closing days the burden of His mission, and all that it would entail in the far future of the world, seemed to weigh heavily upon Him. Near at hand He felt the weakness of His disciples' loyalty, and was especially ' troubled in the spirit ' about Judas ( Jn I321). As He looked forward into the days to come, there fell ujion Him the knowledge of divisions, feuds, persecutions that would arise in His name 'to incarnadine the world.' He was face to face with the baptism of all leadership : it would be His to kindle the flaming passions of men. Prince of Peace as He is (Lk 12^1). Is it any wonder that on the threshold of such a task He should be dis- tressed, perplexed (cru^^xoAia') RVm ' pained ') ? He is moved to hesitate : at least the temptation arises when He feels spiritual perplexity (Jn 12^'). And in Gethsemane the overstrained humanity utters the cry of longing for escape — ' Father, if it be possible, let this cu]) pass away from me : never- theless, not as I will, but as thou wilt ' (Mt 2&% In that last sentence He reveals to us the key of deliverance from all cankering perplexity, all that uncertainty which confuses and enervates the will. He shows the Avorld the supremacy of a will re- signed to God. It is the truism of the choice — ' No man can serve two masters : . . . Ye cannot serve God and mammon ' (Mt &^ \\ Lk W\ Try to serve both, and you have strife and confusion within and around : life becomes a war of irreconcilable ideals. But bend all thoughts, desires, will, towards God ; learn the worth of Christ's word, ' Be not anxious ' as to food, life, raiment, and the rest, ' for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of these things ' (Mt G^^-ss || Lk 1222-36). There are no more troubled hearts and perplexed wills for those who rest in God and live in Christ (Jn 14^), for to them the prayer, ' Thy will be done' (Mt 6i»), finds its invariable answer in a sublime and heavenly peace. See also artt. Amazement, Doubt.
Edgar Daplyn.
PERSECUTION.— (1) Christ foresaw that per- secution would be His inevitable lot and that of His true followers. Repeatedly He foretold the main incidents of His Passion (Mt 162^ 1722- 23 2018. 19 262, Mk 831 931 1032-34) (2) Christ also fore- warned His disciples that they too must suffer perse- cution (Mt '249, Mk 41^ 1030, Lk 1 1*9 2112- is, Jn 162-4- 33). (3) Persecution was the test of true disciples hip. It was mentioned in the parable of the Sower as the cause of defection among superficial believers (Mk 4'', Mt I321). (4) It was the sure means of gaining a blessing, and as such is particularly referred to in the Beatitudes (Mt 510-12).
The methods of persecution adopted against Christ and His immediate followers were such as contempt and disparagement (Jn 8^^) ; ascrip- tion of Christ's miracles to the power of the Evil One (Mt 1224) . expulsion of those believing on Him from the synagogue ( Jn 922- ^*) ; attempts to entrap Him in His words (Mt 221^, Jn 8^) ; questioning His authority (Mk Ips, Mt 2123) ; (after the failure of the former) illegal arrest and the heaping of every kind of insult upon the Prisoner, who was entitled to protection from the authorities until the authorized penalty was laid upon Him (Mt 26'''''^- and parallels). See also art. Name, p. 217^
It was the fear of persecution that drove the disciples to forsake their Master at the hour of His arrest (Mt 26^" and parallels).
C. H. Prichard.
PERSON OF CHRIST.— See Divinity, Human- ity, Incarnation, Son of God, Son of Man, etc.
PERSONAL APPEARANCE.— See Christ in Art, vol. i. p. 314 f .
PERSONALITY.— 1. Definition and analysis.—
Personality is the substance and summary of a
PERSOXALITY
PERSONALITY
343
mans qualities, or rather it is the man himself, discovered in tlie last analysis and in the highest category of being short of God. Indeed, ' com- plete personality can be in God only, while to man can belong but a weak and faint copy thereof (Lotze, Outlines, p. 72). The truth is that through the limitations of bodily existence there are mental and moral workings which do not at once cross the threshold of consciousness, but may at any time surprise tiie soul, as in the flash of genius or the turn of conversion. But personality implies a grip of these tilings as our own. We know that we exist when self is revealed to us over against the world. There the self-conscious life begins. But it is not until God is revealed over against both self and the world that personality is fullj' exercised. The recognition of a moral author- ity is the touchstone of the self-determined life. Thus, for popular purposes, personality may be expressed in terms of character. ' It is made up,' says F. W. Robertson, 'of three attributes — consciousness, character, and will.' In other words, it is the power of self-assertion on lines of character. But, philosophically speaking, the two chief factors in personality, in so far as it can be an.alyzed, are self-consciousness and self- determination, the contents of which it will be necessary to examine. Put briefly, self-conscious- ness is the souls utterance ' I am ' ; self-determina- tion is the soul's assertion ' I will. '