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June 1927
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God’s essential righteousness must determine all causes and cases. It is impossible that there can be any bribery or corruption in His court, or that error or failure could be found in His decisions. Things must be put in order if there be a God of justice. VII. T hey C annot E nter H eaven However the wicked may seem in the world to flour ish, let us be assured that they will never find their way into heaven, even though they may have professed reli gion, for the first Psalm informs us, that they will find themselves without standing in the judgment. They will be unable even to stand in- their own defense. Some of them may have good standing in our congregations on earth, for sinners mix with saints as dross mingles with gold, but as John Trapp quaintly said: “The Irish air will sooner brook a toad or a snake than heaven a sinner.” VIII. T hey W ill B e P aid I n T heir O wn C oin God sees the wicked digging a pit in which he hopes his victim will fall, and permits him often to dig it deep, knowing that into this very pit he himself will eventually fall (Psa. 7 :15). He will be paid in his own coin (v. 16): If it does not happen as soon as some of us might desire, it will happen hereafter. “Their sword shall enter into their own heart” (Psa. 37:15). IX . T heir P ortion I s H ell “Upon the wicked he shall.rain snares, fire and brim stone and a horrible tempest : this shall be the portion of their cup” ( Psa. 11:6). They will find themselves com pletely ensnared, with no possibility of -escape. It will “rain snares.” As in hunting with a lasso, the huntsman casts a snare from above upon his prey to entangle its head or feet, so the Lord from above will let fall so many cords that they cannot hope ever to disengage themselves “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 1 : 1 ). T HE couplet of blessings which is contained in the above salutation of the servants of Christ, who had been the means, in God’s hand, of founding the Church at Thessalonica, is like two noble and carved pil lars in a building, which give strength and beauty to it. This greeting comprehended all that the Greek meant by his “grace,” and all that the Hebrew conveyed by his “peace:” and much more, for the grace and peace come from God. All the Epistles of Paul, excepting that to the He brews, have a like salutation: and the pastoral Epistles of Paul to Timothy and Titus have the addition of “mercy” to “grace” and “peace,” which is placed between the two latter. We might say of this trio of blessings that they represent love in action: for Grace is love bestowing its favor upon the undeserving, Mercy is love receiving the penitent, and Peace is love in communion with the believer. We shall look at the two graces which make the coup let of blessings in our passage, separately and conjointly. I. T he C ouplet of B lessings V iewed S eparately I. GRACE. Grace is the Action of Love, as seen in the Person of Christ—He is called “the Arm of Jehovah”
and escape the fires of hell. Dives caroused on earth, yet in hell could not find a drop of water to quench the burning of his throat and tongue. In his life he developed his appetites, and beyond the grave awoke with a fiery thirst, which was only mocked by the words of Abraham: “Remember that thou, in thy lifetime, receivedst thy good things'and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted and thou art tormented” (Lk. 16:25). X. G od W ill M a inta in T he C ause of T he R ighteous • Over against all the seeming glory of the ungodly— over against all the suffering and trials of those who love God, we may. write, “I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and the right of the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name : the upright shall dwell in thy presence” (Psa. 140:12, 13). Here is something that begins with “I know” and ends with surely.” What confidence this should create within the hearts of those who seek to do His will and have heavy crosses to bear! We may know now that “He worketh all things together for good (if not our comfort)-pRom. 8: 28—and in the end we shall magnify the Lord for His delivering grace, and in His presence find “fulness of joy forever more.” So let us “Keep up the song of faith, And let our hearts be strong; For God delights when faith can praise Though dark the night and long.” Again, as F. W. Faber puts it—let us remember that “He always wins who sides with God, To him no chance is lost; God’s will is sweetest to him when It triumphs at his cost. “Ill, that He blesses, is our good, And unblest good is ill; And all is right that seems most wrong, If it be His sweet will.’’r ' (Isaiah 53:1)-—at work for the salvation of men, pro curing for them, in His death and resurrection, life and liberty, so that God’s free favor might be proclaimed to a ll: hence we hear of “the Gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Grace is the Legacy of Love that gives to the believer untold and lasting wealth: hence we .are reminded that the manner and measure of God’s dealings are “according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1 :7). Grace is the Outflow of Love in saving the undeserv ing, which comes to them as the water out of the rock to the murmuring Israelites in the wilderness: hence we read of the “God of grace” and the “grace of God” (Eph. 2 :5; 1 Peter 5:10). Grace is the Strength o f Love which comes and removes the barriers which the sinners’ sin had raised, and which kept God from the sinner, and the sinner from God: hence we are directed to the “Throne of Grace,” where we can find mercy and grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16). Grace is the Service o f Love which is like a mighty flowing river, bearing on its bosom the heavily laden barges of God’s goodness and truth to meet our every need: hence we are pointed to the “abundance of grace” (Rom. 5:17).
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