A Sermon
(No. 29)
Delivered on Sabbath Morning, June 10, 1855, by the
REV. C.H. SPURGEON
At New Park Street Chapel, Southwark.
"Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt
manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?"–John 14:22.
WHAT A BLESSED Master Jesus Christ was! How familiar did he allow his
disciples to make themselves with him! Though he was the Lord of life
and glory, the great and mighty one, as well as the man of Nazareth,
yet see how he talks with his poor disciples, the fishermen, just as if
he had been one of the same class and order with themselves! He was
none of your dignitaries who pride themselves on that dignity–none of
those ecclesiastics who love to carry much of formality about them, and
to walk above other men, as if they were not indeed their fellows; but
he talks to his disciples just as a father would to his children–even
more kindly than a master might to his pupils. He lets them put the
simplest questions to him, and instead of rebuking them for their
familiarity, he condescends to answer everything they please to ask
him. Philip uttered a sentence which one would think no sensible man,
who had been so long time with Jesus, ever could have troubled him
with. He said, "Show us the Father and it sufficeth us." A stupid idea!
As if Jesus Christ could shew the Father; that is to say, could shew
God to Philip! And Jesus kindly answered–"Hast thou been so long time
with me, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? Believest thou not
that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? He that hath seen me
hath seen the Father." And now comes Judas (not Iscariot); and he puts
also a very simple and easy question–one he needed not to have asked;
but Jesus Christ, instead of rebuking him, simply passes on to another
subject, and forbears most wisely to answer the enquiry, because he
would teach him more by silence than he could do by an explanation.
We must also notice here how very particular the Holy Ghost is that a
good man should not be confounded with a bad one. He says, "Judas, not
Iscariot." There were two of the name of Judas; the one who betrayed
our Lord, and the other who wrote the epistle of Jude, who should
properly have been called Judas. Some of us, in reading the name Judas,
might have said, "Ah! it was that traitor Judas Iscariot that asked the
question." But the Holy Spirit would not allow this mistake to be made.
This again should teach us, that it is not an idle wish for us to
desire that our name should be handed down to posterity. We ought all
to wish to have an unblemished character; we ought to desire to have
that promise fulfilled, "The memory of the just is blessed." I would
not wish my name to be mistaken for that of some criminal who was
hanged. I would not wish to have my name written even by mistake in the
calendar of infamy. However much I may now be misrepresented, it will
one day be known that I have honestly striven for the glory of my
Master; and God will say, "Judas, not Iscariot." The man was no
deceiver after all.
But we will now forsake Judas altogether, and proceed to look at our
text. It contains two things: first, an important fact; secondly, an
interesting enquiry. "Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself
unto us, and not unto the world?" Here is a fact, and an enquiry
concerning it.
I. First, then, here is A GREAT FACT: that Jesus Christ does reveal
himself to his people, but he does not unto the world. The fact is
implied in the question; and even if Scripture did not declare it to be
the truth, there are many of us who have a Scripture written in our
hearts–the Bible of experience–which teaches us that it is true. Ask
Christian men whether they have not had manifestations of their Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ, in a peculiar and wonderful manner, such as
they never felt when they were in their unregenerate state. Turn to the
biographies of eminent saints, and you will find there instances
recorded in which Jesus has been pleased, in a very special manner to
speak to their souls, to unfold the wonders of his person, and let them
discern the matchless glories of his office; yea, so have their souls
been steeped in happiness that they have thought themselves to be in
heaven, whereas they were not there though they were well nigh on the
threshold of it–for when Jesus manifests himself to his people, it is
a young heaven on earth, it is a paradise in embryo, it is the
beginning of the bliss of the glorified; yea, and it shall be the
consummation of that bliss, when Jesus Christ shall perfectly unveil
himself to the admiring eyes of all his people and they shall be like
him, and shall see him as he his.
We are about to talk somewhat this morning, then, concerning that
special manifestation which Jesus Christ vouchsafes to his people, and
to his people only. We will make four observations here. We will
observe, first, something concerning the favored persons–"unto us,"
"not unto the world." Secondly, concerning special seasons–"How is it
that thou wilt?" He was not doing it just then; but "thou wilt." There
are special seasons. Thirdly, some remarks concerning the wonderful
display–"Thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, as thou dost not unto the
world." Then, fourthly, we shall dwell a little upon the effects which
this manifestation will produce upon our souls.
