Parish Papers Part 1

Parish Papers.

by Norman Macleod.

THOUGHTS ON CHRISTIANITY.

I.

WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?

This question refers to a matter of fact. I do not ask whether the Christian religion is true, but only, What is the Christian religion?

What is that religion which has existed for eighteen centuries; which is professed by Christendom; and which has been more precious than life itself to millions who have died in its faith, and is so still to millions who possess it as their peace and joy?

But how are we to obtain a satisfactory reply to this question? Are we to examine the opinions of all the various "churches," "sects," or "bodies," professing Christianity, in order to determine what it is they profess? If we adopted such a process of investigation as this, I believe we would reach, by a longer road, the very same point which may be reached by a shorter and more satisfactory process.

For I suppose it will be admitted that the Christian religion is what Jesus Christ and His apostles taught, and that we may rely upon the information conveyed to us in the New Testament as to the sum and substance of that teaching.

I do not even insist, as essential to my argument, upon the inspiration of Scripture, according to any theory whatever of that doctrine; but a.s.sume only that we have in the New Testament a true account of the teaching of Jesus Christ and His apostles, and that we are able, therefore, to ascertain from its pages what their Christianity was _as an historical fact_, with as much certainty, surely, as we can learn from the Koran what Mohammedanism was as taught by Mohammed, or from any work of philosophy what were the opinions of its author.

Now, if we read the New Testament with ordinary attention, we must, I think, be struck by one feature which is repeated in almost every page, and is manifestly the all-pervading spirit and life of its teaching,--that is, the peculiar place which Christ occupies in relation to all other persons mentioned there. This person, Jesus Christ, whoever He was, stands out prominently before every other _teacher_ of Christian truth. The apostles speak of _Him_, point to Him, plead for Him, labour for Him. He is not the greatest Teacher merely among themselves, but the _only_ Teacher, and they but His scholars, who glory in having nothing of their own to impart, and in being ministers, "stewards," only of what they have received from Him their Master. The subject of all their preaching is this Person--not a system of morality, or doctrines, or truths, apart from, but embodied in Him who was _the_ Truth and _the_ Life--Jesus Christ. The text of all their teaching is, "G.o.d forbid that we should know anything among you save Jesus Christ." In order to see this, take up any epistle, and mark how often the name of Jesus Christ appears as the ever-present thought, the centre of every idea.

Again, consider how this Person is inseparably connected with every motive, every duty, every joy and hope of the Christian as he is described in the New Testament. Christian love is there, not love merely in the abstract, (if such is in any case possible,) but love to Jesus Christ, and to all men because "in Christ" The grand question proposed is, "Lovest thou ME?" Christian obedience is not obedience merely to a code of moral precepts, but to Jesus Christ and "_His_ commandments." Christian faith is not faith in "mysteries," or things unseen, or truths revealed, though such faith may be Christian, but its essence is faith in Jesus Christ the living Person; the supreme command being, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ." The Christian's hope is "hope in Christ;" his joy, "joy in Christ;" his peace, "peace in Christ;" his labour, "labour in Christ;" his strength, "strength in Christ;" his life, "life in Christ;" his death, "death in Christ;" his immortality, "rising in Christ;" his salvation, "salvation through Christ;" and his heaven, "to be with Christ!" On the other hand, all that is evil and disastrous to the soul is summed up in being "without Christ." To reject Christ, not to believe in Christ, to be enemies of Christ, to despise Christ, to be ignorant of Christ, to lose Christ, to be commanded at the last to depart from Christ--these are the characteristics of the wicked and lost: for "there is no other name given among men whereby man can be saved than the name of Jesus Christ."

You will observe that I am not at present discussing what Christ has done for us, but what, as a matter of fact, Jesus Christ claimed from us and from all men, and recognised to be the religion which He came to establish upon earth. I repeat it, therefore, that whether these claims were founded on fact or fiction, whether the religion which He taught was true or false, in accordance with, or opposed to, the will of G.o.d, that nevertheless its sum and substance is _supreme love to Jesus Christ_.

Now, if this, or anything even approaching to this, is true, my reader will, I am sure, acknowledge that it is not possible to separate Christ from the Christianity of the New Testament. The person and the "religion" become, in fact, identical--so far at least that both must be received or rejected. That a code of morals may be extracted from the New Testament, and Jesus himself, as its centre, be put aside, is quite possible; or that the character of Jesus may be recognised as a perfect example of what He taught, a living embodiment of His "beautiful precepts," is also possible, without recognising His claim to the supreme love and unlimited obedience of every human being; but the question still remains, whether this "philosophic" or "rational"

system--_this_ Christianity is really the Christianity taught by Christ, or by Peter, Paul, and John? I do not argue as to which "religion," "system," or "Christianity" is the best, but ask only a question of fact, Which do you candidly believe to be the Christianity of the New Testament? If you hesitate ere you reply to this question of historical fact, open again the New Testament, with a manly resolution to examine it, and obtain information, and ask its pages, _What is Christianity?_ Read even such pa.s.sages as the following:--John x., xiv., and xv.; Acts. first four chapters; the Epistles to the Ephesians and Philippians--portions of Scripture which may be read almost in an hour or two. You do not require to master the whole world of truth which is there revealed, but only to notice the _Sun_ of that world; and say, is it not faith in Jesus, love to Jesus, obedience to Jesus as to no one else in the universe except to G.o.d Almighty?

