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I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: but it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.'* The poet has presented this in a fine light:

'It is as though the dead could feel
The icy worm around them steal,
Without the power to drive away

The cold consumers of their clay.'

But we must not dwell here. There sat the blessed Saviour, in the midst of the twelve, with the cross in full view. Already were his enemies abroad in search of him. But though he was thus to suffer, he forgot himself in his great anxiety for his disciples. He knew their timidity; he knew their weakness; and, although they could profess an ardent attachment for him, yet he knew that, in a few hours, they would all forsake him, and leave him 'to tread the wine-press alone.' What a moment of intense interest to them, and to the world! And how comforting must have been the words of the Master as he said, 'Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know

*Psa. lv. 12-14.

the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.'

The passage needs no labored exposition, for we have in two other numbers considered the other two titles embraced, which the reader will find in their appropriate places; for our work, for the sake of easy reference, was thrown into an alphabetical arrangement. Hence, we shall sum up the whole meaning, for we might give a very wide range to our remarks, but such was not the design of this work. One great object has been to present a concise view of the various Names and Titles of the Lord Jesus; and then to leave others to make such a use of them as they may prefer. Jesus himself has explained his own words: 'No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.' By this we learn that he is the true Way to God, and the only Way. It is in and through him that we must go to the Father. 'No man hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.'

feel that here is a great truth, but we have not room to present it in that form which its importance demands. How immense are the truths connected with the mission of Jesus! What a vast and unexplored field often lies open before the mind's eye! How inadequate all language, and all illustrations! want the language of heaven, and the harps of angels, and then we think we could bring out the glories and beauties of the gospel. But even then we should fail, for how can the mind ever fully enter into the glories of divine truth? God is truth, and he is the only being that fully comprehends it in its heights and depths.

Jesus may be considered as 'the Way of truth;' 'the Way of salvation;' 'the Way of righteousness;' 'the Way of peace;' 'the Way of holiness;' 'the Way of life;' 'the new and living Way.' He is the Way by his doctrine, John vi. 68; by his example, 1 Pet. ii. 21; by his sacrifice, Heb. ix. 8, 9; by his Spirit, John xvi. 13. The reader can see at once, that to attempt to enlarge on these points would swell our work to an immense volume. We shall be obliged, therefore, to confine our remarks to a few plain views of the whole subject.

We will consider him as the Way for us to walk in; the Way for the afflicted; and the Way to hea

ven.

He has opened a new and living way, by his example. Unlike other teachers, he not only taught pure precepts, but he presented an exhibition of them in his own life. And he is the only Teacher that has been in our world, that has carried out his own maxims. Hence, he is the only sure Way in which we can walk.

Jesus is a Way for the afflicted. He 'trod the wine-press alone.' He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. And now the afflicted, the despised, the poor, and the destitute, may look to him, and find comfort. He gave out an invitation broad enough to cover every case of affliction on earth: เ Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls.'* What a gracious invitation; and yet how

*Matt. xi. 28, 29.

slow we are to receive it. We seek for consolation and rest everywhere but in Jesus, who is able to comfort the afflicted; 'For in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.'

Jesus is the Way to heaven. He has been down into the dreary chambers of death; he has lit up 'the valley of the shadow of death;' yea, more-he has irradiated with unearthly splendor and loveliness the world beyond. Now we can look beyond the cold Jordan of death. We see its dark billows calmed by him who said, when on earth, to the waves, 'Peace, be still!' We look through the vista of time: all intermediate ages are vanished. Death is disarmed. The world is flooded with light and life; the song of myriads is heard chanting the triumphant anthem, 'O death! where is thy sting? O grave! where is thy victory?'

'Thou art the Way-to thee alone

From sin and death we flee;
And he who would the Father seek,
Must seek him, Lord, by thee.

Thou art the Truth-thy word alone
True wisdom can impart;

Thou only canst inform the mind,
And purify the heart.

Thou art the Life-the rending tomb
Proclaims thy conquering arm;
And those who put their trust in thee
Nor death nor hell shall harm.

Thou art the Way, the Truth, the Life;
Grant us that way to know,

That truth to keep, that life to taste,

Whose joys eternal flow.'

LXXVIII. WITNESS.

'And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the creation of God.'

Rev. iii. 14.

JESUS is spoken of as a Witness in four other instances: Isa. lv. 4. John xviii. 37. 1 Tim. vi. 13. Rev. i. 5.

The term in the Greek is Martys or Martyr, and signifies one that bears testimony to the truth at the expense of his life. Jesus is the faithful and true Witness, for he died in attestation of his doctrine. From this view, we see, at once, a great beauty and propriety in the present title as applied to the Son of God.

We shall make a few remarks on the duty of a witness, and then proceed to show some of the truths which this Witness revealed to the world.

The duty of a witness is not to create truth. Indeed, no being can create a new truth. All truth is coeval with God, and, like him, is uncreated and eternal. All those truths that have been flashing upon the world ever since creation, were all in being before, but were unknown to man.

Like some stars, world, so with

whose light has never reached our truth. It is still on its way, and will be revealed as fast as the human mind can bear it. Jesus has come as a moral light to reveal truth to the world. And

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