Page:Meditations For Every Day In The Year.djvu/309

 Himself loveth  you,"  says  Christ.  (John  xvi.  27.)  Nay more,  "  God  so  loved  the  world  as  to  give  His  only  begotten Son."  (John  iii.  16.)  Remember,  then,  what  great reason  you  have  to  love  and  reverence  with  your  whole heart,  so  loving  a  Father.  You  cannot  love  and  reverence Him,  unless  you  avoid  whatever  is  displeasing  to Him,  and  do  that  which  is  agreeable  to  Him,  that  is, unless  you  "avoid  evil  and  do  good."

I. The  second  person  of  the  Trinity  existed  from  all eternity, without  any  relation  to  time,  equal  to  the  Father and consubstantial  with  Him. He is  coeternal  with  the Father, "the  image  of  God  and  the  figure  of  His  substance." He is  properly  the  Word  (or  idea)  of  the  Divine intellect,  expressing  in  Himself  the  substance  of  the Divine nature. This Word  became  vocal  by  the  mystery of the  Incarnation,  and  declared  to  mankind  the  secrets of His  Father. " Who  shall  declare  His  generation,"  exclaims the  prophet. (Is. liii.  8.)  Neither  the  angels  themselves,  nor  all  the  eloquence  of  earth-born  men  can  explain His  mysterious  birth. If they  could,  this  Divine Word would  present  no  object  for  our  faith,  because  our understandings, which  would  then  be  capable  of  comprehending His  Divine  nature,  must  either  be  infinite,  or this  Divine  Word  must  be  a  limited  and  an  imperfect  being. Our understandings  are  not  infinite,  and  He  is  not an imperfect  being;  therefore,  we  cannot  comprehend, by any  faculty  of  which  we  are  possessed,  this  mysterious generation. It is  sufficient  for  us,  that  we  adore  Him with an  unshaken  faith,  and  rejoice  in  His  glory,  which  is