The spirit of the world insinuates itself everywhere. It is what we call society; the consensus of fashionable opinion; the spirit which finds its satisfaction in the seen and transient; the ambition that is encircled by the rim of an earthly horizon; the aims, plans, and activities which are comprehended, as the Preacher says, "under the sun." You meet it in the school, where little children judge each other by their dress and the number of horses their fathers keep; in the country town, where strict lines are drawn between the professional or wholesale man and the retailer; in gatherings of well-dressed people, stiff with decorum and the punctilious observance of etiquette.
The world has formulated its _Beat.i.tudes_, thus:
"Blessed are the rich, for they shall inherit the earth."
"Blessed are the light-hearted, for they shall have many friends."
"Blessed are the respectable, for they shall be respected."
"Blessed are they who are not troubled by a sensitive conscience, for they shall succeed in life."
"Blessed are they who can indulge their appet.i.tes to the full, for they shall be filled."
"Blessed are they who have no need to conciliate their rivals, for they will be saved from anxiety."
"Blessed are they who have no poor relations, for they shall be delivered from annoyance."
"Blessed are they of whom all men speak well."
The world"s code says, "Do as others do; don"t be singular; never offend against good taste; have a tinge of religiousness, but remember too much is impracticable for daily life; whatever you do, don"t be poor; never yield an inch, unless you are going to make something by the concession; take every advantage of bettering your position, it matters not at what cost to others--they must look after themselves, as you to yourself."
But it was reserved for John Bunyan to draw Madame Bubble"s portrait: "This woman is a witch. "I am mistress of the world," she says, "and men are made happy by me." She wears a great purse at her side; and her hand is often in her purse fingering her money. Yea, she has bought off many a man from a pilgrim"s life after he had fairly begun it. She is a bold and impudent s.l.u.t also, for she will talk to any man. If there be one cunning to make money, she will speak well of him from house to house. None can tell of the mischief she does. She makes variance betwixt rulers and subjects, "twixt parents and children, "twixt a man and his wife, "twixt the flesh and the heart.
Had she stood by all this while," said Standfast, whose eyes were still full of her, "you could not have set Madame Bubble more amply before me, nor have better described her features." "He that drew her picture was a good limner," said Mr. Honest, "and he that so wrote of her said true." "Oh," said Standfast, "what a mercy it is that I did resist her! for to what might she not have drawn me?""
II. CHRIST AND HIS DISCIPLES HAVE A COMMON CONFLICT.--It is inevitable that there should be collision, and therefore conflict, and as a result tribulation. The world-spirit will not brook our disagreement with its plans and aims, and therefore they who persist in living G.o.dly lives in this present evil world must suffer persecution.
_Conflict about the use of power and prerogative._--At His baptism our Lord was proclaimed to be the Son of the Highest, and anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power. Instantly the Prince of this world came to Him with the suggestion that He should use it for the purposes of His own comfort and display. "Make these stones bread for thine hunger; cast Thyself down and attract the attention of the crowds." Here were the l.u.s.t of the flesh, and the l.u.s.t of the eyes. But our Lord refused to use for Himself the power which was entrusted to Him for the benediction and help of men.
_Conflict as to the way of helping and saving men._--The world"s way was to leap into the seat of power at any cost, and from the height of universal authority administer the affairs of the world. But Christ knew better. He saw that He must take the form of a servant, and humble Himself to the lowest. If He would save men, He cannot save Himself: if He would bring forth much fruit, He must fall into the ground to die: if He would ascend far above all heavens, bearing us with Him to the realms of eternal day, He must descend first into the lower parts of the earth.
_Conflict in the estimate of poverty and suffering._--The world looked on these as the most terrible disasters that could befall. Christ, on the other hand, taught that blessedness lay most within reach of the poor in spirit, the mourners, the merciful, the forgiving, and the persecuted. But the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, when they heard all these things, scoffed at Him.
_Conflict in their diverse notions of royalty._--The Jews looked for a Messiah who should revive the glories of the days of David and Solomon, driving the Gentiles from the land, and receiving the homage of the surrounding nations, whilst every son of Abraham enjoyed opulence and ease. Referring to this expectation, the Master said, "My kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight." His conception of royalty was founded on service, which would wash the disciples" feet; on humility, which meekly bore the heavy yoke, on patience, which would not quench the smoking flax, on suffering, which flinched not from the cross; on the n.o.bility and dignity of the inner life, which shone through the most humble circ.u.mstances, as the transfiguration glory through His robes. For this He died. The chief priests and scribes hunted Him to death, because He persisted in a.s.serting that He was the true King of men.
"And Pilate wrote a t.i.tle also, and put it on the Cross, _Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews_."
