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not as a hiding-place around us? We may add to this a desire to be delivered from the evil one's temptations, and to be saved from falling into sin and to be led in the paths of righteousness: but in how few hearts does this thought rise first, is this desire the strongest and deepest, or is this prayer the one in which the soul spends itself? To prove that it is so, I ask, would we be content to suffer pain and the loss of worldly goods, if our souls might be delivered from evil? Would we consider that God had granted us the desire of our hearts and the prayer of our lips if, while some great worldly calamity in body, or mind, or estate came upon us, yet still our souls stood strong upon the Rock of Ages, delivered and saved amid the evils and temptations of the spiritual world, growing in grace, and in likeness to God, in proportion as the world and the things of the world were passing away from us? Oh, no! few of us could think so in deed and in truth! May we be saved from the trial. No, "save me O God from spiritual evil, from sin, and the snares and assaults of the evil one: save me unto a nearer communion with thee, and a growing likeness unto thee: but first and above all, save, that no calamity of this world come near my dwelling, and that no hand of evil be laid upon this frail body of mine." Some such words as these too truly express the meaning of their hearts, when even many good men use the petition, "Deliver us from evil."

If such our prayer for ourselves, not different is our prayer for others. What we look on as the first and chiefest good for ourselves, we cannot but consider best for them also. Hence our prayers for our friends are carnal also; we deprecate present evil more than eternal, and pray for worldly good more than heavenly. When we go into the house of affliction, do we grieve more that the hand of God is laid heavy upon those whom we love, or because there was that found in them which needed to be chastened and subdued by the present sorrow of an anguished heart? Would we be willing to leave ourselves and them in the hand of God, till his holy purpose

was effected by suffering; or would we rather that his hand were removed, even though the evil still remained there, in the heart, where His eye saw it, and whence he would have cast it forth? Is not our prayer for the afflicted, that they may be comforted more than that they may be sanctified? Are we not too earnest in seeking consolation without making sure that sanctification will come along with it? Do we not forget too much that no true comfort can be given except in so far as the high end of sorrow has been wrought out? Hence it is that many afflicted ones pray, and friends pray with them, and the Church lifts up her voice on their behalf; and yet they receive not. The truth is, we are often asking amiss: for instead of committing such to God, and praying that themselves may have a willing spirit given them, instead of seeking that he would work his own will in them; we are rather desiring that they might be delivered from the hands of God, and given back again to the world! Do not think, however, that I say you are not to ask comfort and deliverance for the afflicted :—but it is only through their submitting to God's will, and yielding themselves for the fulfilment of His purpose in them. When such is our prayer, we shall not ask in vain; but present shall be added to spiritual blessings, and a holy, strong and joyful people arise from under the hand of God, to go forth into the world and declare His name unto their brethren.

The selfishness of our prayers is the last hindrance to their being answered which I shall mention. I mean by this that we pray for blessings merely in order to enjoy them, without having respect to the use which should be made of them, and to the glory of God which they are given us to promote. In every action of our lives we ought to glorify God, and by every means in our power. We were created for this end, and it is in faithfully yielding ourselves to serve it that we reach the highest blessedness of which we are capable. Everything must render itself back to God, and every intellectual creature consciously come forth out of self to expend all its existence in

the praise of God. to be praised but God, none on whom a life given by Him may be expended with all its powers and energies except on himself. To set up another before our -eyes, whom to glorify, whose pleasure to seek, whose will to obey, whose desires to gratify, this is idolatry, and the worst as well as the commonest idolatry is when that other is self. Man's selfishness is a very subtle evil, which enters into his holiest services, and works in the midst of these as much as in his most ordinary affairs of the world. A man can be selfish as much when he is professing and seeming to serve God as when he is openly and avowedly pursuing his own desires. And many are so. Consider how peculiarly unchristian such service is! The very purpose of Christianity is to deliver us from selfishness, and bring us into a kingdom all whose duties and services are fully performed when we love. The Son is the manifestation of the Father's love, and by the manifestation of His own He seeks to win us to lay aside our natural selfishness, and spend our lives for God and one another. Selfrenouncement is therefore the one rule and end of the Christian life; it must enter into every duty and every service, and by it these are acceptable through Jesus. Of Such are three hindrances to our such self-renouncing Jesus is our example prayers being answered. What is the in prayer as in every other part of the conclusion of the whole? Many think, life of love. For, are not the beginning or appear to think, that if they can do no and end of that mysterious act of worship other act pertaining to the Christian life, in which he engaged in the night in they can at least pray; they acknowledge which he was betrayed summed up in the that they need guidance and strength for one petition: "Father, glorify thy name; everything else, but they can pray withglorify thy Son, that thy Son also may out help; few feel the need of the Holy glorify Thee." What an example here of Spirit to assist their supplications, and self-renouncing! of one whose very being plead within their hearts with groanings and soul and heart were so consumed which cannot be uttered. Let us be with the desire that God might be glori- taught henceforth that we cannot even fied that in the hour of His own utmost pray unless the Spirit help our many need he offered in prayer only the one infirmities, and, teaching us the will of petition, " Father, glorify thy name." God, teach us what we ought to ask; What a rebuke of the deepest desires let us be henceforth more consciously that lie in the hearts of his followers; dependent upon Him in the exercise of and what a condemnation of many a prayer that is closed with the name of Jesus! For, even in asking spiritual and heavenly blessings how selfish are we! Is it, for example, that we may know in

