of the transcendent greatness of God, and that gave him an inexpressible contempt for idols, and hence he says, "Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands." He represents idols as (1) Material productions. "Silver and gold," mere dead gross matter; (2) Human productions" The work of men's hands." Menmade Gods. (3) Worthless productions. They can neither "speak," nor "see," nor "hear," nor "smell," nor touch nor move. (4) Lying productions. They are represented as possessing organs for work which they are essentially unable to effect. They are impostors. (5) Symbolic productions. "They that make them are like unto them." They are but the visible forms of the brutish ignorance, stupidity, and depravity of those who made and worshipped them, mere embodiments of their ideas and wishes. (a) There is a sense in which every man makes his God. The God which men worship is not the Absolute One. unapproachable, incomprehensible. But man's God is the idea he has formed of Him. The more degraded the mind the more degraded the God, the more elevated the mind, the more exalted the God. No two minds, therefore, worship the same identical object. There is a polytheism that is innocent and unavoidable. The God that some worship here in our monotheistic England is scarcely less contemptible than the idols here described. (b) There is a sense in which every man's God makes him. The God we worship is the object of our supreme affection, and by the law of our nature that object transforms us into its own image. We have here presented He is invisible, II. A consciousness of God's GOODNESS INSPIRING THE HIGHEST PHILANTHROPY. What is the highest philan thropy? That whose main object is to draw men to the One True and Living God; and the man who is conscious of God's goodness, who has "tasted and seen that the Lord is good," will surely address himself to this work-the work of drawing men to God. "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God is that ye might be saved." Having experienced God's goodness, his supreme desire will be that others should do the same. This is what the Psalmist felt :-" O Israel, trust thou in the Lord: he is their help and their shield: O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield. Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield. The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great. The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children. children. Ye are blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth." We have here presented III. A consciousness of GOD'S PROPERTY LEADING TO A SENSE OF OUR STEWARDSHIP. "The heaven even the heavens are the Lord's: but the earth hath He given to the children of men." "The heaven, even the heavens," mean all things. He who created the universe owns it, it is His absolute property, and how vast, how immeasurable it is! "All that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou are exalted as head above all." But this sense of God's unbounded wealth leads to the impression of our stewardship of the earth which He hath given us. "The earth hath he given to the children of men." the "Children of men," not to a class, but given to To them as air and light, and fire and water are given for their common use. "The earth is the Lord's," we are told, but He has given it to the children of men in trust. This fact affords (1) A strong rebuke to all social monopoly. What right has one man more than another to claim an absolute ownership of any part of it? The fact affords (2) A strong rebuke to all religious indifference. It is given to us for high purposes. (a) As a scene for physical developement. (b) As a school for intellectual culture. (c) As a temple for religious worship. (d) As a sphere for evangelistic labour. * We have here presented IV. A consciousness of LIFE'S TERMINATION URGING THE DISCHARGE OF RELIGIOUS DUTY. "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord." This mortal life must end, and at its end, so far as the body is concerned, all praise is over. When we go down into the "silence" of the grave our voice of praise on earth is hushed-hushed for ever. This being so we should resolve with the Psalmist, to bless the Lord, "to bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore." "The dead no more can speak Thy praise, They dwell in silence and the grave; And tell the world Thy power to save." CONCLUSION: How important is a true religious consciousness! Such a consciousness is ever operativeoperative in the right direction, leading to a contempt for idolatry, the inspiration of the highest philanthropy, the discharge of our stewardship, and to the duty of immediate and constant devotion. HOMILETIC GLANCES AT THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN. [As our purpose in the treatment of this Gospel is purely the development, in the briefest and most suggestive form of Sermonic Outlines, we must refer our readers to the following works for all critical inquiries into the author and authorship of the book, and lso for any minute criticisms on difficult clauses. The works we shall especially consult are" Introduction to New Testament," by Bleek; "Commentary on Johu," by Tholuck; Commentary on John," by Hengstenberg; "Introduction to the Study of the Gospels," by Westcott; "The Gospel History," by Ebrard; "Our Lord's Divinity," by Liddon; "St. John's Gospel," by Oosterzee, Doctrine of the Person of Christ," by Dorner, Lange, Sears, Farrer, etc., etc.] The Divine Suppliant. No. CXXVI. "I PRAY FOR THEM, I PRAY NOT FOR THE WORLD, BUT FOR THEM WHICH THOU HAST GIVEN ME, FOR THEY ARE THINE. AND ALL MINE ARE THINE," &c. (John xvii. 9-19). EXPOSITION:-Ver. 9.-"I pray for them, I pray not for the world," &c. "Am praying for them, and am not praying for the world."-Lange. Christ did pray for others. In this chapter He says, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word." And on the cross He prayed for His enemies, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." But here He intimates that His prayer is confined entirely to the apostles. Ver. 10. "And all Mine are Thine are Thine are Mine." "Any man," says a modern expositor, "may say, What is mine is Thine, but only the Son can say, What is Thine is Mine." This is not quite correct, for there is a sense and a very profound sense-in which every godly man may truthfully say to the Father, "What is mine is Thine." Of this more hereafter. "I am glorified in them." "This expression has been variously understood. There is no reason for departing from the constant meaning of the term, to be glorified. Notwithstanding His form of a servant, Jesus had appeared to their hearts in all His beauty as Son of God: even before having been restored to His glory, He had regained it in them by the fact that they had recognised Him for what He truly was."-Godet. Ver. 11. "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world and I come to Thee." "The immediate future is still regarded as present. The words have a special reference to the interval between His death and the Day of Pentecost, which would be for the disciples a time of darkness and danger, when they would have special need of the Father's care. Holy Father.' Comp. verses 1, 24, 25. There is a special fitness in the word 'holy' here as in opposition to the world. The disciples were left in the world, but they were not of the world (v. 14). These were spiritually God's children separated from the world (verse 6), and He commits them to the Holy Father that He may keep them from the evil of the world. "Keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me." The reading is slightly doubtful, but if we take what would certainly seem to be the true text, the rendering should be, Keep them in Thy name which Thou hast given Me.' (Comp. verse 12). The Authorised Version renders the same words by through Thy name' in this verse, and by in Thy name' in verse 12. The thought appears to be that the revelation of the nature of God by Christ to the world (verse 6), was that which He Himself received from the Father. I have not spoken of myself, but the Father which sent me gave me a commandment what I should say and what I should speak.'"That they may be one as we are." This clause depends upon the words, Keep them in Thy name.' They had so far realised the revelation of God that they had known Christ's whole life to be the utterance of God to their spirits. He prays that they may be kept in this knowledge in order that they may so know the Father through Him, as to become themselves one with the Father." Professor Watkins, M.A. Ver. 12. "While I was with them in the world I kept them in Thy name." I have now done with the world, My mission is finished, and am no more in the world, but these are in the world. "Those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, none of them is lost but the son of perdition." |