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 https://archive.org/details/holylifecontribu01payn 
 
A HEAD OF JESUS: 
 
 Enlarged from a Second Century Medallion. 
 
We have not followed Cunningly Deuiaed tables/* 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE: 
 
 A Contribution to the Historical Development, of; 
 
 AND 
 
 A CRITICAL EXPOSITION ; 
 
 COMPRISING 
 
 ALL THAT IS 
 
 Told us in the Four Gospels, Concerning 
 
 The Life of Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 BY 
 
 HENRY MARTYN PAYNTER. 
 
 AUTHOR OP 
 
 “The Shadow on the Hearth,” “A Renovated Earth,” “Our 
 Duty in the Present Crisis,” “Brief History op the 
 War in Missouri,” “The Holy Supper,” “The 
 Holy Sorrow,” “The Holy Death,” 
 
 “The Holy Resurrection,” (fee 
 
 PART I, 
 
 Containing a History of Jesus' Life until He entered upon His Jadsan Ministry. 
 
 ElDimOiT. 
 
 CHICAGO, ILL.: 
 
 H. M. Paynter, Jr. 
 448 W. Congress St. 
 
Copja-iglited by H. M. Paynter. 
 All Rights Reserved. 
 
THE holy life, part 1. 
 
 SYNOPSIS OF THE HARMONY, 
 
 > 32 . 
 
 p 2^1 
 
 p/ / 
 
 v; 
 
 
 J- 
 
 Subjects. 
 
 Mati'. 
 
 ( Mark. 
 
 Luke. 
 
 John. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Preface to Luke’s gospel. 
 
 
 
 i, 14 
 
 
 28 
 
 Anuonncement to Zacha- 
 riah of John’s coming 
 birth. 
 
 
 
 i, 5-25 
 
 
 30, 40-47 
 
 Annunciation to Mary. 
 
 
 
 i, 26-39 
 
 
 49, 50 
 
 Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. 
 
 
 
 i, 39-56 
 
 
 64 
 
 An angel appears to J osepli 
 
 1, 18-25 
 
 
 
 
 65,66 
 
 Birth, circumcision and 
 naming of John Baptist. 
 
 
 
 i, 57-80 
 
 
 81, 82 
 
 Birth of Jesus. 
 
 
 
 ii, 1-20 
 
 
 87 
 
 Circumcision of Jegus. 
 
 i, 25 
 
 
 ii, 21-38 
 
 
 95-97 
 
 Adoration of Jesus by the 
 Magi. 
 
 li, M2 
 
 
 ii, 39 
 
 
 103 
 
 Warning to Joseph. 
 
 ii, 13, 23 
 
 
 
 
 109 
 
 Jesus carried into Egypt. 
 
 ii, 13-15 
 
 
 
 
 109 
 
 Jesus brought back. 
 
 ii, 19-23 
 
 
 
 
 109, 110 
 
 Slaughter of the babes. 
 
 ii, 16-18 
 
 
 
 
 109 
 
 Jesus’ first passover. - 
 
 
 
 ii, 41-51 
 
 
 114 
 
 His silent years of prepara- 
 tion. 
 
 John Baptist’s preparation 
 for his work. 
 
 
 
 ii, 40,51,52 
 iv, 16 
 
 i, 66, 80 
 
 
 123 
 
 155 
 
 The apostle John’s preface 
 
 
 
 
 i, 1-11 
 
 166, 167 
 
 Beginning of the ministry 
 of John Baptist. 
 
 The Baptism of Jesus. 
 
 iii, 1-12 
 
 iii, 13-17 
 
 i, 1-8 
 
 i, 9-11 
 
 iii, 1-18 
 vii, 29, 30 
 iii, 21-23 
 
 
 170-173 
 
 190, 191 
 
 Jesus’ first great conflict 
 with Satan. 
 
 Iv, 1-11 
 
 1, 12, 13 
 
 iv, 1-14 
 
 
 208-210 
 
 John’s first public testi- 
 mony to Jesus. 
 
 John’s second public testi- 
 mony to Jesus. 
 
 
 
 vii, 29, 30 
 
 i, 4-8 
 15-28 
 
 i, 29-34 
 
 337-339 
 
 353, 354 
 
 John’s third testimony to 
 Josus. 
 
 
 
 
 i, 35, 36 
 
 362 
 
 Jesus' first disciples gath- 
 ered. 
 
 
 
 
 i, 29-51 
 
 862, 363 
 
 Jems’ first miracle. 
 
 
 
 
 U, 1-12 
 
 876, 877 
 
 4 * ^ 
 
THE HOLY LIFE, PART t 
 
 INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 
 
 of. 
 
 Anna, cbaracter of, and her word concerning the child Jesus, 
 
 Announcement to Zachariali of the coming birth of John, • 
 
 Annunciation to the Virgin, 
 
 Babes of Bethlehem, the murder of the, - • 
 
 Bethlehem, sketch of, - 
 
 Child, dedication of a, to God, ... 
 
 Demons, origin, character, and acting of. 
 
 Disciples, first six gathered, - - . • 
 
 Earth, its creation, ruin and reconstruction, 
 
 Elizab 'th mother of John, - - - - 48, 
 
 Galilaeans, the character of - - - 
 
 Herod the Great, effect upon, of the appearance and departure 
 of the Magi, 
 
 “ “ “ character of - - - 
 
 Incense, composition of, and offering of, 
 
 Jesus, fore-announcement of, - 
 
 “ birth of, and attendant facts, ... 
 
 “ adoration of, by shepherds. 
 
 “ presentation of, in the Temple, and attendant facts, - 
 “ adoration of, by Magi, . . - 
 
 “ His first Passover, - - - . 
 
 “ “ preparation for His work, 
 
 “ “ personal appearance, ... 
 
 “ “ baptism, and the att nding phenomena, 
 
 “ “ first great confiict with Satan, 
 
 “ “ introduction to men, - - - 
 
 Jesus gathers His first six disciples, 
 
 Jesus, His first mi: acle, . - . 
 
 John Baptist, fore-announcement of, birth, character, and missio 
 “ “ preparation for his work, 
 
 “ beginning of his ministry, 
 
 “ “ efft ct of preaching of, upon the people, - 
 
 “ “ first public testimony of Jesus, given to a depu- 
 
 tay,on from tlie Sanliedrim, - - 337 353 
 
 “ “ seconci iiublic testimony of, given to the crowd, - 353-363 
 
 “ “ third public testimony of, given to the disciples, - 362 364 
 
 John Evangelist, preface to his Gospel, - - - 166, 337 
 
 Joseph, his disturbance of mind, and how removed - - 65, 68, 69 
 
 Land, the moral condition of, - - • - .308-310 
 
 Luke’s preface to bis gospel, - - • . 
 
 Magi, character of, and appearance in Jerusalem, - - 105-107 
 
 Man, his creation^ constitution, character and position, • 279- 86 
 
 “ his fall - - - _ . - 286-295 
 
 “ the sentence upon, .... 295-303 
 
 Marriiige, Jewish, ccrem mies connected with, - - 55, 56, 69-71 
 
 Mary, the Virgin, character of, - - - - 51, 53, 58 
 
 “ “ “ her visit to Elizabeth, and her Magnificat, - 64-68 
 
 Miracles, nature of, ' - - - - - 386-3n8 
 
 “ diff(!rence between Jesus’ public and private, - - 399-400 
 
 “ impression first one made upon Jesus’ first six disciples, 398 
 
 Miraculous Conception, the,' . - - 53-55, 69, 72-80 
 
 Nazareth, des<U'iption of, • - - - 146, 147 
 
 Preliminary study, ..... 15-28 
 
 Sacrifices, morning and evening, .... 33-39 
 
 Satan, existence, personality, relation to the cosmos, of, • - 217-232 
 
 “ prince of the original earth, ... 2()1-271 
 
 “ sentence upon, ..... 295 302 
 
 “ attacks upon Theocracy of, ... 304-314 
 
 Simeon, character of, and benediction upon the child Jesus, 100, 101 
 
 Times, character of the, ... 130-136, 168, 164 
 
 Zacharlah, his character, the vision to, Ac., ... 29^ 
 
 PAGE. 
 100 
 
 - 29-49 
 49-63 
 
 109, 111, 112 
 90, 91 
 
 - 98, 99 
 238-235 
 362-376 
 2:35-263 
 
 67, 81, 83-86 
 148-150 
 
 103, 107-119 
 131 
 
 34, 35, 37-39 
 49. 63 
 . 87-95 
 
 * 94 9 ) 
 
 - 95 102 
 102 108 
 
 - 114-123 
 124-155 
 
 - 194-196 
 
 191, 193, 197-21)8 
 208, 247, 314-336 
 354-362 
 362-376 
 376-386 
 42-47 
 155-170 
 4-184, 189, 190 
 184-187 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Though the first, properly, in this series, this 
 book is the fifth in the order of publication. 
 The conception of the life of Jesus is somewhat 
 ^ different from that usually presented. This 
 conception, with certain points presented, may 
 be challenged. The work was, therefore, held back by 
 the author, that it might be carefully gone over. What 
 is here presented is the result of a careful review and 
 mature deliberation, upon the points referred to. And 
 he now presents it to the candid judgment of the 
 reader. 
 
 No statement is made except upon what he believes 
 is sufficient authority, This, in his investigations, he 
 carefully noted down. But being compelled to write 
 out these pages while engaged in his “tent-making,’^ 
 which required him to travel from place to place, some 
 of his authorities have been, unfortunately, misplaced, or 
 lost. He cannot, therefore, always give his authority, 
 nor the proper credit. This he regrets. But the state- 
 ments themselves express what to him, while investi- 
 gating the subjects, were the facts as touching any 
 particular point, and he therefore lets them stand. 
 
 To enumerate all the works which he has consulted, 
 would be simply a parade of learning. He has exam- 
 ined many of the “Life” of Jesus, and many of the 
 works of general literature upon the subject, and has 
 received help from them. But certain books he has 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 constantly used, and by them he has been greatly aided. 
 Among these are Bruce’s Lectures on the Humiliation 
 of Jesus; Dodd On The Incarnation; Oehler’s Biblical 
 Theology of the Old, and Schmid’s Biblical Theology 
 of the New, Testament; Meyer’s, Alford’s, Lange’s, 
 Olshausen’s and Godet’s Commentaries; Keim’s, 
 Ebrard’s and Neanders’ ‘‘Life” of Jesus; Stier’s Words of 
 the Lord Jesus; Jones’ Notes (a neglected, but valua- 
 ble work); and Kurtz’ History of the Old Testament. 
 Of the many Harmonies, Robinson’s (Greek) has seemed 
 to him the best, and he has followed it in the main, as 
 he has also Andrews’ chronology, as given in his “Life of 
 our Lord,” Stanley’s Sinai and Palestine; Robinson’s 
 Researches; and Thomson’s Land and Book, have been 
 his chief authorities on the subjects of which they 
 treat. Smith’s Bible Dictionary has been constantly 
 by his side. But his chief and constant study has been 
 the Four Histories of the Blessed Life. 
 
 The chief features of this work are, (a), that Jesus 
 acted always, and only, as The Servant of God; and, (b), 
 by the power of The Spirit; (c), that He came as the 
 King of the Jews; and, (d), that one most important 
 question which He came to settle, was the one touching 
 the sovereignty of the earth. In the judgment of the 
 writer, Jesus’ life and work, as a whole, can be rightly 
 and fully understood only through a clear understand- 
 incr of these facts, and of Satan’s relation to the earth. 
 It is this that gives such a profound significance to the 
 Temptation — that great fact which, to the author, ap- 
 pears as the central, and, in certain respects, the most 
 important fact in Jesus’ history. This is the reason 
 why so many pages are devoted to this subject, and to 
 the Hohu^^ condition of the earth. 
 
 Slowly, and through years of study and thought upon 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 7 
 
 the life of Jesus, came the above mentioned convictions 
 to the writer. To no author is he indebted for the 
 conceptions of Satan’s relation to the earth, and the 
 cause of the earth’s tohu condition. And he was very 
 glad to learn from an eminent German scholar, after 
 this work had been prepared, that many eminent schol- 
 ars, who had explored this field, had reached the same, 
 or similar, conclusions. Among theologians, Baiiin- 
 garten, (M.) Delitzsch, Ebrard, Hengstenberg, Kaune, 
 King, (F. W.,) Kreel, lieidlebach, Stier; among schol- 
 ars, Michelis, Schlagel, (F. von); among literary men, 
 Dillmar, Harburger, Meyer, (F. von,) Eougement; and 
 among naturalists, Buckland, Raumer, (K. von,) Wey- 
 mer, (A,) 
 
 The author has written this work in the fear of God, 
 and under the deep sense of responsibility. Jesus is 
 to him a very present and precious Saviour. To Him 
 years ago he, under a deep sense of a salvation received, 
 the value of which he can never estimate, unreservedly 
 devoted to Him all the powers of his being. In His 
 service he has spent thirty-six years. That service has 
 been to him a service of great self-denial and suffering, 
 and yet of a very deep joy. For worlds he would not, 
 knowingly, do that which would grieve Him, or would 
 not magnify His adorable name. And the view of 
 Him presented in this work, he believes, most profound- 
 ly, is eminently the Scriptural one, truly most honoring 
 to Him; the most exalting of Him in our thoughts, 
 and the bringing of Him most closel}'^ to our hearts. Cer- 
 tainly the author’s conception of Him has been im- 
 mensely exalted by these studies. He stands out be- 
 fore him in His own Personality, sublime and glorious, 
 and at the same time most loving, tender and human, 
 as well as essentially Divine — very God, and very man. 
 
8 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Through these studies Jesus has come very close to 
 his affections. At His adorable feet he lays this trib- 
 ute of his praise and gratitude. May He be pleased, 
 graciously, to accept it, and, if approving. He use it in 
 blessing to the many perplexed and weary ones who 
 are lonffin^ for fresher and fuller views and heart-ex- 
 
 o o 
 
 periences of His adorable Person, to Him, and to 
 The Father and The Spirit, be all glory forever. 
 
 Chicago, April, 1884. H. M. PAYNTER, 
 
PROLOGUE. 
 
 HE wonderfulness of Jesus of Nazareth is many 
 sided, and His influence upon persons, and upon 
 the world, is most extraordinary. He penned 
 no books, commanded no armies, ruled no state, 
 occupied none of the ordinary positions where 
 men achieve renown. During His brief ministry He 
 gained but few, less than 700 followers. These were 
 plain people, obscure and uninfluential. By the judg- 
 ment of both of the ecclesiastical and civil authorities. 
 He suffered the ignominious death of the cross. He died 
 under the contempt of the great, and amid the execra- 
 tions of the crowd. His followers were scattered. His 
 cause seemed annihilated. But out of His tomb it 
 sprang into life again, clothed with resistless energy. It 
 has since been marching across the ages and the realms. 
 It has pushed its way into all parts of the earth, and in- 
 to all ranks in society. It has ever delighted children, 
 cheered manhood and youth, supported old age, and com- 
 manded the homage of the most splendid intellects. It 
 is the most powerful factor in the world^s movements^ 
 
X 
 
 PROLOGUE. 
 
 Jesus’ marvellous ascendency over the mind, heart, and 
 life of myriads of men is a recognized fact. Admiration 
 for His character is blended with the profoundest con- 
 fidence in Him as the only Saviour. Each succeeding 
 age witnesses the same high admiration, the same warm 
 appreciation, the same glowing love, the same unspeak- 
 able joy. He is the only One who has ever lived on 
 earth and gone away, ol whom it can be said, age after 
 age: ‘‘Whom having not seen, ye love.’’ Saint and sage, 
 scholar and writer, the lofty and the lowly, have all alike 
 been of one mind respecting Him. All, whose opinion 
 is worth regarding, unite now, and ever have united, 
 whether accepting Him as a personal Saviour or not, in 
 declaring Him the most extraordinary one of all time. 
 Every expression Irom His lips, every incident in His 
 life, every fact connected with His most significant and 
 atoning death, and every constituent element of His 
 goodness and greatness has been studied and re-studied 
 myriads of times. Yet the interest in these facts is un- 
 abated. And every fresh contribution, if it has any ad- 
 ditional light, even though little, or can help to a clearer 
 or more vivid understanding of His life and mission, 
 will always find a place and a welcome. 
 
 This could arise only from the conviction, inwrought 
 into humanity, that these themes are of most command- 
 ing interest and supremest importance. And if the in- 
 quiry be made, what are the sources of this interest and 
 of this marvellous success? The answer, perhaps, may be 
 summed up in these particulars: the constitution of His 
 
PROLOGUE. 
 
 XI 
 
 Person, the uniqueness of His birth, the splendor of 
 His intellectual and moral character, the spiritual 
 force by which He wrought, the unselfishness of 
 His life, the greatness, lustre, helpfulness to others 
 of His ministry, the object of that ministry — as, 
 announced, (a), by Himself, and, (b), in the prophecies 
 concerning Him — , the tragedy ol His death, wdth its 
 aims, causes, consequences, the gospel of His grace, and 
 the heart-shout of millions, ‘‘Jesus has saved me from 
 my sins and from hell.” All may be summed up in one 
 word, the perennial inspiration and power of His move- 
 ment, and this is Himself. He was not a mere enuncia- 
 tor of mural truth, nor a mere worker of miracles, nor a 
 mere doer ol good to men, nor a mere martyr for a cause, 
 but a great spiritual power then, as now, and evermore, 
 in the world. 
 
 All this is felt and recognized by many who are yet 
 also conscious of the difiiculty they experience to get 
 clearly before, and firmly in, the mind the great features 
 of that Life as delineated in the Biographies. They find in 
 thinking upon them an unsubstantialness which awakens 
 dread and misgiving. They see that it is rather bits and 
 fragments than a whole life in its unbroken unity, that 
 they have in their minds. Intellectually, they have no 
 doubts as to the facts. They know that they trust, re- 
 joice in, and love Jesus. They expect to meet Him by 
 and by. Yet they are painfully conscious that He does 
 not stand out before their mind and heart in His own 
 distinct Personality, as does an ordinary person about 
 
xii 
 
 PEOLOGUE. 
 
 whom they read, or whom they know and love. The 
 tendrils of mind and heart going out to clasp a Person 
 seem to clasp nothing but an idea. This greatly troubles 
 them. They want in their inmost souls to see, to know, 
 to clasp a living Person, as He has been made known to 
 them in His historical relations. This work is an hum- 
 ble contribution in that direction. For many years the 
 author experienced the difficulty mentioned above. For 
 many years past Jesus’ life has had to him a wholeness 
 that it had not before. He has been to him a distinct 
 and living Personality whom he trusts, loves and re- 
 joices in. He would be helpful to them who have ex- 
 perienced the same, or similar troubles. In seeking to 
 obtain this realization for himself he got as clearly be- 
 fore his mind as he could, all the facts in their histori- 
 cal continuity and development. This enabled him to see 
 the great and salient features of His life in their histor- 
 ical relations. This gave him clear thinking upon the 
 facts. And thus there came to him — he trusts through 
 Him who alone CMn show the believer all things, and who 
 guides into the truth — that vivid realization of Jesus’ 
 Person, in its historical relations and development, 
 mission and work, and of His Presence and nearness, 
 day by day, which has been his comfort and stay 
 through years of a trying and sorrowful pilgrimage. 
 Others may find the results of these studies helpful to 
 them. If so, to God be all the praise. And if the work 
 should prove a failure, the intention and aim which have 
 animated the author, and the comfort and strength 
 
tKOLOQUte. 
 
 xiii 
 
 which his own heart has received, are ample compensa- 
 tion for all the self-denying and arduous toil and study 
 which the preparation of this work has required. 
 
 The Person, character and work of Jesus are many- 
 sided. A full life of Him must embrace, (a). His rela- 
 tion to His Father, as Son, as Sent, as Servent; (b), 
 His relation to man, as Ideal, as Brother, as Messiah, as 
 Saviour;(c), His relation to the church, collectively, and 
 to its individual members; (d), to friends; (e),to foes; 
 (f), to the world, as Saviour and Judge; (g), to the past, 
 the present, the future;(h), and to Satan, whom, and his 
 works. He came to destroy. For anything like an 
 exhaustive treatment of these subjects, many volumes 
 would be required. The author’s task is a much hum- 
 bler one. It is, to present that conception of Jesus’ life 
 which may help his fellow Christians to clear thinking 
 about Him, and thus draw out their affections more ar- 
 dently to Him. To him, the central thought of that Life 
 is this: Jesus came as the Servant of Jehovah, to accom- 
 plish His will, in obeying and suffering, and to receive 
 from Him a Kingdom as His reward (Is. xlii, 1, Ps. xl, 
 7, 8, ii, 6, cx, 2, Jer. xxxii, 6, «&c.). And it will be 
 found, perhaps, with this as the center, that every fact 
 and feature of His life falls as beautifully into its place 
 in the order of His movements, as every fact in the uni- 
 verse is found to be in its true position, so soon as the 
 great central fact of gravitation is seen and seized by 
 the mind. 
 
 The historical foundations upon which thefactsin His 
 
XIV 
 
 PROLOGtTE. 
 
 life rest are the Four Gospels. It is proper therefore to 
 look at the historical evidence of their genuineness and 
 authenticity. These, as given in works which treat 
 specially on that subject, are most ample. This every 
 critical scholar knows. But for the sake of those who 
 have not access to those works, we give an epitome ol 
 the proofs. 
 
PRELIMIHARY STUDY. 
 
 The Hiatoricaf Foundation of the Facta. 
 
 HE certainty of the facts depends upon the histor- 
 ic value of the documents. The internal evidence 
 as to their truthfulness and inspiration is connect- 
 ed with the external as to the genuineness and au- 
 thenticity. The latter we receive, as we receive 
 those concerning any other ancient writings. And the 
 former rests upon a far stronger foundation than the lat- 
 ter. The testimonies, uninterrupted, of ages, are direct in 
 statement, and varied in kind. These are Jewish, Heath- 
 en and Christian. They mutually support each other, and 
 show the absence of all forgery, the impossibility of which 
 arises from the nature of the thing itself. Josephus, in a 
 passage which Renan recognizes as genuine, speaks of 
 Jesus, whom he calls Christ, as a teacher, and doer of 
 wonderful works, who appeared alive again the third 
 day. If the reader will turn to the passage^ he will 
 see that the remarks are found in a network of historical 
 facts connected with the polity of the Jews, and that its 
 removal could not be made without disturbing the move- 
 ment and sense of the passage. And if he recall the 
 [*Ant. B. xviii, ch. iii, § 3.] 
 
THE HOLT ti#E. 
 
 16 
 
 fact that many Jews were called Jesus,” he can readily 
 see why Josephus to distinguish Him from all other 
 Jews of the same name, calls this Jesus ^‘the Christ.” 
 And this name alone can account for his calling Jesus’ 
 followers ^‘Christians.” 
 
 Pliny, Seutonius and Tacitus all speak of the life and 
 death of Jesus as facts well, and every where known.* 
 Tacitus’ words, and Gibbon’s remarks upon them, are 
 as follows: “The first persecution of the Christians was 
 occasioned by the great fire of Rome, in the 10th year 
 of Nero, A. D. 64. The voice of rumor accused the 
 Emperor as the incendiary of his own capital. To divert 
 a suspicion, which the power of despotism was unable 
 to suppress, the Emperor resolved to substitute in his 
 own place some fictitious criminals.” With this view,” 
 continues Tacitus, “he inflicted the most exquisite tor- 
 tures on those men, who, under the vulgar appellation 
 of Christians, were already branded with deserved in- 
 famy. They derived their name and origin from Christ, 
 who, in the reign of Tiberius, had suffered death by the 
 sentence of the procurator, Pontius Pilate. For awhile 
 this dire superstition was checked; but it again burst 
 forth; and not only spread itself over Judaea, the first 
 seat of this mischievous sect, but was even introduced 
 into Rome, the common asylum which receives and 
 protects whatever is impure, whatever is atrocious. 
 The confessions of those who were seized, discovered a 
 great multitude of their accomplices, and they were 
 
 [*Dr. Lardner gives the quotations.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 17 
 
 all convicted, not so much for the crime of setting 
 fire to the city, as for their hatred of human kind. 
 They died in torments, and their torments were im- 
 bittered by insult and derision. Some were nailed 
 on crosses, others sewn up in skins of wild beasts, 
 and exposed to the fury of dogs; others again, smeared 
 over with combustible materials, were used as torches 
 to illuminate the darkness of the night. The gar- 
 dens of Nero were destined for the melancholy spec- 
 tacle, which was accompanied with a horse race, and 
 honored with the presence of the Emperor, who min- 
 gled with the populace in the dress and attitude of a 
 charioteer. The guilt of the Christians deserved indeed 
 the most exemplary punishment, but the, public abhor- 
 rence was changed into commiseration, from the opinion 
 that those unhappy wretches were sacrificed, not so 
 much to the public welfare, as to the cruelty of a jeal- 
 ous tyrant.” On this passage Gibbon remarks: 
 
 ^‘The most skeptical criticism is obliged to respect the 
 truth of this extraordinary fact, and the integrity of 
 this celebrated passage of Tacitus. The former is con- 
 firmed by the diligent and accurate Seutonius, who 
 mentions the punishment which Nero infiicted on the 
 Christians, a sect of men who had embraced a new and 
 criminal superstition. The latter may be proved by 
 the consent of the most ancient manuscripts; by the 
 inimitable character of the style of Tacitus; by his 
 reputation, which guarded his text from the interpola- 
 tions of pious fraud, and by the purport of his narrative, 
 which accused the first Christians of the most atrocious 
 
18 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 crimes, without insinuating that they possessed any 
 miraculous or even miglcal powers above the rest of 
 mankind. Notwithstanding it is probable that Tacitus 
 was born some years before the fire of Rome, yet only 
 from reading and conversation could he derive tlie know- 
 ledge of an event which happened during his infancy.*” 
 Zeller, the latest rationalistic writer, after the fullest in- 
 vestigation and severest criticism has acknowledged the 
 authenticity of the Acts. His judgment is that the whole 
 Book is the work of one and the same author, that the 
 same author wrote the third Gospel, and that this au- 
 thor was Luke, Paul’s companion in travel. j* And 
 Holtsman, a learned free thinker assigns A. D. 80, at 
 the latest as the year of its appearance. ;{; Strauss says: 
 ‘‘We consider the Gospel of Mathew as the most origi- 
 nal, and, comparatively speaking, the most trustworthy. 
 .... Every one, he says, must admit that we have in it the 
 speeches of Jesus; notwithstanding all doubts on par- 
 ticular points, and though not uninixed with later ad- 
 ditions.” And Renan says: “Mathew is the Xenophon 
 of nascent Christianity He clearly claims our un- 
 
 limited confidence as regards his discourses.” This is 
 the residuum of pure historical truth which they acknow- 
 ledge after the most searching and unfriendly investi- 
 gation. This residuum recognizes the historic fact of 
 the genuineness of part of the Gospels. And this 
 the ancient opposersand heretics did. Celsus, who lived 
 
 [♦Decline and Downfall of Home, Cliapt. xvi.] 
 []QescMclLtei^\i. 387, 414, 51G.] 
 
 [t Schenkel’s Bib. Diet, Acts.'] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 19 
 
 in the age of Hadrian, A. D. 117-188, violently 
 opposed Christianity, yet he ‘^restricted himself,’’ he 
 said, ‘do the writings of the disciples of Jesus.” lie 
 then seized upon passages in the Four Gospels, to hold 
 up alleged discrepancies, not for the purpose of assail- 
 ing the autliority of the documents, for these he regard- 
 ed as authentic,but to overthrow Christianity,* Marcion, 
 who went to Koine from Sinope on the Black Sea, 
 about A. D. 140, received Luke’s Gospel, and original-- 
 ly, all four Gospels, as authentic and divine.^ 
 Valentine, who went to Rome about the same time 
 quoted, literally, from all four Gospels. And his most 
 distinguished disciple Heracleon, wrote an entire com- 
 mentary upon John. 
 
 These facts show, (a) that the four Gospels were 
 well-known early in the second century; (b) that 
 heretics quoted them as giving sanction to their doc- 
 trines; (c) that opposers, while rejecting their teachings, 
 did not deny their genuineness; and (d) that the Gos. 
 pels were at that period well-known and received by all. 
 
 Turning to the church we trace the testimony back- 
 wards. We begin with the Council of Laodicea, A. D. 
 304. This Council gave the earliest extant formal 
 cataloofue of the Books of the New Testament. 
 Its object ‘Was not to settle the canon, but to 
 authoratively declare what books should be publicly 
 read.j* It did not make any books canonical 
 
 [* Origen.] 
 
 [fLardners Works vol. iii, pg. 448, Eng. Ed.] 
 [{Tertull. Adv. i/ar.] 
 
20 
 
 THE HOLY LIFiJ. 
 
 blit simply declared that certain books, among which 
 were the four Gospels, were so; that is, that the 
 Church received them as such. And since the decree 
 voiced the universal conviction it was received by the 
 universal Church.* For most of tlie history of the 
 Church during the period between the days of the 
 Apostles and his own time we are indebted to Eusebius 
 (about A. D. 325). His catalogue of the Books is, in 
 all respects, like our own. ^‘Matthew,” he remarks? 
 ‘‘having first proclaimed the gospel .... supplied the 
 want of his presence by committing it to writing. 
 And after Mark and Luke had published their Gospels, 
 John, the ancients say, who, during all this time was 
 proclaiming the gospel without writing it, at length 
 proceeded to pen it for the following reasons: (these he 
 gives.) His Gospel is now well known in the churches 
 throughout the world, and must first of all be acknow- 
 ledged as genuine.” 
 
 Going back to Origen, (A. D. 184 — 253), we find him 
 uniforrnily declaring the authenticity of the Hew 
 Testament, of whose books he has given us the first 
 perfect catalogue. His profound scholarship, excellent 
 opportunities to obtain information, and comparative 
 nearness to the time of John, eminently qualified him 
 to weigh accurately the testimony in the case. And 
 he says “the Four Gospels are the four documents of 
 
 [*Tlie word canon, rule, was early used to designate the 
 compiled writings. A Council could not force a book on tlie 
 Church, nor make it authoritative. It could only declare that the 
 Church received it as such, and that it liad a right to a place in 
 the Canon.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 21 
 
 the faith of the church, of which all reconciled to God 
 in Christ are members, and they were written by t]ie 
 men wliose names they bear.” 
 
 Tertullian (A. D. 160-220) uniforinily speaks ot the 
 Four Gospels as genuine, authentic and inspired; and 
 quotes by name from all the Epistles save Janies, 2d 
 Peter and 2d and 3d John. He quotes two hundred 
 times from John, and many more from the Synoptists. 
 He declares that they were written two of them by apos- 
 tles, and two by two of their disciples. He places their 
 authority upon their apostolic origin. And his phrase, 
 ^‘aiithentic letters of the apostles,” which could be seen 
 he said ‘diy any one who would go to the churches to 
 wliich they were addressed” suggests that the originals 
 were extant in his day. And what adds weight to 
 his testimony is the fact that from being a zealous 
 advocate of Paganism, he became a powerful defender 
 of Christianity. So great a change could not have 
 been wrought in a man of his intellectual strength and 
 clearness without the fullest examination and most 
 convincing testimony, of the historic value and Divine 
 authority of the Books. And Clement of Alexandria, 
 his contemporary, and the preceptor of Origen, and who 
 did not give his assent to the Scriptures until he had 
 accurately investigated the subject, quotes from near- 
 ly all the books, and speaks ot ^‘the Scriptures of the 
 Lord ratified by the authority of Almighty God.” 
 Athenagorusof Athens, (about A. D. 189), a philosopher 
 and a most accomplished scholar, well-known through 
 his writings and sufferings in defense of the Divinity 
 
22 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 of Jesus, quoted Matthew, John, Koraans and 1st and 
 2d Cor., in his treatise on the Resurrection, and in his 
 apology for Christians, addressed to the Emperor 
 Marcus Antoninus. And his catalogue of the New 
 Testament agrees perfectly with our own. Irenaeus 
 (A. D. 197-202), Bishop of Lyons, France, and an ex- 
 tensive traveler in Asia, Gaul and Italy, had access to 
 the original sources of information, and also ample 
 opportunities to become acquainted with the belief of 
 the various churches. During these years he had 
 conversed with many who had been instructed by the 
 apostles and immediate disciples of Jesus. And in 
 his youth he had been a disciple of Poly carp, a disciple 
 of John. He was thus connected by direct succession 
 with that Apostle. He has left a vivid narrative of 
 Polycarp’s appearance and manner of address, as he 
 related incidents in the life, and repeated discourses of 
 Jesus, as delivered to him by John. And lie declares 
 that Polycarp’s remarks agreed strictly with ‘^the Scrip- 
 tures which he then had, and which, since Polycarp was 
 martyred, A. D. 165, must have been in existence as 
 early as A. D. 150. To the authenticity and genuine- 
 ness of all the books except Philemon, 3d John and J ude, 
 he gives most ample testimony, declares that their 
 genuineness and authority were unqualifiedly received 
 even by heretics, who quoted them to sustain their 
 tenets, and pronounces the Scriptures perfect ‘‘because 
 uttered by the AVord and Spirit of God.” 
 
 Theopilus, Bishop of Antioch (about A. D. 180), and 
 Tatian, Justin’s disciple, about (A.D. 165, or 170,) pre- 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 23 
 
 pared Harmomes of the four Gospels. And Justin 
 Martyr’s testimony is very strong. Born about A. D. 
 90, he early gave himself up to the careful study of the 
 Greek systems of pliilosophy, and after a most pains- 
 taking investigation he, (A. D. 133), embraced Ohristian- 
 iry as the most safe and useful philosophy. From 
 that year to his martyrdom (A, D. 164 or 167), he 
 gave himself up to its spread. lie was one of the 
 learned men of his day. And his ministry, learning, 
 and opportunities to obtain exact information give 
 great weight to his testimony. To the Emperor 
 Titus Antoninus, and afterv^^ards to the Emperor 
 Marcus Antoninus and the Senate and people of Rome, he 
 addressed papers in defense of Christianity. In them 
 he quoted from or alluded to the four Gospels, which 
 he calls the ‘‘Memoirs of Christ”, the “Memoirs of 
 the Apostles and their companions who have written 
 the history of our Saviour,” and declares that they 
 were read in all churches every Lord’s Day — proof 
 this, that they were then received as authentic and 
 inspired. This is sustained by another fact. The 
 mother churches used only the original Greek text. 
 But about this time, (A. D. 130-150,) two translations 
 appeared — the oldest Syriac, (Peschito) for the use of 
 the Christians in the East, and the Latin (Italic) for 
 the use of those in the West. 
 
 This takes us back to a period which reaches to the 
 Apostolic times. In this period lived Ignatius, Bishop 
 of Antioch, (A. D. 70-109 or 115). In his letters writ- 
 ten on his journey to Rome, there to suffer martyrdom, 
 
24 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 he quoted distinctly from Matthew and John, and 
 cited or alluded to Acts, and to most of the Epistles. 
 This takes us to within 10 or 20 years of the death of John, 
 the Apostle, which occurred about A. D. 98 or 100. 
 This gap is filled up by Papias, Bishop of Hieropolis, 
 (died about A. D. 161,) who was well acquainted with 
 Polycarp, and with John the Presbyter, perhaps also 
 with John, the Apostle. He, in his five books of Ex- 
 position bears express testimony to Matthew and Mark, 
 and declares that John wrote the Fourth Gospel, and 
 delivered it himself to the church.* All these writers 
 were men of high moral character and great intellectual 
 attainments. And their uniform testimony that the New 
 Testament, the most ancient copies of which are, save 
 minor discrepancies the same that we now have, was re- 
 ceived by the church as genuine, and co-ordinate with the 
 Old in inspiration and authority, can not be set aside. 
 
 The testimonies to the individual Gospels are as 
 full and varied. That to John being, if any difference 
 exists, the best authenticated. They were, as early as 
 A. D. 110 received by heretics, enemies and the Church 
 alike as genuine. They permeated the Church and its 
 writings with their inspiration. They have a place in 
 every catalogue, and were constantly quoted as the 
 only infallible rule of faith and practice, and have ever 
 been received by the Church’s intellegence and faith 
 as genuine. Divine and authoritative. 
 
 Nor does this reception rest upon any ecclesiastical 
 
 [♦This latter statement i. e. about John I have forgotten whea 
 I obtained. And I am not sure about the fact.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 25 
 
 decree. It occurred before any Council was held. For 
 the Church was born by the gospel preached and re- 
 ceived before the Gospels were written, and was surely 
 able to tell whether what was written corresponded 
 with what had been preached. It threw off all the many 
 false Gospels which appeared. But it could not throw 
 off those which were true. These shone like the 
 sun, showing their origin by their own light. They 
 carried conviction by their own inherent truthfulness 
 and inspiration. Their acceptance was simultaneous 
 with their appearance. And this could not have been, 
 had they not come forth from, or with the sanction of, 
 the Apostles. And this substitute for the living wit- 
 nesses was to the church dispersed and persecuted a 
 most sacred legacy. It recognized it — the Gospels and 
 Letters — as equal in all respects to the ancient Sacred 
 Books, hailed its appearance with Joy, guarded it with 
 the most sedulous care, and transmitted it untouched 
 from age to age. 
 
 This testimony, to which whole volumes could be 
 added, carries in itself its own historic value and 
 compels to an intelligent conviction. It necessitates by 
 its own weight a recognition of the facts which skeptic il 
 caprice cannot disturb, and which leaves in the candid 
 mind no room for doubt. 
 
 The passage quoted from Tacitus on pages 17, 18 estab- 
 lishes the following facts: A Person called Christ was 
 put to death by Pontius Pilate. From Him a vast 
 
26 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 body of men who lived a separate people derived their 
 orio:in and name. Their attachment to Him was too 
 strong to be shaken by the severest tortures. The 
 movement spread rapidly. Soon it passed beyond 
 Judaea where it originated into the provinces, and into 
 Rome itself. Nero’s persecution was A. D. 64-65^ 
 about 30 years after J esus’ death. Among those living at 
 the time of that persecution must have been many who 
 were alive when Jesus died. They witnessed the rapid 
 and wide spread success of His cause, and of the facts 
 concerning Ifim. They knew that crowds proclaimed 
 Him the Christ, entrusted to Him their whole salva- 
 tion, and clung to Him with a tenacity which 
 tlie most excruciating tortures could not disturb. 
 Tliey saw the immeasurable superiority of their lives, 
 so noble, heroic and holy, over that of the surrounding 
 population; and observed that the whole might of im- 
 perialism was unable to arrest the movement. The 
 more fiercely it was persecuted the more vigorously it 
 grew. 
 
 These facts comprehended within the limits of thirty- 
 five years demand an explanation. And the character 
 and results of the movement show that the usual ex- 
 planations which account for other great movements 
 will not explain this. Jesus made demands upon His 
 followers unparalleled. Acceptance of Him involved in 
 it real separation from all worldliness and evil, and 
 often from all relations and friends, unremitting self- 
 sacrifice for tlie good of others, and constant exposure 
 to torture and death. And it demanded also the fearless 
 avowal of His name as the Divine and only Saviour of 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 27 
 
 men. Men were not fools then any more than now. 
 They could intelligently and honestly weigh testimony, 
 and investigate claims. They wanted to know wliat 
 to believe and do. They accepted Jesus as The Clirist 
 and Saviour. Had imagination magnified Him into a 
 divinity, sober judgment, in the cool hours of reflection, 
 would have dissolved the vision. ISTot only must Jesus 
 either mediately or directly have stamped Himself 
 upon them with vivid distinctness, but their faith must 
 have had the most solid foundation of fact. Otherwise the 
 tremendous pressure to which it was subjected must 
 have crushed it to death. 
 
 Whilst many who knew Jesus personally were yet 
 living, the preached became a written Gospel (1 Cor. 
 xv). The chain of testimony which connects our four 
 Gospels with the four books in which the written gospel 
 was firstembodied — epitome of which we have given — is 
 complete. We read them. We see that they give us 
 Jesus’ sayings and doings, and facts about Him rather 
 than a complete biography. We notice that the writ- 
 ers give the facts in a homely style — so homely tliat 
 imagination has no room to play between the sen- 
 tences — without any tinge of personal coloring, and 
 without asking what impression their narratives would 
 make upon mankind. Their simplicity charms, their 
 truthfulness impresses. Their facts of surpassing 
 compass and power invigorate and ennoble, and their 
 facts of exquisite tenderness and beauty purify and refine. 
 And their portraiture of Jesus not only gives us a 
 character unique and unparalleled, but flashes upon 
 
28 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 mind and heart the profound conviction that in Him 
 we see the life of God lived in a man down here on 
 earth. 
 
 Concerning the Birth and Childhood of Jesus. 
 
 Luke’s Preface, i, 1-4. 
 
 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth 
 in order a declaration of (to draw up a narative con- 
 cerning, R. Y.) those things which (have been fulfilled, 
 pepleerophoreemenoon^ R. Y.) among us, even as 
 they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning 
 were eye-witnesses and ministers of the word; it seem- 
 ed good to me also, having had perfect understanding 
 (having traced the course accurately, R. Y.) of all 
 things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, 
 most excellent Theophilus, {the name means Igver of 
 God) that those mightest know the certainty of those 
 things wherein thou hast been intrusted, (kateechee- 
 thees^ catechetically taught). 
 
 This introduction wins the attention and commands 
 the respect of the reader by its simplicity, modesty and 
 consciously expressed truthfulness. The Greek is class- 
 ical. So is the style. It is in perfect keeping with 
 the artless telling to a noble friend, of facts that had 
 occurred. This friend was a Gentile (Acts xxiii, 8), a 
 citizen, probably, of Italy, perhaps of Rome, and who 
 had been lately converted to Christianity. His object 
 was to give liim the strongest possible certainty as to 
 those facts. And not content with telling him that 
 
THE HOLY LtFE. 
 
 29 
 
 these things had been delivered ^^nnto ns” by those 
 who from the beginning were eye-witnesses of them, 
 and wliich were by the ‘^us”,most surely believed, be fur- 
 ther declares that he himself liad accurately traced down 
 every account from the very first, and had a thorough 
 understanding of the same. He could therefore give 
 him definite information; and this he now proceeds to 
 do. His preface is a porch leading into the temple 
 of truth. 
 
 Section I. 
 
 The Announcement to Zachariah of the Coming 
 Birth of John Baptist. 
 
 Place: the Temple in Jerusalem. Time: Oct. 3-9. B. C. 6. 
 
 Luke i, 5-25. 
 
 There was in the days of Herod king of J ndaea, a 
 certain priest named Zachariah, of the course of Abijah: 
 and his wife was (heliad a wife,R. V.) of the daughters of 
 Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were 
 both righteous before God, walking in all the ordinan- 
 ces and commandments of the Lord blameless. And 
 they had no child, because' that Elizabeth was barren; 
 and they both were now well stricken in years. 
 
 And it came to pass, that while he executed the 
 priest’s office before God in the order of his course, 
 according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot 
 was to burn incense when he went into the temple of 
 the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people 
 were praying without, at the time of incense. And 
 there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord, standing 
 on the right side of the altar of incense. And when 
 Zachariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon 
 him. But the angel said unto him. Fear not, Zachariah 
 
30 
 
 THE holy LiEE. 
 
 for tliy prayer is heard; and tliy wife Elis;ibeth shall 
 bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 
 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall 
 rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight 
 of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong 
 drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even 
 from his mother’s womb. And many of the children 
 of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And, he 
 shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to 
 turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the 
 disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready 
 a people prepared for the Lord. 
 
 And Zachariah said unto the angel, Whereby shall I 
 know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well 
 stricken in years. 
 
 And the angel, answering, said unto him, I am 
 Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am (I 
 was, E. Y.) sent to speak unto thee, and to show (bring, 
 IL Y.) thee these glad tidings. And behold thou shalt 
 be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that 
 these things shall be performed, because thou didst not 
 believe, (puk epistetisas) my words which shall be ful- 
 tilled in their season. 
 
 And the people waited (were waiting, K. Y.) for 
 Zachariah, and marvelled (wondered, ethaiimazon) that 
 he tarried (at his tarrying, IL Y.) so long in the temple. 
 And wdien he came out, he could not speak unto them: 
 and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the 
 temple; for he beckoned (continued making signs, li. 
 Y.) unto them, and remained speechless, (dumb, E. Y.) 
 
 And it came to pass that, as soon as the days of his 
 ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own 
 liouse. 
 
 And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, 
 and liid herself live months, saying, thus hath the Lord 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 31 
 
 dealt with me, in tlie days wherein lie looked on me, to 
 take away my reproach among men. 
 
 These words take us to the Holy City, Jerusalem, 
 the center of the theocratic kingdom, and to the Tem- 
 ple, the center of the theocratic worship. In connec- 
 tion with august scenes of worship they introduce us to 
 a w^onderous scene in which heavenly movements inter- 
 mingle with human sympathies and home affections. 
 The throne of David is not occupied by his descendant, 
 blit by an Idumsean. That people had been conquered 
 aixd brought over to Judaism more than a century before,^ 
 and had remained faithful to it. Hence the Herodian 
 family alien in race, was Jew in religion. Herod, called 
 the Great, after varied advancements, had been made, 
 by a decree of the Homan Senate, on the recomendation 
 of Antony and Octavius, king of Judsea. And he, having 
 taken Jerusalem, A. U, 771, and completely established 
 his authority throughout his dominions, was now quiet- 
 ly seated on his throne. 
 
 The incident just mentioned occurred during the last 
 year of his reign and life. Zachariah,(?‘^, Ood remem- 
 
 [*Jos. Ant. 13 9-1,] 
 
 [fLet tlie reader bear in mind that the narratives which give us 
 the facts of Jesus’ life were written some years after Ilis ascension. 
 This will enable him to keep in view the distinction between 
 those facts, and their correspondence with the proplietic features 
 fulfilled in them. These last, except those given by angels in con- 
 nection with His incarnation, or by Himself, came to the minds 
 of His followers after the occurrence of the facts. It was these 
 that formed on their minds the conviction that they w^ere a fulfill- 
 ment of the prophecy. And tlius were they shut up to the con- 
 viction that Jesus was no other than the promised and long-ex- 
 pected Messiah.] 
 
32 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 lers) was in an office the highest in Jewish society. 
 He was a priest. His wife Elizabeth {i Ood^s oath) 
 was of tlie daughters of Aaron.* One requirement 
 connected with the priesthood was the registration of 
 the names of both parents of the officiating priests in 
 the reo-isters in Jerusalem. Thus, through an unbroken 
 genealogy of 2000 years, could they trace their descent 
 back to Aaron. The purest priestly blood flowed in 
 their veins, and so in those of their distinguished son. 
 
 Their character corresponded to their high position. 
 They were both righteous, not absolutely, but relatively, 
 not only according to the judgment of man, but be- 
 fore the eye (Gen. vii, 1), and in the judgment of God. 
 This fact expresses the inward, as ‘^walking in, &c.,’’ the 
 outward reality of their righteousness. They aimed to 
 be and do right. Conscious of, they confessed, made 
 atonement for, watched against and overcame sin in 
 themselves. And the precepts of the moral, and the 
 ordinances of the Levitical code held them blameless. 
 
 They liad a home and a competence (vs. 23, 30) They 
 were among the wakeful few who were looking for The 
 Messiah. Their life flowed tranquilly on, undisturbed by 
 any jar,un marked by any signal event. Atpeace with God 
 and the world they were moving on towards a serene 
 old age, with a brow unruffled by any care, and a heart 
 unclouded by any sadness save one. In contrast with 
 their righteousness was the want of a blessing in respect 
 of offspring. Thirty years of wedded life had given them 
 
 [♦Elizabeth is the Sept, rendering of the Hebrew name of 
 Aaron’s wile, Ex. vi, 28 . J 
 
tflE nOI.Y LIFE. 
 
 33 
 
 no cliild. And tliis fact gave them little hope of ever hav- 
 ing one, seeing that in accordance %oitli this that (Jcathoti^ 
 as in Lk. xix, 9, Acts ii. 24), he and probably she, was 
 not far from fifty years old (Niim. viii, 25). This was 
 to them a very sharp trial, and to him the subject of 
 many an earnest prayer (vs. 13). For children were 
 regarded as a heritage from the Lord (Ps. cxxvii, 3), 
 and their want as a reproach, if not a punishment. 
 And the sadness tliis occasioned would be more deeply 
 felt in a priestly home which could look back to a suc- 
 cession unbroken through centuries. 
 
 At an early age, perhaps about 25, j-Zachariah had, 
 after examination, been pronounced physically and 
 ceremonially perfect, and so fit to be introduced into 
 the priesthood. His consecration had been by cere- 
 monies the most solemn and imposing*. He belonged 
 to the course of Abijah, the eighth of the twenty four 
 into which the descendants of Aaron’s sons, Eleazar 
 and Ithamar had been divided by David (1 Chron. 
 xxiv). For more than a thousand years had these courses 
 called ‘‘houses” and “families” officiated in the Temple- 
 service. Each course relieved the other successively on 
 the Sabbath (2 Kg. xi, 7, 1 Chron. xxiii, 4); and during 
 tliat week attended to all the duties devolving upon 
 the priesthood. 
 
 Amonor their duties was that of the offerino^ of an 
 incense, the use of which — that there might be associated 
 with it the feeling of the deepest sacredness — was restrict- 
 
 [*See Ex. xxix, xxx. Lev. viii.] 
 [fSee Smith’s Die. Bib. Art. Priest.] 
 
34 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 to the priests alone; and to them only for burning on 
 the altar of incense (Ex. xxx, 34-38). It was compoun- 
 ded by the skill of the apothecary, of four sweet spices 
 which, salted, made an incense ^^pure and holy.” The 
 special duty of preparing it was committed to one fam- 
 ily wliose name — Rabbinical tradition says — was 
 Abtines. And the rooms in the Temple set apart as 
 the laboratory was called ^'^the house of Abtines.” 
 When prepared it was entrusted to a Levite or priest 
 who w^as one of the fifteen prefects of the Temple, and 
 who must see that a supply was always ready for daily 
 use. 
 
 This incense was ^^oflfered before the Lord,” at the 
 time of ^"'the mornino; and eveninor sacrifice;” and its con- 
 nection with prayer was such, that the times of its offer- 
 ing became those of the morning and evening prayers 
 (Ps. cxli, 2). This association suggests that it symbol- 
 ized adoration, and also that which makes adoration 
 and prayer acceptable before God. And this is the 
 teaching of Rev. viii, 1, 4*. The prayers intermingled 
 ideally with the ascending incense. The incense, then, 
 is a symbol of the intercession of Jesus at God’s right 
 hand. 
 
 The offering, hence, of the incense was a most im- 
 portant duty, and was justly esteemed a most honorable 
 one. It was burnt upon the Golden Altar which stood 
 in front ot, and close to the veil which separated the 
 Holy from the Most Holy Place (Ex. xxx, 6). This 
 
 [*See Lange on Rev. v. 8 and viii, 3, 4.] 
 

THE MOST HOLY PLACE. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 altar, from its juxtaposition to the Mercy Seat was called 
 ‘^tlie altar before the Lord” (Lev. xvi,l8). Hence the 
 priest, when offering it, must not only enter into the 
 Holy Place whose darkness was relieved only by the 
 light streaming from the perpetually burning seven- 
 branched, golden candlestick, and where stood the “Table 
 of the Face-bread,’ butheniust also approach the nearest 
 to Jehovah’s earthly throne that the daily sacrifice 
 allowed (Rev. viii,4). 
 
 This fact gave supreme dignity and importance to 
 the position. Besides the honor a peculiar blessing was 
 attached to the selected presentation of this offering. 
 This was connected — it seems — with its object. Twice 
 a day was it burnt upon the altar. The evening in- 
 cense was offered in connection with the evenino; sacri- 
 fice, and when the lamps in the Holy Place were 
 trimmed for the night. The morning incense was 
 offered in connection with the morning sacrifice and 
 when the lamps were dressed for the day. And as the 
 annunciation to Zachariah was made while he was 
 offering the morning incense — as the casting of the lot 
 which had just preceded it, shows — it will be well to 
 study the order of the morning service. 
 
 As everything must be ready, all that could be, was 
 done the night before. The victims were selected. 
 The officiating priests were gathered in the chambers 
 allotted to them. And so were the laymen also, chosen as 
 the representatives of the people^, and whose duty it was 
 to see that everything was Lilly and legally done. The 
 Temple watch — consisting wholly of Priests and Levites 
 
36 
 
 THE flOLY LiriJ. 
 
 who ser\ed each day in turn — was set. The great 
 gates were closed, and the keys were put into a secure 
 and secret place. And the watchman wlio had to 
 announce the approach of day took his place in the 
 high tower. 
 
 For some hours silence reigned in and around the 
 Great Building. But when the position of the stars 
 told the star-watcher that morning would soon dawn 
 the stir again began. lie notified the captain of the 
 Temple-guard of the fact. At once the captain took 
 some of the watch, and preceded by men bearing 
 torches, went through all the courts to see that all the 
 victims, vessels and instruments needed for the sacri- 
 fice w^ere in their places, and the last two ready for use. 
 The officiating priests in the meantime had been aroused 
 had arisen, bathed, put on their sacrificial garments 
 (Ex. xxviii, 40-42), had washed their hands and feet in 
 tie Brazen Laver which stood before the Brazen Altar, 
 and had taken their appointed places ready for work. 
 
 Soon as the watchman announced that day would 
 soon break, certain priests mounted the Temple walls, 
 and blew trumpets. The shrill, full blasts clearly 
 heard, in the still morning air, throughout the city, told 
 all the people that day was breaking, and that the hour 
 of the morning sacrifice and prayer had come.* Soon 
 the streets were filled with people hurrying on tow^ards 
 the Temple. Meantime the Brazen Altar was cleaned, 
 and the victims led to it. The musicians and singers 
 took their places. So did the twelve Levites who were 
 
 [♦Mislina, Youmae, iii, 5.] 
 
/ 
 
 1. GATE OF SUSA. 
 
 2. SACRED BALUSTRADE. 
 
 3. THE BEAUTIFUL GATE. 
 
 4. STEPS OF DEGREES. 
 
 5. NICANOR’S GATE. 
 
 6. STEPS OF TEMPLE PROPER. 
 
 7. HOLY PLACE. 
 
 8. MOST HOLY PLACE. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 37 
 
 to recite the Psalms appointed for that day. Then the 
 gates were opened. The gathering crowds poured in. 
 All were waiting to hear the blast of the trumpet of 
 the watcher, who stood up on the roof of the Temple, 
 and whose duty it was to announce that daylight was 
 dawning upon the eastern skies. And when that blast 
 was heard a scene of religious activity began such as 
 elsewhere has never found a parallel. A whole nation 
 was presenting its morning prayer, and through its 
 divinely appointed representative was oftering its 
 morning sacrifice to God. And in whatever part of 
 the earth a Jew was at that hour, and in whatever w'ork 
 engaged, he at once prostrated himself before God. 
 
 This prayer was presented in connection with the 
 bloody sacrifice upon the Brazen, and the incense offer- 
 ing upon the Golden altar. 
 
 The incense havinsr been broimht from the house of 
 
 ^ o 
 
 Abtines, in a golden viol or salver, carried in a large 
 golden vessel called was handed to the officiating 
 
 priest. Attended by the priest whom he had appointed, 
 he entered into the Holy Place. The attendant carried 
 on a golden shovel the burning coals which he had 
 emptied into it from the silver shovel with which he 
 had taken them from off the Brazen altar. Having 
 attended to the lamp, cleared the Golden altar from the 
 cinders which had been left there from the previous 
 offering of incense, and having put the fresh coals upon 
 it, he withdrew. The officiating priest was left alone 
 in the awful silence and solitude of the Holy Place. 
 
 As the priest entered into the Holy Place the wor- 
 
38 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 shippers were notified by the ringing of a little bell 
 that the time of prayer had come. At once priests and 
 Lcvites hastened to their stations. Any persons found 
 there were removed from the Temple, from the cloisters 
 surrounding the Temple,* and from the altar into the 
 outer courtsf — the ^^without” of Luke. There in 
 profound silence they poured forth their prayers. While 
 thus engaged, at a signal from the prefect, the priest 
 acting as the representative of the people, and pronounc- 
 ing his prayer as he did it, cast the incense on the burn- 
 ing coals. Then bowing reverently toward the Holy 
 Place, he retired slowly backward. And, least the 
 people should take alarm at his long absence, fearing 
 that he might be struck dead for offering unworthily, 
 he, soon as possible, showed himself to them. As he 
 came forth the sacrifice was laid upon the altar. He, 
 soon as he appeared, pronounced this benediction (Hum. 
 vi, 24-26): 
 
 ‘‘The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: 
 
 The Lord make His face to shine upon thee, and 
 be gracious unto thee: 
 
 The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, 
 and give thee peace.’’ 
 
 Then the “magrephah” sounded, and the Levites 
 burst forth in full chorus their psalmody. This was ac- 
 companied with the full swell of the trumpets, whose 
 notes were heard far beyond the city walls,and proclaimed 
 
 [*For description of, see Josephus’ Ant, viii, 3, 9; xvii, 3, 5; 
 Bell. Jud. V, 5, 2.] 
 
 [fMaimon.ZVjic? Urnus^ iii, 34 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 39 
 
 that the prayers had been accepted before God.* Then, 
 the priest having hung up his censer in its appointed 
 place, the ceremony was closed. 
 
 This distinguished lionor belonged to Aaron, as High 
 Priest (Lev. xvi). And during the existence of the 
 Tabernacle and of Solomon’s Temple, it was filled only 
 by him and his successors in office. It still belonged 
 to him by right of succession, and could only be filled 
 by him on the Great Day of Atonement. But in the 
 daily service of the second Temple, and now in that of 
 the one built by Herod, it was delegated to the regular 
 priests. Upon one, however, only of each class was 
 this high honor conferred. Many never enjoyed it. No 
 one was called to enjoy it twice. The classes attended 
 to the other duties according to determinate cycles. 
 But this holy work was given, not by chance, rotation, 
 or any human arrangement or designation, but by lot 
 (1 Chron. xxiv, 3, 5, 19.)*}* 
 
 Twice a year, during many a year, had Zachariah 
 gone up from his home in Hebron to the Temple to at- 
 tend to his priestly duties. But never before had the 
 lot fallen upon him to take this part. How profound, 
 how soul-subduing must have been his emotions in an- 
 ticipation of this near approach to the Majesty of 
 Heaven! While attending ta his duties he occupied 
 one of the rooms in the cloisters that ran alon<r the 
 sides of the Temple, and which had been prepared for 
 the officiating priests. Day by day was the venerable 
 
 [*Michna, Goma^ v, i; Tamid^ vi, 3; Lev. xvi, 13.] 
 
 [f On manner of casting lots see Lightfoot on Luke i.] 
 
40 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 priest seen attending to his priestly duties, clad in his 
 priestly robes, and acting, as did all pious priests, with 
 the serenity of holy reverence and awe. As he came 
 forth from his chamber he had on the ^dinen drawers,” 
 and over them the chetoneth^ or close fitting cassack of 
 fine white linen^ which came down to the feet, and 
 was gathered around the waist by a girdle of fine nee- 
 dlework in which blue, purple and scarlet threads were 
 intermingled with white. On his head was a cap or 
 turban of fine linen in form like a cup-shaped flower, 
 and under it his long flowing hair. His feet were bare 
 — the strongest recognition of the sanctity of the Holy 
 Place (Ex. iii, 6). 
 
 On this bright autumnal — perhaps sabbath — day, 
 probably at the time of the morning incense, he came 
 forth in his priestly garments. An unusual serenity 
 was upon his countenance, and an unusual awe upon 
 his spirits. He was evidently profoundly moved by 
 the peculiar solemnity of his position. He was about 
 to approach into the Awful Presence. He washed his 
 hands and feet in the Brazen Laver which stood in the 
 court between the Brazen Altar and the massive golden 
 gates which opened into the Temple. Then taking the 
 golden censer full of incense, which had been brought 
 from the house of Abtines, and accompanied by his 
 helper, with a golden shovel full of burning coals, he 
 passed through the massive doors and witliin the outer 
 vail. Never had he stood there before. Never would 
 he stand there again. There stood the table of Shew 
 Bread — perhaps the magnificent one presented b^ 
 
Priests in Their Official Dress. 
 
ARK OF THE COVENANT. 
 
 TABLE OF SHOW-BREAD 
 
 GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 41 
 
 Ptolemy Philadelpluis. * On it stood the twelve, per- 
 haps newly-baked, loaves, six in each row, of the Bread 
 of the Face — symbol of the nourisliment of the spiritual 
 life, the partaking of which fits one to see God. Oppo- 
 site to it on the south side of the apartment stood the 
 seven-branched candlestick, whose light burned perpet- 
 ually — symbol of the true light shining in darkness. 
 It could suggest many reflections, for it had stood cen- 
 turies before in the temple built by Zerubbabel, and 
 would recall the original one which had stood in Solo- 
 mon’s Temple, and, in the Tabernacle from of old.*]* In 
 front of him stood the Golden Altar, twenty-two inches 
 broad and long, and forty-four inches high, upon which 
 for the flrst and last time he was ‘^to offer incense before 
 the Lord.” 
 
 As he gazed upon the scene, and then thought of 
 his own position as the representative of the people in 
 this high and holy work in which he was about to en. 
 gage, and how near he would be to God’s earthly throne, 
 and as he watched his helper attending to his duties 
 and then retiring, he must have been filled with un- 
 utterable emotion. He was alone in that mysterious 
 place, and alone with God. The tinkling of the bell 
 told him that the sacrifice was about to be laid upon 
 the Brazen altar, and that the people were all bowed in 
 prayer. Approaching the altar he poured the incense 
 upon the glowing coals. And as he sees the fragrance 
 
 [^Josephus’ Ant. xii, 2, 8, 9.] 
 
 [fAfter many vicissitudes it was finally diposited in the 
 church at Jerusalem, A. D. 533, since which all track of it is lost.] 
 
42 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 rising in grateful clouds, lie pours forth his own prayer 
 to God. 
 
 That prayer was general, doubtless, but it was also 
 special— ‘‘thy prayer.’’* The angeFs message shows that 
 two special objects of it were (a) about the coming of 
 the long promised, and earnestly desired Messiah; and 
 (b) about a son. He had but little, he had not yet 
 given up all, hope of having a son. He was now most deep- 
 ly moved, but he was calm. He had ended his petition 
 and was about to withdraw when an unexpected appear- 
 ance held him fast. That internal sense which enables 
 man to apprehend spiritual things being wide awake, 
 he was in that prepared condition of mind and heart 
 which enabled him to perceive the presence, and receive 
 the message of an heavenly visitant. And, suddenly, one 
 was present. Zacliariah was startled, but collected. 
 The minute and vivid details of the whole scene, which 
 could have come only from himself, show that he main- 
 tained his clearness of perception and sobriety of mind. 
 And this assures us of the historical certainty of the 
 narrative. It was not a vision which he saw, such as 
 had been given in the same place to John Hyrcanus,*j* 
 but an actual angelic appearance — the first that had 
 been vouchsafed to man since the days of Daniel, many 
 centuries before. It was Gabriel {i.e.^man of God) who 
 stands in the presence of God, i. in very intimate re- 
 lation to Him, and wlio comes from Him in the minis- 
 
 [*Sec Dan. x-12, Acts x-31.] 
 [fJosephus. AntJud. xiii-10.] 
 
Angeiu Appearing to ZachA-Eiah. 
 

THE HOLT LIFE. 
 
 43 
 
 tration of comfort and sympathy to man (Dan. ix,24). 
 He is also, thus, a ‘-fellow-servant” of the saints on 
 earth, and as such is divested of all terror in his ap- 
 pearance, and of all mystery in his communications. 
 At the sight of him Zachariah was siezed with fear. 
 Not the tear of a guilty conscience, but that holy trem- 
 bling which Gideon and Manoah telt, which took all 
 strength away from Daniel vi: 23, xiii: 22, Dan. 
 
 x: 8), and which must affect any one who, seeinga visit- 
 ant from heaven, must feel his own sinfulness in view 
 of such holiness. He was standing on the right side 
 of the Altar, i. e., between the Altar and the Table of 
 Shew-bread — a favorable indication. He was there, as 
 soon afterwards elsewhere, with a most gracious, though 
 momentous message — a message announcing the intro- 
 duction of the new creation. This was a mission most 
 becoming to such an angel as he. His assuring word 
 quickly dispelled all fear. “Fear not” he said, “ thy 
 prayer” i. e., the prayer for a child — as the “and so” 
 and the personal pronouns, “they” “them” “their” vss. 
 13, 14. suggest— “is heard. Thine aged wife shall bear 
 thee a son. And thou shalt call his name John,” (i, e., 
 Jehovah shows grace). Thus he indicated that in him 
 the economy of grace would begin: “the law and the 
 prophets were until John.” “And he shall be to thee 
 joy (Grk.), and agalliasis the transport which the live- 
 ly emotion of joy produces; and many shall rejoice at 
 his birth.” 
 
 Nor will this joy end in disappointment. His mis- 
 sion will unfold the spiritual importance indicated in 
 
44 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 his name. And his character will correspond with his 
 calling and destination. He shall be great, not in a 
 worldly view, but in personal holiness and consequent 
 moral authority and power, and hence in influence and 
 reputation. He shall be great, in character and influ- 
 ence (Hos. i, ii) ^^before the Lord,” i. ^., have that great, 
 ness which He recognizes. And he shall be, as were 
 Samson and Samuel (Jud. xiii, 5,1 Sam. i, 11,28), aNaza- 
 rite from his birth. 
 
 He shall never shave his face nor cut his hair 
 — symbolical of the consecration of his entire human- 
 ity to God. He shall drink no wine nor strong drink. 
 This was not distilled spirits, — for the process of dis- 
 tillation was not discovered until in the tenth century — 
 but fermented liquors which produce intoxication. He 
 shall be a man wholly separated from all the callings and 
 comforts of life by supreme devotement to God, a man 
 occupied with lofty thoughts, and devoted to a lofty 
 mission*. Thus was he to be one of those consecrated 
 men who ever were esteemed in the theocratic kingdom, 
 as heroes. From before his birth, further, was he to be 
 like Jeremiah (Jer. i, 6) fllled with the Holy Spirit. 
 Thus would he be possessed of a power more than nat- 
 ural. Thus Wwuld he be under a permanent exhilaration 
 of the most healthful kind. Thus would he be fltted for 
 his labors, arduous, strange and most important. In him 
 was to be the concentration of the spirit of the law whose 
 oflice it is to convince of sin. In him was the prophetic 
 spirit, which had long been slum Leri ng, to awake. His 
 voice was to be herinl arousing in man the sense of the 
 full description of Nazaritcsliip see 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 46 
 
 higher life, summoning the people to repentance, calling 
 them back to simplicity, truth and God. Thus was he to 
 prepare in men the way for the Messiah. Nor in vain- 
 For, not all, but many of the people, alienated from the 
 divine, would he turn to the Lord their God, and long 
 estrangement was, through him, to give place to recon- 
 ciliation and mutual affection. 
 
 His relation, to Israel, and to The Messiah is next 
 told. Though the words are quite like those of the 
 prophet’s (Mai. iv) yet they are a new fact which the 
 angel was ‘^sent to tell” (vs. 19). His mission: ‘‘he 
 shall go before in the verb) Him, and under the 
 eyes of Him whom he calls “Lord.” Its energy of 
 character: “in the spirit and power of Elijah, i. e,y do 
 all that Elijah could do under like circumstances, be 
 fearless, sturdy, strong, uncompromising. Its objects: 
 (a)“to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 
 Not impart a new and higher principle of life. This 
 he could not do. But awaken in men a sense of need 
 of that life, and of the higher end of living. And in this 
 he would be so far successful that he should turn, not 
 the nation, but many persons to the Lord, and thus 
 make ready a prepared people. And (b) “to turn the 
 hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient 
 to the wisdom of the just.” But in this object John 
 failed. This purpose did not become a result of his 
 ministry. John did not turn the hearts &c. The nation 
 rejected him, as we shall see. Hence the words of the 
 prophet (Mai. iv,6, 6) remain yet to be fulfilled, and 
 will be, not by theChurch, nor in the present order of 
 
46 
 
 THE HOLY LII^E. 
 
 things, but before the coming ^^of the great and dread- 
 ful day of the Lord.” 
 
 Zachariah had longed, hoped, prayed for a son. But he 
 could not when he considered his and Elizabeth’s age well 
 have expected one, except as a special gift from God, 
 But now the assurance t^iat his prayer had been an- 
 swered, and the announcement of the gift coming 
 through the special interposition of God’s favor and 
 power, and of the wonderiul career of that son for whom 
 he had prayed so long in vain, was too much for his 
 faith. He, in doubt, sought a sign as an assurance of 
 the certainty of the promised blessing; hata ii ac- 
 cording to what principle of knowledge shall I know 
 this? For, (this refers to this idea implied) we are old; 
 I therefore need a sign. 
 
 The mere asking of a question was not blameworthy, 
 Mary asked one, and was graciously answered. Nor was 
 the asking for a sign. Abraham, Gideon, and Hezekiah 
 each asked for one, and tliey were not blamed. And 
 God Himself gave one to Moses unsolicited, and offered 
 one to Aliaz, wdiich though refused was truly 
 given (Judg. vi, 36-40, 2 Kg. xx, 8, Ex. iv. Is. vii, 10- 
 14). In the first three cases the question came not 
 from doubt. They believed God, and asked a sign for 
 the strengthening of their faith. And this faith in Abra- 
 ham was so strong that when promised a son, he against 
 hope believed in hope (Gen. xvii, Horn. iv). But the 
 very form of Zachariah’s question was an expression of 
 his disbelief. It was the spontaneous utterance of his 
 soul at a moment when ^its inmost being was fully 
 
THE HOtY LIFE. 
 
 47 
 
 manifested. It was an intimation that the granting of 
 his heart’s request, now when promised, was an im- 
 possible thing. 
 
 Faith was to be a chief instrument in the new crea- 
 tion about to be introduced. It was therefore most 
 needful that the first manifestation of disbelief concerning 
 it should be pointedly condemned. And the judgment 
 inflicted was most needful and blessed. lie was to 
 be taught by experience how dreadful was his sin, 
 A sign was given him but in a judgment, which was at 
 once a token of God’s truth, a rebuke of his own in- 
 credulity, a touchstone to make him feel the serious 
 nature of his fault, a confirmation of his faith, and for 
 his soul, healing. ^‘I am,’’ said the angel, ‘^Gabriel which 
 stand in the presence of God.” Thus he indicated that 
 the offense was not against himself, but against God who 
 sent him. ^‘I am sent as the heavenly evangelist to 
 sliow unto thee these glad tidings. There shall be the 
 immediate begining of the performance of the promise, 
 each part of which shall be successively fulfilled in its 
 season. And because thou believest not my words, thou 
 shalt not, because not able to, speak until the promised 
 child appears.” 
 
 The angel disappeared. Zachariah agitated, awed, 
 struck dumb, moved backward until he had passed out- 
 side of the massive gates of the Holy Place. His stay 
 had been prolonged beyond the usual time. The peo- 
 ple had become uneasy, agitated, perplexed. Had he, 
 while in the awful Presence as the representative of the 
 nation, been struck dead for improper conduct? Had 
 
48 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 any misfortune befallen Mm? This would have been a 
 national calamity. No marvel the people were anxious 
 at his long delay. And now as he came forth pale 
 trembling, speechless, and made signs by which he in- 
 dicated the cause of his being dumb, and also the event 
 which had just occured, they perceived that he had 
 seen a supernatural appearance ioptasian)^ and that he 
 could not give the priestly benediction. They then 
 scattered to their homes not knowing what to think of 
 the matter, and he went to his chamber there, doubtless 
 to muse upon the whole strange occurrence. 
 
 If this incident occurred on the Sabbath, he had 
 a week’s ministrations yet before him. These he did 
 not, because of this incident and his own calamity, avoid. 
 His piety was too deep, his sense of obedience too 
 strong, his regard for God and His service too high for 
 that. He stood at his post. He discharged every 
 duty. But soon as his week was ended he departed to 
 his own liome in ^^a city in the hill country of Judah,” 
 probably Hebron — a priestly city, about 19 miles S. W. 
 from Jerusalem.^ In some way he made known to his 
 wife both the reason of his dumbness, and God’s prom- 
 ise of a son. And this promise failed not. Soon the 
 happy wife could say ‘‘the Lord hath looked upon,” 
 i. directed His countenance towards, me in token of 
 favor, “to take away my reproach among men.” Her 
 heart was full of gratitude to Him through whose 
 
 [*vs. 39, 65. Jewish tradition says, Hebron. Winer 1-5-86, 
 Josh. xx-7. xxi-ii. It may, however, have been Ainkarlm. Land 
 and Book ii-534.J 
 
THE HOLT LIFE. 
 
 49 
 
 intervention she conld take her place among the moth- 
 ers in Israel. And moved by gratitude, by a desire 
 for meditation and prayer, and by a true and pure 
 \vomanly pride in showing, when next seen, that she 
 had been honored by a signal token of Divine regard, 
 she purposely kept herself concealed for five months*. 
 
 Section II. 
 
 The Annunciation to Mary, of the Birth of Jesus. 
 
 Place : Nazareth, in Galilee. Time : April, B. C. 5. 
 
 Luke i. 26-38. 
 
 And in the sixth month, i. e.^ of ElizabeWs preg- 
 nancy^ the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a 
 city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused 
 (betiothed, R. Y.) to a man whose name was Joseph, 
 of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 
 And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, highly 
 favored! The Lord is with thee.*|* 
 
 But she was troubled at the [tod) saying, and cast 
 in her mind what manner of salutation this might be. 
 
 And the angel said unto her. Fear not, Mary; for 
 thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou 
 shalt conceive in thy womb, and shall bring forth a 
 son, and shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great, 
 and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the 
 Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father 
 David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for 
 ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end. 
 
 [*The reader will notice that the “Thus hath'’ i. of vs. 25, 
 shows the motive of “she hid herself” of vs. 24.] 
 
 t The phrase “blessed art thou among women,” is by all recent 
 critical editors regarded as an insertion, here from vs. 42. And the 
 phrase “and when she saw him” vs. 29 is rejected by all of them 
 except Lachmann. (Lange.) 
 
50 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 Then said Mary unto tlie angel, How shall this be; 
 seeing I know not a man? 
 
 And the angel answered and said unto her, The 
 Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of 
 The Highest shall overshadow thee; wherefore also that 
 Holy Thing which shall be born (is being begotten, 
 gennoomeaou^ neut. par. pres, pass.) shall be called 
 tlie Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin (kinswoman, 
 li. V.) Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her 
 old acre: and this is the sixth month with her that was 
 (called, Tcaloumeiiee) barren. For with God nothing 
 shall be impossible (for no word from God shall be 
 witliout power, hoti ouk adunateesei para ton Theon 
 pan rheerma). 
 
 And Mary said, Be^iold the handmaid of the Lord; 
 be it unto me according to thy word. 
 
 And the angel departed from her. 
 
 Six months after the annunciation to Zachariah in the 
 Temple at Jerusalem, the same angel made another one 
 to a young girl^in her parent’s home in Nazareth, 
 in Galilee (Lk i,26; ii-4), a city, three days’ journey, 
 about 65 miles, north of the Holy Cily. This place, of 
 which a fuller description will be given further on, was 
 situated amono; the hills which constitute the south 
 ridges of Lebanon. These are in terraces above the 
 valley, and the town occupies the lower slope of the 
 ridge from whose summit one obtains a view which ex- 
 tends far away until lost in the great plain of Esdraelon. 
 
 This virgin’s name was Mary. The data concerning 
 
 [*This is infeiTecl from the fact tliat in the east, at that timQ 
 females were married at an early age, from fourteen to seventeen. 
 Greswell, 1, 398.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 61 
 
 her life are few and scattered. But with the single 
 exception that she seems not to have thoroughly 
 grasped her Son’s character and mission, until after 
 His resurrection — a ftict equally true of all llis disci- 
 ples — the glimpses we get of her reveal a character 
 high and harmonious, and as charming as her song is 
 magnificent. It is one which Christian thought de- 
 lights to study, and Christian art is never weary of re- 
 producing. We feel that the reality of true, womanly 
 loveliness developed in her is finer than any creation of 
 it found in poetry. She was poor — not abjectly so, as 
 is (»ften represented* — but she was not degraded; of 
 high-birth, yet unknown, and cheerfully acquiescent in 
 her lowly social condition; patient and loving, yet 
 firm and heroic. And her touching humility, exquisite 
 tenderness, ardent and noble impulses, and sweetness of 
 disposition were combined with vigorous thought and a 
 resolute will. 
 
 But deeper and richer yet was her character. On 
 the receptive faculty in man God has founded the 
 possibility of a development of the history of salvation. 
 This is seen in the call of Abraliam, and in the history 
 of others whose individuality and position gave them a 
 representative significance. The perfection of this re- 
 ceptivity is found only in the Virgin. And there it 
 must have been. For in her was built that bridge 
 which spans the stupendous chasm between God and 
 man. Through her came that Champion which conquered 
 
 [*The fact that she had to go to Bethleliem to be enrolled 
 shows that she possessed properly there. 
 
 library 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINO: 
 
62 
 
 tlTE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 the foe, and that Fountain which brought the living 
 waters from the throne of God to earth. Her faith, 
 deep-rooted in the Divine, w^as not moved by the powers 
 of darkness. Her life, moulded after the example of 
 the holy women of old, w^as pure from the ceremonial 
 degeneracy of the times. She lived, as her devout and 
 studious habits led her to, in the midst of the sacred 
 hopes, and hymns, and the divinely ordained history of 
 her people. She appreciated the soul -arousing facts. She 
 delighted in the heart’s-inspiring poetry. She deeply 
 pondered the thought-compelling prophecies concerning 
 the promised Messiah. Thus w'as she fitted by nature, 
 life, and grace for the message given her. To that 
 word of God, more personally and directly addressed 
 to her than it had ever been to any one she sub- 
 mitted wdth grace. When she learned her high 
 destiny she wrapped herself in, and henceforth never 
 divested herself of, the veil of heavenly modesty and 
 humility. Thus was her faith perfected. Thus she 
 realized the character of Israel as the pure virgin of 
 v/hich Isaiah sang. Thus mankind’s aspiration after 
 salvation realized in her its pure and perfect expression. 
 Thus humanity obtained that condition in wdiich, by 
 the receptive faculty there might be planted in it that 
 new Beginning which is called Jesus The Christ. 
 
 This Virgin, whose purity, truth, artless faith, heroism , 
 and high destiny constitute her an ideal type of 
 womanly lovelinessj was the daughter and heir of Heli 
 (if Luke gives her genealogy), or of Jacob, the uncle of 
 Joseph. She was the sister of Mary the wife of 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 63 
 
 Clcopas, (Jn. xix, 25), and a relative of ElisaLetli, who 
 was of the tribe of Levi, and lineage of Aaron (Lk. i^ 
 36). Prophecy had announced and Jesus, Iliinself, 
 strongly asserted that descent from the lainily of David 
 was a necessary condition of Messiahship (2 Sam. vii, 
 12, Ps. cxxxii, 11, Matt, xxii, 42). It is clear that om 
 ly by legal and authentic documents preserved in Jeru- 
 salem, could this descent be shown. It is also clear 
 that, owing to the peculiarity of Ilis origin, the Child 
 could appear only as the Son of Joseph (Jn.vi,42) who 
 was (Matt, i, 20, Lk. i, 27), and was regarded by Ilis 
 contemporaries (Matt, xiii, 55, Lk. ii, 4) as Ilis legal 
 and rej^u ted father. And through him we find Ilis de- 
 scent traced to David in both genealogical tables given 
 in the Gospels. And a comparison of them with those 
 given in the Old Testament suggest that the steps of 
 ancestry and succession did not coincide — the one in 
 Matthew giving the Ijlood succession from David, 
 through Solomon, and the one in Luke giving the legal 
 succession through Nathan. And while Matthew 
 traces back His descent through David to Abraham 
 the first recipient of the theocratic promise (Gal. iii, 8) 
 Luke traces it back to Adam, the son of God, and head 
 of the race. In the former we see Him, as the son of 
 David, the heir of his kingdom, and as the Son of Abra- 
 ham, the heir of the world (Rom. iv, 13); and in the lat- 
 ter in historic connection with all mankind. 
 
 But his blood-descent could not in fact be through 
 Joseph. Fur though he was truly and really His father 
 
•1 
 
 64 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 by divine covenant,* and by legal right, yet to God on- 
 ly did the paternity belong. Blood-descent hence, 
 must have come through his mother. And the amrel’s 
 words to lier/Htlirone of His father, David),” would have 
 had no honest meaning, unless he knew really that 
 Mary was the daughter of the royal house. And that 
 she regarded herself as such, is clear from th's, (a) that 
 the angel’s statement that her Son was to sit on the throne 
 of His father David, awakened in her no suspicion; (b) 
 that she did not, so her question shows, suppose Joseph 
 was to be the destined father of her Son; and (c) that 
 her words ^‘regarded the low estate of His handmaid” 
 could have had no point physiologicaUy, unless the blood 
 royal flowed in her veins. These facts seem unambigu- 
 ous proof that Mary was of the house and lineage of 
 David. That this was the judgment of Zachariah is 
 very directly intimated (Lk. i, 69). And that it was 
 the judgment of Matthew is quite clear from i, 16, of 
 his Gospel. For after declaring in vs. 1 that Jesus was 
 the Son of David and of Abraham, and then tracing 
 His genealogy onward from Abraham to Joseph, he 
 suddenly changes the word which he had uniformly 
 used. He expresses himself very carefully, as if he 
 would mark by his change of word the supernatural gene- 
 ration of Jesus. He had uniformly used the ywd egen- 
 neese^ hegat. But in vs, 16, instead of looseeph egen- 
 neese ton leesouriy which expresses human generation, 
 he 6ays,‘‘ Joseph the husband of Mary, ex hees egennees- 
 
 [*Tlie transaction recorded in Matt, i, 20, 21, was practically 
 a covenant between God and Joseph.] 
 