I at once frankly express my earnest conviction that this, if true, involves the truth of what are recognised to be the other "peculiar"

doctrines or facts of Christianity--such as the divine, as well as holy and perfect character of the Person so loved;--His atoning work, as the grandest expression of His love to us, and that which most of all kindles love in us to Him;--the teaching of the Holy Spirit, through whom alone we, who are spiritually blind, can so perceive the spiritual character and glory of Jesus as to admire and love Him;--and prayer, by which we can hold actual, personal intercourse with, and thus come to know and love Jesus more and more from experience: these, I say, and other doctrines appear to me to be involved in the very idea that Christianity is supreme love to Jesus Christ. But I shall not consider any of them except one, the first and all-important, the very pillar and ground of the truth--viz., the divinity of Christ's Person. Let us therefore inquire--

II.

WHO WAS JESUS CHRIST?

A more important question cannot be proposed for our consideration!

Who is this, I ask with absorbing interest, whom I am commanded to honour as I honour the living G.o.d? Who is this who claims my unreserved faith, my unlimited obedience, my devoted love? Who is this who promises to pardon my sins through faith in His blood; to purify and perfect my nature through faith in His power? Who is this in whom I am to abide in life; into whose hands I am to commit my spirit, and the spirits of all who are dear to me, in the hour of death; whose voice is to call me forth from the grave when He comes again, and who is finally to judge me, and to determine my eternal condition?

That Jesus Christ _does_ make those claims upon us, and those promises to us, is certain; and it is equally certain that they have been, and are, joyfully acquiesced in by the Christian Church. The question, then, which I have proposed for your consideration, is confessedly one of equal importance with the truth of Christianity. We cannot, with sincerity and intelligence, profess a willingness to examine into the nature of the Christian religion, much less profess faith in it, and yet reject the consideration of the question regarding the Person of Jesus Christ as being unimportant or unnecessary.

But before proceeding further in this inquiry, let me remind you, and be myself reminded, of the moral importance of _truthfulness_. I do not allude to the truthfulness which despises all hypocrisy in _word_, and seeks to maintain with sacred care an exact harmony between what is believed in the heart, and confessed with the lip; or which boasts, perhaps, of the honesty that never conceals a creed, however offensive its doctrines may be to others. Let us not undervalue this kind of honesty when real. But, alas! how often is it only apparent, while the real feeling is selfish vanity craving notoriety, or moral indifference which is insensible to the pain of either the existence or confession of unbelief. And thus where that truthfulness of character exists, which cannot give to others a false impression of what is really believed, how often is there wanting the kind of truthfulness, so much rarer and more difficult to attain, so much n.o.bler and more important to possess, which seeks to harmonise not only profession with belief, but belief with truth itself. For it is in the innermost sanctuary of the spirit, into which no human eye can penetrate, and where truth, as a holy messenger sent from G.o.d, presents herself, seeking for admission to dwell there, and take possession of the soul's temple for ever,--it is _there_ that the reality of a man's truthfulness, sincerity, and honesty must be tried and decided upon by the all-seeing Judge, who can alone search the heart. How do we deal there with what claims to be truth? With what spirit do we listen to her voice? With what care do we examine her credentials? These are questions settled in the secret of our own personal experience; and just as the process of investigation is conducted before the eye of conscience, can it be determined whether or not we are really honest. But as sure as there is in us a genuine truthfulness of spirit, it will, by a divine instinct, recognise truth when revealed. Like a string rightly tuned by G.o.d, the truthful soul will strike an harmonious chord with the note of truth wherever it sounds. The "single" eye will perceive the light from whatever quarter it shines. When, therefore, I ask my readers to consider, with sincerity and honesty, the teaching of the Scriptures regarding the Person of Jesus Christ, I crave from them that _kind_ of honesty which is evidenced by the whole tone and spirit with which they deal with what _professes_ to come from G.o.d, and what, therefore, claims their faith because it is true, and their love because it is good.

I. _Consider this question in the light of His own teaching._ By this I mean, read the Gospels, and from all Jesus said regarding Himself, say what impression did He intend to convey as to His own person.

