Supper, too, has been conceived to be the gift in question, on the ground apparently of the primary physical acceptation of yevorarla. But the question is not, what things may be justly designated heavenly gifts? but, what does it best comport with the apostle's argument to suppose him here to mean? His language is very general. It is not precise enough to mark out faith, or Christ, or the Holy Ghost, or the Eucharist, or pardon, or peace of conscience, or salvation, not to mention other objections to each of these expositions. Let it be observed that the several parts of the description are differently connected together, some by kaì and some by ré. Now the former of these conjunctions marks a wider step than the latter; kai associates the greater divisions or parts, and rè the subordinate members. The clause before us, therefore, must take its hue from the one that precedes it. The two form one great member of the whole sentence; and therefore it seems the most probable supposition, that the heavenly gift is just the truth that enlightens, the light of Christian knowledge. As no description of the gift follows, the article Ts must be supposed to look back to something that has already been indicated, which can only be the knowledge of the Gospel comprehended in pwriσ0évras. And we know that Christ Himself described the knowledge of the truth as the gift of God; for He said to the Samaritan woman, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water" (John iv. 10). Delitzsch argues, that what is coupled by the conjunction rè must not only be something subordinate to the main preceding member, but something that results from it; therefore not the truth which is the cause of illumination, but rather pardon, God's favour, justification, salvation in Christ; and he fixes upon this last idea-salvation in Christ. But the objection already urged against the other interpretations is decisive against this one also, viz., that the language is too indefinite to express any one of these ideas. Besides, Delitzsch's own argument is misapplied; for although it is quite true that pôs is not a consequence of wriσlévτas, but a cause, yet the idea expressed by the whole phrase, yevσaμévovs, enjoying the light, is a resulting effect, and is most properly appended by means of Té. Nor let it be said that this interpretation loads the passage with tautology; for the one clause expands the thought of the other, and not only describes an augmented degree of Christian knowledge, but pleasure in the possession of it. The idea to be attached to γευσαμένους is of great importance to the right understanding of this passage. This word has been supposed to mean here, taste, lightly or partially; as with the mere tips of the lips; and many expositors of the Reformed Church, concerned about the doctrine of the saints' perseverance, have pertinaciously adhered to this idea. But it rather means tasting in the sense of partaking, receiving fully and copiously. This is obvious, from the use of the word in chap. ii. 9, where it is applied to our Lord's tasting of death, which certainly does not mean that He had only the slightest touch of suffering, but rather that He felt the full bitterness of dying. We cannot suppose the apostle to mean, that persons who have had ever so slight a taste of the heavenly gift, whatever you suppose it to indicate, cut themselves off, when they fall away, from all hope of restoration. The idea of amplification manifestly enters into the whole passage. It is not the smallness, but the greatness, of the attainments and privileges which apostates have enjoyed, which constitutes the ground of their tremendous doom, and which the apostle must be supposed here solicitous to exhibit. As the first clause, then, expresses generally the idea of acquaintance with the truths of religion, so the second, connected by ré, superadds the idea of enlarged and earnest study of the truth, and great pleasure in contemplation of it. WILLIAM LINDSAY, D.D. The Preacher's Finger-Post. THREE GREAT THINGS IN HUMAN LIFE. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."-Psa. cxix. 11. IN these few words there are three great things.—A great revelation-a great act—and a great purpose. I. A great REVELATION. "Thy word," A word is a revelation of intelligent moral mind. The value of a word depends upon the intellectual and moral worth of the mind it expresses. The words of thoughtless men are wind and nothing more. The words of corrupt men are the channels of impurity. The words of the holy and the strong are amongst the most elevating forces in society. Great souls incarnate themselves in words and live and work here long after the tongue that uttered them or the hand that wrote them are crumbled into dust. But what is a human word compared with the Word of God? The revelation of a mind infinitely wise, immacu lately holy, boundlessly loving and almighty in strength. This word we have here, and it is given us in order to work our spiritual renovation, and to restore us to the moral image of its author. There is nothing under these heavens so valuable to man as this word. What are the criteria by which men determine the value of things (1) Scarcity, (2) usefulness, (3) judgment of competent authorities, (4) duration. Try this word by any of these criteria, and its value will be found to transcend all power of appreciation. II. A great ACT. