LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

(Sfctp l#§tl 

Shelf ^Sfi/S'S 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



STUDIES 



OF 



NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



(CHAS) S.^^BINSON, D. D. 

Pastor of the Memorial Church, New York city. 




AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 

150 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK. 



COPYRIGHT, i853. 
BY AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY. 



PREFATORY NOTfi. 



This volume of sermons, selected from those 
delivered in the course of ordinary pastoral work, 
is peculiar in that the discourses are founded upon 
passages of Scripture seldom chosen for the pulpit. 
It is hoped that some freshness may be secured, 
and a wider study of God's Word may be encour- 
aged by this suggestion of neglected texts. 

CHAS. S. ROBINSON. 

Memorial Church, 

New York, February 22, 1883. 



CONTENTS. 



I.— The Vale of Tears i 

" Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee ; in whose heart are the ways of 
them: who, passing through the valley of Baca, make it a well; the rain also filleth 
the pools." Psalm 84:5, 6. 

II.— Barabbas or Christ? 12 

" Not this man, but Barabbas." John 18:40. 

III. — The Immortality of the Affections . . .22 

"Your heart shall live for ever." Psalm 22:26. 

IV. — Science and the Church 37 

" And the earth helped the woman." Revelation 12: 16. 

V. — The Gift of Snow. . . . . . .52 

"He giveth snow like wool." Psalm 147:16. 

VI. — John first, then Jesus 64 



" Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am 
sent before him." John y.2%. 

VII.— Two Pulpits 75 

** And immediately she was made straight, and glorified God." Luke 13 : 13. 



VIII. — Christian Debt 85 

" I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians, both to the wise and to 
the unwise. Romans 1 : 14. 

IX. — Five Paradoxes 95 

" And I am glad for your sakes fhat I was not there, to the intent ye may believe ; 
nevertheless let us go unto him." John 11:15. 

X.— The Chief Priests' Story 106 



"His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept." Matthew 
2 8 :i i-, 5 . 



vi CONTENTS. 

XI. — A possible Castaway 116 

"But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any 
means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." i Co- 
rinthians 9:27. 

XIL— God found Unsought 126 

" But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I 
was made manifest unto them that asked not after me." Romans 10:20. 

XIII. — Perished Thoughts 137 

" His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts 
perish." Psalm 146:4. 

XIV. — COVETOUSNESS IS IDOLATRY I49 

" Covetousness, which is idolatry. Colossians 3 : 5. 

XV.— Toiling in Rowing 159 

" He saw them toiling in rowing." Mark 6:48. 

XVI.— Dark, and Jesus Absent 169 

" And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them." John 6: 17. 

XVIL— Politeness and Piety 181 

I doubted of such manner of questions." Acts 25:20. 

XVIII. — Drawing Lightning ....... 191 

"And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts 
of the fathers to the children." Luke 1:17. 

XIX. — The Family Festival 202 

" If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me, that 
he might run to Bethlehem his city; for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the 
family." i Saimiel 20:6. 

XX. — The Ideal Christ ....... 216 

" What think ye of Christ ?" Matthew 22:42. 

XXL — Never this way Again . . . . . 225 

"Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.'' Deuteronomy 17: 16. 

XXII. — Never this way before 234 

"Ye have not passed this way heretofore." Joshua 3:4. 



CONTENTS. 



vii 



XXIII. — Wiser than one's teachers- 246 

"I have more understanding that all my teachers; for thy testimonies are my 
meditation." Psalm 119:99. 

XXIV. — The Sermon on the Mount 260 

''And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were 
astonished at his doctrine." Matthew 7:28. 

XXV. — The Harvest Covenant . . . . . . 270 

" While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and sum- 
mer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease." Genesis 8:22. 

XXVI. — Fighting Beasts at Ephesus . . . . . 283 

" If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advan- 
tageth it me ?" 1 Corinthians 15:32. 

XXVII.— The Sigh of Jesus 294 

" And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, 
Be opened." Mark 7:34. 

XXVIII. — Four Patriarchs . 302 

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at." Acts 17:30. 

XXIX. — The Throne and the Rainbow .... 310 

" And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an 
emerald." Revelation 4:3. 



STUDIES OF 

NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



i. 

THE VALE OF TEARS. 

"Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose 
heart are the ways of them: who, passing through the 
valley of baca, make it a well; the rain also filleth 
THE POOLS."— Psalm 84 : 5, 6. 

To most Scripture readers this seems a con- 
fused passage. In our English version the sen- 
tences come to us clogged with italics, thus show- 
ing that even the venerable translators found it 
obscure, and did their best to give it clearness. 
Many interpretations have been offered, the best of 
which are these: — 

1. Some have said that Baca is a real place — 
bearing, down even to modern times, a somewhat 
similar designation — a plain now called Wady 
Bakaa, lying in Northern Palestine, on the direct 
route of the pilgrims who came up to the Pass- 
over Feasts. In explanation of the name, which 
certainly means weeping, they tell the interesting 
story of a Bedouin, who, fleeing before his enemy, 



2 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Baca-trees. In valle Lachrymarum. 

lost here his favorite dromedary, and fell into 
tears, not only because of his broken attachment, 
but because of his inevitable capture in the de- 
privation of his means of escape. 

2. Others have said that the reference is to any 
valley of Baca-trees, or mulberries. These would 
be of frequent occurrence on any line of travel 
around Jerusalem, and would be sought for defence 
in the middle of the day, when the sun's rays were 
hottest, and for encampment at night, when the 
company made a halt. And in order to explain 
the allusion in the name, they remind us of the 
fact that the mulberry-tree, whenever any one of 
its twigs or leaves is wounded, exudes from the cut 
copious drops of thick sap, falling like tears on the 
sward beneath. 

3. Still others say that this language is wholly 
figurative. There may, or may not, be an indirect 
allusion to some locality or some familiar land- 
scape; but the meaning is simply tropical. It is 
intended to present an image of human life. The 
old Latin Vulgate, and all the ancient versions, 
render the expression — in valle lachrymarum. There 
originated our common metaphor, when we call 
this world ' ' a vale of tears. " It is offered in evi- 
dence that this is the true explanation, that the 
compact sentiment of the Psalm is held in better 
connection by it than by any other. The inspired 
writer seems to be contrasting the experience of 
one who felt joyous and glad beneath the canopy 
of God's sanctuary, with that of one, still out in 



THE VALE OF TEARS. 



3 



A world of trouble. Twilight on water. 

the distance, undergoing the vicissitudes of gloom 
and desertion. And these he uses with a wide 
reach of meaning, as significant of the desolations 
of this world when compared with the felicities of 
that which lies high above it. 

Accepting this last — this figurative — interpreta- 
tion of the text, it would be easy for us to state its 
instruction in one comprehensive proposition. But 
we shall be better able to pass in review some of 
the exquisite delicacies of the expression if w T e 
work up to our end in a series of simple observa- 
tions. 

I. Let us begin with this: Every true Chris- 
tian MUST EXPECT TO HAVE HIS OWN PRIVATE 

u valley of Baca." 

Any one may start brightly in the career of the 
new life; but sooner or later he will come to low 
ground. The high, beautiful prospects will be lost. 
The air will become stifling and dull. The path 
will grow miry, and obstacles will be in the way. 
It is not possible that he should be prepared for 
the journey beforehand. There is no pattern of 
religious experience which can be passed along 
from one to another for study. 

There is positively neither map nor guide-book 
in this earthly vale of tears. Have you ever hap- 
pened to notice, as you stood on the shore of the 
sea near nightfall, how the line of tremulous twi- 
light, reflected in the water, seemed to lead the 
eyes straight on over the quivering waves to the 
sun itself? You called your companions to ob- 



4 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Individual experience. Christ went before. 

serve it. They admired trie beautiful * train of 
shining splendor. Yet no one of them saw exactly 
the same beam of rays you did. No two persons 
could stand so close to each other as to render the 
angle of their vision identical. Each saw his own. 
Exquisite type this of "the path of the just" 
shining more and more "to the perfect day" — 
its brilliance, its restlessness, its clear outlines. 

But no two believers can ever either see or travel 
the same. Every Christian has his personal path 
of experience drawn for him as he looks towards 
the Sun of Righteousness. He will find it from 
the beginning a lit way, but sooner or later he 
will learn it is a lonely one. It will be traced by 
the one Saviour ; it will be trod by the one saint 
to the end. 

Btit even this shows the intelligence which is resi- 
dent in our trials. Nothing happens ; all is ordered. 
And one of our arguments to prove we are in the 
- true way is found in the discovery that it leads 
through roughness and confusion. If it ever grows 
easy and luxurious, we may fear we have wan- 
dered. 

And this is the way along zvhich our Saviour went 
before us. He was "a Man of sorrows and acquaint- 
ed with grief." In the Pilgrim's Progress, Chris- 
tiana kept bidding her children notice that here 
was where their father had journeyed and met the 
giants. We must learn to discern the tracks of 
Jesus. ' ' Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an 
example, that ye should follow his steps." 



THE VALE OE TEARS. 



5 



Festival-pilgrims. Rests by the way. 

II. This leads us on to say : Every true 
Christian must expect to "pass through" 
his valley of Baca. 

Jerusalem lay on the top of a hill. It was 
surrounded with mountains, traversed by ravines 
and gorges. Valleys, sunless and barren, seemed 
most unwelcome roadways; but they afforded the 
surest and shortest approaches to Zion. The steps 
were often rugged and toilsome. But there was 
no possible way of going round the mountains. 
Straight up over them the festival-pilgrims forced 
their advance. And these were the times when 
they sang their cheerfullest Psalms — this one among 
them. 

There is no mountain without its valley. Our 
finest off-looks of experience are found when we 
have risen to the summit of the hardest passes, 
' ' And felt upon our foreheads bare the benedictions 
of the air. ' ' 

And by the grace of God rests have been allowed 
by the way. Shadows of the great rock in the 
weary land may be discovered even close by the 
spots where balsam-trees weep tears. Notable sea- 
sons of remembrance have we all of halts for re- 
freshment we have already enjoyed. We could tell 
bright stories about them if we would. Somewhere 
I have read that a company of travel-worn Indians 
were fleeing from their foes through a desolate 
region of our own country in the Southwest. Sud- 
denly they came upon a beautiful spring in the 
waste. Their chief struck his spear in the sward, 
i* 



6 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



" Alabama !" Wells in the valley. 

crying, "Alabama ! Alabama /" — Here let us rest! 
let us rest ! Thus could the soul of each true be- 
liever recount the incidents of his traverse, and 
learn to put new names on the spiritual map he 
cherishes. Here he has no continuing city; he 
seeks one to come. 

III. Now a third observation : Every true 
Christian must expect to find u a well" in 
each valley of baca. 

Water is an Oriental luxury. It is not neces- 
sary for us to study up the many pilgrim-routes 
through Palestine to find a ravine arid and water- 
less enough for our figure; for everywhere in those 
regions the need is poorly supplied. That is the 
reason why fountains were considered precious 
enough to be fought for in Jacob's time. More 
vivid illustration of relief bursting out in the midst 
of difficulty, or of solace in suffering, or of refresh- 
ment in weariness, than this here in the text, could 
not be discovered. No words could bear a more 
delightful blessing for their burden than these : " I 
will open rivers in high places, and fountains in 
the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilder- 
ness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of 
water. ' ' 

hi every sorroiv there is some mitigation. It is a 
homely philosophy to press, but honest and true: 
"Men will not see the bright light which is in the 
cloud. ' ' There is a peevish egotism in the human 
heart when under trial. It refuses, like a sullen 
child, to see the injustice of its petulant complaint. 



THE VALE OE TEARS. 



7 



Cannon-ball in Crimea. Hagar's mistake. 

It sits disconsolately down, finding fault with its 
harasstnents and pains, as if they were severer than 
it could bear, or than any one else was ever called 
to bear. "Doest thou well to be angry?" expos- 
tulated God with Jonah, when he had just with- 
ered his gourd. And Jonah answered, u I do well 
to be angry, even unto death. ' ' 

Sometimes, again, trouble opens sluices of joy in 
our experience quite new. It was one of the inci- 
dents in the Crimean war, that a soldier lay fam- 
ishing with thirst, and complaining bitterly, as a 
cannon-ball tore past him, that he was still left 
under fire. Meantime the missile of iron buried 
itself in the cliff-side behind him, splintered the 
rock, disclosed a spring, and sent close to his hot 
lips a full stream of water for his refreshment. 
Most of us have watched almost breathlessly as 
some tremendous providence shattered hope or 
health, or comfort or home, and yet found we were 
still alive afterwards, and indeed surrounded with 
blessings of which we never knew the existence 
before, and never felt the power till now. 

We must always search deeply all around our af- 
flictions. It will be foolish to miss the benefit 
which may be close behind them just for lack of 
looking it up. Hagar, out in the wilderness, sim- 
ply threw her child away in desperation, because 
the water was spent in her bottle, and she would 
not consent to see him die. Instead of diligently 
persisting in a search to find drink for him, she 
slowly went away, a bow-shot off, and covered up 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Valle3 T s are wells. The Conference meeting. 

her face. Now that was no way to get help. 
Ishmael himself was more than fifteen years old, 
and she was a grown up woman. One would think 
they might both have looked around a little more 
before getting discouraged. For one thing is cer- 
tain from the way the story turns out ; there was a 
fine spring of water close within their reach all the 
time. God knew that when he suffered her to go 
forth with the lad. It is worth while in every 
instance to search divine disciplines diligently; for 
in all this vale of tears there is nothing more cer- 
tain than copious fountains of refreshment, if only 
we industriously look them up. 

IV. Still another lesson : Every True Chris- 
tian MAY FORCE EVEN THE VALLEY OF BACA TO 
BECOME HIS WELL. 

For the strange, bright phraseology of this text 
is often missed. I heard six cultivated speakers 
once in a conference meeting comment upon it, and 
all to edification ; but not one of them got the verse 
right. It reads thus: "Who, passing through the 
valley of Baca, make it a well; the rain also filleth 
the pools." Here the statement seems sharply 
clear that in some way or other one is made hap- 
py, not only in despite of trouble, but by means of 
it: this may be to many a secret; but "the secret 
of the Lord is with them that fear him; and his 
covenant is to make them know it. ' y It was once 
actually given as a riddle how a man could tear 
a lion in pieces and find honey, so that out of an 
eater should come forth sweetness. And not every- 



THE VALE OF TEARS. 



9 



Strength in God. Samson's jaw-bone. 

body could guess it then. And not everybody can 
guess now how a valley of tears can be a fountain 
of joy, unless he gives it much study. 

Two conditions of success in finding out the 
blessedness of sorrow are indicated here in these 
verses of the text. One is, full trust in divine 
providence ; the other is, habitual repose upon 
divine wisdom. Note the two expressions at the 
beginning : ( ' Blessed is the man whose strength is 
in thee;" and "Blessed is the man in whose heart 
are the ways of them: who, passing through the val- 
ley of Baca, make it a well. ' ' 

The first of these means that a believer is to 
commit his whole case into the hands of God. All 
weakness himself, his strength is in God. More 
and more as he advances, he surrenders self and 
leans on God. That is the significance of the next 
verse : * ' They go from strength to strength ; every 
one of them in Zion appeareth before God." The 
moment any Christian in simple-hearted confidence 
commits himself to divine providence, he discovers 
the absolutely limitless reach of that statement with 
which this wonderful old Psalm closes: "The Lord 
God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord will give grace 
and glory; no good thing will he withhold from 
them that walk uprightly." This positive self- 
surrender is one of the conditions of forcing sorrow 
to minister comfort. It is compelling the weapon, 
which slays thousands of Philistines, to pour forth 
a fountain for our thirst. 

And the other condition is habitual repose on 



IO STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Habitual repose. The Mount of God. 

divine wisdom. For this is the exact reference 
of the expression, u in whose heart are the ways 
of them. ' ' The word ' ' ways, ' ' refers to habits of 
thinking, doing, and feeling. Trnst in God cannot 
be exercised by fits and starts. It is not a thing 
of impulse, but of steady, every-day principle. 

With these two conditions met, any believer 
can turn his valleys of weeping into fountains of 
refreshment always. He must trust God to do his 
part, and God will never fail. ' ' The rain also fill- 
eth the pools." He may never know just how the 
joy he feels is fed by unseen sluices of comfort; 
but he will feel it just the same. Who does not 
know these times of ineffable mystery ; when the 
soul, all subdued and solemn, is broken, wounded, 
and yet exalted and serene ; ready in its own 
measure to say with the brave apostle, * ' I take 
pleasure in distresses ; most gladly will I glory in 
my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest 
upon me ; when I am weak, I am strong. ' ' 

V. Only one observation more: Every True 
Christian will find his valley of Baca end- 
ing ON THE MOUNT OF GOD. 

We have quoted the verse before: u They go 
from strength to strength ; every one of them appear- 
eth before God. ' ' They increase in faith ; they lux- 
uriate in fruitage; they vanish in fruition. "Thou 
wilt guide me by thy counsel, and afterwards 
receive me to glory. ' ' Gaining as he goes, the 
steady believer recruits as he rests, and sings as he 
suffers. By and by he reaches his goal. The valley 



the vale of tears. 



ii 



The beautiful gates. Explanation at last. 

of Baca is "passed through." Then he stands in 
the full light of God, and shines as he enters. 

One supreme moment there is to each faithful 
Christian's existence, forward to which he may 
often with profit even now summon himself to look. 
It will be the finest moment of his earthly life, and 
it will be the final one. Through one valley, and 
over one hill after another, he will journey, often- 
times shining, oftentimes shadowed, perhaps worn 
and weary all the difficult way. But he will, one 
sweet sunlit morning, really reach the beautiful 
gates, ( ' on golden hinges turning. ' ' It would not 
be a wonder if, amid even the rejoicings he hears 
from the near throng that welcome him, he should 
ask just one flashing instant of review to look be- 
hind him over the long, devious path he has trod- 
den. Then he will understand it at last. It may not 
have been what he would have chosen ; but its dis- 
cipline was profitable, and now its end is peace — 
eternal, sacred, sure. 

" Along my earthly way how many clouds are spread ! 
Darkness, with scarce one cheerful ray, seems gathering o'er 
my head. 

Yet, Father, thou art Love ; oh, hide not from my view ! 
But when I look, in prayer, above, appear in mercy through. 

My pathway is not hid ; thou knowest all my need ; 

And I would do as Israel did — follow where thou wilt lead. 

Lead me, and then my feet shall never, never stray; 
But safely I shall reach the seat of happiness and day. 

And, oh ! from that bright throne I shall look back and see 
The path I went, and that alone was the right path for me." 



II. 



BARABBAS OR CHRIST? 

"Not this man, but Barabbas."— John 18:40. 

Our purpose in taking up the narrative of Jesus' 
arraignment before the civil power in Jerusalem will 
be simple, and it is best that in the outset it should 
be made explicitly clear. It affords the most vivid 
illustration in the New Testament of just two great 
moral lessons : Pilate's behavior shows the wicked 
wrong of indecision, and the chief priests' choice of 
Barabbas' release shows the utter ruin of a wrong de- 
cision. These will become apparent, each in its 
turn, as we study the story. 

I. Earliest of all, let us group together the inci- 
dents of the history, so that their order may be seen. 

Observe the rapid action of the priests. "-And 
straightway in the morning the chief priests with 
the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held 
a consultation, and bound Jesus, and carried him 
away, and delivered him up to Pilate." It must 
have been very late on Thursday night when the 
great council finished the condemnation of their 
prisoner. But the moment that was over, the 
priests hurried him at dawn into the presence of 
the Roman governor. Their feet ran to evil, and 
they made haste to shed innocent blood. 

Now comes the providential moment for Pilate. 
For the wisdom of God so orders it that this man 
shall be able to meet his tremendous responsibility 



BARABBAS OR CHRIST? 



13 



Mere punctilios. Shirking responsibility. 

unembarrassed by a mob for his audience. These 
zealots, like all creatures who have the form of god- 
liness, but deny the power thereof, are so emphat- 
ically pious that even in the midst of murder they 
pause on a punctilio; they will not enter the judg- 
ment-hall lest they should be so defiled that they 
could not eat the passover. This left Pilate the 
chance calmly to converse with Jesus alone. 

Then succeeds the pitiable period of subterfuge 
which always follows a shirked duty. Convinced 
of our Lord's innocence, Pilate proposed that his 
official authority should just be counted out in this 
matter. He bade the chief priests take their pris- 
oner themselves, and deal with him as they pleased. 
To this he received a reply which showed their sav- 
age animosity, and at the same instant disclosed the 
use they meant to make of his power. They cried 
out that the only reason why they had consulted 
him at all was found in the unlawfulness of killing 
a man without due form of procedure under impe- 
rial authority. 

Next to this is recorded the attempt of the gov- 
ernor to shift his responsibility. Pilate learned, 
from the mere chance use of a word, that Jesus was 
from Galilee; and as this province was in the juris- 
diction of Herod, the titular monarch of the Jews, 
he sent his prisoner under a guard over to the other 
palace. The king was quite glad to see this Naza- 
rene prophet, and tried to get him to work a mira- 
cle, but did not succeed in evoking so much as a 
word from his lips. Thus was fulfilled the ancient 

Neglected Texts. 2 



14 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Isaiah' s prophecy. A robber offered. 

Scripture: "He was oppressed, and he was afflict- 
ed, yet he opened not his mouth : he is brought as 
a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his 
shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. " 
But before the return, this apostate Israelite put a 
slight on Jesus' kingly claims, so that Pilate might 
know how much in derision he held them. The 
soldiers mocked him, arraying him in a gorgeous 
robe, and then led him back into the presence of the 
governor again. 

At his wits' end, Pilate at last proposes a com- 
promise. He remembered that there was a custom, 
lately brought over from Italy into Palestine, of 
freeing some one of the State's prisoners every year 
at Passover as a matter of proconsular clemency. 
He offered to let Jesus go under this rule. Such a 
procedure would be equivalent to pronouncing him 
technically a criminal, and yet his life would be 
spared. But the subtle priests put the people up to 
refuse this favor flatly. Then Pilate determined to 
give them an alternative so repulsive that they 
would be forced to accept. There was a wretched 
malefactor, Barabbas by name — a thief, a rebel, and 
a murderer, all in one ; Pilate said, 1 ' Choose be- 
tween these two; I am going to free one of them." 
They chose without hesitation: "Then cried they 
all again, saying, Xot this man, but Barabbas. 
Now Barabbas was a robber. ' ' 

At this juncture the governor's wife meets him 
with a warning from a dream. He had returned 
to the judgment-seat, and was just about to pro- 



BARABBAS OR CHRIST? 



15 



A wife's dream. Pilate's hypocrisy. 

nounce the decision. His wife interrupted : ' ' Have 
thou nothing to do with that just man." This 
threw Pilate into a frantic irresolution once more. 
A second time he left the room, and went forth to 
expostulate with the infuriated crowd at the door. 
With renewed urgency he pressed upon their con- 
sideration the half-threat that he would let loose on 
them this wretch Barabbas, if they persisted in de- 
manding Jesus' death. This only exasperated the 
temper of those belligerent bigots so that they cried 
the more, u Crucify him ! Crucify him !" 

At last this bewildered judge gave his reluctant 
consent to their clamors. But in the act of con- 
demnation he did the foolishest thing of all he did 
that awful day. He took water and washed his 
hands before the mob, declaring hypocritically that 
he was innocent of the blood of the just person he 
was delivering up to their spite. 

II. Thus we reach the crisis of events in the 
spiritual career of that ruler and of that nation. 

1. Observe the singular picture. It is all in one 
verse of the Scripture. "And Pilate, wishing to 
content the multitude, released unto them Barab- 
bas, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged 
him, to be crucified. ' ' 

Two men, now in the same moment, appear in 
public on the steps of the Prsetorium : Jesus and 
Barabbas. 

One of them was the Son of God, the Saviour of 
men. " Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown 
of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith 



l6 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Ecce Homo ! Malebranche's philosophy. 

unto them, Behold the man !" Art has tried to 
reproduce this scene. Dore has painted the whole 
of it; Guido Reni has painted the head with thorns 
around the forehead. Others have made similar 
attempts according to their fancy or their ability. 
It is a spectacle which attracts and discourages. 
Beyond them all, however, lies the fact which each 
Christian will be likely to fashion before his own 
imagination. Jesus comes forth with his reed and 
his robe : Ecce Homo ! 

Barabbas alongside ! This creature has never 
been a favorite with artists. He was a paltry wretch 
any way, thrust up into a fictitious importance by 
the supreme occasion. We suppose him to have 
been quite a commonplace impostor. Bar means 
son ; Abba some interpret here as father. Very 
likely he chose his own name as a false .Messiah, 
"Son of the Father;" indeed, some of the ancient 
manuscripts call him "Jesus Barabbas." He does 
not pose picturesquely ; look at him ! 

2. The moral of this scene turns upon the wilful 
choice made between these two leaders, the real and 
the pretended Christ. Now let it be said here that 
the whole history is often repeated even in these 
modern times. It is unwise to lose the lesson taught 
us by rushing off into pious execration of those big- 
oted Jews. Men had better look into their own 
hearts. In his introduction to the study of meta- 
physics, Malebranche remarks very quietly, "It is 
not into a strange country that such guides as these 
volumes of mine will conduct you; but it is into 



BARABBAS OR QHRIST? 



17 



James Russell Lowell. Choice fixes character. 

your own, in which, not unlikely, you are a stran- 
ger. ' ' It will be well to bear in mind that the de- 
cision is offered and made betw T een Jesus and Barab- 
bas whenever the Lord of glory is represented in a 
principle, in an institution, in a truth, in a person. 
This is the grand question along the ages: 

" Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, 
In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the Good or Evil 
side ; 

Some great cause, God's new Messiah, offering each the 

bloom or blight, 
Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheep upon the 
" right; 

And the choice goes by for ever, 'twixt that Darkness and 
that Light. 

Then it is the brave man chooses, while the coward stands 
aside, 

Doubting in his abject spirit till his Lord is crucified : 
For Humanity sweeps onward; where to-day the martyr 
stands, 

On the morrow crouches Judas, with the silver in his hands. 
It is ours to save our brethren ; ours with peace and love to 
win 

Their darkened heart from error, ere they harden it to sin ; 
But if before his duty man with listless spirit stands, 
Ere long the Great Avenger takes the work from out his 
hands." 

So let us pause right here to inquire what this 
decision involves for those who make it. The illus- 
tration is helpful, and we can still employ it. 

Dwell a moment upon the deliberateness of the 
choice which the multitude made that day. The 
exhibition was perfectly intelligible: it always is. 

2* 



l2 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



There is Barabbas ! there is Christ ! When a sharp 
moral crisis is reached, men generally know the side 
they ought to choose. t Right and wrong, truth and 
error, sin and holiness, the world or God— this is 
just the old Jerusalem scene back again. Such a 



choice fixes character. * 1 As a man thinketh in his 
heart, so is he. 51 When one wills strongly, he 
moulds himself into the likeness of the thing he 
chooses. The old Castilian proverb says, "Every 

Then observe the responsibility of the choice 
between Barabbas and Christ The chief priests 
declared they would take- it. " Then answered all 
the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on 



our children." Pilate could ruin no soul but his 
own. In the end Jesus' blood rested upon the na- 
tion that slew him. Oh, what a history ! a land 
without a nation — a nation without a land ! All 
the vast future swung on the hinge of that choice. 
Note, there-ore. the reach of this choice. It 



exhausted all the chances. Once — on that Friday 
morning early — :h:se twc met: s:e:d side hy side, 
and Pilate asked the question, "Whether of the 
twain will ye that I release unto you?" It was 
never possible after that to traverse the same spirit- 
ual ground of alternative again. Whoever chooses 
the wrong must go and fare for good or ill with the 
thing he has chosen. The thief becomes Master, 
the murderer Lord. In this case we must remem- 
ber that the character of Barabbas was in no re- 
spect changed by the foolish leadership thrust upon 



BARABBAS OR CHRIST? 



19 



Apes and lions. The secret of the choice. 

him. His historic record remained unalterable. 
Hence, the Jews at this instant gave up everything 
at once. They even denied Herod as king. In 
their eagerness to crucify Jesus, they told Pilate 
with a scream of surrender that henceforth they 
had ' ' no king but Csesar. ' ' They perilled all they 
had; and the die was cast. 

We need not make any pretence of mystery in 
seeking after the philosophy of this decision. It 
does seem wonderful to find that any one could cry 
out for some more publicity of this suppressed Bar- 
abbas. Poor creature ! when he came out there on 
the steps, and cast his eye over the shouting multi- 
tude, he must have been surprised beyond the power 
of words to express at this sudden disclosure of his 
undeserved popularity. ( ' The emperor can make 
an ape be called a lion," once said Gregory the 
Great, "but he cannot make him become one." 
The applause of the populace could not make this 
Barabbas a noble, when he was just a thief. The 
secret of the absurd choice published that day so 
vociferously, when the miscreant impostor came to 
the front, is found in the fact that the people did 
not choose for him at all, but chose against Christ. 
They would not have this Man to reign over them. 
Anything, anything to be rid of accepting Jesus of 
Nazareth as their spiritual King. It is not true 
always that men love the evil they seem to clamor 
for; in many instances the explanation of their 
apparent preference is found in simple hatred of the 
truth which confronts them. 



20 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Sin punishes sin. The Apostles' Creed. 

III. We are ready now to receive the full teach- 
ing of the story: our two lessons appear plainly. 

1. We see the wicked wrong of indecision. We 
are agreed that Pilate wished to let Jesus go. But 
when he gave him up to the spite of his murderers, 
he himself shared the crime. The ancient psalm 
might have uttered its reproach in his ears : ' ' When 
thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with 
him." Thus he destroyed his character. Trim- 
ming, injustice, cruelty: step by step he went down, 
till he added a scouroin°: which nobodv demanded. 
1 1 The facility with which we commit certain sins, ' ' 
says Augustine, u is a punishment for sins already 
committed." Thus he also destroyed his reputa- 
tion. One man there has been whose name was put 
in an epistle just for a black background on which 
to write a name that was white. Our Lord Jesus 
Christ witnessed a good confession ' 1 before Pontius 
Pilate." So the Roman governor's history was 
made permanent, that its sin might render Jesus' 
purity conspicuous. And the same name is put in 
the Apostles' Creed that all Christendom might 
hold it in " everlasting fame" of infamv: we be- 

O J 

lieve in Jesus Christ our Lord, who was "crucified 
under Pontius Pilate." So wheresoever this gospel 
shall be preached in the whole world, there shall 
also this that this man hath done be told for a me- 
morial of him. 

2. We see, finally, the utter ruin of a wrong 
decision. It cannot be complained that these peo- 
ple did not know their own minds. They did not 



BARABBAS OR CHRIST? 



21 



Goethe's sad estimate. Irretrievable error. 

exhibit the least vacillation. Their persistency 
seems marvellous. They chose firmly, even when 
the future of their souls as well as that of their na- 
tion hung on their choice. There is nothing unu- 
sual in this. Goethe commences the fifth book of 
his autobiography with these somewhat discour- 
aging words : ' ' Every bird has its decoy, and every 
man is led and misled in a way peculiar to him- 
self. ' ' We need not pause to discuss here the width 
of application such a statement might have; it was 
true of Pontius Pilate; it was true of that infuri- 
ated crowd clamoring for Barabbas before Christ. 

Never mind them now. Do not waste any more 
thought upon the fierce base actors in that crucifix- 
ion scene: think of yourselves: "See, I have set 
before thee this day life and good, and death and 
evil. I call heaven and earth to record this day 
against you that I have set before you life and 
death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, 
that both thou and thy seed may live. ' ' We have 
our one chance; it will be a sad thing to lose it. 
It was a wise observation once made by an old man 
who had seen the world at its best and worst, ' ' The 
sense of an irretrievable error in life, fastening upon 
the mind, is a foretaste of hell. ' ' To-day there is 
hope, if you choose quickly. There stands Barab- 
bas — there stands Christ. Is it needful that another 
should tell you that Barabbas will never satisfy 
your longing ? You need the full revelation of God 
in your soul; there is your rest. 



III. 



THE IMMORTALITY OF THE AFFECTIONS. 

" Your heart shall live for ever." — Psalm 22 : 26. 

The heart has been employed by the inspired 
writers as the symbol of human affections. But to 
this there is added the suggestion of some high 
relations which we sustain to our Maker. So the 
heart of man is said to be tried by God — to be 
opened, established, enlightened, strengthened, 
searched by God. David counsels that we walk 
before God with all our heart. Moses says we 
should serve God with all our heart. Solomon ad- 
vises that we trust God with all our heart. And 
Jesus, the great Teacher, commands that we love 
God with all our heart. Thus, almost universally, 
we find the term heart joined in some experimental 
sense with the name of God. Its primary employ- 
ment in Scripture, therefore, may be assumed as 
religious. 

Hence, our text finds an exact and almost ex- 
haustive parallel in the language of another Psalm, 
* ( Your heart shall live that seek God. ' ' It asserts 
the absolute indestructibility of our religious affec- 
tions. It would seem as if we might reach the 
fulness of its meaning better by working up to it 
through the intervening lessons. 

I. Begin with this: In general the verse teaches 
that there is one thing, even in this fleeting world, 
which is immortal. 



THE IMMORTALITY OF THE} AFFECTIONS. 2$ 



Cities die, not souls. Seneca's lament. 

' ' The world passeth away and the lust thereof, 
but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. ' ' 
Man wears on his forehead the crown of his regnant 
majesty; for his nature is undying. Some cities he 
builds fade into forgetfulness like the frail fabrics 
of a dream. But not an individual among the 
throngs who have crowded the earth with popula- 
tion, not one soul from the multitudes which have 
inhabited the globe since the far beginning, has 
ever yet passed out of .existence. No such thing as 
a human being's gliding away from conscious life 
is admitted in the Old or the New Testament. A 
soul's state can be changed, but its nature is unal- 
terable. No man can just avoid the issue, and slip 
unnoticed out into the utter dark. 

It is not worth our while here to ring the 
changes on this awful word for ever. It can have 
but one signification, and we accept it as it stands. 
The little lad, nameless and unhistoric, who fur- 
nished his five loaves and two fishes on the shore of 
Tiberias, is alive to-day, just as each one of the five 
thousand men, besides the women and children, 
whom his generosity helped to feed, is living also. 
Not even foreboding limits that fixed future. No 
sadder words of dismay were ever spoken than those 
of the old philosopher, Seneca: "I once, trusting 
to the arguments of others, flattered myself with the 
prospect of a sure life beyond the grave, and then I 
longed for death; but now I have been suddenly 
awaked, and so I have lost that beautiful dream. ' ' 
That made no difference with the result: Seneca is 



24 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The soul's death. Everlasting life. 

living just the same somewhere, and knows now 
what for ever means. 

II. In the second place, it is helpful to learn 
here that the text draws a distinction between life 
and mere existence. 

Into this word live we must suffer a new incre- 
ment of meaning to enter also. The fiat went forth 
early, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." But 
the further revelation of God's will convinces us 
that the significance of such a threat is, not that 
the transgressor shall be struck out of being, but 
that he shall endure a living death. A conscious 
existence shall be opened upon his intensified and 
still conscious experience, which shall absorb all 
his powers of vitality in the reception of retribution 
for what he has done. Hence, to offset such reach 
of meaning in the word die, we find, everywhere in 
the New Testament and the Old, a vast reach of 
significance attached to this correlate word, live. 
1 1 He that believeth on me, ' ' said the Saviour, 
" hath everlasting life." There can be no value in 
further speculation; we must go at once to the Word 
of God for all positive doctrine. And here, in the 
Bible, we meet a new disclosure, startling in its 
admonition, and, in many of its phases, suggestive 
of alarm; yet, on the whole, of inestimable com- 
fort and help. 

We are informed that these hearts of ours may 
have one of two moral states. Whichever of these 
is possessed as a permanent character, decides des- 
tiny. The heart that ' ' seeks God ' ' enters immedi- 



THE IMMORTALITY OF THE AFFECTIONS. 25 



Two doors facing us. Prediction and promise. 

ately into the nearness of God's presence, where 
there is fulness of joy. The heart that wilfully re- 
fuses to * ' seek God ' ' is forced into the darkness of 
utter banishment from God for the unending future. 
To the first of these conditions the Scriptures have 
given the name of life; to the second, death. 

Before me, then, I see two doors — one of gold, 
and one of iron. I do not know altogether where 
they lead. I learn soon enough to be sure, how- 
ever, that behind the dark gate of iron there is not 
one thing I want, and everything I dread. Behind 
the shining portal of gold there is a blessed hope 
and home, which will be all my soul can ever de- 
sire. Now I can swing either of these on its hinges 
and pass through. As a free-willed creature, I am 
told I can be permitted to take my choice. If I 
"seek God," I go to the golden door, for there is 
where God resides. If not, I go to the -iron one. 
But the death I find, in the one case, is not simply 
annihilation; and the life I reach, in the other, is 
not merely prolonged existence. 

III. This is sober doctrine: so observe, in the 
third place, the text evidences its authority by lan- 
guage peremptory and plain. 

It is not necessary to claim that the word shall, 
here used, is of itself sovereign and conclusive. 
But the form of speech employed is not that of pre- 
diction so much as that of promise: our translators 
must have meant to show us their confident belief 
that here the Holy Spirit intended more than 
just to say that our hearts will live for ever.. 

Neglected Texts. 5 



26 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Law of Habit "The ruling passion." 

The expression resembles that of our Lord : "I 
am the living bread which came down from heav- 
en: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for 
ever. ' ' This is his covenant promise. But, lest I 
should seem to strain the language, it may be well 
to insist that there are three fixed laws of human 
nature, which, fairly working together, render it 
absolutely certain that our affections will survive 
the shock of death and reassert themselves here- 
after. 

i. One is the law of habit. We recognize a 
sailor by his unconscious gait on the street, gained 
by long years of tossing upon the ship's deck. We 
are willing to take oath in a court of justice as to 
the authenticity of a merchant's signature. And 
the pressure of such a law holds all the more surely 
in our mental and moral nature than in our physi- 
cal. Indeed, the power and permanency of its 
results are much more extensive when the natures 
are higher, finer, and more sensitive to external 
influences. Loves are stronger, and hates are more 
inveterate, than simple habits of body and mind. 

Hence, we have all observed that, when persons 
are dying, some predominant tastes and feelings 
they have cherished become singularly manifest. 
We exclaim, "The ruling passion is strong in 
death. ' ' Those likes and dislikes which reappear 
amid the bewilderments of the final agony, and 
imperatively master the man in his mortal hour, 
driving their fierce way so sharply up to the very 
edge of the tomb, will inevitably be reproduced 



THE IMMORTALITY OF THE AFFECTIONS. 2J 



Law of Exercise. Self-master}' lost. 

beyond it. " He that is unjust, let him be unjust 
still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: 
and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still : 
and he that is holy, let him be holy still. ' ' 

2. Another law is that of exercise. The swift- 
ness of the weaver, the delicacy of the musician's 
touch, the boldness of the painter, the sinewy force 
of the smith, are all due to much growth gained 
from vigorous and persistent repetition. We say at 
once, ' ' Practice makes perfect. ' ' Under this law 
the memory is often so wonderfully strengthened 
that it disdains data of aid. The reasoning facul- 
ties become able to conduct long and intricate pro- 
cesses of argument without chance of mistake, and 
even in defiance of fatigue. 

But now the most curious working of this law 
of exercise will appear in the fact that, when our 
affections are wrought upon, their increase is su- 
preme. One's prejudices become his master: he 
cannot unlearn what he has been learning. L,ove 
increases the power of loving just by continuance 
in loving. Hate grows malignantly venomous be- 
fore one knows how much his better nature is over- 
come; so that, at the last moment, a wicked man 
discovers he is not under his own control. What 
he likes, he must continue to like; what he dis- 
likes, he must continue to dislike. To will is pres- 
ent with him, perhaps, but how to perform that 
which is good, he finds not ; the evil which he 
would not do, he does; he recognizes, then, a law 
in his members warring against the law of his 



28 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Law of Association. An incendiary wind. 

mind, and bringing him into captivity to the law 
of sin. He has educated and exercised his affec- 
tions, nntil now they defy him: they are his despot, 
and he is their slave. 

3. Then there is the law of association. Most of. 
all, this is subtle and forceful. When its action 
reaches a man's moral and mental natures working 
together, it seems almost irresistible. If you part 
in a certain room with a friend, that room, ever 
after, brings your friend and your parting to your 
memory. The strongest associations we have come 
from the senses of hearing and smell. The sound 
of the hymn your mother used to sing will fill your 
eyes with tears. The scent of a flower from the 
doorway of the old homestead will be enough to 
send you back into years of thoughtful reminis- 
cence. 

In the case of repeated sinful indulgences, which 
(it may be) a penitent man is laboring hard to sub- 
due, this law plays the part of an incendiary wind 
at a fire. It finds one spark remaining among the 
embers, and fans it into a flame. Before one is 
aware of it, all his bad passions are in conflagration 
anew. The drunkard feels his appetite raging just 
at the merest clink of glasses. The reluctant gam- 
bler is greedy for vicious gratification at the simple 
sight of the innocent cards in a parlor. So invinci- 
ble is the pressure of evil associations that they 
appear part of one's self; the man cries out for 
help : 1 f Who shall deliver me from the body of this 
death ?" 



THE IMMORTALITY OF THE AFFECTIONS. 29 



The threefold cord. Our grave is waiting. 

Thus we see that these three laws, so far from 
interfering in any degree with each other, actually 
intertwine themselves together and accelerate the 
action of each other. "A threefold cord is not 
quickly broken. ' ' When, all at once, they lay hold 
of our affections, there is no possible escape from 
them; through this present life, over the barriers 
into the life beyond, they force their way. Hence 
comes the fulfilment of the proverb, ' ' His own in- 
iquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall 
be holden with the cords of his sins; he shall die 
without instruction; and in the greatness of his 
folly he shall go astray. ' ' 

IV. In the fourth place, the text teaches that 
human immortality is quite independent of all acci- 
dents and surroundings. 

"Our life," said Augustine, "is so brief and 
insecure that I know not whether to call it a dying 
life or a living death. ' ' We are sure at this moment 
that somewhere among the meadows or forests of 
this planet, or down on the moist floor of the sea, 
there is one narrow pathetic spot of earth eventu- 
ally to become sacred with the deposit of our mor- 
tal dust during the days or years in which it may 
lie waiting for the trumpet that is to summon us to 
final judgment. One chamber there is to-day, some- 
where beneath an unrecognized roof, that is by and 
by to grow august and solemn with the entering in 
of the inevitable shadow. But neither that room 
nor that tomb can forcibly hold the disembodied 
spirit for an hour. 1 ' Man dieth and wasteth away ;' ' 

3* 



30 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



"Mine— not me!" The soul alone immortal. 

but there yet remains the question, "Where is 
he?" 

For it is not in the body that our immortality 
resides; hence the shattering of the outward sem- 
blance of a man has no effect whatever upon the 
indefeasible and inalienable perpetuity of the affec- 
tions. " Your heart shall live for ever:" that heart 
is yourself. 

" The purple stream, which through my vessels glides 
Dull and unconscious, flows like common tides; 
These pipes, through which the circling juices play, 
Are not that thinking I — no more than they ; 
This frame, compacted with transcendent skill, 
Of moving joints obedient to my will, 
Nursed from the fruitful glebe, like yonder tree, 
Waxes and wastes — I call it mine, not me !" 

Here, then, comes out the last and exhaustive 
statement of doctrine in the passage we are study- 
ing. Ivet us read the whole verse: "The meek 
shall eat and be satisfied; they shall praise the Lord 
that seek him: your heart shall live for ever." 
This is exactly what the other verse I have quoted 
says, "Your heart shall live that seek God." 
Even in the world, which, with "all the works 
that are therein, shall be burned up," there is one 
thing that is sure to stand — immortal man. There 
is one thing in man, only one, which is immortal — 
the soul. There is one thing in the soul in which 
immortal life resides— the heart. That is to say, 
human affections will exist for ever in the line of 
their "seeking." You look upward and seem to 



THE IMMORTALITY OF THE AFFECTIONS. 31 



The throne-room. " The King never dies." 

see your Maker; some feeling within you either 
dilates with welcome, or shrinks with recoil: call 
this yourself, if you prefer: whatever it is, it will 
live for ever, because it fully and filially turns to 
God, or it deliberately turns away from God. 
Whatever your heart is, it will never die. 

And that heart, therefore, is independent of all 
surroundings. It carries human existence with it 
in despite of all changes in the perishable universe 
around it. Just as in every kingdom there is a cap- 
ital, and in the capital a palace, and in the palace 
a throne-room, and in the throne-room a monarch — 
so in the realm of divine government there is one 
capital — man ; and in man a palace — the soul ; and 
in the soul a throne-room — his heart. Now in the 
fires of that conflagration-day the city may burn, 
and the palace may be consumed; but the throne- 
room shall never perish, for the King is in it, and 
we know the King never dies. ' ' Your heart shall 
live for ever. ' ' 

V. Finally, our text fixes all its force by an 
immediate application of its doctrine to such as are 
meek enough to receive it. 

It is likely that we all know how easy and loose 
seems the ordinary use of grammatical forms in the 
simple Hebrew tongue. So we should hardly be 
willing to peril much upon the strictness of these 
pronouns we find in the verse of the text. Still, it 
would be rash to say there is no significance what- 
ever in the sudden changes from the first and third 
persons to the second and the plural. The word 



32 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Treasure fixes the heart. Insatiate longing. 

your occurs nowhere else in the whole Psalm. The 
address is as surprising as it is abrupt: "Your heart 
shall live for ever. ' ' And if now we are to under- 
stand that the change is made for the purpose of 
intensifying the admonition by rendering it more 
direct through all ages of human history, then there 
follow some important inferences. 

i. For example, this: If your heart is to live for 
ever, then much consideration ought to be given to 
your aims in this life, for they are fashioning the 
heart that is to be immortal. The purposes which 
we strive for sometimes strike back powerfully 
upon our affections : ' i For where your treasure is, 
there will be your heart also. " It is indispensable 
that we see how a treasure so fixes a heart as that, 
when the treasure fails, the heart goes right along 
craving it, and missing it, and mourning for it with 
an unappeased hunger. I^ove of power breeds arro- 
gance, and love of wealth breeds avarice. Then 
when the world passes away and the lust thereof — 
when gold and silver are burned up, when parti- 
sanship has vanished, and the generation we dom- 
inated has died — then the misfortune is that the 
heart must go on sighing in an eternal widowhood 
of insatiate wishing for what is lost; for it is fash- 
ioned to entertain nothing else now. 

That is to say, the superior has yielded to the 
inferior, the lofty has gone down headlong to the 
low, the spiritual has subjected itself to the sway 
of the animal, the whole nature has been first de- 
based, corrupted and defiled, and then, in its utter 



THE IMMORTALITY OF THE AFFECTIONS. 33 



"Society." Parvenus. 

" ruin of spiritual drunkenness and opium-eating, is 
dismissed to an immortality of unsatisfied desola- 
tion, which, hereafter it cannot even shed. 

2. Again, if our heart is to live for ever, then 

-our companionships ought to be chosen with a 
view to the far future which is coining. Some 
men and women strive very hard to get into what 
they are wont to call ' ' society. ' ' And some toil 
harder still to remain in. Now it should be known 
that almost any one can buy in, generally at a 
good price, as the world goes. The word parvenu 
means one lately brought in; and there are par- 
venus all around us who frankly tell us that the 
after years grow rather expensive for those who 
hope for a permanency. After a while, it is likely 
that a good many become ennuyed, and wonder 
whether it makes a profitable investment. For, on 
some day of disclosure, a man overhears the remark 
that society cherishes his cards more than it does 
his children, prefers his wine to his wife, and really 
loves his dinner-table more that it does himself. 

Just there comes the discovery that he cannot 
retreat. Such is the power of social ambition, that 
the heart is compelled to drop down when its idol 
is pitched over on its face. The heart fares as fares 
the world it has sought. But the worst is, the 
heart cannot be allowed to die: it lives and suffers; 
sees old enemies triumphant; feels the same ugly 
jealousies it had long ago; hankers for what is for 
ever out of its reach, and enters an eternity where 
it is alone. 



34 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Processes of education. The spectre of the Erocken. 

3. Once more: If our heart is to live for ever, 
then some care should be had concerning the pro- 
cesses of education by which our affections are 
trained. Alas, how many men and women there 
are busily engaged in making hearts which will 
be terrible things to live alone with by and by! 
These corrupt tastes and perverse habits; all these 
mean associations and sharpened desires; this pet- 
ulance, maliciousness, peevishness; these dull beat- 
ings of the mind up and down through mere busi- 
ness machinery; these miserable little petty rival- 
ries of dress and demeanor and equipage; all im- 
bedded in the heart — fixed, even now, in its fibre 
and substance, and to be one time offered as our 
sole dependence — this is our education for eternity. 

Among the Hartz Mountains, in Germany, there 
is one spot up to which tourists are often asked to 
walk in the after part of the day, in order that they 
may see what is called the spectre of the Brocken. 
A vast reach of hills appears, terraced away into 
the distance, across whose blue expanse a great 
figure in human shape is seen moving. Now it 
requires some little attention before one can dis- 
cover that this phenomenon is only his own shadow 
projected by the sun behind his back. That brow, 
whose nod seems as if it might shake the universe, 
is simply his own forehead ; that hand, which 
might grapple with the Titans, is only his own 
with the staff in it that he climbed up by; and that 
foot, whose tread beats the forests, is only his own, 
sadly fatigued, too, with the unusual toil. 



THE IMMORTALITY OF THE AFFECTIONS. 35 



Hearts can be changed. Queen Elizabeth's portrait. 

Here is our picture for study. This heart of 
ours is. eventually projected forward upon the moun- 
tains of an unexplored eternity. Even at the pres- 
ent moment it begins to exhibit the vastness of its 
future. It is not this arm you are training, but 
that of yonder giant; it is not this foot you are 
leading onward, but that of the giant. It is not 
this life at all, but that other life, wherein lies the 
majesty, and wherein centres the hope, of your 
entire being. 

4. So, at last, if our hearts are to live for 
ever, then surely, it is now time some hearts were 
changed powerfully by the Spirit of divine grace. 
It is too late to mould them over, or to educate 
them again. The ancient Romans would not 
suffer the figure or the name of Mors to be cut on 
medals or seals; but they died, nevertheless, as die 
other men. One may shut his eyes when falling 
down a precipice, but if he were stone-blind, it 
would not hinder his being dashed to pieces. Queen 
Elizabeth of England, imperious in rebellion at 
some pitiless and unflattering effects of light, com- 
manded the artist to paint her portrait without 
shadows; he complied, but the picture appeared 
without features. Life must be painted with death 
beside it. 

There is something exquisitely pathetic in the 
remembrance of Christian people that these words 
of our text may be considered the very last words 
of our dying Redeemer to men. For we all know 
that he repeated the twenty-second Psalm to him- 



36 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Christ on the cross. The " vainglory of life." 

self while upon the cross. One loud cry, rapidly 
rehearsing the opening verse, tells us how he so- 
laced the sufferings of his dying with the prayer it 
contains. A moment — -just a moment — he turned 
from his God to his people ; then this counsel was 
spoken to the world and the ages. Long years pre- 
vious to this he had asked, ' ' My son, give me 
thine heart. ' ' Only the warning now remained to 
be uttered: "Your heart shall live for ever." 
There is a Persian proverb which says, ' ' The heart 
is the only thing that is better by being broken. ' ' 
And the Scripture furnishes us the words of sur- 
render: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: 
a broken and a contrite heart, O God! thou wilt 
not despise. ' ' 

A few years more, and all that now dazzles and 
delights will have vanished. Do not set these liv- 
ing hearts upon it. ' ' Love not the world, neither 
the things that are in the world. If any man love 
the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, 
and the lust of the eyes, and the vainglory of life, 
is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the 
world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he 
that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. ' ' 



IV. 



SCIENCE AND THE CHURCH. 
"And the earth helped the woman."— Revelation 12:16. 

IT is to be supposed that you all know what 
such a text means, in general particulars. The 
( ' woman ' ' mentioned here is a symbol of the New 
Testament church. She is represented as pursued 
by the devil, who ejects from his mouth a river of 
water after her. Just then the earth opens; the 
deluge is swallowed up; so the woman is saved. 

Hence we can catch from so rapidly flitting a 
vision at least as much as this welcome proposition: 
Nature is on the side of genuine religion; science 
is ready now to be helpful to the church when it 
needs succor. 

That is to say, true science may be trusted. 
Thus far in history it has been really friendly to 
"the faith once delivered to the saints;" its revela- 
tions have ever shown a most delightful submission 
to the inspired record. The moment any new fact 
has been heralded as a discovery, that fact has been 
investigated by earnest thinkers; and as soon as it 
has been registered and understood, it has ranged 
itself among the corroborations of revealed truth. 

Such a statement may strike some people with 
a sudden surprise; for they have been wont to con- 
sider Christian believers afraid of scientific discus- 
sion altogether. But the church has never become 
thoroughly frightened by what scoffers have had to 

Neglected Texts. A 



38 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The sensitive plant. Newton and Laplace. 

say. There is no reason for a spasm of alarm now. 
The sensitive plant is not more delicate in its quick 
recognitions of the master of the garden where it 
grows, when it bends in modest obeisance to his 
lightest finger's touch, than all the disclosures of a 
true science have been in their surrender to the 
Word. 

I. Hence it might be wise for us, in the first 
place, to allude to the somewhat ungenerous way 
in which the woman has been treating the earth in 
modern times. 

There is a violence of prejudice in the minds of 
a great many of God's people which is almost 
inexplicable. From the outset they suspect all 
offers of help from the world of natural research. 
Now the day has passed for a mere show of bigotry. 
The dawn of discovery has arrived, and people will 
just be laughed at who think scientific men are 
going to be put down by either traditions or dog- 
matic theologies of the schools. Whoever considers 
that his opinions are settled beyond modification is 
simply a conceited or obstinate debater. Philoso- 
phers themselves have often had to yield in their 
hypotheses. For new elements enter the discussion 
with each year of God's grace. 

Sir Isaac Newton predicted that by and by this 
universe would get so far involved and entangled 
by certain "perturbations" among the planets, 
which he detected and described, that God's own 
hand would need to be interposed to rectify the 
impending ruin. Now I,aplace, coming a few 



science: and the church. 



