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The rock of 


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lvation 



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Digitized by the Internet Archive 

in 2010 with funding from 

Princeton Theological Seminary Library 



http://www.archive.org/details/rockofoursalvatiOOplum 



THE 



ROCK OF OUR SALVATION: 



A TREATISE 

RESPECTING 

THE NATURES, PERSON, OFFICES, WORK 

SUFFERINGS, AND GLORY 

OF JESUS CHRIST. 



BY 

WILLIAM S. PLUMER, D. D., LL. D. 

Let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation. Psa. 95 : X 



PUBLISHED BY THE 

AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 

150 NASSAU-STREET, NEW YORK. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by 
the American Tract Society, in the Clerk's Office of the District 
Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Christ All in All, page 7: opposed, 8, 17; Lis Names and Titles, 
10-13; Christ much loved, 13; what God's People say of Him, 
18, 19., 

CHAPTER II. 

The Divinity of Christ, 22: proven by his Names, 22, 23; by his 
Attributes, 23-28; by his Works, 28-34; by his Worship, 35-38; 
Inferences, 38-40. 

CHAPTER III. 

The Sonship of Christ, 41: above that of Angels, of Adam, of 
Believers, 41 ; not merely because supernaturally conceived, 42 ; 
or by Designation to Office, or by his Resurrection, 43 ; or by 
being Heir of all Things. He has the same Nature with the 
Father, his Sonship real and proper, 45; eternal, 48; more than 
Mediatorship, ineffable, 49; long held, 51; proven, 53-56. 

CHAPTER IT. 

The Incarnation of Christ, 58: how effected, 59; true, 61; made 
under the Law, 62; foretold by Prophets, 64; often declared, 
65; incomprehensible, 67-76; at the Eight Time, 69; a Great 
Event, 73; perpetual, 76; Inferences, 76-79. 

CHAPTER V. 

The Messiahshif of Jesus of Nazareth, 80 : expected, 80 ; proven, 
82-95; Remarks, 95-99. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Christ the Mediator, 100: what the Word means, 100; the Ex- 
tent of Christ's Mediation, 101; when Mediation is admissible, 
103; Advantages of it, 104; Christ fit for this Work, 105-110; 
Effects of, 110-116; Sole, 116; Cause of Joy, 117; how carried 
on, 117; Remarks 117-119. 



4 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VII. 

Cubist a Prophet, 120: necessary, 120; the Office honorable, 121; 
what it is, 121; foretold by Moses, 123; Moses a Type of Christ, 
126; how Christ does the Work of a Prophet, 130; his Teach- 
ings true and pure, 135; complete, attested, practicable, 136; 
plain, kindly given, 137; effectual, 138; must be obeyed, 140. 

CHAPTER VHI. 

The Priesthood of Christ, 141: much spoken of, 141; Our High 
Priest is divine, 141; human, 144; called, 146; anointed, 145; 
sent, 146; holy, 147; after Order of Melchizedek, 149; made a 
Fit Offering, 151; entered the Holy Place, 153; blessed the 
People, 154; is unchangeable, 155; Lessons from it, 156-159. 

CHAPTER IX. 

Christ a King, 160: Prophecy required Him to be, 161; He con- 
fessed it, 162; often so called, 163; has Badges of Royalty, 
164; a Peculiar King, everlasting and wise, 165; just, 166; 
almighty, 167; his Kingdom divinely ordered and not of this 
World, 169; his by right, 170; universal, supreme, and stable, 
171; full of Energy and of Mystery, 172; Lessons from it, 174- 
178. 

CHAPTER X. 

Christ's Humiliation, 179: the Several Steps thereof, 180-197; 
Lessons from it, 197, 198*. 

CHAPTER XL 

General Views of Christ's Work, 199-203: Substitution, 203, 
Suretyship, 204; Satisfaction, 206; Sacrifice, 210; Obedience, 
212; Lessons thus taught, 214-216. 

CHAPTER XII. 

Redemption by Christ, 217: much spoken of, 217; Verbs used, 
217; Nouns used, 218; Idea of Redemption whence obtained, 
219; based on Several Principles, 220; harmonizes Divine Attri- 
butes, 225; Christ a Fit Redeemer, 228; God's Wisdom in 
Christ's Work, 232; in his Sufferings, 233, and in the Effects of 
Redemption, 234; Cause of Joy, 237. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

The Atonement, 239: Meaning of the Word Reconciliation, 239- 
242; Theories of, 242-244; True View proven in Various Ways 
by Scripture, 245-252; Consequences of denying, 252-257. 



CONTENTS. 5 

CHAPTEK XIV. 

The Folly op Objecting to theAtoncment, 258: Objection First, 
259; Second, 260; Third, 262; Fourth, 263; Fifth, 268; Testi- 
monies to Right View, 269-275. 

CHAPTER XV. 

Cheist's Resurrection, 277: a Vital Doctrine, 277; required by 
Prophecy, 278; who raised Him up, 279; the Third Day, 280; 
real, 281; proven by Witnesses, many, 283; competent 284; con- 
curring and credible, 286 ; Objections to Witnesses frivolous, 
287-290; the Evidence summed up, 290-293; Fruits of Christ's 
Resurrection, 293-295. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Christ's Ascension and Session at God's Right Hand, 296: Ascen- 
sion why delayed Forty Days, 296, 297; Prophecy required his 
Ascension, 297; is taught as a Fact, 298; the Place of it, 299; 
it was necessary, 301; his Human Nature ascended, 302; the 
Manner of it, 303; his Session required by Prophecy and much 
spoken of, 305 ; what is meant by Sitting at God's Right Hand, 
306-310; The Effects of Christ's Session, 310, 311; Inferences, 
311-313. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Christ in Heaven, 314: his Life is deserved, 314; immortal and 
glorious, 315; full of Authority yet loving, 316; active, 317-323; 
the Effects thereof, 323-327; Inferences, 327-330. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Christ's Personal Absence from this World, 331: a Grief to his 
Disciples, 331; yet it is right and best, 332-348; Inferences, 
348-351. 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Christ on the Judgment-seat, 352: sure, 352; the Day of it, 
353-358; Who shall be judged, 359-362; how They shall be 
judged, 362-364; for What shall We be judged, 364-366; Who 
shall be the Judge, 366-368; Inferences, 368-371. 

CHAPTER XX. 

Christ the Good Shepherd, 372: his Qualities, 372-379; what 
Offices he performs for his Sheep, 379-385; Happy Effects 
therof, 385; Marks of his Sheep, 386, 387; Inferences, 387-390. 



6 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Christ a Physician, 391: Sin a Disease, 391-397; the Kemedy 
397-402; the Great and Good Physician, 402-406. 

CHAPTER XXII. 

The Gentleness of Christ, 407: needed, 407-411; Christ's Char- 
acter, 411; his Covenant, 412; God's People weak, 413; dis- 
couraged, 414; when really safe, 415; his Tenderness to them, 
416; the Feeble cared for, 417; look at Quality not Quantity of 
Attainment, 417; obey Christ, 418; rely not on Frames, 419; 
draw near to God, 420. 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Cheist shall tet have a Glorious Reward, 422: Present State 
of the World, 422-428; the Scriptures promise a Change, 428- 
431; some Good Tokens, 431, 432, what We can do, 432-437; 
a Prayer for the Success of the Gospel, 437-439. 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

The Gospel of Christ is hid from some, 440: Excellence of Pro- 
nouns, 440-442; how the Gospel is not hid from Us, 442-448; 
how it is hid from Some, 448-453; Remarks on these Truths, 
453-459. 

CHAPTER XXV. 

The Sin and Danger of not believing in Christ, 460: God 
always spoke against Unbelief, 460, 461 ; Classes of Unbelievers, 
462; why Unbelief is so great a Sin, 462-474; Inferences,. 474- 
477. 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

The Reproach of Christ, 47 S: often mentioned, 478; Case of 
Moses, 479; Ancient Egypt, 479-484; Moses' Choice, what, 
481-489; Elements of His Choice, 489-492; Its Wisdom, 492- 
495; Its Cause, 495; Inferences, 496-499. 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

Conclusion, 500: Union with Christ, 500-504; Admiration oi 
Christ, 504-507; Imitation of Christ, 507-512; glorifying Christ, 
512-516; reigning with Christ, 516-519. 



THE 

ROCK OF OUR SALVATIOK 



CHAPTER I. 

CHRIST ALL IN ALL. 

When I was a youth, in the bond of ini- 
quity and in the gall of bitterness, I fell into 
distress concerning my soul. I feared I should 
be lost for ever. Being in the company of 
two Christian ladies, one of them kindly ex- 
pressed the wish that my impressions might 
not be transient. This I understood. The 
other expressed the hope that Christ might 
yet be to me all in all. To me, whose heart 
was covered with a veil of unbelief, her words 
were as the speech of a barbarian. Yet they 
made an impression. From them I learned 
that some persons knew a secret hidden from 
me ; and I longed to learn what it was. I 
hope I have gained some insight into it, and I 



8 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

propose to present some of the views I have 
obtained. 

The great central truth of the religion of 
sinners relates to the person, character, work, 
sufferings, offices, and glory of Jesus Christ. 
These are vital in Christianity. As one is 
sound or corrupt here, so is he substantially 
right or wrong in the main. Both now and in 
the last day, the great question in determining 
character and destiny is the same: " What 
think ye of Christ?" 

On this subject the controversy is old. It 
goes back to the first two men ever born. 
Cain and Abel split on this point. In the 
immediate family of Adam the strife began, 
and it has never ceased. In the days of Moses 
the hardest thing to be borne in the profes- 
sion of the true religion was "the reproach of 
Christ," When Messiah was born, the strife 
was resumed with more warmth than ever. 
The wise men brought their gifts of gold, 
frankincense, and myrrh ; but when Herod 
heard of his birth, he was troubled, and all 
Jerusalem with him, and he sought the young 
child to destroy him. And when Christ be- 
came a public teacher, some said, He is a good 
man ; others, He deceiveth the people. One 



CHEIST ALL IN ALL. 9 

part}' worshipped him ; the other crucified 
him. Even when he was on the cross, the 
spectators were divided — some looking on 
with unutterable grief ; others wagging their 
heads and deriding him. In fact, the very 
thieves who died with him were not of one 
mind ; one reviling him, the other calling him 
Lord. On the day of Pentecost the contro- 
versy was renewed with great vigor, and with 
great advantage to the cause of truth ; and it 
has been kept up ever since. All the friends 
of God have at heart been on one side, and 
all his enemies substantially on the other — if 
not openly, yet secretly ; if not by profession, 
yet in practice. For eighteen hundred years 
a large portion of all the heresies that have 
arisen have related to the person or work of 
Christ. Infidelity is most bitter against Christ, 
while piety feeds upon the truth of which he is 
the sum. Many scoff and more refuse ; while 
some admire and adore. Some obey; others 
cry, We will not have this man to reign over 
us. In no age has malice against Christ been 
more envenomed than in the present. 

Jesus Christ is a wonderful, a glorious 
person. To look away from self and one's 
own works to Christ, is to lay hold on eternal 

1* 



10 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

life. Safety consists in fleeing to him and 
abiding in him. When he is in the ascendant, 
the night flees away, and the morning comes — ■ 
a morning without clouds. His names and 
titles are as important as they are significant. 
Every one of them is as ointment poured 
forth. His lips drop as the honeycomb ; 
honey and milk : are under his tongue, and the 
smell of his garments is like the smell of Leb- 
anon. His people sit under his shadow with 
great delight, and his fruit is sweet to their 
taste. To them he is altogether lovely. 

He is their Advocate, the angel of the 
covenant, the author and finisher of faith. He 
is as the apple-tree among the trees of the 
wood ; the alpha and the omega ; the Beloved, 
the Shepherd and Bishop of souls, the bread 
of life, the righteous Branch, the bridegroom, 
the brightness of the Father's glory, and the 
express image of his person. He is a bundle 
of myrrh. 

To his saints he is and is owned to be 
Creator, captain, counsellor, covenant, corner- 
stone, a covert from the tempest, and the 
chiefest among ten thousand. He is to them 
as the Dew, the door into the fold, a da} T s- 
man, a day-star, a deliverer, a diadem, and 



CHKIST ALL IN ALL. 11 

the desire of all nations, ranks, and genera- 
tions of pious men. 

In their eyes he is the Elect, Emmanuel, 
the everlasting Father and eternal life, lie 
is a Fountain of living waters to thirsty souls, 
of joy to troubled souls, of life to dying souls. 
He is the foundation on which his people of 
all ages safely build. their hopes of heaven. 
He is the father of eternity, the fir-tree under 
whose shadow the saints rejoice, the first and 
the last, the first fruits of the greatest harvest 
ever gathered, the first-born among many 
brethren and the first-begotten from the dead. 

To his chosen he is as the most fine Gold, 
a guide, a governor, a glorious Lord, God, the 
true God, God over all blessed for ever. He 
is the Head of the church, the health the 
hope, the husband, the heritage, the habita- 
tion of his people. He is the horn of their 
salvation. He rides upon the heavens by his 
name Jah. He is the Jehovah, the inheri- 
tance, Judge and King of his saints. He is 
their light, their life, their Lord, their leader, 
their lawgiver, their atoning lamb, the lily of 
the valley, the lion of the tribe of Judah. 

He is the Man Christ Jesus, the master, 
the mediator, the messenger of the covenant, 



12 THE KOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

the minister of the true sanctuary, which the 
Lord pitched and not man. He is the mighty 
God of Isaiah, the Michael of Daniel, the Mel- 
chisedek of David and of Paul, the bright and 
morning star of John, and the Messiah of all 
the prophets. 

He is the Only-begotten of the Father, 
full of grace and truth, He is at once the 
root and the offspring of David. He is the 
Peace, the prince, the priest, the prophet, the 
potentate, the purifier, the propitiation for 
our sins, the physician of souls, the plant of 
renown, the power of God unto salvation, the 
passover of all saints. He is a polished shaft 
in the quiver of God. 

He is the Rock, the refuge, the ruler, the 
ransom, the refiner, the Redeemer, the right- 
eousness and the resurrection of all that walk 
in white. He is the rose of Sharon. He is the 
Seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham, the 
seed of David, the stem of Jesse, the Son of 
God, the son of man, the shield, the strength, 
the surety, the Shiloh, the sacrifice, the sanc- 
tuary, the salvation, the sanctification, and the 
sun of righteousness to all believers. 

He is that holy Thing that was born of 
Mary. He is the truth, the treasure, the 



CHRIST ALL IN ALL. 13 

teacher, the temple, the tree of life, the great 
testator of his church. He is the Way, the 
well of salvation, the Word of God, the wis- 
dom of God, the faithful witness. He is the 
Wonderful. 

His person is one ; his natures are two. 
He is both human and divine, finite and infi- 
nite, created and uncreated. He was before 
Abraham, though not born for ages after that 
patriarch slept with his fathers. He was 
dead, and behold he is alive for evermore. 

On earth he had not where to lay his 
head ; yet he disposes of all diadems. B}' him 
kings rule and princes decree justice. He has 
the arm of a God, and the heart of a brother. 
To him all tongues shall confess and all knees 
'oow ) yet learned he obedience by the things 
which he suffered. None loves like him, none 
pities like him, none saves like him. 

It is not surprising that such a person 
lives and reigns in the hearts of his people. 
No marvel that the virgins love him, and the 
saints praise him, and the martyrs die for him, 
and the confessors are not ashamed of him, 
and the sorrowing sigh for him, and the peni- 
tent lie at his cross and pour out their tears 
before him, and the humble trust in him, and 



14 THE BOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

the believing lay fast hold of him and will not 
let him go. His frown shakes the frame of 
universal nature, his smile gives life, his pres- 
ence converts dungeons into palaces, his blood 
cleanses from all sin, his righteousness is the 
white robe of the redeemed. 

If men would be safe, or wise, or holy, or 
happy, or useful, or strong, or victorious ; let 
them look to Jesus, let them look to none 
else, let them walk in him, abide in him, glory 
in him, and count as loss all things besides. 
You may look at the law till the spirit of 
bondage overwhelms you with terrors and 
torments. You may go about to establish 
your own righteousness till you can boast, 
and sin, and perish like a Pharisee. You 
may weep till the fountain of your tears has 
gone dry, you may have all gifts, understand 
all mysteries, bestow all your goods to feed 
the poor, and yield } T our body to be burned ; 
but all these things will not atone for sin, will 
do nothing toward regaining the lost favor of 
God, will not make you meet for the inheri- 
tance of the saints in light, " Xone but 
Christ, none but Christ, none but Christ, "' has 
been the cry of the faithful witnesses of all 
ages when truth has triumphed, when oracles 



CHEIST ALL IN ALL. 15 

were struck dumb, when sinners were con- 
verted, when saints shouted for joy, when the 
word of God mightity grew and prevailed. 

True piety begins, continues, and is per- 
fected, by our union with Christ. We are 
cleansed through his blood, we are clothed 
in his righteousness, we are purified by his 
Spirit. We meet the demands of the law of 
this day of grace when we walk as he walked, 
and have the same mind that was in him. In 
proportion as men are truly pious, they make 
him the foundation and the top-stone, the sum, 
and substance, and centre of all their hopes 
and rejoicings before God. He is accepted and 
believed on in the world, not merely because 
there is no other Saviour, but because his 
way of saving sinners precisely suits their 
.case, and because it brings glory to God in 
the highest. The true believer not only trusts 
in Christ, but makes his boast in him. He not 
only makes mention of him ; he admits none 
into comparison with him. To all the ends, 
parts, and purposes of salvation, Christ stands 
alone. There is none like him, there is none 
with him, there is none before him, there is 
none after him, there is none beside him. He 
had no predecessor ; he has, and shall have, 



16 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

no successor. He has no vicegerent; he has 
no assistant; he wears an undivided crown, 
and wields a perfect sovereignty over an undi- 
vided kingdom. If God's people exalt him 
above all others, so does his holy and eternal 
Father. If they crown him Lord of all, God 
also hath highly exalted him, and given him a 
name that is above every name. If they sur- 
passingly admire and extol him, there is cause 
for this preference. It is a holy, reasonable 
thing, to fall before him and cry, My Lord 
and my God. If he is the delight of the sons 
of men, he is also the delight of his Father. 
Listen to the voice from the excellent glory : 
"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
pleased." 

We sadly err -when we begin in the spirit 
and end in the flesh ; when we regard Christ 
as the Author, but not as the Finisher, of our 
faith. A legal spirit is the bane of piety. It 
is as great a foe to holy comfort as it is to 
gospel grace. Through the law believers are 
dead to the law, that they may live unto God. 
This is the evangelical plan. Here is the 
secret of growing conformity to God. Here 
is power, here is life, here is wisdom. We 
are complete in him. 



CHEIST ALL IN ALL. 17 

In the wars of opinion, the greatest con- 
tests ever known have been on the question 
whether Christ is the sole and sufficient cause 
of salvation to men. Strange that any who 
have God's word should be at a loss on this 
subject. The language of Scripture could not 
be more clear: "Christ is the end of the law 
for righteousness to every one that believeth." 
This is the sum of inspired teachings on the 
subject. This doctrine is quite beyond the 
suggestion of human wit, but wholly accordant 
with right reason. The gospel is not the 
progeny of human wisdom, but it is the proper 
remedy for human woes. The heart of man 
is strongly wedded to a plan that will not 
abase pride nor silence boasting. Although in 
regeneration folly is so far cured that the soul 
reclines upon Jesus, yet even the converted 
sometimes fall into sad declensions, and lose 
their clear and lively apprehensions of the one 
way of salvation provided by God. Then follow 
darkness, dejection, and strange perplexities. 
They are then "bewitched," and "obey not 
the truth." 

Christ is our life ; severed from him, we 
are withered branches. It is only when Christ 
is clearly seen and cordially embraced that 



18 THE BOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

our peace is like a river, and our righteous- 
ness like the waves of the sea. The entire 
Christian race is run by pressing towards the 
mark for the prize of the high calling of God 
in Christ Jesus. All the acts of faith are the 
fruit of the Spirit; the object of them all is 
the person of the Lord Jesus Christ ; the war- 
rant of them all is the promise of God, the 
offer of the gospel: and while they utterly 
renounce self, they bring Christ into the soul, 
the hope of glory. 

Oh that men would learn that mount Sinai 
is far from Jerusalem, and that Calvary is 
hard by it. The nearer we are to the law as 
a covenant of life, the farther we are from 
Christ, from deliverance. The hosts of saints 
who have finished their course and gone home 
to God all found in themselves sin, guilt, folly, 
misery, and helplessness ; while in him were 
hid all the treasures of wisdom, grace, and 
gloiy. Hear their sayings : 

John Brown of Haddington said: "The 
command is, 'Owe no man any thing.' What 
a mercy that there is no such precept as this, 
Owe a Saviour nothing; or even this, Study 
to owe him as little as possible. Oh what a 
mercy that my admission into eternal life does 



CHRIST ALL IN ALL. 19 

not depend on my ability for any thing ; but 
as a poor sinner, will win in leaning on Christ 
as the Lord my righteousness ; on Christ, 
made of God unto me righteousness, sanctifi- 
cation, and redemption. I have nothing to 
sink my spirits but my sins ; and these need 
not sink me either, since the great God is my 
Saviour. 

McCheyne said: "Live within sight of 
Calvary, and you will live in sight of glory." 

When dying, Dr. Nevins said: "I recom- 
mend Christ to you ; I have nothing else to 
recommend." 

Well was it said of old, "It is better to 
die with Christ than to reign with Caesar." 

John sa} T s, " The testimony of Jesus is the 
spirit of prophecy." 

Peter says, "To Him gave all the proph- 
ets witness." 

Paul says, "God forbid that I should 
glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus 
Christ." 

This subject suggests a few remarks to 
two classes of persons : 

1. To Christians. In choosing Christ, you 
acted wisely. Exquisite suffering for him is 
better than exquisite enjoyment with the 



20 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

world. It is better to be a prisoner for him 
than a prince without him. To die in Christ 
is to fall asleep in Jesus, and be for ever with 
the Lord. Hold fast your profession of his 
name. Stick to him, stand up for him, live 
unto him, look to him, be ready to die for 
him, let your desires centre in him, let your 
motives to holy living be drawn from him, let 
j^our sorrows be sanctified by him. let your 
joys be heightened, chastened, sweetened by 
him. Keep to him alone. We are as much 
bound to believe that there is but one Media- 
tor as that there is but one God. 1 Tim. 2:5. 
None else can do us any good. Devotion to 
Christ cannot be excessive. Many love, and 
serve, and trust, and praise him too little ; 
but whoever loved, or served, or trusted, or 
praised him too much? "There is no love of 
duty where there is no love to Christ." 

2. To such as have not fled to Christ, and 
are yet in their sins. Will you not embrace 
the Saviour ? If Christ shall not be taken as 
your surety, you must pay your own debt. 
Despise not his cross. It is the life of men. 
By wicked men it was designed to be, and is 
still esteemed, the seal of infamy, the badge 
of ignominy. Christ crucified was to the Jews 



CHRIST ALL IN ALL. 21 

a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolish- 
ness. But see to it that ye follow not their 
wickel ways. Come to Christ; he died for 
our sins; he offered himself without spot to 
God, a ransom for many, a sweet-smelling 
savor. Cast yourselves upon him. Believe 
in him, and the law has no more penal de- 
mands against you ; believe in him, and God 
will accept you in the Beloved ; believe in 
him, and your right to the tree of life is at 
once complete ; believe in him, and the sting 
of death is extracted ; believe in him, and you 
shall have part in the first resurrection ; be- 
lieve in him, and you shall have boldness in 
the day of judgment. But reject him a little 
longer, and your heart will be harder than it 
is now ; reject him a little longer, and the 
call to light and life will reach you no more ; 
reject him a little longer, and the day of grace 
will be gone for ever ; reject him a little longer, 
and you will awake to shame and everlasting 
contempt. "There is a fearful chasm in the 
heart that has no love for Christ." 



22 THE EOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 
CHAPTER II. 

THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST. 

The design of this chapter is to state and 
prove the doctrine of the true, proper, and 
supreme divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
His Godhead is true, not fictitious ; it is 
proper, not figurative ; it is supreme, not 
merely superangelic. None is divine in a 
higher sense than the Saviour of lost men. 
The proofs of this truth are various, multi- 
form, and abundant. 

T. The names of God are, in Scripture, 
given to Jesus Christ. One apostle says of 
him, "This is the true God, and eternal life. 7 '" 
1 John 5 : 20. Speaking of the Israelites, an- 
other apostle sa} T s, "Of whom, as concerning 
the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God 
blessed for ever." Rom. 9 : 5. In both Tes- 
taments he is called Immanuel, which means 
God with us. Isa. 7 : 14 ; Matt. 1 : 23. Speak- 
ing of him, Paul says: "God was manifest in 
the flesh." 1 Tim. 3:16. The evangelical 
prophet calls him the "mighty God, the ever- 
lasting Father." Isa. 9 : G. Peter says, " He 



THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 23 

is Lord of all." Acts 10 : 36. Paul says, " He 
is the Lord of glory." 1 Cor. 2 : 8. Both Isaiah 
and Joel call him by the awful and incommu- 
nicable name, Jehovah. Isa. 6:5; Joel 2 : 32 
Compare John 12:41; Rom. 10:13. The 
Bible styles our Saviour, God. the true God, 
God blessed for ever, Lord of all, Lord of 
glory, God with us, Jehovah, Lord of hosts. 
This language is used by prophets and apos- 
tles at periods long separated and on occa- 
sions very diverse; some before his birth, 
others at his birth, and others after his ascen- 
sion to gloiy. Surely God ? s word thus teaches 
that he is divine. 

Lord Jesus, thou God over all, thou Jeho- 
vah of hosts, be thou our Friend. Bless and 
help each one of us. Be unto us a horn of 
salvation. 

II. Divine attributes are also ascribed to 
him. Eternity is one of his perfections: "In 
the beginning was the Word." John 1:1. 
John the Baptist was born six months before 
our Lord, yet of our Saviour he sa}^s, "He 
was before me." John 1 : 15. In prophecy, 
Christ gives this account of himself: "The 
Lord possessed me • in the beginning of his 
way, before his works of old. I was set up 



21 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever 
the earth was." Prov. 8 : 22, 23. When on 
earth, he asserted his own eternity and self- 
existence : "Before Abraham was, I am." 
John 8 : 58. More than sixty years after his 
ascension from Olivet, and within eight verses 
of the close of the New Testament, Jesus sa} T s 
of himself, "I am Alpha and Omega, the be- 
ginning and the end, the first and the last." 
Rev. 22:13. He who is himself the Alpha, 
the first, the beginning, must be self- existent, 
independent, and eternal. Surely he who can 
truly thus speak of himself is divine. 

thou eternal Son of God, thou Father 
of eternity, remember that we are of yester- 
day and are crushed before the moth. Bring 
us, in the fulness of thy grace, to behold thy 
glory, which thou hadst with thy Father before 
the world was. 

Omnipresence is another attribute of God 
claimed by Christ: " Where two or three are 
gathered together in my name, there am I in 
the midst of them." Matt, 18:20. Christ 
could not thus meet all the little groups of his 
worshippers in all parts of the world, unless 
he were omnipresent, He claims the same 
perfection when he says to his disciples, "Lo, 



THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 25 

I am with you alway, even unto the end of the 
world." Matt. 28 : 20. If this promise con- 
veys any natural and obvious sense, it is one 
that, beyond a doubt, implies the omnipres- 
ence, and therefore the divinity, of Jesus 
Christ. 

Blessed Saviour, who art everywhere pres- 
ent, preside in all our solemn assemblies, large 
and small. Walk thou in the midst of the 
golden candlesticks. Be thou unto us for a 
little sanctuary. 

Omniscience is another attribute of God 
belonging to Christ. Peter said, "Lord, thou 
knowest all things." John 21 : 17. By his 
omniscience, Jesus declared Judas a devil, 
even when he was unsuspected by any of his 
intimate friends. By his omniscience, he 
convinced Nathanael of his Messiahship and 
Divinity. Two things are wholly inscrutable 
except to omniscience. One is, the human 
heart. Yet we are expressly informed that, 
even in his humiliation, Jesus "knew all men, 
and needed not that any should testify to him 
of man, for he knew what was in man." John 
2:24, 25. And when for three-score years 
the Son of man had been in glory he said, 
"All the churches shall know that I am he 



26 THE BOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

which searcheth the heart." Rev. 2 : 23. The 
other thing unsearchable except to God only, 
is the Divine nature. Yet Jesus declares that 
he is master of that awful mystery: "As the 
Father knoweth me, even so know I the 
Father." John 10 : 15. Surely he who thus 
knows the unsearchable God is himself God. 

Lord Jesus, search us, and know our 
hearts, try us, and know our thoughts, and 
see if there be any wicked way in us ; lead us 
in the way everlasting ; and reveal to us the 
glorious mystery of God. 

Immutability is another perfection belong- 
ing to God only ; and hy inspired men it is 
ascribed to Jesus Christ, Having shown that 
this earth and the heavens above, with all that 
is grand and solid in them, must pass away, 
the Scripfures say of Christ, "Thou art the 
same, and thy years shall not fail." Psalm 
102 : 25-27 ; Heb. 1 : 10-12. The inspired 
author of the epistle to the Hebrews declares 
in explicit terms that "Jesus Christ is the 
same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Heb. 
13:8. Without profaneness, we cannot ascribe 
unchangeableness to any but God. Yet Paul 
says that Jesus is ever the same. Is he not 
Divine? 



THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 27 

Blessed Saviour, we rejoice that thou art 
the same as when thou didst weep at the 
grave of Lazarus ; as when thou didst pour 
salvation on the dying thief; as when, in 
ascending to glory, thou didst bless thy fol- 
lowers. We rejoice that thy state is changed 
and thy nature immutable. Oh pity and bless 
us. Be unto us a sure foundation, a munition 
of rocks. 

Beyond all doubt, omnipotence is an attri- 
bute of God on\y. We cannot reason with 
one who persistently contends that almighti- 
ness is the property of man or angel. But 
God's word abundantly teaches that Jesus 
Christ is omnipotent. Surely he who in his 
own name raises the dead and subjects the 
universe to his power is almighty. Paul says 
Jesus does both these things: "Our conversa- 
tion is in heaven ; from whence also we look 
for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who 
shall change our vile body, that it may be 
fashioned like unto his glorious body, accord- 
ing to the working whereby he is able even to 
subdue all things unto himself." Phil. 3:20, 
21. Surely such energy is omnipotent. In 
Rev. 1 . 8, Christ thus reveals himself : "I am 
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end- 



28 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

ing, saith the Lord ; which is, and which was, 
and which is to come, the Almighty." Nor did 
Jesus acquire omnipotence by his ascension 
to glory. Indeed, almightiness cannot be 
acquired, else a creature might become God. 
But even in his humiliation Jesus said, "What 
tilings soever the Father doeth, these also 
doeth the Son. As the Father raiseth up the 
dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son 
quickeneth whom he will." John 5 : 19, 21. 
Jesus could do none of these things, if his 
power could be resisted. But irresistible 
power is omnipotent power, is divine power, 
and so Christ is divine. 

thou which art, and which wast, and 
which art to come, the Almighty, cover us in 
the hollow of thy hand. If our hold on thee 
is feeble, let thy hold on us be the grasp of 
omnipotence. Go forth conquering and to 
conquer, till earth owns thee Lord of all. 

III. Those things which can be done by 
uone but God are done by Jesus Christ, and 
therefore he is God. Such is the w T ork of cre- 
ation: "All things were made b}^ him ; and 
without him was not any thing made that was 
made." John 1:3. "By him were all things 
created that are in heaven and that are in 



THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST. 29 

earth, visible and invisible, whether the}' be 
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or 
powers : all things were made by him and 
for him." Col. 1 : 1G. If by creation the 
Father is shown to be truly God, by creation 
also we establish the divinity of the Son. 

Glorious Redeemer, we all were made by 
thee and for thee. We own thy perfect and 
sovereign right to us and over us. All we 
have and are, in soul or body, belongs to thee. 
Nor can any thing dissolve the ties that bind 
us to thee for ever. 

Jesus Christ also upholds, preserves, and 
governs the worlds which he has made. Isaiah 
says: "The government shall be upon his 
shoulder." Isa. 9 : 6. Paul says: "To the Son 
he [the Father] saith, Thy throne, God, 
is for ever and ever." Heb. 1 : 8. In one 
one place the same apostle says, he " uphold- 
eth all things by the word of his power." 
Heb. 1 : 3. In another he says : " By him all 
things consist." Col. 1 : 17. Indeed his care 
and superintendence of all things is a neces- 
sity; for Paul says: "He must reign till he 
hath put all things under his feet." 1 Cor. 
15 : 25. Thus all creatures, from the smallest 
insect that is seen by the microscope up to 



30 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

the archangel that worships and ministers be- 
fore the eternal throne ; all events, from the 
falling of a hair of the head to the wasting 
of nations by famine, pestilence, and war ; 
all rule and authority, from that of a petty 
official to that of thrones and principalities in 
heaven ; the material universe, from the least 
particle that floats in the sunbeam to the 
grandest system of worlds that roll in immen- 
sity — all hang dependent on his powerful 
providence ; and if one link in the chain of 
that dependence were broken, they would all 
rush headlong to destruction. He always has 
governed this world ; and he shall ever hold 
the sceptre over it, till his last foe shall be 
vanquished, and his last hidden one made 
victorious. 

Lord Jesus, who upholdest all things by 
the word of thy power, bear us up, bear us 
on, bear, us through, giving us the victory over 
death, and hell, and all the powers of dark- 
ness. 

Again, redemption is more glorious than 
creation or providence ; and Jesus Christ is 
the sole author of redemption. I never heard 
of any one who believed in redemption by the 
Lord, who did not ascribe it to the Son. He 



THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 31 

alone was fit for this great work. Beveridge 
says : "Man can suffer, but he cannot satisfy ; 
God can satisfy, but he cannot suffer ; but 
Christ, being both God and man, can both 
suffer and satisfy too, and so is perfectly fit both 
to suffer for man and to make satisfaction unto 
God. And thus Christ, having assumed my 
nature into his person, and so satisfied Divine 
justice for my sins, I am received into grace 
and favor with the Most High God." 

Two things the Scriptures make very clear. 
One is, that Christ has redeemed us from the 
curse of the law — that salvation is by his 
blood and righteousness. The other is, that 
for this redemption Christ is entitled to the 
warmest love and the highest honors, and 
that he actually receives both from all the 
redeemed. The Author of one's eternal sal- 
vation cannot be inferior to the Author of 
one's earthly existence, and so ought to be 
honored and adored, because he is Divine. 

Lord Jesus, who hast died the just for the 
unjust, set thy love on us, wash us from our 
sius in thy most precious blood, and make us 
kings and priests unto God. 

Moreover, when Christ was on earth, he 
claimed and exercised the power of pardoning 



32 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

men 6 iniquities. "Man, thy sins are forgiven 
thee" — Luke 5 : 20 — were his brief and sol- 
emn words of superhuman authority. He 
himself tells us that he thus spoke that we 
"might know that the Son of man hath power 
on earth to forgive sins." Matt. 9:6. In 
fact, Christ is exalted a Prince and a Saviour 
to this very end, that he may grant repentance 
and remission of sins unto Israel. Yerily he 
is God. 

Lord Jesus, spread the skirt of thy bloody 
garment over our souls, and grant us repent- 
ance and remission of sins, and we shall be 
saved. 

Nor is this all. Jesus Christ shall raise 
the dead. In Dent. 32 : 39, God says, "I kill, 
and I make alive." In Eev. 1 :18, the Lord 
Christ says, "I have the keys of hell and of 
death." Eaising the dead is an act of almighty 
power, and so no creature can do it. Yet 
Paul says, "In Christ shall all be made alive." 
1 Cor. 15 : 22. When on earth, more than 
once Jesus gave life to the dead. He spake, 
and was obeyed, like a God: "Lazarus, come 
forth." He said, " This is the will of him that 
sent me, that every one which seeth the Son 
and believeth on him may have everlasting 



THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 33 

life, and I will raise him up at the last day." 
John G : 40. Nay more, he even raised his 
own body from the dead: "I lay down my 
life, that I might take it again." "Destroy this 
temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 
John 2:19; 10 :18. Truly this is the Son of 
the Highest, and may fitly count it no robbery 
to be equal with God. 

Kind Redeemer, we cheerfully follow thee 
into the grave, in hope of a glorious resurrec- 
tion. We would not live alwa} T s. In the last 
day raise us up, and make our vile bodies like 
unto thy glorious body. Give us part in the 
first resurrection. 

In like manner shall Jesus Christ judge 
the quick and the dead at his coming. He 
expressly says that the Father hath given the 
Son "authority to execute judgment also, be- 
cause he is the Son of man." John 5 : 27. In 
the same chapter he says: "The Father judg- 
eth no man; but hath committed all judgment 
unto the Son." John 5 : 22. The great tribu- 
nal before which we must all stand is "the 
judgment-seat of Christ." Rom. 14:10. In 
Rev. 1:7, John says, "Behold he cometh with 
clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they 
also which pierced him ; and all kindreds of 

2* 



34 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

the earth shall wail because of him." If Divine 
perfections are required for any thing, it is for 
deciding on the destinies of men and angels ; 
yet the unerring God has committed this judg- 
ment into the hands of Christ. He must, there- 
fore, be God. 

Lord Jesus, when thou comest in thy 
glory, with all thy holy angels, and the heav- 
ens shall flee away at thy presence, by thy 
mercy let us have boldness in the day of judg- 
ment. 

And as Jesus made, and governs, and shall 
judge the world, so shall he destroy these 
heavens and this earth. So says inspiration: 
"Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the 
foundations of the earth, and the heavens are 
the works of thy hands : They shall perish . . . 
as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they 
shall be changed." Heb. 1 : 10-12. Who can 
do this, and do it with the ease with which 
man folds up a garment and lays it aside, but 
God only? Yet Jesus Christ shall do this 
very thing. Surely he is. divine. 

Jesus, our Lord and our God, when thou 
shalt dissolve the frame of all sublunary 
things, remember and spare us according to 
the riches of thy grace in glory. 



THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 35 

IV. The Bible has done more to root out 
idolatry than all other books. It declares 
that idolaters shall have their part in the lake 
of fire. Yet this same holy book authorizes 
the highest acts of worship to be offered to 
Christ. Faith in him is as much required as 
faith ir th<) Father: "Ye believe in God, 
believe also in me." John 14 : 1. We are 
required in both Testaments to embrace him 
and trust in him on pain of perdition : " Kiss 
the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from 
the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. 
Blessed are all they that put their trust in 
him." Ps. 2 -.12. "He that believeth not the 
Son shall not see life ; but the wrath of God 
abideth on him." John 3 : 36. The Scriptures 
never require of us to rely on man. On the 
contrary, they say, " Cursed is he that trust- 
cth in man." Jer. 17 : 5. But they also sa} r : 
" There shall be a Eoot of Jesse, and he that 
shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in Him 
shall the Gentiles trust." Rom. 15 :12. Yea, 
more: "At the name of Jesus every knee 
shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in 
earth, and things under the earth." Phil. 
2 :10. And all this is by God's command ; for 
"when he bringeth in the First-begotten into 



30 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

the world, he saith, And let all the angels of 
God worship him." Heb.l: 6. Before he was 
born, his mother's cousin Elisabeth by the 
Holy Ghost called him : 'My Lord." Luke 
1 : 43. After his resurrection, Thomas ado- 
ringly said, "My Lord and my God." John 
20 : 28. The first Christian martyr wor- 
shipped him, crying, "Lord Jesus, receive my 
spirit." Acts 7 : 59. That Jesus receives the 
highest worship offered in heaven the Scrip- 
tures clearly assert: "And I beheld, and I 
heard the voice of many angels round about 
the throne and the beasts and the elders ; and 
the number of them was ten thousand times 
ten thousand, and thousands of thousands ; 
saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb 
that was slain to receive power, and riches, 
and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and 
glcry, and blessing. And every creature 
which is in heaven, and on the earth, and 
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, 
and all that are in them, heard I saying, 
Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, 
be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and 
unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Eev. 
5 : 11-13. No part of God's word speaks of 
a higher degree or more complete universality 



THE DIVINITY OF CHEIST. 37 

of solemn worship than is here said to have 
been offered to the Son. Verily he is divine. 
He is God. He has supreme divinity. There 
is no idolatry in heaven, yet Jesus is wor- 
shipped there. 

thou Lamb of God, grant us this one 
favor — to worship thee with true devotion 
here below, and after this life to unite with 
the heavenly throng in ascribing to thee bles- 
sing, and honor, and power, and glory, and 
salvation. 

The foregoing is but an outline of the 
argument on this glorious theme. The Bible 
is full of it. Sometimes we have nearly whole 
chapters devoted to this weighty matter. Such 
are the eighth chapter of Proverbs and the 
first chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews. 
Many considerable portions of several books 
of the Bible are given to establish the same 
truth. The gospel by John is evidently writ- 
ten chiefly for the same purpose. The very 
first verse may be taken as a text of the 
whole : "In the beginning was the Word, and 
the Word was with God, and the Word was 
God." Time would fail us to dwell on each of 
the proofs of our Lord's divinity found in this 
gospel. 



38 THE BOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

Indeed, we may with Melville say : "There 
is no such book of contradictions as the Bible, 
if there be no person who was both human and 
divine. Nothing but such a combination will 
make sense of the Bible, or rescue it from main- 
taining a vast mass of inconsistencies. Some 
may think that it would simplify the Christian 
theology to remove from it the mystery that 
two natures coalesced in the one person of 
Christ ; but as the divinity of our Lord is the 
foundation of our hope, so is it the key to the 
Bible. "We acknowledge, reverently, a great 
mystery, but not the thousandth part as great 
as the whole Bible becomes on the supposition 
that Christ was only man." 

1. If Jesus Christ is divine, he ma} r safely 
be trusted with our whole case. He will 
betray no interest committed to him. He in- 
vites all to come. He welcomes all who come. 
He is all-sufficient. He is chosen, called, and 
ordained of God, to this very work of saving- 
lost men who seek a refuge in him. A pious 
man once said: " If I did not know my Sav- 
iour to be Grocl, I should this night lie down 
in despair : the Scripture could in this case 
convey no comfort to my mind." But He is 



THE DIVINITY OF CHKIST. 39 

divine, and we may safely rest the whole 
weight of our salvation on his almighty arm. 
and trust our most complicated affairs to the 
solution of his infinite wisdom. 

2. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is a 
most reasonable duty. "He that hath the 
Son hath life ; and he that hath not the Son of 
God hath not life." 1 John 5 : 12. If we fail 
here we fail utterly, for there is salvation in 
no other. He is the Rock. All hopes not 
built on him must for ever perish. Jesus is 
set for the rise and the fall of many. He will 
be to us a rock of salvation or a stone of stum- 
bling ; the shadow of a great rock in a weary 
land, or a rock of offence to the unbelieving. 
I have long since ceased to marvel that Jeho- 
» r ah has laid such stress on this doctrine. In 
their measure the pious do the same. They 
all cling to it as their last hope. Oh that 
every man would ask God to give him faith, 
saving faith ; for no man can say that Jesus 
is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 1 Cor. 
12:3. 

3. Will you have this Lord Jesus for your 
Saviour ? Will you bow your head, and take 
his yoke upon you? If you confess and for- 
sake your sins, he is faithful and just to 



40 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

forgive your sins, and to cleanse yon from all 
iniquity. Will you have him? You need him. 
You need him now. You need him urgently. 
You need him to help you live. You will 
need him to help you die. You will need his 
grace and mercy for ever. 



THE SONSHIP OF CHRIST. 41 

CHAPTEB III. 

THE SONSHIP OF CHEIST. 

The Scriptures say much of the Son of 
God. Many scores of times is the Saviour 
called the Son, the Son of the Blessed, the Son 
of the Highest, or the Son of God. Very 
often too have we the corresponding term, 
Father, expressing the relations of the first 
person of the Godhead to the second. 

The Sonship of Christ is one of the glori- 
ous mysteries of our religion. Angels are, in- 
deed, sometimes called the sons of God. Thus, 
in the only reliable history of the origin of 
our world, we are told that at the creation 
" the morning stars sang together, and all the 
sons of God shouted for joy." Job 38 : 7. 
Because Adam came into existence without 
any created instrumentality, but directly from 
the hand of God, he is called the son of God. 
Luke 3 : 38. And because all believers are, 
by the Holy Spirit, renewed into the image of 
the Most High, and are adopted into the heav- 
enly famiry, they are called the sons of God. 
Rom. 8:14; 1 John 3:1. But the whole tenor 



12 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

of the argument in the early part of the epis- 
tle to the Hebrews goes to show that Jesus 
Christ is the Son of the Father in a sense far 
higher than can be claimed for any mere crea- 
ture. He is preeminently God's own Son, 
Rom. 8 : 32 ; and God's dear Son, Col. 1:13; 
and God is preeminently his Father, John 5:18. 
Some have maintained that Christ was the 
Son of God onty in the sense that he was con- 
ceived by the power of the Holy Ghost in the 
womb of the Virgin Mary. In proof, they cite 
Luke 1 : 35 : "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." Should we admit that this pas- 
sage teaches that Christ's human nature was 
so derived from the Holy Spirit as to make it 
proper to call him the Son of God, this would 
not show that he was in no higher sense be- 
gotten of the Father. Nor would this express 
his relation to the Father. But the passage 
fairly admits of another construction, namely, 
that he who is thus miraculously brought into 
the world is thereby infallibly proven to be 
the Son of God in the highest sense ever 
claimed. 



THE SONSHIP OF CHRIST. 43 

It has also been maintained by some that 
Christ's designation to office constituted his 
Sonship. In proof, they cite John 10:36: 
"Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanc- 
tified and sent into the world, Thou blasphe- 
mest, because I said, I am the Son of God ?" 
But, like the preceding, this passage may 
fairly refer to the proof, and not to the cause 
or nature of his Sonship with God. One text 
says, "The Son of God is come." Another 
says, "God sent forth his Son," Gal. 4: 4. He 
did not become the Son of God by coming or 
by being sent, but being the Son of God, he 
was sent and is come. Many other texts 
afford similar proof. 

Others have said that Christ is called the 
Son of God only because he rose from the 
dead. For proof they cite Acts 13:33: "God 
hath fulfilled the promise unto. us, in that he 
hath raised up Jesus again ; as it is also writ- 
ten in the second psalm, Thou art my Son ; 
this day have I begotten thee." But this pas- 
sage receives its clear exposition from Rom. 
1:4, where the apostle says that Jesus Christ 
our Lord was "declared [defined, marked out 
as by a boundary, determined, that is, beyond 
doubt proven] to be the Son of God with 



14 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by 
the resurrection from the dead." In other 
words, Christ's resurrection for ever settled 
in all fair minds the question of his Sonship 
with God. 

Others have said that Christ was called the 
Son of God simply because he is heir of all 
things. In proof, they cite Heb. 1 : 3-5 : "He 
sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on 
high ; being made so much better than the 
angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a 
more excellent name than they. For unto 
which of the angels said he at airy time, Thou 
art my Son, this day have I begotten thee ?" 
But heirship comes from Sonship ; not Son- 
ship from heirship: "If children, then heirs." 
Rom. 8:17. The fact that Christ is heir of 
all things is irrefragable proof that he is the 
Son of Grod. But Christ's Sonship is more 
than all these. 

I. He is the Son of the Father in a higher 
and more glorious sense. In the preceding 
chapter, it has been shown that he existed 
long ages before he became incarnate ; that 
he was possessed of all divine attributes ; that 
he was uncreated, and justly claimed supreme 
divinity. This Sonship of our Lord clearly 



THE SONSHIP OF CHEIST. 45 

implies that he has the same nature with the 
Father ; and so, as the Scriptures sa}^, He 
was begotten of the Father. When we say 
that Christ is by nature the Son of God, we 
mean that the Father communicates to him 
Lis being and perfections. He himself says, 
"All things that the Father hath are mine." 
John 1G : 15. "As the Father hath life in 
himself, so hath he given to the Son to have 
life in himself." John 5 : 26. Indeed, "the 
communication of the Divine essence by the 
Father is the generation of the Son." In 
nature, the Father and the Son are perfectly 
the same. Nor did the Father ever commu- 
nicate by generation his divine essence to any 
other ; so that Jesus Christ is properly called 
God's only Son, and his only begotten Son. 
This generation of the Son is entirely peculiar 
to himself, and is the foundation of all the 
holy worship offered to the Redeemer in 
heaven and earth, of all saving confidence 
reposed in the efficacy of his blood-shedding 
and intercession, and of the all-controlling 
gratitude felt towards him for his amazing 
condescension in coming into the world and 
dying for our salvation. 

II. The Sonship of Christ is real, not ima- 



46 THE KOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

ginary ; and proper? not figurative. It is the 
foundation of the everlasting relation between 
the Father and the Son, and not merely the 
mode of our conceiving of the Divine subsisT 
tence. Christ is as truly and properly the 
Son of God as Abel was the son of Adam ; 
that is, his nature is as truly the nature of his 
Father as the nature of any man is that of his 
parent. Adam begat a son in his own like- 
ness, after his image. Gen. 5 : 3. So, by his 
generation, Jesus Christ is " the brightness of 
his Father's glory, and the express image of 
his person." Every other name and title of 
our Lord has a delightful fitness and signifi- 
cancy. Why should that of Son of God be an 
exception? He is called Jesus, because he 
shall save his people from their sins. Who 
deserves the name of Saviour as he does? He 
is called Christ, because the Spirit was won- 
derfully poured upon him. If Aaron's anoint- 
ing filled his presence with sweet perfume, the 
anointing of Christ fills heaven and earth with 
an odor of a sweet smell. He is called Lord 
and Master, because he has perfect sovereignty 
over us. None ever so worthily wore a crown 
or swayed a sceptre. He is called Wonder- 
ful, for his person, his birth, his life, his works, 



THE SONSHIP OF CHRIST. 47 

his doctrines, his death, his resurrection, his 
glory, all entitle him to that appellation. He 
is called Counsellor, for none deals so pru- 
dently. Isa, 52:13. His wisdom and plans 
will yet destroy every dark plot of iniquity. 
Himself says, "Counsel is mine, and sound wis- 
dom ; I am understanding: ; I have strength." 

7 O 7 O 

Prov. 8:14. The Spirit of counsel and might 
rests upon him. Isa. 11 : 2. Speaking of the 
man whose name is The Branch, the prophet 
says : "He shall build the temple of the Lord, 
and the counsel of peace shall be between 
them both :" that is, between Jehovah and the 
Branch, between the Father and the Son. 
Zech. 6 : 12, 13. So that he is the Counsellor 
of God. He is also the Counsellor of all men 
who believe in him. Pie is the true light, the 
infallible teacher of all the saints. He is 
called Redeemer. None half so fitly bears 
that title. Others bought back captives with 
such corruptible things as silver and gold ; he 
redeems through his most precious blood. 
They redeem from temporal, he from eternal 
woe. He is the Christ, and Jesus Christ is 
the Son of God, and Jesus Christ the Son of 
God is the Saviour of lost men ; but all this 
only shows that our Lord has many and ex- 



4S THE BOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

cellent names and titles, as he lias also many 
crowns on his head. He is called Jehovah, 
because he is self-existent, independent, eter- 
nal, and unchangeable. He is called God, 
because the fulness of the Godhead dwells in 
him bodily. He is called the Son of God, 
because he is the only begotten of the Father, 
full of grace and truth. His "names and 
titles, which are more than two hundred in 
number, include every thing which is great 
or glorious, amiable or excellent, in the esti- 
mation of mankind."* He has no empty 
titles, no insignificant names. There is none 
like him. 

III. The Sonship of Christ is eternal. This 
is clearly taught: "He is before all things." 
Col. 1 : 17. "He made the worlds." Heb. 1 : 2. 
Of course he existed before them. There 
never was a point in duration when the Son 
was not. Some have argued against the eter- 
nity of the filiation of our Redeemer from the 
phrase, "This day have I begotten thee." But 
Owen well says, " 'To-day' being spoken of 
God, of him who is eternal, to whom all time 
is so present as that nothing is properly yes- 
terday nor to-day, does not denote necessarily 

* Payson. 



THE SONSHIP OP CHRIST. 49 

such a proportion of time as is intimated ; but 
it is expressive of an act eternally present, 
nor past, nor future." Addison Alexander 
says, "This profound sense of the passage is 
no more excluded by the phrase 'this day,' 
implying something recent, than the univer- 
sality of Christ's dominion is excluded by the 
local reference to Zion. The point of time, 
like the point of space, is the centre of an 
infinite circle." 

IY. Of course the Sonship of Christ im- 
plies much more than Mediatorship. It is 
eminently fitting that the Mediator between 
God and man should be the Son of God and 
the Son of Man ; but Sonship is not Mediator- 
ship, any more than Messiahship is Sonship. 
The Word did not become God's Son, but 
being God's Son, he became God's Anointed 
by receiving the Spirit without measure. 

V. The filiation of Christ is, and ought to 
be freely admitted to be, ineffable. When, as 
"the angel of the' Lord," the Son of God 
appeared to Manoah, that holy man said unto 
him, " What is thy name ?" "And the angel 
of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou 
thus after my name, seeing it is secret?" 
Judges 13:17, 18. Payson says: "It wns 



50 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

doubtless the eternal Word, who is frequently 
called the Angel of the Covenant, that ap- 
peared on that occasion. The name which is 
here given him, signifies secret, mysterious, 
wonderful ; and in each of these senses it may 
properly be ascribed to Christ." Christ him- 
self says : ' ' ]STo man knoweth who the Son is, 
but the Father." Luke 10 : 22. The Son- 
ship is ineffable, because the Divine nature 
is incomprehensible. Divinity is essentially 
inscrutable. So the Scriptures everywhere 
declare: "Canst thou by searching find out 
God ? canst thou find out the Almighty unto 
perfection ? It is as high as heaven • what 
canst thou do ? deeper than hell ; what canst 
thou know? The measure thereof is longer 
than the earth and broader than the sea." 
Job 11 : *7-9. Another Scripture declares the 
incomprehensibility of the nature both of the 
Father and of the Son : " Who hath ascended 
up into heaven, or descended? who hath gath- 
ered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the 
waters in a garment? who hath established all 
the ends of the earth ? what is his name, and 
what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?" 
Prov. 30 : 4. God, indeed, has revealed himself 
to us in a trinity of persons. He has said that 



THE SONSHIP OF CHRIST. 51 

the relation between the first and second of 
these persons is best expressed in our language 
by the terms Father and Son. But we must not 
strain such terms to make them imply all that 
we understand by them when used to denote 
human relationships. Among men, a father ex- 
ists before his son ; but God the Father is eter- 
nal, and God the Son is eternal. The great idea 
conveyed by the word Father is, that he is the 
fountain of the divinity. So, when we use the 
words begat and begotten in this connection, the 
meaning is, that we cannot better express the 
manner in which " the Father communicates 
the divine nature to the Son than by the use 
of these terms. 

At this point it is convenient to give a 
statement of the doctrine of Christ's Sonship 
in several orthodox Confessions. This may 
prevent mistake, and show how steadfast has 
been the faith of God's people on this point. 

The Apostles' Creed says, "I believe in 
God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven 
and earth ; and in Jesus Christ his only Son, 
our Lord." 

The Creed as given by Iremeus has it, "I 
believe in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, 
who was incarnate for our salvation." 



52 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

The Nic&ne Creed (properly so called) 
says, " We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, 
the Son of God, begotten of the Father, the 
only-begotten, that is, of the substance of the 
Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God 
of very God, begotten, not made, of one sub- 
stance with the Father." 

The Athanasian Creed says, "The Catho- 
lic faith is this : That we worship one God in 
Trinity, and Trinity in Unity. . . . The Son is 
of the Father alone ; not made, nor created, 
but begotten." 

The Confession of Wirtemberg says, " We 
believe and confess that the Son of God, our 
Lord Jesus Christ, begotten of his eternal 
Father, is true and eternal God." 

The Confession of Belgia says, "We be- 
lieve that Jesus Christ, in respect of his divine 
nature, is the only Son of God, begotten from 
everlasting, not made or created, (for then he 
should be a creature,) but of the same essence 
with the Father and coeternal with him." 

The Confession of Saxony says, "The Son 
of God our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the im- 
age of the eternal Father, is appointed our 
Mediator, Reconciler, Redeemer, Justifier, and 
Saviour." 



THE SONSHIP OF CHKIST. 53 

The Augsburg Confession teaches, "that 
the Word, that is, the Son of God, took unto 
him man's nature in the womb of the blessed 
Virgin Mary. 

In further support of this doctrine, con- 
sider the following : 

1. It is clear that the Jews expected their 
Messiah to be the Son of God. Nathanael 
was an Israelite indeed, and he said to Christ, 
" Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the 
King of Israel." Martha too said to him : "I 
believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of 
God, which should come into the world." The 
high-priest said to Jesus, "I adjure thee by 
the living God, that thou tell us whether thou 
be the Christ, the Son of God." John 1 : 49 ; 
11:27; Matt. 26 : 63. Where did they all get 
the impression that Messiah should be the 
Son of God, if their prophets did not so teach 
them? 

2. From many Scriptures it appears rea- 
sonable to infer that the Spirit of God designed 
to teach us Christ's Sonship with God. You 
remember that famous confession of Peter : 
" We believe and are sure that thou art that 
Christ, the Son of the living God." John 6: 69. 
John expressly informs us that he wrote his 



54 THE BOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

gospel " that we might believe that Jesus is 
the Christ, the Son of God." John 20 : 31. 
Again he says : " These things have I written 
unto you that believe on the name of the Son 
of God ; that ye may know that ye have eter- 
nal life, and that ye may believe on the name 
of the Son of God.' 7 1 John 5 : 13. 

3. On two occasions Christ received from 
God the Father glorious testimony to his Son- 
ship. "Jesus, when he was baptized, went 
up straightway out of the water ; and lo, the 
heavens were oj^ened unto him, and he saw 
the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and 
lighting upon him ; and lo, a voice from heaven, 
saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am 
well pleased.' 7 Matt. 3 : 16, 17. The other 
occasion was that of his transfiguration, when 
a voice out of the cloud, called by Peter the 
" excellent glory," said, " This is my beloved 
Son, in whom I am well pleased ; hear ye 
him." Matt. 17 : 5. 

4. The Scriptures lay great stress on this 
doctrine. In fact they assert, in plain terms, 
that the belief of it is essential to the forma* 
tion and establishment of Christian character. 
"Who is he that overcometh the world, but 
he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of 



THE SONSHIP OF CHRIST. 55 

God?" 1 John 5:5. The Ethiopian treas- 
urer made the confession of his faith in these 
simple words: "I believe that Jesus Christ is 
the Son of God." Upon this profession he 
was baptized. And John says expressly: 
"Whoso denieth the Son, the same hath not 
the Father." I John 2:23. 

5. It is admitted that the term "Word" 
is applied to Christ in reference to his exist- 
ence before his incarnation, and without ref- 
erence to his office as Mediator. Yet John 
uses the term " Word" and the term " Only- 
begotten of the Father" as interchangeable 
terms : "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." John 1 :14. The glory of 
the Word and the glory of the only-begotten 
of the Father is the same. 

6. The ordinance of Baptism is adminis- 
tered "in the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost." All who be- 
lieve the doctrine of the Trinity admit that 
Father and Holy Spirit designate divine per- 
sons. Surely the term Son does the same. 

7. The Scriptures expressly state that the 
only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the 



56 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

Father, he hath declared hini; that is, the 
only-begotten Son who has an eternal and 
infinite intimacy with the divine nature has 
revealed him. 

8. The glory of the priesthood of Christ 
arises chiefly from his filiation with God. So 
the apostle sets it forth : He maketh the Son a 
High Priest; "We have a great High Priest, 
Jesus the Son of God." Heb. 4:14 j 7 : 28. 
The greatness of our High Priest clearly re- 
sults from his being the Son of God. 

9. If Christ was the Word before he was 
made flesh, he was the Son before he was 
manifested to destroy the works of the devil 
John 1:1, 14 ; 1 John 3 : 8. Surely this is 
fair reasoning. 

10. Fuller says: "It is the proper deity 
of Christ which gives efficacy to his sufferings .- 
1 by himself he purges our sins. 7 (Heb. 1 : 3.) 
But this efficacy is ascribed to his being ' the 
Son of God :' ' The blood of Jesus Christ, Ms 
Son, cleanseth us from all sin.' His being the 
Son of God therefore amounts to the same 
thing as his being a divine person." Yea, 
more ; it shows how he is divine, viz., by an 
eternal generation. 

The inferences from this discussion are 



THE SONSHIP OF CHRIST. 57 

many and important. The doctrine is full of 
rich consolation. Our Redeemer not only 
has glorious power and exaltation, but he has 
them because, being the Son of God, he learned 
obedience by the things which he suffered. 
Heb. 5 : 8. Our Advocate has by nature a 
right to equality with G-od ; and, being fuU 
of love and kindness, he is sure to manage 
the cause of all his people so as to secure 
their final salvation. 



3* 



58 THE BOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 
CHAPTEE IV. 

THE INCAENATION OF CHRIST. 

When we say, The Son of God became 
incarnate, we mean to say that he became 
the Son of man, taking to himself human na- 
ture entire. In the Apostles' Creed this doc- 
trine is thus expressed : "He was conceived 
by the power of the Holy Ghost, and born of 
the Virgin Mary." The Athanasian Creed 
says : " He is not only perfect God, but per- 
fect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh 
subsisting." The "Westminster Assembly thus 
teach: "The Son of God, the second person 
of the Trinity, being very and eternal God, 
of one substance and equal with the Father, 
did, when the fulness of time was come, take 
upon him man's nature, with all the essential 
properties and infirmities thereof, yet without 
sin ; being conceived by the power of the 
Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Yirgin Mary, 
of her substance. So that two whole, perfect, 
and distinct natures, the Godhead and the 
manhood, were inseparably joined together in 
one person, without conversion, composition, 



THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST. 59 

or confusion. Which person is very God and 
very man, yet one Christ, the only Mediator 
between God and man." 

Respecting Christ's human nature, many 
wild and dangerous opinions have been held ; 
but these need not now be formally refuted. 
The proof of the true doctrine will be suffi- 
cient. 

The union of Christ's natures was formed, 
not by his humanity seeking to be affianced 
to divinity. This would have been presump- 
tuous aspiring. But his Godhead sought union 
with manhood. This was infinite love and 
condescension. Christ's human nature never 
existed separately, or otherwise than in union 
with his divinity. From his conception this 
union was complete. The preexistent divine 
nature took to itself human nature. Christ's 
human nature never had a personal subsist- 
ence by itself. So that Christ did not assume 
a human person, but human nature. "His 
person is not a compound person * the person- 
ality belongs to his Godhead, and the human 
nature subsists in it by a peculiar dispensa- 
tion. The assumption of our nature made no 
change in his person ; it added nothing to it ; 
and the only difference is, that the same per- 



60 THE EOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

son who was possessed of divinity has now 
taken humanity." So that things done or suf- 
fered in either nature are ascribed to the one 
person, Christ Jesus. The properties of each 
nature are, and will ever continue to be, entire 
and distinct. Divinity cannot be subject to 
any change. Humanity cannot cease to be 
humanity— cannot become divinit}^ The Cre- 
ator cannot cease to be Creator. The crea- 
ture cannot cease to be a creature. 

This union of the two natures in Christ is 
not without some similitude in ourselves. In 
his constitution man has two substances, one 
a soul, the other a body ; one spiritual and 
immortal, the other material and perishable. 
By their union, one of these substances is not 
changed into the other. They remain distinct 
even when united. Yet a man is one person, 
and not two persons. When we say, He is 
sad, all know we refer to his soul. When we 
say, He is muscular, all know we speak of his 
body. Ye£ in both cases we speak of the 
same person. So Christ's person is one, and 
not two. When he spake of himself he said, 
/, mine, vie. When his apostles spake of him, 
they said, he, his, him. When we address him, 
we say, thou thine, thee. Acts 1:24. The 



THE INCAENATION OF CHKIST. 61 

Scriptures also use singular nouns respecting 
him, and call him a Prophet, a Priest, a King, 
a Shepherd, a Redeemer. The union of his 
natures could not be more perfect. It is per- 
sonal, perpetual, indissoluble. 

The Scriptures say, Christ was "made of a 
woman" Human beings have come into the 
world in four ways. The first man, the very 
fountain of human nature, had neither father 
nor mother. Neither man nor woman was 
the instrument of his existence. The first 
woman had neither father nor mother, yet she 
derived her nature from Adam, but in no 
sense from a woman. Since the first pair, 
every mere man has had both father and 
mother. Yet none have denied that all these 
had human nature entire. Jesus Christ had 
a mother, but no father according to the flesh . 
even as in his divine nature he had a Father 
only. He was made of a woman. 

To be our Saviour, it behooved Christ to 
have a human nature. His incarnation was 
fitting and necessary. 

It was meet that the nature which had 
brought our ruin should bring our deliver- 
ance. 

It was fit that the nature which had sinned 



62 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

should make reparation for our wrongs, and 
so should die. 

This earth, which is the abode of men, not 
of God or of angels, was the proper theatre 
for the display of the grace, and mercy, and 
justice, and power, manifested in the life and 
death of Jesus Christ. He that was rich thus 
became poor, that we through his poverty 
might be rich. 2 Cor. 8:9. In some respects, 
this was the most amazing step in our Lord's 
humiliation. It is more surprising that a 
prince should marry a shepherdess than that, 
having made her queen, he should nobly pro- 
tect and richly endow her, or even die in her 
defence. 

Christ was "made under the law." As to 
his divine nature, he could in no sense be 
under the law. He was the Lawgiver. He 
was God ; and God cannot live and act under 
rules fit for the government of creatures. If 
the Saviour was to live under the law as a 
rule of life, and set us an example in all 
things, he must do it in a finite nature, and 
as his mission was to us, most fitly in our 
nature. 

Besides, Divinity cannot suffer, cannot 
die. But by his incarnation, Jesus was made 



THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST. 63 

"lower than the angels, for the suffering of 
death." 

Thus he was made under the law in the 
two senses of being voluntarily subject to its 
precept, being thus bound to fulfil all right- 
eousness ; and being voluntarily made under 
the penalty of the law, that he might taste of 
death for every man. He even obeyed the 
law of religious rites under which he lived. 
In his infancy he was circumcised. In his 
manhood he was baptized. He perfectly, 
personalty, perpetually kept the whole moral 
law. He never sinned once, even by omis- 
sion. And he freely placed himself, and lived 
and died, under the curse of the very law 
which he perfectly obeyed during his whole 
life. Edwards says: "The meritoriousness 
of Christ's obedience depends on the perfec- 
tion of it. If it had failed in any instance, it 
could not have been meritorious ; for imper- 
fect obedience is not accepted as any obedi- 
ence at all in the sight of the law of works, to 
which Christ was subject. That is not ac- 
cepted as obedience to a law that does not 
fully answer it." 

The efficacy of Christ's death depended on 
his dying in the room and stead of sinners, 



64 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

who were under the curse of the law. If he 
did not bear the curse for us, we shall surely 
be obliged to bear it ourselves. m 
I Let us consider a few distinct proposi- 
tions 

I. Prophecy required that Christ should 
assume human nature. It said he should be 
of " the seed of Abraham" and of " the seed 
of David." Gen. 12:3, 7; 17:7, 85 Gal. 3:16; 

2 Sam. 7:12; John 7 :42 ; Acts 13 :23 ; Eom. 
1 :3 ; 2 Tim. 2 :8. Other predictions required 
that he should ' ' at the latter day stand upon 
the earth,'' Job 19 :25 ; that he should have 
a body, Psa. 40:6; and Heb. 10:5 ; that he 
should hang upon his mother's breasts, Psa. 
22:9 ; and that his body should be dead, Isa. 
26:19. 

Yet still more clearly, the very first gos- 
pel ever preached, even in Eden, foretold 
that he should have a human nature, and that 
derived from his mother: "The seed of the 
woman shall bruise the serpent's head." Gen. 

3 :15 ; and later : " Behold, a virgin shall con- 
ceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name 
Immanuel." Isa. 7:14. So that the Scrip- 
tures would not have been fulfilled, if Christ 
had not had a human nature — a human nature 



THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST. 65 

derived from his mother alone. In prophetic 
vision, Daniel called him the Son of man. 
Dan. 7:13. 

