Beholding God's Church
(No. 3423)
A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1914.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON THURSDAY EVENING, JULY
14, 1870.
"Walk about Zion, and go round about her: count the towers thereof.
Mark you well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that you may tell it
to the generation following. For this (God is our God forever and ever:
He will be our guide even unto death." Psalm 48:12-14.
THE proper study of the Christian is Christ. Next to that subject is
the Church. And though I would by no means ever urge you to think of
the Church as, for a moment, to put her in comparison with her Lord,
yet think of her in relation to Him. You will not dishonor the sun by
remembering that there is a moon! You will not lessen the glory of "the
King in His beauty" by remembering that the Queen, His Spouse, is "all
glorious within." You will not think any less of Christ for thinking
much of His Church. So tonight I shall invite you to a consideration of
the honor, and glory, and dignity of the Church of God as set forth in
these verses. And our first point will be the survey which should be
taken of the Church–"Walk about Zion, and go round about her: count
the towers thereof. Mark you well her bulwarks, consider well her
palaces." Secondly, here is the objective of this survey–"That you may
tell it to the generation following." And here is, thirdly, a very
excellent reason given for our seeking to accomplish this
objective–"For this God is our God forever and ever: He will be our
guide even unto death." So, then, let us think awhile of–
I. THE SURVEY WHICH WE SHOULD TAKE if we would become practically
useful to coming generations–the survey we ought to take of the Church
of God.
And let us begin by saying it should be complete. "Walk about Zion, and
go round about her"–go completely round the wall. The Church is set
forth as a walled city. The description calls to my mind the city of
Chester. There you have the old wall standing, with here and there a
most picturesque tower or turret. Now Jerusalem stood in that way, and
the Church of God is likened to Jerusalem. "Go round about her"–make a
complete circuit of all her walls, try to be acquainted with all of
Church history, with that which concerns Apostolic times, and that
which had to do with the ages of the first Christian persecution. With
the Reformation, with the sufferings of our fathers and covenanting
sires. And then on to the present day. Let your survey of the Church,
as far as possible, include all portions of it. Remember that your
denomination is not the whole of Zion–that although you do well to
look carefully to the quarter in which your house is situated, yet
there are other houses of God's servants in other parts of the
city–and you should take a survey of those regions as well as those in
which you immediately dwell. See how your Brothers and Sisters in
Christ fare and take their pledge and report. Let it never be a joy to
a Baptist if he hears that some Congregational Church does not prosper.
Let it always be a joy to a Presbyterian when he hears that a Wesleyan
is doing good. Let it be a great joy to us if any part of the Church of
God prospers! And if in any place there is decay or decline, let us
bear in our prayers that particular portion of the Church of God, and
pray Him to strengthen that part of the city wall against the foe. Let
your survey of the Church be as complete as you can make it. "Go round
about her."
Let it also be frequent. I am afraid that some persons think very
little, indeed, of the Church of God. I mean that while they know how
the shop, and the State, and the world generally are getting on, they
could scarcely tell how many members were added to the one Church to
which they belong. Certainly they know little about other sections of
the Church and, perhaps, care as little as they know! It should not be
so with the citizens of Zion! The time to favor Zion will come when
God's servants take pleasure in her stones and favor the dust
thereof–when the very least thing that concerns the Church of God
shall be important to the citizens of Zion! Frequently, my dear
Friends, look not only on your ownthings, but also on the things of
others. Does not the text say, first, "Walk about Zion"? Then it adds,
"Go round about her," as if, after having done it once, you were to do
it again, and yet again, and again–always caring for the Church and
constantly making an earnest, enthusiastic inspection as to the
prosperity of the great cause of Christ in the land.
And let your inspection and survey be deliberate. "Count the towers
thereof." Look at the detail, count the towers, bring your careful
pondering into the business. Do not give a mere glance, hurrying round
and then saying, "I saw the city, but really do not know how many
towers there were." Study the details of the Church of which you are a
member. Try to look after the individual interests of your Brothers and
Sisters. There may be a backslider to recover and rejoice over. There
may be a mourner to comfort, a seeker to direct, or a faint heart to
encourage. Mark well the towers! "Set your heart towards them," says
the Hebrew–do not regard the interests of the Church of God as
secondary to anything! If the Church prospers and Christ is glorified,
all things else are little–but if there is defeat to the armies of
Israel, nothing can console the Christian!
