manifestly and obviously to transcend the possibilities of human nature.
_A man_ to defend me; and he himself--does _he_ need no defence? A man
to supply my wants; and is his spirit, then, other than mine, that it
can become the all-sufficient fulness for my emptiness? He that can do
this for one spirit must be greater than the spirit for which he doeth
it. He that can do it for the whole race of man, through all ages, in
all circumstances, down to the end of time, in every latitude, under
every condition of civilisation--who must _he_ be who, for the whole
world, evermore and always, is their defence, their gladness, their
shelter, and their rest?

The function requires a divine power, and the application of the power
requires a human hand. It is not enough that I should be pointed to a
far-off heaven, where there dwells an infinite loving God--I believe
that we need more than that. We need both of the truths: 'God is my
refuge and my strength,' and 'A man shall be a hiding-place from the
wind, and a covert from the tempest.'

III. That brings me to the last point to be noticed, namely:--The
solution of the mystery in the person of Jesus Christ.

That which seemed impossible is real. The forebodings of humanity have
not fathomed the powers of Divine Love. There _is_ a man, our brother,
bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, who can be to single souls the
adequate object of their perfect trust, the abiding home of their
deepest love, the unfailing supply for their profoundest wants. There
_is_ one man to whom it is wise and blessed to look as the exclusive
source of all our peace, the absolute ruler of all our lives. There _is_
a man in whom we find all that we have vainly sought in men. There _is_
a man, who can be to all ages and to the whole race their refuge, their