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I DO not know that I can preface the following Chapters more suitably than by quoting the words of the Apostle John in his First Epistle:—

That which was from the beginning,

Which we have heard,

Which we have seen with our eyes,

Which we have gazed upon,

Which our hands have handled,

Of the Word of life;

For the life was manifested,

And we have seen it,

And bear witness,

And show unto you

That eternal life

Which was with the Father,

And was manifested unto us.

In such marvellous words does the beloved disciple describe the Person of Him who is ‘the Christ of God.’ Let them suffice for an introduction to this volume. They give us some insight into the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord: naming His eternal name; proclaiming His eternal ancestry; showing us the mystery of His ineffable Person; introducing us into the fulness of His love; giving us a glimpse of His glorious light; exhibiting Him as the fountainhead of life; demonstrating to us the absolute certainty of the things made known concerning Him, so that there might not be on any mind the shadow of a doubt concerning either His grace or His glory.

Then, after the wondrous enumeration which He has thus given, the apostle thus announces the meaning and bearing of all this upon our own Christian life,—the life which begins in believing the record which God has given of His Son:—

‘That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.’

For nothing less than the fulness of joy is meant to be the portion of him who believeth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and nothing short of walking in the light of God ought to be the life of him who has received this Christ, and in receiving Him, has become a son of Him of whom it is written, ‘God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.’

The Grange, Nov. 1873.

CrossReach Publications