And let your inspection of the Church of God be always earnest.
"Consider her palaces"–not a mere superficial look at the
Church–reading the weekly paper–the weekly religious paper–which
recounts the little events in your Zion, but consider well. I would to
God we had many who in secret would so consider as to sigh and groan
over the lack of love and earnestness that there is just now. The wave
of revival seems, now, to have passed over us–and we are now like the
shore when the sea retreats from it with the fullness of its strength.
There needs to be some men of wisdom to discern the times and, "to know
what Israel ought to do." Each one of us who loves the Lord, and has a
stake in the city as citizens, should seek to consider well its
interests and endeavor to promote them earnestly and
strenuously–seeking first to know thoroughly what they are–that we
may render our share towards their serving. Although this exhortation
may seem to some to be very tame and tritely commonplace, yet how much
I wish we were all obedient to it–and surely, then, great practical
results would follow! There are some who manifest a keen interest in
all that happens in the Church. If there is a missionary going abroad,
their prayers go with him. If there is a new voice lifted up for
Christ, they are much more pleased than if they found a bag of gold!
These same persons are often mourners in Zion when the Gospel is not
fully preached, when Prayer Meetings are thinly attended, when no
conversions are made, when worldliness sweeps over the Church. And the
more we have of such men, the better–they are sure to be the very pick
and cream of the Church, those who walk round Jerusalem, who go round
about her–who mark well her bulwarks and consider her palaces!
But now let us be obedient to one of our own rules, namely, to take a
matter in detail. So, taking the text in detail, we have, first, to
walk about Zion, which I take to mean let us inspect the Church
herself–let it often be a theme with us–a theme of study. What is the
Church of God? On what is it founded? It is built upon a Rock and "the
gates of Hell shall not prevail against it." The Church of God stands
fast in the Immutable Love of God according to His eternal purpose
which He purposed in Christ Jesus before the world began. The Church of
God was designed by Infinite Wisdom. It is not a corporation of men
that come together according to their own agreement and will, and so at
haphazard. It is not an organization framed by the shrewd wit and
wisdom of man. God designed the true Church in Eternity! He is the
Architect and Builder of the Temple in which He is, Himself, to dwell.
Not only the great outline of that plan did He mark and settle, but
every line of it! Yes, and every stone of it–and when that stone shall
be quarried and how it shall be qua-rried–and where it shall be
placed, and when it shall be placed in the appointed spot! The Divine
Will of God and the Eternal purpose may be seen running through the
whole of the Church, and it is well for us to look often to her
foundations and look to the Designer, the great Artifice, who builds
all things! This Church of God, as far as it is already built, has been
built by Divine Power alone. Instruments have been used but all the
power is of God! There have been builders and wise master-builders, but
still, these have been the servants employed by the great Builder of
all! He that built all things is God. That is especially true in the
Church of God. If there are any other buildings which have been put up
by human might, they will assuredly crumble from their place. Only that
which God built will endure. All men's work will pass away and,
perhaps, the sooner the better, for wood, and hay, and stubble would
but destroy the beauty and the completeness of that building whose
foundations are of precious stones, and whose walls shall glisten with
gems in that day when the top stone shall be brought forth with shouts
of, "Grace, Grace unto it!" The Church is a wonderful piece of
architecture and well worth our walking round because, unlike any
other, her strength is not merely material. The Church is built up of
living stones. Life flows through the whole. We have seen marvelous
buildings. As I have looked at the cathedral at Milan, I could hardly
help thinking that it looked as if it had sprung up from the earth,
watered by somemiraculous shower! It seemed a thing of such beauty, but
every stone was, after all, a stone. But the Church of God has grown
under a Divine, miraculous hand, and every stone, from the foundation
to the pinnacle glows with life! Wondrous Temple for a living God to
dwell in! How should He dwell in temples made with hands, and pillars
of iron, dust and ashes–things that were created but for baser uses?
