"He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter."--Isa. liii, 7.
How great was the _patience_ of Jesus! Even among His own disciples, how
forbearingly He endured their blindness, their misconceptions and
hardness of heart! Philip had been for three years with Him, yet he had
"not known Him!"--all that time he had remained in strange and culpable
ignorance of his Lord's dignity and glory. See how tenderly Jesus bears
with him; giving him nothing in reply for his confession of ignorance
but unparalleled promises of grace! Peter, the honored and trusted,
becomes a renegade and a coward. Justly might his dishonored Lord, stung
with such unrequited love, have cut the unworthy cumberer down. But He
spares him, bears with him, gently rebukes him, and loves him more than
ever! See the Divine Sufferer in the terminating scenes of His own
ignominy and woe. How patient!--"As a sheep before her shearers is dumb,
so He opened not His mouth." In these awful moments, outraged
Omnipotence might have summoned twelve legions of angels and put into
the hand of each a vial of wrath. But He submits in meek, majestic
silence. Verily, in _Him_ "patience had her _perfect_ work!"
Think of this same patience with His Church and people since He ascended
to glory. The years upon years He has borne with their perverse
resistance of His grace, their treacherous ingratitude, their wayward
wanderings, their hardness of heart and contempt of His holy word. Yet,
behold the forbearing love of this Saviour of God! His hand of mercy is
"stretched out still!"
Child of God! art thou now undergoing some bitter trial? The way of thy
God, it may be, all mystery; no footprints of love traceable in the
checkered path; no light, in the clouds above; no ray in the dark
future. _Be patient!_ "The Lord is good to them that _wait_ for Him."
"They that _wait_ on the Lord shall renew their strength!" Or hast thou
been long tossed on some bed of sickness--days of pain and nights of
weariness appointed thee? _Be patient!_ "I trust this groaning," said a
suffering saint, "is not murmuring." God, by this very affliction, is
nurturing within thee this beauteous grace which shone so conspicuously
in the character of thy dear Lord. With Him it was a lovely _habit_ of
the soul. With thee, the "tribulation" which worketh "patience" is
needful discipline. It is _good_ for a man that he should both hope and
quietly _wait_ for the salvation of God. Art thou suffering some
unmerited wrong or unkindness, exposed to harsh and wounding
accusations, hard for flesh and blood to bear? _Be patient!_ Beware of
hastiness of speech or temper; remember how much evil may be done by a
few inconsiderate words "spoken unadvisedly with the lip." Think of
Jesus standing before a human tribunal, in the silent submissiveness of
conscious innocence and integrity. Leave thy cause with God. Let this be
the only form of thy complaint, "O God, I am oppressed; undertake Thou
for me!"
"In patience," then, "possess ye your souls." Let it not be a grace for
peculiar seasons, called forth on peculiar exigences; but an habitual
frame manifested in the calm serenity of a daily walk;--placidity amid
the little fretting annoyances of every-day life--a fixed purpose of the
heart to wait upon God, and cast its every burden upon Him.
"ARM YOURSELVES LIKEWISE WITH THE SAME MIND."
Nineteenth Day.