SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 9028, 5 November 1892, Page 12 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

INFINITE CONDESCENSION. " For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabited eternity, whose name is Holy : I dwell in the high and holy place, with Him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."— lvii., 15. This verse may with reverence be termed God's own description of His two dwelling places. How amazing the contrast anddis-S parity ; inhabiting eternity, and—the human bosom. The great of the earth associate with the great ; kings have their abodes in palaces; one of His palaces is the lowly heart. Inconceivable is the distance oi those stars whose light takes millions of years in travelling to our earth; and yet what is this ? a mere span, compared to the distance which separates the creature from the Creator. We are " but of yesterday." Our days are as an handbreadth — "as a dream # when one awaketh!" Eternity is the biography of the Almighty—ages and 'eras the pages of the vast volume! If our distance from Him be great as creatures, it is greater still as sinners. Yet this high and lofty one, dwelling in the high and holy place, and whose name is Holy, deigns to be the inmate of the humble, contrite spirit, and to listen to its penitent sighs. Oh, unutterable, unimaginable stoop ! The sovereign visiting the abode of poverty is earth's illustrative picture and symbol of condescension. Yet what, after all, is this, but one perishable mortal visiting another perishable mortal. But here is Omnipotence dwelling with weakness, Majesty with nothingness, the Infinite with the finite, Deit,y with dust! How this " precious thought" ennobles, elevates, consecrates the human soul. That home of earth is ever afterwards rendered illustrious where royalty has sojourned. "If a man love me," says Jesus, " he will keep My words, and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him and make Our abode with him." What, 0 Lord, is man, that Thou art thus mindful of him, and the son of man, that Thou visitesc him? Prepare my heart for Thy reception. Rend Thy heavens and come down; fill its temple courts with Thy glory. May all its sprinkled, like the sacred vessels of old, with the consecrating blood—be dedicated to Thy service. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, 0 God, thou wilt not despise," Destroy every pedestal of pride. Make me humble—keep me humble. What have I to be proud of Nothing. I am dependent continually on Thy bounty. My existence —my health—my strength—my I reason—are a loan from Thee the Great Pro- : prietor, who canst, in the twinkling of au eye, paralyse strength, dethrone reason, arrest the pulses of joyous life, and write upon all I have," Ichabod, the glory has departed !" Much more is this the case in spiritual things — pensioner from hour to hour on redeeming grace and love ;—but for Jesus, lost for ever I" It is lying low at the foot of His cross that I can learn how the greatest of all beings can be the most condescending of all. "I cease to wonder at anything," said an ardent believer, " after the discovery of God's love to me in Christ." " Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth —Rev. J. R. Macduff. IV.-THE NAME; Elohim, the first name by which God is revealed in the Bible, is a plural noun. Thus in Gen. i., 26, Elohim says, "Let us." Iu chapters iii., 22; xi., 7, and also in Isaiah vi., S, the same word us is used. In Eccl. xii., 1, the Hebrew has " thy Creators," and in Prov. ix., 10, the knowledge not of the Holy One, but of the Holy Ones, is spoken of; so also in Hos. xi., 12. Yet with the name Elohim, though a plural noun, there is constantly joined a verb in the singular, as if we should say "the Gods is," instead of "the Gods are;" or, " the Gods makes," instead of " the Gods make." In the English language, when we have an adjective we are content to use it without change to express a quality of anything to which it can be applied. Thus we say a good man, a good woman, a good child, a good book—good men, etc. Masculine, feminine, or neuter, singular or plural, good stands for all, and it is the same with every word expressing a quality, which saves a great deal of trouble. In many other languages, however, an adjective used with a word iii the singular must have a letter or a syllable added when used with the same word in the plural. In the Hebrew Bible the adjectives used with Elohim are generally in the singular, as when we read " the living," or " the righteous" Elohim, these words are in the singular. In a very few places this name ' Elohim' is joined with plural verbs (see Gen. xx., 13; xxxv., 7; 2 Sam. vii., 23), and adjectives (Deut. iv., 7; v., 26; Josh, xxxiv., 19; 1 Sam. xvii., 26-36; Psalm lviii., 12; Jer. x., 10; xxiii., 36). But in all these cases, except the first two, where perhaps angels are referred to, the name ' Jehovah' is connected with 'Elohim;' and the plural adjective or verb may be used to teach us that in the one ' Jehovah' there is the ' plurality of the Elohim.'"