But He can live where hearts glow with emotion–where intelligence
brightens with instruction, where holiness, peace and joy are the
polished stones–the glory with which they glitter! It is a Temple of
living stones–you may well go round about it!
The Temple has a glorious history, too. Strange histories have been
connected with buildings. What would the stones of Stonehenge tell us
if they could speak? What secrets might not the Pyramids reveal if for
once they could break their solitary and solemn silence? Those far away
temples of Carnac and Baalbec–what have they beheld? What armies have
marched by them? What nations and generations have perished and passed
beneath their shade? But this Zion, this habitation of the living
God–her history how grand! When does it begin? In old Eternity God has
ordained her. Along the whole page of human history you trace her most
distinctly. How gloriously does she shine forth at the Red Sea, when
God works plagues on Zoan and breaks the dragon in the midst of the
sea! How brightly does the Church shine when you mention such names as
David and all his victories, or Sennacherib and his hosts slain by the
avenging angel! The history of the Church of God is an aggregation of
histories, all of them miraculous, for the Christian Church is a
miracle so far as its life is concerned–it is life in the midst of
death–not only life in the sepulcher, but life in the very midst of
death itself. Spiritual life in these poor bodies is just such, but oh,
Brothers and Sisters, I am afraid that we are too silent about the
history of the Church! We hear continually of patriots singing of the
brave days of old when their fathers fought the foe. We ought to sing
more often the songs of Moses and the Lamb–that the Lord God has
gotten to Himself the victory, and given to His people rest and
conquest. The Church is worth going round, for her history is so
bright.
But best of all, the Church should be surveyed by us, because of Him
who dwells within. It shall be said of no other place, "Here Jehovah
specially and radiantly resides." I know men think of their ridged
roofs and of their lofty pillars in their cathedrals, and think these
ensure the Divine indwelling, but He is no more inside that building
than outside! God is to be found on the loftiest mountain, as well as
in the valley–and where the preacher stands upon a log of wood upon
the village green, the place is just as consecrated as though a
thousand years it had heard nothing but the song of praise and the
voice of prayer! There are no holy places now–these are done with!
They are the beggarly elements of the Law–in the living Church, built
up of men and women who have been born unto God by His Spirit–there,
Jehovah peculiarly dwells–in Heaven and in the little Heaven below in
the midst of His elect people, whom He has ordained according to His
purpose! There might be whole hours spent in talking about the Church,
but enough of that first word, "Walk about Zion."
Brothers and Sisters, I shall invite you next, in your survey of Zion,
to observe her conspicuous towers. "Count the towers thereof." Shall I
be counted fanciful if I say that these towers may guard the Doctrines
of the Gospel which stand prominently round the Church of God, for the
protection and succor of the citizens? I shall not, certainly. The
enemy have always looked upon these as towers, for attacks have been
made one after another upon the different parts of our most holy faith.
For a long time our Reformers stood like a wall round the tower of
Justification by Faith, and the whole battle seemed to be waged around
that particular portion. After a while the conflict shifted–and it
continues to do so from year to year and day to day. Sometimes we have
had to contend for the true Deity of our blessed Lord. Sometimes for
the full and Divine Inspiration of Holy Scripture. There is not a tower
in the whole compass of the walls that guard the Church, but what has
had to maintain siege after siege, and bear upon it the brunt of the
attack! And what is better, the shields of the mighty have been vilely
cast away when Zion's troops have put the enemy to rout!
May not these towers also represent the place of observation of the
Church? "Count the towers thereof." Where do God's watchmen go to
observe the times, and to see what is coming? Do they not go to the
chamber of communion, to the place of prayer, to the teaching of Holy
Scripture and get near to God? Then are they not able to see afar off
and to mark where the foe will make his next assault? Surely I shall
not be wrong if I say that in our times the pulpit has to become the
tower of the watchmen. While that is well and faithfully maintained, no
assaults of the foe shall prevail! As the Roman Catholic priests once
said to Krummacher, "Unless you take the pulpit out of the way, we
shall never be able to put you down." Let the Christian, then, go and
count the towers of the Church! Let him watch the doctrines! Let him
learn them! Let him understand them! Let him know how to defend them!
