Thus He by the sacrifice of Himself; Heb. ix. 22, 26. became our Mediator; for there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man-the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all-an offering for sin, a propitiation for the sins of the whole world, to justify many, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness. IV. I must make a few practical remarks. 1. It is certain that the Son of Man designed our text to serve, not only as a fact, but also as a precedent, or example. It was obviously His intention to divest the minds of the disciples of their natural selfishness and worldly ambition, and to inspire them with those noble sentiments of genuine humility, and pure universal benevolence and love which are the distinguishing marks of His holy religion. Ye shall not be as the tyrannical Gentiles; but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your servant. The Son of Man well knew the difficulty, as well as the necessity of bringing the human heart into this tender, submissive, humble, liberal frame; hence He not only exhorted the disciples to obtain and cultivate such a disposition, but He represented it to them by His own example. He took a towel, and girded Himself, and poured water into a basin, and washed the disciples' feet, and wiped them with the towel, and said, "I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you; do not seek to be ministered unto, but to minister; do not seek high places, but condescend to men of low estate; wash each others' feet. 2. Although Jesus came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, yet He was ministered unto; and those who seek not their own advantage, but the glory of God, shall be blessed in their deed. One of the favourite maxims of the Redeemer is," He that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death-even the death of the cross; and although when He came to His own, they received Him not, yet there were some that ministered unto Him. Even at His birth the eastern sages presented unto Him gifts— gold, frankincense and myrrh. More than once angels came and ministered unto Him; and there were certain pious women who ministered unto Him of their substance. As it was with the Master, so shall it be with the disciples; those who seek and promote first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, shall have all things necessary for life and godliness; the holy angels will minister unto them; and finally an entrance shall be ministered unto them abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But those who serve themselves, verily I say unto you, they have their reward. Some seek their own case, and consequently are indolent and careless; some seek their own praise, and therefore labour hard to gain popularity and applause; some seek their own power, and will compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and some seek their own wealth, and therefore mix sinister motives with religious matters. All these came not to minister, but to be ministered unto, consequently they are not the followers of Christ. 3. As the Son of Man gave Himself a ransom for all, so His disciples ought to give themselves, not indeed as a ransom, but as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is their reasonable service. Forasmuch as they were not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, so ought they to glorify Him with their bodies and their spirits, which are His; not seeking their own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved, and brought nigh by the blood of the Lamb, and kept by the power of God unto salvation. THE CONFIDERS. PSALM IX, 10. "They that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee; for Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee." "MAN that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble." During his sojourn in this vale of tears, he is subject to numerous vicissitudes, difficulties and excrcises; and the great variety which the conduct of men affords in this chequered scene is full of interest. Some, when passing through the common trials of life are furious and impatient: they will roar and tear like a wild bull in a net, and give vent to their wrath in oaths and curses. Others are peevish and fretful; they will snarl and growl like a bear robbed of her whelps, and show forth their discontent in spleen and irritation. Others are sullen and gloomy; they will lurk and fret like a lion bereft of his prey, and have recourse to revenge and violence. Very different, however, is the conduct of those who know the name of the Lord. In all the changing scenes of life they are calm, tranquil, and patient as the sheep of his pasture; and they show forth the serenity of their souls by a firm, but quiet trust. They that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee. I. Who are they that know this name? II. When do they put their trust in the Lord? I. Who are they that know this name? 1. The term "the name of the Lord" generally signifies the Lord Himself-His nature, attributes, and perfections. In this sense the phrase is commonly used both in the Old and the New Testament; hence saith the Psalmist," O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! Thou hast set Thy glory above the heavens;" Psalm viii, 1. And the Lord Jesus said, -"I have manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest me out of the world: holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy name;" John, xvii, 6-12. The expression is also applied to the Son as well as to the Father. Philip preached the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ; Acts, viii, 12. Paul was a chosen vessel to bear His name before the Gentiles; and Peter told the people His name, through faith in His name, had healed the lame man, and that there is no other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved; Acts, iii, 16. 2. But although the name of the Lord usually means His attributes and perfections generally considered, it sometimes seems as if it alluded to some of those attributes in particular. For instance, it has special reference to His power, majesty, and holiness, in that passage,-"Let them praise Thy great and terrible name, for it is holy;" Psalm xcix, 3. And to His grace and Providence, in Psalm xx, 1, 5, 7,-" The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble, the name of the God of Jacob defend thee. We will rejoice in Thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners; the Lord fulfil all thy petitions. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God." In that text,-"The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it, and is safe," it seems to allude especially to His goodness and love. The same may be said of its meaning in our text. They that know Thy name as a good, gracious, and faithful God, will put their trust in Thee; for Thou, Lord, art a strong tower, a sure refuge, and hast not forsaken them that have sought Thee. 3. To know frequently means to understand, as when we say of a person that he knows any given science, we mean he understands it. Thus to know the name of the Lord is to have our judgments properly informed respecting His existence and perfections. He that cometh unto God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of all those who diligently seek Him. We ought to read the name of the Lord in creation and Providence, as well as in revelation and grace; "for the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead." But He has given us a clearer manifestation of Himself by a revelation-"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Those, therefore, who would properly know and understand the name of the Lord must search the Scriptures, for in them we have eternal life; and there we have a pure revelation of His holy and reverend name. To know, means also to experience; thus when we say of a person, he has never known want, we mean he has never experienced want. But how can we experience the name of the Lord? By possessing those benefits which result from the application of His name to our hearts. The Lord proclaimed His name to His servant Moses "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin." This is His name; and to know it experimentally, is to have a full assurance of His saving mercy and grace, the forgiveness of our iniquity, and the renewal of our hearts in righteousness and true holiness. To know signifies also to be acquainted with; thus when we say of a person that we know him, we generally mean that we are acquainted with him. To know the name of the Lord in this sense implies to be reconciled to Him through Christ, which is the only way of being acquainted with Him. The person with whom we are intimately acquainted we love; that person we wish to please, and with him we delight to associate. Those who know the name of the Lord are acquainted with Him in this way. He is the object of their supreme love; they delight to do His will, and their happiest hours are those which are spent in sweet communion with Him. "Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good shall come unto thee." II. When do they put their trust in the Lord ? 1. They who have this knowledge of the Divine power, wisdom, goodness, and love, will at all times trust in God. |