The All Sufficiency of Christ Part 17

We do not attempt even to quote the numerous scriptures which speak of G.o.d's presence in the congregation of Israel--His dwelling in their midst. But we would call the attention of the reader to the all-important fact that those scriptures _begin_ with Exodus xv. It was when Israel stood, as a fully redeemed people, on Canaan's side of the Red Sea that they were able to say, "The Lord is my strength and my song, and He is become my salvation: He is _my G.o.d_, and I will prepare Him a _habitation_." Redemption formed the ground of G.o.d's dwelling among His people, and His presence in their midst secured their perfect unity. Hence no one member of the congregation could view himself as an isolated independent atom. Each one was called to view himself as part of a whole, and to view his conduct in reference to all those who, like himself, formed part of that whole.

Now, reason could never grasp a truth like this. It lay entirely beyond the ken of the most powerful human intellect. Faith alone could receive it and act upon it, and it is of the deepest interest to see that the faithful in Israel ever recognized it and acted upon it. Why did Hezekiah send letters to "all Israel"? Why did he expose himself to scorn and ridicule in so doing? Why did he command that "the burnt-offering and the sin-offering should be made for all Israel"?

Why did Josiah carry his reformatory operations into all "the countries that pertained to the children of Israel"? Because those men of G.o.d recognized the divine truth of Israel's unity, and they did not think of throwing this grand reality overboard because so few saw it or sought to carry it out. "The people shall dwell alone;" and "I, the Lord, will dwell among the children of Israel." These imperishable truths s.h.i.+ne, like most precious gems of heavenly l.u.s.tre, all along the page of Old Testament Scripture; and we invariably find that, just in proportion as any one was living near to G.o.d--near to the living and ever-gus.h.i.+ng fountain of life and light and love--just in proportion as he entered into the thoughts, purposes, sympathies, and counsels of the G.o.d of Israel, did he apprehend and seek to carry out that which G.o.d had declared to be true of His people, though His people had proved so untrue to Him.

And now, Christian reader, we would ask you a very plain and pointed question, which is this: Do you not recognize in the unity of the Jewish nation the foreshadowing of a higher unity now existing in that one body of which Christ is the Head? We trust you do. We fondly hope that your whole moral being bows down, with reverent submission, to the mighty truth, "There _is_ one body." But then we can well imagine that you feel yourself not a little perplexed and confounded when you cast your eye around you through the length and breadth of the professing Church, in search of any positive expression of this unity.

You see Christians scattered and divided--you see innumerable sects and parties; and what perhaps puzzles you most of all, you see those who profess to believe and act upon the truth of the unity of the body divided amongst themselves, and presenting anything but a spectacle of unity and harmony. All this, we confess, is very perplexing to one who looks at it from a merely human standpoint. We are not the least surprised at people being stumbled and hindered by these things. Still the foundation of G.o.d standeth sure. His truth is perfectly indestructible; and if we gaze with admiration upon the faithful worthies of a bygone age who believed and confessed the unity of Israel when there was not a trace of that unity visible to mortal eyes, why should we not heartily believe and diligently carry out the higher unity of the one body? "There is one body and one Spirit," and herein lies the basis of our responsibility to one another and to G.o.d.

Are we to surrender this all-important truth because Christians are scattered and divided? G.o.d forbid. It is as real and as precious as ever, and it ought to be as formative and as influential. We are bound to act upon the truth of G.o.d, irrespective of consequences, and utterly regardless of outward appearances. It is not for us to say, as so many do, "The case is hopeless: everything has gone to pieces. It is impossible to carry out the truth of G.o.d amid the heaps of rubbish which lie around us. The unity of the body was a thing of the _past_; it may be a thing of the _future_, but it cannot be a thing of the _present_. The idea of unity must be abandoned as thoroughly Utopian, it cannot be maintained in the face of Christendom's numberless sects and parties. Nothing remains now but for each one to look to the Lord for himself, and to do the best he can, in his own _individual_ sphere, and according to the dictates of his own conscience and judgment."

