THE K I NG ' S BUS I NES S “He 'talked with us”—and “He opened to us the Scriptures?” What seraphic mo ments! what high communion! what loving ministry! A risen Saviour rally ing their hearts by His marvelous words and mighty exposition of the Scriptures. What was the effect—what the neces sary result? The two travellers In stantly returned to Jerusalem to seek their brethren. It could not be other wise. If we lose sight of a risen Sav iour we are sure to get away from our brethren, sure to get occupied with our own things; to pursue our own way— to get into coldness, deadness, darkness and selfishness. But, on the other hand, the moment we get really into the pres ence of Christ, when we hear His voice and feel the sweetness and power of His love, when our hearts are brought under the mighty moral influence of His most precious loving ministry, then we are led out in true affection and interest after all our brethren and in earnest desire to find our place in their midst in order th a t we may commun icate to them the deep joy th a t is filling our own souls. We may lay it down as a fixed principle, a spiritual axiom— that it is utterly impossible to breathe the atmosphere of a risen Saviour’s presence and remain in an isolated, in dependent or fragmentary condition. The necessary effect of His dear pres ence is to melt the heart and cause it to flow out in streams of tender affec tion toward all th a t belong to Him. His Gracious Condescension “And they rose up the same hour” of the night—thus proving they had but little business a t Emmaus, or how paramount was the blessed object now before them, “and returned to Jerusa lem, and found the eleven gathered to gether, and them th a t were with them,' saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how He was known of them in break the deep and precious secret:
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ing of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed th a t they had seen a spirit.” They, too, needed a risen Saviour’s challenge to bring them to their senses —to calm their fears and raise their drooping spirits. They needed to real ize the power of His presence as the risen One. They had ju st declared to their two brethren from Emmaus that “The Lord is risen indeed” ; but yet when their risen Lord appeared to them" they did not know Him, and He had to challenge their hearts with His stir ring words, “Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and My feet, th a t it is I Myself: hanäle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have. And when He had thus spoken, He shewed them H is hands and His feet. And while they yet be lieved not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And He took it, and did eat before them.” What gracious condescension to their weakness and need! What compassion ate entrance into all their feelings, spite of their folly and unbelief! Gra cious Saviour! Who would not love Thee? Who would not tru st Thee? May the whole heart be absorbed with Thee! May the whole life be cordially devoted to Thy blessed service! May Thy cause command all our energies! May all we have and all we love be laid on Thine altar as a reasonable ser vice! May the eternal Spirit work in us for the accomplishment
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