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or are we to wait for another?”, Matthew 11: 3. In John’s

gospel he is going out in triumph, calling attention to the

Person of Jesus. Mr. Taylor once said that he disappears from

the scene like the setting sun as it radiates across the western

horizon. He makes way for the rising of Christ as Sun to

dominate the day. He himself disappears. They speak to

him—and ask him who he was. They say, “Thou, who art

thou?” He replied, “I am not the Christ”. “Art thou the prophet?”

“No”.

He says he is just the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He

was disappearing, as it were, but at the same time he was

calling attention to the glory of Christ. So he says, “He that has

the bride is the bridegroom”. What a beautiful reference to the

Lord—“the bridegroom”, in all His love and energy. He himself

takes up the place as the friend of the Bridegroom, who stands

and hears Him. He rejoices in heart because of the voice of

the Bridegroom. What a man he was, John the baptist; he

takes no place himself; he brings into view, and focuses our

attention on, Christ as the Bridegroom.

Well, I want to say a few words on the scripture in Genesis 24

because there again we have one directing towards Christ; it is

in type, of course, the Holy Spirit giving direction in the

wilderness. This whole matter as to the bride springs from

Abraham himself. This whole chapter brings out very important

features and indeed the whole Book of Genesis is rightly

regarded as the seed-plot of Scripture. Practically every divine

thought developed later has its embryo in the Book of

Genesis, and one of the things that is brought out in this

chapter is the fact that Abraham is very particular as to the

bride and wife that Isaac was to have. I think it relates to the

teaching of Paul. Abraham instructed his servant, he directed

him as to how he was to go to find a suitable bride for Isaac.

Now that reminds us of Paul’s teaching as to marriage in the

Lord. This marriage that has taken place today is a happy one;

a marriage in the Lord is one where the Lord’s claims are