Such is, in substance, the language of hundreds of the true people of G.o.d; and as is their language, so is their practical career. But we must speak plainly, and we have no hesitation in saying that this language savors of sheer unbelief in that great cardinal verity of the unity of the body; and, moreover, that we have just as much warrant for rejecting the precious doctrine of Christ's deity, of His perfect humanity, or of His vicarious sacrifice, as we have for rejecting the truth of the perfect unity of His body, inasmuch as this latter rests upon precisely the same foundation as the former, namely, the eternal truth of G.o.d--the absolute statement of Holy Scripture. What right have we to set aside any one truth of divine revelation? What authority have we to single out any special truth from the word of G.o.d and say that it no longer applies? We are bound to receive _all truth_, and to submit our souls to its authority. It is a dangerous thing to admit for a moment the idea that any one truth of G.o.d is to be set aside, on the plea that it cannot be carried out. It is sufficient for us that it is revealed in the Holy Scriptures: we have only to _believe_ and to _obey_. Does Scripture declare that there is "one body"? a.s.suredly it does. This is enough. We are responsible to maintain this truth, cost what it may; we can accept nothing else--nothing less--nothing different. We are bound, by the allegiance which we owe to Christ the Head, to testify, practically, against everything that militates against the truth of the indissoluble unity of the Church of G.o.d, and to seek earnestly and constantly a faithful expression of that unity.

True, we shall have to contend with false unity on the one hand and false individuality on the other; but we have only to hold fast and confess the truth of G.o.d, looking to Him, in humility of mind and earnest purpose of heart, and He will sustain us in the path, let the difficulties be what they may. No doubt there are difficulties in the way--grave difficulties, such as we in our own strength cannot cope with. The very fact that we are told to "_endeavor_ to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" is sufficient to prove that there are difficulties in the way; but the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is amply sufficient for all the demands that may be made upon us in seeking to act upon this most precious truth.

In contemplating the present condition of the professing Church we may discern two very distinct cla.s.ses. In the first place, there are those who are seeking unity on false grounds; and secondly, those who are seeking it on the ground laid down in the New Testament. This latter is distinctly a spiritual, living, divine unity, and stands out in vivid contrast with all the forms of unity which man has attempted, whether it be national, ecclesiastical, ceremonial, or doctrinal. The Church of G.o.d is not a nation, not an ecclesiastical or political system. It is a body united to its divine Head in heaven, by the presence of the Holy Ghost. This is what it was, and this is what it is. "There is one body and one Spirit." This remains unalterably true. It holds good now just as much as when the inspired apostle penned Ephesians iv. Hence anything that tends to interfere with or mar this truth must be wrong, and we are bound to stand apart from it and testify against it. To seek to unite Christians on any other ground than the unity of the body is manifestly opposed to the revealed mind of G.o.d. It may seem very attractive, very desirable, very reasonable, right, and expedient; but it is contrary to G.o.d, and this should be enough for us. G.o.d's Word speaks _only_ of the unity of the body and the unity of the Spirit. It recognizes no other unity: neither should we.

The Church of G.o.d is one, though consisting of many members. It is not local, or geographical; it is corporate. All the members have a double responsibility; they are responsible to the Head, and they are responsible to one another. It is utterly impossible to ignore this responsibility. Men may seek to s.h.i.+rk it; they may deny it; they may a.s.sert their individual rights, and act according to their own reason, judgment, or will; but they cannot get rid of the responsibility founded upon the fact of the one compact body. They have to do with the Head in heaven and with the members on earth. They stand in this double relations.h.i.+p--they were incorporated thereinto by the Holy Ghost, and to deny it is to deny their very spiritual existence. It is founded in life, formed by the Spirit, and taught and maintained in the Holy Scriptures. There is no such thing as independency.

Christians cannot view themselves as mere individuals--as isolated atoms. "We are members one of another." This is as true as that we are "justified by faith." No doubt there is a sense in which we are individual: we are individual in our repentance; individual in our faith; individual in our justification; individual in our walk with G.o.d and in our service to Christ; individual in our rewards for service, for each one shall get a white stone and a new name engraved thereon known only to himself. All this is quite true, but it in no wise touches the other grand practical truth of our union with the Head above and with each and all of the members below.

