“MARK THE PERFECT MAN! BEHOLD THE UPRIGHT!”
MATT.
4:25-5:12.-APRIL 1.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
What characteristics
are essential to our attainment of the most blessed conditions God has to
bestow? What must we be in order to inherit the kingdom, be filled with
righteousness, obtain divine mercy and everlasting comfort, be called the sons
of God, and be permitted to see his face, obtaining a great reward in heaven?
What question, what topic, what bible lesson, could be more interesting to us
or a more profitable study than this one? The great Teacher made it the topic,
the text, of one of his principal discourses at his first advent, and caused
the gist of his argument to be recorded for the admonition of his true
followers throughout this Gospel age.
While the character of our Lord, which we as his followers are to copy, is one;
and the attainment of that one character or disposition means the attainment of
all the blessings God has to bestow; nevertheless, in order to present the
matter the more distinctly to our minds the Lord divides this one character or
disposition into different sections, giving us a view of each particular part;
just as a photographer would take a front view, right-side view, left-side
view, rear view and angling views, of any interesting subject, so that all the
details of construction might be clearly discernible.
THE FIRST ESSENTIAL
The first character-picture which our Lord presents we may reasonably
assume was in some respects at least most important: It is humility. “Blessed
are the humble-minded (poor in spirit) for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” We
do not understand this to signify that humility is the only essential grace,
and that whoever is humble will therefore attain the kingdom; but rather that
to the attainment of the kingdom humility is a prerequisite of first
importance. In other words, while all humble people will not attain the
kingdom, the kingdom cannot be attained by anyone who is not humble: the
kingdom is theirs, in the sense that it is possible for this class to accept
the terms and to attain to the honors and blessings, while all of a
different attitude of mind-the proud, the haughty, the self-conceited, are
absolutely debarred from any possibility of attaining the kingdom so long as
these contrary conditions lie at the foundation of their characters. O that all
of the Lord’s people might see this point clearly and distinctly, and realize
once and forever that “The Lord resisteth the proud and showeth his favors to
the humble” exclusively! How this thought should put a guard upon every one of
the Lord’s little ones who is seeking to be conformed to the image of God’s
dear Son. How jealously they would watch and foster the development of this
spirit of humility in their own hearts, and how it would be more and more
discernible to others in their daily course of life, and what a blessing and
what an influence for good, especially upon the “brethren,” would result!
Growing out of this first essential quality or characteristic, as a tree of
many branches out of the root, come the other graces of the spirit, which the
Lord has declared blessed-divinely approved. How different our Lord’s
teachings in this respect from all human teachings! Earthly wisdom would say,
on the contrary: Hold up your head; think well of yourself, if you would have
other people think well of you; be high-spirited, instead of poor in spirit, a
little haughty, rather than of humble demeanor; it will have a greater
influence in many respects, for no one will think more highly of you than you
think of yourself, nor give you credit for more than you claim; hence, think
highly of yourself and claim much, carrying a high head, and having a lofty and
self-important look.
No doubt there is worldly wisdom in the worldly counsel; no doubt there is some
truth in the worldly suggestion, so far as success in earthly matters in the
present time is concerned. But here as in other instances, the Lord shows us
that his ways are not as man’s ways, but higher, as the heavens are higher than
the earth. He assures us that he that humbleth himself shall be exalted in due
time, while he who exalts himself shall be brought low, in due time. (Matt.
23:12) In the Scriptures he points us to our dear Redeemer as the illustration
of the humble and obedient one, whom he has now exalted to the right hand of
divine power; and our attention is also called to the great adversary, who,
taking a reverse course, sought to exalt himself, and has been abased, and is
ultimately to be destroyed.-Phil. 2:9; Heb. 2:14.
A sharp distinction should be noted between being poor in spirit and being poor
in pocket, or in intellectual gifts and attainments. We have all seen people
who were poor in these earthly senses, yet proud in spirit. The point to be
noticed is that whatever our financial or intellectual gifts and conditions,
the thing acceptable in the divine sight is humility of spirit. Such a disposition is essential to those who would receive
the wisdom which cometh from above-they must have a humble appreciation of
their own deficiencies and lack of wisdom, else they cannot receive freely,
heartily, the wisdom which God is pleased to grant in the present time, only to
those who are in the attitude of heart to receive it. And it will be seen also
that this humility of mind is essential as a basis for the spirit of a sound
mind-for who is in a, proper condition to think justly, reasonably,
impartially, except first of all he have a humble disposition? Hence we must
agree that humility is a primary element in the disposition or mind of Christ.
