Up from the Country and Pressed Into Service
(No. 1853)
A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, AUGUST 2, 1885,
BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
"And they compelled one Simon, a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of
the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear His Cross."
Mark 15:21.
JOHN tells us that our Savior went forth bearing His Cross (John
19:17). We are much indebted to John for inserting that fact. The other
Evangelists mention Simon the Cyrenian as bearing the Cross of Christ,
but John, who often fills up gaps which are left by the other three,
tells us that Jesus set out to Calvary carrying His own Cross. Our Lord
Jesus came out from Pilate's palace laden with His Cross, but He was so
extremely emaciated and so greatly worn by the night of bloody sweat
that the procession moved too slowly for the rough soldiers and,
therefore, they took the Cross from their prisoner and laid it upon
Simon. Or, possibly they laid the long end upon the shoulder of the
strong countryman, while the Savior still continued to bear, in part,
His Cross till He came to the place of doom. It is well that we should
be told that the Savior bore His Cross, for if it had not been so,
objectors would have had ground for disputation. I hear them say–You
admit that one of the most prominent types in the Old Testament, of the
Sacrifice of the Son of God, was Abraham's offering up his son Isaac.
Now Abraham laid the wood upon Isaac, his son, and not upon a servant.
Should not, therefore, the Son of God bear the Cross Himself?
Had not our Lord carried His Cross, there would have been a flaw in His
fulfillment of the type–therefore, the Savior must bear the wood when
He goes forth to be offered up as a Sacrifice. One of the greatest of
English preachers has well reminded us that the fulfillment of this
type appeared to have been in eminent jeopardy, since, at the very
first, our Lord's weakness must have been apparent and the reason which
led to the laying of the Cross upon the Cyrenian might have prevented
our Lord's carrying the Cross at all. If the soldiers had put the Cross
upon Simon a little earlier, which they might very naturally have done,
then the prophecy had not been fulfilled! But God has the minds of men
so entirely at His control that even in the minutest circumstance, He
can order all things so as to complete the smallest jots and tittles of
the prophecy! Our Lord was made to be, in all points, an Isaac and,
therefore, we see Him going forth bearing the wood of the
burnt-offering. Thus you see that it was important that Jesus should,
for a while, bear His own Cross.
But it was equally instructive that someone else should be made a
partaker of the burden, for it has always been part of the Divine
counsel that for the salvation of men from sin, the Lord should be
associated with His Church. So far as Atonement is concerned, the Lord
has trod the winepress alone and of the people there was none with Him.
But as far as the conversion of the world and its rescue from the power
of error and wickedness is concerned, Christ is not alone. We are
workers together with God. We are to be, in the hands of God, part
bearers of the sorrow and travail by which men are to be delivered from
the bondage of sin and Satan and brought into the liberty of truth and
righteousness. Hence it became important that in the bearing of the
Cross, though not in the death upon it, there should be yoked with
Christ one who would follow closely behind Him.
To bear the Cross after Jesus is the office of the faithful. Simon the
Cyrenian is the representative of the whole Church of God and of each
Believer in particular. Often had Jesus said, "Except a man take up his
cross daily and follow Me, he cannot be My disciple." And now, at last,
He embodies that sermon in an actual person. The disciple must be as
his Master–he that would follow the Crucified, must himself bear the
cross–this we see visibly set forth in Simon of Cyrene with the Cross
of Jesus laid upon his shoulder–
"Shall Simon bear the Cross alone, And all the rest go free? No,
there's a cross for everyone, And there's a cross for me."
The lesson for each one of us is to take up our Lord's Cross, without
delay, and go with Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
That many among this vast and mixed congregation may imitate Simon is
the anxious desire of my heart! With holy expectancy I gaze upon this
throng collected from all parts of the earth and I long to find in it
some who will take my Lord's yoke upon them this day.
