The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-04-18

tan is but an entrance into the city
Of God! It is but Joining a more blessed
company, and singing in a more exa1t-
ed strain than he can DO in this world"
In the oath verse Of John 10th chap,
ter, the Jews in numbers came to him
saying: How long dost thou make us
to doubt? If thou be the Christ tell us
lieved Him for when He made it plain |
by positive declaration they rejected
Him. In the instance before us the
Lord did not choose to answer them di-
rectly, but He preferred to teach them.
He said: 81 told you and We believed
not" He saw perhaps that their game
was to entrap Him into some admission
or confession so that then or at another
time they could use it with effect
against Him. He now says to them:
e'The works that / do in my Fathers
name, the bear witness of me-" Look
at them and behold my credibility. They
are indeed my chief, my most sufficient
and convincing witnesses. My Divinity
may be seen in my works for none but
God can do them. But We believe not"
My miracles known unto you all, for
they were not done in a corner, are
conclusive evidence of my M~essiahship,
that 1 am of God, the veritable Christ.
This reminds US just here that the
greatest sermon we ever heard was
preached by Bishop Wilson on the
Works of Christ as his witnesses, es-
tablishing His Divinity 1t was very
mastery. Christ said to the unbeliev-
ing enquiries-'I told you, and We be-
lieved not; the works that l do in my
Fathers name, they bear witness of
me-" If you would learn really who
| Christ is, study His words, examine His
! works" His miracles show Him to
have been the Wonder Worker. In
) chapter 5:36, we hear Him saying: But
I have greater witnesses than that Of
John; for the works which the Father
hath given me to finish, the same
+. works that 1 do, bear witness of me,
! tina the Father hath sent me-" He re-
fers both to His miracles and particu-
larly to the giving of spiritual life, for
in the wonderful oath and 25th verses
the Master had said: Verify, verify, I
say unto you, He hat heareth my
word, and believeth on Him that sent
me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life" Here we See the
results of Christ's life-giving power.
Mark the "hath"-present tense-and
mark ''is Notwithstanding already
accomplished. 1.-The act of comforting
spiritual life on a soul e in tres
passes and sins is ever spoken of as
one of the greatest works of Omnipo-
tence." 2. Cor, 4:6; SIT. Gal. 6:15; Eph.
81, 10, 4:25. (Warren.) The 18th verse
reads: Verify, verify, I say unto you,
The hour is coming and now is, when
the dead shall hear the voice of the Son
Of God; and they that lear shall live"
Marvellous words indeed. Look at Pen
tecost and you will find fulfllment. He
brings to life the spiritually dead-that
is the meaning and the significancy of
the language. 1t shows the stupendous
works" of the Saviour. THE Jews
understanding of Christ's claim to be
equal with God, and His own vindica-'
ton of that claim, are among the most
convincing evidences of His Divine ma
ture and p~rerogatives." Christ's works
indeed prove Him to a been just
what He claimed to be-the Son of
God. He gave full credentials of His
NTocciohSbin a Coin and a gain So in the
10th chapter He points to His works
again as proof complete and over
whelming of His Divine nature, of His
Eternal Sonship. He said in the 18th
verse-"But We believe me not, because
We are not of my sheep" as He had be-
fore told them was the case. Those who
reject Christ now or who respected Him
then are not His sheep, are not
His disciples. In the earlier verses
which we have studied with you
we gave what the Lord and Mas
ter said that His sheep hear His voice.
Here He repeats in verse 27th-"My
sheep hear my voice, and 1 know
j them. and they follow me-" The great
characteristic of true discipleship is
obedience. The chief characteristic Of
! Christ's sheep isl that they follow Him,
| even unto the end. He had before de.
|! scribed His sheep and said they were
all known by Him and they all followed
Him. The only question here needed is
Are you following Christ? If not be-
ware.
Mr.. John S. Wise, now Of New York,
hos puh1iSho5 a war hook piyipp biS