(Continued from p. 235)

THE GENTLENESS OF CHRIST

"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him" (Ps. 103:13). "In all their affliction He was afflicted and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them, and He bare them and carried them all the days of old" (Isa. 63:9).

What a picture this is of the gentleness and tenderness of our Lord, Who is so considerate for the weak and helpless of His flock. We have another picture of His gentleness, when He rebuked His disciples for their harshness and said, "Suffer little children to come unto Me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of God" (Luke 18:16). Then we see our gentle, yet mighty Lord lamenting over Jerusalem as He said, "O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!" (Luke 13:34).

Some people confound gentleness with weakness. It takes a strong personality to be truly gentle and considerate in all things. Gentleness is not an attribute of weakness but of strength. What strength is in these lines-"He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm and carry them in His bosom and shall gently lead those that are with young" (Isa. 40:11). Beautiful strength is exhibited in these words united with perfect gentleness.

Then we have this gentle, tender invitation, "Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30).

We do not see true perfection of character in any human being. In our Lord each quality was perfect. Each virtue and grace were united exquisitely to form a beautiful and matchless character. We should not become so entranced with His gentleness that we forget His omnipotence, nor so absorbed with His tenderness that we disregard His divine majesty and glory. All the fulness of the Godhead dwells in Him, so it is no wonder that, as we gaze upon His divine perfection, we are enraptured with His beauty. "The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be in-treated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17). 0, that such wisdom might be ours, that we might remember always to be gentle and easily entreated, manifesting the spirit of our Lord in perfect gentleness.

Our Father in heaven, we read in Thy Word, that the servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient. Teach us how to be such servants of Thine. We bow in adoration at the feet of our Saviour, Who is ruling the universe at Thy right hand. We praise Thee for His gentleness to us. How tenderly He leads us. May we not presume upon His loving-kindness, but strive in all things to please Him. In His Name we pray. Amen.

THE GOODNESS OF CHRIST
"The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth" (Exod. 34:6).

Our Lord Jesus said, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good" (Luke 6:45). As we study the life of our Lord, we find ^hat He was continually doing good to others. He healed the sick, cleansed the lepers and raised the dead. Those who came to Him with their need went away satisfied. "He went about doing good" (Acts 10:38). Goodness is an attribute of Deity. None of us can lay claim to a character of goodness, yet we see it shining forth beautifully and clearly in the words and deeds of our Saviour. Even His enemies recognized this quality in Him. Pilate said, "I find no fault in this Man" (Luke 23:4). The dying thief said to his companion, "This man hath done nothing amiss" (Luke 23:41).

How often we read the words of tenderness and goodness as they fall from His lips, "I will have mercy and not sacrifice, for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Matt. 9:13). "For the Son of Man is come to save that which was lost" (Matt. 18:11). "Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole" (Mark 5:34). "Thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace" (Luke 7:SO). "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life'" (John 4:14). "I am the Bread of Life; he that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). "I am the Good Shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). "I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). On every page of the gospels, you may see His goodness glowing with a radiant light in His words, and you will say with those sent to take Him. "Never man spake like this Man" (John 7:46).

Then turn the pages again and see how often the inspired Word tells us, "He was moved with compassion" or "He was filled with compassion." He was not filled with anger and disgust because of the hardness of heart and unbelief of the multitudes who flocked about Him. No, His tender heart was filled with compassion, for they were like sheep without a shepherd.

Goodness belongs to God, alone, and shines out clearly in the matchless character of the Lord Jesus Christ-God manifested in flesh. "How great is His goodness and how great is His beauty" (Zech. 9:17). "My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, saith the Lord" (Jer. 31:14).

Our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, we are satisfied with Thy goodness. We rest in Thy goodness. We glory in Thy goodness. Because we are Thine, goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and we shall dwell with Thee forever. O, we long to have this fruit of the Holy Spirit manifesting itself in our words and lives. "The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness." 0, Saviour, may we continually speak of Thy goodness and loving kindness to others, that they, too, may be led to trust in Thee. Amen. E. W. Carlile

(To be continued, D. V.)