I. I will begin with this first remark, that UNEXPECTED PERSONS ARE
OFTEN CALLED TO CROSS-BEARING. Like Simon, they are pressed into the
service of Christ. Our text says–"They compelled one Simon, a
Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of
Alexander and Rufus, to bear His Cross." Simon did not volunteer, but
was forced into this work of cross-bearing. It would seem, from another
Evangelist, that he speedily yielded to the command and lifted the
burden heartily, but at first he was compelled. A rude authority was
exercised by the guard who, being upon the Governor's business, acted
with high-handed rigor and forced whomever they pleased to do their
bidding. By the exercise of such irresponsible power, they compelled a
passing stranger to carry Christ's Cross. It was especially singular
that the man to have this honor was not Peter, nor James, nor John, nor
any one of the many who had, for years, listened to the Redeemer's
words, but it was a stranger from Northern Africa who had been, in no
way connected with the life or teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.
Notice, first, that he was an unknown man. He was spoken of as, "one
Simon." Simon was a very common name among the Jews, almost as common
as John in our own country. This man was just, "one Simon"–an
individual who need not be further described. But the Providence of God
had determined that this obscure individual; this certain man–or I
might better say, this uncertain man–should be selected to the high
office of Cross-bearer to the Son of God! I have an impression upon my
mind that there is, "one Simon" here, this morning, who has to bear
Christ's Cross from this time forward. I feel persuaded that I am
right. That person is so far unknown that most probably he does not
recognize a single individual in all this throng and neither does
anybody in this assembly know anything of him. Certainly the preacher
does not. He is one John, one Thomas, or one William, or perhaps, in
the feminine, she is one Mary, one Jane, one Maggie. Friend, nobody
knows you except our Father who is in Heaven–and He has appointed you
to have fellowship with His Son! I shall roughly describe you as, "one
Simon," and leave the Holy Spirit to bring you into your place and
service.
But this "one Simon" was a very particular "one Simon." I lay the
emphasis where there might seem to be no need of any–he was one whom
God knew, chose, loved and set apart for this special service. In a
congregation like the present, there may be somebody whom our God
intends to use for His Gory during the rest of his life. That person
sits in the pew and listens to what I am saying and, perhaps, as yet he
does not begin to inquire whether he is that, "one Simon," that one
person. And yet it is so and, before this sermon is ended, he shall
know that the call to bear the Cross is for him. Many more unlikely
things than this have happened in this house of prayer. I pray that
many a man may go out from this house a different man from the man he
was when he entered it an hour ago. That man Saul, that great
persecutor of the Church, became such a mighty preacher of the Gospel
that people exclaimed with wonder, "There is a strange alteration in
this man." "Why," said one, "when I knew him, he was a Pharisee of the
Pharisees! He was as bigoted a man as ever wore a phylactery and he
hated Christ and Christians so intensely that he could never persecute
the Church sufficiently."
"Yes," replied another, "it was so, but he has had a strange twist.
They say that he was going down to Damascus to hunt out the disciples
and something happened. We do not know exactly what it was, but
evidently it gave him such a turn that he has never been himself since.
In fact, he seems turned altogether upside down and the current of his
life is evidently reversed–he lives enthusiastically for that faith
which once he destroyed." This speedy change happened to "one Saul of
Tarsus." There were plenty of Sauls in Israel, but upon this one Saul,
electing Love had looked in the counsels of eternity and for that Saul,
redeeming Love had shed its heart's blood! And in that Saul, effectual
Grace worked mightily Is there another Saul here, today? The Lord grant
that he may now cease to kick against the pricks and may we soon hear
of him, "Behold, he prays."
I feel convinced the counterpart of that "one Simon" is in this house
at this moment. And my prayer goes up to God–and I hope it is attended
with the prayers of many thousands, besides–that he may, at once,
submit to the Lord Jesus.
It did not seem likely that Simon should bear the Cross of Christ, for
he was a stranger who had newly come up from the country. He probably
knew little or nothing of what had been taking place in Jerusalem, for
he had come from another continent. He was "one Simon, a Cyrenian" and
I suppose that Cyrene could not have been less than 800 miles from
Jerusalem. It was situated in what is now called Tripoli, in Northern
Africa, in which place a colony of Jews had been formed long before.
