fiurrection, would be far greater than that of John Baptist, who died before those mighty events took place. The weakest believing hearer of St. Paul would understand things, by the light of Christ's death on the cross, which John the Baptist could never have explained. Great as that holy man was in faith and courage, the humblest Christian would, in one sense, be greater than he. Greater in grace and works he certainly could not be. But beyond doubt he would be greater in privileges and knowledge.
Such an expression as this ought to teach all Christians to be deeply thankful for Christianity. We have probably very little idea of the wide diflFerence between the religious knowledge of the best-instructed Old Testament believer and the knowledge of one familiar with the New Testa- ment. We little know how many blessed truths of the Gospel were at one time seen through a glass darkly, which now appear to us plain as noon-day. Our very familiarity with the Gospel makes us blind to the extent of our privi- leges. We can hardly reaKze at this time how many glorious verities of our faith were brought out in their full propor- tions by Christ's death on the cross, and were never unveiled and understood till His blood was shed. The hopes of John the Baptist and St. Paul were undoubtedly one and the same. Both were led by one Spirit. Both knew their sinfulness. Both trusted in the Lamb of God. But we cannot suppose that John could have given as full an account of the way of salvation as St. Paul. Both looked at the same object of faith. But one saw it afar off, and could only describe it generally. The other saw it close at hand, and could describe the reason of his
224 srposiTOBY thoughts.
hope particularly. Let ns learn to be more thankful. The child who knows the story of the cross, possesses a key to religious knowledge which patriarchs and prophets never enjoyed.
The last point which demands our attention in these verses is, the solemn declaration which it makes about mafCs power to injure his own souL We read that " The Phari- sees and Scribes rejected the counsel of God against themselves." The meaning of these words appears to be simply this, that they rejected God's oflTer of salvation. They refused to avail themselves of the door of repentance which was offered to them by John the Baptist's preach- ing. In short they fcdfilled to the very letter the words of Solomon : " Te have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof." (Prov. i. 25.)
That every man possesses a power to ruin himself for ever in hell is a great foundation truth of Scripture, and a truth which oi^ht to be continually before our minds. Impotent and weak as we all are for everything which is good, we are all naturally potent for that which is evil. By continued impenitence and unbelief, by persevering in the love and practice of sin, by pride, self-will, laziness, and determined love of the world, we may bring upon ourselves everlasting destruction. And if this takes place, we shall find that we have no one to blame but ourselves. God has ** no pleasure in the death of him that dieth." (Ezek. xviii. 32.) Christ is "willing to gather" men to His bosom, if they will only be gathered. (Matt. xrii. 37.) The fault will lie at man's own door. They that are lost will find that they have " lost their own souls." (Mark viii. 36.)