perfor- 
mance of  those  things  which  were  told  her  from  the 
Lord."  ^  Oh  !  "  be  not  faithless,  but  believing."  "  Sirs," 
said  Paul,  "  be  of  good  cheer,  for  I  believe  God,  that  it 
shall  be  even  as  it  was  told  me."  ^  How  happy  and 
strong  Paul  was  among  that  terrified  and  despairing 
crew  because  he  believed !  God  can  do  little  for  us 
because  of  our  unbelief ;  whereas  for  those  who  believe 
He  can  and  will  do  great  things. 

n.  The  Song  of  Mary.  It  was  meet  that  the 
new  dispensation  should  be  ushered  in  with  song. 
There  seems  to  have  been  a  perfect  burst  of  music  in 
connection  with  the  Incarnation.  The  angel's  annunci- 
ation was  highly  poetic.  On  the  coming  of  Mary  to 
Elisabeth  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  upon  her,  and  she  sang 
her  benedictions  upon  both  Mary  and  her  child.  No 
sooner  does  Elisabeth  cease  speaking,  than  Mary  breaks 
forth  into  poetry  and  song  so  majestic,  so  tender  and 
beautiful,  that  it  has  been  sung  in  all  ages  since  as  the 
chiefest  and  finest  hymn  of  the  Church.  Upon  the  birth 
of  the  Baptist,  the  long-dumb  Zacharias  is  filled  with 
poetry,  and  expresses  himself  in  song.  When  Jesus  was 
born,  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host  sang  in  chorus 
with  the  announcing  angel,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest ;  and  on  earth,  peace,  toward  men  of  good 
will."  ^  Since  that  time  song  has  been  the  chief  char- 
acteristic of  christian  worship.  The  Incarnation  set 
the  world  singing  because  it  brought  hope  to  a  hopeless 
world,  and  filled  the  hearts  of  all  who  received  the 
Saviour  with  a  "  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory."  ^ 
Song  is  an  exercise  which  is  appropriate  at  all  times. 
*  Ibid.  i.  45.     '^  Acts  xxvii.  25       ^  Luke  ii.  14.     "*   i  Pet.  i.  8. 


MAGNIFYING   THE  LORD  I79 

The  Psalmist  was  right  when  he  declared,  "  I  will  bless 
the  Lord  at  all  times."  ^  The  soul  finds  in  song  the 
easiest  and  highest  expression  of  its  emotions.  I  have 
seen  tears  dimming  the  eyes  of  an  afflicted  believer 
while  his  soul  was  pouring  forth  song  from  the  lips. 
We  can  sing  alike  in  joy  and  sorrow.  Many  of  the 
Psalms  are  sad  and  bitter  complaints  and  expressions 
of  discouragement  and  depression  ;  yet  these  emotions 
were  voiced  in  song.  But  it  is  when  the  soul  is  exalted 
with  some  lofty  emotion  of  gladness  or  victory  that 
song  finds  its  highest  vocation.  Mary's  soul  was  at  this 
moment  in  an  holy  ecstasy  of  joy  because  of  the  coming 
of  "  her  Saviour,"  and  she  might  well  magnify  the  Lord 
and  rejoice.  She  was  animated  by  the  same  Spirit 
which  moved  David  to  exclaim,  "  Bless  the  Lord,  O 
my  soul :  and  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  His  holy 
name  "  ^  ;  and,  again,  "  My  soul  shall  make  her  boast 
in  the  Lord  ;  the  humble  shall  hear  thereof,  and  be  glad. 

0  magnify  the  Lord  with  me,  and  let  us  exalt  His  name 
together."  ^ 

An  examination  of  Mary's  song  discloses  a  fact  greatly 
to  her  credit.  She  must  have  been  a  true  student  of  the 
scriptures,  and  have  pondered  them  very  deeply  ;  for 
her  song  is  a  mosaic,  composed  of  many  of  the  most 
beautiful  passages  and  sentiments  found  in  the  songs  of 
Hannah,  Deborah,  and  David.  These,  and  the  sayings 
of  the  prophets,  must  have  been  all  stored  up  in  her 
heart,  and  now,  when  the  Holy  Ghost  comes  upon  her, 
they  were  all  fused,  and  poured  forth  in  a  golden  stream 
of  praise,  with  here  and  there  a  gem  of  ancient  song 
sparkling  in  its  original  and  unaltered  beauty.     In  India 

1  was  one  day  in  the  shop  of  a  dealer  in  precious 
stones.  He  took  me  into  a  small  room  lined  on  every 
side  with   crimson    velvet,  in    which   he   displayed    his 

*  Ps.  xxxiv.  I.         ^  Ps.  ciii.  i.  '''  Ps.  xxxiv.  3. 


i8o  MAGNIFYING   THE  LORD 

jewels  to  customers  and  others.  It  was  lighted  only 
from  above  by  a  large  skylight  of  glass,  through  which 
the  Eastern  sun  poured  with  unbroken  rays.  He  took 
from  a  safe  half  a  dozen  little  leather  bags,  in  which 
were  contained  his  treasures,  and  poured  forth  upon  a 
velvet-covered  table  a  wealth  of  diamonds,  sapphires, 
opals,  pearls,  rubies,  and  emeralds.  Placing  all  these 
(probably  about  half  a  pint  in  bulk)  in  a  wooden  cup, 
and  holding  in  the  other  hand  another  cup  of  the  same 
size  and  make,  he  slowly  (lifting  his  hands  as  he  did  so) 
poured  the  jewels  from  one  cup  to  another,  parting  his 
hands  a  little  further  at  each  movement,  and  making  the 
transfer  a  little  more  rapidly  each  time,  until  with  his 
hands  perhaps  three  feet  apart,  and  with  rapid  motion, 
he  caused  the  precious  stones  to  pass  from  one  cup  to 
another,  under  the  blazing  sunlight,  in  a  perfect  stream 
of  variegated  and  gleaming  beauty.  It  was  a  fascinating 
sight.  Well,  it  seems  to  me  that  Mary's  song  is  some- 
thing like  that.  She  has  gathered  up  in  her  heart  all 
the  song-jewels  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  now  pours 
them  forth  in  a  liquid  stream,  which,  illuminated  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  fascinates  and  charms  our  hearts.  If  we 
will  lay  up  in  our  hearts  the  treasures  of  wisdom  which 
God  has  stored  up  for  us  in  His  word,  when  a  crisis  of 
joy  or  sorrow  comes  upon  us,  we,  too,  shall  open  our 
lips  and  show  forth  His  praise, — if  not  always  in  song, 
at  least  in  testimony.  It  is  the  blessed  promise  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  bring  to  our  remembrance  the  precious 
truths  of  God's  word,  and  to  take  of  the  things  of  Christ 
and  show  them  unto  us.  But  how  can  the  Spirit  do  this 
for  us  unless  we  have  first  stored  up  these  words  in  our 
memories  by  much  reading  and  thought? 

I.  Mary  magnifies  the  Lord.  She  did  not,  of  course, 
for  a  moment  dream  that  her  song  could  add  anything 
to  the  greatness  of  the  Lord.     She  would  only  declare 


MAGNIFYING    THE  LORD  i8i 

her  homage,  and  exalt  His  name  and  character  by  de- 
claring it  to  others.  No  doubt  she  had  received  a  great 
enlargement  of  her  own  views  and  understanding.  God 
had  never  seemed  so  great  and  gracious  and  loving  to 
her  before.  Her  soul  was  bursting  with  praise,  and  she 
would  fain  call  all  the  world  and  all  coming  generations 
to  hear  her  testimony,  and  join  with  her  in  exalting  the 
Lord  :  "  And  His  mercy  is  on  them  that  fear  Him  from 
generation  to  generation."  ^  We  cannot  make  the  Lord 
greater  or  more  glorious  by  anything  we  say  or  do  ; 
but  we  can  lift  Him  up  in  our  hearts,  and  publish  His 
greatness  in  song  and  b)^  our  lives,  and  thus  with  Mary 
magnify  His  name.  In  this  blessed  work  we  have  fel- 
lowship with  the  saints  of  all  ages  and  of  both  worlds. 
It  is  heavenly  work  upon  the  earth  to  praise  the  Lord  ; 
and  the  more  it  is  done  by  us  and  the  whole  Church,  the 
more  of  "  the  days  of  heaven  on  earth  "  there  will  be. 
The  armies  of  Israel  used  to  go  forth  led  by  a  company 
of  singers.  The  Church  that  goes  forth  to  the  world  to 
live  its  life  and  do  its  work  with  songs  of  praise  to  God 
will  ever  be  a  conquering  Church.  I  have  never  known 
a  singing  christian  to  be  a  doubting  christian,  or  one  who 
has  dishonoured  the  Lord  in  his  life.  Let  us  magnify 
the  Lord  and  rejoice  in  God  our  Saviour.  I  love  the 
Sabbath,  and  daily  repetition  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  es- 
pecially the  clause  which  teaches  us  to  say,  "  Hallowed 
be  Thy  name."  I  love  the  simple  form  of  our  worship, 
which  is  always  opened,  morning  and  evening,  by  singing 
our  grand  old  Doxology  : 

"  Praise  God,  from  Whom  all  blessings  flow ; 
Praise  Him,  all  creatures  here  below  ; 
Praise  Him  above,  ye  heavenly  host ; 
Praise  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost." 

2.   This  zuork  of  magnifying  the  Lord  is  no  formal 

*  Luke  i.  50. 


i82  MAGNIFYING    THE  LORD 

act.  Mary  called  upon  her  soul  for  this  service.  The 
worship  of  God,  whether  in  prayer  or  song,  is  no  mere 
perfunctory  work.  It  is  soul-work  ;  and  he  who  does 
not  magnify  God  with  his  soul  insults  Him  by  the  offer 
of  that  which  God  abhors.  It  was  one  of  God's  com- 
plaints of  old  that  "  This  people  honoureth  me  with  their 
lips,  but  their  heart  is  far  from  Me,"  ^  They  brought 
Him  many  sacrifices,  but  they  withheld  their  hearts  from 
Him.  He  says,  "  I  cannot  away  with  "  such  praise  or 
service.^  It  was  an  abomination  to  Him.  In  our  public 
worship  it  is  right  and  proper  that  our  praise  be  con- 
ducted not  only  reverently,  but  according  to  the  best 
rules  of  music.  We  should  study  to  sing  in  time  and 
in  tune ;  there  should  be  harmony  between  the  organ, 
the  choir,  and  the  congregation  ;  because  whatever  is 
worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing  well — but  it  must  be 
soul-work.  The  gospel  should  be  preached  from  the 
heart  ;  should  be  the  spontaneous  delivery  of  a  message 
received  from  God  for  the  people  ;  but  that  would  be  a 
poor  and  unfaithful  preacher  who  did  not  give  to  his 
work  all  that  is  ablest  and  best  in  him,  his  most  careful 
thought  and  fullest  preparation.  He  must  study  to  show 
himself  "  a  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed."  ^ 
He  should  use  a  trained  mind,  and  gather  from  every 
storehouse  of  knowledge  ;  he  should  endeavour  to  pre- 
sent his  thought  in  well-chosen  and  simple  language ; 
he  should  appeal  to  the  heart,  to  the  conscience  and  the 
imagination,  to  the  hopes  and  fears  of  his  congregation  ; 
but  if  his  sermon  is  nothing  more  than  the  work  of  the 
scholar,  the  logician,  the  literary  artist,  or  the  orator,  he 
has  but  miserably  failed  in  his  high  calling.  So  neither 
should  the  simplest  or  the  grandest  hymn  of  praise  be 
sung  merely  as  a  formal  performance  or  a  work  of  art. 
We  should  study  our  hymns,  put  ourselves  into  fellow- 
*  Matt.  XV.  8.  ^  Isa.  i.  13.  "2  Tim.  ii.  15. 


MAGNIFYING   THE  LORD  183 

ship  with  their  sentiments — make  them  our  own — and 
then  call  upon  our  souls,  and  all  that  is  within  us,  to 
praise  the  Lord.  Singing,  even  when  it  is  done  accord- 
ing to  the  best  rules  of  art,  in  expression,  manner,  or 
posture,  is  hateful  to  God,  and  an  insult  to  His  glory, 
unless  the  soul  and  the  spirit  are  engaged.  "  God  is 
a  Spirit,"  and  He  "  seeketh  siich  to  worship  Him."  I 
wonder,  if  we  should  all  make  strict  inquiry  into  this 
matter,  whether  we  would  escape  our  own  condemnation. 
I  love  to  have  the  whole  congregation  join  heartily  in 
our  service  of  song,  and  it  grieves  me  when  I  see  so 
many  motionless  lips  before  me  ;  but  I  would  a  thousand 
times  rather  have  you  all  silent  than  singing  carelessly, 
soullessly,  and  without  the  Spirit,  for  then  the  glory  of 
the  Lord  departs  from  the  temple,  and  "  Ichabod  "  is 
written  all  over  the  house,  and  deeply  branded  upon  the 
worshippers. 

3.  Mary's  song  was  more  than  soulful ;  it  zvas  joyous. 
Her  highest  intelligence  was  engaged  to  magnify  the 
Lord,  and  her  spirit  was  filled  with  joyful  praise.  Re- 
ligion in  any  of  its  aspects  is  but  a  heavy  and  hard 
service  when  it  is  formally  rendered  or  participated  in 
without  joy.  Joy  fulness  is  characteristic  of  the  gospel. 
"  Behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy,"  said 
the  angel  to  the  shepherds,  "  which  shall  be  to  all 
people."  ^  "  O  come,  let  us  sing  unto  the  Lord  ;  let  us 
make  a  joyful  noise  to  the  Rock  of  our  salvation,"^ 
said  the  Psalmist.  Much  more  ought  we  to  serve  the 
Lord  with  joyful  hearts.  It  is  the  Lord's  will  that  we 
should  be  filled  with  joy.  "  Rejoice  in  the  Lord  alway, 
and  again  I  say,  Rejoice,"^  was  the  apostolic  exhorta- 
tion. The  Incarnation  has  given  us  access  by  faith 
into  the  grace  of  God,  wherein  we  stand  and  rejoice 
in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God.  Mary  rejoiced  in  God 
'  Luke  ii.  10.  "^  Ps.  xcv.  i.  *  Phil.  iv.  4. 


i84  MAGNIFYING   THE  LORD 

her  Saviour ;  every  thought  of  Him  filled  her  soul 
with  gladness  and  stirred  her  spirit  with  joy.  So  should 
we  rejoice  in  our  Saviour,  whom  having  not  seen  we 
love,  and  in  whom,  though  now  we  see  Him  not,  yet 
believing  we  rejoice  with  a  joy  unspeakable  and  full 
of  glory.  Surely  the  christian  has  a  better  right  and 
title  to  rejoice  than  any  other  man  ! 

"  Oh,  happy  christian,  sing." 

4.  The  object  of  Mary's  praise.  She  magnified  the 
Lord,  and  rejoiced  in  God  her  Saviour.  It  is  fair  to 
suppose  that  the  trend  of  Mary's  thought  and  feeling 
was  according  to  her  Jewish  and  Old  Testament  edu- 
cation. The  God  of  the  Old  Testament  was  her  Lord. 
The  "Jehovah"  of  Israel  was  her  God.  And  yet  she 
must  have  got,  in  this  new  inspiration,  and  especially 
from  the  words  of  the  angel  who  announced  to  her 
the  Incarnation,  a  wider  and  more  evangelical  view  of 
God  than  she  ever  had  had  before.  Her  vision  was 
cleared  of  many  a  cloud  of  Jewish  prejudice,  and  her 
horizon  was  widened  to  see  that,  in  Jesus,  God's  mercy 
was  to  be  extended  to  all  people,  and  from  generation 
to  generation.  Certainly,  however,  her  soul  was  filled 
with  thoughts  of  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob ;  the  God  of  David  and  the  prophets.  She 
magnified  Him  who  created  the  world,  and  placed  and 
numbered  the  stars  which  fill  the  heavens  with  His 
glory  and  show  forth  His  handiwork.  She  remembered 
Him  who  was  the  preserver  and  providence  of  the 
world,  as  well  as  its  creator  ;  but  especially  would  she 
magnify  Him  who  was,  in  a  peculiar  sense,  the  God  of 
Israel  ;  who  had  delivered  the  people  out  of  the  hand 
of  the  Egyptians,  and  out  of  that  land  of  bondage  and 
affliction  into  the  land  of  milk  and  honey,  of  rains  from 
heaven,  and  hills  and  valleys,  the  land  of  corn  and  wine 


MAGNIFYING    THE  LORD  185 

and  oil.  She  remembered  how  Me  had  callerl  Abraham, 
and  made  a  covenant  of  grace  with  him  ;  she  remem- 
bered how  he  had  fought  their  battles  and  delivered 
them  out  of  the  hands  of  their  enemies,  and  taught  them 
that  He  was  their  Judge  as  well  as  their  Redeemer. 
She  would  think  of  Him  as  the  maker  of  great  pro- 
mises, and  now  as  the  fulfiller  of  them,  in  sending  Jesus 
to  perform  all  His  good  will.  A  hundred  sacred  images 
of  Him  who  for  generations  had  dealt  with  Israel  in 
righteousness  and  mercy,  in  goodness  and  severity,  but 
always  in  love  and  faithfulness,  floated  before  her  mind. 
He  was  their  great  Captain,  who  fought  for  them  ;  their 
Shepherd,  who  watched  over  them  and  fed  them  ;  the 
Mighty  to  save,  who  was  to  tread  the  wine-press  alone. 
Perhaps  there  came  a  dim  vision  of  Him  as  the  Man 
of  Sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief,  wounded  for  their 
transgressions,  and  bearing  away  their  sins  in  His  own 
body.  His  character  as  Saviour  was  blended  with  that 
of  the  great  Sovereign  and  Judge.  I  cannot  think  that 
her  ideas  were  as  clear  to  her  as  they  are  to  us,  for  the 
whole  secret  of  His  being  and  purpose  was  not  as  fully 
revealed  to  her  as  it  is  now  to  us  ;  but  she  had  faint 
glimpses  of  it  all,  and  her  soul  sung  of  that  of  which 
her  intelligence  was  not  as  yet  fully  informed.  God  in 
Christ  and  Christ  in  God  was  not  dogmatically  set 
before  her  ;  yet  in  spirit  she  grasped  these  great  truths, 
and  poured  them  out  in  a  tribute  of  magnificent  praise 
before  Him.  We  still  deal  with  great  mysteries  in 
our  adoration,  the  meaning  of  which  we  feel  rather 
than  understand. 

How  far  Mary  understood  the  mysterious  personality 
of  the  Child  whom  she  was  to  bear  it  is  difficult  to  say. 
She,  no  doubt,  was  thinking  of  Him  when  she  declared 
that  her  spirit  rejoiced  in  God  her  Saviour.  Her  spirit 
and  soul  were  in  a  high  state  of  elevation  at  this  time, 


iS6  MAGNIFYING    THE  LORD 

and  she  spoke  forth  things  which  at  a  later  time  she 
did  not  fully  understand.  When  Jesus  was  a  boy  in  the 
Temple,  she  did  not  appreciate  what  He  meant  when 
He  said,  "  I  must  be  about  My  Father's  business."  ^  She 
did  not  fully  understand  Him  in  His  public  ministry, 
and  on  a  certain  occasion  somewhat  officiously  sought 
to  interrupt  it  by  calling  Him  away  from  the  multi- 
tude which  crowded  round  Him.  Perhaps  her  motherly 
anxiety  was  at  that  time  dominating  her  spiritual  per- 
ceptions, just  as  our  natural  anxieties  sometimes — nay, 
very  often  —  blind  our  higher  spiritual  intelligence. 
Nevertheless,  on  this  occasion,  when  her  soul  and  spirit 
were  fully  illuminated  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  she  joined 
Elisabeth  in  singing  praise  to  the  Incarnate  God.  She 
believed  that  the  mysterious  Being  whose  earthly  life 
was  beginning  in  her  body  was  her  Saviour.  More  than 
that,  God  her  Saviour,  Philosophical  and  speculative 
difficulties  were  not  present  with  her  ;  neither  are  they 
present  with  us  when  we  are  in  the  highest  spiritual 
condition.  Faith  takes  the  place  of  the  speculative 
faculties,  and  deals  directly  with  God. 

If  any  should  suggest  that  Mary  was  not  justified 
in  directing  her  rejoicing  adoration  to  Him  whom  she 
had  just  conceived,  I  would  only  remind  them  that 
she  was  but  doing  what  she  was  abundantly  warranted 
in  doing,  had  she  only  the  Old  Testament  scriptures 
to  guide  her.  All  the  prophets  had  testified  that  the 
Messiah,  when  He  came,  would  be  possessed  of  the 
attributes  of  the  Godhead ;  that  the  Messiah  of  her 
hopes  would  be  none  other  than  the  Jehovah  of  her 
worship,  come  to  earth  as  a  man.  She  remembered  the 
Messianic  prophecies  and  songs :  "  Unto  us  a  Child 
is  born  ;  unto  us  a  Son  is  given  ;  and  the  government 
shall  be  upon  His  shoulder  ;  and  His  name  shall  be 
^  Luke  ii.  49. 


MAGNIFYING   THE  LORD  187 

called  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  The  Mighty  God,  The 
Everlasting  Father,  The  Prince  of  Peace."  *  Such 
passages  from  the  prophets  were  now  involuntarily  as- 
sociated with  her  unborn  Son.  She  would  remember, 
as  the  daughter  of  David,  how  her  great  ancestor  had 
spoken  of  Messiah  as  at  once  "  his  Son  "  and  "  his 
Lord."  ^  She  would  at  that  moment  recall  the  saying 
of  Gabriel,  who  declared  that  "  that  Holy  Thing  which 
should  be  born  of  her  was  the  Son  of  the  Highest,  and 
should  be  called  the  Son  of  God,  and  that  the  Lord 
God  would  give  unto  Him  the  throne  of  David,  and 
that  He  should  rule  over  the  house  of  Jacob  for  ever ; 
and  that  of  His  kingdom  there  should  be  no  end." 
Surely  she  was  warranted  in  thinking  and  speaking  of 
her  unborn  Son  as  God  her  Saviour !  Elisabeth,  speak- 
ing by  the  Holy  Ghost,  had  just  saluted  and  given 
precedence  to  her  as  the  "  mother  of  my  Lord."  This 
confession  of  faith  in  Him  as  Saviour-God  was  fully 
warranted  to  her ;  it  is  much  more  abundantly  war- 
ranted to  us.  Let  us  not  be  behind  Mary,  who  have 
even  more  light  than  she  had,  in  bringing  the  worship 
of  our  hearts  to  Him  who  is  God  our  Saviour  as  truly 
as  He  was  hers. 

In  her  rejoicing  song  Mary  fully  recognised  her 
higher  relation  to  her  Son,  He  was  her  "  Saviour." 
She  was  a  sinner  as  other  women  were  sinners,  and  she 
rejoiced  in  salvation  come  to  her  through  Him  even 
as  we  do.  No  note  of  proud  superiority  in  her  song 
suggests  to  us  what  the  Romanists  would  have  us  be- 
lieve, that  she  herself  was  conceived  and  born  without 
sin.  The  deepest  humility  pervades  this  song,  so  far 
as  Mary  is  concerned.  It  is  a  truth  for  us  to  take 
deeply  into  our  hearts,  that  the  angels  sing  praises  to 
God  and  celebrate  His  glory,  but  they  cannot  sing  to 
'  Isa.  ix.  6.  ^  Mark  xii.  yj. 


i88  MAGNIFYING   THE  LORD 

Him  as  their  Saviour  ;  only  His  redeemed  sing  of  the 
Lamb  slain.^  Angels  have  never  known  the  depths  of 
divine  love  as  it  is  given  us.  Nor  can  we  ever  enter  into 
the  full  sweetness  and  power  of  that  holy  name — Jesus, 
Saviour — unless  we  take  our  place  before  Him  as  lost 
sinners.  Perhaps,  at  this  moment,  Mary  felt  more 
deeply  than  ever  before  in  her  life  that  she  was  a  sinful 
woman,  even  while  the  most  blessed  among  women. 
I  am  sure  that  they  who  sing  the  praises  of  Christ  the 
loudest,  and  with  deepest  understanding  and  most  sin- 
cere spirit,  are  they  who  have  seen  the  deepest  into 
the  sinful  depths  of  their  own  hearts.  How  shall  any 
one  sing  and  rejoice  in  God  as  Saviour  who  has  never 
learned  the  plagues  of  his  own  heart,  which  Jesus  has 
come  to  cure  ? 

We  ought  to  join  zvitk  Mary  most  heartily  in  this  great 
song  of  praise,  for,  like  Mary,  we  are  sinners  who  need 
a  Saviour,  and,  like  Mary,  we  are  sinners  to  whom  a 
Saviour  has  come.  Therefore  "  the  redeemed  of  the 
Lord  shall  return,  and  come  with  singing  into  Zion, 
and  everlasting  joy  shall  be  upon  their  heads."  ^  "  Re- 
joice in  the  Lord,  O  ye  justified  ones  ;  for  praise  is 
comely  in  the  upright."  ^  "  Praise  ye  the  Lord  ;  for 
it  is  good  to  sing  praises  unto  our  God ;  for  it  is 
pleasant  ;  and  praise  is  comely."  ^  This  is  an  act  of 
worship  ;  this  is  a  gracious  duty ;  this  is  a  debt  of 
love  which  all  may  pay.  To  rejoice  in  God  our  Saviour 
is  a  privilege  which  is  monopolized  by  no  class,  and 
is  not  limited  to  those  who  are  most  highly  favoured 
with  the  great  things  of  the  earth.  It  is  a  privilege 
as  well  as  a  duty,  which  the  poorest  and  least  educated 
may  discharge.  None  so  poor  that  they  cannot  rejoice 
in   God   their  Saviour.     The   rich  and   the  trained  and 

'  Rev.  vii.  9.       ^  Isa.  11.  11.       ^  Ps.  xxxiii.  i.       *  Ps.  cxlvii.  i. 


MAGNIFYING    THE  LORD  189 

cultivated  ones  in  the  Church  of  God  have  no  monopoly 
of  praise  and  rejoicing. 

The  youngest  among  its  may  engage  in  this  delightful 
and  grateful  service  of  magnifying  the  Lord,  and  re- 
joicing in  God  our  Saviour.  It  must  not  be  forgotten 
that  amongst  those  who  first  hailed  Jesus  with  songs 
and  praises  were  the  little  children  who  went  with  the 
multitude,  and  sang  Hosanna  in  the  Temple,  lifting 
up  their  sweet  young  voices.  Their  song  angered  the 
rulers  and  chief  priests  ;  but  Jesus  rebuked  them,  saying, 
"  Yea,  have  ye  never  read.  Out  of  the  mouths  of  babes 
and  'sucklings  Thou  hast  perfected  praise  ?  "  Yes,  in- 
deed !  the  children  who  cannot  do  great  things  as  men 
can,  according  to  our  estimate  of  great  things,  may 
praise  Him  and  give  Him  joy  in  their  praise.  I  love 
to  hear  the  clear,  sweet  voices  of  the  boys  in  our  choir, 
and  I  do  pray  that  their  songs  may  be  inspired  by  the 
love  of  Him  whose  praise  they  sing. 

TJiis  service  and  joyful  worship  may  be  rendered  any- 
where— at  home  or  abroad,  on  the  land  or  on  the  sea  ; 
the  soldier  in  his  tent  or  on  the  march  ;  the  sailor  in  the 
forecastle  of  his  ship  or  in  the  shrouds,  with  the  winds 
playing  an  organ  accompaniment  to  his  song  ;  the  mother 
in  the  home  amidst  tKe  children,  or  about  her  household 
work  ;  the  father  in  the  fields  or  in  the  shop.  Oh  !  we 
may  sing  anywhere — in  the  church,  or  on  the  street ;  for 
all  places  are  temples  of  God,  and  the  time  has  come  when 
neither  to  this  place  nor  that  are  our  praises  restricted. 
The  sick  may  sing  as  truly  as  those  who  are  well ;  the 
weak  may  sing  as  well  as  the  strong  ;  the  prisoner  as  well 
as  the  freeman  ;  the  slave  as  well  as  the  master  ;  the  hand- 
maiden in  the  kitchen  as  well  as  the  mistress  in  the  draw- 
ing-room— the  one  may  sing  to  the  accompaniment  of  a 
piano,  the  other  keeping  time  with  the  broom  and  the 
dust-cloth.     Except  in  the  matter  of  prayer,  there  is  no 


I90  MAGNIFYING    THE  LORD 

soul-exercise  in  which  we  are  so  free  as  in  the  singing, 
with  melody  in  our  hearts,  to  God. 

Sifice  sacred  soiig proceeds  from  the  soul  and  is  quickened 
by  the  Spirit,  it  cannot  be  fettered.  No  one  can  prevent 
us  from  singing  and  magnifying  the  Lord,  and  rejoicing 
in  God  our  Saviour.  The  enraged  multitude  could  arrest 
Paul  and  Silas,  beat  them,  and  set  them  in  the  stocks  in 
the  inner  prison  at  Philippi ;  but  they  could  not  prevent 
them  from  waking  the  echoes  of  their  dreary  cell  at  mid- 
night with  praises  to  God.  I  once  talked  with  a  little 
Hindu  maiden  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  who,  because 
she  had  come  to  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  was  taken 
away  from  the  mission  school,  beaten,  starved,  and  for- 
bidden to  speak  His  name,  or  bow  her  knee  to  Him. 
And  since  she  would  not  worship  the  family  idols  any 
longer,  she  was  sent  as  a  kind  of  prisoner  to  the  idol 
temple,  where  I  met  her.  With  some  friends  we  stood 
on  the  edge  of  rock  upon  which  the  temple  was  built, 
and,  looking  abroad  upon  the  lovely  landscape,  we  sang 
a  hymn  of  praise  to  God.  This  brought  a  troop  of 
young  girls  from  the  temple  cloisters,  and  this  little  maid 
said  to  us,  in  fairly  good  English,  "  I  can  sing  those 
songs  too,  for  I  love  Jesus,  and  sing  to  Him  every  day  /;/ 
my  /leart.  The  priests  will  not  let  me  sing  with  m}- 
lips,  but  they  can't  prevent  me  from  singing  in  my  heart. 
They  will  not  let  me  kneel  down  and  pray  to  my  Saviour, 
but  they  can't  prevent  me  from  praying  in  my  heart," 
and  her  young  face  shone  with  the  gladness  of  this 
privilege.  There  are  some  of  you  who  cannot  make 
much  music  with  your  voices,  but  you  can  with  soul- 
music  make  melody  in  your  hearts  to  the  Lord. 

I  know  of  no  other  spiritual  exercise  which  ministers 
so  much  comfort  and  strength  to  the  soul  as  that  of 
rejoicing  in  God  our  Saviour,  and  exalting  the  Lord  in 
song.     In  times   of  depression  and   trouble  it  is  an  in- 


MAGNIFYING    THE   LORD  191 

fallible  help ;  in  times  of  affliction  it  is  the  minister  of 
greatest  consolation.  Sometimes  in  constant  prayer,  by 
which  we  pour  out  our  complaints  to  God,  the  heart  be- 
comes depressed  and  the  spirit  heavy  with  dwelling  on 
our  own  troubles  and  trials  ;  but  when  we  sing  praise  to 
God — sing  of  His  goodness  and  mercy  which  endureth 
for  ever — the  soul  gets  lifted  out  of  its  bondage  and 
depression,  and  flies  away  to  heaven  in  song,  and  breathes 
in  that  higher  atmosphere.  Holy  song  is  the  best  possible 
corrective  for  selfish  discontent.  If  we  put  the  question 
to  ourselves,  "  What  shall  I  sing  ? "  the  answer  comes 
at  once  : 

"  I  will  sing  of  my  Redeemer 
And  His  wondrous  love  to  me." 

This  is  an  endless  theme  of  praise,  and  the  heart  cannot 
long  abide  in  darkness  or  gloom  when  the  lips  are  fram- 
ing song.  Hear  David,  from  "  among  the  lions "  and 
from  the  fires  of  trial  and  suffering.  He  begins  by  prayer 
and  ends  by  singing.  "  My  heart  is  fixed,  O  God,  my 
heart  is  fixed  ;  I  will  sing  and  give  praise.  Awake  up, 
my  glory ;  awake,  psaltery  and  harp ;  I  myself  will 
awake  early.  I  will  praise  Thee,  O  Lord,  among  the 
people :  I  will  sing  unto  Thee  among  the  nations.  For 
Thy  mercy  is  great  unto  the  heavens,  and  Thy  truth  unto 
the  clouds.  Be  Thou  exalted,  O  God,  above  the  heavens  ; 
let  Thy  glory  be  above  all  the  earth."  Sing,  christian, 
sing  ;  sing  in  your  gladness  ;  sing  in  your  sorrow  ;  sing  in 
your  light  and  in  your  darkness.  Sing  of  His  power ; 
sing  of  His  strength  ;  sing  of  His  mercy  and  His  judg- 
ment which  endureth  for  ever  ;  sing  the  new  song  ;  sing 
praises  unto  the  Lord  ;  sing  as  long  as  you  live.  Sing  to 
the  well-Beloved,  for  He  hath  done  great  things  for  you  ; 
sing  with  the  spirit  and  with  the  understanding.  I,  for 
one,  can  bear  testimony  to  the  power  of  song  to  deliver 


192  MAGNIFYING   THE  LORD 

the  soul  out  of  darkness.  Many  years  ago  I  passed 
through  a  long  and  dreary  period  of  spiritual  darkness. 
I  had  prayed  until  I  could  pray  no  more.  My  soul  was 
in  misery ;  my  heart  was  as  a  desert  of  sand.  I  was  on 
the  very  verge  of  despair.  At  the  time  I  speak  of,  I 
was  making  a  railway  journey  to  fulfil  an  appointment 
to  preach.  I  can  never  tell  how  hard  it  was  in  those 
days  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  others  when  my  own  soul 
was  in  darkness.  It  was  night ;  there  was  no  light  in  the 
railway  carriage,  and  my  face  was  pressed  against  the 
window,  looking  out  into  the  faint,  dying  light  in  the 
sky.  I  do  not  know  why  I  did  so,  or  how,  but  almost 
unconsciously  I  found  myself  singing,  in  a  soft  whisper : 

"  Jesus,  Lover  of  my  soul, 
Let  me  to  Thy  bosom  fly." 

I  was  as  surprised  at  my  own  singing  as  if  another  had 
begun  to  sing  that  song  by  my  side.  But  I  sang  on, 
and  had  not  finished  the  first  stanza  of  that  sweet  hymn 
till  the  dark  clouds  which  had  enveloped  my  soul  for 
months  broke  away,  and  my  soul  was  at  liberty  again. 
This,  to  me,  was  one  of  God's  songs  in  the  night. 

"  Sing  unto  the  Lord,  O  ye  saints  of  His,  and  give 
thanks  at  the  remembrance  of  His  holiness. 

"  For  His  anger  endureth  but  a  moment ;  in  His 
favour  is  life  ;  weeping  may  endure  for  a  night,  but  joy 
cometh  in  the  morning."  ^ 

"  O  come,  let  us  sing  unto  the  Lord  ;  let  us  make  a 
joyful  noise  to  the  Rock  of  our  salvation. 

"  Let  us  come  before  His  presence  with  thanksgiving, 
and  make  a  joyful  noise  unto  Him  with  psalms,"^ 

"  Whoso  ofifereth  praise  glorifieth  Me."  ^ 

*  Ps.  XXX.  4  5.    -  Ps.  xcv.  I,  2.      ^  Ps.  1.  23. 


XI 

THE  LOVING-KINDNESS   OF  GOD 
"  For  He  that  is  mighty  hath  done  to  me  great  things." — Luke  i.  49. 

EVERY  night  is  the  womb  of  a  new  morning.  The 
long  night  of  Israel's  distress  was  now  past.  The 
morning  of  the  new  and  glorious  day  of  God's  loving- 
kindness  to  Israel  and  to  all  the  world  was  springing. 
For  five  centuries  the  darkness  had  been  settling  down 
thicker  and  blacker  upon  the  people  of  God.  But  God 
is  behind  every  cloud,  and  though  darkness  may 
hide  God  from  us,  it  does  not  hide  us  from  God.  The 
people  that  had  long  walked  in  darkness  were  now 
about  to  behold  a  great  light ;  the  dawn  of  that  glorious 
day  had  already  filled  the  souls  of  Elisabeth  and  Mary 
with  its  rosy  hues,  and  all  that  dwelt  in  the  land  of  the 
shadow  of  death  would  soon  rise  up  and  hail  with  joy 
the  coming  of  the  new  era  of  Gospel  grace.  The 
shadows  were  already  fleeing  away,  and  the  day  was 
at  hand.  In  Israel  there  were  many  pious  and  faithful 
souls  who  had  not  been  destroyed  by  the  false  lights  of 
Phariseeism,  Sadduceeism,  or  Herodianism.  They  lived 
in  the  comfort  of  the  Prophet's  words  :  "  Who  is  among 
you  that  feareth  the  Lord,  that  obeyeth  the  voice  of  His 
servant,  that  walketh  in  darkness  and  hath  no  light? 
Let  him  trust  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  stay  upon 
his  God."  ^  Foremost  among  these  were  Mary  and 
Elisabeth.     The  sorrows  of  their  long  night  were  now 

^  Isa.  1.  10. 
P.B.  ^^^  1 3 


194  THE   LOVING-KINDNESS   OF  GOD 

over,  and  the  joy  of  the  morning  had  come  to  them. 
Therefore  they  sang  and  magnified  the  Lord  and  re- 
joiced in  God  their  Saviour. 

The  brief  song  of  EHsabeth,  sung  under  the  immediate 
inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost — a  song  of  benediction 
upon  Mary  and  her  unborn  Child — was  the  swan  song 
of  the  Old  Testament.  Elisabeth,  Zacharias,  and  John 
were  the  last  of  the  Old  Testament  prophets.  The 
glory  of  the  Old  Covenant  was  past  and  paling  away 
under  the  brighter  glory  of  the  New  Covenant.  "  For 
even  that  which  was  made  glorious  had  no  glory  in  this 
respect,  by  reason  of  the  glory  that  excelleth.  For  if 
that  which  is  done  away  was  glorious,  much  more  that 
which  remaineth  is  glorious."  ^  Elisabeth  was  a  true 
prophetess,  one  of  the  three  last  links  which  bound  to- 
gether the  old  and  the  new  dispensations.  She  had  lived 
long  in  hope  of  the  coming  Messiah,  and  now,  beholding 
His  coming,  she,  like  good  old  Simeon,  was  ready  to 
depart  in  peace,  and  sang  her  death  song.  A  worthy 
mother  of  a  worthy  son,  she  entertained  no  jealousy  of 
her  younger  and  socially  inferior  cousin,  but  bowed 
down  before  her  and  sang  her  praises — the  Old  Testa- 
ment bowing  before  the  New  Testament,  the  mother 
of  the  forerunner  of  Christ  bowing  before  the  mother  of 
Jesus.  Thirty  years  later,  John,  that  flaming  meteor 
of  prophecy,  that  expiring  light  of  the  Old  Testament, 
said  of  Jesus :  "  Whose  shoe's  latchet  I  am  not  worthy 
to  unloose."  ^  "  He  must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease."  •* 
So  now,  Elisabeth  anticipated  the  greatness  of  Mary's 
child,  and  for  His  sake  humbled  herself  before  His 
mother.  In  these  great  acts  of  humility  neither  John 
nor  Elisabeth  minimized  their  own  greatness,  but  rather 
increased  it ;  just  as  the  exceeding  glory  of  the  New 
Testament  sheds  back  upon  the  Old  Testament  a 
^  2  Cor.  iii.  lo,  ii.  *  John  i.  27.  ^  John  ii.  30. 


THE  LOVING-KINDNESS  OF  GOD  195 

brighter  glory  than  that  which  it  had  in  itself.  Had 
not  Christ  come,  the  Old  Testament  and  the  ancient 
covenant  people  would  long  ago  have  perished,  or,  at 
least,  remained  but  as  a  memory  among  men,  as  the 
peoples  and  religions  contemporary  with  the  Hebrews 
have  perished.  Moses  and  Elias  were  glorified  in  pre- 
sence of  the  transfigured  glory  of  Christ  on  the  mount ; 
so  were  Elisabeth  and  John  magnified  in  their  humility 
before  Mary  and  Jesus. 

Turning  from  Elisabeth's  song  of  beatitude  to  Mary 
and  her  song,  we  note  the  fact  that  it  is  not  said  that 
Mary  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  as  Elisabeth  was  ; 
but  we  gather  that  since  the  Holy  Ghost  came  upon  her 
and  the  power  of  the  Highest  overshadowed  her,  she 
was  now  living  and  moving,  thinking  and  speaking 
under  the  continued  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  while 
Elisabeth's  inspiration  was  momentary  and  passing. 
Her  song  was  in  response  to  the  salutation  of  Elisabeth, 
it  was  less  excited  than  the  elder  woman's  beatitude,  but 
there  reigns  "  throughout  this  canticle  a  majesty  truly 
regal."  It  is  the  song  of  the  first  gospel  lark  springing 
from  her  humble  nest  and  soaring  away  heavenward, 
singing  as  she  mounted  higher  and  higher  until  she 
reached  the  climax  of  her  joy  in  a  psean  of  praise  to 
the  faithfulness  of  God. 

Criticism  has  charged  Mary  with  plagiarism,  because 
there  is  a  close  resemblance  in  some  parts  of  this  song 
to  that  of  Hannah.^  It  is  true  that  there  is  a  striking- 
superficial  similarity  between  these  songs,  but  on  closer 
examination  there  is  a  wide  difference  between  them. 
Nevertheless,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  Mary's  song 
was  unconsciously  modelled  on  this  pattern,  and  the 
contents  of  the  song  show  more  than  one  thought 
borrowed  from  the  Psalms.  If  this  be  plagiarism,  then 
*  I  Sam.  ii.  i-io. 


196  THE  LOVING-KINDNESS  OF  GOD 

make  the  best  of  it.  God  Himself  plagiarized  the 
Law,  the  Prophets,  and  the  Psalm  when  He  gave  tes- 
timony to  Jesus  on  the  mount  of  transfiguration,  saying, 
"  This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased  ; 
hear  ye  Him."  ^  Compare  the  second  Psalm  :  "  Thou 
art  My  Son ;  this  day  have  I  begotten  Thee,"  ^  with 
Isaiah :  "  Behold  My  servant,  whom  I  uphold  ;  Mine 
elect,  in  whom  My  soul  delighteth,"  ^  and  with  Moses  : 
"  The  Lord  thy  God  will  raise  up  unto  thee  a  Prophet 
from  the  midst  of  thee,  of  thy  brethren,  like  unto  Me ; 
unto  Him  ye  shall  hearken."*  A  comparison  of  these 
three  passages,  one  from  the  Law,  one  from  the  Pro- 
phets, and  one  from  the  Psalms,  with  God's  testimony 
to  Jesus,  will  show  that  He  has  quoted  the  whole  gist 
of  the  Old  Testament  and  packed  it  into  one  sentence. 
Shall  we  put  a  slight  upon  Mary  because  she  appealed 
to  the  word  of  God  for  material  for  her  exquisite  song  ? 
Hers  was  a  blessed  plagiarism !  If  I  could  so  preach 
to  you,  from  Sunday  to  Sunday,  that  you  would  go 
away  from  the  church  saying,  "That  sermon  was  just 
like  the  Bible ;  it  reminded  me  of  Moses,  and  Isaiah, 
and  David,  and  brought  to  my  mind  a  hundred  pas- 
sages of  Scripture,"  I  should  feel  that  God  had  given 
me  great  wisdom  and  power.  The  obligation  to  the 
Bible  for  great  thoughts,  for  beautiful  expressions  and 
grandest  inspiration  is  freely  acknowledged  by  our 
master  poets  and  great  prose  writers.  Shakespeare  re- 
veals his  immense  knowledge  of  scripture  in  his  peerless 
plays ;  Hall  Caine,  one  of  our  most  strenuous  writers 
of  fiction,  has  recently  said  that  he  owed  more  to  the 
Bible  than  to  any  other  source,  both  for  his  plots  and 
his  powerful  characters.  Where  would  Milton  or  Dante, 
Young  or  Cowper  or  Pollock,  have  found  material  for 
their  profound  and  lovely  poems  but  for  the  Bible? 
^  Matt.  xvii.  5.      *  Ps.  ii.  7.      *  Isa.  xlii.  i.      *  Deut.  xviii.  15. 


THE  LOVING-KINDNESS  OF  GOD  197 

We  should  never  have  known  Browning's  most  beau- 
tiful poem  "  Saul "  but  for  his  plagiarism  of  the  Bible. 

Again,  criticism  has  asked  with  a  sneer,  "  whether 
Mary  sang  with  the  leaves  of  the  Old  Testament  spread 
upon  her  knees."  We  can  answer  that  question.  "  No  ! 
she  did  not  have  the  Old  Testament  upon  her  knees, 
but  she  had  it  in  her  heart,  which  is  a  better  way  to 
carry  one's  Bible."  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  every 
Israelite  was  taught  from  earliest  childhood  to  memorize 
the  songs  of  Deborah,  Hannah,  and  David ;  just  as  in 
the  homes  of  the  Scottish  people  the  children  are  all 
taught  to  memorize  the  metrical  Psalms,  so  that  their 
thought  and  language  are  native  to  their  hearts,  and 
spring  to  their  lips  in  every  moment  of  deep  emotion  or 
earnest  thought.  In  the  times  of  the  Commonwealth  and 
of  the  Covenanters,  the  Old  Testament  as  well  as  the 
New  were  so  constantly  read,  and  the  language  of  the 
common  people  was  so  closely  modelled  upon  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Bible,  that  the  commonest  thoughts  about 
ordinary  things  were  expressed  in  Bible  language.  It 
would  do  us  no  harm  if  our  own  conversation,  both 
in  society  and  in  business,  were  more  seasoned  with 
this  blessed  salt. 

There  is  yet  another  point  of  criticism  which  I  think 
well  to  notice.  Mary's  song  was  not  the  less  original 
because  it  borrowed  phraseology  from  Hannah.  The 
inflection  and  setting  of  Mary's  song  was  vastly  different 
from  that  of  Hannah,  even  when  she  uses  Hannah's 
words.  Hannah's  song  was  infused  with  the  spirit  of 
the  Old  Testament,  while  Mary's  glowed  with  the  fer- 
vour of  the  New  Covenant.  Hannah  magnified  the 
Lord  for  her  own  personal  triumph,  and  broke  forth 
with  cries  of  indignation  against  her  enemies.  But 
Mary  magnified  the  Lord,  not  for  her  personal  triumphs 
over  other  women  less  favoured,  but  for  the  grace  that 


198  THE  LOVING-KINDNESS   OF  GOD 

had  come  to  her ;  and  sang  the  mercy  of  God  upon 
all  who  feared  Him.  Mary's  song  was  full  of  evan- 
gelical love  and  hope.  She  rejoiced  for  herself  and  for 
others.  If  she  borrowed  Hannah's  reference  to  the 
exaltation  of  the  poor,  she  had  no  reference  to  herself, 
but  to  that  salvation  which  God  brings  to  all  who  are 
poor  in  spirit  and  hunger  after  righteousness.  Mary 
quoted  Old  Testament  language,  but  she  gave  to  it  a 
higher  meaning  than  it  seemed  to  be  possessed  of  in 
the  mouths  of  those  who  originally  used  it.  This  is 
characteristic  of  all  Bible  writers.  A  later  prophet  will 
quote  from  an  earlier  one,  but  he  gives  a  higher  turn 
and  meaning  to  his  predecessor's  words.  How  many 
quotations  from  the  Old  Testament  there  are  in  the 
New  Testament  which,  in  their  new  setting  and  em- 
phasis, give  a  glory  of  meaning  to  them  not  perceived 
in  their  original  form  and  place.  Surely  Hannah's 
words  on  Mary's  lips  served  to  let  out  the  concealed 
light  there  was  in  them.  When  God  gave  command- 
ment that  the  ox  that  treadeth  out  the  corn  should 
not  be  muzzled,  it  was  not  thought  that  there  was 
contained  in  this  simple  regulation  for  the  benefit  of 
cattle  a  commandment  to  take  care  of  ministers ; 
but  Paul,  in  quoting  that  passage,  has  made  the  dis- 
covery of  this  truth.^ 

I.  The  Contents  of  Mary's  Song.  It  is  time 
now  to  look  a  little  more  closely  into  the  substance  of 
this  beautiful  canticle. 

I.  She  sings  of  her  own  mercies.  "  He  that  is  mighty 
hath  done  to  me  great  things."  We  are  reminded  of 
the  Psalmist's  words,  "  The  Lord  hath  done  great  things 
for  us,  whereof  we  are  glad."  ^  "  He  hath  regarded  the 
low  estate  of  His  handmaiden."  In  this  expression  she 
had  no  reference  to  her  humility  of  mind,  but  to  her 
'  Cf.  Deut.  XXV.  4 ;  i  Cor.  ix.  9.    ^  Ps.  cxxvi.  3. 


THE  LOVING-KINDNESS   OF  GOD  199 

humble  state  in   life.     Although  she  was  of  the  house 
and  lineage  of  David,  from  some  cause   or  other  her 
immediate    family  had  fallen   into  very    lowly  circum- 
stances.    Her  place  in  society  and  her  lot  in  life  were 
obscure  and  hard.     Perhaps  she  had  been  made  to  feel, 
by  some  who  were  less   nobly  born   than  she,  though 
better  off  in  this  world's  goods  and  position,  the  sting 
of  poverty  and  her  decayed  nobility.     Perhaps  she  had 
often  wondered   how  and  why  God  had  forgotten   His 
covenant  with  David  and  his  house  (of  which  she  was 
a  member),  and  all  the  great  promises  to  him  and  them 
to  the  latest  generation.     Perhaps  she  had  suffered  the 
taunt  of  the  ungodly,  saying,  "  Where  now  is  thy  God  ? 
Of  what  advantage   is   it  to  you  that  you  are  of  the 
house  of  David  ?     Of  what  worth  to  you  are  all  these 
glorious  promises  ?  "      Such  thoughts  often  come  into 
the  mind  of  Christians   left   to  obscurity,  poverty,  and 
trial.     "  Why  hath   God  forgotten  and  forsaken   me  ?  " 
The  ungodly  suggest  that  there  is  no  "  profit "  in  god- 
liness.^    It  seems  very  natural  that  Mary  should  begin 
her  thanksgiving  by  recounting  the  great  things  God 
had  done  for  her,  in  "  regarding  her  low  estate,"  and 
remembering  His  promises  to  so  obscure  a  member  of 
David's  house.     "He  hath  regarded  the  low  estate  of 
His  handmaiden."     Oh  ye  poor  and  lowly  and  obscure 
ones  who  love  and  serve  the  Lord,  be  sure  of  this,  God 
has  not  forgotten  His  promises  ;  He  regards  your  low 
estate.     He  has  never  taken  His  eyes  from  off  you,  and 
never   for  a  moment   withdrawn   His   heart  from  you. 
Though  7<7«  know  it  not,  He  knows  and  He  cares.    How 
little  the  poor  Hebrew  slaves  in  Egypt  thought  of  all 
the  great  things   God  was   planning   for  them  !     Hear 
what  He  said  to  Moses  :  "  I  have  surely  seen  the  afflic- 
tion of  My  people  which  are  in  Egypt,  and  have  heard 
^  Job  xxi.  15  ;  Mai.  iii.  14. 


200  THE  LOVING-KINDNESS  OF  GOD 

their  cry  by  reason  of  their  taskmasters  ;  for  I  know 
their  sorrows."  *  Having  come  to  redeem  His  covenant 
promises,  God  had  chosen  Mary  to  be  the  instrument 
of  the  Incarnation.  Would  she  not  have  been  less  than 
pious  and  grateful  had  she  not  begun  her  song  with 
thanksgiving  for  the  great  personal  blessedness  and 
honour  which  had  come  to  her?  If  she  seems  for  a 
moment  to  dwell  upon  the  fact  that  henceforth  all  gene- 
rations should  call  her  blessed,  this  was  more  in  praise 
of  the  goodness  of  God  to  her  than  in  the  indulgence  of 
any  pride  on  her  own  account.  When  a  man  sings  to 
God,  "  He  brought  me  up  also  out  of  an  horrible  pit, 
out  of  the  miry  clay,  and  set  my  feet  upon  a  rock  and 
established  my  goings  ;  and  He  hath  put  a  new  song 
in  my  mouth,  even  praise  unto  our  God  ;  many  shall 
see  it,  and  fear,  and  shall  trust  in  the  Lord,"  ^  he  is  not 
boasting,  or  indulging  in  self-congratulation,  but  re- 
joicing in  God  his  Saviour,  and  magnifying  the  Lord, 
and  publishing  the  glad  tidings  of  grace  to  others. 
When  Jesus  sent  the  healed  demoniac  back  to  his  home 
to  tell  his  friends  how  great  things  the  Lord  had  done 
for  his  soul  and  had  healed  him,  He  did  not  send  him 
on  a  mission  of  self-congratulation.  And  when  he  pub- 
lished it  abroad,  among  the  five  cities  where  he  lived, 
he  was  more  intent  on  glorifying  his  Saviour  than  of 
boasting  of  his  own  good  fortune.  Let  us  all  sing 
aloud — 

"  Jesus  sought  me  when  a  stranger. 

Wandering  from  the  fold  of  God  ; 
He  to  rescue  me  from  danger 

Interposed  His  precious  blood." 

If  He   has   taken  us  from  the  dust  and  the  dunghill, 

and  set  us  among  the  princes,  and  made  us  to  "  inherit 

the  throne  of  glory,"  ^  ought  we  not  to  value  this  great 

1  Exod.  iii.  7.  *  Ps.  xl.  1-3.  ^  i  Sam.  ii.  8. 


THE  LOVING-KINDNESS  OF  GOD  20 r 

grace  and  rejoice  in  these  great  things  which  have  come 
to  us  ?  Surely  He  hath  done  great  things  for  us,  and 
we  should  be  glad  as  Mary  was  glad,  and  sing  aloud 
His  praise. 

2.  She  sings  of  His  mercy  to  others.  "  And  His  mercy 
is  on  them  that  fear  Him  from  generation  to  generation." 
There  is  no  selfishness  in  salvation.  No  sooner  does  it 
come  into  a  human  heart  than  it  begets  a  longing  love 
and  desire  for  others.  The  coming  of  Jesus  not  only 
brought  salvation  to  hej^,  but  she  recognised  that  in 
Him  God  had  laid  up  mercy  for  others,  and  she  made 
haste  to  proclaim  this  as  well  as  her  own  great  blessings. 
As  soon  as  Andrew  and  Philip  found  (or  were  found  of) 
the  Lord,  they  went  each  their  way  according  to  the  im- 
pulse of  grace  in  them,  the  one  to  find  his  own  brother 
Simon,  and  the  other  to  search  out  his  friend  Nathanael  ; 
nor  did  they  rest  until  they  had  told  them  the  good 
news  and  brought  them  to  Christ.  It  is  this  spirit  which 
has  made  the  gospel  a  blessing  to  thousands  of  millions 
in  the  generations  that  have  passed  since  Jesus  came, 
and  which  will  make  it  a  blessing  to  thousands  yet  un- 
born. It  was  this  flaming  desire  that  sent  Paul  over  all 
Western  Asia  and  Southern  Europe  preaching  and 
teaching,  day  and  night,  in  the  synagogues  of  the  Jews 
on  the  Sabbath  days,  and  in  the  market-places  where 
the  Gentiles  were  congregated  between  the  Sabbaths, 
and  from  house  to  house ;  for  which  cause  he  counted 
not  his  life  dear  to  himself,  so  that  he  might  finish  his 
course  with  joy  and  the  ministry  which  he  had  received 
from  the  Lord  Jesus.  This  fellowship  with  God  in  His 
purpose  of  mercy  to  others  is  that  which  has  sent  forth 
in  ages  past,  and  is  now  sending  forth  with  increased 
enthusiasm,  hundreds  of  men  and  women  to  every  part 
of  the  world  to  proclaim  the  grace  of  God  to  sinners  still 
sitting  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death.     I  know  of 


202  THE  LOVING-KINDNESS   OF  GOD 

no  characteristic  which  marks  more  surely  the  child  of 
God  than  this  fellowship  with  Christ  in  His  desire  for 
the  salvation  of  men.  When  a  man  finds  a  pot  of  trea- 
sure hid  in  a  field,  he  re-buries  it  and  keeps  it  secret  until 
he  can  buy  the  field  and  possess  himself  of  the  treasure. 
When  a  prospector  finds  a  diamond  or  gold  mine,  he 
does  not  proclaim  it  abroad,  and  invite  all  the  world  to 
come  and  share  his  wealth  with  him,  but  would  fain 
keep  his  "  find  "  a  secret  until  he  has  exhausted  its  riches 
for  himself  But  when  a  sinner  finds  the  grace  of  God, 
his  first  impulse  is  to  declare  it  abroad  and  invite  all  the 
world  to  come  and  enjoy  the  same  riches  of  grace  which 
have  filled  his  own  heart  and  changed  his  life. 

II.  She  sings  the  Glorious  Attributes  of  God. 
Having  rejoiced  in  the  mercies  which  had  come  to  her- 
self and  which  she  saw  stored  up  in  God  for  others,  she 
naturally  takes  a  higher  note  and  sings  of  those  glorious 
attributes  of  God  which  have  wrought  together  for  her 
salvation  and  that  of  the  world. 

I.  She  sings  of  His  Almightiness.  "  For  He  that  is 
mighty  (Almighty)  hath  done  to  me  great  things."  "  He 
hath  shown  strength  with  His  arm."  Perhaps  Mary  was 
remembering  at  this  moment  the  new  name  which  God 
had  proclaimed  to  Abraham  when  He  promised  him 
that  he  should  have  a  son  in  his  old  age,  in  spite  of  what 
seemed  to  be  the  insuperable  difficulties  and  human  im- 
possibilities of  the  case.  "  I  am  the  Almighty  God,"  ^  was 
the  answer  to  the  patriarch's  difficulties.  "  The  power 
of  the  Highest  shall  overshadow  thee,"  said  the  angel  to 
Mary,  and  "  With  God  nothing  shall  be  impossible," 
were  the  words  which  gave  assurance  that  the  great 
mercy  and  grace  promised  her  should  not  lack  fulfil- 
ment. These  thoughts  were  in  her  mind,  and  she  now 
praised  the  Omnipotence  of  God.  And  well  she  might 
'  Gen.  xvii.  i. 


THE  LOVING-KINDNESS   OF  GOD  203 

have  done  so  ;  for  but  for  Omnipotence  to  perform  what 
He  had  promised,  of  what  avail  were  all  His  promises  ? 
Her  faith  took  hold  on  this,  and  she  believed  that  "  what 
God  had  promised  He  was  able  to  perform."     Elisabeth 
praised  her  for  her  faith,  and  by  the  Holy  Ghost  assured 
her  that  she  should  see  "  the  performance  of  those  things 
which  were  told  her  from  the  Lord."     The  heavens  de- 
clare the  glory  of  God's  power,  and  the  firmament  show- 
eth  His  handiwork.      No  one   can   look   abroad  upon 
Nature  in    all    its    majesty   and   extent   without   being 
awed  by  a  sense  of  God's  power.     God  Himself  often 
appealed  to  His  power,  as  displayed  in  Nature,  to  en- 
courage the  failing  hearts  of  His  people  in  the  midst  of 
circumstances  from  which  no  human  or  earthly  power 
could  extricate  them,  and  to  assure  them  that  He  was 
able  to  perform  His  promises  of  grace.     The  world  is 
full  of  the  wonders  of  His  power,  but  the  highest  display 
is  seen  in  the  Incarnation.     To  fold  back  His  Godhead, 
as  it  were,  into  a  little  bud  of  human  nature  and  become 
a  babe  in  the  virgin's  womb,  a  tiny  and  helpless  suckling 
lying  on  her  breast,  and  give  Himself  over  to  the  care  of 
her  hands  and  arms,  is  a  reversion  of  power  which  sur- 
passes all  other  manifestations.     To  do  this  all  nature 
must  have  been  docile  to  His  word  and  plastic  to  His 
hand.     The  Almighty  was  her  God — He  is  our  God  and 
Saviour.    He  does  not  simply  exercise  His  handiwork — 
the  work  of  His  fingers — in  our  salvation,  but  He  stirs 
up  His  strength  ;  He  makes  bare  His  mighty  arm  and 
comes  and  saves  us.     He  is  the  Mighty  to  save.     The 
Mighty  God.     Nothing  is  too  hard  for  Him  !     Oh,  it  is 
a  comfort,  when  we  think  of  our  sin,  its  guilt,  its  power, 
and  its  indelible  stain,  when  we  think  of  our  ruined 
characters,  of  death  and  hell,  following  in  the  wake  of 
sin,  to  remember   also  the  great  promises  of  God,  in 
which  are  forgiveness,  regeneration,  triumph  over  death. 


204  THE  LOVING-KINDNESS   OF  GOD 

and  a  glorious  immortality  of  spirit,  soul,  and  body,  and 
that  at  the  back  of  all  these  promises  is  the  Almightiness 
of  God.     This  awakes  our  song  as  it  did  Mary's. 

"  O,  sing  of  His  mighty  Love  ; 
Sing  of  His  Mighty  Love  ; 
Sing  of  His  Mighty  Love — 
Mighty  to  save." 

The  Almightiness  of  the  Jehovah  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment hath  all  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  Jesus 
of  the  New  Testament.  "  For  all  power  is  given  unto  Me 
in  heaven  and  in  earth.  Go  ye  therefore  and  preach  the 
gospel ;  and  lo,  I  am  with  you."  ^  Surely  we  have  entered 
upon  victory  before  we  begin  our  work,  and  we  count  on 
success  in  every  word  spoken  and  every  effort  put  forth  in 
fellowship  with  Him  who  is  mighty  to  do  great  things. 

2.  She  sings  of  His  holiness.  "  And  holy  is  His  name." 
The  Almightiness  of  God  is  not  mere  power ;  it  is  the 
Almightiness  of  One  whose  name  and  nature  is  Holiness. 
Holiness  is  the  chief  attribute  of  God.  This  attribute 
distinguishes  God  from  all  the  false  gods  of  the  heathen. 
For  "who  is  like  unto  Thee  among  the  gods  (mighty 
ones)  ?  Who  is  like  unto  Thee,  glorious  in  holiiiess,  fear- 
ful in  praises,  doing  wonders  ?  "  ^  Holiness  is  the  attri- 
bute which  separates  God  from  all  other  beings.  It  is 
the  moral  glory  of  His  being.  It  pervades  all  His  attri- 
butes, and  gives  intense  value  to  them  all.  It  is  God's 
holiness  that  makes  it  possible  for  mercy  and  truth  to 
meet  together  and  righteousness  and  peace  to  kiss  each 
other.  The  holiness  of  His  righteousness  is  not  blemished 
by  His  mercy,  and  the  holiness  of  His  mercy  is  not 
impeached  by  His  justice.  What  the  effulgent  light  of 
the  sun  is  to  the  sun,  so  is  the  holiness  of  God  to  God. 
In  Him  there  is  no  darkness,  no  variableness,  nor  shadow 

*  Matt,  xxviii.  i8,  19.     '  Exod.  xv.  11. 


