iii. 18). 'Ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins, and in him is no sin' (1 John iii. 5).

In carrying out to its fulfillment this sublime purpose of destroying the works of the devil, Jesus Himself became a great sufferer. It is written that Himself took our infirmities and bare our diseases.' How did He do this? Not by becoming infirm and diseased in His own person, but through the power of sympathy, and healing helpfulness. He appropriated the weaknesses and sicknesses of others, and then cast them away from Him, as Paul shook off the viper from his hand. But though we do not read that He suffered ordinary sicknesses in His flesh, yet we are told that He suffered greatly in every part of His nature-body and soul and spirit. Think, for instance, of His sorrow and suffering in Gethsemane. In that awful night in which He was betrayed, He said to His disciples, as He entered the garden, 'My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death.' The crushing agony which there oppressed Him, arose chiefly out of mental anguish; and while it filled Him with the fear of imminent death (not the death of the cross), and impelled Him to pray with 'strong cryings and tears,' it caused Him also to perspire great drops of blood. 'Let this cup pass from me' (the cup of anguish He was then drinking); and His prayer was answered (Luke xxii. 43, and Heb. v. 7). The key to the solution of that profound sorrow

may probably be found in that mysterious agency to which He afterwards referred when He said to the chief priests and elders, and also to the hosts of hell who accompanied them, ' This is your hour and the power of darkness' (Luke xxi. 53). Think also of all the sufferings He endured after He became a prisoner-binding and leading, desertion and mockery, smiting and scourging, slapping and spitting; after which He was crowned with thorns, and burdened with part of the Cross, for a time, on the way to Calvary. Think, finally, of the endurance of all the torments of crucifixion, culminating in the woeful cry of a realized God-forsakenness, which He uttered as from the depths of hell. What an awful tragedy! And yet, because its issues were destined to be unspeakably and eternally glorious, it was not a tragedy only, but the sublimest manifestation of the redemptive love of God, by which Jesus tasted death for every man.' Surely, the ancient prophecy was fully fulfilled in Him:—

And

'He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; he was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed' (Isa. liii. 4, 5). as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is shed for many unto remission of sins' (Matt. xxvi. 26–28). Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures' (1 Cor. xv. 3).

CHRIST IN HADES

With an unprejudiced mind, let the reader consider the remarkable scriptures which follow :

'Christ suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God; being put to death in the flesh, but quickened in the spirit: in which also he went and preached to the spirits in prison—who aforetime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah' (1 Pet. iii. 18, 19). For unto this end was the gospel preached even to the dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit' (iv. 6).

In pursuit of the great purpose of His redemptive ministry, He went down into the 'prison' of Hades 'to destroy the works of the devil.' How? No miracles of healing were needed there, because they were disembodied spirits to whom He ministered; therefore, He only required to preach the Good News of nniversal Redemption-for mental enlightenment and spiritual quickening, that they might live according to God in the spirit.' And when spiritual truth is preached to spirits, it may be more readily apprehended and received than in the days of their flesh.

When our Lord was about to finish His incarnate work upon the earth, He said to His disciples, 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation.' And when He ended His work in the Intermediate State, He gave the same commission, we doubt not, to all believers there. And why? Because Because God so loved the

world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him might not perish but have everlasting life'; because that Christ died,

not for our sins only but for the whole world'; and because He said to His followers,' Go and preach my gospel to every creature.' The universality of the Divine love, the all-embracing scope of the Saviour's sacrifice on Calvary, and the sublime commission to proclaim the word of salvation to all menthese must certainly ensure this result, that no human being shall appear at the judgment seat of Christ ignorant of His gospel. This is our 'Larger Hope,' in which we greatly rejoice.

Said Jesus,' If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be; and if any man serve me, him will my Father honour' (John xii. 26). Those who followed Him on earth to serve and suffer, may also have passed as He did, from the paradise to the prison of the Intermediate State, there also to serve and suffer; and many others in every succeeding age may have followed their example, and will continue to do so, right on to the end of time. In thus regarding the matter, a great vista is opened up before us, in which we may reasonably expect that great and glorious results will happen. We cannot forget the declaration of our Lord, ' And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself' (John xii. 32).

In a brief sketch of the late Rev. James Chalmers, the martyred missionary of New Guinea (by Clara Benham), it is stated that "again and again his letters latterly showed that his thoughts frequently turned to the future world."

"There will be much visiting in Heaven (Paradise), and much work. I guess I shall have good mission work to do -great and brave work for Christ. He will have to find

it, for I can be nothing else than a missionary.”

In the light of what we have just said about the work of Christ in Hades, this is a very remarkable presentiment of the great-hearted and consecrated servant of the Lord- a presentiment which, in all likelihood, was soon realized. Myriads of the natives of New Guinea have passed into the Intermediate State, and probably, even now, he may be declaring unto them, in their own language, the wonderful works of God.

'For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil'; and if that purpose was to be fully fulfilled, the gospel of salvation must necessarily be preached to all human beings either on earth or in Hades. Only thus can He become 'the Saviour of all men, specially of them that believe.'