September, I92i
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T:E1E .""'..,.. fre,e ~resl?~terian.'" ~aga3tne Ani MONTHLY RECORD. VOL. XXVI. SEPTEMBER, I92I. No. S. ~be J8ternaI 'Wlor~. o the thoughtful and attentive rell-der of the Gospel according T to John, there are two striking characteristics which!piesent t!}emselves-the one is the extraordinary simplicity :of the wording; a'nd the other, the extraordinary depth of the truth presented, in such simple language. The very simplicity of the latiguage,is,apt to make one lose sight of the S'e'cond characteristic, just as the clearness of a lake, permitting one to see to the depths, is apt to hide the very depth that is revealed by the' clearness. 'The opening verses of the Gospel begin with that august simplicity, 'that is maintained tnroughout the marvellou§l narrative of the sayings and doings of the Son of God-"'ln the beginning was th'e Word, and the Word was with God, and the 'Word was God." Yet-how unsearchableare the truths presented to us lin -language clothed in the very majesty of simplicity? Many attempts have been made by expositors to explain'the name by which thetbelov~d disciple designates the Lord of Glory: some of these have been very successful; while' others have only multiplied words without knowledge. The openirig words of the Gospel recall tHe opening words of Genesis; but, wbereas in Genesis,'" the beginning" is the first moment of time and creation, in the Gospel, John directs our thoughts beyond the beginning, and speaks, of that which "was" when time began. When God created the heavens and the earth, the Word "was.", This Word, which was in. the beginning, says the Evangelist, speaking under the inspiration of , the Spirit, "was ,with God." This phrase; in the original,' is a remarkable one; The 'idea it expresses is n0t so much two persons contemplated separately in company, as that relationship which existed between the Father and Son, in which there was continual intercourse and communion. " In,the ,third statement made by the Evangelist about .the Word, he reaches a point beyond which it is for ever impossible to ,go. in dig'nity and , 9 The F,ee P,esbyte,ian Magazine. position-" the Word was God." We trust that, simple though the words are, our readers, like ourselves, feel that they are, face to face with the deep things of God. The designation by which the Lord is here made known is not common in the New Testament; but it is the name, we believe, specially chosen to set forth the character of Him of whom it is written: "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the 'bosom of the Father, He hathdeclared Him" (John i. T8). This verse 'gives the key to the interpretation of the name. The .Word's great mission was to make declaration once and for ever concerning that God who had not been seen by man at any time. Any view that was ever granted to any of the children of men was only in part, but the Word came to make full declaration of God, who had not been seep by man at any time. And in order that this should be accomplished, " the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among ris." One may reach the Evangelist's great conception by looking at the matter from the human standpoint. When we speak of a man's words, we generally think of them as the expression of the thoughts of his mind, .at least, this would be always the case had it not been for the schism sin has brought into the body, causing such division between the mind and the lips, so that there is often a g·reat di~ergence between thoughts and words. But had there been no sin, every word a man.uttered would be in accordance with the thought of his mind. In other words, a man's word would b~ the outward expression of the secret thought of his .mind. When we.speak about God the disturbing element of sin is eliminated, but the idea suggested to us from the above remains, viz., that, in designating the Lord Jesus as the Word, the Evangelist wishes to convey to us the sublime truth that He who tabernacled among men was the living expression of the thoughts that were in the mind of the eternal God to' perishing sinners, who were to be saved with an everlasting .salvation. The great mystery, which had been kept secret from eternal ages, was now revealed, not in a partial ;manner, but in all its infinite fulness. No man ever 'saw God after this manner at any time, it was the ,only begotten Son, who .dwelt in His. b()som, that declared Him. As the Word His revelation of the thoughts of the Eternal Mind is not to be confined to the de~larations He made in His preaching, wonderful though these were, but must be extended to (I) all He was, (2) all He did and suffered, and (3) all He said and taught. In all these He was the living expression of the thoughts that were in God's mind from the eternal ages. , (I) In all He was. In the mysterious cO!Jstitution, Of His person-two natures-perfectly divine and perfectly human-and , yet one Person-we have the thoughts of God expressed as to what He saw necessary to the accomplishment of His great salvation. The' manner of His coming into the world-His being born of a Virgin-His lowly birth-His being made under the law-all these proclaim to us the thoughts which were in the The Eternal Word. 13 1 mind of God from ev(':rlaliting,and have nOw been declared by Him who is the Word. (2) In all He did andsuffired. The wonderful lif~ of obedience, so far transcending anything hithe'rto witnessed, was but the expres sion of God's thought-as to what~was r-equired in theJulfilment·of . God's gracious design. The suffering, .somysterious and so' solemnly set before us within the volume or-the Book, was' an expression of the thoughts that were in the mind of the Great Judge, who gave to the Sword of Justice the most awful command~' it ever received: "Awake! 0 Sword, against my Shepherd, arid against the man that is my Fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts; smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." In enduring the curse to the 'utferinost the Word made flesh revealed the thoughts of God concerning the penalty required .to make an end of sin. (3) In all He said and taught. In the gracious invitations addressed to perishing sinners, in the.words of mercy that fell from His lips, the Lord Jesus, as the Word, was revealing the thoughts that were in God's mind from all eternity, and to His own people these were thoughts of love and not of evil. When He said tp the palsied man: "Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven theej" He was giving expression to a tliought that was in God's mind before the world was, and which was to be declared for the encouragement of one ruined in sin. Such a ·message as this throws a flood of light on, the name given to Him. by the Apostle-the'God of all comfort. It was also true that in all He taught He was declaring the thoughts that were in the Eternal Mind from the everlasting ages. Men marvelled as He set forth I he laws of the Kingdom of Heaven. He spoke with such <luthor-ity that they cI'lUld not help contrasting His teaching with that of their spiritual guides, to the unconcealed disparagement of the' latter. The more one ponders over this great theme, the more ready will one 'be to join with 'the Apostle in his adoring ,acknowledgment of the deep purposes ;of the God of salvation': "0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdGm' and knowledge \. of .God! how un'searchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out"! (Rom. xi. 33)' HE that 1<\lVe~ not.Christ more than his life, bids fair to lose both Christ and his life. Christ, as a loadstone,-draws souls to Himself; and, as crystal amongst stones, He gives .them a lustre. The only way to avoid some temptations, is humbly to fall down on your face. If we make haste to perform our duty, God will make haste to give us our r,eward. Saints' sins are new sufferings to Christ; and their afflictions are His wounds. Reading of the scripture promotes .meditation, and meqitation prayer, and prayer every good work: Men may come too late to God; but He can never come too late to them.-John Brown., 13 2 The Free Presbyterian Magqzine. lRotes of a Sermon. By THE'REV. D. MACFARLANE, DINGWALL. "And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as' a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; but Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and , the rejoicing of the hope finn unto the end."-HEBREWS iii. 5,6. I N the first, chapter the Apostle, for various reasons, tells. that God spoke to the fathers by the prophets, that His first way of speaking to men on earth was by the prophets to the fathers, and what has he in view in telling them this? The great prophet, Jesus Christ, was !lOW come, and there was an end to prophecy and prophets.