This reminds me of that strange story of a very valuable pearl necklace worth 117,000 which was lost about a year ago. It was sent by post from Paris to London when it suddenly disappeared and no one knew what had become of it. A very large reward was offered to any one who found it.

But now comes the wonderful part of the story. One morning, a man of the name of Horne was on his way to the factory where he was employed when he saw a large match-box lying in the gutter in St. Paul's Road, near London.

He picked it up and put it in his pocket. Presently he went into a public-house to have a gla.s.s of beer and there he met two of his mates. He took the match-box out of his pocket, pushed it open, and seeing it was filled with what he thought were white beads or marbles, he said to them, "What do you think of these, I've just picked them up?" "Oh! they're no good," replied one of the men, "throw them away." However, Horne decided to take them to the Police Station. The officers looked at them and said they were worth nothing, but gave him a receipt for them.

On their way to the factory they turned into another public-house for a drink, and while there Horne found one of the marbles loose in his coat pocket. "Oh!" he said, "I've got one of them left." Holding it up in his fingers, he looked round and asked, "Will any one give me a penny for it?"

But no one would have it.

In another public-house where they stopped, he offered the pearl for a gla.s.s of beer, but no one accepted the offer. The pearl which was worth many hundreds of pounds was despised by one and all. Then Horne offered it for a packet of cigarettes, but again it was handed back with the remark, "That's no good to me." So one of his friends suggested that he should crush it under the heel of his boot as it was no good.

Later on when some one asked him what he had done with it he said he had thrown it away.

It is a wonderful story and quite true. "Oh!" you say, "what a thousand pities, if that man Horne had only known its value, it would have made him a rich man in one day."

Are you not surprised that none of these men ever thought of finding out the real value of that pearl? But is it not stranger still that scarcely any one ever stops to inquire who Jesus Christ really is, and the meaning of His death on the Cross? You listened just now with astonishment to the questions and answers about this valuable pearl, and yet the same questions are being asked every day about another Pearl, G.o.d's Pearl of great price, and people are treating it with the same indifference. How the angels must look on and wonder!

There are two questions which you have to answer now. First, What think ye of Christ, whose Son is He? Can you say, "He is the Son of G.o.d"? Think of the Glory of His Person: it is "the glory of the only begotten of the Father." Think of His Divine Mission: sent by G.o.d to be the Saviour now and the Judge by and by. Think of Him as G.o.d's great Gift to a perishing world. Have you received Him?

The other question which you have to answer is, "What shall I do with Jesus?" Remember G.o.d hath given to us Eternal Life and this life is in His Son. "He who has the Son has life, and he who has not the Son of G.o.d has not life." [Footnote: I John v. 12.] Jesus is pleading with you, saying, "Ye will not come," that means, you are unwilling to come to Me "that you may have Life." [Footnote: St. John v. 40.] By and by you will have to face another question, "What will He do with me?"

"The Son of G.o.d is come." It is G.o.d Himself who presents Him to us: "Behold the Lamb of G.o.d who taketh away the sin of the world." [Footnote: St. John i. 29.] He is the One whom G.o.d Himself has provided and set apart: and "now He has appeared once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." [Footnote: Heb. ix. 26.] There on Calvary's Cross before the eyes of crowds of people "who came together to see that sight," He is set forth as the spotless Son of G.o.d who was made an offering for sin. He it is "whom G.o.d now sets forth to us as a propitiation." [Footnote: Rom. iii. 25.] He it is, and no other, whom G.o.d sets forth as a Mercy seat, the Blood-sprinkled Mercy Seat. G.o.d's eye rests on Christ and His finished work, and because it is a full, perfect and sufficient satisfaction for all our sins, "G.o.d sets Him forth in order to demonstrate His righteousness that He may be shown to be righteous Himself and the giver of righteousness to those who believe in Jesus." Oh, what a comfort it is to me to know that He is always there standing before G.o.d as the Righteous One, and therefore when G.o.d looks at me in all my unworthiness He does not see me, He only sees His dear Son.

When that G.o.dly physician Sir James Simpson was dying, the minister who was by his bedside asked if he had any doubts. He looked up and said, "I have no doubts; when I stand before G.o.d I shall just _hold up Christ to G.o.d."_

This is why Jesus is come, and this is why Jesus died, that the believing soul may hold Him up to G.o.d as "the One who has been made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption," [Footnote: I Cor. i. 30.]

and it is all G.o.d's doing, from first to last. I love to say to myself,--

"I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all, But Jesus Christ is my all in all."

Our salvation depends on believing G.o.d's Word, that He has accepted our Surety. When G.o.d raised Him from the dead, it was a proof that all the claims of His holiness and justice had been fully met and satisfied.

The debt is paid because Jesus paid it all. He gave Himself as a ransom--the redemption price for all.

So now G.o.d sets Him forth in all His untold preciousness and proclaims the glorious message, "_Deliver him_, that poor helpless sinner, from going down into the pit. I have found a ransom." [Footnote: Job x.x.xiii. 24.]

