(Sunday School Chronicle.)

(A. T. Pierson, D. D.)

(J. Parker, D. D.)

1. He must fill the imagination — "Wonderful." Imagination cannot be safely left out of any religion; it is that wondrous faculty that flies to great heights, and is not afraid of infinite breadths; the faculty, so to say, that lies at the back of all other faculties, sums them up, and then adds an element of its own, using the consolidated mind for the highest purposes of vision and understanding. Is this name given for the first time? Where do we find the word "Wonderful" in the Scriptures? We may not, perhaps, find it in the English tongue, but it is really to be found in Judges 13:18: The angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, "Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing, it is secret?" — the same Hebrew word that is rendered in the text "Wonderful"; so we might read, "The angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after My name, seeing it is Wonderful?"

2. He must satisfy the judgment. His name, therefore, is not only Wonderful, but "Counsellor," the fountain of wisdom and understanding, the mind that rules over all things with perfectness of mastery, that attests everything by the eternal meridian, and that looks for righteousness.

3. He must also satisfy the religious instinct, so He is called "The Mighty God." It is not enough to describe God without epithetic terms. Sometimes we say, Why utter such words as, Thou infinite, eternal, ever-blessed God? Because we are so constituted in this infantile state of being that we need a ladder of adjectives to get up to our little conception of that which is inconceivable.

4. Not only so, there must be in this man a sense of brotherhood, so He is called "The-Prince-of-Peace." He will bring man to man, nation to nation; He will arbitrate amongst the empires of the earth and rule by the Sabbatic spirit. Christianity is peace.

5. He is to be more still. He is to be "The Everlasting Father," otherwise translated, The Father of Eternity; otherwise, and better translated, The Father of the age to come. Therein we have misinterpreted Christianity. We have been too anxious to understand the past. The pulpit has had a backward aspect — most careful about what happened in the second century, dying to know what thought and what did. Christ is the Father of the age to come. If He lived now He would handle the question of poverty; He would discuss the great uses of Parliament; He would address Himself to every church, chapel, and sanctuary in the kingdom; He would come into our various sanctuaries and turn us out to a man. Christianity is the prophetic religion. It deals with the science that is to be, with the politics yet to be developed, with the commerce that is yet to be the bread-producing action of civilised life.

(J. Parker, D. D.)

II. LET US SHOW ITS ACCOMPLISHMENT. Who is a king? What is a throne? Why have we masters! Why is sovereign power lodged in a few hands? And what determines mankind to lay aside their independence, and to lose their beloved liberty? The whole implies some mortifying truths. We have not knowledge sufficient to guide ourselves, and we need minds wiser than our own to inspect and to direct our conduct. We are indigent, and superior beings must supply our wants. We have enemies, and we must have guardians to protect us. Miserable men! how have you been deceived in your expectations? what disorders could anarchy have produced greater than those which have sometimes proceeded from sovereign authority? You sought guides to direct you: but you have sometimes fallen under the tuition of men who, far from being able to conduct a whole people, knew not how to guide themselves. You sought nursing fathers, to succour you in your indigence: but you have fallen sometimes into the hands of men, who had no other designs than to impoverish their people, to enrich themselves with the substance, and to fatten themselves with the blood of their subjects. You sought guardians to protect you from your enemies: but you have sometimes found executioners, who have used you with greater barbarity than your most bloody enemies would have done. Show me a king who will conduct me to the felicity to which I aspire; such a king! long to obey. Such a king is the King Messiah. You want knowledge: He is the Counsellor. You want reconciliation with God: He is the Prince of Peace. You need support under the calamities of this life: He is the Mighty God. You have need of one to comfort you under the fears of death, by opening the gates of eternal felicity to you: He is the Father of Eternity.

(J. Saurin.)

II. FOR WHOM HE WAS BORN.

III. THE PREROGATIVE, WHICH IS PREDICTED IN OUR TEXT RESPECTING THIS CHILD, namely, that the government shall be upon His shoulder.

1. In the Revelation the Church is figuratively represented under the similitude of a woman, and this woman is represented as bringing forth a man-child, who should rule all nations with a rod of from The same may be said of the Child whose birth is foretold in our text. All power is committed to Him in heaven and on earth; and God's language respecting Him is, I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion. This kingdom, which is usually styled Christ's mediatorial kingdom, includes all beings in heaven and hell, who will all, either willingly or by constraint, finally submit to Christ; for God has sworn by Himself that to Christ every knee shall bow, of things in heaven and things in the earth and things under the earth; and that every tongue shall confess Him Lord. He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. Agreeably, our text informs us, that of the increase of His government there will be no end. He will go on conquering and to conquer.

2. But in addition to this mediatorial kingdom of Christ, which is set up in the world, He has another kingdom, the kingdom of His grace, which is set up in the hearts of His people. This kingdom consists in righteousness and peace and holy joy, and of the increase of this kingdom also and of the peace which accompanies it, there shall be no end. This kingdom is compared to leaven hid in meal till the whole be leavened. Even in heaven there shall be no end to the increase of His people's happiness. Thus of the increase of His government and peace, there shall be no end.

(E. Payson, D. D.)

I. WHAT IS PRESUPPOSED IN THIS PRESENTING OF CHRIST AS A BORN CHILD.

1. His birth was expected and looked for.

2. Christ is now born. He was really born; a little Child, though the Mighty God; an Infant, not one day old, though the Everlasting Father.

3. Some have been employed to present this Child to the friends and relations; and they are still about the work.

(1)The Holy Spirit.

(2)Ministers.

4. This Child is actually presented to us on His birth.

II. TO WHOM IS CHRIST PRESENTED?

1. Not to the fallen angels.

2. To mankind sinners, those of the house of His father Adam.

(1)Embrace Him, with old Simeon, in the arms of faith.

(2)Kiss the Son, receiving Him as your Lord and King and God.

III. HOW IS CHRIST PRESENTED?

1. In the preaching of the Gospel.

2. In the administration of the sacraments.

3. In the internal work of saving illumination.

IV. WHAT IS THE IMPORT OF HIS BEING PRESENTED TO US?

1. Our special concern in His birth — as the birth of a Saviour to us.

2. Our relation to Him. Sinners of mankind have a common relation to Christ.

(1)In respect of the nature He assumed. "We are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones" (Ephesians 5:30).

(2)In respect of His office — the Saviour of the world.

3. An owning of our relation to Him. "He is not ashamed to call them brethren" (Hebrews 2:11).

4. The comfortableness of His birth to us. Children are presented on their birth to their relations, for their comfort; and so is Christ to sinners of mankind.

