First Things First
(No. 1864)
[This address has been lengthened a little in order to fill the usual
number of pages. It has also been revised sufficiently to make it read
much the same as it was heard. There were passages which depended so
much upon the voice and tone that they could
not be reproduced by letterpress.]
AN ADDRESS BYC. H. SPURGEON, DELIVERED AT THE MONTHLY MEETING OF THE
LONDON BANKS' PRAYER UNION, HELD AT THE EGYPTIAN HALL, MANSION HOUSE,
LONDON,
ON MONDAY AFTERNOON, SEPTEMBER 28, 1885, THE RIGHT HON. THE LORD MAYOR,
M.P., IN THE CHAIR.
MY LORD MAYOR AND GENTLEMEN–I was asked to give an address to the
members of the Banks' Prayer Union and to others occupied in banking,
but I beg to warn you all that an address from me is very much like a
sermon. I am so in the habit of preaching that almost of necessity my
talk drops into sermon form. I have heard a story of a painter of
signboards in Harp Alley in the olden times which illustrates the force
of habit. An innkeeper selected an angel as the sign of his house and
asked this knight of the brush to produce one, but the painter replied,
"You had better have a lion. I have been painting lions so long that
they are more in my line than angels." My host answered that there were
three or four lions of different colors in the street, already, and
that he must have an angel. "Well," said our artist, "if you must have
an angel, you shall have an angel, but it will be dreadfully like a
lion." Thus it comes to pass that when I am compelled to give an
address, it is extremely like a sermon! I pray you have patience with
me now that I have confessed my weakness.
A philosopher has remarked that if a man knew that he had 30 years of
life before him, it would not be an unwise thing to spend 20 of those
years in mapping out a plan of living and putting himself under rule,
for he would do more with the 10 well-arranged years than with the
whole 30 if he spent them at random, There is much truth in that
saying. A man will do little by firing off his gun if he has not
learned to take aim.
Possibly I address myself to some who have, up to now, lived
haphazardly and, if so, I invite them to a more hopeful method of
living. To have a great many aims and objectives is much the same thing
as having no aim at all, for if a man shoots at many things, he will
hit none, or none worth hitting. It is a grand thing to know what we
are living for and to live for a worthy objective with the undivided
energy of our being. Shall we, when the end comes, have made a success
of life? Has our objective been a right one and has it been wisely
pursued? Are the results of our conduct such as we shall wish them to
have been when the conflict of this mortal life is over? These
questions deserve immediate consideration.
Another question arises out of them–What position should religion
occupy in reference to a man's life? That is a question which naturally
arises in the arranging of life for, whatever we chose to think of it,
there is such a thing as religion in the world–and there is within us
some yearning after spiritual things. We cannot help feeling that we
need somewhat more than this visible world can offer us. Many of us
find our greatest joy in the cultivation of that feeling, for it is to
us the token of our spiritual nature and the prophecy of immortality.
To us, this life is mainly worth living because it promises to be the
introduction to a better life–
"Alas for love, if you were all, And nothing beyond, O earth!"
Alas for life if this were all and there were not a higher and better
state of existence! No knell would be more doleful than that which
signified the death of man's hope of immortality.
What position should religion occupy in your life and mine? The answer
must depend very much upon another ques-tion–What is religion and what
does religion, itself, demand? What are the requirements of the great
God and of the soul and of eternity? This question has suggested to me
the text upon which I shall speak this afternoon–
"Seek you first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33.
I shall not trespass beyond the appointed time. However prosy I may be
during the time allotted to me, I shall stop when the hour is complete.