Very likely he had come in a Roman galley from Alexandria to Joppa and
there had been rowed through the surf and landed in time to reach
Jerusalem for the Passover. He had long wanted to come to Jerusalem. He
had heard of the fame of the Temple and of the city of his fathers–and
he had longed to see the great Assembly of the tribes and the solemn
Paschal feast. He had traveled all those miles and had hardly yet got
the motion of the ship out of his brain–it had never entered into his
head that he should be impressed by the Roman guard and made to assist
at an execution! It was a singular Providence that he should come into
the city at the moment of the turmoil about Jesus and should have
crossed the street just as the sad procession started on its way to
Golgotha.
He passed by neither too soon nor too late! He was on the spot as
punctually as if he had made an appointment to be there and yet, as men
speak, it was all by mere chance. I cannot tell how many Providences
had worked together to bring him there in the nick of time, but so the
Lord would have it and so it came about! He, a man there in Cyrene, in
Northern Africa, must, at a certain date, at the tick of the clock, be
at Jerusalem in order that he might help to carry the Cross up to Mount
Calvary–and He was there!
Ah, my dear Friend, I do not know what Providences have been at work to
bring you, here, today–perhaps very strange ones. If a little
something had occurred you had not taken this journey. It only needed a
small dust to turn the scale and you would have been hundreds of miles
from this spot, in quite another scene from this. Why you are here, you
do not yet know, except that you have come to listen to the preacher
and join the throng. But God knows why He has brought you here! I trust
it will be read in the annals of the future–
"Thus the eternal mandate ran, Almighty Grace, arrest that man!" God
has brought you here, that on this spot, by the preaching of the
Gospel, you may be compelled to bear the Cross of Jesus. I pray it may
be so. "One Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country," is here
after a long journey, and this day he will begin to live a higher and a
better life!
Further, notice, Simon had come for another purpose. He had journeyed
to Jerusalem with no thought of bearing the Cross of Jesus. Simon was
probably a Jew far removed from the land of his fathers and he had made
a pilgrimage to the Holy City to keep the Passover. Every Jew loved to
be present at Jerusalem at the Paschal feast. So, to put it roughly, it
was holiday-time–it was a time for making an excursion to the
capital–it was a season for making a journey and going up to the great
city which was "beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth."
Simon, from far-off Cyrene, must, by all means, keep the feast at
Jerusalem. Maybe he had saved his money for months, that he might pay
his fare to Joppa and he had counted down the gold freely for the joy
which he had in going to the City of David and the Temple of his God.
He came for the Passover and for that only. And he would be perfectly
satisfied to go home when once the feast was over and once he had
partaken of the lamb with the tribes of Israel. Then he could say
throughout the rest of his life, "I, too, was once at the great feast
of our people, when we commemorated the coming up out of Egypt."
Brothers and Sisters, we propose one way, but God has other
propositions! We say, "I will step in and hear the preacher," but God
means that the arrows of His Grace shall stick fast in our hearts! Many
and many a time, with no desire for Grace, men have listened to the
Gospel and the Lord has been found of them that sought Him not. I heard
of one who cared little for the sermon till the preacher chanced to use
that word, "eternity," and the hearer was taken prisoner by holy
thoughts and led to the Savior's feet.
Men have even stepped into places of worship with evil designs and yet
the purpose of Grace has been accomplished! They came to scoff, but
they remained to pray! Some have been cast, by the Providence of God,
into positions where they have met with Christian men and a word of
admonition has been blessed to them. A lady was, one day, at an evening
party and there met with Caesar Malan, the famous Divine of Geneva,
who, in his usual manner, enquired of her whether she was a Christian.
She was startled, surprised, vexed and made a short reply to the effect
that it was not a question she cared to discuss. Whereupon, Mr. Malan
replied, with great sweetness, that he would not persist in speaking of
it, but he would pray that she might be led to give her heart to Christ
and become a useful worker for Him. Within a fortnight she
met the minister, again, and asked him how she must come to Jesus. Mr.