CONSOLATIONS THE REWARD OF SYMPATHY
The second beatitude or blessed condition mentioned by our Lord stands closely
related to the first-”Blessed are they that mourn.” Mourning of itself is not a
grace, but it betokens an attitude of mind which is acceptable in the Lord’s
sight. Nor should we think of a mournful spirit, without consolation or joys,
as being a Christian spirit. We cannot suppose that our Heavenly Father and
the holy angels are continual mourners, as they would certainly be if mourning
possessed any merit of itself. The thought rather is, Blessed are ye that
mourn now-to whom present earthly conditions are not entirely satisfactory and
happifying-who are not blind to the difficulties and trials through which the
human family as a whole is passing-sin and sickness, pain and trouble, dying
and crying: blessed are those who have sympathy of heart under present
conditions, and to whom they are not satisfactory; for the time is coming when,
under God’s providence, a better order of things shall be instituted, and their
dissatisfaction with present conditions will but bring them into closer
sympathy and fellowship with those better things for which the divine plan is
preparing. When God’s kingdom shall come and his will be done on earth as it
is done in heaven, all cause for mourning and for sorrow and for tears will be
done away: that will be a time for consolation, for satisfaction, to this
class.
Indeed, a good measure of comfort comes to the Lord’s people even in the
present age-through faith built upon the exceeding great and precious promises
of the divine Word. The fact that they are able to discern the wrongs, the
inequities, the distresses of the present time, creates in this class that very
condition of heart to which divine promises appeal, whereas others not so
touched at heart with sympathy for the groaning creation, are unable to so
thoroughly appreciate the hopes set before us in the gospel. Hence it is by a
natural law that such are drawn to the Lord’s Word, and are enabled to draw
therefrom consolation which speaks peace to their hearts, and gives them an
inner joy which the less sympathetic cannot know under present conditions.
Blessed are the sympathetic!
As we can cultivate the first of these graces, humility of mind, and by
cultivation develop more and more of this first and essential characteristic,
so we can cultivate also the second grace, the sympathetic spirit. To do this
we should frequently think of others-their interests, their trials, their
difficulties, and should seek to enter into these as though they were all our
own, and should seek to lend a helping hand and to “do good unto all men as we
have opportunity, especially to the household of faith.”-Gal. 6:10.
HOW THE GENTLE INHERIT
The third of these graces which the Lord declares blessed is meekness, or,
as we should say, gentleness. Webster’s Dictionary defines meekness to be,
“Submission to the divine will; patience and gentleness from moral and
religious motives.” It will be perceived that there is quite a difference
between this patient, gentle submission to the divine will, and the ordinary
gentleness and patience which may frequently be exercised simply for the
gratification of selfish desires. Patient submission to the divine will is
impossible to those who have not the first grace in the list, a humble mind:
the proud and self-willed find it impossible to be submissive to divine
conditions; self rises up, perverts their judgments, and misleads their
consciences to such an extent that they cannot have full confidence in divine
providence, but feel that they must put forth their hand and steady the
ark.
Moreover, patient submission can be developed only in those who mourn,
in the sense of having large sympathies, and who have been comforted by the
blessed promises of God, through which the holy Spirit comforteth his people.
Realizing the evils of our time, and that they are permitted of God for the
present for a wise purpose, these not only sympathize with the groaning
creation, but this sympathy and the comfort received as its reward tend
to make them patient, submissive to the divine will. Remembering that all
things are working together for good to them that love God, they are prepared
to recognize divine providence in whatever may befall them, and prepared also
to look for the lessons of those providences, as blessings which will be
helpful to them and to others, in preparing for the future and eternal joys.
This third grace-patient submission to the divine will which can be noted by
those with whom we come in contact, might be said to be the outer manifestation
of the second grace, which is inward, of the heart, and which might not be
outwardly discerned by our fellow-creatures. The grace of sympathy manifests
itself in our patient submissiveness in all the affairs of life, realizing that
to those who are in Christ all matters are under divine supervision, and this
patience in respect to God’s providences in our own circumstances and affairs
leads also naturally and properly to patience with others in their weaknesses
and failures and ignorance, and leads properly to helpfulness toward them as we
have opportunity.