1. First, then, who are the favored people to whom Jesus Christ
manifests himself? "How is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us,
and not unto the world?" It appears from the text that the persons to
whom Jesus Christ shews himself in this wonderful manner do not belong
to the world. Who, then, are these people? I am sure it would be
difficult for you or me to discover them; I shall, therefore, this
morning employ a fiction, and shall bid some spirit from an unknown
world point out these distinguished individuals. O spirit! I give thee
an errand. There are a certain number of people in this world who are
not of it: go thou, search them out, and come thou back and tell me
what thou hast found. We give the spirit time, he flies round the
world, and he returns. "I have seen," says he, "a multitude of men;
they are all pursuing one common path, with one object I have seen them
trampling on each other in the fury of their hot pursuit; have seen
them hurrying after something which each one desired for himself; but
in the midst of the throng I saw a few marching in an opposite
direction, who with much elbowing and strong opposition were going
exactly contrary to the stream. I saw written on the foreheads of those
who were proceeding with the crowd, the word Self;' but I marked those
who were proceeding in the other direction, and behold, they had
inscribed upon their brows, Christ;' and as I listened to them
frequently in their soliloquies I heard them say, For us to live is
Christ, for us to die is gain.' I marked these men, I saw them
constantly pursuing their way in the teeth of all defiance, going
against every opposition; I wondered where they were going; and I saw
that before them was a wicket-gate, and on it the words; Mercy for the
chief of sinners.' I saw them enter there; I marked them as they ran
along the walls of salvation, and tracking them along to their
destination, I saw them at last fold their arms in death, shut their
eyes with tranquility; while I heard angels sing their requiem, and a
voice shouted, Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord.' Surely these
must be the persons who are not of the world." Thou hast spoken
rightly, O spirit; these are the individuals. What didst thou see of
them, O spirit? Did they assemble and congregate together; or did they
mix with the rest of humanity? "Why," saith he, "I noticed that once in
the week they crowded to a certain place they called the House of God;
I heard their song of praise; I saw them bend their knee in reverence,
not only in that house, but in private; I witnessed their groanings,
their strugglings, and their agonies, I knew that they were men of
prayer, and men that loved God. I saw them gather in secret assemblies,
to tell what the Lord had done for their souls; I marked that they
would not be found with the wicked. I saw some houses that they would
not enter. At the corner of the street there stood a house, well
lighted up with many a lamp; and there were on its front some mystic
cabalistic signs, the marks of woe and ill-doings. I saw the wicked
there, reeling to and fro; I observed them in their drunkenness. But I
marked how the Christian man put up his hand before his eyes, and
passed by that place. I saw too another haunt of hell, where there were
enacted scenes that eye should not have beheld–where shouts of revelry
and mirth, but not songs of holiness, were heard. I looked round that
theater, and I discerned not a single one of these blessed persons;
they would not run in the ways of the wicked, nor sit in the seat of
the scorner, nor stand in the council of the unrighteous. I marked that
like birds of a feather they would flock together'–that they found
their mates, and there they went–that they built their nest in the
same tree, and would make their habitation beneath the self-same roof."
"Yea," saith the spirit, "I heard one of them exclaim, He that telleth
lies shall not abide in my sight.' I saw him drive the liar from his
house, and bid the profligate depart from him. I marked them; they were
a select and separate people and I said, surely these are the men of
whom it is written, They shall dwell alone, they shall not be numbered
among the people.'" Well, spirit, rightly hast thou described them. I
wonder how many there are here; the men to whom God will reveal
himself, and not to the world. They are men who are not worldly in
principle, in action, in conversation, in desires, in object, or in
end. These are the persons. Do not tell me anything about universal
grace, or universal manifestations, while I have the power I will
proclaim free grace to peculiar characters, as long as I find it
written, "Thou wilt manifest thyself to us, but not to the world."
