The Person of Jesus Christ, Part I [pp. 215-218]

THE LADIES' REPOSITOR r.
us to Bethlehem, the city of David and the
wonderful occurrences connected therewith, are
related to us. Angels celebrated his birth with
songs of praise. Pious shepherds from the
fields and wise men from the East hailed him as
their Savior and king. It was as if a new sun
had arisen and poured its golden light over the
land of Israel. Thirty years passed away.
Those earlier transactions of the newly dawning
salvation now floated only as a dream in the
minds of the few surviving witnesses. The
wonderful child was believed to have been murdered with the other children whom Herod had
sacrificed to his suspicion. The matter was no
longer a topic of thought and conversation. No
one knew of it in Nazareth, and Mary and Joseph kept their experiences as a mystery in their
hearts. Thus, like every other son, he grew up
in the house of his parents.
What now were the influences that surrounded
him? What was the atmosphere which he
breathed? Doubtless the grand prophecies and
hopes revealed in the Scriptures concerning the
house and lineage of David, were the meditations of his heart, and furnished nourishment for
his mind. His thoughts were developed, his
knowledge even of himself molded thereby.
Curiosity would like to know many things of his
youth, and the busy fancy of man has filled up
the empty space with all kinds of legendary
miraculous stories. It is all fiction.
Only a single event is preserved. It is his
interview, at the age of twelve, with the doctors
in the temple. It was probably his first visit to
the Passover. The festal journey, the holy city
with its memories, the temple and its religious
service-every thing which he there saw and
heard may have powerfully impressed his mind
and given a new impetus to his thoughts. The
mystery of his being began to appear clearer
and more certain to his consciousness. He felt
and recognized that he stood nearer to his Fa ther in heaven than to his parents on earth; that
the fellowship of God was more his home than
the earthly house in which he dwelt. Like a
first bright beam of light this thought broke
forth from the depthls of his soul and illuminated
his whole inner being, but he was silent. He
was subject to his parents. He fulfilled the
duties of a son. He carried the marvel of his
being as a quiet blessed mystery in his soul and
was silent. We need not complain that we
know so little of his youth and inner develop ment. We know enough. And what we do
know exhibits the same humility which was the
most prominent feature in the image of his pub lic life. Although the bringer of a heavenly
kingdom, he comes to be baptized of John.
The Baptist refuses and desires rather the baptism of him as the higher and mightier, whose
shoes he is not worthy to bear. Jesus commands him to do his part, for thus it becometh
us to fulfill all righteousness. The Father gave,
from the open heavens, a wonderful testimony
concerning his Son. Jesus, ascending quietly
from the water, went into the lonely desert.
Havingc endured the mysterious temptations and
maintained his obedience, he returned into the
neighborhood of the Baptist. Several disciples
of John followed him.
"Come and see!" is his main word. But
the impression of his personality has bound
them to him for their whole lives. He returned
to his home; he visited that wedding in Cana;
in every thing which he says and does, we behold a modest reserve, which only goes step by
step upon the way which God directs. Soon
the religious movement awaklened by him has
filled the boundaries of Israel, and brought the
people from far. His life was an itinerant one,
full of anxiety and deprivation-a life of exciting and exhausting activity. So incessant were
his labors, so great the excitement among the
people, that his friends came out to lay hold on
him, thinking he was beside himself.
What was the soul of this activity? It is a
Savior's life which is here described-a life devoted to the poor, the sick, the forsaken, the
despised, the unfortunate. He was the firiend
of publicans and sinners, the companion of the
weeping and sorrowing. He brought comfort
to the troubled, rest to the weary and heavyladen. The spirit of pitying love and of beneficent mildness formed the soul of his conduct
and life.
As God once revealed himself to Elijah, so
hlie was in Christ. "Behold, the Lord passed
by, and a great and strong wind rent the mount ains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the
Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and
after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was
not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake
a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and
after the fire a still small voice." Thus God
was in Christ "a still smzall voice." If ever
love appeared upon this earth, it appeared in
Jesus Christ in the form of gentleness and
humility. But over that humble form of the
Savior of sinners is effused a dazzling splendor,
which involuntarily draws us to our knees be fore him. Who can consider him in his quiet
course without beholding the mystery of con cealed majesty beaming forth from every word
and act? And most of all from his deepest
humiliation?
His love was rewarded with the criminal's
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