THE  LOVING-KINDNESS   OF  GOD  205 

of  turning.  Justice  shall  never  accuse  Mercy  of  too 
great  tenderness  to  sinners,  and  Mercy  shall  never  accuse 
Justice  of  too  great  severity,  for  the  holiness  of  God 
reigns  in  both.  It  is  just  because  He  is  of  too  pure  eyes 
to  behold  iniquity,  and  because  the  very  heavens  are 
unclean  in  His  sight,  and  because  He  cannot  compromise 
or  make  allowance  for  sin,  that  we  have  such  consolation 
in  the  divine  forgiveness  and  mercy.  For  if  the  Holy 
God  has  found  a  way  to  save  us,  we  may  be  sure  that 
that  way  included  the  final  destruction  of  sin,  and 
guarantees  to  us,  in  the  end,  a  holiness  of  character  which 
shall  enable  tis  to  behold  His  face  without  shame,  and 
Hint  to  look  upon  us  without  wrath. 

"  Holy,  Holy,  Holy  ;  Lord  God  Almighty  ! 
Early  in  the  morning  our  songs  shall  rise  to  Thee  ; 
Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Merciful  and  Mighty  ! 
God  in  three  persons,  Blessed  Trinity  ! " 

3.  She  sings  of  His  mercy.  She  has  already  sung  of 
the  exercise  of  His  mercy  to  them  that  fear  Him,  but 
now  she  extols  His  mercy  as  an  attribute  of  His  being. 
For  all  His  great  deeds  and  all  the  great  grace  which 
now  tune  her  heart  to  sing  were  done  in  remembrance  of 
His  mercy.  That  is,  in  accordance  with  His  mercy,  true 
to  His  mercy.  The  resources  for  this  strain  in  her  song 
were  boundless,  for  the  whole  Bible  is  coloured  with  the 
mercy  of  God.  His  mercy  runs  like  a  golden  thread 
through  the  whole  woof  of  its  texture.  Mercy  charac- 
terizes His  mind  towards  us. 

(i)  He  is  merciful.  When  Moses  desired  to  see  God's 
glory,  it  was  not  permitted  him  to  do  so,  for  he  could  not 
look  upon  God  and  live ;  but  God  caused  all  His  good- 
ness to  pass  before  him,  and  He  proclamed  His  name  to 
Moses  in  these  words,  "  The  Lord  God,  merciful  and 
gracious,  longsuffering,  and  abundant  in  goodness  and 


2o6  THE  LOVING-KINDNESS  OF  GOD 

truth,  keeping  mercy  for  thousands,  forgiving  iniquity 
and  transgression  and  sin."  ^  This  is  the  glory  of  God, 
which  we  now  with  open  face  behold  in  the  revelation 
which  He  had  made  of  Himself  in  Jesus  Christ,  the 
express  image  of  His  character,  the  very  brightness  of 
His  glory.  In  his  great  entreaty  to  sinners  Isaiah  says, 
"  Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous 
man  his  thoughts ;  and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord, 
and  He  will  have  mercy  upon  him  ;  and  to  our  God,  for 
He  will  abundantly  pardon."  ^  When  Daniel  came 
before  God  with  his  great  prayer,  after  confessing  his 
sins,  his  first  great  argument  with  God  was  that  He  was 
"  the  great  and  dreadful  God  keeping  the  covenant  and 
mercy."  ^ 

(2)  He  keeps  mercy.  That  is,  He  has  a  store  of  mercy 
from  which  we  sinners  may  draw  continually ;  a  store 
of  mercy  which  flows  evermore  toward  us.  He  keeps 
mercy  for  us  against  our  need  ;  as  a  bank  keeps  our 
treasure  or  money  and  holds  it  for  our  cheques ;  as  a 
trustee  keeps  our  inheritance  and  administers  it  to  us 
according  to  our  need.  Rowland  Hill  was  once  put  in 
trust  with  a  considerable  sum  of  money  to  be  given  to  a 
poor  clergyman  in  great  need.  Fearing  that  if  he  gave 
it  to  him  all  at  once  it  might  be  more  hurtful  than  help- 
ful, he  enclosed  to  him  first  of  all  a  ten-pound  note,  with 
the  simple  words  accompanying  the  envelope,  "  There  is 
more  to  follow."  Then  after  awhile  he  sent  another  note, 
with  the  same  message,  "  There  is  more  to  follow." 
Again,  after  a  time,  the  clergyman  received  a  third,  and 
a  fourth,  and  a  fifth  remittance,  each  remittance  being 
accompanied  by  the  same  message,  "  There  is  more  to 
follow."  The  poor  man  lived  on  the  notes  received  and 
the  promises  of  "  more  to  follow."  It  is  so  with  God's 
mercy.  There  is  always  more  to  follow.  We  read 
'  Exod.  xxxiv.  6,  7.     "^  Isa.  Iv.  7.     ^  Deut.  ix.  4. 


THE  LOVING-KINDNESS   OF  GOD  207 

sometimes  an  interesting  chapter  in  a  magazine,  and  at 
the  end,  bracketed  in  smaller  letters,  but  very  distinct, 
this  sentence,  "  To  be  continued."  So  it  is  with  God's 
mercy ;  with  each  instalment  there  is  an  appended 
promise,  "  To  be  continued."  Only  this  story  of  mercy 
will  never  come  to  an  end.  It  will  go  on  from  genera- 
tion to  generation,  and  will  still  "  be  continued."  Finis 
will  never  be  written  at  the  bottom  of  the  revelation  of 
God's  mercy.  His  supply  of  mercy  is  inexhaustible. 
David  makes  the  vast  multitudes  of  mercies  already 
received  his  warrant  for  coming  for  more.  "  According 
to  Thy  loving-kindness  and  according  unto  the  ytudtitude 
of  Thy  tender  mercies,  blot  out  my  transgression."  ^ 
The  remembrance  of  the  innumerable  times  we  have 
come  to  God  for  mercies  makes  us  ashamed  to  come  for 
more,  but  David  made  that  his  plea  and  warrant.  Each 
time  we  receive  mercy  from  God  it  is  as  seed  in  the 
field  ;  it  springs  up  into  a  harvest  of  more  mercy.  If  we 
seek  little  we  get  little,  if  we  ask  largely  we  get  many 
mercies,  and  our  joy  is  full.  This  is  no  warrant  for  the 
presumptuous  abuse  of  God's  mercy,  but  for  the  free  use 
of  it  by  those  who  fear  Him. 

(3)  He  delights  in  mercy.  God  never  shows  mercy 
grudgingly,  nor  with  a  reproach  thrown  back  upon  us 
for  our  sin.  Judgment  is  His  strange  work,  but  He 
delighteth  in  mercy.  Hear  what  the  prophet  says, 
"  Who  is  a  God  like  unto  Thee,  that  pardoneth  iniquity 
and  passeth  by  the  transgression  of  the  remnant  of  His 
heritage?  He  retaineth  not  His  anger  for  ever,  because 
He  delighteth  in  mercy."  ^  Sum  up  all  the  serious  occu- 
pations, the  pleasures  and  pastimes  in  which  you  take 
the  most  delight,  and  then  you  cannot  know  how  it 
delights  God  to  bestow  mercy  upon  them  who  fear  Him. 
Do  not  fear  to  come  to  Him  for  mercy.  He  has  plenty. 
1  Ps.  li.  I.  ^  Mic.  vii.  18. 


2o8  THE  LOVING-KINDNESS   OF  GOD 

Do  not  fear  that  He  will  chide  thee,  for  His  mercies  are 
ever  tender.  How  tender  He  was  with  the  poor  outcast 
women,  not  only  granting  mercy,  but  healing  their 
wounded  spirits  and  cheering  them  with  hope  by  His 
tender  mercy. 

(4)  His  mercy  is  never- failing.  It  continues  from 
generation  to  generation.  We  are  told  by  some  as- 
tronomers that  the  sun  is  gradually  consuming  itself 
away,  and  that  by-and-by,  in  a  few  million  years,  it  will 
be  a  burnt-out,  cold,  lifeless  cinder.  But  God's  mercies 
endure  from  generation  to  generation.  Flowing  from  an 
infinite  source,  they  are  inexhaustible.  Think  of  the 
millions  of  sinners  who  have  drawn  on  God's  mercies  in 
the  past,  who  are  living  on  them  in  the  present.  Well, 
there  is  as  much  mercy  left  in  God  as  there  was  before 
He  spoke  to  Adam  of  mercy  and  forgiveness. 

4,  She  sings  of  His  fiistice.  Let  not  the  proud, 
haughty,  and  defiant  sinner  suppose  that  because  "  with 
the  Lord  there  is  mercy "  He  will  thereby  clear  the 
guilty  or  pass  by  wilful  and  defiant  sinners.  His  anger 
can  burn  as  well  as  His  mercy.  And  when  mercy  is 
despised  and  sin  is  chosen  and  persisted  in,  then  He 
whets  His  "glittering  sword"  and  bends  His  bow,  and 
goes  forth  to  war.  ^  Alas  for  that  sinner  who  rushes 
upon  the  bosses  of  Jehovah's  buckler  !  Think  you  that 
your  hand  can  be  strong  or  your  heart  endure  in  the  day 
that  the  Lord  shall  deal  with  you  ?  I  tell  you  nay  ;  but 
you  shall  consume  away  as  the  dry  stubble  field  before 
the  fire.  It  is  a  precious  thing  to  fall  into  the  arms  of 
His  mercy ;  but  it  will  be  "  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  living  God,"  ^  "  for  our  God  is  a  con- 
suming fire."  ^  Oh,  then,  kiss  the  Son,  lest  He  be  angry, 
and  you  perish  in  the  way  of  sin  ! 

III.  She  sings  of  His  Great  Deeds.    I  can  only 

^  Deut.  xxxii.  41.     ^  Heb.  x.  31.     ^  Heb.  xii.  29. 


THE  LOVING-KINDNESS   OF  GOD  209 

indicate  these  things.  "  He  hath  scattered  the  proud  in 
the  imagination  of  their  hearts."  All  those  vain  and 
proud  people,  the  raging  heathen,  the  kings  of  the  earth 
and  the  rulers  of  the  people  who  took  counsel  together, 
saying,  "  Where  is  the  God  of  the  Old  Testament,  and 
where  are  all  those  wonderful  promises  of  a  coming 
Messiah  ?  Let  us  rise  up  and  cast  off  the  bonds  of  this 
superstition,  and  free  ourselves  from  these  cords  of 
Scripture.  Israel  is  forgotten,  and  there  is  none  to 
make  us  afraid.  Let  us  possess  ourselves  of  the  king- 
dom, and  exalt  ourselves  in  the  earth."  Mary  saw  in 
the  Incarnation  the  scattering  of  these  proud  and  vain 
dreamers  of  the  earth,  and  in  their  stead  the  reign  of 
Messiah.  She  would  have  been  no  true  daughter  of 
David  if  she  had  not  thought  of  Herod,  that  mighty 
Pagan  king,  sitting  on  the  throne  of  her  father,  when 
she  said,  "  He  hath  put  down  the  mighty  from  their 
seats,  and  exalted  them  of  low  degree."  Nor  was  she 
thinking  of  herself  or  of  poor  outcast  Israel  alone,  but 
she  saw  here  also  a  new  principle  in  the  moral  govern- 
ment of  God.  The  proud  and  haughty  possessors  of 
this  world  have  arrogated  to  themselves  the  right  to 
rule  and  reign  and  lord  it  over  the  weak  and  the  poor. 
But  God  will  not  suffer  this.  He  hath  potentially  in  the 
Incarnation,  and  He  will  actually  in  the  outworking  of 
His  purpose,  put  down  the  rule  of  pride  and  might  in 
this  world  and  exalt  them  of  low  degree.  Especially 
them  who  have  lowlily  come  to  Him  and  taken  refuge 
in  His  salvation.  Let  the  triumph  of  the  Christian 
Church  over  all  the  combined  world  powers  testify  to 
the  truth  of  this  prophetic  song.  It  will  be  seen  to  be 
true  in  this  world  in  a  degree  ;  it  will  be  seen  without 
degree  in  the  world  to  come.  "  The  meek  shall  inherit 
the  earth."  ^  It  will  be  a  rare  sight  when  the  world  shall 
*  Ps.  xxxvii.  II. 
P.B.  14 


210  THE  LOVING-KINDNESS  OF  GOD 

behold  the  poor  out  of  the  dust,  and  the  beggars  from 
the  dunghill,  among  the  princes,  and  seated  upon  the 
thrones  of  His  glory,  while  the  proud,  imperious,  and 
strong  men  of  this  world  who  have  neither  feared  God 
nor  regarded  man  are  cast  out  and  down.     She  carries 
this  principle  of  spiritual  and  divine  revolution  further, 
and  makes  application  of  it  to  salvation.      "  He  hath 
filled  the  hungry  with  good  things  ;  and  the  rich   He 
hath  sent  empty  away."     The  grace  of  God  does  not 
come  to  the  poor  because  they  are  poor,  nor  is  it  with- 
held from  the  rich  because  they  are  rich ;  but  poverty 
and  hunger  take  self-confidence  out  of  men,  and  lead 
them  in  their  poverty  and  emptiness  and  hunger  to  come 
to  God ;  and  God  fills  every  soul  which  hungers,  and 
gives  drink  to  every  soul  which  is  athirst.     But  the  rich 
who  "  are  increased  with  goods,  and  have  need  of  no- 
thing," He  turns  empty  away.     It  is,  alas  !  too  often  the 
case  that  those  who  are   possessed    of  riches    manage 
somehow  to   satisfy    themselves   without   God.      They 
seem  not  to  have  need  of  Him — they  can  buy  what 
they  want.     The  world  bows   down    to  them  ;  society 
gives  place  to  them.     They  do  as  they  please,  they  go 
where  they  please,  and  say  in  their  hearts,  "  We  are  rich, 
and  increased  with  goods  ;  we  have  much  wealth  laid 
up  for  many  days  ;  we  will  eat  and  drink  and  be  merry. 
Let  the  poor  and  the  hungry  seek  after  God  ;  as  for  us, 
we  do  not  need  Him — we  can  take  care  of  ourselves." 
As  long  as  the  prodigal's  money  held  out,  he  thought  he 
did  well  enough  without  his  father  and  his  father's  house  ; 
but  when  he  had  spent  all  his  living,  and  famine  came 
into  the  land,  and  he  was  hungry,  then  he  thought  on 
his  father's  house,  and  went  to  him,  and  he  was  received 
and  fed  and  clothed  and  taken  into   the   family  with 
music  and  dancing.     Trust  not  in  uncertain  and  deceit- 
ful riches.      They  can  never  buy  the  real  needs  of  the 


THE  LOVING-KINDNESS  OF  GOD  211 

soul  ;  they  will  not  avail  thee  in  the  day  of  trial.  But 
hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,  and  God  will  fill 
you  and  save  you. 

Mary  concludes  her  song  by  magnifying  and  extolling 
God's  faithfulness.  "  He  hath  holpen  His  servant  Israel, 
in  remembrance  of  His  mercy."  In  herself  she  beheld 
all  Israel.  God's  mercies  to  her  were  the  sure  pledge 
that  all  His  promises  to  Israel  would  be  fulfilled.  After 
the  long  night  of  sorrow  and  almost  hopelessness,  she 
magnified  God  for  that  He  had  not  forgotten  ;  but  "  in 
remembrance  of  His  mercy,  as  He  spake  to  our  fathers, 
to  Abraham,  and  to  his  seed  for  ever,"  had  done  great 
things.  Let  us  be  sure,  among  other  things  and  all 
things,  that  God  does  not  forget  His  promises — His 
covenants  with  us — that  He  is  faithful  to  the  word  which 
He  has  spoken,  and  that  He  is  Almighty  to  fulfil  every- 
thing He  has  purposed  for  us  and  promised  to  us.  No 
apparent  forgetfulness  on  God's  part  should  cast  us 
down  ;  no  delay  in  the  fulfilment  of  His  promises  should 
discourage  us.  For  His  word  cannot  be  broken,  and 
He  who  has  promised  cannot  lie. 

"  Glorious  things  of  thee  are  spoken, 

Zion,  city  of  our  God  ! 
He  whose  word  cannot  be  broken 

Formed  thee  for  His  own  abode  ;. 
On  the  Rock  of  Ages  founded, 

What  can  shake  thy  sure  repose  ? 
With  Salvation's  walls  surrounded,. 

Thou  may'st  smile  at  all  thy  foes." 


XII 

THE  DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH 

"  To  give  knowledge  of  salvation  unto  His  people,  by  the  remis- 
sion of  their  sins,  through  the  tender  mercy  of  our  God  ;  whereby 
the  Day-Spring  from  on  high  hath  visited  us."— LUKE  i.  ']']^  78. 

MARY  of  Nazareth  abode  with  Elisabeth  and 
Zacharias  about  three  months,  and  then  re- 
turned to  her  own  house.  The  time  of  her  departure 
synchronizes  with  the  birth  of  John  the  Baptist. 
Though  we  are  not  expressly  told  that  Mary  remained 
with  her  cousin  until  that  important  and  long-looked-for 
event  had  taken  place,  we  can  scarcely  think  otherwise. 
There  are  many  unwritten  features  of  interest  in  the 
gospel  narratives,  especially  in  connection  with  the 
early  days  and  years  of  our  Lord,  and  we  are  left  to 
our  imaginations  to  fill  up  these  gaps,  though  we  need 
not  run  to  the  wild  extremes  of  the  early  Christians, 
who  invented  all  sorts  of  foolish  and  improbable  stories 
concerning  John  the  Baptist  and  Jesus.  We  can 
scarcely  help  wondering  what  took  place  in  that  quiet 
priestly  home  in  the  hill  country  of  Judaea  during  these 
three  months,  a  period  begun  and  concluded  by  wonder- 
ful outbursts  of  inspired  and  prophetic  song.  We  fancy 
these  three,  Mary,  Elisabeth,  and  Zacharias,  living  to- 
gether in  daily  communion,  holding  sweet  and  holy 
converse  concerning  these  two  expected  children  ;  the 
one  to  be  the  Forerunner,  and  the  other  the  long- 
expected  Messiah  and  Saviour  of  men.  During  this 
time  Zacharias  was  still  dumb,  and,  it  would  appear. 


THE  DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH  213 

deaf  as  well ;  but  he  would  be  a  party  to  all  that  went 
on,  for  he  had  become  familiar  with  the  signs  made  to 
him,   and    was   an   expert   with    his    "  writing    table." 
What  searching  of  the  scriptures,  what  re-examination 
and  careful  study  of  the  prophets,  what  holy  specula- 
tions concerning  the  great  events  soon  to  be  ushered 
in    with  the  birth  of  their  respective  heaven-sent  sons, 
what   enlargement   of  ideas   and   thought,   must    have 
taken  place  in  their  minds  under  the  guidance  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.     They  were  naturally  still  intensely  Jewish 
and  national  in  their  thoughts  and  conceptions  of  the 
promises,  but  it  is  evident  that  they  had  taken  a  much 
wider  view  of  the  great  salvation  than  was  customary. 
Mary  had  in  her  song  spoken  of  the  mercy  of  God  upon 
them  that  fear  Him  from  generation  to  generation,  and 
in  the  conclusion  of  his  song  Zacharias  saw  the  light  of 
the  Sunrising  from  on  high,  visiting  the  distant  Gentiles 
who   sat   in   darkness   and    the  shadow  of  death,  and 
seemed  to  unite  himself  and  his  people  with  them,  in 
the  grace  that  should  guide  their  feet  into  the  way  of 
peace. 

How  insignificant  this  hill-country  home  was  in  com- 
parison with  the  palaces  of  Herod,  the  High  Priest,  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees,  and  rulers  of  the  nation !  how 
unimportant  were  Elisabeth,  Mary,  and  Zacharias  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world,  as  compared  with  the  all-powerful 
Herod,  the  rich  and  grasping  rulers,  corrupted  by 
political  power,  greedy  and  avaricious,  enervated  by 
luxury  and  secularized  by  earthly  ambitions,  seeking 
"  honour  one  of  another  "  !  How  impotent  compared 
with  the  rampant  and  haughty  Romans  who  held  the 
land  and  the  people  in  their  iron  grip,  and  trampled 
them  beneath  their  remorseless  power  !  And  yet  in 
all  the  world  there  was  not  such  another  family  en- 
nobled by  Heaven,  entrusted  with  the  secrets  of  the 


214  THE  DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH 

Most  High  God,  and  the  chosen  instruments  of  God 
for  the  redemption  of  the  world  !  How  true  it  is  that 
real  greatness,  either  in  events  or  persons,  is  seldom 
found  among  the  great  and  powerful  ones  of  the  earth. 
God  hides  Himself  and  His  chosen  ones  away  from  the 
eyes  and  the  power  of  man.  He  confounds  the  wisdom 
of  the  wise,  and  overthrows  the  mighty  from  their  seats, 
and  exalts  them  of  low  degree.  It  is  strange  that  we 
are  so  slow  to  learn  this  great  lesson,  but  still  struggle 
with  one  another  to  pay  court  to  the  rich  and  mighty 
ones,  as  though  they  were  the  chosen  of  heaven.  "  The 
secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  Him  ;  and  He 
will  show  them  His  covenant." ' 

We  must  pass  over  the  birth  of  John  the  Baptist,  and 
the  extraordinar}^  events  in  connection  with  the  naming 
of  the  child,  and  come  directly  to  the  inspired  song  of 
Zacharias.  For  nine  long  months  he  had  been  speech- 
less because  of  his  unbelief  We  can  well  hope  that  this 
unbelief  had,  if  not  entirely,  yet  in  a  large  measure, 
passed  away.  When  he  was  asked  to  settle  the  domes- 
tic controversy  over  the  name  to  be  given  to  his  son,  his 
faith  asserted  itself  in  full  strength,  and  he  declared, 
"  His  name  is  John,"  ^  for  he  was  "  the  prophet  of  the 
Highest,"  and  his  name  as  well  as  his  career  was  not 
one  to  be  bound  by  mere  family  tradition.  He  had  no 
sooner  freed  his  soul  from  the  last  vestige  of  unbelief 
than  he  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost ;  his  tongue,  so 
long  tied,  was  loosed,  and  he  broke  forth  into  a  hymn  of 
praise  to  the  grace,  power,  faithfulness,  and  mercy  of 
God,  as  manifested  in  the  person  of  "the  Day-Spring 
from  on  high,"  whose  advent  was  already  heralded  by 
the  birth  of  the  Forerunner.  Let  us  take  a  somewhat 
comprehensive  view  of  this  great  song.  As  it  was  the 
utterance  of  faith,  strengthened  and  enlightened  by  the 
*  Ps.  XXV.  14.  ^  Luke  i.  63. 


THE  DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH  215 

immediate  power  of  the  Spirit,  it  cannot  but  communi- 
cate enlightenment  and  strength  to  our  own  faith. 

I.  The  Apologetic  Value  of  Zacharias'  Song. 
There  is  a  great  apologetic  value  in  this  utterance  of 
Zacharias,  for  the  reason  that  it  sets  before  us  in  an 
intelligible  manner  the  foundations  upon  which  the 
Christian  faith  rests.  We  are  now  living  in  an  age  of 
unbelief  and  criticism.  The  traditional  faith  of  our 
fathers  is  rejected  by  the  mass  of  people  with  whom  we 
have  to  do,  especially  by  the  educated  and  half-educated 
portion  of  the  community.  Creeds  and  confessions  of 
faith  are  of  no  value  to  the  sceptical  and  critical  in- 
quirer, in  so  far  as  the  question  concerns  the  certainty  of 
the  things  set  forth  in  these  holy  documents.  The  modern 
critic  who  calls  in  question  all  the  received  facts  of  his- 
tory, and  insists  on  hunting  every  supposed  fact  up  to 
its  fountain-head,  and  puts  every  independent  witness 
up  for  critical  cross-examination,  has  not  hesitated  to 
attack  in  the  same  way  the  sacred  documents  of  Christi- 
anity, and  put  them  to  the  rigid  test  of  criticism. 
Nothing  is  now  received,  either  as  fact  or  doctrine,  be- 
cause it  is  in  the  Bible.  Indeed,  the  historical  portion 
of  the  Bible  is  that  which  has  had  to  withstand  the  chief 
assaults  of  the  critics.  Old  Testament  history  is  ques- 
tioned, and  the  New  Testament  records  are  impeached. 
One  of  the  results  of  this  modern  spirit  of  investigation 
and  criticism  is  that  many  people  are  left  without  (as 
they  say)  any  certain  foundation  for  faith  ;  and  as  they 
cannot  accept  Christianity  as  a  speculative  truth,  they 
add  that  they  are  compelled  to  remain,  if  not  hostile,  at 
least  indifferent  to  the  call  of  the  gospel.  It  is  even  true 
that  a  certain  class  of  presumably  devout  Christians  are 
saying  that  in  the  midst  of  all  this  confusion  and  doubt 
we  ought  to  look  for  and  expect  some  new  revelation 
from  God,  so  clear  and  conclusive  that  all  reasonable 


2i6  THE  DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH 

doubt  shall  be  dissipated.  These  anxious  souls  say, 
"  We  are  too  far  away  from  the  historic  foundations  of 
our  faith,  and  we  need  fresh  facts  and  further  and 
mighty  manifestations  from  God."  All  this  seems  to 
me  to  be  both  unphilosophical  and  somewhat  absurd. 
A  fact  in  history,  no  matter  how  far  back  in  the  past, 
loses  none  of  its  truth  and  value  because  of  the  lapse  of 
time.  Waterloo  is  no  less  true  as  a  fact  to-day,  nearly 
a  century  after  that  memorable  struggle  took  place,  and 
victory  was  won,  than  it  was  the  day  after  the  battle. 
At  the  time  it  was  the  great  factor  which  entered  into 
the  almost  universal  change  of  the  national  geography 
of  Europe,  and  the  effect  of  it  is  with  us  as  powerfully 
at  the  end  of  this  century  as  it  was  in  the  beginning, 
History  loses  nothing  of  truth  and  force  because  it  was 
enacted  centuries  ago.  If  our  Lord  came  in  the  world, 
lived  His  life,  accomplished  His  ministry,  died  His 
death,  and  rose  again  from  the  dead,  neither  the  import- 
ance nor  the  truth  of  the  fact  is  diminished  because  it 
occurred  two  thousand  years  ago.  Would  the  revela- 
tion be  any  clearer  or  truer  if  it  were  all  re-enacted  in 
our  own  day  ?  If  those  who  are  crying  out  for  further 
revelation  could  have  their  wish,  what  could  they  sug- 
gest as  more  complete  and  powerful  than  that  which 
came  by  Jesus  Christ  ?  Could  our  Lord's  Incarnation, 
His  unique  personality.  His  heavenly  ministry.  His 
sublime  death  and  glorious  resurrection  be  improved 
upon  ?  The  only  question  is,  whether  the  gospel  record 
is  true.  The  mere  date  of  the  facts  recorded  is  without 
importance.  They  may  have  occurred  yesterday,  or  ten 
thousand  years  ago,  for  that  matter.  The  value  of  the 
coals  which  I  burn  in  my  grates,  and  with  which  my 
food  is  daily  cooked,  does  not  depend  upon  whether 
they  were  deposited  in  the  heart  of  the  earth  ten  or  ten 
thousand  years  ago.     It  would  be  madness  for  me  to 


THE  DA  Y-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH  2  \  7 

reject  the  coals  my  tradesmen  bring  me  because  they 
are  of  such  ancient  formation,  and  to  demand  that  they 
bring  me  coals  of  more  modern  formation.  If  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  is  alive  from  the  dead,  then,  however  re- 
mote His  Incarnation  may  have  been,  the  fact  is  still  a 
present  one.  Divine  history  is  never  ancient  history, 
because  He  who  made  the  history  is  still  living.  The 
Incarnation,  and  all  that  proceeded  from  the  Incarna- 
tion, is  contemporaneous  with  all  time.  There  is  no 
dead  past  in  connection  with  the  revelation  of  God. 

Revelation  is  ciiimdative,  whether  we  look  for  it  in 
material  works  of  God  or  in  the  inspired  utterances  or 
supernatural  events  which  have  transpired  in  the  course 
of  human  history.  The  truth  of  geological  science  does 
not  rest  on  the  last  events  which  have  taken  place  in  the 
course  of  the  earth's  history,  but  upon  all  the  facts 
which  underlie  the  latest  formations  and  developments 
of  the  earth's  bulk.  The  testimony  of  the  rocks  is  not 
invalidated  because  the  rocks  are  so  old.  We  are  told 
by  the  readers  of  the  rocks  and  the  fossil  remains  of 
both  the  animal  and  vegetable  creations,  that  this  world 
of  ours  has  been  millions  of  years  in  building  ;  that  it 
has  passed  through  many  crises  ;  that  it  has  been  over- 
whelmed again  and  again  with  tremendous  cataclysms 
which  would  apparently  make  an  end  of  all  things  ;  but 
that  out  of  each  of  these  great  epochs  or  ages  the  earth 
has  risen  into  higher  order  and  perfection.  Reading  the 
geological  story  of  the  earth  backward,  we  can  see  the 
hints  of  all  its  later  perfection  ;  though,  if  we  had  to 
read  it  forward,  we  could  not  have  prophesied  the  last 
geological  age  from  the  observed  facts  of  the  earliest 
ages.  The  past  is  in  the  present,  not  only  as  the  foun- 
dation, but  as  a  part  of  the  present.  In  Canada  and  the 
Lake  regions  of  the  United  States  there  are  visible  in 
and  through  the  upper  crust  of  our  present  earth  the 


21 8  THE  DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH 

formations  of  long  past  geological  ages.  The  great  hills 
and  mountains  were  not  born  in  our  day,  they  were  not 
formed  in  our  geological  age,  yet  they  are  with  us  to 
remind  us  of  the  past  travail  of  the  creation.  Clothed, 
as  many  of  them  are,  with  the  living  verdure  of  the 
present  age,  they  belong  to  us  as  really  as  if  they  had 
been  formed  but  yesterday. 

It  is  so  with  God's  revelation  in  connection  with  His 
spiritual  world.  It  has  been  going  on  for  ages.  The 
knowledge  of  God  has  come  to  us  little  by  little — each 
new  epoch  of  special  revelation  resting  on  the  past  and 
carrying  our  knowledge  forward  and  higher.  The 
earliest  revelations,  like  the  mountain  tops,  pierce  the 
crust  of  latest  revelations.  Take,  for  instance,  the  one 
thousand  quotations  from  and  palpable  allusion  to  Old 
Testament  revelations  which  appear  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, clothed  with  the  verdure  of  New  Testament  times 
and  infused  with  the  power  and  life  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
the  ever-present  agent  in  revelation,  and  we  have  not 
a  dead  past,  but  a  past  living  in  full  fellowship  with  our 
present.  To  go  back  to  the  times  of  the  earlier  revela- 
tion of  God  in  order  to  live  our  life  as  in  the  presence  of 
revelation  but  newly  given,  would  be  impossible.  We 
have  outgrown  the  past,  and  can  never  go  back  to  it 
except  with  loss  to  ourselves.  Fancy  the  people  of  the 
nineteenth  century  living  in  the  glacial  period,  or  in 
the  time  of  the  cave-dwellers  !  Yet  we  would  be  nearer 
to  our  geological  foundations  than  we  are  now.  Do  you 
think  Abraham  had  an  advantage  over  you  because  to 
him  came  direct  revelation  ;  or  that  Isaac  and  Jacob 
w^ere  better  off  because  they  dreamed  dreams,  saw 
visions,  and  wrestled  with  angels  ?  Were  the  children 
of  Israel  more  free  from  doubts  and  disobedience  be- 
cause they  saw  the  wonders  of  God  in  Egypt  ?  Or  do 
you  suppose  that  the  earliest  Christians  were  better  off 


THE   DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH  219 

than  we?  How  many  of  our  modern  doubters,  who 
complain  that  we  are  so  far  removed  from  our  historic 
foundations,  would  elect  to  go  back  to  the  first  century 
of  Christianity  ?  Those  early  believers  were  nearer  to 
the  great  facts  which  underlie  our  faith,  but  were  they 
any  surer  than  we  ?  Had  they  any  more  to  go  on  than 
we  have  ?  Was  the  present  life  of  the  Spirit  more  real 
to  them  than  to  us?  Even  then  there  were  doubters 
and  heretics,  schismatics  and  scientists  (falsely  so-called), 
and  philosophers  who  made  void  the  faith  of  some  by 
their  vain  reasonings.  Were  people  of  the  world  more 
disposed  to  accept  the  testimony  of  Paul  and  five  hun- 
dred other  living  witnesses  who  had  seen  Christ  alive 
after  the  resurrection  than  they  are  to  accept  the  testi- 
mony of  the  same  witnesses  to-day,  after  two  thousand 
years  ?  Read  the  apostolic  epistles,  and  then  answer 
whether  you  gather  from  them  that  believers  of  the  first 
century  were  better,  more  certain,  more  spiritual,  more 
developed  in  everything  or  anything  that  makes  for  the 
best  in  Christian  character,  than  believers  are  to-day  ? 
The  cumulative  and  progressive  testimony  of  nine- 
teen centuries  of  Christian  experience  has  immensely 
strengthened  the  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  historic 
foundations.  No ;  we  do  not  want  to  go  back,  except 
historically,  for  the  facts  of  the  past.  Given  these  facts, 
with  the  living  Christ  in  heaven  and  the  Holy  Spirit  on 
earth  and  in  our  hearts  taking  the  things  of  Christ  and 
showing  them  to  us  every  day,  we  prefer  to  go  on,  to  go 
forward.  We  would  no  more  choose  to  go  back  in  time 
in  order  to  get  nearer  to  the  foundations,  than  Abraham 
would  have  cared  to  go  back  to  his  own  country  from 
whence  he  came  out  in  order  to  be  nearer  to  the  first 
revelation  he  received  from  God.  Would  you  care  to 
sacrifice  the  years  of  your  Christian  experience  since 
you  believed  in  order  to  have  again  the  first  sensations 


220  THE  DA  Y-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH 

of  the  new  life  ?  No  more  than  you  would  care  to  go 
back  to  your  youth,  to  boyhood,  or  girlhood,  or  even  to 
babyhood,  in  order  to  get  nearer  to  the  first  experience 
of  your  being  !  No  !  we  look  for  a  city  and  a  country 
and  a  life  before  us.  Physically  we  do  not  live  m  the 
past  geological  ages,  but  we  do  not  live  without  them. 
So  neither  do  we  live  in  the  past  spiritually,  but  we  do 
not  live  without  the  past 

Let  me  repeat  a  single  illustration.  We  draw  our 
wealth  from  past  geological  ages — our  coal,  our  iron,  our 
gold  and  silver  and  tin  and  copper,  and  all  our  precious 
metals  and  stones.  The  very  soil  in  which  we  sow  our 
corn  and  wheat  is  a  product  of  the  past.  Yet  we  would 
not  care  to  go  back  to  the  ages  in  which  God  stored 
these  things  up  for  our  use  in  the  present.  Revelation 
and  essential  spiritual  life  have  progressed,  and  we  have 
better  things  now  than  the  early  Christians  had,  than  the 
prophets  had,  than  David  or  Moses  or  Abraham  or 
Noah  or  Enoch  or  Adam  had.  If  we  are  further  from 
primitive  revelation,  we  are  nearer  to  the  consummation 
of  which  these  primitive  revelations  were  the  promises. 
Then  we  had  promise  ;  now  we  have  fulfilment.  Then 
we  had  prophecy  ;  now  we  have  history.  Then  we  had 
law ;  now  we  have  gospel.  Then  we  were  bound  to 
external  statutes  and  external  ceremonials,  with  only 
dim  hints  of  life  and  immortality ;  now  we  have  a  free 
spiritual  life,  serving  not  in  oldness  of  the  letter,  but  in 
the  newness  of  the  Spirit.  Then  life  and  blessing  were 
predicated  on  obedience  ;  now  we  obey  God  from  the 
heart,  because  He  hath  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  His  Son 
into  our  hearts.  Then  we  had  miracles  wrought  in 
material  nature  and  in  human  bodies — water  was  turned 
into  wine,  the  sick  were  healed,  the  blind  were  made  to 
see,  the  deaf  to  hear,  and  the  lame  to  walk  ;  but  now  we 
have  daily  miracles  of  grace  by  which  men  and  women 


THE  DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH  221 

shapen  in  iniquity  and  conceived  in  sin  are  born  from 
above,  and  changed  into  the  image  of  Christ.  Drunkards 
are  made  sober  ;  thieves  cease  to  steal,  and  learn  how 
to  labour  with  their  hands,  that  they  may  have  to  give 
to  them  who  have  need  ;  the  liar  is  converted  to  the 
truth  ;  the  profane  changed  into  praying  men  and 
women  ;  in  many  cases  the  rich  are  made  kind  and 
generous  to  the  poor,  and  avarice  is  corrected  by 
Christian  beneficence ;  adulterers  and  adulteresses  are 
changed  into  virtuous  and  pure  men  and  women  ;  the 
dead  in  trespasses  and  sin  are  made  alive  in  Christ. 
Surely  these  are  the  miracles  in  which  God  is  revealing 
Himself  day  by  day  ;  greater  in  fact  and  more  powerful 
in  testimony  than  the  miracles  which  Christ  Himself 
wrought — works  greater  than  His  which  He  told  us  we 
should  do,  because  of  His  going  to  the  Father  and  the 
coming  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God — the  Spirit  of  Holi- 
ness and  of  Power.^ 

In  the  beginning  God  made  man  in  His  own  image 
and  likeness.  After  all,  what  a  baby  Adam  must  have 
been — compared  with  his  descendants  of  to-day — as  to 
knowledge  and  experience  and  all  that  enters  into  the 
essentials  of  manhood  !  Yet  Adam  was  nearer  to  God  in 
time  and  in  primitive  experience  than  we  are  ;  but  who 
would  rather  be  Adam  in  the  year  one  of  Creation,  with 
Eden  into  the  bargain,  than  his  Christian  self  in  the  year 
1896  of  the  Christian  era?     Not  I,  for  one  ! 

Having  created  man  in  His  own  image,  the  next  step 
in  progressive  development  was  his  moral  training.  Not 
to  be  tedious,  we  pass  to  the  dispensation  of  the  Hebrew 
race.  In  them  God  undertook  to  develop  their  ethical 
nature.  To  this  end  came  law  and  commandments. 
They  were  taught  the  great  lessons  of  obedience,  and 
right  and  wrong.  "  Thou  shalt "  and  "  Thou  shalt  not " 
*  John  xiv.  12. 


222  THE  DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH 

were  constantly  in  their  ears.  Temporal  blessings  were 
the  rewards  of  obedience,  and  temporal  curses  were 
visited  upon  their  disobedience.  God,  the  Moral  Gover- 
nor of  the  universe,  was  revealed  to  them,  who  had 
hitherto  only  known  Him  as  Creator  and  Providence. 
Then  came  the  dispensation  of  the  prophets,  through 
whom  the  spiritual  life  of  the  people  was  more  particu- 
larly developed.  Personal  communion  with  God  was 
inaugurated  in  a  way  unknown  to  the  teaching  and  dis- 
cipline of  the  law.  Not  offerings  and  burnt  offerings 
and  sacrifices  for  sin,  but  a  broken  and  contrite  heart 
was  brought  to  God.  The  prophets  widen  the  horizon 
of  faith,  in  regard  to  the  Messiah  as  Mediator  and  Sin- 
bearer,  as  well  as  in  the  extent  and  spiritual  character  of 
His  kingdom.  The  dispensation  of  the  prophets  closes 
with  the  coming  of  John  the  Baptist,  who  appears  for  a 
moment  on  the  new  horizon,  just  long  enough  to  an- 
nounce the  bright  dawn  by  the  Sunrising  from  on  high, 
in  the  person  of  Christ ;  then  to  disappear  and  leave 
us  face  to  face  with  the  Eternal  and  Incarnate  Word 
of  God,  who  came  with  God's  last  full  and  life-giving 
revelation,  by  whom  God  and  man  are  united,  He 
taking  us  into  union  with  Himself  and  making  us  to 
be  partakers  of  His  divine  nature.  Is  not  all  this  pro- 
gress ?  Is  not  the  new  far  better  than  the  old  ?  Would 
you  choose  old  bottles  for  this  new  wine  ? 

II.  The  Foundations  of  our  Faith.  Some  of 
you  may  be  wondering  how  Zacharias'  song  introduces 
us  to  such  a  line  of  thought  as  I  have  suggested  to 
you.  Well,  just  in  this,  that,  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
he  gathers  the  old  things  and  unites  them  all  with 
the  new,  weaving  the  old  revelation  of  God  and  the  new 
into  one  beautiful  progressive  whole.  We  shall  now 
take  a  look  at  these  testimonies,  and  I  hope  to  be  able 
to  show  you  that,  instead  of  being  far  away  from  them, 


THE  DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH  223 

they  are  not  only  close  to  us,  but  always  with  us.  There 
is  no  hiatus  between  the  Christian's  faith  and  the  foun- 
dations of  that  faith.  We  are  able  to  give  a  reason  for 
the  faith  that  is  in  us.  Our  faith  does  not  rest  on  the 
relics  of  the  past,  but  upon  the  eternal  and  contemporary 
truths  of  God,  both  in  word  and  in  fact. 

I.  Zacharias^  faith  was  energized  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 
He,  being  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  prophesied,  saying, 
"  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel ;  for  He  hath  visited 
and  redeemed  His  people ;  and  hath  raised  up  an  horn 
of  salvation  for  us  in  the  house  of  His  servant  David." 
Physical  scientists  tell  us  that  behind  and  pervading  all 
physical  phenomena  there  is  an  all  and  ever  present 
energy.  They  call  it  force.  It  differentiates  itself  in  a 
thousand  ways.  It  is  energy  ;  it  is  motion  ;  it  is  attrac- 
tion ;  it  is  law  or  the  strength  of  law  ;  it  is  colour  or  the 
result  of  it ;  it  is  heat.  It  is,  in  fact,  the  creative  and 
preserving  energy  of  the  universe.  It  has  been  in  the 
past,  is  now,  and  shall  be  for  evermore.  It  is  not  old  or 
worn  out.  It  did  not  exist  for  a  time  at  the  beginning 
of  things.  It  was,  and  is,  and  shall  be.  The  scientist 
calls  it  force  or  energy.  Suppose  we  call  it  the  Spirit  of 
God  ;  or,  not  to  confuse  things,  suppose  we  accept  the 
doctrine  of  energy  as  the  foundation  of  the  material 
universe,  and  from  that  pass  to  the  consideration  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  God,  who,  in  the  beginning,  brooded  over 
the  abyss  and  brought  the  world  into  existence ;  was 
present  in  the  creation  of  man,  breathing  into  his  nostrils 
the  breath  of  life  ;  striving  with  him  in  his  earlier  de- 
velopment ;  inspiring  and  teaching  him,  even  to  the 
training  of  his  mind  and  hands  in  the  useful  arts  ;  speak- 
ing to  man  and  through  man  ;  communing  with  him  for 
his  own  profit,  and  communicating  to  him  messages  for 
the  whole  world  ;  moving  holy  men  of  old  to  speak 
concerning  the  things  of  God.     That  Holy  Spirit  is  the 


224  THE  DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH 

energy  of  our  faith.  The  prophecies  and  works  which 
He  has  wrought  in  the  past  may  be  considered  by  us  to 
be  far  away,  too  far  back  in  time  to  be  a  foundation  for 
present  faith ;  but  He  is  not  in  the  past ;  He  is  in  the 
present.  He  who  was  present  in  the  creation,  who  in- 
spired the  prophets,  overshadowed  the  Virgin  Mary, 
filled  Zacharias  with  His  blessed  presence,  rested  upon 
and  dwelt  without  measure  in  Jesus  during  His  earthly 
ministry,  enabled  Him  to  offer  Himself  up  a  sacrifice  to 
God,  accomplished  in  Him  the  resurrection  from  the 
dead,  and  in  Jesus  breathed  upon  the  disciples  after  the 
resurrection,  fell  upon  and  filled  the  disciples  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost,  accomplished  the  new  birth  in  Nicodemus, 
and  every  soul  since  who  has  believed  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  is  with  us  to-day ;  accompanying  the  word 
preached  with  power  sent  down  from  heaven  ;  dwelling 
in  believers  as  the  Comforter ;  strengthening  them  for 
righteousness  ;  energizing  them  for  service  ;  inspiring 
their  prayers  and  songs  ;  loving  and  guiding  them  in  life. 
How,  then,  can  any  one  say  that  we  are  too  far  removed 
from  the  foundations  of  our  faith  ?  His  holy  presence 
and  power  converts  all  the  facts  of  past  revelation  into 
present  realities.  He  was,  and  He  is,  and  He  shall  be 
for  evermore  ;  and  by  Him  God  and  Christ  are  always 
with  us.  Evermore  He  makes  old  things  new,  and  keeps 
the  past  in  the  present.  I  can  understand  how  a  mere 
formalist  in  religion,  one  who  only  dwells  in  creeds, 
confessions,  ceremonies,  and  ecclesiasticisms,  should  feel 
himself  separated  by  long  centuries  from  the  foundations 
of  faith  ;  but  I  cannot  understand  any  one  who  knows 
the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit,  or  who  has  ever  been  the 
subject  of  His  life-giving  grace,  looking  back  with  long- 
ing eyes  to  things  which  happened  long  ago  as  though 
they  too  were  in  the  dead  past,  and  not  in  the  living 
present.     I    cannot  understand  a  man  who  has   really 


THE  DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH  225 

been  born  of  the  Spirit  saying,  "  We  must  have  new  and 
fresh  and  up-to-date  revelation  from  God  in  order  to 
support  faith."  The  Holy  Spirit  is  present  in  the  world, 
every  day  and  hour,  convincing  men  of  sin,  of  righteous- 
ness, and  of  judgment,  and  opening  their  eyes  to  see 
Jesus  and  the  unseen  things  of  God.  Critics  who  deal 
with  dead  literature,  or  with  the  mere  letter  of  revelation, 
with  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  the  CJmrcli  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  not  with  the  life  of  the  Church,  may  feel  that 
they  are  far  away  from  foundation  truth  and  fact ;  but 
living  Christians  feel  no  such  hiatus,  and  know  no  such 
lack  in  their  faith.  If  you  say  you  have  not  this  evi- 
dence, then  get  it,  for  it  is  within  your  reach.  For 
"  Your  Heavenly  Father  will  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
them  that  ask  Him."  ^  Be  sure  of  this,  the  Holy  Spirit 
will  take  the  things  of  Christ  and  show  them  to  you,  if 
you  are  really  in  earnest  to  know  the  truth  and  get  close 
to  God's  heart. 

2.  ZacJiarias  next  refers  us  to  covenant  promises  of  God 
as  the  living  a7id  present  ground  of  faith.  Whoever  does 
not,  or  in  his  day  did  not,  regard  the  promises  and 
prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament  as  having  reference  to 
Jesus  Christ  and  the  "  salvation  of  God  by  the  remission 
of  sin,"  Zacharias  and  Mary  believed  them,  and  in  them 
found  a  sure  resting-place  for  their  faith.  Centuries 
before,  God  began  to  speak  by  holy  men  of  old  of  the 
coming  of  One  who  should  redeem  them,  and  deliver 
them,  and  "  perform  the  mercy  promised  to  our  fathers." 
These  promises  and  covenants  of  God,  bound  by  His 
oath,  were  no  dead  words,  but  spirit  and  life.  No  doubt 
Zacharias  had  in  his  mind  God's  words  to  Abraham  : 
"  By  Myself  have  I  sworn,  saith  the  Lord,  that  in  bless- 
ing I  will  bless  thee,  and  in  multiplying  I  will  multiply 
thy  seed  as  the  stars  of  the  heaven,  and  as  the  sand 
'  Luke  xi.  13. 

P.B.  15 


:226  THE  DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH 

which  is  upon  the  sea  shore  ;  and  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed!'  ^  Now  this  promise  after 
long  centuries  had  come  true,  and  Zacharias  saw  the 
fulfilment  of  it  in  its  all-comprehensive  and  far-reaching 
meaning  ;  so  that  before  he  closes  his  song  he  rejoices 
in  the  spread  of  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles  "  sitting  in 
darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death." 

3.  The  performance  of  God's  covenant  promises  was  to 
Zacharias  a  warrajit  and  foundation  for  his  faith.  The 
same  performance  is  the  warrant  of  our  faith.  He  tells 
us  how  these  promises  were  fulfilled,  "  He  hath  raised 
up  an  horn  of  salvation  for  us  in  the  house  of  David, 
to  give  knowledge  of  salvation  unto  His  people  by  the 
remission  of  sins,  through  the  tender  mercy  of  our  God, 
whereby  the  D.ay-Spring  from  on  high  hath  visited  us." 
The  coming  of  Christ  was  the  Sunrising  of  a  new  and 
glorious  day,  in  which  every  promise  of  scripture  should 
flower  and  fruit.  Zacharias  sang  in  the  dawn  of  that 
day ;  we  sing  and  rejoice  in  the  midday  splendour. 
The  coming  of  Christ,  His  miraculous  conception, 
His  heavenly  ministry,  His  sacrificial  death,  and  His 
glorious  resurrectiQH  are  the  historical  facts  in  which 
all  the  past  is  gathered  together  and  brought  into  pre- 
sent time.  Every  Christian  builds  his  faith,  not  on  the 
history,  but  on  the  person  of  Christ.  He  is  not  a  dead 
Christ.  We  do  not  have  to  seek  Him  in  the  land  of 
Judaea,  or  in  Galilee ;  we  do  not  have  to  go  back  twenty 
centuries  to  find  Him.  He  was  dead,  but,  behold,  He 
is  alive  for  evermore ;  near  to  them  that  seek  Him,  and 
in  the  midst  of  them  who  are  gathered  together  in  His 
name.  How  say  some  among  you  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
too  far  away  in  the  past?  He  is  not  far  from  any  one 
of  you.     Seek  Him,  and  you  shall  find  Him. 

How   beautiful  is  Zacharias'  characterizatioji   of  the 
'  Gen.  xxii.  16-18. 


THE  DA  Y-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH  227 

advent  of  our  Lord!  He  is  the  Day-Spring  from  on 
high.  These  words  are  evidently  suggested  by  the  last 
prophecy  concerning  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  recorded 
by  the  prophet  Malachi,  "  But  unto  you  that  fear  My 
name  shall  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arise,  with  healing 
in  His  wings  ;  and  ye  shall  go  forth  and  grow  up  as 
calves  of  the  stall."  ^  We  usually  speak  of  the  sun  as 
rising  from  below  the  horizon,  but  He  speaks  of  Him 
as  from  on  high.  In  this  mixed  metaphor  we  have 
the  two  great  truths  concerning  Jesus  wonderfully  set 
forth.  He  came  from  on  high  to  us,  but  His  rising  was 
from  below.  He  descended  from  heaven,  and  hid  Him- 
self in  the  womb  of  the  virgin,  and  rose  upon  the  world 
out  of  the  stable  at  Bethlehem.  Oh,  blessed  descent 
of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  to  the  earth,  to  rise  upon 
us  with  healing  in  Thy  wings !  The  sunrise  came  in 
their  time,  but  the  fill  meridia?i  strength  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  is  shining  upon  us  now.  We  would  not 
have  it  otherwise.  If  our  Lord  had  merely  risen  on  the 
margin  of  time,  life  could  not  have  come  to  the  world. 
The  sunrise  ushers  in  the  day ;  but  the  dawn  is  not 
enough ;  if  the  earth  only  had  the  pale  light  of  the 
dawning  day  it  could  not  live.  It  was  expedient  that 
Christ  should  go  to  the  Father;  and  so  He  has  ascended 
into  the  mid-heaven  of  God's  presence,  and  from  hence 
shines  down  upon  us  in  all  the  strength  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  "  to  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  God  in 
the  face  of  Jesus  Christ."  ^  Had  our  Lord  remained 
upon  the  earth,  the  full  day  of  grace  and  power  could 
not  have  come.  Should  He  come  again  as  He  came 
two  thousand  years  ago,  He  could  bring  us  no  new 
revelation,  and  the  world  would  be  turned  back  to  day- 
dawn,  instead  of  progressing  in  the  power  of  noontide 
light  and  life. 

*  Mai.  iv.  2  *  2  Cor.  iv.  6. 


228  THE  DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH 

There  is  much  of  beauty  and  sweet  suggestiveness 
in  the  expression  of  Zacharias,  "  The  Day-Spring  from 
on  high  hath  visited  us."  It  reminds  us  of  how  the 
Lord  "visited"  Sarah  at  the  set  time,  to  fulfil  His 
promise  to  Abraham  ;  how  He  "  visited  "  His  afflicted 
people  in  Egypt,  to  deliver  them  from  their  long  and 
bitter  bondage  ;  how  He  "  visited  "  Hannah,  to  fulfil  her 
prayer ;  how  He  "  visits "  the  sons  of  men  for  their 
salvation.  Now,  after  a  long  time  (filled  up  by  the  vain 
endeavours  of  men  to  save  themselves,  and  with  the 
wickedness  of  the  world  which  had  cast  off  God),  the 
Day-Spring  hath  visited  us.  He  has  come  with  good 
will ;  He  has  come  full  of  grace  and  truth ;  He  has 
come  to  abide  with  us  for  ever ;  to  make  His  home  in 
our  nature  and  to  dwell  in  our  hearts  ;  to  be  for  us 
and  to  us  an  All-gracious  and  All-powerful  Saviour ; 
"  to  perform  the  mercy  promised  to  our  fathers,  and  to 
remember  His  holy  covenant ;  to  give  knowledge  of 
salvation  unto  His  people  by  the  remission  of  sin."  ^ 
Blessed  visitation !  May  all  hearts  fly  open  to  receive 
Him. 

He  is  t/te  Horn  of  our  Salvation.  Some  refer  this 
to  the  horns  of  the  altar,  of  which,  if  a  fleeing  trans- 
gressor took  hold,  he  was  safe  from  the  vengeance  of 
pursuit,  Matthew  Henry  suggests  the  "  horn  of  plenty," 
from  which  there  is  poured  out  upon  us  all  the  "  fulness 
of  grace  and  truth,  for  in  Him  all  fulness  dwells." 
Others  suggest  the  strong  horn  which  mounted  the 
shield  of  the  ancient  warrior,  and  which  sometimes  was 
used  to  push  against  an  adversary.  But  it  seems  most 
consistent  to  refer  the  figure  to  the  strong  horn  of  the 
ox,  always  the  symbol  of  strength  and  power.  Power 
to  forgive  sins ;  power  to  give  life ;  power  to  keep  us 
from  falling,  to  deliver  us  out  of  temptation,  and  to  save 
'  Luke  i.  72,  J7. 


THE  DAY-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH  229 

to  the  uttermost ;  power  to  sanctify  ;  power  to  make  us 
perfect  unto  every  good  work,  to  do  His  will,  to  raise 
us  from  the  dead  and  present  us  faultless  before  the 
presence  of  God's  glory  with  great  joy.  All  our  salva- 
tion is  wrought  according  to  the  mighty  power  that 
"worketh  in  us  by  Jesus  Christ.  Blessed  be  God  for 
raising  up  unto  us  the  Ho     of  Salvation. 

4.  Christian  experience  is  the  fourth  fact  which  enters 
into  the  fotmdations  for  our  faith.  "  That  He  would 
grant  unto  us  that  we,  being  delivered  out  of  the  hands 
of  our  enemies,  might  serve  Him  without  fear,  in  holi- 
ness and  righteousness,  all  the  days  of  our  life."  ^  It  has 
been  well  said  that  Christianity  consists  of  three  things 
— a  fact,  a  doctrine,  and  a  life.  The  fact  is  Christ,  the 
doctrine  is  the  gospel  of  salvation  through  Christ,  and  the 
life  is  the  new  spiritual  experience  communicated  to  men 
through  the  fact  and  the  doctrine  of  Christ.  Zacharias 
testified  to  the  fact,  proclaimed  the  doctrine,  and  embraced 
the  experience.  It  is  in  the  living  experience  of  believers 
that  the  vital  facts  of  Christianity  are  always  present  in 
the  world.  Wherever  there  is  a  living  experience  there 
is  a  present  Christ ;  for,  as  Paul  says,  "For  to  me  to  live  is 
Christ "  ^ ;  and  again,  "  I  am  crucified  with  Christ ;  never- 
theless I  live ;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me ;  and 
the  life  which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by  the  faith 
of  Christ,  who  loved  me,  and  gave  Himself  for  me."  '^ 
Astronomers  tell  us  that  light  is  still  falling  upon  the 
earth  from  stars  that  have  been  burned  out  centuries 
asfo  :  but  the  life  of  the  Christian  is  ministered  from  the 
living  Christ,  who  is  Eternal  Life — whose  infinite  energy 
never  ceases.  Zacharias  breaks  up  or  describes  this  in- 
ward life  of  the  Christian  under  various  heads.  It  mani- 
fests itself  in  serving  God.  Wherever  there  is  real 
spiritual  life,  there  will  be  found  not  only  an  impulse, 
^  Luke  i.  74.        "  Phil.  i.  21.        *  Gal.  ii.  20. 


230  THE  DA  Y-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH 

but  a  steady  purpose  to  serve  Him.  No  sooner  were 
the  Thessalonians  turned  from  their  idols  by  the  in- 
coming of  Christ's  Hfe  than  they  began  to  serve  the 
living  and  true  God.  The  service  of  sin  gives  place  to 
the  service  of  God.  No  sooner  are  we  purged  from 
dead  works,  by  being  delivered  from  sin  and  death,  our 
great  and  hereditary  enemies,  than  we  yield  our  rightful 
and  free  service  to  God,  who  hath  delivered  us  by  His  Son 
Jesus  Christ.  Service  characterizes  the  saints  on  earth, 
and  in  eternity  they  continue  to  "  serve  Him  day  and 
night  in  His  temple."  ^  If  there  is  no  spirit  of  service  in 
thee,  then  thou  art  not  Christ's. 

This  service  is  attended  with  an  inward  peace  and 
confidence.  It  is  without  fear.  "  For  ye  have  not  re- 
ceived the  spirit  of  bondage  again  to  fear  ;  but  ye  have 
received  the  Spirit  of  adoption.^  The  terror  of  God, 
which  must  be  ever  present  in  a  wicked  man's  con- 
science, is  removed  ;  the  servile  fear  of  a  mere  formalist 
is  replaced  by  an  inward  peace  resting  upon  the  finished 
work  of  Christ  and  the  free  forgiveness  and  justification 
which  comes  to  us  through  His  blood.  He  hath  de- 
livered them  "  who,  through  fear  of  death,  were  all  their 
lifetime  subject  to  bondage."^  Even  the  fear  of  sin  is 
taken  away  from  us,  for  He  has  promised  us  that  "  sin 
shall  not  have  dominion  over  you."  •*  He  has  made 
peace  for  us ;  He  has  spoken  peace  to  us  ;  He  has  ap- 
pointed His  peace  to  garrison  our  hearts,  and  so  keep  us 
free  from  fear.  But  the  Christian  life  is  more  than  this. 
It  is  holiness  and  righteousness.  Holiness  is  the  commu- 
nication of  that  new  life  which  we  sometimes  call  the 
new  birth  or  regeneration — the  life  of  God  in  the  soul, 
which  constitutes  us  new  creatures  in  Christ,  and  separ- 
ates us  from  the  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.  It  is  full 
of  all  impulses  towards  purity  and  real  piety.     It  is  the 

^  Rev.  vii.  15.     ^  Rom.  viii.  15.    ^  Heb.  ii.  15.    ^  Rom.  vi.  14. 


THE  DA  Y-SPRING  FROM   ON  HIGH  231 

inward  bond  between  the  soul  and  God  ;  the  beginning 
of  that  sanctification  of  life  and  character  which  will,  in 
the  end,  completely  restore  the  image  of  God    in   us. 
Righteousness  is  the  outward  expression  of  the  new  life. 
It  consists,  not  only  in  the  rightening  of  our  relations 
zuith   God,  but   in    the  rightening  of  onr  conduct,  both 
toward  God  and  man.      It  is  the  core  of  all  the  fruits  of 
the  Spirit.     Righteousness  and  true  holiness  go  hand  in 
hand.     Any  profession  of  faith  in  Christ  which  is  not 
justified  by  a  righteous  life  is  a  vain  profession.      All 
true   believers    "yield    themselves   unto   God   as   those 
who  are  alive  from  the  dead  "  ^  ;  and  all  their  members, 
powers,  and  possessions  "  as  instruments  of  righteousness 
unto  God."     Paul  beautifully   characterizes  real  Chris- 
tians as  those  who  "  were  the  servants  of  sin,"  but  who 
"  have  obeyed  from  the  heart  that  form  of  doctrine  which 
was  delivered  you,"  who,  "being  made  free  from  sin, 
have  become  servants  to  God."^     The  final  proof  and 
test  of  Christianity  is  to  be  found  not  in  the  past,  not  in 
creeds  and  confessions,  not  in  ecclesiastical  order,  not  in 
an  unbroken  succession  of  ordained  priests  ;  but  in  the 
inward  holiness  and  the  practical  righteousness  of  those 
who  have  come  to  an  experimental  knowledge  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.      This  Christian    life   is   lived   and 
energized  in  righteousness  "  before  God  all  the  days  of 
of  our  life."     Christianity  is  not  an  emotional  spasm  ;  it 
is  not  a  speculative  philosophy ;  it  is  not  an  elaborate 
ritual  ;    but  "  righteousness  and  peace  and  joy  in   the 
Holy  Ghost "  ^  ;  not  for  a  few  days  or  weeks,  but  for 
all  time.      We  do  not  look  for  it  in  the  superheated 
evangelistic  meeting  or  on  a  death-bed,  but  in  a  daily 
walk  with  God  through  all  the  days  of  our  life.     Such  a 
Christianity  will  never  fail  to  satisfy  the  intelligence,  the 
reason,  and  the  conscience  of  the  world.     Let  us  make  it 
»  Rom.  vi.  13.  -  Ibid.\\.  17-22.  ^  Ibid.  xiv.  17. 


232  THE  DA  Y-SPRING  FROM  ON  HIGH 

the  end  and  aim  of  our  lives  to  join  with  Zacharias  in 
giving  this  testimony  to  the  faithfulness  of  God. 

5.  The  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  the  Gentiles  is  proof 
of  the  living  presence  of  Christ  in  the  world.  Lifting 
his  thoughts  from  himself  and  his  own  nation,  Zacharias 
saw  a  distant  prospect  of  salvation  among  those  who 
were  seated  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death.  His 
faith  burst  the  bonds  of  a  narrow  nationalism  and  em- 
braced the  whole  world,  and  was  eager  in  hope  for  those 
far-off  Gentiles,  and  confident  that  God  would  guide  our 
feet  in  the  pathway  of  peace  to  them.  "  How  beautiful 
are  the  feet  of  them  that  preach  the  Gospel  of  peace  and 
bring  glad  tidings  of  good  things."  ^  Nothing  to  my  mind 
is  a  stronger  proof  of  the  divine  origin  of  Christianity 
and  of  the  living  presence  of  Christ  among  men  than 
the  persistency  with  which  from  the  very  beginning  men 
and  women  have  been  impelled  to  go  abroad  to  the 
heathen  in  every  part  of  the  world  to  preach  to  them  the 
glad  tidings.  It  is  impossible  to  impute  to  missionaries 
as  a  class,  motives  of  ambition,  selfishness,  or  any  form 
of  earthly  gain.  "  Necessity  is  laid  upon  them  "  from 
Christ,  and  they  must  needs  go  and  deliver  the  message. 
Neither  do  they  go  reluctantly,  but  joyfully,  not  count- 
ing their  lives  dear  to  themselves.  Of  this  Divine  hymn, 
Augustine  says,  "  O,  blessed  hymn  of  joy  and  praise ! 
Divinely  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  divinely  pro- 
nounced by  the  venerable  priest,  and  daily  sung  in  the 
Church  of  God  ;  O,  may  thy  words  be  often  in  my 
mouth,  and  the  sweetness  of  them  always  in  my  heart. 
The  expressions  thou  usest  are  the  comfort  of  my  life, 
and  the  subject  thou  treatest  of  is  the  hope  of  the 
world." 