39 



Adjustments in nature. Unfortunate mistakes. 

seasons later along the ages, showed beyond a con- 
tradiction that the Almighty foreknew all these 
errors and disturbances, and really had made pro- 
vision to meet them from the first by a series of 
most marvellous adjustments. The universe had a 
sort of self-regulating compensation working among 
its own forces, and so would keep itself safe. 

Now if skilled philosophers have to be thus 
modest in dealing with each other, how much more 
wary ought the rank and file of mere theologians 
to be ! For they are a class of scholars who do not 
claim to be experts in the details of the material 
sciences. Hence come the humiliating mistakes 
many of them make in the rapid attacks of their 
belligerent arguments. Perhaps they are not to 
be blamed for not being intelligent in the denun- 
ciations of their witty paragraphs; for time and 
opportunity may not have been permitted them for 
full investigation. But it is beyond the claim of 
logical charity to assert that a man is not to blame 
for attempting replies that are unintelligent. What 
right, for example, has a clergyman now to con- 
struct a tremendous philippic against geology, bold- 
ly basing his reasonings upon a statement so sweep- 
ing as this: "It is the constant language of geolo- 
gists that among all the fossils no young have been 
found"? Could a patient geologist do anything 
more with such an adversary than quietly to count 
him out of the scholarly debate ? 

And further: there would be some additional 
reason for flexibility of belief on the part of reli- 



4-0 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Traditional expositions. Illustrations from science. 

gious expositors found in the fact that men of science 
are generally quite reverent in their estimates of 
God's exact Word, no matter how relentless they 
may be in their rejections of traditional expositions 
which that Word has received. If they take up a 
new Commentary, just issued from the press, they 
show a most gratifying respect for those pathetic, 
grand old lines in large type across the top of each 
page; it is the uninspired fine print at the bottom 
that they criticise. Hence the theologians' tears ! 

Is it not time that religious people recognize 
the lapse of time and the growth of ages? Some 
things have come to light which Turretin and 
Luther and Calvin did not know, or they very 
likely would never have written what they did. 
It would not be fair to assert that scientists are 
accustomed to present these new facts in discovery 
in a derisive or cool-blooded way. Indeed, they 
frequently suggest upon their own pages some in- 
genious comments which they appear to hope will 
reconcile the fresh information from nature with 
the inspired writings, which they do not deny have 
come from the same supreme Author. It is not a 
rare thing to record that now and then expositors 
have been glad to acknowledge that some of their 
most brilliant illustrations of truth have been fur- 
nished to them by men who are popularly reported 
as being unfriendly to the evangelical faith. It is 
neither a modest nor a generous act to raise a hue 
and cry against such wise and scholarly students as 
are trying to elucidate Scripture itself as well as 



SCIENCE AND THE CHURCH. 



41 



Who finds the diamcnds ? God will take care of Moses. 

nature. The true prudence for us all would be to 
welcome aid in any difficult field of labor, no mat- 
ter whence it comes. A fact is a fact, as a diamond 
is a diamond, and both are valuable; and it would 
be a sheer waste of time to inquire jealously the 
color of the first searcher who found either. 

Let those who unearth the sculptures of Nine- 
veh, who explore the streets of Pompeii, or bring 
home to us the buried treasures of Egypt, publish 
freely all they can learn. There was a day when 
the gold and silver of Pharaoh's people went into 
the heaps of money contributed for building the 
tabernacle of God in the wilderness ; there need be 
no fear but that all the discoveries of every science 
in turn, as soon as they have become fixed and 
tabulated by scientists themselves, will range their 
valuable brightness where they can best beautify 
the temple of God's Word. L,et ethnology investi- 
gate and classify the races; Paul's speech at Athens 
is not going to be ruined. L,et geology dig the 
planet through and through; we need never trem- 
ble for the Pentateuch; God will be wise enough to 
take care of Moses. For he is not going to suffer 
the kingdom of grace to be overthrown by contra- 
dictions that men will discover in the kingdom of 
nature; he is King in both kingdoms, and Christ 
once said that even Beelzebub could not stand, 
divided against himself. 

II. Now let us seek, in the second place, sug- 
gesting just a possible illustration under each head, 
some few of the forms of actual help which natural 

4* 



42 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Unconscious prophecies. When was light created ? 

science of every sort has already furnished, thus 
exhibiting its real friendliness. 

i. To begin with, let us consider its answer to 
what have been termed the 1 1 unconscious propliecies ' ' 
of the Bible. 

It is a most remarkable fact that in none of its 
dogmatical statements does the Word of God cross 
any defined line of physical discovery. We may 
even go farther than this. Not only do the Scrip- 
tures preserve a calm integrity in all these expo- 
sures, unsullied by any contradiction, but now we 
find, with the newer revelations of science, some 
frequent anticipations of their existence hinted in 
the obscure language of the inspired volume. This 
proves that what human ingenuity with laborious 
investigation has acquired was long ago understood 
in the Supreme Mind which held care over the 
sacred penmen. Every now and then we discover 
that some fine element or fact or truth or relation, 
which has just come to knowledge so as to be 
announced in the school-books, was really implied 
or involved in the singular expressions holy men 
employed under the guidance of the Spirit. 

Take, for an example, the distinction which is 
made in the opening chapters of Genesis between 
solar light and that primitive illumination which 
existed before the sun. Moses, as you will remem- 
ber, tells us that light was created on the first day, 
while the sun and moon were not created till after- 
wards, on the fourth. Here infidelity has carped, 
and even the Christian world has grown timid and 



SCIENCE AND THE CHURCH. 43 



Fossil animals' eyes. ''Light-bearers." 

perplexed. Now what does science have to say? 
It points to us the remains of animals which lived 
in the long ages before man was brought into being; 
and it calls our attention to the fact that these fos- 
sil creatures have undoubted eyes, some of them 
eyes almost innumerably multiplied. Now eyes, 
of course, prove that light was in existence then in 
some form. But this could not have been sunlight; 
for geologists have settled that the deposits of coal, 
made at something like the same period, were com- 
posed of woody fibre which never grew in the ordi- 
nary sunshine. There was once a period, there- 
fore, in which light existed which was not sunshine ; 
two distinct sciences have helped each other to that 
conclusion. And then lately light has been proved 
to be not a substance at all, but only a series of 
waves produced and transmitted in and along 
through an invisible and tenuous fluid pervading 
the universe as the air does the sky. Then to all 
this information generously furnished by astron- 
omy, geology, and botany, comes philology to add 
that the word in the Pentateuch which Moses em- 
ploys means not lights but " light-bearers. " Here 
we perceive that what has taken four sciences four 
thousand years to discover must have been known 
beforehand and ordered by the same God who, after 
having created the world, inspired the Bible. 

2. In the second place, the church has occasion 
to thank science for its help in giving a constant 
rebuke to impertinent cavils which petulant objectors 
are in the habit of urging. 



44 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Impertinent cavils. Voltaire's witticism. 

There is a species of minor criticisms put for- 
ward with harmful ingenuity at the present day, 
which, though exceedingly trivial, do yet in their 
results become vexatious. They will pass the no- 
tice of a thoroughly intelligent or candid man, for 
he will not believe them to have been seriously 
pressed; but they are the arguments which power- 
fully move small minds, for they are easily grasped 
and held with much tenacity. To the educated 
Bible student they resemble only insects of little 
bulk, though of vast activity; and he hardly deems 
it needful more than to smite them with the open 
palm of his hand when they come singing in his 
ear, only that their sting proves annoying and 
sometimes leaves a mean irritation behind it. 

Voltaire founded an argument against the truth- 
fulness of the Old Testament upon what he termed 
the ignorant mistakes of the writers who composed 
the various books. Among these he instanced the 
expression of Solomon in the Proverbs, "Look not 
upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his 
color in the glass. ' ' Now, said this witty French- 
man, Solomon could not have been the wise man 
he was reputed to be, or else he would have been 
fully informed that glass was not known as a sub- 
stance until long after he was dead ; it was invented 
subsequent to the date of his somewhat fragmentary 
book. Every little infidel of course instantly took up 
the little joke, and compared his error with the dis- 
covery of a water-mark in the paper on which a for- 
gery 7 is written, fixing the fraud by the date disclosed. 



SCIKNCE AND THE CHURCH. 



When was glass invented ? An indignant onset. 

Now science stepped into the controversy, not 
precisely for the Bible's sake in that skeptical age, 
but for its own. Chronology settled that Solomon 
lived about 1004 B. C. Then a historian proved 
that glass was in use among the Egyptians far be- 
fore that time, for he had found pictures of glass- 
blowing in the ruins of temples sculptured on the 
stone slabs. Archaeology followed with an exhibi- 
tion of a glass signet engraved with a monarch's 
name, and dated 1 500 B. C. ; this was discovered in 
ancient Thebes. And to this there was added the 
fact, announced by the expedition just returning 
from Egypt, that there were glass beads buried with 
the mummies, they began to unroll. At this mo- 
ment also came in philology to say that Solomon 
had not in fact mentioned the name of glass at all 
in his proverb; the original Hebrew word meant 
cup, a mere drinking-vessel of any material; the 
wise man had warned against wine ' ' when it giv- 
eth its color in the cup. ' ' Thus, again, four distinct 
sciences in turn took up the contemptible little cavil 
and silenced it. 

It seems a waste of energy; but this has often 
been the result of such a demonstration. When- 
ever the criticisms have become really offensive 
and troublesome, science has turned terribly around 
upon them, and with an indignant and impetuous 
onset has swept them into utter annihilation in a 
moment, as the full thunderburst of a trained broad- 
side from a seventy-four-gun ship would sweep away 
a gnat. One might assert that so much effort was 



4 6 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Difficult doctrines illustrated. Mysteries in nature. 

quite needless ; but, at any rate, it is edifying to see 
how able science is to do it; and it is comforting to 
know the Bible has an ally so faithful, with resour- 
ces so ready in the hour of peril and so formidable 
to its foes. 

3. Once more: consider science as exemplifying 
its friendliness for the church in the illustration of 
difficult doctrines which it furnishes. 

It is not asserted just now that natural analogies 
stand for proofs of anything revealed in the Scrip- 
tures; but they do in some cases seem to show that 
the Author of the Bible is the Supreme Architect 
of the universe; they disclose the same hand. 

It does not matter where we seek for examples. 
The resurrection of the body, perhaps one of the 
doctrines of the New Testament the most mysteri- 
ous, was quite a fresh revelation to the world at 
large. It is a hard matter of belief to many a per- 
plexed mind now. But it is no harder than the 
mystery of a tree's growth from the seed; and this 
is the figure which the apostle Paul used for his 
help in explaining it. The entire theory of a 
plant's changes, when the grain dies in order that 
it may be alive again, is inexplicable ; but this is 
what our divine Lord employed in order to clear 
the mystery a little. Singularly enough, though 
both of these strange matters are beyond our reach, 
the one appears to throw illumination upon the 
other. The worm, changing to the butterfly, the 
butterfly to the worm again, are beyond the limits 
of our philosophy; but it is the chrysalis which 



SCIENCE AND THE CHURCH. 47 



Reason and faith. Very short creeds. 

gives us our vividest emblem by which to set forth 
the notion of immortality. Thus science brings a 
most generous help to revelation by even its sug- 
gestion of an equal difficulty in dealing with its 
intricate problems. For in these matters of every- 
day observation there seems to be a hint that we all 
belong to the same system and are fashioned by the 
same omnipotent hand. There are reserves in 
science into which the all-wise Creator retires as he 
does in revelation. 

4. In the fourth place, let us be ready to ac- 
knowledge the help we receive in the reconciliation 
which science offers concerning the paradoxes of reason 
and faith in the Scriptures. 

We are all well aware that for many generations 
the one supreme cavil levelled against Christianity 
has been that those who are rational creatures of a 
reasoning God are urged to believe what they are 
frankly told they cannot understand. And the de- 
mand has been pressed that religious people should 
be prepared to offer the same proofs — that is, the 
same sort of proofs — that science offers for its prop- 
• ositions. 

How signal the rebuke has been, whenever this 
challenge has been accepted, we need not now pause 
to recall. How lamentably short our scientific creeds 
would become, if we should in our school-books for 
the children carry out this principle, we are com- 
pelled in all modesty to confess. We should have 
to deny the growing of the grass, the falling of the 
rain, the circulation of our blood, the bursting of an 



48 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Who squares the circle? Three are one ; one is three. 

acorn, the instinct of a spider, the freezing of a lake: 
all these would have to be discarded as incredible 
and unknown. And as for mathematics, it would 
become necessary to give up Euclid after he finished 
with straight lines; for no one can possibly get rid 
of that uncomfortable decimal in the squaring of 
the circle; and until that is done, all subsequent 
propositions must halt in their logic. The fact 
is, the fall of Lucifer from heaven is no more 
mysterious than the disappearance of the seventh 
Pleiad. 

Now we do not say that this relieves the diffi- 
culty; but it helps us to be patient with some of the 
worst paradoxes we are compelled to face. And 
when shrewd and ingenious intellect is invoked in 
order to ridicule our sublime doctrines, it lifts the 
burden a little to be able to shift the field of con- 
flict. We find in the revealed Word the statement 
that our Maker is ' ' the Light of the world. ' ' Vivid 
indeed is the illustration offered by optical science 
just at this point. Here are three primary colors 
entering in to produce perfect white — the blue, the 
yellow, and the red. The natural philosopher 
places before our eyes a broad disk of metal; he 
paints on it segments of color in due proportion, 
running from circumference to centre and ending 
at a point; then he whirls the disk like a wheel on 
its axis; the colors disappear, and the metal shines 
whiter than a silver shield. We cannot understand 
it; but the fact is the three elements have blended 
into one whole: three are one, and one is three. Then 



SCIENCE AND THE CHURCH. 



49 



Little arithmetical puzzles. Obscure passages. 

the lecturer tells us that the red gives off all the heat 
in the sun's ray, the yellow spreads all the illumi- 
nation, the blue effects the chemical changes in liv- 
ing organisms. He says we read by the yellow ray, 
but we should shiver without the red, and we should 
wither and die without the blue. They are all 
needed as colors, and they all work together as one 
beam of sunlight. Now it is not contended that 
this is an explanation of the Scriptural doctrine 
of the Trinity of God's being; but this we do insist 
upon: whenever cavillers demand scientific rea- 
soning, because they cannot believe what they do 
not understand, it does seem as if we might wait 
for them to play their little arithmetical puzzles 
about three are one and one is three off upon the 
spectrum before they try them on the Trinity. And 
we go a single step farther: we cannot help think- 
ing, in view of such astonishing analogies, that it 
must have been infinite wisdom which said, ( * God 
is light." 

5. Finally, let us consider the friendliness of 
science as manifested in the positive help which it 
offers in the interpretation of obscure passages in the 
Word itself. 

The command was early given, ( ' Search the 
Scriptures." We do search; yet all our study some- 
times is insufficient to unravel the difficulties in 
forms of expression, and in allusions to unrecognized 
or unknown circumstances which surrounded the 
sacred writer when he penned a given text. The 
disclosures which have been offered us in late years 

Neglected Texts. C 



50 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Cuneiform inscriptions. The cross in the rocks. 

by men not usually enumerated among Scriptural 
expositors are almost innumerable. 

Think of the helpfulness of Layard's discoveries 
at Nineveh to the students in explaining the books 
of Jonah and Nahum. So of the other forgotten 
cities and empires; we are to read concerning the 
fall of Tyre, the overthrow of Egypt, the extinction 
of Edom, the destruction of Babylon, in the light of 
late investigations of the ruins in those lands, all 
made in the interest of science. These inscriptions 
found on monuments and tombs, written in wedge- 
shaped characters — as unintelligible to ordinary 
minds as a modern telegraphic despatch to a Green- 
lander — are all brought and laid at the feet of the 
eternal Word. More and more of these are coming 
to our knowledge each year, and more and more 
historic passages are growing clear. 

Just in this way, according to its nature, each 
one of the sciences in turn becomes friendly and val- 
uable to the gospel. Chemistry expounds those texts 
which tell of the world's destruction by fire. As- 
tronomy gives immediate relief in explaining what 
is to be understood when Moses mentions a firma- 
ment. And surely we need not remind candid peo- 
ple of the new views which geology in reverent 
hands is flinging on all the early annals of the Del- 
uge and Creation, and how the later revelations ap- 
pear almost to point out evidences of the story of 
the cross even in the strata underground. 

Thus the earth helps the woman even now. 
Every new discovery in the realm of physical 



SCIENCE AND THE CHURCH. 



51 



The handmaid of Faith. Wild sea-birds. 

knowledge may be treated as the old ones have 
been, scouted and abused as being the ally of the 
infidel. But by and by it will push its unobtrusive 
way forward till it will be recognized as a friend, 
prove itself useful, and be amply praised. Then 
we shall know that all along true Science has been 
the handmaid of the true Faith. 

" It is said that a hundred thousand birds fry 
against the lights of the lighthouses along our At- 
lantic coast, and are killed annually." So says a 
slip cut from this morning's newspaper. We need 
not be afraid in these excited times that the cap- 
tious cavillers will disturb our hope. The dark 
wild birds of the ocean keep coming in from the 
mysterious caverns; they seem to hate the glitter of 
the lenses. They will continue to dash themselves 
upon the thick panes of glass in the windows. But 
they usually end by beating their wings to pieces 
on the unyielding crystal till they fall dead in the 
surf rolling below. Not a ray of brightness has 
been dimmed, not one ship in the offing has been 
lured into peril. All that we have to do is to keep 
the lamps trimmed in the Lord's lantern. 



V. 



THE GIFT OF SNOW. 

" He giveth snow like wool." — Psalm 147 : 16. 

WE should have a very inadequate notion of the 
climate in Palestine if we attempted to picture it 
as entirely tropical. Syria, as a whole, lies in a 
latitude similar in many respects to this part of our 
own land. To be sure, some parts of it are warmer 
than others; but in the northern regions, and espe- 
cially in the hilly countries, storms of severest vio- 
lence are of frequent occurrence. 

Only one instance of an actually severe snow- 
storm is found in the Bible history. (2 Samuel 
23 : 20.) But all through the Scriptures allusions 
are made to frost and ice as being the common 
natural phenomena of those countries. In earlier 
times, it is likely, snow fell much more heavily 
there than now. Yet, even down to the present 
time, ice from Lebanon is considered quite an im- 
portant commodity of traffic, and is sold in the 
summer at Damascus, and conveyed as far as Cairo. 

Hence no surprise needs to be felt at finding 
here, in one of the ancient psalms, prepared for 
solemn worship in the sanctuary, a declaration 
fitted for a winter's day, a song of praise appropri- 
ate for those who have reached the house of God 
through the violence of a storm: u He giveth snow 
like wool; he scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes; 
he casteth forth his ice like morsels; who can stand 



THE GIFT OF SNOW. 



53 



A chilled shepherd. Divine handiwork in nature. 

before his cold?" Our purpose, on this occasion, 
is something more than merely to repeat the ascrip- 
tion as a part of our own worship. We can seek 
lessons of spiritual good from a quiet contemplation 
of precisely the same spectacle as that which in- 
spired the author of the Psalms. We can picture 
that chilled shepherd out on the hillside, pitying 
and gathering in his flocks, and noting how like to 
the wool they wear is the snow that falls on it. 
And it cannot fail to set us an admirable example 
of devotion to God, if we think of him thus catch- 
ing images of praise even as he faces the sleety 
flakes, and singing them as he shivers. 

Four attributes of God, at the narrowest reckon- 
ing, find their illustration and plain exhibition in 
the snow. 

I. The first of these is his Omnipresence. 

Our thought takes its power and force from the 
exact phraseology of the text. Nothing, in all the 
round of our observation, would seem to be more 
lawless, more tumultuous, or more confused, than a 
snowstorm in progress. But here, in the inspired 
Word, we are suddenly informed that each one of 
these drifting flakes is a present from God : ' ' He 
giveth snow like wool. ' ' 

i. Sometimes it seems as if w T e were less obser- 
vant of divine handiwork in nature than Old Testa- 
ment Christians used to be. Ancient believers were 
wont to ponder the processes of every-day life most 
intently, and that for the mere purpose of recogni- 
sing an almighty hand in them. They saw Jeho- 



54 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The dignity of God. Mrs. Browning 5 s lines. 

vah in his works. They listened to his voice in the 
hum of insects, the song of birds, the sighing of the 
trees. They imagined his glances in the serene 
flashing of the stars. 

2. Sometimes it seems as if we were most ab- 
surdly concerned lest the dignity of God should not 
be preserved in the minute management of things. 
We think of him as the storm peals along the moun- 
tain ridges, or as the ocean rolls up its vast waves 
into fury. But we appear to demand always in our 
meditations that the phenomena shall be majestic 
and grand. Whereas, we might often behold quite 
as interesting disclosures of divine presence in the 
slighter and more delicate occurrences, as the sea- 
sons in turn pass us by. Indeed, the argument is 
direct from near to remote, from the little to the 
large. 

"No lily-muffled hum of summer bee, 
But finds some coupling with the spinning stars; 
No pebble at your foot, but proves a sphere ; 
No chaffinch, but implies the cherubim." 

3. Sometimes it seems as if we were positively 
afraid to put God at peril by admitting that he is 
personally responsible for all his universe. True, 
skeptical analysis has all along been trying to force 
its way fiercely through the web of revelation, with 
the injurious hope of tangling some of its threads. 
But it has invariably happened that the more clear 
are the expositions of trustworthy science, the safer 
is the Bible. We may securely trust to Omnipo- 
tence to vindicate Omniscience. Said Aristotle 



TH£ gift of snow. 



55 



God defends snowflakes. Snow is warm as fur. 

long ago, ' ' There is nothing interpolated, or with- 
out connection, in nature, as sometimes there is in 
a bad play. ' ' 

We may be satisfied that God will put forth all 
the energies of heaven itself in behalf of even one 
flake of snow, if unbelieving science is venturesome 
enough to make an attack on the laws which threw 
it into crystal form; for he knows and keeps tally 
of them all, not carelessly, but with a purpose. He 
issues each of the millions upon millions of them as 
a mint-master issues his coins. He weighs them 
with his own hand, and strikes them in his own 
image. 

II. In the second place, God's BSNKFiCENCK 
finds an illustration in the snow. 

We might expect this from the outset, for all 
God's gifts are designed to bless us and do us good. 
Concerning which note the philosophy, as well as 
the argument from it. 

i. The philosophy of God's benediction in these 
bewildering flakes carries with it an interesting 
surprise. We are wont to associate cold only 
with a winter's depth of snow. But surely the 
earliest of our youthful studies is enough to inform 
us that, by its singular constitution, snow for a 
field-covering is as warm as fur. It keeps the 
ground from freezing, and so preserves the life of 
seeds and trees. A coverlet of down would not be 
more welcome or more effectual than that which a 
thoughtful Providence has furnished for many a 
delicate plant and many a burrowing animal 



56 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Trust and do. Frederika Bremer. 

through the severity of a December's frost and 
chills. 

2. The argument from this has two branches; 
it demands implicit confidence in God; it counsels 
generous remembrance of others around us. It is 
all put in one verse of the Bible: trust and do — 
' ' Trust in the l,ord, and do good. ' ' 

In his familiar appeal to his disciples, our 
Saviour spoke literal words of admonition. He 
meant what he said about the sparrows and the 
numbering of hairs. Poor people are sometimes 
frightened by a snowstorm. Why so? It is one 
of God's arguments to show he loves them. He 
is seeing to it that they shall not suffer next year. 
And if God is so beneficent to us, we ought to be 
painstakingly beneficent to each other. I have 
often observed that the poor are very generous to 
the poor. That is right. ' ' Be kindly affectioned 
one towards another, with brotherly love." They 
must be very gentle, charitable people in the cold 
country of Sweden, for one of their writers says 
with singular beauty of expression, "The great 
feature of our northern life is our conquered win- 
ter." Little ministries of affection can conquer 
two winters at one time; the winter of the year, 
when snow is falling, and the winter of a heart, 
when the chill of the world is on it. A generous 
word or deed can change a disposition; sometimes 
I think I have seen it almost change the weather! 

III. Yet again: the GENTLENESS of God finds 
an illustration in the falling of the snow. 



THE GIFT OF SNOW. 



57 



God's gentleness. Our daily mercies. 

Think of it — the ear cannot detect even one 
sonnd now, though the roadways are fast filling up. 
Noiselessly the flakes in the air follow each other 
down, bruising nothing, shaking nothing, leaving 
everything covered with softness and beauty. 

1. Thus always appears God's gentleness in 
nature. The more ponderous the wheels of the 
seasons, the more silently they seem to work on 
their axles. The great results of divine skill are 
presented before us without any groan of weari- 
ness, any fuss of vanity, any flutter of applause. 
Alas! if we were only meeker in temper and mod- 
ester in mien, we should do all our work with far 
more quietness, and far less silliness of show ! 

2. Thus always appears God's gentleness in 
providence, also. When King David wrote that 
fine line, ' 1 Thy gentleness hath made me great, ' ' 
it seemed only a brief acknowledgment. But it 
covered all his personal history, the entire range 
of his life, along which the divine hand had led 
him from the sheep-cote to the palace. Who can- 
not reiterate such a statement? The silent bene- 
dictions of prosperous living have fallen upon our 
path. All that imagination could suggest, all that 
legitimate desire could covet — friends, children, 
books, paintings — how our comforts do aggregate 
inconspicuously, till we can hardly tell where the 
things in our beautiful houses come from ! Our 
mercies have been God's gifts; and they could not 
have arrived more softly or more sovereignly, if 
they had simply been snowed down in the night. 



58 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



"A brooding voice." Retreat from Moscow. 

3. Thus always appears God's gentleness in 
grace, likewise. It is true that the voice of the 
gospel has sometimes to be the startling summons 
of divine displeasure in order to arouse a deter- 
minate sleeper. But the moment the man is really 
awake, the tones change to tenderness and plead- 
ing. This is what old John Bunyan means when 
he says so truly — "By his common call, God gives 
nothing; by his special call, he always has some- 
thing to give; he has also a brooding voice for 
them that are under his wing; and he has an outcry 
to give the alarm whenever he seeth the enemy 
coming. ' ' Really, God seems to bestow his costli- 
est instruction and most admirable graces when 
the soul, like Mary of Bethany, sits quietly at his 
feet to receive them. 

4. Thus always appears God's gentleness in 
retribution, too. Here the ancient proverb fairly 
touches the Scriptural. "The feet of the avenging 
deities are shod with wool, ' ' said the classic poet. 
' ' He giveth snow like wool, ' ' says the text. The 
silent reprobations of divine wrath fell down behind 
one ambitious invader, forcing his way across a 
continent for pillage. The barriers of snow were 
constructed unperceivedly. Bach flying flake was 
a judgment, each drift was a barricade, each whorl 
was a rampart. Moscow could be set on fire, but 
there was not flame enough in the air to melt even 
one of the white shrouds which waited for the sol- 
diers on their desolate return. 

So the path of private wickedness is often quiet- 



TH£ GIFT OF SNOW. 



59 



A blocked way. Ninety-three forms. 

ly hedged up behind the sinner. When by and by 
he turns in it and expects to retrace his steps, it 
has become too late; retribution has fallen unseen; 
the way is blocked. 

IV. In the fourth place, the HounESS of God 
finds a fitting illustration in the snow. 

We judge of an artist's taste, his intelligence, 
his character, by just the paintings which come 
forth from his pencil. Why not learn our Creator's 
finest attribute from the forms of wonderful beauty 
we see in creation ? And if we put Nature and the 
Word together, they will teach us much about the 
fact and about the figure. 

i. In the beginning, about the fact. Snowflakes 
have been caught at the moment of falling; and 
while they glistened in unbroken beauty upon a 
surface of black velvet, the scientists have classified 
the shapes of the crystals. Ninety-three exquisite 
forms of star and cross and crown, and what not 
else, they have put on the catalogue already. There 
never was a mechanician with so excellent au eye- 
glass, or so steady a nerve, that he could cut a pat- 
tern which would not be rude in outline and rough 
in surface beside one of these. And then especially 
the cleanliness of a field thus newly covered is a dis- 
play of spotless purity inimitable and unmistakable. 
All these white blossoms of winter falling around 
us, like fruitful petals from a tree of life, or like 
feathers from the wing of almighty protection; all 
this exquisite frost-work on the window; all these 
lodged rainbows in the icicles, and these jewels in 



6o STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The whiteness of beauty. Perfect purity . 

the silver drapery along the eaves ; all this pluming 
of the gate-posts, like the helmets of hussars; all 
this crowning of the mountains and this fringing of 
the streams; all this is just the clear presenting to 
us of God in his works, the imaging forth of his 
character. 

2. Hence we might expect that the Scripture 
would take up the figure. Great significance is 
there in the fact that the Bible uses such emblems 
to represent moral distinctions in this life, and their 
results in the life to come. On the one hand, light; 
on the other hand, darkness: "children of light," 
and ' ' children of darkness ;" a u kingdom of light, ' ' 
and a ' ' kingdom of darkness. ' ' In the grand fu- 
ture, ' 1 light unapproachable and full of glory ;' p 
* 1 outer darkness. ' ' There can be no understanding 
of these expressions without our remembering that 
life is light, and darkness is sin. 

Snow has been chosen as the symbol of the gos- 
pel of redemption. . The stream of salvation is of- 
fered: "Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon 
which cometh from the rock of the field?" So the 
promise is couched : " As the snow cometh down 
from heaven, so shall my word be which goeth 
forth out of my mouth; it shall accomplish that 
whereto I sent it." The gospel has no tinge of 
earthliness in it. "The word of the Lord is very 
pure. ' ' 

Snow has also been used to symbol the standard 
of complete sanctification. God engages nothing, will 
accept nothing, but perfect purity in his people. 



THE GIFT OF SNOW. 



6l 



" Whiter than snow." What is the blackest thing? 

"Come, now, and let us reason together; though 
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow." 
Oh, what a rebuke one gets sometimes, as he looks 
forth from the casement on a winter's morning, and 
sees the undented sheet of shining whiteness with 
which God has covered the seams and rocks and 
pools of the rough road in the night! "Whiter 
than snow" — how far off are we yet from it ! 

Snow, moreover, has been selected as the sym- 
bol of ultimate attainment in grace. The promise 
goes exactly alongside of the demand. God means 
one time to say to every redeemed soul, as the 
Spouse says to the Bride in the Canticles, "Thou 
art all fair, my love ! There is no spot in thee !" 
Jesus' robe of righteousness is absolutely white. 
How many of you know what is the blackest thing 
on this earth? It was a child's question once, as 
the family sat by the fireside. And one guessed 
that it was the jet-stone in the brooch; and another 
said it must be the pupil of an Indian's eye; and 
another mentioned the down upon a raven's feather; 
and another spoke of a sable seal's fur. But the 
father, who was something of a naturalist in his 
own quiet way, replied, ( ' No ; it is not a hue of any 
life or any living thing; it is the actual shadow of 
death; it is the sign of sickness and the sure signal 
of doom; and this it is: of one plant there is a flow- 
er which in health is beautiful as a star, but the 
moment it is blighted it moulds, and in that mould 
there is found a malignant centre of blackness." 
There is only one spot of spiritual blackness in all 

Neglected Texts. (5 



62 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Sin is a blight The white robes. 

the universe, and that is found in the blight of a 
ruined soul, and the name of it is sin! Take sin 
away, and the soul is as pure as the 1 ' few in Sar- 
dis" who did not defile their garments, and now 
walk with Christ in white. 

Snow, therefore, has been given us likewise as 
a symbol of faith's final reward. There is nothing 
black in the celestial city. Three distinct visions 
of God, as he appears in heaven, have been vouch- 
safed on earth to mortal eyes: one to Daniel in Bab- 
ylon, one to Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration, 
one to John on the Isle of Patmos. These men 
all put on record what in that supreme moment 
they saw. They differ in some particulars. But 
the one thing they all noticed, the one thing they 
agreed in thinking to be the transcendent height of 
the celestial spectacle, was the raiment of glorious 
apparel which was worn by the exalted Redeemer. 
The glistering garments, such as no fuller could 
whiten them, they thought made up the supernat- 
ural beauty of heaven itself. It is singular to note 
how they fastened on the same language, but all 
they could say of it in turn was, ( ' His garment was 
white as snow. ' ' 

Oh, what a question for every Christian to ask: 
Will I ever enter that region of purity, share in that 
splendor, shine in that light? Moses and Klias on 
the mountain were clad in the same garments as 
Jesus; they appeared with him in glory. Thus are 
all the redeemed, holy and undefiled ; they have 
washed their robes in the blood of the L,amb. 



THE GIFT OF SNOW. 



63 



Meetness for heaven. Snow once defiled. 

" The white-robed saints, the throne-steps singing under, 
Their state all meekly wear; 
Their pauseless praise rolls up from hearts that wonder 
That ever they came there !" 

It must be remembered that heaven is less a 
place than a state, less a state than a character. 
How we shall get there is not so much of a question 
as what we shall be when we get there ; for this last 
question comes earliest and settles the other. He 
that has the meetness for the inheritance of the 
saints in light need hardly concern himself about 
the inheritance; that will come. 

Reflect, for a closing moment, upon the ineffable 
sadness of even one spot on a soul. Snow, once de- 
filed, cannot ever get pure again. God's inexhaust- 
ible grace alone can cover it over. Alas for the 
careless heart that dares to keep tampering with 
sin ! 



VI. 



JOHN FIRST, THEN JESUS. 

"Ye yourselves bear me witness, THAT I SAID, I AM not 
the Christ, but that I am sent before him." — John 3 : 28. 
m 

No one can study the gospel history closely and 
consecutively without remarking the peculiarly dra- 
matic way in which the two greatest personages of 
the New Testament are brought alongside of each 
other. The biography of the one glides into that of 
the other, until at last a martyrdom crowns the 
Baptist's career, his disciples turn at once to the 
new Master who succeeds him, John disappears, 
and Jesus becomes the sole Teacher. 

It may be profitable to devote an entire discourse 
to an inquiry concerning the relationship which 
these two preachers officially sustained to each 
other. We shall find, after a rehearsal of what 
John taught and of what Jesus taught, that one of 
the most significant matters of information in the 
sacred history is found in the order preserved be- 
tween them. John's message belongs first; Christ's 
comes second. This is the meaning of the verse 
that will serve us for a text. ( ( There arose a ques- 
tioning on the part of John's disciples with a Jew 
about purifying. And they came unto John, and 
said to him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond 
Jordan, to whom thou hast borne witness, behold, 
the same baptueth, and all men come to him. 
John answered and said, A man can receive noth- 
ing, except it have been given him from heaven. 



JOHN FIRST, THEN JESUS. > 65 



What did John preach ? The law against sin. 

Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am 
not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. ' ' 

I. Our earliest question is this: What did John 
the Baptist preach ? The record of his life is before 
us, and we are able to answer at once. 

1. He delivered the whole law against sin. No 
man ever did his duty with a more unmistakable 
thoroughness. He denounced iniquity wherever 
he detected it, even in the conduct of King Herod 
(Mark 6 : 18-20). He dared the Pharisees, and 
threatened them with wrath to come (Iyuke 3 : 7). 
He showed how the reach of the divine enactment 
extended even across the words and thoughts of 
men (Matt. 3 : 8, 9). He counselled carefulness and 
circumspection in all walks of ordinary life, under 
the consciousness of a final account tQ be rendered. 
"And the multitudes asked him, saying, What 
then must we do ? And he answered and said unto 
them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to 
him that hath none; and he that hath food, let him 
do likewise. And there came also publicans to be 
baptized, and they said unto him, Master, what 
must we do? And he said unto them, Extort no 
more than that which is appointed you. And sol- 
diers also asked him, saying, And we, what must 
we do ? And he said, Do violence to no man, nei- 
ther exact anything wrongfully ; and be content 
with your wages. ' ' Thus he aroused the conscien- 
ces of the people, until the whole region round 
about went down to the Jordan to be baptised for 
the remission of their sins. 

6* 



66 , STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Fruits of repentance. Heralding the Messiah. 

2. He made a demand for immediate repentance 
(Matt. 3 : 2). He insisted upon entire sincerity in 
the confession of wickedness, so that repentance 
should evidence its permanence by bringing forth 
the fruits of a new life. ' ' He said therefore to the 
multitudes that went out to be baptized of him, Ye 
offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the 
wrath to come ? Bring forth therefore fruits wor- 
thy of repentance, and begin not to say within 
yourselves, We have Abraham to our father; for I 
say unto you, that God is able of these stones to 
raise up children unto Abraham. And even now 
is the axe also laid unto the root of the trees: every 
tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is 
hewn down, and cast into the fire." The forbear- 
ance of God was designed only to give opportunity 
for a quick return to him (Matt. 3: 10). For event- 
ually the wicked should be positively turned into 
hell (Iyuke 3:17). Thus John seemed like Elijah 
the Tishbite, the stern prophet of the Old Testa- 
ment, summoning the whole nation to a responsible 
audience with God in reference to personal guilt. 

3. He heralded yesus as the Messiah predicted of 
old (Matt. 3:3). In this way he connected Moses 
with Christ. For himself, he took pains to with- 
draw and resist every claim (John 1 : 20). Once he 
felt that the populace were imagining a vain thing; 
and he would not suffer them even to "muse in 
their hearts " that he was the Christ. "And as the 
people were in expectation, and all men reasoned 
in their hearts concerning John, whether haply he 



Chaff burned up. 



JOHN FIRST, THEN JESUS. 67 



;< The Lamb of God." 



were the Christ, John answered, saying unto them 
all, I indeed baptize you with, water; but there 
cometh he that is mightier than I, the latchet of 
whose shoes I . am not worthy to unloose, he shall 
baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: 
whose fan is in his hand, thoroughly to cleanse his 
threshing-floor, and to gather the wheat into his 
garner; but the chaff he will burn up with un- 
quenchable fire. ' ' With the frankest of self-surren- 
der he told all who listened to him that Jesus would 
eventually come to the authoritative headship, and 
he himself would soon disappear. ' 1 He that hath 
the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the 
bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, re- 
joiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: 
this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, 
but I must decrease." Thus he gave a forward 
look to all his denunciations of sin, and talked of 
the true baptism cleansing from it. 

4. He announced the special office of Jesus as a 
Redeemer of men. " On the morrow he seeth Jesus 
coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of 
God, which taketh away the sin of the world! This 
. is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which 
is become before me: for he was before me. And I 
knew him not; but that he should be made mani- 
fest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing with 
water. And John bare witness, saying, I have be- 
held the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven ; 
and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: hvX 
he that sent me to baptize with water, he said unto 



68 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



What did Jesus teach ? Necessity of the atonement. 

me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit 
descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he 
that baptizeth with the Holy Spirit. And I have 
seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son 
of God." Thus he prepared the way for a gospel 
which based all its invitations of peace upon the 
doctrine of sacrifice, by offering Jesus as ' ' the Lamb 
of God that taketh away the sins of the world." 
Twice he bore this witness to all his disciples. 

II. Now what did Jesus teach when it came his 
turn ? Much of his early ministry overlapped John' s 
for a brief period, and the two men frequently came 
into closest contact with each other. 

1. Christ testified to the entire accuracy of Joints 
doctrine. ' ' This is he, of whom it is written, Be- 
hold, I send my messenger before thy face, which 
shall prepare thy way before thee. For I say unto 
you, Among those that are born of women there is 
not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he 
that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than 
he." He accepted the ministry of his forerunner 
without one question or deprecation from beginning 
to end, and paid him the highest encomium ever 
received among men ' ' born of women. ' ' 

2. He proclaiined the full necessity of an atonement. 
Not even John exceeded Christ in the unsparing 
denunciation of sin, and in the assertion of the ab- 
solute hopelessness of salvation for any one unless 
he should be spiritually renewed. "Jesus answered, 
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be 
born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into 



JOHN FIRST, THEN JESUS. 



6 9 



Christ lifted up. One narrow issue. 

the kingdom of God. ' ' He took the greatest pains 
to show that he had no purpose to abrogate the law 
of Moses (Matt. 5: 17-19). Christ asserted over and 
over again that all men had been condemned already 
by the divine law. 

3. He declared that the necessary sacrifice was now 
to be accomplished by himself. ' ' For God so loved 
the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but 
have eternal life. For God sent not the Son into 
the world to judge the world; but that the world 
should be saved through him. He that believeth on 
him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been 
judged already, because he hath not believed on the 
name of the only-begotten Son of God. ' ' It shocked 
and stumbled his disciples, but he persisted in de- 
claring that he came into the world to die. He was 
to be u lifted up, ' ' in order that all men might be 
permitted and persuaded to come unto him for com- 
plete redemption. 

4. He thus raised no neiv issues between men and 
God, but the rather narrowed down all the old into 
one; he made it clear that faith was to be the instru- 
ment of salvation (John 6:28, 29). He offered the 
freest gospel for men that human heart could wish, 
or human tongue could describe. His word of ful- 
ness and triumph was the one word ' ' whosoever. ' ' 
But he left no chance of mistake to those who might 
suppose a simple issue was a weak one; men had 
nothing to do but believe; but if they refused to 
believe, the wrath of God was still abiding on them 



70 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



John must come first. Law first, then the Gospel. 

(John 3: 18). Christ's very last words to the world 
were only the same, repeating the sharp, uncom- 
promising alternative: Believe, and be saved; re- 
fuse, and be lost (Mark 16: 16). 

III. Thus, then, we reach the conclusion that, 
so far as Jesus' teaching and John's teaching had 
value in the New Testament, the point of greatest 
importance is the order between them. John's came 
earliest in fact, and earliest in logical necessity. 

1. The historic position of the two men is enough 
to show all that is here claimed. There is an order 
in doctrine under the gospel arrangement as strict 
as the order in demonstration of problems in Eu- 
clid's Geometry. Our Iyord's life was part of his 
teachings to men ; and that life must be looked upon 
as a unique whole. But each step depended upon 
whatever steps went before. It is a fact that John 
(as Jesus said) was the greatest among those born of 
women; and it is a fact that John (as he said him- 
self) was not worthy to unloose the shoe's latchet of 
Jesus. But John' s work was a necessity and a solemn 
prerequisite to the work of Jesus in its true order. 

2. The similar form of procedure which in all 
their teaching these two preachers preserved, adds 
confirmation to the proof. John presented the law 
first, then the gospel; but his office was plainly to 
press the law into prominence. Jesus presented the 
law first, then the gospel ; but his office was to bring 
the gospel into prominence. In both cases the law 
came earliest. Indeed, there was a definite and 
recorded moment in which Jesus began to dwell 



JOHN FIRST, THEN JESUS. 



71 



The grand principle. Doing law-work a lost art. 

more upon gospel themes in distinction from law 
themes. ' ' From that time forth began Jesus to 
show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto 
Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and 
chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised 
again the third day. ' ' This was after he had deliv- 
ered the whole Sermon on the Mount. He now, 
• 4 from that time forth," began to teach his disci- 
ples concerning a melancholy series of sufferings he 
must personally pass through. 

3. Our conclusion, therefore, is inevitable and 
clear. There remains no reason now why a single 
proposition should not be framed for permanent 
recollection and use. It could be fervently wished 
that all Christian workers would appreciate its maj- 
esty, and feel the weight of its pressure. It might 
be written over the door of every preacher's study, 
and upon the lid of every teacher's desk: " Law- 
work precedes gospel-work in all God^s dealings with 
souls. ' ' 

We are ready, therefore, to draw some practical 
inferences from this discussion, which, it may be 
hoped, will give explanation and help. 

i, We see why religious instruction in our day 
sometimes appears so tame, and proves so ineffica- 
cious. It is because Christian people preach Jesus 
without John. What the divines of the last cen- 
tury called doing law-work is becoming a lost art. 
The Iyord does not seem to be in the "still small 
voice, ' ' because men miss the preparation of wind, 
earthquake, and fire. 



72 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Why so slow in finding peace. Why so much backsliding. 

2. We see why inquirers are so slow in finding 
peace at the cross. Peace ? why there has been no 
disturbance. Peace ? they are not agitated. There 
has been nothing to awaken conscience ; sinners 
have heard the ( ' very lovely song of one that hath 
a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instru- 
ment. ' I They are even informed that their repent- 
ance will come later, their conviction of sin will 
grow deeper by and by. So Jesus is put before John ; 
and all the time the soul feels sure that its guilt 
needs sterner dealing. 

3. We see why there is so much of unrest and 
misgiving among Christian people. Some of them, 
it may be, have been seeking only an experience. 
They do not know either Jesus or John. They have 
no intelligent sense of Christ's legal work in bear- 
ing the curse of the law in their behalf. Hence 
they labor to keep up a mere fire of fervor in their 
souls. They have studied regeneration more than 
justification; and it is by justification that one finds 
peace. So, not united consciously to Christ as a 
Surety, they are not sure. A lonely controversy it 
is they are waging. It is possible that they are 
working out their own salvation with fear and 
trembling, with no settled confidence that God is 
working in them to will or to do of his own good 
pleasure. 

4. We see why backsliding is so frequent as the 
sin of converts. Some have never been taught what 
leaving first love implies. Has any one told them 
what they fall back to when they fall? Some- 



JOHN FIRST, THEN JESUS. 



73 



Untempered mortar. Hope lost : what then ? 

body may have been daubing with untempered 
mortar, and the wall of experience cannot stand the 
hailstones of every-day exposure. 1 ' Because, even 
because they have seduced my people, saying, 
Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a 
wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered 
mortar: say unto them which daub it with untem- 
pered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an 
overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, 
shall fall ; and a stormy wind shall rend it. ' ' 

A young Christian sometimes says in a plaintive 
way, ' ' I think I shall give up my hope. ' ' Has he 
settled what he is going to take up ? Christian duty 
may be irksome, and Christian fidelity may be vex- 
atious; but we must remember that one cannot fall 
clear away out of God's notice; he can only slide 
back from Jesus to John. And there stands John, 
ready as ever to thunder on about the axe lying at 
the tree-root and the unquenchable fire ! Is the 
Law a better companion than the Gospel ? ' ' For 
if we sin wilfully after that we have received the 
knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a 
sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of 
judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour 
the adversaries. A man that hath set at naught 
Moses' law dieth without compassion on the word 
of two or three witnesses: of how much sorer pun- 
ishment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy who 
hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath 
counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he 
was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done de- 

Neglected Texts. *j 



74 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The beginning of new life. John decreases : Christ increases. 

spite unto the Spirit of grace ? For we know him 
that said, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will rec- 
ompense. And again, the L,ord shall judge his peo- 
ple. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of 
the living God. ' ' 

5. Finally, we see how the new life begins and 
continues, according to the revealed plan. ' ' There- 
fore being justified by faith, we have peace with 
God, through our L,ord Jesus Christ: by whom also 
we have access by faith into this grace wherein we 
stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.'' 
The whole process seems to be delineated in these 
two verses; the order of experience is this — faith, 
justification, peace, joy, hope, and glory. First 
John, then Jesus: down by the Jordan with the stern 
law-preacher we remain long enough for thorough 
searching and honest penitence; then he points us 
to the I^amb of God ; now we turn away from John 
to Jesus; so John decreases, and so increases Christ. 
"For what the law could not do, in that it was 
weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son 
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, con- 
demned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of 
the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after 
the flesh, but after the Spirit. " 



VII. 



TWO PULPITS. 

"And immediately she was made straight, and glorified 
God." — Lzike 13:13. 

OF course we understand that, in all the stories 
of cures related by the physician Luke in his Gospel 
with professional detail, the main lesson for us to 
learn is concerning the wonderful love and grace of 
our Saviour in the healing of these distressed suffer- 
ers they brought to him. Jesus identified himself 
so closely with our poor, afflicted human nature 
that no one can mistake for a moment the fulfilment 
of the ancient prophecy : ' ( When the even was 
come, they brought unto him many that were pos- 
sessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with 
his word, and healed all that were sick: that it 
might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the 
prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and 
bare our sicknesses. ' ' 

So sure am I that nothing of our Lord's tender- 
ness or generosity will be lost by any loyal students 
of the Bible, that I think I may venture, on a sin- 
gle occasion, to invite attention to the faith and 
activity of those who received the gift of healing, 
and thus seek some instruction for all Christian peo- 
ple under stress of sickness or hindered by incurable 
disease. 

The text occurs in the midst of the account 
given of a most lamentable case of long-continued 



76 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A sad case. Anonymous believers. 

debility. ( ' And he was teaching in one of the syn- 
agogues on the Sabbath day. And behold a woman 
which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years; and 
she was bowed together, and could in no wise lift 
herself up. And when Jesus saw her, he called her, 
and said to her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine 
infirmity. And he laid his hands upon her: and 
immediately she was made straight, and glorified 
God." 

I. Observe one thing at the outset: how many 
anonymous believers there are in the Bible record 
who give help all along the ages. 

Put alongside of this story the account previous- 
ly given of the man healed of leprosy, and the other 
man at the same time cured of palsy. Of this last 
we have precisely the same record: u And imme- 
diately he rose up before them, and took up that 
whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glo- 
rifying God. y ' In close connection with these cases 
there are mentioned ' 1 multitudes, ' ! but no personal 
particulars are furnished. Nobody knows him who 
suffered so with the leprosy, nobody owns the af- 
flicted creature who was paralyzed, nobody can tell 
where this wretched woman came from. Nothing 
is said about any individual to whom that eventful 
day was the beginning of renewed life. No name, 
no history, no after career; but we suppose that 
these cripples are in heaven now, and we know that 
their story has helped thousands to be patient and 
cheerful on the way thither. 

The pages of God's Word are crowded with such 



TWO PULPITS. 



77 



Who wrote Psalm 116 ? Sinning and sinking. 

incidents. The woman of Samaria, the man of 
God that came to Eli, the lad who gave his bread 
and fishes at Tiberias — all these have had a mention, 
but nothing more to identify them in the inspired 
annals. It is really of little consequence who we 
are; it matters more what we are. The ancient 
saint is nameless who gave us a portion of his his- 
tory in the 1 1 6th Psalm; it is enough for our en- 
couragement to be assured that any one could have 
passed through an experience of deliverance which 
would enable him to say, ' ' Return unto thy rest, O 
my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with 
thee: the Lord preserveth the simple; I was brought 
low, and he helped me !" 

II. Observe, in the second place, that even in 
extreme hopelessiiess of disease one may exhibit a 
supreme and illustrious faith. 

This woman was evidently in a most deplorable 
condition ; she was actually doubled up with de- 
formity. So that leper's case was as bad as bad 
could be; he was incurable and loathsome. Nor 
was the man in palsy much better off; he could not 
move, nor had he any prospect of recovery. But in 
all these instances our Lord found faith enough for 
his acceptance. And so he healed the troubled suf- 
ferers, and forgave them, and handed their names 
down into history among the brightest of believers 
witnessing to his grace. 

There are two dangers usually to be appre- 
hended in the case of those who are afflicted se- 
verely with sickness, especially if it be prolonged 



78 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Bishop Hall's remark. Cowper's experience. 

into invalidhood and continued pain, sinning and 
sinking; and either of these would be fatal to all 
true advancement. 

When a believer is smitten terribly, he is not 
always just in the mood to be reasonable. Every 
nerve is quivering with agony; he cannot see the 
wisdom nor the fairness of its infliction. ' ' None 
out of hell,' ' says good Bishop Hall, "have suffered 
so much as some of God's children." And when, 
in the depths of a new and overwhelming desola- 
tion, the afflicted man marks only the clouds of his 
trouble, it is possible that his patience should give 
way, and that his wilfulness should explode into 
almost impious violence of passionate rebellion. 
There is no relief in this, and it is a sin. 

The more common danger for a Christian under 
trial is that he shall sink into a state of stupor, of 
listlessness, or despair. A great numbness settles 
upon the soul. There are pains which lie a great 
distance lower than the bottom of the grave. The 
poet Cowper, tearing out a leaf from his own awful 
experience, says, ' ' There are as truly things which 
it is not lawful for man to utter as those were 
which Paul heard and saw in the third heaven; if 
the ladder of Christian life reaches, as I suppose it 
does, to the very presence of God, it nevertheless 
has its foot in the very abyss. ' ' Under an abiding 
blackness of darkness like this, some believers can- 
not prevail upon themselves to look towards any 
proffered light. It seems to them that something 
has got astray, the universe is misruled by a fate, 



TWO PULPITS. 



79 



" Well waited is well done." Pain is an ordination. 

the devil is triumphant, and it is no use to fight; it 
is just as well to cover up one's face. So they rea- 
son and grow sullen. 

Now against both of these baleful postures of mind, 
the passionate and the listless, does this thought of 
preaching the gospel from a pulpit of patient suffer- 
ing for the great glory of God array itself. It is 
wise to keep in mind the fact that souls may be won 
to the cross by a life on a sick-bed just as well as by 
a life in a cathedral desk. Pure submission is as 
good as going on a foreign mission. 

" So speak we fervent : I have learned by knocking at heaven's 
gate 

The meaning of one golden word that shines above it — 
'Wait!' 

For, with the Master whom we serve, is not to ride or run, 
But only to abide his will — well waited is well done !" 

III. Right here, therefore, observe, in the third 
place, an explanation is offered of the mystery and 
the purpose of suffering. 

Pain is a sort of ordination to the Christian min- 
istry. It furnishes a true believer with a new pul- 
pit to preach from. A wise man will do better to 
learn this lesson early. These cripples suddenly 
had their own lives opened upon their full under- 
standing. They discovered that they had not been 
put upon by some blind calamity, or beaten and 
abused by some fierce fate; they had been employed 
for the glory of God. The whole scene makes us 
think of that other, instance recorded by the evan- 
gelist John (9: 1-3). The disciples thought that a 



80 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Whitefield' s platform. Elizabeth Wallbridge' s chair. 

man had been, born blind because he or his parents 
had sinned; our L,ord replied that he had been suf- 
fering all this time for God's glory, "That the 
works of God should be made manifest in him. ' ' 

I am anxious now to bring this thought close to 
our own minds and hearts at once. In the rooms 
of the American Tract Society, in New York, were 
until lately standing two objects which I studied for 
some meditative years, once a month, at a commit- 
tee meeting. One is a slight framework of tough 
wood, a few feet high, so bound together with hasps 
and hinges as to be taken down and folded in the 
hand. This was Whitefield' s travelling-pulpit; the 
one he used when, denied access to the churches, he 
harangued the thousands in the open air, on the 
moors of England. You will think of this modern 
apostle, lifted up upon the small platform, with the 
throngs of eager people around him; or hurrying 
from one field to another, bearing his Bible in his 
arms; ever on the move, toiling with herculean 
energy, and a force like that of a giant. There, in 
that rude pulpit, is the symbol of all which is active 
and fiery in dauntless Christian zeal. 

