THE

Primitive Methodist Magazine

JUNE, 1873.

Divinity.

A DISCOURSE BY H. BRINING.

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise.-Luke xxii. 42, 43.

In the context we have an association of solemn and important circumstances. Three individuals are condemned to a shameful and ignominious death. Of this number two were guilty, the other had done nothing wrong, and yet he was apprehended, tried, condemned, scourged, maltreated, and put to death, though the judge, convinced of his innocence, said, I find no fault in him. Nay more, he positively declared that the accusation was unsustained by any just cause or reason, and then publicly announced his faith in the unsullied purity of this victim of malice. No less than seven times did he intercede for his release.* Look at the evidence which he gave; behold the sincerity and depth of his convictions. If he had doubted the justness of his conclusions, would he have taken water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person? We think not; and yet in the face of this explicit testimony, which is all the more valuable because it was unconstrained, the Saviour was delivered up and hurried away to Calvary, the Jews crying, "Away with him, away with him; crucify

*(1) John xviii. 39, 40; (2) xix. 4-8; (3) 12; (4) Luke xxiii. 4, 5; (5) 13–16; (6 Matt. xxiii. 15–18; (7) 21-25.

VOL. XI.-FOURTH SERIES.

Y

him, crucify him." "His blood be on us and on our children." But why was this inhuman,-this wanton, this murderous outrage permitted? Was it because Herod and the chief priests had conspired against him? Or was it because the incited multitude, but incited no doubt by the chief priests, sought and demanded his life? These things may be and often are assigned as reasons for the death of Christ; but they do not comport with that preventive power, or that divine goodness which would have precluded the possibility of such an atrocity, had there not been other and important interests to conserve. If you would have a valid reason for the humiliation and death of Jesus, you must look for something in harmony with the character and designs of the Almighty rather than the spleen of Herod, or the demands of an ignorant, excited multitude; for the death of Christ was not an accident but an absolute necessity, arising out of the redemptive scheme and the benevolent purposes of the Almighty. And so thought the apostle when he reasoned with the Jews at Thessalonica, alleging from the very Scriptures, which they had received, that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again. Here the atonement was indicated, discussed, and enforced with power as the foundation of our reconciliation and peace. And it was in this light, though perhaps not so clearly and intelligibly, that the Saviour was apprehended by the penitent in the text. He looked on the death of Jesus as the price and medium of his salvation. He saw, notwithstanding the apparent disgrace and scandal of the cross, that it was the gate through which his Redeemer had triumphantly to pass to his wide and extensive dominions, and to the exercise of those pure, sublime and gracious prerogatives which are peculiar to his reign. And hence the urgent request, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom," may be regarded not only as an evidence of his faith, but as a substantial proof that the scenes of Calvary were instrumental in awakening one that was on the verge of hell. In discussing this subject let us look

at

I. The character of the man and the nature of his request.
II. The answer he received.

I. WE HAVE THE CHARACTER OF THE MAN AND THE NATURE OF HIS REQUEST.—One calls him a thief, another styles him a malefactor, that is an evil doer. Some think that he belonged to banditti that infested Jerusalem and its neighbourhood, and that Barabbas, who was preferred before Jesus, was their leader. But how true this is we cannot tel!, though it is quite certain that he was a notoriously wicked man, the consciousness of which constrained him to acknowledge the justness of his sentence. "We," says he, addressing his companion, "receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man," alluding to the Messiah, "hath done nothing amiss." Now in this admission there are two things which deserve our attention; first, there is an open confession of their sin, and

