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10. How Jesus Himself is the Gospel.
The foregoing inquiry into the nature of the Gospel
cannot be regarded as useless; it has enabled us to see what
distinction there is between a sensible Gospel and an intellectual and
spiritual one. What we have now to do is to transform the
sensible Gospel into a spiritual one.
For what would the narrative of the sensible Gospel
amount to if it were not developed to a spiritual one? It would
be of little account or none; any one can read it and assure himself of
the facts it tells—no more. But our whole energy is now to
be directed to the effort to penetrate to the deep things of the
meaning of the Gospel and to search out the truth that is in it when
divested of types. Now what the Gospels say is to be regarded in
the light of promises of good things; and we must say that the good
things the Apostles announce in this Gospel are simply Jesus. One
good thing which they are said to announce is the resurrection; but the
resurrection is in a manner Jesus, for Jesus says:4495 “I am the
resurrection.” Jesus preaches to the poor those things
which are laid up for the saints, calling them to the divine
promises. And the holy Scriptures bear witness to the Gospel
announcements made by the Apostles and to that made by our
Saviour. David says of the Apostles, perhaps also of the
evangelists:4496 “The
Lord shall give the word to those that preach with great power; the
King of the powers of the beloved;” teaching at the same time
that it is not skilfully composed discourse, nor the mode of delivery,
nor well practised eloquence that produces conviction, but the
communication of divine power. Hence also Paul says:4497 “I will know not the word that
is puffed up, but the power; for the kingdom of God is not in word but
in power.” And in another passage:4498 “And my word and my preaching
were not persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit
and of power.” To this power Simon and Cleophas bear
witness when they say:4499 “Was
not our heart burning within us by the way, as he opened to us the
Scriptures?” And the Apostles, since the quantity of the
power is great which God supplies to the speakers, had great power,
according to the word of David: “The Lord will give the
word to the preachers with great power.” Isaiah too
says:4500 “How beautiful are the feet of
them that proclaim good tidings;” he sees how beautiful and how
opportune was the announcement of the Apostles who walked in Him who
said, “I am the way,” and praises the feet of those who
walk in the intellectual way of Christ Jesus, and through that door go
in to God. They announce good tidings, those whose feet are
beautiful, namely, Jesus.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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