into account the state of wonderment in which their minds must have been ever since they had heard from His lips the mysterious declaration: "I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven; if any man eat of this Bread he shall live for ever, and the Bread that I will give is My Flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." The question asked by the Jews through sneering unbelief, "How can this man give us His Flesh to eat? could not but present itself to the minds of the disciples likewise; though in their minds it would assume the form of reverent wonder and perplexity, intensified by the subsequent reaffirmation of the statement, with the emphatic addition, “Verily, verily." Three years had gone by since they had heard this statement, and its emphatic reaffirmation, and still the question remained unresolved. It was one, and not the least, among the many riddles which the discourses of their Divine Master had left upon their minds, and the solution of which they were looking forward to. And now, on the eve of His passion, so plainly foretold them as impending that very night, that long looked for solution came. There was, indeed, a mystery still; how, in what manner, He was to impart unto them His Body and Blood; but the mystery was removed to this extent-that now they knew, what they had never known before, what they were to do, how they were to "eat His Flesh," and "drink His Blood." How forcibly, in the state of mind they had been in respecting this matter, must the word rouro have struck upon their ears, enlightening their minds thus far, as with a flash of lightning from a dark cloud!

NOTE I.-PAGE 210,

̓Αληθής and ἀληθῶς.

The argument is not affected in the least by the varicus reading ἀληθὴς οι ἀληθῶς. Whichever reading be preferred, the meaning of the Lord Jesus is clear, and much stronger than appears in the English translation. "My Flesh is true, real Meat," or "My Flesh is truly, really Meat"; "My Blood is true, real Drink," or My Blood is truly, really Drink," expresses the verity, the reality of participation of the Body and Blood of Christ with a force and emphasis not to be got rid of by any evasion or pretence of "figurative language." The only consistent way of escaping from the inevitable conclusion of a Real Presence, is the contention of those who deny that the discourse in the sixth chapter of St. John has any reference whatever to the Holy Eucharist. But this is so monstrously, so very transparently dishonest, as to be undeserving of serious refutation. All the more, however, is it to be regretted that dishonesty of argument in the opposite direction has given so powerful a handle to scoffers and unbelievers.

NOTE J.-PAGE 211. Promise of Christ's Presence.

The promise itself3 is of a general character, applying to all the Ministerial Acts to be done by them and their successors in the ministry of reconciliation to the end of time. It includes, as a necessary consequence, His Presence in the Holy Eucharist. In each ministration it promises and pledges that for which the ministration was appointed by Himself personally, or vicariously by the Holy Ghost His Vicegerent; that is, in Holy Baptism the Gift of Regeneration; in the Holy Eucharist the Gift of Sustentation of the New Life so given by His own most Blessed Body and Blood; in Confirmation the abiding Gift of the Holy Ghost's Personal Indwelling ; in Ordination the Gifts bestowed for "the work of the Ministry" in its several Orders and Degrees. As regards the Holy Eucharist, it is meet that special attention should be paid to the memorable declaration which precedes this promise: " All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth." The connexion in this statement between Heaven and earth, gathering up both, as it were, into the focus of Christ's Omnipotent and Omnipresent Power, bears with special force upon the supernatural operation of Christ in the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist. It disposes completely of the "materialistic" allegation that, to give reality to His Word, "This is My Body," Christ Himself must undergo the process of an "extension of the Incarnation," in the shape of Impanation, becoming One with the Bread, even as He is One with the Flesh of His Humanity. Further, observe the deduction which the Lord Himself draws from the fact of His possessing "all Power in Heaven and in earth," "Go ye, therefore, and make disciples of (uanrevoαTE) all nations .. teaching (didárkovтes) them to "observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you,' -not, whatsoever your "natural piety" may prompt, but whatsoever I have commanded you, i.e., "Take and eat;" Do this, the taking and eating, in remembrance of ME." Because all Power is His in Heaven and earth, therefore He can give His Body and Blood without re-descending on the earth and materialising Himself in Bread and Wine; and, therefore, we are to "take and eat," and to "drink," not to leave the eating and drinking unperformed, and to do something else instead.