HERE IS AN ACCOUNT OF WHAT TRUE RELIGION IS. According to the Words of
Christ Jesus our Lord, it is "The Kingdom of God and His
righteousness." Just now I read to you a portion of Scripture, Matthew
6:24-34, and I read it to you that you might note that our text occurs
in the midst of a warning against undue anxiety. Undue anxiety is very
common among city men and it is not rare anywhere. Certain of us are
nervous, timid, doubtful and prone to fear. There are plenty of
pessimists about, although they will hardly recognize themselves by
that title. To them, evil is always impending–we are about to take a
leap in the dark. All their birds are owls or ravens. All their swans
are black. If it rains today, it will rain tomorrow–and the next day
and the next–and, in all probability, there will be a deluge! Or if it
is fine today, it will be dry tomorrow and so on, for months–and the
earth and all the meadows that are therein will perish with drought. As
to the sun, they observe with pleasing despondency that he has spots.
His light they hardly notice, but they dote upon his spots with amiable
horror! Minds of this sort–
Find poisons in trees, deaths in the running brook Dirges in stones and
ill in everything. I suppose they cannot help it–yet Christian men
must help it, for the Lord's precept is plain and binding–"Be not,
therefore, anxious."
Fretful anxiety is forbidden to the Christian. In the first place, it
is needless. Matthew 6:26–"Behold the fowls of the air," said Christ,
"they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?" If you
have a Father in Heaven to care for you, are you not put to shame by
every little bird that sits upon the bough and sings, though it has not
two grains of barley in all the world? God takes charge of the fowls of
the air and thus they live exempt from care–why do not we?
Our Lord also taught that such anxiety is useless as well as needless,
for, with all our care, we cannot add a cubit to our stature. Can we do
anything else by fretful care? What if the farmer deplores that there
is no rain? Do his fears unstop the bottles of Heaven? Or if the
merchant sighs because the wind detains his laden ship–will his
complaining turn the gale to another quarter? We do not better
ourselves a bit by all our fret and fume. It were infinitely wiser to
do our best and then cast our cares upon our God. Prudence is wisdom,
for it adapts means to ends, but anxiety is folly, for it groans and
worries and accomplishes nothing.
Besides, according to our Savior, anxiety about carnal things is
heathenish–"After all these things do the Gentiles seek." They have no
God and no Providence and, therefore, they try to be a providence to
themselves! As for the man of God who can say, "God's Providence is my
inheritance," why should he pine away with trouble? Let the heir of
Heaven act a nobler part than the mere man of the world who has his
portion in this life and lives without God and without hope! Our
distrust of our God is childish and dishonoring. I was going through
these streets one day, driven by a friend in a four-wheeled chaise, and
he, being a good driver, must necessarily drive into narrow places
where it seemed to me that we should be crushed by the vans and
omnibuses. I shrank back in my timidity and expressed my unwise alarms
so freely, that with a smile he laid the reins in my hand, and said,
"If you cannot trust me, would you like to drive yourself?" From that
ambition I was wholly free and I assured him that he might drive as he
liked, rather than make me the charioteer. Surely, the great God might
well put the same proposal to those who are complaining of His
Providence. If we cannot trust Him, could we manage better, ourselves?
If we are men in Christ, let us believe in our God and leave the
governance of the great world outdoors, and of the little world within
our own gates, to the Lord God, our heavenly Father, who will surely
cause all things to work together for good to them that love Him!
It is plain that within us there is a propensity to be anxious. Can we
not utilize it? Can we not turn it to good account? I think so. Some
are naturally thoughtful and careful–can they not transform this
tendency into a benefit? We have a tendency to be anxious. Very well,
let us be anxious, but let our anxiety run in the right direction. Here
is a mental heat–let us apply it to some useful purpose. Our text sets
before us the true sphere of Christian carefulness. "Seek you first the
Kingdom of God and His righteousness." Seek that with all your care!
Seek that with all your energy. Be anxious about that. Let your whole
mind run in that direction with eagerness and thought. You cannot be
too careful or too energetic when God and righteousness are concerned.