V. WHEREFORE IS CHRIST PRESENTED TO US ON HIS BIRTH?

1. That we may see the faithfulness of God in the fulfilling of His promise.

2. That we may rejoice in Him.

3. That we may look on Him, see His glory, and be taken with Him (John 1:14).

4. That we may acknowledge Him in the character in which He appears as the Saviour of the world and our Saviour.

(T. Boston.)

1. He is the Wonderful. The proper idea conveyed by this appellation is something miraculous, and it means that the great Personage to whom it is here applied, in His nature and works, would be distinguished by supernatural qualities and deeds, would be raised above the ordinary course and laws of nature, and would stand out before angels and men as a unique and splendid miracle. In this sense, it applies with great force and accuracy to the Redeemer, and to Him alone.

2. He is the Counsellor.(1) This appellation points to Christ, not as a Counsellor among others, but as Counsellor, Counsellor in the abstract, the great Counsellor of the vast universe, one of the glorious persons in the Godhead, who was concerned in all the acts and counsels of past eternity. Hence the Septuagint translates it, "the Angel of the mighty counsel"; and the Chaldee, "the God of the wonderful counsel."(2) As "the Counsellor," He directs and instructs His people in all their temporal, spiritual, and eternal concerns; if He did not do so, they would soon be involved in disorder and ruin.(3) And He is "the Counsellor," inasmuch as He is the Advocate of His people, and has carried their cause into the high court of heaven

3. He is "the Mighty God"; an appellation impressively sublime, which no serious mind can approach without feeling the most profound reverence and awe. It naturally and obviously denotes a person possessing a Divine nature.

4. He is "the Everlasting Father," or, "the Father of Eternity." The emphasis of this appellation is not on the word "father," but on the word "eternity." It was customary among those who spoke and wrote the Hebrew language, to call a person who possessed a thing, the "father" of it: hence, a strong man was called "the father of strength"; a wise man, "the father of wisdom'"; a wealthy man, "the father of riches"; and so on. Now, the phrase, "the Father of Eternity," seems to be here applied to Christ in a similar way — He possessed eternity, and, therefore, He is called the Father of it. It is a Hebraism of great poetic strength and beauty, employed to express duration — the duration of His being — the essential eternity of His existence past and future — and, perhaps, there could not be a more emphatic declaration of His right to this wonderful attribute of the Deity, strict, proper, and independent eternity of being.

5. He is the "Prince of Peace." This appellation seems intended to teach us, that the Messiah would be invested with the prerogatives and honours of royalty, and that His kingdom, in its essential laws and principles, would differ from all the kingdoms of men, past, ,present, and future. While other kings were despots and warriors, He would be peaceable Prince. While other kingdoms were acquired by physical violence and force, and were cemented with human tears and blood, His would consist in righteousness, peace, and joy, and would win its way among men by the inherent power of its own excellence, would gradually terminate war and conflict, and restore love and order to the whole earth. But His reign was to achieve higher ends still, for it was to establish peace between man and his own conscience, between man and all good beings, between man and all the physical and moral laws of the universe, and between man and his insulted and offended Maker. Hence, prophecy foretold that, in His days there should be abundance of peace; that, in His reign, justice and mercy should meet together, righteousness and peace Should embrace each other; that the chastisement of our peace should be on Him; that He should be the peace; and that, of the increase of His peace there should be no end.

II. PRACTICAL LESSONS.

1. Hold fast the divinity of Christ.

2. How great is the sin and how fearful is the condition of those who reject the Saviour. He is "the Wonderful" — the admired of God, of angels, and of saints; and yet He has no attractions for you. He is "the Counsellor"; and yet you never "wait for His counsel," but follow your own vain imaginations. He is "the Mighty God"; and yet you trample on His authority, defy His power, and risk His awful displeasure. He is "the Father of Eternity"; and yet you seek no place in His heavenly family, and are in imminent danger of being forever banished from His presence, and the glory of His power. He is "the Prince of Peace"; and yet you voluntarily live in a state of hostility to Him and His kingdom, and refuse to be reconciled by the blood of His Cross.

3. How secure and happy is the state of believers.

(W. Gregory.)

1. With regard to the infancy of His state, the apostle says, it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren.

2. With regard to the reality of His human nature, the Scripture assures us, that it was of the same kind with ours, consisting of a human body and a human soul.

II. The next description of our Redeemer is in these words — UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN. is spoken of His Divine nature. He is often called in Scripture the Son of God, His own Son, His only-begotten and well-beloved Son, and as such is said to be given to us. A son always means one, not of an inferior, but of the same nature as his father.

III. It is added, THE GOVERNMENT SHALL BE UPON HIS SHOULDER. Taken in its most extensive sense, the government of our Lord extends over all The whole universe is under His dominion. But what we are chiefly to understand here is the kingdom of grace, the administration of mercy, the government of which in a peculiar manner is intrusted to Him. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven were phrases familiar to the Jews, by which they always understood the Messiah's kingdom. The immediate design of erecting this kingdom on earth is the salvation of believers, of the guilty race of men. All parts of the universe are concerned in this glorious design. The angels of heaven rejoice in it, and are ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation. The powers of darkness unite their force to disappoint the hopes of the heirs of this kingdom, but in vain; the King of Zion has bound them in chains of darkness, and will turn their malicious designs to their greater condemnation. All men do not indeed submit to the laws of this government, but all are nevertheless the lawful subjects of it. But the Redeemer has also many voluntary subjects. The right of Jesus to His mediatorial kingdom is founded upon promise, conquest, and purchase, even the price of His own precious blood; and we have the utmost assurances in His Word, which cannot fail, that He will one day take to Himself His great power and reign in a more illustrious and extensive manner than He has yet done.

IV. The next thing asserted of the Redeemer is, HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL. And the Redeemer is indeed Wonderful.

1. In the constitution of His person, as Immanuel, God in our nature.

2. The preparations for His birth, and the manner and circumstances of it, were also wonderful.

3. Jesus was also wonderful in His life.

4. And in His death.

5. And in His rising from the grave, and in His ascension to heaven.

V. The next title which the Redeemer has, is that of COUNSELLOR. He is fully instructed in the counsels of God the Father, for He lay in His bosom from eternity; and as the execution of the plans of the Divine administration is committed to Him, He cannot but be well acquainted with them. Besides, our Lord, by His office and appointment, is the great Counsellor or Prophet of the Church.

VI. He is also THE MIGHTY God. The same expression is used in chap. 10:21 concerning Jehovah, the God of Israel. All the perfections of the Mighty God are ascribed to the Redeemer in Scripture. And worship, which only belongs to the Mighty God, is given to Christ.

