Wonderful read

omnipresent, always on time. ing this—that is, if we know how to read. "And when the Lord saw her"-the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, and though a planet may escape His gaze, a widowed mother cannot. There is not enough matter in space to hide her from the look of God. "He had compassion on her"-her sorrow tapped the fountains of His sorrow, her suffering summoned the suffering of the all-pitiful God; in all her affliction was He afflicted, and the Son of His Bosom saved her. "And said unto her, Weep not”— God's consolations are hid in the secret of His presence, and a tear commands that Ineffable Presence. "And He came nigh and touched the bier: and the bearers stood still"-amazed, no doubt, that the rules of ceremonialism should be broken, ignorant that God was passing by, that there was not room for Him and death in the same road. One must stand aside, allowing the Other to pass. "And He said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise"-but this young man is dead; he is in the abode of departed spirits; this tenantless body is but the material shadow cast by his soul, and that soul is off and away in Hades. No matter! The dead know Christ's voice. His tones will vibrate through invisible realms until, out of the myriads, this young man is reached by them and he comes respondingly back to his chilled house of dust. "And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak"-the warm breath of life began to thrill and tremble into the miracle of

words. The Word that spake all things into being hath spoken a dead son back to life! May not the God who raised a universe out of chaos raise a youth back to laughter and health? "And He gave him to his mother"-glorious prophecy of the time when sons and mothers shall be given back to each other. How deeply consoling is such a Christ to-day, when the young men of the race are being slain by thousands! In the very heart of terror there is a hope-the Christian Hopethat terror cannot touch. "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth on Me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth on Me shall never die." Confronted by death, sin, sorrow, and despair, the Lord's Christ says: "Concerning My sons, and concerning the work of My hands, command ye Me."

III

THE LAW OF REVELATION

"At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes: yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in Thy sight."-ST. Matt. xi. 25, 26.

Τ

10 appreciate the setting of the text, we must recall the situation set forth in the foregoing context. "At that season"what was distinctive in this particular period of our Lord's ministry? First of all, there was John's doubt. Will this man, who was a composite of rugged strength and beautiful humility, ever question the Master's mission? Yes, he will, and does. "Now when John heard in prison the works of the Christ, he sent by his disciples and said unto Him, Art Thou He that cometh, or look we for another?" Secondly, there was the shallow, heartless, petulant criticism of the people. They were like the children playing in the streets. One moment they cried to each other: "We played dance-music, but you did not dance"; another moment they pouted: "We played at funeral, we wailed, but you did not beat your breasts." John was as sober as a funeral, and they said he had a demon; Jesus was as radiant as children at their games, sanctified the human

lot by eating and drinking, and they characterized Him as gluttonous, a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! Thirdly, there was the unrepentant spirit of the cities. Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum were scenes of most of Christ's mighty works. But they remained unmoved, stolid, rebellious. They were destroyed by their own wickedness, calling down upon themselves the judgments of Almighty God. Yet, are we not tempted to read these divine judgments simply as obsolete chapters of ancient history? Let us be not deceived-we who have lived through the long, lonely years since August, 1914! Berlin, Constantinople, Petrograd, Paris, London, and New York-each and all are within the relentless grip of the forces of divine retribution. This is a moral world, governed by a Moral God, a God deeply in earnest, and only the fool thinks otherwise. The soul that sinneth shall die; the city that sinneth shall die; the nation that sinneth shall die; the race that sinneth shall die. What then? Calvary alone is equal to sin's doom; but not even Calvary can stay Nature's doom against sin and ungodliness without a complete and surrendered trust in the Christ of Calvary. Oh, no! Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum are not just faded pages of finished history! Rather do they symbolize plague-spots which will destroy the planet, if sin's loathsome disease is not arrested by faith in Christ, if individuals, cities, and nations do not practice His laws of righteousness, justice, mercy, and truth.

This, in brief, was the season, the period, when our Saviour uttered this most remarkable text. When everything in Time seemed against Him, when all the forces of wickedness met in a dark conspiracy of destruction, He took refuge in Eternity, He escaped into God's eternal hearthome. And in doing so, He stated what we may venture to call the law of revelation. We speak of the reign of law in the physical universe-the law of gravity, the law of the tides, the law of heat, the law of light-and we mean that which is a rule of action, that which is fixed or set. With more than scientific exactness, with the finality of supernatural insight, I think the Lord Christ states the law of revelation in these words: "I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes: yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in Thy sight.”

I

Consider, first, the essence, the content, of this law. "Thou didst hide these things." What things? There must have been a particular group of thoughts in the Master's mind. Therefore, we may say, almost with certainty, that "these things" include such ideas as the divine Fatherhood: "When ye pray, say, Our Father, Who art in heaven"; the forgiveness of sins: "The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins"; the sonship of believers: "Now are we the