Malan's reply was, "Come to Him just as you are." That lady gave
herself up to Jesus–it was Charlotte Elliott, to whom we owe that
precious hymn–
"Just as I am–without one plea
But that Your blood was shed for me
And that You bid me come to You–
O Lamb of God, I come."
It was a blessed thing for her, that she was at that party, and that
the servant of God from Geneva should have been there and should have
spoken to her so faithfully! Oh for many a repetition of the story "of
one Simon, a Cyrenian," coming, not with the intent to bear the Cross,
but with quite another mind and yet, being enlisted in the
cross-bearing army of the Lord Jesus!
I would have you notice, once more, that this man was, at this
particular time, not thinking upon the subject at all, for he was, at
that time, merely passing by. He had come up to Jerusalem and whatever
occupied his mind, he does not appear to have taken any notice of the
trial of Jesus, or of the sad end of it. It is expressly said that he
"passed by." He was not even sufficiently interested in the matter to
stand in the crowd and look at the mournful procession. Women were
weeping there right bitterly–the daughters of Jerusalem to whom the
Master said, "Weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your
children." But this man passed by! He was anxious to hurry away from so
unpleasant a sight and to get up to the Temple. He was quietly making
his way through the crowd, eager to go about his business, and he must
have been greatly surprised and distressed when a rough hand was laid
upon him–and a stern voice said, "Shoulder that Cross." There was no
resisting a Roman centurion when he gave a command–and so the
countryman meekly submitted, wishing, no doubt, that he were back in
Cyrene tilling the ground.
He must necessarily stoop his shoulder and take up a new burden and
tread in the footsteps of the mysterious Person to whom the Cross
belonged. He was only passing by and yet he was enlisted and commanded
by the Romans and, as I take it, commanded by the Grace of God for
life–for whereas Mark says he was the father of Alexander and
Rufus–it would seem that his sons were well known to the Christian
people to whom Mark was writing. If his son was the same Rufus that
Paul mentions, then he calls her, "his mother and mine." And so, it
would seem that Simon's wife and his sons became Believers and
partakers of the sufferings of Christ. His contact with the Lord, in
that strange compulsory way, probably worked out for him another and
more spiritual contact which made him a true cross-bearer. O you that
pass by this day, draw near to Jesus! I have no wish to call your
attention to myself–far from it–but I do ask your attention to my
Lord! Though you only intended to slip into this tabernacle and slip
out again, I pray that you may be arrested by a call from my Lord!
I speak as my Lord's servant and I would constrain you to come to Him.
Stand where you are, a while, and let me beg you to yield to His love
which even now would cast the bands of a man around you. I would compel
you, by my Lord's authority, to take up His Cross and bear it after
Him. It would be strange, you say. Yes, so it might be, but it would be
a glorious event! I remember Mr. Knill, speaking of his own conversion,
used an expression which I should like to use concerning one of you.
Here it is–"It was just a quarter past twelve, August 2nd , when twang
went every harp in Paradise, for a sinner had repented!" May it be so
with you! Oh that every harp in Paradise may now ring out the high
praises of Sovereign Grace as you now yield yourself to the great
Shepherd and Bishop of souls! May that Divine impression which is
imaged in the text by the compulsion of the Roman soldier take place in
your case at this very moment! And may it be seen, in your instance,
that unexpected persons are often called to be cross-bearers!
II. My second observation is–CROSS-BEARING CAN STILL BE PRACTICED.
Very briefly let me tell you in what ways the Cross can still be
carried. First, and chiefly, by your becoming a Christian. If the Cross
shall take you up, you will take up the Cross! Christ will be your
hope! His death your trust, Himself the object of your love. You never
truly become a cross-bearer till you lay your burdens down at His feet
who bore the Cross and curse for you.