Remember I am not a.s.serting the _truth_ of His claims, but proposing merely to inquire into what His claims as a matter of fact were, in so far as we may fairly gather these from His own words. Nor do I dispute the possibility of giving a different meaning to His words, for I know, and most gladly acquiesce in the righteousness of the fact, that revelation is not demonstration, which necessarily overcomes even the truth-hater, but such evidence as by its nature may satisfy the truth-seeker. The criticism which is essential for our inquiry is that which will _receive_, and not _give_ a meaning. With such a principle, let the readers peruse any one Gospel--especially the Gospel of St John--and in the presence of G.o.d say, Was it the intention of Jesus himself to teach that He was human only, or that He was divine also?

Now, to ill.u.s.trate what I mean, and to aid the reader to follow out this first branch of Scripture evidence for himself, let us look, for example, at the Sermon on the Mount. This wonderful portion of our Lord's teaching is most frequently referred to by those who profess to admire the precepts of the gospel, but not its "doctrines," and to accept of Jesus as a teacher of morality, though rejecting Himself as divine. Yet is it possible to hear that sermon even without perceiving a consciousness on the part of the speaker of an authority, a power, a dignity, which, belonged to no mere creature? This is not so much brought forward in distinct doctrinal statements, but is _a.s.sumed_ by Him, as that which gave to fact and doctrine all the additional authority which could be afforded by the lips of one who had come from G.o.d. Consider such words, for instance, as the following:--"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Marvellous words indeed!

Who is this, we naturally ask after hearing them, who at the general judgment is to be addressed by "many?" How should _He_ be thought of at all amidst the awful solemnities of that day, and be singled out and appealed to as one of such authority and power? Who is this that is addressed as "Lord, Lord?" What "name" is this in which many prophesied, and by which many were able to cast out devils, and to do marvellous works? Who is this that utters the sentence, "Depart from _me_?" and who is He that such a sentence should be an object of dread, yea, the very climax of human woe? He who uttered these words was a poor man indeed, a Jewish artisan, at that moment seated on a gra.s.sy hill surrounded by many as poor and unknown as Himself! But did He wish to give the impression that He was nothing more? "The people were astonished at His doctrine, for He taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes." No wonder! For what scribe--what teacher--what apostle--what mere man who ever lived had authority to utter such words as those we have just read! (Read also in connexion with this, Matt. xxv. 31-46.)

Almost every chapter in the Gospels contains similar a.s.sumptions, on the part of Jesus, of a dignity which was divine. Think of the following a.s.sertions from the Gospel of John, every portion of which is irradiated by the glory of His person:--"The Father loveth the Son, and hath _given all things into his hand_. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and _he that believeth not the Son shall not see life_; but the wrath of G.o.d abideth on him." "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so _the Son quickeneth whom he will_. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: _that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father_. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is pa.s.sed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the _voice of the Son of G.o.d; and they that hear shall live_." "Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he _that hath seen me hath seen the Father_; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works."

"Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

_He shall glorify me_; for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. _All things that the Father hath are mine_; therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you." "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: as thou hast _given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him._ And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true G.o.d, _and Jesus Christ_, whom thou hast sent."

Again I ask, What impression regarding His own dignity were such words as these intended to convey Consider them, and give an answer to G.o.d.

2. _Consider Christ's Person as it was seen by His enemies and friends._ Now, I bid you observe how both received from His words the very impression which I a.s.sume He intended to convey by them.

His _enemies_ did so, and alleged that He claimed to be Divine in the strictest sense of that word; accordingly they attempted to stone Him, and in the end put Him to death on the very ground that He was a _blasphemer_. "Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM." "I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them. Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and _because that thou, being a man, makest thyself G.o.d_." "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works; that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him. Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand." "The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die,[A] because he made himself the Son of G.o.d." "And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living G.o.d, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of G.o.d. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless, I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying. _He hath spoken blasphemy_; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands."

[Footnote A: "And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put, to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death."--LEV.

xxiv. 16.]

Nor did the _friends_ of Jesus endeavour to undeceive His accusers.

They did not say, "You have misunderstood His meaning! He is not guilty of such blasphemy! He is a man like us, and does not claim to be one with G.o.d, as you understand Him to do." Instead of this, they too recognised His claims as divine, and worshipped, loved, served, and preached Him accordingly. I will return to this part of the subject afterwards. I remind only the reader of it in pa.s.sing.

But before the force of such teaching as this of our Lord's can in any degree be appreciated, two things should be borne in mind: one is, the previous training of the Jewish nation with reference to the being and character of G.o.d; and the other is, the moral character of Jesus.

