this alone, he ordered them away to death. Doubtless they heard in their hearts the well-known words, "Let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

The morality of the Epistles, then, was not merely a fine theory, but an actual rule of life. The moral codes of the apostles were received as actually binding on the members of the Churches of the first century. In this all-important matter of the rule of a good life-the fruits by which the tree is known-the integrity, authority, and success of the apostles, in turning licentious heathens into moral Christians, is authenticated by the unwilling testimony of their persecutors. The Epistles of the Apostles stand confirmed as to their ethics by the letters of Trajan and Pliny.

4. The only other fact to which I call your attention, from among the multitude alluded to in these letters, is the cost at which these converts from heathenism embraced this new religion. Every one who renounced heathenism, and professed the name of Christ, knew very well that he must suffer for it. "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." This was the welcome of the Bithynian convert into the Church of Christ. Persecution by fire and sword was then the common lot of the Church. "I have never been present at any trials of the Christians," says the governor. Such trials were well known to him, it seems. He was not sure whether he should murder all who ever had borne the name of Christ, or only those who proved themselves to be really his disciples, by refusing to revile him and return to idolatry; and the merciful emperor commands him to spare the apostates. About twenty years before-in A.D. 86-there were apostates from the persecuted religion. In A.D. 90, John had written, "They went out from us, that it might be made manifest they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that it might be made manifest that they were not all of us." So it seems Pliny thought: "They all worshipped your image and other statues of the gods; these also reviled Christ. None of which things, as is said, they who are really Christians can by any means be compelled to do." What these means were he tells us: "I put the question to them whether they were Christians. Upon their confessing to me that they were, I repeated the question a second and a third time, threatening also to punish them with death. Such as still persisted I ordered away to be punished." What is very remarkable, it was, it seems, "usual in such cases for the crime to spread itself even whilst under persecution." In the face of such dangers, these heathens would still profess faith in Christ; and when they might have saved their

lives by reviling him, refused to do so. From the published rescript of the emperor, approving of Pliny's course, and condemning to death all who were convicted of being really Christians; from the public circulars of the apostles, warning them of " fiery trials,"-"Satan casting some of them into prison,"--and exhorting them to "be faithful unto death;" and from such comments on these as the torture and public execution of aged women as well as men- the terms of discipleship were well known to the whole world. Yet we see that, in the face of all this, "great numbers of persons, of both sexes, and of all ages, and of every rank," in Pliny's opinion, were so steadfast in their faith, that "they were in great danger of suffering."

Here, then, is another well-attested fact, in which the testimony of the apostles stands confirmed by the signatures of the Bithynian Governor and the Roman Emperor-a fact which stands forth clear, prominent, most undoubted, without the smallest trace of anything mythological or misty about it; that in A.D. 106, great numbers of converted heathens did suffer exile, torture, and death itself, rather than renounce Christ; and that it was well known that the Christian faith enabled its possessor to overcome the world.

These four great facts of the later Epistles being thus established beyond dispute, in pursuance of our plan, we ascend the stream of history some forty years, to the time of the earlier Epistles, when Paul lay in the Mamertine dungeons, and his faithful companion Luke wrote the continuation of his narrative of the things most surely believed among the Christians; when apostles were made as the filth of the world and the offscouring of all things," and Christians “ were made a gazingstock, both by reproaches and afflictions;" were brought before kings and rulers, and hated of all nations for Christ's name's sake;" "endured a great fight of afflictions ;""were for his sake killed all the day long, and accounted as sheep for the slaughter;" were made a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men." We remove the field of our investigation from a remote province of Asia, to one equally remote from Judea, and far more unfavourable for the growth of the religion of a crucified Jew-the proud capital of the world, imperial Rome. The time shall be shortly after the burning of the city in A.D. 64, and during the raging of the first of those systematic imperial and savage persecutions through which the Church of Christ waded, in the bloody footsteps of her Lord, to world-wide influence and undying fame. Our historian shall be the wellknown Tacitus, and the single extract from his history one of which the infidel Gibbon says:* "The most sceptical criticism is obliged to respect the truth of this important fact, and the integrity of this celebrated passage of Tacitus." I shall not insert quotations from Paul or Luke; that were merely to transcribe large portions of the Epistles and Gospels, which whoever will not carefully peruse, disqualifies himself for forming * " 'Decline and Fall," vol. ii. p. 407.

