Schoolmaster to Christ
DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 2
Schoolmaster to Christ
DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 2
Introduction to Chapter 2: The closing lines of chapter 1 show us the people weeping before the Lord. "And ye returned and wept before the Lord; but the Lord would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you. So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there."
There was no more reality in their tears than in their words. Their weeping was no more to be trusted than their confession. It is possible for people to confess and shed tears without any true sense of sin. This is solemn; it is mocking God. A truly contrite heart is His delight. He makes His abode with such. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." The tears that flow from a penitent heart are by far more precious to God than the cattle on a thousand hills, because they prove that there is room in that heart for Him; and this is what He seeks. He wants to dwell in our hearts, and fill us with the deep, unspeakable joy of His blessed presence.
But Israel's confession and tears at Kadesh were not real – the Lord could not accept them. The feeblest cry of a broken heart ascends directly to the throne of God, and is immediately answered by the soothing healing balm of His pardoning love. But self-willed and rebellious tears and confessions are not only worthless; they are an insult to the Divine Majesty.
So, the people had to turn back into the wilderness, and there wander for forty years. There was nothing else to do. They would not go into the land with God, and He would not go with them in their self-will and self-confidence; therefore, they had to accept the consequence of disobedience. If they would not enter the land, they must fall in the wilderness.
Deeply ponder the Spirit's solemn commentary on this in the third chapter of Hebrews – how pointed and forcible the application to us. "Wherefore – as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day Of temptation in the wilderness; when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw My works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in heart, and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest . . . Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. While it is said, Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke; howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them; but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard."
Once again, Holy Scripture reveals that unbelief grieves the heart and dishonors the Name of God. It also robs us of the blessings, dignities and privileges infinite grace bestows. We have little idea of how much we lose through unbelief. Israel's case is a powerful example. The land, in all its fruitfulness and beauty, was before them. They were commanded to go and take possession, but "They could not enter in because of unbelief." So it is with us; we fail to possess the fullness of blessing put within our reach by the grace of God. The treasure of heaven is thrown open to us, but we fail to appropriate. We are poor, feeble, empty and barren, when we might be rich, rigorous, full and fruitful. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ; but our apprehension is shallow, our grasp feeble.
Who can calculate how much of the Lord's work we lose through unbelief? In the Gospel, we read of a certain place where our blessed Lord could not do His mighty works because of unbelief. Has this no voice for us? Do we hinder Him by unbelief? Occasionally, we hear someone say that the Lord will carry on His work irrespective of us or our faith; He will gather His own in spite of our unbelief; not all the power of earth and hell, men and devils combined, can hinder the carrying out of His counsels and purposes. Regarding His work it is not by might nor by power but by His Spirit; human efforts are in vain; and the Lord's cause can never he furthered by man's excitement.
While all this is certainly true, still, it leaves untouched the inspired statement noted above. "He could there do not many mighty works because of their unbelief." Did not those people lose blessing through their unbelief? Did they not hinder much good being done? We must beware how we surrender our minds to the withering influence of a pernicious fatalism that, with a certain semblance of truth, is utterly false, because it denies human responsibility and paralyses godly energy in the cause of Christ. We must keep in mind that the same One Who, in His eternal counsels decreed the end, has also designed the means; and if we, in the sinful unbelief of our hearts, and under the influence of one-sided truth, fold our arms and neglect the means, He will set us aside, and carry on His work by other hands. He will work, but we will lose the dignity, privilege, and blessing of being His instruments.
Consider that striking scene in the second chapter of Mark. It forcibly illustrates this great principle. It proves the power of faith in connection with the carrying on of the Lord's work. If the four men had allowed themselves to be influenced by a mischievous fatalism, they would have argued that it was no use doing anything. If the palsied man was to he cured he would be cured without human effort. Why should they busy themselves climbing up on the house, uncovering the roof, and letting the sick man down to Jesus? It was good for the palsied man, and good for them that they did not act on such miserable reasoning. Notice how their lovely faith refreshed the heart of the Lord Jesus; it brought the sick man into the place of healing, pardon and blessing; and it gave occasion for the display of Divine power that arrested the attention of all present, and gave testimony to the great truth that God was on earth in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, healing diseases and forgiving sins.