Our next remark is concerning special seasons. These highly favored men
do not always see Jesus Christ alike. They do not always dive in the
sunshine of his countenance. There are special times when God is
pleased to reveal himself to his people. And these seasons are
generally of two kinds: times of duty, and times of trial. I never
found a lazy or indifferent Christian have a manifestation of Jesus
Christ; I never heard one who gave himself wholly to business talk much
of spiritual manifestations. No, poor soul; he had got religion enough
to save him, but not enough to make him realize the spiritual and
special blessings of a Christian. Those who do but little for Christ,
Christ does but little for them in the way of special favors. Those who
sit down, fold their arms, eat, drink, and are satisfied, are not the
men who enter into the secret chamber of the Most High, and enjoy the
presence of the Almighty. The men who are the most zealous for their
Master discern the most of his lovingkindness, and enjoy the richest
blessings from the Lord. Ask a Christian when he is the happiest, he
will say, when he works the most. I know I am. I have not tried rest
yet, and no doubt I shall find it anything but rest when I have it.
When I pass a day without preaching my Master's name I feel that I have
not done what I ought to have done, and I do not rest satisfied till I
am within the four boards of a pulpit again. When we work the hardest
we feel grace the most plentiful, when we dig the deepest we get the
sweetest water. He who toils the most has his bread the most sweetened;
and depend upon it, drops of sweat are blessed things to make dry bread
go down. We shall always have mere happiness the more we labor for
Christ. As for Issachar, who is a strong ass, crouching down between
two burdens–the man who is doing little–the promise is, "A whip for
the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back." The
man who is idle must have chastisement; but he who serves his God may
rejoice, for God will treat him with dainties; he will give him his
portion mixed with honey; he will say, "I have taken thy bread and
dipped it in my own dish; take it, and eat it, for thou art one who
works in my own vineyard." It will be in seasons of duty; or, as I have
said, in seasons of trial for you must not suppose when a Christian is
laid aside from duty that he is doing nothing. Do not imagine that the
time of your sickness has been lost to you. You were not only profiting
yourselves, but actually serving God by your suffering, if you bore it
patiently. Don't you know the text–"We fill up that which is behind of
the sufferings of Christ, for his body's sake, which is the church."
Christ's mystical body you are aware is made up of the head and all the
members. The head had a certain amount to suffer–that is all finished;
but the body has a measured portion to endure also; and the more you
suffer so much the less suffering there is for somebody else. There is
a certain quantum of trial which the whole church has to sustain before
it gets to heaven; for as Jesus Christ was afflicted, even so the whole
of his people must have fellowship with his sufferings. There is a cup
that is full of mixture, and the righteous must drink it; we must all
have a sip thereof; but if one of us can take a deep draught, and do it
patiently, there is so much the less for our fellows. Let us not
complain, then; for it is in the time of trouble we see most of Jesus.
Before Israel fought Amalck, God gave them water from the rock, and
sent them manna from heaven; and before Jacob met Esau, the angel of
God wrestled with him at the brook Jabbok, and hosts of angels met him
at Mahanaim. Previous to trial you may generally expect a season of
joy; and when that season of joy is over, you may say, "We must expect
some danger now, for we have received too much delight." But when the
trial comes, then expect to have delight with it; for our troubles are
generally proportioned to our joys, and our joys are usually
proportioned to our troubles. The more bitter the vessel of grief, the
sweeter the cup of consolation; the heavier weight of trial here, the
brighter the crown of glory hereafter. In fact, the same word in Hebrew
signifies "weight "and "glory." A weight of trouble is a glory to a
Christian, for it is an honour to him; and glory is a weight, for it
often bows him down, and makes him die low at his Master's feet. I
appeal to my brothers and sisters, and ask them when it is they have
seen most of Jesus–when they have been walking in the garden of
delights, or when the bitter medicine has been in their mouth. Have you
not had better visions of Jesus, when you have been racked with pain,
than when you have been elevated by prosperity? When the barn has been
full, the oil vat has been bursting, and the wine has been running
over, it is often then that the sanctuary of God has been forsaken and
the cabinet of God's loving-kindness is nearly disregarded. But when
the fig-tree does not blossom, and when there are no herds in the
stalls, then it is that God often comes nearest to his children, and
most reveals himself to them.
