the physical, mental, and eternal welfare of the race, His presence is ever active who said, ' Lo, I am with you always.'
Literature. — For general, dealing with the various themes comprised in above art., see the many Lives of Christ, Commen- taries on the Gospels, and artt. in Hastings' DB, Enctjc. Bihlica, and otiier Dictionaries. For the argument concerning the miracles in general and in particular—
(1) Adverse on whole : E. A. Abbott, Kernel and the Husk, The Spirit on the Waters, and Philoniiithus (a rei)ly to New- man's ^'ssa^/s o»i Ecclesiastical Miracles); JL Arnold, Litera- ture and Dogma; Percy Gardner, Historic View i;/' JVJ', and Exploratio Evawjelica; Harnack, What is Christianity ? and Christianitu and History.
(2) In fa\our of miraculous : Origen, cantra Celsum ; Pascal, PensA's ; Row's, llozley's, and Temple's Bampton Lectures ; A. B. Bruce, Miraculous Element in. the Gospels, and Chief End of lienelation; Trench, Miracles; Lyttelton's Hulsean Lec- tures; Fisher, Ground of Theistic and Christian Belief; The Supernatural in Christianiti/, by Drs. Rainy, Orr, and Dods (a reply to Pfleiderer's Gifford Lectxires); Lias, Are Miracles Credible!; Thomson, Miracles and Modern Science; IHing- worth, Personality Human and Divine, and Dirine Imman- ence ; to which may be added The Fini/er of God, by writer of the present article.
For larger and wider discussions bearing closely on the con- ception of the miraculous, consult the works of John Fiske, esp. The Idea of God ; Dr. E. Caird's Evolution of Religion, 2 vols. (Gifford Lectures) ; and Human Personaliti/ bv F. W. H. Myers.
t. H. Wright. MIRACULOUS CONCEPTION. — See Virgin- Birth.
MISSION.— The following article deals with the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ only as presented in the Gospel narratives. The Lord Jesus fre- quently manifested consciousness of being com- missioned bij God. Now the general (Tre/xTrw) and now the specific term (dTroo-reXXw) for sending is used in reference to His Avork, the latter word signifying an intimate connexion between sender and sent (Cremer, p. 529). As God's trusted mes- senger He felt that there was .a decree (5eZ) for Him to execute (Lk 2« 4« 9- etc.), that He had His Father's authority (Jn b^'^ S-"'-), and that as the Father had sanctifled Him and sent Him into the world (Jn 10^"), it was not for Him to do His own pleasure {Q^^). The Fourth Evangelist, deeply im- pressed with the idea of the commission received by his Lord, mentions the fact rejieatedl}', and in one place stojis to brood over the mere name of a place because it suggests a mission (9'). Instead of considei'ing Himself as being merely one among a number of Divine messengers, Jesus kne^' Him- self to be the Messenger- Son (i\Ik 12'>- "). The Lord's consciousness refers to (I) the objects of His mission, (2) the mccins to be adopted to gain His wondrous ends, (3) the extent, and (4) the credentials of His mission.
1. The objects of the mission. — These are ex- hibited in various forms. Prophecy lias to be fullilled (iMk 12i»- " 14-i- -''■ *«, Lk 4^1 10--'2427, Jn 5« 13^^). It is the function of Jesus to be the King (Ps 2), the Son of Man (Ps 8, Dn 7^^- '^), the Servant of Jehovah (Is 42. 53), the founder of a New Covenant (Jer 31^1-^^) ; and thus to glorify God (Jn 1228 174) and save men (]\It l-\ Lk 2" I91*, Jn 3" lO^^ 12^' 17- 20^1) by attracting men to Himself (Mt ll-^, Jn 540 223-) 3^j^j ijy ojiving Himself as a sacrifice (Mk lO-'s, Jn !-■' 6''i lO's r^-J).
2. Means to the ends of the mission. — The nature of tliese aims required that the Heavenly Apostle (He 3') should manifest the Kingdom and the character of God, together with the greatness of man's calling. The sacrificial death at Calvary sums up all the revelations. The speech, the life, the death of the Lord Jesus are the means wherebj' He discharges His unique mission to mankind.
(a) To succeed, it was imperative that Jesus should ensure the recognition of the sovereignty/ of God. The Kingdom of God must be established upon the earth (INIt 4", Lk ig""'-)- V.'here there
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are minds that gladly defer to God's will, there the Kingdom is. Submission may be incomplete (Mt 1324-Bo. 47. 4S) and transient (vv.^""-^). In Jesus alone were the claims of God fully and constantly heeded : therefore the leadership of men is His prerogative (Mt 23^"). He called men to Himself in order to make them loyal to the heavenly throne. God's subjects renounce evil habits (Mt 4"), enjoy pardon (Lk 24*'), possess sincerity (Mt 7^1-2'), are plastic and trustful as children (Mt 18•^-^ Lk 18"-", Jn 3'), are willing to render costly service in meekness (Mt 20'-^"^") ; they transcend national distinctions (Mt 8'^) and set all interests below those of the Kingdom (Mt 6»^ 13^'-4«, Lk (J57-B2 1829-30) -piie presence of the Kingdom is known by its conquering power (Lk 11-"). Its growth cannot be accounted for unless the ac- tivities of God are adduced ; albeit man's co- operation is required (Mk 4^'^--^). A river (as the Nile) may not originate in the land that it waters, and yet may be indispensable thereto ; similarly Christ's Kingdom is the blessing the world needs most, and its coming must be uppermost in prayer- ful minds (Mt G''-'"), yet it takes its rise in tiie unseen heaven (Jn 18*')- Diseases, defects, ex- crescences of all kinds— physical, mental, spiritual —are foreign elements (Mt 13'^'- "''^ Lk 13'«). It was the function of the Lord Jesus to reveal verbally and in His life the nature of God's reign. His loving and unswerving devotion to the Father's will is the central orb of the moral world, and all human wills sliould be planets ruled and lighted by His filial homage. Union with Him, harmony with Him, would bring about union and harmony among the races of mankind, and earth according to the great prayers (Mt 6«- "', Jn 17™"^), would be a province of heaven. In all its particulars — its purity, might, obedience, joyful loyalty, friendli- ness, prayerfulness, catholicity — the Kingdom of God is the life of Christ expanded. It was His task to give mankind, on the scale of His earthly experience, a clear and distinct conception of sub- jection to the authority of God. The Kingdom is where He is ; it is He working through the wills, intellects, afl'ections of His people. The laws of the Kingdom are those to Avhich Christ conformed His purposes and deeds. The Beatitudes (Mt 5^"'^) are songs that first were sung in His own heart. Hence a description of the Kingdom is a description of the character of Jesus from the point of view belonging to duty and common service. If the precepts of the gospel — which were indeed cita- tions from His own book of life as child, friend, artizan, preacher, sacrifice — were heeded in home and Church and State, we should see the Kingdom of God an organism with Christ as its soul, devout, righteous, beneficent.