But now look again : in the centre of this frame- 
work, resting upon the slender platform where the 
living preacher used to stand, you will see a chair — 
a plain, straight - backed, armed, cottage - chair ; 
rough, simple, meagrely cushioned, unvarnished, 
and stiff. It was the seat in which Elizabeth Wall- 
bridge, "the dairyman's daughter," sat and coughed 
and whispered, and from which she went only at 



TWO PULPITS. 



81 



A chronic invalid. Doddridge' s last wish. 

her last hour to trie couch on which she died. Here 
again is a pulpit y and it is the symbol of a life quiet 
and unromantic and hard in all Christian endu- 
rance. Every word that invalid woman uttered — 
every patient night she suffered — was a gospel ser- 
mon. In a hundred languages the life of that ser- 
vant of God has preached to millions of souls the 
riches of Christ's glory and grace. And of these 
two pulpits, which is the most honorable is known 
only to God, who undoubtedly accepted and conse- 
crated them both. The one is suggestive of the 
ministry of speech, the other of the ministry of sub- 
mission. 

IV. Hence, we may easily learn what might be 
one of the most profitable occupations of a chronic 
invalid. 

No one can preach from any pulpit without the 
proper measure of study. Sick people are always 
in danger of becoming egotistic and selfish ; and the 
best relief from that is for each child of God to busy 
himself in laboring for others' salvation. Said the 
intelligent Doddridge, even while he was lingering 
in the last hours of his life, " My soul is vigorous 
and healthy, notwithstanding the hastening decay 
of this frail and tottering body; it is not for the 
love of sunshine, or the variety of meats, that I 
desire life, but if it please God that I may render 
him a little more service.'' Such a purpose as this 
will lead a Christian to thoughtful examination of 
what will make his efforts most pertinent. 

He will study doctrine. His own disciplines 



82 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Neander's motto. A valiant brother. 

soften his heart, bend his will, hnmble his intellect, 
quicken his trust, and so render the whole man 
more docile than ever before. And now the great 
central truths of our religion are his delight. He 
does not want the mere poetry of the gospel; he can- 
not use it; he wants the deepest sense of it, and that 
comes better through logic and argument. Men 
and women, who turn from didactic discussion in 
health, will in sickness read elaborate treatises upon 
the two covenants, and talk about the plan of grace 
in redemption. "It is the heart," once said the 
historian Neander, ' £ that makes the theologian. 5 ' 

He will study experience too. A month ago I 
saw a brave soldier of the cross who had been pass- 
ing through a fiery history of years with broken 
health, which had taken him from the pulpit of 
his usefulness and bidden him look into the grave 
season after season. He was now only able to 
stand, and sought a new field. Only yesterday he 
visited me again; , in his feebleness he lay on my 
couch while he talked. He had just come from 
putting the wife of his manhood, his patient helper 
and the stay of his home, in the Bedlam of a mad- 
house. Poor in spirit and poor in purse, broken- 
hearted and alone, he feared he should fail utterly. 
Yet there he lay, and spoke hopefully and gently. 
Oh, that valiant brother, quivering in every mus- 
cle, but bold and firm in his trustful courage, 
preached to me in my study as I know I never 
preached in our church ! 

V. Some people recover from long illness; Christ 



TWO PULPITS. 



83 



A lesson for convalescents. Schiller's antithesis. 

heals them, as he did these men in the story. So 
there is one more lesson for convalescents: what are 
they going to do with their lives hereafter ? 

There is a fine significance in the phraseology 
employed in this story. That whole town seems to 
have been aroused by Jesus' work of healing in the 
midst of their multitudes. The paralytic ' ' depart- 
ed, glorifying God." And then all the people 
' ' glorified God. ' ' To be sure, there was one ruler 
in the synagogue who carped at the healing as a 
breaking of the Sabbath-day commandment. " But 
the Lord answered him, and said, Ye hypocrites, 
doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his 
ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to 
watering? And ought not this woman, being a 
daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound, lo, 
these eighteen years, to have been loosed from this 
bond on the day of the sabbath ? And as he said 
these things, all his adversaries were put to shame: 
and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious 
things that were done by him. ' ' The whole com- 
munity became exhilarated; and now all the healed 
ones had the use of another pulpit. 

"It is a solemn thing to die," said Schiller; 
1 ( but it is a more solemn thing to live. ' ' We know 
the story of the Scotch mother whose child an eagle 
stole away; half maddened, she saw the bird reach 
its eyrie far up the cliff. No one could scale the 
rock. In distraction she prayed all the day. An 
old sailor climbed after it, and crept down dizzily 
from the height. There, on her outstretched arms, 



84 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The Scotch mother. A life given back. 

as she plead with, closed eyes, he laid her babe. 
She rose in majesty of self-denial, and took it (as 
she had been taught in that land) to her minister 
that it might be baptized. She would not kiss it 
till it had been solemnly dedicated unto God ! 

What shall a man do with a life given back to 
him? Now it returns with all its vast possibilities 
for good. What sort of preacher must he be whose, 
career has been consecrated to two pulpits in turn ? 
We make our honest resolutions, and plan for a new 
and vigorous endeavor. But when the healthful 
heart begins its beats again, we forget the discipline, 
and refuse the vow. c ' I will go into thy house with 
burnt-offerings; I will pay thee my vows, which my 
lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when 
I was in trouble. Come and hear, all ye that fear 
God, and I will declare what he hath done for my 
soul." 



VIII. 



CHRISTIAN DEBT. 

" I AM DEBTOR BOTH TO THE GREEKS AND TO THE BARBARIANS, 

both to the wise and to the unwise." — Romans i : 14. 

WhKn a footpad starts to relieve a frightened 
traveller of his purse, lie says to himself, as a sort 
of explanation and excuse, "The world owes me a 
living, and a living I must have." He quietly 
assumes that the whole human race is in debt to 
him, and he is at liberty to collect what is his own. 
Surely a slender philosophy, but he imagines it to 
be very profound. 

Not all of us are as frank in our statement as he; 
but many a one cherishes the same feeling. Not 
always in mere matters of pecuniary dealing does 
our self-assertion burst forth; more frequently, in- 
deed, in the subtler relations of life is its mysteri- 
ous influence felt. 

A scholar in his retirement murmurs, as he gazes 
upon his unsold volume, ' ' The world owes me fame 
and a hearing!" The woman of fashion, as she 
pushes her way into avenues of conspicuousness 
and display, stubbornly declares, ' ' The world owes 
me a position !" The politician excitedly clamors 
for votes, for he insists, u The world owes me a 
place !" Thus we all seem to have some little dar- 
ling superiority of our own, to which, when out of 
observation, we are wont to chirp and bring seeds, 
as diligently as children to their caged birds. We 

Neglected Texts. Q 



86 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Definition of "man." Bills for undervaluation. 

are sure mean while thaf the day will come in which 
the whole community shall see we have been shel- 
tering an excellence which is the rarest in plumage 
and has the sweetest of notes. 

The ancients were wont in classic times to exer- 
cise themselves much in the attempt to answer the 
technical question, What is a man? One said, It 
is the animal which laughs. Another said, It is 
the animal who cooks his food. The genus seemed 
easy enough to find; it was the differentia which 
was so difficult to state. It would not have been 
singular, after all, if, on this easy principle of defi- 
ning, they had declared, Man is the animal who 
never is appreciated. For the truth is, there is no 
one characteristic of our race so distinct and so uni- 
versal as this sense of injustice. The lion seems 
satisfied with the estimate of his roaring. The 
lamb seems content with the praise given to its 
gambols. But there lives not the man who seems 
restful under the estimate he receives. Every one 
is sure that there are unreckoned virtues in his 
character, or unnoticed merits in his life, put at too 
low price on the register. His excellences, like 
artists' pictures, never take prizes, simply because 
hung in a poor light. Hence the public does not 
respect him as he deserves. And if that great bur- 
den-bearer — the world — should attempt to pay all 
the bills for undervaluation presented to it from 
day to day, it would be wearied with clamors, and 
hopelessly bankrupt in a single generation. 

Now precisely here the gospel meets our race. 



CHRISTIAN DEBT. 



87 



" The world owes me." Christ discharges debt. 

It finds everybody complaining. When Jesns, the 
Son of God, hears the cry, ' ' The world owes me, ' ' 
he answers, "Well, I will pay you all it owes; I 
will assume the entire debt; I will discharge the 
obligation ; I will pour out upon you such a wealth 
of resource that the balance due shall be reversed; 
then you will in turn owe the world. ' ' 

L,et an illustration or two show precisely what is 
meant by this. Here is a man who has been wont to 
say, 1 1 The world owes me a competence, for it is the 
duty of the strong to take care of the weak. ' ' To 
him Christ says in the gospel, ' ( I admit that prin- 
ciple. So I accept that responsibility. I am going 
to render you strong. You shall have all you need. 
' Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his right- 
eousness, and all these things shall be added unto 
you.' Concern yourself no more about money. 
Pour it out for all good ends without stint. If you 
implicitly trust me, I will see that the treasure never 
fails. You are now stronger than the strongest. 
Remember steadfastly your own principle. You 
owe the world a living. I have furnished you with 
vast resources. You are to spread the kingdom 
which crowns you. " 

Just so of everything else. Indeed, wealth is 
the lowest of all matters of consideration. If one 
demands happiness, influence, position, the gospel 
bestows it beyond any measurement. If he wants 
rest, Christ gives it to him, be he never so weary and 
heavy laden. Every lawful claim of the soul is 
met. All its powers are refined and exalted. Its 



88 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The strong must care for the weak. Paul owed everybody. 

tastes are first elevated, and then gratified. Indeed, 
all that it ever says the world owes it is generously 
paid; and then is so copiously transcended that the 
obligation rushes across the ledger into a new bal- 
ance. And now it is the Christian man who is in 
debt, and that upon his own showing; for he is 
strong, and the strong are to care for the weak. 

The question now naturally arises as to the par- 
ties who hold our obligations. To whom are these 
kind and industrious offices of payment due ? This 
leads us straight to the phraseology of the verse in 
which our text is found. The apostle specifies the 
ranks and the races he owes. He says, ' ( I am 
debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; 
both to the wise, and to the unwise." And he 
afterwards adds, ' ' to the Jew and the Gentile. ' ? 
You know very well the reach of these most exten- 
sive classifications. According to the habits of 
speech in those days, all people were Barbarians 
who were not Greeks; all were Gentiles who were 
not Jews; all were unwise (that is, unenlightened 
in the gospel) who were not wise. Hence our con- 
clusion is clear. He meant, simply, he owed every- 
body. He left no form of words unused which could 
possibly widen the embrace of his admitted obliga- 
tion. As he says elsewhere, he was to u do good 
to all men. ' ' It was as if he intended to say, ' ' I 
admit my field is the world ; my debt sweeps across 
the continents and seas; rriy subjects of effort are all 
mankind." 

At such a moment all Christianity is embodied 



CHRISTIAN DEBT. 



8 9 



The genius of our faith. Defence against self-seeking. 

in Paul. The genius of our sublime faith speaks 
thus to every one of us : u You are in a world full of 
conventionalities and trifles. L,et there be no vain 
strife about names and offices and grades. Render 
to all their dues; tribute to whom tribute, custom 
to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom 
honor. Give every man what belongs to him, and 
rather more than less, with a generous acknowledg- 
ment and a large-hearted charity. In communities 
where mere etiquette is almost a fine art in its mock 
dignity ; where routine shapes manners, and moulds 
even the government, you must expect to meet dis- 
content. For there are always some petulant men 
and women who will not mourn, no matter who 
laments ; some who will not be persuaded to dance, 
no matter who pipes. Do your duty nevertheless. 
Better be patient and courteous everywhere. Be 
behind others in nothing. Be beforehand with all 
in manly politeness and integrity. ( Owe no man 
anything, but to love one another.' L,ove is the 
fulfilling of the law, and ye are -the children of 
God!" 

How can a counsel so extraordinary as this be 
followed with any hope of success? In reply, let 
me call you to observe the fine example set before 
the ages by this very man Paul. A most remark- 
able passage in one of his letters is enough to bring 
the whole to light. We find him defending himself 
against those who accused him of self-seeking and 
money-making in his Christian work. Admitting 
freely, and even taking pains to force by a threefold 

8* 



oo STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Paul's tent-making. Sickly sentimentalism. 

argument, the claim he had to live on the gospel, 
and take pay as a preacher, he yet threw aside the 
demand. He went to tent-making to earn support. 
It was, as he said, better for him to die than to give 
any caviller a chance to gainsay the gospel. So he 
kept free. 

Imagine, now, an insignificant -looking man, 
short in stature, worn in mien, humble in dress, 
habitually feeble in health, with a bent figure and 
weak eyes ! Picture him as he rises to speak words 
like these, and note the nobleness of indignant feel- 
ing with which his entire frame would dilate: "For 
though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory 
of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto 
me, if I preach not the gospel ! For though I be 
free from all men, yet have I made myself servant 
unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the 
Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews ; 
to them that are under the law, as under the law, 
that I might gain, them that are under the law; to 
the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the 
weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might 
by all means save some !" 

Singular and emphatic reversal is this of the 
human clamor. Here is one man, at any rate, who 
has risen out of the range of sickly sentimentalism. 
He nowhere intimates that anybody owes him any- 
thing. Here is one man who considers himself 
paid up. The sight is much to edification. Break- 
ing its way right up through the lackadaisical sense 
of injury, the moaning want of appreciation, this 



CHRISTIAN DEBT. 



9* 



" I am debtor." Lesson learned too late. 

courage shifts the burden of obligation in an instant 
and addresses itself to discharge it. "I am debtor, ' ' 
he says. The disclosure startles you. It looks like 
manhood. The whine is gone. The cringe is re- 
jected. The Master stands revealed and admitted. 

I,et me ask you to notice that my short text to- 
day is simply tremendous as a proclamation of pur- 
pose on human lips. The burden of suggestion 
swells the words. Take a great thought like that 
Paul had when he said, "I am debtor," a thought 
full of self-denial, full of toil, full of faith and effort 
and prayer, full of suffering and of strifes, full of 
patience life-long, death-ending. Hold it up till 
you see its inimitable majesty. Study it earnestly, 
till your heart is swayed with fitting admiration. 
Now try to condense and compact it into one poor 
little vocable, like that familiar and despised word 
debt, and then mark how the living sentence will 
dilate with ponderous meaning. He who thus 
pledges himself to good ; he who chooses that utter- 
ance for the motto of his life, will stand up crowned 
among his fellows, every inch revealed a king of 
men ! 

The purpose of all which has thus far been said 
is this: There is a lesson of deepest importance here 
to all young Christians. Religious life is certain to 
be moulded by the ideal one has of it, and the prin- 
ciple which he makes to underlie it at the start. 
u It is to be lamented, ' ' said a wise old scholar of a 
former generation, as he lay on his death -bed, 1 ' that 
men seem never to know to what end they were 



92 • STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Instant obligation, a How much owest thou ?" 

born into the world until they are just ready to go 
out of it. ' ' The ordinary conception is, that duties 
will be disclosed as maturity advances; that obliga- 
tions will multiply with the mere flow of years. 
Whereas the fact is, that each Christian enters the 
new life immediately and overwhelmingly in debt. 
The stroke of a die which stamps a coin in the 
mint, fits it for circulation and renders it instanta- 
neously money. And just so the force of sovereign 
grace, which seals a soul with the image of Christ, 
consecrates it instantly for all time and eternity to 
his work. "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and 
to enjoy him for ever. ' ' The central thought, there- 
fore, sends its circulation through all the veins and 
arteries of the new existence. 

We know, even in our worldly observation, that 
a child of opulent parents, who goes forth into life 
saying, 4 ' The world owes me honor and ease and flat- 
tery and place," will make a very different man 
from the child of many prayers, who enters the con- 
flict, saying, 1 ' / owe the world a work and a duty. ' ' 
The plain account of debt and credit settles the fu- 
ture. So I say again, the gospel sets the Christian 
on the search, not how much he may claim in the 
wrestle of existence, but how much he may give; 
not how much the world owes him, but how infi- 
nitely much he owes the world, for which Christ 
died. Doing good to everybody we can reach, with 
all our body, soul, and spirit, with the help of God, 
and for the glory of God, is what we are here on 
earth for. Every moment we put off beginning to 



CHRISTIAN DEBT. 



93 



Sir Walter Scott. Industry and thrift. 

do it is just so much lost time to be redeemed. The 
gospel falls from heaven like a winged benediction 
upon our souls. It renews our powers ; it exalts our 
capabilities; it permeates our dispositions; it refines 
our emotions; it ennobles our aims. And then it 
just binds us over, once and for ever, to entire ser- 
vice of God. 

There is something instructive in those historic 
instances of heroic zeal when men have put forth 
all their energies to pay their debts. Sir Walter 
Scott once tried to rest his half-delirious brain. But 
he had no time to be sick, as the outstanding obli- 
gations matured. ( ' This is folly, ' ' said he to the 
startled servant, as he sprang up from the couch ; 
" bring in the pens and paper !" There is no fer- 
tility of genius like the pressure of a great debt. 
Necessity is the mother of invention. 

And then note, also, the industry and thrift it 
promotes. That man pays most of his dues whose 
unfailing hammer rings earliest in the morning and 
latest at night. He lessens debt the most whose 
shuttle weaves the most yards in faithful toil. Dil- 
igence in business keeps the bailiff a stranger. Put 
this familiar commonplace of philosophy alongside 
of devout Christian life, and so learn the lesson. A 
child of God who really feels that he is a debtor to 
the whole world will surely find some shrewd way 
of his own to discharge the duty. That man who 
is always searching painfully and asking at random 
for a chance to do something, and yet never satisfies ■ 
himself he has discovered the field for which he has 



94 



STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Spiritual repudiation. A church debt. 

a talent, has no true feeling of pressure. He is only 
working on a dastardly and shameful principle of 
spiritual repudiation, under the plausible plea that 
he cannot find his creditors ! 

Sometimes you notice on the corner of the street 
a fine edifice springing up. You are told it is a new 
church coming into being. Once a pastor was asked, 
as he stood unrecognized upon the walls, ' ' When 
will this building be completed?" He easily gave 
the time. 4 'Will the congregation be in debt?" 
continued the stranger. • ' Oh yes, awfully, ' ' an- 
swered the thoughtful man ; ' ' sometimes it frightens 
me to think of it !" Then came the question, ' ' Why 
did you begin, when you had not the money?" 
Then the minister of God answered, ' 1 Oh, we have 
money enough; we shall have no such debt as that; 
but think, think how much a ckurch like this is going 
to owe the community and the world ! How they will 
look to us for man's love and God's grace !" 

Oh, my brethren, I think of our own sweet, 
bright trust we have taken in charge \ Is our church 
debt paid ? Not money, but love, zeal, effort. ( 1 How 
much owest thou my Lord ?' ' Souls around us are 
looking for us to help them. I put it to you all 
calmly and plainly — the true test of piety is a sense of 
debtorship to souls. You will find a Christian ever 
on one only errand. He will say with the sainted 
Brainerd, ' 1 Anything, anything for thee, O God ! 
Let me and mine be nothing, only that thy king- 
dom may come !" 



IX. 



FIVE PARADOXES. 

" AND I AM GLAD FOR YOUR SAKES THAT I WAS NOT THERE, TO 
THE INTENT YE MAY BELIEVE J NEVERTHELESS LET US GO UNTO 

him." — John ii .-15. 

The word paradox means an apparent contra- 
diction. In stating a paradox one wonld be quite 
likely so to arrange his expressions as that the two 
members of his sentence should seem to cross each 
other. As, for example, the apostle says, "When 
I am weak, then am I strong. ' ' Or, again, ' ' I am 
crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live." The 
one term here would appear to deny the exact mean- 
ing of the other. And there is need always of some 
intervening explanation. 

In the single verse of our text we find no less 
than five paradoxes. They are disclosed in the 
words, but interpreted in the deeds, of Jesus him- 
self. If their force and significance be carefully 
studied, they will help our understanding of many 
a mystery in the providential dealings of God. 

I. The first one of them is this: In the LiEE 

OF AN INTELLIGENT BELIEVER GLADNESS SOME- 
TIMES GROWS OUT OE GRIEE. 

The disciples came with bad news to Jesus. 
They told him that Lazarus, one of his dear friends, 
was ill. Knowing his strong attachment to that 
little family in Bethany, they were quite prepared 
for an exhibition of his emotion, perhaps even as 



96 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



" I am glad." The lowest form of experience. 

startling as that he manifested afterwards at the 
time of the bnrial. Then, we remember, it is re- 
corded, "Jesus wept." But now, although we 
perfectly understand that Jesus was aware that Laz- 
arus was more than sick — indeed, he was dead — 
we see that, instead of an outbreak, he simply re- 
marks, as if nowise disturbed, "I am^M." 

The explanation of this extraordinary reply is 
quite at hand. Jesus saw in the sickness and death 
of his friend more than a personal bereavement. 
He recognized another fine opportunity of glorify- 
ing God. He looked beyond that sick-bed to the 
sepulchre, beyond the sepulchre to the miraculous 
resurrection. He foresaw that all the pain he now 
felt, all the suffering Lazarus had had, all the an- 
guish of the mourning sisters, would eventually turn 
to the spiritual advantage of those who were now 
weeping. Along the distant ages saints would be 
kindled and quickened -by the story, and the Father 
of all would in the end gain new lustre of praise. 

Really, this is the lowest form of true Christian 
experience. It means no more nor less than that 
our light affliction, which is but for a moment, will 
work out a far more exceeding and eternal weight 
of glory. God is pleased to be praised in the minor 
music of sorrow quite as much as in the ordinary 
strains of livelier joy. The Christian life is on a 
high plane. And if afflictions can be made to bring 
a great advantage by simply waiting a while, then 
the question resolves itself into a mere transaction 
of profit and loss. " No chastening for the present 



FIVE PARADOXES. 



97 



Glorying in tribulation. Intense individuality. 

seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless 
afterwards it yieldetti the peaceable fruit of right- 
eousness in them which are exercised thereby. ' ' So, 
when any genuine believer is like his L,ord in un- 
derstanding and temper, he will not swoon into tears 
of lamentation as he is informed of heavy sorrow. 
He will be so penetrating in his foresight of another 
chance to glorify God that he will surprise the 
bearers of evil tidings with the quiet words, ' ' I am 
glad. ' ' He will glory in tribulations ; he will even 
take pleasure in distresses. 

II. The next paradox in the text is this: One's 

ADVANTAGE IS SOMETIMES HID UNDERNEATH AN- 
OTHER'S TRIALS. 

' ' I am glad for your sakes, ' ' said Jesus. Very 
likely those men were surprised to hear him an- 
nounce he had not intended to be at hand to pre- 
vent Lazarus' death; but surely they must have 
been still more surprised to be told it was for their 
sakes he was rejoicing. For what had they to do 
with the matter ? It was a sad thing for the sisters, 
a mournful thing, for Jesus, and a painful thing for 
Icarus; but how did it touch them? Further 
conversation soon disclosed to them, however, that 
in the purpose of good for which that affliction was 
sent to Mary and Martha, they were also included 
most intimately. 

In the economy of God's plan it is never to be 
forgotten that all believers are perfectly indepen- 
dent of each other. To his own Master every one 
standeth or falleth. And yet there can be no doubt 

Neglected Texts. q 



98 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Law of vicarious suffering. Two inferences. 

that the trials of one person are often intended to 
benefit another. It does not merely happen so; it 
is ordered so. One law of vicarious suffering holds 
the entire race. A parent suffers for a child; a 
child for a parent. God seeks sometimes to instruct 
the best of his people in an unexpected and indirect 
way. The infant of David's sin was taken away, 
and that brought the guilty monarch to terms. 
There is a deep sense in which it is true that an 
innocent babe was made the author of the fifty-first 
Psalm. Joseph was sold into Egyptian bondage 
that Jacob's descendants should go into Palestine. 
Daniel must pass a frightful night in the den of 
lions, in order that Nebuchadnezzar might be con- 
verted. 

Two inferences may be suggested here. The 
one is this: When we are in deepest affliction, it is 
quite possible our sorrow is sent in some measure for 
another's advantage. It nowise assumes guilt when 
one is in pain. It may be so; and inquiry is always 
in order. But possibly the lesson is to be learned 
by others. Peter's imprisonment may have been 
needed to discipline Rhoda's faith. Paul's confine- 
ment may have been ordered for the jailer's conver- 1 
sion to Christ. I venture to say Martha and Mary 
lived to see the day when they were perfectly satis- 
fied to remember they had wept and groaned at the 
burial of their only brother for the sake of educating 
and disciplining Matthew and Peter and John. 

The other inference is this: When others are 
afflicted, it may possibly be they are suffering for our 



FIVE PARADOXES. 



99 



Achan's sin looked up. Christ delays on purpose. 

sakes. Let us be thoughtful, then, in the presence 
of any great sorrow, and seek early to learn all we 
can from it. They were not sinners above all the 
world on whom the tower of Siloam fell. When 
Joshua's heart is broken, and with rended garments 
he lies in despair upon his face; when the elders of 
Israel put dust on their heads, and mourn in deso- 
lation; it is high time for us to be asking whether, 
in our tents, we have any Babylonish garment, or 
wedge of gold, which may have been the guilty 
cause of all their troubles. 

III. Then there is a third paradox in the text: 
Increase oe a, Christian's sorrow sometimes 
alleviates it. 

If any one of these disciples had been asked his 
honest opinion as to this illness of Lazarus, he would 
quite likely have replied, Indeed it was all bad, 
heart-rending and disastrous; but the most unfortu- 
nate circumstance in the whole affair was the ab- 
sence of Jesus: .how could it have happened so? 
It may readily be imagined, then, how extreme 
would be their wonder when Christ told them he 
had stayed away on purpose. Nay, he knew more 
of the matter now than they did. He had been 
acquainted all along with the desperate character 
of the disease, and yet had coolly delayed his jour- 
ney for two whole days : now it was too late, for the 
sufferer was dead. They had been ready to say, as 
the sisters said the moment they had a chance, 
1 ' Lord, if thou hadst been here, our brother had not 
died. ' ' Jesus seemed to be reading their thoughts, 



IOO STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A strange comfort. New explanation. 

for he remarked, "I am glad I was not there." 
Then they saw he had kept away simply that Laz- 
arus might die. 

Just at that moment a strange sort of comfort 
entered their hearts. They were worse off than 
they had supposed, but they were better off, too. 
Up to the instant of this vast disclosure they had 
looked upon L,azarus' dangerous sickness as one of 
the hard calamities of domestic life, and Jesus' ab- 
sence as a most melancholy accident. Now they 
perceived that the divine knowledge embraced this 
also, the divine wisdom was dealing with it, and 
the divine mercy was going to turn it into fine ad- 
vantage. They were far worse off, in that the situ- 
ation was more desperate; they were far better off, 
in that they saw God himself was undoubtedly mas- 
ter of the situation. 

Here, then, is disclosed to our understanding a 
remarkable principle. It is the desire of a brave 
man to face his own trials, and bear them without 
complaint. But when the strain becomes more 
severe, we fly to seek heavenly help. We say, If 
Jesus were here he would relieve us at once. Sud- 
denly the affliction grows deeper still, and we be- 
come persuaded Jesus does not mean to interpose. 
Read one of these verses over carefully; when Christ 
' ' had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two 
days still in the same place where he was. ' ' Was there 
ever a more astonishing inconsequence ? Why, here 
is one of the plainest cases of unanswered prayer we 
ever heard of ! A decided refusal ! As you read on, 



FIVE PARADOXES. 



IOI 



Mysteries of God's purposes. Faith at school. 

however, you become most thoroughly persuaded 
that the thing is removed from the region of acci- 
dent. The entire threads of information and influ- 
ence are in the almighty hand. The event rises 
out from mere human calamity, and ranges itself 
among the grand mysteries of God's purpose. 

This is what I mean by saying that the believ- 
er's affliction is sometimes alleviated by being in- 
tensified. Icarus' illness may be taken for a mere 
annoyance or a vexation ; but Lazarus' positive 
death, especially after we discover that the L,ord 
knew all about it forty-eight hours before, opens 
our eyes to see divine wisdom has unflinching hold 
of the reins. A great sorrow, with a purpose in it, 
is easier to bear than a smaller one which seems to 
have no aim now, and promise no benefit hereafter. 

IV. This leads us on, both in fact and in instruc- 
tion, to the fourth paradox in the text: In The 

TRUE BELIEVER'S EXPERIENCE DOUBT IS SOME- 
TIMES EMPLOYED TO DEEPEN TRUST. 

' ' I am glad for your sakes I w r as not there, ' ' 
said Jesus, ' ' to the intent ye may believe. ' ' The 
same thought is expressed afterwards in his address 
to Martha: " Said I not unto thee, that if thou 
wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of 
God ?' ' The one simple intention of all this heart- 
rending bereavement was to increase the faith of 
those who felt it. This was accomplished by per- 
mitting them to imagine for a while they were for- 
gotten of God. Jesus suffered the sisters in Bethany 
just to doubt him during those two critical days of 



102 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A mother and child. Cedar carvings out of knots. 

waiting, knowing full well ' that his immediate dis- 
closure of greater love thereafter would work a joy- 
ous return of their confidence. 

The process finds its simplest illustration in 
familiar life, in the seeming withdrawal of a mother 
from her child, who has grown careless of her pres- 
ence in the room. She covers her face for a brief 
instant, that the child may run inquiringly and im- 
pulsively into her embrace, loving her all the more 
because it had fancied it had lost her. So God 
says, "In a little wrath I hid my face for a mo- 
ment, but with everlasting kindness will I draw 
thee. ' ' So far as our personal religious experience 
is concerned, there may be considered to be only 
two beings in existence, God and the child of God. 
The saint deals with the Saviour in the spirit of 
intense individualism. Each believer needed a 
whole atonement and an entire Redeemer at the 
beginning; and he needs exactly the same unto the 
extreme end. And the purpose of all discipline, 
the solitary aim, is the "perfecting of our faith. n 
Through all the days and hours of our sojourning 
here, be they few or many, the work of moulding 
our character goes on. All the providences which 
any believer meets are strokes of tools that are fit- 
ting him for a place in the spiritual temple of the 
redeemed. Says a quaint old divine, "All the 
carvings of heaven are made out of knots; the tem- 
ple of God is a cedar one, but the cedars were all 
gnarly trees before he cut them down." Earthly 
perplexity is therefore a heavenly discipline. The 



FIVE PARADOXES. 



103 



The word " nevertheless." Four weary days. 

way to make a careless Christian careful is to in- 
crease his cares. The way to render faith confident 
and unbroken is to make large demands upon it by 
onsets of trying doubt. 

V. The fifth and final paradox in our text is 
this: Absolute hopelessness and helpless- 
ness ARE THE CONDITIONS OF HOPE AND HELP. 

The turning-point of this interesting story, as it 
here culminates, is found in the word nevertheless. 
"I am glad I was not there then," Jesus says; 
' 1 nevertheless let us go there now. ' ' It seems like 
a signal of retraction. He had disclosed his knowl- 
edge of their deepening trouble; he had made them 
understand that for two whole days he had contem- 
plated the gloom of the eternal shadow as it stealth- 
ily approached that beloved circle just over the 
Mount of Olives; and all this for a reason, for a 
good reason; but the time had arrived for him now 
to reverse his own action. So he goes in rapid 
travel up those rugged slopes of rock to Bethany; 
goes in danger to himself to help his friends; goes 
with the expectation of working one of the most 
stupendous miracles he ever wrought, and all this 
to remedy what his own delay had permitted. By 
this time Martha and Mary had given up all hope; 
but Hope was on the way. By this time they were 
beyond all help; yet Help was on the way. When 
Icarus is dead Jesus sets out for Bethany. For 
four weary days that body will lie in the grave. 
But on the next day Immanuel will arrive. And 
there will be a fine sight for the universe to see, 



104 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



" I am the resurrection." Rutherford's comment. 

when, out on the crags that tear that frightful road 
up in the way from Jericho, he will stand to utter 
those precious words of welcome, ' ' I am the resur- 
rection and the life; he that belie veth in me, though 
he were dead, yet shall he live; and he that liveth 
and believeth in me shall never die. ' ' 

So with us all, one after another of our props 
must drop away. L,ittle by little we must be let 
down from earthly hopes and helps. At last we are 
shut up to God. Then even he leads us deeper into 
the dark. But at last our feet are planted down 
upon the Rock of Ages, and we can expect to stand. 
And the thing to remember is, in all our bewilder- 
ing experiences, that while the sorrow keeps increa- 
sing, Jesus intentionally keeps away, so that our 
entire reserve of human reliances is used up. When 
the case becomes utterly desperate, we may be sure 
he has started for Bethany, and will soon be here 
for our relief. So, with our confidence unbroken, 
we may as well be getting ready, like Martha, to go 
forth at once to meet him. 

There is with Christ no such thing as unan- 
swered prayer. When considering the hesitation 
and delay of our Saviour with the Syrophcenician 
woman, the acute Rutherford remarks that he never 
could see any signs of inattention. "It is said he 
answered not a word, but nowhere is it said he 
heard not. These two differ very much. Christ 
often heareth when k he doth not answer; then his 
not answering is an answer, and it speaks thus, 
Pray on, go on, and cry, for the I^ord holdeth his 



FIVE PARADOXES. 



" Knock and knock." No more paradoxes. 

door fast bolted, not to keep you out, but that you 
may knock and knock, and by and by it shall be 
opened unto you. ' ' 

Never believe, my Christian friend, that there 
is even one moment in all your life in which your 
Iyord disregards or forgets you. Mary and Martha 
sat by Lazarus' bedside, and saw the fire wane and 
go out in his eye; and so they wrote bitter things 
in their sore hearts against Jesus. Most likely they 
said to each other, He has found other friends else- 
where. And yet all this while Jesus and his disci- 
ples were together talking about them, and plan- 
ning about them, a week's journey away ! 

Here, then, we see how full of biographical ex- 
perience even one sentence can be. Five contra- 
dictions in appearance, but all explained • easily. 
Oh, when these paradoxes are quite ended, how 
clear our lives will seem ! 

" The path of sorrow, and that path alone, 
Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown." 



X. 

THE CHIEF PRIESTS' STORY. 

" NOW WHEN THEY WERE GOING, BEHOLD, SOME OF THE WATCH 
CAME INTO THE CITY, AND SHEWED UNTO THE CHIEF PRIESTS ALL 
THE THINGS THAT WERE DONE. AND WHEN THEY WERE ASSEM- 
BLED WITH THE ELDERS, AND HAD TAKEN COUNSEL, THEY GAVE 
LARGE MONEY UNTO THE SOLDIERS, SAYING, SAY YE, HlS DISCIPLES 
CAME BY NIGHT, AND STOLE HIM AWAY WHILE WE SLEPT. AND IF 
THIS COME TO THE GOVERNOR'S EARS, WE WILL PERSUADE HIM, AND 
SECURE YOU. SO THEY TOOK THE MONEY, AND DID AS THEY WERE 
TAUGHT ; AND THIS SAYING IS COMMONLY REPORTED AMONG THE 

Jews until this day."— Matthew 28 : 11-15. 

Light is the remedy for darkness, not for blind- 
ness. It wonld be folly to say to a man whose 
physical organs of sight were growing sore and poor 
that he needed more sunshine. Indeed, this might 
be his ruin, and it would certainly be his exaspera- 
tion in sensitive moments. 

Gospel truth is the remedy for spiritual igno- 
rance, not for human perversity. A hard will 
might be expected to grow harder under the full 
pressure of obligation to yield. Yet the duty of 
New Testament preachers is plain; they must keep 
urging the evidences of Christianity upon men's 
notice, whether they will hear or forbear. One per- 
verse soul's obstinacy cannot prevent another soul's 
belief. These chief priests may have shut their 
eyes tight in the full blaze of illumination; but 
that would not make Jerusalem dark in the day- 
time. 

Moreover, even they recognized the force of 



The chief priests' story. 107 



The ancient lie. The new version. 

logic as an element of influence in swaying masses 
of men. It is quite clear that they knew some dis- 
posal must be made of the issues raised concerning 
Jesus' death and resurrection. These would have 
to be met by some sort of rebuttal or counter-state- 
ment. So they resorted to the subterfuge of an 
actually .invented lie. 

And now, eighteen hundred years afterwards, 
we are compelled to treat this tale of the opposition 
among the historic incidents of that day. It is sub- 
mitted as one of the issues to be tested and settled, 
like the rest, by the ordinary rules of investigation 
in courts of justice. 

L Let us begin with an exact understanding of 
the whole story at once. It is recorded by Matthew 
alone : and thus in the new revision : 

1 ' Now while they were going, behold, some of 
the guard came into the city, and told unto the 
chief priests all the things that were come to pass. 
And when they were assembled with the elders, and 
had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the 
soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by 
night, and stole him away while we slept. And if 
this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade 
him, and rid you of care. So they took the money, 
and did as they were taught; and this saying was 
spread abroad among the Jews, and continueth until 
this day. ' ' 

On the evening of Friday Jesus had been hastily 
buried. Saturday was, as it is now, the Hebrew 
Sabbath, and the day then began with the evening 



I08 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The strict dates. The careful precautions. 

before; that is, it was Sabbath on Friday evening 
at sundown. These disciples, in common with all 
their nation, had been trained to keep that closing 
day of the week with great strictness. They thought 
it-would be wicked to use holy time in making prep- 
arations for permanent interment. So, as best they 
could, they wound up the body Joseph begged of 
Pilate, and laid it in this generous counsellor's 
tomb. They expected to return and to complete 
their work on Sunday morning. 

Now, at this juncture in the affairs, the chief 
priests make it evident that they had kept warily 
on the watch for all which occurred. A suspicion 
arose in their minds. Some of them remembered 
that Jesus had declared he would rise again in three 
days. So they went to Pilate asking that a guard 
might be set at the sepulchre until the critical date 
of the third day had passed. Their wish was 
granted. Sixteen men, divided into four fours — 
the so-called 1 ' quaternions " of a Roman military 
watch — were assigned to the duty, and took their 
regular turns as sentinels on the spot. 

Moreover, the unusual precaution was added of 
sealing up the entrance to the enclosure. Most 
likely they rolled up the stone before the opening 
of Joseph's new excavation in the rock, then passed 
a strong cord around it, fastening the ends at either 
side, and covering the knots with balls of wet clay, 
on which they stamped some official letter or sign ; 
if the grave were disturbed, this would show it, no 
matter who the parties might be. 



THE CHIEF PRIESTS' STORY. 109 



Christ really died. This is the only story. 

When Sunday morning dawned, the tomb was 
found open, the buried body was gone. Aware that 
some explanation must instantly be made, the chief 
priests circulated the story which Matthew records. 
They said that the soldiers fell asleep, and then the 
friends of Jesus came secretly and stole the body 
away. The military guard admitted this statement 
publicly, and so helped on the tale. 

Before we submit this fabrication to the test of 
argument as a u case " in jurisprudence, it may be 
just as well to note two interesting points made by 
it at the beginning. This story settles, at any rate, 
the fact of Christ's actual death and burial. In the 
recital, everybody admitted he was truly crucified, 
really dead at last in the grave. It was agreed on 
all hands that he had predicted his own rising upon 
the third day. With equal acquiescence, it was 
understood that on Sunday morning the body was 
missing. This is worth the recollection : for so 
much of either gospel history or doctrine as rests in 
the death of Jesus upon the cross may for evermore 
be considered as established by his enemies beyond 
a cavil. 

Further : since the chief priests put their case 
on the best basis they had, it must follow that, if 
this subterfuge of theirs fails, all presumption is 
against any process of denial. They asserted, and 
this is all they said in explanation of the most stu- 
pendous miracle the universe ever knew, that the 
disciples secretly stole and made away with Jesus' 
body. If such a story cannot be now credited, then 

Neglected Texts. TQ 



IIO STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A cross-examination. Want of motive. 

there is an end of all counter-evidence to be ad- 
duced by those who would deny the doctrine of our 
lord's resurrection. 

II. Coolly and dispassionately it becomes us to 
weigh the tale, therefore, on its own merits. This 
case, if it be good for anything, will bear the same 
cross-examination and analysis as others in the 
annals of important jurisprudence. And candor is 
compelled instantly to admit it labors under serious 
embarrassments. 

1. In the very outset, the antecedent improbability 
of particulars crushes it. How came a trained 
watch all to go to sleep ? Would the whole band 
of sixteen men be likely to fall away at once, and 
remain in slumber a time long enough for this 
amount of labor ? This was noisy work, and took 
some numbers to do it; yet it would have to be done 
leisurely. Who folded up the napkin, and arranged 
the grave-clothes so methodically in the dark? 
And, if the Roman soldiers were asleep, how did 
they know anything about it ? 

2. But go a step farther: the immediate follow- 
ers of Jesus had no motive to steal the body of their 
Lord. They must have believed him to be either 
a true man or an impostor. If they now gave him 
up as an impostor when they saw him die, then the 
sooner he was out of all remembrance and notice 
for ever, the better for them; the more effectually 
he was buried and forgotten, the easier for their dis- 
appointment and shame. They surely did not need 
or wish to follow up a deceiver; they did not want 



THE CHIKF PRIKSTS' STORY. Ill 



No evidence of a plan. This tale never tested. 

his memory on their hands. On the other side, if 
they believed him true, they had only to wait till 
he should vindicate himself. Whatever the suppo- 
sition as to the state of these men's minds, to go 
and purloin the dead body was the worst policy for 
them. For this admitted and agreed that he was a 
liar; it accepted the taunt of his infamous crucifix- 
ion ; it confessed he was a mere man. 

3. Nor is this all: it is evident from the entire 
story told here in its artless naturalness that the dis- 
ciples had no sort of concerted plan to do any such 
thing. Why, they had his body full in their power 
after Joseph begged it on Friday evening: how was 
it possible that the idea should strike them to go and 
pilfer it away on Saturday ? Who was it that did 
the stealing? Not Peter: for no one can doubt his 
utter ignorance and unconsciousness, as he arrived 
on Sunday morning, breathlessly rushing into the 
sepulchre unbidden. Nor John : he knew nothing 
about a disappearance of the body, for he ran with 
the greatest surprise to see if the opened grave was 
empty. Nor Thomas: for he obstinately refused to 
surrender his confidence in anything on the subject 
until he had put his finger in the print of the nails. 
Surely, not the women: for the mother of Jesus was 
entirely ignorant of any such connivance. These 
poverty-stricken friends of Christ spent their time 
and their scant money in gathering expensive spices 
and myrrh just to embalm the body. We cannot 
mistake their unsophisticated surprise. 

4. Again: the Jews never told this tale in any 



112 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The Sanhedrim silent. Risk to the soldiers. 

judicial audience or court, so that it could be sub- 
jected to cross-examination. Stealing this body 
was a capital crime; yet not one of these accused 
disciples was ever arrested for its commission. The 
chief persecutors among them pressed these Chris- 
tians most cruelly before and after the ascension, 
while they preached the resurrection from the dead ; 
they charged them with every conceivable crime; 
but it is marvellous to notice that this pretended 
fraud they never ventured to mention again. They 
did not so much as once use the tale in rebutting 
evidence offered them. We know very well from 
the Acts and the Epistles that the main doctrine, 
for which during forty years these disciples con- 
tended, was the actual resurrection of Jesus. They 
had no end of taunts, gibes, and arguments to an- 
swer. But this story of theft in the night they 
were never called upon officially to deny. To have 
proved it would have overturned the entire Chris- 
tian religion in one sweep. But, after this first lie 
in Jerusalem, the Sanhedrim preserved a discreet 
silence. Nowhere else in the Bible do we find any 
allusion to this fabrication. 

5. To all this now add the consideration that 
there was awful risk to the soldiers, if this story 
were true. Death was in every instance the pun- 
ishment for a Roman sentinel who slept on his post. 
To suffer an escape like this was unpardonable. 
But if the story was not true, there was no peril in 
it. They could be hired to repeat it as often as was 
necessary, and they could do so fearlessly. That is, 



THE CHIEF PRIESTS' STORY. I13 



The Passover moon. The sleepless people. 

they would tell it out around among the populace 
loosely; for all they had to do, if ever brought to 
the governor or pressed to trial on the charge, was 
to deny it again, and say they were only lying; 
punishment belonged to the sleeping, which they 
would assert they did not do; not to the falsehood, 
which they would admit. Certainly, if such a con- 
fession had been honest, they would have conspired 
to help each other keep the secret for their life's sake. 

6. Further: the inherent impossibility of the act 
itself cannot be left out of sight. This was only 
two nights after the Passover, and that feast was 
always observed at the full of the moon. That 
garden, therefore, was filled with white light. It 
would have been fatal to any man or woman to be 
caught on such an errand. Joseph lived close be- 
side the city, most likely; Jerusalem was crowded 
at the time with a vast throng of unusual pilgrims. 
It was jubilee year, and there were greater numbers 
in attendance at the festival. Mountains and val- 
leys on every side of the town were occupied with 
booths and tents of excited travellers. The people 
must have been alert and frightened. Oh, the maj- 
esty and the horror of that whole day ! The curtain 
of the temple was torn in two — the holiest place was 
in full display before the profane eyes — rocks were 
split, graves were opened, old dead Hebrews had 
been up from their tombs, and had been seen walk- 
ing in the streets ! And if there was one spot more 
than another likely to be under malevolent and 
curious scrutiny, it was that where this Na^areue 

10* 



ii4 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Disposal of the body. The story breaks down. 

prophet was laid. Any suspicious movement would 
have been observed by a score of eyes. 

7. Then what could have been done with the 
body after the disciples had got it in possession ! In 
all ages of mysterious history of crime, how many 
midnight machinations have been defeated and ex- 
posed because the presence of a human body was 
involved ! It seems as if death would never be kept 
secret. In that land, too, where such strict regula- 
tions existed, so superstitious and exact, where every 
one shunned contact because of ceremonial unclean- 
ness, how could those frightened Galileans have 
relieved themselves of a burden so awkward after 
they had passed the precincts of the garden? If 
discovered, what was there so fatal to their faith, as 
well as to themselves, as this half-buried body of 
that crucified Nazarene ? 

There seems hardly any need of pursuing so idle 
and so ill-contrived a tale with such seriousness. 
But remember this is all the evidence which has 
ever been offered in these eighteen centuries to ex- 
plain the stupendous fact that on Sunday morning 
the new sepulchre of Joseph was found tenantless. 
In a word, it is the entire defence in this supposed 
case of jurisprudence. Justin Martyr and Tertul- 
lian, the historians of the second and third centu- 
ries, tell us that the Jews sent this story by letter 
around through all the East. Even in our time, 
the descendants of those people stubbornly insist 
that it is true. If, therefore, the story breaks down, 
the entire case against the gospel is lost 



THE CHIEF PRIESTS' STORY. 115 

A fact and a doctrine. Turks' proverb. 

So let us bear in mind that the resurrection of 
Jesus Christ is more than a fact; it is a doctrine. 
And once admitted, it will surely take all the other 
Christian doctrines in its train. Just let me know 
that Jesus himself folded that napkin, burst those 
stony barriers of the sepulchre, and led captivity 
captive, and then I know that the atonement is 
perfected. Man may find his way unhindered in 
returning unto God, and through penitence and 
faith sin may be checked, Satan conquered, and 
heaven set open for ever ! 

With such a gospel, why does any one wait? 
Even the Turks say in a proverb, ' ' Hold thy man- 
tle wide open when Heaven is raining gold !" 

Here is offered to our blind and helpless race a 
full disclosure of the future so longed for and needed. 
' ' Christ rose, and I shall surely rise. " Is it the 
work of wise men to reject a hope so resplendent? 
But that hope, like the doctrine, does not go or 
come alone ; it carries a train after it. ' ' If only in 
this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all men 
most miserable. ' ' If only in that life we have hope 
in Christ, we are of all men most mean and most 
selfish. It would be a strange thing to see in the 
Father's house one who never served the Father 
here, nor ever loved his Son ! 



XL 



A POSSIBLE CASTAWAY. 

"BUT I KEEP UNDER MY BODY, AND BRING IT INTO SUBJEC- 
TION : LEST THAT BY ANY MEANS, WHEN I HAVE PREACHED TO 
others, I MYSELF SHOULD BE A CASTAWAY." — I Corinthians 9:27. 

It seems that on more than one occasion the 
apostle Panl was accused of making gain out of 
godliness, and forcing a personal support from his 
profession as a preacher. In the verses with which 
the text is connected he turns upon his maligners 
with a tremendous argument in vindication of his 
career. He bids them take his whole life into the 
closest examination. He challenges the minutest 
scrutiny. And in his final declaration he discloses 
clearly what had been his aim and his method, 
and what was his anxiety. 

I. His aim, from the beginning, had been only 
the salvation of souls; he wanted, by all means, to 
' c save some. " " To the weak became I as weak, 
that I might gain the weak: I am made all things 
to all men, that I might by all means save some. ' ' 

1. This single purpose he asserts more plainly 
still in some previous verses of the same chapter. 
1 1 For though I was free from all men, I brought 
myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the 
more. And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that 
I might gain Jews ; to them that are under the 
•law, as under the law, not being myself under the 
law, that I might gain them that are under the law ; 



A POSSIBLE CASTAWAY. 



Paul wanted to "save some." Self-renunciation necessary. 

to them that are without law, as without law, not 
being without law to God, but under law to Christ, 
that I might gain them that are without law. ' ' He 
wanted to gain the Jews; he wanted to gain the 
Gentiles; he wanted to gain all he possibly could. 
He understood this to be the one purpose of God in 
the gospel plan. He knew it to be the one office of 
spiritual doctrine and activity. He accepted it as 
the sole end of the ministry of reconciliation. He 
directed all his energy to gain somebody. 

2. He intimates at this point, however, that 
there is an almost infinite variety allowable in the 
use of means for such a work. Individual talent 
could find wide use for all its powers. Personal tact 
was of greatest value. The history of his times was 
precisely like that of ours, so far as human nature 
was concerned. In all ages of the church, conver- 
sation, literature, correspondence, gifts of scholar- 
ship, embellishments of art — indeed, the entire 
round of cultivated acquirements — would have a 
welcome and efficient place in God's service, if 
only one would be willing to be, as Paul said he 
himself was, ' ' made all things to all men, ' ' in the 
consecrated hope of being able in the end just to 
' ' save some. ' ' 

3. He shows, in this connection, that self-renun- 
ciation must be the first condition of success. ' ' For 
the gospel's sake" Paul was content to be "servant 
unto all ' ' that he 1 ( might gain the more. ' ' That is 
to say, he adapted his means to his end. We are 
not to understand him as declaring he was hypo- 



Il8 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Only some would be saved. Figures from the prize-ring. 

critical or insincere. He employed Jewish argu- 
ments and Jewish influential appeals with Jews, in 
order to reach their hearts; Gentile with Gentiles. 
He was weak in dealing with the weak; he grew 
pitiful and gentle with those feeble or timid people 
who needed forbearance and patience in instruction. 
For in his heart of hearts he knew that at the best 
only • ' some ' ' among them would be saved. Many 
would resist the Spirit of grace in spite of all he 
could do; but woe would be to him if he did not 
instantly preach the gospel ; necessity was laid upon 
him so to do. 

II. With this aim, Paul now proceeds to tell us 
concerning his methods of self-training and disci- 
pline. " And I do all things for the gospel's sake, 
that I may be a joint partaker thereof. Know ye 
not that they which run in a race run all, but one 
receiveth the prize ? Even so run, that ye may at- 
tain. And every man that striveth in the games is 
temperate in all things. Now they do it to receive 
a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible." 

i. It becomes us just here thoroughly to under- 
stand what the apostle means, before we attempt to 
apply his admonition. It is always interesting to 
notice how perfectly free from all mere fastidious- 
ness Paul is in his writings. He would just as wil- 
lingly take his rhetorical figures from the prize-ring 
as from any other source, if he found what he want- 
ed there. Here he chooses two of the ordinary 
games of those times — racing and boxing. And 
appealing to the popular knowledge of athletes' 



A possible: castaway. 



119 



True self-control. Laborious discipline. 

habits, he throws his whole force upon the one ele- 
ment of self-control. That is what the word ' ' tem- 
perance" means. No doubt it refers to drinking 
too much intoxicating liquor; for it has to do with 
everything that debases or injures one by its mis- 
use. So, likewise, it refers to gluttony and to licen- 
tious habits of any sort whatsoever. The language 
is explicit: "Every man that striveth for the mas- 
tery is temperate in all things. ' ' 

2. Hence our lesson becomes the more valuable 
because of its wider reach. It is neither wise nor 
fair to limit the argument to be drawn from all 
sources as against indulgence in what will weaken. 
It is within our modern knowledge that stroke-oars- 
men, and ' ' the eleven of all England, ' ' and pme- 
walkers in the rinks, all go into instant and des- 
perate training for a match the moment the prelim- 
inaries are arranged, whatever the belt or the pre- 
mium or the ' ' crown ' ' shall be. Soldiers are sub- 
jected to what some would consider violent drill 
with the musket and the sword, with the caisson 
and the carriage, with the horses and the mules, 
with the spades and the pickaxes. Business men 
give hours to laborious discipline. Sailors are kept 
for years before the mast. Every man, whatever 
his vocation in this great rough-and-tumble of a 
world, prepares for his approaching competitions, 
and surrenders himself to the care and regimen of a 
strict life. This is done "to obtain a corruptible 
crown;" we are seeking to obtain one which is 
"incorruptible." 



120 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Successful fishermen. Hit under the eye. 

3. And still beyond this lies the law of Christian 
example. No class in the community believe in 
the attainments of experience more implicitly than 
athletic people do. No man in this lower line of 
usefulness which we call advice is more sage thau a 
prize-fighter. Athletes are creatures of rules in 
training. Even successful fishermen become opin- 
ionated, and believe no flies in nature are as good 
to allure fishes as those which their own dexterity 
makes out of humming-bird feathers. Such per- 
sons hold to the principle that there is profitable 
and available gain in what has been tried once and 
has proved successful. It sounds almost profession- 
al, as if a master-spirit in the race and arena were 
speaking, when we listen to Paul saying, ' ' I there- 
fore so run, not as uncertainly: so fight I, not as 
one that beateth the air: I keep under my body, 
and bring it into subjection." The new version of 
this passage is very striking: "I buffet my body, 
and bring it into . bondage. " "Buffet" is a good, 
dignified rendering. The word has this meaning 
in other connections; but as a boxer's term it means 
* ' hit with heavy blows, ' ' especially, 1 ' hit under the 
eye," "give a black eye," and the like. The rea- 
son for such carefulness is given afterwards at the 
close of the next chapter : 1 ' Give no occasion of 
stumbling, either to Jews or to Greeks or to the 
church of God : even as I also please all men in all 
things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit 
of the many, that they may be saved. Be ye imi- 
tators of me, even as I also am of Christ." 