Many other examples might be offered, but there is no need. Holy Scripture constantly establishes the fact that unbelief hinders our blessing, hinders our usefulness, and robs us of the rare privilege of being God's honored instruments in carrying on His glorious work of seeing the operations of His hand and His Spirit in our midst. On the other hand, faith draws down power and blessing; it both glorifies and gratifies God by clearing the creature’s platform and making room for the display of Divine power. In short, if our hearts are governed by simple faith that always counts on and trusts in Him; that He delights to honor, then there is no limit to the blessing we might enjoy at the hand of God. "According to your faith, he it unto you." What precious, soul-stirring words. May they encourage us to draw more largely on those exhaustless resources found only in God. He delights to be used. His word to us is, "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." We can never expect too much from the God of all grace Who has given us His only begotten Son, and through Him will freely give us all things.
But Israel could not trust God to bring them into the land; they presumed to go in their own strength, and consequently were put to flight before their enemies. Thus it must always be. Presumption and faith are two different things: the former can end only in defeat and disaster; the latter in sure and certain victory.
"Then we turned and took our journey into the wilderness, by the way of the Red Sea, as the Lord spake unto me; and we compassed Mount Seir, many days." There is great moral beauty in the little word, "we." Moses links himself with the people. In company with the unbelieving congregation, He and Joshua and Caleb turned back into the wilderness. In the judgment of human nature, this might seem hard; but we may rest assured it was good and profitable. There is always deep blessing in bowing to the will of God, even though we may not always be able to see the why and wherefore of things. Although ready to go into the land, we do not read of a single murmuring word from these honored servants of God at having to turn back into the wilderness for forty years, they simply turned back. And well they might, because Jehovah also turned back. How could they think of complaining, when they beheld the traveling chariot of the God of Israel facing toward the wilderness? Surely the patient grace and long-suffering mercy of God taught them to accept a protracted sojourn in the wilderness with a willing mind, and to patiently wait for the blessed moment of entrance into the Promised Land.
It is a great thing to always meekly submit under the hand of God. We are sure to reap a rich harvest of blessing from the exercise. For us it is taking the yoke of Christ on us – the true secret of rest.
"Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
What was this yoke? It was absolute and complete subjection to the Father's will. This we see in our adorable Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He could say, "Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight." Here was the point with Him. "Good in thy sight." This settled everything. Was His testimony rejected? Did He seem to labor in vain, and spend His strength for nothing and in vain? What then? "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth." It was all right. Whatever pleased the Father pleased Him. He never had a thought or wish that was not in consonance with the will of God. Thus, as a man He ever enjoyed perfect rest. He rested in His Father’s counsels and purposes. From beginning to end, the current of His peace was unruffled.
This was the yoke of Christ; and this is what He invites us to take on, in order that we, too, may find rest for our souls. Let us seek to understand the words. "Ye shall find rest." We must not confound the "rest" that He gives with the "rest" we find. When the weary, burdened, heavy laden soul comes to Jesus in simple faith, He gives settled rest that flows from full assurance that all is done; sins forever put away; perfect righteousness accomplished, revealed and possessed, every question divinely and eternally settled; God glorified; Satan silenced; conscience tranquilized.
Such rest Jesus gives when we come to Him. But we still have to move through the scenes and circumstances of daily life. There are all sorts of trials, difficulties, exercises, buffetings, disappointments, and reverses. While none of these can touch the rest Jesus gives; they may interfere with the rest we are to find. They do not trouble the conscience; but they may trouble the heart, making us restless, fretful, and impatient. For instance, one is scheduled to preach in New York; and announcements are made, but he is on a sickbed in Los Angeles. Though this will not trouble his conscience; it will probably trouble his heart. He may be in a fever of restlessness, ready to exclaim, "How troublesome; how disappointing."
How are such things to be met? How are troubled hearts to be tranquilized, and restless minds calmed? What do we want? Do we want rest? How are we to find it? By stooping down and taking Christ's precious yoke, the very yoke that He Himself wore in the days of His flesh, the yoke of complete subjection to the will of God. May we be able to say from the depths of the heart, without one atom of reserve, "Thy will, O Lord, be done." It is our prayer that God's children in this age will always want such a profound sense of His perfect love and infinite wisdom in all His dealings toward us. May God help us not move a finger to alter our position or circumstances, feeling assured that it is much better to be suffering on a sickbed in Los Angeles, than speaking on a platform in New York.
Here lies the deep and precious secret of rest for the heart as opposed to restlessness. The simple ability to thank God for everything be it ever so contrary to our own will and subversive of our own plans. It is not a mere assent to the truth that "All things work together for good to them that love God; to them that are the called according to his purpose." It is the sense; the actual realization that the thing God appoints is best for us. It is trusting repose to the love, wisdom, power and faithfulness of the One Who has graciously undertaken everything for us, and charged Himself with all that concerns us both for time and eternity. We know that love will always do its best for its object. What must it be to have God doing His best for us? Where is the heart that would not be satisfied with God's best, if only it knows Him?
