Page:The Last Judgement and Second Coming of the Lord Illustrated.djvu/51

 me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.""

But there have been times in the spiritual history of mankind when no such elevated life has been prevalent among them; and when, consequently, no such unfoldings of the Divine presence could have been experienced. In those cases another mode of understanding the Divine economy has to be sought for, and that too, without disturbing the fact that He is ever present. And this will be found in the circumstance that He has been pleased to assume mediums by which to appear locally to individuals and communities of men. That He has so appeared upon several occasions is plainly stated in the Word. It was in some such way as this, that He came to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: to Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Manoah, and to several others. In all those cases of the Divine coming, we find that at those times there prevailed among mankind some conditions of religious faith and character which were unfavourable to the acceptance of the Divine teaching; and, also, that those manifestations were always followed by some improved circumstances in the life and proceedings of the people concerned. When the sons of Israel became dissatisfied with their position in the wilderness, and, by murmuring against Moses, displayed a defection in their faith, it was said, "The Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai;" and the result was a disposition more favourable to the Divine influences. When, subsequently, they fell away from the advantages thus induced, we read that "Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel saw the God of Israel;" as also, did "the nobles."