2. The next thought is, the wondrous display itself. Jesus Christ
manifest himself. There are many manifestations of God to his children,
but this is the most precious of all. Some manifestations we never wish
to have again. We do not want to have that discovery which we had of
our sinfulness, when first we were awakened: we will leave it to God,
but we will never pray for it. But here is a manifestation we should
like to have every day. "I will manifest myself to him." He does this
in different ways. I have had for a long while a manifestation of his
sufferings in Gethsemane; I have been for months musing on his agonies;
I think I have even eaten the bitter herbs that grow there, and drank
of that black brook Kedron. I have sometimes gone up stairs alone, to
put myself in the very posture Jesus Christ was in and I thought I
could sympathize with him in his sufferings. Methought; saw the sweat
of blood falling down to the ground; I had so sweet a view of my
Saviour in his agonies, I hope that one day I may be able to accompany
him still further, and see him on Calvary, and hear his death-shriek
"Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" Some of you, I know, have seen Jesus with
the eye of faith quite as plainly as if you had seen him with your
natural eyes. You could see your Saviour hanging on the cross. You
thought you saw the very crown of thorns on his head, and the drops of
blood streaming down his face; you heard his cry; you saw his bleeding
side; you beheld the nails, and before long you could have gone and
pulled them out, and wrapped him up in linen and spices, and carried
his body, and washed it with tears and anointed it with precious
ointment. At other times you have had a manifestation of Christ in his
gifts. You have seen that mighty sacrifice he offered, the pile smoking
up to heaven, and all your sins burnt up with it; you have seen clearly
the justifying righteousness he has put upon you; and as you have
looked at yourselves you have said–
"Strangely, my soul, art thou arrayed.
By the great sacred Three;
In sweetest harmony of praise.
Let all my powers agree."
There are times when you have felt much joy at the exaltation of Jesus
Christ, as displayed in his gifts. Then, again, you will see him in his
triumph, with one foot upon Satan, and the other upon death. You will
be able to behold him, marching up the sky, with all the glittering
hosts behind him; and in due time you will have a manifestation of him
to your soul, as sitting on his Father's throne until his enemies are
made his footstool. And faith will sometimes so outsoar the wings of
time, that we can bring futurity to the present, and see that great and
pompous appearance, when on the great white throne the king shall sit
and grasp his scepter, and when his saints before him shall shout his
praise. If I were to go much farther, I should be accused of
fanaticism, and so it may be; but yet I will believe and must believe
that there are seasons when the Christian lives next door to heaven. If
I have not gone within an inch of the pearly gates I am not here; if I
have not sometimes snuffed the incense from the censers of the
glorified and heard the music of their harps, I think I am not a living
man. There have been seasons of ecstatic joy, when I have climbed the
highest mountains, and I have caught some sweet whisper from the
throne. Have you had such manifestations? I will not condemn you if you
have not: but I believe most Christians have them, and if they are much
in duty and much in suffering they will have them. It is not given to
all to have that portion, but to some it is, and such men know what
religion means. I was reading a short time ago of a Mr. Tennant. He was
about to preach one evening, and thought he would take a walk. As he
was walking in a wood he felt so overpoweringly the presence of Christ,
and such a manifestation of him, that he knelt down, and they could not
discover him at the hour when he was to have preached. He continued
there for hours, insensible as to whether he was in the body or out of
the body; and when they waked him he looked like a man who had been
with Jesus, and whose face shone. He never should forget, he said, to
his dying day, that season of communion, when positively, though he
could not see Christ, Christ was there, holding fellowship with him,
heart against heart, in the sweetest manner. A wondrous display it must
have been. You must know something of it, if not much; otherwise you
have not gone far on your spiritual course. God teach you more, and
lead you deeper! "Then shall ye know, when ye follow on to know the
Lord."
4. Then what will be the natural effects of this spiritual
manifestation? The first effect will be humility. If a man says, "I
have had such and such spiritual communications, I am a great man;" he
has never had any communications at all; for "God has respect unto the
humble, but the proud he knoweth afar off." He does not want to come
near them to know them, and will never give them any visits of love. It
will give a man happiness; for he must be happy who lives near to God.
Again: it will give a man holiness. A man who has not holiness has
never had this manifestation. Some men profess a great deal; but do not
believe any man unless you see that his deeds answer to what he says.