But, He must be known before the heart can be satisfied with His will. In the Garden of Eden, beguiled by the serpent, Eve became dissatisfied with the will of God. She wished for something He had forbidden; and this something the devil undertook to supply. She thought the devil could do better for her than God. She thought to better her circumstances by taking herself out of the hands of God and into the hands of Satan. So it is; no unrenewed heart can rest in the will of God. If we search the human heart; if we submit it to a faithful analysis, we will not find a single thought in unison with the will of God – no, not one. And even in the case of the true Christian, the child of God, it is only as he is enabled by the grace of God to mortify his own will, to reckon himself dead, and to walk in the Spirit that he can delight in the will of God, and give thanks in everything. Regarding every dealing of the hand of God, to be able to say without a single shade of reserve, "Thy will be done," is one of the greatest evidences of the new birth – "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." When the heart is in this attitude, Satan can make nothing of it. It is a grand point to be able to tell the devil and the world – tell them, not in word and tongue, but in deed and truth; not merely with lips, but in heart and life—"I am perfectly satisfied with the will of God."
May God help to understand that this is the way to find rest. It is His remedy for that unrest, that spirit of discontent, that dissatisfaction with our appointed lot and sphere, so prevalent in our age. It is a perfect cure for that restless ambition so opposed to the mind and Spirit of Christ, but so characteristic of the men of this world.
With holy diligence, may we cultivate that meek and lowly spirit that bows to His blessed will in all things, vindicating His dealings come what may. Thus will our peace flow as a river, and the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be magnified in our course, character and conduct.
Before turning from this deeply interesting and practical subject, let us observe the three distinct attitudes in which the soul may be found pertaining to the dealings of God: subjection, acquiescence, and rejoicing. When the will is broken, there is subjection; when the understanding regarding the Divine object is enlightened, there is acquiescence; and when the affections are engaged with God Himself, there is rejoicing. Thus, in the tenth chapter of Luke we read, "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." That blessed One found delight in the will of God. It was His meat and drink to carry out that will, at all cost. In service or in suffering; in life or in death, He never had any motive but the Father's will. He could say, "I do always the things that please him." Eternal and universal homage to His peerless Name.
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 2 (KJV)
We now proceed with chapter two.
"And the Lord spake unto me, saying, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough; turn you northward." The Word of the Lord determined everything. It fixed how long the people were to remain in any given place, and with equal distinctness, it indicated where they were next to bend their steps. There was no need whatsoever for them to plan or arrange their movements. It was the province and prerogative of Jehovah to settle everything for them; it was theirs to obey. There is no mention here of the cloud and the trumpet. It is simply God's Word and Israel's obedience.
If the heart of a child of God is in the right condition, nothing can be more precious than to be guided in everything by God's command. It saves a world of anxiety and perplexity. In Israel's case, called as they were to journey through a great and terrible wilderness where there was no way, it was an unspeakable mercy to have their every movement, every step, and every halting-place ordered by the infallible Guide. There was no need to be troubled about their movements, no need to inquire how long they were to stay in any given place, or where they were to go next. Jehovah settled everything for them. They needed only to simply wait on Him for guidance, and to do what they were told.
Here was the grand point – a waiting and obedient spirit. Lacking this, they were liable to all sorts of questionings, reasoning and rebellious activities. When God said, "Ye have compassed this mountain long enough," had Israel replied, "No; we want to compass it a little longer; we are comfortable here, and we do not wish to make any change," or if when God said, “Turn you northward,” they had replied, "No; we prefer going eastward;" what would have been the result? They would have forfeited God's presence; and who could guide, or help, or feed them then? They could count on God's presence only while they trod the path indicated by His command. If they chose to take their own way, there was nothing for them but famine, desolation and darkness. The stream from the smitten rock and the heavenly manna were to be found only in the path of obedience.
This is a wholesome, needed, and valuable lesson for Christians to learn. It is our privilege to have a path marked out for us day by day by Divine authority. Of this we must be thoroughly persuaded. We are not to allow ourselves to be robbed of this rich blessing by the seemingly plausible reasoning of unbelief. God has promised to guide us, and His promise is yea and amen. It is up to us in the artless simplicity of faith to make the promise our own. It is as real, solid and true as God can make it. In the matter of guidance, we should not; we cannot admit that Israel in the desert was better off than God's heavenly people today, in our passage through this world. How did Israel know the length of the halting or the line of their march? By the Word of God. Are we worse off? Far be the thought. Actually, we are better off by far than they. We have the Word and Spirit of God to guide us. We have the high and holy privilege of walking in the footsteps of the Son of God.