II. These predictions have been fulfilled. 
The whole history of our Lord upon earth 
proves it. God has "sent forth his Son, made 
of a woman." In the New Testament he is 
often called a man. In the gospels alone he 
is more than seventy times called the Son of 
man. More than sixty times he gives this 
appellation to himself. The year of his ascen- 
sion Stephen saw him glorified, and called 
him the Son of man. Sixty years later John 
did the same. The gospel of Matthew is styled 
" The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, 
the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." John 
says: "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt 
among us." John 1:14. Paul sajs : "He 
took upon him the seed of Abraham." Heb. 
2:16. In his first epistle, 1 : 1-3, John ex- 
pressly says that by three senses, hearing, 
sight, and touch, he and the other apostles 
had satisfied themselves of his incarnation. 

Jesus Christ had all that is necessary to 
constitute human nature entire. He himself 
said, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it 
is I myself; handle me and see, for a spirit 



66 THE BOCK OF OUB SALVATION. 

hath not flesh and bones as ye see me 
have." Luke 24 : 39. Christ had a soul. 
He said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful 
unto death." Mark 14 : 34. He had a spirit: 
"In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit." Luke 
10:21. "When he had cried with a loud 
voice, he yielded up the ghost." Matthew 
27:50. Jesus Christ had a will: "Father, 
not as I will, but as thou wilt." Matt. 26 : 39. 
See also Matthew 27 : 34 ; John 7:1. Jesus 
Christ had the affections of a man. He re- 
joiced. Luke 10 : 21. He wept. John 11 : 35. 
He was grieved. Mark 3 : 5. He had hopes, 
even in his early infancy. Psa. 22 :9. He 
had natural affection for kindred spirits. We 
are told that he loved Mary, and Martha, and 
Lazarus, and John, and the rich young ruler. 
In some places his soul and body are men- 
tioned together : " The child Jesus grew, and 
waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom. " 
Luke 2 : 40. He performed bodily acts. He 
walked, he rode, he ate, he drank, he sailed, 
he slept, he rested. He was not indeed sub- 
ject to mortal diseases. Psa. 91 : 5-8. But 
he had the general infirmities of our nature. 
He hungered. Matt. 4:2. He thirsted. John 
19 : 28. He was wearied. John 4:6. He 



THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST. 67 

was greatly pained. Luke 12 : 50. He was 
tempted. Heb. 2:18. He endured unpar- 
alleled agony. Luke 22 : 44. He died, as 
all admit. He had no moral infirmity. He 
was without sin. Heb. 4 : 15. 

III. The incarnation of Christ is some- 
thing entirely beyond human comprehension. 
It is an ineffable mystery. The Scriptures 
say, "Without controversy great is the mys- 
tery of godliness : God was manifest in the 
flesh." 1 Tim. 3 : 16. How could it be oth- 
erwise? The Father of eternity became an 
infant of days. "Though all things were crea- 
ted by him, he was placed on a level with his 
own creatures." He, whom the heaven of 
heavens could not contain, was laid in a man- 
ger. The eternal "Word and the child Jesus 
were one person. Possessed of infinite bles- 
sedness, the Son of God is united with the 
man of sorrows. Himself in both natures 
spotlessly holy, he consents to be treated, tor- 
mented, punished, as a sinner. He made all 
things, yet was made flesh. He governed all 
things, yet was subject to his parents. He 
opened his hand and satisfied the desire of 
every living thing, yet fasted forty days him- 
self. All the infinite perfections of God and 



68 THE KOOK OF OUR SALVATION. 

all the innocent infirmities of man meet in the 
God-man, Christ Jesus. There is no greater 
gulf than that which separates created and 
uncreated. Yet the Son of God passes it all, 
and takes our nature into indissoluble union 
with divinity. This union could not be more 
intimate. Soul and body may be separated 
for a season. When Christ himself died, his 
soul went to Paradise, while his body lay in 
the sepulchre of Joseph. But the union of 
his human and divine natures was not dissolved 
by death. Paul calls the blood shed by him 
the blood of God. Acts 20 : 28. So close was 
this union that we fitly speak of our Lord as 
a divine sufferer. When he was on earth, he 
spoke of himself as " the Son of man which is 
in heaven.' 7 John 3:13. We ascribe to the 
person of our Saviour whatever belonged to 
either of his natures, or was done in either of 
them. His incarnation is a mystery in itself. 
Basil says, "He was conceived not of the 
substance, but by the power of the Holy 
Ghost ; not by his generation, but by his ap- 
pointment and benediction." His incarnation 
is a mystery of love. It expresses infinite 
benevolence. It is also " the wisdom of God 
in a mystery" — a mystery of power, of truth, 



THE INCAKNATION OF CHRIST. 69 

.and of grace. It is the mystery of mysteries, 
because it is " the mystery of God." We are 
Dot required to divest it of inscrutableness, 
but we are required to embrace it, and rejoice 
in it. It is a fundamental doctrine, the belief 
of which is essential to salvation: "Every 
spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come 
in the flesh, is of God : and every spirit that 
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in 
the flesh, is not of God." 1 John 4 : 2, 3. 

IT. The Son of God did not become man 
at the giving of the first gospel promise, but 
more than four thousand years after it. He 
took our nature "when the fulness of time 
was come." This phrase designates — 

1. The time set in the counsels of God. 
Jesus Christ was born no sooner and no later 
than the purpose of God had determined. 
Acts 4 : 28. 

2. The time fixed in prophecy, which is 
but the revealed purpose of God. The sev- 
enty weeks of Daniel had expired. The sec- 
ond temple was soon to fall. 

3. The state of the Jewish nation was such 
as to render Christ's appearance at that time 
very seasonable. The tabernacle of David 
had fallen very low, was cleft with breaches, 



70 THE KOCK OF OTJE SALVATION. 

and was lying in ruins, for Herod the Great, 
now king over Judea, was not a descendant of 
the royal Psalmist, but was an Idumean. Now 
was the fit time to build up the throne of 
David. Amos 9:11; Acts 15 : 16. 

4. Many things in the general state of the 
world rendered this a fit time for Christ's 
coming. 

It had been fully demonstrated by the 
experience of many powerful and civilized 
nations, that the world by wisdom could never 
come to know God. Letters, arts, science, 
civilization, philosophy, commerce, and expe- 
rience had shown that they were all power- 
less to save men from potytheism, or to teach 
them the true nature of God. 

Consequently, human misery was unaba- 
ted. Men multiplied their sorrows by hasten- 
ing after another God than Jehovah. The 
world had long been oppressed with its woes. 
The cry of its wailings was very loud. 

At Christ's birth the earth was populous — 
much more so than it had commonly been at 
any previous period. So that his coming was 
likely to be known to many and to produce 
an impression on vast multitudes. 

When Christ came the Greek was the 



THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST. 71 

polite language of the world, and the Latin 
'was the popular language of multitudes in 
many lands, so that both what was spoken and 
what was written was likely to be widely and 
rapidly diffused. 

At the birth of Christ, the Roman empire, 
the greatest and most terrible monarchy the 
world ever saw, was in its strength. It was the 
iron dynasty of all ages. It was peculiarly fit- 
ting that in the height of its dominion the stone 
cut out of the mountain without hands should 
break in pieces this immense and cruel power, 
and the God of heaven set up a kingdom which 
shall never be destroyed. Dan. 2 : 42-45. By 
words of peace and grace, by deeds of love 
and mercy, by meekness and holiness, by 
patience and martyrdom, this gigantic tyranny 
was wholty changed in less than three centu- 
ries after our Lord's crucifixion. 

Christ was the Prince of peace, and it was 
seemly that he should come when war was not 
raging. When he was born the temple of 
Janus was shut — a thing that had not occurred 
for centuries till about that time. This vvaa a 
sign that peace everywhere prevailed. 

" Nor war nor battle-sound 
Was heard the world around ; 



72 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

No hostile chiefs to furious combat ran ; 

But peaceful was the night, 

In which the Prince of Light 
His reign of grace upon the earth began." 

The Jews were at this time very widely 
dispersed over the world. Though they often 
visited the holy city, yet they went every- 
where. So that any change effected in Judea 
was likely soon to be known in all the chief 
cities of the world. On the day of Pentecost 
there were Jews, devout men of every nation 
under heaven at Jerusalem, and on their con- 
version and dispersion they went everywhere 
preaching the word of the gospel. Acts 2 : 5-11 ; 
8:4. 

Christ was born when the spirit of perse- 
cution was not raging violently in the world 
generally, so that his doctrine was less likely 
to be fiercely assailed for a season than if it 
had been propagated a century or two earlier 
or later. 

No period could be conceived so little 
adapted to the exhibition of a false, and so 
well calculated to put to the test the merits of 
a true religion. 

Thus did Christ become incarnate "in the 
fulness of time," i. e. at the right time, at the 
fittest time possible. 



THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST. 73 

V. The incarnation of Christ was the 
greatest event that ever happened. The 
birth of a prince often sends a thrill of joy 
through an empire, yet he may prove a shame 
Mid a curse to the nation and the world ; but 
the birth of Christ brought inestimable bless- 
ings to Jews and Gentiles, and shall do so for 
ever. No ancient monarchy lives, even in 
history, to bless mankind ; but the birth and 
kingdom of Christ are, and ever shall be, 
gladsome truths. The hopes of virtuous mill- 
ions hang upon them. The joys of saints and 
angels are kindled by them. "The creation 
of the world was a very great thing, but not 
so great as the incarnation of Christ. It was 
a great thing for God to make the creature, 
but not so great as for the Creator to become 
a creature." Christ's incarnation was the con- 
firmation of all that had been said and done 
in preceding ages to encourage the hopes of 
penitent men. It fulfilled the glorious pledges 
of redemption. It opened boundless and ama- 
zing prospects of enlargement and glory to 
God's people and to their Redeemer. Some 
of its effects were immediate and some remote. 
Some related to angels and some to men ; 
some to Jews and some to Gentiles. The 



74 THE KOCK OF OTJK SALVATION. 

wise men who came from the east to worship 
Christ were Gentiles, and were representa- 
tive men. Christ's personal ministry was a 
blessing to several Gentiles, and the only men 
3onverted in sight of his cross were pretty 
certainly Gentiles. These things were assur- 
ances of the fulfilment of all God had prom- 
ised respecting heathen nations. These con- 
versions were first-fruits of the great harvest 
to be gathered in all lands. The immedi- 
ate effect of Christ's birth on the pious Jews 
was most happy. To Simeon and Anna, and 
such lovely specimens of genuine godliness, 
the event gave joy unspeakable. Those who 
hated God and all his messengers, of course 
wondered and perished. The effect on angels 
was amazing. They felt new joys in heaven. 
One of their number announced the event to 
the shepherds, and " suddenly there was with 
him a multitude of the heavenly host, prais- 
ing God, and saying, Glory to God in the 
highest, and on earth peace, good-will to men." 
Previous to the birth of Christ for about four 
hundred and twenty years, God's Spirit, as a 
Spirit of inspiration, had been quite withheld 
from men. But about the time of his appear- 
ance, there are recorded no less than eleven 



THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST. 75 

instances in which men and women received 
the Holy Ghost as a spirit of prophecy. 

The effect of Christ's incarnation on fallen 
angels was great. Their power began at once 
to dwindle. They cried out, "Why hast thou 
come to torment us before the time ?" The 
Lord himself said: "I saw Satan's kingdom 
fall like lightning from heaven." It is credi- 
bly stated that the Delphic oracle ceased to 
give its usual responses, and when asked the 
reason, replied, "There is a Hebrew boy who 
is king of the gods, who has commanded me 
to leave this house, and begone to hell, and 
therefore you are to expect no more answers." 
And Porphyry says: "Since Jesus began to 
be worshipped, no man has received any pub- 
lic help or benefit of the gods." 

From the day that Christ was born to this 
hour, all the desirable changes which have 
taken place in the world, either in persons or 
communities, have been in consequence of his 
incarnation and of his glorious progress in 
setting up his kingdom. So shall it ever be. 
His kingdom is constantly enlarging. His 
diadem is more and more glorious. Every 
soul saved is a new jewel in his crown. 

Of Christ's incarnation Robert Hall says i 



7G THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

"The epoch will arrive when this world will 
be thought of as nothing but as it has furnished 
a stage for ' the manifestation of the Son of 
God;' when - his birth, his death, his resur- 
rection from the dead, his ascension to glory, 
and his second appearance, events insepara- 
bly connected, will concentrate within them- 
selves all the interest of history ; when war 
and peace, and pestilence and famine, and 
plenty and want, and life and death, will have 
spent their force, and leave nothing but the 
result of Christ's manifestation upon earth." 

VI. The person of Christ as now consti- 
tuted remains perpetual. The bond of union 
between his divine and human natures is indis- 
soluble. As he was from his conception, so 
he continues to be, "God and man, in two dis- 
tinct natures and one person, for ever." The 
same Lamb that was slain is now in the midst 
of the throne. Rev. 5:0. The same Jesus 
that ascended from Olivet shall come again. 
The progress of duration shall neither change 
his natures nor his person, his character nor his 
readiness to save. He is able ; he is willing. 

1. Let none be offended at the mystery of 
the incarnation. If we cannot comprehend, 



THE' INCARNATION OF CHKIST. 77 

let us adore No fact is more plainly asserted 
or more amply proved. Let us receive and 
rest upon it. He who has no heart to praise 
the incarnate mystery, has none of the spirit 
of heaven. What a shame it is that the sons* 
of angels announcing Christ's birth "has never 
been answered by a general shout of gratitude 
from earth. Only a few faint voices from the 
low places of earth have responded to the loud 
concert of angels." that must be a bad 
heart which loves not the Saviour. Many 
hear of his love with hearts colder than mar- 
ble. Such hearts cannot be right in the sidit 
of God. No heart is good that loves not good- 
ness incarnate. If Christ's incarnation has its 
mysteriousness, it yet is the only doctrine that 
enables us to unlock every text of Scripture 
relating to his person. It admits that as God, 
he made the worlds ; as a child, he grew in 
stature ; as a man, he was sorrowful ; as Me- 
diator and in a low condition, he said, "The 
Father is greater than I ;" and as God-man, he 
stands between Jehovah and us. Let us hum- 
bly and piously receive this doctrine ; for as 
the Athanasian Creed says, "It is necessary to 
everlasting salvation, that we believe rightly 
the incarnation of Jesus Christ." 



78 THE KOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

2. Salvation is clearly and wholly of the 
Lord. The devising of the scheme is as clearly 
divine as the execution and application. Hu- 
man wit, and wisdom, and strength, and merit 
are nothing in such a work. "Boasting is ex- 
cluded by the law of faith." We are nothing ; 
we can do nothing ; we deserve nothing. Our 
Lord has won the crown, and he shall wear it. 
It is his of right ; it shall be his in fact. 

3. Let us give God his own time. He 
knows what is best. He took four thousand 
years to prepare the way for the coming of 
the Redeemer. With the Lord one day is as 
a thousand years, and a thousand years as one 
day. We are no judges of what is best or 
wisest. There is as much wisdom in saying, 
" When thou wilt," as in saying, " What thou 
wilt," or "How thou wilt." 

4. If any ask, Are we bound to celebrate 
the birth of Christ on any given day of the 
year? the answer is, God has given no such 
command, and he is sole Lawgiver in his 
church. There is no proof that for centuries 
the primitive church had any such observance. 
When such a day was at length observed, 
many churches fixed on the sixth day of Jan- 
uary. Many learned men contend that Christ 



THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST. 79 

was born in October. Some think he was 
born in May. It seems certain that the Eo- 
man emperor would not require women as 
well as men to take long journeys in the 
depths of winter, and that shepherds would 
uot then be watching their flocks in the open 
air. Compare Matt. 24:20 and Mark 13:18. 
But if any man observe a day in honor of our 
Lord's nativity, let him keep it unto the Lord. 
" One man esteemeth one day above another ; 
another esteemeth every day alike ; let every 
man be fully persuaded in his own mind." 
Romans 14:5. It is, however, a significant 
fact, that God has concealed from us any 
positive knowledge of the day, the month, 
and even the year of our Saviour's birth. 



80 THE ROCK OF OUE SALVATION. 
CHAPTEE V. 

THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS. 

In the English Bible we have the word 
Messiah, or Messias, four times ; twice in Dan- 
iel, and twice in John. But in the original 
Scriptures we have the word forty times. It 
is commonly translated, and often points to 
the Saviour. In the New Testament we have 
the word Christ more than five hundred and 
sixty times. Both Messiah and Christ signify 
anointed. 

Jesus Christ was but once anointed with 
material oil, and that not by an official, but by 
a woman ; not to his office, but to his burial. 

Jesus Christ was anointed to office by su- 
perabundant influences of the Holy Spirit, who 
is the oil of gladness indeed. Ps. 45 : 7 ; Heb. 
1:9; Matt. 3:16; Luke 4 : 1, 14, 16. The 
Father gave not the Spirit by measure unto 
him. John 3 : 34. 

That the Jews and others expected a great 
deliverer, called by the prophets Messiah, can- 
not be denied. The woman of Samaria, igno- 
rant as she was, said, "I know that Messilas 



THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS. 81 

cometh." John 4: 25. Luke says, "The people 
were in expectation, and all men mused in 
their hearts of John, whether he were the 
Christ or not." Luke 3:15. Indeed, there 
is evidence that the ancients generally ex- 
pected a great deliverer to arise. 

In inquiring into the Messiahship of Jesus 
of Nazareth, the Jewish Scriptures are taken 
for truth. We believe all that is written in 
the law, and in the Psalms, and in the proph- 
ets. Besides, it is clear that if Jesus is not the 
promised deliverer, then the Messiah has not 
yet appeared. Jews and Christians alike reject 
all the pretenders who have arisen from the 
time of the Emperor Adrian to the year 166G, 
when Sabatai Sevi for a while deceived some. 
Nor is there any dispute between Jews and 
Christians as to the need of Messiah. We all, 
in words at least, confess that we are undone 
without him. Nor is there any doubt that for 
some cause great calamities have overtaken 
the Jews. They admit it. Rabbi David Levi 
speaks of the facts of " the exact accomplish- 
ment of every event foretold by Moses as 
affording such clear and unequivocal proofs of 
divine inspiration as to strike the deist and 
infidel dumb." He says : " I am free to assert, 

4* 



82 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

no nation ever suffered the like during a 

period of almost eighteen hundred years 

The punishments which Moses denounced 
against the Jews have been exactly fulfilled 
in every particular." Nor is there any dis- 
pute as to whether Jesus of Nazareth lived, 
and taught, and died on the cross. Jews and 
Christians, Mohammedans and Infidels are 
alike agreed on this point. This chapter is an 
argument for the Messiahship of the great 
teacher of Nazareth. 

The first question to be considered is : 
I. Has the time fixed by prophecy for 

THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH ALREADY PASSED ? 

The correct answer is, It has. The argu- 
ments are clear and decisive. 

On his deathbed Jacob uttered this pre- 
diction : "The sceptre shall not depart from 
Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, 
until Shiloh come, and to him shall the gath- 
ering of the people be." Gen. 49 :10. The 
word here rendered sceptre is used in that 
sense b} r no less than six prophets. Num. 
24 : 17 ; Ps. 45 : 6 ; Isa. 14 : 5 ; Ezek. 19 : II, 
14 ; Amos 1:5, 8 ; Zech. 10:11 ; and sceptre 
in this clause corresponds with lawgiver in 
the next. The Septuagint gives it this sense, 



THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS. 83 

and so do ancient Jewish interpreters and the 
Chaldee Paraphrase. That Shiloh points to 
the Messiah is also admitted by the three 
Chaldee paraphrasts, the Jewish Talmud, and 
several later Jews ; and that the word signi- 
fies Saviour, or Peacemaker, or Sufferer, or 
the Son, or the Sent, has the consent of nearly 
all the best scholars. Nor can we get any 
good sense from the passage unless we admit 
that Shiloh means Messiah. ' : To him shall 
the gathering of the people be," is a phrase 
like that of Isaiah predicting the same person : 
" He shall stand for an ensign of the people." 
Isa. 11 : 10. That the sceptre or political 
power did continue with Judah until the birth 
of Jesus of Nazareth is evident ; for though 
Herod was not of that tribe, but was an Idu- 
mean, yet the Jewish senate did never swear 
fealty to him till after the birth of Christ. But 
in the days of Titus, about the year 70, all 
show and form of political power forsook the 
Jews. From that time t\\ey had not the small- 
est remnant of dominion. But their father and 
prophet Jacob said their power should last 
till Messias should come. Therefore the time 
for the coming of Messias is already past. 
The same thing might be argued from 



84 THE EOCK OE OUR SALVATION. 

Psalm 40:6-8: "Sacrifice and offering thou 
didst not desire ; mine ears hast thou opened : 
burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not re- 
quired. Then said I, Lo, I come : in the volume 
of the book it is written of me, I delight to do 
thy will, my God." The blood of bulls and 
goats never did expiate the sins of men. Even 
as types, they were to be wholly abolished 
after the coming of Christ. Here then we 
have the prediction that the legal sacrifices 
shall be abolished when He that is to come, 
the Messiah, shall do the work so pleasing to 
God. It is now eighteen centuries since any 
Jewish priest offered a blood}- sacrifice. When 
God would wholly reject sacrifices, Messiah 
was to do his will. Sacrifices have ceased, and 
where is Messiah, if Jesus of Nazareth is not he? 
Another prophecy fixing the time for the 
coming and death of Messiah is found in Dan- 
iel 9 : 24-27 : "Seventy Aveeks are determined 
upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to 
finish the transgression, and to make an end 
of sins, and to make reconciliation for ini- 
quity, and to bring in everlasting righteous- 
ness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, 
and to anoint the Most Holy. Know there- 
fore and understand, that from the going 



THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS. 85 

forth of the commandment to restore and to 
build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince, 
shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two 
weeks : the street shall be built again, and the 
wall, even in troublous times. And after three 
score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, 
but not for himself: and the people of the 
prince that shall come shall destroy the city 
and the sanctuary ; and the end thereof shall 
be with a flood, and unto the end of the war 
desolations are determined. And he shall 
confirm the covenant with many for one week : 
and in the midst of the week he shall cause 
the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for 
the overspreading of abominations he shall 
make it desolate, even until the consummation, 
and that determined shall be poured upon the 
desolate." 

The rule by which time is here counted is 
doubtless that given by Ezckicl (4 : G) : "I have 
appointed thee each day for a year ;" so that 
by seventy weeks we are to understand four 
hundred and ninety years. This is the longest 
time we have any reason for giving to the 
computation of the seventy weeks. 

These weeks were to date from "the going 
forth of the commandment to restore and to 



86 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

build" Jerusalem. There were four decrees 
respecting the return of the Jews from Baby- 
lon. One was issued in the first year of Cyrus. 
Ezra 1:1-4. The next came out in the second 
year of Darius. Ezra 6 : 1-12. The third was 
in the seventh year of Artaxerxes. Ezra 
7 : 11-26. The fourth and last was in the 
twentieth year of Artaxerxes. Neh. 2:1. The 
first two edicts speak of rebuilding the temple 
only. But the prophecy requires that the 
decree should relate to the rebuilding of the 
city, its walls and streets. So, counting from 
the last two decrees, we have " seventy weeks 
of solar years from one of them, and as many 
weeks of lunar years from the other" till the 
death of Christ. But count as we may, the 
seventy weeks of Daniel must have expired 
more than eighteen hundred years ago. 

More than this, the prophecy says Messiah 
was to be cut off before the overflowing deso- 
lation befell the holy city. All history "de- 
clares that Jesus was crucified more than 
thirty-three years before the armies of Borne 
laid waste Jerusalem. Surely the time for the 
coming of Messiah is past, and Jesus of Naza- 
reth came neither too soon nor too late to meet 
the demands of prophecy in this respect. 



THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS. 87 

I adduce but one other passage to show 
that Messiah has come: "Thus saith the Lord 
of hosts, Yet once, it is a little while, aud I 
will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the 
sea, and the dry land ; and I will shake all 
nations, and the Desire of all nations shall 
come : and I will fill this house with glory, 

saith the Lord of hosts The glory of 

this latter house shall be greater than of 
the former, saith the Lord of hosts." Hag. 
2 : 6-9. By this sure word, Messiah, "the De- 
sire of all nations," was to appear during the 
time of the second temple, here called "this 
latter house." It is also evident, as none will 
deny, that the second temple was destroyed 
by the Romans. Not one stone was left upon 
another. Messiah, therefore, must have come. 
This passage also teaches that the glory of the 
second temple should excel the glory of the 
first. This promised glory did not consist in the 
superior magnificence of the structure, "for 
many of the priests, and Levites, and chief of 
the fathers, who were ancient men, that had 
seen the first house, when the foundation of 
this house was laid before their eyes, wept 
with a loud voice," says an eye-witness, Ezra. 
Indeed, in the very chapter containing the 



88 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

prophecy Haggai has these words, ""Who is 
left among you that saw this house in her first 
glor} T ? and how do ye see it now? is it not in 
your eyes in comparison of it as nothing ?" So 
that the second temple was inferior to the first ; 
and yet the second house was to have a glory 
surpassing the glorj^ of the first. What was it? 
Nor was the second temple equal, much 
less superior to the first in its appendages. 
For it is admitted that the first temple had, 
and that the second temple lacked, the holy 
fire, which came from heaven, the spirit of 
prophecy, the ark of the covenant, the She- 
chinah and the Urim and Thummim. In the 
eyes of Jews these were grand things. But 
they were not found in the second temple, and 
they were in the first. The promised supe- 
rior glory of the latter house must have been 
that in it Messiah, "the Desire of all nations," 
was to appear. Malachi says: "The Lord, 
whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his 
temple, even the messenger of the covenant 
whom ye delight in." This key unlocks the 
mystery. Simeon told us what this glory was, 
when "he came by the Spirit into the tem- 
ple, and when the parents brought in the child 
Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the 



THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS. 89 

law, he took liim up in liis arms and blessed' 
God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy ser- 
vant depart in peace, according to thy word, 
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which 
thou hast prepared before the face of all peo- 
ple, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the 
glory of thy people Israel." Luke 2 : 27-32. 
Thus it has been shown by four prophecies 
uttered during a period of eleven hundred and 
sixty-nine years, the first b. c. 1689, the sec- 
ond b. c. 1020, the third b. c. 538, and the 
fourth b. c. 520, that the time for the coming 
of the Messiah is already past. 

The second question to be considered is, 
II. Does Jesus of Nazareth meet the 

DEMANDS OF PROPHECY RESPECTING THE MES- 
SIAH ? 

Surely he does. Messiah was to be a 
lineal descendant of David. He was to be "a 
root of Jesse," "a rod out of the stem of 
Jesse." Isa. 11:1, 10. The first words of the 
first gospel are : " The book of the generation 
of Jesus Christ, the son of David," and then 
his genealogy is traced from Abraham through 
David. The scribes said that the promised 
"Christ is the son of David." When our 
Lord said, " What think ye of Christ? whose 



90 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

son is he ? they say unto him, He is the son 
of David." Matt. 22 : 42. When men saw his 
miracles they said, "Is not this the son of 
David?" The blind men so saluted him. Luke 
18:38. The hosanna of the multitude was 
" to the son of David." Matt. 21 : 9, 15. In- 
deed, before Jesus was born, the genealogy of 
Mary the mother of Jesus, and of Joseph her 
husband, were determined by the very pro- 
cess of law by which the lands of Judea were 
held, and this under the decree of the Roman 
emperor. Jesus meets this requirement of 
prophecy. He is the lineal descendant of 
David. None- of the false Christs have given 
the slightest evidence that they were de- 
scended from David. Should any arise here- 
after, they can never show their descent from 
David, for the genealogical tables of his family 
and of his tribe are confessedly irrecoverably 
lost. No man even pretends to have them in 
possession. 

The prophets further said that Messiah 
should be born in Bethlehem of Judea. So 
the chief priests and scribes informed Herod, 
correctly quoting Micah 5 : 2 in proof: "Thou 
Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the 
least among the princes of Juda." Matt. 



THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS. 91 

2 : 4-6. Now it is matter of common notori- 
ety that "Jesus was born in Bethlehem of 
Judea." Matt. 2:1. "Truly, God governs 
all things. Just before the birth of Jesus, 
his mother and her betrothed husband were 
required by an imperial edict to repair to 
Bethlehem, some distance from their usual 
residence, there to be duly registered, "be- 
cause they were of the house and lineage of 
David," and there to us was born "in the city 
of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." 
Luke 2:4, 11. None of the false Christs either 
proved or claimed that they had been born in 
Bethlehem. 

Prophecy required that Messiah should be 
born in a miraculous manner: "The Lord 
himself shall give you a sign : Behold a virgin 
shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call 
his name Emmanuel," which being interpreted 
is "G-od with us." Isa. 7 : 14. That Jesus 
was thus born the angel declared at the time 
of his conception ; that he was thus born was 
admitted by the husband of his mother, who 
fully vindicated the purity and innocence of 
his wife ; that he was thus born God and an- 
gels and men have borne witness. No one 
else was ever thus born. 



92 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

Jesus and none else endured all the suf- 
fering which prophecy decreed to Messiah. 
He had no form nor comeliness, and when we 
saw him there was no beauty that we should 
desire him. He was despised and rejected of 
men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with 
grief; we hid our faces from him ; we esteemed 
him not. His visage was so marred more than 
any man, and his form more than the sons oi 
men. He made himself of no reputation. He 
took upon him the form of a servant. Proph- 
ecy said : "They weighed for my price thirty 
pieces of silver." Zech. 11 : 12. The chief 
priests covenanted with Judas "for thirty 
pieces of silver." Matt. 26:15. The Psalmist 
predicted : "They pierced my hands and my 
feet." Ps. 22 : 16. Isaiah (53 : 5) said : "He 
was wounded." Zechariah (12:10) said : "They 
shall look on me, whom they have pierced." 
We all know how his hands and his feet were 
pierced by the nails, how the soldiers pierced 
his side, and how Jesus himself afterwards 
showed the print of the nails. In Psalm 22 :7, 
8, we read, "They shall laugh him to scorn, 
and shake their heads, saying, He trusted in 
the Lord that he would deliver him. Let him 
deliver him, seeing he delighted in him." Iri 



THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS. 93 

Matthew 27:39, 43, we read, ' ' They that passed 
by, reviled him, wagging their heads, and say- 
ing, He trusted in God, let him deliver him 
now, if he will have him, for he said, I am the 
Son of God." Isaiah says, "He was numbered 
with the transgressors." Mark says, "He was 
crucified between two thieves." The prophet 
says, "In my thirst they gave me vinegar to 
drink." His biographers tell us how "Jesus, 
that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, I 
thirst, and they took a sponge and filled it with 
vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave it him 
to drink." The prophets said. "They part my 
garments among them, and cast lots upon my 
vesture." In the gospels we learn how the 
soldiers "took his garments, and made four 
parts, to every soldier a part, and also his 
coat : now the coat was without seam, woven 
from the top throughout. They said therefore 
among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast 
lots for' it, whose it shall be." Isaiah and 
Daniel foretold that he should be cut off. No 
living man denies that Jesus died a violent 
death. 

Isaiah said he should be "brought as a 
lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before 
her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his 



94 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

mouth." All history tells how meekly, and 
silently, and patiently he endured. " When 
he suffered, he threatened not." 

Prophecy foretold that he should trium- 
phantly enter Jerusalem riding upon a young 
ass. In this way did he meekly enter the 
holy city, weeping over its impending ruin. 
Indeed, time would fail us to tell how, accord- 
ing to prophecy, not a bone of him was broken, 
how he died with the wicked, how he made 
his grave with the rich, how he never saw 
corruption, how according to the prophecy he 
is sitting at the right hand of God, to the 
intent that ' ' all the house of Israel might know 
assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus 
whom they crucified both Lord and Christ." 

Look at another matter. By the prophet 
Amos God says : " Surely the Lord God will 
do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto 
his servants the prophets" (3:7). It cannot be 
denied that Jesus of Nazareth has done more 
to change the opinions and practices of man- 
kind than Cyrus, and Alexander the Great, 
and the Eoman empire. Yet, if he is not the 
Messiah, the Old Testament is silent concern- 
ing him. No man or set of men have ever 
changed the opinions of enlightened nations 



THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS. 95 

as Jesus did. Yet. if lie is not the Messiah, 
God never showed his prophets any thing 
concerning him. Can it be believed that G-od 
has never by any prophet said a word to 
warn mankind against him, or to invite them 
to receive him ? — him whose coming has done 
more to revolutionize men's opinions, to mol- 
lify asperities, to diffuse virtue and happiness 
among the most enlightened nations, than any 
other hundred men that ever lived. 

1. Let Christians greatly rejoice in the 
abundant evidence of the divine mission of 
Jesus. In embracing his doctrine we are not 
following cunningly devised fables. no ! 
Jesus was truth itself. 

2. If in Jesus of Nazareth we have found 
the Messiah, have we embraced him ? Such a 
Deliverer is not to be put off with civilities 
and compliments. We may say, Lord, Lord; 
but we must do more. We must take his yoke 
upon us. We must do his will. We must 
embrace him, and rely on him. We must by 
the Holy Ghost call him Lord. Have you in 
your heart received him? An American error- 
ist has written a book in which he calls him 
the "Maguificent Jesus.' 1 He is far more thar 



% THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

that. The temple at Jerusalem was magnifi- 
cent. The temple of Diana was magnificent. 
Jesus is the Messiah, the Saviour of lost men, 
the Son of God. He is to be obeyed and 
loved, adored and embraced. God has set 
forth his Son as an object of religious faith. 
Will you receive him as such ? Without faith 
in him we cannot be saved. Himself said : "If 
ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in 
your sins." 

3. If we ourselves have found Jesus the 
Messiah, let us, like Andrew, tell our brother 
the good news and bring him to Jesus. There 
is none like Jesus. There is none with Jesus. 
There is none besides Jesus. He is the Son 
of God. He can save, and he alone. Oh that 
you would embrace him and then persuade 
others to do so too. You will soon need his 
help. A great master of logic has recently 
left the world. When one of the clergy spoke 
of his fortitude in looking death in the face, 
he said : "Talk not to me of fortitude; it is 
my faith in Christ that gives me grace and 
strength." 

4. Pray for the Jews. God can open their 
eyes. None else can. It is affecting to hear 
them on this point. Dr. Eaphall, formerly of 



THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS. 97 

England, now of New York, says : " While I 
and the Jews of the present day protest 
against being identified with the zealots who 
were concerned in the proceedings against 
Jesus of Nazareth, we are far from reviling 
his character or deriding his precepts, which 
are, indeed, for the most part, the precepts of 
Moses and the prophets. You have heard me 
style him the ' Great Teacher of Nazareth,' for 
that designation I and the Jews take to be 
his due." 

The Late Mordecai M. Noah also said : " I 
did not term Jesus of Nazareth an impostor. 
I had never considered him such. The impos- 
tor generally aims at temporal power, attempts 
to subsidize the rich and weak believer, and 
draws around him followers of influence whom 
he can control. Jesus was free from fanati- 
cism : his was a quiet, subdued, retiring faith ; 
he mingled with the poor, he communed with 
the wretched, avoided the rich, rebuked the 
vain-glorious. In the calm of the evening he 
sought shelter in the secluded groves of Oli- 
vet, or wandered pensively on the shores of 
Galilee. He sincerely believed in his mis- 
sion ; he courted no one, flattered no one ; in 
his political denunciations he was pointed and 



98 THE BOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

severe ; in his religion calm and subdued. 
These are not the characteristics of an impos- 
tor ; but, admitting that we give a different in- 
terpretation to his mission, when one hundred 
and fifty millions believe in his divinity, and 
we see around us abundant evidence of the 
happiness, good faith, mild government, and 
liberal feelings, which spring from his reli- 
gion, what right has any one to call him an 
impostor ? That religion which is calculated 
to make mankind great and happy cannot be 
a false one." 

PRAYER. 

God, bring the children of Abraham to 
embrace Jesus Christ ; and to us and to all 
that dwell in this land give hearts to receive 
thy Son, to believe on his name, to own him 
as our Saviour; so that all the blessings of 
the covenant of grace may come on us and 
overtake us ; that we may be blessed in the 
city and in the field ; that thy blessing may 
rest on the fruit of our body, and on the fruit 
of our ground, and the fruit of our cattle, and 
the increase of our kine, and the flocks of our 
sheep ; that thy blessing may rest on our bas- 
ket and on our store ; that we may be blessed 



THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS. 99 

when we come in and blessed when we go 
out ; and that they who come out against us 
one way may flee before us seven ways. Oh 
that all the land and world may soon avouch 
the Lord Jehovah to be their God, his Son 
Jesus Christ to be their Saviour; his Holy 
Spirit to be their Sanctifier, Comforter and 
Guide ; and unto the King eternal, immortal, 
and invisible, the only wise God our Saviour, 
be glory, and honor, dominion and power, 
now and for ever. Amen. 



100 THE ROCK OE OUR SALVATION. 
CHAPTEE VI. 

CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. 

The word Mediator is not found in the 
English version of the Old Testament. There 
we find the word daysman in very much the 
same sense, Job 9 :33. In that place the Sep- 
tuagint version employs the word rendered in 
the New Testament mediator. A daysman 
was an umpire and a reconciler. In the New 
Testament the word mediator is found six 
. times. Once it points to Moses: "The law 
was ordained by angels in the hand of a medi- 
ator." Gal. 3:19. Moses was a messenger to 
make known God's will to Israel, and to pre- 
sent the requests of the people to God. Once 
the word mediator is clearly used in a general 
sense, and refers to no particular person. "A 
mediator is not a mediator of one ; but God is 
one." Gal. 3:20. The meaning of this verse 
is, doubtless, that a mediator cannot act where 
there are no parties, and that he must act for 
both parties. As God is one, he needed not 
to be reconciled to himself. Mediation comes 
in between God and those estranged from 



CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. 101 

him. In all other cases, the word plainly 
refers to Christ. Thus he is said to be "The 
Mediator of a better covenant," and "The Me- 
diator of the New Testament." Heb. 8:6 j 
9:15. In Heb. 12:24 we are said to have 
come " to Jesus, the Mediator of the new cov- 
enant." We also have the word in 1 Tim. 
2:5: "There is one God, and one Mediator 
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." 
Boston says, "Mediator properly signifies a 
midsman; that travels betwixt two persons 
who are at variance, to reconcile them." Owen 
says, " Christ's mediation consists in his being 
the middle person between God and us." In 
the Gaelic version, the word for mediator is 
'go-between." 

Jesus Christ is Mediator not typically, but 
properly; not partially, but completely; not 
merely as a messenger from God to us, and as 
one presenting our requests to God, but as 
one who has removed all obstacles to friendly 
intercourse between God and man, and brings 
together in holy fellowship the offended Judge 
of all the earth and offending sinners. 

The doctrine of mediation is no novelty. It 
has great antiquity. Job foresaw the day when 
the Eedeemer should be manifest. Indeed, 



102 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

to Him gave all the prophets witness. Even 
some of the heathen had a faint idea of medi- 
ation. Plato says, " God does not mingle in 
familiar intercourse with mortals, but all inter- 
course and conversation with him are main- 
tained by means of demons," or spirits. Ever 
since the fall, men have been afraid of the 
Divine presence. I find no Scripture for the 
opinion that, " although man had remained 
immaculately innocent, yet his condition would 
have been too mean for him to approach to 
God without a mediator." On the contrary, 
our first parents had delightful communion 
with the Lord God until they sinned against 
him. We know of nothing in the nature of 
God or of man to hinder their intercourse 
until iniquity separated between them. God's 
tender mercies are over all his works. He 
stoops to the meanest worm. Infinite conde- 
scension is one of the glories of his nature. 
Christ's mediation fairly presupposes man's 
sinfulness and alienation from God. Where 
there is no controversy, there is no room for 
mediation. If persons are already at one, 
they need no reconciliation. If God loves 
and approves man's course and character, and 
if man loves and approves of God's ways, per- 



CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. 103 

flections and government, there is nothing to 
keep them from mutual delight. There is then 
no contest between them ; nothing to be set- 
tled ; no room for mediation. Dick says : 
"The necessity of the mediation of Christ 
arises from the existence of sin, which, being- 
contrary to the nature and will of God, ren- 
ders those who have committed it obnoxious 
to his displeasure." 

Where there are parties entirely alienated, 
another, the equal and friend of both, may 
interpose, and tender his kind offices, and do 
whatever he is able honorably to reconcile the 
contestants. A mediator is different from a 
petitioner. From his dignity, he has a right 
to be heard with respect and candor. By his 
divinity, Christ was equal with God ; by his 
humanity, he was equal with man. He was 
so much the friend of God, that he was will- 
ing to die for the glory of divine justice. He 
was so much the friend of man, that he was 
willing to lay down his life for human re- 
demption. 

The doctrine of mediation is that which 
chiefly distinguishes genuine Christianity from 
a system of pure deism. ' Let us consider this 
subject: 



104 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 



I. The advantages of mediation as a meth- 
od of reconciling God and man are many. 

1. It is very humbling to man, the sinner, 
the wrong- doer. It says to him, You are 
unworthy and unfit to come into the presence 
of God. You can neither justify nor excuse 
your wicked conduct. You are rejected. God 
will not even treat with you in your own name. 
He utterly abhors all your works, all your 
pleas, all your merits. You are condemned. 
You are vile. 

2. A system of mediation is more honora- 
ble to God than any other mode of reconcilia- 
tion could be. It shows that he is infinitely 
just and holy ; so that he cannot look upon 
sin, or have any close, friendly intercourse 
with sinners, except through a third party — 
one in whom he is well-pleased. 

3. Mediation marks sin as very base, de- 
serving all the woes and wrath denounced 
against it. Though God is the Maker of our 
bodies and the Father of our spirits, yet so 
unspeakably does he detest- sin and count it a 
horrible thing, that he refuses not only com- 
munion, but even conference, with the offender, 
except through the Son of his love. 

4. A system of mediation marks sin as a 



CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. 105 

public offence, demanding a public satisfaction 
and reparation. It is no private wrong that 
can be secretly repaired or adjusted. In ac- 
cepting Christ as Mediator, every sinner con- 
fesses, before angels and men, that he has 
insulted and injured the government of God, 
and done what in him lay to disturb the order 
and harmony of the universe. 

II. Let us consider Christ's fitness for the 
work of mediation. 

1. His person is wonderfully and admira- 
bly constituted. He is at once "God mani- 
fest in the flesh" and "the man Christ Jesus." 
1 Tim. 3 :16 and 2:5. As a daysman, he can 
lay his hand upon both God and us. He 
knows God's rights. He knows our sins. 
By his divine nature, he has zeal for the di- 
vine glory. By his human nature, he has 
sympathy with us. He has all that is perfect 
and infinite in God, and all that is amiable 
and excellent in man. He will not betray 
God's interest, because it is the glory of his 
Godhead. He will not betray our interest, 
because it is the crown of his manhood. He 
has the confidence of God and of all right- 
minded men. He is in sympathy with Jeho- 
vah on the throne, and with man in his misery, 

5* 



106 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

He knows what God demands, and what man 
requires. God has no claims that Christ does 
not hold to be just. Man has no real wants 
that Christ is not ready to supply. From his 
very nature, he must vindicate the laws and 
government of God, and at the same time hold 
forth the cup of salvation to us poor sinners. 
He can so present our cause and nature to 
God that he will not turn away from us with 
loathing. And he can so present to us the 
glorious perfections of God as to show us their 
infinite amiability. By his divine nature, it 
is no robbery for him to assert equality with 
God. God has never denied him any thing : 
"Him the Father heareth always." His claims 
to be heard are never questioned in heaven. 
For the honor of God he has poured out his 
blood, infinitely more precious than the blood 
of all the pious martyrs. And if man can be 
brought to hearken to terms of peace at all, 
surely it will be by Jesus Christ. He is so 
loving, he died so freely, he speaks so kindly, 
his grace is so rich, and his ways are so con- 
descending, that if we will not hear him we 
will hear no one. By his human nature he 
is capable of suffering, and in his human na- 
ture he did actually suffer the penalty of the 



CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. 107 

law ; and being without sin himself, he was a 
spotless sacrifice to Divine justice. By his 
divine nature, which took the human into 
indissoluble union with itself, infinite merit 
attached to all Christ did and suffered. As 
the Father, by reason of Christ's holiness, 
found no fault in him, so we, by reason of his 
love and gentleness, are not repelled from 
him. There is no more approachable being 
in the universe than Jesus Christ. If God is 
his Father, we are his brethren. As man he 
suffered; as God he satisfied. His divinity 
gives unshaken stability to his mediation, as 
well as infinite worth to his humiliation. 

2. Jesus Christ was chosen of God to this 
very office. The Father calls him "mine 
elect, in whom my soul delighteth." Isaiah 
42 :1. He is "chosen of God, and precious." 
1 Pet. 2:4. Not by any arrogance, but by 
Divine appointment, he is the first-born among 
many brethren. All he said and all he did 
was by the commandment of his Father : ' \ As 
the Father gave me commandment, even so 1 
do." John .14: 31. Compare John 10 : 18. God 
never intrusted the work of mediation be- 
tween him and sinners to another, though he 
appointed some men as types and shadows of 



108 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION 

Christ, who alone was to do this work. God 
is in Christ — God is in none Ibnt Christ — 
reconciling the world to himself. Christ is 
our peace. 

3. To the full work of Mediator Jesus 
Christ not only brought ample qualifications 
and a divine commission, but he has met with 
entire acceptance from God. In every way 
possible God has declared his confidence in 
Christ, and his approval of his undertaking. 
Before his incarnation, in anticipation of what 
he was yet to do, God poured out his Spirit 
on many souls, granted them pardon, accept- 
ance, and renewal, and at death received them 
to glory. When Christ was on earth, and be- 
fore his death, God expressed his approval of 
him by a voice from heaven, by amazing mir- 
acles, and by leading some truly to love him, 
and to forsake all and follow him. God fur- 
ther expressed approval of Christ by raising 
him from the dead, by giving him a glorious 
admission into heaven, and a seat with him- 
self on his throne. God has further and 
wondrously expressed approbation of Christ's 
mediation by making the preaching of Christ 
crucified the power of God unto salvation — 
the salvation of millions, many of whom were 



CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. 109 

sunk in almost unparalleled guilt, and shame, 
and ignorance, and misery, till the3 r heard and 
believed the gospel. 

4. In suffering and dying for us Jesus Christ 
needed not to subject himself to humiliation 
but for a time. He lived on earth over thirty 
years. Thenceforward his whole person par- 
takes of incomparable bliss. Since his ascen- 
sion into heaven he has no pains, no sorrows, 
no bitterness of soul. His short conflict was 
followed by eternal triumph ; his brief agony 
by eternal joy. The lower he sunk on earth, 
the higher he rises in glory. What a blessed 
truth is this ! How could his people be happy 
if they thought he was still a sufferer ? 

Of course Christ is a far better mediator 
than Moses. 2 Cor. 3:9. The mediation of 
the former was temporary ; that of the latter 
everlasting. This is the last dispensation. 
"There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." 
We may not expect ' ' the bringing in of a better 
hope." The mediation of Moses was typical ; 
that of Christ was real. Moses laid many 
burdensome rites on the people ; Christ ap- 
pointed a very simple worship. The ten- 
dency of the law, through sin, was unto death 
through faith the gospel gives life. Heb. 9 :13, 



110 THE BOCK OF OUB SALVATION. 

14. The former was the ministration of death ; 
the latter is the ministration of the Spirit. 
The mediation of Moses prepared men for the 
gospel ; that of Christ prepares men for glory. 
Christ excels Moses in that he is the Mediator 
of a better covenant established upon better 
promises. Heb. 8 : 6. Christ is more kind and 
compassionate than Moses. Both refused a 
crown ; but Jesus wore a crown of thorns and 
hung on the cross. Moses was a servant, but 
Jesus Christ was a Son. Both the authority 
and energy of Moses were limited ; but Jesus 
raised the dead and performed countless mir- 
acles in his own name, and all power in heaven 
and. earth is given unto him. Moses did a 
good work ; but Christ a far better work. The 
law was given by Moses ; but grace and truth 
came by Jesus Christ. 

III. Let us look at some of the great and 
happy effects of Christ's mediation. 

1. Through it, and through it only, do we 
obtain correct and sufficient knowledge of the 
divine nature. Like Moses, good men cry, 
"Show me thy glory." Like the disciples, 
they say, "Show us the Father, and it sufficeth 
us." We do greatly desire to have before us 
some representation of God ; and as all idols 



CHEIST THE MEDIATOR. Ill 

and images made or conceived by man are no 
representation of him, but a horrible dishonor 
to him, it is with delight that we find Christ 
the image of God, the express image of his 
person. 2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1 : 15 ; Heb. 1 : 3. 
So that now to know G-od, and Jesus Christ, 
whom he hath sent, is eternal life. John 
17:3. No man can see God's face and live. 
No man hath seen God at any time. The 
only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the 
Father, he hath declared him. Now, if we 
would know what is the nature of God, let us 
look at it through the veil of Christ's flesh. 
Himself says: "I and my Father are one." 
' I am in the Father, and the Father in me ;" 
and in yet stronger terms, "He that hath seen 
me hath seen the Father." 

2. It is only by and through the media- 
tion of Christ that we can indulge any hope of 
reconciliation with God. We cannot answer 
for one of a thousand of our offences. We 
are justly condemned. God rightly counts 
us " reprobate silver." The single sin of not 
loving God with all our heart, and mind, and 
soul, and strength, is enough to blot out every 
hope of heaven. But our iniquities have risen 
up like the mountains. They are more than 



112 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

the hairs of our heads. And the guilt of 
every sin is greater than any man ever saw 
the guilt of any sin to be. Surely there is 
no hope left us that we shall ever see God's 
face in peace, unless it be by Christ's media- 
tion. How sweet are his precious words : 
"lam the door ;" "I am the way, the truth, 
and the life ; no man cometh to the Father 
but by me." 

3. Through the mediation of Christ, and 
through it alone, are our hearts brought into 
such a state that we admire and delight 
in God. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of 
Christ. Christ promised to send that Spirit 
for the conversion and purification of men's 
hearts. So that now, us "that were some- 
time alienated and enemies in our mind by 
wicked works, hath he reconciled." Col. 1 :21. 
Christ's Spirit by the gospel slays our enmity. 
Thus Christ is "made unto us sanctification." 
By the cross of Christ we are crucified unto 
the world, and the world unto us. All grace, 
all saving virtue comes to us through the me- 
diation of Christ. Owen says: "God commu- 
nicates nothing in a way of grace unto any, 
but in and by the person of Christ as the 
mediator and head of the church." John 1:18. 



CHEIST THE MEDIATOR. 113 

"The head of every man is Christ, and the 
head of Christ is God." 1 Cor. 11 : 3. 

4. Through the mediation of Christ, and 
not otherwise, can men be brought into the 
society and fellowship of angels. When the 
believer is exploring the counsels of love and 
the glories of redemption, as he goes deep into 
these unfathomable mines, he finds a bright 
cherub or a burning seraph in the same region 
of exulting inquiry, and, asking what they cIg 
here, he is told that they have divine permis- 
sion to "look into these things." Angels 
hymned the birth of Christ. Angels rejoice 
at the conversion of sinners and the progress 
of Christ's kingdom. Though Christ is not the 
Saviour of angels, yet by virtue of his great 
merit and dignity he has become Lord of an- 
gels. They serve and worship and obey him. 
They are his ministers. God has "set him at 
his own right hand in the heavenly places, far 
above all principality, and power, and might, 
and dominion, and every name that is named, 
not only in this world, but in that which is to 
come, and hath put all things under his feet, 
and given him to be head over all things to 
the church." Eph. 1 : 20-22. Thus saints and 
angels constitute the one family named in 



114 THE EOCK OF OUB SALVATION. 

heaven and earth. Thus "in the dispensation 
of the fulness of times" he shall "gather to- 
gether in one all things in Christ, both which 
are in heaven, and which are on earth." Eph. 
1:10. The apostacy severed us from God 
and from one another. By creation angels 
belonged to another order of beings. The 
work of Christ brings us to love God and one 
another, and gives to angels and men a com- 
mon Lord, the God-man, Jesus Christ. 

5. The mediation of Christ, in an unpar- 
alleled manner, makes known the wisdom 
of God. That this is so is admitted by all 
good men, who never cease to admire the 
wonderful plan of salvation. That this is so 
is declared in Scripture. Paul says the whole 
scheme and mystery of salvation is, "to the 
intent that now unto the principalities and 
powers in heavenly places might be known 
by the church the manifold wisdom of God. 7 ' 
Eph. 3:10. The scheme of Christ's media- 
tion is God's chief work. As poet, painter, 
sculptor, and architect, Michael Angelo accom- 
plished many admirable things ; but above all 
the rest his monument is St. Peter's at Rome. 
So God has filled the heavens and the earth, 
the sea and the dry land with wonders ; but 



CHKIST THE MEDIATOE. 115 

above all his other works the plan of salvation 
by Jesus Christ is God's monument, display- 
ing his infinite skill and wisdom. 

6. It is only through the mediation of 
Christ that the divine government has consis- 
tency, and the divine attributes have harmony, 
in the salvation of our race. "A God all 
mercy is a God unjust." A God all justice 
could not forgive a sinner. In the cross we 
see mercy infinite and justice inflexible kiss- 
ing each other. Truth, which cannot swerve, 
here meets peace which cannot be broken. 
Righteousness, which is the stability of God's 
throne, fay Christ's mediation issues in bless- 
ings unparalleled to the rebellious. 

7. Through the mediation of Christ, and 
through it alone, can an enlightened con- 
science ever find relief. But the blood of 
the covenant can hush the perturbations of 
the most agonized soul. It gave peace to the 
penitent thief on the cross, and to the peni- 
tent murderers of Christ. It quieted the con- 
science of even Saul of Tarsus, when he relied 
upon it. 

8. By the mediation of Christ, man recov- 
ers communion with God, lost by the fall. 
This is a wonderful result; "Now in Christ 



116 THE BOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

Jesus ye, who sometime were far off, are 
made nigh by the blood of Christ." Eph. 
2:13. So that, with the last surviving apos- 
tle, all Christians may unite in the exultant 
exclamation, "Truly our fellowship is with 
the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." 
1 John 1:3. Bringing man into the fellow- 
ship of angels was very glorious, but it was as 
nothing compared with his restoration to com- 
munion with G-od. 

IV. Christ is sole Mediator. So says the 
Scripture : "There is one G-od, and one Medi- 
ator between God and men, the man Christ 
Jesus." One such Mediator is enough. The 
word of God speaks of no more. The neces- 
sities of man demand no more. By Scripture 
we are as clearly shut up to the faith of one 
Mediator as to the belief of one G-od. If it is 
an offence to the heavenly Majesty to believe 
in many gods, it cannot be pleasing to the 
Most High that we should hold the doctrine of 
many mediators. We do shockingly insult the 
Lord Jesus Christ and his Father when we 
bring in a great rabble of mediators and inter- 
cessors. Christ only, and Christ alone, is 
worthy of the Daysman's crown. To men- 
tion another is theft and robbery. John 10:1. 



CHRIST THE MEDIATOR 117 

V. We should greatly rejoice in Christ, 
the one Mediator. He is our life and our 
light. Let us make him our joy and our song. 
We cannot praise him too much. We shall 
never laud him enough. He is the admira-' 
tion of all heaven. He ought to be the de- 
lights of the sons of men. 

"Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
That were a present far too small ; 
Love so amazing, so divine, 

Demands my soul, my life, my all." 

VI. As Mediator, Christ holds and exe- 
cutes the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. 
This method of stating his work is not a hu- 
man invention. It is clearly and often taught 
in the Scriptures. It is based in the nature of 
things. It is really a useful mode of present- 
ing truth. Christ does the full work of a 
Mediator. 

Controversies between two parties are of 
three kinds : 

1. Such as are founded in mere mistake, 
both parties being innocent and honest, nei- 
ther intending any harm. In this case, all 
that is wanted is light, explanation. But God 
is not mistaken respecting us. He under- 
stands our case perfectly. He is not misin- 



118 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

formed. He is under no misapprehensions 
respecting us. He lias no prejudices against 
us. And although we are willingly mistaken 
respecting God in many particulars, and have 
wicked prejudices against him, it is because 
we hate the light; for when we know him, we 
glorify him not, nor like to retain him in our 
knowledge ; our carnal mind is enmity against 
him. The controversy between God and us 
cannot be settled by mere explanation. Jeho- 
vah's conduct needs none ; ours admits of 
none. 

2. In the second kind of controversy, both 
parties are to be blamed — both have done 
wrong. In human strifes this is often the 
case.* One wrong leads to another. Before 
adjustment, ofttimes, both parties are censura- 
ble. But God has done us good, and not evil, 
all our days. He has never wronged us. Even 
when he has afflicted us, he has punished us 
less than our iniquities deserved. He has 
brought no false accusation against us. He 
has mercifully spared us, when he might justly 
have cut us down. He has done all things 
well. We have destroyed ourselves. He is 
holy, just, and good. In this fearful contro- 
versy we cannot blame him. 



CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. 119 

3. The only other kind of controversy be- 
tween two parties is, where all the blame is 
on one side. This is the character of our con- 
troversy with God. We have sinned against 
him, not he against us. We are all wrong ; 
we are wholly wrong ; we are terribly wrong. 
Our iniquities have separated between us and 
God. He is righteous; we are unjust. He 
is holy ; we are vile. He can do without us : 
without him we are undone. Let us say all 
this, and confess the whole truth. Let us 
joyfully accept the mediation of Jesus Christ. 
This way of reconciliation is as safe for us as 
it is honorable to God. This is the only 
method of ending the fearful contest. Eeject 
this, and nothing remains but an eternal over- 
throw. 

And the sooner we make peace with God 
the better. There is no time to be lost. Now 
is the day of salvation. Awake, sleeper, 
and call upon thy God. 

The responsibility of living under the gos- 
pel is great in proportion to its incalculable 
advantages. Heb. 2:1-4; 10:28-30. 



120 THE ROCK OF OUE SALVATION. 
CHAPTEE VII. 

CHEIST A PROPHET. 

The prophetical office of Christ claims 
solemn attention. The life of men's souls is 
involved in it. The necessity of some great 
teacher to enlighten mankind was confessed 
by the heathen as well as by the Jews. Soc- 
rates said: "You may resign all hope of 
reforming the manners of men, unless it please 
God to send some person to instruct you." 
Plato said: "Whatever is set right in the 
present ill state of the world can be done only 
by the interposition of God." Cicero, speak- 
ing of the philosophers, said : "Do you think 
that those precepts of morality had any influ- 
ence, except in a very few instances, upon the 
men who speculated, wrote, and disputed con- 
cerning them ? ~No ; who is there of all the 
philosophers whose mind and manners were 
conformed to the dictates of right reason? 
Who of them ever made his philosophy the 
law and rule of his life, and not merely an 
occasion of displaying his own ingenuity? On 
the contrary, many of them have been slaves 



CHRIST A PROPHET, 121 

to the vilest lusts." How the pious Jews 
longed, and waited, and prayed for the com- 
ing of a great prophet is declared in many 
Scriptures. 

Let us consider this subject : 

T. Among the ancients and moderns, civ- 
ilized and rude, the office of prophet has been 
held in high esteem. In this agree Jews, 
Christians, Mohammedans, and pagans. The 
evangelical prophet expressed the popular 
sentiment of his countrymen and the common 
sense of mankind when, in the same list, he 
enrolled the prophet with the mighty man. 
and the man of war, and the judge, and the 
prudent, and the ancient, and the captain, and 
the honorable man, and the counsellor, and 
the eloquent orator. Isa. 3:2, 3. Such men 
are the stay and the staff of a people. Among 
them all, none were more important, or were 
charged with more weighty duties, than the 
prophets. 

II. But what is the office of a prophet? 
The word prophet conies to us from the Greek, 
where its literal signification is a foreteller., 
The Hebrews had two words for a prophet. 
One was from their word to see. It was in 
use a long time in the early history of that 



122 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

people. So we read in 1 Samuel 9:9: " Be- 
foretime in Israel, when a man went to inquire 
of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to 
the seer ; for he that is now called a Prophet 
was beforetime called a Seer.' 7 The other 
word for a prophet signifies primarily to boil 
up or pour forth, as a fountain ; then to pour 
forth words like those who speak with fervor 
of mind, or under divine inspiration. Then 
it came to signify a prophet, one who spake in 
the name of God, or in the place of God 
Proof is not wanting in the Scriptures them- 
selves that the word designates one who speaks 
eloquently or beautifully. God said to Moses, 
"Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet." 
This is God's answer to Moses, who had ob- 
jected to his mission on the ground that he 
was "of uncircumcised lips." The Greek 
word prophet is by Paul himself applied to a 
heathen poet, Titus 1:12, either because the 
poet had written eloquently, or because he 
was held in high esteem as a teacher. In the 
New Testament the word prophesy has at least 
in one case the sense of edifying the church 
by preaching. ' ' The gift of prophecy included 
that of prophetic foresight, but it included 
more. The prophet was inspired to reveal 



CHRIST A PROPHET. 123 

the will of God, to act as an organ of commu- 
nication between God and man. The subject 
of the revelations thus conveyed was not, and 
could not be, restricted to the future. It em- 
braced the past and present, and extended to 
those absolute and universal truths which have 
no relation to time. 77 A prophet then is an 
inspired, and so an infallible teacher, able to 
tell the past or the future, authorized to speak 
for God and by his authority, not merely as 
an expounder of truths already revealed, but 
to teach truths before unknown or forgotten 
by mankind. In this full and broad sense 
Jesus Christ was a prophet. 

III. The fundamental passage on which 
we found the doctrine of Christ's prophetical 
office is Deuteronomy 18 : 15-19 : : ' 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. Accord- 
ing to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy 
G od in Horeb in the day of the assembly, say- 
ing, Let me not hear again the voice of the 
Lord my God, neither let me see this great 
fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord 
said unto me, They have well spoken that 
which they have spoken. I will raise them 



124 THE EOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

up a Prophet from among their brethren, like 
unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth : 
and he shall speak unto them all that I shall 
command him. And it shall come to pass that 
whosoever will not hearken unto my words, 
which he shall speak in my name, I will 
require it of him." This prophecy is quoted 
by Peter in his address to the people in Jeru- 
salem after the cure of the lame man, Acts 
3:22, 23. It is also cited by Stephen, in his 
pungent address to the Jews who were about 
to stone him to death, Acts 7:37. In this 
prediction several things claim attention. 

1. It is a promise made to the people on 
the occasion of their asking that God would 
not again speak to them in so awful a manner 
as he had done. God was not angry at them 
for this request, but approved of their words. 
The prediction is full of kindness. It is a gra- 
cious engagement to give them a teacher whose 
presence should not be terrible to them. 

2. We have the best evidence that this 
prediction is not fulfilled, unless Jesus of Naz- 
areth was the promised teacher. The last 
chapter of Deuteronomy was evidently not 
written by Moses, for it tells of things done 
after his death. It was probably written by 



CHRIST A PROPHET. 125 

different hands. Some, perhaps not without 
reason, ascribe it to Ezra, who compiled the 
canon of the Old Testament more than nine 
hundred years after the deatli of Moses. Its 
precise date we are not able to give; but it 
declares that up to that time there had not 
arisen in Israel a prophet like unto Moses, 
Deuteronomy 34:10. Nay more, no prophet 
like Moses had, in the belief of the Jews, 
arisen till the time of John the Baptist; for 
they asked him, "Art thou that prophet? 
And he answered, No." John 1:21, 25. So 
when they saw the miracles Jesus did, they 
said, "This is of a truth that Prophet that 
should conic into the world." John 6:14. 
Again : "Many of the people . . . said, Of a 
truth this is the prophet." Jews do not pre- 
tend any more than Christians that "that 
prophet " has arisen since the coming of Jesus 
of Nazareth. He has not as yet come at all, 
unless Jesus be he. 

3. The great prophet that was to come 
was to be raised up from the midst of Israel, 
and to be one of their brethren. Jesus Christ 
was, as descended from his mother, a Jew. 
No one denies this. 

4. The promised prophet was to be like 



126 THE BOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

unto Moses. In the following particulars Mo- 
ses was a striking type of Christ : 

Moses was hardly born when his life was 
sought by blood}^ men. No sooner was the 
birth of Jesus known, than Herod sought the 
young child to destroy him. 

Moses brought God's people out of the 
house of bondage. Jesus Christ delivers 
God's people from a worse than Egyptian 
bondage. 

Moses was faithful in all his house. So 
Jesus was faithful to Him that appointed him. 
Heb. 3:2. Each of them spake the will of 
God in honesty and sincerity. 

Moses was a mediator between God and 
his ancient people. He is expressly so called 
in Galatians 3:10: " The law was ordained by 
angels in the hands of a mediator." Moses 
received the mind of God and bore it to the 
people ; and he heard the wishes of the peo- 
ple, and bore them to God. Nor did any one 
but Moses perform this office to the Jews. So 
now Christ is our one and sole Mediator. 
"For there is one God, and one Mediator be- 
tween God and men, the man Christ Jesus." 
1 Tim. 2:5. 

Moses was very intimate with God: "The 



CHKIST A PROPHET. 127 

Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man 
speaketh to his friend." Ex. 33:11. "The 
Lord knew Moses face to face." "So Christ 
was in the beginning with God. "No man 
hath seen God at any time ; the only begot- 
ten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, 
he hath declared him." John 1 :18. 

Beyond all others before Christ, Moses 
attested his doctrine and commission by signs 
and wonders, both in the land of Egypt and 
in the sight of all Israel. Deut, 34:11, 12. 
So Jesus Christ has filled the world with the 
renown of his stupendous miracles. Even 
when he was on earth, man}^ who were not 
his disciples said, " When Christ cometh, will 
he do more miracles than these which this man 
hath done?" John 7:31. Jesus called on 
his enemies to "believe the works" which he 
wrought. John 10 : 38. Indeed, our Saviour's 
miracles were not only amazing in kind ; the} r 
were countless in number. Having told us 
much of Christ, John says: "There are also 
many other things which Jesus did, the which, 
if they should be written every one, I suppose 
that even the world itself could not contain 
the books that should be written." 21 : 25. 
So Cleopas said that "Jesus of Nazareth was 



128 THE ROOK OF OUR SALVATION. 

a prophet mighty in deed and word before 
God and all the people." Luke 24 : 19. 

Moses introduced a new state of things, 
setting aside the patriarchal dispensation. So 
Jesus Christ introduced a new dispensation in 
the place of the Mosaic. Now we have the 
gospel instead of the Sinaic covenant. 

In all these respects Moses was a striking 
type of Christ. Yet, as was fitting, the Anti- 
type far excelled him. Moses was a servant. 
Christ was a Son. Moses was a mere man. 
Christ was " God manifest in the flesh." 
Moses was a sinner. Christ never displeased 
his Father. The Mosaic dispensation passed 
away. Christ shall never be superseded ; 
while eternity lasts, the Lamb himself shall 
feed his people, and lead them to fountains of 
living waters. Eev. 7:17. 

So convincing was the evidence which 
Christ gave of his divine mission, that the 
woman of Samaria said, "I perceive that thou 
art a prophet." John 4:19. And the blind man 
who was healed by him, in the midst of taunts 
and threats said, "He is a prophet." John 
9:17. So when he raised the young man of 
Nain, "there came a fear on all: and they 
glorified God, saying that a great prophet is 



CHEIST A PROPHET. 129 

risen up among us." Luke 7 :16. And at one 
time multitudes of the Jewish nation, gathered 
at the holy city, were so affected that they 
said, "This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth 
of Galilee." Matt. 21:11. Indeed, during his 
ministry his miracles were confessed. Nor 
did any one ever successfully impugn his 
teachings, or assail his claims to be the prophet 
of God. 

The objections made were frivolous, such 
as these : " Search and look : for out of- Gali- 
lee ariseth no prophet." John 7 : 52. To this 
bold statement there are several fair answers. 
1. Neither Moses nor any other writer of the 
Jewish Scriptures had said where all the 
prophets should be born. 2. At this very 
time the Jews had among their canonical 
books the writings of two prophets, Jonah 
and Nahum, both of whom were natives of 
Galilee. 3. Jesus did not arise out of Gali- 
lee, for he was born in Bethlehem of Juclea. 
4. Isaiah had expressly foretold, not that Mes- 
siah should be born in Galilee, but that his 
ministry should greatly enlighten that dark 
region, sometimes called Galilee of the Gen- 
tiles, because it bordered on Syria and Ara- 
bia, and because there many Gentiles dwelt 

G* 



130 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

with the Israelites. Compare Isa. 9 :1, 2, and 
Matt. 4 : 14-16. 5. The cities of refuge, it is 
commonly admitted, were types of Christ, and 
one of these, Kedesh (or Kadesh) of Naphtali, 
was in Galilee ; for Galilee included Asher, 
Issachar, Zebulon, and -Naph tali. 

