February 2

Titus 3:4—The kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared.

The emphasis must surely rest on appeared. Kindness and love towards man were always in the heart of God, but they were not clearly revealed. They might have been perceived in the order of nature and human life; but there are stormy winds as well as zephyrs in the one—and in the other deaths as well as births; knells of hope as well as marriage peals. But in Jesus the true heart of God towards man was manifested. It is thus in human life.

At first God blessed us anonymously.—In Cowper’s memoirs we read how Theodora, his cousin, pursued him throughout his sad life with her gifts; but they always came without indication of their source. As the poet unwrapped his new—come treasure, he would say, "Dear Anonymous has come again; God bless him." So, through years of thoughtless childhood, and afterwards in opening youth, we were the recipients of myriads of gifts contrived with the most exquisite skill to give us pleasure; but we did not trace them to their source. They were from God.

Since then his grace and loving-kindness have appeared.—We have had eyes to see, and hearts to understand. The Anonymous Benefactor is now recognized as our Father and Friend. We no longer praise our earthly loves for our cornfields and vineyards, but our Heavenly Spouse (Hosea 2:1-23). In the breaking of the bread we have recognized the Son of God, and we know now who it was that walked with as along the path of life, and why our hearts burned.

"Oh, to grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be!

Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee."