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Moments on the Mount, A SERIES OF

DEVOTIONAL MEDITATIONS, I2MO, CLOTH, $1.25.

Voices of the Spirit, I2MO, cloth, $1.25.

Studies of the Portrait of Christ, 2

VOI^.,

CROWN OCTAVO, CLOTH, EACH

^1-75

'M'

^:i

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT A SERIES OF

DEVOTIONAL MEDITATIONS

Y^ GEORGE MATHESON,

M.A., D.D.

AUTHOR or STUPIES OF THE P01VP>IT O^ '^aniST, THE ^»P''rtl^, KTt,.

9 VOLt..,, ^'OICTSS '

•

^outrtn ©ditioH

NEW YORK A.

C. 3

ARMSTRONG AND SON

& 5 West

i8th Street,

1901

near

sth

Avenue

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDtN FOUNDATIONS R

1917

PREFACE. There

are

two motives

wliicli

us in the production of this

have influenced

little

book.

have sought, on the one hand, to supply aids to devotion either for the use of the family or

of the individual, and on the other, to furnish points

of suggestion to the

a prospective preacher.

student

Perhaps

who

may

thought that these two ains are incongruous,

and

would be too much to hope that in both

we have

succeeded

;

yet devotion

absence of thought, and thought sarily the absence of devotion.

the presence in the

aims

mind

may have had

two

not the

not necesall

events,

so reactionary

the beneficial result of

preserving these meditations either from the fault of too

much

abstractness or from the sin

of too little depth.

G M. Manse, Innellan,

18S4.

CONTENTS. FAOa

QUIET MOMENTS II.

III.

IV.

V. VI.

VII. VIII.

IX. X. XI. XII.

XIII.

XIV.

XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII.

UNSELFISH MOMENTS

•

THE BRIGHT LIGHT IN THE CLOUDS

THE MYSTERY OF GOd's LEADING

THE TROUBLE BROUGHT BY CHRIST god's SYMPATHETIC

KNOWLEDGE

INTERRUPTED COMMUNION

8 lO 12

THE VISION OF THE STAR

WALKING WITH GOD

•

god's DWELLING-PLACE

14 i6

THE WILDERNESS AFTER JORDAN

TEMPTATION

CANA OF GALILEE

HEAVEN WITHOUT A TEMPLE

NO MORE SEA

WHERE TO MEET WITH GOD

THE FIRE OF GOD

•

CHRISTIAN ASPIRATION

CONTENTS. CHAP.

XIX.

Christ's

XX. god's XXI. XXII. XXIII,

sympathy

•

warning

THE GROUND OF IMMORTALITY REVELATION

....

THE INWARDNESS OF REVELATION

XXIV. DESERT EXPERIENCES

XXV. VISION IN OLD AGE XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII.

XXIX.

THE THORN

....

THE GLORY OF SUFFERING THE POWER OF CHRIST's SACRIFICE

THE SECRET OF PEACE

XXX. THE OMNIPRESENT GOD XXXI.

THE SUPERNATURAL IN THE NATURAL

XXXIL THE GLORY OF MORNING XXXIIL THE GLORY OF CHRIST XXXIV. THE SPIRITUAL

XXXV. THE LIVING

YEAR

WAY

XXXVI. THE PROGRESS OF THE DIVINE LIFE XXXVII. LOVE CONSTRAINING XXXVIII.

HUMAN INSTRUMENTALITY

XXXIX. THE CHOICE OF XL.

MANHOOD

AN UNSELFISH SEEKING FOR REWARD

XLL THE VOICE IN THE TABERNACLE XLII. XLIII.

TARRYING UNDER THE CLOUD

THE VALUE OF PAIN

XLIV. SPIRITUAL RESURRECTION

CONTENTS.

Ix PAG a

CHAP,

AND RELIGIOUS THOUGHT io6

XLV. RELIGIOUS FEELING

THE BLESSEDNESS OF DIVINE VISION

XLVI.

XLVn. THE IMMEDIATE VISION OP GOD XLVIIL THE KEY TO GOD's SILENCE XLIX. PEACE BETTER L.

THAN JOY

OBEDIENCE BETTER THAN SACRIFICE

LL THE CURE FOR PAIN LIL god's promise OP PROSPERITY LIIL sin's first LIV.

LV. LVI.

MANIFESTATION

HOW TO KNOW

GOD's LOVE

THE BOLDNESS OP CHRISTIAN HOPE SPIRITUAL WEANING

LVIL THE UNIVERSAL

HARMONY

LVUL CHRISTIANITY NOT ASCETICISM LIX.

CHRISTIAN CHARITY

LX. Christ's sense LXI. LXII.

LXV.

MOMENTS OP ANTICIPATION

LXIIL WAYSIDE SEEDS LXIV.

op mystery

THE KNOCKING OP THE SPIRIT

HUMAN UNREST

THE FIGHT OF FAITH

LXVL THE RECOGNITION OP CHRIST

LXVIL THE STAGES OP SPIRITUAL REST LXVIII.

LXIX.

THE ROAD TO GREATNESS

THE DARK THINGS OP LIFE

LXX. THE ARM OF THE LORD

•

CONTENTS, CHAP.

LXXI. SPIRITUAL ADMIRATION LXXII. LXXIII.

THE SONG OF SACRIFICE

LXXIV. CHRISTIAN

171

THE PROVIDENCE OF SORROW

176

FREEDOM

179

LXXV. THE PRESERVATION OF PERSONALITY IN

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE LXXVL ADAPTATION

182

•

184

LXXVII.

THE BUILDING OF THE SOUL

187

LXXVIII.

THE HELP OF GOD

•

190

•

LXXIX. DIVINE EDUCATION

LXXX. THE SECRET OF THE LORD

LXXXL IN THE HANDS OF GOD

•

198

•

201

LXXXII. THE REVEALING PAST

LXXXIIL THE ANSWER TO CHRIST'S PRAYER LXXXIV. FAITH

AND KNOWLEDGE

LXXXV. A PROVIDENTIAL ABSENCE OF GOD LXXXVI. SELF-COMMUNION

204 207

210

213

GROWTH

216

LXXXVIII. THE PROMISE OF HEAVEN

•

219

•

221

LXXXVII. SPIRITUAL

LXXXIX. THE GLORY OF DIVINE LOVE XC. XCI. XCII. XCIII.

XCIV.

XOV.

STUBBORN SINS

223

THE STRUGGLE SUCCEEDING LIGHT

226

WHAT THE ANGELS STUDY

229

THE REASON FOR BURDEN-BEARING

232

THE CAUSE OF UNCHARITABLENES3

235

THE MEMORY OF THE HEART

238

•

CONTENTS, CHAP.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

QUIET MOMENTS. **

And

Lord God walking

they heard the voice of the

day^

the garden in the cool of the

Thy

footsteps,

God.

Thy

ever walking in the garden.

abroad everywhere and always

everywhere nor always that passing by.

glitter of

life

dazzles

still I

know

catch

that

;

art

but

not

of the

struggles of

life it

day life

perturb me, the is

all

thunder

But when myself fire. Thy still small voice, and then Thou art God. Thy peace can

and earthquake and

can

can hear Thee

The

me, the ambitions of

Thou

presence

The burden and heat

are too stroDg for me. excite

;

iii.

only in the cool of the day that

hear

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Gen.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

ouly speak to

only be audible to

Thy

peacefulness,

calm

tread cannot be heard

Thy

rest

can

the harmouy of by the discord of ;

Therefore, betimes I would be alone

soul.

with Thee, away from the heat and the battle. I

would

may

feel

the cool breath of

Thy

Spirit, that

be refreshed once more for the

strife.

would be fanned by the breezes of heaven, that I

may resume

way.

Not

but that them.

the dusty road and the dolorous

to avoid

them do

come

to Thee,

may be able more perfectly to bear me hear Thy voice in the garden

Let

ia the cool of the day.

II.

UNSELFISH MOMENTS. ^^

And the Lord turned the for

captivity

his friejids'^

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Job

ofJob ivhen he prayed xlii.

lo.

moments of unselfishness that 1 am free. The iron chain that binds me ia the thought of myself and of my own It

only in

calamities

;

if I

could but be liberated from

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

my captivity would

that,

be turned in an hour.

If, under the shadow of the cloud, I could but remember that the shadow of the same cloud

hovers over

brother-man, the vision of his

shadow would destroy mine.

him

of prayer for

me.

found

would seek it

;

my it,

In the

burden would

and

would be as

if it

from

fall

would not be

moment

had not been.

TJiou Divine Spirit of self-forgetfulness. Spirit of Christ, Spirit of the Cross,

alone that I can find this freedom.

Thee

Liberate

from myself, and instead of the iron chain,

give

a chain of gold.

that lowers me,

made

;

it is

my own life.

the material of which

it is

Help

rest in bearing

to take

up the burdens

know what it is to have an additional yoke, Thy yoke, Help

to feel

what

new care. Thy love. Help me to

to have peace in carrying a

care, the care of universal

learn

the yoke of humanity. it is

it is

the centring of the sorrow round

Help me

of others.

not the chain

not the sorrow that makes

it is

captive,

It is

what

for others

the light,

it is

to be transfigured in the prayer

have the countenance shining as and the raiment white and glisterino;

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

My fetters

sball be

wings of sympathy wliereby

I shall

pass into the heart of the world, and

when

have reached the heart of the world the

fetters shall fall

;

captivity shall be turned

back when I have prayed for

captive

friends.

IIL

THE BRIGHT LIGHT IN THE CLOUDS. "

And now men

see not the bright light 7bhich is in tJie

cloudsV

—Job

xxxvii. 21.

soul, the greatest truth

about thee

which thou hast not learned

—the

that

secret

own joy, the source of the light that is in Thou art seeking thy light in the disthee. persion of the cloud, and all the time Thy light Thou art like the old patriis in the cloud. Thou art asking God for an arch of Uz. thine

explanation

expecting an answer from

—

the darkness

nowhere is

and thou

of thy darkness,

else,

itself.

all

Yet

that the secret

thy fire-chariot

;

thy

art

quarters but one it

lies.

trial is

there,

Thy

and

cloud

thy triumph.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT, The

best gift of divine love to thee has been

thy pain

has taught thee what

;

the

between being virtuous and being

difference

my Thou hast been self-deceived, Thou hast been down in the valley of soul. the shadow, and thou hast been looking up to the calm heavens to find thy God. The calm heavens have not answered thee, and thou hast innocent.

said,

Verily

Yet

self."

Thou

all

the

God that hidest Thytime thy God has been beart a

side thee in the valley, a sharer in the

of thy find

Thou

life.

Him

He was

;

shadow

hast been looking too far to

thou has cried to the heavens when

He was

at the very door.

the voices that seemed to

speaking in

deny His presence

He was

manifested in the shades that appeared

to veil

His form.

night, that His glory

came that for

to thee

He came

to thee in the

might be concealed.

He might know whether He Himself alone.

were loved

The night under which

thou hast murmured has been hiding in folds a

wondrous treasure

the King

unaccompanied and unadorned,

of kings

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

its

very presence

w^herefore didst tliou

not see the bright light in the cloud

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

IV.

THE MYSTERY OF GOD'S LEADING, "

God

led them not through the 7vay of the

Philistines^ although that

was near

the people about through the

ExoD.

Why

xiii.

is it

that I

am ?

wherefore

which

ness I

and

There are

almost seemed to have reached

There are flashes of thought

appear to have escaped the wilder-

have entered already into Thy

caught up to meet Thee in the

the world fades

I forced

promised land through the longest

Thee at a bound. in

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

not suffered to come to

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the road of the wilderness? when

God led

wilderness."

road

times

but

the

17-18.

Thee by the near way to seek the

way of the

land of

away

air,

in the far distance,

alone with Thyself.

rest.

and

But the rapture and The world re-

the solitude are short-lived.

turns again with double power, and a cloud

over the transfiguration glory and at the very moment wheu I am saying, " Methinks it

falls

;

good to be here," a voice whispers

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. ear,

back, and take the jouroey through

the wilderness."

thou must not

soul,

message

;

murmur

at that

a message of love to thee, and

a messaore of love to the wilderness.

Thou

hast need of the wilderness, and the wilderness has need of thee.

There are thorns in

the desert which must

be gathered ere she

can rejoice and blossom as the

rose,

and the

gathering of her thorns shall be the gathering

Thou canst not do without To be caught up to meet thy Lord

of flowers to thee.

the thorn. in the air

would be too much exaltation

w^ould

thee above the sympathies of the

lift

toiling crowd.

him

Thou

wilt

travelling

by the long road

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

air.

road of Gethsemane and Culvary. self to the

Him

Better to meet thy Lord in

the wilderness than in the find

;

Join thy-

journey of the Son of man.

to carry His burden of

the wastes of time.

human

Help

care over

Enter into fellowship

with that cross of His which was the pain of seeing pain, and verily love shall

long road short of the roe

;

thy

feet shall

the crooked shall be

make

the

be as the feet

made

straight,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

and the rough places

shall

be made plain

;

for

the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and

the glory of the Lord

is love.

THE TROUBLE BROUGHT BY CHRIST. '*

When Herod

the king

had heard

troubled.'''

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Matt.

these things, he ii.

was

There were four kingdoms congregated at the Christian dawn the kingdom of nature, the kingdom of knowledge, the kingdom of worldliness, and the kingdom of unworldliness. The kingdom of nature came in a star, the king-

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

dom

of knowledo^e in the Ma^i, the kino^dom

of worldliness in Herod, and the

unworldliness in the child-Christ.

kingdom

Only one

of the kingdoms was troubled by the child.

Nature did not fear Him, knowledge did not

Him

shun

;

Herod alone trembled

His

incoming.

soul, art

Christ into thy will

thou afraid of the coming of life

narrow thee

Dost thou Nay, but

fear that

will

narrow

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

He will not destroy He is the crown of

tbat which narrows thee.

thy love of nature, for

nature.

knowledge, for but

will expel

imprisons

that

not

will

thee. to

His

prove

thy right to

the end of knowledge

;

make

deny the

will

thee happy, and

denial

even

thy

Wouldst thou rather be without that

pain.

pain

dispute

from thy heart the Herod

power of Herod will

Hast thou forgotten the pool of Beth-

esda? waters,

down

angel came

to trouble the

and then the waters were powerful.

Thou, too, shalt be powerful after thou hast

been troubled.

Thinkest thou that the

ness of primeval chaos was a calm

was no calm

when

till

the

Spirit

the face of the waters

breath of the

life

Divine

still-

There

moved.

Only

ruffled

by the

the mandate truly

heard, " Let there be light."

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

VI.

GOD'S SYMPATHETIC KNOWLEDGE. **

The Lord knoweth the way of the Ps.

Does He not know

all

righteous.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

things

Why

thus the range of His omniscience

limit

Is there

anything that can be hid from the search

His piercing gaze

wicked that

known

also

way

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;known

so well

not the

Him

of the

has travelled over the far country to

seek and to save that which was

but there

a sense in which

lost.

Yes

only knows

His eyes behold, His eyelids try

the good.

that belongs to the eye

;

but there

all

know-

ledge which belongs not to the eye but to the heart,

the

pathy.

knowledge which men

Hundreds know me

knows me

as a

call

sym-

man, but

as a father.

Even

so the heavenly Father has a special

know-

only

child

ledge of His child.

nearness

;

His knowledge

his

the attraction of a kindred

sympathy, the gravitation of

love.

looka

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. into the glass of our

humanity and He beholds His own

there, in miniature, the brightness of

image of His own person,

glorj, the express

the Christ that

thou

flection

sees

His

sits as

sees in thee the re-

own image, and when He He knows that the

complete.

behold a Christ

Wilt thou

let

Him

life,

a will in shalt

thee

Wilt thou

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Himself

feel that there is

sympathy with His Then thou

in thee

harmony with His

have the joy of

all

Father

for the spirit of the Father

joys

will

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Com-

dear to the spirit of the heavenly

love seeketh not her own.

aught but the vision of

know even

heart, a life in unison with

munion

Bpeak, and

let

a heart in

joy of making glad the heart of God.

;

Him

Wilt thou grant

the joy of that knowledge

His

of thy

likeness.

till

this joy

fulfil

His image reflected

refining

Him

it,

waits to behold in thee

own

the impress of His refiner of silver

sees

an exceeding great joy.

soul, wilt

Father's heart

and when He

to be,

rejoices with

It its

it is

known.

and

cannot rest in object

must be answered again

love,

;

must must

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

VII.

INTERRUPTED COMMUNION. **Ga, get thee

down

;

for thy people, which thou

brotightesl

out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves^

ExoD.

xxxii. 7.

" Go, get thee

down

;

an unlikely mandate. to

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

was surely a hard,

" it

Was

not a

command

go forth from the secret of God's pavilion,

from the Mount of Divine vision and Divine

communion

into the vision of things that were

not Divine, into communion with things that

were not holy

at times to feel

You and

have been forced

what Moses

had moments of rapture,

felt.

have

which we have

been allowed to stand on the very top of the

mountain and to

God unveiled

see,

were, the face of

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;moments when His countenance

was radiant as the

light

and His raiment

dazzling as the sunlit snow.

But presently a

cloud has fallen over the vision

has vanished from the scene.

and the glory

The rapture

turned into coldness, and the mountain sinks

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. into a

common

plain, filled

with the concourse

of the multitude, and echoing with the cries of

human ear

struggle

and

Yes,

said, "

a voice has sounded in mine

;

Go, get thee down."

my soul,

and

ear the reason of

lias it

its

not brought to thine

sounding

Why

has

commanded thee to quit the glorious mountain common plain ? It is because it is a common plain. It is because on that plain there is a concourse of living beings who are for the

They have

unfit for the glorious mountain.

no vision from a height, and therefore they are oppressed by

labour and

life's

its

ladenness.

They want some one to heal them, some one to lift them, some one to inspire them with the breath

of a

presence

Thou mayest be

that

has

that presence.

dwelt

aloft.

If thou hast

gazed on the face of God, thou hast a mesmeric passport into the heart of

man.

shall lift

whence cometh to go down,

thi7ie

his eyes

aid;

soul.

tliy

brother

unto the

make no

hills,

tarryiog

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

VIII.

THE VISION OF THE

STAR.

" W/ien they had heard the king^ they departed ; and, the star, which they

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Matt.

ii.

Where had

sky

the star been while they tarried

Herod

Had

had led them

king

Nay,

/<?,

went before them.^

in the east,

in the city of in the

saw

lost sight of it

;

ceased to shine

been extinguished when

the palace of the great

was

Had

still

there,

but they had

was hidden by the

streets

The wise men

and buildings of the world.

had entered into an uncongenial atmosphere, into

scene where wisdom

did

not reign.

They had ceased to see the glory of the vision that had led them forth rejoicing it had been dimmed by the mist of worldliness. But now ;

they had appeared.

left

the world,

had been

and the

along in the pure heavens, and eyes

had

beheld

its

lost

the

calm

li^-ht

star again

waiting for

them

when

all

their

impurity of earth they once more.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. So criest

is it

ofttimes with thee,

soul.

Thou

out that the glory of other days has

departed, and that the star of Bethlehem has set,

when

all

the time

departed from the glory. left the sky,

Thy

but thou hast

and pageants of what men

and thou canst not But

thou that hast

The

star has never

lost sight of the sky.

become bounded by the forms

vision has

days.

call

the great world,

recall the

glow of other

thou shalt depart from the con-

tact of worldliness thy star shall reappear.

thou shalt leave the form and the pageants thou shalt see the calm light that made thy earth a heaven.

The glory of thy East

be given back to thee

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the glory

shall

of the days

when thou wert young, and when the heart of thy youth bounded as the roe. Thy star waits for thee, waits to lead thee to the manger of the child-Cbrist and when thou shalt ;

reach the humility of Bethlehem thou shalt be thyself a child again in wisdom.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a

child in heart, a

man

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

IX.

WALKING WITH " And

all the days of

five years

was

fiot ;

Enoch were

GOD.

three

hundred

and

sixty

and Enoch walked with God : and he

for God took

him,^^

— Gen.

23, 24.

Gkeat men,

hath been said, have short

biographies.

is it

with Enoch.

the

head and

greatest figure of that old world,

shoulders above

all

the antediluvians, yet his

was the shortest

life

The number of

all.

his

outward years does not attain to the number of the years of his fathers of

him than It is

tell?

His

of them.

because he

there

;

Why

greater than they.

The part

intensely was just the part

— the

spirit,

life

of God —

make an

love.

that lived most

whicli

men do

not

His

life

the heart, the soul.

was hid with God, because the

to tell

there less to

was more inward, and therefore

life

was more hidden.

see

is less

in its essence

was

was too inward a

impression on the world

walk was divine, and therefore

;

its

was deemed

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

Yet

a lowly walk, a thing to be forgotten.

nothing

else

has been remembered in

world.

Its

wars and

rumours of wars,

marryings and givings in marriage,

and

bered with the dead

soul,

;

but Euoch, by his walk

thy walk with

What

God

alone.

thy evidence

that separates

thee from the beast of the field of duty.

buyings

alive for evermore.

of immortality.

and

its

and banquetings have been num-

sellings

with God,

that

all

It is the

path

There thou walkest with God

aloft

Thou

shared by the

hast already a portion un-

Thou

of the lower creation.

life

hast transcended the seen and temporal

;

thou

hast entered the unseen and eternal, thou hast

passed from death

unto

life.

No human

theory can rob thee of thy hope. hope, it is

it is

not a

a sight, a

faith, it is

fact,

It is

not a

not even a proof

an experience, a

life

begun.

Thy hope of glory Thou art immortal

before death.

canst look smiling

from the other bank of

Christ already in thee.

Thou hast reached even now the promised land, and Jordan.

When

see thee

shall

death shall come to seek thee, already escaped

from tho

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

fowler's snare,

and

shall write this verdict of

own discomfiture, God took him/'

his

He was

not found

;

for

GOD'S DWELLING-PLACE, ^^

Him

dwelleth all the fulness of the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; CoL. '^

Where

child

Him

Thy

kings.

earnest man.

dwelling-place,

in the air,

King

some in

because the water and the air and the

the

fire,

fire

are to us boundless things.

boundless

the ;

thou

are all

Some have sought

Thee in the water, some

found

have not yet found a palace large

enough to contain Thee.

bodily?*

does

" cries the

seeking

Godhead

God live ? " asks the little Oh that I knew where I might find

; !

ii.

in the

Tlie

contrite.

that

Thou

;

it is

desirest

not

to be

limited, the broken, the

heaven of heavens cannot con-

tain Thee, but the broken

heart can

Yet

it is

there

Thou

and the

contrite

delightest most to

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. Thy

dwell.

brightest

glory

not in the

stars,

but in the struggles of a conquering

soul.

Thy temple

men have

the heart of

Man

called the

Thy

of sorrows.

Thy wealth

fulness dwells in His emptiness, in

Him whom

His poverty, Thy strength in His weakness,

Thy joy

His sorrow, Thy crown

His

Within that temple meet harmoniously

cross.

the things which to the world are discords

and

perfection

love and storm

down

my all

the lion and the lamb

;

together.

There would

Within these sacred

God.

and warfare,

suffering, peace

seek Thee,

precincts,

where

things are gathered into one, where middle

walls

are

of partition

broken down, where

jarriug chords are blended in one praise,

there

would

Under the shadow meets

would

with Thee. d[iy,

symphony

seek and find Thee.

touched by heaven,

lose its finitude

night would vanish in

sorrow would melt in

which hides

lost in

Thy

holiness.

me from Thee

and be one joy,

meanness would merge in Thy majesty,

would be

of that cross, where death

and earth

life

finite soul

sill

lie

The

Thy

my my veil

the shadow of

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

my own

will

when

;

the veil of the temple

twain

shall be rent in

shall

see the place

where Thy glory dwelleth.

THE WILDERNESS AFTER JORDAN. " T/ien

was Jesus

Then was

led

up of the Spirit

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Matt.

Jesus

iv.

into the wilderness^

Surely

led up.

was a

Was

strange time for such a catastrophe.

not just after the glorious vision on the banks of Jordan, to

His

when the heavens had been opeued and the dove-like

sight,

had

Spirit

descended on His soul, and the Father's voice

had sounded in His Son, in

whom

ear, "

This

well pleased."

beloved

After such

a vision, after such a voice, one would have

thought that there was no room in His a wilderness any more at

;

yet

life

for

was then, and

no other time, that the wilderness ap-

peared.

repeat

I tliis

too have betimes been forced to

experience of

Lord.

have

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. Bat

down

at the table of

has seemed to opened.

communion, and

heaven were for ever

All clouds have vanished from

path, and the silence has been broken by the

benediction of a Father's voice, and the dovelike Spirit has

whispered in

ear the pro-

mise of a peace that passe th knowledge.

But

then anon the shadows have gathered anew.

The table of communion has been withdrawn, and the Divine voice has seemed to be silent, and that which was once the garden of the Lord has been transformed into the solitudes of the wilderness.

have asked myself in

surprise wherefore

soul has been thus dis-

quieted.

faded

Why has the glory of my Why has the glad promise

been broken

went

morning of peace

out, like the Psalmist,

with a multitude that kept holyday, and

have returned alone.

from helping me,

Why

my God

art

Thou

so far

My soul, thou art disquieted without a cause. Thy God is not far from helping thee God has never left thee for a moment

thy

;

has passed with thee from the Jordan into the wilderness.

It is

the Spirit that leads thee

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

He would not have He left thee

into the wilderness.

fulfilled

His promise of peace had

The

on the banks of Jordan. heavens was only

opened

storm, but the promise

vision of

from

the

to thee

was

peace

He made

That pro-

a promise of peace in the storm.

mise

What

t!ie

can only keep in the wilderness.

proof wouldst thou have of His love

Wouldst thou have purple and sumptuous faring every day ?

fine linen,

But

causes.

peace

and

That would

not be a peace which passeth knowledge

would

explainable

;

by earthly

the clouds should gather,

the stars should go out,

the night winds

should blow and beat upon the house of thy life,

and

strong and

through

all

that

peace not given by the world

pendent of the If the

life

should be

steadfast, then verily thou hast a

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a

peace inde-

earth, defiant of the wilderness.

dove that lighteth from the opened

heavens can abide when the heavens have

been closed, thy bright experience at Jordan Bhall

be proved to be no dream.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

XII.

TEMPTATION, **

And

the danl, taking JJim

showed unto

Him

moment of time"

The tempter had

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Luke

iv.

tried the

the power of depression

by the power of

;

Son of Man through he

exaltation.

Him by

to vanquish

into aft high mountain^

kingdoms of the 7vorld in a

ail the

now

tries

He had

Him

sought

the scourge of poverty

;

Him by the vision of plenty. He had brought Him down into the valley and had tempted Him by the dangers of humiliation he now carries Him up to the mountain and tempts Him by the he now seeks

overcome

;

dangers of elevation. has unwittingly been lesson.

And

teaching

the tempter

heart a

thought in the days of old that

temptation belonged to certain circumstances I

blamed

myself that I

cross for

if I

sins.

I said within

could only get a changed cross

would immediately get a changed

if I

;

life,

that

could be freed from the burden and heat

of the dav I

would be freed from the

sin that

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

SO easily besots me.

but that

Why

Man

was the Son of

circumstances superior to

know

Had

that

circumstances,

circumstances.

superior to

was ouly because

sin.

all

not

sin

gave

I did

from my my sin to my

did not get

all

wag

there been sin in

His heart the valley would have had the same

The

chance as the mountain. will incarnate

itself in

everything, and will

find in everything a temptation.

tempted by poverty and

by wealth

will

;

heart

sinful

will

It will he

be tempted

be in danger from the

stones of the desert, and

will be in

danger

from the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

But the

sinless heart will be free

temptation everywhere.

seduced by the exigencies humiliation

will

neither

of the valley of

;

will not turn

stones into bread to avoid the famine,

bow

nor by the allurements of the

mountain of elevation not

from

the

knee to

Baal

the will

purchase a

crown.

Thou Divine

Spirit, that hast

proved Thy

strength alike over the valley and over the

mountain,

let

find

strength in Thee.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. I

need Thee, that

may

be stroDg everywhere.

I loDg to be independent of

alike of the cloud

all

circumstances,

and of the sunshine.

want

me from being depressed in the vale and to prevent me from being giddy on the height to save me from sinking in despondency and to rescue me from soaring in a power to keep

;

pride.

of cloud

;

want both a

pillar of fire

and a

pillar

a refuge from the night of adversity

and a shield from the day of prosperity.

Thou hast proved

can find them in Thee.

Thy power both over the night and over the day Thou hast vanquished the tempter in the valley and Thou hast conquered the tempter on the hill. Come into my heart, and Thy ;

power

shall be

power.

mine and the fulness

The earth

thereof.

victorious over all circumstances, at all scenes, restful in all fortunes.

power do

Thy

upon

to tread

me no

hurt

;

Spirit is in

scorpions,

shall

home

I shall

and they

the world shall be mine

me.

have shall

when

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

XTII.

CANA OF GALILEE. " This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Ccijia of Galilee^ and manifested forth His glory and His disciples ^

Hijn."

believed on

Strange

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;^John

place for the

Man

the Son of

ii.

manifestation of

first

He had conquered

the temp-

ter in the solitudes of the wilderness, the place

where one should have

least

expected that the

tempter would be found, and now He comes seek

him

in that world

in that wilderness which ?

Why

that scene

He had made

for the world.

may

we may

rest,

work.

tudes, not that

that

beauti-

He not rest in the solitudes of which He had made a scene of unIt

was because the to

make us

We do not conquer

in order

design of conquering temptation

that

did

ruffled contemplation ?

fit

supposed

Why did He not remain

be his natural sphere.

ful

which

we conquer are brought

in order that

we may avoid

we may prepare

into the soli-

the world, but

for the world.

are

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. made

to feel our loneliness only that

that

we may manifest our

we may

We get

trained for not being alone.

our glory

Our glory

glory.

the choice of Christ over the

kingdoms of the

we can only make it in the secret places of the soul but when we have made it, the kingdoms of the world become our sphere. The Son of Man refused to turn the stones

world, and

;

Him a right He was fit for

into bread, but that refusal gave to turn the

water into wine.

the world because

He had shown Himself

be unworldly.

My is

soul, often hast

thou asked thyself

right for thee to frequent the

men

;

if it

common haunts

would not be better

for thee to

away from the scenes and pursuits of the madding crowd. Nay, but, my soul, who art

get

thou that askest

Everything depends on the

answer to that question.

What

lias

been thy

Has it been frivolous or has it been earnest? Has thy life been hitherto things Then knit to the that are perishable ? past experience

thou art not

fit

to live

amongst these things

they are too strong for thee, they will drag thee

down

to their

own

level.

But hast thuu passed

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

Hast

tbrough the solitudes of the wikleruess ? thou in the strength of the Son of choice

of the

already

narrow way

gate

strait

Hast thou

Man made and the

in the silence of the

heart preferred the path of duty to the pleasure,

and the

of passion

open

all

rule of principle to the reign

Then thou hast received a key

the doors of

things

way

life

thou hast liberty to

;

Christ has strengthened thee.

The world has become thine by reason of thine Thou hast received more free-

uuworldliness.

dom

of spiritual diet than

allowed to the

Thou canst bear more things Thou

worldly mind.

without hurt than the worldling can.

canst frequent more scenes without detriment

Cana of

than the worldling dare. shall be

open to thy

Galilee

All the relation-

steps.

ships of life shall be endeared to thee.

All the

pleasures of life shall be sweetened to thee.

the pursuits of

life

All the burdens of

The Light that

in thee

as well

the Gentiles

people Israel

shall be

life shall

;

God has power

for

All

hallowed to thee.

be ennobled to thee.

a light to lighten

as the glory

of God's

he that has prevailed with

also over

man.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

XIV.

HEAVEN WITHOUT ^And I saw

A TEMPLE,

no temple therein: for the Lord

Almighty and the La?nb are the

tefnple

of itJ*

God

—Rev.

Xxi. 22.

temple therein

or a threat

;

are these words a promise

Heaven without a temple seems

Heaven without

a strange boon.

pain,

heaven

without death, heaven without sorrow or sighiDg,

—

all

this I can understand;

without a temple

sun

Nay,

a cloud.

—

but heaven

not nature without a

verily, rather is it nature

What

without

the seer means to describe

not a heaven where there shall be no religion, but a heaven where there shall be nothiug hut religion,

where religion

shall be all in

Jewish temple circumscribed the man's worship.

It said.

Thou

all.

range

The of

shalt worship

here but not there, to-day but not to-morrow, in the sacred but not in the secular, in the

burut-offeriug but not in the hourly oflPering

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

But the vision of heaven without

of the will.

a temple spoke volumes.

It said, All places

are holy, all days are holy, all duties are holy.

Every spot whereon thou tread est sacred.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

not, I

God

time to

must give one portion

thy God claims

;

all

thy time

thy heart and soul and strength and mind.

Say I

Say

henceforth

not, I

may

must cease betimes from work that

worship

thy work must

;

itself

be a

Hast thou pondored

worship, a rest in God.

the meaning of these words, " The Lord thy

God is

a jealous

God's love for thee

too divine to be satisfied with the fragments

of thy heart

He in

God

;

He must

will not accept

have

all

from thee the mere pauses

thy pursuit of pleasure, the mere breathing-

spaces in thy race of ambition

thee to iSnd

Him

everywhere.

thee call one house His edifice

other houses be profaned. universal temple.

heaven, length is is

or nothing.

its is

depth

;

He will have He will not let if

Its height is the is

thereby

His temple

summit

the base of sacrifice,

the measure of eternity,

its

the vastness of every finite need, the glory of the

Lamb.

all

an of its

breadth its

glory

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT, whose love

Thou,

not confined to

made with hands, enlarge my heart to worship Thee. Help me to see Thee where men see only the world, to hear Thee where temples

men

En-

hear only the voices of the crowd.

large the range of realise the

Teach

awful solemnity of the things which

common.

I call

my reverence. Impress

with the truth

that the meanest household duty

a service

of Thee, that the smallest act of kindness

praise of Thee, that the tiniest cup of water,

though is

were given only in a disciple's name,

a worship

feel

the sense of

even

Thy

in the prosaic

commonplace lift

presence everywhere, that

haunts of

battles of life I

up mine eyes aud

say,

men and in the may be able to

This

than the house of God, this heaven/'

Help me

and a love of Thee.

none other the gate of

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

XV.

NO MORE **

Human is

T/iere

life

was no more

SEA.

sea.^*

— Rev.

below has more sea thau land.

not a connected continent

of souls;

gulf fixed between

— the

—a

a multitude of

life

brotherhood little

There

divided by stormy waves.

brother

xxi. i.

and the

gulf of self-interest;

islands

a great of

life

cannot

pass over to him, and he cannot pass over to

me.

And

the secret of our separation

secret also of our unrest.

storms because

We live in perpetual

live in perpetual selfishness

the wave of our thoughts rolls back upon selves.

But

in that higher life

Patmos saw the

the

;

our-

which the seer

gulfs were all dried up,

and

the separation of land from laud appeared no

Human nature became to his gaze a Men lost their isolation and ran continent. more.

together into unity.

They saw eye

they felt heart to heart, they

eye,

wrought hand

hand, and the glory of the Lord was levenKxl

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. because

all flesli

man took

could see

t^t^

Eacli

together.

vo^ tlie trouble of his

brother-man,

and in taking the trouble of his brother

man

lost his

There came a great

own.

ea.ch

stillness

Its stillness came and its burden fell humanity rose there

over the individual heart.

because

burden

its

fell,

because the burdens of

;

was perfect

self-forgetfulness, therefore there

was no more

sea.

thou Son of Man, who, by

lifting the

burdens of our humanity, hast made Thine own

yoke easy and Thine own burden light, lift mine into sympathy, into union

this life of

with Thee.

am weary

of myself,

weary of

the din and the battle, weary of the burden

and the

heat.

seeking everywhere for a

hiding-place from the storm, everywhere for

a covert from the tempest.

not without me, but within not in

Man, save into

Thy

spire

the tempest

;

circumstances but in me.

me from

myself, that I

Son of

may

peace. Thine unspeakable joy.

with Thine

the care of self

Thy

But the storm

may

own burden

fall

divine freedom I

enter In-

of love, that

from me, and that with

may

free.

Help me

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

up Thy

to take

cross, that I

myself

may

Give me Thy spirit of sacrifice, that may be elevated above my own fears. Unite me to the great continent, the brotherhood of human souls, that the storms of my island life may be lulled to rest then shall I be able in

lifted up. I

;

heart to say, " There

no more

sea."

XVI.

WHERE TO MEET WITH "

And

there

ExoD. "

There

door.

them

will meet with the children of Israel^

and

glory."

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

meet with the children of

will

Where Not The

At the door

the

service

and

They were not spirit

but at the

of the sanctuary was to

the spirit of worship was

with a worldly

of the taber-

tabernacle,

to be sanctified

entrance.

xxix. 43.

Israel."

nacle.

tabernacle shall be sanctified

the

GOD.

glorified,

because

meet them

at the

to be forced to enter

on the chance of finding

light in the progress of the day.

They werÂŤ

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. find

on the threshold that was to

lio-lit

keep them

all the

day

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

morning

light for the

sacrifice, light for the evening incense, light for

So has

the intermediate hours.

me.

been with

out through the problems of

I set

on a search for God, and I did not find I

found only problems that made

Then

God.

Thou art

Why

Thou

spake,

voice

didst thou not

;

Verily **

that hidest Thyself; "

so far from helping

1 yet

while

God

art a

Thou

me doubt

said in words of old,

life

God

Why And

made answer

me at the door ? me through the why didst thou not

meet

hast been in search of

labyrinths of the world

come

labyrinths

me by

first

;

to lead thee through the

Thou hast been seeking

the light of the world

;

why

not rather seek to see the world by I

would have made

thou hadst met

wouldst

not

mystery of sorrow. before starting

that

ground, but a school. to thee in

didst thou

at the

door.

been surprised

have I

see

light

things clear to thee

all

Thou by the

would have shown thee life

advance the

not a pleasure-

would have strait gate

sanctified

and the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

narrow way. with a

would have gone before thee

pillar of fire to light

presence, so that in the valley of every

thou wouldst have in this place.*

God,

me start

Let

said,

shadow

Surely the Lord was

not too late to begin anew.

again on the path of existence, no

longer in search of Thee, but with Thee.

meet Thee at the door of

mayst be

When

each cloud by

life,

that

Let

Thou

interpreter through all the way.

me and I call them accidents, interpret Thou to me show me that the cross is the road to the crown. When weakness overtakes me and I call it failure, show me that Thy interpret Thou to me When strength is made perfecfc in weakness. crosses lie before

;

darkness hovers round me, and hiding of

the

interpret thou to

show me that with Thee the night

;

even are

Thy countenance,

I call it

as the noon.

Teach

good and perfect

gifts

that

all

from Thee

things

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even

the terror by night and the arrow that flieth

day.

Teach

that

no variableness nor the ing.

Let

Thy

least

believe in

love can have

shadow of turn-

Thy

love before

all

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

may

events, that I love.

The

sanctified

interpret

events hy tby

all

sacrifices of life's tabernacle shall be

when

met Thee

I have

at the door.

xvn.

THE FIRE OF GOD, ^^And

tJu glory of the

And

Lord appeared unto aH the people.

came a fire out from

there

the altar the burnt offering,^^

consumed upon

and

before the Lord^

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Lev.

ix.

23, 24.

There ject

are

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

There

fire

fire is

fires to

which the soul

of sin, and

fire

and there the

two

which men

fire

sub-

of God.

call the fire of hell,

which they ought to

fire

of heaven

the

call

the one consumes the soul,

;

the other consumes everything that impedes the soul.

The

fire

absent, but the

He Himself

God is God only comes when

of sin comes because

fire

So was

near.

with this con-

gregation at the door of the tabernacle.

beheld a consuming not because

fire,

God was

far

They

but they beheld

away, but because

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

He was

verily at the door.

Burning

fire

to them,

was only wlien

God had appeared

the glory of

that the con-

There was no

appeared.

no sense of pain

sacrifice

them, no

life-

surrender to them, until theiu eyes had rested

on the vision of the Divine

glory.

But when

the vision of God's glory came the consum-

ing

came too

fire

the sacrifice and the pain

;

" There

followed the sight of God.

came a

fire

out from Lefore the Lord."

ponder deeply the meaning of

soul,

these words, for they have a deep message for

Often hast thou been

thee.

through the

fire,

hard thing.

and

It has

seemed

God had overlooked thy

to pass

called

has seemed to thee a

to thee as if

cause, nay, even as

thou wert under His special judgment. thou forget that there

only the alloy, and burns gold

Didst thou

a it

fire

God

Diilst

for the sake of the

forQ;et that there is

sufi*er-

fellowship

Didst thou forget that he

follows closest after the

life

Divine

who

fices

which can only begin with the

nearest to the cross.

which burns

ing which means not enmity but

with thy

thy

who

ever he

There are

sacri-

Christ-life,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT, offerings

which can only be made

The

sence of the Infinite Glory.

was God's dross

thee

first gift to

in the pre-

of heaven

fire

consumed the

and disencumbered the precious

memory

shall ever be to thee a

walking like

;

ore.

of joy,

for.

in the midst of the furnace,

was One

unto the Son of Man.

XVIII.

CHRISTIAN ASPIRATION. •*/ shall be

satisfied^

when I awake, with Thy

—

likeness^

Ps. xvii. 15.

And

shall

nothing

Psalmist

—

mortal. to

than

less

To awake

this content thee,

in the likeness of

a bold aspiration for a I

frail

and

God,

sinful

should rather have expected thee

have crouched down in absolute humiliation

before

the

blaze

the

Infinite

Glory.

should have expected thee to have asked only the crumbs that should

fall

from the Master's

table, to have been content with the smallest

token of the Master s recognition.

Why

didst

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

thou not ask merely to be made one of the hired servants in the house of thy God, to be

assigned the position of a pardoned and reinstated slave

Instead of that, thy

There

insatiable, inexhaustible.

no bound

to its soaring, there is

It will not

penalty,

limit

to its desire.

be content with the remission of a

it will

mise of pardon, gratified

demand

not be appeased with the proit

will

not even be perfectly

with the message of reconciliation,

must have union with God Himself. It aspires to be one with the life and will of the Highest it

gazes into the Infinite Brightness and

" I shall be satisfied,

when

cries,

awake, with

Tby

likeness.*'

soul, the Psalmist is in this a

thee at thy best.

God thy demands thou art far from are small look.

;

Whenever thou

art near to

are insatiable.

It is

God

when

that thine expectations

the narrow heart has a short out-

It is

when thy

heart

thy wants are enlarged

;

enlarged that

thy wants are the

measure of thee, thy want of God all

type of

the measure of thee.

most

"When God has come

near to thee thou wilt accept no compromise.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

Thou

wilt not be satisfied with His outT'^ard

gifts,

thou wilt not be contented with His pro-

mise of pardon It will is

thou shalt have Himself alone

;

not appease thee to be told that there

no more y^ar

;

thou shalt

insist to enter into

Thou

shalt ask to see as

ihejoy of thy Lord.

sees, to will as

knows. kindred with

Thou spirit,

Him

wills,

know

shalt claim the privilege

man

as a

talketh with his friend

at rest in the possession of its

when

own

upward and

shalt point thy finger satisfied,

of a

whereby thou mayest commune

and when the world wonders that thou

gifts,

say,

;

art not

thou

I shall

awake, with His likeness."

XIX.

CHRISrs SYMPATHY. ^^

I have compassion been with

and

on the multitude^ because they have

three days,

if I send the?n

Man

now eat:

away fasting to their own houses^ way J' Mark viii. 2, 3.

they will faint by the

The compassion

and have nothing

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

here displayed by the Son of

a pity for the

common wants

of men.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

common wants

their

Him.

its spiritual

that here impress

not afraid for this multitude as to

He knows that

condition;

men

the

who compose it are intensely spiritual. But He fears that the very intenseuess of their spiritual excitement has made them forget their They have been endur-

temporal necessities.

ing physical privation, but they have not it because their thoughts

themselves

;

and their eyes

But He knows that the

have been on Him.

moment

have been away from

thoughts

their

Him

they shall lose sight of

physical privation shall exert itself ; that the

moment He

felt

their

He knows

has sent them away from

His presence they shall

feel

that physical want

which they now have without feeling

it,

and

His human heart bleeds for the human needs of man.

Thou Son is

Man,

there hope for those all

who

Thy

religion alone

toil.

Thou alone

masters hast sympathy with the needs

of the

common

passing hour. of the

day, wdth the wants of the

all

common day

other masters the needs

are ignoble, the wants of

the passing hour are

sin.

The

religions

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. men have call

sympathy with man as man; they

i]0

on him to leave the world, they frown

upon

his struggles for the

perishable bread.

But Thou hast compassion on the prosaic toilers life. Thou hast compassion on those who

are fasting

by the way, and who have no

Thou

spiritual vision to break their fast.

hast

compassion on the crowd in which each man is

alone

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; alone with

his solitary battle, aione

with his poverty and

up the

cross

claimed

Thine

interest

millions

for

*' :

Thou

care.

them that

Thou

Thine own.

with the cry

Give us

this

hast taken

labour,

and hast

hast identified of

struggling

day our daily bread."

XX.

GOD\S WARNING. ^^Btii if ye will not do so, behold, the

Lord : and

Num.

be sure

your

ye have sinned against

sift

will find you out'^

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

xxxii. 23.

Should we not have expected a ciation, a stronger

fiercer

denun-

form of Divine threatening

Should we not have looked for such words

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

tbese, **If

will not

ye bavo

so, beliold,

sioned against the Lord, and the thunderbolt

Lord

of the

will strike

yon

Does

seem a lame and impotent conclusion to

not tell

men merely that if they broke the. Divine command the result of their sin would these

one day overtake them, that the seed of their

own sowing would one day be ness

mild language consistent with

Is this

a seed of bitter-

our thought of the majesty of

that majesty.

being who

His

He that

He wants

;

as a

we do not obey

shall destroy, it is our-

to save us

not a threatening,

warning whose fulfilment

more than we.

Him

have thought of

shall destroy us if

It is not

selves

Nay,

we have never thought worthily

verily, for

Him.

God

from ourselves. is

a warning

He would

Wherefore does

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

deplore

say, " In

the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die "

but because sin stinof in

that

to find

her

Not because

mortal.

Thy

own bosom, and

vindictive,

sin carries her

the infinite love

hid in the bosom of the Father yearns it

and

destroy thee.

to extract it ere it shall find

and

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. Love unspeakable and majesty

full of glory, wliose

not to destroy but to save, save

from myself.

Days that

me.

My I

past relentlessly

;

pursues

thought dead live over again,

deeds that I deemed buried meet

way

on the

my rearward, my God. Fill my life has left behind, undo my life has done amiss. Repair

be thou

up that which that which

the places I have wasted, bind the hearts

wounded, dry the eyes

have flooded.

have

Make

the evil I have done to work for good, so tliat I

myself would not know

acts I did in malice

Divine mosaic, that

made

to praise Thee.

into Thine

Overrule

weave them

;

Take up

there, that I

prise

how even

against

ing together with Thee

me no

more.

my ;

will I

so shall

the

Thy may be

into

very wrath

own golden light, and may learn with

them

self find

it.

yesterdays transfigure

joyful sur-

was labour-

formei

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

XXI.

THE GROUND OF IMMORTALITY, " Arf Thou not fro?n

Holy One? we

O Lord my

everlasti7ig^ sJiall

not die^

Presumptuous words these creature

Creator

the

everlasting, therefore

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Hab.

He He

from everlasting

Thou

;

yesterday, to-day, and

for

not be more becoming for

soul,

days de-

the same

ever

;

not seeking to have his ;

in him.

life

words also

;

" ;

life

Would it Thou say, "â&#x20AC;˘

/ must

die."

Bethink thee

I live,

Christ

Because

yet not in

The prophet

own

seeking to

as these, " **

thou hast not rightly read the

ground of thine own hope. to God's

Him f

;

from everlasting, therefore

Nay,

What

of yesterday.

changed as a vesture every hour.

art

from

art

with

life

of His youth

doth a shadow.

cline

dew

from the

shall not die."

right have I to measure

has the

12.

surely

God^ viim

made equal have God's own what mean such life

1 live,

ye shall live

but Christ liveth in

you, the hope of glory.**

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. They mean that thy immortality

Thy hope

mortality.

God's im-

of vanquishing death

thy possession in thyself of the deathless One. It is

because the Everlasting

His everlastin.gness

anything

merely outside of thee

God

thy

to thee.

that

Were

would be indeed

presumption in thee to measure thy years

But He

with Him.

not outside of thee.

has breathed into thy nostrils the breath

own life, and it is by that breath that even now thou livest. It is by that breath that even now thou art victor over death from moment to moment, from hour to hour, of His

from day to day.

when

flesh

Il is

and heart

by that breath

that,

and

thou

faint

shalt be victor over death

still,

fail,

shalt find the

strength of thy heart and thy portion for ever. Spirit of Christ, Spirit in live

and move and have

by day the power Eeveal to is

before

Thy

whose breath

beiug, reveal day

presence within me.

that the power of

Thy

presence

resurrection, the certitude

immortality.

Ofttimes I stand aghast

the power of

the

gates

wonder what things

the

great

shall

mystery

be in

;

the state

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

after death.

Teacli

that the state aftei

death exists already before death, that I need

not

death until

taste

not to come, that

not merely the

life

that I

life

im-

here, that

life

eternal

beyond the grave, but

this side the grave.

am now

that it is

Teach me that the

now.

the

have seen the

Teach

kingdom of God. mortality

Eeveal to

in eternity, that I

breath-

ing the very air of those that have passed the

Let

gates.

;

fruition.

immortal

in the

that death could no more destroy

;

than

life

mine

me have more than hope give Let me feel that I am already it

Thine.

could destroy Thine, because

When my strength

there

weakened

way, when the shadows of the grave

seem to encompass me, help me not so

much

that there

within.

life

Help me

not that Thou art waiting for

remember

above as that to

remember,

across the

valley, but that Thou art waiting with

the valley

;

then shall the rod and

staff of

t7i

comfort be, *'Thou art from everlasting, therefore I shall not die,"

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

XXII.

REVELATION, " Open Thou mine

eyes,

that

out of

Thy

/aze/."â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Ps. cxix. 18.

Wherefore

is it,

I may

behold wondrous things

soul, that in

thy cry

for

revelation thou lookest ever to the rendiDOf of

an outer

veil

seems

to thee tliat if there

could only be a parting of the clouds, thou

wouldst have a vision of things unutterable, that

thou couldst be transplanted beyond the

Lord would be

clouds, the glory of the

vealed.

And

it is

re-

to death thou lookest as

the great revealer, to that hour

when

the silver

cord shall be loosed and the golden bowl shall

be broken.

Nay,

but thou art look-

soul,

ing too far for thy revelation.

Thou dost not

need to wait for the loosing of the silver cord

What but a new

or the breaking of the golden bowl.

thou needest sense.

not a

new

scene,

There are beauties undisclosed lying

at thy feet waiting for that sense to come.

The prayer

for thee

'' :

Open Thou mine

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

may behold wondrous The wondrous things of thy God are eyes,

that I

around thee

things."

already

they are lying at the door of

;

thy being, they are touching the

hem

of thy

them thou dost not need to be transplanted either by life or by death. Thou dost not need to change thy place even

garment.

by an

see

hair's-breadth

an eye. to thee a

One other spiritual sense would make new universe, another world without

and within. verdure,

thou hast want only of

;

would clothe the woods in fresh

would paint the flowers

would

beauty,

wonted

glory.

gild the

would throw

dark places of creation,

moment,

in un-

upon

light

would illuminate

unfrequented depths of thought, clear in a

new

sunbeams

would make

in the twinkling of an eye,

problems that have wrung the heart with pain.

What

thinkest thou

Abraham

lifted

mean

these words,

his eyes,

And

and looked, and

him a ram caught in a thicket " ? He had been perplexing his mind as to where behold, hehiiid

he should find a burnt-ofiering for his

own

thicket

came

pain to

;

this

him

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a substitute

ram caught

as a revelation.

the

Yet

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT, whence came the revelation lifting

solation, his consolation

" behind him

When

way.

waitinor for his con-

had been

waitinsf for

his

;

he opened his eyes what he saw

own past

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

the

glory of something

which had escaped him on the journey. so,

along

The boon which he sought was already " he had passed it by on the

him.

was

all

he merely needed to see

;

While he had been

it.

Only from the

The ram had

of his eyes.

been in that thicket

sages of God's

Even

with thee.

There are pas-

law, written

and unwritten,

soul, is it

which thou art passing heedlessly by, which thou hast perused without interest as slight

and commonplace

know

things.

that thou hast

angels unawares.

One day thou

been in contact with

One day thou

that what thou hast passed

was a treasure Abraham,

of purest gold.

;

when

shalt

know

by on the way

Thou

shalt look behind thee

these neglected things the

pain

shalt

too, like

and find in

remedy

thine eye shall open

for all

upon thy

past thou shalt awake to the vision of

wondrous

glory.

thy

its

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

XXIII.

THE INWARDNESS OF REVELATION. **

To reveal His Son

i?i

Gal,

w^."

i6.

Paul is here describing the process of hia own conversion, the light which he saw from heaven. He says that it pleased God to reveal St.

Why

His Son in him. does he not say, "

Son

me "

pleased

Was

saw an outer vision

him

Wlierefore

God

to reveal His

not the light which he

Did

not arrest him

midday with a glory above the brightness

of the sun

nature,

Did

and bid

of his journey

not bar the

way

Lord was a vision

Surely that picture of his to his eye.

Nay, but can

any picture be a vision to the eye thing be revealed revealed in

me %

me which

Is the

gaze revealed only to

Nay, or

to his old

his life to pause in the midst

lias

Can a

not been

landscape on which

outward vision

would not be revealed at

could be no beauty without a sense of beauty within.

all

;

there

there were not

the music to

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. which ear

would be deaf

is it

with the beauty of

than the

children

outward for ever-

harmony without if of harmony within.

there could be no

;

there were not a sense

I listen revealed only to

Nay, or

Him who

of men.

is fairer

have

Often

who were permitted to gaze upon His outward form, to see the beam envied the lot of those

on His

Yet was

hear the

face, to it

not the very

His voice

thrill in

cliief

of these to

whom

the words were spoken, " Flesh and blood hath

not revealed

unto thee."

eye which saw the beam,

which heard heart, the

tlie

life,

thrill

;

it it

was not the

was not the ear was the

soul, the

the responsive spirit bearing

witness with His Spirit, the kindred sympathy that ran out to meet

Him Him all

all

its

counterpart, and found

salvation because

found

its desire.

God, reveal Thy Son in me.

ask for

more than an audible voice, because I need more. It would not help me to behold Thy handwriting on the clouds of heaven

;

would

be but the letters of a book to the child that

cannot read.

Teach

the meaning of

Thy

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

words.

declare

their

description of

the born

glory to

Thy

Thy heavens

could

blind

Christ could manifest His

greatness to the loveless soul.

Therefore,

Spirit of love, breathe into this heart the

the

of loving,

sensation

new experience

that thought which transcends

and the harmonies of It is in

grounded

all

ear, that the

unstop the spiritual

light.

Thy

the channels

Unseal the inner eye,

of the natural sense.

see

new

Inspire this consciousness with

being loved.

vealed.

;

all

worlds

symmetries

may

light alone that

be re-

shall

Only they who are rooted and in love shall

be able to comprehend

that love of Thine, which, although familiar to all saints,

see the

passeth finite knowledge.

King

shall

His beauty when His beauty

shall be revealed in

me.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

XXIV,

DESERT EXPERIENCES. " And the angel of the

Lord spake ujito Philips sayings and go toivard the souths unto the ivay that

ArisCy

down from Jerusalem Acts viii. 26.

goeth

desert.^*

" Arise,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

unto

Gaza^ which

and go unto the way which

desert."

Startling words these to be addressed

angel of goodness to an earnest

They would be

by an

human

soul.

any

startling if addressed to

man, but they are specially so when spoken to a

man

of God.

tell

the zealous missionary to

go into the desert, to bid the seeker of souls to frequent that spot where souls are least expected to

be, it

was surely a strange, an unprece-

dented mandate. has

its

parallel in

often in the

Nay, not unprecedented your

life

midday of our

and mine.

;

How

career has an arrest-

ing hand seemed to bar our progress, has an arresting voice seemed to say, " Hitherto shalt

thou go, and no further."

strength was

weakened in the way at the very moment

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

when

thought myself to be doing God

the very

vice, at

moment when

ser-

appeared

all I

want was just an increase of streogth.

Sickness came, privation came, obloquy came,

and

had

moments waste

to leave I

cried,

I asked,

my w^ork undone.

Why

within this narrow sphere,

why

capabilities for great work, I

are

me,

Go down unto

days

have

have powers for

deeds of service; wherefore has to

have aspirations

is this

pent up

life

confined within these trivial limits

great heroism,

At such

*'To w^hat purpose

for great

been said

way which

the

desert"?

soul, it is

because there are moments in

which the life of the desert of

Philip perhaps

life.

date given to him, yet

to thee the fulness

murmured at it

was

which made his name glorious

;

this

the

mandate

he founded in

that desert the beginning of a kingdom. is

with thy

moments is

moments

of the grandest service.

thou that thy

desert

God

man-

;

they are Thiukest

only served by working?

even more served by waiting and by

bearing,

The heart which can

tarry for

Him

MOMENTS ON THE MOUN^. in the solitudes of the wilderness

the dearest heart of

Him

Methiuks that the

all.

lawgiver Moses was never more fair in thf sight of *'

God than when

faith

visible."

was written of him,

he endured, as seeiug

Him who

was the waiting without a

is in-

miracle,

without a manifestation, without a sign, the waiting for something which reason said was impossible,

and which

never come

;

made

would

experien-^e said

was these desert hours that

his life so rich, so fruitful, so luxuriant.

So has

been with thee.

What

thou calledst

thy times of waste were tny tim^s of highest blessing.

In the day

aloue, thy life

when thou

saidst, I

was being crowded, surrounded,

thronged by a great cloud of witnesses, by the general assembly of the firstborn, by the voices of a multitude which

number.

Thou wert

to thyself that

greatest

man

when

thou wert lowliest

;

could

seemed.

thy dark-

ness was thy day, thy cross was thy crown,

thy thorn was thy flower, thy desert was the city of

80UL"

thy God,

"Bless the Lord,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

XXV. VISION IN OLD AGE, ^*

His

eye

was not dim^ nor Deut.

Most

his natural force ahated?^-^ xxxiv.

of us have our brightest visions in the

The time when men com-

days of our youth.

monly stand on Mount Nebo is the hour of life's morning it is then that the promised ;

land appears most glorious, prospective eye

But

this

rule

;

his

least

it is

man Moses was an came

his vision

then that the

dimmed by

experience.

exception to the

in old age.

The days

youth and manhood had been too prosaic for

They had been days

poetic flights.

of danger,

days of anxiety, days of burden-bearing, days of

commonplace annoyances, more hard to

endure because they were commonplace.

was only at the It

last that his child-life

came.

was only amid the twilight shadows that

there rose to

wont

him

to behold

that vision which

morning

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

men vision

are of

coming glory, the prospect of a promised land.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

His age of anticipation began where bis age of experience ended, bis inner

where

his outer

man was

man was renewed

about to perish.

the vigour of manhood, in front of the burning fire

of God, he had felt his vision

dim

;

in the

extremity of old age he had neitlier a doubt

nor a

fear.

His eye was not dim, nor his

natural force abated."

soul, if

sacrifice,

thou couldst live this

There

whose natural

life

not abated with the years

stronger

thou too wouldst have a vision in the

hour of death. force

life

when

;

other things fade.

there be prophecies, they shall

fail

there be tongues, they shall cease

there be knowledge, love never faileth."

grows

Whether

;

whether

;

whether

shall vanish

away but

Nebo

of old age,

It is the

;

the height from which amid surrounding ruins

promised land.

the heart surveys

its

height of certainty

may

in thee,

may

it will

fancy

of the heart shall close.

all

That

If love

Memory judgment may

things.

may droop, perception may languish,

fade,

waver,

survive

be thine.

but the eye

grow brighter toward the

That which men have called "the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

Thou

valley" shall be to thee a mountain. shalt face the setting sun,

and shalt see in

The clouds that environ the

new rising.

intel-

break before the childhood of the

lect shall

and amid the snows of winter thy time

spirit,

for the singing of birds shall

shalt gaze say, "

where

upon a world's dissolving views, and

death, where is

Thou

come.

thy sting

grave,

thy victory

XXVI.

THE THORN, "

Jnd

lest

should be exalted above measure through the

abundance of the

was given

revelations^ there

thorn in the flesh.''''

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

There was given

CoR.

thorn be a gift from

God

xii.

me a

can,

then, the

in the habit

of seeing God's gifts in the abundance of the

things

which

life

possesses,

those things the daugers of the is

sum

its

abundance.

a complete reversal of

life

and

call

which diminish

But here there

thought

;

the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. abundance

the

diminishes

and

danger, the

gift.

exalted above measure

which

that

Paul has been

he has been standing

;

on the heights of prosperity, and summering sunshine

the

of a

day

cloudlessness of the

and

there

His spiritual

sent

cloudless is

mist

breath of flowers, and there

gift to his soul

thing protective in has no beauty, but uses of adversity that

it is

for

the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

sent a thorn

;

for the

there

some-

no fragrance,

reminds a human

spirit

human.

have never thanked Thee

sun.

yields one of the sweetest

after all only

My God, thorn.

It has

it.

The thorn

flowers.

time God's best

over

has been redolent with the

life

amongst the

The

day.

his greatest danger,

for

have thanked Thee a thousand times but not once for

roses,

thorn.

have been looking forward to a world where I

shall get compensation for

have never thought of sent glory.

cross,

value of

cross as itself a pre-

Thou Divine Love, whose human

path has been perfected through teach

but

the glory of

Show me

thorn.

sufferings,

cross, teach

that

me I

the

have

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

Show me

climbed to Thee the path of pain.

my tears have made my rainbow. Keveal me that my strength was the product of

that to

when

that horn*

Then

of the day.

wrestled until the breakinor o

know

shall I

was blessed by Thee, then

was a

cross

raise a

be these

hour of

to the

and the words which **

my thorn

know

from Thee, and I

gift

monument

that

shall I

I shall write

was good

for

that shall

sorrow,

upon

it will

to have been

afflicted,"

XXVII.

THE GLORY OF SUFFERING. **

For our

light affliction^

which

hit for a momentt

worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. ^^ *'

CoR.

iv.

17.

Affliction worketh glory;"

tion **

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

" our light afflic-

worketh an exceeding weight of glory

our

affliction,

which

but for a moment,

worketh an eternal weight of glory."

word

;

Every

a marked and beautiful antithesis.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. The mind

of the apostle

overwhelmed by the

contrast between the seen and the unseen, and as he rises in his flight of contemplation, the

calamities of earth dwindle into insignificant

smallness

there

till

nothing visible but glory.

Yet, strange to say, he describes the glory

an old earthly metaphor, nay, by the very

metaphor he used to apply to he

calls it

a weight.

his afflictions

speak of a weight of

a weight of sorrow, a weight of anxiety

care,

but a weight of glory

symbol.

a startling

man as being weighed down by

do not think of a

overwhelmed,

crushed, glory.

surely that

should have thought that the old

metaphor of care would have been that

would have been

cast off like a worn-

out garment and remembered

out

when

figured is

no more

Nay, but the old garment

ever.

that

;

the glory comes,

that w^hich

repulsive,

for

not worn

only trans-

made thy weight

of care

which makes thy weight of

glory.

Thou needest not a new object but a new light to see by day what thou hast only seen

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

darkness.

Often

have

prayer of the Psalmist,

pondered

that

send out Thy light

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

and Thy truth not ask for

;

new

them lead me."

let

does

circumstances, but for a

light on the old circumstances.

new

Thou who

art

weighted with some heavy burden, pause ere thou askest sent care

may

be, nay,

When

removal

its

;

thy weight of pre-

be thy weight of future glory

must be when

thou wert a

of care to thee

;

child,

now

a weight of glory

;

light shall

dawn.

study was a weight

that thou art a man,

it is

thou comfortest thyself

that thou wert able to endure.

shall it

with the tasks of the larger school.

One day

thou shalt look back and find them to have been all very good. From the light of thy seventh morning thou shalt look back, from the

summit of the

finished creation thou shalt

behold thy six days of

no night

there.

Thy

toil,

and there

shall

past shall be glorious

Thou shalt retrace the steps of thy way, and find them to have been the Thou shalt steps to thy Sabbath of rest.

when

it is

past.

weigh in the balance the former days, and they but shall weigh even heavier than of yore ;

that which

was once a weight of care

then a weight of glory.

shall be

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

XXVIII.

THE POWER OF CHRIST S **

SACRIFICE.

my Father love me, because I lay down my No man taketh it from me. . / have lay it down.^^ John x. 17, 18.

TJierefore doth life.

power

"Therefore doth is

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

What

Father love me."

this secret of the Father's love

Why

is it

that the heart of the Father rejoices in the

Son

Is it

sacrifice

Him

because of the pain of the Son's

Is it because

His Father beheld in

a victim on the altar of death

because on the altar of death

Him

an offering that

compulsion, that

His

life.

Son can

The com-

die without

down

All other sacrifices had been types

was a type

Never had the strength of gloriously.

will

own way through

of power.

been manifested

There had been

querors and mighty warriors, their

Son

has power to lay

of impotence, but this

beholds

no victim.

Father's heart rejoices not that the pelled to die, but that the

Nay,

great

con-

who had paved

the hearts of others

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

here was a

perfected

own

its

way

self-surrendering

love, we, like the Father, yield our

hearts to Tliee.

had been mere resigna-

we could have admired Thee if had been the mere distaste for life we could

tion to death it

for

streDorth

heart.

weakness,

power of

that could pave

life

throuo-h

others

;

have pitied Thee

love

;

but since

love Thee.

the choice of

it is

magnify the power

that could relinquish power, the might

abandon might, the

could

Thou

the valley of

Thy humiliation.

art

that

will

resign will.

most crowned

Thou

that

Thy

love has

it.

it,

most

no victim,

art

otherwise for twelve

Therefore

Thy

us not a weakness but a power

ashamed of

art

chosen the burden, that

Thou wouldst not have legions of angels.

Thou

that

feel

could

to us in

Thy Geth-

glorious to us in the shades of

semane.

that

we glory

pant to

;

cross is to

are not

we long to be be made conformable in

it,

unto Thy death, to have our wills set free

from their own burning. till

shall catch

gaze on Thee

Thine impress,

till

shall

be transformed into Thine image from glory to

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. glory,

till

shall get

power

to lay

"Thy

will

be done."

back our joy the moment we

when we shall have down our life we shall have power

have ceased to seek

to take

not with resignation

shall say,

but with acquiescence,

it;

again.

XXIX.

THE SECRET OF PEACE. *'

maketh me

to lie

down

in green pastures ;

beside the still waters ;

Ps.

xxiii. 2, 3.

One man

apt to say,

restoreth

He leadeth

sotil"

was an easy thing

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

for a

with such an experience to confess the

who would not reGod who should make him to lie down in green pastures? Yet, in truth, he who says thus has not sounded the depths of his own being. No man can lie down anywhere until Lord

be his Shepherd

;

joice in a

he has received a restored

soul.

pastures

lie

down

It is as diffi-

down

in green

barren

wastes.

cult for the unrestored soul to lie

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

Thinkest tbou that an unrestful heart will

have more rest in prosperity than in adversity

Nay,

verily, it will carry itself into everything.

Prosperity

not in the greenness of the

lies

pastures, adversity lies not in the barrenness

they both

of the wastes;

joyous heart will pastures will all

cannot

fly

circumstances

;

the very

become

will

and we

it.

have quiet waters,

rest,

all

calmness of

its

source of pain.

its

life

all

are alike within

Therefore,

soul, if

thou

thou wouldst

thou wouldst have any

wherein thou canst

then must thou thyself be

Thou must be

circum-

The sweet-

from the world just what

wouldst have green pastures,

spot at

its

make

we can only change our

shall get

;

waters will

from ourselves by changing our

ness and the bitterness of

we bring

its

flying from ourselves.

stances by

us,

things joyful

all

restless heart will

unrestful;

outward world

make

be green, and

The

be quiet.

things

all

The

wdthin.

lie

set at rest

lie

down and

first restored.

from thine own

selfish-

ness ere any place can be to thee a scene of repose.

Thou must

thyself be filled ere the

fulness of the earth can be thine, yea, ere the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

Thou

emptiness of the earth can be thine. hast a claim to the earth's emptiness as

fulness.

its

things are thine principalities,

thou art at

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the world,

life,

3st

all

death, angels,

powers; thou canst

as thy possessions, thou canst

well

claii a

them

command them

The winds are thy mesaengers,

thy servants.

the fires are thy ministers, the clouds tre thy chariots

Thou storm

thou canst extract joy out of sorrow.

;

shalt sleep in the ship of life wi>en the

raging around

thee.

Thoa

shalt

spread thy table in peace in the presence of thine enemies, and shalt

enmity.

Thy calm

shalt see

and the

face

beautiful

;

to perceive their

shall reflect itself.

Thou

mirrored in the face of creation,

of creation shall

All the days of thy shall follow thee

restored.

fail

shall

thee

answer back thy smile. life

goodness and me^cy

when thou

thyself hast be-po

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

XXX.

THE OMNIPRESENT GOD. **

me behind

TTiou hast beset

hand

i^pon

me"

ajid before,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Ps.

and

laid Thine

cxxxix. 5.

In three directions hast Thou beset me,

Thou art behind me, Thou art before me, Thou art in contact with me. Thou art behind me in my past, Thou art before me in God.

future,

Thou

the pressure of

art in contact with

present hour.

relations I need Thee every day. to three worlds,

crush

were

all

these

am bound

and any one of them would I

not beset by Thee.

bound to the past, and its chain oj)presses I am bound to the future, and its shadows

;

appal

;

its conflict

am bound

perturbs me.

threefold self past with

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Thy

the present, and

want

rest in Thee.

presence

;

rest for

Beset

take up

turn them into sunshine. shadowy future with Thy glory

its

clouds

Beset

and

;

dark

reveal the

rainbow of Thy promise to the eye of

faith,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

Beset

arduous present with the secse of

Thy nearness let me Thy hand.

pressure be heavy

burden that Thou sendest

know

that wheresoever

there

be Thine

yoke that comes from Thee

presence

weight

if I

may

of gold. ;

and

know,

would not be

that which

it tells

men

that I

it is

solemn thing to know

with Thee.

But there

some-

thing better than the carelessness of the child it

Therefore,

Lord, impress

with the magnitude, with the solemnity,

with the awfulness of being a man.

;

the careful uess of a spirit weighted with

a sense of God.

never again have the carelessness

of the child, for that I

could

call responsibility,

is felt

experienced a sense of weight, the

too, that the

man.

the

;

ever easy, the

laying on of an invisible hand, but

without

the

ever light.

Thy

not though the

I care

only

laid

feel

;

pressure of

that I

not

own, that I

Teach

live not to

Lay on me Lay on and knowing that I

myself, that I die not to myself.

the weight of

me am

moral obligation.

the weight of feeling

a responsible

human

soul.

Let

hear

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

the voice of conscience, "

you can."

fore

Let

brother crying unto

You

ought, there-

me hear the voice of my me from the ground of

earthly abasement for succour, for solace, for

sustenance.

hast

Give

made golden

straitened

till

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the burden of a baptism

its

oppressed until

its

care, that

be rendered individually strong

life

that

be accomplished,

work be done.

with a sense of universal

shall be great in

Thou

the burden that

me when Thou

;

me may

Fill I

Thy power hast laid on

Thine hand.

XXXI.

THE SUPERNATURAL IN THE NATURAL. "

An^ He

must needs go through SamartaJ^

Humanly

speaking,

commonplaces.

was

all

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;John

iv. 4.

a chapter of

There was nothing in the

meeting at Sychar's well that could not be explained

by natural

law.

Tliere

was no

miracle in the Master goiug through Samaria

'MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

He must

needs go through Samaria,

geographically on his

way

lay

There

to Galilee.

was uo miracle in the Master resting at the well

was

He must

;

weary

needs rest at the well,

He wanted

and

There

rest.

was no miracle in the Master finding tho

woman whom He made His must needs

find

water, and she

her,

came

scene was pieced

disciple

;

she was in search of

The whole

draw.

together by the order of

natural laws, by the union of natural forces,

and each separate event before

was just what might have been lM3it

the mosaic was divine

in the

whole than in

;

ha[)pened Al-

foreseen.

there was more

the separate parts.

all

Each natural incident was the minister

to an

end beyond itselfâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the agent toward a con-

summation natural

needs

not

could

made

they brought Divine

supernatural

life

soul, do not refuse to see

thy

life

The

see.

Was

meat from heaven

came from

his

in the events of

Peter's

less real

hunger

result

into a nation.

God

because thou canst trace

between them.

three

human

vision

links

the

because the dream

Nay,

for the

hunger

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

and the dream were him.

God

Thy

treasure

alike God's messengers to

hid in earthen vessels.

speaks to thee in

trifles

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

in the passage

through Samaria, in the thirst for earthly water, in the coming to a well.

the will

little

things of thy

cleanse

them

life

are

Say not that

common

;

God

in the mosaic, they will all

be precious in their harmony with the completed whole. pass before

Thou

thee

;

shalt see the old deeds

they shall gather them-

selves together to judgment, and

are first shall be last, shall be

first.

and many that are

to be

that last

Valleys shall become mountains

in the light of the perfect day.

seemed

many

of no account,

appeared to be of

little

Hours that

moments

that

value, actions that in

their passing were called but ripples in the

stream, will be found to have been the tidal

wave that

led thy life to fortune.

thy wells of Sychar,

soul,

Neglect not for

where

thou seemest to be drawing only earthly water thou mayst be partaking

all

the time of those

living springs whereof they that taste

never thirst again.

shall

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

XXXII.

THE GLORY OF MORNING. **

And

in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of ike

Lord''

see

morning of

in the

Thy

glory.

helpfulness;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ExoD.

Thou

xvi. 7.

Lord, that I

life,

midday

the

art then to

from the burden and the heat. I see

Thy

spect of is

faithfulness

all

In the evening

behold the retro-

But the morning

Thee at midday because

I feel

Thee

into

which

I trust

trust

Thee it

the

as the lark trusts the

soars

Thy help Thy plan,

;

instinct of

heart.

morning

and through which

Thee by an

morning without any

reason save the mornings glow in I trust

founded on experience.

I trust thee at even because I trace

but I trust

lo,

implicit trust, perfectly implicit

because not yet trust

;

refuge

that thou hast done, and

very good.

all

season of

the shadow

a weary hind,

of a great rock in

Thy

see

air

it sings.

being.

Thee without experience, before

trial,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

irrespective of argument, in defiance of

culty of

there

;

Thy

face.

God, give

regain

me back my

youth; I can

lit

Thou hast

with Thine eternal youth.

promised us eternal merely

life

and what

life,

but

for ever,

Thine eternal

my life my heart

Let the shadows of

in Thee.

be rekindled into morning's glow, let

diffi-

no vision but the brightness

life

who

not,

a child again,

Thou, on whose

a child without childishness.

bloom time breathes

Not

that ?

for ever young.

can make

life

art

the

same

yesterday, and to-day, and for ever, bathe in

those

fountains

Thou hast the dew

morning whence

of the

Thy

youth.

star,

shall

Then

may be

renewed.

day when the morning

sang together, and

shouted for joy

;

the sons of

all

I shall see

when Thy morning

shall rise

shall creation break forth

into gladness, as in the stars

have the bright and morning

and the dayspring from on high

within me.

shadow of turning,

that the pulses of this heart

Then

Bathe

which there

in the ocean of that love in

variableness nor the least

the glory of

soul.

God life

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

XXXIIl.

THE GLORY OF **

Father^

with

I will that they also whom Thou hast given meh 7ne where I am ; that they may behold my glory

which 27iou hast giveft me."

" Where

am'*

Him

whom Thou I

was

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;in

He had

xvii. 24.

said,

hast given

could have under'*

I will that these

me be with me where

the glory which I had with Thee

the foundation

before

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;John

Strange place that in which

to behold His glory

stood

CHRIST,

Him

He had said, whom Thou hast given me

could have understood will that these

of the world." if

me where 1 shall be, when Thou shalt glorify me again with Thine own self.'* But when He says, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory," w^e are startled. What glory had He now and here ? Had He with

not just come to that hour which the hour of His humiliation

men

the very borders of the valley of the

death

Surely

was the

called

was He not on

last spot

shadow where

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

His disciples to behold

should have wished

His glory.

should have expected

Him

have pointed them on to a time when

this

shame would be compensated by the glory come

instead of that

;

they were near enough to see "Father,

wish that these

who think

humiliation, could see

hour of close to

my triumph my heart as

light that I behold

;

only wishes

as it really

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

hour in the

the light of a glorious

on the head of

humanity

would

their sorrow be turned into joy."

power

;

come

may

glorify

human

Christ's

to bear.

Lour

;

When He glorify

Thee,"

Thy

glory

said,

was His

"Father, the

Son, that

Thy Son

asked not salvation

hour, but strength in His hour.

asked that

then

marvel not at this exaltation in

soul,

from His

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

wish they could get so

laid

humiliation

hast

hour of my

crown

says,

whom Thou

to behold this it

it.

this the

says that the glory

has already come, and that

given me, these

He might

be able to take the cup

with a hand that did not tremble, to say with a voice that did not falter, as

Thou

wilt."

"Not

as I will, but

Canst thou be with

Him

where

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

then was and beliold His glory

Canst

thou see the conquest in His stooping, the

kinghood in His serving, the greatness in His humility, the crown in His cross

bow down staff

before the majesty of that rod

which comforted

shadow

Canst thou

Him

and

in the valley of the

Canst thou adore the omnipotence

of that strength which could bear the burden of a world without protest, could bear the sins of a world without losing His love for an hour

Then thou hast reached the

which

privilege

thy Lord desired for thee, for thou hast seen in

kindred sympathy with

Him

that His day

of death was His day of glory.

XXXIV.

THE SPIRITUAL YEAR. ^*

Bringeth forth his fruit in his

There

season.''^

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Ps.

are four seasons in thy spiritual year

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the winter

of desolation

which tell of hope

;

the

;

the buds of spring,

warmth

of summer,

which bespeaks the fulness of the heart the ingathering of autumn, which

;

and

the time

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

for life's practical fruits.

aud the

fruit,

Each season has

its

turn golden.

fruit is iu its

not seek to change the order of God's spiritual year,

do not seek to put the

fruits of

one season

Thou must not expect

into the lap of another.

the buds of spring from the desolation of win-

the fruit of winter

ter, for desolation is

;

thou,

Nicodemus, must begin thy journey in the

sense of night

窶馬ight

Thou star. summer from

without a

must not expect the warmth

the buds of spring, for the fruit of spring

not fruition but hope

thou, like Peter,

;

be content for a time to live

must

on aspiration

Thou must not expect the practical ingathering of autumn from the warmth of summer, for the fruit of summer is not action but emotion thou, like John, must be content alone.

;

lie

work

on the Master for

Him

Thou

bosom

until thy time to

shall come.

that

hast

revealed the

Thine acceptable year, reveal in the stages of that year.

from Thee.

night, let

When

my experience

Help me

the fruits of each season as gifts

order of

to gather

good and perfect feel the sense

as the token that, like

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. Nicodemus, feel

am coming

"When as

I feel

the

When

I feel

the sense of power and

inspired to gather in the fruits, let as the pledge that I

work

for Thee.

about with Thee.

am So

shall

buds of

be fostered, the foliage of blest,

the first-fruits of

hailed with joy

my soul

;

year be rounded,

life

be girt

its

winter

The snows

shall be sanctified, the

bidden, like Paul, to

shall

hallowed, perfected.

the evidence that, like John, I rest on

Thee.

When

to Thee.

me accept it as the Peter, I am called bj Thee. sense of warmth, let me accept

the sense of hope, let

sign that, like

its

spring shall

summer autumn

shall be shall be

they shall proclaim that with-

the year of the Lord has come.

XXXV.

THE LIVING WAY. **

It was a

Men had

a new and

new way

living

way^

because

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Heb.

was a living way.

hitherto been seeking in their

reli-

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

They had thou^'ht

gion only a dying way.

that Divine worship was something which was

good

for

valley of the

human

helping

shadow

they had never thought

;

mainly useful in helping human souls

shadows of

to support the

But when

life.

came He consecrated a new road

told

that I need not wait

now.

be reached

could

told

that

without

to God.

the last

till

hour in order to find eternity, that fiud

Gods

dying,

might

presence that

grandest death of the spirit was the love, that the

man was lioly,

body a

for a

living sacrifice,

Father, shall I ofier Thee only

last

me Thy living way. Teach me Him who offered up His soul from

Teach

hours? life

dawn

most reasonable service

to present his

the

life

acceptable unto God.

My the

the

souls to cross

who poured out

to dark unceasingly,

life's

altar

His childhood, His youth, His

manhood, one by one

;

who gave Thee

in turn

His Bethlehem, His Nazareth, His Calvary.

Help me

to climb

with

Help me through His spirit.

Let

not

Him

the living way.

Spirit to yield thee w9.it

to yield it

till

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT, dying Lour.

Give

the midst of

life,

the power of death in

the surrender of the will

amid the haunts of men.

In the scenes of

busy labour, in the paths of anxious

toil,

the struggles for daily bread, in the hours of silent trouble, in

and in

ness

ance, help

sorrow and in joy, in sick-

health, in poverty

;

spirit

to yield

then shall

life

in abund-

soul to Thee and

commend my on earth be the way

Thy hands

say, "Father, into

and

to heaven.

XXXVI.

THE PROGRESS OF THE DIVINE **

Ju?r therein is the righteousness

faith to faith

From

faith to faith

Gospel

Therein

life.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Rom.

God i.

LIFE.

so runs the course of the is

revealed the earthly

progress of a divinely-human soul.

Him the

from

revealed

17.

see

rising

from peak to peak in the ascent of

mount

of God, climbing the spheres of

earth from faith to faith. in the

home

life,

First there

faith

content to be in subjection,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

aud waiting I

Next there

time.

its

he banks of Jordan, dedicating

Father s ness

—

Then

will.

its

itself

on a

prove in temptation the

own vow.

comes a higher

faith

conies faith in the wilder-

faith that can

strength of

test

still

By and by

—

there

proved

faith

sorrow, faith under that Gethsemane shadow

which hid the very is

faith in death

—

face of God.

Lastly, there

faith strong in the

utmost

weakness, crying with a loud voice, " It

finished

Son of Man, Son of God, who hast been content to rise from the valley of my childhood, let rise

ascend on steps of Thee.

through the stages of Thy

to faith.

Give me the

obscurity amid the

life.

Give

itself

amid the

Give

mount

the

life

Let

from

faith

faith that can wait in

trivial duties of the

the faith

home

that can dedicate

vision of an opened heaven. faith

that can stand on the

of temptation and see the

kingdoms

the world and the glory of them, and say,

**Thee only shall I serve."

Give

the faith

that can enter within the shadows of Geth-

semane, and believe in that Father's smile

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. which

can no longer

Give

see.

that can enter that deeper darkness portals of the grave,

and

in that

and heart

and

fail

flesh

faint

loud voice, "

grave

death

where

the faith still

— the

hour when

can sing with a

where

thy victory

thy sting

XXXVII.

LOVE CONSTRAINING, " T/ig love of Christ constraineth us^

Strange

gift

this to

narrowing,

straint,

understand

love

—

Cor.

come from love

imprisonment.

enlarging,

love

v. 14.

— conI

can

liberating,

love bringing out into the boundless expanse

and crowning with the mercies of freedom; but love constraining! ling thought.

times

how

—

a startling, a repel-

have asked myself a thousand

the constraints of this world are

to be explained consistently with the love of

God.

have tried a hundred solutions of the

problem how Divine love can co-exist with so

many human

limitations, but

no solution

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

mine ever reached the boldness of here told that there at

all,

that there

no need of reconciliation

nothing to be reconciled,

that between love and constraint there

ground of controversy. straint gift to

itself

told that con-

the gift of love,

soul.

this.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;God's

first

told to see a friend

in that which I held to be an enemy, to claim as an ally the imagined foe of

Love comes

happiness.

my human

me with

a bitter

cup in her hand and says, *'This cup gift to thee

My should

soul, first

drink tLou and be refreshed."

marvel not that the love of God manifest

the

straint

human

fatherhood.

first

itself in

gift of all

Was

childhood developed by

Con-

thy pain. love

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;even

not thine earthly sacrifice,

by obedi-

ence to a law whose meaning thou couldst not see

Did not thine

through a path of crushing of thine

early intelligence

tears,

individual

will

and the

constraint of tliine impetuous passions

path of tears

expand

expand through the

was an unconscious rainbow

led thy soul aloft on an arch of triumph.

Thy ;

was only from the summit of the arch that

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. thou couldst path of

tell

tears.

how

When

retrospect.

was thy

really glorious

shall it be

with thy larger

from the summit of a com-

pleted experience thou shalt look back, thou shalt marvel at the glory of the way.

The most

way shall just be the when thou wert passing by, appeared have no glory. The places which shall be

glorious spots of that

spots that, to

most

with light shall be thy dark places

filled

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

scenes that seemed to thee thy blots on

the page of

life.

were thy true

Thou gifts

shalt see that in these

of fortune.

Thou

shalt

learn that the days called 'adverse were the

making tual

of thee, that the seasons of thy spiri-

growth were the hours of thy night.

And when thou

countest up the gifts of Divine

love, thou shalt class

them

all

those

amonost the

that,

brifjhtest of

the course

of the

journey, came to thee as denials of thy prayer;

upon the crosses of thy life and " Bay, The love of Christ constrained me." tliou shalt look

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

XXXVIII.

HUMAN INSTRUMENTALITY. '^

And He

took the seven loaves

and brake

thanks^

and

the fishes^

and gave

than,

a?id the disciples to the multitude.^''

And

spiritual

there

His

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Matt.

the

natural

Christ was here breaking the bread

multitude, but

does not give

multitude directly

medium. disciples

and

and gam disciples^

xv. 36.

secondary causes in the

are

well

;

puts

gives

world. to

the

through a

into the hands of the

tells ihevfi to

give

;

the Divine

blessing comes through a secular cliannel. is

sends the bread to feed it

through

earthen

earthly ministers,

laws which I

troubles

humanity.

sends

call life's

which

sends

I it

call

sends

sometimes in

call nature's laws,

changes which the

vessels.

but

soul,

.So

ever with the providence of God.

through the through the

changes, through the

troubles

by the most common-

place conveyances, by the most trivial incidents,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

by the most unlikely contingencies of the messengers

presence

wilderness

emissaries

life,

Elijah

tho

instant

fed

All

the

however unplensing, are

some sense ministering

come

these.

every

untoward as

influences of

in the

of God.

marvel that the ravens fed

;

moment

every day, every hour, every

even the

;

lives

into conflict with

mine are uncon-

sciously ministering to mine.

The bread from

that

the hands of

my God

reaches

through the

myriad bands of men.

make me one

Lord, I

must be

things

But

Thy secondary

so with or without

must bend is

not witliout

serve Thee.

will, for all

Thy Divine

causes.

purpose.

will that I desire to

would not be a mere mechanical

Thy universe, like the sun by day or moon and stars by night I would serve

agent in the

;

Thee voluntarily,

freely, designedly.

be the conscious distributer of

would

Thy bread

the famished crowd, the conscious minister of

Thy

strength to the fainting multitude.

would take into

hands the bread which

Thou hast broken, and

turn

would

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

break

anew.

would receive from Thee

Thine own

spirit of sacrifice

love.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Thy

life

own human burden,

the burden of

sympathy

with the wants and woes of man. receive from

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Thee Thy

power and the

the

broken

would receive from Thee Thine

best,

Thy

would

divinest gift

Help me

will to give.

what Thou hast given to me. That which Thou hast given me Thyself Thou hast broken for me is more than the

to give to others

bread

it is

;

spirit of

Help

self in

Thine own

Give

spirit.

Thiue to break

for

to lose myself for him, to forget

stripes,

identified with

him that

common

cross

to bear

then shall

Thou

my-

with

afflicted

pained with his sorrows, humi-

liated with his humiliation.

;

that

Let

him, to hide myself in him.

be wounded with his wounds, his

brother man.

between I

Let

there

us,

one

shall

be so be oue

common

load

break for him the bread

hast broken for me.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

XXXIX.

THE CHOICE OF MANHOOD, ^^

By faith

Moses,

when he was come

called the son

to years, refused to he

of Pharaoh^s daughter ; estee?ntng the

reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt,^'

The

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Heb.

xi.

24, 26.

how

reproach of Christ!

a motive to Moses thing

about Christ

could that be

Did Moses know any-

Perhaps

not,

He was

was bearing His reproach.

but

passing

through in anticipation that very choice of alternatives

whose decision constituted

What was

reproach of his Lord. of Christ?

mount

of temptation,

was put a separate cup of

the reproach

was His preference

internal to the external.

worldly glory,

into

and

the

stood on the

into

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;into the the

the

each

hand

one a cup

other a

cup of

He chose the latter, and that was His reproach He preferred the service spiritual

sacrifice.

;

of His Father to the kingdoms of the world

and the glory of them.

Even

so did

Moses by

the power of the selfsame spirit; he refused

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, he

down

chose rather to go

into the valleys to

with the spirit

Uncommunion divinely human, in sympathy of Him who preferred the cross

to the visible

crown

suffer affliction with the people of God.

consciously to himself he was in

with the

life

;

he was bearing the re-

soul, there is a

time when thou too art

proach of Jesus.

My called

There

to is

stand upon the mountain's brow.

a time

when

to thee, as to Moses, there

comes a choice of alternatives, when the sures of life

the

Egypt

lie

on the one hand and the

of sacrifice besets thee on the other. crisis-hour

trea-

all

thy

life

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

It is

hour in

which thou hast finished the ascending course

summit the What shall that man-

of youth, and hast reached at

tableland of manhood.

hood be

on thy decision of

answer must depend. of visible glitter and

pomp and

selfish

Shall

its

this choice the it

be a

empty show,

manhood

of outward

ambition, of Judaic

and Messianic majesty

or shall

pride

be a man-

hood of human care and individual sympathy, of heartfelt responsibility

and

sacrificial love.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT, of earnest devotion

This soul.

Thee.

and Christ-like stooping

the hitest choice of thy youth,

Son of Man, help me

O my

to choose with

Help me to refuse the gold and take

Help me

the cross.

go down with Thee

into the valley of humiliation. join the

band of human

Help me

sufferers

who have

never seen the glory of the mountain's brow.

Let the sense of a heart to Thine

;

common

so shall

reproach unite

cross be greater

riches than all the treasures of Egypt.

XL.

AN UNSELFISH SEEKING FOR REWARD. " J^or he had

respect unto the recompense

Heb.

xi.

of the reward."

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

26.

Strange conclusion this with which to wind up the eulogium of a human character. We have just been told how unselfish has been the life

how he has preferred the reproach And now the treasures in Egypt.

of Moses,

of Christ to

we seem after

all,

to be told that it

that

all

was but

selfishuesa

the time of his sacrifice ha

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

had a motive beyond the seeking the reward of is

the reward of sacrifice

do good without ful,

last

but

sacrifice,

at first pain-

persevere in the pain

shall at

vanish away, and leave naught but the

virtue behind.

joy of sacrifice

;

The reward of sacrifice is the it is the power to say, I once

be unselfish, but

struoro^led to

getting that as

what

would now be

a struggle to be aught beside.

for

power to

It is the

All virtue

it.

that he was

Yes, but what

sacrifice.

It is the joy of

nature which I ouce had

task, of being able to do by instinct

I once

performed by

The recom-

rule.

pense of the reward which Moses sought was to be

made

perfectly unselfish

strength to give

;

more abundantly,

was the to

give

without pain, without struggle, without reluctance, without one longing

treasures left

behind.

And

memory

of the

verily that recom-

his.

Meekness became to him a

second nature.

The impetuous youth that

pense was

slew the Egyptian subsided into the

was content

man

that

to be slain, to die daily for the

brotherhood of

human

souls, to lose

even his

promised land that Joshua might enter

in.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. mayst have

Tliou, too,

this recompense.

thou wilt accept the strait gate and the narrow

way

in its straitness

it shall

ere

and in

its

narrowness,

long become to thee a way of

pleasantness and a path of peace.

Thou

shalt

be loosed from the bonds that fetter thine

own

deeds, loosed not from without but from

within. shall

Thy

cross shall not be lifted,

be transformed into a crown

shall not be remitted,

figured into joys. love,

;

but

thy tasks

but they shall be trans-

Thy law

shall

become thy

thy duty shall become thy delight, thy

service shall

become thy freedom.

of thy Calvary

shall

The

steep

be crowned by the heights

of Olivet, and without turning from thy path

thou shalt enter into thy glory.

When

thou

hast reached the joy of sacrifice thou hast received the recompense of the reward.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

XLI.

THE VOICE *'

And when

THE TABERNACLE.

Moses was gone

congregation to speak with

Him,

then he heard the

of one speaking unto him from off the mercy-

voice seat,^'

When

into the tabernacle of the

窶年um.

vii.

89.

Moses was gone into the tabernacle,

iken he heard the voice.

It is

not said that

the voice then began to speak

contrary

implied.

have been speaking

;

rather the

The voice would seem all

along, but

was only

now that Moses heard it. Why did he it now ? It was because now for the

hear first

time he had put himself in the attitude of hearing.

tabernacle,

was when he entered into the

was when he began himself

speak with God, that there woke within him the conviction that

God had

all

the time been

speaking with him.

soul, it

must be the same with

thee.

Often art thou crying in the silence of the night that no Divine voice has visited thee.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. Nay, but hast thou only listened ear of sense

hast

missed

If so, its

it is

music.

for it

they

stir

The

;

its

tones

the surrounding

air,

not the waves of the earthly atmo-

be caught by the natural ear ing

God

voice of

Its accents are too still

sphere.

with the

no marvel that thou

cannot be heard by the ear of sense

make no impression on

incessantly,

;

and small

they are speak-

but they are drowned by

the thunder, the earthquake, and the

fire.

thou wouldst hear them thou must enter the inner tabernacle, thou must open the inner

Hast thou not read how in the days

ear.

old the miracle was only wrought to faith

Why

was the miracle only wrought to

faith

Not because God is narrow, but because truth broad. The eye cannot see music, the ear

cannot hear colours

;

neither can the natural

receive the spiritual.

Faith

the vision of

the soul, the audience-chamber of the soul.

Within

its

numerable

holy temple there are voices in-

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

interpreters of

Here music waits watch

for

for thee, here the

all

thee,

other voices.

here sunbeams

mystery of

life

herself to be ready for thy coming.

unveils

When

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

thou sbalt enter

the

into

secret

Him, there

pavilion to speak with

God's

shall

break

upon thy heart the wondrous revelation that all

thj

life

has been speaking with thee.

XLII.

TARRYING UNDER THE CLOUD, "

And when many

the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle

days^ then the children of Israel kept the charge

of the Lord, and journeyed not"

It would be well for us experience.

Our clouds

19.

could repeat this

to journey after

We we

;

ix.

practice

the cloud has come. intellectual

窶年um.

are proud of our

like to

travel in the

men see that we are We make parade of our

strength of them, to let influenced by them.

doubt as

doubt were the symbol of plenty

forget that

it is

the sign of want.

To thee, must come moments of

not a better, a more excellent as to all

men, there

Is there

way

moments when, like the Psalmist, thou shalt cry, " Verily Thou art a God that darkness,

hidest Thyself."

But

not well for thee

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. to

journey

in the darkness.

It is

thee to go forth proclaiming to

not well for the world

all

that the shadows of an intellectual niorht have fallen

upon

thee, that truths once bright

have

become dim, that hopes once dear have become clouded. To-morrow the shades mayall

have passed away

come back

may have deptlis

may

morning may have

;

risen

thou hast im-

with the gloom of

may

not come

Beware,

shall vanish.

what thou

soul,

under thy cloud.

Their day

back when thy night therefore,

thou hast affected

what

pressed thy fellow-men

night

the

harm thou hast wrought

others with thy clouds

own

from

thy restoration

yet

What

on thy journey.

first faith

resurrection

And

of night.

not restore the

thine

and thy

to thy heart,

Beware that

shalt

thou

dost

not journey while the shadow remains upon thee.

Beware

pagate

in the

may

that

thou

hearts of

not

dost

others

that

ing over thee, be

which

only be transient in thine own.

thine to rest in secret while the cloud

pro-

hansf-

thine to tarry within while

the shadow of doubt

overhead.

One day

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

lOO

thou shalt

bless

God

thou

that

didst

not

journey, one day thou shalt rejoice that the

cloud was kept secret in the depths of thy shall uot be

heart.

For the cloud

The sun

of early hope shall

rise,

eternal.

and the buds

of early spring shall open, and the time for

the singing of birds shall come, and then thou shalt

be glad with an exceeding great joy.

Thou

shalt be glad that thou hast not revealed

thy darkness, that thou hast not allowed the impressions of one misty hour to shade the eyes and disturb the thoughts of other men.

When

the cloud tarries upon thy tabernacle,

keep the charge of the Lord and journey not.

XLIII.

THE VALUE OF * Yet

it pleased

shalt

His

seed,

of the

the

Lord

to bruise

make His soul an

Lord

PAIN,

Him

;

shall prolong

His

shall prosper in

days,

Thou

shall set

and the pleasure

His hand."

" It pleased the Lord to bruise

ivJien

offering for sin,

Him

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Isa.

liii.

lo.

Strange

pleasure this surely to dwell in the heart of the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. All-Beneficent.

loi

not the nature of the

heavenly Father to give joy

Does He not

delight rather in the laughter than in the tears of

men

Why then

should

He find

pleasure in

the bruises of that heart in which there was no violence and no guile.

The prophet

tells

Nay, but look deeper.

us that the bruises of the

God were the source of His pros" When Thou shalt make His soul an He shall prolong His days." Wher-

Servant of perity

offering,

wherever the will

ever the soul

given, there

a fresh access of

find

When

offered,

Gethsemane

so in the garden of

did the angels

come

Him

strength which prolonged His days

not when

hand and

said,

wilt."

to bruise

took the Father

"Not

will

with that ?

Was

cup in His

as I will, but as

Him

;

Thou

the bruising of His soul was will,

and the surrender

was resurrection begun.

of the flower brought out

breaking of fragrance

wonder that the Father was pleased

the surrender of His

His

Did not

life.

the

alabaster

till it filled all

its

The pressure perfume

;

box diffused

the house.

the its

recom-

pensed the Father for the unloveliness of the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

I02

past

made atonement

;

for the

sins of the

world.

Art thou chafing under the hand of thy

God seem

thou murmuring that

art

to look

denied

What

while thy will

complacent

pleased to bruise thee

that there cannot

what

Thinkest thou

be a Divine benevolence

thou not that there

cause for rejoicing

being

which rejoices in thy moment of pain? est

should

on complacently while thy desire

being thwarted,

a pain which gives

There

Know-

a pain which

the proof of convalescence, the sign that death is

not yet.

the

There

wound has not

left in

which

a pain which tells that

mortified, that there is life

the mutilated member. is

There

a pain

symptomatic of purity, which grows

with the progress of purity, which cannot be felt

the

by the impure.

wound spirit

of sin but the tender conscience,

can perceive

regenerated

conscience can feel

spirit.

its

own

unrest but the

Ought not the

sight

such pain to be dear to thy Father's heart

must not thy Father pain?

What pleasure

strive to

Him

produce such

can be the vision

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. of thy perfect

what

made

103

with the earth

satisfaction

;

that but the vision that thou wert not

Him.

for

unsatisfied with

But

see

shall

the earth, if

thee

make

shall

thee unsatisfied with the earth, then, indeed, it is

meet that He should be

glad, for,

very want which earth cannot assuredly that thou art It is pleasing to thy

made

for

fill,

by the

He knows

Himself

alone.

Father s heart to see the

travail of thy soul.

XLTV.

SPIRITUAL RESURRECTION. ^Son of man can ^

There

these bones

liveV

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Ezek,

xxxvii. 3.

are four degrees of wonderfulness in the

Some

Divine miracle of raising the dead. like the

daughter of Jairus

are

corruption has

;

but begun when the arresting hand comes, and they revive.

Nain

when Some

;

Some

are

the youth

they are already on the road to burial the

mandate

meets

are like Lazarus of

them,

Bethany

"Arise." ;

they are

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

I04

already in the grave, corruption

not merely

begun, but almost perfected, when the summons is

heard,

Come

more wonderful

There

forth." still;

one stage

that of Ezekiel's

There we seem to have reached the

vision.

climax of impossibilities. death that we

see, it is

not merely corruption begun, corruption in

;

it is

not merely

complete

it is

the last result of decay.

merely

not

it is

closing stage

its

disintegration,

The bones

not merely burial,

are already scattered in the valley,

and there

had

Could there be hope even for these?

life.

no sign remaining that they once

The prophet was

doubtful, but

he spake was not.

God than

the heart of Finite

There

love always

whom

with

more charity

in the heart of man.

despairs

;

Infinite

hopes boundlessly, unfathoma.bly.

Love

descends

into the depths to seek and to save.

It goes

down

the valleys in search of the earth's

rejected ones.

It inquires for the lepers, the

demoniacs, the Magdalenes

has

cast

out.

weeps

Jerusalem over which

whom

for

the world

those ruins of

man rejoices, and

its tears

are not unprophetic of a redemptive hope.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

soul,

never lose thy hope in the

the

fire

soul.

may have descended, however may be its valley, keep warm for

However low humiliating

105

of thy

Though

charity.

though corruption be begun,

already dead,

though corruption be completed, though the last stage of disintegration

for

Let thy hope be the measure of

still.

thy love hope.

;

be perfected, hope

where there not

It is

that thy love to despair of

love there

when thy

Go and

devotion anew at the heart of

borne light

its sins

and

whilbt

all

blackest

kindle thy

Him who

has

Go and His life, who

carried its sorrows.

thy torch at the glow of

believed

Art thou tempted

strongest.

humanity

vision

must be

things and hoped

He endured

all

things.

things even

Then

shalt

thou despair no more, for in that glass of love wherein thou shalt behold shalt see His glory to be a

His glory, thou

ransomed souL

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

Io6

XLV.

RELIGIOUS FEELING AND RELIGIOUS THOUGHT. •*

On^ thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after ; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of

and to

His

There were two

behold the beauty of the Lord,

life^

inquire in

temple.'^

reasons

desired to dwell in the

wanted

—

Ps. xxvii. 4.

why

the

and he wanted

to behold,

Psalmist

house of the Lord

—he

to inquire.

Beholding and inquiring, the vision of the beauty and the study of the truth, make up together the perfect way. these our religion

Without

maimed

either of

religion.

behold the beauty without inquiring

mere

sentiment, to inquire without beholding the

mere

beauty

both.

Yet there

criticism

;

perfect faith unites

an order in their union

the beholding of the beauty comes

first.

;

cannot with any profit begin to inquire until I

have begun to gaze

reason until

have

marked

;

have

cannot understand the

felt

the power.

Often

these words of the Psalmist,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. "

Thy

send out

the truth

asks for the light before

So have

be with me.

I ever felt that

would not pray

have prayed for light

;

that the house mysteries.

would not ask a

which

I feel

house of cannot

has secrets which I cannot fathom

but

my God

has recesses

explore,

afford

must

for truth until

inquire until I have learned to see.

if I

let

;

he desires the beauty before the

;

knowledge.

and Thy truth

light

them lead me."

107

allowed to gaze on

am defer my

wait,

splendour I can

its

beauty

can

suffered to feel its

right to search out

its treasures.

Thou who men,

suffer

eyes on Thee.

art fairer

before I

all

may

than the children of things to feast mine

not be able any more

than Nicodemus to assign the proof of Thy mission, but help me, unlike Nicodemus, to see the

kingdom

are

still

of God.

round about

Clouds and darkuess

intellect,

understanding can only cry, "

but shall

Thou

shalt

suffer

to gaze

the depth

open the eye of

be independent of these.

and

on Thy beauty,

;

heart I

Thou

shalt

I shall

have

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

lo8

Thy

light in anticipation of

the streno-th of that

liojht I shall

altar with exceeding joy.

the problems of thine

;

life

truth,

and

^o unto thine

would approach

with no other torch than

be Thou Thine

light let

Thy

own

I shall

see light.

Thy

interpreter, in

both hear Thee

and ask Thee questions when I have caught a vision of Thyself; when I have beheld Thy beauty

inquire in

I shall

Thy

tabernacle.

XLVI.

THE BLESSEDNESS OF DIVINE

VISION.

" Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona : for flesh and blood hath not revealed in heaven.''

The Master

unto

thee,

but

Father which

not here pronouncing a bless-

;

dechiring that Peter is

not promising him a

place in the beatitudes of a future heaven is

xvi. 17.

He is He blessed.

ing on Peter already

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Matt.

;

proclaiming the truth that he has reached

even now the heavenly art thou."

We speak

beatific joy, " Blessed

of the dead as

among the may

blessed, yet the living as well as the dead

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

Why

reach the goal of blessedness.

Master pronounce

Peter

because he had reached in to be

the boon only

blessed life

death

did the

was

what

supposed

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

joy

any blessedness

Is there to thee

revelation.

109

equal to that, anything which thou wouldst

choose in comparison with that

Hast thou

too not felt at times the joy of a revelation

which

and blood could never give, the

flesh

rapture of seeing further than the bodily eye

can

see, of

can hear

hearing further than the bodily ear

When

thou hast stood upon the

margin of the shore and surveyed the expanse of waters, and risen within

thee

when

made thy

and wide there has

a sense of the boundless,

the infinite, the divine, what

has

far

blessedness

that which

It is the

know-

ledge that something has been revealed to thee

which

flesh

and blood could not have revealed.

What gave Not the

thee that sense of the boundless

sea, for the sea

the finite cannot

was

wake the

from no material source not reveal is

in heaven.

;

itself limited, infinite.

flesh

and

came

and blood did

unto thee, but thy Father which

That was the knowledge whicb

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

made thee waters

blessed in beholding the expanse of

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the knowledge

that thou wert larger

Yea, and that blessedness should

than they.

be thine always,

everywhere.

thou art larger than

For,

indeed,

materialisms,

all

Flesh and blood could never have re-

soul.

revealed to thee any of the things which tliee

Even the

man.

make

form of the

visible

Christ would, not have revealed to thee His

beauty

;

thou hast seen His beauty,

another eye than

burned

sense.

talked with thee

thine aspiration has soared as

mount

to the

thy heart

of God,

with His holy

Him,

Him

thy heart has

by the way,

pointed thee

can only be because

already harmonious

Thou

will.

is if

The mutual

of a kindred spirit

couldst not have

thou hadst not been like

for the divine alone

divine.

already one with His heart, be-

cause thine aspiration

seen

it is

can recognise the

recognition

the proof

" Blessed art thou."

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

XLVII.

THE IMMEDIATE VISION OF GOD. 窶｢*

If there

a prophet among

yott^

Lord will maki

the

myself hioivfi unto him in a vision^

My servant

unto him in a dream.

who

speak mouth to mouth."

They

tell

that

窶年um.

not

sOy

xii. 6-2>.

the

will speak

With him will J

mine house.

is faithful in all

and Moses

men

days

old

were superstitious, that they could only see

God

in visions

oldest days of

But

and in dreams. was not

all it

in the

Here

so.

very ancient book which makes the visions

and the dreams the marks not of a higher, but

of a lower revelation. that the most

privileged

were the

men who had

reverse

assumed.

are apt to think

men

of the Bible

visions

;

here

the

taken for granted

that Moses was more privileged than otliers just because he

prophet saw

God

was rewarded symbol,

had no

visions.

Tne ordinary

only in the symbol

for

beholding

his

fidelity

vision,

;

Moses

by seeing no receiving

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

112

dream, but by speaking with

God

in the light

of open day.

For me,

too, there is

deep meaning

words of the ancient book.

complained within myself that

fallen

Often have

evil days.

in these

Often have I

has

life

longed to

get back to the times of miracle, of vision,

and of dream, and have held those to be specially favoured

who were thus permitted Yet the judgment

these times themselves was very different;

commune with God. more the

prized

lot

which has

fallen

It held those to be the least favoured

God

not see

mouth

who

did

face to face, nor speak with

Him

only

mouth, but who beheld

through the miraculous cloud and fore,

to me.

fire.

There-

soul, weep not for the miraculous

messengers, for the pillar of cloud by day,

and the

pillar of fire

higher privilege intermediaries self.

;

night.

than to see

thou canst see

The messengers

Thine

need for thee

God through

Him

for thy-

are withdrawn, but only

because the King himself has come. to

What

hear voices in the night,

when by night and day thou

hast one per-

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. petual voice

What need

special

visions,

tinuous

vision

garment

when

— the

thee

for

sense

all

vision

113

to see

one con-

His

His presence passes by

divine

What

need for thee to receive at intervals the

falling

manna, when thou canst partake every hour

and every moment of that beneficence

of natural

gift

—the old corn of the land

XLVIII.

THE KEY TO GOD'S SILENCE, **

shall all be changed."

Often have

—

asked myself,

the religion of the Son of

Cor.

xv. 51.

Why

Man

about the destiny of the sons of men has told us of

many

revealed their form. explicit,

mansions, but

that

so silent

has not

Other masters have been

minute, detailed in their descriptions

of the coming heaven, but the verdict even of Christ's

most beloved

disciple

this

doth not yet appear what we shall be."

" It

And

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

114

here

the key to the whole silence

reach heaven " is

shall all

were said

be changed."

What

tell

we It

the use of

describing the joys of heaven

not be joys to you as yet.

before

they would

You would not

the child of the pleasures he shall have

when he becomes the pleasantness

these

He would

beyond him.

And why

a man.

because

pleasures

now

shed bitter tears to

be told tbat in the time to come he should rejoice in that

which

not play

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

in study, in

work, in care, in responsibility, in duty.

when he

see the glory of these things

shall

himself shall be changed.

Thou who

art crying for a

new

revelation of

heaven, art thou ready for thy wish it

be to thee a joy

these pleasures should be

pain

what the

Knowest thou not

What if selfish man

that the joys of

love are not the joys of lovelessness

joy

were open to thy ;

Love's

the surrender of itself; the joy of love-

lessness is the keeping of

thee

Woull

there were revealed to thee

the pleasures at God's right hand

calls

itself.

vision, the siglit

thou mightst

call for

might

heaven startle

the rocks to hide

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. mouu tains to cover To make the revelation

115

thee, for the

thee from the

view.

a joy to thee

thou thyself must be changed into the same It is not every soul that can rejoice to

image.

be a ministering spirit sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation

must

would not

is life.

It is

death were abolished

free thee

from that need. ;

not death that brings thy change;

Thou needst not

the Spirit of the Christ.

wait for death to

thy change,

find

twinkling of an eye.

for

moment,

Spirit too can transform in a

shall

to rejoice in it fully

not death that demands thy change

It is

it is

be changed.

all

to-day

;

the

in the

Blessed are they

who

not taste of death until they shall see

the kingdom of Gud.

XLIX.

PEACE BETTER THAN JOY. **

Son,

thou art ever with me, thine.'^

The

elder brother

and

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Luke xv.

all that

have

31.

was surprised at the prodi-

gal's joy, surprised that

such a joy should have

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

Ii6

He saw him

been vouchsafed to him.

in the

experience of a rapture which he himself had

never possessed and could not

and

thing.

seemed

for

He had

lived all his

now command,

the time an incongruous life

in his father's

house, and had never strayed from the haunts of home, yet he

human

of the

wakened

spirit

;

his brother

the thought

heart was on inferior

had never known the ecstasy

fire

Him

the elder son

calm ? Not " Son, thou art ever

this greater

so thought the Father. all

had only now

home, and his

Was

with joy.

by reason of

with me, and

that I have

thine."

the greater calm was a proof of greater

nearness.

was just because there had been

no interruption in the home-life that there was This

no place for ecstasy.

aught but music

;

beauty,

wherefore

man had never seen

never heard

aught but

should he cry out in rap-

ture at a scene or break forth into ecstasy at a

song

God's breath was in him every moment,

every hour, every day cited

;

why

should he be ex-

by that which to him was no new thing?

Verily, peace

than joy.

was from him a higher tribute

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

soul,

do not undervalue thy peace.

not say that the calm Father's house

tliat

left

It is not inferior,

He who

brighter, purer.

has gone

and wasted

iuto the far country in riotous living

has never

inferior to the flutter that

has waked in coming home. it is

117

may

fortli

his substance

in his return experieuce

a joy of contrast which others cannot know% for

the

transition

must indeed be thinks

it is

night, the

from midnight into day

dazzling,

Yet me-

radiant.

better to have the day without the

home without

without the storm. there will be

There

more peace

the exile, the calm

may ;

be less joy, but

there will be less

marvel, but there will

more permanence.

To breathe the breath

God

atmosphere the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that

highest tribute of Infinite Love

" Son, thou art ever with me, and

have

a natural

the highest blessing, and

is thine.''

all

this

that I

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

Ii8

OBEDIENCE BETTER THAN SACRIFICE. *^

Behold^ to obey

When

is better

than sacrifice"

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Sam.

xv. 3a.

Samuel spoke these words he was a In that

Christian.

moment he had

leapt the

gulf of centuries, and left his nation far behind.

He had

caught the glimmer of a new and

better sun

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

Well might he cry

every man.

men, "Behold

was

utter

Light that waited to lighten

to his

" for the thing he

them a

pain,

the

was about

sense

They

startling thing.

had thought that the crown of sacrifice,

country-

religion

of privation

was and

them that the crown

sufi'ering;

religion

the abolition of the sense of pain,

tells

the overcoming of the

tells

feeling of privation.

them that the crown

of religion is to

obey, to yield the wiU, to surrender the

life,

have a heart harmonious with the thing com-

manded.

Not

the pain but the painlessness

was the glory, not the suffering involved in the doing, but the delight with which the

done

;

to obey

was better than

work was

sacrifice.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. Thou

that desirest not sacrifice, that seek-

but the glory of Thy people,

est not the pain

let

Thy joy

enter into

Let

Lord.

enter

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

you

;

peace

say,

"Peace

give unto you." spirit

the sense of duty

itself

let

;

be transcended in the thought of glorious

There

vilege.

than there

is fear.

Thee still

not ;

Why should

misery

why

measure

should grace be

low

Thee there

When

shall

I shall

touch

be no more penance, no more sea,

no more

sacrifice.

I shall

have reached that perfect obedience which perfect love, and ness.

my penance that brings me near to is my penance that proves me to be

distant from Thee.

night, no

pri-

no pain in love any more

high when the temperature of nature It is

that

be dead to the law through His

of universal love

piety

whose

will, into that rest

under the shadow of a cross couhl I leave with

joy of

that joy

into

Thy

delight was to do

Let

119

The chains

therefore shall

perfect

fall

painless-

from me,

the

clouds shall melt from me, the shadows shall fly

from me, and in the

spirit of

conquered not only death but

Him who

has

sacrifice, I too

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

120

shall

to say, " Lo,

be able

come

I delight

;

do Thy will"

LI.

THE CURB FOR "

And Elijah

PAIN.

and do as thou me thereof a little cake first^ and after make for thee andfor

said unto hery Fear not ; go

hast said

but make

and bring it unto me^ i Kings xvii. thy Sony

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

13.

A WONDERFULLY suggestive picture phet of

God

revelation of

coming plenty, faith

strange to say, she

the

coming.

But

its

to begin her

Her

getting but by giving. to

woman and He tells

brings to a starving

work on the

The pro-

first

work not by gathering

be not for herself but for another

God make

prophet of

and

after

not wonder think that

Make me a

for thee

and

for

her

little

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

cake

thy son."

such a command.

for the first,

Do not

implied any coldness in the heart

of the prophet,

any

indifference

human

want, any ignorance of the pains of poverty.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. It

121

was a command sublimely benevolent,

reaching in

its

Is not

maij.

far-

appreciation of the needs of

our

need, whether in things

first

spiritual or things temporal, to be lifted out of

ourselves

Self-thought

of our pain.

it,

are

will

me no good

increased

will only be

me remember that other weighed down by the same

Let

meditation. souls

the deepest source

oppressed with the burden

and heat of the day dwell upon

also

burden and the same heat, that other hearts

heavy with a

are also

I shall fore,

remember

If I can

ness.

shall fall

from

if I

this,

my own

can give

first

soul, there is for thee a

are in trouble. is

others

Art thou in bereavement its

a fellowship in the mystery.

thought for those who

sufi'er

and look around

bound

vacant chair.

Art thou perplexed with mystery

estl arise

There-

deep meaning

Art thou in trouble

not a house without

hearts to be

burden

to others

be stroDg to procure for myself.

in this picture.

there

;

and laden-

like labour

thou hast

Hast thou no

what thou thee.

suffer-

There are

like thine, there are tears

to be dried like thine, there are days to be

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

122

Thy very sorrow

illumined like thine.

put a

and

gift into

thy hand

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;sympathy. own strength

the store of thine

increased.

has

Give

it,

shall

forth from thyself but for an

hour, and verily on thy return thou bhalt find

the old place radiant with a ful

new

light, beauti-

with a new glory, holy with a new

spirit

the Spirit of the Lord,

LII.

GOD'S PROMISE OF PROSPERITY, " Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.''

Our

first

thought

what an incentive

is,

fine

to the good

"Who would not be a

and

what

saint to

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Ps.

grand promise,

man

to he

good

have such purple

and sumptuous faring every

linen

have a passport through the world to

clay, to

fortune, to be promised that in all things he

should prosper? it

true

Do we

Our second thought

in whatsoever he doeth

seem

as if the

is,

see that the saint prospers

man

Does

God were

not rather the

man

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. special burdens, labouring

heavy laden thought

Does

above

his

others,

Our

third

have we rightly read the promise

is,

Is it really said that tlie

thing very different

The

shall pros-

Whatsoever he

Psaluiist

thinking of the mau, but of the work. prosperity which he promises

mean

Nay, but some-

said,

prosper."

shall

tiikeu it to

good man

per in whatsoever he doeth

doeth

more than

fellows.

mean what we have

123

not Tlie

not the earthly

triumph of the individual, but the earthly

triumph of the truth which he

The man himself may

die

ere his

and the commonplace Joshua enter

shall

iu,

Does

found

this

again

cannot do

after

his

room

so.

many days

it :

shall prosper."

seem to thee a

reading of the promise

there

but his work shall not die,

Whatsoever he doeth

God

work be

Moses may sink weary by the wayside

done.

may

proclaims.

less

glorious

man of man of God

If thou art a

the

nothing so dear as the work of God.

promise would to him he so sweet as the

prosperity of that work, not even the promise

of his

own

prosperity.

Art thou dearer to

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

124

thyself than tliy fit

work

then thou art not yet

stand on

If thou shalt

to be a worker.

Mount Nebo and behold the Promised Land of thine own labours which yet thou thyself never reach, wilt thou

shalt

Joshua

shall enter in

written of thee, natural

his

If so, it shall not be

His eye was not dim, nor

strength

spirit of Christ

weep because

be thine,

thyself in thy labour,

But

abated."

thou shalt merge

Thou

undimmed. of thy soul

travail satisfied

is,

shalt

and shalt be

indeed, a

see

satisfied

tears.

Thy

surest

word

prophecy shall be thy highest source of ing

the

because others shall reap in joy what

thou hast sown in

the

thou shalt lose thyself

in the glory of thy mission, thine

vision

Whatsoever he doeth

bless-

shall prosper."

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

125

LIIL

FIRST MANIFESTATION.

SIN'S

**And he

them

sent

diligently

Bethlehem^

for the young child ; and when ye have

found Him,

bri?ig

and worship Him

There

again, that

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Matt.

if it did,

;

If it evil

me word also."

ii.

I may

cof?ie

Sin never reveals itself at the

is.

outset as sia repelled.

and said. Go and search

;

we should

at once be

came to the youth and

follow me,"

there

said,

any youth

who would obey it ? The spell is broken when Satan declares himself to he Satan, when he says in so many words, ** Fall down and worship me." But when the tempter in the nation

first

own So

comes

to the soul

dress

he comes in the dress of virtue.

far

;

fr>m appearing as the

he professes to be the

and

true.

enemy

he comes not in his

solicitor to evil,

ally of

what

good

proclaims not himself as the

of the Christ, but as one

who would

support and further the cause of Christ. allurement of vice

is its

The

resemblance to virtue

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

126 it

adorns

itself in

borrowed

robes.

assumes

the counterfeit of that freedom which belongs

only to the Spirit of the Master.

youth say, "

do not care,"

It bids the

in counterfeit of

that divine carelessness which has cast

dens on the Lord.

counterfeit

Christian self-surrender.

bur-

him a prospect

It offers

of self-abandonment

its

It tells

him

of to

the

break

the shackles of authority and come out into the open plain, in counterfeit of that holier

consciousness, " I

might

live

dead to the law that

unto God." the seeming resemblances

soul, distrust

between the kingdom of Herod and the king-

dom

of Christ.

There

not, there

be,

an alliance between them

lies

on the surface.

libertinism

not liberty

conquest of care

Go and

License

;

self-will

never can

tlieir

;

likeness

not freedom

recklessness is

;

not

not manliness.

search diligently for the

young

child,

and when thou hast found Him, thou wilt find that Herod could never have worshipped

Him.

Their unlikeness will grow the longer

they stand side by

side.

Herod asks from

thee at the beginning only a trifling tribute,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. but

lie

concludes by proving thee a slave

demands thy

Christ at the outset streugth, thine

thee

127

all,

It is

free.

but

;

heart, thy

ends by making

not Herod, but the star of

unselfish hope that can lead thee to the place

where the young Child

lies.

LIV.

HOW **

T0 know

KNOW

the love of Chris \

Eph.

not say within

lieve

what

faculty

Thou hast

which passeth kjiowledge^-â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

iii.

19.

thyself,

will

do not understand.

thee that

GOD'S LOVE.

not

be-

There

passeth understanding.

power which

higher

than

reason, and which sees what reason cannot see.

Thy

reason can only

of an argument,

thee which lark

flies

weigh

it,

flies

mount on

but there

the steps

something in

to truth's conclusion as the

the morning.

thou canst

Thou

not measure

canst not it,

thou

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

128

name

canst not with accuracy even lifts

standing,

regions

into

tliee

yet

beyond thine under-

thee

carries

transcend thy reason,

it,

into

worlds which

passeth the powers of

knowledge.

There are two things which pass thy know-

two things which

ledge in the sphere of faith,

thou canst not know by the understanding the peace of Christ and the love of Christ. All reason would say that impossible.

How

can a

their existence is

man have

the waters are swelling round

man

be divinely loved ere he

lovely

come through shut doors tell,

yet

Thou knowest storm

;

yet divinely

Yet the peace and the love

cannot

him is

when how can

peace

we is

feel

alike

how they come we

;

that they are here.

His peace by thy calm

unrest could never have created

rest.

His love by thy want in affluence the earth and the fulness thereof could never have made thy thirst for heaven. It is by thy longing for Him thou knowest Thou could st not that He longeth for thee. Thou knowest

;

Him if He Thy love for Him

have panted for

had not panted

thee.

for

to His love for

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. thee what the sunlight on the sea

sunshine in the sky diffusion

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a

reflex,

129 is

to the

a mirror, a

thou art giving back the glory that

;

has been cast upon the waters. tion of thy

life

Him,

In the attrac-

in the cleaving of

thy

Him, in the soaring of thy spirit to Him, thou art told that He is near thee. In

heart to

all

that

thou hast done and thought and

suffered for His sake, in all that thou hast pur-

posed and planned and achieved for His vice, in

ser-

every movement wherewith thy spirit

has vibrated at the sound of His name, thou hearest the beating of His pulse for thee, thou

knowest that

loves thee.

LV.

THE BOLDNESS OF CHRISTIAN HOPE. " TAaf ye might be filled with all the fulness of God:*-^

Eph.

What

iii.

19.

an aspiration for a band of fishermen,

peasants, slaves

was an aspiration

after

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

133

more than Eoman dominion,

after more than proudest dreams of PanThe Judaic empire. The theism never dared to soar so high. Brahman had aspired to be lost in God, to

have the

little

spark of his individual being

absorbed in the mighty

of the universe;

fire

humility than

that was rather

was a company of

men

Here

pride.

aspiring to reach

God

yet not to be lost in God, aiming to touch the brightness of the Infinite Glory without losing

the spark of their

own

individual being.

Was

not this presumption, was not this impiety,

was not

this fitted to destroy all the tender

graces of the Christian spirit

life

?â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

the meekness of heart which earth.

poverty of

which had been promised the kingdom,

was

to inherit the

God with whose His name fulness they desired to be filled ? was Love. If His name had been aught else than Love the desire of these men would have Nay, but who was

this

But

been indeed presumption. with the fulness of love

not pride

deepest, the most intense humility. is filled

with love

thereby

made

;

filled

it is

the

that

the servant

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. of

all

be repeats the

;

and becomes heir

life

131

Divine Man,

tlie

To Lim

His burden.

belong sorrows not his own.

labours in

the labour of humanity, he suffers in the tears

affliction,

wounded

His glory

the weak.

is his

in the battle of

That which

pain.

him with God is that which fills him with sadness, w^hich bows him down with the sense of nothingness the love that makes him great

fills

;

makes him

the power that

that passest knowledge,

with

Thy

all

fulness,

made

gentle with

Thee

burden

come

that

Thy

into

Without I

have no

I live for myself, because I

have no

thought beyond

self.

But when Thou

enter in I shall cease to be

become

heart

may

heart

gentleness.

have no humility, because ;

Love

gentle.

heir to the sins

own.

shalt

I shall

and sorrows of the vast

world, I shall take up the crosses of the labour-

ing and the heavy-laden.

by Thee I

I shall

be emptied of

conscious of Thee

myself.

weakness,

all

I shall

In Thy strength

poverty, in

When

pride

shall

;

filled

when

foro^etful of 1

find

Thy wealth shall I learn Thy fulness shall I awake to

my my the

MOMENTS Oh THE MOUNT.

132

sense of

notliingness

servant of humanity

;

I shall

when Thou

become shalt

fill

tlie

souL

LVI.

SPIRITUAL WEANING. '*

When

the unclean spirit is gone out of a

through dry places, seeking

Matt.

There

xii.

rest,

man^ he walketh

and findeth

none."

no moment of the

spiritual life so

painful and so dangerous as its weaning

old

past,

and the new

hardest time to bear

Egypt has

tlie

of Pharaoh,

of the past, and

;

be-

and

holiness,

It lias it

reached the delights of Canaan. stage of prohibitions

lies

pleasures of sin, the

desert has no pleasures.

up the joys

the

The Egypt nor the

Promised Land has the pleasures of but

;

not yet come.

neither

Promised Land, but the desert that tween.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

43.

given

has not yet It is only

forbids the pleasures

has as yet not even the

grapes of Eshcol to offer in their room.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

soul,

thou canst not rest in tbe desert,

thou canst not be only says,

133

"Thou

satisfied slialt

with a law which

not."

a hard

thing to have the old cup snatched from thy lips ere is

any new cup

presented to thee.

a hard thing to have the old tenants ex-

pelled from thy dwelling ere

are admitted there.

It is

any new guests

a hard thins: to

have the house empty, swept, and garnished ere

ever thou hast learned that

for the reception of

new

visitors,

the coming of nobler guests. of sin cannot be replaced

be replaced by a

new

empty

Thine old love

by law

love.

it is

garnished for

;

can only

Thine old joy in

Egypt cannot be supplanted by

can

only be supplanted by the joy of Canaan.

vain to

tell

fear

;

thee to walk not in the counsel

of the ungodly, and stand Dot in the sinners, until thy delight shall be in the

the Lord and thy meditation on night.

send into to

art the

day and

recompense for every

heart the well-spring of

gladden with

its

law of

thy prayer must be

Therefore

Love that

way

loss,

Thy joy,

healing waters the places

that have been left dry.

Fill

up the

solitudeg

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

134

which has been emptied of

tliat spirit

old treasures and

Teach

desert

there

than

all

be found

my dawn

greater riches

Change the

Let law become grace

privilege

When

ideals.

into the spontaneity of a

;

let service

work become play

joy.

past

behind the reproach of the

that

second day.

let

its

the treasures of Egypt.

struggle of

become

swept of

its

shall

;

let

;

let

duty

become freedom sacrifice

the spirit

excliange

;

become of

heaviness for the garment of praise, the old

house shall be empty no more.

LVII.

THE UNIVERSAL HARMONY. "

And I looked^ and^ lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hindred forty and four thousand^ having His .

Father'' s

their

harps." â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Rev.

The summing up tion of

name written

And I heard the

harmony.

voice

in their foreheads.

of ha^'pers

harping with

xiv. 1-2.

of the universe It is

the revela-

not that the harmony

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. comes

but that the harmony

at the end,

The universe

vealed at the end.

but

not

music to our

all

135

is all

is re-

music,

AYe only

ear.

hear a few chords, and they are minor chords.

The minor chords seem stiind alone

;

when they symphony to

discords

they want the

bring out their symmetry.

full

Often art thou

erying out that thou art living in a world of discords.

Thou

art living in a world of perfect

music, only thou hearest but a small portion

Often art thou saying that the

of the music.

coming melody chords.

Nay

shall

atone for the jarring

say rather that the jarring

;

chords themselves shall be revealed as parts of the completed harmony.

not to come,

The melody

has come already

to be completed to be revealed,

;

has only

and then the

harpers shall stand upon the glassy sea.

soul,

bethink

thee,

what

was

that

which to the Seer of Patraos made the har-

mony

complete

was the vision of a vast

multitude surrounding with their praises the

Lamb

of sacrifice.

There was a time when, to

that multitude, the spectacle of sacrifice would

have brought discord to the heart

;

the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

completed harmony est

The sweet-

brings joy.

nmsic to the heart of thy God

the ripe-

moment when I am now ready to be moment all the sorrows of

ness of thy soul for sacrifice, the tliou art able to say,

At such a

offered." life

The minor chords

are justified, sanctified.

get a

meaning and receive a vindication when

Mount Zion in praise Lamb. Knowest thou not

the harpers stand around of the sacrificial

that this was from the outset the goal of thy

being It

—

was

to be

made

for this that

clouded.

was

was dimmed. 1

perfect through suffering

ope was shaken

thy

for this

was

—

innocence was

first

that thy

for this that

that thou

ness of the

Son of

Man

shall proclaim

conquered through the Cross.

thy

first

better than the

The morning

awaits thee a yet grander music

God

joy

The wilderstars

too^ether over thine untried nature

harps of

first

mightest reach

Olivet by the steps of Calvary.

garden of Adam.