* Here then was a mystery hard to be understood through all the ages which passed, until He, who is the Truth (John xiv., 6), came to bring the life which is the knowledge of God (John xvii., 3), God, declared to be one God, and yet constantly named by a name which stands for more than one; and yet, again, with that name which stands for more than one, other words used as if it stood for only one. The gospel by John begins by speaking of the Word who was with God, and who wan God, and then goes on to say that by that Word the worlds were made, repeating the statements at once with emphasis, as if to make it clear that there was no mistake, " Without Him was not anything made that hath beon made." In Col. i., 15, 18; in Heb. i., 2, the same truth is set forth in the plainest language. The Son, by whom the Father made the worlds, was God, was Elohim, was with the Father, but we are carefully guarded against sup Dosing that He was himself the Father. He was sent by (John v., 22, 23, 38; vii., 33; viii., 17, 18), was going to (John xiv., 28; xvii., 25.) and for an awful instant felt Himself for saken by the Father (Matt, xxvii., 46). He was the Son, and not the Father, and yet He and the Father are one (John x., 30), words which give no ground for the strangely irreverent additions of the Athanasian Creed, which have so long stood in the way of simple faith. In His power, in His glory, in His oneness with the Father, the elder brother, infinitely condescending, desires that His brethren may share; He earnestly prayed chat so it might be, and gave His life that His prayer might be granted (John xvii., 11, 20-22; John xi., 51. 52). , „ . ''I am one with you there" is a not uncommon phrase among ourselves. It means that he who speaks, agrees thoroughly on some point with him to whom he speaks. But human oneness is, at best, an imperfect thing. Two persons may aim heartily at the same end, yet the one may seek to reach it by means which to the other seem useless, or even mischievous One in desire, they cannot, then, be one in action. Suppose, however, that it were possible for them to gain exact and perfect knowledge as to the best means to their common end. Then they *"The Names of God in Holy Scripture," p. 17, by Andrew Jukes. ■ ,

own knowledge might bo that Sit friend was yet greater (Mar. xiii 32. John „ 35; v., 19?20,26, 30; viii oft iL,"! ohn "!* desire friend ; and if he knlw g SttSS&K same end would urge them to followif one man the same advice; and this th«w ™T„niV* & most anxious to do if thVSdS'&BEf in the superiority of the knowledge recont ° Ue maQ Such perfect oneness in'following directions on any one point would imply perfect faith in the director Perfect one Son all points, a trust which cannot exist in perfection if there be any self-seeking, 80 that perfeet oneness must mean perfect unselfish ness—in other words, perfect love. One with j the Father, it was meet to the Son to do the will of that Father, who is love itself (John iv., 34; v., 30; vi., 38 ; 1 John iv., 8). It is love which is the bond of perfectness, and love seeketh not its own (Col. iii,, 14 . 