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart." There are many wrong uses of this word. (1.) The infidel uses it in order to throw doubt upon its contents, invalidate its authority and caricature its discoveries. (2.) The sectarian uses it in order to sustain his own crotchets and justify his own exclusiveness. (3.) The worldly-minded uses it in order by writing or preaching, or profession, to promote his secular gains and advance his social influence. Sadly have men in all ages abused this word, and sadly do they abuse it now. What is the right use of it? To hide it in the heart. Many men have it in the intellect in the memory in passing emotions, but what is needed is the hiding of it in the heart. Put it there as leaven in the meal to ferment, permeate through the mass, and transform all to" its own character. Hide it as golden grain in the soil that it may germinate and grow, and produce abundant fruit. It is a wonderful thought that God has given man the capacity to take into his nature the word, and profoundly solemn is the thought that it is only as he takes in this word into the depths of his nature and hides it there that he can reach a happy destiny. III. A great PURPOSE. "That I might not sin against Thee." First: Sin is a terrible evil. There is nothing worse in the universe than sin. It is worse than hell, for it is the cause and spirit of it. Sin is a battling with Omnipotence, an outrage of our constitution, an opposition to the order of the universe, a plunging of our being into darkness and woe. Secondly: There is a propensity in man to fall into this evil. This is implied in the words, and this alas is true to all history universal. Experience and our own consciousness. Thirdly God's word in the heart is the efficient counteractive. The author of these words not only deprecated sin, felt his liability to it, but felt that the Word of God in his heart would secure him. The Word of God is in eternal antagonism to all sin, and beside there is no power on the earth that can remove it from mankind. thou doing with this word my brother? It has come to thee. Thou hast it in thy hand, and many of its facts and doctrines are in thy memory. Hast thou taken it down into thy heart, as the holy power to cleanse the very fountains of thy being? Has it entered thee as the only agent that can rectify the disordered mechanism of thy nature? PROGRESSIVE POWER OF THE GOSPEL OVER THE SOUL. "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance."-1 Thess. i. 5. WITHOUT offering any preliminary remarks in explanation of the scope of the epistle, or of the meaning of the context, we shall use these words to indicate the gradual stages by which the Gospel accomplishes its perfect work in the human soul. I. It comes as a "WORD.” “ "Our Gospel came not unto you in word only." It first came to them in the word of Paul and Silas. (Acts xvii. 4.) The Gospel first comes to all men in this "word" form. First: The Gospel has a written word. It is in the written biography of Christ, and in the epistles of his apostles. In this written form it is suggestive, diffusive, permanent. Secondly: The Gospel has a spoken word. From the days of Christ to this hour there have been men who have felt moved to speak this word with their living voice to their fellow-men. The Gospel has a living ministry. We can all say, the Gospel has come to us "in word," both written and spoken. The next stage is II. It comes as a 66 POWER." "But also in power." The sound passes into energy. First: Its power is felt in the region of thought. Old notions are disturbed; new ideas are started, and strange questions mooted.. Secondly Its power is felt in the region of emotions. Conscience is touched, hope and fear are excited. There is a stir in the realm of feeling. The dead lake is lashed by the tempest. The next stage is : III. It comes as a DIVINITY. "And in the Holy Ghost." The spirit of God goes with it now. There is the "demonstration of the Spirit." This spirit begets faith. "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the spirit of God." The Spirit works by the Gospel in this stage to enlighten, cleanse, quicken, and energise the soul with new life. It brings order out of chaos and life out of death, and beauty out of hideous ruin. It builds up the ruined temple of the soul, and becomes its permanent divinity. The last stage is IV. It comes as an 66 ASSURANCE," "and in much assurance. All doubts now are dissipated, all scepticism dispelled; the soul is rooted, and grounded in the faith. "There are all the riches of the full .66 assurance of understanding." The soul is strong in faith, giving glory to God. It says, "I know in whom I believe." Exultingly it exclaims, "who shall separate me from the love of God," &c. CONCLUSION.-In which of these stages is the Gospel in relation to us? It has come to us in word. The word is in our hands, on our ears, in our memory, and on our lips. But if it remains in this stage, it is of no real service to us. It has come to us in power, too. We have all felt it more or less, felt it both in the circle of our thoughts, and in the region of our feelings. But if it continued in this stage, it has done us an injury rather than a service. Thousands have felt its power who are now in hell. It has come to some as a divinity. The Holy Ghost has come with it and by it effected the redemptive work. But still in this stage, whilst the benefit is great, it may not be complete. Doubts and fears may still lurk in the soul. It has come to a few as an assurance. They have "full assurance of faith." Why should not the Gospel come thus to us all? For this it is sent. MARTYRDOM A TESTIMONY. "I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God."Rev. xx. 4. MARTYRDOM is the subject of these words. An examination of the whole vision here recorded is very tempting, and would be interesting, but is not practicable in this place.* The words suggest four facts concerning martyrdom. were I. Martyrs are SOMETIMES MURDERED MEN. John saw the souls of those who 66 beheaded." All murders are not martyrdoms; all martyrdoms are murders. There has often been martyrdom, and still is, where there is no killing. There are sufferings inflicted on men on account of their conscientious convictions that are often as bad, if not worse, than death itself. There is slander, contumely, the loss of freedom, the destruction of rights. For a man to spend his life amidst social scorn, civil disabilities, and religious intolerance, on account of his conscientious beliefs, is a martyrdom, his life is a protracted and painful dying. But thousands have been murdered, and that by every variety of method which satanic cruelty could invent. Paul summarises some of the tortures of ancient martyrdom," Some had trials of cruel mocking and scourgings; yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonments. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder; were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, *See HOMILIST, vol. iv., first series, p. 121. |