Page:The Last Judgement and Second Coming of the Lord Illustrated.djvu/26

 complete idea of God which they communicate for the acceptance of our faith must have been gradually developed. Man's necessity for an idea of Him in the natural mind was not a sudden event. Thus, although in the Old Testament He is revealed, yet that revelation was somewhat dim and shadowy, for it is therein written of Him, "Verily Thou art a God that hidest Thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour;" but in the New Testament He is expressly declared to have become "God manifest in the flesh." In the former documents He is made known with some obscurity; but in the latter He is revealed with remarkable clearness. Throughout the whole history of those revelations, it is the same Supreme Being who is spoken of; but in the latter docnments He is more fully declared than in the former. Hence it is written of Him in both that He is "the first and the last;" and in the Revelation it is added, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." There cannot be two Almighties; and it is important to notice that the clause "who is to come," must refer to His second coming, because it was written subsequent to the first, which is apparently pointed at by the preceding clause, "who was."

The Scriptures not only reveal to us that God, and that He is : they also tell us that He is the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Saviour. But these titles simply express the merciful activities of His providence in regard to the universe and men. They declare some of His attributes, but they do not enable us to think very clearly of the Being to whom these attributes belong. For this we must go to other facts and other teachings with which the Seriptures abound.