;

sang

but there

— when

the

that thou hast

MOMENTS ON FHE MOUNT.

137

LVIII.

CHRISTIANTTY NOT ASCETICISM, **But if we walk in the

light,

He is

fellowship one with another'''

in the lights

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

John

we navi

in the light we have fellowship." What a dijQference between the Divine and the human view of religion Most of us are '* saying within our hearts, If we walk in the light, we ought to have no fellowship." I once

"If we walk

thought that religion meant withdrawal from the haunts of men.

I thouo-ht that it si^xnified

separation, isolation, asceticism, penance, joylessness; I thouorlit that the liorht manifested itself

that

long as

It is

fellowship,

that

from enjoying companionship.

heart

brother-man

;

dark

are both alone.

I will

not reveal

as long as his heart

dark he will not reveal

on the contrary,

the want of His light that

me from having

prevents

debars

says,

never becomes social until His light

has come.

God

by darkness. life

Our

And

to me.

solitude

As it

the fruit

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

138

of our darkness

the

li^lit

would have fellowship.

All

reveal

Who

itself.

Himâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

pants to

light

sought fellowship

ever

and

light

would come we

life

men

whom did He not outpour Himself? to whom did He not reveal Himself? What sphere of human history did He not strive to make His own ? rich

Pharisee and publican,

and

destitute, learned

met them

all.

Jew and Gentile,

and ignorant

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;He

touched those spheres of

worldliness which the world itself could not

He was

touch without increased defilement. the light, and therefore

darkness.

come

light

could touch the

that lightest every man,

into this heart of

mine that

Thy

I may have Thy power of fellowship. am weary of my own narrowness, I am tired

radiance I

my own

isolation

;

I long to be able like

Thee to break through the nie

from the

able like to

Thee

that which is

limits that debar

brother.

long to be

to touch impurity without stain,

darkness

shine in

shadow.

life

without receiving

its

long like Thee to sympathise with is

beneath me, to love that which

unlike me, to

commune with

that which has

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. no voice for me.

Only

When Thou

Thy

for

Thy

sbalt touch

with

presence, I too shall touch

all

great w^orhl.

and they

I shall

shall

mingle in

not hurt me,

its

study

prodigal children and all

;

walk in Thy

pursuits

harm me,

aims and they will not lower

its

heavenly aspiration,

undefiled

shall join in

pleasures and they will not

its

things.

uncorrupted into the scenes of this

shall pass

shall

that

shall

wait

power be mine, therefore coming.

Thee

139

meet with

I shall

garments

its

shall

mine when

fellowship shall be

light.

LIX.

CHRISTIAN CHARITY. **

Add to

brotherly kindness charity.^^

Christianity here reveals of universal love.

enough their

who for

for

them

brethren;

men

Pet.

the religion

that

it is

not

kind to those who are

they must be kind to those

are not their brethren.

them

itself as

It tells

to be

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

It is

not enough

to love those that are at one with

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

140

tliem

they must love those that are uot at

;

one with them. love

;

goes

Christ's love

down

no other

is like

to those that are outside

Human

the pale of loveliness.

love can only

seek her own, can only love that which

Man

herself.

seeks fellowship with

has a kindred soul.

is like

him

that

goes out to meet the

sympathy with

heart

that

heart,

he gives back to his brother what his

already in

his

brother has given to him.

But Divine love

transcends the limits of

own

It seeks

goes forth

the

which

sympathies.

make brotherhood.

not on the plain of into

its

those that are not yet brethren

valleys

its

lost.

own being

to seek

;

It it

;

keeps

descends

and to save that

travels

down

into

the

depths to bring up that which as yet has no alhuity to off, it it

It follows the prodigals afar

itself.

searches out the lepers amid the tombs,

gathers in the outcasts from the highways

and the hedges; beautiful, that

seeks those

who

may endow them

are not

with

its

beauty.

Thou Divine Love,

that hast revealed to

the infinite possibilities of loving,

make

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

Thy

a sharer in

ruy love

Much

life.

but disguised

j\\

of what

selfishness.

I cm II

seek

them.

others because I find myself in

heart goes out to the hearts that go out to me,

sympathy expands

agree with me, kindness.

to the sympathies that

kindness

want more than

but brotherly

that.

want

kindness for the unbrotherly, sympathy for the erring, tenderness for the fallen, love for the

lost.

them.

Thee,

Thine own

own.

Cross

life,

weak

Then

easy because

meet the

life

shall

of man.

love shall I go

humanity, and with every

soul.

of the

it kills all selfish

for other

Then

in the dopth of

into the depths of

claim

When

brotherhood

have reached

the power of universal charity I shall be divine in Thee.

heart be enlarged to

down

shall

human

find

that yoke

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the yoke of humanity, the care

souls.

with the glory of Thy

Lay upon me

ones.

of Thine which

Thy

that

Inspire

shall

my heart the breath my life may no longer

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the joy of bearing the burdens

world's

care

Thee alone

Breathe into

made

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

142

LX.

CHRISTS SENSE OF MYSTERY. "Zr<? marvelled because of their unbelief.''

The lous

ever

Son of

acts of the ;

we marvel

we marvelled the wonder was

wondered

Him.

Him

transcends

much

True, the cause of

in each case different.

His greatness

littleness.

littleness

But have we

marvelled at us as at

vi. 6.

are to us miracu-

at His deeds.

thought that our acts were to

miraculous

our

Man

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Mark

the

;

He wondered

a miracle

when

law of our nature.

Our

Everything

transcended the law of His nature.

could not

understand our meanness of

heart, our selfishness of aim, our coldness of affection,

our absence of enthusiasm, our dim-

He marvelled at it. Him, that to Him it was

ness of faith S(^

unlike

He saw

;

was

all

a miracle.

a violation of the law of Divine

nature, a suspension of the powers resident in

the

heaven-born

soul.

beheld in

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

143

greater transformation than

we beheld

turning of water into wine

that was but the

;

iu the

transforming of matter into matter, this was the turning of

into death.

life

was the

earthli-

ness of that which should be heavenly, the

meanness of that which should be

maj(3stic,

the poverty of that which should be })recious, the deadness of that which should be alive for

evermore

contradicted the whole ranore of

His Divine experience, and

marvelled with

an exeeediug great surprise.

soul,

be not thou a miracle to thy Lord.

Be not thou a thing thee

shall

which He that fashioned

Be not thou

wonder.

His nature as to see^n to object at which to gaze

thine

infinite

eternal law.

His likeness that

a prodigy, an

and marvel.

enter into

order,

Him

so unlike

union

with His

harmonious with

thine to catch so

Bather

shall recognise

glory, shall rejoice at the sight of that

familiar to

Him.

Then

thee no more, for

kindred

life.

shall

own

which

He wonder

find in

Himself

in thee, shall behold as in a glass His

His

much

thee a

see in thee the reflex

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. own

of His

lis^lit,

form, the travail of

the shadow of His

own

shall

His own

soul.

behold in thee what the Father has beheld in

Him

— the

expre»*s

brightness of His glory and

the

image of His person.

LXI.

THE KNOCKING OF THE *^

Behold^

Why

I stand at

does

Divine

Spirit

omnipotent

Why,

then, does

chooses, to

not l)reak

down

to.

not

breathe

will,

blow where

listeth

stand without, knocking

at the door of a frail

iii.

not this

Has

power to enter where He

—Rev.

the door afid kfiock"

not come in

where

SPIRIT,

human

heart

that door in a

Could.

moment,

the twinkling of an eye, and annihilate that

opposing barrier which disputes His claim to universal empire

would annihilate

also the

man

just

He What makes

Yes, but in so doing

man.

power

open the door.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

145

If I

had no power to open or to forbear open-

ing

me what

might theo, indeed, do with but

will,

session.

would not be worth His pos-

would be simply

as the

uncon-

He fills with light, as the winds which He directs on their way.

scious stars

blind

But

The Divine

would not be responsible.

Spirit

which

the

stars

and the winds had been

He would never have said, " Let us make man." He made me because He meant me to be more than a star, more than a breath He meant me to respond to Himof heaven. enough

self,

open on His knocking at the door.

kingdom of

door, in taking the

violence

;

will.

prefers to stand without

till I

I hear, to speak

being

my love,

art

till I

and love

Therefore,

lost

He would

in His, for His

demands

love.

Spirit, that in all

knocking at the door of respond to Thee.

open, to knock

respond.

being to be

Thou Divine life

heart by

His heart, no accept-

ance of a will by His

not have

the

there would be no response in that,

no answer of a heart

tiil

down

could have no joy in breaking

events of

heart, help

would not be

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

146

driven blindly as the stars over their courses. I

would not be made to work out Thy

unwillingly, to

Thy law

fulfil

will

unintelligently,

to obey Thy mandates unsympathetically. Where Thou goest I would go, where Thou

dwellest

events of

from Thee of

life as

have

Thee

;

I would take the

dw^ell.

life

good and perfect

heart open at

all

and winter.

and summer,

;

in spring,

Whether Thou would

in sunshine or in rain, I

take Thee into

Thyself more than

heart joyfully.

the

sunshine,

Thyself compensation for the rain

and not Thy

would

times to receive

at morning, noon, and night

comest to

gifts

would receive even the sorrows

disguised gifts from Thee.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

would

gifts I crave

open unto Thee.

;

Thou

art

Thou

art

it is

knock and

Thee

I shall

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

147

LXII.

MOMENTS OF ANTICIPATION. *â&#x20AC;˘

And Jesus

saith unto him^

I will come and heal him**â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Matt.

There

some prayers wbicli

are

only by

viii.

tlie

are answered

promise of an answer.

The

turion prays for his servant that he

healed

ponse

instantaneously is, I

will come.

experienced this

;

cen-

may

the immediate res-

Have you and

never

have asked something

which has not at once been granted, and yet

we have been made to feel that there was something more than silence. We have felt in our hearts what seemed the prophecy of an answer, a nameless, unspeakable strength

which told us

would one day

all

well.

The summer did not come immediately, but the swallows came into our spring, and the interpretation of their song

soul,

anticipation.

was

this, *'It will

come."

do not despise thy moments of

They have no present

gifts to

bring, but they bring the promise of great gifts

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

148

come

;

they have no immediate answer to

thy prayer, but they

thee of a time

tell

a light thing

Great

men have

his country

no other food in

than the strength

promise?

of a

not that promise that helped him to

climb the

Mount Moriahs

on their summits the great life is

them and died on

lived on

his father's house with

his heart

Was

have such moments

Did not Abraham leave

them.

and

when

Thinkest thou

thy prayer will be answered.

heir

;

and

life,

meet

sacrifices to

which

he was made strong by the power

of aspiration,

by the voice which each morn-

ing said to him, "

I will

too be strong,

come."

soul.

slialt

thou

thou shalt set

out on thy journey with the prophecy of an

answered prayer, thou too shalt climb Mount

Moriah with unfaltering

feet,

thou too with

unblanched cheek shalt meet the its

summit.

prefigure

The glory

itself

sacrifice

of to-morrow

shall

through the tears of to-day,

and the song of the approaching swallows shall be heard amid the snow all shadows vanish ;

from that heart will come."

which God has

said,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

149

LXIII.

WAYSIDE SEEDS, **

Some

There

seeds fell by the

waysideP

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Matt.

xiii. 4.

some men who have no experience, They never gain any lesson

are

only experiences.

from

itself,

life

only from what they

startling events of

They

life.

the

call

are stirred into

emotion by what seem to them the accidents

When

of the world.

death comes suddenly

and unexpectedly they are impressed with solemnity, they are religious for an hour

;

the seed has fallen only by th^ wayside. soul,

so with

thee

simply by the wayside of

waking up

stray

but

Art thou living Art thou

life ?

moments

the

con-

viction that there are solemnities in this

of thine

between the

life

Art thou living in indifference falling of each

new

seed

thou only awakened by what thou catastrophes of

life

commercial panic

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;by

death,

Then thou

ing seeds by the wayside.

Art

callest the

by war, by

art only catch-

Yet the way

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

I50

more solemn than the wayside. thy

life

half so startling, half so awful, half

so mysterious as thy

happens to thee thine

own

event of

wayside are

less

worthy of meditation as

The seeds

being.

Nothing that

life itself.

that

The quiet time

lies

when

nothing startling

eventful time of

by the

important than the interven-

ing space that there

fall

between.

for it is

all,

thyself art growing

the most

then that thou

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

growing by the nourishment of the past seed, and ripening for nourishment by the seed which is to come.

How

shall I reach this sense of solemnity,

of solemnity everywhere and always I

can only reach

Psalmist,

me,

in Thee.

If I

Thou wert

that

would

feel

moments

universal

that

solemnity.

pervading Divine

Thou

another.

only at start-

lose the sense

Spirit,

Thy

presence, that

with

It is be-

life's

Thou alldo Thou impress

Therefore,

art not in

Teach

like the

continually

with Thine all-pervadingness.

that

felt,

continually solemn.

cause I feel Thee to be with ling

Lord,

Teach

one place more than

that I cannot flee from

Thou

art with

not only

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. in the Bethnnies

common

toil

and the

Calvaries, but in the

Nazareth, and in the silent So, in the sense

solitudes of the wilderness.

Thy

151

my way

continual presence, shall

uniformly great, and the events of the wayside

no more.

shall be startling

alike

solemn when

ever with Thee.

life

shall be

have learned that

by the

I shall cease to live

impressions of the of

All

hour when every breath

being comes to

as a gift Divine.

Lxnr.

HUMAN

UNREST.

**As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth

All

soul after Thee,

God''

things live in their

cattle

on the

bird in the art

plain,

air.

anomaly

now

xlii.

own element

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

the fish in the sea, the

Thy element

the only creature

art not

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Ps.

in thine element

God.

Thou

universe that

in this ;

thou art an

in the order of creation.

The

spar-

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

152

row hath an house and the swallow a nest but thou longest, faintest

herself,

not found a resting-place in

all

;

for

thou hast

the tabernacles

Thou nrt the lenst happy of all The bird carols in the air all the creatures. day, but thou hast not a day quite undimmed by tears. Why is it thus with thee ? Where-

of time.

fore art thou Jess field

Nay,

because thou hast fewer resources

Is it

happy than the beast of the ?

because thy resources are greater,

because they are too great for the world that environs thee.

because thou art not

and the element in

living in thine element,

which thou

livest

not

adequate

thy

TIjou hast capacities for boundless

powers. flight,

and thou

irea

thou art made for God, and thou art

;

art chained within a limited

narrowed to the dust. not happy

unhappy. air

;

No wonder

thou art

thy greatness makes thee

thou hadst been a bird of the

thou wouldst have carolled like him, but

because thou art more thou hast no unclouded song.

And

yet thou wert

Thou wert not only made

made

for

vorld. thou wert designed for

for

song.

song in a future it

here.

Thou

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

153

beyond

art promising thyself joy in regions

the grave, but the only element that can give

thee joy

joy

The atmosphere now. it

hero as well as there.

of the Divine surrounds thee

Thou needst not wait

thou canst soar into

;

Thy

on both sides of the grave.

God, and God

for death to reach

Say not that others have

any moment.

their portion here,

but that thou hast thy portion hereafter not thy portion eternity, and

now

as well as then

soul,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;on

;

it is

not of the earth.

pant any more the city of

men.

Thou

God

The can

life,

here,

at the

in the earth, though

Why

shouldst thou

river that

make glad

makes glad the cities of

canst find thine element as easily

as the hart findeth the water brooks.

every one that thirsteth, come waters."

not eternity

portion

the threshold of thy

door of thy being it

Thy

;

" Ho,

to the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

r54

LXV.

THE FIGHT OF FAITH. **

little

Is it

and

life,

coming

thee"

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ExoD. and

little

spiritual

;

did

that

before

to con-

was coming to the end of

I will

would seem

Come unto me

give you rest

Yet

coming to

Him

Yes, but the

two

The

promises do not contradict each other.

which

oflfers

thee

gift for thee

battle

His

struggle is

from

has a higher

than the mere cessation from gift to thee is the

Knowest thou not the Divine

a rest not

struggle but in struggle.

life

that

power

the

within thee

and the power of

all

as if the

were the promise of war.

rest

thought that in

not say, "

ye that labour, and it

from

xxiii. 30.

little

foes

to Christ I

struggle

here

will drive them, out

then, to be a perpetual warfare

only by

quer

little

life's

to fight.

first

fruit

the

sense

struggle.

There

no warfare in spiritual death any more than

in natural death

;

it is

the calm of the sepul-

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT, But the

chre.

rest of

calm of the sepulchre.

and love

labour.

power of labouring

;

God comes The

to break the

rest of

God

Perfect love

Thy

we is

more than conquerors

he speaking of?

sword."

;

all

these

What

" ?

Tribulation, dis-

nakedness,

peril,

Should we not have expected him to

said,

Over

than conquerors so

famine,

persecution,

tress,

have

are

com-

struggle

meaninsj of these words of Paul, " In

things

love,

Hast thou pondered the

thy victory.

thing

perfect

completed love

plete strength for ladenness. itself

155

all

these things

Yes, had he

are

meant

to say

but that was not the thought in his mind.

Paul was not thinking of how we should get

and persecution, but of how

rid of tribulation

tribulation strong.

and persecution would make us It w^as

not the freedom from the

struggle, but the moral exercise of the struggle

that caused his heart to triumph therefore he was not afraid to say, " In all these things we ;

are conquerors."

Blessed are they that are

persecuted/' says a greater than Paul.

does

the

blessing as this

beatitudes

Just because

with it is

Why such a

the fitting

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

156

crown of

all.

mucli to be poor in

spirit,

to be meek, to be merciful, to be peaceable, to be pure in heart

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;but

through struggle, tbis fore by little foes.

and

little

holiness indeed. There-

God

will drive

will not rob thee of the

of struggle

these thinga

all

out thy

moral health

by granting thee a sudden triumph.

Day by day He

shall

thy patience, the

trial of

renew the exercise of thy

faith, the

proof

of thy love, the test of thy temper, the train-

ing of thy

Day by day He

will.

thee a fresh field to conquer, a to win,

till

in the

snemiea."

new

grant

victory

calm of conscious strength

thou shalt be able to say, a table before

shall

Thou preparest

in the presence of

mine

\ MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

157

LXVI.

THE RECOGNITION OF *•

Ife

was known of them

— Luke

Men

CHRIST,

in breaking of bread!*

xxiv. 35.

have often asked whether the departed

will be recognised.

The

recognised by that in

risen

Him

Son of

humble and most human.

Man

which was most should have

thought that the token of recognition would

have been selected from the of His

life.

least

human

parts

should have thought that

would have been recognised by the glory

of the transfiguration mount, or by the old

But

splendours of the miraculous power. is

not so

;

that which connects His

heaven with His

life

on earth

lowliest path that on earth

path of "

sacrifice,

He was known

the of

life

just

ever trod

the

— the

hour of humiliation

them

breaking of

bread."

Wouldst thou meet and recognise thy risen Lord % then must thou follow the disciples'

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

158

way.

Thou

meet

Him by

canst not, any

more than

a flight of ecstasy, thou canst

aoy more than they, find

not,

from the human.

man

for

Man

;

they,

Him by

a recoil

It is only in the sacrifice

that thou shalt discover the Son of

only in the breaking of the bread

that Christ shall be

made known

thee.

Did not He tell His disciples that when He was risen from the dead, He would go before them into Galilee and invite them to meet

Him

there

And why

into

Galilee

Be-

cause Galilee was the region of the shadow of death, the place for the breaking of bread.

Thee, too.

asks to meet

Him

Wouldst thou have a vision of the then thou must go

His humiliation.

is ?

ficial

down

most human

nails,

Lord

see

Him

in sacri-

;

just the side that

keeps the mark of the

remains a high priest for ever.

thou wouldst

That side of His being which

heaven has not changed is

risen

into the valley of

Wouldst thou

then thou must be like

spirit.

in Galilee.

know Him,

that

priesthood;

Him,

must be throuo^h

thou wouldst recognise

must be through the mark of the

naila

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. borne in thine

own body.

159

If thou shalt break

the bread to the hungry,

thou shalt help

the fatherless and the orphan,

thou shalt

the erring and the fallen,

thou shalt

lift

beauty for ashes,

give

the

oil

joy for

mourning, the garment of praise for the

spirit

of heaviness, then thou art bearing about in

thy body the dying of the Lord Jesus. spirit

love

His

Thy

thy life is His life, thy and by the power of a kin-

spirit,

love,

dred sympathy thou knowest His love to thee thou shalt recognise

recognises thee

Him by

that act whereby

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the breaking of bread.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

i6o

LXVII.

THE STAGES OF SPIRITUAL REST. **

And Noah and

removed the covering of the ark, and

behold^ the face of the

ground was

and

the second 7nonth, on the saien

the month,

was

looked^

A fid in

dry.

twe7itieth

day of

And God spake unto

the earth dried.

Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou and thy

and

thy sons,

viii.

13-16.

There

and

thy sons' wives with thee."

are three kinds of spiritual rest in this

—the

world

rest

of outlook, the rest of ex-

and the

perience,

comes to ark

They

rest of action.

progressive in their order.

wife,

— Gen.

a time

when

removed, and

the coveriug of

permitted to

The Hood has not

look out upon the waters. ceased, but the face of the

are

First of all there

ground

dry.

It is

as yet only a rest of outlook, a prophetic rest,

a promise of rest to come, yet even as such

Faith sees in advauce of experi-

is beautiful.

ence,

and

tells

there comes to

that Ararat

at haud.

Then

— the

rest of

a second rest

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. experience itself; the earth

my ark

itself is dried,

and

reposes in the very midst of the world.

a wondrous advance on the rest of out-

It is

look

i6l

;

was then tossing even amid the vision

of hope, I

am now calm

land.

Yet one stage

perfect

;

still

fore still separate

in experience of dry

wanted

within

ark,

from the world.

able to rest outside of

make me

and thereI

must be

must be able

ark, I

to be calm in the midst of that very world

which once constituted is

flood

complete when God says to

my triumph my soul, " Go ;

forth of the ark."

Thou who rest of

Give

art the true Ararat, the true

spirit,

the

perfect

outlook

shall anticipate the

dayspring ere yet

Thy faith

whereby

coming glory, and it

dawn.

calm of experience whereby within

in me.

rest

Give

see the

shall

the

repose

ark, even though the voices of the

world are around me, the power to keep amid

change Thy peace that passeth understanding.

Give

yet one more boon,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the power

highest of

all

ark

and to

itself

and that the

go forth from the

rest in the very

work

of the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

world.

Thy

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

peace

not complete until

resfc

rest in action,

peace

the peace that could endure

under the shadow of a Divine power

not perfect until

to sleep

Give

cross.

me Thy

amid the storm,

calm amid the turmoil, to be restful where

Then

the world finds unrest. to dispense with

go out to meet the

shall I be able

ark of seclusion. flood,

not overwhelm me.

and

its

I shall

waters shall

have liberty to

I shall

mingle in the scenes that once would have

been to

shall

have strength

meet the pleasures that once would have

drowned

destruction.

life

Thou

soul.

life

faitli

shall

of perfect freedom in that hour

s^ialt

say to

spirit,

when

forth of the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

163

LXVIII.

THE ROAD TO GREATNESS. **

So when

they

had dined Jesus j

Simon, son of Jonas,

saith unto

love Thee.

John

Him,

Peter^ these ?

Lord ; Thou knowest that 1

Yea,

Feed

saith unto him.

lambs."

—

xxi. 15.

"Lovest thou me more than It is

Simon

me more than

saith to

lovest thou

these love

mel"

an appeal to the oldest instinct of Peter's

nature

—

to be

his desire

first.

The

root of

his

whole being had been ambition.

liis

approach to his Lord there had been a

consciousness of desire that his

self,

that I

come

coming should be singled out to

James

help

it.

our Lord

his

life.

be bidden

or Nathaniel

superiority

other men.

all

Thee on the waters

had been the motto of that he should

a thirst for superiority, a

from the approaches of

Even

Bid

—that

What was he

more than John

But the

instinct for

was in the man, and he could not

And now

appeals,

than these love

to this instinct that

" Lovest ?

thou

me more

there the old wish to

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

l64

revelation

the Lord makes to the old iDstinct,

vvhicli **

But observe the new

first.

Feed

lambs."

It is as if

he said

Peter,

thou hast been pursuing a wrong road to greatness

he that

;

least .shall be greatest of

be spiritually the most con-

"Wouldst thou

spicuous of the band the

least

all.

proud,

the

Then must thou be most

self-forgetting.

Thou must come down to feed the very lambs Thou must descend into the of the flock. Thou must lose lowliest valleys of the world. through the very power of thy love of thine

own power.

Thou must

interest in the interest of the

all

sense

forget thine

lives

beneath

thou must be oblivious of thy wants in

thee,

feeling souls,

the hunger and

thou must

the

thirst of other

take no thought for thyself

through the pressure of the one great thought

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the burden

of humanity, the bearing of

cross.

Thou glory,

that hast emptied Thyself of

and by Thy humiliation hast conquered

me to be great like Thee in me Thine own spirit of selfthat I may be inspired with the

the world, help Thee.

Thy

Give

forgetfulness,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. power of I

life

Teach

love.

may be

to lose self-will,

strengthened by a higher

the sense of

Thy

and Calvary

Thy

greatness of

shall

become

power,

indeed possess

all

things

and

lost

all-excelling glory.

Thy crown,

self- forge tfulness

my death shall be When I feel that I

life.

Let

will.

presence, absorbed

cross shall I reach

enthusiasm of

gain,

tliafc

be buried in the love of Thee, hid in

and overshadowed in Thine

Then

165

Olivet.

shall be

the

my my

loss shall

the strength of

have nothing ;

when

I shall

least

conscious of myself I shall be strongest of

Teach

to feed

Thy

all.

lambs.

LXTX.

THE DARK THINGS OF **

LIFE,

Iff discovereth deep things out of darkness^

out to light the shadow of death''

The God

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Job

and xii.

bringeth 22.

things which give us most evidence of are just the dark things of life

;

this

was

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

l66

man

the expericDce of the

knew most

life's

Job learned by

his

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;that

stone

the cross is

who, of

all othert*,

And what

dark things.

sorrow we are

our crown, that the rejected

Thou

the head of the corner.

seeking light on the

gloom of death and

But

shadow.

its

to thee that the

shadow

art

beyond the grave

life

light that shall dispel the

turn back

learning

all

does not occur

of death

be the light that thou seekest.

itself to

bringeth

out to light the shadow of death," says Job,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

causes illumination to

come from the very

source which threatened to shut ever.

out

for

from thy vision of death that

there comes to thee the clearest sight thou

hast of immortality.

Hast thou not seen how

often at the evenino[ time there has been

liorjit?

Hast thou not marked how, when the outer

man was

perishing,

day by day

when the

flesh

silver

the inner

was renewing

Hast thou not beheld how,

and heart fainted and cord

failed,

was being loosed

when

and the

golden bowl was nearly broken, the eye of faith

grew preternaturally

heart

of love preternaturally strong

bright,

and ?

the

And

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. that preternatural

brightness

was not

learn that earth

still

could vividly live even

when

had been overshadowed.

live,

soul,

which

was death that life.

do not despise the shadows of

life.

not say that they are exceptions to the

proof of Divine Intelh'gence

when they is

yea,

was out of the

revealed the power of a higher

didst

the old nature

shadow that thy hope came,

thou

that there was

all,

something which could

167

;

do not exclaim

way

are passing over thee that thy

These shadows are sent

hid from the Lord.

to thee, not as hidings, but as revelations of

God

the face of

;

tney come to thee as mes-

They

sengers of light. couldst not

life

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;that there

strouger than the natural

couldst

thee what thou

know without them

thou learn

never failed if

tell

thee

that, if

sight were perfect

life.

How

the natural

life

How could faith begin How could trust exist

there were no darkness?

It is the darkness

from the shadows that

thy spiritual nature

illuminated.

that lights thee,

sense of

human emptiness thou

prophetic hunger which

From

the

reachest that

certain to be filled;

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

i68

thy

phoenix-like, from the ashes of

life rises,

thy dying, and out of thy deepest darkness says, "

God

Let there be

light."

LXX.

THE ARM OF THE LORD. "

hath believed our report 1

JV/io

the

Lord revealed ?

as a tender plant,

—

IsA.

liii.

The prophet

and to whom

and as a

And

man would Who,

so he was.

of the

Lord could be revealed

lessness

arm

in that

seek for

lightning,

in the

power

which

all

times, have associated with power-

earthquake, and

them

natu-

indeed,

the

and tempest,

fire.

life

—

life's

thunder,

But we do not seek

endurance of

revelations

God's power in the strong things of battle,

Him

believed himself to be speaking a

would

all

arm

root out of a dry grotmdj*

naturally believe that the

men, in

the

before

paradox, a thing which no rally credit.

For He shall gro7v up

privations

for

— in

the struggling growth of the tender plant, or

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

169

in the root that springs from a dry ground.

These are to us the symbols of powerlessness

arm

say, the

of the

Lord

Yet, to the eye of the prophet, these things that

it is

just in

God shows His arm

highest revelation of His might ness of

not there.

the

;

in the gentle-

Him who grew up as a tender plant. ? What is to thee the

not so to us too

God in this world ? is it Him who had power to lay What is to thee the stronofest

mightiest sign of

not the

life

doivn His

life.

manifestation of will in this world the strength will,

not

Him who said, "Not as I What is to thee the

but as Thou wilt."

greatest

world

exhibition of unweariedness in is it

this

not the exhaustlessness of that

love which cried, "

Come unto me

labour and are heavy laden, and

you

all

ye that

will give

rest."

Thou Divine power which men called weakness, reveal Thine arm to me. Keveal to

the omnipotent strength that

sciously eulogised in

others

;

thouglit

Himself it

was uncon-

the words, "

cannot save."

saved

The world

was a sign of impotence, but

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

I70

was strength unspeakable, such strength as belonged

only to

That inability of

Thee.

Thine was the greatest force in this universeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the power of love.

was the power of Thy

made Thee powerless

love that

that would not

let

to save Thyself,

Thee turn aside from the

narrow road and the dolorous way, that impelled

the

Thee to tread the garden and Son of

strong

cross.

strength was to say,

to climb

whose

God,

cannot save myself,"

be that strength also mine

;

in me, as well as to me.

Make me

reveal Thine

arm

strong to

bear the cross, to despise the shame, to endure contradiction

against

myself,

prefer

the

narrow path of duty to the kingdoms of the

Make me

world and their glory. trample will to

self

Thy

under

feet, to

will, to yield

crucifying hand of love

;

strong to

surrender

spirit to

then shall

my the

know

what that saying meaneth, " The power of

God unto

salvation,"

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

171

LXXI.

SPIRITUAL ADMIRATION, ^ When we

shall see

Him,

there is no beauty that

should desire Him.'''

The boundary between spiritual

life

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Isa.

liii.

spiritual

death and

Between seeing and seeing the

admiration.

the beauty without desiring

beauty with desire there seems but a thin

but

it is

the line of infinitude

it is

;

line,

the differ-

ence between the almost and the altogether.

Admiration of

Christ's

step of the ladder, but exist

beauty

harmony with

its ideal,

where the deeds of

the lowest

a step.

may

are not yet in

life

but

it is

the prophecy

of the future perfection, the pledge of good

things to come.

soul,

bethink thee, that

which thou admirest must be

Thou

couldst not possibly admire

nothing in

common

be known by like

allied to thyself.

selfishness,

;

with thee.

had

Like can only

love cannot be recognised

nor can the face of purity be

beheld by moral debasement.

Therefore

it is

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

172

that the words are written, "

ness no

man

a threat

;

which

is also

holi-

It is

not

the statement of a divine law

human

anything which

see

Without

shall see the Lord."

Thou canst not

Thou

law.

canst not

not already in thee.

see beauty if thou hast not the

sense of beauty, thou canst not hear music

thou hast not the not love virtue goodness. by,

If,

thou hast

thrill of

Him

when Jesus felt

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;by

of Nazareth passeth

a glow of admiration, a

Him and

a thirsting

that admiring glow thou

knowest that already

Thou

harmony, thou canst

thou hast not the germ of

longing to be like

be near

couldst not kindle

has been with thee.

His presence

His presence were alien to thine, thou couldst not imitate His likeness imaije is

conformity to His

had not even now begun.

the fruit of some

likeness

All imitation ;

does not

precede but follow the conformity of nature.

