No portion of scripture is found out of its place. In Matt. 5; 6; 7 Jesus was in the mountain unfolding the mind, of heaven about man’s conduct on earth. It was practically set forth in Christ’s conduct—the conduct, in the judgment of heaven, worthy of our common humanity. Remark what honor and dignity are put upon man. Not only was he created to inherit what God had bestowed; but, when fallen, mark what God did to bring him back into a state in which he might again hold communion with Himself. The first rational act of each of us must be to seek the God from whom sin has separated man. There is no wisdom but seeking God, and learning what is the conduct that becomes us in His sight. There is evil around; evil in ourselves the enemy, too, spreads his snares; but God is able to spread a table in the sight of all our enemies.
The antidote with which He furnishes us; against the evil, is the word. The insertion of His word is the remedy for the poison which works within. The word of God is the power of God against evil. Dispensationally we have large measures of truth. How suitable for this age is the Book of Ecclesiastes, for instance, and Proverbs. God deals with us—through His word largely—in the aggregate and also individually. He is able to attract all hearts to Himself. That which was created by Him, finds its true center in Him.
In these chapters (5, 6, 7.) there is nothing of grandeur or greatness, except the humility; and humility is the high thing in God’s thoughts. God’s heart was set upon an humble Christ. Christ humbled Himself that we might the more willingly humble ourselves. It was God, manifest in the flesh, who inculcated these precepts. He had the right to teach, for His was the power: God was here, taking His place in the circle of humanity. He took man’s proper place in order to encourage us. He who took this low path was the high One; the only One who had a right to all.
I have only dwelt a little on this to introduce a few thoughts on chapter viii. Holy and reverend is the name of Him who spoke on the mount of holiness. There was a charm about His words; they were so gracious and so kind, though heard “afar off,” but multitudes followed Him. God was veiled, and He had spoken of heavenly mindedness in contrast to earthly-mindedness; but still they were charmed.
In the leper, in verse 2, we have a poor sinner in the presence of the Holy One. WE are here typically seen: “Grace reigns through righteousness.” The leper attributes power to the Lord. He accredits Him as “Jesus of Nazareth, anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power.” (Acts 10:3838How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. (Acts 10:38).) His thought was of the Lord’s POWER. We are too apt to forget this. Christ is righteousness to us. He also is strength and power for us. Whilst we rejoice in His righteousness, we sometimes forget that we need the apprehension of His power to sustain His righteousness practically in our souls. We must not suppose that because we have believed, we have nothing more to do. It is not enough to say that we have life; we must live in the power of it. And in order to have power, we must know the Lord Jesus Christ as the source of power. “His leprosy was cleansed:” then he could say, that the Lord would if He could, and He could if He would.
It is the will of God that sinners should be saved. God bows our wills to His when we are unwilling. He wills our salvation. Is there any obstacle or impediment stronger than God? We are brought into the place of power as well as of love. God can utterly subdue our will. Many look too much at their own will, instead of looking at God’s will. We are often engaged in considering our state, rather than in strengthening our faith. When faith comes to God, feeling sin and asking God to kill it, then the will God is apprehended, and His power. He is stronger than the will even of the regenerate. He knows the flesh lusteth against the Spirit; and the Spirit lusteth against the flesh. We need to know God’s, grace, and that His strength is ours, too. He has power to break us down. It is right to take our evil wills to God, and to ask that His power may overcome them. If we come to God just as we are, God will send us away just as we ought to be. There is, then, power in Christ. We are inclined to lean on the side of grace: we fail; then we earnestly plead that we may be restored. it is well; but there is another thing which it would be also well to plead, that is, for power in the Spirit to be kept from failing. This would be more elevating to our spiritual character, and more in accordance with the dignity of our calling.
There was no small faith in the centurion. He beseeches the Lord. He knew that the Lord Jesus knew all about it; but he brings it all before Him. We read in another gospel that this servant was dear to the centurion. This is a happy instance of this relationship, to which we should do well to take heed in these days, when there is such a dearth of good servants and of good masters. This servant had proved himself worthy to have his master’s love, and the master had grace to value that worth. Here we may learn the advantages of having a godly master. It was no such bad thing to be sick even, in a godly man’s house. How rare it is for servants to be really faithful; for masters to be really careful for their servants’ weal!
This petition of a godly master was not likely to be made in vain. Jesus did not come to untie the links of humanity, but to bind them the faster; to make love the sweeter; children to love their parents, delight to serve them, to run errands. It is a real pleasure to the servant t he has so good a master, and then Christ comes and backs it all up with a divine precept. Thus God fastens, with a divine cement, the ties of natural affection. The church should have been a witness, by these holy bonds, amidst the unregulated minds around. It is not in “ecclesiastical” matters only, it is in this that the frightful ruin of the church is seen. This divine cement is lacking which should be with us a desideratum. Christianity does not make us angels; it should make us better men down here—before we are glorified in heaven. We should be the best fathers the best husbands; the best sons; the best servants. There is not a thing which belongs to men as men, which God has not, cared for in His word.
