CHAPTER VIII

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD

Ministry of John - Ministry of Christ - The Gospel-Reason for parables - Kingdom of God, What is it? - Reason for miracles—" Whosoever hath, to him shall be given"- Christian characteristics — Infant salvation-"My kingdom is not of this world"- Gifts of the Spirit-Invisibility of kingdom of God Heavens and earth as symbolic terms - Relation of kingdom of God to earthly authority.

THE MINISTRY OF JOHN

Jesus said, "The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it." Therefore the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God began with John, who came in the way of righteousness, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Mark introduces this matter in these words: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the son of God, as it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee; the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins." Now to such as are of opinion that baptism is simply a means of grace which may be complied with or not, as suits the pleasure of the individual to all such we commend the consideration of the following: first, Christ himself was baptized of John, and when John protested, saying, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" Jesus replied, "Suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." Now if it was necessary for Jesus himself to be baptized, to fulfil all righteousness, how are other men to be excused from that ordinance?

Second, Luke says, "And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees, and lawyers, rejected the council of God against themselves, being not baptized of him." We learn from the Scripture that God hath concluded all under sin, that he might have mercy upon all. That is God's judgment, and he instituted means by which he offers to forgive men their sins; and for any man to treat these means with indifference or neglect, is to treat the author of them likewise; and hath not God said, "They that honor me, I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed "? Third, Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, "John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not, but the publicans and harlots be

lieved him, and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him" (Matt. 21: 32)."

This is the estimation in which men are held by Christ and God, who treat lightly and with indifference and neglect, the ordinances, the statutes and laws which God has appointed for men to observe; and therefore Jesus said to that same class, "Ye are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in the sight of God." They were highly esteemed by men, and among men, yet they were an abomination in the sight of God. The masses of mankind are no judges of good men. When one reads Christ's description of these pious hypocrites, and what he called them to their faces, for he gave them their true character, that shows what bad judges of good men mankind are. John says, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, therefore the world knoweth us not." The world by reason of their own wisdom cannot distinguish between a saint and a sinner. They put the one for the other. The saints they kill, and keep the sinners like themselves alive, and the ministers of Satan who are transformed as ministers of righteousness are commonly on good terms with sinners, and study to preach smooth things to them, to be popular among them, so as to fill up their congregations, that the revenues be not endangered, but strengthened thereby.

It is testified by Matthew concerning John, saying, "Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins." This very general movement of the people was too much for the Pharisees, and Sadducees, and so, like Satan who came in Job's day with the sons of God to present himself also before the Lord, some of these Pharisees and Sadducees came with the multitudes to be baptized of John, also, as Matthew says, "But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth, therefore, fruits meet for repentance, and think not to say within yourselves, that we have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not able to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire; whose fan is in his hand and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather the wheat into the garner but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." This was very severe language that John employed. He feared not the face of man, he warned transgressors of their evil ways, and preached repentance and reformation, and counselled them to bring forth fruits meet for repentance.

"" CHRIST COMETH FROM ABOVE"

John said of Christ, when he began his ministry, "He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above, is above all, He that is of the earth is earthy and speaketh of the earth, He that cometh from above is above all." This saying of John shows how thoroughly he was instructed in the

way of the Lord, and understood the things concerning the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for John here speaks of himself as being of the earth, and the things that he taught as being earthly things, whereas he says that his successor, whose way he was preparing in order that he might be manifested to Israel, was from heaven; and therefore what he had seen and heard with his Father, that he testifieth. And then, as a rule, he says that "no man receiveth his testimony," that is, "He came to his own (people) and his own received him not. He was in the world, the world was made by him, and the world knew him not." Paul says, "None of the princes of this world knew him, nor yet the voices of the prophets, or they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."