That to which thou aspirest

shadow

something already hidden in thy heart, and

this that

makes thine aspiration

In the longing of thy heart for of

Man

the

beholds

Himself in

precious.

Him thee

;

the Sou in

the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

Him He

approacli of thy spirit to

His Spirit has

drawn near

learns that

The

thee.

Him

beauty by which thou seest

173

His own

beauty, the love with which thou longest for

Him

His own love, the light by which

thou seekest longing

want

His own

the test of thy possibilities,

aspiration

Thy

light.

the measure of thee, thy conscious

Him

the prophecy of thy stature

beauty of the Lord

in thee

when thou

thine ;

the

hast

seen and desired His beauty.

LXXII.

THE PROVIDENCE OF SORROW, "

He knoweth

thy walking through this great wilderness.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Deut.

ii.

Is there, then, a Providence so individual as

that

Is there a

Divine knowledge extending

even to the greatness of

uttermost loneliness of

that

which

seemed to travel

death^s shadow.

solitude, to the

That was of

walk

througli

the valley of all

others the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

174

when

time

thought myself to be walking

The wilderness was very vast and

alone.

very dreary, and in the midst of

and

its

dreariness

life

appeared to

My God

and vanity.

as a vapour

have passed by on the other out from

dawn

was

all

known

side,

to evening that

And

hid from Him.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; my

vastness

its

but

seemed to and

I cried

my way

was

yet at that very time wilderness and

When

its

vast-

I thought that

ness and

its dreariness.

my way

was hid in the obscurity of a desert,

the very steps of

walk through that desert

were being marked and numbered. fore should I have ever doubted

it 1

WhereLooking

back from the conquered land of promise

can see that the wilderness was do accident,

no separation from the plan of God. see that the

hour when

distant from

soul.

there,

seemed

the Fathers

hour in which

He was

unknown

but not

seeds were being

land

promise,

righteousness.

be most

in closest contact with

Him, the of

can

eye was just the

wilderness was to

sown

garden

unknown

;

that, in the

were to become trees of

There, in what

appeared

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

the silence and the solitude, the chords

heart were being

quickened for of God.

was

Lord

social life

from the glory of heavens

;

before

And

wine.

left

old,

and

shut

past lay

saw the opened

lay the glorified feast of life

was to be made

the desert was between

;

the old

new had not yet

behind, and the

was leading to the new.

struggle,

earnestness

God.

me how and

real

;

for the city of

walk through the wilder-

He was

leading o green pastures and quiet

by the Lord was in Where shall not.

the time

and earnest was

was preparing

Therefore

waters

had

the very reality and

ness was a walk with Him. all

out from the romance of Jordan that

might teach

knew ment

Yet the desert was better than the

come.

was made

Behind

future.

Cana, where the water of

life's

of the city

middle way between two

the waters of Jordan, where

life

It separated the glory of

glories.

was

for richest

heart were beiug

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

me what

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

strung

music, and the pulses of

175

of deepest gratitude

that

place

and

monuNot amid the

I build

MOMENTS

176

flowers shall

when the

raise

THE MOUNT.

O.V

not amid the days

it,

was around me, not

glitter of life

even amid the hours when the a new

life

first

fervour of

upon me, but amid the

burst

and the solitude and the struggle wilderness journey, where, for the I felt

that

time,

first

nothingness, because, for the

bad

time, I

silence

felt

first

the power of God,

LXXIII.

THE SONG OF "

Sacrifice

hast .

and

offering

Thou

opened.

delight to do

SACRIFICE, didst not desire ;

Then said

71iy will,

O my

mine can

Lo^

come.

God." -â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Vs. xL

6-8.

Mine

ears hast

Thou opened."

It is as if the

Psalmist had caught the sound of a

far-off

strain of music, a music of preternatural loveliness.

It is as if

beard before

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a song

said, I hear

what

never

who&3 tones there

not a chord of sadness, in whose melody there is

not a note of gloom, but

only praise

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

And what was

unqualified, incessant praise.

the

burden of

new song

this

One

And

soul.

new message

you that there

there shall be no

now with

with

sacrifice, is

Infinite

when

religion

pain together; you are serving

all

There

of Israel, I

Your

pain.

with

fear,

no joy in your Glory

God

trembling.

approach

your very

;

He was

a time coming

Ye men

was the

who was

the message which

foreshadowing was this tell

as yet far distant, but

drawing ever nearer with a the

which the

Psalmist listened with open ears voice of

177

wrung

are

gifts

the

from you, and you value what you give by your

difficulty in giving

to reveal to

you a more gift,

am coming

to give to

donation that in

am coming

tribute

excellent

all

am coming

way

but to abolish the

abolish the

received before

But

it.

— not to

sacrifice.

your Father in heaven a the years

— the delight to yield

of to

He has a human

never heart.

His service a

which was never before thought to be

in a servant's

power

to give

— the ofieriug

free will, the surrender of a voluntary

will not offer

pain but

joy.

life.

of a I

You have

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

178

yielded up to your Father only the cries of

victims

tortured

behalf a

life

;

yield

shall

constant song of praise.

its

whose constant dying

your

be " Lo, I come: I shall

Thy will, my God." Man, Thou wlio hast ushered

delight to do

Son of

day of painless worship, help

Thy the

joy.

Breathe on

same Divine

Spirit

der without sense of

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

that I

in this

to enter into

may

receive

the spirit of surren-

sacrifice.

Teach me day

my Father wishes is not my Gethsemane, but my will not my experience of suffering, but my power to rejoice in Him in Reveal to spite of my experience of sufi*ering. me that my sacrifice is never perfect in my Father's sight until in the view of my spirit by day that what

;

it is

a sacrifice no more.

able

know what it unto Thy death,

Thy

sufi'cring, to

shall I

cross.

shall

Then and only then to be made comform-

to have fellowship with

be in communion with

learn that dying

life,

Thy that

loss is gain, that perfect sacrifice is fulness of

joy.

There shall be no more death, there

shall be

no more pain, there

tears, for the

shall be

no more

former things shall have passed

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. away, when through Thy Spirit " I delight to do

able to say,

179

shall

Thy

will,

God."

LXXIV.

CHRISTIAN FREEDOM, "

Law

TJie perfect laiv

and

liberty.

of liberty

—J

as.

25,

mind

the natural

these

are the greatest contrasts in the world.

the heart of youth liberty presents itself as the

breaking of law.

young man and is

says.

Why are

you not

to the free?

an unmanly thing to be constantly under

restraint

;

come, break your

master of yourself. every opening it

The tempter comes

life,

That and

is is

promises a thing which

which we ofifers

all

give

—

and be

the voice of sin to a plausible voice

ought to value

to give us that very

expressly came

fetters,

all

value and

— freedom.

boon which Christ liberty.

observe the diflference between the

But now

mode

tlio

tempter and the mode of the Divine Master,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

i8o

The tempter

Christ

You will be free by breaking says, You will be free by per-

fecting the law.

Ponder these words of the

the law

;

Apostle,

says,

The

far is restraint

of freedom,

the

it is

were only

from being the enemy of restraint that pre-

iva^it

vents perfect freedom it

perfect law of liberty."

;

law were perfect,

binding,

sufficiently

could

if it

only obtain an undivided mastery over your soul,

you would instantaneously be

as the

winds of heaven,

free

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

free

free as the child at

play.

thou marvel at this doctrine

soul, dost

Dost thou not know that perfect law

and that where the liberty

Before

love,

spirit of love is there is

love comes, the

perfectly thy master

;

it is

law

not

only without thee.

But when love comes, the law has possessed thee altogether

the heart.

freedom.

has taken thy citadel,

this possession is

thy perfect

Thou

art never free in

any pursuit

until the love thee.

;

And

of that pursuit has mastered

Then, for the

first

time, thy will breaks

forth into spontaneous action,

and thy heart

rejoices in the voluntary choice of its labour.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. Thy most

moment, the moment

glorious

which the charter of thy freedom signed,

to say,

when thou

in the hour I

i8i

cannot help

for ever

art compelled

the hour

it,"

when

love

has become such a necessity of thy heart, such a law of thy

life,

that thou hast no longer any

The compulsion of thy

choice but to obey.

thy perfect freedom

heart

take

thee

taken captive.

golden

understanding,

that, in first

what

Thy

sense of mastery,

time what is

be at

Thy yoke upon me, soul, for the

rest.

free,

life is

Enbeing,

learn for

and know

I shall

shall find rest

yoke of Thy love

and the law of Thy

may

When

my freemy heart,

will.

throne Thyself in the empire of

the

shall

glorious

chain,

Take possession of

evermore. reason,

when love

free necessity, be thine

servitude,

dom

;

captivity itself shall

prisoner,

take

unto

perfect joy,

perfect liberty.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

l82

LXXV.

THE PRESERVATION OF PERSONALITY IN THB CHRISTIAN LIFE. " T/iaf

God may

be all in all."â&#x20AC;&#x201D;!

then, to be lost in

personal

life

God

to be absorbed

in the life of the Infinite

CoR. Is

xv. 28.

whole

and overshadowed

One

to have

no more separate being than one of those

myriad drops which compose the vast ocean If so, then

personality

my is

goal

death indeed.

God

to melt into the being of

a cloud melts into the blaze of sunshine, then, surely, is

God not my life but my

can no longer say of me,

thou shalt live also."

annihilation.

Because /

Nay, but,

soul,

hast misread the destiny of thy being.

God is all. His

not merely written that that is

to be all in

to be

live,

thou It is

all,

universal

not to destroy the old varieties of being to

music

pulsate throagh is

fill

these varieties.

the world, but

it is

but life ;

His

sound

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT, through

all

instruments

varied

the

183

the

world.

His sunshine

but

to be mirrored in a thousand various

it is

His love

forms. is

to flood the universe,

to penetrate creation, but

to be reflected in the infinite diversities of

Thou speakest

the hearts and souls of men.

of losing thyself in the ocean of His love, but this

Love

only poetically true.

where no man permanently

an ocean

loses himself;

only ocean in which a self-love

that he art

;

man

loses himself is

God's love gives him back his

may

keep

unto

The

regains himself in richer, nobler form.

life

Thou

eternal.

not thyself until thou hast found God.

Wouldst thou

truly behold thyself? then

must

thou with open face behold as in a glass His glory.

thyself

Thou wilt never become a power to until God has become all in thee thou ;

wilt never really live until thou hast lived in

Him.

Forget thyself,

soul.

Forget thy

pride and thy selfishness, thy cares and thy crosses,

thee.

thy world which thou bearest within

Unbar

the doors of thy being to the

sunshine of that other Presence that already stands without, waiting to get

in.

And,

verily,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

i84

tliy forgetfulness

surrender shall

unto

self shall

Thy form by His

when

light, is

shall be

love

;

make make

thee strong, thy

thee mighty, thy dying thee alive for evermore.

be beautiful when

shall

make

shall

it is

gilded

thy voice shall be melodious

tuned by His music, thy heart fire

when

quickened by His

thou shalt be everything when God

shall be

all.

LXXVI.

ADAPTATION, **

He hath

What

77iade

everything beautifid in

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; EccLES.

everything

iii.

His timeP

II.

sorrow and

trial,

vation and weariness, and struggle

and

pri-

Surely

these are not the things which one would call beautiful,

and surely much of

life

has been

made up of these ? Yes, but, my soul, God has made even these things for thee, and He has made them to contribute to thy beauty. There

a time in \vhich sorrow

beautiful as

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. there

a time in which childhood

as there is a time in It

which winter

185

beautiful,

is beautiful.

the time that justifies the sorrow

beauty

lies

seasonableness.

its

when

written that

its

;

not

the fulness of time was

come God sent His Son

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;sent

into this world

the greatest manifestation of a cross which the world has ever seen

was the

fulness

of the time that justified the fulness of the

made

sorrow, that

the fulness

of the sorrow

The world had reached that stage

beautiful.

of hardness which needed to be crucified, and therefore the crucifixion came.

day too soon, nor a day too act suited to the hour, So,

time.

ever be, with

late

;

came not a it

was the

was beautiful in

its

soul, has it ever been, shall it

God never

thee.

sends

His

cross into thy heart until thy heart is abso-

lutely ripe for

that would

the

for

the only fruit

Thou speakest

nature,

beautiful.

eye was made

made

until

thy year.

adaptations

adaptation

joy.

it,

fit

and

verily

Thou say est

but there are times

all

that the

for sunshine, that the ear

melody, that the heart was made

Yea,

was for

which

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

u6 the

eye

was made

darkness,

for

times in which the ear was

made

there

for discord,

there are times in which the heart was for sorrow.

visitation

would be to thee the best and thy Father's

costliest of all

thou that the wilderness is

made

thou kuewest the time of thy

If it

are

gifts.

Thinkest

an accident

that which prevents accident, which keeps

thee from becoming a spontaneous flower of the

field.

that which forces thee to hold

thy virtue as a conscious possession.

understanding that thine

clouds into thine

understanding

It sends

may become

faith.

It sends

temptation into thine innocence that thine innocence

may become

purity.

sends be-

reavement into thy heart that thy heart may

become awake If

to its infinite

power of loving.

thou wert a plant the calm would to thee

alone be

man thou

beautiful,

but because thou art

hast need also of the storm.

day thou shalt

bless

as for the sunshine

;

God

One

for the cloud as well

has

beautiful, each in its time.

made them both

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

187

LXXVII.

THE BUILDING OF THE SOUL, *'

And the house when

was

made ready before

was brought

in buildings

was neither hanmier nor axe nor any in the house while it

was

built

ofitom

so that there

tool

of iron heard

thither

in building"

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Kings

vi. 7.

One would

tbink, from such words as these,

that there was no ligious

life,

room

for struggle in the re-

nor in the conversion into that

The whole building grows up

almost mystically, and as if there were

are

life.

softly, silently,

tempted

to feel

no sympathy in that temple

with the wrestling of our hearts.

Nay, but

hast thou forgotten that the struggle was past ere ever the building was begun

thou

ready before

was

a world of meaning clause

they

all

isolation,

the stone

that

forgotten

was

brought thither lies

unspoken

" ?

all

Hast

? **

made

What

in that little

Before these stones came into unity existed in

individual separation, in

solitude.

Before

they

passed

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

i88

had each

into the stage of silent building they to

go through a process of noise and

had each

to be

hewn

symmetry with

into

coming temple.

place in the

There

unrecorded battle of the spiritual at in this

making ready

thought, but

;

conflict,

its

a great

life

hinted

but a

flash of

a flash that lights up our

whole experience and reveals us to ourselves. but

It tells us that the silence is not the first

the last thing, that there for the

symmetry

ere the

a making ready

symmetry

reached.

It tells us that Saul of Tarsus has his struojde

ere

upon

the light from heaven breaks

view

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;that

where he finds

conflict

to kick against the goads.

Nicodemus has

his solitary

his

so hard

tells

us that

walk by night ere

he can take up the dead Christ from the

shadow

wherein he

the

cross

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that

feels deserted

yet convinced by the new.

comforting

many by

this

And

message which

a struggling soul.

thine

solitary

inward

walk

by the old and not marvellously it

brings to

Art thou perplexed

disquietude

Art

thou

tossed upon a sea of doubt and wrapt in a

mist of uncertainty

Art thou experiencing

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

189

the accusations of a conscience that speaks louder and louder every day therefore, there

no place

that

there

struggle of tbine

for

of Christ.

fit

thee.

that

Tiiy solitude

thee

;

it is

sends thee

symmetry

wilderness

the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

This This

hewing

symmetry

not the neglect of

not the absence of thy the eye of thy

He has taken thee up to He may make thee ready.

God upon

the wilderness All the pain

the sign of His interest in

thee, the proof that

the

thee.

thee to be a stone in the temple

thee, thy struggle

God from

just there-

thy making ready.

thy hardness into symmetry that will

it is

;

a place

loudness of thy conscience

that,

for thee within the

silence of the mystic temple fore

Say not

preparing thee for

of the temple of peace.

Thy

the vestibule into thy heaven

Bless the Lord,

soul.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

iQo

LXXVIII.

THE HELP OF GOD. " Ife was marvellously helped

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; There

Chron.

till

in this

marvellous help, and there

there

help.

The marvellous help declines

of natural help grows.

we cannot is

There

world

;

natural

as the

power

a time

when

help ourselves, and then everything

provided for us

xxvi. 15.

two kinds of help

are

was strong^

the bee

;

guided.

are guided

Infancy

by is

instinct

the most

helpless of all periods so far as our self-help

goes, yet perhaps

danger.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

the period of our least

have then God's marvellous help

the provision of maternal love and our

childlike instinct of obedience.

by a thousand

influences, not one of

own

are led

which we

have foreseen, not one of which we recognise even when

appears.

strength grows, is

But

our natural

God's supernatural strength

gradually withdrawn, and

when we have

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. reached

the

191

land of our human manna ceases. Say God has Himself with-

promised

nature the miraculous not that, therefore,

drawn nature

remember that what

;

young and nature

full-grown and nature

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; co-operates

see

wert thee

when thou

;

strong

art

helps thee

with thy nature, be-

comes a fellow-worker with in the

callest

also.

marvellously, supernaturally

naturally

thou

When thou was weak He helped

God's help

Dost thou

thee.

of the supernatural in the low^er than

human

creation

Say not on that

made for man. It is just the provision made for man that has caused the manna to cease. Knowest thou how dear to the heart of God it is to account that there

is less

provision

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one

have a fellow- worker with Himself feels

what

with His own

even the

feels, ?

and whose

time that his being

when he is

that

helping

Knowest thou how dear

to the earthly father

first

spirit is

it is

learns for

no longer super-

natural to the heart of his child, when, for

the

first

time, the heart of his child works with

his heart, helps w^ith his help, strives with his

aim, feels with his desire

That

an earthly

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

tgi

that he

knows

that hour he

father's joy because in

not supernatural to his child any

more, but that their natures are for ever one.

sees

with thy heavenly Father when

His Christ in thee

true parental joy.

the partition wall thee, that 'Tis

then

;

reaches then the

then

'Tis is

He knows that Him and

broken between

heaven and earth have met together.

He knows

that

He no

longer stands

over thee as a lawgiver, or dictates to thee as a sovereign, for

beholds thee strong witli

His strength, natural with His nature,

work with Him, because His

Happy

thine own.

thy strength

shall

Father's eye that

the help that to

work with

which

the

has become soul,

perfected

shall send thee

when thy

no more

marvellous, but shall ask thee

Him life

spirit

art thou,

al)le to

in that

of Christ.

human

helpfulness

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

IXXIX.

DIVINE EDUCATION, * / taught

Ephraim

also to go^ taking

but they knew fwt that

Thou sajest

them by thdr arms

I healed them.'^

that this world

— Hosea

xi. 3.

a scene of proba-

tion

;

God

has placed thee here not to prove thee but

no,

not, it is a place of education.

it is

to teach thee

—

to hold thee

thou shalt learn to walk.

by the arms until

What need

to put

thee into the world to prove that by nature

thou canst not walk thee into

life

What

need to

only that thou mayest

brino: sit

for

thy portrait and reveal thy blemishes in the light of eternity

of thy being

Thy

If this

were

all

the design

were indeed a waste of being.

Father hath made thee for something

other than that

— not to prove

thine impotence

but to train thy footsteps, not to reveal thy

Thy

blemishes but to perfect thy beauty.

God

educating thee.

Very beautiful

the

metaphor by which He describes His educa-

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

194

tioD of the

world

it is

that of a mother train-

She stands at a

ing the steps of her child.

seeming distance and says,

Come."

stands at a seeming distance, but the intervening space

There

of love.

all

She

the time

bridged by the arms

not a moment's break in the

continuity of that grasp with which she holds

her treasure.

She seeks but to awaken with-

in her child that pride of

new

responsibility

which comes from the semblance of being alone, to

make

as if

it feel

by the exercise of its she

tell it

that she

teaching

sciously.

She tempts

glittering

prize,

that the true prize

too,

with

are

yet

bauble

Come

thy

goal.

at the " ;

taught uncon-

bauble,

little feet

their

own

some

know

not

healing, the

of exercise.

heavenly Father.

tempts thee on thy way, on

something which

towards her with some

own power thy

Nor does

to walk.

some bright

sparkling reward, and the

true reward their

were independent

own power.

when we

are best taught

So,

His way, by

not His object, nor which

He shows

thee a glittering

end of the way, and

says,

tempts thee by a promised land

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

195

into a land that transcends the promise.

knowest not that

heals thee.

seems to

thee that thou art being led by pastures only that

thou

the green

may est Yet

flowers of earthly pleasure.

Thou

gather the all

the time

thou art being conducted by a way that thou

knowest not into a city of habitation of which

Thy Father s end for than thine own end for thyself;

thou dost not dream. thee

better

thine

only the earthly Canaan, His

the

The promised land thou art best but poor and fleeting, but in

heavenly Christ. seeking

thy march towards

thou dost not seek

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

thou art gaining what

the lesson of a

walk with

God.

LXXX.

THE SECRET OF THE LORD, **

new name

written^ which no

that receiveth

There

it.^'

man knoweth

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Rev.

ii.

a secret word which admits

the Christian society, but

it is

saving he

17.

men

into

a word that

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

196

spoken

only to

peace.

This

the

heart

secret.

cannot account for it

it,

seems to him as sees

outward beholder

cannot explain

it,

he cannot understand

he it

had no right

to be.

men joyous where he would be

miser-

if it

where he would be perplexed^

restful

able,

The peace of Christ

in the soul to the eye of an

indeed a

the word

the secret of the Lord that

with them that fear Him.

;

calm where he would be appalled, and he asks,

Whence

There

a peace which

does not pass understanding, which the world

understands quite well, and can refer

Wealth, fame, rank, power,

able causes.

dom from

to reason-

free-

the tossiuors and the heavin^s of the

great sea of

human

trouble, anchorage within

some earthly haven on which the storms never blow

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

all

this the

world can appreciate as a

But where

source of peace.

where fame and power are from the storm of anchorage

not,

see

light

rest

not known,

amid

where freedom

not found, where the haven

wonders to find unbroken to

riches are not,

unrest,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;there the world joy.

marvels

calm amid storm,

amid darkness, love amid shadow,

life

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. amid death

the peace of Christ

;

197

Becret.

must be a

soul, it

even after thou

hast

secret

thee too

possessed

Thou

it.

hearest the sound of the wind, but canst not tell

whence

cometh

;

is it

with the peace

When

of Christ within thee.

that peace

within thee thou hast, indeed, a joy, but

a joy thyself dost not understand

thy knowledge.

even

human

lies

;

it is

passeth

beneath

all

human Thou canst no more tell why circumstances. thy heart shines than thou canst tell why the causes,

sun shines its

;

independent of

shines because

nature so to do.

It gets

aught without, nay, everything without is

not

all

has become

its

light

from

shall give its light to

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even

to the shadows.

not kindled by the glow of worldly fortune,

nay,

will

impart

worldly misfortune, touches into gold. contradiction to

its

will

own glow even

turn everything

Divine Peace, that art a

them that know Thee not and

a secret even to them that

be a sharer in Thy power. the marvel of

Thy

presence

Thee, let me me experience within me without

know Let

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

198

Reeking to solve the marvel. tent

to the law of

what

Let

be con-

be a secret unto myself, a wonder

my own

me know

Let

being.

have the incorapreliensible joy,

the unexplainable rest, the stillness that can-

not be stirred though the earth be removed

and the mountains be Let

the sea.

in the midst of the

promisest to

what

it is

cast into the depths of

experience the Divine sleep

waves

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the sleep that Thou

Thy beloved

;

so shall

learn

to possess the secret of the Lord.

LXXXI.

IN THE HANDS OF GOD. " /if

a fearful thing

to fall into the

6^^//."â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Heb.

Yea, but fall

life is

infant

fall

pain, for the passage

ever painful is

hands of the living

31.

a more fearful thing

into His hands.

must be

it is

The

first

still

not to

into His

hands

from death into sensation of an

pain, just because life has

come and

in struggle with the old elements of death.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. There

a fear in

all life

which does not

in lifelessness, for the sense of

nature

log

life

exist in its

But wouldst thou,

an awful thing.

therefore, rather be without it? wouldst thou,

therefore, rather be a clod of the valley

the very awfuliiess of the

for

itself

thy glory.

life.

When

comes

great sense of pain.

with thy spiritual

comes with a

to thee it It

Nay,

possession

wakens thee up

to the

fearfulness, to the awfulness, of being a responsible soul.

thou art in the

It tells thee that

presence of a law wliich thou hast violated, that thou art in the midst of an universe with

which thou art not in unison.

thee into the knowledge that there

within

man

when the pure is

and causes thee

thyself,

wretched

revealed.

life

that

new the

birth.

new

quickens

impurity

to cry

out,

It is

only

comes that the impure only

comes that the impure

The struggle

when

life

of thy soul

the pure

life

begins to struggle. is

the fruit of thy

The old life was a stagnant pool Its waves are its a waving sea.

glory, its storms are the signs of its higher

destiny.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

200

God, Thou living God,

Thy hands; Thy hands that

it is

the beginning of all

Thy hands

spiritual being, in

how

little it

Thee

fall

indeed

hands

out of is

the

;

Translate

Divine.

into union with Thine

wisdom.

so great as

be out of is

the pain of the

into that

own Divine

own.

being.

power of

Thy

suffering.

the power of

me learn my own, let me see

Lift

life.

Take me into Thy hands and hold me Let

into fellowship with that

love which

fear.

Thy

a pain with

not found without Thee, but

the pain of love which

Kaise

with

contact

There

life

Thy

Never-

beginning of

Thy hands

to be dead.

Thee, which

I shall learn

alone that I would

There would be no penalty to to

know-

fears, for it

fulfilled its destiny.

the fear that comes from

;

responsibilities.

Thy hands

theless, it is in

all

;

shall learn the awfulness of

has

into

Thy hands that I can know that to fall into

indeed a fearful thing

beginning of

the

safe.

fall

only in

it is

be perfectly

let

Thy

Thy life how solemn Thy glory how poor

I will not shrink

is is

from the fear of

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. beholdiug in a glass the image of deformity,

ouly

wherein I behold

know

that

201

moral

the

glass

has been fashioned by the

hands of the living God.

LXXXII

THE REVEALING ^^

HHherto hath

the

Lord helped

Father, I

PAST,

us.^^

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Sam.

vii.

12,

ever seeking: from Thee a

new revelation, and I am ever saying that Thou art silent. Yet it is only my own heart that is silent. I am seeking Thy revelation in the wrong direction

and

future,

The vision things

;

life

asking

coming from

past

from

past.

not a vision of old

renewed in the light

The newest of all revelations my past when seen in Thee it

they are

retrospect.

the

lo,

;

like the difference

all

;

between passing through a

landscape at night and looking

down upon

same landscape from the brow of the

the

hill at

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

202

morning.

past

so transfigured in retro-

known

spect that I would not have

that looked barren

when

Spots

it.

was passing through,

appear in looking back as scenes of luxuriant verdure.

Events that seemed adverse in the

watches of the night are transformed by the

morning

beam

into

Crosses that pressed

messages

upon

blessing.

soul in wander-

ing through the wilderness are seen from the

promised land to have been exceeding weights of glory, and

it is

ahnost with a cry of surprise

that I exclaim, " Hitherto hath the Lord helped

The marvel

me."

glorification of

stones which

made

Thy

my rejected

revelation

circumstances

;

its

the

the builder refused have been

the head of the corner.

have got more

from Thee han faith promised.

Faith only pro-

mised that Thou

wouldst help

these circumstances, but

these

Faith deliver

Thou

lo,

only

promised soul

from

Thou hast revealed

its

hast

circumstances themselves that

in spite of

Thou

made

helpers.

wouldst

struggles, but

that

were themselves the agents of Thy

lo,

struggles

deliverance.

Faith only promised that notwithstanding the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. wilderness

land of

rest,

would be brought but

Thou

lo,

hast

203

safely to

the

shown me that

the wilderness was itself the very portal to that land.

Therefore,

past

new

Tbou hast not suffered me to see the hereafter, but Thou hast allowed me to behold the hitherto, and verily the revelation of Thyself.

hitherto

glorious.

vision of the future

glory could to

divine, than

this sight of the glory of

past. tion,

I see it

and

more wondrous, more

from the Mount of Transfigura-

is all

new

;

its face is

garments are glistening.

ment

to the glory of

the wayside, and

my will

Thy guiding

the Lord helped us,"

shining, its

I will raise

past

with the rejected stones that

record of

;

I left

write

love,

I will

monu-

build

despised

upon

by the

Hitherto hath

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

204

LXXXIII.

THE ANSWER TO C HEISTS PRAYER. " IVAo in the days of

when

flesh,

supplications^

and

Him

tears,

from

death,

Heb.

"Was I

His

up prayers and unto

was

that

and was heard

He had

offered

with strong crying able to save

in that

Him

feared"

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

v. 7.

heard in that

feared;"

was

so?

had always thought that His was an un-

answered prayer. from His

Gethsemane Father

Did the bitter cup pass

when, in the solitude of the

lips

shadows,

cried

unto

His

did there come to Hiin that respite

from death which seemed to be the object of

His prayer

Nay, for

object of His prayer

expressed let

;

that desire was

couditioually,

"if

cup pass from me."

this

was not the

that

only

be possiblet

But there was

a desire in the depths of His heart which was expressed unconditionally that His

Divine

humau

will.

will

;

was the prayer

might be one with the

He was

heard in that

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

205

/earedj' savs the sacred writer; His fear ^ras the beautiful thiug which caused His prayer

Fear

to be accepted.

not

ful, it is

commonly a

was there about it

not generally beauti-

virtue at

this fear of Jesus

all.

which made

so precious in the Father's sight

this

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; His was

dread of

human

a path

was

not the fear of death, but the

He was

frailty.

the weakness of the flesh should

choose

What

different

make Him

from the path His

Father had chosen for Him.

afraid lest

He was

afraid

lest

even in desire

less

dolorous than that which His Father had

should follow a road

prepared, and the strong crying of His spirit

came

forth in the earnest supplication, "

as I will, but as

Thou

wilt."

Not

That was the

prayer which His Father answered, and in the

answer to that prayer the cause of His fear vanished.

The answer came not

in the rollinor o

back of death but in the strengthening of His spirit

for death,

not in

the passing of the

cup, but in the passing of the bitterness from

the cup; the garden of Gethsemane was con-

quered when the angels appeared to strengthen

Him.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

2o6

Son of Man,

let

Divine strength.

ÂŁ,

too,

have

my Gethsemanes,

where there are shadows without and within and solitudes around.

soul

shall ask.

troubled, and I know not what I The dark hour which has come to

beeu the hour for which

made, and

dare

" Father, save

shall

with

Thy Divine

Thy

will,

I shall

spirit, I shall

Help me

the yoke of

life

may

to learn

new power

which

TJiee,

may be Help me to

away the new strength of the arm

shall cause it to

roll

be un needed that the

outward weight should be removed. learn of

which

Thee that there

eye sees not,

that

of the eye which

unnecessary to

clouds of night, that

will to

life

lightened without being lessened.

be strong

be eased without being

diminished, that the burden of

make

all

may become

experience

mine own.

experience that

have

Unite

strength.

Thy

that

If the Spirit that fortified

become

Thee

was

But

this hour."

Son of Mau,

need and more.

not say unconditionally,

me from

strength,

shall

fears

At these times

me may have

Thy

a sharer in

Let

an answer to prayer

which ear hears

not,

which

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. history

records

which

207

received

and

recorded only in the silent depths of

the

not,

soiU.

LXXXIV.

FAITH AND KNOWLEDGE. "

^nd we believe and the

are sure that

believe

and are sure

should be rendered, are sure."

Thou art that

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;John

Son of the living God"

;

vi.

Christ,

69.

strictly it

have believed and

The thought of the

apostle

that

there has been a developmeut in his experi-

ence

;

he began by simple

and he has

faith,

ended with assured knowledge.

Such

the order of the Christian uuderstandiug first

believe,

and then we know.

not the opposite of knowledge cipatioij,

it is

the auti-

Faith

swallow

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the messenger that sings

its

the

;

Faith

the prophecy of knowledge.

knowledge what

summer

;

ever

the

coming*

Faith soars up to heaven in the morning and

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

2o8

sees in advance the plan of the unfolding day. It

cannot yet trace the plan,

how

the plan

what

So was

But He

but

trusts

tell

beholds

what

can-

Him felt

He have hoped

should

cannot yet

with the Master when said to His disciples, " Follow me."

first

Why

to he unfolded,

cannot analyse,

not verify.

that they would

know Him.

they did not yet

must follow

that they

Him

before

they knew Him, that they could only come to

know Him through

And

near Him. faculty than

power of

called

upon another

He appealed to the He said, Give me the your souls. I am come to

knowledge

;

their faith.

prophetic trust of lead

the experience of being

you by the green pastures and beside the

quiet waters, to let you

know by

experience that the pastures of

and that the waters of

life

can only come to

know

You must come

life

are quiet.

me your faith.

advance,

But you

without knowledge,

Pay me

do not ask

are green,

by walking with me.

without proof, without experience give

the walk of

will repay its value tenfold

;

you must

with your love in

without return

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;in work, in sacri*

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. fice,

but

first

let

209

cannot work for you unless you will

me work

through you.

your sympathy beforeband.