*  Isa.  lii.  7. 


XIII 

JOY  OVER  THE  CHILD 

"  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." — Luke  ii.  lo,  ii. 

WHEN  the  royal  Augustus  sent  forth  his  decree 
that  all  the  world  should  be  taxed,  he  little  knew 
or  thought  how  God  was  using  him  as  an  instrument  for 
the  fulfilment  of  the  important  prophecy  concerning  the 
Messiah,  who  must  be  born  in  Bethlehem.  But  for 
that  decree  we  can  hardly  conceive  that  Joseph  would 
have  taken  his  espoused  wife  Mary  to  the  city  of  David* 
in  order  to  fulfil  the  prophecy.  Such  is  the  way  God 
still  works,  bringing  to  pass  His  purposes,  and  using 
His  instruments  in  a  natural  and  unconscious  way.  His 
hands  are  upon  all  the  springs  of  human  action  through- 
out the  whole  world. 

"God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform." 

We  have  already  seen  how  our  Lord's  Incarnation 
was  associated  with  the  humblest  conditions  of  domestic 
life,  in  the  home  of  Mary  of  Nazareth,  in  the  home  of 
Zacharias  and  Elisabeth,  and  again  in  the  home  of  the 
humble  carpenter  of  Nazareth.  Now  we  behold  Him 
born  in  the  midst  of  a  great  political  gathering,  in 
accordance  with  the  decree   of  the   greatest  potentate 

833 


234  JOY  OVER    THE   CHILD 

then  on  the  earth.  Jesus  is  the  Saviour  of  all  people 
and  all  classes  of  people ;  His  religion  was  destined  to 
affect  every  phase  of  society,  from  the  lowest  to  the 
highest ;  therefore  we  find  Him  everywhere,  from  the 
manger  in  which  He  was  laid,  to  the  throne  of  Empire, 
Little  did  Caesar  Augustus  dream  that  in  that  far-off 
and  despised  province  there  was  born  in  a  stable  One  in 
the  power  of  whose  name  the  hoary  paganism  of  Greece 
and  Rome  should  fall  down,  and  the  very  empire  itself 
give  place  to  Him  upon  the  throne.  In  the  birth  of 
Jesus,  the  prophecy  of  Mary,  that  God  would .  put  down 
the  mighty  from  their  seats,  and  exalt  them  of  low  de- 
gree, began  to  have  its  fulfilment. 

Once  more,  in  connection  with  the  birth  of  Jesus,  we 
come  into  the  presence  of  angels,  those  holy  ministers  of 
God,  "  sent  forth  to  minister  for  them  who  shall  be  heirs 
of  salvation."  ^  I  often  think  far  too  little  thought  or 
attention  is  given  to  the  ministry  of  these  holy  ones.  It 
is  true  they  are  not  now  visible  to  our  dull  eyes  or 
present  to  our  senses,  but  we  are  assured  that  they  are 
never  far  from  any  one  who  is  the  child  of  God.  We 
may  not  see  them,  touch  them,  or  talk  with  them,  but 
we  may  have  comfort  in  the  thought  of  their  guardian- 
ship and  helpful  presence.  There  is  a  beautiful  and 
well-known  painting  by  Albert  Dlirer,  the  subject  of 
which  is  the  Holy  Family  in  Egypt.  Joseph  is  at  work 
in  a  carpenter's  shop ;  in  the  same  room,  Mary  is  busy 
with  some  kind  of  handiwork,  and  the  Babe  asleep  in  a 
little  cot  beside  her.  The  most  striking  and  singular 
feature  of  the  picture  is  a  number  of  little  angels,  down 
on  the  floor,  engaged  in  picking  up  the  chips,  and 
gathering  the  shavings  which  fall  from  the  carpenter's 
tools.  The  lesson  of  the  picture  seems  to  be  that  where 
work  is  being  done  quietly  and  faithfully,  no  matter  how 
1  Heb.  i.  14. 


JOY  OVER   THE  CHILD  235 

humble  the  circumstances,  God  sends  His  angels  to 
help  and  minister.  This  is  a  sweet  and  comforting 
truth  ;  it  should  cheer  and  brighten  all  Christian 
workers,  and  all  places  where  they  serve.  My  fancy 
can  see  them  accompanying  the  great  man  of  business 
to  his  office ;  the  humble  housemaid  about  her  daily 
duties  ;  the  mother  with  her  children,  guarding  these 
little  ones  with  their  presence ;  the  minister  in  his  study, 
or  going  before  him  on  his  pastoral  rounds.  The  angel 
of  the  Lord  came  to  Moses  while  he  was  tending  his 
sheep  in  the  wilderness ;  to  Gideon  while  he  was 
thrashing  wheat  behind  the  barn  ;  to  the  wife  of  Manoah 
while  she  was  in  the  field  ;  to  Zacharias  during  his 
service  in  the  Temple ;  to  Mary  in  her  house,  presum- 
ably about  her  humble  duties  there  ;  and  now  to  the 
shepherds  watching  their  flocks  by  night.  It  is  in  the 
place  of  service  or  suffering  that  the  help  of  God  may 
be  looked  for.  It  is  our  privilege  to  count  on  such  help 
from  Him,  whether  ministered  by  unseen  angels  or  by 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

I.  The  Birth  of  Christ  announced.  We  cele- 
brate the  twenty-fifth  day  of  December  as  the  birthday 
of  our  Lord  ;  but  it  is  certainly  unlikely  that  He  was 
born  on  that  day,  or  even  in  that  month.  That  date 
was  fixed  by  Constantine  in  accordance  with  some 
political  purpose,  or  to  adjust  it  to  some  existing  feast 
already  observed  by  his  heathen  subjects.  The  birthday 
of  our  Lord  was  probably  some  time  in  the  month  of 
April.  The  accurate  fixing  of  this  date  is,  however,  of 
no  particular  importance.  It  is  not  the  \Ax\h-day,  but 
the  fact  of  the  birth  of  the  Son  of  God  into  this  world 
which  is  of  supreme  moment  to  us.  The  question  is  not 
when  our  Lord  was  born,  but  that  He  was  born.  As 
there  remains  no  reasonable  doubt  in  the  mind  of  any 
reasonable  person   that   our   Lord   Jesus   Christ   is   an 


236  JOY  OVER    THE  CHILD 

historical  Personage  and  not  a  myth,  we  may  pass  over 
the  question  of  the  date  of  His  birth  and  continue  to 
celebrate  His  birth  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  December,  all 
the  more  as  no  one  thinks  of  the  day,  but  all  hearts  are 
taken  up  with  the  great  fact. 

I.  His  birth  announced  to  the  shepherds.  These  were 
obscure  and  very  humble  folk  to  whom  the  angel  came 
and  made  his  announcement.  Indeed,  shepherds  were 
so  mean  in  the  eyes  of  men  that  they  were  excluded 
from  many  important  social  and  political  privileges^ 
Does  it  not  strike  us  as  being  very  strange  that  so 
important  a  communication  as  this  should  first  be  made 
to  the  very  poorest  and  obscurest  of  mankind  ?  Accord- 
ing to  all  our  ideas,  it  should  have  been  announced  to 
the  High  Priest,  or  to  some  of  the  great  doctors  of  the 
law,  if  not  directly  to  the  King.  But  God  is  consistent 
with  Himself,  and  His  ways  are  not  our  ways.  The 
kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  with  observation.  There 
was  no  need  for  the  loud  blare  of  the  Temple  trumpets, 
or  any  great  public  demonstrations  of  joy  by  the  officials. 
He  did  not  need  to  be  so  announced  or  patronized. 
God  destined  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  overturn  all  the 
ways  and  policies  of  this  world,  and  to  reverse  all  the 
methods  of  men.  No  human  pomp  or  glory  could  add 
anything  to  Him.  He  was  His  own  glory,  and  had  no 
need  to  be  patronized  by  man.  Beside,  we  know  well, 
from  subsequent  events,  that  the  announcement  of 
Christ's  birth  to  the  great  ones  of  this  earth  would  only 
have  raised  up  about  Him  a  host  of  enemies  who  would 
have  been  jealous  of  Him,  hated  and  destroyed  Him,  if 
they  could  have  done  so,  before  His  hour  came.  His 
obscure  and  humble  cradle,  and  His  yet  more  humble 
first  friends,  were  His  protection  in  His  infant  days. 
Though  it  was  necessary  that  His  birth  be  known  from 
the  beginning,  it  was  safest,  from  this  point  of  view,  that 


JOY  OVER   THE   CHILD  237 

the  announcement  should  first  be  made  to  common 
people,  and  the  testimony  to  the  fact  first  be  given  by 
them.  Their  testimony  would  not  be  believed  by  the 
great,  worldly,  and  powerful.  Even  if  it  came  to  their 
ears,  they  would  scarcely  fear  or  be  jealous  of  a  Child 
born  in  a  manger  and  wrapped  in  the  swaddling-clothes 
of  poverty  ;  for  they  would  not  credit  Him,  whose  first 
friends  and  heralds  were  poor  outcast  shepherds,  as  the 
Christ  and  Saviour  of  the  world.  We  find  in  this  a  great 
spiritual  lesson.  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save 
sinners  and  men  of  low  degree  ;  He  came  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  the  poor,  and  to  bring  healing  and  help  to  the 
despised  and  broken-hearted.  Had  He  been  born  in  a 
palace,  and  His  birth  announced  to  ministers  of  State, 
and  His  cradle  been  watched  over  by  great  lords  and  the 
representatives  of  kings,  how  would  the  poor  people  and 
the  outcast  sinners  of  the  world  ever  be  persuaded  that 
this  Jesus  was  for  them  ?  Before  Moses  could  deliver 
Israel  from  Egypt  he  had  to  flee  the  palace.  They  could 
not  have  gone  to  the  King's  palace  to  do  Jesus  honour 
and  testify  their  faith  and  subjection  to  Him.  It  would, 
in  time,  be  much  easier  for  any  of  the  rich  or  great,  who 
might  come  to  know  their  need,  to  go  to  a  Saviour  who 
had  been  born  in  a  manger  and  announced  to  shepherds, 
than  for  these  poor  ones  to  have  plucked  up  heart  of 
grace  to  go  in  search  of  a  Saviour  who  had  been 
announced  to  the  great  ones  of  the  earth  and  cradled 
amid  the  splendours  of  human  vanity. 

2.  The  fear  of  the  shepherds.  It  would  seem  that  the 
sudden  appearance  of  the  angel  to  these  Bethlehem 
shepherds  filled  them  with  terror — and  no  wonder ! 
Therefore  the  first  word  of  the  angel  to  them  was  one 
calculated  to  allay  their  fears — "  Fear  not."  It  is  a  well- 
known  fact  that  any  appearance,  real  or  imaginary,  of 
the  supernatural  awakens  fear  in  human  beings.     The 


238  JOY  OVER   THE   CHILD 

other  world,  filled  with  mysteries  and  pervaded  by  awful 
power,  concerning  which  we  know  so  little  and  dread  so 
much,  is  calculated  to  fill  mind  and  heart  with  terror. 
Moses  was  afi-aid  to  look  upon  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
who  appeared  in  the  burning  bush  ;  Manoah  was  afraid 
because  he  had  seen  the  angel  of  the  Lord ;  Jacob  was 
filled  with  fear  at  the  vision  of  angels  which  he  saw ; 
Isaiah  was  afraid  he  should  die  because  he  had  "seen 
God."  The  first  words  of  Gabriel  to  Zacharias  and  to 
Mary  were  "  Fear  not,"  in  order  that  the  terror  naturally 
awakened  by  his  coming  might  be  allayed  ;  so  now  his 
first  care  is  to  calm  the  terror  of  the  shepherds,  likewise 
awakened  by  his  sudden  appearance  out  of  heaven,  sur- 
rounded by  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  I  doubt  not  that, 
even  with  our  better  knowledge,  we  should  be  filled  with 
a  sudden  fear  should  such  a  visitor  appear  to  us.  How- 
ever much  we  may  argue  against  the  improbability  of 
the  appearance  of  departed  spirits  to  mortals,  I  am 
afraid  the  world  at  large  will  never  outgrow  the  terror  of 
"  ghosts,"  or  any  alleged  apparitions  from  the  other 
world.  I  fancy  the  reason  death  awakens  in  us  such 
fear  is  that  because  it  suggests  to  us  unknown  and 
possibly  dreadful  experiences  in  the  mysterious  realm 
beyond  us.  It  seems  worth  while  briefly  to  inquire  into 
the  reason  of  this  fear.  The  first  ground  of  fear  is  igjior- 
ance.  We  are  even  afraid  of  huge  animals,  or  any 
creature,  in  fact,  which  we  fancy  has  power  to  do  us 
harm,  until  we  are  assured  of  its  friendly  disposition. 
Little  children,  not  to  speak  of  strong  men,  are  afraid  of 
big  dogs  until  their  disposition  is  ascertained.  We  are 
afraid  of  sudden  and  unknown  sounds,  because  we  do 
not  know  what  they  may  import.  This  fear  rises  into 
terror  when  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  there  is  a 
power  out  from  the  other  world  approaching  us,  because 
we  are  more  ignorant  of  it.     Then  there  is  that  peculiar 


JOY  OVER    THE   CHILD  239 

something  in  our  mental  and  spiritual  constitution  which 
we  call  superstition,  that  is  quickly  awakened  at  the 
first  approach  of  anything  which  we  regard  as  super- 
natural. The  heathen  religions  are  all  based  on  super- 
stition ;  that  is,  a  belief  in  the  supernatural  coupled  with 
an  ignorance  of  God  and  the  powers  of  the  world  to 
come.  Superstition  may  be  thus  defined — the  belief  in 
the  existence  of  God  without  true  knowledge  of  God — 
the  ever-present  testimony  in  the  consciousness  of  man 
to  the  fact  of  God  and  another  world.  The  only  answer 
to  superstition,  the  only  remedy  for  our  superstitious 
fears,  is  a  certain  revelation  from  God  to  us  of  His  be- 
nevolent and  gracious  disposition.  This,  indeed,  was  the 
substance  of  the  angel's  communication  to  the  shepherds. 
"  Fear  not,  for  behold  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great 
joy."  So  soon  as  we  are  assured  of  God's  goodwill,  and 
that  with  Him  is  all  power,  our  fears  are  allayed.  Why 
should  we  be  afraid  of  God,  if  we  are  assured  that  He 
loves  us  and  only  purposes  good  for  us,  and  that  He  has 
all  power  both  to  carry  out  His  gracious  design  and  to 
prevent  evil  from  befalling  us  ?  It  was  this  knowledge 
and  assurance  which  gave  David  such  sweet  confidence 
in  the  thought  of  death.  "  Yea,  though  I  walk  through 
the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for 
Thou  (who  lovest  me)  art  with  me  ;  Thy  rod  and  Thy 
staff  they  comfort  me."  ^  If  God  is  the  Sovereign  of  the 
other  world,  and  He  loves  us,  and  has  promised  all  good 
to  us,  why  should  we  be  afraid  of  anything  which  may 
come  to  us  out  of  that  other  world,  or  why  should  we  be 
afraid  to  go  into  that  world  by  means  of  death  or  other- 
wise ?  If  the  gospel  is  true,  there  is  nothing  but  good 
laid  up  for  us  there.  There  Jesus  has  gone  to  "prepare  a 
place  for  us,"  and  from  thence  He  will  come  to  bring  us 
to  Himself,  that  where  He  is  there  we  may  be  also,  not 
^  Ps.  xxiii.  4. 


240  JOY  OVER    THE   CHILD 

only  to  behold  His  glory,  but  to  share  it  with  Him. 
There  is  nothing  to  harm  us  or  to  make  us  afraid  in  that 
world.  There  is  no  sorrow,  sickness,  nor  death  ;  there 
all  tears  shall  be  wiped  away.  One  of  the  great  things 
which  Jesus  did  by  incarnation  was  to  take  part  of  flesh 
and  blood,  that  through  death  He  might  destroy  him 
that  had  the  power  of  death,  and  deliver  us  who  all  our 
lifetime  were  subject  to  this  bondage  of  fear.  Yet,  in 
spite  of  the  revelation  of  God,  the  communication  of 
these  good  tidings,  there  is  a  dreadful  fear  of  death  and 
of  God  in  the  consciousness  of  many  people.  The  third 
ground  of  fear  is  the  most  serious  one.  It  is  the  fact  of 
si7i.  Sin  is  the  only  real  cause  for  fear  we  have.  If  we 
have  no  sin,  why  should  we  fear  anything  or  anybody  ? 
"  And  who  is  he  that  will  harm  you,  if  ye  be  followers  of 
that  which  is  good  ?  "  ^  A  lady  in  ill-health,  who  sup- 
posed she  was  in  immediate  danger  of  death,  wrote  some 
time  ago  asking  me  to  come  and  see  her.  In  her  note 
she  said,  "  I  am  afraid  to  die — afraid  of  God."  When  I 
saw  her,  I  asked  her  why  she  was  afraid  to  die,  why  she 
was  afraid  of  God.  She  told  me  frankly  that  as  she  lay 
in  bed  apprehending  death,  all  her  sins  came  up  before 
her,  and  therefore  she  was  afraid.  Now  that  is  most  in- 
telligible, and  we  can  all  understand  such  a  fear. 

"  Conscience  makes  cowards  of  us  all,"  says  Shake- 
speare. Sin  is  the  only  thing  in  the  universe  that  we 
need  be  afraid  of — the  only  thing  which  need  make  us 
afraid  of  God.  During  our  American  war  there  was  a 
private  soldier,  a  man  over  forty  years  of  age,  who  was 
known  familiarly  among  his  comrades  as  "  Old  Baggs." 
He  was  a  notorious  coward  ;  he  had  often  run  away 
fron^  the  battle  ;  habitually  skulked  in  the  presence  of 
the  'enemy  ;  feigned  sickness  ;  and  resorted  to  every 
expedient  to  get  to  the  rear  whenever  his  regiment  was 
*  I  Pet.  iii.  13. 


JOY  OVER   THE  CHILD  24t 

in  action.  He  had  been  rebuked,  ridiculed,  punished 
in  every  way  known  to  the  disciph"ne  of  the  army  for 
cowardice,  short  of  being  cashiered  or  drummed  out  of 
the  service.  At  the  battle  of  Antitam,  one  of  the  most 
desperate  and  bloody  battles  fought  during  the  rebel- 
lion, to  the  surprise  of  the  whole  regiment,  "  Old  Baggs  " 
was  well  to  the  front,  fighting  like  a  hero.  He  per- 
formed wonders  of  valour  and  bravery,  and,  alas ! 
received  his  death-wound  in  a  most  exposed  part  of  the 
field,  and  in  front  of  all  his  comrades.  After  the  battle, 
his  captain  knelt  by  his  side,  as  he  was  dying.  With  a 
shining  face  he  said  to  the  captain, "  I  know  I  have  been 
a  coward,  and  a  disgrace  to  the  regiment  and  the  army  ; 
but,  captain,  it  was  not  the  '  Johnnies  '  (the  rebels)  I  was 
afraid  of — /  was  afraid  of  God ;  but  I  am  so  no  longer, 
for  I  have  found  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  He  has  forgiven 
all  my  sins.  Since  then  I  have  wanted  to  get  into  the 
front  of  the  battle  and  try  and  recover  my  lost  reputa- 
tion and  do  something  for  my  country."  Let  us  find 
Jesus,  and  in  Him  the  forgiveness  of  our  sins  ;  let  us  be 
reconciled  to  God,  and  all  fear  will  disappear  out  of  our 
hearts.  I  do  not  say  that  no  real  Christians  experience 
fear  and  awe  at  the  approach  of  death,  for  I  know  that 
many  do  ;  but  it  is  only  when  their  thoughts  are  with 
their  sins,  and  not  on  their  Saviour,  that  they  are  afraid. 
"  What  time  I  am  afraid  I  will  trust  in  Thee.  In  God  I 
will  praise  His  word.  In  God  I  have  put  my  trust."* 
The  whole  gospel  is  an  encouragement  to  trust  and  not 
be  afraid  either  of  what  man  can  do  to  us  or  what  may 
come  to  us  in  the  other  world.  Jesus  has  overcome  all 
the  dark  powers  of  the  under  world,  and  made  a  safe 
highway  for  sinners  to  walk  in,  even  through  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death.  An  attentive  consideration 
given  to  the  good  news  brought  by  the  angels,  and 
1  Ps.  Ivi.  3,  4. 
P.B.  16 


242  JOY  OVER   THE  CHILD 

afterwards  published  in  full  by  the  Lord  Himself,  will,  if 
they  are  cordially  received,  dissipate  all  our  fears.  Let 
us,  then,  consider  the  angel-message. 

II.  The  Glad  Tidings.  "  Behold,  I  bring  you  good 
tidings  of  great  joy."  The  giving  of  the  law  was 
accompanied  with  fire  and  blackness,  and  darkness  and 
tempest,  and  the  sound  of  a  trumpet  and  the  voice  of 
words, — altogether  so  terrible  a  display  of  power  that 
it  made  even  Moses  "exceedingly  fear  and  quake." ^ 
This  demonstration  of  terrible  power  was  given  with 
the  law,  because  the  law  was  a  revelation  of  God's 
righteous  anger  against  sin.  But  when  the  birth  of 
Christ  was  announced,  it  was  by  angels  saying,  "  Fear 
not,  for  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy,"  and  sing- 
ing, "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace 
and  good  will."  These  tidings  are  indicated  in  the 
contents  of  the  angelic  message. 

I.  A  Saviour.  "  For  unto  you  is  born  this  day  a 
Saviour."  The  angel  applies  to  the  Babe  of  Bethlehem 
three  titles,  "  Saviour,"  "  Christ,"  and  "  Lord."  The  last  of 
these  titles  points  Him  out  as  the  great  Sovereign  of  the 
universe ;  the  Lord  of  creation,  of  angels  and  men  ;  and 
well  identifies  Him  with  "  all  people,"  to  whom  He  had 
now  come  with  light  and  life.  His  title  "  Christ "  would 
identify  Him  as  the  Messiah  of  the  covenant  people,  the 
long-looked-for  Anointed  One  who  should  come  and 
redeem  Israel  ;  the  great  Son  of  Abraham,  and  the  final 
heir  to  the  Throne  of  David.  The  title  "  Saviour " 
indicated  Him  in  reference  to  His  redemptive  and 
spiritual  work.  "  Thou  shalt  call  His  name  JESUS,  for 
He  shall  save  His  people  from  their  sins."^  So  an- 
nounced the  angel  of  the  Lord  to  Joseph  when  he  bade 
him  take  Mary  to  him  as  his  wife,  when  he  was  minded 
to  put  her  away,  on  her  return  from  her  visit  to  the  house 
^  Heb.  xii.  21.        '■^  Matt.  i.  21. 


JOY  OVER   THE   CHILD  243 

of  Elisabeth.  I  need  scarcely  detain  you  to  point  out 
who  this  Saviour  was  and  is,  beyond  reminding  you  of 
the  fact  that  the  angel  said  to  Mary,  "  He  shall  be 
called  the  Son  of  the  Highest,  and  the  Son  of  God." 
Not  only  called  so,  but  He  ivas  the  Son  of  God.  He  is 
that  Seed  of  the  woman  announced  and  promised  to 
Adam  and  Eve  in  the  garden,  whose  mission  it  was  to 
bruise  the  serpent's  head.  He  was  and  is  that  Seed  of 
Abraham  "  in  whom  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  are 
blessed  "  ;  of  whom  Balaam  prophesied  and  said,  "  I 
shall  see  Him,  but  not  now ;  I  shall  behold  Him,  but 
not  nigh :  there  shall  come  a  Star  out  of  Jacob,  and 
a  Sceptre  shall  rise  out  of  Israel."^  He  was  and  is 
the  One  whose  day  Abraham  saw  and  was  glad. 
He  was  and  is  that  Wonderful  Counsellor  of  whom 
Isaiah  prophesied,  the  root  out  of  a  dry  ground,  "  with 
visage  so  marred  more  than  any  man  "^  ;  who  was 
wounded  for  our  transgressions  and  bruised  for  our 
iniquities,  on  whom  the  Lord  caused  all  our  iniquities  to 
meet ;  the  "  prophet  from  the  midst  of  thee,  of  thy 
brethren,"^  whom  Moses  foresaw  and  whom  he  bade  all 
Israel  hear  ;  the  Stem  of  Jesse  ;  the  Branch  of  Zechariah ; 
the  Messenger  of  the  Covenant  and  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness, arising  with  healing  in  His  wings,  whom  Malachi 
foretold  as  being  nigh.  He  is  the  sum  and  substance  of 
all  the  ceremonial  sacrifices  and  feasts  of  the  Jews  ;  in  a 
word,  He  is  that  One  of  whom  Moses  in  the  law  and  all 
the  prophets  did  speak  and  all  the  Psalmists  sang.  All 
prophecy,  type,  and  song  meet  together  to  testify  of 
Him,  and  say,  "  This  is  He  who  has  filled  all  our 
thoughts,  inspired  our  words,  and  been  '  our  help  in  ages 
past,  our  hope  for  years  to  come ' "  ;  the  fulfilment  of  all 
the  promises  made  to  the  fathers,  and  the  proof  of  the 
faithfulness  and  loving-kindness  of  God.  But  oh  !  you 
^  Num.  xxiv.  17.        *  Isa.  lii.  14.        '  Deut.  xviii.  15. 


244  JOY  OVER    THE  CHILD 

know  who  He  is  !  Jesus  who  saved  you,  and  whom  you 
love  and  trust  and  rejoice  in  to-day ;  you  have  received 
Him,  and  from  Him  power  to  become  sons  of  God.  I 
leave  you,  out  of  your  full  knowledge  of  the  scriptures, 
and  your  own  most  real  and  precious  experience,  to  fill 
up  the  picture. 

(i)  Heis  within  reach  of  sijiners.  The  angel  indicated 
to  the  shepherds  that  this  Saviour  was  to  be  found  in 
Bethlehem,  not  far  from  where  they  were  watching  their 
flocks.  Passing  the  significance  of  our  Lord's  birth  in 
Bethlehem  as  a  most  striking  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy 
of  Micah,  uttered  five  hundred  years  before  the  event, 
that  "  out  of  Bethlehem  shall  He  come  forth  unto  me, 
that  is  to  be  ruler  in  Israel ;  whose  goings  forth  have 
been  from  of  old,  from  everlasting,"  ^  '■  the  blessed  lesson 
of  the  fact  is  that  Jesus  was  born  the  Saviour  of  sinners,j 
and  is  so  accessible.  Had  He  been  born  in  Jerusalem, 
and  especially  in  one  of  the  palaces,  He  would  not  have 
been  easily  found  by  the  shepherds.  But  in  this  little 
village,  where  at  the  most  there  was  but  one  public  inn, 
and  where  the  few  houses  were  open  to  the  entrance 
even  of  poor  shepherds,  they  might  easily  find  Him. 
This  is  the  joyful  truth  ;  I  Jesus  is  always  near,  and  easily 
found.  /  No  palace  doors  or  conventionality  prevent  the 
humblest  and  most  needy  from  seeking  and  finding  Him. 
This  very  truth  is  one  of  the  divinest  circumstances  in 
connection  with  our  Lord's  life  and  ministry.  He  never 
once  put  Himself  beyond  the  easy  reach  of  the  common 
people ;  He  never  secluded  Himself  amid  the  higher 
walks  of  society,  or  among  the  great  and  inaccessible 
people  of  the  land.  He  lived  level  to  the  circumstances 
of  the  poor.  If  the  rich  and  great  wanted  Him,  they 
must  come  to  Him  where  He  lived  among  the  common 
people.  As  I  have  before  said,  it  is  much  easier  for  a 
*  Mic.  V.  2. 


JOY  OVER    THE   CHILD  245 

rich  man  to  come  to  where  Jesus  always  was,  and  where 
He  abides  to-day,  than  it  would  have  been  for  poor  men 
to  make  their  way  to  Him,  had  His  associations  and 
abode  been  among  the  great  ones  of  the  earth.  Once  a 
poor  sinner  made  her  way  to  His  feet  in  the  house  of  a 
rich  Pharisee ;  but  it  is  evident  that  she  did  not  enter 
Simon's  house  by  reason  oi  his  hospitality,  who  gave  but 
cold  welcome  to  the  Son  of  God  Himself,  and  felt  him- 
self outraged  by  the  presence  of  the  sinner  whom  He  so 
lovingly  received  and  so  freely  forgave.  "  Master,  where 
dwellest  Thou  ?  "  "  In  the  city  of  David  ;  even  in  little 
Bethlehem,  where  poor  shepherds  and  others  as  poor 
and  humble  may  easily  find  Me.     Come  and  see  !  "  ^ 

(2)  For  whom  was  He  born  ?  Passing  another  point, 
"  For  what  was  He  born  ?  "  it  is  interesting  to  note  this 
question.  He  was  born  the  Messiah  of  Israel.  To 
them  He  came  fulfilling  all  the  ancient  covenant 
promises,  and  bringing  with  Him  the  "  tender  mercies  of 
our  God."  But  Jesus  was  more  than  Messiah  :  He  was 
the  Saviour.  He  came  for  others  besides  the  children  of 
Israel.  The  announcement  of  the  angel  seemed  to  lift 
the  curtain  which  had  for  centuries  hung  between  Israel 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  with  a  single  sentence 
included  "  all  people "  in  the  merciful  and  gracious 
purpose  of  His  visitation.  "  Good  tidings  of  great  joy, 
which  shall  be  unto  all  people."  The  middle  wall  of 
partition  has  been  broken  down,  and  the  Saviour  is  no 
longer  the  Messiah  of  Israel,  but  Saviour  of  meji. 
Messiah  to  the  Israelites,  indeed,  if  they  will  receive 
Him,  but  in  any  case  Saviour  of  sinners  of  all  races. 
Even  if  an  Israelite  receives  Him  as  a  Saviour,  he  must 
receive  Him  as  a  world's  Saviour,  and  not  a  Jewish 
Saviour.  He  was  God's  gift  to  the  world;  He,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  tasted  death  for  everj/  man.  As  Son  of 
*  John  i.  38,  39. 


246  JOY  OVER    THE   CHILD 

David  He  could  not  receive  the  Syrophenician  woman  ; 
but  when  she  appealed  to  Him  as  Lord  (Lord  and 
Saviour  of  all  men),  He  commended  this  large  and 
enlightened  faith,  and  gave  her  all  her  desire.  Therefore 
is  His  name  and  His  gospel  published  abroad  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth ;  and  so  we  have  this  modern  wonder,  that 
the  Messiah,  whom  the  Jews  rejected,  is  become  the 
Saviour  of  the  world,  and  Gentile  Christians  are  now 
preaching  the  gospel  of  salvation  to  the  Jews. 

2.  A  Sipi.  Having  told  the  shepherds  who  the  Babe 
of  Bethlehem  was,  and  where  He  might  be  found,  the 
angel  proceeded  to  give  them  a  sign  :  "  And  this  shall  be 
a  sign  unto  you  ;  ye  shall  find  the  Babe  wrapped  in 
swaddling-clothes,  and  lying  in  a  manger."  ^  This 
indicated  more  than  a  simple  outward  sign  by  which  He 
might  be  identified  in  their  search  after  Him.  It  is  not 
likely  that  many  children  were  born  in  Bethlehem  that 
night,  and  it  is  less  probable  that  another  babe  was  laid, 
after  birth,  in  a  manger.  The  manger  or  stable  of  the 
village  inn  was  probably  the  one  to  which  the  shepherds 
would  first  resort,  and  there  they  found  the  Babe.  The 
higher  and  deeper  meaning  of  that  "sign  "  is,  that  it  has 
pleased  God,  in  accomplishing  man's  salvation,  to  ap-» 
proach  and  carry  forward  that  divine  work  in  circum- 
stances of  voluntary  poverty  on  the  part  of  the  Redeemer. 
"Though  He  was  rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  He  became 
poor."  ^  God  passes  by  human  riches  and  greatness, 
and  accepts  poverty  as  the  means  to  the  end  of  His 
grace.  Jesus  never  departed  from  this  plan,  and  the 
sign  of  poverty  was  ever  that  by  which  the  world  was 
guided  to  Him.  When  God  incarnated  Himself  in  our 
nature,  He  put  an  honour  and  glory  upon  humanity 
above  that  conferred  upon  any  other  order  of  intelligent 

^  Luke  ii.  12.  *  2  Cor  viii.  9. 


JOY  OVER   THE  CHILD  247 

beings,  even  above  that  which  He  has  given  to  the  holy 
angels,  who  never  sinned,  and  who  are  His  blessed 
ministers  and  messengers.  When  He  took  upon  Him- 
self the  condition  of  poverty,  and  persevered  in  this 
estate  during  His  entire  ministry,  and  perpetuated  it  in 
His  chosen  apostles  and  first  disciples,  and  emphasizing 
this  great  principle  by  leading  the  few  rich  ones  among 
the  first  disciples  voluntarily  to  lay  their  wealth  down  at 
the  feet  of  the  apostles  to  be  used  for  the  common  weal. 
He  ratified  that  sign,  it  is  worth  our  while  to  consider  it 
well.  Do  not  misunderstand  me  ;  much  rather,  do  not 
misunderstand  the  sign.  When  I  say  that  God  has 
glorified  poverty,  and  chosen  it  as  a  means  in  the 
ministry  of  salvation,  I  do  not  for  a  moment  mean  to  con- 
vey the  idea  that  God  approves  and  glorifies  the  wretched 
poverty  and  misery  which  we  see  all  around  us — that 
poverty  which  is  the  fruit  of  vice,  of  drink,  of  idleness, 
of  vagrancy,  of  shiftlessness  and  laziness.  Stick  poverty 
is  a  crime ;  and  with  such  poverty,  I  believe  I  may  say 
with  all  reverence,  God  Himself  has  no  sympathy ;  and 
the  Church  is  making  a  vast  mistake  in  patronizing  it, 
and  systematically  encouraging  it  by  a  well-meant  but 
mischievous  charity.  "  If  a  man  will  not  work,  neither 
shall  he  eat."  ^  This  is  God's  decree  in  respect  of  the 
shiftless,  the  vicious,  the  drunken,  and  the  lazy.  "  He 
filleth  the  hungry  with  good  things,  and  the  rich  He  hath 
sent  empty  away."  According  to  the  economy  of  this 
world,  it  is  the  rich  who  are  filled  with  good  things,  and 
the  poor  who  are  sent  empty  away.  God's  poor  are 
those  who,  in  the  honest  struggle  for  life,  have  been  cast 
out,  passed  by,  oppressed  and  robbed  by  the  rich  ;  or 
those  who  have  set  their  hearts  on  heavenly  riches  and 
are  content  with  "  food  and  raiment,"  not  struggling  and 
putting  all  their  powers  into  the  strife  after  ambitious 
'  2  Thess.  iii.  10. 


248  JOY  OVER    THE   CHILD 

and  self-gratifying  wealth,  to  be  spent  and  squandered 
upon  pride  and  vain  display. 

Greedy,  avaricious,  and  ambitious  wealth  was  the  sin 
of  the  day  and  of  the  people  in  Christ's  time ;  it  was 
the  main  cause  of  the  downfall  of  Israel,  because  it 
sapped  Israel's  spiritual  hopes  and  concentrated  their 
desire  upon  this  present  world  ;  it  is  also  the  sin  of  our 
day.  The  Church  is  burdened  with  no  greater  curse 
than  that  of  selfish  and  greedy  wealth  ;  whereby  the 
vast  power  for  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteous- 
ness is  diverted  by  the  selfish  ambition  of  rich  men, 
who  patronize  God  and  the  kingdom  of  God  with  a 
miserable  modicum  of  their  wealth,  throwing  it  down 
oftentimes  grudgingly  or  ostentatiously  as  a  kind  of 
"  corban  "  into  the  Church's  treasury.  This  is  not  true 
of  all  Christians  who  have  inherited  or  won  wealth,  but 
it  is  true  of  many  of  them,  and  is  always  true  of  the 
spirit  of  "  riches,"  of  that  "  love  of  money  which  is  the 
root  of  all  evil."  ^  To  the  rich  man  all  earthly  and 
worldly  things  are  accessible.  In  this  world  gold  is  om- 
nipotent. God  will  have  us  consider  His  sign,  which 
is  set  forth  in  a  Saviour  born  in  a  stable ;  in  men  and 
women  wedded  to  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  right- 
eousness, and  content  to  accept  such  needful  things  as 
God  may  add  to  them.  God's  sign  teaches  us  that 
there  is  no  grace  of  salvation  which  is  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  poor  man,  that  riches  have  nothing  whatever  to 
do  with  grace.  A  poor  man  does  not  have  to  be  rich  in 
order  to  be  saved.  On  the  other  hand,  a  rich  man  must 
become  poor  in  spirit,  and,  if  need  be,  part  with  all  his 
wealth,  before  he  can  be  God's  poor  man.  The  story 
of  the  rich  young  man  is  one  which  many,  young  and 
old,  need  to  study  with  care.  The  command  that  bids 
us  work  is  not  that  we  might  have  for  ourselves,  but 
'  1  Tim.  iii.  lo. 


JOY  OVER    THE   CHILD  249 

that  we  might  " have  to  give"  I  know  of  no  greater 
peril  to  a  soul  than  unconsecrated  wealth,  be  it  large 
or  small.  I  beg  you,  my  brothers  and  sisters,  to  put  the 
question  to  yourselves  honestly,  searchingly,  and  in  the 
sight  of  God  :  "  What  is  my  motive  in  seeking  after 
riches?  What  is  my  motive  in  accumulating  wealth 
and  hoarding  it  up  in  greater  or  smaller  heaps  ?  "  Is  it 
that  you  may  selfishly  enjoy  it,  or  in  pride  pass  it  on  to 
your  children,  that  they  may  be  placed  in  circumstances 
which  may  excuse  them  from  labouring  with  their  own 
hands,  as  you  or  your  fathers  before  you  have  done? 
Have  you  now  riches  unconsecrated  and  held  not  in 
trust  for  God  and  His  kingdom?  Then  see  to  it  that 
"you  abound  in  this  grace  (the  grace  of  beneficence) 
also,"  for  otherwise  "  weep  for  your  miseries  that  shall 
come  upon  you  ;  your  riches  are  corrupted,  and  your 
garments  are  moth-eaten.  Your  gold  and  silver  is  can- 
kered, and  the  rust  of  them  shall  be  a  witness  against 
you,  and  shall  eat  your  flesh  as  it  were  fire."  ^  "  Hath 
not  God  chosen  the  poor  of  this  world,  rich  in  faith,  and 
heirs  of  the  kingdom,"  ^  is  the  sign  of  the  true  Church, 
as  it  was  the  sign  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  May 
God  give  us  the  grace  to  recognise  and  manifest  forth 
this  sign,  so  that,  whether  possessed  of  much  or  little 
we  may  hold  and  use  it  as  stewards  of  His  grace,  and 
not  consume  it  or  hoard  it  selfishly  either  for  ourselves 
or  our  children. 

3.  A  Song.  Having  delivered  this  message  to  the 
shepherds,  there  was  suddenly  with  the  angel  a  multi- 
tude of  the  heavenly  host,  praising  God  and  saying, 
"  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace, 
goodwill  among  men."  Here  is  the  high  key-note  of 
the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  and  the  line  of  conduct  for  men 
on  the  earth.  To  give  glory  to  God  in  the  highest 
'  Jas.  V.  1-3.  ^  Ibid,  ii.  5. 


250  JOY  OVER   THE  CHILD 

measure,  in  the  highest  places — not  in  words  only,  but 
in  the  whole  trend  and  tenor  of  our  lives — is  the  essence 
of  true  piety.  Every  Christian  life  should  be  a  song 
of  praise  to  God,  a  tribute  and  offering  to  His  glory. 
On  earth  the  chief  end  of  life  is  peace,  and  among  men 
of  peace,  goodwill.  Who  does  not  see  at  once,  that  if 
we  gave  ourselves  to  this  great  business  of  glorifying 
God,  and  making,  keeping,  and  cultivating  peace  and 
goodwill  among  men,  the  kingdom  of  God  would  soon 
come?  Until  we  put  the  glory  of  God  before  every 
earthly  and  selfish  ambition,  and  our  neighbour's  good 
(if  not  above  our  own,  at  least  on  a  level  with  our  own), 
the  kingdom  of  God  has  not  come  in  us. 

III.  The  Shepherds'  Faith.  It  is  interesting  and 
profitable  to  note  the  quick  and  rapid  development  and 
growth  of  the  faith  of  these  simple  folk,  to  whom  the 
birth  of  the  Saviour  was  announced.  Left  alone  by 
the  angels,  they  did  not  sit  down  and  waste  time  in 
vain  speculation,  but  with  an  implicit  faith  they  said, 
"  Let  us  now  go  and  see  this  thing  which  is  come  to 
pass."  They  did  not  say  one  to  another,  "  I  wonder 
if  there  is  any  truth  in  this  story "  ;  but  they  said  im- 
plicitly the  thing  "  is  come  to  pass!'  No  man  will  ever 
come  to  Christ  until  he  says  to  himself,  "  Jesus  is  come 
to  this  world,  and  He  is  the  Saviour  of  sinners."  A 
speculative,  philosophizing  faith,  much  less  a  rational- 
izing, critical  questioning  and  balancing  of  probabilities 
as  to  the  truth  of  the  gospel  testimony,  will  never  move 
the  soul  of  man  to  seek  Jesus  in  Bethlehem.  Then 
their  faith  was  characterized  by  immediateness.  "  Come, 
let  us  710W  go."  They  did  not  postpone  their  going  till 
the  morrow — till  a  more  convenient  season  ;  they  did 
not  discuss  the  question  of  who  would  take  care  of  the 
sheep.  Their  first  desire  and  duty  was  to  obey  the 
heavenly  vision,  and  go  at  once  to  Jesus.     That  is  not  a 


JOY  OVER   THE   CHILD  251 

true  faith  which  postpones  going  to  Christ  and  following 
Him  until  something  else  is  attended  to.  Even  the 
most  sacred  ties  and  duties  must  not  supersede  our  im- 
mediate obedience  to  Him,  "  Let  the  dead  bury  their 
dead,"  said  Jesus  to  him  who,  in  response  to  His 
summons,  said,  "  Suffer  me  first  to  go  and  bury  my 
father."  ^  "  He  that  loveth  father  or  mother  more  than 
Me  is  not  worthy  of  Me."  ^  The  three  thousand  who 
were  convicted  in  their  hearts  on  the  day  of  Pentecost 
were  added  to  the  Church  by  baptism  that  very  day. 
As  soon  as  the  eunuch  came  to  know  Jesus,  whom 
Philip  preached  to  him,  he  stopped  his  chariot,  got 
down,  and  was  baptized  ;  the  Philippian  jailor  was  bap- 
tized in  the  same  hour  of  the  night  in  which  he  was 
converted  to  Christ.  "  Behold,  now  is  the  accepted 
time  ;  behold,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation."  ^  "  To-day, 
if  you  will  hear  His  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts."  ■* 
Again,  their  faith  was  an  active  one.  "  Let  us  now  go'' 
No  man  has  really  believed  God's  testimony  until  he  is 
started  into  action  toward  God.  Faith,  as  I  have  said, 
is  not  a  speculation  or  a  mere  intellectual  conviction 
that  certain  propositions  and  doctrines  are  true.  It  is 
the  movement  of  the  soul  toward  God.  It  has  not  to 
do  finally  with  propositions,  but  with  the  person  of  Christ. 
A  belief  in  the  true  doctrine  will  no  more  save  the  soul 
than  a  belief  in  a  bill  of  fare  will  feed  the  body.  We 
read  over  our  bill  of  fare,  and  then  proceed  at  once 
to  order  and  take  our  dinner ;  so  it  is  with  faith,  it 
hearkens  to  the  things  which  the  Lord  hath  made 
known  to  us,  and  then  immediately  goes  to  Christ. 
Theirs  was  an  urgent  faith,  for  "  they  came  with  haste." 
True  faith  makes  no  delay.  "  The  king's  business  re- 
quired haste,"  ^  said  David  to  the  priest  at  Nob,  in  excuse 

'  Luke  ix.  60.  ^  Matt.  x.  yj.  ^  2  Cor.  vi.  2. 

*  Heb.  iii.  15.  *  i  Sam.  xxi.  8. 


^ 


252  JOY  OVER   THE   CHILD 

for  being  unarmed.  It  is  no  less  true  that  the  soul's  busi- 
ness, under  command  of  faith,  demands  haste.  He  who 
deliberately  postpones  his  salvation  to  a  more  con- 
venient season  will  probably  postpone  it  for  ever.  The 
old  saying  that  "  the  road  of  By-and-by  leads  to  the 
town  of  Never "  is  a  true  one.  Do  not,  I  beg  of  you, 
put  your  foot  in  that  delusive  path.  Dr.  Chalmers  once 
advised  a  young  man,  with  whom  he  had  been  talking 
for  an  hour  about  his  soul,  to  go  home,  read  a  certain 
chapter  in  the  Bible,  and  then  pray  to  God  on  his  knees 
for  salvation.  Having  left  the  Doctor's  house  with  the 
purpose  of  complying  with  the  advice  given,  he  returned 
in  course  of  a  few  minutes  with  the  anxious  inquiry, 
"  But  suppose  I  should  die  before  I  get  home  and  have 
time  to  read  and  pray,  what  then  ?  "  "  True,"  said  the 
astonished  Doctor,  standing  at  the  open  door  with  the 
young  man.  "  Get  down  on  your  knees  at  once  and 
give  yourself  to  Christ."  Oh,  did  men  know  what  sin 
means,  what  wrath  means,  what  the  loss  of  the  soul 
involves,  they  would  regard  the  call  of  God  as  an  urgent 
one,  and  obey  it  with  haste !  We  note,  also,  that  their 
faith  was  reivarded\  for,  having  come  to  Bethlehem, 
they  "■found  the  Babe  lying  in  the  manger."  So,  my 
dear  brother,  you  will  find  the  Saviour  if,  like  the  shep- 
herds, you  implicitly  believe  the  testimony  which  God 
has  given  to  His  Son,  and  immediately  and  with  haste 
come  to  Him.  Jesus  bade  the  ruler,  with  no  other 
warrant  for  his  faith  than  His  bare  word,  to  go  home, 
assuring  him  that  his  "  son  lived."  ^  The  ruler  went  his 
way,  walked  back  over  the  long  and  dusty  road  with 
nothing  to  cheer  him  but  the  assured  word  of  Christ ; 
but  when  he  came  to  his  house  he  found  his  son  healed. 
He  who  takes  God  at  His  word,  and  immediately  and 
faithfully  obeys  it,  will  find  in  his  own  heart  and  life 
'  John  iv.  50. 


JOY  OVER   THE   CHILD  253 

the  experimental  proof  of  the  truth  of  the  testimony 
upon  which  he  has  acted.  Do  not  wait  for  experience 
before  exercising  faith,  for  experience  is  the  result,  and 
not  the  cause  or  ground  of  faith.  Finally,  tlieir  faith 
was  turiied  into  testimony.  "  And  when  they  had  seen, 
they  made  known  abroad  the  saying  which  was  told 
them  concerning  the  Child."  No  man  ever  yet  found 
Christ  and  kept  the  secret  to  himself  It  is  as  much 
a  part  of  faith  to  testify  as  it  is  to  believe,  and  he  who 
has  no  testimony,  who  does  not  make  known  abroad, 
by  word  of  mouth  or  by  co-operation  with  others  who 
are  testifying  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,  has  no 
faith.  A  real  Christian  can  no  more  keep  his  faith  to 
himself  than  a  rose-tree  can  keep  its  roses  from  bloom- 
ing. What  is  in  us  by  faith  must  come  out  of  us  by 
testimony. 


XIV 

GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH 

"And  when  they  were  come  into  the  house,  they  saw  the  young 
Child  with  Mary  His  mother,  and  fell  down  and  worshipped  Him  ; 
and  when  they  had  opened  their  treasures,  they  presented  unto 
Him  gifts  :  gold,  and  frankincense,  and  myrrh." — Matt.  ii.  ii. 

HITHERTO  we  have  observed,  among  other  things, 
the  fact  that  all  the  surroundings  and  circum- 
stances connected  with  the  Incarnation  of  our  Lord 
were  in  association  with  obscure,  poor,  and  lowly  people. 
Elisabeth  and  Zacharias,  though  belonging  to  the 
priestly  family  of  Aaron,  were  undoubtedly  poor  people. 
Mary,  the  mother  of  our  Lord,  was  a  poor  young  woman  ; 
Joseph,  the  carpenter,  was  a  poor  man  ;  the  shepherds 
of  Bethlehem  were  the  poorest  of  the  poor ;  the  stable 
in  which  our  Lord  was  born  was  a  poor  place  even  for  a 
child  of  poverty  to  be  born  in,  not  to  speak  of  it  as  the 
birthplace  of  the  Son  of  the  Highest.  Certainly  these 
circumstances  do  not  in  themselves  presage  any  great 
things  for  the  Child  so  circumstanced.  But  now  the 
scene  changes,  and  we  behold  wise  men,  great,  noble, 
distinguished,  and  rich,  coming  to  Jesus,  and  falling 
down  and  worshipping  Him,  and  pouring  out  great  and 
costly  treasure  at  His  feet.  We  cannot  but  be  glad  that 
this  was  so  ;  for  had  Jesus  had  nothing  to  do  with  any 
but  the  poor,  the  gospel  would  have  been  a  class  gospel, 
and  not  a  real  gospel  of  God,  for  all  the  world,  and  for 
whosoever  will.     It  is  true  that  God  passes  by  the  rich 

?54 


GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH     255 

who  seek  riches  in  place  of  His  grace,  and  on  the 
grounds  of  them  declare  themselves  independent  of  God  ; 
but  the  rich  man  who  comes  to  God  with  a  humble  and 
contrite  heart  is  as  readily  accepted  of  Him  as  if  he  were 
Lazarus  himself  The  poor  have  the  gospel  preached 
unto  them,  and  so  have  the  rich.  We  rejoice  in  the 
salvation  of  the  publicans  and  sinners  ;  but  no  less  do 
we  rejoice  in  the  conversion  of  such  men  as  Joseph  of 
Arimathea  and  Nicodemus.  We  are  glad  that  Jesus 
chose  such  men  as  Peter,  James,  and  John  to  be  His 
apostles  ;  but  we  are  no  less  glad  that  He  also  chose 
Saul  of  Tarsus.  Let  us  rejoice  that  the  gospel  is,  in  all 
its  fulness,  for  the  poor ;  but  let  us  not  grudge  the 
wealth  of  the  grace  of  God  to  the  rich,  nor  fail  to  rejoice 
when  we  see  them  coming  with  their  hearts'  homage,  and 
laying  down  at  His  feet  their  rich  gifts — gold,  frankin- 
cense, and  myrrh. 

The  Incarnation  of  our  Lord  seemed  to  set  the  whole 
universe  into  a  ferment  of  activity.  We  first  see  the 
angelic  hierarchy  in  great  movement :  angels  passing 
down  and  up  from  heaven  to  earth  ;  not  once,  but  many 
times,  appearing  to  the  priest  of  the  Temple,  to  the 
maid  of  Nazareth,  to  Joseph  the  carpenter,  to  the  Beth- 
lehem shepherds.  The  dry  bones  of  David's  decayed 
family  are  stirred  again  with  the  hope  of  the  great 
promises  made  centuries  ago  to  him  and  his  house ;  the 
dead  and  formal  service  of  the  Temple  is  quickened  into 
new  life  by  the  coming  of  Gabriel  ;  the  routine  life  of 
the  land  is  broken  up  by  the  decree  of  Augustus,  who 
was  used  to  bring  about  the  birth  of  our  Lord  in  Beth- 
lehem ;  wise  men  from  the  East,  hundreds  of  miles  away, 
are  awakened  out  of  old  superstitions,  and  possibly  from 
the  worship  of  the  heavens,  to  come  in  search  of  Him 
who  was  "  born  King  of  the  Jews."  ^  Herod,  the  pagan 
*  Matt.  iii.  2. 


256     GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH 

king,  and  usurper  of  David's  throne,  is  startled  into 
miserable  anxiety  and  wicked  fear ;  the  priests  and 
scribes  are  awakened  for  a  moment  from  the  considera- 
tion of  their  ambitious  and  worldly  schemes,  to  search 
the  scripture  with  reference  to  the  birthplace  of  Messiah  ; 
and  all  Jerusalem  was  troubled  with  a  strange  and 
portentous  fear.  The  very  heavens  were  sympathetic, 
and  sent  forth  a  new  and  strange  star  in  the  East  to 
guide  the  wise  men  to  the  cradle-throne  of  the  world's 
Redeemer.  Nor  was  the  earth  behind  ;  for  from  her 
rich  storehouse  and  treasure-caskets  she  sends  gifts  to 
the  young  Child — gold  from  the  earth ;  and  the  trees 
and  shrubs  of  the  field  contribute  their  portion  of  sweet 
perfumes  and  potent  medicaments.  It  was  meet  that  it 
should  have  been  so,  for  He  is  Lord  of  heaven  and 
earth,  the  Owner  of  all  treasures  and  the  Sovereign  of 
men  and  angels. 

I.  The  Wise  Men  and  their  Star.  Who  these 
wise  men  were  and  whence  they  came  has  been  the 
subject  of  endless  speculation  and  controversy.  Tradi- 
tion declares  that  there  were  three  of  them,  and  has  gone 
so  far  as  to  assign  names  to  them  :  Caspar,  Melchior, 
and  Balthasar.  They  have  been  clothed  with  the  dignity 
of  princes  and  kings,  and  have  been  assigned  to  Egypt, 
India,  Persia,  Arabia,  Mesopotamia,  and  even  Greece. 
Of  these  particulars  we  can  know  nothing  certainly. 
That  they  came  from  the  East  and  belonged  to  a  class  of 
scholars  and  learned  men  who  held  high  place  in  the 
courts  of  Eastern  kings,  we  know.  They  were  the 
"  magi,"  or  "  astrologers,"  or  "  magicians,"  of  the  countries 
in  which  they  lived,  and  belonged  to  a  sacred  caste  of 
scholars,  who  made  the  heavens  their  chief  study,  and 
pretended  to  educe  from  the  heavenly  bodies  the  wisdom 
of  God  in  regard  to  the  destinies  of  men.  The  Egyptian 
and    Babylonian    kings   consulted   them  to  solve  their 


GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH     257 

difficulties,  read  their  dreams,  and  foretell  their  destinies. 
While,  without  doubt,  many  of  these  wise  men  were 
mere  charlatans,  trading  on  the  superstition  and  ignor- 
ance of  the  kings  and  the  people,  such  as  Jannes  and 
Jambres,  who  contended  with  Moses  in  Egypt,  and  the 
wise  men  who  failed  to  read  to  Belshazzar  the  meaning 
of  the  handwriting  on  the  wall,  and  Simon  Magus,  who 
bewitched  the  people  of  Samaria  and  was  finally  exposed 
by  Peter ;  still  there  were,  no  doubt,  many  devout  souls 
among  them,  who,  from  the  habit  of  constantly  beholding 
and  studying  the  heavens,  had  come  to  read  in  them  a 
testimony  to  the  glory  of  God,  whom  they  believed  and 
feared.  I  myself  have  seen  and  conversed  with  some  of 
these  w^ise  men  in  the  far  East ;  and  though  they  were 
ignorant  of  God,  as  we  know  Him  through  revelation, 
yet  did  they  know  God  and  were  His  devout  wor- 
shippers. All  night  long  they  studied  the  heavens,  and 
all  day  long  they  meditated  upon  the  supposed  revelations. 
I  do  not  see  any  reason  to  doubt  that  these  wise  men 
were  men  upon  whom  the  Spirit  of  God  had  come,  and 
who,  though  they  did  not  know  Him  as  such,  were 
guided  by  His  inward  impulses.  In  every  nation  there 
have  been  those  who  have  feared  God,  wrought  right- 
eousness, and  been  accepted  with  Him.  ^  I  can  con- 
ceive that  these  wise  men  were  of  the  same  caste  as  that 
of  Job  and  his  three  friends.  There  is  no  reason  to 
doubt  that  they  were  princes  as  well  as  scholars. 

How  they  came  to  know  of  the  expectation  enter- 
tained by  the  Jews,  of  the  birth  of  One  who,  in  a 
peculiar  and  divine  sense,  should  be  their  King,  has 
also  been  a  question  of  speculative  inquiry.  We  should 
remember  that,  at  this  time,  the  whole  East  was  more 
or  less  acquainted  with  the  religion  of  Israel,  either 
from   commercial  contact  with  them,  or  through  their 

*  Acts  X.  35. 
P.B.  17 


258      GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH 

dispersion  among  the  nations,  or  as  a  result  of  their 
long  captivity  in  Babylon  and  the  wide  scattering  of 
the  ten  tribes,  who  until  this  day  are  a  lost  people.  I 
have  noted  with  surprise  how  many  tenets  and  teach- 
ings among  the  Hindus  would  seem  to  suggest  that 
their  wise  men  were  not  altogether  ignorant  of  divine 
revelation.  It  is  not  impossible  that  these  wise  men 
may  even  have  possessed  a  copy  of  the  scriptures,  and 
that  in  the  course  of  their  study  they  had  discovered 
the  promises  of  God  concerning  Messiah.  One  prophecy 
especially  would  interest  them  :  that  of  Balaam,  one  of 
their  own  class  and  caste, — "  I  shall  see  Him,  but  not 
now  ;  I  shall  behold  Him,  but  not  nigh.  There  shall 
come  a  Star  out  of  Jacob,  and  a  Sceptre  shall  rise  out 
of  Israel.  Out  of  Jacob  shall  come  He  that  shall  have 
dominion."  ^  Pondering  these  prophecies,  and  longing 
for  the  coming  of  the  "  Desire  of  all  nations,"  ^  they 
continued  their  heavenly  studies,  until  they  were  sur- 
prised by  the  appearance  of  a  new  phenomenon  in  the 
heavens.  There  appeared  a  star,  burning  low  in  the 
heavens  and  propelled  by  some  extraordinary  power, 
either  internal  or  external.  This  strange  sight  (like  the 
burning  bush  in  the  wilderness  which  attracted  Moses' 
attention)  naturally  arrested  the  attention  of  these 
ancient  astronomers  ;  and  as  they  wondered  what  this 
strange  appearance  could  portend,  there  came  to  them 
the  prophecy  we  have  suggested,  or  some  other  one, 
and  they  associated  the  star  with  the  advent  of  the 
long-expected  Christ.  I  cannot  doubt  but  that,  in 
this  connection,  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  gave  them 
some  illumination  of  mind,  or  perhaps  even  communi- 
cated to  them  by  word,  as  the  Angel  of  the  Bush  spoke 
to  Moses.  Of  this  at  least  I  am  sure,  God  reveals  Him 
self  to  men  along  the  line  of  their  own  occupations  an 
^  Num.  xxiv.  17,  19.  2  Hag.  ii.  7. 


GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH     259 

thoughts,  and  in  a  way  suitable  to  their  conditions  and 
surroundings.  Moses  Hved  in  the  wilderness  tending 
sheep,  and  there  God  came  to  him  in  the  Fiery  Bush ; 
Joshua  was  a  man  of  war,  and  Jehovah  appeared  to 
him  on  the  eve  of  the  siege  of  Jericho,  with  a  drawn 
sword  in  His  hand.  The  angels  came  to  the  shepherds 
on  the  Bethlehem  hills  ;  to  Zacharias  as  he  ministered 
in  the  temple  ;  to  these  wise  men  as  they  were  studying 
the  heavens,  according  to  their  use  and  wont.  I  am 
sure  that  the  devout  student  will  find  God  in  the  line 
of  his  studies,  if  he  is  really  seeking  Him.  The  phi- 
losopher, the  scientist,  and  the  sociologist  will  certainly 
find  God  at  the  end  of  their  studies,  if  they  have  devout 
minds.  For  Jesus  is  the  treasure-house  of  all  wisdom 
and  knowledge,  and  so  wisdom  and  knowledge  must 
ultimately  lead  to  Him,  even  as  they  originally  came 
from  Him. 

As  for  this  famous  star,  which  has  been  both  the 
artist's  and  the  poet's  theme —  What  was  it?  As- 
tronomers have  in  vain  tried  to  identify  it  with  some 
one  of  the  known  astronomical  phenomena  of  that  date. 
When  we  remember  that  even  the  nearest  star  is  so 
infinitely  distant  from  our  earth,  we  must  at  once  dis- 
miss from  our  minds  the  thought  of  any  ordinary 
heavenly  body.  The  star  does  not  seem  to  have 
actually  guided  them  to  Jerusalem  from  the  East,  but 
only  to  have  appeared  to  them  in  the  heavens.  With 
this  portent  they  interpreted  some  prophecy  concerning 
the  long-expected  King,  which  led  them  to  undertake 
their  journey  to  Judaea.  When  they  arrived  in  Jeru- 
salem, and  from  thence  had  been  directed  to  Bethlehem, 
they  were  overjoyed  by  the  reappearance  of  the  star 
which  they  had  seen  while  in  the  East,  and  especially 
because,  hanging  low  in  the  heavens,  it  moved  mysteri- 
ously before  them,  guiding  them  even  to  the  house  where 


26o      GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH 

the  Child  was.  A  star  is  a  point  of  light  in  the  heavens, 
but  we  need  not  suppose  that  the  star  which  they  saw 
was  one  of  the  familiar  heavenly  bodies.  On  the  con- 
trary, everything  is  against  such  a  supposition.  May 
it  not  have  been  the  shining  of  the  Shekinah  glory,  as 
it  shone  in  the  wilderness  to  Moses,  and  appeared  alter- 
nately as  a  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire  to  the  Israelites  ? 
When  the  Holy  Spirit  fell  upon  the  disciples  at  Pente- 
cost, there  appeared  tongues  of  fire,  which  lighted  upon 
their  heads.  We  know  that  fire  came  down  out  of 
heaven  to  burn  up  the  sacrifice  which  Elijah  offered. 
I  venture  another  suggestion.  The  whole  sphere  of 
the  divine  activity  at  this  time  was  full  of  supernatural 
wonders.  May  not  this  mysterious  point  of  light,  large 
and  glorious  as  it  probably  was,  have  been  the  Angel 
of  God  Himself,  even  as  it  was  the  Angel  of  the  Lord 
which  appeared  in  the  Bush  which  burned  with  fire  ? 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  that  which  seemed  to  the 
wise  men  a  star  was  none  other  than  the  same  Angel 
messenger. 

