The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-02-05
GOD IN CHRIST.

God never erforms an unnecessary act.
We know most of God in Jesus. More
than in nature more than in any verbal
revelation, God is manifested in Jesus the
Christ. His motives and emotions are
learned, not by q long process of generaliza-
ton from the facts of the world, but by a
simple open-hearted, child-like observation
OF the movements of the intellect and heart
of Jesus. If the life of Jesus be the index
by which men may know the workings Of
an infinite nature, then we must believe
that our heavenly Father never does a
single thing to af1ict his human children
unnecessarily, never takes any delight in
their sufferings, is always ready to save
them from their sins, and does whatsoever
an infinitely wise and benevolent nature
can suggest 10 make them happy. So Jesus
was. So God must be. Now, it is re.
markable characteristic of Jesus that
be never spoke an unnecessary
word nor performed an unneces-
that person could do for himself. There
seemed to be omnipotence at his command.
He claimed that there was. He performed
acts which 60 rs far as acts can go to prove
such proposition as the possession of limit
less power. All disease was under his con-
troll. All nature seemed under his control:
He could still storms, multiply bread, and
change water into wine. He was the master
of the grave. He sent his summons through
the gates into eternity and called back the
spirtls of the departed, to re-inhabit Their
foruSer bodies. There. Is no perGspti9le
limit 70 his power. And yet ne never per-
nfmed a miracle to CRAFTY nl own passions
th0ss Ct 9tReIs ~ as meyer f.s1s sssrtea Ks
its issfe man, to whom Almighty Cod had for
a'season delegated his almightiness, it is in
conceivable that he should not at some time
have put forth his hand to crafty the curl
osity Of his beloved friends, or to indulge
his QEn desire. for display, or bind the
hands Of bis foes, OF destroy them with
his Word Of power. But he never dd. l
never knew q man, never heard of man,
find no record of any history of man, so
continent, so gloriously self-controlling, that
he would not, at least once in a lifetime.
break over the bounds and exert this dele
gated power selfshly. Jesus never did.
Then God never does. 1t is the merest
fanaticism to desire and pray that God will
give US aign, do wonder, and set the uni:
vess aeape at his monstrons power. He
never did. He never will. If his power
seems glorious to is, it is because that power
is glorious. All that men see is what Hab-
akkuk calls "the hiding of his power"
God does only what God cannot leave uh-
done.-Dr. Deems.
Iwonder many times that ever child Of
God should have sad heart, considering
what the Lord is preparing for him.-Sdn'-
alel Rutherford.
Nearness of life to the Saviour will neces-
sarily involve greatness of love to Him. AS
nearness to the sun increases the tempera-
tufe of the various planets, so near an in
tifnate communion with Jesus raises the
heat of the souls affections towards Him.
Spurgson.
The New Testament is occupied from first
to last---especially the Sermon on the Mount
jim showing that acts are nothing except as
they are fruits of q state, except as they in
dicate what the man is that words are
nothing except as they express mind or
d. Maurice.