_There was conflict in regard to religion._--The people of Christ"s day were very religious. The world likes a flavor of religion. It makes a good background and screen, it serves to hide much that is unbecoming and questionable; it is respectable, and satisfies an instinctive longing of the soul. But the world manages its religion in such a way as not to interfere with its self-aggrandizement; but, in fact, to promote it. Christ, on the other hand, taught that religion was for the Father in secret; and consisted, not in the rigorous observance of outward rite, but in pity, mercy, forgiveness, solitary prayer, and purity of heart.
Thus the Lord"s life was the reversal of everything that the world prized. Wherever He touched it there was conflict and collision, strong antagonism was evoked, and profound irritation on the part of the poor hollow appearance-loving world. So it must be with His followers. "These pilgrims must needs go through the fair. Well, so they did; but behold, even as they entered into the fair, all the people in the fair were moved, and the town itself, as it were, in a hubbub about them. They were clothed with such kind of raiment as was diverse from the raiment of any who traded in that fair; few could understand what they said; and the pilgrims set very light by all their wares. And they did not believe them to be any other than bedlams and mad. Therefore they took them and beat them, and besmeared them with dirt, and then put them in the cage, that they might be made a spectacle to all the men at the fair."
Child of G.o.d, your conflict may be altogether _hidden_ from the eyes of those around you, _lonely_ with the awful loneliness of one in a crowd of unsympathizing strangers, _painful_ with the tribulation that Christ foretold. You have been ridiculed, sneered at, maligned; your tools hidden, your goods injured, violence threatened or executed. You have been as a speckled bird, pecked at by the birds around. But this is the way the Master went. By these marks you may be sure that you are in the way of His steps.
III. THE COMMON VICTORY.--"Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
In the midst of a battle, when the soldiers are weary with fatigue, galled with fire, and grimed with smoke, if the general rides into the midst to cheer them with a few hearty words, and tells them that the key to the position is in their hands, they cheer him enthusiastically, and take up new hope. So down the line our Leader and Commander sends the encouragement of these inspiring words. Let us drink their comfort and encouragement to the full, that, amid our tribulation, in Him we may have peace.
_He conquered for Himself._--The Lord has shown that a great and blessed life is possible on conditions which the world p.r.o.nounces simply unendurable. He would not accept the world"s maxims, would not be ruled by the world"s principles, did despite to the world"s most favorite plans. He even tasted the dregs of reprobation that the world metes out to those who oppose her, enduring the cross, and despising the shame. But His life was blessed while it lasted, His name is the dearest and fairest treasure of our race, and He holds an empire such as none of the world"s most favored conquerors ever won. Does not this show that the world is a lying temptress, that there is another and a better policy of life than hers, that the real sweets and prizes of this brief existence are, after all, not in her gift. Christ has overcome the world. Her prince came to Him, but found no response to any of His proposals. He disregarded her flatteries and threatenings; He would not have her help and despised her hate; He prosecuted His path in defiance of her, and has left an imperishable glory behind.
Thus He overcame the world.
_And he conquered as our representative and head._--What He did for Himself He is prepared to repeat in the life-story of His followers.
Ah! lonely soul, thou shalt not be left unaided to withstand the seductions of the temptress world; Jesus is with thee, thy Great-heart and Champion. As the Father was with Him, so He is with thee; so thus thou mayest boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me."
He does more. Behind the light of this world"s glory, Jesus reveals another; and it is as when the sun rises, while the yellow moon still lingers in the sky. The world has no glory by reason of that glory, which excelleth. We are content with this world until He reveals the glory of the unseen and eternal; then a holy discontent arises with us, such as the patriarchs felt toward Canaan, when by faith they beheld the city which hath foundations. I only say to you, get that vision, and it becomes as easy for you to refuse the pa.s.sing and worthless attractions of the world as for an angel to ignore a wanton"s beauty, or a child to make light of diamonds in the rough.
In Jesus you may have peace. It is not certainly ours, unless we follow the two conditions He lays down. First, of abiding in Him; and, secondly, of meditating on His words. But if these be observed we shall have in the midst of strife, just as there is an oratory in the heart of the castle keep; a hollow cone in the midst of the candle flame; and a centre of safety in the midst of the sweeping whirlwind.
Oh, abide there, child of G.o.d!
And, in addition to peace, there shall one day be victory. We also shall overcome, and shall sit with Christ on His throne, as He overcame, and sits with the Father upon His. Then the fruit of the tree of life, immunity from the second death, the hidden manna, the white stone, the morning star, the confession before the angels of G.o.d, and the pillar in the temple of Eternity!