VII. The next thing asserted of our Redeemer is, that He is THE EVERLASTING FATHER. The LXX renders these words, the Father of the world to come, or final dispensation of mercy and grace, as the Gospel is often called. And Christ may be called so —

1. As He has chosen His people, in His eternal purpose, that they might be sharers in His bliss and glory.

2. Christ is the Father of all true believers, in a spiritual sense. They are all His spiritual seed. The great outlines of His features are drawn upon them, and when they arrive at heaven, they shall attain to the likeness of Jesus in an eminent degree.

VIII. The last thing asserted of the Redeemer is, that He is THE PRINCE OF PEACE. Melchisedec was an eminent type of the Son of God, in this respect. He was King of Salem, which is by interpretation, King of Peace. And peace is the disposition for which the Saviour was renowned; the blessing which He died to purchase, and lives to bestow. Conclusion:

1. What an honour did the great and mighty God, our Saviour, put upon our nature by taking it into a personal union with His own Divine nature!

2. We may see from hence, how well the Redeemer was qualified for His office. What arm so powerful to save as that of the Mighty God?

3. What a fund of consolation does this passage of Scripture exhibit!

4. This subject speaks terror to the wicked.

5. We ought to entertain adoring and admiring thoughts of the Son of God, the Saviour of the world.

(J. Ross, D. D.)

II. We have now to inquire WHY CHRIST BECAME INCARNATE. To say that Christ died to save sinners is true enough, but it is not the whole truth. The question we have to answer is this: Why Christ became a man? He came to nave, but why not in another form?

1. To take away the consequences of the fall, to raise man to a higher estate even than he originally possessed, to save him from eternal ruin, and vindicate the love and wisdom which made man originally righteous, but not immaculate or impeccable, it was necessary for the Son of God to become the Son of Man, and to acknowledge a human parent; to "bear our griefs and carry our sorrows" (Hebrews 2:9-18). For only as a man could He undo the evil which man had brought upon himself; only as one of those He came to save, could Christ perform what man had left undone.

2. Moreover, Christ came to fulfil God's law, and that for us, though not to supersede our obedience. That law was designed for man, and alone in the form of man could Christ obey it. And having fulfilled His own broken law on their behalf to whom He had given it, He is enabled to help them to observe and do it. By His perfect obedience He has become our Pattern, and has procured and purchased for us the strength to enable us to walk in the steps of His most holy life.

3. In the next place, by assuming our nature, Christ is enabled to sympathise with us.

4. Again, it was necessary for Christ to become man in order to reveal His Father to us. Men, untaught by the Spirit of God, are apt to think that God is altogether such as themselves. Such we find was the case with the heathen philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome; if they taught otherwise, they taught in vain.

5. Christ also became man to make us love God, for to know Him is to love Him.

6. Christ became man to unite man to God.

(G. E. Watkins.)

1. Still the main object of the first clause of the verse is, undoubtedly, to show forth that human nature in which He was to be manifested in order that He might do the work of salvation for His people. To be born is as truly the evidence and characteristic of humanity as to die. Not less in the simple but impressive fact of His birth of a human mother, than in the fact of His dying a human death, do we recognise the proof of our oneness with the Son of God in the same nature.

2. And why was it necessary for the hope and consolation of those whom He came to redeem, that they should be taught by the prophet that the Redeemer must be one with them in their very nature; and that the Eternal Son of God should be born of a woman?(1) It was necessary that the Son of God should be made man, because otherwise He could not have stood in man's place and dealt with God on man's behalf, nor suffered and died, as it was needful to suffer and die, in order to offer a true atonement for human guilt.(2) It was necessary that the Son of God should become man in order that He might be qualified to enter into our human feelings and fears, and to furnish us with a pledge of His sympathy in all our infirmities and temptations.

II. We find the prophet in the second clause making reference to THE DIVINE NATURE OF CHRIST. "Unto us a Son is given." And this view of the Person of Christ, as the Son of God as well as the Son of man, is not less necessary than the truth of His proper humanity to furnish a ground of hope and consolation to the Church of God in coming to Hun as a suitable and all-sufficient Redeemer.

III. But passing from the description of Christ's Person, the prophet next proceeds to give an account of the OFFICE WHICH BELONGS TO HIM, and which He executes as the Saviour. "The government shall be upon His shoulder." Borrowing its language from ancient customs, it is quite plain that the statement of the prophet contains in substance a declaration that the predicted Deliverer, whose advent was to shed light and blessedness on those who sat in darkness and the shadow of death, was to exercise a supreme and unlimited authority, and to employ this authority for accomplishing the great purpose for which He was born as a Child and given as a Son.

1. In the case of believers — i.e., of those who are already subjects of Christ's kingdom — it is a blessed privilege for them to be assured that He reigns, alone and supreme, in the world and the Church.

2. On the other hand, in the case of mere nominal professors, such a truth, if in any degree realised, is fitted to fill them with anxiety and dispeace.

(J. Bannerman, D. D.)

(J. Bannerman, D. D.)

II. THE DEPTH OF HIS LOVE. He is born unto us a Child — given unto us a Son.

III. THE SUCCESS OF HIS UNDERTAKING. He is become the Father of the everlasting age — the Prince of Peace.

IV. HIS TITLE TO OUR OBEDIENCE. The government is on His shoulder.

(G. Innes.)

1. The Person announced.

2. The terms of the announcement. Not for angel, nor for archangel, was the mighty scheme devised; it is for the human race — for man though rebel of his God; for man ruined and desolated by sin.

3. The confidence with which this announcement is made, as immediately taking place. "To us a Child is born; to us a Son is given." Faith pierces the vista of time, and beholds events, anticipated hundreds of years before, the birth of that glorious Redeemer who was slain from the foundation of the world; which had been promised by the word and oath of Jehovah Himself; and who, therefore, in the fulness of time should assuredly be granted.

II. THE OFFICE AND THE TITLES WHICH THE SAVIOUR SHOULD ASSUME.

(D. Wilson, M. A.)

II. HIS EMPIRE.

III. HIS NAMES.

(W. Jay.)

(Canon H. Scott-Holland.)

I. IS IT SO?

1. If this Child is born to you, then you are born again. "But," saith one, "how am I to know whether I am born again or not?"

(1)Has there been a change effected by Divine grace within you?

(2)Has there been a change in you in the exterior?

(3)The very root and principle of thy life must become totally new.

2. If this Child is born to you, you are a child; and the question arises, are you so? Man grows from childhood up to manhood naturally; in grace men grow from manhood down to childhood, and the nearer we come to true childhood, the nearer we come to the image of Christ.

3. If this Son is given to you, you are a son yourself.

4. If unto us a Son is given, then we are given to the Son. Are you given up to Christ?

II. IF IT IS SO, WHAT THEN? If it is so, why am I doubtful today? Why are we sad! Why are our hearts so cold?

III. IF IT IS NOT SO, WHAT THEN?

1. Confess thy sins.

2. Renounce thyself.

3. Go to the place where Jesus died in agony.

( C. H. Spurgeon.)