As to the first of those points, remember only how, from the very beginning, G.o.d had revealed _Himself_--that men might know the One living and true G.o.d; and worship and serve Him alone with heart, soul, and strength. This was the lesson of all lessons. This was the mighty theme of all G.o.d's teaching and training of His people, from Adam to Christ, by patriarchs, kings, and prophets; by national blessings and national judgments; by captivities and restorations. On the other hand, the sin of all sins was idolatry; rot the bowing down to stocks or stones merely, but the giving, in any degree, that glory to another which belonged exclusively to the One living and true G.o.d. Had not their whole history been determined by their adherence to G.o.d, or their falling away to idolatry? Enter, then, into the Jewish mind with reference to this training, think how hallowed G.o.d's name was above every other name--how enshrined it was in the very holy of holies of the national faith, and how it had become so only after a discipline of much suffering, prolonged through many centuries, until at last idolatry had been banished on the return from Babylon;--think! of this while you read those utterances I have quoted of a Jew to Jews. Do you wonder that they called Him a blasphemer? for so, indeed, He certainly was unless He was Divine.

But could such a one have been a blasphemer? Was it morally possible that He could have uttered what He did about Himself, unless it was true? To establish His high claims, it might be sufficient to appeal to His miracles, and a.s.sert that no such works of power and love could have been done but by one who verily had G.o.d with him; as He himself said,--"Believe me for the very works' sake. If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not." Or I might appeal to the witness G.o.d gave to His Son at His baptism, on the Mount of Transfiguration, and, above all, when He raised Him from the dead, and thereby declared "Him to be the Son of G.o.d with power." But, putting aside all this evidence, I ask you to contemplate _the moral character of Jesus_, and say, Is it not as impossible that such a person could have spoken untruly or blasphemously regarding G.o.d, as that G.o.d himself can be aught else than true and holy? Do not let us evade this awful question of Christ's character--He was an impostor unless he was Divine! Either Christ never uttered those things regarding Himself which are here recorded, and so the history which we have a.s.sumed as true is false in fact; or, having uttered them, He spoke falsehood, and was a blasphemer, or spoke the truth, and was Divine. To deny the Divinity of His Person is to deny the truth of His character.

If any man replies that those sayings of Christ _may_ be interpreted differently, then I ask, What impression did Christ _intend_ to give?

If He was a mere creature, how could He have used language to which it was _possible_ to give such an interpretation as would imply Divinity?

Only imagine any other man on earth daring so to speak that his language could, with difficulty be interpreted as not necessarily implying his a.s.sumption of Divine attributes! But Jesus certainly did so speak, and did give this impression to friend and foe; and He has left the same impression, in the form of a living faith, more indelibly on the mind of the Church than if it were engraven with a pen of iron on the rock for ever. If this impression is blasphemy. He himself, and none else, is to blame for having given it to the world.

3. Consider Christ's Person as it was seen _by the apostles_. What did _they_ believe regarding Him? Yea or nay, did they recognise Him as Divine?

While quoting from their writings, I beg my readers to keep in mind the previous education of these remarkable men, in what may be termed the grand fundamental principle of the Mosaic legislation,--viz., the worship of the one living and true G.o.d.

But, remembering this, let us hear some of the things said by the apostles about Jesus of Nazareth.

We shall begin with _Paul_. His education was, if I may so speak, intensely Jewish. He was "a Hebrew of the Hebrews." "After the strictest sect of his religion, he lived a Pharisee." So devoted was he to "the religion of his fathers," so entirely one in his views of Christianity with the priesthood and men of authority, both civil and ecclesiastical, in Judea, that he thus describes his feelings with reference to Jesus:--

"I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and, being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities," (Acts xxvi.

9-11.)

Paul had never seen Jesus while He lived on earth; yet suddenly, and to the utter astonishment of friends and foes, he becomes a believer in His name, and ever after, for thirty years, until his death, preaches that name as the only one given whereby men can be saved.

Now, what did Paul say of the dignity of this Person? A full reply to this question can be given only by reading his epistles, and there seeing how saturated they are with the Divine Presence of Jesus in every thought, every doctrine, every command, and every hope; and how His name occupies a place which that of no mere creature could occupy without manifest blasphemy; and how his own past, present, and future were seen by him in the light of Christ, without whom he would have been most miserable. But a very few pa.s.sages, out of many, may be selected from two or three of his shortest letters, to ill.u.s.trate his teaching. In writing to the Philippians, he says:--

"Who, being in the form of G.o.d, thought it not robbery to be equal with G.o.d; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore G.o.d also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of G.o.d the Father," (Phil. ii. 6-11.)

To the Colossians he writes:--

"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath, delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son; in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible G.o.d, the first-born of every creature: _for by him were all things created_ that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or princ.i.p.alities, or powers; _all things were created by him, and for him_: and he is before all things, and _by him all things consist_: and he is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence: for it pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell: and (having made peace through the blood of his cross) by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated, and enemies in your minds by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable in his sight," (Col. i. 12-22.)