Thank God, this is perfect guidance. Hear what our adorable Lord Jesus Christ says to us: ''I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.'' Mark the words, ''He that followeth Me.'' ''He has left us an example that we should follow His steps.'' This is living guidance. How did Jesus walk? Always and only by the commandment of His Father. By that He acted; by that He moved; without it He never acted, moved or spoke.
We are called to follow Him; and in so doing we have the assurance of His own Word that we shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Precious words: "The light of life.'' Who can sound their living depths? Who can estimate their worth? "The darkness is past, and the true light now shineth," and it is for us to walk in the full blaze of the light that shines along the pathway of the Son of God. Is there any uncertainty, any perplexity, any ground for hesitation here? No. How could there be, if we are following Him? It is impossible to combine the two ideas.
We should remember that it is not a question of having a literal text of Scripture for our every movement or every act. For example, we cannot expect to get a text of Scripture or a voice from heaven to tell us to go here or there; or how long we are to stay whenever we might go. One may ask, ''How, then, are we to know where we should go, or how long we should stay?'' The answer is, ''Wait on God, in singleness of eye and sincerity of heart, wait on God and He will make our path as plain as a sunbeam.'' This was what Jesus did; and if we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness. ''I will guide thee with mine eye,'' is a precious promise; but, in order to profit by it, we must be near enough to Him to catch the movement of His eye, and intimate enough with Him to understand its meaning.
If we waited for God's guidance in all the details of daily life and never attempted to move without it, a thousand questions would be answered and a thousand difficulties solved. If we do not have light to move, it is our plain duty to wait, to be still. We should never move in uncertainty. Usually, we harass ourselves about moving or acting, when God would have us be still and do nothing. We go and ask God about it, but get no answer; we go to friends for advice and counsel, but they cannot help. It is a question between our own soul and the Lord. Thus we are plunged in doubt and anxiety. And why? Simply because the eye is not single; we are not following Jesus, "The light of the world." Here is the fixed principle, the precious axiom in the Christian life: if we are following Jesus, we will have the light of life. He has said it, and that is enough for faith.
Without a doubt, we are warranted in concluding that the One Who guided His earthly people in all their desert wanderings, can and will guide His heavenly people today, in all their movements and in ways. On the other hand, let us see to it that we are not determined on doing our own will, having our own way and carrying out our own plans. "Be ye not as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding, whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee." Let it be our aim to walk in the footsteps of that blessed One Who pleased not Himself, but always moved in the current of His Father's will; Who never acted without His Father’s authority; Who, though Himself God, yet, having taken His place as a man on the earth, completely surrendered His own will and found His meat and drink in doing the will of His Father. In this way our hearts and minds will be kept in perfect peace; and we will be enabled to move along the path with firm and decided step, along the path indicated for us by our Divine and ever-present Guide Who not only knows every step of the way, but Who has trodden it before us, leaving us an example that we should follow His steps. Through the gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us, may we follow Him more faithfully in all things.
We now briefly focus attention to a subject of deep interest; one that occupies a large place in Old Testament Scripture; one that is forcibly illustrated in the chapter open before us: God's government of the world and His ordering of earthly nations. It is a grand and all-important fact to always keep before the mind – the One Whom we know as "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," and our God and Father, takes a real, lively, personal interest in the affairs of nations; that He takes cognizance of their movements and their dealings one with another.
In Deuteronomy 2, against the encroachments of His own chosen people, we find Jehovah, in His faithfulness and righteousness, interfering to protect three distinct nations in the enjoyment of their national rights. He says to Moses, "Command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore meddle not with them: for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot-breadth, because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession. Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink."
Israel might imagine that they had nothing to do but seize on the lands of the Edomite, but they had to learn something different. They had to be taught that the Most High is Governor among the nations; that the whole earth belongs to Him, and He portions it out to one or another according to His good pleasure.
This is a magnificent fact to keep before the mind – the great majority of men think but little of it. Emperors, kings, princes, governors, statesmen, take little account of it. They forget that God is interested in the affairs of nations; that He bestows kingdoms, provinces and lands as He sees fit. At times, they act as if it were only a question of military conquest, as if God had nothing to do with the question of national boundaries and territorial possessions. This is a great mistake. They do not understand the meaning and force of this simple sentence: "I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession." In this respect, God will never surrender His rights. He would not allow Israel to touch a single atom of Esau's property. To use a modern phrase, they were to pay ready cash for whatever they needed, and go quietly on their way. Indiscriminate slaughter and plunder were not to be thought of by the people of God.
Consider the lovely reason for all this: "For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand; he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness; these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee, thou hast lacked nothing."
