CHRIST THE CENTRAL GLORY.
By Maclaurin
It is the glory of the world, that he who formed it dwelt on it; of the air, that he breathed in it; of the sun, that it shone upon him; of the ground, that it bare him; of the sea, that he walked on it; of the elements, that they nourished him; of the waters, that they refreshed him; of us men, that he lived and died among us; yea, that he lived and died for us; that he assumed our flesh and blood, and carried it to the highest heavens, where it shines as the eternal ornament and wonder of the creation of God. It gives also a lustre to Providence. It is the chief event that adorns the records of time, and enlivens the history of the universe. It is the glory of the various great lines of Providence that they point at this as their center; that they prepared the way for its coming; that, after its coming, they are subservient to the ends of it; though in a way indeed to us at present mysterious and unsearchable. Thus, we know that they either fulfill the promises of the crucified Jesus, or his threatenings; and show either the happiness of receiving him, or the misery of rejecting him.—Maclaurin.