A POSSIBLE CASTAWAY. 



121 



Paul continued anxious. What is a castaway ? 

III. With all this definiteness of aim, and with 
all this self-control in method, the apostle, in the 
third place, avows that he still was anxious. He 
frankly owns that he had, and had need of, watch- 
fulness in his every-day personal conflict. ' ' I there- 
fore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one 
that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and 
bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, 
when I have preached to others, I myself should be 
a castaway. ' ' 

i. Here, again, we must get at the exact mean- 
ing of the words before we attempt to draw the les- 
sons. This word "castaway" can, in such a con- 
nection, have but one signification. Paul was afraid 
that his soul, if neglected, might be lost in despite 
of all his previous history and effort. Dean Alford 
tells us that an examination of combatants who had 
gained victories took place after the contests were 
closed; and then, if it could be found that any one of 
them had contended unlawfully, that is, against the 
rules of the arena, he was deprived of the prize, and 
might be driven with disgrace from the games. So 
a Christian preacher, having announced to others 
the conditions of the strife against sin, must abide 
by them in person; if he failed, through unfaithful- 
ness or unfairness, he would become a ' ' castaway. ' ' 
This word is given elsewhere, "reprobate." In 
the new version it is translated, "rejected," as its 
meaning here. "I therefore so run, as not uncer- 
tainly; so fight I, as not beating the air: but I buf- 
fet my body, and bring it unto bondage: lest by any 

Neglected Texts. J J 



122 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A great scholar may be lost A conspicuous leader. 

means, after that I have preached to others, I my- 
self should be rejected." 

2. Hence our lessons now are unspeakably sol- 
emn. It needs only that they be stated slowly in 
their order for our admonition. 

(i.) It is possible for a great scholar, highly ed- 
ucated in religious truth, to become a castaway. 
Paul was brought up at Gamaliel's feet. He had a 
wide acquaintance with literature. We find him 
quoting poets, speaking foreign languages, writing 
argumentative epistles. He could reason with Is- 
raelites in their synagogues ; he could cope with the 
philosophers at Athens. But he says he has yet to 
keep his body under, or he shall become a castaway. 

(2.) It is possible for a mature grown man, long 
under disciplinary training, to become a castaway. 
There is a tradition that the apostle was born in the 
second year of our Christian era. If so, he was 
drawing near threescore now. It would seem as if 
this man, already elderly if not old, might have 
gained perfect master}- of himself by mere effort of 
will by this time. Calmness and repose are the 
fruits of reflection. Furthermore, youthful lusts 
bum out and fade out of themselves after a while. 
But this Christian preacher never forgot that he 
grew angry in the quarrel with Barnabas, only just 
a little time before he penned this letter to Corinth. 
So he needed all the remaining years to keep buffet- 
ing his body and watching for life. 

(3.) It is possible for a leader, widely loved and 
followed as a pattern of excellence, to become a 



A POSSIBLE CASTAWAY. 



123 



Danger of apostasy. A popular preacher. 

castaway. It is startling to think of such a man as 
Paul in danger of apostasy. What throngs of peo- 
ple over the then known world had heard hini 
preach, and gratefully accepted him as one of the 
chiefs in the church ! How Timothy loved him, 
how Iyuke trusted him, how Mark believed in him! 
Yet in the very next chapter after this Paul says, 
' ' Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest 
he fall." 

(4.) It is possible for a preacher, extraordinarily 
powerful and popular, to become a castaway. Does 
any one doubt the eminence of this man in public 
speech? Paul was proud and sensitive, and in 
those days men ridiculed one who preached so hum- 
bling a gospel as he announced he was going to pro- 
claim as much as was in him to do. It was the 
theme of his discourses that moulded him more and 
more to the likeness of Christ, who spake as never 
man spake. It is of no use to assert that after his 
conversion these besetting sins had no power over 
Paul; he insists that they never lost their power. 
Subdued indeed, and under control — glorious con- 
trol for a mere man — were all his evil passions; but 
they were not eradicated. They were held in 
check, not by their own weakness, but by the supe- 
rior strength of ' 1 Christ formed in him, the hope of 
glory." Yet ever and anon they burst forth afresh, 
and made him tremble before the rush of their on- 
set. And once at least he lifted his hands with a 
gesture of half-desperation to say plaintively enough, 
4 1 Oh, wretched man that I am ! Who shall deliver 



124 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A serpent loose. Twenty years' experience. 

me from the body of this death !" But even then 
he did not yield to their violence. Paul was no 
man to lie down supinely, and be bound unresist- 
ingly captive. He seems to be always so on the 
alert that he could catch the serpent of his besetting 
sin by the neck, just as it was springing to throw 
its coils around him, and thrust it hissing beneath 
the bars of its cage again ; then he would stand up- 
right and stamp his heel upon the hasp. And only 
waiting after his severe conflict to murmur, 1 1 1 
thank God, who giveth me the victory through our 
Lord Jesus Christ," back to his duty of preaching 
he goes once more, and undauntedly seizing that 
little, despised gospel theme of a crucified Redeem- 
er, he holds it up in both his hands, and turns it 
over and over in the radiant light of his great elo- 
quence until it sparkles again and again with new 
lustre, and makes even his attenuated figure glow 
with an unconscious but glorious beauty. Oh, if it 
seems shameful to imagine such a man becoming a 
castaway, think the rather, then, of many a popu- 
lar idol since, preaching sermons like driven light- 
ning, with all the flashing brilliance of the truth, 
and even with something of its awful stroke, who 
has gone down into sorrow and shame ! 

(5.) It is possible for a member of a Christian 
church, actually somewhat advanced in spiritual 
experience, to become a castaway. For twenty 
years now this apostle had been moving on in lines 
of instruction and growth, since the day when at 
Stephen's martyrdom the witnesses flung their gar- 



A POSSIBLE CASTAWAY. 



125 



A Bengal tiger. • Is it worth a struggle ? 

ments at his feet. He avows his assurance of faith ; 
but he predicates it upon his ' ' temperance, ? ' and 
trusts himself only because he is keeping his body 
under. They tell us that the tiger can never be 
tamed fully; he may be cowed by superior force, 
but his nature can never be wholly changed; let 
him but once lap blood on his tongue, and all his 
old violence is aroused ; he is no longer the cringing 
puppet of the menagerie show, but the bold, fiery 
beast which prowled in the jungles of Bengal. 
Such is the human heart ; and Paul knew that 
from the most lamentable of all experiences. So he 
just patiently labored on to keep his body under, in 
the pathetic and trustful hope he might at last be 
saved. 

There is only one suggestion more to be added 
to all this.' If such a man as Paul had to struggle 
in long conflict lest he should be a castaway at the 
last, how will it fare with those who make no be- 
ginning ? "If the righteous be scarcely saved, 
where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear ?' ' 



11* 



XII. 



GOD FOUND UNSOUGHT. 

" But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them 

THAT SOUGHT ME NOT ; I WAS MADE MANIFEST UNTO THEM THAT 

asked not after me." — Romans 10:20. 

It is a singular thing to find one inspired writer 
calling another inspired writer "bold." But we are 
not to understand that the apostle doubted what the 
prophet said. A quotation with approval marks 
agreement. Nor could it have been that Paul 
feared some would think Isaiah had hazarded a 
perilous statement. He had no reason to imagine 
so intelligent a servant of God would be extrava- 
gant in language, or rhetorically unguarded in 
forms of expression, no matter how intricate or dif- 
ficult might be the principle of divine procedure 
which he was seeking to reveal. 

In giving his opinion so frankly as to the proph- 
et's boldness, it is likely that Paul merely recalled 
two exceedingly commonplace, .but most important 
considerations concerning the time in which Isaiah 
lived. Then it was a bold thing to say that God 
had rejected the Jews and chosen the Gentiles; for 
all appearances rendered such a conjecture intrinsi- 
cally improbable, there being then really no signs 
of a revolution like that. Moreover, a statement so 
sweeping and so wounding would anger that entire 
nation, and thus imperil the popularity of the 
prophet, as well as his life. 



GOD FOUND UNSOUGHT. 



127 



Paul quotes Isaiah. Faces in a glass. 

But Isaiah did say it, and Paul here repeats it in 
the New Testament; and it seems a very bold thing 
for either of them to leave on record in a public 1 
epistle. Read the text over, and then try to accept 
this stupendous, this reiterated utterance as the an- 
nouncement of a fact in the government of God : 
namely, that he is really found sometimes by those 
who are not experimentally seeking him; that he is 
manifest unto those who are not consciously asking 
after him. That is to say, there is a sovereign love 
of God which goes out after a human soul before 
that soul has even so far started out for God as to 
wish for him. The mercy of our Heavenly Father 
comes down in the cool of the day, like the voice of 
one walking in the lost Paradise of this world, look- 
ing after those who are trying to hide from a pres- 
ence they dread. He awakens the careless soul by 
new revelations of old truth ; he arrests the wilful 
soul rushing headlong into ruin by the exercise of 
his divine energy; he persistently agitates the dull 
soul by monitions of conscience; thus he purposes 
to lead men to seek him, by seeking them before- 
hand. 

This is the doctrine of our text; and my work 
would be finished at this point of the amazing dis- 
closure, if it were not for the perversity of some 
who are like unto men beholding their natural faces 
in a glass, and then going their way, and straight- 
way forgetting what manner of men they are. 
There are hearers of the word who are very slow at 
becoming doers also. I believe the truth will be 



128 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



God still reigns. Benares near to heaven. 

more effectually reached if in our line of thought 
we start at a distance, and work our way in quiet 
advance up to it. 

I. I^et us begin with this : God has never yet re- 
linquished his hold upon the entire human race. He 
claims to be still the undisturbed and rightful Mon- 
arch of the universe. 

This planet we live upon was created absolutely 
pure. There is now no star in all of the shining 
host above more spotless in its brightness than this 
was in the hour when the sons of God shouted for 
joy over the earliest sight of it. Just , then sin en- 
tered the human heart. That ruined the race. 
Then the world too was cursed, and man w T as 
cursed, and woman was cursed ; and the young 
earth ' 1 swung blind and blackening in the moon- 
less air." 

But the Almighty has not yet given it away to 
destruction. It lies within his dominions. And 
even at the worst moment, when an imperial Satan 
seems to rule, the Angel of the Lord stands by to 
rebuke and resist him. Believe me, that man is 
safest who wanders where his true Prince waits. 
He is nearest his home who is on the frontiers with 
the army, rather than in the capital with the usurp- 
er. God is certainly going to repossess his own; 
and he is the safest who stands closest to God. The 
poor, ignorant people in the Hindoo land assert that 
Benares is the very centre of the earth, eight hun- 
dred thousand steps nearer heaven above than any 
other spot the sun looks down upon. Ah, it is not 



GOD FOUND UNSOUGHT. 



129 



Immanuel the Prince. God does not consult kings. 

heaven one needs to think abont ; Immanuel is 
heaven; one step nearer to the Captain of our sal- 
vation is farther towards triumph and rest than 
twenty others, even if a soldier marched straight 
towards the gates of pearl with his lonely banner 
flying. 

II. In the second place, I observe that God even 
now asserts Jus full right to a special people of his owii 
in the midst of earthly rebellion and disownment of his 
Son. 

Jehovah is the God of gods. He asks no ques- 
tions, and discusses none, as to this primary de- 
mand. His call is, Who is on the side of the L,ord? 
A nation he means to have, gathered out of all na- 
tions, gathered into one nation, of which he is the 
Monarch, and to which he means in his own good 
time to give the supreme power. Hence he asserts 
authority in a land, without consulting the poor 
magnates at the head of it. He offers no explana- 
tion and makes no apology. You remember he 
commissioned Jonah to go to Nineveh, when the 
so-called king of that great city was neither a Jew 
nor a proselyte. Just so he sent Moses into Egypt 
with orders to Pharaoh to dismiss a million of his 
subjects for ever on a single night's notice. It made 
no difference whatever that the king said he did not 
know who this Jehovah — the God his bricklayers 
worshipped — was ; the Maker of the universe as- 
sumed that it was the business of all his intelligent 
creatures to understand the authority which be- 
longed to a monarch like him. He assumes that 



130 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Who is on the Lord's side ? God's choices. 

same preeminence now. The only question that 
can arise is one of individual bearing, Who shall 
rally first around his standard, and serve him ? 

And this he decides himself: u For the Scripture 
saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be 
ashamed. For there is no difference between the 
Jew and the Greek. For the same Lord over all is 
rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever 
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. ' ' 

Nor does he leave this choice to a mere chance 
acceptance. He institutes a great organism of pro- 
mulgation. He commissions a ministry of reconcil- 
iation to make known his will widely. Into this 
office he summons his agents sovereignly. What 
looks like accident is purpose. Jesus perhaps sees 
Nathaniel under a tree, sitting unconscious of di- 
vine discovery, an Israelite without guile; to him 
he says, Follow thou me. And this is the usual 
rule of celestial selection. Does God need a kine ? 
Then the ruddy-cheeked son of Jesse is anointed, 
the last and least of the shepherd-boys in that won- 
dering circle of brothers, and the one most unlikely 
to be called to a throne. Does God need a captain? 
Then he enters the Syrian army for a convert, and 
washes Naaman of a leprosy, in order to fit him to 
build an altar in the sight of a heathen host. Does 
God need a priest ? He summons Melchizedek, of- 
ficially a man "without father, without mother, 
without descent, having neither beginning of days 
nor end of life. ' ' Does God need a prophet ? Then 
shall the unwilling lips of Balaam be turned from 



GOD FOUND UNSOUGHT. 



Surprises in selection. Plan of redemption. 

cursing into blessing. Does God need an apostle ? 
Then while anxious disciples begin to cast unau- 
thorized lots over Matthias, he is prostrating a fiery 
persecutor on the road to Damascus, and transmu- 
ting Saul into Paul, so that he may send to the 
Gentiles a new ambassador for Christ. Does God 
need a grand leader for all ages? Then will he bid 
the youthful Abram arise, get himself out of his 
country, going whither he knows not, but becoming 
at the last the Father of the Faithful, and a "Friend 
of God." Thus does he gather his agents at his 
own sovereign will, often unexpectedly to them- 
selves, as well as surprisingly to others. Laterally, 
he is found of those who sought him riot, and made 
manifest unto them that asked not after him. 

III. Observe now, in the third place, as we ad- 
vance, that the all-wise God has originated and an- 
nounced a plan by which he may bring his people to 
himself without any failure. 

It would not do to leave this to ordinary contin- 
gencies. There was too much at stake. Three steps 
are assumed as parts of such a redemption, each of 
which is absolutely necessary. One is, the convic- 
tion of all men that they are entirely ruined and 
condemned under sin. Another is, the providing 
of an atonement on the basis of which the divine 
law may be sustained, and yet the transgressor of it 
once more received into favor. And the other is, 
the gracious constraining of wilful men, the arrest 
and conversion of individuals, one by one. These 
preliminaries have been met. 



132 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Men condemned already. " Weeping Cross." 

Ivet us remember, then, that in all this dealing 
with sinful and rebellious hearts God assumes at the 
start they are utterly lost. 

We are condemned already. The wrath of God 
abideth on every one of us. Mercy gives no prom- 
ise, heaven suffers no peace. Hell is our portion. 
There is no hiding for sin. No escape from its pen- 
alty is possible. He who breaks the divine law is 
like a thief breaking a window to steal; there re- 
mains ever the evidence of the shivered glass, and 
God will surely find the culprit by the cut on his 
hand. 

Now let us remember that God prefers to save 
the transgressor, rather than punish him. 

God says he takes no pleasure in the infliction of 
penalty. The death of the wicked is no comfort to 
him. He has proffered a way of escape. ' * Christ 
is the end of the law for righteousness to every one 
that believeth." And this is the only way. No 
promise can be found in the Bible which is not build- 
eel upon this old rock of doctrine : ' ' Other founda- 
tion can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus 
Christ." We are justified by faith in the merits of 
a crucified Redeemer. And this is a strictly indi- 
vidual matter. Each person must repent of sin, 
and accept of this free atonement. It cannot be 
done by proxy. 

And then let us remember that human will is 
stubborn, and always refuses free grace. 

"The way to heaven is by Weeping Cross." 
That does not seem to be a popular way. Men 



GOD FOUND UNSOUGHT. 1 33 

The greatest mystery. . The constraining Spirit. 



never did love it at all. Of themselves they 
would reject it one by one. Just here enters the 
greatest mystery of the gospel. A certain spiritual 
pressure is exerted by God himself. He interposes 
in the interest of every soul that lingers in accept- 
ance. No matter how apathetic, no matter how 
wild, no matter how independent or proud any will 
may be, almighty sovereignty lays a firm, quiet 
hand upon it at once. ( ' By grace are ye saved, 
through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the 
gift of God." The Holy Ghost, the third Person in 
the adorable Trinity, comes down to constrain the 
surrender of the disobedient heart. 

IV. This leads us rapidly forward. In the fourth 
place, I remark that in the carrying out of God's 
plan of grace as he gathers a people for himself, he 
sometimes strives directly with ungodly and impenitent 
men, without their expecting it, and even without their 
understanding it. Thus it is that he is often "found 
of those who sought him not." 

You see he has a right to everybody, and when 
he desires a man he sends for him. Whom does he 
send ? The Holy Spirit, as I have intimated just 
now. No actual force is employed, but certain pro- 
cesses of his own are put into operation. The mind 
becomes agitated in new forms. The conscience is 
aroused into unusual sensibility. The heart is sud- 
denly possessed of a fresh experience. The sinner 
does not always know precisely what all this means, 
but he feels a surprising impelling power active in 
the very centre of his being. He is awakened to 

Neglected Texts. \ 2 



134 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Inward monitions. Wakening from slumber. 

see his own needs. He begins to be nneasy about 
the future. He is constrained to reflect upon the 
issues of another life. 

Now the important thing to be noticed in all this 
experience is the amazing fact that it is God in 
person who is stirring this man up so. He is ma- 
king himself to be found, even when the man is not 
seeking after him. These inward monitions, these 
secret impressions of conviction, are straight from 
high heaven. A merely ordinary reverence would 
constrain the decency of a more than ordinary no- 
tice of such emotions. God acts very gently. There 
are in every-day life two ways of waking a man out 
of dangerous slumber: one is violent, one is very 
considerate. You may shout in his ear, or you may 
shake rudely his person; that will surely arouse him 
of course. But you may bring a lit lamp into the 
room, and leave it there burning; that will awake 
him too; and he ought to thank you for being so 
kind about it. This is the way in which God works 
with many men in a crisis of their spiritual history. 
He utters no harsh outcry, but he lets in the light 
of truth. And now if they go on dangerously indo- 
lent and sluggard still, he means that at least they 
shall be uneasy in their dreams. 

Furthermore, providence sometimes works in 
with grace. An adversity or a blessing, a deliver- 
ance or a discipline, the loss of a beloved friend or 
the conversion of a child, a startling accident in the 
community — any of these events which arouse the 
feeling or arrest the attention — God uses as an in- 



GOD FOUND UNSOUGHT. 



135 



God's providences. The man has a chance. 

strument in the awakening of the soul. The one 
urgent need is that we see how far he advances, 
and where he stops. He aims only to lead men to 
the beginning of their work ; he does not propose to 
do it for them. He says to those who seek him not, 
Seek me. He calls to the prayerless, Pray. He 
cries to the thoughtless, Think. And that is all he 
does. 

V. In the fifth and last place, then, I observe 
that this moment, in which the Spirit of God is 
striving, is the moment above all others in which to 
yield to his call. 

For now, at any rate, if never before, a man has 
a chance. If God is sincere, he offers personal par- 
don now. It is a solemn, but not an unwelcome 
thing to know that God is at this instant looking at 
you, just as he looked at Simon Peter out from the 
hall of judgment. Moreover, it gives much help to 
feel God is on your side, and aiding you powerfully 
by his influence. If you are ever going to be a 
Christian, now must be the easiest time. Divine 
invitations grow significant when God stands by a 
soul and encourages it with affectionate urgency. 
When you awake to discover that the Almighty 
God has come after you, before you even began to 
go after him ; when you perceive he is found by you 
before you sought him ; when you actually hear him 
saying, Call upon me, I am near — oh, in a moment 
of such vast disclosure, it does seem that your heart 
must be aroused to the immediate surrender he de- 
mands ! 



136 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 

Times of visitation. Hands stretched out. 

Nor can it be forgotten that such times of visita- 
tion are full of extreme peril, as a matter of course. 
Alternatives must be forced in every case. A vic- 
tory of sin strengthens a bad passion. A rejection 
of Christ adds a new transgression. Putting off a 
surrender now, makes it far more likely that you will 
put it off again. The old Spanish proverb says, 
' ' The road of By-and-by leads to the town of Nev- 
er. ' ' Half way to Jesus Christ is a dreadful place. 
1 1 He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, 
shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without rem- 
edy." 

How amazing is the thought, as one looks off 
upon a human being, that God has come for him 
before he has even started for God ! How it stimu- 
lates Christian zeal to imagine that the Holy Spirit 
is in advance of us already ! 

This most interesting chapter closes with a won- 
derful presentation of divine tenderness and compas- 
sion. A rhetorical figure, matchlessly beautiful, 
gives it a fitting utterance. ' ' All day long I have 
stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and 
gainsaying people. ' ' The eternal Jehovah becomes 
a suppliant at the will of the creatures himself has 
made ! He asks favors of them. He is found of 
those who did not seek him. It would seem as if 
the very least thing any one could do would be to 
yield to his wishes, and move towards the out- 
stretched arms that offer a welcome. 



XIII. 



PERISHED THOUGHTS. 

"His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; 
in that very day his thoughts perish." — Psalm 146:4. 

A LATE writer, popular and beloved, is known 
to have announced to some intimate friends only a 
few hours before he suddenly died that he was 
going to begin writing another volume at once; his 
thoughts were all ready. We ourselves understand 
enough concerning literary work to know that each 
undertaking of this sort is the result of patient re- 
flection in the author's imagination before it comes 
forth into book-form, and lies in our hands to be 
read. It exists in his purpose as an entire artistic 
composition of parts previous to its disclosure as a 
finished story offered to public acceptance. 

If, now, it happens that life ends in the midst of 
those important days lying between the conception 
and the execution of the plan, it is a somewhat 
curious question to ask and to answer, What be- 
comes of the thought which seems to have perished? 
Where do unfulfilled plans go when they vanish ? 

We have not been without illustrious examples 
of such a sort before, either in the lighter or the 
graver undertakings of human genius. What ever 
became of. the last half of Addison Alexander's 
commentary on Matthew? Where are the final 
chapters of Charles Dickens' story of "Edwin 
Drood ' ' ? There can be no doubt that authors have 
notions, more or less clearly defined, of their exact 

1 2^ 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Ideals before realization. The Laocoon group. 

purposes in all such literary creations. Indeed, we 
have been taught to believe that everything artistic 
exists as an ideal before it exists as a realization. 
And if the realization has been interrupted or dis- 
ordered, are we always secure that we can refer 
back to the lost ideal? 

An imaginative visitor may pause now in the 
shadow of the moonlit Parthenon at Athens, so ex- 
quisitely lovely even in its ruins, and wonder what 
it must have been in the day of its matchless splen- 
dor. But he will be likely to wonder more as he 
tries to think what the beautiful edifice must have 
been in the mental picture which rose radiantly 
before the eyes of the architect, when as yet not 
even a stone had been quarried for the substance of 
it. And now that we know, just within a few 
years for the first time discovered, that there is not 
a straight line in the building, but that each up- 
right and each level is upon a beautiful curve, are 
we certain that we have recovered all the secrets of 
the vanished plan ? Still, there is so much comfort 
as this in our disappointment: we know the glory 
of the old building was attained because it was per- 
fected in its ideal by an artist great enough to con- 
ceal his art. 

Now, it so happens that in material constructions 
it may be possible for the plans of one genius to be 
supplemented and carried into success by another. 
A sculptor has been discovered brave enough to 
attempt to restore the Laocoon group, although, 
even now, some doubt whether he has put the boy's 



PERISHED THOUGHTS. 



1 39 



Cologne Cathedral. Elijah's body. » 

arm up against the snake, where it ought to be. It 
would seem as if the same man could have finished 
it creditably if the original artist had died before it 
was done. Within a remembered season Cologne 
Cathedral has been completed after nearly four hun- 
dred years of long toiling, but we are told now that 
the name of the master-builder has actually been 
forgotten in the meantime. That was no disaster 
specially. Solid stone a hundred courses high could 
not fail to contain some sort of prophecy in itself of 
the remaining hundred courses to follow; and cer- 
tain forms of tracery and buttress would, by fixed 
rules of art, require fashions of pinnacle and spire 
which almost any one else could be ingenious 
enough to suggest. 

But in literature the case is different. Each 
architect of biography, be it of fictitious biography 
in a tale or of actual in a career, carries his plan in 
his own bosom, and rarely so much as sketches it 
on tracing-paper. It is not easy, therefore, for an- 
other to find or finish a perished thought which an 
author has failed to put into intelligible realization. 

So our question returns: What does become of 
purposes or plans distinctly outlined by the origina- 
tor, but never receiving embodiment ? Sometimes 
it seems as if they might be recovered if we go and 
search for them, as the fifty men went over the land 
looking for Elijah's body lest it should be lost, hav- 
ing fallen on some lonely mountain or some deso- 
late plain. Sometimes it strikes us that they may 
be imagined to go where the L,ost Chord went which 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Gludcs " Armida. ' 



the poet bewailed in the song. The singer sits down 
again by the keys, and tries all possible combina- 
tions of tones; oh, the indescribable richness of un- 
exhausted harmonies which are found by the wan- 
dering fingers as they grow passionately vagrant 
amonsf the notes ! But never returns exactly that 
one lost chord; it glided away off over the edge of 
the instrument. It will not be found till the new 
life begins. So music and verse sit gazing afar like 
two mourners. 

Sometimes we feel conscious that we have killed 
our own thoughts with inadequate incarnation. 
Our plans have not been successes; our lives have 
been failures. Few people could say of any part of 
their work as Gluck said of his u Armida," with an 
indomitable sense of power and a daring sense of 
satisfaction, * 1 1 have composed this piece in a man- 
ner which will prevent its growing old. ' 1 He told 
Marie Antoinette, 1 1 Madame, the opera is already 
finished; and, indeed, it is superb !" To the most 
of us such language seems conceited. Even those ' 
who labor honestly in this world are often compelled 
to own that at no time have they ever reached their 
ideals of excellence. 

" I wonder if ever a song was sung 

But the singer's heart sang sweeter? 
I wonder if ever a rhyme was rung 

But the thought surpassed the metre? 
I wonder if ever a sculptor wrought 
Till the cold stone echoed his ardent thought? 
Or if ever a painter, with light and shade. 
The dream of his inmost heart portrayed?"' 



PERISHED THOUGHTS. 



I 4 I 



Purposes are immortal. Emerson's remark. 

Now it does not seem possible that any real 
thought with a purpose in it could be allowed to 
pass away out of existence. That would be a poor 
conclusion, when we know that even speech is im-. 
perishable. Every vibration of a human voice is 
held by the air somewhere in its depths. We would 
rather believe that all thoughts become incarnate 
in some life here or elsewhere. Thoughts unex- 
pressed and unembodied form part of the permanent 
furniture of the soul they reside in. They go to 
make up the abiding elements of its future charac- 
ter and experience in an unseen world beyond this. 
Thoughts that are published in life and endeavor 
are lodged in the hearts of those who receive and 
welcome them. Emerson is quoted as saying, ' 1 No 
man has a prosperity so high or firm but two or 
three words can dishearten it. There is no calam- 
ity which right words will not begin to redress.'' 
A lonely man will be comforted, a sad man may be 
cheered, an ignorant man may be taught, a cowed 
man may be lifted, a penitent man may be led to 
seek pardon and find peace — all with a word, just 
one word with a thought in it spoken charitably. 
So it does not seem possible that real honest plans 
for good should die and be buried. 

Let us see whether Christian faith has not some- 
thing to say in such circumstances far better than 
this. Start with the rule enunciated thus: " Cast- 
ing down imaginations, and every high thing that 
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and 
bringing into captivity every thought to the obedi- 



142 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Workmen buried. Work goes on. 

ence of Christ. ' ' L,et us see to it that our thoughts 
are worth saving, and then we may be absolutely 
certain that they will not be suffered to vanish out 
of the universe. ' ' God buries his workmen, but 
carries on his work." And he does this by the 
thoughts which seem lost; just as seed seems lost 
sometimes, when it is under the soil making ready 
for the harvest. No one can trustfully read his 
Bible without becoming sure that one of the glad- 
dest of all surprises in the new life will be found in 
the return to us of those fond and patient purposes, 
now in full accomplishment, which we once 
mourned over as having died without a sign. 

It is time that we come to a plain exposition of 
the verse that has been chosen for a text. It is 
still more suggestive when taken in the connec- 
tion where it appears than when it is repeated 
alone: 

" Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of 
man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth 
forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day 
his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the 
God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord 
his God: which made heaven, and earth, the sea, 
and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for 
ever. ' ' 

This fragment of an Old Testament Psalm con- 
tains a fine high contrast between the life of man 
and the life of God. We are not to trust even prin- 
ces; we are to trust the Maker of heaven and earth 
and seas. Men vanish ; God endures. And besides 



PERISHED THOUGHTS. 



143 



Weaving shining cloth. This life projected in another. 

these general admonitions the text offers at least 
two special suggestions of much interest. 

One of them is found in the meaning of the word 
we are dwelling upon so steadily, the word here 
rendered ' ' thoughts. ' ' It comes from a verb which 
means to weave shining cloth. It signifies, there- 
fore, for its primary definition, splendid fabrics for 
garments to be fashioned for one's self. Hence, it 
would refer here in its tropical sense to such thoughts 
as are purposeful and personal ; intentions in which 
one's self resides, plans which might be assumed to 
be influential and abiding in one's life, as well as 
famous in the estimates of others. We must under- 
stand that the lamentation over these, which makes 
the Psalm appear so melancholy, is owing to the 
supreme excellence and unusual brilliancy of the 
thoughts tffat are represented as perishing. The 
best plans men have are sometimes lost even while 
the men are alive, and in a sense are always lost 
when the men die. 

The second suggestion with special meaning in 
this text has reference to the word rendered "per- 
ish." We remember that the Bible has much to 
say, first and last, about a permanent future in 
which what is done in this life is projected and pre- 
served in another. The Word of God offers a wide 
range of illustration to show the power of a good 
thought, and the peril of an evil one. So we feel 
certain that the assertion which the verse seems to 
make must have some sort of limitation; it cannot 
signify more than that the thinker's control over 



144 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Ships lost at sea. Antwerp bells. 

his purposes will perish, even though the purposes 
move on; perhaps we might say they cease to be 
"his " thoughts. 

Hence, now our question returns : What becomes 
of the thoughts which have never received an em- 
bodiment? Are any thoughts ever actually lost, 
as ships are lost at sea with not even so much as a 
sign washed ashore, or a floating bottle to show how 
and where they foundered ? We are ready to give 
this an answer at last. 

To the natural gifts of the wisest man the world 
ever knew,' was once added the singular endowment 
of inspiration to enable him to say with the author- 
ity it claimed, ' ' The thoughts of the wicked are an 
abomination to the Lord; but the words of the pure 
are pleasant words." Thoughts are coined into 
words in order that mental wealth might be put 
into circulation. Sometimes, however, the highest 
thoughts disdain language; and so it happens that 
these seem most surely to be lost when the superior 
thinkers vanish. 

It has often been noticed by tourists in Antwerp 
that the multitudinous and beautiful spires in the 
air overhead appear at nightfall to be actually con- 
versing as the chimes call and answer to each other. 
One of the bells bears the inscription slightly 
chano-ed from an old Psalm: Non sunt loquellce ne- 
que sermones ; audiantur voces eonnn — "There is no 
speech nor language; but let their voices be heard." 
Nothing is more impressive than the silence which 
succeeds as nightfall rushes into the night. Thus 



* 

PERISHED THOUGHTS. 



145 



Sounds in the air. The opened books. 

often supreme minds appear to be in converse over 
the heads of the common people. A cynical tongue 
might say these are the best thoughts humanity is 
capable of thinking; but most of them perish at the 
time because of lack of listeners, and they all per- 
ish at the last, as the fall of darkness puts an end 
to the day. 

Not certainly so: many visitors remember the 
bells with sweet devotion as the finest thing in Ant- 
werp ; and some believe that bells grow stronger 
and mellower with ringing. Thoughts either go 
forth into activity, or they remain in the thinker's 
soul as part of its future. Indeed, whatever their 
fate, they continue as the man's permanent posses- 
sion. For mental wealth alone of all values known 
to man increases by retention, and increases doubly 
by expenditure. Nobody ever lost a thought by 
imparting it; he only fixes it and strengthens it. 
These fugitive purposes go where the owner goes, 
and fare with him for a future they help to make. 
We may be sure that it will be one of the most won- 
derful disclosures of the day of judgment, when it 
comes with the full exhibition of the opened books, 
how many human souls have been solaced and saved 
by mere "pleasant words" with a pure thought 
conveyed in them and a warm heart behind them. 

Once in a Sunday-school the superintendent told 
the usual story about two lads, starting in much 
the same circumstances, one of whom reached a 
maturity honored and prosperous, the other of whom 
came up into a manhood vicious and unthanked; 

Neglected Texts. j -7 



146 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A good thought put in. The Madonna and the camel. 

and he asked, of course, for an explanation. A 
hand went up, and an answer was given which 
showed by its wisdom how the child is sometimes 
veritably the votes of the man in spiritual penetra- 
tion: 11 Please, sir, I suppose somebody put a good 
thought in the best boy's heart when he was grow- 
ing!" 

It is not always necessary that thoughts should 
be put into words in order to be influential. Fred- 
erick W. Robertson tells us, in his lectures on poe- 
try-, of two paintings which had been a power in his 
life. One was a Madonna at Blenheim, that he 
1 1 could not gaze upon without being conscious of a 
calming influence;" and the other was the print of 
a dying camel out in the desert, anticipating hope- 
lessly its doom from the vultures. 1 ' You cannot 
look at this picture, ' ' he remarks, ' 1 without a vivid 
sense and conception of despair; you go through 
street after street before the impression ceases to 
haunt you." It is certain that there have been 
worse paintings even than this. The artist may 
have put in a face just one leer of luxury or lust; 
and that has lodged in the heart of a passer-by a 
foul thought with a hurt and a ruin to purity in it, 
when the hand which turned the wicked expression 
has been dead a hundred or five hundred years. 
The painter perished ; the thought moves on. 

This must be the reason why so many admo- 
nitions are given concerning evil and injurious 
thoughts, over which, after he has uttered them, 
the mischievous thinker's control ceases. The com- 



PERISHED THOUGHTS. 



147 



Russian prove- b. Goethe's birds pecking. 

mon people in Russia have a proverb that says, ' ' A 
fool may throw a stone in a pond ; it may take seven 
sages to pull it out." We are held to a stern re- 
sponsibility for our intentions : ' ' the thought of 
foolishness is sin." It will not do to leave the 
emissaries of Satan at liberty to fling fire around at 
will just because their own hearts are burning with 
baleful purposes. The murderers must be held in 
hand, and the brands must be quenched. Simon 
Magus must be exhorted to pray God that the 
thoughts of his heart might be forgiven him. ' ' Let 
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous 
man his thoughts : and let him return unto the 
Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to 
our God, for he will abundantly pardon. ' ' 

Where do great men get their noblest ideas? 
Michael Angelo produced such exquisite faces that 
Fiesole declared he must have been in paradise to 
borrow them. A watchful heart will find God fur- 
nishing thoughts for such a generous service. ' ' The 
Lord Qod hath given me the tongue of the learned, 
that I should know how to speak a word in season 
to him that is weary; he wakeneth morning by 
morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the 
learned." One wonders whether Goethe had not 
been lately reading that verse when he said that his 
best thoughts always came to him unawares, like 
birds pecking at his windows and saying, ' ' Here 
we are !" 

It is not worth while to homili^e in such mat- 
ters. Cannot every man see for himself that evil 



148 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Leisure in dying. Schubert's death. 

thoughts are to be eschewed ? Defile no other soul's 
purity with an oath or a jest which may sting the 
conscience or stain it. Choose thoughts elevated 
and good, for one must reside with them in life be- 
yond this. Carry the best purposes into instant exe- 
cution under personal supervision. Do not put so 
important a matter as the cheering of a mourner or 
the salvation of a soul into the risks of a volume 
of "remains;" it is like leaving much money and 
a grand purpose to the hazards of a last will and 
testament ; the mnch money may quite likely be 
welcomed, but the invaluable purpose may not be 
understood. 

Then when the time comes for departure there 
w T ill be no surprise or regret, no confusion or hurry. 
One can just take his ease and leisure in dying. 
That is the most awful and majestic thing a human 
being is ever called to do. Too many people depart 
undignifiedly, they are so driven at the last. 

Schubert passed away at the early age of thirty- 
two ; but he had worked hard. And when the 
tidings came, Schumann was heard to say, "He 
has done enough !" 



XIV. 



COVETOUSNESS IS IDOLATRY. 

" COVETOUSNESS, WHICH IS IDOLATRY." — Colossians 3:5. 

WK all think we have some clear notions con- 
cerning this particular sin which is mentioned in 
the text. Even our home dictionaries give us 
synonyms for the word of no mistakable meaning. 
Covetousness is defined, u avarice, parsimonious- 
ness, penuriousness, niggardliness, miserliness." Of 
its nature we have no kind of doubt. Of its moral 
character before God we consider ourselves quite 
informed. Of its general results upon human life 
and destiny we could predicate much from our own 
observation. 

But I presume that many of the ordinary readers 
of the Bible have passed this little clause of a 
verse without much depth of reflection upon the 
most singular implication found in it. It may even 
now strike not a few with surprise to be told that 
covetousness is idolatry. Idolatry is the earliest 
thing mentioned in the Decalogue, and coveting is 
the latest. It may never have occurred to us all 
to observe that the two tables of the law bend 
around to touch each other so closely that he who 
breaks the tenth commandment breaks the first as 
well. 

This unusual statement of the text, however, 
does not stand altogether alone. We are told dis- 

13* 



150 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Gold is like a god. Divine attributes. 

tinctly in another Epistle, 1 ' This ye know, that no 
covetous man who is an idolater, hath any inheri- 
tance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. ' ' Thus 
we learn that the inordinate love of wealth, and 
the insatiate pursuit of it, are simply heathenish 
and are (under inspired authority) put on the same 
level of estimate as bowing down to stone images 
or offering sacrifices to deities of wood. 

However startling this phraseology may appear 
at first, it is certainly easy to point out, by instan- 
cing a few particulars in analysis, the plain reason 
for such an application of terms. Gold seems in 
many respects very like a god — not the only living 
and true God, but some human conception of the 
Deity, resembling those of the savage or unchris- 
tianized regions of the world. 

I. No matter where we begin; take the ATTRI- 
BUTES IT POSSESSES, if you will, for examination. 

1. Omniscience, for example; wealth seems to 
know everything on the instant it occurs. Let a 
new island be discovered in some far-off sea — let a 
new invention find the light from some ingenious 
engineer's garret — let a new process of easier work- 
ing out of old results be suggested — let a new ma- 
chine be put on wheels: indeed, let any novelty 
whatsoever present itself in history, and wealth 
will be quite aware of it immediately. You cannot 
keep any plan, purpose, or line of business secret, 
if there is really any money in it. Gold has a 
million eyes : it sees in the dark ; it infringes 
patents, preempts islands, plants, itself over hidden 



COVETOUSNESS IS IDOLATRY* 151 

Laying Roman roads. "Gold seems omnipotent. 

mines. It knows everything by instinct, it pushes 
forward almost as if it were an all-seeing deity. 

2. Of course, omnipresence follows. To some ad- 
venturers nothing seems more surprising than the 
sudden appearance of Mammon everywhere with- 
out notice. The quietest hamlet at the foot of the 
mountains is invaded at will. Greed and avarice 
lay hold of what busy enterprise leaves untouched. 
It is said that the Northern Germans always knew 
that imperial domination was on its way to their 
subjugation whenever they perceived the work- 
men coming to lay the flagstones of the Roman 
roads into their precincts. The least opening for 
business, the merest crevice of commerce, simply 
invites competition, and so wealth rushes in on the 
instant. ' ' Mammon wins its way where seraphs 
might despair. ' ' 

3. Omnipotence, likewise: oh, how many of us 
know to our sorrow the power of riches ! the over- 
mastering, crushing opposition it sets up before 
every poor man's enterprise! It does seem so like 
a god! The oldest book in the Bible is that which 
tells Job's story: and EKphaz exclaimed even then, 
"As for the mighty man, he had the earth, and 
the honorable man dwelt in it. ' ' There has been 
no essential change in these forty centuries. Gold 
rules the world. Gold owns the land, inhabits the 
palaces, buys up the offices of the nation, sways 
the mighty sceptre of social influence, and becomes 
the master of men. 

Who can wonder, then, that the unthinking 



152 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



John's vision. Sounds of the gold-room. 

world at large grow idolatrous before this deity or 
demon of Gold ? These are the attributes of a god. 
It seems almost as if the notable vision of the seer 
in Patmos had come back again: "And there ap- 
peared another wonder in heaven; and behold, a 
great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns 
and seven crowns upon his heads; and his tail drew 
the third part of the stars of heaven and did cast 
them to the earth. ' ' 

II. Let us pass on a step. It is easy to predict 
that an image, set up and reputed to possess such 
attributes, should demand reverence. And I re- 
mark, in the second place, that wealth assumes to 
be a god, and oftentimes really appears to be one, 
because of the worship it attracts. 

1. In my day I have lingered outside of heathen 
temples of more than one faith in the lands of 
the heathen. And I have heard for many an hour 
the wild and incoherent cries of the devotees, who 
screamed to the praise of the golden idols before 
which they danced. I soberly assure you, the 
resemblance is most pitiful and painful, when in 
our streets the hideous screams and blasphemies of 
those are heard who gamble the hours away in the 
temples of Mammon. The roar of excited, half- 
delirious men who clamor with each other in the 
death-grapple of competition — alas, how little does 
it differ from the insane cries of the audience in 
the theatre, who for the space of two hours cried, 
"Great is Diana of the Ephesians! 1 .' 

2. Worse than all, this cannot be called mere 



COVETOUSNESS IS IDOLATRY. 153 



Elijah at Carmel. «' They have their reward." 

lip-service. The worshippers of gold are desper- 
ately in earnest. Men have scattered their brains 
in suicide on the doorsteps after an unsuccessful 
prayer. Oh, I say again, how little does this differ 
from the conduct of the priests on Mount Carmel 
in Elijah's day, who cried aloud, and cut them- 
selves after their manner with lancets and knives 
till the blood gushed out upon them, shouting, 
u O Baal, hear us, O Baal, hear us," from the 
morning even until noon ! Alas, men of the world 
are all absorbed in their orgies before the altar: 
they leap up upon it, they weep and wring their 
hands, and no man is ashamed of his zeal! Body 
and soul, he kneels before the image of wealth he 
has created. 

III. In the third place, wealth seems very like a 
god in the Eavors it bestows. It would not be 
fair to say there is no reward given for fidelity to 
Mammon. There is much to admire in a successful 
career. 

There is the fine residence, the beautiful equi- 
page, the gorgeous apparel, the dainty viand, and 
the flowing wine; there is the envy of one's not- 
quite-so-rich neighbor; there is the tremulous obei- 
sance of the seedy gentleman, the obsequious flat- 
tery of the lady whose charms have faded ; 'there is 
the adulation of the crowd in the street when one's 
livery flashes by; there is the opening among the 
ignorant populace when the magnate goes in to de- 
posit his dainty ballot; there is the awful flutter in 
the market when the millionaire appears in the 



154 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The world likes priestcraft. Heathen temples. 

board; there is the cringe of one's ancient enemies, 
the solicitudes of one's poor friends; there are the 
rustle of the silks and the bow of the usher when 
the great purse marches up the aisle of the church; 
there is the mighty banquet where one can be made 
to imagine by soft compliments that he has rare 
gifts of oratory even when he stammers; and there 
is the fine funeral with the carriages, the silver 
nails, and the plumes; and there is the monument 
of marble and all the lies on it. Verily, I say unto 
you, they have their reward ! 

Wealth, as a deity, is not remarkably beneficent; 
but it would be uncandid to say that it has nothing 
to bestow on its faithful devotees. It is said the 
world likes priestcraft. And we know that the 
priest has power according to his nearness to his 
deity, and according to the faith of the admiring 
populace around him. And hence there is no hie- 
rarchy so absolutely revered, feared, and obeyed, in 
this age of ours, as that which hovers around, min- 
istrant and servitor, in the grand temples of Gold. 

IV. One more remark: wealth seems very like 
a god because of the scourges it inflicts. 

4 ' The dark places of the earth are full of cruel- 
ty. ' ' This is the usual text chosen when one wishes 
to preach upon the peculiarities of heathenism. The 
gods which men fashion for themselves to worship 
have always been remarkable for their uncouth 
forms. Even the nations highest in artistic taste 
and intelligent skill have images most repulsive 
and obscene. The temples of India, China, and 



COVKTOUSNESS IS IDOLATRY. 155 



Devouring devotees. Fattening for sacrifice. 

Japan are said to be almost miracles of grace and 
architectural beauty; but the deities set up within 
their shrines are simply monsters. 

Now the significance of this is found in the fact 
that all the deities of the heathen are clothed with 
attributes the most malignant and cruel. They are 
supposed to crush, maltreat, sometimes even to eat, 
their subjects. They are bloody, and hateful in 
every characteristic. Power, even wisdom, they 
are said to possess, but no mercy, no beneficence, 
no love. Strange is it to find that Mammon is well 
typed in these gods of the heathen. It is the most 
noticeable characteristic of the god of this world 
that he loves to trample upon and devour his devo- 
tees with awful cruelty. 

One strong, clear declaration has been made in 
God's Word: "He that trusteth in his riches shall 
fall. ' ' You notice that no violent means of chas- 
tisement are indicated. We are not told that God 
will send upon him a deluge, or a rain of fire, or a 
gaping earthquake: the words are simple enough, 
" He shall fall." There was one god of old whose 
habit has been described to us in the language of 
his worshippers. He was wont to send viands from 
the table of his own luxury to feed his devotees: 
thus he fattened them for a sudden sacrifice on his 
own altar. 

There are some sins which seem to have been 
considered by the Almighty quite sufficient for their 
own punishment. Pride is one of them; anger is 
another: passion means suffering. So here: this 



156 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 

Balloons in thin air. A mistaken emperor. 

trusting in riches appears to possess a kind of in- 
flated power to balloon one up to a height so ineffa- 
ble that he suffocates in the thin air and falls with 
headlong precipitation into the ruin he merits. It 
is pitiful to see how rich men hasten to pitch on 
each other when any one falls into difficulty. The 
horrible heartlessness with which a neighborhood 
will devour a broken estate reminds any thoughtful 
man of the days of the fabled furies. Hell itself is 
not more greedy than wealth and fashion smacking 
their lips over a cannibal feast when a new man is 
slain. 

There is no need of going any farther in this 
analysis. Wealth in the centre of power and wor- 
ship seems so like a god that covetousness might 
just as well be called Idolatry. 

1. See, then, the reason why God is so violent 
in striking at this sin. It is the most direct offence 
that can be given to him. It sets up another god 
before him and in the place of him. It renders to 
wealth what belongs to him exclusively and alone. 
Is it any wonder, then, that he lets loose upon this 
awful sin the entire range of his divine wrath ? Can- 
not one hear him every instant crying out, i ' Ye can- 
not serve God and Mammon. ' ' He will have none of 
this divided devotion. One of the Roman emperors 
declared his willingness to set up an image of Jesus 
along with those of Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. It 
would not do then; it will not do now. God will 
have all, or none. 

2. You see, too, how covetousness destroys per- 



COVETOUSNESS IS IDOLATRY. 



157 



Common insincerity. Gold in one's mouth. 

sonal grace and piety. How can one be a Chris- 
tian and an idolater? What agreement hath the 
temple of God with idols? Hence insincerity is 
the common characteristic of the world and the 
church. We carp at hypocrisy, and then fall into 
it. We rail at the' heartlessness of fashion, and 
are the first to put on its garments. We sneer at 
the hollowness of all the world, and then become 
hollow. We seem in this age of sham and pretence 
actually to prefer that which we know is gilded, and 
then we murmur because it is not gold. 

Meantime the world is in want; meantime the 
cry of sin and shame rises around us. The heart is 
hardened under the tread of the diligent fiends that 
possess it. It will not do to pass off from ourselves 
these words of warning; sin does not always depend 
upon amount of possessions; it is as easy to be poor 
and covetous as it is to be rich and covetous. He 
is an idolater who is covetous at all. Does any one 
ask, Who is covetous ? The answer is clear, He is 
covetous who decides for Mammon as against God. 
He is covetous whose piety is chilled by gold; he is 
covetous for whom Christ is not a sufficiency when 
gold fails. 

3. See, likewise, how covetousness ruins all one's 
future. It leaves him to his chosen god: "Ephraim 
is joined to his idols; let him alone." I have just 
read of a dying man who deceived his physician, 
putting a piece of gold in the recesses of his mouth 
at the last, saying, "This I am going to take with 
me !" Alas, I have watched the ingenious under- 

Neglected Texts. 



158 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



v Pan is dead." Malachi's counsel. 

takers, and I have more than once observed that 
shrouds have no pockets. When one's god is gone, 
where is he ? 

4. Finally, we see how it is that covetousness 
prevents all hope of progress in any church. You 
might as well have an image in the pulpit as a min- 
ister; you might as well have a sacrifice as a ser- 
mon; you might as well join hands and dance in 
heathen orgies, as meet for conference and prayer. 
For, you see, another god is worshipped — not Jeho- 
vah. ' c Will a man rob God ? Yet ye have robbed 
me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? 
In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse; 
for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that 
there may be meat in mine house, and prove me 
now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not 
open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out 
a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to 
receive it. ' ' 



XV. 



TOILING IN ROWING. 

"He saw them toiling in rowing." — Mark 6:48. 

Finer picture there cannot be than that which 
rises upon our imagination as we read the familiar 
story so graphically recorded by the evangelist 
Mark — the story of our Saviour's walking on the 
sea for the relief of his imperilled disciples. 

The artist's pencil loves such scenes of mingled 
grace and grandeur, and is ready to spring with 
instinctive eagerness to fasten upon the canvas that 
tempestuous lake, with the little vessel working its 
laborious way across the waves — the band of fright- 
ened fishermen gazing through the gloom in the 
hours beyond midnight, and still more terror-stricken 
than ever when it is their fortune to catch the first 
glimpse of him who is their Helper and their 
Hope — and that peerless form of the Son of Man, 
treading majestically the fluid floor beneath his 
feet, literally making "darkness his secret place 
and his pavilion round about him dark waters and 
thick clouds of the skies. ' ' 

We all know the history of this transaction in 
its general details clearly enough for every purpose 
of our present need. He whose figure stands cen- 
tral in the scriptural picture is the joy of our hearts 
and the desire of our souls. It cannot be doubted 
that he has meant to leave in this mere relation of 



160 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The great miracle. The disciples reluctant. 

fact a communication of doctrine for exactly such 
times as ours. 

Our divine Lord had just then been feeding the 
five thousand with miraculous loaves and fishes. 
Startled into adoring wonder, the enthusiastic mul- 
titudes were ready to attempt an insurrection on his 
account, and would perforce have proclaimed him 
king; a proceeding to the success of which, how- 
ever sudden and preposterous, his immediate and 
best acquainted followers at the time were in no 
wise loath. But his hour was not yet come either 
for reigning or for suffering death. He disposed of 
the embarrassing question very adroitly. Hurry- 
ing the disciples into their boat, and urging them 
out upon the lake for their homeward journey, he 
remained to disperse the vast throng, which, if he 
had given consent, would instantly have crowned 
him. 

The reluctant fishermen may have had some 
premonition of the coming storm ; or they may have 
been curious to know what ingenuity of extrication 
he would use next; or they may even have been 
moved with an affectionate solicitude concerning 
his being left behind unassisted and unprotected in 
that desolate region. At all events, it appears that 
they did not depart easily; but with their usual do- 
cility they did at last set sail from the shore. 

The hint we have of their unwillingness to go 
alone has been given in the form of the expression, 
' ' He constrained them to depart. " On a former 
occasion Jesus was with them in person when they 



TOILING IN ROWING. 



161 



Peace, be stilll" Looking two ways. 

were exposed to shipwreck upon this same volatile 
sea; it would seem as if they could not fail, in their 
present foreboding of peril, to remember how essen- 
tial to their rescue then had been the actually om- 
nipotent presence of Immanuel in the boat. This 
adventure would be sure to suggest that; and they 
must have intensely wished he were going along. 
He who could comfort their weary hearts by sleeping 
on a pillow to show he was human, could easily 
now confirm their frightened hearts by saying, 
" Peace, be still," to show he was divine. 

Perhaps it was only some vague imagination of 
an impending calamity which made them afraid to 
start, for they were experienced sailors upon that 
lake for many years. These men embarked at twi- 
light. Ordinarily a fair wind would have run them 
into Capernaum, 1 ' over against Bethsaida, ' ' as the 
marginal note explains, long before midnight. But 
sails proved to be useless in such a squall as this 
upon the Sea of Galilee, and a violent gale, blow- 
ing directly in their faces, made even their oars of 
little or no avail. The height of the dramatic pic- 
ture in the story is reached about eight or nine hours 
after their departure. 

It falls in with my present purpose, as I seek to 
draw from a story like this our spiritual lesson to 
learn, to ask you to look two ways at nearly the 
same time. I want to keep your minds intent upon 
the disciples; but I must not allow you to lose sight 
of Jesus meanwhile. And I catch at a suggestive 
figure I have met somewhere, and I invite you to 

14* 



l6a STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Double mirrors. Rapid transitions. 

consider the part which our Saviour took in the en- 
tire transaction, and the part which his followers 
took, as reflecting light upon each other. So we 
will seem to stand between, turning our glance 
either way at will ; as we might stand between two 
mirrors set face to face, all there is imaged in one 
of them just as easy to be seen in the other. 