Speaking  a  moment  longer  of  these  wise  men,  I  would 
note  that  they  were  Gentiles.  At  any  rate,  here  we  have 
the  first  fulfilment  of  many  prophecies,  to  the  effect  that 
kings  and  Gentiles  should  come  unto  Him  and  worship 
Him,  They  were  the  advance  guard  of  the  mighty 
host  of  Gentiles,  both  kings  and  commoners,  who  have 
followed  in  their  footsteps.  It  is  a  strange  commentary 
on  the  degenerate  and  absolutely  carnal  and  worldly 
state  into  which  the  whole  Jewish  nation  had  fallen, 
that  it  was  left  to  these  foreigners  to  learn  of  the  Lord's 
coming,  while  the  high  priests,  scribes,  and  doctors  were 
left  in  ignorance.  They  came  a  very  long  way  to  find 
Jesus.  The  journey  was  tedious,  fatiguing,  and  costly  ; 
but  it  mattered  not.  They  sought  the  King,  and  to 
find  Him  was  of  more  importance  than  anything  else. 


GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH     261 

How  different  it  is  with  many  among  us  !  To  them, 
Jesus  is  of  Httle  moment ;  they  take  no  journey,  long 
or  short,  to  find  Him,  though  He  be  not  far  from  any 
one  of  them.  Though  the  star  of  God's  word  shines 
day  and  night,  hanging  low  in  the  heavens,  yet  will  they 
not  follow  it,  even  though  wise  men  declare  its  vast 
import.  Like  Herod,  they  may  for  a  moment  be 
awakened  by  some  superstitious  fear  of  God,  and  are 
troubled,  like  the  people  of  Jerusalem  ;  yet  will  they  not 
seek  for  Jesus.  These  wise  men  are  a  standing  rebuke 
to  the  lukewarm  indifference  and  lazy  inactivity  of  the 
multitude  who  care  not  to  seek  or  even  to  inquire  con- 
cerning Him,  though  His  star  has  been  seen  in  the 
heavens  all  the  days  of  their  lives.  These  wise  men 
will  rise  up  in  judgment  against  them. 

H.  The  Wise  Men  find  and  worship  Jesus. 
When  the  wise  men  arrived  at  Jerusalem,  where  they 
naturally  looked  for  the  new-born  King,  and  could  hear 
nothing  of  Him,  but  found  the  whole  city  indifferent  to 
their  inquiry,  they  were  at  their  wits'  end,  but  not  at 
their  faith's  end.  Their  persistent  inquiries,  perhaps 
even  from  house  to  house,  and  the  story  they  had  un- 
doubtedly told  the  people  of  Jerusalem  concerning  the 
star,  at  last,  through  common  fame,  reached  the  king's 
ears,  and  he  summoned  them  before  him.  The  chief 
priests  and  scribes,  who  most  likely  had  mocked  these 
Eastern  strangers,  now  had  to  make  answer  to  the  king's 
questions.  In  this  way,  they  got  their  clue  again  :  no 
sooner  had  they  started  for  Bethlehem  than  their  star 
reappeared,  and  guided  them  to  the  very  house  where 
Jesus  was.  Thus  was  their  simple  and  persistent  faith 
rewarded.  Oh,  it  is  a  good  thing  for  us  that  wits'  end  is 
not  faith's  end  !  Faith  can  and  will  persevere  where  wit 
fails  and  breaks  down.  Let  us  follow  the  light  we  have, 
still  going  on,  through  good  and  evil   report,  whether 


262      GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH 

men  will  encourage  or  discourage  us.  God  will  not 
forsake  us,  nor  leave  us  to  be  hopelessly  lost  in  the  maze 
of  difficulties  in  which  we  may  find  ourselves.  "  Then 
shall  we  know,  if  we  follow  on  to  know  the  Lord."  ^ 

They  worshipped  Jesus.  Having  found  the  young 
Child,  they  forthwith  fell  down  before  Him  and  wor- 
shipped Him.  There  was  nothing  royal  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Child,  and  certainly  nothing  kingly  in  His 
surroundings.  It  is  true  He  was  not,  when  these  wise 
men  came,  still  in  a  manger ;  for  probably,  after  His 
birth,  some  kind  and  hospitable  woman  had  taken  the 
Holy  Family  into  her  house,  where  they  were  living  or 
abiding  when  the  wise  men  came.  But  even  though  He 
were  housed  in  a  proper  building,  and  not  in  a  stable, 
still  His  surroundings  were  humble,  and  there  was 
nothing  to  suggest  that  He  "  was  the  Son  of  the  High- 
est." Nevertheless,  the  wise  men  immediately  fell  down 
and  worshipped  Him.  We  do  not  know  what  they  said 
in  connection  with  that  act  of  worship  ;  but  I  am  content 
to  believe  that  they  did  much  as  Thomas  did  when  he 
first  truly  recognised  Jesus,  and  fell  at  His  feet,  saying, 
"  My  Lord  and  my  God."  ^ 

The  simplicity  of  their  faith  is  somethifig  worth  re- 
marking. We  noted  in  last  sermon  how  implicit  was 
the  faith  of  the  shepherds,  who,  after  the  Angel  had 
departed  from  them,  said  one  to  another,  "  Come,  now, 
let  us  go  and  see  the  thing  which  is  come  to  pass."  Not 
for  a  moment  did  they  doubt  the  fact  which  the  Angel 
had  communicated  to  them.  So,  now,  here  are  wise  men, 
scholars,  princes,  possibly  kings,  at  least  men  of  thought 
and  science,  men  who  were  accustomed  to  the  magnifi- 
cent displays  of  Oriental  sovereignty — who,  if  they  were 
inclined  to  doubt,  might  be  expected   to  question  the 

*  Hos.  vi.  3.  '  John  xx.  28. 


GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH     263 

reasonableness  of  the  whole  situation.  Accepting  im- 
plicitly the  conclusions  which  they  had  reached  by  the 
concurrent  testimony  of  the  scriptures,  which  promised 
the  birth  of  this  King,  and  the  "  sign  "  in  the  heavens 
which,  working  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  led  them  to  Him, 
they  made  haste  to  confess  Him.  No  doubt  some  of  our 
modern  critics  would  say  that  such  faith  was  not  worthy 
of  scientific  men.  True,  faith  makes  little  children  of 
wise  men,  and  it  makes  little  children,  whether  children 
in  years  or  men  of  childlike  spirit,  to  be  wise.  "  I  thank 
thee.  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  Thou  hast 
hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  hast 
revealed  them  unto  babes."  ^ 

It  is  also  worthy  of  note  that  these  wise  men  came 
alone.  One  would  have  thought,  after  all  that  had 
passed  at  Jerusalem  on  account  of  their  advent,  their 
many  inquiries,  their  testimony,  and  the  interest  the 
king  had  taken  in  the  matter,  all  Jerusalem  would  have 
followed  them  to  Bethlehem.  But  neither  high  priests, 
doctors,  nor  common  people  went  to  see.  The  wise  men, 
who  believed,  went  alone  to  Bethlehem.  The  pathway 
of  faith  is  always  a  lonely  one  ;  the  world  walks  not  in 
it.  They  want  sight,  sense,  popularity,  applause,  and 
self-gratification.  They  wonder  and  are  troubled,  but 
they  reject  Christ.  Only  men  of  faith  take  up  the  soli- 
tary journey  which  will  bring  them  to  the  Lord.  Some- 
times two  or  three  walk  together  ;  but,  for  the  most  part, 
coming  to  Christ  and  following  Christ  is  a  lonely  matter. 
I  do  not  mean  that  it  is  dreary ;  but  lonely,  except  for 
the  occasional  companionship  of  a  fellow-pilgrim.  Let 
not,  then,  your  hearts  be  troubled  because  the  multitude, 
or  even  they  of  your  own  household,  do  not  sympathize 
with  you  in  your  search  after  the  "  young  Child."  Go 
thy  way  to  Him  ;  follow  thy  star ;  and  when  thou  shalt 
^  Luke  X.  21. 


264      GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH 

come  Into  the  house  where  He  is,  fall  down  and  worship 
Him,  though  all  the  world  be  indifferent. 

HI.  They  gave  to  Jesus  Gifts.  It  was  meet  that 
these  great  and  rich  men  should  have  ratified  their  faith 
and  sanctified  their  worship  by  laying  at  the  feet  of 
Jesus  rich  and  costly  gifts.  It  was  the  custom  among 
Orientals,  when  they  visited  a  king  or  made  allegiance 
to  a  sovereign,  to  bring  gifts  in  token  of  their  subjection 
and  of  their  readiness  to  support,  with  all  their  possess- 
ions, the  cause  of  the  king  at  whose  feet  they  bowed. 
Much  more  should  they  bring  great  gifts  to  Jesus.  The 
sincerity  of  their  worship  would  have  been  impeached 
had  they  not  done  so.  It  is  at  this  point  that  many  of 
the  modern  disciples  of  Jesus  fail  to  give  real  evidence 
of  the  genuineness  of  their  professed  worship.  The 
reason  they  glwe  gifts  to  Jesus  may  be  found  in  the  fact 
that  they,  like  the  Macedonian  Christians,  had  first 
given  themselves  unto  the  Lord.  I  was  once  sent  for  by 
a  lady  who  had  recently  been  converted.  She  wished  to 
tell  me  about  this,  and  get  further  instruction  in  the  way 
of  life.  She  said  to  me,  "  Pastor,  I  have  given  myself 
to  Jesus,  body,  soul,  and  spirit  ;  now  tell  me  what  I  am 
to  do  with  my  money — how  to  use  it  for  Him."  This 
was  true  worship.  I  venture  to  say  that  whosoever  has 
not  raised  and  answered  that  question, "  What  shall  I  do 
with  my  money  ? "  has  never  been  truly  at  the  feet  of 
Jesus.  How  can  one  give  himself  to  the  Lord  and 
withhold  from  Him  any  portion  of  his  possessions  ?  The 
thing  is  impossible.  Giving  is  ivorship  in  one  of  the 
highest  and  best  senses  of  the  word.  "  What  shall  I 
render  unto  the  Lord  for  all  His  benefits  unto  me  ?  " 
It  is  true  that  the  Psalmist  answers  his  own  question 
thus  :  "  I  will  take  the  cup  of  salvation,  and  call  upon 
the  name  of  the  Lord."  ^  But  we  must  not  suppose  that 
^  Ps.  cxvi.  13. 


GOLD   AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH     265 

that  act  of  worship  was  the  full  discharge  of  the  debt  of 
gratitude  which  David  owed  and  recognised.  At  another 
time  we  behold  him  buying  a  yoke  of  oxen,  to  offer 
sacrifice  to  the  Lord.  The  farmer,  of  whom  he  took  the 
cattle,  declined  any  payment  from  the  king,  saying, 
"  Let  my  lord  take  and  offer  up  what  seemeth  good  unto 
him :  behold,  here  be  oxen  for  burnt  sacrifice,  and 
threshing  instruments  and  other  instruments  of  the 
oxen  for  wood.  And  the  king  said  unto  Araunah, 
Nay ;  but  I  will  surely  buy  it  of  thee  at  a  price : 
neither  will  I  offer  burnt  offerings  unto  the  Lord  my 
God  of  that  which  doth  cost  me  nothing.  So  David 
brought  the  threshing-floor  and  the  oxen  for  fifty 
shekels  of  silver.  ^  Now,  this  is  true  worship  !  He  who 
worships  God  without  cost  to  himself,  or  at  the  cost 
of  another — so  long  as  he  has  aught  to  offer  unto  the 
Lord — is  no  true  worshipper.  I  am  afraid  there  are 
many  worshippers  (?),  nowadays,  who  are  quite  content 
to  worship  at  other  people's  expense,  and  reserve  to 
themselves  their  substance  for  purely  selfish  gratification, 
or  at  least  for  their  own  personal  ends.  The  ground  of 
our  acceptance  with  God  is  never  that  which  we  offer, 
but  that  which  our  God  Himself  hath  offered  for  us — 
even  His  only  begotten  Son,  whom  He  did  not  spare  to 
give  for  the  remission  of  our  sins  ;  but  the  proof  of  our 
sincerity  in  worship  is  found  in  the  measure  of  our 
willingness  to  give  to  the  Lord  of  such  things  as  we 
have.  Nor  is  this  an  Old  Testament  conception  of 
worship  ;  it  runs  all  through  the  New  Testament  as  well. 
God  took  notice  of  the  genuineness  and  sincerity  of  the 
worship  of  Cornelius  in  that  his  prayers  and  alms  came 
up  together.  The  Corinthian  Christians  were  apparently 
opulent,  both  in  spiritual  gifts  and  in  temporal  wealth, 
but  they  were  not  disposed  to  make  free  use  of  their 
*  2  Sam.  xxiv.  22,  24. 


266    GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH 

wealth  for  God  ;  so  Paul,  in  order  to  correct  this  grave 
mistake  on  their  part,  wrote  to  them,  reminding  them  of 
their  rich  gifts  and  of  their  parsimony.  "  As  ye  abound 
in  everything,  in  faith  and  utterance  and  knowledge,  and 
in  all  diligence,  and  in  your  love  to  us,  see  that  ye  abound 
in  this  grace  also."  ^  "  This  grace  "  was  the  grace  of 
beneficence,  or  the  conscientious  and  liberal  use  of  money 
for  the  kingdom  of  God.  I  do  not  understand  how  any 
sincere  man  can  sit  in  God's  house,  or  come  up  to 
worship,  to  pray  and  praise,  and  to  be  instructed  out  of 
God's  word,  and  yet  not  bring  with  him  an  offering — 
according  as  God  has  prospered  him — for  the  benefit  of 
God's  treasury.  I  do  not  understand  how  a  man  can 
honestly  profess  to  have  given  himself  to  God  while 
withholding  from  God  the  due  proportion  of  his  property 
which  God's  cause  may  require.  The  meagre,  erratic, 
and  oftentimes  reluctant  gifts  which  are  wrung  from 
many  worshippers,  only  after  much  pleading  and 
"  begging,"  I  am  afraid,  do  not  represent  the  worship  of 
either  grateful  or  consecrated  hearts. 

The  wise  men  prepared  their  gifts  before  they  started  on 
their  journey  to  find  the  Christ.  I  cannot  conceive  of 
them  looking  over  their  treasures  and  selecting  anything 
but  the  best  they  had.  They  came  in  the  spirit  of  the 
exhortation  :  "  Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week  let  every 
one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store,  as  God  hath  prospered 
him."  ^  If  Christians,  before  they  come  up  to  the  house 
of  God  on  the  Sabbath,  would  pray  for  God's  blessing 
upon  them,  and  then  take — as  a  matter  of  worship  and 
thanksgiving — from  their  large  or  little  store,  whether 
the  accumulation  of  past  years  or  the  fruits  of  their  last 
week's  labour,  an  offering  for  the  Lord,  and  lay  it  upon 
His  altar  as  they  present  their  prayers  before  the  Throne 
of  Grace,  how  differently  would  things  be  with  us  both 
^  2  Cor.  viii.  7.        *  i  Cor.  xvi.  2. 


GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH    267 

in  temporal  and  spiritual  matters  !  I  fear  a  large  portion 
of  the  gold,  silver,  and  copper  which  is  offered  in  the 
house  of  God  is  offered  rather  in  deference  to  custom,  or 
for  decency's  sake,  than  as  an  act  of  worship  to  God. 
If  offerers  would  only  set  the  Lord  before  their  faces, 
many  a  piece  of  copper  would  be  exchanged  for  silver, 
many  a  piece  of  gold  would  be  substituted  for  the  silver 
piece,  and  in  many  cases  bank-notes  would  fall  into  the 
basket  instead  of  the  single  shining  sovereign. 

The  motive  of  their  gifts  is  worthy  of  consideration. 
These  gifts  were  a  testimony  of  homage  to  the  King. 
"  We  must  honour  Him,"  says  good  Matthew  Henry, 
"  with  that  with  which  He  favours  us."  This  is  in 
accordance  with  the  word  of  God,  which  enjoins  us  to 
"  honour  the  Lord  with  thy  substance,  and  with  the  first- 
fruits  of  all  thine  increase."  ^  No  amount  of  sophistry 
will  allow  us  to  escape  the  full  force  of  this  divine  in- 
junction. It  has  pleased  God  to  tell  us  that  He  is 
honoured  by  our  gifts  ;  and  since  He  deigns  to  accept 
honour  at  our  hands  in  these  things,  it  becomes  us  to 
honour  Him  with  liberal  and  willing  gifts. 

Then  our  gifts  are  an  acknowledgment  tliat  our  wealth, 
be  it  large  or  small,  comes  from  God.  He  is  the  giver  of 
every  good  gift.  He  it  is  that  sends  to  us  the  latter  and 
the  early  rains.  He  it  is  that  has  preserved  our  health 
and  given  us  strength  for  labour.  He  it  is  that  has 
given  us  wit  and  wisdom  by  which  we  earn  that  which 
we  have  ;  and  it  is  He  who  has  shaped  the  providences 
which  have  placed  wealth,  by  way  of  inheritance,  in 
some  of  our  hands.  A  truly  grateful  heart  will  never 
overlook  God's  grace  in  his  substance,  nor  forget  that 
the  silver  and  gold,  and  all  the  other  wealth  of  the  world, 
is  His  ;  and  that  He  has  reminded  us  that  He  retains,  in 
a  perpetual  covenant,  a  tenth  of  all  for  Himself,  leaving 
'  Prov.  iii.  12. 


26S      GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH 

us  free  to  add  to  that  tenth  "  free  will  offerings,"  accord- 
ing to  the  gratitude  and  thankfulness  of  our  hearts. 

There  is  yet  another  reason  for  giving  gifts  to  fesus. 
Our  gifts  are  to  supply  His  need.  This  may  seem  a 
strange  thing  to  say  of  Him.  Surely  God  and  His  Son 
cannot  be  in  need  of  money  or  any  other  gift.  Are  not 
the  gold  and  the  silver  His,  and  the  cattle  on  a  thousand 
hills  ?  Can  our  giving  enrich,  or  our  withholding  im- 
poverish, Him  ?  Yet  the  Lord  has  need  of  our  gifts. 
In  this  case,  for  instance :  It  was  needful  for  Joseph  to 
take  "  the  young  Child  and  His  mother,"  and  flee  into 
Egypt,  and  there  find  an  asylum  for  Him  from  the 
wicked  wrath  and  jealous  hatred  of  Herod.  But  Joseph 
was  only  a  poor  carpenter,  and  such  a  journey  and 
sojourn  in  a  strange  country  must  have  been  quite 
impossible  for  him.  The  gifts  of  the  wise  men  supplied 
this  need,  and  put  money  into  Joseph's  purse  for  the 
care  of  the  "young  Child."  So  now  God  needs  our 
gifts  to  supply  the  necessities  of  His  house  and  the 
means  for  maintaining  public  worship.  He  needs  our 
gifts  in  order  that  His  poor  be  fed  and  clothed  and 
warmed  in  time  of  need.  He  needs  our  gifts  to  send 
His  messengers  abroad,  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth,  with  the  good  tidings  of  His  love  to  those  who  sit 
in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death.  The  enlightened 
and  loving  heart  does  not  need  an  argument  to  prove 
that  God  has  many  needs,  and  that  in  His  plan  of  salva- 
tion He  has  made  Himself  dependent  upon  His  people 
to  supply  these  needs.  He  accepts  the  smallest  gifts 
which  the  poor  bring  to  Him,  and  He  expects  large 
gifts  from  the  rich.  These  gifts  He  estimates  according 
to  the  ability  of  the  givers.  The  two  mites  of  the  poor 
widow  were,  in  His  sight,  far  more  than  the  broad  gold 
pieces  which  the  Pharisee  ostentatiously  dropped  into 
the  treasury.     I  received  by  the  same  post  recently  two 


GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH     269 

gifts  towards  a  cause  for  which  not  long  ago  I  had 
asked  the  offerings  of  the  people.  One  was  a  crisp 
five-pound  note  from  a  rich  man,  and  the  other  a  postal 
order  for  twenty  shillings  from  one  who  said  she  was 
"  only  an  ordinary  servant-girl,"  and  lamented  that  she 
had  not  more  to  give  to  God,  who  had  so  wonderfully 
blessed  her. 

The  quality  of  their  gifts  is  also  suggestive.  In  the 
first  place,  I  note  there  was  variety.  "  Gold,  frankin- 
cense, and  myrrh  " — money  and  money's  worth.  These 
may  stand  for  the  various  ways  in  which  we  may  serve 
the  Lord.  Gold  alone  is  not  what  God  wants.  He 
wants  of  all  that  we  have  ;  not  prayer  alone,  not  praise 
alone,  not  observance  of  ceremonies  alone,  or  devotion 
to  our  religious  cult,  but  offerings  of  all  kinds  ;  worship, 
work  and  gifts  of  our  substance — gifts  of  such  things  as 
we  have.  Some  have  more  time  than  money ;  some 
more  money  than  time  ;  some  more  ability  to  work 
unseen  ;  and  some  the  gifts  of  utterance  and  organiza- 
tion. It  is  accepted  according  to  what  a  man  hath,  and 
not  what  he  hath  not.  TJiese  tvise  men  brought  of  the 
products  of  their  own  country,  of  the  property  which  they 
had.  We  are  often  very  generous  in  our  thoughts  of 
another's  wealth.  "  If  I  only  had  brother  A.'s  wealth, 
how  bountifully  would  I  give,"  we  say  ;  or,  "  If  I  had 
the  ability  to  speak  and  pray  that  brother  B.  possesses, 
how  gladly  would  I  be  found  in  the  place  of  prayer  and 
testimony,  or  teaching  in  the  Sunday  School,  or  serving 
in  the  Mission  Hall."  God  does  not  require  you  to  bring 
brother  A.'s  or  B.'s  gifts,  but  to  offer  such  things  as  you 
have.  Do  not  distress  yourself  about  your  neighbour's 
ability  ;  only  be  faithful  in  the  things  which  God  has 
given  you.  Never  mind  what  this  or  that  man  shall  do, 
or  ought  to  do,  but  follow  thou  Christ.  Then  they  gave 
the  best  of  every  kind  which  they  possessed.     Gold  was  the 


270      GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH 

best  and  most  precious  of  the  metals  ;  frankincense  was 
the  most  valuable  of  the  perfumes  ;  and  myrrh  the  most 
valuable  of  the  medicinal  herbs.  God  complained  of 
His  people  in  olden  times,  that  though  they  brought  in 
kind  what  He  asked  them,  they  brought  the  lame,  the 
lean,  and  the  maimed  of  the  flock, — that  which  was  least 
valuable  to  them  they  thought  would  be  good  enough 
for  God  ;  but  He  rejected  these  gifts  indignantly.  Alas  1 
that,  in  this  gospel  day,  so  many  of  us  should  kneel  at 
the  feet  of  Jesus,  open  our  chests  and  select  with  much 
care  and  pains  that  which  is  of  least  value  to  give  to 
Him,  or,  if  of  good  value,  as  little  as  we  possibly  can 
and  keep  a  fair  pretence  of  conscientiousness  in  connec- 
tion with  the  gift. 

There  is,  no  doubt,  a  certam  symbolism  in  these  gifts. 
Many  strained  and  foolish  things  have  been  said  by 
various  Christian  writers.  Though  we  cannot  dogmatize 
when  looking  for  symbolical  meanings,  we  may  rever- 
ently seek  for  suggestions.  Some  of  the  early  Christian 
writers  found  in  the  three  things  offered  a  symbol  of  the 
Trinity ;  others,  a  symbol  of  the  triple  nature  of  man. 
Thus  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  were  honoured 
in  the  gifts  of  gold,  frankincense,  and  myrrh  ;  the  spirit, 
soul,  and  body  of  man  were  represented  in  the  same  way. 
Others  have  seen  in  these  three  kinds  of  gifts  a  tribute  to 
the  personality  and  ofiice  of  Christ.  The  gold  was  a 
tribute  to  Him  as  King ;  the  frankincense  was  a  tribute 
to  His  divinity,  for  frankincense  was  the  peculiar  incense 
used  to  burn  upon  the  altar  of  praise  ;  the  myrrh  was  an 
offering  to  Him  as  man — an  herb  used  both  for  medicine 
and,  especially,  for  the  embalming  of  the  body.  Mary 
offered  her  perfume,  her  spikenard,  as  an  anointing  for 
His  burial.  Again,  some  have  spiritualized  these  gifts, 
making  them  stand  for  the  three  great  graces  of  the 
Christian  life.     Gold  represents  our  faith,  which,  being 


GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH     271 

tried,  is  said  to  be  "  more  precious  than  gold,  though  it 
be  tried  with  fire  "  ^  ;  frankincense,  being  a  costly  perfume 
such  as  Mary  poured  out  upon  the  head  of  her  Lord,  in 
no  utiHtarian  spirit,  but  just  because  she  loved  Him 
much  and  wanted  to  testify  that  to  Him,  may  represent 
the  offering  of  love  which  we  are  ever  bringing  to  Him  ; 
while  the  myrrh,  used  so  much  for  the  embalming  of  the 
dead  bodies  of  loved  ones,  may  stand  for  hope — that  is, 
as  they  embalmed  the  body  in  the  hope  of  immortality, 
so  we  bring  to  our  Lord  the  profession  of  hope,  since  He 
has  brought  life  and  immortality  to  life  in  the  resurrec- 
tion. But  I  cannot  pursue  these  thoughts  and  sug- 
gestions further ;  they  are  not  the  main  truth  to  be 
drawn  from  the  offerings  of  the  wise  men. 

IV.  The  Place  of  Gifts  in  the  Divine  Economy. 
The  importance  of  gifts  and  offerings  to  the  Lord  may 
be  judged  of  somewhat  by  the  large  place  they  occupy 
in  the  inspired  record.  I  can  only  now  allude  to  a  few 
instances : — 

1.  The  earliest  records  show  man  bringing  offerings  to 
the  Lord  :  Abel  from  the  flock,  and  Cain  of  the  fruit  of 
the  ground.  The  one  was  accepted  because  it  was  the 
best,  and  in  accordance  with  God's  command  ;  the  other 
was  rejected  because  it  was  less  than  the  best,  and 
according  to  man's  own  choice  and  judgment.  But 
especially  would  I  call  your  attention  to  the  meeting  of 
Abraham  and  Melchisedek  four  hundred  years  before 
the  giving  of  the  law,  at  which  meeting  Abraham  paid 
tithes  (a  tenth  of  all)  to  the  priest  of  the  Most  High  God. 
This  act  of  worship  was  the  foundation  of  the  law  of  the 
tenth,  under  the  old  economy,  and  it  is  the  underlying 
principle  of  all  the  voluntary  gifts  of  New  Testament 
times. 

2.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that,  in  going  out  of  Egypt, 

^  I  Pet.  i.  7. 


272     GOLD    AND   FRANKINCENSE    AND  MYRRH 

Moses  insisted  :  "  Our  cattle  also  shall  go  with  us  ;  there 
shall  not  an  hoof  be  left  behind  ;  for  therefore  must  we 
take  to  serve  the  Lord  our  God  ;  and  we  know  not  with 
what  we  must  serve  the  Lord,  until  we  come  thither."  ^ 
Pharaoh  had  given  them  leave  to  go,  with  their  wives 
and  little  ones,  but  insisted  that  they  should  leave  their 
flocks  and  herds  ;  but  Moses  said  they  could  not  worship 
God  without  substance  to  offer  to  Him,  and  that  they 
must  take  all  they  had,  for  they  did  not  know  how  much 
the  Lord  would  require  of  them.  At  the  taking  of 
Jericho,  all  the  gold  and  silver,  and  the  most  valu- 
able of  the  spoil,  was  consecrated  to  God,  as  a  testimony 
to  the  people,  and  a  reminder  that  God  expected  His 
people  to  consecrate  their  treasures  and  possessions 
to  His  service.  The  first  great  act  of  the  Christian 
Church  was  seen  in  the  consecration  of  all  their  property 
to  God,  to  be  drawn  upon  for  the  common  weal. 

3.  Ceremonially.  In  the  Mosaic  Code  we  find  it  laid 
down  that  a  tenth  of  all  possessions  and  increase  is 
reserved  as  being  the  Lord's  portion.  "  The  tenth  shall 
be  holy  into  the  Lord."  ^  In  addition  to  the  tenth, 
which  was  paid  at  least  three  times  in  each  year,  there 
came  the  voluntary  free-will  offerings,  the  expression  of 
thankfulness  and  gratitude  from  a  grateful  people. 

4.  Prophetically.  We  find  this  worship  by  gifts 
mentioned  in  Psalm  Ixxii.,  which  speaks  of  the  coming 
Messiah.  The  prophet  says,  "  The  kings  of  Tarshish 
and  of  the  isles  shall  bring  presents  ;  the  kings  of  Sheba 
and  Seba  shall  offer  gifts.  And  He  shall  live  {i.e.,  be 
raised  from  the  dead),  and  to  Him  shall  be  given  of  the 
gold  of  Sheba ;  prayer  also  shall  be  made  for  Him  con- 
tinually ;  and  daily  shall  He  be  praised."  ^  That  would 
be  a  bold  Christian  who  should  elect  to  pray  for  Christ's 
cause,  and  render  praise  to  Him  personally,  but  refuse 

'  Exod.  X.  26.  '^  Lev.  xxvii.  32.  ^  Ps.  Ixxii.  10,  15. 


COLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH     273 

to  give  gold  to  Him.  Isaiah  tells  us  that  the  merchan- 
dise and  hire  of  the  nations  shall  be  holiness  to  the  Lord, 
and  shall  not  be  measured  nor  laid  up,  except  for  the 
service  of  God ;  that  her  sons,  who  have  dwelt  in  far 
countries,  shall  return  with  their  silver  and  gold,  and 
offer  it  unto  the  name  of  the  Lord  their  God.  ^ 

5.  In  connection  with  spiritual  blessings.  The  well- 
known  passage  records  God's  complaints  against  His 
people  for  robbing  Him  of  tithes  and  offerings  ;  and 
also  a  great  promise,  on  the  basis  of  the  resumption  of 
their  payment  of  tithes  and  the  renewal  of  their  free-will 
offerings,  may  be  cited  :  "  Prove  Me  now  herewith,  saith 
the  Lord  of  Hosts,  if  I  will  not  open  you  the  windows 
of  heaven,  and  pour  you  out  a  blessing,  that  there  shall 
not  be  room  enough  to  receive  it."  ^  Will  any  Christian 
dare  take  his  penknife  and  cut  that  passage  out  of  the 
Bible,  saying  that  that  exhortation  and  promise  was  for 
Jews,  but  not  for  Christians  ?  I  would  not  lift  either  my 
hand  or  thought  to  such  sacrilege.  Neither  can  we  pray 
for  the  opening  of  the  windows  of  heaven,  and  for  a 
blessing  upon  our  own  souls  or  upon  our  Church,  if  we 
withhold  tithes  and  offerings  from  the  Lord. 

V.  The  Blessing  of  Liberality.  Let  no  one 
suppose  that  God  is  robbing  us  when  He  asks  for  tithes 
and  offerings  from  us — for  gifts  of  gold,  frankincense 
and  myrrh — when  He  bids  us  "  abound  "  in  the  grace  of 
liberality.  Far  from  it;  He  designs  blessings  for  us. 
I  need  only  remind  you  of  two  or  three  promises  to  this 
effect.  "  TJie  Lord  loveth  a  cheerful  givers  ^  Now,  that 
is  something  which  I  wish  above  all  things,  that  the 
Lord  should  love  me,  or  rather  make  me  to  know  His  love. 
Then  we  are  told  that  "  tJie  liberal  soul  shall  be  made 

^  Isa.  xxiii.  18;  Ix.  9.        *  Mai.  iii.  10. 
*  2  Cor.  ix.  7. 
P.B.  18 


274       GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE   AND  MYRRH 

fat^  ^  There  is  a  peculiar  connection  between  liberality 
in  temporal  things  and  the  inflow  of  grace  and  spiritual 
life  upon  the  soul.  Then  again,  liberality  is  the  only 
corrective  of  that  worst  and  meanest  of  all  evils,  the  love 
of  money.  Generous  giving  corrects  the  tendency  to 
avarice,  the  pride  of  life,  self-indulgence,  and  many  other 
hurtful  lusts  which  come  along  with  the  love  of  money 
and  the  ambition  to  hoard  it  up.  Finally,  a  large  liber- 
ality will  hasten  the  evangelization  of  the  world  and  the 
coming  of  Christ.  But  for  the  parsimony  of  the  Christian 
Church,  the  gospel  would  long  ago  have  been  preached 
to  every  creature  under  heaven.  Even  now,  the  final 
triumph  of  missionary  enterprise  over  heathendom  awaits 
only  the  loosing  of  the  purse-strings  of  Christendom, 
Men  and  women  are  ready  to  go,  taking  their  lives  in 
their  hands,  if  only  their  brethren  will  supply  their  need 
out  of  their  abundance. 

Whenever  we  come  to  understand  that  this  is  not  a 
sordid  but  a  highly  spiritual  subject,  we  shall  have  joy  in 
giving,  and  the  Lord  will  have  honour.  In  one  of  the 
rural  churches  of  England  there  is  a  beautifully-carved 
statue  in  wood,  standing  over  the  Offertory,  which  repre- 
sents our  Lord  with  an  outstretched  and  pierced  hand. 
The  gifts  of  the  people  are  placed  in  this  pierced  hand, 
and  through  it  make  their  way  into  the  Offertory.  Oh, 
could  we  see  that  outstretched  and  pierced  hand  standing 
over  and  by  us  always,  how  joyfully  would  we  put  our 
gifts  into  it,  and  how  abundant  would  those  gifts  be ! 

"And  I  have  brought  to  thee, 
Down  from  My  home  above, 
Salvation  full  and  free, 
My  pardon  and  My  love  ; 


^  Prov.  xi,  25, 


GOLD  AND  FRANKINCENSE  AND  MYRRH     275 

Great  gifts  I  brought  to  thee, 
What  hast  thou  brought  to  Me  ? 

Oh,  let  thy  life  be  given, 

Thy  years  for  Me  be  spent ; 
World  fetters  all  be  riven. 

And  joy  with  suffering  blent. 
I  gave  Myself  for  thee. 
Give  thou  thyself  to  Me  !  " 


xy 

''GOOD  OLD  SIMEON" 

"And  behold,  there  was  a  man  in  Jerusalem  whose  name  was 
Simeon ;  and  the  same  man  was  just  and  devout,  waiting  for  the 
consolation  of  Israel ;  and  the  Holy  Ghost  was  upon  him  .  .  .  ." 
— Luke  ii.  25-35. 

GOD  has  never  left  Himself  without  a  witness  in  the 
earth,  even  in  the  darkest  times.  From  Abel  to 
Simeon  and  Anna,  there  have  always  been  those  who 
have  had  faith,  and  have  waited  for  Him  and  testified  to 
His  faithfulness.  They  have  often  been  hidden  from  the 
eyes  of  men,  and  even  from  each  other,  as  were  the 
seven  thousand  in  Israel,  in  the  days  of  her  great 
apostasy,  who  had  not  bowed  the  knee  to  Baal,  but  were 
unknown  to  Elijah,  who  thought  he  alone  was  left  to 
uphold  the  true  faith  of  Jehovah.  Jerusalem  was  well 
nigh  as  apostate  at  this  time  as  Israel  in  the  days  of 
Ahab.  There  was,  indeed,  a  great  pretence  of  religion 
on  the  part,  particularly,  of  the  Pharisees  ;  but  they  were 
whited  sepulchres — hypocrites,  who  for  pretence  made 
long  prayers,  robbed  widows,  and  oppressed  the  people  ; 
who  were  punctilious  in  tithing  mint,  anise,  and  cummin, 
while  systematically  neglecting  the  weightier  matters  of 
the  law,  judgment  and  charity.  So  estranged  were  they 
from  all  spiritual  life  and  true  knowledge  of  God,  that, 
when  their  Messiah  came,  they  knew  Him  not,  received 
Him  not,  and  never  rested  till  they  had  slain  Him. 
Nevertheless,  God  had  His  witnesses  in  Jerusalem  :  men 


''GOOD   OLD  SIMEON''  277 

and  women,  such  as  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth,  Simeon 
and  Anna.  These  were  of  the  common  people,  utterly 
unknown  in  the  "higher  circles"  of  ecclesiastical  and 
social  life,  or,  if  known  at  all,  were  doubtless  held  in  con- 
tempt by  the  scribes  and  rulers,  who  had  long  since 
made  void  the  commandments  of  God  by  their  traditions. 
But  the  Day  Spring  from  on  high  had  arisen,  and  into 
His  light  the  hidden  ones  of  God  were  coming,  one  by 
one,  to  hail  and  greet  Him.  We  should  never  despair  of 
true  religion  in  the  earth,  however  dark  and  apostate  the 
times  may  be  ;  for  we  are  sure  that  God  will  always  have 
some  true  hearts  among  the  children  of  men  who  love 
and  fear  Him.  I  once  knew  of  a  very  old  and  poor 
woman,  who  lived  in  one  of  our  depopulated  little'  New 
England  towns.  All  the  young  people  had  emigrated, 
until  there  were  none  left  in  the  town  but  a  few  old  men 
and  women — too  old  to  follow  their  children  into  the  far 
west,  and  to  the  gold  and  silver  fields  of  the  Rocky 
mountains  and  the  Pacific  coast.  The  little  meeting- 
house, which  used  to  be  crowded  with  devout  worshippers, 
was  long  since  abandoned  and  fallen  into  disrepair.  An 
evangelist  chanced  to  go  that  way,  and  stopped  over- 
night with  this  poor  woman,  and  he  spoke  to  her  of  the 
deserted  meeting-house,  asking  the  cause  of  its  abandon- 
ment. She  told  him  that  all  the  young  people  were 
gone,  and  there  were  none  left  to  maintain  public  wor- 
ship ;  that  there  had  been  no  preaching  in  the  town  for 
five  years,  and  no  assembly  for  prayer.  "  Then,"  said 
the  evangelist,  "  I  suppose  the  Church  is  quite  dead." 
At  which  the  old  woman  rose  from  her  chair,  and,  in 
some  excitement  and  indignation  of  spirit,  exclaimed 
"  Dead  ! — no,  sir !  The  Church  is  not  dead  ;  the  Church 
can  never  die.  I  am  here."  She,  at  least,  was  left  alive 
to  testify  for  God  and  His  salvation.  So  it  was  in 
Jerusalem  at  this  time.     There  were,  at  least,  Simeon 


278  ''GOOD  OLD  SIMEON" 

and  the  aged  Anna,  in  whose  hearts  the  holy  fire  of 
God's  love  burned  brightly,  and  the  faith,  which  waited 
for  the  consolation,  ready  to  recognise  and  receive  Him 
when  He  came  "  suddenly  to  His  temple."  ^ 

The  little  Court  of  the  infant  King  of  Israel  was 
growing  apace  and  extending.  From  Nazareth  to 
Bethlehem,  from  Bethlehem  to  Jerusalem,  the  King 
made  His  progress.  He  had  already  been  worshipped 
by  the  shepherds ;  eastern  princes  had  come  to  His 
rising,  and  worshipped  Him  with  devout  faith  and 
generous  gifts ;  and  now,  in  His  own  capital  city,  though 
the  rulers  knew  Him  not,  these  obscure  disciples,  who 
had  been  waiting  for  Him  with  devout  expectation, 
hailed  Him  and  gave  in  their  glad  allegiance,  proclaim- 
ing Him  King  and  Saviour!  How  interesting  and 
cheering  it  is  to  note  the  gradual  development  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  about  the  "  young  Child  " ;  and  won- 
drous it  is  to  call  to  mind  how  that  Kingdom  has  waxed 
great  and  mighty  during  all  these  long  centuries  since 
He  was  taken,  an  unconscious  Babe,  into  the  arms  of 
*'  good  old  Simeon." 

I.  Simeon  and  his  Character.  We  do  not  know 
who  this  old  man  was ;  he  appears  but  for  a  moment  in 
the  temple  to  welcome  the  Son  of  God,  and  confess  and 
rejoice  in  God's  salvation,  and  then  goes  back  to  his 
home,  and  departs  in  peace  to  the  glory-land  from 
whence  came  the  Messiah  to  him.  Tradition  has  at- 
tempted to  identify  Simeon  with  Rabbi  Simeon,  son  of 
the  famous  Hillel,  the  father  of  Gamaliel ;  but  there  is 
no  truth  in  this  tradition.  Simeon  was  a  most  common 
name  in  Judaea,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  our  Simeon 
was  just  an  obscure  old  man  of  the  common  people, 
unknown  entirely  out  of  his  own  little  circle,  who  for 
years  had  been  a  devout  but  unofficial  student  of  those 
^  Mai.  iii.  I. 


''GOOD  OLD  SIMEON"  279 

prophetic  scriptures  which  had  kindled  in  his  heart,  and 
kept  burning  for  many  years,  the  fire  of  faith  and 
expectation  ;  who,  hoping  against  hope,  had  at  last  been 
rewarded  by  a  revelation  from  God  "  that  he  should  not 
see  death  before  he  had  seen  the  Lord's  Christ."  ^  Many 
a  great  man  has  striven  after  an  immortality  of  memory 
amongst  men,  only  to  die  and  be  forgotten,  even  in  the 
place  where  he  lived  and  wrought  what  he  fondly  hoped 
would  be  immortal  deeds  ;  yet  this  obscure  old  man,  who 
was  a  lover  of  God  and  a  believer  in  His  Son  Jesus 
Christ,  has  attained  an  immortality  which  shall  endure 
while  the  world  stands,  and  in  the  world  of  glory  shall 
live  and  shine  among  the  greatest  of  the  servants  of  God* 
True  immortality  comes  only  to  those  who  associate 
themselves  with  the  Lord's  Christ.  Not  all  who  believe 
and  receive  Jesus  shall  be  known  in  this  world,  and 
have  their  name  preserved  in  the  records  of  time ;  but 
none  are  too  obscure  to  have  their  names  written  in  the 
Lamb's  book  of  life  and  live  and  shine  for  ever  among 
the  great  unnumbered  and  numberless  host  of  God's 
redeemed  ones. 

I .  He  was  pist  and  devout.  His  character  was  summed 
up  in  these  two  words.  They  were  enough,  for  they  tell 
the  whole  story  of  his  walk  before  God  and  man.  It 
does  not  take  many  words  to  delineate  character,  for  the 
reason  that  all  true  character  is  concentrated  in  one  or 
two  chief  virtues,  which  form,  as  it  were,  the  backbone 
for  the  lesser  ones.  A  just  man  and  devout  is  certain 
to  be  a  good  man,  in  the  broad  sense  of  the  word  ;  a 
kind,  merciful,  generous,  and  benevolent  man.  The 
Holy  Spirit  draws  Enoch's  character  in  a  single  brief 
sentence  of  four  words,  "  He  walked  with  God,"  and  so 
doing,  obtained  "  this  testimony,  that  he  pleased  God."  ^ 
What  more  need  be  said  of  a  man  than  that  he  walks 
*  Luke  ii.  26.  '  Heb.  xi.  5. 


28o  ''GOOD   OLD  SIMEON" 

with  God.  Job  was  "  a  perfect  and  an  upright  man  ; 
one  that  feareth  God  and  escheweth  evil."  ^  What  more 
could  have  been  said  of  him  to  set  him  before  us  in 
perfect  picture  ?  "  Abraham  believed  in  the  Lord,"  and 
He  accounted  it  to  him  for  righteousness."  ^  Moses, 
great  man  as  he  was,  has  his  portrait  drawn  also  in 
these  few  words,  "  He  endured  as  seeing  Him  who  is 
invisible."  ^  In  that  single  line  we  get  at  the  secret  of  all 
Moses'  power.  Of  Barnabas  it  is  said,  "  He  was  a  good 
man,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  faith."  ^  Nothing 
more  need  be  said  to  enable  us  to  admire  and  trust  this 
companion  of  the  Apostle  Paul.  Zacharias  and  Elisa- 
beth have  their  portraits  drawn  together,  "  they  were 
both  righteous  before  God  ;  walking  in  all  the  com- 
mandments and  ordinances  of  the  Lord  blameless."  ^  It 
is  said  of  one  unnamed  woman,  whom  Jesus  forgave, 
that  "  she  loved  much "  ^ ;  this  was  her  character ;  we 
can  easily  take  all  the  rest  for  granted.  Now,  of  this 
good  old  witness  and  friend  of  God,  it  is  simply  said, 
"  he  was  just  and  devout."  The  ingenuity  of  scholars  is 
sometimes  taxed  to  compose  a  memorial  for  the  tomb- 
stone of  some  great  and  good  man  ;  and  we  read  epi- 
taphs, that  run  into  sentences  of  many  words,  in  which 
the  composers  have  endeavoured  to  set  before  the  world 
the  many  virtues  of  the  deceased.  If  I  could  be  sure  of 
having  this  written  on  my  tombstone  with  truth,  "  He 
was  just  and  devout  and  waited  for  the  coming  of  the 
Son  of  God,"  I  should  want  nothing  higher  or  better 
said  of  me.  It  may  be  of  some  service  to  us  if  we  can 
fairly  analyze  these  two  great  virtues  which  made  up  the 
sum  of  Simeon's  character. 

The  just  man  of  the  scripture  is  a  man  who  is  both 
right  with  God  and  man.     First  of  all,  the  just  man  is 

'  Job  i.  8.  ^  Gen.  xv.  6.  ^  Heb.  xi.  27. 

*'  Acts  xi.  24.  ^  Luke  i.  6.  *  Ibid.  vii.  47. 


''GOOD  OLD  SIMEON"  281 

a  justified  man.  "  The  just  shall  live  by  faith."  ^  This 
term  is  almost  always  used  to  describe  men  who,  having 
put  their  trust  in  God,  have  become  righteous  in  His 
sight.  The  just,  or  the  justified,  man  is  he  who  has 
been  set,  or  made,  right  with  God  :  the  Tightened  man. 
No  man  is  by  nature  just  with  God.  "  How  should  a 
man  be  just  with  God  ?  "  ^  cries  Job.  That  is,  how  shall 
a  man  demonstrate  himself  to  be  righteous  in  God's 
sight?  Not  by  works  which  he  has  done,  nor  by  any 
ceremonial  performed.  A  sinful  man  can  only  be  justi- 
fied with  God  by  faith  in  Him.  Abraham  believed 
God,  and  it  was  counted  to  him  for  righteousness  ;  or, 
he  was  thereby  rightened,  or  made  right,  with  God. 
The  scripture  speaks  of  the  resurrection  of  the  just ; 
that  is,  of  those  who  have  been  justified  by  the  death 
and  resurrection  of  Christ,  "  who  was  delivered  for  our 
offences,  and  raised  again  for  our  justification."  ^  To 
be  just  with  God  is  to  have  been  set  free  from  all 
obligations,  to  suffer  for  our  sins  under  the  broken 
law,  or  to  be  declared  by  the  judgment  of  God  to  be 
without  offence,  or  to  be  discharged  from  all  obligations 
to  the  law.  I  have  read  in  English,  especially  in  Scotch, 
history  of  certain  men,  who  had  been  convicted  of 
treason  and  put  to  death,  as  having  thus  been  justified. 
That  is,  the  law  was  satisfied  with  them  or  upon  them. 
Now,  the  law  of  God  has  claims  upon  every  man,  not 
only  for  original  obedience,  but  against  him,  on  account 
of  every  transgression.  He  must  either  be  justified  by 
suffering  the  penalty  of  the  law,  or  by  faith  in  Christ, 
who  died  for  him.  Thus  it  is  proclaimed  by  the  gospel, 
"  Be  it  known  unto  you,  therefore,  men  and  brethren, 
that  through  this  Man  is  preached  unto  you  the  forgive- 
ness of  sins,  and  by  Him  all  that  believe  are  justified 
from  all  things  from  which  ye  could  not  be  justified  by 
'  Hab.  ii.  4.  ^  Job  ix.  2.  ^  Rom.  iv.  25. 


282  ''GOOD  OLD  SIMEON" 

the  law  of  Moses."  ^  In  this  sense,  then,  Simeon  was  a 
just  man,  a  man  who  had  beHeved  in  God,  who  "  justi- 
fieth  the  ungodly."  But  justification  is  not  alone  the 
imputation  of  righteousness  through  faith  in  Christ ;  it 
is  also  the  impartation  of  righteousness  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  through  regeneration.  Every  truly  justified  or 
just  man  is  also  a  regenerated  man  ;  and  thus  righteous- 
ness is  not  only  a  matter  of  standing  with  God,  but  also 
a  matter  of  state  as  well.  "If  any  man  be  in  Christ, 
he  is  a  new  creature."  ^  It  is  this  which  saves  Chris- 
tianity from  being  a  mere  theoretical  faith.  It  is  a 
religion  of  faith,  truly,  but  of  character  as  well.  Not 
with  God  only  was  Simeon  just ;  he  was  also  just  with 
men  ;  that  is,  he  was  righteous  as  to  his  standing  and 
state  before  God,  and  just  and  righteous  in  all  his  re- 
lations and  dealings  with  men.  Righteousness  of  char- 
acter and  actions,  or  practical  holiness,  is  the  final  test 
of  Christian  character.  "  Being  now  made  free  from 
sin  by  justification,  and  become  servants  to  God,  ye 
have  your  fruit  unto  holiness,  and  the  end  everlasting 
life."^  It  is  most  important  that  this  great  truth  be 
always  insisted  upon.  "  The  grace  of  God,  that  bringeth 
salvation,  hath  appeared  to  all  men,  teaching  us  that, 
denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  we  should  live 
soberly,  righteously  (or  justly)  and  godly  in  this  present 
world,  looking  for  that  blessed  hope  (as  Simeon  did) 
and  the  glorious  appearing  of  the  great  God  and  our 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ."*  This  beautiful  passage  may 
serve  as  a  commentary  upon  the  life  of  Simeon,  both 
in  regard  to  his  relations  to  God  and  man.  In  the 
broadest  and  truest  sense  of  the  word,  no  man  can  be 
just  with  his  fellow-man  until  he  has  been  justified  or 

*  Acts  xiii.  38,  39.       *  2  Cor.  v.  17.       '  Rom.  vi.  22. 
*  Tit.  ii.  11-13. 


''GOOD  OLD  SIMEON"  283 

made  right  with  God,  for  only  hence  are  the  springs  and 
motives  of  justice. 

Simeon  was  devout  as  well  as  just.  Now,  devoutness 
is  that  which  describes  our  attitude  towards  God,  with- 
out respect  to  law.  It  is  the  characteristic  of  personal 
relation.  The  devout  man  is  the  pious  man,  who  loves 
and  adores  God  for  Himself  He  is  taken  up  with 
admiration  for  all  His  glorious  attributes  ;  loving  His 
holiness,  His  goodness,  His  mercy,  and  His  truth,  he 
seeks  to  imitate  them  in  his  own  life.  He  walks  with 
God  in  holy  admiration  and  adoration  all  the  days  of 
his  life,  as  did  Enoch.  He  beholds  and  admires  His 
glory  in  all  His  works,  and  especially  in  all  the  manifes- 
tations of  His  grace  toward  men.  He  is  a  man  of 
humility,  prayer,  and  praise.  He  loves  His  law,  lays 
up  His  precepts  and  commandments  in  his  heart,  and 
seeks  ever  to  illustrate  them  in  his  life,  simply  for  the 
purpose  of  glorifying  God's  holy  name  among  men. 
Devoutness  is  not  a  mere  religious  sentiment ;  it  is  a 
whole-hearted  consecration  or  devotion  to  God  and  His 
glory.  I  have  little  confidence  in  that  form  of  piety 
which  expends  itself  in  holy  ejaculations,  in  the  rolling 
of  the  eyes  heavenward,  and  the  recounting  of  spiritual 
ecstasies  and  experiences,  but  finds  no  room  or  time  for 
downright  service,  and  the  adorning  of  the  doctrine  of 
God  with  every  good  work.  The  Pharisees  were  devout 
in  their  pretence  of  prayer  and  in  ostentatious  giving 
of  alms  ;  but  theirs  was  the  devotion  or  devoutness  of 
the  hollow  hypocrite  or  dead  formalist.  In  the  midst 
of  that  crooked  and  perverse  generation  Simeon  lived, 
a  truly  just  and  devout  man,  who  in  God's  sight  was  a 
delight  and  a  joy. 

These  two  traits  of  cJuxracter,  righteousness  and  devout- 
ness^ must  always  go  together.  There  can  never  be  a  divorce 
between  them.     They  are  like  the  two  beautiful  pillars 


284  "  GOOD   OLD  SIMEON'' 

in  the  porch  of  Solomon's  temple,  Strength  and  Beauty  ; 
upon  them  the  superstructure  of  religious  character 
rests.  No  man  can  hope  to  be  truly  just  who  is  not 
a  devout  worshipper  of  God,  and  no  man  can  be  a  true 
worshipper  of  God  unless  he  is  truly  justified  with  God 
and  just  in  all  his  relations  and  transactions  with  men. 

2.  Simeon  was  a  man  of  faith.  He  not  only  believed 
in  God,  but  he  believed  and  expected  the  things  which 
God  promised  and  foretold.  "  Having  seen  them  afar 
off,  was  persuaded  of  them  and  embraced  them."  ^  He 
"waited  for  the  consolation  of  Israel."  Being  familiar 
with  the  scriptures,  he  had  discovered  that  God  had 
promised  to  visit  and  redeem  His  people  by  the  coming 
of  the  Messiah.  In  that  Messiah  he  saw  all  the  good 
things  which  God  had  prepared  for  His  people  concen- 
trated, and  looked  forward  to  His  coming  with  all  his 
heart  and  soul.  All  the  consolations  of  a  true  Israelite 
are  bound  up  in  the  Christ.  If  He  come  not,  or  be  gone 
from  the  soul  of  man,  his  life  goes  down  to  the  grave 
in  sorrow  and  despair.  "  All  the  candles  in  a  country 
cannot  make  a  day,"  says  the  proverb.  It  is  only  the 
rising  of  the  sun  that  can  do  that.  "  The  greatest  con- 
fluence of  comforts  that  the  whole  creation  affordeth 
cannot  make  a  day  of  light  and  gladness  to  the  heart  of 
a  believer."  Only  the  rising  of  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness can  do  that  for  a  soul.  Simeon  saw  this  great 
truth,  and  had  set  his  heart  upon  the  Lord's  Christ  that 
should  come.  He  believed  with  all  his  soul  that  He 
would  come,  and  he  waited  and  hoped  and  longed  day 
and  night  for  His  coming ;  and  had  no  consolation  or 
comfort  in  this  life,  or  hope  for  the  life  to  come,  but  ifi 
His  coming.  It  is  so  with  the  true  man  of  faith  to-day. 
He  not  only  believes  in  God,  and  accepts  Jesus  as  his 
salvation,  and  finds  in  Him  his  only  true  joy  and  com- 
^  Heb.  xi.  13. 


""GOOD  OLD  SIMEON"  285 

fort,  but  he  looks  for  His  future  glorious  appearing  as 
the  consummation  of  all  his  hope.  Take  away  from  the 
true  believer  the  hope  of  Christ's  second  coming,  and  you 
leave  him  desolate  at  the  grave  of  his  loved  ones, 
despairing  at  his  own  death,  miserable  in  view  of  his 
present  unsanctified  character,  and  without  comfort  in 
his  present  trials.  The  true  believer  is  one  who  waits 
and  watches  and  expects  the  coming  of  Christ.  This 
was  the  remarkable  testimony  which  Paul  gave  to  the 
Thessalonian  Christians ;  they  "  turned  to  God  from 
idols  to  serve  the  living  and  true  God,  and  to  wait  for 
His  Son  from  heaven."  ^  This  was  the  consolation 
which  Paul  offered  to  these  same  Thessalonians  in  their 
great  trials  and  bereavements,  "  The  Lord  Himself 
shall  descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice 
of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God  ;  and  the 
dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first ;  then  we  which  are  alive 
and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  together  with  them  in 
the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air  ;  and  so  shall  we 
ever  be  with  the  Lord.  Wherefore  comfort  (console) 
one  another  with  these  words."  ^  Jesus  is  our  consola- 
tion as  He  was  Simeon's  ;  and  if  we  have  not  the  faith 
which  anticipates  His  coming  and  longs  for  it,  we  have 
not  yet  the  true  and  full  faith  of  a  real  Israelite. 

n.  What  the  Holy  Ghost  did  for  Simeon. 
The  office  of  the  Holy  Spirit  under  the  Old  Testament 
dispensation  was  somewhat  different  from  His  office 
under  the  New  Testament.  No  doubt  the  Holy  Spirit 
was  the  author  of  regeneration  in  the  olden  time,  just  as 
He  is  now ;  but  as  the  Comforter  permanently  abiding 
in  us,  He  seems  not  to  have  been  known  by  the  saints  of 
old.  In  this  particular  He  was  the  special  gift  of  the 
Father  to  those  who  believed  on  the  Son.  In  olden 
times  the  Holy  Spirit  came  upon  certain  of  God's  ser- 
^  I  Thess.  i.  9,  10.  *  Ibid.  iv.  16-18. 


286  "GOOD  OLD  SIMEON'' 

vants,  for  the  purpose  of  inspiring  them  to  prophesy,  or 
to  speak  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  or  to  do  some  mighty 
work  for  God,  as  in  the  case  of  the  prophets  and  of  king 
Saul,  who  also  prophesied  after  the  Spirit  of  God  came 
upon  him.  It  is  also  probable  that,  in  a  general  way, 
the  Spirit  of  God  rested  upon  the  priests  during  the 
time  of  their  ministration  in  the  Temple.  We  have 
already  seen  how  the  Spirit  came  upon  Elisabeth,  Mary, 
and  Zacharias,  and  moved  them  to  sing  of  the  Lord  and 
His  faithfulness.  In  like  manner,  the  Spirit  of  God  was 
upon  Simeon.  It  seems  that,  not  only  when  he  came  up 
to  the  Temple,  but  previously  to  this,  the  Holy  Spirit 
rested  upon  him  in  a  peculiar  way,  inspiring  him  and 
giving  him  special  leadings  and  assurances  concerning 
the  Christ  and  his  relation  to  Him.  In  like  manner,  the 
Spirit,  under  the  New  Covenant,  comes  upon  God's 
people,  preparing  and  furnishing  them  for  service,  and 
leading  them  into  special  work,  as  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost ;  and,  as  we  are  told,  the  Spirit  interposed  at  times 
to  direct  the  course  and  work  of  the  apostles.  The 
same  office  is  exercised  by  Him  now.  When  we  are 
assembled  in  the  house  of  God  for  prayer  or  public  wor- 
ship, especially  for  preaching  and  hearing  the  word  of 
God,  we  are  led  to  expect  the  Spirit  of  God  sent  down 
from  heaven  to  give  energy  to  the  word  and  quicken 
every  act  of  worship.  This  office,  as  I  have  said,  is 
something  different  from  the  permanent  indwelling  of 
the  Comforter  in  all  believers.  When  the  Spirit  is  thus 
given  at  times,  and  in  extraordinary  measure  to  be- 
lievers, it  is,  even  now,  called  a  "  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost." 

In  times  of  spiritual  apostasy,  when  the  accredited 
servants  of  God  have  become  formal  and  perfunctory  in 
the  discharge  of  their  duties,  the  Spirit  retires  from  them, 
and  chooses  out  for  Himself  some  other,  and  perhaps 


''GOOD  OLD  SIMEON''  287 

even  obscure,  agents  to  do  God's  work  in  their  stead. 
The  Spirit  had  long  since  departed  from  the  high  priests 
and  rulers  of  Jerusalem,  and  left  them    high  and   dry 
amid    the   husks  and  dead  forms   of  service.      In  the 
meantime  He  had  come  upon   Simeon  and  the  pious 
Anna,  and    now   spake   through   them    to   the   people, 
revealing  to  them  the  Child  Jesus.     Similar  movements 
of  the  Spirit  are  of  no  unusual  occurrence,  even  in  the 
history   of  the  Christian    Church.      How   often   has   a 
spiritual  degeneracy  marked  the  public  service  of  God 
in  connection  with  the  regularly  constituted   Churches 
and    ministry !     The   ordination  and  orders  may  have 
been  all    regular,  the   services   of  church   or   cathedral 
stately,  the  preaching  more  or  less  true  in  word  ;  but  all 
without  the  Spirit,  and  therefore  all  dead  and  lifeless ; 
"strange   fire,"  instead  of  fire  from  heaven,  being  the 
only  energy ;  that  is,  the  natural  energy  of  the  flesh 
substituted  for  the  power  of  the  Spirit.     The  Church  has 
often  been  startled  by  the  rising  up  of  some  obscure  man 
or  woman,  who  has  suddenly  appeared,  preaching  the 
gospel  and  leading  the  people  to  prayer,  altogether  apart 
from  the  regular  channels  or  appointed  means  of  grace. 
A  cold  and  dead  clergy  have  made  haste  to  denounce 
such  proceedings  as  irregular  and  fanatical,  and  have 
exerted  all  their  power  and  authority  to  put  down  such 
unauthorized    proceedings.      During    the    last    century 
there  was  such  a  manifestation  of  the  Spirit,  when  the 
Wesleys  were  called  forth  to  lead  a  new  spiritual  move- 
ment, and  rescue  true  religion  from  the  dead  hands  of  a 
formal  and  degenerate  clergy  and  Church.     In  our  day 
we  have  seen  the  Spirit  resting  upon  obscure,  uneducated, 
and  untrained  laymen,  whom  God  called  to  preach  the 
gospel   and  arouse  the  Churches  into  a  new  life  and 
evangelical  activity.     No  greater  man  has  arisen  in  our 
generation  than  D.  L.  Moody,  the  New  England  farmer's 


288  ''GOOD   OLD  SIMEON" 

lad,  who  has,  under  God,  awakened  a  sleeping  Church, 
and  called  a  dead  world  to  repentance  and  faith.  So, 
also,  the  Spirit  of  God  came  powerfully  upon  William 
and  Catherine  Booth,  and,  through  them,  the  mighty 
Salvation  Army  has  arisen  to  rebuke  the  indifference  of 
Church  and  Chapel  to  the  perishing  masses  for  whose 
souls  neither  Church  nor  clergy  cared.  What  the  en- 
dowed Church  and  educated  clergy  failed  to  do  in  the 
performance  of  perfunctory  duties,  obscure  and  un- 
educated common  people  have  done.  God  is  not  bound 
even  to  His  own  ordinances  or  to  any  regular  order  of 
ministry.  It  is  certain  that  if  we,  who  are  the  accredited 
ministers  of  the  word  of  grace,  and  who  have  organized 
regular  congregations  and  built  stately  houses  of  worship, 
have  degenerated  from  spiritual  life  and  power,  God  will 
set  us  aside,  and  call  to  His  service  and  help  men  and 
women  outside  our  guilds  and  organizations.  Instead  of 
opposing  and  denouncing  the  Spirit-taught  and  Spirit- 
endowed  men,  whether  in  university  halls  or  from  the 
shop  or  farm,  we  should  bless  God  for  them,  accept  the 
rebuke  thus  administered  to  us,  and  turn  again  to  the 
Lord  before  we  be  utterly  cast  off.  The  present  activity 
of  the  Church  throughout  Christendom  is  largely  the 
result  of  the  revival  of  spiritual  religion,  brought  about 
by  obscure  men  on  whom  the  Spirit  of  God  has  rested, 
and  who,  coming  into  His  Temple  again,  have  recog- 
nised the  Lord's  Christ,  embraced  and  proclaimed  Him 
afresh  to  all  the  world. 