Ontline of The Genealogy of Jesns. 
 
 Luke- baptism -3 : 23-38. 
 Matt . - B I R T H —1 : 1-17. 
 
 Salathlel, 
 
 the sixteenth 
 from David, 
 through Solo- 
 mon’s line, 
 married a daur 
 ghter of Neri, 
 
 the twentieth 
 from DaTid, 
 through Nath- 
 an’s line. To 
 them was boro 
 Zorobabel, 
 
 ADAM 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 56 
 
 thee of whom was hegotten &c.’’ And the idea he 
 completes in vs. 20, genneethea eh P neumatos estin 
 Ilagiou^ is hegotten in her of the II Ay Spirit. And 
 this change of word sliows that he regarded Jesus as a 
 lineal descendant from David through Mary. Nor was 
 the Messiah’s descent from David questioned by Jesus’ 
 contemporaries (Matt, ix, 27, xii, 23, xx^ ‘80, Mk. x, 
 .47, Lk. xviii, 38, Matt, xxi, 9). And both Peter 
 and Paul, who could not be mistaken upon a point so 
 vitally important, declare that Jesus was of the ‘‘seed of 
 David according to the flesh” (Acts ii, 30, xiii, 23, Rom. 
 i, 3, ix, 5, 2 Tim. ii, 8, see also Is. xi, 1, Heb. vii, 14, 
 Rev. xxii, 16). And this lact finds a proof, if further 
 could be needed, in the well-known fact that at the 
 close of the first century, relations of Jesus,grandchildren 
 of Juda his brother, were living, who were universally 
 recognized as belonging to the family of David, and 
 whose illustrious descent was the occasion of uneasiness 
 to the Emperor Diocletian.* 
 
 Mary was betrothed to her cousin Joseph, who was 
 also of the house and lineage of David. This relation 
 was similar to, but more binding than the marriage en- 
 gagement is with us. The first part of it was the 
 formal preceding conducted by the legal representative on 
 the part of the groom, and the parents on the part of the 
 bride. The agreements were confirmed by oaths,and sealed 
 by presents to the bride, called mohar. They were also 
 sometimes accompanied by a writing called hetiibeh^ 
 
 [^Eusebius, H. E. iii, 20. Upon the vexed question of the 
 genealogies consult Lange, in ' Ebrard, Gos. Hist. 146-166, 
 
 Andrews, Life of our Lord. 51-60.] 
 
56 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 and which secured a certain sum to the bride, to be 
 paid on the death of the husband, or should he divorce 
 his wife, at the time of the divorce. And this writing 
 must have been highly prized. For unless the groom 
 had previously to marriage renounced all right to it, all 
 a betrothed woman’s property passed at once after be- 
 trothal under the control of her husband. 
 
 Soon as all the legal preliminaries were settled, the 
 betrothal, called Iceddushin^ from hodosh^ set apart^ 
 was celebrated with rejoicing at the house of the 
 bride. The groom, in the presence of witnesses, 
 approached the bride, handed her, if one had been 
 drawn up, the instrument called ketubeh^ and gave her 
 a piece of money, or a nuptial ring,^ saying ‘‘Lo thou 
 art betrothed unto me.” These ceremonies closed with 
 a feast. 
 
 Betrothal being equivalent to marriage, the bride 
 was regarded as sacred to the groom .f A full year in 
 the case of virgins intervened between betrothal and 
 marriage. During this interval the bride lived with 
 her friends, and held communication with the groom only 
 through one selected for the purpose, called the ‘^friend 
 of the bridgroom” (Jn. iii: 29). But though he thus 
 only could commune with her, he had such control over 
 her person, that faithlessness on her part was punished 
 with death, or, at his option, with divorce (Dent, xxii, 
 23, 24, xxiv, 1). 
 
 Such were betrothals in the time of Jesus. Through 
 
 [*Selden, Uxor^ Heh. ii, 14 1 
 
 [tPhil. De Spec Leg, pg. 788. Maimon. apud Buxtorf^ 
 
vf-' 
 
 
TFIE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 57 
 
 Bucli a scene Mary had already passed when she is first 
 introduced to our notice. But every thing must have 
 been very plain. For so decayed then, was the royal 
 house that Joseph and Mary seem to have sunk wholly 
 out of public sight, and to have occupied an humble 
 position in society. He was then living in Nazareth, 
 where his family resided. And there as a carpenter or 
 worker in wood itektoon)^ he earned his living. This 
 occupation was honorable. But all the circumstances 
 connected with Jesus’ birth indicate,that, though Joseph 
 had property in Nazareth,* and Mary in Bethlehem,f 
 he and she were far from being rich;}; 
 
 The marriage had not yet taken place. Mary was 
 living with her parents or possibly with her elder sis- 
 ter.§ And on that great day when the astounding, 
 the wholly unexpected annunciation was made to her, 
 things were going on in Nazareth as usual, just as they 
 had been in Jerusalem, when, six months before, Gabriel 
 had visited that city. She may have been by the side 
 of the city fountain, or in a grotto, as the Greek and 
 Latin traditions respectively declare. Or she may have 
 been upon some hill-side, meditating, amid the exuber- 
 ant life and beauty of a Galilsoan spring, upon the works 
 and word of God. But mos^ probably she was in 
 her quiet home, and amid the ordinary circumstances 
 
 [*Lk. ii, 39, “own city.” But the phrase may mean no more 
 than that Nazareth was his place of residence.] 
 
 [fSee page 51, note.'] 
 
 [fFor instance of decayed royal families, see Geikie, Life of 
 Christy cliap. viii.] 
 
 [§See pg. ] 
 
58 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 of life. So the participle eiseelthoon^ coming in^ vs. 28, 
 Suggests. It was possibly the hour of evening prayer 
 (Dan. ix, 21), the hour when thousands of her fellow- 
 countrymen were before God. She was alone in her 
 own room. The hush of the hour was over all nature. 
 In sympathy with this repose she — for inspiration 
 comes only to the Leart prepared for it — was in rapt 
 and holy contemplation, and in earnest prayer. Sud- 
 denly was she startled by the most unexpected presence, 
 of, seemingly, an ordinary man. It was the angel 
 Gabriel. With the same care, gentleness and grace as 
 those which had marked his visit to Zachariah six 
 months before, he now stood in Maiy’s humble dwell- 
 ing. With a heavenly salutation he introduced himself 
 to the child-like woman: ^TTail, highly favored, The 
 Lord is with thee.’^ This was a true ground of con- 
 fidence (Judg. vi, 12). The verb chaire^ found only, 
 elsewhere, in Eph. i, 6, signifies, not self-produced ex- 
 cellence or holiness, but a gracing or making agree- 
 able.* And the literal translation of the past. per. par. 
 Icecharttoomenee is, ‘dhat hast had bestowed upon, a 
 free gift of grace.’’ The two verbs describe Mary’s 
 win le spiritual state, as specially made such by the 
 bestowment of grace. 
 
 The sight, and especially the salutation of the strange 
 
 ["^Though charitas is not found in classical writers, tlie anal- 
 ogy of all verbs in ooo must rule it to mean ilie passing of the 
 action im[)lied in the radical substantive charis on the object of the 
 verb. Hence the meaning is not ‘dull of grace” as the Vulgate 
 puts it, but “fav.;red by the conferring of grace.” And this is its 
 meaning in the only other place where it is found in the New 
 Testament, Alford, in loco.\ 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 59 
 
 person awakened in her a troubled feeling — a feeling 
 very natural to a young girl under such circumstances. 
 But she preserved her presence and serenity of mind — a 
 fact apparent in the ^‘dielogizato revolved in mind^ con- 
 sidered^ potajoosy %vhat kind^ as to matter and character, 
 this salutation might be.’^ 
 
 Having, by his salutation, prepared her for what was 
 coming, and by his ‘dear not, Mary, for thou hast 
 found favor with God”, removed all troubling impres- 
 sions from her mind, Gabriel proceeds to deliver his 
 message. The signal mark of the Divine favor towards 
 her he declares is, that she shall have a Son whom she 
 shall call Jesus, L ‘‘Jehovah saves^'^^ and whose char- 
 acter he describes in the most exalted strains. He 
 shall be great intrinsically, i, e.^ in all that constitutes 
 true greatness. He shall sustain a most peculiar and 
 mysterious relation to the Highest (Elion)^ shall, by 
 creation (vs.34) be, be recognized to be, and be called, His 
 Son, shall have a personal and official superiority un- 
 paralleled and unique, and shall be the heir of the 
 theocratic royalty. “The Lord God — the Creator’s 
 name in His covenant relation to Israel, and also to 
 man, as we shall see — shall give Him the throne of 
 His father David, and He shall reign over the house of 
 Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no 
 end.” These words could hardly fail to present to her 
 mind with a clearness sufficient to be understood, that 
 she was to become the mother of a Son, who, as her 
 heir, was to possess her title to, and sit upon, David’s 
 throne. And these latter words she could have under- 
 
60 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 stood — not in the spiritiialing sense which modern in- 
 terpretation, ignoring the facts, (a) that the Jews’ re- 
 jection of Jesus changed, temporarily, tlie regular order 
 of history, and (b) that the literal fulfillment is yet to 
 be, give them, but — only in their literal sense. For 
 this was the common understanding of the Messianic 
 prophecy by all who ‘‘waited for the Kingdom of God.” 
 
 These words are simple, easily understood, and must 
 be taken in their natural and literal sense. The birth 
 name, career are, so must the throne of David, and 
 the kingdom be. It must be the throne of the theo- 
 cratic kingdom in all the sweep of the original bestow- 
 ment to Abraham. For the term “house of Jacob” 
 comprehends all the twelve tribes. And this kingdom 
 viewed in the light of the prophecies concerning it 
 such as Is ii, 2-4, seems to embrace within its sweep, 
 all the nations of the earth. We must not therefore 
 allow the fact of Israel’s rejection of the Messiah to 
 tempt us to escape a difficulty, by giving a figurative 
 interpretation to the words, or to check onr faith in the 
 ultimate literal fulfillment of these promises. 
 
 But the words surely comprehend more than this 
 King’s relation to Israel. Had the angel stopped at 
 eis tons aioonas^ to the ages^ it might be so limited. 
 And this phrase docs so limit it as to the house of 
 Jacob, But he adds, that of His kingdom ouh estin 
 teloSj there shall he no end — quite a different pluase. 
 It is to be endless, therefore must extend beyond the 
 bounds of time. Hence it cannot be limited by any 
 political boundaries. Hence it is more than terrestrial. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 61 
 
 And hence whatever political ideas may be, divinely, 
 attached to it, these must be subordinated to the spiritual 
 conception which belongs to the ‘‘have no end” of this 
 kingdom; which, hence must be boundless in extent, 
 and limitless in duration. 
 
 These w^ere astounding statements. They seemed to 
 her incomprehensible. So did it that she should be the one 
 so higlily favored of the Lord, But they rested upon the 
 Divine autliority; and they were received with unques- 
 tioning confidence. The unparalleled, as unexpected,des- 
 tination, was received, as conferred, not on the ground of 
 anything in, or of herself, but as solely the expression of 
 the choice of pure grace. She seemed to feel instinctivly, 
 that the angel was not speaking to her of a son by Jo- 
 seph. Nor did she — as is evident from her remark 
 in vs. 34 — have the thought that another man was to be 
 the father of the child. The promised fact was to her 
 wholly contrary to the hitherto unbroken law of hu- 
 man succession. Hence, utterly unable to get hold of 
 this profound mystery, she, in honest ignorance, with 
 the astonishment of a heart pure and undefiled, and 
 wdth the natural questioning of innocence, put to the 
 angel the believing inquiry, “how shall, “iestai^y^ — not, 
 can — “this thing be?” The question assumes that the 
 extraordinary event shall be, but the how? the manner 
 in which it will be brought about? this she desired to 
 know. 
 
 This question gave opportunity to the angel to give 
 testimony exceedingly precious, upon a point exceeding- 
 ly important; and which, perhaps, might otherwise not 
 
62 
 
 TflE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 have been given. With that heavenly chastity which 
 belongs only to pure spirits, and in words of surpassing 
 sacredness and delicacy divine, — words which recall 
 Isaiah’s sublime prediction — he described the singular- 
 ity and sanctity of that coming birth. He touched up- 
 on themes the most delicate, and his pure words rise 
 to the height of inspired song. His words dunamis 
 Ilujpsistou episkiasei se explain the idea in his Pneuma 
 Ilagios epileusetai. By the pure power of the Spirit 
 gently and efficaciously overshadowing her would the 
 Divine purpose be accomplished. Therefore thatHoly 
 Tiling whicli shall be born {ek Theou^i^ a gloss) shall be, 
 and be recognized to be, “the Son of God.” And though 
 usually in the New Testament the term whyos^ or ho 
 whyos Thenu is used in the metaphysical sense, and 
 denotes Jesus’ eternal relation as God to God, yet 
 here the absense of the article, in both whyos^ Theou and 
 %ohyos Ilupsistos indicates,undeniably, — as it does in 
 Heb. V, 8- — Jesus’ human nature. This coming One 
 was to be the Son of God in the sense in which Adam 
 was His Son. 
 
 Then, to her unquestioning faith, the angel gave an 
 unsought sign of the omnipotence of God: “Behold, 
 thy cousin Elizabeth, she also, &c. And in the “she also 
 &c.,”he pointed out the relations and connection of the 
 tacts thus brought together. Ar.d in the “'with God 
 nothing is impossible” — no word of His shall be void of 
 power and success — he showed the certainty of this fact 
 Iromthe other fact which he gave. The fact must occur, 
 for with God nothing is impossible. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 63 
 
 This was a call to a trust which, to her pure mind, 
 involved, seemingly, a sacrifice dearer than life. It 
 placed her in a position fitted to awaken feelings the 
 most painful and embarrassing. But startling as was the 
 call, in both its unexpectedness and character, the 
 assurino^ word of the raessacfc relieved her mind of all 
 
 perplexity. The Holy Spirit could not possibly do 
 her virgin purity and innocence any harm. And her 
 profound and living faith in the goodness of God rap- 
 idly ripened into a faith most extraordinary, and able 
 to lift Imr up to the exalted position, to which she had 
 been called. Promptly, and in a most loyal and be- 
 coming way, she responded to the Divine proposal: ^‘be- 
 hold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me accord- 
 
 ing to thy word’’ — an expression of obedient submis- 
 sion, patient, longing expectation, and sublime, heroic 
 
 faith such as never, before fell, nor since has fallen from 
 human lips. Instantly the work was done. Instantly her 
 heart was filled with The Spirit, who prepared her body 
 to be the mother of the Son of The Highest. Exalted, 
 thus, to a position in which she stands alone in her 
 sex, she henceforth became for the race, the most per- 
 fect type of human receptivity in regard to the work of 
 God. 
 
 The angel departed from her, and she at once hast- 
 ened to take that step which her judgment, under tlie 
 guidance of The S])irit, saw was, under the extraordi- 
 nary circumstances, best. 
 
64 : 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 Section III. 
 
 Mary's Visit to Elizabeth, then at her Home in 
 THE Hill Country of Judah. 
 
 Time: April B. C. 5. 
 
 There, and then, the incidents given in Luke occurred. There, 
 Mary remained until June when she relumed toKazareth, 
 where the incident mentioned by Matthew occurred. 
 
 Luke i, 39-56 
 
 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill 
 country with haste, into a city of Judah; and entered 
 into the house of Zachariah, and saluted Elizabeth. 
 
 And it came to pass, that, when (as, hoos) Elizabeth 
 heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her 
 womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit: 
 and she spake out with a loud voice, and said, 
 
 Blessed art thou among women. 
 
 And blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 
 
 And whence is this to me, 
 
 That the mother of my Lord should come to me? 
 
 For behold, as soon as the voice of thy salutation 
 sounded in mine ears, 
 
 Tlie babe leaped in my womb for joy. 
 
 And blessed is she that believed: 
 
 For there shall be a fulfillment (teliosis) of those 
 things 
 
 Which were told her of the Lord. 
 
 And Mary said, 
 
 My soul doth magnify the Lord, 
 
 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 
 
 For He liath looked upon the low estate of His hand- 
 maiden: 
 
 For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call 
 me blessed. 
 
 For He that is mighty hath done for me great things; 
 And holy is His name. 
 
i’HE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 65 
 
 And Bis mercy is unto generations and generations 
 On them that fear Him. 
 
 He hath shewed strength with his arm; 
 
 He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of 
 their lieart. 
 
 He hath put down princes from their thrones, 
 
 And liath exalted them of low degree. 
 
 The hungry He hath filled with good things; 
 
 And the rich He hath sent empty away. 
 
 He hath holpen Israel His servant, 
 
 That He might remember mercy 
 fAs He spake unto our fathers) 
 
 Toward Abraham and his seed for ever. 
 
 And Mary abode with her about three months, and 
 returned to her own house in Nazareth. 
 
 Joseph’s troubles. HowT Now the birth of Jesus 
 removed. Nazareth. Slim- y Christ was on this wise: 
 mer,B.0. 5. Matt, i, 18-25. J When His mother Mary was 
 espoused (had been betrothed) to Joseph, before they 
 came together, she was found with child of the Holy 
 Spirit. Then Joseph her husband being a just man, 
 and not willing to make her a public example, was 
 minded to put her away, hy divorce^ privily. 
 
 But while he thought on these things, behold, the 
 (an R. Y.) angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a 
 dream, saying; Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to 
 take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that wliich is con- 
 cieved (begotten, genneethen) in her is of tlie Holy 
 Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt 
 call His name Jesus: for (it is) He (that) shall save 
 His people from their sins. 
 
 Now all this was done (is come to pass, R. V.), that 
 it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord 
 through {dia) the prophet, (Is. vii,17), saying, 
 
66 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 Behold the (h^ee) Virgin shall be with child, 
 
 And shall bring forth a son, 
 
 And they shall call his name Immanuel; which, 
 being interpreted is, God with us.* 
 
 Then J oseph being raised, (arose R. V.) from his {tou^ 
 the) sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, 
 and took unto him his wife: and knew her not until 
 she had brought forth her first-born son.f 
 
 Mary did not communicate to Joseph, nor to any one 
 in Nazareth, what had been said to her and liad taken 
 place with her. She had nothing to confess, for she had 
 done no wrong. Her modesty forbade her to speak of 
 this as a signal favor. This would have savored of 
 sdf-exultation. Even liad she spoken of it, her testimo- 
 ny would have gone for nought. Everything connected 
 with the fact was Divine, It was at once a necessity 
 and a duty to trust all to God. This she could do safely. 
 This she did. She left the whole matter in His hands. 
 And at once, after the occurrence — as is seen in the 
 ‘'arose. . . .and went in liaste”;{; — she left her home on a 
 visit to Elizabeth, who was then at her own home, in a 
 city, in the. hill-country of Judah — perhaps Hebron. 
 The distance was about 84 miles — 05 to Jerusalem 
 
 [*Is. vii, 14. Mathew has /i.ee partlienos, the virgin — not (a) 
 as in E. V. And tlie prophecy wiiich he quotes lias the He- 
 brew ideaofthe definite article. And this liiniis it. Not any vir- 
 gin, but the particular virgin designated shall Ac. And this agrees 
 with that most ancient prophecy, in Gen iii, “her seed which 
 evidently refers to some one to be born of a woman without the 
 intervention of a man.] 
 
 l^Pro^ofoTcon first-born is wanting in Sin. Vat: in the 
 Eayptian ver, and is omitted by Lachmann, Tischendorf,Tregellis 
 and Alford. Lange retains, and Meyer defends it. Dr.Schaff.J 
 
 []But see Ebrard Gospel Hist. pg. 172.j 
 
The holy life. 
 
 67 
 
 and 19 thence to Hebron — and the journey would 
 occupy four days. She, accompanied by whom we know 
 not, may have gone along the great road through Nain, 
 where afterwards her great Son raised a widow’s son 
 to life, and by Endor — famous from unhappy Saul’s rela- 
 tions to its witch — through Samaria, and on by Bethel, 
 to Hebron. Or, crossing the Jordan at Scythopolis, she 
 may have passed down its eastern bank to “the fords of 
 Jordan,” then, having recrossed the sacred stream, gone 
 on, through Jerusalem, to the city where Elizabeth dwelt. 
 
 After affection’s salutations had been exchanged, she 
 confided to her relative the angel’s visit and announce- 
 ment, her simple acceptance of her amazing destiny, 
 and the fact — as is seen in the phrases, “the fruit of 
 thy womb,” and “the mother of my Lord,” vs. 42, 43 — 
 that the incarnation had already been accomplished. 
 At her salutation, Elizabeth felt her own babe leap in her 
 bosom. She was filled with delight, — so the word, 
 “blessed” suggests — at the sight of the calm happiness 
 suffused over Mary’s face. Higher yet, she was filled 
 with the Holy Spirit, and in lofty strains of inspiration 
 she poured forth from her full heart, high and noble 
 thoughts. The most psalm-like tone runs throughout 
 her strains — a fitting dress for them, and for a woman’s 
 homage to the coming One, and a noble prelude to Ma- 
 ry’s Magnificat. 
 
 Scarcely had the notes of Benedictus died 
 
 away, when Mary, in full- voiced tones,poured forth from 
 her full soul that psalm which recalls Hannah’s song of 
 praise, (1 Sam. ii), which forms part of the regular morning 
 
68 
 
 THE HOLY LlFfi. 
 
 service of the Church of England, and which resounds in 
 her sanctuaries on every Lord’s Day. Throughout it, 
 royal majesty reigns. It is burdened with the loftiest 
 raptures. It breathes the sentiment of deepest repose, 
 of calmest and sweetest solemnity; and it grows not old 
 with age. 
 
 The salutation passed, Mary abode with Elizabeth three 
 months. Hallowed hours were these to those holy 
 women. And most fragrant with grace was their com- 
 munion with each other, and with God, as they waited, 
 in patience. His slowly accomplishing will. 
 
 At the close of this period Mary left Elizabeth, short- 
 ly before John was born. She returned to her own 
 home — a fact which shows that Joseph had not yet 
 taken her to his home, as liis wife. But her situation be- 
 coming known, Joseph was placed in great perplexity.* 
 Her pure character seemingly was ruined. His prospects 
 were blighted. His happiness was gone. But being a just 
 man, he would not, on the one hand, countenance a 
 wrong, nor on the other, inflict what might be a cruelty. 
 The law pronounced death, by stoning, upon unfaithful- 
 ness in one betrothed. But it also allowed a private 
 divorce. This Joseph could legally gi ve,without assigning 
 reasons. This could be effected with the least pain and 
 offense. This he proposed to do, aplmin^ dismiss, 
 her formally ,by a written declaration (Djut. xxiv, 1); yet 
 do it lathra, secretly i. e,, without mentioning the cause. 
 
 But while he thought on these things, he was divine- 
 
 pNothiug could be less like a myth than this perplexity of 
 Joseph.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 69 
 
 ly informed of tlie true state of the case. An angel 
 appeared to him in a dream, with a message from God. 
 And his word suggests that the facts concerning the ap- 
 pearance and message of Gabriel to Mary were now made 
 known to him for the first time. ^‘Fear not, Joseph,” 
 said the angel, ^ to take unto thee Mary Ihy betrothed 
 wife. Tliat which is conceived in her is ek Pueuma^ 
 from The S pirif '^ — the eh marking Him as the creative 
 cause. ‘-And” — not as it was said of Elizabeth, ^^she 
 shall bear” — but,^^she shall bring forth a son,* and thou 
 shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people” 
 — i. the Jews,' in contrast with ethnoi^ Gentiles^ 
 ‘‘from their sins” — from the sins themselves as well as 
 from their punishment. The result this {hina^ in order 
 that &c.,) of a Divine intention long before de- 
 clared through the prophet. 
 
 No information could be more grateful to the troubled 
 man. It swept away every doubt and suspicion. The 
 purity of his bride was as spotless as the light of the 
 sun. He bowed to the Divine assurance. He accepted 
 the Divinely bestowed trust and conferment. The es- 
 pousal was at once heartily and publicly ratified by 
 the religious rites, called “the covenant of her God’’ 
 (Prov. iii, 17). And great, doubtless, were the rejoic- 
 ings on that day when Joseph took his bride from her 
 home to his own. 
 
 All the usual marriage ceremonies were, doubtless, 
 observed. The virgin-bride prepared herself for her 
 
 [*See Matt, i, 19, Ek hees egenneethee^ lesous^ from whom was 
 horn Jesus, who to distinguish from others of the same name, 
 Matthew declares, was called “Christ,” his official uamc,j 
 
70 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 husband. Having taken the indispensable bath, she 
 put on her wedding attire. Her robes of spotless white, 
 whose ample border concealed her feet, were fragrant 
 with perfumes, and were girded with the indispensable 
 and peculiar girdle, called kishhusim. She was decked 
 with the customary bridal jewels. Over robes and 
 jewels was thrown the tsaiphy or veil. This was of 
 ample dimensions, fine texture, and handsome appear- 
 ance. It covered her face and whole person. It was 
 worn as at once a symbol of womanly purity, and of 
 submission to her husband; and had been worn by all 
 brides since the day when Kebekkah, thus robed, had 
 met the approaching Isaac. Thus ready, adorned as a 
 bride for her husband, she and her maidens awaited his 
 arrival. 
 
 At the appointed time — usually it was late in the eve- 
 ning — he made his appearance. His wedding dress was 
 fraOTant with sweet odors. On his head was the hand- 
 
 o 
 
 some turban called pear, and the nuptial garland. He 
 was attended by liis groomsmen, called “companions,” 
 and children of the bride cliamber;” and by his friends, 
 each one bearing a small hand lamp (Matt, xxv, 7). 
 The procession was attended by servants bearing flam- 
 beaux, and headed by a band of musicians. His ap- 
 proach to the home ot the bride was announced by the 
 cry, “Behold the bridegroom comethr go ye out to 
 meet him.” As he drew near, the bride and her com- 
 panions went forth, and the groom conducted the whole 
 party back to his own home. On the way the company 
 was joined by a party of maidens which had been wait- 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 71 
 
 ing to catcli it as it passed, and was gazed at by the 
 citizens as it moved through the streets. When his 
 house was reached the guests were clad in wedding gar- 
 ments, furnished by the groom. Then the religious 
 ceremonies were performed, closing with a blessing on 
 tlie newly married pair. The marriage- feast, an essential 
 part of the ceremony, was then partaken of by the family 
 and guests. This over, the groom was allowed for the 
 first time to enter into direct communication with the 
 bride. And as ^‘tlie friend” heard the voice of the 
 bridegroom conversing with the bride, he was filled 
 with joy. This w^as assurance to him of the success of 
 his share in the work (Jn. iii, 29). Then followed the 
 conducting of the bride, closely veiled, to the' bridal 
 chamber, cheder^ and the seating her under a canopy, 
 cliuppali^ prepared for her reception. This closed the 
 ceremonies. The guests departed, and the newly-wed- 
 ed pair were enrolled among the families of Israel. 
 
 Through such ceremonies as these Josejih took Mary 
 to his own home. Intimately acquainted from the 
 angel’s word with all the facts, he respected all the 
 sanctities of his pecular position, and stood ready to be 
 recognized as the father of the expected child. Thus 
 could the child legally inherit his title to the theocratic 
 throne. And thus his natural sensibilities, like Mary’s 
 pious ignorance, became the occasion for the complete 
 protection of Jesus’ humanity from all blasphemous at- 
 tacks. 
 
72 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 The Miracnlous Conception is nniformily announced 
 in the Gospels, and mentioned or implied, as a fact, in 
 the Epistles. In these latter we have, as the judgment of 
 the early church upon the subject: ^^a body hast thou 
 prepared Me;” ^^as the children are partakers of flesh 
 and blood, He Himself also took part of the same;” 
 ‘‘God sent forth His Son genonemoii ek gunikos^ 
 genomenon hupo nomon^ made from a woman^ made 
 under the lawP Nor is it given, in either the Gospels 
 or Epistles as a curious question about which men may 
 differ, nor as an abstruse doctrine to exercise the intel- 
 lect of the learned. But it is ever emphasized as an 
 essential part of Christian truth which must be accepted 
 intelligently, heartily, and without reserve, by all who 
 would receive Jesus as a personal Saviour. And this 
 acceptance of it as a living truth must be such, that it 
 can, and will be held fast, and firmly maintained, al- 
 ways, every where, and at whatever personal cost. If 
 it be not a fact, redemption has no foundation; the 
 world no Champion; man no Fountain whence shall is- 
 sue streams for his refreshment; and union with God is 
 an impossibility. 
 
 And the idea of the incarnation of the Son of God is 
 now found in the concioiisness of believers. We can 
 trace its history back to the days of the Apostles and of 
 the contemporaries of Jesus. Beyond that all trace of it 
 is lost. We find it a living idea, having its roots in 
 Je-us of Nazareth. It regards Him as a Man and also 
 as the Son of God — His birth human, HivS parentage 
 Divine. It must therefore have sprung into being in 
 connection with Him. 
 
 At once the question arises, how did it originate? Jt 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 73 
 
 cannot be said that it was suggested by the facts of 
 His birth? For though some of these were extraordi- 
 nary, yet His entrance into His place in the course of 
 historical events was such as all other entrances are. 
 Nor, that it was suggested by His extraordinary char- 
 acter and the greatness of His career. For, the second 
 time that He was ever addressed, and that, too, before 
 He had entered upon that career, and by a young man 
 too who had never seen nor heard of Him, He was salu- 
 ted as the Son of God (Jn. i, 49). That salutation he ac- 
 cepted then, as He ever did afterwards. 
 
 If it had no foundation in fact Jesus was a charlatan. 
 
 But how did it originate in that young man’s mind? 
 By his study . of Hindoo mythologies? In these it is 
 true that there are many incarnations. But a compar- 
 ison of these with that of Jesus shows differences so 
 many, radical, and vast, that it is simply impossible to 
 suppose that the idea of it originated from them. Be- 
 sides, we have not one shred of evidence that any Gal- 
 il^ean in the days of Jesus had ever even heard of the 
 mythologies of India. And even if he had, the adaman- 
 tine wall by which Judaism had surrounded itself would 
 have prevented them from making upon the Jewish 
 mind the slightest impression. 
 
 The same remark is true of the mythologies of 
 Greece. With them, perhaps,with the Greeks surely, Jews 
 had an acquaintance more or less extensive. If so, tliey 
 must have seen that to the Greeks their gods were created 
 beings, tp whom embodiment was a necessary condition 
 of existence, and not a state voluntarily assumed. This 
 
74 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 must have shown them the immeasurable distance 
 l)etween their and the Grecian conception of God. 
 Hence Grecian thought could not have suggested to 
 him the Christian idea of incarnation. 
 
 Nor could it possibly have come to Nathaniel and 
 others from their Hebrew thinking. It originated not 
 in the learned classes. It was too stupendous a 
 thought to have started in the mind of the unlearned. 
 It was an idea foreign to the whole range of Hebrew 
 ideas. Their high regard for marriage, and their ab- 
 horrence of an uii- wedded life and of all violations of the 
 sanctity of the wedded, would shut out from their minds 
 all conception of any one ever being born of a virgin. 
 Their conception of God as One, incorporeal, and tilling 
 both eternity and immensity with His presence, pre- 
 cluded them from imagining that He could become in- 
 carnate, or sustain such immanent relations as those of 
 Father and Son. They expected the Messiah, but re- 
 garded Hin as only a superior man. And when Jesus 
 claimed co-equality with God, they regarded Him as a 
 blasphemer. 
 
 Judaism could not possibly have suggested, or evolved 
 the idea. Yet in Jews it was first found. To some, 
 as to Nathaniel, it came like a flash of truth; to some, 
 as to the disciples, it came gradually; to some, as to Paul, 
 only through and after the most violent agitations and 
 conflicts. But come how it might, it came. It planted 
 itself firmly, as a*living truth, in the conciousness of 
 sturdy fishermen, men of little learning but of largecom- 
 mon sense, and of cultured scholars as well, whose every 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 75 
 
 prepossession was against it. It penetrated, prevaded, 
 held fast both intellect and heart; and it so powerfully 
 moved the voice that it was proclaimed with amazing 
 earnestness, far and near, and with the unfaltering as- 
 surance of its reality. 
 
 No rational explanation of the existence and power 
 of the idea can be given except this: it had its founda- 
 tion in a fact. 
 
 Neither Jesus nor his parents ever alluded publicly 
 to this most sacred mystery. Most probably Mary, or 
 perhaps Jesus in his confidential conversations with 
 His disciples, furnished the facts. The Narratives at 
 least bear all the marks of a strictly historical charac- 
 ter. In their concise and simple details of the calm 
 and unostentatious entrance of the Divine into the hu- 
 man — a movement of the most delicate character — 
 there is such an air of artless reality pervading the 
 whole sketch, such a simplicity and tenderness, such an 
 entire absence of all gnosticism, mysticism, effort to 
 produce an impression, and uncalled for subjective re- 
 flection, that the Narratives bear upon their every line 
 the stamp of truthfulness. The impression made upon 
 such scholarly and honest minds as those of Lange, 
 Godet, and Ellicott that the substance, perhaps the very 
 terms of his narrative came to Luke from the Virgin 
 herself, is that which comes to every thoughtful reader. 
 The statements must come home to every mind open to 
 the truth, as those of truth. Matter and manner alike 
 are solid, deep, Divine. The style is, pure and lofty, the 
 words are those of daily life. The natural and super- 
 
76 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 natural are both confined within the limits of strict 
 sobriety. The details, geographical and other, impress 
 upon the mind the conviction that both Matthew and 
 Luke regarded the miraculous conception as a fact. 
 The former teaches it in his omission of egennesthee^ he- 
 gotten^ in connection with the birth of Jesus (i 16), 
 and in his use of the preposition ek {eh Pneumatos 
 Ilagiou) in vs. 18, which excludes all explanations ex- 
 cept this one, that the conception was from the Holy 
 Spirit only. The latter teaches it not only in Mary’s 
 question, and in Gabriel’s answer (i-31, 85', but also in 
 the “dio to hagion^ wherefore that holy &c.,” (the word 
 is neuter so impersonal) ^^shall be called the Son of God,” 
 — i. in the sense that Adam was, (iii, 38) — all which 
 points to a life of a pure humanity as a new starting 
 point ot life for man. To all this must be added two 
 very significant statements in the Old Testament. One 
 of them, given just after the Fall of man, is found in 
 the sentence pronounced upon the serpent. It is the 
 words ‘filer”, i. the woman’s, “seed” — a phrase soused 
 as to indicate one coming of the woman without the 
 intervention of a man. The other was given centuries 
 later, through the prophet Isaiah (vii, 11). It runs thus: 
 “the” — not “a” as in the E. V., — “virgin shall con- 
 ceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Imman- 
 uel.” And concerning this celebrated passage the sev- 
 erest and most searching criticism is compelled to ad- 
 mit the following tacts: (a) that the prophet meant by 
 the term “the virgin,” a maiden whom he names not 
 but who stood before his mind as singled out for a most 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 77 
 
 extraordinary purpose; (b) that he associated no earthly 
 father with the promised child, to whom his virgin 
 mother would give the name Immanuel; (c) that the 
 child would be God in bodily manifestation, and there- 
 fore, as a super- human Person, a wonder; (d) and that 
 He was to be the Messiah whose birth and reign would 
 bring joy. And when Jesus’ birth is mentioned by 
 Matthew he quotes this prophecy as fulfilled in that 
 fact,using also the definite article hee^the virgin shall &c,. 
 All this warrants our saying that the fact is fully estab- 
 lished on exegetical grounds. Though, then, the mind 
 cannot penetrate this unfathomable mystery of Divine 
 wisdom and love, it can receive the fact with unwavering 
 confidence. It can rest in the assurance that the an- 
 nouncement, which could have originated only in the 
 sphere where the fact was accomplished, bears upon its 
 every feature the stamp of Divine authority. 
 
 The incarnation as a fact is not impossible, if once the 
 existence of a personal God be recognized. Nature’s laws 
 are not chains which bind Him fast,but chords which He 
 controls and uses at will: ^‘with God nothing is impos- 
 sible.” The impossible is not the Divine. 
 
 Nor is the fact unworthy of God: for (a) He who now 
 formed this body out of the substance of the mother, 
 had originally formed man’s body out of the dust; and 
 (b) by this creation He consummated His desire and 
 purpose to send down to man that life which penetrates 
 and sanctifies and saves humanity, and unites it to 
 Himself. 
 
 Nor was the fact unnecessary. For if so it would not 
 
78 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 have occurred. Aud its being done shows that for 
 this humanity there was an eternal ground, as there was 
 for both the old humanity and for the world, both which 
 as actual, rest on an eternal ideal ground. It was a 
 consequence of the superhuman dignity, and the basis 
 of the moral development of Jesus. He could not be 
 man’s Champion and Saviour unless He became Man- 
 He could not redeem old humanity and raise it to des- 
 tined perfection unless in Him the covenant, promise 
 and condition of the old human past be maintained; 
 unless His humanity were as real as Adam’s, though in 
 both cases the conditions of origin were different from 
 ours. 
 
 But His humanity though real, must be both new 
 and sinless. Otherwise He could not be the Head of 
 a new humanity, and the Beginning of the new creation. 
 But since the clean cannot come from the unclean, deri- 
 vation from humanity by the will of the flesh would 
 only have made Him part of a mass corrupt throughout. 
 The healthy graft, therefore, which was to bring life to 
 a diseased stock could not be originated in that stock, 
 but must be grafted in it by a power from without. And 
 since new humanity demands a new creative act, it 
 must be formed by the immediate contact of the Divine 
 efficient Cause with tlie human substance. 
 
 And this is what the history affirms. Zachariah and 
 Elizabeth, like Abraham and Sarah, like Isaac and 
 Bebekah, like Elkanah and Hannah, were witnesses in 
 themselves that all their strength must come from God. 
 From Him came the special gift to them — power, when 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 79 
 
 childless and stricken in years, to become the joyful 
 parents of the child of promise which leads to the Pro- 
 mised Child. But to this young Yirgin came this Child 
 by the immediate* act of God, ‘^that Holy Thing which 
 shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” 
 And though absolute holiness is no more asserted of the 
 
 D 
 
 child as yet, than it had been of Adam, yet in this state- 
 ment are involved, (a) a purity which ordinary mortals do 
 not possess, (b) a personality spared from being interwov- 
 en with the continuity of our sinful development, (c) the 
 coalescence of so much of our humanity as was homo- 
 geneous to its Divine origin, and (d) the constitution 
 of a humanity having in itself the power and purity 
 belonging to a directly God-derived origin — and which 
 could develop into an absolutely perfect holiness. 
 
 And His mother’s body was, for this once, the conse- 
 crated temple of the Efficient Cause; and He in this one 
 action did something which is entirely alone. From 
 its commencement on to the birth of Jesus, He over- 
 shadowed her, and sanctified, and with His holy power 
 
 [*The most serious difficulty urged against this fact is that 
 we have no example of tlie origin of life without two parents. I 
 would not dare to illustrate this sublime fact by any examples 
 drawn from nature. But I may be permitted, in order to relieve 
 the difficulty from honestly troubled minds, to give two extracts: 
 “It is now universally admitted that perfect silk-worms have been 
 reared from the eggs laid by a virgin moth.” (I. Wallace, Mirdclei 
 and Modern Spiritual ism 37, Loud. 1875) “Among our honey 
 
 bees a drone arises out of the eggs of the queen if they have not 
 been fructified, a queen, or working bee, if the egg lias been 
 fructified.” Ileckel, Hisf. Creation yo\. 1 pg. 197.) Huxley, Lyell, 
 Mivert, Owen, all recognize as a fact that the law that perfect in- 
 dividuals may be virginally born extends to the higher forms of 
 life. (J. Cook Lectures on Biology^ pg. 117.) 
 
tHE HOLY Lli^E. 
 
 80 
 
 filled, her mind and heart. The power of sin was sup- 
 pressed, every unsanctified emotion was kept away, and 
 holiness supreme was for the whole period kept alive 
 and active. As the action, so the result was unique. 
 The process here, though on a scale of greater power^ 
 corresponds to that observed in man’s original founda- 
 tion. There, two factors concurred, the body, formed 
 out of the dust, and the Divine Breath. Here, the two 
 factors were, (a) the germ of a human personality from 
 the substance of the mother, and (b) the Holy Spirit 
 who gave it developed existence. The conduction gives 
 that amazing result which John compresses in his great 
 saying ^‘the Word was made flesh.” The human factor 
 is the link which unites Jesus to our humanity (Gal. iv, 
 4). The Divine factor made Him like Adam, a. Man 
 sprung from an immediate new creative act, and so the 
 Son of God. He inherited and felt all the pains and 
 sorrows which afflict humanity. But, because absolute- 
 ly exempt from this rule of human origin, the trans- 
 mission of sinfulness, He was inherently free from all the 
 defilement which stains it. He had spotless innocence, 
 the negative condition of a holy life, and, in Him,the root 
 of that fruitage of holiness ever conspicuous in His ca- 
 reer. For the sinless Child developed into the Man 
 who was according to the mind of God, the true Man, 
 faithful in the midst ,of sinful men, the Wonderful 
 Man who delighted GoJ, refreshes humanity,delights the 
 holy, and stands alone, the only untainted and alto- 
 gether lovely fruit of the human soil. 
 
81 
 
 THE HOLT LIFE. 
 
 Section IV. 
 
 The Birth Circumcision and Naming of Zacha- 
 RiAH’s AND Elizabeth’s Child. 
 
 Place: City in the liill-country of Judah, perhaps Hebron. 
 
 Time: June, B. C., 5. 
 
 Luke i: 57-80. 
 
 Now Elizabeth’s full time came that she should be 
 delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her 
 neighbors and her kindred, isuggenees^) heard liow the 
 Lord had showed great mercy upon (toward, R. V.) her: 
 and they rejoiced with her. 
 
 And it came tQ pass, on the eighth day, that they 
 came to circumcise the child; and they called him 
 Zachariah, after the name of his father. 
 
 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he 
 shall be called John 
 
 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred 
 that is called by this name. And they made signs to 
 his father, how (what R, Y.) he would have him called. 
 
 And he asked for a writing-tablet, {pinahidion and 
 wTote, saying, His name is John. And his mouth was 
 opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he 
 spoke, blessing {eulogoon) God. 
 
 And they marvelled all. And fear came on all that 
 dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were 
 noised throughout all the hill-country of Judaea. And 
 all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, 
 saying, What then shall this child ba? (R. V.) 
 
 And his father Zachariah was filled with the Holy 
 Spirit, and prophesied, saying. 
 
 Blessed be the Lord, the (Jid) God of Israel; 
 
 For He hath visited and redeemed His people, 
 
 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us 
 In the house of JDavid His servant, 
 
82 
 
 tup: holy life. 
 
 (As He spake, by the moiitli of His holy pro- 
 pliets from of old, ap^ aioonos)^ 
 
 Salvation from our enemies, 
 
 And from the hand of all that hate us: • 
 
 To show mercy toward onr fathers, 
 
 And to remember Ilis holy covenant, 
 
 The oath which He sware to Abraham, our father, 
 To grant unto us, that we. 
 
 Being delivered out of the hand of our enemies 
 Might (should R. V.) serve Him without fear. 
 
 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our 
 days. 
 
 And thou, also, child, shalt be called 
 The prophet of the Most High: 
 
 For thou shalt go before the face of The Lord, 
 
 To prepare His way; 
 
 To give knowledge of salvation unto Ilis people 
 In (m) the remission of their ^m^^(splagchua eleous) 
 Through {did) the tender mercies of our God; 
 
 In which (en ois) the day-spring shall visit (R. V.) 
 us. 
 
 To give light to them that sit in darkness 
 And in the shadow of death, 
 
 To guide our feet into the way of peace. 
 
 John’s entire child- ) And the hand of the Lord 
 hood described. J was with him. 
 
 His entire youth \ And the child grew, and waxed 
 described. \ strong in spirit, and was in the 
 deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel. 
 
 While the incident mentioned in the close of the 
 last section was occurring in Galilee, those mentioned in 
 this section were occurring in J udsea. Elizabeth’s long 
 prayed for and waited-for child was born. And Luke’s 
 

TriE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 S3 
 
 narrative of his birth and the attending incidents gives ns 
 a most vivid picture of Jewish home life. We see the 
 gladness of the mother, and the gathering of her neigh- 
 bors and relatives — soon as tliey hear of the event — to 
 congratulate her, and rejoice with her, because the 
 Lord had magnified her much. We witness their man- 
 ifestations of joy, and almost fancy that we hear their 
 words. We see them again gathering on the day of 
 the babe’s admission into the congregation of Israel. 
 And the friendly encounter about his name, their sur- 
 prise at the mother’s words, and their protestation, their 
 appeal to the father, his decision, his ability to speak, 
 their surprise — all, move before us in such a home-like 
 and natural way that mind and heart are alike interest- 
 ed and pleased. 
 
 By birth this babe was a member of both the human 
 family and Jewish nation, but by circumcision alone 
 eould be incorporated into the covenant made with 
 Abraham. This was done by the chasan^ on the eighth 
 day after birth, and at the home. And ever since the 
 time of Abraham whose name was changed when he was 
 circumcised (Gen. xvii, 5,15,23), it had been the custom 
 to give the name in connection with the performance of 
 this rite. It was usual to give the child some family 
 name. When therefore Elizabeth said that his name 
 should be called John, the name given him by the an- 
 gel, and which signifies ‘^one whom Jehovah hestows^'^ 
 there was great surprise. This, said those present, is 
 not a family name. The matter was refejred to the 
 father. He called for 2^ ptnakidioji — a tablet smeared 
 with wax on which words were written with a sharp- 
 
84 
 
 THE HOtY LIFE. 
 
 pointed stylus. He wrote, His name is John. And 
 his emphatic “is’’ suggested higher than parental author- 
 ity in his determining the name. This it was which 
 awakened such astonishment. Immediately, by Divine 
 agency his tongue was loosed and poured forth a stream 
 of gratitude, thus showing that his soul had been set 
 free from the chains of unbelief, (see page 47), It had 
 deprived him of, obedience restored speech. Then the 
 breath of inspiration from The Spirit came upon him, 
 and taking up the golden thread which had dropped 
 from Mary’s lips, he prophesied of Him who was not 
 yet born, and of his own son’s relation to Him. Evi- 
 dently — as the phrase, “spake, blessing God” shows — 
 this song, which now burstsforth in all the glow of en- 
 rapt feeling from his lips had first ripened and been 
 sung in his soul during his months of enforced silence. 
 It was praise to Jehovah that the time of the Messiah 
 had come. It designates His Person as the One fore- 
 told by the prophets of old. It declared that after 400 
 years of silence Jehovah had again visited His people. 
 He was coming now to redeem them from both the 
 tyranny of foreign oppressors — “our enemies” — and the 
 oppression of native tyrants — “them that hate us” — 
 such as Herod and his party. Not as an end, but — for 
 perfect freedom of worship requires perfect outward 
 freedom and security — as a means to the end of perfect 
 freedom in the worship of God— “that we being deliv- 
 ered &c., might &c..” Freedom to worship God “in pur- 
 ity,” i. e.y with the absence of every stain, and 
 righteousness,” e,j with the presence of every virtue, 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 85 
 
 are two things indispensable to all acceptable wor^ 
 ship. 
 
 Then glancing from the exalted height upon which 
 he was gazing to the unconscious babe before him, he, 
 addressing him, proclaims his relation to the Coming 
 One, and therein liis future greatness. He was not to 
 bring in the deliverance of which he, (Zachariah) liad 
 spoken, but to prepare the way for its introduction. 
 The people’s minds had become saturated with eartlily 
 Messianic hopes. All they had looked or hoped for was 
 political! deliverance. This they had substituted for, 
 this they called the salvation of God. This false idea 
 must be dissipated by the true. God’s thought of sal- 
 vation must be restored to its true place in human 
 thinking. Men must be taught that the freedom of 
 God though including it, was immensely higher than a 
 mere deliverance from the yoke of the human oppression 
 — that it was freedom from the most odious and awful 
 chains of Satan and of sin. And this was to be John’s 
 mission. He was to give a knowledge of that salvation 
 which consists in the remission of sins. This remission 
 was to be by Him before whose face he was to go. 
 His way he was to prepare. He was to be the 
 prophet of the Most High. And he closes his exalted 
 strain with a most beautiful representation of the manner 
 of the coming of this salvation. It would be noiseless. 
 It w^ould cause no break, no jar in nature’s harmony. 
 Calmly as the dav;n comes forth to cheer the night- 
 belated traveller, w^ould it appear. It would come from 
 the tender merej of our God,and would come as light. It 
 
86 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 would chase away darkness. It would bring in, it 
 would guide our feet into the way of, peace. 
 
 Zachariah and Elizabeth had accomplished their part 
 in the wonderful movement, and disappear entirely 
 from view. Glory enough too, for them, to have been 
 the parents of such a son. He grew up all healthfully, 
 for the development of his childhood was effected by 
 the action of divine power — ^‘the hand of the Lord was 
 upon him.” And his entire youth and manhood up to 
 his entrance upon his public work is described in a 
 single verse: ‘‘He grew, he waxed strong in spirit, 
 he was in the desert until his showing unto Israel.” 
 
 But while he was thus growing up in communion with 
 nature and with God, the ferment started in the minds 
 of thi^ people around Hebron was working. The surprise 
 which had been awakei^ at the first on the day of 
 his circu incision. changed into fear. The ex- 
 traordinary facts occurring on that day were told in 
 every group of people, and at every family gathering, 
 throughout the hill-country of Judaea. They w^ere ask- 
 inor each other what manner of child this should be. 
 
 o 
 
 The facts were treasured in the memory, and pondered 
 in the mind — the first ferment in the public mind of the 
 thoughts and emofei^is belonging to the era about to 
 be introduced. 
 
 Six months after, John’s birth was followed by an- 
 other birth, the birth of all births. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 87 
 
 Section V. 
 
 The Birth of Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 Place: Bethlehem, in Judaea. Time: Dec. 25, B. C.5. 
 
 Luke ii, 1-20. 
 
 The reason why Joseph 1 came to pass in 
 
 and Mary ^^^nt from V days— A e., those 
 
 Nazareth to Bethlehem. ) followed the hirth of 
 
 John Baptist — that there went out a decree (edict, 
 dogma) from Ca 3 i‘ar Augustus, that all the (inhabitable, 
 oikoitmcnecn) world should be taxed (enrolled or regis- 
 tered, apographeetai). This taxing (enrollment, apo-^ 
 graphee) was the first made when Qnirinius was gov- 
 erner of Syria. And all went to be taxed (enrolled) 
 (enroll themselves, E. Y.), every one to his own city. 
 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city 
 of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city which is called 
 Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage 
 patrios) of David; to be taxed (enroll himself) 
 with Mary his espoused wife^ (who was betrothed to 
 him), being great with child. And so it was, that, 
 while they were there, the days were accomplished that 
 she should be delivered. And she brouglit forth her 
 first-born son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, 
 and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room 
 for them in the inn. 
 
 The angels announce His ) 
 
 birth— the first proclamation shepherds 
 
 of the gospel on earth. ) 
 
 kai) keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, 
 the (an, R, V.,) angel of the Lord came upon (stood by) 
 them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about 
 them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said 
 
 \^Giniik€e^wife is wanting in the oldest and best mass.] 
 
88 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 unto them. Fear not; for, behold I bring you good tid- 
 ings of great joy which shall be to all (the, tod) peo- 
 ple. For unto you is born this day in the city of 
 bavid, a Saviour, which is Christ, the Lord. And this 
 is to you a (the, to') sign ; ye shall find the (a, R. Y. 
 babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 
 
 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of 
 the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 
 
 Overture of ) Glory to God in the highest, and on 
 the angels. J earth peace, good will to men (peace 
 among men in whom He is well pleased, R. Y.). 
 
 The shepherds go to 'I And it came to pass, when 
 Bethlehem, see the the angels went away from them 
 fact,publish what they ^ into heaven, the shepherds said 
 had seen and heard, one to another. Let us now go 
 and return. J even unto Bethlehem, and see 
 this thing that is come to pass, which the Lord hath 
 made known unto us. And they came with haste, and 
 found both Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the 
 manger. And when they saw it, they made known 
 concerning the saying which was spoken to them about 
 this child. 
 
 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising 
 God for all the things that they had heard and seen, 
 even as it was spoken unto them. 
 
 Impression upon the ) And all that heard it won- 
 hearers of their words, j dered at the things which were 
 spoken unto them by the shepherds. 
 
 But Mary kept all these sayings, 
 ^ pondering them in her heart. 
 
 Impression / 
 upon Mary. 
 
 Wonderfully rich in authentic and divine truth is 
 the section upon which we now enter. No master in 
 literature has given us a delineation so exquisitely beau- 
 tiful. The grouping of details is perfect. The con- 
 
MODERN BETHLEHEM. 
 
Modern Bethlehem. 
 

 
 ^5 
 
 
 
 b 
 
 
 
 
 %■ m 
 
r 
 
 
 
 
AUGUSTUS 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 89 
 
 trasts are most vivid. The rhythm of the sentences is 
 like that of music. The poetry of the style grows out 
 of the poetry of the subject. Fiction could not present 
 such a picture. It must be fact. 
 
 While Joseph was waiting at Nazareth, a circum- 
 stance most unexpected and one over which he had no 
 control, compelled him to go to Bethlehem, the town 
 whence he had come, and where he had been born. 
 
 This was'the decree of the Roman Emperor, Caesar 
 Augustus, that ^^all the world,’’ L ^., as comprehended 
 in the Roman Empire — for to it this phrase when used 
 in the Gospels refers — should be enrolled (apagraph- 
 esthai)^ The verb includes, and here may have the 
 two ideas of (a) enrollment of persons as a census (Acts 
 V, 37} and (b) of persons and property for the purpose 
 . of taxation. But what the decree embraced, or what 
 was the Emperor’s object in issuing it, or how it was 
 executed in Judaea, Luke does not inform us. He only 
 gives the fact that an enrollment of the people had been 
 ordered by an imperial decree. His only object in 
 mentioning it at all was to show what brought Joseph 
 and Mary to Bethlehem. The decree required his en- 
 rollment. And the Jewish mode of doing this required 
 that the males should be enrolled in the place of the 
 family, and of birth, rather than of one’s own residence. 
 The phrase, apagrapsasthai sun Marian^ enrolled with 
 
 [*The Greek verb was generally used by Grecian writers on 
 Roman affairs as equivalent to census {Winer), Upon the questions 
 connected with this taxing, and tlie chronological one in vs. 2, the 
 reader can consult Andrew, pgs. 66-79 and Ebrard, pgs. 126-149.] 
 
90 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE, 
 
 Mary^ shows that she as well as Joseph had to be en- 
 rolled. And the Emperor’s decree would nullify tlic 
 Jewish law which was content with the signature, with- 
 out demanding the presence, of the wife. It was there- 
 hn’e not Mary’s condition, nor any knowledge she may 
 have had of Micah’s prophecy (v. 2), nor any religious 
 or theocratic consideration whatever, but an involun- 
 tary and political one that led them to their ancestral 
 home. The distance was about 70 miles. Thej^ went 
 on foot. After leaving the picturesque hills *of Galilee, 
 they passed along the great highway through Samaria, 
 where a smiling landscape gladdened the eye at almost 
 every step. On they went, by or through Jerusalem, 
 and over the rugged and stony hill-country of Judaea, 
 until they reached Bethlehem, six miles south of the 
 Holy City, on the way to Hebron. 
 
 This town, though one of the oldest towns in Pales- 
 tine, as old at least as Jacob’s return to that country, 
 (Gen. xxxv),and though the ancestral seat of David’s fam- 
 ily, and his birth-place, was always a place of insignifi- 
 cance. It has no mention in the lists of the towns of 
 Judah (Josh. xv). And it was recognized as being ob- 
 scure in the pro])hetic word which foretold its coming 
 greatness: ‘‘out of thee, Bethlehem, too small to be 
 among the thousands of Israel, ”(IIeb.) — i. e,, the towns 
 where the heads of the municipalities resided “shall come 
 Ac.,” Mi, V. 2). It, though called “the city of David,” 
 was but a small village, lying on the eastern brow of a 
 ridge that runs from east to west, a mile in length, 
 six miles southwest from Jerusalem. It is surround- 
 

 
i'asturo near Bethlehem; faint outlines of mountains of Moab in the distance. 
 
A PLAIN NEAR BETHLEHEM. 
 
 pasture near Bethlehem 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 91 
 
 cd by lower hills which do not shut out the horizon. 
 It commands an extensive view towards the east and. 
 south. And the landscape stretching away towards the 
 Dead Sea and the mountains of Moab is both soft and 
 striking. The country around it is fertile, whence its 
 name, Bethlehem {house of ir^a^)-Ephratah; and 
 its downs afford excellent pasturage for sheep. The 
 place is rich in historic associations. There lay the 
 l^ids of Boaz in which Kuth gleaned. There lived 
 Jesse, and, for a time, David, his great son. And its 
 scenes, natural and pastoral, gave him some of the ten- 
 derest and finest thoughts wliich his muse wrought in- 
 to the richest notes of poetry. There came Samuel to 
 anoint him as Saul’s successor to the throne. There, 
 according to an ancient prophecy, whose meaning the 
 Jews never questioned, and whose literal fulfillment 
 they never doubted, was the Messiah to be born. And 
 there now, through human agencies which had no know- 
 ledge of that prophecy, Joseph and Mary had been 
 compelled to come. 
 
 It was his, perhaps, also her birth-place. But they 
 must have been unknown, or forgotten; for no one there 
 was ready to give them welcome or a home. There was 
 no ‘‘inn” there, in our use of that word. And the word 
 translated “inn,” is properly the guest-chamber (Mk. 
 xiv, Lk. xxii), in a private house. Every family kept 
 such an apartment, for hospitality was regarded as not on- 
 ly a natural, but also a sacred duty which — the Kabbis said 
 — merited a richer reward than the discharge of almost 
 any other duty. They found no such a room there. But 
 
92 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 Luke^s narrative docs not intimate that it was from any 
 want of kindness that Joseph and Mary had to take the 
 shelter which they did. And some sermons, and popular 
 ones too, on,‘^no room for Christ in the inn,’’ may be very 
 good in their application, but their basic idea, as the 
 sermons themselves put it, have very little foundation in 
 fact. When they reached the village every guest-cham- 
 ber was filled. They had to take such accomodations as 
 yet remained. And this was a place half-kitchen, half- 
 stable, built against the hill-side, the stable part of it 
 being, perhaps^j one of those natural small caves which 
 are found there to this day. At least in their lodging- 
 room there was a manger or trough from which cattle 
 were fed. But this does not at all imply that either 
 cattle or asses were in there at that time. It was pro- 
 bably a friend’s house, perhaps on the outskirts of the 
 village at which they stopped. They had the best which 
 their friend could offer under the circumstances. And 
 in that obscure and lowly place,perhaps a cave in the rear 
 of the room, and used for cattle, occured the grandest 
 event in the history of tl^ world. There the Son of 
 God was born, and in a manger, the only thing at 
 hand, was laid.* This ia| He to whom all prophecy 
 
 [*A tradition at least as old a\the second century, points to a 
 cave over which tlie Empress Helcite built a cJiurch (A. D. 325 , 
 and where Jerome (A. D. 400) dwelmmany years, and where now 
 stands the oldest church in tlic w^orld- the cliurcli built bvthe em 
 peror Justinian upon the site of the one built by the Emf»ress 
 Helena, as the cave of the Nativity. The spot in the cave where 
 Jesus was born is marked by a silver altar, and on a marble slab 
 in it are the words, Ilic de mrgine M nr ia Jesu Christos natvs esi, 
 A silver lamp is suspended above it which is kept perpetually 
 burning. Dr. Thompson {Land and Book^ ii, 533,) defends this 
 
t 
 
 1 
 
•• And rlicrn \ve!<‘ t-hepherds at)idin" in tlie fudd^ 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 93 
 
 points, in whom all the lines of prophecy converge; 
 who, Isaiah said, ‘‘shall be called Immanuel, God with 
 us;” whom Elizabeth and Zacliariah before, and John 
 Baptist after, llis birth, “all filled with The Spirit,” 
 pointed to, and spoke of, as “the Son of God;” whom 
 saints called “the Hoi}" One,” demons addressed as “the 
 Holy One of God;” who, before His birth was called, 
 ‘^tliat Holy Thing,” and after His death, “that Holy 
 One;” the One from whose birth a new dating of time 
 begins; the Fountain on earth which The Spirit built, 
 from which salvation and its living waters were to be 
 conveyed to the children of men; and the One Divine 
 Center, from and around which He moves in all His 
 operations as relating to man. And yet this august 
 Temple of the Most High was born in a stable, and 
 His first bed was a trough, a manger from which cattle 
 were ted. 
 
 But though unheralded and unknown to the great of 
 earth, an event so auspicious could not be unnoticed in 
 Heaven. December in Palestine is a beautiful month. 
 The young grains are growing. Early vegetables are in 
 tiie market. The earth is clothed with rich verdure. 
 The trees are vocal with the songs of birds. And the 
 weather, tempered by the blowing of the south wind, 
 
 tradition, and says, “I have seen many such caves, consisting of 
 one or more rooms, id front of and including even those where 
 cattle were kept. My opinion is, tliat Jesus' birth took place in 
 the room of a peasant, and that the Babe was laid in a trough. 
 This trough is built of small stones and mortar, in the shape of a 
 kneeding trough, and wlien cLuined does very well to lay little 
 babes in. My own children have slept in them.” Land and Book 
 ii-98.] 
 
9 ^ 
 
 THE holy LIEE. 
 
 is dry, often most delightful, and always favorable to 
 open air life, and the feeding of flochs.* 
 
 Such was the weather on this night. The air was 
 balmy. The heavens, resplendent with stars, were de- 
 claring the glory and goodness of God. On one of the 
 near hills, or in one of tlie plains rich with grass, — per- 
 liaps the very one where David had fed his father’s 
 flocks in days of yore — were some men, uninterested in 
 the bustle of the town. These were sheplierds abiding in 
 the fields, and watching their flocks — sheep doubtless, 
 intended for sacrifice. These men, doubtless, belonged 
 to that company which included in it pious Simeon and 
 kindred spirits. They had the fear of the Lord, and 
 waited for His salvation. They may have been musing. 
 Tliey may have been talking among themselves about 
 the expected Deliverer. To them was granted, and this 
 shows that they were in a true heart-condition to re- 
 ceive it, a heavenly vision. Suddenly the glory of the 
 Lord sho^ round about them, and an angel of the Lord 
 was present {ephisteemi ) — one of the mediators he of the 
 Old Testament theocratic revelations. The startling 
 sight filled them with great fear. ‘‘Fear not” said the 
 angel, ‘‘for behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy 
 which shall be to all people. Unto you is born this day 
 in the city of David, a Saviour which is Christ the 
 Lord. You will find Him in a manger.” 
 
 Tlien suddenly the air was resonant lor the first and 
 only time with the jubilant voices of a great choir of 
 
 |*B:ir(!kley, City of Grmt King, 414-420, Scliw irtz, Geography 
 of Palestine^ 851-381. Tlioinp^ou’s Land and Book. Toblei ’s Beth- 
 lehem. 
 
the vnnunciation to the siiei>iiei:i>s 
 
ANNUNCIATION TO THE SHEPHERDS. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 95 
 
 tlie heavenly host praising God, and singing in tri- 
 umphant strains, ‘‘Glory to God in the highest, peace 
 on eartli, good will to men; a fact, possibly referred to 
 in “when he bringeth in the First Begotten into the 
 world, lie saith. And let all the angels of God worship 
 Him.” (lleb. i, 6.) 
 
 The voices died away. The brightness disappeared. 
 The heavens resumed their wonted quiet. Then the 
 shepherds set out in haste for the village. They climbed 
 the steep hills. They entered tlie town, and there 
 in a stable on one of the steep and narrow streets 
 they found the Holy Child. They had heard of His 
 glory. They saw His lowly lot — greatness and frailty 
 conjoined. They told their story. They gave Him 
 their worship — the first of that long procession which 
 has ever since been bowing down before Him in adoration. 
 Then they returned to their flocks, glorifying and 
 praising God. And while the astonished people won- 
 dered at the tidings which they had told, Mary revolved 
 {sunballod) their words and carefully preserved {sun- 
 eerod) them in her heart, a sacred treasure to transmit 
 to the Gliurch. 
 
 Section VI. 
 
 The Circumcision of Jesus, 
 
 Place: Bethlehem. Time: Jan. 2cl, B. C. 4. 
 
 The Presentation of Him to the Lord. 
 
 Place: Temple in Jerusalem. Time: Feb. 4 or 5, B. C. 4. 
 Luke ii, 21-38. Matt, i, 25. 
 
 When eight days were accomjdished for the circum- 
 cising of the Child, He was called — he, {Joseph) called 
 His name — Jesus, which was so named of the ano-el be- 
 
9v5 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 fore He was conceived in the womb. 
 
 And when the days of her autoon) purification, 
 
 according to the law of Moses, were accomplished (ful- 
 filled, R. V.) they brought Him to Jerusalem to pre- 
 sent Him to the Lord, (as it is written in the law of the 
 Lord (Ex. xiii, 12, Nurn. viii, 17), Every male that 
 openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord), and 
 to offer a sacrifice accordinof to that which is said in the 
 law of the Lord (Lev. vii 4-6), A pair of turtle doves, 
 or two young pigeons. 
 
 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose 
 name was Simeon; and the same (this, R. V.) man was 
 just (righteous, R. Y.) and devout, waiting (looking, 
 R. Y.) for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy 
 Spirit was upon him. And it was (had been,) revealed 
 to Him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see 
 death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he 
 came by (in) The Spirit into the Temple; and when the 
 parents brought in the Child, Jesus, to do for Him 
 (that they might do concerning Him, R. Y.) after the 
 custom of the law, then he took up (received, R. Y.) 
 Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 
 
 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart, 
 According to thy word, in peace; 
 
 For mine eyes have seen thy Salvation, 
 
 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all 
 people; 
 
 A Light to lighten (to give revelation to, R.Y.) the 
 Gentiles, 
 
 And the glory of thy people Israel. 
 
 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things 
 which were spoken of Him. 
 
 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary His 
 mother, Reliold this Child is set for the fall (falling, R. 
 Y.), and rising up of many in Israel; and for a sign. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 97 
 
 which shall be (is, R. Y.) spoken against; yea and a 
 sword shall pierce through thine own soul also; that 
 the thouglits of many hearts may be revealed. 
 
 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter 
 ot Phanuel, of the tribe of Aslier; she was of a great 
 age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her 
 virginity; and she was (had been, R. V.) a widow of 
 about (even for, R. Y.) fourscore and four years, which 
 departed not from the Temple, but served (worship- 
 ing, R. Y.) God with fastings and prayers night and 
 day. And she corning in that instant (coming up at 
 that very hour, R. Y.) gave thanks likewise unto the 
 Lord, and spake of Him to all them that looked (were 
 looking, R. .Y) for (the, R. Y.) redemption in (of, R. 
 Y.) Jerusalem. 
 
 And when they had performed (accomplished, R. Y.) 
 all things (that were, R. Y.) according to the law of 
 the Lord, they returned — . 
 
 A narrative of myths would not first give statements 
 asserting the immaculate purity of its hero, and then, 
 in almost the next succeeding sentence give those state- 
 ments as to circumcision and purification which seem- 
 ingly destroy the correctness of the statement as to pur- 
 ity. But a truthful narrator of facts tells them, let the 
 consequences be what they may. 
 
 Eight days after birth Jesus was circumcised, and 
 then received that name which had been given Him be- 
 fore His birth, and which marked out one object of 
 His mission, viz: ^Ho save His people from their sins.’^ 
 Forty days after His birth — at the legal close of the 
 period of purification — His parents brought Him to the 
 Temple to present Him to the Lord, and to offer that 
 
98 
 
 tHE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 sacrifice which redeemed from the priestly service every 
 first born male of Israel (Lev. xii, 5-6). They were too 
 poor to offer a lamb, and so brought a pair of turtle 
 doves, or two young pigeons. 
 
 The two rites — the purification of the mother, and 
 tlie redemption of the first-born — though closely con- 
 nected, were yet^distinct. In the first, the offerings 
 were brought to the Court of the Woman by both 
 the father and mother, for it was their purification, and 
 were there taken from them by the Levites, who carried 
 •them hence to the Court of the Priests, there to be 
 burned on tlie altar, after the morning sacrifice. While 
 these were being offered the parents poured forth their 
 gratitude to God for carrying the mother safely 
 through her sickness, and also for Ills gift of a child. 
 And after the priest had entered, and had, while sprink- 
 ling some of the blood of the morning sacrifice up- 
 on them both, pronounced them clean, the ceremony 
 closed. 
 
 This done, they brought the child, when it was a first- 
 born son, to a priest to have it redeemed. In memory 
 of the exodus from Egypt, and of the preservation of 
 the first-born on that night, the eldest son was regarded 
 as devoted to the Lord, and he was to be redeemed by 
 an ofPuring not exceeding five shekels (about $1.50.) 
 This redemption ])ointed also to the double fact that, (a) 
 upon the first-born had devolved the duty of the priest, 
 liood of the family, and (b) that tlie tribe of Levi hav- 
 ing been constituted the only priests, the priestly ser- 
 vices of the first-born were no longer required. But 
 
THE cnuj) JESUS BROUGHT TO T*IE TEMPLE, 
 

 >V 
 
 
the HOLlr LIFE. 99 
 
 the first-born son was regarded as still sacred to God. 
 He, hence, when forty days old, had to be brought to the 
 Temple, and there consecrated to God. But the re- 
 demption-price of five shekels after the shekels of the 
 sanctuary paid into tlie Temple treasury was accepted 
 as anequwalent for this priestly service. The ceremony 
 was quite simple. ^‘1 have brought this, our first-born 
 son,” said the father to the priest, ‘‘to be dedicated to 
 the service of God.” ^‘Will you give him up to that 
 service,” asked the priest, ^‘or will you redeem him?” 
 will,” said the father, ^‘redeem him; here are the five 
 shekels due for his redemption.” As he handed the 
 money to the priest, he said, ^^Blessed art Thou, O Lord 
 our God, King of the universe, who hast sanctified us 
 with Thy commandments, and commanded us to per- 
 form the redemption of oar first-born son. Blessed art 
 Thou who hast preserved us to enjoy this season.” 
 The priest then took the money, passed it round the 
 child’s head as a symbol of redemption, laid his hand 
 on the child’s brow and said, ^‘This child is instead of 
 this money, and this money is instead of this child. 
 May this child be brouglit to the law, and to the fear 
 of Heaven; and as he has been brought to be ransomed, 
 so may he enter into the law, and good deeds.” He 
 then placed both hands on the child’s head, and said, 
 ‘‘God make thee as Ephraim and Manasseh. The Lord 
 bless and preserve thee. The Lord lift up the light of 
 His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 
 Length of days, years, and peace be gathered to thee; 
 and God keep thee from all evil, and save thy soul.” 
 
100 
 
 The holy life. 
 
 And with this blessing on their child, the parents de- 
 parted to their hoine.^ 
 
 On that day doubtless many other parents had gath- 
 ered there for purification, and many an other first-born 
 son was redeemed. But in the case of this Infant 
 alone, the extraordinary occurred. He could appear no 
 where without causing a stir. While His parents were 
 yet in the Temple Courts they were approached by a 
 man venerable in years and goodness. So long and 
 continuously had Simeon walked in fellowship with the 
 Lord, and under the moving of Tlie Spirit, that his 
 well-established cliJU’acter in the city is described as 
 ‘‘righteous toward God and man, and devout.” The po- 
 litical ruin and moral and religious decay pressed heavily 
 upon his heart. He saw no hope from man He was 
 looking with longing for the Consolation of Israel. 
 11 is life was over. Hone with earth, he was anxious to 
 go home. But it had been revealed to him by The 
 Spirit that he should not see death, until he had seen 
 its Conqueror, the Lord’s Christ. How long, day by 
 day, he had been thus waiting that sight, in order that, 
 having obtained it, he might go home, we are not told. 
 But the hour had now come when his heart’s desire 
 would be gratified. Moved by The Spirit he, on that 
 morning, went into the Temple. The Infant was pointed 
 out to him. Soon as he saw Him he received Him in- 
 to his arms. Then gazing steadily and earnestly upon 
 the Babe, he, in the hearing of all, blessed God for this 
 signal favor, poured forth his heart-prayer, and with 
 
 [♦Caliuet. on Num. xviii. Geikie, Life of Christy cliapt. x. 
 
SIMEON AND ANNA IN THE TEMPLE. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 101 
 
 prophetic voice proclaimed the CliikPs mission: ^‘Lord, 
 now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace, according 
 to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy sooteerion^ap- 
 paratiis^ or means of salvation^ which Thou hast pre- 
 pared in the view of all nations as The Light of the 
 Gentiles — the first time Jesus is calledThe Light — and 
 as the glory of thy people Israel.” Tlien, while Joseph 
 and Mary were in an amazement at hearing these words 
 concerning the BabejSimeonjborne further onward by The 
 Spirit’s inspiration, blessed the parents and said to 
 the mother that her Child, heitei^ is placed tlieve^ i. e.j 
 has this destination, is set for the falling — because they 
 would reject — and for the rising up— because they would 
 accept Him as the Messiah — of many in Israel; that He 
 should be for a Sign spoken against, for a Revelator of 
 thoughts, for a Reparator of mankind; and that the sor- 
 rows and sufferings which He should endure would 
 pierce her (the mother’s) own heart through with an- 
 guish keen as a sword. 
 
 Scarcely had the venerable man closed this psean, 
 so oracular and original, so concise and touching, and 
 either had handed? or was in the act of handing the babe 
 back to the mother, when another venerable form ap- 
 proached, and also proclaimed His future greatness. This 
 was Anna the prophetess. She was the daughter of 
 Phanuel, and of the tribe of Asher. Marrying, as Jew- 
 ish maidens did, at twelve or fourteen, she was a wife 
 only seven years when her husband died. From this 
 time on, i, ^., from her nineteenth or twenty-first year 
 she bad lived a widow indeed. This was regarded in 
 
102 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 Judaea as most honorable. She was known to all the 
 frequenters of the Temple as the habitual worshiper; for 
 she departed not from it, but worshiped there with 
 fastings and prayers night and day — i. was dead to 
 the world, and lived only to, and served God. Thus had 
 she lived through the long period of eighty-four years. 
 She had now pissed her hundredth year, yet she was 
 still active, still was found among the worshipers. And 
 on this morning, while the venerable Simeon was speak- 
 ing or had just ended his memorable words, she, epistasa 
 having made her appearance^ suddenly and unexpected- 
 ly, audibly gave thanks to God, and extolled Ills name 
 {anthoomologeitoy Then turning to all the pious 
 present who with her were looking for redemption in 
 Jerusalem, the theocratic central seat of God’s people, 
 she spake of Him to them. 
 
 Thus ended this memorable, this auspicuous day. 
 And we may well imagine with what full, subdued, and 
 happy hearts Joseph and Mary would leave the Sacred 
 House with their precious deposit, musing and talking 
 together on the way to Bethlehem, of all the extraor- 
 dinary incidents thus far connected with Him. 
 
 Section Yll. 
 
 Adoration of the Child by the Chald.?:an Magi. 
 
 Place: Bethlehem. Time: Feb. B. C. 4. 
 
 Matthew ii, 1-12. Luke ii, 39. 
 
 Now when they had perlbrined all things according 
 to the law of the Lord, they returned to Bethlehem in 
 Judah^ where Jesus was {had hem) born. It was in 
 
TFIE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 103 
 
 the days of Herod the king: and Behold there came 
 wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is 
 He that is born king of the Jews? for we have seen 
 (saw, K. V.) His star in tlie east, and are come to wor- 
 ship Him. • 
 
 And when Herod the king heard tliese things (it, B. 
 V.), he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him- 
 
 And when he had gathered (and gathering, R. V.) 
 together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, 
 he demanded (inquired, R. Y.) of them where (the, ho^) 
 Christ should be born. 
 
 And they said unto him. In Bethlehem of Judaea: 
 tor thus it is written by (through, dia) the prophet, 
 Micah (v. 2): 
 
 And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, 
 
 Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: 
 For out of thee shall come forth a Governor, 
 WJiich sliall rule (be shepherd of, R. V.) My peo- 
 ple Israel. 
 
 Then Herod when he had privily called the wise 
 •men (Magi), inquired of them diligently (learned of 
 them carefully, R. Y.) what time tlie star appeared. 
 And he sent them to Bethlehem; and said. Go, and 
 search diligently (out carefully R. Y.) concerning {peri) 
 the young Child; and when ye have found Him, bring 
 me word again, that I may come and worship Him 
 also. 
 
 When they heard (having heard, R.Y.,) the king, they 
 departed; and lo, the star which they saw in the east, 
 went before them, till it came and stood over where the 
 young Child was. And when they saw the star they 
 rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they 
 were come into the house, they saw the young Child 
 with Mary, His mother; and they fell down and wor- 
 shiped Him; and when they had opened their treasures, 
 
104 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 they presented (offered, E. Y,) unto Him gifts; gold, 
 and frankincense, and inyrrli. 
 
 And being warned of God in a dream that they 
 should not return to Herod, they departed into their 
 own country another way. 
 
 The Child had already received a three fold adora- 
 tion: (a), that of the shepherds, in a stable, in Bethlehem; 
 and, (b, c), those of Simeon, and of the aged Anna, in the 
 Temple, at Jerusalem. These were given him by Jews. 
 But Simeon had declared that this Child was to be 
 Vhoos Light for the enlightenment apokalupsin of the 
 Gentiles. And now the fourth adoration was given 
 Him by their representatives. This was given at Beth- 
 lehem, whither, after they had done all required of 
 them according to the holy law, Joseph and Mary had 
 returned, and where it seems they wished to live. 
 
 The appearance of the Child in Jerusalem had crea- 
 ted no stir outside of the faithful remnant. But not 
 many days after His mother and Joseph had returned 
 to Bethlehem, sometime in February* certain Magi, or 
 wise men, from the East, apo anatoloon (in the plural) 
 appeared in Jerusalem. 
 
 Their appearance on the streets would attract atten- 
 tion. But their startling question, put publicly, was 
 enough to throw the whole city into a ferment; Where 
 is He ho techtheis hasileus^ not, born King of, but the 
 horn King oi the Jews, i. e.^ the lineal and legitimate 
 one? For they went on to say, ‘‘we saw His star in the 
 
 [* Herod was at Jericho, March 12-13 of that year, and there 
 died tljat Si)ring, Jos. Ant. 17. 6. 4.J 
 
“THERE CAME WISE MEN FROM THE EAST TO JERUSALEM, SAYIN(i WHERE 
 IS HE THAT IS BORN KIN(; OE THE JEWS?” 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 105 
 
 east, or en teeanotolee^ in the rising \ and are come to 
 worship Him.” 
 
 Well might the announcement of a born King of the 
 Jews, and so the lineal and lawful heir to the Davidic 
 throne, cause the tyrant and usurper to tremble, and the 
 people, as much afraid of new revolutions as of his 
 wrath, to be alarmed: “Ilerod was troubled, and all 
 Jerusalem with him.” 
 
 The announcement of Jesus’ kingship made to the 
 Virgin had been made privately. Now for the first 
 time publicly, and, strange the fact, by Gentiles. Who 
 were these? and whence obtained they this informa- 
 tion? All that the narrative tells us is, that they were 
 Magi, from the East, that they knew there was a born- 
 king of the Jews, for, in their own land they had seen 
 His star, and had come to worship Him. The general- 
 ly received opinion is, that they came from Persia, be- 
 longed to the nobler class of citizens, and were devotees 
 of the religion of Zoroaster.* The name appears twice 
 in the Old Testament and is given as a title, Rab-Mag, 
 (Head of the college of Magi) of certain of the Chaldaean 
 officers sent by Nebuchadnezzar to Jerusalem (Jer. 
 xxxix, 3, 13). During the days of Daniel the persons 
 comprehended under this term appear under the name 
 of Chaldaeans, or astrologers. They seem to have held 
 in common with him, abhorrence of idolatry and the 
 doctrine of One God, and may further have been poss- 
 
 [* See Preliminary Study, Holy Sorrow. For perhaps all 
 that can be known upon the subject of the Magi, see Smith’s Bib. 
 Diet. Art. Magi, and Ebrard pg. 172-186. Trench’s work on the 
 subject of this section may be profitably consultcd.J 
 
106 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 essed of some of the elements of truth which had been 
 levealed to his fathers, and which somehow they had 
 obtained. They seem also to Imve had his respect 
 (^Dan. ii, 24, v, 11, vi, 3, 16, see also Is. xliv 28). Nor 
 is it impossible but that they may have received from 
 him, or from others, information concerning the proph- 
 ecies about the promised Messiah. At any rate, no 
 ni l t ter how they obtained the information, or from 
 wliat particular country lying to the eastward of Pales- 
 tine they came, here they then were, men of distinction, 
 bearing the same office and name as those who were in 
 the minds of the LXX when they translated Daniel, and 
 as those described by Philo as ^‘astronomers and astrolo- 
 gers who mingled no fraud with their efforts after a 
 higlier knowledge.*’ By the description “from the East’’ 
 tliiy are distinguished, most probably intentionally 
 Irom the western Magi scattered over the Homan world, 
 and who were fortune-tellers and monger- workers (Acts 
 xiii, 6, 8, Grk). They were, perhaps, Destur Mobeds, i. 
 e., the most perfect teachers of a higher wisdom — the 
 highest religious ■ teachers in the Zoroastrian system. 
 They were not idoloters. During, and perhaps since, the 
 exile in Babylon, their nation had been much in contact 
 with the Jews of the Dispersion. By this contact their 
 own religion had become purified. They must have had 
 some acquaintance with the Hebrew Sacred Books, with 
 ilie prophecies of Daniel, and perhaps with those of 
 Balaam concerning the star (Num. xxii-xxv, xxiv, 17). 
 They knew of tlie old and universally spread opinion, 
 amounting in their day to a universal expectation, that 
 
W' 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 '■■n 
 
 
 
Wi ^i: Mkn thk Star, 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 107 
 
 from tlie Jews would come a King born in Judaea, who 
 would rule the world. They were students of the 
 stars. They saw a star in their own land which to 
 them meant much. For, not improbably, God Himself, 
 who had more than once given revelations to the 
 heathen, gave them a revelation of the fact — making 
 His thought known to them in a Chaldaean form, 
 through this star, as He made Himself known to the 
 shepherds, in the Hebrew form, through the Shekinah 
 and vision of angels. At least the impulse moved 
 them to commit themselves to the guidance of that star 
 which they called ^^the star of the King of the Jews.’’ 
 Was this siderial appearance a coiijuction of certain plan- 
 ets, which, according to Kepler, occured A. U. 0. 718? 
 or was it some designated star,or a new star, or some 
 extraordinary luminous body in form of a star, which 
 having accomplished the end for which it appeared — the 
 guiding of the Magi — disappeared forever? No one 
 knows. But already the day-star must have arisen in 
 their hearts, or they would not have looked for a star 
 in the heavens, much less, ladened with gifts, have fol- 
 lowed its guidance for some months, until they reached 
 Jerusalem. And here they are. They come, asking 
 where is the born-king of the Jews? They come, declar- 
 ing that they had seen His star in the East and are 
 come to worship Him. And they come, bringing the 
 gifts of subject kings (Gen. xliii, 11, 1 Kg. x, 2, 10, 
 2 Chron. ix, 21, Bs. Ixxii, 16). 
 