Another objection has no more force. 
"When Simon the Pharisee saw how Christ 
permitted the poor sinful woman to wash his 
feet with her tears, and to anoint him, he said, 
" This man, if he were a prophet, would have 
known who and what manner of woman this 
is that toucheth him : for she is a sinner." 
Luke 7 : 39. But Jesus did know not only the 
woman's sinfulness, but also her penitence, 
and amply vindicated his conduct. Simon did 
not know that Jesus came into the world to 
save sinners. The mistake was all on his side. 

IV. It remains to show how Jesus Christ 
fulfils "the office of a prophet, in revealing 
to the church in all ages, by his Spirit and 
word, in divers ways of administration, the 
whole will of God, in all things concerning the 
edification and salvation of believers." 

1. For about four thousand years Jesus 
Christ made known the will of God by his 
servants, the prophets. "At sundry times 



CHRIST A PROPHET. 131 

and in divers manners" he "spake in time past 
unto the fathers by the prophets." Heb. 1:1. 
So Peter also says, Of this "salvation the 
prophets have inquired and searched dili- 
gently, who prophesied of the grace that 
should come unto you, searching what or what 
manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was 
in them did signify, when it testified before- 
hand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory 
that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed 
that not unto themselves, but unto us they did 
minister the things which are now reported 
unto } t ou by them that have preached the gos- 
pel unto you, with the Holy Ghost sent down 
from heaven." These Scriptures bring out 
these truths : 1. All the will of God was not 
revealed at once, but at divers times from 
Adam to Malachi. 2. God's will was revealed 
in various ways ; sometimes in dreams, some- 
times in visions, sometimes by sending an an- 
gel, sometimes by an audible voice, and some- 
times by the Son of God assuming a human 
form. 3. But whatever the manner of the rev- 
elation, it was always by "the Spirit of Christ 
which was in the prophets." 4. Much that 
the prophets spoke was dark to themselves, 
so that they found it necessary to study very 



132 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

carefully their own writings. 5. The burden 
of their messages was the sufferings of Christ 
and the glory that should follow. 6. Their 
teachings were in their aspect chiefly pro- 
spective, relating to gospel times. 7. The 
same Holy Spirit, who dictated the prophe- 
cies, gives efficacy to the preached gospel. 
8. Much that was said by the prophets, 
amounting in all to thirty-nine books, was 
put in writing, and committed to the ancient 
church, as the depository of the truth. 

2. The prophets were followed by John 
the Baptist, who, for the clear light he gave 
and for pointing out the very man who was to 
save the world, was "more than a prophet." 
Matt. 11:9. He was in a sense an evange- 
list. He was Christ's herald and forerunner. 

3. Then came Jesus Christ himself, the 
Light of the world, the life of men, and the 
desire of all nations. God u hath in these lat- 
ter days spoken unto us by his Son." Heb. 
1 : 2. Men saw him full of grace and truth 
Men wondered at the gracious words thai 
proceeded out of his mouth. And no marvel ; 
" for it pleased the Father that in him should 
all fulness dwell." Col. 1:19. During his 
personal ministry Christ taught us the will of 



CHRIST A PROPHET. 133 

God in four ways. 1. He wrought miracles in 
his own name and by his own power, thus 
showing not only that he was a teacher sent 
from God, but that he was himself divine. 
2. In his entire human nature he set us an 
example of piety and benevolence, making 
plain to us all our duties. Whatever Christ 
did as a man, we are bound to do. In obedi- 
ence to parents, in submission to civil rulers, 
in forgiveness of injuries, in all things his ex- 
ample was perfect. 3. During his personal 
ministry Christ uttered several remarkable 
predictions, which have been and shall be of 
eminent service to the church of God. Christ's 
predictions were strongly marked. 4. Jesus 
Christ preached much and in a manner wholly 
incomparable. When the minions of cruelty 
were sent to arrest him, they were disarmed 
by his amazing discourses. When asked why 
they did not bring him before the chief priests 
and Pharisees, the only account thc} r could 
give of the matter was, "Never man spake 
like this man." John 7 : 46. The guilty hands 
lifted against him fell nerveless before his 
amazing words. No wonder the people were 
"astonished at his doctrine; for he taught 
them as one having authorit}^ and not as the 



134 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

scribes." Matt. 7 : 28, 29. The word of God 
in his mouth was a sharp two-edged sword. 
Deut. 18:18 and Eev. 1:16. 

4. When Christ left this world and ascended 
up far above all heavens, "he gave some apos- 
tles ; and some prophets ; and some evange- 
lists ; and some pastors and teachers ; for the 
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the 
ministry, for the edifying of the body of 
Christ." Eph. 4 : 11-13. This whole work 
of the apostles and their co-laborers was 
conducted under the guidance and teaching 
of the Holy Ghost, who both taught them 
and brought to their remembrance all things 
taught them by the Master personally. John 
14:26. It was given them what they should 
say. The same Spirit in his converting power 
was poured upon their hearers. 

5. Jesus Christ inspired his apostles and 
evangelists to write for our use twenty-seven 
distinct books, giving a full account of his life 
and doctrine, and of his will in all things per- 
taining to life and godliness, to the end of the 
world. 

6. It is still Christ's gracious plan to pour 
out his Spirit on faithful ministers in preach- 
ing his word, and on the hearers of his word, 



CHRIST A PROPHET. 135 

so that great numbers are still converted, sanc- 
tified, and built up in faith and holiness unto 
eternal life. In these several methods Jesus 
Christ carries on his great work as the prophet 
of God. 

Let us consider a little the excellence of 
his work as a teacher. 

1. Every thing he has taught us either by 
himself or by his servants is true. In it all 
there is no mistake, no error, no delusion. 
The more it is tried, the more true it is pro- 
ven to be. In a world full of falsehood and 
delusion, pure truth is a great matter. Now 
whether men jest or are serious in asking, 
What is truth ? we can look up to God and 
say, ''Thy word is truth." "It is truth with- 
out any admixture of error." It is the truth 
of God. And it all comes to us through the 
Spirit of Christ. Indeed, he is the Bock, out 
of which the river of truth has ever flowed to 
make glad the city of God. 

2. All he has taught us is very pure. It 
cannot defile. "The words of the Lord are 
pure words : as silver tried in a furnace of 
earth, purified seven times." "The command- 
ment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the 
eyes." "The law is holy, just, and good." 



136 THE KOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

The reason why the wicked hate God's word 
is that it is so holy. 

3. Jesus Christ has, in ways already sta- 
ted, revealed to us the ivhole will of God for 
our salvation. He has kept back nothing that 
would be profitable to us. He says expressly : 
"All things that I have heard of my Father, 
I have made known unto you." John 15 : 15 ; 
Ps. 40:9, 10; Deut. 18:18. 

4. The whole will of God thus made known 
to us through our great Prophet is accompa- 
nied by the strongest attestations. It is con- 
firmed by witnesses who jeoparded their lives, 
and in most cases actually died martyrs. God 
has also borne witness, both with signs and 
wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts 
of the Holy Ghost. It is confirmed by the 
spotless life of Christ himself, and by the holy 
lives of his prophets and apostles. It is con- 
firmed to us by its converting and sanctifying 
power over men's souls. It is confirmed by 
the commanding authority it has over the 
human conscience. It is confirmed to us by 
covenant and by God's awful and unimpeach- 
able oath. 

5. The will of God, as revealed to us by 
our great prophet, is practicable. The doc- 



CHRIST A PROPHET. 137 

trincs can be loved and are loved by all whose 
hearts arc right. All the precepts are just. 
They are obeyed sincerely by the godly, 
They were obeyed perfectly in our Lord « 
human nature, thus showing that they could 
be kept whenever sin did not oppose. 

6. Our great prophet has made the will of 
God very plain. "The common people heard 
him gladly." He never notified his hear- 
ers. "That which maketh manifest is light." 
God's word is even a discerner of the thoughts 
and intents of the heart. It exposes to our 
view the secrets of our souls and the glorious 
mysteries of heavenly things. Neither Christ 
nor his servants handled the word of God 
deceitfully. If to any the Bible is a sealed 
booh, it is because of the blindness of their 
heart. " All the words of my mouth are in 
righteousness ; there is nothing froward or 
perverse in them. The}^ are all plain to him 
that understandeth, and right to them that 
find knowledge." Prov. 8:8, 9. 

7. God's will is made known to us in the 
kindest, gentlest way. Our great prophet did 
not strive, nor cry, nor cause his voice to be 
heard in the streets. He held up a little child 
as the pattern he would have us follow. Even 



138 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

Moses, his servant, who was the minister of the 
Sinaic covenant, was the meekest of mere men. 

8. Jesus Christ teaches all his people effec- 
tually. "I will put my law in their inward 
parts, and write it in their hearts ; and I will 
be their God and they shall be my people." 
Jer. 31 : 33. So that David said no more 
than every child of God may say: "I will 
never forget thy precepts ; for with them thou 
hast quickened me." Ps. 119 : 93. 

1. Let us not waste our life and time in 
gaping after some strange thing, some new 
doctrine, or some new revelation. Let us 
seek the old paths, the ways in which the 
prophets, and apostles, and martyrs, and con- 
fessors, and righteous men walked. There 
never was but one way of salvation for sinners. 
There is but one way now. It is taught us 
by Jesus Christ. Let us not, like the foolish, 
say, " Who shall ascend into heaven ? (that is, 
to bring Christ down from above ;) or, Who 
shall descend into the deep ? (that is, to bring 
up Christ again from the dead.) But what 
saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy 
mouth, and in thy heart ; that is, the word of 
faith, which we preach : that if thou shalt con- 
fess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt 



CHRIST A PROPHET. 139 

believe in thy 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." Rom. 10:6-10. 

2. The teachings of Christ as our great 
Prophet are not submitted to us for criticism, 
for speculation, for our entertainment ; no. 
"These things have I written unto you that 
believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye 
may know that ye have eternal life." 1 John 
5 :13. "Whatsoever things were written afore- 
time were written for our learning, that we 
through patience and comfort of the Scrip- 
tures might have hope." Rom. 15 : 4. Hear 
the word of this salvation not as critics, but as 
criminals ; not as theorists, but as candidates 
for eternity ; not as idle spectators of a drama, 
but as those who must give account to God. 

3. How very reasonable it is that such 
poor, ignorant, blind creatures as we are should 
pray for light and wisdom, and especially for 
the teaching of the Spirit of Christ. Of him 
it was promised by Christ, "He shall receive 
of mine, and shall show it unto you." John 
16 : 14. Other things being equal, he who 
prays most will learn fastest. When Daniel 



140 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

was to expound Nebuchadnezzar's dream, lie 
and his friends found out the secret by prayer. 
Dan. 2 : 18. Luther said : " Three things make 
a good theologian — meditation, temptation, 
and prayer." David was a prophet, yet often 
he cried, "Teach me thy statutes;" "Open 
thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous 
things out of thy law." 

4. Whatever we do or leave undone, let 
us not fail to hear and obey this great Prophet. 
God says we must : "Unto him shall ye heark- 
en ;" " Whosoever will not hearken unto my 
words which he shall speak in my name, I 
will require it of him." This is the law under 
which the gospel is promulged. Let none 
think to screen himself from this awful respon- 
sibility by the fact that Christ is no longer on 
earth. He is here by his essential presence, 
and he is here by his faithful ambassadors. 
Before he left the world, he said to his minis- 
ters : " He that heareth you heareth me ; and 
he that despiseth you despiseth me ; and he 
that despiseth me despiseth him that sent 
me." Luke 10:16. The law of nations is, 
He that despises an ambassador insults the 
government that sent him. Such also is the 
law of the God of heaven. 



THE riilESTHOOD OF OHEIST. Ill 
CHAPTER VIII. 

THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 

In Scripture much is said of the offices of 
Christ. In particular, his priesthood is dis- 
tinctly stated. One of the epistles, that to 
the Hebrews, is an inspired treatise on this 
subject. It is clear and simple. It discusses 
the chief points in a natural order, and con- 
cludes with practical inferences fairly drawn. 
Christ's priesthood is our theme at present. 
We can find no better order in which to pre- 
sent the matter than that suggested by Paul. 

1. The first thing asserted and proved by 
the apostle is, that oar High Priest, Jesus 
Christ, is divine. All his offices required that 
he should be God. None but God could be 
such a King as Christ is. None but God 
knows the things of God, or could infallibly 
declare them to us as the Prophet of the 
church. None but God could satisfy justice, 
and bring in everlasting righteousness suffi- 
cient for lost men. On Christ's divinity the 
power of his priesthood must rest. So Paul 
thought ; and he takes up the whole of the 



142 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

first chapter of Hebrews in proving it. He 
uses four arguments, which to a pious mind 
are conclusive. 

1. He sa} T s that Christ is "the brightness 
of the Father's glory, and the express image 
of his person." Then he says Christ's holy 
Father calls him "God:" "Thy throne 
God, is for ever and ever." Heb. 1:3, 8. 
Then he shows, from Psalm 102 : 25, 26, that 
he is called Lord. In that psalm the word 
Lord occurs eight times. In every instance 
the original word is Jehovah, the great and 
incommunicable name of the self-existent God. 

2. Paul argues the divinity of Christ from 
the fact that he is Creator. He says expressly, 
"By him God made the worlds ;" and, "Thou, 
Lord, in the beginning hast laid the founda- 
tion of the earth, and the heavens are the 
works of thy hands." Heb. 1 : 2, 10. He also 
says : " This man was counted worthy of more 
glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath 
builded the house hath more honor than the 
house. For every house is builded by some 
man, but he that built all things is God.' 
Heb. 3 : 3, 4. 

3. The third argument for Christ's divin- 
ity here employed is, that he is the author of 



THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 143 

providence. He governs and sustains the 
universe. Paul sa}<s of Christ, "He upholds 
all things by the word of his power ;" and, 
"Thy throne, God, is for ever and ever." 
Hel). 1:3, 8. Again Paul says : God "hath 
appointed him heir of all things." Heb. 1 : 2. 
Well does Whitby say, "I believe it is as 
impossible to understand how a man should 
have this empire over all things in heaven 
and earth, and over death itself, and yet be a 
mere man, as it is to understand any mystery 
of the sacred Trinity." 

4. Paul's fourth argument for the divinity 
of our High Priest is, that by command of his 
Father he is to be worshipped: "When he 
bringeth the first-begotten into the world, he 
saith, And let all the angels of God worship 
him." Heb. 1 ; 6. Any ovte of these argu- 
ments, fairly stated, is conclusive. If Christ 
is fitly called God and Lord, or if he is the 
Creator, or if he is the author of providence, 
or if he is rightly worshipped, he is divine. 
What higher or better evidence have we that 
the Father is possessed of supreme divinity 
than that he is rightly called God and Jeho- 
vah, that he made all things, that he governs 
all things, and that it is proper to pay him 



144 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

religious worship? If we cannot prove the 
Son divine, neither can we prove the Father 
divine. 

II. The second proposition of Paul respect- 
ing our High Priest is, that he is human, has 
our nature, is a man. We can conceive how 
our Lord might have been King in his divine 
nature alone. He could have ruled the world 
without becoming incarnate. To some extent, 
perhaps to a saving extent, he might have done 
the work of a prophet, and taught us the mind 
and will and nature of God, without becoming 
man. True, we should have very much missed 
his perfect example, set us in the days of his 
flesh. But by his word and Spirit he might 
have made men wise unto salvation without 
his example. He did this for four thousand 
years, and gathered many sons to glory. But 
how could he have been a priest without a na- 
ture capable of obeying, of suffering, and of 
dying. Divinity cannot obey, cannot suffer, 
cannot die. Without a nature capable of suf- 
fering, he could make no atonement. Although 
Christ's humanity has at divers times and un- 
der various pretexts been denied, yet it is 
now seldom impugned. It is not necessary 
therefore to argue this matter at length. A 



THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 145 

few verses on the point will be enough. In 
Hebrews 2 : 7 we have these words applied to 
him : "Thou madest him a little [or for a lit- 
tle while] lower than the angels." In He- 
brews 2 : 9, Paul says that he " was made a 
little lower than the angels for the suffering of 
death." In Hebrews 2 : 10 Paul says that it 
was by suffering that Jesus became a perfect 
Captain of salvation. Then in Hebrews 2:14 
he says : " Forasmuch as the children are par- 
takers of flesh and blood, he also himself took 
part of the same, that through death he might 
destroy him that had the power of death." 
And in Hebrews 2:17: "Wherefore in all 
things it behooved him to be made like unto 
his brethren, that he might be a merciful and 
faithful High Priest in things pertaining to 
God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the 
people." And in Hebrews 2:18: "For in 
that he himself hath suffered being tempted, 
he is able to succor them that are tempted." 

These passages assign four distinct rea- 
sons why our Lord must be human : 

1. Thus only could he be lower than the 
angels. 2. That he might suffer, and so atone. 
3. That by death he might destroy him that 
had the power of death. And 4. That he 



146 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

might by experience learn what temptation 
and sorrow were, and so be a merciful High 
Priest. 

III. Jesus Christ was duly called of God 
to be our High Priest. He was no bold intru- 
der into those awful functions. Every step 
he took was agreeable to the counsels of God. 
This is to us a matter of great importance ; 
and so we are not left in doubt upon it. In 
Hebrews 5 : 4, 5 we read : "No man taketh 
this honor to himself, but he that is called of 
God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified 
not himself to be made a high priest ; but he 
that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to-day 
have I begotten thee." If it can be shown 
that any man was ever called of God to any 
office, much more can it be proved that the 
Son was called of his Holy Father to be a 
High Priest. 

TV. .Not only ancient usage, but the law 
of Moses required that the high priest should 
be anointed. Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, 
the Lord's Anointed. Twice in God's word, 
once in prophecy, and once in direct and in- 
spired application to Christ, do we find these 
words: "God, thy God, hath anointed thee 
with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." 



THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 147 

Psa. 45 : 7 ; Hcb. 1:9. In his first great ser- 
mon after his baptism and return to Nazareth, 
Jesus Christ clearly and unequivocally applied 
to himself these words of Isaiah : " The Spirit 
of the Lord God is upon me, because he hath 
anointed me to preach good tidings to the 
meek,"' etc. Compare Luke 4:16-22 and Isa. 
61 :l-3. He said : "This day is this Scrip- 
ture fulfilled." 

Y. Jesus Christ was sent of God into the 
world on the- very work of a high priest. 
Malachi had foretold that he should be the 
" Messenger of the covenant ;" and* Paul well 
calls him " the Apostle and High Priest of our 
profession." Mai. 3:1 and Heb. 3:1. In 
John's gospel Christ is thirty times declared 
to have been sent by his Father: "I must 
work the works of him that sent me ;" "It is 
my meat to do the will of him that sent me," 
are examples. Indeed, Jesus said expresslj- 
that he both taught and wrought miracles that 
men might believe that God had sent him. 
John 11 :42. And in his days humble souls 
so received him ; for Nicodemus said : "We 
know that thou art a teacher come from God. ?: 

VI. Jesus Christ was fit to be our High 
Priest, because he was "without sin." Heb 



148 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

4:15. He was without original sin, for he 
was not represented in Adam, our first parent 
standing only for such as descended from him 
hy ordinary generation. So the angel who 
announced him to Mary called him "that 
Holy Thing which shall be born of thee." It 
was every way necessary that our High Priest 
should be holy. God could have been in no 
way pleased with a high priest acting, offer- 
ing, or interceding for us, if like ourselves he 
was a sinner, tainted and vile. Nor could 
we, with any just sense of sin, ever have been 
brought to put our confidence in one who was 
himself guilty and rebellious. Jesus was not 
only not a sinner, but he was impeccable. 
It is with great delight that we read: "Such 
a High Priest became us, who is holy, 
harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners." 
God the Father knew how vital this point 
was, and so he has given us the most ample 
satisfaction respecting it. At Christ's bap- 
tism a voice from heaven said: "This is my 
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 
Matt. 3 : 17. So on the mount of transfigura- 
tion, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is 
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: 
hear ye him." Matt. 17:5. John says he 



THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 149 

was "fall of grace and truth.'' John 1:14. 
Even the miserable trifler who sat in judgment 
on our Lord said : "I find no fault in this man." 
Nay, more ; he says, " I find no fault at all ;" 
" I find no fault in him ;" "I find no fault in 
him." Luke 23:4; John 18:38; 19:4, 6. 
Even in (idols generally have admitted that 
his character was blameless. The only true 
thing his enemies ever said in their malice 
against him while on earth was, that in which 
we glory: "This man receiveth sinners." 
Luke 15:2. Though not a 'sinner himself, he 
loves sinners, he pities sinners, he died for 
sinners, he saves sinners, he saves none but 
sinners, he had no other errand on earth. 
blessed be God, the Lord Christ owed no obe- 
dience to the law for himself, for he was the 
Lawgiver. He needed not, as other high 
priests, daily to offer up sacrifice, first for his 
own sins, and then for the people's. Heb. 
7:27. We have his merits and his blood for 
our salvation. He needed no sacrifice to make 
him personally a sweet savor unto God. 

VII. Christ is a priest, not after the order 
of Aaron, but after the order of Melehisedek. 
Under the law, the high priest held no other 
office ; but Melehisedek and Christ held the 



150 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

two offices of King and Priest. Melcliisedek 
signifies king of righteousness ; and he was 
also king of Salem, which is King of peace. 
So Jesus, by reason of his infinite superemi- 
nence, is most fitly styled both king of righte- 
ousness and king of peace. He brought in 
everlasting righteousness, so that God is now 
as righteous as he is merciful in pardoning 
sin and in accepting the sinner. And Jesus 
is the King of peace. He is the author of all 
the peace between God and penitent sinners, 
between Jews and Gentiles. His blood speaks 
peace to the conscience. He is our Peace. 
Neither the name of Melcliisedek, nor that of 
his parents is found in the genealogical tables 
of the tribe of Levi. " And it is evident that 
our Lord sprang out of Juda ; of which tribe 
Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood." 
Melcliisedek was greater than Aaron, greater 
than Levi, greater than Abraham ; for to him 
Abraham paid tithes, and from him received 
a blessing; "and without all contradiction the 
less is blessed of the better." In the whole 
history of Melchisedek he appeared but once ; 
so "now once in the end of the world hath 
Christ appeared to put away sin by the sacri- 
fice of himself." And as Melcliisedek, so Christ 



THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 151 

had no predecessor and no successor in office. 
He needed none. None was fit for such a 
work. Christ's work is perfect. 

VIII. Jesus Christ made a suitable offer- 
ing to God. " Every high priest is ordained 
to offer gifts and sacrifices ; wherefore it is of 
necessity that this man have somewhat also to 
offer." Heb. 8:3. Accordingly Christ gave 
"himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to 
God for a sweet-smelling savor." Eph. 5 : 2. 
In order to Christ's oblation availing for us, 
it must be something that he had a right to 
offer, something that he was willing to offer, 
something that was itself very precious, and 
something that God entirely approved and 
highly esteemed. On each of these points 
the Scriptures give us the most entire satis- 
faction. Not a doubt is left on the mind of 
one who takes God's word for his guide. 
Other priests offered bulls and goats and 
lambs ; but Jesus offered himself, his entire 
human nature. ' ' We are sanctified through 
the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once 
for all." Heb. 10 : 10". Here, as in many 
other places, body means the whole man. 
First he offered his corporeal nature. It 
was spit upon, smitten, crowned with thorns; 



152 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

was nailed to the cross, was thrilled with 
agony, was dead and buried. He also offered 
his soul. Even before his arrest, so terribly 
did the wrath of God press upon him that his 
sweat was as great drops of blood. He ex- 
claimed : "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, 
even unto death.' 7 All this was according 
to prophecy, for the evangelical prophet had 
said, "Thou shalt make his soul an offering 
for sin.'' Isa. 53:10. His divinity was the 
altar, which sanctified his oblation. His whole 
person made the offering, or presented the 
gift. And his entire human nature was the 
sacrifice. His sacrifice was true, not fictitious ; 
real, not imaginary ■ proper, not typical. His 
one oblation was enough. It opened the gates 
of heaven to all believers. God has accepted 
it before angels and men. Under the law of 
Moses no sacrifice took away sin. Heb. 10:4. 
All was type, figure, shadow of something to 
come. But when Christ came he slew the 
enmity, he took away the hand -writing that 
was against us, he satisfied divine justice, he 
brought redemption. Under the law sacrifices 
were ordained only for sins of ignorance, sins 
against the law of ceremonies, and sins admit- 
ting of restitution. No provision was made 



THE TEIESTHOOD OF CHKIST. 153 

for sacrifices for murder, or unbelief, or pride, 
or malice. Accordingly, when David found 
himself convicted of violating the sixth and 
seventh commandments, he said, "Thoudesir- 
est not sacrifice, else would I give it." But 
" the Lamb of God taketh away the sin of the 
world." "The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, 
cleanseth us from all sin." So that "he has 
perfected for ever them that are sanctified." 
He has made the comers to his altar perfect, 
as concerning; offering for sin. 

IX. When the high priest under the law 
had shed the blood and offered the victim, he 
made his intercessions in this lower world, in 
a place made with hands ; but Christ has en- 
tered "into heaven itself, now to appear in 
the presence of God for us." Heb. 9:24. 
Thus he is "made higher than the heavens." 
Heb. 7:26. None else was ever permitted to 
stand before the blazing throne in heaven and 
with authority plead with God. In all things 
Jesus has the preeminence. Now "if any man 
sin, we have an Advocate ivith the Father, Jesus 
Christ the righteous." We know where he is 
and what he is doing. He "is passed into the 
heavens." He is at the right hand of God. 
He is preparing a place for his people. "He 

7* 



154 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

ever liveth to make intercession for us." His 
blood speaketh peace. His appearance is our 
advocacy. The arguments he uses are the 
wounds he received. His intercession never 
fails. "Him the Father heareth always." If 
you would see how he prays, study John 17th. 
It is remarkable, however, that the law of 
Moses gives no form of words to be used by 
the high priest in the holy of holies. So 
Christ's intercession may be very much in his 
" appearance for us." When an Athenian was 
about to be sentenced for crime, his worthy 
brother, who had terribly bled for the liber- 
ties of his country, came into court, looked at 
the prisoner tenderly and at the judges im- 
ploringly, at the same time lifting up the 
stump of an arm, as if to plead. It was 
enough. The argument was decisive. The 
prisoner went free. 

X. The high priest, having fulfilled his 
office in the holy place, came forth and gave 
his benediction to Israel, saying : "The Lord 
bless thee, and keep thee : the Lord make his 
face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto 
thee : the Lord lift up his countenance upon 
thee, and give thee peace." Num. 6 : 24--26. 
"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins 



THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST.. 155 

of many ; and unto f*hem that look for him shall 
he appear the second time without sin unto sal- 
vation." Heb. 9 : 28. yes ! He will come 
again, not in sadness, not with lips swollen 
Willi grief, not with his visage marred more 
than any man ; but in his glory, and all the 
holy angels with him. Then shall he say, 
''Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the 
kingdom prepared for } r ou from the founda- 
tion of the world." that our ears may hear 
that blessed plaudit ! 

XI. Under the law men came into the 
high priest's office, and went out of it again ; 
but Jesus Christ, "because he continueth ever, 
hath an unchangeable priesthood." He "ever 
liveth." He "is consecrated for ever more." 
He is made a high priest, not "after the law 
of a carnal commandment, but after the power 
of an endless life." He "is a priest for ever. 1 ' 
Heb. 7:10, 17, 24, 25, 28. He abideth ever 
over the house of God. I am glad — are not 
vou ? — that there is to be no change in the 
priesthood of our profession. No change is 
possible. None but Jesus is worthy of the 
office. Any change would be for the worse. 
We could never have another like Jesus. 

His priesthood suggests these lessons : 



156 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

1. How vain are all oilier sacrifices for sin. 
No tears, no blood, no offerings but those ol 
Christ can avail for us. He who pleads other 
merits before God is a thief and a robber. 
John 10 : 1. A few years ago, an archbishop 
of Paris was dying of wounds received in an 
emeute. He said : "0 God, I offer to thee my 
present bodily sufferings as an atonement for 
the errors of my episcopate." But the suffer- 
ings of a sinner have no merit, no efficacy to 
atone. Jesus only, Jesus alone has so suf- 
fered as to make reconciliation for the people. 

2. In Christ we have all we need. Jesus 
is so excellent in person and character, and is 
so highly in favor with God, that if he will 
but manage our cause and plead for us before 
the throne, we cannot fail. He counts it not 
robbery to be equal with God, and yet he is 
not ashamed to call us brethren. He can lay 
his hand upon God and upon us. In all 
things he suits our case and meets our neces- 
sities. His offering was perfect. It was fully 
accepted of God. He was a sin-offering. He 
bore the sin of many. This suits us. Sinners, 
sinners only, sinners always need expiation. 
The effect of Christ's oblation has been mar- 
vellous. Its wonders will never cease. It is 



THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 157 

now filling heaven with a happy throng of 
worshippers, and with thundering hallelujahs. 

3. With Christ for our high priest, we" 
may exercise great boldness in prayer. Thus 
Paul reasons: "Let us therefore come boldly 
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain 
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.'' 
Again: "Having a high priest over the house 
of God, let us draw near with a true heart, 
in full assurance of faith, having our hearts 
sprinkled from an evil conscience and our 
bodies washed with pure water." Heb. 4:1G ; 
10:21, 22. 

4. In Christ's priesthood we have a sure 
foundation for Christian steadfastness. So 
Paul reasoned: "Seeing then that we have a 
great High Priest, that is passed into the heav- 
ens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our 
profession." Again: "Let us hold fast the 
profession of our faith without wavering; for 
he is faithful that promised." Heb. 4:14; 
10 : 23. It cannot but be safe to rely on such 
a Redeemer, and fearlessly do our duty. 

5. This doctrine is essentially connected 
with the whole life of faith as Paul shows at 
length in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. 

6. This doctrine is full of comfort to the 



158 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

afflicted. So Paul uses it at length in the 
twelfth chapter of Hebrews. 

7. This doctrine leads the pious soul to 
acts of thanksgiving, as nothing else does. 
11 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of 
praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of 
our lips, giving thanks to his name." Heb. 
13 : 15. The great gospel feast is that of the 
Eucharist. 

8. The great motive to a life of benevo- 
lence is drawn from this doctrine of Christ's 
priesthood. So Paul uses it: "Be not forget- 
ful to entertain strangers;" "Remember them 
that are in bonds, as bound with them ;" "To 
do good, and to communicate, forget not : for 
with such sacrifices God is well pleased." 
Heb. 13:2, 3, 16. 

9. It is at our peril that we reject the 
priesthood of Jesus. Yea more, we are un- 
done if we do it. On this point Paul is urgent : 
"How shall we escape if we neglect so great 
salvation?" "See that ye refuse not him that 
speaketh." "He that despised Moses' law died 
without mercy under two or three witnesses : 
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, 
shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden 
under foot the Son of God, and hath counted 



THE PEIESTHOOD OF CHKIST. 159 

the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was 
sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done 
despite unto the Spirit of grace." Heb. 2:3; 
12 : 25 ; 10 : 28, 29. These solemn and awful 
texts establish these points : 1. Neglect of 
Christ is refusal of his grace. 2. Persistent 
neglect of Christ is followed by inevitable 
damnation. 3. There is something worse than 
dying without mercy under Moses' law. 4. Sin 
reaches its height when we trample on the 
blood of Christ. 5. He who neglects Christ, 
does despite to the Holy Spirit. A gospel 
despiser is acting as foolishly as he is wick- 
edly. impenitent man ! your condition is 
indeed sad. Your worst fears are not as bad 
as the truth would justify. The awful sen- 
tence of a broken law is against you ; your 
own conscience will sooner or later flash dam- 
nation in your face ; even now your polluted 
heart often writhes in agony ; your wicked 
life is a token of perdition. The day of your 
death is near at hand ; there is a dreadful 
hell just before you, and you deserve to be 
cast into it. turn, turn, turn to God 
before the door of mercy closes for ever. 



160 THE ROCK OF OUR SALTATION. 
CHAPTEE IX. 

CHRIST A KING. 

Those who reject Christ as King have 
never truly received him as Prophet or Priest. 
His yoke and his doctrine, his rule and his 
rest, go together. If his love does not make 
us obedient to his laws, we have no interest 
in his merits. We are not wise unto salva- 
tion till we bow to his authority. If we are 
partakers of his redemption, we are certainly 
partakers of his holiness. We may talk of his 
wonderful teachings, or boast of our interest 
in his amazing sacrifice, but it is all in vain 
so long as we refuse to own him as our Leader 
and Commander. Wherever he comes to bless, 
he comes as a Conqueror. His rule is as just 
as it is welcome to the penitent : " For to this 
end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, 
that he might be Lord both of the dead and 
living." Pom. 14:9. No law of Christ is too 
strict for a believer. With a controlling power 
his conscience enforces, and his heart embraces 
every precept of his Master. The kingly office 
of Christ is our theme. 



CHRIST A KING. 1G1 

1. Prophecy required that Christ should 
he a King. So ran that great fundamental 
prediction made to David : "I will set up thy 
seed after thee . . . and I will establish his 
kingdom . . . and I will stablish the throne of 
his kingdom for ever. I will be his Father, 
and he shall be my Son.' 7 2 Sam. 7 : 12-14. 
Again : "I have set my King upon my holy 
hill of Zion." Psa. 2 : C. Again : " 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 called Wonderful, Counsel- 
lor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, 
the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his 
government and peace there shall be no end, 
upon the throne of David, and upon his king- 
dom, to order it, and to establish it with judg- 
ment and with justice from henceforth even for 
ever." Isa. 9:6, 7. The great promise to Beth- 
lehem Ephratah was: "Out of thee shall he 
come forth unto, me that is to be Euler in 
Israel." Mic. 5:2. So also the angel Gabriel 
said of him to Mary : " 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 king- 



162 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

dom 'there shall be no end." Luke 1 : 32, 33. 
It is thus clear that prophecy required him to 
be a King. 

II. When Jesus Christ was upon his trial 
before Pilate, that guilty trifler "said unto 
him, Art thou a king then ?" And in the lan- 
guage commonly used in those days to affirm, 
he answered, "Thou sayest that I am a king." 
The meaning is, Thou correctly sayest I am a 
king. And that all may see his solemn ear- 
nestness, he immediately adds, "To this end 
was I born, and for this cause came I into the 
world, that I should bear witness unto the 
truth. Every one that is of the truth hear- 
eth my voice." So that Christ's mission into 
this world would have been in vain, if this 
"truth" had not been received. Twenty- 
seven years after Christ's trial, Paul, writing 
to a young minister, and giving him a chaise 
to be faithful, calls his attention to this awful 
scene in the judgment-hall, when "Jesus Christ 
before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good con- 
fession." 1 Tim. 6:13. The only thing Christ 
confessed on his trial before Pilate was, that 
he was a king and Christ. This was his "good 
confession." It was good, because it was true. 
" He sealed it with his precious blood." 



CHRIST A KING. 1G3 

Til. Jesus Christ is often called Lord, 
Master, Governor, Ruler, Shepherd, Prince, 
Prince and Saviour, the great Prince, the 
Prince of Life, the Prince of Peace, the Prince 
of princes, the Prince of the kings of the earth, 
a King, the King, the King of kings and Lord 
of lords. This last title is first found in 1 Tim- 
othy 6:15, 10 : "Which in his times he shall 
show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, 
the King of kings and Lord of lords, who only 
hath immortality, dwelling in the light which 
no man can approach unto ; whom no man 
hath seen, nor can see : to whom be honor 
and power everlasting. Amen." Some apply 
this passage to Christ, some to the Father, 
and some to the Godhead without distinction 
of persons. For the purposes of this argu- 
ment, either mode suits our object. If it refers 
to Christ, it settles the question of his kingly 
authority. If it refers to the Father, or to 
the Divinity without distinction of persons, 
then it settles the point that the highest sov- 
ereignty is thus declared. And we have the 
very same language, thirty-five years after, 
applied to Christ : " The Lamb shall overcome 
them : for he is Lord of lords and King of 
kings ;" "And he hath on his vesture and on 



164 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

his thigh a name written, King of kings and 
Lord of lords." Eev. 17:14; 19 :16. Surely 
Jesus is a King. 

IV. In the Scriptures, Jesus Christ is said 
to possess all the badges and tokens of a king. 
He has a throne : "Thy throne, God, is for 
ever and ever," Heb. 1:8; "To him that 
overcoineth will I give to sit with me in my 
throne," Eev. 3:21. He has a crown; for 
we read of " the crown wherewith his mother 
crowned him in the day of his espousals." 
Cant. 3:11. About a thousand } T ears later 
John says: "And a crown was given unto 
him ; and he went forth conquering, and to 
conquer." Rev. 6 : 2. And to show the am- 
plitude of his kingly authority, John says : 
" And on his head were many crowns." Rev. 
19 : 12. Christ has a sceptre : " A sceptre of 
righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." 
Heb. 1 : 8. Christ has a kingdom. He says 
to Pilate : " My kingdom is not of this world : 
if my kingdom were of this world, then would 
my servants fight, that I should not be deliv- 
ered to the Jews : but now is mij kingdom uot 
from hence." John 18 : 36. Christ has sub- 
jects. In the verse just cited he speaks of his 
servants. His people in heaven and earth feel 



CHRIST A KING. IG5 

honored by being allowed to live under him, 
and to serve him, And at God's command 
all the angels of heaven have taken the oath 
ol* allegiance to him: "Let all the angels of 
God worship him." Heb. 1 : 6. He has the 
sword: "Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, 
most Mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty." 
Psa. 45 : 3. He deals with his enemies like a 
great King : "He shall break them with a rod 
of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's 
vessel." Psa. 2 : 9. Surely he is a King. 

V. But what sort of a king is Christ? Let 
us see. 

1. He is an everlasting King: His "go- 
ings forth have been from of old, from ever- 
lasting." Mic. 5 : 2. He " was in the begin- 
ning with God." John 1 :2. He " was set up 
from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever 
the earth was." Prov. 8:23. Nor shall he 
ever cease to be King : " Thy throne, God, 
is for ever and ever." Heb. 1 :8. The great 
prophet of the captivity expressly says his 
"kingdom is an everlasting kingdom," "which 
shall never be destroyed." Dan. 2:44; 7:27. 
"His throne shall endure as the days of heav- 
en." Glory to God for that, 

2. He is a wise King. One of his names 



166 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

is Wisdom. Prov. 8. According to proph- 
ecy, lie has dealt prudently in all things. 
Isa. 52 :13. He has never made any mistake. 
He orders and establishes his kingdom with 
the ken of omniscience. He leads his people 
by the right way, that they may go to a city 
of habitation. Psa. 107:7. He teaches them 
all in the wa} r of wisdom ; he leads them in 
right paths. "Wl en they go, their steps shall 
not be straitened ; and when they run they 
shall not stumble. 

3. He is a just King. He preserveth the 
faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud- 
doer. Just and right is he. He accepteth 
not the person of princes, nor regardeth the 
rich more than the poor. "A sceptre of right- 
eousness is the sceptre of his kingdom." Heb. 
1 :8. However things may seem to us, right- 
eousness and judgment are the habitation of 
his throne. Our King can do no wrong. He 
never has done wrong to any. Much as he 
had set his heart on saving sinners, he would 
not open the gates of paradise to one of them 
till he had bound himself by oath and cove- 
nant to satisfy all the claims of justice, and to 
bring in everlasting righteousness. He will 
not carry one sinner to glory, trampling on 



CHRIST A KING. 1G7 

the rights and government of God as he goes. 
When the awful scenes of the last day shall 
come, the heavens shall declare his righteous- 
ness, and all the people see his glory. Not a 
blot shall be found on his escutcheon, nor an 
error in his awards. Hallelujah ! The Judge 
of all the earth will do right. 

4. Christ is an almighty King. Nothing 
is too hard for him. None can resist him. 
He carries the keys of the invisible world ; 
he opens, and none can shut ; he shuts, and 
none can open. He controls all causes and 
all agents. He is the Lord strong and mighty, 
the Lord mighty in battle. Who would set 
the briers and thorns against him in battle ? 
He would go through them, and burn them 
together. At his rebuke the pillars of heaven 
tremble. The hiding of his power none can 
understand. He is "the Almighty." Rev. 
1:8. Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipo- 
tent reigneth. 

5. Jesus is a meek, tender, merciful, conde- 
scending King. He never breaks the bruised 
reed. He never quenches the smoking flax. 
The haughtiest monarchs he has trodden to 
hell ; but he never trampled on a broken 
heart. "Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion ; 



168 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

shout, daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy 
King cometh unto thee: he is just, and hav- 
ing salvation ; lowly, and riding upon an ass." 
Zech. 9:9. Yes, He who commands the twenty 
thousand chariots of heaven, Psalm 68 : 17, 
entered the holy city in the humblest manner, 
even when receiving a triumph decreed to 
him by prophecy. Yea more, he wept over 
the very city that was about to imbrue its 
hands in his blood. It was but ten days after 
his ascension till he sent his ministers and his 
Spirit to call his murderers to repentance; 
and in one day thousands of them were made 
to rejoice in his loving-kindness. Though the 
heaven is his throne and the earth is his foot- 
stool, yet he dwells with him that is poor and 
of a contrite spirit, and trembles at God's 
word. 

6. Jesus Christ is a King of exhaustless 
resources. He has unsearchable riches. He 
is heir of all things. The stars, and the sea, 
and the dry land are his, for he made them. 
He is Lord of angels. "He is Lord of all." 
Acts 10:36. Yea, he is " the Lord of glory." 
1 Cor. 2:8. All power in heaven and earth 
is given unto him. Matt. 28:18. When he 
promises grace and glory, we know it is sure 



CHRIST A KING. 169 

to come. When he pledges a crown and a 
kingdom and a royal priesthood to the hum- 
blest of his followers, we may judge of his 
immense treasures and possessions. He gives 
even to his enemies, many a time, great wealth, 
and even diadems, though he respects no 
man's person. The earth is his, and the ful- 
ness thereof. 

VI. But what sort of a kingdom has Christ? 
Just such as 3 t ou would expect such a King to 
preside over. 

1. It is divinely ordered and ordained. 
Hear his own words : "I appoint unto you a 
kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto 
me." Luke 22:29. His regal power is no 
usurpation: "The Father of glory . . . raised 
him from the dead, and set him at his own 
right hand in the heavenly places, far above 
all principality, and power, and might, and 
dominion, and every name that is named, not 
only in this world, but also in that which is 
to come ; and hath put all things under his 
feet, and gave him to be the head over all 
things to the church." Eph. 1 :17, 20-22. 

2. Christ's kingdom is not of this world. 
He says so expressly, John 18 :36. It is not 
based on worldly wisdom; it is not ruled by 



170 THE EOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

worldly maxims ; it is not managed by crafty 
statesmanship. Scott says: "It has nothing 
to do with men's temporal interests or privi- 
leges ; it leaves rulers and subjects in the same 
situation as it found them. It is therefore no 
fit object of jealousy to any government. Je- 
sus never armed his followers. His disciples 
were inoffensive in their habits, and were for- 
bidden to fight for him, even when he was 
apprehended. So that his kingdom is clearly 
not of a secular nature, but relates wholly to 
Spiritual and heavenly things, and is sup- 
ported entirely by spiritual sanctions and 
authority." 

3. Christ's kingdom is not his without a 
cause. He has deserved all his honors and 
all his authority. He is not on the throne by 
an act of grace to him, but hy his own ama- 
zing merits : He was "in the form of God," 
and "thought it not robbery 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 him- 
self, and became obedient unto death, even the 
death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath 
highly exalted him, and given him a name 



CHKIST A KING. 171 

which is above every name ; that at the name 
of Jesns every knee should bow, of things in 
heaven, and things in earth, and things under 
the earth, and that every tongue should con- 
fess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of 
God the Father." Phil. 2:6-11. All heaven 
publicly and adoringly ascribes his kingly ex- 
altation to his own merits. Rev. 5:12. Their 
cry ever is, "Worthy is the Lamb." 

4. His kingdom is universal. It includes 
all worlds, all creatures, all causes. Nothing 
in heaven, nothing in earth, nothing under the 
earth is outside of it. His saints praise him. 
The angels adore him. The devils are subject 
to him. The king's heart is in his hands, and 
he turneth it whithersoever he will. His king- 
dom ruleth over all. 

5. Christ's kingdom is supreme. He is 
over all G-od blessed for ever. There is no 
principality over him. His kingdom is not a 
wheel within another wheel, an imperium in 
imperio ; but it is so exalted that there is 
nothing above it. 

6. It is stable. Nothing can shake it. 
Many a bold conspiracy has been formed 
against it, but all in vain. Worms cannot 
spit their venom so as to reach the stars in 



172 THE KOCK OF OUB SALVATION. 

their course. Nor can puny mortals reach the 
person or the power of our Immanuel. 

7. Christ's kingdom is full of energy. By 
his own divine efficiency he carries on his 
government. Pie upholds all things by his 
powerful word. He does his will in heaven 
and in earth. He is expecting till his ene- 
mies become his footstool. Not an empire 
rises or sinks but by his will. Not a sparrow 
falls to the ground without his notice. Every 
change on earth is by his providence. He 
is subverting wicked counsels and defeating 
wicked plots, till he shall have done his whole 
pleasure upon Mount Zion. 

His work on his people is mighty. He 
subdues them to himself. By love, by power, 
by truth, by chastisement, by terrible things 
in righteousness, in mercy, in judgment, in 
faithfulness, in loving kindness, he reigns their 
Lord and Master. He chains their great 
adversary ; he subdues their iniquities under 
them ; he strips the world of its fatal fascina- 
tions ; he makes them willing in the clay of his 
power ; he leads them into all necessary truth. 
A joyful allegiance to Christ is a great ele- 
ment of true piety. 

8. His kingdom is and perhaps ever will 



CHEIST A KING. 173 

bo above human comprehension. "God mani- 
fest in the flesh' 7 is the mystery of mysteries. 
When Christ is about to do his greatest won- 
ders, both of judgment and of mercy, he often 
gives no such notice as arrests attention. 
The kingdom of God cometh not with obser- 
vation. The Lord conies suddenly to his tem- 
ple. He cloeth mighty things which we look 
not for. When we are shut up and cannot 
come forth, then he brings us out into a 
large place. When he turns our captivity, we 
are like them that dream. The resurrection 
of Christ, his ascension to heaven, the mira- 
cles of Pentecost, the release of Peter, the 
conversion of Paul surprised both good and 
bad men. It shall be so to the end of time. 
The judgment day itself will abound with 
wonders, beyond all the days of earth. One 
great mystery is that both we and the Captain 
of our salvation are "made perfect through 
suffering." Strange that he should scourge 
every son whom he receiveth ; but so runs Lis 
counsel, and so we become partakers of the 
Divine nature. 

Somr-times to us his delays are unaccount- 
able, and we cry out, "0 Lord, how long? 
Why tarry thy chariot wheels ? Why do the 



174 THE ROOK OF OUR SALVATION. 

wicked prosper? Why are waters of a full 
cup wrung out to thy chosen ones ?" But we 
forget that with the Lord one clay is as a 
thousand years, and a thousand years as one 
day. He inhabiteth eternity. His prospects 
are bounded by no horizon. His delays to 
punish are stupendous mercies. Without them 
no flesh would be spared. 

1. Let us put our hand into our Saviour's 
hand to lead us as he will. A child of God 
was very sick. She had suffered long and 
severely. She was asked whether she would 
not prefer death to life. "Just as the Lord 
pleases," was her reply. "But," said one, "if 
God should refer it to you, which would you 
choose?" She replied : "Then I would refer it 
back again to God." She was right. She was 
wise. Should we settle such a question, it 
would almost certainly be decided wrong. If 
the Master determines it there will be no mis- 
take. Besides, when we wholly submit our 
will to his will, his will becomes ours, and so 
we have our way because God has his way. 
When that which pleases the Lord pleases us, 
nothing can take away our rejoicing. Much 
of the bliss of heaven consists in this happy 



CHRIST A KING. 175 

temper. No doubt things are constantly oc- 
curring in the realms above which would pro- 
voke resistance and rebellion in hearts not 
taught perfect submission to the will of God. 
The demand for hearty acquiescence is most 
reasonable, because the Lord is unerring. It 
he were ever unkind, if he were unwise, if he 
were feeble, we might hesitate. But he is too 
good, too perfect to be doubted. 

2. The church is safe. The gates of hell 
shall not prevail against her. She enjoys her 
Monarch's love and her Monarch's care. Jesus 
lives and reigns for ever. To all believers we 
may boldly sa} r , " "Who shall harm you, if ye 
be followers of that which is good?" The 
solution of a good man's perplexities, and the 
quelling of his fears, can often be had by 
remembering that our Saviour's throne is the 
throne of God, and that his ways are the ways 
of God. He giveth account of none of his 
matters. The Lord our God in the midst of 
us is mighty, mighty to save all who take ref- 
uge in him, mighty to destroy all who dare 
rise up against Zion. Christ's kingly office is 
made illustrious in bringing good out of evil, 
light out of darkness, and joy out of sorrow. 
When the unhappy Dr. Dodd was on his way 



176 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

to execution, a brutish man came and taunted 
him as a culprit, though a minister of the gos- 
pel. He had indeed committed a great crime, 
but there is some reason to hope that he was 
a true penitent. In his anguish, heightened by 
the gaze of the multitude and the reproaches 
of this base accuser, he quoted those memora- 
ble words which the prophet Micah put into 
the mouth of the church : "Rejoice not against 
me, mine enemy ; when I fall, I shall arise ; 
when 1 sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a 
light unto me. I will bear the indignation of 
the Lord, because I have sinned against him, 
until he plead my cause, and execute judgment 
for me ; he will bring me forth to the light, 
and I shall behold his righteousness." The 
gioom}^ procession moved on, the crowd be- 
coming more dense, until at last the man who 
had used the reproach was crushed to the 
earth and perished, though no one intended 
him evil. Thus were fulfilled the words of the 
very next verse, which Dodd had not quoted : 
"He that is mine enemy . . . shall be trodden 
down as the mire of the streets." Christ is 
the Prince of the kings of the earth. 

3. We greatly misrepresent the church, 
and Christ also, when we teach that his king. 



CHKIST A KING. 177 

dom is of this world, that the weapons of her 
warfare are carnal, that the linen white and 
clean of her members can be trailed in the 
mire of this world's maxims, usages, and pol- 
icy, without being defiled. There is no risk in 
asserting that the cause of Christ has been 
more injured by being represented so as to 
sanction the vices and crimes and follies of 
men, than by all the fires of persecution ever 
kindled. The great error of the Jews respect- 
ing Messiah's kingdom was that it was of this 
world. His own followers labored under this 
error for a long time. They said, "Lord 
wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to 
Israel ?' ; 

4. Let all who are yet out of Christ, be 
reconciled to him now while it is called to- 
day. He has a right to your highest homage. 
He is your rightful sovereign. Out of him 
you are undone. He has come and is calling 
for you. Will you accept his grace ?" ' He 
has done more for you than all your earthly 
friends united. He offers you the life that 
now is and that which is to come. Oh that 
you would be wise, wise for yourself, wise 
unto salvation, wise for eternity. "Kiss the 
Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from 

8* 



178 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

the way when his wrath is kindled but a 
little." 

now unto the klng eternal, immortal, 
invisible, the only wise god our saviour, 
be honor and glory for ever and ever. 
Amen. 



CHBIST'S HUMILIATION. 170 

CHAPTER X. 

CHRIST'S HUMILIATION. 

Some distinguish between Christ's conde- 
scension in assuming our nature, and his 
humiliation in suffering. But the distinction 
is useless. God "humbleth himself to behold 
the things that are in heaven and in the 
earth." Ps. 113:6. Surely then he humbled 
himself when he became incarnate. This has 
already been considered. 

Respecting the humiliation of the Saviour, 
the language of Scripture is strong: "He 
made himself of no reputation [literally, he 
emptied himself] and took upon him* the form 
of a servant, and was made in the likeness 
of men: and being found in fashion [form or 
figure] as a man, he humbled himself, and 
became obedient unto death, even the death 
of the cross." This is an outline of our Lord's 
Humiliation, which has long been and will for 
ever be the wonder and the song of angels 
and redeemed men. The whole of our Lord's 
history on earth was one series of acts of self- 
emptying and humiliation. 



180 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

Let us begin with the humble circumstan- 
ces in which he came into the world. The 
husband of his mother was an artisan, com- 
monly supposed to be a carpenter. Matt. 
1 3 : 55. Both he and the mother of our Lord 
were descended from David. Luke 2 : 4. But 
this family was fallen so low that when 
Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem their 
descent from David secured them no atten- 
tions or civilities, but they were lodged in 
a house built for cattle. There the mother 
of our Lord brought forth her child, and 
wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid 
him in a manger, because there was no room 
in the inn. Luke 2 :7. And when she brought 
him to present him to the Lord, her offering 
was that of the poorest, "a pair of turtle- 
doves or two young pigeons." The law of 
Moses admitted that offering for those who 
were " not able to bring a lamb." Lev. 12 :8. 
Thus the most highly favored among women 
was found in the depths of poverty and in 
great neglect. Her first-born shared her lot. 
I have heard of but one child born in a stable. 
That was the holy child Jesus. 

At his birth our Lord had all the weak- 
ness of infancy. He was helpless and de- 



CHEIST'S HUMILIATION. 181 

pendent like other children. The inspired 
history tells us that he "increased in wisdom 
and stature, and in favor with God and man." 
Luke 2 : 52. He had the trials of childhood. 

No sooner was his birth known than Herod 
the Great, a cruel and bloody man, became 
intent on his death. He killed all the young 
children in one district of the land in the 
hope that he would thereby surely destroy 
Jesus. By timely warning from God that 
infant Saviour was rescued from the threat- 
ened evil ; but only by flight into Egypt — 
Egypt, the "Rahab" and "Leviathan" of 
Scripture. The cruel, idolatrous, and degra- 
ded people- of that land had a hereditary 
and inveterate hatred against the Jews ; but 
now their country was a safer asylum to this 
blessed famity than any city or village of 
Judea. 

On their return from Egypt, they settled 
in Nazareth. By some means this place had 
been rendered odious. Even the guileless 
Nathanael shared in the common aversion, 
and cried, "Can there any good thing come out 
of Nazareth?" John 1 : 46. Here Jesus spent 
the most of his life till he was thirty years old. 
Nazareth is not once mentioned in the Old 



182 THE BOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

Testament, nor by Josephus. Prophecy said 
that Christ should be " despised and rejected 
of men." This was the same as saying he 
should be called "aNazarene." Compare Isa. 
53:3 and Matt. 2 : 23. Nazareth was probably 
infamous for the fierceness and brutality of its 
people. Luke 4 : 16-30. It was not the seat 
of any famous school. As a place of residence 
it had the advantage of privacy ; and its geo- 
graphical position was truly beautiful. Here 
our Lord lived and wrought at the same craft 
as Joseph, for his own countrymen said, "Is 
not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?" 
Mark 6:3. If there was any school at Naza- 
reth, Jesus does not seem to have attended it; 
for the Jews said, "How knoweth this man 
letters, having never learned?" John 7:15. 
Another part of Christ's humiliation con- 
sisted in his being tempted. Heb. 2:18; 4:15. 
True, the prince of this world found nothing 
in him. John 14 : 30. In his holy soul was no 
fuel to be kindled by the fiery darts ; but it 
must have filled him with anguish to have so 
foul suggestions made to him. So far as we 
know, his first great conflict with the adver- 
sary was in the wilderness. It lasted forty 
days. Luke 4:2. Christ was about to enter 



CHRIST'S HUMILIATION. 183 

on his public ministry, and retired to the wil- 
derness under the best desires to commune 
with God. But Satan annoyed him continu- 
ally. The temptation grew worse and worse 
to the close. The adversary then tempted 
him to use his miraculous power to prove his 
divinity to Satan, and to satisfy his own hun- 
ger, as he had eaten nothing for forty days. 
The wicked one also tempted him to an act of 
presumption by throwing himself from the pin- 
nacle of the temple. Finally, he offered him 
immense possessions and great honors, the 
kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, 
if he would commit one act of idolatry. It 
added not a little to the power of these beset- 
ments that they were urged on Christ in his 
solitude. Although each assault was an utter 
failure, yet the devil departed from him but 
for a season. Luke 4:13. The Saviour was 
tempted in all points like as we are, yet with- 
out sin. 

As Jesus was born, so he lived and died 
poor. He said, "The foxes have holes, and 
the birds of the air have nests : but the Son of 
man hath not where to lay his head." Matt. 
8 : 20. During his ministry he seems to have 
chiefly subsisted upon the charity of some 



184 THE BOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

poor, pious women. Well did lie know what 
it was to suffer hunger and want. When a 
capitation tax was demanded of him, though 
it was but half a crown for himself and Peter, 
lie could not pay it without a miracle. 

Another element of Christ's humiliation 
was his liability to affliction. Above all that 
ever lived he was the " man of sorrows." He 
was subject to disappointment, grief, vexa- 
tion, a sense of wrong, a sense of the ingrati- 
tude of men, and the pangs arising from a dis- 
regard of all the principles of friendship. His 
holy soul was filled with anguish by his cruel 
rejection. "He was in the world, and the 
world was made by him, and the world knew 
him not. He came unto his own, and his own 
received him not." John 1:10, 11. None of 
the princes of this world knew him. 1 Cor. 2 : 8. 
" We hid as it were our faces from him; . . . 
we esteemed him not." Isa. 53 : 3. Those 
countless annoyances, called slights, must 
have pierced him deeply. The people of the 
city where he had been brought up were so 
offended at his first sermon in their syna- 
gogue, that they attempted to destroy his life 
by casting him down from a high rock. Luke 
4:16-30. And when he claimed existence 



CHRIST'S HUMILIATION. 185 

prior to Abraham, the Jews took up stones to 
cast at him. John 8 : 59. For saving two 
men from the most frighful torments, followed 
by the loss of some swine, the whole city of 
the Gergesenes "besought him that he would 
depart out of their coasts." They preferred 
their swine, madmen, and devils, to the Prince 
of Peace. Matt. 8 : 34. Afterwards, on his 
trial, the Jews cried, "Away with him; awa} r 
with him." John 19:15. They preferred to 
have a murderer turned loose on their com- 
munity, rather than that the Son of God 
should longer teach his heavenly doctrines. 
Their cry was, "Not this man, but Barabbas." 
During his whole ministry the leaders among 
his foes denied that God had sent him. John 
10:24-26. Never was mission so well attest- 
ed. Never were attestations so malignantly 
set aside. 

And never were hard names and oppro- 
brious epithets so heaped upon any one. His 
enemies said he was a deceiver, John 7 : 12 ; 
gluttonous and a winebibber, a friend of pub- 
licans and sinners, Matt. 11 : 19. They said 
he was in league with the prince of the dev- 
ils, and that by Satanic power he wrought 
miracles. Surely above all others he en- 



186 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

dured the contradiction of sinners against 
himself. Heb. 12:3. Nor were these things 
without their dreadful effects on his refined 
and tender nature. " His visage was so 
marred more than any man, and his form 
more than the sons of men." Speaking in his 
name the prophet said, "Reproach hath bro- 
ken my heart ; and I am full of heaviness ; 
and I looked for some to take pity, but there 
was none ; and for comforters, but I found 
none." Ps. 69 : 20. The same prophet had 
elsewhere said in his name, " I am a worm, 
and no man ; a reproach of men, and despised 
of the people. All they that see me laugh 
me to scorn ; they shoot out the lip, they 
shake the head." Ps. 22 : 6, 7. 

The annals of our race furnish no parallel 
to his history in the want of sympathy under 
amazing sufferings. No terms of derision, no 
taunts in the midst of his agonies were by his 
enemies deemed indecent. Matt. 27 : 40-43. 
In his greatest trial, when he most needed the 
offices of friendship, his ' ' disciples forsook 
him and fled." Matt. 26 : 56. The very bold- 
est of all his followers denied him thrice, and 
even with oaths and curses. Mark 14 : 71. 
Never by countenance did friend express such 



CHRIST'S HUMILIATION. 187 

surprise, regret, and reproof, as when Christ 
looked on Peter after the cock crew. 

He was not ou\y denied by one disciple ; 
he was betrayed by another in a manner full 
of base hypocrisy, even with a kiss. The gen- 
eral motive for his betrayal was the depravity 
of Judas. The special motive was covetous- 
tiess. Yet the son of perdition sold him for the 
paltry sum of thirty pieces of silver, the amount 
fixed by the law of Moses as the price of a 
slave, to be paid to his owner if his death had 
been brought about by the goring of a neigh- 
bor's ox. Ex. 21 :32. In prophetically speak- 
ing of this sum, Zechariah ironically calls it a 
goodly price. He cast the amount in scorn to the 
potter in the house of the Lord. Zech.ll :13. 

Another element in our Lord's humiliation 
was the character of the testimony on his trial. 
The witnesses were all suborned. The Jews 
"sought false witness against Jesus to put 
him to death, but found none, yea, though 
many false witnesses came, yet found they 
none." Matt, 26 : 59, 60. That is, the law 
required two concurring witnesses, and they 
found not two who agreed. "At the last came 
two false witnesses, and said, This fellow said, 
I am able to destroy the temple of God, and 



188 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

to build it in three days." Matt. 26 : 60, 61. 
These witnesses lied, for they had not heard 
him say any thing about destroying the tem- 
ple, and what he did say was quite unlike 
what they alleged. "Destroy this temple," 
(i. e., kill this body.) "and in three days I 
will raise it up." John 2 : 19. The thing 
charged was absurd and frivolous as well as 
false. No wonder Jesus held his peace and 
answered nothing. The Jews evidently felt 
that they had made good no serious charge ; 
for they tried to get from him a confession 
that he was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed. 
Our Lord felt it was a right time to speak, 
whereupon he made that "good confession," 
so precious in the church ever since. He said 
he was the Christ. 

The course of the judge who sat on his 
trial, while it was a disgrace to himself, was a 
deep humiliation to Jesus. If history can be 
trusted, Pilate was a monster of perfidy, ava- 
rice, cruelty, and obstinacy. Previously he 
had fallen on some poor Galileans and butch- 
ered them while they were making their pre- 
scribed offerings, thus mingling their blood 
with their sacrifices. Luke 13:1. No de- 
cency of life, no solemnity of religion could 



CHKIST'S HUMILIATION. 189 

restrain him. Over and over again did ho 
confess that Jesus had violated no law, had 
committed no offence. His wife warned him 
to do nothing against that just person. He 
knew that the chief priests had delivered him 
up for envy. He was afraid that he would lose 
his place if he did not give sentence against 
Jesus. Instead of abiding by his own clear 
convictions, he turned to the malignant ene- 
mies of the innocent sufferer before him and 
asked them what the sentence should be. 
Compare Matt. 27:18,19, 24, and John 19:12- 
16. Before yielding to the violence of the 
mob around the judgment-seat, this merce- 
nary and vacillating creature made a feeble 
effort to convince the Jews that the prisoner 
before him ought not to die, saying, "Why, 
what evil hath he done?" Matt, 27 : 23. This 
failing, he thought to save his popularity and 
the life of Jesus by working on their sympa- 
thies. So he delivered Christ over to be 
scourged. This was a dreadful infliction. The 
back was made bare, the arms were drawn up, 
the scourge was applied first with the right 
hand and then with the left. At the shocking 
sight men often grew faint. All this had been 
predicted by the evangelical prophet: "I 



190 THE HOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks 
to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not 
my face from shame and spitting." Isa. 50:6. 
But all this had no effect in appeasing the 
rage of the malignant throng. JSTor did it 
strengthen any just purpose in the bosom of 
the judge. So he delivered his guiltless vic- 
tim to be crucified. Matt. 27 : 26. It is often 
asked, What became of Pilate ? His murder 
of the Galileans and like acts of violence would 
probably have caused his dismissal, had not 
Tiberius died. He however fell under the 
displeasure of the successor of that emperor, 
was degraded from office, became a wretched 
outcast, and ended his days by committing 
suicide. 

As the form of trial granted to Jesus was 
a mockery of all justice and decency, so mock- 
ery was kept up to the last. They spit in his 
face and buffeted him. Others smote him with 
the palms of their hands, and asked him, Who 
is he that smote thee ? They stripped him, 
and put on him a scarlet robe, as though he 
were a royal personage. But all was in de- 
rision. And when they had platted a crown 
of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a 
reed in his right hand : and they bowed the 



CHEIST'S HUMILIATION. 101 

knee before him, and mocked him, saying, 
Hail, King of the Jews ! And they spit upon 
him, and took the reed and smote him on the 
head. And after they had mocked him, they 
took the robe off from him, and put his own 
raiment on him, and led him away to crucify 
him. Matt. 2G : 67 ; 27 : 28, 29. 

It would be wonderful indeed if so long 
and sleepless sorrow, such scourging and smi- 
ting, had not much exhausted his strength. 
And so we find it. At first by their bidding 
he bare his own cross, John 19:17; but, as 
is supposed, growing faint under it, he could 
bear it no farther. They met a man of Cyrene, 
Simon by name. Matthew says they com- 
pelled him to bear the cross. Luke says they 
laid the cross on him that he might bear it 
after Jesus. Compare Matt. 27 : 32 and Luke 
23 :26. Who this Simon was, friend or foe, or 
how he felt on the sad occasion, is not cer- 
tain ; but he was probably suspected of lean- 
ing to the cause of Christ, It is not certain 
whether he bore the whole cross or only the 
hinder part of it. 

As the procession advanced, there followed 
him a great company of people, and of women 
which also bewailed and lamented him. Bui 



192 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

Jesus, knowing he should soon be through 
his troubles, and seeing the glory that should 
follow, turning to them, said, Weep not for 
me, but weep for yourselves and your chil- 
dren. He then foretold the awful doom of 
the holy city. Luke 23 : 27-31. 

Reaching the dreadful spot, Jesus was again 
stripped, and nailed to the cross. Truly this 
was the hour of darkness. A few days before 
the Son of God was in tears. The night be- 
fore he had been in bloody sweat. Now he is 
on the cross, receiving at the hands of men a 
punishment reserved for the worst criminals, 
and those slaves. Some think hanging on the 
cross produced dislocation. So they under- 
stand that phrase, " Ml my bones are out of 
joint," Psalm 22:14. Others think it is fig- 
urative language, descriptive of dreadful ag- 
ony, as if all the bones were dislocated. Per- 
haps this is the more probable view. The 
theory of death by crucifixion was the extinc- 
tion of life, not by strangulation, nor by loss 
of blood, but by nervous distress. The ex- 
tremities, the seat of very tender sensation, 
were wounded and lacerated. The distortions 
of the frame were dreadful. The sufferer was 
confined to one position, itself great torture 



CHRIST'S HUMILIATION. 193 

if long continued. One may read the history 
of crucifixion until his feelings are petrified. 
The details are indeed lacerating. No doubt 
a graphic description of them in a large assem- 
bly would make many swoon away. But the 
object of this chapter is not to harrow up sen- 
sibilities, but to show how Jesus humbled him- 
self, and became obedient unto death, even 
the death of the cross. 

Wondrous cross ! Wondrous tree ! The 
human mind, ever prone to superstition, has 
sought, and claims to have found, more wood 
belonging to our Saviour's cross than is found 
in one of our large edifices. But the efficacy 
of the cross is not in the wood, but in the 
blood shed by him who hung upon it. Pious 
minds must have experienced sensible relief 
when the first Christian emperor, considering 
the horrible nature of the torture, and wishing 
to put honor on the death of Christ, abolished 
punishment by crucifixion. 

Every death by the cross was shameful. 
That of our Lord was peculiarly so. He was 
crucified between two thieves, and with every 
mark of ignominy. 

Such was the agony of death by the cross 
that, as a matter of humanity, it seems to have 



194 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

been customary to administer some powerful 
narcotic to produce insensibility. "Wine 
mingled with myrrh" was offered to our Sav- 
iour, but he "received it not." Mark 15:23 
He drew his solace from another source. 
As he had despised their reproaches and 
cruelties, so he contemned their proffered 
stupefying cup. Christ would end his days 
with an unclouded intellect. He would not 
leave the world in voluntary stupor. Yet 
even the offer of wine mingled with myrrh 
was soon followed by renewed derision. Matt. 
27:42,43. 