Looking in one direction, we seem to see Christ 
in the lonely mountain shadows praying. Looking 
in the other, we see the small vessel containing the 
disciples far away from the shore, and wholly with- 
out shelter. It is evident the sturdy men are in 
trouble. Under the Passover moon, despite the 
storm, we can catch a glimpse now and then be- 
tween the rifts of that dimly-defined boat urging 
its difficult way across the tumultuous billows. It 
was "in the fourth watch" — between three and six 
o'clock in the morning — and still they remain at 
their distressful task. They were now, according 
to the measurement mentioned by the evangelist, 
not far from half way across. And the vision we 
have of them shows us an anxious crew imperilled, 
tired, depressed, and differing among themselves. 

I. Here let us gain our earliest lesson of spirit- 
ual instruction. We have an interesting illustra- 
tion of the effect of rapid transitions in outward cir- 
cumstances upon internal religious experience. 

That day had been a great day to those disci- 
ples. In the morning they had returned from their 
extensive preaching tour, and begun to tell Jesus of 
their extraordinary success. He had withdrawn 



TOILING IN ROWING. 



163 



The Golan mountain. The chill sea. 

them from the busy city over into this retired neigh- 
borhood, and had actually commenced a quiet con- 
versation with them. On the slope of the moun- 
tains of Golan they had spent a happy hour or two 
in sympathetic communion with their Master. But 
a little after noon they heard the confused murmur- 
ings of a gathering throng on the edge of the wood. 
The people, curiously eager, had followed them up. 
Jesus went forth from among the secluding trees, 
and down on the shining beach, to give them food 
and invitation, in the tireless spirit of the gospel. 
Then the eyes of the disciples were surprised and 
gladdened with the spectacle of a miracle more mag- 
nificent than any they ever before had seen. The 
enthusiasm was overwhelming and intense, and the 
fervors of their souls must have kindled to the high- 
est reach. As they joined in with Jesus in the ex- 
hausting labors his seal led him to undertake, they 
were quickened to exertions which really wore out 
their strength in the delight which they awa- 
kened. 

Out here on the chill water the disciples had 
no cheering alleviation of their work whatsoever. 
They had no sunshine in the sky or in their hearts. 
This task of rowing an exposed boat in a storm was 
the old, dull, unromantic drudgery of former days, 
when fishing was their business. Comfortless, wet 
to the skin with spray, cut to the bone by the raw 
spring wind, can we wonder that they speedily be- 
came fatigued, disgusted, petulant? 

II. So there is another lesson to be learned, and 



164 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Wistful souls. Weary bodies. 

this must be kept helpfully beside the former. We 
see the close and somewhat humiliating connection be- 
tween wistful souls and zveary bodies which always 
has to be recognized. 

This word toiling is quite inadequate to express 
the full force of the term Mark employs. One of 
the oldest of the English versions has it, ' ' harassing 
themselves. ' ' Tyndale renders it, i ' troubled. ' ' Al- 
ford suggests, ' ' distressed, ' ' which is the best word 
of all, and the one which our new revision adopts — 
"distressed in rowing." Those skilled fishermen 
evidently had a hard time of it. They needed to 
put forth the most violent and persistent efforts in 
order to keep the small boat from being dashed to 
pieces before the hurricane. And of course they 
became positively tired out, and their faith had 
something like a melancholy failure. 

In religious experience we are often more dis- 
heartened than we need to be, because some per- 
verse disposition misleads us to contrast our states 
of low enjoyment with remembered disclosures of 
high exhilaration under extraordinary excitement. 
The midnight of commonplace rowing appears more 
gloomy and unwelcome just because the previous 
noon was so abundantly blessed with gifts and 
graces. Our fervors seem hopelessly dull simply 
because they were so lately revived into unusual 
strain, and are now worn out by the exalted indul- 
gence. The changes begun in the circumstances 
are continued in our bodies, and so these moods 
grow reciprocally depressing. What we mourn 



TOILING IN ROWING. 



165 



Frames of desolate feeling. Phenomenal earthliness. 

over as base coldness, sometimes is nothing bnt 
natural reaction. Oftentimes our most heavy sea- 
sons of despondency are brought about by mere 
physical illness, or unusual prostration from distem- 
per or overwork. 

III. Add to this now a third lesson. We see 
that mere frames of desolate feeling give by no means 
a release from the pressure of diligent duty. 

That these disciples were impatient or even un- 
believing offers us no reason to suppose they were 
so foolish as to imagine they might lay their oars in 
the bottom of the boat and let everything drift. 
The evangelist John adds one little expression not 
repeated by any of the others : ' ' And it was now 
dark, and Jesus was not come to them. ' ' The im- 
plication here is that they knew he was sure to 
come before long. Their duty and their need was 
fo continue to do for themselves precisely what they 
knew he would wish, and what they remembered he 
had commanded. Every ingenuity of their profes- 
sion was at once to be invoked. Whatever knowl- 
edge they possessed of the lake eddies or the land 
inlets would have to be put in requisition. Sinewy 
strokes and alert steering were both in demand, 
rather more now than ever. 

We are frequently in this life called to meet the 
discouragement arising from the beclouding of our 
best opportunities by some unexpected and alto- 
gether phenomenal earthliness of mist and storm. 
Just at the moment when everything seems as if it 
ought to promise the most success, there comes a 



i66 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Jesus sees us. Rutherford's simile. 

blight and a blast of cold air to chill all our fervors 
and bear us down into discouragement and impetu- 
ous complaint. But this does not release us from 
duty. On the contrary, we are under heavier re- 
sponsibility than ever before. We must toil on in 
our rowing, and keep an alert lookout for Jesus, 
who may be on his way towards us at any moment 
of the night. 

IV. This leads us to another lesson suggested in 
the narrative: yesns Christ ', even in darkness, knows 
who has need of him. 

"He saw them toiling;" so we read, and then 
we reflect how little reason these men had for being 
melancholy. Glancing again back over the waves, 
we see Jesus on his knees for a while, praying, no 
doubt, for them as well as for others, and anon 
rising to begin the peerless walk upon the waters 
which has made that night historic for the ages. 
We need not lose such a lesson, for it enters into the 
whole round of . our spiritual life. Pious Samuel 
Rutherford gives us a counsel on this point, and 
couches it in a nautical figure, too : u In our fluctu- 
ations of feeling, ' ' says he, " it is well to remember 
that Jesus admits no change in his affections; your 
heart is not the compass Christ saileth by. ' ' Our 
vicissitudes toss only ourselves, and overturn only 
our pride, and that not perilously. Jesus' care re- 
mains steady. If it be dark, and he has not yet ar- 
rived, we may be always certain it is because he 
pauses among the trees to pray. We are to keep 
working and watching; for when he sees we are 



TOIUNG IN ROWING. 



167 



" Would have passed by." Isaiah's cheer. 

ready to receive him, he will start directly towards 
us on the sea. 

V. One more lesson there is, therefore, which 
we all can easily learn from the story. We see that 
Jesus Christ sometimes delays his coming to believers 
till he is sure of a welcome. 

' ' He would have passed by them ;' ' so we read 
again. What can this be supposed to mean ? When, 
walking on the waves, he did arrive at the boat- 
side, did he propose to give those forlorn men the 
go-by? No; he did it only to call into exercise the 
longing love which he knew they felt for him, and 
so to get their earnest invitation to come into the 
vessel. This expression is like that used when 
speaking of his behavior on the walk to Bmmaus : 
' ' He made as though he would have gone farther. ' ' 
Such a mere feint of disregarding his people has the 
same purpose as the angel's demand in the wrestle 
with Jacob: he exclaimed, "Let me go," in order 
that the man might cling to him the more closely, 
and be bold in replying, ( ' I will not let thee go, 
except thou bless me. ' ' 

We arrest the study of this story just here, al- 
though there remains much instruction worthy of 
attention hereafter. 

The lesson which comes home best and clearest 
to the individual believer is found in the words of 
the ancient prophet: u Fear not: for I have re- 
deemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou 
art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I 
will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall 



i68 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



'* It is I." Immediate deliverance. 

not overflow thee : when thon walkest through the 
fire, thou shalt not be burned ; neither shall the 
flame kindle upon thee. For I am the L,ord thy 
God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. ' ' 

And the lesson which reaches the church at 
large is like this, and indeed it is the same old seer 
who has uttered it: "O thou afflicted, tossed with 
tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy 
stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with 
sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, 
and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of 
pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be 
taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of 
thy children." 

Only one sentence closes this narrative, but it 
tells us all we need to know; their patient faith was 
rewarded: " Then they willingly received him into 
the ship; and immediately the ship was at the land 
whither they went. ' ' 



XVI. 



DARK, AND JESUS ABSENT. 

" And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them." — 
John 6:17. 

IT was a moonlight night : this we know be- 
cause the date was just before Passover, and that 
feast was always celebrated at the full of the moon. 
But this suggests a somewhat unusual darkness in 
the heavens upon this occasion; for the weather cer- 
tainly needed to be exceedingly tempestuous and 
cloudy in order to cover a sky so clear and beauti- 
ful as that of Palestine when the moon was shining 
in its supreme strength. 

There was trouble underneath the boat, too : 
1 ' And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that 
blew. So when they had rowed about five and 
twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking 
on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship; and 
they were afraid. ' ' 

A single expression here calls for a comment. 
Some interpreters assert that there is no necessity 
of crediting Jesus with a miracle of treading upon 
the water, for no one of the evangelists declares 
that he did that; the story means to say that he 
walked along the shore above or over the sea; that 
is, he reached the disciples by going around on the 
cliff which looked out across the water. One would 
like to know, then, how it happened that these men 
were frightened so, and why they imagined they 

Nefjloctert Texts. J C 



i jo 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



"Laughable insults." A cheerless winter. 

saw a phantom. A very commonplace piece of 
business it might be, to be sure, to work one's way 
from Bethsaida to Capernaum by land; but if the 
night was stormy at all, the disciples would find it 
difficult to detect the figure of a man, two or three 
miles off, high up on the rocks. Such feats of ex- 
position try us almost as much as the suggestion of 
a supernatural walking on water. They have been 
characterised forcibly, if not elegantly, as 1 ' laugh- 
able insults on logic, hermeneutics, good sense, and 
honesty. ' 1 Any one can get rid of a miracle by Je- 
sus, if he plays with this sort of jugglery in language; 
but really it seems as if it would be necessary after 
that to get rid of inventing a miracle for John; for 
how can we explain his writing a record of inspired 
nonsense like the verses we have just quoted? 
Some of us will prefer to believe that, while the dis- 
ciples were toiling in rowing on that tempest-tossed 
sea, our Lord in person came to their rescue, as the 
plain narrative, indicates, by making his pathway 
in the waters. 1 1 He made darkness his secret place; 
his pavilion round about him were dark waters and 
thick clouds of the skies. ' ' For it is in this vast 
strength of interposition we propose to find very 
comfortable instruction in religious experience. 

So now, as we move forward, we accept that 
small boat of the disciples as our symbol, and the 
way in which the Saviour treated it as his symbol; 
and thus we expect to learn a most profitable lesson 
for immediate service. There are those who are 
getting into low spirits along the cheerless course 



DARK, AND JESUS ABSENT. 



171 



What did those men do ? They kept on rowing. 

of these winter months through which we are pass- 
ing. We have been praying for a long period that 
God's set time for favoring his Zion might speedily 
arrive. And still the Spirit of reviving grace lin- 
gers away. It is dark, and Jesus has not yet come 
to us. We are impatient because it appears to us 
he remains away in the Golan mountains too long; 
why tarries he in coming ? 

It is well for all Christians to keep their temper 
and grow more cheerful-hearted. Let us believe 
that our Lord remembers us, nevertheless. For a 
single moment of careful observation let our eyes 
turn to look out upon those disciples once more. 
What are their prospects ? That depends upon what 
they are doing; and just there comes in our question 
to be answered in detail : In these depressing hours 
what are we to suppose it is they are doing ? This 
is what the story will teach. 

I. For one thing, we feel sure that they kept on 
rowing. We are told elsewhere that Jesus saw them 
toiling in rowing. 

A good lesson: with all their fatigue, with all 
their depression of spirits, with all their loneliness, 
they never so much as once intermitted their cool, 
commonplace labor. Every picture we have of 
them there in the boat shows them bending their 
stalwart arms with sinewy impulse to the same old 
ordinary stroke. The regularity of Peter's pull is 
matched by that of John. Those experienced fish- 
ermen had been out on that boisterous sheet of wa- 
ter too many times together not to know that their 



172 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Fidelity to unromantic duty. They headed for shore. 

only safety was to be found in propelling the craft 
fast enough, to steer across the waves. They really 
knew nothing better to do than to act as if it were 
sunshine and daytime all around thern; and there 
was nothing: else that could be done. 

It might as well be understood once for all that 
there is nothing more valuable to the church of God 
than a great commonplace fidelity to unromantic 
dnty. If those men, trained to every mood of that 
lake, knew that they must move on, or die, then 
surely it is high time that those who are in the 
church should become aware that especially in sea- 
sons of exposure there is deliverance in steadfast- 
ness alone. Genius will not help as just sober con- 
sistency will. While some are foolish and frantic 
enough to go off on the search for new measures, 
those Christian hearts will be the wisest which keep 
pleading at the family altars and patiently lingering 
in the circles of devotion. They do more to help in 
desperate days and nights who are always in their 
places teaching the children and succoring the poor. 

II. Then, in the second place, we observe that 
these disciples persistently headed the boat for the 
shore towards which they started in obedience to 
Christ's command. 

There is no hint of their raising an unauthorized 
question concerning the expedient of beaching their 
vessel on some nearer strand; they pushed for home. 
Xor do we find them trying to turn back to Beth- 
saida; they set their course for the other side. It 
might be that help would come from that direc- 



DARK, AND JESUS ABSENT. 173 



Peter's wife's mother. Perverted purposes. 

tion; certainly none would come from any other. 
The clouds hid the stars, but it was possible that 
somebody would put a beacon on the Capernaum 
inlet where they were accustomed to land, and that 
might act as the guide for their steersman. Peter's 
wife's mother resided in that city ; perhaps they 
could catch the glimmer of a light from the window, 
in the instant of a casual break in > the gloom. It 
would be better not to lose the chance, at any rate; 
so they persistently headed against the sea, and 
aimed to come to land as near as possible to the 
spot where Jesus was to be. 

Now, my Christian friends, I do not think I 
need to turn each one of these particulars with such 
painstaking upon ourselves. "Providence always 
helps the provident the most. ' ' God has given us 
practical means to use for the edification of each 
other and the conversion of souls. We are to per- 
sist in the ordinary activities of the gospel. But 
that does not mean that if souls are not converted we 
may consider it a poor time for evangelisation, and 
just turn to something else. We are not only to 
keep on rowing, but to steer our unwavering course 
for the shore precisely as if we were surrounded 
with successes. It is not to be supposed for a mo- 
ment that any church can say, ( ' Now the L,ord is 
not going to revive us this winter; so we can have 
a series of lectures, or fairs, or exhibitions instead : 
we will devote our energies to the increase of the 
audience and the enlivening of the services and the 
social entertainment of strangers." We have but 

15* 



174 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Bail out all water. Prudence and piety. 

one purpose, and our eye rriust not lose sight of that; 
all the rest will come in due time. Christians must 
aim directly for the conversion of souls, and look 
not to the right nor the left away from that: we 
may yet see a light. 

III. Once more we look off at those disciples; 
and now we find them heroically toiling to bail out 
the water that may in even the least measure have 
gotten inside of the boat. 

It is impossible for us to conceive of such a scene 
without imagining that the chief thing, while the 
storm was raging, would be for them to guard 
against the billows beating inside of their little ves- 
sel. They must watch with utmost seriousness of 
vigilance against being overturned or swamped. If 
it seems interesting to think of these practical men 
so tenderly attached to Jesus as that they long for 
his coming more and more passionately as the night 
wanes, it seems yet more interesting to think of 
them as being still sensible of the peril of suffering 
the waves to gather weight in the bottom of the 
boat. It arrests our attention how intimately they 
mingle their prudence with their piety. If the cold 
gusts of wind fling the deluges of spray over them 
till they are soaked and chill, they may bend their 
heads to receive the blast, but that will not hinder 
them from carefully scooping out all the water 
which, in despite of their best efforts, will keep 
trickling in. The wilder the rush of the storm, 
the more calmly strenuous their endeavors to resist 
the entrance of the dangerous sea. It troubles them 



DARK, AND JESUS ABSENT. 



175 



Keep worldliness outside. Keep a lookout for Jesus. 

that Jesus does not arrive; but that is no reason why 
they should forget that the waves will never harm 
them if only forced back to the outside of the vessel 
where they belong. 

No church was ever swamped by worldliness so 
long as it was not suffered to lay hold of the mem- 
bers of it. It is when the spirit of greed and of 
fashion, of rank and of lust, creeps in over the 
proper barriers erected between the church and the 
world that the grand peril is at its height. Among 
all the sea-going vessels, little and large, which 
have sunk in the waves and are now lying down 
on the solemn floor of the ocean, not so much as 
one, even since the dawn of creation, was foun- 
dered by the storm as long as it was kept on the 
outside of it; it was always the water inside which 
made the trouble. And of all the churches which 
have perished, since the day when the seven that 
received the letters in the Apocalypse went out of 
existence, not one ever was destroyed by the world 
beating upon it only from the outside; it has been 
the rush of worldliness, stealing at first through lit- 
tle crevices of cupidity and appetite, that has finally 
overwhelmed it. Our duty is to watch our own 
hearts cautiously, and help those around us to press 
back the stream. 

IV. Now, for a fourth time, we look at the dis- 
ciples there in the boat to see what they are doing; 
for here is one of our very best lessons: they are 
keeping up a firm lookout for Jeszis. 

With all their eagerness in guarding against 



176 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Labor and watch. Signs of nearness. 

danger, with all their athletic endeavors to nrge 
the craft ahead, they do not for an instant forget to 
continue a keen watch for the arrival of their Mas- 
ter. He was certainly coming ; they ail believed 
that most steadily. The very phraseology of the 
verse indicates this ; they said he ' ' was not come, ' ' 
as if that was the remarkable thing of the hour; it 
was as if they had said that he had not yet come, 
although he was expected. I do not think they 
knew just how he was likeliest to get to them out 
there on the water, but I have no doubt that they 
had an abiding impression he would in some way 
interpose for their relief and rescue. 

Of course every true Christian catches the figure 
easily. While we labor we must watch. Believers 
are to keep up a sharp lookout for any evidences of 
the advent of the Saviour with a fresh disclosure of 
the power and presence of the Holy Spirit for our 
help and comfort. There are always signs of his 
nearness, and the alert soul will be the one first to 
discern them. We can imagine we see Simon Peter 
every now and then standing up in the boat, and 
flinging his anxious inquiry into the dark and over 
the stern and all around the narrow horizon, search- 
ing for the appearance of a Form he knew. And 
then, in his turn, we can seem to see John covering 
his eyes with his hand and trying to peer into the 
glooms and thickening shadows lying heavily on 
the tossing tumults of water; we almost fancy we 
detect in this beloved disciple a fond determination 
to penetrate the darkness by sheer force of an affec- 



DARK, AND JESUS ABSENT. 



177 



Watching and waiting. Croaking is unprofitable. 

tionate and wistful desire which he had to behold 
him on whose bosom he had for so many a day al- 
ready learned to lean. So with all the rest; they 
looked after One whom they longed so much to wel- 
come. Thus Christians must watch while they 
wait. It is not likely that those disciples had very 
much heart for singing that tempestuous night; but 
in that is our advantage. There is a song for each 
of us in times like these we deplore; and we might 
just as well keep it up in chorus: "I wait for the 
Lord ; my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope : 
my soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that 
watch for the morning; I say, more than they that 
watch for the morning. " 

V. There is yet another lesson for us to learn: 
we cast the eyes of our imagination out once more 
over the lake, and we notice that those disciples are 
cheering tip each other and trying to put an end to 
their melancholy spirits. 

Nobody ever did any good in this world by 
taking the heart out of other people. Croaking 
and dismal foreboding never so much as comforted 
a soul, much less converted one. If anybody in 
that boat that night became timid, we have no 
doubt that the others said to him, "Jesus will be 
here to help." If anybody grew listless, some one 
would speak up, 4 ( It will not be long now before 
he will come." If anybody got discouraged, an- 
other would exclaim, "Most likely he is actually 
on his way about this time. ' ' And if anybody fell 
into doubt, we may be sure they all would say, 



i/8 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Lugubrious lamentation. The five lessons. 

1 ' Why, he always did come when he promised he 
would. ' ' It does seem as if the least any real child 
of God could do in sad and heavy times is to en- 
courage the one who stands next to him. Let us 
have done with lugubrious lamentation. It is bet- 
ter to say over the promises, and cheer up each 
other. This deploring a storm has the curious 
effect always of making the air appear colder and 
the blast heavier; and this unevenness of stroke 
makes the boat rock more, and that lets in the wa- 
ter faster, as well as whisks the chill spray worse in 
our faces. Sometimes just one word of hope and 
joy, of grateful reminiscence or glad expectation, 
forces us all to forget the discomfort. And then 
you ought to notice how the oars leap into concert 
again, and the ship goes straight ahead. And be- 
fore we know it almost, some one speaks up with a 
great peace in his heart, u Jesus is here !" 

Thus now we leave the story: our lessons are 
learned. It is these five things we have noticed in 
turn — just these five things in the behavior of the 
disciples — which we are to do right along: they 
kept on rowing, they headed the boat for the shore, 
they patiently bailed out the water, they looked 
constantly for Jesus, and they cheered up each other 
by the way. What renders these five things so in- 
structive is the simple consideration that precisely 
these are what they would have done if Jesus had 
been with them all the time ; only instead of watch- 
ing for him they would have waited upon him. It 
is for us, now while God seems to withhold and de- 



DARK, AND JKSUS ABSENT. 1 79 



The timid and the listless. Comfort and warning. 

lay his blessing for the trial of our faith, not to set- 
tle down into supineness and petulant complaint, 
but to move forward in fidelity to do precisely what 
we would do if we were in the midst of a revival, 
and souls were hurrying by the scores into the king- 
dom. 

Hence, let every timid believer be comforted by 
this story. Jesus' prayer has been heard in the 
mountain; his footstep will soon be felt on the sea. 
You are weary ; but you must wait. 

L,et every listless Christian be warned by this 
story. It is dark, and you complain that Jesus has 
not yet come to you. Would you know him if he 
did come this moment? We are told that when 
even some of these disciples first discovered their 
divine Master through the gloom, they were fright- 
ened and imagined he was a ghost ! I can hardly 
believe they were all so dull as that. But those 
who thus missed him misused him. Oh, it is a 
shame indeed to suppose that some will be surprised 
if the Holy Spirit is given in answer to our wishes : 
they are not ready ! 

Let every earnest inquirer be encouraged by this 
little story. It is dark, and you too are saying that 
Jesus has not yet come to you. He may be sove- 
reignly waiting till your heart shall really long for 
him. It would be worse for you now to reject your 
convictions and give over seeking for his presence. 
Times of religious interest are most solemn and 
precious to any soul. Say this to yourself in sin- 
cerity : "I may have been seeking an experience, 



l8o STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



" Out in the dark." Renan's lament. 

instead of Christ; I will move on and do my duty 
in God's fear, precisely as if I had the experience I 
long for; O thou Christ of God, I give myself, soul 
and body, unto thee out in the dark, wherever thou 
art; take me as thou wilt !" 

Let every una wakened sinner be admonished by 
this story. It is very dark when Jesus has not come 
to any soul; but, oh, it will be darker, darker, if he 
should never come to you ! There is a record of a 
famous preacher that he once asked and answered 
his own question : ' ' What can a man do when death 
comes ? Let him just pluck up his courage, and de- 
part. ' ' And this is all that a Christless soul has to 
say to souls entering an unknown future without 
Christ! 

Sadder words were never spoken than those 
which at this moment come to us through the pub- 
lic prints as the final utterance of one who was a 
leader in skepticism ten years ago; he says, "We 
are living on the perfume of an empty vase. Our 
children will have to live on the shadow of a 
shadow. Their children, I fear, will have to sub- 
sist on something less. ' ' 

It is dark until Jesus arrives; it is frightfully 
dark if he never comes at all : but when he is once 
inside of the life-boat of those who love him, all is 
bright, and joy comes with the morning. 



XVII. 



POLITENESS AND PIETY. 

"I DOUBTED OF SUCH MANNER OF QUESTIONS." — Acts 2$: 20. 

A 94MPLE rehearsal of perhaps familiar history is 
all that will be necessary to show the exact meaning 
and relevancy of this text. When, in the course 
of the political changes of the time, the Roman 
governor Felix was displaced, a man by the name 
of Porcius Festns was appointed in his room. At 
once the enemies of the Apostle Paul sought to 
resume the persecutions they had been forced to 
slacken for the last two years. Festus promised 
early attention to the matter. And indeed, only 
eight or ten days after his arrival in Caesarea, he 
summoned the prisoner before him, and reopened 
the proceedings. But he found himself surrounded 
with a chain of perplexities, and was actually at 
his wits' end, by reason of Felix's previous mis- 
management of the case. Still he kept his word 
fairly, and in the audience he granted suffered the 
malignant Jews, who had come down from Jerusa- 
lem to lay their accusations against the apostle, to 
make their entire plea unhindered. They demand- 
ed that he should be put to death for heresy, sacri- 
lege, and treason. 

Now anybody who ever saw the painful inde- 
cision and the ludicrous awkwardness of a thor- 
ough-bred politician suddenly forced to consider 
and answer a religious question which some incon- 

Hegleeted Text* 1 6 



182 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A thorough-bred politician. . An atrocious plot. 

siderate auditor thrust up to him on the platform, 
can quite appreciate the embarrassment of Festus 
under such an array of charges. Of treason he 
could form some sort of judgment; but what did he 
know about heresy or sacrilege? And further: he 
was acute enough to see that the only way in which 
these Hebrews could sustain the complaint of trea- 
son was by showing that Paul claimed one Jesus of 
Nazareth to be king of the Jews. And even this 
seemed as much a religious question, to that hea- 
then governor, as any of the rest. Manifestly the 
whole thing was altogether out of his range. 

But it was of some value to this newly-arrived 
ruler that he should make friends with the people 
he was expected to manage. And he was surprised 
to find that the first act of government he sought to 
exercise should put him at such a pitiable disadvan- 
tage before he had been in the province a fortnight. 
Plainly he had expected the difficulty would prove 
to be political,- or at any rate judicial; and hence, in 
his line. The first thing he proposed was that Paul 
should go up to Jerusalem, and be regularly tried 
by the Sanhedrim. But the apostle discovered that 
underneath this lay an atrocious plot to assassinate 
him on the journey. So he made a final decision, 
withdrew from Festus' jurisdiction, and appealed to 
Caesar at Rome. This changed the venue of the 
entire accusation, and removed him from the prov- 
ince to the capital. Here fell a new embarrassment 
upon this unfortunate governor. 

By law Festus was compelled to send with every 



POLITENESS AND PIETY. 



I8 3 



Herod Agrippa' s visit. Festus takes his chance. 

prisoner the full report of his case, accompanied 
with the documents, to the emperor. This forced 
him to recapitulate Felix's misdoings before he 
came into power. And no one can tell what he 
would have done during the impressive season of 
delay before the sea- voyage began, if there had not 
occurred at the moment an incident most opportune, 
and promising to be most hopeful. 

Herod Agrippa, the nominal king of the Jews in 
the line, suddenly avowed his intention of paying a 
visit to Festus. This pleased the governor exceed- 
ingly; not only because it was a great compliment 
to him before all the Jewish people that their mon- 
arch in person came to pay him court; but because 
he perceived that Agrippa' s acquaintance with the 
Jewish religion would help him in the rehearsal of 
this most intricate case of Paul. This man, born 
in Tarsus, was a 1 1 citizen of no mean city. ' ' He 
had his rights. Nay, more; he had had his wrongs. 
And Festus was sure he did not know how to defend 
the one for him, or how to extenuate the other. 
But Agrippa, an educated Jew, would understand 
all the complications that so confused him. So he 
meant the king should have some work to do on his 
visit. He waited for quite a little while, until his 
royal guest had become somewhat familiar with 
him. Then, in private conversation one day, he 
began just as if he was telling an interesting little 
story. 

Thus he related it: "There is a certain man 
here — one of your people — left in bonds by my pre- 



1 84 



STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Traversing Felix's record. A courtier's wariness. 

decessor Felix. When I was up in Jerusalem, the 
other day, the elders and chief priests told me they 
had a judgment against him. I replied that it was 
not our custom in Italy to deliver any man to die 
till he had a fair chance to meet his accusers face 
to face. He had a right to prepare his own answer 
to the charges. But as soon as I could, after I came 
to Csesarea — the very next day, I believe — I ordered 
up the case before me. To my amazement I found, 
as the witnesses gave their testimony, that the accu- 
sation was not at all what I supposed. They had 
certain questions against him of their own — religious 
entirely — about one Jesus, who was put to death 
when Pontius Pilate was out here, but whom this 
man Paul affirmed to be alive still. I asked him to 
go to Jerusalem and be tried there, because / doubted 
of such manner of questions ; really, I felt seriously 
embarrassed, for religion has not hitherto been of 
any special interest to me, as I do not mind telling 
you now we are together here. But this Paul turned 
around upon me, as he had a right to do, I admit, 
and appealed his case to Caesar. This gave me a 
new worry; for Felix had managed the thing very 
badly. I dislike exceedingly to send on a report of 
the facts. To be sure, Felix is quite a used-up man 
now ; but things change so at Rome, one never 
knows who will come to the surface next; and I 
would not like to offend him. It seems to me you 
might settle this matter among yourselves. I have 
no gift at religious dispute. I do not understand 
the difficulty. I could study it up, you know, but 



POLITENESS AND PIETY. 



185 



Religious questions are delicate. One's "peculiar superstition. 

it would hardly pay for the effort. Now what shall 
I do in the premises ? These questions they have 
raised against him are of their own superstition ; they 
are out of my way of thinking altogether. ' ' 

To this frank proposition the king answered that 
he should much like to see Paul, and hear what he 
had to say for himself. Nothing could have pleased 
Festus better. Immediate arrangements were made 
for a public interview — a sort of informal and unau- 
thoritative rehearsal of the case. 

We do not need to go any farther with the story 
now. The pertinency of the mere expression chosen 
for our present text becomes already apparent. Fes- 
tus is the type of a large class of decorous, educated, 
polite persons who look upon religious questions as 
belongiitg solely to religious people. They ' ' doubt of 
such manner of questions." They really believe 
that they dispose of them and of all matters concern- 
ing a devout or Christian life, in a fitting, courteous, 
and altogether satisfactory sort of way, when they 
treat them with a polite forbearance. They will 
sometimes indulge in a patronizing little discussion; 
they will listen to a debate; but when invited per- 
sonally to the tests of a religious experience, they 
admit they do not understand them, are not inter- 
ested in them, and respectfully remand all consider- 
ation of them fully to such people as will give them 
intelligent appreciation, and to whose peculiar ' ' su- 
perstition ' ' they belong. 

Now we do not need even to seem to imply 
reproach upon the disposition or character of this 

16* 



X86 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The character of Festus. Religious phenomena. 

class of persons. There is chance here to put in an 
honest word even for Festus. History makes a very 
creditable record of his administration, as well as 
of his reputation generally for fairness, candor, cour- 
age, and gentlemanly demeanor to all. The very 
details we have been reciting show him in an amia- 
ble light. And we are far enough from saying that 
those of whom he is so affecting an example are all 
bad men. Their characteristic seems to be mere in- 
tellectual indolence, or indifference to religious life. 

We may lose power by a diffusiveness of our 
illustration. Out from the circle of our own ac- 
quaintance let us single some one man as a type. 
Let him be educated, refined, courteous. Let him 
be correct in all the outward moralities of citizen- 
ship and the gentle amenities of his family rela- 
tions. He is kind and considerate. But he truly 
conceives of all real religious principles and duties 
as out of his personal concern or responsibility. 

You may ask, What does a man like this say in 
explanation of the phenomena he sees ? He has not, 
like Festus in Judea, just arrived. He is not a 
stranger in Christendom. He has lived, perhaps, 
for years within the sound of Christmas bells and 
Easter anthems. His whole early life has been 
passed within the reach of gospel practices and cus- 
toms. He has grown up under the force and fer- 
vency of religious appeal. He was married by a 
minister; he heard a sermon and a prayer at his old 
father's funeral. He has seen and read part of the 
Bible, and has noticed many of his neighbors wend- 



POLITENESS AND PIETY. 



IS 7 



Unoffensive piety. Paul " beside himself." 

ing their way to church; sometimes he has even 
gone with them. Now the question is, What does 
he think of all these things ? 

In answer, it must be said that much will depend 
upon the prime consideration how far they seem 
likely to go. As long as Agrippa was his compan- 
ion, Festus must have discovered nothing to inflame 
his jealousy. For the king was one of that cool 
sort of religious Pharisees who in all ages hold their 
piety quite quietly in hand. The Roman governor 
mi^ht ride with him in his sanctimonious chariot 
all day long, and never be so excited as even for 
once to catch hold of the reins for fear of collision. 
But when the Apostle Paul began to preach, and 
great, honest words of argument and burning ap- 
peal began to fly around the audience-chamber, he 
was forced out of his discreet reserve, and exclaimed, 
" Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth 
make thee mad. ' ' While the king had the hold of 
him, he simply returned a polite patronage, and 
bore with him as one who had a whim of religion; 
but when the Christian preacher spoke in earnest, 
he flew into violence and anger. 

And this pretty well represents the feeling with 
which many men of the world regard the ordinary 
phenomena of a religious life. They are scrupu- 
lously polite towards Christians. Indeed, they con- 
ceive of them kindly and pitifully as a self-restricted, 
enthusiastic sort of people, having 11 certain ques- 
tions of their own superstition. ' ' Some of them are 
excellent neighbors and worthy citizens. Church 



i88 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Tasteful and tame devotion. An awkward necessity. 

order is a decent thing. Some parts of divine ser- 
vice are very beautiful if managed with taste. Only 
let a man keep within bounds and avoid reckless 
excitement. There is such a thing as going too 
far, and so becoming obtrusive. That is to say, 
they look upon religious questions as belonging to 
other people and not to them. The only interest 
they have in such things is discoverable when they 
happen to run across their prejudices or practices. 
And then they intimate with a cool politeness that 
good breeding may be shown even in one's style of 
piety; it is best always to be careful, or one may 
unconsciously become coarse. 

It cannot have escaped the notice of any one, in 
our study thus far of this man Festus, that there 
does not seem to have even for once passed across 
his mind the thought of his examining Christianity, 
or listening to Paul, or comparing views of life and 
duty with Agrippa, or of anything else, for the sake 
of securing his own sonV s salvation, or recognizing 
his relation to the God that made him. For all his 
conduct betrays, you might as well think of him as 
of one raised above the awkward necessity of being 
saved, like those poor people who were continually 
vexing their rulers with "questions of their own 
superstition." And this is the exact lack to be 
observed always in many men of the world. They 
contemplate religion as simply one phase of human 
nature, with which they have nothing in common, 
and which they mean to treat kindly and with 
polite forbearance. 



POLITENESS AND PIETY. 



Did Festus have a soul ? Other people's business. 

One would think these calm philosophers had 
forgotten that they had any souls of their own. It 
is one of the most astonishing presentations of hu- 
man nature, this apathy of personal feeling, this 
gentlemanly pronunciation upon other people's reli- 
gion, without so much as a suspicion that one's self 
is under criticism ; this imperturbable discharge of 
all pressing appeal by the cool remark, ' ' I doubted 
of such manner of questions." What can any in- 
telligent man mean by admitting he is an immortal 
being, but does not consider eternity of any special 
interest ? 

It so happens that one of the principles of our 
religion requires us to arouse others from this neg- 
lect. He that hears for himself is bidden to say, 
' ' Come, ' ' to the rest. Here is seen another step of 
this polite forbearance. We summon men to think, 
to investigate, to decide. They reply, ' ' There are 
ever so many sects in the church; for one, I doubt 
of such manner of questions. There are ever so 
many creeds in the church ; I doubt of such manner 
of questions. There are ever so many practices and 
rituals in the church; I doubt of such manner of 
questions. There are ever so many inconsistencies 
in the church : indeed, I believe I doubt of all such 
manner of questions; they are out of my line of 
thinking; they belong to other people." 

One feels tempted to reply, "Well, does your 
soul also belong to other people; does your Maker 
i belong to other people; does heaven's glory belong 
to other people; or earth's work, or hell's wailing 



190 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A serene indifference. John Randolph. 

and woe ? How did you reach that serene height 
of undisturbed satisfaction, your past flawless, your 
present unreproached, your future secure, so that 
you can look down upon human passion and con- 
flict and toil, and smile as you say, 'These all 
seem to have some questions of their own supersti- 
tion ' ?" It is the part of simple kindness to move 
on, even at the risk of being impolite. The danger 
is too urgent; the duty is too pressing; the sanctions 
are too heavy. Men err if they suppose that becom- 
ing a Christian can be contemplated as one criti- 
cises a new painting with an eye-glass, or looking 
through his hand. It is not a thing so artistically 
outside of the connoisseur as that; not, so long as 
he has a soul, or is bound to God's bar; not, so long 
as character settles destiny; not, so long as God's 
Son is at one's side claiming to be heard. 

' c No lukewarm seeker, ' ' said John Randolph of 
Roanoke, ' ' ever became a real Christian ; for from 
the days of John the Baptist until now 1 the king- 
dom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent 
take it by force a text which I read five hundred 
times before I had even the slightest conception of 
its application. ' ' 

Believe me, while such tremendous possibilities 
are crowded into the little period we call life, and 
such destinies into the existence beyond it, no man 
has any reason or right to say, "I doubt of such 
manner of questions. ' 1 



XVIII. 



DRAWING LIGHTNING. 

"And he shall go before him in the spirit and power 
of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the chil- 
dren." — Luke 1 : 17. 

Science tells us that the best defence against 
lightning in a thunder-storm is found, not in defi- 
ance of it, but in a silent discharge of it. Go right 
towards it fearlessly with a pointed platina wire, 
and we shall learn that it will follow a fixed law of 
harmless dispersion. 

Is there any way by which the power of one of 
God's curses can be drawn, so as to avert the terri- 
ble stroke of divine wrath ? Let us see. 

This text refers us directly back to the final ut- 
terance of the Old Testament. There are four 
books in the Bible which end with a curse: Mala- 
chi, Lamentations, Isaiah, and Ecclesiastes. The 
Hebrew scribes were always accustomed to repeat 
the verse just before the last in these cases, so as to 
close the reading with something besides a male- 
diction. It is not easy to see how this helps the 
matter in the present instance; for the preceding 
prediction seems to have been uttered merely to 
introduce the warning. And perhaps it is just as 
profitable to believe that the best way to avoid the 
judgments of God is to guard carefully against de- 
serving them. 

After the last seer under the ancient dispensation 



192 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The Old Testament curse. The New Testament blessing. 

had spoken the words which the evangelist quotes, 
the heavens were closed for four hundred years. 
Jehovah had not another message to send. His 
people had offended him. Justice comes almost 
fiercely forth, and bars the gate of revelation, be- 
cause children are despised. And not until four 
centuries of silence had given time for repentance 
would those bolts be withdrawn. Even then it is a 
little child who advances to turn the massive key. 
History wanders sadly in confusion among the cap- 
tivities and Maccabean usurpations. Only an in- 
fant can join the Testaments. Iyuke is the next 
man to Malachi. The sternest of all Israel's proph- 
ets reappears in the sternest of all heralds to the 
church. ' ' For all the prophets and the law proph- 
esied until John; and if ye will receive it, this is 
Elias which was for to come." 

The wonderful suggestiveness of this passage, 
however, is found in its theme. A wild threat, four 
hundred years old, is suddenly removed in a flash of 
benediction. The curse in Malachi is omitted in 
Luke — the lightning is drawn. The gospel fulfils 
the law when it accepts children. God receives 
the fathers into favor and communion again when 
their hearts are turned to their offspring. 

This is the doctrine of the text. Hence, I pre- 
sent to you now, as a legitimate subject of consider- 
ation, the work of the Sunday-school organization; 
it discharges harmlessly the Old Testament maledic- 
tions, and it becomes the instrument of fulfilling the 
benedictions of the New, It is the world's helper and 



DRAWING LIGHTNING. 



1 93 



Civilization, Chivalry, Christianity. Infants of savages. 

the church's servant. You will see this with all 
clearness, if you examine those who are the subjects 
of its effort, and what it proposes to do with them. 

I. The subjects of Sunday-school effort are, of 
course, understood to be the young of our race. 
Oftentimes these are the least noticed and the last 
noticed of all classes of beings with souls. And 
yet there is no truth more settled than that civiliza- 
tion, chivalry, and Christianity reach their highest 
culmination in the caring for children. 

1. Civilization is traced by marking the progress 
of history. We may read the records of human 
life,, profoundly probing for the motives of men, 
analyzing conventional laws, rules, and customs, 
until at last we venture to say, from a wide induc- 
tion of particulars, we are beginning to learn the 
steps of advancement among the nations. And 
now it has come to be confessed by the wisest phi- 
losophers that the clearest evidence of a lofty civil- 
ization for any people in any age or clime is found 
in the provisions which are made for little children. 
Savages bind up their infants with afflictive thongs 
of bark, as the most expeditious disposal to be made 
of them. Never till a land has leisure, never till a 
nation has refinement, never till most of the steps 
upward have been taken in the way towards exalt- 
ed attainment, does there come even one look of 
appreciation or sympathy for these ' ' feeble folk ' ' 
of society more than the merest necessities of exist- 
ence or the exigencies of convenience require. 

He who, with kind heart and subtle ingenuity 

Neglected Texts. \*J 



194 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



— Toys for children. Woman's honor for offspring. 

of invention, sits down at his desk to illuminate a 
juvenile volume with an extraordinary frontispiece, 
or who toils at his bench to construct a mechanical 
toy for a little child, is in one sense both the pro- 
duct and the type of the truest and the highest civ- 
ilised humanity. 

2. Chivalry has always claimed to have gone 
somewhat beyond what mere civilisation requires. 
It has presented as the supreme excellence of man- 
hood, that it recognise woman's worth, that it labor 
to secure the amelioration of woman's lot, that it 
freely yield to woman's wish every equalisation of 
privilege, and that it have respect to woman's weak- 
ness with all indulgence and affection. It will ac- 
cept no apology for a lack in this generous form of 
consideration. It rejects with instinctive repug- 
nance and horror all the learning of Socrates, all 
his wisdom, all his morality, because it discovers 
that he positively sold his own wife at a price. 
Chivalry is accustomed to say, Let woman cease to 
be both a slave and a toy; give her the place she 
deserves in the social realm; let her become regnant 
as God made her regal; then the summit will be 
reached, and society will have advanced to its high- 
est meridian. 

But when we are ready to accept this as final, 
and actually begin to honor the sex we deem no- 
blest, suddenly we discover there is that which the 
honored sex honors in its own behalf. Look up as 
we ought at woman, and we find woman not look- 
ing down upon us, but looking upward still. 



DRAWING LIGHTNING. 



195 



Wordsworth's aphorism. Infants baptized in sunshine. 

Crown a mother, and she will put the diadem on 
the head of her boy, and bid you observe how like 
a little prince he wears it. Give her a deed of un- 
told wealth, and she will endorse it for her children 
before she puts it in the safe. She tells you there 
is something higher than herself. With quicker 
intuition and profounder wisdom she stands ready 
to teach you that ' ' the child is father of the man. ' ' 
To respect woman and not respect children is an 
impossibility. As society becomes vicious, women 
are professedly adored; but homes are broken, and 
children are considered nuisances. And if an oracle 
can ever instruct a devotee at all, then chivalry 
ought to have certainly learned by this time, from 
the voice of woman herself, that no sentiment of 
devotion to her can be lofty till it begins to honor 
and love her children as she honors and loves them. 

3. Christianity enters at this point to accept and 
repeat the lesson. Up to the moment in which a 
nation becomes evangelized, all reference to the 
young springs not from interest in them, but only 
from the interest which the community has in its 
own well-being. Christianity takes up children 
in its arms, as Christ did, for childhood's sake. 
Within a few years some in this land of gospel 
light have come near enough to the Sun of Right- 
eousness to learn that he desires to shine most be- 
nignantly upon the little ones, and wants us to do 
as they do in some Eastern lands with infants, hurry 
them out at birth where the first ray of the day- 
spring from on high may visit them. When wealth 



196 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The American Sunday-school. Our fairest spectacle. 

has multiplied and industry has prospered; when 
science has increased and education become easy, 
at last the Sunday-school has reached all adequate 
recognition, and the best minds are laboring in its 
behalf. Music, literature, and the mechanical arts 
are under steady tribute. "The hearts of the fa- 
thers" are in some measure turned to the chil- 
dren. 

And now I am ready to say that herein lies the 
glory of the American Church; w T e are foremost in 
the Sunday-school work. If some great catastro- 
phe of nature were to bury us under, as a second 
Herculaneum or Pompeii, and the antiquarians of 
a far-future generation were to unearth our records, 
found, as they would be, in the market and in the 
sanctuary, in the dwelling and in the street, in the 
metropolitan centres and in the rural divergencies, 
all along and over the country — it would not be the 
proud structures of our architects, nor the fine paint- 
ings of our artists ; it would not be the princely 
mansions of our opulent merchants, the thronged 
libraries, the crowded marts, the curious museums; 
it would not be the triumphs of our engineering 
skill, nor our inventions of ingenious tools, nor 
even the gatherings of highest learning in our uni- 
versities and academies; not one nor all of these 
would be our best evidence of civilization; not one 
would settle the question of either our advancement 
in real chivalry or Christianity. Our reputation 
would have to stand or fall upon the relics which 
would remain, to show before that enlightened age 



DRAWING LIGHTNING. 



197 



A Christmas-tree. A waste of children. 

what we had been doing for children in this. It is 
to be hoped that they wonld fall upon a toy-shop or 
a depository of juvenile books. 

There can really be no denial of the affirmation 
that the highest reach of a Christian civilization is 
presented in a Christmas-tree at an anniversary of 
a Sunday-school. A most excellent study for any 
thoughtful man is that tall evergreen, with its non- 
descript fruit shining upon it, and the Bethlehem 
carol stirring its branches ! 

II. Thus much, then, concerning children as the 
subjects of our labor. I^et us now inquire concern- 
ing the nature of the work we desire and propose to 
do in their behalf. This is no less than to seek out y 
to educate, and to redeem children. 

1. To seek them out — it may possibly make one 
smile to speak of seeking out children in neighbor- 
hoods like ours, where in all likelihood there are 
more quivers and more arrows in each quiver than 
anywhere else in the known world. Children pos- 
itively swarm wherever you go. The cities are 
crowded; the unhealthiest localities and the unfit- 
test households generally the most so. And the 
villages likewise are thronged. ' ' Happy is the 
people that is in such a case." 

But this involves new responsibility. Half these 
children die before five years of age. Not far from 
one in seven is buried before it ever sees its anni- 
versary birthday. What a waste, if God sends 
them only as he sends the great tree-loads of spring 
blossoms for the comparatively little fruit ! But he 

17* 



198 STUDIES OF NKGLECTED T£xTS. 



Are we crown-makers ? Who does the teaching ? 

does not. He cares for the least of them, though 
he gives the living multitude to the world with all 
munificence of profusion. Some he takes home 
early, and himself teaches. Some he leaves here 
for you and me to teach. All these need to be in- 
terested and attracted. In the verse from Malachi, 
which the angel quotes only partially in our text, 
it is intimated that the hearts of the children need 
to be turned to their fathers also. They must be 
sought out and brought under the power of the gos- 
pel. They never will be until Christians become 
more Christlike. Brazilian rivers are full of dia- 
monds; what then? The costliest jewels will only 
drift down the current and be lost in the sands, un- 
less somebody goes to crown-making, and gathers 
them carefully up. 

2. To educate them, then, becomes another part 
of this work. And I make bold to say that there 
is no one agency which is doing more in this direc- 
tion than the Sunday-school. This will appear if 
you consider the class of instructors, the lesson they 
inculcate, the text-book they use, and the spirit by 
which they are actuated. 

Who are the teachers in our Sunday-schools ? In- 
quire them out in turn. Any pastor or superin- 
tendent can inform you. The best zeal and the 
truest efficiency of the church at large are there. 
God has wonderfully quickened the hearts of his 
people latterly in this respect. The chief impres- 
sion left by the last mighty revival in our land was 
concerning the power of individual effort on the 



DRAWING LIGHTNING. 



199 



What is it that is taught ? The one text-book. 

part of the lay membership in our Christian con- 
gregations. 

What is the lesson they are trying to impart ? You 
know very well that the questions which pass for 
study and answer between instructors and pupils 
in these classes are those that concern the deepest 
needs and the loftiest aspirations of the human soul. 
The tremendous problems of sin and salvation are 
the staple of close converse. If you draw nigh, so 
as to overhear any recitation, you will listen only 
to the story of the cross told over and over again, 
now by the parable, now by the history, now by 
the type. What a discipline is this for stimulating 
and directing thought, with such teachers and such 
themes ! How the intelligence is awakened, how 
the mind is educated — educed, drawn out — into the 
exercise of its best powers ! 

What is the text-book they are accustomed to employ f 
The Bible alone. The multitudinous appliances 
for help have increased wonderfully during the last 
few years, and yet all of them are only intended to 
magnify and explain the Word of God. The aug- 
mented and oftentimes mysterious influence of a 
., Sunday-school lesson has this simple explanation: 
it is as if God spoke, not man. The truth which is 
brought to bear upon the heart and understanding 
of the children is immediately authenticated and 
accompanied by a vital force from heaven itself. 
The arguments for everything just, honest, pure, 
and of good report, are not drawn from a mere code 
of morals, or backed by mere considerations of ex- 



200 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The Sunday-school Arch. Children redeemed. 

pediency; they are quickened by the unseen energy 
of inspiration which pervades them. 

What is the spirit by which they are actuated? 
Look in for a moment, in imagination, upon a work- 
ing and effective Sunday-school. Mark one pecu- 
liarity in attitude. The pupil, in the intensity of 
his interest, has leaned forward from the bench ; and 
the instructor, in the absorption of his subject, has 
bent forward from the chair, and that circle of fore- 
heads almost touch each other. We, who are a lit- 
tle enthusiastic in such matters, call that charac- 
teristic posture the " Sunday-school Arch." You 
never find it except at the seats of the most intel- 
ligent and faithful teachers. Remember that they 
have studied that lesson most carefully, and that 
their whole hearts are in the duty they are doing. 
Remember that they have wrestled in earnest prayer 
on bended knees before their Lord that very morn- 
ing, pleading for all needed assistance. Then bear 
in mind that their pupils love them, honor them, 
and now listen with all the inquisitiveness of kin- 
dled desire to learn something new and fresh. And 
the eyes fill sometimes with the suffusion of tender 
appeal and affectionate exhortation. Ah, is not this 
the place in which to educate a soul for God ? 

3. To redeem children, however, is the main end. 
And I put the question with all earnestness to any 
thoughtful and candid man, Where will you find a 
plan which has more hopefulness in it than this ? 
God converts souls; our office is to lead them up 
under the force of the means of grace. And is 



DRAWING LIGHTNING. 



20I 



The bow of the covenant. Another John needed ? 

there not in this Sunday-school Arch a fitting sym- 
bol of the divine promise, the very bow of the an- 
cient covenant, bending over these young immor- 
tals, with its benediction of peace ? Keep a child 
there, in that focus of intense spiritual heat and 
light, aglow for a term of years. L,et him grow up 
under it. L,et that immature form become manlier, 
and perforce straighten somewhat with tallness; and 
that other form that has been bending with eager- 
ness begin to stoop with age; and still let the pa- 
tient process be continued and never relax until the 
place is changed, and the pupil becomes a teacher, 
and, beginning with a little group, makes and tends 
a new arch of his own ; what will be the result of all 
this pressure of training in the truth ? Go ask church 
records what it has been. Read the names of those 
who come from the Sabbath-classes into communion 
and membership. 

My Christian friend, how much are you doing 
in this day of gospel privilege to bring the hearts of 
fathers back to their children? Do we need another 
prophet, with his hairy raiment and his leathern gir- 
dle, to come forth from the wilderness ? 



XIX. 



THE FAMILY FESTIVAL. 

" If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnest- 
ly ASKED LEAVE OF ME, THAT HE MIGHT RUN TO BETHLEHEM HIS 
CITY: FOR THERE IS A YEARLY SACRIFICE . THERE FOR ALL THE 
FAMILY." — I Samuel 20 : 6. 

The word in this verse rendered "sacrifice" is 
in the margin of onr English Bibles rendered with 
somewhat greater felicity ' ' feast. ' ' There comes to 
view, therefore, in the narrative an unusually inter- 
esting fact; namely, that the family of Jesse, out of 
which the ruddy-cheeked herd-boy had been chosen 
and anointed as a successor of Saul upon the throne, 
continued to keep up their residence in Bethle- 
hem, and carefully observed the household festivals 
through the year, as in earlier days they had been 
accustomed. 

The members of that scattered circle summoned 
each other regularly to a social reunion annually. 
We infer that Jesse himself was at this period not 
living, for at the mention of him last given in the 
Scriptures he was considered an elderly man; and 
now, in the latter part of the chapter before us, 
Jonathan tells Saul that this invitation which made 
David's place vacant had proceeded from his "bro- 
ther," and he had asked his permission to go and 
see his , c ' brethren. ' ' It may have been that the 
home was partially broken, but the remnant of the 
family patiently kept up the customs. 

Each year, from all our central and crowded 



THE FAMILY FESTIVAL. 



203 



Going home. " Count up your mercies." 

cities, there is pouring forth a positive exodus of 
people, going down into the rural neighborhoods 
where their fathers have lived and died, in order 
that they may meet together and freshen the cher- 
ished associations of their youth: generally it is the 
old boys and girls who are the first and the faithful- 
est in these annual Sittings — those whose years are 
multiplying upon their heads, but whose young 
hearts persistently refuse to grow chill or forgetful 
nevertheless. 