In our text there is a description of true religion. What is it? "The
Kingdom of God." Without using a single superfluous theological term, I
may say that the great God has always had a Kingdom in this world. In
the olden times He set up a kingdom among His people, Israel, to whom
He gave laws and statutes. But now the Lord is King over all the
world–"The God of the whole earth shall He be called." "The earth is
the Lord's and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell
therein." God has a Kingdom in this world, but it is too much neglected
and forgotten of men. The first thing to be done by us is to enter that
Kingdom. Blessed is that man who has the Lord God to be his King and
has learned to order his life according to Divine Law. The highest
liberty comes from wearing the yoke of God. The servant of men who
dares not call his soul his own is a serf to be pitied. But the servant
of God who fears nothing but sin, is a man of princely mold. We must
stoop before God, that we may conquer among men! If we determine to
yield ourselves wholly unto the Lord, we shall become influential among
our fellow men.
We can only enter into this Kingdom of God by being born again of His
Spirit, for, "except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of
God." In that new birth we learn to submit ourselves to the Lord Jesus
Christ and to find in Him, eternal life. God has appointed the Lord
Jesus heir of all things. By Him, also, He made the worlds. He says of
Him, "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish from the way, when
His wrath is kindled but a little." Faith in Christ casts our sins at
the foot of His Cross and brings us an inward life unto holiness. We
must believe in Jesus and trust in His great Atonement for sin, for
apart from His full Atonement, there is no salvation and no true
service to God. This faith puts us into the Kingdom of God for, to "as
many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on His name." The first anxiety of every man
should be to be a loyal subject of the Kingdom of
God.
And when we feel that we are reconciled to God and are under His
supreme sway, our next objective should be to continue there and to
become more and more completely obedient to Divine rule–so that we may
more fully enjoy every privilege of the Kingdom. In the Kingdom of God
every man is a king and a priest. He that serves God reigns. He that
serves God is the possessor of all things! All things are ours when we
are Christ's–
"This world is ours, and worlds to come: Earth is our lodge, and Heaven
our home." Let the Christian seek to know to the fullest what is the
heritage of the saints in Christ Jesus.
Our next business should be to spread that Kingdom–to try to bring
others under the dominion of Christ. It should be the lifework of each
man to bring others to acknowledge the Sovereignty of the Lord Jesus.
What opportunities most of you possess! Your station, your education,
your wealth–all give you advantages for serving the Lord. Are you
using them? It is a great joy to the Christian minister to have about
him a people who are missionaries in their daily lives. With great joy
have I listened to some poor girl who has confessed her faith in Christ
and then has added very timidly, "There is another girl waiting outside
who would like to speak to you. She works with me in a warehouse in the
City and I spoke to her and she sought Jesus. And I believe she is
converted." I fear that many men of position are less diligent in
winning souls than the poor workers they employ. Should it be so? He
lives most and lives best who is the means of imparting spiritual life
to others! May not some of you, at the last, come to a lonely end from
lack of usefulness? We heard, not long ago, of the shipwreck from which
a mother was washed on shore, but found all her children drowned. She
telegraphed to her husband two words. The first was very pleasant to
his eyes–"Saved." The next was full of misery–"Saved alone." Ah me!
Would you or I like to have it–"Saved alone"? God forbid! When we
reach Heaven's gate, may we be able to say, "Here am I, and the
children that You have given me."
This is the meaning of that first word–"Seek the Kingdom of God." The
reign of our Lord is to be our main objective if we would lead a
well-ordered, useful, happy, and honored life.
Our text has a second word–"Seek first the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness," by which I understand the practical part of true
religion. Seek to have the imputed righteousness of Christ, by all
means, but seek, also, to exhibit the infused righteousness which comes
of sanctification. Brothers in Christ, let us aspire after a high
degree of holiness! We are called to be saints and saints are not
miraculous beings to be set up in niches and admired–they are men and
women who live, trade, do righteousness and practice charity in the
streets of a city, or the fields of a village! Those who are washed in
the blood of the Lamb should not be satisfied with the common
cleanliness of morality–the garment of their life should be whiter
than any fuller can make it! Purity becomes the disciples of Jesus. In
spirit, soul and body we
ought to be holiness to the Lord. Our righteousness must exceed that of
the scribes and Pharisees! It should be a reproduction of the Character
of our Lord!