These “meek,” patiently submissive to the divine will, shall inherit the
earth. The Lord did not mean, nor is it true, that the patient and submissive
to the divine will inherit the earth at the present time: quite to the
contrary, the arrogant, the impatient, the aggressive, the selfish, succeed in
grasping the chief things of power, of influence and of wealth now; and the
patiently submissive have comparatively a poor chance. The reward of this
grace, therefore, like the others, is future: following on under the divine
leading, these shall be heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ; and the
earth is a part of that great inheritance, which in turn, by divine
arrangement, they shall bestow at the close of the Millennial age, upon the
world of mankind who then survive-those proved worthy of eternal life by the
Millennial tests.
Nevertheless, as there is a sense in which the Lord’s people are comforted now,
so there is also a sense in which they now inherit the earth-a figurative sense,
by faith. The Apostle speaks of this when he says, “All things are
yours-things present or things to come.” (1 Cor. 3:21-23) Those who have the
proper humble attitude of mind and are patiently submissive to the divine will,
get more of blessing out of the things of the present time than do their actual
owners, because their hearts are in the attitude in which it is possible to
receive blessing. The world, full of selfish craving, is never satisfied,
never contented; the child of God, patiently submissive to the divine will, is
always satisfied
“Content whatever lot I see,
Since ‘tis God’s hand that leadeth me.”
FILLED WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS
The fourth blessing is that of hunger and thirst after righteousness. No
one can have this hunger and thirst unless he previously have to a considerable
extent the previous characteristics. If he have not humility of mind he will
be satisfied with his attainments of righteousness, being unable to see beyond
his own low plane, unable to discern the heights and grandeurs of the divine
perfection. He cannot hunger and thirst after that which he does not in some
measure comprehend. Unless he have the spirit of sympathy, which discerns the
wrongs, the inequities of our present time (which in great measure mankind is
unable to counteract and overcome-by which some of the human family, very
deficient in the virtues, have an overplus of wealth and influence and
authority, while some possessing superior virtues have scarcely the necessities
of life) he cannot yearn for the better condition of things which the
Scriptures declare can only be introduced by the establishment of Messiah’s
Millennial kingdom. It is a blessed indication then, if we find in our hearts
a hungering and a thirsting for justice, for righteousness, for truth-an
antipathy to untruth in every form, and to all injustice, in-equity-an
antipathy, nevertheless, modified, influenced, controlled, by the third grace
of this list, viz., by patient submission to the divine will. The control of
this last quality is what the Apostle refers to when he says, “Let your
moderation be known unto all men.” It is this quality which stepping in hinders
our hunger and thirst after righteousness, and our zeal for it, (both as
respects truth and practice) from making us anarchistic or extremists in any
sense of the word. This quality of hunger and thirst after righteousness,
uncontrolled by the other of these graces of the spirit, has led many worldly
people, as reformers, into wild excesses: whereas the child of God although
having this same hunger and thirst in a larger degree than others, yet, under
the control of the spirit of a sound mind, instructed from the Lord’s Word,
rests in his promises and waits for their fulfillment, patiently submissive, and
assured of the victory of righteousness in God’s due time, which he adopts as
his time also.
Those who have and cultivate this blessed hunger and thirst shall be
satisfied, abundantly satisfied, by and by, when God’s kingdom shall be
established, and when as a result of its reign all evil and all sin, all
in-equities (iniquities) shall be suppressed, and God’s holy will shall “be
done on earth even as it is done in heaven.” Our hunger and thirst after
righteousness is not to be destroyed, but, as our Lord promised, it is to be
satisfied. The appetite for truth and righteousness will still be there, but
the prevalence of truth and righteousness shall be its satisfaction.
In this grace, as in the others, there is a sense in which by faith we already
attain some measure of the fulfillment to come-although it is but a foretaste.
Those who have the hunger and thirst for righteousness, in line with the other
graces of the spirit, find in the gracious promises of the Lord that comfort
and consolation which already, even in this present life, can be assimilated by
faith, and which proves to be “meat in due season for the household of faith,”
sustaining, strengthening, resting, and at least partially satisfying the
hunger and the thirst, as they realize the divine provision for everlasting
righteousness is exceeding and abundant, more than all that they could have
thought or have requested.
