nate should prove cold and heartless, He who inspired His servant John to write such loving words to us as we find in His gospel.

Let us take heed to the whispers of the Holy Spirit, whose mission it is to reveal Christ unto

us.

His name closes the word of God, who is called the Word: "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely, I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

XIII.

ON PASSING BY ANGELS TO RE

DEEM MEN.

"For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham." - Hebrews 2: 16.

A part of an angelic race, superior to man,

apostatized from God. No Redeemer interposed to help them. The inhabitants of this world apostatized from God, and a Redeemer took on Him their nature to redeem them. Who He was, we learn from these inspired words: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.”

Here is a disclosure; and then a veil is drawn over it. Doubtless this is best for us. We could not have understood a clearer revelation.

As it

is, we cannot solve one of the questions which human curiosity would ask. He "was with God and He was God." If any one will resolve that mystery, he may, perhaps, proceed and explain the dark things which multiply as we proceed. One who is God "was made flesh and dwelt us." And of Him we among us." are told in the text, "He took not on Him the nature of angels, but He took on Him the seed of Abraham." Some one, then, in the Jewish line took on Him the nature of man, and did not take on Him the nature of angels. Who was He? One is spoken of here who existed first not as man or angel, but took on Him the nature of man, not of angels. He, therefore, has two natures; one of them is ours. But it is implied in the text that it was optional with Him which of these two natures He should take; In the plainest terms, therefore, an incarnation is here declared; and the first chapter of John makes it certain that the Divine Word joined human nature to Himself, and with these two natures in one person, He became the Redeemer of men.

Why did He not for the same purpose for which He took on Him our nature, take the nature of angels? Here is the interesting point which the text brings to view.

Among the spheres which compose our solar system, this world is the smallest of the primary

planets but two. But we greatly err if we estimate the worth of a world by its size. We are in the habit of supposing that our Earth must be inferior in all respects because it is small. The Creator has not adopted such a standard of value. The wise men of the East came to Jerusalem no doubt expecting that the King of kings was was born there; but they found His birthplace to be Bethlehem, which was little among the thousands of Judah. "He chose David also, and took him from the sheepfold, to feed Jacob his people and Israel His inheritance."

We may expect to find that the Creator has made use of this world of a size thus inferior, to pour contempt on pride. If He who made all things took upon Him man's nature, we may feel sure that there is in that nature some intrinsic excellence and greatness, one proof of which is that it is capable of being united with the person of the Word who was in the beginning with God, and was God.

But so, unquestionably, was the angels' nature; for man is a little lower than the angels. Here were two fallen races before the eye of the Redeemer, and we cannot doubt that it was optional with Him to redeem either of them, or both. Why He did not redeem both must be left to sovereign wisdom; to Him who giveth no account of any of His matters. Why in deciding to re

deem one of them He chose to save man and not angels is the subject before us, not for our opinion or judgment, but for our contemplation and humble fear.

I. FALLEN ANGELS, IF REDEEMED, WOULD NO DOUBT BECOME AS GREAT AND GLORIOUS AS BEFORE.

An angel certainly is as precious as the soul of a Hottentot. Why are the inhabitants of Labrador or of the South Seas redeemed by Christ, and not angels? What can be said of a pagan's soul as to its future development and happiness which cannot be said of an angel redeemed? There would have been one consideration at least in favor of redeeming an angel. The pagan does not know what he has lost. The angel is conscious of his depravity. An angel's memory surely is worth redeeming. He recollects the moment when he waked into life in heaven; when he first looked upon the face of God; when consciousness first possessed him; when he said, What am I? who am I? where am I? and joy began to course through him and the whispers of divine love soothed him and made him acquainted with himself, and the first-born of his companions drew near and taught him, and at last he came to the full knowledge of what existence is. All the succession of the