Next, you become a cross-bearer when you make an open acknowledge of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not deceive your-selves–this is expected of
each one of you if you are to be saved. The promise, as I read it in
the New Testament, is not to the Believer alone, but to the Believer
who confesses his faith. "He that with his heart believes and with his
mouth makes confession of Him shall be saved." He says, "He that
confesses Me before men, him will I confess before My Father; but he
that denies Me"–and from the connection it should seem to mean, he
that does not confess Me–"him will I deny before My Father which is in
Heaven." To quote the Inspired Scripture, "He that believes and is
baptized shall be saved." There
should be, there must be the open acknowledgement, in Christ's own way,
of the secret faith which you have in Him. Now this is often a cross.
Many people would like to go to Heaven by an underground
railway–secrecy suits them. They do not want to cross the channel–the
sea is too rough. But when there is a tunnel made, they will go to the
fair country. My good people, you are cowardly and I must quote you a
text which ought to sting your cowardice out of you–"But the fearful
and unbelieving shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire
and brimstone." I say no more and make no personal applications, but, I
beseech you, run no risks! Be afraid to be afraid! Be ashamed of being
ashamed of Christ! Shame on that man who counts it any shame to say
before assembled angels, men and devils, "I am a follower of Christ."
May you who have, up to now, been secret followers of the Crucified
Lord become manifest cross-bearers! Do you not even now cry out, "Set
down my name, Sir"?
Further, some have to take up their cross by commencing Christian work.
You live in a village where there is no Gospel preaching–preach,
yourself! You are in a backwoods town where the preaching is very far
from being such as God approves–begin to preach the Truth of God,
yourself! "Alas," you say, "I would make a fool of myself." Are you
ashamed to be a fool for Christ? "Oh, but I would break down." Break
down–it will do you good and, perhaps, you may break somebody else
down. There is no better preaching in the world than that of a man who
breaks down under a sense of unworthiness–if that breakdown
communicates itself to other people, it may begin a revival! If you are
choked by your earnestness, others may become earnest, too. Do you
still murmur, "But I would get the ill-will of everybody"? For Christ's
sake, could you not bear that? When the good monk said to Martin
Luther, "Go home to your cell and keep quiet," why did Martin not take
the advice? Why, indeed? "It is very bad for young people to be so
forward! You will do a great deal of mischief, therefore be quiet,
Martin. Who are you to interfere with the great authorities? Be holy
for yourself and don't trouble others. If you stir up a reformation,
thousands of good people will be burnt through you. Do be quiet."
Bless God, Martin did not go home and was not quiet, but went about His
Master's business and raised Heaven and earth by his brave
witness-bearing! Where are you, Martin, this morning? I pray God to
call you out and, as you have confessed His name and are His servant, I
pray that He may make you bear public testimony for Him and proclaim
the saving power of the Savior's precious blood! Come, Simon, I see you
shrink, but the Cross has to be carried, therefore bow your back! It is
only a wooden Cross, after all, and not an iron one. You can bear it!
You must bear it! God help you!
Perhaps, too, some Brother may have to take up his cross by bearing
witness against the rampant sin which surrounds him. "Leave all those
dirty matters alone. Do not say a word about them. Let the people go to
the devil, or else you will soil your white kid gloves." Sirs, we will
spoil our hands as well as our gloves, and we will risk our characters,
if necessary, but we will put down the devilry which now defiles
London! Truly the flesh shrinks and the purest part of our manhood
shrinks with it when we are compelled to bear open protest against sins
which are done of men in secret. But, Simon, the Master may yet compel
you to bear His Cross in this respect, and if so, He will give you both
courage and wis-dom–and your labor shall not be in vain in the Lord.
Sometimes, however, the cross-bearing is of another and more quiet kind
and may be described as submission to Providence. A young friend is
saying, "For me, to live at home I know to be my duty, but father is
unkind and the family generally imposes upon me. I wish I could get
away." Ah, dear Sister, you must bear Christ's Cross and it may be the
Lord would have you remain at home. Therefore bear the Cross! A servant
is saying, "I would like to be in a Christian family. I do not think I
can stay where I am." Perhaps, good Sister, the Lord has put you where
you are to be a light in a dark place. All the lamps should not be in
one street, or what will become of the courts and alleys? It is often
the duty of a Christian man to say, "I shall stay where I am and fight
this matter through. I mean, by character and example, with kindness
and courtesy and love, to win this place for Jesus." Of course the easy
way is to turn monk and live quietly in a cloister–and serve God by
doing nothing–or to turn nun and dwell in a convent and expect to win
the battle of life by running out of it!