And we would here call the reader's attention to two very distinct lines of truth flowing out of two distinct t.i.tles of our blessed Lord, namely, Heads.h.i.+p and Lords.h.i.+p. He is Head of His body the Church, and He is Lord of all, Lord of each. Now, when we think of Christ as Lord, we are reminded of our individual responsibility to Him, in the wide range of service to which He, in His sovereignty, has graciously called us. Our reference must be to Him in all things. All our actings, all our movements, all our arrangements, must be placed under the commanding influence of that weighty sentence (often, alas!

lightly spoken and penned), "If _the Lord_ will." And, moreover, no one has any right to thrust himself between the conscience of a servant and the commandment of his Lord. All this is divinely true, and of the very highest importance. The Lords.h.i.+p of Christ is a truth the value of which cannot possibly be overestimated.

But we must bear in mind that Christ is _Head_ as well as _Lord_;--He is Head of a body, as well as Lord of individuals. These things must not be confounded. We are not to hold the truth of Christ's Lords.h.i.+p in such a way as to interfere with the truth of His Heads.h.i.+p. If we merely think of Christ as Lord, and ourselves as individuals responsible to Him, then we shall ignore His Heads.h.i.+p, and lose sight of our responsibility to every member of that body of which He is Head. We must jealously watch against this. We cannot look at ourselves as isolated, independent atoms; if we think of Christ as Head, then we must think of all His members, and this opens up a wide range of practical truth. We have holy duties to discharge to our fellow-members, as well as to our Lord and Master; and we may rest a.s.sured that no one walking in communion with Christ can ever lose sight of the grand fact of his relations.h.i.+p to every member of His body. Such an one will ever remember that his walk and ways exert an influence upon Christians living at the other side of the globe. This is a wondrous mystery, but it is divinely true. "If one member suffer, _all_ the members suffer with it" (1 Cor. xii. 26). You cannot reduce the body of Christ to a matter of locality: the body is one, and we are called to maintain this practically in every possible way, and to bear a decided testimony against everything which tends to hinder the expression of the perfect unity of the body, whether it be false unity or false individuality. The enemy is seeking to a.s.sociate Christians on a false ground, and gather them around a false centre; or, if he cannot do this, he will send them adrift upon the wide and tumultuous ocean of a desultory individualism. _We are throughly persuaded, before G.o.d, that the only safeguard against both these false and dangerous extremes is divinely wrought faith in the grand foundation-truth of the unity of the body of Christ._

PART VI

It may here be proper to inquire what is the suited att.i.tude of the Christian in view of the grand foundation-truth of the unity of the body. That it is a truth distinctly laid down in the New Testament cannot possibly be questioned. If any reader of these pages be not fully established in the knowledge and hearty belief of this truth, let him prayerfully study 1 Corinthians xii. and xiv., Ephesians ii.

and iv., Colossians ii. and iii. He will find the doctrine referred to in a practical way in the opening of Romans xii; though it is not the design of the Holy Ghost, in that magnificent epistle, to give us a full unfolding of the truth respecting the Church. What we have to look for there is rather the soul's relations.h.i.+p with G.o.d through the death and resurrection of Christ. We might pa.s.s through the first eleven chapters of Romans and not know that there is such a thing as the Church of G.o.d, the body of Christ; and when we reach chap. xii., the doctrine of the one body is a.s.sumed, but not dwelt upon.

There is, then, "one body" actually existing on this earth, formed by the "one Spirit," and united to the living Head in heaven. This truth cannot be gainsaid. Some may not see it; some may find it very hard to receive it, in view of the present condition of things; but nevertheless it remains a divinely established truth that "there is one body," and the question is, how are we individually affected by this truth? It is as impossible to shake off the responsibility involved therein as it is to set aside the truth itself. If there is a body of which we are members, then do we, in every truth, stand in a holy relations.h.i.+p to every member of that body on earth, as well as to the Head in heaven; and this relations.h.i.+p, like every other, has its characteristic affections, privileges, and responsibilities.

And be it remembered, we are not speaking now of the question of a.s.sociation with any special company of Christians, but of the whole body of Christ upon earth. No doubt each company of Christians, wherever a.s.sembled, should be but the local expression of the whole body. It should be so gathered and so ordered, on the authority of the Word, and by the power of the Holy Ghost, as that all Christ's members who are walking in truth and holiness might happily find their place there. If an a.s.sembly be not thus gathered and thus ordered, it is not on the ground of the unity of the body at all. If there be anything, no matter what, in order, discipline, doctrine, or practice, which would prove a barrier to the presence of any of Christ's members whose faith and practice are according to the word of G.o.d, then is the unity of the body practically denied. We are solemnly responsible to own the truth of the unity of the body. We should so meet that all the members of Christ's body might, simply as such, sit down with us and exercise whatever gift the Head of the Church has bestowed upon them.

