their own party is as barbarous as if they were strangers to them."[1] Nor were these things true of the Jews only. Similar evils had broken out among mankind in general, wherefore the apostle said, "the whole world lieth in wickedness."[2] Surely no one can fail to see from these facts that a dreadfal precipice had been reached, and that the people must have fallen over it into an eternal ruin, if some merciful measures had not been adopted to hinder such a catastrophe.
But how was this hindrance accomplished? By what means was this terrible danger averted? Plainly, by "the Lord God of Israel visiting to redeem His people." He came into the ultimates of nature, when transgression sprung from the ultimate principles of man. He did not so come before, because that result had not before been so thoroughly developed. He adopted the extreme measure for the rescue, when the extreme of human necessity bad been reached. And this circumstance, of itself, may be taken as one of the strongest proofs that this must have been the period when the fall had reached its greatest depth. If it had been reached before, surely that advent, which was so requisite to avert its dangers, would not have been delayed. No! the Lord then came into the world that He might have access to men by an external way, because then it was that all the internal ways to man's spiritual life were shut against the Divine approach. In every stage of the process by which the fall was brought to its close, God had mercifully watched over mankind with unabated solicitude and care. He desires nothing so intensely as the happiness of men. He does not withdraw His regard because they may relinquish their obedience. The Divine love is infinite; if it could have been diminished, mankind could not have been
- ↑ Wars of the Jews, chap. viii., sec. 14.
- ↑ 1 John v. 19.