a judgment of their veracity. The confirmation of the four facts already established, of the existence, worship, morals, and sufferings of the disciples of Christ, and these facts as well known within thirty years after his death, will sufficiently appear by the perusal of the following testimony of Tacitus.*

After relating the burning of the city, and Nero's attempt to transfer the odium of it to the sect "commonly known by the name of Christians," he says:—

"The author of that name was Christ, who, in the reign of Tiberius, was put to death as a criminal, under the procurator Pontius Pilate. But this pestilent superstition, checked for awhile, broke out afresh, and spread not only over Judea, where the evil originated, but also in Rome, where all that is evil on the earth finds its way and is practised. At first, those only were apprehended who confessed themselves of that sect; afterward, a vast multitude discovered by them; all of whom were condemned, not so much for the crime of burning the city, as for their enmity to mankind. Their executions were so contrived, as to expose them to derision and contempt. Some were covered over with the skins of wild beasts, that they might be torn to pieces by dogs; some were crucified; while others, having been daubed over with combustible materials, were set up for lights in the night-time, and thus burned to death. For these spectacles Nero gave his own gardens, and, at the same time, exhibited there the diversions of the circus; sometimes standing in the crowd as a spectator, in the habit of a charioteer, and at other times driving a chariot himself; until at length these men, though really criminal and deserving of exemplary punishment, began to be commiserated, as people who were destroyed, not out of regard to the public welfare, but only to gratify the cruelty of one man.”

We add no comment on this remarkable passage. Take up your New Testament and read the contemporary history-Acts xxii. to the end of the book-and the letters of Paul from Rome to Philemon, Titus, the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and the second to Timothy, written when the aged prisoner was ready to be offered, and the time of his departure, amidst such scenes and sufferings, was at hand. Then form your own opinion as to the origin and nature of that faith in Jesus which enabled him to say: "None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto me, that I may finish my course with joy, and the testimony which I have received of the Lord Jesus." "I know in whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day." Whatever may be your opinion of the apostles' hope for the future, you must acknowledge that we have ascertained, beyond contradiction, these four facts of the past:-

* Lib. xv. chap. xliv.

1. That without the power of force or the help of governments, and in spite of them, they did convert vast multitudes of idolaters, from a senseless worship of stocks and stones, to the worship of the one living and true God-a thing never done by the preachers of any other religion before or since.

2. That without the help of power or civil law, and solely by moral and spiritual means, they did persuade multitudes of licentious heathens to give up their vices, and obey the pure precepts of the morality contained in their Epistles-a thing never done by the preachers of any other religion before or since.

3. That these converts were so firmly persuaded of the truth of their new religion, that, with the choice of life and worldly honour or a death of infamy and torture before them, multitudes deliberately chose to suffer torture and death rather than renounce the belief in one God, obedience to his laws, and the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ, which they had learned from the sermons and letters of these apostles-a thing never done by the professors of any other religion before or since.*

4. The faith which produced such an illumination of their minds-which caused such a blessed change in their lives, which filled them with joy and hope, and enabled them even to despise torture and death-was briefly this: "That Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures; that he ascended up into heaven, and will come again to judge the world, and reward every man according to his works; and that whosoever believes these things in his heart, and confesses them with his mouth, shall be saved; and he that believeth them not, shall be damned."

It is a fact, then, indisputably proved by history, that the New Testament does teach a religion which can enlighten men's minds, reform their lives, give peace to their consciences, and enable them to meet death with a joyful hope of life eternal. It has done these things in times past, and is doing them now. These are its undoubted fruits. Reader, this faith may be yours. It will work the same results in you as it has done in others. Like causes ever produce like effects. Jesus waits to deliver you from your sins, to fill you with joy and peace in believing, and make you abound in hope, by the power of the Holy Ghost. He has promised, if you will ask it: "I will give them a leart to know me that I am the Lord."

* The sufferings of the Jews under Antiochus are no exception. They suffered for their faith in the true God, the Messiah to come, and a resurrection to life eternal.

IX.

in this text.