 Such alarming facts agitated tlie whole city. The 
 cruel and deceitful tyrant instantly assembled the San- 
 
108 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 hedrim and inquired of it where Tlie(A(?) Christ should 
 be born. They told him Bethlehem of Judah, for so 
 an ancient oracle had declared. At once his decision 
 was made. Tliat Child must be put out of the way be- 
 fore its birth could be generally known. He acted 
 with the promptness and cunning of his character. 
 He privily called for the Magi. The interview was 
 private. As the matter was most important to him 
 the inquiries were most minute. He questioned them 
 as to the whole sidereal phenomenon, and especially — ■ 
 that he might find out the age of the Child, and wdiether 
 the Chald jeans were engaged in a plot — as to the time 
 when the star appeared. Having obtained from them 
 all the information he could, he sent them to Bethle- 
 hem, and commanded them to bring him word when 
 they had found Him. His object in this was, pro- 
 fessedly, that he might go and worship, really, that he 
 miglit kill. Him. They left the city. The star re-ap- 
 peared, and went before them. This filled them with 
 joy. They entered the village. The crowds, gathered 
 there by the imperial decree, which had filled it to 
 overflowing, and had forced Joseph and Mary to take 
 shelter in a stable, had left. The place had resumed 
 its usual quiet. The star’s light streamed down over 
 where the young Child was. They entered the house. 
 They saw the young Child with its mother. They wor- 
 shiped Him. They presented Him the gifts usually 
 given by subject kings — gold, frankincense and myrrh. 
 Then warned of God in a dream, not to return to Herod 
 — of dreams were they famous interpreters from of old — 
 
THE WISE MEN DEPARTINli FOR THEIR HOMES 
 

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 A 
 
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OSEFB '(V&RMED IM A DREAM 
 
1?HE HOLY LIFE. 109 
 
 they departed to their own country another way; and 
 disappear wholly and forever from our view. 
 
 SECTION VIII. 
 
 The Warning to Joseph, given in Bethlehem : Fol- 
 lowed BY the Flight into Egypt. 
 
 Herod 8 bloody purpose; its cause; Bethlehem. 
 
 Time : Feb.-J une, B. C. 4. 
 
 Matt, ii, 13-23. 
 
 And when they the Magi^ were departed, behold, 
 the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, 
 saying. Arise and take the young Child and his mother, 
 and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring 
 thee word (tell thee, R. Y.); for Herod will seek the 
 young Child to destroy Him. When he arose, he took 
 the young Child and His mother by night and departed 
 into Egypt; and was there until the death of Herod; 
 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord, 
 through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called 
 (did I call, R. v .) my Son. 
 
 Then Herod when he saw that he was mocked of the 
 Wise Men {Magi)^ was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, 
 and slew all the (male, R. Y.) children that were in 
 Bethlehem, and in all the coasts (borders, R. Y.) there- 
 of, from two years old and under, according to the time 
 which he had diligently inquired (carefully learned, R. 
 Y.) of the Wise Men, [Magi). Then was fulfilled that 
 which was spoken by Jeremiah, the prophet (xxxi, 15), 
 A voice was heard in Rarnah, 
 
 Lamentation, weeping and great mourning, 
 
 Rachel weeping for her children; 
 
 And she would not be comforted, because they are 
 not. 
 
 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the 
 Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 
 
110 
 
 THE HOLY LIES. 
 
 Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and 
 go into the land of Israel: for they are dead that 
 sought the young Child’s life. And lie arose, and took 
 the young Child and His mother and came into the 
 land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did 
 reign in (was reigning over, R. V.) Judoea, in the room 
 of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: not- 
 withstanding (and, R. Y.), being warned of God in a 
 dream, he turned aside, (withdrew, R. Y.) — they re- 
 turned — into the parts of Galilee. And he came and 
 dwelt in a city— their own city — called Nazareth: that 
 it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, 
 He shall be called a Nazarene.* 
 
 Immediately after the departure of the Magi, Joseph 
 was warned in a dream of Herod’s wicked purpose, and 
 was told to take the Child and His mother and fiee in- 
 to Egypt, and there remain until told to return. He 
 at once started that night. It would require two weeks 
 to reach Egypt. He took — so tradition says — the most 
 direct route, by Hebron — where, as at Gaza, the place 
 where he rested at night is still pointed out— and by Gaza 
 and the desert. Arrived in Egypt, he sojourned in the 
 village of Metariyahnot far from the city of Heliopolis, 
 on the way to Cairo ;'|* or at Memphis on the Nile.J 
 And there he remained until the death of Herod, which 
 occurred in the spring of that year.§ But while he 
 
 [*The quotation in vs. 15 from Ilosea, xi, 1, and the words in 
 vs. 2l3,“tliat it inii^lit be fulfilled &c.,”are illustrations of Matthew’s 
 custom of seeking in the O. T. lor some word or type fulfilled in 
 some word or action of, or al)out Jesus in the New. The former 
 refers to a past event, the exode from Egypt, and the latter is no 
 where found in the Hebrew Scriptures.] 
 
 [t Andrews, j)g. 93J 
 [{Kitto, Life oi Christ 139] 
 
 [§See pg. 104, note.] 
 
THE DEPARTUUE FOR EGYPT 
 
The FiiiaHT to Egypt. 
 
 i 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 Ill 
 
 was on the way an event occurred of the most cruel 
 character. His flight was unknown to Herod, wlio was 
 relying for information upon the Magi’s return. But 
 when he found that they had left the countiy, he re- 
 garded them as treating him as a child (empaisoo). 
 This suggested to his suspicious nature the idea of a 
 plot against his throne, in which the Chaldaeans shared 
 with the citizens of Bethlehem. This enraged him ex- 
 ceedingly. He determined that he would at once ar- 
 rest any movement having for its object the crowning 
 of this Child as King. The safest way to do this was to 
 kill Him. And the old man whose life had been crim- 
 soned with the blood of many a victim, of the last of 
 the Asmoneans, and of his own family, hesitated not a 
 moment in ordering the killing of an obscure babe. 
 From the Maori’s statement, as to the time when the 
 star flrst appeared, he was sure the Babe was not over 
 two years old. Wliich babe was the particular one, he 
 knew not. But to make sure ol his victim, he ordered 
 the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicin- 
 ity, from two years old and under; and sent a company 
 of soldiers to execute his bloody decree. 
 
 Then rose up throughout that peaceful region that 
 great cry to heaven which is described by the words, 
 “lamentation, weeping and great mourning,” and by 
 the pathetic personification of a desolate city, which the 
 writer takes from the Septuagint version of Jeremiah 
 (xxxi, 16). The prophet speaks of the lamentation that 
 arose from the exiled mothers, as bein^ so great as to be 
 heard by their ancestress Rachel, buried centuries be- 
 
112 
 
 THE HOLY LIEE. 
 
 fore. In that cry Matthew sees a type of this lamenta- 
 tion, so much deeper than that because here the mothers 
 mourned over children slain. It was a cry so great 
 that no other personification could illustrate it. 
 
 We know not the number slain. But judging from 
 the size of the village, the comparative sparseness of 
 the population, and the silence of Josephus, we seem 
 warranted in saying that it could not have been large. 
 The art pictures of it are founded on imagination rather 
 than reality. Cruel as it was — and it was cruel — it 
 was, except in its motive, insignificant compared with 
 Herod’s many other murders, some of them members of 
 his own family.* But while those were all adults, and 
 real or fancied enemies, these were innocent children, 
 against whose parents no crimes, nor even any wrong 
 feelings against the king or his dynasty, were even 
 alleged. And though the other murders were enough 
 to lead Josephus to overlook the slaughter of a few 
 babes in a small country town, yet that fact, which in- 
 validates not the testimony of Matthew, lessens not the 
 cruelty and malignity of the act. And both are height- 
 ened by tlie fact that the act was ordered by the king 
 while sick, and on his dying bed.j* 
 
 The act was in perfect keeping with Herod’s charac- 
 ter. It was what he would call d, master stroke of pol- 
 icy. The existence of that Child was destructive of bis 
 dynastic aims. Where these were involved he never 
 
 [*See Andrews Life of our Lord^ pg. 95, Josephus, Ant 17, 11-3 
 Bell. Jud. la, a, 6.] 
 
 [fHe died a few weeks after that slaugliter. 
 

.UK UKTUK.N FROM ECYl’T 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 113 
 
 stopped at anytliing. And its perpetration was his 
 own unconscious testimony to the validity of Jesus 
 claims (a) to the tliedcratic throne, and (b) to be the Ac- 
 complisher of the two great covenants — the Abraliamic 
 and David ic — in which all the hopes of the nation were 
 indissolubly bound up. :: 
 
 That spring the king died. Of this fact Joseph was 
 informed in a dream, and told to return home. This 
 he did at once, with the purpose, seemingly, of settling 
 permanently in Judaea, the most sacred province, and 
 in Bethlehem, where Jesus had been born, and where, 
 from its close proximity to Jerusalem, He could be edu- 
 cated in the very center of the Theocracy. But this in- 
 tention was thwarted. Upon reaching Judaea he was in- 
 formed that Archelaus, Herod’s son, had obtained, by 
 the favor of Rome, the Judaean throne, which had been 
 left him by his father’s will. He was doubtless, also, in. 
 formed that his reign had been already signalizedby the 
 slaughter of 3,000 Jews, slain by his orders in the streets 
 of Jerusalem.* An ill-omened fact. This be^inninfi: 
 showed him, in cruelty, his father’s peer. The Child’s 
 life was not safe in Judaea. Divinely directed, Joseph 
 left Judaea; and the name of Jesus’ birth-place drops 
 out, except in conversation, from the annals of His life. 
 Returning to Galilee — then included in the dominions 
 of Herod Antipas, under whose reign Jesus lived until 
 His death — he settled in his old home, Nazareth. And 
 there Jesus was prepared for His ministry, and contin- 
 
 [*Jos. AnL 17, 11, 2.] 
 
114 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 ued to live until lie entered upon 
 
 Section IX. 
 
 Jesus’ First Passover. 
 
 Place: Temple in Jerusalem. 
 
 Time: Nisan 14-21, April 8-15, A. D. 8, 
 
 Luke ii, 41-51. 
 
 Now If is parents went every year to Jerusalem at the 
 feast of the Passover. 
 
 And when He was twelve years old, they went up 
 (R. V. omits) to Jerusalem, after the custom of the 
 feast. 
 
 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they re- 
 turned (were returning, R. V.) the Cliiid (boy, R. V,) 
 tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and His 
 mother (His parents, R. Y.) knew it not. But sup- 
 posing Him to have been (to be, R. Y.) in tlie company 
 they went a day’s journey ; and they sought for Him 
 among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when 
 they found Him not they returned to Jerusalem seek- 
 ing Him. And it came to pass, that after three days 
 they found Him in tlie Temple, sitting in the midst of 
 tlie doctors (A teachers of the law)^ both hearing 
 them, and asking them questions; and all that heard 
 Him were astonished (amazed, R. Y.) at His understand- 
 ing and answers. 
 
 [♦Matthew speakes of a dwelling, oikea in Ikthlehem (ii.ll). 
 Tills is in connection with the visit of the “Magi,” an incident 
 whicli preceded the flight into Egypt. The word itself indicates 
 ownership (Matt, vii, 25, 27). This, added to the reasons suggested 
 Jihove would be suflicient to induce Joseph to wish to settle in 
 Ihahlehem. This he would have done but for the reason given in 
 Matt, ii, 22. Jfis stay there was, therefore, short. Luke, therefore, 
 was right in describing (in ii, i)!)) the removal to Nazareth as a 
 return. And this is not inconsistent with Matthew’s statement 
 that Joseph had a dwelling in Bethlehem. See Ebrard, pg. 186.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 115 
 
 And when they saw Ilini they were amazed (aston- 
 ished, R. Y.): and Ilis mother said unto Him, Son, 
 why hast Thoii thus dealt with ns? behold Tliy father 
 and I have (li. V. omits, have) sought Thee sorrowing. 
 
 And He said unto them. How is it that ye sought 
 Me? wist ye not that I must be about My Fatlier’s busi- 
 ness? (in My Father’s house? R. Y.) 
 
 And tliey understood not the saying which He spake 
 unto them. 
 
 And He went down with them to Nazareth. 
 
 Rut His mother kept all these sayings in her heart. 
 
 Jesus’ parents taught Him, from Ilis earliest j^ears, 
 the history of His nation, and the principles of the 
 Law, especially the great Shema^ Creed^^ and the well- 
 known texts (the Tephellin) which were to be written and 
 worn as directed (Dent, vi-4-9, xiii, 23). And at 
 twelve years old each boy must be examined in the 
 Creed, and in his knowledge of the Scriptures, in order 
 to become ^^a son of the Law.” From this time on he 
 was bound to a man’s observance of it — become subject 
 to the fasts, attend regularly the three great festivals, 
 and observe the Great Day of Atonement.f Jesus’ at- 
 tendance at the Passover in His twelfth year showed 
 that He had been thus legally qualified. 
 
 For days before the Passover this subject had been 
 the daily family talk. Every preparation that could be, 
 had been made at home. And it must have been a peculiar- 
 ly great and solemn day for the Child when He started, 
 
 [*So called from the first Hebrew word of the Jewish Con- 
 fession of Faith in Duet, vi 4.) — a confession which every Jew re- 
 garded as his greatest treasure). 
 
 [fjoma, Fol. 83, Meyer in loco\. 
 
116 
 
 f HE HOLY LIEE. 
 
 witli Ilis parents, in the company that left Nazareth 
 for Jerusalem. For the first time He was to attend 
 that sacred festival, in whose laws and history He had 
 been well instructed, and enter the Holy City. Every 
 ]^art of the land was holy, but it was the holiest pai t of 
 it; and its Temple the holiest part of it, and the holiest 
 house on earth. Towards it the eye of every Jew, in 
 every part of the earth, turned with the fondest endear- 
 ment. Often, doubtless, had He mused upon its high 
 solemnities, and looked forward to the time when He 
 would stand within its sacred gates. And now He 
 was actually on the way. It was in the height of the 
 beauty, bloom, and fragrance of a Galilaean spring. 
 Hill and valley alike rejoiced in the gladness of the 
 season. The verdure of the landscape was relieved and 
 brightened with the variegated beauty of flowers, wdiich 
 were scattered every where, in the richest profusion. 
 Hirds, whose plumage pleased the eye, made vocal the 
 air. The whole journey, until the rocky region around 
 Jerusalem was reached, was one succession of delights 
 — made doubly so by the historic incidents with which 
 every part, almost, of it was associated. These, doubt- 
 less, were made known to Him by His thoughtful 
 mother. His observant eye also studied the various 
 pilgrim bands, which, like theirs, were hastening on to 
 Jerusalem. He noticed too that all the roads and 
 bridges had been repaired, that the graves had been fenced 
 in or whitewashed — this was to prevent all defiling con- 
 tact — and that all fields of growing crops bad been care- 
 fully gleaned of all unlawful plants. The whole jour- 
 
JOKDAN VALLEY 
 
JERUSALEM IN THE TIME OF OUR SAVIOUR. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 117 
 
 ney opened a new world to Him. And as, at last, up- 
 on the fourth day, His company stood upon one of the 
 mountains round about Jerusalem, and as Ilis eye fell 
 upon the stately Temple towering high above all sur- 
 rounding objects, long must lie have gazed, wondering- 
 ly. What thoughts must have rushed upon and filled 
 His mind, what emotions must have stirred His young 
 heart as He thus gazed for the first time on that city 
 and Temple, henceforth, and forever indissolubly as- 
 sociated with His own name. Far as eye could reach 
 in every direction, crowds of pilgrims, which had come 
 from every part of the earth, could be seen hastening 
 on to tlie Holy City — a deeply interesting sight. 
 But it could not hold His eye from the city and Tem- 
 ple. Flashed then upon His mind a pre-intimation of 
 that fact consciously spoken a few years later, ^‘My 
 Father’s House?” or of the one uttered a few days later 
 in that building, ^‘My Father’s business?” We cannot 
 say. But surely we can say that His youthful, happy 
 heart was not disturbed by any forecast of His subse- 
 quent sorrowJul connection with both Temple and City. 
 He knew not then of its awful doom; nor of the tears 
 of exquisite sympathy which He would weep over, and 
 of the terrific woes which He must pronounce against 
 the city. He knew not then that there He would be 
 tried for blasphemy, condemned to an ignominious 
 death, and from it be led forth to execution. Nothing 
 but joy filled His stainless soul. His thought of the 
 city then, was, ^^this is the place whither the tribes go 
 up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, 
 
118 
 
 THE HOLT LIFE. 
 
 to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.’^ And His 
 heart was swelling with unutterable emotion as that word, 
 found only in the heart of the pious Jew, trembled on 
 his lips, ‘‘Our feet shall stand within thy walls, O Jeru- 
 salem, Blessed be God!” 
 
 But the company could not tarry. Descending the 
 hill along the road from Nazareth, it entered by the 
 Damascus gate, into the “new town” and into one of the 
 busiest streets. But neither its scenes nor the many 
 wonders in the city interested Him as did the Temple 
 with its high solemnities and the vast crowds of wor- 
 shipers assembled there. 
 
 AVhether the Nazareth family occupied a dwelling, 
 (for all the houses were, at the feasts, thrown open to the 
 pilgrims), or a booth, (a temporary structure made of 
 tree bushes), we cannot say. But we may be sure that 
 the Child was constantly in the Temple Courts witness- 
 ing all that was going on. With an intensity of in- 
 terest and holy delight which Ilis parents could not 
 gauge He watched all the proceedings connected with 
 the Passover,* with the high day Sabbath celebration 
 with the daily sacrifice,f and with the services of the 
 Paschal week. Quick of understanding, lie instinctively 
 discerned the typical import of the services and sacrifices. 
 They displayed before Him the significance of those 
 great facts as to the worship of God, and atonement 
 for sins through the promised Messiah, which he had 
 learned at home. Those great truths were to Him pro- 
 
 [*A description of them is given in The Holy Supper.] 
 
 [fFor description of this see pg. ^.] 
 
*y^Tcqtb-^''-il'i' Kihir-r- 
 
 <" VWffijl 
 
 ;s’ 
 
 TIME OF CHRIST. 
 
 / " II'. iW — bill ft At' Biiritf rtr. 
 
 i"'' ll«#^ — ■ ■JiuUf by Rcxfhah t'tc 
 
 J"' ttiHli-fyrlferoil .htnppa.A.D.4S 
 
 *^Ot/u2 
 
 'Xw. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 119 
 
 found and living issues. Every rite spoke a divine lan- 
 guage to llis pure heart. That Temple was to Him 
 the House of God. Then came to Him tlie revelation 
 of Himself. In His own immediate consciousness He 
 saw the awe-full fact, I am the Son ot God. Ilis an- 
 swer to His mother shows the freshness of a new intui- 
 tion. The zeal which afterward consumed Him (Jn. ii, 
 19) was now beginning to burn. Profoundly absorbed 
 in all that He saw and heard, and in the new fact which 
 stirred His consciousness, He, unintentionally, became 
 separated from the band of children to which he be- 
 longed. When they started He was left behind. And 
 when He found Himself left. He remained in that 
 House which He had found was His home, and where 
 He had learned to know God as His Father. 
 
 His parents, wholly ignorant of the profound impress- 
 ion that had been made upon His young mind, and of the 
 mighty thoughts and feelings which were stirring with- 
 in Him, had, as soon as the paschal week had ended, 
 and they had fulfilled all its duties, left the city for 
 Isazareth. Tljjey supposed that He was somewhere in 
 the returning caravan. Hor need their conduct sur- 
 prise us when we refiect (a) that He was twelve years old, 
 (b) that He had ever given strict obedience, and had by 
 His uniform conduct inspired His parents’ fullest con- 
 fidence,and(c)that the caravan of Galilsean pilgrims would 
 naturally be more or less scattered. The first day’s 
 journey was ended. The caravan had encamped for 
 the night, at — tradition says — El Binah, about ten 
 miles from the city.* The Son was missing. He was 
 
 [*Liglitfoot, in loco.'] 
 
120 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 not as they had supposed with ‘‘kinsfolk and acquaint- 
 ance.” lie must be in the city, and there alone among 
 strangers. Their anxieties for Him were great and well- 
 founded. They returned the next day to the city. 
 They searched the rest of that day and the next, in the 
 inns, on the streets, among friends — for it did not oc- 
 cur to them to look for Him in the Temple. Thither, at 
 last they went. Here and there they looked without 
 avail. At last, in the famous peristyle lishchat Ilaggo^ 
 zith^ in the south eastern part of the inner court of the 
 Temple* they found Him. This was a famous school 
 of the Rabbis. It was open, and any one might ask or 
 answer a question — the form of teaching in those schools. 
 The Rabbis sat on a raised seat, called, “the seat of 
 Moses.” The scholars stood, or sat on the floor, around 
 them. In this school the most eminent Rabbis were 
 found. Who were present on that day we know not. 
 But among the learned men who taught there at that 
 time were the aged, wise, and gentle Hillel. Simeon his 
 son, called from his high attainments, Rabban, Jonathan 
 the translator of the Sacred Books into the Syro-Chaldee, 
 the language in common use, and Nicodeinus and Joseph 
 of Arimathea — -names ever fragrant in the church — 
 who, if present, then for the first time looked on Him 
 with whom their names were to be indissolubly and hon- 
 orably associated.f Some or all of them may have been 
 present at that time. The paschal exercises being end- 
 ed, into that room Jesus had gone to learn all He could 
 
 [♦Lighf«J 0 t in loco. 
 [fSepp. ii, 178.] 
 
C'Hr:.I> jKSrS IN TUP’. Tkmvi,f. 
 


THE HOLT LIFE. 
 
 121 
 
 about His Fathers law. Absorbed in the delightful 
 study He was forgetful of all else besides. And there 
 Joseph and Mary saw Him, not with tlie other scholars, 
 but on the benches, sitting in the midst of learned and 
 illustrious men — a situation which He could not have oc- 
 cupied except by invitation, and that invitation an evi- 
 dence of the extraordinary impression which the Lad 
 had made upon them. He was in the building which 
 He afterwards called, ‘‘My Father’s House.” He was 
 full of that holy peace and joy which usually lighted up 
 His face with a holy radiance. He had most deeply 
 pondered what His mother had told Him concerning 
 the mystery of His own being. He had been profound- 
 ly absorbed in the study and meditation of the Scrip- 
 tures. Nothino^ connected with the observance of the 
 paschal week had escaped his notice, and all had been 
 the subject of deep study. He was most deeply inter- 
 rested in the things of His Father. Every thing He 
 heard and read about Him filled Him with holy joy* 
 He had gone into the Temple, not to impart, but to re- 
 ceive instruction. He was listening with rapt atten- 
 tion to the learned remarks, not upon Rabbinical lore 
 but upon the Scriptures.'^ He was also in His simplicity 
 asking them questions: What is the meaning of such 
 and such passages? To what or whom do such prophe- 
 cies refer? — questions whose depth and originality 
 aroused their attention, and which with all their learn- 
 
 [*Tliis is evident from His reply to His mother. He surely 
 would never have spoken of the former as tois tou Patros mouy the 
 things of My Father,^ 
 
122 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 ing they could not answer. And when they put ques- 
 tions to lliiiij all were astonished at the sunesis, under- 
 standing^ i. e.j the personal mental power, and apolc- 
 risesm^ansivci's^whioXi were its manifestations. Ques- 
 tions and answers alike showed such a compass and ma- 
 turity of thought, such a rich, deep and intimate ac- 
 quaintance with the prophets, as amazed and confound- 
 ed those learned men. And it is not impossible that 
 NicoJemus, as he sat, years after, in His presence, re- 
 called these days, and found, later on, this scene one of 
 the agencies which led him to confess Him the Christ, 
 as He hung upon the cross. 
 
 Thus was He occupied when His parents entered. 
 They were amazed — a fact which shows that Jesus had 
 been habitually quiet and reserved. They knew not 
 that tliis was an epoch in His life. And when His 
 mother gently chid Him, and told Him of her and 
 Joseph’s anxiety on His behalf; ‘^Son, why hast Thou 
 thus dealt with us?” He, to this natural inquiry replied, 
 ‘‘What is it that ye sought Me for? (lit. trans.) Know 
 ye not that I must be cPj tois ton Patros Mou? — in the 
 things of My Father? — an answer which His parents 
 did not then understand.* 
 
 This answer showed thorough and unaffected sim- 
 jjicity. It came out of a feeling of purest innocence. 
 Out of no disrespect to Mary did He speak. Out of 
 no disobedient thought had He acted. It implies that 
 it was quite as natural for Him to be wliere He was, as 
 
 [♦Godet translates the term by hx)me, with the remark that iou 
 has a local rather than an ethical meaning.] 
 
THE BOY JESUS IN THE TEMPLE. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 123 
 
 for them to be anxious about Him. It should have oc- 
 curred to you at once — so it implies — that you would 
 find Me here, where — not ‘^God’s,’’ for this would have 
 sivored of affectation, but — ^‘My Father’s” affairs are 
 carried on. And this ‘Aly” which is a declaration of 
 Ilis cognition of God as the sole Author of His being, 
 is His answer to Mary’s, ^‘Thy” father, <?., Joseph. 
 And henceforth — so is He clearly, fully conscious — the 
 one sole end and aim of His life, which had now flashed 
 before His eyes, was “t\iG things of His Father.” Hence- 
 forth He realized the ideal of a life wholly devoted to 
 God. 
 
 Hut He was the obedient Child. Promptly, cheer- 
 fully He went with his parents to JNazareth. 
 
 Section X. 
 
 The Years of Preparation for His Life Work. 
 
 Places: Nazareth and Jerusalem. 
 
 Time.* A. D. 8 — A. D. 26. 
 
 Luke ii, 40, 51, 52. iv, 16. 
 
 The development from His fir d to Ilis twelfth year 
 is thus described: And the Child grew, and waxed 
 strong in spirit,* filled wx'^x^pleeroumenon^ being filled 
 or becoming full of) wisdom; and the grace of God was 
 upon Him. 
 
 And the development from Ills twelfth to Ilis 
 thirtieth year is thus described: And He, then in Ilis 
 
 [*‘Tn spirit” is wanting in Cod. Sin. Alex, and the best ancient 
 authorities. It is excluded by Lachmann, Tischendorf, Tregelles, 
 Alford, Lange, Wescott and Hort, and Van Oosterzee. It is prob 
 ably a gloss from Lk. i, 80.] 
 
124 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 twelfth year^ went down with them, i, e,^ His parents^ 
 from Jerusalem where He had attended the Passover^ 
 and came to Nazareth; and He was subject (submitted 
 Himself) unto them. And Jesus increased (advanced, 
 R. V.) in wisdom and stature and in favor with 
 God and man (men, anthropois). 
 
 In Nazareth, where He had been brought up. His 
 custom was, to go into the synogague on the Sabbath 
 day. 
 
 These are all the facts which The Spirit has given us, 
 through Luke concerning the last eighteen of the first 
 thirty years of Jesus’ life. We have already studied 
 that beauteous childhood of which it is said, ‘‘He grew. 
 He waxed strong. He was filled with wisdom, He had 
 upon Him the grace of God.” But these divinely-given 
 outlines give us many suggestions as to His develop- 
 ment. And we may gather more, which may help to 
 fill up those outlines, from scattered hints in the Gospels 
 from the light reflected from His life, and from other 
 sources of information. 
 
 His physical environment was Nazareth. It was near 
 half way from Jordan to the Mediterranean, and sixty- 
 five miles north of Jerusalem. Bethel, Shiloh, Shechem, 
 were passed on the journey between the two 
 cities. These, and other sights, ever memorable 
 in the national his:ory, must have greatly stirred 
 Jesus’ soul as homeward He went. But not with 
 the joy which He felt, when, having reached 
 the northern base of the mountains of Samaria, 
 His eye, looking across the great plain of Esdraelon, 
 rested on the gray, wavy hills in the midst of whicii 
 
1 
 
 
 /■ 
 
 
 ■ / 
 
TH^: HOLY LIFE. 
 
 125 
 
 was His liorae. At this point a scene of enchanting 
 beauty lay before Him, as before the traveller of to-day. 
 The great plain of Esdraelon stretched eastward to the 
 Jordan, westward to the Mediterranean Sea, and from 
 the mountains of Samaria on the south, northwardly to 
 the mountains of lower Galilee. Gilboa, Tabor, 
 Ilermon, the Fountain of Jezreel,and the battle field of 
 nations from time immemorial were in full view. 
 Having taken in this enchanting prospect, and pursuing 
 His way across the plain. He found Himself, alter five 
 hours’ journey, at the base of the hills of Nazareth. As- 
 cending their steep, rocky sides. He reached a rugged 
 Jell through which He passed to a ridge, below which, 
 o the north, lay a small, narrow valley, deeply embos- 
 omed in the hills. And somewhere in that valley, or 
 on those hill-sides was Ilis home — the dearest spot to 
 Him through all those years, on <^arth. 
 
 There, His whole life from His early childhood to 
 His thirtieth year, save the brief absences at the an- 
 L al festivals at Jerusalem, was spent. In the midst 
 of its associations His development as child, youth, 
 iind young man went on. From its highest hill, under its 
 ( ioudless sky, He often gazed upon a prospect unsur- 
 passed in beauty. With every hill and dale He was 
 familiar. From the activities of life seen on its busy 
 streets. He could pass to the hill top where silence 
 reigned throughout the well-nigh boundless field of vis- 
 -UL From this mountain sanctuary He went forth on 
 .it ministry which brought the grace of life toadying 
 tvorld. To its citizens He was well-known. From them 
 
126 
 
 tHE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 lie received at a later day, tlieonly conspicuous rejection 
 He ever suffered in Galilee. Its name is identified for- 
 ever, and in the most tender and peculiar manner, with 
 His own. ^Gesus of Nazareth” was His designation 
 among men, the title written on His cross, and the 
 name by which He designated Himself after His as- 
 cension to Heaven (Acts xxii, 8). The place owes all 
 its celebrity to its association with His name. This it 
 is that gives it a peculiar interest to every Christian, 
 and that fills him with desires to learn all he can of the 
 features, natural and other, of that city in the days when 
 it was Jesus’ abode. 
 
 The modern Nazareth has a population of about five 
 thousand. It is called a village. And perhaps from 
 this fact as also from the fact that it is no where men- 
 tioned in the Old Testament, it is usual to represent 
 the place in the time of Jesus as an obscure and unim- 
 portant village. But it is never called in the New 
 Testament koomee^ village^ but mnlovm^Wj polisy city. 
 It had at that time a population of at least ten thou- 
 sand, perhaps fifteen thousand.'^* The name, from the 
 Hebrew word signifying “guarding,” “watching,” be- 
 longed originally to the hill, and was thence attached 
 to tlie city. The position suggested the name, a point 
 overlooking or guarding a large region around it.^ The 
 modern village occupies, partly, the site of the ancient 
 eity — a valley about one mile long and a quarter of a 
 mile wide, lying upon one of those ridges of Lebanon 
 
 (♦Keiin, i, 318.) 
 (tKeim i. 319, 320). 
 
y ; 
 
 
 
 
 > 
 
 
 ‘ '..i 
 
 'C- 
 
 ■ ’. -4 
 
 ■' 
 
 'i 
 
 ■r;.' 
 
 
 -• ‘v-H -r'." .. ■ 
 
 i■'r^ ‘.JY,-.’’- 
 
 / 
 
 
MU 
 
Nazareth 
 

THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 127 
 
 wliicli run down into the great plain of Esdraelon. Its 
 own elevation was about three hundred and fifty feet 
 above the plain, and twelve hundred feet above the sea. 
 The surrounding heights of limestone rock which give 
 them and the place a peculiar appearance, are from four 
 to five hundred feet higher. It now is, perliaps then 
 was, reached by a road — the only one a traveller from 
 the south can take — which is now little better than a 
 succession of steep and rugged ledges, but then must 
 liave been smooth and well-made. The houses now, as 
 then, are of stone, substantially built. Some of them 
 cling to the sides of the precipices. Some nestle in the 
 glens. Some stand boldly out, overlooking the valley. 
 But the most of them are on three sides of that highest 
 hill, whose north side — ever memorable as the one from 
 whose brow the causelessly exasperated people tried to 
 cast Jesus down headlong — was too steep for any use. 
 
 It was a place of great and varied business and in- 
 tellectual activity. The great caravan route from Da- 
 mascus via Capernaum on to Tyre and Egypt, passed 
 by, or through it. Koads radiated from it in all di- 
 rections. It was within easy reach of many great cit- 
 ies, with which it carried on an extensive trade. It had 
 large schools, and a costly synagogue. The people 
 were industrious, wealthy — many of them— ,intelligent 
 and cultured; in morals good; in religion true to the 
 law. The men were quick in intellect, the women 
 comely in appearance, sprightly and vivacious, and the 
 cliildren bright-eyed and keen-witted. The population 
 shared in the noble characteristics ascribed by Josephus 
 
128 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 to the Galilaeans. The njountain atmosphere, the clear 
 blue sky, the ever-pleasing landscape views, and the 
 many advantages, social, intellectual and business, made 
 Nazareth a desirable place of residence. And whatever 
 may have been the meaning of Nathaniel’s insinuation 
 (Jn. i, 46), and whatever the explanation of the base and 
 brutal attack upon Jesus (Lk. iv, 16-29) — an assault 
 which would indicate that the people were both rough 
 and fierce — yet both these facts must be estimated in 
 the light of the fact that He lived quietly, and undis- 
 turbed among them for thirty years. 
 
 Passing by, for the present, the influence of these nat- 
 ural features upon Jesus’ development, we go on to 
 say that lie was then the obedient Son. He submitted 
 Himself {hupotassomeenos^ pres. par. mid., showing the 
 spontaneous and deliberate character of the obedience) 
 to His parents. Thus He advanced into the very 
 flower and prime of life — so means the word heelikia^ 
 age. And His advance in ^‘wisdom,” i.e,^ in intellectual, 
 moral and spiritual (Jas. iii, 17) development and ‘dn 
 favor with God and man” kept place with 11 is physical 
 growth. And the remarkable correspondence between 
 these phrases and those used to describe John’s de- 
 velopment (Lk. i, 80, 66, last clause) sliows that in 
 Him as in John the development was natural. There 
 was nothing abrupt, startling or abnormal. The in- 
 crease, physical, intellectual, and moral was healthful, 
 gradual and symmetrical. He advanced in wisdom. 
 Tliis implies advance in knowledge which is an acquire- 
 ment obtained from teachers and books. His character 
 
‘‘ He came to Nazareth, and wa« subject unto them.” 
 
Ttl^: HOLY LIFE. 
 
 129 
 
 as it unfolded was strong and beauteous. There was a 
 charm and grace about Him which delighted all. Day 
 by day lie advanced in favor with God and men. And 
 the secret of all was, ^Hhe grace of God was upon Him.” 
 
 These are the Divinely given outlines. Let us try 
 and fill them up from the light reflected backward from 
 His life, from the scattered hints in the Gospels, and 
 from Jewish sources of information. 
 
 It was essential tliat this development should go on 
 in retirement, and under the immediate training of 
 God. This has ever been God’s rule in the preparation 
 of His servants for His work: ‘‘in the desert God will 
 teach thee.” Jesus could form no exception. He, like 
 all God’s great actors and teachers came forth from God’s 
 training school. As Moses came forth from the desert 
 of Iloreb, David from the sheepfolds of Bethlehem, 
 Elijah from the mountains of Gilead, and Amos from 
 the quiet fields of Tekoa, so Jesus came forth from the 
 silent, unknown carpenter shop of Nazareth, trained by 
 God. And no sooner had He presented Himself before 
 men than He at once showed that He had been trained 
 and taught by Him, 
 
 This training required varied experiences,and various 
 books. In His development, as in that of all God’s trained 
 ones, the natural and the supernatural were conjoined. 
 It went on through surroundings, natural, civil, social, 
 political, and religious, of a peculiar, interesting, in 
 many respects of an ennobling, and in many respects of a 
 peculiarly heart-sickening character. 
 
 The political world in Balestine was, and had been 
 
130 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 from a few years preceding His birth, as it never had 
 been before. Events were constantly occurring which 
 showed the profound significance of the times. And 
 the whole direction of thinors was toward tliat catastro- 
 phe which subsequently involved the nation in remedi- 
 less ruin. Some years previously (B. C. 63) the nation 
 had lost its independence. Its subjugation had 
 been brought about by a civil strife between two broth- 
 ers — the last of the Asinonean family to occupy the 
 throne. Each one wanted it. Tliey appealed to Rome, 
 each hoping tor a decision in his favor. Poinpey 
 inarched with his legions into Palestine, besieged and 
 took Jerusalem, and reduced the land to a tributary 
 condition. Some years later (B. 0. 47) Antipater — 
 with whom the Idumoean dynasty began — was made 
 procurator. Through bloody strifes and intermingled 
 successes and reverses the family steadily advanced. 
 In B. C. 37, his son Herod, called the Great, was, by a 
 decree of the Roman Senate, chosen king and enthroned. 
 He ruled with an iron hand. Tlie land was quiet. 
 And like the other parts of the Roman Empire — save an 
 occasional outburst on some distant frontier— was en- 
 joying profound repose when the Prince of Peace was 
 born. 
 
 The nation from wliich this family sprang, the Idnm- 
 lean* had been conquered, and converted to Judaism by 
 John Hyrcanus B. 0. 130. But though constant, out- 
 wardly, to the new faith, the family continued heathen 
 
 (♦Josephus is the one great autliority for the history of the 
 Ileiodian family.) 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 131 
 
 in taste and more than half-heathen in heart and life. 
 The policy of the father was developed by his son. 
 This waSjtlirough the power, and nltimately the subver- 
 sion of Judaism, to build up a great world monarchy. He 
 labored hard to promote the material prosperity of his 
 kingdom. He built cities, palaces, aqueducts, theatres, 
 ampitlieaters, and temples to various gods and godesses. 
 And to gain favor with the Jews, he built the great 
 Temple in Jerusalem, one of the grandest structures 
 ever erected — a building at once the pride and delight 
 of the Jews, and whose magnificence they declared had 
 no parallel. 
 
 But despite all this his reign was a failure. His 
 character was chequered. His life was stained with many 
 murders. His heart was kept sore by the constant strifes 
 in his family. And his reign was one succession of 
 troubles. Besides,he was,he knew,the object of the peo- 
 ple's very bitter hate. He was hated for his oppressions and 
 crimes,for his ceaseless efforts to undermine the national 
 faith and institutions, and for his usurpation of David’s 
 throne. And when at last he died (March, A. D. 4) 
 the long pent up storm of indignation, anger and wrath 
 burst out in revolt. Suppressed, it burst forth again 
 and again. The materials were so inflamable that at 
 any moment they might be ignited into a furious flame* 
 And this condition of things continued, at intervals, un- 
 til Jerusalem was destroyed, and the nation was scat- 
 tered everywhere, and in a returnless exile. 
 
 Herod’s will left the kingdom to two sons — Judaea 
 and Samaria to Archelau-,'^ and Gralilee, with Peraea, to 
 
 ^'♦See page 113.) 
 
132 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 Antipas. His, (Antipas’), reign was comparatively 
 peaceful. Shortly after it began there was an insurrec- 
 tion, a legacy from his father’s cruel reign. During 
 it there had sprung up • a company of men com- 
 posed mostly of young, aspiring, noble spirits. They were 
 animated with one common purpose, to rescue the land , 
 from foreign domination, or die in the attempt. Fierce 
 and untamable, they utterly rejected all compromises 
 with the usurpation, and alt association with their fel- 
 low countrymen who acquiesced in it. They now began 
 to act. The Maccabees of the time, actuated by their 
 spirit and raising their old war-cry ‘‘God and the Law,” 
 they drew thousands of Galilseans to their standard. 
 Tlie flames of civil war were lighted. Sepphoris, the 
 capital, was taken by storm. For a time the insurrec- 
 tion appeared alarming. But the Roman legions un- 
 der Varus soon appeared, and put it down with merci- 
 less severity. Sepphoris was retaken, its inhabitants 
 sold into slavery, and its captors either slain or scattered 
 in all directions. 
 
 This was the only serious trouble during Antipas’ 
 reign. The people acquiesced in what they could not 
 |)revent, and he regarded their feelings and temper, 
 ddiey were not oppressed as were their southern brethren 
 under the procurator. The taxes were lightened as 
 much as they could be. Freedom of trade was undis- 
 turbed. No insult was offered to the national faith. 
 Sepphoris wns rebuilt and repeopled. The king, further^ 
 paid much attention to the protection and adornment 
 of the kingdom. He strengthened its northern frontier 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 133 
 
 by walled towns,; and on the southern boundary of 
 Persea rebuilt and made almost impregnable the for- 
 tress of MachaBrus — whose memorable prison walls 
 are associated forever with the imprisonment and mur- 
 der of John Baptist. And on the shore of lake Galilee 
 he built the city of Tiberias — so named in honor of the 
 Emperor — and made it the capital, and after Caesarea, 
 the finest city, of his province. 
 
 During these years Galilee was, in peace and prosper- 
 ity, a paradise compared with Judaea. On the petition 
 of the Judaeans Archelaus had been banished. They had 
 hoped that the government would be put into their own 
 hands. But to their bitter disappointment Judaea was 
 incorporated with Syria, and put under the direct gov- 
 ernment of a procurator, appointed by Rome. Hence- 
 forth Judaea was in a state of chronic disturbance. The 
 imperial taxes were crushing in weight, and pitilessly 
 collected. They were — as were those in Galilee — farmed 
 to the highest bidders. These were Roman knights. 
 They sublet to those who paid the highest price for the 
 privilege of collecting them. And those in turn who 
 had bought this privilege to enrich themselves, wrung 
 from the people all they could. Galling in itself, this 
 taxation was doubly so, because it was regarded as the 
 perversion to a heathen government of money which 
 belonged only to God. It was sacrilege. Hence it 
 was met with the bitterest opposition; and all who 
 were concerned in any way in its collection were the 
 objects of the fiercest hate and most opprobrious epi- 
 theta^ This was intensified by the Zealots, who kept 
 
134 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 constantly repeating ‘‘No God but Jehovah, no tax but 
 for the Temple.” Politics became a prominent part of 
 hourly talk. Disturbances were constantly occurring, 
 which were crushed in blood. The people were broken 
 up into sects and parties. The land was troubled by 
 constant agitations. And these ferments were greatly 
 increased by harangues which now for the first time be- 
 came, there, a prominent feature. Men like Judas of 
 Galilee rose up, filled with an inextinguishable thirst 
 for liberty, and fired with an unquenchable zeal for the 
 theocracy. Their object was not to make men better, 
 draw them away from their sins, and lead them to God, 
 but to arouse their passions against the existing gov- 
 ernments. All admitted their crimes. All groaned under 
 their oppressions. But more potent than tliese was the 
 weapon which the baranguers used. It was an appeal to 
 the prophets. Wholly discarding the subtleties of Rab- 
 binism, these men studied, for a political purpose, what 
 the ancient oracles had spoken concerning the fall and 
 restoration of theTheocracy. Those living words they 
 interpreted to suit their own purpose. Pouring them 
 forth with burning energy, they aroused the people to 
 the highest pitch of excitement. They inspired them 
 with an undying hate against Rome,the Idumsean family, 
 all foreign domination, and against their own country- 
 men who showed towards them, from whatever inotive, 
 the least toleration. Their perpetual cry was, “no mas- 
 ter but God.” Their whole course filled the govern- 
 ment with bitterest animosity against them. They 
 were regarded as ferocious beasts to be destroyed wher- 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 135 
 
 ever found. And wlien they escaped, vengeance was 
 wreaked upon their kindred and friends. 
 
 Galilee, though as yet free from all these oppressions 
 and disturbances, felt their influence. And Jesus while 
 wholly outside these maddening strifes of tongues, and the 
 agitations and intoxications political and religious, stud- 
 ied them closely, as He did the signs of the times and 
 the drift of public opinion towards abounding worldliness. 
 The land was now quiet. But the people could not 
 forget, nor could He, what had occurred. From the 
 hill behind His home He could see the rebuilding of 
 Sepphoris, as He had seen its destruction, and the long 
 procession of its citizens marched off to be sold into 
 slavery. Thousands of noble Galilseans had fallen in 
 battle, and the march of the Roman legions could be 
 tracked by the desolations which they left behind them. 
 How soon disturbances would again occur, none could 
 tell, and all seemed bent on getting the most out of this 
 life while it lasted, that they could. 
 
 But in Judaea as His thrice-annual visits enabled Him 
 to see, things were far worse. The political corruption 
 was great. The moral, infinitely worse, and far more 
 deplorable than the oppression under which the people 
 were groaning. Religion was the one thought upper- 
 most in their minds, but it was that of the hierarchy and 
 the schools. The faithful few alone regarded the puri- 
 fying and ennobling one which came from God The 
 nation outwardly recognizing, but inwardly disregarding 
 both tables of God’s law, had lost its grip on that living 
 theocratic faith which alone could save it. Turn 
 
136 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 which way Jesus would. His eye must have rested on 
 that which made His heart sick. The high priests should 
 have been conspicuous in holiness. But they were Saddii- 
 cean in principle, and corrupt and venal, voluptuous, and 
 haughty, proud and domineering in practice. Obtaining 
 the office by adulation or purchase, and retaining it by 
 flattery of Rome, they used it as the instrument of self- 
 airirrandizement, and converted God’s House into a den 
 of thieves. They were despised by their rulers and 
 cursed by the people. And the common priests were 
 no better — save the faithful few. The other public 
 leaders were equally bad. John Baptist called certain of 
 them a ‘‘generation of vipers;’^ and Jesus Himself, later, 
 unmasked their hideous vices, and denounced against 
 them the most tremendous woes. Phariseeism had 
 become a hollow mockery of eternal realities, and a 
 cloak for corruption. Sadduceeism was but a refined 
 skepticism. Pharisee and Sadducee alike cherished 
 ungodly feelings, and vied with each other in fawning 
 upon the Romans from whom they sought favors, but 
 whom they hated bitterly. As were the chiefs, so were 
 the people. They, too, sought place, power, money. 
 They were content with a religion of externals. Vital 
 godliness had almost wholly disappeared. The personal, 
 moral, and national life were slowly wasting away. 
 Nothing could save the nation save the reception of ‘‘the 
 kingdom of the Heavens.” 
 
 As Jesus became conversant with all this, His 
 great soul was stirred with profoundest grief. 
 What, compared with this, was the sight of smoke 
 ^cending in the blue sky, from burning town^ 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 137 
 
 and farm-houses and hay-stacks? What the physical 
 wrongs and outrages undier which the people groaned? 
 How often went up from His heart the cry, ‘‘How 
 long, O Father, how long?’’ How burning the desire 
 ill His heart, which went out towards the people 
 with infinite yearning, t6 rescue them from the ruin 
 towards which they were rushing. How mighty the 
 the longing to point out to them the true interpreta- 
 tion of the Messianic prophecies, to show that a living 
 trust in God and a living obedience to Him were of in- 
 finitely more value than the strife of tongues, the in- 
 tricate subtleties of Rabbinical lore, the observances of 
 Pharisaical righteousness, or even the expulsion of the 
 Idumaeans and Romans. But He would take no step, 
 except as Divinely ordered. No call had yet been 
 given Him to act. And all this was one way through 
 which He was being taught and disciplined for His 
 stupendous undertaking. 
 
 But all this is wholly insufficient to account for His 
 development. Nor were His surroundings, though a 
 factor in,sufficient of themselves to explain it. They had 
 no power to form that lofty character which He ever 
 exhibited. The times were ready for Him, but He was 
 not a product of the times. Concerning all this, in 
 them and through them, but not of them and by them 
 expresses the fact. He was a Jew. He loved His 
 country and countrymen to the end. He came through, 
 and was surrounded by Judaism all His days.* But 
 Judaism could not have produced Him. One of its 
 products wasPhariseeisin ; and it was nothing but stereo- 
 
138 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 typed traditionalism, and inherently iiicreafcive. The 
 moment it left its own characteristic ground it perished. 
 But Jesus was creative and progressive. And so little 
 had He to do with Phariseeism,that,as soon as the di- 
 rection and force of His character and teaching became 
 known, it fiercely assailed and hated Him. Another 
 product was Sadduceeism. But He and it had nothing 
 in common. Nor did Sacerdotalism produce Him. He 
 had no priestly blood in His veins; and the priestly 
 caste, thougli the least noisy, was His most intensely bit- 
 ter foe, and at last effected His death.'^Nor was He a pro- 
 duct of the institutions of learning. When He appeared 
 as a Teacher, all were at once filled with amazement: 
 “never had man spoken as this Man.” Nor since has 
 such truth been announced in such a way as He then 
 put it fortli. He spoke as one perfectly familiar with 
 all knowledtTc. And while all true science and learn- 
 ing harmonize with His teaching, and all schools of 
 thought recognize His vast stores of knowledge and 
 profound originality, yet His teaching shows that He 
 did not borrow from sciences and schools. We have 
 no evidence that He ever attended any schools or col- 
 leges of the Babbins. And what would they have 
 taught Him?Tradition, legal technicalities hair-splitting 
 subtleties, and scholasticism — all so worthless, that un- 
 der His simple and divine common sense teaching the 
 \vhole towering and useless structure fell to pieces. So 
 unobtrusive had been His life,and so undistinguished in 
 the reigning literature and learning, that the NazariteS; 
 
 [♦See Holy Death, Preliminary Study.] 
 

 
bClUJiJt.j xn TJLaUC OF JBBUtt. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 139 
 
 after hearing His first address to them, rejected Him 
 upon the ground that He whom they had known from 
 childliood, should make such high pretentions to being 
 a prophet. And when about twenty months later, and 
 after His fame had been spread abroad He visited 
 them again,* He was again rejected on the same 
 ground. They were astonished and offended at His, to 
 them, assumption. They were acquainted with His fam- 
 ily, its numbers, social position and education. This 
 carpenter and son of a carpenter, who had no time nor 
 opportunity for study, ^^wheiice hath He this learning? 
 whence this wisdom? — questions which could not 
 have been asked, had He been educated in the great 
 schools (Matt, xiii, 53-58, Mk. vi, 1-6). Subsequently, 
 in Jerusalem (Oct. A. D 29), ^‘the Jews” — John’s des- 
 ignation of the Sanhedrists — as they listened to 
 
 His teaching exclaimed, ^‘How knoweth this man let- 
 ters,” i. ^., learning, grammata^ ^‘having never learned?” 
 — i, ^., been in the great Rabbinical schools (Jn. vii, 
 15). • 
 
 What were the forces then, that entered into His de- 
 velopment, intellectual and moral? 
 
 The schools in which He studied were many — one of 
 which we have already noticed — but His Great Teacher 
 throughout was One. 
 
 He attended, doubtless, the elementary school attached 
 to the synagogue. For ages the Jews had paid great 
 attention to the education of youth. Besides the higher 
 
 [*Tlie first rejecti'in was April A. D. 28, (Lk. iv 16-32), the sec- 
 ond one winter A. D. 29, (Matt, xiii, 53-58, Mk. vi, 1-6.] 
 
140 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 institutions, elementary schools were found in every dis- 
 trict, and attached to every synagogue. So important 
 was education regarded, that an ignorant child was con- 
 sidered a disgrace to both parents and child. And it 
 was so universally diffused, that few could be found who 
 could not read and write, and who had not a knowledge 
 of the Law. This was the great subject of instruction. 
 Josephus, who repeatedly speaks of the subject, de- 
 clares that the Law was graven on their souls from the 
 beginning of intelligence, and that a Jew could answer 
 questions concerning it more readily than he could tell 
 his own name. And Philo’s testimony, equally conclu- 
 sive, is, that Jews were taught from their infancy, by 
 parents, masters and teachers, in the holy laws, which, 
 he declares, Jews regard as revelations from God. 
 
 The force of public sentiment practically made at- 
 tendance upon these synagogue schools compulsory. 
 Children were sent to them when six years old. And 
 we may readily believe that Joseph and Mary regarded 
 this noble, national custom. Jesus, we may say, would 
 be found after that age sitting, with other Jewish boys, 
 on a bench or on the ground, before the master who 
 occupied a raised platform. With tliem would He be 
 taught to read and write the sacred language, Hebrew, 
 then no longer a living one, the Syro-Chald8ean,then the 
 spoken tongue (Mk. v 41, xv 34, xiv 36), and the Greek 
 also, a language in constant use in both Galilee and 
 Judaea — and whose use by all the New Testament writ- 
 ers shows how widespread it had become since the con- 
 quests of Alexander. He would be also taught in the 
 
Till- JEWISH SCHOOL 
 

 
 
 i- 
 { . 
 
 fr.- 
 
 
 •L 
 
 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 141 
 
 Hebrew Scriptures, especially in the Law; and may also 
 have had some instructions in those traditions and in 
 that Kabbinism, whose worthlessness He, afterwards, so 
 thoroughly exposed. 
 
 He was tauo;ht much in the school of home. That 
 house, doubtless, was like all the houses of tlie plainer 
 people — a stone structure, square, two stories high, flat 
 root, surrounded with a low wall, and having thick 
 walls to be cooler during the scorching heats of summer, 
 and which enclosed a small area, called a court. Creeping 
 vines clambered alono; its sides, and over its court roses 
 and the clematis intertwined. By its side, or in its 
 front, a small terraced garden brightened the scene. 
 The house was furnished in the usual oriental style — 
 mats on the floor, couches along the sides, in the center 
 of one of tlie rooms a small stand on wliich the food 
 was placed, and the invariable water-jar and wash-basin. 
 Every thing in and around the house indicated the ab- 
 sence of wealth, but not the presence of degrading pov- 
 erty. The pictures, found in books and sermons, de- 
 scriptive of Jesus’ extreme poverty are as distressing as 
 they are incorrect. They seem to be founded upon 
 His own remark, ‘‘the Son of Man hath not where to 
 lay His head” — a word spoken after He had entered 
 upon His voluntary self denying ministry. He had not 
 then, because it belonged to His calling not to have, a 
 house of His own. But Mary most probably possessed 
 property in Bethlehem, and Joseph owned the house 
 where the family lived.* The family was not rich. 
 
 [*See note, pg. 51 and 114; also Lk. i, 56, OrkJ] 
 
142 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 But it was not abjectly poor. And while Jesus wrought 
 at His trade He surely earned a comfortable living. 
 
 But though there was nothing remarkable about the 
 house itself, tliere was much as to tiie character of its 
 inmates. It was the home of ^^tlie Holy Family.’’ 
 There Jesus lived for thirty years. There God was 
 honored, and piety ruled. The annual attendance upon 
 the feasts at Jerusalem shows that all reliofious duties 
 were faithfully observed. The taking of Jesus with 
 them when He was twelve years old shows their atten- 
 tion to His religious training. In that house nothing 
 sordid, or savoring of meanness or impurity, was ever 
 found. From His parents’ lips He learned, from His 
 earliest years, the precepts of the Law, and in their 
 saintly lives saw exemplified the beauty, dignity and 
 power of lioliiiess. He loved, and was loved by His 
 mother most tenderly. From her He received lessons 
 of the richest value, and her words could not but arouse 
 all His powers of thought. He had also both sisters and 
 brothers — the latter of whom, at least, did not believe 
 on Him up to the time of His death — whose filial affec- 
 tions seem to have been always deep and tender, and to 
 one of whom He made a personal manifestation after 
 His resurrection.* He was very happy in their com- 
 
 [*Ifthe reader will turn to Matt, xii-40-50, xiii, 55, 56, Mk. lii, 
 31, VI, 3, Lk. viii, 19, Jn. ii, 12, viii, 3. A.cts, i, 14, 1 Cor. ix 5, Gal. i, 
 19, lie will see the many references to the brothers and sisters of 
 Jesus. They are never called or siiggeneis, rela- 
 
 tives^ but uniformly adelphoi^ bothers^ and adelphai ^sisters. They are 
 always seen in connection with Mary, as if her children, a fact iin- 
 ])lied in Matthew until, imd prooUdokon first-born (i 28), the latter 
 
 word found also in Luke ii,7. lie had at least two sisters, (adelphai 
 pluial) both married, when He entered upon His ministry, (Matt, 
 xiii, 56); aud their names — so tradition says — were Esther and 
 Tamer. His brothers’ names as given, are James, Joses, Simon, 
 and J udas.] 
 
HOUSES IN NAZARETH. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 143 
 
 panj^ and at home. Years afterwards when meeting 
 the tremendous issues of llis life, the relief which the 
 siglit of childhood gave Him, the strong attachment to 
 children which He ever exhibited, and His words about 
 tlieir simplicity and innocence, were proofs and products 
 of the happiness of His own joyous childhood at home. 
 And in that sweet home He grew all silently. From the 
 divine germ planted at His creation in His being, and 
 which itself grew as naturally as a flower from its bud. 
 His life unfolded itself day by day. There was noth- 
 ing fitful or sporadic There were no accretions from with- 
 out. The growth was vitally from within. That illustra- 
 tion which He gave His disciples was a perfect picture of 
 His own development :‘^consider the lilies,how they grow.’’ 
 As silently, steadily, without toiling or spinning, they 
 push upward their stock and stem with their most del- 
 icately interwoven strength and grace, until at last they 
 are crowned with flowers of the most exquisite purity 
 and loveliness, so t’ ugh the successive stages of youth. 
 His life-development went on without any care or anx- 
 iety as to growth, until the bloom and fragrance of 
 His manhood heiochtened and glorified all. 
 
 The lessons gathered in the school of business were 
 man^ _md valuable. From His childhood had He been 
 trained to industry; and His system of truth is strong- 
 ly condemnatory of idleness. Not industry, but idle- 
 ness was degradation to a Jew. All sons were brouo^ht 
 up to an active calling. If not agriculturalists, they* 
 became trad men and mechanics. Those industries 
 were associated with the highest social ranks, and most 
 
144 THE HOLY Lii^^I. 
 
 eminent respectability. Though the arts of a barber, and 
 perfumer were considered undignified, and some trades 
 were less respectable than others, yet none but freemen 
 were allowed to engage in them. And laborious study 
 and great teaching were found constantly linked with 
 honest toil.* Rabbi Rhineas was a mason, and was 
 chiseling stone when chosen Hi^h Priest. Rabbi 
 Simeon was a weaver. Rabbi Ishmael a needle-maker. 
 Rabbi Jochanan a shoemaker. The great teacher Hillel 
 supported himself by his trade, and the great apostle 
 Paul earned his living by making tents. It was there- 
 fore wholly in accord with the noblest J ewish ideas 
 that Jesus was brought up to a trade. He was taught 
 His father’s handicraft, a worker in wood, and was 
 known in Nazareth as ho tektoon^ worker in wood^ the 
 definite article indicating that He was well-known as 
 such.-j* And tradition, as handed down by Justin 
 Martyr, tells us that He made ploughs and yokes, ^‘thus 
 teaching men,” says Justin, ^‘the ii ^)ortance of an ac- 
 tive life, and setting before them symbols of righteous- 
 ness.” And His handicraft, which had a part of its 
 functions in the synagogue and Temple, was one of 
 those noble trades, from the learned in which, it was 
 lawful to elect High Priests. It enjoyed the same sort 
 of repute among the Jews that is given with us to the 
 ministry and learned professions, and was often adopted 
 as a calling by men of noble birth. It is therefore no 
 
 [♦Liglitfoot, on Mk. v. 18.] 
 
 [fThis is the T. li. of Mk. vi 3. Some versions have “the son of 
 the carpenter.”] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 145 
 
 sign of degradation, poverty, or intellectual inability to 
 grapple with studies, that Jesus learned this trade, and 
 in it by His own hands ministered to His own, and 
 His mother’s necessities. For tradition says that Jo- 
 seph died when Jesus was twenty, and that henceforth 
 she was dependent mainly upon His labor. For two of 
 His brothers, Jude and Simon were married before 
 their father’s death — so tradition says — and had fami- 
 lies of their own to support. Thus, by His own exam- 
 ple in bread-winning, He dignified and ennobled manual 
 labor, and made it most truly and forever honorable. 
 And knowing Himself, by daily experience, both the 
 exactions and rewards of daily toil, He could enter, fully, 
 and by the power of a living. sympathy into the daily life 
 of the noble army of workers. His workshop was a 
 fine school. His trade a fine teacher. There, day by day 
 did He gather up lessons, and was disciplined mentally 
 and morally, and made physically robust and manly. 
 While His hands were occupied with tools. His mind 
 and heart w^ere occupied with those lofty themes, which, 
 when afterwards enunciated, came forth with all the 
 freshness of a new revelation. 
 
 Thirdly, the school of creation. He was a most en- 
 thusiastic lover, and most earnest and observant student 
 of nature. It, with its mysteries of inorganic and 
 organic life, was to Him a holy book, teeming with in- 
 struction, the work and reflection of God. His affec- 
 tionate fondness for it is constantly apparent in His 
 teaching. And its pages,spread out before Him in His 
 Galila3an home, afforded Him unwearied delight. 
 
146 
 
 THE HOLF LIFE. 
 
 Nazaretli, nestling in its ampi-theater of liills, must 
 liave been in Ills esteem, wliat it was in Jerome’s (A. D. 
 140), and was by liim called, ^‘tbe flower of Galilee.” 
 The atmosphere was solt and balmy. Nature’s repose 
 was over all the scene, undisturbed only by such sounds 
 as the patter of children, the songs of sweet-throated 
 birds and the sono;s of the harvest home. In the hol- 
 lows the pomegranite flourished,so did the olive and flg. 
 The slopes and dells were carpeted with greert. Flow- 
 ers in profusion toned down the nakedness of the rocks. 
 And the prospect from the top of the precipitous ridge 
 — from whicli afterwards the citizens tried to cast Him 
 down, and on tlic eastern side of wliicli Nazareth im- 
 pended over its paradisaical vale — was exhilarating 
 thought- suggesting, unsurpassed in extent and beauty 
 by any view in Palestine. Travellers are unanimous 
 in expressions of admiration. A few miles northwest 
 was Gath-hepher, tlie birth place of Jonah. Looking 
 north the eye swept over a plain, rich in the beauty and 
 verdure of pastures, grain-flelds, gardens, and fruit- 
 bearing trees, skirted on its western borders by tlie cit- 
 ies of Sepphoris and Cana of Galilee, full of business ac- 
 tivity — the latter to become famed as the scene of II is 
 first miracle. Beyond this plain swelled up tlie “High- 
 lands of Galilee.” Yet sixty miles further north tow- 
 ered tlie monarch of the sacred mountains. Great Iler- 
 mon, lifting liigh its snowy head ten thousand feet above 
 the level of the sea. And farther yet north Lebanon’s 
 cedar-covered slopes and snowy crown stopped the view. 
 Toward the east lay the fertile plain of Gennesaret, 
 

EARLY MORNING. 
 
MOUNT TABOIf 
 
tHE HOLY LifE. 
 
 147 
 
 smiling in its luxuriance, and rose in succession the swells 
 of Gilboa, the summit of Little Ilermon, and the bold 
 round top of Tabor standing apart, uplifted into the pure 
 air of the resplendent heavens. Beyond these was the 
 sea of Galilee, whose bosom was covered with sails, 
 whose western hills were crowded with cities, and 
 whose eastern hills showed the dim outlines of their 
 precipitous sides in the glow of the western sun. On 
 the south, the wooded hills at His feet sank down in 
 rugged or graceful slopes until they were lost in the 
 plain of Esdraelon, covered with grain-fields or carpet- 
 ed with green, and tapestried with flowers, and rich in 
 every part with historic memories. Over it the eye 
 ranged, south-eastwardly, to the mountains of Samaria, 
 and in the distance to the distinctly-seen mountains of 
 Moab; and south- west wardly, to Mount Carmel, for- 
 ever associated with Elijah’s name, beyond which lay, 
 as a mirror of molten silver, the Mediterranean, over 
 whose bosom swift ships were to carry the tidings of 
 Ilis salvation to Europe, whence they were to spread 
 over the world. Most of the objects in sight were yet 
 to rejoice in His presence, and be immortalized from 
 their association with Him. But then, that view was 
 was one of His schools. Mountains, seas, uplands, 
 green and fragrant glades, picturesque glens, bountiful 
 harvests of grains and fruits, flocks and heads, a crowd- 
 ed population, busy in husbandry, commerce, trade — 
 these, and the charming seasons were pages in the great 
 book of Nature which Jesus studied day by day. 
 
 And His illustrations show how closely He studied 
 
148 
 
 The holy lies. 
 
 them, how fresli and strong tlie impression tliej made np- 
 oiillis mind and heart, how true His insight into nature’s 
 facts, and how clear Ilis discernment of their true rela- 
 tion to God and to man. Nothing escaped His eye, 
 and every thing gave a lesson which He learned. The 
 appearances ol the sky, natural features and products, 
 the lilies of the field, the fields white to the harvest, 
 the vinyard, vine-, and wine-press, the fig-tree, the sheep 
 in the fold, and lost, the wolf, the foxes, the birds of the 
 air, the hen gathering her chickens under her wings, 
 — these, with many other objects of nature, animate and 
 inanimate found a place in His discource. In the seed- 
 sowing He saw an illustration of God’s quickning pow- 
 er, in the rain and sunshine, of God’s impartial good- 
 ness, in the birds, of God’s kindness to all His crea- 
 tures. The harvest was an image of the greater har- 
 vest. And the lily He clothed with a new beau- 
 ty before which the greatest human splendor vanishes. 
 To Him all nature was glad with the life from, and vocal 
 with the praises of God. 
 
 And closely did He study that great page of nature,man. 
 It is usual in books and sermons to represent Galilseans 
 as inferior to the Judaeans. Tlie impression seems to 
 be founded upon Matt, xxvi, G9, 73, Acts ii, 7 and Jn. vii, 
 41,42,52. In the first of these there is nothing more than 
 tlie same as a New Englander’s saying to a Southerner 
 after observino; his accent, -‘You are from the South.” 
 In the second, the surprise expressed, is, that men of 
 one nationt9,lity could speak so many different tongues. 
 And in the fourth, the question in vs,41, ‘‘Shall the Christ 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 149 
 
 come out of Galilee/’ is urged as a proof that Jesus 
 could not be He, because Scripture liad declared that The 
 Christ would come fromJ udsea vs.42; and the angry word 
 to Hicodemus, in vs. 52, was simply not true. But 
 these passages, seen in tlie light of the fact that the 
 Galilseans were, equally with the Judieaiis, Jews, were 
 as faithful in attendance upon all the feasts, and as 
 zealous for the Law, and were possessed of as many 
 schools and Babbis, do not suggest the idea of ridicule 
 contempt, or uncouthness of speech. Nor has the idea 
 that the Judaeans looked down upon the Galilaeans, any 
 foundation in any evidence furnished by the earlier 
 Jerusalem Targums*, nor by Josephus. .And the idea 
 is inconsistent with many facts given by him.*|- 
 
 It is true that they had unamiable traits of character. 
 But they were more active and enterprising in business, 
 freer in faith, happier in life, and larger minded than 
 were their Southern brethren. Galilee was a highway 
 through which the stream of commerce was constantly 
 flowing. Kepresentatives of foreign nations resided 
 there. In some of the cities many Greeks lived, and 
 Greek culture was found;;}; and Homan citizens and 
 soldiers were a common sight. Thus, various influen- 
 ces were at work which affected the Galilsean character; 
 and it was more susceptible to foreign influences than 
 the Judaean. These influences did not in the slightest 
 degree affect their faith. But it led them to turn more 
 
 [■^Compiled A. D. 350-400. The Bab3doniaii Targum was com- 
 piled A. D. 500.] 
 
 [fSee Bell. Jud. 2. 3. 1. 12; 12, 3. 4. Ant. 17-10-2.] 
 
 [fJos. Vtia 15.] 
 
160 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 and more to its ethical side, as represented by tlie pro- 
 phets. This it was, tliat brought them into a sharp 
 contrast with the Judreans, who turned more and more 
 to the priestly side of their faitli, and wliose stronghold 
 was the ritualistic service maintained in Jerusalem. 
 
 This was the type of men Jesus had for a study day 
 by day. It was from these Galilseans that lie drew His 
 first disciples. They were a type of men of strong char- 
 acter, generous in disposition, chivalic in bearing, firm 
 in purpose and in the main, of high and noble aims. 
 He saw them in their daily occupations. The sower 
 sowing, the gardener waiting for fruit, the vine dresser 
 pruning his vineyard were living types of divine truths. 
 The Dives and Lazarus, the prodigal son, the two sons 
 had all been people with whose history he was acquaint- 
 ed. And these, as also the significant fact that woman 
 in the most critical time of her life He exalted into a 
 type of the highest character (Jn. xvi, 21) show how 
 deej)ly He entered into and how much He learned from 
 the sorrows and sufferings of men, as well as from their 
 follies,weaknesses,and their sins. Nor was He a stranger 
 to their joys, nor unobservant of any good which was 
 manilested. He delighted in and learned from the 
 ])lays of children, the reciprocities of social life, the 
 gladness of the bridegroom and bride, and commended 
 the conduct of the good Samaritan, and the faith of 
 the Koman centurion. 
 
 Home, nature, man, these great books He studied 
 thoroughly. From every thing of good and great 
 wliich they contained He drew nourishment. And from 
 these books He received something of that freshness, 
 frankness, openness, and that genuine human sympathy 
 which manifested itself in kindness to all, and in intense 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 151 
 
 yearning after manjto lift him out of his sorrows and sins 
 up to Himself, and to God. 
 
 But these schools and books were not all. Other 
 schools there were in which He was a scholar, and an- 
 other Book there was which He profoundly studied. 
 It was regarded as a sacred duty resting upon parents, 
 and a duty which no one else could discharge, to give 
 every ‘child a knowledge of the Scriptures: ^‘These 
 things shalt thou diligently teach tliy children’’ was 
 ever ringing in parents’ ears; ‘‘Thou shalt talk of them 
 &c. (Heut 6:7-9). And tlie greatest care was taken to see 
 that every child was thoroughly instructed in the Holy 
 Scriptures and in the doctrines and rites of their faith. 
 They were drilled into the child until he knew them by 
 heart. Josephus declares that few they were who 
 could not answer any question respecting the law. 
 Soon as a boy began to talk his parents began to instruct 
 him in the word. At once then, said Rabbi Solomon, 
 “his father ought to converse with him in the sacred 
 language, and begin to teach him the Law. If he does 
 not do this he seems to bury him.” And Rabbi Judah 
 said, “the boy of five years of age ought to apply to 
 the study of the Scriptures.” Thus early was Jesus 
 instructed. He, like Timothy, from a child knew the 
 Hebrew Scriptures. And during all His silent years 
 they — His only books — were His unwearied delight — • 
 His study by day. His meditation at night, and Ilis 
 ready resourse. He knew them intimately from beginn- 
 ing to end. He quoted from them freely, and from every 
 
162 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 part.* They were the armory whence He drew His 
 weapons of defense and attack. They were the author- 
 ity by which He supported His words. And the fresh- 
 ness and force with which He used them, showed, while 
 it carried conviction to all not wilfully opposed, how 
 thoroughly He had made them all His own. They 
 were the song, support, comfort, and food of His soul. 
 They penetrated the very depths of, and completely 
 filled and moulded His whole being. From them 
 through the teaching of The Spirit, He drew the in- 
 spiration of His mission. In them He saw that the 
 “musts” of His life were all penned down centuries be- 
 fore His birth, that His coming, and all it involved 
 were all foretold in promise, prophecy, symbol and 
 type. Through them He became aware of the stupen- 
 dous fact that He was Emmanuel, “God with us;” and 
 that He was to be “the Man of sorrows and acquainted 
 with grief;” the lowly One, despised and rejected; the re- 
 sisting One whose life was to be one protracted struggle 
 with the Great Enemy; and the Bearer of sin, who 
 must lay down His life amid soul-sorrows the most ap- 
 palling, and physical agonies the most severe. 
 
 And this suggests another school in which He was 
 developed — the school of sorrow. Tliere, He, the First- 
 born of the whole creation (Col. i, 15), though He were 
 
 [*If the reader will examine the table of passages in the Old 
 Testament, quoted or alluded to in the New% found in B:igster’s 
 Bible, Large PMition, lie will see that Jesus (juoted twice from Gen- 
 esis, twice from Exodus, once from Numbers, three times from 
 Deuteronomy, seven times from the Psalms, five times from Isaiah, 
 twice from Daniel, once from Ilosoa, once from Jonah, once from 
 Micah, once from Zachariah, and twice from Malachi.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 153 
 
 a Son, learned by the things which He suffered that first 
 and finest lesson, obedience, (Heb. v. 8). And though 
 He was in this school all His life, and received its 
 greatest lessons toward its close, yet, it was also in this 
 school that He, during the period when He was develop- 
 ing through the stages of childhood and youth into tlie 
 maturity of His manhood’s prime, learned most import- 
 ant lessons. 
 
 Thus were these years, most important because in 
 them His public life was rooted, passed tranquilly by. 
 Day by day was He gathering knowledge from every 
 quarter, and advancing in wisdom as He was increas- 
 ing in years. He was receptive of influences from 
 without. But they could give neither direction nor 
 bent to His development, which was from the life with- 
 in. And that life could find its nourishment only in 
 God: ^‘He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, 
 and as a root out of a dry ground.” Hence His com- 
 munion with God was incessant. In nature, the Scrip- 
 tures, synagogue-, and Tern pie- worship, and in the se- 
 crecy of the closet-prayer He communed with Him, 
 and about every thing. From Him He received success- 
 ive supplies of wisdom and grace. All things that came 
 before Him He examined in the light, and weighed in 
 the balances of the heavenly sanctuary. Thus, was He 
 enabled to estimate all things at their proper value, as 
 estimated in heaven. There too. He was studying at 
 the same time the mystery of His being, and the object, 
 end, and methods of the accomplishment of His mission. 
 He was also learning those great lessons of entire self- 
 
154 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 denial and self-forgetfulness for the good of others, of 
 sweetest jiatience and submission to His lot, of implicit 
 obedience and entire consecration to God, and immova- 
 ble confidence in Him, ever conspicuous in His life. 
 And He was at the same time acquiring that intimate 
 knowledge of the cosmos which He had come to rescue 
 from Satan’s usurpation, and of man whom He had come 
 to redeem, without which He could never have entered 
 successfully upon Ilis extraordinary career. 
 
 Mighty were the movements, mental, moral, spiritual, 
 going on within the silent Man. Every thing was un- 
 der the immediate guidance of The Spirit, who was fit- 
 ting Him for His task. He was living in a world to 
 which all else were strangers. No wonder His own 
 family could not understand Him, much less His neigh- 
 bors and friends. They saw that His temperament was 
 calm. His step even, His deportment that of One of 
 superior mould. They saw that He kept Himself 
 wholly free from all entanglements. They could appre- 
 ciate His sunny disposition, kindly ways, tender regard 
 for others and His charm of manner which made Him 
 the delight of Ills family and friends, and the light of His 
 home. Jhit as they beheld in Him that majesty blend- 
 ed with meekness which characterized His public ca- 
 reer, as they looked upon that massive brow, or open 
 countenance, or into those penetrating eyes which 
 seemed to be ever looking into eternity, they must 
 have been aw^ed. They must have felt instinctively that 
 though with, lie w’as not of them, and that tlie distance 
 between Him and them was infinite. And as they saw 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 155 
 
 Him going to and from Ilis work, or resting at lioine, 
 or standing upon the brow of the hill, studying nature 
 and drinking in life and freshness with every sense, 
 they must often have mused, or inquired among them- 
 selves, what manner of man lie was to be. 
 
 But so quiet and unobtrusive was His life that He 
 seems not to have been known beyond Nazareth. And 
 even those who had known Him from childhood were 
 startled and amazed when He burst upon the world as 
 the Lio:ht and Life of men. 
 
 Section XL 
 
 The Preparation of John Baptist for His Minis- 
 try, AS Jesus’ Forerunner. 
 
 Time: B. C. 4 — A. D. 26. Place: The Wilderness of Judaea. 
 
 Luke i, 66, 80. 
 
 The hand of the Lord was upon (with, R. V.) him, 
 John. 
 
 And the child, John^ grew, and waxed strong in spir- 
 it, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing 
 unto Israel. 
 
 The time was rapidly a])proaching when Jesus was 
 to leave His quiet retirement for that life of incessant 
 toil and strifes and sorrows which ceased only with His 
 death. This approach was to be heralded by one of 
 whom we have heard nothing for thirty years. His 
 ministry, it had been declared before His birth, was to 
 be threefold: (a), he was to announce the approach of 
 the kingdom ot God, and of the Messiah. The angel 
 had mentioned, not as a quotation from the prophets, 
 but as something new, (Lk. i, 19), that he was to go 
 
156 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 before Him the spirit,” i. e.y be alike animated, 
 ^ and power,” i. energy of character, as moulded and 
 moved by, the spirit ‘‘of Elijah.” He was to have the 
 purpose and power to do all that Elijah himself could 
 do, to make ready a people, &c.* In this his prophetic 
 character was manifested, (b), He was to call the peo- 
 ple to repentance, and give a knowledge of the coming 
 salvation. Of this righteousness the law was the stand- 
 ard. And as he was to show how this law had been 
 broken, and to awaken in men the sense of sin and of 
 the lost good, and to arouse them to repentance, and 
 thus to prepare them for the Messiah, he must himself 
 personally see the wretched condition of the people, and 
 the causes of it. Thus was he to be the preacher of 
 righteousness. And, (c), he was to point out, and make 
 known the Messiah when He appeared. This was to 
 be tlie culminating point in his ministry. After that 
 Jesus was to be the chief figure. He was to increase 
 but John was to decrease. 
 
 For this great woik John was prepared by the Lord, 
 as the brief summing up concerning the years of prep- 
 aration shows; “the hand of the Lord was upon him.” 
 Tliis was the secret of his development. “And the 
 
 This statement declares not what lie would, but what he 
 could do. Owing to Ids and Jesus’ rejcciion by tlic heads of tlie 
 nation tins purpose partly failed. John did make ready a people 
 prepared &c. But he failed “to turn the hearts of the iatliers to 
 the children, tl’c.” These words, lliougli now spoken from heaven, 
 liad l)een already spoken through tlie | ro])het (Mai. iv, 5,0). And 
 since God’s purpose must stand tlicsc words must yet be fulfilled; 
 not in or by Jolin Baptist, but in and by Elijah himself: “he shall 
 go” <&c.] 
 
tim HOLY LIYE. 
 
 167 
 
 cliild grew, and waxed strong in spirit:” this states the 
 direction of that development; ^‘and was in the deserts 
 until the day of his showing unto Israel;” and this 
 tells where that development was matured. These 
 are the great outlines. Let us try to till them up some- 
 what, by hints furnished by certain facts, such as the 
 words spoken concerning him before his birth; the 
 priestly and righteous character of his parents; the Di- 
 vine call to Nazariteship, and to a preeminently holy 
 position, as the preparer of the way, and herald of The 
 Messiah; and the political and religious condition of 
 things in the Holy Land. 
 
 From his childhood he showed those high mental 
 and moral characteristics which are preludes and 
 prophecies of coming power and greatness among men. 
 He was thoughtful, studious and grave. In the elemen- 
 tary schools which, in his day, all Jewish boys must at- 
 tend, he would be taught, along with the elementary 
 branches, the Hebrew language and Scriptures, And 
 from this school he may have passed into the higher 
 schools of the Rabbis, and have there become familiar 
 with Rabbinical lore. 
 
 He occupied, by the right of birth,a position in the very 
 highest rank of society, and was accustomed from child- 
 hood to that refining culture found only in such socie- 
 ty. In his father’s house he constantly saw the play 
 of the purest and loftiest principles, and the finest ex- 
 ample of saintly lives, and learned from lips revered the 
 wonderful story of the theocracy. His attendance upon 
 the synagogue-, and Temple-service was constant from 
 
15S 
 
 THE HOLY LIES. 
 
 Ill’s earliest years, and he observed all the ordinances of 
 public worship, and ali the comm inds of the moral law, 
 from inward loyalty to God. 
 