Let every Christian pray for the minister of the Gospel! Brothers and
Sisters, pray for him! Count the towers and if you see one that seems
to be badly manned with watchmen, ask that God's Grace would raise up
other and mightier men for the defense of Holy Zion! And if there is
anything else, if there is any place that may not have a tower, think
of it–think of it prayerfully–and carefully regard it in your prayers
before God as an object of your solicitude!
But I must conduct you on, for our time flies. You are invited to an
inspection of the ramparts of defense. "Mark you well her bulwarks."
The bulwarks go entirely around the city–they are lines of ridges,
ditches, trenches and fortifications. Now mark well the fortifications
of the Church of God. God the eternal Father has thrown up a line of
ram-parts–the Eternal Purpose–who shall frustrate it? The Everlasting
Covenant–who shall make it void? The promise and the oath, the two
Immutable things by which it is impossible for God to lie–who shall
storm these two? Who shall break upon these two? We are safely defended
behind them! The Power of God–who shall defeat it? The Wisdom of
God–who shall outwit it? The Presence of God–who shall deprive us of
it? The Love of God–who shall separate us from it? All these are the
entrenchments of our Zion. When our foes have once looked upon them,
they may well turn back with dismay. God, the Blessed One, has been
pleased to make lines of fortifications, too. He has offered His
precious Sacrifice–and between the Church and destruction there is the
full stream of His atoning blood! Who, by any means, shall make the
Atonement void, or the Cross of no effect? Between the Church and the
foe stands the brass wall of the righteousness of Jesus Christ! God is
not unfaithful, to forget the work of His dear Son. Stronger than iron
is the intercession of Jesus Christ! For Zion's sake He will never
cease or hold His peace, but will plead day and night for His people
when they are tempted, that their faith fail not. And there is the
mediatorial work of Christ, like a wall of fire about them. "All power
is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth." Who shall break through, upon
the Church, through all power? Surely these–
"Munitions of stupendous rock, Our dwellingplace shall be! "
And then there is the Kingdom of Christ in the latter day promised to
come–the promise of God to come with power and take His people to
Himself. That is a sure guarantee of the security of the Church until
the day of manifestation and the appearing of the Son of God!
Around the Church of God, too, the Holy Spirit has thrown up His
rampart. He was pleased, first of all, to create the Church, and since
that day He has preserved it safely. It is His to provide spiritual
teaching. It is His to take of the things of Christ and show them unto
it. It is His to comfort. It is His to sanctify. It is His to perfect.
And all His gracious influences and operations are so many protections
against the attacks off the foe. Aha! Aha, you enemy of Zion! If you
had to do with poor puny men like us, you might soon put us to the
rout! Your sophistries and worldly wisdom might soon bring us to the
non-plus, but the Holy Spirit is with us and is in us–and we shall
answer you with a wisdom that you shall not be able to counter!
"The best of all is," said John Wesley, "that God is with us." "God
with us! God with us" is the shout of our victorious host!
"Emmanuel"–in this name we conquer–by this name we overcome! So you
see, Brothers and Sisters, you may mark well her bulwarks–the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit have securely garrisoned and bulwarked the
Church of the living God! You are called to notice, in the fourth
place, her palaces. On which, but a word. Of course, the houses of Zion
were inside the walls, and so the dwelling places, the meeting places
of Believers are inside the line of defense. What kind of dwelling
places are these that belong to the citizens of Zion? Are they
cottages? Is it, "Mark you well her cottages"? No, not so. Is it,
"Consider her alms houses"? No! It is, "Consider her palaces." Palaces
are the abodes of those of the greatest wealth, of those having rank
and dignity in life. Then am I to understand that the people of God are
rich? They are not in earth's wealth very often–not in perishable gold
and silver–but in what is infinitely better! They are rich in faith,
rich in favor, rich in the loving kindness of the Lord. Then am I to
understand that the people of God are honorable? They are not with
worldly honor, but God has said, "Since you were precious in My sight,
you have been honorable." And am I to remember that the people of God
are royal? They are kings and priests! They are the true blood-royal of
the universe. The blood-imperial is not in the veins of those who claim
it, but in the veins of the descendants of the King of Kings! Their
ancestry is the highest under Heaven! They are God's aristocracy.
Consider, then, her palaces. Where are the palaces and what are they?