The  secret  of  tJie  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  Him. 
"  And  it  was  revealed  to  him  by  the  Holy  Ghost  that  he 
should  not  see  death  till  he  had  seen  the  Lord's  Christ."  ^ 
Already  the  Spirit  had  clearly  shown  to  Simeon,  out  of 
the  scriptures,  that  the  consolation  of  Israel  was  coming, 
and  that  He  was  not  to  be  looked  for  either  in  the 
^  Luke  ii.  26. 


''GOOD  OLD  SIMEON"  289 

Temple  and  its  ordinances,  or  in  the  political  liberation 
of  the  nation  from  the  hands  of  the  alien  and  dominant 
power  of  Rome,  but  in  the  coming  of  the  long-promised 
personal  Messiah.  His  mind  was  directed  to  a  Person 
rather  than  to  an  event.  This  in  itself  was  a  great 
revelation,  and  one  which  we  all  might  well  covet.  How 
many  of  us  who  are  in  trouble  and  distress,  either  in 
body  or  soul,  are  inclined  to  fix  our  hopes  or  desires 
upon  some  change  in  our  circumstances,  rather  than  upon 
the  Lord's  Christ.  If  we  only,  by  some  good  fortune, 
could  come  by  some  money,  our  poverty  or  temporal 
circumstances  would  be  relieved ;  if  only  health  would 
return  to  our  bodies,  our  physical  sufferings  would  be 
over  ;  if  only  our  daughters  could  marry  well,  and  be 
settled  in  their  own  homes,  and  our  sons  get  well  placed 
in  business  or  professional  life,  our  anxieties  on  their 
account  would  be  over  and  ourselves  consoled.  I  do  not 
say  that  such  things  are  not  desirable,  but  they  are  not 
the  consolation  of  Israel,  nor  are  they  our  true  consolation. 
Such  things  are  but  the  candles  which  we  fain  would 
light  to  chase  away  our  darkness  ;  they  are  not  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness  which  God  has  given  us,  with  healing 
in  His  wings,  to  make  for  us  a  new  and  permanent  day. 
A  true  spiritual  knowledge  of  Christ  is  better  than 
wealth,  better  than  health,  better  than  homes  for  our 
daughters,  better  than  all  advantageous  places  for  our 
sons.  When  the  Holy  Ghost  shows  us  that  Christ  is  all 
and  in  all,  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteous- 
ness is  the  main  and  first  need  for  ourselves  and  our 
children,  then  indeed  has  the  consolation  of  Israel  come 
to  us  ;  then  may  we  wait  with  patient  hope  for  all  these 
things  to  be  added  to  us.  Then  shall  we  learn  in 
"  whatsoever  state  we  are,  therewith  to  be  content  "  ^ — 
to  be  consoled.     How  sad  it  is  to  see  all  the  world,  and 

^  Phil.  iv.  II. 
P.B.  19 


290  ''GOOD  OLD  SIMEON'' 

more  than  half  the  Church,  looking  for  things  and  events 
to  supply  them  with  happiness,  instead  of  looking  to 
Him  who  can  ease  us  of  our  burdens,  relieve  us  of  our 
anxieties,  comfort  us  in  our  sorrows,  and  make  His  grace 
to  abound  to  us  more  and  more,  so  that  we  can  rejoice 
even  in  our  tribulations.  How  the  Holy  Ghost  revealed 
to  Simeon  "  that  he  should  not  see  death  until  his  eyes 
had  seen  the  Lord's  Christ "  we  cannot  tell.  It  is  not 
necessary  for  us  to  know.  In  these  things  of  the  King- 
dom of  God  we  are  moving  and  living  in  a  world  which 
"  eye  hath  not  seen  nor  ear  heard,"  and  which  hath  not 
(naturally  or  by  reason)  entered  into  the  heart  of  man, 
but  which  "  God  has  revealed  to  us  by  His  Spirit."  ^ 
To  the  just  and  devout  believer  who  waits  on  God  these 
revelations  come.  They  are  not  made  necessarily  to 
ministerial  training,  to  high  ecclesiastical  dignity,  to  in- 
tellectual culture,  or  to  high,  worldly,  or  social  position, 
but  to  those  who  wait  upon  the  Lord.  "  The  secret  of 
the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  him."  ^ 

Simeon  is  led  by  the  Spirit  to  Christ.  "  And  he  came 
by  the  Spirit  into  the  Temple,"  where  the  Child  Christ 
was  brought  by  His  parents.  Whether  Simeon  was  in 
the  daily  habit  of  visiting  the  Temple  or  not  does  not 
appear  ;  but  on  this  day,  and  at  this  hour,  moved  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  he  went  up  to  the  Temple,  and  there  found 
the  Christ  for  whom  he  had  so  long  waited.  We  are  not 
always  conscious  that  it  is  the  Spirit  who  is  leading  us. 
A  strong  persuasion  of  duty,  or  an  impulse  in  a  certain 
direction,  or  even  the  slightest  desire,  may  be  of  the 
Spirit.  Nor  does  the  leading  of  the  Spirit  always  come 
to  us  directly ;  He  may  lead  us  through  another.  In 
any  case,  we  are  not  to  look  for  mechanical  operation  in 
connection  with  this  gracious  work  of  God  in  our  souls 
and  upon  our  minds.  In  one  passage  Paul  says,  "  I 
'  1  Cor.  ii.  9.  '  Ps.  XXV.  14. 


''GOOD   OLD  SIMEON"  291 

think  also  that  I  have  the  Spirit  of  God."  ^  The  just  and 
devout  man  may  count  upon  the  leading  of  the  Spirit 
in  his  most  ordinary  affairs,  without  waiting  t6  feel  some 
extraordinary  impulse  which  he  shall  be  able  to  identify 
with  the  heavenly  guidance.  The  Christian  life  is,  or 
ought  to  be,  a  most  natural  one ;  that  is,  the  Spirit  does 
no  violence  to  the  natural  and  ordinary  working  of  the 
mind.  He  leads  us  into  all  truth,  and  guides  us  along 
the  lines  of  our  own  judgment  and  desires.  I  myself 
have  no  doubt,  that  in  His  ordinary  operations,  even 
upon  worldly  people,  it  is  He  who  leads  men  and  women 
to  the  house  of  God  where  Christ  is  preached.  How 
came  you  here  this  morning,  my  friend  ?  What  led  you 
to  this  place  of  worship?  Was  it  habit?  was  it  an 
impulse?  was  it  some  friend  who  suggested  it  to  you? 
was  it  a  notice  in  some  paper  of  the  services  ?  was  it  the 
reading  of  one  of  the  published  sermons,  which  may 
have  fallen  into  your  hands,  and  awakened  in  you  a 
desire  to  come  and  see  and  hear  for  yourself?  These,  or 
any  one  of  these,  motives  may  have  been  the  guidings  of 
the  Spirit.  It  is  quite  possible  that,  not  recognising  the 
good  hand  of  God  upon  you,  you  may  not  receive  the 
heavenly  benefit  intended.  On  the  other  hand,  should 
you  say  to  yourself,  "  God,  by  His  Spirit,  has  led  me  to 
the  house  of  God  this  morning ;  I  will  therefore  hear 
what  the  Lord  will  say  to  me,"  I  have  no  doubt  you  will 
get  a  message  for  your  own  soul  which  will  be  beyond 
price ;  or  you  may,  for  the  first  time,  have  your  eyes 
open  to  see  the  Lord's  Christ.  Whether  believers  or 
unbelievers,  we  are  never  left  in  blindness  or  darkness,  or 
without  a  sufficient  voice  from  God  for  our  spiritual 
guidance ;  if  we  have  not  that  guidance,  we  may  be  sure 
it  is  from  our  failure  to  attend  to  the  leading  of  the 
Spirit.  Were  we  always  careful  to  remember  that  God's 
*  I  Cor.  vii.  40. 


292  "GOOD   OLD  SIMEON'' 

Holy  Spirit  is  His  gift  to  the  world  to  convince  it  of  sin, 
of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment,  and  to  His  own 
believing  children  to  lead  them  in  a  plain  path,  it  would 
not  be  long  before  we  became  so  intimately  acquainted 
with  His  blessed  personality  and  leading,  that  practically 
we  would  never  go  astray,  and  would  live  our  life  out  in 
the  earth  as  though  we  were  in  heaven. 

The  Lord's  Christ  is  revealed  to  Simeofi.  Having  led 
him  into  the  Temple  just  at  the  right  time,  he  saw  Mary 
and  Joseph  and  "  the  young  Child."  There  was  nothing 
in  the  parents  or  in  the  appearance  of  the  Child  Jesus 
distinguishing  them  from  other  parents  and  children. 
There  was  no  nimbus  about  His  head,  no  pompous  or 
uplifted  manner  about  Mary  and  Joseph,  to  call  atten- 
tion to  them  and  their  Infant.  Nevertheless,  Simeon 
recognised  at  once  in  the  Child  Jesus  the  long-hoped-for 
"  consolation  of  Israel."  How  he  recognised  Him  we  are 
not  told.  No  doubt  this  also  was  of  the  Spirit,  speak- 
ing without  word  in  his  soul,  saying,  "  That  is  He." 
When  Moses  was  born,  his  parents  "  saw  that  he  was  a 
proper  child  "  ^ ;  that  is,  by  some  spiritual  intuition,  they 
recognised  in  their  son  an  instrument  chosen  of  God, 
and  were  led  to  conceal  him  for  three  months  in  the 
river,  so  preserving  the  future  deliverer  of  Israel  from 
Egypt.  It  is  said  that  they  perceived  this  by  faith ;  that 
is  only  another  way  of  saying  that  they  were  led  of  the 
Spirit.  When  Mary  visited  Elisabeth  in  the  hill  country, 
Elisabeth  had  no  knowledge  that  the  Angel  had  visited 
Mary  and  revealed  to  her  that  she  should  be  the  mother 
of  the  Incarnate  Lord  ;  yet  the  moment  Mary  came  into 
Elisabeth's  presence,  the  elder  woman  recognised  Mary 
as  the  "  mother  of  her  Lord,"  and  immediately  broke 
lOut  into  holy,  spiritual,  and  prophetic  song.  She  knew 
Mary  by  the  Spirit.  How  is  it  that  Christ,  who  is 
^  Heb.  xi.  23. 


''GOOD  OLD  SIMEON"  293 

preached  here  regularly,  is  fiot  recognised  by  many  and 
is  recognised  by  some  ?  In  the  one  case  the  voice  or 
revelation  of  the  Spirit  is  attended  to,  and  in  another 
case  God's  Spirit  is  resisted  or  quenched !  "  No  man 
can  say  that  Jesus  is  the  Lord  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  ^ 
Flesh  and  blood  do  not  reveal  Jesus  to  men.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  the  revealing  Spirit  is  present  with  all  to 
whom  Jesus  is  preached  ;  yet  that  many,  who  have  eyes  to 
see  and  ears  to  hear,  will  not  see  and  will  not  hear.  They 
are  not  seeking  Jesus — they  do  not  desire  Him  ;  and  so 
they  resist  the  Spirit's  gracious  revelation,  and  fail  to  see 
in  Jesus  their  Saviour.  Oh !  it  is  a  serious  thing  to  resist 
even  the  faintest  conviction  wrought  in  the  soul  by  the 
Spirit  of  God.  I  beseech  you  open  your  eyes,  yield  to 
the  Spirit  to-day,  and  "  behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  who 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world."  ^ 

"  The  Spirit  calls  to-day, 
Yield  to  His  power  : 
Oh  !  grieve  Him  not  away  ; 
'Tis  mercy's  hour." 

Simeon  embraces  the  Savioiir,  This  good  old  man, 
who  had  so  long  waited  for  the  consolation  of  Israel, 
who  yielded  himself  to  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  and  longed  for  God's  salvation,  no  sooner  recog- 
nised in  Jesus  that  salvation,  than  he  reached  out  his 
arms  and  embraced  Him.  I  am  sure  that  the  same 
Spirit  who  led  Simeon  to  reach  out  his  arms  to  embrace 
the  Christ  also  led  Mary  to  yield  her  Babe  up  to  this 
devout  and  just  man.  No  man  stretches  out  his  arms 
in  vain  to  Christ,  nor  calls  unto  Him  and  is  not  heard, 
nor  seeks  Him  who  does  not  find  Him.  Jesus  came 
into  this  world  to  be  sought  after,  and  to  give  Himself 
to  those  who  come  after  Him.      I  wonder  that  all  do 

*  I  Cor.  xii.  3.  '  John  i.  29. 


294  ''GOOD   OLD  SIMEON" 

not  embrace  Him,  for  to  have  Him  in  one's  arms,  or  in 
one's  heart,  which  is  the  same  thing,  is  to  have  hfe  and 
salvation.  The  sweet  thing  about  Simeon  was  that  he 
no  sooner  saw  Him  than  he  embraced  Him.  Like  the 
shepherds  of  Bethlehem,  he  did  not  wait  to  think  the 
matter  over,  to  discuss  all  the  possibilities  of  the  case, 
to  make  sceptical  inquiries  concerning  Him  of  his 
mother  or  Joseph,  to  solve  the  mystery  of  the  Incarna- 
tion, or  to  inquire  if  others  had  believed  on  Him.  How 
different  in  this  matter  is  the  attitude  of  many  of  you ! 
Jesus  is  set  forth  evidently  crucified  before  your  eyes. 
You  know  the  story  of  His  Incarnation  and  life,  death, 
and  resurrection.  You  are  thoroughly  persuaded  of  the 
historical  truth  of  the  things  upon  which  the  faith  of 
the  Christian  rests.  You  confess  a  great  admiration  for 
the  wonderful  beauty  and  perfection  of  God's  plan  of 
salvation ;  you  scorn  the  idea  of  being  infidels,  you 
even  patronize  the  church ;  you  go  up  to  the  temple 
Sunday  after  Sunday,  and  there  behold  the  Christ  of 
God,  and  yet  you  reach  out  no  arm  to  receive  Him  ; 
you  find  no  place  in  your  hearts  for  Him.  On  the  other 
hand,  you  make  all  possible  excuses  for  not  doing  so. 
You  tell  us  of  your  difficulties,  how  you  cannot  under- 
stand this  and  that ;  you  are  ready  to  admire  Christ 
as  a  good  man,  as  the  best  man  the  world  ever  pro- 
duced, for  that  matter  ;  you  are  even  willing  to  acknow- 
ledge that  He  is  in  some  sort  even  more  than  a  man  ; 
but  you  will  not  receive  Him  as  God's  salvation.  Alas  ! 
how  perverse  is  the  human  heart,  how  stubborn  the 
human  will,  how  deep  the  alienation  which  sin  has 
wrought  in  man !  Jesus  has  come  from  heaven  ;  He 
has  taken  our  human  nature ;  He  is  born  in  Bethlehem, 
within  the  reach  of  the  poorest  and  the  most  sinful ;  He 
is  brought  to  the  temple  where  men  and  women  resort ; 
He  will  not  resist  any  outstretched  arms  of  faith  and 


''GOOD  OLD  SIMEON''  295 

love ;  He  is  willing  to  be  received  by  any  and  by  all 
sinners,  and,  when  He  is  so  received,  He  bestows  life 
and  light,  joy  and  peace  ;  yet  will  not  men  receive  Him. 
Turning  from  these  cavillers,  these  theoretical  admirers 
of  Christ,  who  say,  "  Lord,  Lord,"  but  will  not  embrace 
Him,  to  Simeon,  I  find  great  delight  in  beholding  the 
simplicity  and  boldness  of  his  faith.  If  I  were  not 
privileged  myself  to  receive  Christ  as  he  received  Him, 
I  should  envy  him  the  joy  of  holding  Christ  in  his 
arms,  and  saying  to  himself,  "  He  is  mine ;  God  has 
given  Him  to  me.  He  has  come  and  given  Himself 
to  me." 

Simeon  blessed  God.  Having  taken  Christ  in  his 
arms,  the  good  old  man  opened  his  mouth  and  blessed 
God.  This,  being  interpreted,  is,  he  thanked  God  for 
the  gift  of  His  Son,  in  whom  he  found  his  salvation  ; 
and  he  confessed  God  and  Christ,  and  proclaimed  them 
to  all  the  world  as  his  Saviour.  Simeon  was  not 
ashamed  of  his  religion  ;  much  less  was  he  ashamed 
of  his  God  and  Saviour.  He  opened  his  mouth  wide 
to  confess  and  declare  Him  to  others.  I  have  occasion 
often  to  speak  of  this  matter  of  confession.  It  is  the 
v^ery  first  duty  of  the  Christian  ;  and  I  think  it  is  the 
first  natural  impulse  of  the  converted  man  to  speak 
forth  the  praise  of  God  and  Christ.  How  can  we  re- 
ceive so  great  salvation  and  not  tell  it  to  others  ?  More 
than  that,  there  is  a  sense  in  which  one  is  not  saved 
until  he  confesses  Christ.  "  If  thou  shalt  confess  with 
thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  shalt  believe  in 
thine  heart  that  God  hath  raised  Him  from  the  dead, 
thou  shalt  be  saved.  For  with  the  heart  man  believeth 
unto  righteousness,  and  with  the  mouth  confession  is 
made  unto  salvation."  ^  There  is  no  record  in  the  Bible 
of  silent  believers ;  faith  is  vocal  with  the  praises  of 
^  Rom.  X.  9,  10. 


296  ''GOOD   OLD  SIMEON" 

God  always.  If  Christ  is  in  the  heart,  He  will,  by 
the  very  force  of  the  joy  He  creates  there,  open  the 
lips  to  speak  and  sing  of  His  salvation.  "  Out  of  the 
abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh."  ^  It  is  a 
sure  sign  of  decadence  of  spiritual  life  in  the  Church 
when  the  congregation  leaves  all  the  preaching  to  the 
minister  ;  when,  for  the  lack  of  confessors,  the  mid-week 
service  has  to  be  turned  into  a  lecture.  Of  course, 
there  is  a  hypocritical,  pharisaical,  and  ostentatious  pro- 
fession of  Christ,  which  must  be  as  hateful  to  Him  as 
it  is  disgusting  to  the  world ;  but  there  is  no  difficulty 
in  discriminating  one  type  of  confession  from  the  other  ; 
there  is  a  different  ring  in  the  words  which  a  believer 
utters  out  of  a  true,  warm,  and  loyal  heart,  from  the 
cold,  metallic  words  of  the  mere  formal  professor  or 
sectarian.  We  owe  it  to  God  that  we  confess  Him 
before  men ;  we  owe  it  to  our  brethren  and  fellow- 
confessors  that  we  keep  not  silent ;  we  owe  it  to  the 
world,  which  waits  on  our  testimony  for  knowledge  of 
Christ ;  we  owe  it  to  ourselves,  for  no  soul  can  be  truly 
happy  so  long  as  it  is  dumb. 

*  Matt.  xii.  34. 


XVI 

SIMEON'S   TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS 

"  Lord,  now  lettest  Thou  Thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  according 
to  Thy  word  ;  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  Thy  salvation,  which  Thou 
hast  prepared  before  the  face  of  all  people  ;  a  light  to  lighten  the 
Gentiles,  and  the  glory  of  Thy  people  Israel." — Luke  ii.  29-32. 

OUR  Lord  Jesus  Christ  humbled  Himself  to  be  born 
of  a  maiden  of  Nazareth,  to  be  cradled  in  a 
stable,  to  be  cared  for  and  protected  in  his  youth  by  a 
poor  carpenter,  to  be  brought  to  the  temple  and  pre- 
sented before  the  Lord  amidst  a  crowd  of  other  children, 
in  nothing  distinguished  so  far  as  outward  appearance 
from  the  very  poorest  of  the  children  of  the  poor  who 
were  probably  that  day  presented.  It  is  almost  im- 
possible not  to  have  in  mind  the  contrast  offered  in 
this  scene  with  the  gorgeous  and  ostentatious  cere- 
monials recently  performed  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  in 
connection  with  the  baptism  of  the  poor  little  prince- 
let  of  a  little  principality  in  the  south-east  of  Europe.^ 
In  the  case  of  Jesus  there  was  no  demonstration  from 
either  political  or  social  powers,  yet  was  He  not  without 
recognition.  At  His  birth  angels  had  sung,  shepherds 
and  wise  men  had  worshipped,  and  now,  in  the  Temple, 
two  good  people  had  come  to  sing  His  praise  as  the 
world's  salvation,  to  encourage  His  parents,  to  give 
hope  to  a  Gentile  world,  and  through  Him  to  prophesy 
the  return  of  a  long-lost  glory  to  the  people  of  Israel. 
*  Bulgaria. 

2li7 


298  SIMEON'S   TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS 

Matthew  Henry  well  says  that  in  this  public  recognition 
of  Jesus  by  Simeon  and  Anna  there  might  have  been  a 
happy  introduction  of  the  priests  into  acquaintance  with 
the  Saviour,  had  not  those  watchmen  been  blind.  We 
might  take  these  pregnant  words  of  the  good  com- 
mentator and  pass  them  on  to  some  of  you,  and  intimate 
that,  in  the  event  which  we  are  considering,  there  is 
a  like  opportunity  for  you  to  learn  of  the  salvation  of 
God,  unless  you  also  are  determined  to  remain  blind 
to  the  fact  which  "  God  hath  prepared  before  the  face 
of  all  people." 

Our  English  Bible  does  not  intimate  that  the  testi- 
mony of  Simeon  was  given  in  the  form  of  a  beautiful 
song,  short  as  to  the  number  of  its  measures,  but 
weighty  and  beautiful  in  expression  and  contents. 
Simeon's  song  was  genuinely  Israelitish,  at  the  same 
time  genuinely  evangelical  and  universal,  in  its  glad 
proclamation.  In  it  we  have  the  same  theme  which 
characterizes  alike  the  songs  of  Elisabeth,  Mary, 
Zacharias,  and  the  angels.  All  these  announced  the 
fulfilment  of  Israel's  hopes  in  the  birth  of  the  Messiah, 
and  also  the  great  mercy  of  God  to  "  all  people."  There 
is  no  one  who  truly  recognises  in  Jesus  a  Saviour  for 
himself,  but  also  rejoices  and  proclaims  Him  a  Saviour 
for  others.  The  coming  of  Jesus  made  all  the  world 
kin,  introducing  a  new  brotherhood  among  men,  uniting 
the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  far  off  and  the  near,  in  the 
love  and  salvation  of  a  common  Redeemer.  Oh  !  let  us 
whose  eyes  have  seen  God's  salvation,  who  have  received 
Jesus  into  our  hearts  as  Simeon  received  Him  into  his 
arms,  give  glory  to  Him,  and  joy  to  those  who  shall 
hereafter  believe  on  His  name  through  our  testimony. 
In  these  words  of  Simeon,  brief  as  they  are,  we  have  a 
great  body  of  truth  concerning  Jesus  and  the  salvation 
of  God,  both  for  the  world  and  for  His  ancient  people. 


SIMEON'S   TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS  299 

I.  Jesus  is  God's  Salvation.  In  a  former  sen- 
tence we  read  that  Simeon  had  long  been  waiting  for 
"  the  consolation  of  Israel,"  and  that  it  had  been  revealed 
to  him  that  he  "  should  not  see  death  before  he  had  seen 
the  Lord's  Christ."  In  this  testimony  we  have  a  greatly 
enlarged  view  of  Him,  in  the  title  by  which  He  is  now 
designated.  If  to  the  hope  of  Simeon  He  had  stood 
forth  as  the  consolation  of  Israel,  now  to  his  sight  He 
was  the  salvation  of  God,  both  to  Gentile  and  to  Jew. 
God's  promises  are  always  great,  but  in  their  fulfilment 
they  are  still  greater.  However  great  our  faith  and 
hope  may  be,  based  on  God's  word,  yet  when  we  shall 
come  to  see  Him  face  to  face,  and  enter  upon  our  in- 
heritance, the  end  of  faith  and  the  fruition  of  hope  will 
be  more  glorious,  "  Mine  eyes  have  seen  Thy  salva- 
tion." Ordinarily  we  attach  to  the  word  "  salvation  "  a 
significance  which  sets  before  us  some  benefit  which  we 
receive  through  faith  in  Christ ;  and  this  is  a  quite 
correct  application  of  the  word,  for  it  is  commonly  used 
to  indicate  the  benefits  of  God's  grace  to  us,  such  as 
forgiveness,  justification,  sanctification,  eternal  life,  and 
the  place  and  condition  of  glory  into  which  God  has 
promised  to  bring  us.  In  the  passage  before  us  we  have 
a  yet  fuller  meaning.  It  carries  with  it  not  only  the 
idea  of  a  benefit  conferred,  but  the  means  by  which  the 
benefit  is  conferred  ;  and  I  fancy,  also,  the  further 
thought,  that  both  the  substance  and  the  means  of 
salvation  are  alike  in  Him  who  is  called  "  Thy  salva- 
tion." 

I  am  afraid  there  is  too  common  an  idea  prevalent 
that  salvation  is  a  mere  gift  which  God  bestows  upon  us 
through  Jesus  ;  that  it  passes  over  to  us,  and  may  be 
held  and  enjoyed  quite  independently,  after  we  have 
received  it,  and  apart  from  Christ.  Take  the  matter  of 
forgiveness.     How  many  Christians  think  of  forgiveness 


300  SIMEON'S  TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS 

as  a  something  which  they  have  received  in  themselves, 
coming,  indeed,  through  Christ,  but  yet  held  apart  from 
Him.  Sometimes  they  lose  the  sense  of  it,  and  are 
ignorant  how  to  regain  this  lost  feeling.  Now,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  forgiveness  is  not  something  in  us,  but 
something  in  Him  ;  and  we  have  no  forgiveness  apart 
from  having  Him.  "  In  whom  we  have  redemption 
through  His  blood,  the  forgiveness  of  sins."  ^  He  is  our 
forgiveness,  just  as  He  is  our  hope.  If  we  have  not 
Him  in  our  hearts,  then  we  have  neither  forgiveness  nor 
hope.  So  in  the  matter  of  eternal  life.  "  And  this  is 
the  record,  that  God  hath  given  to  us  eternal  life,  ajtd 
this  life  is  in  the  Son.  He  that  hath  the  Son  hath  life  ; 
and  he  that  hath  not  the  Son  of  God  hath  not  life."  ^ 
Or  take  another  striking  notification  of  .this  great  truth, 
that  salvation  is  in  Christ,  not  apart  from  Him — that 
He  is  both  the  instrument  and  the  substance  of  salvation. 
When  Martha  replied  to  Jesus'  statement  that  her 
brother  Lazarus  should  live  again,  she  said,  "  I  know 
that  he  shall  rise  again,  in  the  resurrection  at  the  last 
day."  ^  Now,  her  thought  was,  that  at  the  last  day  a 
great  event  would  take  place,  in  which  her  brother  and 
all  other  faithful  Israelites  would  be  raised  again.  The 
resurrection,  as  an  event,  was  the  object  of  her  hope ; 
but  Jesus  at  once  corrected  her  on  this  point,  and  said, 
I  can  almost  imagine  somewhat  sharply,  though  ten- 
derly, "  /  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life."  *  "  There  is 
no  resurrection  apart  from  Me.  He  that  hath  Me  hath 
resurrection,  and  he  that  hath  not  Me  hath  not  resurrec- 
tion. He  that  believeth  on  Me  (that  is,  he  that  receiveth 
Me)  shall  never  die ;  and  though  his  body  may  die,  yet 
shall  that  also  live  again."  Nor  is  this  great  truth  a 
later  statement  of  the  New  Covenant ;  it  was  known  to 
the  spiritually-minded  believers  of  the  Old  Testament. 
^  Eph.  i.  7.     *  I  John  v.  11,  12.     '  John  xi.  24.     ^  Ibid.  xi.  25. 


SIMEON'S  TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS  301  ' 

"  Behold,  God  is  my  salvation  ;  I  will  trust  and  not  be 
afraid  ;  for  the  Lord  JEHOVAH  is  my  strength  and  my 
song  ;  He  also  is  become  my  salvation."  ^  Now,  in  this 
beautiful  passage  from  Isaiah,  it  is  clearly  seen  that  it  is 
no  blessing  from  Jehovah,  no  mere  communication  of 
grace,  not  even  forgiveness  and  regeneration,  which 
enters  so  largely  into  our  salvation,  but  Jehovah  Him- 
self If  only  we  could  get  this  great  and  important 
truth  clearly  into  our  heads,  and  deeply  into  our  hearts, 
we  would  be  delivered  from  all  those  fluctuations  of  ex- 
perience, those  dreadful  alternations  of  hope  and  fear, 
of  peace  and  unrest,  which  so  many  Christians  suffer, 
because  they  are  for  ever  looking  within  themselves  to 
find  some  experience  of  spiritual  blessing,  which  they 
regard  as  the  sign  or  the  substance  of  salvation.  The 
eye  of  a  true  believer,  then,  is  always  fixed  upon  Him  ; 
the  faith  of  a  true  believer  always  embraces  Him  ;  for 
in  Him,  and  in  Him  only,  have  we  salvation.  For  this 
reason  we  preach  not  forgiveness  of  sins,  but  "  we  preach 
Christ,"  and  "  in  Him  the  forgiveness  of  sins  "  ^  and  all 
other  blessings.  The  real  question  is  not,  Have  you 
received  the  forgiveness  of  sins  ?  or,  have  you  received 
the  new  birth  ?  but  have  you  received  Christ — God's 
salvation  ?  for  He,  "  of  God  is  made  unto  us  wisdom, 
and  righteousness,  and  sanctification,  and  redemption."  ^ 
I  beseech  you,  do  not  fail  to  grasp  this  great  truth  ;  it 
will  save  you  much  spiritual  distress,  and  make  your  life 
infinitely  more  happy  and  strong.  He  who  is  always 
looking  internally  for  evidence  of  salvation  will  always 
be  more  or  less  in  doubt  and  fear ;  but  he  who  is  ever 
beholding  Christ  and  embracing  Him  will  always  be  full 
of  assurance  and  strength. 

I.  This  salvation  God  has  prepared  before  the  face  of 
all  people.     It  is  true,  at  that  moment  of  time,  Jesus 
^  Isa.  xii.  2.     *  Eph.  i.  7  ;  Luke  xxiv.  47.     '  i  Cor.  i.  30. 


302  SIMEOJSrS   TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS 

had  not  been  set  before  all  people ;  but  Simeon  saw  in 
Him  the  salvation  to  be  set  before  all  people.  He  was 
prepared  for  that  end.  "  Behold,"  said  the  angel  to  the 
shepherds,  "  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy,  which 
shall  be  unto  all  people."  This  was  the  far-reaching 
purpose  and  preparation  of  God,  in  sending  His  Son 
into  the  world.  "  The  grace  of  God,"  said  the  Apostle 
Paul,  "  which  bringeth  salvation  unto  all  men,  hath  ap- 
peared." 1  "  And  L  if  I  be  lifted  up,"  saith  Jesus,  "  will 
draw  all  men  unto  Me."  ^  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,"  ^  was  His  last 
command  to  His  disciples ;  for  He  knew  Himself  to  be 
the  Saviour  of  all  men.  Is  not  this  a  most  blessed 
truth  ?  "  God  our  Saviour,  who  will  have  all  men  to  be 
saved  and  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth."  * 
Simeon  grasped  this  world-wide  gospel  the  moment  he 
beheld  Christ,  the  Holy  Ghost  being  upon  him.  The 
very  sight  of  Christ  burst  off  all  the  bonds  of  narrow 
and  selfish  Judaism  from  his  mind  and  heart,  and  in 
embracing  Jesus  he  embraced  the  whole  world  in  his 
arms.  Whom  Christ  loved,  he  loved  ;  whom  Christ 
came  to  save,  he  instantly  rejoiced  over  and  rejoiced 
with.  No  religion  can  be  true  which  does  not  com- 
prehend all  people  in  its  privileges  and  provisions.  I 
used  often  to  urge  this  truth  upon  the  Brahmins  of 
India,  to  whom  I  preached  so  much  and  often  a  few 
years  ago.  They  were  much  impressed  by  this  state- 
ment, and  much  perplexed  by  the  fact  that  in  their  faith 
there  was  no  hint  of  enlargement  beyond  the  bounds  of 
their  own  caste,  and  there  could  be  no  enlargement 
without  destroying  the  very  foundations  upon  which 
their  faith  rested.  With  the  faith  of  Israel  it  was 
different ;  for,  from  the  beginning  the  blessings  promised 

*  Tit.  ii.  II.     *  John  xii.  32.     ^  Mark  xvi.  15.     ■*  i  Tim.  ii.  4. 


SIMEON'S  TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS  303 

to  Abraham  were  also  promised  to  all  nations  of  the 
earth. 

There  is  yet  another  thought  here.  Not  only  is  the 
salvation  of  God  come  for  all  people,  but  it  "  is  prepared 
before  the  face  of  all  peopled  By  this  we  understand  that 
the  great  fact  of  our  Lord's  coming  was  not  a  concealed 
one,  or  one  revealed  to  a  select  few  alone.  It  is  true 
that  His  incarnation,  birth,  and  early  childhood  were 
known  to  but  few  at  the  time,  but  His  whole  ministry, 
the  great  manifestation  of  the  grace  of  God  to  men,  and 
especially  the  great  consummation  of  His  redemptive 
work  on  the  cross,  was  public  and  before  the  face  of  the 
world.  Jesus  was  no  hidden  Saviour.  Publicly  bap- 
tized, He  forthwith  began  and  continued  His  ministry 
in  all  the  highways  of  life,  in  the  synagogues,  in  the 
public  ways,  in  the  Temple,  and  in  all  the  cities  and 
villages  of  the  country.  He  did  not  hide  Himself,  He 
did  not  do  His  mighty  works  "in  a  corner,"^  but 
"  manifested  forth  His  glory  "  ^  to  men.  Theosophists 
tell  us  that  in  the  heart  of  Thibet  are  a  company  of 
"  Masters  "  who  never  manifest  themselves  to  the  world, 
nor  allow  the  world  to  come  to  them ;  all  we  hear  of  them 
is  some  mysterious  rumour  of  their  esoteric  wisdom  and 
occult  powers.  But  for  centuries  God  had  been  pre- 
paring Jesus,  and  preparing  all  people  for  His  coming, 
by  prophecy,  by  types  and  shadows,  and  now  by  making 
His  advent  public  before  the  eyes  of  all  people.  If  any 
man  shall  ask,  "  Where  dwellest  Thou  ?  "  the  answer  is 
prompt  and  frank,  "  Come  and  see."  ^  It  is  the  business 
of  every  preacher  to  "  show  Him  forth."  Who  He  is, 
whence  He  came,  whither  He  is  gone,  and  how  He  shall 
come  again,  is  an  open  secret  which  all  who  will  may 
read  and  understand. 

2.  He  is  a  light  to  the  Gefitiles,  and  the  glory  of  Israel. 
^  ^''ts  xxvi.  26.  *  John  ii.  11.  ^  Ibid.  i.  39. 


304  SIMEON'S   TESTIMONY   TO  JESUS 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  Simeon,  a  devout  Israelite, 
should  first  see  in  Christ  a  light  to  the  Gentiles.  We 
might  at  best  have  thought  he  would  have  seen  in  Him 
first  the  glory  of  His  people  Israel,  and  after  that  a 
light  to  the  Gentiles.  This  generous  old  man,  trained  in 
all  the  exclusiveness  of  his  nation,  yet  saw  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  was  prompt  to  proclaim,  that  to  the  Gentiles 
first  the  Light  should  come,  and  after  that  His  glory 
promised  to  Israel.  Guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  beseems 
to  have  caught  the  full  meaning  of  all  Isaiah's  prophe- 
cies concerning  Him,  both  as  to  Jews  and  Gentiles,  and 
to  have  perceived  that  the  glory  could  not  come  to  the 
ancient  people  of  God  until  after  He  had  lightened  the 
Gentile  world,  and  through  their  means.  He  may  in 
this  relation  also  have  foreseen  that  He  would  first  be 
rejected  by  His  own  people,  and  only  after  the  calling 
in  of  the  Gentiles  recognised  as  their  Messiah.  It  is 
wonderful  how  a  sight  of  Jesus  enables  us  to  understand 
the  scripture,  and,  as  it  were,  to  foresee  the  processes 
and  method  of  God's  grace  to  the  world !  In  any  case, 
Simeon  pledges  Jesus,  the  salvation  of  God,  to  the 
Gentile  world,  according  to  the  word  of  God,  which  says, 
"  The  people  that  walked  in  darkness  have  seen  a  great 
light,  and  they  that  dwell  in  the  land  of  the  shadow  of 
death,  upon  them  hath  the  light  shined."  ^  Not  only  is 
Jesus  so  promised  to  the  Gentiles,  but  we  who  receive 
Him  are  likewise  pledged  in  Him  to  the  heathen  world. 
Let  this  be  for  ever  understood  by  us,  that  we  cannot 
receive  Jesus  as  our  salvation  without  consecrating  our- 
selves to  carry  the  light  of  the  gospel  of  the  grace  5f 
God  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth,  for  God  hath 
said  of  Him,  "  I  will  also  give  Thee  for  a  light  to  the 
Gentiles,  that  Thou  mayest  be  My  salvation  unto  the 
ends  of  the  earth."  ^ 

'  Isa.  ix.  2.  *  Ibid,  xlix  6. 


SIMEON'S  TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS  305 

On  the  other  hand,  even  though  Simeon  foresaw  the 
rejection  of  the  Messiah  by  the  Jews,  and  the  first  early 
dawn  of  the  Light  to  the  Gentile  world,  and  was  generous 
enough  to  concede  and  proclaim  that  great  fact,  he  did 
not,  therefore,  forget  that  God's  covenant  with  His  ancient 
people  was  one  which  could  never  be  broken  ;  and 
though  for  a  time  they  must  take  a  second  place,  yet 
in  due  course  would  He  become  "  their  glory."  The 
history  of  Israel  is  a  tragic  one,  full  of  romance  and 
pathos.  For  two  thousand  years  they  have  been  "  scat- 
tered and  peeled,"  ^  a  by-word  and  a  hissing  among  all 
nations,  hated,  persecuted,  oppressed,  and  hunted  down 
almost  as  wild  beasts  ;  yet  have  they  been  marvellously 
and  miraculously  preserved  :  broken  off  in  their  unbelief, 
still  God  has  not  forsaken  them,  but  has  ever  kept  them 
intact  and  unmixed  among  the  nations  where  they  have 
been  fugitives  ;  and  He  will  graft  them  in  again.  It  is 
a  shame  that  we  Christians  have  not  been  as  generous 
toward  Israel  as  Simeon,  the  devout  Israelite,  was  gen- 
erous toward  us  at  the  time  of  our  Lord's  coming.  I 
should  as  willingly  be  found  setting  myself  against  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  as  joining  in  the 
bitter,  unscriptural,  and  unchristian  persecution,  or  even 
neglect  of  Israel ;  for  God  shall  yet  be  the  glory  of 
Israel,  whom  He  hath  called  "  Israel  My  glory,"  ^  "  be- 
loved for  the  fathers'  sake."^  It  seems  strange  to  me 
that  Christian  people,  and  to  this  day  so-called  Christian 
nations,  such  as  Germany,  Austria,  and  Russia,  have 
never  ceased  to  persecute  Israel.  Even  here  in  England 
and  in  America,  where  there  should  exist  more  generous 
Christian  feeling,  it  is  the  fashion  to  sneer  at  the  Jews, 
and  set  them  down  as  a  forsaken  and  inferior  race. 
Have  we  forgotten  the  teaching  of  the  great  apostle  ^  con- 
cerning Israel,  whose  fall  from  Christ  and  diminishment 
^  Isa.  xviii.  2.    '  Ibid.  xlvi.  13.     ^  Rom.  xi.  28.     *  Ibid.  xi.  17-20. 

P.B.  20 


3o6  SIMEON'S   TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS 

have  been  the  means  of  our  salvation  and  enrichment  ? 
and  his  warning  that  if  through  their  unbeHef  they  were 
broken  off  that  we  might  be  grafted  into  the  olive  tree, 
by  faith  they  may  and  will  be  grafted  in  again  ?  and  by 
our  unbelief  we  may  in  turn  be  broken  off,  even  as  they 
were  ?  Let  us,  then,  take  heed  not  to  be  high-minded 
against  Israel  ;  for  God  is  able  to  graft  them  in  again, 
and  He  will.  Shall  we,  then,  despise  those  whom  God 
loves,  and  for  whom  He  has  prepared  glory?  Nay, 
rather  shall  not  we,  who  have  been  made  rich  through 
their  fall,  be  made  still  richer  through  their  recovery  ? 
Our  mission  of  love  and  salvation  should  go  hand  in 
hand  to  the  far-away  heathen,  and  to  our  Israelitish 
benefactors.  Did  Israel  miss  their  glory  by  rejecting 
Christ  and  seeking  after  it  in  political  supremacy  and 
carnal  greatness  ?  Let  us  take  warning  from  them,  that 
we  lose  not  ours  in  the  same  way.  Is  it  not  now  true  of 
many  that  they  are  turning  away  from  Christ  for  the 
glory,  wealth,  and  honours  of  this  world  ?  What  is  thy 
glory,  my  brother,  my  sister  ?  Is  it  thy  wealth,  thy 
high  social  position,  or  thine  earthly  fulness,  of  what- 
ever kind  ?  Nay,  but  if  thou  hast  any  glory  at  all,  it  is 
that  thou  hast  Christ  for  thy  salvation.  "  God  forbid 
that  I  should  glory,  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  by  whom  the  world  is  crucified  to  me,  and  I  unto 
the  world."  ^  Hath  the  Holy  Ghost  revealed  this  to 
thee  as  He  revealed  it  to  Simeon  of  old  ?  and  if  He  has, 
art  thou  reluctant  to  accept  the  revelation,  to  embrace  it 
and  proclaim  it,  as  did  Simeon  ?  Lord,  open  Thou  our 
eyes  that  we  may  behold  our  true  glory  ;  save  us  from 
Israel's  terrible  mistake,  and  grant  unto  us  Simeon's 
clear-sighted  faith  and  warm-hearted,  generous  devotion 
to  Thy  Salvation,  "  In  these  brief,  pregnant  sentences 
(of  Simeon's  song  of  faith)  is  contained  the  substance  of 
'  Gal.  vi.  14. 


Snf EON'S    TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS  307 

the  history  of  future  ages.  Neither  the  hackneyed  in- 
ventions of  legend,  nor  any  preconceived  dogmatic  views, 
have  any  share  in  the  composition  of  this  joyous  lyric." 

II.  Simeon's  Happy  Departure.  No  man  is  ready 
to  die  until  he  has  seen  and  embraced  God's  salvation ; 
but  as  soon  as  he  has  seen  and  embraced  that  salvation 
he  is  ready  and  happy  to  die  whenever  God  shall  call 
him.  Simeon  was  an  old  man,  and  there  was  nothing 
left  him  to  live  for  ;  therefore  he  was  not  only  ready,  but 
anxious  to  depart  and  be  with  God.  It  was  his  mission 
and  work  to  keep  faith  alive  in  the  world  till  Christ 
came ;  now  that  work  was  finished,  he  wanted  to  be 
done  with  this  world.  Surely  this  is  a  just  and  happy 
view  of  life  and  of  the  value  of  this  world.  Even  when 
he  was  still  in  the  midst  of  his  unfinished  work,  Paul 
saw  and  recognised  the  truth,  that  to  depart  and  be  with 
Christ  was  far  better  ;  and  only  repressed  his  longing  to 
be  with  Christ  by  the  knowledge  that  his  work  was  not 
yet  done,  and  that  it  was  more  needful  for  him  to  live 
than  to  die.  Fair  and  beautiful  as  the  world  is,  much  to 
live  for  and  love  in  it  as  there  is,  it  is  still  an  intolerable 
world  without  God,  in  which  life  is  not  worth  living,  if 
Christ  be  not  in  our  hearts  our  life  and  hope.  To  them 
who  know  not  Christ,  but  to  whom  the  world  offers  its 
choicest  pleasures  and  gifts,  life  is  but  a  fitful  dream, 
from  which  they  shall  be  awakened  by  the  rude  shock 
of  death  ;  then  whose  shall  all  these  things  be  for  which 
unbelieving  men  and  women  have  lived  ?  To  those 
who  know  Christ,  even  if  from  them  the  world  has  with- 
held its  gifts  and  pleasures,  it  is  a  glorious  world  in 
which  to  live  and  serve  the  Lord's  Christ,  and  bring 
salvation  to  them  who  are  lost,  and  light  to  them  who 
sit  in  darkness.  For  this  cause  we  choose  life,  and,  for 
the  time  being,  are  content  to  postpone  our  departure 
"  to  be  with  Christ  "  in  His  glory.     But  this  is  our  com- 


3o8  SIMEON'S   TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS 

pensation  :  Having  seen  and  embraced  the  Lord's  Christ, 
we  are  ready  to  depart  in  peace  whenever  He  shall  say, 
"  Come,  ye  blessed  of  My  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom 
prepared  for  you  before  the  foundation  of  the  world."  ^ 

In  Simeoft's  "  iitmc  dimittis "  we  have  several  very 
beautifiU  and  helpful  snggestions  concernifig  death. 
First,  it  is  but  a  departure  to  be  with  Christ.  To  those 
who  know  not  the  mystery  of  death  and  life,  as  revealed 
in  Christ,  death  must  always  be  a  catastrophe — an 
experience  to  be  dreaded  and  striven  against,  or,  at  best, 
yielded  to  without  hope.  To  many  of  the  ancients  in 
the  heathen  world,  who  sought  to  console  themselves 
with  a  stoical  philosophy,  death  was  welcomed  as  an 
annihilation,  and  so  an  escape  from  the  troubles,  bur- 
dens, and  disappointments  of  life  ;  but  it  is  given  to  but 
a  few  to  cultivate  to  such  a  point  the  philosophy  of 
annihilation.  To  some  in  our  own  time,  without  God 
and  Christ  in  the  world,  driven  to  desperation  by  sick- 
ness, pain,  sorrow,  despair,  or  dishonour,  death  is  a 
refuge  from  a  present  evil,  through  which  they  take  the 
chance  of  a  better  condition  in  whatever  the  hereafter 
may  bring.  This  is  the  philosophy  of  despair,  venturing 
on  an  unreasoning  and  desperate  chance.  Not  many 
have  the  mad  courage  to  face — not  to  say  to  court — 
death  in  this  suicidal  fashion.  To  the  Christian,  as  I 
have  said,  death  is  the  departure  of  the  soul  from  the 
body  to  be  with  Christ — it  is  but  a  change  in  the  con- 
ditions of  life.  It  is  neither  extinction  of  being,  nor  a 
long  and  unconscious  sleep,  nor  the  absorption  of  our 
consciousness  in  the  mysterious  cause  of  consciousness. 
To  those  who  are  ready  for  it,  it  is  an  hour  of  departure 
to  another  and  better  country,  where  a  crown  of 
righteousness  is  already  prepared,  and  waiting  to  be  be- 
stowed, as  Paul  conceived  it  It  is  the  leaving  behind 
^  Matt.  XXV.  34. 


SIMEON'S   TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS  309 

us  of  old  age,  if  we  have  lived  long ;  of  infirmities  and 
of  sickness,  if  we  are  so  afflicted  ;  of  troubles,  anxieties, 
and  burdens,  of  sorrows  and  disappointments,  if  these 
have  been  our  lot ;  and  especially  of  sin,  temptation, 
and  those  bitter  spiritual  conflicts  which  have  been  such 
a  sorrow  and  strain  upon  us  in  this  present  evil  world. 
It  is  the  coming  into  the  glorious  sunlight  of  a  perfect 
day  and  an  eternal  age  ;  where  sorrow  and  sickness  are 
no  more ;  where  all  tears  are  wiped  away ;  where  the 
wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at  rest ; 
and  especially  where  there  is  no  more  sin  ;  where  we 
shall  see  Jesus,  and  be  like  Him  ;  where  the  saints  of  all 
ages  are  gathered  ;  and  where  all  the  prophecies  of  great 
and  good  things  in  the  constitution  of  our  own  being, 
and  in  the  word  of  God,  shall  have  perfect  fulfilment. 
This  is  what  death  is  to  the  Christian  ;  this  was  what 
departure  meant  to  good  old  Simeon,  May  it  be  ours 
so  to  apprehend  death,  and  to  live  rather  in  the  anticipa- 
tion than  in  the  fear  of  it 

Second.  To  Simeon  death  was  a  peace/id  departure. 
Simeon  uttered  his  beautiful  prayer  while  holding 
Christ  in  his  arms.  Jeremy  Taylor  has  told  us  that 
"  holy  living  makes  happy  dying."  No  doubt ;  but  it  is 
not  holy  living  that  is  the  ground  of  peaceful  dying. 
Simeon's  eyes  were  beholding  Jesus,  his  arms  were 
embracing  Him.  This  was  what  made  death  to  him  so 
peaceful  and  happy.  With  Christ  in  our  hearts,  and  a 
hymn  of  praise  to  Him  on  our  lips,  death  can  in  no  wise 
terrify  us,  but  rather  lure  us  on  to  a  better  world.  We 
are  often  told  that  many  people  die  peacefully  who  are 
not  Christians  ;  that  men  and  women  who  have  all  their 
lifetime  rejected  Christ  have  died  quietly  and  at  peace  ; 
nay,  that  men  who  have  lived  violently  and  wickedly 
have  died  without  fear  and  in  perfect  repose.  Even 
granting  that  such  may  be  the  case,  there   is   a  vast 


3IO  SIMEON'S   TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS 

difference  between  such  negative  peace  and  the  joyous, 
triumphant  gladness  with  which  Simeon  anticipated 
death.  The  wicked  have  "  no  bands  in  their  death."  ^ 
There  is  a  vast  difference  between  the  dead  conscience 
of  an  unbeliever  and  the  purged  conscience  of  a  Chris- 
tian ;  between  the  stolid  indifference  of  confirmed 
unbelief  and  the  joyous  anticipation  of  faith.  The 
unbelieving  and  wicked  may  die  without  fear,  and  in  a 
peace  which  comes  from  ignorance  or  a  delusive  philo- 
sophy ;  but  it  has  never  yet  been  recorded  of  a  wicked 
or  unbelieving  man  that  he  died  triumphing  in  the 
assured  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality.  During  a  recent 
storm,  in  which  a  ship  was  wrecked  and  many  lives  lost, 
a  boat's  crew,  searching  for  possible  survivors  in  the 
darkness  of  the  night,  on  the  face  of  the  storm-tossed 
sea,  were  directed  in  their  search  by  the  sound  of  sing- 
ing, which  triumphed  over  the  noise  of  "  many  waters." 
Following  the  strangely  sweet  strains,  which  came 
faintly  to  their  ears  over  the  angry  sea,  they  came  upon 
a  woman  clinging  to  a  floating  spar,  not  expecting 
rescue,  who  was  yet  singing  in  a  sweet,  strong  voice  : — 

"Jesus,  Lover  of  my  soul,  let  me  to  Thy  bosom  fly. 
While  the  nearer  waters  roll,  while  the  tempest  still  is  high  ; 
Hide  me,  oh  !  my  Saviour,  hide,  till  the  stonn  of  life  is  past ; 
Safe  into  the  haven  guide,  oh  !  receive  my  soul  at  last." 

Did  you  ever  hear  of  an  unbelieving  scientist  or  philoso- 
pher dying  thus  ?  Did  you  ever  hear  of  a  blaspheming 
infidel  or  a  sneering  scoffer  passing  thus  joyously  into 
eternity  ?  "  Do  not  pray  with  me,"  said  a  dying 
Christian  to  his  minister,  who  had  come  to  his  death- 
bed, "  but  praise  God  with  me.  The  time  for  praying  is 
past,  for  God  has  answered  all  my  prayers,  and  now  the 
time   for   praising   has   come."      Such   is   a   Christian's 

^  Ps.  Ixxiii.  4. 


SIMEOJSrS  TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS  311 

death  with  Christ  in  his  arms,  a  song  of  joy  in  his  heart, 
and  a  glorious  testimony  to  God's  faithfulness  on  his 
tongue,  and  Heaven  in  his  eyes.  Who  would  not  wish 
to  die  so  ? 

III.  Simeon's  Benediction  and  Prophecy.  Dur- 
ing the  time  which  Simeon  held  the  Child  Jesus  in  his 
arms  and  sung  his  glorious  lyric,  Mary  and  Joseph  stood 
by,  doubtless  in  speechless  wonder,  at  these  things  which 
were  spoken  of  Him  ;  for  though  they  knew  His  divine 
origin,  and  had  been  told  that  He  was  the  Son  of  the 
Highest,  and  that  He  should  save  His  people  from  their 
sins  ;  though  they  had  heard  from  the  shepherds  of  the 
communication  of  the  angel  concerning  Him ;  and 
though  they  had  but  recently  received  and  welcomed 
the  wise  men  who  had  come  to  worship  Him,  they  were 
yet  more  and  more  astonished  at  these  things  which 
Simeon  spoke.  The  fulness  of  Jesus  had  not  yet  entered 
into  their  comprehension.  Is  it  not  so  to-day  with  us  ? 
After  all  we  know  of  Him,  have  we  yet  come  to  know 
all  about  Him  ?  are  we  not  daily  finding  out  new  and 
wondrous  things  concerning  Him  ?  shall  the  time  ever 
come  when  there  is  not  yet  more  glory  to  be  revealed  in 
Him  and  through  Him  to  us  ?  Beholding  the  wonder 
and  amazement  depicted  on  their  faces  and  in  their 
attitude,  Simeon  turned  to  them  and  blessed  them,  and 
prophesied  to  Mary  of  her  divine  Child,  and  of  her 
coming  sufferings  because  of  Him.  Is  it  not  strange 
that  he  did  not  speak  to  Joseph?  He  knew  that  he 
was  not  the  Child's  father,  but  that  Mary  was  His 
mother.  This  also  he  knew  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  which 
was  still  upon  him. 

I.  Jesus  is  set  for  the  fall  and  rising  again  of  many 
i?i  Israel.  Undoubtedly  Simeon,  whose  prophetic  gifts 
were  strengthened  by  his  familiarity  with  the  ancient 
scriptures,  and  now  quickened  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  simply 


312  SIMEON'S   TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS 

reproduces  Isaiah's  thought,  that  Jesus  was  a  rock  upon 
which  believers  take  refuge,  but  whereon  unbelievers  are 
broken.  This  famous  figure  of  Isaiah  is  frequently 
referred  to  in  the  New  Testament,  both  in  the  gospels 
and  epistles ;  this  alone  would  mark  the  thought  as  an 
important  one.  Simeon  foresaw  that  at  first  the  Jews 
would  stumble  at  Christ,  reject  Him,  and  so  fall  from 
the  favour  of  God  and  all  Messianic  blessing ;  but 
looking  further  down  the  vista  of  time,  he  foresaw  the 
coming  again  of  the  rejected  people  to  Jesus,  their 
Messiah,  and  that  by  faith  in  Him  they  would  rise  again. 
Apart  from  its  strict  Jewish  application,  it  is  equally 
true  that  Jesus  is  a  stone  of  stumbling  and  a  rock  of 
offence  to  many,  who  either  reject  Him  by  simple,  con- 
temptuous unbelief,  or  by  hurling  themselves  against 
Him  in  pronounced  and  vicious  opposition.  All  such 
will  be  ground  to  powder ;  they  will  be  beaten  back  and 
broken  as  the  waves  of  the  sea,  dashing  themselves 
against  some  great  rock  in  the  midst  of  the  waters.  To 
those  who  are  drawn  to  Him  as  a  Saviour  He  becomes 
a  gracious  Sanctuary  ;  but  to  those  who  are  full  of  hatred 
and  opposition  He  becomes  swift  and  terrible  doom. 
Behold  the  poor  sinful  and  penitent  thief  on  the  cross 
beside  Him,  appealing  to  Him  for  salvation,  and  being 
graciously  and  instantly  accepted  !  On  the  other  hand, 
behold  Jewish  rulers  leading  the  multitude  of  the  nation 
against  Him,  crying,  "  Away  with  Him  ;  away  with  Him  ; 
crucify  Him  !  "  They  indeed  put  Him  to  death,  but  the 
recoil  upon  themselves  of  their  own  attack  upon  the  Son 
of  the  Highest,  "  this  rock  of  offence,"  was  so  great  that, 
until  this  day,  they  have  not  recovered  from  the  shock. 
If  past  history  may  be  any  guide  to  us,  apart  from  the 
declaration  of  the  scriptures,  he  is  a  fool  or  a  madman 
who  sets  himself  in  open  and  hostile  opposition  to  Jesus, 
the  Son  of  God.     But  those  who  appeal  to  His  mercy 


SIMEON'S   TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS  313 

and  grace,  however  low  and  undeserving  they  may  be, 
shall  be  lifted  up  and  saved.  Truly,  the  gospel,  as  well 
as  the  Saviour  Himself,  is  a  savour  of  life  to  some,  and 
death  to  others,  according  as  they  reject  or  accept  Him. 
Long  ages  ago,  the  writer  of  the  second  Psalm  set  forth 
to  Israel,  and  to  all  the  world,  the  vanity  of  attempting, 
either  singly  or  by  combination,  to  oppose  the  Lord's 
Christ.  "  Why  do  the  heathen  rage,  and  the  people 
imagine  a  vain  thing  ?"^  God  has  set  His  Son  on  His 
Holy  Hill,  and  no  powers  of  earth  or  hell  can  unseat 
Him.  Jehovah  has  published  His  decree,  and  it  cannot 
be  broken.  He  laughs  at  all  the  vain  and  puny  attacks 
of  men  against  His  Christ ;  He  forewarns  them  that 
continued  resistance  is  not  only  useless,  but  that  it  will 
end  in  their  being  broken  to  pieces  as  a  bit  of  potter's 
clay  smitten  by  an  iron  rod,  or  dashed  upon  the  ground  ! 
Yet  His  compassion  entreats  them  to  be  wise  and  be 
reconciled  to  the  Son,  lest  they  perish  by  the  way.  In 
the  same  spirit,  the  great  apostle  warns  his  hearers 
against  despising  the  Lord,  for  by  so  doing  they  shall 
"  wonder  and  perish,"  for  whom  Christ  died,  and  the 
grace  of  God  was  expended.  All  these  things  are  as 
true  for  us  in  this  nineteenth  century  as  for  the  Jews  two 
thousand  years  ago. 

2.  Jesus  is  a  sign  spoken  against.  Lasting  neutrality 
in  regard  to  the  Lord's  Christ  is  an  impossibility.  "  He 
that  is  not  with  Me  is  against  Me."^  What  a  strange 
power  there  is  in  Jesus  :  drawn  to  Him,  either  in  hate 
or  love,  all  men  are ;  meet  Him,  in  some  way  and  in 
some  spirit,  all  men  must.  He  still  is  a  sign  spoken 
against !  Men  cannot  reject  Him  with  impunity.  What 
has  not  been  said  against  Jesus?  He  has  been  called 
impostor,  devil,  wine-bibber  and  glutton,  deceiver,  dis- 
turber of  the  peace ;  His  holy  incarnation  has  been 
^  Ps.  ii.  I.  ^  Matt.  xii.  30. 


314  SIMEON'S   TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS 

made  the  occasion  of  scandal  against  the  purity  of  His 
mother ;  He  was  betrayed  and  mocked,  clothed  with 
garments  of  false  royalty,  scourged,  derided,  spat  upon, 
scorned,  and  crucified.  Nor  were  the  Jews  alone  in 
their  speech  against  Him.  Gentiles  made  a  sport  of 
His  gospel,  and  even  crucified  an  ass  in  mockery  of 
Him,  and,  holding  it  forth  to  the  people,  exhorted  them 
to  believe.  He  has  been  spoken  against  by  the  cold 
sneering  patronage  of  so-called  cultured  and  scientific 
unbelief ;  written  down  as  a  dreamer  of  dreams,  a  well- 
meaning  enthusiast,  gifted  with  some  rare  and  beautiful 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  but  guilty,  either  in  ignor- 
ance or  wickedness,  of  suffering  Himself  to  be  imposed 
upon  the  credulous  as  the  Son  of  God.  Common  and 
coarse  profanity  of  wicked  men  couple  His  holy  name 
and  cross  with  their  vulgar  and  indecent  speech.  He 
is,  indeed,  even  now  "  a  rock  of  offence  and  a  stone  of 
stumbling "  ^  to  many.  Born  in  a  stable,  this  Holy 
Child  became  a  "  sign  "  of  poverty  and  reversal  of  the 
whole  worldly  policy  of  men.  To  follow  Him  in  prin- 
ciple and  in  fact  is  to  bring  reproach  upon  any  man  or 
woman.  To  despise  the  world,  to  lay  up  treasure  in 
heaven  rather  than  on  earth,  to  seek  out  and  save  the 
poor  and  the  outcast,  to  give  the  fellowship  of  love 
to  the  lowly  and  the  sinful,  to  sacrifice  pleasure  and 
ambition  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  to  seek  righteous- 
ness rather  than  self-interest,  is  often  to  expose  oneself 
to  the  uncharitable  sneers  of  the  world.  Thus,  even  in 
His  disciples,  faintly  as  they  set  forth  the  virtues  of 
His  character,  He  is  still  a  sign  spoken  against.  "  Mar- 
vel not,"  He  said,  "  if  the  world  hate  you."  ^  It  hated 
Christ  before  it  hated  His  disciples,  it  has  spoken 
against  Christ  and  His  disciples  from  the  beginning 
until  now.  So  notorious  was  this,  that  our  Lord  has 
^  Isa.  viii.  14.  ^  i  John  iii.  13. 


SIMEON'S   TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS  315 

pronounced  a  woe  upon  His  followers  when  all  men 
speak  well  of  them  ;  for,  if  they  do,  it  is  apt  to  be  a 
sure  sign  that  we  are  not  in  close  fellowship  with  Him. 

3.  He  is  the  revealer  of  the  thoughts  of  many  hearts. 
It  is  easy  to  ascertain  the  attitude  of  any  man  toward 
God  by  bringing  to  him  the  test  of  his  relation  to  Jesus. 
He  who  is  appointed  to  be  judge  of  the  secrets  of 
men's  thoughts  acts  as  a  revealer  of  their  thoughts 
even  before  the  judgment  is  set.  Simeon  seemed  to 
see  under  the  vain  and  ostentatious  pretence  of  religion 
kept  up  by  the  Pharisees, — their  boasted  devotion  to 
God,  and  all  their  loud-sounding  professions, — their  true 
thoughts,  ambitions,  avarice,  pride,  love  of  praise,  and 
utter  worldliness.  He  saw  also  when  Jesus  came, 
meek  and  lowly,  preaching  the  Kingdom  of  God,  with 
its  inner  purity  of  heart,  its  outward  charity,  and  its 
utter  self-denial,  that  both  He  and  His  teaching  would 
bring  to  light  the  true  inwardness  of  the  pretentious 
religionists  of  His  day.  In  this  sense  He  was  a  re- 
vealer or  exposer  of  their  inward  life.  He  demon- 
strated to  them  over  and  over  again  that  God  was 
not  their  Father ;  but  that,  under  pretence  of  worship- 
ping God,  they  were  doing  the  very  works  of  the  evil 
one.  No  wonder  they  raged  against  Him,  and  thus 
manifested  their  true  character !  Jesus  did  not  make 
the  evil,  but  He  revealed  it. 