By the phrase, "His righteousness," I understand that power in the
world which is always working, in some form or other, for that which is
good, true and pure. Everything in this world which is holy, honest and
of good repute may count upon the Christian as its friend, for it is a
part of God's righteousness. Does drunkenness eat out the very life of
our nation? Do you want men of temperance to battle with this evil? The
Christian man cries, "Write down my name!" When the slave had to be
freed, the subjects of God's Kingdom were to the front in that deed of
righteousness. And today, if oppression is to be put down, we dare not
refuse our aid. If the people are to be educated and better housed, we
hail the proposal with delight. If the horrible sin of the period is to
be denounced and punished, we may not shrink from the loathsome
conflict! Let each man in is own position labor after purity and, as
God shall help us, we may yet sweep these streets of their infamies and
deliver our youth from pollution! Every Christian man should say of
every struggle for better things, "I am in it, cost what it may." Hosts
of your professors of religion forget to seek God's righteousness and
seem to suppose that their principal business is to save their own
souls–poor little souls that they are! Their religion is barely
sufficient to fill up the vacuum within their own ribs where their
hearts should be! This selfishness is not the religion of Jesus! The
religion of Jesus is unselfish–it enlists a man as a crusader against
everything that is unrighteous. We are Knights of the Red Cross and our
bloodless battles are against all things that degrade our fellow men,
whether they are causes social, political, or religious. We fight for
everything that is good, true, and just.
True religion is diffusive and extensive in its operations. I see
people drawing lines continually and saying, "So far is religious, and
so far is secular." What do you mean? The notion is one which suits
with the exploded notions of sacred places, priests, shrines and
relics! I do not believe in it. Everything is holy to a holy man! To
the pure, all things are pure. To a man who seeks, first, the Kingdom
of God and His righteousness, his house is a temple, his meals are
sacraments, his garments are vestments, every day is a holy day and he,
himself, is a priest and a king unto God! The sphere of Christianity is
co-extensive with daily life. I am not to say, "I serve God when I
stand in the pulpit," for that might imply that I wished to serve the
devil when my sermon was over! We are not only to be devout at Church
and pious at Prayer Meetings, but to be devout and godly everywhere!
Religion must not be like a fine piece of medieval armor, to be hung
upon the wall, or only worn on state occasions. No, it is a garment for
the house, the shop, the bank! Your ledgers and iron safes are to be
made, by Grace, "holiness unto the Lord." Godliness is for the parlor
and the drawing room, the counting house and the exchange. It can
neither be put off nor on. It is of the man and in the man if it is
real! Righteousness is a quality of the heart and abides in the nature
of the saved man as a component part of his new self. He is not
righteous who is not always righteous!
Undefiled religion is a vital matter–it is in the life of the man. I
am afraid that the religion of some people is like the shell of the
hermit crab. At sea, the dredge brings up innumerable creeping things
and among them, creatures which have their own natural shells to live
in. But here comes a fellow who has annexed the shell of a whelk and
bears it about as if it were his own. He lives in it while it suits him
and he gives up the tenancy when it becomes inconvenient. The shell is
not part of himself. Avoid such a religion! Beware of a Sunday shell
and a weekday without the shell! That religion which you can part with,
you had better part with! If you can get rid of it, get rid of it! If
it is not part and parcel of yourself, it is good for nothing! If it
does not run right through you like a silver thread through a piece of
embroidery, it will not be of any use for your eternal salvation.
I said, just now, that true godliness must be diffusive and I return to
the statement. I remember a remark of John Newton, once rector of St.
Mary Woolnoth, across the road. He was a thoroughly Calvinistic
preacher, but when one asked him whether he believed in Calvinism, he
replied, "I am a Calvinist, but I do not take it as children eat lumps
of sugar. I use it to flavor all my preaching, as men use sugar in tea
or food." Hypocrites swallow religion in lumps– inviting all to admire
the quantity–but sincere seekers after righteousness quietly dissolve
their godliness in their lives and sweeten all their common
relationships with it. The real saint flavors his ordinary life with
Divine Grace so that his wife and his children, his servants and his
neighbors are the better for it. Mr. Rowland Hill used to say that a
man was not a true Christian if his dog and his cat were not the better
off for it. That witness is true.