Therefore, they could well afford to let Esau alone, and leave his possessions untouched. They were the favored objects of Jehovah's tender care. He took knowledge of every step of their weary journey through the desert. In infinite goodness, He had charged Himself with all their necessities. He was going to give them the land of Canaan, according to His promise to Abraham; but the same hand that was giving them Canaan, had given mount Seir to Esau.
We see exactly the same thing regarding Moab and Ammon. "The Lord said unto me, distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give thee of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession."
And again, "And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them; for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession."
The possessions alluded to above had been in the hands of giants; but it was God's purpose to give up their territories to the children of Esau and Lot, and therefore He destroyed these giants; for who or what can stand in the way of God's counsel? "That also was accounted a land of giants; Giants dwelt therein in old times . . . a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the Lord destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead; as he did to the children of Esau which dwelt in Seir, when he destroyed the Horims from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day" (vv. 20-23).
So Israel was not permitted to meddle with the possessions of these three nations: the Edomites, Ammonites and Moabites. But in the next sentence we see something else in the case of the Amorites. "Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle."
In all these varied instructions to Israel, the great principle is that God's Word must settle everything for His people. It was not for Israel to inquire why they were to leave the possessions of Esau and Lot untouched, and to seize on those of Sihon. They were simply to do what they were told. God can do as He pleases. His eye is on the whole scene. He sees it all. Men may think He has forsaken the earth; but be assured He has not. He is, as the apostle says in his discourse at Athens, "Lord of heaven and earth; " and "He hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth; and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation, " And, further, "He hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the habitable earth in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance [given proof] unto all, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (emphasis added).
Here we have another solemn and weighty truth, one to which men of all ranks and conditions would do well to take heed. God is the Sovereign Ruler of the world. He never gives an accounting for any of His matters. He puts down one and sets up another. Kingdoms, thrones, governments are all at His disposal. In the ordering and arrangement of human affairs, He acts according to His own will, period. But, at the same time, He holds men responsible for their actions in the various positions His providence has placed them. The ruler and the ruled, the king, the governor, the magistrate, the judge, all classes and grades of men will sooner or later have to give account to God. Each one, as if the only one, will stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, and there review everything, from first to last; every act, every word, every secret thought will then come out with awful distinctness. There will be no escaping in a crowd. The Word declares that "every man will be judged according to his works." It will be intensely individual, and unmistakably discriminating. In a word, it will be Divine judgment, and therefore, absolutely perfect. Nothing will be passed over. "Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof at the day of judgement." Kings, governors and magistrates will have to account for the way in which they have used the power entrusted to them, and the wealth that passed through their hands. The noble and wealthy who have spent their fortune and their time in folly, vanity, luxury and self-indulgence will have to answer for it all before the throne of the Son of man, Whose eyes are as a flame of fire, reading men through and through; and His feet as fine brass, crushing in unsparing judgment all that is contrary to God.
Infidelity may sneeringly inquire, "How can these things be? How could untold millions of the human race find room before the judgment-seat of Christ? And how could there be time to enter so minutely into the details of each personal history?" Faith replies, "God says it shall be so; and this is conclusive; and as to the 'Hows' the answer is, God. Infinity. Eternity." Bring God in, and all questions are hushed; all difficulties disposed of. In fact, the one grand triumphant answer to all objections of the infidel, skeptic, rationalist, and materialist, is just that one majestic word, "God."
We press this point, not to enable anyone to reply to infidels, but for the rest and comfort of the heart. As to infidels, we are increasingly persuaded that the highest wisdom is to act on our Lord's words in Matthew 15: "Let them alone." It is useless to argue with men who despise the Word of God, and have no other foundation to build on than their own carnal reasoning. On the other hand, we deem it to be of the greatest importance that in the artless simplicity of a child the heart should always repose in the truth of God's Word. "Hath he said, and shall he not do it or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"
Here is the hallowed resting-place of faith, the calm haven where the soul finds refuge from all the conflicting currents of human thought and feeling. "The word of the Lord endureth for ever; and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. Nothing can touch the word of our God, It is settled for ever in heaven; and all we want is to have it hidden in our hearts as our own very possession; the treasure which we have received from God; the living fountain where we may ever drink for the refreshment and comfort of our souls. Then shall our peace flow as a river; and our path shall be as the shining light which shineth more and more unto the perfect day."
Thus may it be, O Lord, with all Thy beloved people, in these days of growing infidelity. May Thy Holy Word be increasingly precious to our hearts. May our consciences feel its power. May its heavenly teachings form our character and govern our conduct in all relationships of life, so that Thy name may be glorified in all things.