HOW TO OBTAIN MERCY
The fifth blessed condition is that of mercifulness. Mercy is the outward
expression that man can discern, resulting from an appreciation of
righteousness and a hunger and thirst for it in the renewed heart. After we
have taken the preceding steps, and have learned to appreciate the inequities
of the present time, and our own imperfections (unrighteousness) and those of
other men; and after we have learned that God alone is able to right these
matters in the full and complete sense, and that he has made provision for the
righting of every wrong, and for the restoration to his favor of all who will
accept his grace in Christ, to be made known to all in due time-it is then we
begin to feel merciful, benevolent, kind, toward others, to an extent and
degree that we could not feel these sentiments previously. Worldly people, who
have not traveled on the pathway marked by these blessings of character and
growths in grace, cannot to the same degree sympathize with nor feel merciful
toward others.
The Lord lays great stress upon this quality of mercy,
declaring that whatever else may be our attainments of knowledge or of grace,
if we have not this one we can never be acceptable to him-if we do not have
mercy upon others neither will our Heavenly Father have mercy upon us. And to
insure that we do not consider this mercy to be merely an outward form, an
expression of forgiveness and benevolence, our Lord expounds the matter,
saying, “If ye do not from the heart forgive one another, neither will your
Heavenly Father forgive you.” It must be a genuine mercy, and not a
feigned one; it must cover from sight, and so far as possible blot from memory,
the failings and weaknesses of others, else it cannot hope for forgiveness and
blotting out of its own short-comings which its hunger and thirst for
righteousness has clearly revealed to it. Only the
merciful shall obtain mercy: and if we have not mercy at the hands of the Lord
all is lost; for by nature we were children of wrath, even as others, and under
just condemnation.
The exercise of mercy, benevolence, forgiveness, is a blessing, not
merely because it is essential to our own forgiveness; and hence to our salvation,
but also because this condition of heart which sympathizes with others in their
failures and imperfections helps to rid our hearts of certain of the works of
the flesh and of the devil, which incline to cling to the Lord’s people long
after they have been justified by faith, and even after they have made full
consecration of themselves to the Lord and are seeking to “walk, not after the
flesh, but after the spirit.”
The Apostle includes amongst the works of the flesh which require putting away,
after we are fully the Lord’s, the following-anger, malice, hatred, envy,
strife. All of these qualities of selfishness are antagonized by mercy, and by
it largely they are driven from their secret hidings and entrenched positions
in our hearts. The blessed character of mercy is closely related to love, for
it is in proportion as we obtain the Lord’s spirit of love that we manifest
toward others mercy, even as he has manifested his love toward us in the mercy
extended to us in Christ. Love and mercy, consideration for others, has
much to do with driving out envy. How can we envy those whom we love
sincerely? How can we have malice toward those who are our enemies, if we love
them and have mercy, compassion, upon them, and forgive them from our hearts?
How can we have hatred toward them, if we have mercy upon them, and feel toward
them only a forgiving spirit? And how can we be strifeful, if we have a
merciful, a forgiving spirit ready to forgive trespasses against us, as we hope
for forgiveness of our trespasses against the divine law?
“Mercy rejoiceth against justice,” the Apostle explains. (Jas. 2:13) Divine
mercy satisfied divine justice, and thus prepared the way for the rescue of our
race from the sentence of justice: and so those who have become partakers of
the divine Spirit, and in whom it has reached a reasonable development, will
permit their mercy to triumph over their conceptions of justice (for they have
no law of justice over their fellows which needs to be satisfied).
While justice may not be blind in the Lord’s people, while they may discern the
faults of others most clearly, and while they may seek to let justice rule in
respect to all of their own words, and thoughts, and actions, nevertheless they
are to let mercy triumph in their hearts over justice as respects those who
trespass against them, and they are not to hold resentments against those who
have done them injury, nor to seek to avenge themselves and to inflict justice
upon their opponents. Rather, they are to say, It is for God to be just; it is
for me, who am a transgressor also against perfect justice, through the
weaknesses which I have inherited, to have compassion upon my fellow-creature,
who has inherited similar yet different weaknesses-it is for me to exercise
accordingly the divine command, the blessed characteristic of mercy,
compassion, forgiveness. And those who do so not only get rid of the evil
works and sentiments of the world, the flesh and the devil, but increasingly
become filled more and more with the spirit of love and gentleness and patient
submission to the divine will, and thus the merciful are blessed even in the
present time.