Before we proceed to deal directly with the parable, however, it will be very instructive to glance for a moment at the words which go immediately before it. Here the preface to the parable is greater than the parable itself. Christ tells his disciples first that he died for them, and then that he lived for them. His first intimation is, "I lay down my life for the sheep;" and his second is, "I have other sheep, and them also I must bring." There is a grand reason why these two are brought together, and arranged in this order. In the plan of this wise Master Builder, the foundation is first laid, and then the superstructure is reared. It is first his satisfying atonement, and next his ingathering ministry.

The estimate that should count resistance to the doctrine of the atonement the chief ingredient in the sceptical spirit of the age would not be far wide of the mark. It is free salvation through the sacrifice of the Substitute that most offends human philosophy in our day. The great Prophet himself, seeing the end from the beginning, and seeing in the end of the world that specific form of enmity to the cross, presciently supplied the antidote in his Word. He speaks first of his atoning death, and next of his ministering life. No effective ministry without a full expiation: on the sacrifice the ministry leans, as a structure on its foundation.

in the course of time. Here lies "the reason of the hope that is in" believers. "Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!" He who clothed himself with a human body clothes his thoughts towards us in forms which, being taken off humanity, fit humanity again. He is the Shepherd, and his people are the flock. The Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He takes their place, that they may enjoy his; he bears their guilt, that they may wear his righteousness; he endures their curse, that they may inherit his glory. "He saved others; himself he cannot save." Because he saved others, he could not save himself. If he had come down from the cross, we could never have ascended to the crown.

When sin gnaws in your conscience, and the judgment-seat gleams before your eyes, here lies your help. Listen to the voice of Jesus-“I lay down my life for the sheep." From an accusing conscience and a condemning law, hide in the suffering Redeemer; as the Hebrews hid under the sprinkled blood, till the night of death passed over, and salvation came with the dawn. This is the turning-point; this is the key of the position. Around this spot the conflict of ages has raged. Christ was for this sacrifice, and the devil against it, from the beginning. When the Lord intimated to his disciples that he was about to lay down his life, Peter, or rather Satan within him, replied, "Far be this from thee, Lord." The cross is still to the Jews a stumblingblock and to the Greeks foolishness; but to them that are saved it is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

In this his greatest plan and greatest work, God has not missed his mark. The Eternal Son has not thrown his life away; he laid down his life to save. I shall trust him that he knew

what he did, and did what he meant to do. It is his life laid down that shall support me in my depths. Into this ark I enter when the fountains of the great deep are broken up, and the flood overwhelms the world.

After the shortest and simplest announcement of his atoning death comes a description of his saving ministry. "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold."

1. This fold: the seed of Israel-the visible Church of those times. It became Christ to fulfil all righteousness. He came not to destroy the law, but to fulfil. He was born in Bethlehem. He came in the track of the old sacrifices, and came unto his own. The faithful in Jerusalem were waiting for the Consolation of Israel; and at the appointed time the Consolation of Israel appeared.

The

By his own personal ministry he founded the kingdom in Israel, and left to his followers the task of propagating it through the world. Some of the seed of Abraham were gathered in. common people heard him gladly, and here and there a ruler also was subdued. At the word of Jesus, living children of Abraham's faith sprung from those stones which then constituted the bulk of his natural offspring. The Redeemer's The Redeemer's soul was from time to time satisfied as he felt the parched lips of a daughter of Israel pressed to himself, the Fountain of living water. He was filled with joy as he felt branch after branch growing into himself, the Vine, for life and fruitfulness. They got life-he gave it: both were blessed, but the Giver most. In "this fold" he had some of his flock gathered and sheltered and fed, even during the time of his own personal ministry. But

2. "Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold." Here the expansive love of Jesus breaks forth. He began at Jerusalem, but he did not end there. Even while his feet stand on the soil of Palestine, the longings of his heart go out to the ends of the earth. He was getting some, but he longed for more: his appetite was not satisfied. The King is still sending out relays of servants into the highways and hedges of the world to compel the poor to come in, that his table may be furnished with guests. After he

has gathered into his fold a flock more numerous than the stars that stud the plains of heaven, he still cries, "Other sheep!" "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Besides the expansive out-going of the Redeemer's love, you may mark here its allencompassing sovereignty: other sheep I have. He does not say, I may acquire others at some future time he has them already. They were his in the covenant from the beginning, and he held them, every one, at that moment, in distinguishing love upon his heart. At a time when they had not learned to follow him-when they were neither born nor born again-he counts and calls them his. Ah, believing brother, thy soul lay on the Redeemer's heart that day. Thy backsliding hurt him, but did not make him change. Thy sins wounded him, but did not provoke him to let thee go. "I am Jehovah; I change not: therefore ye seed of Jacob are not consumed."