I. In the outset let us notice some few of the 
advantages found in the observance of this yearly 
thanksgiving festival, that will serve to every 
thoughtful mind as arguments for its perpetuation 
among a loyal and Christian people summoned to 
public worship. 

1. Of course, first and chief of these is the con- 
sideration that for all God's love and care for us 
there is due at least full acknowledgment of the hand 
which has given them to us. 

4 ' Be careful for nothing ' ' is the encouraging 
admonition of inspired Scripture; "but in every- 
thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, 
let your requests be made known unto God." It is 
only a mere brute's heart which rests satisfied with 
the acorns that feed its gluttony, with never a grate- 
ful look upward into the branches of the generous 
oak from which they drop. One motto will in 
almost all cases bring cheer and comfort to believ- 
ing hearts in this world of worry and complaining: 
* ' Count up your mercies. ' ' A day in each year is 



204 



STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The Indian Summer. Our domestic affections. 

surely not too much to be given to this formal re- 
hearsal before God of our plentiful gains and pros- 
perities. 

The widening of the obligation, and the obser- 
vance also, from the family to the community is 
quite easy in this yearly sacrifice of adoring praise. 
When the plough is laid aside, and even the busy 
flail is still; when the autumn fruits are all safely 
housed under sure shelter, and even the Indian 
Summer is over; when the glorious crisp frosts have 
come, filling the veins with vigor and the step with 
a more elastic spring; then, indeed, it is a sight 
worth looking at and admiring, to see a great peo- 
ple, summoned by their chief magistrate, coming 
up devoutly to thank a beneficent Creator for his 
patient care of them all. It gives hope for the 
future in its decent recognition of the past. 

2. In the second place, there is manifest advan- 
tage in these annual festivals growing out of the cul- 
tivation of our domestic affections and the perpetua- 
tion of our home tastes and feelings. 

It mingles religion with our best sympathies. 
He cannot be called a manly man who did not feel 
himself a weaker man from the month when his 
praying mother died and was buried, or who does 
not feel himself a stronger, braver, better man, if 
now perhaps the beloved old voice still lives to be 
his counsel and his inspiration. 

To be sure, fall business is apt to be heavy just 
about this time. But we old boys and old girls are 
not surprised to find the clerks coming in the count- 



THE FAMILY FESTIVAL. 



205 



" God bless our home !" Ancestral memories. 

ing-room with a pleasant request for one day's ab- 
sence. We have no pride that gets mortified or 
abashed if they happen to find tears in our eyes at 
the moment. For quite unexpectedly, perhaps, 
there came among the business letters this very 
morning a singular little missive, asking us our- 
selves to be on hand certainly in November, for all 
the rest were coming home. 

" Home !" Oh, word of unspeakable meaning ! 
and we fold up the paper reverently, and whisper, 
' ' God in heaven bless the dear old soul ! Going 
home? Of course, we are going home just as 
long as the mother will write that there is still a 
home to go to !" And that is the exact instant, as 
I said, when the clerks come up to the mahogany 
desk and want a day's vacation to go home. They 
look quite sympathetic as they see our moist eyes; 
and, sure enough, it is an opportune time for them 
to make application. We say, We will see; and in 
our heart of hearts we find our opinion rising for 
those excellent fellows who are decent enough to 
want to go home too, just as long as they have any; 
and we can manage it, if we try. 

3. Again : there is a manifest advantage in these 
thanksgiving festivals found in the perpetuation of 
ancestral memories to which they are calculated most 
strongly to minister. • 

It is instinctive in the heart of every true man 
and woman to desire to live beyond the limits of an 
immediate generation. Some of us, who are not 
ready to confess we have been particularly ambi- 

Neglected Texts. jg 



206 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Lois and Eunice. A line of genealogy. 

tious or inordinately vain, do yet honestly feel it 
would be a sad mortification and a sore disappoint- 
ment to be, even after some few years, forgotten. 
We toil hard for many a season to keep our name 
unsullied and preserve our fair fame unstained for 
the sake of our offspring. Elderly people, I judge, 
are more thoughtful and appreciative in this respect 
than there is reason to expect children will be. 
Where there is one boy who really feels the worth 
of the education which the young Timothy re- 
ceived, I suspect there are a sorrowful score of 
Loises and Eunices who modestly believe their own 
' ' unfeigned faith ' ' ought to count for more than it 
does. It is a little pathetic to find these faithful 
old wives, even in late widowhood, still insisting 
that the new generation should at least remember 
the best deeds and the truest lives of the past. 
Very beautiful is that quiet assertion now and then, 
c ' Your father, my boys, used to think and say so 
and so;" just as if that ought to settle it without 
any more talk. Thanksgiving times are excellent 
as reminders of a vanished generation of worthy 
ones and beloved. 

Now in this there is not such pride as needs 
rebuke, nor any such sensibility as needs to make 
one ashamed, but a keen and far-sighted recognition 
of a profound truth; namely that a nation of people 
grows by the gathered accretions of individuals; a 
line of genealogy is elevated in worth by the" aggre- 
gated worth of such men and women as compose it. 
Children will be builded up more on that principle 



THE) family festival. 



207 



True patriotism. ' Thanksgiving Day. 

if they are kept in mind that they have ancestors 
whose names are in the annals of a decent past. 
He stands on a high, noble vantage-gronnd whose 
forefathers have been worth remembering. 

4. And this leads me on to mention a fourth 
advantage derived from this annual feast; namely, 
the opportunity it offers for kindling and quickening 
a true patriotism in the hearts of the people. 

Thanksgiving Day is to us what the Feasts of 
Tabernacles were to God's ancient nation. Those 
taught them, and they in their turn taught their 
children, that all prosperity came from heaven. 
Each good and perfect gift was from the Father of 
lights, with whom was no variableness, neither 
shadow of turning. When a grateful community 
comes bringing in with' its harvest offerings the 
expression of its thanks, God smiles a recognition 
of welcome in return. 

Hence, Thanksgiving Day is a symbol of reli- 
gious liberty and popular freedom. All there is in 
our republican institutions that is priceless to our 
hearts is commemorated in the festival. Every 
cordial observance of it is just a sedate and dignified 
way of handing over to our children these sanctified 
memories of a worthy political past as well as a 
beloved and holy reverence of our homes. 

So I cannot but feel how eminently fit it is that 
the custom has passed in late years out from the 
hands of local governors of States into the hands of 
our President in person; and that, entirely uncon- 
strained by law, only prompted by that excellent 



208 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Church and State. A nation praying. 

public opinion which, when it is what it should be, 
renders law unnecessary, our chief magistrate has 
now in charge the usage of appointing one day for 
the whole Union on which to meet and acknowl- 
edge God. 

In our country this is the only point at which 
the Church and State come in contact; may there 
never be so much as one other ! 

They say this of Scotland: so customary is fam- 
ily prayer all through the villages, that if one could 
stand on an elevation overlooking the town at the 
going down of the sun, he would hear sober sound 
of human voices reading the Bible in hushed mur- 
murs together. Then, in the next moment, there 
would swell upward one full volume of singing from 
the Psalms of David ; and then there would follow 
a stillness deep and unbroken, while the one voice 
of leadership recognized under each roof implored 
the evening benediction and merciful pardon of the 
sins committed in the busy hurries of the day. 

Oh, how grand and how welcome to us on this 
honored day it is to recollect that the whole great 
nation is on its knees, and that our countrymen over 
the world are singing an anthem just as we are ! 

II. With this exhibition of manifest advantages 
I can hardly need to argue further for such obser- 
vance of the day. But some of us cannot observe 
it this year as we could wish. If we go with David 
at all on his errand, it must be in imagination only. 
And I think it will be profitable now to ask and 
answer where he did go. 



THE FAMILY FESTIVAL. 



209 



Bethlehem of old. Rural homes. 

i. To his own city, first — so the story says; and 
that city was Bethlehem, a poor little town any way; 
but it was his, and that was enough. And I think 
of those villages, and some smaller towns, where 
you and I were born. And for one I own quite 
readily to-day that, if some things were as they 
used to be in times I could tell you of, no prospect 
of entertainment in a king's palace could keep me 
from saying as David did to the king's son in that 
fond request, ' ' Let me go, I pray thee ; for our fam- 
ily hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he 
hath commanded me to be there; and now, if I 
have found favor in thine eyes, let me get away, I 
pray thee, and see my brethren. ' ' 

Some of us feel very glad we were reared in the 
country rather than in the city; we cherish a loving 
regard for the prosperity of our old birthplaces. It 
matters nothing how widely asunder the homes we 
live in now are from those where our associations 
were in childhood; right through the dark shines 
the beautiful vision each one of us recognizes for 
his own. Not in person, but in spirit, a few of us 
are going to be there. The shutters on the old 
church, I am sure, need fixing; the minister ought 
to have a small parcel of books for his library, or a 
chance to look at a new Review ; there are old 
stones in the graveyard that might just as well be 
lifted up ; and the schoolhouse deserves a new bell. 
It is becoming to be a little public-spirited when 
one thinks of his native place. 

In every rope on every vessel in the British 
18* 



2IO 



STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



British rope3. Three thousand years ago. 

navy, the world over, there is always twisted one 
red strand — one fibre of slender body, but of imper- 
ishable color. And in every line of manly or wo- 
manly feeling — no matter how rude, no matter how 
delicately fashioned — there should always be twined 
a fine, sweet element of reverent honor and love for 
one's birthplace. The hills are fairer in the blue 
distance there than anywhere else; the blossoms are 
thicker, the autumn leaves are richer, the wells are 
cooler, the frosts are crisper, the snows are purer, 
the homes are brighter, and even the graveyard is 
the dearest on earth. One feels often like uttering 
over again the simple-minded and wise words of 
old Bamllai, ' ' Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn 
back again, that I may die in mine own city, and 
be buried by the grave of my father and of my 
mother. ' ' 

2. In the second place, I suppose David went 
straight as was possible to his own home in Bethle- 
hem. When we visited that very forlorn little vil- 
lage, some years ago, we used to look around and 
wonder where it was that Jesse lived. It was a 
great while since. Over the top of the page where 
our text is, I find B. C. 1062; just now it is A. D. 
1882; David's festival was about three thousand 
years earlier than ours. There is not even a tradi- 
tion of the old spot on which the dwelling stood. 
Nor is this of much moment; perhaps you will like 
better to think of your own homestead than of 
David's. 

But into these thoughts there would certainly 



THE FAMILY FESTIVAL. 



211 



Eliab and Shammah. The kitchen-chamber. 

come minglings of personality as well as reminis- 
cence. Ah, I venture to say that David, escaping 
for a day from all the frightful dangers of Saul's 
palace, would with rarest interest rehearse, amid 
the sweet welcomes of his Bethlehem home, those 
many troublous experiences he had had. How 
eagerly now would Eliab listen, and how affection- 
ately, let us believe, would Shammah make com- 
ment. What a comfort to be once in the old circle 
again, where one could be safe and happy ! 

No appliances are within our reach so easy of 
employment and so sure in result as these thanks- 
giving associations and usages observed carefully. 
Once in a year at least the fetters of business care 
drop off, and the worn man becomes a sort of hero 
on a family triumph, and is refreshed by becoming 
a child again. You will not get your best good 
from going home to the rest, unless you will go out 
in the barn and try the ladder, and over the orchard 
and climb the trees, and down on the pond for a 
thoroughly respectable slide. If you take your dig- 
nity with you, you had better give your ticket to 
some poor man who will use it legitimately. You 
will not enjoy the old house at all, unless you can 
get up stairs into the kitchen-chamber, and seem to 
hear the rain come drumming on the shingles. 

3. Then, finally, I imagine David would want 
to go to the various houses of his brethren. I take 
this from the fact that this day's invitation was 
given by his brother. And I judge there were in 
Jesse's family customs like those in Job's; they took 



212 



STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Job's family. House-bond and woof. 

a turn in giving the yearly entertainment: "And 
his sons went and feasted in their honses, every one 
his day ; and sent and called for their three sisters to 
eat and to drink with them. ' ' 

I speak very deliberately when I say this now: I 
do not know how I conld ever be made to care for 
any one, or even to trust him, who suffers himself 
to be estranged without awful cause from those old 
boys who slept with him in the room next the sky, 
and heard in the winter frost the weird cracking of 
the beams overhead, as they told the stories before 
going to sleep. I do not see how he could hope that 
pure starlight, like a shower of benediction, could 
ever fall upon him again on the other side of the 
roof. God gives men these sensibilities; and woe 
to him that defies his noblest nature in checking 
them ! Let us get together, if we can, and keep 
together, God willing, for many and many a fond 
year yet ! 

Do you observe how queer these conferences are 
growing to be as time proceeds ? Something fresh 
is revealed every year when the old boys and the 
old girls come home. What an eager interest when 
we try to teach our children to know each other, and 
love the aged faces we meet there ! How the eyes 
glisten and the hearts leap as we tell the little fam- 
ily secrets while the children are out-doors beyond 
hearing! Husband means house -bond, and wife 
means woof ; it is well to weave the affections to- 
gether by this mntual love. 

How odd it seems to see William's children ! 



THE FAMILY FESTIVAL. 



213 



Home talks. The thanksgiving prayer. 

The modern book is full of conceits about "Helen's 
Babies:" they are just nothing to these quaint 
specimens which sister Martha brings up here to 
greet us on Thanksgiving. How wonderful are 
our confidences! "Stephen, your oldest boy is a 
splendid fellow; what are you going to do now that 
he is through college? Minister? Well, that is 
good ! It is worth working for, as you have: and 
we will all be proud of him. " " Kate, how does 
Charley get on with that velocipede ? Mother says 
that your Gertrude has joined the church. And 
something else, too? You surprise me ! Why, 
how old is she? Oh, how they do keep growing 
up ! When did that happen ? And do you approve 
of the young man ? n 

And then the dinner: and the eldest carves; and 
Stephen's educated boy, that is going to be the min- 
ister, asks the blessing in his grandfather's place. 
And then the snow-fort, and then the hot chestnuts 
at the evening fire; and then the stories, and the 
never-forgotten evening song which Kate's Ger- 
trude makes ring again when she touches the air, 
and which Stephen breaks down in, as he remem- 
bers father's bass twenty years ago. So then comes 
the thanksgiving prayer that mother chooses shall 
be made by the firstborn who now is the high priest 
of the family. And then comes the sand-man with 
weights for little eyes; and so to bed where no cars 
rumble across trembling tracks, but a deep, abiding 
stillness that folds an unusual rest around our weary 
limbs. Then the cheery Good-by for a long year in 



214 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



" Old boys and girls." George Macdonald. 

the morning; and the rapid return to work and to 
duty, with the heart warmer, and the whole soul 
filled with a kinder gentleness and a more thorough 
consecration for the days to come. 

Keep it up, old boys and girls ! In despite of 
all you can do, these things and these chances will 
vanish soon. No assiduity can for ever preserve 
them. Some of us sit sadly such days as these in 
our town homes, tenderly recollecting what used to 
be, when the anniversaries come around. The cir- 
cle is no longer within reach. A meagre occupa- 
tion is left to us after church; but we tell our chil- 
dren stories about the old times till they are tired 
and gone. George Macdonald says he does not think 
any man is compelled to bid Good-by to his child- 
hood; every one may feel young in the morning, 
middle-aged in the afternoon, and old at night. It 
will not matter much that these reminiscent re- 
hearsals force us to feel a little older on Thanksgiv- 
ing evenings; the young people listen with eager- 
ness of interest. By and by they vanish, and the 
day ends. 

Then there are two things we do for ourselves. 
First, we remember those who are off on David's 
errand, and those who are scattered just as we are. 
God's best benediction, now, be on each old face 
dear and sweet in the homestead to-day, wherever 
it is ! Many years may those remain who still lin- 
ger in the scenes of our youth ! Many a comfort 
may there be for all those who have been smitten 
in God's gentleness with trouble. Here are greet- 



THE FAMILY FESTIVAL. 



215 



A wish for dear friends. A wish for ourselves. 

ings for the growing children. And here, from a 
hundred true hearts that never think of wavering 
in affectionate allegiance to our own city or to our 
own home, we send around by the mercy-seat our 
Heavenly Father's blessing to those who are gath- 
ered under the early home-roof far away ! 

Then the other thing some of us do is to sit down 
after dark in the twilight and think it all over, and 
wonder why we are growing better and better so 
slowly, when we have had such extraordinary 
chances. What prayers have been following us all 
along ! What a heritage of advantage we have 
had ! We seem to see the old village again, the 
home, the church, the bridge, the court-house, the 
graveyard. And we come up out of the reverie, 
thanking God we once did have such a circle of 
faces to look upon, and praying him humbly over 
and over again that we may be able still to keep 
the faith, to live penitently and purely, so that by 
and by we may hope to look upon them all once 
more in God's shining and without shame ! 



XX. 



THE IDEAL CHRIST. 

"What think ye of Christ?" — Matthew 22 : 42. 

There are Scottish graveyards which have be- 
come worn by the feet of hurrying men of business, 
so that the flat slabs of stone are quite defaced. 
Walter Scott pictures an enthusiastic antiquarian 
lying prone upon the monuments, cleaning out and 
cutting anew the faded inscriptions, while the bust- 
ling throngs press on him on every hand, insisting 
upon their right of way across where he lies. 

It is not to be suffered that this trite question of 
the New Testament shall be remanded to the past 
and forgotten. It was not a mere quibble put to 
puzzle the Pharisees of our Lord's time only. It is 
the real, living question of to-day. And one might 
do a much worse thing than to employ his hours, 
even on his knees, deepening the letters in the great 
highways of history, no matter how rudely he may 
be jostled by other interests that claim human atten- 
tion. For the unanswered question of the race is 
this: What think ye of Christ? 

I. Some people do not think much about him 
any way. Their minds are preoccupied; they think 
of something else. 

1. These Pharisees were evidently stunned by 
our Lord's inquiry. Let us read the story: 

( ' Now while the Pharisees were gathered to- 



The Pharisees stunned. 



THE IDEAL CHRIST. 



217 

* 



B. C. or A. D. ? 



gether Jesus asked them a question, saying-, What 
think ye of the Christ? whose son is he? They say 
unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, 
How then doth David in the Spirit call him Lord, 
saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on 
my right hand, till I put thine enemies underneath 
thy feet ? If David then calleth him Lord, how is 
he his son ? And no one was able to answer him a 
word, neither durst any man from that day forth 
ask him any more questions. ' ' 

2. We meet those in our time who have reached 
no convictions worth recording. I once asked a 
man what he thought, and he replied frankly, ' ' I 
suppose I never do think of Jesus Christ." Then 
I inquired when he was born. He gave the date — 
1843. "B. C. or A. D.?" I kept on. He smiled, 
as if he conjectured I might deem him an antedilu- 
vian. But I asked soberly, " Before Christ or After 
Christ?" He was silent, and I continued, " Have 
you been dating letters for twenty intelligent years 
without even reflecting" that you were daily com- 
memorating the nativity of Jesus Christ? Have 
you actually formed no opinion concerning that 
personage whose advent among men changed the 
reckoning of time, whose birthday shook the race 
into a new era, as his crucifixion shook the planet 
with a new earthquake ?' 5 

3. It is not the part of a wise man to miss such 
a question as this. The moment one reaches the 
summit of an Alpine height he inevitably casts his 
eyes down over the landscape, and the first conspic- 

Negleete 1 Texts. jq 



2l8 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A Christian land. 



Good King Arthur. 



uous thing he sees is a Christian church with a cross 
upon its steeple. So here at home: the moment 
one leaves the town for the country he passes a 
cemetery with the words of Jesus Christ carved over 
its entrance, and the cross of Jesus Christ on its 
graves. Is it possible that any man should meet 
the Christian religion directly face to face, and 
never make any disposal of it in his mind ? 

II. Some do think: and now it is of much im- 
portance that we inquire what they think. 

i. There is a historic ideal of Christ. It admits 
all the facts of his biography. He was born at 
Bethlehem, reared at Nazareth, crucified at Jeru- 
salem; and after he had risen from the dead, he 
ascended to heaven from a mount near Bethany. 
So much is cordially accepted ; and most admit that 
he wrought miracles, preached the gospel, and 
founded a religion which is what we see now. 

All this is good as far as it goes. But as ideals 
always influence, and almost always sway, one's 
purpose, mould his character, and so fix his life, it 
must be confessed that the result in this instance is 
only a bare hero-worship. I do not see how it even 
differs from the notion of a Mohammedan except in 
choosing the Nazarene Jesus instead of Mohammed, 
and making a shrine of Jerusalem instead of Mecca. 
I do not think it helps one's salvation, or cleanses 
his nature, any more than did the love and long- 
ing of the ancient Britons, who believed that good 
King Arthur achieved matchless excellence, and 
who fondly anticipated his return one time to 



THE IDEAL CHRIST. 



219 



The theologic ideal. The poetic ideal. 

gather his knights anew at the remembered Round 
Table. 

2. There is also a theologic ideal of Christ. Our 
forefathers were under the teaching and preaching 
of a generation of system-makers and defenders. 
They were taught to know the difference between 
Socinianism and Sabellianism to a hair. They 
could explain how a sinful tendency was morally 
worse than a tendency to sin. A rather doleful 
time that seems to some of us now; but it had its 
advantages. People grew philosophical, and talked 
of fate and divine foreknowledge" free-will, and sov- 
ereignty at the Thanksgivings. 

All this is good also as far as it goes. But such 
a conception of Jesus of Nazareth, when left alone, 
is only enough to render an individual a mere po- 
lemic or disputant. A cold and cheerless dogma- 
tism is the result. The intellect is moved, not the 
heart. It is conceivable that Aaron Burr should be 
as orthodox as his grandfather Jonathan Edwards, 
and yet remain the wicked creature he was. Paul 
told the Philippians that some were preaching 
Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to 
add affliction to his bonds. It is evident that a man 
may hold and proclaim the doctrines commonly 
considered evangelical, and be nowise bettered by 
them. 

3. Then, likewise, there is a poetic ideal of 
Christ. A soft style of speech and behavior indi- 
cate a measure of sentimentalism, and there come 
to the front in hymns and Bible-readings the expres- 



220 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



"Nursery endearments." Abelard and Heloise. 

sions of gushing attachment which Chalmers, whose 
robust piety could hardly endure them patiently, 
used to call "nursery endearments." Really, it is 
not so much Jesus Christ that these enthusiasts love 
as the imaginative picture of Christ which they 
invest with all that their hearts admire. 

Here falls into play one of the brightest and 
sweetest of human endowments. We have a power 
of investiture by wdiich the imagination surrounds 
a beloved object with unreal and extravagant excel- 
lences. It is an amiable and useful characteristic, 
and claims charity even when it seems at fault. A 
mother deems her babe the prettiest child there ever 
was. It may not be so, but it hurts no one for her 
to think so; and it is a wonderful comfort to her. 
An obedient son honors his father before all other 
men. We see thus in those we admire the merits 
we wish to see. Tales are constructed to show how 
a hero invests a heroine with fancied beauty and 
imagined gifts far beyond her desert. I have seen 
visiting cards lying upon the sumptuous tomb of 
Abelard and Heloise in the cemetery of Pere la 
Chaise in Paris. The romance of the world has 
thrown a glamour of attractiveness around that 
splendid grave. And yet history says that Abelard 
was a priest who would better have been about wor- 
thier business, and Heloise was (to other people) 
exceedingly plain and tame; and the story does not 
bear looking into. 

A good thing can be perverted. And this qual- 
ity or habit of ours is perverted when one imagines 



THE IDEAL CHRIST. 221 

Dreamy experience. The evangelic ideal. 



a Jesus to suit himself. The result is enthusiasm 
merely mystic or emotional. It may run, as it often 
does, into simple poetry, and be satisfied with forms 
and festivals; revel in colors of altar-cloths, and 
strains of choral music; and lose truth and life in a 
vain round of ritual. Or it may run, as it often 
does, into a dreamy experience, and be satisfied 
with gushes of feeling; shudder at mentioning sin 
more than at committing it; clamor that conversion 
begins a new life which hides for ever the bad past; 
claim a second conversion which fixes the future 
beyond a peradventure of falling away; and then, 
after all, end in such a ' ' holiness ' ' as generates and 
invites license. 

4. Then there is an evangelic ideal of Christ. 
And this is what the Scriptures disclose to us with 
the plainest study. It finds all it has; and it finds 
this in the four Gospels, with what the Epistles 
were inspired to add in wise interpretation. And, 
of course, the first thing it finds (and this is where it 
totally differs from those other ideals) is the fact 
that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer and the Sacrifice 
for sin. It holds all the history; it gladly receives 
the theology; it accepts all the poetry; but beyond 
everything else, it grows solemn as it sees that God's 
only-begotten Son lived and died to make an atone- 
ment for human transgression, and set our souls free 
from a merited hell. 

The result here is a career. He who puts off 
the old man with his deeds, and puts on the new 
man who is renewed after the image of Christ, con- 

19* 



222 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



" A man in Christ." The ice i alace. 

structs a fresh life at once, and enters npon its duties 
and responsibilities, its gentle faith, its rapt devo- 
tion, its energetic activities, its glowing hopes. He 
is thenceforward " a man in Christ. ' ' He sees that 
one peerless life in the New Testament moving 
before him; he has no wish more pervading and 
swaying than simply to become like it, and plant 
his own feet in the prints of the beloved Master's ! 

III. Now, in conclusion, let us ask what this 
will do for us. It seems so little; but, oh, it is so 
much ! Christ in a life — look to see what that 
means. 

In the papers, not long since, was an account 
given of a palace of ice, constructed for the enter- 
tainment of a Russian prince. There it stood, bril- 
liant as crystal, bright in its blue transparency on 
all its turrets and towers. But it appeared so cold 
and hard and cheerless that no one would go inside. 
Then, at nightfall, came a lad with a torch — no, 
only a taper — a mere lit candle; he went through 
the door, and in an excited instant the singular 
structure shone through all its substance with 
warmth and homelike welcome. Only a taper! 
But the palace was illuminated, for it was made so 
that it could shine. So with any character con- 
structed out of intellect or accomplishment alone; 
it may have thought and energy, force and loveli- 
ness. But it demands and needs the true ideal of a 
living Christ inside of it: 

"The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin — 
The light of the world is Jesus !" 



THE IDEAt CHRIST* 



Ideals Gontrol life. Abraham left Terah, 

1. Observe, then, how thinking affects charac- 
ter; ideals control life. Some say it makes no dif- 
ference what a man believes if he is only sincere in 
his faith. Alas, it makes all the difference in the 
world ! "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is 
he." Character decides destiny, too. So the more 
sincere one is, if he be in error, the worse it is for 
him. 1 1 What think ye of Christ ?' ' 

2. Observe also that one may study his ideal 
through his personal experience and character; and 
that is the safest way. Just inquire what your no- 
tion of Christ is doing for you in the long run. It 
is of far less moment what a man believes or does, 
than what he is. And he is what his ideal makes 
him to be. So he may know unmistakably whether 
his views are correct by examining whether they 
are making him gentler and purer; whether they 
are milding his temper and mellowing his charity; 
whether they are kindling his hope of the life to 
come, and loosening his hold on the life that 
now is. 

3. Observe that the only safety for a young be- 
liever is found in accepting the scriptural Christ for 
his all in all. Never mind what tradition says. 
Abraham left his own father Terah when he be- 
came certain that Terah was going to stay and die 
in Charran. Is Jesus Christ your sacrifice as well 
as your model? Do not let men confuse you by 
asking if you believe in a dead Christ. No, you 
do not; but you ought to believe in a dying Christ, 
and now living. 



224 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Aristotle's maxim. t The question reversed. 

4. Observe how pitifully the world's hero-wor- 
ship contrasts with the Christian's love. It was an 
old maxim of Aristotle that the fondness for imita- 
tion is in man's nature from his infancy, and herein 
he differs from all other living creatures. It did 
not need that a great philosopher should tell us 
this, we see it everywhere. But the chief lack is 
a model. Humboldt travelled the world over, and 
saw everything; and he recorded in his diary at 
the last what sounds almost like an aphorism : ' ' The 
finest fruit earth holds up to its Maker is a man !" 
It is possible he found one, but he happens not to 
have mentioned his name. People have extraordi- 
nary notions of what constitutes greatness. History 
says that in the ninth century the Poles elected 
Lasko II. for their king because he won a foot-race. 
Francis I. , writing to the emperor Charles V. , signed 
himself "the first gentleman in France." Mean- 
time, there stands the Christ ! His friends love him 
supremely, and are not ashamed of him. Ecce homo ! 

5. Finally: observe that by and by this great 
question of the ages will be reversed; and then it 
will be of the highest moment to ask, What does 
Christ think of me? This is what we sing: 

"Till then — nor is my boasting vain — 
Till then I boast a Saviour slain ! 
And, oh, may this my glory be, 
That Christ is not ashamed of me !" 



XXL 



NEVER THIS WAY AGAIN. 

"Ye shall henceforth return no more that way." — Deute- 
ronomy 17 : 16. 

WE are told that at one of those splendid pa- 
geants in Berlin, not long ago, the wife of the Eng- 
lish ambassador unfortunately unfastened the neck- 
lace she was wearing, and lost a costly pearl some- 
where in the roadway. Perhaps it might have been 
regained if a serious search had been in order at such 
a time. But the grand procession must hurry along, 
and a lost place in the rank was of more account 
than a lost pearl. They did not return by the same 
way. 

We may be in equal peril if an accident should 
occur in this ceaseless rush of our years. And most 
of us know that valuable reflections are apt to be 
dropped carelessly in the dust in such gay life of 
the holidays as these which usher out and usher in 
the rapid seasons. It is certainly wise — and to some 
meditative people even welcome— to note a few 
quiet lessons suggested, and keep them to think over. 

' ' Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. ' ' 
It is not necessary now to trace the historical con- 
nection of this fragment of a verse. It will be 
enough for our present use to know that it contains 
the thought which renders it appropriate for a motto 
with an admonition in it for the close of the year. 



226 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Taking spiritual stock. An old experience. 

There was a moral juncture of affairs in the circum- 
stances of God's chosen people which led Moses to 
say to them that hereafter they ought to be exceed- 
ingly careful how they behaved, for they could not 
now go over the ground again with new decisions. 
They must take their choice, and be ready to stand 
by it in all the future. 

I. It is now a most significant time for the taking 
of spiritual stock. Most religious people would be 
glad to know just where they are, and how the bal- 
ance stands. 

They tell us that established merchants often die 
of remnants. Besides the yearly account of true 
sales, it is sometimes discreet to make a sudden ven- 
due and clear out lumber. This figure fairly holds 
in our religious and moral career. It is weary work, 
that of stubbornly fighting on, in one's old age, 
against those habits, passions, and associations 
which years of listless indulgence have bulked in 
upon our nature. It is better just to have a clear- 
ing out, even if one is afraid he may be suffocated 
with the lifted dust. Many a Christian man is hin- 
dered in growth by reason of his proud trying to 
retain an old experience, of which he can make 
nothing valuable, but which he thinks he is bound 
to defend for consistency's sake. 

A brave man need not lie down supinely and 
admit he has lost mastery of himself. Indeed, that 
is not his greatest peril. Some persons are more 
exposed to ruin from mere reaction resulting from 
mastery regained. The most to be apprehended is 



NEVER THIS WAY AGAIN. 



227 



Heroic treatment. Colton's suggestion. 

that one will suffer the work of self-renovation to 
be put off so long that when he really accomplishes 
it (if he does) he will be compelled to loosen and 
uproot his whole being in order to tear out his be- 
setting sin. 

Most likely any courageous follower of the L,ord 
can come off victor over his baser self if he will use 
the heroic treatment, as the surgeons call it, and 
force lancet and actual cautery into service. He 
can pluck out a right eye and cut off a right hand 
at an instant stroke, and burn out the sockets with 
a whisk of pain, and suffer far less in the aggregate 
of anguish than he has been causelessly suffering 
during some sad years of nursing the ancient hope 
that he supposed he gained in his youth in some 
forgotten revival. 

The thoughtful author of "I^acon" has given 
us a somewhat forcible figure. He intimates that 
men go to the bad and the worst only when they 
delay this energetic treatment too long. Suppose 
a man's dead appetites and slain passions and am- 
putated desires are lying diseased around him ; then 
it may come to pass that his remaining vitality 
shall become tainted with the corruption he cre- 
ates: so when it is too late to begin, he ends. He 
obtains safety of a very doubtful and precarious 
sort, like that some surgeons have wrought out in 
lingering campaigns. Not a few soldiers have died 
from the pestilences which hospitals have bred. 

It would seem to be the part of true wisdom to 
forestall such a catastrophe in earlier stages; to be- 



228 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Lackadaisical complainings. Milestones of failure. 

gin the renovation while the sinews are still braced 
and the constitution unimpaired. 

II. Then, again, this is a good time for us to 
give over lackadaisical complainings about short chances 
in the past. You will not have to take the same 
chances again. 

A few words may well be uttered here about 
some men ' ' of whom more might have been made. ' } 
I do not believe that our world will ever be essen- 
tially poorer out of any accidental loss it has expe- 
rienced in people who ' ' never had the great luck 
some others had. ' ' 

Real worth, like the water of mountain springs 
in rocks, has a way of showing that it is apt to ooze. 
It will insinuate itself into all sorts of crevices, and 
so force a chance. And I feel certain that the great 
wise God always keeps his eye on promising cases; 
if those firkins at Cana of Galilee had not been 
known to hold water safely under ordinary tests of 
pressure, we may be sure that Jesus would never 
have trusted them to hold the wine he created. 

There are mournful misanthropes in middle life 
all around us, setting up for premature age, singing 
dirges over buried ambitions and grand purposes 
nipped, whose milestones of failure should surely 
be marked, not with opportunities denied, but with 
opportunities rejected and despised. They starve 
to-day for having superciliously refused to pick up 
small coins, which Providence flung in their plain 
path as they hurried on, expecting in some pitiful 
vanity to be invited to pick up fortunes of useful- 



NEVER THIS WAY AGAIN. 229 



Victor Hugo. Work not yet done. 

ness instead, before long. So they say with some- 
thing of an injured air that they would think it 
their due that they might try. life over again from 
childhood. 

' ' Ye shall henceforth return no more by that 
way" of youth. But does anybody really mean to 
say he wants to do that ? Remember those cheery 
words of the Frenchman, Victor Hugo. He con- 
fessed to one of his close friends that the most disa- 
greeable advance in age to him had been that from 
thirty-nine to forty. "But," said his companion, 
' ' I should think it a great deal brighter to be forty 
than fifty. n " Not at all, ' ' replied Hugo gayly ; 
' ' forty years is the old age of youth, while fifty is 
the youth of old age. ' ' Ah, just think how many 
fine chances yet wait for a brave heart in the beau- 
tiful future which we hope to enter on after next 
New Year's day ! 

III. It is best for us now, also, to keep a clear 
lookout for what is still ahead. Almost all of us 
have some past worth looking over. But the glory 
of every true life is in the time to come. 

There is a vast deal of work on this earth which 
has never been done by anybody yet. If a painter 
were asked what was the finest landscape in all the 
world, he would most likely refer us to some famous 
picture in a gallery, taking mighty pains, mean- 
while, to mention the artist's name ; for he would 
suppose that you inquired after something that had 
been put on canvas. If a traveller were asked the 
same question, he would instance some noted neigh- 

Neglected Texts. 20 



230 . STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Force of tradition. Room for original discovery. 

borhood he had explored; for he had perhaps been 
wishing some one would go and sketch the scene as 
he saw it; he was thinking of what had not yet 
been done. Thus an uneasy generation is divided, 
so heavy on us is the force of tradition, and so ma- 
terialistic have we become in our forms of thought. 

Beyond either of these replies there remains a 
vast unreckoned region, which the painters have 
never painted and the travellers have never visited. 
After the discovery of such a marvel as the Yosem- 
ite Valley, or the Yellowstone Canyon, room for a 
chastened imagination is left to assert that not un- 
likely many unexplored solitudes yet exist upon this 
planet more rich in revelation of beauty than any- 
thing pen or pencil has ever brought to light. The 
artists may keep pushing along; there are enough 
pictures to paint. 

And let brave men keep pushing along, too. 
There are enough deeds to do, and helps to render, 
even in the tamest sort of life. 

And then beyond ! for, at any rate, this is true: 
divine displays of providence and grace are by no 
means at an end for even a Christian's original dis- 
covery. History has something to say ; and experi- 
ence may have more; but God has not yet exhaust- 
ed himself in apocalypses of splendid radiance to 
his waiting people. There certainly is, in the dis- 
tance, that which ' ' eye hath not seen nor ear 
heard. ' ' And wise men, while the years chime on, 
might well think of a readiness to make the great 
journey and meet the revelations. 



never this way again. 



231 



Who wants to go back ? The lost rings. 

IV. Once more: by this time we ought to learn 
to estimate results and forget processes. We do really 
respect hills that we have climbed painfully over; 
but it awakes no emotion in others when we keep 
rehearsing the steps which we took, and the snows 
we met, and the winds that we resisted. Wiser is 
it always to let the dead past bury its dead out of 
sight. 

"Ye shall henceforth return no more that way;" 
and to some the past year has been a year of trouble; 
so it is fair to ask, Who wants to return that way ? 
But it is not necessary to talk continually about 
faded flowers and departed joys and thwarted hopes. 

Did you never imagine what you might have 
been — that is, imagine what your life might have 
been, if it had been different a great many years 
ago ? Did you ever seek to analyze this half- wist- 
ful, half-impetuous emotion which flits through 
your being as you survey a worried past, and try 
to detect the exact spot where your entire history 
turned? This reminds me of an incident in my 
early experience. I once had for a brief compan- 
ionship a sweet friend, a relative, on a visit where 
I was residing. We used to go out rowing together. 
She had a way of dallying with her hand in the 
water over the side of the boat. One time she lost 
all the rings off from her fingers in an instant. Out 
of sight of course hopelessly they fell to the bottom. 
But whenever we rowed across that place again, she 
would gaze restlessly over the edge, trying to search 
the very lowest depths of the lake. I have even 



22)2 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Unpopular endeavor. Ships on the stocks. 

seen her suddenly bare her arm, as if she had caught 
a gleam of the jewels down in among the weeds, 
and was going to grasp after them yet ! It is a 
great mockery, this clutching after youth and hope 
and joy and vanished ambition, when one has come 
to be an elderly and weather-beaten man. 

" Ye shall henceforth return no more that way;" 
and to some the past year has been a year of con- 
flict ; and who wants to go over all that again ? 
Many a man has to give himself to unpopular en- 
deavor: he is obliged to differ with those whom he 
loves. It matters little whether one triumphs or 
fails in such enterprises; the weariness of the con- 
tention even for truth bears heavily upon him. 
Please you remember, moments of success are not 
always moments of happiness ; much depends on 
what the success has cost. 

1 1 Ye shall henceforth return no more that way ;' ' 
to some the past year has been one of self-discipline. 
How much it costs just to make a slender progress 
in divine things ! The bravery of young Christians 
is very beautiful, but it often renders us sad. So 
the timidity of old Christians seems to many quite 
unnecessary. There are ships on the stocks which 
wonder that the proud barques afloat ever spring 
a leak; but when they have themselves tried -the 
raging of the high seas, they wonder that any tim- 
bers ever hang together. 

V. Finally: this is the time in which to inquire 
after work yet left tmfijiisked. 

Here let us understand each other clearly. 



N£VER THIS WAY AGAIN. 233 



Who does God's will ? The woman of Tekoa. 

Many persons think that life is only a season for 
endurance. They say, ' ' Thy will be done, " as if 
they supposed God's will was to be done by simply 
letting God do it; so they resolve seal into mere 
resignation, and imagine they have now reached 
the chief end of man when they exist without 
whining. 

There is much work to be done for others; and 
there is never more than one chance to do the work 
of any one moment. In this is serious admonition 
at the close of a year. ' ' Ye shall henceforth return 
no more that way. ' ' And all that is left for us to do 
is a mere gathering up of unfulfilled resolutions. 
These we may humbly bring with us again to God's 
altar of service, and ask him just to grant us one 
more moment in which to urge them to completion. 

There is much work to be done for one's self. 
Here I reach a solemn warning for those who close 
the year as yet unconverted to God. Twelve months 
more have flitted rapidly by, and still no purpose 
has been carried out of yielding your heart to duty. 
And now the verse comes soberly : ( * Ye shall hence- 
forth return no more that way. ' ' Great advantages 
of time have been positively wasted. 

The woman of Tekoa made one matchless sug- 
gestion in her parable. The past was irreparable, 
but the future remained: "For we must needs die, 
and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot 
be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any 
person : yet doth he devise means, that his banished 
be not expelled from him. n 

20* 



XXII. 



NEVER THIS WAY BEFORE. 

"Ye have not passed this way heretofore."— Joshua 3:4. 

IT is interesting sometimes, after a grand con- 
cert, to study the vast organ whose tones have been 
accompanying the singers with such matchless 
power of adaptation of its variety of music. There 
it stands, a marvel of pipes and keys, but a silent 
thing of metal and wood. It must have been the 
artist that forced the difference between the modu- 
lations, for the instrument is inert and still. 

After a while we fall to thinking again how 
much of possibility of music there is in every organ, 
limited by the mere range of mechanical size and 
capacity. The fingers of each skilful player glide 
up and down along the keys, always caught, how- 
ever, with a new disappointment by that stubborn 
block of jet placed at either end of the board for a 
check ; for even the greatest organ has surely its 
limits. The music all lies between those two 
boundaries, of which the feet touch one and the 
hands touch the other. 

It is very much the same with human existence. 
This life of ours is an inert, wooden thing of itself. 
What shall be made of it depends upon the man; 
and men differ as much as musicians do. 

Furthermore, the imagination is arrested by the 
thought of a lost chord now and then, which must 



NEVER THIS WAY BEFORE. 235 



An organ's range. New Year's calls. 

certainly lie over the edge of the instrument. There 
may be bright bird-songs unsung in the one direc- 
tion; there may be solemn dirges unuttered in the 
other. As the Psalm says of the stars, "There is 
no speech nor language, and their voice is not 
heard. ' ' One wonders whether there are not some 
possibilities of sentient human life that never have 
found any utterance. 

Nor does the change of position bring any alter- 
ation. Move an instrument north or south, put it 
in the sunshine or in the shadow, we shall never 
touch more than the seven octaves, after all. There 
is the limit of possibility, or of what men call the 
chances. And life is just like it; for, while men 
vary, there yet remains a stop in the line of exploits, 
careers, and even of lofty attainment. 

It is time for many of us who are pushing on 
into middle life to have done with some ordinary 
shams. Much meaning might be found in the 
quaint figure of the prophet, ' ' Ephraim is a cake 
not turned. Strangers have devoured his strength, 
and he knoweth it not. Yea, gray hairs are here 
and there upon him, yet he knoweth not." Just 
for a moment let us look back to the final week of 
the last year. 

You remember you and I were doing then pretty 
much what we begin now to do again. We were 
making out the list for our New Year's calls. We 
were reared in the day when these fine decencies 
were observed. We were unaccountably fatigued 
in our getting around afterward. We said the town 



236 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Discovery of displacement. Subterfuges of old age. 

is large and residences are growing more distant. 
Now we pick up that old list for revising. It pays 
a compliment to your manly feeling that you are 
moved as you pencil off two or three old names of 
those who have vanished out of sight. 

Furthermore, we have been along these years 
arrested by discovery of displacement. We fell 
into conversation with one who began business 
about the time we did. It struck us that his words 
of congratulation were querulous and feeble. He 
was bent somewhat; a few hairs on his head were 
quite white. We said to ourselves, 4 ' He is ageing 
a good deal." And then there was a young man 
in the room at the moment. He seemed bright and 
cheery. He rehearsed his prospects. And you and 
I, despite of our affection for him, felt a small sense 
of crowding; so many new men were out in the 
field of competition. 

When we arrived at our home, and sat at the 
fireside that evening, we did not seek to conceal 
that wear and tear had begun to tell a little, for 
some casual infirmities put in their appearance. 
Funny subterfuges of self-deception had failed. 
We saw that, in our laborious lives, we had been 
attempting to realize on the future before it was 
due, and had discounted strength for present in- 
vestment. 

For another thing, our children seemed to be so 
old, and then they talked so wisely — great grown 
girls, noble boys, men now worthy of recognition; 
but ours, nevertheless. And we fell to thinking 



NEVER THIS WAY BEFORE. 



237 



Our Saviour's appearance. Joshua's command. 

that perhaps the best thing we longed for now in 
all this world was that these sons might always 
return from their New Year's calls as sober and as 
pure as they were then, and that these daughters 
might ever be as willing to come and sit before the 
fire with us, contented in our love. For we de- 
tected an eager craving after them, and a feverish 
sort of fear that they would be flying out of the nest 
soon. 

More than one commentator has, first and last, 
called attention to the awkward mistake which 
some of the Jews made when they spoke to our 
Saviour, ' ' Thou art not yet fifty years old. ' ' Of 
course, he was not. Perhaps he had the fatigued 
look or the anxious face of an elderly man, and this 
may have deceived them. More likely he wore the 
unspeakable dignity of character or of mien which 
always makes men seem venerable. Bven then, 
fifty years of history does not render one an old 
man. The very best of his life may yet be ahead. 
There are still fine deeds to be done and grand words 
still to be spoken. 

Whether there will be much aid in the develop- 
ing of our present thought from the story out of 
which the motto is selected now depends upon our 
familiarity with the circumstances. The Children 
of Israel were just going to cross the Jordan. It 
was a prospect, of course, calculated to try the 
stoutest heart among them. Their wise leader, 
Joshua, sent out word that they were to ■ 1 sanctify 
themselves," and so make ready for the supreme 



238 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 

The ark still ahead. New enterprises. 

effort of their experience. It will be good New 
Year's reading to go over that third chapter of the 
book in the Old Testament which bears his name, 
for a review. 

' ' And it came to pass after three days, that the 
officers went through the host; and they command- 
ed the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the 
covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the 
Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your 
place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space 
between you and it, about two thousand cubits by 
measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know 
the way by which ye must go; for ye have not 
passed this way heretofore. ' ' 

Now we need not dwell upon this narrative in 
detail any farther than it will serve us for an occa- 
sional illustration. We shall do well to catch a few 
lessons for spiritual good from it. 

1. u Ye have not passed this way heretofore." 
Then it does now seem likely that the good Lord 
expects to give us one more chance. 

We are all continually entering upon fresh paths, 
which really afterwards turn out to be old ones in a 
new form. Religious experience moves by crises. 
We might remember that Israel had, not many 
years before, gone, across this same desert, and been 
turned abruptly back to Sinai again, because of re- 
belliousness in their will. Now they were to go 
into Canaan, but by another route altogether. 

We are always commencing new enterprises. 
We start new business undertakings; we adopt new 



NEVER THIS WAY BEFORE. 



239 



New experiences. Time unexhausted. 

professions; we choose new localities; we build new 
dwellings, and inhabit new homesteads. 

We are always beginning new experiences. Joys 
come suddenly, and sorrows fall without any notice 
beforehand. We are summoned again and again to 
gird ourselves up to some fresh endurance. None 
of us can escape new decisions, on which our after 
life must turn. 

We are always entering upon new periods of 
time. Anniversary days mark the recurrence of 
events and afford opportunities for reflection. Birth- 
days and death days are full of meaning. 

What we ought to remember is the undoubted 
fact that in this twelvemonth to come we shall find 
ourselves travelling over pretty much the same 
route we went last year. There will not be any- 
thing extraordinarily surprising. Differences will 
be in the details. 

2. " Ye have not passed this w T ay heretofore. ' ' 
Then, in the fresh chance God is giving, he offers 
himself to be our helper and friend. 

Suppose we come back to the quaint figure with 
which we started. Wild as it seemed, and perhaps 
odd, it had a lesson in it, presenting familiarly our 
most serious reflection. These seven octaves men- 
tioned, of life and the organ alike, are chosen out 
of the eternities lying close around. Time, time — 
unused, unexhausted, and unknown — sweeps about 
our poor little seven decades of living, and will keep 
its course resistlessly on after the end is reached, just 
as it ran its course before we were born into its be- 



240 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The programme of life. Receive a teacher. 

ginning. Thus all the songs we sing, the wails we 
utter, and the prayers we make must choose expres- 
sion somewhere among the combinations of seventy 
years allotted to each creature, and they have but 
one chance at a time. We are marched up accord- 
ing to programme, and play our tune, like so many 
performers in a concert given in the presence of 
God. 

Oh, how many a musician has desired, after a 
public pageant, to play his parts over again, believ- 
ing he could have done them accurately and well 
but for a small misunderstanding about a repeat. 
Imagination peers out into the past, and there come 
no tidings, and there seems no power of reparation. 
But God has spoken concerning the future, and 
there at last we reach comfort in the truth. ( ' Ye 
shall henceforth return no more that way but 
there is a way, far stretching out before us, in which 
some new adventure may be tried. 

During this year the concert will be repeated. 
The programme remains in good measure un- 
changed. We failed last year. The chances of 
life are open again. God offers to help us along. 
Our parts are to be played over. Will we accept a 
teacher this time, or not ? 

3. ' ' Ye have not passed this way heretofore. ' ' 
Then, surely, the gifts of God's love on ahead of us 
have not been appropriated by others nor exhausted 
by ourselves. 

There comes a day in which any one can afford 
to be honestly simple and unaffected in all his sur- 



NEVER THIS WAY EEFORE. 



241 



A silly paradox. Wishing and want 

roundings, and relinquish this folly of laboring to 
keep up appearances for mere show. Generally 
speaking, men around us are pressing a silly para- 
dox. They appear to want everything now, and 
yet desire to exhaust the treasures of the future also, 
and that at once. In such work -they declare that 
they are only preparing for their old age. They 
are using up valuable force in making ready for a 
start in life by and by; that happy- start they pro- 
pose to make some fine morning from the summit of 
an attained ambition, with the full admiration of 
the world. 

Alas ! why cannot every one see that misery sits 
at the top of life's lonely ladder? For comfort in- 
habits the rounds all the way up. And when all 
that men hope for is reached, there must remain for 
their experience thereafter only what they fear. 
He is in the most lamentable condition who at mid- 
dle life is exactly where time cannot improve him, 
and cannot fail to impair; where all the changes are 
forced to be for the worse, for want of space to, be 
better; where every feeling strengthened by long 
habit is offended because the man is pained to spend 
the gains he has spared; where every remaining 
chance which comes shall necessarily betray rather 
than befriend; and all this simply because he has at 
last reached the pinnacle of what he has considered 
success, and wishing being exhausted, want is sure 
to begin. Having lived on anticipation, he is actu- 
ally disappointed since there remains nothing more 
to be gained. 



242 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Folly of jealousy. Follow God's ark. 

Hence, prudence counsels that we give over the 
suicidal struggle for a future which we hope to make 
for ourselves, and live while we have present life to 
enjoy from God's hand. More pitiful folly still is 
that which jealousy engenders; for the man has in- 
geniously wasted his time in distancing others, who, 
when distanced, are dead. He has triumphed, but 
nobody is in the grand procession which he had im- 
agined would immediately be formed in his honor. 
It makes a poor show to have no king dragging on 
behind the chariot. 

4. ' ' Ye have not passed this way heretofore, ' ' 
but it is well to remember that the ark has not 
passed this way heretofore, either. 

It is significant here to notice that these people 
were told to accept God's guidance implicitly. 
They were to bear the ark of the covenant directly 
to the front, and follow it without any question. 
Indeed, they were forbidden to approach nearer to 
it in the course than a full thousand yards, lest the 
track it took should be missed or grow confused. 
1 ' Come not near unto it, that ye may know the way 
by which ye must go, for ye have not passed this 
way heretofore. ' ' The first time they had essayed 
to enter Canaan, their own folly had hindered. 
Now they were to be led by the sign of God's un- 
failing love. Herein is instruction for wise men 
along the ages. 

It is not probable that there will be to many of 
us anything singular in the year before us; but 
there may be a consciousness in our hearts that the 



NEVER THIS WAY BEFORE. 



243 



" A word behind thee." God's anointing. 

windings of the path will vary, after we settle a 
question so unique and revolutionary as this about 
the leadership we are purposing to follow: "Thine 
eyes shall see thy teachers, and thine ears shall hear 
a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk 
ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand and when 
ye turn to the left. ' ' It makes life a new thing to 
put the ark on before it. 

Let perfect love cast out all fear. Why are 
God's people ever frightened ? Is it not possible for 
them to watch with him just for an hour ? " Fear 
not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleas- 
ure to give you the kingdom. ' ' Is not God king of 
the kingdom? For that kingdom all things are 
now working, from the least to the largest, from the 
vilest to the best. Ills that have never happened 
have disturbed some hearts more than their heaviest 
disciplines. 

You see a young minstrel playing on the harp 
before an insane monarch. The king exercises his 
fearful ingenuity in flinging javelins at the singer's 
head. You say impulsively, The young man is 
bound to die ! And the young man seems actually 
to agree with you : ( ' And David said in his heart, 
I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul : 
there is nothing better for me than that I should 
speedily escape into the land of the Philistines." 
The fact is, however, that he is perfectly safe. Do 
you know why ? Because he has had drops of oil 
on his forehead. Saul cannot kill David. Samuel 
anointed him to be king; and God's word would be 



244 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



God's purpose in a life. The fallen bird. 

absolutely broken if one of those javelins should 
hit. David sware, ' ' Truly as the Lord liveth, and 
as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me 
and death. ' 1 But that step was a throne-step ! 
God's purpose, infolded in a human life, renders 
the life immortal. ' ' The Christian cannot die be- 
fore his time;" that time God fixes. 

5. 1 ' Ye have not passed this way heretofore. ' 1 
Now, with the ark on ahead, the joy of the Lord is 
your strength. 

Thus we may reach our best lesson to-day: take 
the full cheer and comfort of faith. Let us rest in 
the love that holds us, and understand its every 
pressure as being in our interest and for our help. 
Once I remember I picked up a small bird which 
had fallen on the pavement by my feet. I sought 
to reinstate it among the branches overhead; but 
the creature could not appreciate my generosity, 
and with passionate eagerness struggled to escape. 
I began unconsciously to talk aloud to it, 1 ' Poor, 
silly thing! Why do you not trust your best friend? 
All I want is to get you up again in the fork of the 
tree. You are making it harder for me, by dashing 
so against my fingers; for I am obliged to hold you 
firmly, and you do all the hurting yourself." Why 
is it we all struggle so, when the Lord is giving us 
help? 

Now I do not say that this is the exact image 
which the prophet had in mind, but it must have 
been something like it, when Jehovah told him to 
speak to Israel: 14 They shall tremble as a bird out 



NEVER THIS WAY BEFORE. 