The death of the cross is often called 
accursed. It was so indeed. Paul says : 
"It is written, Cursed is every one that hang- 
eth on a tree." Gal. 3 :13. He refers to Deu- 
teronomy 21:22, 23: "If a man have com- 
mitted a sin worthy of death, and he be to be 
put to death, and thou hang him on a tree, 
his body shall not remain all night upon the 
tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that 
day (for he that is hanged is accursed of Clod) 
that th}^ land be not defiled which the Lord 
thy God giveth thee for an inheritance." 
These texts do not teach that eternal misery 
always followed this kind of death. We know 



CHRIST'S HUMILIATION. 195 

this is not so. The penitent thief went from 
the cross to paradise. 

A few remarks may aid us in understand- 
ing these verses. 

1. Hanging in any way has always been 
esteemed odious, gibbeting the dead very 
much so, and crucifixion most of all. 2. The 
Jews contend that they never, crucified the 
living, though they admit that, after the death 
of a vile criminal, they sometimes hung his 
lifeless body on a tree. Some contend that 
they crucified the living. Perhaps they did. 
See Josh. 8:29; 2 Sam. 21:9. Josephus tells 
(lib. 13, cap. 22) of the crucifixion of eight 
hundred men by Alexander, king of the Jews. 
However this may be, the Jews and all an- 
cient nations regarded hanging on the cross 
as the most execrable death. 3. In the pas- 
sage cited from Deuteronomy, God himself 
teaches that whoever is righteously and ac- 
cording to the divine law delivered over to 
hanging, does therein receive the curse of 
God. 4. So terrible was this death, that' God 
said it should be all the punishment and dis- 
grace man should inflict on any criminal. It 
was "the curse of God;" that is, the extreme 
penalty provided for evil-doers in the Jewish 



196 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

commonwealth. Accordingly, at sunset the 
body was to be taken down, that the land 
might not be defiled by scenes which could 
but harden men's hearts. 5. Though the sen- 
tence given by Pilate was wholly unjust, and 
though it was with wicked hands that Jesus 
was crucified and slain, Acts 2:23, yet, as 
he voluntarily and by Grod's approval stood 
in our place, he bore " the curse of the law," 
not for his own, but for our sins. No doubt 
the Mosaic law pointed to the death of Christ, 
for above all that ever lived, he was "made 
a curse," though not for himself, yet " for us." 
He was not only forsaken of men, but of G-od. 
The bitterest cry ever heard came from the 
cross: " Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ?" 

Not long after, our Saviour cried with a 
loud voice, and gave up the ghost. That he 
was dead the executioners admitted, and nei- 
ther friend nor foe doubted. The water that 
came from his side proved that he was dead 
and cold. But the Lord of heaven and earth 
had no sepulchre of his own. The love of one 
of his followers secured him burial. Joseph 
of Arimathea, an honorable counsellor and a 
rich man, who had hitherto shown much timid- 
ity, went in boldly unto Pilate and craved the 



CHRIST'S HUMILIATION. 197 

body of Jesus. He bought fine line.., and 
took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, 
and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn 
out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door 
of the sepulchre. Mark 15 : 43, 46. Here the 
Lord lay surrounded by a strong guard of 
Roman soldiers. 

This was the end of his humiliation; for 
that clause in the Apostles' Creed which sa} r s, 
"He descended into hell," means no more 
than that his bod}' was under the power of 
death, and that his soul was in the invisible 
world. That our Lord's soul was not in tor- 
ment after his death is certain, for he said to 
the penitent thief, "This day shalt thou be 
with me in paradise ;" and paradise is a place 
of bliss. 

1. Why should we be in love with this 
world? It reviled, maligned, and crucified 
the Lord of life and glory. It deserves not 
our confidence or our love. 

2. Let us not make much ado about our 
sufferings. Our Master fared far worse. If 
personal innocence and unswerving benevo- 
lence could screen any one, our Lord had 
never met a rebuff 



198 THE EOCK OF OUB SALVATION. 

3. Let us not be afraid of humiliation. In 
the end it will do us no harm. It is the high- 
way to gloiy. If we would be very high, let 
us know the fellowship of Christ's sufferings, 
and be made conformable unto his death. 
Phil. 3:10. If we would reign with him, let 
us suffer with him. 

4. It is as safe as it is necessary to trust in 
the divine mercy granted to sinners through 
the bloodshedding of Christ. To believe in 
Christ is a duty, is wisdom, is eternal life. 



VIEWS OF CHRIST'S WORK. 199 

CHAPTER XI. 

GENERAL VIEWS OF CHRIST'S WORK. 

If is common to many languages to put 
a part for the whole. The sacred writings 
abound in this figure. The whole nation of 
Israel is called Jacob. The law often signi- 
fies the whole Mosaic dispensation. The death 
of Christ, or the cross of Christ, is a term to 
denote the whole system of gospel truth. The 
fear of God and the love of God are used to 
express the whole of religion. So when the 
apostle says, "We preach Christ crucified," 
he intends to say that he and his co-workers 
set forth the whole of the gospel, giving a just 
prominence to the great fact of the sacrificial 
death of our Lord. 

As preliminary to this discussion it may be 
observed : 

1. Unless man is a sinner, he needs no 
other good news than that God is just. The 
whole need not a physician. The innocent 
require no pardon. The holy need no change 
of heart. In the righteous there is no room 
for remission. It is the lost who need a Sav- 



200 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

iour. Whoever denies his guilt rejects Christ. 
Let the Governor tender pardons where guilt 
has been proven ; let him not insult the virtu- 
ous by an offer to remit the penalty for crime 
of which even the suspicion of guilt is a great 
wrong. 

2. A full and thorough conviction that we 
are sinners is both right and useful. A vague 
and general suspicion of guilt will hardly lead 
any one to embrace the gospel. Whenever 
one feels that he is wrongfully accused, and is 
full)' conscious of innocence, he asks no relax- 
ation of legal rigor. All he desires is sheer 
justice. 

3. The gospel is rendered null and void as 
to any saving efficacy in regard to all men 
who refuse to say, in the spirit of the publi- 
can, "God be merciful to me a sinner.'' Its 
morality may secure to them respectability ; 
its civilizing influences may soften the asperi- 
ties of their character ; its enlightening power 
may rescue them from barbarism, but its sav- 
ing influences they will never feel while enter- 
taining self-complacent views of themselves. 
Whoever would be cleansed in the fountain 
opened for sin and uncleanness must confess 
his sniilt Whoever would be made rich, must 



VIEWS OF CHRIST'S WORK. 201 

own his poverty. Whoever would be clothed 
upon with the righteousness of Christ, must 
bewail his own nakedness. To him who sees 
that floods of tears can never cover the moun- 
tains of his sins, it will be good news that, 
through Christ, God will cast them into the 
depths of the sea. God giveth grace to the 
humble, but he knoweth the proud afar off. 

4. As many as are under the teachings of 
God ? s Spirit will always welcome even a plain 
and familiar explanation of the plan of mercy 
revealed in the gospel. Wisdom is justified 
of her children. All others will wonder and 
perish. 

5. In preaching the gospel, nothing is to 
be concealed. It is at our peril if we with- 
hold a truth because it is offensive to the car- 
nal mind. We may not even disguise it or 
obscure it by the arts of rhetoric. Thus Paul 
says, "We preach Christ crucified, unto the 
Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks 
foolishness." Nothing could have more offend- 
ed the prejudices of Jews or assailed the wis- 
dom of Greeks than preaching Christ crucified. 
To call upon them to believe in one that had 
been hanged on a tree seemed to them mon- 
strous. Yet Paul preached this very doctrine. 

9* 



202 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

He knew its power. He says: "Unto them 
which are called, both Jews and Greeks, 
Christ" is " the power of God and the wisdom 
of God."' Nor did he publish this vital truth 
in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but in 
words which the Holy Ghost teacheth. Let us 
follow his excellent example. Let us not try 
to render the gospel pleasing to men by deny- 
ing or disguising its unwelcome truths. If we 
could persuade all men that Christ was never 
crucified, the work of salvation would be at 
an end, the humble would be cast into de- 
spair, the ignorant be rendered more brutish, 
and the world return by not very slow marches 
to idolatry and atheism. 

6. While the death of Christ was the 
crowning event in his humiliation and an 
essential part of it, it is not to be sejmrated 
from his incarnation, his perfect obedience, 
and his previous sufferings. His whole life 
upon earth, followed by his death on the cross, 
and that by his exaltation at God's right hand, 
must be taken together. 

7. The salvation of a sinner in no sense 
depends upon his fitness, but only on the ful- 
ness of Christ Jesus. If the gospel makes any 
thing plain, it surely teaches that we are saved 



VIEWS OF CHEIST'S WORK. 203 

by grace through faith, that is in Christ the 
Lord. 

"With these explanations, let us notice sev- 
eral methods by which we often point to the 
effect of the death of Christ in saving lost men. 
The human mind is weak and full of darkness 
by reason of sin. It is a mercy, therefore, 
that in several well-chosen ways God makes 
this doctrine plain to our understandings. 

I. Sometimes we represent Christ as taking 
our place ; and so substitution is the name by 
which we designate the glorious plan of gospel 
mercy. This mode of expression is appropri- 
ate and striking. Among men substitution is 
common and well understood. One is drafted 
into the army ; his brother or friend, seeing 
the importance of his presence at home, or a 
stranger moved by pecuniary reward, becomes 
his substitute. "When once, with his own con- 
sent, he is thus enrolled, he is bound to obey 
all orders as if the lot had originally fallen on 
himself. In his case, as in any other, deser- 
tion is severely punished. Substitution, once 
admitted, binds in all its rigor. There can 
be no abatement in favor of him who volun- 
tarily consents to stand in the place of another. 
When he has done all that the other was bound 



204 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

to do, and not before, is he released. So Jesus 
Christ voluntarily became our substitute. He 
took our place in the eye of the law, and "be- 
came obedient unto death." He perfectly ful- 
filled all his engagements. He never said, 
"It is finished," until he had showed us on 
the cross what temper he would have us exer- 
cise in the severest trials, and until he had 
drunk the dregs of " the cup of astonishment" 
put into his hands by the offended majesty of 
heaven. He entirely finished the work which 
God had given him to do. His release from 
the tomb was God's public declaration that 
the Substitute was bound to no more obedi- 
ence or suffering for us. He who takes Christ 
as his substitute does therefore publicly ap- 
prove of this method of salvation. By the 
act of faith in the Redeemer, he is released 
from the penalty of damnation, and from the 
law itself as a covenant of works, by the keep- 
ing of which unfallen creatures stand justified 
before God. 

II. Near akin to substitution is surety- 
shijo, in which one person undertakes to make 
good the engagements or liabilities of another. 
Christ is expressly called our Surety. Tn the 
Lord's prayer, our sins are called debts. Thev 



VIEWS OF CHRIST'S WORK. 205 

are indeed dreadful debts. We could never 
pay them. We are said to owe ten thousand 
talents, a sum equal to twelve tons of gold. 
Who can meet such liabilities ? Besides, we 
all owed a perfect obedience to the precept of 
the law, a sinless keeping of every command- 
ment. Not one of Adam's race could meet 
such demands. Seeing our indebtedness and 
helplessness and poverty, Jesus mercifully 
became our Surety. He did not indeed en- 
dorse our worthless names, but he gave his 
own most worthy name to God. He bound 
himself to pay all our debts, that is, to suffer 
the penalty due to us for sin, and to obey the 
precept of the law for righteousness to us. 
He did it ; he did it all. The law, either as 
to its curse on the rebellious or as a means of 
justification before God, claims nothing of be- 
lievers. Their tears and groans pay no part 
of their debt incurred by transgression. Their 
works of love and faith prove their sincerity 
and adorn their profession, but form no part 
of their justifying righteousness. So wonder- 
ful was this suretyship, and so perfect was the 
confidence of God in the engagements of the 
Surety, that " the souls of the elect were saved 
upon trust for four thousand } T ears. The Fa- 



206 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

ther gave credit to Christ and glorified his 
saints on the footing of a sacrifice not then 
offered up, and of a righteousness not then 
wrought. Christ also, in the days of his flesh, 
went on credit with his Father every time 
previous to his death he said to a sinner, ' Thy 
sins are forgiven thee.' "* Thus, though Jesus 
was not actually crucified till the days of Pon- 
tius Pilate, he was in the esteem of God " the 
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." 
So that "if you have been looking at works, 
duties, and qualifications, instead of looking at 
Christ, it will cost you dear. No wonder you 
go to complaining. Graces are no more than 
evidences : the merits of Christ alone, without 
your graces, must be the foundation for your 
hope to rest upon."f Blessed be God, "Christ 
is not more rich himself than he is liberal to 
contribute of his treasures. He makes his 
people sharers to the uttermost of all that he 
has."J 

III. Sometimes we speak of Christ as 
meeting the demands of God's law against us, 
and then we call his undertaking a satisfac- 
tion, a satisfaction to the law of God, a satis- 
faction to divine justice. This mode of speak - 

* Ryland. f Wilcox. % Crisp.. 



VIEWS OF CHRIST'S WORK. 207 

ing goes on the supposition that God's law is 
holy, just, and good ; that its demands, Loth 
in precept and penalty, ought to be met, and 
that God's justice is an amiable attribute, call- 
ing for no more than is right, The word sat- 
isfaction is often used in a general sense, 
not different from atonement, compensation, 
amends. But the primary meaning of satis- 
faction is, doing enough. To satisfy is to do 
all that is properly demanded. The judgment 
of all right-minded men the world over is, that 
God's precepts concerning all things are right, 
and that his judgments are equity and truth. 
To satisfy God's law is, to meet its demands 
in all respects. This Jesus Christ did for us. 
He said : " I delight to do thy will, my God ; 
yea, thy law is within my heart," Psa. 40 :8 ; 
"Mine ears hast thou opened," Psa. 40:6; 
that is, thou hast made me thy servant, As 
God's law is a transcript of his character, in 
full accordance with his justice and holiness, 
to do and suffer all the law demands is of 
course to satisfy justice — to do and suffer what 
jusiicc requires. Christ's satisfaction goes 
upon this supposition, that mere absolute re- 
mission of undeniable guilt cannot take place 
without loosening the bands of good govern- 



208 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

ment. Guilt cannot be removed without what 
some theologians call ''compensation" — with- 
out what most call satisfaction. If laws had 
no penalties, they would be mere advice. If 
their just penalties were not enforced, they 
would be idle appendages to the best laws, 
and so government would be at an end. Bat 
God's government is perfect ; he never de- 
mands more than is right ; he never unjustly 
condemns ; he cannot pardon capriciously ; 
he must show mercy, if at all, in some way 
consistent with the demands of law, justice, 
and good government. Hence the necessity 
for satisfaction. The satisfaction which Christ 
rendered is taken sometimes in an extended 
sense. It then includes all he did and suffered 
for us. Sometimes it is used in a more limited 
sense, and then it denotes his meeting all the 
demands of the law against us as sinners by 
enduring the penalty in our stead. Those 
who thus use the term speak both of the sat- 
isfaction and merit of Christ. By the latter 
they signify his obedience to the precepts of 
the law; by the former, his amazing suffer- 
ings, by which we arc set free from the curse 
of the law. His satisfaction delivers us from 
death; his merit procures for us the inherit- 



VIEWS OF CHRIST'S WORK. 209 

ance of sons. By the one the chains of con- 
demnation are taken off; by the other, the 
best robe is put upon us. One brings us out 
of Egypt ; the other brings us into Canaan. 
This difference in terms, however, makes no 
difference in doctrine. Blessed is he who 
has accepted this full and glorious satisfaction 
made by God's clear Son. On him the second 
death shall have no power. God has declared 
the law met and justice satisfied by Jesus 
Christ. Is not that enough ? Jesus gave 
himself for us that, " the justice of God being- 
satisfied and the law fulfilled, sinners might 
be freed from the wrath to come." 

How necessary this undertaking of Christ 
was is well stated by Owen : "To pardon sin 
without satisfaction in him who is absolutely 
holy, righteous, true, and faithful, the abso- 
lute, necessary, supreme Governor of all sin- 
ners, the Author of the law, and sanction of 
it, wherein punishment is threatened and de- 
clared, is to deny himself, and to do what one 
infinitely perfect cannot do." Another writer 
sa} r s : "The atonement may be defined afl 
that satisfaction for sin which was rendered 
to God as the moral governor of the world, 
by the perfect obedience unto death of oui 



210 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

Lord Jesus Christ — a satisfaction which has 
removed every obstacle, resulting from the 
divine perfections and government, to the be- 
stowment of mercy upon the guilty."* 

It is an objection of no force that the word 
satisfaction is never used in the Scriptures in 
regard to the work of Christ. We are not 
contending for words. The doctrine is taught, 
and that is enough for us. It is, however, a 
good word, and is used in Scripture on a like 
subject: "Ye shall take no satisfaction for the 
life of a murderer." Num. 35 : 31. 

IV. Sometimes we represent the work of 
Christ for us by speaking of him as a sacrifice. 
It is expressly said in Scripture that Christ 
1 ' hath given himself for us an offering and a 
sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor;" 
"he hath appeared to put away sin by the 
sacrifice of himself;" "he offered up himself." 
Eph. 5:2; Heb. 7 : 27; 9 : 26. He "bare our 
sins in his own body on the tree." 1 Pet. 2:24. 
His soul was made an offering for sin. Isa. 
53:10. Although the word sacrifice is some- 
times used to denote every kind of offering, 
yet, a sacrifice, strictly speaking, differs from 
a mere oblation in this, that in a sacrifice 

* Rev. George Payne. 



VIEWS OF CHRIST'S WORK. 211 

there is a real destruction or change of the 
tiling offered ; while an oblation is a simple 
gift without any such change. Thus tithes, 
first-fruits, and every kind of property devo- 
ted to religious uses were oblations. But sac- 
rifices, in strictness of speech, were either 
wholly or. in part consumed by fire. They 
were of three kinds : first, eucharistical, to 
express gratitude for mercies received ; sec- 
ondly, impetratory, to obtain some favor ; or, 
thirdly, exjnatory, to atone for some sin. This 
last was specially and peculiarly the sacrifice 
of Christ. " He was made sin [a sin-offering] 
for us." He died as a victim in our room and 
place. He put away sin by the sacrifice of 
himself. He offered one sacrifice for sins. 
The Jew, who had incurred ceremonial guilt, 
brought his lamb and confessed his sins over 
it ; and it became his victim, and died for 
him, and for him alone. But when John the 
Baptist saw Christ he said, "Behold the Lamb 
of God which taketh away the sin [not of one 
man, or of one nation, but] of the world." 
John 1 : 29. So that Paul well argues that 
there is no need of daily, yearly, or any more 
sacrifices, for by once offering himself to God 
Christ hath for ever perfected them that be- 



212 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

lieve, hath made an end of transgression, hath 
put away sin, and become the end of the law 
for righteousness to every one that believet'n. 
Thus is Christ the propitiation for our sins. 
That is, his sacrifice averts from us the wrath 
of God, and renders God propitious to us. 
The word propitiation is borrowed from the 
propitiatory, or mercy-seat, which covered the 
tables of the law. So the propitiation of Chrisi 
covers up the handwriting that was against 
us, and opens the way for God's mercy to flow 
forth to us lost men. It should be for our 
perpetual joy that "the redeeming power of 
the blood of Christ is greater than the con- 
demning power of sin."* The vilest sinners 
the world has ever seen, the murderers of 
Christ and the murderers of his saints, when 
they have been able to see the completeness 
of this one offering, have said, "It is enough: 
my conscience demands no more sacrifice : 
God requires no further offering." 

V. Sometimes Christ's work for us is called 
his obedience — his obedience unto death. This 
mode of speaking is found in Scripture, and is 
often adopted by good writers. Paul says 
that " by the obedience of one shall many be 

* Mather. 



VIEW OF CHRIST'S WORK. 213 

made righteous ;" that "though he were a Son, 
yet learned he obedience by the things which 
he suffered;" and that he "became obedient 
unto death, even the death of the cross." 
Rom. 5 : 19; Heb. 5:8; Phil. 2 : 8. Christ's 
obedience was both active and passive. He 
kept the precept and he bore the penalty of 
the law. He obeyed in suffering. He suf- 
fered in obe} T ing. In Eomans 5:19 obedience 
in Christ is put in contrast with disobedience in 
Adam. This is active obedience. In Philip- 
pians 2 : 8 we read of obedience unto death. This 
is passive obedience. Though we thus distin- 
guish, we never separate these two kinds of 
obedience. They are inseparable. Had our 
Lord lived a blameless life, the example would 
have been good for us, and his life pleasing to 
God ; but how could his life have saved us from 
wrath ? On the other hand, if our Lord had 
not been holy, his death could in no way have 
availed for us. The whole obedience of Christ 
has these excellent qualities. It was obedi- 
ence unto God. So he said, "I have fin- 
ished the work which thou gavest me to do." 
" The cup which my Father hath given me, 
shall I not drink it?" It was perfect. There 
was no defect in it. He did all that God 



214 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

required. He suffered all God inflicted. His 
obedience was unfailing. He shrank from 
nothing. He came short in nothing. He was 
full of zeal for the honor of God. In his 
greatest darkness he prayed, "Father, glorify 
thy name." He was full of compassion to 
men. Having loved his own, he loved them 
to the end. It was because he loved us that 
he gave himself for us. Gal. 2 : 20. 

1. There is a rich and harmonious variety 
of modes of expressing and explaining the 
great doctrine of salvation by Christ. Every 
suitable method of teaching this truth is either 
used or suggested by the sacred writers. 
While we find this pleasing variety, there is 
no diversity in the scope of their teachings. 
The} T wonderfully agree. 

2. It is of paramount importance that we 
believe and maintain the true doctrine re- 
specting Christ's undertaking for us. At no 
time and at no hazard let us yield to the clam- 
ors or insidiousness of error. In the religion 
of a sinner all depends on the work and suf- 
ferings of the Saviour. Here alone can the 
guilty have peace with God, or the despairing 
have hope beyond the grave. 



VIEWS OF CHEIST'S WOBK. 215 

3. There is no danger in making Christ all 
and in all. "It is Christ that brings ns every 
thing we get. ... If you would have any good 
you must get it by Christ.'"" "If you ever 
saw Christ, you saw him as a rock, higher than 
self-righteousness, Satan, and sin. And this 
rock follows you ; and there will be a continual 
dropping of honey and grace out of this rock 
to satisfy you."f Make much, make much 
of Christ. "Whoever hath Christ cannot be 
poor ; and whoever wants him cannot be 
rich. r J 

4. The salvation of Christ is no more rich 
than it is free. It gives milk and wine in 
abundance. And it gives without money and 
without price. i If you would be saved, you 
must simply believe, simply accept the grace 
that is offered. An experienced Christian 
said: "I never had a more lively sense of 
my acceptance with God through Christ than 
when I was sensible of the greatest recum- 
bency on him : when I laid most stress upon 
him, I always found most strength in him.''§ 

5. As our persons, so also our services 
have acceptance through Christ. The love of 
God refuses nothing which the obedient love 

* Crisp. f Wilcox. I Dyer. § Thomas Colee. 



216 THE ROCK OF OUE SALVATION., 

of his people offers through Christ Jesus. 
Imperfect indeed are all our doings. But 
perfect is the righteousness of Christ, through 
whom believing sinners and works of faith 
are graciously owned and accepted. 



REDEMPTION BY CHRIST. 217 

CHAPTER XII. 

REDEMPTION BY CHRIST. 

It has long been customary to speak of the 
recovery of lost men as the work of Redemp- 
tion. Job, David, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, all 
speak of the Redeemer. Though the word 
redeemer is not in the New Testament, yet 
redemption and corresponding terms are there 
of frequent occurrence. In the Old Testament 
the same word is rendered Redeemer and 
Avenger. The avenging of blood and re- 
deeming from bondage both devolved on the 
nearest male relative ; so that a redeemer was 
a kinsman. Our Redeemer is our brother, bone 
of our bone, flesh of our flesh. In the New 
Testament are three verbs rendered redeem 
One is from a noun which signifies a market 
and means simply to buy. It is found more 
than thirty times. It is the word used by 
our Lord when he speaks of buying a field, 
buying oxen, buying victuals. It is the word 
used by Paul, when he twice says, "Ye are 
bought with a price." 1 Cor. 6 : 20 ; 7 : 23. It 
is used by John: "Thou hast redeemed us to 

I'.ock of Sal. 10 



218 THE KOCK OF OUB SALVATION. 

God by thy blood." Eev. 5 : 9. See also Rev. 
14 : 3, 4. God's people are redeemed from 
the earth, from among men, from their sins by 
the blood of Jesus — a great price paid for 
such poor creatures — such sinful worms. 

Sometimes we have another verb, a com- 
pound of the foregoing. It occurs four times. 
This is the word used by Paul when he says : 
" Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the 
law ;" ' ' God sent forth his Son ... to redeem 
them that were under the law." Gal. 3:13; 
4:4, 5. This word signifies to buy again, to 
buy out of the hands of another. 

There is still another verb thrice used in 
the New Testament, and always rendered 
redeem. "We trusted that it had been he 
whicli should have redeemed Israel ;" He 
"gave himself for us that he might redeem us 
from all iniquity;" "Ye know that ye were 
not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver 
and gold, from your vain conversation received 
by tradition from your fathers ; but with the 
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb with- 
out blemish and without spot." Luke 24: 21 ; 
Tit. 2 :14 ; 1 Pet. 1 : 18, 19. This word has a 
noun corresponding to it [lutron]. This is the 
word used by our Lord when he says : "The 



REDEMPTION BY CHRIST. 219 

Son of man came not to be ministered unto, 
but to minister, and to give his life a ransom 
for many." Matt. 20 : 28; Mark 10 : 45: 

We have yet another word, a compound 
o: the foregoing [antilutron]. It is used by 
Paul when he says that Christ "gave himself 
a ransom for all." 1 Tim. 2 : 6. Each of these 
nouns points to the^nce paid for redemption. 

In the Jewish Commonwealth redemption 
was well understood. If a man became poor, 
so that he could not pay his debts, he was 
sold into servitude to the year of Jubilee. 
But it was the privilege and the duty of his 
near and wealthy kinsmen to pay his debt, 
and let him go free. Among other nations 
also, before the coming of Christ, redemption 
was not unknown. In the early history of 
the world, prisoners-of-war were often put to 
death. At length, humanity forbade so cruel 
a practice, and they were sold as slaves. On 
the return of peace, their kin or their country 
sometimes sent and paid a ransom for them, 
thus redeeming them from their masters. 

The moving cause of the redemption of 
sinners is not any thing good in them, but 
only the sovereign, eternal, and unchangeable 
love of God. The procuring or availing cause 



220 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

of redemption is the humiliation and death of 
Christ. The end of redemption was the pro- 
motion of the divine glory, as it marvellously 
illustrated the divine perfections. The effect 
of redemption on man is full, complete, gratu- 
itous, eternal salvation. 

The subject of this chapter is the wisdom 
of God in redemption. In this matter it may 
aid us to keep clearly in view these truths : 

1. God is a holy God. By the unchange- 
able rectitude of his nature, he hates sin. To 
him it is abominable. 

2. God is the Creator of all things, and 
therefore he has a perfect right to treat all 
his creatures as he pleases. His awful chal- 
lenge is, Shall I not do "what I will with 
mine own ?' 7 Who dares take it up ? 

3. God is every way fit to govern the 
world and all its inhabitants. He has all*and 
infinite perfections. He justly claims and ex- 
exercises the right of universal empire and 
control. 

4. Man is a creature. He is therefore not 
independent. He is bound by his Maker's 
will. Nothing can release him from these 
everlasting bonds. 

6. Man is a rational and voluntary agent. 



REDEMPTION BY CHRIST. 221 

He is therefore a fit subject for moral govern- 
ment. He is rightly and justly accountable. 

6. Man is a sinner. He has violated the 
law of his being. He is thus guilty, depraved, 
and miserable. He is under a curse, in a 
state of pollution, and a child of sorrow. He 
is not so unfortunate as he is criminal. 

7. Sin is an evil of such magnitude as not 
to be manageable by finite beings. "It seems 
to be a law of mind that, once perverted, it 
should never be able to recover itself." It is 
easier to make breaches than to repair them, 
to pull down than to build up, to kill than to 
make alive. "He who cannot buil a hut, 
may destroy a palace."' One man may kill 
another, but all men united cannot give life. 
This is the law of our nature. Let it never 
be forgotten. 

8. The whole problem of redemption was 
therefore beyond the solution of a finite mind. 
The limits of man's understanding and facul- 
ties are narrow. Our wisdom consists not a 
little in confessing our ignorance, in seeking 
instruction, in shunning dizzy heights. For 
human weakness to meddle with the great 
affairs of God can never be innoxious. 

9. Let us all, therefore, learn what we 



222 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

can, and pretend to no more than we have. 
Let ns refresh ourselves in the river of truth, 
but let us not venture beyond our depth. 
Creation is beyond the reach of fair criticism. 
So also is redemption. Let us be lowly. 
There is a consanguinity between humility 
and solid advancement in knowledge. Paul 
confessed his insufficiency to fathom the deep 
things of God: "0 the depth of the riches 
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God." 
Such ignorance is wiser than all boasting. 

10. All men do at times feel the necessity 
of some redemption-price being paid to God 
for them — some satisfaction being made to 
divine justice. Adam Smith, the author of 
the "Wealth of Nations," whom none will sus- 
pect of too strong an inclination to Christian 
doctrines, says, "Man, when about to appear 
before a being of infinite perfections, can feel 
but little confidence in his own merit, or in 
the imperfect propriety of his own conduct. 
To -such a being he can scarce imagine that 
his littleness and weakness should ever seem 
to be the proper object either of esteem or 
regard. But he can easily conceive how the 
numberless violations of duty of which he has 
been guilty should render him the object of 



REDEMPTION BY CHRIST. 223 

aversion and punishment ; nor can he see any 
reason why the divine indignation should not 
be let loose, without any restraint, upon so vile 
an insect as he is sensible that he himself must 
appear to be. If he would still hope for hap- 
piness, he is conscious that he cannot demand 
it from justice, but that he must entreat it from 
the mercy of God. Repentance, sorrow, humil- 
iation, contrition at the thought of his past 
conduct, are, upon this account, the senti- 
ments which become him, and seem to be the 
only means which he has left of appeasing 
that wrath which he has justly provoked. He 
even distrusts the efficacy of all these, and 
naturally fears lest the wisdom of God should 
not, like the weakness of man, be prevailed 
upon to spare the crime, by the most importu- 
nate lamentations of the criminal. Some other 
intercession, some other sacrifice, some other 
atonement, he imagines, must be made for 
him, beyond what he himself is capable of 
making, before the purity of the divine justice 
can be reconciled to his manifold offences." 
Thousands feel as much as is expressed by 
this author ; as he says, it is very natural that 
they should. A sense of guilt renders the ex- 
istence of many almost intolerable ; nor can 



224 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

it ever be effectually removed but by some 
great sacrifice like the blood-shedding of Jesus 
Christ, 

11. Wisdom marks all the divine conduct. 
In actual operation wisdom selects good ends 
and right means to accomplish those ends. 
' ' The wisdom of God is formed of his omnis- 
cience and benevolence, united in planning 
and accomplishing all real good in the prog- 
ress of his immense and eternal kingdom."* 

We are now prepared to look at the truth 
that there are unfathomable depths of wisdom 
in the dealings of God with our race in the 
great work of redemption. 

It is evident that the illustration of any 
attribute of God or man, furnished by any 
work, is in proportion to the difficulties to be 
overcome. Some things are simple and have 
few relations. Others are vast and complica- 
ted, and have bearings remote and immediate. 
Their course is through a long duration. They 
involve the happiness of many. Such is the 
work of redemption. It is God's chief work. 
He has expended more on it than on all his 
other works ; more than in creation and prov- 
idence. It would seem as if it was known that 

* Dwiglit. 



REDEMPTION BY CHRIST. 225 

God would redeem men, before it was known 
how he would do it. The wit of angels seems 
to have attempted no solution. The case was 
too wonderful for them. Of Jehovah it is 
said: "He saw that there was no man, and 
wondered that there was no intercessor ; 
therefore his arm brought salvation unto him ; 
and his righteousness, it sustained him." Isa. 
59:16. Jehovah was the sole author of 
redemption. He alone devised it. He alone 
executed it. He alone applies it. "Salva- 
tion is of the Lord." Let us notice some par- 
ticulars. 

I. God's wisdom shines out in redemption, 
as his plan reconciles all the divine attributes. 
Redemption must not weaken the divine gov- 
ernment, must not impair the divine honor. 
God could consent to nothing which should 
evince the possibility of his denying himself. 
When human governments pass by offences, 
it is a confession of weakness. God could 
ignore no offence. Yet the eternal ruin of all 
men would have left the human and angelic 
races without a single case of mercy shown to 
the guilty. 

"Mercy pleads, if man be ruined, the cre- 
ation is in vain : justice pleads, if man be not 
10* 



226 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

sentenced, the law is in vain ; truth supports 
justice, and grace abets mercy. What shall 
be done in this seeming contradiction. Mercy 
is not manifested if man be not pardoned : 
justice will complain if man be not punished ; 
therefore an expedient is found out by the wis- 
dom of God to answer these demands, and adjust 
the differences between them. The wisdom of 
God answers, I will satisfy your pleas. Pun- 
ishment shall be inflicted, yet pardon shall be 
bestowed. Justice shall not complain for want 
of an infliction of wrath ; nor mercy for want 
of an exercise of compassion. I will have an 
infinite sacrifice to meet the demands of jus- 
tice ; and the virtue and fruit of that sacrifice 
shall be the delight of mercy. The rights of 
both those attributes shall be preserved, and 
the demands amicably accorded in punishment 
and pardon, by transferring the punishmentof 
our crimes upon our Surety, exacting a recom- 
pense from his blood by justice, and conferring 
life and salvation upon us by mercy without 
one drop of our own blood being required. 
Thus is justice satisfied in its holy severities, 
and mercy in its gracious indulgences. The 
riches of grace are entwined with the terrors 
of wrath. The glories of divine mercy are 



REDEMPTION BY CHRIST. 227 

wound about the flaming sword of justice ; 
and the sword of justice protects and secures 
the glories of mercy. Thus is God righteous 
without being cruel, and merciful without be- 
ing unjust. His righteousness remains invio- 
lable, and the sinner becomes recoverable. 
Thus is resplendent mercy brought forth in 
the midst of all the wrath threatened to the 
offender."* 

This scheme has no parallel in heaven or 
earth. Such a suretyship as that of Christ 
was never before heard of. It stands by 
itself in the history of all worlds. Around 
the cross of Christ were assembled Jews and 
Gentiles, men and devils ; but in the cross of 
Christ justice and mercy, righteousness and 
peace, severity and compassion embrace and 
kiss each other. So that now forgiveness to 
the believing sinner is no less consistent with 
justice than is the destruction of the unbeliev- 
ing reprobate. "God is just to forgive us 
our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity." 
All penitent souls may say : " We are justified 
freely by his grace, through the redemption 
that is in Christ Jesus : whom God hath set 
forth to be a propitiation through faith in his 

* Charnock. 



228 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

blood, to declare his righteousness for the 
remission of sins that are past, through the 
forbearance of God." Eom. 3 : 24, 25. God's 
rational creatures had never before seen it on 
this wise. So far from being able to devise 
or execute such a scheme, man is not able to 
comprehend it. All he can do, at least the 
best he can do, is to embrace it, obey its 
calls, wonder, and adore. 

II. The wisdom of God is displayed in the 
choice of his incarnate Son, as the Redeemer. 
Neither an infinite God, nor an enlightened 
sinner would be satisfied with the doings or 
sufferings of a mere creature. What our case 
demanded was something far above the power 
of worms. Any redemption wrought out by 
men or angels must have been wholly ineffi- 
cacious ; but if it could have saved any one, 
it must have resulted in idolatry. No sinner 
saved from hell could have failed to give his 
heart to his deliverer. But the Lord Jesus 
Christ was every way fit to be our Eedeemer. 

1. He was divine, and so able to lay his 
hand upon God. He counted it not robbery 
to be equal with God. He was the eternal 
Son. To worship him was no idolatry. Be- 
fore all worlds he was the Well-beloved of the 



REDEMPTION BY CHRIST. 229 

Father. If any redemption could avail, his 
would not be powerless. He had no superior 
in nature. He was chosen, appointed, ordained 
of God to this very work. If any ask, Why 
was the second, and not the first or the third 
person of the Trinity chosen to be the Re- 
deemer, we may not be able to tell what we 
shall know hereafter, and we ought both to 
think and speak reverently ; but we may 
safely say that the Father could not fitly be- 
come incarnate and our surety, for then he 
must have stood in the relation of one answer- 
ing for our guilt before the Judge of all the 
earth. This would have subverted the order 
of the Trinity. The Father is the first person 
in order. As such, there is a peculiar fitness 
in his demanding satisfaction for sins and 
receiving applications for mercy. He is the 
fountain of the Godhead. Besides, he could 
not properly be sent into the world, as it is of 
the Father to send the Son, and of the Father 
and Son to send the Holy Spirit, The order 
of subsistence in the divine persons is prop- 
erly the order of their operations. The Fa- 
ther is of none. He was neither begotten, 
nor does he proceed from any. The Son is 
of and from the Father — eternally begotten. 



230 THE BOCK OF OUB SALVATION. 

Whatsoever the Son doeth, he doeth of the 
.Father : " The Sou can do nothing of himself, 
but what he seeth the Father do." John 5 :19. 
When the Son came, it was as he was sent of 
the Father, and to "do the will" of the 
Father. Thus it appears that the Father 
was not the proper person to do the work of 
redemption. 

Nor was the Spirit the proper person to 
undertake that work. True, he proceeds from 
the Father and the Son, and is sent by them, 
yet it was fit that the Third Person should 
glorify the Second in calling men to believe 
on him, rather than that the Second should call 
men to bow before the Third ; for this would 
invert the order of divine operation. The 
Eedeemer is the object of saving faith. The 
agent of saving faith is the Holy Ghost. In 
order, the object precedes the exercise of faith, 
and of course it precedes the author and exist- 
ence of faith. It is meet that the Spirit should 
apply the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 
Thus we see wisdom in sending the Second, 
and no other person of the divine nature, to 
be our Eedeemer. His eternal Sonship in 
heaven well consists with his supernatural 
Sonship on earth. This double Sonship well 



REDEMPTION BY CHRIST. 231 

fitted him to be our elder Brother, by whom 
we become sons and heirs of God. 

2. This leads to the remark that God's 
wisdom is gloriously displayed in the incarna- 
tion of his Son. The glory of redemption 
much depends on its being effected in the very 
nature whose fall made redemption necessaiy : 
" By man came death ; by man came also the 
resurrection of the dead ;" " As by the offence 
of one judgment came upon all men to condem- 
nation, even so by the righteousness of one the 
free gift came upon all men unto justification of 
life. For as by one man's disobedience many 
were made sinners, so by the obedience of one 
shall many be made righteous." The first 
Adam was earthy, and sunk us in ruin ; the 
second Adam was heavenly, and saves us 
from wrath. By the sin of one imputed we 
fell ; by the righteousness of the other impu- 
ted we rise to son ship with God. 

Thus by his two natures Christ is equal 
with God in glory and authority, and equal 
with man in lowliness and suffering. None 
is higher — none is humbler. The Father greets 
him with gladness: "This is my beloved Son, 
in whom I am well pleased." The sinner hails 
him with joy : ' ' My Lord and my God." Thus 



232 THE BOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

we see the wisdom of God in the choice of the 
Redeemer — one who can be safely trusted with 
the honors of God's throne and with the sins 
and sorrows and salvation of men ; one who 
can be worshipped without idolatry and ap- 
proached without terror. 

III. The wisdom of God is also manifested 
in the works and sufferings of the Redeemer : 

1. In his works. They were all faultless, 
perfect. Even Pilate found no fault in him. 
His works were without a blot or stain. They 
were many. They exemplified every perfec- 
tion of God and every virtue of the creature. 
They set a pattern for every duty ; they gave 
a measure for every attainment ; they magni- 
fied every precept of the law. His obedience 
to law wrought out a spotless robe of right- 
eousness for every believer. This is the linen 
white and clean, called the righteousness of 
saints. No robe of personal innocence is so 
glorious. Angels in heaven are not so beau- 
teously adorned. And it is all by the merit 
of Christ. Thus is boasting excluded, God 
honored, the dignity of the heavenly state 
unimpaired, and the sinner abundantly saved. 
Thus is God's wisdom displayed in Christ's 
works. 



REDEMPTION BY CHRIST. 233 

2. So also in Christ's sufferings do we see 
God's wisdom. He was subject to the penalty 
of the law. He suffered as one held guilty :n 
law, not for himself, but for us, whose law- 
place he took.. His sufferings began with his 
birth and lasted till he expired on Calvary. 
They were not solely from man, but chiefly 
from God ; not merely corporeal, but mainly 
mental ; not confined to his last hours, but 
running through his whole life ; not only pres- 
ent, but anticipated for long years. Luke 
12:50. "The radical error of the Unitarian 
system is, that men are saved solely by influ- 
ence or power. But the truth is, we are not 
saved so much by any action as by a passion ; 
not so much by exertion as by endurance ; 
not chiefly by vital energy, but by dying 
blood. It was not finished till Christ died. 
We are made nigh by the blood of Jesus. 
We are healed, not at all by his words or 
deeds, but hj his stripes."* Law is stern and 
uncompliant, It "ought to be severe and 
awful too, or it will excite nothing but con- 
tempt." By the suffering of death, Christ 
satisfied the demands of the law, and gave to 
the troubled conscience ground of hope. Now 

* Nevius. 



234 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

no justification is more perfect than that of 
sinners who believe in Jesus. Though with- 
out the shedding of blood there is no remis- 
sion, yet by the shedding of Christ's blood 
there is no lack of forgiveness. He who 
poured out his soul unto death is exalted a 
Prince and Saviour,, to grant both repentance 
and remission of sins. Thus is God's wisdom 
displayed in Christ's sufferings. The law is 
magnified, the sinner is saved. 

TV. The wisdom of God is manifested in 
the effects of redemption on the universe : 

1. We have seen how it harmonizes the 
divine perfections ; let us see how it illustrates 
them. In the cross we have the strongest pos- 
sible expression of benevolence. The infinite 
dignity of the sufferer, the unparalleled humil- 
iation he underwent, the debasement of those 
he would save, and the utter impossibility of 
ever adequately requiting his love, all show 
the amazing extent of the Divine compassion. 
If any ever doubted God's hatred of sin, all 
such uncertainty comes to a full end at Cal- 
vary. If God would not spare his own Son, 
when he suffered the Just for the unjust, surely 
he is the awful and determined enemy of all 
unrighteousness. The scheme of saving mercy 



EEDEMPTION BY CHRIST. 235 

evinces at once the greatest love to the sin- 
ner and the strongest abhorrence of his sins. 
"Christ was no partisan with the sinner against 
the law." In like manner it would be easy to 
show how God's truth, and faithfulness, and 
power, and all his perfections, are displayed 
in redemption. 

2. The influence of redemption on holy 
angels is both great and benign. It affords 
them the most wonderful theme of inquiry. 
They desire to look into it. It gives them new 
and delightful employment. They minister to 
the heirs of salvation. It gives them a new 
Head. Though Christ is not their Saviour, 
lie is their Lord. It brings them and men 
into relations of amity and brotherhood, so 
that they make one family, in heaven and earth. 
It gives them great and new sources of joy. 
They are glad with exceeding joy when a sin- 
ner repents. Luke 15:10. Nor have they 
any theme for songs so sublime as those con- 
cerning salvation. 

3. To man the effects of redemption are 
glorious and elevaftng. He who is saved 
from death should be most of all struck with 
his deliverance — most of all drawn towards 
his Deliverer. None are so changed by re- 



236 THE KOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

demption as the redeemed themselves. They 
pass from the lowest depths to the greatest 
heights ; from just, perfect, and awful con- 
demnation, to full, free, and irrepealable jus- 
tification ; from a state of the lowest deprav- 
ity to a state of purity and holiness fitting 
them for fellowship with God ; from a state 
of misery that cannot be conceived by sinless 
creatures, to a state of comfort and joy un- 
speakable ; from a state of fearful estrange- 
ment from a holy God and holy angels, to a 
state of lasting friendship' with their Maker 
and all right-minded creatures. The bond 
which binds them to God and to angels 
binds them also to one another, and that 
for ever. 

1. How futile are all schemes of man's 
devising for securing the favor of God and 
his own happiness. None of them reach the 
real evils in his case. They do not dispose of 
sin, either in its power, or guilt, or pollution. 

2. How vain are all objections to the gos- 
pel drawn from the feeble, erring, sinful soul 
of man. Never is man more a fool or a trans- 
gressor than when he sits in judgment on this 
greatest plan and work of God. Did any wise 
man ever undertake to show how God could 



REDEMPTION BY CHRIST. 237 

have more fitly formed the dove, the eagle, or 
the horse? Yet many a prating simpleton 
undertakes to tell the world how he would 
like the plan of salvation, G-od's greatest work, 
to be arranged. 

3. How attractive is the character of Jesus 
Christ. He is the perfection of a Saviour. 
Some have made the suggestion that he might 
have rescued many from sin and wrath with- 
out so full, and frequent, and amazing acts of 
condescension. But who ever taught that he 
ought to have given higher evidences of com- 
passion and tenderness? All the redeemed 
join in praising him, unite in crowning him, 
contend in the strife of extolling him. Each 
of them sings : 

"I was a stricken deer that left the herd 
Long since. With many an arrow deep infixed 
My panting side was charged, when I withdrew 
To seek a tranquil death in distant shades. 
There I was found by One who had himself 
Been hurt by the archers. In his side he bore, 
And in his hands and feet, the cruel scars. 
With gentle force soliciting the darts, 
He drew them forth, and healed, and bade me live." 

Matchless Redeemer ! None among all 
the sons of the mighty, none among the holy 
angels, can compare with thee. 

4. If any desire a rich, pure, exalted, inex- 
haustible theme of study and inquiry, he has 



238 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

it in the redemption wrought out by Christ 
He need go no farther. Here the holy angela 
all stop, and bow, and worship. 

5. Unconverted men ought to feel a lively 
and profound interest in the undertaking ol 
Christ. It mightily concerns them to know 
something of its wonders. If they ever find 
life or peace, it must be here. In Christ are 
hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 
Col. 2:3. In him is life, and the life is the 
light of men. 

6. Children of God, rejoice and obey, "Ye 
are bought with a price : therefore glorify God 
in your body and in your spirit, which are 
God's." 1 Cor" ,6:20. Give him all. Keep 
back nothing that can honor him. Hear the 
voice of mercy whispering good counsels to 
3 r our souls. Present your whole selves a liv- 
ing sacrifice to him ; and let the love of God, 
like holy fire, come down and consume you. 
Be not straitened in your charity. Be not 
slothful in your labors of love. Be not cold 
in your zeal for the Master. Be ye enlarged. 



THE ATONEMENT. 239 

CHAPTEE XIII. 

THE ATONEMENT. 

The word Atonement is found but once in the 
English New Testament : ' ' We also joy in God 
through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we 
have now received the atonement." Eom. 
5:11. Yet the Greek word here rendered 
atonement frequently occurs elsewhere. Our 
word atonement is compounded of at and one. 
At-one-ment is therefore the same thing as a 
reconciliation. It brings together those who 
have been at variance. The words reconcile, 
reconciled, reconciling, and reconciliation, in ap- 
plication to the work of Christ, are found in 
the New Testament nine or ten times. " The 
ministry of reconciliation" is the ministry that 
makes known the atonement of Christ. "The 
word of reconciliation" is the doctrine of atone- 
ment. Here are four striking passages from 
the New Testament in which the word occurs : 
" In all things it behooved him to be made like 
unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful 
and faithful High Priest in things pertaining 
to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of 



240 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

the people." Heb. 2 :17. "All things are of 
G od, who- hath reconciled us to himself by Je- 
sus Christ," 2 Cor. 5:18. " God was in Christ 
reconciling the world unto himself, not impu- 
ting their trespasses unto them." 2 Cor. 5 :19. 
" It pleased the Father that in him should all 
fulness dwell ; and having made peace through 
the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all 
things to himself." Col. 1:19, 20. In like man- 
ner Daniel, 9 :24, says: " Seventy weeks are 
determined upon thy people and upon thy holy 
city, to finish the transgression, and to make 
an end of sins, and to make reconciliation" for 
iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteous- 
ness." Each of these phrases used by Daniel 
is explanatory of the others. Each of them 
points to an atonement ; and an atonement is 
a reconciliation, a bringing together of those 
who have been alienated. We have forsaken, 
insulted, and rebelled against G-ocl. He has 
followed us with mercies, reproofs, and expos- 
tulations, and yet we persist in iniquity. As 
a moral Governor, he must put down sin in 
his dominions. He is holy, and hates iniquity. 
His nature and his office both require that 
transgression be punished. He saw men ru- 
ined and lost, yet he pitied them. He pro- 



THE ATONEMENT. 241 

vided a mode of reconciliation by the life and 
death of his Son. Jesus Christ is the Recon- 
ciler. He is fit for this work. He has the 
nature of God, and so can appear with honor 
before th? heavenly Majesty. He has the 
nature of man, and is by experience acquainted 
with all our natural infirmities. He knows 
what temptation and sorrow and death are. 

In the passage cited from Colossians, God 
is said " to reconcile all things to himself" by 
Jesus Christ. This mode of speaking is not 
unusual in the sacred writings. The reason 
of this seems to be, that God is the offended 
party and we arc the offenders. As such, we 
have need to be reconciled to him. The price 
of reconciliation was, therefore, paid to him, 
not to us. The learned Grotius has very justly 
remarked that in heathen authors metis being 
reconciled to their gods is always understood to 
signify appeasing the anger of their gods. 
When our Saviour commanded the offending 
to go and be reconciled to his brother, the 
plain meaning is, that he should go and try to 
appease his brother's anger, obtain his par- 
don, and regain his favor by humility, en- 
treaty, and, if required, by reparation or res- 
titution. This is also the use of the word 

Rork of Sal. 11 



242 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

reconciled, in 1 Samuel 29 :4, where the Philis- 
tines say of David and his difficulty with Saul. 
"Wherewith should he reconcile himself unto 
his master? Should it not be with the heads 
of these men 7" They thought David would 
try to assuage Saul's anger and regain his favor 
by destroying his enemies. Indeed, this is 
the ordinary sense of the term in Scripture. 
To make reconciliation, therefore, is to offer 
an atonement. 

The doctrine of atonement is vital in the 
Christian system. It claims our candid and 
careful study. When we speak of atonement, 
we mean that ' ' Christ, by his obedience and 
death, did fully pay the debt of all his people, 
and did make a proper, real, and full satisfac- 
tion to his Father's justice in their behalf." 
It was a proper satisfaction ; that is, it was not 
figurative or emblematical. It was real, not 
imaginary, not feigned, not fictitious, not the- 
atrical. It was full, and not partial. It was 
complete, entire, wanting nothing. The only 
possible ideas respecting the work and death 
of Christ are these : 

1. That Jesus Christ fully satisfied all the 
penal claims of the law for all men, and that 
all shall therefore infallibly be saved. This 



THE ATONEMENT. 243 

was formerly the doctrine of Universalists. 
They held that Christ had paid all the debts 
of all men, and that God would certainly save 
all men by the merits of his Son. 

2. Another theory respecting the atone- 
ment is, that Christ did not by his death sat- 
isfy Divine justice for any of the sins of any 
man ; that he died merely as a martyr to the 
truth ; that no man required any real atone- 
ment, and that God required no satisfaction 
to his justice. This was the view held by old 
Socinians of Europe, and embraced by their 
modern followers. 

3. Another theory of the death of Christ 
is, that he made atonement for some of the 
sins of all men, and left them by their own 
works and sufferings to satisfy for their other 
sins as best they could. This view presents 
the work of Christ as partial and incomplete. 
It is practically the theory of all who by pains, 
prayers, penances, and acts of voluntary humil- 
ity, propose to make themselves acceptable to 
God. 

4. The last view is, that Jesus Christ made 
full find complete satisfaction for all his peo- 
ple ; that in him they are complete ; that in 
him they possess full redemption and perfect 



244 THE BOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

righteousness before God. This is the true, 
Scriptural doctrine of atonement. It is full of 
comfort to all who are so humble as to be 
willing to be saved by sovereign grace. It 
puts the conscience at rest, so that it demands 
no more atonement. Indeed, it kindles up 
untold delights. "We joy in God through 
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now 
received the atonement," says the Scripture. 

As the doctrine of atonement is not of 
human origin, but is matter of pure revelation 
from God, it is evident we must be guided in 
the formation of our opinions by the Scrip- 
tures' alone. If they settle not the points in- 
volved, all our logic and metaphysics will be 
useless. Our appeal is directly to God's 
word. 

■ No one will deny that in the sacred wri- 
tings Christ is called a Saviour, a Eedeemer, 
a Deliverer, a horn of salvation. He is said 
to be the Bread of life, the Tree of life, the 
Water of life. Indeed, he is said to be the 
Life itself. 

The Scriptures as clearly ascribe our sal- 
vation to the death of Christ. They say he 
"died for the ungodly;" that "to this end 
Christ both died, and rose and revived f that 



THE ATONEMENT. 245 

Christ "died for our sins ;" that saints should 
live to him who died for them ; that he died 
for ns that we should live with him. Rom. 
6:Q- 14:9; 1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:15; 1 Thess. 
4:14; 5:10. 

The Old and New Testaments wondrously 
harmonize in their teachings on this subject. 
Isaiah says, " Surely he hath borne our griefs 
and carried our sorrows. . . . He was wounded 
[margin, tormented] for our transgressions, he 
was bruised for our iniquities : the chastise- 
ment of our peace [or, that procured our 
peace] was upon him ; and with his stripes 
we are healed. . . . Thou shalt make his soul 
an offering for sin. . . . For the transgression 
of my people was he stricken. . . . The Lord 
hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. ... He 
bare the sin of many." In sin are two things : 
one its defilement or pollution ; the other its 
desert of punishment. To say that God laid 
on Christ the pollution of our sins is blasphe- 
mous ; but to say that Christ "bare our sins 
in his own body on the tree," is a heavenly 
doctrine. When the prophet says, "Thou 
shalt make his soul an offering for sin," we 
know he refers not to any iniquity in Christ, 
for he had no sin. Nor did our Lord bear the 



246 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

sin of fallen angels. He took not on him their 
nature. Between them and God there is no 
mediator. They are reserved in chains under 
darkness, to the judgment of the great day. 
And yet his soul was an offering for sin. 
What sin can be meant but ours ? One says, 
"We niay, in many cases, say that the inno- 
cent suffers for the guilty, when one is exposed 
to loss or pain by means of another's fault, or 
for his benefit ; but can it be said, with pro- 
priety, that the Lord lays upon the innocent 
sufferer the iniquity of. the offender, or that 
the former bears the sins of the latter, when 
no translation or imputation of guilt is in- 
tended and no real atonement made ? If so, 
what words can convey the ideas of imputa- 
tion or atonement ? What determinate mean- 
ing can there be in language ?"* 

Peter declares that "Christ also hath once 
suffered for sins, the just for the unjust." 
1 Pet. 3 :18. If he suffered for sins, whose sins 
were they? They were the sins of the unjust, 
even of those whom he would rescue from a 
righteous and eternal . destruction. Indeed, 
almost every form of language is employed to 
show that Christ's sufferings were vicarious, 
* Scott. 



THE ATONEMENT. 247 

noj for himself but for others. Paul says, 
"God hath made him to be sin [or a sin-offer- 
ing] for us." 2 Cor. 5 : 21. In the very same 
verse it is declared that Christ knew no sin. 
Surely he bore the wrath of God that was clue 
to us. 

When Peter says that he, "his own self, 
bare our sins in his own body on the tree," 
1 Peter 2 : 24, what is the meaning of this sol- 
emn language? The expression hearing sin, or 
hearing iniquity, occurs more than thirty times 
in Scripture, and in every instance it means 
to bear the sufferings or penalty of sin. Thus 
in Leviticus 5:1, God ordains that if a man 
hear swearing and is a witness and does not 
utter it, he shall u hear his iniquity." This means 
that guilt shall so rest upon him that he shall 
be liable to punishment. So also in Leviticus 
22:9, God says "they shall therefore keep 
mine ordinance, lest they bear sin for it and 
die." So in Ezekiel 23 : 49, God says, "Ye 
shall bear the sins of your idols." Clearly, 
the meaning is, ye shall be held liable to pun- 
ishment for worshipping your idols. Again, 
in Leviticus 24 : 15, the Lord says, " Whoso- 
ever curseth his God, shall bear his sin." In 
Hebrews 9 : 28, Paul says, " Christ was once 



248 THE ROCK OF OUE SALTATION. 

offered to bear the sins of many;" and in 
Isaiah 53:11, God says, "My righteous ser- 
vant . . . shall bear their iniquities." Could 
words more plainly teach that Christ endured 
the wrath of God for us, and bore the penalty 
of the law in our room and stead ? 

In Galatians 3 :13, Paul says, "Christ hath 
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being 
made a curse for us." This passage seems 
specially intended to meet all cavillings. In 
the language of an Israelite, the law consisted 
of a precept, a statute, a rule, or a direction, 
and of a curse, or penalty, and of a promise 
or blessing. The rule or command was for 
all. The promise or blessing was for the obe- 
dient ; the curse or penalty was for the trans- 
gressor. Indeed, our Anglo-saxon word curse 
has precisely the same meaning with the Latin 
word penalty. As we were all transgressors, 
we were all under the curse. But Christ has 
redeemed us by enduring the penalty or by 
being made a curse for us. The slight varia- 
tions in the sense of the word curse in this pas- 
sage need mislead no one. In the latter case, 
it means a victim, one devoted or accursed for 
us. In quite a number of passages is Christ 
spoken of as a lamb, a Lamb slain, a Lamb 



THE ATONEMENT. 240 

that takes away sin, as a Lamb that is wor- 
shipped in heaven, a Lamb slain from the 
foundation of the world. Isa. 53 : 7 ; John 
1:29; Acts 8 : 32 ; 1 Pet. 1:19; Rev. 5:8, 12, 
and 13:8. It is admitted that Christ resem- 
bled a lamb in his uncomplaining gentleness. 
But in what sense did a lamb ever take away 
sin, but by dying in the room of the offerer, 
and how could Christ as a lamb take away 
sin, but by the sacrifice of himself? If he 
were slain, it was not for himself, but for us. 
All the lambs offered in sacrifice died the in- 
nocent for the guilty, the spotless for the 
criminal. Do not these things clearly teach 
that Christ endured the penalty of the law, 
that he died as a substitute for others ? 

The same doctrine is variously taught in 
the Scriptures in connection with the phrase, 
the Hood of Christ. It is expressly said that 
he "made peace through the blood of his 
cross," Col. 1:20; that "by his own blood he 
entered in once into the holy place, having 
obtained eternal redemption for us," Heb. 
9:12; that his blood shall purge our "con- 
science from dead works to serve the living 
God," Heb. 9 :14 ; that "the blood of Jesus 

Christ . . . cleanseth us from all sin," 1 John 
n* 



250 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

1:7; that he hath redeemed us to God by his 
blood, Eev. 5:9; and that we "are made 
nigh by the blood of Christ." Eph. 2:13. Now 
the shedding of the blood of Christ by his en- 
emies was the greatest crime ever committed 
in Jerusalem or on this earth. It is impos- 
sible that such wickedness could be pleasing 
to God. In what sense then does his blood 
cleanse us from sin ? It cannot be other- 
wise than as he offered himself as a Lamb 
without spot unto God ; poured out his soul 
unto death, that we might live for ever. 
Blood, innocent blood, calls for vengeance. 
The blood of Abel cried from the ground, 
and the cry went up to heaven. But the 
blood of Christ speaketh better things than 
that of Abel. It calls for salvation to all who 
believe. 

The Scriptures no less clearly declare that 
Christ endured his sufferings for the iniquities 
of his people. Isaiah says, "For the trans- 
gression of my people was he stricken ;" 53 : 8. 
Paul says that "he was delivered for our 
offences," Rom. 4:25; that he "died for our 
sins according to the Scriptures," 1 Cor. 15 : 3 ; 
and that he "gave himself for our sins," Gal. 
1 : 4. There is no desirable sense in which 



THE ATONEMENT. "251 

Christ could have done and suffered these 
these things for sin, unless it be as an atone- 
ment. And it is very clear from the New 
Testament that Christ's dying for sin is mat- 
ter of exultation to all the pious. Indeed the 
only feast instituted under the gospel is a 
feast expressly ordained to show forth his 
death until he come. The Scriptures no less 
frequently declare that Christ died for guilty 
men. "This is my body which is given for 
you. 11 Luke 22:19. "I lay down my life for 
the sheep." John 10:15. "In due time Christ 
died for the ungodly." Rom. 5:6. "While 
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 
Rom. 5 : 8. There is danger of weakening 
the force of such clear and solemn passages 
by any explanation. Still it may be asked, In 
what conceivable sense could Christ die in 
our place if it be not as a vicarious, atoning 
sacrifice? 

The Scriptures also declare that all hope 
of pardon for us lost men is centred in Christ. 
But why in him if he is not our atoning 
priest? Thus says Peter, "Him hath God 
exalted with his right hand to be a Prince 
and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel 
and forgiveness of sins." Acts 5 : 31. Paul 



252 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

says as explicitly, "Be it known unto you 
therefore, men and brethren, that through this 
man is preached unto you the forgiveness 01 
sins.' Acts 13:38. Again, "in whom we have 
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness 
of sins, according to the riches of his grace." 
Eph. 1 : 7. Where is the fitness of connecting 
the remission of sins in so remarkable a man- 
ner with the person and the blood of Jesus 
Christ unless he is indeed the substitute of his 
people and their Saviour in the highest sense 
ever claimed by the Christian world ? 

These clear, Scriptural proofs and state- 
ments receive confirmation and elucidation 
from the following considerations : 

1. If we deny that Jesus Christ endured 
the penalty of the law, and that his sufferings 
were vicarious, then we must deny that he 
was the substitute of his people, and that their 
sins are imputed to him. If this be true, we 
are of all men most miserable ; for we have 
given up this world in the hope of attaining 
a better through Christ's substitution for us. 
But all our sins still remain, unless we have 
remission through his blood. We are disap- 
pointed, and our guilt is still upon us. If we 
go thus far, we must in consistency maintain 



THE ATONEMENT. 253 

that justice is unsatisfied and must ever remain 
so, and that if there is any salvation for sinful 
men, it must be in derogation of the justice 
of God ; it must be by trampling under foot 
the penalty of God's law. 

2. Some who deny that Christ's death and 
sufferings were vicarious and for us, jet admit 
that the Scriptures seem to teach that doctrine. 
But they warn us against being led astray by 
figurative language. To this these answers 
may be given : 1. If figurative language teach- 
es nothing, then it is nonsense. 2. In all lan- 
guages, the very strongest things that are said 
are said in metaphor. 3. A great variety of 
metaphors is employed by the sacred writers 
on this subject, 4. Oftentimes the Scriptures 
speak in language perfectly plain. " He bare 
the sin of many;" " He was wounded for our 
transgressions;" "He died for our sins;" and 
"He suffered the Just for the unjust," are forms 
of expression as free from figure as language 
can well be. 

3. If the Scriptures which are generally 
relied on as teaching the doctrine of a vicari- 
ous atonement may be so explained as not to 
teach it, then it is useless to attempt to prove 
any thing by the word of God. 



254 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

4. Any scheme of doctrine which opposes 
the retributive justice of God will, if carried 
to its legitimate results, subvert also the doc- 
trine of the Divine holiness. God punishes 
sin because his nature leads him to abhor it. 

5. If God has set aside the penalty of his 
law without a full satisfaction, must it not 
have been at first too severe? And if the 
penalty was at first wrong, may not the pre- 
cept for the same cause be too strict? Thus 
by our speculations we subvert the whole law. 

6. In like manner we shall subvert the 
gospel. What the convinced sinner needs 
and seeks is, not merely that he may escape 
hell and reach heaven, but he wishes to do it 
in a manner that will secure the honor of God. 
He wishes to see how God can be just and yet 
justify the sinner. On the old Bible doctrine 
of a vicarious atonement, all is plain ; but on 
any other scheme there is no way of satisfac- 
torily accounting for the death of Christ or the 
offer of salvation. If Jesus Christ bore the 
penalty, all is clear; if he did not, why did 
God smite the man that was his fellow ? 

7. How well does the true doctrine, and 
how ill does the opposite doctrine, agree with 
the types of the Old Testament, Without 



THE ATONEMENT. 255 

referring to the many great offerings in detail, 
let any one carefully consider the offering of 
even the young pigeons or the rite of the 
scape-goat, and see what can be the meaning 
of such services, if Jesus Christ did not die for 
us. If Christ bears our sins, well may we be 
forgiven. 

8. How well does the true doctrine, and 
how ill does the opposite doctrine, harmonize 
with the worship of heaven: "The songs of 
the redeemed in heaven, even of those ' who 
had come out of great tribulation,' and had 
shed their blood in the cause of Christ, afford 
an unanswerable argument in favor of a real 
atonement and a vicarious sacrifice in the 
death of Christ. Without one discordant 
voice, they ascribe their salvation to ' the 
Lamb that was slain, and redeemed them 
unto God by his blood,' who washed them 
from their sins in his own blood. But in 
what sense could the Lamb that was slain wash 
them from their sins in his own blood, unless he 
was literally an atoning sacrifice?"* What is 
there to make exultant the worship of sinners 
saved if, after all, God merely connives at 
their transgressions ? 

* Scott. 



256 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

9. It cannot be safely denied — indeed it 
is commonly admitted — that the early Chris- 
tian writers, the reformers, and the Christian 
world generally, until after the middle of the 
eighteenth century, held and taught that Christ 
bore the curse and endured the wrath of God 
in the room and stead of sinners. Is not this 
fact a strong presumptive proof that the doc- 
trine is true ? Is it possible that God's hid- 
den ones have so generally mistaken the 
prophets and apostles, and been left to em- 
brace delusion ? 

10. It is a great fact confirmatory of the 
true doctrine, that it has a mighty power over 
all right hearts. " what a melting consid- 
eration is this, that out of Christ's agony 
comes our victory ; out of his condemnation 
our justification ; out of his pain our ease ; 
out of his stripes our healing ; out of his gall 
and vinegar our honey ; out of his curse our 
blessing ; out of his crown of thorns our crown 
of glory ; out of his death our life : if he could 
not be released, it was that we might be ; if 
Pilate gave sentence against him, it was that 
the great God might never give sentence 
against us ; if he yielded, that it should be 
with Christ as they required, it was that it 



THE ATONEMENT. 257 

might be with our souls as well as we can 
desire. "* Hearts must be harder than the 
rocks, if the love and death of Christ do not 
move them, When he died, the rocks were 
rent. 

* Hopkins. 



258 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 



CHAPTEE XIV. 

THE FOLLY OF OBJECTING TO THE ATONE- 
MENT. 

The minds of inspired men were warm 
with saving truth. The more fully the way 
of salvation was understood, the more did 
they glory in the cross and in its power to 
save. With them philosophy was as nothing. 
Learned men without revelation had wasted 
centuries in idle debates, in refuting one an- 
other, and in deceiving mankind ; but they 
had effected nothing truly useful. Not a sin- 
ner was reformed, not an aching heart found 
ease, not an idol was abolished. But when 
the gospel was fully and faithfully preached, 
it wrought wonders. It saved men's souls. 
It was full of power. The early preachers of 
righteousness gave to mankind the triumphant 
challenge, "Hath not God made foolish the 
wisdom of this world?" 1 Cor. 1:20. Yet 
the wise, the scribe, and the disputer, had 
many objections. They mocked ; they cav- 
illed ; they scorned ; they counted the gospel 
foolishness. Anon they pretended to reason. 



FOLLY OF OBJECTIONS. 259 

Their utmost powers were directed against the 
cross and the person of Jesus Christ. They 
hated the doctrine of atonement. It is even 
so still. Time, which mends many things and 
wears out many things, has not improved the 
temper of the carnal heart, nor exhausted its 
fondness for debate. 

Let us look at some of the objections made 
against the atonement. These are sometimes 
stated, with apparent modesty, in the form of 
questions, and sometimes categorically and 
polemically. 