The body is one. Its members are scattered over the whole earth.

Distance is nothing: locality nothing. It may be New Zealand, London, Paris, or Edinburgh; it matters not. A member of the body in one place is a member of the body everywhere, for there is but "one body and one Spirit." It is the Spirit who forms the body, and links the members with the Head and with one another. Hence, a Christian coming from New Zealand to London ought to expect to find an a.s.sembly so gathered as to be a faithful expression of the unity of the body, to which he might attach himself; and furthermore, any such Christian ought to find his place in the bosom of that a.s.sembly, provided always there be nothing in doctrine or walk to forbid his hearty reception.

Such is the divine order, as laid down in 1 Cor. xii. and xiv.; Eph.

ii. and iv. and a.s.sumed in Rom. xii. Indeed, we cannot study the New Testament and not see this blessed truth. We find in various cities and towns saints gathered by the Holy Ghost in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; as, for example, at Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, Colosse, and Thessalonica. These were not independent, isolated, fragmentary a.s.semblies, but parts of the one body, so that a member of the Church in one place was a member of the Church everywhere.

Doubtless, each a.s.sembly, as guided by the one Spirit, and under the one Lord, acted in all local matters, such as receiving to communion, or putting away any wicked person from their midst; meeting the wants of their poor, and such like; but we may be quite a.s.sured that the act of the a.s.sembly at Corinth would be recognized by all other a.s.semblies, so that if any one was separated from communion there, he would, if known, be refused in all other places; otherwise it would be a plain denial of the unity of the body. We have no reason to suppose that the a.s.sembly at Corinth communicated or conferred with any other a.s.sembly previous to the putting away of "the wicked person" in chap.

v., but we are bound to believe that that act would be duly recognized and sanctioned by every a.s.sembly upon the earth, and that any a.s.sembly knowingly receiving the excommunicated man would have cast a slur upon the a.s.sembly at Corinth, and practically denied the unity of the body.

This we believe to be the plain teaching of the New Testament Scriptures--this, the doctrine which any simple, true-hearted student of these scriptures would gather up. That the Church has failed to carry out this precious truth is, alas! alas! painfully true; and that we are all partic.i.p.ators in this failure is equally true. The thought of this should humble us deeply before G.o.d. Not one can throw a stone at another, for we are all verily guilty in this matter. Let not the reader suppose for a single moment that our object in these pages is to set up anything like high ecclesiastical pretensions, or to afford countenance to hollow a.s.sumption, in the face of manifest sin and failure. G.o.d forbid! we say with our very heart of hearts. We believe that there is a most urgent call upon all G.o.d's people to humble themselves in the dust on account of our sad departure from the truth so plainly laid down in the word of G.o.d.

Thus it was with the pious and devoted king Josiah, whose life and times have suggested this entire line of thought. He found the book of the law, and discovered in its sacred pages an order of things wholly different from what he saw around him. How did he act? Did he content himself by saying, "The case is hopeless: the nation is too far gone: ruin has set in, and it is utterly vain to think of aiming at the divine standard; we must only let things stand, and do the best we can"? Nay, reader, such was not Josiah's language or mode of action; but he humbled himself before G.o.d, and called upon others to do the same. And not only so, but he sought to carry out the truth of G.o.d. He aimed at the very loftiest standard, and the consequence was, that "from the days of Samuel the prophet, there was no pa.s.sover like to Josiah's kept in Israel; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a pa.s.sover."

Such was the result of faithful reference and adherence to the word of G.o.d, and thus it will ever be, for "G.o.d is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Look at the actings of the remnant that returned from Babylon in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. What did they do? They set up the altar of G.o.d; they built the temple, and repaired the walls of Jerusalem. In other words, they occupied themselves with the true wors.h.i.+p of the G.o.d of Israel, and with the grand centre or gathering-point of His people. This was right. It is what faith always does, regardless of circ.u.mstances. If the remnant had looked at circ.u.mstances, they could not have acted. They were a poor contemptible handful of people, under the dominion of the uncirc.u.mcised Gentiles. They were surrounded by active enemies on all sides, who, instigated by the enemy of G.o.d, of His city, of His people, left nothing undone to hinder them in their blessed work.

