a b l e ." Truly it is unspeakable to you, beloved reader, and to me. I. UNSPEAKABLE AS .FAR AS THE MAJESTY OF ITS GIVER IS CON- CERNED. He is the Almighty God, in- finite, eternal, and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. His greatness is un- searchable, and with Him is no variable- ness, neither shadow of turning. He com- manded, and the heavens were created; He established them for ever and ever, and He hath made a decree which shall not pass. There is none holy as the Lord, and none is able to stand before Him. He sitteth upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filleth the temple, and above the throne stand the seraphim. He is king of all the earth, excellent in power and in justice and in abundance of charity, who exerciseth loving kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these things He delighteth. He alone under- standeth the way of Wisdom, which is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the fowl of heaven, whose value man knoweth not, and He knoweth its place. He is the great, mighty, and terrible God, who hath no regard for per- sons, and receiveth no bribes; who ex- ecuteth justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loveth the stranger to give him food and raiment. All His ways are just, fofc He is the God of Truth, without iniquity. None can utter His mighty acts, none can tell all His praise. There is none like unto the Lord our God. Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory, I L UNSPEAKABLE AS FAR AS IS CONCERNED THE LOVE WHICH PROMPTED THE GIFT. The Eternal God commended His love toward us in that He spared not His own Son, but de- livered Him "up for us all. Who can fathom that love which gave His only begotten Son, saw Him laid in a manger, a helpless babe born of a woman, and made of no reputation? Did not the Father see His Son, who was equal with the Father, hum- bled and enduring the contradiction of sinners against Himself, and in all points tempted like as sinful men are (yet with- out sin!)? He saw Him suffer and finally die at the cross, despising the shame. He heard His agonizing cry, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me? and yet, He spared not His own Son, that we, human beings, poor and weak, might be reconciled to God by the death of His SOB. Who can understand the love which
gave Christ, so that, while we were yet sinners, He died for us, the Righteous One for the ungodly? III. UNSPEAKABLE AS FAR AS IS CONCERNED THE LOW ESTATE OF THE RECIPIENTS OF THE GIFT. It was not given for the holy angels, not for perfect saints, but sinful, ungodly, and ungrateful men, whose heart is enmity with God, until the power of the Holy Spirit touches it and the light shines into the dark plaee. Having been created by God, after His own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, man sinned against God by disobedience and fell from the estate wherein he was created, and all mankind, descending from him by ordin- ary generation, sinned in him and fell with him into an estate of sin and misery. Thus man lost communion with (Sod, and, coming under His wrath and curse, was made liable to all the miseries of this life) to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever. All men have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and their hearts are deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. These wicked, disobedient, re- bellious children of men are the recipients of the unspeakable gift of God in spite of their unspeakably low and sinful estate. IV. UNSPEAKABLE AS FAR AS THE GIFT I TSELF IS CONCERNED. , It is the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son, who took to Himself a true body and a reasonable soul and became man. It is He who shall come to judge the world at the last day, the glorious King of Kings, the Redeemer, the chiefe^t among ten thousand and altogether lovely. But hearken, beloved reader, as Paul speaks of the gift as unspeakable, he says. Thanks be unto God. The majesty and love of tne Giver, the preeiousness of the Gift, and the unworthiness of the re- cipients (which we are, you and I!) should prompt the humble, earnest desire of gratitude to Him, by whom and for whom all things were created. Our one question should be: " Wh a t shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?" Oh, let us emphasize the personal nouns, and humbly conscious of our sin and of His love, let us say, " ' I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord; I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all His peo- ple.'' Let us serve Him in blessed and complete surrender with our whole heart our whole love, and our whole life. Amen.
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