245 



Happy New Year. Paul Fleming. 

of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: 
and I will place them in their houses, saith the 
Lord." And I do know that thus the good Lord 
did often deal with his chosen people in those old 
hard days, and they quite misunderstood him. 

And I know, and just now am more concerned 
to know, that frequently he does thus deal with the 
individual Christian. He takes us in his own kind 
hands, and would never cause us a pain but that we 
struggle and resist him so that he is compelled to be 
firm. He is trying to put us up in the nest of safety 
and holiness, and you may be assured he will not 
cease because of our unreasoning alarms. 

Thus, then, I close my sermon. Let us offer our 
neighborly greetings for this Happy New Year with 
a glad cheerfulness. We enter upon untrodden 
paths ; but the skies are bright, and Heaven is 
nearer, and the good God is overhead. 

It is likely most of us will recall the story of 
Longfellow in his romance. Paul Fleming entered 
that little chapel of Saint Gilgen. On the tomb 
above his head was the inscription, "Look not 
mournfully into the past; it comes not back again. 
Wisely improve the present; it is thine. Go forth 
to meet the shadowy future without fear and with a 
manly heart." It was as if a voice came into his 
ear from the dead, and the anguish of his thoughts 
was still. 



21* 



XXIII. 



WISER THAN ONE'S TEACHERS. 

"I HAVE MORE UNDERSTANDING THAN ALL MY TEACHERS: FOR 
THY TESTIMONIES ARE MY MEDITATION." — Psalm 119:99. 

Prince George once asked Handel how lie 
liked his playing upon the violoncello. - ' Why, ' ' 
said the flustered musician, "your highness plays 
like a prince !" This answer was very ingenious. 
It reminds most of us of the way in which our poor 
selves have sometimes writhed dexterously out of 
trouble when embarrassing inquiries have been put 
to us concerning preachers and superintendents and 
convention men generally, who want to know how 
they have been getting on, when they have just de- 
scended from the platform. 

We may as well be candid: there are some ex- 
cellent Christians who cannot talk to children; there 
are godly exhorters who bungle terribly in the at- 
tempt to teach classes; and every one knows there 
are trained ministers among the highest of all in the 
profession who do not preach to edification. What 
is the matter ? It is not safe to attempt a full an- 
swer to such a question. Even our Lord predicted 
that some one would surely say to him, " Physician, 
heal thyself." 

Perhaps it would be just as well for us now to 
begin with studying the account given of Jesus 
Christ's first discourse in his neighbors' presence, 



WISER THAN ONE'S TEACHERS. 247 

Christ's earliest teaching. The Word of God, 

the earliest address he made in the village where 
he was reared. It is easy to think that all of us 
public men, accustomed to speaking, may gain a 
lesson which will give superior help to us, if we try 
in humility and patience to learn it from the Mas- 
ter : " Thou, therefore, which teachest another, 
teach est thou not thyself ?" 

1. Let us notice that Jesus Christ began his work 
with a quotation from the Bible. 

" And he came to Nazareth, where he had been 
brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into 
the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for 
to read. And there was delivered unto him the 
book of the prophet Ksaias. And when he had 
opened the book, he found the place where it was 
written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because 
he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the 
poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, 
to preach deliverance to the captives, and recover- 
ing of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that 
are bruised: to preach the acceptable year of the 
Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it 
again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes 
of all them that were in the synagogue were fas- 
tened on him. And he began to say unto them, 
This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. 
And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gra- 
cious words which proceeded out of his mouth. ' ' 

The first public act he performed was this: "He 
opened the book, he found the place." And the 
record asserts that, when he simply showed in the 



248 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A young preacher. Our larger Bible. 

hearing of the people how these predictions had 
now found their fulfilment, they ' ' wondered at the 
gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. ' ' 

It is always an occasion of interest when a young 
preacher appears in the pulpit for the first time at 
home; and there can be no doubt that the pictur- 
esqueness of this scene will arrest many minds. 
And from such a beginning it would be easy to go 
on with the history of Jesus, and note the wonder- 
ful tenderness and the awful strength of his ser- 
mons. But in this discourse I am anxious to save all 
space so as to develop a single thought to better sat- 
isfaction. As our Lord began, so he continued. 
He emphatically preached the Word. And a lesson 
of the utmost importance and simplicity is found in 
that evident fact. The source of all Christian power 
is in the Bible. 

2. It is well to keep in mind that we have a 
much larger Bible than Jesus had; for we have the 
New Testament as well as the Old. We have what 
he spoke, as well as what he expounded. The Old 
Testament is more voluminous than the New; but, 
for real work, the New is better than the Old. It 
is admitted on all sides now that it is not what we 
say about the truth that helps and saves souls, but 
the truth. The Bible of Jesus had much to tell 
about Jesus in those early days; but in our Bible 
we have Jesus fully revealed for human need. Very 
beautiful and instructive is the fifty-third chapter of 
Isaiah; but the nineteenth chapter of John is better 
still. 



WISER THAN ONE'S TEACHERS. 



249 



Help in texts. Difficult questions. 

3. When people come to us for help, the thing 
to do is simply to find something in the Word for 
them. Once, in my early ministry, a man entered 
my study with concern for his soul in every line of 
his face. I talked to him for an hour, and could do 
nothing to relieve or direct his mind. In despera- 
tion, I then did what I ought to have done in the 
beginning. I found the fifteenth chapter of L,uke, 
and read him all the three parables one after an- 
other. Then at last he felt the full, free, exhaust- 
less grace of the Saviour; he found that just because 
he had been lost he was precious; just because he 
had wandered he was sought; just because he was a 
prodigal he was beloved; his very vileness was his 
argument, his wickedness made him welcome, his 
penitence was his plea, and God's unforgetting grace 
and love gave him hope and security. 

4. Curious and difficult questions that Christians 
ask, have the simplest sort of answers in the Word. 
As to grounding our hope firmly, Matthew 7 : 24 is 
better than anything we can say ourselves. To en- 
courage a man who fears ridicule, Mark 10 : 48 is 
excellent and effective. Exodus 2 : 1-10 is a far 
better illustration of God's care of children than 
that stock story of the u little child in the corn- 
field. ' ' Once a member of our church came to me 
to ask what she ought to try to look at when she 
shut her eyes in prayer. And all I could think of 
was to read her two or three verses about Bartimeus. 
A smile ran over her whole face, as she rose sud- 
denly, and said, "Good-morning." Then I asked 



250 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 

Speculation and conjecture. Seeking conviction. 

whether her question had got the answer. ' 1 Oh, 
yes !" she replied gratefully; "I ought to see what 
the blind man did before his eyes were opened; he 
saw he was blind, and he seemed to see Jesus there 
waiting to be prayed to. ' ' 

We may speculate and conjecture as we will; it 
is not always certain our conclusions are right or 
safe. But the clear revelation of God's will, laid 
alongside of human want, is the efficient instrumen- 
tality, and the only one, that will prove reliable. 
Once a mother told her pastor that she was troubled 
about her daughter, who was going to join the 
church. "She has not conviction enough," was 
the complaint; u and yet I have talked to her about 
her sins over and over again, setting them all in 
order before her till both of us were in tears ; oh, 
what can I do more?" Then he gave her in her 
own hands a Bible, and he read aloud to her slowly 
Isaiah 6 : 1-5. She saw without any word of his 
that the prophet became intelligent as the sight of 
God flashed before him, and grew penitent at the 
moment when the seraphim cried ' ' Holy. ' ' Then 
he turned to Job 42 : 5, 6. She saw in silence that 
the patriarch repented, not when his exasperating 
friends pelted him with accusations, but when his 
eyes were opened to see God. She went away qui- 
etly to talk with a wondering and awe-struck heart 
about the holiness of 'Jehovah ; thus her child melted 
into contrition before the vision, and wept as she 
said, ' ' Thou hast set our secret sins in the light of 
thy countenance." 



WISER THAN ONE'S TEACHERS. 251 



Saving a suicide. Particular passages. 

5. Of course, then, we learn that we must be ex- 
ceedingly familiar with God's Word in order to use 
it skilfully. For the times arrive often very sud- 
denly in which we are called to make answer or to 
give advice; and to work powerfully, one must work 
ingeniously. The gifted authoress of "English 
Hands and Hearts ' ' once saw a man close by the 
brink of a river, and believed he was going to com- 
mit suicide. It seemed perfectly clear to her that, 
if she should appear to suspect his purpose, he 
would avoid her and wait till she passed out of 
sight. So she quietly kept on her walk, but as it 
approached the spot where he was watching, she 
read aloud, as if just to herself, Psalm 46 : 4. It 
was all she could do. Two years afterwards a 
speaker in Exeter Hall related the incident in his 
own sad life, and told how the text saved him and 
converted him, and now he added the wish that he 
might some time know the Christian woman who 
had done him the favor. So they met and clasped 
hands, and thanked God together. But how did 
she happen to know the right verse then ? 

Such a thing did not happen. That lady knew 
her Bible thoroughly. We must waste no time in 
looking up passages. Suppose one tells us that he 
does not believe in prayer; our instinct would be, 
possibly, to set about an argument with him. But 
it would be much better to have your thumb, as it 
were, in an instant upon Matthew 7 : 7-14, or I^uke 
11 : 1-13, or Mark 7 : 24-30, or I^uke 18 : 1-14. 

6. We should be patient in instructing others 



252 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Aid for Bible-women. Verses to be noted. 

how and where to find the proper passages for Chris- 
tian effort. It is our custom to put young persons 
into offices of responsibility for the sake of disci- 
plining them in doing good. And sometimes we 
feel that those who are truly pious, but are meas- 
urably illiterate, may be employed as teachers or as 
Bible- women in reaching the poor. 

Such Christians need to be helped vigorously. 
For it is one of the heaviest experiences we ever 
have, to stand in the midnight before a medicine- 
closet and try to think of the right relief when a 
dear friend is suffering; oh, the exact help is here, 
but what is it ? I may give the wrong thing, and 
work awful mischief ! But it is worse to turn over 
the pages of the Bible piteously at a loss for a chap- 
ter. Suppose a mother has lost a child; there is 
comfort for her in 2 Samuel 12 : 15-23; but I would 
rather read Matthew 18 : 1-14 first, and then I would 
add 2 Kings 4 : 18-37. If a failing invalid asks for 
reading, not every young Christian knows that 
2 Corinthians 4 : 6-18 will bring comfort, though 
John 14 is familiar. The 51st Psalm is better for a 
truly penitent sinner than "Just as I am" on a card. 
Some Sunday-school children might be of service 
in reclaiming backsliders, if they only remembered 
to read Matthew 26 : 69-75; it will prove better than 
even John 21 : 15-19, which is good. To a dis- 
tressed poor person who doubts God's love, Matthew 
6 : 25-34 De appropriate; and families that feel 
anxious about the absent ones will like the 91st 
Psalm for a reassurance. Surely we might all aid 



WISER THAN ONE'S TEACHERS. 253 



Two ways of reading. " Checking" chapters. 

each other by suggesting what we have found to be 
useful under circumstances common to those who 
are out at work. 

7. There are two ways of reading the Bible. One 
way is to go through it blindly and unintelligently, 
in obedience to the feeling that it is our duty to read 
it daily. The other, and better way, is to read it 
from love of it, with a heartfelt appreciation of its 
truth and beauty. In this latter way gospel truth 
becomes a part of our being and our history. 

A friend told me that he once saw a Bible 
checked like a tourist's guide-book, the owner of 
which called his attention to two pencil-marks in 
Solomon's Song, showing that he had got so far on 
in reading the volume through twice. He admit- 
ted that often he found it dull, but he continued 
because he knew it was his duty. He was doing 
his task of persistent perusal with not the least pos- 
sible interest in the chapters over which his eyes 
were roaming, and apparently with no sense of the 
connection between truth and life. This may be 
an extreme case; at any rate, most Christians who 
feel listless while studying the Word of God are not 
quite so frank in confessing it. Meantime it is so- 
berly asserted that the more advanced believers 
among the churches are fond beyond power of 
words to express, in their affection for favorite di- 
visions of the Scriptures. Their private Bibles 
would open of themselves at their familiar chapters. 
There is a quaint story told of a pastor who went in 
to see his old bed-ridden parishioner, and finding in 

Neglected Text*. 22 



254 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



"Tried and Proved." Selden's choice reliance. 

her Testament some marks along the page, asked 
what they could mean. Here was a capital P : 
u Oh, that means precious," she said. There was a 
letter T with the P: "That means tried and proved," 
she continued. 

Such experience is far beyond mere story-telling. 
In the Temple Church of I^ondon, in a shadowed 
aisle to the left of the great altar, is a white marble 
monument erected to the memory of one whom John 
Milton called ' ' the chief of learned men reputed in 
England." John Selden was one of the most extra- 
ordinary scholars that Britain has produced. The 
volumes which he poured forth in an endless stream 
were filled with research and discrimination. Of 
one of these — a work on the L,aw of Nature and of 
Nations — Hallam said it was among the greatest 
achievements in erudition any Englishman has per- 
formed. This most excellent man comes down to 
our times by his " Table-Talk. " Coleridge once 
remarked about this, as he laid it aside after a 
thoughtful perusal, u There is more weighty bul- 
lion sense in this book than I ever found in the 
same number of pages of any uninspired writer. n 
To Archbishop Usher, who preached his funeral 
sermon in the church where he now lies, this 
learned man Selden said just before he died, "I 
have surveyed most of the learning that is among 
the sons of men, but I cannot recollect any passage 
out of all my books and papers whereon I can rest 
my soul, save this from the sacred Scriptures: 'For 
the grace of God that briugeth salvation hath ap- 



WISER THAN ONE'S TEACHERS. 



The illuminated Bible. Texts with a history. 

peared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungod- 
liness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, 
righteously, and godly, in this present world, look- 
ing for that blessed hope, and the glorious appear- 
ing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, 
who gave himself for us that he might redeem us 
from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a pecu- 
liar people, zealous of good works. ' ' ' 

8. There must be, therefore, some texts that 
have a history of their own. Dr. James Hamil- 
ton makes the suggestion that if all the verses 
which have comforted God's people were illumi- 
nated, as the monks in the Middle Ages were wont 
to illuminate certain passages in manuscripts, few 
parts of the Bible would be left without pictorial 
lights. 

Would it not be a profitable exercise — it cer- 
tainly would be an interesting one — to gather to- 
gether the parts of the Word of God which have 
been helpful and dear to individual Christians 
along the ages ? How many histories, for instance, 
have been poured into the 51st Psalm ! John Rog- 
ers recited it to himself all the way down to the 
stake. CEcolampadius, the reformer, panting for 
his breath, yet persisted in saying verse after verse 
of it, till he died with the words still on his lips. 
The L,ady Jane Grey asked the headsman to wait 
for her a decorous moment in which to say her Mi- 
serere; then she bound her eyes calmly, and laid 
her head on the block. So this same dear old 
Psalm was read at his request to Dr. Arnold of 



256 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Christian biography. Famous sermons. 

Rugby on his death-bed. Thus it seems instinct 
with a life of its own. 

9. Here would be a fresh and quite safe use to 
make of Christian biography. Many a volume 
might be read to profit just with the purpose of as- 
certaining favorite passages of Scripture which have 
proved helpful under peculiar exigencies to any be- 
liever. Oliver Cromwell once read aloud Philippi- 
ans 4:11-13, and then remarked, " There, in the 
day when my poor child died, this Scripture did go 
nigh to save my life. ' ' The venerable Augustine 
was converted by Romans 13 : 11-14. One biogra- 
pher tells us that the poet Cowper was brought to 
Christ by reading Romans 3 : 24. Matthew Henry 
wrote a record of himself in a diary he kept at about 
thirteen years of age: "I think it was three years 
ago that I began to be convinced, hearing a sermon 
by my father on Psalm 51 : 17. I think it was that 
by which I was melted; afterwards I began to in- 
quire after Christ. ' ' 

Even this matter of texts preached from with 
remarkable results would give the verses interest, if 
we would look them up. As, for example, Deute- 
ronomy 32 : 35, "Their foot shall slide in due time," 
which was the text for one of Jonathan Edwards' 
most famous discourses. In the midst of his words 
that day the people actually rose up from their pews, 
so awful was the impression produced by them. 
Whitefield was once preaching at Exeter, on Psalm 
51 : 17, "A broken and a contrite heart." He says 
that after the service a man came up to him with a 



WISER THAN ONE'S TEACHERS. 257 



Effective verses. A broken spar. 

pocketful of stones, and a big one in his hand, and 
told him in tears, "Sir, I came here to hear you 
this day with a view to break your head, but by the 
grace of God you have broken my heart. ' ' 

10. We might as well give over looking for mere 
novelty. For possibly the best exercise of all, both 
for the sake of awaking our interest in particular 
passages, and of gathering a list of effective verses 
for actual use, would be that of setting down in a 
written record all texts which we have found to ac- 
complish permanent good, and do real service for 
souls. For men and women are very nearly alike, 
and what has helped one will be likeliest to help 
another in the same mood or the same exigency. 
Some of us have been down by the seashore, per- 
haps, and have noticed the great mass of what 
seems mere rubbish cast up on the shore. It was 
all nothing to you, this heap of refuse remnants of 
ships. But along came an old sailor, and asked 
you, u Do you see that spar over yonder with a knot 
of rope around the middle of it ? That brought a 
mother and her baby ashore last week from a ship- 
wreck." Now you looked again, of course; nay, 
you went and cut a piece off from the beam to carry 
home. You could never make that stick common- 
place or insignificant hereafter, if you tried. The 
lives it saved went into its history. 

Just so with many passages of God's inspired 
Word. They may seem all alike to us in our dul- 
ness of indifference, until suddenly we discover what 
they have done. Then many a verse springs out 

22* 



258 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Failures and successes. Dr. Cutler s usefulness. 

into a marvellous impressiveness and beauty. It 
has brought some tired Christian ashore from the 
deep waters of trouble, or delivered him from the 
wreck of a shattered hope. What did good once 
will do the same sort of good again. 

11. Finally, we can hud here the explanation 
we seek for some failures that appear so mysterious, 
and for some successes that are so admirable. Those 
Christians have done most service who have in ev- 
ery instance trusted the Word for the power of the 
truth in it. 

Dr. James W. Alexander put in one of his let- 
ters, near the end of his career, the statement that, 
if he were to live his public life over again, he 
would dwell more upon the familiar parts and pas- 
sages of the Bible, like the story of the ark, the 
draught of fishes, or the parable of the prodigal son. 
That is, he would preach more of the W^ord of God 
in its pure, clear utterances of truth for souls. 
When the saintly Dr. Cutler of Brooklyn died, the 
Sunday-school remembered that he used to come in 
every now and then during the years of his history 
and repeat just a single verse from the superinten- 
dent's desk; and the next Lord's day after the fu- 
neral they marched up in front of it in a long line, 
and each scholar quoted any of the texts that he 
could recollect. The older people positively sat 
there and wept, as they saw how much there was 
of the Bible in the hearts of their children which 
this one pastor had planted. Yet he was a very 
timid and old-fashioned man; he said he had no gift 



WISER THAN ONE'S TEACHERS. 259 



Electrical tools. Mighty in the Scriptures. 

at talking to children; he could only repeat God's 
Word. Is there anybody now who is ready to say 
that was not enough for some good ? 

Some of us have seen those curious hammers 
and drills and saws prepared for surgeons and den- 
tists, which differ from others looking like them in 
that when used they are put into connection with 
an electric battery; thus they have all the force of 
common instruments of the same sort, and then 
they have the additional force of the lightning 
which runs in them. So of the Word of God : coun- 
sels, cautions, and comforts from the Scriptures 
have all the meaning and all the pertinent wisdom 
which other sage cautions and counsels and com- 
forts have; but more than that, they exercise an 
unseen sway over the human soul, subtle and irre- 
sistible, because of the resident inspiration of the 
Holy Ghost which is in them. ( ( For the word of 
God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any 
two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing 
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and 
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and 
intents of the heart. ' ' 

So now we come back, humbly enough, to the 
acknowledgment with which we began: "Thou 
through thy commandments hast made me wiser 
than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I 
have more understanding than all my teachers: for 
thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand 
more than the ancients, because I keep thy pre- 
cepts. ' 1 ■ 



XXIV. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 

"And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these say- 
ings, THE PEOPLE WERE ASTONISHED AT HIS DOCTRINE. " — Matthew 
7: 28. 

Many of the sublimest lessons that have ever 
been learned by human hearts have been taken 
from that discourse of our divine Lord delivered 
before the multitudes from his hill-pulpit upon the 
spur of Hattin. And many of the bitterest criti- 
cisms upon Christianity at large that ever fell from 
human lips have pointed their sharpness with quo- 
tations from the same matchless source. Are we 
all sure we understand this remarkable sermon as a 
whole? While we read the various chapters and 
verses, it is as if we had been going through the 
rooms of a grand and beautiful palace one by one; 
now it is worth while to stand off outside, as it 
were, and contemplate the architecture which the 
edifice displays. 

I. Let us begin with noting some few charac- 
teristics which the Sermon on the Mount pos- 
sesses. That will bring us on to the consideration 
of the end which our Lord most likely had in view. 

1. The wonderful literary beauty of the language 
cannot have been unobserved by any one. From 
the Beatitudes, which sing their exquisite song at 
the beginning, to the matchless peroration that 
builds its two houses at the end, there is an unbro- 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 261 



Desultory arrangement No atonement. 

ken strain of elevated imagery, felicitous expres- 
sion, and stirring thought, which even in the trans- 
lation makes our rugged Saxon rich and musical. 

2. Then we have all remarked the desultory ar- 
rangement and the apparently disconnected progress 
of ideas. To some this may have seemed disjointed 
and fragmentary. How much of it is owing to the 
oral form of perpetuating its particulars until they 
might be gathered into a written gospel, we cannot 
now say. Laike's version does not at all contradict 
Matthew's; but it is certainly far briefer, and in some 
points differs from it. It is possible there was much 
more of the sermon, which neither of these evange- 
lists recorded. 

3. Chiefly, however, all of us have perceived 
the one great absence in this discourse, I might almost 
say lack, as we contemplate it from our Christian 
outlook. From beginning to end there is no allu- 
sion to the atonement made by our Redeemer. If 
scholars read alongside of it the fifty-third chapter 
of Isaiah, or the fifty-fifth, their minds will be ar- 
rested by the consideration that the one does not at 
all answer to the other; these are not on the same 
theme. Christ is here as the preaching prophet, 
not in any disclosure as the atoning priest. There 
is not so much as a single word which says that a 
divine Saviour has come to die for men's sins, or 
that men need such interposition. Regeneration is 
not alluded to, faith is not clearly counselled, re- 
pentance is put on the low plane of asking pardon 
for our mistakes, and the Holy Spirit's name is not 



262 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A supercilious assertion. Reach of requirement. 

even mentioned. Yet this discourse was preached 
after the midnight talk with Nicodemus, and after 
John the Baptist had told the nation this was the 
Ivamb of God to take away sin. 

4. Hence, the history of the sermon affords a con- 
spicuous example of the way in which men some- 
times pervert God's Word. For those skeptical 
moralists who reject the notion of sin — of the awful 
curse denounced on sin and due to it, of the need 
and provision of a ransom from sin, of the Spirit's 
washing of a soul from sin by the blood of a sacri- 
ficial atonement — calmly and superciliously appeal 
away from all warning by saying, ' ' Our sufficient 
creed is the Sermon on the Mount." 

5. Most of us would admit this statement, for 
we remember a startling and supernatural reach of 
requirement in this discourse. u Be ye therefore 
perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is 
perfect. ' ' If any man can and will obey that com- 
mand, it is evident he will be saved. ' - Perfect as 
God. ' ' That is enough, certainly. But can a mere 
man meet that condition ? Our I^ord closed his ser- 
mon with the words, "Whosoever heareth these 
sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him 
unto a wise man, which built his house upon a 
rock." Surely, it is easy enough for any one to 
hear them, but is it so easy for any one to do them ? 
What says the apostle ? - - Knowing that a man is 
not justified by the works of the law, but by the 
faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in 
Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 263 



A perfect character. A rule of life. 

of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by 
the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." 

II. This leads us forward to the second subject 
of consideration : What was the purpose of this 
Sermon on the Mount? Evidently it had some 
peculiar aim; it comes ih at a peculiar juncture of 
the history; it has a peculiar power. All men ad- 
mire it; but, singularly enough, there is a species 
of dread in the admiration. 

1. We find in it the description of a character. 
What do we understand when we hear people speak 
of a u character ' ' in history, or in a tale ? They 
mean a personage, an individual, known by some 
distinctive marks. William the Silent was a char- 
acter in the Rise of the Dutch Republic. Ready-to- 
halt was a character in the Pilgrim's Progress. The 
Sermon on the Mount pictures a character perfectly 
easy to recognize anywhere if we could meet it. 

The Beatitudes tell his qualities, and the two 
houses show his end. He must be 1 ( pure in heart ' ' 
and u poor in spirit." He must be "meek" and 
1 ' merciful. ' ' He must keep the whole law of God, 
even to the thoughts and intents of his heart. That 
is, as we have quoted, he must be perfect as his 
x 1 1 Father in heaven. ' ' * 

2. We find in this discourse, also, a rule of life. 
What do we mean by a u life ' ' ? The chemist an- 
alyzes a flower, and informs us it consists of so much 
nitrogen, so much carbon, so much coloring matter. 
When we obtain his recipe, we go to an apothecary's 
and purchase so much nitrogen, so much carbon, 



264 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



This sermon not a code. A standard of attainment. 

so much coloring matter; we bray them in a mor- 
tar with a pestle. We fail to make them mix into 
a fuchsia or a dahlia, for all we can do. Gases and 
earths are not flowers. Nor can we do better by- 
getting a fairer start. The dried anatomy of an 
herbarium looks like a flower; nay, it used to be a 
flower; but it cannot be made a flower now. What 
we want is the mysterious thing which we call life. 

The Sermon on the Mount is not a code, to be 
analyzed and exhibited as a dry list of enactments; 
it is legislation ready to be incarnated in a living 
man. It is a thing to be acted and breathed as well 
as read and quoted. Jesus of Nazareth lived this 
wonderful discourse. Nobody else ever did. But 
he put it forth to be lived by everybody under the 
New Testament dispensation. 

3. We find here likewise a sta?idard of spiritual 
and experimental attainment. To be reached ? No, 
after steadiest and most prayerful study we are 
forced to the conclusion that the standard is exhib- 
ited in order to let us know we camiot reach it; that 
is, to show us what it is that God demands of all his 
creatures which fallen men and women cannot pos- 
sibly meet. This sermon is a mere reiteration of 
the old law of Moses without losing an 1 ' iota " or a 
1 ' horn " on a letter, and then an extension of its 
requirements to the very thoughts of our hearts; 
and that, to prove we cannot keep it. 

We must have this matter perfectly clear in our 
own minds before we attempt to proceed any far- 
ther. At the funeral lately attended of a moral and 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. ' 265 



An unerring eye. Paul's ignominious failure. 

most upright man, the officiating clergyman took 
occasion to say something like this: "Our friend 
and neighbor, whom it hath pleased Almighty God 
to remove from us, was by occupation a mason and 
builder. He was noted for one personal peculiarity ; 
it used to be said of him that his eye was as good as 
a rule. He could detect the swerving of a hair's 
breadth from the true line of any timber he set in 
its socket, of any course of stone he ever laid in its 
bed. Now it is not too much for me, on this sol- 
emn occasion, to remark concerning him that he 
took the same wonderful accuracy with him into 
his life before God and man. He squared his whole 
career by the unerring judgment of his spiritual 
eye; and so he lived in a correctness of career as a 
citizen, a husband, a father, a friend, which no 
man can hereafter question. ' ' 

Very well: no one desires to question such a 
statement as to any departed neighbor or friend; but 
this is not enough ; it will not do to trust a spiritual 
eye alone, no matter how cautiously it looks along 
the lines of one's existence. There is not a capital- 
ist in the street who would put his money in an edi- 
fice which the contractor told him he was going to 
build with his ' ' eye " for a rule of regulation and 
measurement. The Apostle Paul once made the 
same attempt, so he tells us, and failed somewhat 
ignominiously. This is what he says of that dreary 
old time before he became acquainted with the 
moral law of God : ' ' For I was alive without the 
law once : but when the commandment came, sin 



Neglected Texts. 



*3 



266 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Sin exceeding sinful. The law slew him. 

revived, and I died. And the commandment, 
which was ordained to life, I found to be unto 
death. For sin, taking occasion by the command- 
ment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore 
the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and 
just, and good. Was then that which is good made 
death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it 
might appear sin, working death in me by that 
which is good ; that sin by the commandment might 
become exceeding sinful." 

What he means by this statement is, that when 
he was an exemplary Pharisee only, punctiliously 
discharging his duties as a mere moralist, he sup- 
posed he was doing very well. / But in later times, 
when he came to know what the law of God really 
was, two results instantly followed: one was, that 
he saw the hollo wness of his previous professions; 
the commandment, which he had imagined was 
given him to live by, he found was unto death: the 
other was, that his sin within his heart became ex- 
asperated by the law which checked it, and rose 
with mighty violence of anger against it; indeed, 
he would never have known how strong his pas- 
sions were but for the rebellion they instigated 
through his whole being. Thus the law took occa- 
sion and slew him. It was so perfect that it dis- 
couraged, destroyed, and enraged him at the same 
moment. So he became, and so he was shown to 
be, one of the most exceedingly sinful of men; that 
was the way in which the law of God worked with 
him: sin revived, and he died. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 267 



A level and plumb-line. A terrible standard. 

4. We find in this sermon of Christ, therefore, 
an instrument of condemnation. If we may come 
back to the figure already employed, we should say 
that in all character-building the law, which Jesus 
announced in that discourse, was, from its begin- 
ning to its end, designed as a spirit-level, a plumb- 
line, and a straight-edge, all in one: its purpose 
was to show that human nature at its highest was 
neither perpendicular, horizontal, nor consistent 
even to itself in its segments. The moment an un- 
erring standard should be applied to it, it would be 
condemned. We believe our divine Lord pro- 
nounced those words of his at the beginning of his 
ministry in order to make it clear for ever that men 
would need an atonement for sin outside of them- 
selves. The Sermon on the Mount is a proclama- 
tion of inability and an annunciation of doom. It 
must have been the discovery of this fact which 
led one, after many years of desperate denial of any 
need of a Saviour's dying on the cross, to exclaim 
with deepest emotions of undisguised alarm, ' ' God 
grant that when my soul shall stand at the judg- 
ment-seat, it will not have to be judged by that 
awful Sermon on the Mount, with no help outside 
of it!" 

It is astonishing that any man can take comfort 
in turning away from the gospel scheme of atone- 
ment, and resting on this sermon for peace; for 
there are verses in it crowded and awful with moni- 
tions of coming wrath. It would seem as if its 
purpose must have been to convince every human 



26S 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Every mouth is stopped. An incitement to holiness^ 

being of sin hopelessly : 1 ' Now we know that what 
things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are 
under the law: that every month may be stopped, 
and all the world may become guilty before God. ' ' 
We find we cannot trust our own consciences, the 
standard is higher than we supposed. We discover 
weaknesses and wrongs in our hearts which we did 
not suspect; we get provoked by being told how far 
away from perfection we are. "What shall we say 
then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had 
not known sin, but by the law : for I had not known 
lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. ' ' 
With this knowledge inevitably comes a sense of 
deserved retribution. Any one who enters fully 
into the spirit of this discourse finds himself rush- 
ing rapidly through the line of experience which 
the Apostle Paul depicts in the Epistle to the Ro- 
mans. These clear, sharp sentences show him his 
own heart: "Therefore by the deeds of the law 
there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by 
the law is the knowledge of sin. ' ' 

5. Finally, we find in this discourse an incitement 
to holiness. Those who listened to Jesus that day 
must have said to one another, ' 1 This man knows 
what he speaks, and lives what he preaches; salva- 
tion is in him !" They would not be as intelligent 
as we are, for the whole gospel had not yet been 
made clear to them. It is certain, however, that 
they would turn earnestly to him for disclosures of 
help. They would feel that, if anybody could save, 
he could. ' ' For he taught them as one having au- 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 269 



All concluded under sin. The sermon a song. 

thority, and not as the scribes. ' ' If Paul had lived 
and written earlier, some of those listeners would 
surely have quoted his words while Christ was talk- 
ing: " For what the law could not do, in that it 
was weak through the flesh, God sending his own 
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, con- 
demned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of 
the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after 
the flesh, but after the Spirit." 

We ourselves can now understand better even 
than they did the meaning of Jesus' solemn sermon. 
" But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, 
that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be 
given to them that believe." Now we know all 
God wants of us. Much as it is — oh, how fearfully 
much — we are glad that we know it all. And, 
knowing it, we learn how Jesus Christ takes up our 
hopelessness, and gives us salvation by his death. 
( 1 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring 
us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." 

Our whole attitude is changed ; we can rest on a 
Saviour to make up for our deficiencies. So there 
comes a gleam of hope in the distance. Oh, shall 
I ever be like Immanuel, the Son of God? "But 
after that faith is come, we are no longer under a 
schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God 
by faith in Christ Jesus. " 

So, to the true believer, out of the eater comes 
forth sweetness; the Sermon on the Mount becomes 
the very song of the soul. 



23* 



XXV. 



T^E HARVEST COVENANT. 

" While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and 
cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, 
shall not cease." — Genesis 8 : 22. 

It appears that trie rude ark, which bore up the 
fortunes and persons of our human race when the 
Deluge swept over the world, rested at last on the 
summit of Ararat. After the waters had subsided, 
command came for departure. 

"And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his 
wife, and his sons' wives with him: every beast, 
every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatso- 
ever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went 
forth out of the ark. And Noah builded an altar 
unto the Lord, and took of every clean beast, and 
of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings on 
the altar. And the Lord sm elled a sweet savor; 
and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again 
curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the 
imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth: 
neither will I again smite any more everything liv- 
ing, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, 
seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and sum- 
mer and winter, and day and night, shall not 
cease. ' ' 

I find in the margin of our Bible the date affixed 
to this transaction to be 2348 B. C. Easy addition 
brings out the fact that already more than four thou- 



THE HARVEST COVENANT. 2J1 



Four thousand years' test. A feeble philosophy. 

sand seasons have come and gone, each one of which 
has offered its measure of proof that divine fidelity 
has in no instance failed. Our confidence is alto- 
gether unbroken: indeed, we have come to consider 
it quite a matter of course that industry in the spring- 
time will certainly be rewarded in the autumn. 

Let us enter upon the study of the verse in some 
orderly way. There are just two lessons in the de- 
velopment of it on which I propose to dwell — prov- 
idence and purpose. And these are the customary 
admonitions that are urged every fall of the year. 
God's providence exhibits his faithfulness; and in 
this there is comfort. So his purpose exhibits his 
wisdom; and in this there is counsel. 

I. We may as well commence with this: EvERY 

HARVEST TEACHES THE FACT OF GOD'S WISE 

providence — the rule and care he exercises over 
the mysterious works of his hand even to the least 
creature. 

You know it was the remark of an ancient skep- 
tic that the Almighty made our world at first as a 
shipwright makes a vessel, and laid out upon it the 
commensurate supervision; but that was all he did 
in its behalf; he then just sent it forth to fare for 
itself among the waves of existence, reaving human 
free-will to be the further pilot and stand at the 
helm of history. There are those even in our day 
who are willing to adopt this feeble philosophy; 
who assert that they believe special providence a 
mere notion. 

Surely, while we are gratefully bringing in the 



272 STUDIES OK NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A challenge to Science. God's care of a leaf. 

sheaves of a prosperous harvest we do not need any 
serious refutation of such a statement. But it is 
curious to notice how God himself replies to it. He 
always chooses the weaker things of this world to 
confound the mightier. He plants the argument 
on a single leaf, and announces a fine challenge for 
the pride of questioning science to answer: "Who 
hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of 
waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder; to 
cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on 
the wilderness, wherein there is no man ; to satisfy 
the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the 
bud of the tender herb to spring forth ? Hath the 
rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of 
dew?" 

Imagine yourself to-day beneath a tree on the 
hillside, with these fading leaves of the autumn 
around you. Think of the interminable forests 
which one time overspread this continent where we 
dwell in luxuriant plenty, and the foliage of which 
sprang into life with a new budding each spring- 
time. See if you can count the buds which formed 
upon the branches through the "wilderness wherein 
there is no man," in the mighty centuries before 
America was discovered. 

Now the Lord told Job out of the whirlwind that 
he had watched every one of those leaves during 
all the months it fluttered in the sunshine. He 
said he had sent to it rations of rain and drops of 
enlivening dew. No eye but his ever saw it; but 
he worked with just as much patience, finishing 



THE HARVEST COVENANT. 273 



The main argument. Seedtime and harvest. 

every veinlet and blade from stem to border as per- 
fectly as if the boughs were going to be on exhibi- 
tion before the universe. So he touched the colors 
and trimmed around the edges of whole forests-full 
of foliage for four thousand years. 

And I do insist to-day that if the Almighty God 
took such amazing pains as this in the arrangement 
of his argument, and if he urged his conclusion with 
the magnificent gesticulation of a whirlwind, it must 
be worth our while to attend to him. This same 
eternal Jehovah, who led Israel through the desert 
of Sinai ; the same ineffable God, whose radiant 
presence shook the mercy-seat between the cheru- 
bim in the Holy of Holies ; the same mysterious 
Being who, before the world was spoken into exist- 
ence, occupied the throne in heaven when warring 
angels plotted to overthrow it — he it is who puts 
forth his hand in the early year to cover each tree 
with its wealth of foliage like a shadowing shroud. 
And upon that covenant of nature, fulfilled without 
one failure from creation's dawn even until now, he 
plants the whole doctrine of special providence. 

To be sure, we must add to this the continuance 
of care down to the end. I^et your imagination go 
one step farther with the feeble leaf we have been 
following in its career. It appears from another 
glance at our text that seedtime cannot claim any 
advantage over the harvest. The same hand, which 
trimmed the husks of green buds away from the 
opening blossom, presides over all the fruitful de- 
velopment, and at the last tinges the borders of the 



274 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Mazzaroth and Arcturus. " Consider the lilies." 

leaves with most wonderful pencillings of light. 
His hand shakes the boughs in the autumn, and by 
the same law that brings forth Mazzaroth in his 
season, that guides Arcturus with his sons, con- 
ducts the trembling things to their forest grave at 
the foot of the trunk they had aided to foster. God 
buries all these leaves unhelped and alone. He is 
doing this all the time, far up in sylvan solitudes 
where never the eyes of a man have glanced, where 
the brook from the mountains "sings on and skips 
on, nor knows its loneliness." It is when a Chris- 
tian contemplates such minute and delicate provi- 
dences as the covenant of nature discloses that he 
understands the extraordinary personifications of 
the ancient imagery. The whole earth seems to be 
intelligently cheerful in the companionship of its 
benefactor: "For ye shall go out with joy, and be 
led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills 
shall break forth before you into singing, and all 
the trees of the field shall clap their hands. ' ' 

The great practical force of all this any one can 
see at the first glance. Our Lord announced it in 
his Sermon on the Mount long ago: "And why 
take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies 
of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither 
do they spin; and yet I say unto you, That even 
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one 
of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of 
the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast 
into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, 
O ye of little faith?"- 



THE HARVEST COVENANT. 275 



God's definite purpose. <■ Division of labor. 

II. But now let us couple with this thought an- 
other that is with equal clearness suggested in the 
text: Every harvest teaches the fact of 
God's definite purpose, as well as God's spe- 
cial providence — the direct aim he has given to 
every one of his creatures. 

You may be surprised at a statement like this, 
for no season seems to an unthinking mind so reck- 
less and wild as the autumn. A platoon of soldiers 
firing at random would not be more promiscuously 
destructive than these harvest months appear to be. 
We have actually named them ' ' the fall of the 
year." For everything around us is just dropping 
out of service — blasted and swept away. 

To understand this you must go back to that 
principle of division of labor which men have 
adopted in their mechanical arts for greater effi- 
ciency of human skill. The labors of the year are 
distributed. God gives to each one of his creatures 
its own individual work to do. Across the plain, 
and through the forest, and over the meadow, and 
along the hillside — everywhere you find laborers 
commissioned from heaven ; not one of them imper- 
tinently trying to accomplish its neighbor's tasks, 
not one of them carelessly trying to throw off its 
own. Special results seem expected according to 
special investments of duty. Nature never made 
such a mistaken demand as to ask of the corn any- 
thing but its kernel, or of grass-spears anything 
more than their grain. Brambles are accepted 
when they bring in their berries just the same as 



2j6 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The singing voices. « Wonders underground." 

vines when they bring in their grapes. And al- 
though this whole earth has been cursed by justice 
avenging man's sin, you cannot fail, after all, to 
mark that the annual fruits have been rendered 
wondrously well. The singing voices of the har- 
vest have only one anthem to-day ; every plant and 
tree and shrub and flower lifts its own solo of as- 
cription, saying cheerfully, "I have finished the 
work which thou gavest me to do." 

Has it ever occurred to you how much the Al- 
mighty God really took in hand when he uttered 
the words of our text ? He definitely engaged that 
there should never be any deluge again, that no 
overthrow of natural law should disturb the seasons, 
and that now for all future time this planet of ours 
should behave like an obedient child to the hus- 
bandman who trusted it with grain in hope of fidel- 
ity at the harvest. Just suppose he forgot his cove- 
nant only once ! 

" Oh, how awful is the thought of the wonders underground ! 
Of the mystic changes wrought in the silent dark profound ! 
How each thing is upward tending by necessity decreed, 
And the world's support depending on the shooting of a seed !" 

One vast, magnificent purpose has kept every- 
thing in exact order during all these years of divine 
fidelity. And the single point you need to observe 
most closely is this: he has expected every one of 
his creatures to be as faithful to a purpose as he has 
been. 

Take one of the most insignificant flowers in the 



THE HARVEST COVENANT. 277 



A flower's private history. Self-sacrifice in nature. 

meadow for an illustration. Let a naturalist tell 
you of the private history it has wrought out since 
the spring opened. Let him show you how the 
leaves were held out on either side, like palms of 
two hands, just to catch the falling showers in their 
hollow; how they drew in unreckoned moisture by 
a million ducts unseen, transmitting it hastily into 
their great laboratory; how they distilled it and 
mingled and separated it and saturated it with sun- 
shine and with mould, until it was ready to be 
lodged upon the spot where it was needed as an in- 
crement of growth; how they labored on thus for 
months, till the day arrived for a supreme effort to 
give forth a blossom; and then how they borrowed 
this little substance from the soil, and received that 
little substance from the atmosphere, and commis- 
sioned fluid messengers to go down to the roots for 
help; how they mysteriously wrought with exqui- 
site skill the delicate tissues into new forms of beau- 
ty, until at last the petals and pistils came forward 
into life, and the field grew brilliant with a fresh 
flower. 

That entire meadow could go on repeating the 
lesson. Let us remember that each small spear and 
leaflet, when it found that its parent stalk no longer 
had need of it — indeed, would be better if it would 
put itself out of the way — quietly sacrificed itself 
for the general good, dropped off the stem to let 
sunshine come unhindered. So the seed — that one 
great, precious thing, the seed — had its chance to 
be fashioned and ripened to fulness and grace. 

Neglected Testa. 24 



2jS 



STUDIES CF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Aimless men- " This one thing I do." 

You may learn thus very easily, by inquiring at 
each door of existence of Science, who is keeper of 
them all, that God has given for every one of his 
creations its fixed work in the orderly round of 
effort, as well as in the narrower circles of recipro- 
cal duty. 

There are men in the walks of every-day exist- 
ence around us who have positively no aim what- 
ever to their lives. You can remember more than 
one by name, I presume, to whom wealth had fallen 
by inheritance; pampered all his days and years of 
opening manhood until he stood in virile strength, 
he held within his reach ten thousand appliances 
for good. But what was his occupation? Cease- 
less rounds of mere inane exercise. He had but 
this prayer, "Give me each day my daily bread, " 
and that was addressed to his servants, and not to 
his God. The cycle of the twelve hours was spent 
in alluring to himself pleasures whose very luxury 
made them wearisome. 

Contrast with such a life that of the earnest 
Paul, saying, as he hastens on his errands of mercy, 
' ' This one thing I do. " Purpose is what registers 
manhood. When any Christian just lays both of 
his hands to some worthy effort, and determines 
that it shall eventually be accomplished — if the 
Lord will permit — there you easily predict perfec- 
tion of force. No matter what it costs, let a man 
sacrifice external shows, as a tree surrenders beauti- 
ful leaves, in order to fashion great results. Noth- 
ing in this world is worth having unless it costs 



THE HARVEST COVENANT. 



279 



Martyrs, though no stake. What is your purpose ? 

something. Sometimes there is presented us a fine 
picture in even that sublime self-sacrifice required 
to further a good end. Many a man has lived a 
martyr without being burned at any stake. He has 
given and surrendered and toiled away out of sight, 
and then seen others go in on the honors of his suc- 
cess. God alone keeps the records of unwritten his- 
tory with accuracy. ' ' And the harvest is the end 
of the world, and the reapers are the angels. ' ' Then 
all the fruits will be hanging on the right trees. 

I am ready, my dear Christian friends, to close 
this sermon. Am I mistaken in supposing that you 
are in a thoughtful mood to-day ? You have come 
up to this house' of prayer cheerfully. Are not your 
hearts softened a little, so that you can take home 
with you a generous and devout sentiment for fu- 
ture use in meditation ! 

This rehearsal of the Covenant of Nature cannot 
fail to have kindled your minds with grateful admi- 
ration of the divine faithfulness in keeping up its 
promises for so many generations of plenty. But 
with the remembrance of God's providence ought 
also to be cherished remembrances of his purpose. 
Here alone can men even feebly imitate him. What 
are you doing from year to year ? Round what de- 
terminate purpose of good are you folding the leaves 
of your labor ? To what spiritual efforts are you 
bending your patient energies as Christian men and 
women ? Is your life thoroughly religious ? 

You are familiar with the book of Ruth. You 
call it a sweet, beautiful idyl. But in the whole of 



280 



STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A greeting for Boaz. Considering the poor. 

it you will find no verse finer than this record of a 
harvest: "And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, 
and said unto the reapers, The Lord be with you: 
and they answered him, The Lord bless thee." 
Think of it, what a flood of illustration such greet- 
ings fling upon the relations of that Eastern farmer 
Boaz with his hands ! That good-morning of his 
was, " The Lord be with you;" and their reverent 
reply was, " The Lord bless thee." Not a sign of 
cant can you discover here, nor even a touch of 
sanctimoniousness. How familiarly affectionate and 
devout must have been the terms of association be- 
tween this master and those who served him in the 
field ! 

And that leads to another suggestion. The 
Bible says this: "Blessed is he that considereth the 
poor: the Lord will deliver him in the time of trou- 
ble. ' ' Not pitieth the poor, not supporteth the poor, 
but considereth the poor; that is, cares for them, 
thinks of them, and treats them like men. You 
know how rugged, as a book for reading, Leviticus 
sometimes seems to be; but occasionally you fall 
upon some such singular passages as these among 
others: "And when ye reap the harvest of your 
land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy 
field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy 
harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, 
neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vine- 
yard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stran- 
ger: I am the Lord your God. When thou cuttest 
down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a 



THE HARVEST COVENANT. 28l 



The Israelite law. "The Gospel of Leviticus." 

sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch 
it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and 
for the widow: that the LyOrd thy God may bless 
thee in all the work of thine hands. When thou 
beatest thine olive-tree, thou shalt not go over the 
boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the 
fatherless, and for the widow. When thou gather- 
est the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean 
it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the 
fatherless, and for the widow. And thou shalt 
remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of 
Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing." 

How kind and gentle this is ! There is actually 
a poetic beauty in it. It is like that sunshiny smile 
we mark on the face of a laboring-man when the 
hesitant nurse has ventured to let him fondle his 
firstborn babe in his burly hands. Such verses must 
be those which old Thomas Berridge called ( 1 the 
Gospel of Leviticus." 

And then once more: if God is so faithful to the 
Covenant of Nature, what shall narrow our confi- 
dence in him under the Covenant of Grace ? For 
he has chosen the same forms of speech in them 
both: u For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: 
for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should 
no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I 
would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. 
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from 
heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the 
earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it 
may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 

24* 



28a STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A garnerful of souls. A strain passed in silence. 

so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my 
mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall 
accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper 
in the thing whereto I sentit. ' ' 

In our ordinary church life, as the summer is 
the harvest-time for the granary, so the winters are 
the harvest-time for the L/ord. Oh, how I wish this 
season might bring us in a garnerful of souls ! 

It is a pathetic tale to tell, but I do not vouch 
for its absolute truth, that once a famous composer 
wrote a great anthem to be sung at a festival. He 
sought to picture the scenes of the final judgment, 
and introduced a strain of music representing the 
solemn lamentations of the lost. But no singer was 
found willing to take such a part. So the wailings 
and woes were omitted; and when the passage was 
reached, the leader simply beat the time in silence 
till the awful chasm was passed, and the musicians 
took up gloriously the strains of celestial unison 
lying on the other side of it, ' ' The shout of them 
that triumph, and the song of them who feast. ' ' 

Oh, that in our Song of the Seasons this year 
there might be found not so much as one to sing 
that solemn habitual strain, 1 1 The harvest is past, 
the summer is ended, and we are not saved. ' ' 



XXVI. 



FIGHTING BEASTS AT EPHESUS. 

"If after the manner of men I HAVE fought with beasts 
at Ephesus, what advantageth it me?" — i Corinthians 15:32. 

IT would be greatly to the satisfaction of our 
curiosity if we could mention exactly what was the 
historic form of trial which the Apostle Paul under- 
went in the old city of Ephesus. He says he fought 
with beasts. It is quite true that one of the most 
common and most severe methods of persecution 
employed by the imperial tyrants of those days was 
to condemn the faithful Christians to engage wild 
animals of the most savage sort in the arenas where 
professional gladiators had been wont hitherto to 
furnish brutal exhibitions for popular amusement. 
And there is an interpretation of this passage which 
insists that Paul was once compelled to fight liter- 
ally with wild beasts, being driven into a theatre 
wherein the infuriated creatures had been let loose, 
half maddened by long previous starvation in their 
dens. 

Indeed, imagination has caught up the story, 
and given us many of its details. There is on rec- 
ord in one of the early historical volumes, compiled 
in a marvel-loving age that flourished among myths 
and dim traditions, a tale containing all the partic- 
ulars of this terrible exposure and admirable tri- 
umph of the apostle. From this we learn that he 



284 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The ancient tradition. Figure, not fact. 

braved the beasts most dauntlessly in the attack; 
and, while the andienee waited to see him torn in 
pieces, he suddenly invoked the powerful interposi- 
tion of high heaven with a wonderful gesture of his 
outstretched hand. The suppliant animals refused 
to do him harm. Ljons came cringing to his feet, 
and, like so many tame dogs, began licking his 
wounds where the scourge-blows had broken the 
skin. This would be interesting, if it were true. 

It so happens that we have in a letter written to 
these same Corinthians a complete catalogue of 
Paul's sufferings. He even arranges them in spe- 
cific classes, as if an arithmetical enumeration of 
persecutions would be impressive. And fighting in 
the arena is not so much as mentioned among them. 
He counts he was three times beaten with rods, five 
times scourged, stoned once, shipwrecked on three 
occasions; he adds that he was in perils from his 
own nation and from the heathen, in the cities and 
in the wilderness, on land and on sea, among false 
brethren and among robbers; but he nowhere inti- 
mates that he was ever forced into conflict with the 
beasts of the amphitheatre in Bphesus or anywhere 
else in his life. 

We understand this text, therefore, as taking its 
figurative form from one of the most familiar spec- 
tacles which met him on his journeys, and as de- 
scribing in most vivid simile some violent opposi- 
tions into which he was thrust with men — men as 
hungry for his destruction as wild beasts might be 
conceived to be for his blood. 



FIGHTING BEASTS AT EPHKSUS. 285 



The Ephesian silversmiths. " Pressed out of measure." 

Now, turning to the Acts, where the circum- 
stances of his stay within the precincts of Ephesus 
have been related by Luke, we discover that his 
quarrel was with certain silversmiths, who made 
their living by the sale of shrines for the goddess 
Diana. The earliest result of the preaching of 
Christ by the apostle was to break the entire confi- 
dence of the common people in all forms of idola- 
try ; and so the regular trade languished. This 
these craftsmen indignantly resented, and their in- 
fluence was sufficient to excite a riot over the whole 
city. The mob rushed to the theatre, and with ut- 
most uproar, very like that of unintelligent beasts, 
worked off their passion in simply shouting, for two 
entire hours without intermission, their poor little 
creed, " Great is Diana of the Kphesians !" 

That the apostle was in utmost danger at the 
time is evident from the allusion he makes in the 
commencement of his second letter: " For we would 
not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble 
which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out 
of measure, above strength, insomuch that we de- 
spaired even of life : but we had the sentence of 
death in ourselves, that we should not trust in our- 
selves, but in God which raiseth the dead: who de- 
livered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: 
in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us: ye 
also helping together by prayer for us, that for the 
gift bestowed upon us by the means of many per- 
sons, thanks may be given by many on our behalf. ? 1 

With such an interpretation of the words, then, 



286 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



What good does fighting do ? One's " soul among lions." 

you see that the question of the text comes legiti- 
mately within the reach of every Christian put un- 
der severe conflict. Even Paul did not crave this 
fierceness of resistance, unless some profit was to be 
gained from it in the end. When any good man is 
forced into a fight, the instinct of neighbors is to 
say to him, Now stand your ground: do be a man: 
flinch at nothing: hold your own ! Meanwhile the 
man himself would fain ask, in the brief intervals 
of breathing- time, But what sort of good does it do? 
1 ' If after the manner of men I have fought with 
beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me?" 

For example: suppose a Christian has become 
in any such form or measure the representative of 
a principle that he has raised up for himself ene- 
mies and is now beleagured with foes. Suppose 
him to be as hardly beset as was the Psalmist, when 
he cried out sadly, ' ' My soul is among lions : and I 
lie even among them that are set on fire, even the 
sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and 
their tongue a sharp sword. ' ' In such a stress, what 
is he to do ? When one is beneath the weight of 
slander; when he feels the malignant fire and strife 
of tongues, and yet knows at the moment that he 
holds in the secrecy of his own possession some doc- 
uments or some evidences which would clear his 
case and bring him triumph, surely it requires more 
of grace than ordinary men have to remain tranquil 
and await the slow developments of divine provi- 
dence. What good does it do to fight ? 