“WITHOUT HOLINESS NO MAN SHALL SEE THE LORD”
The sixth step of blessedness is purity of heart-purity of motive, purity
of intention, purity of effort, purity of will: purity, in the sense of
sincerity, of transparency, of truthfulness. In other words, Blessed are the
honest-hearted, those who have absolutely right intentions. True, there are
worldly people who to some extent might claim honesty of heart, purpose,
intention, but until they have come along the way of divine appointment in
Christ, until they have become his followers through faith and consecration to
him, and until they have taken the preceding steps of blessedness, we could not
recognize them as being of the class here specified.
Many have misunderstood this statement, “pure in heart,” and have thought of it
as signifying absolute perfection-not only outward but inward; not only of words
and of deeds, but also of thoughts. This view of the matter has tended to
discourage some who honestly said to themselves, I am not perfect in deed nor
in word nor in thought; how then can I claim to be blessed under this provision
as one of the pure in heart? We answer that this is a misconception. The Lord
knows as well and better than we do, that in our flesh dwells no perfection;
that by reason of the fall all of Adam’s children have their teeth set on edge
by the sour grape of sin, so that sometimes we cannot do the things that we
would do, and through ignorance we no doubt frequently leave undone the things
which we ought to do.-Jer. 31:29, 30; Rom. 7:16-18.
The Lord taught a great lesson during the Jewish age by the giving of the law
to that people, with a promise of life attached to it, but the Apostle assures
us that God foreknew, even when he gave that law to the Israelites, that “by
the deeds of the law should no flesh be justified in his sight,” that on the
contrary the clearer the law would be discerned the more clear would be the
knowledge of sin-of imperfection. God’s provision in Christ is that he will
forgive those imperfections which are due, not to personal willfulness, but to
the original sin, and the weaknesses and imperfections which have resulted from
it-he will extend his mercy toward us as respects those deflections which are
not willful. That our Lord Jesus was not ignoring human imperfection is
evident from the statement he makes in reference to the fifth of these blessed
characteristics, via., that the merciful “shall obtain mercy”-an implication of
our need of mercy. Having assured us that we may obtain mercy, he is not in
this sixth beatitude declaring that we must be absolutely perfect in thought,
word and deed; for if were so, or could attain to such a condition, it would be
wholly unnecessary for God to provide us mercy and forgiveness of sins through
Christ’s sacrifice.
The thought of “pure in heart” is not perfection of
conduct nor of word, nor of thought, but perfection of intention as respects
all of these. Our desire and effort must be for perfection-in thought, word
and deed. The standard before us, to which our hearts, our wills, must give
assent, is the divine standard, “Be ye perfect, as your Father in heaven is
perfect.” (Matt. 5:48) God has set no lower standard than this absolute
perfection, but he has provided for us grace, mercy and peace through Christ,
if we will walk in his footsteps, this purity of heart being one of the
essential steps in the narrow way.
Only the pure in heart have the promise of seeing God. They continue
faithfully to the end of the pilgrimage, not only attaining the likeness of the
Lord Jesus Christ in the present life (Rom. 8:29) in their purity of
heart, purity of intention, sincerity of their efforts toward God and men, but
eventually according to the Lord’s promise, they shall, by the power of the
first resurrection, be changed from earthly to heavenly, spiritual conditions.
Then, as the Apostle declares, “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as
he is.” And when we have thus become changed to be like the glorious Son of
God, who is “the express image of the Father’s person,” we shall be able also
unquestionably to see the Heavenly Father himself, and shall be introduced to him
by our dear Redeemer-“complete in him,” “without spot or wrinkle or any
such thing.”-1 John 3:2; Heb. 1: 3; Eph. 5:27; Col. 2: 10.
In this, as in the other blessings, a portion, a foretaste, comes in the
present life. There is such a thing as having the eyes of our understanding
opened, that we may be enabled to “comprehend with all saints what is the
breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ.” (Eph.
