So it is always when God's angels come, or God Himself lays His hand on men. Every manifestation of the divine power, every revelation of the divine presence, all our lives' experiences, are charged with the solemn possibility of bringing us one or other of two directly opposite results. They all offer us an alternative, a solemn either--or.'
The Gospel too comes charged with that double possibility, and is the intensest and most fateful .example of the dual effect of all God's messages and dealings. Just as the ark maimed Dagon and decimated the Philistine cities and slew Uzzah, but brought blessing and prosperity to the house of Obededom, just as the same pillar was light to Israel all the night long, but cloud and darkness to the Egyptians, so is Christ set for the fall of' some and for the rising of' others amidst the many in Israel,' and His Gospel is either the savour of life unto life or of death unto death,' but in both cases is in itself unto God,' one and the same sweet savour in Christ.'