Consider then, my Brothers and Sisters, the place where the saints
worship, for where the saints meet together for prayer and praise,
there are the palaces! Consider them and mark them well,to love them
and say, "How amiable are Your tabernacles, oh, Lord of Hosts, my King
and my God." Consider the palaces of Christian fellowship, for if it is
in a barn–when Christians meet together, they make a palace of it!
Consider the palace of fellowship with Christ. Wherever we meet with
Him, we are at once in a palace! Consider the palaces of the
promises–that it is better than a promise which is spoken of in that
word, "He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings shall
you trust." These will be our dwelling places in all ages, and it is
infinitely better than any earthly palace can possibly be!
"Consider her palaces." Thus I have gone into detail round the walls of
Zion. Now, the second thing, very briefly, is–
II. THE OBJECTIVE TO BE ATTAINED BY OUR MAKING OURSELVES THUS
ACQUAINTED WITH THE CHURCH OF GOD.
It is this–"That you may tell it to the generation following." The
Church of God should take care that what God has done for one
generation is told to the next. How much have you and I been helped by
what our fathers told us? Those wonderful deeds that are kept on
record–what God did in the days of old–have ministered great
consolation to us in this present age. Let us take care that we hand
down to our sons and daughters a record of what God has done. The pith
of the matter is just this–each Christian ought to take a deep
interest in the work of God in his time, that he may know how to teach
his children, and especially to teach those who are born unto the
family of God. Teach the young Christian what God hasdone, isdoing and
wllyet do for His Church! I am very thankful that I have around me a
number of Christian people who take a deep interest in the Cross of
Jesus Christ. I believe that you are the people who will be sure to be
succeeded by a generation who will take an equal interest in the same
work. But if you were not, yourselves, interested, I could not suppose
that it would be any concern to you to hand down the sacred traditions
of your experience to the next generation. But now I trust that you
will take care that there shall be kept alive in the world the record,
the experimental record, of God's mighty acts towards His people in our
day, even as in olden times! They speak of what the Lord did. Go you,
each of you, and tell others what God has told you! Never hide the
precious things that God reveals to you. What He speaks to you in the
closet, proclaim upon housetops! Of course, it is well to learn
first–do not try to teach before you have learned–but when you have
learned, it is well to teach it immediately. Always mark
well–"consider," says the text–"that you may tell it to others." May
we train up in all our Churches studious Christians, intelligent
Christians, well-versed in all that concerns the Church of the living
God! I believe that in proportion as Christian people are
well-instructed, the attacks of the adversary will be repelled and
defeated. But if we only gather together undisciplined bodies of men
and women who merely come to hear preaching, but receive little or no
instruction, they will become like flocks of sheep–the prey of the
wolf whenever he shall come. Mark well, then the bulwarks of Zion, that
when your turn comes to defend them, you may be at home in the
battle–not come into the Church like a stranger, knowing nothing of
what it is to do for Christ, or what Christ is doing for it. And now,
lastly–
III. THERE IS A REASON GIVEN WHY WE SHOULD SEEK TO TRANSMIT THE RECORDS
OF THE
CHURCH TO OTHER GENERATIONS.
The story of God's love to His Church is to be told from one generation
to another, and the reason is this–because "This God is our God
forever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death." Observe, if
Israel could change their God, it could as well forget what had
occurred, but as she will have the same God forever and ever, let her
remember what God did for her of old! And as that God will be the same
to us, let each of us treasure up memories of what He has worked for
us–for these are instructive as to what we may hope for in the future!
He that helped you in years past will not fail you now. He that proved
Himself faithful 20 years ago is faithful today. Is God All-Sufficient
in your childhood? Is God All-Sufficient in your old age? With Him is
no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Remember, then, the past
mercies are as forge ashes, from which you may gather the spark that
may light the fire of today, and that even the future may be indebted
to the same blaze!