There is none worthy | our own hearts anew the forgiving love of God, and being filled therewith may shew it forth in all our ways, that we pray for the pardon of our sins? Is it not rather in a trembling fear of being summoned to judgment, and sent thence to hell? Is it that with clean hands and pure hearts, full of the energy of love, we may serve God in every duty, that we pray for the cleansing blood to be sprinkled on us, and the Holy Ghost to be given us? Or is it merely because we know, and tremble in the thought of it, that without these we cannot enter into or partake of the joys of heaven? In one word, in asking God to bless, do we seek to have that with which we may serve Him, or do we think of nothing but salvation from threatened wrath, and entrances for ourselves into promised bliss? We dare not deny that there is too little conscious regard paid to God and the duty which we owe Him, even when we are placing ourselves in the position of suppliants at the footstool of His throne. And so many an earnest prayer is unanswered, and few receive the full deep reply of the Spirit, manifested in the conscious peace and joy and strength shed into their hearts from heaven.

this duty, and more earnest in asking His presence and His guidance; then we shall ask and we shall receive, we shall seek and we shall find, we shall knock and it shall be opened to us.

THOUGHTS ON THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST.
(Continued from page 235.)

THE object of my last "Thoughts" on
the Person of Christ-a doctrine which
involves the whole matter of the Chris-
tian religion-was to prove (1) that
Jesus himself unequivocally asserted His
divinity; (2) that He was understood at
the time to have done so, both by his
friends, who admitted his claims as true,
and by his enemies, who rejected them
as blasphemous; (3) that, unless divine,
He asserted what, as a man, he knew to
be falsehood, and as a Jew, especially, to
be blasphemy, and was therefore a wicked
impostor who has deceived the world.
But, on the other hand, if (4) we cannot
believe Him to have been either deceived
or a deceiver, we must conclude that
what he uttered was the truth.

But much remains to be said upon this all-important topic, to which I again request the candid attention of my

readers.

Let us, then, consider the person of Christ in another light, as it was seen by the apostles. What did they believe regarding Him? Yea, or nay, did they recognise Him as divine?

Before quoting from their writings, I must again remind my readers, in a single sentence, of the previous education of these remarkable men, in what may be termed the grand fundamental principle of the Mosaic legislation,-viz., the maintenance of the worship of the one God, and the proscription of polytheism. Idolatry was a crime against God and the state, and was punished by death. All images, even of the true God, were forbidden; the very name of Jehovah was defended from profanity and blasphemy. He who was guilty of such iniquity, was stoned to death. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me!" "Thou shalt fear this glorious name, the Lord thy God!"-" Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." These are the solemn and oft-repeated commands which were engraven on the spirit of every Israelite.

Now, keeping this in view, let us hear some of the things said by the apostles about this person, Jesus of Nazareth.

We shall begin with Paul. His education was, if I may so speak, intensely Jewish. He was 66 a Hebrew of the Hebrews."-" After the strictest sect of his religion, he lived a Pharisee." So devoted was he to "the religion of his fathers," so entirely one in his views of Christianity with the priesthood and men of authority, both civil and ecclesiastical, in Judea, that he thus describes his feelings with reference to Jesus :

"I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blas pheme; and, being exceedingly mad against

them, I persecuted them even unto strange

cities."-Acts xxvi. 9.11.