3:18) But not all have this opening of the mental eye; not all are privileged
to see the glories of Jehovah’s character in symmetrical harmony, divine
justice, wisdom, love and power coordinated and co-operating in unison for the
blessing of every creature, according to the purpose which God purposed in
himself before the world was.
But who may enjoy this blessing, this clearer vision, and who may, by seeing
it, be enabled more and more to grow in likeness of that glorious perfection?
Only “the pure in heart,” only the sincere, the honest-hearted. Those who have
a double mind, a double will, are Scripturally said to have a double vision, a
double eye. They see spiritual things cross-eyed, see things double, and
proportionately indistinctly. Many of God’s people have failed thus far to
grow up into Christ in all things, see thus doubly and confusedly-they see
something of the heavenly things, and something of the earthly; they see but
dimly and indistinctly the lines of the divine character, and proportionately
they lack ability to copy it. Let all who have named the name of Christ seek
more and more to have but the one Master, and an eye single to
his glory and service-a pure, a sincere, a faithful heart.
THE SONS OF GOD ALL PEACEMAKERS
The seventh beatitude is an outward manifestation of the sixth. The purity
of heart toward God which others cannot discern, will manifest itself in
this seventh characteristic of blessedness and growth-namely, in peaceable
desires and efforts to promote peace in others. For beyond question no one
will be a peacemaker from this divine standpoint unless he have already become
sincere, pure in heart toward God; and unless he have also the preceding
developments of grace in his heart: (1) humility, (2) sympathy, (3) patient
submission, (4) hunger and thirst for righteousness (which includes
trust), (5) a love or mercifulness toward others, (6) sincerity of heart. And
one who has developed these characteristics to any particular degree can surely
be nothing else than peaceably disposed himself, and a peacemaker with
others.
Very evidently but a small number of the Lord’s people have progressed so far
as to have this grace markedly developed and exemplified in their
lives. The great majority, even of those who have named the name of
Christ, seem to pursue a reverse course, which indicates that even if
their hearts are pure and their sympathies large, they have still much to learn
in the school of Christ; for instead of being peace promoters, they are strife
promoters. Yet this is not of evil intent, but rather of habit, and of
ignorance and of failure to discern the wide difference between the divine
course of love, and the opposite course of selfishness which prevails in the
world. Strife-making is chiefly stirred up with the tongue, though it may be
aroused by a gesture or by a glance. Likewise, peacemaking is chiefly done
with the tongue, though it also may operate through the eye. How many Christian
people we all know who have tongues which are continual1y stirring up strife!
The adversary controls many in this manner long after they have escaped from
his control in many other respects; and this is largely because they do not
detect that in this they are doing Satan service-do not even detect that they
are stirrers up “of strife, hatred, envy, malice, and planters of roots of
bitterness by which many are defiled.
When will Christians learn the length and breadth and depth of the injunctions “Speak
evil of no man,” and “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,
but that which is good, to the use of edifying?” (Titus 3:2; Eph. 4:29) How
long will it take some of God’s true children to learn that in uttering
an evil thing, (even if they were positive of its truth), they may be doing a
world of evil? How long will it take them to learn that it is not
always necessary to speak the truth, nor even proper to do so except when it
would be for the edifying of others? How many lessons, line upon line, must
they have to convince them that they are not only to avoid gossip about other
people’s business, and faultfinding, and cynicism, but that all these are
evidences of their deficiency in love-of their deficiency in the likeness of
Christ, and their lack of the qualities of the peacemaker; and that these lacks
need to be striven against earnestly, if they would make their calling and
election sure to a place in the heavenly kingdom?
Oh, that all would learn by heart, and continually seek to exemplify in
life, the words of the Apostle, “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things
are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever
things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any
virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Those
who are thinking on the true and lovely and good and beautiful things will
speak to each other of the same; hence the importance of having our hearts
filled with good things, in order that out of the abundance of the good things
of our hearts our mouths may speak continually good things, that the
Lord would approve, and that would minister blessing to those who hear.-Phil.
4:8; Luke 6.45.