Nevertheless he says, "He that has received his testimony, hath set to his seal, that God is true." And why? He adds again, "For he whom God hath sent, speaketh the words of God, for God giveth not the spirit by measure unto him." This doctrine which John here asserts is very important. The spirit was given by measure to all others, but to Christ, the Son of God, it was given without measure, so that the full power of the spirit of the Almighty God, he enjoyed, or as Paul said to the Colossians (2:9), “For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily," and again as Jesus himself said to his apostles, just before he ascended into heaven to sit on the right hand of God, as Matthew records it (28: 18), " All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth"; and by reason of that he commanded them saying, "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (the Mosaic, or Hebrew world). Now because the Father gave the Son the spirit without measure, or limit, so that the Son really possessed the same measure of power that the Father himself possessed, therefore to see and look upon the Son, clothed with such majesty, was equivalent to seeing the august personage of the Father himself; and it was because of this that Isaiah the prophet says that among the many great titles that he should bear, he should be called "The everlasting Father." Therefore on one occasion, Jesus said to his disciples, "If ye had known me, Ye should have known my Father also." But Philip, speaking after the flesh, said unto him, "Lord show us the Father, and it sufficeth us." Jesus saith unto him, "Have I been so long time with you, and hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake."

This is a great mystery to the natural man, and so when Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," and again, “Except a man is born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God," Nicodemus understood not, and was amazed at such doctrine. Jesus said to him, "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly

things," and then to test his ability to understand heavenly things he adds, "And no man hath ascended up into heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." This was a greater puzzle still for Nicodemus. There was a man standing in his presence talking with him, who claimed not only to have come down from heaven, but to be in heaven at the very time that he was standing before him in his presence talking with him; and this was not only a great mystery to Nicodemus, but is equally so to the great mass of mankind. The Jews said to Jesus, "What sign showest thou, that we may see and believe thee? What dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat." "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven, for the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:30-40). It must be particularly noted here that Jesus does not speak like unto our modern clergymen, and say, "I will take him to heaven when he dies," but instead, "I will raise him up at the last day."

And this is the Father's given me I should lose And this is the will of

(Verse 41) "The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." He does not say here again, I will take him to heaven at death, as those who err say.

Now how does the Father draw men to Christ? For no man, says Christ, can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him? This Jesus immediately explains here himself, when he says, "It is writen in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.' The way, therefore, that

men learn of the Father is through what he has spoken of his son in the Old Testament Scriptures, by the hand of Moses and the prophets; and any man who is ignorant of these testimonies knows nothing of Christ, but will most assuredly join in with his enemies to oppose him and his doctrine.

Jesus said again to these Jews, "I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall

live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then said Jesus unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (not the day he dies). "These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? This would be a harder saying than any that he had just given expression to, and people that were not conversant with the writings of the prophets could not receive, nor understand such words and doctrines as these. Jesus gave them a key whereby to understand his words, and said, "It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." Jesus was speaking the Father's doctrines to them in parable, and they construed his language literally, according to the flesh, and stumbled at their meaning; and from that time, many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

But

John the Baptist said truly of Jesus, "Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather the wheat into his garner, and burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." The truth was presented by him in such a form, that it separated the wheat from the chaff; and while the Jews in Christ's day err in one way, the Gentiles err in another. The Jews stumbled at the idea of eating Christ's flesh and drinking his blood, not understanding that his words were to be understood in a spiritual sense. And when he said he came down from heaven, they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?" The pious Gentiles of our day go just as far astray on the other hand. They say that Christ was the Son of God from all eternity, that the Son of God existed before he was born of Mary; the first error is no further from the truth, than the last.

Jesus said to Philip, "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works; believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me."

Now this proves that it was the Father which came down from heaven by his spirit which was given to Christ, without measure, and without this it could no more be said of Jesus that he came down from heaven, than it could be said of John the Baptist, or of Moses, that he came down from heaven. Jesus said himself in the most emphatic and positive form to the Jews (John 5:19), "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself." And again he says (verse 30), "I can of mine own self do nothing"; but, as he said to Philip, "The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." Now this same thing obtained with the apostles, only in a more limited sense. For instance, Jesus said to the apostles, "Behold, I send you forth as sheep