3. "Them also I bring." There is no respect of persons with God. Of every nation, and kingdom, and tongue will be the multitude whom no man can number, who stand round the throne in white clothing. "Them also." No poor slave will be left out because he is black, or bears the mark of lashing; no servant is pushed aside to make way for his master; no rich or powerful man who cleaved to Christ is kept out at the cry of a mob who envied him. If any were kept back, the Lord would pause as he came across the sky like the lightning-would pause and say, as he beckoned to attending angels, "Them also." Gather up the fragments, that none of them be lost. O ye least in the kingdom of God, I have never heard that the law of gravity, God's servant, attended to the worlds and mountains, letting the drops and atoms go because they were small! Be assured God, the master of that law, and of all laws, will not permit his little ones to slip through an opening in his love. "Them also" is a cheering word. I like to hold it in my hand; I like to roll it as a sweet morsel under my tongue, to taste it long and leisurely. Lazarus, with his sores all healed now, must not glide into his old habit of lying at the door: he also must come into the palace

And

of the great King, and there abide. The prodigal, who went far from his father, and remained long, and had nothing to recommend him when he returned, he also must come in, and come as a son to a father's bosom, without a fear. And these, who only came to Christ when they grew old, after spending their lifetime for the world; and these, who, though they came in youth, came not till they felt the hand of death upon their hearts-come in. The Master stands and says, "Them also." Manasseh, Saul of Tarsusthe blood of the martyr Stephen all off his hands at last" them also."

"Them I bring." He sends none forward to make or find their own way. He goes before them, and bids them follow; he goes with them, and bears them through. They are not alone in trouble; for in all their afflictions he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them. He does not permit them to cross the valley of the shadow of death alone: the High Priest goes into the midst of Jordan, and therefore Israel pass safely over. "I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." He will not send any disciples to the judgment-seat to make the best of their own case: he will be there before them, and will bring them to himself. Once more it may be recorded, "Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord." Those guilty brothers, although they trembled at the first hint of Joseph's power, were, after full reconciliation, glad to find that Joseph ruled the kingdom. When they were convinced of their brother's love, they rejoiced in their brother's regal power. Although I find upon the throne of judgment Him whom I have crucified, yet when he manifests his forgiving love, I shall rejoice with a joy unspeakable to find that all judgment has been committed into his hands. We learn (Eph. v. 27) that when Christ has washed and sanctified his Church, he will present it to himself, without spot or wrinkle, in that day.

He brings his sheep home by going before them. He makes a way through the sea of wrath, that they may safely pass. "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." When he brings them to the Father, they are welcome home.

"Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is Christ that died."

He brings them through the regeneration into the fold during their life on earth. It often takes much bringing to bring the distant nighthe prodigal home; but all power in heaven and in earth is given to the Captain of our salvation. He will not fail nor be discouraged. To bring a drunken father home from his cups and his companions may take much power-more than weeping wife and hungry children can exert; but when the love of Christ gets hold of him by the heart, it leads him whithersoever it will. That love has laid hold of a miser, and drawn him from his gold; that love has laid hold of a sinner, whose right hand was bound indissolubly to his lust, and drawn the man to heaven, leaving his right hand behind. "Art thou a king then?" they said to Jesus, at that unrighteous tribunal; and he condescended to tell them that they had stumbled upon the truth: "Thou sayest." He is a king, and acts in a kingly way : he "I says, bring;" and when his strength is put forth, the threefold chains of the devil, the world, and the flesh give way like threads. He leads; they follow. Thy people, Lord, shall be willing in the day of thy power. At his bringing they come from east and west; at his command the north gives up, and the south keeps not back. Those that cleaved most firmly to the dust fly as doves to their windows, their wings glittering in beauty like yellow gold.

That same bringing power that rent asunder the chains of sin and liberated the soul, shall prevail to burst the gates of death, and bring the body in life and beauty from the grave. I am the resurrection and the life, said Jesus: them also the bodies of his saints, as well as the spirits-I bring with me; that where I am, they may be.