These enemies ridiculed them, and said, "What do these feeble Jews?

Will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?" Nor was this all; not only had they to contend with powerful foes without, there was also internal weakness, for "Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish, so that we are not able to build the wall."

(Neh. iv.) All this was very depressing. It was very different from the brilliant and palmy days of Solomon. His burden-bearers were many and strong, and there was no rubbish covering the great stones and costly with which he built the house of G.o.d, nor any contemptuous foe to sneer at his work. And yet, for all that, there were features attaching to the work of Ezra and Nehemiah which are not to be found in the days of Solomon. Their very feebleness, the piles of rubbish which lay before them, the proud and insulting enemies who surrounded them--all these things conspired to add a peculiar halo of glory to their work. They built and prospered, and G.o.d was glorified, and He declared in their ears these cheering words: "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of Hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of Hosts." (Hag.

ii. 9.)

It is of importance, in connection with the subject that has been engaging our attention, that the reader should carefully study the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, Haggai and Zechariah. They are full of most blessed instruction, comfort, and encouragement in a day like the present. Many, nowadays, it may be, are disposed to smile at the bare mention of such a subject as the unity of the body; but let them ask themselves, Is it the smile of calm confidence, or the sneer of unbelief? One thing is certain, the devil as cordially hates the doctrine of the unity of the body as he hates any other doctrine of divine revelation, and he will as a.s.suredly seek to hinder any attempt to carry it out as he sought to hinder the rebuilding of Jerusalem in the days of Nehemiah. But let us not be discouraged. It is enough for us that we find in G.o.d's Word the precious truth of the one body. Let us bring the light of this to bear upon the present condition of the professing Church, and see what it will reveal to our eyes. It will most a.s.suredly put us on our faces in the dust before our G.o.d because of our ways; but at the same time, it will lift our hearts up to the contemplation of the divine standard. It will so enlighten and elevate our souls as to render us thoroughly dissatisfied with everything that does not present some expression, however feeble, of the unity of the body of Christ. It is wholly impossible that any one can drink into his soul the truth of the one body and rest satisfied with any thing short of the practical recognition thereof. True, he must make up his mind to bear the brunt of the enemy's opposition. He will meet a Sanballat here, and a Rehum there, but faith can say,--

"Is G.o.d for _me_? I fear not, though all against me rise; When I call on Christ my Saviour, the host of evil flies."

There is ample encouragement for our souls in the word of G.o.d. If we look at Josiah, just _before the captivity_, what do we see? A man simply taking the Word as his guide--judging himself and all around by its light--rejecting all that was contrary to it, and seeking, with earnest purpose of heart, to carry out what he found written there.

And what was the result? The most blessed pa.s.sover that had been celebrated since the days of Samuel.

Again, if we look at Daniel, _during the captivity_, what do we see? A man acting simply on the truth of G.o.d and praying toward Jerusalem, though death stared him in the face as the consequence of his act.

What was the result? A glorious testimony to the G.o.d of Israel, and the destruction of Daniel's enemies.

Finally, if we look at the remnant, _after the captivity_, what do we see? Men, in the face of appalling difficulties, rebuilding that city which was, and shall be, G.o.d's earthly centre. And what was the result? The joyous celebration of the feast of tabernacles, which had not been known since the days of Joshua the son of Nun.

Now, if we take any of the above interesting cases, and inquire as to the effect of their looking at surrounding circ.u.mstances, what answer shall we get? Take Daniel, for instance. Why did he open his window toward Jerusalem? Why look toward a city of ruins? Why call attention to a spot which only bore testimony to Israel's sin and shame? Would it not be better to let the name of Jerusalem sink into oblivion? Ah?

we can guess at Daniel's reply to all such inquiries. Men might smile at him too, and deem him a visionary enthusiast; but he knew what he was doing. His heart was occupied with G.o.d's centre, the city of David, the grand gathering-point for Israel's twelve tribes. Was he to give up G.o.d's truth because of outward circ.u.mstances? Surely not. He could not consent to lower the standard even the breadth of a hair. He would weep, and pray, and fast, and chasten his soul before G.o.d, but never lower the standard. Was he going to give up G.o.d's thoughts about Zion because Israel had proved unfaithful? Not he. Daniel knew better than this. His eye was fixed on G.o.d's eternal truth, and hence, though he was in the dust because of his own sins and his people's, yet the divine banner floated above his head, in its unfading glory.