4.  He  divides  His  siifferings  with  those  whotn  He  loves 
and  who  love  Him.  In  parenthesis,  Simeon  tells  Mary 
that  she  also  shall  suffer ;  that  a  sword  shall  pierce 
through  her  own  heart  when  she  shall  see  her  Son 
everywhere  spoken  against  and  hated  by  those  whom 
He  came  to  save.  He  no  doubt  meant  that,  as  time 
went  on,  and  the  conflict  about  Jesus  increased  and 
intensified,  her  mother-heart  would  be  wounded,  as  if 
pierced  by  a  sword,  at  all  that  He  must  suffer.     How 


3i6  SIMEON'S   TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS 

proudly  Mary  bade  the  people  at  the  marriage  at  Cana 
to  look  on  Him  and  His  power !  How  utterly  broken- 
hearted she  was  at  last  when  led  away  from  the  cross 
by  John !  And  long  before  the  end  came  there  is 
evidence  that  Mary  had  become  a  great  sufferer  on  His 
account.  We  see  her  pathetically  trying  to  get  Him 
out  of  the  crowds  and  away  to  some  quiet  place.  How 
she  must  have  suffered  through  hearing  all  the  evil  and 
hateful  things  said  about  Him  by  the  Jews ;  the  light 
and  idle  scoffs  of  the  vulgar,  common  people ;  how  her 
heart  must  have  shuddered  when  she  heard  of  the 
attempt  of  the  Nazarene  mob  to  hurl  Him  over  the 
cliff!  Her  mother's  heart  was  pierced  by  the  false 
charges  brought  against  Him  by  the  Jews ;  by  the 
awful  treason  of  Judas,  one  of  His  friends ;  even  by 
His  own  apparent  coldness  on  one  or  two  occasions — 
coldness  toward  her,  not  in  fact,  but  in  appearance, 
because  she  did  not  understand.  Well,  dear  friends,  it 
is  given  unto  us  also  not  only  to  believe  on  Him,  but 
to  suffer  for  Him ;  and  all  those  who  live  godly  in 
Christ  Jesus  shall  suffer  persecution.  All  of  us  know 
something  of  this,  though  not  much,  because  we  are 
not  close  enough  to  Him  in  spiritual  kinship  and  fellow- 
ship. Yet  we  have  felt  something  of  it.  We  have 
suffered  in  beholding  our  own  children,  and  others  dear 
to  us,  slighting  and  rejecting  Him,  sometimes  even 
joining  in  the  bitter  word  of  His  enemies  against  Him  ; 
we  are  grieved  to  see  so  great  a  part  of  the  world  turn 
away  from  Him  ;  to  see  many  who  should,  by  education, 
parentage,  and  training,  be  His  friends,  turning  their 
abilities  and  learning,  their  position,  and  all  against 
Him.  We  grieve  to  see  His  professed  friends  so  cold 
and  heartless  in  His  service ;  we  grieve  for  His  sake 
at  the  meagre  support  and  sympathy  His  own  Church 
gives   to   the   great   interests  of    His  kingdom,  to  thg 


SIMEON'S  TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS  317 

spread  of  His  gospel,  to  that  benevolence  in  connection 
with  His  whole  mission  to  man  which  He  has  enjoined 
upon  us.  Truly  the  sword  which  pierced  Mary's  soul 
is  almost  a  universal  one — it  has  come  down  throucrh 
the  ages  ;  but  we  should  rejoice,  not  indeed  at  the  cause 
of  the  suffering,  but  that,  since  the  sword  must  pierce, 
the  Lord  has  "counted  us  worthy"  to  bear  a  portion 
of  the  pain. 


XVII 

LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS 

"  Now  His  parents  went  to  Jerusalem  every  year  at  the  feast  of 
the  Passover.  And  when  He  was  twelve  years  old,  they  went  up 
to  Jerusalem  after  the  custom  of  the  feast.  And  when  they  had 
fulfilled  the  days,  as  they  returned,  the  Child  Jesus  tarried  behind 
in  Jerusalem  ;  and  Joseph  and  His  mother  knew  not  of  it.  But  they, 
supposing  Him  to  have  been  in  the  company,  went  a  day's  journey ; 
and  they  sought  Him  among  their  kinsfolk  and  acquaintance. 
And  when  they  found  Him  not  they  turned  back  again  to  Jerusalem, 
seeking  Him.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  after  three  days  they 
found  Him  in  the  temple,  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  doctors,  both 
hearing  them,  and  asking  them  questions." — LUKE  ii.  41-46. 

WE  are  indebted  to  Luke  for  this  beautiful  glimpse 
into  the  childhood  of  Jesus.  It  is  difficult  to 
imagine  any  one  writing  a  spurious  account  of  Jesus, 
leaving  out  all  details  of  His  child-life  and  characteristics ; 
but  in  these  few  graphic  lines  Luke  tells  us  all  that  we 
know.  From  the  time  He  returned  from  Egypt,  till  this 
visit  to  Jerusalem  with  His  parents,  we  only  know  that 
He  "  grew,  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit,  filled  with  wisdom  ; 
and  the  grace  of  God  was  upon  Him."  ^  That  He  was 
a  lovable  and  obedient  Child  we  cannot  for  a  moment 
doubt.  That  He  was  tenderly  loved,  carefully  taught  in 
the  scriptures,  and  anxiously  watched  over  by  both  Mary 
and  Joseph,  must  be  equally  true.  It  is  difficult  not  to 
try  to  fill  up  the  gap  of  twelve  years  with  imaginings 
concerning   Him.     The   second-century    Christians   did 

^  Luke  ii.  40. 

318 


LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS  319 

undertake,  in  their  spurious  accounts  of  the  Lord's 
infancy  and  childhood,  to  supply  us  with  details,  whidh 
are  wholly  wanting  in  the  inspired  records.  The  stories 
they  invented  of  His  precocity,  power,  and  wonderful 
works  ;  of  His  healing  the  sick,  and  even  raising  the 
dead ;  of  puerile  miracles  performed  in  connection  with 
His  intercourse  and  sports  with  other  children,  are  all 
too  absurd  and  incongruous  to  deserve  any  serious 
attention.  Their  only  possible  use  to  us  is,  by  contrast, 
to  bring  out  the  strong  and  simple  lines  with  which 
Luke  has  drawn  the  story  of  Jesus'  child-life,  which, 
though  it  is  so  meagre,  yet  seems  to  give  us  a  very  vivid 
impression  of  it.  The  characteristics  intimated  are  so 
strong  and  beautiful,  that  we  may  well  say  in  His  case 
that  the  Child  Jesus  was  the  Father  of  the  Man  Jesus. 

So  far  as  we  know,  Jesus  was  never  out  of  the  lovely 
valley  of  Nazareth  from  the  time  He  was  about  two 
years  of  age  until  this  visit  to  Jerusalem,  on  the  attain- 
ment of  His  twelfth  year,  when,  according  to  the  custom 
of  the  Jews,  He  was  taken  to  Jerusalem,  there  to  be 
offered  and  confirmed  as  a  "son  of  the  law."  There 
were  three  great  yearly  feasts  held  at  Jerusalem,  at 
which  all  the  males  of  the  land  above  twelve  years  old 
were  required  to  attend,  except  the  very  old,  and  the 
bodily  and  mentally  infirm.  The  old  men,  the  women, 
and  the  children  stayed  at  home  whilst  the  men  went 
up  to  the  feasts.  Sometimes  the  women  accompanied 
their  husbands,  but  it  was  not  compulsory,  nor  even 
usual,  for  it  was  necessary  that  they  should  remain  and 
look  after  home  matters  whilst  the  men  were  absent. 
It  seems,  however,  that  Mary  was  in  the  habit  of  accom- 
panying Joseph,  if  not  to  all,  at  least  to  one  or  two  of 
the  annual  feasts.  She  would,  of  course,  go  on  this 
occasion,  when  her  Son  was  to  be  presented  to  God,  and 
formally  received  as  a  "  son  of  the  law  "  into  the  adult 


320  LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS 

community  of  the  Jews.  We  can  well  imagine  with  what 
keen  delight  such  a  boy  as  Jesus  must  have  been  would 
anticipate  this  visit.  From  His  earliest  childhood  He 
had  been  taught  the  scriptures  ;  He  knew  the  history  of 
His  people  well,  though  He  had  never  seen  the  temple, 
or  witnessed  its  solemn  ceremonial.  He  was  doubtless 
familiar  with  the  description  of  it  all,  for  His  mother 
would  have  instructed  Him  in  these  things,  and  filled 
His  young  mind  with  every  detail  of  worship,  expound- 
ing to  Him  all  the  significance  of  the  ceremonies,  the 
spiritual,  as  well  as  the  ceremonial,  meaning  of  the  feasts 
— what  they  celebrated  and  what  they  pointed  to — until 
His  heart,  patriotic  and  thoughtful,  would  be  full  of  all 
these  things.  Now  the  time  had  come  for  Him  to  go  up 
and  Himself  take  part  in  it  all.  Who  can  tell  what 
swelling  thoughts  were  even  now  arising  in  the  mind 
and  heart  of  this  wonderful  Child  ?  The  consciousness 
of  His  Divine  Sonship,  though  far  back  in  the  bud,  was 
yet  arising,  and  His  heart  was  wondering,  longing,  and 
expecting  great  things  when  He  should  stand  in  the 
"  House  of  the  Lord."  All  along  the  way,  as  the 
Nazareth  party  of  acquaintance  and  kinsfolk,  some 
hundreds  in  number,  journeyed  toward  the  Holy  City^ 
their  talk  would  be  of  the  gathering  of  the  people,  the 
feast  to  be  celebrated  in  commemoration  of  God's  mighty 
deliverance  of  His  ancient  people  from  "the  house  of 
bondage "  in  Egypt ;  the  slaying  of  the  paschal  lamb 
and  the  sprinkling  of  the  blood  ;  the  passing  of  the 
death  angel  through  the  land,  and  the  wonderful  preser- 
vation of  the  children  of  Israel  from  the  awful  stroke 
that  fell  upon  Pharaoh  and  every  family  in  Egypt.  No 
doubt  the  present  condition  of  Israel  would  also  be 
discussed,  and  the  much-longed-for  coming  of  the  Messiah 
would  form  the  subject  of  conversation  among  the  party 
to  which  Mary  and  Joseph  belonged.     That  the  Child 


LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS  321 

Jesus  would  be  interested  in  all  this  talk,  who  can 
doubt?  and  that  from  day  to  day  on  the  journey  His 
interest  would  quicken,  and  His  imagination  take  fire? 
How  He  must  have  enjoyed  the  first  glimpse  of  Mount 
Zion,  crowned  with  the  glorious  temple,  as  they  drew 
near  to  the  city;  and  with  what  intense  joy  and  gladness 
must  He  have  entered  the  precincts  of  that  holy  house 
of  God  for  the  first  time — "  My  Father's  house,"  which 
He  came  to  know  and  love,  so  well  in  later  days ;  over 
which  He  wept  when  He  thought  and  spoke  of  its 
coming  destruction,  with  the  downfall  and  scattering  of 
"  His  own,"  who  should  reject  Him.  For  seven  days 
Mary,  Joseph,  and  Jesus  were  daily  in  the  temple.  He 
had  been  taken  to  the  doctors  to  be  instructed  in  the  law, 
and  prepared  for  His  confirmation  ;  the  sacrifices  had 
been  offered  ;  the  ceremonials  had  been  observed,  and 
Jesus  was  now  formally  introduced  into  the  political 
economy  of  Israel.  The  eighth  day  had  come,  and  the 
party  from  Nazareth  had  been  for  the  last  time  in  the 
temple,  and  were  on  their  way  back  to  their  northern 
highland  homes,  when,  at  the  close  of  the  day,  Mary 
and  Joseph  were  suddenly  awakened  to  the  distressing 
fact  that  Jesus  was  nowhere  to  be  found. 

I.  Losing  Jesus.  How  they  came  to  lose  Jesus 
from  their  company  is  not  related  ;  but  it  is  not  difficult 
to  imagine  how  it  might  come  about.  We.  may  suppose 
the  company  all  travelling  by  themselves,  making  their 
final  visit  to  the  temple ;  Jesus,  likely,  with  the  other 
boys  of  the  party ;  and,  without  too  carefully  watching 
His  every  movement,  Mary  took  it  for  granted  that  He 
would  keep  with  them.  He  was  such  a  Son  as  might 
be  fully  trusted  to  do  nothing  imprudent.^  or  voluntarily 
to  pursue  any  course  of  action  which,  would  ^\\^  trouble  ; 
so  trusting  Him  fully,  they  weje  not  anxious  about  Him. 
He  may  have  stayed  behind  out  of  intense  interest,  and 

P.B.  21 


322  LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS 

so  got  separated  from  His  party  ;  or  He  may  have  gone 
once  more  to  the  court  where  He  had  such  delightful 
talks  with  the  doctors,  just  to  bid  them  "  good-bye," 
and  returning,  found  His  party  gone ;  or,  starting  with 
them,  He  may  have  been  moved  by  some  impulse  of 
the  Spirit  to  return  to  the  temple.  It  may  have  been 
at  this  very  point  when  the  consciousness  of  His  divine 
relationship  to  His  Father  first  took  place,  and,  setting 
aside  all  lower  or  subordinate  relations,  He  may  have 
said  to  Himself,  "  My  place  is  in  My  Father's  house." 
With  this  impulse  and  consciousness,  it  is  not  unlikely 
that  He  would  seek  out  the  doctors  again,  to  hear  more, 
and  to  ask  them  some  questions  of  His  own.  There 
seems  to  have  been  no  blame  attached  to  Mary,  unless 
it  was  in  a  kind  of  over-confidence  in  Jesus,  which  led 
her  to  be  less  watchful  than  usual.  In  any  case,  the 
fact  remains  that  she  lost  her  Son,  as  we  often  now  lose 
our  Saviour.  From  this  circumstance  we  may  draw 
several  suggestive  and,  I  hope,  profitable  lessons. 

I .  They  lost  Him,  and  "  knezv  it  not!'  For  a  whole 
day  they  journeyed  back  toward  Nazareth,  unconscious 
of  the  absence  of  Jesus  from  their  company.  That  He 
was  not  actually  under  their  observation  all  the  day  long 
was  not  a  matter  of  moment,  for  they  supposed  Him  to 
be  somewhere  in  the  company,  most  likely  with  the 
other  boys,  and  were  not  troubled  ;  indeed,  they  prob- 
ably took  no  thought  of  the  matter  of  His  absence. 
Now,  in  this  we  have  a  hint  of  one  of  the  commonest 
and  most  distressing  Christian  experiences.  We  lose 
Jesus  out  of  our  lives  and  out  of  our  thoughts,  and  are 
unconscious  of  the  loss.  We  not  only  do  not  know  that 
He  is  not  with  us,  but  we  do  not  know  how  or  when  He 
parted  company  with  us,  or  rather,  when  we  parted 
company  with  Him  ;  for  had  Mary  been  steadfast  not 
to  go  up  to  Nazareth  without  Jesus,  she  would  not  have 


LOSING  AND   FINDING  JESUS  323 

left  the  temple  until  He  was  with  her  !  It  was  she  and 
Joseph  who  parted  company  with  Jesus,  rather  than  He 
who  parted  from  them.  Have  we  never  been  in  this 
case  ?  Awakened  to  the  fact,  at  the  end  of  a  day's 
journey,  that  Jesus  is  not  with  us  ;  that  we  have  left 
Him  behind,  and  have  been  going  on  all  day  long,  or, 
perhaps,  for  a  much  longer  period,  not  knowing  that  we 
were  walking  alone.  Were  I  to  put  the  question  to  all 
and  each  of  you  this  morning :  Is  Jesus  with  you  ? 
Has  He  been  with  you  all  the  days  of  the  past  week  ? 
Was  He  with  you  in  your  business,  or  in  your  plea- 
sures ;  in  your  journeys  and  your  home  comings  ?  Has 
He  come  up  with  you  to  the  House  of  God  this  morn- 
ing? or  have  you  come  up  alone,  not  knowing  that 
Jesus  is  absent  from  your  heart  and  life  ?  Did  you 
make  inquiry  before  you  left  home  this  morning  whe- 
ther the  Lord  was  with  you  ?  Did  you  say  to  Him,  as 
Moses  said  to  the  Lord  in  the  wilderness,  "If  Thy  pre- 
sence go  not  with  me,  carry  us  not  up  hence  "  ?  ^  Is  it 
your  habit  daily,  before  leaving  home  for  business,  or 
before  entering  on  the  occupations  of  each  day,  at  home 
or  abroad,  to  make  sure  that  Jesus  is  with  you  ?  Or,  on 
the  other  hand,  have  you  fallen  into  the  habit  of  going 
on  "  not  knowing,"  and  perhaps  not  caring,  whether  the 
Lord  is  with  you  or  not  ? — I  fancy,  if  close  inquiry 
should  be  made  for  Jesus  in  our  hearts  to-day,  many  of 
us  would  be  surprised  to  find  that  He  is  not  with  us, 
and  that  we  did  not  even  know  that  He  was  not.  In 
any  case,  I  pray  God  for  you,  and  for  myself,  that  this 
day  may  not  come  to  an  end  until  we  have  ascertained 
whether  the  Lord  is  with  us.  I  pray  God  that  as  a  con- 
gregation we  may  not  take  another  day's  journey  with- 
out assuring  ourselves  of  His  presence  in  our  midst. 
Oh,  the  Christless  Christian  lives !  Oh,  the  Christless 
*  Exod.  xxxiii.  15. 


324  LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS 

Christian  Churches  !  Going  about  our  private  business, 
or  carrying  forward  the  externals  of  our  congregational 
life  and  work,  and  yet  without  Jesus  in  our  midst  ;  and, 
worse  still,  without  knowing  that  He  is  not  with  us. 
Lord,  bring  us  quickly  to  know  our  misfortune  and 
loss  ! 

2.  They  took  it  for  granted  that  Jesus  was  in  the 
midst.  "  They  supposing  Him  to  be  in  the  company," 
went  on  their  way  without  making  sure.  There  is  a 
sense  in  which  it  is  lawful  for  us  to  take  for  granted  the 
presence  of  the  Lord  with  us,  at  home  or  abroad  ;  for 
He  hath  said,  "  I  will  never  leave  thee,  nor  forsake 
thee  "  ^ ;  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end 
of  the  world  "  2  j  "  Fear  thou  not ;  for  I  am  with  thee  :  be 
not  dismayed ;  for  I  am  thy  God."  ^  But  these  assur- 
ances may  all  be  verified,  and  yet  it  may  be  true  that  we 
have  lost  Jesus^at  least,  the  consciousness  or  glad  assur- 
ance of  His  presence — lost  touch  with  Him, ;  dropped  out 
of  communion  with  Him  ;  and  this  we  have  suffered  by 
carelessly  taking  it  for  granted  that  He  is  with  us.  Now, 
spiritual  life  is  not  to  be  taken  for  granted,  and  daily 
walk  cannot  be  made  in  the  Spirit  by  simply  assuming 
that  we  have  the  Spirit  We  ought  not  to  be  content 
with  supposing  that  God  is  with  us.  We  ought  to  know 
and  make  sure  of  it.  No  doubt  many  of  us  have  often 
satisfied  some  anxious  thought  concerning  our  spiritual 
life  by  "  taking  it  for  granted  "  that  we  are  "  all  right  " 
with  God,  and  that  He  is  with  us.  We  have  gone  to 
sleep  taking  it  for  granted  that  all  was  well  with  us  ;  we 
have  awakened  in  the  morning,  and  gone  to  business, 
or  taken  up  daily  duties  and  pleasures,  "  taking  it  for 
granted "  that  Jesus  is  with  us.  This  is  the  fatal  way 
in  which  so  many  have  fallen  out  of  real  communion 
with  God,  even  when  not  abandoning  the  formalities  of 

^  Heb.  xiii.  5.  *  Matt,  xxviii.  20.  ^  Isa.  xli.  10. 


LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS  325 

private  religion  or  public  worship  !  It  is  neither  safe  nor 
wise  to  "  suppose  "  that  Jesus  is  with  us,  even  when  we 
"  say  our  prayers  "  or  read  the  Bible  ;  we  should  pause 
long  enough  to  make  sure  that  He  is  with  us.  This 
kind  of  carelessness,  too  common  among  Christians, 
leads  to  backsliding  in  heart,  and  even  to  the  shipwreck 
of  much  faith.  When  we  start  on  a  journey,  even  for  a 
day,  we  do  not  take  it  for  granted  that  we  have  money 
enough  to  pay  our  fare  and  expenses  while  away ;  but 
we  make  sure  that  there  is  money  in  our  purses.  Should 
we  be  more  careless  in  the  matter  of  making  sure  that 
we  have  Christ  with  us  in  our  daily  journeys  through 
life  ?  Surely  not.  Oh,  beware  of  taking  too  much  for 
granted  in  Christian  life  !     Make  sure  !     Make  sure  ! 

How  the  Laodicean  Christians  lost  Jesus  out  of  their 
lives  we  are  left  to  infer.  Yet,  no  doubt,  if  any  of 
those  professors  who  were  "  rich  and  increased  in  goods, 
having  need  of  nothing,"  ^  had  been  charged  with  having 
lost  Jesus,  they  would  probably  have  resented  it.  At 
least,  if  they  had  lost  the  Christ  they  had  preserved 
Christianity  !  Their  churches  were  well  built,  their  at- 
tendance regular,  and,  perhaps,  all  their  services  well 
conducted.  But  how  did  they  lose  Jesus  ?  Surely  the 
story  is  too  graphically  told  to  need  much  exposition. 
They  lost  Him  in  their  too  eager  pursuit  of  "  riches  and 
goods."  They  took  it  for  granted  that  all  was  well,  and 
in  their  eagerness  to  get  on,  they  lost  Him,  and  fell  into 
that  most  deplorable  of  all  spiritual  conditions  :  They 
were  *'  neither  cold  nor  hot,"  but  "  lukewarm,"  and  ready 
to  be  spued  out  of  God's  mouth  in  disgust.  Are  any  of 
you,  my  dear  hearers,  in  similar  danger  ?  Are  you 
eagerly  following  your  business  and  professional  in- 
terests, intent  on  increasing  your  store  of  riches  and 
pleasures,  and  in  the  meantime  taking  it  for  granted 
^  Rev.  iii.  17. 


326  LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS 

that  Jesus  is  with  you,  yet  living  without  Him  ?  Better 
call  a  halt  and  take  a  look  about  you,  and  into  your 
own  hearts,  and  see  if  Jesus  is  there.  You  have  not, 
perhaps,  purposely  left  Him  behind,  but  are  you  sure 
that  your  way  in  the  world  is  one  in  which  He  could 
walk  with  you  ?  Perhaps  a  subtle  consciousness  that 
He  could  not  go  your  way  has  led  you  to  close  your 
eyes  to  the  fact  of  His  absence.  If  He  is  not  in  your 
own  heart  and  life,  you  may  have  comforted  yourself 
with  the  thought  that  at  least  He  is  "  in  the  company," 
among  your  spiritual  "  kinsfolk  and  acquaintance,"  or 
in  the  Church  ;  and  you  count  that  as  equivalent  to 
being  with  you.  But  is  this  safe  ?  Surely  not !  No 
doubt,  as  we  sit  at  the  Lord's  table,  Jesus  is  "  in  the 
midst,"  and  many  are  rejoicing  in  fellowship  with  Him  ; 
but  it  does  not  follow  that  He  is  with  every  one  who 
partakes  of  the  elements.  It  is  possible  that  He  may 
be  in  a  compmiy  and  yet  not  with  each  individual  of  that 
company.  In  any  case,  let  us  not  take  His  presence  too 
easily  "  for  granted." 

3.  They  lost  Him  while  full  of  conversation  about  most 
holy  things.  Going  back  from  the  feast,  the  conversa- 
tion of  the  little  caravan  would  doubtless  be  taken  up 
with  all  they  had  seen  and  heard  in  Jerusalem.  We 
may  assume  that  it  was  interesting  and  profitable  con- 
versation ;  and  yet  it  was  while  thus  engaged  they  lost 
Jesus.  Have  not  many  others  lost  Him  in  the  same 
way  ?  We  can  become  perfunctory  in  religious  service 
and  work,  and  lose  Jesus  out  of  all  the  work  and  forms 
of  religion,  and  so  lose  Him  out  of  our  lives,  even  while 
we  are  most  eagerly  discussing  religious  matters.  We 
may  be  so  taken  up  with  religious  things  and  conversa- 
tion that  we  forget  Jesus  altogether.  How  often  we 
"  say  our  prayers,"  read  our  Bibles,  go  to  church,  and  do 
relieious  duties  without  so  much  as  a  touch  or  a  brccith 


LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS  327 

of  His   presence !     All  has  become  dry  and  cold  and 
formal.     We  go  our  way  and  talk  on,  and  forget  Him  ! 
How  much  vehement  religious  controversy  and  theolo- 
gical discussion  there  is,  in  which  Jesus  is  not !     We  may 
know  this  by  the  dryness  of  the  discussion,  by  the  acri- 
mony of  the  debate  ;   and  yet  we  may  be  upholding 
orthodoxy  right  valiantly  all  the  time  !     We  may  be  so 
interested  and  absorbed,  even  in  sermons,  that  we  have 
taken  no  thought  to  make  sure  that  Jesus  is  with  us,  and 
so  it  comes  to  pass  that  our  gospel  has  come  to  you 
(sometimes)  "  in  word "  only,  and  not  "  in  power."     I 
have  known  some  Christians  so  taken  up  and  absorbed 
in  their  own  experiences  that  they  could  talk  of  nothing 
else — telling  of  the  life  of  faith  they  have  attained  to, 
the  second  blessing  which  has  come  to  them  ;  the  bap- 
tism of  power  which  has  fallen  on  them  ; — and  all  the 
time  it  has  seemed  that  there  was  but  very  little  mani- 
festation of  Jesus.     There  is  grave  danger  along  these 
lines.     The  one  thing  I   wish   to  urge  upon  you,  and 
upon    myself  as   well,   is   that,  whether  journeying   or 
abiding,  whether  engaged  in  what  we  call  secular  busi- 
ness, or  in  religious  service,  whether  our  conversation  be 
religious,  social,  or  political,  whether  we  be  immersed  in 
"  affairs,"  or  deeply  engaged  in  the  outward  things  of  the 
kingdom  of  God,  we  must  not  take  it  for  granted  that 
Jesus  is  with  us,  but  make  sure  of  it.     Do  not  leave  it 
till  night  to  see  if  He  is  near  ;  and  especially  do  not 
start  for  the  day  till  we  are  sure  that  Jesus  goes  with  us. 
Joseph  and   Mary's  great  mistake  was  in  starting,  that 
sad  and  memorable  day,  "  not  knowing  "  that  Jesus  had 
tarried  behind.     Do  not  close  your  Bible  in  the  morning 
until  you  are  sure  that  God  the  Lord  has  spoken  some 
word  of  peace,  comfort,  and  strength  to  your  soul  ;  do 
not  cease  to  pray  until  the  spirit  of  prayer  has  stirred 
your  hearts  as  well  as  the  form  of  prayer  moved  your 


328  LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS 

lips.  Say,  if  you  are  not  sure,  as  Jacob  said  to  the 
Angel,  "  I  will  not  let  thee  go  except  thou  bless  me,"  ^ 
Had  Mary  known  that  Jesus  was  left  behind,  do  you 
suppose  she  would  have  gone  without  Him  ?  Certainly 
not.  Make  haste  and  look  about  you,  and  make  certain 
that  Jesus  is  with  you. 

n.  Seeking  Jesus.  When  the  close  of  the  day 
came,  and  preparations  were  being  made  for  the  night 
encampment,  Mary  began  to  wonder  where  Jesus  was, 
and  perhaps  for  the  first  time  seriously  remembered 
that  she  had  not  seen  Him  all  the  day  long.  Perhaps 
she  reproached  herself  for  this  apparent  neglect,  and  yet 
excusing  herself  that  she  supposed  all  the  time  He  was 
somewhere  in  the  company.  In  any  case,  she  now 
seriously  bethought  herself  of  Him,  and  began  to  look, 
hoping  she  might  find  Him  near  at  hand.  It  is  at  the 
even-time,  after  the  business  or  pleasure  of  the  day  is 
over,  and  the  shades  of  night  begin  to  fall  around  us — 
when  the  company  is  dispersed,  the  excitement  of  the 
day  is  past,  and  the  time  comes  to  retire — that  the  soul 
looks  for  Jesus.  It  is  when  we  kneel  at  our  bedsides,  or 
retire  for  the  evening  worship,  either  alone,  or  with  the 
family,  that  we  want  our  Lord.  We  want  to  ask  His 
protection  during  the  night,  to  rehearse  to  Him  the 
doings  of  the  day,  and  to  confess  to  Him  the  errors  and 
mistakes,  if  not  the  sins,  of  the  day.  If  at  such  a  time 
we  become  conscious  that  we  are  not  in  spiritual  touch 
with  Him,  anxiety  and  distress  seize  us,  and  we  become 
alarmed  at  His  absence,  or  rather,  our  departure  and 
absence  from  Him.  I  can  hardly  conceive  of  a  real 
Christian  closing  the  day  without  making  inquiry  for 
the  Lord  ;  of  going  to  sleep,  like  a  mere  animal,  without 
a  thought  or  a  prayer.  I  can  understand  how  many 
Christians  have  grown  cold  and  formal,  and  have  been 
*  Gen.  xxxii.  26. 


LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS  329 

content  with  going  through  the  form  of  prayer,  and 
afterwards  falling  asleep,  not  knowing  that  they  had  had 
no  interview  with  Jesus  ;  but  I  know  more  about  coming 
to  the  end  of  the  day,  and  being  by  that  very  fact  sud- 
denly awakened  to  the  thought  that  all  the  day  long, 
even  though  engaged  in  religious  work,  I  have  had  no 
real  intercourse  with  Jesus.  If  the  thought  of  Him  has 
been  with  me  at  all,  I  have  taken  it  for  granted  that  He 
was  near  by,  and  so  passed  on,  until  night  came,  and 
prayer  time  came  with  it,  and  then  there  has  been  an 
absence  which  I  have  felt — and  I  have  known  that 
somewhere  between  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  the 
day  I  have  lost  Him.  Has  it  ever  been  so  with  you  ? 
Was  He  with  you  last  night,  at  the  close  of  the  day,  and 
of  the  week  ?  Are  you  sure  He  was  with  you  ?  Or  did 
you  let  the  night  pass  without  inquiring  or  satisfying 
yourself  as  to  His  presence  ?  Did  you  have  any  real 
intercourse  with  Him  ?  Did  you  sleep  with  the  bene- 
diction of  His  presence  upon  you  ?  Perhaps  it  did  not 
occur  to  you  that  He  was  not  present.  This,  indeed, 
would  be  a  sorrowful  confession.  Can  you  conceive 
Mary,  even  though  she  took  it  for  granted  all  through 
the  day  that  Jesus  was  in  the  company,  letting  the  night 
close  in  finally  without  satisfying  herself  that  her  Son 
was  with  her?  Is  He  less  dear  to  you  than  to  her? 
Has  He  not  said  of  us,  of  you  and  me,  "  Whosoever 
shall  do  the  will  of  My  Father  in  heaven,  the  same  is 
My  brother,  and  My  sister,  and  My  mother  "  ?  ^  How 
then  shall  we  allow  a  night  to  pass  without  making  such 
inquiry  for  the  presence  of  Jesus,  as  Mary  did,  unless 
indeed  we  are  not  really  His,  and  He  is  indifferent  to 
us  ? 

I.  Tkey  were  tJioroughly  alarmed  ivhen  they  failed  to 
find  Him.   This  we  can  readily  understand.    All  through 

'  Mark  iii.  35. 


330  LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS 

the  day  they  had  been  at  peace,  not  knowing  their  loss  ; 
but  now  alarm  seized  upon  them  when  they  found  Him 
not  where  and  when  they  expected   Him.      And  well 
they  might  be,  for  to  them  Jesus  was  more  than  a  Son  : 
He  was  the  Son  of  the  Highest  committed  to  their  care 
— He  was  God  their  Saviour ;  for,  though  I  do  not  sup- 
pose they  fully  understood  even  then  the  whole  mystery 
of  their  relation  to  Him,  yet  they  knew  that  He  was 
God's  Son,  and  the  Saviour  of  men.     More  than  that, 
they  loved   Him  tenderly  and  truly,  and  the  thought  of 
having  lost   Him  filled  their  souls  with  grief  and  fear. 
Is  He  not  all  this  to  us  ?     It  is  possible  for  us  to  go  on 
from  day  to  day  in  comparative  peace,  so  long  as  we 
"  suppose  Jesus  to  be  in  the  company,"  and  not  far  from 
us  in  any  case  ;  but  to  be  awakened  to  the  fact  that  we 
have  lost  Him  is  so  alarming  and  distressing  that  I  can 
think  of  no  other  calamity  so  great.     Have  you  never, 
upon  some  need  arising,  turned  to  your  purse  for  some 
money  and  found  that  you  had  lost  it,  or,  at  least,  could 
not  find  it  ?     Were  you  not  distressed  and  alarmed,  es- 
pecially if  it  happened  to  contain  your  all,  or,  in  any 
case,  a  large  sum  of  money  ?     Did  you  say  to  yourself, 
"  Oh,  never  mind  ;  no  doubt  it  will  turn  up  ;  I  will  not 
trouble  about  it  now "  ?     Have  you  never,  upon  need 
arising,   turned   to   your   desk  to   get  some   important 
paper  and  found  it  missing  ?    and  were  you   not  dis- 
tressed and  alarmed  over  the  revelation  of  that  sudden 
loss  ?     Did  you  go  on  quietly  about  your  business,  and 
treat  it  as  a  matter  of  no  moment  ?     Not  many  months 
ago  I  gave  my  housekeeper — a  most  careful  and  syste- 
matic woman — two  cheques  for  housekeeping  purposes. 
Several  days   passed,  when  she  came  to  me  in  greatest 
distress,  saying,  "  Oh,  Doctor  Pentecost,  I  have  lost  your 
cheques — I  have  not  an   idea  where  they  are  ;  I   had 
them  in  my  bag  yesterday,  but  to-day,  when  I  went  to 


LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS  il\ 

get  them  cashed,  to  pay  some  bills,  I  could  not  find 
them — what  shall  I  do  ?  "  and  tears  of  vexation,  distress, 
and  sense  of  loss  were  in  her  eyes.  Do  you  suppose 
that  either  she  or  I  pooh-poohed  the  matter,  or  said, 
"  Never  mind  :  they  will  no  doubt  turn  up  in  due  time." 
Not  a  bit  of  it.  Search  was  at  once  made  for  the  lost 
cheques  ;  every  possible  consideration  was  given  to  all 
the  incidents  of  the  last  two  days  and  to  each  detail,  if 
by  any  inquiry  we  might  discover  how  the  money  might 
have  been  lost ;  nor  was  the  search  given  up  until,  after 
some  days,  the  lost  cheques  were  found — and  then  there 
was  rejoicing !  Shall  we  lose  our  Lord's  presence  for 
one  day,  and  not  be  alarmed  and  unhappy  ? 

2.   They  search  for   Him  among  their  kinsfolk   and 
acquaintance.      This  was   naturally  their   first   thought. 
They   did   not   keep   their   loss  to  themselves,   saying, 
"  This  is  our  affair,  it  is  not  worth  while  making  a  com- 
motion about  it ;  we  will  say  nothing — wait  and  inquire 
privately  until,  perchance,  we   shall    find  Him."      No  ; 
immediately  they  began  to  inquire  and   search  among 
all   their   company,  and  spread   abroad    their   anxiety. 
But,  alas  !  they  found  Him  not  in  the  company !     No 
one  had  seen   Him  that  day  ;    perhaps  each  had    sup- 
posed, like  Mary,  that   He  was  somewhere  near.     This 
brings  to  my  mind  the  story  of  the  fair  and  beloved 
spouse  of  the   Song  of  Solomon,  who  lost  her  beloved, 
and  went  about  the  streets  of  the  city  inquiring  of  the 
daughters  of  Jerusalem  and  the  watchmen  for  Him,  and 
charging  them,  if  they   found    Him,  to  let  her  know. 
Naturally,  if  we  fail  to  find  our  Lord  when  we  have  lost 
Him  out  of  our  lives  or  communion,  we  turn  to  those  of 
our  own  company  and  make  known  our  distress,  if  haply 
they  may  be  able  to  tell  us  where  He  is.     But  how  dis- 
tressing it  was  to  Mary  and  Joseph  to  find  that  none  of 
the  company  could  tell  them  of  Jesus  !     They  had  all 


332  LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS 

lost  Him.  Surely  nothing  is  more  disappointing  than 
to  apply  to  some  brother  Christian  for  spiritual  help,  and 
find  that  he  can  give  us  none  ;  that  he,  too,  is  living 
without  personal  communion  with  Christ ; — and  yet  this 
is  often  so — those  whom  we  most  trust  are  perhaps  in 
the  same  case  of  religious  and  spiritual  declension. 
What  a  picture  this  presents  !  The  possibility  of  a 
whole  Church  or  congregation  being  without  Christ  in 
the  midst ;  and  yet  it  is  a  possibility.  It  was  so  at 
Laodicea.  The  whole  congregation  had  gone  on  with- 
out Christ  in  their  worship  and  work.  Did  He  not 
come  knocking  at  the  door  ?  And  they  scarcely  knew 
that  He  was  not  within.  Oh  !  my  friends,  if  you  have 
lost  the  Saviour  from  your  life,  do  not  delay,  even 
though  you  may  be  disappointed  in  your  search  among 
other  believers ;  seek  for  Him  everywhere  ;  do  not  be 
ashamed  to  confess  your  loss,  or  to  acknowledge  your 
fault  and  carelessness  in  losing  your  Lord,  and  if  you 
find  Him  not  among  your  own  company,  then  go  fur- 
ther and  seek  for  Him  till  you  do  find  Him,  though  you 
have  far  to  turn  back. 

3.  Tliey  went  back  again  to  Jerusalem,  seeking  Him. 
The  story  gives  the  impression  that  they  did  not  wait 
till  the  morning,  but  turned  back  at  once  ;  and  I  should 
think  that  was  likely  to  be  the  case,  for  I  can  hardly  con- 
ceive of  Mary  and  Joseph  being  in  any  condition  of  mind 
to  tarry  for  sleep.  In  any  case,  they  turned  back  ;  no 
doubt  sad  and  sorrowful  enough,  besides  all  their  anxiety. 
Their  love  was  aroused,  and  their  Son  never  seemed 
so  precious  to  them  as  now  that  they  had  lost  Him. 
This  turning  back  was  the  right  thing  to  do.  To  go 
forward  without  Jesus,  especially  when  we  have  become 
aware  of  our  loss,  would  be  madness,  not  to  say  the 
crowning  act  of  impiety.  How  is  it  with  you,  my 
brother,  my  sister  ?     Having  become  conscious  of  loss 


LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS  333 

of  spiritual  life  and  fellowship  with  God,  have  you  gone 
on  your  way,  not  turning  back  again  to  find  that  which 
you  have  lost  ?  Do  you  suppose  you  will  find  Jesus  by 
going  forward  without  Him  ?  Surely  not !  You  must 
turn  back  upon  the  way  you  have  come  without  Him, 
even  though  you  forfeit  your  journey,  or  hinder  your 
business  !  Better  never  make  a  journey  than  to  make 
it  without  Jesus  ;  better  never  do  another  day's  business 
than  to  do  it  without  Jesus.  Any  pleasure  pursued  in  the 
way  without  Him,  especially  if  you  know  that  He  is  not 
with  you,  will  turn  to  apples  of  Sodom  in  your  mouth, 
and  the  journey  will  end  in  disaster  ;  any  money  gained 
without  Him  will  be  a  curse  to  you.  Hear  the  word  of 
the  Lord,  "  Return,  ye  backsliding  children,  and  I  will 
heal  your  backslidings.  Behold,  we  come  unto  Thee ; 
for  Thou  art  the  Lord  our  God."  ^  "  Return  unto  Me, 
and  I  will  return  unto  you,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts."  ^ 
"If  thou  wilt  return,  saith  the  Lord,  return  unto  Me  ; 
then  shalt  thou  not  remove."  ^  I  might  multiply  these 
exhortations  of  the  Scriptures  to  those  who  have  lost 
their  way,  or  departed  from  the  Lord — but  these  are 
enough.  Oh,  thou  wanderer  from  Christ !  Oh,  thou 
backslidden  one  !  Oh,  thou  self-deceived  Christian,  who 
thinkest  Christ  is  with  thee  when  He  is  not,  Awake  out 
of  thy  fatal  dream,  and  return  to  Him  whom  thou  hast 
left  behind.  Follow  in  the  footsteps  of  Mary  and  Joseph, 
who,  anxious  and  sorrowing,  retraced  their  steps.  They 
did  not  set  store  by  their  rest,  or  their  affairs  ;  they  did 
not  count  the  cost  of  lost  days — to  them  the  one  thing 
imperatively  needful  was  to  find  Jesus  ;  like  Judah  and 
Israel  they  returned  "  going  and  weeping  "  ^  to  seek  the 
Lord  whom  they  had  left. 

III.  Finding  Jesus.     The  third  day  after  they  had 
lost   Him,  they  found   Him  in  the  temple,  where  they 
'  Jer.  iii.  22.      ^  Ibid.  iv.  i.      '  Ibid.  iv.  i.      *  Ibid.  1.  4. 


334  LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS 

had  left  Him.  One  day  they  travelled  from  Jerusalem 
and  away  from  Jesus,  not  knowing  that  He  was  not 
with  them  ;  the  second  day  they  spent  in  returning ; 
the  third  day  they  joyfully  found  Him  whom  they  had 
lost  and  sought  sorrowing.  Those  two  days  must  have 
been  heavy  days  of  sorrow  for  Mary  and  Joseph.  No 
days  are  so  heavy  as  those  in  which  we  are  consciously 
without  the  Lord,  while  desiring  Him  with  all  our 
hearts  ;  especially  when  we  are  conscious  that  we  have 
lost  Him  through  our  own  fault  or  carelessness.  How 
heavy  the  penalty  we  have  to  pay,  oftentimes,  for  a  day's 
carelessness.  That  one  day  without  Jesus  cost  them 
two  days  of  distress  !  It  is  always  much  easier  to  lose 
conscious  communion  with  God  than  it  is  to  regain  that 
lost  fellowship.  One  sin,  one  day  of  self-indulgence, 
one  outbreak  into  mere  worldly  pleasure,  one  false 
transaction  with  men  for  selfish  gain,  one  deliberate  or 
even  thoughtless  neglect  of  duty,  oftentimes  causes  us 
days  and  even  weeks  of  sorrow  and  trouble,  before  we 
find  ourselves  once  more  in  the  old  loving  standing 
with  God.  Will  it  be  too  pointed  a  question  if  I  ask 
you  whether  you  are  on  the  way  from  Jerusalem  with- 
out Jesus  ?  whether  you  are  sacrificing  His  fellowship 
for  some  pleasure  or  profit ;  for  some  self-indulgence 
in  that  which  you  know  to  be  wrong?  I  have  known  a 
man  to  lose  Jesus  for  the  sake  of  indulging  bitter  and 
unloving  thoughts  toward  a  brother  ;  I  have  known  a 
man  to  lose  Jesus  for  the  sake  of  getting  gain,  by  the 
practice  of  some  method  in  which  he  could  not  hope  for 
Jesus'  presence  with  him  ;  I  have  known  more  than  one 
Christian  to  lose  Jesus  for  the  sake  of  some  indulgence 
of  appetite,  or  some  pleasure  of  the  flesh  which  was,  at 
least,  doubtful — giving  themselves  the  favour  of  the 
doubt  rather  than  giving  it  to  God,  and  making  inquiry 
of  Him  before  committing  themselves  to  their  desires. 


LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS  335 

I  do  not  here  speak  of  those  who  deliberately  forsake 
the  Lord,  but  of  those  who  do  so  carelessly,  or  with 
half-closed  eyes  "  go  their  way,"  not  anxious  to  be  sure 
of  the  Lord's  presence  and  approval.  When  they  have 
awakened,  they  have  found  the  way  back  long  and 
weary  enough  ;  but  better  had  it  been  for  them,  a 
thousand  times,  that  they  had  returned  and  sought 
for  Jesus  till  they  found  Him,  than  to  have  accepted 
their  loss  and  gone  on  their  way  without  Him. 

They  fotmd  Jesus  where  they  lost  Him.  They  had 
without  doubt  last  seen  Him  in  the  temple,  with  the 
rest  of  their  company,  when  they  went  up,  on  the 
morning  of  their  departure,  for  a  last  look  or  a  last 
act  of  worship.  Thither  they  returned,  and  there  they 
found  Him.  Where  shall  we  who  may  have  lost  Jesus 
be  most  likely  to  find  Him  ?  Why,  just  where  we  last 
were  with  Him.  Do  you  know  when  you  were  last  in 
full  communion  with  Him  ?  Was  it  when  you  were  in 
earnest  prayer  ?  when  daily  in  the  habit  of  communing 
with  Him  before  the  Mercy-Seat  ?  How  long  ago  has 
that  been  ?  I  do  not  mean  how  long  ago  since  you 
"  said  your  prayers  "  ;  you  may  not  have  ceased  to  do 
that  at  all,  and  yet  it  is  possible  to  continue  saying 
prayers  long  after  we  have  ceased  to  have  true  com- 
munion with  God  and  Christ — the  forms  of  religion  and 
spiritual  life  may  survive,  long  after  the  Spirit  has 
departed.  I  have  often  seen  an  empty  chestnut  burr 
hanging  on  the  tree  long  months  after  the  nut  has 
dropped  to  the  ground.  Many  leaves  hang  green  upon 
the  trees  long  after  the  sap  of  life  has  ceased  to  flow 
into  them  ;  and  they  flutter  and  make  pretence  of  life 
for  a  while,  only  at  last  to  wither  and  die,  fluttering 
to  the  ground  to  be  trodden  under  foot.  Oh,  let  us  be 
alarmed  if,  when  we  pray,  we  have  no  consciousness  of 
His  presence  with  us  ;  or,  at  least,  no  consciousness  of 


336  LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS 

our  own  spirits  rising  in  love  and  gladness  to  God ! 
Better  wrestle  as  Jacob  did,  till  the  break  of  day,  than 
to  give  over  praying,  till  the  blessing  comes.  Jacob 
had  been  a  wanderer,  but  when  he  returned  and  began 
to  pray  again,  he  said,  "  I  will  not  let  thee  go  till  thou 
bless  me."  Then  he  found  the  Lord  again,  though 
he  went  halting  and  lame  all  the  rest  of  his  life.  But 
that  was  a  blessed  lameness  ;  it  was  the  lameness  of 
that  proud,  self-conscious  strength  in  which  he  had 
held  his  own  with  Laban  his  father-in-law.  Perhaps 
you  lost  Him  when  you  ceased  that  daily  and  devo- 
tional reading  of  the  Bible,  which  at  first  was  such  a 
charm  and  joy  to  you.  You  may  not  have  entirely 
ceased  to  read  the  Bible — you  may  even  read  it  daily — 
but  you  have  ceased  to  read  it  with  the  spirit  and  the 
understanding.  The  Bible  no  longer  speaks  to  you 
and  reveals  things  to  you,  "  wondrous  things  out  of  the 
law,"^  as  it  did  formerly.  You  lost  speech  with  God  in 
prayer,  and  God  has  lost  speech  with  you  in  Bible 
reading ;  and  yet  you  have  gone  on  your  way,  saying 
prayers,  and  reading  chapters,  and  the  Lord  is  not  with 
you.  Well,  there  you  will  find  the  Lord — ^just  where 
you  left  Him.  Return  to  your  closet,  and  cease  not 
your  supplications  till  you  get  speech  with  Him  ;  return 
to  your  Bible,  and  cease  not  to  read  and  study  it  until 
it  glows  again  before  your  eyes,  and  its  words  burn  and 
glow  in  your  heart  as  the  Urim  and  Thummim.  You 
may  have  lost  Him  just  where  you  laid  aside  some 
spiritual  service,  because  it  took  too  much  time  away 
from  your  business,  or  left  you  too  little  time  for  social 
pleasures.  Seek  Him  where  you  lost  Him.  You  may 
have  lost  Him,  by  the  way,  when  you  indulged  some 
misunderstanding,  or  quarrelled  with  your  brother,  and 
have  gone  on  with  an  unforgiving  spirit.  Is  it  so  ? 
^  Ps.  cxix.  1 8. 


LOSING  AND  FINDING  JESUS  337 

Well,  go  quickly  and  "  first  be  reconciled  to  thy  bro- 
ther," ^  and  then  and  there  thou  shalt  find  Him.  Mary 
and  Joseph  found  Jesus  in  the  temple — in  God's  house 
— about  His  Father's  business.  No  doubt  that  is  the 
place  in  general  where  the  lost  Jesus  may  be  found. 
Hear  what  David  says  :  "  My  tears  have  been  my  meat 
day  and  night,  while  they  continually  say  unto  me. 
Where  is  thy  God?  When  I  remember  these  things, 
I  pour  out  my  soul  in  me  ;  for  I  had  gone  with  the 
multitude,  I  went  with  them  to  the  house  of  God, 
with  the  voice  of  joy  and  praise,  with  a  multitude 
that  kept  holyday."^  Had  David  neglected  the  house 
of  God,  and  so  lost  the  joy  of  fellowship  with  God  ? 
Then,  when  he  returned  to  the  habits  of  spiritual  wor- 
ship, he  found  Him  again.  So  will  you.  They  found 
Him  engaged  in  His  Father's  business.  There  also  will 
you  find  Him.  They  left  the  temple  and  the  Father's 
business,  to  go  down  to  Nazareth  ;  He  stayed  behind 
because  He  must  be  still  about  it.  Return  to  Jerusalem, 
to  the  house  of  God,  to  your  Father's  business,  and 
there  will  you  again  find  Jesus. 

How  they  found  Him  we  have  already  intimated  ;  but, 
again,  it  may  be  helpful  to  note  that  they  sought  Him 
anxiously  and  sorrowingly ;  they  sought  Him  confessing 
their  loss,  and  inquiring  concerning  Him  everywhere, 
till  they  found  Him.  If  we  have  lost  Jesus,  and  would 
find  Him  again,  then  must  we  seek  Him  where  He  is 
where  we  left  Him  ;  and  seek  Him  with  all  our  hearts, 
confessing  our  sins  and  inquiring  diligently  for  Him 
"  Ye  shall  seek  Me  and  find  Me,  when  ye  shall  search 
for  Me  with  all  your  heart ;  and  I  will  be  found  of  you,, 
saith  the  Lord."  ^ 

*  Matt.  V.  24.  *  Ps.  xlii.  3,  4.  ^  Jer.  xxix.  13,  14.. 


P.B.  22 


XVIII 

THE  BOY  JESUS  IN   THE    TEMPLE 

"And  it  came  to  pass,  that  after  three  days  they  found  Him  in 
the  temple,  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  doctors,  both  hearing  them, 
and  asking  them  questions." — Luke  ii.  46. 

IN  the  picture  before  us  we  must  be  careful  to  dis- 
criminate between  the   incident    recorded  and   the 
Person  who  is  the  centre  of  the  incident.     It  is  not  the 
temple  which  we  have  to  contemplate,  nor  the  doctors, 
nor  even  the  happy  issue  of  the  search  after  their  missing 
Son  by  Mary  and  Joseph.     Indeed,  this  is  a  true  canon 
to  hold  ever  before  us  in  reading  the  New  Testament. 
It  is  never  the  incident,  when  Jesus  is  concerned,  but 
always   the   Person.      Interesting    as    are    the    angels, 
Nazareth,  Mary,  Bethlehem,  the  wise  men,  the  temple, 
and  the  doctors,  yet  it  is  always  Jesus  Himself  whom  we 
are  to  behold.     In  all  the  miracles  which  He  wrought. 
He  is  the  point  of  interest :  His  power.  His  grace.  His 
patient  love,  and   His  salvation.      All  the  rest  is  but 
background  and  drapery  to  the  revelation  of  the  Father 
in  Him.     The  people  who  gathered  to  Bethany  came  to 
see  Lazarus,  whom  He  raised  from  the  dead  ;  but  that 
which  interests  and  inspires  us  is  the  Resurrection  and 
the  Life,  by  whom  Lazarus  was  raised  up  from  the  grave. 
Even  His  wonderful  words  have  no  living  significance 
except  as  they  are  His  words.     He  is  the  substance  of 
all  His  teachings,  the  centre  of  all  His  ministry.     With 
this  caution  in  our  minds,  we  turn  with  thrilling  interest 

338 


THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE    TEMPLE  339^ 

to  the  scene,  which  Luke  brings  before  our  minds  and 
hearts,  in  this  significant  incident  in  the  boy-hfe  of 
Jesus,  the  only  one  recorded  of  Him  from  His  birth  till 
His  thirtieth  year,  when  He  entered  upon  His  public 
ministry. 

I.  Jesus  in  the  Temple.  After  three  days.  His 
sorrowing  and  anxious  parents  found  Jesus,  whom  they 
had  lost,  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  doctors  in  the  temple, 
hearing  and  asking  them  questions.  We  must  not 
understand  that  Mary  and  Joseph  had  been  searching 
Jerusalem  over  for  three  days  before  they  found  Him. 
One  day  must  be  counted  up  to  the  time  they  missed 
Him  from  their  company  ;  one  day  occupied  in  the 
return  to  Jerusalem  ;  and  on  the  morning  of  the  third 
day,  the  first  morning  after  their  return,  they  went  direct 
to  the  temple,  and  there  they  found  Him.  It  was  the 
most  natural  place  for  them  to  look  for  Him.  No  doubt 
He  had  been  for  several  days,  if  not  all  the  days  of  the 
feast,  in  that  same  place,  if  not  actually  in  conversation 
with  the  doctors,  at  least  listening  to  them.  He  had 
been  there  with  other  boys  previous  to  His  formal  in- 
duction, or  confirmation  as  "  a  son  of  the  law,"  in  order 
to  be  catechized  and  instructed,  as  was  the  custom. 
After  the  people  had  all  gone  back  to  their  homes,  He, 
remaining  behind,  would  naturally  stay  in  the  temple, 
and,  with  His  awakening  mind,  seek  out  the  doctors  and 
instructors  in  the  law ;  and  we  can  well  believe  that 
such  a  Child  as  Jesus  would  be  warmly  welcomed  by 
these  wise  men.  His  manners  and  bearing.  His  wisdom 
and  beauty,  would  attract  them,  and  He  would  not  want 
for  hospitality  for  a  couple  of  nights,  even  if  He  did  not 
remain  in  some  one  of  the  cloisters  or  priests'  apartments 
in  the  temple. 

The  temple  was  the  most  natural  place  for  Jesus  to  be 
in,  for  whether  He  was  conscious  or  not  of  His  relation 


340  THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE   TEMPLE 

to  His  Father's  house,  there  must  have  been  in  His  sub- 
consciousness, at  least,  a  strong  attraction  toward  and 
for  the  building  which  had  its  only  interpretation  in 
Him.  He  was  the  antitype  of  the  temple  ;  He  was  the 
true  Temple  of  which  that  made  with  stones  was  but  the 
shadow.  Of  old,  God  met  His  people  and  communed 
with  them  from  above  the  Mercy  Seat  in  the  tabernacle, 
and  when  Solomon  built  the  temple  God  continued  to 
meet  with  His  people  there.  It  was  the  centre  of  the 
nation  and  of  the  whole  religious  life  of  the  people.  There 
the  priests  and  the  high  priest  ministered  ;  there  the 
sacrifices  and  offerings  were  made  ;  there  the  great  feasts 
were  celebrated  ;  and  there  the  Shekinah  dwelt.  In  all 
the  ceremonies  and  offerings  Jesus  was  the  true  point  of 
sight.  The  people  may  not  have  fully  understood  this, 
but  this  was  God's  meaning,  as  is  fully  expounded  to  us 
in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  and  other  New  Testament 
writings.  Jesus  was  the  true  Immanuel — God  with  us  ; 
He  was  the  true  meeting-place  for  God  and  man  ;  He 
alike  the  true  High  Priest  and  the  true  Sacrifice. 
Whether  He  fully  understood  this  at  the  time  is  very 
doubtful  ;  but  the  truth  of  it  all  must  have  been  in  His 
undeveloped  consciousness,  and  so  have  drawn  Him  with 
irresistible  power  to  the  wonderful  building  and  all  its 
ceremonials.  In  His  early  ministry  He  said,  "  Destroy 
this  temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up."  ^ 
"  This  He  spake  of  His  body,"  which  should  rise  from 
the  dead,  after  the  Jews  had  put  Him  to  death  ;  but 
they  understood  it  of  the  building  of  the  temple.  The 
saying  is  sufiicient  to  show  the  close  identity  between 
Jesus  and  the  temple,  and  may  serve  further  to  demon- 
strate the  sympathy  between  Him  and  it. 

I.  He  was  the  true  glory  of  the  temple.     Speaking  of 
the  new  temple,  after  Solomon's  had  been  destroyed,  the 
'  John  ii.  19. 


THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE   TEMPLE  341 

prophet  Haggai  said,  "  The  glory  of  this  latter  house 
shall  be  greater  than  of  the  former."  ^  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  we  know  that  neither  the  second  temple  nor  the 
one  which  Herod  had  restored  could  compare  with  the 
glory  of  the  temple  of  Solomon,  either  in  extent  or 
magnificence — in  its  furniture  or  its  service.  Out  of 
this  second  and  restored  temple  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant 
was  gone,  the  very  Mercy  Seat  had  been  lost,  and  all 
the  trophies  of  the  Exodus,  such  as  the  pot  of  manna 
and  the  rod  of  Aaron  that  budded,  had  disappeared  ; 
but  above  all,  the  great  Shekinah-cloud  had  disappeared 
from  it.  Nevertheless,  the  prophecy  of  Haggai  was 
now  fulfilled,  for  the  true  glory  of  the  temple  had  come 
into  it  in  the  Person  of  Jesus,  its  great  antitype  and  the 
real  glory  of  God.  Unconscious  of  the  true  reasons  for 
His  close  affinity  for  the  temple,  Jesus  must  have  loved 
and  venerated  the  building  which  incarnated  and  pre- 
served all  the  traditions  of  His  people  and  of  God's 
grace  and  providence.  He  was  in  the  temple  naturally 
and  of  right ;  and  Mary  and  Joseph  did  well  to  seek  Him 
there,  even  though  they  did  not  perhaps  comprehend  its 
real  attraction  for  Jesus.  They  may  probably  have  been 
led  to  the  temple  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  even  as  souls 
who  have  lost  Jesus,  and  have  turned  back  to  find  Him, 
are  surely  guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  very  place 
where  He  is. 

2.  He  was  seated  in  the  midst  of  the  doctors.  This 
was  not  surprising  either,  for  it  was  customary  for  the 
doctors  to  sit  in  one  of  the  open  courts  to  deliver 
their  lectures  on  the  law,  and  teach  all  who  came  to 
them  ;  and  young  boys  of  Jesus'  age  were  encouraged 
to  seek  them  out.  Josephus  tells  us  how,  when  a  boy, 
he  had  thus  sat  at  the  feet  of  the  doctors,  and  been  so 
instructed.  The  particular  point  in  this  scene  is  that 
'  Hag.  ii.  9. 


34i  THE  BOY  JESUS  IN   THE   TEMPLE 

Jesus  not  only  was  catechized  Himself,  but  He  cate- 
chized them  ;  at  least,  while  He  answered  their  ques- 
tions, He  also  put  questions  in  turn.  We  do  not  think 
of  Him  as  being  bold  and  irreverent,  or  otherwise  than 
most  gentle  and  respectful,  in  His  intercourse  with  these 
grave  and  learned  men  ;  but  simply  as  answering  their 
questions  with  wondrous  insight  and  spiritual  power, 
and  asking  them  questions  which  astonished  them  be- 
cause of  their  penetrating  knowledge  and  surprising 
depth  of  thought.  In  His  interview  with  them  there 
was  no  chopping  of  old  straw,  but  a  direct  going  back 
to  fundamental  truth.  In  this  categorical  interview  be- 
tween Jesus  and  the  doctors,  if  I  may  say  it  reverently, 
"  the  boy  was  father  to  the  man,"  and  the  doctors  got 
a  taste  of  that  spiritual  medicine  which  Jesus  adminis- 
tered to  them  so  copiously  in  after  years,  when  He 
confounded  them  again  with  His  questions  and  answers. 
The  more  we  read  the  New  Testament,  and  study  the 
method  and  wisdom  of  Jesus  in  dealing  controversially 
with  the  Jews,  the  more  we  are  astonished  at  His 
mastery  of  what  we  know  as  the  Socratic  method  of 
teaching,  and  the  surprising  way  in  which  He  cut  up 
by  the  roots,  in  a  single  question  or  answer,  the  false 
philosophy  and  traditional  unwisdom  of  these  "blind 
leaders  of  the  blind,"  who  had  "  made  void  the  com- 
mandments by  their  traditions."  Jesus  was  in  form  a 
young  student  in  the  theological  college  of  His  nation  ; 
He  was,  in  fact,  the  new  and  divine  Head  Master  of  that 
college,  and  the  old  professors  found  themselves  being 
taught  as  they  had  never  been  taught  before.  As  I  con- 
template this  scene  I  cannot  help  wishing  that  Jesus 
might  again  come  into  the  theological  temples  and  schools 
of  our  Churches,  and  put  our  learned  men  through  a 
course  of  questions  concerning  God's  word ;  that  He 
might  be  installed  as  our  Head  Master,  and  give  our 


THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE    TEMPLE  343 

young  men  the  benefit  of  His  direct  teaching.  I  would 
be  glad  to  see  the  German  and  the  English  scientists 
and  philosophers  turned  out,  by  calling  Him  to  the 
chief  seat — and  all  our  young  men  gathered  closely 
about  Him.  Oh,  for  the  presence  of  Jesus  in  our  theo- 
logical centres ;  for  direct  contact  with  His  wisdom  and 
spiritual  understanding !  Is  it  a  dream  unwarranted, 
and  never  to  be  realized,  that  He  may  be  so  exalted 
in  our  seats  of  sacred  learning,  that  even  our  professors 
may  be  awakened  and  astonished  at  His  wisdom  ?  for, 
after  all,  is  it  not  Himself  that  we  need  to  come  in 
contact  with,  rather  than  all  the  learned  foolishness  of 
the  Mishnas  and  Gemaras,  either  ancient  or  modern  ? 