1. It has been urged against the doctrine 
of vicarious atonement, that it involves a trans- 
fer of moral character. To meet this, it is suf- 
ficient to ask, Is there not a difference between 
the penalty of sin and its pollution ? between 
the penalty of the law incurred and the vile- 
ness of the heart indulged ? between legal 
responsibility and moral character? If an 
innocent man pays the forfeiture for the non- 
appearance of a bad man to stand his trial, 
does that make the surety a partaker of the 
moral character of the criminal ? Surely one 
may voluntarily assume pains and penalties 
for even a bad man without approving of his 
wrong, or without being like him in moral 



260 THE BOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

character. The truth is, a transfer of moral 
character is simply impossible ; but nothing 
is more common than a transfer of legal re- 
sponsibilities. The correct doctrine on this 
subject is well expressed by Owen in his work 
on justification : ' ' Nothing is more absolutely 
true, nothing more sacredly and assuredly be- 
lieved by us, than that nothing which Christ 
did or suffered, nothing that he undertook or 
underwent, did or could constitute him, sub- 
jectively, inherently, and therefore person- 
ally, a sinner, or guilty of any sin of his own. 
To bear the guilt or blame of other men's 
faults — to be alienee culpa reus — makes no man 
a sinner, unless he did unwisely or irregu- 
larly undertake it." 

2. Again, it is urged that if Christ bore 
the curse due to us, and fully satisfied Divine 
justice, then it is no mercy in God to forgive 
and accept us. But was there no mercy in 
God's providing that justice should be satis- 
fied, so that salvation might flow forth to sin- 
ners ? Was it not mercy in God so to love 
the world as to give his only-begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth in him might not 
perish, but have everlasting life ? Is it not 
mercy in the blessed Spirit of God to purify 



FOLLY OF OBJECTIONS. 261 

our hearts? To Christ, indeed, who has bought 
us with his blood, justice and the covenant of 
God require that he have a seed to serve him. 
But to the seed who do serve him, considered 
in themselves, salvation from first to last is 
the fruit of infinite grace. To believers, con- 
sidered as in Christ and confessing their trans- 
gressions, G-od is faithful and just to forgive 
their sins. He is faithful and just to himself, 
faithful and just to his Son. But to those for- 
given it is never of debt, but all of mercy, 
pity, and love. The whole objection goes 
on the supposition that justice and mercy, in 
the gospel scheme, even after all that Christ 
has done, are antagonistical to each other. 
Whereas Christ's first and great work was, to 
satisfy the claims of justice ; and now justice 
and mercy gloriously harmonize in man's sal- 
vation. Mercy abounds and grace is free, 
because justice is fully satisfied. " The tran- 
scendent graciousness of the gospel covenant 
consists not in requiring less righteousness to 
give title to life than was done at first ; not 
in requiring a perfect righteousness of us per- 
sonally to that end ; but in providing and ac- 
cepting that of the Surety, according to the 
apostle, Romans 8 : 3, 4. The law could not 



262 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

give us life, because, being weakened by sin, 
we could not perform the perfect righteous- 
ness which it required ; but what the law could 
not do Christ has done, giving us a title to life, 
fulfilling the righteousness of the law on our 
behalf. 77 * 

3. It is sometimes said that if Christ bore 
the curse clue to us for sin, there is no increase 
of happiness in the universe by means of his 
mediation. Such an objection goes on the 
supposition that Christ's sufferings were in 
exact proportion to the number of those who 
shall finally be saved, and that they were in 
amount equal to what would have been the 
everlasting sufferings of all his people if they 
had not been rescued from wrath. But this 
is not the doctrine of the Scriptures. It is 
wholly unsupported by the word of God. It 
is shocking to the feelings of pious men. It 
is not maintained by one enlightened friend 
of the doctrine of a vicarious atonement. It 
utterly overlooks the infinite dignity of the 
eternal Son of God, from which his sufferings 
derive their chief value, and which puts them 
far beyond all comparison with the sufferings 
of mere creatures. So that there is no ground 

* Clarkson. 



FOLLY OF OBJECTIONS. 263 

whatever for the objection. His sufferings, 
though great, were short. They were soon 
followed by unparalleled glory, in which all 
his redeemed partake. The happiness of the 
universe is already infinitely increased by the 
death of Christ; and yet his kingdom is far 
from being completed, and all its subjects have 
an eternity of bliss before them. 

4. Sometimes it is asked, How could Christ 
make an atonement for us ? how could he bear 
our sins, endure the penalty of the law for us, 
and for us work out a perfect righteousness ? 

So far as there is a real difficulty in this 
matter, and so far as it has not its seat in our 
depravity, let the following things be carefully 
considered : 

(1.) God was under no obligation to pro- 
vide any Saviour for us. He might justly 
have left us to perish as he did the fallen an- 
gels. But if in his mercy he has provided a 
Redeemer, who has satisfied divine justice, 
why should we find fault? If the demands 
of the law and Lawgiver are fully met, it is 
perverseness in us to cavil or object. 

(2.) God could not relax his demands 
and accept a righteousness less perfect than 
the law requires. "Christ's righteousness is 



264 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

called the righteousness of the law. For, 
though righteousness does not come by our 
obedience to the law, yet it does come by 
Christ's obedience to it. Though by the deeds 
of the law as performed by man no flesh liv- 
ing can be justified ; yet, by the deeds of the 
law as performed by Christ, all the elect are 
justified."* Eom. 8:4. So the penalty of the 
law is death, and without the shedding of 
blood there is no remission, even though Christ 
undertake for us. 

(3.) The whole work of Christ from first to 
last was voluntary. He was not forced to obey 
the law or bear the curse for us. No man took 
his life from him. He laid it down of himself. 

(4.) Mere suffering even of such a one as 
Christ would not of itself avail for us without 
the consent of the sufferer and of G-od the 
Lawgiver. Jesus Christ died in fulfilment of 
a covenant between himself and his Father. 
Hence the efficacy of his bloodshedcling. 

(5.) When we say that Jesus Christ bore the 
penalty of the law in the stead of sinners, we 
do not deny that his sufferings were different 
from those of sinners on whom the curse falls. 
He felt neither despair nor remorse. His 

*Gill. 



FOLLY OF OBJECTIONS. 2G5 

holy soul could feel neither, because he had 
done no sin, and because he knew his suffer- 
ings would soon be followed by great glory. 
But despair and remorse are nowhere said to 
be the penalty of the law. They are indeed 
incidents to the wicked, who suffer the curse, 
but they are not the curse itself. Christ also 
suffered but for a short time, whereas sinners 
who bear their own iniquity must suffer eter- 
nally. The reasons of this difference in the 
duration of sufferings are, first, Christ's infi- 
nite dignity and glory, which made his humili- 
ation in time of more avail than the anguish 
of man to all eternity ; and secondly, when 
Christ bore our sins, he bore them all, and 
made provision that his people should cease 
from sin ; but the wicked, who fall under the 
wrath of God, sin always, and provoke the 
Most High by new transgressions for ever. 
But an eternity of suffering is nowhere in 
Scripture said to be an inherent element of 
the penalty of the law. It accompanies it 
only when borne by finite creatures, them- 
selves sinners. The death of the body and 
that endurance of the wrath of God in the 
mind, which is properly called the death of 
the soul, constitute the penalty of the law. 

Rock of Sal. 12 



266 THE ROCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

Jesus Christ bore these, for all admit that 
his body died and was buried ; and that his 
soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death 
This is the sense and the only sense in which 
any sound writer maintains that Christ bore 
the penalty of the law. 

Admitting these views, how plain is it that 
God could be just and yet justify the ungodly. 
But if we reject these views and maintain 
that in saving his people it was the deliberate 
purpose of God to set aside the penalty of 
the law, who can conceive of the object of 
Christ's death? All admit that he died not 
for his own sins, for he had none. If divine 
justice requires the punishment of sin, how is 
God just in not punishing his people, unless 
the wrath due to them was borne by their 
Substitute? We cannot prove that God is 
righteous in permitting any one personally in- 
nocent, not standing in the place of the guilty, 
to suffer much or little. Good angels have 
sometimes visited our world in the form of 
men ; and some have sought to harm them. 
But God never permitted one of them to en- 
dure the least pain. There can be no greater 
injustice than to visit with stripes one who is 
under no penalty. The sufferings of Christ 



FOLLY OF OBJECTIONS. 267 

can never be reconciled with justice, unless he 
bore the wrath of Gocl due to us. To inflict 
pain on one who has done no wrong or who 
has not assumed legal responsibilities for oth- 
ers, is absurd. 

Some hold that Christ's sufferings were 
not penal, yet that his death was an exhibi- 
tion of God's justice, and hatred of sin. But 
how can it illustrate these excellent attributes 
of the Most High to inflict unparalleled suf- 
ferings on one who had never displeased him, 
and who had not undertaken to bear the pen- 
alty of the law in the room of others ? The 
onl} r legal obstacle to the salvation of any sin- 
ner is the penalty of the law. If that is not 
borne, it remains in full force, and forever 
demands satisfaction. To admit men to heaven 
with the penalty of the law still unsatisfied, 
would be trampling the law under foot. No 
government can maintain its authority when 
the penalty of its laws is not enforced. The 
penalty not executed, the precept falls into 
contempt. If sinners were thus saved, the 
heavens would be filled with thieves and rob- 
bers, as Christ speaks, that is, with men who 
would be there in spite of law and right, and 
in contempt of God's retributive justice. 



268 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

Where, then, is the difficulty in the case ? 
God, the Judge of all, objects not to our salva- 
tion by the death of his Son. The Son died 
and lives for this great purpose. The Holy 
Spirit calls men to repentance. Why should 
we waste our lives in crying, "How can these 
things be ?" A little simple faith in Jesus 
Christ will scatter the difficulties men make 
about this doctrine. 

5. Others sa^ that if Jesus Christ made a 
vicarious atonement for those who believe on 
him, and laid down his life for his sheep, how 
can we offer the salvation of the gospel to all 
men, as we are commanded to do ? 

Let us look at this matter candidly and 
fairly. In reply it may be stated that the 
Scriptures clearly teach that Christ died to 
save his people, and with the covenant en- 
gagement on the part of his Father that he 
should effect that great end. He himself says, 
" I lay down my life for the sheep ;" and 
prophecy said, "He shall prolong his days ; 
he shall sec his seed." Yet we have the ex- 
ample of God, of the prophets, of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and of the apostles, in favor of 
making an indiscriminate and urgent offer of 
salvation to our fellow-men. But it is no part 



FOLLY OF OBJECTIONS. 209 

of the true doctrine of the atonement that the 
merit of our Saviour is exhausted in the sal- 
vation of those who believe on him. No 
respectable writer teaches that Christ's humil- 
iation and sufferings would have been less if 
the number of his chosen people had been 
smaller ; nor that his humiliation and suffer- 
ings would have been greater, if the number 
to be saved had been greater. The old stand- 
ard writers all held that the offer of salvation 
was to be made to men indiscriminately, earn- 
estly, and tenderly ; that it was entirely con- 
sistent to make such an offer, that there is an 
infinite fulness in Christ, a sufficiency of merit 
to save the souls of all who should come. 
Mark the testimony of eminent divines. 

Calvin: "We know the promises to be 
effectual to us only when we receive them by 
faith : on the contrary, the annihilation of 
faith is the abolition of the promises. If this 
is their nature, we may perceive that there 
is no discordance between these two things : 
God's having appointed from eternity on whom 
lie will bestow his favor and exercise his wrath, 
and his proclaiming salvation to all. Indeed, 
I maintain that there is a most perfect ha* 
mony between them.''' 



270 THE BOCK OF OUB SALVATION. 

Owen: "It was, then, the intention and 
purpose of God that his Son should offer a 
sacrifice of infinite worth, value, and dignity, 
sufficient in itself for the redeeming of all and 
every man, if it had pleased the Lord to 
employ it for that purpose ; yea, and of other 
worlds also, if the Lord should freely make 
them and would redeem them. Sufficient, we 
say then, was the sacrifice of Christ for the 
redemption of the whole world, and for the 
expiation of all the sins of all and every man 
in the world. This sufficiency of his sacrifice 
hath a two-fold rise. First, the dignity of the 
person that did offer and was offered. Sec- 
ondly, the greatness of the pain he endured, 
by which he was able to bear and did undergo 
the whole curse of the law of God due to sin : 
and this sets out the innate, real, true worth of 
the bloodshedding of Jesus Christ" 

Thomas Boston: "There was virtue and 
efficacy enough in Christ's oblation to satisfy 
offended justice for the sins of the whole world, 
yea, and of millions of worlds more ; for his 
blood hath infinite value because of the excel- 
lency and dignity of his person." 

John Brown of Haddington : " Such is the 
infinite dignity of Christ's person that his ful- 



FOLLY OF OBJECTIONS. 271 

lilment of the broken law is sufficient to bal- 
ance all the debts of all the elect, nay, of 
millions of guilty worlds. ... In respect of its 
intrinsic worth as the obedience and suffer- 
ings of a divine person, Christ's satisfaction is 
sufficient for the ransom of all mankind : and 
being fulfilled in human nature, is equally 
suited to all their necessities." 

What broader, surer foundation for a sin- 
cere and consistent offer of mercy, than is 
found in such views as these, can any one 
demand ? 

Hervey: "The obedience and atonement 
are as sufficient to secure perfectly all sinners 
that fly by faith under the covert of his wings, 
as the immeasurable circuit of the sky is 
roomy enough for a lark to fly in, or as the 
immense brightness of the Sun is lightsome 
enough for a laborer to work by. When the 
thunders roar, and the lightnings flash ; when 
the clouds pour down water, and a horrid 
storm comes on ; all, that are in the open air, 
retire under the branches of a thick tree, or 
fly to some other commodious shelter. So the 
blood and righteousness of Christ are a covert. 
Hither we may fly and be screened ; hither 
we may fly and be safe." 



272 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

Witherspoon : "I shall lay clown three 
propositions which I think can hardly be 
called in question, and which are a sufficient 
foundation for our faith and practice. 

"1. The obedience and death of Christ is 
of value sufficient to expiate the guilt of all 
the sins of every individual that ever lived 
or shall live on earth. This cannot be de- 
nied, since the subjects to be redeemed are 
finite, the price paid for their redemption is 
infinite. Christ suffered in the human nature, 
but that nature was intimately and personally 
united to the divine ; so that Christ the Medi- 
ator, the gift of God for the redemption of sin- 
ners, is often called his own and his eternal 
Son. ' He that spared not his own Son, but 
delivered him up for us all, how shall he not 
with him also freely give us all things.' Eom. 
8 : 32. Such was the union of the divine and 
human nature in Christ, that the blood which 
was the purchase of our redemption, is ex- 
pressly called the blood of G-od. Acts 20 :28. 
This is the great mystery of godliness, God 
was manifest in the flesh, in which all our 
thoughts are lost and swallowed up. 

"2. Notwithstanding this, every individ- 
ual of the human race is not in fact partaker 



FOLLY OF OBJECTIONS. 273 

of the blessing of the purchase, but many die 
in their sins, and perish for ever. This will 
as little admit of a doubt. Multitudes have 
died who never heard of the name of Christ, 
or salvation through him ; many have lived 
and died blaspheming his person and despising 
his undertaking ■ many have died in unbelief 
and impenitence, serving divers lusts and 
passions, and if the Scripture is true, he will 
at last render to them according to their 
works. But 

"3. There is in the death of Christ a suffi- 
cient foundation laid for preaching the gospel 
indefinitely to all without exception. It is the 
command of God that this should be done : 
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the 
world, and preach the gospel to every crea- 
ture." Mark 16:15. The effect of this is, that 
the misery of the unbelieving and impenitent 
shall be entirely at their own door : and they 
shall not only die in their own sins, but shall 
suffer to eternity for the most heinous of all 
sins — despising the remedy and refusing to 
hear the Son of God. 

"Let us neither refuse our assent to any 
part of the revealed will of God, nor foolishly 
imagine an opposition between one part of it 

12* 



274 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

and another. All the obscurity arises from, 
and may be resolved into, the weakness of our 
understandings ; but let God be true, and ev- 
ery man a liar. That there is a sense in which 
Christ died for all men, and even for those 
who perish, is plain from the very words of 
Scripture." 

In like manner Symington : "We hold that 
the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus possessed an 
intrinsic value sufficient for the salvation of the 
whole world. In this sense it was adequate to 
the redemption of every human being. . . . The 
worth of Christ's atonement we hold to be, in 
the strictest sense of the term, infinite, abso- 
lute, all-sufficient .... This all- sufficiency is what 
lays the foundation for the unrestricted univer- 
sality of the gospel call .... Such is my impres- 
sion of the sufficiency of the atonement, that 
were all the guilt of all mankind concentrated 
in my own person, I should sec no reason, 
relying on that blood which cleanseth from all 
sin, to indulge despair." 

So also Dr. Candlish has written at length 
to show that there is a fitness in the " univer- 
sality of the gospel offer," and that it is sin- 
cere and in "good faith on the part of God." 
, . "We maintain that the death of Christ 



FOLLY OF OBJECTIONS. 275 

lays the foundation for the offer of the gospel 
to all men universally, and lays the founda- 
tion for that offer being honest and free on the 
part of God." 

'Precious as is the doctrine of a vicarious 
atonement, and glad as must be the heart of 
him who hopes that he personally is interested 
in the sacrifice of Calvary, yet it abates noth- 
ing from the riches of divine grace, but on 
the contrary, enhances its glories, that the 
blood of Christ will never lose its power ; and 
when all the redeemed shall have obtained a 
full supply, the treasure of gospel grace will 
be as ample as ever. Let sinners everywhere 
know that if they perish it is not because there 
is not merit in Christ sufficient to meet all the 
demands of law and justice against them. Let 
them all turn and embrace the kind, the sin- 
cere, the urgent call to life and salvation by 
mere gratuity on the part of God : " Whoso- 
ever will, let him take the water of life freely." 
As God is not mocked, so neither does he mock 
any of his creatures. 

Other objections have been urged against 
the doctrine of a vicarious atonement, but it is 
not necessary here to dwell upon them. 



276 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

1. Let the Christian glory in the fulness 
and sufficiency of the work of Christ, His 
crown and his inheritance are sure. In this 
world's possessions you may be poor; but "a 
ragged saint is clearer to God than a godless 
millionaire." " God is a portion of which his 
people can never be robbed. Impoverished 
you may be, but not undone ; discouraged, 
but not disinherited."* I recommend Christ 
to you more and more. Hold fast to hjm. 
Never let him go. Especially, 

2. Let all sinners everywhere accept the 
salvation that is so fully provided and so freely 
offered. Why will men stand and cavil, and 
wonder, and perish, when they are called to 
return to God and seek salvation? "There 
is mercy enough in God, and merit enough in 
Christ, and power enough in the Spirit, and 
scope enough in the promises, and room enough 
in heaven." why will men refuse salva- 
tion ? 

* Arrowsmith. 



CHRIST'S RESURRECTION. 277 

CHAPTER XV. 

CHRIST'S RESURRECTION. 

The humiliation of Christ being completed 
in his death and burial, his exaltation began 
in his resurrection from the dead. This is a 
great cardinal truth in the Christian system. 
It has often been shown to be so. It is so by 
the confession of all Christians, and of the 
apostles themselves. Paul says, "If Christ 
be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and 
your faith is also vain. ... If Christ be not 
raised, your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your 
sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep 
in Christ are perished. If in this life only we 
have hope in Christ, we are of all men most 
miserable."' 1 Cor. 15:14, 17-19. Clearly this 
doctrine is fundamental. It should be often 
preached and never yielded. "It is the car- 
dinal fact of Christianity, without which all 
her other facts lose their importance."* 

It is agreed by Jews, Christians, and Infi 
dels, that Christ was dead and buried. For a 
time his body was lifeless. Any decent regard 

* Mason. 



278 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

to truth must admit this. Of his death there 
is no doubt. Himself admitted it more than 
fifty years afterwards : " I am He that liveth, 
and was dead ; and, behold, I am alive for 
evermore." 

It is also clear that prophecy required that 
Christ should rise from the dead. "My flesh 
also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave 
my soul in hell ; neither wilt thou suffer thiue 
Holy One to see corruption." Ps. 16:9, 10. 
That this does not apply to augels is cer- 
tain, for angels are pure spirits and have no 
"flesh." They never die. That it does not 
refer to any mere man is certain, for the per- 
son here spoken of is called God's Holy One, 
and all mere men are sinful. That it does not 
apply to David, who wrote the Psalm where it 
is found, Peter proved on the day of Pente- 
cost : "Men and brethren, let me freely speak 
unto you of the patriarch David, that he is 
both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is 
with us unto this day ;" we know that he has 
seen corruption, for he has been lying in the 
grave for centuries. But, continues Peter, 
David "being a prophet, and knowing that 
God had sworn with an oath to him, that of 
the fruit of his loins according to the flesh he 



CHRIST'S RESURRECTION. 279 

would raise up Christ to sit on his throne, he 
seeing this before spake of the resurrection of 
Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, nei- 
ther his flesh did see corruption." Acts 2 :29- 
31. Jesus foretold his own resurrection : "De- 
stroy this temple, and in three days I will 
raise it up." John 2:19. "He spake of the 
temple of his body." 

In the resurrection of Christ there was a 
concurrence of all the divine persons. Peter 
says, "God raised him up." Acts 10:40. Paul 
also say, "God the Father raised him from 
the dead." Gal. 1:1. But this work is not 
ascribed to the Father alone. The divine na- 
ture of Christ was employed in quickening his 
own dead body. Himself said of his own 
bod}-, "I will raise it up." "I have power 
to lay down my life, and I have power to take 
it again." The Son of God participated in 
the resurrection of his own body. And in 
Romans 8 :11 the same work is said to have 
been effected by the Spirit of God. As in 
creation and providence, so in the raising of 
Christ's body, each person of the Godhead 
concurred. 

Peter says that Christ was raised up the 
ihird day. Acts 10: 40. In reckoning time, 



280 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

both Hebrews and Greeks frequently counted 
the part of a day on which a thing began as one 
day, and the part of a clay on which it ceased 
as another day, and, putting these to the inter- 
mediate day or days; gave the total. Thus, 
among the Hebrews, the day on which a child 
was born was set down as one day, and the 
day on which it was brought to be circum- 
cised was put down as another day, and only 
six entire da} T s intervened between its birth 
and circumcision, and so it frequently hap- 
pened that a child was not seven times twenty- 
four hours old when it was circumcised, and 
yet the law required that sign and seal to be 
put on the child on the eighth clay. Greek 
antiquities show that the same mode of reck- 
oning was often used in Eastern Europe. At 
other times the Hebrews counted only the en- 
tire clays. Compare Luke 9 : 28 and Mark 9 : 2. 
So that either mode might be used. The gos- 
pels state that Christ was buried the after- 
noon of the day before the Jewish Sabbath, 
and that he rose very early on the day after 
the Jewish Sabbath. So that he continued 
under the power of death one whole day and 
a part of two others. This method of compu- 
ting time explains the phrases three days and 



CHRIST'S RESURRECTION. > 281 

the third day. Jesus arose the third day ; this 
was the time fixed by his own prophecies ; had 
he risen sooner, some might have doubted the 
reality of his death ; had he remained longer 
in the grave, the season of terrible fear and 
darkness to his people would have been 
needlessly prolonged ; had he remained much 
longer under the power of death, his body 
must have "seen corruption," which prophecy 
had said should not be. 

Christ's raised body was a real body, and 
not merely the appearance of a body. In the 
minds of his followers there were doubts on 
this point. Once when he stood in the midst 
of them they were "affrighted, and supposed 
that they had seen a spirit.'- To settle this 
point he said, "Handle me, and see; for a 
spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me 
have." Their sight and their touch alike in- 
formed them that there was no illusion. 

Jesus Christ had the same body after his 
•resurrection that he had before. The sepul- 
chre was opened and the sacred body it con- 
tained arose. After his resurrection our Lord 
said to his disciples, "Behold my hands and 
my feet, that it is I myself." To unbelieving 
Thomas he said, "Reach hither thy finger and 



282 TIJE KOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

behold my hands ; and reach hither thy hand 
and thrust it into my side ; and be not faith- 
less, but believing." Christ's risen body was 
the same as his dead and buried body. 

Do any ask, Why did not Christ's followers 
recognize him immediately? In at least one 
instance "their eyes were holden" that they 
should not know him, until by reasoning with 
them out of the Scriptures, he had satisfied 
them that he "ought" to have suffered these 
things, and then enter into his glory. And 
although Christ had plainly foretold his own 
death, burial, and resurrection, yet through 
the strange power of unbelief, his disciples did 
not understand or receive those truths. This 
error was not wholly removed from their 
minds till near the time of his ascension. 
When he was dead, the best thing they could 
bring their feelings to say was, "We trusted 
that it had been he which should have re- 
deemed Israel." Moreover, in a mind greatly 
afflicted there is a strange unwillingness, 
amounting almost to incapacity, to believe 
good tidings. It looks upon any very good 
news as too good to be credited. Luke 
tells us that this was the state of mind in 
the followers of Christ : " They believed not 



CHRIST'S RESURRECTION. 283 

for jo} T , and wondered." Such a state of mind 
is not unusual, as might easily be shown. 

Let us now examine the evidence by which 
the fact of Christ's resurrection is established. 
Peter says : " God . . . showed him openly ; 
not to all the people, but unto witnesses cho- 
sen before of God, even to us, who did eat 
and drink with him after he rose from the 
dead." Acts 10:40, 41. It is worthy of notice 
that to the disciples there were two heav- 
enly witnesses of Christ's resurrection. Luke 
indeed speaks of them as "two men ... in shin- 
ing garments ;" but John expressly says they 
were "two angels in white." Luke 24:4-6 ; 
John 20:12, 13. These elder sons of God 
were the first, and they were fit witnesses of 
the wonderful event. 

Respecting the witnesses of Christ's res- 
urrection, several things may be stated : 

1. Their number was large, between five 
and six hundred. From the days of Moses to 
this time, the most enlightened nations have 
admitted the testimony of two or three men. 
Here we have two or three hundred times the 
number of witnesses required to prove even 
that a mother killed her own child. Five 
or six hundred witnesses are as good as 



284 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

five or six thousand. The number is suffi- 
cient. 

2. The witnesses were competent. They 
had the use of all their senses, and they had 
the best opportunities of obtaining correct 
information. Peter says the witnesses "did 
eat and drink with him after he rose from the 
dead." In Acts 1:3, Luke says that "he 
showed himself alive after his passion by 
'many infallible proofs, being seen of them 
[the apostles] forty days, and speaking of the 
things pertaining to the kingdom of Grod." 
So that the witnesses fearlessly say, "That 
which we have heard, which we have seen 
with our eyes, which we have looked upon 
and our hands have handled of the Word of 
life, . . . declare we unto you." 1 John 1:1, 3. 
In Scripture are mentioned eleven particular 
instances in which our Lord was seen by some 
or all of these witnesses. 

His first appearance was to Mary Magda- 
lene, who at first mistook him for the gar- 
dener, and to whom he announced his early 
ascension into heaven, Mark 1G:9; John 
20:14-17. Christ's second appearance was 
to Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary 
the mother of James, and other women, who 



CHRIST'S RESURRECTION. 285 

had prepared spices to embalm his sacred 
body. Matt. 28:1-10 ; Luke 24:1-12. His 
third appearance was to the two disciples, as 
they went into the country on their way to 
Emmaus. Mark 16:12, 13 ; Luke 24:13-35. 
He was afterwards seen by Peter, 1 Cor. 15 :5. 
He was afterwards seen by James, 1 Cor. 15 :7. 
He was then seen by the ten apostles, Thomas 
being absent, John 20:19-24. Eight days 
afterwards he was seen by all the eleven apos- 
tles, John 20:26-29. He was next seen by 
his disciples at the sea of Tiberias. There 
were seven apostles present on that occasion, 
John 21 :1-14. He was also seen at one time 
by more than five hundred brethren, 1 Cor. 
15:6. Perhaps it was on this occasion that 
he ascended to heaven in the sight of the men 
of Galilee. Paul also, on his way to Damascus, 
perhaps about two years later, saw him in his 
resurrection body, and conversed with him. 
In these interviews with his disciples, they 
had every opportunity to be certified of his 
being truly the risen Saviour. There is no 
reason to believe that the evangelists have 
told us all the instances in which Christ was 
with his friends. Both John and Luke would 
lead us to this conclusion, John 20:30 ; Acts 



286 THE BOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

1 :3. Christ conversed with them. The pious 
women held his feet and worshipped him. 
These witnesses saw him walk ; they heard 
his arguments and his reproofs ; they saw his 
wounds ; they received both his command to 
spread his gospel, and his blessing. Infidelity 
itself has never impugned the competency of 
the witnesses. Their testimony was not built 
on rumor, on the report of others, but on what 
was submitted to their own senses and obser- 
vation. 

3. The testimony of these witnesses agrees. 
Some mention things that others did not see 
or hear ; but all. agree that he rose from the 
dead, and that they saw him in his resurrec- 
tion body. There is no contradiction between 
the witnesses. They agree in all things of 
which they speak. The early infidels labored 
to find out some contrariety in their testimony, 
but their labors were a singular compound of 
ignorance and malice. 

4. The witnesses, by lives of humility, be- 
nevolence, uprightness, and self-denial, proved 
that they were good men, and their word to 
be relied on. There is an almost universal 
belief that the apostles were pious men, and 
afraid of offending God, which they would 



CHEIST'S RESURRECTION. 287 

have done by fabricating falsehood. It is not 
even pretended that any of them ever amassed 
fortunes by maintaining that Jesus had risen. 
They lived and died poor men. The sublimest 
of the apostles was willingly a tent-maker. 
Jesus forewarned all his followers that adhe- 
rence to him was the highway to poverty. 
These witnesses too were banished, stoned, 
slain with, the sword, and crucified. They 
were hated of all men ; ignominy was heaped 
upon them. They foresaw it would be so, and 
they were not disappointed. They were not 
in quest of fame, or case, or pleasure. They 
counted it joy to suffer reproach for Christ. 
They hailed with composure the fire and sword 
of persecution. "There were no motives to 
corrupt them. ... It is evident that nothing 
desirable in this world had the least influence 
on the apostles. Nay, on the contrary, what- 
ever was terrible to nature discouraged them. 
They suffered all temporal evils, even death 
itself, for this testimony." The enemies of 
the Christian religion do commonly admit all 
this. The way of weakening this testimony 
is, by such insinuations as these : 

1. The witnesses were unlettered and un- 
philosophical men. Suppose this were true, 



288 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

it would not prove that they were not good 
witnesses. Science and literature do not qual- 
ify men to tell the truth respecting a matter 
of fact occurring before their faces. But men 
who could speak all the languages of their 
times ought not to be held up to the world as 
liable to contempt for their ignorance. And 
men who have revolutionized the moral senti- 
ments of mankind must have had something 
better than mere science. Such men were 
capable of being witnesses. 

2. Some have said the apostles were cred- 
ulous, and so are not worthy of confidence. 
But the whole history' shows that they were 
not credulous. Mark says they "believed 
not.' 7 Mark 16:11. Again, on the next dec- 
laration of the fact, he says: "Neither be- 
lieved they them." Mark 16:13. Again: 
" He appeared unto the eleven as they sat at 
meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief 
and hardness of heart, because they believed 
not them which had seen him after he was 
risen." Indeed, Christ often reproved their 
slowness to believe on this point. The whole 
history shows that they were not credulous. 
Notice here the unfairness of these infidels. 
When we state how slow Christ's followers 



CHRIST'S RESURRECTION. 289 

were to believe his resurrection, some say, 
Why did they doubt, if the evidence was good 
and sufficient? Then when we give the rea- 
sons of their hesitancy, and show that finally 
the evidence was complete and to every one 
satisfactory, we are told that they believed 
only because they were easy of belief. One 
of these statements destroys the other. Nei- 
ther is true. 

3. But some have said that the witnesses 
in this case, and especially 'the apostles, were 
fanatics, and therefore not to be believed. 
It is freely admitted that a well-established 
charge of fanaticism must impair confidence 
in any testimony ; but who has adduced the 
slightest evidence of the truth of such a charge 
in this case ? It is no evidence of wild enthu- 
siasm to believe an extraordinary yet possible 
thing when it is proven to us. It is no evi- 
dence of fanaticism to say that we are wit- 
nesses of what we thus believe. Fanaticism 
relies on impulses and unaccountable impres- 
sions. It pa}\s no just regard to evidence. 
But the apostles appealed to well-known facts. 
They said, "Ye know" so and so. "These 
things were not done in a corner.*' "We 
testify that which we have seen." This is not 

nnrk of Sal. 18 



290 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

the language of madmen. Fanatics are proud,' 
and boastful, and arrogant. All history shows 
that the apostles were humble, meek, and mod- 
est men. They avoid all needless allusion to 
themselves. They record their own imper- 
fections. They praise not themselves. The 
chiefest of them says he was "not worthy to 
be called an apostle ;" that he was " the least 
of all saints;" yea, that he was "the chief of 
sinners." Fanatics could never have sent 
forth a system claiming to be divine, and ac- 
companied with such evidences as to deceive 
such men as Milton, Locke, Boyle, Bacon, and 
Newton, and a large portion of the most en- 
lightened nations of the earth, for the last 
eighteen hundred years. 

But it is worthy of notice that the Jews at 
first generally denied Christ's resurrection. 
They said that while the soldiers were asleep, 
his disciples stole away his body. This story 
cannot be believed for the following reasons 

1. The guard at the sepulchre was unusu- 
ally large — as large as Christ's enemies desired 
it should be. Matt. 27:65, G6. 

2. It is wholly incredible that a guard, a 
large guard of Eoman soldiers, should be asleep 
on their posts. The season of the year, at 



CHRIST'S RESURRECTION. 291 

least during the night, was cool. The pen- 
alty for falling asleep on guard was death. 

3. The dead body of our Saviour could 
have done nothing in producing the belief 
that he was alive. 

4. During the hours that Christ lay in the 
sepulchre, his disciples spent their time very 
much in mourning and weeping. Mark 16 :10. 
It is incredible that this company of unarmed, 
dispirited, heart-broken followers of Jesus 
Christ should have laid and executed a plan 
to rescue the precious body of their Lord from 
a trained and armed soldiery. 

5. The testimony of these soldiers, as 
eventually given, was wholly incompetent ; 
for it related to a fact which they said occur- 
red when they were asleep. 

6. Their testimony, as first given, was full 
and satisfactory in favor of our Lord's resur- 
rection. Of the two stories they gave out we 
are at full liberty, yea, we are bound, to be- 
lieve the one that they told without "large 
money."' 

If Jesus Christ was not the Son of God, 
and did not rise from the dead, then he was a 
gross deceiver. Nevertheless, his followers, 
in that case so cruelly misled, were willing to 



292 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

lay clown their lives for him. Is not that very 
strange ? 

If Jesus Christ did not rise, then a few 
men, who never had nor claimed any political 
power, any fortune, any favor with civil rulers, 
were able to convince hundreds of thousands 
of Greeks, Komans, and Hebrews, that one 
who suffered as a malefactor, was the Saviour 
of men, and yet all in the teeth of evidence to 
the contraiy. 

If Jesus Christ did not rise, then we must 
believe that millions have "madly suffered 
imprisonments, tortures, and crucifixions, to 
spread an illusion." 

If Jesus Christ did not rise, then it is true 
that " ten thousand miracles were wrought in 
favor of falsehood." 

All admit that Christ died. Yet "his 
death is incomparably a greater wonder than 
his resurrection." Surely it is less to be ex- 
pected that "the Son of God, who originally 
possessed immortality, should die, than that 
the human body united to him should be 
raised to a glorious life." "It was not pos- 
sible" that he should have been holden of 
death. Acts 2 : 24. His eternal power and 
godhead forbade it. Divine justice required 



CHRIST'S RESURRECTION. 203 

his resurrection that his innocence might be 
vindicated. 

Many important truths, essential to the 
comfort of a Christian life, are suggested and 
confirmed by this discussion : 

1. The resurrection of Jesus Christ incon- 
testably proves that in nothing was Jesus an 
impostor. 

2. Christ's resurrection clearly manifests 
his divinity and his Sonship with God. If he 
raised himself from the dead, he must have 
been divine. If he claimed to be equal with 
God, and the Father and the Spirit coopera- 
ted in his resurrection, then he was equal 
with God, for God would not work a miracle 
to establish a lie. Paul says expressly that 
he was "declared to be the Son of God with 
power,"' i. e., in a powerful manner, "by the 
resurrection from the dead." Rom. 1 : 4. 

3. Christ's resurrection gave ample proof 
of the completeness of his satisfaction to the 
law and justice of God. So Paul argues : 
"Who was delivered for our offences, and was 
raised again for our justification." Rom. 4:25. 
"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ 
that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who 



294: THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

is even at the right hand of God, who also 
maketh intercession for us." Rom. 8 : 34. 
Paul says "the God of peace . . . brought again 
from the dead our Lord Jesus." Heb. 13 : 20. 
lie was the God of peace because his justice 
had been fully satisfied. ' ' His death appeased 
God, his resurrection assures men. . . . Justice 
incensed, exposed him to death ; and justice 
appeased, freed him from the dead." 

4. If Christ rose from the dead, so shall his 
people. "Now is Christ risen from the dead 
and become the first-fruits of them that slept." 
1 Cor. 15 : 20. He is "the first-born from 
the dead." "If we believe that Jesus died 
and rose again, even so them also which sleep 
in Jesus will God bring with him." 1 Thess. 
4:14. " Our Saviour's victory over death 
was obtained by dying, his triumph by rising 
again. He foiled our common enemy in his 
own territories, the grave." We shall be 
raised "in the likeness of his resurrection." 
Rom. 6 : 5. Our vile bodies shall be fash- 
ioned like unto his glorious body. Phil. 
3:21. 

5. If we would know the fulness of the 
blessings of eternal life hereafter, we must 
know the power of Christ's resurrection here. 



CHRIST'S RESURRECTION. 295 

Phil. 3 :10. One of Whitefield's best sermons 
is on this subject. 

6. On the fact and doctrine of Christ's 
resurrection depend all our hopes for eter- 
nity. So the apostles taught, 1 Pet, 1 : 3, 4. 
There is no room for doubt here. We cannot 
yield this point without surrendering all that 
is worth contending for. 

7. How wonderful is that providence of 
God, which permitted death to come by man, 
and which arranged that by man also should 
come the resurrection of the dead. 1 Cor. 
15:21. 

8. The Bible is true. Christianity is 
divine. Its author was the Son of God. 
Obedience to him is required, and is most 
reasonable. Will you believe and obey the 
Son of God ? 



296 THE ROCK OF OUR SALTATION. 



CHAPTEK XYI. 

CHKIST'S ASCENSION, AND SESSION AT GOD'S 
RIGHT HAND. 

The first step in Christ's exaltation was 
his resurrection ; the second, his ascension to 
heaven ; the third, his sitting at the right 
hand of God. Having considered the first, 
let us now meditate on the other two. 

I. HIS ASCENSION. 

1. Our Lord, having risen, did not at once 
ascend to heaven, but remained on earth forty 
days. Acts 1:3. By this delay 

(1.) He would give his followers all rea- 
sonable proof of his humanity: "Behold my 
hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle 
me, and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and 
bones, as ye see me have. And when he had 
thus spoken, he showed them his hands and 
his feet." Luke 24 : 39, 40. Long after his 
ascension to heaven, the last surviving apostle 
testifies : ' ' That which was from the begin- 
ning, which we have heard, which we have 
seen with our eyes, which we have looked 



CHKIST'S ASCENSION. 297 

upon, and our hands have handled, of the 
Word of life . . . declare we unto you." 1 John 
1:1, 3. 

(2.) Christ would give all reasonable sat- 
isfaction concerning the reality of his resur- 
rection. This he did many ways, calling one 
poor doubter to reach forth his finger and be- 
hold his hands, and to reach forth his hand, 
and thrust it into his side. John 20 : 27. In- 
deed he showed himself alive after his pas- 
sion, b} r many infallible signs. Acts 1:3. 

(3.) Christ remained on earth a season 
that he might aid his disciples in recovering 
from the terrible shock which their faith had 
received at the crucifixion, and that he might 
further confirm and instruct them in the na- 
ture and things of his kingdom. "These are 
the words which I spake unto 3-011, while I 
was yet with 3'ou, that all things must be ful- 
filled which were written in the law of Moses, 
and in the prophets, and in the psalms, con- 
cerning me. Then opened he their under- 
standing, that they might understand the 
Scriptures." Luke 24 : 44, 45. 

2. Prophecy required the ascension of our 
Lord, and the Scripture cannot be broken. So 
we read, "God is gone up with a shout, the 
13* 



298 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

Lord with the sound of a trumpet." Ps. 47 :5. 
"Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led 
captivity captive : thou hast received gifts for 
men ; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord 
God might dwell among them." Ps. 68 : 18. 
Of this prediction we have an inspired and so 
an infallible interpretation given by Paul in 
Ephesians 4 : 8-13. Daniel foretold the same 
thing: "I saw in the night visions, and, be- 
hold, one like the Son of man came with the 
clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of 
days, and they brought him near before him ; 
and there was given him dominion, and glory, 
and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and 
languages should serve him, "etc. Dan. 7:13,14. 

Our Lord himself often foretold his own 
ascension: "I go unto the Father." John 
14 : 28. "I go my way to him that sent me." 
John 1G : 5. See also John 1 : 51. Much more 
did he say to the same effect. So that beyond 
all doubt several predictions, running over the 
space of at least a thousand years, required 
that Christ should ascend to God. 

3. With the prophecy, the historic record 
well and fully agrees. Neither Matthew nor 
John in the gospels bearing their names record 
Christ's ascension. Yet it is declared in four 



CHRIST'S ASCENSION. 299 

books of the New Testament. The testimony 
of Mark on the subject is, " So then, after the 
Lord had spoken unto them, he was received 
up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of 
God." In his gospel Luke says, "And he led 
them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up 
his hands, and blessed them. And it came to 
pass, while he blessed them, he was parted 
from them, and carried up into heaven. And 
they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusa- 
lem with great joy : and were continually in 
the temple, praising and blessing God." Luke 
24 : 50-53. In Acts 1 : 9-11, we read : "And 
when he had spoken these things, while they 
beheld, he was taken up ; and a cloud received 
him out of their sight. And while they looked 
steadfastly towards heaven as he went up, be- 
hold two men stood by them in white apparel ; 
which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand 
ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, 
which is taken up from you into heaven, shall 
so come in like manner as ye have seen him 
go into heaven." In 1 Timothy 3 : 16, Paul 
says he was " received up into glory." Thus 
the record agrees with the prediction and ex- 
plains it. 

4. On the southeast side of Jerusalem, 



300 THE EOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

and separated from it by the valley of the 
brook Kidron, is a mountain-ridge running 
north and south. Its summit is about half 
a mile from the wall of the holy city. For 
many thousand years it has been famous for 
its olive-trees, and from the days of Samuel 
i;o the present time it has been called Olivet, 
or the Mount of Olives. 2 Sam. 15 :30. Over 
this David fled weeping, as he retired from his 
palace in the rebellion of Absalom. The road 
to Jericho and the Jordan crosses this ridge. 
At its base on the west lay the ever-famous 
garden of G-ethsemane. On its eastern slope 
was the retired village of Bethany, so often 
favored with the presence of the Saviour. 
Often did he cross Olivet. This mount, which 
rises about two hundred feet above Jerusa- 
lem, is chosen by Zechanah either as the place 
or the emblem of great and terrible judgments. 
Tt witnessed many of the wonders and mer- 
cies and sufferings of our Lord. From it he 
ascended. Tradition attempts to mark the 
spot whence he arose ; but all this is uncer- 
tain. On this mount he had beheld the holy 
city and wept over it. At its base he had 
been sorrowful and very heavy; yea, "his 
sweat was as it were great drops of blood fall- 



CHRIST'S ASCENSION. 301 

ing down to the ground." It had witnessed 
his human weakness and his dreadful suffer- 
ings. At his ascension, it witnessed his tri- 
umph and amazing glory. Here he had fought 
/vith the powers of darkness. Here he now 
' made a show of them openly." 

5. From Olivet Christ ascended to heaven. 
His going to heaven is expressly said to have 
been necessary : "Whom the heaven must 
receive until the times of restitution of all 
things." Acts 3:21. God's purpose, the truth 
of prophecy, and the fitness of things required 
Christ's ascension into heaven. Mark sa} r s : 
"He was received up into heaven." Luke 
says : "He . . . was carried up into heaven." 
Christ himself says : "No man hath ascended 
up to heaven, but he that came down from 
heaven, even the Son of man, which is in 
heaven." John 3 :13. In Acts 1 :11 we have 
the words of the angels: "This same Jesus 
which is taken up from you. into heaven shall 
so come in like manner as ye have seen him 
go into heaven." Stephen saw "the heavens 
opened, and the Son of man standing on the 
right hand of God." Paul warns masters to 
be kind and gentle, and gives this as a rea- 
son, "knowing that your Master also is in 



302 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

heaven." Eph. 6:9. Again: " Our conver- 
sation is in heaven, from whence also we look 
for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." Phil. 
3:20. Again: "Christ is not entered into 
the holy places made with hands, which are 
the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, 
now to appear in the presence of God for us." 
Heb. 9 : 24. Peter also says, He w is gone 
into heaven." But Paul says he is "made 
higher than the heavens." Heb. 7:26. This 
mode of speech may have reference to the 
Jewish idea of three heavens — first the aerial 
heavens, and then the starry heavens. Christ 
is made higher than these heavens, and has 
entered the third heaven, often called the 
heaven of heavens. 

6. When we speak of Christ ascending, 
we speak of his human body and human soul. 
His divine nature fills, and has always filled, 
heaven and earth. Essentially it fills all space, 
is confined to no place, but pervades immen- 
sity. When Christ was walking here on earth, 
he spoke of the Son of man as being then in 
heaven. John 3:13. At all times this was 
true of his divine nature, and of it only. The 
effect of this exaltation on the human nature 
of Christ was not to annihilate it, not to subli- 



CHKIST'S ASCENSION. 303 

mate it so that it ceased to be human nature, 
but to glorify it, to crown it with glory and 
honor. When Saul of Tarsus saw him, soon 
after his ascension, he shone with a lustre 
above the brightness of the sun. The vision 
produced blindness, which was miraculously 
healed. About sixty years later John saw 
him, and he fell at his feet as dead. The 
ordinary mode of explaining this wonderful 
change in the appearance of Christ is, that 
while he was here on earth his glory was 
veiled. At his transfiguration the veil was 
taken away, and his raiment became white 
and glistering. In heaven there is no veil, 
no covering. The glory shines out brightly, 
and nothing obscures it. 

7. The manner of Christ's ascension is 
worthy of our attention. Christ ascended not 
figuratively, but literally ; not spiritually, but 
corporeally ; not insensibly, but visibly. His 
disciples saw him ascend to heaven as clearly 
as they saw him on the cross, or on the ship, 
or at the sea-side. He ascended in a cloud. 
No one has told us how T bright that cloud was, 
or what was its appearance ; but it was like 
the cloud in which he will come to judgment. 
Acts 1:11. Nor was he taken nwav sud- 



304 THE KOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

denly. He was seen to leave the earth, and 
seen for some time after he left it. They 
gazed upon him as he went np. His ascen- 
ision was triumphant. Forty-three days be- 
fore he had ridden into Jerusalem on an ass' 
colt. He now ascends triumphantly into the 
heavenly Jerusalem. He left the world speak- 
ing words of encouragement and benediction 
to the humble. The first nine sentences of 
his sermon on the mount began with the word 
blessed. The last thing he ever did on earth 
was, to pronounce a blessing on his people. 
His ascension to heaven was every way glo- 
rious. His appearance was doubtless such. 
And his retinue was first the heavenly host 
of angels. In Acts mention is made of but 
two angels having been seen. But the proph- 
ecy which expressly foretells his ascension 
begins by saying, "The chariots of God are 
twenty thousand, even thousands of angels ; 
the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the 
holy place." Psa. 08:17. Compare verse 18 
and Ephesians 4 : 8-12. The law on Sinai was 
given by angels. The Saviour shall come to 
judgment with his angels in like manner as he 
left the world. Our Lord's ascension was ev- 
ery way a joyous event, and was so regarded 



AT GOD'S EIGHT HAND. 305 

by his disciples, as Luke expressly informs 
us. It was the blessed fruit of his sufferings 
and obedience. And it was witnessed by a 
sufficient number of competent and credible 
witnesses, not less than five hundred. 1 Cor. 
15:6. No man has ever suggested a plausi- 
ble pretext for any one saying that he had 
seen him ascend, unless it was true. 

II. HIS SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. 

This is the third measure of our Lord's 
reward ; the third step in his exaltation. 

This was required by prophecy. David 
had said: "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit 
thou at my right hand, until I make thine 
enemies thy footstool." Psa. 110:1. Com- 
pare Luke 20:42; Heb. 1:13. Both Peter 
and Paul prove that this applies to Christ. 
Christ himself foretold the same thing when 
he was in the hands of his murderers : 
"Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on 
the rigid hand of the power of God." Luke 
22:69. 

This session at the right hand of God is 

much spoken of in Scripture. Mark says, he 

'sat on the right hand of God." Paul says, 

Ood "set him at his own right hand in the 



306 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

heavenly places. 7 ' Epli. 1:20. Peter says, 
lie "is on the right hand of God." 1 Pet. 
3:22. 

1. The question then arises, What is the 
import of the phrase, " sitting at the right 
hand?'' The word sitting does not teach 
that our Lord's body is always in a sitting 
posture. Indeed, mere posture is not referred 
to at all. Peter and Paul, each once, simply 
say, he "is at the right hand of God." And 
Stephen, dying, saw "the Son of man stand- 
ing on the right hand of God." Acts 7:56. 
Standing is a posture in which one is ready 
to receive another, or give him assistance. 
This was just what Stephen needed. 

(1.) The first thing taught by Christ's "sit- 
ting at the right hand of God " is, that he now 
has quiet, repose. He is entered into his rest. 
He hath ceased from his own works. Thus 
says Micah : " They shall sit every man under 
his vine and under his fig-tree ; and none shall 
make them afraid." Micah 4:4. So in Eev- 
elation : "To him that overcometh will I grant 
to sit with me in my throne, even as I also 
overcame, and am set down with my Father 
in his throne." Rev. 3:21. It is right that 
after toil should come rest ; after war, peace. 



AT GOD'S RIGHT HAND. 307 

After the conflict, both Christ and his people 
rest from their labors and sqrrows. 

(2.) The term sitting also denotes perma- 
nency of abode and possession. Tims it is 
said, "Asher continued [literally, sat] on the 
sea-shore," Judges 5:17; that is, he had per- 
manent possession of that country. Christ 
has rest and a permanent abode and a right- 
ful possession in heaven. 

(3.) Sitting also expresses authority and 
dominion. "Sit thou at my right hand, until 
I make thine enemies thy footstool," Psalm 
110 :1, is parallel to "He must reign till he 
hath put all enemies under his feet." 1 Cor. 
15 : 25. It is not meet that the king should 
stand in the presence of his subjects, even of 
those admitted nearest to his throne. 

(4.) Sitting is also a fit posture for a judge. 
Solomon speaks of " a king that sitteth in the 
throne of judgment." Prov. 20 : 8. Speaking 
of Christ, Isaiah, 1G : 5, says : "In mercy shall 
the throne be established : and he shall sit 
upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, 
judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting 
righteousness." And he shall not fail nor be 
discouraged till he have set judgment in 
the earth ; yea, "he shall judge the poor of 



308 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

the people, lie shall save the children of the 
needy, and shall break in pieces the oppres- 
sor." Ps. 72 : 4. 

2. Sitting, being, or standing at the right 
hand is figurative. God has no bodily parts. 
He uses such language in condescension to 
human weakness. The figure is one of fre- 
quent use in the Scriptures. Jacob put his 
right hand on the head of Joseph's younger 
son wittingly, to give him the greater blessing. 
In Psalm 80 : 17 are these words : "Let thy 
hand be upon the man of thy right hand, 
upon the son of man whom thou madest strong 
for thyself." What is the import of the 
figure ? # 

(1.) The hands are the chief instruments 
of human bodily power, and by reason of use 
the right hand is commonly the stronger of the 
two. It is a fit emblem of strength, and is often 
used to denote the almighty power of God. 
Thus in Moses' song: "Thy right hand, 
Lord, is become glorious in power : thy right 
hand, Lord, hath dashed in pieces the ene- 
my." Ex. 15 : 5. So Jesus Christ at the 
right hand of God has all power. He is able 
to do all his will. 

(2.) With the right hand gifts were com- 



AT GOD'S RIGHT HAND. 30J) 

monly bestowed and received. So when Christ 
ascended up on high he received gifts for men, 
and for himself glory and dominion. Eph. 4:8. 

(3.) The right hand of regal power is by 
men esteemed a place of enjoyment. As such 
it is much sought after. So in Psalm 16 : 11, 
which much relates to Christ, we read: "In 
thy presence is fulness of joy ; at thy right 
hand there are pleasures for evermore." Our 
Saviour is no longer "a man of sorrows." 
Grief reaches him no more. 

(4.) The right hand, according to Hebrew 
ideas, is the post of honor. When Solomon 
would confer peculiar honor on his mother he 
caused her to sit on the right hand of his 
throne. 1 Kings 2 : 19. To say that Christ is 
on the right hand of God is to declare that he 
is exalted by his Father to great dignity and 
glory. This corresponds with the declaration 
of Paul in Philippians 2:9. Our translation is, 
" God hath highly exalted him." The Syriac 
is, " God hath multiplied his sublimity." The 
Arabic is, "God hath heightened him with 
a height." Justin renders it, "God hath 
famously exalted him." God has heard his 
prayer and glorified him with himself, with the 
glory which he had with the Father before the 



310 THE ROCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

world was. Yes, "we see Jesus crowned with 
glory and honor." John 17:5; Heb. 2:9. To 
a higher degree of rest, and rule, and bliss, 
and favor, and power, and majest} r , Christ 
could not be raised. 

In this glorious state Jesus Christ executes 
all the mediatorial offices. He is the great 
Prophet of the church. With him is the 
residue of the Spirit. By his Spirit he con- 
vinces the world of sin, of righteousness, and 
of judgment. We may not say, as some do, 
that the Spirit was purchased by Christ, much 
less that he is the minister of Christ, The 
Holy Ghost is "free." Ps. 51 : 12. He has 
no guide or counsellor. He is equal with the 
Father and the Son. He is sovereign in all 
his acts. 1 Cor. 12 :11. He cannot be pur- 
chased either with money, or tears, or blood. 
But there is a glorious harmony in the coun- 
sels of the Trinity. The Holy Ghost proceeds 
from the Father and the Son. There is no 
diversity of counsel or of will in the Godhead. 
On the day of Pentecost Peter said, "Jesus, 
being by the right hand of God exalted, and 
having received of the Father the promise of 
the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which 
ye now see and hear." Acts 2 : 33. So thr 



AT GOD'S RIGHT HAND. 311 

Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Christ He en- 
lightens our minds, works faith in us, and saves 
us. Christ also raises up, qualifies, and sends 
forth every real, genuine gospel minister. He 
is head over all things to the church. 

In his exalted state Christ continues to be 
our Priest. He makes, indeed, no more offer- 
ings ; but he gloriously intercedes for us. The 
glory of his intercession may be learned from 
these facts : 1. The person of the intercessor 
is ineffably gracious ; 2. He is the delight of 
his Father ; 3. His intercession is full of au- 
thority ; 4. It always prevails ; 5. It is alone ; 
6. It continues for ever. 

In his exaltation Christ is also a King. In 
this his great glory is : 1. His kingdom is 
spiritual, and so has its seat in the hearts of 
his people. 2. It is wholly ordered in truth, 
and equit} r , and righteousness. 3. It is as 
stable as the throne of God. 4. It is for ever 
and ever. 

1. We have a right to expect the conver- 
sion of all God's chosen. Native depravity 
and long-continued habits of sinning may seem 
to render a change of heart hopeless ; but 
because Christ is sitting at God's right hand, 



312 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

his people shall he willing in the day of his 
power. Psa. 110:1, 3. 

2. There will be no failure in the comple- 
tion of all God's plans and schemes: "The 
Lord at thy right hand shall strike through 
kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge 
among the heathen. . . . He shall drink of the 
brook in the way : therefore shall he lift up 
the head." Psa. 110:5-7. 

3. The church is safe. Her Head is ex- 
alted, and he loves her, and bought her with 
his blood. He has graven her on the palms 
of his hands. Her success depends on an arm 
full of power, on grace that is infinite, on inter- 
cession never unavailing. Humble and exclu- 
sive confidence in the Captain of our salvation 
can never be disappointed. 

4. To what a glorious state believers in 
Christ are rapidly tending. Heaven, the 
heaven of heavens, the third heaven, para- 
dise, the new Jerusalem, the city of God, are 
some of the names by which the glory of the 
spirits of just men made perfect is shadowed 
forth. The glory of that blessed world is, that 
the Lamb is the light thereof. We shall be 
like him, for we shall see him as he is. Our 
vile bodies shall be fashioned like unto his 



AT GOD'S RIGHT HAND. 313 

glorious body. We shall be for ever with 
the Lord. 

5. Hearty and universal submission and 
obedience to Christ are both reasonable and 
obligatory. Submit we must, either joyfully 
unto salvation, or reluctantly unto destruction. 
Now men may affect, and even feel, contempt 
for religion and its Author : but those are shal- 
low thinkers who do not know that inconsid- 
erate courage soon gives way to appalling dis- 
may, while sober apprehension prepares the 
mind for the worst. No cries for mercy will 
be more loud, no shrieks of anguish will be 
more piercing, no moanings of despair will be 
more heart-rending, than those uttered at the 
last by men who all their lives made light of 
eternal things. If you are yet in your sins, 
one of two things is true — either your con- 
science is at perpetual and fearful war with 
your practice, or you have embraced some 
error which strips life of dignity and death of 
hope. 



14 



314 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

CHAPTEE XVII. 
CHRIST IN HEAVEN. 

Pious souls feel a profound interest in the 
person, life, and glory of Christ. Let us con- 
sider him in his exaltation ; and the benefits 
received from him by his people. 

I. Christ in his exaltation. 

1. His exaltation is deserved. He has 
merited all the honor and glory he has. He 
is the only one who has in the highest sense 
earned all that he has received of G-od. 
Originally possessed of infinite perfection, 
and freely consenting to great humiliation, 
his merit consists in his perfect obedience to 
the law, and in his bearing its curse for us. 
Holy angels have never sinned against God ; 
but they owed all the obedience they have 
ever rendered. None but Christ has ever 
supererogated. All Christ merited for us was 
as our Mediator, was by a blessed covenant 
with his Father, and was through the gift by 
grace, which has abounded unto many. Eom, 
5:15. He is worthy to live and reign for 
ever. 



CHRIST IN HEAVEN. 315 

2. Christ's life is immortal. He was dead, 
but he dieth no more. Rom 6 : 5. He says, 
"I am he that livcth, and was dead; and be- 
hold I am alive for evermore." Rev. 1:18. 
It is greatly to the joy of the child of God that 
his Saviour can be spit upon no more, can be 
wounded no more, can be crucified no more, 
can be laid in the sepulchre no more. He 
hath immortality. 

3. Christ's exaltation is very glorious. His 
very scars are resplendent with light and 
radiance. Soon after his ascension Saul of 
Tarsus saw him, and his light was above the 
brightness of the sun, and such was the glory 
that it covered the persecutor's eyes with 
scales. John says, "I saw ... in the midst of 
the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of 
man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, 
and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as 
white as snow ; and his eyes were as a flame 
of fire ; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if 
they burned in a furnace ; and his voice as the 
sound of many waters. And he had in his 
right hand seven stars ; and out of his mouth 
went a sharp two-edged sword ; and his coun- 
tenance was as the sun shineth in his strength, 



316 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as 
dead." Eev. 1 : 12—17. Among all the bright 
objects in glory, far the brightest is the Son 
of man, the Son of Grod, our great deliverer. 
There is no mistaking him for another, or an- 
other for him, in that bright world above. 

4. Christ's exaltation is full of authority. 
He has the keys of hell and of death. Rev. 
1:18. On his vesture and on his thigh is a 
name written — King of Kings, and Lord 
of Lords. Hev. 19:16. He is far above all 
principality, and power, and might, and do- 
minion, and every name that is named, not 
only in this world, but also in that which is 
to come. Eph. 1 : 21. He is the head of all 
principality and power. Col. 2:10. Indeed, 
before his ascension he said, "All power is 
given unto me in heaven and in earth." Matt. 
28 : 18. Blessed be God, our Saviour sways 
the sceptre of universal empire. There is 
none above him. He is Lord of all. He has 
no rivals. He shall never be superseded. 

5. And yet his love is unchanged. Great 
is the change in his state ; but he is as meek, 
as lowly, as gentle, as tender-hearted as when 
he gave his face to spitting and his back to the 
smiter; as when he cried, "Learn of me ;" as 



CHRIST IN HEAVEN., 317 

when lie set a little child as the model he 
would have us copy ; as when he wept at the 
grave of Lazarus ; as when he prayed for his 
own murderers. Change of state has not 
changed his heart, his love to his people, or 
his pity for sinners. 

6. Christ's exaltation is full of holy action. 
He is not sunk down into the repose so much 
celebrated in Hindoo theology. His rest, like 
that of the spirits of just men made perfect, is 
consistent with eternal activity. His toils, 
and sorrows, and weariness are over. But his 
energy and operations remain. 

He is still executing the offices of Prophet, 
Priest, and King. No man knows the Father 
but as the Son reveals him. He ever liveth 
to make intercession for us. " He must reign 
till he hath put all enemies under his feet." 
He feeds, and guides, and protects all his peo- 
ple. He is the Angel that leads Israel in all 
the wilderness, and in the heavenly mansions. 

Wherever and whenever a sinner is made 
penitent and is pardoned, it is by and through 
him. For he is on the hill of Zion to grant 
repentance and remission of sins. He leads 
his chosen like a flock. He gathers the lambs 
in his arm and carries them in his bosom. 



318 THE ROCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

He is present at every closet of secret 
deyotion. He hears all our weeping and sup- 
plications. He says: "I will not leave you 
comfortless : I will come to you." "He that 
loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and 
I will love him, and will manifest myself to 
him." 

He is present at every social meeting of 
his people, however small it may be. Two or 
three are enough to claim the fulfilment of his 
promise. Matt. 18 : 20. To all such gather- 
ings he says, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in 
my name, that will I do, that the Father 
may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask 
any thing in my name, I will do it." John 
14:13,14. 

He is no less present at all our solemn 
assemblies. When he sent forth his disciples 
to preach the gospel to every creature, he 
said, "Lo. I am with you alway, even unto 
the end of the Avorld." Many a time his ser- 
vants have failed to meet their appointments ; 
but our Lord has always been true to his 
word. 

He is always ready to help his people in 
their temptations. His promise is : " My grace 
is sufficient for thee." Never, in any case, 



CHKIST IN HEAVEN. 319 

docs lie fail to make good his engagement. A 
thousand times would their feet slip, and their 
profession be covered with reproach, but for 
his timely aid and succor. His peace is their 
solace when Satan roars. John 14:27. 

He is also with his chosen in sorrow. Into 
deep affliction he often brings them. There 
for a long time he often keeps them. But 
never does he leave them to bear their sor- 
rows alone. For intrepid consistency in fear- 
ing God the three faithful Hebrews were cast 
into the burning fiery furnace. But though 
its intense heat consumed those who cast them 
in, yet the smell of fire was not on their gar- 
ments. Not a hair of their heads was singed. 
Nor are we at a loss to account for their pres- 
ervation. The tyrant of Chaldea, though a 
heathen, found out the cause of their preser- 
vation: "Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was 
astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, 
and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast 
three men bound into the midst of the fire ? 
They answered and said unto the king, True, 
king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men 
loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they 
have no hurt ; and the form of the fourth ie 
like the Son of God." Dan. 3:24, 25. This 



320 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

explains the whole mystery, not only of this, 
but of all cases of Christian endurance. The 
presence of Christ shut the mouths of the lions, 
that they hurt not Daniel. It made Paul and 
Silas pray in the jail at Philippi, and sing 
praises, so that the prisoners heard them. 
Ten thousand times it has converted deserts 
into Bethels and dungeons into sanctuaries. 

The Lord Jesus also receives all departing 
saints. He said he would, John 14:3; and 
he keeps his word. Not a soul of a believer 
passes out of time but Jesus does for it what 
he did for Stephen in his dying hour, though 
he does not always before death give like full 
evidence of his being at the gate of heaven 
ready to put forth his hand and take in his 
dove. 

Christ is also building the heavenly Jeru- 
salem. In the Divine purpose, this blessed 
abode was prepared from the foundation of 
the world. So also has its location long since 
been determined. But ever since his ascen- 
sion, the Redeemer has been enlarging and 
beautifying it, and bringing the glory of the 
nations into it. To his sorrowing disciples 
he said, "I go to prepare a place for you. 
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I 



CHRIST IN HEAVEN. 321 

will come again, and receive you unto myself, 
that where I am, there ye may be also." John 
14:2, 3. In a sense, the works of creation 
were finished from the foundation of the world. 
Heb. 4:3. Yet Providence has in a thousand 
ways made great changes here. Had sin never 
entered, there is no telling to what heights of 
advancement things would ere this have been 
carried on our globe. As there is no sin 
in heaven, and as there is the abode of the 
Redeemer, and as there is the city of the liv- 
ing God, we know not what its glory is. Of 
this city we know some things, though the half 
is not told us. It is the city of the great King. 
It is his abode. He is its Builder and Maker. 
It is stable. It hath foundations. Heb. 11 :10. 
It is the true "Zion, the city of our solemni- 
ties .... Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tab- 
ernacle that shall not be taken down ; not one 
of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, 
neither shall any of the cords thereof be bro- 
ken. But there the glorious Lord will be 
unto us a place of broad rivers and streams ; 
wherein shall go no [enemy's] galley with oars, 
neither shall gallant ship pass thereby." Isa. 
33:20, 21. It is the city of truth, Zech. 8:3; 
the perfection of beauty, Lam. 2:15; the city 

14* 



322 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

of praise and joy. Jer. 49 :25. " G-reat is the 
Lord, and greatly to be praised in the cit} r of 
our God, in the mountain of his holiness." 
Psa. 48:1. It is the city of righteousness. 
Isa. 1:26. All its inhabitants are righteous. 
The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abom- 
inable, and murderers, and whoremongers, 
and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars are 
shut out of its pure precincts. Rev. 21 : 8, 27. 
Inside of its walls are no sickness, no poverty, 
no sorrow, no weeping, no tears, no crying, 
no pain, no death, no curse. Rev. 21 :4 ; 22 : 3. 
This too is the greatest of all cities. Babylon 
was fifteen miles square ; but this city is rep- 
resented as twelve thousand furlongs, or fif- 
teen hundred miles square. Rev. 21 : 16. This 
is the capital of Immanuel's dominions, that 
great city, the holy Jerusalem, having the 
glory of God. Her light is like unto a stone 
most precious, even like a jasper-stone, clear 
as crystal. Rev. 21:10, 11. The walls of 
this city can never be scaled. "The length 
and the breadth and the height of it are equal." 
Rev. 21 :16. They are walls of salvation, im- 
pregnable, girt with omnipotence. Isa. 26:1. 
In it is no temple ; for the Lord God Almighty 
and the Lamb are the temple of it. And it 



CHRIST IN HEAVEN. 323 

has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, 
to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten 
it and the Lamb is the light thereof. Nor is 
it a desolate, uninhabited city; for it has in it 
the nations of them that are saved. Nor is it 
a poor, mean city ; for the kings of the earth 
do bring their glory and honor into it. Rev. 
21:22-24. 

II. The benefits received from Christ in 
his exaltation. These are expressed very 
forcibly in the last gospel: "Because I live, 
ye shall live also." John 14:19. 

1. Because he lives and reigns, all who 
believe shall be justified. Now if any rises 
up to condemn us, we cry, " It is Christ that 
died, yea rather, that is risen again, who 
is even at the right hand of God, who also 
maketk intercession for us." Rom. 8 : 34. As 
he rose from the dead, so are believers risen 
with Iiim from the death of sin. Col. 3 :1. He 
sat not down at the right hand of God, till he 
had by himself purged our sins. Heb. 1:3. As 
the expiation of Christ was complete and per- 
fect, so is the justification of all who have fled 
to him. 

2. By the life of Christ his people are sanc- 
tified. We are dead — dead to the world, dead 



324 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

to sin — and our life is hid with Christ in God. 
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, 
then shall we also appear with him in glory. 
Col. 3:3, 4. Christ is made of God unto us 
sanctification. 1 Cor. 1:30. The Spirit of 
Christ, sent into our hearts by the Saviour, 
purifies them. In so doing, he puts great 
honor on the death and life of Christ by using 
them as means and motives of our purification. 
Col. 3:1. 

