all by the
word. Therefore we have to notice that the great, blessed peculiarity
of the Gospel is that it is a teaching, not of abstract dry
principles, but of concrete historical facts. From these principles
in plenty may be gathered, but in its first form as it comes to men
fresh from God it is not a set of propositions, but a history of
deeds that were done upon earth. And, therefore, is it fitted to be
the food of every soul and the mould of every character.

Jesus Christ did not come and talk to men about God, and say to them
what His Apostles afterwards said, 'God is love,' but He lived and
died, and that mainly was His teaching about God. He did not come to
men and lay down a theory of atonement or a doctrine of propitiation,
or theology about sin and its relations to God, but He went to the
Cross and gave Himself for us, and that was His teaching about
sacrifice. He did not say to men 'There is a future life, and it is
of such and such a sort,' but He came out of the grave and He said
'Touch Me, and handle Me. A spirit hath not flesh and bones,' and
_therefore_ He brought life and immortality to light, by no empty
words but by the solid realities of facts. He did not lecture upon
ethics, but He lived a perfect human life out of which all moral
principles that will guide human conduct may be gathered. And so,
instead of presenting us with a _hortus siccus_, with a botanic
collection of scientifically arranged and dead propositions, He led
us into the meadow where the flowers grow, living and fair. His life
and death, with all that they imply, are the teaching.

Let us not forget, on the other hand, that the history of a fact is
not the mere statement of the outward thing that has happened.
Suppose four people, for instance, standing at the foot of Christ's
Cross; four other 'evangelists' than the four that we know. There is
a Roman soldier; there is a Pharisee; there is one of the weeping
crowd of poor women, not disciples; and there is a disciple. The
first man tells the fact as he saw it: 'A Jewish rebel was crucified
this morning.' The second man tells the fact: 'A blaspheming apostate
suffered what he deserved to-day.' The woman tells the fact: 'A poor,
gentle, fair soul was martyred to-day.' And the fourth one tells the
fact: 'Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins.' The three
tell the same fact; the fourth preaches the Gospel--that is to say,
Christian teaching is the facts plus their explanation