II. The incarnation of Jesus is also A STUPENDOUS DISCOVERY OF WHAT MAN IS IN HIS HEAVENLY IDEAL AND HIS MORAL DESTINY.

(A. Maclennan, M. A.)

(A. Maclennan, M. A.)

II. THE MANNER OF ITS CONVEYANCE. "Born, given."

III. OUR INTEREST IN IT. "Unto us," in our behalf all this, and to our benefit and advantage.

(A. Littleton, D. D.)

(J. B. Brown, B. A.)

(A. Littleton, D. D.)

(Bishop Beveridge.)

(Novalis.)

(J. B. Brown, B. A.)

(J. B. Brown, B. A.)

(J. B. Brown, B. A.)

(J. B. Brown, B. A.)

(W. H. Murray.)

(W. H. Murray.)

(W. H. Murray.)

(W. H. Murray.)

(W. Jay.)

II. GOD CAN COME TO US IN THE SMALLEST THINGS. We generally look for God in the great, vast, mighty, terrible. We expect something to strike the eye, etc. Will you remember that God came to us in that quiet, loving, unpretending babe, that lay in that, manager and nestled in His mother's bosom? And so God comes to us in the little, simple, humble, noiseless, common things of life, if we only look for Him. Especially He comes to us in our children. They bring love with them, and "love is of God," etc. We might in a far higher sense than we think for call every child "Immanuel." In our child God comes to us, God is with us. Do we believe this? If so, should we not oftener look for and educate the God in them? We should do far better with them if from the beginning we sought to bring out, nourish, educate, develop the good, the God that is in them, instead of making it our chief concern to correct the wrong, to restrain the evil.

III. THE WHOLE OF LIFE IS SACRED AND SHOULD BE CONSECRATED TO GOD. God came to us in that Child. The whole of life is sacred, open for the operations, possession, enjoyment of God. God was in that Child notwithstanding all its infantile wants, weaknesses, complaints. And so God was in that boy, notwithstanding all His playfulness and vivacity. Indeed, that was the boyish, outward manifestation of God; the boyish way of declaring God's glory If God was in that Child, "God manifest in the flesh," His whole life, from His birth to His death, was God life.

IV. GREAT ENDINGS HAVE LITTLE BEGINNINGS. Who shall measure the magnitude, height, depth, length, breadth of the work which Christ accomplished as Saviour of the world? Yet it has all to be traced back to the birth of that Child. God's method is evolution from the small to the great.

(B. Preece.)

(W. Birch.)

1. What this gift is.

(1)A Person. Persons are more excellent than things. A soul is more precious than a world. So this gift is more precious than the whole world.

(2)A Divine Person.

(3)The Lord Jesus Christ.

2. Wherein this gift appears and comes to us. Those who send precious gifts to others, wrap them up in something that is less precious. And a treasure sent in earthen vessels is the method of conveyance of the best gifts from heaven to earth. The Son of God, being the gift, was sent veiled and wrapped up in our nature. This veil laid over the gift sent to poor sinners was(1) less precious than the gift itself. The human nature of Christ was a crested thing, His Divine nature uncreated.(2) However, it was a cleanly thing. The human nature of Christ, though infinitely below the dignity of His Divine nature, yet was a holy thing (Luke 1:35). This gift appeared and was sent to us in the veil of the human nature —(a) that it might be capable of the treatment it behoved to undergo for our relief — to suffer and die;(b) that it might be suited to the weakness of the capacity of the receivers. The Son of God in His unveiled glory would have no more been an object for our eyes to have looked on, than the shining sun to the eyes of an owl. A few rays of His glory, breaking out from under me veil, made His enemies fall to the ground.

3. What a gift this is. Singular for(1) the worth of it. If it were laid in the balance with ten thousand worlds, they would be lighter than vanity in comparison of it; nay, balanced with the gift of created graces, and the created heavens, it would down weigh them; as the bridegroom's person is more worth than his jewels and palace.(2) The suitableness of it (Acts 4:12; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 5:12).(3) The seasonableness of it.(4) The comprehensiveness of it (Romans 8:32; Colossians 2:9, 10; 1 John 5:11).(5) The unrestricted freeness of it. What is freer than a gift? The joint stock of the whole world could not have purchased this gift.(a) Beware of slighting this gift.(b) Take heed ye miss not to perceive this gift. Most men see no further into the mystery of Christ than the outward appearance it makes in the world, as administered in the Word, sacraments, etc.; and they despise it.(c) Admire the wisdom of God, and His infinite condescension, in the manner of the conveyance of this gift.(d) See here how you may be enriched for time and eternity.

II. THE GIVER.

1. Who is the Giver? God. And to exalt the Giver's free love and grace herein, observe from the Word three things there marked about it.(1) It was His own Son that He gave.(2) It was His beloved Son.(3) It was His only-begotten Son.

2. What has He given sinners, gifting His Son to them? The tongues of men and angels cannot fully express this.(1) He has given them Himself.(2) Eternal life. Here is legal life, moral life, a life of comfort; and all eternal.(3) All things (Romans 8:32; 1 Corinthians 3:21; Romans 8:17; Revelation 21:7).

III. THE PARTY TO WHOM HE IS GIVEN.

1. To whom He is given. To mankind sinners indefinitely.

2. In what respects Christ is given to them.(1) In respect of allowance to take Him.(2) In respect of legal destination (1 John 4:14). If ye had an act of parliament appointing a thing for you, ye would not question its being given you; here ye have more.(3) In respect of real offer.(4) In respect of the freeness of the offer.(5) In respect of exhibition. This gift is held forth as with the hand, God saying, He, sinners, here is My Son, take Him. And God doth not stay the exhibiting of His Son to sinners till they say they will take Him.

3. In what character Christ is given to sinners, A Saviour; a surety; a physician; a light; an atoning sacrifice; a crowned King, mighty to destroy the kingdom of Satan and to rescue mankind sinners, his captives and prisoners.

IV. APPLICATION.

1. Believe that to us poor sinners the Son of God in man's nature is given.

2. Receive the gift of Christ, at His Father's hand.(1) Consider ye have an absolute need of this gift.(2) Them are some who have as much need as you, to whom yet He is not given, namely, the fallen angels.(3) Ye must either receive or refuse.(4) Consider the worth of the gift(5) Consider the Hand it comes from.(6) Consider that others before you have received it, and have been made up by it forever.(7) Consider that this gift will not always be for the taking as it is now.(8) Your not receiving will be very heinously taken, as a deepest slight put upon both the Giver and the gift(9) It will set you at greater distance from God than ever.

(T. Boston.)