A man's religion ought to be to him what perfume is to a rose, or light
to the sun–it should be the necessary outcome of his existence. If his
life is not fragrant with the Truth of God and bright with love, the
question arises whether he
knows the religion of our Lord Jesus. The division between sacred and
secular is most unhappy to both divisions of life– we need them
united! In the days of Queen Mary, a foolish spite dug up the bones of
the wife of Bucer. Poor woman! She had done no ill except that she had
married a teacher of the Gospel–but she must be dragged from her grave
to be buried in a dunghill for that grave offense! When Elizabeth came
to the throne, her bones were buried again–but to make the body secure
from any future malice of bigots, our prudent forefathers took the
relics of a certain Popish saint who was enshrined at Oxford and mixed
the remains of the two deceased persons past all chance of separation!
Thus Mistress Bucer was secured from further disrespect by her unity
with the body of one of the canonized! I want the secular to be thus
secured by union with the sacred! If we could only feel that our common
acts are parts of a saintly life, they would not so often be done
carelessly. If we lay our poor daily life by itself, it will be
disregarded, but if we combine it with our holiest aspirations and
exercises, it will be preserved. Our religion must be part and parcel
of our daily life and then the whole of our life will be preserved from
the destroyer. Does not the Scripture say, "Whether you eat or drink,
or whatever you do, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus"?
"But," says one, "are we not to have amusements?" Yes, such amusements
as you can take in the fear of God. Do whatever Jesus would have done.
This is liberty enough for one who aspires to be like Jesus. There is
happiness enough in things which are pure and right–and if not, we
will not do evil to find more! We find pleasure enough without hunting
for it in the outskirts of sin. There are joys which are as far above
the pleasures of folly as the feasts of kings are above the husks of
swine. At times our inner life flames up into a blaze of joy and if
usually it burns lower, there is at least a steady fire of peace upon
our hearth which makes our life such that we envy no one. It is not
slavery that I set before you when I say that we are, first of all, to
seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness–there is a present
recompense which justifies the choice. And as for the eternal future,
it pleads for it with a voice of thunder.
It is time that I changed the subject and dwelt upon a further theme.
HERE IS AN ACCOUNT OF THE PROPER
POSITION OF TRUE RELIGION. "Seek you first the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness."
Let the word, "first," indicate to you the order of time. You know
those venerable city gentlemen. I hope you reverence them as I do,
since they are the embodiment of wisdom. One of these said to his son,
"William, I am pleased to see you incline towards religion. But take my
advice and be reasonable. I have been in business, now, for 40 years,
and my advice is–stick to trade and make money and then attend to
religion." Now, the young man, as young men are apt to do, had begun to
think for himself and, for a wonder, his thoughts ran in the right
groove and, therefore, he replied, "Father, I am always grateful to you
for your good advice, but this time you must excuse me if I differ from
you, for the Scripture says, 'Seek you first, the Kingdom of God, and
His righteousness' and, therefore, I cannot go in for making money
first, but I must at once serve God, and yet, I hope I may be none the
less attentive to business." It is a good rule to begin as you mean to
go on. That son was wiser than his counselor!
My Lord Mayor will not say that he was wrong, I am quite sure. Nor will
anybody here who has tried what it is to seek first, the Kingdom of
God, while engaged in business. True godliness is as good for this life
as for the next. If I had to die like a dog, I would still wish to be a
Christian! Place religion first in the order of time. Begin each week
by carefully consecrating the first day to rest and holy worship. Begin
each day by giving the dew of the morning to communion with Heaven.
Begin your married life by seeking the blessing of the great Father and
choosing for a partner one that will agree with you in the fear of God.
In opening a new business, sanctify the venture with the supplications
of godly friends and in all fresh enterprises be guided of the Lord. If
we begin, continue and end with God, our way will be strewn with
blessings.
