But all these various aspects of our relation to our Examjjle presuppose the vital fellowship of a personal faith. No ' imitation ' of Christ is accord- ing to the gospel if it is anything else than an essential aspect of the life of faith. With all its rare beauty and power, the Imitation of Christ by Thomas k Kempis (?) is li,-inlly conceived in the plane of the perfect l:i\v of lihniy. And yet, over against the widesprciid (|ui'sl io}iii'i^; of the universal applicability of Clirisfs cxiimplc, as well as the ethical shallowness and indeliniteness of a religion of mere feeling, too much stress cannot be laid upon the vocation of the Christian to take up the cross daily and follow the Lord. ' This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments ' (1 Jn 5'). The full gospel principle of the freedom of the Spirit being presupposed, the question, ' What would Jesus do ? ' (see Sheldon, /» Bis Stejis), is not un- warranted. But to walk in the Spirit implies that we are not seeking merit or virtue for our own satisfaction, but are seeking to glorify God. To do all 'in the name of the l^ord Jesus'— no more com- prehensive or profound (■Ni>r(ssion of the funda- mental law of Christi.ui li\ inu rould be conceived ; and just this, after all, is w hut is meant by follow- ing Christ. Our task is not in the narrower sense to copy Him, but to receive His Spirit, to under- stand His mind, to let Him be formed within us. So we shall also ' walk ' in Him.
ii. Tbe example of the followers of Christ. — ' One is your Teacher— one is your Master, even the Christ ' (Mt 238- '»). ' Other foun- dation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ' (1 Co 3"). This relation of our Lord to us is unique and exclusive. He is our life. We have been renewed after His image. But just because this is so— just because He does beget in His followers a likeness to Himself— those who bear His image are fitted to be examples ; only, of course, their exampleship is relative and mediate. He who said concerning Himself, 'I am the light of the worid ' (Jn 8'= 9^), said also to His disciples, 'Ye are the salt of the earth, ye are the light of the world' (Mt 5"-'«). But they are this just because they are His followers, and in
558
EXCLUSIVENESS
KXCLUSIVENESS
virtue of what they have from Him. In various ways our Lord recognizes the value of good ex- ample ; for instance, where He warns against the bad example of the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 23''^). He prays for His disciples : ' As thou didst sentl me mto tlie world, even so sent I them into tlie world' (Jn 17"*). They were to be His witnesses ; they were to do nothing in their own name. And yet, in tinU-r tliiit tlifv iiii-Iit lir true witnesses, they niu-,1 !»• -aiKlilii-.l' in i\w truth. Tlieir minis- try for Cl.ri-t iiiusi !„•. likrClnisl 'sewn ministry, an intL-u-i'ly /,.,:■.-.,„. d ..m-. Ami when the Lord gives to His disciples that 'example' of liumble service in washing their feet (Jn IS'"-), and else- where (17°^ 13^*) sliows that they shall preach Him tlirough a life of love as well as by word, it cannot be doubted that He places a very high value on the example of His followers.
The NT writer lay great stress i (1 P2inr-3i-2 1' .special emphasis
t-nally, esperi.illy St. Paul and
doubtful is cleail\ stl I Paul shows the peculiuri example. Reckoninj,^ tli report, and including all 1
Ph sn 49, 2 ■ Churches hi element of !
example, and a ninth (i cutnniendation is lacki eranse ,St. Paul is pre c-l
simplest devotion to Chrisl. is Paul? Ministers throii^'li the Lord ^ave to him ' (1 Co : judged as a minister of Chris
3od^(
,lCo4i). Heii ything exemplary
sincerity of 1 God I an neither
I discipleship and service, m'(l Co 151"). Glorying
f beli^
ed. And
akes the
principal proof of the doctrine ; it is,
confirmatory. The Apostolic doctrine thus
however, i
outlined is of such simplicity, that its universal acce] the Church is hindered only by the same carnal mil caused many even in St Paul's day to ' walk accordintr '
(100 33).
Chriyi,,
Die L/.'. .-,. ' 1902 ; .Scliolz, ■ I religiose Unteru neSB of Jems; 1902. and Tlic
JI.'
Char
•;lt.
EXCLUSIYENESS.-The term is here employed to denote tlKit < lirist's earthly ministrv was con- fined to the pcnpl.. of Isr-ipl. ' Th.' pMs'^M-rs bear- ing on the Mil.|rrt l..:i\r no .lonl.l tli.n Christ regarded tile .M'--i.inir mi-Mun ,iit i n-i-d lo Him by the Father a ^ liiuU.-.l i,, ilir .!,■« i-li naliun, and in practice He kejit within the liiiiils ijiipo^ed by the Divine decree. Only on one occasion do we find Him crossing the borders of the Holy Land into heathen territory (Mk 7^), and on that occa- sion His object was not to extend the sphere of
His work, but to secure an interval of rest and leisure for the private instruction of His disciples. ^Vhen the Syrophrenician woman, seizing the opportunity presented by His presence in the neigh- bourhood, apiJealed to Him to heal her demoniac daughter. He justified Himself at first for refusing by the statement, ' I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Mt 15-^). At an earlier date, in His instructions to the Twelve in view of their missionary journey, the area of their work was sharply defined in the words, ' Go not into any way of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans : but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Mt W-"). It has been alleged that this restriction of His work was occasioned by want of sympathy with those outside the Jewish pale, in proof of which appeal is made to some of His sayings, such as those in which He characterizes Gentiles as 'dogs' (Mt IS'^" II), directs His disciples to treat an impenitent otlender as ' an heathen man and a publican ' (Mt IS'"), and enjoins them to ' use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do ' (Mt 6').