II. BY WHOM WAS THIS SON GIVEN? By His Father. Man has his remedies, but they are always behindhand. The disease antedates the cure. But before the occasion came God was ready. Redemption was planned in the councils of eternity, and Satan's defeat secured before his first victory was won. The Son gave Himself, but the Father gave Him; and there is no greater mistake than to regard God as looking on at redemption as a mere spectator, to approve the sacrifice and applaud the actor. God's love was the root, Christ's death the fruit.

III. TO WHOM WAS HE GIVEN? He was given "to us."

( T. Guthrie, D. D.)

(Faithful Witness.)

(Sunday Magazine.)

(F. B. Meyer, B. A.)

1. Jesus Christ is the only person who, principally and above all others, has power with God for us. "There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus."

2. He is the only person by whom we can hope to obtain an entrance into heaven.

3. He has power in heaven to exclude, as well as to admit, whom He will.

4. He has power in heaven to provide mansions for His friends.

5. He has power in heaven over all the angels; He is their Lord, whom they worship and obey; He is exalted above all principalities and powers: the angels are His ministering spirits, whom He sends forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:6-14).

II. JESUS CHRIST HAS THE GOVERNMENT OF EARTH (Matthew 28:18).

1. He has power on earth to form and establish a Church to the glory and praise of God.

2. He has power on earth to keep His Church, through faith, unto final and full salvation.

3. He has power on earth over the wicked.

III. JESUS CHRIST HAS THE GOVERNMENT OF HELL. Satan, therefore, and the whole host of evil spirits, are under His command; and therefore their malice, their subtilty, and power, shall never prevail to the ruin of the weakest of His flock. Conclusion —

1. And first, we infer — What a glorious person is Jesus Christ! In defiance of all His enemies, He it is of whom the Father declares, "Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion" (Psalm 2:6).

2. How dignified, and secure, and happy, must they be who have Jesus Christ as their Governor, to whom they willingly yield themselves in all humble and affectionate submission and obedience.

3. The tremendous case of those who are strangers to Jesus Christ, and without God in the world.

(E. Phillips.)

1. The burden and weight of taking the management of their affairs.

2. Jesus Christ the person on whom this burden was laid. This is part of the glad tidings of the Gospel.

(T. Boston.)

1. Their first prince was gone, to manage their affairs no more. Adam their natural head mismanaged the government quite.

2. They were left in confusion, in the hand of the enemy Satan.

3. Their affairs were desperate. When the whole earth could not afford one, heaven gave sinners a Prince, of shoulders sufficient for the burden.

II. THE IMPORT OF THIS PRINCIPALITY AND GOVERNMENT LAID ON JESUS CHRIST FOR THE BENEFIT OF MANKIND-SINNERS. It speaks —

1. His near relation to them.

2. His eminency among them.

3. His honourable office over them.

4. His sovereign power and authority over them.

5. The burden of the care and duty belonging to the office and station.

III. THE HONOUR, POWER, AND AUTHORITY BELONGING TO THIS PRINCIPALITY AND GOVERNMENT OF JESUS CHRIST.

1. The legislative power belongs to Him solely.

2. The supreme executive power is lodged with Him (John 5:22, 23).

3. The power of granting remissions, receiving into peace with Heaven, pardoning and indemnifying criminals and rebels (Acts 5:31).

4. A large and vast dominion, reaching to earth, heaven, and hell, and the passage between the two worlds, namely, death (Matthew 28:18; Revelation 1:18). In His hand is —

(1)The kingdom of grace. "And gave Him to be Head over all things to the Church."

(2)The kingdom of glory (Luke 22:29, 30).

(3)The kingdom of providence. "And hath put all things under His feet."

IV. THE BURDEN OF THIS PRINCIPALITY AND GOVERNMENT LAID ON CHRIST JESUS. It is seven fold.

1. The burden of the purchase of it.

2. The burden of a war with the devil for the recovering of it.

3. The burden of subduing sinners.

4. The burden of their reconciliation with Heave.

5. The burden of their defence and protection.

6. The burden of their provision in all things necessary for life and godliness.

7. The burden of the whole management and conduct of them through the wilderness, till they come to the heavenly Canaan.

V. IMPROVE THE DOCTRINE.

1. Information.

(1)Jesus Christ is the alone Head of His Church and supreme Governor thereof.

(2)The interests of the Church and of every particular believer will certainly be seen to.

(3)Believers have all reason to be quietly resigned to the Divine disposal and to live in confidence of a blessed issue, whatever be the difficulties they have to grapple with, either in respect of the case of the Church or of their own private ease.

2. Exhortation.(1) Receive Him as your Prince and Governor.

(a)Let His Spirit be your Guide and Leader.

(b)Let His Word be your rule.

(c)Let His will be the determining point to you.And receive Him as Governor —

(a)Of your hearts and spirits. Let the proud heart be made to stoop to Him, let the covetous heart be purged by Him, and the vain foolish heart be made to find the weight of His awful authority. While Christ has not the government of thy heart, thou hast not given Him the throne.

(b)Of your tongues.

(c)Of your practice.(2) Receive Him as the Prince and Governor of your lot and condition in the world, resigning the same to His disposal.

(a)Be content with the lot carved out for you.

(b)Never go out of God's way to mend your condition.

(c)In all changes of your lot, acknowledge Him for direction and guidance. Take Him for your only Governor; your absolute Governor; your perpetual Governor. Take Him without delay; take Him heartily and willingly.

3. Motives.(1) Consider what an excellent Prince and Governor He is. Perfectly just in His administration; infinitely wise; most vigilant and careful; most tender of His subjects and of all their interests.(2) While ye are not under His government, ye are under the government of Satan.(3) Jesus Christ is your rightful Prince and Governor.(4) If ye submit not to Him, He will treat you as rebels, who have broken your faith and allegiance to Him, and cast off the yoke of His government.

(T. Boston.)

II. Now the paradox of Jewish faith consisted in this — THAT IT FOCUSSED AT ONCE IN A CRADLE AND A THRONE; a Child and a King. Hence the birth in which that ancient hope found fulfilment was the birth of a King. The question of the wise men was grandly expressive. It centred alike in a Child and a King. "Where is He that is born King?"

1. At the very centre of the Jewish religion was the belief in kingship — a Divine kingdom or a theocracy. This great spiritual fact was symbolised by "the outward visible sign" of human kingship. But all human symbols are imperfect. Their kings died like other men. But their true King did not die. They sought to make the outward symbol of government as complete as possible; hence they adopted hereditary kingship. The human, and. in this case, the Jewish heart is impatient of an interregnum. There is a feeling in man that the throne should at no period be empty. This feeling ever tends toward hereditary rule. The prophet points to a King to the increase of "whose government and peace there shall be no end." It is a kingdom which knows of no interregnum. In contrast to all other kings and royal personages, who soon die and pass away, He ever lives.