Now and then, too, we find a person under deep 



FIGHTING BEASTS AT EPHESUS. 287 



The sea beating a rock-ledge. Caroline Fry. 

agitation and conflict from some old memory of pain, 
or bereavement, or betrayal, which will not be laid 
in peace. Many lives there are — brave and patient, 
for all their appearance of nnrest — which have spent 
forlorn years in trying to overcome some vast sor- 
row, as the sea does when it rolls and sobs and 
moans against the rock-ledge that it is never able 
to melt. Oh, how easy it is to talk of affliction, 
how easy to weep tears, and repeat beautiful verses 
of hymns ! But men have not yet known the mean- 
ing of mourning, until they have ceased to whisper 
about it — until they have walked the street in the 
midnight alone, and cried out in pain for a face that 
was hidden, and sighed aloud for a heart that was 
still. Not a shadow between the Christian's face 
and God's, mind you: the fight is not there. The 
wild beasts are in your own unhealed heart, broken 
years ago ! 

Suppose, once more, that these terrible conflicts 
are the inevitable offspring of our temperament, our 
disposition, the remaining corruptions of our na- 
ture. I^et me call your attention to that most in- 
structive incident which has been quoted from the 
biography of Caroline Fry. While one time very 
ill, she was told that she was likely now to die; at 
the best her hours were to be very few. She re- 
plied instantly and with fervor that she hoped she 
might die soon and suddenly. Afterwards she 
learned that this answer had struck some listeners 
with surprise. So she wrote thus: " As many will 
hear, and will not understand why I want no time 



288 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A sudden death. A heavy sense of sin. 

of preparation, often desired by those far holier than 
I, I will tell you why, and shall tell others, and so 
shall you. It is not because I am so holy, but be- 
cause I am so sinful. The peculiar character of my 
religious experience has always been a deep, an ag- 
onizing sense of sin; the sin of yesterday, of to-day, 
confessed with anguish hard to be endured and cries 
for pardon that could not be unheard ; each day 
cleansed anew in Jesus' blood, and each day more 
and more hateful in mine own sight. What can I 
do in death that I have not done in life? What can 
I do during this week, when I am told I cannot 
live, other than I did last week when I knew it 
not ? Alas, there is but one thing left undone — to 
serve him better; and the death-bed is no place for 
that: therefore I say, if I am not ready now, I shall 
not be by delay, so far as I have to do with it: if 
the Lord has more to do in me, that is his part; I 
need not beseech him not to spoil his work by too 
much haste." A few days later, just before she did 
die, she added further this sentence: " I wish there 
should be no mistake about the reason of my desire 
to depart and be with, Christ: I confess myself the 
vilest, chiefest of sinners: I desire to go to him that 
I may be rid of the burden of my sin, the sin of my 
nature; not the past, repented of every day, but the 
present hourly, momentary sin, which I do commit 
or which I can commit, the very sense of which 
does at times drive me almost half mad with grief.' ' 
Now while many a Christian will pronounce 
such an experience morbid, there will be some who 



FIGHTING BEASTS AT EPHESUS. 289 



" Its own bitterness." A manly reminiscence. 

will appreciate it fully. So of almost all these we 
have indicated. Bvery heart knoweth its own bit- 
terness ; it may not understand that of other hearts 
quite as well. The question returns, If after the 
manner of men Christians fight beasts within and 
without, what advantage is such conflict to them? 
It so happens that the inquiry has a right noble 
answer. 

1. First of all, there is the fine possession of a 
manly reminiscence. We always have a high respect 
for a difficulty we have actually surmounted. We 
love to cherish some little secret of success, so that 
(if we would) we might make a riddle out of it, as 
Samson did after he had found some honey in the 
lion's carcass. Evermore there remains deep in our 
hearts the joyous consciousness for once at least of 
having stood true when under fire. Let the world 
gibe, we know now that we are not cowards. And 
in our prayers we can repeat the Psalmist's words, 
' ' For by thee I have run through a troop, and by 
my God have I leaped over a wall." 

2. Then there is also the advantage of a quickened 
growth in grace. In all processes of advancement in 
real piety there is something to be taken away and 
something to be attained. Spiritual egotism must 
be rooted out earliest, for only with self-renuncia- 
tion can the divine life so much as begin. True 
grace thrives best after the last remnant of our con- 
ceit is gone. Then a Christian actually pities and 
prays for and loves his tormentors; like the wood- 
man's sandal-tree accepting the axe, he pours forth 

Negleeterl Texts. 2 ^ 



290 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Burkitt's experience. The " three mighty men." 

the best odors of his heart even on the sharp edge 
of the accusation which wounds him. The devout 
Burkitt has left behind him the record in his private 
journal that there were certain persons whom he 
knew who, for the injuries they had done him, first 
found place in his prayers. Conflict makes men 
sober and thoughtful; then it makes them gentle 
and kind; then it makes them forbearing and char- 
itable. 

3. Such qualities are full of force: so again, there 
must be reckoned advantage from conflict in the 
power it brings for leadei'ship among men. When any 
great stress is on the community, it generally shows 
quite soon who are fitted for command. Men trust 
the veterans from hard-fought fields. Let me read 
to you a story from the Chronicles of Israel; it will 
teach you how men believe in men. 

' ' And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of 
Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up 
his spear against three hundred, and slew them, and 
had the name among three. Was he not most hon- 
orable of three ? therefore he was their captain : 
howbeit he attained not unto the first three. And 
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant 
man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew 
two lionlike men of Moab : he went down also and 
slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow. 
And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the 
Egyptian had a spear in his hand ; but he went 
down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out 
of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own 



FIGHTING BEASTS AT EPHESUS. 291 



David and Saul. Fellowship with Christ. 

spear. These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoi- 
ada, and had the name among three mighty men. ' ' 

The truth is, the world knows its heroes and he- 
roines when it does happen to find them, and pro- 
nounces upon their merits. But let me read to you 
again an old and familiar story ; and so we shall 
learn how character is deepened, how champions in 
needy times are made. 

"And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart 
fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight 
with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou 
art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with 
him : for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war 
from his youth. And David said unto Saul, Thy 
servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a 
lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 
and I went out after him and smote him, and deliv- 
ered it out of his mouth : and when he arose against 
me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and 
slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the 
bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as 
one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the 
living God. David said moreover, The Lord that 
delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of 
the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the 
hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, 
Go, and the Lord be with thee. ' ' 

4. Then, likewise, there is advantage derived 
from this fact: conflict brings the believer into fellow- 
ship with Jesus Christ, the Apostle and High Priest 
of our profession. Therein is inspiration. "For 



292 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 

" Contradiction of sinners." The heavenly outlook. 

consider him that endured such contradiction of 
sinners against himself, lest ye he wearied and faint 
in your minds." Those who are persecuted for 
Christ's sake receive precisely what he received: 
the disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant 
above his Lord. Hence the apostle speaks plainly, 
" Rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's 
sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, 
ye may be glad with exceeding joy. " 

5. Finally, let us remember that conflict with 
earthly beasts renders more luminously welcome the 
heavenly outlook. Among those fine predictions that 
are given to encourage our hearts, one verse appears 
with this same similitude: " No lion shall be there, 
nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall 
not be found there. ' ' Hence, all that other life will 
be peace and rest and satisfaction. 

Just here a comment upon the text itself may be 
needful. As it stands in the chapter, it seems to be 
connected with the entire argument for the resur- 
rection of the body: " If the dead rise not:" but it 
is better to link this clause with what comes after. 
Thus: "If the dead rise not, let us eat and drink, 
for to-morrow we die." The thought will be the 
same, no matter which way the words are taken. 
Paul argues the resurrection from a score of sources; 
and we have been assuming it as a proved doctrine 
from the beginning. If the dead rise not, the fight- 
ing with beasts is indeed folly; these advantages all 
assume the gladness of that other life for reward. 

Especially this one we are dwelling upon now. 



FIGHTING BEASTS AT EPHESUS. 293 



Pilgrims in Beulah-land. Mr. Valiant-for-truth. 

After this unceasing worry and weariness of conten- 
tion, then comes peace, peace ! How pitiful will the 
price seem which now appears so hard in present 
payment ! How welcome will the quiet seem after 
the battle has been fought, and when the victors 
come forward to receive crowns ! 

I like sometimes to read over those wonderful 
speeches which John Bunyan puts in the mouth of 
his pilgrims in the Beulah-land: "After this it was 
noised abroad that Mr. Valiant-for-truth was taken 
with a summons by the same post as the other, and 
had this for a token that the summons was true, 
that his pitcher was broken at the fountain. When 
he understood it, he called for his friends, and told 
them of it. Then said he, ' I am going to my Fa- 
ther's; and though with great difficulty I have got 
hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble 
I have been at to arrive where I am. My sword I 
give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, 
and my courage and skill to him that can get it. 
My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a wit- 
ness for me that I have fought his battles who will 
now be my reward er. ' When the day that he must 
go hence was come, many accompanied him to the 
river-side, into which as he went he said, 1 Death, 
where is thy sting ?' And as he went down deeper 
he said, 'Grave, where is thy victory?' So he 
passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him 
on the other side. ' ' 



25* 



XXVII. 



THE SIGH OF JESUS. 
"And looking up to heaven, he sighed."— Mark 7:34. 

It lias been recorded that our Lord Jesus Christ 
while on the earth "marvelled" twice: once at the 
greatness of a man's faith (Matt. 8 : 10), and once 
at the greatness of the lack of faith (Mark 6 : 6). 
Twice, also, it is said that he "groaned:" once at 
a man's death (John 11 : 33), and once at the same 
man's resurrection (John 11 : 38). And twice we 
read that he "sighed:" once when he denied a mir- 
acle (Mark 8:12), and once w T hen he wrought one 
(Mark 7 : 34). Of all the disciples Simon Peter 
alone, who is supposed to have given the facts of 
his Gospel to Mark, seems to have noticed and re- 
membered this. 

I. The general study of the story would furnish 
several very excellent and edifying lessons suggest- 
ed by our Lord's action in working this miracle 
upon the shore of Decapolis. 

1. We might note, earliest, the wide reach of 
the Master's zeal: "And again, departing from the 
coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the Sea of 
Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapo- 
lis." Jesus had just come from Tyre and Sidon, 
clear across in a heathen land; he was now in the 
midst of some Greek settlements on the eastern 
shore of the Sea of Tiberias. We see how he ap- 
pears thus going upon a foreign mission. 



THE SIGH OF JESUS. 



295 



Need of friendly offices. Ingenuity of real sympathy. 

2. Then, next, we might dwell upon the need 
of friendly offices in apparently hopeless cases. 
4 ' And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and 
had an impediment in his speech; and they be- 
seech him to put his hand upon him." At least 
two very important things these neighbors or com- 
rades did for the dumb stammerer who was healed 
that day: they "bring," and they "beseech." We 
do not see how he could have reached his divine 
Helper or made known his wants without their as- 
sistance. 

3. We might also mention, just here, the manip- 
ulations of our Saviour as illustrating the ingenuity 
of real sympathy. 4 1 And he took him aside from 
the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and 
he spit, and touched his tongue." It appears to 
have been a matter of care with Jesus that he should 
so vary his forms of procedure in working these 
many miracles that people should never come to 
think he had any fixed or indispensable method of 
cure. In this case surely he employed the most 
commonplace and simple means for help. 

4. Even better still is our next lesson: we ob- 
serve our Lord's respect for every one's private re- 
serves of experience. ' ' And he took him aside from 
the multitude privately." In order to avoid the 
conspicuousness of the action, he led this stranger 
away from the observation of the crowd. No doubt 
he wished the man to feel that he owed everything 
he received to this Galilean friend he had found. 
Jesus' performance was so very strange that it re- 



296 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



A soul's reserve. Risks of high attainment. 

quired an almost childlike trust in a stranger, for 
one to suffer himself to be put in such circumstan- 
ces, and remain content while a bodily infirmity 
like this should be treated. We shall surely do bet- 
ter always, when we bring souls to the Saviour, if 
we respect the delicacy of their organization, and 
take them aside. 

5. Now we notice the naturalness of all great 
services of good. 4 1 And looking up to heaven, he 
sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be 
opened." The lesson which we learned before, 
when Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus, is re- 
peated here : at the supremely majestic moments 
of his life our Lord became simpler in utterance 
and behavior than at any other time. He fell 
back on the sweet and pathetic speech of his mo- 
ther-tongue. 

6. Again : we learn here the risks of every high 
and new attainment. c ' And his ears were opened, 
and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he spake 
plain. And he charged them that they should tell 
no man: but the more he charged them, so much 
the more a great deal they published it. And they 
were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath 
done all things well: he maketh even the deaf to 
hear, and the dumb to speak." Imagination might 
be suffered to have a little indulgence, as we think 
of this deaf and dumb man so suddenly permitted 
to speak and to hear. What will he do with his 
gifts ? He will be sure to hear some things now, in 
the unsuspecting companies who used to know him, 



THE SIGH OF JESUS. 



297 



What deaf men escape. Why did Jesus sigh ? 

which, will hardly be to his edification. Before his 
relatives are accustomed to remembering that he can 
listen, they will blurt out some of the old comments 
upon his behavior. Deaf men lose a great deal, no 
doubt; some things they could afford to lose. And 
it comes to light in this story, also, that the fresh 
gift of articulate speech was rather abused by the 
man himself. His benefactor had some reasons for 
wishing the matter kept quiet. We feel that the 
dumb man strained his privilege of talking. 

II. The singular peculiarity of this story, howev- 
er, is what might be made the subject of more ex- 
tended remark in a homiletic treatment. Three 
things meet us in their turn. 

1. A question stands at the beginning: Why did 
our Ivord sigh when he was looking up to heaven ? 
We are surprised in an instance like this, for the 
occasion was such as that we should expect him to 
rejoice, rather than grow melancholy. He was at 
that moment about to confer a favor of the greatest 
magnitude, and relieve a trouble of the longest con- 
tinuance. Every one is aware of the pleasure it 
gives to bring cure to a chronic weakness, or give a 
hope in the place of a humiliation. Somehow our 
Saviour seems depressed, and we look for a reason. 
But in the narrative there is furnished not even so 
much as a hint for our help. It is always difficult 
for any one to analyse the inner experience of Jesus 
to any degree that is satisfactory, because he brings 
it up to the surface of revelation so rarely. Possi- 
bly that is exactly why we prise so very much the 



298 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Ejaculatory prayer. Some conjectures. 

occasions on which he permits us to look into his 
heart and understand him. 

2. We are left in this case to conjecture. And, in 
a general way, perhaps it would be enough to say- 
that there was something like an ejaculatory prayer 
in this sigh of Jesus' soul; but, more likely, there 
was in it the outbreathing of sad and weary sympa- 
thy with the suffering of a fallen race like ours. 

It may be he sighed because there was so much 
trouble in the world everywhere. What the Old 
Testament deemed characteristic of the Messiah, the 
New Testament deemed important enough to quote 
and apply directly to Jesus: "Himself took our in- 
firmities, and bare our sicknesses." It seemed im- 
possible for him to go or to be anywhere without 
their bringing hopeless invalids up to him. 

It may be he sighed because there were many 
who made such poor work in dealing with their 
trouble. Men and women are not very brave in 
bearing pain. They are never extraordinarily in- 
genious in finding alleviations or extrications. Most 
afflicted people think they have a wider claim and 
a deeper suffering than anybody ever had except 
Jeremiah, whom they quote: "Is it nothing to you, 
all ye that pass by ? behold, and see if there be any 
sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, 
wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of 
his fierce anger. ' y 

It may be he sighed because he could not alto- 
gether alleviate the trouble he found. Some wor- 
ries were quite beyond the reach of his power. He 



THE SIGH OF JESUS. 



299 



Alleviation sometimes impossible. Trouble starts with sin. 

did not come to change the course of human affairs. 
Men are free agents; Jesus could not keep drunkards 
from killing themselves with strong drink if they 
would do it. It was not his errand on earth to 
crush in order to constrain. Afflictions are disci- 
plines, and our Lord had no commission to abolish 
them. He came bringing the gospel, which in its 
own way would give relief ; but for some things his 
tenderness would have to wait.* So he must stand 
by and see those in tears and pain whom he tenderly 
loved. In the case of Mary and Martha his sympa- 
thy was so keen that he wept just as they did. 

It may be he sighed because the trouble he met 
always had its origin and its aggravation in sin. 
This was the one thing which his adorable Father 
hated, and against which he was a "consuming 
fire." If men were obedient, there would be less 
worry. All those people that Jesus found in the 
cities of Phoenicians and Greeks, as well as all that 
he knew in his own land, were condemned by the 
holy law of his Father. They were living in defi- 
ance of his commandments day by day. He was 
trying to compel them to perceive this. But his 
parables hardened them. 

It may be he sighed because so few persons were 
willing to forsake the sins which made the trouble. 
He said once plainly, "Ye will not come unto me 
that ye might have life. " There was room for 
them in the love of a pardoning God. It strikes 
even us that the generation he found was singu- 
larly unamiable and unapproachable. But thought- 



300 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Marius at Carthage. We need to "sigh" more. 

ful Christians wonder, after all, whether it was any 
worse than this of onrs. Greater light will fasten 
deeper responsibility, and onr light is very bright. 

It may be he sighed because the spectacle of a 
ruined and rebellious world saddened him. When 
the old prophet came back from captivity and found 
Jerusalem in fragments; when Marius returned and 
sat down among the broken stones of Carthage, we 
are not surprised to be told that they wept, though 
both were brave men. But these give but feeble 
illustration of the passionate mourning of * soul 
which must have swept over the mind and heart of 
Jesus, who knew what this earth had been when it 
came forth pure from the creating hand of his Fa- 
ther. No wonder he walked heavily depressed and 
mournful all through his career. 

3. It is time to end conjecture, and come at once 
now to the admonition we find here in the story. 
We need not lose our pertinent instruction in the 
picturesqueness of the scene; the rather, it may be 
hoped that the counsels will gain force. 

^Christians need more "sighs." There was a 
day when Jehovah sent an angel with an ink-horn 
by his side through Jerusalem, to set a mark upon 
the foreheads of those who, in their sad hearts, kept 
up a great, masterful, pitiful yearning for sinners' 
conversion, and a cry against the abominations of 
sin. 

Christians must follow sighs with more "look- 
ing up to heaven." They are "a royal priest- 
hood," and they have an office of intercession to 



THE SIGH OF JESUS. 



301 



Sighing is praying. " Sighing shall flee away." 

exercise. The church will prosper when the Sa- 
viour sees that ' 1 the priests sigh, ' ' and ' ' all the 
people sigh," and keep asking, " See, O Lord, and 
consider. " " The ways of Zion do mourn, because 
none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are 
desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, 
and she is in bitterness. All her people sigh, they 
seek bread; they have given their pleasant things 
for meat to relieve the soul: see, O Lord, and con- 
sider; for I am become vile." 

Christians may cheer themselves with the pros- 
pect of a new life in which sighing shall be neither 
needed nor known. The Saviour shall then have 
seen of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. 
" Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the 
ears of the deaf shall be unstopped: then shall the 
lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the 
dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break 
out, and streams in the desert. And the ransomed 
of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with 
songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads: they 
shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sigh- 
ing shall flee away. ' 1 



Neglected Texts. 



2-6 



XXVIII. 



FOUR PATRIARCHS. 

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but 
NOW commandeth all men everywhere to repent." — Acts 
17 : 30. 

Most of us remember the year in which many 
Christians, the world over, were occupied with 
studying the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and 
Joseph. It may be worth while to group together 
the stories of these great men, in order to quiet a 
few misgivings which have arisen. It cannot be 
doubted that the general necessities of the case re- 
quired teachers to put a great deal of real praise, 
first and last, upon the character of each patriarch 
as it passed into analysis. At the same time, most 
of us will admit that we found a considerable num- 
ber of knotty questions to answer. Specially, the 
details of immoral actions committed have cost us 
no little discussion with our classes all along the 
way. 

I. What are these sins of the patriarchs ? Will 
they amount to much when examined in the light 
of a devout scholarship ? 

Take, for example, the prevarication recorded of 
Abram in the twelfth chapter of Genesis: there we 
are told that "the Father of the Faithful " actually 
lied, and forced Sarai his wife to lie; and then 
reaped the advantage of his and her dishonor in 
gifts of oxen, sheep, and camels. Nor was that the 



FOUR PATRIARCHS. 



303 



The sins of the patriarchs. Historic facts. 

end of it. Not content with a wrong so disastrous 
with Pharaoh, he repeated the experiment after- 
wards with Abimelech. He proclaimed that his 
wife was his sister, and so exposed her to tempta- 
tion and insulting proposals from the king of Gerar. 
Now, while we were studying that wonderful illus- 
tration of obedience in the offering of Isaac, we 
were obliged to remember that Abraham's life 
would have rounded out better if only he had 
always been straightforward in his speech. 

Then, it does seem singular that Isaac must be 
caught perpetrating the same folly-stricken crime 
in the same way. Ninety-four years had passed, 
and now this second patriarch tells Abimelech that 
his wife is his sister, as did his father before him. 
It is quite possible that such falsehood escapes se- 
verer animadversion, because we are more arrested, 
in this tame life of Isaac, by the behavior of his two 
sons in that birthright affair. Even this suggests 
great weakness. Rebekah surely was in the con- 
spiracy outwitting Esau; and we cannot help be- 
lieving that all the career of those young men was 
warped by lack of proper control from their easy- 
going parents. One feels inclined to repeat in re- 
gard to Isaac the solemn arraignment that after- 
wards was made of the priest EH: " For I have told 
him that I will judge his house for ever for the ini- 
quity which he knoweth ; because his sons made 
themselves vile, and he restrained them not. ' ' 

As Jacob began, he continued. His biography 
is a connected rehearsal of untrue words and unfair 



304 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Joseph's prevarication. A sin is a sin. 

dealings. He stole his brother's blessing, and he 
tricked Laban out of his profit in the sheep. He 
forgot his early covenant. He indulged in a selfish 
partiality for Rachel's son. It has been a profound 
embarrassment for honest teachers to show how the 
Lord could choose such a man for so splendid a 
place in the infinite plans by which he was moving 
the race. 

Next in the worn* ing line came Joseph ; he 
called his brothers 1 1 spies, ' ' although he knew they 
told the truth when they protested they were - 1 true 
men." He charged Judah with coming to "see 
the nakedness of the land, ' ' when he was perfectly 
intelligent concerning their errand to ' ' buy food. 1 1 
He thrust Simeon into prison on a lying accusation; 
he caused his cup to be put in Benjamin's sack, in 
order that he might arraign him for the theft of it 
afterwards. 

Our trouble with all these commonplace matters 
has been their pettiness. While we were talking 
about such great leading personages, it was pitiable 
to have to pause and tell those conscientious chil- 
dren they must respect them all in despite of their 
meannesses. 

II. What are we to do with these historic facts 
when there is raised a question of morals? Are 
there any principles on which we may rest for some 
sort of satisfactory explanation ? 

i. For one thing, let us make no hesitation in 
pronouncing a sin to be a sin. For even a patri- 
arch, it is not right to lie, or to deceive, or to cheat, 



FOUR PATRIARCHS. 



" Fatal imposture of words." The Bible non-committal. 

or to make a false accusation. It cannot be neces- 
sary to employ what old Dr. South has named 4 ' the 
fatal imposture of words." What is not right is 
wicked: "Woe unto them who call evil good, and 
good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for 
darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for 
bitter. ' ' It has nowhere been revealed that we, in 
these later days of human history, are set at the task 
of defending those venerable servants of Jehovah 
from the buzzing of critics. But surely, if we 
attempt to perform it, the most ungracious method 
of procedure we could invent would be the denial of 
moral quality to the acts they exhibited. Our duty 
is to find out for ourselves and for others the real 
law of holy living, and then set all our energies into 
exercise in trying by Christ's grace to reach obedi- 
ence to it. The poorest of occupations for a man 
bound to the judgment is apologizing for sin. We 
can endure these imperfections if the Almighty 
endured them. 

2. Then again: we must notice, and call others 
to notice, how non-committal the Bible is at times; 
it never approves these recorded instances of un- 
righteous dealing. See what discrimination was 
observed in the case of Abraham's second prevari- 
cation. No comforting comment is made upon his 
ingenuity; but Abimelech is actually excused from 
blame: "And God said Unto him in a dream, Yea, 
I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy 
heart." So no extenuation is offered for Sarai or 
her husband; the most we can discover is a charita- 

26* 



306 STUDIES OK NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



God keeping silence. Righteous retributions. 

ble reserve. Indeed, we feel that the end is not at 
hand: Abraham will hear about this again. The 
whole story compels one to think of that high chal- 
lenge in the fiftieth Psalm : ' ' These things hast 
thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that 
I was altogether such an one as thyself; but I will 
reprove thee and set them in order before thine 
eyes." Such a verse as this needs study. Men in- 
fer that God is weak or unheeding, because they 
themselves condone a wrong when it appears politic 
to pass it by. But evidently when God says noth- 
ing about wickedness, he is waiting in his anger 
for the time of reckoning yet to come. I know 
nothing among all the disclosures of the Old Testa- 
ment more awful than this dark warning in the 
silence of God. " Some men's sins are open before- 
hand, going before to judgment; and some men they 
follow after. ' ' 

3. And this leads us to notice, in the third place, 
that some help of exposition may be gained from 
the accounts of retributions received for these sins. 
They were not left altogether unpunished. Think 
of Abram's shame when he found that " the Lord 
plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues 
because of Sarai, Abram's wife." Remember the 
' ' grief of mind ' ' Isaac and Rebekah had over the 
hateful "daughters of Heth" Esau brought into 
the family. Mark that poetic justice revealed when 
Jacob is made to pour out his ill-gotten wealth, like 
life-blood from his veins, to propitiate his Kdomite 
brother, his costly presents wet with his bitterest 



FOUR PATRIARCHS. 



307 



The early standard. Casuistry unsettled. 

tears. Recall the passionate vexation of Joseph 
because his firstborn, Mauasseh, was disinherited in 
favor of Bphraim. In almost all cases recorded in 
the Pentateuch, one might find that sin eventually 
reached its limit and then found retribution. This 
is what the verse I have quoted means at the end : 
" I will reprove thee, and set them " — the sins com- 
mitted, that is — " in order before thine eyes." 

4. Once more : may we not even go so far as to 
admit that the standard of moral behavior was 
slightly different in those early ages? Men are to 
be judged according to the light they have. Real 
right is always the same, but the revelation of right 
was not then as clear as it is now, under the New 
Testament. It certainly seems charitable to remem- 
ber that the education of the world has been ad- 
vanced on the usual plan— line upon line, and pre- 
cept upon precept. Men were taught and forborne 
with, and led along like children, all through the 
Old Testament. Paul says, ' ' The law was a school- 
master to bring us unto Christ. ' y Even now, what 
we call in ethics ' ' The Law of Veracity ' ' is not 
settled. Casuists differ about "The Law of Lib- 
erty. " " The Law of Property ' ' could not have 
been respected intelligently, while the principle of 
retaliation was tolerated in the common statute. 
These four patriarchs stood at the head of the age 
in which they lived; but the age was backward. 
They ought to be called great men ; but they would 
have been greater if these sins had never been com- 
mitted. Are we not told in this text of ours that 



3o3 STUDIES OE NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Imperfect agents. The principle of availability. 

once in history there were "times of ignorance" 
which even God 1 1 winked at " ? 

5. As to the divine selection of such imperfect 
creatures for agents in the plan of redemption, we 
are at liberty to insist upon the principle that God 
always chooses men for availability, and not for 
goodness. He brings forward this one here, and 
that one there, in order to accomplish his purpose; 
he grounds his preference upon their fitness to com- 
pass his ends. So in our analysis of scriptural char- 
acter, we ought to look for the better qualities — 
Abraham's faith, Isaac's devoutness, Jacob's energy, 
Joseph's prudence — and other things like these, if 
we ask why God put such men in leading positions. 
If we go on looking always for virtue, seeking inva- 
riably for perfectness, and searching for striking 
evidences of sainthood in the divinely-chosen in- 
struments of history, we shall often be simply disap- 
pointed. For God seems to have desired servicea- 
bleness, and to have condescended to employ imper- 
fect and faulty men. 

6. Finally, we can press the principle without 
limit that every man is now to be judged in the 
clearness of a greater light of revelation than ever 
before. It is no use to say for an excuse, 1 ( A patri- 
arch did this or that;" we might as well cry out that 
on one occasion Paul showed ill-temper, and on one 
occasion Peter solemnly denied his Lord. 1 1 What 
is that to thee? Follow thou me." The historic 
characters of Scripture were never set up for our 
patterns. "Who art thou that judgest another 



FOUR PATRIARCHS. 



309 



Christiana of Sweden. Our greater light. 

man's servant? To his own master he standeth or 
falleth. " It is a foolish waste of valuable time to 
sit criticising men that lived as long before Christ 
as we have lived since ; we had better look at our- 
selves. We ought to be far better than these patri- 
archs. Christiana of Sweden wrote wisely: "Con- 
science is the only looking-glass that never deceives 
nor flatters." A calm contemplation of our own 
imperfection will prove that we have something 
more profitable to do than carping at Jacob's tricks 
or Abraham's follies: "The times of this ignorance 
God winked at, but now commandeth all men 
everywhere to repent. ' ' 

With the path of life drawn plain and straight 
before our vision, and the sunshine of the gospel 
over it, clear and crystal, it may be that in the final 
judgment one false thought will count for more than 
Abram's prevarication, one polite "fib in society" 
for more than Joseph's mistaken policy with his 
brethren, one vengeful wish in our hearts for more 
than those crimes which led to David's struggles of 
penitence and contrition in theftfty-first Psalm. 



XXIX. 



THE THRONE AND THE RAINBOW. 

"And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in 
SIGHT LIKE UNTO AN emerald." — Revelation 4:3. 

It is evident that heaven itself was more than 
once actually exhibited to the apostle John in the 
Isle of Patmos. A fact so extraordinary cannot be 
lightly passed by. If it be lawful for him to tell 
what he saw, and for us to listen, then surely the 
Apocalypse will prove one of the most profitable 
books in the Bible for study. 

We must discriminate concerning the chapters. 
On one occasion we find he is bidden to record his 
visions for an especial transmission to the churches: 
1 1 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the 
things which are, and the things which shall be 
hereafter." On another occasion we find he is 
checked peremptorily just as he is about to put his 
pen to paper: " And when the seven thunders had 
uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I 
heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up 
those things which the seven thunders uttered, and 
write them not. ' ' Unhallowed curiosity is forbid- 
den; but certainly we ought to hear what the Spirit 
saith unto the churches. 

Our text introduces us to one of the most bril- 
liant of all the spectacles he ever witnessed; let us 



THE THRONE AND THE RAINBOW. 311 

The brilliant scene. Ezekiel's vision. 

read the whole passage : ' ' After this I looked, and, 
behold, a door was opened in heaven : and the first 
voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet 
talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and 
I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 
And immediately I was in the Spirit: and, behold, 
a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the 
throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a 
jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow 
round about the throne, in sight like unto an eme- 
rald." 

Most Scripture students would be reminded im- 
mediately of a similar description given by the 
prophet Bzekiel : ' 1 And above the firmament that 
was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, 
as the appearance of a sapphire stone : and upon the 
likeness of the throne was the likeness as the ap- 
pearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as 
the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round 
about within it, from the appearance of his loins 
even upward, and from the appearance of his loins 
even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of 
fire, and it had brightness round about. As the 
appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the 
day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness 
round about. This was the appearance of the like- 
ness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, 
I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that 
spake. ' ' 

In both of these visions, the one in the Old Tes- 
tament, the other in the New, our attention is at- 



312 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Throne means government. Jasper and sardius. 

tracted by the throne and the rainbow as the most 
conspicuous objects; but we cannot help thinking 
also that the position of these as related to each 
other is significant; for John repeats what Ezekiel 
says twice, that the rainbow was "round about" 
the throne. 

So I judge that, after we have studied the mean- 
ing of the first symbol and the second symbol, we 
shall be glad to dwell upon the collocation of the 
two symbols. 

I. In the beginning, then, let us look up at this 
w r onderful throne. Of course, we understand such 
a thing to be the symbol of government — of the 
divine government in the universe — for that Being 
in the seat of royalty is God. But what do the 
other emblems mean? The whole chapter seems 
to glitter with a blaze of precious jewels, some of 
them with strange names. 

i. Observe, for example, that the exalted mon- 
arch is said to be " like a jasper and a sardine 
stone. ' ' I am not disposed to be fanciful in inter- 
pretation of Scripture, but I find the soberest com- 
mentators agreed in declaring that what is here 
called a "jasper" must be the diamond, and the 
' ' sardius ' ' is only what we call a carnelian, that is, 
a flesh-colored gem in hue, as the word signifies. 
And hence these expositors would have us believe 
that this Personage, with a divine brightness and a 
human moderation in his look, is no one other than 
"the Lamb in the midst of the throne" whom John 
saw in his subsequent visions, and whom we recog- 



THE THRONE AND THE RAINBOW. 



3*3 



A splendid government. The royal retinue. 

nize now as our Lord Jesus Christ, ' 1 God over all 
and blessed for ever. ' ' 

So trie earliest point I desire to make in this ser- 
mon, and with which, if I could, I would like pow- 
erfully to engage your attention, is this: the supreme 
advantage we have in knowing that we are under 
a splendid and sufficient government in this world 
of ours, where all appears so confused and indepen- 
dent. I confess my mind grows restful and glad 
when I look up and seem to see this dazzling dia- 
mond of infinite perfection subduing itself to my 
weak comprehension till it looks like a carnelian 
which I can gaze upon constantly, and yet live. 

2. Then, next to this, observe in like manner 
the attendants which are represented as forming the 
king's retinue: "And round about the throne were 
four and twenty thrones: and upon the thrones I 
saw four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white 
garments; and on their heads crowns of gold. And 
out of the throne proceed lightnings and voices and 
thunders. And there were seven lamps of fire burn- 
ing before the throne, which are the seven Spirits 
of God." 

Here again is a disclosure upon which it will 
cheer the Christian's heart to dwell. This is more 
than a splendid government; it must be amazingly 
potent and irresistibly strong. The very nobles are 
crowned, and wear royal raiment ; their ordinary 
seats are thrones. It is a comfort to be assured that 
all these mutterings of foolish defiance in the earthly 
air are certain to find " thunderings" above them 

Neglected Texts. 2 7 



314 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 

" Full of eyes." " How doth God know ?" 

to be their sufficient answer in the great day of 
decision. 

3. But does God know what his wicked and wil- 
ful creatures are doing so far away from his pres- 
ence? That leads us forward another step in the 
vision, and we observe that this must be a very 
watchful government; the language is quite pecu- 
liar: there was " before the throne, as it were a 
glassy sea like unto crystal ; and in the midst of the 
throne, and round about the throne, four living 
creatures full of eyes before and behind. And the 
first creature was like a lion, and the second crea- 
ture like a calf, and the third creature had a face as 
of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying 
eagle. And the four living creatures, having each 
one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about 
and within." 

We cannot delay to examine in turn every one 
of these interesting symbols. It must be enough to 
say that the lion is the chief of wild beasts, as the 
ox is the chief of those tamed and domestic ; the 
eagle is the king of the air, and man is the monarch 
among created things : each is sovereign and su- 
preme of his kind, for the Lord God could receive 
no less into his court for his servants. But the 
main particular to notice in this description is the 
suggestion — here twice made — that they were all 
"full of eyes," and the floor beneath the throne 
was of glass as transparent as crystal. 

"And thou sayest, How doth God know? can 
he judge through the dark cloud?" That is the 



THE THRONE AND THE RAINBOW. 315 

Divine omniscience. God's government unimpeached. 

human mistake which wicked men make, and so 
they grow bold in sin. But now this vision teaches 
that earth can always and everywhere be seen from 
heaven. The attendants of God's sovereignty are 
full of eyes, and the pavement is not a cloud, but a 
glass film. Not a saint shall sutler, not a sinner 
can sin, but that these eyes shall see, and these 
faithful voices shall announce it all. 

4. Observe, once more, that this is an unim- 
peachable government. These living creatures are 
worshipping while watching: " they have no rest 
day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, is the L,ord 
God, the Almighty, which was and which is and 
which is to come. And when the living creatures 
shall give glory and honor and thanks to him that 
sitteth on the throne, to him that liveth for ever 
and ever, the four and twenty elders shall fall down 
before him that sitteth on the throne, and shall wor- 
ship him that liveth for ever and ever, and shall 
cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Worthy 
art thou, our Iyord and our God, to receive the glory 
and the honor and the power: for thou didst create 
all things, and because of thy will they were, and 
were created." 

No one can know better than those nearest to a 
monarch how pure he is. ' This king in the throne 
never broke one of his promises, never deceived one 
of his subjects, never forgot one of his creatures in 
its time of possible need. 

For one, I could not live if I were an atheist; I 
could not be satisfied with just being a deist; I can 



316 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The rainbow means a covenant. A bow over the Bible. 

be thoroughly content only when I am a Christian, 
positively subject to Christ ; for then I understand 
that I am under a government, splendid, strong, 
watchful, and unimpeached; and so am perfectly 
safe. 

II. Thus much does this first symbol in the vis- 
ion teach. Now we come to study the second: the 
"rainbow, in sight like unto an emerald." This 
represents a covenant, as the other represented a 
rule. I do not need more than to turn your atten- 
tion back to the familiar words recorded in the book 
of Genesis : ' ' And God said, This is the token of the 
covenant which I make between me and you, and 
every living creature that is with you, for perpet- 
ual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and 
it shall be for a token of a covenant between me 
and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I 
bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be 
seen in the cloud: and I will remember my cove- 
nant, which is between me and you and every liv- 
ing creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no 
more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the 
bow shall be in the cloud ; and I will look upon it, 
that I may remember the everlasting covenant be- 
tween God and every living creature of all flesh that 
is upon the earth." 

Here now we suddenly find that the rainbow 
spans not only nature, but even the Bible also; it 
reaches from Genesis to Revelation ; it shines from 
the Pentateuch to the Apocalypse. 

i. Observe then, first, that the ancient covenant 



THE THRONE AND THE RAINBOW. 317 



Noah's sign repeated for John. Thaumas and Electra. 

of creation has in it the promise of the covenant of 
grace. This is Noah's bow repeated with fresh and 
better engagements for John. 

Let me call your attention to the strange way in 
which God has written his divine law upon the 
fleshly tables of the hearts of men. Even in natural 
religion, so called to distinguish it from revealed, 
there are glimmering signs of the gospel. The hea- 
then had in their mythological annals the story of 
Iris. This divine being was said to have been the 
child of Thaumas — that is, Wonder — and of Elec- 
tra — that is, Brightness, and her own name Iris sig- 
nifies word, or speech. What is this except to say 
that the beautiful brightness bent across the storm 
was meant for the inarticulate word of a covenant 
engagement ? 

So the Hindoos call the rainbow 1 1 the weapon 
of Indras," the Germans named it Bifrost, or "the 
living way ' and the Samoieds said that it was ( 1 the 
border of the Supreme God's robe." Thus every- 
where among men this arch of prismatic color on 
the cloud seems to have kept its place as a recog- 
nized sign of a divine covenant. The human soul 
has been determined to see in it something beyond 
the ordinary course of nature; it was more than a 
spectacle, it was more than a phenomenon; it was 
a promise. 

2. But now notice again, that its appearance 
just here in John's vision is welcomed more for its 
graciousness than for its antiquity. No one can 
read the Bible without noticing more and more 



318 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The God of nature and grace. Isaiah's prediction. 

plainly that the God of nature desires to transfer 
the allegiance of his creatures so that they may 
fully recognize him as the God of grace. Every 
now and then the links between the two kingdoms 
are exhibited to our clear perception. It is out of 
the whirlwind that Jehovah talks to Job concerning 
his sins. 

Now would any one assert that it was a mere 
poetic conceit which led Isaiah to cast his predic- 
tions in the language of Moses when he was fore- 
telling the grand glories of the visions of John? 
What can be finer for our present illustration, as we 
are looking up at this rainbow round about the 
throne, than those old words of the prophet written 
before Jesus was born, fifteen centuries after the 
deluge, and seven centuries previous to the Apoca- 
lypse, yet announcing the same promise ? 

"For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but 
with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little 
wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but 
with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on 
thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For this is as 
the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn 
that the waters of Noah should no more go over the 
earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth 
with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains 
shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kind- 
ness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the 
covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, 
that hath mercy on thee." 

Here the Almighty reasons across from nature 



THE THRONE AND THE RAINBOW. 319 



God's covenant complete. The Eye of Jehovah. 

to grace along the similitude of the rainbow. It is 
as if he said : " I have once destroyed the world, 
but I will never do such a thing again; I have kept 
my covenant in that matter, and there is the sign; 
so I will keep my covenant engagement to save 
souls from wrath ; and that mortals may trust me I 
will employ the sa*me sign ; the rainbow I once set 
in the cloud I now draw round my throne. ' ' 

3. Once more : observe how well this vision 
teaches us that God's covenant is completed. If 
one climbs a hill at sunset, he can see more than 
half of the arch across the cloud. If a man should 
go to the other side of this round world, he could 
conceive that the ends of the rainbow he might be 
looking at were resting on the reversed ends of ours. 
The circle would appear to be unbroken. And a 
perfect circle is the finest figure we could imagine 
of the covenant of God's love fully complete. 

Now understand: this rainbow is a circle; it 
goes around the throne. The conception fairly daz- 
zles our imagination as we fancy ourselves looking 
up into heaven, and seeing such a vast emerald 
band of brilliance sweeping above and below the 
seat of the Monarch. One of the great German 
commentators likens it to the Eye of Jehovah: we 
see him face to face — Iris looks up to meet Iris look- 
ing down. Oh, it is wonderful thus to think of 
God's creature gazing unabashed at his Creator, the 
child of grace turning his eyes towards his Father 
who invites him ! 

4. In the fourth place, the symbols here em- 



320 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The green color. The covenant immutable. 

ployed seem to teach that this is an abiding cove- 
nant: it will stand for ever. Onr attention is arrest- 
ed by the nnnsual color which is particularly men- 
tioned. Only one of the seven in the spectrum is 
represented — green; this is the hue of the emerald. 
Dean Alford suggests that the vision in this in- 
stance did not show the rainbow with all the 
ordinary divisions of the prism ; this singular rain- 
bow was only green, the other colors were invis- 
ible. 

It will not do to pass by the historic fact that in 
oriental countries this one color out from the rest is 
the emblem of unchangeableness. It signifies fidel- 
ity, incorruptible and for ever to be trusted. The 
ancient Hindoos portrayed the tireless chariot of the 
sun as drawn by seven green horses. In many of 
the imperial courts green is the exclusive tint for 
turbans and robes to be worn by the sovereigns and 
the reigning families. A religious sacredness is 
sometimes attached to it. Only the family of Mo- 
hammed, the lineal descendants of the great prophet, 
are permitted to wear it in their dresses among the 
faithful followers of Islam throughout all lands 
where that system of belief and worship is consid- 
ered as established. 

Now it is not likely that our impressions gained 
from the vision we are studying will be as vivid and 
permanent as were those of some who earliest read 
the account of it; we shall not be influenced perhaps 
so much by this single particular of color; but it 
would be folly to lose the force of it altogether; we 



THE THRONE AND THE RAINBOW. 321 



The prismatic spectrum. The Sun of Righteousness. 

certainly can rejoice in the thought that our Maker 
is a covenant-keeping God. Even though the in- 
struction comes from no higher source than the hue 
of the rainbow, immutability is welcome. 

5. Only one more lesson remains: that is, this 
covenant is to each of us individual and personal. 
We know how the prismatic spectrum is formed; 
the sun's rays strike on the shower-drops and are so 
refracted and reflected that the beam is divided and 
the colors come apart. Thus we see the circular 
line of light forming a vast circumference of which 
our own eye is the exact centre. Bach beholder is 
the master and owner of his particular arch in the 
heavens. Thus it comes to pass that we are sure 
no two persons ever see the same iris even on the 
clouds of the same storm, though they are almost 
side by side in their outlook; for there are different 
drops which fall into the angle of range, and differ- 
ent sunbeams to touch them. 

Do not waste this conception in admiration of 
the beautiful phenomenon of nature. God's cove- 
nant is made with a generous distribution of grace,, 
but to each reception and bestowment of favor there 
are only two parties— himself and a single believer. 
My covenant of redemption and sanctification, like 
my rainbow, is simply and always my own, and 
yours is all your own. Each one of -us needs a 
whole promise; but the great good Sun of Right- 
eousness has enough beams to shine brightly on us 
all. 

III. Thus now we have reached the third and 



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STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The two symbols. Promise and Majesty. 

last point for our consideration mentioned in the 
beginning; namely, the collocation of the two 
symbols. The rainbow was "round about the 
throne." Whatever was included in the emblem- 
atic teaching of the throne as an oriental sign of 
kingly rule must'be considered as modified by what- 
ever was included in the teaching of the rainbow as 
the symbol of kingly promise. For the throne did 
not embrace the rainbow, but the rainbow embraced 
the throne. 

We must get this clear in the outset. The 
throne signified, as we have seen, a government — 
splendid, strong, watchful, and unimpeached. The 
rainbow signified a covenant — old in origin, gra- 
cious in nature, complete in revelation, abiding in 
duration, and personal in ownership. Now we are 
told that this covenant has this government enclosed 
within it. So we are prepared to draw from this 
some fresh practical lessons. 

I. First, God^ s promise surrounds God^ s majesty. 
It is possible to receive and to hold the idea of our 
Maker as truly merciful and kind even in the mo- 
ment of his most sovereign and most mysterious dis- 
cipline. But often the mind becomes beclouded, 
and needs a reiteration — a reassertion — of the old 
fixed truths of the gospel. There could have been 
conceived no method more effective than the early 
plan of perpetuating a covenant engagement by a 
conspicuous memorial in the sky, and then passing 
it across from nature into grace. Now we know 
that mercy is "round about" sovereignty, and 



THE THRONE AND THE RAINBOW. 323 



Homer's Iliad. The Word and the Name. 

measures it in exercise, so that we are at liberty to 
talk about ' 1 sovereign grace. ' ' 

Furthermore, thus and thus only does it seem to 
us possible for God to speak to all nations on the 
face of the earth at once and intelligibly. Ever 
since the sinful folly of Babel men have been con- 
fused in language; they have to communicate with 
each other by signs. So God gave a sign which all 
alike could read. This beautiful bow in the heav- 
ens was a sentence without syllables, a covenant 
that could be read without speech. Even the hea- 
then saw that. A familiar and most remarkable 
passage in Homer's Iliad speaks of the "rainbow 
which Jove fixed in the cloud as a sign to men of 
many languages." No matter what tongue men 
use, they can understand this token. For at last 
we see as well as feel what we sing in the Psalm, 
" For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven." 

The ancient Rabbins used to render the verse in 
Genesis concerning the rainbow thus: " It shall be a 
sign between my word and all the earth. ' ' So now 
we look up at this vision of John, and we learn to 
rest in our Creator. We are not left to vague con- 
siderations of Jehovah's consistency with his own 
character, or, as we sometimes phrase it, "his 
name;" we dwell upon his uttered and recorded 
language of blessing: "Thou hast magnified thy 
word above all thy name." The Word is "round 
about" the Name; the rainbow is round about the 
throne. 

2. Next to this lesson comes another of equal 



324 STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 

Grace ann Justice. Hosea' s prophecy. 

welcome: we learn that God' f s grace surrounds God^s 
justice. We lift our eyes, and see this rainbow as 
really the most conspicuous thing in the vision. 
Its vast emerald arch shines all around the supreme 
tribunal on the floor of crystal. The suggestion is 
immediately clear; it is a comfort that we are now 
under the New Testament. The storm which 
Noah's rainbow pledged should never return was 
but a deluge of water; the rainbow we are looking 
at here is a pledge against a deluge of wrath. 
Hence, the scene becomes evangelical; the gospel 
includes and fulfils the law. 

Take an actual expression of fact as an explana- 
tion of the mystery which the vision pictures. You 
will remember that very singular passage in the 
prophecy of Hosea, in which, after the most severe 
denunciations of the tribe of Ephraim for their sins, 
the Almighty is represented as yearning over them 
still, reluctant to inflict the punishments he had 
threatened, and at the last suddenly reversing his 
decision, and offering favor: "How shall I give 
thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? 
how shall I make thee as Admah ; how shall I set 
thee as Zeboim ? mine heart is turned within me, 
my repentings are kindled together. I will not 
execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not 
return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not 
man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will 
not enter into the city." To put such language 
into this spectacle which John describes is simply 
to say that Justice in the throne rose up demanding 



THE THRONE AND THE RAINBOW. 325 



Mercy and Wrath. The Lamb crowned. 

retribution upon the transgressors: but Grace in the 
rainbow interposed and restrained the infliction of 
the penalty. 

God's mercy tempers God's wrath; he is God 
and not man, and so the infinite mystery is provi- 
ded for by an atonement for the iniquity which 
merited the judgment of destruction. This is the 
reason why the story in the Apocalypse goes on 
with the song of the singing legions of God, ascri- 
bing glory and honor to him who sits in the throne. 
This explains why the form is that of the Lamb 
instead of the Lion of Judah. But Jesus, the Christ 
of God, has received as yet only a portion of what is 
coming to him; and the rainbow remains shining 
still as a sign that all the rest of it will arrive in 
due time: "Thou hast put all things in subjec- 
tion under his feet. For in that he put all in sub- 
jection under him, he left nothing that is not put 
under him. But now we see not yet all things 
put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made 
a little lower than the angels for the suffering 
of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he 
by the grace of God should taste death for every 
man." 

Hence, we conclude that the throne is here ex- 
hibited for the sake of the rainbow; the covenant 
remains, as it were, holding the justice; the Lamb 
of God is crowned because, by the grace of God, he 
has tasted death for every man who will receive 
him. 

3. Once more: we learn from this scene that 

NeRlopted Texts. 28 



326 



STUDIES OF NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



Love and Power. The other instance. 

God^s love surrounds God' s power. Love is symbol- 
ized in the rainbow, and power in the throne; and 
the rainbow is round about the throne. The attri- 
bute of omnipotence is not a pleasant one in itself 
to contemplate. If we should look up at this glori- 
ous spectacle and see only the throne, we might be 
frightened. We should be hushed into trembling 
silence before the thunder which shakes the ce- 
dars, tosses the waves of the ocean, and counts the 
mountains but as a very little thing. But we see 
the bow round about the throne; our eyes behold 
and our hearts believe that whatever is alarming 
in our thought of the Supreme Being who rules 
us is embraced in a beautiful circle of emerald 
promise which gives peace. And this is better 
than to be told merely by words. The venerable 
Hooker was uttering something more than a sim- 
ple rule of rhetoric when he once said, ' 1 What we 
drink in at our ears doth not so piercingly enter 
as what the mind doth conceive by sight." It 
does not seem as if any one could ever forget this 
arch of promise above and around this seat of 
power. 

Nor is this all: I am constrained to bring before 
your remembrance another reference in this same 
Apocalvpse, the only instance besides this in which 
the rainbow is mentioned; here the teaching will be 
found to be similar: "And I saw another mighty 
angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: 
and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was 
as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire." 



THE THRONE AND THE RAINBOW. 327 



The Hebrew doxology. Glory and Children. 

What makes such language of symbolic description 
so significant is the fact that this angel was at the 
moment going forth from heaven on an errand of 
retribution. His purpose is clear; he is to inflict 
divine judgments upon the guilty. Yet we see that 
even around his head is the rainbow of covenant 
grace also. It is plain that the Holy Ghost 
would have us understand that always and every- 
where love is the companion and the restraint of 
power; it embraces and surrounds its exercise even 
in doom. 

The ancient Hebrews had one doxology which 
it was prescribed that every one should use whose 
heart desired devoutly to praise the Almighty on 
the departure of a storm. Every worshipper must 
sing, on the instant the rainbow appeared along the 
surface of the retreating cloud, " Blessed be thou, 
Jehovah our God, King of eternity, ever mindful of 
thy covenant, faithful in thy promise, firm in thy 
word. ' ' How much more fitting is such an ascrip- 
tion, when we see the rainbow in these gospel days. 
We need nevermore be alarmed when we think of 
the omnipotent Deity of earth and heaven; all the 
power we dread is engaged on our side, and remains 
pledged for our safety and our salvation. 

" The light of love is round his feet, his paths are never dim ; 
And he comes nigh to us when we dare not come nigh to him." 

4. Finally, we learn from this scene that in 
heaven God^s glory surrounds God^s children. For 
just look up and see the position and collocation of 



328 STUDIES OK NEGLECTED TEXTS. 



The twelve thrones. Saints shall judge angels. 

these two objects; the emerald ring is all around the 
sapphire seat of royalty* Then we recall the aston- 
ishing words which our divine Lord once spoke to 
his disciples: "And Jesus said unto them, Verily I 
say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in 
the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in 
the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve 
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.".. I 
am not certain that I know altogether just what 
that declaration means. There is another verse 
much resembling it in the epistle to the Laodiceans 
which has been put in this same book of Revela- 
tion : "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit 
with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, 
and am set down with my Father in his throne." 
Such language is astonishing and beyond all prece- 
dent mysterious. Only one thing appears plain; it 
does not seem as if the verses could mean anything 
less than that all those who love God and are the 
co-heirs with Jesus Christ shall be with him where 
he is, and shall share in his glory. Even the sober- 
minded Paul asks the question, "Do ye not know 
that the saints shall judge the world? know ye not 
that we shall judge angels?" 

We look up again at this spectacle before it 
leaves our eyes. The throne is inside of the rain- 
bow: the saints are beside the Lamb in the throne; 
whoever, therefore, is in the throne has the rainbow 
around him; each child of God is a child of the 
covenant, well-ordered and sure. We may care 
little for the implied princeship; but, oh,, it will be 



THE THRONE AND THE RAINBOW. 329 



Saved by grace. Throned with Jesus. 

glorious to be sure we are under the shining of the 
emerald ring. Saved by grace, and throned with 
Jesus— that is heaven. And they who have left us 
are now safe; the throne is fixed, and round the 
throne there is the rainbow of the covenant, "in 
sight like unto an emerald.* ' 




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