Seek, also, the Kingdom of God first in order of preference. If it
should ever become a choice between God and Mammon, never hesitate. If
wealth and righteousness run counter to each other, let the gold perish
and hold fast to righteousness. Follow Christ, however dear it costs
you. Blessed is that man who never deliberates because his mind is made
up, rather, to "suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy
the pleasures of sin for a season." Blessed is the man who knows no
policy but that of thorough consecration to God and righteousness–who
is not careful to answer in this matter, but has his mind decided once
and for all. This is his motto–
"Tis done! The great transaction's done– I am my Lord's, and He is
mine!" We have lifted our hands unto the Lord and we cannot go back.
"Well," cries one, "But, you know, we must live." I am not sure about
that. There are occasions when it would be better not to live. An old
heraldic motto says, "Better death than false of faith." I am, however,
quite clear about another necessity–we must die–and we had better
take that, "must," into consideration and not quite so often repeat the
cant phrase, "We must live."
But we shall live, Brothers! We shall live without grinding the poor,
or stooping to questionable finance, or lying to the public by a false
prospectus. We shall live without dishonor. We young men–we shall live
without lowering our colors to please those who jest at godliness. Here
stands one who has run the gauntlet of public criticism for more than
30 years and he has not suffered thereby–certainly he has not been
forced to hide his faith, or recant his teachings. Silly stories, jests
and sarcasms, have not killed us, nor even robbed us of our sleep!
Younger Brethren, never fear–if you are right, nothing can harm you!
Stand your ground and keep it. Say, "I shall do what I feel it right to
do, God helping me." Any little difficulties which now arise will soon
come to an end if you are firmly conscientious. Never be a coward–
"I had as lief not be, as live to be In awe of such a thing as I
myself." Let none of us ever raise a question about whether we shall
please or displease by doing right, but let us "seek first the Kingdom
of God."
Let godliness be first in intensity. It is to be feared that many give
their force to their worldly pursuits and their feebleness to their
religion. They are "all there" during banking hours, but they are not
"all there" at the hour of prayer. They remind me of one whose voice in
our assemblies for prayer was exceedingly low and well near inaudible.
But in the shop he could be heard almost too well. Should it be so,
that self should have our energies and Christ should have our
lukewarmness? If ever we grow ardent and enthusiastic, it should be in
the noblest of all causes, in the service of the best of Masters! In
that work, we cannot be too earnest! Seldom enough do we meet with a
person who verges upon excess of zeal in this matter. For Him who has
redeemed us with His precious blood, we cannot do too much! Our heart
complains that we cannot do enough! Alas, the comparative sizes of the
Bible and the ledger are frequently symbolical–a neat little Bible is
buried under a huge ledger. I claim for things Divine a different
place–let that be first which is first–throw your whole soul into the
love and service of the Lord!
"Is your father a Christian?" said a Sunday school teacher to a child.
The girl answered, "Yes, I believe that Father is a Christian, but he
has not worked much at it lately." No doubt there are many of that
sort. Their religion has taken a holiday and they, themselves, have
gone up to a sluggard's bed. Let them be awakened, for it is high time
to awaken out of sleep!
Seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first, by giving to true
religion a sovereignty over your lives. The helm by which life is
steered should be in the hands of God. To glorify God and promote
righteousness should be our master passion. This Aaron's rod should
swallow up all other rods! Be first a man of God–after that a banker,
or a merchant, or a working man. I like to see our public men, first
Christians, then Englishmen, then Conservatives, or Liberals, or
Radicals, as their convictions sway them–but in any case, let a man be
first a man of God. I would to God that our politics, our merchandise,
our literature, our art were all saturated with this idea–"First a
Christian." Then the secondary character would rise in excellence and
nobility! Science, social laws, trade usages, domestic life would all
be the better for coming under the supremacy of living religion. The
fear of God should be the foundation and the top stone of the social
edifice. "Christ first" and other things in their due order! Over and
above all, let consecration to God shine forth even as the pillar of
fire in the wilderness covered and illuminated the entire camp of
Israel.