Is not this absurd? If you shut yourself away from this poor world,
what is to become of it? You men and women that are Christians must
stand up and stand out for Jesus where the Providence of God has cast
you! If your calling is not a sinful one and if the temptations around
you are not too great for you, you must "hold the fort" and never dream
of surrender! If your lot is hard, look upon it as Christ's Cross and
bow your back to the load. Your shoulder may be raw, at
first, but you will grow stronger before long, for as your day, your
strength shall be. "It is good for a man that he bears the yoke in his
youth." But it is good for a man to bear the Cross in his old age as
well as in his youth! In fact, we ought never to be rid of so blessed a
burden. What wings are to a bird and sails to a ship, the Cross becomes
to a man's spirit when he fully consents to accept it as his life's
beloved load. Truly did Jesus say, "My yoke is easy and My burden is
light." Now, Simon, where are you? Shoulder the Cross, man, in the name
of God!
III. Thirdly, TO CROSS-BEARING, THERE ARE NOBLE COMPULSIONS. Simon's
compulsion was the rough hand of the Roman legionary and the gruff
voice in the Latin tongue, "Shoulder that Cross." But we hear gentler
voices which compel us, this day, to take up Christ's Cross.
The first compulsion is this–"the love of Christ constrains us." He
has done all this for you and, therefore, by sweet but irresistible
compulsion, you are made to render Him some return of love. Does not
Jesus appear to you in a vision as you sit in this house? Do you not
see that thorn-crowned head, that visage crimsoned with the bloody
sweat, those hands and feet pierced with the nails? Does He not say to
you pointedly, "I did all this for you; what have you done for Me"?
Startled in your seat, you cover your face and inwardly reply, "I will
answer that question by the rest of my life. I will be first and
foremost a servant of Jesus–not a trader, first, and a Christian,
next, but a Christian, first, and a business man afterwards." You, my
Sister, must say, "I will live for Christ as a daughter, a wife, or a
mother. I will live for my Lord, for He has given Himself for me and I
am not my own, but bought with a price."
The true heart will feel a compulsion arising from a second reflection,
namely, the glory of a life spent for God and for His Christ. What is
the life of a man who toils in business, makes money, becomes rich and
dies? It winds up with a paragraph in the Illustrated London News,
declaring that he died worth so much–the wretch was not worth
anything, him-self–his estate had value but he had none! Had he been
worth anything, he would have sent his money about the world doing
good. But as a worthless steward, he laid his Master's stores in heaps
to rot. The life of multitudes of men is self-seeking! It is ill for a
man to live the life of swine! What a poor creature is the usual
ordinary man! But a life spent for Jesus, though it involve
cross-bearing, is noble, heroic, sublime! The mere earthworm leads a
dunghill life. A life of what is called pleasure is a mean, beggarly
business. A life of keeping up respectability is utter slavery–as well
be a horse in a pug-mill! A life wholly consecrated to Christ and His
Cross is life, indeed–it is akin to the life of angels–yes, higher
still, it is the life of God within the soul of man! O you that have a
spark of true nobility, seek to live lives worth living, worth
remembering, worthy to be the commencement of eternal life before the
Throne of God!
Some of you ought to feel the Cross coming upon your shoulders, this
morning, when you think of the needs of those among whom you live. They
are dying, perishing for lack of knowledge! Rich and poor, alike,
ignorant of Christ! Multitudes of them wrapped up in
self-righteousness! They are perishing and those who ought to warn them
are often dumb dogs that cannot bark! Do you not feel that you ought to
deliver the sheep from the wolf? Have you no heart of compassion? Are
your hearts turned to steel? I am sure you cannot deny that the times
demand of you earnest and forceful lives. No Christian man can now sit
still without incurring awful guilt. Whether you live in London or in
any other great town amidst reeking sin, or dwell in the country amidst
the dense darkness which broods over many rural districts, you are
under bonds to be up and doing! It may be a cross to you, but for
Jesus' sake you must lift it up and never lay it down till the Lord
calls you Home!
