The Atonement Viewed from the Person of Christ. 533 yond the gift of His Father, and petition without faith were mockery and not prayer. Sin is unpardonable in the sense here under consideration, and must, necessarily, have been borne to the point of expiation for its removal, and expiation (in full for man) was possible only within the scope of the "second death." As when the divine glory broke in heavenly effulgence over the Mount of Transfiguration, the Lord bore our nature into Heaven for a season; so also, when physical nature, with trembling fingers, drew the veil of her darkness over Calvary, and the divine frown focalized in total eclipse upon the cross, did the Lord bear our nature, virtually, into Hell for a space. That the Lord actually took man's place under the final penalty for sin is easily seen from His application of the opening sentiment of the twenty-second Psalm to His position at the time. The Father had" forsaken" Him. Communication with the upper world was interrupted. All practical sympathy was then in abeyance. Not even an angel appeared with heavenly consolation. Surely, this portrays, also, the condition of the unforgiven in the world to come, for, what can constitute the torments of Hell but the withdrawal of the light, the life, the presence of God. "It is finished," therefore, announced the accomplishment of the Sufferer's purpose of vicarious expiation.

Was the deliverance of man wrought at the cross? The Lord was passive and under unresented infliction from Gethsemane to he sepulchre. He fell as a non-combatant before the deadly assault of the enemy. The cross, bearing the dead Christ on GoodFriday evening, represented murder, but it also forecast the overthrow of the felonious perpetrators, for, conversely, the crucifixion guaranteed the approaching triumph of the Slain. The cross is the emblem of reconciliation, but not of salvation. "For if when we were enemies," says the apostle, "we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." The Lord was put to physical death, but He suffered not spiritual death, the" second death" having no power over Him except to involve Him in the agony of the lost. The Father forsook Him to drink this last and

W

bitterest dreg of the cup of penal suffering, but H while, truly, the life." This recalls the import whilst sufering for sin is negative, and, in it. overthrow the evil one, the Protevangel foreto struggle in which the seed of the woman the serpent's head. In the hostility, resulting plantel enmity, the Lord had hitherto pursued foiling His foe, or of non-resistance. He assailed directly, as in His general teaching and in the exp "legions" from his physical stronghold of demoni sion. The language used in the Garden evidently c a direct and overwhelming counter-assault from t seed. This positive conflict took place after the pass the Lord's personal qualification for the struggle co rived only from personal expiation. He could "destr had the power of death, that is, the devil" onk death," because, as the Lamb of God, He bore the world to the cross and relieved Himself of the ind which had also been the constant source of Satan's P Him. Truly the Protevangel was fulfilled by me tragedy that was enacted for the Lord's destruction. both equipped the seed of the woman for the final and introduced Him into the earthly stronghold of th which is death. The battle was joined in the regi dead, and He, who had died so meekly on Good-Fri ently reappeared in life, displaying as trophies of final "the keys of death and of Hades." A heavenly m also exposed the empty sepulchre to view, and sat as in derision on the broken seal of Rome. It was East the world's Easter, for the last Adam was risen from t to save, "by His life," the race, which He had "recon God" by His death.

VII.

SIMON BAR-JONA: THE STONE AND THE ROCK.

BY MRS. T. C. PORTER.

CHAPTER FOURTH.

A TRIED STONE.

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat."-St. Luke xxii. 31.

SECTION I.

The Messiah's Preparation for Death.

WHEN Jesus of Nazareth was persuaded that however forcible and convincing His preaching, reasoning and miracles might be, the public would none the less reject Him, on account of their bearings, so unpalatable to the natural mind, He, the last and greatest of her prophets, prepared to obey the will of God and close forever the Jewish church. There was no help for His enemies in man, solely, nor for the apostles, not even in their peerless Messiah. He must be declared by His resurrection and ascension to be the eternal Son of God incarnate, before friend or foe, His people or the world could be helped by Him. In short, Judaism must give way to Christianity.

His first disciple, Peter, who was appointed to begin to unfold the doctrine of the Trinity, which Moses had wrapped up in the declaration, "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD," and who had accordingly declared with all the fervor of his earnest spirit, "Thou art the Son of the living God," had also, when his Master thereupon announced his approaching violent death, with the same fervor exclaimed, "Be it far from thee, Lord; this shall not be unto thee!"

And yet "to this end He was born, and for t came into the world!" Simon's words were tar request of the Christ to deny Himself, and there ter's sudden repulse, "Get thee hence, Satan.” that Peter was wholly ignorant of the extent and own confession. This was indeed with him a firm conviction, for he spake by the Holy Ghost; bu yet an assured knowledge which entered into a part of his own consciousness. It could not be, t the full or perfect descent of the Spirit, should "the Son of God with power."

Simon's words came, he knew not whence, till told him; and, at that time, he knew just as lit they reached; for it was not always given to those by the Spirit of God to understand their own uttera yet, though the earnest rebuke, "Be it far from th disclosed that Peter had no knowledge of Jesus as it also served the good purpose of showing that real apprehension of the facts of sin and himself as a of which are necessary to make a true Israelite, su Messiah had promised he should become in nar Cephas. Though the Holy Ghost had shown h Christ as the sinless Son of man, He had not yet sh Simon Bar-Jona as a son of the first and last Adam. quently, Simon was wholly insensible of sin and Sata indeed, his baptism of awakening so far prevail astonished at a miracle of the Master's, he exclaimed, sinful man, O Lord,” but the only effect it produced was fear, and prompted by this fear he had also pray "Depart from me." Had he known himself to be thoroughly lost, and Jesus to be a Saviour, he wou begged Him to stay with him forever, for the very reas he was such, and without His presence must continual

Preaching and miracles were not enough to teach t ciples, any more than the enemies of Christ. Acts of a kind were needed. His departure in the body, and re

the spirit could alone quicken and perfect their knowledge and faith. These acts Peter had but now opened the way for, both by his confession and remonstrance. While the former strengthened their Master's resolution to leave them in order to return again, the latter accelerated His steps in going. Neither to suffer nor die, but to take the kingdom before God should put it into His hands, was the very temptation of Satan, a temptation which the Son of David, like His father David, nobly and promptly resisted.

It was time for the Messiah to die, when the chief disciple, through the grand conviction of His personality, and amazing ignorance of himself, was fast becoming a tempter. Not eight days after this, when Jesus took " Peter and James and John" "up into a high mountain apart," to have their faith confirmed by His transfiguration, Peter, in an ecstasy, desired their Lord. to tabernacle with them there; so quickly had He forgotten His communication that He "must go to Jerusalem to suffer and be killed," and His rebuke, "Get thee behind me, Satan!" So little did he understand the true object of His coming-as little as the Jews who thought the Christ must "abide forever" in His mortal nature as the Son of David, when all their sacrifices pointed to His death! "I have never eaten anything common nor unclean," Saint Peter could say, so strictly had he observed the ceremonial law, and yet all its washing and cleansing, and slaying and sacrificing, pointed to the facts of sin present and a Saviour to come. Truly that law was as powerless, in his case, to convince him of sin, as it was in the case of those who were convinced, to make them "perfect as pertaining to the conscience." The time had indeed come for the great Paschal Lamb to be slain, and therefore Jesus the Christ, both high priest and sacrifice, began at once to prepare for the plain and public confession of His undeputed and inherent divinity; that truth which alone could secure His condemnation to death, and afterward raise Him again to life and glory.