3. Sometimes the word live seems to be 
nearly synonymous with being happy; as where 
Paul says, "Now we Ike, if ye stand fast, in 
the Lord." 1 Thess. 3:8. So we live and 
are happy because Christ lives and is happy. 
He is beyond the reach of malice or misery. 
For thousands of years it has been for a song 
in Israel : "If we be dead with him, we shall 
also live with him : if we suffer, we shall also 
reign with him : if we deny him, he also will 
deny us : if we believe not, yet he abideth 
faithful: he cannot deny himself." 2 Tim. 
2 : 11-13. Though we see him not, yet be- 
lieving that he lives and is blessed, we live 
and rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of 
glory. 

4. By Christ's present glorious life, believ- 



CHRIST IN HEAVEN. 325 

ers have every encouragement. They are 
fully authorized to expect that, as he has over- 
come and sat down with his Father on his 
throne, so they shall overcome, and sit down 
with Christ on his throne. Eev. 3:21. It is 
a reasonable duty and a great help to looJi 
unto Jesus, and to consider him that endured 
such contradiction of sinners against himself, 
lest we be wearied and faint in our minds. 
All good hopes spring from the cross and cen- 
tre in the person of Christ. 

5. By Christ's living and reigning above, 
the natural life of believers is continued and 
made safe as long as is on the whole best. 
Each child of God is immortal till his work is 
done. The very hairs of his head are all num- 
bered. Every believer may say to every 
persecutor as Christ said to Pilate: "Thou 
couldest have no power at all against me, ex- 
cept it were given thee from above." John 
19:11. Every lion is chained. Not a dog 
can move his tongue against God's people, 
unless God gives permission. Exod. 11:7. 
Daniel never spent a night more safely than 
that he spent in the lions' den. 

G. It is by the life of Christ. that the bod- 
ies of all his people shall be raised to life and 



32G THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

beauty. So teach all the. Scriptures: "Thy 
dead men shall live, together with my dead 
body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye 
that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew 
of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the 
dead." Isa. 26:19. "Now is Christ risen 
from the dead, and become the first-fruits of 
them that slept." "As we have borne the 
image of the earthy, we shall also bear the 
image of the heavenly." 1 Cor. 15 : 20, 49. 
Christ's resurrection put the resurrection of 
his people beyond all doubt. Each one may 
shout and sing : "I know that my Redeemer 
liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter 
day upon the earth ; and though after my 
skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh 
shall I see God ; whom I shall see for nwself." 
Job 19 : 25-27. 

7. By the life of Christ his people are fully 
saved. So argues blessed Paul: "While we 
were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much 
more then, being now justified by his blood, 
we shall be saved from wrath through him. 
For if when we were enemies, we were recon- 
ciled to God by the death of his Son ; much 
more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by 
his life." Rom. 5 : 8-10. No man can find 



CHRIST IN HEAVEN. 327 

in mathematics more conclusive and irrefraga- 
ble argument than this. 

8. Because Christ lives, all his people have 
and shall have everlasting life. They cannot 
be condemned, because they are accepted in 
the Beloved. They cannot be overcome, be- 
cause He overcame. They cannot fail of eter- 
nal life, because they hold their title to it 
through the merits of- him that sits on the 
throne. If they could fail of salvation, Jesus 
would mil of his reward; for they are the 
purchase of his agonies. 

1. Humility well becomes the saints. They 
are less than the least of all God's mercies. 
In themselves they are poor creatures, yea, 
they are nothing. Christ is all. He is their 
life. It is easy for us to esteem Christ too 
little and ourselves too much ; but it is not 
possible for us to think too much of him, and 
too little of ourselves. In a life of faith the 
more we think of Christ, the lower do we put 
ourselves. We cannot, be too low in self- 
esteem. The Lord giveth grace unto the 
humble. Wisdom is with the lowly. 

2. The true, blood-bought, blood- washed 
church of God is safe. She is loved by her 



328 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

Redeemer, and he is strong. The high priest 
carried the names of the twelve tribes in- 
scribed on his breastplate. But his church 
is graven on the palms of the hands of her 
Redeemer. Isa. 49 :16. If a dying Saviour 
could redeem, a living Saviour can give the 
victory. 

3. The ministers of Christ have a peculiar 
interest in this subject. Let them hope in 
him for ever. Each of them may say as 
Cyprian : " While I oversee the church, 
Christ oversees me." Most of the promises 
personally made by Christ when on earth 
were first made to his ministers, and through 
them to all believers. 

4. God's people are truly blessed. With 
them all is right. Nothing can harm them, 
nothing can destroy them, because they are in 
Christ, and he lives for ever. If they die, they 
sleep in Jesus. If they leave this world, they 
go to be with Jesus. He is every thing to 
them. A pious, sorrowful widow used to say, 
"Jesus lives!" Once a wretched state oi 
nerves and a sore surprise for the moment 
seemed to rob her of courage, and she burst 
into tears. Her little child, who knew her 
habits of cheerfulness and the ground of her 



CHEIST IN HEAVEN. 329 

courage, recalled her to her trust by saying', 
"Mamma, is Jesus dead?" The child sup- 
posed nothing could go wrong in life if Jesus 
lived. The mother was thus reproved, and 
regained her Christian heroism. So blessed 
are the people of God, that even in this world 
a compaii} r of believers could not in a day or 
a year count up their privileges. 

Some time since a number of eminent ser- 
vants of Christ were together, and each one 
was asked to repeat as sweet a text of Scrip- 
ture as he could then think of. One said : 
"Unto you therefore which believe he is pre- 
cious. ' ; This is, indeed, refreshing. Another 
said, "God so loved the world that he gave his 
only begotten Son, that whosoever belie veth in 
him should not perish, but have everlasting- 
life." What an eternal rock is this ! Another, 
since gone to glory, said : ' ' We know that all 
things work together for good to them that love 
God. to them who are the called according to 
his purpose." Another gave this as his text: 
"God is love." Another this : "As the Father 
hath loved me, even so have I loved you." 
Another said : "Jesus Christ, the same yester- 
day, and to-day, and for ever." Such a string 
of pearls might be made ten times as long, and 



330 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

yet it would be but the beginning of all that 
God has said and done for his people. 

5. But how sad is the state of the wicked. 
Instead of promises and assurances, the Scrip- 
tures are full of woes and threatenings to 
such, saying, " They shall not see life ;" "God 
is angry with the wicked every day;" that 
Christ the judge of all will say, "Depart 
accursed ;" that the Most High will laugh at 
their calamity, and mock when their fear Com- 
eth ; and that they shall endure "the wrath 
of the Lamb." The Bible gives whole chap- 
ters to show the necessity and the dreadful- 
ness of the doom of impenitent men. See 
Ezek. 15 : Isa. 14 : Matt, 25. Surely the wicked 
must turn or burn ; must repent now or mourn 
for ever ; must embrace Christ or embrace 
death. The very truths and principles which 
secure the eternal life of the righteous, make 
certain the eternal death of the wicked. 



CHRIST'S PERSONAL ABSENCE. 331 



CHAPTEK XVIII. 

CHRIST'S PEESONAL ABSENCE FEOM THIS 

WORLD. 

The family of Christ was the most inter- 
esting society that ever existed on earth. 
Most of its members were remarkable charac- 
ters ; and the head of this household was the 
most wonderful person that ever appeafed in 
any world. 

In such a brotherhood we should look for 
affecting scenes. Nor are we disappointed. 
It is not rash to say that the last interview, 
before the crucifixion, between Christ and his 
disciples, was as tender and overpowering as 
any of which the human mind can form a con- 
ception. While inspiration employs no epi- 
thets to characterize it, we yet have the sub- 
stance of what was said and done. The chief 
source of affliction to the disciples in the upper 
chamber, where for the last time they celebra- 
ted the passover, and for the first time par- 
took of the Lord's supper, was the prospect of 
their Master's leaving them. To prepare their 
minds for this event, he said many soothing 



332 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

things, yet did lie not conceal the fact of his 
departure: "I go away;" "I go unto my 
Father ;" "I tell you the truth : it is expedient 
for you that I go away." John 14:3,12; 16:7. 

The subject of Christ's absence from the 
visible church is in many respects one of great 
interest, and has always been made to hold an 
important place in Christian doctrine, and in 
pious meditations. Their belief on this point 
greatly affects men's comfort and efficiency. 

I\-om the best views we can get, it is clear 
that it was in itself proper that our Lord 
should go to his Father when he did. In proof 
it may be said — 

That it is fit and right that honor should 
succeed faithful and eminent service, and that 
the highest honors should follow so distin- 
guished services as those rendered by Jesus 
Christ. This is the Scriptural method ot 
speaking on this subject: "When thou shalt 
make his soul an offering for sin, he shall 
see his seed. He shall prolong his days, and 
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his 
hand. He shall see the travail of his soul 
and shall be satisfied." Isa. 63:10, 11. Com- 
pare Phil. 2 : 7-9. 

It was right that Moses after serving God 



CHRIST'S PERSONAL ABSENCE. 333 

and his generation, should enter upon his 
reward ; but Moses was a mere servant, and 
an imperfect one too. He owed all the obe- 
dience he ever rendered. But Christ was a 
Son, and his whole work was in the highest 
sense voluntary. Yet in the form of a ser- 
vant he rendered perfect and blameless obe- 
dience. He never once failed. Truly did he 
say to his Father, "I have glorified thee on 
the earth." He brought to God such a reve- 
nue of honor as none else in heaven or earth 
ever did or can do. Well, therefore, might 
he say, " Now, Father, glorify thou me :" in 
the presence of all thy creatures, let suitable 
honors succeed my humiliation. If angels, 
who owe all the obedience which they ren- 
der, are crowned with heavenly glory, how 
much more proper that Christ should receive 
honor and glory from God. Tf he who so 
preeminently merited the richest gifts of God 
had failed to receive them, how could poor 
sinners, though they believe in him, hope for 
any thing good ? 

Moreover, ever since Christ's incarnation, 
a large majority of his real people have been 
in heaven, and it seems proper that as their 
bliss and glory are in and through Christ, he 



334 THE BOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

should be personally with them, and by his 
presence make them glad. From the days of 
righteous Abel to the time of Christ, there 
was a long succession of pious men, who be- 
lieved in the Kedeemer, and walked with God. 
They endured much for his name. They 
loved him. They saw his day approaching 
and rejoiced in it. They were as dear to 
Christ as the people of God in any age could 
be. They were saved by his blood. And 
there were many of them. Even in one na- 
tion, and when there was a great apostacy, 
God says there were seven thousand who had 
not revolted to idol-worship. What number 
of souls before Christ's birth were saved, none 
can tell ; but beyond a doubt far more of the 
redeemed have for long centuries been in 
heaven than have been livi r jg on the earth at 
any one time. Is it not proper that the great 
body of Christ's followers, who are in heaven, 
should enjoy his personal presence? Is he 
not their light and life and glory? Is he not 
the admiration of all his saints ? Yes ; the 
Lamb is the light of that bright world. His 
presence fills it with radiance and effulgence. 
His ascension brought to it a vast accession of 
gladness. It may then be asked, Would it be 









CHEIST'S PERSONAL ABSENCE. 335 

proper that we upon earth, a mere handful, 
should have his bodily presence, while all 
heaven should be left without it ? Blinded as 
we are by ignorance and sin, even we may see 
a fitness in this arrangement. Surely it is 
right that the great cloud of witnesses, who 
have, in ages of darkness long gone by, stood 
in their lot and fought the o;ood fidit. should 
have with them the great Captain of salva- 
tion and rejoice in his fulness and glory, even 
though we, who for the trial of our faith remain 
on the earth, should be deprived of his bles- 
sed presence. 

Besides, it seems proper that one having 
so vast dominions should dwell in the capital 
of his empire. Christ's authority and govern- 
ment are over all creatures and all worlds. 
This earth is a mere speck in creation. It 
probably constitutes not a millionth part of 
the intelligent universe. Since sin has en- 
tered, this world has become peculiarly unfit 
for the residence' of any one in a glorified 
state. Much less is it suited to be the great 
centre of influences in the kingdom of God. 
When Christ was in the world, it was in a 
way of voluntary exile from his proper home 
and country. One thing we know : he has 



336 THE KOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

chosen another part of the universe for the 
seat of his throne ; having fixed the centre of 
his kingdom there, it is right that he should 
not seem to desert it. 

It is also expedient for Christ's people on 
earth that he should not be in this world, but 
in heaven. Suppose that he were here ; he 
must be here either in glory or in humiliation ; 
either bearing the signs of majesty and divin- 
ity which now attend him in heaven, or in ap- 
parent weakness, his godhead covered with a 
thick veil, and himself appearing much like 
other men. If here in glory, who could abide 
his coming ? His brightness is intolerable to 
the eyes of mortals. Even when Moses had 
been in the mount but forty days, conversing 
with God and beholding his glory, his counte- 
nance acquired such brightness that upon his 
coming among the people it was necessary 
that he should put a veil upon his face. They 
could not look upon him. Yet Moses was a 
mere man, and a sinful man too. How then 
could we, with open face, behold the King in 
his glory ? Isaiah saw Him in a vision before 
His incarnation, and the sight so overpowered 
him as to make him cry out, " Woe is me, for 
I am undone ; because I am a man of unclean 






CHKIST'S PEBSONAL ABSENCE. 337 

lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of 
unclean lips : for mine ej^es have seen the 
king, the Lord of hosts." Isa. 6:5; John 
12:41. When Christ was transfigured before 
his disciples, and his raiment became shining, 
even his most intimate friends who were pres- 
ent became "sore afraid," so much so that Mark 
says Peter "knew not what to say." If the 
transfiguration produced such terror even on 
bosom friends, how could the mass of men, 
even of good men, while in the body, endure 
his divine effulgence ? 

From these and like known facts, it is ap- 
parent that a full vision of Christ's unveiled 
glory would not be to us, in our present state, 
tolerable. In his History of Eedemption, 
Edwards properly says: "It is not to be 
supposed that any man could subsist under a 
sight of the gloiy of Christ's human nature as 
it now appears." At such a vision we should, 
like Saul of Tarsus, become blind ; or like 
John, as dead men. Should Christ, therefore, 
be personally present on earth for our good, it 
could not be in his glorified condition, but in 
a state of humiliation. And is it right that 
the Son of God should again humble himself 
and assume the form of a servant? If he 

EwkofSal. 15 



338 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

should reappear in a lowly state on earth, 
where would be the assurance that his faithful 
followers shall ever be glorified? The ser- 
vant may not expect more honor than the 
Master ; the disciple will not rise higher than 
his Lord. How then could we believe that 
our glorification should ever come and never 
'cease, if Christ should be brought back to 
earth in a lowly condition ? Verily it is ex- 
pedient for us that Christ, Laving overcome, 
should sit down on his Father's throne, and 
thus certify us that when we shall have over- 
come we shall sit down with him on his throne. 
Nor is this all. If Christ were here in 
person, that is, in his human nature, in any 
state in which we could bear his presence, it 
is evident that he could not be everywhere on 
earth at once. Ubiquity belongs not to man- 
hood in any state. Christ's human nature 
possesses not the attribute of omnipresence. 
If then he were here, he must at any one time 
be in some particular place in a sense in 
which he could not be in other places. Then, 
in order to enjoy his bodily presence, the 
whole church must be assembled in one spot 
or vicinity, and thus the perishing nations 
would be left without the light of holy exam- 



CHEIST'S PERSONAL ABSENCE 339 

pies and gospel preaching ; or the Saviour 
would of necessity travel over the earth, vis- 
iting every portion of the world ; and even 
then many of his devoted followers would 
never see him. The sick, and the poor, and 
the prisoner would be among the less favored 
of his followers. Thus would be created con- 
tinual dissatisfaction in the church, some think- 
ing one place too -highly favored, and others 
neglected. Indeed it is very probable that, 
blind as we are, all the pious now feel the 
Saviour to be nearer to them than they would 
if he were anywhere upon earth. Is not this 
view of the matter just and important? 

There is still another thought upon this 
subject. The absence of our Saviour is the 
means of furnishing an excellent test of char- 
acter. In the parable of the talents, our Lord 
seems to teach this doctrine. He represents 
himself as one "travelling into a far country," 
and "after a long time coming and reckoning 
with his servants.'' In this way all motives 
except those arising from genuine love to him 
ost their force ; and if his servants were not 
sound at heart, they would evince their true 
character hy disregarding his will ; and if they 
really loved him, their devotion to his inter- 



340 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

csts would not die out as he left them. Eye- 
servants are often very industrious when their 
master is looking on ; but faithful servants 
are governed by higher principles. Their 
controlling purpose is to do right, whether 
they are applauded, or neglected, or blamed. 
Our Lord alludes to this matter when he says, 
"Blessed are those servants whom the lord, 
when he cometh, shall find watching ; verily 
I say unto you that he shall gird himself, and 
make them to sit down to meat, and will come 
forth and serve them .... But and if that ser- 
vant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his com- 
ing, and shall begin to beat the men-servants 
and maidens, and to eat and drink and to be 
drunken, the lord of that servant will come in 
a day when he looketh not for him, and at an 
hour when he is not aware, and will cut him 
in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with 
the unbelievers." Luke 12:37, 45, 46. No 
man ever loved Christ who did not love him 
present or absent ; and all must admit that 
cheerful and uniform obedience to him in his 
absence is to us and to our neighbors the best 
proof we can give of sincere attachment to his 
cause and his person. 

Furthermore, if Christ were here upon 



CHRIST'S PERSONAL ABSENCE. 341 

earth in an humble state, would not the feel- 
ings oi his people be continually mortified and 
deeply wounded b} T the direct insults and per- 
sonal indignities offered him by his foes? The 
world is in no better humor with holiness than 
it ever was. Christ's presence on earth would 
be a continual and sharp rebuke to the abound- 
ing wickedness of every age and country ; and 
those who are in love with sin, and deter- 
mined not to forsake it, would bear reproof 
no better now than formerly. To a good man, 
what could be more trying than to have con- 
tinual slanders uttered respecting the daily 
conduct of his Saviour, and to know that 
wicked conspiracies were constantly forming 
against his person ? Even if all plots should 
be defeated by miracle or otherwise, it would 
still keep the church in deep distress to wit- 
ness fearful exhibitions of deadly malice against 
the Beloved. Or if the Lord were here and 
invulnerable, his friends would be subjected 
to unusual and dreadful persecutions for cleav- 
ing to One whose light terribly condemned 
the world. Now the Christian rejoices that, 
however malevolence may vent itself against 
Christ, he is for ever beyond its reach. May 
not this explain what he means by that say- 



342 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

ing, "If ye loved me, ye would rejoice because 
T said, I go unto the Father ?" John 14:28. 
Again, in Christ's absence faith has full 
scope for exercise ; whereas, were he present 
we should walk somewhat at least by sense, 
and not by faith only. Any arrangement 
friendly to the vigorous growth of faith is 
advantageous to the pious. It was, indeed, a 
great privilege to be able with the disciples 
to say: "We have seen with our eyes, . . . 
and our hands have handled of the Word of 
life." Compared with ages preceding, the life- 
time of our Saviour afforded great privileges 
to the godly. Nor is it asserted that faith 
and sight necessarily destroy each other ; but 
we may say that faith has now fewer obstacles 
to overcome than if Christ were here. For 
then it would not be easy to separate, or even 
distinguish emotions awakened by sight from 
those which spring from a living faith. In the 
days of our Lord's flesh many, moved by what 
they saw, outwardly became his followers. 
Though they had no pious confidence in him, 
nor reliance on him, yet they mistook their 
strong feelings for true piety; but the root of 
the matter was not in them. Under one pun- 
gent discourse many such forsook him. John 



CHRIST'S PERSONAL ABSENCE. 343 

6 : G6. It is indeed true that the distance of 
the sun makes him appear to us very small ; 
but by the aid of science, we learn his dimen- 
sions and know his vastness. Now faith is 
"divine reason," as Leighton calls it. It cor- 
rects the errors of sense. It teaches us firmly 
to believe, and on the best grounds — the word 
of God — that the Sun of Righteousness is far 
more glorious than we can conceive ; and of 
course more glorious than we could possibly 
apprehend by our senses. Foster well says 
that it is " evident that to see the Messiah in 
his personal manifestation was a mode of con- 
templating him very inferior, for the excite- 
ment of the sublimer kind of affection, to that 
which we have to exercise by faith. It is 
true that to those who regard him as nothing 
more than a man, all this will appear imperti- 
nent and fantastic. But those who solemnly 
believe that their salvation depends on his 
being infinitely more, will feel the importance 
of all that gives scope to their faculties for 
magnifying the idea of their Redeemer." Now 
that he is in heaven "we have no exact and 
invariable image, placing him before us as a 
person that we know ; exhibiting him in the 
mere ordinary predicament of humanity.* 



344 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION 

Now "we can with somewhat more facility 
give our thoughts an unlimited enlargement 
in contemplating his sublime character. Thus 
also we are left in greater freedom in the 
effort to form some grand though glimmering 
idea of him as possessing a glorious body, 
assumed after his victory over death. Our 
freedom of thought is more entire for array- 
ing the exalted Mediator in every glory which 
speculation, imagination, devotion can com- 
bine to shadow forth the magnificence of such 
an adored object." 

Our Saviour himself has pronounced a 
special blessing on those who believe without 
sight. To Thomas he said, "Because thou 
hast seen, thou hast believed : blessed are 
they that have not seen, and } r et have be- 
lieved." This settles the point. We may 
fearlessly assert that the present arrange- 
ment is more advantageous to believers, how- 
ever weak their faith, than if our Lord had 
continued on earth after his resurrection, or 
were now to return again to this world. 

"We should not forget that no carnal view 
of Christ is profitable to the soul. Thou- 
sands saw him, conversed with him, travelled 
with him, ate with him, heard his sermons, 



CHEIST'S PERSONAL ABSENCE. 315 

witnessed his miracles, and were as little 
profited as if he had been a common man. 
It is a remarkable fact that no picture of our 
Saviour was ever taken, fables to the con- 
trary notwithstanding, and that we have no 
reliable description of his stature, of his 
figure, of his gait, of his complexion, or of 
any thing respecting his personal appearance. 
The Bible says, "his visage was so marred 
more than any man, and his form more than 
the sons of men ;" and there it leaves the mat- 
ter, as if to warn us not to indulge in carnal 
thoughts of him. 

If an artist should give to the church a 
perfect likeness of our Saviour, as he appeared 
in the days of his flesh, he might indeed lead 
many into idolatry ; but he would render no 
real service to any true believer. It is as 
true of the Son as of the Father that he who 
worships him must worship him in sj)irit 
Does any one seriously believe that our spir- 
itual conceptions of the glory and grace of 
Christ would be in the least aided by the 
knowledge of any thing respecting his out- 
ward appearance as a man? 

It is enough for us to know that the Son 
of man is glorified, and that he shines with a 
15* 



346 THE EOCK OF OUB SALVATION. 

brightness above the brightness of the sun. 
His is a "glorious body." 

Nor should we forget that our Saviour 
assigns yet other reasons for leaving his disci- 
ples : " I go to prepare a place for you ;" "I 
tell you the truth : it is expedient for you that 
I go away ; for if I go not away, the Comforter 
will not come unto you ; but if I depart, I 
will send him unto you." John 14 : 2 ; 16:7. 
The great promise of a copious descent of the 
Spirit is in importance second to none ever 
made. The Holy Ghost is God, has all divine 
perfections, has never been incarnate, works in 
the church unseen, yet mightily. He is essen- 
tially everj^where present, he is infinitely lov- 
ing and tender, and in all respects suited to 
apply the work of redemption. He comes not 
to speak of himself, but he takes of the things 
of Christ, and shows them. He glorifies Christ. 
John 16: 13-15. 

Should any inquire why Christ's abode on 
earth was inconsistent with the abundant gra- 
cious presence of the Holy Spirit, we might, 
perhaps, without irreverence, assign certain 
reasons of fitness in the case, drawn from the 
nature of things. We might dwell upon the 
fact that the word Comforter and the word 



CHRIST'S PERSONAL ABSENCE. 347 

Advocate are in the original the same word, 
that both the second and the third persons of 
the Trinity arc called Advocates or Comfort- 
ers, and both make intercession for us, though 
in different ways. John 1G : 7 ; 1 John 2:1; 
Heb. 7 : 25 ; Rom. 8 : 2G. It seems proper 
that so long as a part of the church is above 
and a part below, one of the Advocates or 
Comforters should be on earth, while the other 
is in heaven. We need not speculate, but rest 
the whole upon Christ's word — that if he went 
not away the Spirit would not be poured out. 
He lays this down as an ultimate, though cer- 
tain truth. The church may not expect the 
personal presence of Christ, and the copious 
effusion of the Holy Ghost at the same time. 
There were days of Pentecost when our Lord 
was on earth, but none of them was marked 
by the descent of the Spirit, like a mighty 
rushing wind, converting thousands in a day. 
All the glorious revivals witnessed since 
Christ's ascension, have been in consequence 
of his absence from the church below. He 
said: "He that believeth on me, the works 
that I do shall he do also ; and greater works 
than these shall he do, because I go unto my 
Father." John 14 : 12. The blessed Spirit 



318 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

comforts ten thousands, yea, ten millions of 
hearts at once, filling with joy the souls of 
believers, at the same hour, in different parts 
of the world. This is better than Christ's 
personal presence on earth. The Spirit is in 
all, through all, over all. He is just such a 
Comforter, just such an Advocate, as the 
church militant needs. His presence may 
revive ten thousand churches at once, and 
each of them be as much blessed as if his 
visit was to it alone. 

1. The present arrangement of all things 
concerning the church is the best. If there 
ever was a point respecting the expediency of 
which the pious might have doubted, it was 
Christ's leaving them on earth. Yet even 
his personal followers lived to see that this 
dark event was for the best. Man, with his 
ignorance and folly, will never be able to sug- 
gest any improvement in God's method of 
governing the world and saving the church. 
It is best that Christ should be on the other 
side of Jordan and beckon us over. Rays of 
heavenly brightness from the upper world 
light up our darkness even in our passage to 
eternity. The Sun of Righteousness gilds the 



CHKIST'S PEESONAL ABSENCE. 349 

path of dying saints. The departing believer 
now rejoices that he is going to his Saviour. 
Death is far less dismal than it would be if, 
in leaving earth, we were going away from 
the blessed Eedeemer. 

Besides, after the High Priest has shed 
his blood, what is so proper as that he should 
go into the holy of holies, sprinkle the mercy- 
seat, appear for us in the presence of God, 
and execute the full work of intercession for 
his chosen? 

As things now are, Christ is the great 
attraction to heaven and heavenly-minded- 
ness. 

2. Let the people of God everywhere and 
always rejoice in a Saviour risen and made 
higher than the heavens. Let them do this 
in adversity as well as in prosperity. Bates 
says : " One of the sorest and most dangerous 
temptations of the afflicted is, that they are 
out of God's favor. The mourning veil dark- 
ens the eyes *of -their minds, that they cannot 
reconcile his gracious promises with his prov- 
idential dispensations, the good things he hath 
prepared for hereafter with the evil he sends 
here. Gideon complained to the angel, ' If 
God be with us, how comes all this evil to 



350 THE BOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

us ?' St. Augustine introduces God as thus 
addressing his afflicted and tempted child: 
1 Is this thy faith ? Did I promise temporal 
prosperity to you ? Were you made a Chris- 
tian that you might flourish in this world ?' " 
Blessed be God, who has said, "As many as 
I love I rebuke and chasten." God had one 
Son in this world without sin, but never a son 
here without affliction. His promise is, I 
will bring them through the fire, and they 
shall be refined as gold and silver is tried ; 
and they shall say, The Lord is my God. 
Zech. 13:9. If it were expedient for the- 
Master to leave the disciples, surely it is no 
great stretch of faith to believe that it may 
be for our good that friends, and health, and 
prosperity, and reputation should leave us. 
He who overrules for good the heaviest losses 
will not permit lesser ones to do us harm. 

3. All things are now ready for the conver- 
sion of sinners and for subduing the world to 
knowledge, to love, and to obedience. The 
atonement is finished. Christ has made an 
end of transgression. His work has been 
owned and accepted before heaven and earth. 
His ascension was a public triumph in the 
presence of angels and men. In it he led 



CHRIST'S PERSONAL ABSENCE. 351 

captivity captive, and received gifts for men. 
The chiefest of the mercies he sends down to 
accompany pardon of sin and acceptance is 
the sanctifying, enlightening, and comforting 
presence of the Holy Ghost. In God's gov- 
ernment, all obstacles to the salvation of sin- 
ners who will believe have been removed. 
The propitiatory has been sprinkled with 
precious atoning blood. It is now indeed a 
mercy-seat, and it is accessible to all the guilty 
sons of men who are willing to bow before it ; 
so that we may now proclaim aloud: "Let 
us come boldly to the throne of grace, that 
we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help 
in time of need." If we need more grace, 
more liveliness in our affections, more success 
in our labors, we have access to God. The 
door is open to poor, perishing men, the guilty 
and the helpless. Let them only look and 
live, believe and be saved. 



352 THE JftOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 
CHAPTER XIX. 

CHKIST ON THE JUDGMENT-SEAT. 

The fourth and last step in Christ's exal- 
tation is yet future. It consists in his coming 
to judge the world. 

No man knows that he will ever see the 
sun rise or set again ; but it is certain that 
every one shall see the Son of man coming 
to judgment, and witness the solemn transac- 
tions of the last day. 

Conscience forebodes a solemn reckoning. 
She says it will be right and fair to have a 
final settlement of all things. The resurrec- 
tion of Christ from the dead gave assurance 
of a judgment-clay. Acts 17 :31. It is in itself 
proper that God should show to the whole 
universe that in all things he has done right. 
This can fitly be clone in the assizes of an 
assembled world. The doctrine of a day of 
judgment was not a secret to any of the proph- 
ets. Enoch foretold it as clearly as any apos- 
tle. The author of the first psalm says : "The 
ungodly shall not stand in the judgment ;" and 
the author of the fiftieth psalm gives a full ac- 



ON THE JUDGMENT-SEAT. 353 

count of its awful grandeur, and of the princi- 
ples on which its awards shall be made. Sol- 
omon says : "God shall bring every work into 
judgment, with every secret thing, whether it 
be good or whether it be evil." Eccl. 12:14. 
Time would fail us to show how often and 
clearly Christ himself, and Paul, and James, 
and Peter, and John speak of such a day. 
This solemn subject now claims attention. 

I. God hath appointed a day in the which 
he will judge the world. Eespecting this day 
several things are noticeable. 

1. To God it is a day certain. He has 
aj^ointed it. Acts 17 :31. Nothing can hasten 
it: nothing can retard it. The purpose of 
God concerning it is fixed, unalterable. 

2. To all creatures it is a day uncertain : 
" Of that day and hour knoweth no man ; no, 
not the angels of heaven." It is clear from 
the teachings of Scripture, that God designed 
that no conjecture should be formed by any 
generation of men respecting the precise time 
of the judgment. Twice is it said, it will 
come as a thief in the night, 1 Thess, 5:2; 
2 Peter 3 :10. Compare Matt. 24:36, 42, 44 ; 
Luke 21:35, 36. 

3. The day of judgment will be the great 



354 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

day. So inspired men often call it. It will 
be the greatest clay in the annals of the uni- 
verse. It is the clay for which all other clays 
were made. There will be more clone that 
day than was done perhaps for thousands of 
days, or even years, of former times. This 
day is so well known to inspired men, that 
they call it the day, that day, as preeminent 
over all others. 

4. It will be the day of the Lord. 2 Peter 
3:10. Christ will then appear in his glory. 
On that day men will not question his divinity, 
or his humanity, or his authority. Then he 
will be crowned Lord of all. It will be exclu- 
sively his day. 

5. It will be the last day. It is so called 
by Christ himself, John 6:39, 40. After it, 
time will be no longer. Duration will no 
more be measured by seconds, minutes, days, 
months, years, centuries, cycles ; but all will 
be boundless, shoreless, fathomless, unmeas- 
ured eternity. 

6. It will probably be a long clay — how 
long we are not informed, but long enough to 
answer all the purposes for which it was ap- 
pointed, displaying God's justice, vindicating 
the right, condemning the wrong. 



ON THE JUDGMENT-SEAT. 355 

7. It will be a very bright day. Other 
days had their dawn, their twilight, and their 
clouds; but this day will begin, continue, and 
end in ineffable effulgence. They had their 
light from the sun ; but this will have its light 
from the brightness of Immanuel. 

8. It will be a day of unusual noises : 
" The Lord himself shall descend from heaven 
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, 
and with the trump of God." The heavens 
shall pass away with a great noise. To these 
shall be added the shouts of the redeemed 
and the wailmgs of the impenitent. 

9. It will be a day of wonderful clearing 
up of the character of the innocent. God will 
then bring forth their righteousness as the 
light and their judgment as the noonday. 
The slandered will that day have the sting 
of calumny for ever removed ; the persecuted 
will no longer clank their chains ; those with 
whose lives and liberties witnesses, juries, 
judges and rulers wantoned will no more fear 
the minions and myrmidons of cruelty. 

10. It will be a day of astounding expo- 
sures. Yillany will be covered up no more. 
Every disguise will be taken away. There is 
nothing covered that shall not be revealed; 



356 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

neither hid, that shall not be known. Indeed, 
there never was any thing kept secret, but 
that it should come abroad. Luke 12 :2 ; Mark 
4:22. "Some men's sins are open before- 
hand, going before to judgment, and some 
men they follow after.''' 1 Tim. 5 :24. 

11. It will be a day of unwonted gran- 
deur: "Our God shall come, and shall not 
keep silence ; a fire shall devour before him. 
and it shall be very tempestuous round about 
him. He shall call to the heavens from above 
and to the earth, that he may judge his peo- 
ple." For majesty and glory, for sublimity 
and grandeur, the pomp of all other days shall, 
in comparison with this, be as nothing. If 
Felix trembled when Paul merely reasoned 
of judgment, how will sinners tremble when 
Christ shall come to judgment ? 

12. From first to last it shall be a day of 
miracles. "All the wonders ever exhibited 
before will be nothing to the wonders of this 
day. Indeed, all that is natural will end on 
this day, and every thing will be miraculous.''' 

13. Of course it will be a day of intense 
excitement. There will be no listless specta- 
tors of those scenes. Eveiy faculty of the 
intellect and of emotion will be aroused to 



ON THE JUDGMENT-SEAT. 357 

the highest possible exercise. Men may sleep 
under sermons concerning the judgment, but 
they will not be dull when they go to judgment. 

14. It will also be a day of separation. 
The precious and the vile, the wheat and the 
tares, the sheep and the goats, saints and sin- 
ners, shall no longer mingle together. The 
separations of this da}' will be final. The 
righteous and the wicked shall part that day 
to meet no more. 

15. It will be a day of decision. The tri- 
bunal of Christ is the court of last resort. 
Causes and destinies will be inquired into no 
more. Saved that day, saved for ever. Lost 
that day, lost for ever. Hoi}- that day, holy 
for ever. Filthy that day, filthy for ever. 

16. It will be a day of triumph. Christ 
and his people will fill the heavens with their 
peals of exultation. At his ascension from 
Olivet the Redeemer went up with a shout. 
Ps. 47 : 5. He shall come to judgment with a 
shout. 1 Thess. 4:16. His return to heaven 
will be with vehement notes of triumph still 
louder. When the Israelites brought the ark 
of the covenant into their camp they shouted 
with a great shout, so that the earth rang 
again. But when all the elect shall receive 



358 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

their welcome plaudit, their shout shall fill 
the heaveus with its thunder. 

17. It shall be a day of despair to all sinful 
creatures. The last hope will be gone from 
fallen angels and incorrigible men. Every- 
where sinners will be crying to the rocks and 
the mountains : " Fall on us and hide us from 
the face of him that sitteth on the throne, 
and from the wrath of the Lamb." Was ever 
despair more dreadful than this ? 

18. This will be a day full of surprise. Not 
only will it come unexpectedly, but its awards 
will fill saints and sinners with astonishment. 
So Christ teaches at length in Matthew 25th. 
The wicked will be amazed that they are lost, 
and how they are lost. They will be espe- 
cially surprised that God sets no value on 
their self-righteousness. The sons of God 
will receive more honor than they ever asked 
or thought of. The sons of Belial will receive 
more wrath than they ever feared. Christians 
will marvel why they are saved. Sinners will 
wonder why they are not saved. Each class of 
persons will cry, "Lord, when saw we thee a 
hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, 
or sick, or in prison?" Many will be saved 
and more perhaps be lost contrary to the 



ON THE JUDGMENT-SEAT. 359 

judgments formed of them by their neighbors. 
But more will be saved and more will be lost 
contrary to the opinions they had formed of 
themselves. 

II. The Bible says on that day God will 
judge the world. In the Greek Testament are 
three words rendered world. One of these 
signifies duration past, present, or future, but 
often with a limit. It is the word used by our 
Saviour when he speaks of "this world," of 
" that world," of " the end of the world," and 
of "the world to come." In this way of using 
it, it is equivalent to age. In the plural it 
often signifies eternity. It is never used fo 
teach whom God will judge. 

A second word, rendered world, is of fre- 
quent occurrence. It is found in Acts 17:24: 
"God that made the world and all things 
therein." Here it evidently means the uni- 
verse ; so also in many other cases. Often it 
means the earth, and then its inhabitants. It 
is often used in connection with the judgment. 
In Romans 3 : 6 it is said : " God shall judge 
the world:' 1 

But in Acts 17 : 31, "He hath appointed a 
day in the which he will judge the world,*' 
vet another word is used for world. In Luke 



360 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

21 : 26 it is rendered the earth; in all other 
cases, the ivorld. In Luke 2:1, it is put for 
the Roman empire, because that embraced 
most of the known world. But commonly it 
means the habitable earth. It occurs fifteen 
times, and, with the exception already noticed, 
is uniformly rendered the world, as when Jesus 
says, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be 
preached in all the world, for a witness unto 
all nations." Matt. 24:14. 

The Scriptures declare that all men shall 
be judged. The Lord "shall judge the earth," 
"shall judge the ends of the earth," "shall 
judge the people," shall judge " all nations," 
"shall judge them that are without," "shall 
judge his people," "shall judge the righteous 
and the wicked," "shall judge the quick and 
the dead." 

Other Scriptures say that angels shall be 
then judged. Christ shall bring all his holy 
angels- with him. Matt. 25 : 31 ; Mark 8 : 38 ; 
Luke 9 :26. They shall be the reapers on this 
great harvest-day. See also 2 Pet. 2 : 4. 

It seems to be intimated that all angels, 
fallen and unfallen, all men, saints and sin- 
ners, great and small, quick and dead, shall 
be judged. All rational creatures shall make 



ON THE JUDGMENT-SEAT. 361 

up the assembly. The servant and his master, 
the prisoner at the bar and the judge that sat 
on his trial, the assassin and the assassinated. 
the seducer and his victim, the invader and 
the invaded, the hireling and his oppressor, 
the king and his subjects, the fool and the 
wise man, the persecutor and the persecuted, 
the apostate, the hypocrite, the child of God 
and the child of the devil, the angels that 
stood and the angels that fell, shall all be 
there. No rational creature shall be so 
mighty, no mortal shall be so mean as to 
elude the eye or the sentence of him that 
shall sit upon the throne of judgment. 

What a mighty concourse will this be, 
when prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, 
saints of all ages, when sinners, liars, infidels, 
blasphemers, moralists, and murderers, shall 
all be there ; when the sea and the dry land 
shall give up their dead, when the third 
heaven shall pour forth its glorious legions, 
when death and hell shall deliver up the dead 
that are in them, when all that lived before 
the flood, all that have lived since the flood, 
and all that shall have lived to the end of 
time shall stand before God. This will be 
the first and the last assembly in which may 

Rock of SalTa. 16 



362 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

be found every rational creature that God 
ever made. 

III. This great assembly shall be judged 
in righteousness. No injustice shall be done. 
Even the condemned will have nothing to 
allege against the equity of their doom. 
Every mouth will be stopped. The evidence 
will be full, the record complete. For "the 
books shall be opened :" 

1. The volume of nature. It shows forth 
the eternal power and godhead of the Most 
High. Its lessons are taught everywhere. 
"There is no speech nor language where 
their voice is not heard." So that all men 
are " without excuse." Ps. 19:3; Eom. 1 : 20. 

2. There is the book of providence. How 
many disregard all its lessons ! They despise 
the riches of G-od's goodness, and forbear- 
ance, and long-suffering. They never think 
that his goodness should lead them to repent- 
ance ; but after their hard and impenitent 
heart treasure up to themselves wrath against 
the day of wrath. Eom. 2 : 4, 5. 

3. There, too, will be the book of con- 
science. On it is written the work of the 
law. Now this volume may be closed. There 
it will show its faithful records. 



ON THE JUDGMENT-SEAT. 363 

4. Then, too, will be opened the book of 
holy Scripture. Christ says that even infi- 
dels, who refused to believe God's word, shall 
be judged by it. " He that rejecteth me and 
receiveth not my words, hath one that judge th 
him : the word that I have spoken, the same 
shall judge him in the last day.' 7 John 12:48. 
Wilful ignorance is no excuse. Wilful rejec- 
tion of the Bible enhances men's condemnation. 

5. Then, too, will be opened the book of 
remembrance. Its record will be full, minute, 
infallible. When it is opened every sinner 
will say, "Innumerable evils have compassed 
me about. Mine iniquities have taken hold 
upon me, so that I am not able to look up ; 
they are more than the hairs of my head : 
therefore my heart faileth me." 

Thus will be revealed all forms and de- 
grees of sin ; open sin, which proclaims its 
guilt on earth ; secret sin, which no man could 
prove, or without uncharitableness suspect, 
Rom. 2:16; sins of commission, which were 
acted out ; and sins of omission, which in 
every case will make a formidable array. 
The fig-tree was cursed because it had no 
fruit. Indeed, in' his solemn account of the 
judgment, in Matthew 25, Jesus Christ men- 



364 THE BOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

tions no sins but those of omission. The life of 
man consists in thoughts, emotions, words, and 
deeds. For all these he shall give account. 

(1.) Thoughts. "The thought of foolishness 
is sin." Prov. 24:9. Gocl destroyed the old 
world because the imagination of the thoughts 
of man's heart was evil, and that continually. 
Gen. 6:5. It is an alarming charge against 
the wicked that "God is not in all his 
thoughts." Ps. 10 : 4. " The thoughts of the 
righteous are right." Prov. 12:5. "The 
thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to 
the Lord." Prov. 15 : 26. All good thoughts 
and all evil thoughts shall be judged. 

(2.) Emotions. Malice, lust, covetousness, 
envy, sinful anger, hatred, inordinate affection 
on the one hand ; and love, hope, joy, peace, 
gentleness, patience on the other ; all good 
emotions and all sinful emotions shall be tried. 

(3.) Words. "Every idle word that men 
shall speak, they shall give account thereof 
in the day of judgment. For by thy words 
thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou 
shalt be condemned." Matt. 12 : 36, 37. Not 
a word, good or bad, shall be passed over. 
"Whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness 
shall be heard in the light ; and that which ye 



ON THE JUDGMENT-SEAT. 3G5 

have spoken in the ear in closets shall be 
proclaimed upon the housetops." Luke 12:3. 
All vain, false, unchaste, impudent, provo- 
king, profane, blasphemous speeches, and all 
pure, pious, loving, wise, right words, shall 
alike and properly be noticed. 

(4.) Deeds. All our good deeds shall be 
reported before the Judge. And he will not 
wipe out our good deeds that we have done. 
Neh. 13:14. To the ungodly Jehovah will 
give "according to their deeds, and according 
to the wickedness of their endeavors : give 
them after the work of their hands ; render to 
them their desert." Ps. 28:4. "According to 
their deeds, accordingly he will repay." Isa. 
59:18. He says: "I will recompense them 
according to their deeds, and according to 
the works of their own hands." The matter, 
the manner, the motive of eveiy act, good and 
bad, will be tried. 

(5.) As no man has a good thought, or feel- 
ing, or speaks a good word, or does a good 
deed, but by divine grace, and as in this life 
sin cleaves to all men so as to mar their best 
performances, and as all the wicked do noth- 
ing but sin, if there was no other book besides 
these to be opened, all must perish. But 



3G6 THE KOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

there is another. It is the booh of life of the 
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 
Eev. 13 : 8. In the other books was nothing- 
found that could save any man. But this 
contains the names of all those who shall 
have washed their robes and made them 
white in the blood of the Lamb. According 
to this book all who believe in Christ shall be 
justified. They shall receive a rich, free, gra- 
tuitous salvation. But "whosoever was not 
found written in the book of life was cast into 
the lake of fire." Eev. 20:15. 

IV. The Judge will be the Lord Jesus 
Christ, called in Scripture, the man whom God 
hath ordained to that work : " For the Father 
judgeth no man ; but hath committed all judg- 
ment unto the Son." John 5 :22. " We must 
all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ." 
2 Cor. 5:10. Christ shall come not only in the 
glory which he had with the Father before the 
Avorld was, but in his glorified human nature ; 
God has given him authority to judge, because 
he is the Son of man. John 5 : 27. Christ 
the Lord will be the righteous Judge. Oth- 
ers shall approve the sentences he shall pro- 
nounce, and in this sense saints are said to 
judge angels. 1 Cor. 6:3. But in the full 



ON THE JUDGMENT-SEAT. 367 

sense shall Christ alone "judge the quick and 
the dead." 2 Tim. 4:1. How altered the 
state and appearance of the Saviour will be 
from what it was when he walked and wept 
on earth, and especially when he hung upon 
the cross, or lay in the sepulchre of Joseph. 
His coming shall be visible to all : " Every 
eye shall see him, and they also which pierced 
him." Eev. 1 :7. Even those born blind shall 
see him. Christ will come visibly, and be 
seen as a man. We shall behold him in hu- 
man form. So he himself declared more than 
once : " Ye shall see the Son of man coming- 
in the clouds of heaven." Matt, 24 : 30 ; 26 : 64 ; 
Mark 13:26; 14:62. So testified the angels 
at his ascension: "This same Jesus which is 
taken up from you into heaven shall so come 
in like manner as ye have seen him go into 
heaven." A_cts 1:11. But Jesus ascended vis- 
ibly ; so will he descend visibly. He ascended 
in human nature entire ; he shall descend in 
human nature entire. He shall come with 
great power and glory. Mark 13 : 26. 

At his presence nature shall dissolve. The 
elements shall melt with fervent heat. 2 Pet. 
3:10. Great signs and terror shall witness 
his coming : The heavens shall depart as a 



368 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

scroll when it is rolled together ■ and every 
mountain and island shall be moved out of 
their places, and the kings of the earth, and 
the great men, and the rich men, and the chief 
captains, and the mighty men, and every bond- 
man, and every freeman shall hide themselves 
in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains. 
Eev. 6:14, 15. 

The .sentence passed by the Judge will be 
solemn and irrevocable. That of the right- 
eous will be : " Come, ye blessed of my Fa- 
ther, inherit the kingdom prepared for you 
from the foundation of the world." 7 That of the 
wicked will be : " Depart from me, ye cursed, 
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil 
and his angels." In both cases the sentence 
will be at once executed. Matt. 25 :34, 41. 

1. Let us not be much troubled b}^ the 
apparent confusion we now witness in human 
affairs. Here vanity often rides in splendor, 
while worth is clothed in rags ; folly rolls in 
chariots, while wisdom lies in chains ; brutal- 
ity wields unlimited power over decency and 
piety; and oppression puts its iron heel on 
all that good men love ; but the last day will 
set all things right. Eccl. 2:14-17; 5:8. 



ON THE JUDGMENT-SEAT. 3G ( J 

2. What a mighty argument is the clay of 
judgment for a holy life. So Peter says : 
"Seeing then that all these things shall be 
dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye 
to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 
looking for and hasting unto the coining of the 
day of God." 

3. Nothing but uprightness and consist- 
ency will stand the test of the last day, and 
be followed b} r glory and honor: " Thinkest 
thou this, man, that judgest them which do 
such things, and doest the same, that thou 
shalt escape the judgment of God?" Bom. 2 :3. 

4. In his address to the people of Athens, 
Paul uses this subject as an argument to re- 
pentance : "God . . . commandeth all men eve- 
rywhere to repent, because he hath appointed 
a day in the which he will judge the world in 
righteousness, by that Man whom he hath 
ordained." The call to repentance thus given 
is solemn and full of authority. It is a com- 
mand from God. ■ It is urgent. The judgment 
is coming. The Judge standeth before the 
door. The time is short. There is no work, 
nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, nor 
repentance in the grave, whither thou goest. 
Some say, God has not made us to punish us. 

16* 



370 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

But if they die in their sins, they will find 
that ' ' He that made them will not have mercy 
on them, and he that formed them will show 
them no favor." Isa. 27:11. drunkard, 
how wouldst thou look and feel if called to go 
raving and reeling into the presence of thy 
Maker and thy Judge ? No drunkard shall 
inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor. 6:10. 
And thou shameless profligate, unless thou 
dost speedily repent, thou wilt be for ever 
given over to appetites and passions which 
will sink thee to the lowest hell. I pray thee 
to repent. And thou profane man, who min- 
glest thy Maker's name with thy ribaldry, thy 
passions, or thy lies, beware lest thou become 
one of those " that cannot cease from sin, . . . 
to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for 
ever." Oh repent while thou may est. Thou 
abuser of holy time, if thou sinnest a little 
longer, thou wilt be in a state where thou 
wouldst give ten thousand worlds for another 
Sabbath in a gospel church. Thou foul-mouthed 
man, with thy present love of sin thou canst 
never sing, Hosanna to the Son of David. 
When, on his trial, Latimer heard the pen of 
the notary running behind the curtain, he was 
careful what he said. Take heed what thou 



ON THE JUDGMENT-SEAT. 371 

speakest. The recording angel is about. Th} r 
words will meet thee at God's bar. Art thou an 
apostate ? "If any man draw back," says God, 
"my soul shall have no pleasure in him." 
Tertullian says: "The apostate seems to put 
Christ and Satan both in the balance, and 
having weighed the service of each, prefers 
that of the devil, and proclaims him master." 
Surely thou must repent: "God will make 
his sword drunk in the blood of apostates." 
Finalty, art thou an unbeliever, perhaps 
moral, serious, kind to the poor, well-behaved 
in the house of God, yet without living faith in 
Jesus ? Repent, and believe the gospel, else 
it had been good for thee if thou hadst not 
been born. Let every sinner cry for mercy. 
Let him cry mightily, thou So 1 of David, 
have mercy on me. 



372 THE ROCK OF OUR SALTATION. 
CHAPTER XX. 

CHRIST THE GOOD SHEPHEED. 

With the exception of the Egyptians, Gen. 
46:34, the ancients appear to have held in 
high esteem the occupation of shepherd. Much 
of the romance and poetry of antiquity related 
to pastoral life. It was therefore very nat- 
ural for the sacred writers by a shepherd and 
his flock to represent the relations between 
rulers and their subjects, between ministers 
and their people, and between God and his 
church. There is peculiar propriety in thus 
setting forth the character and offices of the 
Saviour and the relations subsisting between 
him and believers. Quite a number of inspired 
writers employ such language. With his own 
blessed lips our Lord said, "I am the Good 
Shepherd." We may here consider: 

I. The qualities of a good shepherd, as 
they are found in Christ. 

One of these is, devotedness to his office. 
He who would well fulfil the place of shep- 
herd must not be idle. He holds no sinecure. 
He must be very attentive. He has a great 



CHRIST THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 373 

work on hand. This is the case when the 
shepherd has but a small flock, and they of 
little value. It is much more true when he 
has the care of souls. It is above all true of 
the Saviour of men. Who ever served God 
or his generation like the Redeemer? Even 
when on earth, he was often wearied and hun- 
gry and thirsty, yet nothing could divert him 
from the great business he had undertaken. 
In every age he has fully performed the en- 
gagement to each believer, " I will never leave 
thee nor forsake thee." At home and abroad, 
in sickness and health, in the height of pros- 
perity and in the perfection of trouble does he 
attend his " little flock." He is not merely a 
Saviour afar off, but also a Saviour at hand — 
a very present Help in time of trouble. 

Another quality of a good shepherd is, 
love for Ms office. If his heart should be set 
more intently on something else, he cannot 
possibly succeed. If he prefers some other 
calling above that in which he is engaged, 
disaster must come on the flock. It is de- 
lightful to be able to assert, on the authority 
of single promises and of the tenor of Scrip- 
ture, that no object in creation lies nearer the 
heart of the good Shepherd than the care and 



374 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

salvation of his flock. This was so in the 
countless ages of a past eternity, as himself 
declares : ' ' Then I was by him as one brought 
up with him : and I was daily his delight, re- 
joicing always before him ; rejoicing in the 
habitable part of his earth ; and my delights 
were with the sons of men." Prov. 8 :30, 31. 
When he was here, " having loved his own, . . . 
he loved them unto the end." Never did he 
neglect one of his flock. Never did he slight 
his appropriate work. As one whom his 
mother comforteth, so does he comfort his 
saints. To Zion he says: "Behold, I have 
graven thee upon the palms of my hands ; 
thy walls are continually before me." Isaiah 
49:16. 

Another important quality of a good shep- 
herd is, watchfulness: "Thy shepherds slum- 
ber, king of Assyria" — Nahum 3:18 — was 
among the saddest signs of Nineveh's ruin. 
To the church God saith : "He that keepeth 
thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keep- 
eth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." 
Psa. 121:3, 4. 

' ' Those wakeful eyes, 

That never sleep, 

Shall Israel keep 

When dangers rise." 



CHKIST THE GOOD SHEPHEED. 375 

"The e} r es of the Lord run to and fro through- 
out the whole earth, to show himself strong 
in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect 
toward him." 2 Chron. 16:9. It is a great 
mercy that God's people are so seldom allowed 
to fall under the temptation to believe that 
their way is hid from the Lord and their judg- 
ment passed over from their God. But even 
when Satan does gain a temporary advantage, 
in such a case the}' know that it is not for the 
want of loving care and tender watchfulness 
in their God and Saviour. 

Another desirable quality in the shepherd 
is wisdom. "Woe to the flock whose guide has 
only " the instruments of a foolish shepherd." 
Zech. 11:15. When the shepherd takes the 
whip rather than the crook, the scourge rather 
than the staff of Israel, when he would only 
drive, and not at all allure, it is sad indeed 
for the flock. Alas for the ' ' shepherd that 
cannot understand." Isa. 56:11. But the 
good Shepherd employs no unwise instru- 
ments or measures. He knows what is best. 
He sees the end from the beginning. He 
understands all our case. He chargeth his 
angels with folly. He taketh the wise in their 
own craftiness. No plot is so deep, and no 



376 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

machination so cunning, that he cannot at once, 
and with infinite ease, pour confusion upon 
their authors. 

Another necessary quality in a shepherd 
is strength. "Without it the sheep are defence- 
less. With it they are safe. In Amos 3 :12, 
we read of the shepherd taking out of the 
mouth of the lion the two legs of one of his 
sheep. With supernatural strength God en- 
dowed David, when he was but a shepherd's 
boy, that he might deliver his flock from a 
lion and a bear. It may be in special refer- 
ence to the power of Christ that he is called 
"that great Shepherd of the sheep." Heb. 
13:20. He is also styled "the chief Shep- 
herd." 1 Pet. 5:4. In strength, as in all 
other good qualities, he excels all shepherds : 
"God hath spoken once: twice have I heard 
this, that power belongeth unto God." In 
Scripture our Shepherd is called " the mighty 
God." Isa. 9:6. He claims for himself the 
awful title, "The Almighty," Kev. 1:8; and 
one Almighty is more than all mighties. In- 
deed, our Shepherd "appeared unto Abra- 
ham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name 
of God Almighty." Exod. 6:3. 

It is a matter of no small weight that a 



CHUIST THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 377 

shepherd be no intruder, but be rightfully in 
his office. This is the case with our Shepherd. 
Before he gave the commission under which 
the gospel is now preached, he assured his 
church, saying, "All power [authority] is 
given unto me in heaven and in earth." Matt. 
28:18. Indeed, early in his ministry he said 
to his disciples: "All things are delivered 
unto me of my Father." Matt, 11 :27. Even 
long before his advent, prophecy declared 
that there should be "given him dominion, 
and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, 
nations, and languages should serve him." 
Dan. 7:14. 

No quality of a shepherd is of higher' value 
than love to the sheep. This shows itself in gen- 
tleness, in constant care, in readiness to en- 
counter danger for their defence. how won- 
drously loving is our Shepherd. He is so 
gentle. He neither strives, nor cries, nor 
lifts up, nor causes his voice to be heard in 
the streets. When reviled, he reviled not 
again ; when he suffered, he threatened not. 
How different was he from the shepherds of 
the flock of slaughter. They pitied not the 
distresses of those for whom they were bound 
to care. It was love ; 0, it was compassion 



378 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

like a God, that caused the good Shepherd to 
lay down his life for the sheep. Some of the 
Roman emperors claimed to be shepherds to 
their people. Trajan was such a one. He 
sent his own raiment to bind up the wounds 
of his soldiers 5 and for that kindness many 
loved him. But Jesus, the good Shepherd, 
had his flesh torn, and his blood shed, and his 
heart melted like wax, that he might heal our 
wounds. He has the only sovereign balm. 
This pity of Jesus shows itself in his readi- 
ness to receive and tenderly treat the weak- 
est and most sickly of his flock. Continually 
does he fulfil the prophetic promise, "He shall 
feed his flock like a shepherd : he shall gather 
the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his 
bosom, and shall gently lead those that are 
with young." Isa. 40:11. One of the last 
charges of the chief Shepherd to Peter, and 
through him to all ministers, was, "Feed my 
lambs, feed my sheep, feed my sheep." Jesus 
never forgot the lambs. Jesus never forgot 
one of his sheep. When a bird, frightened by 
a hawk, flew into the bosom of a man, though 
he was a heathen he said, " I will not betray 
thee to thine enemy, seeing thou comest to me 
for sanctuary." So in time of danger the 



CHRIST THE GOOD SHEPHEED. 379 

good Shepherd loves to have his affrighted 
sheep come close to him and abide with him. 
In a sense, all times are times of danger ; so 
we cannot cleave too closely to the Redeemer. 
This ardent love to the flock secures fidelity, 
as our Lord has said: "He that is a hire- 
ling, and not the shepherd, whose own the 
sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leav- 
eth the sheep and Seeth, and the wolf catch- 
etli them and scattereth the sheep. The hire- 
ling fleeth because he is a hireling, and careth 
not for the sheep." John 10:12, 13. But 
Jesus saw the wolf coming, and stood his 
ground, and laid down his life for his sheep, 
and saved them. 

II. Let us consider the offices which 
the good Shepherd actually performs for his 
people. It would do no good to a flock to 
have a shepherd ever so well qualified, if he 
exercised not himself in their behalf. Our 
Shepherd unceasingly seeks and promotes our 
good. 

It is required of a shepherd that he know 
his flock. The words of Jesus, so full of com- 
fort, are, 'I . . . know my sheep, and am known 
of mine." John 10 : 14. And in verse 3 he 
says, " He calleth his own sheep by name." 



380 THE ROCK OF OUR SALTATION. 

Sometimes in Scripture the word know has 
the same sense as foreknow. In this sense 
Jesus knew his people. " Whom he did fore- 
know he also did predestinate." Bom. 8:29. 
He saw Nathanael under the fig-tree, and 
Zaccheus in the sycamore-tree. He knew all 
about them. Sometimes the word know is 
equivalent to distinguish. In this sense, also, 
Christ knows his people : "The Lord know- 
eth them that are his," that is, he distin- 
guishes the sheep from the goats. Sometimes 
to know denotes familiarity. So our Lord 
Jesus says : "I will come unto you ;" " I will 
make my abode with you;" "Lo, I am with 
you alway, even unto the end of the world." 
Sometimes to know denotes recognition as ot 
friends. So Jesus says, "Henceforth I call 
you not servants ; for the servant knoweth 
not what his Lord doeth : but I have called 
you friends ; for all things that I have heard 
of my Father, I have made known unto you. 
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen 
you." John 15 : 15, 1G. Besides, he himself 
has taught us how a good shepherd will seek 
a lost sheep, and rejoice over it when he has 
found it. Thus he illustrates the emotions 
awakened in heaven over a lost sinner recov- 



CHEIST THE GOOD SHEPHEED. 381 

ered from the snare of the wicked one. And he 
explicitly tells us that he came to seek and to 
save that which was lost, and to do it by 
dying the death. Indeed, "All we like sheep 
have gone astray ; we have turned every one 
to his own way ; and the Lord hath laid on 
him the iniquity of us all." Isa. 53 : 6. With 
what joy each believer sings, 

" Jesus sought me when a stranger, 
Wandering from the fold of God ; 
He. to rescue me from danger, 
Interposed his precious blood." 

By Ezekiel, 34: 6, God complains, "My sheep 
wandered through all the mountains and upon 
every high hill : yea, my flock was scattered 
upon all the face of the earth." He then adds, 
verses 12-14, "As a shepherd seeketh out 
his flock in the day that he is among his 
sheep that are scattered ; so will I seek out 
my sheep and deliver them out of all places, 
where the}' have been scattered in the cloudy 
and dark day. And I will bring them out 
from the people, and . . . feed them upon the 
mountains of Israel by the rivers, , . . I will 
feed them in a good pasture, and upon the 
high mountains of Israel shall their fold be. 
There shall they lie in a good fold, and in 
a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mount- 



382 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

ains of Israel." This, blessed be his name, 
is just what the Lord is doing. He is seeking 
and finding the lost sheep, and bringing them 
into his fold, and blessing them, by the thou- 
sand and the ten thousand, with his own pres- 
ence and infinite mercy. 

Not only does a good shepherd once 
gather his sheep into his fold, but when they 
wander he brings them back : " He restoreth 
my soul," says David, Ps. 23 : 3. This is 
according to the whole tenor of Scripture. 
Compare Ps. 89 : 30-33. When Peter strayed, 
Jesus sought him. When Ephraim wandered, 
God said, " Is Ephraim a dear son ?" 

It was one branch of a shepherd's work to 
go before his flock, and thus be their leader. 
So the good shepherd " leadeth them out, and 
when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth 
before them." John 10 : 3, 4. In like man- 
ner the psalmist cries: "Grive ear, Shep- 
herd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a 
flock." Ps. 80 : 1. The shepherd went before 
the flock to keep the sheep from going into 
barren or dangerous places, to guide them 
into green pastures and to cooling fountains, 
and at evening to bring them safely to their 
fold. how gently the good Shepherd leads 



CHRIST THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 383 

his flock ? How abundantly he supplies all 
their wants. The science of mathematics 
affords no stronger reasoning than this : "The 
Lord is my Shepherd ; I shall not want." It 
was an awful charge that God brought against 
some of old: "Woe be to the shepherds of 
Israel that do feed themselves ! should not 
the shepherds feed the flocks ?" Ezek. 34 : 2. 
Surely the good shepherd will not do thus. 
He provides food for the body. Not a spar- 
row is forgotten before God. Are ye not 
of more value than many sparrows, ye 
of little faith ! Thy bread and thy water is 
sure. When the last handful of meal was 
preparing, then was the prophet sent to sup- 
ply the widow with plenty. Jesus also pro- 
vides for the sustenance of our souls: "My 
grace is sufficient for thee." There is his 
blessed word. There are his precious ordi- 
nances. He has made provision that by his 
Spirit all the appointed means shall be effica- 
cious. In short, God denies a Christian noth- 
ing, but to give him something better. 

Jesus also keeps and defends his flock. If 
now and then wild beasts prowl about the 
fold and alarm the sheep, this makes them 
gather the more closely around their glorious 



384 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

Leader. Or if, in the way of persecution, 
Apollyon shall let loose his clogs upon the 
flock of Christ to worry them, it shall only 
make them the more willing to remain in 
the fold. God controls all that seek to do 
his people harm. Their mouths are holden. 
''Hear the word of the Lord, ye nations, . . . 
He that scattered Israel will gather him, and 
keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock." Jer. 
31 :10. The Master said, "Behold, I send you 
forth as sheep in the midst of wolves." Matt. 
10 : 16. Yet he adds, "Let not your heart be 
troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27. 
If their enemies are mighty, he is almighty ; if 
they are cunning, he knows all things ; if they 
muster many, he marshals all the host of 
heaven, and devils are subject unto him. 
When Christ's sheep hear his voice and know 
it, it is to them most cheering. For the 
"words of the wise," which "are as goads, 
and as nails fastened by the masters of assem- 
blies," are "given from one Shepherd." Ecc. 
12 : 11. The true flock of Christ has a 
remarkable discernment, which makes it very 
difficult to lead them astray. "A stranger 
will they not follow." Jesus accustoms them 
to his voice. Its gentle tones and winning 



CHRIST THE. GOOD SHEPHERD. 385 

sweetness bind them close to the Redeemer. 
He is all in all to them. 

III. Let us observe the effect of the good 
Shepherd's care over his flock. They know 
his voice and tbey follow him. His word is 
quick and powerful in their hearts. His ex- 
ample they love to imitate. Was he benevo- 
lent? So are they. Did he go about doing- 
good? So do they. Was he meek and lowly? 
They are not proud and revengeful. Their 
great hope and aim are that they may be like 
him, and see him as he is. 1 John 3 : 2. They 
will be satisfied when they awake with his 
likeness. They learn to flee to him in times 
of danger. His name is a strong tower ; the 
righteous run into it and are safe. Like the 
conies, God's people are a. feeble folk, and 
like the conies, their defence is in the rock. 
On their Shepherd they depend for every 
thing. In him they have strong confidence, 
yea, great boldness in the Lord. Yet they 
are far removed from self-confidence. They 
plead no merits of their own, but plead their 
title to membership in his flock. Hear them 
of old: "We thy people and sheep of thy 
pasture." Ps. 79 : 13. "Oh come, let us 
worship and bow down : let us kneel before 

Korli of S*!ti». J7 



386 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

the Lord our maker. For he is our God ; and 
we are the people of his pasture, and the 
sheep of his hand." Ps. 95 : 6, 7. Other 
places show how these timid ones come with 
boldness even to the throne ©f grace. 

IV. But what are the marks which Christ 
puts on his sheep? These are much hidden 
from the eye of unregenerate men. Even 
the chief Shepherd was not known by the 
wise and prudent of his day; much less do 
such men see the image of God on the hearts 
of his people. Like their Master, they are 
often esteemed impostors, babblers, blasphe- 
mers, madmen, possessed of devils. But still 
they have their marks. 

1. A sheep is gentle and quiet. It is not for 
war. A meek and quiet spirit is in the sight 
of God of great price. The difference between 
a saint and a sinner is the difference between 
a sheep and a goat, sometimes between a 
sheep and a wolf. ; 'A sheep before her 
shearers is dumb," though losing her fleece. 
God's people have a law whose spirit they 
love : "If any man will sue thee at the law, 
and take away thy coat, let him have thy 
cloak also." 

2. A sheep is free from guile. A fox is 



CHRIST THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 387 

cunning and sly ; but sheep have no craft. 
They are artless. Of each of Christ's flock it 
may be said with more or less exactness, 
"Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no 
guile." 

3. Sheep are tractable and not heady. 
From their nature they are governable. God 
loves the obedient, not the complaining ; the 
submissive, not the murmuring. 

4. A sheep is of a cleanly nature. Its 
habits are quite different from those of the 
swine. We expect to see the sow in the mire. 
She loves to be there. But if the sheep is 
there, it is not willingly. God's people are 
holy. If they were as holy as they desire, 
they never would sin any more. 

1. All accounts of the Shepherd's life show 
us that there is much intercourse between 
him and his flock ; and that as he loves them, 
so they love him. This holds in a spiritual 
sense. Here is a delightful theme. Christ 
manifests himself to his people as he does not 
to the world. Many a time does he come unto 
them, and show them his covenant. Nor are 
these manifestations of his grace and glory 
lost upon them. Their souls learn to follow 



388 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

bard after him. They count all things but 
less for the excellency of his knowledge. 
Consequently, the more intercourse between 
Christ and his people, the better do they love 
him. 

2. Let us never forget that there is but 
one Shepherd and but one fold. How careful 
then ought we to be not to disown any whom 
Christ has received. It is better, through 
honest mistake, to receive him whom Christ 
rejects, than through uncharitableness to reject 
him whom Christ has received. How many 
wicked partition walls are set up in the fold 
of Christ! "Is Christ divided?" It is at 
our peril if we wound where Christ would 
heal. 

3. Dear Christian brethren ! sheep of 
Christ's pasture ! often seek the guidance of 
your Leader. Go in quest of the green pas- 
tures and the still waters. Cry mightily to 
G-od. Ask him to lead you in paths of right- 
eousness for his name's sake. Never lose 
sight of the Redeemer. Constantly petition 
him as did the spouse of old: "Tell me, 
thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feecl- 
est, where thou makest thy flock to rest at 
noon : for why should I be as one that turn- 



CHEIST THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 389 

eth aside by the flocks of thy companions ?" 
Cant. 1 : 7. 

