T H E K I N G ’ S
B U S I N E S S
974
world’s sorrow nor yet of dts joy, pos sesses them . “My peace,” saith Em manuel, “ I give unto you; not as th e world giveth give I unto you.” Fo r th e tru th is, these very doctrines, which are sometimes superficially pu t aside as having nothing practical in them , are th e basis, and th e root, and th e inn er life of all th e v ital Christian practice in th e world. Men adm ire the fair m oralities, th e even-handed in teg rity , th e open-handed charity, th e clean handed purity, which adorn and streng th en society. Give us these, they say, and why should we care for doctrine? And so, going into your garden in autum n, you m ight say, w ith ju s t th e same measure of wisdom: Here are rich and golden fru its hanging on th e boughs; th is is all we desire: why need we care for th e roots far down in th e dark ground, and th e juices in th e ir hidden channels under th e bark, and th e seed th a t was planted long ago? Yet never grew th e stock or th e fru it of one prac tical v irtu e und er th e sun, b u t some where beneath it and before it came, lay a doctrine. Christendom is b u t an orchard of which the creeds of the Church are th e sap, and of which the holy doctrines of Evangelists and Apos tles are th e living principle and power. Does your m ind need the infinite and eternal and absolute Mind to satisfy its aspirations and answer to its call, when it feels upward in adoration after th e “Maker of heaven and e a rth ? ”- T h at is th e practical side of the first article of th e Christian Creed,— faith in God th e F a th e r who h ath created us. Does your h eart, stricken w ith b itter repentance, see and feel in agony th a t it is sinful th rough and through, and th a t th ere is no h ealth in it, and no hope for it, bu t as th a t Maker comes to it as a Saviour, clothed in its own human flesh, weeping its b itter hum an tears, suffering in its stead and for its sake, and m ercifully bearing all its sickness-
th e supply to each other. In th a t mu tu a l fitness and ad ju stm en t we see a b right m ark of mercy and of tru th . We know how; easy it is to deny th e statem ent, and to evade th e inference.’ There will be some to say th a t they are conscious of no such wants, and th a t all th eir inward necessities are m et by o ther systems, where these peculiarities are left out; where th e re is no deep sense of depravity; no atonem ent for it on the Cross; no regeneration by th e Holy Ghost. But th is does no t affect, in the least, our confidence th a t afte r all, when the soul really comes to itself, it does hunger afte r ju st th is Bread from Heav en. The convicted conscience does stretch ou t its feeble and longing hands for ju st th is blessed relief, found no where else h u t here. Not only does the Bible compel us to believe it, and his tory compel us to believe it, bu t exper ience holds us fast to the same conclu sion, and nothing can shake it. When th e sp irit is moved to its deepest places, th is is its cry. When life grows ser ious and earnest, this is its demand. When all the false ligh ts and g littering gayeties of prosperous days and eager blood begin to fade, th is is the deep, strong confession. There is no rea l rest bu t in an all-sufficient Saviour who lifts the gu ilt away, m ighty to save, because Almighty. We cannot trace out, w ith our impotent analysis, all th e reasons and elements of th is profound neces sity. B u t th e fact we know. F rom all human com forters, from all rationalistic in terp retation , from all easy and flat tering substitutes, homesick and repent a n t hum anity comes back, a t th e last, to sit down a t th e foot of th e Cross, by the fountain th a t is opened for its sin and uncleanness. And w hat is best for hum an sorrow , we may be sure is -best also for hum an joy. In Christ Jesus, saith th e Apostle, they th a t rejoice shall be as though they rejoiced not, and they th a t weep as though they w ept not, because a peace, which is n eith er of th e
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