Some of you should bear the Cross of Christ because the cause of Christ
is at a discount where you dwell. I delight in a man in whom the
lordlier chivalry has found a congenial home. He loves to espouse the
cause of the Truth of God in the cloudy and dark day. He never counts
heads, but weighs arguments. When he settles down in a town, he never
enquires, "Where is the most respectable congregation? Where shall I
meet with those who will advantage me in business?" No, he studies his
conscience rather than his convenience. He hears one say, "There is a
Nonconformist Chapel, but it is down a back street. There is a Baptist
Church, but the members are nearly all poor and no gentlefolk are among
them. Even the Evangelical Church is down at the heel–the best
families attend the high church." I say he hears this and his heart is
sick of such talk! He will go where the Gospel is preached and nowhere
else! Fine architecture has scant charms for him–and grand music is no
part of his religion! If these are substitutes for the Gospel, he
abhors them. It is meanness, itself, for a man to forsake the Truth of
God for the sake of respectability!
Multitudes who ought to be found maintaining the good old cause are
recreant to their convictions if, indeed, they ever had any! For this
cause the true man resolves to stick to the Truth of God through thick
and thin and not to forsake
it because its adherents are poor and despised. If ever we might
temporize, that time is past and gone. I warn yonder man, this morning,
who has long been a Christian but has concealed half his Christianity
in order to be thought respectable, or to escape the penalties of
faithfulness! Come out from those with whom you are numbered, but with
whom you are not united in heart! Be brave enough to defend a good
cause against all comers, for the day shall come when he shall have
honor for his reward who accepted dishonor that he might be true to his
God, his Bible and his conscience. Blessed is he that can be loyal to
his Lord, cost him what it may–loyal, even, in those matters which
traitors call little things. We would compel that Simon, the Cyrenian,
this day, to bear the Cross because there are so few to bear it in
these degenerate days.
Besides, I may say to some of you, you ought to bear the Cross because
you know you are not satisfied–your hearts are not at rest. You have
prospered in worldly things, but you are not happy. You have good
health, but you are not happy. You have loving friends, but you are not
happy. There is but one way of getting rest to the heart and that is to
come to Jesus! These are His Words–"Come unto Me, all you that labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." If, after this, you
need a further rest for other and higher longings, then you must come,
again, to the same Savior and hearken to His next Words–"Take My yoke
upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you
shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is
light." Some of you professors have not yet found perfect rest and the
reason is because you have looked to the Cross for pardon, but you have
never taken to cross-bearing as an occupation. You are hoping in Christ
but not living for Christ! The finding of rest unto your soul will come
to you in having something to do or to bear for Jesus. "Take My yoke
upon you: and you shall find rest unto your souls." There are many
ways, then, of bearing the Cross for Christ, and there are many reasons
why some here present should begin, at once, to carry the load.
IV. To close, bear with me a minute or two while I say that
CROSS-BEARING IS A BLESSED OCCUPATION. I feel sure that Simon found it
so. Let me mention certain blessings which must have attended the
special service of Simon. First, it brought him into Christ's company.
When they compelled him to bear His Cross, he was brought close to
Jesus. If it had not been for that command, he might have gone his way,
or might have been lost in the crowd. But now he is in the inner
circle, near to Jesus! For the first time in his life, he saw that
blessed form and, as he saw it, I believe his heart was enamored with
it. As they lifted the Cross on his shoulders, he looked at that sacred
Person and saw a crown of thorns about His brow. And as he looked at
his fellow sufferer, he saw all down His cheeks the marks of bloody
sweat and black and blue bruises from cruel hands. As for those eyes,
they looked him through and through!