How sweet and awful is the place, with 
Christ within the doors. It was communion 
with the Eedeemer before his incarnation that 
made Jacob exclaim at Bethel, "This is none 
other but the house of God and the gate of 
heaven." 

Blest Jesus ! What delicious fare. How 
sweet thy entertainments are ! All must 
come humbly to the mercy-seat. Set your 
wants before the Lord as the widow set her 
empty vessels before the prophet, and he will 
supply them all ; yea, there shall not be 
room enough to contain the blessing. A clear 
young Christian mother expiring three thou- 
sand miles from the Cape of Good Hope, in 
the interior of Africa, sent to her mother and 
sister in the capital of Virginia this message : 
"I never have regretted coming to this land 
of darkness. Heaven is as near to Mosika as 
to Richmond." She then kissed her babe and 
bade farewell to earth. So do his rod and 
his staff comfort those who walk through the 
valley of the shadow of death. 

4. Here the sheep and the goats often 
mingle together ; but it shall not be so always. 



390 THE KOCK OF OUB SALVATION. 

The chief Shepherd will appear by-and-by, 
"and before him shall be gathered all nations : 
and he shall separate them one from another, 
as a shepherd divicleth his sheep from the 
goats ; and he shall set the sheep on his right 
hand, but the goats on the left." Matt. 25 :32, 
33. Solemn indeed will be that day. Final 
and fearful will be its separations. Nothing 
but that which infinite purity and omniscient 
rectitude shall approve will stand the test of 
the last day. I ask not, Are you a rare Chris- 
tian, but are you a real child of God ? You 
may not be a splendid worshipper, but are you 
sound at heart? What think you of Christ? 
Is he all your desire and all your salvation ? 
Do you mark his footsteps ? Do you exhibit 
his temper? Do you love his cause? Do you 
die unto the world ? Are you alive unto God ? 
Be honest with yourself ; the day that is com- 
ing will strip off every disguise. 

' ' When thou, my righteous Judge, shalt come, 
To take thy ransomed people home, 

Shall I among them stand ? 
Shall such a worthless worm as I, 
Who sometimes am afraid to die, 

Be found at thy right hand ?" 



CHEIST A PHYSICIAN. 391 



CHAPTER XXI. 

CHEIST A PHYSICIAN. 

Often in Scripture is sin spoken of as a 
disease, a sickness, a hurt ; the plan of mercy 
as a remedy, a balm, a healing ; and God, 
and particularly Christ, as a Physician. Psa. 
38:7 ; Isa. 1:6 ; Jer. 8:21, 22 ; Hos. 5:13 ; 
Matt. 4:23; 8:17; 9:12, 35; Mark 2:17; 
Luke 5 : 31. More just or striking figurative 
language is nowhere found. Men's sins make 
them sick. The only remedy is sovereign 
grace. The Physician must be divine. 

Let us look at the great doctrines of the 
gospel under this figure : 

I. Sin is a dreadful disease. Yea, it is 
the very worst disease. It was the first, and 
so is the oldest malady. It infected man very 
soon after his creation. The devil was a mur- 
derer from the beginning. John 8 : 44. For 
nearly six thousand years sin has committed 
its ravages and been gaining inveteracy. No 
other disease is so old. 

Sin is also a universal disease : " All have 



392 THE KOCK OF OUK SALVATION 

sinned, and come short of the glory of God." 
" There is none righteous, no, not one : there 
is none that understandeth, there is none that 
seeketh after God. They are all gone out of 
the way." Rom. 3 : 10-12, 23. Other mala- 
dies have slain their thousands ; this has slain 
its tens of thousands. The whole world is a 
graveyard, full of spiritual death and corrup- 
tion. No mere man ever lived without sin. 
As soon as we begin to act we begin to trans- 
gress. 

Not only is every man sick, but our whole 
nature is diseased. "The understanding is 
darkened ;" the memory is polluted ; the ima- 
gination of the thoughts of the heart is only 
evil continually ; the throat is an open sepul- 
chre ; with their tongues men use deceit ; the 
poison of asps is under their lips ; their mouth 
is full of cursing and bitterness j their feet are 
swift to shed blood. The heart is deceitful 
above all things, and desperately wicked. 
Their hands are full of bribes and of blood. 
They love darkness rather than light. They 
put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. 
They call the proud happy and the humble 
miserable. They are utterly vain. Sin makes 
men blind, and deaf, and dumb, and lame, and 



CHEIST A PHYSICIAN. 393 

lethargic. It is a terrible complication of dis- 
eases. It is a rottenness in the bones. It is 
a maddening fever, a wasting consumption, a 
paralysis of all the powers. Human nature is 
wholly corrupt. "From the sole of the foot 
even unto the head there is no soundness in 
it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying 
sores : they have not been closed, neither 
bound up, neither mollified with ointment." 
Isa. 1 : 6. 

Sin is a perpetual disease. It rages day 
and night, on the sea and on the land, in the 
house of mirth and in the house of God. The 
wicked "sleep not, except they have done 
mischief." They devise mischief upon their 
beds. They "cannot cease from sin." Even 
in sleep their dreams are vain or vile. Sin has 
no rest. If for a season the evil spirit for- 
sakes his house, it is only to bring with him 
seven other spirits more wicked than himself, 
and they enter in and dwell there, and the 
last state of that man is worse than the first. 

Sin is a hereditary disease: "By one 
man's disobedience many were made sin- 
ners " We are conceived in sin and brought 
forth in iniquity. The child of a consumptive 
may die of old age, but the children of sinners 

17* 



394 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

must be sinful. "Who can bring a clean 
thing out of an unclean ?" 

Sin is also contagious. Sinners are enti- 
cers, seducers, corrupters. Isa. 1 : 4. Many 
are ' ' factors for hell, studying to corrupt all 
about them." Men are often partakers of 
each other's sins. To the perpetual disgrace 
of Jeroboam and Manasseh, it is said that they 
"made Israel to sin." Some men strongly 
resemble the upas-tree, whose leaves and 
bloom and shade blighted all within its reach. 

Sin is also the most deceitful and flatter- 
ing disease. One of its strong delusions is, 
"Thou shalt not die." Paracelsus tells us of 
a disease " which made men die dancing." So 
with the wicked. When they cry, Peace and 
safety, lo, sudden destruction cometh upon 
them, and they shall not escape. See the 
throng of ungodly men marching to perdition, 
the slaves of Satan, the servants of corrup- 
tion, the enemies of God. Their mirth would 
make an ignorant man think them the happiest 
of mortals, and not, as they are, condemned 
criminals, on their way to the eternal prison- 
house of inflexible justice. Just as the fool 
thought himself prepared for a long and merry 
life, his soul was required of him. Sin has its 



CHRIST A PHYSICIAN. 395 

hectic flushes, its unnatural excitements, its 
delusive dreams, its strange ecstacies. The 
worse a man is, the better he thinks himself 
to be. 

Sin is the worst disease, because it is the 
parent of all other diseases. In Paul's argu- 
ment, "death by sin" is an axiom. But for 
sin, we should never have seen a human being 
faint, or sicken, or die. Suffering and agony 
have one parent — transgression. 

Other diseases are calamities ; this is a 
wickedness. Sin is not a misfortune ; it is a 
crime. It is a wicked thing to be a sinner. 
Transgression brings guilt, God is angry 
with the wicked every day. The more sinful 
any one is, the more is God displeased with 
him. 

Sin is the most loathsome of all diseases. 
Pride is the worst kind of swelling. No heart 
is so vile as a hard heart. No vileness com- 
pares with an evil heart of unbelief. No sight 
is so appalling as a sight of vile affections. 
The physician of the body sees sights which 
try his nerves, but he who has right views of 
sin is sickened and frightened at the discovery. 
It is horrible and abominable to God and to 
all right-minded creatures. 



396 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

Sin is also the most dolorous disease. 
They multiply their sorrows who hasten after 
transgression. The most bitter cries that ever 
were heard were extorted by sin. This is true 
of saints and of sinners, of earth and of hell. 

Other diseases do but kill the body ; this 
kills soul and body in hell for ever. They 
may pursue their victims to the grave ; but 
"sin kills be3 T ond the tomb." It will, if pos- 
sible, rage more violently beyond the tomb 
than on earth. It will be followed by eternal 
regrets and reproaches, eternal weeping and 
wailing, eternal wrath and anguish. 

Nor can this disease be cured by any 
means of human devising. If music did cure 
the bite of the tarantula, the music of the an- 
gelic choir, announcing the advent of Messias, 
will not of itself heal any soul. Nay, the 
melodies and harmonies of the skies, singing 
the song of Moses and the Lamb, would not 
save a soul. All reformations wrought by 
persuasion and the natural will never cure the 
heart. " If I wash myself with snow-water, and 
make my hands never so clean ; yet shalt thou 
plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes 
shall abhor me." Job 9:30, 31. "I fast 
twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I 



CHKIST A PHYSICIAN. 397 

possess," said the Pharisee, while spiritual 
wickedness reigned within. Herod heard 
John gladly, and did many things, Mark 
6 : 20, but he sinned on. Saul lifted up his 
voice, and wept, and confessed his sin, but he 
was not turned from folly. Nor can any mor- 
tal "redeem his brother, nor give to God a 
ransom for him ; for the redemption of their 
soul is precious." Psa. 49:7, 8. We may 
weep and lament over our own sins or over 
the sins of others, but that will neither de- 
throne sin nor atone for it. God alone can 
do that work. Though conversion is not a 
miracle, as we now use that word, yet it is 
wrought by the almighty power of God, as 
truly as creation was the work of omnipotence. 
II. There is a remedy for sin". This 
remedy is in Scripture sometimes called a 
healing, sometimes a recovery, and sometimes 
" the balm of Gilead." Let us carry out this 
figure. The balm or balsam here alluded to 
was an oily juice gathered from a tree about 
fourteen feet in height. It chiefly grew in 
Gilead. We know that this balm was very 
highly prized. It was famous as a remedy in 
many lands. The Ishmaelites who bought 
Joseph were going from Gilead to Egypt 



398 THE EOCK OP OUR SALVATION. 

with, myrrh and spices and this balm. Gen. 
37:25. When Jacob sent presents down to 
Egypt, he forgot not to send balm. G-en. 
43 : 11. Ezekiel informs us it was part of the 
merchandise of Tyre. Ezek. 27 : 17. The 
best quality of balm sold for double its weight 
in silver. This celebrated medicine has long 
been mentioned as the best cure. Jeremiah 
sa3 r s of Egypt : " Go up into Gileacl and take 
balm; virgin, the daughter of Egypt: h\ 
vain shalt thou use many medicines, for thou 
shalt not be cured." Again, of Babylon he 
says, she "is suddenly fallen and destroyed: 
howl for her ; take balm for her pain, if so be 
she may be healed." Jer. 46 : 11 j 57 : 8. So 
that the general import of the phrase is clear 
and very striking. The remedy for sin, the gos- 
pel balm of Gilead, is found in the work and 
death of Christ. His blood cleanseth from all 
sin. 1 John 1:7. With his stripes we are 
healed. Isa. 53:5. His merits clothe our 
nakedness. 

1. By the blood and righteousness of Christ 
we are justified. We have peace with God 
through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the 
Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the 
world. He is all our salvation. The word 



CHKIST A PHYSICIAN. 399 

Jehovah, commonly rendered Lord, is in Scrip- 
ture variously combined with other words, 
and always much to the strengthening of our 
faith. Thus we have Jehovah -jireh, Gen. 

22 :14, the Lord will provide ; Jehovah-nissi, 
Exod. 17 : 15, the Lord is my .banner ; Jeho- 
vah-shalom, Judg. 6 : 24, the Lord send peace ; 
Jehovah-shammah, Ezek. 48 : 35, the Lord is 
there ; Jehovah-rophi, Exod. 15 : 26, the Lord 
that healeth thee ; and Jehovah-tsidkenu, Jer. 

23 : 6, the Lord our righteousness. Which of 
all these could believers spare from the teach- 
ings of Scripture ? Not one. But among them 
all, none ure more precious than the two last 
cited. Well do our translators put that last 
cited in capital letters. The types all fore- 
told that Christ should bear our sins. The 
prophecies did the same. Christ's death atones. 
By his sufferings we have remission. He is 
our ransom ; and by his obedience we have 
acceptance, justifying righteousness, a right 
to the tree of life. Our blood is nothing, our 
tears are nothing, our works are nothing ; all 
our righteousnesses are as filthy rags ; they 
are of no avail. The first effect, therefore, of 
Christ's undertaking for us, is an effect exter- 
nal to us. It changes the state of things at 



400 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

the throne of God in reference to us. It rec- 
onciles God to the offer and grant of saving 
mercy to us sinners. It makes him willing 
and just to take into his favor us poor miser- 
able outcasts and rebels. Thus by what Christ 
has done and. suffered, all barriers to God's 
merciful communications to sinners are re- 
moved, and they are actually restored to the 
Divine favor. Eternal Justice is no longer 
against them, but for them. The sovereign 
Lord makes them his sons, his heirs, and joint 
heirs with his Son to an inheritance incor- 
ruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. 
2. The same Jesus who reconciles God to 
sinners, reconciles sinners to God: Christ "is 
made unto us sanctification." If human hearts 
are ever overcome and brought sweetly to 
comply with the demands of God's law, it will 
be by looking on him that was pierced. When 
the Eomans saw Cesar's bloody robes, they 
said, "His murderers shall die." And when 
by faith the sinner sees how his. sins crucified 
the Lord of life, he says he will mortify his 
members, which are on the earth. 

"Yes, my Redeemer, they shall die, 
My heart has so decreed ; 
Nor will I spare the guilty things, 
That made my Saviour bleed." 



CHRIST A PHYSICIAN. 401 

Nothing but the cross will melt a hard 
heart, or bend a stubborn will, or give a 
death-blow to corruption. A sight of hell 
never frightened one out of the love of sin. 
The thunders of Sinai never made a rebellious 
heart submit to God. Pliny, the naturalist, 
says that blood readily extinguishes fire. It 
is sure that the blood of Christ not only 
quenches the flaming wrath around the throne 
of God, but it also extinguishes the fires of 
unhallowed desires in the soul. It begets 
hatred to sin, and love to holiness. In its 
application this remedy is often painful. The 
sinner is so accustomed to look to himself for 
righteousness and holiness, that when God is 
convincing him of his guilt and helplessness, 
he often fears that all is for ever lost. He 
supposes his exercises are but a foretaste of 
the wrath to come. Even renewed men, hav- 
ing a clear sight of their sins, are sometimes 
sore vexed. Luther in desertion was so over- 
come that he lay as one dead. But in all 
cases where it is applied, the gospel remedy 
is sovereign and efficacious. It availed for 
the dying thief, for the bloody Saul of Tarsus, 
for the cruel jailor, and for millions on millions 
who once esteemed themselves as vile and as 



402 THE BOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

worthy of everlasting death as any of us can 
possibly esteem himself. Christ came to save 
the chief of sinners, and if he failed in that, 
the whole object of his mission would not be 
attained. ^ 

III. There is a great and good physi- 
cian. His name is "Wonderful, Counsellor, 
The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The 
Prince of peace, Jesus Christ the Righteous. 
He is the Physician of souls. None but he 
can cure a sin-sick soul. 

He is a very tender Physician. He can 
be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. 
He was once hit by the archers himself. His 
compassions are without a parallel. The 
bruised reed he will not break; the smoking 
flax he will not quench. He died for his 
patients. His strength was dried up like a 
potsherd, that we might be strong in the Lord. 
His heart was melted in him like wax, that 
ours might be melted in penitence. By his 
stripes we are healed. He knows what temp- 
tation and sorrow mean. He is the most 
approachable being that ever walked the 
earth 

He will go wherever he is asked. He will 
go among rich or poor, old or young, captives 



CHRIST A PHYSICIAN. 403 

or captors, if they really desire him. Never 
did he refuse to heal a sin-sick soul submitted 
to him. From the days of righteous Abel 
until now, he has graciously received every 
returning penitent. I was once asked, What 
is the most consolatoiy text in the Bible ? I 
have never been able to answer the question, 
but I know of none sweeter than this : "Jesus 
Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and 
for ever." The Lord Jesus is still as ready to 
save as when he called Zaccheus, poured his 
mercies on the dying thief, or granted the 
request of the Canaanitish woman. 

Then he is always at hand. He is omni- 
present. We need not wait a long time for 
him to come. He is a present help in time of 
trouble. Eom. 10:6-10. 

He makes no charge for all his cures. He 
practises without money, without price. He 
utterly contemns all sordid proposals. The 
full soul he sends empty away, but he fills the 
hungry with good things, and gives grace to 
the humble. Grace is poured into his lips; 
the oil of grace is poured into every bleeding 
heart. 

He seems most ready to go where he is 
most needed. When he sent forth his apos- 



iOi THE BOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

ties to preach, he told them to begin at Jeru- 
salem — to begin with his murderers — those 
who had taunted him, mocked him, and cruci- 
fied him, crying, " His blood be on us and 
on our children." He knows that the whole 
need not a physician, but they that are sick. 

And well does he love his work. Nothing 
could balk his purpose. Having loved his 
own, he loved them to the end. His heart is 
set upon saving sinners, so as it is set upon 
nothing else. He delights in his work. He 
sees the travail of his soul, and is satisfied. 
His people are his crown. His redeemed are 
his diadem. 

He is vastly skilful. He knows what is 
in man. He understands all the difficult and 
stubborn cases. His wisdom is more than 
equal to any demands we can make upon it. 
He has the tongue of the learned, that he 
should know how to speak a word in season 
to him that is weary. He knows the enor- 
mity of sin, the dreadful burden it brings 
upon the conscience, and its fearful obstinacy. 
He knows our frame and remembers that we 
are dust. 

Never has he failed in any case that he 
undertook. One of his names is, Mighty to 



CHRIST A PHYSICIAN. 405 

save, Manassch and Paul and Bunyan are as 
holy and as happy as if sin had never defiled 
their souls. Whosoever believeth in him shall 
not perish, but have eternal life. Where sin 
abounded, grace hath much more abounded. 

He is a famous Physician. His whole 
undertaking has been "to the intent that now 
unto the principalities and powers in heavenly 
places might be known by the church the man- 
ifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal 
purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our 
Lord." Eph. 3 :10, 11. So famous is he that 
his name is above every name that is named 
in heaven and in earth. All heaven thinks 
itself well employed in singing, "Worthy is 
the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, 
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and 
honor, and glory, and blessing." 

He will take his own time, use his own 
pleasure, and employ his own methods respect- 
ing the cure. He will have his own way or 
he will not do any thing. He knows that his 
w&y is best. He admits no counsellor to teach 
him. The wisdom of creatures is folly. 

His prescriptions are useless unless we 
confide in him implicitly. The whole efficacy 
of his remedies depends on our confidence in 



406 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

him. "According to your faith, be it unto 
you," is still the rule of distribution and 
admeasurement in his kingdom. 

And now, poor, sin-sick, dying soul, repair 
to this Physician, submit your case to him, and 
seek for the healing remedy. If you stay 
away, you must die. "The wages of sin is 
death." There is balm in Grilead, and a Phy- 
sician there. Why then is not your health 
recovered? Nothing but your unbelief hin- 
ders you from being a sharer in the infinite 
mercies of God. come, and welcome to all 
the blessings of salvation. 



THE GENTLENESS OF CHRIST. 407 
CHAPTEE XXII. 

THE GENTLENESS OF CHRIST. 

The wants of men are such that any suita- 
ble relief brought to them must be marked by 
great kindness and gentleness. The wicked 
are often rough and boisterous. Towards God 
their conduct is insolent. They care not for a 
Redeemer. With the heirs of salvation it is 
different. They feel themselves to be feeble. 
They are grieved in spirit. They are often 
faint-hearted. They are poor and timid. A 
sense of sin bows them down. A sense of weak- 
ness destroys their self-confidence. Their 
boldness does not diminish their humility. 
Their confidence consists with contrition. 
Their adversaries are many, mighty, and ma- 
lignant. Their understanding of divine things 
is often imperfect. The best of them have no 
confidence in the flesh. 

Some of God's dear people are born with 
great weakness of intellect, which is not re- 
lieved either by education or by grace. They 
never take clear and strong views of any sub- 
ject. They live and die children in under- 



408 THE BOCK OF OUR "SALVATION. • 

standing. They are often perplexed by things 
which are plain to others. Regeneration does 
not give new faculties, but a right direction 
to those we have. 

Sometimes disease or a casualty shatters 
the nervous system, and for life renders one 
incapable of vigorous exercise of mind or res- 
olute purposes of heart. Divine grace does 
not restore health to the sickly, though it 
gives sweet submission in suffering. Many 
have a morbid tendency to dark views of 
their spiritual state. Nor have they learned 
to discriminate between exercises of mind 
which are the result of natural causes and 
those produced by religious truth. 

"Wrong teaching, especially in the earlier 
stages of religious experience, often sadly 
affects character. The truths of Scripture 
are presented out of proportion. The solemn 
and the terrible, the awful and the gloomy, 
sometimes take the place of the mild and gentle, 
the bright and cheering. Even in true piety 
there is often a sad mixture of superstition. 

In some good men there is such a tendency 
to levity and inconstancy, that the Saviour 
sees it necessary often to make them smart 
for their transgressions, and to humble them 



THE GENTLENESS OF CHEIST. 409 

in the dust. The terrors of the law are let 
loose upon them. The arrows of the Almighty 
stick fast in them. Some who now, by Divine 
grace, have a well-regulated temper, once had 
wild passions ; but they have been tamed by 
severe discipline. Some of the most cheerful 
Christians once had months or years of dejec- 
tion of mind and sharp anguish of spirit to 
cure their lightness and fickleness. 

Besides, such are the infinite majesty and 
glory of divine things, such the unhappy effects 
of sin upon the mind, and such the unspeaka- 
ble importance of salvation in the eyes of a 
renewed sinner, that the strongest among the 
saints often have the deepest sense of their 
weakness, and those who have the clearest 
views are the least satisfied with their attain- 
ments. 

Consequently, many in the church are de- 
sponding, yet sincere. Their faith is weak, 
though unfeigned. They have many fears 
about themselves, while others have good 
hopes of them. Though they walk in dark- 
ness, they walk uprightly. If they do not go 
forward like some, yet they do not go back- 
ward. Their hearts cleave unto God. They 
stick to his ways. 

Bock of Salvs. 18 



410 THE BOCK OF OUB SALVATION. 

There is not a more interesting subject 
than the treatment which Christ gives to the 
timid and feeble among his people. 1. All 
his people, at some time or other, have fears, 
and are conscious of feebleness. Their weak- 
ness and their leanness often constitute their 
song, 2 Any provision for such compre- 
hends also the necessities of the strong. 3. It 
is delightful to the pious to know that their 
weakest brethren shall be cared for and up- 
held. 4. All sincere Christians love to con- 
template the kindness of their Lord and Mas- 
ter, to whomsoever manifested. 

We dare not tell such that a dim view of 
religious truth or a low state of religious en- 
joyment is the best. There may be a neces- 
sity for present distress, arising from some 
defect of character. But all Christians should 
seek for enlargement and establishment in 
truth, holiness, and comfort. Even the most 
perfect should be beckoned on to higher at- 
tainments. 

Nor should we abate aught of the require- 
ments of God's word as a rule of life or of self- 
examination. If God is merciful, he is also 
holy. If he is condescending, he is also full of 
majesty. Presumption is a great foe to grace. 



THE GENTLENESS. OP CHEIST. 411 

The great resources of God's people, 
whether comparatively weak or strong, must 
be found in the character, the covenant, and 
the grace of the Redeemer. In a review of 
their lives, the Lord's people ascribe their tri- 
umphs to no other cause. Like David, each 
of them says, "Thy gentleness hath made me 
great." 2 Sam. 22 : 36 : Psa. 18 : 35. 

1. The character of Christ, as given us 
both in prophecy and in history, is full of en- 
couragement to all his people, even the fee- 
blest. Thus said the evangelical prophet : 
"He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his 
voice to be heard in the street. A bruised 
reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax 
shall he not quench : he shall bring forth judg- 
ment unto truth." Isa. 42:2, 3. Nothing in 
all the Scriptures is said contrary to this pre- 
diction. Our Lord's whole life upon earth 
was an illustration of its verity. In his right- 
eous indignation, he has trodden blaspheming 
tyrants to hell ; but never did he trample 
on a broken heart. Human ingenuity has 
never yet suggested any thing expressive of 
kindness which he might have said or done, 
that he did not say or do, or something more 
loving. The shortest, but by no means the 



412 THE EOCK OF OUB SALVATION. 

least instructive verse ia his history is, "Je- 
sus wept." This was at the grave of his friend 
Lazarus. At his last celebration of the pass- 
over, he laid himself out to say the tenclerest 
and most consolatory things to his mourning 
disciples. In his. agony, he apologized for 
their drowsiness. To erring Peter he sends 
a personal message to meet him in G-alilee. 
He bids unbelieving Thomas come and thrust 
his hand into his side, that he might no longer 
doubt. Often did he invite poor sinners to 
partake of the blessings of his salvation: 
" Come unto me, all ye that labor and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest." After 
his ascension to heaven, when one of his fol- 
lowers was pierced by a thorn in the flesh, 
and terribly buffeted by Satan, he made this 
consolatory revelation: "My grace is suffi- 
cient for thee." 

2. The covenant, of which Christ is the 
surety and the head, abounds in provisions 
and promises made to the trembling and the 
feeble : "As thy days, so shall thy strength 
be;" "He that is feeble among them at that 
day shall be as David ; and the house of 
David shall be as God, as the angel of the 
Lord;" "He giveth power to the faint; and 



THE GENTLENESS OF CHRIST. 413 

to them that have no might he increaseth 
strength;" " Comfort ye, comfort ye my peo- 
ple, saith your God." These are mere sam- 
ples of engagements made before the coming 
of Messiah. In the New Testament they are 
confirmed. Speaking of " him that is weak in 
the faith," Paul says: "He shall be holden 
up, for God is able to make him stand." Like 
promises abound in the gospels and in the 
epistles. The very last book of Scripture is 
full of the kindest things spoken to sincere 
believers. All these promises are yea and 
amen in Christ. Study them. Let them 
dwell in you richly. 

3. In some stage of their experience all 
Christians have their fears and weaknesses. 
We must be babes before we are men. We 
must crawl before we can walk, and walk 
before we can run. The very best things 
come from small beginnings. The greatest 
rivers at their head are but little rills. The 
greatest? oaks come from acorns no larger 
than a thimble. The greatest families and 
kingdoms had humble beginnings. The king- 
dom of heaven in the heart is like a grain 
of mustard-seed, which is the smallest of all 
seeds. Despise not the day of small things. 



414 THE BOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

We must take root downwards, and then bear 
fruit upwards. The finest picture on earth, 
when only the outlines were drawn, was a 
poor thing; not till it was finished was it fair 
to pronounce judgment upon it. 

4. Some humble child of Grod may say, " I 
have made but poor progress ; I am more and 
more out of conceit of myself. I have sore 
troubles, fears within, and fightings without." 
Let such remember, 1. Whatever makes us 
lowly is good for us. Humility is the most 
excellent of graces. Without it there is no 
real progress heavenward. 2. Paul speaks of 
it as the common experience of Christians in 
his day that they were sorely troubled: "We 
know not what we should pray for as we 
ought." We are not sufficient, as of ourselves, 
to think any thing. "0 wretched man that 
I am, who shall deliver me from the body of 
this death?" Your troubles are not greater 
than these. 3. God's plan is that our sancti- 
fication ordinarily should not be begun and 
finished in a day, as was that of the thief on 
the cross. Nature and grace are like the 
house of Saul and 'the house of David. The 
contest between them is long and deadly ; but 
the house of Saul waxes weaker and weaker, 



THE GENTLENESS OF CUEIST. 415 

and that of David stronger and stronger, 
finally getting full dominion. 4. It is a pre- 
cious token of God's regard to us that he so 
deals with us as to destroy our carnal security, 
mortify our pride, make us loathe and abhor 
ourselves, and yet gives ns a relish for spir- 
itual enjoyments, and leads us to seek them 
above all other things* 

5. He is a real Christian and is making 
progress, to whom Christ is more and more 
precious. As our estimate of him rises, our 
estimate of ourselves necessarily becomes 
lower. To believers Christ is every thing. 
He is all their salvation. But for the birth 
of Christ in Bethlehem, that would have been 
one of the least celebrated of all towns. But 
for his residence in Nazareth, the proverb 
might still have been true of it. But for his 
visit to the second temple, its glory would 
have remained every way inferior to that of 
the first. Christ dignifies every thing with 
which he is connected. Union with him is 
life from the dead. If we are guilty, he has 
atoned ; if we are vile, he is worthy ; if we - 
are naught, he is all in all. And then he is 
so gracious to the needy and guilty and faint 
and trembling. See how he reasons with the 



41G THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

desponding disciples on the way to Emmaus. 
During his ministry he granted great blessings 
even to those who approached him doubting 
and saying, "If thou wilt," or, "If thou canst." 
When the poor afflicted woman thought to steal 
a blessing from him and escape his notice, he 
stopped her, but only to deal kindly with her. 
Christ never puts new wine into old bottles. 
Some men begin their ministry with denun- 
ciations and threatenings of the law ; but from 
the first Christ pronounced blessings on the 
humble. The very last words in the Bible 
are : " The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be 
with you all. Amen." There are heights, 
and depths, and lengths, and breadths of 
mercy in Christ beyond all. human necessities, 
miseries, and sins. To be in Christ is heaven 
begun. To be with Christ and like Christ is 
heaven completed. His mercies are shore- 
less, fathomless, eternal, unchangeable. He 
has helped myriads to glory who were as weak, 
as unworthy, as desponding as any of us. 

G. To his sincere followers Christ has a 
tender regard at all times and in all trials. 
His kind providence over them is constant, 
wise, and wonderful. With them every thing 
has a good issue. With them all is for the 



THE GENTLENESS OF CHEIST. 417 

best. Every thing helps on the saints to 
glory. To the deeply afflicted, the Saviour 
says: "As many as I love, I rebuke and 
chasten;" "wherefore lift up the hands which 
hans; down, and the feeble knees." Your 
brethren may cast you out under pretence of 
glorifying God ; but he shall appear to your 
joy, and they shall be ashamed. Isa. 66 : 5. 

7. Christ surely includes the case of even 
the feeblest and most desponding of his peo- 
ple when he speaks of them as his little ones. 
He will certainly avenge the wrongs of such. 
He regards them as the apple of his eye. He 
knows their sins, and errors, and follies, but 
he loves them still and tenderly. They may 
be babes and sucklings, yet out of their mouth 
he will ordain praise.- Their weakness affords 
him a welcome opportunity to show pity and 
condescension. His are the compassions of a 
God. He is the express image of his Father, 
and his spirit is as loving as the Father's to 
the Son. 

8. In his word Christ fully authorizes us 
to persuade all his people, even the humblest, 
to look at the quality rather than the quantity 
of their attainments. The stronger our graces 
the better. Christian character cannot be too 

18* 



418 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

vigorous. Nor should any sit down contented 
with small acquirements. But any real grace 
is a token for good. A shilling may be as good 
money as a pound. A dew-drop is as truly 
water as the ocean. A spark has the nature 
of fire no less than the glowings of a furnace. 
Kind is one thing ; degree is another. To 
doubt the genuineness of our faith because 
we have not full assurance is not wise. He 
to whom Christ is precious, to whom the word 
of God is sweeter than honey, to whom sin is 
odious, to whom secret devotion is a delight, 
who makes it the business of his life to honor 
his Master, and who regards the world as a 
broken idol, has the witness that he is passed 
from death unto life. " It is safer to be hum- 
ble with one talent than proud with ten ; yea, 
better to be a humble worm than a proud 
angel."* "He that is contented with just 
grace enough to get to heaven and escape 
hell, and desires no more, may be sure he 
has none at all, and is far from being made 
partaker of the divine nature. "f 

9. If the trembling and feeble would have 
the full comfort of Christ's salvation, let them 
do his will. In keeping the commandments 

* Flavel. t Janeway. 



THE GENTLENESS OF CHRIST. 410 

there is great reward. "If ye know these 
things, happy are ye if ye do them." When- 
ever we wander from the path of duty, we 
weaken our principles and wound our con- 
sciences. Let us carefully guard against cen- 
seriousness and severity of judgment. Let us 
forgive, as we hope to be forgiven. Let us 
love others as Christ has loved us. Let us 
wait upon the Lord in all his ordinances. If 
Paul could not do what he would, he would 
yet do what he could. " Prayer and pains, 
through faith that is in Christ Jesus, can do 
all things," says Eliot. No man ever sin- 
cerely did what he honestly believed to be 
his duty, and then solely relied on the infinite 
mercy of God in Christ, and yet came short of 
heaven. But we must obey as well as trust. 
We must do the will of God, as well as hope 
in his mercy. " Blessed are they that do his 
commandments, that they may have right to 
the tree of life, and may enter in through the 
gates into the city." 

10. It would greatly comfort all God's 
people, if they would rely more upon the 
promise, covenant, and oath of God, and less 
on their own frames of mind and heart. Our 
feelings vary with a thousand influences ; but 



420 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

the covenant of God is sure and unchangea- 
ble. " If we believe not, yet he abideth faith- 
ful : he cannot deny himself." The life of the 
believer is hid with Christ in God. He is 
like mount Zion, which cannot be moved. But 
how variable are his feelings ; how easily 
discouraged is his heart. If left to himself, 
he must fail. But Jesus never changes. His 
mercy is from everlasting to everlasting upon 
them that fear him and keep his covenant. 
He pities like a God. He pours water upon 
him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry 
ground. 

11. Let all believers remember that they 
are not forbidden the nearest access to God. 
The covenant is as sure to the trembling and 
feeble as to any others. Christ's power is 
made perfect in man's weakness. If he ac- 
cepted and saved none but the strong and res- 
olute and unwavering, who would be saved? 
Did ever a good husband neglect a wife be- 
cause she was weak and timid ? and is not 
Christ the husband of all that put their trust 
in him? He says: "For a small moment 
have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies 
will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my 
face from thee for a moment ; but with ever- 



THE GENTLENESS OF CHKIST. 421 

lasting kindness will I have mercy- on thee, 
saith the Lord thy Redeemer." Jehovah, he 
is God. Let his people shout for joy. Let 
his ministers speak a word in season to him 
that is weary. Let all the saints comfort the 
feeble-minded. Let despondent, yet sincere 
believers, hope in God, for their redemption 
draweth nigh. 



422 THE ROCK OF OTJE SALVATION. 



CHAPTEE XXIII. 

CHKIST SHALL YET HAVE A GLORIOUS 
REWARD. 

There is a general impression among 
Christians that true religion will yet pervade 
the earth. There is a difference among some 
good people as to the manner in which this 
work will be accomplished ; but all agree as 
to the fact. Neither do we know the time 
when the inconceivable blessings of the gospel 
shall be made known to all men. " In giving 
us prophecies, God did not intend to make 
prophets of us." Yet we may modestly in- 
quire what and what manner of time the 
Spirit of Christ did signify, when he foretold 
the latter-day glory. Much prophecy is yet 
to be fulfilled, and some prophecies are now 
in course of actual fulfilment. 

I. Let us take a brief view of the pres- 
ent moral state of the world. It is admit- 
ted that appearances are often dark ; and that 
the aspect of the world is discouraging. 

Now and then Atheism proclaims its tenets, 
is confident that mankind are superstitious in 
their worship of Jehovah, makes its disciples of 



CHEIST'S GLORIOUS REWARD. 423 

the drunkard, the licentious, the prostitute, and 
the blasphemer, and once in a while threatens 
a terrific eruption of its scalding lava on the 
face of society. Its latest form of develop- 
ment is in a wretched Pantheism. 

Infidelity still uses great swelling words 
of vanity, makes hard and ungodly speeches 
respecting Jehovah and his saints, often spews 
out its venom against all that is pure and 
holy, asserts the sufficiency of human reason 
as a guide to heaven, betakes itself to the 
caves of sorcery, and can boast of nothing 
better than a death without hope, and a grave 
without a resurrection. 

Gentilism still boasts her myriads of altars, 
purple with human gore and smoking with 
abominable incense. What heathenism once 
was, it still is. The pencil of inspiration has 
drawn a perfect portrait of it, Rom. 1 : 21-32. 
For nearly six thousand years the pagan 
world has been seeking an image of the invis- 
ible G-od, and the summit of its aspirings still 
reaches no higher than the sun, or moon, or 
stars, or devils, or crocodiles, or peacocks, or 
serpents, or images of gold, silver, wood, or 
stone. Its morals never mend. Under its 
sanctions every precept of the decalogue is 



424 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

broken publicly and privately, ritually and 
legally. No marvel that when Satan is wor- 
shipped there should be found habitations of 
cruelty. No nation without God's word Las 
in its language any term expressing what 
Christians mean by sanctification. Corrup- 
tion is and ever has been the alpha and the 
omega of Gentilism. One of the greatest ben- 
efits derived from reading the early Christian 
fathers is the insight thus obtained into the 
abominations from which the gospel saved us. 
All that is stupid in the ass, silly in the dove, 
filthy in the swine, fierce in wild beasts, and 
venomous in serpents, is fitly ascribed to hea- 
thenism. 

Although just now somewhat shorn of his 
power to persecute, the prophet of Mecca still 
practises his sorceries, maddens the passions 
of men, holds the cup of carnal delight to the 
lips of his besotted worshippers, and endeav- 
ors to light up the horrors of the grave by 
pointing to a Paradise of sin. 

Notwithstanding all that has been done in 
blessing and in cursing, in fulfilling prophecy, 
and in setting up Messiah's kingdom, Juda- 
ism is still intrenched behind Targums, Para- 
phrasts, an oral law, endless traditions, and 



CHRIST'S GLORIOUS REWARD. 425 

the most inveterate prejudices and enmity 
against the truth. Thus it is with things 
claiming no connection whatever with Chris- 
tianity. When we come to nations profes- 
sedly accepting the gospel, there is still much 
to dishearten. 

The Oriental church still adheres to her 
ignorant priesthood, her sacraments of human 
invention, her apostolic supremacy, and her 
nearness to Messiah's sepulchre ; but knows 
not that she is poor, and miserable, and blind, 
and naked, far from Christ's precepts, far from 
his example, far from his doctrines. In the 
pride of her apostolicity she renounces every 
distinctive truth taught by apostles. 

She, that has made the kings, merchants, 
and dwellers on earth drunk with the wine of 
her fornications, holds forth other goblets to 
the nations, saying: "I have perfumed my 
bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, 
let us take our fill." Follow her footsteps to 
any region of the world, and you find that 
" the doctrine of the cross is least understood 
where crosses most abound." The lamp of 
God's Word is put under a bushel, waxen 
tapers are substituted, and darkness becomes 
visible. 



426 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

Universalism still teaches that the wheat 
and the tares shall both be gathered into the 
garner, that the sheep and the goats shall be 
for ever in the same fold, that hell is a fiction, 
and damnation a chimera. 

Pelagianism is not dead. It does not even 
sleep, but still preaches human ability, and 
boasts of the ease with which the Ethiopian 
can change his skin, and the leopard his spots. 
It boldly calls evil good, and bitter sweet. It 
denies the need of efficacious grace. 

In its grossness Socinianism still talks 
about a created God, and speaks loudly in 
praise of virtue, though its rules and motives 
for a pious life are no better than those of 
Epictetus. 

Unitarianism tells of the magnificent Jesus, 
philosophizes into thin air the vital doctrines 
of the gospel, emblematizes the blood oi 
Christ, and raises its hideous voice against a 
vicarious atonement. 

Arianism soars to its usual adventurous 
heights, and speaks of a grade above finite 
and below infinite. It discusses divinity as 
though by searching it could find out the 
Almighty to perfection. 

Then, too, we meet fanaticism, presenting 



CHRIST'S GLORIOUS REWARD. 427 

us a congeries of wild speculation, silly pur- 
pose and vicious practice. Break up its nest 
among the lawless, and presently you shall 
hear of it among the orthodox pretending to 
aid in a revival of religion. 

And Antinomianism — that horror of all 
good men — still flourishes in many places. It 
boldly marches up to the cross of Christ, and 
from his precious blood draws arguments for 
living in sin. By its want of good fruit ye 
shall know it. 

Besides, a low state of piety paralyzes 
half the limbs of the body of Christ. Cold 
and selfish, many neyer aim high. A low 
estimate of evangelical doctrine makes many 
indifferent to the teachings of Christ himself. 
Often too do we hear unpleasant whisperings 
and buzzings in the camp of Israel. Some act 
as if they would rather make a prosetyte from 
a sister church than a convert to Christ who 
would not follow with them. The standard 
of Christian manners and morals is low. 
Doubts of personal piety afflict many of 
Christ's professed followers. Sadly is the 
Christian profession compromised. Covetous- 
ness has fearful power. The lust of the flesh, 
the lust of the eye, and the pride of life ter- 



428 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

ribly prevail. Fashion is the Juggernaut of 
Christendom. Christ and Belial are invited 
to the same feast. The Sabbath is in danger 
of being buried under railroads. Blasphemy 
vomits forth her poison. The church is a vas- 
sal often ingloriously chained to the car of 
state. The seed of the bondwoman lords it 
over the seed of the free woman. Tyranny, 
like the owl, loves darkness, and binds the 
masses in chains of ignorance. Often the 
shaking of the nations makes the loops of 
society fall from their ancient fastenings and 
introduces wild lawlessness. Yet there is no 
room for despair. 

II. Let us consider some of the encour- 
agements TO HOPE FOR THE WIDE SPREAD OF 

truth and righteousness. The promises of 
God and the prophecies of Scripture, like the 
udders of well-fed kine, are well distended and 
full of fatness. "All the promises do travail." 
Sixteen hundred and eighty-nine years before 
the Christian era, Jacob says, "Unto Shiloh 
shall the gathering of the people be." Gen. 
49 : 10. Six hundred and sixty-six years later, 
the prophet David speaking in the name of 
God to Messiah, says : "Ask of me and I shall 
give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, 



CHRIST'S GLORIOUS REWARD. 429 

and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy 
possession." Ps. 2 : 8. Three hundred and 
eleven years later, by Isaiah, Jehovah says : 
"Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, 
he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very 
high. . . . He shall see his seed; he shall pro- 
long his days. . . . He shall see of the travail 
of his soul, and shall be satisfied." Isa. 52 : 13 ; 
53 : 10, 11. A hundred and fifty-seven years 
later, the great prophet of the captivity says : 
"I saw in the night visions, and behold, 
one like the Son of man came with the clouds 
of heaven, and came to the Ancient of clays, 
and they brought him near before him. And 
there was given him dominion, and glory, and 
a kingdom, that all people, nations, and lan- 
guages should serve him : his dominion is an 
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass 
away, and his kingdom that which shall not 
be destroyed." Dan. 7 :13, 14. In this pas- 
sage, by the " Son of man" we are clearly to 
understand the incarnate Saviour ; and by 
"the Ancient of days" the everlasting God. 
seated on the throne of the universe. The 
coming of the Son of man with the clouds of 
heaven was his ascension to the right hand of 
God. This prediction was to begin to be ful- 



430 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

filled after the establishment of the Roman 
empire, spoken of in the same chapter as 
the fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and 
strong exceedingly, having great iron teeth, 
devouring, breaking in pieces, and stamping 
the residue with the feet of it, diverse from all 
the other beasts that were before it, and hav- 
ing ten horns, ver. 7. The terms "dominion, 
glory, and a kingdom," denote the extent, 
grandeur, and permanency of the possession 
purchased by Christ, and secured to him by 
covenant. What Daniel therefore saw was, 
"that in the vigor of the Roman empire Jesus 
Christ ascended to his God and Father, the 
Ancient "of days, and took his seat at his right 
hand, and received a title to and entered on 
the possession of a kingdom, grand, glorious, 
and permanent." Other Scriptures declare 
that under the reign of Messiah "the earth 
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as 
the waters cover the sea." " The light of the 
moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the 
light of the sun shall be sevenfold as the 
light of seven days." Isa. 11:9; 30:26. With 
these texts compare Ps. 22 : 27-31 ; 72 : 19 ; 
Hab. 2:14; Zech. 14:9. These passages 
clearly indicate a state of things not yet ful- 



CHEIST'S GLOEIOUS REWAKD. 431 

filled in the history of the world. There is 
no method of interpreting language so as to 
confine these predictions to the past. Christ 
has not yet had his reward in the gathering 
of the nations. Great and glorious things 
may properly be expected in behalf of Zion. 

Nor are pleasing indications entirely 
wanting. 

The present mode of studying the Bible 
in the original, so generally adopted by many 
of God's ministers, is favorable to a clear 
understanding of Scripture doctrine. It often 
looks as if Providence was erecting machinery 
that was to move the world. There is a bles- 
sed sisterhood of institutions, cooperating for 
the spread of the truth. All modern contro- 
versies have been handled to the advantage of 
sound Christianity. In no case has the enemy 
gained any decided or permanent victory. 
Modern inventions are generally capable of 
being turned to good account. Commonly 
they have had a good influence. Many great 
political changes have favored freedom of in- 
quiry, the reading of God's word, and a sense 
of individual responsibility. 

The general orderings of Providence in 
this age have favored the church. Great 



432 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

success has attended many efforts to spread 
the gospel, especially among the most de- 
graded triljes of men. The hope of better 
days powerfully animates the bosoms of many 
throughout the world. What has been done 
in the last seventy years is great compared with 
what was done for the same time preceding ; 
yet much remains to be done ; large portions 
of the world are still sunk in gross darkness. 

III. What can we do to promote the 
cause of Christ? It should not discourage 
us that we can do nothing efficiently. The 
excellency of the power is of God. We may 
plant and water, but God alone can give the 
increase. This is, on many accounts, the best 
arrangement. If we depend on God, we shall 
not be disappointed. If he does the work, it 
will be well done, and to him, without dis- 
pute, will be all the glory. Yet we may do 
much instrumentally . 

We may keep ourselves and those under 
our influence informed respecting the state of 
the world. It is a great thing to know and to 
make known how men are living in sin and 
dying in despair, having a dismal eternity 
before them, and their ruin being unneces- 
sary, salvation having been provided, a min- 



CHRIST'S GLOEIOUS REWARD. 433 

istry instituted, and a glorious gospel com- 
manded to be preached. 

We may cultivate an ardent love to the 
souls of men. Oh that there were a thou- 
sand times more of that godlike spirit which 
Shaftsbury scornfully called a "rage for saving 
souls." No man ever had too much love or 
pity for those that were perishing under the 
load of their guilt and in the horrors of their 
depravity. It is easy to over-estimate wealth, 
honor, station, but it is not possible to set too 
high a value on the salvation of a soul by 
Jesus Christ. 

We may all encourage, and should never 
discourage, wise and practicable schemes of 
usefulness. Let us hinder nothing good. Let 
us do all we can to cheer the hearts and 
streno-then the hands of all faithful laborers, 
even if they follow not with us. 

Let us believe assuredly that all flesh shall 
see the salvation of God, for the mouth of the 
Lord hath spoken it. The decree has gone 
forth. Every knee shall bow, and every 
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to 
the glory of God the Father. The whole 
work of evangelizing the world is a work 
of faith. have faith in God. 

Bock or Salvn. 1 J 



434 THE BOOK OF OUK SALVATION. 

Iii particular, have faith in Christ, in his 
mediation, in his ability to execute all his offi- 
ces. He has dominion over wicked men and 
devils. "All power in heaven and earth is 
given to" him. He saves, and he destroys. 
He- kills, and he makes alive. He has the 
keys of death and of hell. He does all his 
pleasure in all worlds. For the good of his 
church he orders all things. He and his peo- 
ple are so far one, that in all their affliction he is 
afflicted, and in all his glory they rejoice. That 
which, in Daniel 7:14, is said to be given to 
Christ, is in the same chapter, verse 27, said 
to be given to the saints of the Most High. 
When Christ is glorified, his people shout for 
joy. When they are glorified, they enter into 
the joy of their Lord. 

The desire to spread the gospel belongs to 
the very spirit of piety. " Let him that hear- 
eth sa}^, Come." He who thinks he has es- 
caped perdition, and has no desire to rescue 
others from wrath, does not know his own 
heart. He that is begotten of God loves his 
fellow-men. He longs for their salvation. 

God's people can pray for the reign of 
grace over all the earth. Such supplications 
are agreeable to the will of God. Psa. 122 : 6. 



CHRIST'S GLOEIOUS REWARD. 435 

The first three petitions of the Lord's prayer 
embrace the same subject. There is too little 
united, hearty calling on God. All the prog- 
ress hitherto made in bringing men to a, saving 
knowledge of the Redeemer has been in an- 
swer to the fervent cries of the children of 
God. There is nothing more powerful for 
good than prayer. 

Those who know somewhat the doleful case 
of the heathen, ought to plead their cause be- 
fore all Christian people. Mankind are slow 
to believe how terribly the perishing nations 
have multiplied their sorrows by hastening 
after other gods than Jehovah. 

Every member of the church should be 
trained and urged to do his full share of 
the great work. He should know his place, 
and keep it. He should love to do what he 
can for so blessed a cause. 

All the churches should be trained to lib- 
erality in giving their worldly substance for 
spreading the gospel. S} T stematic benevo- 
lence is loudly called for. We must learn to 
carry our liberality to the extent of self-denial. 
We must remember the power of littles. The 
ocean consists of the aggregation of drops. 

Our young men must freely give them- 



436 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

selves to the work of the ministry at home 
and abroad. Parents must cheerfully give 
their sons to this service. It must come to 
be, in popular esteem, an honor to serve the 
Lord in any way his providence may permit. 
Why is the ministry so lighty esteemed ? 
Why do we so seldom find a Hannah, a Eu- 
nice, or a Monica in the church of God? One 
well-qualified, laborious minister of the gospel 
is commonly far more useful than two men of 
equal talents in any other calling. It is enough 
to break the heart to see revival after revival 
without a host of young men rising up to,pub- 
lish salvation. 

There should be a much deeper tone of 
piety in all the churches. Love is too cold. 
Faith too often staggers. Eepentance sheds 
too few tears. Joy has but few feasts. Pity 
for the perishing too seldom stirs the soul 
to its depths. Adoring views of God have 
too little power over men's minds. Hope 
is too feeble to impart much animation. "In 
doing good," says Burke, "we are generally 
cold, and languid, and sluggish, and of all 
things, afraid of being too much in the right. 
But the works of malice and injustice are quite 
in another style. They are finished with a 



CHRIST'S GLORIOUS REWARD. 437 

bold, masterly hand, touched as they are with 
the spirit of those vehement passions that call 
forth all our energies when we oppress and 
persecute." Oh that ministers and people, 
fathers and mothers, young men and maidens 
loved as they should a dying world, and la- 
bored as they ought to turn many to right- 
eousness. 

PRAYER. 

Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts ! The 
whole earth is full of thy glory. Blessed be 
the Lord for the precious things of heaven, 
for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth 
beneath, and for the precious fruits brought 
forth by the sun, and for the precious things 
put forth by the moon, and for the chief things 
of the ancient mountains, and for the precious 
things of the lasting hills, and for the precious 
things of the earth, and the fulness thereof. 
Still more would we bless thee for the good will 
of Him that dwelt in the bush, and for thy 
precious loving-kindness, and for the precious 
seed of gospel truth, and for the precious prom- 
ises, and for precious faith to believe thy word, 
and for the precious sons of Zion, comparable 
to fine gold, and for the precious death of thy 



438 THE ROCK OF OUE SALVATION. • 

saints, and for the precious name of Jesus, 
which is as ointment poured forth, and for the 
precious blood of the Son of God, through 
whom we have redemption. 

Look in mercy on this dark world. Re- 
member Zion. Make Joseph a fruitful bough, 
whose branches run over the wall. Oh that 
the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion. 
Bring back the captivity of thy people, that 
Jacob may rejoice and Israel be glad. Thou 
hast set thy Son on thy holy hill of Zion. 
Righteousness is the girdle of his loins, and 
faithfulness the girdle of his reins. Hasten 
the time when the wolf shall dwell with the 
lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the 
kid, the calf and the young lion and the fat- 
ling together, and a child shall lead them ; 
and the cow and the bear shall feed, and their 
young ones lie down together, and the suck- 
ing child shall play on the hole of the asp, 
and the nations shall learn war no more, and 
thy ancient people the Jews and the fulness 
of the Gentiles shall be brought in ; when the 
kingdoms of the world shall become the king- 
doms of the Lord and of his Christ ; when the 
Lord shall call them his people which are not 
now his people ; when the angel shall fly in 



CHRIST'S GLORIOUS REWARD. 439 

the midst of heaven, having the everlasting 
gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the 
earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and 
tongue, and people. 

Lord God of hosts, cut short the work in 
righteousness. Let the ploughman overtake 
the reaper, and let a nation be born in a day. 

"Pity the nations, our God ; 
Constrain the earth to come ; 
Send thy victorious word abroad, 
And bring the strangers home." 

We are indeed asking great things, but we 
do it at thy command. We ask no more than 
thou hast promised to thy Son, and no more 
than he has purchased by his most precious 
blooH, and no more than he himself intercedes 
for in heaven. Amen. 



440 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE GOSPEL OP CHRIST IS HID FROM SOME 

"The beauty of Scripture," says Luther, 
"consists in pronouns." It is sweet to find 
such Scriptures as these : "/am the Lord thy 
God;" "/ have called thee by thy name;" 
"Jam with thee; /will strengthen thee; 1 
will uphold thee with the right hand of my 
righteousness." 

The heart delights in fastening its affec- 
tions on spiritual things, and calling them its 
own. This is laying hold on eternal life. 
Thus the soul tastes and sees that the Lord 
is gracious. 'What could the saints do were 
they never permitted to claim an interest in 
heavenly things ? Wilkinson says : " All con- 
solation in religion *is connected with appro- 
priation." Accordingly Job says, "I know 
that my Redeemer liveth." David: "Unto 
thee will I cry, Lord my rock." In the 
Canticles the church sa} T s, u My Beloved is 
mine, and /am Ms." Thomas said, li My Lord 
and ray God." Paul says, "He loved me and 



THE GOSPEL HIDDEN. 441 

gave himself for me;" "/know whom / have 
believed." 

Nor is there anything selfish or exclusive 
in this appropriation. The saints delight to 
have others joint partakers with them in the 
infinite benefits of salvation. The psalmist 
says: "0 Lord our Lord, how excellent is 
thy name in all the earth;" "The Lord of 
hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our ref- 
uge." John says, "Behold what manner of 
love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that 
we should be called the sons of God." In like 
manner Christians commonly speak of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and of our brethren. If we 
are believers, to us pertain the adoption, and 
the glory, and the covenants, and the service 
of God, and the promises. Paul says, "Who 
shall separate us from the love of Christ?" 
He also says that those that call on Jesus 
Christ as Lord, own him as both theirs and 
ours. He further says to the Corinthians, 
" We are your rejoicing, even as ye also are 
ours in the day of the Lord Jesus." Jude 
speaks of the common salvation, that is, the 
salvation in which all believers have a joint 
interest, and are made fellow-heirs. 

So also Paul speaks of "our gospel, 7 '" as 
19* 



442 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

though he and his brethren were joint parta- 
kers of its benefits, as well as unitedly con- 
cerned to make it known. "If our gospel oe 
hid, it is hid to them that are lost." Yery awful 
language is this, and the more so as the same 
thing is taught in other Scriptures: "The 
preaching of the cross is to them that perish 
foolishness ;" "Behold, ye despisers, and won- 
der, and perish." 2 Cor. 4 : 3 ; 1 Cor. 1:18; 
Acts 13 :41. Let us consider this solemn mat- 
ter under the form of speech just cited : " If our 
gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost." 
We may inquire — 

I. In what sense the gospel is not hid 

FROM ANY OF US. 

1. The gospel is not hid from any of us in 
the same sense in which it is hid from the 
brutes. These have no natural capacities 
for understanding, receiving, or enjoying the 
gospel under any culture, however wisely or 
assiduously administered. The God who made 
them has given them neither minds nor hearts 
capable of grasping divine things. If their 
natures were so elevated as to lay hold of the 
gospel, they would no longer be brutes. With 
men it is far different. Their original capa- 
city is such as to make it proper to address 



THE GOSPEL HIDDEN. 443 

to them the gospel with all its doctrines, pre- 
cepts, promises, requirements, and obligations. 
No man, therefore, can now truly plead incom- 
petence of nature as a justification for a course 
of neglect or contempt towards the evangelical 
message. In this sense therefore the gospel 
is not hid from any of us. 

2. Neither is the gospel hid from us in the 
sense in which truth is hid from unbalanced, 
disordered, deranged minds. From the force 
of his disease, the poor maniac connects ideas 
and facts most remote from each other, and 
groups together the most discordant assem- 
blages of truth and fiction. He lays down 
false premises, and makes lawful deductions ; 
or he hiys down true premises, but infers some- 
thing foreign and unnatural. Incoherence of 
thought is his disease, or flows directly from 
it. But these things cannot be said of men in 
general. In the human mind as it came from 
the hands of God, there is nothing that would 
lead it thus to wander. Men have sense 
enough on all points on which an evil heart 
has no perverting tendency. There is not 
found in the human soul any disease unfitting 
it for receiving plain gospel truth, whenever 
it is rightly disposed. 



444 THE BOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

3. Neither is the gospel hid from us in the 
sense in which the abstruse and difficult sci- 
ences are- hid from the majority of men. It 
cannot be expected, it is not required, that 
men generally should become skilled in all 
the depths of mathematical or physiological 
inquiry. These things must remain very 
much confined to a few and hid from the 
many. And the many may be wholly excu- 
sable. But the gospel is a clear statement of 
plain facts and doctrines of such a nature as 
to require no profound argumentations, no bril- 
liancy of wit, no scholastic acumen' to know and 
apprehend its great essential truths. Thou- 
sands of unlettered men have understood its 
sublime mj^steries of justification and sanctifi- 
cation by the blood and righteousness and 
Spirit of Jesus. The gospel is so plain that 
any right-minded person of common sense 
and an honest heart may understand enough 
of it to be saved by it. To such the Holy 
Ghost is given to enlighten the mind, take the 
veil from off the heart, and lift the soul up to 
God. Our gospel, therefore, is not hid from 
men in the sense in which the difficult sciences 
are hid from the multitude. 

4. Nor is it hid from us by any act of pro- 



THE GOSPEL HIDDEN. 445 

.hibition from God forbidding us to inquire 
into its truths. There is no flaming sword 
turning every way, and warning us not to 
enter any book of Scripture. On the con- 
trary, the Author of our religion sa3 T s, "Search 
the Scriptures ; for in them ye think ye have 
eternal life, and they are they which testify of 
me." The great apostle to the Gentiles teaches 
the same when he says, "Prove all things; 
hold fast that which is good." It is a grand 
error of the Romish church to keep, contrary 
to God's will, the Holy Scriptures from the 
common people, thus taking away the key 
of knowledge. God has purposes and plans 
which he has concealed from us, some of them 
in part, and some of them wholly ; but the 
very object of a revelation was that we might 
know his will. "Secret things belong unto 
the Lord our God: but those things winch arc 
revealed belong unto us and to our children 
for ever, that we may do all the words of this 
law." They are God's gift to us. Therefore 
they are not hid from us by any divine pro- 
hibition. 

5. Xor is the gospel hid from us as it was 
from men who lived before the coming of 
Christ. Now the types and shadows have 



446 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

given way to the bright beams of light and 
truth issning from the Sun of righteousness. 
So Paul says : "The word of God, even the 
mystery, which hath been hid from ages and 
from generations, but now is made manifest to 
the saints : to whom God would make known 
what is the riches of the glory of this mystery 
among the Gentiles ; which is Christ in you, 
the hope of glory." Col. 1 : 25-27. The reve- 
lation is therefore made. We see the things 
which kings and prophets and righteous men 
desired to see but could not. We have them 
in our own language, in plain statements, easily 
read. We have the Bible, the clearest book 
ever written respecting so weighty matters. 
"He may run that readeth it." No honest 
inquirer after truth ever mistook its teachings 
on vital points. If we cannot read this book, 
we can hear its truths preached. It is in ref- 
erence to this preaching especially that the 
apostle is speaking in 2 Corinthians 4 : 1-5. 
He says that he and his fellow-laborers had 
not handled the word "of God deceitfully ; 
•but by manifestation of the truth commended 
themselves to every man's conscience in the 
sight of God; and immediately adds, "If our 
gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost." 



THE GOSPEL HIDDEN. 447 

The fault was not in the preachers, for they 
told the truth, using great plainness of speech. 
In like manner, all of us do or may hear the 
gospel published in a way clear and decided. 
Who among us has not heard many sermons 
which faithfully presented the gospel ? Christ 
is preached, and we all hear or can hear. The 
object of all good preaching is not to hide the 
gospel, but to make it known. 

6. Nor is the gospel hid from us as it is 
from the heathen, who never heard its blessed 
truths. How shall men "call on him in whom 
they have not believed ? and how shall they 
believe in him of whom they have not heard ? 
and how shall they hear without a preacher?. . . 
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the 
word of God." There are millions on earth 
who never heard that Jesus Christ is the Lamb 
of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. 
The guilt of their transgression is not en- 
hanced by a knowledge of the glorious gospel. 
Its light has never shined on them. If men 
sin without law, they shall perish without law. 
But fearful beyond expression will be the 
doom of those who, knowing the way of life, 
turn from the holy commandments. To him 
that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to 



448 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

him it is sin. In none of these senses is the 
gospel hid from us. 

II. We may now show in what sense the 

GOSPEL IS HID FROM THE UNBELIEVING. 

This is truly an awful subject. It is so in 
its very nature ; and it concerns many. The 
essence of this hiding consists in one's having 
eyes and not seeing, in having ears and not 
hearing, and in having a heart and not under- 
standing. In some way, the truth reaches 
the intellect, and perhaps slightly moves the 
affections, but there it stops. It changes not 
the heart or the life. Thus one may be a 
learned critic, a clear expositor, or an apt 
teacher of many truths of the gospel, and yet 
never see its true force, nor apprehend its 
chief design. Pride and perverseness may 
hold him in such a state that he may not dis- 
cern the real nature of the most glorious things. 
Sin hides the most precious truths from the 
mind, as clouds hide the rays of the sun from 
the earth. A benighted soul is a lost soul. 
A state of darkness is a state of guilt, deprav- 
ity, and death. All sin produces blindness 
of mind. For their wicked rejection of known 
truth and duty, God, as a sovereign, hides the 
gospel from men. In sending so terrible spir- 



THE GOSPEL HIDEEN. 449 

itual judgments, God is not to blame. He is 
not bound to continue favors which are slighted 
and contemned. The pious and amiable John 
Newton says: "Let us suppose a person to 
have a curious cabinet, which is opened at his 
pleasure, and not exposed to common view. 
He invites all to come and see it, and offers 
to show it to any one who asks him. It is hid, 
because he keeps the key ; but none can com- 
plain, because he is ready to open it whenever 
he is desired. Some persons disdain the offer, 
and say, Why is it locked at all ? Some think 
it not worth seeing, or amuse themselves with 
guessing at the contents. But those who are 
simply desirous for themselves leave others 
disputing, go according to appointment, and 
are gratified. These have reason to be thank- 
ful for the favor, and the others have no just 
cause to find fault. Thus the riches of divine 
grace may be compared to a richly-furnished 
cabinet, to which Christ is the door. The 
word of God likewise is a cabinet, generally 
locked up ; but the key of prayer will open it. 
The Lord invites all, but he keeps the dispen- 
sation in his own hands. They cannot see these 
things except he shows them ; but then he 
refuses none that sincerely ask him." So that 



450 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

G-od is clear in this matter.- He hides not 
these things in any way that can impeach his 
justice or his wisdom ; yet he hides them 
effectually. Left to themselves, men seek to 
become wise and become fools. This is a pun- 
ishment for their pride or other sins. We 
read of some on whom G-od sent strong de- 
lusion, and gave them up to believe a lie, that 
they might be damned, because they had pleas- 
ure in unrighteousness. They delighted not 
in the truth. They cared neither to know nor 
to do Gk>d ? s will. Surely God was at liberty 
to hide from them that which they so much 
disliked. Their ignorance proves the truth 
of the words, " If our gospel be hid, it is hid 
to them that are lost." All the treasures of 
wisdom and knowledge are hid in Christ. He 
who despises the Saviour despises all the les- 
sons we can learn from him. The truth is 
also hidden in the letter of Scripture. As the 
time of the day is hid in the figures of the sun- 
dial, but cannot be read unless the sun shines 
and reveals the truth, so is saving truth hid 
in the letter. 

The instrumentality employed in hiding 
the gospel from the minds of men is various. 
Sometimes the work is done by Satan. So 



THE GOSPEL HIDDEN. 451 

saj'S the apostle : " If our gospel be hid, it is hid 
to them that are lost: in whom the god of this 
world hath blinded the minds of them which 
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gos- 
pel of Christ, who is the image of God, should 
shine unto them." The great adversary dark- 
ens and confuses the mind of unbelievers. For 
this they are to blame, because they are in 
league with the wicked one. Let them resist 
and renounce the devil, and he shall have no 
power to hide the gospel from them. 

Men blind one another. Many seducers 
and deceivers are entered into the world. 
They operate " with all deceivableness of 
unrighteousness in them that perish, because 
they received not the love of the truth, that 
they might be saved." Many lie in wait to 
deceive, beguiling unstable souls, and employ- 
ing cunning craftiness and sleight of men. 
Such cannot succeed but with those who do 
not wish to know the truths of the gospel. 
The deceiver and the deceived are both guilty. 

Men hide the gospel from themselves. 
They love darkness rather than light. They 
love to be deceived. They shut their eyes 
against the truth. Its light is painful to them. 
They seek darkness. They extinguish the 



452 THE ROCK OP OUE SALVATION. 

lamp of truth. They corrupt their own minds. 
They obliterate good impressions. They resist 
the Spirit. They seek to hide the gospel, and 
it is hidden. 

Thus is God righteous in all cases, even 
where the blindness is most dreadful. God 
is not responsible for this darkness. Man is 
the author of his own blindness. Were it not 
for the sun, we should have perpetual dark- 
ness ; and were it not for God, we should 
never .have any divine light. Were the sun 
never to shine on the world, and were God 
to withhold all his beams from us, neither the 
one nor the. other would be chargeable with 
the darkness that should follow. 

When the sun shines in his strength, and 
all nature rejoices in his light, the blind can- 
not behold his beauty. Were there ten thou- 
sand suns, the blind, would be no better off. 
The fault is in their vision. So if, instead of 
one, there were ten thousand gospels, each 
giving the brightest light to lead the soul to 
God, the unbelieving would continue in their 
present unhappy state. The very light that 
is in them is darkness, and they love to have 
it so. When Lord Nelson put the telescope 
to his blind eye, we do not wonder that he 



THE GOSPEL HIDDEN. 453 

could not see the concerted signals. If our 
gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are 
lost. 

This subject has a solemn bearing on per- 
sons who were once somewhat enlightened, 
but are now in deeper darkness than ever. 
So was it with Jerusalem, over which Christ 
wept and said: "If thou hadst known, even 
thou, at least in this thy day, the things which 
belong unto thy, peace ! but now they are hid 
from thine ejes. v Luke 19:42. There are 
set times, chosen seasons, precious harvests, 
when, if people are rightly disposed, they 
may know. But if these are neglected,- awful 
darkness ensues. The gospel, once made to 
shine into the mind, but then rejected, may 
be hid from the eyes for ever. Such are 
undone. Their day is past. Their doom is 
sealed. 

Some complain that the Bible is so myste- 
rious that it is like a sealed book, and when 
they read it, they become bewildered. They 
see nothing in it plain or intelligible. Ought 
not such honestly to inquire into their spirit- 
ual condition? Does not their bewilderment 
prove that they are lost? 



454 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

Others apprehend somewhat of the truth, 
but presently "stumble at the word, being 
disobedient." Their stumbling makes them 
disobedient, and their disobedience makes 
them stumble. This is the grand error of 
many. They refuse submission to what they 
do know, and so they learn nothing aright. 
The light is hid from such, because they are 
lost. 

To some Christ crucified is foolishness. 
The idea of salvation by the righteousness of 
another is opposite to all their conceptions. 
They deride the doctrine of life to sinners by 
the death of the Saviour. Speak to them of 
their -own merits as the ground of their 
acceptance, and they approve such boasting. 
A gratuitous salvation they scorn. Their 
present temper continuing, they are lost for 
ever. 