 All this might be said of many another Jewish lad 
 of that day, similarly circumstanced, But John was 
 apart from them all in this: before his birth he was di- 
 vinely designated, and just after his birth he was by 
 his parents devoted, to life-long Nazaritesliip; and in 
 his early years he took upon himself the Nazarite vows. 
 No grape, nor grape-juice, nor intoxicant ever touched 
 his lips. No sissors ever came upon his head. No 
 boyish pastime nor social amusement ever occupied his 
 attention. ^^Be came neither eating nor drinking.” 
 From a child, fully, only, always, was he devoted to God. 
 Nazariteship separated him from those who, under u- 
 sual circumstances might have been his companions. 
 And this separation was widened by the fact that his 
 whole life was guided and moulded by The Spirit with 
 whom he was filled from before his birth. Through 
 II is enlightenment the Scriptures, which he constantly 
 studied with the most profound interest, were opened to 
 his understanding, lie became intimately acquainted 
 with, and deeply pondered God’s revealed thouglits. In 
 their lio-ht he estimated things around him. That light 
 liabbinism could not stand. Freed, from the first, from 
 the fetters of ceremonialism, he saw the true symbolic 
 import of the sacrificial rites, and the true significance of 
 the theocratic history. The simple, Divine requirement, 
 •‘love mercy, do justly, walk humbly with God, ’’shivered 
 the structure of Pharisaic righteousness, and thus 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 159 
 
 showed its worthlessness. He kept close to the Scrip- 
 tures. He allowed them to exert their full and ennob- 
 ling influences upon him. Through this, and through 
 prayer, through the force of a saintly example at home, 
 and by the supply of The Spirit, his life developed into 
 a solidly holy, great and heroic one — a life inspired — 
 a life which, though not free from human weaknesses 
 and failings, was truly God-like and sublime. 
 
 He lived, he walked in the light of that God to whom 
 he was unreservedly consecrated. In that light his vision 
 was clear. And his eye being single, he saw truly the 
 signs of the times, and the condition of the people. He 
 saw that they had fallen far from the exalted position 
 of their hiorh calling; that subtleties and traditionalism 
 had taken the place of the simple, clear, and healthy 
 precepts of the God-given law; that the sacrifices had 
 been changed from their God-appointed object as means 
 and types, and had become an end; that intolerance and 
 corruption characterized the hierarchy, hideous vices, 
 under the cloak of piety, the Pharisees, scepticism the 
 Sadducees, libertinism the Herodians, and a general 
 decay of living faith and a godly life, the people. Turn 
 which way he would, his eye saw nothing — save only the 
 faithful few — which could recall the grand life which 
 he found delineated in the glowing pictures of the pro- 
 phetic pages, and which the nation had exhibited in its 
 purer, nobler days. 
 
 As these thoughts continually pressed themselves up- 
 on his mind and heart, he foui.d himself a solitary in 
 the midst of tlie people. With things as they were he 
 
160 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 could liave no fellowsliip, nor any companionship with 
 tliose who supported them. Tlie spiritual life whose 
 pulses lie felt stiring within him, demanded a full and 
 unfettered development; and for this it could find no 
 nourishment, and no freedom for growth, in the systems 
 in vogue. The lofty life to which he aspired was alto- 
 gether beyond their range. From the God-given sys- 
 tem the life was gone, and it was reduced to the most 
 hollow of forms. In them now was no ability to help 
 him up, or to draw him nearer to God. He must get 
 out of them; get where he could keep himself free from 
 the moral defilement of the times; get where in the 
 solemn stillness of the desert, and alone in the presence 
 of, and in communion with God, he could grapple with 
 the tremendous moral and spiritual problems which 
 pressed upon him, demanding solution. He had every 
 thing to make his home in Hebron a happy one — loving 
 and venerable parents, high social position, a near en- 
 trance upon the priesthood and a sufficient competence. 
 But his heart was sick. The sins, sorrows, sufferings 
 of the people, and the impending woes, ‘^the coming 
 wrath,” pressed most heavily upon his heart. Not so- 
 ciety but solitude alone would suit the holy Nazarite. 
 He looked back throuofh the centuries to the times and 
 
 o 
 
 life of Elijah. He saw that he was raised up the man 
 of flint and fire for the times. He studied him, the 
 man in whose ‘‘spirit and power” he was to act, the man 
 of the mantle and the shaggy hair, the man who fled 
 from men to live alone with God, the man whose over- 
 burdened Soul peopled the air of the solitudes with liv- 
 

 f- 
 
KNGEDOI. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 161 
 
 Ino^ prayers, the man, the storms in whose heart as he 
 trembled and wept over the the idolaties of Israel made 
 him insensible to the rain storms which beat upon and 
 swept over his mountain home, in the uninhabited 
 heiglits of Gilead. Like him, he, impelled by The Spir- 
 it, ])iit away the robe of his family and of his order, put 
 on the garb which had been worn by Elijah and the 
 prophets, and fled from his pleasant home and the 
 haunts of men far into the wilderness. 
 
 We have no data to determine the time when. But 
 not improbably it was about the period when he, ac- 
 cording to the custom, would have been introduced into 
 the priesthood. Priest he would not be. Greater than 
 any priest he became, ‘^a prophet, yea, and more than a 
 prophet,” a Voice, and the announcer of, and preparer 
 of the way forTlie Lord. The place where he fled was 
 ‘‘the wilderness” or “desert”— a general designation of 
 that area called “the wilderness of Judaea.” In another 
 part of it he afterwards began his preaching. The moun- 
 tain part of it desolate and very thinly inhabited he now 
 made his liome. It extends over the whole eastern part of 
 the province from near Jerusalem and Jericho down to 
 the Dead Sea and southern desert.* The best of it will 
 yield but a scanty vegetation of those plants which re- 
 quire no water. The rest of it is bare. The gorges, 
 fllled with rushing torrents during the rainy seasons, 
 are dry the rest of the year. One spring only is found 
 in all that region, “the spring of Engeddi,” or “the wild 
 goats.” One or two kinds of birds, and two or three 
 
 DJos. Bell Jud. 4-8-2-3.] 
 
162 
 
 THE HOLY LIYE. 
 
 kinds of animals compose the animal life of that region 
 — save locusts and wild bees, which are found there in 
 great abundance. To some of the almost inaccessible 
 solitudes of this wilderness John fled. There, in some 
 cavern. shelter, near by some hollow which held the 
 rains, he made his abode. There, year after year, he 
 lived content with his scanty clothing and scanty fare. 
 The former was a camel’s hair cloak, such as prophets 
 from the time of Elijah wore (Zech,xiii,4,mar.). It was 
 of the coarsest texture, but closely woven, and admirable 
 to keep out heat and cold and rain. It was held fast 
 around the body by a girdle of untanned leather, such 
 as is yet worn by the Bedouins. The fare, that which 
 the desert afforded, ‘‘locusts,” a food legally clean, 
 “wild honey,” and water from the rock. 
 
 There, first of all, he sought to take heed unto him- 
 self. That he might be thoroughly fitted, physically, 
 for all demanded of him, he, by his rigid self-denial, 
 kept under his body, and brought all his passions into 
 subjection to his nobler powers. Then, he next sought 
 to be thoroughly pervaded and controlled by truth and 
 righteousness. Had this asceticism been merely an end, 
 lie would have been different in no respect from the 
 Essenes — the monks of Judaism. About them, and 
 their teaching, repose and purity of life there was some- 
 thing noble, something that elevated them by a great 
 distance from the popular, sordid life and varnished 
 moralities, and something, too, which helped to prepare 
 the way for the new kingdom. But the Essenes looked 
 not beyond themselves. They refused to be caught in 
 theflood-tide of worldliness, but they refused, also, to do 
 anything to arrest it. The system was essentially un- 
 creative, and, hence, powerless to help others. John 
 may have known and often met them. But he moved 
 
THU WILDERNESS OF JUDi€A, 
 
 From the rm.uih of the Ove of Adullam, lookfop eastward, «0 the mouaOflnl 1 
 of Mpab beyond \hc Dead Sea. 
 
IHE WlLDEKNES'i- 
 
THt: flOLV LIFE. 
 
 163 
 
 in a different orbit, and lived apart from them. lie 
 felt for others; and from his outlook looked upon them 
 with a pitying eye. The oppressions under which the 
 nation groaned from the foreign domination were terri- 
 ble. But this was tlie result of their sins; and these 
 pierced his soul with an agony such as the oppressions 
 could not inflict, and none but noble souls can feel. 
 
 His frame being invigorated by the pure mountain air, 
 his mind filled with the majesty of God, brought home to 
 him by the wide sweep of vision, and by the expanse of 
 the limitless heavens, and his soul attempered and 
 calmed by communion with Him, he could view things 
 in their true light, and weigh them in the balances of 
 sanctuary. He saw that the abounding corruption was 
 increased by the people's acquiescence in the Herod ian 
 policy. This was the establishment of a great and in- 
 dependent empire in which the power of Judaism would 
 subserve the consolidation of the state This policy in 
 the hands of Rome was changed so far as to make Juda- 
 ism subserve its imperial aim. The high priests were 
 appointed and deposed to meet political ends. The oc- 
 cupancs of the office used it for personal ends, and it 
 i d lost its sacred dignity. The priesthood as a body 
 was venal and proud. The religion thus degraded into 
 an instrument of unscrupulous ambition, lost its power 
 to quicken and lift up the soul. The visible glory had 
 gone from the Temple; the ark from the Holy of Holies. 
 No response came from the XJrirn and Thummiin; and 
 the voice of prophecy was hushed. Scepticism was 
 abounding. The law was still read in the synagogues, but 
 it was expounded by tradition, and had lost its liold up- 
 on tlie heart of the people. They were more occupied 
 
164 
 
 THE HOLY LitE. 
 
 than with it, with the ceaseless conflicts between the 
 sects and parties into which the nation was divided, 
 and which manifested that trivialities had taken the 
 place of the Divinely-given realities. And lor leaders 
 they took the blind and bigoted Pharisees who, with 
 themselves, would fall into the ditch. 
 
 As from his lofty moral position John surveyed the 
 whole scene, all this he saw, and much more. The na- 
 tion was sick with sin, and full of wounds, bruises and 
 putrifying sores. He saw also what was needed, not 
 political, but spiritual healing, not emancipation from 
 Pome, but deliverance from corruption and sin, not a 
 political Christ, but the long promised Messiah of the 
 prophets. lie alone could save the nation. He could 
 do this only by saving the people from their sins. Tliis 
 He could do only by their acceptance of Him, to the end, 
 and in the accomplishment of the purposes, for wdiich 
 He was to be sent. This they could do only by being 
 prepared for Him by a return, through thorough repent- 
 ance towards God. When and how could they be thus 
 prepared, and by whom? When would He appear? From 
 his parents he liad learned all that the angel had told 
 them concerning his own relation to the expected De- 
 liverer. But when, and how should he go before Him? 
 ^^ighty questions these which deeply agitated the sol- 
 itary great heart. As by ‘‘the books” Daniel under- 
 stood tliat the seventy years’ captivity were about to 
 end, so by the signs of the times, interpreted to him by 
 The Spirit, John knew of the near approach of The 
 Messiah, As did Daniel formerly, so now did he: 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 165 
 
 ^‘soiight the Lord with fastings and supplications and 
 prayers.” His strong frame, quivering with its great 
 burdens, was prostrate before God. With strong cry- 
 ings and tears poured lie out his soul. The great tears 
 streaming down his rugged cheeks showed how intense 
 were his emotions as he was pleading with God for his 
 own kindred, as he, making their sins his own, confessed 
 them, and besought Him to bring them to true repent- 
 ance, and to prepare a people to receive the Messiah 
 when He appeared. 
 
 Through such deep waters of experience was John 
 prepared for his mission. His own soul was lifted far 
 above the region where either the fear or the favor of 
 man would effect him. It was brought into the state 
 of complete rest in God. He had a most vivid appre- 
 hension of His presence and nearness, of His infinite 
 majesty and omnipotent might. To him came the call 
 to, and a clear understanding of the nature of, his own 
 mission. He must summon the nation to repentance. 
 He must call upon the people to prepare in the desert of 
 earthiness a highw^ay for their God. To him came rev- 
 elations of the constitution of the Person (Jn. i), the 
 character of the mission, and the near approach of the 
 Messiah. Then came the consecration and strength 
 for his work. His soul was braced up to sustain the 
 burdens, responsibilities and self-denials of his most 
 tremendous position, to discharge unhesitatingly all its 
 duties, and to learn that hardest of lessons for human 
 nature to learn, viz, to recognize gladly his own displace- 
 ment from a high position of influence by the mightier 
 
166 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 One whom he would introduce, and that the entrance 
 of that Other upon His career would be the culmina- 
 tion of his own ministry and life. 
 
 Thus fitted to expound moral duties, and teach peo- 
 ple the knowledge of God, he was ready, when sum- 
 moned, to show himself to Israel. 
 
 Section XI I. 
 
 Facts connected with Jesus’ introduction into public 
 life. John’s preface. Luke’s preface. John Baptist 
 preparing the way for Him. Jesus’ baptism, Jesus’ 
 conflict wdth Satan. John’s testimony to Him given to 
 the deputation from the Sanhedrim. John’s testimony 
 to Him given first to the multitude — the next day 
 given to two of his disciples. Jesus gathers His first 
 disciples — He returns to Galilee. 
 
 The Evangelist John’s Preface. 
 
 John i, 1-8. 
 
 The Logos / In the beginning was {een existed) the 
 and God. ) Word, and the Word was {een existed) 
 - with God, and the Word was {een existed) 
 God. The same was {een existed) in the 
 beginning with God. 
 
 The Logos and / All things were made by {.dki 
 the cosmos ) through) Him, and without Him was 
 not anything made that was made. 
 
 The Logos ) In Him was life, and The Life was the 
 and sin. J light of men. And The Light shineth in 
 the {te^ darkness, and the darkness comprehended 
 {kateloben^ laid hold upon,) it not. 
 
 John Baptist’s rela- \ There was {egeneto^ became) a 
 tion to The Light. J man from God, whose name was 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 167 
 
 John. The same came for witness to (that he might) 
 bear witness of that Light, that all through him might 
 believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to 
 (came that he might) bear witness of that (the, tori^ 
 Light. 
 
 This preface, let the reader bear in mind, was written, 
 as were John’s Gospel and the other three, after Jesus 
 had completed His work on earth. The facts concern- 
 ing His Person and work were gathered from His 
 life-development, and from His own lip?. John’s 
 view of them was comprehensive. Every thing was 
 clear before his mind. He saw that Jesus’ life-history 
 had its roots in His existence in eternity, and that this 
 was the preface to it. This being the fact he states it. 
 His first word takes us into eternity’s immeasurable 
 depths. In the beginning The Word een (verb of 
 being) existed^ and hence was anterior to all created 
 things, and to time, the measured duration in which 
 alone created things are developed. The Logos is eter- 
 nal. Een^ He existed^ 'pros ton Theon^ with God. This 
 phrase declares (a) His own personality, and (b) His ac- 
 tive relation to and conscious communion with God. 
 He’, hence, is one with Him in essence and attributes; 
 and hence able to do all ascribed to Him in the suc- 
 ceeding narrative. All things (^panta^ without the ar- 
 ticle, and so unlimited) egeneto became by Him, i. e.^ 
 passed out of nothingness into being (comp. 1 Cor. viii, 
 6). As by Him made, so by Him sustained. For in 
 Him life absolute {zooee^ without the article) — life phy- 
 sical, intellectual, spiritual, eternal — een^ existed for 
 th^ir conservation and normal development. And 
 
168 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE, 
 
 this fact is the source of another fact which, as well as 
 all these other ones was unknown before Jesus came, 
 but which became apparent as His life unfolded. That 
 fact is this: This Life furnished the light of men — toon 
 anthroopoony the article showing that John intended by 
 the phrase to designate the human race. And men are 
 the only class of beings possessed of an inner organ ca- 
 pable of using it. 
 
 The three facts predicated of the Logos are (a) His 
 creative, (b) His vivifying, and (c) His light-giving 
 functions. The first two relate to the ^^all things;” and 
 they both with the third to man. Having given these facts 
 which lie beyond the region of man’s view, John next 
 points out the introduction of The Word into His histor- 
 ical relations. He tells us of (a) the historical appearance 
 of The Word as to FhooSy The Light \ and (b) that it 
 ‘‘shineth” — L e,y when he wrote — in the midst of ‘^dark- 
 ness” (comp, iii, 19, 20, 1 Jn. ii, 8)*; and (c) that dark- 
 ness ou katelaheUy did not lay hold ony seize the Logos 
 as the light principle ismto),^ 
 
 Light is self-revealing. And had the Logos come in 
 His own glory, the manifestation would have wrought 
 instant conviction, but it would also have overpowered, 
 
 [♦John tells not how the darkness entered. Elsewhere we 
 learn that it came through tlie breaking away of humanity from 
 the liglit-giving Logos.] 
 
 [f Instead of “light sliineth, and &c.” we would naturally ex- 
 pect “light shineth &c.” Lutliardt remarks that such a form em- 
 anales from a mind which has overcome the astonishment or in- 
 dignation produced by such a result, and which henceforth con- 
 templates it with the calmness of indilierence, or of a grief with- 
 out bitterness.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 169 
 
 yea destroyed men, by its intolerable brightness. He 
 came veiled in flesh (vs. 14), and hence could not be 
 directly known as the Logos, could not be, because of 
 the darkness, discerned without testimony. This 
 was given by His witnessing forerunner. A man 
 egento^ hecame. This verb is in contrast with the verb 
 cen^ existed. The Word existed, the man became, ^^sent 
 from God. His name was John.” He came, i. e.y en- 
 tered upon public life, eis marturian unto or for wit- 
 ness-hearing^ to testify concerning that Light, that 
 (through it, his testimony) men might believe in it (Tlie 
 Light), 
 
 This testimony and man’s faith are correlative. With- 
 out the one the other could not be. Nor could faith be if 
 the testimony should be rejected. But it was. Though 
 The Word was the true (aleethinon^ perfect^ in opposi- 
 tion to imperfect manifestations) Light which, coming 
 into the world, lighteth every man, and though He came, 
 not as a stranger, for the cosmos was made by Him, 
 and He, as the invisible principle een existed in it, up- 
 holding and vivifying it, yet when He came in histor- 
 ical manifestation the world? blinded by sin, i. e.^ hu- 
 manity as represented in the Jewish nation, ouh egno^ 
 discerned not Him, did not recognize Him, a Person. 
 This statement, John shows, rests upon the fact. For, in 
 the act of coming into the cosmos. He came eis ta idea^in- 
 to ITis own inheritance, the land of Israel, where only 
 were the theocratic institutions. And hoi idioi^ His 
 own peculiar people (Ex. xix, 15 sq.) ou paralahen did 
 uot^ as a nation^ receive II im with welcome^ and give 
 
170 
 
 THE IIOYY LIFE. 
 
 Him that official recognition which He had a right to 
 expect. This non-recognition was fraught with the 
 most momentous consequences. One of them, the wri- 
 ter gives in the last clause of vs. 12 and in vss. IB, 14. 
 Tliese, with vss. 16-18 will be elsewhere considered. 
 
 Having thus introduced Jesus and John Baptist to 
 his readers, the writer goes on to speak of John’s wit- 
 ness-bearing. To this we now turn, premising that 
 the account of John’s ministry given in the Synoptists, 
 from its opening until after the baptism of Jesus pre- 
 cedes the first special testiniony given by John. It, 
 hence, first demands our attention. 
 
 Section XI 11. 
 
 Ministry of John Baptist. 
 
 Place; Wilderness ot Juda3a, and region around tlie Jordan. 
 
 Time : Summer of xV. D. 26, to March or April A. D. 27. 
 
 Luke iii, 1-18, Matthew iii, 1-12, Mark i, 1-8, Luke vii, 29,30. 
 
 (John's whole ministry covered a period of about a year and a 
 lialf. This, the following sections treat of only up to the 
 time when Jesus, after llis temptation, returned into Galilee.) 
 
 Now in the firteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius 
 Pilate being governor of Judtea, and Herod Antipas 
 being tetrarch of Galilee, and liis brother Philip tetrarch 
 of ltura3a and tlie region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias 
 the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Oaiaphas being the 
 high priest, (in the high-priesthood of Annas and 
 Caiaphas, U. V.) came the word of the Lord unto Jolin 
 the Baptist, tlie son of Zachariah, in the wilderness, 
 from Him tluxt sent me {Jiim) to baptize. And in 
 those days — i. e.j while Jesus was in obscurity in Naz- 
 areth — he came in the wilderness of Judaea, and into 
 
TIDEKltlS. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 171 
 
 all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of 
 repentance for the remission of sins, and saying, Re- 
 pent ye, for the kingdom of the Heavens (Grrk.) is at 
 hand [eeggikke is agyproaohing): as it is written in 
 the prophets (Mai. iii, 1), 
 
 Behold 1 send my messenger before thy face, 
 
 Who shall prepare thy way before thee^*. 
 
 For this is He that was spoken of by the prophet 
 Isaiah — as it is written in the book of the words of 
 Isaiah, the prophet (xl,3 sq) saying, 
 
 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 
 
 Prepare (make ready, R. V.) ye the way of the Lord, 
 
 Make his paths straight. 
 
 Every valley shall be tilled. 
 
 And every mountain and hill shall be brought low; 
 
 And the crooked shall be made (become, R. V.) 
 straight. 
 
 And the rouorh wavs made smooth; 
 
 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 
 
 This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
 the Son of God. 
 
 And the same John was clothed with — had his rai- 
 ment of — camel’s hair, and — with — a leather girdle — a 
 girdle of skin — about his loins; and his meat (food, R 
 V.) was — he did eat — locusts and wild honey. 
 
 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the bap- 
 tism of repentance for the remission of sins. 
 
 And there — then — went out unto him, they of Jeru- 
 salem, and all the land of Jud?ea, and all the region 
 round about Jordan, and were all baptized of him in the 
 river Jordan, confessing their sins. 
 
 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Saddu- 
 cees come (coming, R. V.) to his baptism he said unto 
 
 pli. V. ommits “before tliec.”J 
 
172 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 them — he said to the multitude that came forth to be 
 baptized of him — O, (ye, K. V.) generation (offspring, 
 R. V.) of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the 
 wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for 
 — worthy of — repentance; and think — begin- — not to 
 say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father; 
 for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to 
 raise up children unto Abraham. And (even, R. Y.) 
 now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: 
 every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit 
 is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 
 
 And the people asked liim, saying, What shall we do then? 
 
 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two 
 coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he 
 that hath meat, let him do likewise. 
 
 Tlien came also publicans to be baptized, and said 
 unto liim. Master, what shall we do? 
 
 And he said unto them. Exact no more than that 
 which is appointed you. 
 
 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, 
 And what shall we do? 
 
 And he said unto them. Do violence to no man, nei- 
 ther accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. 
 
 And all the people were in expectation, and all men 
 111 use 1 in their hearts of John, whether he were the 
 Christ, or not. 
 
 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed bap- 
 tize — am baptizing — you with water unto repentance; 
 but there cometh One mightier tliin I after me — He 
 that cometh after me is mightier than 1 — whose shoes I 
 am not worthy to bear — the latchet of whose shoes I am 
 not worthy to stoop down and unloose: He shall bap- 
 tize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire: whose fan 
 is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His 
 (threshing, R. V.) floor, and will gather the wheat unto 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 173 
 
 tlie — His — garner; but the chaff He will burn up with 
 unquenchable fire. 
 
 And many other things in his exhortation preached 
 he unto the people. 
 
 And all the people that (when they, R. V.) heard 
 Jesus^ and the publicans, justified God, being baptized 
 with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and law- 
 yers rejected (for themselves, II. Y.) the counsel of God 
 against themselves, not being baptized of him. 
 
 The time had come for John to begin his work. 
 Matthew introduces it with ‘fin those days’^ ^. ^., while 
 Jesus was yet living in the retirement of Nazareth. 
 Mark calls John’s movement “the beginning of the gos- 
 pel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” John the Evan- 
 gelist prefaces his first word about John the Baptist 
 with those marvellous words which take the reader be- 
 yond the confines of time and space into the very pres- 
 ence of the Eternal, and then shows us that Jesus was 
 The Word, was witlrGod, was God, was He by whom 
 all things were made, and in whom was that life which 
 was the light of men. And then he declares that John 
 came a witness to bear witness to that Light, and that 
 tlie object of that witnessing was that all through him 
 might believe. Luke’s introduction consists of histor- 
 ical data which tell us the year, and who were the civil 
 and ecclesiastical rulers when John began his career. 
 For sketches of the world-rulers which Luke mentions 
 we refer the reader to Smith’s and other Bible Diction- 
 aries, and for sketches of Annas and Caiaphas, to “The 
 Holy Death.” And here, and in Acts iv, 6, as also in 
 Jn. xviii, 13, 24, both are recognized as high priest. 
 But a word ought to be given concerning this joint high 
 priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas. The T. R. has ep- 
 archiereoon^ which is a manifest correction to explain 
 
174 
 
 The holy life. 
 
 tlie two names. The oldest reading is epi archiereoos^ 
 the high priest. And this reading is adopted by 
 Tischendorf, Alford, Godet and Lange. And since but 
 one man could fill the office at one time, the question 
 arises how could Annas and Oaiaphas both be high-priest 
 simultaneously? The office was hereditary, and held for 
 life. But after the overthrow of the government by 
 foreigners both Herod and the Roman governors trans- 
 ferred the office as often as their interests demanded. 
 Hence the anomaly of there being ex-high-priests. 
 Annas had been appointed by Cyrenius and had 
 been deposed by Gratus, Pilate’s predecessor, and he 
 subsequently a])pointed Josepli Caiaphas, Annas’ son-in- 
 law.'^^ Blit though all these changes the people regard- 
 ed Annas as high-priest de-jure^^wdi now Oaiaphas as 
 sncli de-fact^. How they divided the duties of the of- 
 fice between themselves is a matter of conjecture. But 
 
 the two toirether constituted the one theocratic liic{h- 
 ® ® 
 
 priesthood of Annas-Oaiaplias. And this disorder in 
 the religious found its counterpart in the political world. 
 The times were sadly out of joint. The civil, political 
 and moral miseries associated with the names which 
 Juike gives in his preface show that all Israel had be- 
 come a moral desert. It was high time that some 
 mighty voice should cry out. 
 
 And that voice was heard. Jolin Baptist that sum- 
 mer, about July A. J). 20, was about thirty years old — 
 the legal age for beginning the exercise of the priestly 
 functions. He was one of the world’s few great think- 
 ers. In the wilderness, his natural, and Spirit-given 
 gifts liad been fully developed. He was prepared for 
 action. The time liad come for him to enter upon his 
 
 [*Jos. Ara. 18, 2-3. 1 
 
The holy life. 
 
 175 
 
 high and holy calling. And the word of the Lord came 
 to him by a positive revelation. So the phrase indi- 
 cates (Jer. i, Ez. 1-iii, Jn. i, 33). But whetlier by 
 theophany, vision, or voice, as in the caseof the prophets 
 of old (Ex. iii. Is. v, vi cfec.), we cannot say. It bade 
 him begin his work. It was a sad day for him, doubt- 
 less. lie was about to leave those rugged solitudes, 
 every part of Avhich had become to him almost like a 
 living companion, and where, tar from the swirl and 
 strifes and sins of the times, he had enjoyed unclouded 
 communion with God. He, no part of whose life had 
 been spent in the ordinary pursuits, or in the society of 
 men, was about to plunge into the midst of life’s agita- 
 tions. There, must he lift up his propliet voice, an- 
 nouncing the advent of Him who was the only hope of 
 his nation and of the world. There,must he denounce the 
 sins of the times. And the penalty he must pay. Be- 
 hind the bars of a gloomy prison from which he would 
 never come forth alive, m'.ist he, the free man of the 
 wilderness, learn what it costs to be faithful to truth, to 
 right, to God. But the ^‘burden of the Lord was upon 
 him,” the fire of the Lord was burning in him, and go 
 he must. He wrapped his course camel hair mantle 
 about him. lie took a last, long, lingering look at the 
 places which he loved so well, and which would know 
 him no more. Led by The Spirit, under whose guid- 
 ance and inspiration his preparation for his work had 
 gone on, he left his long seclusion to ^^show himself to 
 Israel.” He left th.e recesses for that open part of the 
 ^‘wilderness of J udsea,” which borders on the Jordan, He 
 
176 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 reached the lower ford — the place where Elijah and 
 Elisha had passed over through the divided waters. He 
 crossed and stopped at Bethania,* on its eastern bank. 
 At this place stood the, perhaps, one solitary house of 
 the ford, or ferry. This is the meaning of the word: 
 Beth Onijahj place, or house of the ford. The place 
 was in Persea, distant about ten miles from Jericho, 
 thirty from Jerusalem, and about twenty north of the 
 Dead Sea. It was a well-chosen spot for John’s labors. 
 The region was almost uninhabited. The banks of the 
 river were tliere lined with willows and oleanders. On 
 the western side, the low-lands runninor back to the 
 liills of Judsea were covered with heavy timber, the 
 oak, the sycamore, the tamarind. On the eastern side 
 the hills of Peraea came down close to the banks, and 
 afforded spots where tlie people could build booths, and 
 where John could stand al)ove the people and address 
 tlmm, all sheltered, by the heavy foliage of the forest, 
 from the hot Judaean sun. Being both a ford and fer- 
 ry, roads converged to it from every direction, and 
 great streams of people were constantly passing. And 
 if, as is most probable, that was a Sabbatic year, and 
 the land must have rest (Ex. xxxiii, 11), those streams 
 of people would be vastly enlarged. 
 
 There, standing on some spot where he could be seen 
 and heard, John stood before the people a spontaneous 
 production of nature as cultivated by God, Thus he 
 appeared as a messenger to the Jews as a nation. 
 There, sent by God, in accordance with, and for the 
 lulfillment of tlie prophetic word, he lifted up his voice. 
 
 |*Staiiley, Sinai and Pal, Helhabara in Jn. i, 28, T. R is con- 
 fessedly a substitution, by Origen, for the original Betliania.] 
 
THE FORD OF THE JORDAN. 
 
THE HOLY LIEE. 
 
 177 
 
 A voice only, it was, but mighty, and living. At once 
 he was a burning and a shining light, able to penetrate 
 the darkness, strong to arouse hearts and consciences, 
 bright to illuminate intellects. And from out those 
 solitudes his voice is still — ‘‘beareth witness,” present 
 tense, Jn. i, 16 — sounding forth a testimony, ever living, 
 active and valid, to the sons of men. 
 
 As his voice went out, passers by stopped to look and 
 listen. There, stood before them the man of whom they 
 had heard so much, and to see whom people had gone 
 forth to the desert where he abode (Lk. vii, 24), At 
 once their whole attention was aroused. His appear- 
 ance was commanding. His open air life had made his 
 frame, vigorous by birth, strong and sinewy. His 
 bronzed face was lit up by the great thoughts glowing, 
 and The Spirit’s active working, within him. His eye 
 was keen, and looked as if it read a man through and 
 through. His long, shaggy hair streamed down his 
 back — sign of his Nazarite consecration. His rough, 
 camel-hair mantle was girded around his body by a 
 leather girdle — a mark of his Elijah-like character. 
 His voice was full and strong, his spirit fearless, his 
 manner dignified and grave, his aim single, his soul 
 thoroughly in earnest, and his life unblemished. These 
 were sufiicient to make men stop, listen to, study the 
 wonderful man who had so suddenly burst upon them. 
 
 And his preaching was as startling as his appearance. 
 He was the messenger foretold by Malachi (iii,) who 
 was to be sent by God before the Coming One to pre- 
 pare His way before Him.. Not much that he said is 
 
178 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 recorded. He proclaimed this One, as the Promised, Son, 
 and Sent of God, as the Anointed One, i, the Mes- 
 siali, who. Himself baptized with The Spirit,should‘d)ap^ 
 tize with The Spirit and with fire,” as tlie Judge who 
 would ^^thorougldy purge His floor,” and ^‘as the Lamb 
 of God taking away the sin of the world.” 
 
 He was the voice propliesied by Isaiah (xl, 3,6). 
 To the people settled in their own land, the prophet had 
 declared, voice crieth in the wilderness. Prepare ye the 
 way of the Lord, make straight in the desert an high- 
 way for your God,” And John declared that he was 
 that voice, and that that prophecy pointed to and was 
 fulfilled in him (Jn. i, 23). That voice resounded 
 through the land. And combining Matthew’s present 
 participle Iceerussoon^ preaching^ and Luke’s elege7i^ 
 said (vs. 7, imperfect tense) expressing that he used to 
 say^ we learn what was the burden of his preaching. 
 It was, ‘‘repent! repent! The kingdom of the Heavens is 
 approaching!” — a phrase, the meaning of which we will 
 
 examine further on. “Your God is coming. Brinrrdown 
 
 c> o 
 
 the high places of pride and hypocrisy. Make tlie 
 rough places of sinful habits smooth. Kepent, and be 
 baptized, confessing your sins. And when the moral 
 change has been effected your Messiah will come, and 
 all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” 
 
 This call, with its enforcement, showed that the na- 
 tion was guilty, unclean, unprepared to meet the Mes- 
 siah, that it could be prepared only through pardon and 
 cleansing, and that those could come only through pen- 
 itence. Nor could at all the Jewish notion of legal 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 179 
 
 repentance answer. John demanded not outward, but 
 real work, not transient emotions, but deep feeling inan- 
 ifestiim itself in the fruits of rio;hteousness. He called 
 tor that repentance which, springing not from craven 
 fear, but from true motives, and regarding faith in the 
 promises of tlie coming Messiah, proved its power by 
 renunciation of the world, and consecration to a new 
 life. Deeds, not words, a true and noble life towards 
 man and God, not adherence to theoloo;ical docymas or 
 traditional observances, must settle the question of one’s 
 standing before God. It was repentance according to 
 the spiritual views of the prophets, genuine, deep, and 
 lasting — a metanoia^ change of mind^ which included 
 in it a radical and thorough change of purpose, will, af- 
 fections and life. 
 
 This was the great burden of the propliets of old. 
 ‘‘Return to God,*’ they ever sounded in the ears of the 
 nation. Their writings had made the word familiar to 
 the people. But it had become only a word. They 
 saw it not in the lives, heard it not from the lips of 
 their teachers. But now as it came forth through 
 anointed lips from a heart in which it was a living fact, 
 it was a piercing word. The solemn, full, and deep 
 significance of its divine meaning was unfolded and en- 
 forced with all the prophet-like energy of the man of 
 God. lie stood before them the personification of the 
 old theocratic righteousness. He repeated, with the en- 
 ergy of The Spirit, the lessons which had again and 
 again been proclaimed to the people by the prophets of 
 old. He enforced them with the healthful stimulus of 
 
180 
 
 THE HOLY LIEE. 
 
 motives, new, but right and powerful. His words fell 
 upon his hearers with tremendous force. They pierced 
 through all the surface concealment of tolerated sins, and 
 \vent straight to the heart. They so aroused and en- 
 lightened conscience, that it at once began to exercise 
 its office. Men had to think. Conscience would not 
 be quieted, and sins would not down. Daniel’s great 
 word to the king: ‘‘break off your sins by righteous- 
 ness:” kept sounding in the very depths of their being. 
 Micah’s solemn warning (vi, 6-8) stood before them in 
 words of fire. The solemnities of life and the command- 
 ing importance of holiness were seen in their true light. 
 Men saw that the life they had been leading was hollow in 
 character, and barren as to good results — that it honored 
 not God and did not good to man. They trembled, they 
 M^ept, they cried out, as will any one under such heaven- 
 inspired preaching, “what shall we do?” 
 
 To them he proclaimed the baptism of repentance, 
 for the remission of sins — that is, the baptism connected 
 with the confession, and throuorh it with the remission of 
 sins. Legal washings and purifications had been con- 
 nected with the Levitical lustrations for the unclean,froin 
 the time of Moses * And to these washings the idea of 
 purification from legal uncleanness was still attached 
 (Jn. iii, 25). But though the word was in use, to ex- 
 ])re8s the diverse washings of the Law(rieb. ix, lO,Grk), 
 and the washing of pots and tables required by the tra- 
 ditions (Mk. vii, vii, 3-5), yet the idea attached to the 
 word was tlmt of legal, and never that of moral purlfica- 
 
 [*JSum. xix, 7, Ex. xix, 10, Jo3. Bell. Jud. 2-8-7.j 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 181 
 
 tion. We have no evidence that any Jew had ever been 
 baptized. After the destruction of the Temple baptism 
 was administered to proselytes. But the suggestion that 
 it was in use before the fall of Jerusalem rests upon no 
 historical foundation. As a rite connected with repent- 
 ance and the confession and remission of sins it was in- 
 troduced, and alone administered by John. This fact 
 is indicated in the title given him, ‘‘the Baptist,” in the 
 question of the deputation, “why baptizest thou then 
 &c., (Jn. i, 25), in the charge made by his disciples 
 against Jesus, “behold. He baptizeth” (Jn. iii, 26), and 
 in the fact that it is uniformly called “Jolin’s baptism” 
 (Matt, xxi, 26, Acts xix, 3).” And its introduction, 
 which was by special Divine appointment (Jn. i, 33), 
 was connected with the highest, and ultimate object of 
 his ministry. 
 
 This was to prepare the way for the Lord, and, when 
 He came, to manifest Him (Matt, xi, Lk. i, 17, Jn. i, 
 31). And after he had baptized Jesus, and witnessed 
 to, and pointed out Him as the Messiah, his office and 
 ministry both virtually ceased. And this ministry was 
 to introduce Him to Israel. No Gentile was addressed 
 by John, nor in any way affected by his personal minis- 
 try. This was to Israel, not mei-ely as individuals, but as 
 a nation. As prophet, like those of old, as messenger 
 “before His face, to prepare His way,” he summoned 
 the nation to repentance, and to preparation to welcome 
 the coining Messiah. It was in connection with tliis 
 call and with his proclamation of the approach of “the 
 kingdom of the Heavens,” that he introduced this ordin- 
 
182 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 ance. It, or its equivalent, had always introduced a 
 new dispensation. The Noachian had been introduced 
 through the waters of the flood, the Mosaic through 
 those of the lied Sea — and this one continued until 
 John (1 Pet. iii, 20, 1 Cor. x, 1, 2, Jn. i, 17). During 
 all those years no baptism had been administered. 
 And its introduction by John, by Divine authority, 
 shows that a new dispensation was about to begin (Mk. 
 i, 1). This the people understood. Tliey saw that its 
 immediate object was to prepare the nation for the re- 
 ception of the King. And its flnal and highest one, Jbhn 
 knew, was the baptism, and then the manifestation of 
 the King to the nation (Matt.iii,!!, Jn.i,3l). This, tlie 
 Sanhedrim understood, and because thereof were greatly 
 agitated, (Jn. i, 19-27). And this baptism was, in the 
 mind of Jesus’ followers, inseparably associated with 
 tlie coming of ^‘the kingdom of the Heavens” (Acts i, 3, 
 5, 6). 
 
 In connection with his own baptism John spake ol 
 ^•the ba])tism with The Spirit,” by the Coming One. Tliis 
 sliows that he did not regard his own baptism as eftect- 
 ual either as to the imparting of spiritual life, or as to 
 the nation’s acceptance of it. The nation, as such, did 
 not exercise repentance nor receive baptism (Acts v, 31). 
 It rejected him, and this involved the rejection of their 
 King. As a consequence ‘^the kingdom of the Heavens” 
 was withdrawn (Matt. xxi,49). But since God’s purpose 
 must stand (liom. xi), it, hence, must return. The 
 interval is filled up witli the church — “the called out 
 ones” {eldektoi) — for which Jesus, after His resurrec- 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 183 
 
 lion, appointed a baptism with water, distinct from, 
 and not to be confounded with John’s baptism (Matt, 
 xxviii, 19, Acts xix, 1-0); and to which He gave a 
 ])romise of The Spirit’s bestowment (Acts i, 5), which 
 must be carefully distinguished from the baptism of the 
 Spirit spoken of by Jolin. The latter is for the Jews 
 as a nation. And, since the church intervenes between 
 this baptism with The Spirit by Jesus, and the baptism 
 of water by John, it (this baptism of The Spirit) yet 
 must be. Hence, it must be preceded by the coming 
 of Elijah, and be in connection with the second coming 
 of Christ (Mai. iv, 5, 6, Acts iii,19 21, Ezek. xxxix, 29). 
 And then also, at the end tou aloonos^ of this age^ will 
 the fio’ures of^^the winnowing fan,” ‘^the axe at the root of 
 the trees,” and Hhe baptism with fire” become realities. 
 
 To return to John’s baptism. It failed as to the na- 
 tion, but it was effectual as to individuals. Designed 
 only for the truly penitent, it was accompanied, on the 
 part of the recipient, with a positive act, i. e., confession 
 of sins: ‘‘baptized in Jordan, confessing their sins.” 
 And this confession whenever genuine, was invariably 
 attended with the Divine forgiveness. And all such 
 were prepared to receive the Messiah. 
 
 Hence, John’s administration of it was, (a) the dec- 
 laration of the introduction of a new dispensation, and 
 (b) of the unfitness of man, because of corruption, to re- 
 ceive tlieir King. It was at once a symbol of man’s be- 
 ing, because of sin, worthy of death, and of the way of 
 csciipe from that death. And as a symbol of the com- 
 ing baptism of The Spirit, it was a symbol of hope. It 
 
184 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 was a declaration that renunciation of sin, and real 
 amendment of life were necessary for admission into “the 
 kingdom of the Heavens” which John proclaimed. And 
 on the part of the truly humbled recipient it was a break- 
 ing away from the sinful past, the beginning of a new 
 life, the cry for the deliverance to which it pointed, and 
 the declaration that he would receive and follow The 
 Messiah when He appeared. 
 
 This was the burden of the new evangel. It was 
 homely common sense, simple, plain, practical. It was 
 discriminative, addressed to all, easily understood, and 
 took hold on the conscience and heart. It was a most 
 welcome relief from the dry subtleties of the scribes, and 
 the sonorous sophistries of the Pharisees. It was only a 
 voice, but a mighty voice. Its tones thrilled the whole 
 being of the hearers. Its vibrations were felt through- 
 out the nation, and in all ranks of society. The man, 
 his ministry, purity of life, honesty of purpose, fresh 
 and original character, his administration of baptism to 
 the multitudes in the Jordan, and the new life of the 
 converts made an impression which deepened and wid- 
 ened from day to day. Increasing crowds flocked to 
 see and hear this new prophet — the first one who had 
 appeared for five hundred years. Jerusalem poured out 
 its population. Every part of Judma helped to swell 
 the crowd. So did Persea. Soon Galilee heaved with 
 the agitation. Every road was fllled with the crowds, 
 made up of all classes, hurrying on to see and hear for 
 themselves. And as they heard his words they trem- 
 bled, wept and acted. The participle exomologouemenoi^ 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 185 
 
 confessing^ shows that the act was public, definite and 
 specific. Multitudes after ra altitudes pressed on and 
 were baptized in Jordan, confessinor their sins. And wliat 
 had caused this mighty movement? Because they saw and 
 heard a real, live, earnest man,fu]l of faith,full of the Holy 
 Spirit,who came to what he was and said, through constant 
 communion with God, who lived what he believed, who had 
 something most important" to say, and who said it like a 
 sledge hammer and a two-edged sword combined. 
 
 The movement reached the higher classes. Pharisees 
 and Sadd'ucees could not resist the impulse. But they 
 came not to learn, nor to receive good, but to criticise and 
 sneer. They treated John’s eloquence as raving, his 
 baptism as a jest. His penetrative glance read their 
 motives and musings, and his fearless frankness exposed 
 them thoroughly. He, by this time, anticipated his own 
 rejection by the nation. He was intimately familiar 
 with the prophecies. He knew that the rejection of the 
 Messiah, involved in his own,would involve the rejection 
 of the nation, and the calling of the Gentiles. He 
 would not only arouse, warn, save his fellow-country- 
 men if he could, but he would also use, if needs be, the 
 sharpest remedies to warn the heads of the nation to 
 penitence and preparation to receive the coming Mes- 
 siah. And so — as we gather from his words — when he 
 saw the Pharisees and Sadducees wickedly ridiculing 
 the whole scene, and trying to break the force of his 
 words by sneers, he, directly, and in the severest tones 
 and terms, addressed them and those that followed 
 them, as part of the crowd that came to his baptism: 
 “offspring of vipers!” — i. ^., men full of subtlety and 
 wickedness, malicious, deceitful in principle and life, 
 and instruments of the Evil One — a seemingly harsh 
 expression this, but true. It was calling things by 
 their right names. And this, Jesus Himself always did. 
 For with all His love He was ever severe towards 
 
186 
 
 THE HOI Y LIFE. 
 
 hypocrites. -‘Who,” Jolm went on to say, ‘‘hath warned 
 you to flee from’the coming wrath? i. the judgments 
 which the Messiah will introduce/’ This judgment, 
 certain, will be exterminating. For already also {lieedee 
 de kai) the invisible axe is laid at the root of every 
 tree, and the one not bringing forth good fruit is cut 
 down, and cast into the Are” — an emblem, this, of the 
 judgment impending upon individuals, and upon the 
 ]iation. Prevent, by preparation, the cutting of the axe* 
 Be ready for the winnowing fan. Think not that out- 
 ward forms and cultured scepticism will answer. Re- 
 pent. And show that it is genuine by “bringing forth 
 fruits,” i. e.y living practical developments, “worthy” of 
 it. And do not think to quiet an aroused conscience 
 by imagining (dokeoo^ Matt.), or saying {legoOy Lk.) 
 within yourselves that your descent as children of 
 Abraham is suflicient fitness, and will prevent the judg- 
 ment. None are recognized as the children of Abraham 
 except such as do the works of Abraham. And should 
 the judgment fall, God, whose resources are limitless, is 
 able of these stones, lying around here, to raise up 
 children unto Abraham. 
 
 These words irritated, if they did not exasperate 
 tliose to whom they were addressed. They set at 
 naiiglit John’s warning. They rejected God’s counsel 
 to tiieir own lasting injury. They utterly refused 
 John’s baptism. Some months later the Sanhedrim 
 sent a deputation to him. After their report that body 
 formally rejected John. And the consequences to the 
 nation were most calamitous. 
 
THE HOLY r>IFE. 
 
 187 
 
 But though tlie nation rejected, multitudes listened 
 to John’s warning, and the new evangel. Tliey believed 
 Jiis word,^‘lIe is coming, lie shall baptize with the Holy 
 Spirit and with lire.” They counted John as a prophet, 
 and accepted baptism at his hairls. And to perplexed 
 penitents in fear of the judgment, and coming to him 
 with their practical difficiiUies, he gave answers which 
 show how well he understood men, luw clearly he saw 
 defects of character, and how intensely real and practi- 
 cal, even rigorous was his morality. They asked, (imper- 
 fect tense, implying that many asked), and he did not tell 
 men to leave their callinors, but to do no wrong; in them. 
 He condemned sell-love and covetousness, and inculca- 
 ted charity, and regard for others. To certain who asked 
 him. What shall we do? he said,^‘be not selfish. If you 
 have food, divide it with those that need. If you have 
 two coats, give one to him that has none.” To publicans 
 coming to be baptized, and asking. What shall we do? 
 he, knowing the covetousness and selfishness of that 
 class, replied, ‘do not exact more than legally belongs to 
 you.” And when soldiers — belonging perhaps to Herod’s 
 army, perhaps to the foreign legions, then actively em- 
 ployed in military service, and perliaps present as con- 
 servators of the peace, or to watch that John’s move- 
 ment had no political significance — asked him the same 
 question, he replied, ‘‘diaseiseete^ do not^ as subordinate, 
 extort hy fear ^ nor lay under Gontrihution\ nor suko- 
 phanteeseete^ plo.y spy or informer f and do not plunder 
 
 f*This verb signities etymologically, those who denounced the 
 exporter of figs out ox Attica, tlien, to be informer, or to slander.] 
 
188 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 property or people, but be content with your wages.” 
 
 Let the reader compare these answers with the one 
 given by Peter to the same question, on Pentecost, and 
 note the difference. This arises from the fact that when 
 John preached, the kingdom was coming, but wlien Peter 
 preached, tliat coming was postponed, and the church was 
 in its p]ace,for the time. And let him also note that the 
 morality John preached was high and pure. With it no 
 man can quarrel. It is the fruit of a rectitude and benevo- 
 lence which powerfully attest abhorrence of all wrong, 
 and earnest desire after all good. It shows that sense of 
 moral obligation which, faithfully acknowledged and 
 practiced, brings a blessing which the mere practice of 
 devotion, no matter how zealous, can never, without 
 it, obtain. And it is that morality which John himself 
 scrupulously observed. For when the thousands waited on 
 him for his word, and were ready to accept him as the 
 Christ, if he only declared that he was, he not only said, 
 ‘T am not He,” but as soon as He appeared, having 
 pointed Him out, he retired — an exhibition of moral 
 greatness, and of the heroism of integrity which has no 
 parallel. 
 
 For so profound was the impression made by John’s 
 holy life, so indefatigable were his labors to lead the 
 people to God, and to give them a true ideaof His salva- 
 tion, and, so deeply had lie stirred thousands of con- 
 sciences and awakened into vividness the thoughts 
 of the Messiah, and so solemn were the expectations of 
 His coming witii which vast multitudes were filled, 
 that they reganled John as a pro])het; and the great 
 gathering (all men, vs. 15) were in susjiense iprosdokaoo)^ 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 189 
 
 and dialogizomaiwere tossing to and fro ^ pondering the 
 question in tlieir hearts idialogizomenoon en iais 
 kardiais) whether or no he himself was the {ho) Christ. 
 A word from liim, the center as yet of the movement, 
 and all would instantly have accepted him, as such. 
 But that word was not spoken. He saw, and rightly 
 directed those mnsings by turning the eager eyes, fast- 
 ened upon himself, to the One coming after him: “I in- 
 deed baptize,’’ but it is only hudati — the instrumental 
 dative signilying, the article being absent, the element 
 by which — “with water unto repentance.* But the 
 mightier than Icomelh (Lk.). The expected Coming One 
 {lio erchomenos) after me is mightier than I. So su- 
 perior is He that I am not worthy to bring (bastasai^ 
 Matt.) His sandals when He goes out, nor to stoop down 
 and unloose {kujpsas lusa% Mk.) them when He comes 
 in. And His superiority is seen in this, that while all 
 I can do is to baptize with water, He shall give a bap- 
 tism that is eflectual, and without which mine is not — 
 sh all baptize you (Jews),or (penitents) Pnenmati kai 
 pnri — the preposition en denoting the element or local- 
 ity in which — in the Holy Spirit and in fire. 
 
 He comes with His winnowing fan in His hand. He 
 will thoroughly diakathariei teen aloona, cleanse ihrough 
 Ills iheeshing. floor — a symbol of the theocracy (Jer. 
 XV, 7) over and througli which tlie winnowing fan 
 will pass, thorouirhly purifying it, The chaff (Ps. i, 5) 
 He will hum, and the wlieat He will gather into His 
 
 |*Tlie T. K. in Malt, iii, 11, lias en hudati. But the (.'od. Sin. 
 has, tliere, as lierc in Lk., hudati^?ii\i\ en Pneumaii. The Spirit is a 
 Person, and cannot be treated as a means.] 
 
190 
 
 THE HOYY LTFl^. 
 
 garner, i. e,^ kingdom. An emblem this of the dis- 
 criminating cliaracter of the judgment, as that of ‘Hhe 
 axe at the root of the trees’’ was of its imminence. In 
 botli, the judgment of the nation and that of the individ- 
 ual are mingled. It was to Jews that the words were ad- 
 dressed. The judgment of the individuals is unJoubU 
 edly future. That upon the nation could not have been 
 fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem. For then there was the 
 dispersion of the people, but not the gathering of wheat 
 into the garner. The ^‘axe” and ^‘fan” metaphors, as 
 the baptisms of The Spirit and fire must point forward 
 to the second coming of the Lord. 
 
 But such great words of warning were not all that he 
 said. For while addressing these and many other ex- 
 hortations to the people, eueeggiliseto^ he evangelized^ 
 preached to them the gospel. That is, he constantly 
 reminded them of the Messianic promises, and inspired 
 them with the Messianic hope. And it was while John 
 was thus discoursing to the people, that Jesus presented 
 Himself for baptism, the subject that next demands our 
 attention. 
 
 Section XIV. 
 
 The Baptism of Jesus. 
 
 Time; Jan. Gth, A. D- 27. 
 
 Place: Lethania, on the east bank of the Jordan, about 10 milee 
 east of Jericho, 
 
 Matthew iii, 13-17, Maik i, 9-11, Luke iii, 21-23. 
 
 Now it came to pass in tliose days, wlieii all the peo- 
 ]tle were ba])tized, that Jesns came from Nazareth in 
 Clalilee to — unto the (iow) Jordan, unto John, to be bap- 
 tized of him. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 191 
 
 Blit John forbade Him, saying, I have need to be 
 baptized of Thee, and coinest Thou to me? 
 
 And Jesus answering said unto him, suffer it, {or 
 Me) now [aphes arti)\ for thus it becoineth {prepon 
 estin it is hecoming) us to fulfill all righteousness. 
 
 Then he suffered Him, And when all the people 
 were baptized, Jesus, praying, was also baptized of John 
 in the (ton) Jordan. And Jesus, when He was baptized, 
 went up — coming up — straightway out of [ek^ — from 
 (aioo)"^ the water, lo, the heavens (Matt., Mk.) — heaven, 
 (Lk.) were opened unto Him — He saw the heavens 
 opened — and the Holy Spirit descended — He saw the 
 Spirit of God descending — in a bodily shape like a 
 dove, and lighting upon Him — and abiding on Him, 
 Jn. i, 38). And lo, there came a voice from heaven, 
 saying, — which said — This is — Thou art — My beloved 
 Son in whom — in Thee — I am well-pleased. 
 
 And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of 
 age. 
 
 Perfect obedience to, gives th6 righteousness of, the law 
 (Dent. vi, 25). During the thirty years of seclusion Jesus, 
 under the guidance of, and by the power of The Spirit 
 who was ever with Him, rendered the first, and thus ob- 
 tained the second. Thus, too. He passed on from the 
 sinless innocence of His childhood to the positive holi- 
 ness of His manhood. He was, and could be called, 
 “Jesus the righteous.’’ 
 
 Thus was He fitted for an advanced position. He 
 must be made manifest to Israel as the Servant of God, 
 and the Messiah. He must be sealed to obedience as 
 
 lias apo from^ Mark i, 9, has tlie same iu T. R. 
 But Lachmann, Tiscliendorf, Meyer, Altord, following B. D. L. has 
 ek’^ and witli it tue E. V. “out of’ accords] 
 
192 
 
 THE HOLY LIM. 
 
 the first, and anointed as the second. He must also 
 through the divinely appointed way pass out of the 
 kingdom into which He had come by birth, into the 
 kingdom which He had come to introduce — ^^the king- 
 dom of the Heavens,^’ which was approaching in, rnd 
 with His Person. This was by baptism. And His 
 baptism liad for Him further, this profoundest signifi- 
 cance. With it were connected the solution to Himself 
 of the mystery of His being. His inauguration into of- 
 fice, and His enduement ^‘with power from on high.” 
 
 The hour for this august solemnity had arrived. 
 Long before, doubtless, and often, had He felt strong 
 impulses to begin His work. But haste in such mat- 
 ters is a sign ot weakness,running unsent of unsubdued- 
 ness of spirit, But Jesus waited patiently for thirty 
 years, for His Father’s call, and during those years pre- 
 pared Himself for His work. And this waiting which 
 was, perhaps, the supremest trial of His faith, affords 
 convincing proofs of His perfect obedience to God. 
 And it brought the richest blessing. Waitino^ God’s 
 time. He was made a participant of God’s power. As 
 in His name, so by His power, lie always acted. Hence 
 His work, as His walk, was always perfect. The latter 
 never exhibited the slightest indecision or wavering; and 
 in the former no word liad ever to be modified or re- 
 called, no act ever changed or undone. 
 
 As ever after, so now. He started not until The Spirit 
 told Him. Led by Him, He left the seclusion of Naz- 
 areth, unattended, and traveled on through Galilee, and 
 through, or by, Samaria to Bethania on the Jordan. 
 There, John Baptist was preaching to the thousands of 
 
The River Jordan, 
 
 
The holy life. 
 
 193 
 
 Israel, There was he baptizing penitent souls in the 
 Jordan. Thus was he, through the Divinely appointed 
 proparr'-ion for the introduction of ‘‘the kingdom of the 
 lleavens,”making“ready a people prepared for theLord.’’ 
 And to him who had been set apart to the high honor 
 of baptizing Him, Jesus now presented Himself. 
 
 He and John were blood-relations. But their homes 
 and haunts had been far apart — John’s in the wilder- 
 ness in Judaea, Jesus’ in the city of Nazareth. Each 
 had learned, doubtless, from his mother, and in his 
 earliest years, the extraordinary facts connected with 
 their birth, and with the exalted position to which each 
 had been called. Each knew the other, yet not personally. 
 For they had never met. John twice declared, “I knew 
 Him not.” Some forty days after Jesus’ baptism, John 
 pointed Him out as “The Lamb,” and “Son of God.” 
 But they seem not then to have conversed with each 
 other, nor ever afterwards to have met. Though he 
 had been sent to baptize in order that Jesus might be 
 manifested, and though he had been assured that an in- 
 fallible sign would be given him by which he miglU 
 know Jesus, the One who is the Son of God, yet it does 
 not appear that an intimation had been given to him as 
 to the time of Jesus’ baptism, or that he expected Him 
 on that day. 
 
 That day, Jan. 6th, is sacred in the Church’s calen- 
 dar. It is observed as the feast of the Epiphany, i. 
 of Jesus’ first open manifestation to the world, as the 
 Messiah of God. On that day He appeared i n,and yet apart 
 from, the crowd that presented themselves for baptism. 
 
 He had been constantly seen by the citizens of Naz- 
 areth. But His appearance, as Himself, had been as- 
 sociated with His daily toil. And that, perhaps, was 
 all they thought about Him. But now, as He ap- 
 proached John standing by the sacred stream. His per- 
 sonal appearance made on the crowd, as it did on John, 
 a profound impression. And well it might. No des- 
 
194 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 cription of it is given in the Gospels, nor in the Apos- 
 tolic Letters. But not long after His ascension that 
 became like all the facts in His life a topic of Christian 
 conversation. And early in the second century like- 
 nesses of Him began to appear. These came from dis- 
 ciples. They thus sought to recall those features Upon 
 which they had looked with veneration and love. Ter- 
 tullian's criticism of one as “incorrect, and as wanting 
 in resemblance,’’ implies the existence of correct ones 
 in his day(A.D.160). Gibbon(ch.xvi)saysone wasplaced 
 by Alexander Severus in his private chapel, and by the 
 side of illustrious worthies. Eusebius (A. D. 225-240,) 
 speaks of them as plenty in his day. Augustine, in 
 the next century, speaks of some of the “numberless 
 ones” as being ancient. The “Abgarus” or “Edessa” 
 one is very ancient. A very old copy of it is now in 
 the church of St. Bartolomeo in Genoa. The orminal 
 may be one of those to which Tertullian alludes. The 
 other old one is the “Veronica.” It is printed on cloth, 
 and kept in the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome. “Heads” 
 of Jesus, also, have been found; some of them in fresco, 
 in the catacombs, and some of them stamped, (a), upon 
 medals (of gold, silver and bronze), and, (b), upon coin 
 (the gold coin of Justinian, and the silver coin of sev- 
 eral of the Byzantine emperors). Some of these med- 
 als are in the British and Oxford museums. And two 
 small medallions of Him, as old at least as the third 
 century, are still extant. In one of these His hair is 
 
 f arted in the middle of His forehead, and falls down over 
 lis shoulders. Below the liead is the name of Jesus, in 
 Hebrew letters. The description by Nicephorus, which, 
 lie says, had been handed down from antiquity, is well- 
 known: “He was very beautiful. His height was fully 
 seven spans. His hair was bright auburn, not too thick, 
 and wavy and curling. His eye-brows were black and 
 arched, and His eyes, which were very beautiful, shed 
 from them a gentle, golden light. His nose was promi- 
 
Tlie oWeet exiaui bead oi Jesus, tromvttie 
 Catacomb ot Callixtus The original is now 
 Ih the Ohrieuau Museum of the Vatican This 
 Catacomb belongs to the First Century 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 195 
 
 nent. His beard waf silken, and not very long. His hair 
 was long, for it was never cut, and had never been touched 
 by any hand save His mother’s, when He was a child. 
 His body was veil-formed. His complexion was that 
 of ripe brown wheat, and His face, like His mother’s, 
 was rather oval than round, and through it there shone 
 dignity, intelligence of soul, gentleness, and a calmness 
 of spirit never disturbed.” And a traditional delinea- 
 tion, said to have been given in a letter written by 
 Publius Lentulus to the Poman Senate — but which has 
 no historical support — describes Him as a man of stat- 
 ure somewliat tall. His hair the color of a chestnut 
 fully ripe, plain to the ears, whence downward it is more 
 orient, curling, and waving about the shoulders; in the 
 midst of His forehead is a stream or partition of his 
 hair; forehead plain and very delicate; His face with- 
 out spot or wrinkle, a lovely red; His nose and mouth 
 so formed as nothing can be more faultless; His beard 
 thick, in color like His hair, not very long; His eyes 
 gray, quick and clear; and His forehead clear and per- 
 fectly serene.” 
 
 Turning from these traditions to the Sacred History 
 we find hints scattered here and there, which may help 
 us to form a somewhat correct impression, perhaps, of 
 Jesus’ personal appearance. We know that while un- 
 dergoing those awful agonies and that awful death 
 which closed His earthly career, <‘His visage was more 
 marred than any man, and His form than the sons of 
 men.” This fact awakened great astonishment (Is. lii, 
 14). Such astonishment implies that, previously. He 
 possessed comeliness of form, and had handsomeness of 
 person. All physical perfections must have been in His 
 sinless humanity. Symmetricalness of form, erectness 
 in mein, nobility in bearing, faultlessness in the lines 
 and expression of His face cliaracterized Him who was 
 “fairer than the sons of men” (Ps. xlv, 2). His intellect- 
 ual force expressed itself upon His countenance. And 
 
196 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 it was also illumined by tlie liglit and suffused and 
 toned by the love of God which continually glowed in 
 Ilis heart. The serenity which sat upon His brow was 
 cloudless, for it came from His perfect wisdom, perfect 
 self-control, perfect unselfishness, perfect love, and per- 
 fect integrity. And the faultless symmetry of His features 
 and form was never disturbed by any dark passion, nor 
 impaired by sickness nor decay. His step, tone, look, 
 form, features, bearing — His whole structure, intellect- 
 ual, moral, physical, spoke forth to the crowd, that here 
 was the Man of men, in the fullest and most compre- 
 hensive sense of that term. And such He must be. Had 
 He not been free from all physical defects, the Pharisees 
 would have been sure to have made it known, the people 
 would not have recognized Him as a prophet, and He 
 could not have been the Antitype of the unblemished vic- 
 tim of the law. In look and voice there was somethino^ 
 wonderful (Jn. xviii.6),but at the same time engaging and 
 benevolent. And the free and high, the noble and loving 
 spirit dwelling within Him, was so expressed in His out- 
 ward air, that the people must have been awed by it as 
 He approached the sacred stream. 
 
 He now stood before John in all theraatchlessness of 
 His personal appearance. The dew of youth was fresh 
 upon Him. The strength of young manhood was cours- 
 ing through His veins. The air of unusual dignity, 
 the majesty of mein and look, the serenity resting on 
 tlie brow, the liglit of other worlds shining through 
 the eyes, the radiance of a sinlessly holy soul suffused 
 over the face, sobered by thought and beaming with tru- 
 est, tenderest, noblest love, all unlike anything he had 
 ever seen — awed and fascinated John. He had looked 
 deeply into the hearts of men. He could unmask the 
 face of the hypocrite. He could see what was genuine. 
 He was prolbundly struck with the bearing and face of 
 tlie Holy One. It was therefore possible for him psy- 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 197 
 
 chologically, at once to suspect the character of the 
 Man. To his consciousness there came the conviction 
 that incarnate goodness and Divine majesty stood before 
 him. Then came the thought, Thou art holier than I. In 
 such a presence his own inferiority was profoundly felt, 
 lie hesitated. He drew back. He could not under- 
 stand how such a One could ask baptism at his hands, 
 or submit to an ordinance, the symbol of uncleanness, 
 and of the worthiness of death. He had baptized thous- 
 ands, but never one like this One. They had bowed 
 before him, and their confessions he had received. But 
 before this One he bowed in profound abasement, and 
 reverently made his own: ^^I have need to be baptized of 
 Thee, and comest Thou tome?” 
 
 This w^as a real need which John felt. What did he 
 mean? Not, that he had a need of personal holiness, or 
 of fitness for his work. For he was then, as always, 
 filled with The Spirit. But he needed baptism, pro- 
 vided He was the Messiah, at His hands, in order to be 
 introduced into the kingdom, which He was to intro- 
 duce, and the introduction of which he (John) had an- 
 nounced. Into it hecould come only by Him (Matt, xi, 
 11, 12; Lk. vii, 28; xvi, 16). 
 
 ‘‘Suffer it to be so, now” in contrast with hereafter, 
 was Jesus’ calm reply, “for thus it becometh {^prepon^ is 
 becoming in) us, i. ^., you and Me, “to fulfill all right- 
 eousness.” Now, at this time, do you baptize Me with 
 water, as an act of obedience on My part, and as a typi- 
 cal showing forth of the sacrifice I am to make. When 
 I come the second time you shall have your desires ful- 
 
198 
 
 THE HOIiY LIFE. 
 
 tilled. And may not tins have been the time when 
 John learned that stupendous truth, which he announced 
 as he introduced Jesus to men: ^^Behold the Lamb of 
 God which taketh away the sin of the world!” 
 
 Then he suffered Him, and Jesus was baptized. 
 
 But why? One reason was that He miMit thus be 
 taken out from the kingdom in which He had been 
 born — Satan’s — and be put into the kingdom of the 
 Heavens which was approaching, in and with Himself. 
 
 But why, again? In everything to be the obedient 
 Servant. He had put Himself under the yoke of the 
 law. He had unceasingly obeyed all its calls, moral 
 and ceremonial. He had observed the Divinely ap- 
 pointed feasts, and had submitted to every custom,right, 
 and recTulation of God’s throne. He now came to siib- 
 init to this requirement, the transitional command from 
 the Old to the New Dispensation. All up to this point 
 had been fully met. In obeying this, the last, He would 
 fultil all righteousness. 
 
 Again, why? The phrases, ‘‘when all the people were 
 baptized,” and “Jesus also being baptized,” show the 
 close moral connection between their baptisms. They, 
 being sinful, needed penitence, pardon, purification, and 
 were baj)tizjd, confessing their sins. This showed the 
 nature of the ordinance. It was the baptism to repent- 
 ance — a rite appointed for, and belonging to man as 
 sinful flesh. A most affecting symbol, also, it was, of 
 the character of the subjects, humble, mourning souls 
 exercised by penitence. The Servant of God must obey 
 the Divine command, and being as such, “made in the 
 
THE HOLY LIFE, 
 
 199 
 
 likeness ot sinful flesh’’ must go through the purifica- 
 tions appointed for that flesh. As Head of the Church 
 He must set the example for those who afterward would 
 enter bj the door into His Church. Thus, then, He de- 
 clared His position. Thus He surrendered Himself to 
 the movement which was drawing the people to God. 
 Thus He tightened the cord by which He was bound to 
 the race — by circumcision to the Jews, and by incarna- 
 tion to all mankind. Thus did He take on Himself the 
 sins and guilt of the people, and declare Himself involved 
 in their liability to condemnation and death. It was 
 His confession of the sins upon Him, by His own vol- 
 untary and guiltless participation of them, by imputa- 
 tion, and which (i. the confession) He poured out in 
 tones more humble, compassionate and beseeching than 
 those Daniel and Nehemiah had used. It was His declara- 
 tion of sympathy with penitent souls, and of Ilis pur- 
 pose to put away for them ail sin, and bring back all 
 ri<>-hteousness. And here it was that John learned what 
 
 o 
 
 lie afterwards declared. That this is the Lamb of God 
 wliich taketh away the sin of the world.” It was an act, 
 in fine, by which the whole race was affected. “In His 
 baptism it received a baptism. It laid off old faiths. 
 It w^s taken from the sphere of the natural life into a 
 new life. It was introduced into the new, which was 
 the consummation of the first, creation of God.”* 
 
 The solemnity of that moment was unutterably great. 
 Hitherto He has been the obscure villao-er of Nazareth. 
 Henceforth He was to be the Man of God, of action and 
 
 L^Godet, in loco. 
 
200 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 suffering, and the Man of His age, and of all time. Be- 
 hind Him lay a life filled with holy memories, and witha 
 tranquil flow, undisturbed by any storm or sorrow. Be- 
 fore Him lay a future filled with service and conflicts of 
 the hardest and severestkind,dark with clouds surcharged 
 with heaviest sorrows, and closing with an awful death. 
 Heavy burdens pressed down on His heart. Great 
 thoughts burned in His mind. One, only, could appre- 
 ciate that with which His whole being was full. To 
 Him lie, as doubtless before, certainly afterwards, 
 now had recourse. Into His willing ear He poured out 
 all Ilis soul in one continuous prayer, before and dur- 
 ing His baptism. ^^Baptized and praying,’’ that is 
 Luke's word. 
 
 That word tells the whole story. The place of prayer 
 is that of dependence. And His praying shows His de- 
 pendence, as Servant, on God. It is also the place of 
 power and blessing. The thirsty earth asks, and receives 
 rain. Longing souls ask, and receive grace. Prepared 
 souls ask, and receive The Spirit’s fulness. Thus it was 
 with Jesus. Like the Psalmest He said, ^‘all my 
 springs are in Thee.” From them He now sought by 
 faith and prayer to draw. And we have little doubt 
 what was the burden of that prayer. The sighs of the 
 people found a voice, and their sins a confession. In- 
 termingled with these were petitions for the solution of 
 the mystery of His being, and for wisdom and strength 
 to accomplish the will of God. He renewedly devoted 
 Himself wholly to, and cast Himself wholly upon, God: 
 ‘T come to do thy will: Glorify Thy name in Me and 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 201 
 
 by Me: Let Thy Spirit in abundant fulness rest upon 
 Me: This comprehends all my needs.’’ 
 
 The starting point of an advance can be only where 
 The Spirit’s working in the soul is, in some measure, 
 known. His communicated fulness, as are all llis 
 actings upon man as regenerated, is a gift, not forced 
 upon, but sought after, and desired by the soul. It sees 
 something of the value and desirableness of the acquisi- 
 tion. There is also a suitable fitness for the reception. 
 Then the prayer-impulse of the soul powerfully moves 
 it to seek for the fulness, and to wait before God until 
 the fulness is received. 
 
 This is the common experience of believers. This 
 was the experience of Jesus. He knew the blessed re- 
 sults of The Spirit’s acting for, and upon Himself. By 
 Him had the undefiled temple of His body been reared 
 from its foundations, and during its growth continually 
 upheld- By Him had He been guided into the truth 
 of God, as revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures. He had 
 been the bond of union between Himself (Jesus) and 
 G(»d. Never had He once, even in the slightest degree 
 grieved Him who had been His Support and Guide. 
 To His constant replenishing, there had been constant 
 responding, and for it, doubtless, constant prayer. And 
 thus His outer and inner life had gone on developing, 
 slowly, solidly, symmetrically,beauteously,and most har- 
 moniously. Ever fresh and perfect obedience had been 
 rewarded with ever fresh Divine infiowings. Thus en- 
 larged as filled, and filled as enlarged. He had now be- 
 come capable of receiving the measureless, the entire 
 
202 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 fulness of The Spirit. And with this state of energetic 
 receptivity, the condition of every Pentecost, came the 
 impulse to pray that it might be bestowed. 
 
 And it was. After He had been baptized. He went 
 up at once out of the w^ater. But while coming up out 
 of it, and still praying, lo, the heavens were opened 
 {anoigoo^ Lk.) or rent assunder, Mk.) 
 
 and The Spirit, in a bodily shape like a dove, descended 
 from the azure depth, and lighted, and abode,(Jn. i,12) up- 
 on Him. And simultaneously with this movement 
 there came a voice from the {toon) heavens, saying 
 ‘‘This is. Thou art. My beloved Son; in Thee I am well- 
 pleased.’^ 
 
 The opening heavens, the descending Spirit, the 
 sounding voice were as truly objective realities as was 
 the baptism. They all were phenomena addressed to 
 the senses. Even the descent of The Spirit — as the 
 phrase, “bodily shape, &c.,” and John’s positive state- 
 ment, “I saw The Spirit, &c.” (Jn. i, 32, 33) fully estab- 
 lish — was an objective theophany.* And they were 
 objectively perceived by the senses of both Jesus and 
 John. The first one was auto^ to Ilim^ ^. to Jesus 
 alone. He, only, saw that sight. The second one both 
 saw. The third one both heard, as we gather from the 
 ‘‘This” and the “Thou.” And to the consciousness of each 
 one came three corresp )nding and significant facts. These 
 were the Divine communication, those its manifestation. 
 
 What was their import to John? 
 
 He C(juld not mistake that sight and sound. To him 
 
 pCoiii|). Col. ii, 9, 1 Tim. iv, 8.J 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 203 
 
 the designated official witness, tliey Tj'ere the Divinely 
 promised and given signs of Jesus’ Sonship (eternal,) 
 and Messiahship. John’s own interpretation is, ‘‘This 
 is He whom God has sent, who speaks the vv'ords of 
 God, belief in whom gives to the one believing ever- 
 lasting lile; and who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (Jn. 
 iii, 34-36; i, 32-34).- But he could not have spoken 
 with such infallible assurance unless there had come in- 
 to his consciousness, through these infallible tokens, and 
 by the revealing Spirit, the full conviction of both the 
 personal dignity and official position of the Man before 
 him. He discerned the significance of the “bodily 
 shape,” and of the voice, “This is My beloved Son,” and 
 he knew infallibly that “this was the Son of God.” 
 
 Henceforth with unfaltering assurance could he testi- 
 fy: “lie whom God hath sent, speaketli the words of 
 God, for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto 
 Him:” “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given 
 all things into His hands:” “I am not the Christ: 
 One standeth among you whom ye know not; He it 
 is.” He could, pointing out Jesus to the crowd, cry 
 out, “This is He! Behold the Lamb of God! I knew 
 Him not. But that He should be made manifest to Is- 
 rael, Therefore am I come, baptizing with water. He 
 that sent me to baptize, said unto me. Upon whom 
 thou shall see The Spirit descending, and remaining on 
 Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy 
 Spirit. I bear witness that I saw The Spirit descend- 
 ing from heaven like a dove, and He abode upon Him. 
 And I saw^ and bear witness that this is the Son of God.” 
 
204 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 Thus was Jesus made known to John. Thus John, 
 by The Spirit, as we shall soon see, pointed Him out to 
 His own disciples, and introduced Him to the world. 
 
 What was the significance to Jesus? 
 
 The Father had spoken at once to both His outward 
 and His inward sense. He had taken complete posses- 
 sion of Him. And this effected a most significant 
 change, not in His nature, or Person, but in the condi- 
 tions of His life. 
 
 The first phenomenon gave Him a look into the 
 realm of spirits, the eternal abode of light (Is. Ixiv, 1; 
 Ezek. i, 1; Acts vii, 63). Thus was a perfect revelation 
 accorded to His consciousness. He had, henceforth, a 
 perfect knowledge of God’s mind, a perfect understand- 
 ing of His purpose in regard to His own mission, and 
 free access to Him, and to His treasures of infinite wis- 
 dom and might. Henceforth, with infallible assurance. 
 He could declare His (God’s) thoughts to men. 
 
 The second phenomenon, the luminous appearance, 
 ‘fin bodily shape like a dove,” was The Spirit’s descend- 
 ing, and lighting, and remaining {menoo) upon Him. 
 
 In Scripture, which can be our only guide in seeking 
 the meaning of tliis symbol, the dove is an emblem of 
 shrinking gentleness, modesty and meekness, of chaste 
 purity, simplicity, and innocence, of beauteous inofien- 
 siveness towards man, of the plaintive cries of the spirit, 
 and of the movement of the soul to God. ^ The phenome- 
 non, then, indicated that these features of character, found 
 
 viii, !) 12: Ps. Iv, PJ; Ixviii, 13; Cant ii, 14; v. 20; vi, 9; 
 la. xxxviii, 14, lix, 11; lx, 8.J 
 
The holy life. 
 
 20 § 
 
 perfectly in Jesus, are those Tie delights in, and would 
 mould us in the likeness of. He was meek, harmless, 
 loving, undetiled. He was a Man of peace, and of sor- 
 rows, a stranger who longed to be in, and as soon as He 
 could, went to the rest of Heaven. As the dove brought 
 to Noah the good tidings of the assuaging of the deluge 
 so The Spirit brings to the soul the good news of God 
 reconciled in Christ. And He labors to make men, as 
 Jesus was, dove like in disposition and purity. And the 
 form of the phenomenon symbolized to Jesus, did it 
 not? the power by, manner in, and end to which His 
 mission was to be carried on? 
 
 The essential fact of this phenomenon, however, was, 
 that the Holy Spirit was at this solemn moment actually 
 bestowed, in all His measureless fulness, upon Jesus. 
 This was His anointing lor His service of sorrow, suf- 
 fering and love. Under the old covenant The Spirit 
 liad come upon prophets and others with occasional in- 
 spirations of prophecy, and gifts of power and grace. 
 But when the objects for the bestowments were accom- 
 plished He withdrew. At Pentecost He entered into 
 new relations wdth our race, as redeemed. Since then 
 He dwells with all believers. And when, where there 
 is work to be done, there are in any one servant fit- 
 ness and proper receptivitj^. He fills such, for that work 
 and according to the capacity, and “to the measure of 
 the fulness of Christ.” But as no one can contain all 
 His infinite fulness — a fact indicated by the divided 
 tongues at Pentecost — He divides His difterent gifts 
 umong them, giving to them severally, as He will. But 
 
206 
 
 TPIE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 Jesus could receive, and ‘^Grod gave” — ^^giveth,” present 
 tense, indicating constant bestownient — not as 
 eternal Son, but as Man, ^^tlie measureless fulness” the 
 absolute totality,^^of The Spirit,’'in the fullest meaning of 
 the term. The permanence of the gift is indicated by the 
 abrupt termination of the tliought with, ^^abode upon 
 Him.” And this is in exact accord with the prophetic 
 word, ^^rest upon Him,” (Is. xi, 2,) and with the pheno- 
 menon itself,^ 
 
 Never, after The Spirit hid entered into this new and 
 most august relation with Him, did He, as before, act 
 upon Him, by any special action. He entered into, 
 lived and acted in, and through, but never upon Him. 
 The Spirit’s life became His personal, Ilis ministerial 
 life. The acts of His offices were emanations of this 
 life. This was tlie atmosphere which He breathed, the 
 power by which He acted, the secret of that perfect 
 freedom, in the inmost seat of life, from the agitations, 
 troubles, sorrows, and sins wliich He bore for man. 
 Henceforth the most formidable assaults of Satan, and 
 tlie fiercest fires of sufferiim could not disturb that un- 
 
 o 
 
 alterable repose. 
 
 The meaning of this phenomenon is, perfect inspira- 
 tion: henceforth is He the organ ot The Spirit’s ful- 
 ness to man. The meaning of tlie first, is, perfect rev- 
 elation of the mind of God: henceforth is He the organ 
 of God’s thouglit to man. The meaning of the third, 
 
 I -Tho S))irit is essentially one with the Father and Son. Yet, 
 and for this reason, He is personally distinct. No creature can, 
 how could Jesus, then, have received the whole Spirit, unless equal 
 with llimG 
 
ta^: holy life. 
 
 207 
 
 is, perfect revelation of Ilis relation to God. 
 
 Through the word and prayer, God gives believers, 
 along with The Spirit, the consciousness of sonship. 
 So, ill answer to Jesus’ prayer, God’s voice sounded in 
 Ilis ear and heart, raising in Ilis human consciousness 
 the sense of Ilis Divine relationship and dignity. He 
 had gradually become conscious of Ilis higher relation- 
 ship to God. At twelve the consciousness of Adam-like 
 Sonship was Ilis in Ilis relation to both God and man. 
 Both now realized full development. lie knew that God, 
 through The Spirit, was in Him, and He in God that 
 He was God; and that He was tlie object of infinite 
 love, and the organ of that love to men, to raise them 
 to the dignity of ‘^sons of God.” The believer’s con- 
 sciousness of sonship sometimes spreads a heavenly 
 glory over his whole being. So,the inward certainty of His 
 exceptional filial relationship filled Jesus with unspeak- 
 able blessedness, spread a personal splendor over His face 
 and life, came out in the grace and truth which charac- 
 terized Ilis acts and words, and never forsook Him save 
 for a moment, during His deepest vicarious agony on 
 the cross. Jn. i, 14; Mk. xv, 34. 
 
 Thus -these facts show us the solid foundation of Ilis 
 mighty word, say unto you, ask, and ye shall re- 
 ceive, seek, and ye shall find, knock and it shall be 
 opened unto you.” They enable us, also, to see the 
 force of His word, ^AVe testify that we have seen.” 
 For He had looked into the opened heavens. He had 
 now been sealed with The Spirit, and thus authentica- 
 ted to Himself. Henceforth He could say, The Son of 
 
208 THE HOLY LIEE. 
 
 Man shall give yon the meat which endure th to ever- 
 lasting life; for Him hatli God the Father sealed.’’ 
 Having heard that voice. He could say, and My 
 Father are one:” ^^Before Abraham was, I am:” ‘^Say 
 ye of Him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent 
 into the world. Thou blaspliemest; because I said, I 
 am the Son of God?” That voice is the echo of the 
 prophetic word, ^‘Behold My Servant whom i uphold, 
 Mine Elect, in whom My soul delighteth.” It echoes 
 still. And it will continue to echo, till its reverbera- 
 tions are beard around the world, declaring to all man- 
 kind, that Jesus is the Son of God, and the object of 
 The Father’s infinite delight. 
 
 Section XV. 
 
 Jesus' First Great Conflict with Satan; 
 
 The Temptation. 
 
