was made a god, for how could a man be changed into a god? how could a finite being be endowed with omnipotence and omniscience? How could all things be made by a creature? "Unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O

God, is for ever and ever." Some tell us that God is the throne on which Christ sits; but this cannot be, for every throne derives its dignity from the sovereign that sits on it; and so dignified is Christ that all the angels are inferior to him. Christ is "God over all, blessed for ever." This is a plain declaration, in which Christ is not only called God, but God over all. He is also called "Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God;" and as it is impossible to separate the power of God from God, and the wisdom of God from God, he who has the power of God and the wisdom of God, must be God. He is " my Lord and my God."

He is the mighty God.-I am Alpha and Omega, thẹ beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. That he is mighty is evident from the creation of all things. "By him were all things created." By an act of his will, and without means or labour, he spake and it was done. A drop of rain as well as the great ocean, a grain of sand as well as the great globe we inhabit, proclaim his omnipotence. That he is mighty appears from his preservation of all things. He upholdeth all things by the word of his power. From day to day all things exist by the same power that brought them into being. His energy, which set worlds in motion, keeps them in motion. He keeps all the planets in their orbits, and binds them to the centre sun, around which they roll from age to age in silent grandeur. His might appears in the government of the world. Nothing occurs by chance, for Christ is the "Governor among the nations." He restrains the wicked, chains their evil passions, and confounds their deepest

schemes. His might appears in the conversion of sinners, and the spread of the gospel. How often has the proud heart been humbled! How often has the cruel tiger been changed into a lamb! How often has the shut heart been opened to pour forth a stream of benevolence to benefit mankind! And how astonishing has been the progress of the gospel! Truly the empire of Christ is an empire of love, which will extend over the whole earth, and last for ever.

MAY 8.

The Eberlasting Father.

"His name shall be called The everlasting Father."-Isa. ix. 6.

THE term "Father," as applied to Christ, does not refer to his personality in the Godhead, but to the tender and intimate relation in which he stands to believers. The term "everlasting" means eternity, and probably eternity to come; so that Christ is truly the Father of eternity future, or the gospel dispensation. He is the author and director of gospel eternity-the Father of eternal life.

How is Christ the Father of eternal life?—He hath procured it by his death. His death, as an atonement for sin, furnishes ample ground for the bestowment of eternal life on the lost and perishing, and in the gospel he presents it as a free gift to man. "And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life; and this life is in his Son." "I am come, that they might have life." He produces eternal life in sinners by his word and spirit. "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth." The spirit breathes upon the slain, and they live. "Except a man be born of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." And he exemplifies this life, having left us a pattern or example, which we would do well to follow.

212

THE EVERLASTING FATHER.

He

What does Christ as a Father for his children ?—He instructs them in their duty to God and to all men. instructs them how they may face difficulties, bear trials, and prepare for a better world. He protects them from danger. Afflictions, adversities, temptations, and enemies beset them on all hands, while in themselves they are helpless; but Christ is their arm every morning. He is with them, always with them, and therefore far more than all that can be against them. He provides for them. Earthly parents, by misconduct and neglect, often fail in this; but Christ never. "Their bread shall be given them, and their water shall be sure." He corrects them when they are wrong. His corrections are always salutary, and a proof of his love, while they are only administered when needed. "What son is he whom the Father chasteneth not?"

What should his children do for him?-They should love him. This love should sink deep into our hearts, and kindle a fire of love in us. "We love him because he first loved us." They should honour him. No one ever did so much for us, and therefore we should reverence him in our hearts, and glorify him by our conduct. "All men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." They should obey him. Obedience is the best test of love; and so worthy is Christ of ours, that it should be sincere, constant, and universal. They should love all who bear his image. "Hereby shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." O my soul, prize this Father of eternal life; for though friends die, Jesus lives for ever.

MAY 9.

The Prince of Peace.

"His name shall be called The Prince of peace."-Isa. ix. 6.

Christ is a prince. He possesses great dignity. He is

God in our nature.

THE PRINCE OF PEACE.

213

He is Messiah the Prince. He is a
He is the Prince of Life. He is

Prince and a Saviour.
the Prince of the kings of the earth. Once he had a
crown of thorns, but now he has a crown of glory. Once
he had a purple robe, emblem of mock royalty; but now
he is clothed with light and splendour. Once he had a
reed for a sceptre, but now he holds the sceptre of
universal empire.
Once he stood as a criminal before an
unjust judge, but now he sits on a throne of glory, the
Judge of all. Once he was left alone when he most
needed friends, but now his attendants are myriads of
angels. He possesses great excellences. His wisdom in
conducting the affairs of his kingdom is without deficiency;
his justice to all is without partiality; his love is so great
that it embraces the whole human family; and his power
to execute judgment and control enemies is irresistible.
All his subjects declare that never prince reigned like this
Prince. They sing his praises, and crown him Lord of
all. He possesses vast dominions. Heaven, with all its
principalities and powers, is under his sway; earth, with
all its kingdoms and changing dynasties, is ruled by him ;
and hell, with all its orders of fallen angels and wretched
prisoners, is under his feet, for he keeps its keys. O my
soul, hast thou owned the authority of this Prince? Art
thou subject to him, and willingly giving him the homage
which is his due?

Christ is the Prince of Peace.-He has made peace between heaven and earth. Sin created war between God and man, and erected an impassable barrier; but Christ hath made peace through the blood of his cross, removed the barrier, and opened a new pathway to heaven. He shed his blood "to reconcile all things unto himself, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." The gathering storms are now dispersed, and the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness shed their radiance on

214

THE PRINCE OF PEACE.

our sin-darkened and sin-ruined world. He makes peace between man and man's self. Every man is at war with himself. He goes astray from the womb, and his conscience chronicles his sin, and bitterly reproves him. But when he yields to the Prince of Peace, he is filled with joy and peace in believing; he becomes spiritually-minded, which is life and peace; and though in the world he shall have tribulation, yet in Christ he shall have peace, and peace shall flow into his heart like a river. He makes peace between the believer and all other men. His gospel believed makes lambs of lions, and doves of ravens. makes once passionate and fiery men follow the things that make for peace. What a noble legacy he has left to all his disciples! "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you." Is this peace my present possession; and does it make me feel that a fragment of heaven has been let down to earth?

It

MAY 10.

Death Appointed.

"It is appointed unto men once to die."-Heb. ix. 27.

WE are here informed that death is by divine appointment that we can only die once-and that all must die.

Death is by divine appointment.-Because of sin, and as the result of sin, death reigns, and God has appointed it to reign. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." It cannot be accounted for on principles of physiology, for if God had willed it, we might have lived as long as the antediluvians. Neither can it be viewed as the result of chance; neither is it correct to say, when any one dies, that he has paid the debt of nature. Sin is the sole cause of this certain appointment, for there is no evidence that man would die if he had continued holy, and as