March 6

PART II.

Christ's sufferings,—1 Peter 4:15.

HAVING in the former exercise reflected upon the important place Christ's sufferings occupy in the system of divine revelation, let us now try to ascertain in what those sufferings consisted. In what, and from whom did Jesus suffer? Christ suffered from the poor and lowly rank in society which he occupied. Had he become an earthly prince, even then his humiliation would have been great; but he left the highest seat in heaven, and took the lowest seat on earth: he became a poor man,—the servant of servants, so poor that he had not where to lay his head. Thus, from the very nature of these circumstances, in which he voluntarily placed himself, he had to endure hunger, and thirst, and toil, and weariness, and often after the hard fatigues of the day, the mountain became his closet of retirement, and the cold earth his only pillow. On one occasion, we find him happy in being able to repose himself in a cold, comfortless fishing boat, that, after a day's incessant toil, exhausted nature might obtain the balmy restorative of sleep. O yes, there is a great depth of truth in that passage—"he became poor!" Then the Redeemer also suffered from the vile aspersions which were thrown upon his spotless character. His soul was as a pure mirror, which reflected all the glories of the God-head. In him virtue was embodied: yet his reputation was blackened; his name was associated only with evil; his claims were denied; his credentials were despised; he was accounted the enemy of the nation, an impostor, a deceiver, or else they said "he hath a devil and is mad." His discourses were reckoned seditious, and his doctrines subversive of the laws of Moses. His purity of character was not only suspected, but he was placed upon the same list and treated with the same contempt as were the chief of the publicans and sinners. They hated him with the most imbittered and virulent hatred, although it was entirely without a cause. This feeling increased until his life was worthless in their sight, and then they took counsel together how they might put him to death. What a picture of human blindness! What an exhibition of human depravity! And yet is not every sinner constantly re-acting the same scorn, the same rejection, the same persecution of the Saviour? Let the subject lead us to search our own hearts, lest we should be found among those who are the despisers of Christ, and finally participating in their condemnation and doom.