IT IS well, in a day when schools of theology, professing as they do, to derive their doctrines from the Word of God, produce tenets so many and diverse — a day too when pride of intellect calls tinny to worship at her shrine — it is well, I say, to inquire what is the key to the acquisition of the mind of God,—to wisdom.
That there are creeds many and conflicting is only too evident, that it various and sometimes antagonistic denominations have been founded on these creeds is equally apparent, nor can it be denied that men, not merely of intelligence, but also of lives devoted to the subject, have failed to agree on points of truth in the Word of God. All this is beyond question to the attentive mind. But it is not my object now to show the ill results flowing from systems constructed on false creeds, but rather to discover the secret of the true apprehension and true exhibition in practice of the truth of God. And this is clearly of the last importance. To get upon rails which will secure the traveler to the journey’s end, to possess a secret which will qualify the soul for the reception of the mind of God is indeed a boon, the most desirable. Let us thank God that such a secret may be possessed by all His children, and that when is possession of this secret, they are capacitated to receive the truth in its fulness.
At the same time, without this, the keenest mind, the clearest reason and the most acute intellect, even though sanctified, are incapable and helpless. It is not to, the mind nor to the reason that God is pleased to make the communications of His word, but to faith in the renewed soul; and, hence, if reason alp ne be allowed its play, conclusions, opposite to those of the word of God, may be expected. And yet even where ‘faith exists, a prerequisite is needed to secure safety in the fuller apprehension of the will of God. Many beautiful instances are furnished by the Word of God of those who possessed and profited by this secret. Many had learned how to disown all pretension, all natural capability to the discovery of “that good and acceptable and perfect will of God,” and the profit which they derived personally has been handed down to us for our profit likewise.
It is true that the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, (Psa. 25:1414The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant. (Psalm 25:14)), and with them alone. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” and without this fear of the Lord, this “trembling at His Word,” this casting down imaginations and every high thing, this “becoming a fool so as to become wise,” in short, the total disallowance of the natural mind in its unbroken, unsubdued and willful energies, there can be no attainment to the mind of God.
In view of this truth, it is extremely interesting to trace the history of those to whom it pleased God to communicate special and distinctive revelations of His blessed mind, and to see what it was in them that qualified them for so distinguished an honor — what fitted them to become the depositaries of the mind of God for the time being. I will note some of the most remarkable instances.
We find, in the Epistle of Jude, a prophecy of Enoch, the seventh from Adam, —” behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of His saints, to execute Judgment on all.” Far was the reach of the eye of this early prophet. It looked into the future beyond the flood, and the destruction of Jerusalem, right on to the coming of the Lord with His saints for judgment. No doubt he witnessed evil around him, and might have supposed the judgment of a holy God on that evil, yet, by what means could he have foreseen, that, when this judgment should be executed, the Judge should-identify His saints with Himself in the exercise el it how came he to learn this? By what means possession of the secret? History informs us. In Genesis 5:22,22And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: (Genesis 5:22) we read, “Enoch walked with God.” Therein lay the reason. Whatever may have been the conduct of those by whom he was surrounded, Enoch preserved the holy separation to God that he became acquainted with His intentions.
In the following chapter, Genesis 6, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and Noah walked with God,” as his forefather before. The world had in no wise improved. “Every imagination of the thoughts of the heart of man was only evil continually” until God could bear no longer, The deluge was purposed as an evidence of the government of God and His abhorrence of sin. But Noah was warned of this approaching judgment. He prepared, an ark for himself and his household. Whatever may have been the indifference of those around him to the state of the world or to his own divinely appointed testimony — his preaching of righteousness, he himself was divinely apprised and prepared. But wherein lay the secret? Noah walked with God, and was therefore instructed by Him as to His purpose.
Again in the same book of Genesis another instance may be adduced, that of Abraham. It is exceedingly refreshing to the heart to trace the path of this faithful patriarch, to follow him from his country and his idolatrous surroundings, obedient to the call of God, pressing forward with a step that seldom staggered, and a faith that seldom wavered, in the enjoyment of unbroken communion with God, to a separate and solitary encampment in Hebron (communion) to become the vessel of rich unfoldings of the mind of God.
It was of him that the Lord said in John 8:56,56Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. (John 8:56) “Abraham rejoiced to see my day; He saw it and was glad.”, Visions of the displayed glory of Christ―the day of real earthly joy — the day of Christ, when Abraham’s seed should be blessed in Him, and, in company with that seed, all nations should rejoice. Such visions were made good to him, but on what ground? The eye of the prophet had been undimmed by the moral and blinding evaporations of the world. His path had been one of separation from that world in calm and peaceful fellowship with God, and hence his ability to see with clearness that far distant day of the glory of Immanuel.
