This chapter abounds in most weighty principles. It consists of three
distinct sections, each one of which claims our deep attention. We
must not attempt to weaken the admonitory force of such a scripture,
or turn aside its keen edge, by saying that it does not apply to
Christians--that it is wholly Jewish in its scope and application. No
doubt, primarily, it was addressed to Israel; this is so obvious as
not to admit of a question. But let us not forget that it was "written
for our learning," and not only so, but the more closely we study it,
the more we shall see that its teaching is of universal importance.
"If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and
giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to
pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods,
which thou hast not known, and let us serve them: thou shalt not
hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams; for
the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after
the Lord your God, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey
His voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him. And that
prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he
hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you
out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of
bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God
commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the
midst of thee." (Ver. 1-5.)
Here we have divine provision made for all cases of false teaching and
false religious influence. We all know how easily the poor human heart
is led astray by any thing in the shape of a sign or a wonder, and
especially when such things stand connected with religion. This is not
confined to the nation of Israel; we see it every where and at all
times. Any thing supernatural, any thing involving an infringement of
what are called the ordinary laws of nature, is almost sure to act
powerfully on the human mind. A prophet rising up in the midst of the
people and confirming his teaching by miracles, signs, and wonders,
would be almost sure to get a hearing and obtain an influence.
In this way, Satan has worked in all ages, and he will work yet more
powerfully, at the end of this present age, in order to deceive and
lead to their everlasting destruction those who will not hearken to
the precious truth of the gospel. "The mystery of iniquity," which has
been working in the professing church for eighteen centuries, will be
headed up in the person of "_that Wicked_ whom the Lord shall consume
with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of
His coming; even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan, with
all _power_ and _signs_ and lying _wonders_, and with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they
received not _the love of the truth_, that they might be saved. And
for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie; that they all might be damned _who believed not the
truth_, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thess. ii. 8-12.)
So also in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, our Lord warns His
disciples against the same kind of influence.--"Then if any man shall
say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there
shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and _shall show great
signs and wonders_; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall
deceive the very elect. Behold, _I have told you before_." (Ver.
23-25.)
Again, in Revelation xiii, we read of the second beast, coming up out
of the earth, the great false prophet, the antichrist, doing great
wonders, "so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in
the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means
of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast;
saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image
to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live." (Ver. 13,
14.)
Now, each of the above three passages of holy Scripture refers to
scenes which shall be enacted after the Church has been taken away out
of this world; but on this we do not dwell, inasmuch as our object in
quoting them for the reader is, to let him see how far the devil can
go in the way of signs and wonders, to lead people away from the
truth; and also to set before him the one divine and therefore perfect
safeguard against all the delusive power of the enemy.
The human heart has no ability whatever to resist the influence of
"great signs and wonders," put forth in favor of the most deadly
error. There is but the one thing which can fortify the soul, and
enable it to resist the devil and his deadly delusions, and that is,
the Word of God. To have the precious truth of God treasured up in the
heart is the divine secret of preservation from all error, even though
backed up by the most astounding miracles.
Hence, in the first of the above quotations, we see that the reason
why people will be deceived by the signs and lying wonders of "that
wicked" one is, "because they received not the love of the truth, that
they might be saved." It is the love of the truth that preserves from
error, be it ever so persuasive, ever so fascinating, ever so strongly
supported by the powerful evidence of "great signs and wonders." It is
not cleverness, intellectual power, mental grasp, extensive
learning--all these things are perfectly powerless in the presence of
Satan's wiles and machinations. The most gigantic human intellect must
fall an easy prey to the wiles of the serpent.
But, blessed be God, the craft, the subtilty, the signs and lying
wonders, all the resources of Satan, all the machinery of hell, are
perfectly powerless with a heart that is governed by the love of the
truth. A little child who knows and believes and loves the truth is
blessedly shielded, sheltered, and divinely preserved from the
blinding and deceiving power of the wicked one. If ten thousand false
prophets were to arise and perform the most extraordinary miracles
that were ever presented to the human gaze, in order to prove that the
Bible is not the inspired Word of God, or that our Lord Jesus Christ
is not God over all, blessed forever, or in order to set aside the
glorious truth that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth
from all sin, or any other precious truth revealed in holy Scripture,
it could have no effect whatever on the very simplest babe in Christ
whose heart is governed by the Word of God. Yea, if an angel from
heaven were to come down and preach any thing contrary to what we are
taught in the Word of God, we have a divine warrant to pronounce him
anathema, without any discussion or argument whatever.
This is an unspeakable mercy. It puts the simple-hearted, unlettered
child of God into the most blessed position--a position, not only of
moral security, but of sweetest repose. We are not called upon to
analyze the false doctrine, or to weigh the evidence advanced in favor
of it; we reject, with stern decision, both the one and the other,
simply because we have the certainty of the truth and the love of it
in our hearts. "Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet,
or that dreamer of dreams;"--although the sign or the wonder had come
to pass--"for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."
Here, beloved reader, was the all-important point for Israel, and it
is the same for us. Then, now, and always, the true moral security is
in having the heart fortified with the love of the truth, which is
only another way of expressing the love of God. The faithful Israelite
who loved Jehovah, with all his heart and with all his soul, would
have a ready and conclusive answer for all the false prophets and
dreamers who might arise--a thoroughly effectual method of dealing
with them. "_Thou shalt not hearken._" If the enemy does not get the
ear, he is not likely to reach the heart. The sheep follow the
Shepherd; "for they know His voice. And a stranger"--even though
showing signs and wonders--"will they not follow, but will _flee from
him_." Why? Is it because they are able to discuss and argue and
analyze? No, thanks and praise to God; but because "they know not the
voice of strangers." The simple fact of not knowing the voice is a
sufficient reason for not following the speaker.
All this is full of comfort and consolation for the beloved lambs and
sheep of the flock of Christ. They can hear the voice of their loving,
faithful Shepherd; they can gather around Him, and find in His
presence true rest and perfect safety. He makes them to lie down in
green pastures, and leads them by the still waters of His love. This
is enough. They may be very weak--yea, perfect weakness in
themselves--but this is no hindrance to their rest and blessing; quite
the contrary, it only casts them more upon His almighty power. We need
never be afraid of weakness; it is fancied strength we have to dread,
vain confidence in our own wisdom, our own intelligence, our
scriptural knowledge, our spiritual attainments--these are the things
we have to fear; but as for our weakness, the more deeply we feel it
the better, for our Shepherd's strength is made perfect in weakness,
and His precious grace is amply sufficient for all the need of His
beloved and blood-bought flock as a whole, and for each member in
particular. Only let us keep near to Him in the abiding sense of our
own perfect helplessness and nothingness; let us treasure up His
precious Word in our hearts; let us feed upon it, as the very
sustenance of our souls, day by day, the staple article of our lives,
the living bread for the strengthening of the inward man. Thus shall
we be safe from every strange voice, every false prophet, every snare
of the devil, every influence which might tend to draw us away from
the path of obedience, and the practical confession of the name of
Christ.
We must now quote for the reader the second paragraph of our chapter,
in which the Lord's people are warned against another snare of the
devil. Oh, how many and varied are his snares and wiles! how manifold
are the dangers of the people of God! but, blessed be His holy name,
there is full provision in His Word for all.
"If thy brother, _the son of thy mother_,"--nearer, dearer, and more
tender than the son of the father--"or thy son, or thy daughter, or
the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend which is as thine own soul,
entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, _which
thou hast not known_, thou, nor thy fathers, namely, of the gods of
the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from
thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the
earth; thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither
shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou
conceal him; but thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first
upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the
people. And thou shalt stone him with stones that he die; because he
hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God, which brought
thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. And all
Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness
as this is among you." (Ver. 6-11.)
Here, then, we have something quite different from the false prophet
or the dreamer of dreams. Thousands might be proof against the
influence of these, and yet fall before the insnaring and seductive
power of natural affection. It is very hard to resist the action of
this latter. It demands deep-toned devotedness, great singleness of
eye, firm purpose of heart, to deal faithfully with those who live
deep down in our hearts' tender affections. The trial to some of
withstanding and rejecting a prophet or a dreamer with whom there was
no personal relationship, no tender link of fond affection, would be
as nothing compared with having to treat with stern and severe
decision the wife of the bosom, the beloved brother or sister, the
devoted and tenderly loved friend.
But where the claims of God, of Christ, of truth are at stake, there
must be no hesitation. If any should seek to make use of the ties of
affection in order to draw us aside from our allegiance to Christ, we
must resist them with unqualified decision. "If any man come to Me,
and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and
brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My
disciple." (Luke x. 26.)
Let us see that we thoroughly understand this aspect of the truth,
and also that we give it its proper place. If poor blind reason be
listened to, it will be sure to present to the mind the most hideous
perversion of this great practical subject. Reason, whenever it
attempts to exercise its powers in the things of God, is sure to prove
itself the active and efficient agent of the devil in opposition to
the truth. In things human and earthly, reason may go for what it is
worth; but in things divine and heavenly, it is not only worthless,
but positively mischievous.
