Still, it
is plain that such persons, however holy, however loving, are not those
of whom our Lord speaks in this parable. For they, too, know, and must
know, that inasmuch as they showed mercy unto one of the least of the
Lord's brethren, they showed it unto Him. But the special peculiarity of
the persons of whom our Lord speaks, is that they did not know, that they
had no suspicion, that in showing kindness to men, they were showing
kindness to Christ. "Lord," they answer, "when saw we Thee?"
It is a revelation to them, in the strictest and deepest sense of the
word. A revelation, that is an unveiling, a drawing away of a veil which
was before their eyes and hiding from them a divine and most blessed
fact, of which they had been unaware. But who are they? I think we must
agree with some of the best commentators, among others with that
excellent divine and excellent man, now lost to the Church on earth, the
late Dean of Canterbury, that they are persons who, till the day of
judgment, have never heard of Christ; but who then, for the first time,
as Dean Alford says, "are overwhelmed with the sight of the grace which
has been working in and for them, and the glory which is now their
blessed portion.
Pages:
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451