BY THE REV. JOHN MACDONALD, CALCUTTA.
I. “Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh.”—I. Tim. iii. 16.
THERE was darkness over the green plains of Judea, whilst some shepherds of Bethlehem there watched their slumbering flocks. Of a sudden, radiant and reviving beams of light travelled from heaven, and chased away the gloom of darkness; the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them. The presence of the bright spirit troubled their simple minds, but his words were words of kindness and gladness—“Fear not,” said he, “for I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” He announced the birth of a Babe in the neighbouring town of Bethlehem, whom he called a “Saviour,” and “Christ,” and “the Lord,” and forthwith the heavenly host that surrounded Him, together raised a song, the like whereof had never yet entered the heart of man:—“Glory to God in the highest peace on earth, good will to the children of men.”
The song had ceased. The darkness and silence of night returned; but the shepherds hastened to Bethlehem. “Come,” said they, one to another, “let us now go even to Bethlehem, and see this great thing which has come to pass.” Arrived, they entered a lowly stable in the place, and find the subject of the angels’ song—an infant in a manger! and over it leaned she who was the “highly favoured among women,” its virgin mother. No purple nor fine linen were the Infant’s raiment; it was meanly wrapped in such swaddling clothes as poor parents could procure in a strange place. On the humble Babe the shepherds fixed their earnest gaze. Their hearts were full; and, as “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh,” so they went away wondering and rejoicing, and “made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.”
More distant, more exalted visitors, called from their home by some bright “Star in the East,” next entered that lowly place the shepherds had but lately left. Their errand was the same—to see Him that was born “King of the Jews;” but more, for, as Gentiles, they came to do Him homage. They counted not on their wisdom, age, or rank, but fell down and worshipped Him, “who liveth for ever and ever,” being taught by God to look through the veil of human flesh that shrouded the Lord of Glory.
They opened their treasures, and
“There did they yield Him, in costly devotion,
Odours of Edom and offerings divine,
Gems of the mountain, and pearls of the ocean,
Myrrh from the forest, and gold from the mine.”
Again, soon after, another band of men, but oh, how different! were seen approaching Bethlehem. Every sweet babe these men can find in mothers’ arms, or at rest in smiling slumber, they seize and barbarously murder; they leave not alive one child of two years old and under, in all the country round. And was the little Babe of the manger there? No, He was in the far distant land of Egypt; thither has His parents fled with Him, and there they remained until the cruel Herod, that sought his life, was no more. . . .
A few years pass, and we find in the Temple of Jerusalem a Child disputing with the learned doctors and scribes, until they are filled with amazement at His knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. His mother enters, seeking Him; and He, who is the wonder of the learned rabbins, goes home submissively with her, and answers to her rebuke, “Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” And who is this Father, whose business is to be found in the Bible, and in the holy temple? Can you, my dear reader, from experience tell me?
In the spirit and power of Elijah, and in the rough and homely garb of an ancient prophet of Israel, such as had not been seen for hundreds of years, who is this that cometh from the wilderness—so rugged in his apparel—so mighty in His words? The Prophet of the Highest, that prepareth the way of the Lord, that saith unto the cities of Judah, “Behold your God.” Hear the Baptist preach in the midst of the thousands that surround him, “Repent, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand;” and them that repent he baptises.
But, behold ! He that was the Divine Babe in the manger, and the Child of Wisdom in the temple, approaches. John points to Him, and saith to the multitude, “His shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.” And to Himself the Baptist says, “I have need to be baptized by Thee, and comest Thou to me?” However, after some persuasion, the Baptist suffers it to be so, and bathes the sacred person of his Lord in the waters of the Jordan. Forthwith a door is opened in heaven, and a glorious Being in the form of a dove is seen descending on that honoured head, whilst a voice comes forth from the excellent glory in the words, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And what Father is that, whose voice could issue from glory ? It was the Eternal God Himself—it was His Spirit who descended ; and this beloved Son was Jesus Christ—and these Three the one God, equal in power and glory. O my dear young friends ! how could we believe that so glorious a scene as this had ever been upon our sinful earth, if we knew it not on the word of God Himself. Believe in the Name of that well-beloved Son, and you shall yet be with this glorious Three; you shall be where they are; you shall be in them and they in you; and then shall you know and be swallowed up in these things, though now you cannot understand them (John xvii. 20-24).
And whither did Jesus next direct His steps ? Was it back to the peaceful home of Joseph and Mary ? Ah, no ; He was now to be a “Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief,” and grief of every kind—tempted by the devil, persecuted by man, “bruised and put to grief” by His Heavenly Father for imputed sin (Isaiah liii.). Mark the commencement of this work. The Lamb of God, “bearing the sin of the world” (John i.), enters the wilderness; and meditating, perhaps with his whole soul, on that redemption which He was about to work out, and which you, poor, careless sinner, despise, little knowing what awaits you. He wanders alone, day and night, for six weeks, amongst ravenous beasts, without one morsel of food. Whilst worn out with fatigue, hunger, and thirst, Satan, the great enemy of heaven and earth, comes near to Him, and harasses Him with unholy temptations. Oh how painful it is for a holy being to be in the sight of such an abominable, filthy demon ! much more to hear his impure conversation, and much more still to be assailed by his blasphemous temptations. This is often the bitterest misery of God’s own people, who are yet but imperfectly holy; how vastly more so to the spotless Lamb of God ! If, however, you still love sin, you will see very little pain in the temptations of Jesus; and for this reason, like the Jews of old, you love your father the devil (John viii. 44), and would therefore think it far greater misery to pine for hunger and thirst during forty days and forty nights, than to be tempted to disbelieve and disobey God, who is not your Father. But Jesus was victorious over the Prince of Hell and the “god of this world,” and thus was qualified to become “a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God—for in that He Himself hath suffered, being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted.” (Heb. ii.).
In this was pain; yet it came from him, from whom it might be expected. But how was He received by them whom He came to save? He enters upon His public ministry, and for the space of three years seeks no rest for the “sole of His foot,” but “went about continually doing good.” He heals their sick, cures their lame, gives sight to their blind, hearing to their deaf, raises their dead, cleanses their lepers, travels from city to city, from village to village, preaching the Gospel of Salvation through His own blood to perishing thousands; sits, from morning to night, in the temple or in the desert, teaching the way of life eternal, and from night to morning watches amongst the mountains unto meditation and prayer; hungry, thirsty, and exhausted with fatigue, without a resting-place for His head, or a home to shelter Him, He seems to think nothing too much for our salvation. And how did men receive Him, or reward Him for all this?
They seek to murder Him, by casting Him over a precipice—they take up stones to stone Him—they persecute Him from their coasts—they hold council after council to put Him to death, yet cannot find a cause—they pursue Him as a madman, a glutton, a drunkard, a blasphemer, an associate of devils, nay, a very devil himself! Yet none of these can they prove Him to be. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy—”He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not” (Isaiah liii.). And thus did He willingly, during His life, endure those sufferings which are a part of the curse of sin—sufferings that were completed by His death—and sufferings which had this for their end, that a redemption might be wrought out, through faith in which guilty rebels, as you and I, might be freely pardoned, and have the favour and image and everlasting enjoyment of God restored to our ruined souls.