"Be not deceived, God is not mocked." He will not bestow his favors
upon the wicked; for while he wild not cast away a perfect man, neither
will he respect an evil doer. Thus there will three effects of nearness
to Jesus, all beginning with the letter h–humility, happiness, and
holiness. May God give them to us!
II. Now for the second point: AN INTERESTING INQUIRY. Judas said, How
is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?"
How was this inquiry suggested, and how was it answered.
First, it was suggested by ignorance. Poor Judas thought–"How can
Jesus manifest himself to us, and not to the world? Why, if he comes
down again, the world will see him as well as we do. How can he do it?
Suppose he appears in a chariot of fire, or descends in a cloudy
pillar: if we see him, the world must see him too." So, poor thing, he
very ignorantly said, "How can it be, Lord?" Perhaps, too, the question
was put by reason of his great kindness. "Ah! Lord", said he, "how can
it be that thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not unto the world?"
He was slightly an Arminian; he wanted it all to be given to everybody;
and he said, "How is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not
unto the world? "O Lord!" said he, "I wish it were for everybody. I
wish it were: my benevolence bids me wish it." Ah! my beloved, we never
need be more benevolent than God is. Some say, "If all sinners were
saved it would glorify God more." Certainly God knows better than we do
how many sinners will glorify him, and we had better leave the number
to him, and not get meddling with what we have no business with. It
says in Scripture, "Fools will be meddling;" and fools they are who go
meddling with what is no concern of theirs. But however this was, Judas
said, "Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not
unto the world?" Perhaps, again, it was love to his Master that made
him put the question. "O Lord, I thought thou wouldst come and be king
over all the world; and now it appears that thou art only to be king
over some." He wished Christ's dominion might be universal; he wanted
to see every heart the Saviour's throne, he desired every one to bow to
him, and a very just and laudable wish it was; and so he asked Christ,
"How can it be, Lord, that thou wilt not conquer all?" Jesus never
answered the question. It was right to ask it; but we shall never get
the solution of it till we get up yonder; perhaps not there. Yet again:
perhaps the question was proposed by admiration. "Oh!" he said, "how is
it that thou wilt manifest to us, and not unto the world?" Why, he
might have said of himself, "What am I? What is my brother Peter here?
Nothing but a fisherman. What is John? Nothing but a fisherman. And as
for Matthew, he was a publican, and cheated hundreds. And Zaccheus, how
many widows' houses did he devour! And yet thou sayest thou wilt
manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world.' There stands Mary
the sinner: what did she do, that thou shouldst manifest thyself to
her? And there is Mary Magdalene: she had seven devils. Lord, how is it
that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us and not unto the world.' Is not
this a question we have often had to ask of our own souls?
"Pause, my soul, adore and wonder;
Ask, O why such love to me?"
And the only answer we could give was,
"Grace hath put me in the number
Of the Saviour's family."
Come to me and ask me, "Sir, why am I a Christian? Why does God love
me?" I must reply "Because he does love you." "But why does he love
me?" The only answer I can give you again is, "because he would love
you." For it is written, "He will have mercy on whom he will have
mercy. Surely we might admiringly stand here and say, "Lord, why, Lord,
why dost thou manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" "Yes,"
but some would say, "because ye are better than the world; that is the
reason." A fine lot better by nature, certainly! Better than the world
by nature? Why, some of us were rather worse. There are some of you
here who indulged once in every form of vice; who would blush to stand
up here, and tell the sins you have committed. But God has manifested
himself to you as he does not unto the world. Surely we shall have a
perpetual cause of wonder in the doings of sovereign grace.
But what is the answer? Why does Christ manifest himself to some as he
does not unto the world? The question was not answered; for it was
unanswerable. Our Lord went on to say–"If a man love me, he will keep
my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and
make our abode with him." He did not tell him why he would manifest
himself unto them, and not unto the world. I have often been asked this
question myself; "You say God manifests himself to some, and not to
others–can you tell me why?" Well, Jesus Christ did not, and I cannot
be expected to do it, any more than he did. But I will ask you whether
you have any objection to it. Is it no enough that he should do so? He
has declared that has he "power over the clay, to make of the same lump
one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour;" and if any one
finds fault he saith, "Who art thou, O man? Shall the thing formed say
to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus?" What man shall ask
of his father, "Why hast thou begotten me?" "Am I not God, and can I
not do what I will with my own?" "But," says the objector, "is it not
unjust for God to manifest himself to one and not to the other?" God
replies: "Dost thou charge me with injustice? In what respect? Do I owe
thee anything? Bring the bill and I will pay it. Do I owe you grace?