XXI
Consecrated to Consecrate
"For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth."--JOHN xvii. 19.
"The most precious fragment of the past," is the unstinted eulogium which a thoughtful man has pa.s.sed on this transcendent prayer; transcending in its scope of view, its expressions, its tender pathos, all other prayers of which we have record.
Its primary characteristic is _timelessness_. Though uttered within a few hours of Calvary, it contains thoughts and expressions which must have been familiar to our Lord at any moment during the centuries which have followed. As we study it, therefore, we are listening to words which have been uttered many times on our behalf, and will be uttered until we are with Him, where He is, beholding the glory of the Divine Son, superadded to that of the Perfect Servant.
The R. V. margin subst.i.tutes the word _consecrate_ for _sanctify_, and it probably conveys a better meaning, because devotion to the will of G.o.d is prominent, rather than the holiness of personal character.
Devotion to G.o.d"s will is the primary thought suggested by the word; but of course it involves a blameless and spotless character. Thus we might read the words, "For their sakes I consecrate Myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth." Through the dim twilight the Lord clearly foresaw what was awaiting Him--the agony and b.l.o.o.d.y sweat, the cross and pa.s.sion, the foresakenness and travail of His soul. The cross with out-stretched arms waited to receive Him; the midnight darkness to engulf Him, the murderous band to wreak their hate on the unresisting Lamb--and yet He flinched not, but went right forward, consecrating Himself.
"Twas thus He suffered, though a Son, Foreknowing, choosing, tasting all, Until the dreadful work was done And drank the bitter cup of gall."
I. THE SUBJECTS OF CHRIST"S SOLICITUDE.--In the earlier verses the Lord speaks of Himself, of His finished work, of the glory which He had left, of that to which He went, asking only that He might be able to glorify the Father in every movement of His coming sorrow (1-5).
Then He launches Himself on the full current of intercession, and pleads for those who had been given to Him, as distinguished from the world of men out of which they had come. Evidently the same thought was in His mind as inspired His words in John x., when He spoke of the sheep whom the Father had given to Him, that He might give them eternal life (27-29). And it may be that each of these two utterances was inspired by older words yet, that Zechariah had addressed to the poor of the flock when he cut asunder his two slaves, Beauty and Bands (Zech. xi. 7-14).
The underlying conception in all these pa.s.sages seems to be that the Father has entrusted to the special keeping of Jesus certain elect spirits having an affinity to His nature, and who should stand in the inner circle to Him because a.s.sociated with Him from high redemptive purpose. All souls are G.o.d"s by right of creation, and all are included in the redemption wrought on the cross; but not all had been included in the Divine gift of which Jesus speaks, "Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me." We conclude that in the eternity of the past, as the Father beheld all future things as though they were present, and surveyed the vast mult.i.tudes of the human family, He discerned those who would be attracted by indissoluble union with His Son, manifest in the flesh; and whom He did foreknow, these also He did predestinate to be His flock, His brethren and sisters, His chosen band of a.s.sociates in His redemptive purpose. These were the subjects of His powerful solicitude, "I make request, not for the world, but for those whom Thou hast given Me."
What then? Did not G.o.d care for the world? Certainly. He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
How then can we reconcile the love of G.o.d to the world with the selection of some as the flock of the Lamb, whilst the great world seems expressly excluded from His prayer? That question is fitly put.
The emphasis is on the word seems. It is only to the superficial view that the world is excluded. Are the planets excluded from the law of gravitation because suns are filled with fire and light? Are the lower orders of creation excluded from the circle of enjoyment because man with his high organization is more richly endowed than they? Are sufferers excluded from the healing virtues of nature because a comparative few are specially qualified as surgeons and physicians?
Can a missionary be charged with neglecting a dark continent because he concentrates thought and care on a few elect spirits gathered around him? For instance, could Columba be held guilty of neglecting the Picts and Scots when on Iona"s lone isle he focused his care upon the handful of followers who a.s.sembled around the ancient pile, whose ruins are his lasting memorial? There is but one answer to these questions.
Election is not exclusive, but inclusive. Its purpose is not primarily the salvation or delectation of the few, but their equipment to become the apostles to the many. And if Jesus thought, cared, and prayed so much for those whom the Father had given Him, His ulterior thought was that the world might believe that the Father had sent Him (ver. 21).
If then it should be proved that you, my reader, are not included in the band of the given ones, that would not necessarily involve you in the eternal condemnation and loss of the future; though it would exclude you from sharing with Christ in His lofty mission to the sons of men.
What are the marks then that we belong to the inner circle of the given ones? They are these--
1. That we have come to Him (John vi. 37).
2. That we hear His voice, listening for the slightest indication of His will (John x. 27).