1 Cor. xiii., 4, 5). ' In the beginning, the Father by the Son Elohim, one perfect will, and perfectly one will, in perfect love created the heaven and the earth. * READING THE BIBLE. The much importance cannot be attached to reading the Bible by some systematic plan. Probably not one out of a hundred of those who profess religion do this, and, perhaps. not one out of a thousand. The great bulk of those who read the Bible at all read at random, both as to the time when they read and the place whero they read. And the profound ignorance of the "Scriptures among the masses is not to be wondered at when it is known how little time and attention is given to the reacting of the Word, and hovn carelessly that little is done. How much would a student know of mathematics, or astronomy, or chemistry, or any other science, if he should pursue his studies in that science in the same way that the average Christian studies his Bible? He never would learn anything. The Bible is a systematic book, teaching us the science oi Salvation, and to learn the science we need to study it systematically and thoroughly. God's word is a deep mine, its treasures are found were we do not expeci, gems and sparkling pearls are found where we thought there was nothing but sand and gravel. Now, to get it all, we must explore the whole, and nothing that God has made in nature or written in His Word is beneath our attention. Then let God's Word be read in its entirety, until it has become familiar.— W. F. CIiAFTS. THE GARCIOUS INVITATION, Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest,"— xi., :!8. Gracious " word " of a gracious Saviour, on which the soul may confidently repose ami be at peace for ever ! It is a present rest— the rest of grace as well as the rest of glory. Not only are there signals of peace hung out from the walls of heaven —the lights of Home glimmering in the distance to cheer our footsteps ; but we have the shadow of this great Rock in a present weary land. Before the Throne alone is there the "sea of glass,' without one rippling wave ; but there is a haven even on earth for the tempest tossed —" We which have believed do enter into rest." Reader, hast thou found this blessed reEose in the blood and work of Iminanuel' ong going about seeking rest and finding none, does this "word" sound like music in thine ears"Come unto Me?" All other peace is counterfeit, shadowy, unreal. The eagle spurns the gilded cage as a poor equivalent for his freeborn soarings. The soul's immortal aspirations can be satisfied with nothing short of the possession of Gods favour and love in Jesus. Row unqualified is the invitation! If there had been one condition in entering this covenant Ark, we must have been through eternity at the mercy of the storm. But all are alike warranted and welcome, and none more warranted than welcome. For the weak, the weary, the sin burdened and sorrow burdened, there is an open door of grace. Return, then, unto thy rest, 0 my soul! Let the sweet cadence of this "word of Jesus" steal on thee amid the disquietudes of earth. Sheltered in Him, thou art safe for time, safe for eternity. There may be, and will be, temporary tossings, fears and misgivings—manifestations of inward corruption ; but these will only be like the surface heavings of the oceon, while underneath there is a deep settled calm. " Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace" (lit. peace, peace) " whose mind is stayed on Thee." In. the world it is care on care, trouble on trouble, sin on sin; but every wave that breaks on the believer's soul seem sweetly to murmur, " Peace, peace." » And if the foretaste of this rest be precious, what must be the glorious consummation ! Awaking in the morning ot immortality, with the unquiet dream 01 earth over— lost in sight, and hope in fruition ; no more any bias to sinno more latent principles of evilnothing to disturb the spirit's deep everlasting tranquilitythe trembling magnet of the heart reposing, when alone it can confidently and permanently rest in the enjoyment of the Infinite God. " These things have I spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace." -Rev. J. R. Macduff. SPEAK THOU TO ME, 0 LORD I Above the clangour and the strife, Above the littleness of life. Above earth's flatteries and smiles, Above the tempter's subtle wiles, Speak Thou to rue, O Lord ! Thou who hast walked this thorny way, Thou who hast vanquished day by day The flesh, the world, the devil's might ; < Of this dark world the Life and Li»;ht, Speak Thou to me, O Lord ! Not in the earthquake's dreadful shock, Nor thunder crash, nor rending rock ; Not in the tempest and the flame, Which speak the terror of Thy name; Speak Thou to me, O Lord ! Thy still small voice I long to hear, That breaks the heart, yet calms its fear, That wakes to life the sleeping soul, And quickens with its sweet control, Speak Thou to me, O Lord'! ' O Voice of Love ! O Word of Grace J The Hope of Adam's dying race, Thou art the Conqueror divine, And I with all my sins, am Thine, For Thou doest speak, O Lord ! C.E.K.D.