EXPECTATION OF THE FIRST COMING OF CHRIST. 91 



to me. I did still let loose the reins to my lusts, and delighted 

 in all transgression against the law of God." It is very well 

 known that John Bunyan afterwards became a preacher of 

 righteousness, and a man of most blameless life. What wrought 

 this change ? His writings show that it was the love of Christ. 



The records of the Salvation Army, and such books as Broken 

 Earthenware, make it clear that Christ is still a Saviour from the 

 power of sin. And also a shelter in certain of the troubles of 

 life, not to mention those which are the consequence of sin. 

 All those who talk on serious subjects to patients in hospitals 

 know that Christ does give His servants wonderful patience 

 and peace, and does assist them to endure their sufferings cheer- 

 fully, and thus saves them from that querulous spirit which 

 trebles suffering. 



Thus we have seen that it was foretold and expected that 

 Messiah would be a wise Teacher, a beneficent King, a perfect 

 Example, an unanswerable Debater, a patient Sufferer and a 

 Saviour from the power of sin and a Shelter in certain of the ills 

 of life, and that these prophecies have now been most amply 

 fulfilled. 



It remains to examine how far Jesus of Nazareth may have 

 fulfilled all these prophecies on purpose. No doubt He deliber- 

 ately set Himself to be a Teacher, Benefactor, perfect Example 

 and Saviour : but the point is, could He have succeeded if He 

 had been a mere man ? How many thousands have tried to be 

 great teachers, and never been comparable to Christ. Napoleon 

 succeeded in becoming a king, but only at the expense of forfeiting 

 any claim to be a Saviour. Christ does not appear to have tried 

 to become a king in any sense allowed before His day (see John 

 vi, 15) and He never seems to have had the chance to practise 

 debating. 



But it is when we think of the extraordinary exactness of the 

 fulfilment of the detailed prophecies of Christ's sufferings that 

 we see immediately that any explanation that Jesus fulfilled 

 the prophecies on purpose hopelessly breaks down ; because He 

 suffered at the hands of His enemies, who, if they remembered 

 the prophecies, had the best of reasons not to fulfil them ; seeing 

 that they thus proved Jesus to be the Messiah, the very point 

 they wanted to disprove ! 



The whole argument is strengthened by the following con- 

 siderations. Other characteristics of the Messiah were foretold 