Such have a very precious promise, well worthy of their efforts-“They
shall be called the children of God”-they have God’s spirit, the likeness of
his dear Son has been traced in their hearts; they have been sanctified with
the truth; they shall ultimately be “meet for the inheritance of the saints in
light.” Only such at heart will the Lord ever recognize as his sons and
joint-heirs with his great Son, our Lord, in the kingdom. Moreover,
this is a test which we may well recognize for ourselves particularly, and to
some extent for each other, as evidencing the degree of our growth as children
of God-our peaceable dispositions, and our carefulness to pursue such a
course in life as will tend toward peace.
Some of the Lord’s people find in themselves naturally considerable of a
spirit of combativeness, unfavorable to peace. Indeed, it requires something
of the spirit of combativeness to fight a good fight against the world, the
flesh and the adversary, and to “contend earnestly for the faith;” so that
those who have combativeness naturally find themselves in antagonism with
others along some line continually. However, they should not be discouraged by
this, but should remember that combativeness is a valuable servant and soldier,
if turned and exercised in the right direction. Its exercise toward fellow
creatures must be modified by mercy, by a realization of our own imperfections
and the imperfections of all. Combativeness must be trained to fight along the
lines of love and mercy-to fight for the truth and for all the servants and
agencies of the truth, and against the error,-but not against the blinded and
ignorant servants of the error. Combativeness must be given plenty to do in
fighting against the imperfections and weaknesses of our own natures, and being
thus busily engaged in this good work, it will find comparatively little
time for assaulting others: and realizing the difficulties connected with the
conquering of self it will have the greater compassion for the weaknesses of
others.
ATTAINING GREAT REWARD IN HEAVEN
The blessing that comes through persecution is the eighth beatitude. It is
not until the Lord’s people have experienced some of these preceding blessings
of his grace that they reach the point where they can “glory in tribulations
also,” as did the Apostle Paul. But our Lord carefully distinguishes as
between different kinds of persecution, marking out the blessed kind as
distinct from all other sorts. We are not to invite persecution by
fault-finding and general cantankerousness and combative opposition to
everybody and everything; nor are we to invite persecution by
fanaticism. Rather, we are to cultivate the “spirit of a sound mind,” and to
learn gradually what the sound mind of the Lord is, as revealed in the
Scriptures. Even then, no doubt we will be falsely accused by the world of
“fanaticism,” because the wisdom of God is oft esteemed foolishness with men,
as often the wisdom of men is foolishness from the divine standpoint.
Whenever a course of action would appear to be fanatical and unreasonable, we
are to hesitate to do it until we have first made sure that we find the same
spirit, teaching and example in our Lord and in the apostles:
then we may safely follow, regardless of what the world may say or think
respecting our course. For instance, from the divine standpoint it is insanity
for a man to labor day and night to amass millions, for his children to fight
over at his death, but from the human standpoint this is the reasonable
course. From the divine standpoint it was wise for the apostles to spend their
lives in the service of the truth, sacrificing earthly interests and prospects,
name and fame, to obtain eventually a better resurrection, and eternal glory,
honor and immortality: but this, from the world’s standpoint was foolishness,
fanaticism.
If persecution comes to us as a result of our following the Lord, and the
apostles,-their teachings and example, and if it is because of our faithfulness
to the vows of consecration to his service that all manner of evil is said
against us, falsely, then indeed we may rejoice; for so were the prophets
persecuted, so was our Lord persecuted, so were the apostles and all the
faithful ones since persecuted. Being thus in good company in our experiencing,
it becomes a witness or testimony to us that we shall be in like good company
in that day when the Lord shall make up his jewels.
All who have such experiences may well rejoice, and if, as the Lord’s words
intimate, the more of such experiences we have the more will be our reward in
heaven, then the more we may rejoice in these experiences. And if we be
without any such experiences it behooves us to look well to ourselves,
lest peradventure it mean that we are not faithfully walking in the “narrow
way” of self-sacrifice,-or are not doing with our might what our hands find to
do, but are holding back our sacrifice. Should such be the reflection of any
let him not be discouraged, but, in the language of the Prophet, let him “bind
the sacrifice to the altar,” with fresh cords of love and of zeal, praying the
Lord to accept the sacrifice, and to furnish opportunities for being and doing
and suffering for His cause, and for the Lord’s and the truth’s sake.-Psa.
118.27.
The prismatic sum of all these graces is love; and those who have them are
lovable and shall by and by be made gloriously lovely, with and like him
who is “altogether lovely.” Our call is to attain these blessed conditions in
the kingdom.