Page:God Manifest.djvu/217

Rh unable to exhaust that truth, but it is found that the more deeply it is explored, and the more fully it is understood, the richer and the sublimer does it appear. In fact, the utterance of that Divine discourse seems to have been a work of spiritual creation, answering, in a manner, to the works of the natural creation, which are found to be more and more beautiful and wonderful, the further they are explored, and the more perfectly they are understood. And, just as in the latter case, the wiser the explorer is, and the more knowledge he brings to the examination of an object, so much the more he sees of excellence—so, in the former case, the more enlightened man is, and especially the more his mental vision is cleared and purified by the heavenly flame of goodness and love in the heart, so much the more does he see of beautiful and wonderful truth and practical wisdom in the Lord's words: so that, truly, he feels prompted to exclaim in the language of the Psalmist, "The entrance of thy words giveth light, it giveth understanding to the simple." He sees and feels more and more than Jesus was indeed "the Way and the Truth," and "the Light of the World;" that He was the very "Word made flesh, and. dwelling amongst us;" and that God's wisdom, as manifested through Him, is indeed wondrous, admirable, adorable.

And now, in the third and last plaoe, let us contemplate the Divine Goodneass, as appearing in Jesus, the Saviour of the world. And first, the very purpose and object of His coming, was itself the highest proof of the Divine goodness,—to become man's Saviour and Redeemer—to deliver men from their sins, and from