NOTE K.-PAGE 211.

prehended in the "incontrovertibly great mystery of Godliness," which it is utterly vain for the human intellect to attempt to grasp or to understand, while at the same time the recognition of them as facts, and the acceptance of them by faith, is indispensable to a correct knowledge of, and an intelligent belief in, that great mystery of our Redemption. We cannot do without them, and we know not how to handle them. They are among those "deep things of God" which are known to "none but the all-searching Spirit of God,' by whom they are "revealed," not to our intellect but to our faith; wholly unintelligible, even "foolishness"-to the carnal intellect of the "natural man," but to be "spiritually discerned," that is, apprehended, only by the spiritual faculty of the spiritual man.

On such a topic we would, under ordinary circumstances, prefer to preserve a reverential silence, to meditate rather than to speak. But "there is a time to keep silence and a time to speak," and the "time to speak" seems to us to be when grave errors, touching the most vital points of Divine Truth and the appointed way of man's Salvation, are committed through inattention to, or misapprehension of, those mysterious facts which lie at the very root of the life of Humanity regenerated and renovated in and through Christ Jesus. For what, under the pressure of this consideration, we desire to indicate rather than to state, to suggest rather than to assert, we entreat, and we trust we shall not entreat in vain, a charitable and indulgent hearing. We ask our readers to remember that all we can venture, and all we profess, to do, in the following remarks, is, not to hazard any speculations, or propound any theory, of our own, but simply to place before them, in classified order, certain statements of fact gathered out of Holy Scripture, as aids for holy, and, as we trust and pray, profitable meditation.

That the idea of spirit, and spiritual existence, does not exclude the idea of form, and of visible appearance in a form, is a truth which, however foreign it may be to inductive science, and incompatible with the commonly received ideas of the relations of matter to form, and form to matter,-can scarcely fail to be noted by an attentive reader of Holy Scripture.

Of God the Father, indeed, we read that He "dwelleth in light unapproachable," that "no man hath seen, or can see Him;"3 that no one knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever He will reveal Him."4

But of God the Son, of "the Word," who "in the beginning was with God, and was God, by whom all things were made,"s we read that He is "the Outshining," anayasμa (A.V. the brightness) "of His,"

-the Father's,-"glory, the visible representation," xapakтip (A.V. express image) "of His Being," VжOGTÁσEWG (A.V. Person)," the image,” luwv, “of the invisible God." Of this Divine Person, the Eternal Son, "Very God of Very God," "by Whom all things were created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities or powers, all created by Him and for Him,"8 we read that He made man "in His own image," zelem, literally shadow representing the form which casts it, as in an outline" after His own likeness," demuth, similitude, resemblance, as in a photograph;" that He spoke to the man whom He had so created, laying His command upon him,' that He brought unto him the inferior creatures for him to name them; that He walked in the garden, and through fear of the sound of His voice caused man, after he had sinned, to hide himself from His Presence; that He questioned man, pronounced sentence upon him, and drove him out from the garden.3

Of the same Person, Jehovah God, we read that He warned Noah of the coming deluge, instructed him how to build the ark, and shut him in; that after the flood had passed off, he spoke to Noah, made a cove nant with him, and blessed him.

Again, we read of Him that He came down to visit the city and tower of Babel, confounded the language of its builders, and scattered them.>

On reading and endeavouring to realise all this history of His dealings with man, the question naturally occurs, in what manner did all these communications between Him and man take place? Were they communications from an invisible Being or from a visible Being, even Him who, being "the image of the invisible God," manifested Himself to His creatures in visible form, the very form in the "image" and "likeness" of which He had created man?.

Let us pursue the history further, and see whether it suggests an answer to that question.