 Places: Desert of Judaea, Pinnacle of the Temple, in Jeru alem. 
 
 Time: Jan. — Fob. A. D. 27. 
 
 Mattliew ic, 1-11, Mark i, 12, 13, Luke iv, 1-13. 
 
 Then Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, returned 
 from Jordan, and immediately The Spirit driveth Him 
 (forth, 11, Y.) — then was He led of The Spirit — into the 
 wilderness to be tempted of (by) the devil. And He 
 was there in the wilderness, being forty days temp!ed of 
 Satan — of the devil; and He was with the wild beasts. 
 And in those days He did eat nothing. And when 
 tlicy were ended (completed, R. V.) — when He had 
 fasted forty days and forty nights — He was afterwards 
 an hungered. And when the tempter [ho peirazoon,, 
 the one) (the devil) came unto Him, he said un- 
 
 to Him, if Thou be (art) the Son of God, command that 
 these stones — this stone that it — be made (become, li. 
 V.) bread. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 209 
 
 But Jesus answered him saying — and said — it is 
 written {Deut, 3, Sept.) that man shall not live by 
 bread alone, but by every word of God that proceedeth 
 out of the mouth of God. 
 
 Then the devil brought (led, R, V.) Him to Jerusa- 
 lem — t aketh Him up into the holy city — and setteth 
 Him on a pinnacle of the Temple, and said — saith — un- 
 to Him, if Thou be (art, li. V.) the Son of God, cast 
 Thyself down from hence: for it is written (Ps.xci^ll,12\ 
 He shall ^ive His ano;els charge concerniim Thee, 
 To guard Thee 
 
 And on their hands they shall bear Thee up. 
 
 Lest haply Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. 
 
 And Jesus answering said unto him, it is said — it is 
 written again [Dent, vi, 16) — Thou shaft not tempt the 
 Lord thy God.* 
 
 And again the devil taketh Him up into an exceed- 
 ing high mountain, and sheweth unto Him all the 
 kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, in a 
 moment of time. And the devil said — saith — unto 
 Him, All this power — all these things — and the glory 
 of them are mine and I will give them to Thee: for that 
 is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will, I give 
 it. If Thou therefore wilt fall down and worship me, 
 it shall all be Thine. 
 
 Then Jesus answered and said — saith — unto him, get 
 thee hence — behind Me — Satan; for it is written {Dent, 
 viy 18) Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him 
 only shalt thou serve. 
 
 And when the devil had ended the (completed every) 
 
 [♦Matthew and Luke differ in the order of tliis and tlie follow- 
 ing temptation. Luke gives this as the third one. Godc t, on internal 
 grounds prefers the order of Luke. Andrews on the same groin. ds, 
 the order of Matthew. The great body of critics and scholars fol- 
 low the order of Matthew, the one given in this continuous narra- 
 t.ve.j 
 
2l0 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 temptation, he departed from — leaveth Him for a season. 
 
 And behold the ano:els came and ministered unto 
 Him. 
 
 Jesus’ First Great Conflict with Satan. 
 
 AVe have now reached a point which was a great 
 crisis in Jesus’ history — the beginning of His pro- 
 tracted conflict with Satan. Tlie subject is, confessedly, 
 full of difficulty. It has depths which we cannot fath- 
 om, heights which we cannot scale. But the Gospels 
 narrate the occurrances as historical facts in Jesus’ life. 
 There was nothing in the Old Testament, nor in the 
 Jewish consciousness to simorest such ideas. The oricr- 
 
 oO o 
 
 inal source of the information, Jesus, the words, the 
 air, the localization and historic position of the state- 
 ments, and the close and vital connection of the conflict 
 with Jesus’ Person and work, all attest the historical 
 value of the narratives. Nor could the events liave oc- 
 curred in a vision, trance or dream. There would be 
 no point in a temptation to cast Himself down, unless 
 in the presence of a crowd of spectators. And if there 
 be any reality in the occurrence at all, the decision 
 Jesus must make, and the victory achieve, required all 
 His faculties to be in full and intelligent activity. 
 
 It was a fact immediately succeeding His baptism, 
 as Mark's eutheoos^ immediately^ shows. His purpose, 
 manifestly, was to go into Galilee, and at once begin Ills 
 ministry. “He,” as Luke informs us, “full of the Holy 
 Spirit returned apo^from Jordan.” The complement 
 
tllE HOLY LIFE. 2il 
 
 would be ets, into &c. And this complement we find in 
 vs. 14. The ‘‘from” after ‘‘returned” is there omitted, 
 but the eis into is given — “returned into Galilee.” 
 This fact indicates that the verses between, from the “an 1 
 was led of,” vs. 1 to the end of vs. 13, are a parenthesis 
 — not a parenthesis in the mind of Luke, but in the life of 
 Jesus. It gives a fact most unexpected to Jesus — a 
 something not before His mind until its actual occur- 
 rence, and a something imperatively necessary before 
 He could begin His public career. And its unexpect- 
 edness is brought out vividly by Mark’s word of start- 
 ling sha^pness,^^5(2ZZ^^,6Z7’^’'y^^A&c. The verb has in it the 
 idea of force, impelling one to go, either moral, (Matt, 
 ix, 38), or physical (Lk.iv,29 &c). The Spirit used force 
 in moving Him to go. It may be that His (Jesus’j 
 mind was wholly absorbed in the work so vast, so grand, 
 so stupendous, to which he had been set apart by a con- 
 secration so august. His soul was glowing with holy 
 fire. He would go at once to Galilee and begin. But 
 the great questions of the vindication of God, the regen- 
 eration of man, and the reconciliation of earth to heaven 
 must wait the settlement of two other questions,(a) unhes- 
 itating obedience to God, in which His vindication was 
 included, (b) and unerring steadfastness in the truth. The 
 first question must be settled by His temporary aban- 
 doning of Ilis desires as to work. And the word “driveth” 
 suggests that there was an inward struggle, if momen- 
 tary, severe,before He yielded: which He did heartily, as 
 is seen in the gentler “led up” of Matthew {agoo)^ and 
 of Luke, {anagoo). And this shows that He instantly re- 
 
tHE HOLY LIES, 
 
 m 
 
 signed Himself to the mighty, constraining impulse. 
 He was led up ‘‘by,’' and ^^in” The Spirit — why, at first 
 He knew not — there, as the ev^eiit shows, on anew field, 
 amid terrible temptations, and in conflict with tlie 
 mightiest of foes, to settle the second question. 
 
 He w^as led up by (apo) The Spirit, into the wilderness, 
 the habitation of demons (Lev. xvi 22), to be put to 
 the test (pcira^co) by the devil. A frightful state- 
 ment, of a fact still more friglitfiil. It declares that 
 the one object of The Spirit was the putting of Jesus 
 into a place and position where He would be exposed 
 to the whole tempting power of the devil. And what- 
 ever else may be included or implied, these two facts 
 most surely are: (a) that the conflict was not an episode, 
 but a chief part of His internal development before 
 entering upon, and an essential feature connected with 
 His Messianic position and mission; and (b) the temp- 
 tations could not have come from self engendered ex- 
 citement, nor from an innate evil propensity or solicita- 
 tion. Temptation is a necessary condition of humanity. 
 Jesus was a Man. Consequently He must be tempted 
 in all points as men are (Heb. iv, 15). Some of our 
 temptations are connected with the body, some with 
 the spirit and soul, and some with the mind. And 
 through the whole series of them must He go. He 
 must experience physical infirmities, and be tlie subject 
 of human emotions, including the dread of death, He 
 must feel the force of temptation, the direct action of 
 tem})ling thoughts on sensibility and mind, and must 
 pass through that trial of free will by which destiny is 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 213 
 
 settled, and without which it is not complete. For ex- 
 ample, lie must so feel bodily needs or piins, as to be 
 tempted to do something not right to relieve them, or 
 be so tempted by worldly attractions addressed to senses 
 or intellect, as to feel their force. Victory over temp- 
 tation, to have any ethical value, must be obtained by 
 ethical means. Jesus must go forth as a man, in the 
 free and conscious activity of Ilis human will, inspired 
 with love to God and man, with consuming zeal for truth 
 and righteousness, with heroic courage and most vigor- 
 ous faith, and He must use only those weapons which 
 are within the reach of, and granted to men. By the 
 AV^ord as weapon, and The Spirit as power,and without any 
 aid from Ilis own Divinity, must He meet, and overcome 
 temptation, without being in the slightest degree defiled 
 by it, A victory thus gained would be a moral achieve- 
 ment. And to deny this is to strip the conflict of all 
 reality, and to make it of no value to tempted men. 
 In fact lie suffered being tempted, (lleb. 2, 18), and in 
 this conflict except as the title is used by the tempter, 
 the Son of God as God, wholly disappears. 
 
 Elevation had been the ruin of many. While filled 
 with, and used by The Spirit, they used their position 
 for self-glorying and self-advancement. Thus had they 
 dishonored God, and had ceased to be lights. Ilow will 
 Jesns use the measureless fulness of The Spirit which 
 He has received ? 
 
 Experience alone could tell. Hitherto nothing had 
 been wanting iirllis love and loyalty to truth. He had 
 served God with pure heart and life. But this was 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 214 
 
 amid the tranquil scenes of ITazaretli, where His posi- 
 tion was lowly, and He Himself uninfliiential and un- 
 known. He is now about to pass to a commanding 
 position. How will He, when conspicuous, deport 
 Himself? How feel? While dimly conscious of His 
 relation to God, His submission to Him had been com- 
 plete. llow will it be now, when fully conscious of 
 that relationship, and of the possession of powers equal 
 to its dignity and demands? Will He maintain God’s 
 lawful claims, and exhibit omnipotent power in all the 
 lowliness as well as dignity of the self-renouncing man 
 of faith? His contemplative life had not been disturbed 
 by the portentous forces and the tremendous burden and 
 strain that soon must come upon it. Will He be uii- 
 rnflled then? Be calm in the midst of fiercest and most 
 unrelenting opposition and hatred? Use His position 
 and powers for God? and find His service His continued 
 (lelitdit? or, will He use them for His own interest, sat- 
 isfaction and advancement? By His miraculous concep- 
 tion He has been placed as the Head of the new ci’ea- 
 tion. Can, and will He maintain that position? Will 
 He, in the exercise of His free determination, fulfill the 
 supreme moral law of the Universe, obedience and love? 
 And will He become the organ of The Spirit, in opposi- 
 tion to the world? or of Satan, in opposition to God? 
 
 Momentous questions these! They Iiad not been decided 
 when He was baptized, must be before He could enter 
 upon His mission, could be only by a real conflict. He 
 liad come to deliver those oppressed by the devil, to 
 destroy — luoo^ do awaij^ break pull dow7i2i^ a build- 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 215 
 
 ing or institution — ^^the works of the devil,’’ and ^^to des- 
 troy him that has the power of death, that is the devil” 
 (Acts X, 38, 1 Jn. iii, 8, Heb. ii, 14). He had in His 
 baptism declared Himself ready to be the Champion 
 and Deliverer of men. The work He had undertaken 
 was t]ie mightiest ever undertaken by man. He will 
 meet stubborn, fierce and persistent resistance. He 
 will meet every possible inducement to stop in, or 
 change the direction of; His career. The objlict He has 
 proposed will demand the most inflinching courage, he- 
 roic faith, tireless activity and with it perpetual self-de- 
 nial as to every thing which the world calls success. 
 
 Temptations in varied forms would thus constantly 
 assail Him at every step. It was therefore necessary 
 that before entering upon, He calmly and carefully 
 weigh all involved in. His career, place fully all before 
 Himself, and examine and decide for the rio-ht. Will 
 He — this is the question — carefully looking the whole 
 subject fully in the face, and carefully weighing all 
 connected with it, go on? or, will He withdraw? He 
 must make a choice. For only under the form of choice 
 could He come to a clear self-determination to act. 
 This implied a possibility of being tempted, i, ^., of be- 
 ing turned from the true path. And this implied a posse 
 peccare^ or He could not have been tempted. But the 
 possibility was met by the invariable purpose, free, in- 
 telligent, and self determined — as we shall see — to un- 
 ceasingly obey and unswerveringly follow God. 
 
 But a further most important question must be met. 
 Did He choose to go on, would He be able to overcomo 
 
216 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 the Adversary? This He could fully answer only by over- 
 coming him. The issue, then of this conflict would decide 
 what spirit? of this world? or of the higher? actuated 
 Him, the tendency of His life, the nature of His work, 
 the question of His kingdom, the destiny of man. Vic- 
 tory must, or man’s Champion He could not, he. Only 
 by this could He vindicate God’s character and claims, 
 make good His supreme and original right over man, 
 wrest man from Satan, restore him to his true alleg- 
 ience, and open to him the gates of Paradise, which 
 Adam’s defeat had closed. 
 
 All this beyond doubt was involved in that tremen- 
 dous conflict. Thus only could these issues be met. 
 But this we submit was not the whole. Something 
 more, which also included this, was the one, deflnite ob- 
 ject of The Spirit in leading Jesus directly from the 
 waters of baptism into the fires of temptation. 
 
 lie must hold His destined position, dignity, title, as 
 Representative of the theocratic relationship, and Re- 
 storer of harmony to the universe, by conquests. He 
 must by ethical victories over the usurper to be followed 
 by his righteous expulsion, vindicate God’s right to ab- 
 solute sovereignty over the earth. He must complete as 
 to the earth itself what God had begun. It was only 
 relatively perfect. By physical victories must He make 
 it as God intended it to be. And He must begin this 
 work by meeting and obtaining ethical victories over him 
 who now held it and its inhabitants in slavery. 
 
 Much has been written concerning ‘‘the inward conflict, 
 the agitation of opinions,” and “the forming of a plan 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 217 
 
 of life” daring those forty days. But it is all assump- 
 tion, having no foundation whatever in the Narratives. 
 We cannot say, from the Gospels, that Jesus had any 
 plan of life whatever. Nor could He, as^ a Servant, 
 have one. All He had to do was each moment to obey 
 the will of God, and to learn from Him, each moment, 
 what that will was. His mission was not to plan, but 
 to execute. And hence these temptations could in no 
 wise arise from any self-engendered excitement. 
 
 Nor could they come from any evil propensity. In- 
 stantly they were presented, they were repelled. This 
 shows that they found in Him not the slightest tan- 
 gency to sin. 
 
 They, hence, must have come from without; and 
 from a person. For the mind can form no conception 
 of sin as an abstract quality, nor, though an entity, as 
 existing apart from a being in whom it inheres. 
 
 But no being good in himself, or interested in man’s 
 good, could originate sin in man. Reason therefore 
 suspects, what •Revelation aflirms, the existence, pres- 
 ence and action of the Evil spirit. Some are skeptical 
 as to these facts. But the time has gone by when they 
 can successfully explain tliem away. The closest, most 
 critical and most exhaustive investigations of the Scrip- 
 tures compel the recognition of these facts. As 
 Strauss pithily puts it, ‘df there is no devil, Jesus need 
 not have come to destroy his works. If he be the person- 
 ification of the evil principle, then Jesus is only an im- 
 personal idea.” It is true that his personality is not 
 prominently presented in the earlier pages of the He- 
 
218 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 brew Scriptures. And the reason is obvious. Tl^e in- 
 nate tendency of fallen man to give homage and sacri- 
 fice to the devilj came out in earlier Israel (Lev. xvii,7). 
 And special prominence given there might have pro- 
 moted his worship in Israel. But even then his exist- 
 ence was recognized, in the prohibitions of Lev. xix, 31 
 and XX, 6, in the strange fact of the goat for Azazel 
 (Lev. xvi, 8), in the evil spirit that governed the people 
 ot Shechein, and, later, tormented Saul tJ udg, ix, 23, 
 1 Sam. xvi, 23), and in all manifested fatal w'orking. 
 In this only, from the very nature of evil, could he 
 manifest himself. His appearance is like that of some 
 great sea monster, seen only occasionally, but showing 
 his movements by the agitation of the waters. 
 
 Tlirough all those years the fact of his existence 
 lived in the consciousness of the people. The nearer 
 the time approached the period of Jesus’ appearing the 
 more constantly is he seen. And when Jesus appeared, 
 lie, from the present, and subsequent most painful ex- 
 periences (as in Lk. xxii, 53) was fully convinced of his 
 existence and power. lie constantly spoke of him, and 
 of his kingdom, objectively and didactically, not only in 
 llis public discourses, but in Ilis most confidential 
 talks with Ilis disciples — and to them in the same way 
 that lie did to the crowd (Lk. xxii, 31). And in this, as 
 also in Ilisre-afiirmationof the Hebrew Scriptures teach- 
 ing on the subject. He used language which cannot 
 be explained away. Satan’s existence and acting fur- 
 nish the only consistent explanation of the existence of 
 sin in man, and of’ his consequent condition and need of 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 219 
 
 redemption. And to him are uniforinily ascribed those 
 qualities and acts which indicate personality. 
 
 Matthew and Luke, in their narratives, call him the 
 devil. Mark calls him Satan, and Jesus addressed him 
 by this name. The former name is not found in the 
 Old Testament.* But the latter is; and it is used (a) 
 of human beings who are adversaries (1 Kg. v. 4; xi, 14, 
 23, 25, &c.), and (b) of an opposing spirit (Job i; ii, 
 1 Ohron. xxi, 1; Zech. iii, 1, 2; comp. Ps. cix, 6, 29, 
 mar^. Jesus, once, called Peter, Satan, ^., an opposer. j* 
 Here the article is wanting. But with the definite ar- 
 ticle, the term, in the Hebrew, assumes the nature of a 
 proper iiame.;|; This name is also found thirty-five 
 times in the New Testament, and invariably in the sin- 
 gular number. The former name, diaholos^ the devil^ 
 i. e.y the slanderer, (from diaballoo to throw^ a slander) 
 is found there also the same number of times; and with 
 three excejDtions (1 Tim. iii, 11; 2 Tim. iii. 3; Tit. ii, 
 3), invariably in the singular. In these places it is an 
 expression, not of personality, but of quality, and is ap- 
 plied to human beings; and also in Jn. vi, 70, with a 
 meaning closely akin to that in Jn. viii, 44; Acts xiii, 
 10, to Judas.§ In every other case it is in the singu- 
 
 [*It is found in the plural as the translation of sair^ in Lev. 
 xvii, 7, and 2 Chron. xi, 15, and of shed^ in Deut. xxxii, 17, Ps. cvi, 
 37. But, judging from such passages as 1 Cor. x, 20, Rev. ix, 20, 
 where the Greek word is daimooa^ demon, we opine that the He- 
 brew terms refer to demons rather than to Satan.] 
 
 [fOr, the word may have been addressed to him who was 
 using Peter as his unconscious instrument.] 
 
 [tGesenius, Lex.] 
 
 [git is well for the English reader to be reminded that where- 
 ever in the E. V. the word “devils” is found, the Greek word is, 
 daimones, demona, not d.aholoa, 
 
220 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 lar, is accompanied with the article, and is used of a 
 personality, who is a spiiit (Eph. ii, 2). And that the 
 two names, Satan and devil, belong to the same person- 
 ality is clear, not only from their being used inter- 
 changeably in the narratives of the Temptation, but 
 also from Rev. xx, 2. The Bible gives various names 
 and appellatives of this personality. But these two are 
 the most common. They point to a high created In- 
 telligence. To him is given, by way of eminence, the 
 name Satan, indicating thus, that he is the great Ad- 
 versary of God and man. 
 
 His character, position, and sphere of operations are 
 very fully described. He is the undisputed head qf 
 the kingdom of darkness (Matt, xii, 21-26, 45; xxv41), 
 and controls all its powers and principles. He is the 
 giant spirit of evil. In him is concentrated all the 
 strength of bitter hate and relentless war against God, 
 and all good; and his daring in rebellion and ascend- 
 ency in guilt make him undisputed authority in sin. 
 Originally put into, he did not, does not stand {ouk es- 
 taken^ Jn. viii, 44) in the truth. With him sin orig- 
 inated.* And from that time he has liyed and moved 
 in the sphere of wilful lying (Jn. viii, 44). He is ‘‘the 
 Wicked Spirit,’’ “the Evil One,” “the Tempter,” “the 
 Enemy.” He is crafty, malignant, relentlessly cruel. 
 He is a manslayer (Jn. viii, 44, Grk,), The introduc- 
 tion of sin into the pre- Adamite earth, the lall of man, the 
 first fratricide, and the treachery of J udas are all attrib- 
 
 [♦Jn. iii, 8, “from tlie beginning,” i, e., as long as sin has been, 
 Satan has sinned.] 
 
The holt life. 
 
 
 uted to his envy, craft, malignity and power (2 Cor. xi, 3 
 1 Jn. iii, 12; Jn. xiii, 2). lie takes men captive at his 
 will, and moves them to sins which could never have 
 originated in their own hearts (2 Tim. ii, 26). He 
 ‘‘sows tares,” and takes away the “good seed” from the 
 heart (Matt, xiii, 39; Mk. iv, 15; Lk. viii, 12). He is 
 the god of this aioon^ age (2 Cor. iv, 4), and inspires 
 his servants to give liim, and he receives from them, 
 that worship which is due only to God. Politics, busi- 
 ness, social life and literature are to a greater or less ex- 
 tent under his influence or control. The corruptions 
 in the former three manifest this abundantly. And in 
 the last are found plays, romances, songs and other writ- 
 ings which tell their origin by the refined voluptuous- 
 ness or vulgar passions which they breed or arouse, and 
 by the excitements which they breathe into the soul. He 
 lulls to security where it should not be felt, creates a 
 laugh where there should be only alarm, and throws 
 many into a sleep which only the judgment trumpet’s 
 blast will break. The extent and terribleness of his 
 colossal power are seen in the striking phrase, “the 
 whole world lieth in the Wicked One” (1 Jn. v, 19j. 
 
 Nor is the church free from his influence. This, her 
 sad history shows. This, the fall of one and another of 
 her members into his snare and condemnation shows 
 (1 Tim. iii, 6, 7; 2 Tim, ii, 26). It is for them — nut 
 for the wicked who are already his — that he sets his 
 many, varied and ensnaring devices and wiles. And 
 they are entreated, warned and exhorted, to watch 
 against his wiles, and having taken the whole armor of 
 
222 
 
 Tli^: rroLY iafk 
 
 God, to stand firm, to resist and to overcome his attacks 
 (Eph. vi). 
 
 As we study the moral features, and trace the move- 
 ments so disastrous to man, of this dark and portentous 
 colossus along the track of history, we involuntarily in- 
 quire, how obtained he his foothold on earth, and such 
 an awful, and, so far as man by himself can effect any- 
 thing, resistless infiuence over the race. By what right 
 does he approach the sinless Jesus with such formidable 
 temptations? The hold upon man and the right, legal, to 
 tempt Jesus could rest only upon his having a foothold 
 upon earth. And this he could have only upon the ground 
 that he was originally placed here. To human think- 
 ing there is no other way which he could have gotten 
 here. This tact he, impliedly, asserts in his third 
 tempting word. Its correctness Jesus recognized by his 
 silence. This word shows that he sustains most impor- 
 tant cosmical relations. And it is this fact that gives 
 to this great conflict its greatest importance and signifi- 
 cance. 
 
 Anticipating what we will presently show, we mny 
 say that he is a fallen prince. Jlurled from a throne 
 radiant with joy he has much about him still of his 
 original greatness. llis vast intellectual force and 
 mysterious power, his princely titles and autluu’ity on 
 earth, his policy, perseverance, ubiquity and success — 
 all recognized in the Bible, felt in actual life, and con- 
 founding to our intelligence — show that he still has 
 about him somethiiKr errand and awful. On account of 
 his superior rank and position he was treated with high 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 223 
 
 respect by Michael the arch-angel (Jude 9) He has free 
 access into the presence of God, and transactions there 
 (Zech. iii, 1, 2; Kev. xii, 10), and is used as God’s min- 
 ister (1 Kg. xxii, 19 23; 2 Chron. xviii, 18-22). 
 
 This position belongs to him on account of his rela- 
 tion to the earth (Job i, 6, 7; ii, 1, 2). And during 
 this conflict he claims the right to give all the authority 
 exousian^ over the habitable world, oikoumenees^ (Lk. 
 Matt, has kosmou) to whomsoever he wills (theloo) to 
 give it. But he does not claim that this personal and 
 potential lordship over the world and extra-divine 
 sphere of human life, and this ability to raise to the 
 pinnacle of earthly glory, is inherent and underived. 
 He recognizes that the sovereignty which he claims is 
 limited, temporary and derived : it has paradidomai 
 delivered over to him. Tliis could only have been as 
 the Divine representative on earth. And this comes 
 out quite clearly in the oun^ therefore^ of vs. 7, of Luke, 
 Not as an individual, but as this representative did he 
 make this proffer of the sovereignty over the earth to 
 Jesus, and in making it he owns and does homage to 
 the sovereignty of God, as Creator, and acknowledges 
 himself as His vassal. 
 
 This claim was correct in this, that he was tlie orig- 
 inal ruler of the original earth, but incorrect in this, 
 that he knew that the original grant had been forfeited 
 by his rebellion. He had not however, been dispos- 
 sessed of either his title, or his power over earth. He 
 was still earth’s prince, still ^Hhe high one on high,” 
 still had, as he yet has, in his governmental relations 
 
224 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 access to God, Nor did Jesus challenge His statement, 
 but rather, by silence, admitted its truth. He recog- 
 nized that he had authority as well as power on earth. 
 And in His subsequent teaching He not only accepted 
 the ideas long current, as to Satan’s activity, hostility and 
 baleful influence, but also as to his cosmical relations 
 and authority. Thrice He called him, archoon^ the 
 fTince-'^ — i.e.yOne invested with rank and authority — tou 
 IcosmoUy toutouy of this world f ^. ^., as now existing. And 
 He also recognized the existence of his kingdom, as 
 that which He had come to overthrow (Matt, xii, 25-29; 
 Lk. xiii, 12, 16). Jesus’ words find a constant echo in 
 the Letters. And in the Apocalypse Satan’s delibera- 
 tive and kingly power are expressed in strong, if sym- 
 bolic, terms. On earth he has a throne (Riv. ii, 13, 
 E.V. ‘‘seat”) in hostility to Jesus, and shrinks not 
 from asserting his authority. Though not earth, but 
 tots epoicranioiSy the heavenly places (Eph. vi, 12, comp, 
 i, 3, ii, 6) are his abode, yet over it he exercises a sover- 
 eignty. He, directly, or through his ministers, deceiveth 
 the whole habitable world, d^en oikoumeneeriy liev. xii, 
 9). He goes to and fro, walks up and down, in it, seek- 
 ing, as a roaring lion, whom of the servants, or people 
 of God he may devour (1 Pet. v, 8;- He delivers up 
 saints to prison and death, performs miracles through 
 the false prophet, and gives to the dragon and beast the 
 whole power which they possess over earth and its in- 
 habitants (R^\. passim). And his place in tlie Heavenlies 
 gives him a position where he can be “the accuser of the 
 brethren.” These are persons who have renounced his 
 allegience. Yet he has a certain claim upon them still 
 
 [♦.In. xii, :U ; xiv, IIO; xvi, 11. 'I'liin ptiraso, aioonos toutou^ refers 
 
 to the world an under Satan. See, in (irk. dn. viii, ii'i; xviii, dO; 1 Cor. iii, 19; v, 
 10: vii, dl ; Eph. ii, 2; das. ii, and also Mutt, xiii, 2], 40; Lk. xx, 34; 1 Cor. i, 
 20; li, t), 8; 2 Cor. iv, 4 ; Eph. vi, 12. J 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 225 
 
 (Lk. xxii, 31, 32).* ’ As tlieir antidokos^ opponent in 
 law^^ lie goes about seeking to destroy them. (1 Pet. v. 
 8). Gathering up against them what he can, he witli it 
 accuses them before God night and day (Kev.xii,10). Ills 
 final expulsion from Heaven, which was assured while 
 Jesus was on earth (Lk. x, 18), will yet actually be 
 iRev. xii, 7-12). Meanwhile he is the archonta^ prino? 
 tees exousias^ of the authmntij tou aeros^ of the air (Eph. 
 ii, 2, Is xxiv,21) — the air, not as bright and clear, but as 
 thick and murky, a fact alluded to by Job (xv, 16), Isa- 
 iah (XV, 26), and Paul (Ileb. ix, 23)? — those aerial 
 regions which are populated by numerous, powerful 
 and malignant spirits, his subordinates, whose energies 
 he directs, whom he binds to his will, who supervise the 
 affairs of men and their world, and who give in to him 
 those reports which, with his own, he uses when he ac- 
 cuses saints before God. He has such power over, and 
 at times such a free disposal of the atmospheric phe- 
 nomena, that he can and does use them as the instru- 
 ments of his wrath (the lightning. Job i, 16, the wind, 
 vs. 19). And was it not he and his malignant spirits, 
 rather than the unconscious wind storm and senseless 
 waves, which Jesus rebuked when He stilled the tempest 
 (Matt, viii, 24)? He has also at times the disposal of 
 man and disease as his instruments (Job i, 15, 17, ii, 7). 
 He has power over the bodies of men. He can bind 
 (Lk. xiii, 16), hinder (1 Thes. ii, 18), buffet (2 Cor. xii, 7), 
 afflict with disease (Job ii,7),cast into prison (Pev. ii, 10), 
 bid demons take possession of, and torment men. And he 
 has the, not exousla, authority over, but kratos^ strength^ 
 might of,death (Heb.ii,14),so of disease,its physical cause. 
 He can work with all power, signs, lying wonders, and all 
 decievableness of unrighteousness (2 Thes.ii,9,10). And in 
 the Apocalypse, through the form of representation is sym- 
 
 f-'See Holy Supper, pgs. 118, 119.] ' 
 
 LtSee Grk. Test. Matt, v, 2o, Lk. xii, 58, xviii, 3.] 
 
226 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 bolic, the cosmic powers and influences which he wields, 
 and the physical effects which he produces are real and 
 terrible. No truer w^ord did Peter ever speak than this, 
 that men are tyrannized over by the devil (Acts x, 38, 
 6Vyt.). 
 
 And there are two other general facts more mysterious 
 stiil. One is the strange relations which he sustains to 
 believers. lie has a riglit to have them to sift them as 
 wheat (Lk. xxii, 31).* He for twenty one days thwar- 
 ted Michael’s efforts to bring to Daniel an assurance 
 that h's prayer had been heard (Dan. x, 13), To him 
 were certain professing Christians who had Avilfully of- 
 fended, to be delivered over, {paradidomai^) that tliey 
 miglit learn not to blaspheme (1 Tim, i, 20). And a 
 certain church was commanded to deliver over, {para- 
 didomai\ solemnly, and in the name, and with the 
 power, of our Lord Jesus Christ, such an one, who had 
 acted scandalously, unto Satan, ^‘for the destruction of 
 the flesh,” i, e.^ the infliction of physical evil upon him, 
 ‘^that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord 
 Jesus” (1 Cor. v. 5).*|* 
 
 The other fact is, the peculiar relation he sustains to 
 God, as Creator and Governor of the Universe. One of his 
 lying spirits was the Lord’s instrument to induce Ahab 
 to go up to battle to his own destruction (1 Kg.xxii, 20-28; 
 2 Chron. xviii, 18-22', and he himself was the Lord’s in- 
 strument to provoke David to number Israel (2 Sam. 
 xxiv, 1, mar^ 1 Chron. xxi, 1). 
 
 Such power and authority in the hands of such a ma- 
 lignant spirit are simply awful. And the fact would be 
 a])palling, were it not that the injury he is allowed to 
 iidlict is defined and limited in kind and extent by the 
 will of God (Job i, 12, ii, 0). AtkI all this gives a sug- 
 
 [♦Il tlie reader will turn to ))g. 118-1*33 of The Holy Supp er he 
 
 will liiid a critical analysis of this passage.] 
 
 [fSee footnote at bottom of pg. 227.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 227 
 
 gestion of what must be the condition of things wlien 
 he, havinor great wrath, and his host are cast down from 
 the air to the earth, and confined to it. Great woe 
 then will be to the inhabitants of the earth and sea. 
 
 [^It may occur to the reader to ask, AVliy is such a permission 
 
 given to Satan to afflict the children of God? Besides tlie general 
 reason, growing out of Satan’s cosmical relation, wliich will appear 
 as the reader goes on, there is a special reason, ethical, which is 
 apparent in every case given in the Bible — as in the cases just 
 cited. The case of Job may illustrate another fact — (Job i-ii j. Wlien 
 the sons of God (as Eloliim^) — angels, presented themselves 
 before Him, to give in reports, and receive orJers, Satan came al- 
 so among them. His abiding relation to earth as his sphere, and his 
 activity and its object — to investigate liuman affairs — appear in 
 his walking up and down in it. And his envy, malice, threaten- 
 ing and destructive power are conspicious in his reply to God’s re- 
 mark about Job’s excellence. He intimates that if permission be 
 given him to put Job to the test, he wdll show what Job really is: 
 “He is good because Tliou hast prospered him, and hedged liiin 
 about on every side. Let me have him in hand and he will soon 
 curse Thee to Thy face.” 
 
 Here a most important problem w^as thus suggested. And its 
 solution could be only fully reached through the infliction on a 
 prosperous man in whom malice could detect no evil, the calami- 
 ties due to a life of sin. 
 
 Instantly, upon permission being given, Satan summons man, 
 wdnd, liglitning and disease, to his service. He swept Job’s 2)roperty 
 and children away at a stroke. The rapidity of his movements re- 
 veals liis purpose. He w^ould liave Job believe from the sudden- 
 ness, unexpectedness, greatness and form of the calamities by whi. h 
 he was overwhelmed, that the visitation came from God. But under 
 all, even under the infliction of the most terrible disease of the East 
 — a disease wdiich made him a loathing to himself, and an object of 
 terror as well as pity to others — his confldence in God was 
 not shaken in the slightest degree. Kor w^as it shaken 
 all the arguments of his friends trying to show that it was a 
 judgment for sins; nor by the entreaties of his wife to “curse God, 
 and die in all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. 
 And thus- -besides the immediate ]nirpose of God in permitting it, 
 and besides the great lessons that Job was tauglit tlirough it — it 
 w’as demonstrated to Satan that thereare apiety and a faith in God 
 which cannot be moved l)y all the tem]>tations wliicli he can pre- 
 sent, and by all the sorrows and suflerings which he can inflict. 
 And this w^as a lesson wdiich was thus taught Satan in the early 
 agea after the fall of man. 
 
228 
 
 THE HOLT LIFE. 
 
 And this casting down will be the proximate cause of 
 that great rebellion which will call forth Jesus from 
 heaven, in flaming fire, for the punishment, and final 
 expulsion of ‘'the high ones on high,” Satan, and his 
 host, as well as of ^‘the kings of the earth” (Is. xxiv,21; 
 2 Thes. ii; Eev. xii, xix, xx). 
 
 Besides his angel host who are still free to act — for 
 some are now under chains of darkness in Tartarus (2 
 Pet. ii, 4) — and who are also called principalities, 
 powers, rulers of the darkness of this world (Eph. vi,12), 
 there is another large class of beings which belongs to 
 his kingdom. These are demons.* He is their prince, 
 archoon (Matt, ix 34). These beings are never called 
 angels, with whom they have nothing in common, ex- 
 cept wickedness. Nor are wicked angels ever spoken 
 of as demons, or as taking possession, or being cast out, 
 of men. Demons are never represented as tempting peo- 
 ple to sin, nor are wicked angels ever called ‘‘evil” and 
 “unclean” spirits.f Demons are spirits (Matt.xii,43-45). 
 They have intelligence and will (Mk. i, 24; Lk. iv, 34); 
 and wisdom, sophia daimonioodees^ demoniac wisdom^ 
 (Jas. iii, 16). They believe in God, and tremble (Jas. 
 
 [*The Scriptures as well as classic writers use the two words 
 (laimoon and dairrwnion as synonymous. But in every place except 
 Matt, viii, 31 ; Mk. v. 12; Lk. viii 29 (all which places belong to the 
 same fact) and Kev. xvi 14; xviii 2, where the word is daimoon^ the 
 word is daimonion,] 
 
 ffRev. xvi 13, 14, xviii, 2, are no exceptions. It is the spirit 
 (afnatus)of unclean demons, ^. ^., the influence of which they arc 
 tlie authors. The same phrase is in Lk. iv, 33. And the things 
 ])rcdicatcd of (hose unclean spirits are such as belong — as the 
 whole Scripture teaching on demonology shows — only to demons. 
 And in both passages the word used is daimoon.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 229 
 
 iil, 19) as they look forward to the time when the sen- 
 tence upon them will he executed (Matt, viii, 29). They 
 recognize Jesus as the Son of God, and acknowledge both 
 His own power — in obeying Him, and in begging Him 
 not to torment them before their time — and the power 
 of His name (Mk. i, 24, 34; v. 7, Lk. iv, 41; Matt, viii, 
 29; Acts xix, 5 &c.) They are, and are called ‘‘unclean 
 spirits’’ (Acts xix, 13, 15). The two terms are used in- 
 terchangably in Matt, viii, 16; Lk. viii, 2, x, 17, 20. 
 The demon spoken of in Matt, xvii, 18, is called in Mk. 
 ix, 25, “foul spirit.” Demons, hence, can torment men 
 with spiritual pollution. They are malignant spirits 
 who hate men, but whose hate seems to be rather 
 against God. They haunted tombs, and abode in the 
 wilderness, and dry places (Matt, viii, 28; xii, 43; Mk. 
 V, 5; Lk. viii, 29). But they sought, and in a way wholly 
 inexplicable to us, they could obtain possession of the 
 bodies of men. And — for they have great power (Matt, 
 viii, 28-32, Mk. ix, 26), and can give super-human- 
 si rength (Mk. V. 4) — they could most greviously alHict 
 them with divers diseases and torments.* And it may 
 
 [*lt is often said that Socrates was attended by a good demon. 
 The statement is founded upon two passages: one in Xenophon 
 Memorabilia (ii, 2, sq.), and the other in Plato Apol. Socr. But it 
 is doubtful if the language in either place justifies the statement. 
 Socrates seems simply to have meant that a divine influence or in- 
 tuition of some kind within him, a sign or voice, seemeion ot phonee 
 (Plato,) controlled his actions. 
 
 The condition of one possessed of the devil, as Judas was (Lk. 
 xxii, 3, Jn. xiii, 2,) must be carefully distinguished both physiologi- 
 cally and morally from that of one possessed of demons. The 
 latter have nothing in common, necessarily, with the former, who 
 are called “the children of the devil’^ (Jn. viii). In the former, as 
 in all temptations, the will yields consciously, and by yielding is 
 overcome, without wholly losing its freedom. The will is solicited, 
 
230 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 be that the worship which was, and in some parts of 
 earth still is, given to them (sair\ Lev. xvii, 7; 2 Chron. 
 xi, 15; shed destToyer\ Dent, xxxii, 17; Ps. cvi, 37; 
 daimonion^ Acts xvii, 18; 1 Oor. x, 20, 21; 1 Tim. iv, 
 1; Rev. ix,20) had its root in this fact. The worship- 
 ers would propitiate the demons, and thus avert the 
 sufferings which they could inflict. 
 
 They are disembodied spirits. This fact is seen in 
 their desire for embodiment. They take possession of 
 the bodies of men. When they liave gone out of a man 
 they seek, but And not, rest in dry places. Tlien they 
 seek to, and, if they can, they do enter into those out of 
 whom they have gone (Matt, xii, 13; Lk. xi, 24). 
 Rather than remain disembodied or — like the angels 
 that sinned in losing their principality [Grlc.) in the 
 air, and were therefore put into chains, under darkness, 
 unto the final judgment (Jude 6) — be cast into the bot- 
 tomless pit* they would enter into the swine. A pro- 
 
 and yields, but is not overcome. For Satan cannot compel any one 
 by i)liysical force, and liis influence may be withstood (Lk. xxii, 31, 
 32, i () ; J as. iv, 7 ; 1 Pet. v. 9). 
 
 But while Satan works through the spirit upon tlie moral na- 
 ture, demons worked through the psychical upon the rational na- 
 ture. They did not exert iheir influence directly upon the spirit, 
 but tlirough the nervous system. Nor did they possess the soul, 
 but only its bodily organs. Though the unhappy subject may, by 
 a life ot sin, have prepared himseif for the affliction, yet he was 
 not morally subdued by the demons, as Judas was by Satan. Tak- 
 ing ad /antage of his peculiar condition, they took possession of 
 him, an unwilling subject, whose true nature was profoundly op- 
 jiosed to Iheir aciion. And they so attached themselves to him, 
 that his personality seemed lost or destroyed, or at least so over- 
 borne as to produce the consciousness of a two fold will within 
 him. Tiiere was a comphite or incomplete loss of the sufferer’s 
 reason, or power of will. His actions, words, thoughts, were 
 
 [*This translation of the word, abusson^ in llev. xx, 3. In R, 
 V. of Luke viii, 31 it is “deep.”) 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 231 
 
 perty this, which is never found in Satan or his angels, 
 (they desire not any material bodies), but is found invari- 
 ably in demons. And Josephus, who always speaks of 
 them as evil spirits that enter into men^ heldf as did also 
 the Jews, that they were the spirits of wicked men. In 
 this opinion Justin Martyr and Athenagoras shared. 
 And this — ^. that they are disembodied spirits — 
 
 seems to be the idea forced upon the mind by a calm 
 and full study of all that the Scriptures tell us upon the 
 deeply mysterious subject. 
 
 But to what period of earth’s history did they — if 
 this idea be correct — belong? Plutarch speaks of them 
 as wicked and malignant beings who envy men, and try 
 to hinder them in the pursuit of virtue, least these should 
 be happier than they are. And Newton says that this is 
 a very ancient opinion, Modern scholars derive the word 
 trom daioo^ to divide ^ — the name pointing them out as 
 dividers of destiny. Plato derived it trom daeemon^ an 
 
 mastered by the evil spirit (Mk. i, 24; v. 7; Acts xix, 15). And 
 children were such sutlerers as well as men (Matt, xv, 22; Mk. ix, 
 21 ). 
 
 The literature upon the subject of these possessions is very 
 large. But tlie hypotheses advanced as explanation of the facts 
 are reduced to three : (1) that I hey were lunatics whose derangement 
 was attributed by Jewish and heathen superstition to superhuman 
 intluence; (2) that th-ey were really the etfect of demoniacal power, 
 which was peculiar to that day ; and (3) that they still c; ntinue, 
 and are seen in certain facts which medical science iittributes to 
 natural causes. There are cases which present many of the fea* 
 lures of those afflicted with these possessions in the time of Christ; 
 like th:)se, for instance, of the epileptic child (Lk. ix, 38-42). Fur- 
 ther, the demonized state showed itself in a kind of clairvoyant 
 state: the demons knew Christ. No. (3) may' therefore be consid- 
 e: ed as a yet open question. (See remaining part of this note, 
 foot of page 232.) 
 
 pAnt. vi, c. 8, 2; vii, 6, 3; viii, c. 2-5] 
 
 [fDe. Bell. Jud- viii, G, 3.] 
 
 |_|Dion. 1, pg. 958. On the Prophecies.] 
 
232 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 adjective from daoo^ to Icnow^ thus designating them 
 as ‘‘the knowing,” ‘‘the intelligent.” This was the judg- 
 ment of the Greek writers about them. And the Greek 
 mythology regarded them as intermediate beings. 
 Plato, who speaks of them as “souls that had inhabited 
 human bodies,” says, “every demon is a middle being 
 between gods and men.”* And Homer regarded them 
 as gods. But his gods are only supernatural men. 
 And generally in Greek literature, they are only canon- 
 ized heroes, or the spirits of men of the golden age, 
 acting as tutelary duties. j* But the mythological gold- 
 en age belonged to the Pre- Adamite earth — i, ^., the 
 earth prior to the time when The Spirit of God moved 
 
 But it is beyond di^^pute that the writers believed that the per- 
 sons were really possessed by demons, (no. 2). This is evident 
 from their use of terms. When speaking of the demons, they used 
 the word “casting out” (Matt, viii, passim ; but when speaking 
 of the victims being cleansed of them, they used the word, heal, 
 (therapeuasthai, Lk. vi, 18, or iastliai, Matt, xv, 28, and passim). 
 It is evident also from the fact that they constantly distinguish be- 
 tween these cases and those of disease. And that Jesus shared in 
 the same common judgment is clear from these facts: (a^ it ex- 
 plain the ease with which He cast out demons by the victory 
 which He had gained over Satan in the wilderness, and by the 
 ])Ower of The Spirit (Lk. xi; Matt. xii. 29, 29, 30; comp. Lk. xi, 21, 
 22); (b) He declares that certain kinds of demons can be dislodged 
 only by fasting and prayer (Mk. ix, 29); and (c) in His commission 
 to the Twelve, He gave them both dunamin^ power and exousian^ au- 
 thority over all demons, and thus to cure desease (Lk. xi, 1, MaU. 
 x, 8, Mk. iii, 25) And they did it, as did the Seventy, to whom He 
 gave exousian., authority, to ti*ead on “all the dunamin., power of the 
 enemy,” f, «., demons — as Satan’s instruments (Lk, x, 19). And in 
 His tinal commission. He declared that those that believe shall 
 cast out demons (Mk. xvi, 17). He liad the cases before Him. He 
 distinguished between these possessions and diseases. He efiected 
 the cures. He was fully competent to judge. And His decision 
 should be, and with everyone who regards Him, is final. 
 
 [*Tiru. sg. 413. Symi)Os. iii, 200.] 
 
 (f Hesiod. Works and Bays^ 109-126) 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 233 
 
 upon the face of the waters. This was the extra-Scrip- 
 tures idea attaclied to the word. And they give no in- 
 timation that they use the term in any other than in its 
 generally received sense. The LXX used the word to 
 represent the Hebrew word for pestilence (Ps. xci, 6), 
 but usually, for the Hebrew words for ^^gods” (Ps. xcv, 
 3haiid ‘^demons’’ (Dent, xxxii, 17). And both the Old 
 and New Testaments speak of demons as terrible reali- 
 ties, and recognize that they inspired the heathen ‘^ora- 
 cles’’ (Acts xvi, 16, 18). While they speak of the 
 “idol,” i, e.f image, as nothing, they yet regard the 
 power back of the idol as a terrible reality: “on the 
 gods of Egypt” — as part of the lordship of Satan — “will 
 I execute judgment.” They distinguish between the 
 worship of the dead (a part of the Oonfucian system) 
 and the worship of demons (comp. Deut. xxvi, 14, Ps. 
 cvi, 28, Is. viii, 19 with Deut. xxxii, 17, 2 Ohron. xi, 
 15). And while the former is forbidden, the latter, 
 which continues down to the period eiibraced in the 
 Apocalypse (Pev. xi, 20), is regarded as something ex- 
 ceedingly terrible: “the things which the Gentiles sacri- 
 fice, they sacrifice to demons” (1 Cor.x,20,21, 1 Tim.vi,!, 
 Ads xvii,20,6’^/’^.). The fact that demons wander about 
 shows that they do not belong to our race; for the spirit 
 of each man, at death, goes to God (Eccl. viii, 7). And 
 is not this demon-worship — a chain by which Satan 
 holds the heathen world fast — one link which, now 
 since tl;e Fall, connects his present hold on our earth 
 >yith the earth which he formerly possessed? If so, are 
 
234 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 not demons the disembodied spirits of those who lived 
 on the Pre- Adamite earth, and who, until they are cast 
 into the abyss, still haunt their old abode? Belonging to 
 Satan’s original realm, and sharing in his sin, they 
 shared the ruin of his earth, and will share in his late.^ 
 Their condition of disembodiment, for which they were 
 not created, is as intolerable to them as is their sure 
 prospect of their final fate. They have not the power, 
 as have Satan and his angels to tempt men to sin. But 
 they belong to his realm. And because Jesus came to 
 give redemption and release to the cosmos, and to man 
 born in Satan’s realm, and held by him in a fast-en« 
 twined complication of sin and corruption, they do what 
 they can to hinder Him. They torment those whom they 
 cannot destroy. In this they are like their great prince. 
 And the constant use of the verb rebuked — rebuked the 
 fever, the phrensy of the demoniacs, the tempest, &c. — 
 shows that Jesus regarded them as hostile and repellent 
 forces that must be restrained. And are not demons re- 
 ferred to in liev. xx, 13? The dead which the sea 
 must give up are not the righteous dead, for they 
 are raised previously (vs. 4), nor merely the bodies of 
 the wicked dead, for the sea is coupled with Death — 
 the realm filled with material forms — and with Hades 
 — the abode of disembodied spirits of our race. May 
 not the sea be here connected with the disembodied 
 
 [♦Much has bceu written, and is now beinii^ written upon tlie 
 IVc-A(hiniites. We merely su^^gest, Wliat if they belong to the- 
 original earth? Wl. at if the remains l-»eing found should ))rove to 
 be ilie remains of that class of men to wliose wandering spirits the 
 name of demons has been given? 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 235 
 
 spirits of the Pre Adamite earth? — those who will have 
 precedence in that awful hour when each, ekastos^ (the 
 Greek text has no word for the term ^^man” in E. V,) 
 will be judged according to their works. And is not 
 this the period which they alluded to when they begged 
 Jesus not to send them into the abyss, i, bottomless 
 pit, nor to torment them before their time (Matt, viii, 
 29)? 
 
 There is another class that belonofs to Satan’s realm. 
 It is called ‘‘his seed,” “the children of the devil” those 
 “of that Wicked One.” These are human beings. 
 They belong to him because, among other reasons, they 
 are born in his kingdom. That kingdom is local and 
 tangible as well as moral. It is here. Over this world 
 he exercises a sovereignty which is recognized. What, 
 the question arises, is the foundation of this right? 
 Conquest, might be a sufficient answer, were it not that 
 he was on earth before that conquest. For, his pres- 
 ence on the earth is spoken of in Gen. iii, not as some- 
 thing extraordinary, just now for the first time here in 
 the world, but as something already on the earth. The 
 narrative (Gen. i) opens with he-resith^ in beginning &>q. 
 The “the” is absent in the Hebrew. This phrase ex- 
 presses in Jn. i, timelessness. But as the fact men- 
 tioned in Jn. i, 3 — by the timeless Word all things be- 
 gan — {egenito ) — corresponds with the “in beginning” 
 here, we know that liere it refers to the beginning of 
 time. But tlie when time beo:an we are not told. No 
 matter how mnny millions of years the mind traces 
 back it must come to some point in tlie eternal ages 
 
236 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 (Prov. viii, 22, 30) when Elohim^ The Mighty^ created. 
 
 From vs. 3 on to the end of this chapter, the two 
 verbs used to describe God’s creative work are asah and 
 yatzar. These verbs are uniformly used to express 
 formative acts, L e , the construction of things out ot 
 existing materials. And this shows that the Adamic 
 earth was not an original creation, but an earth prepared 
 out of pre-existent matter. The only exceptions are in 
 vss. 21, 27, where the introduction of life in connection 
 with the construction of certain animal forms is spoken 
 of; and in ii, 3, where reference is made to i, 1, ‘‘which 
 lie had created in making” i, “formed in creating.”* 
 
 But the verb hara includes more than the idea of call- 
 ing the non-existent matter into being. It is used to 
 describe the completed formation of monsters (vs. 21), 
 and of man (vs.27), and the simultaneous giving of life 
 to them — to the former, the life-principle — already im- 
 
 [*In those places, i, 1, 21, 27; ii, 3, the verb is hara. The 
 verbs asah and yatzar are used of the works of God and men. 
 But hara in the Kal^or simple form, and witli an accusative of the 
 materials, is never used of the creations of men. In tlie Kal form 
 it appears 38 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, and in every in- 
 stance God is the sul)ject. It is nowhere said that any otlier cre- 
 ated. Its one idiomatic meaning is a calling by God into being 
 that which before had no existence. It defines the creative act 
 as one without any limitations. It points to God as the First 
 Cause of existences. It ascribes tlie absolute origination of mat- 
 ter to Him. It says that He, of His own free will, and by His 
 own all-powerful word, called the Universe into existence out of 
 nothing. It also ascribes to Him the origination of life. And 
 the other verbs, asah^ yatzar^ ascribe to Him the construction of 
 forms out of the matter which He had originally called into being. 
 
 This is the uniform conviction of all Hebrew scholars, and 
 the uniform testimony of all Jewish writers. The note itself is 
 but a coiuh used statement of the judgment of such eminent He- 
 brew scholars as Gesenius, Fuerst, Helitzsch, Umbreit and 
 Kallish,] 
 
TtiE HOtT life. 
 
 231 r 
 
 parted to nature from The Spirit (vs. 2). and to the lat- 
 ter life, directly from The Creator (vs. 27, ii, 7).* The 
 formation and completion of structures, and the giving of 
 life to them are both included in the word hara. This 
 fact is recognized so far as these verses are concerned. 
 Why not then recognize these ideas as included in the 
 verb as used in vs. 1? Can any good reason be given, 
 except that this recognition is against the commonly 
 accepted interpretation that verse one mentions the mere 
 origination of matter, called into being in the chaotic 
 condition commonly supposed to be spoken of in verse 
 two. But this recognition agrees fully with the idea 
 that the term ^dieavens” includes the idea of many 
 worlds. The Scriptures distinguish between the time-ages 
 (Rom. xvi, 25; 2 Tim. i, 9), and the ages preceding 
 (Tit. i, 2). They tell us that during those preceding 
 ages God was constructing worlds: ‘^from olam to 
 olairi *^ — ‘Trom age to age” during the long cosmic ages 
 when lie creates, and carries on to their appointed end 
 successive worlds —‘‘Thou art God” (Ps. xc, 2); tliat 
 there was a period which preceded all world-construc- 
 tion (Eph. iii, 9); and that there have been successive 
 stages in this world’s development (Heb, i, 2. xi, 2, 
 Grk). They speak of its creation — of the tohu state 
 
 (*The Scriptures uniformly ascribe the oriprination of life to 
 God. And so far as science can establish anything, it has estab- 
 lished the fact that spontaneous generation of life is an impossi- 
 bility. Huxley declares that the doctrine of Biogenesis is vic- 
 torious along the whole line. (Addresses, Eng. Ed. pg. 234.) 
 Tyndall says that not a shred of trustworthy experimental tes- 
 timony exists to prove that life ever appeared independently of 
 antecedent life (Nineteenth Century, 1878, pg. 507). The geneseg 
 of life are points for the direct appearing of The Creator.) 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 238 
 
 — of earth’s being fitted up for man — of its present 
 state — and of the new earth. We can therefore say 
 that many worlds are included in the term ‘dieavens.” 
 And the form of the word hashamayim^ being only in 
 the plural, suggests — as Tayler Lewis well puts it — ‘^the 
 notion that would very early arise of something above 
 the firmament — itself an appearance in which were 
 shown the forms of things at vast, and vastly differing 
 distances beyond it — other heavens beyond that which 
 presents itself to the eye. The natural image in the 
 Hebrew word is height, reduplicated and carried up- 
 ward by the plural form.” This is also seen in the 
 phrase ^dieavens of heavens” (Deut. x, 14, Ps. cxv, 16), 
 and in the change of the terms, from ‘‘heavens and earth,” 
 which is thus used when the idea of more worlds is to 
 be conveyed, to “earth and heavens” when only the idea 
 of the firmament connected with our earth would be ex- 
 pressed. 
 
 The phrase “heavens of heavens” corresponds with 
 the phrase “olams of olams.” The former tells of mat- 
 ter, the latter, of life: the “life of the ages” is the life 
 belonorino: to that matter. The former tells of the 
 abundance and variety of forms, the latter of the plur- 
 ality of life in those forms.* The two phrases run con- 
 currently. Light was in the star-worlds which existed 
 before the star called Earth; and life too, for they are 
 the abode of angels. All this implies order, and sug- 
 gests the idea of a completed rather than of a structure- 
 less heavens — worlds created, separated, completed: “By 
 the word of The Lord were the heavens made, and all 
 host of them by the breath of his mouth.” 
 
 (♦Lange Gen. pg. 162.) 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 239 
 
 This suggestion is supported by the fact that in tlie 
 six days’ work that word moved on a very rapid de- 
 velopment. The ^‘Let be” of each day was so followed 
 by the ‘^and it was so,” that the living structures were 
 started into being complete on that day.* It surely 
 then needed not have required millions of years for The 
 Creator to create and construct the heavens and the 
 original earth, and to people them with living forms. 
 
 The matter, however, for the development of the 
 six days’ work had been prepared beforehand for the 
 sj.eedy construction of the living forms. But the crea- 
 tive epoch belonging to vs. 1 included in it — as the 
 word hara shows — not only the constrnefion of matter 
 into forms, and the imparting of life, but also the orig- 
 ination of matter, and its preparation for formations. 
 That epoch may have comprehended vast successive 
 ages, and successive creations before the word hara in 
 its full meaning could be used of it. Matter may have 
 been called into existence in an attenuated form, may 
 have floated as clouds, or as a nebulous mass in space, 
 may, by laws and along lines of development which 
 The Creator originated, have been moulded by these con- 
 structive processes into completed spheres revolving 
 around their centers. As is implied in the laws of 
 radiation,*}* and as is indicated by the igneous character 
 of the primitive rocks, by the evidences of tropical cli- 
 mate — ages past — in high latitudes, by the present in- 
 ternal heat of the globe, and by the spheroidal flgure of 
 
 (*Se 0 pg. 260 for meaning of term “day.”) 
 
 [tThe temperature in space is not less than 230 degrees be- 
 low zero, Fahr.) 
 
THE HOLY life. 
 
 240 
 
 the earth — it being such as would be taken by a fluid 
 mass revolving with the earth’s velocity around a center — 
 the earth — as all this implies — may have existed in a 
 melted state. Then, by the action of various forces of 
 nature, through unmeasured periods, it may have been 
 slowly prepared for the existence of animal and vege- 
 table life. And, since it is not impossible that the six 
 days’ works are representatives of those works done in the 
 preceding epochs of earth’s history — a true, and real his- 
 tory of God’s whole creative work through the ^^olams” 
 from the beginning — there may have been numerous 
 successive creations of plants and animals. But not un- 
 til it and the other stars were ready for, and occupied 
 by, those for whom they were then being prepared, could 
 the word hara^ in the full force of its meaning, be ap- 
 plied to them — that is, provided the word means in 
 verses 1 all that it means in verses 21 and 27. 
 
 These considerations force upon me the conviction 
 that the phrase ^‘God created the lieavens and the earth,” 
 teaches, (a) the origination of matter from God, (b), its 
 construction into completed heavens and earth, and, (c), 
 since the imparting of life to matter, both diffused in 
 nature, and localized in structures, is one of the root- 
 meanings of the word as used of God — the peopling of 
 the heavens and the original earth with organic forms. 
 
 This is most aoreeable to the latest researches ot 
 
 o 
 
 science. The physical constitution of the planets, and 
 of the stars, wliich are but suns, suggest this. Whatever 
 their interiors may be composed of, their exteriors pre- 
 sent to us a bright surface, called the photosphere. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 241 
 
 Outside of this, as outside of the surface of the earth, is 
 an atmosphere composed of vapors. The materials of the 
 photosphere are so intensely hot that the metalic and 
 other substances of which it consists are in a liquid or 
 vaporous state. It has been found by the spectrum- 
 analysis — so far as the examination has gone — that the 
 same elements are in the stars and in our sun, which is 
 but a star, that are in the earth — sodium, magnesium, 
 iron, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen. And many more el- 
 ements have been found in the sun. But these elements 
 are those most closely connected with the living organ- 
 isms of our globe. 
 
 Now if the surface of the sun be protected from its 
 outer envelope or photosphere, by a dense atmosphere 
 which absorbs the intense light, and is a non-conductor 
 of its heat, there is nothing to prevent our sun from 
 being inhabited. The same remark applies to other 
 suns. And although some of them, (as Alpha^ Orionis 
 Beta Pegasi)^Ao not contain hydrogen — so far as 
 science has yet discovered — yet on the whole they differ 
 from our sun, and from each other only in special mod- 
 ifications, and not in general structure. It is therefore 
 most probable that they, like our sun, are surrounded 
 with planets which they uphold, illuminate and ener- 
 gize. And if so, it is most probable that these planets, 
 like those belonging to our sun, are surrounded by an at- 
 mosphere. But all the conditions favorable to life being 
 present, it is an inconceivable thouglit, and contrary to 
 what we know of the Great Creator, to suppose that life 
 itself would be wanting:. 
 
 o 
 
242 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 Tliis conviction is also most agreeable to the concep- 
 tion of the all perfect Creator, given us in the Bible. 
 He is the life-giving God. From Him the life must 
 go forth continually. We, by an act of imagination, 
 can, in a few minutes, create and people worlds in space. 
 These are fancies, it is true, to which we have no power 
 to give reality. But with God to will is to do: ^TTe 
 spake, and it was done.” He is the God of order. 
 And would He originate matter thrown out in the ut- 
 most confusion? Would not He, the great world-Build- 
 er, when proceeding to call, the visible Universe into 
 being, go upon lines already laid down in the Invisible 
 Universe, i. e., the spiritual? and downwards and along 
 these lines construct the heavens and the earth? But 
 here we are in domain of both order and life. When, 
 then, the heavens and earth were constructed, they is- 
 sued forth from His creative fulness, suns, planets, 
 stars, complete. By His creative energy they were 
 placed in position, and started upon their stately and 
 appointed rounds. Space was peopled. The darkness 
 was illuminated by the flashing of suns. Order reigned. 
 Life abounded (Job xxxviii, 7). And earth, as one of 
 the starry host, was not without life and inhabitants. 
 The orimnation of matter and the construction of the 
 
 O 
 
 heavens and earth were simultaneous acts. This is the 
 very idea expressed in the phrase ^donned in creating” 
 Gen. ii, 3,* and in Is. xlviii, 13: ‘^My hand hath laid 
 the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath 
 s})anned the heavens. I call them, they stand up to- 
 
 (*See pg. 2oG.) 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 243 
 
 gether, at once*^ (Sept, aina, Ynlg. shnuT)* 
 
 The impression left upon the mind by vs. 1 (Gen. i) is 
 that of completion, orderly movements, life, beauty pre- 
 dicated alike ot “the heavens and the earth.’’ Abruptly 
 is the mind introduced in verse two to a condition of 
 things the very opposite, and most unexpected. Ko 
 intimation is given of such a change, nor of the time- 
 distance between the two conditions. We are told^ 
 however, that the unexpected condition belongs to the 
 earth. It, not the heavens, was tohu^ vabohu. Hence 
 tlie darkness did not cover the heavens. Ho\vever in- 
 complete, they, as the works of the God of order and 
 life, must have been possessed of order and life, and have 
 been lit up by the flashings of thousands of suns, llfence, 
 again, verse first must speak of one subject, verse second 
 of another. And, in fact, there is no place between the 
 “created” of verse one and the“'was” of verse two to put in 
 any part of the first day’s work. For if verse one tells 
 
 (*Wliile these pages are going tlirougli the press tlie papers 
 have much to say about a new star which seems to have appeared 
 in Andromeda, which is a sun as large as our own, and whicli is 
 lighting up with its radiance a part of the universe hitherto buried 
 in the gloom of perpetual night, and which appears in the center 
 of a nebula. This latter fact, should it be proved to be a fact, is a 
 striking example of the process of the nebular evolution by which 
 many liold our solar system to have been formed. But if so, it 
 shows, farther, the sudden bound from the nebulous to the solar 
 condition. For, when first observed, early in August, it was a 
 bright spot in the nebula of Andromeda, a nebulous mass only, and 
 not a star. In a month a star glilteaed where the bright nebulous- 
 iiess Ir d been. Should the facts so far observed, be sustained, 
 then men have beheld the birth of a sun, not by the gradual ])rocess 
 of construction covering ages, but by a sudden sjudng into being, al- 
 most in the twinkling of an eye. One moment a dull and scattered 
 nebulous mass the next a blazing sun pouring the sudden liglit of 
 day into the depths of space for millions of miles.) 
 
244 
 
 THE HOLY I.IFE. 
 
 merely of the creation of matter, and v^erse two of its 
 chaotic condition, so-called, why is the history of the 
 heavens so suddenly dropped? Farther, if verse two be- 
 longs to the present system, it must be the beginning 
 of a history of which verse one is the compendium. 
 But in G-en. v. 1, where the first sentence in a history 
 is a compendium, the next goes on without a conjunc- 
 tion. But here, every verse (except 27) begins with an 
 ‘^and,” which, in every verse, marks succession, stage 
 after stage, and which in ii,2, introduces a succession of 
 time following the statement that the heavens and earth 
 were finished. All this indicates that verse two intro- 
 duces a new subject, distinct from both that spoken of 
 in verse one and that also given in verse three, and thence 
 onward to the end of the chapter. 
 
 In Gen. ii, 4 two geneses or births (one succession, 
 one event or thing proceeding from another)^ in nature 
 are given. And in the account, there is both a change of 
 verbs, and an inversion of terms. The first is ^‘tlie gen- 
 esis of the heavens and the earth.” The second is ‘‘the 
 genesis of the earth and heavens” — a phrase found only 
 once elsewhere, Ps. cxlviii, 13. These two geneses are 
 distinct. In the former it is tlie creative energy of 
 Elohim in its original actings. In the latter it is the 
 energy of Jehovah-Elohim, constructing forms, in their 
 beginnings, out of existing materials. All universal, 
 cosmical actions are connected with Elohim, but every 
 Divine act as it stands related to man, and to the theo- 
 cralic revelation and kingdom, is traced to Jehovah- 
 
 (♦Tayler Lewis.) 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 245 
 
 Elohim, that is, to the Creator in covenant with the man,* 
 whom lie created, and for whom He prepared the earth. 
 Gen. i, 1 gives us the first, and i, 3-28, the second. 
 Between these two stands the tohu condition which be- 
 longs to neither. The word describes not the state in 
 which the earth was created, but its condition subse- 
 quently. ^‘It seems clear,” says Tayler Lewis, ^‘that 
 that part of creation mentioned in verse one and also in 
 verse two, must lie beyond the six days, if they began 
 in the evening.” And verse two, so all these facts in- 
 dicate, is the record of facts, not developed out of, but 
 distinct from, and subsequent to, those mentioned in 
 verse one. And these, hence, are not the necessary 
 antecedents of the subsequent facts. 
 
 It is commonly said that verse two describes the con- 
 dition in which matter was found after its creation — 
 chaos, a rude and indigested mass of jarring elements, sea, 
 earth and heavens, confusedly jumbled together. But 
 astronomy, in its vast sweep, has nowhere discovered 
 anything like disorder or confusion in the heavens. It 
 can find no trace that indicates that a chaos ever existed. 
 It finds no bodies half-formed, or in process of formation. 
 It everywhere sees bodies formed, perfect, and moving 
 on in their spheres, as if periorming some good and great 
 office, j* Nor does geology know anything of an imper- 
 
 [*Elohiin is subject to no historical process. Jehovah, in or- 
 der to manifest Himself to man, enters into the phenomena of time 
 and space, comes into historical relations, and makes Himself 
 known to man. He, not Elohim, holds intercourse with him in the 
 manner of men. Of Him the theophauies are predicated. With 
 Him almost entirely are the expressions which refer to revelation 
 connected. He is the living One not only as the Fountain of life, 
 but as the God of revelation. Oehler’s Old Testament Theology^ 
 
 [fDr. McCosh.j 
 
246 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 fectly formed earth. It has to do with the existing or- 
 der of things. While recognizing that laws are not 
 substances, energies, operators or movers, but simply 
 sequences, or modes of operation, and hence have noth- 
 ing to do with potency or origination of being, it equally 
 declares that the continuity of law is universal in ex- 
 tent and duration, in its domain. It recognizes many 
 successive creations and developments; but it finds 
 each creation completed, and moving on in its own ap- 
 pointed order, to its own end and close. Its testimony is 
 that from the earliest Eocene formation to the Tertiary 
 division, day has succeeded day, and season has followed 
 season, without any age of chaos to check the course of 
 life. It says further, that though the mammoth and 
 wild beasts of the Pleistocene age have ceased to exist, the 
 descendants of their feebler contemporaries, such as the 
 badger, wild cat, and red deer still live; and that they 
 roamed under trees whose species are still on earth — 
 such as the Scotch fir, common birch and Norwegian 
 spruce. In brief, its unvarying testimony is, that, so 
 far as its raime of vision extends, from the remotest 
 period of the inorganic, and specially from the first ob- 
 served manifestations of animal life — the lowest in the 
 oeolocric aws — from the Amseboid stage up to the 
 present higlily organized structures, the crown of which 
 is man, notliing has disturbed the line of succession. 
 The continuity of plan and design has been one and un- 
 broken. There is advance, but no break. We are not 
 in a different system, but in an advanced stage of the 
 same system. And throughout tliat system it finds no 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 247 
 
 evidence tliat cliaos ever existed, or that God created 
 matter in a chaotic mass, and then reduced the chaos to 
 order, or out of chaos donned the earth. If any chaotic 
 period ever existed it must, it says, have been anterior 
 to the existing system, the one of which it treats. 
 
 But while this continuity of law forbids the idea of 
 the reduction to order of things out of chaos — in the 
 meaning commonly attached to that word by commen- 
 tators on Gen. i, 2 — yet it does not forbid the idea of a 
 desolation, as connected with the onward movement. 
 This, the continuity of law embraces, as, for instance, the 
 Noachian deluge. All geologic history recognizes that 
 there was a time anterior to the present system when 
 life did not exist, when there was only dead matter. 
 Further, it is full of the beginnings and ends of species, 
 and says that no less than twenty seven distinct crea- 
 tions and catastrophies have occurred. And further, the 
 continuous chain of animal existence is not fully shown. 
 Eminent naturalists, among them Agassiz, hold to the 
 opinion that fossil and living species are not identical, 
 but only closely related.* No remains of the present 
 existing animals and vegetables, nor any trace of the 
 cereals which constitute the staff of life, nor of the 
 plants which yield perfume, oil or wine, are found in 
 the fossiliferous rocks, at least below the Tertiary. Few 
 fishes, reptiles or birds of the present era are known, 
 from any discovery of fossils, to have existed in the post- 
 Tertiary. -j* And the fossil birds and mammals of the 
 
 ["El. of Gcol. pg. 340.] 
 [fMauual of Geology, pg. 576.] 
 
248 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 alluvial period belong to extinct species, and often to 
 extinct genera.* These, and similar testimonies, indi- 
 cate that, between the termination of the Tertiary per- 
 iod and the commencement of human history, there was 
 a general extinction of the animal forms belonging to 
 the Pre- Adamite earth, and so a complete break in the 
 animal history. The extermination of species was, in 
 general, due to catastrophies. Hence, a universal ex- 
 tinction implies a universal catastrophe. And the pres- 
 ence of drift and striae, found everywhei>e upon the 
 rocks at the surface, sustains the conclusion that some 
 great 'cataclysm closed the Pre- Adamite period with 
 universal wreck. And as in every instance in the geo- 
 logical ages,universal extinctions were succeeded by abun- 
 dant plant and animal creations which took the places 
 of those destroyed, and the two periods were joined by 
 a greater or less number of connecting links, so was it 
 now. Certain vegetable productions, such as the birch, 
 the fir, the spruce,commoii to remote Pre- Adamite periods 
 and to the present earth, were carried through the deso- 
 lation, in their seeds buried in the soil, and these seeds 
 felt the quickening power of the word, spoken of in verse 
 11.+ And as for the origination of life subsequently, 
 BO for its origination anteriorly to the state, it must 
 have come from a Life outside of earth. 
 
 Both facts therefore — the continuity of law and the 
 breaks — hold good. And since verse two describes a 
 catastrophe, it proclaims a break — not the result of crea- 
 tion, but of some disturbing cause. The verse belongs 
 not to the condition of things given us in verse one, as 
 we have seen. Nor yet to the condition of things 
 spoken of in, and onward from verse 3. It tells of some- 
 thing distinct from, yet connected with both the past 
 and future. And this suggestion is sustained by the 
 
 |*El. of Geol, pg. 342.] 
 
 [fThe great longevity of seeds is a well-establislied fact.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 249 
 
 position of the Hebrew noun haauretz earth. First, 
 the conjunction ve attaches this noun, and not the verb, 
 to the preceding sentence. It is therefore a connection 
 ot objects in space, and not of events in time. This 
 sentence does not, therefore, necessarily stand connected, 
 in point of time, with the preceding one. To intimate 
 this sequence in time the conjunction ve must have 
 been prefixed to the verb, so as to read, then was, &c.|| 
 Secondly, the noun, haauretz^ earth stands before the 
 verb. This makes it emphatic. The heavens and earth, 
 as created, were in order. But* the earth heoame tohu 
 vabohu. So is the verb translated in Gen. xix, 26, and 
 here also, by Dathe, Bush, and by the eminent Hebrew 
 scholar, Dr. McCaul, of King’s College, London, j* Dr. 
 Murphy {in loco) translates the phrase thus. And the 
 earth had become a waste and a void. And he adds, 
 “the verb in tliis sentence describes the perfect state of 
 an event.’’ It was a completed desolation; and it was 
 surrounded by a roaring deep of waters {tehom) upon 
 the face of which darkness was. The earth in the tohu 
 hohu condition was enclosed in a chaotic mass of turbid 
 waters, and these were surrounded by a local darkness. 
 
 These words, it is commonly said, describes the mat- 
 ter which God created, and out of which He made the 
 present order of things, as a chaos. Heathenism, which 
 had lost all belief in the living, personal God, regarded 
 matter as uncreated chaos. The cosmogonies of Greek 
 and Rome, derived, perhaps, from the Chald9ean;j; tauglit 
 that the Universe sprang from chaos. This, Hesiod 
 describes as “the yawning and void receptacle for created 
 
 [II Murphy, in loco.'] 
 
 [*Kurtz, in “The Old Covenant’' says there is not, Taylor 
 Lewis, in Lange on Gen., says there is, abundant reason for trans- 
 lating vav by hut.] 
 
 [fAids to Faitli.] 
 
 ifFor the Ciialduean cosmogony see Smith’s Chalda^an Genesis.] 
 
250 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 matter.’’ And Ovid says that ^‘tliere was but one ap^ 
 pearance of nature throughout the world.” This was 
 an uninformed, confused bulk wliich they called chaos.”^ 
 This was the popular belief of heathendom. And it has 
 passed over into our Christian belief, as the generally 
 accepted meaning of the words. 
 
 But Fuerstjiii his Lexicon, gives,not chaos, but ^^ruin” 
 ‘‘deeohition,” as the meaning of toliu^ and “emptiness” 
 as the meaning of hohu. With this Gesenius agrees. 
 And this is the meaning required by the context in the 
 passages wliere the words occur. Toliu is used in Deut. 
 NXKii, 10, Job. xii, 24, Ps. cvli, 40, to describe a des- 
 olate, trackless j)lace; in Is. xli, 27, xliv, 9, to describe 
 the confusion and nothingness of idolatry; in Is. xxiv, 
 10, to describe the confusion caused by drunkenness; 
 and in Is. xxxiv, 11, (line oi tohu^ confusion^ and 
 plummit of vaboliu^ emptiness) to describe the ruin 
 wrought upon Idumaea. In the last two places it des- 
 cribes confusion succeeding a former state of order and 
 fi'uitfulness, and of life; and in the last one the positive 
 and punitive confusion and desolation of a city, conse- 
 quences resulting from the sure judgment of God. And 
 if tlie words in Genesis contain the root-ideas, we can, 
 from these passages see what those ideas are. They ex- 
 press the idea, not of a lower stage of development, 
 nor of the mere absence of life, or of formative princi- 
 ])les, but of destruction. And if the writer wished to 
 Convey the idea of the ruin of a beautiful order of 
 things in a former world, by a catastrophe, the conse- 
 quence of a divine judgment, these are the very words 
 lie would use to express it. The earth had been fair 
 and fruitful. It now was a desolation, and empty of 
 life. And this condition was caused by some penal 
 catastrophe. This is the idea in the Chaldee Yersion — 
 
 [§Mctem 1, 09.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 251 
 
 ‘^desert and empty” — and in the Septnagint — ^invisi- 
 ble” (because covered with darkness), ‘‘and confused.” 
 And is it not the one suggested by the six-days’ creation, 
 and by the previous motions of The Spirit, neither of which 
 facts would have occurred, had there not been a necessity for 
 the same. And further, is it not included in the statement 
 in lleb.xi,3,“the worlds were formed by the word of God” 
 — tons aioones^ the worlds as designated by its ages, 
 hateertisthai was restored &c? Liddell and Scott give, 
 as the meaning of the verb, “to repair,” “to put into 
 order.” And this is its meaning in Matt, iv, 21; Mk. 
 i, 19. The writer’s use of this verb shows that he rec- 
 ognized that the earth, as a time- world, needed, at the 
 time to which he refers, repairing. And this implies 
 not original materials out of which to construct, but a 
 construction in ruin, and needing repair. The earth, 
 the original construction of which he had mentioned in i,2, 
 (Hebrews) had, he intimates, undergone such a change 
 that it needed restoration. And this restoration was ef- 
 fected by the word of God. 
 
 Over this ruin rolled tehom^ a roaring^ devastating 
 flood. The seas had burst their barriers, designed, 
 when earth was formed, to restrain them (Job. xxxiii, 
 11, Prov. viii, 27), and which are only passed when 
 God calls them forth as His instruments in judgment ;and 
 nature revolts against man (Gen. vii, 11; viii, 2). This 
 flood, which, laden with the wrecks of the former world 
 covered the earth, was itself overspread by a pall of the 
 densest darkness. This was not night, for night, for 
 the present earth, came in with the day, but that dark- 
 
252 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 ness from which the Creator subsequently divided the 
 liglit — perhaps a creative (Ts. xlv, 7) — and a part of the 
 judgment upon the earth. It was not a darkness over 
 the sun — which will be hereafter darkened (Joel, ii, 28- 
 32; Mk. xiii, 23; Acts ii, 20 &c.). Let the reader re- 
 call, that the Hebrew word for ^^great spaces” — ‘‘the 
 heavens”and“heaven of heavens” — like the word for OTeat 
 “time-pluralities” — “the clams” and “olam of olains” — , 
 and like the word for “life” — “lives, ’’denoting a plurality 
 of life* — indicate very clearly, when brought together, 
 the abundance of worlds, and of life in the “great spaces” 
 and “times” preceeding the tohu condition: and let him 
 further reflect that organisms, hence, must have been 
 in those worlds, and so on our earth — for, so far as we 
 know, life, except in the Creator, who is Pure Spirit^ 
 is connected only with organisms: and let him also 
 note that the activities of life imply the shining of 
 suns; let him bring all these facts together, and he will 
 be ready to admit that the darkness, here spoken of, was 
 not over the sun, but upon, and over the earth. It came 
 from terrestrial, not celestial, causes. Science shows 
 that tlie temperature of the earth’s surface, when mol- 
 ten, was above 2000 degrees, Fahrenheit. As a conse- 
 quence, the waters, equivalent in volume to a layer of 
 water a thousand feet deep over the whole earth’s sur- 
 face, must have been a vaporous envelope of great den- 
 sity and thickness. Add to this the commingling of 
 land and water, and of the waters above and below the 
 firmament, the agitation of the tides and currents, the 
 
 [*See pg. 240.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 253 
 
 upheaval of the sea, and the subsidence of the land, the 
 smoke and steam of submerged volcanoes, and the evap- 
 oration by the sun of the waters of the raging, roaring 
 abyss, and he will see that all this formed a vast mass of 
 blackest cloud3,and of heaviest vapors,wrapping the earth 
 in the densest atmosphere. It spun on its own axis, and 
 revolved around the sun as it had done before. But to 
 the earth the sun was an entirely extinguished star. Not 
 one ray pierced the gloom. His most powerful beams 
 struggled in vain to penetrate the black, dense darkness 
 spread over every part of the violently agitated waters. 
 Earth revolved on its orbit and axis, a watery, lifeless, 
 featureless desolation, a huge world in ruins, held fast in 
 the chains of impenetrable darkness. And it is to this 
 epoch in its history, perhaps, that Isaiah refers, using it as 
 a type of the desolation coming over Judah and Jerusa- 
 lem (l8.iv,13-27). The mind shudders as it contemplates 
 the awful scene. It shrinks from the thought that such 
 a condition of things could have been the result of the 
 creative energy of God. And in thus shrinking it finds 
 relief, in resting upon the statement ^‘Thus saith the 
 Lord that created the heavens, God that formed the 
 earth, and made it; He hath established it. He created 
 it not toliu^ a desolation\ He formed it to be inhabited’’ 
 (Is. xlv, 18). And who can say that it was not inhab- 
 ited by Pre- Adamites long before this desolation came 
 upon it.* 
 
 [^Sir William Ilershell states that “the atoms, of which th© 
 earth has been built up, bear the distinct marks of having been 
 manufactured and prepared for their present use.” This fact, if 
 established, agrees well with what has been advanced above. .Amd 
 
254 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 The tohu condition being one of ruin, two causes 
 must have been concerned in effecting it; one physical, 
 the other moral, and this one the real, and a most suflS 
 cient ground for a judgment so appalling. 
 
 What was the physical cause? Geology makes known 
 two classes of rocks, the igneous, and the aqueous. 
 The former have neither fossils nor stratification. 
 These are the older, and point to a period when the 
 earth was a molten sphere, as hot, perhaps, and lumin- 
 ous, as the sun is now. The latter lie in strata, con- 
 tain, nearly all of them, fossils of fishes, and in their 
 formation resemble the beds being deposited by water 
 at the present time. These facts show that they are 
 aqueous in their origin. 
 