2. It is such a king that the Jewish people yearned and looked for. Hence, when the wise men came with the question, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?" it not only moved Herod, but all Jerusalem with him. The Jews looked eagerly for a king who should bear upon his shoulder the burden of perpetual government. This yearning for a king is one of the deepest in the heart of nations.

3. Alas! that when He came men did not recognise Him in the humble garb He wore. They placed a Cross upon the shoulder that was to bear the ensign of rule, and a crown of thorns upon His royal brow. Yet, all was well, for what could be a better ensign of His kingship than the Cross, since His is "the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ," and He is a "Prince and a Saviour."

4. His sacred brow, too, bore the only crown which man could place there and He accept — a crown of thorns, symbol alike of our sin and misery and of His royalty who has overcome us by the might of His compassion, and become our King by the shedding of His blood. What becomes the brow of the Man of Sorrows and King of sorrowing humanity like crown of thorns? Our Lord exclaimed some time before His hour had come, "I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again." He based His Kingly claim upon that two-fold power. It is from His Cross that He sways His sceptre over us.

5. The cradle predicts the Cross. Once God has condescended to touch the manger and the crib, we are prepared to see Him even touch the Cross and bearing it. There is no depth of condescension which He will not fathom, no height of self-sacrifice which He will not reach. The story of Divine love is harmonious throughout. We are not surprised that the great God who submitted himself to the humblest conditions of human birth should also, in the same spirit, endure the Cross, despising the shame.

6. This cradle, too, is prophetic of the Gospel, in which so much that is weak and human is linked to so much that is strong and Divine, namely, man's voice uttering God's message, earthly forms and ordinances conveying heavenly energies, human swaddling clothes enveloping a Divine life.

(D. Davies.)

1. By the Church I understand that remnant of Adam's family who, being determined to break their covenant with hell, and their agreement with death, join themselves to Christ, as their Prophet, Priest, and King, either in reality, or by a visible and credible profession of their faith in Him.

2. The Church or kingdom of Christ, during the Old Testament dispensation, was peculiarly confined to the posterity of Abraham, to the nation of the Jews, excepting a few Gentile proselytes; but now, since the coming of Christ in the flesh and His resurrection from the dead, is extended also to the Gentile nations.

3. All the subjects of Christ's kingdom and government, are originally brought out of the territories of hell, being "children of wrath, even as others."

4. The great engine whereby Christ rears up a kingdom to Himself in the world, is the preaching of the everlasting Gospel, accompanied with the power and efficacy of His Spirit.

5. The Church and kingdom of Christ being founded and governed by Him, "in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid," cannot miss of being one of the best regulated societies in the world as under His management, whatever irregularities may be found in her through the corruptions of men intermingling with the concerns of the kingdom. Everything necessary to render any kingdom or society regular is to be found in the Church or kingdom of Christ.(1) A kingdom well constituted hath its laws and so hath the Church of Christ. And the laws given by her King are all "holy, just, and good"; and all the true subjects of the kingdom delight in the laws of their King, as being the transcript of infinite wisdom and equity.(2) A kingdom hath its offices under its king; and so hath the Church of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13).(3) A kingdom hath its courts, where the subjects attend to receive the will of the king, and the benefits of his administration; and so hath the Church.(4) A kingdom hath its seal. So in the kingdom of Christ, He hath appended two public seals unto the charter of His covenant of grace, namely, baptism and the Lord's Supper.(5) A. kingdom commonly hath its enemies to grapple with, both foreign and intestine; and so hath the kingdom of Christ.(6) A kingdom hath its armies and auxiliaries; and so hath the Church of Christ, being in a confederacy with the Lord of hosts. The armies of heaven are ready to fight her quarrel.(7) A kingdom hath its fortifications and strongholds; and so hath the Church of Christ.

II. I would speak a little of THE GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE KINGDOM.

1. Christ Himself is the great and glorious Governor.

2. All things in heaven, earth, and hell are put under the power of Christ, for the more advantageous government of His Church (Ephesians 1:22, 23; Philippians 2:9-11).

3. Christ the King of Zion is wonderfully fitted by, His Father for the government and administration (Isaiah 11:2-4).

4. Christ's government and administration are very wonderful. The name of the Governor is Wonderful.

5. Christ's government and administration in and about His Church and people are exceeding wise. So much is imported in His being called the "Counsellor."

6. Also irresistible. The Governor is "The Mighty God," who will go through with His designs.

7. He is exceeding tender and compassionate; for His name is "The Everlasting Father" from whom compassions flow.

8. Christ's government and administration of His Church are very peaceable; for His name is "The Prince of Peace," and "of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end."

9. This government is everlasting.

III. Inquire HOW THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH IS COMMITTED TO CHRIST. The government is laid upon Christ's shoulder with a three-fold solemnity.

1. The solemnity of an unalterable decree (Psalm 2:6-8).

2. The solemnity of a covenant transacted betwixt Him and His Eternal Father, when the council of peace was between them both.

3. The solemnity of an oath, ratifying the determination of the council of peace in this matter (Psalm 89:3, 4, 35).

IV. GIVE THE REASONS OF THE DOCTRINE. Why is the government laid upon His shoulder?

1. Because His shoulder alone was able to bear the weight of the administration and government of the Church.

2. That He might be in better capacity for accomplishing the salvation of His people, and bringing many sons and daughters unto glory. Hence we find His kingdom and salvation frequently joined; "Thou art my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth"; and Zechariah 9:9.

3. That He may "still the enemy and the avenger," that He may resent His Father's quarrel against Satan, and entirely bruise his head, for his defacing and striking at His and His Father's image in our first parents, and disturbing His government, which He had established in innocence.

4. Because He hath a just title to it.(1) By birth.(2) By purchase.(3) By His Father's promise and charter, granted to Him upon the footing of His death and satisfaction (Isaiah 53:12).(4) By conquest.

V. APPLICATION.

1. Information.(1) The wonderful love of God which He bears to His Church in providing such a Ruler and Governor for them.(2) What a happy government and administration believers are under, namely, the government of the Child born, the Son given to us, whose, name is Wonderful, etc.(3) The misery of a wicked, unbelieving world who will not have Him to rule over them.(4) The nullity of all acts, laws, and constitutions that do not bear the stamp of Christ, and are not consistent with the laws and orders He has left for the government of His Church.(5) They run a very serious risk who do injury to His servants(6) They have a hard task to manage who attempt to jostle Him out of His government and take it upon, their own shoulders.(7) All odds will be even, and Christ will render tribulation to those that trouble, vex, and harass His poor people in their spiritual rights and privileges.