The whole race of mankind without exceptions has sunk into a state of idolatry; that is, of external worship of visible objects substituted by them in the place of Him whom they "had not retained in their knowledge." The first step towards the restoration among mankind of the knowledge of God utterly lost by them, is thus recorded :— "Jehovah,"-the name given throughout the history to the Being whose dealings with man are narrated,— "spake unto Abram, 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee, and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name

great, and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.' So Abram departed as Jehovah had spoken unto him."8

Whence this ready obedience, not of Abram alone, but of his father Terah also, and of Lot his brother's son; all members, up to this time, of a family of idolaters? The answer is supplied by St. Stephen: "The God of glory,"-(see above, the άravyaopa, the "outshining of the Father's Glory,"" the visible representation,” “the image of the invisibleGod”)—“appeared unto" woon-literally, was seen by, visibly showed Himself -" unto our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said unto him, 'Get thee of thy country, and from thy kindred,and come into the land which I shall show thee." "19

Next after, on Abram's arrival in the land so shown to him, we read that "Jehovah appeared,"-vajjerá LXX. again woon, literally was seen by, visibly showed Himself" unto Abram, and said, 'Unto thy seed will I give this land."" Whereupon follows the commencement of true worship of the true God; for "there Abram builded an altar unto Jehovah who appeared unto him,”—hannirech, rų óp0évrı, literally that had been seen by him, had shown Himself visibly unto him.I This same expression, implying a visible personal manifestation, occurs repeatedly in the sequel of Abraham's history. In like terms it is stated that Jehovah "appeared unto," was " seen by," Isaac3 and Jacob.4

But there are, in addition to the manifestations or appearances referred to in these general terms, others marked by special circumstances, to which, and to the first of them more particularly, being the most remarkable of all, we desire to call attention.

Abram-for such was still his name-having, for the sake of peace, separated from his nephew Lot, giving him the choice of the country which he thought most eligible for pasturage, finds himself called upon to rescue Lot from captivity, into which, through the wars of the kings of the country, he had fallen. Abram delivers his relative, having achieved a signal victory; and then, in a manner which might be termed abrupt, there comes upon the stage a Mysterious Personage. The position he occupies is a place which has two names, one secular "Jebus," or "Jebusi," by which it is commonly known among the people of the land, and another, of sacred import, Salem, which signifies “peace,” at a later date extended into "Jerusalem," i.e." the abode of peace,"-pointing evidently with prophetie significance to the promise, "In this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of Hosts."5 The Mysterious Personage Himself is

introduced under the name of "Melchizedek," which signifies "King of Righteousness." The facts on record concerning him in Abram's history are exceedingly few and concisely told. He is described as "Priest of the Most High God." In His priestly character, He meets Abraham. Though a priest, He offers no sacrifice, but He" brings forth bread and wine." He "blesses Abram, saying, 'Blessed be'-or, 'is'-'Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be’— or, 'is'6'the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand." And he, i.e. Abram, gave Him, i.e., to Melchizedek, tithes of all." Thus ends the historical notice of this Mysterious Personage. We hear no more of Him until about nine centuries later we find the Royal minstrel of Israel, in a psalm prophetic of the advent of the Messiah, bursting forth into the prophetic exclamation," The Lord hath sworn and will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."8 Thus far the account given in the Old Testament of this Mysterious Personage. Looking at His significant names, King of Righteousness,' and 'King of Peace;" looking at His priestly character, and at His act of "bringing forth bread and wine;" looking, moreover, at the homage paid to Him by Abram, and at the prophetic identification of Him by the Psalmist, as the founder of a new order of priesthood, the priesthood of the Messiah,-everything seems to point to identity of person between Him and Christ.