I may honestly claim five minutes more to complete the hour allotted to
this service and I will spend it by TAKING
ACCOUNT OF THE PROMISE HERE MADE TO THOSE WHO "SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM
OF GOD, AND
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS." Does anyone demand, "What will become of our
business if we place godliness first?" The answer is in the text–"All
these things shall be added unto you." A young man beginning life
resolving that he will do everything in the fear of God and that as God
helps him, he will do nothing that is contrary to the mind of the Lord
Jesus Christ–shall he prosper? He shall get on so far as this–he
shall have bread to eat and raiment to put on–all that is necessary
for this life "shall be added to him."
"Alas!" sighs one, "I am out of place and I know not how to provide for
myself and my household." Are you sure that this trial has come without
your own fault? Then be not of doubtful mind, for the Lord will provide
for you. He has
said, "Trust in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land,
and verily you shall be fed." David's experience was, "I have been
young and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken." The
drunk, the vicious, the idle, the dishonest may suffer hunger and it
will be well for them if such discipline amends them. But to the
upright there arises light in the darkness. They that serve God shall
not have to complain of His deserting them. In the reign of Queen
Elizabeth, a certain merchant of this great city was desired by her
Majesty to go abroad for her upon affairs of State. He pleaded that his
own business would suffer, whereupon her Majesty replied, "Sir, if you
will mind my business, I will mind your business." Rest assured that
God will care for you if you make His service your delight! "All these
things shall be added unto you."
The blessings of this life come to gracious men in the best shape and
form, for they come by Divine promise. Suppose that it were now put
into the power of each one of us to be rich? I suspect that the most of
us would be eager to avail ourselves of the opportunity and yet it is a
moot point whether it would be best for certain of us to have the
burden of wealth. It is a question whether some people, who behave
splendidly where they now are, would be half as good, or a 10th as
happy if they were lifted to higher positions. I have seen heroes
drivel under the influence of luxury. Many are the creatures of
circumstances and make but poor creatures when their circumstances
allow of self-indulgence! We do not know what is best for us. It is
sometimes very much better for us to suffer loss and disappointment
than to obtain gain and prosperity.
When that eminent servant of God, Mr. Gilpin, was arrested to be
brought up to London to be tried for preaching the Gospel, his captors
made mirth of his frequent remark, "everything is for the best." When
he fell from his horse and broke his leg, they were specially merry
about it, but the good man quietly remarked, "I have no doubt but that
even this painful accident will prove to be a blessing." And so it was,
for, as he could not travel quickly, the journey was prolonged and he
arrived at London some days later than had been expected. When they
reached as far as Highgate, they heard the bells ringing merrily in the
city down below. They asked the meaning and were told, "Queen Mary is
dead and there will be no more burnings of Protestants." "Ah!" said
Gilpin, "you see, it is all for the best." It is a blessing to break a
leg if thereby life is saved! How often our calamities are our
preservatives! A less evil may ward off a greater. Many a man might
have soared into the clouds of folly if his wings had not been clipped
by adversity. Better struggle and be honorable than become wealthy by
disgraceful deeds. Agur's prayer, "Give me neither poverty nor riches,"
was a wise one, but our Lord's is still better, "Not as I will, but as
You will."
"All these things shall be added unto you," and the measure of the
addition shall be arranged by Infallible Wisdom. Temporal things shall
come to you in such proportion as you would, yourself, desire them if
you were able to know all things and to form a judgement according to
Infinite Wisdom. Would you not prefer a lot selected by the Lord to one
chosen by yourself? Do you not joyfully sing with the Psalmist, "You
shall choose my inheritance for me"?