 Geology further shows that the subsidence of the dry 
 land, or the elevation of the ocean-bed only a few hun- 
 dred feet, which would be attended by a corresponding 
 depression of the lancl,would cause such a submergence of 
 the contents, as to reduce earth to the condition described 
 in verse two. And to this destruction. Job, we think, 
 refers (xxxviii, 8-11). From verse twelve onward he 
 gives us a description of the phenomena of the present 
 inorganic world, lienee verses 8-11 must give a descrip- 
 tion of what proceeded the present state. Yerses 4 6 
 S]>eak of the laying of the foundation of the present 
 earth so solidly that the superstructure will stand as 
 Imilt up. Tiiat work awakened the most intense glad- 
 
 sn also does tlie first clear view wliicli geology gets of tlie eartli, 
 “a globe of matter, Iluid with intens e heat, spinning on its own 
 avis, and revolving around tlie sun, and whose waters could only 
 liave (existed as a dense curtain of steam.” Essays and Reviews j)g. 
 214, Eng. Ed.J 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 255 
 
 ness: “the mornincr stars sano; tooretlier, and all the 
 sons of God shouted for joy.”* This joy, evidently 
 was most peculiar and expressive. They were familiar 
 with the genesis of worlds. And this joy is too unique 
 and strong, to allow us to suppose it was merely joy at the 
 birth of one world. But on the supposition that it was 
 orladness at seeiim the reconstruction of a world ruined 
 
 o o 
 
 by sin, that it might not only start upon its stately 
 course in pristine purity and beauty, but that it might 
 also be the place for the settlement of questions sin 
 premely important to the Universe — on that supposition 
 we can see a just proportion between the fact and this 
 outburst of exultant song. These verses, 10, 11, tell us 
 how this restoration was effected. It was by God’s 
 breaking up for the sea his decreed places, putting the 
 waters into them, setting bars and doors, and saying, 
 “here shall thy proud waves be stayed,” i, e.y limited. 
 This summary of God’s action concerning the waters 
 implies that they had previously broken througli their 
 barriers. And this is expressly said in verses eight and 
 nine: “the sea break forth as if it had issued from the 
 womb.” And these waters could not possibly be those 
 of the third creative day. For of them God says, “I 
 made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness 
 a swaddling band for it.” But by the time of Gen. i,C), 
 the darkness had all disappeared. No darkness save 
 
 [*“The sons of Jehovali” are the recipients and vehicles of J lis 
 redeeming mercy. Ex. iv, 22, c’^ic. But “the sons of Elohim” are 
 those who are the media of the attril)iites of Elohim, t, of God as 
 fulness, and the source of life, power, hlcvsedness, holiness, glory. 
 They are the angels who are mess<‘ngers of Elohim. Job i, G, ii, 1, 
 Ps. xxix, 1, xxxix, 0, ciii, 21.] 
 
256 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 that spoken of in Gen. i, 2, can correspond with this 
 description, and the bursting forth of these waters must 
 be something anterior to this darkness. The words 
 suit well a description of the destruction of the earth by 
 waters which were covered over by dense darkness, sub- 
 sequently to their bursting forth from their appointed 
 bounds, and anteriorly to the shutting up of the sea with 
 bars and doors in its decreed place. 
 
 Does not the Psalmest (in civ, 5-9) refer to the same 
 catastrophe? In verses ten and eleven, he evidently 
 speaks of the waters as they belong to the present 
 earth. They were once destructive, (vs. 9). The pro- 
 cess of their subsidence by undulations among the hills 
 and valleys, is given in verses 10,13. They were ar- 
 rested in their destructive course by God’s rebuke. (Ps. 
 lxxv,6. Is. 1, 2). At the voice of His thunder they 
 hasted away. Up by the mountains, down by the val- 
 leys they went to the place founded for them. (vss. 7,8.) 
 There, they were set in impassible bounds, that they 
 might not turn again to cover the earth, (vs. 9) — a 
 statement which corresponds to that one in Job. This 
 description of the subsidence of the waters is preceded 
 by a statement of the extent of their destructive force: 
 “Thou coverest (hadst covered it,) the earth, with the 
 deep as with a garment; the waters stood above* the 
 
 [*Who laid the foundation of the earth 
 That it should not be moved forever. 
 
 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a vesture; 
 
 The waters stood above the mountains, 
 
 At Thy rebuke they fled ; 
 
 At the voice of Thy thunder they hasted away; 
 
 They went up by the mountains, they went down by the valleys, 
 Unto the place which Thou hadst founded for them. 
 
 Thou hast set a bound tliat they not pass over, 
 
 That they turn not again to cover the earth. (R. V.)] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 257 
 
 mountains, (vs. 6). The Psalmist is speaking of the 
 genesis of things, and to no part of tlie creative epoch 
 can this word apply except to the toliu condition. At 
 that period, then, mountains were on the earth. Over 
 them, and over every part of it, the waters flowed. And 
 since this occurred previously to the facts given in 
 verses 7-9, and since these belong to, that must have 
 preceded, the six creative days. The inferences seem 
 clear, (a) that the toliu conditiom was not chaos in the 
 usual acceptation of that term, and (b) that vast ages had 
 already passed — as the existence of mountains show — 
 when the Lord set impassible barriers to the destruc- 
 tive force of the seas, and put the earth into that con- 
 dition in which the Personal, formative Power, The 
 Spirit, could move upon the face of the waters. 
 
 Does not Prov. viii, 29 give us an intimation of the 
 same fact? Wisdom, ^., The Word, Jn. i, 1-3, who 
 was with The Creator while preparing the earth as a 
 habitation for man, speaks of the time when “He gave 
 the sea Ilis decree, that the waters should not pass Ilis 
 commandment; and when He appointed the founda- 
 tions of the earth.” And that, as do Job and the Psalm- 
 ist, He, in this verse, refers to a period anterior to Gen- 
 esis i, 6, seems apparent from this, that in this no subsid- 
 ence of the waters is spoken of, but only the separation 
 of the waters above from those under the firmament — a 
 phenomenon which belongs to the present cosmical or- 
 der. 
 
 And Peter — so his words in 2 Epis. iii, 5, 6, read to 
 us — states that that catastroj)he was caused by water: 
 
258 
 
 THE HOLY LIEE. 
 
 tlie word of the Lord,” and not by a fortuitious 
 concurrence of atoms, “heavens were from of old, 
 {ekpalai) \ and an eartli {ouranoi and gee are without the 
 article) sunestoosa^ standing together^^ i. not broken 
 into pieces, but formed compacted, “out of the water, 
 and, by or amidst (B. Y.) “water”; by which (di^ 
 
 oon^ plural) i, e.^ by the waters, the world that then was, 
 being overflowed (katahlustheis^ being closed down^ or 
 around^ completely) with water, perished.” The world 
 was deluged by the waters out of which it had arisen, 
 unitincr with the waters from the heavens. This is shown 
 by the plural, di^ oon. It was the coming together of 
 the waters from the heavens and earth. All earth’s in- 
 habitaiits and its then existing order were destroyed. 
 The apostle’s object is *to show that the present uni- 
 formity of order is not to last forever. By the same 
 word that created the heavens and earth are they kept in 
 store, reserved unto Are. And he proves the certainty of 
 this disturbance of nature’s order by Are, by the fact 
 that the previous order was interrupted by water. An 
 eiirtli was overwhelmed by it. That earth he contrasts 
 with the one now existinor. Hence it must have ex- 
 isted previously. As in that eartli the order was, so in 
 this eartli the order will be, interrupted. The destruc- 
 t ion, then, by water of which he speaks cannot be that one 
 (paused by the Noachian flood. For lie had just alluded 
 to that, and in very different term — “spared not the 
 old world, bringing in the flood upon the world of the 
 ungodly” (ii, 5 ) — and that flood was not such a derang- 
 ment of the cosmical order, as to furnish a parallel to 
 
TUE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 259 
 
 the future destruction by fire. In the Noachian flood 
 the destruction was of ‘‘the world of the ungodly,” but 
 in this destruction, it was an earth itself that perished, 
 lie speaks of two conditions of an earth; (a) ^^standing 
 out of the water,” that is, a fit habitation; and (b) so over- 
 whelmed by the water as to be itselt destroyed; that is, 
 its order overthrown, and it reduced to atohu vohu,i.^., 
 completely desolate, condition, and witliout inhabitant. 
 And this destruction must have antedated the existing or- 
 der. For with this order geology is familiar, and, as we 
 have already seen, it declares that no such destruction, 
 and no sucli tohu condition could have possibly been, 
 since the present order began. 
 
 Back of the physical there must have been a moral 
 cause sufflciently weighty to justify so appalling a ca^ 
 tastrophe. The Noachian flood fell upon the antedilu- 
 vians because of their sin. The destruction by fire, yet 
 to come upon the present heavens and earth, is con- 
 nected with the day of judgment, and perdition of un- 
 godly men (2 Pet. iii, 3). And analogy suggests that 
 the destruction of the Pre- Adamite earth was because of 
 sin. It is the only cause of ruin and death recognized in 
 the Bible. That Book gives no intimation of death, as to 
 saints, in the millennial age,nor in the period between 
 the beginning of the Hexahemeron and the fall of man. 
 Death could not be in a creation where God affixed it 
 as a punisliment for sin, where He pronounced all very 
 good, and where man and the animals fed — as they will 
 again, wlien the primeval blessing comes back 
 with the restitution of all things, (Is. xi, 6-9; — upon 
 
260 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 vegetable food (Gen. i, 30).^ And the change in ani- 
 mals, whereby they become flesh eating and destructive, 
 is easily disceriiable from their relation to man, who 
 brouglit sin and death into all the present cosmical re- 
 lations. It is true that the Bible no where says tliat ani- 
 mals would not have died had not man sinned. But 
 such is the implication in Rom. viii, 28, 29. Death en- 
 tered by sin into the present earth. But it is most cer- 
 tain that in the Pre- Adamite earth, during the geologi- 
 cal ages,the animal creation exhibited exactly the present 
 state of war. There were, then, animals with formidable 
 weapons exquisitely constructed to kill, and whose food 
 was prey. And there were, then, otlier animals whose de- 
 fensive armor was admirably constructed to enable them 
 to escape destruction. In those ages death reigned su- 
 preme over all life. In tlie period between Gen. i. Sand 
 the Fall of man there was no sin, no suffering, no sor- 
 row, no state of war, no death. The present condition of 
 things is the result of sin. It seems therefore, a just con- 
 clusion, that the war and death in the Pre- Adamite earth 
 entered there in the same way. The existence of death 
 now, so then, is proof of the then existence of sin. 
 And the desolation suggests the same. The roaring 
 deep recalls the raging waters, mayim^ out of which 
 
 [♦According to a well-estal>lished doctrine of science called 
 the law of Variation, a change in an animal's surroundings will 
 cause it to change. By its attempts to adjust itself to its new con- 
 ditions, a true ])hysiological change is gradually wrought witliin 
 its organism — the generic organization remaining the same. The 
 ponies in tlie island of Iceland feed on fish. The form and 
 iiahits of dogs run wild, undergo great changes. The stomach 
 of a sea-gull, normally adapted to a fish diet, was so changed, 
 organically, l)y the bird’s being confined to a grain diet, as to re- 
 semble the gizzard of an ordinary grain-feeder. Drummond, Nat 
 Law in 8pir. Worlds pg. 258.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 261 
 
 hostile powers arise (Dan. viii, 3, Kev. xiii, 1). And 
 the desolation, emptiness, raging deep, and darkness 
 correspond to “the kingdom of darkness,” whose spirits 
 are in rebellion against God. Sin came into our earth 
 by the fall of its head. It muse then, analogy suggests, 
 have entered into the former earth in the same way. 
 And the Scriptures constantly affirm the existance of 
 a superhuman being, a wicked spirit who stands con- 
 nected in a causative relation with Adam’s fall. This 
 being must have been on earth previously to this suc- 
 cessful assault; and to be here of right, he must have 
 sustained a cosmical relation to earth. And this rela- 
 tion must have antedated the six daysV creation. For 
 the supposition is too monstrous to be entertained, 
 either that any principle which, in its original nature, is 
 wicked, and hostile to God, was a part of, or had room 
 in a creation, every development of the life of which 
 in its creatures, is a divine blessing; or, that the good 
 Creator would have allowed a wicked spirit from an- 
 other world to thrust himself, insolently and violently, 
 and without a shadow of right, into the fair earth, to 
 ruin it, and its inhabitants. He is here now by right 
 of conquest — as is seen in the “I will put enmity &c.” 
 And this right he will hold until a stronger that he 
 dispossesses him by ethical victories. He must have 
 been here by another right before this period. To that 
 ante-conquest period must he have referred in his, “for 
 that was delivered unto me &c.” This right to be here, 
 and this delegated authority to rule over earth and its 
 inhabitants^ must have been on and over the Pre-Adain- 
 
262 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 ite earth. lie is a creature. Creation implies the idea 
 of time and locality. Being by creation an angel, he 
 had the same nature and destiny as other angels. His 
 dwelling place then must have been similar to, resem- 
 bled other worlds ruled over by other angels. As they 
 had other worlds he had this. He could not have been 
 permanently connected with, had he not been originally 
 placed on, earth. And since the first human sin must 
 be referred back to him, the tempting spirit, we are 
 shut in to these conclusions: (a) that sin was originally 
 committed in the Pre- Adamite earth, by that spirit which 
 was its head; (b) that it was committed by him, when, 
 and as its head, exercising a sovereignty which had been 
 conferred; and (c) that as the sin of man, as the headot 
 his earth brought ruin in and on his habitation, so the 
 sin of this spirit brought sin in, and ruin on his earth, 
 a ruin in which all creatures subordinated to him shared, 
 and a ruin so much greater than that which came upon 
 the Adamite earth, as his sin was greater than Adam’s. 
 This is the ruin described in verse two. Throuo^h that 
 long and cheerless period while darkness was on the face 
 of the deep, he and the disembodied spirits, his subor- 
 dinates, had vitality, but not life in the profound Scrip- 
 tural conception of that term. And he, at least, would 
 notice, wdthout knowing their cause, those first move- 
 ments which followed The Spirit’s action, and were the 
 beccinninirs of the life of and on the new earth. 
 
 And now we ask the reader to turn to a passage 
 w'hich we would submit to his consideration, as shedding 
 light upon this subject. It is Ezek. xxviii, 11-19. It 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 263 
 
 will be well for him to read over the whole chapter. 
 AVe give the passage, asking the reader to bear in mind, 
 that in the Hebrew text of verse 13, all the tenses are 
 the same, the simple past tense, and that they should 
 have been so translated; ‘Hhou wast in Eden,” ^Hhou 
 wast the anointed cherub,” “1 did set thee.” ^‘Son of 
 man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, 
 and say unto him: Thus saith the Lord God, Thou seal- 
 est (didst seal) up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect 
 in beauty. Thou wast (Heb.) in Eden, the garden of 
 God: every precious stone was thy covering, the sar- 
 dius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and 
 the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald and the carbuncle, 
 and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy 
 pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou 
 wast created, Thou wast the anointed cherub 
 
 that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon 
 the holy mountain of God: thou didst (Heb.) walk up 
 and down in the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in 
 thy ways from the day that thou wast created till ini- 
 quity was found in thee.” 
 
 <T>y the multitudes of thy merchandise, (better, sland- 
 ders).^ they filled the midst of thee with violence, and 
 thou didst sin: therefore I will cast thee as profane out 
 of the mountain of God, and I will destroy thee, O cov- 
 eriim cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 
 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou 
 didst corrupt thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: 
 
 [*Thcre is good ground for connecting the idea of slander 
 with the root rachal^ The noun rokel is rendered‘‘tale bearing, ’’four 
 times, and slander, two times. B. Douglass Esq. 
 
264 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before 
 kings, that they may behold thee. Thou didst defile 
 thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by 
 the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth 
 a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour tliee; and 
 I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth, in the siglit 
 of all them that behold thee. And they that know thee 
 among the people shall be astonished at thee; thou 
 shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.’’ 
 
 This passage is in the midst of a number of prophetic 
 statements. Among these there is one which the 
 prophet, by command, speaks against the city (xxvi, 
 xxvii). Then he is commanded to take up ^^a lamentation 
 upon the king of Tyrus.” This is the one that is now 
 occupying our attention. 
 
 The ^‘prince of Tyrus”, the ruler of the city of Tyre, 
 is called a man (vs. 2), and every thing spoken of 
 him can be predicated of a man. But the personal 
 facts declared as to ‘^the king of Tyrus” cannot possibly 
 belong to any man. The particulars show him, rnani- 
 festly, to be a superhuman being. These are, (a), his 
 position and character, while good, and the character of 
 that goodness; (b), his fall, and its cause; and (c), his 
 character and place, as fallen. 1. IIis original position: 
 (a), ‘‘thou wast in Eden, the garden of God.” In the 
 prophecies concerning the Assyrian (xxxi, 8-10) — 
 prophecies wliose historical background has a symbolical 
 foreground which identifies them, as in Isaiah’s prophec- 
 ies, with the person of Antichrist — mention is made of 
 an Eden. But there, as also in ch. xxxvi, 36, it is by way 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 265 
 
 of comparison. But here, the declaration is, that ‘‘the 
 king” had actually been in Eden. Not the Eden of 
 Jehovah — a phrase which points back to the Eden made 
 by Jehovah-God, and by Him given to Adam (Gen.ii), — 
 but of El, the Mighty, that is, of God as Creator, and not 
 of God as sustaining* a covenant relation to man. The 
 phrase points back to an Eden which antedated the one 
 in which Adam was placed, (b) “Thy covering,” in 
 this Eden, “was every precious stone, and gold.” This 
 covering — perhaps pavilion, or palace, or perhaps, robe 
 — was the distinguishing feature of his, as trees were 
 of Adam’s Eden. The mention of the stones and gold 
 recalls (a), Gen. ii, 11, 12; and (b),certain features, also, of 
 the New Jerusalem, the glorious destined home of those 
 who, having become equal to the angels (Lk.xx,26), and 
 having overcome Satan (Rev. xii, 7, xxi, 14-24), succeed 
 to his, and his hosts’ place and power, so fearfully 
 abused by them; and also (c), the breastplate of the High 
 Priest (Ex. xxix, 10-14). Nine of these stones are 
 like nine in that. But they are not in the same order; 
 and one row — supplied in the Septuagint — is omitted. 
 The only other stone covering of which we have any 
 mention in Scripture, is in Ez. i, 26. There the firma- 
 ment over the heads of the living creatures was the like- 
 ness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone. 
 And this appearance belonged to the vision of a some- 
 thiuix that does not belono: to the Adamite earth. 
 
 (c) “In the day when thou wast created, the workman- 
 ship (service) of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was pre- 
 pared in (with) thee.” Music is a common expression of 
 
266 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 festivity (Is.v.,!^, Amos5vi,5)5also of triumph; and is one 
 of the accompaniments of royalty (Is. xiv,!!, Dan. iii, 6; 
 1 Cor. XV, 52, the last trump). Into this gladsomeness 
 and royalty, this king was introduced, not from a lower 
 rank, not through arduous struggles and endeavours — 
 so the passage intimates — but simultaneously with his 
 creation. He awoke to consciousness, invested with the 
 insignia of royalty, while all around were the sweetest 
 strains from instruments of music prepared, the same 
 day, for him. Such was his origin. And he had the power 
 and authority of royalty, as well: ^^thou sealest up tlie 
 sum,” lit. ‘‘thou wert the one sealing up the sum.” To 
 seal is to complete, or close up the number and matter 
 with authority (Dan. ix, 24, the seventy weeks, and the 
 vision); to give assurance that the thing sealed is the 
 property of the one sealing, (as a seal to an official docu- 
 ment, Esth. iii, 12); or to put the stamp of ownership 
 upon (Job. ix, 7, and, xiv, 17, sealed Job’s transgres- 
 sions). ‘‘Sealing the sum,” then, is the assured declara- 
 tion of the ownership, and of the full measure (or, ex- 
 actness, Lange,) of the thing. The sum of what? Is it 
 not of all that territory, and its belongings, of which that 
 Eden was a district? (e) lie was “full of wisdom,” “and 
 perfect in all his ways,”hence,coinpetent,in allrespects,to 
 rule; (f) and “full of beauty,” and so as superior in this, 
 as in rank and wisdom, to all his subordinates, (g) To 
 his kingly, was added the priestly dignity, and office. 
 This is intimated in the mention of “the precious stones,” 
 and is expressly declared in, “Thou wert the anointed 
 cherub that coveredst (vs. 140 And^ in verse sixteen, he 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 2G7 
 
 is addressed as,“tlie coverino; clierub.” The cherub is one 
 of those creatures of highest rank, which are nearest tjie 
 throne of God, and join in the worship in heaven, llev. iv, 
 G-9; V, 14; xv, 7; xix, 4)."^ Bat besides being attendants 
 on Jlis Majesty, in llis presence there, cherubs are also 
 associated with llis activity in this world (Ps. xviii,10, 
 Ooni.Ezek.xi,21,22). And this fact, as also that where 
 
 the cherub is God is, is most apparent in Ezekiel — the 
 writer who calls this king a cherub^ (Ezek. i, ix, 3; x, 
 xi, 22). Man’s Eden was to be what the Tabernacle af- 
 terwards was — God’s throne, and so the place of the 
 cherub’s throne, on earth. For the glory of God is rep- 
 resented as being over them above (Ezek. ix, 22). And 
 man was to be the terrestrial cherub, as the cherub is 
 the heavenly man. He, as such, was put into the gar- 
 den, to guard it. He failed. Then the Lord God drove 
 out the man. And, to guard the tree of life, He, placing 
 them at the entrance, substituted the cherubim of 
 Heaven for the cherub of earth. Now, this ^‘king ot Tyre” 
 was in the anterior Eden, and a cherub with God. He 
 was ^‘the anointed cherub;” i. consecrated to God, as 
 by the anointing oil. He was ^^the anointed cherub 
 that covereth,” and is addressed as the ^^coverino^ cherub” 
 — a plain allusion to the cherubim which overshadowed 
 the mercy seat (Ex. xxv, 20). God had set him so. 
 This seems to be a clear intimation that he was the 
 great high priest, anointed to lead, in his own realm, the 
 worship ot God. As such he was given two exalted 
 distinctions: (a/die was upon the holy mountain of God.” 
 Tliis phrase is tlie designation of Mount Zion, the place 
 
 ^ [^'Sce IL ly Return, Part A, pp. for a discussion of 
 
 this subject. I 
 
268 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 of God’s holiness, and of the theocratic people’s worship. 
 (Ezek. XX, 40; Jer. xxxi, 23; Joel ii, 1, Zech. vij% 3); 
 and of the place where God sets His king (Ps. ii. 6). And, 
 (b),‘die walked up and down in the midst of the stones of 
 fire.” Is there an allusion here to the paved work of 
 sapphire stone under the feet of the Lord, and the sight 
 of whose glory was like devouring fire (Ex. xxxiv, 10, 
 17)? Then,uniting this with Ezek,i, 26, where the station 
 of the cherubim was at the foot of* the throne bearing the 
 glory, the phrase signifies that this person had free access 
 to the place of God’s Presence,in visible glory. He was at 
 home in the midst of these splendors, and in the full 
 enjoyment of cherubic nearness and blessedness. 
 
 This was the position of this person during all the 
 time that he was perfect in his ways (vs. 15). He had 
 a holy nature. And this he had from the day of his 
 creation, till iniquity was found in him (vs. 15). 
 
 This brings us to his fall, and its causes. These were 
 two: (a) The first one was pride, pride of his beauty, 
 and pride of his superiority ; ^‘Thine heart was lifted up 
 because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom 
 by reason of thy brightness.” We have an echo of 
 this fact in Paul’s First Letter to Timothy (iii, 16). 
 The first manifestation of his iniquity was in the ‘‘lift- 
 ing up of his heart.” In his creation he had been 
 given, knew intellectually, and was put into the place 
 of, truth. But he stood not in the truth (Jn. viii, 44 
 Grk^. He alienated himself from the truth which is of 
 God, from whom alone all truth must come. He “corrupt- 
 ed his wisdom.” it, hence, became in him a lie, and he 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 269 
 
 became the father of lies (Jn. viii, 44). He allowed 
 what in man would be called the jlesli^ {sarks^ to obtain 
 the ascendency over him. Thus he fell by his own self- 
 will. Then he began, in the spirit of revolt, to demand for 
 himself the homage and worship due only to The Crea- 
 tor, who alone is sovereign Lord. 
 
 Then, (b), he opposed the truth and life of God. He 
 became a slanderer: ‘‘by the multitude of thy slanders 
 (E. V. merchandise) they have filled the midst of thee, 
 i. of thy dominions, with violence’’ (vs. 16). The 
 Hebrew word translated “merchandise,’’ rakel^ signifies 
 to go about in order (1) to traffic, (2) to slander. From 
 it comes rokel^ merchant^ and rakal^ slander."^ It is 
 somewhat difficult to see how the mere multitude of 
 merchandise could fill with violence, but it is quite 
 easy to see how the multitude of slanders would do 
 this. And besides, the meaning of “slander” much bet- 
 ter suits the general drift of the passage. These could 
 only be slanders against God and good. By these 
 slanders he determinedly opposed both “the truth,” and 
 “the life,” of God. By these he filled his dominions with 
 violence. “By the multitude also of his iniquities he 
 defiled his own sanctuaries.” His condemnation is de- 
 clared in the one charge, “thou hast sinned.” Thus 
 he became the author and introducer of sin (1 Jn. iii, 
 8, “sinned from the beginning,” i. e.y of sin), and the 
 propagator of dissolution and death. 
 
 (3). Then follows the judgment. (a), I will cast 
 thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and, (b), 
 will destroy thee out of the midst of the stones of fire; 
 
 [*Se6 Mr. Douglass’ footnote ptr. 263.1 
 
THE holy lies. 
 
 S70 
 
 and, (c), I will cast tliee to the ground, and lay thee be- 
 fore kings that they may behold thee; and, (d), I will 
 bring forth a fire from the midst of thee that shall de- 
 vour thee to ashes upon the earth.’’ 
 
 This “lamentation upon the king of Tyrus” presents 
 features which cannot possibly, by any stretch of im- 
 agination, apply to any human king of Tyrus. lie was 
 not “the anointed cherub that covereth,”nor ever in Eden, 
 the garden of God, nor on the holy mountain. To one 
 personage only, known to us can it apply. And that is 
 tliat great created intelligence, whose name, devil — i. 
 slanderer, false- accuser, (Rev. xii, 10 — fitly corresponds 
 with one feature, and may have arisen from it; and 
 whose rank was recognized by the archangel Michael in 
 giving him the respect due to a superior (Jude 9). Is 
 it not an epitomized biography of the creation, posi- 
 tion and fall of Satan? If so, he was created an angel of 
 light, the fairest, wisest, strongest of them. He was 
 called “Lucifer, son of the morning.” He found himself, 
 on first awaking to consciousness, a mighty prince, 
 standing in the dazzling light of the glory of God. He 
 was the viceroy of Him “by whom, and to whom, and 
 for whom all things were created.” Ilis delegated 
 jurisdiction was over this earth, when it was originally 
 created, and over all its surroundings. He was tlie prince 
 of the original w^orld, and of the power of the air. He 
 was placed in the original Eden, and in its garden, and on 
 the holy mountain of God — a place whose features cor- 
 re8pond,soniewhat,witli those of the new Jerusalem. And, 
 perfect in all respects, he used all his intellectual and 
 
THE nOLl LIEE. 
 
 271 
 
 spiritual energies to the honor of his Creator, and to 
 the expounding and illustmting of his will, and ways. 
 He was thus the great teacher or prophet of his empire. 
 
 A character so perfect implies similar perfectness in the 
 earth, and subjects, over which he ruled. And how long 
 thino^s continued thus on the Pre- Adamite earth it is 
 vain to conjecture. But the weight of g'ory proved 
 more than he could bear. Pride lifted up his heart. 
 He began to think that his power and splendor proceeded 
 from himself. He lost his sense of dependence, abused 
 his trust, and dishonored, and so forfeited, his high posi- 
 tion as prophet, priest and king. He fell from his obedi - 
 ence, and was cast down from his throne. Corruption 
 set in among his angels and other subjects. In his and 
 their ruin the whole of his province was involved. And 
 this was followed by the ruin of the earth — its reduction 
 to the tohu bohu state told us in Gen. i, 2.^ 
 
 This desolate condition was not to be final. ‘‘The 
 Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” His 
 presence and self-conscious actings, as an intelligent 
 Person, are indispensable requisites to earth’s subsist- 
 
 [*It falls not within the view of our subject to study the par- 
 ticulars of his punishment. Suffice it to say that a fire “out of the 
 midst of thee that shall devour thee to ashes upon the earth.” 
 And in words which if not addressed, at least may apply to him, 
 we may say, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer (Heb. 
 shining one), son of the morning? Tliou saidst in thine heart, 1 will 
 ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above tae stars of God; 
 I will belike the Alost High” (Is. xiv, 12-14.) The spirit of am- 
 bition and pride, and envy of the throne of God, were the 
 cause of thy deposition by Him, who now, only, is “the bright and 
 morning Star.” Rev. xxii, 10. It is possible for a creature created 
 holy, to change its nature until it becomes essentially evil. Man 
 was". Yet Gen. vi, 5; viii, 2. tell a sad subsequent truth. 
 
272 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 ence, and are also the living bands which bind it firmly 
 to its Creator. And His presence and acting at that 
 epoch show, (a), that earth, though outside of, was not, 
 though distinct, separated from God, (b\ that though 
 ruined, it had not been given up by Him ; (c), that He 
 would reorganize and fit it up again for an abode, as it 
 had been before, of pure and happy beings ; and, (d), that 
 he by whom it had been ruined would be dethroned, 
 dispossessed, and expelled, ultimately, from it. This 
 last, the Creator could have done by an act of omnipo- 
 tence. But He would be just even to Satan. Further, 
 here, where the rebellion had occurred, was the fitting 
 place for the final settlement of all questions connected 
 with it — a settlement to be made so fairly, fully, and for 
 all worlds, that no one could complain of injustice, and 
 that all would learn what are rebellion’s final and fearful 
 results. The evil he orio;inated was inward, and came 
 from a creature; and the rebellion had been ethical. It 
 must be overcome by a creature, by inward strength, 
 and by ethical victories. Such victories must precede, 
 and give a righteous foundation for, the severance of 
 Satan’s cosmical relations, his expulsion from earth, and 
 his permanent shutting up in the everlasting fire pre- 
 pared for him, and for his angels (Matt, xxv, 41). And 
 by such victories over him would he be made fully con- 
 scious of,(a),his absolute inability to contend successfully 
 with the truth, and,(b),of the righteousness of his doom. 
 
 To this end God determined to construct, out of the 
 ruins, a new earth on which the conflict should be waged; 
 and to put on it a man, who should begin it, and whom 
 
tllE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 273 
 
 He would make in the image of The Man, who was to 
 be, on the earth, the Champion of both God and man, in 
 this mighty and mysterious war. 
 
 Earth, though small, was, hence, as the center of that 
 momentous movement upon which depended the wel- 
 fare of the Universe, to be invested in the eyes of all 
 worlds, with most commanding interest and importance. 
 
 How long its desolate condition continued, we have 
 no means of knowing. But if we may form a conjec- 
 ture from the Hoachian flood, and from the teachings of 
 geology — which show that in its history, periods of dis- 
 turbance seem to have been short compared with the 
 intervening periods of repose — it could not have been of 
 long duration. But whether long or short, at the pro- 
 per time, ^‘The Spirit rahap^ brooded^ over the waters.” 
 The conception of quickening and cherishing belongs 
 to this verb. It expresses a vibrating, throbbing, mo- 
 tion, emblematical of the beginning of life. And the 
 Biel form makes the inward sense of the throbbing 
 more intense. It describes the inward life-ffivinor 
 power which came from The Spirit.* The phrase de- 
 clares that to the earth, stunned and chilled by the great 
 castastrophe, lie, from the fulness of His life, imparted 
 all-penetrating life-germs, for the repopulation of it, 
 with vegetable and animal forms. These germs, depos- 
 ited in the dead elements, became life to, and the life of 
 the earth, a life derived from, but relatively independent 
 of. The Creator. Thus, then and there deposited, they 
 waited the moment when they would be set free to un 
 
 [*Tayler Lewis, in Lange on Gen., in loco.^ 
 
274 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 fold — waited in tlie materials prepared by the same 
 Divine movement for the constructive arrangements of 
 the six days’ work.* The inorganic world, the mineral, 
 is cut off from the organic by barriers which it cannot 
 pass by any power from within itself. It lies a vast 
 helpless thing, subject to the various physical forces of 
 nature, but wholly incapable of any living movement. 
 Nature thus stands separated into two parts, separated 
 by an impassable gulf.f This shows that the tohu 
 condition was a possible one; and that if, by any judg- 
 ment-catastrophe, the life which was upon it — if any 
 was — was destroyed, the lifeless condition would have 
 continued as long as the earth lasted, unless life was im- 
 parted to it from without. Haeckel, the atheistic evolu- 
 tionist, felt so strongly the force of ‘‘Life only from life,” 
 that, to escape the necessity of admitting a Creator, he 
 assumes that way back, millions of years, in a cooling 
 planet, a living cell, possibly, may have been originated 
 by a fortuitous concourse of atoms.;}; 
 
 After the life-germs had been infused, the next step 
 was the introduction of light. Light is the result of 
 molecular action. And the laws of electrical and chemi- 
 cal action are so involved with those of light, that their 
 conditions are one in molecular origin. And thebegiii- 
 ninn: of those various actions in matter was simultan- 
 eons with the breaking of the deep silence by the voice 
 
 [^Science accepts as a fundamental fact, reached by its own 
 investi;j;;ati(>ns, tliat life can come only from life.J 
 
 [fNat. Law in Siij)ernat. World.] 
 
 LJlIist. of Creation, chap. xxiv.J 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 275 
 
 of God: “Let Or, Light Diffused, luminosity, be.” In- 
 stantly light obtained liberty, independent existence, 
 and superiority over the darkness, from which, then, it 
 was separated. The luminous element of the earth 
 suddenly set free, flashed forth from out, and througli 
 the darkness, and lit up the rolling globe. At once tlie 
 alternation of day and night began. 
 
 This harbinger of blessincr from God was not the 
 birth of light itself, but its beginning for the new earth. 
 The Hebrew word Or includes, not improbably, the 
 ideas of heat and electricity, as well as that of Light 
 Diffused. And the word itself suggests that the writer 
 regarded the light as not originally confined to the sun. 
 And if it cannot yet be announced as a scientific fact, 
 it seems quite clear, that science is coming to the con- 
 clusion, that the light-element preceded the Light-bodies 
 in which it is stored. As the sun is itself a dark plan- 
 et, the light upon it comes from its luminous atmos- 
 phere. Ilumbolt'^ recognizes the existence of telluric 
 light. And this, Schubert suggests, is the last glimmer 
 of a world-day that has set. Earth and at least one 
 other planet may become, under certain conditions, self- 
 luminous. The Aurora Borealis is, says Ilumbolt, from 
 the earth becoming self-luminous. The most brilliant 
 displays occur during the long Arctic night, i, ^., when 
 the sun is weakest. That part of the heavens not illu- 
 minated by the sun often shines with a light which, the 
 Aurora leads us, from analogy, to say, is its own. And 
 analogy also suggests that the moon, Jupiter, and the 
 
 [ ♦Cosmos, vol. 1, pg, 188, sq.| 
 
276 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 comets have, besides the solar light, a liglit of their 
 own. Luminous mists have from time to time appeared. 
 Great clouds have given at times a steady luminosity. 
 And many a traveller has, as M. Arago says, been 
 guided by the faint diffused light which cheered his 
 steps in a cloudy, moonless, starless night, and when no 
 snow was on the ground. And if the earth has power 
 to give out light now, it must have had the power to 
 give it out much more fully on the first day.* 
 
 [*The term “day” is often used to denote a prolonged period. 
 In Gen. ii, 4, it includes the period embraced in the six creative 
 days. In tliis, and like places, the plain reader at once perceives the 
 import of the term. But he would not receive the impression 
 from Gen. i, that tliere, the term stands for a geologic age. And 
 geology itself shows that it does not stand for one of its eras. In 
 the eight classifications of strata, from the Tertiary to the Silurian, 
 there appears to have been as many creations as systems, and each 
 system having a large proportion of animals and plants peculiar to 
 itself. Agassiz holds it as demonstrated, that the totality of organic 
 beings was removed in each separate division of every great form- 
 ation. “I cannot” he says, “adopt the idea of transformation of 
 species of one formation into another.” The teaching of geology, 
 further, is that the remains of many creations are buried beneath 
 the crust of the earth — overwhelmed by mutual destruction, or, in- 
 stantly, by awful convulsions of Nature. Now how make this agree 
 with the fact that during the six days there were only three dis- 
 tinct creative acts — vegetation on the third day, fishes and birds on 
 tlie fifth, and animals and man on the sixth ? If the “day” was a ge- 
 ologic age the plants should be in the lowest f( ssiliferous strata — 
 tlie Silurian. But in it abundance of mollusca, articulata and 
 
 radiata, but no land plants, are found Again, if each day was 
 
 a geologic age, each age was divided into two long intervals — one 
 all light, the other all darkness. During the third day the earth 
 brought forth plants and trees. That day, like the rest closed 
 wilh an evening. What then became of them during that half of 
 the day when night prevailed — the prolonged darkness of the first 
 half of the age beginning the fourth perioclV The six days be- 
 
 long not to the cr(*ation of the Universe, Earth included, but to the 
 litting uj) of earth for man; and its ])]ants and creatures were for 
 him during his stay upon it. They, hence, belong to the present pe- 
 riod, and no mure to the geologic eras than he does. Nor did this 
 vegetation spring up spontaneously, nor from the ruins of former 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 277 
 
 On the next day God made the raqia^ expanse^ (E. 
 \ , firinaineiit). This word, which means something 
 very thin, extended, spread out, denotes the terrestrial 
 atmosphere of science, the cosmical ether with its springs 
 of life and blessing, gathered from the waters of earth. 
 This expanse supports the oceans of heaven, and thus, 
 by divine decree and power, divides the waters beneath 
 from those above it. On the third day, God’s creative 
 word set earth free from the dominion of tlie waters. 
 These lie gathered into their appointed place, and thus 
 the dry land appeared. The restored earth was thus 
 litted for organisms. And the history of the last three 
 days of the llexahemeron is the history of organic forms 
 which began with the introduction of the new element, 
 life: in contrast with the history of the first three days, 
 
 ‘^realions, but from seed planted in the ground prepared for it — 
 
 both, by the action of God, Gen. ii, 5, 6, And further, how 
 
 make Ex. xx, 7, agree with the idea that the day was a geologic 
 age? “In six days the Lord asah, wrought outi\\Q heaven, e., earth’s 
 surroundings, and the earth, and i ested on the seventh day.” That 
 day was intended for man in a sinless world. It was to be a happy 
 resting day from the toils of the week — the memorial of God’s 
 resting from Ilis work of tilting up the world for His creature, 
 man. When the Fall disturbed man’s relation to his Maker, tliis 
 day continued, a memorial of the sinless Sabbath lost, and a prom- 
 ise of i?s restoration. This is the light in which it is constantly 
 viewed in the Bible. It speaks of a world in which a perpetual 
 Sabbatism reigns. This would have been the fact, as to the pre.-ent 
 age, had not man sinned. This will be the fact when earth has 
 been cleansed, by fire, from the curse. The Sabbath is a memorial 
 of God’s finished work. The Lord’s Day is a memorial of Jesus’ 
 finished work, and our heirship with Him, in the ages to come. 
 The day, then, is not itself a prolonged period, but only a reminder 
 of such a period. It cou'id not then have been a prolonged period 
 in the past. 
 
 Once more. The days in Gen. I are numbered regularly, and 
 are divided in the usual style of the Hebrews. They were measured 
 by them according to the appearance and disappearance of day* 
 
278 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 which is that of our earth as inorganic. Tlic general life 
 had been given to nature wlien The Spirit had fecun- 
 dated the earth with seeds and germs. This life, which 
 had already begun acting, now enabled the seeds and 
 germs to transform the inorganic elements into growths. 
 They sprouted, grew, and covered earth’s nakedness 
 with a rich and beauteous vegetation. The now needed 
 light became, as stored in its recptacle the sun, light as 
 sunshine. God had created the sun in the be^innino-. 
 Hound it earth had revolved from the first. To it had 
 it giv^en light previous to the tohu condition, and from 
 its ruin it had suffered. But now, on the fourth diy, 
 God renewed its capacity to attract and diffuse the 
 light, heat, and electricity materials, and constituted it 
 and the moon maor^ light-holders^ in the expanse to 
 
 light. They divided Ihe day into two alternations, called day and 
 night ; and to the presence of the natural light gave the name day, 
 in the more restricted meaning of the term. And when individ- 
 ual parts or series of such parts of a day were to be specified, they 
 uniformly expressed the term day by the period ot 24 hours (Dan. 
 viii, 14, There were two eras in those days, the first, the 
 era of the inorganic, consisting of three da 3 ^s. In the first day 
 the cosmical light appeared, in the second the waters were divided 
 by the firmament, and in the third the waters were gathered to- 
 gether in one place, the dry land appeared, and vegetation sprung 
 up. And the second, that of the organic, consisted of three days. 
 In the first, i. e., the fourth day, light came from the sun, in the 
 second, i. e., the fitth day, the lower order of animals appeared, 
 and in the third, ^. e., the sixth creative day, the mammals and the 
 man were created. Now, if we could not tell the duration of the 
 da^'S in the era of the inorganic, there can be no uncertainty about 
 the length of each day in the era of the organic. For from the 
 fourth day on, that light which, in vs. 5, God called day, depended, 
 for its appearance, upon the sun. It was the light which God ap- 
 ])ointed to rule the day. And, hence, from this time on the term 
 day can only mean, in its narrower sense, the time of daylight, and 
 in its wider sen.se, the period of one revolution of the earth on its 
 axis, as it revolves around the sun.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 279 
 
 give light upon the earth — a phrase showing, clearly, 
 that the sun was then li^ht to other worlds, as it 
 
 had before given to the earth. Then too, the stars which 
 had existed millions of years, perhaps, (Job xxxviii, 7), 
 reappeared. When, or how made, what they are in 
 themselves, or what other purposes they served, matters 
 not, in this connection. Now, to man’s earth they ap- 
 peared, as placed in the expanse, and, so far as it is con- 
 cerned, commenced to exist. And astronomy can fur- 
 nish no proof that, after the tohu condition, their light 
 was seen by man’s earth, or that it was susceptible of 
 their light, before the fourth day. On the fifth day ani- 
 mal life appeared. The waters swarmed with ^^swarms 
 of* living creatures,” and fowls flew in the open expanse 
 of heaven. Sea and air were peopled, and on the first 
 part of the sixth day, earth was alive with wild beasts, 
 creeping things and domestic animals and fowls. 
 
 Through this advance from the cosmical, through the 
 vegetable, to the animal,theearth was made ready for the 
 introduction of man, its head and crown. Him would 
 the Creator set in this earth, to subdue it, to have domin- 
 ion over all its animate creation, and to wrest it, by eth- 
 ical victories, from its original, and now fallen prince. 
 In Gen. i, we have God above, but in Gen. ii-iii, God in 
 this world, the Creator and Teacher of man. Gen. i, 
 26-30 gives us his creation by Elohim the God above na- 
 ture, in His own image, and his place in Creation. In 
 Gen. ii, 7 we have the details of his formation. And 
 the name used throughout this section is Jehovah-Elo- 
 him, the designation of the Creator in covenant relation 
 
280 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE, 
 
 with man. This shows that man began life in this re- 
 lation, and so under moral responsibility. <‘The Lord 
 God formed” — moulded into shape, as a potter 
 moulds clay. Job x, 9 — ^‘man out of the dust of the 
 ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of 
 lives” {Heh,). Man’s breathing, the evidence of life, is 
 Divine breathing (Job xxvii, 3; xxxiii, 4; Is. xlii, 4). 
 From this breathing came at once the natural breath 
 and the ^‘spirit of lives,” i. e.y the life-principle in its 
 interior sense, the spirit — an emanation from God 
 Himself, as man’s animal life was given him from the 
 general life already given to nature. 1 Cor. xv, 45, is 
 an inspired interpretation of this passage. And the 
 eis in its eis psucheen zooan^ became a living soul^ 
 signifying, as does the Hebrew particle, lambda^ to a, 
 towards^ suggests that out of the two distinct things, 
 the dust of the ground moulded into the shape of a 
 man and the Divine breath, then and thus brought to- 
 gether there resulted the soul, the tertium quid of mat- 
 ter and spirit. Thus man became nephesh cha% a liv- 
 ing sout/^ Both have this in common. But, though 
 the term, ruach^ spirit^ is one applied to beasts (Eccl. 
 iii, 21), man alone has this in the profound meaning of 
 the word. And it became the nexus and medium be- 
 tween mind and matter, the meeting point between the 
 higher and lower natures, the center of that particular 
 unity composed of body, soul and spirit. Thus man 
 became a living, self-conscious personality, free, and 
 capable of intellectual, moral and spiritual activity. 
 By his body he was related to earth, as by his physical 
 life to the life of the Universe, and, that he might ad- 
 just himself to this relation, he had the sense-conscious- 
 ness. By his spirit, which needs The Spirit of God 
 
 [♦This term, which expresses the individual as contrasted with 
 the species, whether the former possesses a soul like man, or is capa- 
 ble of instinct only, is applied to animals as well as men (Gen. i, 21, 
 24; ii, 9, 10, 12, 15, 16, 19; Lev. ii, 46). Head’s Tripartite nature of 
 man.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 281 
 
 for its well-being (1 Cor. ii, 14; Jude 19), he was allied 
 to God, and for tins relation he had the God-conscious- 
 ness, that is, the capacity to know and worship God, to 
 know, by obedience to Him, the essence of goodness 
 as godliness, and of evil, by disobedience or self-will 
 as ungodliness. The remains of this we see in the 
 moral-consciousness. By the soul, the medium be- 
 tween the body and spirit — for there is no direct com- 
 munication between the two — he was related to other 
 souls, and for this relation he had self-consciousness, 
 i, ^., intellect, will and affections. And in the intellec- 
 tual nature he had that fixed resemblance to God des- 
 cribed by 'dn His image,’’ as in that purity of heart, 
 that progressive likeness which shows itself in holiness, 
 through which he had a sense of the presence of God, 
 and which is attached to the spirit, and described by 
 ‘‘after His likeness.” The three parts, body, spirit 
 and soul, with all the particular features belonging to 
 each, were all embraced in the one self-conscious ego. 
 And this tripartite nature recognized by Paul (1 Thes. 
 V, 23; Heb. iv, 12), and by Jesus (Jn. xi, 33; Lk. xxiii, 
 46; Matt, xxvi, 38), is very fully brought to view in 
 the Virgin’s words: “My spirit hath rejoiced in God, 
 and” — having found this joy, it communicated it to the 
 soul, and it used the body’s member, the voice, to ex- 
 press the emotion — “my soul doth magnify The Lord.” 
 (Lk. i, 46, 47)^ 
 
 Thus, by a Divine creative act was man called into 
 being at once. He awoke to consciousness in an earth 
 beautiful, free from sin, full of commingled blessings 
 which would contribute constantly to his welfare and 
 happiness. In stature and intellect he was an adult — 
 so the marriage institution shows — but in spiritual per- 
 
 [*In regeneration it is the spirit that is quickened, and, during 
 life, it and the soul are purified. In death the body dies, to be re- 
 ceived again in the resurrection, but the spirit and soul live on, the 
 soul being then wholly under the dominion of the spirit.] 
 
282 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE, 
 
 ception and growth he was a child. This is apparent 
 from the command, its obvious object being to teach 
 him obedience, and to give him room for growth in 
 the knowledge of God. He was as perfect in sinless 
 innocence as in form and beauty. But being created 
 a free agent he could not be creatively endowed with 
 absolute perfection. Nor must it be forced upon him 
 from without. He was equally capable of being over- 
 come by temptation, and, also, of resisting it, and, by 
 the exercise of unceasing goodness, of becoming posi- 
 tively holy. This must be left to himself. Only by 
 free determination and activity could he rise to that 
 condition and position for which he was destined and 
 had been endowed. Only by having acquired, through 
 a learned obedience, that holiness which would show 
 that he had passed all danger of falling as the sinning 
 angels had fallen, could he vindicate his place as ruler 
 ot this world. And in order that there might be, 
 through self decided obedience, a developed holiness, 
 unassailable, he was placed where he must choose for 
 himself to act for, or against the will of God. His Mak- 
 er could not give him full control of earth, but only in 
 reversion and contingently (Heb. ii, 8), until he had 
 proved himself worthy to occupy his destined position 
 as representative of theocratic rulership, and restorer of 
 harmony to the Universe. He must hold his position, 
 his dignity, and title by conquests. He must complete, 
 as to the earth, what God had begun. Its capabilities 
 were vast, but its perfection was only relative. By 
 physical victories over it (^‘subdue it”), must he develop 
 these capabilities, and bring it on and up to final per- 
 fection. His abilities must be proved in a single spot. 
 Until then, dominion over all the earth was held in 
 abeyance. Should he ‘‘dress and keep” the garden, his 
 dominion would be gradually enlarged until under his 
 sway earth would be transformed into Paradise. But 
 not even here over one small spot of nature can he 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 283 
 
 keep control, unless he maintains complete dominion 
 over himself. Hence, besides, even antecedently to, 
 physical, must he gain ethical victories. These, on 
 the positive side, must come through implicit, absolute, 
 and unwavering obedience to his Maker, and, on the 
 negative side, throuorh successful resistance to a hostile 
 h*rce. In gaining the latter he would gain the former, 
 and upon success here, depended the development ot 
 his earth, and of the Universe. For he was put here 
 to complete the work interrupted by Satan^s fall. This 
 he could do only by overcoming and judging him (1 
 Cor. vi, 2, 3). He was not told what this force was. 
 For only after his own fall did he have a look into the 
 world of fallen spirits, which, had he not fallen, he 
 would never have seen at all. Nor needed he to know 
 it. For, such was God’s arrangement, his victory over 
 it would come through obedience to Him. This two- 
 fold victory would secure his sovereignty as suzerain. 
 And that he might be placed in the most advantageous 
 position to secure it, he was alloted a district called 
 Eden, and placed in a garden in it. 
 
 Two duties were imposed upon him. He was ‘^to 
 dress” i. e.y take care of the garden, and he was <‘to 
 keep” i. ^., guard it. The Hebrew word ffan, (E. V., 
 garden), signifies an enclosure^ something sheltered or 
 protected. The verb shamar^ (£. Y., keep), means, (a), 
 to lay up, as grain, anger; (b), to regard, observe, as one’s 
 ways; (c), to observe or keep as a covenant, commands, 
 — none of which, surely, is its meaning here — (d), to 
 protect, keep safe, guard against.* This must be its 
 meaning here. Adam was to guard the enclosure — a 
 significant addition. It pointed to an invidious and 
 insidious enemy lurking around, who might become a 
 possible assailant. To this double charge was added 
 
 [*See Gen. iii, 24; Ex. xxiii, 20; Deut. iv, 9 ; 1 Kg. ix, 14; xi» 
 6, 7 ; Ezra viii, 20 ; Neh. xi, 19 ; xii, 45 ; xiii, 22; Ps. xci, 11 ; cxxi, 
 4; cxxvii, 1 ; cxii, 9 ; Prov. vi, 24.] 
 
284 
 
 THE HOLT LIFE. 
 
 one permission, and one command, making only one 
 transgression possible. 
 
 The permission allowed the free eating of the fruit 
 of every tree in the garden, save one. Besides the other 
 trees, two are specially mentioned as growing in the 
 midst of the garden. They are distinct from each other, 
 as are both from all the rest of the trees. Each one was 
 designated for a special end. One is called ‘‘the tree of 
 life.” The fruit of this good tree was for the repair of 
 man’s wasted physical powers. And the Creator had so 
 concentrated within it the essence of the new cosmical 
 life which He had given the earth, that the partaking 
 of its fruit would insure immortal physical lile (Gen. ii, 
 22; Rev. xxii, 1). And its existence was for the per- 
 petuation of man’s life on earth, so that when removed 
 from it, his removal would not be by death. 
 
 The other tree was “the tree of the knowledge of good 
 and evil.’^ Its name and characteristics indicate, (a), 
 that it was not included among the trees of Gen. i, and 
 ii. 9, for they “were all good;” (b), that cosmical evil 
 was on the earth; and, (c), that this evil was concentra- 
 ted in this tree. Such a tree could not otherwise have 
 existed. This suggestion is supported by “right {exou- 
 sia) to the tree ot life” (Rev. xxii, 14). Its opposite 
 could be only the tree of death. And from the lact 
 that Satan made it the base of his operations we infer 
 that some intimate connection existed between it and 
 him. In it was concentrated the cosmical evil which 
 began in him. It was the poison tree, the tree of death. 
 This is implied in the prohibition. For this presup- 
 poses evil existing either in the subject to whom the 
 word was addressed, or in the object forbidden. It was 
 not in the subject, so must have been in the tree. 
 
 In it there were properties, the effects of which upon 
 man’s system it was l>eyond Divine power to counteract. 
 They must run their course. Its poison, however, 
 could neither spread, nor injure man, so long as its fruit 
 
rnU HOLY LIFE. 
 
 285 
 
 was uneaten. But, did mail eat it, lie must partake of 
 the cosmica! evil concentrated in the tree, and so of its 
 effect, physical death. And iho command shows, as 
 well as the name of the tree that it sustained an essen- 
 tial relation to man. llis condition of innocence, like 
 that of undeveloped childhood, was one of inability to 
 distinguish good from evil except through experience. 
 A test, hence, was necessary. In it lay his marked 
 superiority over all other living creatures. It showed, 
 what they had not, the power of will to select, with approv- 
 al, the true and right as good, and to reject, with disap- 
 proval, the false and wrong as evil. It showed him 
 possessed of a God-consciousness, and, hence, as placed 
 where contingency to evil necessarily existed. The 
 command would awaken in his spirit a sense of his 
 duty to God. And obedience would be that disciplin- 
 ing of his spirit by which he would become God like 
 in life, and positively holy. This is the law of sonship. 
 As Jesus became ‘‘perfect through suffering,’’ Adam 
 would have become perfect through obedience; and 
 thus would he have obtained “ricrht to the tree of life,” 
 and so attained immortality* on earth (Gen. iii, 22j. 
 
 The test being given, if Adam would connect to- 
 gether, as doubtless he did, the command, “thou shalt 
 not eat of it,” the warning, “in the day you eat it 
 you shall die,” and the charge, ‘guard the 
 garden,” it would be readily suggested to his mind 
 that, at that tree, a conflict of some kind would be; 
 that, no matter how stealthily the enemy might ap- 
 proach, or under what disguise, he could instantly de- 
 tect his design in any suggestion to him to betray his 
 trust; that, thus, he would obtain a knowledge of the 
 evil already existing; that, successful resistance to it, 
 
 ['^llii.s is not that now called “conditioned immortality.” The 
 true ground of rnan^s immortality is this: he was made in the “im- 
 age of God,” who “alone hath immortality.” And this image, though 
 defaced, was not destroyed by the Fall. Jas. iii, 9; lleb. xii, 9; Acta 
 xii, 28. God is the Father, not of our intellects (Is. Iv, 8), but of our 
 moral and spiritual nature. Nuin. xvi, 22; xxvii, 16.] 
 
286 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 or him could be only, but would be surely, through 
 obedience to God; and, that one c )iiflict might decide 
 the momentous issue. This, at least, would be clear to 
 his mind; did he, failing to stand, eat of the forbidden 
 fruit, he would decide in favor of, and partake of the 
 physical evil already existing on earth, and of its re- 
 sultant, physical death. And since his eating would 
 be also disobedience to God, he would partake, also, of 
 moral evil, and so of its resultant, death in the soul. He 
 would become a guilty creature,and so must be punished. 
 He would forfeit his sovereignty. And, yielding to the 
 Evil One, he and all his posterity would become his cap- 
 tives, so far as he knew, forever. But did he refuse to 
 eat the fruit, he would decide in favor, and would ob- 
 tain a knowledge, ot good, by obedience, and of evil, by 
 its absence from him. Thus would he fulfill his des- 
 tined end to know good by choosing it, and evil by re- 
 fusing it, as foreign, hostile, and to be overcome. Thus 
 would he, by an honestly gained ethical victory, obtain, 
 by the way of righteous judgment, the expulsion of the 
 foe to the hell prepared for him and for his angels (Matt. 
 XXV, 46). This would give him the undisturbed pos- 
 session of earth, free forever from the curse, and fit for 
 the occupancy of an uninterruptedly holy and happy 
 race, whose members when they passed from earth 
 would go away without passing through the awful gates, 
 and along the lonely corridors of death. 
 
 Thus warned he entered upon his duty. He knew 
 nothing of the power of the evil. And in this innocent 
 simplicity he seems to have felt no fear. He knew not 
 the secrets of the ground on which he trod, of the des- 
 truction of the mighty creations which preceded his, of 
 the prison-house of sin over which the deep, blue sea 
 was rolling, of the fallen angels and disembodied spirits 
 in the atmosphere above and around In’m, nor ot thcarch- 
 tiend over all. Nor need he know all this. It would be 
 timeenouirh for him to know it when victorious over the 
 enemy. Tlien miglit he learn that this once bright spirit, 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 287 
 
 the ruler over the original earth, Lucifer, son of the 
 morning, liad forfeiteJ his dominion, whicli had now been 
 given to himself; that, notwithstanding this, he still had 
 claims as^‘prince of this world,” thefutilitj of which claims 
 could be exposed only by a judgment coming through 
 decisive ethical victories, won by his successor; that be- 
 cause he (man) crowned with glory and honor, had his 
 possession, blessedness and glory, and was destined to be 
 the executioner of this judgment upon him, he had an in- 
 terest in him, and an envy, hatred, rage and revenge 
 ao;ainst him, which would iir^e him to do his utmost to 
 accomplish his (man’s) ruin. He would throw into the 
 conflict the energy ot despair. It was enough then for 
 man to know that the v/ay was open for him to over- 
 come, or to be overcome of, evil, by his own free choice 
 (1 Cor. xiii, 11); and that his orders were unmistakably 
 clear. All he had to do to insure successful victory, 
 was to obey the orders which his Creator had given him, 
 and make a Arm stand acrainst the Evil One. 
 
 o 
 
 The assault, the enemy determined, must be success- 
 ful. And he managed it with the most consummate 
 ability, treachery and cunning. Its plan shows him 
 the master in the tactics of temptation, and indicates 
 the agency of a spiritual power of a very high order of 
 intellect, determined on the destruction of man. He 
 approached in broad daylight,* the best time to disarm 
 all fear. He must And some point within man, upon 
 which to fasten a solicitation to sin, which would 
 
 [*Thi3 is clear from Gen. iii: in the coul of that evening they, 
 I. e., Adam and Eve, saw the Lord God, &c.] 
 
288 
 
 The holy life. 
 
 not be, he knew, self-originated. First, he did not assail 
 with the weapons of power and terror. This would 
 have inspired dread, and provoked defeat. He ap- 
 proached through the medium of an animal from which 
 no harm would be suspected. This was a serpent, a 
 real one, as the artless style of the narrative, and the 
 many allusions to the narrative in the Bible show. Its 
 appearance, its actions, easy and companionable, and its 
 splendor, which produced upon man the impression of 
 great beauty and intelligence, disarmed all fear. Add 
 to these the peculiar structure of its vocal organs which 
 made them capable of being used to express articulate 
 sounds,* and its subtlety and destructive propensities, 
 and its being a creature, perhaps the only one, which came 
 over from his (Satan’s) earth, and one can readily see how 
 well fitted it was to be the instrument of his malignant 
 desio;ns.+ As little as did the Eleven iinamne that an 
 
 O I o 
 
 [*Eve was not startled by tlie sounds. This fact suggests that, 
 before the fall, intelligent communication was carried on between 
 man and the animals.] 
 
 [ilts name, in Hebrew, signifies keen sight, then divining. 
 Wisdom taking the direction of subtlety, which is moral evil, is 
 its nature. Its subtle, malicious, and destructive ])ropeusity is 
 seen in its fascinating a bird to destroy it. It was, alone, the only 
 (II(*b.) subtle, the single example of cunningamong all the animals, 
 and was ‘‘more subtle than any ]>east of the field which the Lord 
 God had made.” That is, no beast wliicli Jehovah^God, ^. 6., the 
 Creator in covenant with man, liad made (Gen. iii, 1). This phrase 
 regards the beasts made during tlie six days’ work, and for man, 
 and his eartli. None such could be found, which in subtlety, could 
 com[)are v,dth it. The Ilel^rew justifies, as it starts, the suggestion, 
 that tlie serpent was no part of tlie six days’ work, but originally 
 belonged to, and came over from the Pre-Adamite earth. It was a 
 creature belonging to Satan’s earth. 
 
 The universality of serpent- worship among primitive nations, 
 shown in the traces of it found wherever monuments of humanity 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. ^ 289 
 
 instrument of Satan was at the table, in the person of 
 Judas, so little did Eve imagine, as she permitted the 
 familiar approach of the fascinating animal, that under 
 tliat beautiful and apparently innocent form lurked 
 man’s bitter foe. ‘^It beguiled her,” so she said. 
 
 Next, He selected the most decisive moment, ^.^.,when 
 he could meet Eve alone. lie dared not meet her and 
 Adam togetlier. They might have upheld each other 
 in obedience and love to God, and thus have defeated him. 
 Nor did he meet Adam alone. His stroimer nature 
 
 o 
 
 exist, suggests, that this was 8atan^s device. As by the serpent h® 
 had accomplished the fall of man, so by man^s worship of it would 
 he hold him in subjection, by a chain binding him to his own earth. 
 
 And Hugh Miller’s remarks in his Testimony of the Eocks, 
 (pgs. 110-112, Am. Ed.) strengthen both these suggestions: ‘‘With 
 the first dawn of the Tertiary division the reptilian occupied, as 
 now, a very subordinate place. In the times of its humiliation 
 and decay one of the most remarkable of its orders appears as an 
 order illustrative of extreme degradation. The earliest known 
 ophidian remains occur in the Tertiary division. And how 
 strangely the history of these repulsive reptiles has been mixed up 
 with that of man. In the most ancient Phoenician fables the 
 great antagonist of the gods was a serpent, once their subject, but 
 then a rebel and an enemy. A monster serpent strove to des- 
 troy the mother oi Apollo before his birth, and afterwards was by 
 him destroyed. Hercules had to kill a great serpent before he 
 could possess “the apples of Hesperides” which it watched. Jason 
 had to kill the frightful serpent which guarded “the golden fleece.” 
 These myths were evidently derived through tradition from the 
 history of man’s fall. And that tells us that the reptile selected 
 as typical of the great fallen spirit was at once the reptile of the 
 latest appearance in creation (^. 6., in the geologic ages), and the one 
 selected by philosophical naturalists as representative of a reversed 
 process in the order of being — of a downward-seeking career. The 
 fallen spirit is represented in Revelation by what we are now taught 
 to recognize, in science, as a degraded being.” The characteristics 
 of the serpent given in Gen. iii, 1, show that it belongs not to that 
 creation which God pronounced very good. It was then a degraded 
 being, as Geology shows. It belongs to, and came over — did it not? 
 from Satan’s earth. 
 
290 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 might have repelled the assault. Besides, Eve’s ruin 
 tlirough him, might — through a plea of obedience to 
 her superior — liave been incomplete, But he attacked 
 the weaker person (1 Pet. iii, 7). Eve was created only 
 mediately, Adam, directly, after the image of God. The 
 weakness of humanity, hence, which lies in the fact that tlie 
 body is psychic, not spiritual,*would be increased in her. 
 While the influence of the spirit would ]>e proportion- 
 ately diminished, all emotions arising from sense and 
 sense-consciousness would be proportionately increased- 
 Slie therefore would be more susceptible of outward 
 form and beauty. Hence, she would be more easily 
 reached b}" a temptation addressed to them. Upon her, 
 therefore, the attack was made. Slie was found alone. 
 She was allured to the fatal spot. She was captivated 
 by the enchantments. 
 
 He begins the attack by a question, simple, but 
 cralty; full of fascinating guile, and calculated to dis- 
 turb the balance of her moral powers, and, unless 
 promptly, firmly, and rightly met, to prepare for their 
 overthrow. ‘‘Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not cat of 
 every tree of the garden?” By his assumed ignorance, 
 and desire for information, which, he implies, she can 
 give, he calls up vanity from the depths of her self-con- 
 sciousness. By liis omission of the theocratic name, 
 “Jehovah”, the covenant name of God, and by his use of 
 the nniversalistic name, Elohim, “God as^ Creator,” he 
 would intimate that He was indifferent to His creatures, 
 or at least was not frank in His dealings toward them. 
 And by his suggestion as to the possibility of a mistake 
 
 [ • It is not the si)irit but the soul which is predominant over 
 the body.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 291 
 
 as to whether God liad actually given such a command, 
 he would lead her to doubt whether she had not been 
 possibly mistaken or at least misunderstood His message. 
 Thus he breathed into her breath from beneath. Thus 
 implanted he sinful lust into her soul. 
 
 For once the snare was set in the presence of the 
 prey and it was caught. Enveloped in the mists of er- 
 ror Eve parleyed. She omitted the theocratic, and used 
 only the universalistic name — God.^ The serpent’s use 
 ot the name may have arisen from the fact that he knew 
 God, only as Creator, and not as in covenant with man. 
 But for Eve there was no such plea. Nor any for her add- 
 ing the,‘^touch not,” to God’s command — thus making the 
 prohibition stronger than it was, and implying that it 
 was too strict. And yet she at the same time weakened 
 that command by reducing the ^^surely” to ‘‘lest” “ye die” 
 i.<?.,from — such is the intimation — the poisonous quality 
 of the fruit She increased the stringency of the law, and 
 weakened its penalty of the time. Doubt, wavering,dis- 
 content had already begun to work. Thus had she opened 
 the way for a fresh attack. Boldly the enemy presses the 
 advantage gained. *|* He steps forth from his hiding 
 place of craft into the open held of a positive challeng- 
 ing of God’s ability to execute His penalty: “Ye shall 
 not die at all,” Heb., — repeating, in mocking blasphemy, 
 God’s very words, and thus showing that lie knew them. 
 
 p-Tlie nam?, God, is found in this section (ii, 4-iii, 54) only in 
 the mouth of the serpent, and of Eve, in reply. In every other 
 place it is, Lord-God.] 
 
 [fLet the reader note that while in the temptation of Jesus the 
 increasingly bolder attacks were purposely co-ordinate, here, they 
 are characterized by strongly marked gradations. 1 
 
292 
 
 THfi HOLY LiYJi. 
 
 He then again speaks of her Creator as Elohim, and 
 not as Jehovah, and thus detaches her more from all 
 tliought of Him, as near and friendly. Under this in- 
 sinuation such thought is rapidly disappearing, and self 
 and sin rapidly taking its place. The enemy sees this. He 
 gives Eve no breathing time before he presses his next 
 assault. This was a truth indeed, but a sad one, and so 
 joined to a lie as to give the whole the appearance of a 
 marvellously blessed truth: ^‘God knows that, when you 
 eat the fruit, your eyes, instead of closing in death, 
 shall be for the first time truly opened; ye (you and 
 your husband) shall be like God knowing good and 
 evil,’’ That is. Your condition is lamentable. You 
 live with closed eyes. You are shut out from knowl- 
 edge. Eat, and the most glorious results will follow. 
 You will be wonderfully enlightened. You will be 
 raised to a Divine position. You will, without God’s 
 teaching, know what is good, and what is evil. You 
 will no longer need His guidance and support. You 
 will be independent of Him. He knows this, He is 
 envious, uidoving, tyrannical. He would hold you in 
 slavery. Eat, and be free. 
 
 Each movement of the assault showed, like the prep- 
 arations for it, consummate generalship. First, he dis- 
 torted the Divine image, and darkened the God-con- 
 sciousness. Thus he prepared the way to smite down 
 by a lie, concealed by being joined to a truth dislocated 
 and misapplied, her confidence in the certainty and 
 suitableness of the Divine command. He had, with un- 
 erring judgment, struck Eve on her weakest point, her 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 293 
 
 vanity, and with a deadly blow. She had not known 
 evil. Why should she wish to know it? Why seek to 
 raise herself to the height of God? Why not say, I will 
 not to know what God does not will to tell? Here, ig- 
 norance is both bliss and erudition. But fascinated by 
 the vision of self-exaltation, and intoxicated with the 
 idea of becoming like God, she stopped not to ask, 
 what will it benefit me to know evil? Will not this 
 knowledge be to me, not having the wisdom and power 
 of God, perilous, yea, destructive? The pride which was 
 awakened by the temptation being unchecked, became 
 imperious. She looked lustfully at the tree. Its fruit 
 she saw ‘^was good for food.” This was the ^dust of 
 the flesh,” the temptation which flnds its sphere in the 
 body, and whose parallel, in the conflict in the v/ilder- 
 ness, which is our study, was, <durn these stones into 
 bread.” Its fruit, she saw, ‘‘was also pleasant to the 
 eye.” This was “the lust of the eyes,” the temptation 
 which flnds its sphere in the sensuous part, the soul, 
 and whose parallel, in the conflict in the wilderness, was 
 “showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the 
 glory of them.” And its fruit she saw, further, “was to 
 be desired to make one wise.” This was “the pride of 
 life,” the temptation which flnds its sphere in the spir- 
 it, and whose parallel, in the conflict in the wilderness, 
 was, “throw Thyself down.” In both great conflicts 
 the whole trichotomy was assailed. In Eve’s case her 
 heart followed her eyes (Ecel. x, 19). The restless am- 
 bition for strong intellectual superiority, kindled in her, 
 demanded satisfaction. Her desires became violent, 
 
294 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 tempestuous. She stopped not to consult her husband, 
 or to pray to God, or to consider that the soul, the me- 
 dium between the spirit and body was free to choose 
 between the two tendencies, flesh and spirit, inherent- 
 ly belonging to the peculiar constitution of her being. 
 Overcome by the three -fold temptation ever since em- 
 ployed to ruin man — and whose successive steps were 
 outward attention, inward agitation, and increase of 
 passionate desire, yielding ruin and death — she put 
 forth her liand — then took — then ate — the fruit, and 
 instantly the divine spark was quenched. And that 
 fatal act was the beginning of that dreary, dreadful 
 history, which, since, has been burdened wich the 
 crimes, calamities, sorrows, sufferings and sins of a 
 ruined race and earth. She did not, she saw, die im- 
 mediately. Then she at once became the tempter, and 
 souglit, successfully, to involve her husband in her fall, 
 lie was not deceived (1 Tim. ii, 14), He instantly saw 
 the impiety, folly, ruin and wrong of her course. But 
 the deed had been done, and could not be undone. He 
 loved Eve, felt for her, and determined to share her 
 fate. She fell through lust, he through pride. He 
 sinned wilfully and intelligejitly (Bom. v, 14): “she 
 gave to her husband, and he did eat.’’ 
 
 Thus man fell where he should have stood, and where 
 he should have been victor, became the slave. He 
 should have submitted his passions to his reason, and 
 his reason to the expressed will of God. This he did 
 not do. By his disobedience he emancip:itcd himself 
 from God, and so had necessarily to assume independ- 
 ence of Him. But it was an independence fraught 
 with consequences the most deplorable. His latal act 
 showed his unfitness to receive such a gift as his wife 
 from God, and his uiuvorthiness to be His representa- 
 tive of theocratic rulership. He learned what good 
 and evil are, not as God, but without God — good by 
 the consciousness of its loss, evil by the consciousness 
 
DRIVEN OUT OF EDEN 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 295 
 
 of liis wretcliedness. Ilis spirit lost its hold upon God, 
 and he his innocence. The poise of his nature waa 
 destroyed. It became fleslily. The soul rebelled 
 against the spirit, and the body against the soul. The 
 desires of the lower life became imperious, and the 
 body, now sinful flesh (llom. viii, 3), became the prey 
 of disease, infirmity and death. Fallen by his act out 
 of his life-relation to God into the cosmic relation to 
 Satan, he was now his vassal, subject to sin and death, 
 with a heart impregnated with the spirit of revolt 
 against God, and both unwilling and unable to 
 
 extricate himself from his conqueior’s toils. He was 
 condemned to be driven out into the world, now, by con- 
 quest, a part of Satan’s empire. All his posterity share 
 in his corruption, guilt and loss, inherit his determina- 
 tion to evil and his hostility to God, and are powerless 
 to free themselves from Satan’s tyranny and temptations. 
 The strong man armed keepetli his goods in peace. 
 
 The triumphant enemy could look over the ruined 
 earth as his recovered territory. He could exult that 
 he was “prince of this world,” now, with its fallen head, 
 under the bondage of corruption. No hindrance to 
 his entering now^ upon full possession was visible. 
 Henceforth would he hold it and all its inhabitants 
 under his complete infernal sway. • 
 
 But an arrest was suddenly put upon his movement. 
 Instantly upon sinning, there came to the couple, the 
 consciousness of nakedness, as indecent exposure.* 
 
 form in wliicli this fact is put — “their eyes were opened 
 and tliey knew that they were naked’’ — suggests that tlieir nakedness, 
 i. e., destitution of covering, followed their sin. For this conscious- 
 ness came to them suddenly, upon their fall from the eminence on 
 which and out of the life-relations in wdiich God had placed them. 
 Then must they have had a covering before. And analogy suggests 
 that this, like that of all other animals, was a natural covering de- 
 veloped from within. Let the reader turn hack to j)gs. 279-^81, and 
 read what is there said about the creation of man. He will then see 
 that the three parts, while distinct, were so completely united into 
 one, that the Hesh could have no controversy with the spirit, hut would 
 gladly allow it to exercise over it all the influence of its full vigor 
 
296 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 This sense of shame was the only bright spot in the 
 dark history. It showed a sense of guilt. And this 
 showed that the God-consciousness was not wholly des- 
 troyed. It discovered itself, not in a comforting, but 
 in an accusing voice. It told man that he had forfeited 
 the favor, and deserved the frown of God, and thus 
 witnessed for Him. It expressed itself in what we 
 call conscience — conscientia^ the self-knowledge we 
 have of our conduct.^ Had he sunk so far as to have 
 lost this sense of shame and fear, the last spark of the 
 God-consciousness remaining, this would have shown 
 sin within — wickedness in his spirit, the sin of Satan 
 and his hosts — and this would have put man beyond 
 all hope of recovery. -j* I3ut this sense of shame — one 
 fact which distinguishes man from brutes — showed 
 that man had not engendered sin in himselt. It had 
 come to him from without. It had taken possession 
 ol his being, and had deranged his life-relation, but it 
 was foreign and hateful to him. This showed that the 
 spirit, though dead as to communion with God, was 
 not dead as to all fear of Him, as to all sense of depend- 
 ence upon Him, and as to all regard for His, as the su- 
 
 and power. That influence, while preserving the whole being from 
 all inroads of corruption and death, shed over the body incessantly 
 its own brightness. And thus its nakedness was hidden within a veil 
 of radiance thrown over it by the unwearying activity of the God- 
 consciousness within — the pneumatical.] 
 
 [♦Conscience came in with sin. Jesus was troubled in spirit, 
 and felt sorrow of soul. But ^ye read not of conscience in Him. It 
 is the exercise of the spirit injured by the Fall, and having to do 
 with a broken law. But Jesus being wliolly without sin, and un- 
 intermittingly obedient to tlie law. His communion with God was 
 unbroken. His God- consciousness, hence, was never disturbed. He, 
 hence, further, lived above the level where the conscience comes into 
 activity.] 
 
 [tThe terms of the narrative, and the character of the retribu- 
 tion: partly punitive (toils of the man in getting bread, and pains of 
 the woman in bearing children), and partly t)rivitive (the forfeiture 
 of that immortality wiiieh would have resulted from obedience, and 
 the peculiar form of sentence on Satan): both show that the maii^s 
 yielding to temptation was j)sychical rather than pneumatical.] 
 
THE aOLY LIFE. 
 
 297 
 
 preme, standard of right and wrong. As touching the 
 supremacy over, the rightful heirship to the earth, that, 
 so far as lie could effect anything, was gone forever. 
 But his sense of shame showed him capable of being 
 redeemed, and of receiving a new life. And this made 
 salvation possible, and, also, the appearance of a cham- 
 pion, who could rescue him and the earth from Satan’s 
 grasp. 
 
 Adam and Eve were summoned into the presence of 
 God, as Judge. Satan seems to have defiantly braved 
 the Judge. Adam acknowledged his guilt, but not 
 frankly, lie, in self-exculpation, rolled the burden of 
 his guilt directly upon the woman, indirectly upon God 
 Himself. And the woman cast all the blame upon the 
 serpent. 
 
 To it, before adjudging their cases. The Lord turned, 
 lie asked no questions. He gave no opportunity for 
 defense. He at once pronounced sentence upon it, or 
 him, rather than on them, ‘‘thou art cursed” — proof, this, 
 that the higher agent in the transaction had been al- 
 
 .00 
 
 ready tried and condemned. This sentence divides it- 
 self into parts: (1), upon the serpent directly, and, (2), 
 upon the higher agent. The first part has these par- 
 ticulars: (a), “thou art cursed among (Lange, in loco^) 
 all cattle, and among all beasts of the field” — that is, 
 while all animals would share in the ruin brought in 
 by sin, it alone of them, was cursed — a strong intima- 
 tion that it only of all of them had those peculiar prop- 
 erties and qualities which fitted it to be an instrument 
 of the Evil One; (b), “thou shalt go upon thy belly all 
 thy days” — an intimation that its form was changed, 
 partly, or w'holly, with the object, perhaps, by this 
 degradation and exclusion from those with which it 
 had been classed, to put it where it could not again 
 become the instrument of temptation; and, (c), “dust 
 shalt thou eat.” 
 
 Trodden in the dust, hated of all creatures, bruised by 
 
298 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 the seed — this was the sentence upon the serpent. Its 
 features, and the natural characteristics of the serpent, 
 together with its marked separation from the beasts 
 which Jehovah-Elohim had made on the fifth day,* 
 suggest that it belonged not to that creation which The 
 Lord had pronounced all good. And were not it and 
 the tree of the knowledge of good and evil the only crea- 
 tures belonging to the tohu condition of earth, and so to 
 Satan, which had passed over from it into the recon- 
 structed world? Though changed in structure, it had 
 retained its generic organization, and so all its cunning 
 and destructive properties. It had no sympathy with 
 the order and beauty of its new habitation. This, with 
 its destructive properties, and its ethical features, fitted 
 it to be tlie instrument which it had just been. But 
 though the curse fell so heavily upon it, it was only 
 the instrument, and this curse upon it will be mitigated 
 in the millennialearth (Is. xi, 8, 9; Ixv, 25). 
 
 The second part of the sentence passes over from the 
 serpent to the })Ower which used it. This is in strict 
 accoid with the fundamental law, that the historical 
 foreground is everywhere connected with a symbolical 
 background. But vvdiile the agent is symbolized, it is 
 simply impossible to believe that the account is merely 
 symbolical of a conflict between evil and good, as quali- 
 ties, or between the Adamic race and the race of ser- 
 pents. The account is too prosaic, the details are too 
 exact, the facts and issue are too important and por- 
 tentous, the conflict too real and formidable, and the 
 clear references to it in Scriptures too many, for any such 
 suppositions. The spiritual nature of the temptation, 
 ‘^e shall be as gods, ’'though united to sensuous motives, 
 suggests m(;re than mere animal agency. And the im- 
 pression left uj)on the mind of the plain reader is the 
 same made u])on the mind of reverent and scholarly 
 men, after the most careful, pains-taking and critical 
 examination of the whole passage, 
 
 [ Sfe pg. 268, note.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 299 
 
 The parties are 
 The woman and 
 her seed; 
 
 and, The serpent 
 and its seed. 
 
 The occasion and 
 cause were: the new 
 outburst into rebel- 
 lion of the one par- 
 ty, and its seduction 
 of Adam and Eve. 
 
 The feeling between them; 
 
 Enmity put. 
 
 The character and issue of the conflict; 
 
 The serpent shall bruise the seed’s heel; 
 
 The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head. 
 
 The object of the conflict: 
 
 The question of sovereignty over earth including its inhabitants, 
 and their rescue from the slavery to which they had 
 subjected themselves; and the settlement of every 
 question connected with the whole 
 issue. 
 
 This is apparent from the terms of the sentence, the 
 gift of dominion, with the charge to Adam, the facts 
 concerning his fall, and the subsequent unfolding of the 
 fact of a theocratic kingdom. 
 