That face, that matchless face, he had never seen its like. Majesty was
therein blended with misery; innocence with agony and love with sorrow.
He had never seen that Countenance so well, nor marked the whole form
of the Son of Man so clearly if he had not been called to bear that
Cross! It is wonderful how much we see of Jesus when we suffer or labor
for Him. Believing Souls, I pray that this day you may be so impressed
into my Lord's service that you may have nearer and dearer fellowship
with Him than in the past! If any man will do His will, he shall know
of the doctrine. They see Jesus best who carry His Cross most.
Besides, the Cross held Simon in Christ's steps. Do you catch it? If
Jesus carried the front part of the Cross and Simon followed behind, he
was sure to put his feet down just where the Master's feet had been
before. The Cross is a wonderful implement for keeping us in the way of
our Lord. As I was turning this subject over, I was thinking how often
I had felt a conscious contact between myself and my Lord when I have
had to bear reproach for His sake–and how, at the same time, I have
been led to watch my steps more carefully because of that very
reproach! Brothers and Sisters, we do not want to slip from under the
Cross. If we did, we might slip away from our Lord and from holy
walking. If we can keep our shoulder beneath that sacred load and see
our Lord a little ahead of us, we shall be making the surest progress!
This being near to Jesus is a blessed privilege which is cheaply
purchased at the price of cross-bearing! If you would see Jesus, bestir
yourselves to work for Him! Boldly acknowledge Him! Cheerfully suffer
for Him and then you shall see Him–and then you shall learn to follow
Him, step by step! O blessed Cross which holds us to Jesus and to His
ways!
Then Simon had this honor, that He was linked with Christ's work. He
could not put away sin, but he could assist weakness. Simon did not die
on the Cross to make expiation, but he did live under the Cross to aid
in the accomplishment of the Divine Purpose. You and I cannot interfere
with Jesus in His passion, but we can share with Him in His commission.
We cannot purchase liberty for the enslaved, but we can tell them of
their emancipation. To have a finger in Christ's
work is glory! I invite the man that seeks honor and immortality, to
seek it thus. To have a share in the Redeemer's work is a more
attractive thing than all the pomp and glitter of this world and the
kingdoms thereof. Where are the men of heavenly mind who will covet to
be joined unto the Lord in this ministry? Let them step out and say,
"Jesus, I, my cross have taken. From now on I will follow You. Come
life or death, I will carry Your Cross till You shall give me the
crown."
While Simon was carrying the Cross through the crowd, I doubt not that
the rough soldiery would deal him many a kick or buffet–but I feel
equally sure that the dear Master sometimes stole a glance at him.
Simon enjoyed Christ's smile. I know the Lord so well that I feel sure
He must have done so–He would not forget the man who was His partner
for the while. And oh, that look! How Simon must have treasured up the
remembrance of it! "I never carried a load that was so light," he says,
"as that which I carried that morning, for when the Blessed One smiled
at me amidst His woes, I felt myself to be strong as Hercules."
Alexander, his first-born, and that red-headed lad, Rufus, when they
grew up, both felt it to be the honor of the family that their father
carried the Cross after Jesus. Rufus and Alexander had a patent of
nobility in being the sons of such a man! Mark recorded the fact that
Simon carried the Cross and that such-and-such persons were his sons. I
think when the old man came to lie upon his deathbed, he said, "My hope
is in Him whose Cross I carried. Blessed burden! Lay me down in my
grave. This body of mine cannot perish, for it bore the Cross which
Jesus carried and which carried Him. I shall rise, again, to see Him in
His Glory, for His Cross has pressed me and His love will surely raise
me."
Happy are we if we can, while yet we live, be co-workers together with
Him, that when He comes in His Kingdom, we may be partakers of His
Glory! "Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is
tried, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised
to them that love Him." God bless you and especially you who have come
out of the country. God bless you. Amen and amen!
PORTION OF SCRIPTURE READ BEFORE SERMON–Mark 15:1-38.
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