Just so now, dear Christian reader, we are called to fix the gaze of faith upon the imperishable truth of the one body; and not only to gaze upon it, but seek to carry it out in our feeble measure. This should be our one definite and constant aim. We should ever and only seek the expression of the unity of the body. We are not to ask, "How can this be?" Faith never says, "How?" in the presence of divine revelation; it believes and acts. We are not to surrender the truth of G.o.d on the plea that we cannot carry it out. The truth is revealed, and we are called to bow to it. We are not called to form the unity of the body. Very many seem to think that this unity is a something which they themselves are to set up or form in some way or another. This is a mistake. The unity exists. It is the result of the presence of the Holy Ghost in the body, and we have to recognize it, and walk in the light of it. This will give great definiteness to our course. It is always immensely important to have a distinct object before the heart, and to work with direct reference thereto. Look at Paul, that most devoted of workmen. What was his aim?--for what did he work? Hear the answer in his own words: "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for _His body's sake, which is the Church_: whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of G.o.d which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of G.o.d; even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: to whom G.o.d would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; whereunto I also labor, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily" (Col. i. 24-29).

Now, this was a great deal more than the mere conversion of souls, precious as that is, most surely. Paul preached the gospel with a direct view to the body of Christ; and this is the pattern for all evangelists. We should not rest in the mere fact that souls are quickened; we should keep before our minds their incorporation, by the one Spirit, into the one body. This would effectually preserve us from sect-making--from preaching to swell the ranks of a party--from seeking to get persons to _join_ this, that, or the other denomination. We should know nothing whatever but the one body, because we find nothing else in the New Testament. If this be lost sight of, the evangelist will not know what to do with souls when they are converted. A man may be used in the conversion of hundreds--a most precious work indeed--precious beyond all expression,--and if he does not see the unity of the body, he must be at sea as to their further course. This is very serious, both as to himself and them, and also as to the testimony for Christ.

May G.o.d's Spirit lead all Christians to see this great truth in all its bearings. We have but glanced at it, in connection with our theme; but it demands much serious attention at the present moment. It may be that some of our readers are disposed to find fault with what they may deem a long digression from the subject of "Life and Times of Josiah;"

but in truth it should not be looked on as a digression, but as a line of truth flowing naturally out of that subject--a line, too, which cannot possibly be over-estimated.

PART VII

In closing our remarks on "the life and times of Josiah," we shall in few words advert, first, to the fact of his celebration of the pa.s.sover; and secondly, to the solemn close of his history. Our sketch of this truly interesting period would unquestionably be incomplete were these things omitted.

And first, then, as to the fact--so full of interest and encouragement--that at the very close of Israel's history there should be one of the brightest moments that Israel had ever known. What does this teach us? It very manifestly teaches us that in darkest times it is the privilege of the faithful soul to act on divine principles and to enjoy divine privileges. We look upon this as a most weighty fact for all ages, but specially weighty at the present moment. If we did nothing more by writing our papers on Josiah than to impress this great fact on the mind of the Christian reader, we should consider that we had not written in vain. If Josiah had been influenced by the spirit and principle which, alas! seem to actuate so many in this our day, he never could have attempted to celebrate the pa.s.sover at all.

He would have folded his arms and said, "It is useless to think of maintaining any longer our great national inst.i.tutions. It can only be regarded as a piece of presumption to attempt the celebration of that ordinance which was designed to set forth Israel's deliverance from judgment by the blood of the lamb, when Israel's unity is broken, and its national glory faded and gone."

But Josiah did not reason like this; he simply acted upon the truth of G.o.d. He studied the Scriptures, and rejected what was wrong and did what was right. "Moreover, Josiah kept a pa.s.sover unto the Lord in Jerusalem; and they killed the pa.s.sover on the fourteenth day of _the first month_." (2 Chron. x.x.xv. 1). This was taking higher ground than Hezekiah had taken, inasmuch as he kept his pa.s.sover "on the fourteenth day of _the second month_." (Chap. x.x.x. 15). In so doing, Hezekiah was, as we know, availing himself of the provision which grace had made for cases of defilement. (See Num. ix. 9-11). The divine order, however, had fixed "the first month" as the proper period, and to this order Josiah was enabled to conform. In short, he took the very highest ground, according to the truth of G.o.d, while lying low under the deep sense of personal and national failure. This is ever the way of faith.

