He

He knows their wants; and He graciously provides what is needful for every one of them. He knows them as His own property, the purchase of His precious blood, the sheep of His pasture. And as He thus knows them, He grants them the blessedness of knowing Him, of knowing the hand which supplies them with every good. They know Him by the benefits which they receive from Him; and by the communion which He admits them to enjoy with Him. For it is their privilege to say, Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. says respecting them, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. The sheep follow Him, for they know His voice; and a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from Him; for they know not the voice of strangers. It appears then that to know Christ is to obey His voice, or to follow Him by walking in His holy ways. It is said of the sons of Eli, that they were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.10 Their wickedness was a proof that they did not know Him. None who are living in sin know the Lord Jesus Christ. They cannot have fellowship with Him. They cannot say with truth, Our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. They who truly know Christ, know the God of heaven as their reconciled Father in His beloved Son.

8 1 John i. 3.

9 John x. 27, 4, 5.

10 1 Samuel ii. 12.

But our blessed Lord speaks not only of His knowledge of His sheep, but also of His knowledge of the Father of heaven. And He speaks of this in very remarkable language, As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father. What a testimony is this, from Christ's own mouth, of His proper Deity. None but a Divine Person can thus know the Father. It is impossible that the knowledge of a creature should be co-extensive with that of his Creator; and most especially, that the creature should know the Creator Himself as fully as the Creator knows the creature. It would be the height of arrogance and impiety for a mere creature to make such an assertion as this. But this was not the only occasion on which our Saviour made it. He declared at another time in similar language, No man knoweth the Son but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son; and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." The same thing is asserted of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit searcheth all things; yea, the deep things of God: for what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. The object of our blessed Lord, in speaking of Himself in this manner, seems to have been to show that the great design of His coming into the world

12

11 Matthew xi. 27.

121 Corinthians ii. 10, 11.

was known to the Father, and approved of by Him. For He added, I lay down my life for the sheep. This was not done of His own will as man, but was the result of the Divine knowledge and counsel. Those who crucified the Lord of glory13 did only whatsoever the hand and the counsel of God determined before to be done. And therefore the benefits derived from His pouring out His soul unto death were not left at an uncertainty.

14

Our Saviour proceeded to declare the vast extent of the benefits which would flow from His death. They were not to be confined to the nation of Israel, to which the church of God had been chiefly limited previous to His coming into the world; nor to be imparted only during the time in which He lived on earth; but they were to be extended to the Gentiles, and to all future ages of the world. He declared, Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold and one Shepherd. So the Evangelist informs us, the high priest Caiaphas prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only; but that also He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.15 As the good Shepherd, He would bring into His fold, His visible church on earth, the children of God

13 1 Corinthians ii. 8. 14 Acts iv. 28. 15 John xi. 51, 52.

who were dispersed in various parts of the world; who being many should be manifested to be one body in Christ, and all of them members one of another 16 The means to be used for this purpose He states to be, They shall hear My voice. In pursuance of this object, He commanded His Apostles to go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature;1 and having accompanied His word with the demonstration of the Spirit, He made it effectual for the accomplishment of the designs of His grace. They preached the gospel with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven,18 and many were added to the church, who were made partakers of the great salvation of the Son of God. Thus we sinners of the Gentiles were brought into the fold of this good Shepherd; for which we have reason to praise and magnify His holy name. In the accession of the Gentiles to be fellow heirs and of the same body with the Jews, and partakers of the promise in Christ by the gospel our Saviour rejoiced; that there should be one fold and one Shepherd. If the prospect of this was hailed by our blessed Lord, if the breaking down of the middle wall of partition which separated the Gentiles from the church of God was so joyful an event, that the Apostle Paul spoke of it with the greatest delight; saying to the Ephesians, Now in Christ Jesus ye who were far off are made

16 Rom. xii. 5. 17 Mark xvi. 15. 181 Peter i. 12. 19 Ephesians iii. 6.

nigh by the blood of Christ; for He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, both them that were far off and them that were nigh, so that through Him both have access by one Spirit unto the Father:20 if the accession of the Gentiles to the church of God gave great delight to the primitive Christians, when they joyfully declared, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life it ought surely to afford us equal pleasure to use our endeavours for the purpose of bringing about a similarly glorious event in these latter days, to bring back the ancient people of God into that fold, into which we were introduced originally by their instrumentality; to point out to them the misery which they have endured in consequence of having left it; and the happiness which we have enjoyed by being brought into it. There is in our Father's house enough and to spare for all who are willing to come and partake of His bounty. There is room enough in the fold for them; and our heavenly Shepherd will fully supply the wants of those who put themselves under His protection. Let us then use our utmost efforts, as we may have opportunity, to promote the spreading of the gospel of Christ both at home and abroad,

20 Ephesians ii. 13-18.

21 Acts xi. 18.