_He Came_.


The nature of the whole work of our redemption is made manifest by the one
fact--_He really came_. His everlasting love, His infinite
compassion, His all-embracing purpose were from eternity; but we only got
to know of it all because _He came_. If He had contented Himself with
sending messages or highly-placed messengers, or even with making
occasional and wonderful excursions of Divine revelation, man would, no
doubt, have been greatly attracted, and perhaps even helped somewhat in
his tremendous conflict with evil; yet he might never have been subdued in
will, he might never have been touched and won back to God; he might never
have been brought down from his pride to cry out, "My Lord and my God."
No, it was _His coming to us_ that wrought conviction of sin, and
then conviction of the truth in our hearts.

He came Himself.

There is something very wonderful in this principle of _contact_ as
illustrated by the life of Jesus. Just as to save the human race He felt
it necessary to come into it, and clothe Himself with its nature and
conform Himself to its natural laws, so all the way through His earthly
journey He was constantly seeking to _come into touch_ with the
people He desired to bless. He touched the sick, He fed the hungry, He
placed His fingers on the blind eyes, and put them upon the ears of the
deaf, and touched with them the tongue of the dumb. He took the ruler's
dead daughter "by the hand, and the maid arose." He lifted the little
children up into His arms, and blessed them; He stretched forth His hand
to sinking Peter; He stood close by the foul-smelling body of the dead