2. Consolation to the poor people of God; particularly to those who are spoiled of their liberties and privileges as Christians,(1) Your God does not stand as an unconcerned spectator.(2) God hath founded Zion.(3) He who hath the government upon His shoulder rules in the midst of His enemies, and has so much of the act of government that He both can and will bring good out of evil.(4) The most dark dispensations towards the Church and people of God are in the event found to have been pregnant with love and mercy.(5) He on whose shoulders the government is laid hath power to provide you with honest ministers.

(E. Erskine.)

(J. B. Brown, B. A.)

1. Greatness in the physical creation. The earth is very great, as we count greatness. The sun is greater than the earth, and many a star which appears only as a glittering point of diamond, is greater than the sun: yet, Jesus makes the earth bring forth, commands the sun to shine, and moves the stars in silent harmony. Jesus can rule the sea. Its billows rise and fall according to His will; and when they leap along, then, amid the roar of tempest and the cries of men for aid, the gentle voice of Jesus speaks "Peace be still, and winds and waves obey Him, for there is a great calm. The government is upon His shoulder."

2. The greatness of death. Of all the forces of nature, none is feared more than death. Even death is in the hand of Jesus; it never comes without asking His permission, and in every case He could forbid its coming, and no doubt He would forbid it, if that were for the best, for He has the keys of death and of Hades.

3. Greatness in the spirit world. Material forces, however, form but an insignificant part of the forces of creation. There is a world of spirit within, as well as above and beyond the world of matter, and yet, of this nearest world of matter we know but little. The spirit world is under the rule of Jesus; He is its only King; His word its only law; His presence its only bliss. He reveals to the eye of faith the home of heaven. He brings "life and immortality to light."

4. Greatness in moral government. God has promised for us — and thereby has guaranteed — results which can never be effected by any mere force, though that force should be even infinite. The difficulty in the Saviour's government of moral beings lies here, — that He has guaranteed and foretold the final issues of that government; that He has foreseen the course of life pursued by every moral agent, though that life is in many points independent of all external forces Neither Scripture nor reason may explain the difficulty, but it is pleasing to think of my text, — "The government shall he upon His shoulder, — for Jesus is "Kings of kings, and Lord of lords."

II. CHRIST THE KING OF ALL THINGS SMALL. There is nothing so small as to escape the notice of Jesus. When on earth He observed the poor as well as the rich, and commended each according to his fidelity. Think not that you are forgotten by the Saviour, or that your work or suffering is overlooked because you are poor, obscure, and feeble, and therefore, forgotten and overlooked by men. What men despise through ignorance may be most highly prized in another form. Filthy soot and the brilliant diamond are formed of the same material. The Saviour sees, not merely what we are, but what we may become, and as fidelity is the highest element of moral worth, He estimates the value of men, not by what they do, but by their fidelity — by the proportion which exists between their power and their performance. The lisping prayer of a little child may thus be of greater value in God's estimation, than the highest song which ever rose from an angel's heart.

III. CHRIST THE KING OF ALL THINGS GOOD. There is nothing so good that it can exist apart from the rule of Jesus. The day is no more dependent on the sun, the rain upon the clouds, the stream upon the fountain, than happiness is dependent upon Christ.

IV. CHRIST THE KING CONTROLLING EVIL. There is nothing so bad but Jesus can make it the means of good. In all we suffer, as well as in all we enjoy; in the dark and dreary night of trouble, as well as in the bright day of prosperous life, it is equally true that Jesus Christ is King of all.

(Evan Lewis, B. A.)

(F. B. Meyer, B. A.)

     1170   God, unity of
     1180   God, wisdom of
     1511   Trinity, relationships in
     2018   Christ, divinity
     2206   Jesus, the Christ
     2595   incarnation
     5326   government
     5459   prince
     5738   sons
     5779   advice
     5780   advisers
     9136   immortality, OT

Isaiah 9:1-7

     8370   zeal

Isaiah 9:4-7

     2354   Christ, mission

Isaiah 9:6-7

     1075   God, justice of
     1443   revelation, OT
     2042   Christ, justice of
     2078   Christ, sonship of
     2230   Messiah, coming of
     2366   Christ, prophecies concerning
     2376   kingdom of God, coming
     2515   Christ, birth of
     5366   king
     5370   kingship, human
     5467   promises, divine
     5652   babies
     5663   childbirth
     6641   election, responsibilities
     6704   peace, divine NT
     6708   predestination
     9122   eternity, and God
     9140   last days

The Kingdom and the King
'The people that walked in darkness hare seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. 3. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4. For Thou hast broken the yoke of His burden, and the staff of His shoulder, the rod of His oppressor, as in the day of Midian. 5. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Nativity
'Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Sun Rising Upon a Dark World
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon then hath the light shined. C ontrasts are suited to illustrate and strengthen the impression of each other. The happiness of those, who by faith in MESSIAH, are brought into a state of peace, liberty, and comfort, is greatly enhanced and heightened by the consideration of that previous state of misery in which they once lived, and of the greater misery to which they were justly exposed. …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Characters and Names of Messiah
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. S uch was the triumphant exultation of the Old Testament Church! Their noblest hopes were founded upon the promise of MESSIAH; their most sublime songs were derived from the prospect of His Advent. By faith, which is the substance of things hoped for, they considered the gracious declarations …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

December the Twenty-Fourth Entering in at Lowly Doors
"Unto us a Child is born." --ISAIAH ix. 1-7. How gentle the coming! Who would have had sufficient daring of imagination to conceive that God Almighty would have appeared among men as a little child? We should have conceived something sensational, phenomenal, catastrophic, appalling! The most awful of the natural elements would have formed His retinue, and men would be chilled and frozen with fear. But He came as a little child. The great God "emptied Himself"; He let in the light as our eyes were …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Harvest Joy
"Thou hast magnified the nation, and increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil."--Isaiah 9:3. Notice that I make a correction in the version from which I am reading. The Authorized Version has it, "Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy." This is not consistent with the connection; the Revised Version has very properly put it, "Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast increased their joy." I have not …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 38: 1892

His Name --Wonderful!
My dear friends, we live to-day upon the verge of that bright spot. The world has been passing through these clouds of darkness, and the light is gleaming on us now, like the glintings of the first rays of morning. We are coming to a brighter day, and "at evening time it shall be light." The clouds and darkness shall be rolled up as a mantle that God needs no longer, and he shall appear in his glory, and his people shall rejoice with him. But you must mark, that all the brightness was the result …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