Does not the promise also imply that necessary things shall come to the
Believer without vexatious worry and consuming labor? While others are
worrying, you shall be singing! While others rise in the morning and
cry, "How shall we live through the day?" you shall wake to a secure
provision and you shall have a happy enjoyment of it. Your place of
defense shall be the munitions of rocks. Your bread shall be given you
and your water shall be sure. Contentment with your lot and confidence
in God will make life peaceful and happy–a dinner of herbs with
content will yield a flavor of satisfaction unknown to those who eat
the stalled ox. It is better to be happy than to be rich–and happiness
lies in the heart rather than in the purse. Not what a man has, but
what a man is will decide his bliss or woe in this life and the next.
Oh yes, if God Himself adds to you the things of this life while you
are serving Him, the lines will fall to you in pleasant places and you
will have a goodly heritage.
The wording, of the text, "All these things shall be added unto you,"
reminds me that the acquisition of property often decreases a man
rather than adds to him. Have you not seen a man become visibly smaller
as his riches grew greater? It is a wretched sight which has often
pained me. I have distinctly seen a man become "the architect of his
own fortune" and the destroyer of himself! He has built up a palatial
estate upon the ruins of his own manhood. It is a pity when a man
bricks himself up with his growing gains. Look at that hole in the
wall. The man stands in it and greedily cries for bricks and mortar! He
must have golden bricks and silver mortar. They bring him the
materials. He cries eagerly for more! He cannot be content unless he
builds himself in. The wall which shuts him out from his fellow men and
from the light of peace and true joy, rises higher and higher, month by
month and year by year. His sympathies and charities are bricked
up, for the wall is more than breast high. Still he pines for more
metallic material! At last he is built in, buried beneath his own
gatherings, lost to all manhood through his accumulations. You see his
house; you see his carriage and his horses; you see his broadcloth and
his broad acres, but you cannot see the man. Heart, soul, aspiration,
spirituality– they are all gone–and nothing remains but a vault of
greed and care to be buried, itself, under a monument bearing these
words, "He died worth half a million."
A far more desirable idea is for a man to rise above his possessions,
elevating life upon steppingstones of these dead gains; building with
them a pedestal above which the inner manhood rises!
This is what God intends to do in Providence to the man who serves Him
heartily. He will add to him the things of this life. These shall be
thrown in as supplements to the Divine heritage. I incur certain little
outlays in connection with my study. We need a few matters which may be
paid for out of petty cash, but I have never seen, as far as I
recollect, a single penny for string and brown paper because, as a
reader and writer, I buy books and then the string and brown paper are
added to me! My purchase is the books, but the string and brown paper
come to me, added as a matter of course. This is the idea of our
text–you are to spend your strength on the high and noble purpose of
glorifying God–and then the minor matters of, what shall we eat? And,
what shall we drink? And, how shall we be clothed? are thrown in as
supplements! Earthly things are but the brown paper and string–and I
pray you never think too much of them.
Some people get so much of this brown paper and string that they glory
in them and expect us to fall down and worship them. If we refuse this
homage, they are foolish enough to adore themselves. It must not be so
among the servants of God. To us, the man is the man, and not the
guinea's stamp. "All these things" are, to us, small matters. The real
life of the soul is all in all. Do not slice pieces out of your manhood
and then hope to fill up the vacancies with bank notes. He who loses
manliness or godliness to gain gold is a great cheater of himself. Keep
yourselves entirely for God and for His Christ–and let all other
matters be additions, not subtractions! Live above the world. Its goods
will come to you when you do not bid high for them. If you hunt the
butterfly of wealth too eagerly, you may spoil it by the stroke with
which you secure it. When earthly things are sought for as the main
objective, they are degraded into rubbish and the seeker of them has
fallen to be a mere man with a muckrake, turning over a dunghill to
find nothing! Set your heart on nobler things than pelf!
Cry with David, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills where comes my
help." Men and brethren, let us so live that it will be safe for God to
add to us the blessings of the life that now is, but that can only be
done with safety when we have learned to keep the world under our feet.
May the Lord enable us to live to high and noble purposes, so that we
may meet in the Glory Land and hear the approving voice of Jesus, our
Savior and Captain, saying to us, "Well done, good and faithful
servants."
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