3.  They  were  astonished  at  His  understanding  and 
answers.  And  well  they  might  be,  for  even  as  a  boy, 
when  hearing  and  asking  questions,  He  taught  not  as 
the  scribes,  but  as  one  having  knowledge  from  on  high. 
Even  then  He  spoke  out  of  His  own  consciousness  of 
truth,  and  not  as  one  crammed  with  the  subtilties  and 
dry-as-dust  speculations  of  mere  scholarship  and  human 
learning.  In  after  years,  these  same  doctors,  or  their 
successors,  encountered  the  wonderful  wisdom  of  the 
Christ,  and  could  not  understand  whence  He  received 
it,  since  He  was  not  of  the  schools.  "  How  knoweth 
this  Man  letters,  having  never  learned  ? "  ^  they  cry. 
They  supposed,  in  their  pride  and  vanity,  because  He 
was  "  the  carpenter's  son,"  and  had  never  been  the  dis- 
ciple of  a  Gamaliel,  or  some  other  great  master  of  the 
school  of  the  law,  that  therefore  it  was  impossible  for 
Him  to  have  wisdom.  Wisdom  in  the  things  of  God 
does  not  come  of  the  schools,  but  of  the  scriptures, 
illuminated  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  a  mind  and  heart 
filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God.  It  may  be  right 
and  well  to  make  an  art  education  and  a  regular  theo- 
*  John  vii.  15. 


344  THE   BOY  JESUS  IN  THE   TEMPLE 

logical  training  a  qualifying  condition  to  entering  upon 
the  ministry  of  our  Churches.  I  do  not  say  it  is  well 
to  make  it  a  sine  qua  non.  May  it  not  just  be  possible 
that  by  so  doing  we  exclude  some  heaven-taught  men 
from  the  ministry  of  the  word,  whilst  admitting  some 
wise  fools  who  know  little  or  nothing  of  the  scriptures 
or  the  power  of  God?  John  Owen  was  a  great  and 
learned  scholar  and  theologian,  but  he  said  that  he 
would  gladly  sacrifice  all  his  human  learning  and  cul- 
ture, if  he  could  but  preach  and  write  like  John  Bunyan, 
who  "  never  learned,"  yet  somehow  succeeded  in  opening 
the  scriptures  and  preaching  the  gospel  in  such  a  way 
that  thousands,  two  and  a  half  centuries  after  his  de- 
parture, read  his  allegories  and  sermons,  and  rejoice  in 
God's  salvation,  where  scarce  a  dozen  ever  open  the 
learned  pages  of  John  Owen.  "  Wisdom  and  under- 
standing "  are  gifts  infinitely  greater  than  learning  and 
culture.  These  may,  and  often  do,  go  together ;  but 
wisdom  and  understanding  are  rather  the  direct  gifts 
of  God  to  the  souls  that  wait  upon  Him  and  search 
the  scriptures,  while  learning  and  culture  are  the  pro- 
ducts of  mere  human  teaching  and  training.  Jesus 
certainly  did  not  have  these  latter,  in  the  technical  sense, 
though  He  was  not  without  learning  of  the  highest  and 
best  kind.  It  is  not  wonderful  that  the  doctors,  and 
those  who  heard  Him,  were  "  astonished  at  His  under- 
standing and  answers."  They  dealt  in  the  letter  of  the 
law.  He  dealt  with  the  spirit  of  the  word.  This  they 
had  lost,  else  they  would  not  have  rejected  Him.  Nay, 
had  they  had  understanding,  they  would  have  perceived 
that  a  heaven-sent  Child  was  even  then  in  their  midst. 
Later,  He  rebuked  these  doctors,  and  their  disciples  and 
followers,  for  "searching  the  scriptures,"  supposing  that 
in  them  they  had  eternal  life ;  while  He  explained  to 
them  that  they  were  but  the  testifiers  to  Him.      Had 


THE  BOY  JESUS  IN   THE    TEMPLE  345 

they,  the  doctors,  understood  the  scriptures,  they  would 
not  have  rejected  Him,  Are  we  not  often  guilty  of  the 
same  mistaken  folly?  If  we  can  construct  a  logical 
system  of  theology,  and  in  a  masterful  and  scientific 
way  demonstrate  our  dogmas,  we  are  often  satisfied 
with  ourselves,  even  if  we  never  catch  a  glimpse  of 
Christ  in  the  whole  proceeding. 

But  how  was  it  that  Jesus  had  such  "  wisdom  and 
understanding  "  ?  We  need  not  be  left  long  in  the  dark 
upon  this  point,  for  even  as  a  Boy  He  had  the  mind  of 
His  Father.  We  are  told  that  when  He  was  taken 
down  from  the  temple  (where  He  had  been  carried  as 
an  infant,  to  be  presented  to  the  Lord,  according  to  the 
Law  of  the  Lord)  to  His  home  in  Nazareth,  "  the  Child 
grew,  waxed  strong  in  spirit,  filled  with  wisdom,  and  the 
grace  of  God  was  upon  Him."  Here  is  the  first  source 
of  His  understanding.  Even  as  a  Child  the  divine  con- 
sciousness within  Him  was  beginning  to  swell  in  the 
bud  of  His  human  intelligence,  though  we  must  con- 
clude from  all  we  read  of  Him  that  this  unfolding  was 
very  gradual ;  and  perhaps  it  was  not  fully  understood 
by  Himself  at  the  time ;  yet  it  was  there,  and  to  a 
certain  extent  dominated  His  human  thinking.  His 
spiritual  nature  was  daily  expanding,  and  also  His  per- 
ceptions of  all  things  about  Him  in  nature,  which  must 
have  been  a  constant  delight.  All  the  traditions  of 
God's  people,  and  the  wondrous  stories  of  the  Bible 
concerning  their  origin  and  history,  were  spiritual  rather 
than  merely  material  and  historical.  The  way  in  which 
He  turned  all  nature,  later  on,  into  parables  shows  how 
His  mind  must,  from  His  childhood,  have  spiritualized 
all  creation.  The  birds  of  the  air,  the  seeds  of  the 
harvest,  the  soil,  the  rocks  and  the  thorns,  even  the 
seedsmen  who  sowed  the  fields,  were  to  Him  just  open 
books,  out  of  which    He  read   and  understood   God's 


346  THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE    TEMPLE 

truth.  All  the  relations  and  occupations  of  men  were  to 
Him  objects  teaching  divine  truth ;  for  He  did  not 
appeal  to  nature  merely  for  illustrations — nature  was 
more  than  that  to  Him.  Nature,  and  all  human  rela- 
tions and  occupations,  were  the  incarnation  of  great 
spiritual  truths  which  in  the  fulness  of  His  ministry  He 
opened  and  read  aloud  to  the  people.  All  these  things 
He  hid  in  His  heart,  as  we  know  His  mother  was  accus- 
tomed to  do,  and,  later  on,  He  understood  them  in  the 
light  of  the  Spirit  which  was  with  and  in  Him.  In  a 
lesser  degree,  it  is  also  given  to  us  thus  to  learn  and 
understand,  even  to  those  who  have  not  been  to  colleges. 
Jesus,  the  "  Word  "  by  whom  "  all  things  were  made,  and 
without  whom  was  not  anything  made  that  was  made,"  ^ 
had  divine  understanding,  or  the  dawning  of  it,  in  His 
human  mind  from  the  beginning,  so  that  He  could  not 
think  at  all  except  under  the  influence  of  that  dominat- 
ing power  of  wisdom  and  truth. 

Then,  we  must  not  forget  that  He  was  carefully 
trained  from  a  child  by  His  mother,  who  was  a  most 
devout  and  thoughtful  woman,  herself  full  of  the  know- 
ledge of  the  scriptures,  as  we  know  from  her  exquisite 
canticle,  sung  in  the  hour  of  our  Lord's  incarnation. 
How  carefully  she  would  teach  and  train  Him  in  the 
scriptures  we  can  well  conceive.  In  all  His  after  life 
and  ministry  there  is  abundant  proof  that  the  Jewish 
scriptures  were  deeply  and  exhaustively  interwoven  in 
His  consciousness.  The  Bible  was  the  one  book  of  our 
Lord.  There  is  not  in  the  whole  story  of  His  life  and 
ministry  a  hint  that  He  ever  knew  another  book.  Not 
once  did  He  ever  allude  to  any  human  composition. 
The  scriptures  and  nature  and  man  were  His  library. 
No  human  poetry,  science,  or  philosophy  were  text- 
books to  Him.  With  the  word  of  God  He  comforted 
^  John  i.  3. 


THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE    TEMPLE  347 

His  disciples,  confounded  His  enemies,  and  overcame 
the  devil  ;  with  the  word  of  God  He  communed  with 
His  Father,  and  with  it  also  the  Father  testified  to  Him, 
The  doctors  with  whom  He  sat,  answering  and  asking 
questions,  were  full  of  human  knowledge  with  which 
their  predecessors  had  overlaid  and  veiled  the  scriptures, 
and  were  astonished  at  His  understanding,  because  they 
had  drifted  far  away  from  the  original  source  of  spiritual 
knowledge,  and  had  put  aside  the  only  possible  inter- 
preter of  the  scriptures — the  Holy  Spirit,  whom  Stephen 
said  they  had  always  resisted,^  even  to  the  point  of 
bringing  upon  themselves  spiritual  blindness  ;  and  Paul 
said  that  "  even  unto  this  day,  when  Moses  is  read,  the 
veil  is  upon  their  hearts."  ^  He,  who  had  never  learned 
except  out  of  the  scriptures,  confounded  and  astonished 
these  men,  who  spent  all  their  days  studying,  not  so 
much  the  scriptures  themselves,  but  the  commentaries  of 
other  learned  men  upon  the  scriptures,  until  they  had 
lost  the  true  and  spiritual  sense  of  God's  words.  Jesus 
brought  to  them  light  and  knowledge  direct  from  the 
original  sources.  I  often  feel  that  we  are  in  the  same 
danger  ourselves,  in  our  study  of  God's  word.  On  this 
point  I  would  here  venture  a  word  of  warning,  both  to 
you  and  to  myself 

I  am  thankful,  indeed,  to  many  learned  and  spiritual 
writers  and  commentators  for  a  deeper  insight  into  the 
wonderful  meaning  of  scripture  than  I  have  been  able  to 
get  myself ;  but  I  am  also  conscious  that  when  I  depend 
too  much  upon  the  learning  of  the  wise  for  the  under- 
standing of  the  word  of  God,  I  begin  to  lose  the  sense  of 
its  power  and  freshness  ;  and,  if  I  continue  the  process 
too  long,  I  lose  the  sense  of  its  being  God's  word  at  all 
— especially  in  pulpit  preparation.  It  is  easy  to  fall 
into  the  habit  of  depending  upon  the  thoughts  and  in- 
'  Acts  vii.  51.  *  2  Cor.  iii.  15. 


348  THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE   TEMPLE 

sight  of  other  men,  until  all  freshness  soon  goes  out  of 
the  word,  and  sermon-making  becomes  a  dry  and  heavy 
task.  Now  and  again  I  put  aside  all  books  and  com- 
mentaries and  confine  myself  to  the  reading  and  study 
of  the  bare  word  itself,  seeking  the  illumination  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  for  interpretation  and  suggestion.  I  am 
sure  the  best  and  most  refreshing  thoughts  I  have  ever 
had  of  God's  truth  have  been  at  those  times  when  I 
have  shut  myself  up  to  its  own  power ;  for  the  word 
itself  is  "  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword,"  being  full 
of  life  and  energy,  "  and  piercing  even  to  the  dividing 
asunder  of  soul  and  spirit,  and  is  a  discerner  of  the 
thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart."  ^  "  Is  not  my  word 
like  a  fire  ?  saith  the  Lord  ;  and  like  a  hammer  that 
breaketh  the  rock."  ^  The  Psalmist  tells  us  that  "  while 
I  mused  (on  God's  word)  the  fire  burned."  ^  This  is 
verily  true.  Sometimes,  when  earnestly  and  prayer- 
fully studying  God's  word,  there  are  passages  which 
seem  to  stand  out  before  the  mind  in  raised  letters, 
glowing  with  an  inward  light — we  feel  that  God  Him- 
self is  speaking  to  us,  as  it  were,  face  to  face.  It  is 
told  of  a  great  commentator  that  he  once  gave  a  copy 
of  the  New  Testament,  with  his  notes  appended,  to 
an  uneducated  but  deeply  spiritual  old  man  who  lived 
in  his  parish,  and  after  some  months  asked  him  how 
he  had  enjoyed  reading  it.  To  which  the  good  old 
man  replied,  that  he  had  always  enjoyed  reading  his 
Bible,  and  he  liked  this  copy  very  much,  but  that  he 
could  neither  make  head  nor  tail  of  the  wee  notes  at 
the  bottom  of  the  pages.  I  do  not  say  this  to  despise 
or  disparage  either  learning  or  the  help  of  the  learned 
in  the  study  of  God's  precious  truth,  but  to  warn  against 
a  too  great  dependence  upon  mere  human  comment, 
no  matter  how  wise  and  good.  It  is  not  so  much  man's 
'  Heb.  iv.  12.  *  Jer.  xxiii.  29.  ^  Ps.  xxxix.  3. 


THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE   TEMPLE  349 

thoughts  upon  God's  word,  as  God's  thought  com- 
municated to  us  directly  through  His  word.  If  this  be 
so  with  ourselves,  how  much  more  true  of  Jesus,  who 
got  His  understanding  of  the  scriptures  by  the  direct 
study  and  contemplation  of  them,  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
constantly  illuminating  both  them  and  His  own  mind 
and  heart. 

H.  Some  Lessons.  I  venture  now  to  suggest  to 
you  some  general  lessons  to  be  drawn  from  the  beautiful 
story  of  Jesus  sitting  amidst  the  doctors,  lessons  which, 
I  am  sure,  have  before  now  suggested  themselves  to 
you,  but  not  for  that  reason  unworthy  of  mention, 

I.  A  lesson  to  parents.  Mary  gently  reproached  her 
Son  for  preferring  to  tarry  behind,  talking  with  learned 
men  of  the  things  of  God,  to  following  her  and  Joseph 
to  their  home  in  Nazareth,  There  was  in  that  reproach 
something  more  of  human  selfishness  than  of  divine 
wisdom  ;  for  Jesus,  in  His  own  sweet  way,  answered,  in 
a  sentence  which  must  have  gone  to  the  very  heart  of 
His  mother,  "  Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  My 
Father's  business  ?  "  Perhaps  Mary  thought  Jesus  was 
too  forward  and  precocious,  and  that  He  was  transgress- 
ing to  some  extent  the  proprieties  of  childhood  in  thus 
presuming  to  ask  questions  of  these  wise  men.  She 
had,  no  doubt,  herself  a  great  and  even  reverent  admira- 
tion for  His  wisdom  and  understanding,  but  would  still 
remind  Him  that  He  was  but  a  child,  and  that  He 
should  keep  a  child's  place.  The  question  arises,  What 
is  a  child's  place  in  respect  to  answering  and  asking 
questions  ?  We  all  know  how  severe  the  parental  canon 
has  been  upon  us  in  our  childhood — how  we  have  been 
told  times  without  number  that  "  children  should  be 
seen  and  not  heard  "  ;  how  we  have  been  forbidden  to 
interpose  in  the  conversation  of  our  elders,  and  sent 
away  from  the  company  of  grown  people,  and  told  that 


350  THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE    TEMPLE 

we  were  too  young  to  understand  ;  and,  especially,  that 
we  must  not  "  trouble  "  older  people  with  questions.  Of 
course,  children  should  not  be  allowed  to  indulge  in 
forward  pertness  in  conversation  ;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  we  should  be  careful  not  to  repress  too  much  the 
eager  keeness  of  their  young  minds,  especially  when 
they  are  all  alive  to  learn  something  of  the  things  of 
God.  We  try,  indeed,  to  catechize  our  children,  and  at 
set  times  allow  them  to  question  us  concerning  the  deep 
things  of  God,  in  which  they  seem  particularly  in- 
terested ;  but  we  are  not  fond  of  having  our  own  quiet 
minds  disturbed  by  inopportune  questions,  as  we  judge 
them  to  be,  of  children.  We  too  often  answer  by  telling 
them  that  they  are  "  too  young  to  understand  "  ;  that 
these  are  matters  for  older  people  ;  that  they  will  come 
to  understand  when  they  get  older  ;  and  thus  we  repress 
and  close  up  many  an  opening  child-mind  by  rebuke, 
however  gentle  and  well  meant,  and  deliver  their 
thoughts  and  inquiries  over  to  other  matters  which  come 
between  them  and  God.  I  am  quite  sure  that  we  under- 
rate both  the  native  intellectual  and  spiritual  ability  of 
children.  I  am  sure,  also,  that  the  grace  which  came  upon 
the  Child  Jesus,  by  which  He  grew  in  spirit  and  wisdom, 
comes  upon,  and  is  in  a  measure  given  to,  every  child ; 
which,  if  fostered  and  encouraged,  would  lead  multitudes 
of  them  into  an  early  spiritual  knowledge  of  God  and 
His  salvation  ;  while,  by  denial  and  repression,  we 
destroy  our  own  best  hopes  concerning  them. 

There  are  two  passages  of  scripture  which  always 
come  to  me  when  confronted  by  some  child  with  a  ques- 
tion concerning  God  and  the  things  of  God  :  "  Father,  I 
thank  Thee  that  Thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the 
wise  and  prudent,  and  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes  " ;  ^ 
and  that  other  saying  of  Jesus,  "  Except  ye  be  converted, 
^  Matt.  xi.  25. 


THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE   TEMPLE  351 

and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  ^  Now,  if  God  reveals  the  deep 
things  of  the  kingdom  to  babes,  whether  in  years  or 
understanding,  it  should  be  far  from  us  to  discourage  the 
eager  inquiry  of  little  children  concerning  these  things, 
even  though  their  questions  be  hard  and  give  us  trouble 
to  answer.  Indeed,  this  often  lies  at  the  root  of  our 
unwise  disposition  to  repress  these  little  inquirers ;  for 
we  all  know,  to  our  cost,  how  difficult  their  questions 
often  are,  and  how  we  are  rebuked  by  them,  because  we, 
ourselves,  have  not  taken  the  trouble  to  know.  If  we 
must  become  little  children  in  the  simplicity  of  our 
minds  before  we  can  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
why  should  we  not  eagerly  seize  upon  the  child-mind  to 
lead  it  directly  to  God,  before  it  grows  hard  and  callous  ? 
I  have  said  that  I  am  sure  we  greatly  underrate  the 
spiritual  ability  of  children  to  understand  the  scriptures. 
During  my  ministry,  and  especially  in  my  evangelistic 
work,  I  had  much  to  do  with  children,  and  this  I  have 
noticed,  that  in  every  unusual  work  of  grace  children  are, 
as  a  rule,  the  first  to  be  moved  by  the  Word  of  God,  and 
the  first  to  come  forward  and  confess  Him. 

I  remember  a  little  girl  seven  years  old  coming  forward 
with  a  large  number  of  young  people  and  adults  to  con- 
fess Christ,  and  be  instructed  in  the  way  of  salvation. 
I  supposed  she  had  come  with  her  parents,  and  so  passed 
her  by,  until,  one  by  one,  all  the  others  left,  and  she 
remained  behind  alone.  Speaking  to  her,  I  asked  why 
she  had  come  forward.  She  said,  in  her  sweet,  patient, 
childish  way,  that  she  wanted  to  be  Jesus'  child,  and 
that  she  had  come  to  confess  Him  as  her  Saviour.  Her 
mother  and  father  were  behind  in  the  congregation,  and 
had  allowed  her  to  come !  Wise  parents.  I  then  asked 
her  a  number  of  questions,  and  found  her  wonderfully 
^  Matt,  xviii.  3. 


352  THE  BO  V  JESUS  IN  THE   TEMPLE 

intelligent  in  spiritual  matters,  and  that  she  had  been 
evidently  well  taught,  though  the  parents  were  but 
working  people.  I  put  a  little  inquirer's  card  into  her 
hand,  and  told  her  to  get  her  mother  to  read  it  to  her.  "  I 
can  read  it  quite  well  myself,"  was  the  simple  reply. 
"  Then,"  I  said,  "  get  your  mother  to  explain  these  things 
to  you "  (referring  to  the  matter  printed  on  the  card). 
"  But,"  was  the  quick  and  eager  reply,  *'  I  understand 
them  quite  well  myself;  I  have  been  hearing  you  preach 
about  this  and  explaining  it  to  the  people  every  night 
for  a  week  or  two,  and  I  want  to  take  God  for  my 
Father,  and  Jesus  Christ  for  my  Saviour,  and  be  His 
disciple."  Nor  did  she  go  until  I  had  allowed  her  to 
make  confession  of  her  faith  as  the  others  had,  by  stand- 
ing before  the  congregation  and  declaring  her  acceptance 
of  Jesus  as  Saviour  and  Lord. 

On  another  occasion,  a  little  fair-haired  boy  of,  perhaps, 
eight  years,  came  with  a  great  number  of  youths  and 
maidens  and  older  people  to  confess  Christ.  It  was  the 
last  night  of  a  series  of  evangelistic  meetings  in 
Aberdeen.  The  meeting  was  full  of  interest,  and  there 
were,  perhaps,  two  thousand  people  in  the  hall,  who  had 
remained  to  the  after-meeting  on  this  last  night.  Sixty 
or  seventy  persons  had  come  to  the  front  benches  for  the 
purpose  of  openly  confessing  Christ ;  this  little  boy  was 
seated  in  the  midst.  I  supposed  he  also  had  come  along 
with  his  father  and  mother,  and  gave  him  no  thought 
until  toward  the  close,  when  most  had  stood  and  made 
their  confession.  As  if  fearing  he  would  be  overlooked, 
the  little  fellow  rose  to  his  feet,  turned  about,  facing  the 
congregation,  and,  in  a  sweet  child's  voice,  that  was 
heard  all  over  the  hall,  said,  "  I  have  been  a  Christian 
for  a  great  many  years,  but  did  not  know  that  I  ought  to 
make  a  public  confession,  and  so  have  come  to  say  that 
I  love  Jesus  and  want  to  be  His  disciple."     This  child's 


THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE   TEMPLE  353 

confession  of  faith  sent  a  thrill  of  power  through  the 
audience,  and  set  strong  men  and  women  to  weeping 
before  God,  and  brought  others  to  decision  and  confession. 
I  talked  with  the  little  fellow  afterwards,  and  found  him 
simply,  yet  profoundly,  intelligent  as  to  Jesus  and  His 
salvation.  I  do  not  suppose  he  could  have  given  me 
clear  views  on  election,  predestination,  and  the  decrees 
of  God  ;  I  do  not  suppose  he  could  have  reconciled  the 
doctrine  of  the  divine  sovereignty  with  the  free  will  ot 
man  ;  but  then,  for  that  matter,  I  have  never  found  a 
doctor  of  divinity  who  could !  We  understand  many 
things  which  we  cannot  explain  ;  why  should  we  not 
allow  to  children  the  same  privilege?  Oh,  let  us  be 
careful  not  to  nip  the  budding  life  of  God  in  the  souls  of 
children  by  the  killing  frosts  of  our  own  indifference, 
neglect,  or,  worse  still,  contempt  of  their  ability,  and 
conceit  of  our  own  ! 

2.  To  teachers.  Our  Lord  appears  to  us  in  this  inci- 
dent as  a  child  among  teachers  ;  He  afterwards  revealed 
Himself  as  teacher  among  children.  He  was,  indeed, 
the  first  great  teacher  who  seriously  and  lovingly  took 
upon  Himself  the  teaching  of  children  ;  who  honoured 
them  and  stood  as  their  protector  and  defender.  He  en- 
couraged parents  to  bring  them  to  Him  ;  He  took  them 
in  His  arms  and  blessed  them  ;  He  w^arned  His  disciples 
and  all  others  against  putting  stumbling-blocks  in  their 
way,  or  offending  or  hindering  them  ;  by  implication  He 
taught  us  that  we  were  to  pay  great  attention  to  them, 
and  teach  them  the  way  of  life,  "  for  of  such  is  the  king- 
dom of  heaven."  We  are  not  unmindful,  in  our  times, 
of  their  intellectual  training,  and  employ  the  best 
teachers  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  them  in  every 
branch  of  human  knowledge.  We  recognise  the  import- 
ance of  taking  possession  of  their  minds  in  their 
tenderest  youth,  that  hy  first  impressions  we  may  make 

P.B.  23 


354  THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE    TEMPLE 

fast    impressions.      The  child's  mind  is  plastic  as  the 
rocks  were  before  they  cooled  from  the  furnace  heat  in 
which  they  were  smelted.     Then  a  drop  of  rain,  or  the 
lightest  footprint  of  tiniest  bird,  made  impressions  which 
long  ages  have  not  effaced.     So  should  we  do  with  our 
children.     The   first   and   best   teachers  should   be  the 
child's  parents ;  but,  since  it  is  impossible  for  parents 
entirely  to  superintend  the  education  of  their  children, 
we  call  to  our  aid  teachers  whom  we  suppose  qualified 
for   this   high   task.     Next  to  parenthood,   I   know  no 
higher  calling  in  this  world  than  teacherhood,  if  I  may 
use  that  term.     Among  the  earliest  commandments  of 
God  to  His  people  was  that  which  enjoined  the  careful 
teaching  and  training  of  the  child-mind.     If  we  select 
with  care  the  physician  to  whom  we  commit  the  health 
and  well-being  of  our  bodies,  how  much  more  should  we 
be  careful  in  the  choice  of  the  man  or  woman  to  whom 
we  commit  the  care  of  our  children's  minds  and  souls. 
We  send  our  children  away  from  home,  in  these  days  of 
divided  responsibility,  for  their  education  ;  and  some- 
times I  fear  we  are  more  anxious  to  find  the  teacher 
who  is  expert   in  bringing   them  on  in   Latin,  Greek, 
mathematics,  and  the  fundamentals  of  human  knowledge, 
than  we  are  to  find  one  who  will  respect  their  spiritual 
natures,  and  train,  cultivate,  and  educate  their  souls.     It 
is  a  thousand  pities  that  the  exigencies  of  sectarian  strife 
and   the   arrogance   of    religious   bigotry    should    have 
largely  forced  the  religious  education  of  children  from 
our  common  and  board  schools ;  but,  since  it  is  so,  it 
only  makes  our  responsibility  the  greater.     The   wise 
men  who  propounded  to  and  heard  questions  from  Jesus 
were  at  least  reverent  and  gentle ;  and  they  seemed  to 
realize  that  they  had  something  to  learn  from  Jesus  as 
well  as  to  impart  to  Him.     This  is  a  point  which  I  fear 
many  teachers,  both  in  our  secular  and  Sunday  schools, 
are  prone  to  forget. 


THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE   TEMPLE  355 

I  remember  two  or  three  things  in  connection  with 
my  own  early  schooling  ;  one  was  the  patient  and  tender 
love  with  which  a  wise  woman-teacher  would  always 
stop  to  consider  my  questions,  and  listen  to  all  I  had  to 
say  on  any  subject  under  discussion  or  the  subject  of 
the  lesson,  and  how  sometimes  she  used  to  say  to  me, 
"You  are  quite  right,  my  child,"  and  then  proceed 
further  to  unfold  my  childish  thought  and  help  me  to 
understand  myself.  To  this  good  woman  I  owe  some 
of  the  best  things  which  I  have  brought  with  me  to 
manhood.  Another  teacher  I  had  was  a  very  great 
man,  a  lawyer  and  a  statesman,  who  had  the  Sunday 
class  in  which  I  was  a  scholar.  To  this  day,  though 
more  than  forty  years  ago,  that  good  man's  loving, 
patient,  and  simple  yet  profound  teaching  cleaves  to 
me,  and  often  during  the  dangerous  period  of  youthful 
sin  and  folly,  before  my  conversion,  his  words,  and 
especially  his  loving  manner  and  interest  in  me,  served 
as  a  check,  and  even  turned  my  thoughts  to  higher  and 
better  things,  long  after  I  was  under  his  direct  influence. 
But  I  have  the  remembrance  of  another  teacher,  and  he 
was  said  to  be  the  best  teacher  our  school  ever  had.  He 
taught  with  a  rod  in  his  hand.  He  was  stern,  imperious, 
and  inordinately  confident  of  his  own  superior  know- 
ledge ;  he  repressed  all  independent  inquiry  on  our  part, 
especially  if  it  were  upon  some  subject  apart  from  the 
lesson  in  hand,  even  though  suggested  by  it,  and  used 
often  to  tell  us,  with  an  emphasis  which  warned  us 
against  a  repetition  of  the  offence  against  his  majesty, 
that  he  was  there  to  teach  us,  and  not  to  be  taught  or 
catechized  by  us.  Sometimes  teachers  have  this  idea, 
that  they  only  have  knowledge,  and  that  children  have 
no  wisdom.  It  is  a  great  mistake.  I  have  learned 
many  things  from  my  own  children,  even  in  their 
earliest    childhood  ;    and    I    believe    that    every    wise 


356  THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE   TEMPLE  . 

teacher  will  be  ever  on  the  alert  to  learn  something  from 
his  pupils.  No  man,  who  is  not  willing  and  anxious 
to  learn  something  from  the  children  he  is  set  to  teach, 
is  fit  to  be  their  teacher.  Alas  !  there  are  many  learned 
fools  in  the  world  ;  and,  thanks  be  to  God,  there  are 
many  wise  children.  It  should  be  our  care  not  to  put 
these  together.  On  the  other  hand,  thousands  of  our 
best  and  ablest  men  and  women  owe  almost  everything, 
in  the  way  of  spiritual  and  intellectual  developments,  to 
those  great  masters  who,  in  obscure  country  and  parish 
schools,  have  discovered  and  brought  forth  with  patient 
care  the  gifts  they  have  discerned  in  their  pupils,  of 
whom  dear  old  "  Domsie  "  of  "  Drumtochty  "  (celebrated 
by  Ian  Maclaren)  is  a  type.  ^ 

Then  there  are  children  of  older  years,  with  whom  we 
public  teachers  have  to  do.  I  mean  among  the  poor, 
the  humble,  and  uneducated,  who  form  so  large  a  part 
of  our  congregations.  The  most  precious  lessons  I  have 
ever  learned  are  those  which  I  have  received  in  the 
course  of  pastoral  visitation.  I,  who  have  gone  to  them 
to  teach  and  comfort,  have  often,  very  often,  come  away 
with  my  heart  aglow  and  my  soul  softened  and  in- 
structed by  what  I  have  learned  from  God's  poor,  who 
have  drunk  deeply  out  of  His  word,  and  been  taught 
still  more  deeply  by  His  Spirit.  Dr.  Chalmers  used  to 
say  that  he  endeavoured  to  preach  on  Sundays  what 
he  learned  from  his  parishioners  during  the  week.  "  I 
preach  to  my  people  on  the  Sabbath  what  they  have 
preached  to  me  on  week-days."  He  was  a  great  teacher, 
and  they  were  happy  people  who  had  such  a  pastor. 
Indeed,  the  meaning  of  the  word  "  educate  "  is  "  to  draw 
out "  ;  but  so  many  teachers  think  it  means  "  to  cram 
in."  I  would  speak  most  earnestly  to  you  teachers — of 
board  schools,  of  private  schools,  and  of  Sunday  schools 
^  "  Days  of  Auld  Lang  Syne  "  (Hodder  &  Stoughton). 


THE  BOY  JESUS  IN  THE   TEMPLE  357 

— Cultivate  a  most  profound  respect  for  your  pupils, 
and  be  not  afraid  to  learn  from  them,  for  oftentimes  the 
secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  children,  I  can  almost  hope 
that  Nicodemus  and  Joseph  of  Arimathea  were  among 
those  doctors  who  that  day  sat  with  Jesus  asking  ques- 
tions of  Him,  and  listening  with  wonder  to  His  answers, 
and  the  questions  He  asked. 

3.  A  word  to  the  children.  I  speak  to  these  boys  on 
my  right  and  left,  and  to  several  children  whom  I  see  in 
the  congregation  before  me.  Remember  that  Jesus  was 
once  a  child  as  you  are  ;  that  He  once  sat  among  the 
doctors  and  listened  to  their  questions,  and  was  not 
afraid  or  ashamed  to  ask  questions  in  turn.  Surely, 
if  boys  and  girls  are  questioned,  they  may  have  the 
right  to  question  in  return  ;  but  let  them  be  as  Jesus 
was,  not  pert  or  conceited,  as  I  have  known  some  clever 
children  to  be  ;  not  asking  puzzling  questions  for  the 
purpose  of  showing  forth  their  cleverness,  but  reverent, 
modest,  and  earnest  in  their  desire  to  learn.  There  is 
nothing  in  all  the  world  more  to  be  loved  than  children 
of  this  kind  ;  nothing  more  detestable  or  disagreeable 
than  priggish,  forward  children,  who  refuse  instruction, 
and  show  no  reverence  or  respect  for  those  older  and 
wiser,  who  desire  to  instruct  them.  Then,  again,  I 
would  have  you  think  of  this  :  If  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God, 
in  whom  was  all  the  wisdom  of  God,  though  at  this 
time  it  was  just  budding,  would  sit  for  hours  and  days 
with  the  doctors,  seeking  for  knowledge,  and  needing  to 
be  taught,  how  much  more  do  you  need  to  sit  with  the 
doctors,  whether  they  be  old  men  or  young  women,  who 
have  undertaken  the  hard  task  of  giving  instruction  ; 
and  how  should  you  follow  His  example  in  this,  both 
in  patience  and  courtesy.  And,  finally,  I  would  suggest 
to  you  that  Jesus  was  much  wiser  in  seeking  knowledge, 
and  learning  of  the  doctors  in  the  temple,  than  if  He 


3S8  THE  BO  V  JESUS  IN  THE   TEMPLE 

had  been  with  the  other  boys,  who,  hurrying  through 
their  lessons,  were  glad  to  escape  from  school  and  be  on 
the  streets.  Not  that  I  would  curtail  your  play,  but 
I  would  remind  you  that  play  is  not  the  first  thing  to  be 
sought  after.  I  have  no  doubt  that  Jesus  played  as 
other  boys  play,  but  above  play  and  everything  else 
He  sought  first  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  was  deter- 
mined to  be  about  His  Father's  business.  The  best 
part  of  your  manhood  or  womanhood  will  depend  upon 
what  you  lay  up  for  foundations  of  character  in  child- 
hood. Samuel  in  the  tabernacle,  and  Jesus  in  the  tem- 
ple, are  two  good  examples  for  all  children  to  study 
and  imitate.  May  God  bless  you,  and  make  you  early 
to  be  His  disciples. 


XIX 

JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION 

"And  when  they  saw  Him,  they  were  amazed  :  and  His  mother 
said  unto  Him,  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  ?" — LuKE  ii.  48,  49. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  third  day  after  their  depar- 
ture from  Jerusalem  on  their  homeward  journey, 
let  us  suppose  Mary  and  Joseph  returning  to  the  temple, 
where  they  had  last  seen  Jesus,  and,  led  by  some  instinct, 
or  guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  finding  Him  seated  there 
among  the  doctors,  commanding  their  interested  atten- 
tion and  respect,  certainly  their  astonishment,  on  account 
of  the  wisdom  and  understanding  displayed  in  His 
answers  to  their  questions,  and  the  profound  spiritual 
insight  indicated  by  His  questions.  We  are  not  sur- 
prised that  Mary  was  astonished  at  finding  Jesus  thus 
seated  among  these  grave  and  reverend  teachers,  and 
still  more  so,  at  hearing  portions  of  the  conversation 
carried  on  between  them,  and  noting  not  only  Jesus' 
wisdom,  but  the  marked  respect  which  the  doctors  paid 
to  Him. 

We  can  hardly  believe  that  Mary  broke  in  upon  the 
conversation  between  Jesus  and  the  doctors  with  her 
complaint ;  but  rather  that  she  listened  until  the  con- 
ference was  concluded,  and  then,  taking  Him  aside, 
asked  Him  the  reproachful  question  recorded  in  our 
text. 

369 


36o  JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION 

I.  Mary  rebukes  Jesus.  Let  us  make  ourselves  one 
of  this  little  group — at  least,  so  far  as  to  become  on- 
lookers and  listeners — not  for  the  sake  of  mere  curiosity, 
but  that  we  may  get  at  the  heart  of  this  matter,  all  so 
beautiful,  pathetic,  and  full  of  instruction  for  us.  Having 
reached  Jerusalem  the  night  before,  on  their  return  from 
that  sad  day's  journey  without  Jesus,  early  the  next 
morning,  as  soon  at  least  as  it  was  customary  for  the 
people  to  gather  for  the  morning  sacrifice — led  by  a 
strong  and  reasonable  instinct,  perhaps  directly  by  the 
Holy   Ghost — they    repaired    directly   to    the    temple. 

Where  else  would  they  be  so  likely  to  find  Him  ? 
Following  their  leading,  they  came  at  once  to  the 
cloister  or  porch  where  the  doctors  sat  daily  giving 
instruction  to  those  who  sought  it  at  their  lips.  There, 
in  the  midst  of  them,  they  found  Jesus,  seated  with 
quiet,  childlike  dignity — neither  forward  in  manner  nor 
unduly  shy  or  embarrassed.  Their  surprise  was  great 
— "  they  were  amazed  "  not  only  to  find  Him  "  seated  in 
the  midst  of  the  doctors,"  but  engaged  in  conversation 
with  them,  listening  to  their  discourse,  answering  their 
questions,  and  in  turn  asking  questions  of  His  own.  It 
was  not  the  mere  fact  that  He,  a  child,  was  thus  engaged  in 
conversation  with  these  grave  and  learned  men,  but  that 
He  was  so  conversing  with  them  that  they  were  astonished 
at  His  wisdom  and  understanding.  The  conversation, 
debate,  or  interchange  of  questions  (whatever  form  the 
interview  was  taking),  had  attracted  a  considerable 
company,  who  were  listening  also  with  eager  and  sur- 
prised interest.  "  And  all  they  that  heard  Him  were 
astonished  at  His  understanding  and  His  answers."  * 

Drawn  into  the  group  of  listeners,  Mary  and  Joseph 
were   at   first   too   amazed   to   speak ;    indeed,  we  can 
scarcely  believe  that  they  would  impetuously  break  in 
*  Luke  ii.  47. 


JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION  361 

upon  such  an  august  company,  even  to  lay  hold  of 
Jesus,  whom  they  had  so  sorrowfully  missed  and 
anxiously  sought.  We  see  them  amazed,  and  in  a 
measure  awe-stricken,  so  much  so  that  for  the  moment 
these  emotions  overpowered  all  others.  Waiting  quietly 
and  listening,  till  the  conversation  between  Jesus  and  the 
doctors  was  over,  they  either  approached  Jesus  or  were 
discovered  by  Him.  Then  Mary  took  Him  by  the 
hand  and  led  Him  away.  It  was  not  in  this  public 
place  that  the  words  of  her  gentle  rebuke  fell  upon  His 
ears.  Was  there  no  tender  embrace,  no  glad  outburst  of 
mother-joy,  before  this  serious  and  reproachful  question  ? 
Surely  ;  though,  as  I  have  before  said,  it  is  no  part  of 
the  Evangelist's  plan  to  introduce  into  his  narrative 
anything  beyond  what  is  necessary  to  reveal  Jesus  to  us. 
Joseph  seems  to  have  been  a  mere  passive  witness  of 
this  little  drama.  Perhaps  at  this  moment  he  remem- 
bered with  greater  seriousness  than  did  Mary,  who  the 
child  was,  and,  realizing  that  it  was  not  for  him  to  inter- 
fere here,  he  left  the  whole  matter  to  His  mother. 

Our  first  inquiry  is  to  find  out,  if  possible,  just  what 
Mary  intended  by  her  question  to  Jesus, "  Son,  why  hast 
Thou  thus  dealt  with  us  ?  "  Was  the  question  asked 
from  her  point  of  view,  or  from  His  ?  That  is,  was  it  a 
question  asked  simply  for  the  sake  of  finding  out  His 
reason  for  lingering  behind,  whilst  they  and  their  com- 
pany had  proceeded  on  their  homeward  journey,  or  was 
it  her  w^ay  of  setting  before  Him  all  the  trouble  and 
anxiety  His  conduct  had  caused  them  in  thus  staying 
behind  ?  Was  it  inquiry,  or  was  it  rebuke  ?  There 
seems  to  be  little  doubt  here.  It  was  a  question  in 
which  she  put  Jesus  upon  His  defence.  We  who  are 
parents  see  in  this  inquiry,  perhaps,  a  too  faithful  por- 
traiture of  some  of  our  own  hasty  though  not  unloving 
rebukes,  delivered  to   our   children   out  of  a  sense  of 


362  JESUS'   GREAT   CONFESSION 

having  been  wronged  or  injured  by  some  action  of 
theirs  ;  rebukes  in  the  form  of  questions,  in  which  we 
express  our  judgment  and  condemnation  of  their  con- 
duct, without  having  given  them  first  a  fair  opportunity 
of  putting  us  in  possession  of  the  motives  or  reasons 
which  led  to  their  conduct.  I  am  afraid  there  are  as 
many  hasty  parents  as  thoughtless  children.  At  any 
rate,  Jesus  understood  His  mother's  question  to  be  in 
the  nature  of  a  reproof,  and  in  His  matchless  answer  at 
once  explained  and  justified  His  conduct  in  remaining 
behind  ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  conveyed  to  her  His 
surprise  that  she  had  not  anticipated  for  herself  the 
reasons  for  His  being  found  in  the  temple. 

The  lesson  this  incident  teaches  is  the  extraordinary 
readiness  there  is  in  us  to  stand  upon  what  we  seem  to 
think  07ir  rights,  and  to  impute  blame  unfairly  to  others. 
Mary's  question  or  reproof  was  the  expression  of  one, 
for  the  moment,  self-centred,  and  thinking  of  what  she 
had  suffered  ;  of  one  who,  perhaps,  sought  to  hide  from 
her  own  conscience  a  fault  by  imputing  wrong-doing  to 
another.  That  is,  she  would  justify  her  own  careless- 
ness— if  it  was  carelessness — in  leaving  Jesus  behind,  by 
bringing  up,  as  a  wrong  done  to  her  and  Joseph,  the 
anxiety  and  sorrow  which  they  had  suffered  on  account 
of  His  absence  from  them.  Calvin  has  remarked  that 
"  the  Blessed  Virgin  would  rather  have  died  than  have 
imputed  wrong  to  God,  yet,  in  a  moment  of  selfish 
exaggeration  of  her  own  suffering,  she  openly  charged 
fault  upon  her  divine  Son."  What  in  this  incident 
interests  us  is  that  there  is  in  it  a  revelation  of  a  habit  of 
our  sinful  human  nature  to  impute  fault  to  God  because 
of  sufferings  which  we  have  most  likely  brought  upon 
ourselves.  "  Why  hast  Thou  thus  dealt  with  us  ?  "  is  a 
question,  or  rather  a  reproach,  which  is  often  in  our 
hearts,  if  not  on  our  lips — a  reproach  directed  against 


JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION  363 

God.  "  Why  does  God  afflict  me  with  this  needless  and 
long-continued  illness,  which  does  nobody  any  good, 
prevents  me  from  enjoying  anything  in  life,  and  hinders 
me  from  doing  any  service  I  might  otherwise  do  for 
Him  ?  "  Such  was  a  question  put  to  me  the  other  day 
by  a  lady  who  has  suffered,  and  is  still  suffering,  from  a 
long-standing  and  most  distressing  illness,  an  illness 
which  she  has,  perhaps,  rather  inherited  than  brought 
upon  herself  by  any  folly  of  her  own.  The  tone  in 
which  the  question  was  asked  showed  plainly  that  it  was 
not  a  question  of  humble  inquiry,  but  of  bitter  reproach, 
in  which  she  declared  her  wrongs  and  called  upon  God 
to  justify  Himself  This  is  not  an  uncommon  state  of 
mind.  "  Why  has  God  afflicted  me  ?  "  "  Why  did  He 
take  away  my  child,  or  my  husband,  or  my  parents  ?  " 
"  Why  has  He  allowed  misfortune  to  fall  upon  me  until 
I  have  been  deprived  of  all  my  living?  Why  does  He 
send  or  allow  such  things  ?  "  Sometimes  we  are  bolder, 
and  even  openly  charge  injustice  upon  Him.  The 
whole  story  of  Job  is  an  outcry  of  this  kind,  "  Why  hast 
Thou  thus  dealt  with  me?  Vindicate  Thyself."  It  is 
not  for  me  to  answer  the  general  question  involved  in 
such  reproaches  of  God  for  His  providential  dealings 
with  us ;  rather  it  is  for  me  to  confess  my  own  sin  in 
this  respect,  and  to  seek  for  grace  to  "  trust  God  in  the 
dark  "  ;  to  trust  Him  even  though  He  slay  me ;  to  avoid 
doing  those  things  which  bring  trouble  upon  myself,  and 
in  all  things  to  believe  that  God  has  a  reason  for  all  that 
He  does  or  suffers  to  be  done ;  a  reason  the  roots  of 
which  are  deep  in  His  eternal  love  for  me  and  for  all 
men.  Yet  in  the  matchless  answer  of  Jesus  to  His 
mother  there  is  a  hint  which  we  may  be  glad  to  avail 
ourselves  of:  "Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  My 
Father's  business  ?  " 

God 's  business  covers  a  much  wider  field  tJian  my  life. 


364  JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION 

There  is  more  in  it  than  appertains  to  my  selfish  and 
narrow  interests  or  pleasures.  If,  in  ordering  the  well- 
being  of  the  whole  universe,  He  judges  it  necessary  that 
I  should  share  in  the  ministry  of  suffering,  even  though 
the  immediate  fault  be  not  mine,  shall  I  complain  of 
God  and  impute  evil  to  Him  ?  Oh,  that  we  might,  all  of 
us,  enlarge  our  understanding  and  fellowship,  and  move 
out  of  the  little  narrow  world  of  self-interest  in  which  we 
too  habitually  live !  Then,  again,  is  it  not  possible  that 
our  troubles  and  sorrows  come  to  us  on  account  of  parting 
company  with  Jesus,  as  Mary's  came  to  her  on  this 
occasion?  At  least  this  is  true,  that  when  trouble  or 
affliction  comes  to  those  who  are  walking  in  close  fellow- 
ship with  God,  we  hear  of  no  complaint,  no  reproaches, 
no  "  Why  hast  Thou  thus  dealt  with  us  ?  "  It  is  true 
that  Jesus  was  in  the  boat  with  the  disciples  when  the 
winds  and  the  waves  were  like  to  overwhelm  them,  and 
there  arose  a  cry  from  their  lips  full  of  reproach, "  Carest 
Thou  not  that  we  perish  ? "  *  Now  why  should  they 
have  reproached  Him  ?  True,  He  was  asleep  in  the 
hinder  part  of  the  boat ;  but  still  He  was  there.  No  evil 
could  have  befallen  them  which  would  not  have  also 
overwhelmed  Him.  They  might  have  trusted  Him,  and 
been  willing  if  needs  be,  to  have  gone  down  forty  fathoms 
under  the  sea  with  Him,  but  they  had  parted  company 
with  Him,  not  indeed  physically,  for  He  was  with 
them  in  the  boat,  but  they  had  left  Him  out  of  their 
hearts  and  faith,  and  hence  complaint  and  fear  came  in. 
On  the  other  hand,  I  see  the  three  Hebrew  children  in 
the  fiery  furnace.  They  were  there  for  no  fault  of  their 
own,  nay,  rather  because  of  their  loyalty  to  God,  and  yet 
we  hear  no  complaint  out  of  their  lips,  no  "  Why  hast 
Thou  forsaken  us  ?  "  Behold,  there  were  seen  "  four  men 
loose,  walking  in  the  midst  of  the  fire  ....  and  the 
*  Mark  iv.  38. 


JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION  365 

form  of  the  fourth  is  like  the  Son  of  God."  ^     What  cared 
they  for  the  flames  ?  they  did  not  hurt  them,  but  only  burnt 
off  the  binding  cords  which   men  had  put  upon  them. 
Daniel  did  not  complain  of  God's  treatment  when  he  was 
cast  into  the  lion's  den.     He  was  not  afraid  ;  he  did  not 
mistrust   God,   but  was  ready  with   a   cheerful,   happy 
and  confident  reply  to  the  lamentable   inquiry   of  the 
king,  "  O  Daniel,  servant  of  the  living  God,  is  thy  God, 
whom  thou  servest  continually,  able  to  deliver  thee  from 
the  lions?     Then  said  Daniel  unto  the  king,  O  king, 
live  for  ever.     My  God  hath  sent  His  angel,  and  hath 
shut  the  lions'  mouths,  that  they  have  not  hurt  me."  ^ 
Here  is  a  wonderful  secret.     The  innocent  may  sufi*er, 
but  if  they  be  those  who  serve  God  continually,  though 
they  be  cast  into  the  fire  or  into  the  lion's  den,  their  God 
will  walk  with  them,  or  send  His  angel  to  deliver  them, 
or  prevent  the  danger  from  overwhelming  them.     Paul 
had  also  learned  how  to  suffer  for  Jesus'  sake  and  not 
complain — to  be  content  to  suffer  without  reason,  and 
even  to  rejoice  in  afflictions.     He  had  learned  to  accept 
suffering  and  expect  grace.     Once  the  Psalmist  cried  out, 
"  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  me  ?  "  ^  and 
Jesus  took  up  this  cry  upon  the  cross  in  the  hour  of  His 
bitterest  agony.     In  neither  case  was  the  question  one  of 
complaint  or  rebuke,  but  rather  of  amazed  and  trustful 
inquiry — not  the  complaint  of  unbelief,  but  the  cry  of 
faith.     May  our  God  help  us  to  avoid  the  self-centred 
habit  of  rebuking  Him  for  our  troubles,  and  to  learn  the 
secret   of  innocency   and   continuous   service,   that   we 
may  walk  in  the  fire  and  lie  down  with  lions  without 
fear — even  with  joy. 

n,  Jesus  justifies  Himself.    "Wist  ye  not  that  I 
must  be  about  My  Father's  business  ?  "     Here  we  have 
the   first   recorded   words   of  Jesus.     How  interesting  ! 
^  Dan.  iii.  25.       *  Ibid.  vi.  20-22.       ^  Ps.  xxii.  i. 


366  JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION 

We  cherish  last  words,  but  here  we  h3.\e  first  words,  and 
words  so  full  of  wisdom  that  we  can  well  understand 
how  it  was  in  later  years  that  no  man  could  withstand 
His  teachings.  In  this  answer  of  Jesus  to  His  mother  we 
have  a  sample  of  that  wisdom  which  astonished  the 
doctors.  He  answers  His  mother's  question  by  putting 
one  to  her  in  return  ;  a  question  which  at  once  justifies 
Himself  and  gently  lays  bare  the  fact  of  her  own  forget- 
fulness  and  want  of  understanding  of  His  mission.  It  is 
not  without  deep  significance  that  Mary  had  included 
Joseph  with  herself  in  her  rebuke.  His  answer  seems 
entirely  to  have  ignored  Joseph,  as  He  addressed  His 
remarks  to  His  mother  alone. 

He  hints  to  her  His  surprise  at  her  lack  of  knowledge 
or  understanding  in  reference  both  to  His  person  and 
His  mission.  He  seems  to  say  "  How  is  it  that  you 
reproach  Me  for  being  in  the  temple,  for  forsaking  the 
home-journey,  to  abide  here  in  the  house  of  God  ?  Wist 
ye  not,  or  have  you  forgotten,  who  I  am,  or  for  what 
cause  I  came  into  the  world  ? "  He  seems  surprised 
that  she  did  not  understand.  Many  years  later,  in  like 
manner,  Jesus  thus  gently  rebuked  a  learned  master  in 
Israel  ;  perhaps  one  of  the  very  doctors  with  whom  He 
had  conversed  in  His  youth,  "  Art  thou  a  master  in  Israel 
and  knowest  not  these  things  ?  "  ^  If  we  only  knew 
more  of  the  Scriptures,  and  the  power  and  purpose  of 
God  as  revealed  in  them,  we  should  not  be  in  so  much 
perplexity  as  to  God's  dealings  ;  and  the  question, 
"  How  can  these  things  be  ?  "  or  "  Why  hast  Thou  thus 
dealt  with  us  ?  "  would  be  found  less  frequently  in  our 
hearts.  "  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear 
Him,"  and  the  wonderful  things  of  God's  purpose  are  all 
hidden  in  His  law  ;  we  need  only  open  eyes  to  see  them. 

Only  twelve  years  before,  God  had  given  to  Mary  this 
*  John  iii.  lo. 


JESUS'  GREAT  CONFESSION  267 

wonderful  Son  under  such  extraordinary  circumstances, 
followed  up  by  such  extraordinary  signs  and  wonders, 
that  we  should  have  thought  she  would  have  been  on  the 
watch  ever  afterwards  for  further  extraordinary  develop- 
ments. Had  Mary  been  fully  alive  to  the  supernatural 
character  of  her  Son,  and  had  she  remembered  the  great 
mission  He  came  into  the  world  to  accomplish  (all  which 
had  been  told  her  by  the  angel),  she  would  have  been  on 
the  constant  lookout  for  wonderful  developments  in  the 
Child  and  in  His  doings.  We  should  have  supposed 
that,  on  bringing  Him  to  the  temple  for  the  first  time, 
she  would  have  expected  some  further  manifestation  of 
God's  will,  either  in  some  act  of  Jesus  or  some  further 
revelation  from  heaven.  But  years  had  passed  since  the 
angels  sang  to  the  shepherds,  since  the  wise  men  de- 
parted to  their  own  homes,  since  Simeon  and  Anna  had 
prophesied,  and  yet  nothing  extraordinary  had  happened. 
Life  in  the  little  Galilean  city  had  gone  on  in  its  quiet, 
humdrum  way,  and  in  Joseph's  home  the  ordinary 
common-places  of  his  daily  work,  and  Mary's  daily 
household  occupations,  were  undisturbed  by  any  further 
sign  or  wonder.  It  is  true  that  "  the  Child  grew  and 
waxed  strong  in  spirit,  filled  with  wisdom,  and  the  grace 
of  God  was  upon  Him  "  ;  but  these  were  not  outward  or 
supernatural  signs,  and  they  had  become  accustomed  to 
the  quiet  and  grave  habits  of  the  Boy.  In  all  these  past 
ten  or  twelve  years  nothing  had  happened.  The  early 
revelation  had  grown  dim  ;  Mary  had  dropped  into  the 
monotonous  routine  of  every-day  life,  and  her  great 
secret  had  faded  a  little  out  of  her  thoughts.  Not  that 
she  had  forgotten  it,  or  ceased  to  attach  highest 
importance  to  it,  but  the  supernatural  in  connection  with 
both  herself  and  Jesus  had  somehow  merged  into  and 
become  obscured  in  the  natural  ;  the  extraordinary  had 
become  overlaid  with  the  ordinary,  until  she  had  ceased 


368  JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION 

to  expect  any  further  great  thing,  or,  at  least,  had  post- 
poned the  expectation  until  some  far  distant  day. 

All  this  we  can  readily  fancy  ;  but  what  has  it  to  do 
with  us  ?  Is  there  any  lesson  in  it  for  us  ?  Yes,  surely. 
Has  not  God  done  an  extraordinary  thing  for  and  to  us 
who  are  Christians  ?  Has  not  the  Holy  Spirit  visited 
us  ?  Have  we  not  been  born  again  from  above  and  been 
adopted  into  the  family  of  God  ?  Familiar  as  these 
terms  are  in  our  theological  language  and  literature,  they 
stand  for  tremendous  spiritual  realities,  realities  as  great 
in  their  way  as  the  incarnation  itself  was  in  its  unique 
way.  To  have  passed  from  death  into  life,  to  have 
become  new  creatures  in  Christ,  are  blessings  so  great 
that  no  tongue  can  tell  them,  no  pen  write  them  ;  and 
yet  these  things  have  come  to  us.  Some  of  us  at  least 
remember  with  what  wonder,  gratitude,  and  love  we 
received  this  great  grace.  How  holy  was  the  hour  in 
which  we  first  came  to  know  our  regeneration  in  Christ ; 
how  delicious  and  ecstatic  the  joy  of  that  time.  The 
whole  world  seemed  to  have  been  recreated  for  our 
benefit,  and  we  were  new  creatures  in  a  new  world.  I 
doubt  if  Mary  could  have  had  a  more  bewildering 
delight  in  the  announcement  which  the  angel  made  to 
her  than  we  had  when  the  Holy  Spirit  made  known  to 
us  through  the  word  of  God  that  our  sins  were  forgiven, 
and  that  we  were  become  children  of  God, "  not  of  blood, 
nor  of  the  will  of  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  ^  but  of 
God."  Our  whole  relations  to  heaven  and  earth  were 
changed.  Henceforth  earth  became  a  place  of  pilgrim- 
age in  which  to  bear  our  testimony  and  do  the  will  of 
God  ;  heaven  became  our  home,  all  men  became  our 
brethren,  the  redeemed  inheritance  of  Christ ;  our 
citizenship  was  there,  and  there  we  looked  for  our 
treasure.  Not  that'  we  were  released  from  earthly  duties 
^  John  i.  13. 


JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION  369 

and  relations,  but  that  they  were  all  changed  and  sancti- 
fied. We,  too,  returned  to  our  homes,  to  our  shops,  to 
our  various  callings,  public,  private,  domestic,  and  official, 
according  as  we  were  placed  in  the  world,  and  took  up 
our  daily  tasks,  just  as  Mary  did  after  her  return  to 
Nazareth  from  the  house  of  Elisabeth  ;  but  we  did  so  as 
the  children  of  God.  In  those  early  days  of  our  super- 
natural experiences  we  would  not  have  been  surprised  at 
any  fresh  demonstration,  nay,  we  looked  for  signs  and 
wonders  as  a  natural  result  of  our  heavenly  experience  ; 
for  to  us  this  old  world  of  ours  was  already  a  new  world 
— a  supernatural  world.  But  then,  as  the  days  and 
weeks  and  years  went  by,  and  the  natural  and  ordinary 
duties  and  affairs  of  life  claimed  our  care  and  attention, 
the  freshness  of  the  supenatural  faded  a  little  from  our 
consciousness  ;  the  natural  gradually  gained  the  ascen- 
dancy over  the  spiritual,  at  least  in  our  thoughts  and 
feelings,  and  we  ceased  to  expect  further  developments. 
Society,  business,  domestic  life,  and  common  occupations 
— all  right  and  proper — absorbed  our  attention.  We 
went,  indeed,  at  the  appointed  times  to  the  temple,  and 
sometimes  we  returned  "  supposing  Jesus  to  be  in  the 
company,"  and  were  surprised  at  the  close  of  the  day  to 
find  that  He  was  not  ;  and  we  had  our  days  of  sorrow 
and  anxiety  before  finding  Him  again,  and,  like  Mary, 
we  sought  to  lay  the  blame  rather  upon  Him  than  to 
take  it  upon  ourselves,  for  we  "  wist  not  that  He  must  be 
about  His  Father's  business,"  and  had  forgotten  that  our 
life  was  identified  with  His,  and  that  we  must  be  about 
our  Father's  business  too.  But,  oh  !  did  God  save  us 
only  that  we  might  go  back  to  the  old  world  of  trade, 
traffic,  house-keeping,  doctoring,  society,  and  a  thousand 
other  things  that  absorb  us  ?  Ought  we  not  to  have 
expected  other  developments  to  have  followed  upon  our 
regeneration  ?  To  some  the  call  came,  "  go  preach,"  to 
P.B.  24 


370  JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION 

some  other  especial  calls  came  ;  but  to  all  the  great  call 
came,  "  be  about  My  business "  ;  only,  some  have  not 
heeded,  and  the  supernatural  has  taken  a  subordinate 
place  in  our  lives.  Even  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  has 
degenerated  into  one  of  the  learned  professions  with 
some  of  us. 

It  was  to  recall  Mary  to  the  great  fact  of  the  incarna- 
tion^ and  the  mission  of  love  and  salvation  with  which  it 
was  identified,  that  festis  made  answer  to  her  as  He  did ; 
an  answer  that  must  have  stirred  her  whole  soul  and  set 
her  to  thinking  again  as  she  had  not  done  for  years 
before.  It  is  to  recall  you  and  myself  to  the  fact  that 
God  has  incarnated  Himself  in  us  by  the  regeneration, 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  forward  His  great  work  in 
the  world,  and  not  merely  to  be  shopkeepers,  house- 
keepers, social  leaders,  lawyers  and  doctors,  worldly 
masters  or  servants,  that  I  apply  this  incident  to  our- 
selves. May  He  who  first  aroused  us  to  a  sense  of  sin, 
and  sent  His  Holy  Spirit  upon  us,  re-awaken  us  by  this 
question  of  Jesus  to  Mary.  Oh,  that  we  may  henceforth 
be  on  the  look-out  for  some  new  development  in  the  life 
of  our  Lord,  and  in  our  own  lives  ;  some  new  movement 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  connection  with  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  ;  that  we  may  be  ever  at  His  side,  not  rebuking 
Him  for  supposed  neglect  of  us,  but  watching  and  wait- 
ing and  ready  to  be  used  by  Him  ! 

If  we  rightly  read  our  Bibles,  we  shall  never  fall  into 
the  error  of  the  scoffers  who  say,  "  Where  is  the  promise 
of  His  coming,  for  all  things  continue  as  they  were  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world  ?  "  ^  The  Bible  is  constantly 
warning  and  teaching  us  to  be  on  the  look-out  for  some 
new  thing  to  come  to  pass.  "  The  Lord  whom  ye  seek 
shall  suddenly  come  to  His  temple  ;  but  who  may  be 
ready  for  and  abide  His  coming  ?  "  The  Jews  were  not 
^  2  Peter  iii.  4. 


JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION  371 

ready  when  He  came  ;  Mary  was  not  ready  for  His 
sudden  awakening  to  the  consciousness  of  His  mission 
in  connection  with  His  Father's  business ;  alas  !  I  fear 
many  of  us  will  not  be  ready  for  His  coming  again, 
which  is  the  next  great  imminent  event  for  the  world 
and  the  Church,  Almost  His  last  words  to  us  were, 
"  Watch  :  for  ye  know  not  the  day  nor  the  hour  in  which 
your  Lord  shall  come."  Do  we  not  miss  many  fresh 
blessings  because  we  are  expecting  nothing  more  to 
come  to  us  ;  because  we  have  settled  down  to  the  con- 
viction that  what  we  have  already  received,  what  we 
have  already  learned  of  Him,  is  all  there  is  for  us  ? 
Therefore  we  miss  many  new  joys  and  revelations  of 
His  will  and  ways,  and  many  opportunities  for  great 
service.  This  word  of  Jesus  sounds  a  reproach  in  my 
ears,  at  least.  He  seems  to  me  to  be  saying  this  morn- 
ing, "  Wist  ye  not  ?  "  "  How  is  it  that  ye  do  not  under- 
stand ?  "  To  be  thus  on  the  watch  always  for  what  our 
Lord  will  next  do  for  us  or  the  world,  either  by  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  or  by  His  own  coming  again,  we  need 
not  abandon  our  present  occupations  and  callings,  but 
only  remember  that  we  are  His,  and  be  ready  for  what- 
soever He  may  reveal  to  us. 