His Name --The Counsellor
We shall now enter upon the discussion of this title which is given to Christ, a title peculiar to our Redeemer; and you will see why it should be given to him and why there was a necessity for such a Counsellor. Now, our Lord Jesus Christ is a Counsellor in a three-fold sense. First, he is God's Counsellor; he sits in the cabinet council of the King of heaven; he has admittance into the privy chamber, and is the Counsellor with God. In the second place, Christ is a Counsellor in the sense which …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

His Name --The Mighty God
The term here used for God, El, is taken from a Hebrew or root, which, as I take it, signifies strength; and perhaps a literal translation even of that title might be, "The Strong one," the strong God. But there is added to this an adjective in the Hebrew, expressive of mightiness, and the two taken together express the omnipotence of Christ, his real deity and his omnipotence, as standing first and foremost among the attributes which the prophet beheld. "The mighty God." I do not propose this morning …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

A Christmas Question
This morning, however, the principal object of my discourse, and, indeed, the sole one, is to bring out the force of those two little words, "unto us." For you will perceive that here the full force of the passage lies. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given." The divisions of my discourse are very simple ones. First, is it so? Secondly, if it is so, what then? Thirdly, if it is not so, what then? I. In the first place, IS IT SO? Is it true that unto us a child is born, unto us a Son …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 6: 1860

The Same Text Further Explained.
For His Only-begotten Son might, ye Arians, be called Father' by His Father, yet not in the sense in which you in your error might perhaps understand it, but (while Son of the Father that begat Him) Father of the coming age' (Isa. ix. 6, LXX). For it is necessary not to leave any of your surmises open to you. Well then, He says by the prophet, A Son is born and given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Angel of Great Counsel, mighty God, Ruler, Father of the …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

Two Famous Versions of the Scriptures
[Illustration: (drop cap B) Samaritan Book of the Law] By the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea, on the coast of Egypt, lies Alexandria, a busy and prosperous city of to-day. You remember the great conqueror, Alexander, and how nation after nation had been forced to submit to him, until all the then-known world owned him for its emperor? He built this city, and called it after his own name. About a hundred years before the days of Antiochus (of whom we read in our last chapter) a company of Jews …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

Two Things to be Observed in Gratuitous Justification.
1. The glory of God remains untarnished, when he alone is acknowledged to be just. This proved from Scripture. 2. Those who glory in themselves glory against God. Objection. Answer, confirmed by the authority of Paul and Peter. 3. Peace of conscience obtained by free justification only. Testimony of Solomon, of conscience itself, and the Apostle Paul, who contends that faith is made vain if righteousness come by the law. 4. The promise confirmed by faith in the mercy of Christ. This is confirmed …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Christ's Prophetic Office
'The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet,' &c. Deut 18:85. Having spoken of the person of Christ, we are next to speak of the offices of Christ. These are Prophetic, Priestly, and Regal. 'The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet.' Enunciatur hic locus de Christo. It is spoken of Christ.' There are several names given to Christ as a Prophet. He is called the Counsellor' in Isa 9:9. In uno Christo Angelus foederis completur [The Messenger of the Covenant appears in Christ alone]. …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Upbringing of Jewish Children
The tenderness of the bond which united Jewish parents to their children appears even in the multiplicity and pictorialness of the expressions by which the various stages of child-life are designated in the Hebrew. Besides such general words as "ben" and "bath"--"son" and "daughter"--we find no fewer than nine different terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life. The first of these simply designates the babe as the newly--"born"--the "jeled," or, in the feminine, "jaldah"--as in Exodus 2:3, 6, 8. …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Disciple, -- Master, if Thou Wouldst Make a Special Manifestation of Thyself to The...
The Disciple,--Master, if Thou wouldst make a special manifestation of Thyself to the world, men would no longer doubt the existence of God and Thy own divinity, but all would believe and enter on the path of righteousness. The Master,--1. My son, the inner state of every man I know well, and to each heart in accordance with its needs I make Myself known; and for bringing men into the way of righteousness there is no better means than the manifestation of Myself. For man I became man that he might …
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

Of the Name of God
Exod. iii. 13, 14.--"And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." We are now about this question, What God is. But who can answer it? Or, if answered, who can understand it? It should astonish us in …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Humility is the Root of Charity, and Meekness the Fruit of Both. ...
Humility is the root of charity, and meekness the fruit of both. There is no solid and pure ground of love to others, except the rubbish of self-love be first cast out of the soul; and when that superfluity of naughtiness is cast out, then charity hath a solid and deep foundation: "The end of the command is charity out of a pure heart," 1 Tim. i. 5. It is only such a purified heart, cleansed from that poison and contagion of pride and self-estimation, that can send out such a sweet and wholesome …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Wesley's Hymns Reconsidered
Bernard Manning A paper read before the Cambridge University Methodist Society on February 9, 1939. SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE, sometime Scholar of Jesus College in the University of Cambridge, once wrote some ingenious verses {Metrical Feet: Lesson for a Boy.} to help his sons to remember the chief sorts of metre. If Coleridge had been a Methodist instead of a pilgrim from Anglicanism to Unitarianism and back again, he would have needed to do no such thing: he would have needed only to advise his boys …
Bernard L. Manning—The Hymns of Wesley and Watts: Five Papers

The Lord's Prayer.
(Jerusalem. Thursday Night.) ^D John XVII. ^d 1 These things spake Jesus; and lifting up his eyes to heaven [the action marked the turning of his thoughts from the disciples to the Father], he said, Father, the hour is come [see pp. 116, 440]; glorify thy Son, that the son may glorify thee: 2 even as thou gavest him authority over all flesh, that to all whom thou hast given him, he should give eternal life. [The Son here prays for his glorification, viz.: resurrection, ascension, coronation, etc., …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Peace
Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. I Pet 1:1. Having spoken of the first fruit of sanctification, assurance, I proceed to the second, viz., Peace, Peace be multiplied:' What are the several species or kinds of Peace? Peace, in Scripture, is compared to a river which parts itself into two silver streams. Isa 66:12. I. There is an external peace, and that is, (1.) (Economical, or peace in a family. (2.) Political, or peace in the state. Peace is the nurse of plenty. He maketh peace in thy borders, …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

How those who Fear Scourges and those who Contemn them are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 14.) Differently to be admonished are those who fear scourges, and on that account live innocently, and those who have grown so hard in wickedness as not to be corrected even by scourges. For those who fear scourges are to be told by no means to desire temporal goods as being of great account, seeing that bad men also have them, and by no means to shun present evils as intolerable, seeing they are not ignorant how for the most part good men also are touched by them. They are to be admonished …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Messiah's Entrance into Jerusalem
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. -- And He shall speak peace unto the heathen. T he narrowness and littleness of the mind of fallen man are sufficiently conspicuous in the idea he forms of magnificence and grandeur. The pageantry and parade of a Roman triumph, or of an eastern monarch, as described in history, exhibit him to us …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1