ive, could He perfectly manifest His
glory and His Father's glory; and shew that it was full of grace.

Full of grace. Think, I beg you, over that one word.

We all agree that God is good; all at least do so, who worship Him in
spirit and in truth. We adore His majesty, because it is the moral and
spiritual majesty of perfect goodness. We give thanks to Him for His
great glory, because it is the glory, not merely of perfect power,
wisdom, order, justice; but of perfect love, of perfect magnanimity,
beneficence, activity, condescension, pity--in one word, of perfect
grace.

But how much must that last word comprehend, as long as there is misery
and evil in this world, or in any other corner of the whole universe?
Grace, to be perfect, must shew itself by graciously forgiving penitents.
Pity, to be perfect, must shew itself by helping the miserable.
Beneficence, to be perfect, must shew itself by delivering the oppressed.

The old prophets and psalmists saw as much as this; and preached that
this too was part of the essence and character of God.

They saw that the Lord was gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of
great kindness, and repented Him of the evil. They saw that the Lord
helped them to right who suffered wrong, and fed the hungry; that the
Lord loosed men out of prison, the Lord gave sight to the blind; that the
Lord helped the fallen, and defended the fatherless and widow. They saw
too a further truth, and a more awful one. They saw that the Lord was
actually and practically King of kings and Lord of lords: that as such He
could come, and did come at times, rewarding the loyal, putting down the
rebellious, and holding high assize from place to place, that He might
execute judgment and justice; beholding all the wrong that was done on
earth, and coming, as it were, out of His place, at each historic crisis,
each revolution in the fortunes of mankind, to make inquisition for
blood, to trample His enemies beneath His feet, and to inaugurate some
progress toward that new heaven and new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness, and righteousness alone. That vision, in whatsoever
metaphors it may be wrapped up, is real and true, and will be so as long
as evil exists within this universe. Were it not true, there would be
something wanting to the perfect justice and the perfect benevolence of
God.

But is this all? If this be all, what have we Christians learnt from the
New Testament which is not alread