"And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the Lord, and said unto the Levites that taught _all Israel_, which were holy unto the Lord, Put the holy ark in the house which _Solomon_, the _son of David, king of Israel_, did build: it shall not be a burden on your shoulders; serve now the Lord your G.o.d, and _His people Israel_. And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, _according to the writing of David king of Israel_, and according to the writing of Solomon his son, and stand in the holy place, according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and after the division of the families of the Levites. So kill the pa.s.sover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, _that they may do according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses_."

Here we have Josiah taking the loftiest ground and acting on the highest authority. The most cursory reader cannot fail to be arrested, as he scans the lines just quoted from the inspired record, by the names of "Solomon," "David," "Moses," "all Israel," and above all, by the expression--so full of dignity, weight, and power,--"That they may do according to the word of the Lord." Most memorable words! May they sink down into our ears and into our hearts. Josiah felt it to be his high and holy privilege to conform to the divine standard, notwithstanding all the errors and evils which had crept in from age to age. G.o.d's truth must stand forever. Faith owns and acts on this precious fact, and reaps accordingly. Nothing can be more lovely than the scene enacted on the occasion to which we are now referring.

Josiah's strict adherence to the word of the Lord is not more to be admired than his large-hearted devotedness and liberality. "He gave to the people of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the pa.s.sover-offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance. And his princes gave willingly unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites....

So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king's commandment.... And the singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them. So all the service of the Lord was prepared the same day, to keep the pa.s.sover, and to offer burnt-offerings upon the altar of the Lord, according to the commandment of king Josiah.

And _the children of Israel_ that were present kept the pa.s.sover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days. And there was no pa.s.sover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a pa.s.sover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this pa.s.sover kept."

What a picture! King, princes, priests, Levites, singers, porters, all Israel, Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem--all gathered together--all in their true place and at their appointed work, "according to the word of the Lord,"--and all this "in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah," when the entire Jewish polity was on the very eve of dissolution. Surely this must speak to the heart of the thoughtful reader. It tells its own impressive tale, and teaches its own peculiar lesson. It tells us that no age, no circ.u.mstances, no influence, can ever change the truth of G.o.d or dim the vision of faith. "The word of the Lord endureth forever," and faith grasps that word and holds it fast in the face of everything. It is the privilege of the believing soul to have to do with G.o.d and His eternal truth; and, moreover, it is the duty of such an one to aim at the very loftiest standard of action, and to be satisfied with nothing lower.

Unbelief will draw a plea from the condition of things around to lower the standard, to relax the grasp, to slacken the pace, to lower the tone. Faith says, "No!"--emphatically and decidedly, "No!" Let us bow our heads in shame and sorrow on account of our sin and failure, but keep the standard up. The failure is ours: the standard is G.o.d's.

Josiah wept and rent his clothes, but he did not surrender the truth of G.o.d. He felt and owned that he and his brethren and his fathers had sinned, but that was no reason why he should not celebrate the pa.s.sover according to the divine order. It was as imperative upon him to do right as it was upon Solomon, David, or Moses. It is our business to obey the word of the Lord, and we shall a.s.suredly be blessed in our deed. This is one grand lesson to be drawn from the life and times of Josiah, and it is undoubtedly a seasonable lesson for our own times. May we learn it thoroughly. May we learn to adhere with holy decision to the ground on which the truth of G.o.d has set us, and to occupy that ground with a larger measure of true devotedness to Christ and His cause.

Most gladly would we linger over the brilliant and soul-stirring scene presented in the opening verses of 2 Chronicles x.x.xv, but we must bring this paper to an end, and we shall merely glance very rapidly at the solemn and admonitory close of Josiah's history. It stands in sad and painful contrast with all the rest of his most interesting career, and sounds in our ears a note of warning to which we are bound to give our most serious attention. We shall do little more than quote the pa.s.sage, and then leave the reader to reflect upon it, prayerfully and humbly, in the presence of G.o.d.