THE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE. THE UNCHANGEABLE SAVIOUR. "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever."-Heb. xiii. 8. WHEN we affirm the immutability of the Saviour, we affirm his divinity. Invariableness is an attribute of deity. All creation is subject to change. The most enduring objects in nature are not exempt from the law of changeful vicissitude. The adamant is dissolved by the limpid droppings of the crystal fountain; for "the waters wear the stones," and the everlasting hills are upheaved and rent by the shock of the earthquake and the blast of the volcano. But far more changeful is man. The frail flower, not the stable rock, is the emblem of his present being; "as for man his days are as grass; as a flower of the field so he flourisheth; for the wind passeth over it and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know it no more." Enter the garden after a night of wind and mark its passage over the flower beds. The petals of the rose that opened but yesterday, and bloomed so beautifully, lie scathed, torn, and withered. The upreared stem of the lily that lifted its lips to the kisses of the sun, lies broken and prostrate. So is it with frail man, not only in regard to the life that now is, but all his present powers of being. Not of the creature can it be said "the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever." But how different respecting the changeless Jesus! for, "Unto the Son Jehovah saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. A sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom; thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore, O God, thy God hath, anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thine associates. And thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands; they shall perish, but thou remainest, and they all shall wax old as doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.” The immutability of the Saviour is a theme fraught with the sublimest considerations. It is suggestive of lessons of No. 1, Vol. IV.-January, 1860. the utmost moment alike to saint and sinner. Let us, then, attend to the following seven particulars.-The unchangeableness-first of the Saviour's life, second of his power, third of his wisdom, fourth of his will, fifth of his love, sixth of his holiness, and seventh of his word. 1. His Life. Our confidence in a deliverer depends on his life. You are in deep distress, a friend offers you aid, he dies, your hopes are buried with him. This was touchingly illustrated in the experience of the disciples after the crucifixion of their dear Lord. Going sorrowfully to Emmaus they said, "We trusted that it had been he who should have redeemed Israel." As much as if they had said, we had this trust, but we have it no longer; we were gladdened by it before his betrayal, his trial, his condemnation, his crucifixion, and his burial; but when we saw him bow his head and give up the spirit, and when we buried him in the sepulchre, all our hopes were gone. Glad were they, therefore, when they saw the Lord; the sight their hopes revived. But for his resurrection they could have had no further hope in him. Thus the exclamation of Peter-" Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." How finely the thought of hope lost and regained is here suggested. It is not merely that we are begotten, but "begotten again" to a living hope, by the living again of the blessed Saviour. What solace, then, his words contain, “Because I live, ye shall live also.” "He that liveth and believeth on me shall never die." How significant are the words of his ambassador-" He is able to save unto the uttermost all who come unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Yes, adorable Saviour, thou art the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever-thou art the same and thy years shall not fail! 2. His Power. Life implies power; wherever there is life there is power. The power held is commensurate with the life possessed. In the future state the saints are equal to the angels; they flourish in immortal youth. Their powers know no waste nor decay. How striking, then, are the remarkable words of the seventh of Hebrews, "the power of an endless life." Unlike the power of the ancient priesthood which was vested in the mortal life of dying men, the great HighPriest of the christian confession holds the potency of an un |