There have been persons—rare, and therefore chronicled—so generous in their love, that they only needed to know of wants in order to meet them. Such was Jesus. Only go and tell out your grievances and difficulties to Him, and HC will cool down their fever! We do not want to wait till we are better; we only need say that we are “grievously tormented,” and the answer comes: “I will come and heal.” We only need to state our case to Jesus to have it met. Many in prayer seek rather to ask for help, than to tell out their grievances. It would be well did we thus pour out our hearts alone before the Lord; and also when we pray corporately. God would work, He would undertake for us. He knows all about our circumstances, but He would have us, tell them all out to Him—our troubles, &c., and He will either get us out of them, or give us grace to bear them. We find rest in the very fact of telling Him where we are. We get comfort, and this not from any impulse of feeling. It is not so much the wanting to get, answers to prayer, to prove that we are children. God is better and wiser than we. We need not tell Him what to do. Let us tell Him how careless we are, how we fail, and when we are wrong let us tell Him so. Our faith is proved by telling Him all. The very liberty we have in doing this, proves our confidence in God, and we shall get the answer. The centurion tells the story, states the case. Christ is the repository of God’s mercy. Our passions, it may be, are strong; we are “grievously tormented.” Well, what tells against us is our being bad and: not telling God about it, this does tell against us.
The centurion recognized in Christ the great power of the Godhead. “Speak the word” —this is important. This is the attestation. The Spirit ties men’s hearts fast to the word: is the link between strength and duty. He recognized the omnipotence of Christ’s word. When our evil nature would break forth, this word is the only real power to subdue it. We have to struggle. Our will says, I must do so and so; the word says, Thou shalt not. The working or the Spirit is not dreamy, but intelligent, and by the word. And true men, when the Spirit is at work, will take the word as their guide, without which we are never safe. Oh that God would raise up more men to be very diligent in the school of His word! The Bible is the treasury of God’s sayings, and the Holy Spirit applies them. Mark the women at the tomb. The angels brought before them the word. What, then, is the folly of Christendom which declares that the intercession of angels is needed! The angels could only point to the word which Christ had spoken. Believe me, there is no such spiritual worship as obedience to the word of our God. Oh, let us be found diving into it! Let us know and obey the word as to what we ought to be as servants, as masters, in our houses—all the day long, and every day.
Let us have a care, and beware lest we be taking a visionary place; lest we take up with false ideas of what true worship is. We do right when our souls are sustained in the study to act out God’s word. The heavens were created by the word. The centurion accredited God in Christ. He saw Him as the One who said, “Let there be light;” and he knew that fever, paralysis, consumption, all were but His servants: at, His bidding they could lay that strong one low and at His command they would flee away.
We likewise profess to believe all this; but how little of quietness in trouble we have! How circumstances move us! How easily is our equanimity destroyed. But ALL was known to our God beforehand. Casualties there are none: all is under the control of God—of Him who took Lazarus out of the arms of the strong one; who bound down the lions before Daniel; who gave strength to the helpless one at the pool of Bethesda. God knows our condition and the condition of our fellow-saints. Had we the wealth of the Indies, in order to lift our brethren and sisters out of their trials, we should only do harm with it. God sees best and most wisely; and He never allows us to choose for ourselves. Tell God then about your sorrows, and He will either take you out of your trouble, or He will give you His company in the trial. Let God’s, appointment be what we delight in.
This is great philosophy. No; it is not circumstances we want changed; it is not power. Alexander wept with dissatisfaction that he had not a second world to conquer. It is not health, or getting property: no; it is not a change of circumstances we need; but to have our minds brought into accordance with God’s purposes concerning us.
Oh, why the perpetual looking to, and leaning upon the saints in our circumstances? they will prove but broken cisterns, it is folly to lean on the saints. It is wise to lean upon God: if we wait upon Him, we have His promise that He will make up for it. Whence such maudlin Christianity—such poor, pale-faced Christians? Surely we ought to be rather giving a helping hand to others, than ourselves looking round for a crutch to lean upon!
“The children of the kingdom.” (Ver. 12.) Alas! that we should so forget God’s own people—His Israel—abandoned, as it were, of God, yet not recipients of the grace of the church, as, surely, they ought to be. This is the balm of our souls—not that we get such or such a thing; but CHRIST, He is near. The centurion looked for blessing, and God anticipated him. Open out before God all your cares, and all your sorrows. Faith accredits God that all is ordered; that our very hairs are numbered. All was arranged beforehand by God—for our eternal blessing.