Then grace would not be grace; it would be a debt. If I owe you grace,
you shall have it." "But why should my brother have it? He is equally
as bad as I." "Surely," replies the king, "I may give as I please."
Thou hast two beggars at thy door: hast thou not a right to turn one
away, and give the other something? And can I not do as I will with my
own? "I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy, and to whom I will
I give it." "Well," says the objector, "suppose I ask and plead for it,
shall I not have it? "Yes, thou shalt," says God, for so the promise
runs–"Every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth,
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." "But I cannot have it
unless it is written that I shall have it." "Yes, but if thou askest,
it is written that thou shalt ask; and the means are as much ordained
as the end; thou couldst not ask unless I inclined thee; and now do not
talk to me of injustice. I ask you to find the passage in my word where
I ever promised to give grace to every one. Vile wretch! hast thou not
rebelled against me? Thy doom is to be sent to hell for ever. Dost thou
not deserve it?" "Yes." "Then who art thou that darest to accuse me of
injustice? If I have fifty men on a scaffold to be hanged, have I not a
right to pardon which I will, and give the punishment to all the rest?
Wilt thou not yield to it?" "No," says the objector, "I will never
yield to it." "Then, my friend expect not salvation till thou dost." Is
there a man here who kicks against divine sovereignty? It is a testing
doctrine; and if he does not receive it, it shows that his pride is not
out of him. If we do but preach divine sovereignty, some will say,
"That man is an Antinomian and a hyper. "We disdain your slander, and
remind you that the accusation might more properly be made against
yourself. It is you that are the Antinomian, in rebelling against
divine sovereignty. But a man who receives the doctrine of sovereignty
will go to the throne, saying,
"Perhaps he will admit my plea,
Perhaps will hear my prayer:
But if I perish I will pray,
And perish only there."
And now, what say you to this, my friends? I know what some would say.
They would cry, "Nonsense" we believe religion is a thing very good to
keep people in order; but as to these manifestations and these
ecstacies, we do not believe in them." Very well, beloved, I have just
proved the truth of what the text says. He does not manifest himself
unto the world; and you have proved yourself that you are one of the
world, because you have not any manifestations. But there are some
Christians here who say, "We do not know much about these
manifestations." No, I know you do not. The church has been getting for
the last few years into a lean, starved state; God has sent very few
preachers who would preach up these special things, and the church has
been getting lower and lower; and what would become of us I cannot
tell, if there were not saved a little salt, which God has scattered
over the putrifying mass. Some of us have been living on low ground,
when we might have been standing on high places; We have been tarrying
in the valley of Baca, when we might as well have been living on the
top of Carmal. I would not choose to dwell in a valley, if I might
build my house on the delectable mountains. O Christian! up this
morning! Let thy feet be shod with light once more; trip lightly across
the plain of trouble; get to the side of Calvary; ascend to the very
summit; and from Calvary I tell thee, thou canst see across the plain
as far as heaven itself if thou canst but get to Pisgah's top, thou
shalt sing,
"Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood
Stand dressed in living green."
And your spirit shall become like the chariots of Amminadib. Seek, my
brethren such spiritual manifestations, if you have never experienced
them; and if ye have been privileged to enjoy them, seek more of them;
for what is there can so certainly make life happy, and so fit you for
the sky, as these revelations of Jesus Christ? Oh! ye who despise what
we enjoy, from the depths of my soul I pity you. Take heed, lest the
first revelation you have of Christ be, when he shall be revealed in
flaming fire, taking vengeance on his enemies; for if he is not
revealed in mercy, he will be in justice. God give you grace to see him
on Calvary before you see him on Sinai, to behold him as the Saviour of
sinners before you see him as the judge of quick and dead. God bless
you, and lead you to back these manifestations constantly! Amen.