Let me supply one more case from the Old Testament — a case which shines with all the more radiance because of the darkness of the back-ground. The people of God had been led captive by proud Nebuchadnezzar. Their sins had brought their thralldom upon them. Nevertheless although the nation had thus proved faithless, there was to be found, here and there, the energy of faithfulness to God in individuals. The victorious King of Babylon might boast of his universal dominion, and challenge the disobedience of any. Yet he had in his very capital some who would maintain their allegiance to God at their own risk rather than obey him and compromise the Word of God. “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King’s meat.” (chapter 1:8.) Happy resolution and fraught in its consequences with results as happy. Time rolled on. The King hail dreams which troubled him and which could not find an interpretation from all the wise men of his kingdom. Daniel was called upon and furnished that explanation. Again, none could decipher the mysterious writing on the wall of the palace of gay and ribald Belshazzar, but Daniel supplied the need. Again, difficulties greater than these lay on his path. He had visions of his own —pictures of coming events which “turned his comeliness into corruption, and caused him to tremble,” yet these pictures were the true and wonderfully exact delineations of Judgments or blessings yet to be displayed. The same qualification for the reception of the divine purpose is to be found in him — profound and unfaltering obedience to God.
This principle holds good in later times, inasmuch as it is one of essential and unchanging importance, whatever rutty be the measure of light or the fullness, of the revelation given, for “the fear of the Lord is clean enduring forever.” (Ps. 19:9.) In the New Testament we have many beautiful instances of this fruitful fear of the Lord, only in a way more familiar and less formal according to the closer subsisting relationship. Take first of all Mary — sister of Martha. The earliest accounts of her are given as in Luke 10. Her well-known characteristic was, that she “sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.” Such a position implies surely that self-had no pace. Proper humility had taken the place of natural pride — and her ear was therefore open for the words of Jesus. Tracing her history, we find in John 11, that when the Lord was on his way to Bethany to raise Lazarus, anti wen Martha hall returned to the house consciously unequal to maintain communion with the Lord, Mary went to meet Him; and, though tears of natural and sisterly sorrow take their course, yet all is calm and dignified. The impossibility of raising Lazarus at once, did not enter her mind as it had that of Martha. Again, in the following chapter, we find Mary anointing with spikenard those feet where in earlier days she had found a seat. Her action was not understood by the disciples and met their disapprobation. But the Lord placed his own gracious interpretation upon it, and said, “against the day of my burying hath she kept this.” Which of, the disciples had realized the day of His burying? — None! Yet Mary had become possessor of the way of the Lord as none other. The secret was, because she had “sat at Jesus feet.” Further — a deeply solemn moment had arrived. The Lord and His disciples were seated at the table in the celebration of the last paschal supper. In the midst of their feast a deep cloud of sorrow crossed the heart of their Master. He was “troubled in spirit, and said, ‘one of you shall betray Me.’” (John 13:2121When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. (John 13:21).) The disciples doubted of whom He spoke. Who could be guilty of such a deed’ One of them was in near and familiar proximity to Him, — John, “lying on Jesus’ breast said unto Him, Lord, who is it?” He was surely most qualified to gather the secret of the Lord, to hear the whisper of His lips! Even Peter referred to him, for like Martha, he had to acknowledge that moral nearness of heart is the only true means of acquiring the mind of the Lord. To John then was the communication made who should be the betrayer. And, to whom was that wondrous Revelation made, wherein the very Throne of heaven and the fearful catalog of earthly judgments — the opening of seals, the pouring forth of vials, and the sounding of trumpets, are enrolled — to this same apostle who had reclined his head on the bosom of Jesus and who was fitted to receive such unfoldings. Lastly, I will produce the case of the Apostle Paul and refer to a statement made by him, by which we may discover the secret of that knowledge which placed him foremost among the Apostles, so that of him Peter writes of his epistle that in them “are things hard to be understood,” and that to him were accorded special communications, again and again; and in particular that “mystery (of the church) which in other ages had not been made known to the sons of men.” — (Eph. 3:2-42If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) (Ephesians 3:2‑4)). The statement occurs in 2 Corinthians 10:5,5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (2 Corinthians 10:5) “Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.” Here lay the secret! Perhaps few could boast, of a more capacious, quick or well stored mind than he who had been brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, yet now, in the school of God, he had learned to distrust that natural talent, to cast down the mere imaginations of his own mind — and had taken the place of a “fool” so as to become wise. Beautiful subordination of that in which man boasts the loudest, his own reason. Such an one is on the highroad to the apprehension of “the deep things of God.” Humbling, no doubt, it is to discover that what furnishes a thread to guide through the labyrinth of this life is in itself valueless in conducting through the mysteries of God. The fear of the Lord, seen practically in Enoch, Noah, Abram, Daniel, Mary, John and Paul, and many others beside, is the only key, the only fitting qualification for the apprehension and retention of the mind of God. — “What man is he that feareth the Lord, him shall He teach in the way that He shall choose.” (Psa. 25:1212What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. (Psalm 25:12).)
May God grant to His people “grace to serve him acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” May His saints cherish this “clean fear of the Lord” which “endureth forever;” — may a deepened desire be grand them for the enjoyment of the word and ways of Him, who has in truth become their wisdom by means of that cross, which is, at once, the proof of His love to them, and the condemnation of all that is in man as a child of Adam. Finally, may the tender exhortation of the Apostle Paul find an answer in our hearts, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service; be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom. 12:1, 21I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1‑2).)
J. W. S.