Besides, we may well recollect what God has done, for if we tell it to
others, we shall never have to retract, for God will continue to do the
same as He always did. I am afraid that the Church has grown very
faint-hearted as to the dealings of the Lord with her. We hardly expect
to see such things done, as in the first age of the Church. "That was
the heroic period," it is said, "but now we are in our decline." It is
not so with this God of the Apostles! This God of the martyrs! This God
of the Reformers! This God of Wesley and of Whitfield–this God is our
God not for time only, but forever and ever–and I dare not give you
any restricted sense of "forever and ever." There are some people who
expect the Lord will want to turn us out of Heaven at the end of a
certain time, or they must think, so to carry out their belief, that
"forever and ever" may mean only for a limited time! That is one of the
modern heresies of these boasted times. But for my part I believe,
"forever," means forever and ever! And this God is our God, not for
ages and ages, but forever and ever, world without end–beyond any
possibility of coming to a conclusion! And He will be the same God
right through the ages, onward. "And He will be our guide even unto
death." Now, the text is not altogether correct in the translation of
the Hebrew, for, "unto death," might very well be rendered "out
of–beyond–death." He will be our guide to the River Jordan, and He
will be our guide through it! He will be our guide into Canaan, where
we shall rest forever, and never more be driven out! Well, then, may we
talk of what He has done, because He will always go on to do the same!
We may keep on talking even to Eternity, about what the Lord has done,
for no period in Eternity (if periods there can be) can ever witness
any change in the Most High! He will still be the same just God to the
ungodly, and the same gracious God to His own people forever and
forever!
Oh, talk you, then, of His mighty acts! Study them, and learn them! And
then speak of them with the tongue, like the pen of a ready writer, or
if you go stammering, let the tongue of the dumb sing with you! Oh, to
speak of the everlasting mercy of our God! On such a theme as this,
they who have been heretofore silent may grow into orators, for the
history of the Church of God and the story of God's love might well
unloose our stammering tongues and make us tell of His immense,
unsearchable love! Would to God that all the Church were orators for
Him! Would that you who belong to this Church were! Many, I know,
belong to divers sections of it, but alas, some are, perhaps, members
of this Church, yet not members of the Church of God! And some of you
are not even professedly members of God's Church. May you be converted!
May you listen to the Gospel, whose message you doubt! It is a message
even to you–"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be
saved." This is the Gospel that He has sent us to preach, saying these
words, "Go you into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every
creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he that
believes not shall be condemned." God bless and save you, for Christ's
sake. Amen.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: ISAIAH 58:1-12, JEREMIAH 30; ISAIAH
58:1-12.
Verses 1, 2. Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet,
and show My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their
sins. Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways as a nation
that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God:
they ask of Me the ordinances of justice: they take delight in
approaching God. And what a strange thing this is, that there are some
people who take delight in the ordinances of God and yet they are
living in the most shameful sin. I must confess this remains a mystery
to me. But I hear of some who will attend Prayer Meetings and seem to
enjoy them–who are to be found in the House of God whenever the doors
are opened, and yet, their characters will not bear the Light of God.
One would think that they would not wish to be told of their sins, and
to come under a faithful ministry–and yet they do–and the more
faithful that ministry is, the more they seem to like it, and yet go on
in their sins! Oh, what strange blindness is this which loves the Light
and yet will not see by it–men that take to themselves niter and much
soap, and yet will not wash–that heap up the bread about them as if
they built a house with bread, and yet do not eat of it! Oh,
infatuation most strange, to apparently love the Gospel and yet not to
receive it into the heart so as to be changed by it. See how God talks
to this religious people.
3. Why have we fasted, say they, and You see not? Why have we afflicted
our soul, and You take no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast,
you find pleasure, and exact all your labors. They fasted and then they
said, "Why did not God accept our fasting?" Why, because they made
their poor servants work up to the very last all that they could do!
They never gave them any rest. They exacted all their labors and they,
themselves, while they pretended to faint, were taking their pleasure!
4. Beholdyou fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of
wickedness: you shall not fast as you do this day so make your voice to
be heard on high. They were fond of getting into religious disputes.
And when they had a fast day they fell to loggerheads about different
doctrines, and they got angry with one another, till they began to
smite with the fist of wickedness! And they thought that a day spent in
that manner would be acceptable to God? What kind of a God would He be?