Grant

the

Grant

may fill your life with my presence. Grant me the steadfast gaze of the eye, that I may transform you into my own image. Grant me the complete surrender of the will, that I may make your mesmeric look of

will

will.

faith, that I

When

will there shall be

have made your

no more room

faith shall be lost in sight,

ye are known.

Trust

for faith;

shall

know

but one

hour

and ye

will

with the treasure of your hearts, and with rich interest I will give

lend them to

them of

them back

with

faith,

you with knowledge

me which

is life

eternal.

shall be able to say, " Once

are sure."

and

you again

;

I will restore

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that

knowledge

In that hour you

believed,

now

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

aio

LXXXV. A PROVIDENTIAL ABSENCE 0^ GOD. " Lazarus

is dead^

was

and I am glad for yaur John xi. 14, 15.

not there."

There may be is

God may be an absence of God

first

glance read the Divine words,

was glad that

what?

a phase of His providential presence.

Strange at **

sakes that

a benevolent absence of

say rather there

which

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

was not

there."

Glad

for

Does He mean that had He been there

Lazarus would not have died

undoubtedly His meaning

Yes, that

says just what

said. He felt that had He been there human sympathy would have overcome

Martha His

Him, and the stroke of death would have been But why be glad for this 1 Martha averted. was not glad of her sorrow.

end

;

it, it

was the

Yes, but

special cause of

Martha did not

see the

she beheld only the closing of the grave

over her dead, not

its

dead back a^aiu.

re-opening to give her

beheld what Martha

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

He saw

did not behold.

211

the possibility of a

greater glory through the suflferiDg than could

He saw

be reached without the suffering.

that the sliining after rain would be clearer

than the light that had never been dimmed with

tears,

and

absence of His

rejoiced in that

momentary

person which had given to

His love so much more power to bestow.

soul, there are times

any

est the absence of

God

criest

visible sign that

thy

There are seasons when thou " Why art Thou so far

near.

in the night,

from helping Lord, and

when thou lament-

" "

My way

my judgment

God."

hid from the

passed over from

Thinkest thou that the hiding of

His face from thee comes from His ness of thee

forgetful-

Nay, but from His very excess

His seeming absence

of mindfulness.

itself

a form of His presence. His refusal to inter-

vene in thy sorrow

is itself

Thy sorrow

intervention.

thy heart, and

an act of divinest His messenger to

a messenger of love.

comes to bring thee a greater glory than takes away. life

make

It it

It is sent to press the flower of it

pour forth

its

perfume.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

212

comes

break the alabaster box, but only that

the fragrance which

may

imprisons within

be diffused far and wide and

of humanity.

He would

not there.

which

itself

the house

rejoices that

not interfere with that

the discipline, the unfolding of thy

heart.

Thy Father

fill

He would

porary cessation

grieve to grant thee a temof pain at the expense of

His best

a permanent loss of power.

gift

to thee has been the absence of His interven-

ing power.

His best answer to thee has been

His refusal to interfere with the discipline of thy

human

sorrow.

His best love to thee has

been His silence in the night, when thou

madest thy petition that the night migbt be removed.

His

silence,

One day thou

shalt

Him bless Him

thank

one day thou shalt

for for

His passiveness, one day thou shalt find the treasures of the night, that

let

and praise Thy Father

thee sojourn there.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

213

LXXXVI.

SELF-COMMUNION, **

Stand

in awe,

and

sin not

heart upon your bed,

and

commune with your own

of righteousness, and put your Ps.

There

Offer the sacrifices

still.

trust in the Lord''

—

iv. 4, 5.

are four phases

the birth

self-reflection,

religious

life— self-awakening,

self-help,

and self-abandonment.

the awakening of

self-life

of the

There

is first

to the presence of

'' Stand another law, a moral law which says, There is secondly the in awe, and sin not."

communing of the soul with itself, the asking of that momentous question, **Am I in har-

mony the

with this moral law?

eflfort

to reach that

shall create oflfering

Lastly there

There

thirdly

harmony by deeds that

the consciousness of merit

the is

sacrifices

—the

righteousness.

the perception that the con-

sciousness of merit

is itself

a want of

harmony

with law, and the soul by an act of self-forget-

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

214

fulness

alike

loses

its

sense

merit and

demerit in the trust of the living God.

wouldst thou reach this blessed

soul,

conclusion

Wouldst thou

haven of moral shall

peace

become

itself

mayest arrive at storm

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a

where thy weakness

thy

strength

but

it,

Thou

must be

after a

storm whose peculiarity shall be

inaudibleness

any ear but

thou canst reach the

its

Ere

thine.

thou must eutor

final rest

communion with

into

arrive at this final

thyself,

must examine

thine old nature in the stillness of solitude.

Thine must be a thoughts

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a

strugsrle

of arms, but whose soreness silence.

How

own

thine

that

another.

heart

" Thine

;

lies

heart

clauir

in its very

Commune with

what converse

own

communion which

that

still is

thy God requires of thee

own

with thine

where there

striiofi^^le

;

so silent as

not the heart of

The heart of another would give it would give less

more companionship, but test

of truth.

Thou

righteousness with

miglitest compare thy

the righteousness of thy

brother,

and go down to thy house

and yet

all

rejoicing,

the time thou mightest be in

dis-

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

own

Only

law of God.

cord with the mortal thine

215

heart canst thou see thyself truly

reflected, therefore it is

with thyself that thy

Father bids thee commune.

Commune upon

thy bed ;" not alone with thine own heart, but

with thine own heart in the in the silence of the is

stillest locality

midnight hour, where there

no distraction, and where there

There thou shalt learn what

tion.

an individual taught

ill

thy

this;

the

the world

soul.

forget

swallowed up

good or

seems an

crov/d,

thou art alone with

Thy very

sense

infinitude

of thy tells

thee

souL

life

thing.

the

But

When

crowd melts universe.

to thee the

Thy very moral

being.

that

to be

thou art

reversed.

of sin reveals

thou art an immortal. heart,

God

it is

and thy moral

art to thyself an

away, and thou

struggle

no decep-

little

indiflferent

here the world's judgment

own

spite of thyself

Commune

with thine

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

2i6

LXXXVII.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH. ''

brought

miry

clay,

me up also out of an horrible pit out of the and set my feet upon a rock, and established ^

And He

goings.

and fear, and

The

Psalmist

hath put a new song in

mouth, even praise unto our

God : many

shall trust in the

is tracino:

Lord"

shall see

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Ps.

it,

xl. 2, 3.

the stao^es of his

own

experience, the successive steps by which he

climbed the mount of God.

first

only the deliverance from a dark past

me up

brought

the miry clay."

out of an horrible It

pit,

it :

was "

out of

was a stage of moral eleva-

tion rather than of moral fixedness, a lifting

into the

air,

That stage time when

but not yet the settling on a rock.

came secondly.

God

set

his feet

established his goings.

from the

air to the

There came

on a rock and

was transported

ground, from the flight to

the walk, from the mere sense of liberation to

the principle of that truth which free.

But he was not yet complete

made him ;

principle

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. mere duty,

The mind

not yet love.

it is

217

may be settled on a rock and yet the heart may be cold. He wanted not only a path for new song

his feet but a

for his

mouth, and

the rigidness

that which he wanted came.

of the rock was added the heart of joy

hath put a new song

One

unto our God." crown,

my mouth, life

;

must relinquish the thought of

come

it is

own

the Psalmist himself, even

progress.

what

can do.

He must so much He must

to see that the glory of his salvation

its

power

life

will

as for

even praise

to value his spiritual joy, not

what

for

come

other step remained to

culminate the

the thought of his

Many

to be the salvation of others

complete

shall see

it,

when

and

fear,

;

his

shall

and

shall trust

say,

in the Lord."

soul, that progress

must be thine

also.

Marvel not that thou art not instantaneously in is

possession

much

to be

of the

fulness

of joy

;

there

done within thee ere the new

song shall come.

Thine must at

first

be only

the sense of deliverance, of emancipation from

the pit and from the mire.

The weaning from

MOMENTS

2i8

O.V

THE MOUNT.

the old does not at once bring the joy of the

Thou

new.

mayesfc

come even

on the

to rest

rock without an immediate entrance

settled

into that joy

;

the power of duty

may make

thee strong without yet making thee buoyant.

But the hour of love is at hand, and will not the hour when the walk of the feet tarry

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

sliall

Thy

be accompanied by the song of the heart. table

spread at

first in

the presence of

thine enemies, and thy path of principle seems

a path of sternness, but ere long law shall be lost in love,

cup

and tby cup

shall overflow in

shall overflow.

Thy

most abundance when

thou thyself shalt overflow.

Thou

shalt find

thy deepest peace when thou hast forgotten its

presence in the care for interests not thine

own, and thy new song shall reach

melody when see

it,

and

its

fear,

joys shall be this

and

its

full

Many shall

shall trust in the Lord."

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

219

LXXXVIII.

THE PROMISE OF HEA VEN. •*

T!ky Spirit is good

lead

ness.^^

—

How beautiful is this There

thought of the Psalmist

a harmony,

Goodness must lead

to the land of goodness.

of great this

Thou

not this thought

heart aspirings

—yearnings

which

Thou feelest in thy which thy hand cannot reach,

which thy

art conscious within thee

moral yearnings

world cannot

ideals

Psalmist thy purest natural hope

immortality

filL

life

cannot

realise,

resolves

Are not these

will cannot execute.

aspirings the voice of the Spirit within thee

Yea,

verily,

and yet

than prophetic

he says, between our

powers and our destiny.

of the

land of upright-

into the

Ps. clxiiL 10.

voices.

they are

How

little

hast thou

achieved of those aspirings even in thy best

moments, how

little

hast thou reached of those

ideals even in thy highest

flights

There

law in thy members warring against the law

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

220

of thy mind, and the weakness of thy flesh refuses to endorse the will of thy spirit.

then, the voice of

Nay,

God

within thee a delusion

a prophecy.

it is

Thy

power.

capacity, yet

It reveals within thee

more than thou canst embody without but even so

Is,

thee,

predicts the advent of a higher

desire for goodness outruns thy it is

the forerunner that tells that

a larger capacity

coming.

nature alone to be without

its

thy moral

goal

Is every-

thing to be provided for but thine aspirings after the all

beauty of holiness

Surely shall

This

shall

filled

employment and with

other capacities with

enjoyment.

Earth has

alone

s*itisfied

unsatisfied

here.

elsewhere, surely

be abundantly satisfied with the goodness

of God's pleasures.

house and with the river of His

Everywhere but

in thy heart there

are heard already the full echoes of His praise,

but within thy heart praise yet waiteth for

Him.

Thou

art as

yet only a promise

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a prim-

thy Maker, only a promise to thyself rose in the cold, a

the East.

dawn amid

Yet the promise

thing higher than thee

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even

the shadows of

made by somethe Spirit

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. truth that

a summer, thy dawn

The

Thy

within thee.

Spirit of

God

221

spring demands

the pledge of a day.

good, therefore

shall

lead thee into the land of uprightness.

LXXXIX.

THE GLORY OF DIVINE LOVB. " T^e glory as of grace

To be

full

a glory.

which

the only begotten of the Father^ full

and truth"

of grace

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;John

14.

and truth was indeed

was the meeting of two things

in the souls of

to one another.

men

are antagonistic

There are souls which easily

bestow grace, which find give,

not hard to for-

but they have often a dim perception

of the majesty of that truth which has been violated.

There are souls which have a clear

perception of the majesty of truth and a deep sense of the sin that swerves from are often inexorable in their justice to pardon

;

it,

but they

and unable

they have more truth than grace.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

222

Here there

a perfect blending of extremesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;*

fulness of grace united

to fulness of truth.

There

which

forgiveness

because there

there

no sense of wrong

wrong which

sense of

The glory

there

;

forbidding because

no power of forgiveness.

forgiveness

valueless

Here perfect

joined with perfect perception.

of Christ's love

that

from darkness but from light siuner because

;

bore the

comes not

forgave the

Never was

sin.

His forgiveness so complete as when

His

fullest witness to the

did

awful truth.

them: they know

cry, ''Father, forgive

not what they do

Was

He bore When

when He began

to thiuk lightly of a violated

law

Nay,

was when the violated law was pressing upon His

soul,

and the reproach of

His heart.

sin

was breaking

His love was born of His

His pity was born of His purity. that souls.

we had already

He saw

lost

what He

pity,

and

felt

called our

us blind in a world of lioht,

deaf in a world of music, cold in a world of

warmth, heartless a world of

life,

cried: "Father,

in a

and He I

world of love, dead in lifted

up His eyes and

ara clouded in their darkness,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

223

am wounded in their sorrow, give them joy I am pierced in their coldness, give them warmth I am crucified in give

them

light

;

their death, give

them

life

eternal"

Man, that was Thine hour of as in

tints of

There,

blended rainbow, met colours

that before had been disjoined

and peace,

glory.

Son

justice

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;righteousness

and forgiveness, penalty and

pardon, the sentence of death and the message of

Heaven and earth met

life.

together,

judgment and mercy embraced each other the fulness of

Thy

glory.

The hour of

sin's

con-

demnation was the hour of a world's redemption.

Grace and truth stood side by

side.

xo.

STUBBORN **

Howheit

this

kind gocth not out but by prayer and fasting"

There

are

SINS.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Matt.

xvii. 21.

temptations in the

human

soul

which are not easily extinguished, which can

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

224

extinguished

only be

through a process of

may

There are sins which

pain.

moment,

disappear in a

in the twinkling of an eye, at the

blast of God's

trump

of judgment.

Saul,

may

yesterday was walking in darkness,

who see

to-day a light above the brightness of the sun,

and a

an instant the old

new

may

life

came from

rise.

may

life

But

fall

and

Saul's temptation

and was therefore sooner

within,

reached by the Spirit.

There are temptations

which come from without, which are given to the soul by

its

These

union with the body.

are

they which ofttimes cast the

the

fire

man

and ofttimes into the water; these

are they which

make him

ing the force of his

by destroy-

lunatic

And

will.

these are they

which go not out except by prayer and Prayer alone will not do

ing.

into

;

fast-

prayer gives

but the grand resolution to abstain, but resolution, if

not followed by action, fades in the light

of morning.

ing

Fasting alone will not do

but the abstinence of the

abstinence of the

flesh

the consent of the

spirit.

man's

life

may

flesh,

;

fast-

but the

weariness without

The

old habits of a

not vanish in the

moment

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. If thou hearest

his conversion.

Christ to-day, and seest

him

225

him confess

act wroDgfully

to-morrow, do not say that he was therefore " Did not I see thee in the a hypocrite.

garden with

Him ?

what thou

shalt have to

ask of many, but do not thence conclude that

The

the garden was a delusion. are planted in

Gethsemane

rise

they grow through struggle.

and rainy

ers

tlKit

slowly,

and

flo^^

There are dark

and tem-

days,

there

are

bleak

pestuous nights,

there

are

seasons

tracted

cold

which forbid Give to

soul.

and thy

fasting thy prayer

its

through

all

Thou

ness

Forbear

weak brother

art able to

go unhurt

;

limit thyself for him, fast

Thinkest thou that this

have power to lay be like

strong.

weak-

Hast thou not read of One who

not alone of His liberty but of His

and

the world, but thy brother cannot

yet go with thee for him.

spon-

prayer

fasting.

to use thy full liberty until thy also shall be free.

seed

the

pro-

Give thy charity to the

taneously to spring. struggling

Christ;

Thou

down it

It is

strong

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

said,

life,

not weak infinitely

art thy brothers keeper,

let

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

Caiu say as he

—

will.

Thine

a Divine charge

the charge of God, the charge of angels, the

charge of being a ministering spirit sent forth to the heirs of salvation.

Keep

that which

thy Father hath committed unto thee until the liberation day.

XCT.

THE STRUGGLE SUCCEEDING LIGHT. " Bu^ call

to reme77ihrance the former days^

t?i

which^ after

ye were illuminated^ ye endured a great fight of afflictions.^^

After ye were

was a I

— Heb.

32.

Surely that

illuminated."

straijge time for the birth of conflict.

thought that the coming of light was the

signal for the

end of war.

thought that

when the heart was of Christ, there mu^t

of necessity be a termina-

tion to all darkness.

Yes, but for that very

liglited

up by the

Spirit

reason there must be a temporary experience of pain

—a pain which was foreign

regenerate heart.

to the un-

a glorious thing to

b«f

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT, illuminated, but

that

Divine lamp

human room

satisfied

;

I did not see

set

who

time

When

the

room of

how first

poorly that

time in

was perfectly

satisfaction of ignorance.

poverty

;

there was no light

But now that the

away my

with

to cry,

shall deliver

light has

false rest

war with myself;

dissatisfied

caused

that

has taken

see

For the

was the

in the room.

come,

in this,

pained with myself, I fight with Before

myself.

lies

past misery.

lets

furnished.

glory

lighted in the

nature,

life

first

me my

shows

its

227

has

surroundiogs

wretched

me from

;

has

made me it

;

man this

has

that I

body of

death?"

Thou

Spirit of light, I wait for Thee.

when Thou gift in Thy hand which the world would rather want the gift of pain. I know that when Thy light shall rise within me the joy of the new wait

for

knowing

Thee,

that

comest Thou shalt come with a

vision shall be chequered old corruption. shall

know

dawn within me

by the sight

that

of the

when Thy power

there shall be stirred

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

J28

within it

my heart the

now

fires

stranger, for

of a conflict to which

Thy new law

mind shall reveal the old law in my members. But I would rather have Thy presence mth pain

the

Come

than

into

that

all its

into

Thine

alsence without

Thy Divine

heart with

may be purified. Thy burning love, that

awake more and more

fire;

Pour

base alloy

spirit

it.

to the sense of

may mine

own lovelessness. Breathe into my conscience Thy quickening power, that I may feel more and more the depth of mine own depravity. Inspire into my soul tbe vision of Tby Divine beauty, that I may learn more and more how poor, how mean, how worthless is this natural life

of mine.

when Thy

liglit

fight of faith

me.

I will

begin the great struggle

has come

;

when Thy glory

will is

fight risen

the

upon

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

xcn.

WHAT THE ANGELS *^

Which things

the angels desire to look into^-^

Pet.

What jects

STUDY,

were those

12.

tliinors

which were the sub-

of study to the augels

think the

meditations

One would

upper

the

world

must be of a very transcendental nature, power of

beyond our truth at

comprehension.

these studies were not

all;

were

they

should be our

own

transcendental

which

studies

the

just

every day.

are told

in the precediug verse that there were thinofs **

which the

that should follow." all

What

this should

of study to the angels

theme too mean

glory

they wanted to

other things was the road

by which ministration led

wonder that

two

anD:els desired to look into

the sufferings of Christ " and the

study beyond

fai

to joy.

Do you

have been a subject

Does

for angels

gotten what the angels are

you

Have you

for-

seem

Are they not

all

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

230

ministering spirits, sent forth to minister unto

them who should

shall be heirs of salvation

ministering

the

not

ministration, and study

Him who became not

all

the servant of

nature

our

Do we

all ?

are

The poet

student of poetry, the artist art.

person of

study those things which

congruous

study

spirits

in the

Why

The angel was created

most is

a disciple of

be a minister

wherefore should not he study his art

Why

should not he go to the model Teaclier in the art of ministering

Why

should not he gaze

even from the heights of heaven on the gate and the narrow of

Man

brow

to the

be sorrow, you

sorrow

say,

way which

led the Son

of Olivet?

This would

and there can be no

Yes

heaven.

strait

but

;

the

thing

which was sorrow on earth shall in heaven a joy.

be turned into finds

no joy

because

the

is selfish;

The

selfish

heart

study of ministration let it

become

t^nselfish,

let it

be transmuted into the light of love,

let it

lifted

and that study

soul, art

up will

to the heights of heaven,

become

its

thou prepared

glory.

for the

heavenly

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

231

meditatioD, the theme on which angels dwell

heaven came to thee to-night, would

be to thee a joy

Is there

within thee

now

tuch a love for humanity as to make the care of

humanity a joyous subject of

eternal study

with weariness and laugour that thou

givest.the thought of an hour to the problem

human

helpfulness

eternity

spend an is

the

pain

sible

God,

be to

thee

Prepare,

Lay breatles

soul.

the

Spirit.

they would not find in

theme

then,

meet

thy

love,

and

love.

thy

no home home.

life

and not

for the selfish

;

AVouldst thou

heaven a home, study on earth the of

the

angels.

care,

Study the wants of

study

the

remedies

for

study the secret of successful

ministration, study, above

human

inexpres-

atmosphere

call it

thy brother man,

human

a land

must be partaker of His

thou

Heaven

problem

Would not such

Thy God

His atmosphere would thy death,

then, shalt thou

which that

theme

pre railing

a heaven

How,

sacrifice

all,

that Divinely-

which teaches

to all the agea

the glory of the Cross.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

233

THE REASON FOR BURDEN-BEARING. ^^

Bear ye

one another^s burdens, for every his

own

burden.''^

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Gal.

vi.

man

shall heat

2, 5.

Is not this a strange reason given for burden-

bearing

sequence better

could have if it

had been

one another's burdens, for

any man should bear strange to

tell us,

understood

his

said,

Bear ye

" ;

but

is it

not

as a reason for bearing our

brother's load, that " every

man

own burden"?

not strange;

No,

divinely beautiful.

sublimely,

the

not right that

it is

own

shall bear his

What

burden of which the apostle speaks

the

It is the

burden of temptation, the burden of being " overtaken in a fault." is

for

ye have

he wants to

Bear ye one another's temptations,

say

this

What

all

own for need charity. Thou

temptations of your

which you equally

will

that judgest thy brother, hast thou considered thyself?

Hast thou considered that thou

also

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

233

hast a burden of temptation for which thy

brother will need to extend charity to thee f

may

Thine

brother

;

not be the same burden as thy

thou mayest be strong in the place

wherein he

boast to thee art

weak and

;

But

weak.

there in

not this be a

let

a place wherein thou

which he

When

strons:.

thou ascendest the throne of judgment, and

when the books of thy brother's life are open to thy view, remember that thou too hast books to be opened. Remember that thou too hast in the recesses of thy heart sins that call for

pardon, thoughts that await expiation,

deeds that require atonement, desires that cry

out to be purified

;

remember

shalt bear with thy brother,

this,

and

and thou

in thine

hour

of need thy brother shall bear with thee.

soul, wilt

Christ

Moses

;

thou

It is far in

fulfil

law of

advance of the law of

the law of Moses said,

not hurt," but this says, It is

this royal

Thou

shalt

shalt bear."

not enough for thee not to injure thy

brother

;

thou must help him, thou must suc-

cour him, tliou must do him good.

thou be able to bear with

Wouldst

his temptaf"ious

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

234

then must thou be conscious of thine own.

How

shalt thou be conscious of thine

Come

to the

Day spring from on

own

Stand

high.

before the gaze of the searching purity, the spotless holiness, the

the Son of Man.

stainless

sinlessness of

Tliere, in the vision of

His

humanity, thy humanity shall sink low and lie

abased in the dust.

There, in the blaze of

His unblemished sunshine, thy flickering light shall

be extinguished, and thou shalt learn

thy darkness. ness

shall

The knowledge

be thy

first

true

of thy darklight

waken thy sympathy with man. hast felt the pressure of thine

;

it shall

When own

thou

burdens,

the burden of thy brother

;

and

in lifting the burden of thy brother thine

own

thou shalt

lift

load shall falL

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

235

XCIV.

THE CAUSE OF UNCHARITABLENESS. **

But

let

every

prove his own work, and then shall

have rejoicing in

another.'"

Paul BO

man

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Gal.

uncharitahle

it is tliat

are

work

more highly than

When we

they ought to think."

how

do not know

that they

they think of themselves

apostle

why men

reason

do not prove their own

themselves,

not

vi. 4.

that the

says

and

himself alone,

frail,

sinful

ask the

man

can

believe himself to be pure, he answers, It

because he compares his

own badness with That

worse badness of others.

means by

rejoicing in another.

the

what Paul have only

a small candle of virtue, quite unfit to guard my footsteps, but then my brother has only a taper.

and

go with

enchants

me;

less in I

is little

him.

against

The comparison

come home

myself a better

his taper,

candle to

weigh that which

that which

feel

rejoicing.

man than

ever

1 felt

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

2Ji6

before

But

magnify the light of

;

Paul

You

another.

This

says.

Why

not have an absolute

and have rejoicing in your-

merits,

You have brought your

the taper, and your heart

bring

Why

to the sunlight

candle.

why not prove your own work on

own

its

rejoicing

the more pronounced badness of

ness with

self alone

only

are only comparing your bad-

your neighbour. standard

glad

;

candle to

why

not

not carry

out into the blaze of day and weigh

against

the majestic fulness of the light of heaven If

your candle could stand that ordeal, then

indeed you might have rejoicing in yourself alone,

and no longer in the mere knowledge

that another

soul,

worse than you.

thy light could not stand that

If thou

ordeal.

shouldst

into the blaze of day,

by reason

of the

bring

thy candle

would have no glory

all-excelling

glory.

Wilb

thou shrink from the ordeal that would prove thy nothingness inir

from

human

it.

thou art not wise in shrink-

What thou

needest to make thee

just the proof of thy notluugness,

just the vision of thyself in thy poverty and

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. in

thy meanness.

into the lioht

every naan.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

the contact, of

23;

forth with thy

true Lio^ht that

canclh";

liixlitt^th

forth into the presence, into

Him who

fairer

than the

among ten thouGo forth into sand, the altogether lovely. the vision of that Sun of spotless righteouschildren of men, the Chief

ness that gathers no clouds upon His beams.

In the hour when thou shalt behold

Him

candle shalt go out for evermore, and shalt be in darkness to thyself.

darkness

born

higher

thy

thou

glorious

grand

light,

humility sprung from a loftier ideal,

proud

dissatisfaction telling of an enlarged capacity,

heart will not shrink from thee.

cease to rejoice in myself

when

to rejoice in the perfect day.

shall

have come

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

238

XCV.

THE MEMORY OF THE HEART, "

Ifi's

mother kept all these sayings in her heartj*'-^

Luke

They

us that

tell

tellectual powers.

memory

memories of the lived

memory

one of the tn-

think that the strongest

a power of the heart.

and

morning

51.

ii.

intellect

evanescent cloud

that

which are short-

they

;

There are

vanishes

are

away.

the

But

the tilings that are kept in the heart are not

evanescent

;

they

for

last

ever.

There are

who complain of having short memories, how often does it spjiiig from want of sufficient interest ? If we could transfer our duties from the intellect to the heart, we those

but

should rarely forget them.

Love photographs

the impressions of the past in colours that do

not fade

;

the things which are kept in the

heart are kept for ever.

soul, cultivate the

The heart has powers Btanding.

powers of thy heart.

as well as the under-

Thou hast an eye

of the

heart

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

239

which sees deeper than the natural eye, which is

promised even the vision of God.

Thou

hast an ear of the heart which hears more

keenly than the natural

ear,

the Father s footsteps as

which can catch passes by.

Thou

hast a judgment of the heart which can reason

more truly than the natural judgment, which can penetrate the truth at a glance, and

Thou hast

cern the eiKl from the beginning. a

memory

of the heart

which

dis-

longer than

the natural memory, which can preserve the things of the far past in

yesterday,

and keep

the freshness of

all

God there

this is

memory

God and thy hope that he

cries,

his golden

that

God

Give to thy

Remember between thy memory of

of the heart.

a connection

Psalmist such

glow the

in morning's

remembrance of vanished days.

Wliat gives the

God.

a golden view of the future

" I shall not

want

just

He remembers

view of the past.

has already led him by the green

pastures and beside the

still

waters

;

that

What,

has already restored his very soul. after that, can be too

much

to expect

makes the Apostle say that

What

in the days to

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

240

come God is

will freely give liim all things

memory

just his

that in the days gone by

God had given him more than together,

all

things put

had not withheld from him His only

begotten Son.

Thine

no irrational

faith.

Thy hope in rising suns comes from the memory of suns that have set thy prospect is ;

thy child of the retrospect of thy hitherto.

;

thy future

born

Keep in thy heart all the Remember the ram in

steps of the old way.

the thicket that saved thee from

sacrifice,

the road across the sea that saved thee from storm, the

manna

in the wilderness that saved

thee from famine, the tempering of Marah that saved thee from bitterness. the

Remember

mountains that were brought low, the

doors that were opened,

became

straight,

were made

plain.

tlie

crooked ways that

and the rough places that

Remember, above

thy yesterday encloses a Divine

all,

that

sacrifice for

and thou wilt not be afraid of aught that to-morrow can bring; the prophecies of thy thee,

fear shall be b*}art.

conquered by the memories

thy

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

241

XCVI.

HOW " Ye are

A city that is set on an hill

the light of the world.

under a

bushel.

before

men that

they

glorify

your Father which

men

N'either do

cannot be hid.

put

TO SHINE,

may

light

a candle^ and

Let your light so shine

see is

your good works^ and in heaven."

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Matt.

14-16.

Our Lord is here teaching His disciples how to shine. He tells them to avoid two extremes

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;to

beware on the one hand of

and on the other hand of want

tion.

speaking

says,

afiectation,

of manifesta-

the

first

extreme, that they need not be anxious to

display their light, hill is

cannot be

city that

hid.''

tells

set

on an

them that there

a power within them which they could not

possibly conceal

even

they were willing,

which would radiate from them

in spite of

themselves, and revenl to the world the presence of something new.

hand.

says

that

the extreme of a

false

But, on the other

they are display,

avoid

they must

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

equally avoid that of a false reticence. are not to light a candle

bushel

;

and put

They

under a

they ought to place themselves in a

situation advantageous for being seen, advan-

mind

tao-eous for influencino^ the

How

of the world.

are these precepts of the Master to be

reconciled

consciously

How and

are

to shine at once

unconsciously

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; conscious

our power, and yet unconscious of our greatness

Our Lord

tells

you would shine shine in such a

us how.

effectively,

way

you would

as to influence the

So shine that you may

glory not your own."

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; " That

good works, and in heaven."

which

glorify

men may

see your

your Father which

Let yours be the power of love,

the power of dying, nay, of being

already dead in the

your own glory lose

minds

must be a

of men, the motive of your shining

glorify another

says, " If

life

of another.

Forget

in the glory of the Father,

your own interest

in the interest of the

Father, merge your own will

the will of the

Father.

Let your brightest joy be to gladden

Him,

your deepest grief be to pain Him,

let

your

utmost

effort

serve

Him.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

243

Identify your pleasure with His profit, mea-

by what men refuse

sure your loss

Him.

And

shine

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;shine

your

hour you shall

that

as the stars in the

The

light

pass through

you,

Fatlier.

shall

verily

death shall be your

which has buried

kingdom

the

love

which

the forgetfuluess

shall

roll

away the

stone from the door of the sepulchre.

when your

true self shall live

on which you gaze

rising,

self

to yield

Your

selfishness

dead, your personal being shall be powerful

when you have joy. You shall

forgot to seek for a personal

shine as the planets of the

night fed by the light of the reposing day, shine as the flowers of the field torch of morning. pov/er

own

;

you

shall

Men

shall

lit

by the

wonder at your

wonder most of

all

your

power, for yours shall be the power that

oomes from humility, the power of souls that are crucified by love.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

244

XCVII.

THE HEAVENLY IN THE EARTHLY. **But we have

this

What

treasure

preceding verse

Cor.

The

;

treasiire

it is

ledge of the glory of Christ"

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

it is

Why

tion.

Would

the light of the know-

God

in the face of Jesus

why, indeed, except

that

given art of the earth.

be well for thee

away from the

thou couldst only if

the Divine

could only be revealed to thee

when thou

find Christ life

apostle tells us in the *'

the treasure of Christian revela-

whom

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

earthen vessels.^

should this revelation be given in

earthen vessels

thou to

iv.

earth,

thyself wert

withdrawn

cerns

not a divinely beautiful thing

Is it

from

earthly

con-

that Christ should meet thee in the world's

common

things, that thou shouldst find the

heavenly treasure even

Sometimes

it Ijas

in the eartlily vessels

seemed to thee

as if to find

the heavenly treasure thou wouldst need to

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. retire

245

from the world, to go away into some

sequestered spot where the old pursuits and duties and avocations would exist no more.

Yet

in flying from the earthen vessels thou

wouldst be flying from thy treasure.