secondly there is a becoming avowal, and a just appreciation of the innocence of Jesus. First there is a proper acknowledgment of guilt, and a clear apprehension of those solemn and inevitable consequences which awaited their removal into another world with their iniquities unpardoned. But lest it should be supposed that our observations are too indefinite, and might lead some to imagine that both malefactors were inclined to penitence, permit me to say that there was a difference in their views and feelings, and that this difference in their state, which is so emphatically described by the evangelist, shows the distinction between the penitent and the impenitent thief in such a light that there can be no mistake. Both, I grant, were apprehended, tried, found guilty, and condemned. Both were now suffering the penalty which the law inflicted. But how different in their spirit and temper; for while one is hard and impenitent, the other is humble and contrite. While one is for hiding his sins under the impervious mist of his own natural and increased depravity, the other frankly admits and openly acknowledges his guilt. One conducts himself with an air of sullen, dreadless, unflinching obduracy, as though he would outbrave the storm. With him no remonstrance instructs; no danger affrights. He pushes on to an eternal state with his sins unpardoned and his soul unwashed. Condemned and punished in one court he hastens to another where no culprit ever escapes. Infatuated recklessness! Fearful termination! He dies withholding from God and man a just acknowledgment of his sins. But the other becomes a man of reason and reflection; and hence he is a penitent. He sees and feels the evil that he has committed, he anticipates the consequences; he seeks deliverance; his language is,Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom;" and hence, in this prayer we have the evidence of a divine illumination, clear in its development, and encouraging in its results. Would you have a specimen? then you have a hardened criminal and a daring thief divinely arrested, learning the character of Christ, and venturing his soul upon him when every thing around it is dark and mysterious-so dark that some of the disciples began to question the evidence of their own senses. When you listen to this prayer it would be well to note the time when, and the circumstances under which it was offered. It was not a time when the Saviour was visibly crowned with glory and honour; nor was it at a time when he was encircled with the outward symbols of earthly monarchy, but when he was upon the cross, despised, derided, forsaken, and slain. Some are afraid of coming to Christ, and of venturing their whole upon him when they are surrounded by the most favourable circumstances; but this man comes, and ventures, and believes, when he and the Saviour on whom he depends were hanging on the tree. And hence you will perceive that this application was made when every outward circumstance was discouraging and full of gloom. Do you admire

the faith of the man that trusts the promises of his Maker, and that hangs on Jesus when doubts and fears oppress? Then look at the individual that is brought before you in the text. Never was there a clearer, a bolder, or a more encouraging manifestation of simple, truthful, and energetic faith. Thomas, the fearful, the backward, the doubting Thomas, believed; but then his faith was late, and when exercised was of a low, diminutive character. He believed, but it was after the resurrection. Then he openly and respectfully acknowledged his Master; but it was when clear and palpable evidence had made it impossible for unbelief to exist. "Because thou hast seen me," says Jesus, "thou hast believed." As though he had said, thine is a kind of faith; but it is not commendable. I would not have thee to persist in it, for it was not equal to the faith of him that hath not seen and yet hath believed.

But again in this address we have a distinct apprehension of the Saviour's sovereign right to inspect, approve, and dispose of everything, and especially of that which is entrusted to his care. How he obtained this knowledge of the divine sovereignty we cannot say. Some suppose that he had heard the Saviour before his apprehension; others think that he had not only heard him, but that he had witnessed some of the miracles which he had performed-such as opening the eyes of the blind, making the lame to walk-the deaf to hear-the dumb to speak, and the cleanssing of the lepers. For aught we know he might have been with those Jews that were assembled at the house of Mary, and at the grave of Lazarus, and there have witnessed the Saviour's ability to raise the dead. If this supposition is true it would then seem that the light, and truth, and grace, and power, which were then communicated to his mind were reproduced to reprove, to counsel, to direct, and save. Others think that he had neither seen nor heard the Saviour before the events which are described in this chapter had transpired. Now if this hypothesis is true, then the inference is, that he was instantly and divinely illuminated, and secondly, that that deep and powerful conviction, which took hold of his mind, and affected his heart, was instantly followed by a firm resolution and a practical effort to obtain deliverance, and this too at a time when both he and his acknowledged Redeemer were suffering on the cross.

But to this we add another sentiment which is equally natural, and that is that the facts and circumstances which transpired on and in the vicinity of Calvary would assuredly tend to enlarge, to strengthen, and to confirm his convictions. It was here that the Saviour received that touching expression of sympathy which led him to say, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and your children," for if they do these things to one that may be likened to a young tree that is full of sap and covered with bloom, what will they do to you that are old, sapless, and ready to die? Here that solemn invocation was uttered with a zeal and fervour that never before hung on human