Some think that by their own natural wit 
they can arrive at saving knowledge. Such 
often exclude themselves from heaven by a 
jest or a trifle. Many are damned for a 
quibble. They judge all things by some fan- 
tastic rule, perhaps in their view quite phil- 
osophical. When will men learn that the 
world by wisdom never knew God? Per- 



THE GOSPEL HIDDEN. 455 

sisting in this self-conceit, such are hopelessly 
lost. 

God always hides saving knowledge from 
the "wise and prudent." That which we 
learn by our unaided faculties puffs up and 
blinds the mind. " Seest thou a man wise in 
his own conceit ? there is more hope of a fool 
than of him." The lifting up of the soul unto 
vanity does itself exclude the light of truth. 
This is its natural tendency. Such a state of 
mind spurns the aid of the Spirit of God. 
And flesh and blood can never reveal the 
great truths of the Bible. It is only by an 
unction from the Holy One that any man is 
ever able to see divine things aright. They 
are spiritually discerned. He that is not led 
by the Spirit of God must err. Often do we 
see men stumbling at straws, making difficul- 
ties where a child sees its way clear, insist- 
ing upon understanding things of no immedi- 
ate practical utility, and yet refusing to bow 
their necks to the plainest and most practical 
precepts. Such are lost. 

No marvel that the careless never come 
to the knowledge of the truth. If men would 
be wise unto salvation, they must cry after 
knowledge, and lift up their voice for under- 



456 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

standing ; they must seek her as silver, and 
search for her as for hid treasure. The whole 
plan of God requires care, candor, attention, 
earnestness. Some are so heedless that they 
do not know what the gospel is. They dream 
or guess at the contents of the Bible. They 
are deaf to the proclamations of mercy. 
they are lost. 

Cavilling, prejudice, cherished error, a 
halting mind, an unforgiving temper, any sin 
wilfully indulged may work the same ruin to 
the soul. 

Thus we see that the work of destroying 
the soul is a work done in this life. One says, 
"When men perish under the gospel, they are 
benighted at noon. They have created to 
themselves a horrid darkness in the midst of 
a bright and clear day. They are lost in a 
day of salvation. Lost, not only wider the 
means of salvation, but by them. Gospel light 
strikes them blind. The sweet, vital savors 
of the gospel strike them dead. Invited, yet 
lost! Warned, exhorted, besought, reproved, 
yet lost, Lost, not as to any thing which is 
theirs, but as to themselves. Not a part lost, 
but the whole. Lost contrary to expectations." 
The darkness, the errors, the ignorance, the 



THE GOSPEL HIDDEN. 457 

folly of unregerierate men, arc as sure and 
certain tokens of what is to be their state 
hereafter, as are the faith, and hope, and love 
of Christians respecting their eternal well- 
being. As the work of saving the soul is a 
work of time, and not of eternity ; so the work 
of destroying the soul is also done in this 
world, and not in the next. And the evi- 
dences of this work being done or in process 
are often clear and decisive. If men would 
reason as fairly about their standing in God's 
esteem as they do respecting temporal mat- 
ters, they would soon be convinced of their 
lost estate. The smoke of the bottomless pit 
issuing forth in ungodliness surely proves that 
the fires of perdition are burning within. One 
wanders up and down in a forest and finds no 
safe path. He knows that he is lost. But 
when one errs from the truth and follows the 
mazes of iniquity, he often infers that he is in 
a safe way. 

Remember that men are lost in this world. 
On a lost soul in the day of judgment will be 
found no sign of perdition that is not found 
upon it on earth. Whatever may be men's 
apprehensions, but few of the unregenerate 
learn the truth that they are already lost. In 

Bock of S«1t». 20 



458 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

two ways men are convinced of their misera- 
ble state. One is in time, and leads to salva- 
tion. The other is when the day of grace is 
over. 

T was very sick. Her physician 

was sent for. He came and kindly watched 
by her bed. The day before her death she 
seemed calm and tranquil, and inquired if she 
should probably recover. She was answered 
m the negative. "How long can I live?" said 
she. The answer was, "Possibly until to- 
morrow morning." "Then," she said, "I am 
lost, lost, lost!" At short intervals until she 
breathed her last, her piteous cry pierced the 
ears of attendants : "lam lost, I am lost, lost, 
lost, lost!" why will unbelievers keep on 
in sin, and go to eternity for ever to mourn 
heaven lost, a crown of glory lost, an eternity 
of bliss lost, the means of grace lost, the day 
of salvation lost, all opportunity to make peace 
with God lost, and lost for ever ? 

Though the unregenerate are at present 
lost, yet they are not lost beyond recovery. 
By God's command Christians still pray, min- 
isters still preach, and offers of mercy are still 
given ; and by God's grace sinners are still 
converted. What a glorious truth that Jesus 



THE GOSPEL HIDDEN. 459 

Christ came to seek and to save that which 
was lost. Almost the only true thing Christ's 
enemies ever said against him was, "This man 
receiveth sinners." He admitted the charge, 
and spake three parables in vindication of his 
matchless mercy. 



160 THE BOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 



CHAPTEK XXV. 

THE SIN AND DANGEK OF NOT BELIEVING 
IN CHEIST. 

In both Testaments God expresses his 
'displeasure against unbelief. By Moses he 
says to Israel: " Ye did not believe the Lord 
your God;" "Ye rebelled against the com- 
mandment of the Lord your "God, and ye 
believed him not, nor hearkened to his voice." 
Deut. 1 : 32 ; 9 : 23. Again, God complains of 
Israel: "They would not hear, but hardened 
their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, 
that did not believe in the Lord their God." 
2 Kings 17:14. By the psalmist he says, 
"They believed not in God, and trusted not 
in his salvation." Ps. 78 : 22. By another 
prophet he thus threatens them: "If ye will 
not believe, surely ye shall not be estab- 
lished." Isa. 7 :9. The New Testament is no 
less clear. The great sin of the Jews under 
the ministry of John the Baptist was their 
unbelief. Matt. 21 : 32. The Son of God 
marvelled at the unbelief of his own disci- 
ples, and sharply rebuked it, Mark 6:6; Luke 



THE SIN OF UNBELIEF. 4G1 

24 :25. Our Lord himself expressly says : "He 
that believeth not is condemned already ;" 
" He that believeth not the Son shall not see 
life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." 
John 3 : 18, 36. Paul says, by unbelief the nat- 
ural branches were broken off. Rom. 11 : 20. 
Unbelief hinders prayer: "How then shall 
they call on him in whom they have not be- 
lieved?" Rom. 10:14. "The god of this world 
hath blinded the minds of them which believe 
not." 2 Cor. 4:4. "God shall send them strong 
delusion, that they should believe a lie ; that 
they all might be damned who believed not the 
truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 
2 Thess. 2:11, 12. "But the fearful, and 
unbelieving, and the abominable, and mur- 
derers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and 
idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part 
in the lake which burnetii with fire and brim- 
stone : which is the second death." Rev. 
21 : 8. Unbelief may relate to any doctrine, 
or promise, or threatening of God. It com- 
monly has special reference to the person, 
work, offices, and sufferings of the Saviour. 
Then it is a rejection of him as he is offered 
in the gospel. He demands our affectionate 
confidence, and we withhold it. 



462 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

Unbelievers are of two classes, specula- 
tive and practical. All speculative unbe- 
lievers are also practical unbelievers ; but 
some practical unbelievers have no intellec- 
tual doubts of the truths of the Bible. Spec- 
ulative unbelievers are of two sorts. Some 
rage and rail and blaspheme. Others doubt, 
hesitate, are skeptical. This latter class alter- 
nately hope that the Bible is not true, and 
fear that it is true. Meantime they live as if 
it were not true, and so are practical unbe- 
lievers. If they do not deny, they suspect. 
This is truly unbelief. Not to credit is to 
disbelieve. Not to receive is to reject. A 
refusal to obey the gospel is as truly danger- 
ous as a scornful denial of its claims. 

The object of this chapter is to show the 
sin of unbelief. It is a great offence against 
God in many ways. It is very wicked and 
deserves God's hot displeasure. 

1. Unbelief is a very heinous sin, because 
it is an impeachment of the divine veracity. 
God's word is his testimony. It is the highest 
iestimony ever given. When a judge gives a 
decision or a jury gives a verdict contrary to 
good evidence, all right thinkers have but one 
opinion. We take the testimony of men. We 



THE SIN OF UNBELIEF. 403 

act wisely in so doing. But " if we receive 
the witness of men, the witness of God is 
greater." 1 John 5 : 9. Man is fallible, man 
is corrupt, man often deceives, man is often 
deceived. Yet in some cases man is and must 
be believed. Under certain circumstances 
every one gives credit to the word of man. 
Much more then should we believe God, who 
is infallible, and who cannot lie. From the 
days of Moses until now the best governments 
on earth have held that two or three wit- 
nesses were sufficient to prove any fact. If 
so, shall we not believe the Trinity of persons 
in the Godhead? Jesus adopts this kind of 
argument when he says : "I am not alone ; 
but I and the Father that sent .me. It is also 
written in your law that the testimony of two 
men is true. I am one that bear witness of 
myself, and the Father that sent me beareth 
witness of me." John 8 : 16-18. 

The testimony of Christ confirming all the 
doctrines taught by the prophets and by him- 
self was open, clear, decisive. The very 
highest proofs of his knowledge, veracity, and 
sincerity, were amply given. The testimony 
of his Father was given in an audible voice 
from heaven. It was repeated in the many 



4G4 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

stupendous miracles wrought by Almighty 
power. In these the third person of the 
adorable Trinity also bore testimony in a 
manner both striking and convincing. In 
Hebrews 2:3, 4, Paul argues thus: "How 
shall Ave escape, if we neglect so great sal- 
vation, which at the first began to be spo- 
ken by the Lord, [that is, Christ,] and was 
confirmed unto us by them that heard him ; 
God also [that is, the Father] bearing them 
witness both with signs and wonders, and 
with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy 
Ghost." So that the three that bear record 
in heaven have given testimony upon earth. 
Their witness is harmonious, unequivocal, 
often repeated,. and accompanied by infallible 
signs. He, therefore, who lives in unbelief, 
discredits and impeaches the testimony of the 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. That this is a 
heinous sin cannot be doubted. 

Well do the Scriptures say, he that be- 
lieveth "hath set to his seal that God is 
true." They as distinctly sa}^ "He that be- 
lieveth not God hath made him a liar, because 
he believeth not the record that God gave of 
his Son." 1 John 5:10. This language is 
indeed awful, but it is just. God's honor in 



THE SIN OF UNBELIEF. 465 

regard to his veracity is clear to him. He 
never will part with it. He says : "My glory 
will I not give to another." The heavens 
and the earth shall pass away, but his word 
shall not pass away. Every jot and tittle 
shall be fulfilled. Because God is perfect, he 
is jealous of the honor of his name. An evil 
being may be reckless of his repute for vera- 
city, but a good being, never. To man you 
can offer no greater indignity than to say he 
lies. How dreadful then the sin of making 
God a liar. 

Besides, God has made his word the chief 
means by which to test the confidence of his 
creatures in his truth: "Thou hast exalted 
thy word above all thy name ;" that is, above 
all by which thou hast made thyself known. 
And the chief burden of God's word is, redemp- 
tion by his Son, together with histories, laws, 
doctrines, promises, and thrcatenings. His 
word is truth selected from the boundless field 
of omniscience. It is more precious than gold, 
yea, than much fine gold. His words are fitly 
spoken. They are like apples of gold in a 
network of silver. They are more precious 
than rubies. To disbelieve them is to trample 
pearls under our feet. It is to take the cove- 

20* 



466 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

nant of God and treat it with contempt. Un- 
belief, therefore, is of the nature of sacrilege. 
It puts the holiest things to base uses. More- 
over, God has not only pledged his word, but 
he has added to it the awful solemnity of an 
oath. He who disbelieves his word charges 
him with falsehood. He who discredits his 
oath charges him with perjury. A witness 
may give his testimony upon oath, and we 
may decide in the teeth of all he swears, 
but in so doing we declare our utter want of 
confidence in his statements. If God is dis- 
pleased at any thing, it must be at this atro- 
cious insult. 

Nor is this all. To disbelieve God is to 
believe his enemies, and especially his great 
adversary, the father of lies. Eve believed 
the devil rather than her Maker. When Ahab 
rejected the testimony of the man of God, he 
was ready to believe the lying prophets of 
Baal. Chateaubriand says: "Men are ready 
to believe any thing when they, believe noth- 
ing. They have diviners when they cease to 
have prophets ; witchcraft when they cease to 
have religious ceremonies ; they open the caves 
of sorcery when they shut the temples of the 
Lord." He who does not believe God surely 



THE SIN OF UNBELIEF. 467 

believes the great deceiver. Such impiety is 
shocking to all right-minded persons. Its 
wickedness is manifest to all whose con- 
sciences are not seared as with a hot iron. 

2. He who by unbelief rejects the word of 
God and his well-beloved Son, impugns the 
Divine wisdom. If we say that we do not 
need the salvation of the gospel, we charge 
God with making a needless sacrifice, and 
needless provision for our souls. When one 
says he is well, he declares that he needs no 
reined}'. When one says he is good enough, 
and justifies himself, he cannot but look upon 
redemption by atoning blood as either a fable 
or a folly — a vast expenditure to no wise pur- 
pose. God's wisdom determined that Christ's 
work and death were necessaiy for our salva- 
tion. Unbelief says, "We can do without a 
Saviour." Or if the sense of guilt is strong, 
then our unbelief, tending to despair, im- 
peaches God's wisdom b} r sa3'ing that the 
death of Christ is insufficient, and his blood 
inefficacious to wash away our sins. We say 
the remedy is not adequate. We say that sin 
stains too deeply and guilt presses too heavily 
for us to hope in the atonement of God's dear 
Son. In this view the scheme of redemption 



4G8 THE ROOK OF OUR SALVATION. 

is a failure. It lacks virtue. It meets not 
men's wants. Could a more heinous impeach- 
ment of God's wisdom be made ? Shall man 
be wiser than God, who charges his angels 
with folly? Is it surprising that the Judge 
of all the earth should be offended, yea, 
incensed, when men reject his Son and his 
gospel, which is both the wisdom of God and 
the power of God unto our salvation ? 

3. Unbelief is a rejection of kindness, a 
slighting of unspeakable mercy offered to us 
by the Lord. The refusal of Jesus Christ has 
no parallel for ingratitude, stubbornness, and 
daring impiety. Sovereign Love holds to our 
lips the cup of salvation. Unbelief puts it 
awajr, and says, "Let thy gifts be to thyself, 
and thy rewards to another ; I need them not ; 
I trust them not ; I accept them not." In un- 
belief, the debtor in prison refuses to let Jesus 
be his Surety. By unbelief, the poor naked 
soul refuses the spotless righteousness of 
Christ, and cleaves to the filthy rags of its 
own righteousness. Unbelief refuses to per- 
mit the great Deliverer to come in and knock 
off the chains of fiery condemnation. It spurns 
the balm of Gilead, although the soul is all 
diseased. God expostulates with the wicked, 



THE SIN OF UNBELIEF. 4G9 

and says, "How shall I give thee up? As I 
live, I have no pleasure in the death of the 
sinner. My repentings are kindled together." 
The Father of mercy calls them. The Son of 
his love cries, "Come unto me, all ye that labor 
and are heavy laden." The Holy Spirit woos. 
The church of God says, "Come." Surely it 
cannot be safe, it must be perilous, lightly to 
esteem such love and pity, mercy bought 
with blood — the blood of propitiation ; mercy 
offered to us by the Lord himself ; mercy so 
much needed by us all ; mercy rejected by 
none but the perverse. God's love to us is 
amazing ; Christ's love to us far exceeds any 
love the best man bears to him ; the love of 
the Holy Spirit is unsurpassed. How, how 
can we slight such kindness ? 

4. Unbelief is a denial and refusal of the 
grace of God in the gospel of his Son. And 
we need all the grace proffered to us. We 
are sinful, guilty, justly condemned, blind, 
ignorant, wretched, impotent. We are with- 
out strength, without holiness, without right- 
eousness, without saving knowledge, without 
healing medicines, without hope, without God 
in the world. This is and must continue to 
be our state till we are made partakers of 



470 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

that grace which is rich, free, unmerited, 
abundant, treasured up in Christ, and pro- 
claimed in the glorious gospel. But unbelief 
says, Christ has died in vain, his intercession 
is nugatory, his gospel is a fable. In robbing 
our own sonls of this mercy, we rob God of 
the glory of his grace. "In a word, if a man 
should choose to set himself in a universal 
opposition unto God, he can think of no more 
compendious way than this"' of unbelief. 

5. Unbelief is a slighting of God's power 
both to save and to destroy, and of his 
authority as a Lawgiver and Governor. He 
has brought all his sovereignty to bear on the 
duty of faith in Christ: "This is his command- 
ment, that we should believe on the name of 
his Son." To disregard this command is to 
contemn all his power over us, for he requires 
faith in his Son under the sanction of the 
most awfnl threatenings, many of which have 
been already recited. 

G. The sin of unbelief is in most cases ter- 
ribly aggravated. It is commonly a sin that 
has been long persisted in. If men are now 
unbelievers, they have been committing that 
sin all their days. Their lives have been 
lives of unbelief. For one act of unbelief 



THE SIN OF UNBELIEF. 471 

Moses was denied admission into Canaan. 
For one act of unbelief Zacharias was struck 
dumb. But our acts of unbelief have been 
as numerous as the calls of mercy which we 
have resisted. And our unbelief has been 
indulged against much instruction and knowl- 
edge. Often has the light shone as clear as 
day. Often have we heard appeals as solemn 
as death, and as tender as the compassions of 
a dying Saviour. If we are now in unbelief, 
we know, we have long known it was a sin. 
For unbelief indulged under a much darker 
dispensation, the carcases of six hundred thou- 
sand men fell in the wilderness. Again, we 
have seen great sinners turn from sin to the 
Saviour, and find mercy. In their renovated 
lives we had the proof of the power of Christ 
to save. We must be guilty for disregarding 
the lessons of such examples. Hear the Son 
of God himself on this matter: "The publi- 
cans and the harlots believed John ; and ye, 
when ye had seen it, repented not afterwards 
that ye might believe." Matt, 21 : 32. Yea 
more, the salvation of the gospel is God's last 
offer to man. Christ's atonement rejected by 
unbelief, there remains no more sacrifice for 
sins. God will never send another Saviour 



472 THE EOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

into the world. Christ himself said: " If ye 
believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your 
sins." Indeed, unbelief is by preeminence the 
damning sin of all who hear the gospel and 
perish. It is of the nature of all sin to work 
death ; but unbelief is a sin without which no 
other sin that we in a gospel land commit 
renders damnation inevitable. It is the act 
of a poor condemned criminal on his way to 
execution refusing a pardon. It is the act of 
Esau taking the pottage, eating it, and giving 
up the birthright for ever. And unbelief is a 
sin always wilfully committed. So charges 
Christ himself: "Ye will not come to me, 
that ye might have life." So charge the 
apostles: "Ye judge yourselves unworthy of 
everlasting life/' Unbelief persisted in seals 
our perdition. It closes every door of hope, 
and leaves us enshrouded in the darkness of 
despair for ever and ever. It does all this 
by grieving the Holy Ghost, by vexing him 
to depart from us. 

7. Indeed, how can unbelief be other than 
an enormous sin, when it has its seat in pride, 
self-will, self- righteousness, love of riches, 
love of human honors, and hardness of heart? 
"The wicked, through the pride of his counte- 



THE SIN OF UNBELIEF. 473 

nance, will not seek after God ;" "How can ye 
believe, which receive honor one of another, 
and seek not the honor that cometh from God 
only?" "Ye cannot serve God and mam- 
mon;" "If any man love the world, the love 
of the Father is not in him ;" " Ye do always 
resist the Holy Ghost." These are but sam- 
ples of the manner in which God speaks of 
the causes of unbelief. All unbelief has its 
seat in dreadful depravity. 

8. We may judge of the heinousness of 
the sin of unbelief from the dreadful sentence 
resting on all in whom it reigns. The Bible 
says they are "condemned already." They are 
condemned by the first covenant, which says : 
"Cursed is every one that continueth not in all 
things which are written in the book of the law 
to do them;" "The soul that sinneth, it shall 
die"— it shall die — it shall die — it shall die. 
And what a death ! But to this condemna- 
tion is added that of the gospel: "He that 
believeth not is condemned already;" "This 
is the condemnation, that light is come into 
the world, and men loved darkness rather 
than light." this double condemnation, 
how terrible ! It is a condemnation from 
God, the Lawgiver, the Judge of all. His 



474 THE EOCK OF OUB SALVATION. 

sentence is irreversible. And it "already" 
rests on unbelievers. The day of judgment 
will declare and enforce it, but it will not 
alter it. He who lives and dies condemned, 
will awake to shame and everlasting contempt 
on the morning of the last clay, and will stand 
self-condemned as well as God-condenmed at 
the tribunal of Christ. Beware, unbeliever, 
beware. ' Forsaking truth and embracing 
error, angels shrunk into devils. Forsaking 
error and grasping truth, sinners rise to the 
dignity of saints, and to the companionship of 
angels.' 



1. What a dreadful thing is sin ! It is so 
daring, so stubborn, so mischievous, so ruin- 
ous to man, so dishonoring to God. 

2. What mercy is found in God in pro- 
viding a Saviour, in offering him to our accept- 
ance, in waiting on ungrateful and rebellious 
men so long, and in actually leading many to 
the Saviour. 

3. What a dreadful doom awaits those who 
will not be reclaimed ! "It shall be more tol- 
erable for . . . Sodom and Gomorrah in the day 
of judgment than for " such. "Unbelief brings 
greater guilt" and sorer punishment "than the 



THE SIN OF UNBELIEF. 475 

sins of the worst of heathens, who never heard 
of these glorious things, nor have had this Sav- 
iour offered to them." ..." The moth shall eat 
them up like a garment, and the worm shall 
eat them like wool," says God ; "but my 
righteousness shall be for ever, and my sal- 
vation from generation to generation." Isa. 
51:8. 

4. Let us carefully guard against that great 
parent of unbelief, a self-righteous temper, 
which says, "I am holy, I am clean, I am 
pure." "If righteousness come by the law, 
then Christ is dead in vain." Gal. 2:21. To 
expect heaven on the ground of your own 
merit is, says Edwards, to "arrogate to your- 
self the honor of the greatest thing that ever 
God himself did." ... "To take on } T ourself 
to work out redemption is a greater thing than 
if you had taken it upon you to create a world." 
A self-righteous spirit is fatal to the soul. 

5. "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in 
any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in depart- 
ing from the living God." Heb. 3:12. It 
dishonors and provokes God. It grieves the 
Saviour. Mark 3:5. It grieves the Holy 
Spirit of promise. An attack of fever is not 
so bad as an assault of unbelief. 



476 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

6. The great business assigned us on earth 
by God himself is, believing — believing on the 
Lord Jesus Christ. "When the multitude said 
to Jesus, "What shall we do that we might 
work the works of God ? Jesus answered and 
said unto them, This is the work of God, that 
ye believe on him whom he hath sent." John 
6:28, 29. So when the jailor cried, "Sirs, 
what must I do to be saved ?" Paul and Silas 
said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
thou shalt be saved, and th} r house." Acts 
16 :30, 31. This is the tenor of all the Scrip- 
ture. It is only by faith that we enter into rest. 
Be sure you truly believe : "Without faith it is 
impossible to please God." "Till you have 
this faith, you have no special interest in 
Christ. It is only believers that are united 
to him. and are his living members. And it 
is by faith that he dwells in our hearts, and 
that we live in him. Eph. 3:17: Gal. 2:20. 
In vain do you boast of Christ, if you are not 
true believers. You have no part or portion 
in him. None of his special benefits are yours 
till you have this living, working faith."* The 
law presses until we believe. Forgiveness 
and acceptance come not till we close in with 

* Baxter. 



THE SIN OF UNBELIEF. 477 

Christ: "He that believeth on him is not 
condemned ; but he that believeth not is con- 
demned already." Why, why do not all 
perishing sinners flee to Christ? Why will 
men involve their souls in deeper sin and 
more alarming danger by persisting even for 
an hour in the rejection of Christ ? 



478 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE EEPEOACH OF CHEIST. 

Reproach is shame, opprobrium, infamy, 
disgrace, exposing men to scornful derision. 

Nothing has rendered men so liable to 
taunt, reviling, and malignity as love to Jesus 
Christ. The Lord himself told his people that 
it should be so : " Ye shall be hated of all men 
for my name's sake ;" " If the world hate you, 
ye know that it hated me before it hated you." 
The reproach of the cross has not ceased. 
Matt. 10:22 ; John 15:18; Gal. 5:11. Who- 
ever would be a true Christian must obey the 
summons: "Let us go forth therefore unto 
him without the camp, bearing his reproach." 
Heb. 13 :13. The great scandal of Christian- 
ity is the cross and the Crucified. It has long 
been so. The very expectation of a Redeemer, 
thousands of years before his coining, was an 
offence to men, and exposed them to virulent 
scorn. 

It is mentioned by the apostle to the Gen- 
tiles as worthy of special notice, that "by 



THE REPROACH OF CHRIST. 479 

faith Moses, when he was come to years, re- 
fused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daugh- 
ter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with 
the people of God, than to enjoy the pleas- 
ures of sin for a season ; esteeming the re- 
proach of Christ greater riches than the 
treasures in Egypt; for he had respect unto 
the recompense of the reward." Heb. 11 :24- 
26. This is an illustrious example of faith, 
and full of instruction. Let us look at it in 
some of its more important bearings. 

Ancient Egyirt was a wonderful country. 
The Hebrews called it Mizraim, from the son 
of Ham, who bore that name. To this day 
the Arabs call it Mizr. By, the Greeks and 
Latins it was called Egypt, the origin of which 
word we do not know. To its great river, the 
Nile, was first given the name of the Father of 
waters. To the overflowings of this river the 
land of Egypt owes its extraordinary fertility. 
Egypt is about four hundred and fifty miles 
in length. It is commonly divided into Upper 
Egypt, Lower Eg} r pt, and the Delta. An- 
ciently it was subdivided into forty-two prov- 
inces. In Upper Egypt was one of the most 
remarkable cities known to antiquity ; and 
the whole land was sufficiently supplied with 



480 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

cities and towns. The Egyptians were greatly 
averse to the life of shepherds or herdsmen. 
They gave great attention to the culture of 
grain. Not less than twenty millions of bush- 
els of corn were for a long time annually sent 
from Egypt to Eome. The land generally af- 
forded two crops every year — one before and 
one after the overflowing of the Nile. The 
Egyptians were a people remarkable for their 
skill in the arts. No contemporary nation 
equalled them. To this effect ancient history 
speaks clearly. The productions of the soil 
were very various. Different species of wood 
and varieties of marble in Egypt induced men 
to become skilfid manufacturers. The monu- 
ments of ancient art among this people are 
amazing. For thousands of years the pyra- 
mids have been the wonder of the world. 
One of these covers an area of thirteen acres, 
and is still four hundred and seventy -four 
feet above ground. In Upper Egypt, the 
sphinxes, obelisks and temples still amaze 
the beholder. Wonderful statuary and paint- 
ings are still found in that region. The an- 
cient Egyptians were to a great extent the 
fathers of science and of literature. Philoso- 
phy, astronomy and geometry early found 



THE REPROACH OF CHRIST. 481 

favor among them. There too the practice of 
making permanent and intelligible records 
seems first to have extensively prevailed. 
In their acquirements, the priests of Egypt 
excelled the savans of all nations ; yet the 
superstitions of the country were strange, 
mighty, and numerous ; there were gods by 
the thousand ; religious worship was addressed 
to men, to stars, to domestic animals, and even 
to plants ; thus proving that mere science can 
save no people from debasement, and that 
"those who are most delicate as to the decen- 
cies of life are often the most gross as to the 
decencies of religion.' 7 

For a long time this country was governed 
by a race of kings known to us as the Pha- 
raohs. The word Pharaoh signifies sovereign 
power, and is not very different from our 
word emperor or autocrat. Each of the 
Pharaohs probably had a proper name ; but 
none of these names are preserved to us in 
Scripture until the time of Rehoboam, when 
Pharaoh Shishak lived. We do not, there- 
fore, know which of the Pharaohs was on the 
throne at the birth of Moses. 

But we are well informed that he had an 
only child, a daughter, whom he greatly loved, 

Rock of Salv*. 21 



482 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

and who was herself childless. According to 
the Egyptian laws, she was at liberty to adopt 
whom she would as her son, and on his adop- 
tion he became the heir expectant and appa- 
rent of the throne of Egypt. The name of 
Pharaoh's daughter, according to Josephus, 
was Thermutis. This woman was led to adopt 
Moses under the following circumstances. For 
some time a cruel decree had been in force 
that all the male children of the Hebrews, 
who had now for a long time been in abject 
slavery, but who yet rapidly increased in 
numbers, should be put to death as soon as 
they were born. 

In Hebrews 11 : 23, the apostle says : 
"By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid 
three months of his parents, because they saw 
he was a proper child ; and they were not 
afraid of the king's commandment." What it 
was that made them regard him with unusual 
interest, we know not ; but they risked their 
lives to save his. Having kept him concealed 
for three months, and finding further secresy 
impracticable, they put him into a small ves- 
sel, or water-tight basket, and exposed him 
on the banks of the Nile. Thermutis, the 
king's daughter, coming thither to bathe, and 



THE REPROACH OF CHRIST. 483 

perceiving the basket, ordered it to be brought. 
She opened it, and found a weeping infant. 
There was watching, at a little distance, a 
Hebrew girl, about ten years old. It was 
Miriam, the only sister of Moses. She came 
to Thermutis, and asked if she would have a 
Hebrew nurse. God led her to assent, and 
soon the delighted little sister brought Joche- 
bed, the wife of Amram, and the mother of 
the babe. The princess gave to the child the 
name of Moses, which is a compound Egyptian 
word signifying drawn out of the water. 

Thermutis had her adopted child taught in 
all such matters as the vast science and lite- 
rature of the count ry could afford. He was 
also instructed in more important matters. 
His pious parents taught him the religion of 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and early imbued 
his mind with excellent precepts of wisdom, 
virtue, and godliness. At what precise age 
his education was considered complete, is not 
certain ; but it is probable that it was not till 
he was at least thirty years old, perhaps 
nearer forty than thirty. 

The Scriptures do not inform us as to the 
circumstances attending the first open act 
whereby Moses disowned any connection with 



484 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

the royal family. Whether it was done ill 
words and actions, or by actions only, is not 
known ; nor is it necessary that it should be. 
His forsaking of the court was' a matter which 
could not be misunderstood. Soon after, he 
fled the country, and went to Midian, and 
allied himself to Jethro, and remained for 
forty years longer, until he was called of God 
to return to Egypt. But it is his conduct in 
retiring from court that is specially noticed 
by the apostle: "By faith Moses, when he 
was come to years, refused to be called the 
son of Pharaoh's daughter ; choosing rather to 
suffer affliction with the people of Grod than 
to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season ; 
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater 
riches than the treasures in Egypt ; for he had 
respect unto the recompense of the reward." 

In contemplating the reproach of Christ, 
and the manner of overcoming it, let us con- 
sider 

I. The Choice which Moses made. It 
consisted of two parts : something forsaken, 
and something embraced ; something refused, 
and something received ; something relinquish- 
ed, and something laid hold of. What did he 
give up ? 



THE REPROACH OP CHRIST. 485 

1. The highest honors which earth had to 
bestow. Egypt was at this time, in an impor- 
tant sense, the mistress of the world. She 
had more resources, more character, more 
national glory, than any of the nations of anti- 
quity. Her glory had been filling the world 
with wonder for ages, and at no time more 
than within the last eighty years. No crown 
on earth glittered with such dazzling bright- 
ness as the crown of Egypt. More foreigners 
came to that land to seek wisdom and to won- 
der than were then going to all the world 
besides. Priests of other lands came here to 
study theology. The magi of remote nations 
visited its schools to study astrology. What- 
ever was supposed to be useful or ornamental 
in life, could be found or learned in Egypt. 
By leaving the court, Moses lost all opportu- 
nity of conversing with learned men, and of 
being an object of admiration as the great 
light of science and literature in his genera- 
tion ; for although he was not an eloquent 
man, yet the Bible tells us he was a man 
"mighty 'in words." The meaning is that he 
had not any great fluency, nor did he seek 
meretricious ornament in speech ; yet his 
great learning and wisdom were remarkable. 



486 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

That Moses could write with sublimity hardly 
equalled by any of the ancients, has been con- 
fessed by sober critics since the days of Lon- 
ginus. That in sentiment and style, if not in 
delivery, he was a sublime preacher and poet, 
requires no proof beyond that given us in the 
last two chapters of the Pentateuch. As a 
historian and a lawgiver, he has no equal. 
His fitness to govern, and his power to com- 
mand, have never been surpassed. Moses, 
then, relinquished all the honor which, as a 
scholar, a man of science, a military com- 
mander, and king of the most enlightened and 
powerful nation under heaven, he might have 
enjoyed. Converse with the polite and the 
great, even as their Mentor or Apollo, he 
gave up for the life of a shepherd in Midian. 
The crown of Egypt grew dim, and its glory 
faded before his eye of faith. 

2. He also relinquished all the pleasures 
which the absolute monarchy of ancient Egypt 
might have afforded. The Scripture says he 
cared not to enjoy " the pleasures of sin for a 
season." How many wondrous arts for grati- 
fying our carnal nature are known at courts 
of great kings, is no secret. 

3. He also gave up great wealth. There is 



THE EEPEOACH OF CHEIST. 487 

much force in that phrase, " the treasures in 
Egypt." Many ancient thrones had vast treas- 
ures. It was so with the Jewish throne in 
the days of Hezekiah, and with that of Baby- 
lon in the clays of Belshazzar. It was unques- 
tionably so in Egypt in the time of Moses. 
During the long famine in the days of Jacob, 
Joseph had bought up all the land in Egypt, 
and brought it into the possession of the crown. 

We have seen what he relinquished ; let us 
see what he embraced. The apostle uses two 
phrases, neither of which sounds sweetly in 
the ears of a carnal man. The first is, "afflic- 
tion with the people of God ;" the other is, 
" the reproach of Christ." 

The afflictions of the people of God at this 
'time were very great. They were in the most 
abject bondage. The}- were the slaves of 
slaves. Servants ruled over them. The Egyp- 
tians themselves now for a long time had been 
nothing but tenants at will of the land under 
their sovereign. They were at the mercy of 
their monarch for a home, for food, for rai- 
ment, and even for life. These were the 
degraded people who were the masters of the 
Hebrews. Over them they had the power of 
life and death. They had actually murdered 



488 THE EOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

many of them, and bad made all of them to 
groan and sigh with the enormous burdens of 
labor and toil which had been placed upon 
them. Joseph, who had been dead one hun- 
dred and four years, was forgotten. Grati 
tude for his eminent services was nowhere 
found. For Moses to make common lot with 
such a people was an act of great humiliation. 
The rest of their condition can easily be con- 
jectured. It was exceedingly dark. No one 
of us has ever witnessed such scenes of misery 
and degradation. Abject poverty had wrought 
its usual effects. The Hebrews were far from 
being highly virtuous, as we might have hoped 
from their possessing the knowledge of the 
true God. But few of them were truly pious. 
The great mass of them were gross and sen- 
sual unbelievers, who, for their outbreaking 
sins, perished in the wilderness. When Moses 
first appeared among them, about the time of 
his forsaking the court,. " he supposed his 
brethren would have understood how that 
God by his hand would deliver them ; but 
they understood not." Acts 7 : 25. Yet they 
were the people of God by promise and by 
profession. What little piety there was on 
earth was chiefly among them. They, too, 



THE REPROACH OF CHRIST. 489 

had the traditions of the patriarchs. They 
were beloved for the fathers' sakes. To them 
pertained the covenant, and the promise, and 
the ordinance of circumcision. 

Then their pretended expectation of the 
Messiah rendered them even more hated than 
otherwise they would have been. To the 
Egyptians it looked like a mark of special 
stupidity, stubbornness, and arrogance for a 
people thus sunk down in the deepest degra- 
dation to be talking about a great king that 
should arise from among them, be the King of 
kings and Lord of lords, and establish a gov- 
ernment that should have no end and no 
limit — a kingdom that should rule over all. 
Hence "the reproach of Christ" mentioned 
by Paul as coming on Moses at the making of 
his choice. 

II. Let us consider the elements of his 
choice. 

1. -It was a choice, a firm and decided pur- 
pose of the will, a hearty and voluntary pref- 
erence of one thing, a cordial and controlling 
refusal of another thing. Paul speaks both of 
choosing and refusing. What Moses did he 
did not by compulsion, nor by over-persua- 
sion, but of choice. 

21* 



490 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

2. It was a choice made at the most critical 
period of life, when he was about to enter on 
a splendid. career ; "at an age when the heart 
is most devoted to the pursuit of pleasure, 
most susceptible of the allurements of ambi- 
tion." 

3. It was a deliberate and intelligent 
choice. Nothing in the existing state of 
things around him led to his decision. The 
popular current was quite the other way. It 
was also the choice of a man, and not of a 
child who could not understand what he was 
doing. The Bible says "he was come to 
years." In the Greek it is "when he was 
become great." It is manifest from the Bible 
chronology that Moses was not 'less than forty 
years old. Nor was it the choice of a man 
who knew not the sweets of a palace. He 
had been brought up in ease and affluence. 
He was not a rude boor, incapable of enjoying 
the refinements and elegancies which encircled 
the throne of Egypt. Nor was it the choice 
of a man whose mind was soured by unsuc- 
cessful intercourse with the world. So far his 
relations, public and private, had been as 
pleasant as possible. The whole history of 
Moses shows him to have been a man of 



THE REPROACH OF CHRIST. 491 

uncommon tenderness of sensibility, fitting 
him for intercourse with refined society. He 
was no ascetic. Nor did he expect by volun- 
tary hum lity to merit the favor of God. Nor 
was his choice that of an old man who knew 
that he could not much longer enjoy the 
world. Eighty years later "his eye was not 
dim, nor his natural force abated/' He was 
no dotard. His choice was that of a full-grown 
man with a sound, matured mind, just as he 
was about to enter on a course for life — a life 
in which he had been led to expect stirring 
events. 

4. The choice of Moses cannot be properly 
estimated without remembering that it was 
not the pursuit and prospect of great earthy 
advantages which he relinquished with the 
probability that affliction and reproach would 
come in their room. No : he gave up the 
actual possession of these good things with the 
entire certainty that the evil things would 
come. He was not merely in the high road 
to honor and wealth and power, but he could 
lay his hand on them all. He had "become 
great," "mighty in words and deeds;" he was 
eminent among the Egyptians. 

5. Nor could Moses have failed to remein- 



492 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

ber that in refusing to be called the son of 
Pharaoh's daughter he was exposing himself 
to the charge of base ingratitude towards his 
royal benefactress. Moses was not a man 
whose feelings were so blunted that he was 
not alive to any just reproach that might be 
cast upon him. Indeed, the fourth chapter of 
Exodus shows that he was a man peculiarly 
modest, diffident, and sensitive to the opinions 
of mankind. Yet he chose as he did. 

6. The choice of Moses was an unreserved, 
an unconditional, and a final choice. The 
royal displeasure once incurred, and the royal 
confidence once forfeited, there was no hope 
of return. He indeed had no desire to win 
back the favor of the Pharaohs. He gave up 
all to the cause he espoused. He did not 
even look back. 

7. His choice was a gracious choice. 
Without the aid of God's Spirit on his heart 
he never would have made it. Flesh and 
blood did not reveal to him the great things 
that lay at the foundation of his decision. 

III. Let us now consider the wisdom of 
IKS choice. It was wise then. Moses believed 
it to be so. His history since has demonstra- 
ted its wisdom. True, he was forced to flee 



THE EEPKOACH OF CHRIST. 493 

his country. Soon he was away in Miclian. 
But God visited him there, and spoke to him 
in the burning bush, and in due time called 
him to be leader to his people. In the maj- 
esty of a mighty man of God, he appeared 
the august ambassador from heaven at the 
court of Pharaoh; there he wrought great 
wonders ; then in a marvellous manner he led 
forth God's afflicted people ; became the his- 
toriographer of the world ; gave laws to the 
most renowned nation whose history has 
reached us ; in an important sense he became 
the lawgiver of all nations ; he inscribed his 
name on the pinnacle of fame above that of 
any of his countrymen or contemporaries ; he 
beheld God and knew him face to face ; he had 
so much honor paid him that to hinder his tomb 
from becoming the scene of superstitious devo- 
tions, no man knoweth the place of his burial 
unto this day. When he died God stood by 
him ; when he was buried Jehovah buried 
him — an honor conferred on no other. Ages 
after his death he appeared in great glory on 
the mount of transfiguration. Since that time 
his splendid career has been becoming still 
more brilliant ; and yet it doth not appear 
what he shall be, only when Christ shall 



494 THE KOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

appear lie shall be like unto the glorified 
Lamb of God. It is now (1867) nearly three 
thousand four hundred years since Moses made 
his choice. Eighty of these were spent in afflic- 
tion and reproach, yet not without comforts, 
joys, and supports which none of Egypt's 
monarch s ever tasted. The remaining more 
than three thousand years have all been spent 
in heaven. Yet eternity is hardly begun, and 
the work of redemption is not consummated 
either in regard to Moses or his race. The 
glories of salvation have but begun to be 
revealed. Already in heaven they sing the 
song of Moses and the Lamb ; yet what is 
that song compared to the hosannas and hal- 
lelujahs which shall fill the upper temple when 
the fulness of the Gentiles, the abundance of 
the seas, and the nation of the Jews shall 
return to God ; and when the work of redemp- 
tion shall be concluded bj r the sublimities and 
splendors of the resurrection morning, of the 
judgment clay, and of the marriage supper of 
the Lamb ! Could we ask Moses what he now 
thinks of his choice, does any doubt what his 
answer would be ? When Peter, James, and 
John saw him on the holy mount, did they 
see any thing in his appearance that argued 



THE REPROACH OF CHRIST. 495 

sorrow or relenting of choice? Was his coun- 
tenance way-worn or gloomy? Rather, was 
it not cheered with light like the sun, and 
glory like unto that of the angels of God ? 

IV. The cause of his choice next claims 
our attention. The cause of his choice was 
his faith. So we are distinctly told: "By 
faith Moses, when he was come to years, re- 
fused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daugh- 
ter." The great object of Hebrews, chap. 11, 
where the choice of Moses is stated, is to cel- 
ebrate the grand achievements of this illustri- 
ous grace. The faith of Moses was not a blind 
credulity ; it was not a sottish superstition ; 
it was a reliance on the divine testimony 
given to the fathers, and through them to 
their posterit} r . His faith looked at things 
which could be seen neither by sense nor 
reason. He ' ' had regard to the recompense 
of reward" — the reward of eternal life. He 
looked- back to former ages, and he looked for- 
ward to coming ages. The chief excellency of 
his faith was, the respect which it had to the 
Messiah. He believed all that God had said 
respecting the Deliverer which should arise. 
The coming of Christ was no secret among the 
Jews. It was always a pillar of their faith. 



496 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

Moses bore the reproach of Christ. He " es- 
teemed the scoffs cast on the Israelites for 
expecting the Messiah to arise from among 
them, in whom all the nations of the earth 
should be blessed, ' greater riches than the 
treasures of Egypt.' " Wonderful indeed have 
been the effects of true faith, wherever it has 
existed. 

1. True religion is the same in all ages. 
It is based in the same principles : it produces 
the same effects. Whoever properly believes 
G-od has the same religion that Moses had, 
and under fair trial will prove it. 

2. Let every man examine himself, and 
see what manner of spirit he is of. It is a 
great mercy when God so deals with us here 
as to furnish us a real test of our true char- 
acter. 

3. The apostle speaks well when he tells 
us of "precious faith." What could- we do 
without it? "Faith makes all evil good to 
us, and all good better ; unbelief makes all 
good evil to us, and all evil worse. Faith 
laughs at the shaking of the spear; unbelief 
trembles at the shaking of a leaf. Faith finds 
food in famine and a table in the wilderness. 



THE REPROACH OF CHRIST. 497 

In greatest danger faith answers, I have a 
great God. When outward strength is bro- 
ken, faith answers, The promises are strong 
still. Then faith pulls out the sting of trouble, 
and draws out the wormwood of every afflic- 
tion.' 7 . let us have faith in God. Lord, 
increase our faith. 

4. Let us not be discouraged, however 
much our condition may differ from our wishes. 
"The life of a man does not consist in what 
he has, but in what he is and hopes to be." 
The same God that led Moses into Miclian can 
bring us out of any depths into which affliction 
may have cast us. The strong arm with which 
God saved Moses and his people is as mighty 
as ever. 

5. The wicked one gives his servants a 
treatment very different from that received 
by God's people. "The wages that sin bar- 
gains to give the sinner are, life, pleasure, and 
profit; but the wages it pays him are, death, 
torment,* and destruction. He that would un- 
derstand the falsehood and deceit of sin must 
compare its promises and its payments to- 
gether." But the Lord gives good measure, 
pressed together and running over. In death 
he gives victory. 



498 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

" How often has the gloom which spread 
Above the Christian pilgrim's head, 
And darkened all his earthly way, 
Like Israel's beacon, cloud by day, 
Changed, as the hour of death drew nigh, 
To flame that streamed along the sky, • 

And lit his footsteps through the night 
With holy fire and heavenly light. " 

Where is your treasure ? Where are your 
affections ? If the earth should be burned up, 
have you any thing left ? 

6. Let us receive the word of exhortation. 
Like Moses, we all are passing through scenes 
which are manifesting our preferences. Had 
he chosen this world, how different his his- 
tory, how sad his destiny. We must choose 
this world or the next. The present is near, 
urgent, and flattering ; but it is vain, fleeting, 
and full of disappointment. " Our love to 
creatures is like the running of a stream in a 
channel that is too narrow for it, where stops 
and banks do make it go on with roaring vio- 
lence. Our love to G-od is like the brook that 
slideth into the ocean, where it is insensibly 
swallowed up." 

7. Let us not be cast down by the reproach 
of Christ. Others have borne it, and even 
triumphed in it. All will come right at last. 
The Son of man has been here in weakness 



THE REPROACH OF CHRIST. 499 

and' suffering ; but in due time he shall come 
in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, 
and before him shall be gathered all nations. 
Then it will be found an immortal honor to 
have borne shame and spitting for him : " If 
ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy 
are ye ; for the Spirit of glory and of God 
resteth upon you." All this will be manifest 
in the last day. For the King shall say unto 
them on his right hand, " Come, ye blessed of 
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for 
3 t ou from the foundation of the world.' 7 One 
smile from the eternal Judge will for ever 
obliterate all painful impressions made upon 
us by the scorn of men who have despised us 
for Christ's sake. 

' ' Under sorrows and reproaches, 

Let this thought our courage raise : 
Swiftly God's great day approaches ; 
Sighs shall then be changed to praise. 

We shall triumph 
When the world is in a blaze." 



500 THE EOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 



CHAPTEE XXVII. 

CONCLUSION. 

Great and glorious is our theme when we 
speak of Christ. He will occupy our thoughts 
for ever. The preceding chapters have dis- 
cussed several weighty points. The pious 
reader will allow some brief remarks on kin- 
dred topics in conclusion. 

I. Union with Christ. 

The New Testament abounds with teach- 
ings respecting the union between Christ and 
believers. Our Lord himself dwelt much on 
it, especially near the close of his life. In his 
intercession he prays "that they all may be 
one ; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, 
that they also may be one in us : that the world 
may believe that thou hast sent me. And the 
glory which thou gavest me I have given them ■ 
that they may be one, even as we are one : I 
in them, and thou in me, that they may be 
perfect in one." John 17 : 21-23. The union 
between Christ and believers is variously set 
forth in holy Scripture. 



CONCLUSION. 501 

1. Inspired writers compare it to the union 
between the stones in an edifice and the found- 
ation. B}^ one of the prophets Jehovah says : 
"Behold, I lay in Zion a chief Corner-stone, 
elect, precious ; and he that believeth on 
him shall not be confounded." The apostle 
of the circumcision takes up the figure, and 
refers it to Christ: " To whom coming as unto 
a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but 
chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively 
stones, are built up a spiritual house." The 
apostle of the Gentiles employs like language : 
"Ye are built upon the foundation of the apos- 
tles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being 
the chief Corner-stone, in whom all the build- 
ing, fitly framed together, groweth unto a holy 
temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are build- 
ed together for a habitation of God through the 
Spirit." Believers rest their whole weight on 
Christ. This foundation can never fail. The 
conflagration of the last day shall in no wise 
disturb the Rock on which they rest. It shall 
stand for ever. They are not dead, but lively 
stones, and are a habitation of God through 
the Spirit. 

2. Union with Christ is compared to the 
union of the members in the human body: 



502 THE ROCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

' ' Know ye not that your bodies are the mem- 
bers of Christ? . . . He that is joined unto the 
Lord is one spirit ; ... ye are the body of Christ, 
and members in particular. . . . For as the body 
is one, and hath many members, and all the 
members of that one body, being many, are 
one body, so also is Christ." Let not the hand 
say to the foot, "I have no need of thee;" 
nor the eye to the hand, "I have no need of 
thee." Christ is the head of the body, the 
church. So she is sure of his sympathy. No 
man ever yet hated his own flesh ; neither 
did Christ ever hate one of his own mem- 
bers. He regarded ihe cruelties of Saul of 
Tarsus as directed against himself. He loved 
his church of old ; he loved her unto death ; 
he loves her still ; he shall love her for 
ever. 

3. Christ is the Husband of his church, and 
she is his spouse, his love, his clove, his unde- 
iiled. " The husband is the head of the wife, 
even as Christ is the head of the church. . . . 
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ 
also loved the church, and gave himself for 
it." No husband ever loved his wife as Christ 
loved the church. His love is infinite, eter- 
nal, unchangeable. Feeble as she may be, 



CONCLUSION. 503 

she comes up safety "from the wilderness, 
leaning upon her Beloved." 

4. Union with Christ is sometimes com- 
pared to the union of the branches with the 
stock: "I am the true vine, and my Father 
is the husbandman. Every branch in me that 
beareth fruit, he purge th it, that it may bring 
forth more fruit: I am the vine, ye are the 
branches ; as the branch cannot bear fruit of 
itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can 
ye, except ye abide in me. Abide in me, and 
I in you." Thus believers get sap and nour- 
ishment and fruitfulness from Christ, and from 
Christ alone. In the same connection, the 
Saviour says: "Without me ye can do noth- 
ing." No wonder that the branch severed 
from the trunk withers and dies. 

By this union with Christ his people enjoy 
all spiritual blessings. In particular, they 
have pardon by his blood, acceptance by his 
righteousness, renewal by his Spirit, increase 
of grace, divine sympathy in their sorrows, 
victory in temptation, support in death, a glo- 
rious resurrection, a public acquittal in the 
day of judgment, and everlasting life. Sev- 
ered from Christ, no man is strong, or wise, or 
righteous, or holy, or safe. United to Christ, 



504 THE BOCK OF OUK SALVATION. 

all that is included in a great salvation belongs 
to the believer. 

So that the real child of God ought not to 
faint, nor be discouraged. He may have the 
'same temptations and afflictions as his Lord ; 
but "if we suffer, we shall also reign with him 
If we deny him, he also will deny us." There- 
fore, "if any man suffer as a Christian, let 
him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God 
on this behalf." 

Thus also the feeblest child of G-od shall 
be tenderly beloved and cared for. The weak 
in faith shall be holclen up, for God is able to 
make him stand. 

If these things are so, it is not wonderful 
that God's people have" so fervent love one 
to another. Their union among themselves 
arises from their union with Christ. The 
closer they are drawn to him, the nearer they 
are to one another. 

II. Admiration of Christ. The people 
of God do greatly admire and wonder at the 
excellence and glory of Christ. In proportion 
to their faith, they delight in thinking of his 
all-sufficiency, and are carried away with their 
pious thoughts, their souls being made like 
the chariots of Amminadib. This shall be a 



CONCLUSION. 505 

part of their employment in the last day and 
for ever. 

When Christ shall come to be glorified in 
his saints, he shall also come to be admired in 
all them that believe. Even in this world, 
the people of God often forget their trials by 
the way, and are lost in admiration of Christ. 
When a young man, for seventeen days I 
watched by the dying-bed of a dear Christian 
friend. Shortly before his death, thinking of 
the Eedeemer, he wrote : 

"What Christian has not sometimes given 
expression to the feelings of his heart in some 
such language as this : 'What a Saviour!' 
That there should be to us, lost and ruined 
sinners, any Saviour, is marvellous mercy, is 
worthy of our highest admiration ; but that 
there should be to us such a Saviour, is still 
more astonishing. I have thought that we 
might have had a Saviour, who should have 
been able to save us, and should have actually 
saved many, and yet not have. been such a 
Saviour. Less tender, less condescending, 
less forbearing, I have thought, he might have 
been, and yet have been a Saviour. It seems 
as if Jesus had said more kind things and 
done more kind acts than were absolutely 

Rork o' 1alT». 22 



506 THE BOCK OF OUB SALVATION. 

necessary to have been said and done by him. 
Need he have made that apology for his dis- 
ciples, who could sleep when he was in his 
agony— 'the spirit indeed is willing, but the 
flesh is weak ?' I wonder how they could 
have slept in such an hour • but I wonder 
more at the apology their Master made for 
them. Need he have uttered that prayer on 
the cross, 'Father, forgive them ; for they know 
not what they do ?' We do n't expect such 
things from the innocent when dying by the 
hand of violence. If he had maintained silence 
during these hours of inconceivable anguish, 
we should have been satisfied. But Oh, think 
of his forgetting himself, and when they were 
deriding, and in every way insulting him, 
hear him meekly addressing his Father on 
their behalf, asking him to forgive them, and 
pleading for them that they knew not what 
they did. It was not necessary that he should 
have paid any visible attention to the suppli- 
cation of the thief. It could not have been 
expected of him. But that he should have 
turned his head, and looked such forgiveness 
and love while he said, 'To-day shalt thou 
be with me in paradise,' is a strange mystery 
of love. 'what a Saviour!' Why, he 



CONCLUSION. 507 

knows from experience what pain is ; he has 
had the trials I have ; he has been through 
the vale of tears ; he knows how I am tried ; 
he remembers how he was tried. If he never 
smiled, yet he wept— even over the very city 
and people whose soil and hands were about to 
be stained with his blood. I wonder I love him 
so little ; I wonder he is not more precious to 
me ; I wonder any should be offended in him. 
How can he appear a root out of a dry 
ground? Why don't all see his form and 
comeliness ?" 

Such admiration of the Saviour naturally 
leads to — 

III. The imitation of Christ. 

It is with great authority over the con- 
science that the Scripture says: "Let this 
mind be in you which was also in Christ 
Jesus ;" and "Consider him that endured such 
contradiction of sinners against himself, lest 
ye be wearied and faint in your minds." 
Christ's example shows us what the Christian 
graces are, and how far they are to be carried. 
It is sometimes said that there is a point 
beyond which forbearance ceases to be a vir- 
tue. If there be such a point, surery it would 
have been reached in the life of Christ. But 



508 THE KOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

where is it ? He hath left us an example that 
we should follow his steps. True Christian' 
love to sing : 

" Such was thy truth, and such thy zeal, 
Such deference to thy Father's will, 
Such love, and meekness so divine, 
I would transcribe and make them mine. 

"Be thou my pattern ; make me bear 
More of thy gracious image here ! 
Then God the Judge shall own my name 
Amongst the followers of the Lamb." 

That this is not overstraining the matter is 
evident from Scripture. John sa} T s that every 
man who hopes to see Jesus as he is, purifies 
himself even as He is pure. 1 John 3:3. Paul 
says : "I am crucified with Christ : neverthe- 
less I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in 
me." Gal. 2 : 20. It is therefore a great 
fault in professors of religion that they do not 
more earnestly strive to imitate Christ in 
love, and gentleness, in tenderness of heart, 
in submission to the will of God, in zeal for 
the divine glory, in self-abnegation, in silence 
under unjust reproaches, and in all his imita- 
ble virtues. The highest honor we can render 
to the Lord Jesus is honestly and earnestly 
to pray and labor to be like him. 

Of course nothing distresses the people of 
God so much as to find themselves full of 



CONCLUSION. 509 

imperfection, even after they have long been 
followers of the Lamb. They still daily cry : 
"Forgive us our debts as we forgive our 
debtors." 

Philip Henry says : "If my prayers were 
written down, and my vain thoughts inter- 
lined, what incoherent nonsense would there 
be ! I am ashamed, Lord, I am ashamed ! 
Oh pity and pardon ! . . . These following 
sins were set home with power upon my con- 
science : 1. Omissions innumerable. I fall 
short of duty in every relation. 2. Much fro- 
wardness upon every occasion, which fills my 
way with thorns and snares. 3. Pride ; a 
vein of it runs through all my conversation. 
4. Self-seeking ; corrupt ends in all I do. 
Applause of men often regarded more than 
the glory of God. 5. My own iniquity. Many 
bubblings up of heart-corruption, and break- 
ings forth too. Lord, shame hath covered 
my face." 

Indeed, the best men weep day and night 
over their unbelief, hardness of heart, pride, 
vanity, ingratitude, discontent, self-will, self- 
righteousness, irritability, envy, censorious- 
ness, carnal security, spiritual deadness, lack 
of fervor, and other sins and short-comings. 



510 THE ROCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

This has been the case with men of every 
age. Job says, "I abhor myself, and repent in 
dust and ashes." David cries, "Mine iniquities 
have taken hold upon me, so that I am not 
able to look up ; they are more than the hairs 
of my head : therefore my heart faileth me." 
Isaiah said, "Woe is me! for I am undone ; 
because I am a man of unclean lips, and I 
dwell in the miclst of a people of unclean lips." 
Peter "fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, De- 
part from me, for I am a sinful man. Lord." 

The bitterest cry ever heard on earth was 
that of the Saviour on the cross, "My God, 
my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" Next 
to this in bitterness was the cry of Paul: "0 
wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver 
me from the body of this death ?" The body of 
this death is a Hebrew form of expression, 
signifying this dead body. The language is 
supposed by some to have been derived from 
the mode of punishing murderers adopted by 
certain ancient tribes, who fastened the sev- 
eral parts of the body of the murdered to the 
corresponding parts of the murderer, then 
confining his hands so that he could not effect 
his own release. In his distress, the poor 
criminal would cry, "Who shall deliver me 



CONCLUSION. 511 

from this dead body? Oh that I had sonic 
relief. Will no one help me ?" 

So Paul cried for deliverance. He loathed 
sin. He hated nothing so much. Whenever 
he contemplated it, it filled him with terror 
and detestation. He consented to the-law that 
it was good : yea, he delighted in the law of 
God after the inward man. With his mind 
he served the law of God. He loved holi- 
ness, yet so annoyed was he by indwelling 
sin, and so violent were its assaults upon him, 
that he pronounces himself carnal, sold under 
sin. The contest was dreadful, the war fear- 
ful. Nothing was to him so offensive as his 
own corruptions. In the jail at Philippi, his 
flesh torn with the scourges, his feet fast in 
the stocks, surrounded by the gloom of mid- 
night, he prayed, and sang praises to God, 
and the prisoners heard him. He was in 
stripes above measure, in prisons more fre- 
quent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times 
he received forty stripes save one. Thrice 
was he beaten with rods, once was he stoned, 
thrice he suffered shipwreck, a night and a 
day had he been in the deep ; in journeyings 
often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, 
in perils by his own countrymen, in perils l>y 



512 THE KOCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in 
the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils 
amongst false brethren ; in weariness and 
painfullness, in watchings often, in hunger and 
thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 
Yea, the Holy Ghost witnessed that in every 
city bonds and afflictions awaited him. Yet of 
all these he said, "None of these things move 
me." But when sin pierces him he cries, "O 
wretched man that I am !" 0, it is a good 
sign to mourn for sin, and to long for holiness. 
How sweet heaven will be to all weary pil- 
grims. There we shall be for ever done with 
temptation. There we shall never, never sin. 
There we shall be like him, for we shall see 
him as he is. Even now a view of him by 
faith has a transforming power, as Paul 
teaches : " We all, with open face beholding 
as in a glass [mirror] the glory of the Lord, 
are changed into the same image from glory 
to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 
2 Cor. 3:18. And Paul himself follows his 
cry with the triumphant shout: "I thank God 
through Jesus Christ our Lord." 

IY. Glorifying Christ. 

If the views previously presented are cor- 
rect, then it is true that all the saints do 



CONCLUSION. 51J 

greatly desire to put the highest honor upon 
Christ — they glorify him. In receiving honor 
from his people, Christ and the Father arc not 
separated. When we in heart honor one per- 
son of the Godhead, we virtually honor all. 
And it is the will of God that "all men 
should honor the Son even as they honor the 
Father." John 5 : 23. How full the Scrip- 
tures are of this matter, the pious reader will 
easily remember. 

This truth is often and delightfully illus- 
trated in the Life of David Brainerd. Under 
date of November 22, 1744, he writes : 
"Came on my way from Rockciticus to the 
Delaware. Was very much disordered with 
a cold and pain in my head. About six at 
night I lost my way in the wilderness, and 
wandered over rocks and mountains, down 
hideous steeps, through swamps, and most 
dreadful and dangerous places ; and the night 
being dark, so that few stars could be seen, I 
was greatly exposed. I was much pinched 
with cold, and distressed with an extreme 
pain in my head, attended with sickness at my 
stomach ; so that every step I took was dis- 
tressing to me. I had little hope for several 
hours together, but that I must lie out in the 



514 THE EOCK OF OUE SALVATION. 

woods all night in this distressed case. But 
about nine o'clock I found a house through the 
abundant goodness of God, and was kindly 
entertained. Thus I have frequently been 
exposed, and sometimes lain out the whole 
night ; but God has hitherto preserved me, 
and blessed be his name. Such fatigues and 
hardships as these serve to wean me from the 
earth ; and, I trust, will make heaven the 
sweeter. Formerly when I was thus exposed 
to cold, rain, etc., I was ready to please my- 
self with the thoughts of enjoying a comfort- 
able house, warm fire, and other outward 
comforts ; but now these have less place in 
my heart, through the grace of God, and my 
eye is more to God for comfort. In this 
world I expect tribulation ; and it does not 
now, as formerly, appear strange to me. I 
do not in such seasons of difficulty flatter my- 
self that it will be better hereafter ; but rather 
think how much worse it might be, how much 
greater trials others of God's children have 
endured, and how much greater are yet per- 
haps reserved for me. Blessed be God, that 
he makes the thought of my journey's end and 
of my dissolution a great comfort to me under 
my sharpest trials, and scarce ever lets these 



CONCLUSION. 515 

thoughts be attended with terror or melan- 
choly ; but they are attended frequently with 
great joy." 

The secret of this remarkable calmness 
and heroism is elsewhere clearly expressed 
by the pious sufferer. Under date of July 
2G, 1747, lie says: "This day I saw clearly 
that I should never be happy — yea, that God 
himself could not make me happy — unless I 
could be in a capacity to please and glorify 
him for ever." Again, September 19, of the 
same year: "Oh how I longed that God 
should be glorified on earth! . . . Bodily pains 
I cared not for ; though I was then in extrem- 
ity, I never felt easier. I felt willing to glo- 
rify God in that state of bodily distress, as 
long as he pleased I should continue in it." 
Again, September 27, of the same year, he 
says: "I am almost in eternity. I long to 
be there. My work is done ; I have done 
with all my friends ; all the world is nothing 
to me. I long to be in heaven, praising and 
glorifying God with the holy angels. All my 
desire is to glorify God." The last recorded 
words taken from his lips are, "I shall soon 
glorify God with the angels." 

Thus felt also inspired men of old : "I will 



516 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

glorify thy name for evermore." Psa. 86:12. 
Thus the prophet enjoined : "Glorify ye the 
Lord in the fires." Isa. 24:15. Thus the 
Saviour taught: "Let your light so shine 
before men that they may see your good 
works, and glorify your Father which is in 
heaven." Matt. 5:16. The sickness of Laz- 
arus was "not unto death, but for the glory 
of God, that the Son of God might be glori- 
fied thereby." John 11:4. Christ and the 
Father are one. Whoever glorifies the Fa- 
ther, glorifies the Son ; and whoever glorifies 
the Son, glorifies the Father. 

Y. Eeigning with Christ. 

Many saints have left the world crying, 
"Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." The 
Master had come, and was calling for them. 
The last words of Robert Bruce were : "Now 
God be with you, my children ; I have break- 
fasted with you, and shall sup with my Lord 
Jesus Christ this night." Grimshaw said : 
"I shall have my greatest grief and my great- 
est joy when I die. My greatest grief, that ] 
have done so little for Christ ; my greatest joy, 
that Christ has done so much for me." Felix 
Neff's last words were: "Victory! victory! 
victory! by Jesus Christ." Dr. Marshman's 



CONCLUSION. 517 

were : " Can you think of any thing I am yet 
to do for the kingdom of Christ?" Dr. W. J. 
Hoge : "I could tell of Jonathan Edwards, 
and of many wonderful authors and poets, 
but they are all comparatively low down. 
Christ! Christ! the glory of Christ." 

Though Christ's people know their Lord, 
the best is that they are known of him. 

It was probably a part of a hynm in use 
in the primitive church, and is certainly a 
part of Scripture: "If we suffer [with him] 
we shall also reign with him." 2 Tim. 2:12. 
More than half a century after our Lord's 
ascension to glory, he sends to the angel of 
the church at Laodicea this message : " To him 
that overcomeih will I grant to sit with me in my 
m throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down 
with my Father in his throne." Rev. 3:21. 
Doddridge's paraphrase of this promise is : 
"For your further encouragement, hear the 
last promise which I make to all who exert 
themselves in that holy warfare to which I 
am calling you with becoming vigor and res- 
olution. As for the valiant conqueror, I will 
give him to sit down with me upon my glori- 
ous and exalted throne in the heavenly world ; 
as I also myself have conquered the enemies 



518 THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION. 

which violently assaulted me in the days oi 
my flesh, and am set clown with my Father 
upon his throne ; my faithful servants shall 
partake with me of this honor in the great 
day of my appearing, and shall live and reign 
with me for ever." 

Poole explains the promise thus : "I will 
give him great honor, dignity, and power ; 
he shall judge the world in the clay of judg- 
ment, 1 Cor. 6:3, and the twelve tribes of 
Israel, Matt. 19:28; he shall be made par- 
taker of my glory, John 17 :22, 24. But such 
must come to my throne as I came to it. I 
overcame the world, sin, death, the devil, and 
then ascended, and sat clown with my Father 
in his throne : so they that will sit down with 
me in my throne of glory must fight the same t 
light, and overcome, and then be crowned." 

"What is meant by this glorious promise is, 
and must remain, very much a secret, until 
we go and see for ourselves, and by a blessed 
experience find out what it is to enter into the 
joy of. the Lord. Even Paul, who had often 
been rapt in visions of the third heavens, could 
tell us no more than this : "I heard unspeak- 
able words which it is not lawful for a man 
to utter." The ancient artist drew Helen 



CONCLUSION. 519 

with a veil over her face, thus confessing that 
to paint her was impossible. It is far more 
impossible for us to picture the glories of the 
celestial state. We must wait till we behold 
it with our eyes. Then we shall say, "The 
balf was not told us." 

" On wings of faith mount up, my soul, and rise ; 
View thine inheritance beyond the skies. 
Nor heart can think, nor mortal tongue can tell, 
What endless pleasures in those mansions dwell. 
Here my Eedeenier lives, all bright and glorious ; 
O'er sin, and death, and hell he reigns victorious. 

" No gnawing grief, no sad, heart-rending pain, 
In that blest country can admission gain. 
No sorrow there, no soul-tormenting fear, 
For God's own hand shall wipe the falling tear. 
Here my Eedeemer lives, all bright and glorious ; 
O'er sin, and death, and hell he reigns victorious. 

" No rising sun his needless beams displays, 
No sickly moon emits her feeble rays. 
The Godhead here celestial glory sheds ; 
Th' exalted Lamb eternal radiance spreads. 
Here my Eedeemer lives, all bright and glorious ; 
O'er sin, and death, and hell he reigns victorious. 

*' One distant glimpse my eager passion fires. 
Jesus, to thee my longing soul aspires. 
When shall I at my heavenly home arrive? 
When leave this earth, and when begin to live ? 
For here my Saviour is, all bright and glorious ; 
O'er sin, and death, and hell he reigns victorious. " 



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