5, 6. Is it such a fast that Ihave chosen? A day for a man to afflict
his soul?Is it to bow down his headas a bulrush, and to spread
sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast and an
acceptable day to the LORD? Is not this the fast that Ihave chosen? To
loosen the bands of wickedness. That is, if by any dishonesty you have
got a man in your power, set him free–if you have oppressed him, give
him his rights. This in God's kind of fasting!
6. To undo the heavy burden. Not to exact from a man what you have no
right to have, but what, perhaps, the law may allow you to get out of
him. This is God's fasting–"to undo the heavy burdens."
6, 7. And to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke.
Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry?It is God's kind of fasting
to give what you would have eaten yourselves to the other's feast. "To
deal your bread to the hungry."
7, And that you bring the poor that are cast out of your house? When
you see the naked, that you co ver him: and that you hide not yourself
from your own fesh? When you know that there are poor persons, perhaps
of your own kith and kin–and, in one respect, we are all of one
flesh–when we know that there are such, and yet refuse to help them,
it is idle to talk about fasting! But if we would see to this, then
comes this promise.
8, 9. Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health
shall spring forth speedily: and your righteousness shall go before
you; the Glory of the LORD shall be your reward. Then shall you call,
and the LORD shall answer: you shall cry, and He shall say, Here I am.
If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, theputting forth of
the finger That is, the scorning the poor man.
9-11. And speaking vanity. And if you draw out your soul to the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall your light rise in
obscurity, and your darkness be as the noon day. And the LORD shall
guide you continually and satisfy your soul in drought, and make fat
your bones. You see, by giving comes getting! According to the
philosophy of God, it is by watering others that we get watered
ourselves! God feeds the man that feeds others. He made fat the bones
of the hungry. Now God says He will make fat his bones. He satisfied
the souls of those that were in drought as best he could, and now God
will satisfy his soul in drought and make him–
11, 12. And you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of
water, whose waters fail not And they that shall be of you shall build
the old waste places: you shall raise up the foundations of many
generations and you shall be called, The repairer of the breach, The
restorer of paths to dwell in.God help us to obey His precept that we
may partake in His promise!
JEREMHAH30.
12, For thus says the LORD, Your bruise is incurable and your wound is
grievous. See here is the bass again. We have got down into the
sorrowful notes–all to make us sick of self and ready to receive the
Grace of God.
13, 14. There is none topleadyour cause, thatyou may be bound up. You
have no healing medicines. Allyourlov-ers have forgotten you. Out of
sight, out of mind. They have forgotten you. Oh, when God wounds, it is
a wound, indeed! When He breaks the heart, who can comfort? If He does
but speak, the earth trembles. He touches the hills and they smoke–
"When He shuts up in long despair, Who can remove the iron bar?"
14, 15. They seekyou not; for Ihave woundedyou with the wound of an
enemy, with the chastisement ofa cruel one for the multitude of your
iniquity; because your sins were increased. Why cry you for your
affliction? Your sorrow is incurable for the multitude of your
iniquity. "These are dark words," says one. If they are incurable, what
more need be said? Ah, the things incurable with men are curable with
God! Sin is the malady that none can cure but God alone.
15, 16. Because your sins were increased, Ihave done these things unto
you. Therefore–Now I read this, this morning, and I could not help
dwelling upon this, "therefore." It looks like a non sequitur, but
there is a real argument in it. Therefore, because you have now come to
the worst, because you cannot help yourself, because you are ruined and
undone–
16, 17. All they that devour you shall be devoured: and all your
adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that
spoil you shall be a spoil, andall thatprey upon you will Jgive for a
prey. For I willrestore health unto you. Oh, the Sovereignty of Divine
Grace! How it comes in when every hope is gone! Man's extremity is
God's opportunity! An incurable sinner and, therefore, God comes to
cure him! If you are brought so low that you cannot go any lower, God
will put His everlasting arms underneath you. I speak to some, tonight,
who are about to enter into peace, joy and rest. "I will restore health
unto you; I will heal you of your wounds, says the Lord."
17. And I will heal you of your wounds, says the LORD; because they
called you an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeks after.
They said, "There is no hope for that man, there is no relief for that
woman. Therefore God means to give up all relief." Nothing pleases Him
better than to undertake a desperate case! God is great at a dead lift.
When all the world is palsied, then is God Omnipotent.