things, utter confidence also in the Absolute Power of that Absolute Love and in the liberty of that Love to help him," that he prayed as naturally as the sun shines or as mothers love their children. Prayer was the spontaneous expression of his community of life with God. Out of such a life no deed could come, no virtue could emerge that was not distinguished by the quality of its source. All the elements in the Master's goodness which we have studied, his joy, his fearlessness, his fortitude, his magnanimity, are separate as incandescent arcs are, but they all burn with the same fire. This explains why it is often possible to find bravery or sacrificial devotion in other lives than his, that seem to equal the same virtues in him; but it is never possible to find the same quality which suffuses his courage and makes his sacrificial devotion a symbol of the love of God. No virtue in him was the whole of itself; his spirit was the rest of it. The Master's preeminence comes not chiefly from his describable virtues, but from those deep sources of his life with God, out of which his virtues flowed, begotten not made, and fragrant, every one of them, with the quality of his perfect fellowship with the Father. This could be illustrated in many ways, but we may note especially the quality of humility in the Master as manifestly the consequence of his life with God. It is only in the light of such an attitude on Jesus' part as John records, "I can of myself do nothing" (John 5:30), that we can understand the seeming contradiction between Jesus' amazing claims for himself on the one side and on the other his teaching of humility, and the impression which he makes of being "meek and lowly in heart." Many of the Master's words do not at all have a humble note in them: "Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away" (Mark 13:31); "The Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory and before him shall be gathered all nations" (Matt. 25:31); "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me" (Matt. 10:37); "He that denieth me in the presence of men shall be denied before the angels of God" (Luke 12:9). These expressions and others like them, culminating in his acceptance of the title of Messiah (Mark 8:29), and his claim to be the only one who thoroughly knows God (Matt. 11:27), appear at first sight to be violent contradictions of the spirit of humility. And yet he taught humility continually: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5); "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:4); "Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted" (Matt. 23:12). To illustrate a truth. so fundamental in his thought he told stories; one in praise of a guest who took a lowly seat rather than crowd into the more distinguished places (Luke 14:7ff); another in praise of a publican who humbled himself before God (Luke 18:12ff). And even stranger yet, this same person who made such amazing claims for himself, said also, "Why callest thou me good? none is good save one, even God" (Mark 10:18); he spoke of himself as "meek and lowly" (Matt. 11:29); and he made the impression of humility so distinctly on the first generation of Christians that among Paul's few words in description of the life and character of Jesus we find the phrase, "the meekness and gentleness of Christ" (II Cor. 10:1). The best explanation of this apparent contradiction was written by Mr. Ruskin, and has been well quoted in this connection in Dr. Speer's "The Man Christ Jesus." "I believe," says Mr. Ruskin, "the first test of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean by humility doubt of his own power, or hesitation in speaking his opinions; but a right understanding of the relation between what he can do and say, and the rest of the world's doings and sayings. All great men not only know their business, but usually know that they know it, and are not only right in their main opinions, but they usually know that they are right in them, only they do not think much of themselves on that account. Arnolfo knows that he can build a good dome at Florence; Albert Dürer writes calmly to one who has found fault with his work, 'It cannot be done better;' Sir Isaac Newton knows that he has worked out a problem or two that would have puzzled anybody else; only they do not expect their fellowmen therefore to fall down and worship them. They have a curious undersense of powerlessness, feeling that the power is not in them, but through them, that they could not do or be anything else than God made them, and they see something divine and God-made in every other man they meet, and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful." Such a spirit in Jesus is the only explanation of his absolute self-assurance on one side and his lowliness of heart upon the other. His power was not in him, but through him. When John represents him as saying that he was not speaking his own words, or doing his own deeds, or using his own strength, and that when people believed on him, they did not believe on him, but on God who sent him (John 5:30; 14:10, 24, 44), he is putting into clear outline the same spirit which the Master shows in the earlier biographies. Jesus had lost himself in manifesting the life and purpose of God, and in so doing he grew amazingly sure of his message and his preeminence, and amazingly humble in the consciousness of mediatorship. When Haydn wrote "The Creation," he cried, "Not from me but from above it all has come;" when Amiel was in one of his most elevated moods, he wrote, "I realize with intensity that man in all that he does that is great and noble is only the organ of something or someone higher than himself;" and this same consciousness of being able to do nothing of himself was alike the cause of the Master's confident self-assurance and of his humility which even waved aside the ascription of "good Master." . This really humble spirit of our Lord, in which he lived at his best for the sake of men and looked upon all his words and works as the power of God using him in ministry, glorified the separate excellencies of his character. Like the sun breaking into the jewel-room of a king and setting every stone ablaze, breaking up the fountains of the beautiful deep in each diamond and sapphire, emerald and pearl, so this spirit of Jesus illumined with more than earthly radiance the virtues of his life. The imitation of his several qualities is quite in vain, save as we too enter into the secret sources of his spirit and have fulfilled in us the promise of the Gospel, "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). CHAPTER XII The Measure of the Stature of the Fulness of Christ DAILY READINGS First Day, Twelfth Week Luke 7:6-9. And Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself; for I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. And when Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned and said unto the multitude that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. Luke 23:44-47. And it was now about the sixth hour, and a darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, the sun's light failing: and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said this, he gave up the ghost. And when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying. Certainly this was a righteɔus man. We are going to note this week the impression which the Master made on very different kinds of people. The two centurions in these passages were attracted by his authoritative and powerful character, whether shown in his daily |