 The opposing parties are, (a), “The woman. Eve, and 
 her seed.’’ This word is spoken of the woman alone. 
 And it says that it is offspring from her, without the in- 
 tervention of a man, that is “her seed.” And one Per- 
 son only is mentioned in all Scripture as coming in 
 such an extraordinary way. Centuries later, a prophecy 
 proclaimed the coming appearance of a Son from “tlie” 
 — not “a”a3 in E. Y.,but, as in the Hebrew idiom, “the” — 
 Virgin Is. vii, 14, And centuries after. One was born, of 
 whom this prophecy was true: “the,” not “a” as in E. 
 Y. — Virgin shall &c. Matt, i, 23. And throughout the 
 New Testament persons are mentioned as being born 
 of God, and thus so vitally united to the One born of 
 the Virgin, that the^ become one with Him, make, 
 
300 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 with Him, one body, and are called by the same name 
 (1 Cor. xii, 12). And, (b), “thee and thy seed.” The 
 character of the conflict, deadly; the manner of its wa- 
 ging — the blind, brutal, insidious, poisonous attacks 
 of the serpent, “bruising his heel,” and the open, man- 
 ly, straight-forward and successful attacks of the wom- 
 an’s seed, “bruising its head”. And the subsequent his- 
 toric developments and words all point out tlie “thee”a8 
 that Evil One wiiose movements, everywhere consistent 
 with this action, are traced from this place onward to 
 the last of Hevelation, where he is called that old Ser- 
 pent, the Devil, and Satan (Eev. xii, 9, xx, 2); and 
 whose identity is settled beyond all question by Paul’s 
 statement, “the serpent beguiled Eve through his sub- 
 tlety” — “for Satan himself, &c.” (2 Oor. xi, 3, 14). 
 And “his seed” are those wdio believe his lie, are actuated 
 by his spirit, are allied to his cause, do his bidding, 
 live in his rebellion, deflance and pride, and will not 
 submit to the will of God, nor to the work and rule of 
 llis Son (Matt, xii, 44; xiii, 38; Jn, viii, 44; Eph. ii, 
 2, &c.). To accomplish his purpose he can transform 
 himself into an angel of light, work, within his sphere, 
 lying signs and w^onders, and will, hereafter give such 
 power to the beast, that he himself will receive there- 
 from worship from men (2 Cor. xi, 14; 2 Thes. ii, 9; 
 licv. xiii, 2-4). Could he not, then, and did he not, to 
 deceive, degrade himself, to take the form of an inferi- 
 or animal, which surely came over from his earth? 
 Could lie not use its vocal organs, or, give them the 
 tcmpoiary powder ol speech? IJis deceptive act was from 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 801 
 
 malignity — envy (Wisdom, ii, 24). He would oppose 
 God, and ruin his fair creation. But other motives 
 also, vastly stronger, urged him on. lie had a claim 
 of sovereignty which must necessarily have antedated 
 the new creation. For, he was no part of the six days’ 
 work, all of which was good. Nor could he have been 
 put upon, nor allowed to come upon earth merely to 
 tempt man, to inflict upon him pain, and to bring him 
 into ruin. .Nor is there any way conceivable to us, by 
 which he could have been upon the new earth, had he 
 not come from the old earth. And it is not improbable 
 that his name. Dragon, (liev. xii; xiii), is connected 
 with this fact. And if over that earth he held sov- 
 ereignty, we can well see how he claimed the new earth 
 as his own. But he also knew that he had forfeited all 
 right to that sovereignty — that he had been dethroned, 
 though not dispossessed, and that this could be done on- 
 ly by ethical victories. To obtain them, and also to 
 raise up a sinless seed which would inhabit earth, and get 
 possession of the realms of the air, man had been placed 
 on the earth, as its head. Could he, he would reduce 
 him (man) to the level of his own ruin, and thus — for he 
 knew not the Creator’s secret purposes — would he re- 
 gain undisputed possession of his forfeited sovereignty. 
 
 The sentence most decisively broke the alliance into 
 which the woman had been deluded, and announced 
 that a Divinely put enmity between the parties had 
 taken its place. The evil in, and the evil coming upon 
 man, were the result of sin, and sin was introduced by 
 the Evil One. Both, hence, could only be removed by 
 
I’HE HOLY LIEE. 
 
 302 
 
 the total overthrow, and final expulsion of him by whom 
 they had been introduced. Hence, here, the redemption 
 of man is not only implied, but a determined, protract- 
 ed and terrible war involving the question of the sov- 
 ereignty of the earth — a war unceasing until the ag- 
 gressor is irretrievably overthrown — was declared. 
 
 The enmity on the part of the Evil One is most real 
 and relentless. lie is emphatically Satan, the Adver- 
 sary. Throughout all the successive stages of the war, 
 which can be readily traced, and which had been deter- 
 minedly waged for forty centuries when Jesus appeared 
 as man’s Champion, he had ever exhibited the same 
 crafty and malignant purpose to keep all men in sub- 
 jection. This is seen not only in the purer nature ww- 
 ship, but also in the orphic and Phallic worship which 
 obtained from the earliest ages. This is seen also in 
 the wdiole course of the Cainites, in the successful 
 tempting of ^^the sons of God” to marry ^^the daughters 
 of men,” and in the ffifyantic hei^iht to which the ever- 
 increasing evil had reached intlie times of Methuselah, 
 all which showed his almost universal ascendency — a 
 height so great that Jehovah ^^repented that he had made 
 man,” and by an act of physical omnipotence swept 
 away the world of the ungodly with a flood. This was 
 the first stage. 
 
 One family only was left. And yet over their descend- 
 ents did he (Satan) s ) rapidly gain control, that,for a per- 
 iod, all knowledge of the true God seems to have been 
 nearly eliminated from the consciousness of the race. 
 And so much so, that, in the days of Melchizedek, it be- 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 303 
 
 came necessary for tlie Lord to re-implant in the hu- 
 man consciousness the fact of His own self-existence 
 and unity.* This revelation He made to Abraham 
 when He gave him his call. With him began that 
 theocratic family which, centuries later, was organized 
 at Mount Sinai, into the theocratic kingdom. That 
 family and kingdom were established to defeat Satan’s 
 designs. In that family and nation God had embodied 
 His truth. He separated them from all other peoples 
 and nations by barriers, designed to keep them a separa- 
 ted people. He sanctified them, and called them an 
 holy nation. Through a series of most marvellous 
 facts He brought them into a most goodly land, an Eden? 
 larger than the original district of that name, a land 
 which He had originally separated and sanctified for 
 them (Deut. xxxii, 8), which He had given to their an- 
 cestor Abraham, with the promise that he should ‘^be 
 the heir of the world,” and which was called ^‘the Holy 
 Land.” His object in this was, that through them — as 
 now through believers, taken out of Satan's jurisdiction, 
 exotisia xxvi, 18; Col. i, 13), and put into the 
 
 kinordom of God’s dear Son — this war mio^ht, on the 
 human side, be waged. The express condition of their 
 tenure was fealty to Him. Their Divinely-given ordi- 
 nances and institutions were a national proclamation of 
 their position, as protestants against Satan’s tyranny,and 
 as warriors of God for the re-conquest of the earth. And 
 
 [*I refer to the period combraced in Gen. x and xi. See an 
 able paper on this subject in Max Muller’s Chips from a Oeiinan 
 Workshop.'] 
 
THE HOLY LlFt, 
 
 provided they continued loj-al to God, the truth wliich 
 lie had deposited with them, would. He assured them, 
 successfully resist and overcome Satan’s lie, would 
 spread through the nations, and would ultimately unite 
 them in the war for his dethronement from the heart 
 of men, and for his final dispossession of the earth. 
 
 This was the only part of earth where warfare against 
 him was proclaimed, the only spot over which his flag 
 did not float. No wonder that against that land and 
 people he, during the centuries, waged a relentless war. 
 His efforts to destroy the theocratic kingdom were vio- 
 lent and unceasing. His assaults were most desperate. 
 His every movement showed his fierce determination to 
 get the people back, if possible; or, if he failed in this, to 
 deprive them of the favor of God, or at least so entan- 
 gle them in his own toils, that they would be powerless 
 against him. He, while they were yet in the wildernes, 
 was ceaselessly active in his efforts to destroy the new- 
 born theocratic nation. He kept alive in the conscious- 
 ness of the people the idea of demons and spirits in the 
 wilderness(Lev.xvii,7). His place and power were recog- 
 nized in the forbidding of sorcery, and the worship of 
 demons, in the very extraordinary fact that on the Great 
 Day of Atonement, one goat was sent into an uninhab- 
 ited land for Azazel (E. Y. Scape-goat, Lev. xvi, 8; xix, 
 31; xx,6), and in many occurring facts (Ex. xxxii, 8; 
 Num. xxii, 6, 7; xxiii,23; Pentateuch passim^ and in 
 1 Cor. X, 6-10). After their entrance into Canaan we 
 we find his influence, in, among other things, the evil 
 Bpirit which governed the people of Shechem, and after- 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 305 
 
 wards tormented Sanl (Judg. ix^ 23, 1 Sam. xvi, 23). 
 In fact the Book of Judges is, almost, one prolonged 
 history of his often and terrible bruising of ^^the heal.” 
 Nor are its mournful recitals followed, except, for brief 
 periods, by brighter ones. In 2 Sam. xxiv, 1, mar^ and 
 1 Chron. xxi, 1, Satan comes forward prominently, by 
 name, as the foe and injurer of the theocratic kingdom. 
 He strikes at its head, king David. More than once 
 had he moved him to sin, but had failed to hold him. 
 Now he inspired him with the proud, and so God-dis- 
 pleasing idea of numbering Israel. This kindled the 
 Lord’s anger against him. And the permitted agent 
 in bringing his inward sin of pride to outward mani- 
 festation, and thus to involve his fall — both necessary to 
 his pride’s rebuke and judgment — was Satan: <‘He 
 stood up against Israel, and provoked David to num- 
 ber Israel.” Here he was God’s permitted instrument 
 to bring evil to a head, so that it might be felt, 
 confessed, and put away. And that God uses evilspir- 
 its as divinely-permitted instruments of wrath, is clear 
 from 1 Sam. xvi, 14, ^^an evil spirit from the Lord &c.,” 
 from Is. xix, 17, ‘^a perverse spirit &c.,” and from 1 
 Kg. xxii, 19. Here, to the Lord’s question, <^who will 
 persuade the wicked Ahab to a course that will involve 
 him in destruction?” ‘Hhe” (not ‘^a” as in E. V.) ‘^spir- 
 it” from the host answers, ^^I will.” Then to the ques- 
 tion, ‘‘wherewith?” the answer is, “I wilt be a lying 
 spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.” “Thou shalt 
 succeed,” was the answer. Here a concrete personality, 
 absolutely dependent upon the Divine will, with regard 
 
30(3 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 to wliat it effects, acts fropi a disposition so hostile to 
 man, as to seek the destruction of one belonainor to the 
 kingdom of his own prince. 
 
 The malignity he displayed towards David, although 
 towards him personally, had chiefly regard to the theo- 
 cratic kingdom and principle. During the centuries 
 the conflict had continued with varying results. But Sa- 
 tan triumplied completely in seducing Solomon to idol- 
 atry. The disruption of the kingdom followed. Then 
 victory rapidly succeeded victory. In Ahab’s day he 
 got such a powerful hold on Israel, that Jehovah could 
 find only seven thoiisan 1 out of the teeming population 
 of the Northern Kingdom, who had not bowed the 
 knee to Baal. Judah followed Israel in owning 
 fealty to him. God’s laws were disregarded. His al- 
 lemance was renounced. His worship was abandoned. 
 His Temple was shut up, and tlien opened to set up an 
 idol in the holy place, the only place where stood the 
 throne of God upon earth. Then nothing could save the 
 theocratic principle in which were bound up all the hopes 
 of the race, except the destruction of both kingdoms, 
 and the dispersion of the people. 
 
 But this triumph did not satisfy Satan. He deter- 
 mined to prevent, if he could, the re-establishmr^nt of 
 that kingilom. To this end he put forth desperate 
 efforts. In the time of Elislia a siMit of the forces 
 showed that ‘‘those with us,” i, ^., the representatives 
 of the theocratic kiimdom, “were more than those with 
 them” (2 Kings vi, 16). But in the time of Daniel all 
 the principalities of the lieaven of our earth, except 
 
THE HOLY life. 
 
 307 
 
 Michael, were hostile or indifferent. He alone aided 
 Daniel (Dan. x, 21; xii, 1, 2). But not content with 
 this, Satan accuses the theocratic people in the person 
 of Joshua, their high priest. lie (J oshua) stands before 
 the Angel of God as their representative. He is clad in 
 filthy garments. Satan stands at his right hand to re- 
 sist him. Satan accuses him as High Driest. His 
 priestly robes are defiled. There is — such would seem 
 to be the tenor of his accusation — no valid ground for 
 mediation before the Lord for this sinful nation. So 
 there could be no forgiveness. They should be reject- 
 ed. The Loi;d repels the accusation, declares that 
 through the atonement of the Messiah (vs. 8) He will 
 pluck this brand, the remnant of the people, from the 
 burning, and then He clothes Joshua with festal gar- 
 ments, and sets a fair mitre upon his head (Zech. iii).* 
 But even this rebuke did not stop, nor silence him. 
 For even after the partial and temporary success of the 
 kingdom, re-established, the people again fell under 
 Satan’s tempting wiles, no more to be free until they 
 were a scattered people. God’s purpose seemed to be 
 effectually thwarted. Satan having again gained pos- 
 session of Palestine, seemed to be master of the field. 
 
 pThe attempt to show tliat the idea of Satan came to tlie 
 Jews from the religion of Zend has not any critical support. Not 
 only is Satan mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures long before the 
 Captivity, but his essential cliaracteristics are wholly difterenfc 
 from tliose of Aliriman. ‘‘The wliole conception of.'^atan in ori- 
 gin and significance is purely Hebraistic. Nothing can be more 
 preposterous and groundless than to derive it from abroad. The 
 idea of a Persian origin is entirely unhistorical.’^ (Ewald, Lehre 
 von Oott, ii, pg. 288 .j 
 
308 
 
 THE HOLY LIEE. 
 
 Over the land where once ruled God’s anointed king, 
 the flag of a Pagan despotism floated in triumph. In 
 the outlaying provinces heathenism flourished. Tem- 
 ples, altars, idols and their priests, theaters and circuses 
 found all around, and even within the limits of the 
 central parts of Palestine, showed how fearfully strong 
 was the foothold of idolatry. In Samaria, Greek idola- 
 tries were introduced; and a temple dedicated to Caesar, 
 furnished a place for his worshipers. In the city of 
 Caesarea Philippi, in Galilee, stood temples to many 
 Grecian gods, and to Ashtaroth, goddess of the Zidon- 
 ians. In Jerusalem, the theater, circus, and at least one 
 heathen tem|)le proclaimed that heathenism had invad- 
 ed even the Holy City. These things, introduced and 
 sustained by the Ilerodian family, were supported by 
 the Homan procurators. Jehovah was no longer the 
 only God in the land. David’s throne seemed to exist 
 only to establish idolatry upon the ruins of the wor- 
 ship of the One true and living God. 
 
 Of the guilt of all this the ‘‘ancient people” would 
 have been free had they not acquiesced in it. They 
 were very much more distressed about the foreign domin- 
 ation than by this idolatrous invasion. They were very 
 much more zealous to break the political yoke than to 
 give up their sins, and return, with their whole heart, 
 to God. The Temple aristocracy were noted for their 
 mingled corruption, fawning upon the political power, 
 wickedness and crimes. Some of the high priests were 
 infidels, and all were Sadducees. The other heads of the 
 nation were little, if any, better. Dreams of an outward, 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 309 
 
 took the place of the realities of the inward, and genu- 
 ine piety. The Holy Law had been almost buried out 
 of sight by the mountain mass of traditions, and had 
 become only a superstitious creed. The people were 
 confent, looking forward, with their leaders, to a politi- 
 cal Messiah. The truth of God, which had, through 
 centuries, struggled, with varying fortunes, to maintain 
 its ascendency in the land where it had been established, 
 had been cast down from its throne in the heart of the 
 heads of the nation, and of the great body of the peo- 
 ple, and had taken refuge in the heart of the ‘Taithful 
 few” who ‘‘were waiting for the consolation of Israel.” 
 And the:e few were the only burning lamps in the 
 midst ol the darkness, stars in that midnight, and — to 
 chaime the fio-ure — oases in the desert, or undercurrents 
 of life in the ever restless sea of peoples, agitated by 
 “that spirit that ever worketh in the children of diso- 
 bedience.” The prophetic voice had for centuries 
 denounced all departures from the theocratic cove- 
 nant, had pointed out the connection between these 
 departures and national and personal ruin, had 
 warned and entreated the people, and had animated 
 the hopes of the laithlul with the assurance of the com- 
 ing of a Champion of the truth. That voice had now 
 been silent for four hundred years. The people could 
 not make prophets, but they could make scribes, even 
 as now churches can manufacture preachers whom God 
 has never called. Instead of the freshness and power 
 of the prophetic voice, these scribes gave their dry and 
 dreary technicalities. The God-given ritual had lost 
 
310 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 its life, and had become an empty form. And to its 
 now liard fetters Pharisejism added its more tyrannous 
 chains. The people were under a yoke too heavy to be 
 borne. One great party denied the existence of spirit, 
 so of God. Another party based their hopes of deli ver^ 
 ance from national troubles, and of Heaven as well, upon 
 the ground of natural descent, and of the observance of 
 formalistic righteousness. Another party caring little 
 for anything else, gave themselves up to sensuous de- 
 lights. The whole land, with a few noble exceptions, 
 was being swept onward by the tide of revolt against 
 God. Allegience to Him was no longer a fact ot the 
 h.art. All the forms of worship were observed with 
 scrupulous exactness. But tlie life was not there. 
 And so long as he had the heart, Satan did not serious- 
 ly object to the formal observance of rites and cere- 
 monies. His supremacy was almost undisputed. 
 Along with the deep discontent with national there was 
 content with religious affairs. The nation was slum- 
 bering. No propliet denounced Satan’s usurpation. 
 No power resisted him. No miracle reniinded him of 
 an omnipo!ent Antagonist, It seemed as is he was se- 
 cure in his archonship, and tliat he would hold it to the 
 end of time. 
 
 In other lands matters were far worse. Great men, 
 prophets of their day and land, had arisen from time to 
 time. TTiey had aimed, up to tlie measure of light 
 which they possessed, to lead their peoples into a purer 
 worship and up to a nobler life. Zoroaster had spoken in 
 IVrsia, six centuries before Christ. Pointing out the 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 311 
 
 great conflict, between opposing powers, Avliose mani- 
 festations are often seen in initiiro, and always in liuinan 
 life, he proclaimed religion to be a holy war. Life, to 
 him was not as in the Pantheisin of India, an evil 
 disease which man must shake off as soon as possible, 
 but a noble thing which manifested its nobility by its 
 combat with the forces of evil. lie gave a purer con- 
 ception of immortality, and of a judgement to come, 
 than that found in the gross symbolism of Egypt. Ilis 
 conception of God was more true than any other one out- 
 side of the Hebraistic. And he recognized most 
 clearly, the interventions of superior Beings for the help 
 of man. But this noble religion soon began to waver be- 
 tween dualism and panthism, to identify moral with 
 natural facts, and to be weighted down by that blending 
 of good and evil, so fatal to the moral consciousness at 
 Babylon. With all its excellencies it never arose above 
 being a religion of nature, and soon showed its power- 
 lessness to become a factor for good in the mighty con- 
 flict. 
 
 The same remark is true of the religions of India. 
 The richly gifted, brilliant and subtle Aryan mind, liv- 
 ing u!ider a radiant sky, or musing by the cooling 
 stream and limpid waterfall, clothed the natural phe- 
 nomena which charmed it with the attributes of Deity. 
 In the Rig Yeda are hymns to Indra, the young and 
 dazzling god, to the first rays of the morning, to the 
 waterfalls. But this mind was too philosophic to rest 
 in the freshness of this naturalism. Oompelled by its 
 tendencies it moved on to pantheisin, it then pushed 
 
312 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 its pantheism on to its extremest limits. All this was but 
 playing into the hand of the wily foe. And soon the 
 ever powerful force of idolatry with its attendant deg- 
 radation, brought the whole Indian population under 
 his sway. 
 
 Nor was the prospect more cheering when the eye 
 rested on Greece and Rome. Socrates was the most 
 popular teacher of mankind before the time of Jesus, 
 lie was the truth-prophet of Greece. In an age of 
 brilliant corruption and skepticism he appeared, the re- 
 former of thought and morals. He cast aside all form- 
 ality. He drew his lessons from the incidents of 
 every day life. He taught man to know himself. He 
 impressed upon him the great facts of duty, and re- 
 minded him of his immortality. He exalted the im- 
 portance of truth in an age of frivolity. And his 
 teaching, as expounded and expanded by Plato, stands to 
 this day as the highest and best expression of moral 
 truth which Paganism has produced. But his philoso- 
 phy though it revealed the better, was powerless to 
 prevent the worse. It could not kindle the heart, nor 
 move the masses, nor stem the tide of wickedness and 
 idolatry which was engulfing Greece. Onward moved 
 the conquests of error until Greece lost faith even in 
 her national gods. Vice in all its forms became con- 
 secrated. Some heroic souls took refuge in Stoicism. 
 The crowd revelled in all the license of Epicureanism. 
 Alienation from God and his truth became conspicu- 
 ous everywhere. Every symptom of a returning con- 
 science or of a seeking after God was promptly repelled. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 313 
 
 Turn which ever way the eye would, everywhere — save 
 upon the faithful few, — darkness covered the earth. The 
 whole world was prostrate before the throne, or wor- 
 shiping before the altars, of Satan. It is a question 
 whether the exceptions would equal in number the lone 
 seven thousand who, in a previous century, were the on- 
 ly ones on earth who did not bow the knee to Baal. 
 And so far as man could judge, it was only a question 
 of time when the whole world without exception, would, 
 as willing captives, own his strong infernal sway to the 
 end of time. 
 
 This was the close of the second great stage of this war, 
 as the institution of the theocratic family was the close 
 of the first great stage. And such was the world’s condi - 
 tion when He, who was destined to revolutionize its think- 
 ing, acting, worship, and relation to Satan, was born. 
 
 We now enter upon the third stage of this great con- 
 flict; the fourth stage of which is in the future. In 
 that, the final stage, he will manifest his hostility in 
 the person of Antichrist, whose designs he will animate 
 and complete, in, (1), a secret influence; in, (2), false 
 Christian organs and organizations; and in, (3), the one 
 great Antichrist.* Nor will this hostility cease until 
 his final overthrow is accomplished. 
 
 This last stage is beyond the limits of our present 
 studies. We return to the third stage, his conflict 
 with Jesus. His hostility to Him, manifested (1), 
 against His church (Acts iv, 2, xiii, 10 &c.), in (a), tak- 
 
 [*Jn. xii, 31; 2 Cor. iv, 4; Eph. vi, 12; 2 Tlies. ii, 0; liev. xii, 
 xiii.] 
 
314 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 ing the seed out of the heart; in (b), sowing tares, i. e.y 
 his children, as his instruments, in the church; and in, 
 (c), being present and active where the word is preached 
 (Matt, xiii, 38, 39, &c.): (2), in the animosity of the 
 Jews, which did not arise from their conviction that 
 Jesus’words and works were not right, but came from 
 Satan, and was brought about by their moral acquies- 
 cence in his suggestions (Jn. viii. 44), and, hence, put 
 them in the place of moral antagonism to God: (3), in 
 the energetic action of demons, and, (4), in direct conflict 
 with Himself. 
 
 It is this last one that is our study. We have spent 
 the time and labor *which the past one hundred pages 
 have cost us, because we thought it necessary to a 
 proper understanding of the Great Conflict waged in 
 the wilderness. And we are now ready to return to 
 the narrative, and study the various features of 
 
 The Conflict Itself, in the Wilderness. 
 
 Tills was the situation when Jesus was led into the 
 wilderness. He was, and, for two reasons, had a right 
 to be there as Champion: (a), man’s receptive faculty, 
 though in jured, had not been ruined by his fall. It 
 could be fltted to receive the truth of God. This al- 
 lowed the reopening of his case, and the possibility both 
 of a new and divine beginning in his history, and of the 
 appearance of One who could meet, and if successful, 
 overcome, for man, his enemy. And this shows that 
 liis case was not finally settled by his fall, (b). Nor 
 had it set aside The Creator’s original purpose to sub- 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 315 
 
 ject the earth to man. This is very clearly made 
 known in the eicrhth Psilm. It tells us of One, Wlioni 
 it calls the Son of Man,AVhoin the‘*Oiir Lord’’ did dimin- 
 ish (the Hebrew verb signifies to lessen, to defect) a lit- 
 tle while, (the Hebrew word refers to period, not de- 
 gree),from the Godhead. Him He crowned with glory and 
 honor. To Him He gave dominion, and put all things 
 under His feet. This dominion He must obtain by 
 dispossessing Satan of his hold and supremacy. And 
 to do this He must, (1) be, by birth, in Satan’s world, 
 and in the cosmic relation, as is all our race; then, (2),. 
 on a scene where both had been deeply dishonored, 
 vindicate the character and government of the Creator; 
 then, (3), by redemption, through blood, rescue the race 
 from its sad, self involved riibi; and, (4), by a success- 
 ful resistance of all temptations, by an absolute, com- 
 plete, inward and outward renunciation of all that is in 
 Satan’s world, and by decided moral victories, honorably 
 won from him, dispossess Satan of his sovereignty, and 
 prepare the way for his expulsion from the earth. 
 
 All these characteristics met in Jesus. He is the 
 heir to man’s dominion over the earth (Heb. ii, 7). 
 He was born, and lived in, but sublimely apart from, 
 and above the world. Emoluments, titles, official 
 position and dignity, social or literary distinction or 
 fame. He neither sought, nor accepted from the world. 
 What wealth might He not have accumulated? But He 
 made no use of any of the means lying in the cosmic 
 sphere to accumulate it. Possibly His hands were 
 never soiled by contact with money. His teaching 
 
316 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 furnished no livelihood. Time and strength being 
 wholly occupied with His work, He was unable to 
 carry on His trade. He lived and died absolutely poor. 
 For the little He required to nourish life, He was ever 
 indebted to the kindness of others. Yet His confidence 
 ill His Father, upon whose care He wholly cast Him- 
 self, continued undisturbed, every hour, in every ex- 
 tremity, and to the end; and He never for one mo- 
 ment lost His joy. What literary distinction might 
 He not have acquired? Yet He never wrote a line. 
 AV^hat exalted position might He not have occupied? 
 Yet He refused every place, even kingsliip, when the 
 people would have given it to Him. Fie came to save 
 men, and did this by His death. He came to rescue 
 earth from Satan’s grasp. And as throughout life He 
 stood up against the world, so against its prince. He 
 then had a right to meet him on this field, and here 
 take up that struggle in which all others had failed. 
 And for this championship He — though not aware 
 when led into the wilderness what was the object — had 
 all requisite qualifications. 
 
 And Satan, too, was prepared for the conflict. Jesus 
 was led there to meet him. This suggests that it was 
 an arranged for, and appointed collision. In reading 
 the narrative one is reminded of the terrific conflict 
 Satan waged with Job. Now, as then, perhaps, lie had 
 been going up and down in the earth, taking observa- 
 tions. He had seen, he had attentatively studied, the 
 Man of Nazareth. He saw that His outward circum- 
 stances were not like those of Job. He could not say 
 
THE IfOLV LIFE. 
 
 317 
 
 of Him, ‘Q’hoa hast made a hedge about Him, and 
 al)oiit Ilis house,. and about all tliat He hath on every 
 side. Thou liast blessed the work of His hands, and 
 His substance is increased in the land.” There was 
 not one solitary evidence of outward success or pros- 
 perity. And yet he saw in Him a Person of the most 
 extraordinary character. One wholly free from the 
 vices and sins which appear in ordinary childhood, 
 youth, young manhood, and One proof against all the 
 ordinary temptations with which he assailed men. He 
 was aware of the word, ^^the seed of the woman &c.” He 
 knew that this Seed was to be the Son of God. And as 
 he studied this Nazarite, he, putting all things he knew 
 together, reached the conclusion that this One was the 
 promised Seed, that in Him the dignity, dominion, 
 title Son of God, all 'once owned and lost by Adam, were 
 now re-asserted, revived, and owned by this mysterious 
 One. He had come to do, what none of the race had 
 been able to do, win all these back from him. He 
 sought, he obtained permission — so would we say from 
 the light gathered from the history of Job — to try his 
 hand upon Him. Violent measures had failed in the 
 case of Job, and would, he felt sure, fail here. But 
 other measures mmht be successful. He knew well the 
 
 o 
 
 threefold tendency of the usually prevalent impulses of 
 human nature — love of life, lust after worldly honors, 
 thirst for acquisition and rule. And he knew also 
 that the natural man would seek to satisfy these impul- 
 ses, in, (a), ungodly enjoyment, (b), tempting of God, 
 and (c), self-seeking, no matter how much they in- 
 
318 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 v'olved. Jesus, he was well aware, had hitherto escaped 
 the pollution that is in the world. But the sinless 
 Adam had been entrapped. What had succeeded in 
 Eden might succeed in the wilderness. Those weapons 
 of attack he would try here. And that there might be 
 no failure, he would handle them with his utmost skill, 
 and hurl them with his utmost force. This Man, 
 he would bring, if possible, into apostacy from God, and 
 so, into bondage to liimseif. By a blow would he shatter 
 all Ilis claims. And succeed he must. For, as he 
 clearly saw, that Man’s triumph would be his own irre- 
 trievable ruin. This was the issue in this determined 
 collision. 
 
 For forty days and nights Jesus had eaten nothing. And 
 so profoundly was he absorbed in the events and issues 
 of Ilis baptism, that lie felt no liunger pang. The 
 whole period passed by like an hour. At its close He 
 hungered. The body asserted its claims. Its hold on 
 life was feeble. He felt Himself dying. This moment of 
 utter physical- — and, so far as the mind sympathized with 
 the body,mental — exhaustion was Satan’s opportunity. 
 It gave him an immense, and every advantage. He 
 had been invisibly present during the forty days plying 
 Ilis temptations. But he had effected nothing. Jesus 
 was too wholly absorbed to even feel them. But now, 
 iliougii all Ilis mental powers are free, and in full activ- 
 ity, they are aflected by the weakness which spreads over 
 Ilis body. And in this exhausted state He must meet 
 those three fierce and formidable assaults, of which we 
 have the particulars, and which are most intimately 
 interwoven with all our most sacred interests. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 silj 
 
 Satan now appears in visible form. This is clear 
 from the narratives, and also from the fact tliat his attack^; 
 corresponded to those which he had made upon Adam. 
 This, hoAvever, was not the form of “an angel of light,” 
 into which he sometimes transforms himself, but of a 
 man. Not the form of a Pharisee, or priest, but of a 
 man, friendly, and ready to proffer aid. And he ad- 
 dresses to Jesus those temptations, — all addressed to the 
 senses, two of them addressed also to the intellect, — in 
 forms concentrated, captivating, and answerable to His 
 position. He had been anointed prophet, priest and 
 king. A prophet stood before Him who intimates that 
 he, and also Jesus, could attract worshipers by execut- 
 ing a daring feat. A king stood before Him who de- 
 clares that he has a world at his command. He could 
 point out to Him a royal road. Did Jesus but act upon 
 his suggestions His success was assured. 
 
 His first attack was made upon the, seemingly, best 
 point for it, — Jesus’ real need: “If Thou be the Son of 
 God command that these stones be made bread.” That 
 is, “there are certain physical and spiritual forces 
 which, if you be the Son of God, are your ministers, and 
 under your control. Show that you possess that con- 
 trol. Why, having abundance as Son of God, be hun- 
 gry, as Son of Man? Why wait for food from God? 
 Instead of living on Him, do as the world does, act for 
 yourself. If your calling, instead of giving you sup- 
 port, imposes on you such suffering, forsake it. If it 
 can give you support, exercise the power you possess in 
 obtaining it. Supply your own needs, now very press- 
 
320 
 
 The holy life. 
 
 ing. Elevate your luiinaiiity to the height of your dig- 
 nity as The Son of God. 
 
 Such wiis Satan’s first attack. It brought vividly, 
 painfully, powerfully before Jesus the contrast between 
 llis present position and Ilis Personal dignity and 
 power. And to make H.iin feel that contrast most 
 acutely, Satan aroused in His heart the sense of His 
 Divine greatness. 
 
 The acceptance of this challenge would have been 
 certain defeat. He could have turned the stones into 
 bread. But all miracles over matter and over mind 
 even, are infinitely less wonderful, and infinitely less a 
 manifestation of power than was Jesus’ patient, loving, 
 and loyal obedience to, and constant trust in God. And 
 besides, the power that can make bread of stones is not 
 the power that affects moral natures. And it was only in 
 the exercise of this latter power, in the way of holy 
 right, that Jesus could obtain that victory over Satan 
 whicli would insure his righteous dethronement from his 
 place, and from his power over man, and his ultimate 
 and righteous expulsion from earth. Jesus saw all this. 
 The assault made upon Him no impression. He, act- 
 ing freely as a man, by no assistance from His own 
 Divinity, but by faith, and by the power, and sword of 
 The Spirit, wliicli is the word of God repelled the assault. 
 He acted as He did because it was right thus to act. And 
 in Ilis reply He showed that He thoroughly understood 
 the whole matter, and was master of Himself: “It is 
 written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every 
 word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” He 
 let the stones be stones and huncfered on. 
 
 o 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 321 
 
 The assault on the body has failed. Satan cannot 
 awaken distrust. He next tempts to rash confidence, 
 and self-seeking, to becoming conspicuous by an act of 
 daring, and trusting, in thus acting, to God’s tender care. 
 
 This temptation, addressed to the spirit, touched the 
 deepest and sacredest relations of Jesus to God. 
 
 He expresses, I will dare Him to a signal proof of 
 unwaverincT confidence in God. Satan takes Him to a 
 
 o 
 
 pinnacle of the temple, many hundred feet above the 
 rocks below and then said:' ^Hf Thou be the Son of 
 God, cast Thyself down from thence: for it ite written, 
 He shall give His angels charge over Thee, to keep 
 Thee; and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, 
 least, at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.” 
 That is, ^‘Do a daring deed. Spring from this dizzy height. 
 It will astonish, it will train the crowd. It will ^ive God 
 the opportunity to show His faithfulness, love and care. 
 Your safety is assured. Your Sonship will be conspic- 
 uous and pronounced, and will be recognized at once.” 
 
 In the Scripture quoted, in facts whose force Jesus 
 could feel, Satan again had, seemingly, a solid ground. 
 
 The dignity of sonship, to which Adam was raised, 
 gave fellowship with God, and the free disposal of His 
 power, and of the motive force of the universe. These 
 are seen, in some degree, in those to whom this sonship 
 has been restored, in a larger degree in those who, in 
 miracles, have exerted this power over nature. In 
 Jesus they were found in an eminent degree. He could 
 have leaped from the battlement, and landed safely on 
 the ground. If not, there was nothing in the temptation. 
 
322 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE, 
 
 But to yield, was to abuse position and privilege, to 
 change fellowship into familiarity, and to use filial cliar- 
 acter as a pedestal for spiritual pride and personal no- 
 toriety. A more serious offense, this, than a distrust as 
 to relief, or than an aim to rise, independently of God. It 
 is that presumption and pride of life through which, so 
 often, eminent saints have fallen. To yield, was to pass 
 from the field of miracle and prayer, where God em- 
 ploys power in the service af good, to the field of lying 
 signs (2 Thes. ii), where Satan uses power in the ser- 
 vice of self and of sin. To yield, was to challenge God 
 to deliver Him from a peril into which He casts Him- 
 self, not in the service of love, but for display. To 
 trust God, is yielding entirely to His will, and walking 
 in His way. To tempt God, is to go in one’s own way, 
 yet claim His protection, to test His power and good- 
 ness gratuitously, to rush into useless peril, carry con- 
 fidence to presumption, or make a perverse application 
 of any right principle. Tliis is treason against God’s 
 sovereignty. It would have put Him into a position 
 where He must grant aid without regard to holiness, a 
 violation this, of His own nature, or refuse aid, thus sep- 
 arating Jesus’ cause from His own. And His clear per- 
 ception of the inner unity of truth, armed Jesus against 
 the perfidious attack. Again, as before. He repelled 
 Satan, unmasked his designs,' and overcame him by ad- 
 herence to fundamental principles. He recognized the 
 truth of the Scripture quoted by Satan. But Scrip- 
 ture is perfectly harmonious with itself. ^‘That is 
 written which you quote, but it is written again. Thou 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 3^3 
 
 slialt not tempt the Lord tliy God.” And by that word 
 Satan found himself beaten the second time. 
 
 To one hungry, friendless, penniless, the temptation 
 is strong to get bread by unlawlul means. Stronger 
 still the one, to get political power in the same way. 
 Strongest of all is the imperious desire to gain earthly 
 distinction, fame and worship, to get into a position 
 where admirers will call one god,” to gain intellect- 
 ual or spiritual superiority, and the admiration and rev- 
 erence of mankind. These temptations ruin myriads of 
 men. They are the same in principle as those by which 
 Eve was overthrown. The ^^make bread of stones,” 
 ‘‘Cast Thyself do wn,”^‘worship me,and all shall be thine,” 
 here, correspond, respectively, to the “good for food,” 
 “desired to make one wise,” “and lust of the eye,” 
 there. The first, addressed to the body, is, “the lust of 
 the fiesh,” the solace of sense, which seduces youth. 
 The second, addressed to the spirit, is “pride of life,” 
 which enchains the old. The third, addressed to the 
 soul, is “the lust of the eye,” the desire for earthly 
 pomp, is the powerful temption which enthralls man in 
 his vioror. The one element common to all is wilful- 
 ness. Provide yourself independently of God; exercise 
 wilful confidence in God, get power and fame by un- 
 faithfulness to God. 
 
 Through two of these Jesus has passed triumphantly. 
 The assaults on body and spirit have failed completely. 
 Satan can awaken neither distrust nor self-confidence. 
 He challenges to unfaithfulness. 
 
 Dominion had been given to Adam, as created son 
 
324 
 
 HOLY LiFK. 
 
 of God. The desire to rule is, therefore, a true instinct 
 of man unfallen. In Jesus it had its true place. 
 David’s throne was Ilis by riglit of birth. And the 
 tears and tone of exquisite sensibility over the prostrate 
 city and throne of His fathers tell how acutely He felt 
 His own kingly position, how brightly the fires of true 
 patriotism burned in His heart. He had, also, as Son 
 of Man, right to the dominion originally conferred up- 
 on man. In both rights He had been confirmed by the 
 the anointing. lie knew that He was destined to real- 
 ize the magnificent expections of the Messianic hope. 
 
 This was the instinct and aspiration which Satan 
 now addressed. He transported Jesus to an exceeding 
 high mountain — how, we know not, nor where 
 that mountain stood, and it is useless to inquire. 
 But* he, by the exertion of a power and influence 
 which he possessed, lifted Him up to a mountain top, 
 and showed Him all the kingdoms ton hosmou of the 
 world (Matt.), tees oihoiimenees^ (f the Roman world 
 (Lk. comp, ii, 1), and the glory of them, in a moment of 
 time. Let any one ascend the summit of a high moun- 
 tain, and he will see that no boundary is visible. The 
 prospect extends on every side until lost in the bound- 
 less distance. This will give the mind some idea of the 
 
 pMaltliew, in describing tliis, and the second temptation, uses 
 the verb, imralamhanoo^ take. Luke, in describing the second 
 temptation uses the verb, agoo., lend., to the Holy City. Both use the 
 verb, uieemi^ set., place., cause to stands on a pinnacle of the Temple. 
 And the verb wiiich Luke uses in connection with the mountain 
 temptation is anagoo., to lift or take vp., from a lower to a higiier 
 place. All the verbs include the idea of ])hysical, or moral exer- 
 tion, or both. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 325 
 
 impression wliicli Jesus received of the glory and grand- 
 eur^ of the magnitude and magnificence of the Komaii 
 world. Palaces, armie^ galleries of art and science, 
 temples of learning, thrones, processions, landscapes, in- 
 dustries, all the things that please the senses, intoxicate 
 imagination, arouse ambition, and make the heart swell 
 with rapture, appeared in one vast, and brilliantl}^ light- 
 ed picture. As the whole enchanting temptation passed 
 before Ills eye, into Ills ear was whispered, ‘^all this is 
 mine. It paradidoiai, has been delivered over to me. 
 I hold it all by the right of suzerainty. And because 
 (liote) it is mine, 1 give {didoinai) it to whom I will 
 {theloo) to give it. In the exercise of this right I now 
 say to you, “It Thou therefore {outi ) — and this word 
 oun shows us the place and power of the temptation — 
 pes^o 11^ falling downy enoopion^ mou^ in front ff me^ 
 proskuneeseeSy give homage — as a subject king gives to 
 the Homan Emperor — and worship me as divine (see 
 Jesus’ reply) all this exoitsia^ authority^ and all the 
 glory of these kingdoms shall be Thine.” And in this 
 proposition is an implied terrible threat which Satan 
 intended as an argument of no little weight. It is 
 this: if you do not accept my proffer, I will bring to 
 bear upon you the whole weight of my empire to crush 
 you. Born in my dominions I am your suzerain. To 
 me your fealty is due. Refuse it, and you will feel 
 the force ot my wrath. Your life will be one protract- 
 ed war, and will end by an expulsion from my empire by 
 the most dreadful death that I can inflict. Attempt to 
 establish your cause, and how can it prosper without my 
 
326 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 good will and aid. It must stand alone. It will be 
 most sorely tried, will grow slowly, will struggle to the 
 end. Some followers will fall away, from fear, or love 
 of the world, others be imprisoned and slain. Thy 
 crown shall be thorns, Thy end, death, Thy kingdom, 
 paltry. But render the homage of fealty, enter into a 
 compact, accept rule at my hand. Then I will raise you 
 to the summit of power and glory. I will give you uni- 
 versal monarchy. 1 will transfer to you the Messianic 
 sovereignty, without struggle, sacrifice, delay, and above 
 all without the bitterness of death. 
 
 This proffer of the ancient master of the world was a 
 dazzling reality. What force otherwise, in the tempta- 
 tion? And to Jesus, invested with omnipotent power, 
 what was to hinder the promise from being made good? 
 Brilliant miracles would captivate the crowd. Let Him, 
 with these stepping stones to earthly dominion, but 
 have lent Himself to the people’s will, and they would, 
 with loud huzzas, have given Him a throne — not such 
 as the prophets proclaimed, but such as would have 
 outshone the Caesars. Indeed His miracles once aroused 
 such enthusiasm, that the people ‘^would take Him by 
 force, to make Him king.” The temptation had a force 
 which Jesus felt. But He had come to set up a king- 
 dom in opposition to Satan’s, and to gain His conquests 
 over it by the conversion, sanctification, separation from 
 the world, of individuals. Hence, refusal would be a 
 very serious matter. It was an assertion that He had 
 no homage to pay. It was a declaration of war against 
 Satan for his usurped dominion, and a challenging of 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 327 
 
 Him to do his worst. It was a renunciation of all car- 
 nal Messianic hopes, of all power founded upon mate- 
 rial means and social institutions, and a shutting in of 
 Himself to spiritual weapons only, to meet an Adver- 
 sary who had all human and infernal appliances at his 
 command. The issue could not be doubtful. This 
 course would lead to suffering, sorrow and death. If 
 king. He would not, victim. He must be. But come 
 what might, Jesus was determined to continue faithful 
 to God. He instantly repelled the assault, and thus 
 again defeated Satan. 
 
 In this temptation the enemy had thrown off all dis- 
 guise, ar^ appeared in his true character. This made 
 the offer none the less fascinating, the assault upon 
 virtue none the less formidable. It could have been 
 resisted successfully only by one absolutely holy, and by 
 him putting forth all his energy. This Jesus was, and did. 
 Entrenching Himself in the stronghold of the holy word, 
 he said, ‘‘Get thee behind Me, Satan,’’ — this word shows 
 that He now recognized him — “for it is written. Thou 
 shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt 
 thou serve.” 
 
 Jesus had a living sense of the alluring colors of these 
 temptations. They made an impression on His sensibili- 
 ties, terrible, because attractive,and requiring, if resisted, 
 the strongest faith and truest heroism. 
 
 Yielding to the first, addressed to the body. He 
 could have supplied His physical need^. But He would 
 have denied His God, and ruined His title, Son of 
 Man. 
 
328 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 Yielding to the second, addressed to the spirit, He 
 might have dazzled the crowd. But £te would have 
 shattered His Divine fellowship, and denied His title. 
 Son of God. 
 
 Yielding to the third, adder ssed to the soul. He might 
 have received a kingdom. But it would be one of 
 external force, of this world, a new and transient form 
 of Satan’s, as a gift from ‘him, and at the cost of hom- 
 age, and of association with him in guilt. This would 
 have ruined His title. The Anointed One. 
 
 Had He given way to any of them. He would have 
 denied the conditions of His life, grieved The Spirit by 
 whom He had been filled and led, and changed, totally, 
 the character and course ot His career. 
 
 The temptations were vividly before His imagina- 
 tion. He could have yielded. He instantly detected 
 the moral evil. The proffer of this world’s promises was 
 instantly repelled as foreign and unhallowed. Satan 
 might have power over His body, and make it suffer; 
 but he found out he had none over His spirit, or soul. 
 He found no touch of the power of darkness, no point 
 of attachment in affection, will, or mind. Throughout 
 all the conflicts Jesus showed how thoroughly He was 
 conscious of the complete opposition of these proffers 
 to the Divine order, and how thoroughly free He was 
 from all evil inclinations. And the incorruptibility of 
 His nature was seen in this, as also in the fact, that 
 neither understanding nor will faltered for a moment. 
 He drove back the first assault by, ‘‘Man shall not live 
 by bread alone, but by every word of God” — i. e.y de- 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 329 
 
 pendence on God is the true place for man. He drove 
 back the second assault by, ‘‘Thou slialt not tempt the 
 Lord thy God.” And He drove back the third assault 
 by, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him 
 only shalt thou serve” — a truth this of all Scriptures, 
 for all time and men, and an unmistakable, a stern and 
 a telling rebuke to Satan himself. “It is written,” told 
 on Satan like the discharge of artillery upon an assault- 
 ing column. 
 
 “Abashed the devil stood, 
 
 And felt how awful goodness is, 
 
 And prized and felt his loss, 
 
 And fled, affrighted, from the field.” 
 
 And when the devil had ended ail the temption, he 
 departed from Him fdl* a season, and behold, angels 
 came and* ministered unto Him. 
 
 Throughout this conflict Jesus first manifested those 
 principles which, as we shall see, continually governed 
 His whole life: (a), never to employ power for His own 
 advantage; (b), never to challenge arbitrarily the Divine 
 assistance; (c), never to make the least concession to 
 the kingdom of darkness. And He triumphed over all 
 these felt and fascinating temptations by the strength 
 of high and sustained principle, by a living faith in, 
 and unswervering obedience to, God, by the weapons of 
 the word, and by the power of The Spirit — all of 
 which may be, or become, the property of all who re- 
 ceive and follow Him. 
 
 The phenomena connected with His baptism had 
 pointed out to Jesus the object and direction of His 
 life. But here, now, and through this victory, 11 is 
 plan of life — so far as He as “Servant” could have a 
 
330 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 plan — sprang up at once, spontaneous and complete, in 
 understanding, heart and will. This plan could not 
 have embraced particulars, could not have been a full 
 formed purpose to do this, or say that, go here, or stay 
 there. It was simply this: having already at His bap- 
 tism become fully conscious of His Sonship, Servant- 
 ship and Messiohship, and having now been brought 
 into direct collision with Satan, He saw that, as Son, 
 Servant and Messiah, He had been manifested to con- 
 quer Satan, destroy his works, and rescue earth and its 
 inhabitants from his grasp. He saw that He was to 
 establish ^‘the kingdom of the Heavens,’’ which was to 
 take the place of the kingdom of Satan, that He was to 
 re-construct and lift up into a higher place the life and 
 faith of His nation, and of the world, and that His suc- 
 cess, further, was dependent upon unceasing’ fidelity, 
 and absolutely perfect obedience to God. Hence, He 
 could, as Servant, have no self-formed plan. Hence, as 
 He unceasingly lived by {dici) the Father, so, unceas- 
 ingly must He wait before Him to learn what was His 
 wull, and to receive His instructions. This was His 
 plan, ^‘to do the will of the Father, and to finish, as di- 
 rected, the work given Him to do.” He did. He spake. 
 He suffered, not because He determined that thus it 
 should be, but from a singled eyed obedience to His 
 Father’s will, exercised now, as learned every moment. 
 
 He lived not in the future, but day by day. But 
 that future,TIe now saw,must be our of sore selfdenial, of 
 sore suffering, and of unselfish service. His path must 
 be a lonely one, and narrow. All this, as also His 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 331 
 
 death, the accomplishment of His mission involved 
 He had wholly renounced the false. He had also as 
 wholly accepted the true. But the false ever is, the 
 true never has been, popular in Satan’s world. Hence, 
 His position, He saw, must involve Him in perpetual 
 conflict. Further, He has consecrated Himself to God, 
 and to the good of man. His chosen path is that of 
 love, instead of selfishness, suffering instead of glory. 
 Having accepted, in its essence, all ignominy and grief. 
 His life must be one prolonged humiliation. Having 
 so declared. He must, in reality, depend upon God for 
 everything, must allow nothing in His ministry to lift 
 Him out of His human condition, must never exercise 
 omnipotence, except in the service of love, for the rev- 
 elation of moral perfection, and for the glory of God, 
 must further, keep His work wholly free from all world- 
 ly entanglements and must utterly refuse all worldly 
 aids in carrying it on. 
 
 Every circumstance in that path can be traced to this 
 experience. His whole life was the developemeiit of this 
 triumph, as it was also the prelude of His daily victory over 
 sin, and, when suffering for sins, and forsaken of God, 
 final victory over despair. Having overcome the world. 
 He has the consciousness of superiority to all its temp- 
 tations. Being not dependent on, He can stand against 
 the world. Having no part in. He can rebuke sin. 
 Having passed through the greatest, He can pass 
 througli any moral ordeal. Having tried strength with 
 the mightiest, and, to the highest pitch of praise, been 
 more than conqueror, He can stand forth as the Cham- 
 
332 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 pion of God’s glory and man’s blessing in this revolted 
 world. Having shaken Satan’s kingdom in its inner- 
 most principle, He can establish, on its ruins, God’s 
 kingdom, ^‘the kingdom of the Heavens,” on earth. 
 
 In all this He acted as the Representative, and so de- 
 j.*ided the destiny, of man. Did He fast? He thus ex- 
 piated man’s daring presumption in eating the forbid- 
 den fruit. Did He reject Satan’s proposals, wrest the 
 sceptre from his grasp, and drive him from the field? 
 He thus expiated man’s sin in listening to his voice, 
 declared independence for the race, from his tyranny, 
 unlocked the portals of the lost Paradise, and opened 
 the way, that man, through Him, might re-occupy 
 those fragrant grounds. The victory was comprehen- 
 sive and complete. Look at its moral grandeur. Look 
 at the tested Representative of perfect righteousness, 
 and of perfect love to God and to man. See the power of 
 One filled wholly withTlie Spirit, consecrated wholly to 
 God, and fixed fully to do His will. 
 
 Complete,the victory was,but not final. It changed not 
 tlie relations between God and the world. Only by Jesus’ 
 vicarious death, could man be delivered, earth be rescued, 
 and the ground be laid for the warrant for the expai- 
 sion of Satan from access to Heaven, and, ultimately, 
 from earth. Hence this conflict might be renewed, and 
 it was. This was the first of three stages of it, as is 
 seen in Luke's ackvi kalron^ till a certain season^ 
 opportunity. This phrase is definite. It points defi- 
 nitely and particularly to the last stage. Yet it in- 
 cludes, doubtless, the manifold assaults made upon 
 
THE HoEY life. 
 
 333 
 
 Jesus dnririg Ilis life (Matt.xvi, 21-23). In this mid- 
 dle stage Satan assaulted Jesus directly, by taking away 
 the seed-word from the heart of men, and by sowing 
 tares (Matt, xiii); and indirectly, through men and de- 
 mons. Twice, at least, he tempted Him by ‘‘the pride 
 of life:” once through Ilis brothers, when they urged 
 Him to show Himself to the world, and make for Him- 
 self a name; and once through the people, whom he 
 moved to take Jesus by force and make Him king (Jn. 
 vii, 2-5, vi, 15). He constantly tried to shake His 
 steadfast purpose by stirring up against Him con- 
 tradiction and hostility. Pharisees, Sadducees, Hero- 
 dians, lawyers, elders, priests and scribes he used 
 as instruments by which to tempt Him to display signs, 
 and show temper, or ignorance, or inability to answer 
 questions. The ruler breathed, whose spirit? carried 
 out whose behest? when he was moved with indignation 
 against Jesus (Lk. xiii, 14). Surely his who then re- 
 sisted Him in the name of the Sabbath, as he had, in 
 the wilderness, in the name of the Bible. He inspired 
 the heads of the nation to assail Jesus; and, to defeat 
 Him, sent forth demons to torment men. To discredit 
 His character, teaching, and relation to God, he incited 
 his agents to admit the fact that demons were cast out, 
 but to assert that the power by which it was done came 
 from Beelzebub (Matt, ix, 34). And to degrade Him 
 in the people’s estimation he moved men to declare that 
 He liad a demon, and was mad (Matt. xii. 24-29, Jn. vii, 
 20). But, perhaps the fiercest assaults during this stage 
 were made by the agency of demons. Natural science 
 recognizes the struggle between good and evil that goes 
 
334 
 
 The holy life. 
 
 on in every man. But seeing no traces of the super- 
 natural. it denies that this is a real struiyo*le between 
 good and evil spirits. There are, it s ays, no demons. 
 But the darkness in which it emls when it approaches 
 the relation of mind to matter, implies the existence of 
 evil supernatural influence. And this, Jesus, as we 
 have elsewhere shown, expressly aftirms. He called 
 Satan ^Hhe prince of demons,” thus recognizing them as 
 his agents in his work. He affirmed of one afflicted with 
 “a spirit of infirmity,” that she had been bound by Satan 
 (Lk. xiii, 11-16). By these demons taking possession of 
 men, S itan opposed Jesus and His work. And had 
 Jesus failed here, had He been unable to cast out de- 
 mons, He would have been defeated. But He proved 
 Himself the stronger One who bound the strong (Lk. xi, 
 20-22). He, by The Spirit, was so easily Conqueror, that 
 when the Seventy told Him that even demons were sub- 
 ject to them through His name. He, in The Spirit, saw 
 therein Ilis filial victory over Satan: ‘‘I beheld Satan 
 fall like lierhtnina from heaven.” 
 
 The third sta^re of the conflict was durinor the clos- 
 ing hours of Jesus’ life. Then were the fiercest and 
 bitterest assaults. <‘Tliis,” said Jesus to His enemies, 
 ‘fls your hour, and the power of darkness.” Then 
 Satan assaulted Him throimh terrors as he had before 
 through desires. He inspired the rulers with a firm 
 determination to put Jesus to death, successfully tempt- 
 ed Peter to deny, and Judas — into whom he entered 
 Lk. xxii, 3 — to betray Him. He joined Jews and Gen- 
 tiles in the purpose to condemn and crucify Jesus. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 335 
 
 Above all he made direct and terrible assaults upon Ilis 
 soul. An appalling apparition amazed it. Nameless lior- 
 rors pressed upon it. Agony wrung from Ills lips, tlie 
 cry, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful even unto death,” 
 forced from His brow drops of blood, and felled Him to 
 the earth. This assault, tierce and formidable as it was, 
 failed. It was renewed when Jesus was on the cross, and 
 when,forsaken of God, and of men, He seemed abandoned 
 to His fate. To man’s eye. He and His cause seemed 
 about to expire together, truth about to be sent into a 
 returnless exile, and earth about to be left to Satan’s 
 undisputed and permanent sway. 
 
 But no. Soon as the smoke of the battle had lifted, 
 we see that Jesus had triumphantly sustained every 
 shock, and had held immovably fast His faith in God, His 
 integrity, and His purity of soul. Satan had come, had 
 found nothing, and after his most desperate assaults had 
 fled baffled, confounded, defeated, from the field. 
 
 That defeat was final. This defeat prepared the way 
 for that. And this was the greatest, most significant 
 and most important conflict that had ever occurred. 
 Satan, for the first time since his fall, had met his 
 match. On his own chosen ground, and armed with 
 his own chosen, and hitherto unvariably successful weap- 
 ons, he had been most disastrously defeated by a Man. 
 His pride received a humiliation, and his power a blow, 
 from which they never recovered. Mortified to the 
 last degree he made no further direct and personal at- 
 tack upon Jesus until he was in the Garden, and on the 
 Cross; and then he used other weapons than those 
 which he now employed. 
 
336 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 And to the Champion Himself its value was such as 
 none can estimate unless it is one who is His place. It in- 
 spired Him with the confidence gained only from experi- 
 ence. It refreshed His spirit as only such a victory could. 
 IttaughtHim that the inward and outward, the incessant 
 
 and unhesitatinor obedience and submission due from 
 o 
 
 Him as The Servant to God was the place of victory. 
 It assured Him of unvarying success against the world, 
 and all the powers of Satan’s kingdom. Henceforth 
 nothing could swerve Him from the path of obedience. 
 He was now ready, and so was directed to begin His work. 
 In the strength of the nourishment ministered to Him 
 by angels, and in the power of The Spirit, He returned 
 to Bethania, where He had been baptized and anointed 
 — there to be pointed out as The Messiah and Saviour 
 of men, and the Fountain of living waters. 
 
 And to man that victory was the promise of a potency 
 which could ever triumph over Satan’s power. It 
 pointed out to him a Champion to whom he could fully 
 confide his cause, assured of its ultimate success. In it 
 he saw how victory is obtained by the sole use of the 
 weapons the Word and Prayer, and by the power of 
 The Spirit. And from it man learns this, among other 
 lessons, that one tilled with The Spirit can sustain even 
 tlie deadliest encounters, and live triumphantly victori- 
 ous over Satan, sin and the world. Glorious the vic- 
 tory, and glorious Tiie Conqueror! No wonder the re- 
 deemed delight to meditate upon its every fact and fea- 
 ture! No wonder as they see Him on His way triumph- 
 ant from the field, they rejoice to place the crown of 
 victory upon His brow! 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 Section XV^L 
 
 337 
 
 John Baptist’s First Public Testimony Concening 
 
 Jesus. 
 
 Place; Bethania, in Peraea. Time: Feb.-March, A. D. 26. 
 
 Persons to whom : Deputation from the Sanhedrim. 
 
 John i, 9-14, 16-18, 15, 19-28; Lk. vii, 29, 30. 
 
 John (the Evan- ) Jems was the true Light which 
 gelist’s) preface. J lighteth every man that cometh 
 (coming, R. Y.) into the world. [The true light, which 
 lighteth every man, {Keen erchomePjOn) was coming into 
 the world.] He was in the world, and the world was made 
 by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto 
 His own {inheritance^ ta idia\ and His own {those that 
 were His own people^ hoi ideoi^ R. V.) received (par- 
 elabon^ welcomed) Him not, But as many as received 
 {elahon) Him, to them gave He power {exousian^ 
 to become the sons (children, tehna) of God, even to 
 those that believe on (in, eis) His name: which were 
 born, not of blood (bloods, aimatoon\ nor of the {natu- 
 ral) will of the flesh, nor ot the {moral) will of man, 
 but of God. And the Word was made (become, egene- 
 eto)^ flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled, pitched His tent, 
 esTceenoosen) among us, and we beheld His glory, glory 
 as of the (an) only begotten of {irom^ para) the Father, 
 full of grace and truth. And (for, R. Y.) of His fulb 
 ness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the 
 law was given by (through, jdia) Moses; grace and 
 truth came by (through, dia) Jesus Christ. No man 
 hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son 
 which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared 
 (explained, expounded, exeegeesato) Him. 
 
 [*ln vs. 1, John says The Word een.was in the beginning 
 possessed of an uncreated, eternal existence. But here, The Word 
 egeneto^ became^ i. e.y possessed a created existence, called flesh.] 
 
338 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 John (the Baptist’s) general 
 testimony concerning Jesus, 
 giv^en after His baptism, and 
 
 when, perhaps, He was present, ' (crieth, R. Y. keJcrage, 
 
 John bare (beareth, 
 marturei^ R. Y.) wit- 
 ness of Him, and cried 
 
 {perfect tense^implying 
 continuance of action^ 
 
 but unpointed out as yet (vs. 
 
 26). 
 
 in effect) saying, Tliis is, (was, heen^ R.Y.) He of whom 
 I spake, (said, R. Y.) He that cometh after me, is pre- 
 ferred, (is become, gegonen\ R. Y., liath come to be) be- 
 fore me; for He was before me, (or, first oim^^prootos 
 mou). 
 
 And this is the rec- 
 ord (witness, R. Y.) of 
 John, when the Jews 
 from Jerusalem sent 
 
 John Baptist’s first special^ 
 testimony concerning himself 
 and Jesus, given to the depu- 
 tation from the Sanhedrim. 
 
 (unto him, R. Y.)* priests and Levites to ask him, Who 
 art thou? 
 
 And he confessed, and denied not; but (and he, R. 
 V.) confessed, I am not the Christ. 
 
 And tliey asked him. What then? Art thou Elijah? 
 
 And lie saith, I am not. 
 
 Art thou that (the, R. Y.) prophet? 
 
 And he answered, Ho. 
 
 Then (therefore R. Y., an official demand)^ said they 
 unto him. Who art thou? that we may give an answer 
 to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 
 
 And he said, I am the voice of one crying in the 
 wilderness. 
 
 Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the 
 prophet (xl, 3). 
 
 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees, 
 (and they had been sent from {ek) the Pharisees, R. Y.) 
 And they asked him, and said unto him. Why baptizest 
 thou then, if thou be not that (the, Ao, R. Y.) Christ, 
 
 [‘•'Tiscbendorf, Meyer, Alford omit, 'pro% ton^ unto him. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 339 
 
 nor Elijah, neither that (the, R. Vo prophet? 
 
 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water; 
 but there standeth one among you, (in tlie midst of you 
 there standeth one, R. V.) whom ye know not: He it 
 is who, coming (even He that corneth, R. V.) after me 
 is preferred (is come, hath come to be, gegonen) before 
 me,* whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. • 
 
 These things were done in Bethabera (Bethany, R. 
 V.)j'beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 
 
 And all the people that (when they, R. Y.) heard 
 him, and the publicans, justified God, being (having 
 been, R. V.) baptized with the baptism of John. But 
 the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of 
 God against (within, mar^) themselves (rejected for 
 themselves the counsel of God, R. Y.), being (having 
 been, R. Y.) not baptized of«him. 
 
 Jesus was baptized Jan. 6th, A. D. 27. Immediately 
 afterwards He was led into the wilderness to be tempted. 
 He was there forty days. The going and coming prob- 
 ably occupied four or fire days more. It was about 
 Feb. 20th when He returned to Bethania. This return 
 was on Friday. On the day before, Thursday, occurred 
 John’s interview with the Deputation from the Sanhe- 
 drim. On Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, Jesus was 
 introduced by John, to men, and obtained His first disci- 
 pies. On the day following, the first day of the week, 
 Jesus returned to Galilee. And on the Wednesday 
 
 [^R. V. omits ‘‘is preferred before me.” Tlie Grk. for tliis 
 phrase, and for “He it is,” is wanting in Cod. Sin. and Vat. It is 
 bracketed by Lachmann, and omitted by Tischendorf, and Alford, 
 but retained by Godet, Meyer and Lange. Lange remarks, that the 
 Johannean style is in favor of, “He it is,” and Cod. A. &c., and the 
 like expression in vs. 15, are in favor of both.) 
 
 [fThe authorities are decisive for Bethany, or Bethania.] 
 
340 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 succeeding, Jesus, at Cana in Galilee wrought His first 
 miracle. 
 
 These facts in their order will now occupy our atten- 
 tion. John the Evangelist preceeds their mention by 
 his preface. The first part of it, which we have already 
 examined, introduces us to Jesus, as The Word, exist- 
 ing in the measureless depths of eternity. When He 
 came to earth, He came to His own inheritance. But 
 the authorities would not, says John, bring Him with 
 rejoicing into His palace, the Temple. Nor would 
 they receive Him in the name of their nation, as their 
 Divine King. They virtually rejected Him, when they, 
 by their official action, formally rejected John. And 
 this rejection, which involved their national destruc- 
 tion,though it could not defeat the object of His mission, 
 changed its direction, and the character also of faith. 
 Faith ceased to be a collective and national heritage. It 
 became from that time purely personal, sporadic, and a 
 privilege open to any human being. Iloi idioiy Ilis 
 own people would not welcome {paralabon) Him, but 
 {(le) to as many {hosoi) as received (elahon) Him, those 
 believing, He gave the authority to become, by the act- 
 ual imparting of life from Himself — the meaning of 
 the root-verb, tiktoo — tlie children, {tekna) of God. 
 These are begotten (gennaoo')^ not by human factors as 
 in the present creation, but ek Theon from God — the 
 ek pointing out the originating cause. The life, hence, 
 which they receive is free from all material elements. 
 And this Divine imparting of life to the receiving faith 
 is in and through the Word become fiesh. Keceiving 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 341 
 
 Him, the Son of God, by faith, they receive the right to 
 become sons of God by the Divine imparting of life. 
 And this life they receive from Him. 
 
 This AVord become flesh pitched His tent in the 
 midst of men, and manifested His glory as the Only- Be- 
 gotten from tlie Father. It was beheld. He was seen 
 to be full of grace and truth, which came through Him 
 who was the Eevelator and Explainer of the Father {ex- 
 eegeesato expounded^ Him). 
 
 The preface prepares the way for the statement that 
 John Baptist, who came for that purpose, was constantly 
 giving testimonies concerning Him; and these re- 
 main permanently established, and ever fresh — ^‘bears 
 witness.’’ Those given before Jesus’ baptism we have 
 studied. AVe come now to those given after that bap- 
 tism. These he emphasized still more strongly, and 
 enlarged. Repeatedly, during the forty days that Jesus 
 was absent, John, with all the energy, confldence and 
 solemnity of his mission, cried out aloud (krazoo) be- 
 fore the crowd, and in express and striking terms: 
 ‘‘This is He of whom I said, &c.” AVhen? From the very 
 first. AVhat? “He, coming after me, (perfect) 
 
 was before^ preceeded me. How? Iloie because^ een He 
 existed^ prootos mou^ my First, The particle, hoti^ 
 founds the previous proposition upon the next follow- 
 ing one. He preceded me because He existed flrst in 
 relation to me, and first absolutely. He was eternally 
 existent. 
 
 AVhile John Baptist was thus daily giving this testi- 
 mony, Jesus was, elsewhere in the same wilderness, in 
 
842 
 
 THE HOLT LIFE. 
 
 conflict with His most formidable foe. His triumph 
 over him as we have seen was complete. He thus 
 showed Himself fully competent for the stupendous 
 work which He had undertaken. With the power and 
 fulness of The Spirit He returned from the field of con- 
 flict to Bethania. There, John had summoned the na- 
 tion to a proper preparation, through true repentance, 
 to receive their Messiah. There, had he baptized 
 thousands, and, some forty days before, Jesus Himself. 
 There, both before and after that event, had he steadily 
 held up before the people His near approach. His re- 
 jection or reception must be national; hence, by the 
 national authorities. To this end He must be mani- 
 fested. For this purpose He now comes to John. 
 And the time had now come when to his general testi- 
 mony to the essential dignity of His Person, given to 
 the crowd, John must give a special one, to the consti- 
 tuted authorities of the nation. 
 
 This testimony was given upon one of the three ever- 
 inemorable days. They made upon John, the Evan- 
 gelist, an ineffaceable impression. They are red-letter 
 days in the history of the Church. On the first of 
 those three days the deputation from the Sanhedrim 
 hear the presence of the long promised Messiah officially 
 announced. On the second He was pointed out by the 
 herald divinely appointed to introduce Him. And on 
 that day He was for the first time seen, and gazed at 
 with rapture by a number, of whom John the Evangelist 
 was one (vs. 14). On the third day He was followed by 
 those who had become the first fruits of His ministry. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 343 
 
 That day was the birth-day of living faith in the heart 
 of John the Evangelist and of the others, and of faith in 
 the heart ot humanity — no more henceforth to die out 
 until Jesus comes the second time. 
 
 The Sanhedrim was the highest court in tlie Theo- 
 cracy. It was the guardian of its law and rights, had 
 Jurisdiction over all civil and religious matters, and 
 had authority to investigate all religious questions 
 which agitated the public mind. It also had the power 
 to judge a false prophet.^ John’s extraordinary career 
 it could not ignore. The movement was wide spread, 
 effective, felt deeply in Jerusalem itself, the very heart 
 of the Theocracy. It was the all-absorbing topic of con- 
 versation everywhere. There had been no such intense 
 and national excitement since the days of the Macca- 
 bees. There had been no more stirrinor character in all 
 
 o 
 
 their national history. If his movement did not 
 strengthen, it would, unless defeated, subvert the ex- 
 isting institutions. John’s birth gave him a right to be 
 introduced into the priestly office. But he had re- 
 fused to be a priest — an ominous fact — and hence, had 
 not the priest’s right to preach. He had preached 
 however, without asking permission of the constituted 
 authorities. From them he had kept himself wholly 
 apart. He liad summoned the nation to repent, for ^‘the 
 kingdom of the Heavens” was approaching, and to pre- 
 pare the way for the Messiah. His truths were simple 
 and homely, and his doctrines revolutionary. They de- 
 
 Mishna, Sanhred 115. For tlie constitution and authority 
 pf this body see The Holy Death, Preliminary Study,'] 
 
344 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 manded reality, exposed the worthlessness of forms, 
 and swept Kabbinism and Phariseeisin away with a 
 breath. And they so aroused the consciences of mul- 
 titudes that they were baptized in the Jordan, confess- 
 ing their sins. 
 
 AM this, and especially his baptizing, assumed that 
 John was a prophet. Baptism, or its equivalent, was, 
 as we have seen, the Divine indication of the introduc- 
 tion of a new dispensation — an indication that had not 
 been given since the days of Moses.* The Sanhedrim 
 recognized the right of the Messiah, cr of His forerunner 
 to administer it. This, the question, ^^Why then, bap- 
 tizest thou, &c.” shows. John’s administration of it, 
 to none but Jews, indicated that they, the chosen peo- 
 ple, were unclean, and needed a preparation to fit them 
 to receive the Messiah; and further, that some great,and 
 perhaps, portentous change in existing institutions was 
 impending. And further still, that he was the Messiah, 
 or His forerunner. And the Sanhedrim was also aware 
 that the people regarded John as a prophet, and that 
 while some had the impression that he was the prophet 
 foretold by Moses, (Dent, xviii, 18), others were asking 
 the question, ‘‘Is not this the Christ?” 
 
 The heads of the nation — the Jews-j- in Jerusalem 
 — were alarmed. They determined to send a deputa- 
 
 [*See pg. 181-182.] 
 
 fThis phrase, found in the Synoptists only seven times, is used 
 by John seventy times in his Gos})el. They wrote before the de- 
 struction of Jerusalem, and used the term as a national designation. 
 He wrote after the separation of the church from the synagogue 
 (Acts, xix, 8, 9), and in every place, except in iii, 1. iv, 22, xviii, 
 33, where he uses it in its historical sense, he used it as a designa- 
 tioi^ of tlie nation when, and as animated by hostility to Jesus,] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 346 
 
 tion with full authority to investigate. Nor was this 
 determination wholly disinterested. Pharisees and 
 lawyers, both, had refused to be baptized (Lk. vii, 30). 
 Pharisees and Saddiicees, both, were still smarting un- 
 der his word, ‘^offspring of vipers, &c.’^ This rankling 
 sore gave energy to their purpose. The investigation 
 was most important, and required delicate handling. 
 Men, able, wise, distinguished, zealous for the law, and 
 alive to the interests of the Theocracy were, we may be 
 sure, appointed. They were sent from, and some of 
 them were, Pharisees. Others, out of respect to John’s 
 priestly birth, were priests, i. descendants from 
 Aaron, and Levites, i, descendants from Levi. The 
 latter belonged to the Temple-police, and had the legal 
 power to arrest John, and bring him before the San- 
 hedrim. This was the first official notice of the move- 
 ment. They reached Bethania about the time of Jesus’ 
 return from his conflict.* They heard John addressing 
 the people. They saw the awe-struck, and eagerly listen- 
 ing crowd. They witnessed the baptizing. They may 
 liave heard of the baptism of Jesus. Never had they 
 witnessed such a scene. The rugged aspects of nature, 
 the hushed crowds, the solemn rite of baptizing in the 
 sacred flowing stream, the directness, wisdom, and force 
 of John’s words, the transparent purity and simplicity of 
 his life, and the changed life of his followers, all made 
 
 [*This conclusion we reach from (a), the fact tliat John would not 
 have pointed out Jesus as “the Lamb of God” before llis baptism; 
 from, (b), tlie fact that the close connection of tlie d lys spoken of 
 in Jn. I, require the baptism to have proceeded them; and (c). 
 from the fact that Jesus went directly from Bethania into Galilee.] 
 
346 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 upon the deputation a profound impression. The place 
 seemed holy ground. The very atmosphere seemed to 
 partake of the sanctities of the scene. 
 
 They sought an interview. They delivered their 
 credentials. John recognized their official character. 
 They knew that he was J ohn, the son of Zachariah, and a 
 priest by birth. But what\\^ regarded himself, this they 
 wished to learn from his own lips, “Who art thou?” 
 was their first question, that is, “What expected per- 
 sonage?” This question was tentative. The writer, who 
 evidently was a witness of the interview, tells us that 
 John’s answer w’as ready, frank, and specific. The iteration 
 shows how strong was the emphasis wdiich John placed 
 upon his W’ords. “And he confessed,” promptly and 
 heartily, “and he denied not,” did not for a moment 
 yield to any temptation to conceal the truth, “and,” kai 
 (not,“but,” as in the E. V.), “confessed hoti ouk eimi ego 
 ho Christos^ I am not (implying that he knew who was) 
 the Christ, 
 
 This answer surprised tliem. They, evidently, had 
 expected him to say that he was. They then demanded 
 of liim, officially, “What then?” And the form of the 
 question, the neuter ti^ betrays their impatienci3. “Art 
 tliou Elijah?” This question implies that, acting as he 
 did, he must be, since not the Messiah, Elijah, the her- 
 ald, according to prophecy, of the Messiah, (Mai. iv, 5), 
 who w^as, according to the common opinion, to re- 
 main liidden until consecrated and pointed out by him.* 
 “No,” said he. And tliis positive denial must be de- 
 
 [^Justiu Martyn’s dialogue with Trypho, the Jew.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 347 
 
 cisive as to his being Elijah, in any sense. ‘^Art thou,” 
 said they, ‘‘the {.ho) prophet?” That is, the one, other 
 than Elijah, who, according to general expectation, will 
 precede the Messiah. Some confounded him with (Jn. 
 vi, 14), others distinguished him from (Jn. vii, 40, 41) 
 the Messiah. Whether the question referred to 
 Jeremiah (Matt, xvi, 14; Lk. ix, 19, Macc. ii, 7, xvi, 
 13), or to some other prophet (Mk. vi, 14), it had in view 
 the expectation based on Dent, xviii, 18, the promised 
 prophet like Moses, whom the Lord would raise up.* 
 It virtually was, “art thou one or the other of these 
 ancient personages ?”'j- Again, John answered, “No.” 
 
 These questions exhausted the commonly received 
 suppositions. Then the deputation put a question 
 which forced John from his negative position. “Who,” 
 e, what personage, “art thou? What do you say of 
 yourself? We ask that we may give an answer to them 
 that sent us.” John saw the drift and bearing of the 
 question. For his answer he quoted and applied to him- 
 self a prophecy, through Isaiah (xl, 3), which was at 
 once an explanation of, and an authority for his mission. 
 The prophetic word speaks of the Messianic appearance 
 
 [^Tlie “Assumption of Moses” was written by a Jew sometime 
 after the death of Herod, the Great (Schurer, Lehrhuck^ pg. 540, 
 Stud, and Krit. 868). This book gives a vivid picture of the 
 spiritual condition of the Jews in the time of Jesus. In it is an- 
 nounced the coming of a “supreme messenger, whose hands shall 
 be tilled.” And it calls Moses only, by that name. This one is to 
 be the final prophet, a Moses. Godet. It is possible that the idea 
 in this book was the idea in the mind of the deputation when 
 they put tl)e question. Art thou the prophet? 
 
 [■!■ After Pentecost the Spirit-tauglit churcli saw that Mo^es, in 
 Dcut. xviii, 18, referred to Christ Acts iii, 22, vii, 40. But this 
 was not the current Messanic expectation of the people, 
 
348 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 of Jehovah: a mysterious voice is heard crying iu the 
 wilderness; ‘‘Jehovah is about to appear. Prepare in 
 your hearts a welcome for Him, worthy of llim.’^ Thus 
 John says, “I am not, personally, any expected person- 
 age;’’ ‘‘but,” keeping himself out of view,“I am only that 
 prophesied Voice crying in the wilderness. Make straight 
 the way of the Lord. I am nothing. He is every- 
 thing. The testimony concerning Him is the one ut- 
 terance of my voice.^ This is enough for me to tell 
 you. From this fact your own knowledge of the 
 prophecies should show you that the Messiah will soon 
 appear.” 
 
 This question had been put to elicit information as 
 the foundation for the next question. But John’s an- 
 swer, in view of his denials, puzzled and perplexed the 
 deputation. They were familiar with the prophecies 
 commonly applied to the Messiah, and with the current 
 interpretation of them. They, perhaps, like the Jews 
 of later days, held the fancy of two Messiahs; one to 
 spring from the house of Joseph, to appear in Galilee, 
 and to be slain by Gog and Magog — !iis death being a 
 sacrifice for the sins of Jeroboam; and the other, to 
 spring from the house of David, to live and reign. 
 This fancy grew up from the perception of the twofold 
 prophetic delineation of a suffering and yet reigning 
 Messiah, coupled with, (a), their abhorrence of the idea 
 of the reiiridiiS Christ bein^ the victim of such awful 
 sufferings, and with, (b), their inability, or unwilling- 
 
 (^'This sL’lf-applica ion of that ])rophecy is tJie foundation of 
 the Sjnoptisto’ application of it to him.] 
 
THE HOLV LIFE, 
 
 349 
 
 ness to accept the idea of two distinct advents of one 
 and the same Messiali(Jn. xii, 34, Acts iii, 17, 18-21). 
 They expected but one coming of the reigning Messiah. 
 And they took it for granted that His reception by the 
 nation would be a hearty one. They were Pharisees. 
 They regarded themselves as the conservators of es- 
 tablished institutions, and were bitterly hostile to all 
 innovations. They conceded the right to the expected 
 Messiah, perhaps also to His forerunner, to introduce 
 changes in the theocratic ritual. But they felt, as did 
 the nation, that until the prophet like Moses arose, or 
 the Messiah, as the founder of a new dispensation, ap- 
 peared, no one could introduce any new rite. This, cer- 
 tainly, John had done. His call to national repent- 
 ance, and to national baptism, implying as these did 
 that the nation was unclean, was a startling innovation. 
 Their misgivings, fears, and suspicions were aroused to 
 the highest degree. They expected, as did the nation, a 
 great national lustration to inaugurate the Messianic 
 kingdom. The baptism, hence, with its symbolic sig- 
 nificance, could be only the act of the Messiah, or of His 
 forerunner. They regarded Isaiah’s prophecy which 
 John did quote, and Malaclii’s prophecy (iv, 6, 6) which 
 lie did not quote, as belonging to the same time and 
 person. That time, just before the appearance of the 
 Messiah; that person, Elijah, come to introduce Him. 
 Had John declared himself either of these they would 
 simply have demanded his credentials, and said nothing 
 about his baptism. But when he denied that he was 
 the Messiah, Elijah, or the prophet, ignored one of the 
 
360 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 two prophecies which the Jews united, and declared 
 that the other, “the Voice, &c.” was fulfilled in himself 
 they could not make his statements harmonize in them- 
 selves, or with their views. And hence they could not 
 see that John had the slightest authority to baptize. 
 In their view — wrong, because based upon a wrong in- 
 terpretation — he could not be the “Voice.” He had the 
 right to baptize only on the supposition that he was 
 one of tlie three personages. He declared that he was 
 neitlier the one nor the other. They, hence, put to him 
 otficially, the question which they had a right to put, 
 “Why baptizest thou, then?” 
 
 This was the very pith and point of their whole in- 
 quiry. They challenged John’s right to baptize at all. 
 This was the issue. John’s answer must meet it fairly, 
 fully, honestly. Besides, it was an official investiga- 
 tion. John could not, had he been so disposed, evade the 
 point by any subterfuge, or trick of words. And his 
 fearlessness and honesty forbid that he would seek to 
 evade the point. Further, the dignity and solemnity 
 of his reply shut out all idea of his seeking to evade 
 the issue by representing his baptism as an insignificant 
 and inoffensive solemnity, or as important only as the 
 precursor of a higher baptism. John could never think 
 little of that baptism to which Jesus had submitted. 
 The point of the answer, then, cannot be in the con- 
 trast between his water- and Jesus’ Spirit- baptism. 
 Nor can the emphasis be on e7i hudati^ with water ^., 
 only with water. These words, in that case, must have 
 been at the beginning of the sentence. The emphasis 
 
tHE HOLT LIFE. 
 
 351 
 
 of word is on I baptize^ (fee., and of idea is on in the 
 midst of you He stands (mesoo humoon esteeken). This 
 word sliows that Jesus, then on the ground, had come 
 out from the place of temptation, and also from the se- 
 clusion of private life, and was about to act publicly. 
 You do not know Him. But Ido. This is the Person, 
 now actually present, of whom I have so constantly 
 spoken. He, coming after me, is preferred before me. 
 He is my First. His shoe-latchet 1 am not wor- 
 thy to unloose. He that sent me to baptize with water, 
 gave me a sign by which I would know this One when 
 He was baptized. It is because of my connection 
 with Him that I baptize. My baptizing is authorized, 
 and it is significant.” This we see in what he said the 
 next day: ‘‘that He should be made manifest to Israel; 
 therefore am I come baptizing with water.” 
 
 Tliis answer did not satisfy the deputation. It did 
 not remove the difficulty from their minds. They asked 
 no further question. They condemned him out of his 
 own mouth. They could not call him an imposter. 
 This, his grand character, built up of spotless purity 
 and simplicity, of heroic integrity and noble intrepidity, 
 and of fearless denunciation of wrong, forbade. But they 
 could, they thought, adjudge him to be a self-deluded 
 man, who had no divine warrant to baptize, and whose 
 mission was a self-engendered one. Such seems to have 
 been their report to the Sanhedrim. The heads of the 
 nation had, for a season, been willing to rejoice in his 
 light (Jn. V, 35). But now both the man and liis work 
 were condemned (Matt, xxi, 25-27). Having thus “re- 
 
362 
 
 THE HOLY LIFii. 
 
 jected God’s counsel against themselves,” they would 
 not accept baptism at John’s hands, nor his testimony 
 to Jesus. Indifference ripened into malignity. To 
 discredit Him with the people, they said he had a de- 
 mon (Matt, xxi, 32; Mk. xi, 30, Lk. vii, 30, 33). 
 And they determined, it seems, to get him, as soon as 
 they could, out of the way. 
 
