He came to us; and He need not have come. He had the whole creation of angelic realms in which to find satisfaction if He wished, countless multitudes of sinless angelic beings to do him homage and with whom He could have fellowship; but He left them behind. This earth was a dark place, dark with sin and wretchedness, its inhabitants violent, lustful, cruel; and they hated him . Yet He came.

"His Father's house of light,
His glory-circled throne,
He left, for earthly night,
For wanderings sad and lone.
He left it all for me —
Have I left aught for Thee?"

That was why He came. He came for me that I might be delivered from this dark abyss of sin, and rejoice in the glorious liberty of the children of God. He came for my fellows, too, that they might be rescued in like fashion. He came to establish the Father's Kingdom here on earth, that Kingdom which is already supreme in every other sphere of the Father's creation. He came to afford all men a full, fair, free opportunity of eternal life.

"He breaks the power of reigning sin
And sets the prisoner free.
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood avails for me."

He came because He was the only one who could possibly come. He is the greatest in all creation and only the greatest can make the greatest sacrifice. And his sacrifice was the greatest. No creature in all heaven and all earth will ever be able to make so great a sacrifice. He who was rich, for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might become rich.

"Man of sorrows! What a name
For the son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah!
What a Saviour!"

He came to tell men of his plans for their future happiness, how that even their killing of him will not frustrate his hold over them. For He comes again to bring them all to himself, as many as have not utterly extinguished their own capacity for repentance. And as assurance of that restoration, He has left his followers behind to go on telling men of the glorious Kingdom which will follow earth's dark night of sin, a Kingdom in which men will be drawn by every artifice in God's armoury to repentance and reconciliation with him, walking along the way of holiness to full acceptance of salvation in Christ. For unto him will every knee on earth bow, as now does every knee in heaven.

"One offer of salvation
To all the world make known.
'Tis Jesus Christ, the First and Last;
He saves, and He alone."

He came, and He comes again. Not now as a babe in a manager, but a glorious heavenly Lord, armed with all power in heaven and in earth. He comes to gather his Church to be with him, and only those who are watching for his appearing will share in that gathering. He comes revealed in the consuming fire of Divine judgment for the destruction of all those institutions of men which stand in the way of his incoming Kingdom. He comes in resplendent glory so that all men know that He has come, and at once begins to speak peace to the nations.

"Down the minster aisles of splendour, from betwixt the cherubim,
Through the wondering throng, with motion strong and fleet.
Sounds his victor tread approaching, with a music far and dim,
The music of the coming of his feet.
He is coming, O my spirit, with his everlasting peace,
With his blessedness, immortal and complete.
He is coming, O my spirit, and his coming brings release.
I listen for the coming of his feet.

The angels are singing in the distance; there are just a few who can hear their song to-day. Later on all men will hear them and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads, obtaining joy and gladness while sorrow and sighing flee away.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."