13
January 1927
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
disclose to us, either truly or falsely. Divinely accurate and infallible perception of secret thoughts and motives could alone justify the language that He used. (3) We have not His purity.—Only “He that is with out sin among you” may cast such annihilating stones of denunciation. M indful of O ur L im itations For identical reasons, it is obvious that we are not at liberty to follow Christ in His undiluted dogmatism. We may, of course, quote the Word of God, zvritten or incar nate, with the dogmatism that is inherent in it, for our unmitigated assurance does not rest upon our own author ity. All sermons are, or should be, based upon the admit ted authority of the “tex t;” but, in the exposition or inter pretation of-the Word, in pulpit, platform, or press, while our testimony should be confident (otherwise'it is prac tically useless^—2 Cor. 4:13), we are not entitled to demand similar; confidence in that testimony from others, however high our position may be, although we may eag erly strive to obtain it. It is submitted that dogmatism, within the limits indi cated, is a virtue; outside those bonds it is otherwise, for it is good to be mindful of one’s limitations. ¿“ Be not rash with thy mouth” is sage counsel, which it is not always easy to follow. Nevertheless, a witness must speak, if he would be faithful. “Ye shall be witnesses unto Me” said our Risen Lord to His followers. There are sins of silence, as well as sins of utterance. Our Lord lived and died in tSe spirit of His discourse to His disciples on the Mount. “When He was reviled, He reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not.” When He was misrepresented and persecuted, His attitude and words were meek; but when the revelation of the truth of God was misrepresented and distorted, that was an entirely different matter, and our Lord’s attitude and words correspondingly differed in a most remarkable manner. The contrast between Matt. 5 :39-44 and Matt. 23 :27-33 is dramatic! his brethren. The smothering envy in his heart burst forth that day, as he heard his younger brother speak of “the armies of the living God” being defied by an “uncir cumcised Philistine,” and Eliab hurled the taunt at him, in the presence of them all—-“I know thy pride, and the haughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle” (1 Sam. 17:28). The “pride” was Eliab’s, not David’s. He entirely misunderstood and misrepresented his brother’s mission. David had come from the desert, where, alone with God, he had slain the lion and the bear—a deed of which it seems, that Eliab had heard nothing. Had “pride” and “haughtiness” been found in David, as Eliab said, he would have proclaimed his bravery from Dan to Beersheba. Certainly Eliab would have done so, if he had had any such deed to tell of. So, by judging according to his own standard he con demned his brother. Severe judgments of this kind, gen erally indicate the condition of the soul of him who makes them. They are the unmistakable symptoms of the pres ence of jealousy in him who casts such innuendos at his brethren.
G rounds of R esentment It is easy to recall outbursts of religious indignation, leading to bloodshed, in Eastern lands, when things held to be sacred have been (often innocently) desecrated in the eyes of worshippers; and the hüman temperament, al though not the same, is very similar whether in the West or the East. Let it be remembered that to the Fundamentalist the “Scriptures” are “Holy Scriptures.” Jésus of Nazareth is “the Holy One and the Just;” and when either is, or both are, depriciated and charged with error, a stronger resentment is aroused than could be awakened by any per sonal affront or epithet, such as “fool” or “madman.” (There are comforting precedents in the latter case.) While it is freely admitted that the Modernist contro versy (or any other controversy, religious or otherwise) should be conducted in terms of moderation on both sides, yet it is unfair to ignore the fact that such an attitude: is infinitely more difficult on one side than on the other. This is an aspect of the situation that has not been ade quately realized, and in justice to all parties concerned, it should be recognized. D ogm ATisM-i-“W it h in L im it s ” We are not at liberty to follow Christ in all things. That may seem to some to be a startling statement, but it is true. We are not at liberty to adopt the withering, the scathing, the scorching .language that He employed con cerning those theological professors who were, in His day, leading the common people astray; and this for three, conclusive reasons : (1) We cannot speak with His authorityS-Man is very liable to error ; man is not divine, despite weird asser tions to the contrary. (2) We cannot speak with His certainty.—“Jesus knew their thoughts.” “He knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man; for He knew what was in man;” we know only that which man chooses to T HERE are few things that try the patience of God’s servants more, than being misrepresented. It is easier to bear the open opposition of the world, than to be misunderstood and misrepresented by those whom we love, and desire to serve. Yet such has been the case, with many of God’s true servants. Their service has been mis understood, and the basest motives attributed to them, while they were, with singleness of heart, in obedience to their Lord’s command, seeking only the honor of His Name, and the welfare of His people. - It was so with David in that day, that he went in to the valley of Elah, to meet Goliath. He went, in obedience to his father’s command, as the bearer of his message. When he reached the place, and found the- armies of Israel discomfited by the uncircumcised Philistine host, his heart was stirred within him for the honor of his God, and he- began to ask some pointed questions, and to call persons and things by their true names, in the presence of his brethren. His words of truth, aroused the anger of Eliab, his eldest brother, who, we may infer, had no friendly eye toward David, since the day that God made choice of him to be anointed as king, in the midst of all
Leaving Our Characters W ith God J ohn R itch ie
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