 This decision caused the failure of one part of John’s 
 mission. The people at large still regarded him as a 
 prophet. Crowds still came to his preaching. Many 
 were still moved to accept his baptism. But the crowds 
 that followed the Pharisees ceased attending. J ohn made 
 ready individuals, but not the people, ‘^prepared for the 
 Lord.” The heads of the nation did not accept him. 
 He did not effect the national repentance, nor ‘‘turn the 
 hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobed- 
 ient to the wisdom of the just.” This purpose (Lk. i, 
 17) never was accomplished. From that time, John’s 
 mission to the nation, as such, was a failure. 
 
 And it is this fact, with all the tremendous conse- 
 quences involved in it, that leads the historian to say, 
 “these things were done in Bethania beyond Jordan, 
 where John was baptizing.” The place is in itself of 
 no geographical or historical importance. Nor does the 
 writer mention it because associated, as it is, with, to 
 us, the transoendently important fact that there Jesus 
 was baptized, anointed, assured of His Divine Sonship, 
 and first introduced to man, and that there faith in Him 
 was first born in the heart of humanity. In the writ- 
 er’s mind it was associated with the scene which we 
 have just been studyiniif. That scene Jesus Himself 
 recalled to the Jews: “Ye sent unto John, and he bore 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 353 
 
 witness unto the truth” (Jii. v*. 33). Tlie official char- 
 acter of tliat testimony, the reception it met with from 
 the deputation, the decision of the Sanhedrim, appar- 
 ently based upon their report, and the fate-ful, far-reach- 
 ing consequences resulting from that decision made 
 tliis a moment of extraordinary gravity. It was an 
 epoch in the history of the nation. From tliat time, 
 ])lace, and interview began that unbelief and rejection 
 of John, involving in it also the rejection of Jesus, which 
 resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem, the downfall of 
 the Theocracy, and the setting aside, for centuries, of 
 Israel as the channel of blessing to man. 
 
 Section XVII. 
 
 John Baptist's Second Public Special Testimony to 
 
 Jesus. 
 
 Place : Bethania, in Persea. 
 
 Time : The day following his first public, special testimony. Feb. 
 
 A. D. 26. 
 
 Persons : The crowd present. 
 
 John i, 29-34. 
 
 The next day, the Jewish Sabbath^ John seeth Jesus 
 coming unto him, and saith. Behold the Lamb of God 
 which taketh away (ho airoon^ who is taking away) the 
 sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, alter me 
 cometh a Man which is preferred (is become, R. V.) be- 
 fore me; for He was before me. And 1 knew Him 
 not; but that He should be made manifest to Israel, 
 therefore am I come (for this cause 1 came, R. V.) bap- 
 tizing with water. And John bare record (witness, K. 
 V.), saying, I saw (have beheld, tetheami^ R, Y.) The 
 Spirit descending from heaven like a dove (as a dove 
 out of heaven, R. Y.), and it (He) abode upon Him. 
 
364 
 
 tHE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 And I knew Him not; but He that sent me to baptize 
 with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou 
 shalt see The Spirit descending and remaining (abiding, 
 menou) upon Him. the same is He which baptizeth 
 with the Holy Spirit. And 1 saw (have seen, eooraka^ 
 R. V.), and bare record (have borne witness, memartu- 
 reeJca^ R. Y.) that this is the Son of God. 
 
 This and the preceding testimony were given in the 
 same place, but to a different company and for a 
 different end. That was to a deputation from the San- 
 hedrim, was probably in private, was negative, and was 
 given without pointing out Jesus, then present, to them. 
 This was positive, was given to the crowd,and was begun 
 by pointing out Jesus to it. Johnhadprepared the way for 
 Him, had constantly testified concerning Him, had bap- 
 tized Him, had been divinely made acquainted with the 
 constitution of His Person, and the two-fold aspects of 
 the one object of His mission, and was to introduce 
 Him to man. On the previous day he had been re- 
 strained, inwardly, from doing this. The time had now 
 arrived. John seeth Jesus coming to him. Instantly, 
 in rapt admiration which almost reaches to an ecstacy, 
 and with the unfaltering assurance of the knowledge of 
 an established fact, he introduces Him with a word, 
 mysterious but most weighty: ^^Behold the Lamb of God 
 which taketh away the sin of the worldP’ 
 
 Having made this startling announcement, he goes 
 on to tell how he knew Him to be such, (a), He had 
 constantly borne testimony to the coming One, that He 
 should baptize with the Holy Spirit; (b), that He was to 
 be made manifest to Israel, and because of this, he (John) 
 
THE HOLY LIFE, 
 
 355 
 
 had come baptizing with water; (c), that He who had 
 sent him to baptize, had given him a sign by which he 
 would know the Person, to him personally unknown, to 
 be the appointed One, namely, his seeing The Spirit de- 
 scending, in bodily shape like a dove, out of Heaven, and 
 abiding upon Him; (d) that he had witnessed that 
 sight, and now again, as he had before, he witnessed 
 that this is the Son of God. 
 
 Analyzing this testimony we see that two facts, ^‘the 
 anointing,” and ^Hhe Sonship,” relate to Jesus’ Person; 
 and the rest of it to His mission: (1), His mission, as 
 the Messiah, to His own people, — ‘^manifest to Israel;” 
 and (2), His mission, as Saviour to the world, ‘‘Lamb of^ 
 God,” &c.; and that His anointing with The Spirit be- 
 longs to Him in both these characters. And when we 
 compare John’s testimony given before, with that given 
 after Jesus’ baptism, we see how marked the change in its 
 direction, and also his advance in knowledge. Before, it 
 was, “the Messiah is coming.” After, “He is here,” 
 Before, he announced the near approach of “the king- 
 dom of the Heavens,” summoned the nation to repent- 
 ance and preparation to welcome their king, and only 
 spake of Jesus in His relation, nationally, to the Jews. 
 After, though he mentions that Jesus should be “made 
 manifest to Israel,” yet the other facts are no longer 
 prominently mentioned. Indeed his first word on this 
 day, “Behold &c.,” shows that he already anticipated his 
 own rejection, the failure of his mission, as related to the 
 nation, Jesus’ consequent rejection by it, and His be- 
 coming, hence, the Sacrifice for “the sin of the world.” 
 
356 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 In this testimony John announces Jesus as the Son 
 of God in the profoundest sense: (myself) have seen 
 
 and bear witness that this is The Son of God.” And 
 he tells us how he became acquainted with this astound- 
 ing fact. He knew, and had constantly declared, that 
 a Man was coming after him who was immeasurably 
 greater than himself, for he was his first. While giv- 
 ing that testimony he was conscious, (a), that he did not 
 know Him personally, and (b), that this One was, and that 
 he was to point Him out as, the Messiah. Pointing to 
 Him, now present he said, ^‘This is He of whom I have 
 testified:” ‘‘This is the Lamb of God:” “This is the 
 Son of God.” How, being personally unacquainted 
 with, could he identify Him? He tells us. Ho pemp- 
 sas^IIe sending ^i.e.^The giving him his commission, 
 
 told him, how. This commission embraced these par- 
 ticulars: (a), to announce the coming of the Messiali (b), 
 to, in order that He should be made manifest to Israel, 
 preach and baptize, and (C),to point Him out when He ap- 
 peared. And that he might not be mistaken, the One 
 giving him this commission gave him a divine sign by 
 wliich he might know infallibly the Man as the Messiah. 
 The sign was, the one, whosoever he might be, on whom 
 — epK^ lion an^ indicating the largest possibility — he 
 should see* The Spirit descending and abiding, was the 
 One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. This 
 
 \*Eiiloo, This verb may signify (a), descerri mentally, ^b), 
 Bee with the bodily eye. John’s use of it indicate that when the 
 information was given he was not specially informed in which of 
 these two ways the sign would be made known to him.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 357 
 
 sight he had actually witnessed, ‘‘I saw* The Spirit des- 
 cending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him.’’ 
 
 Thus John knew that this One, the One whom he had 
 baptized, was the Anointed, the Anointer, and the Son of 
 God. And these facts he was ready, as soon as Jesus 
 presented Himself, to make known to men. 
 
 This, he now did. We last saw Jesus on the battle 
 field, the mighty Conqueror, ministered to by angels. 
 While the deputation to John was on its way from 
 Jerusalem, He was on His way from the ^^exceeding 
 high mountain.” He seems to have reached Bethania 
 on the day John gave his testimony to the deputation. 
 And on this day, as He came to John, he pointed Him 
 out,as possessing all the characteristics we have just been 
 studying. But the ‘‘This is the Lamb of God who taketh 
 away the sin of the world,” he gives as the first, the funda- 
 mental fact in His Messianic history. This word in John’s 
 mouth is most remarkable, the fact it gives most as- 
 tounding, and the designation, “Lamb,” such as to have 
 any significance with them, must be intelligible to his 
 hearers. What to them, what to him, was its import? 
 And whence obtained he the fact? 
 
 John spake these words not in the light of, but pre- 
 viously to, the teaching of Jesus and of His apostles. We 
 cannot then, in a historical study, avail ourselves of that 
 light. The only human source from which John could 
 obtain the fact was the Hebrew Scriptures. Let us see 
 
 [^Tlieaomai, This verb signifies “to see with the physical eye”. 
 And John’s use of it here, instead of eidoo sliows that tlie phenom- 
 enon was visible. And the liistory of it given in the Synoptists 
 is that of an occurrance in the external woi Id. See pgs. 202 - 205 .] 
 
358 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 what light these, and an analysis of John^s words them- 
 selves will give. The writer heard, and surely gives us 
 accurately, the words. The article, tlie^ points out 
 some designated, known and expected Lamb. The gen- 
 itive, tou Theou^ of God^ (genitive of possession) de- 
 clares that this Lamb belonged to, and was provided, 
 appointed, and given by God. The verb, aireoo^ points 
 out the profoundly significant, and the use of the present 
 participle, the continuous, character of the act. The 
 verb means “lift off, and away, a burden from another” — 
 ho airooPjy who is lifting away. What? Teen amartian 
 ton kosmoUj the sin of^ i. e.j belonging tOy the cosmos. 
 But the nature ol sin is such that he could not remove 
 the burden of sin, i. ^., it itself, as well as its guilt and 
 punishment, from off the cosmos on which it presses, 
 unless He transferred it to Himself, and carried it away 
 by expiation. 
 
 And what is the import of the word “sin” in John’s 
 mouth? It could not be sin in the mass, includincj all 
 the sins of all the sinners on earth. For no such uni- 
 versalistic conception of the word is found in Hebrew 
 writers. Nor could it be the substitutionary expiation 
 for ‘‘the sins of men.” John, doubtless, knew the word 
 which the angel spake to Joseph, “save His people from 
 their sins.” If so, he knew that the “His people” there 
 are the Jews — so all scholarly exegesis is agreed — and 
 that the salvation is from “sins.” He was intimately 
 familiar with the prophecies. On the previous day he 
 had quoted one from Isaiah as fulfilled in himself^ 
 Poubtless he now had before his mind thq ope which 
 
THE holy life. 
 
 359 
 
 declares that on the “My Servant” the Lord laid our in- 
 iquities, and that He, when led as a lamb to the slaugh- 
 ter, expiated them. And here, doubtless, he got this 
 designation which he gave Jesus, “Lamb of God.”* That 
 prophecy relates to “sins of people.” But John speaks 
 not of sins, and their expiation, nor of salvation from 
 them, nor of faith. The two propositions are (a), “the 
 Lamb of God,” and (b), “He taketh away the sin of the 
 world.” It is the genitive of possession, the sin be- 
 longing to, and lying as an oppression upon, the cosmos 
 — the term including earth and its inhabitants: “cursed 
 is the ground, for thy sake.” John, manifestly, did 
 not, as many do, tear man and his earth apart. He 
 recognized tliem as being parts of one whole, and both 
 being under the oppression of sin. It was the apostacy 
 of humanity in its profound unity, the race-sin, intro- 
 duced by Adam’s fall, which had caused the withdrawal 
 of “the kingdom of the Heavens,” and which had 
 brought in the curse upon the cosmos. It was the root 
 of the sins of men. And — in the order of thought — 
 before these could expiated, the word-seed be sown in 
 the cosmos, or salvation be possible for individuals, 
 this sin lying on earth and man must be taken away by 
 the Lamb of God. Jesus is introduced to our notice 
 as the Saviour of the cosmos before He is introduced as 
 the Saviour of men. To Him John’s word pointed as 
 the One who would by His own piacular sufferings and 
 
 [♦Jewisli interpreters previous to the coming of Jesus uni- 
 versally ap])lied Is. liii, to the Messiah. Eisenmerger, Entdecke 
 Judentk ii, Tli. pg. 753, Lucke, 1 pg. 400; Wunsche, die Leiden des 
 Messias, 1870, pg. 557.] 
 
360 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 death remove the curse from off the cosmos and the race. 
 And John’s statement, thus understood, shows his rec- 
 ognition of Jesus’ relation to the cosmos, and is in har- 
 mony with Jesus’ word, ^‘God so loved the “Jcosmos"^ that 
 He gave His only-begotten Son hina in order that who- 
 soever of its inhabitants that believetli &c.,” and with 
 Paul’s statement, ‘^God was in Christ reconciling the 
 ‘'‘Jcosmos^^ to Himself, &c.,” with John’s word, ^‘He is a 
 propitiation for the whole ‘‘lcosmos\^^ and leaves un- 
 touched .in all their grand significant fulness those glor- 
 ious prophecies which hold up before us the Messiah as 
 the substitution for His believing people, expiating 
 their sins by His own sufferings and death. 
 
 And how came this magnificent conception to John? 
 It could not have come from any word of Jesus, so far 
 as the record shows, nor from a study of His work, for 
 upon it He had not yet entered. John’s statement shows 
 that he foresaw Jesus’ sufferings and death as an ex- 
 piation for sin, as well as a substitutionary atonement 
 for those who would believe in Him. This was an idea 
 far from Jewish Messianic thinking (Jn. x, 34, 32, 33). 
 And glimpses, only, of it were perceived by such men as 
 Zachariah and Simeon. The idea of Jesus’ death might 
 have come to John through his being aware of his own 
 rejection, which involved the rejection of Jesus. And 
 the idea of Jesus’ substitutionary character surely came 
 to him from his profound acquaintance with the proph- 
 ecies, from liis being filled with TJie Spirit by whom 
 they were penned, and from his knowledge of the typi- 
 cally substitutionary character of the Levitical sacrifices^ 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 301 
 
 But all this is not sufficient to account for the fact. 
 He was a Jew. Ilis labors were confined to the Jews. 
 All his words hitherto spoken concerning Jesus had re- 
 spect to His relation to the Jews. He had thus far 
 contemplated only the people of Israel. And here is a 
 statement which far surpassed his ordinary range of 
 vision. It was to him a new truth, and one that could 
 have come to him only by an inward revelation, given 
 to him, perhaps, when he baptized Jesus, or at that very 
 time as he saw Jesus coming to him. Certainly by 
 such a revelation was he informed of the sign by which 
 he should, with infallible certainty, know who was the 
 Messiah; — ‘‘He that sent me said,’’ &c. vs. 33. And 
 there is no difficulty in believing that in the same way 
 he was taught clearly to see, and enabled fully to grasp, 
 and fearlessly to enunciate that fundamental and magnifi- 
 cent fact: “Jesus is the Lamb of God taking away the 
 sin of the world.” 
 
 Thus was Jesus introduced to the attention and con- 
 fidence of men, as the sin-bearing Lamb, and as the Son 
 of God. Tlius clearly enunciated were His two-fold 
 mission to Israel and to the world. His full authority to 
 act, and the manner in, and power by which He would 
 carry on His work. The links are perfect, and fairly 
 joined to each other. The chain which united Him to 
 the God of Heaven is complete. The testimony to Him 
 as the Messiah is absolutely faultless. None can doubt 
 it, unless insensible to any testimony however unimpeach- 
 able and conclusive. The words when first spoken, 
 must have made upon all conditions a deep impression. 
 
362 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 And, though forgotten by the crowd, they were seed- 
 thoughts dropped into receptive hearts which on the 
 next day began to grow\ And this w^as the birth, in the 
 heart of humanity, ot faith in Jesus, as the Son of God 
 and Saviour ot the world. 
 
 Section XV^IIL 
 
 Jesus* First Disciples are Gathered to Him. 
 
 Instrumentality: John’s third testimony to Jesus. 
 
 Place : Bethania, in Persea. 
 
 Time: Feb. A. D. 27, the day following that on which the inci- 
 dent mentioned in the last section occurred. 
 
 John i, 35-42, 43-52. 
 
 Again the next day after, John stood (was standing, 
 R. V.) and two of his disciples; and looking upon Jesus 
 as He walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 
 
 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they fol- 
 low^ed Jesus. 
 
 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith 
 unto them, What seek ye? 
 
 They said unto Him, Rabbi, which is to say being 
 interpreted {into Greeks didaskalos^ Teaclier) Master, 
 where (inliabitest Tliou, R. V.) dw^ellest Thou? 
 
 He saitli unto them, Come, and see (come, and ye 
 shall see, R. V.). 
 
 They came (therefore, R. Y.) and saw where He 
 dwelt, (abode, R. Y.) and abode with Him that day: it 
 was about the tenth hour. 
 
 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed 
 Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first 
 findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto liim. We 
 have found the Messiah; which is, being interpreted, 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 363 
 
 the Christ or Anointed. And he brought him to Jesus. 
 
 And when Jesus beheld (looked upon, R. V.) him, 
 He said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona(John, R. V.): 
 thou shalt be called Cephas: which is, by interpreta- 
 tion, a stone {Petros^ Peter). 
 
 The day following Jesus would (was minded to, R. 
 V.) go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith 
 unto him. Follow Me. 
 
 Now Philip was of (from, R. V.) Bethsaida, (of, R. 
 Y.) the city of Andrew and Peter. 
 
 Philip findeth Nathaniel, and saith unto him. We 
 have found Him of whom Moses in the law and proph- 
 ets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 
 
 And Nathaniel said unto him. Can there any good 
 thing come out of (be in, einai) Nazareth? 
 
 Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 
 
 Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to Him, and saith of 
 Him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. 
 
 Nathaniel saith unto Him, whence knowest Thou me? 
 
 Jesus saith unto him, before that Philip called thee, 
 wlien thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee. 
 
 Nathaniel answered and saith unto Him, Rabbi, Thou 
 art the Son of God; Thou art the (R. Y. omits the) 
 King of Israel. 
 
 Jesus answered and said unto him. Because I said 
 unto thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, believest thou? 
 Thou shalt see greater things than these. And He said 
 unto him, Yerily, Yerily, I say unto you. Hereafter, 
 {ap^ arti^ from now) ye shall see (the, ton) heaven open 
 and the angels of God ascending and descending upon 
 the Son of Man. 
 
 On the preceeding day when John saw Jesus, He 
 was coming to him. It was his mission to introduce 
 Jiiai to men. That day was the time for that, and to 
 
364 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 him He then went for that purpose. That purpose John 
 had then fulfilled. But his delight was to keep stead- 
 ily pointing to Jesus. He had eyes for Him alone. 
 This day he was again on the eager lookout for Him. 
 He was standing, perhaps at the place where he was 
 accustomed to address the crowds, with iv^o eh toon ma- 
 theeioon^ from the number of his disciples — the eh in- 
 dicates that some or many of his disciples were on the 
 ground. He sees Jesus walking. He is not coming 
 to, apparently is taking no notice of, him. This does 
 not disturb John. He rejoiced greatly ‘^at seeing Him. 
 His joy was fulP at introducing Him. Nothing would 
 delight him more than His increasing by his own de- 
 creasing. He saw the impression made upon, the ex- 
 pectation aroused within, these two disciples by his re- 
 marks on, doubtless, the preceding day. Not improb- 
 ably, they were among John’s earliest and most trusted 
 and confidential disciples. He was aware of their 
 strong attachment to himself. And it shows how com- 
 pletely he was occupied with Jesus, that he would 
 speak the word designed to detach them from himself 
 and attach then^ to Jesus, And that word was not one 
 of command, driving them away, but a word holding 
 up Jesus before them. He does not add, ‘‘that taketh 
 awcjy, &c.” For he had already said this. But he 
 holds Him up simply as “the Lamb of God,” leaving 
 their minds free to think of Him as snch, for any and all 
 the purposes of God to be accomplished by Him as The 
 Lamb. The ]>hrase, here, is an exclamation of delight 
 at seeing Him And it is also a suggestive word tO 
 
THE HOLY LIEE. 365 
 
 the two — so behold as to follow, and so follow as to be 
 all the time beholding Him. 
 
 They were young men. They saw that the One 
 pointed out was also a young man. He was in the very 
 prime of life. His step was elastic and firm. His ap- 
 pearance was most attractive. The dignity forbade all 
 familiarity. The gentleness was winsome. The seren- 
 ity told out the secret of a stainless soul. They knew 
 that He had been baptized of John. But they knew 
 not that He had just returned from a most tremendous 
 conflict — the chiefest of all the decisive battles of the 
 world — and that there He had been the first and only 
 One who had triumphantly defeated the foe of God and 
 of man. They, like all of John’s disciples, had heard of 
 the near approach of the expected One who would ful- 
 fill all their true Messianic hopes. Thus had desires to 
 welcome Him been- awakened and cherished in their 
 hearts. Now, when pointed out to them, they accepted 
 John’s testimonies concerning Him. Through these 
 faith in Him is born in their hearts. At once they 
 find themselves drawn by the marvellous attractions of 
 His Person. The longings to commune with Him, 
 manifested and pointed out, become irrepressible. They 
 would become His followers. They see, they act upon 
 John’s intention, so delicately given. They followed 
 Him with eager expectation and reverence profound. 
 That step was the turning point of their life. That day 
 was the decisive and happy day when faith in Him be- 
 came a living power in their souls, and fruitful in 
 blessing to others. 
 
366 
 
 tHE HOLT LIFE. 
 
 They wanted to speak to, learn, study from. Him. 
 But the sense of His exalted character awed and re- 
 strained tliem. They dared not venture to speak first. 
 Unexpectedly their desires were gratified. Jesus turned 
 and saw them following Him, He knew why. But 
 He would draw from themselves their motive and ob- 
 ject. To bring these out — a fact seen in the ti^ what'i 
 — He put that concise and profound question, which 
 has in it such a depth of meaning, ‘‘What seek ye?’’ 
 
 The question, sudden, unexpected, embarrassed them. 
 “Where, Eabbi, do you dwell — menoo^ abide, either (a), 
 permanently,or,(b), most probably, lodge (Lk. xix, 6) here 
 in the wilderness? The title is far below any which they 
 had heard given Jesus by John. In their confusion, 
 perhaps, they did not recall those; or they may have 
 been afraid to use them, or, it may have been a delicate 
 way of expressing their desires to become His disciples. 
 And the question about His abode is an intimation 
 that they sought, not something from Him, but Himself, 
 and would like to see Him in His dwelling place. 
 
 “Come now” (erchesthe^ imper. pres.) said Jesus, 
 “and see.” Their fears were relieved. They went with 
 Him, They saw where He abode. It was probably, 
 one of the temporary booths of wattled boughs, covered 
 with cloth, constructed by those congregated there to 
 John’s ministry. It was 4 B. M. — Jewish computa- 
 tion — wlien they went. They abode with Jesus the 
 rest of that day. The conversation is not given. But the 
 impression made upon them was ineffaceable. From 
 that day those two young men were bound to Jesus 
 with the strongest bands, and forever. 
 
tHE HOLY LIEE. 
 
 367 
 
 One of these two young men was Andrew. He is 
 here spoken of as the brother of the distinguished 
 Simon Peter, a person treated from the first as a most 
 important personage, and whose name now for the first 
 time appears in the narrative. And this circumstance 
 shows that this Gospel was not written until alter all 
 the facts related in it had occurred, and were well- 
 known to its first readers. Andrew now first appears 
 prominently, (Jn. xii, 22) before us as a pioneer and 
 mediator. At once his faith becomes fruitful. He 
 begins to testify to others, and is the first man, after 
 John Baptist, who became the medium of union be- 
 tween other hearts and Jesus. He seems to have in- 
 fiuenced the movement of John. And now, as the 
 shades of night are falling, he, with truest brotherly 
 love, starts out from Jesus’ abode to find his own bro- 
 ther, Simon. Having, with Andrew and other Galile- 
 ans, gone there from Bethsaida to hear the Baptist 
 preach, and to prepare for the coming of the Messiah, 
 Simon was on the ground. He found him. With deep 
 exultation of spirit he sounded the joyful word, ^^euree- 
 hamen^'^ Our search is ended. Our lono^ino^s are sat- 
 isfied. Our hopes are fulfilled. The Messiah is come. He 
 is here. And on that same evening he led him — the ao- 
 rist eegagen expresses the rapidity with which this act fob 
 lowed the finding — to Jesus, and introduced him to Him. 
 And, once in His presence, Simon was held fast by bonds 
 which he did not wish to sever. Jesus emhlepsas autoo 
 (emphatic) looking upon him fixedly^ with that pene- 
 trative glance which went to the very center of his be- 
 
368 THE HOLT LIFE. 
 
 ing, and with that infallible discernment which soon 
 alter in the case of Nathaniel, and ever after, showed 
 how thoroughly He knew men, exclaimed, ‘^thou art 
 Simon, a diearer,’ the son of Jona, (or John).” He 
 saw in him that firmness and decision of character, tire- 
 less energy, and organizing power which fitted him, 
 transformed and sanctified by grace, to be a pillar (Gal. 
 ii, 9). He foresaw his position and work in laying the 
 foundation of the Church, as he did among the Jews, in 
 Jerusalem, on Pentecost, and among the Gentiles, in 
 Caesarea (Acts ii, x). He bestowed upon him a new 
 name, evidence of a change in his life and position (Gen. 
 xvii, 5, xxxii, 28), and in doing it utters His first pro- 
 phetic word: ‘^thou art Simon the son of Jona” — how 
 Jesus obtained these facts we know not — ‘‘thou shalt 
 be called,” as he was some months later, “Cephas, 
 (Aramaic, for rock) in Koman, Petros^ a roclcj ^ — a rock- 
 man, or a man of rock. Thus did Jesus take possession 
 of him, and consecrate him, and all his natural powers 
 to the work to which afterwards He called him. And 
 from that hour to his death, Peter, with a rock-firmness 
 whicli never gave way but once, and then only for a mo- 
 ment, stood steadfast to Jesus and to his cause. 
 
 The other one of these two is nameless, The uni- 
 versal voice of the Church in all ages says that this one 
 was John, the writer of the Fourth Gospel. And 
 unfriendly criticism, almost unanimously, says the same. 
 Even Hilgenfield declares that the unnamed person is, 
 assuredly, John. Like tlie other great delineators of 
 the life of Jesus (Matt, ix, 9; Mk. xiv, 51, 52; Lk. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 369 
 
 xxiv, 18) he indicated here, as always, with delicate 
 modesty, and only by hints, the part he himself acted. 
 He never mentions his own name, nor his brother’s, nor 
 even his mother’s, even under circumstances of the most 
 affecting interest (xiii, 25; xviii, 15; xix, 25, 26; xx, 2 
 xxi, 20). But this incident was indellibly stamped up- 
 on his memory. More than fifty years later he gives 
 his recollections, with wonderful freshness, for a very old 
 man. The particulars were inwrought into the very 
 fibres of his being. He remembers the very liour. And 
 no wonder. It was the hour of his transition from dark- 
 ness into the light of God. 
 
 He was a younger man than Jesus. He was a son of 
 Zebedee and Salome. He was younger than his brother 
 James, whose name constantly precedes his own, and 
 who, either from age, or from a more distinguished 
 character, takes a higher position,* and who, most prob- 
 ably, was led, that day, by him, to Jesus. 
 
 This statement finds its foundation in the words, ^^he 
 (Andrew) findeth his own brother, and brought 
 him to Jesus.” Were it not for the word ^<own,” the 
 phrase would indicate that the two new disciples started 
 in search of Simon, and that Andrew was the first who 
 found him. But John’s use of the word ^^own” indi- 
 cates, in a most delicate way, that when Andrew started 
 out to find his brother Simon, John also started out to 
 find his own brother James, and that when he brouo*ht in 
 his brother he found Andrew and Simon already there. 
 
 [*As Andrew is called the brother of Peter, John is called the 
 brother of James, Mk. v. 37, Matt, xvii, l.J 
 
370 
 
 THE HOI Y LIFE. 
 
 And the suggestion that James was on that day brought 
 to Jesus, finds support in the fact that the call, given by 
 Jesus, some months later, to the two pairs of brothers, 
 was precisely the same in both cases. 
 
 If this suggestion, commonly accepted by scholars, 
 be correct, then the first group of Jesus’ disciples, all 
 gathered on that day, consisted of four young men. 
 One of them, Peter, certainly,* * and the other three, 
 probably, had a wife. They resided in the same place, 
 were partners in the same business, and were also strong 
 personal friends. Little did they dream on that day what 
 a marvellous destiny was before them. 
 
 On the next day, the first day of the week, Jesus 
 willed to go into Galilee. So the aorist eetheleesen^ 
 willed^ indicates. It expresses a resolved wish becom- 
 ing a deliberate purpose. AVhy go? Ilisown ministry, 
 as we shall see, was divided into two distinct parts. 
 One part was to His own people, the Jews. As their 
 proffered Messiah He must inaugurate His mission in 
 Jerusalem. For He must, and there only could He, be 
 accepted or rejected by the nation, through their heads. 
 The best time to do that was at the Passover, now not 
 far off. Meanwhile He would return to His rnother’sj* 
 family, which had moved to Capernaum (Matt, iv, 18; 
 Jn. ii, 12, comp. Mk. iii, 31), tarry with them, close 
 up tlie period of His private life, and, in communion 
 with His Father, whose will directed His every step, 
 prepare for the momentous career before Him. 
 
 [*Mk. i, 30. Tradition says that her name was Perpetua, and 
 tliat she suffered mariyrdom.J 
 
 [•) Joseph, probably, was tlien dead.] 
 
TEIE holy life. 
 
 371 
 
 But He desired not to go alone. He would have His 
 new disciples accompany Him. And to the four al- 
 ready gatliered, two more were added on this day, one 
 of them by His own active agency. This was Philip. 
 He belonged to Bethsaida, a city on the western shore ol 
 Lake Galilee. He was a fellow townsman and intimate 
 acquaintance of the sons of Zebedee and of Jona (vs.44, 
 xii, 12), and was most probably told by Andrew 
 that their hopes were fulfilled, and by him introduced 
 to Jesus (Jn. vi, 8, xii, 21). He was among those Gab 
 ilieans who had flocked to John’s baptism, and seems to 
 have been about starting for home. But he was still 
 on the ground. The characteristics given of him in John 
 (vi, 5-7, xii, 20-22, xiv, 8), and the dull and complicated 
 form of his remarks to Nathaniel,— that Messianic cer- 
 tificate in full form, as Luthardt calls it — shows that 
 he had not the sprightliness, intellectual force, and de- 
 cision of character of the four already called. He was 
 always striving after occular demonstration. But he 
 was active, enterprising, ever on the alert, and steady 
 in advancing the object in view. He had not, it 
 seems, when introduced to Jesus, become Jlis disciple. 
 Jesus’ heart, however, was on him as one prepared, 
 through John’s labors, to become one of His own early 
 followers; and as also possessed of elements of character 
 which fitted him for a place in the apostolate. There 
 he stands invariably at the head of the second group. 
 Jesus would unite him to Himself. And so soon as He 
 decided to go into Galilee He immediately — so the close 
 connection of the two verbs, ‘‘willed” and“findeth,” in- 
 
372 
 
 THE HOLY life. 
 
 dicate — findeth Phillip. The verb implies a previous 
 acquaintance as well as a present seeking. To him first 
 He spoke those words, so full of meaning, so often 
 afterwards spoken, and always instantly effective, ^^Fol- 
 low Me.” This was not a call to permanent, but to 
 temporary companionship, on the present Journey, and 
 also to the following Him in a holy life. Philip did not 
 grasp the full force of the words, but he promptly ac- 
 cepted the invitation. Faith at once sprang up in his 
 heart, a living and propagating principle. It manifested 
 its life by action. Soon as he knew Jesus, he was eager 
 to communicate his discovery to a dear friend who 
 shared like sympathies and expectations, and with whom, 
 doubtless, he had often talked of the Messianic hopes. 
 And this he did — so the present tense, ‘‘findeth,” indi- 
 cates — on that day, and most probably before Jesus and 
 His company had left Bethania. 
 
 That friend was Nathaniel. The name signifies, g'fft 
 of God, This was his proper name. Ilis surname was 
 the patronymic Bartholomew — son of Tolmai, or 
 Ptolomy. The grounds for this statement are, (a), that, 
 his name appears among the apostles in a passage where 
 these are distinguished from disciples (Jn. xxi, 4); (b), 
 that, in the three lists, the name Bartholomew immedi- 
 ately follows Philip, and, in Luke, they are coupled to- 
 gether, as Peter is with Andrew, and James with John 
 (Matt, x; Mk. iii; Lk. vi). He was a Galilman, of 
 Cana, his residence, perhaps birth-place (Jn. xxi, 2); 
 He, like his devout fellow-countrymen, was there to learn 
 from John, and be, perhaps, baptized of him. He was 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 373 
 
 studious, thoucrlitful and devout. Ilis character was 
 simple, truthful and transparent. Philip finds him. He 
 tells him the glad news, “we have found Him.” JSTot 
 however, in the simple style of Andrew’s word to 
 Peter, but in an elaborated strain: “Him of whom 
 Moses, in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of 
 Nazareth, the son of Joseph,”* 
 
 Nathaniel was surprised. His home was at Cana, 
 only about eight miles from Nazareth. He had never 
 heard of Jesus, and seems not to have known that any 
 of David’s family resided in that place. He was also, 
 surely, familiar with the common expectation that the 
 Messiah would come “from the seed of David, and out 
 ot the town of Bethlehem (Jn. vii, 42). No wonder he 
 said to Philip, ti agathon^ what good^ on this point, can 
 be in, or come out of, Nazareth? The character of the 
 town and of its citizens was not before him. The question 
 concerned the Messiah. What he could not understand 
 was how He could come from Nazareth. This man, you 
 say, is from that place. He therefore can not be the 
 promised One. 
 
 Philip’s answer meets his difficulty. He appeals to 
 Jesus’ appearance. He knows full well that Nathaniel 
 was one of those lionest-hearted men who have only to 
 
 p-If ton apo Naz. expresses the birth-place, then Philip — not 
 the writer who knew the facts, and simply records what Philip 
 said — made two mistakes. Jesus was not born in Nazareth, nor 
 was Joseph, his father. Nor need wm be surprised that, at that 
 early day in Jesus’ ] ublic life, Philip, who had met Jesus that day 
 for the first time, had not yet learned the history of His birth 
 and parentage. But may he not simply have spoken of Nazareth 
 as the place of Jesus’ residence, and of Joseph in the light in 
 which he was commonly regarded? See pg. .] 
 
374 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 see, to have every prejudice removed, ‘‘Come,’’ said he, 
 ‘‘and see” for yourself. JJiit back of that word was his 
 own faith, which kindled, like a glowing fire, all within 
 its reach, and susceptible of its infiueuce. 
 
 Nathaniel yielded. Arm in arm, perhaps, they 
 walked to Jesus. He saw them approach. With a 
 glance Ee searched Nathaniel through, as before he had 
 Simon. He recognized his thorough honest-hearted- 
 
 o CD 
 
 ness, and said aloud jyeri auton^ concerning him^ ‘‘Be- 
 hold a true Israelite!” And the fulness of meaning in 
 this exclamation demands more than the mere idea, 
 ‘•Behold a true believer!” Piiilip was such. So were 
 the four other new disciples. But they were not so des- 
 ignated. Does it not point back to the first use of the 
 name Israel? If the reader will compare Gen. xxxii, 24- 
 28 with IIos. xii, 4, he will see that an angel wrestled 
 with Jacob, that Jacob would not let him go until he 
 blest him, that he did not bless him until he had so 
 crippled him that Jacob could only hang helpless on 
 him, that he then had power over the angel and prevailed. 
 And then he received the name Israel, ^. d., conqueror 
 of God, Is not a true Israelite, then, one who, in utter 
 self-helplessnessjiolds on to God in wrestling prayer,and 
 lets not go until he prevails? Was not this what Nath- 
 aniel had been doing? the lesson he had been learning? 
 Coming t(»rth from the place where he had become a 
 conqueror of God, Jesus points to him as such. And 
 since not by trickery and deceit, but only by genuine 
 heartedness in prayer,'^ can any one thus overcome, 
 
 I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.” 
 rmlm.'Ui.'] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 375 
 
 Jcsns added, ‘dn wliom is no guile,” i, e,y one who is 
 thorouglily upright and sincere. 
 
 Amazed at this most unexpected delineation of his 
 character by an entire stranger, Nathaniel asked Him, 
 ‘‘Whence knowest Thou me?” “Before that Philip called 
 thee,” Jesus replied, “when thou wast under the tig- 
 tree I saw thee,” i. with the natural eye, and with a 
 supernatural look (II Kg. v). The clear implication is, 
 that he, when under the tig-tree, avas where Jesus’ natu- 
 ral sight could not reach him. But Nathaniel’s ex- 
 clamation shows that there was more than this in Jesus’ 
 remark. It affected Nathaniel very deeply. He had 
 sought seclusion under the tig-tree.* Most probably, 
 — ^judging from Jesus’ first word to him — he may have 
 been engaged in wrestling prayer. He thought himself 
 alone with God. He had prevailed, and had left the 
 hidden seclusion wdien Philip found him. And Jesus’ 
 remark, accompanied • as it was by His look, shot 
 throimh Nathaniel’s heart the conviction: “this Stran- 
 
 O 
 
 ger’s eye has penetrated the inmost depths of my being. 
 My s ul is laid open to his gaze, lie must,somelijw, par- 
 ticipate in the omniscience of God.” He felt himself in 
 the presence of a superior Being, One who had an ex 
 ceptional and a most intimate relation to God. And 
 this relation, in the view of the Divine light wdiich has 
 penetrated his being, he sees is Sonship. And this 
 Sonsliip, he sees, is the foundation of Messiahship. In 
 a transport of bliss, at the discovery he has made — 
 
 [•The construction ot‘ hupo^ followed by the acc., with the 
 v«tI) of rest, is exi)l:iiiic(l by the fact that, to the local relation there 
 is joined the moral notion of takiu*^ refuge, Godet.'] 
 
376 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 counterpart of Thomas’ exclamation, years later — he ex- 
 claimed, ‘‘Kabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art 
 the King of Israel.” 
 
 This reply delighted Jesus. It showed Him that 
 Nathaniel possessed that faith in Him which brings the 
 fulness of blessing. He congratulated him, as He after- 
 wards did Peter (Matt. xvi). At once He began to de- 
 velop and nourish his faith. It had lifted Nathaniel 
 to a great elevation. He was prepared for further dis- 
 closures of truth. And Jesus’ answer is in the same 
 elevated region: ^‘Thou believest because of My word 
 to thee. Thou shalt see with thy eyes^ greater things 
 than these.” What these greater things were, Jesus did 
 not tell him. But, He, addressing,through him,all pres- 
 ent, said, ‘‘From now on, [ajp arti) ye shall see Heaven 
 open, and the angels of God ascending and descending 
 upon the Son of Man.” 
 
 Section XIX. 
 
 Jesus* First Miracle: Turning Water Into Wine. 
 
 Place: Cana in Galilee. 
 
 Time: March, A. D. 27, a few days after gathering His first disci- 
 ples. 
 
 Occasion : at a wedding, where wine was needed. 
 
 John ii, 1-12. 
 
 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of 
 Galilee; and both Jesus was called (bidden, K. V.), and 
 His disciples, to the marriage. 
 
 [*The verb optomai used liere, in vs. 50, and also in vs. 51, and 
 also in !Matt. xxvi, 64 is from the obsolete optoo^ which is from ops^ 
 live eye. In Matt, xxvi it surely means natural sight. Does it 
 not mean the same here? If not, why not? 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 377 
 
 And when they wanted wine (the wine failed, 11. V. 
 — hustereesantos oinou^ wine being wanting), tlie 
 mother of Jesus saith unto Him, They have no wine 
 {oinos ouk estin^ wine is not). 
 
 And (R. V.) Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what 
 have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. 
 
 His mother saith unto the servants. Whatsoever He 
 saith unto you, do it. 
 
 And (Now, R. Y.) there was set there six water-pots 
 of water, alter the manner of the Jews’ purifying, con- 
 taining two or three firkins {i. e. 18 or 27 gallons) apiece. 
 
 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the water-pots with 
 water. 
 
 And tliey filled them up to the brim. 
 
 And He saith unto them. Draw out now, and bear 
 unto the governor (ruler, R. Y.) of the feast. 
 
 And they bare it. 
 
 And when the ruler of the feast had tasted the water 
 that was made (now become, R. Y.) wine, and knew 
 not whence it was, (but the servants which drew (liad 
 drawn, R, Y,) the water knew); the ruler of the feast 
 called the bridegroom, and saith unto him. Every man 
 at the beginning doth set forth (every man setteth on 
 first the, R. Y.) good wine; and when men have well 
 drunk (drunk freely, R. Y.) then that which is worse: 
 thou hast kept the good wine until now. 
 
 This beginning of miracles (of Ilis signs, R. Y.) did 
 Jesus in Oana of Galilee, and manifested forth His 
 glory; {six young) disciples believed on {eis^ 
 
 in) Him. 
 
 After this lie went down to Capernaum, He, and 
 His mother, and His brethren {hoi adelphoi autou^ 
 His hrothers)j and His six disciples. 
 
 And they continued (abode, R. Y.) there, not many 
 days. 
 
378 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 We left Jesus, accompanied by His new disciples, on 
 His way from Bethania to Cana. It was an epoch in 
 their lives. The exhilaration of the season relieved the 
 journey of its weariness. The hills rejoiced in their 
 magnificent foliage. The pastures were alive with flocks. 
 The valleys were covered with tlie growing crops. Springs 
 were everywhere gusliing out from the hill-sides, and 
 brooks and rivulets went babbling on their way. And the 
 journey, so pleasant in itself, was made exceedingly en- 
 joyable from the companionship of Jesus. 
 
 Arriving at Nazareth, Jesus found an invitation, to a 
 wedding in Cana of Galilee, awaiting Him and His dis- 
 ciples. And the historical past tense, ehliithen^ invited^ 
 suggests that it was sent after the other invitations had 
 been given. 
 
 Witliout any delay, Jesus and His little company 
 proceeded on their way. Cana was distant from Naz- 
 areth about four and one half, and from Bethania about 
 fifty -five, miles. On Wednesday, the third day since 
 He left Bethania, He reached Cana. This, the sixth 
 day since John had borne witness to Him before the 
 deputation from the Sanhedrim, was the flrst day of 
 he wedding. Soon after leaving Nazareth, Cana came 
 into sight. It was a place of no importance, and whose 
 name would long since have passed into oblivion, had 
 it not been for its association with Jesus of Nazareth. 
 It was called Cana of Galilee to distinguish it from 
 Cana in the tribe of Asher, near to Phoenicia, and 
 south-east from Tyre.* It seems most probable that 
 
 [*Josh. xix, 28, Robinson, Bib. Res. iii, 657.^ 
 
Kefr Keu-ua or Cuiiu 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 379 
 
 the moA^TViKefTKenna^ occupies its site.^ It was situ- 
 ated on the slope of a hill, whose top commanded the 
 view of the plain of Battauf. The houses stood on 
 terraces rising one above another. The little comj anj 
 passed by or near the great spring around which were 
 planted gardens, and the orcharJs, which produced 
 the finest fruits in all Palestine. It entered, or passed 
 by the home of Nathaniel, the son of Tolrnai, the last 
 one gathered .of Jesus’ little band. It reached the 
 house of the groom, for there was one of the daughters 
 of Israel to consumate her betrothal by marriage. There, 
 the wedding feast was to be celebrated. And there, they 
 received a hearty welcome. 
 
 The groom and bride were friends, kinsfolk, perhaps, 
 of Jesus’ mother. The Narrative tells not who they were, 
 and the traditions are various and uncertain. One 
 says the parties were Alphseus and Mary, the sister of 
 the Virgin. Another says that the groom was one of 
 their sons. Another says he was Simon of Cana, sub- 
 sequently an apostle. And another, current among the 
 Mohammedans, is, that he was the future apostle, John. 
 Relationship, perhaps, or friendship only, had led to the 
 invitation to Jesus. 
 
 But marriage among the Jews was holy, was held in 
 the highest esteem, awakened thoughts immensely 
 higher than the idea ot mere festivity, and was regarded 
 as the crowning day of life, as something very sacred. 
 
 [*Pal. Explor. Ex. No. iii; Hepworth Dixon; Smith’s Bib. 
 Diet.) 
 
380 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 and as a perpetual reminder to tlie people of the union 
 between Jehovah and Israel. Hence, all Jews regarded 
 the solemnity as worthy of their utmost endeavors to 
 have every thing fitting the occasion. This family — as 
 the indications, a ruler of the feast, servants, and many 
 guests, show — was in good circumstances. Hence, no 
 expense was considered too great to make the occasion 
 all that could be desired. The adornments of the bride 
 and groom must be the very best that their means 
 would allow. Tlie home of the groom, where the wed- 
 ding and its festivities must be celebrated, must put on 
 its best appearance. Every thing about it must con- 
 tribute to the gladness of the hour.* And when Jesus 
 and His little company passed into the open court, 
 filled with guests, and then on into the great reception 
 room — a room which was, as were most of the rooms in 
 the better class of houses in Galilee, fifteen feet square, 
 and fifteen feet high — His eye lighted on a scene which 
 must have filled Him with delight. The room was fes- 
 tooned with fiovvers, and animated with guests — all 
 happy, and all contributing to the general joy. There, 
 He found His brothers (vs. 12), and His mother,who was 
 helping the family. There, He appeared in all that 
 attractiveness of character which had made Him so 
 much beloved at His own home. And about to quit 
 the quiet of home for the stormy and toilsome scenes of 
 that life which He must live, He, there, bade good bye 
 to home life with a royal adieu, sanctified and sweet- 
 
 [*The reader will find a description of the wedding arrange- 
 ments on pg-55,70.j 
 
THE MARRlAGt. 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 381 
 
 ened by His presence and blessing all true marriage, 
 and all true home and social festivities and joys, and 
 there, left on them forever the impress of Divinity. 
 
 The time had come for the bridal feast. The guests 
 passed into the brilliantly lighted dining room. They 
 were assigned their places at the triclinia — Jesus occu 
 pying a distinguished place. The blessing had been asked. 
 The tables had been served. It was a time of joy. Sud- 
 denly consternation seized the groom, and his family. 
 The wine, so the servants told them, had given out, Jms- 
 tereesantosj had run short. It may have been because 
 it was too late at ni^ht that no more could be obtained. 
 
 o 
 
 They told their embarrassment to Mary, and she at 
 once told her Son. 
 
 Had this been told merely as an item of information, 
 sad to the groom and his family, or as a request for a 
 supply in the usual way, this could liave been neither 
 interference nor infringement; for she was His mother. 
 And Jesus could not have been so ungracious, and 
 wanting in filial love, respect and duty, as to repel such 
 a request. His answer shows that it was an appeal for 
 help, and, in an extraordinary way. He had performed 
 no miracle. But His life had been unfolded before her 
 eyes. Long and deeply had she pondered the sayings 
 about Him, given in connection with His birth, and His 
 saying to her when He was twelve years old. She knew 
 that lie had deliberately left home to go to Bethania, 
 and knew, perhaps. His object . therein. But she could 
 not know of His anointing by The Spirit, His conflict 
 with Satan, nor of His gatlie*nng of His six young dis- 
 
382 
 
 THE HOLY LIFfi. 
 
 ciples. She had therefore no fact upon which to base her 
 expectation of a miracle — except the general one, 
 that He was the Messiah, And Jesus’ reply, hence, 
 sno^orests that her words were intended as a hint that 
 this was a favorable time to inaugurate His mission, by 
 giving a miraculous supply of wine which would give 
 relief to a most embarrassed family. 
 
 Her suggestion was met by a reply which, thougli 
 seemingly, was really neitlier harsh nor unkind. His 
 term, ‘‘Woman,’’ was the same that He used when, 
 amid the agonies of Calvary, He commended her to 
 teiider care of the beloved John. It was, besides beino- 
 an honorable appellative indicating Mary’s possession 
 of noble womanly characteristics, a mark of respect and 
 affection. But it sprang out of the consciousness of 
 His higher relation to God. And it was, hence, an in- 
 timation that in the sphere in which He was hence- 
 forth to act, her, as every other earthly, relationsliip to 
 Him was subordinated to His higher relationship. She 
 was, henceforth, to be to Him, in His mission, only as a 
 woman. Thus addressing her, He said, “What to Me 
 and to thee?” This phrase* — found sometimes in the 
 classic Greek, and often in the Old Testament suggests, 
 (a), what is it to us, as guests? or, (b), (as in Matt, viii, 
 29) what is the relation between us tint warrants you 
 to prefer your implied request? Not from private, per 
 sonal motives,but only as The Servant of Jehovah, at His 
 word, and by the power of His Spirit, was He to act. 
 
 [*2V emoi kai soi. Judg. xi, 13; 3 Sam. xvi, 10; 1 Kg. xvii,18; 
 3 Kg. iii, 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 383 
 
 And in this reproof gentle but decided, did Mary al- 
 ready begin to feel the piercing of that sword ol which 
 Simeon had spoken thirty years before.-j' 
 
 lieproof this was, but not rebuke. And reproof it 
 was, not for preferring a request for help, but for the 
 manner and motive of it. This is apparent from Ilis 
 speedy response, His uniform course in relieving dis- 
 tress, and from His words, ‘‘Mine hour is not yet come”. 
 This phrase, doubtless familiar to Mary, regards some 
 part of His Messianic doing or sulfering. Here, it re- 
 fers to the period of His Messianic manifestation to Is- 
 rael, for their reception or rejection of Him. Not in 
 Cana, in a private home, but in Jerusalem, in the Tem- 
 ple must the Servant of Jehovah make that holy revel- 
 ation (Mai. iii, 1). There, too, in the opinion of His 
 brothers ought He to manifest Himself to the world 
 (Jn. vii, 4, 6). And when rejection became His man- 
 ifest destiny, then the phrase indicated the period of 
 His death, and subsequent glorification (Jn. vii, 30; 
 viii, 20; xii, 23, 27, xiii, 1). And in His present use 
 of the phrase, He is saying to His mother, that tliehour 
 had not yet arrived for Him to exhibit, in public, the 
 credentials of His Messiahship to the world. 
 
 But, He, a loving Son, could not be indifferent to the 
 request of a loving mother. For tliirty years He had 
 occupied the largest place in her affections. Over Him, 
 from His earliest years, she had watched, and for His 
 comfort liad provided, witli all the tenderest care and 
 solicitude of a mother. Her, He had ever honored and 
 
 [fSee pg.lOO,] 
 
384 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE, 
 
 obeyed. He, acting under the call of God, was about, 
 as to His work, to be separated from her finally. That 
 faith in Him which had never wavered, was now stronor. 
 How strong, is seen in her order to the servants, and in 
 her giving Him full room to do, as He thouglit best. 
 
 From His tones, countenance, and oupoo^ not yet — 
 an intimation that, at the right moment, help would 
 come — she gathered a granting of her implied prophetic 
 request. And addressing the servants she said, ‘‘Wliat- 
 soever He saith unto you, do,” L ^., be not startled, but 
 obey His command, however strange it may sound. 
 
 In the gallery stood the invariable stone- ware ‘^wa- 
 ter pots,” ranged after the manner of the Jews for pur- 
 ifying. There were six of them positay placed there 
 — the number not being symbolic nor customary, but 
 given as a simple fact. They were large and handsome. 
 They contained distributively, {ana) two or three firkins 
 apiece.* ^‘Fill them,” said Jesus, ‘^with water.” They 
 filled them to the brim. ^^Draw out now,” said Jesus., 
 And the verb ancleesate indicates, (a), that the liquid 
 was lifted out with a dipper, and, (b), that it was drawn 
 indiscriminately from the jars. And this fact shows 
 that all the jars were filled with water, and that all the 
 
 [*Or, it may l)e, half containing two, and half containing tliree 
 firkins. The metretes^ i. tlie Attic ampliora, was the Greek term 
 for the Hebrew hath. Three ditferent kinds of “bath” were in use. 
 One called the “Wilderness” bath was about equal to gals. 
 One was the “Phoenician” bath. But the one in common use in 
 Galilee was the “Sepphoris” bath. This was about equal to 
 gals. If this was the “bath” referred to, then these stone jars held 
 17 and 26)^ gals, respectively — ’ ' newhere from about 130 
 
 to 135 gallons.] 
 
nRAW OPT NOW, AND BEAR I NTO THE oOVEKNOR OF TflE FEAST.' 
 
THE holy life. 
 
 385 
 
 water was turned into wine. ‘‘Carry it,” He said, “un- 
 to the ruler of the feast” — architriklinoSj the ruler of 
 the trikllnia^ i. of the tables. This was the person 
 who had entire charge of the arrangements. He may 
 have been a chief servant. Or he may have been one 
 chosen from the guests to be the president of the feast 
 (Eccles. xxxii, 1-3). He tasted the wine, which was 
 brought to him in pitchers, and he filled the cups. The 
 servants did as he directed. He tasted the water which 
 had become (perfect par. gegeneemeiwn')^ and which — 
 not apparently, nor from any exhilaration or exaltation 
 of feeling seemed to be, but — was, really and truly, 
 wine. The servants knew, but he did not, whence the 
 wine had come. He, therefore, could not have wit- 
 nessed the drawing out of it. He, in surprise, called 
 the groom, not to ask him where he had obtained the 
 wine, but to pronounce upon its good quality. He, in 
 a half-jocular way, expressed his great astonishment 
 and playful remonstrance against his having, contrary 
 to custom, kept the best wine to the last. “Usually,” 
 said he, “men give their best wine first, and after men 
 have well drunk, the worse; but thou has kept the 
 good wine until now.” The verb methuoo signifies, in 
 the middle, (a), to drink freely, (b), to get drunk (Jer, 
 xliii, 24; Hag. i, 6; Sept. Matt, xxiv, 49; Lk. xii, 45; 
 Eph.v.18; Rev.xvii,3). And it was used by the ruler to 
 describe the customary way, and not by him, or by the 
 writer to describe the condition of the then present 
 company. The ruler knew not whence it was. Nor 
 did the groom nor guests. They were such people as 
 
386 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 were usually found at a Jewish wedding. They were 
 accustomed to the taste of wine, and to its effects upon 
 tlie system. They did not, until after they had drunk, 
 learn that it had been miraculously supplied. Yet they 
 all pronounced it good wine — its quality such, in contrast 
 with what had been used. And in their judgment, as 
 expressed in the ruler’s word, as to its being wine, we 
 see only one conclusion. The water had been actually, 
 and miraculously transubstantiated into wine. A royal 
 gift in its quality and quantity, over a hundred gallons, 
 to the family which had entertained Him. A durable 
 monument of His blessing on the new family, formed 
 under His auspices. And a type, too, of the fulness of 
 grace and joy which He brings to the sons of men, and of 
 His royal way of giving, liberally, and of the best. 
 
 This was an actual miracle. The ruler’s word 
 strongly attests the objective character of the wine. 
 And John mentions it, from his own observation, as a 
 miracle. To deny or attempt to explain away its mirac- 
 ulous character is to attempt to show that John was a 
 wilful falsifier of facts. 
 
 In such a transformation there is something very ex- 
 traordinary. But admit the existence of God, and it is 
 not impossible. Do we not annually see water 
 changed into wine? In this miracle, as in the natural 
 change, it was made out of existing materials. Hence 
 the miracle was not a creative act, in the strict mean- 
 ing of that term. No new force, and no new matter, 
 was added to that which was already existing. Nor 
 were there more gallons of wine than there had been 
 gallons of water. 
 
THi: HOLY Lit'E. 
 
 387 
 
 In both tlie natiir.il and this miraculous change of 
 water into wini', we see only the results. In both, we 
 can get hold of the fact that life is working upon inor- 
 ganic matter. But in both cases, also, the internal pro- 
 cesses are beyond our comprehension. AVe know as 
 little of the subtle movements through which, in na- 
 ture’s laboratory, the rain from heaven is changed into 
 the juice of the grape, as we do of the mysterious pro- 
 cess throuofh which Jesus chanofed the water at once 
 into wine. The former fact we readily admit. For we 
 are familiar with it, and see that it is formed by the 
 agency ot what we call nature’s laws. With the latter 
 fact we are unfamiliar. And because it seems an in- 
 fringement upon, or disturbance of those laws, we are 
 conscious ot a difBculty in accepting it. 
 
 But if the testimony concerning it be trustworthy, 
 this difficulty ought at once to disappear, provided it be 
 seen that this, as all of Jesus’ “signs,” is found to be in 
 harmony with those laws. This wine after its forma* 
 tion was subject to those laws. It, hence, must have 
 been formed alonor the line of the workirmof those laws 
 
 o ^ ^ o 
 
 — not in the same, but in a similar way, and by an ac- 
 celerated force given to the working ot those laws. 
 
 For, Jesus Himself declared in the strongest possible 
 manner the inviolability of law: “not one jot or title 
 of law shall piss away till all be fulfilled,” i. ^., shall 
 have completed its designed end. It may be said that 
 He speaks of the law mcral, and ceremonial. Admit- 
 ted, at least primarily so. But are those laws of more 
 importance in their fields ot operation than are the laws 
 of nature in their field? Did they not all come Irom- 
 Him? And could the Divine enactments in the king- 
 dom of nature, called “the ordinances of heaven and 
 earth” (Jer. xxxi, 25), be any more infringed upon by 
 Him than the same enactments m the kingdom of mor- 
 als? He came to accomplish, not disturb {kataluoo) 
 law. And it would have been a sorry commentary upon 
 His own word, had He, at the opening of His ministry, 
 
ass 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE, 
 
 and throughout it, tried to convince people that He came 
 alaw-fnlfiiler by disturbing, much more by violating the 
 laws by which He carries on the operations of the Uni- 
 verse. It must, therefore, be most certain that this 
 change of water into wine must have been effected in 
 perfect harmony with them. It must, therefore, be 
 true of this, as of every other ‘‘sign” which He wrouglit, 
 that it was in no possible way an infringement upon, 
 nor disturbance of what we call “laws of nature.” 
 Wliatever yielded to Him, yielded by its own laws, and 
 not otherwise. 
 
 His mission related to law. This necessitated His 
 perfect knowledge of all the laws ordained by The Cre- 
 ator for the reofulation and conservation of the Universe. 
 He. hence, must have known, (a), what a flood of light 
 Science, illuminated by His Spirit, would shed upon 
 their character and working; (b), what difficulties His 
 “signs” would meet with from their supposed antago- 
 nism to those laws,when called upon to confront the exac- 
 tions of the facts of the Universe, as made known with 
 every true advance of science; (c), that no matter how 
 enlarged the knowledge of those laws might become, 
 these “signs” must vindicate their right to be heard, 
 as facts having their own place in the world of mental 
 and physical phenomena, and their own mission to ful- 
 fill; and, (d), that the more clearly and fully these laws 
 and their mission were understood, the more widely 
 and heartily would their place, if His “signs,” and their 
 use, be recognized and acknowledged, as, (1), miracles, 
 L e.y “signs,” and, (2), as, also, at the same time, being 
 in perfect accord witli those laws. 
 
 And is it not a fact that the more clearly and fully 
 the workirm of the natural forces lias been understood 
 and the more deeply and widely that Jesus’ “signs” 
 have been investigated, the more strongly has the con- 
 viction come to scholarly and impartial thinking, that 
 the two are perfectly harmonious? And this fact shows, 
 
THE HOLY LIFE, 
 
 389 
 
 among other things, that Jesus, in Ilis working of 
 ‘•siorns ’’ sliowed an exhaustive knowledore of the work- 
 ing of nature’s laws, individually, and in all their inter- 
 relations, in any and in all possible circumstances. 
 And this must have been the fact if lie came from God. 
 For tlie Bible declares that both law and miracle came 
 fiom God. It, hence, could not be possible that One, 
 cominor accredited as the ‘‘Servant of Jehovah” could, 
 by the one, neutralize, or disturb the other. 
 
 Jesus did not know all things. But this much His 
 mission required that He should know. He need not 
 tell it, but He must know it, if a “Teacher from God.” 
 And this designation He accepted as His own. And, 
 ill His first discourse, He not only showed, in His words 
 about “the birth from above,” His perfect acquaintance 
 with the laws of Vitality, but further, declared that He 
 “spake what He knew, and testified what He had seen.” 
 Where? In the Unseen Universe (Jn. iii, 1113). And 
 His words suggest that the lines along which The Cre- 
 ator carries on all His operations, emanate from Him- 
 self, and move onward unbroken through all the seen 
 worlds. 
 
 And this position is being rapidly reached by Sci- 
 ence. It tells us that the laws throuo-h whose workincr 
 
 o o 
 
 water is changed into wine, are not potencies nor oper- 
 ators. In themselves there is no inherent energy. 
 Tliey are only modes of operation, lines along which 
 the potencies, which are back of them, act, processes or 
 sequences which we observe. Matter is lifeless. Then, 
 so must its properties be — the chemical, electrical and 
 gravity forces connected with it. Science has also dem- 
 onstrated, that “life can come only from life.” The 
 life, hence, in the visible Universe can come only ironi 
 life beyond it, that is, from the invisible Universe. It 
 would seem certain, then, that the visible has been de- 
 veloped out from tile invisible Universe — the position 
 taken in ‘"The Unseen Universe,” and which as yet has 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 390 
 
 been unanswered. And further, the Continuity of law^ 
 is now a generally accepted fact. Combining these 
 facts, the conclusion seems inevitable, that those laws 
 whose working we see, are but lines projecting from the 
 Unseen into the seen Universe. Some of these lines 
 we call ‘‘moral laws,” ^. those by which man’s moral 
 being is upheld and regulated. j* Some of these lines 
 we call “spiritual laws,” i, those acting upon man’s 
 spirit. And some we call “natural laws,” i, those 
 through which the physical world is sustained, kept in 
 motion, and developed. But in whatever department 
 these lines are found, along them the one and same 
 Life- Force acts always, and everywhere, invisibly, 
 though really present, distinct from, yet every instant 
 making itself felt along and through those lines. It is 
 this Life that gives that force which we see everywhere 
 working in inorganic matter. It is this Life which 
 gives and sustains the life which we see everywhere 
 working in organic matter. It makes itself felt, inces- 
 santly, in every part, and according to the nature of the 
 part impressed. And this life can be only life from the 
 omnipotent and omnipresent Creator. 
 
 So far as concerns the ordinary operations along those 
 lines we have no difficulty in admitting that this Life- 
 Force does change w^ater into wine. A miracle is noth- 
 ing else than this same Life-force acting, through and 
 along these lines, with accelerated force, causing that to 
 be done at once, and without the ordinary agencies, 
 which ordinarily is done by them, and tlirough the 
 usual ]U’ocesses. This definition may, perliaps, cover 
 all Jesus’ works except those of restoration to life; and 
 in these we see the direct working of that great truth, 
 “life to de ad matter can come only from life above and 
 outside of it.” 
 
 [*Tlie position suggested first by Sir W. R. Groves, in his, The 
 Correlntirn of Physical Forces ] 
 
 [tThat aspect of these laws, as given for the government of man 
 as free and responsible. But this comes not, here, into view.] 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 391 
 
 To these considerations another fact might be added. 
 We see everywhere in nature a constant tendency to 
 emancipate itself trom the law of physical necessity, 
 and to lift itself up by degrees into the sphere of liber- 
 ty. In crystalization, the tendency is to set itself free 
 from the law of gravity. In the vegetable world, plants 
 raise themselves into a mode of existence freer than 
 that of crystals. In the animal world we see the be- 
 ginning of the reign of liberty. In man we see the 
 sovereignty of will, in a measure, over nature. He, 
 though subject to, is yet able, in some degree, to act in- 
 dependently, and overcome the power, of physical law. 
 In the service of the higher law, called the law of liber- 
 ty (Jas. ii, 12), man is able to use the physical law as 
 his servant. 
 
 Now, is not this ever-ascending tendency towards 
 freedom a return to the principle of Intelligent Will to 
 which nature owes its existence? Does not matter ever 
 tend toward Spirit, its Creator? This fact is seen daily, 
 in matter organized to obey the moral force of the will, 
 as in the body obedient to the mind. And if, in this 
 limited sphere, matter is obedient, does it not follow 
 that if any one be in that position in which he can use 
 the power of the Will that created matter, he can thus 
 control matter at large, as easily as one governs the 
 body given to him by his Maker? And was not man, 
 as originally created, possessed, in some measure, at 
 least, of this larger dominion? 
 
 Man, then, may be in that position. Upon what 
 condition? In the liorht of the Creator’s words to Adam 
 
 O 
 
 w^e answer, that he wills that only, which The Creator 
 wills. 
 
 And was not this condition perfectly realized in 
 Jesus? Was He not perfectly holy, and perfectly obedi- 
 ent? Was not His submission of will absolute, com- 
 plete, and rooted in an absolutely holy nature? Did He 
 not, at a later day, declare, when explaining one ot His 
 
392 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 miracles, “The Son can do nothing from Himself; but 
 what things soever He seeth The Father do, these, also, 
 doeth The Son in like manner (Jn. v, 19)? His doing 
 then found its roots in His being. Between His Per- 
 son and works the closest relation existed. Thoroughly 
 in accord and in sympathy with nature Himself, all His 
 “signs^’ must be thoroughly in accord with nature’s 
 laws. Supernatural Himself, His works necessarily 
 must be so. To Him, hence, the great laboratory ot 
 nature’s forces was open. Its laws were subject to His 
 control — as, in special fields, and to a limited extent, they 
 are subject to us. Our supernatural was His natural. 
 And, hence, miracles, as we call them, were the normal, 
 spontaneous, and every day expressions of the energy giv- 
 en Him, thus to use,as the Servan t of J ehovah,and accord- 
 ing to the perfect law of liberty. Hence, they were no 
 disturbance, much less annihilation of the order of na- 
 ture, but the sanctification of it. They were images ray- 
 ing forth the glory of His Person, as nature is a mani- 
 festation of the activity of theimrnanent Creator. They 
 were proofs that “The Father loveth the Son, and hath 
 given all things into His hands” (Jn. iii, 35), and that 
 He, with this gift in His hands, wields the forces of na- 
 ture, only and always along all her lines of operation. 
 
 And if it should be objected that, in the ordinary 
 process of, say, turning water into wine, certain inter- 
 mediate steps must be observed, as, the pressing of the 
 grapes, &c., the answer is at hand. On the supposition 
 that the power that works the miracle is from the Au- 
 thor of nature’s laws, could He not dispense with, not 
 the laws, but the agencies? At present, electricity is 
 conveyed along wires. But may not the day come 
 when communications may be transmitted, by, say, the 
 magnet, and without the use of wires? And may not 
 The Creator act, without tlie aid of agencies, thi'ough 
 the laws of llis own formation? The laws do not say 
 no. And why should man? And, as a fact, the observers 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 393 
 
 did not. They recognized them, not as disturbances of 
 nature’s ordinary processes, but as manifestations of 
 tl)e Life- power existing in the invisible Universe, act- 
 in o- behind and throuorh nature. And the historian de- 
 dares that they were ‘‘signs.” Of what? Of the pres- 
 ence, there, of that Life which sustains nature, and 
 carries on all its operations, of Him so acting as to im- 
 press the beliolders with the thought, The Creator is 
 saying, “Lo, I am here.” 
 
 May we not, then, say that the “miracle”, which finds 
 its root in the creative activity of The Creator, whose 
 every fresh introduction of life into the cosmos, whether 
 in the past ages, or now, is a miracle, must have a place 
 in the creation which is, itself, a miracle? Does not 
 science declare that it is not the “laws of nature” which 
 produce the principle of life, but the latter which orig- 
 inates the former? Does not geology show that, du- 
 ring the vast sweep of ages which it traverses, eacli 
 stage was preparing for a next stage, and that each 
 succeeding stage was higher than the last one? And 
 would not the latter, thoudi introduced alonof the es- 
 tablished lines of the Divine working, and though on- 
 ly a higher manifestation of nature unfolding itself in 
 accordance with the principles of development im- 
 parted to it — would it not, when introduced, could it 
 be seen by the former, be regarded by it, as a miracle? 
 It would be supernatural to it. The chemical princi- 
 ple when introducing a new and higher stage into the 
 elementary world appeared a miracle to that world. 
 Then the higher principle of crystalization appeared as 
 above and beyond nature to the lower principle of 
 chemical affinity. Neither principle could originate 
 life. And its introduction and action in the inorganic 
 world, through the plant, would be a miracle, i, ^., be 
 above nature’s action, to the crystal. So would the an- 
 imal be to the plant, and man to the animal. Each 
 higher development would be supernatural as regards 
 
394 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 the lower, because it was something which the lower 
 could not accomplish; nor, perhaps, comprehend. 
 
 Now, does not the history of the cosmos up to the 
 entrance of man upon the Adamic earth, suggest, that 
 during the periods of the historical development ot the 
 race, such fresh movements of the creative energy, 
 working along the lines projecting from the unseen in- 
 to the seen universe, would from time to time appear? 
 And would not their appearance, because not according 
 to the usual course, strike men as above or beyond na- 
 ture? These are inferences, it is true. But they have a 
 most stable support in the history of the theocratic 
 kingdom. From the call of Abraham, a miracle of 
 word, accompanied with a miracle of deed, the giving 
 to him of spiritual life, down to the close of the his- 
 tory of the Jews, as given in the Hebrew Scriptures, 
 there were constant exhibitions of creative energy; and 
 they struck the people with surprise. These special 
 miracles of word and deed were invariably connected 
 with the general miracle of the preserving of the theo- 
 crat’c kingdom to the end designed. And, further, they 
 were exhibitions of the creative, 'or ruling activity of 
 God expressing itself in, and upon nature — thus show- 
 ing the vital connection of the theocratic kingdom with 
 the Theocracy of the universe, and that of the cosmos 
 with both.* Note, also, the close connection of these 
 facts with Jesus’ mission, as given by Peter. For the 
 most part the wonders of word were connected with the 
 wonders of deed; and the relation between them was 
 reciprocal. The deed was a sign that the word was 
 from The Creator, and the word was a confirmation of 
 the deed. And sometimes the deed was wrapped up in. 
 the word itself.f And as in the pre- Adamite, so in the 
 theocratic period, “signs’^ were manifestations of new 
 
 [♦Ex. xxiv, 10; Ph. cy, 5; Is. xxv, 1 ; Dan. vi, 27 ; Joel ii, 28- 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 395 
 
 and higher principles belonging to the system of the uni- 
 verse, and which, when the condition of things was 
 ready, brake through, not nature, but through the sphere 
 of the ordinary, to introduce, or to the introduction of, 
 a new and higher order of things. And to those unac- 
 customed to the new development they would be won- 
 ders, and appear to be something above and beyond na- 
 ture. That is, that nature, or strictly speaking, The 
 Creator, had thus far given in the ordinary w^orking, 
 no such manifestation of His direct action therein. 
 
 In each successive epoch of development there was 
 the introduction of life. This was especially and pecu- 
 liarly manliest in the Incarnation. E irth, during the 
 geological and hexahemeron periods w^as being prepared 
 for man. When it was ready, he appeared. So earth 
 and man were prepared for the introduction of Him by 
 whom life from God for humanity, ‘‘dead in trespasses 
 and sins,” and for the “groaning creation,” was to be 
 brought in. He was supernatural as looked at from 
 earth, but natural in the highest sense, as looked at 
 from the Unseen Universe. It was the introduction of 
 a new and higher Life. But this was not the abrupt 
 forcing of something foreign, abnormal and un-homo- 
 geneous to the cosmos, as prepared for man. For though 
 He who came was above and over all things. The Crea- 
 tor (Col. i, 16, 17, 5; xi, 36), yet He w^as The Son in the 
 Eternal Godhead, of which it is said, “One God and 
 Father of all, who is above and through all” (Eph. iv, 
 4). And the miraculous connected with His introduc- 
 tion took its place, immediately upon its introduction 
 into existence, in the orderly movements of nature. 
 He was subject to all the laws and conditions of human 
 development. And His Incarnation was the wonder 
 of wonders, the absolute miracle, the introduction of 
 the higher, and transforming Principle into the sphere 
 of tlie natural world, whereby not only human nature 
 would be lifted up to the proper level below which it 
 
396 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 had been degraded by sin, but, also, into the spiritual 
 world; and also the cosmos itself would be recovered 
 from the death which it has experienced from man’s sin. 
 
 This Incarnated One being Himself the Highest 
 Miracle of life, we must expect from Him the manifes- 
 tation of that Life. He came, announcing ‘‘the king- 
 dom of the Heavens.” Its re-establishment over earth 
 could be, only when earth and man were in full har- 
 mony with God. To accomplish this adjustment He, 
 the Highest Miracle, became incorporated with nature. 
 He, hence, could do notliing contrary to nature. The 
 history of the theocratic kingdom shows that at the 
 periods of the highest development, the miraculous en- 
 ergy was largely displayed. Manifestly, then, when 
 Jesus appeared — coming as He did to wrest the scepter 
 from Satan, transform and bring back earth to its right 
 place, and regenerate man — a great miracle itself — - 
 miracles must occupy a large place. And since His 
 object was transformation and regeneration, we must ex- 
 pect Him to effect those miracles, and show that power 
 over nature, by which the moral and physical nature of 
 man and his earth would be restored to the level below 
 which they had been depressed by sin. They must be 
 manifestations of the power of The Spirit dwelling in 
 Him, and of that perfect harmony which existed be- 
 tween spirit and nature before the Fall. They must 
 correspond to the peculiar relation which He sustains 
 to man, the earth, and to the living God, must be of a 
 moral character, and have a moral aim, and must be 
 an integral part of His redeeming work. 
 
 They must be all this, and more, too, to constitute 
 them authentications of a Messianic mission. If they 
 were not. Incarnation could not be, a fact. For, life, 
 from its very nature, must manifest itself. The higher 
 the life, the higher must be the maniiestation. Li!o 
 spiritual and Divine, must give spiritual and Divine 
 manifestations. It, therefore, Incariiatlon be a fact, it 
 
tHE ItOLY LIFE. 
 
 397 
 
 must be the introduction of Divine Life; and, hence, of 
 a higlier order of things. If miracles be not, Incarna- 
 tion is a myth. For tliese must be the outgoings of 
 that Life. And these, thonorh not miracles as viewed 
 from tlie Unseen Universe, must be regarded as mira- 
 cles by man. But being reflections of the nature of 
 God, revelations of Himself, they must be, not only in 
 strictest accordance with, but compreliended within, the 
 system of what men call ‘‘natural laws.” For these can 
 neither be annulled nor repealed. That is, they must 
 go along the lines of the Divine working — be products 
 which we call miracles, but which are natural with God, 
 — be necessary correlatives of the highest miracle in the 
 spiritual world, viz., Incarnation and Iledemption. 
 
 Possessing, as Jesus did, the measureless fulness of The 
 Spirit, to Him the look into Heaven, into the hearts of 
 men, and into tlie depths of the sea,^ the walk upon the 
 water, the transfiguration, and the resurrection and as- 
 cension were natural. So were the various miracles 
 which He wrought upon things, such as changing wa- 
 ter into wine, healing all maladies “flesh is heir to,” 
 and raising the dead. To Him they were easy, because 
 to Him natural. It was men only who were struck 
 with their supernaturalness. They regarded them as 
 terata^ woriderSy prodigies, because, up to that time, 
 beyond nature and dunaineis^ powers^ with which 
 they were not familiar -j* But they saw at once, or soon 
 learned, that they were seemeia^ signs of the presence of 
 a new principle at work, and supports of a new word 
 spoken, which had itself a new life for man. And from 
 the incarnate One they learned that they were erga^ 
 work^^ i, <?., natural (to Him), expressions of the life 
 which He possessed, and was introducing into the 
 
 [•'For ex., Nathaniel, the draught of fishes, and the tribute 
 money.] 
 
 [tOnce they expressed their amazement by, paradoxa^ ^'Htrange 
 things,'^ Luke v, 26.j 
 
398 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 world of man and his earlh. This last was tlie compre- 
 hensive name which Jesus Himself gave these expres- 
 sions. Tlie word indicates the exertion oi will and the 
 possession of power equal to all its demands. 
 
 To sum up we may say that Omnipotence is always 
 directly operative in nature. We see the efiects. Then, 
 by that faith by which we understand that the worlds 
 were framed by the word of God, we discover the prime 
 Causality, So, too, in the miracles. Faith sees that in 
 the creation of the cosmos a place was left tor these 
 manifestations of that aspect of The Creator’s higher 
 creative activity whose object is the restoration of the 
 cosmos to its true place in ^‘the kingdom of the lleav 
 ens.” And as expressions ot this new and higher 
 power entering into the sphere of humanity, 
 and for tliis exalted end, they point out to the con- 
 sciousness their self-revealing Cause. 
 
 We return to the narrative. John, writing years 
 after Jesus’ ascension, calls this miracle the “becrinninor 
 of the signs which Jesus did.” The beginnincr, and 
 who could have imagined such a beginning! It was a 
 decisive moment in the revelation of Jesus to Himself, 
 and to His disciples. He liad manifesfed miraculous 
 knowledge,* and now He exhibits miraculous power. 
 It was not merely teras^ a prodigy — a word which ex- 
 presses the subjective effect. A “wonder” strikes the 
 imagination, and produces the emotion of amazement 
 or astonishment. But it is powerless to enlighten the 
 mind, purify the heart, and elevate the life. But a 
 “sign” is much more. It is an indication of the ap- 
 proach or presence of something not seen; or, at least, 
 not seen as yet (Matt, xvi, 3; xxiv, 3). This miracle 
 was a sign of what? Of His glory. Veiled or shut up 
 in the un-trans])arent form of flesh, it here breaks fortli 
 in this effected transubslantiation. The substance 
 poured into the jars was w ter. The substance drawi* 
 
 [’•■JSee page 37o.J 
 
THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 399 
 
 out was wine. The change was eftected in tlie period 
 between these two acts of the servants. And this 
 change was a ‘‘sign/’ (a), of Jesus’ relation to The Crea- 
 tor, and to nature, as its Master; (b), of His conscious- 
 ness of possessing power sufficient to accomplish such 
 a work; (c), of — because a reffex of His moral nature 
 — His character, as full of holiness, coupled with a love 
 and tenderness which poured themselves forth in 
 streams ot blessing; (d), and of His absolute mastery 
 over nature, and its transfiguration by and through 
 His miraculous Personality. And in this “sign’’ — an 
 intimation and assurance of what might be expected 
 in the future — He so manifested His glory, that His 
 disciples saw in the fact the introduction of a new or- 
 der of tinners. And tlieir faith in Him, as “the Lamb 
 of God,” and “the Son of God” — the designations by 
 which He was thus far known to them — they found 
 was deepened, strengthened and enlarged. 
 
 Jesus’ public miracles belonged to His Messianic 
 character and relations. They were proofs of the pres- 
 ence of the Kinordom, and intended for the awakeninof 
 and confirming ot the nation's taith in Him as Tlie 
 Messiah. But part of His miracles were wrought pri- 
 vately.* These belong to His Adamic character and 
 relations, respect the intercallated Institution, the 
 Church, and were wrought by Him as The Son of M in. 
 They were wrought at the solicitation of others, and in 
 response to the exercise of faith. This was the one in- 
 dispensable medium. Nothing but positive unbelief 
 prevented the power from taking effect. And Jesus’ 
 heart-searchino* look ever enabled Him to see when the 
 attempt would be useless. They answered private ends, 
 such .as the benefit of the recipient, or the instruction, 
 and the strengthening and enlarging of tlie faith, of 
 His disciples. 
 
 pFor example, Matt, viii, 2, 3, 23-27 ; xiv, 23-33; xvii, 27 ; Mk. 
 vi, 47-51; Lk. v, 4-9; Jn. ii, 4-10; iv, 46-54; vi, 17-21 ; xxi, 6, (fee.] 
 
400 
 
 THE HOLY LIFE. 
 
 This miracle was a private one. Its end was, not a 
 p oof of His Messiahship, for on that subject He had, 
 as yet, not spoken a word, but the manifestation of His 
 personal glory, and the confirming the faith of His 
 new disciples. The medium was not the faith of the 
 family or groom, of the servants, or of the ruler. The 
 act of the servants was one of simple obedience, as ser- 
 vants. They had not, apparently, any idea of the 
 change wrought in the water. Nor did the ruler nor 
 family exercise, nor had they any data upon which to 
 base any exercise of, faith, as to any miraculous energy. 
 The only one, so far as the narrative gives any light, 
 who could have been the medium of faith, was the 
 mother of Jesus. And her confidence appears in her 
 word to her Son, and in her word to the servants. And 
 the private character of the miracle is clear from the 
 fact that — so far as the record shows— no impression 
 was made upon the public mind, and no public expec- 
 tation was aroused. Nay, because not connecting itself 
 with their spiritual needs or with a struggle of mind or 
 conscience, it was soon forgo' ten by the guests, and made 
 no permanent impression upon even Jesus’ brothers. 
 
 But though private, it was very significant, and was 
 wrought for high moral ends; (a), to mark His transi- 
 tion from the privacy of family life to the activity of 
 public ministry; (b), to awaken faith in Himself, in 
 His own relatives, and to strengthen with Divine as- 
 surance the faith of His new disciples; and, (c), having 
 set aside the human impulse influencing His mother, 
 to give her assurance, that, notwithstanding His re- 
 proof, His filial love was as strong and pure as ever. 
 Done at lier implied request, through her faith, and 
 for the relief of a family’s embarrassment, this Cana 
 wonder with which He opened His ministry, was a 
 miracle of filial piety, as the Bethany wonder, with 
 which, almost, it closed, was a miracle of His personal 
 feelings towards a friend. 
 

 
 
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