What is thus so extremely probable as to suggest itself irresistibly to the mind, receives singular, and, it would appear, irrefragable confirmation from the language of St. Paul, whose explanation, rightly interpreted, clears up the whole mystery. After stating, as the ground of our heavenly hope, that "the forerunner is for us entered within the veil," i. e., into heaven itself, "even Jesus, made an High Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek," the apostle proceeds: "For this Melchizedek, King of Salem, Priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of Righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of Peace; without father, without mother, without descent" (ayɛveaλóyntos)—all which modern interpreters take to mean simply and tautologically, that there is no record of his genealogy,—“having neither beginning of days nor end of life," to whom except the Divine being Himself, i. e., the Eternal Son, can these words be applicable?-"but being in the likeness of the Son of God," i.e., of the Incarnate Son, Christ Jesus, acknowledged and designated as the Son of God when St. Paul thus wrote of Him,"abideth a Priest in perpetuity." The plain inference from all this is confirmed by the sequel of the

argument touching the dignity of Him to whom " Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils," and its concluding statement: "Here men that die receive tithes; but there He receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that He liveth." With this language of St. Paul it seems impossible to reconcile the supposition, adopted probably through fear of an early heresy connected with the name of Melchizedek, that this Mysterious Personage, whoever or whatever He might have been, was other than the Eternal Son, appearing, as it is evident he was wont to do, to Abram in a visible form, similar to the human form, because the form in the likeness of which man was created.

There are on record, besides this, some other visible manifestations of the Son of God to Abraham, which call for special notice. To these, however, after the length to which our remarks on the identity of Melchizedek with the Eternal Son have unavoidably extended, we must content ourselves with referring very briefly. We read that

3

"the Word of Jehovah came unto Abraham in a vision," when "a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a horror of great darkness fell upon him." On another occasion we find Jehovah,-this time attended by two angels employed afterwards to deliver Lot in the midst of the overthrow of the doomed cities of the plain,3visiting Abram, by whom He is at once recognised, accepting his hospitality, eating the viands set before him, and communing with him in a lengthened conversation, in the course of which Abram makes bold to deprecate God's righteous judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah.4 Again, we read that Jehovah, or as He is there, as well as in many other places, designated, Maleach-Jehovah, (rendered in the A.V. the Angel of the Lord,—but signifying properly "Jehovah the Sent") "called to Abraham out of Heaven."5

Further on in the development of God's purpose, we read of other appearances or visible personal manifestations of Jehovah,- -as to Moses, who was admitted to His presence in the Mount," with whom he conversed "face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend;" before whom He caused His glory to pass, covering him with His hand, to save him alive; to Joshua; to Gideon ; to Manoah and his wife.2

From all these instances it results as an undeniable fact, that God the Son, oftentimes before His Incarnation, manifested Himself to men in a form similar to the human form. And that this fact was not only familiar to God's own people, but that the knowledge of it had transpired beyond them, is clear from the

expression made use of by Nebuchadnezzar, who, at the sight of a fourth person in the fiery furnace besides the three cast into it by his orders, exclaimed: "Lo, I see four men loose, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.3

Nor are these instances of Divine manifestations in a visible form limited to the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. The Scripture informs us of the Third Person, the Holy Ghost, at one time descending in a bodily shape like a dove, at another time manifesting His presence by "a sound as of a mighty rushing wind," and by "cloven tongues like as of fire."

It were superfluous to dwell on the forms attributed to created spiritual beings; as to the Angels, who, as ministering spirits, frequently appear in sacred history, and to the Living Creatures attendant on the throne of God. Sufficient evidence has been adduced to establish the existence of spiritual forms like unto bodily shapes in the heavenly world of spiritual beings, beyond the ordinary ken of human sight, and made visible in this world, the world of matter, only through special and・ exceptional manifestations.

A clear apprehension of this fact will help in no small measure to remove the difficulties experienced by minds imbued with notions derived from the world of matter, in the endeavour to realise the existence of God Incarnate after the transmutation of His Body into the spiritual state, and His action in the spiritual sphere.

His transition from the earthly to the heavenly state, from mortality to immortality, from humiliation to glory, properly commences with the resurrection; the transfiguration, which preceded it, being apparently a kind of anticipation, for a short interval, of the glory that should afterwards be revealed in Him, And here, before entering on this new and still more mysterious part of the subject, we desire to reiterate our disclaimer of all intention to dogmatise or to theorise on it. All we propose to ourselves is to place the facts, as recorded in Holy Scripture, before our readers, calling attention to points of special importance that arise out of them.