Paul had never seen Jesus while he lived on earth, yet suddenly, and to the utter astonishment of friends and foes, he becomes a believer in his name, and ever after, for thirty years, until his death, preaches that name as the only one given whereby men can be saved. Now, what did Paul say of the dignity of this person? A full reply to this question can be given only by reading every one of his epistles, and there seeing how saturated they are with the Divine Presence of Jesus in every thought, every doctrine, every command, and every hope; and how His name occupies a place which that of no mere creature could occupy without manifest blasphemy. But a very few passages, out of many, may be selected from two or three of his shortest letters, to illustrate his teaching. In writing to the Philippians he says:—

"Who, being in the form of God, 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 himself, and became obedient unto

death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also bath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."-PHIL. ii. 6.11.

To the Colossians he writes:

unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who, being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, 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."-HEB. i. 1-4.

- "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath Could Paul, I ask, have written in made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us such language as this, or anything apfrom the power of darkness, and hath translated proaching to this, unless he believed us into the kingdom of his dear Son; in whom Christ to have been divine, in the fullest we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the sense of that word? But believing this invisible God, the first-born of every creature: with all his heart, his whole life and for by him were all things created that are in preaching were consistent with such a beheaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisi. lief. He preached Jesus as the person ble, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created whom all men were to love and obey as by him, and for him; and he is before all things, God, confide and rejoice in as in God, and by him all things consist: and he is the and to whom they were to commit themhead of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; that in selves, both soul and body, for time and all things he might have the pre-eminence: for for eternity, as to God. What he wished it pleased the Father, that in him should all ful- others to do, he himself did. For what ness dwell and (having made peace through was the source and strength of his life? the blood of his cross) by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I "The life I live in the flesh, I live by whether say, they be things in earth, or things in heaven. faith in the Son of God, who loved me, And you, that were sometime alienated, and and gave himself for me." "I liveenemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh yet not I-Christ lives in me." "I can do through death, to present you holy, and un- all things through Christ that strengthblameable, and unreprovable in his sight."-eneth me." What was the one object of

COL. i. 12-22,

his holy ambition? In the same spirit he says to Timo- Christ!" What was thy :

"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might

"That I may win his heaven? "To be with Christ!" And after thirty years passed in his service, and after having endured such sufferings as never fell to the lot of one man, so far from disappointuttering the language of ment or regret, as of one whose early convictions had not stood the test of experience, but had failed to sustain him when most needed, he thus writes, with calm confidence and perfect peace, in his old age, and from a prison, to his dear friend and follower, Timothy :

shew forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now, unto the King eternal, "For the which cause I also suffer these immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be hon- things: nevertheless I am not ashamed; for I our and glory for ever and ever. Amen. know whom I have believed, and am persuaded And, without controversy, great is the mystery that He is able to keep that which I have comof godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, jus-mitted unto Him against that day." "Thou tified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast received up into glory."-1 TIM. i. 12-17; fii. 16. heard of me among many witnesses, the same

Once more, when addressing Hebrews, commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able

he says:

"God, who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken

to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered,

and the time of my departure is at hand. I have
fought a good fight, I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid
up for me a crown of righteousness, which the
Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that
day; and not to me only, but unto all them also
that love His appearing." "At my first answer
no man stood with me, but all men forsook me
I pray God that it may not be laid to their
charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with
me, and strengthened me; that by me the preach-
ing might be fully known; and that all the Gen-
tiles might hear and I was delivered out of the
mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver
me from every evil work, and will preserve me
unto His heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory
for ever and ever. Amen."-2 TIM. i. 12; ii, 2-3;
iv. 5.8, 16.18.

Was that man the dupe of his own fancy, and deceived in his faith and hopes? or was he the ignorant deceiver of others?

hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead."-ACTS xvii. 22-31.

If from Paul we turn to the other apostles, we shall recognise the same convictions regarding the person of Jesus. Let us hear, for example, some of the declarations of the Apostle John:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same

came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through Him might believe. He

was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. by Him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He

He was in the world, and the world was made

that believe on His name: which were born, not

Moreover, let it be remembered that, with this mighty truth, as with a hammer, Paul went forth to destroy the idolatries of the world, and gave them such blows, that in Europe they finally tottered and fell. But did he then only substitute one idolatry for another?-power to become the sons of God, even to them did he preach to Greece and Rome love and obedience to a man,-a better man, possibly, than any of the persons whom they worshipped, but still a mere creature like themselves? Hear Paul's memorable and glorious words to the Athenians, and believe this if you can.

"Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, 1 perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you. God, that made the world, and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things: and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us : for in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his off. spring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: because He

of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld

His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."-(John i. 1-14.) "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name."-(John xx 31.)

"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true; and we are in Him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life "-1 Jous v. 20.

"Jesus Christ, who is the faithful Witness, and the first-begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last." "And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And, being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down

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