Jesus  confesses  and  declares  God  to  be  His  Father 
Mary,  in  her  words  of  reproach,  had  said,  "  Thy  father 
and  I  have  sought  Thee  sorrowing."  It  was  most 
natural  that  she  should  thus  associate  Joseph  with  her- 
self and  Him,  even  though  she  well  knew  that  Joseph 
was  not  His  father,  except  in  name  and  in  all  the 
parental  offices  which  he  had  discharged  toward  Him.  I 
have  already  said  that  it  is  most  unlikely  that  Mary  had 
ever  told  Jesus  of  His  supernatural  origin.  She  was  too 
wise  a  woman  to  have  done  that.  Laying  this  secret  up 
in  her  heart,  she  would  reverently  wait  for  God  to  make 
that  known  to  Him,  even  as  He  had  at  first  made  His 


y]2  JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION 

purpose  of  grace  known  to  her.  She  spoke  to  her  Son 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  common  and  usual  parental 
relations  ;  but  Jesus  had  been  awakened  to  a  new  know- 
ledge of  things,  and  had  in  some  mysterious  way  dis- 
covered His  eternal  and  divine  relation  to  His  Father  in 
heaven.  He  does  not  speak  disrespectfully  of  Joseph  ; 
He  repudiates  none  of  his  kind  offices  to  Him  during 
all  these  years  ;  but  straight  to  the  truth,  His  startling 
words  to  Mary  must  have  awakened  her  too  long  sleep- 
ing mind  to  the  fact  that  her  Son  was  God's  Son.  "  Wist 
ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  My  Father's  business  ? " 
*'  You  have  reproached  Me  for  not  returning  with  you 
and  Joseph  to  Nazareth  ;  you  speak  to  Me  now  of  him 
as  My  father,  but  he  is  not  My  father,  God  is  My  father  ; 
you  have  forgotten  or  ignored  that  ;  now  I  remind  you 
of  it,  and  declare  it  to  you,  who  have  not  declared  it  to 
Me."  How  Jesus  came  to  know  this  great  fact  has  been 
the  occasion  of  much  speculation  ;  but  it  seems  very 
simple,  if  only  we  seek  not  to  find  riddles  in  our  ques- 
tions concerning  the  development  of  the  divine-human 
consciousness  of  Jesus.  During  these  twelve  years  the 
Child  had  been  growing  in  stature,  in  wisdom,  under- 
standing, and  grace.  I  was  recently  walking  in  the 
park,  and  to  my  eyes  the  buds  on  the  trees  gave  no 
hint  or  prophecy  of  coming  spring.  They  were  brown 
and  dirty  with  the  grime  of  winter  fogs  and  soot ; 
outwardly  there  was  no  sign  of  the  wonderful  things 
within.  I  plucked  off  one  of  those  common-looking 
buds  of  life,  and  with  my  thumb  and  finger-nail  opened 
it,  and  there,  hidden  away  out  of  sight  of  human  eyes, 
was  a  mass  of  tightly-folded  leaves,  which  had  been  for 
months  pressing  their  way  up  through  the  sap  into  form 
and  life,  all  ready  to  burst  forth  into  leaf  and  flower  and 
fruit.  To-day  those  buds  are  filling  the  park  with  varie- 
gated beauty.     So  I  fancy  it  must  have  been  with  Jesus. 


JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESS/ON  373 

He  was,  as  a  human  child,  a  bud  of  divinity.  That 
divine  personality  was  rolled  and  folded  back  in  Mary's 
Son  ;  but,  little  by  little,  during  these  quiet  years  of 
growth  in  Nazareth,  the  Godhead  in  Him  was  pressing 
and  struggling  to  the  surface  ;  and  on  that  day  in  the 
temple,  under  some  touch  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  some 
sudden  unfolding  of  the  meaning  of  scripture,  as  He 
talked  with  the  doctors,  the  consciousness  of  His  rela- 
tion to  God,  always  present  with  Him  in  the  bud,  sud- 
denly burst  forth,  and  He  knew  that  God  was  His 
Father.  This,  truly,  is  a  mystery,  but  not  a  staggering 
one.  When  and  how  does  the  infant-child  come  to  the 
consciousness  of  personality,  or  to  its  relation  to  its 
mother  ?  That  little  babe,  lying  on  its  mother's  bosom, 
sucking  life  from  her  generous  breast,  has  no  conscious- 
ness that  she  is  its  mother ;  for  the  present  it  is  but  a 
little  animal  obeying  the  instinct  of  life  ;  yet  there  is 
rolled  up  in  that  little  brain  and  heart  a  filial  relation 
which  will  presently  burst  into  consciousness,  and  that 
consciousness  will  by-and-bye  express  itself  in  one  word, 
"  mamma,"  and  the  little  thing  will  no  longer  be  an 
animal,  but  consciously  a  human  child.  So  it  is  even 
with  the  youth  and  maiden ;  some  crisis  of  love  or  re- 
sponsibility, of  sorrow  or  disappointment,  will  suddenly 
reveal  to  them  that  they  are  no  longer  children,  but  men 
and  women.  The  conscious  child  is  in  the  unconscious 
infant,  the  man  and  woman  are  in  the  boy  and  girl  ;  it 
only  needs  a  crisis  to  burst  these  hidden  buds  into  full 
self-knowledge. 

After  all,  this  mysterious  power  of  knowing  divine 
things  in  ourselves,  without  the  intervention  of  human 
communication,  is  not  an  unknown  truth  to  us.  There 
is  a  knowledge  of  God  that  comes  to  us,  as  it  came  to 
Jesus,  by  the  Holy  Spirit — a  spiritual  knowledge,  as  real 
and  as  sure  as  the  knowledge  of  human  things  communi- 


374  JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION 

cated  by  the  testimony  of  facts  through  our  senses  or  the 
intellectual  faculty.  When  Moses  was  born,  his  parents 
saw  that  he  was  a  "  proper  child,"  ^  marked  in  some  way 
for  God's  special  service.  When  Jesus  asked  His  dis- 
ciples who  He  was,  Peter  promptly  answered  that  He 
was  "  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Living  God "  ^  This 
was  not  a  human  knowledge  of  Jesus :  "  For  flesh  and 
blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  My  Father 
which  is  in  heaven."  ^  The  Father  in  heaven,  who  at  the 
proper  moment  revealed  the  truth  of  His  divine  origin 
to  Jesus,  in  like  manner  reveals  it  to  us.  All  the  theo- 
logical study  in  the  world  will  not  enable  us  to  know 
either  God  or  His  Christ.  No  one  can  say  that  Jesus  is 
Lord  but  by  the  Spirit.  Has  this  spiritual  knowledge  of 
our  relation  to  God  come  to  us,  or  are  we  merely  intel- 
lectual Christians,  accepting  Christ  on  the  authority  of 
the  Creed,  or  the  mere  letter  of  the  word  of  God  ?  It 
is  true  that  we  do  not  become  children  of  God  by  con- 
sciousness, but  we  do  come  to  personal  consciousness  of 
that  glorious  fact  apart  from  the  mere  external  testimony 
of  the  word  of  God.  Having  obtained  in  ourselves  the 
knowledge  that  God  is  our  Father,  that  knowledge 
abides,  even  though  we  may  lose  for  the  moment  the 
supporting  testimony  of  the  word,  just  as  a  building 
stands  on  its  own  foundation,  and  is  supported  by 
its  own  framework,  long  after  the  scaffolding  used  in 
its  erection  is  taken  down  and  the  instruments  of  its 
construction  removed.  I  know  that  this  personal  con- 
sciousness of  God  and  our  regeneration  is  not  accepted 
by  the  world  as  valid  testimony.  It  may  not  be  valid 
testimony  to  them,  but  it  is  to  us.  We  cannot  tell  how 
we  know,  but  we  know  that  we  know.  "  He  that 
knoweth  God  heareth  us  ;  he  that  is  not  of  God  heareth 

*  Exod.  ii.  2.     *  Matt.  xvi.  i6.     ^  Ibid.  xvi.  17. 


JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION  375 

us  not."  ^     Here  the  controversy  must  end.     There  is  a 

spiritual  knowledge  of  things  spiritual  known  by  those 
who  are  spiritually  enlightened,  which  the  world  cannot 
know,  for  God  manifests  Himself  to  us  as  He  does  not 
to  the  world,  and  the  natural  man  receiveth  not  the 
things  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 

Mary  only  had  the  positive  knowledge  that  Jesus  was 
incarnate  in  her  body ;  she  could  not  prove  it  to  any 
living  soul  in  the  world  ;  she  could  not  have  convinced 
Joseph  of  the  truth  of  her  testimony  ;  it  was  only  after 
an  angel  from  God  had  showed  the  truth  to  Joseph  that 
he  was  convinced,  and  abandoned  his  former  purpose 
of  "  putting  her  away  privately."  Mary  knew  who  Jesus 
was.  She  had  never  communicated  the  story  of  His 
incarnation  to  Him  ;  but  now  He  came  to  know  it  Him- 
self with  a  knowledge  He  received  from  God.  Mary 
had  not  forgotten  the  great  secret  of  His  incarnation, 
but  in  the  course  of  years,  since  she  had  come  to  abide 
in  the  midst  of  more  natural  relations  with  Him  and 
with  Joseph,  the  importance,  the  freshness,  the  over- 
whelming significance  of  the  incarnation  had  faded 
somewhat  from  her  thought.  Joseph  had  been  allowed 
to  take  the  place  of  God  to  some  extent  in  her  mind, 
and  she  had  accustomed  herself  to  think  and  speak  to 
Jesus  of  Joseph  as  His  father,  as  in  a  domestic  sense 
he  was  ;  and  thus  the  divine  was  pushed  from  the 
foreground  into  the  background  of  his  thought. 
Though  Mary  had  never  forgotten  the  real  source  of 
Jesus'  being,  she  had  suffered  that  knowledge  to  lose 
power  with  her  :  the  human  side  of  Jesus'  life  and  rela- 
tion had  usurped  the  place  of  the  divine.  Not  that 
Mary  ever  intended  or  deliberately  ignored  the  true 
state  of  the  case,  but  that  she  had  drifted  into  this  way 
of  thinking  and  feeling.     Just  as  we  forget — oh  !  I  am 

*  I  John  iv.  6. 


376  /ESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION 

afraid  too  often,  and  for  too  long  a  time — that  we  are 
God's  sons  and  daughters.  Not  that  we  forget  it  alto- 
gether, and  never  refer  in  thought  to  this  glorious  fact, 
but  that  we  allow  human  relations  to  take  the  first 
place  with  us,  and  drift  into  the  habit  of  giving  the 
Heavenly  Father  a  second  place.  We  are  the  sons  of 
God  and  citizens  of  heaven  by  adoption  and  new 
birth.  We  are  stout  to  affirm  and  defend  this  as  a 
matter  of  creed  or  faith  ;  but,  practically,  we  so  often 
subordinate  the  divine  relation  to  the  human,  the 
heavenly  citizenship  to  the  earthly,  we  yield  the  claims 
of  God  and  the  sweet  other  world  to  those  of  this  world. 
Jesus'  words  must  have  been  a  kind  of  shock  to  Mary, 
must  have  awakened  her,  as  it  were,  out  of  a  sleep  in 
which  the  past  great  realities  in  connection  with  Him 
were  rather  as  dreams  than  facts.  Would  God  that  this 
word  of  His  to  His  mother  might  reach  our  hearts  and 
consciences,  and  arouse  us  to  a  new  sense  of  our  relation 
to  our  Heavenly  Father !  From  the  moment  the  know- 
ledge of  God  as  His  Father  was  made  known  to  Jesus, 
He  never  again  lost  the  deep  and  blessed  sense  of  it. 
By  this  title  He  always  addressed  and  spoke  of  Him. 
This  term  is  repeated  over  and  over  again,  especially 
in  John's  gospel,  "  My  Father,"  "  My  Father,"  "  My 
Father."  It  was  the  deep  secret  of  all  His  wonderful 
life. 

Now,  it  was  part  of  the  mission  of  Jesus  to  reveal  this 
Fatherhood  of  God  to  us,  that  we  also  might  come  to 
know  Him  as  such.  It  was  His  first  message  to  His 
disciples  after  His  resurrection.  "  Go,"  He  said  to 
Mary,  "  to  My  brethren,  and  say  unto  them,  I  ascend 
to  My  Father  and  to  your  Father,  and  to  Aly  God  and 
to  your  God."  ^  How  unspeakably  precious  it  is  to  be 
taken  thus  into  the  Brotherhood  of  Christ  and  the 
*  John  XX.  17. 


JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION  377 

Fatherhood  of  God  !  Did  we  fully,  or  even  measurably, 
realize  this  great  fact,  it  would  fill  us  constantly  with 
joy  and  delight ;  it  would  give  us  new  confidence  and 
courage  in  the  world  ;  it  would  stimulate  us  to  every 
high  and  holy  endeavour  ;  it  would  dignify  us  beyond 
and  above  every  misfortune  or  reproach  which  the  world 
could  put  upon  us ;  and  especially  would  it  sinew  us, 
body  and  mind,  to  be  about  our  Father's  business  in  the 
world.  Paul  tells  us  that  "  as  many  as  are  led  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God  ;  for  ye  have  not 
received  the  spirit  of  bondage  again  to  fear ;  but  ye  have 
received  the  spirit  of  adoption,  whereby  we  cry,  Abba, 
Father."  ^  Standing  and  living  in  this  holy  and  high 
relation  to  God  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  there  can  be 
no  place  for  mere  formalism.  We  are  children  in  our 
Father's  house ;  our  dealings  with  Him  are  not  those 
of  ceremony  or  mere  religious  courtesy,  but  of  love, 
liberty,  filial  freedom,  and  without  fear.  Our  service  is 
not  the  service  of  hirelings,  but  of  sons.  Our  pride  and 
our  joys  are  those  which  come  from  Him  ;  our  posses- 
sions and  our  inheritance  are  such  as  are  derived  from 
our  Father.  From  Him  comes  our  daily  bread  ;  and 
since  we  have  Him  to  appeal  to,  we  need  not  be  troubled 
with  anxious  care  about  the  things  of  this  world.  With 
Him  there  is  full  and  free  forgiveness  of  offences,  of  mis- 
takes, even  of  sins ;  the  law  does  not  come  between  us 
and  Him,  for  we  are  no  longer  under  law,  but  under 
grace.  With  Him  there  is  all  power  to  deliver  from 
temptation,  and  to  save  us  from  the  uttermost  peril. 
What  is  there  in  all  the  world,  either  by  way  of  posses- 
sion or  relation,  that  can  compare  with  this  relation  to 
God  ?  I  am  sure  that  it  was  this  knowledge  that  God 
was  His  Father  that  supported  Him  through  all  His 
ministry,  and  made  it  possible  for  Him  to  fulfil  it  to  the 
'  Rom.  viii.  14,  15. 


37S  JESUS'   GREAT  CONFESSION 

end.  And  I  am  sure  it  is  only  as  we  come  to  know  and 
appreciate  the  fact  that  He  is  our  Father  too,  that  we 
can  live  a  really  Christian  life,  inwardly  and  outwardly. 
May  the  Holy  Spirit  intensify  this  knowledge  in  us  if 
we  have  it,  and  breathe  it  into  us  if  we  have  it  not,  for 
Jesus'  sake. 


XX 

"MV  FATHER'S  BUSINESS" 

"Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  My  Father's  business  ?" — 
Luke  ii.  49. 

THE  mother  of  Jesus  was  displeased  with  her  Son 
because  He  tarried  behind  in  the  temple  while 
they  pursued  their  journey  home,  thus  causing  them 
some  anxiety  and  trouble.  She  assumed  that  the  whole 
duty  of  a  child  is  to  please  his  parents  ;  at  least,  Mary 
seemed  to  express  this  thought  in  her  complaint  against 
Jesus.  It  is  quite  true  that  the  first  duty  of  children  in 
all  earthly  relations  is  to  obey  and  please  their  parents. 
"  Children,  obey  your  parents,"  is  the  first  command- 
ment of  God  with  promise,  but  there  is  a  qualification 
attached  to  this  commandment  :  "  Children,  obey  your 
parents  in  the  Lordr  ^  The  Lord  also  has  claims  upon 
children  ;  nay  His  claims  are  paramount,  and  must  have 
the  first  consideration.  Jesus  certainly  was  not  actuated 
by  any  spirit  of  disobedience  when  He  tarried  behind 
in  the  temple ;  no  thought  of  displeasing  His  parents 
was  present  in  His  mind.  Indeed,  it  must  be  supposed 
that  He  had  considered  the  question  of  the  anxiety 
which  His  absence  from  the  home-bound  company 
would  occasion  them  ;  yet  His  duty  to  His  Father  in 
heaven  controlled  His  actions,  and  He  attended  to  that 
higher  call  even  at  the  expense  of  causing  anxiety  to 
His  human  mother  and  to  Joseph,  His  good  and  kind 
*  Eph.  vi.  I. 

379 


38o  "MV  FATHER'S  BUSINESS" 

foster-father.  With  the  coming  of  the  full  conscious- 
ness of  His  relation  to  His  Father  in  heaven  came  also 
a  divine  call  to  be  interested  in  all  the  affairs  of  that 
Father,  and  the  desire  as  well  as  the  necessity  of  at  once 
consecrating  Himself  to  His  service. 

Jesus  expressed  surprise  that  His  mother  did  not 
recognise  this  obligation  resting  upon  Him,  for  though 
He  had  but  awakened  to  the  fact  of  His  divine  relation- 
ship, He  seemed  surprised  that  Mary,  who  knew  all  the 
facts,  should  be  unprepared  for  the  new  phase  of  life 
and  duty  opening  to  Him,  and  especially  that  there 
should  be  even  a  trace  of  displeasure  in  her  words  or 
manner  toward  Him  for  thus  obeying  God  when  the 
call  came.  I  am  sure,  did  we  parents  fully  understand 
that  our  children  are  God's  children  before  they  are 
ours,  and  that  He  has  some  business  for  them  in  the 
world,  we  would  be  more  careful  to  encourage  them 
concerning  God  and  His  business,  and  specially  careful 
never  to  discourage,  much  less  to  rebuke,  them  when  we 
find  them  turning  with  interest  to  the  affairs  of  their 
Father  in  heaven. 

I.  Jesus  and  His  Father's  Business.  With  the 
dawning  consciousness  of  His  relation  to  God  as  a  Son 
to  a  Father,  came  also  the  sense  that  He  had  something 
to  do  for  His  Father ;  that  He  had  a  mission  in  the 
world — that  it  was  henceforth  His  business  to  attend  to 
His  Father's  affairs. 

Whether  or  not  He  fully  realized  the  stupendous 
nature  of  His  mission — whether  at  this  time  He  saw 
right  through  to  the  end — are  questions  which  have 
been  often  raised  and  debated.  It  seems  to  me  that 
to  suppose  such  to  have  been  the  case  would  be  out  of 
harmony  with  the  whole  story  of  His  intellectual  and 
spiritual  development,  and  contrary  to  the  natural,  as 
well  as  to  the  super-natural,  personality  which  belonged 


''MY  FATHER'S  BUSINESS"  381 

to  Him.  We  must  always  think  of  Jesus  as  being  as 
fully  identified  and  one  with  our  human  nature  and  its 
limitations,  as  with  the  Godhead  that  was  in  Him  with 
its  unlimited  being.  Whatever  of  transcendent  qualities 
belonged  to  His  mind  and  soul,  they  did  not  denatural- 
ize Him  as  the  Child  and  Son  of  Man.  From  the  time 
He  entered  fully  upon  His  public  ministry  He  seems  to 
have  understood  that  He  must  die,  and  be  raised  again 
from  the  dead  ;  that  the  fruit  of  His  death  would  be  the 
grace  of  forgiveness  and  life  to  those  who  believed.  But 
even  this  knowledge  of  Himself  and  of  His  mission 
seems  to  have  come  upon  Him  not,  as  it  were,  by  a 
single  "  afflatus  "  of  knowledge,  but  as  the  dawn  of  the 
day  gradually  reaches  noontide  strength.  But  we  have 
not  to  do  with  this  larger  and  later  question  at  present. 
We  have  only  to  note  that  the  Child  Jesus,  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years,  came  to  know  that  He  was  the  Son  of  God. 
and  that  henceforth  all  His  relations  and  life  must  be 
regulated  by  that  great  fact.  With  this  knowledge  came 
also  the  conviction  that  His  first  opportunity  of  obedi- 
ence to  His  Father  was  now  before  Him,  and  that  it 
must  be  instantly  attended  to,  without  reference  to  any 
other  claims  upon  Him,  such,  for  instance,  as  returning 
to  Nazareth  with  His  parents.  Hitherto,  in  His  quiet 
Nazareth  home,  neither  such  knowledge  nor  opportunity 
had  presented  themselves.  To  do  His  mother's  will  and 
to  please  Joseph,  His  foster-father,  was  the  full  extent 
of  His  will  and  duty.  That  He  did  these  well  and  truly 
goes  without  saying.  Since  coming  to  Jerusalem  to  at- 
tend the  feast  of  Passover,  a  new  crisis  had  come  to 
Him,  and  He  did  not  suffer  that  opportunity  to  recede 
from  His  obedient  heart,  but  embraced  it  at  once,  and 
gave  Himself  up  with  calm  and  determined  enthusiasm 
to  attend  to  it.  Doubtless  this  was  what  made  Him  so 
Interested  in  the  conversation  with  the  doctors.     He  was 


382  "MV  FATHER'S  BUSINESS" 

looking  into  His  Father's  business  at  that  time,  finding 
out  by  their  instruction  and  His  own  questions  what  was 
expected  of  Him,  and  how  He  was  to  do  it.  This  for 
the  moment  seemed  to  be  the  only  thing  for  Him  to  do ; 
to  get  acquainted  with  His  Father's  business. 

As  we  have  already  seen  in  a  former  comment  upon 
this  incident,  Jesus  is  the  great  prototype  of  all  the  chil- 
dren of  God.  If  He  speaks  of  God  as  His  Father,  He 
also  has  taught  us  that  God  is  our  Father  as  well.  "  My 
Father  and  your  Father  ;  My  God  3ind  yo7ir  God."  Here, 
and  in  later  years,  He  emphasized  the  obligation  He  was 
under  to  be  "about  His  Father's  business."  He  has  also 
made  it  plain  that  the  same  obligation  rests  upon  us : 
"  As  My  Father  hath  sent  Me,  even  so  send  I  you."  ^ 
This  is  both  high  honour  and  high  responsibility.  God 
has  saved  and  called  us,  not  for  ourselves  alone,  but  that 
we  might  be  "  workers  together  with  Him  "  ;  ^  that  we 
might  be  "  instant  in  season,  out  of  season  "  ^  about  our 
Father's  business.  God  has  no  sons  who  are  not  His 
servants.  He  does  not  call  us  to  Jesus  only  that  we 
might  find  rest,  but  that  we  might  take  His  yoke  and 
burden  upon  us,  and  l/ius  find  rest  in  service.  God  does 
not  show  us  at  once  all  that  we  are  to  Him,  and  all  that 
He  has  for  us  to  do ;  but  with  the  first  consciousness  of 
sonship  there  does  come  to  us,  too,  the  conviction  that 
we  must  henceforth  serve  Him.  The  universal  testimony 
of  young  converts  is,  that  with  the  knowledge  of  sins 
forgiven  comes  an  impulse  to  do  something  for  God. 
That  impulse  would  become  permanent  if,  like  Jesus,  we 
yielded  to  it  at  once,  and  held  steadfastly  to  consecrated 
service  as  being  a  part  of  our  sonship.  Neither  does 
God  show  us  all  at  once  the  whole  mystery  of  our  life — 
what  it  is  to  be,  and  what  we  are  to  do.  It  is  step  by 
step  in  the  pathway  of  obedience,  and  by  keeping  our 
^  John  XX.  21.  *  2  Cor.  vi.  i.  ^2  Tim.  iv.  2. 


"MY  FATHER'S  BUSINESS"  383 

minds  and  hearts  open  to  Him,  and  our  hands  free  to 
serve  when  the  opportunity  presents  itself,  that  we  are 
led  on  from  grace  to  grace,  and  from  good  work  to  good 
work ;  from  the  opening  consciousness  of  divine  life  in 
God  to  full  consciousness  of  sonship  in  Christ. 

How  little  you  and  I  knew  what  our  lives  would  be 
when  we  first  began  to  obey  God's  call  to  service.  With- 
in two  minutes  after  my  own  conversion  I  was  led  to 
speak  to  a  young  friend  of  the  way  of  salvation,  and  ex- 
plain to  her  that,  since  Jesus  had  died  and  God  had 
raised  Him  up,  He  was  satisfied  with  that  settlement  for 
our  sins,  and  that  we,  therefore,  ought  to  be  satisfied.  It 
came  to  me  to  deliver  this  little  gospel  message  to  a 
number  of  young  people  of  my  own  age  during  the  first 
half-hour  of  my  new  life.  I  did  not  know  then  that 
henceforth  God  would  have  me  devote  my  whole  life  to 
the  work  of  preaching  the  glad  tidings  of  His  love. 
With  my  conversion  came  my  first  opportunity  to  be 
about  my  Father's  business.  It  was  by  promptly  em- 
bracing that  opportunity  that  the  whole  course  of  my 
life  was  determined.  A  few  days  after  this,  my  em- 
ployer rebuked  me  for  some  apparent  neglect  of  duty, 
in  order  that  I  might  go  after  another  friend,  in  whom  I 
became  deeply  interested,  and  seek  to  lead  him  to  Christ. 
He  was  a  Christian  man,  though  not  a  very  earnest  one 
and  I  at  once  told  him  how  God  had  converted  my  soul, 
and  had  put  it  into  my  heart  to  show  the  way  of  life  to 
some  others,  and  that  I  felt  that  I  ought  to  obey  this 
impulse,  even  though  I  seemed  to  fall  short  in  the  dis- 
charge of  some  other  and  lower  duty.  He  looked  at  me 
for  a  moment  steadily  in  the  face,  and  then  said,  with 
something  of  a  tremor  in  his  voice,  "  Go  to  your  meet- 
ing ;  go  to  your  young  friend  —  win  him  to  Christ  if 
you  can.  Would  to  God  that  /  could  do  something 
for  my  God ;  but  it  is  too  late  for  me  to  serve  Him  in 


384  "MV  FATHER'S  BUSINESS" 

this  way — I  have  had  my  opportunities,  but  have  ne- 
glected or  lost  them."  Later,  when  I  gave  myself  to  the 
ministry  of  the  word,  how  little  I  knew  to  what  that 
would  lead.  A  little  country  church  was  my  first  charge  ; 
and  there,  amidst  a  few  poor  and  uncultured  people,  I 
expected  to  spend  my  days,  thinking  of  no  wider  field 
of  work.  But  what  has  thirty  years  of  service  brought 
me?  From  town  to  town,  and  from  city  to  city,  from 
my  own  to  your  country,  and  from  here  more  than  half 
around  the  world,  I  have  gone  preaching  this  glorious 
gospel,  and  sharing  in  the  blessing  of  God  which  the 
good  news  has  brought  to  multitudes.  To  God  be  all 
the  glory !  Had  I  faltered  at  the  first,  as  once  I  was 
strongly  tempted  to  do,  because  of  a  sense  of  unfitness 
and  unpreparedness  for  so  great  a  work,  I  should  have 
been  turned  aside  to  some  secular  business,  not  wrong  or 
unfit  for  a  son  of  God  to  engage  in,  yet  certainly  not  so 
high  a  calling  as  that  which  God  now  permits  me  to 
exercise  ;  or  I  might  (by  disobedience  to  the  "  heavenly 
vision  ")  have  lost  consciousness  of  my  sonship  and  made 
shipwreck  of  faith ;  or,  at  least,  sunk  into  mere  formal 
and  miserable  nominal  Christianity,  as  so  many  have 
done  who  have  not  been  prompt  to  enter  upon  their 
Father's  business  at  His  first  call. 

Many  Christians  tell  me  that  they  have  no  vocation 
to  service ;  that  they  do  not  know  what  to  do  ;  that 
they  would  be  glad  to  serve  God,  if  only  they  knew 
/low  and  where !  These  are  they  who  were  not  on  the 
alert,  when  first  they  knew  the  Lord,  to  set  themselves 
at  once  about  their  Father's  business  ;  or  who  have 
fallen  from  their  first  love  and  zeal  ;  or  have  separated 
service  from  the  consciousness  of  salvation  ;  and,  I  fear, 
in  many  cases,  with  the  abandonment  or  the  neglect 
of  service,  have  lost  the  blessed  consciousness  of  son- 
ship.     I  am  more  and  more  satisfied,  as  I  come  to  know 


"MY  FATHER'S  BUSINESS''  38S 

myself  and  my  surroundings  better,  and  those  of  other 
Christians  as  well,  that  we  do  not  so  much  need  to  make 
opportunities  as  to  embrace  them  when  .they  are  pre- 
sented to  us.  The  majority  of  life's  failures,  especially 
in  Christian  life,  grow  out  of  not  promptly  embracing 
opportunities  for  service.  Shakespeare  tells  us  that 
"  There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men,  which,  taken  at 
the  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune."  It  is  equally  true  that 
there  are  spiritual  instincts  and  promptings  which,  if 
yielded  to,  lead  on  to  most  blessed  and  useful  Christian 
life ;  but  which,  if  neglected,  leave  the  Christian  to 
comparative  shipwreck. 

Jesus,  when  a  child  of  twelve,  embraced  the  first  op- 
portunity which  came  to  set  Himself  about  His  Father's 
business.  For  this  He  gave  up  His  homeward  journey, 
subordinated  His  relations  to  His  parents,  and  attended 
to  God's  call.  What  would  have  been  the  effect  upon 
His  future  ministry,  what  the  result  to  the  world,  had 
He  faltered  then  ?  is  a  thought  which  we  dare  not 
contemplate.  What  darkness  and  misery  have  come 
to  thousands  of  Christian  lives ;  what  the  world  has 
lost  in  service ;  what  (we  may  reverently  say)  God 
has  lost  in  souls,  and  what  souls  have  lost  in  God, 
through  the  indifference  and  negligence  of  God's  people, 
is  a  too  palpable  demonstration.  How  long  do  you 
suppose  it  would  require  to  evangelize  the  world  if 
Christians  were,  with  whole-hearted  devotion,  saying  to 
each  other,  "  We  must  be  about  our  Father's  business  "  ; 
and  not  only  saying  it,  but  doing  it?  India,  China,  and 
Africa  are  more  than  ripe  for  the  Gospel.  The  few  who 
have  gone  out  to  those  lands  have,  under  God,  wrought 
wonders  almost  beyond  belief.  Where  there  is  one 
missionary,  there  should  be  a  hundred  ;  where  there  is 
one  pound  consecrated  to  God  for  that  glorious  service, 
there  should  be  a  thousand ;   and  this  could  easily  be 

P.B.  25 


386  ''MV  FATHER'S  BUSINESS'' 

if  only  we  were  more  in  earnest  "about  our  Father's 
business."  Oh,  if,  with  Jesus,  we  could  all  say,  "  I  have 
meat  to  eat  that  ye  know  not  of  My  meat  is  to  do  the 
will  of  Him  that  sent  Me,  and  to  finish  His  work " !  ^ 
Alas !  that  we  are  so  easily  turned  aside  from  His  busi- 
ness ;  that  we  find  our  pleasure  and  profit  in  things 
which  do  not  contribute  except  to  our  momentary  ad- 
vantage, if,  indeed,  they  do  not  make  for  our  ultimate 
loss.  To  be  about  the  "  Father's  business,"  or  not  to 
be  about  it,  makes  all  the  difierence  in  the  world  to 
the  Christian.  Oh,  the  difference  between  a  real  out- 
and-out  child  and  servant  of  God,  and  a  poor,  half- 
hearted professor,  who  is  of  no  use  to  the  world  or  the 
Church,  and  has  in  himself  no  well-spring  of  joy  and 
eladness  !  I  know  that  some  will  answer  me  that  there 
are  other  claims  than  those  of  God  and  His  work  upon 
us.  Otir  families,  our  businesses,  our  duties  to  society 
and  to  the  state,  make  demands  upon  us  which  we  may 
not  neglect,  and  which  cannot  be  denied.  Yes,  so  said 
Mary  to  Jesus,  "  You  have  neglected  us ;  you  have 
caused  us  much  anxiety,  trouble,  and  sorrow ;  how  is 
it  that  you  have  thus  entreated  us?"  To  which  Jesus 
made  reply,  "  How  is  it  that  ye  sought  Me ;  that  you 
should  be  in  doubt  where  I  was,  and  what  I  was  about  ? 
wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  My  Father's  busi- 
ness?" We  must  either  set  ourselves  and  all  others 
aside,  or  we  must  set  God  aside.  There  can  be  no 
middle  ground  or  way.  We  need  not  fear  that  our 
families,  businesses,  society,  or  the  state  will  suffer  if 
we  put  God  first,  and  steadfastly  set  ourselves  to  "be 
about  our  Father's  business."  I  have  often  said  that 
God's  temple  is  everywhere,  and  His  business  touches 
every  institution,  occupation  and  interest  in  the  world. 
Jesus  was  still  about  His  Father's  business  when  He 
1  John  iv.  32-34 


"MV  FATHER'S  BUSINESS"  387 

went  back  to  Nazareth  with  Mary  and  Joseph,  and 
"was  subject  to  them."  Who  amongst  us  has  a  doubt 
that  those  eighteen  years  in  which  we  hear  not  another 
word  from  His  Hps,  and  know  not  another  thing  that 
occupied  His  hands,  were,  nevertheless,  all  filled  with 
God's  service,  even  though  that  service  were  performed 
in  connection  with  the  commonest  domestic  and  me- 
chanical occupations  ?  I  once  saw  a  picture  of  Jesus  at 
work  with  Joseph  in  his  carpenter's  shop.  He  was 
driving  a  plane  across  a  piece  of  plank,  and  the  plane 
in  His  hands  was  glowing  with  a  heavenly  light,  and 
the  shaving  which  curled  from  the  foot  of  it  gave  forth 
the  same  kind  of  sheen.  This  is  the  true  version  of 
work.  When  we  make  our  common  or  ordinary  occu- 
pations our  Father's  business,  they  cease  to  be  common 
and  secular,  and  become  sacred  and  heavenly.  Forgive 
me  if  I  seem  to  press  this  thought  upon  your  atten- 
tion with  what  may  seem  to  you  to  be  too  frequent 
reiteration. 

I.  T/ie  Fathei^s  business  is  paramoimt  in  this  world. 
The  words  of  Jesus,  touching  this  and  other  matters, 
have  become  too  common-place  with  us.  Familiarity 
with  them,  if  it  has  not  bred  contempt,  has,  I  fear,  bred 
indifference.  If  some  of  them  were  heard  by  us  for  the 
first  time  they  would  startle  us.  "  Seek  ye  first  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness  "  ^  is  one  of  the 
sayings  of  Jesus  which  should  never  cease  to  have  a 
place  in  our  thoughts  day  and  night.  Now,  nothing  in 
this  world  ought  to  take  precedence  with  us  over  that 
command  ;  for  command,  and  imperative  command,  it 
is.  Jesus,  in  this  instance,  put  His  heavenly  Father 
before  His  earthly  mother  ;  His  Father's  business  before 
His  mother's  anxiety  and  sorrow.  Mary,  in  her  momen- 
tary forgetfulness  of  who  her  Son  was,  and  what  He 
»  Matt.  vi.  33. 


388  ''MY  FATHER'S  BUSINESS'' 

was  sent  into  the  world  to  do,  sought  to  put  her  claims 
first,  and  chid  Him  for  not  having  done  so.  Do  we  not 
often  set  the  claims  of  our  families  and  personal  interest 
before  those  of  God  ?  Quaint  old  John  Trapp  says, 
"  Men,  or  ourselves — be  they  or  we  pleased  or  displeased 
— God  must  be  obeyed  and  served."  We  all  agree  that 
no  unsaved  man  is  justified  in  allowing  any  earthly 
interest  to  come  before  his  salvation,  or  stand  for  a 
moment  between  him  and  the  duty  of  immediately 
seeking  the  kingdom  of  God.  Well,  being  saved,  we 
have  no  more  right  to  delay  our  undivided  service  of 
God  than  we  had  the  right  to  delay  seeking  the  salva- 
tion of  our  own  souls.  For  what  were  we  saved,  but 
that  we  might  serve  ?  "  To-day,  if  ye  will  hear  His 
voice,  harden  not  your  hearts,"  ^  is  God's  word  to  the 
unsaved.  On  one  occasion,  a  man  intimated  his  desire 
to  follow  Jesus,  but  pleaded  that  he  might  first  go  and 
bury  his  father.  To  which  Jesus  replied,  with  some 
sternness,  "  Let  the  dead  bury  their  dead ;  but  go  thou 
and  preach  the  kingdom  of  God."^  Now,  Jesus  does 
not  in  this  teach  that  we  are  to  neglect  these  most 
sacred  filial  duties,  but  that  no  duty  is  sacred,  or  to  be 
attended  to  before  the  paramount  claims  of  the  kingdom 
of  God.  Another  also  said,  "  Lord,  I  will  follow  Thee  ; 
but  let  me  first  go  and  bid  them  farewell  which  are  at 
home  at  my  house.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  No  man, 
having  put  his  hand  to  the  plough,  and  looking  back,  is 
fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God."  ^  This  imperative  rule  of 
discipleship  and  service  may  seem  to  some  harsh  and 
severe  ;  if  carried  out  literally,  it  would,  you  say  ,entail 
loss  to  yourselves  and  unkindness  to  others.  I  will  not 
argue  the  point,  but  only  bid  you  look  these  words  of 
Jesus  fairly  in  the  face,  and  then,  in  the  light  of  your 
present  walk  and  work,  answer  the  question,  "Judged 
'  Heb.  iii.  15.        *  Luke  ix.  60.       •  Ibid.  ix.  61,  62. 


"MV  FATHER'S  BUSINESS"  389 

by  the  words  of  Jesus,  are  you  His  disciple  ?  "  A  cer- 
tain scribe  once  said  to  Jesus,  "  Lord,  I  will  follow  Thee 
whithersoever  Thou  goest.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him, 
Foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests ; 
but  the  Son  of  Man  hath  not  where  to  lay  His  head."  ^ 
We  do  not  read  whether  that  apparently  eager  man 
accepted  the  conditions  of  discipleship,  whether  he  was 
willing  to  follow  Jesus  at  the  cost  of  becoming  a  home- 
less and  houseless  wanderer  ;  but  the  inference  is  that 
he  did  not  follow  Him,  How  many  among  us  profess 
a  desire  to  be  His  disciples,  but  hesitate  to  follow  either 
in  the  way  of  faith  or  service  at  the  cost  of  personal  loss, 
either  in  that  which  we  must  leave  behind  us,  or  part 
with,  for  the  kingdom  of  God  ;  or  at  the  cost  of  giving 
up  some  personal  or  social  duty  not  immediately  con- 
nected with  the  kingdom  of  God  !  That  young  ruler 
who  came  so  eagerly  to  Jesus  to  know  what  he  must  do 
to  inherit  eternal  life,  cooled  and  turned  back  when  he 
found  out  that  the  kingdom  of  God  was  to  be  given  the 
first  place  in  his  affections.  The  test  in  that  case  was 
on  the  point  of  parting  with  his  worldly  wealth.  Did  he 
wish  eternal  life  more  than  wealth  ?  One  would  have 
thought  so  ;  but  no,  at  this  point  his  desire  failed  him, 
and  "he  went  away  sorrowful  because  he  had  great 
possessions."  ^  I  do  not  say  that  the  ordinary  business 
of  our  Father  calls  us  to  abandon  our  houses  and  be- 
come homeless  wanderers  in  the  earth  ;  that  it  demands 
that  we  shall  turn  our  backs  upon  our  friends,  and  never 
so  much  as  say  farewell  to  them  ;  that  we  shall  be  so 
engrossed  in  religious  work  that  we  shall  leave  our  dead 
unburied  ;  or  that  we  shall  immediately  sell  all  that 
we  have  and  give  to  the  poor :  but  that  we  shall 
have  so  thoroughly  chosen  Christ  and  His  kingdom, 
so  thoroughly  devoted  ourselves  to  the  Father's  business, 
^  Luke  ix.  57, 58.        *  Matt.  xix.  22. 


390  "MY  FATHER'S  BUSINESS" 

that  if  the  crisis  comes  we  will  gladly  accept  all  these 
conditions  of  discipleship.  He  who  does  not  see  his 
way  to  such  paramount  loyalty  to  Jesus  and  the  Father's 
business,  cannot  be  a  disciple,  or  a  true  member  of  the 
kingdom  of  God.  John  and  James  left  their  nets  to 
become  fishers  of  men,  because  Jesus  called  them  to 
that  work.  They  did  not  haggle  about  the  loss  to  them- 
selves and  to  their  father,  or  the  necessity  of  continuing 
their  fishing  trade  in  order  to  support  their  families,  but 
immediately  left  all  to  follow  Jesus  in  this  service,  trust- 
ing Him  to  supply  all  their  need  according  to  the  riches 
of  His  grace  and  abundance.  Levi,  sitting  at  the  receipt 
of  custom,  when  Jesus  called  him,  at  once  resigned  his 
lucrative  trade  to  become  a  disciple.  When  Saul  of 
Tarsus  was  called,  he  immediately  turned  his  back  upon 
all  that  in  the  past  had  been  dear  to  him,  in  order  that 
he  might  without  delay  obey  the  "  heavenly  vision."  ^ 

As  Jesus  understood  His  obligations  to  His  Father, 
the  second  table  of  the  law  gave  way  to  the  first.  That 
He  loved  and  honoured  His  saintly  mother  none  can 
doubt,  but  when  His  Father  called  Him  He  did  not 
hesitate,  and  was  surprised  that  His  mother  should 
chide  Him  for  giving  God  the  first  place  in  His  love  and 
duty.  Even  so  our  obligation  to  God  supersedes  obliga- 
tion to  every  earthly  relation.  Parents,  husbands,  wives, 
children,  masters,  society  and  country  must  give  way  to 
God's  paramount  claims  upon  us.  This  is  a  solemn 
matter.  How  many  wives  stand  between  their  husbands 
and  their  obligations  to  the  Father  and  His  business  ; 
how  many  husbands  interpose  between  their  wives  and 
God  in  like  manner.  Masters  very  frequently  make 
such  demands  upon  their  servants  that  they  have  no 
time  to  serve  God — reducing  them  to  a  kind  of  human 
slavery,  for  their  personal  comfort  and  worldly  interests. 
*  Acts  xxvi.  19. 


«i]/F  FATHER'S  BUSINESS"  391 

The  state  sometimes  demands  of  its  servants  such  ex- 
clusive service  as  gives  them  no  time  to  worship  God, 
even  on  the  Sabbath  Day  ;  unless  it  be  that  they  can  do 
so  in  their  own  hearts  and  without  the  aid  of  ordinances, 
I  have  known  parents  make  such  demands  upon  their 
children  that  they  have  withdrawn  them  from  the  house 
of  God,  and  the  direct  service  of  the  Church,  to  which 
their  youthful  enthusiasm  had  attached  them.  I  have  in 
my  mind  now  a  mother  who  said  to  me  not  very  long 
ago,  "  I  have  brought  up  my  sons  with  pain  and  toil,  and 
I  want  them  with  me  on  Sundays  and  during  the  week 
evenings.  I  have  the  first  claim  upon  them,  and  am 
unwilling  that  they  should  be  so  often  and  so  much  at 
the  church — surely  their  mother  has  the  first  claim  !  " 
The  result  was,  and  is,  that  these  young  men,  from  be- 
coming active  and  useful  in  large  measure,  have  already 
dropped  into  the  most  commonplace  Christians.  "  My 
husband  is  away  from  me  all  the  week  ;  I  want  him  at 
home  on  Sundays.  You  must  find  somebody  else  to 
take  that  class  of  his."  "  My  business  is  so  exacting, 
and  takes  so  much  of  my  strength,  that  I  must  reserve 
the  Sunday  for  rest  at  home,  or  I  should  be  unfit  to  go 
to  my  office  again  on  Monday."  "  Sunday  is  the  only 
day  I  have  for  visiting  my  friends  ;  surely  you  would 
not  have  me  give  up  all  my  social  acquaintances  for  the 
Church  ?  "  Thus,  and  with  such  arguments,  I  am  con- 
stantly met  when  I  ask  service  of  many  who  are  pro- 
fessing Christians.  Now,  what  does  it  all  mean  ?  It 
means  that  they  put  themselves  and  their  personal  in- 
terests first,  and  God  and  the  kingdom  of  heaven  second. 
It  means  that  they  have  made  their  business  so  exclu- 
sively their  own,  and  not  God's,  that  they  have  robbed 
God  even  of  His  Sabbath  day,  and  the  kingdom  of  God 
of  all  personal  service  on  their  part.  Many  of  these  do 
not  even  so  far  regard  their  business  as  belonging  to 


392  '' MY  FATHER'S  BUSINESS" 

God  as  to  give  the  work  of  God  even  a  fair  portion  of 
their  profits,  but  spend  their  gains  (except  a  small  dole) 
upon  themselves.  A  young  Christian  girl  lately  made 
promise,  out  of  a  full  heart,  of  a  pound  towards  one  of 
the  many  causes  which  call  for  money.  She  earned  the 
money  herself,  and  felt  that  she  would  have  pleasure  in 
giving  it,  as  it  was  to  her  also  a  duty.  Her  mother,  a 
Christian  woman,  hearing  of  this,  forbade  her  daughter, 
on  the  ground  that  she  should  save  it  for  herself,  and 
not  spend  it  upon  the  Church,  saying,  "  There  are  plenty 
of  rich  people  to  supply  the  cause  of  Christ  with  funds." 
So  the  selfish  robbery  of  God  goes  on  among  both  rich 
and  poor.  If  any  one  is  found  in  the  temple,  being 
about  the  Father's  business,  in  the  true  spirit  of  conse- 
cration, putting  God's  claims  first,  some  mother  or  wife, 
husband  or  master,  steps  in  and  says,  "  Why  hast  thou 
so  dealt  with  us  ?  We  have  sought  thee  diligently,  for 
your  absence  has  put  us  to  inccmvenience  ;  has  hindered 
our  profit  or  pleasure "  ;  thrusting  their  claims  before 
God's,  if  not  in  their  selfishness,  in  utter  forgetfulness  of 
God. 

2.  The  Father's  business  demands  our  incessant  atten- 
tion. In  His  service  there  are  no  holidays.  It  is  so 
urgent,  so  imperative — the  time  is  so  short  in  which  it 
is  to  be  done,  and  our  time  so  uncertain — that  Jesus 
bids  us  "  work  while  it  is  day  ;  the  night  cometh  when 
no  man  can  work."  ^  "  In  season,  out  of  season,"  ^  is  the 
apostolic  injunction.  There  are  times  of  refreshing  from 
on  high  when  all  real  Christians  seem  to  awaken  out  of 
sleep  and  idleness,  and  go  and  bring  forth  fruit ;  but  the 
real  servant  of  God  finds  it  a  seasonable  time  to  serve 
God  out  of  season.  To  bear  fruit  in  summer-time  is  no 
more  than  ordinary  expectation  might  demand  ;  but  to 
see  a  tree  bearing  fruit  in  winter-time,  out  of  season^  is 
^  John  ix.  4.         '2  Tim.  iv.  2. 


"J/K  FATHER'S  BUSINESS"  393 

something  more  than  natural.  Well,  Jesus  would  have 
us  thus  supernatural  in  respect  of  service  :  diligent  in 
season,  out  of  season.  Even  in  our  holiday  times,  when 
we  turn  aside  for  rest,  as  is  needful,  there  is  still  oppor- 
tunity for  service  in  God's  temple.  Jesus  wrought  many 
of  His  most  precious  works  by  the  wayside :  as  the 
healing  of  blind  Bartimaeus,  and  the  woman  with  an 
issue  of  blood.  It  was  when  He  had  retired  to  "  the 
desert  place  apart,"  ^  near  Capernaum,  for  a  season  of 
rest,  that  being  thronged  with  a  multitude.  He  fed  the 
five  thousand  ;  it  was  while  He  "  sat  thus  upon  Jacob's 
well  "  *  that  He  saved  the  Samaritan  woman,  finding 
more  refreshment  in  that  service  than  in  the  meat  which 
the  disciples  brought  Him  from  the  village  hard  by 
Oh,  the  tirelessness  of  Jesus  in  the  service  of  His 
Father !  I  do  not  for  a  moment  suppose  that  we  can 
approach  that  ideal  service  in  degree,  but  we  can  keep 
it  before  us  as  our  model  and  example,  and  strive  to  be 
true  disciples  of  such  a  Master.  That  we  are  expected 
in  some  measure  to  follow  in  His  footsteps  we  might 
gather  from  the  great  apostle's  exhortation  :  "  Therefore, 
my  beloved  brethren,  be  ye  steadfast,  unmovable,  always 
abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  forasmuch  as  ye 
know  that  your  labour  is  not  vain  in  the  Lord."  ^ 

3.  TJie  Father's  business  must  be  done.  In  attending 
to  our  Father's  business  we  have  no  option.  Jesus  said 
to  His  mother, "  Wist  ye  not  that  I  MUST  be  about  my 
Father's  business  ?  "  At  twelve  years  of  age  the  eternal 
obligation  to  His  mission  came  upon  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  If  there  was  implied  in  Mary's  complaint  that 
Jesus  had,  through  thoughtlessness  or  mere  personal 
whim,  remained  behind  in  the  temple.  He  now  takes 
pains  to  assure  her  that  in  this  matter  He  had  no  option, 
and  this  she  ought  to  have  known.  "  I  must  be  about 
*  Luke  ix.  10-17.        *  John  iv.  1-42.        '  i  Cor.  xv.  58. 


39+  "'"ify  FATHER'S  BUSINESS" 

my  Father's  business."  The  most  superficial  reading  of 
the  gospel  reveals  this  fact  to  us — that  while  Jesus  was 
a  voluntary  Servant,  and  came  to  do  His  Father's  will, 
and  work  most  willingly  and  gladly — nay,  that  "  He 
delighted  to  do  His  will  " —  He  was  nevertheless  always 
mindful  that,  having  voluntarily  given  Himself  up  for  the 
world's  redemption.  He  was  under  a  constant  and  ever- 
increasing  obligation  to  carry  his  work  through  to  the 
end.  He  did  nothing  without  the  sense  of  "  oughtness  " 
being  upon  Him.  In  His  conversation  with  Nicodemus 
He  set  forth  this  great  truth.  If  sinful  men  musi  be 
born  again  before  seeing  or  entering  into  the  kingdom 
of  God,  "  the  Son  of  Man  MUST  be  lifted  up."  ^  For 
the  bitten  Israelites  there  was  no  remedy  except  in  the 
uplifted  serpent ;  and  for  this  sin-smitten  world  there 
is  no  remedy  but  in  the  uplifted  Son  of  God.  We  speak 
it  with  great  reverence,  but  God  Himself  could  save  us 
in  no  other  way.  Granting  the  eternal  purpose  of  grace 
toward  the  world,  we  must  also  grant  the  eternal  necessity 
there  was  for  Christ  to  come  and  suffer  for  our  sins. 
This  must  faced  Him  all  through  His  ministry.  As  I 
have  already  said,  it  came  upon  Him  from  the  moment 
He  consciously  grasped  the  fact  that  He  was  the  Son  of 
God,  and  that  He  had  His  Father's  work  to  do.  Nor 
did  it  ever  leave  Him.  "  Let  us  go  into  the  next  towns 
that  I  may  preach  :  for  therefore  came  I  forth."  *  So 
again,  on  an  occasion,  when  conversing  with  His  dis- 
ciples. He  showed  them  "  how  that  He  must  go  to 
Jerusalem,  and  suffer  many  things  of  the  elders  and 
scribes,  and  be  killed,  and  be  raised  again  the  third 
day."  ^  Peter  remonstrated  with  Him  for  thus  tamely,  as 
it  seemed  to  him,  delivering  Himself  up  to  His  enemies. 
But  He  told  Peter  plainly  that  any  dissuasion  from  that 
obligation  was  a  temptation  and  suggestion  as  from  the 
'  John  iii.  14.      *  Mark  i.  iZ.      »  Matt.  xvi.  21. 


"  JUV  FA  THER  'S  B  US  I  NESS  "  395 

devil.  Other  passages  might  be  quoted  to  show  how 
constantly  Jesus  worked  under  this  rule  of  "  must."  "  I 
must  work  the  works  of  Him  that  sent  Me  while  it  is 
day."  ^  When  He  was  hanging  on  the  cross  His  enemies 
taunted  Him  with  being  an  impostor  and  a  false  Christ, 
and  challenged  Him  to  prove  His  divine  Sonship  by 
coming  down  from  the  cross.  What  was  it  that  held 
Him  there  ?  It  was  neither  the  nails  that  pierced  His 
hands  and  feet,  nor  the  thongs  which  bound  Him  to  the 
cross.  It  was  that  eternal  and  blessed  MUST.  The 
Son  of  Man  must  suffer,  or  we  mtist  be  lost.  That  He 
had  power  to  come  down  from  the  cross  there  is  no 
doubt.  Until  His  hour  came  He  frequently  escaped  out 
of  the  hands  of  His  enemies.  When  He  was  sought  by 
the  guard  of  soldiers  who  came  to  arrest  Him,  the  night 
before  His  crucifixion.  He  easily  demonstrated  how 
powerless  they  were  to  take  Him  by  force  ;  even  as  He 
told  Pilate  that  he  had  no  power  over  His  life,  but  that 
it  was  in  His  own  power  to  lay  it  down  and  to  take  it 
again.  I  do  not  think  we  appreciate  how  completely 
Jesus  gave  Himself  up,  from  His  very  youth,  to  the  duty 
of  His  mission.  That  there  was  freedom  in  this  duty  is 
of  course  as  manifest  as  that  there  was  obligation  ;  nay, 
more,  there  was  an  inconceivable  "joy  set  before  Him  "^ 
in  all  that  He  did  for  us  according  to  the  will  of  God, 
which  enabled  Him  to  endure  the  cross  and  despise  the 
shame  ;  but  the  mainspring  of  all  is  found  in  the  word 
must.  Love  and  duty  with  Him  were  the  same.  He 
loved  His  Father  even  as  He  knew  His  Father  loved 
Him ;  and  He  loved  us  even  as  the  Father  loved  us  ; 
and  so  He  gave  Himself  both  to  the  Father  to  do  His 
will  and  be  about  His  business,  and  to  us  that  He  might, 
through  life,  death,  and  resurrection,  redeem  us  to  God. 
Blessed  Servant  of  God,  who  was  bound  to  the  Father's 
'  John  ix.  4.  *  Heb.  xii.  2. 


396  ''MY  FATHER'S  BUSINESS" 

business  by  that  divine  7nust !  May  we  learn  both  the 
secret  and  the  blessedness  of  it  in  our  work  for  God 
and  souls. 

I  am  aware  that  there  is  a  school  of  teachers,  which 
has  considerable  vogue  at  present,  who  teach  that  ser- 
vice ought  never  to  be  a  matter  of  duty,  but  entirely  a 
matter  of  love  ;  just  as  though  there  could  be  any  duty 
where  there  is  no  love,  or  any  real  love  which  involves 
no  duty.     Duty  is  the  yoke  which  love  puts  upon  the 
neck  of  Christ's  disciples  ;  by  it  we  are  enabled  to  serve 
God  in  fellowship  with  our  Lord,  who  took  the  same 
yoke  upon  Himself,  even  when  He  was  yet  a  Boy,  and 
never  laid  it  aside  until  He  rose  triumphant  from  the 
grave ;  nor  has  He  yet  laid  it  aside  in  heaven,  where  He 
ever  lives  to  watch  over  and  make  intercession  for  us. 
For  one  thing,  at  least,  I  thank  God — that  He  has  laid 
His  7nust  upon  me  ;  that  the  great  word  "  ought  "  comes 
frequently    to    my    mind    when    flesh    and    spirit    are 
both  weak.     If  I  were  left  only  to  inclination,  I  fear  I 
should  still  more  often  fail  in  my  work  than  I  already 
do.     Many  a  time,  I  fear,  I  should  find  even  the  most 
blessed  work  grow  monotonous,  if  it  were  not  for  the 
whispered  word  of  God's  Spirit,  "  You  ought  to  do  it." 
Sometimes  the  immediate  subject  of  service  is  not  par- 
ticularly pleasant ;  then  the  mind  and  heart  rises  higher, 
and  fastens  upon  our  Lord  Himself,  and  we  are  enabled 
to  do  it  unto  Him,  when  otherwise  we  would  not  do 
it  at  all.     I   am   sure   it  is  no  dishonour   to   the  Lord 
to  think  that  there  were  times  in  His  ministry  among 
men  when  even  He  had  to  say  to  Himself,  "  I  must 
be  about  My  Father's  business."     It  was  His  Father's 
business  which  carried   Him  over  the   dusty  roads  of 
Judaea  and  up  the  hills  of  Galilee  ;  that  enabled  Him 
to  bear  the  loneliness,  the  weariness,  the  provocation 
of  enemies,  the  dulness  and  selfishness  of  His  disciples 


"MY  FATHER'S  BUSINESS''  397 

and  "to  endure  to  the  end."  It  is  the  Father's  busi- 
ness which  requires  us  to  be  kind  when  we  would  be 
cross  ;  to  be  patient  and  gentle  when  we  are  provoked 
to  anger  and  roughness  ;  to  be  generous  when  we  would 
be  selfish  and  parsimonious  ;  to  be  large-hearted,  tender 
and  forgiving  when  we  would  be  small,  mean  and 
revengeful.  Believe  me,  dear  friends,  there  is  no  word 
in  the  English  language  larger  or  more  full  of  meaning 
and  blessedness  than  these  words,  which  were  often  on 
the  lips  of  our  Lord,  as  explaining  why  He  "  steadfastly 
set  His  face  "  ^  to  suffer  for  us  and  for  the  world. 

The  sacred  narrative  tells  us  that  "they  understood 
not  the  saying  which  He  spake  unto  them."  *  His 
apprehension  of  His  own  mission  and  work  transcended 
even  Mary's  knowledge  of  it,  though  the  angel  of  God 
had  given  her  full  teaching  on  that  point,  and  which 
God  emphasized  when,  under  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  she  sang  her  sweet  canticle  of  praise  to  God  and 
her  Saviour-Son.  Yet  we  can  in  some  measure  enter 
into  their  strange  embarrassment  in  presence  of  the 
Divine  Child,  and  His  deeper  insight  into  the  will  and 
work  of  His  Father.  Every  one  must  find  out  for  him- 
self what  the  Father's  business  is,  so  far  as  himself  is 
concerned.  We  may  explain  it  to  others,  and  wonder 
why  they  do  not  understand  ;  but  we  need  not  be  sur- 
prised if  we  are  not  understood  even  by  those  who  are 
nearest  and  dearest  to  us.  The  husband  oftentimes  is 
perplexed  and  fails  to  understand  why  his  own  wife  is 
moved  to  this  or  that  service  for  God.  Parents  cannot 
understand  how  their  children  should  be  "  driven  by  the 
Spirit "  into  the  wilderness  of  foreign  mission  work,  or 
service  among  the  poor.  Ambitious  fathers  fail  to  see 
how  it  is  that  a  favourite  son,  whom  they  had  designed 
for  business,  parliamentary  life,  or  the  bar,  should  declare 
*  Luke  ix.  51.  -  Ibid.  ii.  50. 


398  ''MY  FATHER'S  BUSINESS'' 

themselves  called  to  preach  the  gospel.  The  secret  of 
God  is  with  those  who  fear  Him ;  and  though  they 
declare  what  God  would  have  them  to  do,  they  are  not 
understood,  but  are  often  stigmatized  as  being  moved  by 
some  eccentric  whim,  fanaticism  or  religious  madness, 
which  does  not  appeal  to  the  "  common  sense  "  of  their 
parents  and  friends,  though  they  be  wise  in  the  wisdom 
of  this  world.  If  any  man  will  honestly  say  to  the  Lord, 
"  What  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?  "^  he  must  expect  to 
be  misunderstood,  or  to  lose  the  active  sympathy  of 
those  who  stand  nearest  to  him  in  human  relations. 

II.  Jesus  returns  to  Nazareth.  "And  He  went 
down  with  them,  and  came  to  Nazareth,  and  was  sub- 
ject unto  them."  This  also  was  a  part  of  His  Father's 
business.  Having  declared  Himself  to  His  mother,  and 
finished  the  first  bit  of  business  which  was  given  Him 
to  do  in  His  Father's  house.  He  returned  to  His  human 
parents,  and  became  the  simple  and  obedient  Child  He 
had  ever  been  to  them.  In  this  we  find  an  illustration 
of  the  fact  that  the  Father's  business  does  not  neces- 
sarily involve  us  in  the  breach  of  domestic  ties,  and  the 
common  and  ordinary  obligations  of  home  life.  Jesus 
was  doing  His  Father's  business,  in  thus  subjecting 
Himself  to  Mary  and  Joseph,  as  really  as  when  He  was 
seated  in  the  midst  of  the  doctors  of  the  law  discussing 
divine  things  with  them  ;  just  as  David  was  doing  God's 
business  when,  after  having  been  anointed  by  Samuel  to 
be  king  in  Saul's  place,  he  returned  to  the  care  of  his 
"  few  sheep  in  the  wilderness."  Paul  as  really  pursued 
his  heavenly  calling  when  he  turned  aside  to  earn  his  own 
living  at  tent-making,  as  when  he  was  preaching  to  the 
wise  men  of  Athens  on  Mars'  Hill,  Let  no  one  despise 
the  lowly  duties  of  the  home,  as  though  the  Father's 
business  were  not  there  as  well  as  in  the  temple  or  in 
^  Acts  ix.  6. 


"MY  FATHER'S  BUSINESS"  399 

other  public  places.  What  a  beautiful  transition  this 
was !  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  who  knew  Himself  to  be 
so,  returns  quietly  and  contentedly  to  that  poor  little 
home  in  Nazareth,  and  remains  there,  subject  to  Mary 
and  Joseph,  for  another  eighteen  years.  Those  eighteen 
years  of  quiet  retirement  in  Nazareth  were  not  wasted  ; 
but  a  time  in  which  all  physical,  mental,  moral,  and 
spiritual  strength  was  maturing  under  the  favour  of 
God.  Almost  all  God's  servants  have  been  sent  to  their 
Nazareths  for  a  time  of  quiet  self-discipline,  after  public 
call  to  service.  Moses  had  the  wilderness  ;  Joseph  had 
the  Egyptian  prison  ;  David  his  retirement  with  the 
sheep ;  John  the  Baptist  (as  Elijah  before  him)  was 
hidden  for  a  long  time  from  the  people ;  Paul  had  his 
desert  life  for  three  years  in  Arabia,  and,  later  on,  in 
Roman  prisons.  I  sometimes  feel  that  it  would  be  a 
good  thing  for  all  preachers  to  get  away  for  a  consider- 
able time  from  the  public  life  which  their  calling  de- 
mands, and  seek  quiet  communion  with  God,  away 
from  the  bustle  and  confusion  of  the  world,  that  they 
might  come  forth  again  not  only  refreshed  in  body, 
but  invigorated  in  mind,  and  enlarged  in  spiritual 
understanding  and  wisdom. 


Butler  &  Tanner,  The  Selwood  Printing  Works,  Frome,  and  London. 


Date  Due 

•-^U^^s^ 

■-"^■'^^gN'<s«*j 

i» 

1 

k 

■-P#*e**fca44 

>*m, 

y-f't'gtmbvliteumiM 

jSBrrr^ 

■' 

.mS^ 

^     ._ 

.&f^M^ 

^6^ 

f) 

BS2423.2.P41 

The  birth  and  boyhood  of  Jesus. 

Princeton  Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00060  5164