On comparing the several manifestations of the Risen Christ, we cannot fail to be struck with what at first sight appears a remarkable inconsistency. His first manifestation was to Mary in the Garden. Having come to the sepulchre early, with the other women, with the intention of embalming the Body of Jesus, and been apprised by the angels of His resurrection, she still lingered weeping near the spot, while the others went back to Jerusalem to announce the event to the disciples. When Jesus appeared unto her, and the

3 Dan. iii. 25.

4 St. Matthew iii. 16; St. Luke iii. 22; St. John i. 33. 5 Acts ii. 2, 3. 6 Heb. i. 14.

7 Ezek. i. 5-14; Rév. iv. 6-8.

8 St. Matthew xvi. 2; St. Mark ix. 2; St. Luke ix, 29,

tone in which He pronounced her name had led her to recognise Him, which at first she had failed to do, He would not suffer her to touch Him." The other women, on the contrary, who at the bidding of the angels had gone to bring the disciples word of what had happened, were met on their way by Jesus, who suffered them to embrace His feet, worshipping Him.1 Had, in the interval between these two occurrences, anything taken place to alter the condition of His Resurrection Body, so that it might be touched, which at first was not allowable, by mortal hands? And do the words of Jesus Himself in forbidding Mary to touch Him,-"Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say unto them: I ascend unto My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God," throw any light upon this apparent change in the condition of His Resurrection Body, which afterwards He allowed His disciples freely to handle, bidding the doubting apostle to examine the nail prints with his fingers, and to thrust his hand into His pierced side, and convincing them by sight and touch that it was not a spirit, but a body having "flesh and bones" that stood before them ?3

Other mysteries are cropping up as we follow the intercourse of the Risen Christ with His disciples. Although the identity of His Body is preserved and capable of being verified by ocular demonstration and personal manipulation, in its spiritualised state, yet His personal presence is not, as it would be in its former natural state, invariably followed by recognition, even on the part of those most intimately acquainted with Him; as in the case of Mary, of the two disciples, on the way to Emmaus, and while continuing for a time in their company, where the non-recognition is attributed by one Evangelist to His having appeared "in another form," and by another to "their eyes being holden;"-and of the seven disciples at the sea of Tiberias, when the miraculous draught of fishes first excited their suspicion that it was He, but even when their suspicion had grown into certainty, they were still afraid to ask Him."

giving it to them, apparently with a sacramental intent, the means of making Himself known to them.'

Again, the very manner of His coming among them sometimes partakes of the miraculous,- -as when He suddenly appeared among the disciples listening with wonder to the report of the transaction at Emmaus, and on both the occasions when He appeared to the Apostles assembled with closed doors, which latter fact is specially noted by the Evangelist. And as He appeared, so He disappeared, miraculously, suddenly vanishing άφαντος ἐγένετο, became invisible-out of sight, which, though not expressly stated, seems generally to have been the mode of withdrawing His presence.

Lastly, when He took His departure from them, the same exemption from the ordinary conditions of locomotion is to be noted. He was "received up into heaven" (aveλýp0n) says one account, "and sat on the right hand of God."5 "He was parted (diéorn) from them,

8

Thus ended His mysterious Presence upon earth in a Body transmuted from the natural into the spiritual state. And to the wondering, gazing disciples this promise was left: “This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come: in like manner as ye have seen Him go up into heaven." Very differently would that word of promise have run, if the materialistic theory were founded on fact; if His intention had been to reincorporate Himself in earthly elements, to continue with His disciples on earth, to be re-sacrificed, and worshipped with an outward adoration, upon thousands of altars, throughout the successive ages of the world.

Having thus collected from Holy Scripture the indications therein given touching the nature and character of the Body of Christ transmuted into the spiritual state, we return to the statement with which we set out, that it is a mystery unfathomable by man, to be accepted in faith, and to be apprehended only by those who in the " obedience of faith," and through the assistance of the Holy Spirit, whose office it is to "take the things of Christ and shew them unto us,'