What was the price to be paid? "The Son of man is come to give His life a ransom for many." "We are redeemed, not with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ." Who can tell how precious? "More precious far than gold." Think what it _cost_ the Father: He gave His only Son. "Having yet one son, His well-beloved, He said, I will send Him."

Think what it cost the Son of G.o.d. Think of His agony in the garden, and then the hiding of His Father's face, and last of all the pouring out His soul unto death on the cross. Our redemption is doubly precious, not only because of the price paid, but because of the Divine and Holy One who paid it, the Lord of glory, even the Son of G.o.d Himself, "Which things even the _angels_ desire to look into." [Footnote: 1 Pet. i. 12.] They long to see into the depths of this wondrous redeeming love.

Can you sing this chorus from your heart--

"Precious, precious, Precious is my Lord to me; Precious, precious, Everything in Him I see."

Think of what we have been rescued from! Christ has redeemed us from sin, and death and h.e.l.l.

Think of the cost of this great salvation, and then ask yourself, how much is it worth to me? We shall only be able to answer that question when we are safe home in the glory. Then we shall be looking back on death, looking back on the Judgment of the great White Throne, as never having come into it: looking back on the old world which has pa.s.sed away.

"When this pa.s.sing world is done, When has sunk yon glorious sun, When I go to Christ in glory, Looking o'er life's finished story; Then, Lord, shall I fully know Not till then--how much I owe."

Think of the last plague which G.o.d sent upon Egypt. It was not till the midnight cry, that exceeding great and bitter cry had resounded through the land of Egypt showing that the destroying angel had entered the houses of the Egyptians, leaving death and desolation there; it was not till _the judgment had actually come_ that the Israelites realised the delivering power of the blood which they had sprinkled on their doorposts. Think of their wonder and of their thankfulness. They had believed and obeyed before, but _now_ their hearts are filled with grat.i.tude and praise. If you have really cast yourself and all your sins on Christ, then you too will join in the new song, saying, "Thou art worthy, for Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to G.o.d by Thy Blood." [Footnote: Rev. v. 9.]

To _receive_ Christ now into our hearts by faith is to be born of G.o.d: [Footnote: St. John. i. 12, 13.] spiritual life is imparted to the believer.

To _feed_ upon Christ day by day is to live by Him: [Footnote: St. John vi. 57.] this is the evidence of life in the believer.

To see Christ by and by and to be like Him, is life perfected in glory.

[Footnote: 1 John iii. 2.]

Dear fellow sinners, let me entreat you most earnestly in the light of an Eternity that is coming, and as you value your precious, never-dying souls, do not trifle with G.o.d's unspeakable Gift. "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" [Footnote: Heb. ii. 3.] No one either in heaven or upon earth can answer that question. If the lost in h.e.l.l could speak to us they would tell us that there is _no_ escape.

THE SON OF G.o.d IS COME,

and oh! the wonder of it all, "He came to where I was."

The words of this beautiful hymn describe it--

"I looked and there was none to help, 'No man' could meet my case: A weary, world-worn heart was mine, Without a resting place.

Then One drew near, the Christ of G.o.d, With pitying eyes He scanned, Jesus came to me where I was, And took me by the hand.

"He led me first to Calvary's mount, And, oh! what sight it gave!

The agony, the life out-poured, It cost Him there to save.

My heart fell broken at His feet, Who could such love withstand?

The love that came to where I was, And took me by the hand.

"He lifted me upon a rock, Round me His light He shed; He poured His peace into my heart, He healed, He held, He fed.

Ah! then I knew that holy One, The whole could understand.

The One who came to where I was, And took me by the hand.

"And since that day, through all the days, His love my way has planned: He comes to bless me where I am, He takes me by the hand.

This glorious One is all to me, He shall my life command, The Christ who came to where I was, And took me by the hand."

ADDRESS IV

THE SPIRIT OF G.o.d

PORTION OF SCRIPTURE--St. John iv. 1-26

G.o.d is a Spirit. Look at this poor woman standing at the well and let us try and realise what a wonderful revelation it was which Christ made known to her soul about G.o.d. He told her that G.o.d is Father, that G.o.d is Saviour, and that G.o.d is Spirit; three Persons but one G.o.d.

The Lord opened her heart and she grasped this wondrous truth.

Christ said to her, "G.o.d the Father is seeking you, He is longing for you to come to Him." Then He let her feel and see that He is the Saviour.

Was it not wonderful that she was the first to tell the good news that He is "the Saviour of the world"? [Footnote: St. John iv. 42.]

Christ said to her, "G.o.d is a Spirit," and she found that no one else but G.o.d could touch her heart.

Until the Spirit of G.o.d comes into our hearts, we cannot really know G.o.d personally or have communion with Him. "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of G.o.d; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of G.o.d." [Footnote: 1 Cor. ii. 12.]