It is

not in thy freedom from earthly weakness, earthly contact, earthly struggle, that thou art nearest to the revelation of thy Lord brother,

it is

in the wilderness of

indeed, an earthen vessel, but

foiled the

holds for thee

richest, purest

gold;

meet the

Spirit

there, if thou wilt, thou canst

narrow way.

Art thou

temptation? thou bearest,

a possible treasure of

Him who

no,

in the weakness, in the struggle,

in the contact with earthly things.

;

tempter and chose the

Art thou in the midst of the

great thoroughfare where toils the busy crowd,

surrounded sorrows

sins

its

the vessel

the treasure

;

and wept over

its

there, if thou wilt, thou

canst meet the Spirit of city

jostled

indeed, of earth, but

is,

golden

and

it.

Him who

beheld the

Art thou down in the

valley of humiliation, bearing in thy heart the

burden and the heat brought to thee by the world's day

thine

may

there be the costliest

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

246

all

treasures

for there, if

;

caDst meet the Spirit of in

tbou

Him who

thou

wilt,

yielded up

Gethsemane His heart to a Father's

WouLlst thou have a revelation then must thou take up thine

an imaginary

cross,

not a cross in the

air,

of the cross

own

life,

the trivial

cross

— not

not a sentimental cross,

but the

common

earthen

man.

Thou

cross that falls to the lot of every

must take up the

will.

little

petty cares of daily

annoyances

that are

worse to bear because they are

often

trivial,

the

commonplace troubles that await every step of life's walk and every pressure of life's contact.

Thou must take up, above all, thine own that wliich men call thy weak

personal cross point,

—

and which thou wouldst gladly exchange

for the cross of

and bear

thy brother

;

thou must

lift it

manfully in the strength of the

Son of Man.

So shalt thou know

Him

thine earthen vessel shall reveal to thee a treasure of revelation, and that which seemed to be the source of thine

utmost weakness

shall lead thee to the highest goal

of the knowledge of God.

—the light

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

247

XCVIII.

DEATH. **

T^e body without

What

death

Does inspiration the words

now

the spirit is dead,^"*

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;J

AS.

il.

afi.

Can any man define

us what

tell

before us

Yes

it is ?

we have the

it ;

simplest,

the shortest, the most explicit definition in the

world It is

;

death

the body without the

a wonderful explanation, marked off dis-

tinctly from all other explanations.

said that to die

extinguished it

away

body

to die in

spirit.

;

to have the

without the is

It is

of the

not

body

no, the life is not extinguished,

there

;

life

something absent, the

spirit.

have the

spirit

It is

not said that

without the body,

other words, that the spirit without the

body

in the

dead

body

;

no, the spirit cannot die,

whether

not be-

or out of the body.

lieve in the sleep of the soul sleeps.

Even

;

the soul never

in the watches of the night

it is

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

248

The

the body and not the soul that slumbers. of death

sleep

the sleep

of life;

belongs to the weary frame, not to the living spirit.

Thou who

art

weeping disconsolately over

thy dead, there are words which have need to

be uttered to thee, "

Thou

risen."

not so

that can die is

'*He

not here,

the man.

;

it is

yet

dead,''

death applies not to the

;

the spirit

that

sayest,

it is

and

spirit,

It is only the

body

the body without the spirit

Bethink thee, what mean these Though He were dead, yet shall He They mean that what thou callest death

dead.

words, " live" is

not the contradiction of

life.

" I

know

that

shall rise again in the resurrection," says

the weeping Martha at the grave of Bethany yea, but, says the Master, little, for

shall

the

he that liveth and believeth in

never die at life

that day

all.

;

thou expectest too

Martha thought that

of the body was extinguished until

when

should be revivified

not knu\v that death was of the spirit.

itself

;

she did

only the flight

But thou shouldst know

that,

thou the child of resurrection, the recipient

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

249

AVherefore art tbou hovering

of the dawn.

ever near the spot where the dust reposes? Why seekest thou the liviug among the dead ?

Wherefore dost thou measure thy nearness to the departed by thy nearness to the cemetery ?

What communion

has the cemetery with

life,-^

what intercourse has the spirit with death 1 If the departed should meet thee, it will not be in the graveyard

;

will

those

moments when thou art furthest from the Not from out the tombstone shall graveyard. their voices come, but through the thoughts

that

make thee

forget

the

tombstone

not

;

from the symbols that are memories of death,

but through the hopes that tell of immortality. In those moments in which heaveu is opened

and the ladder is revealed stretching from earth to sky in those hours in which thine own spirit ;

caught up to meet

those days

its

Lord

in the air

when from the top

Nebo

those seasons of lifts is

thy

summer warmth

her voice and sings, "

stiiig

grave, where

thou mayest picture,

faith

has beatific glimpses of the promised land in

;

which love

death, where is

thou

thy victory

wilt,

the com-

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

2 50

munion

of those ministering spirits sent foith

them who

to minister unto

be heirs of

shall

salvation.

XCIX.

LIFE. " Ife that followeth

shall not walk in darkness^ hut

shall have the light of life"

There

nor

life,

revealing.

The

us half so

much

12.

there any light so

light of nature does not tell

that

we would

like to

know.

a deeper revelation in the feeblest

breath of the golden

life

than in

The

stars.

coming out of strength.

chamber

his

The

all

light

all possible

for

all

soul than the sun to

run his race of

of life

revelations

God and my immortality. my God grow pale before arguments

the tremors of

helpless cry of infancy

human

says more to the

bosom

viii.

no light in the world so beautiful

the light

There

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;John

its

reveals

carries ;

All arguments for this certainty

;

all

immortality faint in the

splendour of immortality begun.

Life

tho

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. Jacob's

ladder that

heaven,

that

life

the

ascent whose midway

summit is

had fulness of

of vision

man

"This

;

marvellous to

may

be mine

tell,

Is it

is.

from If

is,

what

not written,

know Thee"?

And

this unspeakable glory

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;be mine now,

of the present world

;

would have perfectness

eternal to

life

yet,

shall

get

would know what God

what heaven

is,

to the Throne

life

gaiu from within.

life

whose

angel,

The more

grows not by what

revelation

without but by what I

step of an

first

the

The

earth.

the Throne of God.

me, the nearer I

from earth to

reaches

binds heaven to

spark of

tiniest

251

"He

here, in the

midst

that folio weth

not walk in darkness, but shaU have the

light

life."

come

It is

;

not by dying

by following

life's

narrow way.

up the

cross,

ing the

sacrifice,

doctrine shall be

soul,

value of thy

lifting the

known

life ?

life's

strait

by taking

It is

burden, by bear-

by doing the

hast

shall

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;following

the steps of the Master through

gate and

will,

that the

to me.

thou measured It lies

not in

the its

true

leading

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

253

but in

following.

its

not what

tliou

hast that reveals to thee thine immortality it

measure thirst

own

thee

level.

aspiration

things

All

Christ.

for

thine

rise

wouldst be

thy goal were the dust,

As long

satisfied.

the smallness of thy

life

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

seeks

fiUeth all in

follow ;

all.

God

heavenly

it is

so.

more than

Him

thy power to

Thy

cry for

thee, thy thirst

breath of heaven

conscious want

open door, thy sense of sin

that

something beyond

God within

air is the

Thy

thy heart.

thy birthright.

the voice of

for the

glory

teUs thee there

thee which yet

and

measure of the stature

of the perfect man, the fulness of

Thy

thou

;

that makes thee

grows large

can get below

tliou

as thou art a

child of the dust thou art satisfied,

as thy life

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;thy

to their

wouldst not seek to transcend the dust

But

The

the sense of what thou hast not.

thine

thy height of

Pisgah, and thy vision of the world's gather-

ing shadow

eternal

made by the

light

life

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

253

JESUS ONLY.

^And

whin

they

man,

when

had

lifted

up their

ey€S_

they

saw ne

save Jesus (7/7/y."— Matt. xvii. 8.

have

up mine eyes that

lifted

impressed with the solitary majesty of the

Son of

Man

;

it is

in the elevation of

my own

Him to be what He is When my moral view the King of kings. was not lofty I thought of Him as of other

moral view that

men

;

see

would have

built for

Moses and Elias

But when the transfiguration glory touched me I awoke to

tabernacles

by His

side.

His glory— His solitary, unrivalled glory. ten thou1 saw Him to be the chief among than the children of men. Moses and Elias faded from the mountain's

sand, and

brow, and

fiiirer

stood alone

approachable splendour save Jesus only.

;

peerless, un-

saw no man there

never knew before that

was so great a thing to be good,

for I

had not

254

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

felt

before the struggle between the old

and the new. disciples

longing to the

Man became

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

be holy that

was

the

lovely.

than

all

conscious

the sons of

only one, the

last,

the

The

strength

felt

easier than to

that to shed the blood less

how

learned

up mine eyes with holiness. The Son of

me more

paled before Him. fire

lifted

hills of

first,

altogether

fallen prostrate

was from the depth of

abasement that

men

had

was to keep the conscience

really heroic it

pure.

was

on the mount,

in the struggle to

life

only when, like the

Elias

conquer

that to

conquer by

love,

of enemies required

strength than to shed one's own, and I

up mine eyes

lifted

in reverence

behold

Jesus only.

Son of Man, thus peerless in fill all

may Thine image ever be May Thy presence heart.

things, so as to leave

other presence.

May Thy

no room glory

for

any

be above

the heavens, so that I have no need of the sun.

May Thy

all creation,

may

tabernacle stretch for

so that neither

over

Moses nor Elias

build a tabernacle beside Thee.

alj

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. the forms of nature, in

all

the events of

would see Thee and Thee only. I

would behold the

all

wisdom

Thy

all

love.

beauty

beauty, in

would meet Thee in its

Thy presence

the day.

Thy

reflex of

all

love I would trace the impress

cloud alike as in that in

life, 1

would see the inspiration of Thy

wisdom, in

255

sunshine

;

life's

would

feel

the night were even as

would allow no tabernacle to be

built beside Thee, in honour of chance or acci-

dent

;

explanation of

" The Lord reign eth." of

Thy

would

come

need

know

that

Thee the more

experience the sensation of

feel

presence more and more.

the nearer

things would be

all

following afar

Thy

oj0f."

shrink from that experience

disciple that

But ;

the lioht that comes from Thee.

will I

will not

comes from I

would be

nearer to Thee every day, every hour, every

moment, that

for it is only in

shall

Thee,

how

When

I shall

learn

how

infinitely

being near to Thee

far off I

following

thou transcendest me.

have beheld the summit of the mount

find

none there but Thee.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

2S6

THE GOODWILL OF THE BUSH, **

T/ie

goodwill of Him that dwelt in the bush.*

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Deut.

xxxiii. i6.

amongst the

Is not this a strange thiiig to place

catalogue of liumau blessings

stand

why Moses

We can under-

should have desired that his

people might be blessed by

God with

" the

"the dew

precious things of heaven/' with

and the deep that coucheth beneath," with "the precious fruits brought foitli by the sun and the precious things

moon."

But why should he ask

a blessing as this

manifested able

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

in those attributes

Nay,

did

God

unquench-

in the

not that aspect of Israel's

an aspect of deepest terror

Him

by the

them such

for

goodwill that

when He dwelt

Was

fire.

goodwill

})ut forth

God

not reveal

which do not suggest

brother,

it is

not

so.

not only in the calm that the goodwill of

thy

God

appears,

not only

in nature's

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

257

smile that the blessing of thy Father

The heart

of thy Father beats for thee beneath

every cloud as well as in every sunbeam blessing of thy Father

as in thy clay.

comes betimes as with every

thee, as to every man,

in a cliariot of fire

His

its

burning

of thy

life

chariot, the

The

It is

burning bush

the burning of

meant

God is love. The

are not accidents

in tlie

but the

;

they are

The

with thee,

of thy

fire

from thy Father's hand. burning bush

;

man, He dwells betimes

dwelling-place.

the

;

in tliy night as well

burning bush of a wilderness chariot

seen.

fire

His

love

;

pains gifts

of the

to set fire to thy heart.

designed to kindle thee into a glow of

enthusiasm, to

warm

How

humanity.

thee with the love of

canst thou be

the love of humanity

warmed with

thou hast not in thee

that fellowship of the cross which unites soul

The

to soul.

the bush rier

fire

that

comes to thee from

which consumes the bar-

between thy heart and the heart of thy

brother.

It destroys

the middle wall of parti-

tion

between you, and makes you one.

the

fire

came

Before

to thee thou wert in the wilder-

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

258

ness alone

thou hadst not

;

the touch of

felt

nature that makes the world kin. fire

But the

opened the door of thy sympathy, and thy

spirit

passed through

into the

life

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; passed

burden and to carry his

more solitude

command came

to bear his

There was no

cross.

to Moses, the

union with the

into the heart,

man

of thy brother

thy wilderness

;

to thee, as

to enter into

thy brethren.

afflictions of

mandate was given

thee, as to Moses, the

go down into the valleys and join thyself to the sorrows of the sorrowing.

was to

the ear of thy sympathy that mandate was

addressed In the

;

sense

came

to thee through the

of thine

awakened to the universal pain of thine

fire.

own pain thou wert ;

in the bearing

own burden thou wert warmed

pity for all that bear.

into

blessed bush, w^hose

my inspiramy new life, my life of

burning in the wilderness has been tion,

thank thee

love.

human

for

Thou that

still

dwellest amid the

suff'ering,

and

still

pathy the sorrows of Thy people, for

Thy

I bless

goodwill in the bush to

goodwill which, by sending

fires

knowest by sym-

Thee

me â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that

the mystery of

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

pain, united

of the sorrowful

for

—to

259

evermore to the family the heart of the

Man

sorrows.

CII.

THE CARES OF GOD, **

The

old

careth for you''

—

Pet.

v. 7.

world looked upon Paradise as a

place without care.

measured the majesty

of the gods by their exemption from the cares of humanity.

They dwelt on the top

Olym-

pus, and rejoiced all the day in a sunshine

whose cloudlessness was

its

carelessness

—

its

human those who

absence of interest in the problems of

want,

its

recklessness of the fate of

pine and suffer and

die. But Christ opened new Paradise and let man see He gave to the human eye a totally

the door of a in.

different

majesty.

God

vision

the

He showed

differed

nature

from the majesty of

kings not in having

Divine

that the majesty

less,

earthly

but in having more

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

f6o

All earthly kinghood

care.

inability to

its

people

;

lift

was defective by

the whole burdens of a

the government of the

was supremely great because burdens of

of kings

could

lift

the

That which distanced God

all.

man was

from

King

God's greater power of drawing

Man

near to the souls of man.

held aloof

from his brother mnn, and he had made gods in his own image

;

Christ revealed a

his

new

image of God, a new thought of the Divine.

was the majesty of stooping

Christ's majesty

The

His cross was His crown.

wielded over humanity was

love

;

because

He was

the minister of of

all

life,

all,

sceptre which tlie

sceptre of

He became He was the ruler

cliief of all,

because

gave His

life

a ransom for

many.

soul,

hast thou

emancipated thyself

from that old epicurean dream that thy greatness

lies in

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

dream

thine independence.

Is tliere nothing left in thee of that pagan ideal of a hero

which

self-sufficient

tells

men

'' :

manly to

there within thee

somewhat of the recklessness said

it is

of that

Am I my brother s keeper

still

man who Thinkest

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. tLou that

manliness

care

the

it is

;

the badge of manliness to

"I do not

say,

It is

mark

can be manliness which godliness

the

261

Nothing

of a child. is

not godliness, and

presence

Wouldst thou be

not the badge of

God

infinite it

care.

but

well,

thou wilt not reach thy goal in the manner of the to

first

Adam

know the

pride of

difference of

good and

know

that

it is

just this

which constitutes the Divine burden

loner-

then thou must cease to be self-sufficient

thou must awake to the care thou must learn what said,

it.

knowledge

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

Wouldst thou be

ing for man's salvation.

God ?

evil for the

he never thought of the care of

;

did not

A.dam wanted

in the garden.

joy, but

God it is

love."

for other souls

meant when

Love

not epicurean joy.

joy

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

infinite

It is not the

joy of selfishness, but the joy of self-forgetful-

The gladness of thy God is tlie gladness him who bears the harvest home, the gladness that carries in its bosom the spoils conness.

quered from the

was dead and found."

field of sin,

alive again,

This

was

lost

son

and

Wouldst thou reach the heioht

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

262

the human, wouldst thou attain the image of

the Divine? enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

cm.

THE BLASTS OF ADVERSITY. *^

Awake, upon out."

The

and

north wind;

come,

thou south; blow

garden, that the spices thereof

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Song of Sol.

may flow

i6.

iv.

spices in the garden of life only flow out

when the winds

There are rich treasures

blow.

hidden in many souls which would remain hidden for ever

not disclose them.

the blast of adversity did

There

every

one of us than

There

more power

ourselves

no depth we have explored so

as the depth of our in

own

heart.

know. little

There are latent

our hearts vast susceptibilities, boundless

aspirations, intense

powers of loving and of

working; but we ourselves are ignorant of their presence until the winds blow. for the breath of

We wait

heaven to disengage the per*

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. fume that life

imprisoned in

lies

263

our flower of

we need the north wind and the south

;

blow upon our garden that the spices thereof

may

flow out.

thou afraid of the north and

art

soul,

the south winds

Art thou bemoaning the

hard Providence that has seut them into thy garden

Dost thou fear that they

the precious fruits of thy

life

They

into thy garden only that they

these

Does

fruits.

Spirit of

will destroy

are sent

may

perfect

seem to thee that the

thy God hath departed from thee

because the north and the south winds have

begun to blow winds

is itself

Nay, but the blowing of these the breath of the Spirit.

thou considered the

life

Hast

of Joseph as an ideal

type of the Providence that develops

all life

Joseph, the shepherd boy, had a beauty of his

own, but

was not yet the highest beauty.

His soul was a

fair

of the Lord, but

garden. fruits

the

and

garden, a potential garden it

was not yet His actual

The seed was there flowers,

flowers

of the future

but neither the

had become

visible.

beauty had not begun to diffuse

fruits

nor

Josephs itself.

His

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

264

was a

of dreams

life

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

beautiful, sentimeutal

dreams, such as youth loves to

which as long as they are vent

from

youth

being

cherished

The

blow.

awakened from into

the

had to

and the winds of adversity came

releasecl,

life is

wind had to

spices of that fair garden

to release them.

that

pre-

And

useful.

the north wind and the south

but

clierish,

The dreaming boy had

dream, had to be taught

his

He had to be human suffering,

no dream.

sense

to be

roused into

perception of the yoke of humanity, and he

learned

his

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;by the

iron that

last state

was more

own yoke

entered into his souL

His

glorious than his first because

flowing

;

his

was more out-

dreams about himself passed into

his acts for others,

and the sweet

spices that

had been concealed regaled the surrounding

Even

so,

soul, shall it

air.

be with thee when

the north and the south winds shall blow.

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

26$

CIV.

THE DISINTERESTEDNESS OF GOD'S CHOICE. ^ I have chosen

thee

the furnace of affliction.''*-^

171

ISA. xlviii. 10.

not in the furnace of

commonly

chooses man.

most frequently the

first

friendships are

summer days. who is down-

therefore,

;

All the

affliction.

him when

love came to

he was not downtrodden

him

Our

fruit

cling often to the friend

trodden, but our

man

that

affliction

did not choose

more marvellous,

the Divine love.

It is

not merely

said that having loved us from the beginning

God

loves us to the end, whatever

us.

This

befall

we should have expected from an

infinite love, it

here

may

would not surprise

us.

But

a love which does not merely endure

in spite of the destitution of its object,

but

which actually

the

moment

chooses

its

of its destitution.

which comes to

object

Here

not for what

a love

have but

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

266

what

for

me when

have not, comes to

wretched and miserable, and poor and blind

and

and nothing to

to give in

poverty that

wealth,

may in

seeks

glad

its

comes to me when I have nothing

helpless,

with

furnace of

may in

its

all

human

inspire

giftâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

deformity that

beauty

;

chooses

affliction.

passest the

gift of

Thyself?

power

How

shall I

Thee that Thou hast bent so

low as to take cognisance of shall I

with

unto Thee for Thine unspeak-

sufficiently bless

How

love to comprehend Thee, what

shall I render

able

its

loneliness that

Thou Divine Love that of

with

fellowship, it seeks

its

seeks

may crown me

It seeks

attract.

may dower me

weariness that

strength,

lowliness.

adequately praise Thee that Thou

hast descended so deep as to come into contact with the depth of

most

infinite

The

meanness.

thing about Thee to

the

Thy stooping; it is in Thy boundless power to bend that Thou surpassest the loves of men. I accept Thy glorious offer I come to of union with my nothingness. infiniteness

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. Thee just

as I

am, as Thou hast chosen

267

seek Thee without waiting for the ornaments of life,

knowing that when Thou

shalt receive

Thou shalt deck me with the gems of heaven and adorn me with the jewels of Thy crown. Out of the furnace of my affliction I fly to Thee.

ov.

ISAAC.

"And Isaac went out to eventide."

What

meditate in the field at the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Gen.

a contrast there

Abraham and

the

storm, the other

life is

xxiv.

between the

of Isaac

all

6"^.

calm.

life

The one In the

is all

life

Abraham we stand on the shore of a miglity sea, whose bosom is ever ruffled, whose waves are ever rolling in the life of Isaac we stand by the rippling of a gentle stream, where there ;

are

no storms to

Abraham

ruffle

and no waves to

man of action, and he is inman of action bis work grows

the

creasingly the

roll.

;

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

268

more pressing

grows

as lie

even from manhood's dawn, meditation. lives of little

His

which there tell,

But

old.

the

Isaac,

man

one of those introverted is little

not because the

There

tell.

life is

uneventful,

but because the events are not seen

;

they

lie

not on the surface of history, they are trans-

Think not

acted in the depths of the heart.

that Isaac's calm was the calm of inanity

was the calm of conquered storm. forget that

was because

his

Some men get

his

was a placid manhood,

had been a tempestuous youth.

their cross in middle

the burden and heat of the day

The

cross in the morning.

one day comes to the threshold of

moment when

;

Canst thou

all

of us,

life's

door,

the

bow

;

life,

amid

Isaac got his

fiery trial

came

which

him on

and at the very

of promise

was seen in

the sky, the blackness of darkness threatened

Was not the earned ? Was it not

to extinguish it for ever.

rest of

his later years well

fitting

that he

who

at morning's

dawn had climbed

the sacrificial heights of Moriah, should be permitted, even in the blaze of noonday, to

have something of the evening calm

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

soul,

and a time

God has

269

a time for thee to work

Would

for thee to meditate.

not be well for thee to come up betimes into the secret place and rest awhile

The burden

and heat of the day are hard to

bear,

and im-

possible to bear without the strength of the

Thinkest thou that the meditation of

Spirit.

Isaac

ham

lift

nay,

Thou

a disqualifying for the work of Abrait is

a preparation for that work.

art called to

go down into the valley, to

the burdens of the laden, and to help the

toil of

Would

the labouring.

for thee

to go

first

meditation, and get transfigured it

not be well

mount of there ? Would the

into

not help thy coming work in the valley,

thou wert

first

to ascend into the elevation

of aspiring prayer, where thou Avouldst catch

something of the radiance of thy Lord, and receive

Thy

something of His ghstening glory

radiance on the mountain would not

pede thy work in the valley it, it

would strengthen

it, it

;

would

inspire

would ennoble

it.

Thou wouldst carry down with thee such a glittering of the transfiguration light, that the

men

at the foot of the

mountain would take

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

270

knowledge that thou hadst been with Jesus. There would go out from thee a marvellous a miraculous power,

virtue,

a supernatural

energy, which everywhere would arrest and

Thou wouldst be animated by a new enthusiasm, impelled by a new force, transform.

driven on irresistibly

by the impulse

Arise, then, into

within.

of light

thy mountain,

Take the wings of the morning, and

soul.

ascend to meet thy Lord in the for one blessed

pavilion,

and

air.

will

send thee a flash of

light that will keep thee all the day.

work

for

man

Enter

hour into the secret of His

shall

Thy

be glorious when thou hast

meditated on the mount of God.

CVI.

CHRISTIAN PROMOTION. *^

There the

Friend^ go up higher"

are

first

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Luke

xiv.

some of us who never get beyond

step of Jacob's ladder.

In taking

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

271

make the transition from death but we are content with mere life

that step ^ve into life

the

life

;

of an inf[int's breath.

are always

what we have been saved from in we are always exulting in our libera-

talking of

the past,

tion from the state which lies behind us. is

indeed beautiful to be grateful for the breath

of existence, but have

breath

means

of existence

considered what the

to boundless

introduction

means the

on the is well,

first

and

it is

let it

is tlje

after all only the first step,

the introduction to

all

others.

tlie

Avorlds

;

below

the world of infinite death, above thee

world of infinite

back upon

the

world

But

that view.

Thou

It is

life.

good to look

of infinite death,

remember the depth out taken.

not this be thy resting-place.

Thou standest between two tliee is

tliy foot

step of the ascending ladder

but

Remember

Art

possibilities.

thou exulting that thou hast placed

of which thou wert

not good to be limited to art only

on the

and there are myriads to come.

first step,

Above thee

there are heights of infinite progress waiting to

be scaled, and from the summit of the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

272

sacred ladder a Divine **

tliine ear,

Friend,

voice descends

come up higher."

into

Thou

hast been dwelling with rapture on the thought of thy pardon, and truly

of thy rapture.

thou be

"Wilt

Thou

neglect.

with mere pardon

satisfied

thine aspiration

to be.

a thought worthy

must not

before thee which thou

still

so,

it is

But there are greater raptures

smaller than

needs

God, a son of the

art a child of

Highest, and thou hast a right to boundless Tiiou hast the promise of infini-

expectations.

tude It

wilt thou be satisfied with the finite

;

God should thee with His own

not enough for thee that

pardon thee It

life.

;

He must

fill

not enough for

should st escape the

fires

thee that thou

of hell

;

thou must

aspire to enter into the blaze of the burning purity. is

It is

not enougli for thee that there

no longer any condemnation

press still

towards the mark

beyond

with God. destiny.

tliee

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

;

thou must

of a prize that

union and communion

Thou Thou hast been

tliinkest too freed

meanly of thy from the

fear

of the famine in the far country, but thou art still

content to be only a hired servant in thy

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. Thou must yet

Father's house. to thy

Father and ask

more.

There are

still

await

thee

— the

and the universal Father

calling

gifts

Him

273

arise

for

and go

something

unspeakable which

ring,

and

the

robe,

joy, for the voice of thy

unto thee,

" Friend,

come

higher.'

CVII.

RELIGIOUS ATTRACTIVENESS. **

Z^/ fhe beauty of the Lord our

— There

God be upon

a moral power in beauty

the heart of the

us/*

Ps. xc. 17.

man

that sees

it.

;

elevates

It is not

enough that a man should display the law of holiness ness.

;

he must display the beauty of

holi-

There are some whose religion has

every quality but one are animated are ruled

by the

—

attractiveness.

They

sincerest motives, they

by the tenderest conscience, they are

influenced by the purest desires, yet their

reli-

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

274

gion

withal a

weapon

magnet

in the heart

draw.

They

in the hand, not a

but

it drives,

;

does not

are impressed above all things

with the power of the Lord, and they would like to

display His power

they do not see

;

that the uppermost garment of the religious life

have not measured *â&#x20AC;˘

I, if

all

Tbey words,

I be lifted

up from the

men unto me."

cross its

of the Lord.

the force of these

must be the beauty

The highest power

not think that the glory of

number the number

religion lies in the

attract.

it lies in

beauty

;

there

can

of things

can

an univer-

no sphere which

Hast thou not seen

refuses to animate.

in the world of nature

how

the Ijighest and the lowliest it

of things

of the Lord

The beauty

sally diffused it

of the

its attractiveness, its ability to allure,

beauty.

repel;

earth, will draio

Thou beholdest

on the mountain-tops, and thou meetest

in the valleys.

Thou

seest

heavens, and thou tracest the earth.

Thou

findest

it in it it

j)ervades alike

the bespangled

in the colours of

lighting

up the

wilderness and the solitary place, and thou discoverest

gilding the streets where pours

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. tlie

275

busy crowd, illuminating dusky lane and

shady

alley,

haunts of toilworn men. fully

said

common

kindling into a glow the

the

"There

Truly

light

beauti-

it is

God's outward

nothing

hid

from the

Thou who art the source of Thy beauty overshadow my soul.

beauty, let

beauty,

heat thereof."

beauty be upon above

Thy

all,

an outermost robe

on the top of

all,

Help

charity.

Let Thy

may

put on

wear unsoiled

everywhere the garment of Thy righteous-

Where Thou

ness.

May

may I be able to go, may I be fit to dwell.

goest

where Thou dwellest

go wdth Thee to the marriage feast

without contamination

may

;

enter with

Thee into the house of mourning without

May

despair.

streets of the

and

toil

;

may

solitary fields,

men commune with Thee

great city where I

where the

be able to

not beautiful

what

stand with Thee in the

In the power of

sj)in.

may

the

;

give

world

lift

lilies

in the

not nor

Thy Divine beauty up things which

me Thy could

toil

strive

are

strength to touch

not

touch

without

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

276

Help me to come into unharmed con-

stain.

tact with that which would dim the impure

heart.

Help

lepers,

the demoniacs,

take

by the hand

the

outcasts

the

Help me to give Thy beauty

world.

those that

Thy joy

to those that

Thy garment

of praise to

sit in ashes.

are in mourning.

Then

those that have the spirit of heaviness. shall

the

even the Gentiles come to Thy

light,

and the powers of the world to the brightness of

Thy

They

rising.

shall see the

King

no longer in His kingliness alone but in His beauty. Sinai,

They were

repelled

but they shall be

lovelit peaks of Olivet

that

gate

;

by the

attracted

they have

the house of

fires

by the

fled

again

temple called BeautifuL

from

God which

guarded by the flaming sword, but they return to enter

by the gate

shall

of the

FOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

277

CVIII.

SPIRITUAL FEARLESSNESS. '*

For then

shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty,

andshalt

lift

image 'W"e

;

lift

up thy face unto God''

up the it is

say in

describe a

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Job

God

face unto

xxii. 26.

a beautiful

the symbol of perfect confidence.

common language, when we wish to man of bad conscience, that he can-

not look us in the

Such

face.

the thought here revealed.

in substance is

suggested

that the bad conscience keeps the head

ward towards the (roin

earth,

down-

prevents the

man

gazing up even in his acts of prayer into

the face of his Father.

There

something sub-

limely beautiful in these words of the Master â&#x20AC;˘vhere

says

little

children,

angels do always behold the face of

which

in heaven."

fearless confidence.

"Their

my Father

It is the expression of

In Eastern lands

was

only the few who were allowed to stand in the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT.

278

presence of the king, to gaze into the face of

In the presence of the King of kings

royalty. it is

the

childhood that

spirit of

There

there

children that stand,

little

lifts

no crouching, there

its face

;

there

before the throne of the

up of the eyes

soul,

attitude

an attitude

that beautiful boldness

Heavenly grace which

the childlike heart alone can feel lifting

the

to God.

no timidity,

no covering of the eyes

of servile fear

it is

;

there

the

to God.

hast thou reached this glorious

of the

heart? hast

childlike

thou

attained to that perfect love which casteth out

Has thy religion become to thee anything more than a task, an ordeal, a daily and nightly penance which must somehow be got fear

through, and which thou beginnest for the

sake of getting through risen

from thine ashes in thy moments of

prayer

have thy prayers never taken any form

but that of abject servility yet

Hast thou never

known what

Hast thou never

meant by the joy of com-

munion, the rapture of fellowship with God

Thou knowest what

it is

to be in

awe of the

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT. Almighty,

Almighty is

279

but to have thy delight in the

—hast

thou realised that?

Yet

that and nothing less than that that

birthright

for this cause wast

;

thy

thou born, and

end camest thou into the world, that

to this

thou mightst have communion with thy God.

From

thee there

desired no servile homage,

only that homage of the heart whose love and whose nature is

thy heart and not thy

would lead

captive.

by the most golden Himself

;

all

chains

— the power of His thou of

fearful,

which thy Father enchain thee

— devotion to

He would sway thee by the

all sceptres

thou so

perfect freedom.

life

He would of

name

softest of

love.

Why art

little faith ?

thy poverty that makes thee tremble

Is it

sayest

thou that thou hast nothing of thine own to give

Neither have the waters of that sea

when they the

look

up by night

over-hanging

of their to her

own

;

they have nothing

to give her, but they restore

again the

their bosom.

moon

at the form of

image she imprinted on

So shall

Father overjiangs

thee,

be with thee. broods

over

Thy thee,

MOMENTS ON THE MOUNT,

28o calls

there

thee

be light;"

thy face to Him,

when thou

"Let lift up

thousand voices,

shall see

thy bosom.

fHI VSVk

shalt

His image in

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