What then, we may ask, is the true moral force of Luke xiv. 26 and
Deuteronomy xiii. 8-10? Most assuredly, they do not mean that we are
to be "without natural affection," which is one of the special marks
of the apostasy of the last days. This is perfectly clear. God Himself
has established our natural relationships, and each of these
relationships has its characteristic affections, the exercise and
display of which are in lovely harmony with the mind of God.
Christianity does not interfere with our relationships in nature, but
it introduces a power whereby the responsibilities which attach to
those relationships can be duly fulfilled to the glory of God. And not
only so, but in the various epistles, the Holy Ghost has given the
most ample instructions to husbands and wives, parents and children,
masters and servants, thus proving, in the very fullest and most
blessed manner, the divine sanction of those relationships and the
affections which belong to them.
All this is perfectly plain; but still we have to inquire how it fits
in with Luke xiv. and Deuteronomy xiii. The answer is simply this: The
harmony is divinely perfect. Those scriptures apply only to cases in
which our natural relationships and affections interfere with the
claims of God and of Christ. When they operate in this way, they must
be denied and mortified. If they dare to intrude upon a domain which
is wholly divine, the sentence of death must be written upon them.
In contemplating the life of the only perfect man that ever trod this
earth of ours, we can see how beautifully He adjusted the various
claims which, as a man and a servant, He had to meet. He could say to
His mother, "Woman, what have I to do with thee?" and yet, at the
fitting moment, He could, with exquisite tenderness, commend that
mother to the care of the disciple whom He loved. He could say to His
parents, "Wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business?" and,
at the same time, go home with them and be sweetly subject to parental
authority. Thus the written teachings of holy Scripture, and the
perfect ways of the living Christ, do both combine to teach us how to
discharge aright the claims of nature and the claims of God.
But it may be that the reader feels considerable difficulty in
reference to the line of action enjoined in Deuteronomy xiii. 9, 10.
He may find it hard to reconcile it with a God of love, and with the
grace, gentleness, and tenderness inculcated in the New-Testament
scriptures. Here again we must keep a vigilant eye upon reason. It
always affects to find ample scope for its powers in the stern
enactments of the divine government; but, in reality, it only displays
its blindness and folly. Still, though we would make very short work
with infidel reason, we earnestly desire to help any honest soul who
may not be able to see his way through this question.
We have had occasion, in our studies on the earlier chapters of this
book, to refer to the very weighty subject of God's governmental
dealings both with Israel and the nations; but, in addition to what
has already come under our notice, we have to bear in mind the very
important difference between the two economies of law and grace. If
this be not clearly apprehended, we shall find very considerable
difficulty in such passages as Deuteronomy xiii. 9, 10. The great
characteristic principle of the Jewish economy was _righteousness_;
the characteristic principle of Christianity is _grace_--pure,
unqualified grace.
If this fact be fully grasped, all difficulty vanishes. It was
perfectly right, perfectly consistent, and in perfect harmony with the
mind of God for Israel to slay their enemies. God commanded them to do
so. And, in like manner, it was right and consistent for them to
execute righteous judgment, even unto death, upon any member of the
congregation who should seek to draw them aside after false gods, as
in the passage before us. To do so was in full moral harmony with the
grand ruling principles of government and law, under which they were
placed, in accordance with the dispensational wisdom of God. All this
is perfectly plain. It runs through the entire canon of Old-Testament
scripture. God's government in Israel, and His government of the world
in connection with Israel, was on the strict principle of
righteousness. And as it was in the past, so shall it be in the
future,--"A king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule
in judgment."
But in Christianity, we see something quite different. The moment we
open the pages of the New Testament, and hearken to the teachings and
mark the actings of the Son of God, we find ourselves on entirely new
ground, and in a new atmosphere; in a word, we are in the atmosphere
and on the ground of pure, unqualified grace.
Thus, as a sample of the teaching, take a passage or two from what is
called The Sermon on the Mount--that marvelous and precious compendium
of the principles of the kingdom of heaven.--"Ye have heard that it
hath been said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth'; _but I
say unto you_, that ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee
on the one cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue
thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain."
Again, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, 'Thou shalt love thy
neighbor and hate thine enemy'; _but I say unto you_, Love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that
ye may be the _sons_ [υἱοί] of your Father which is in
heaven; _for_ He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.... Be ye therefore
perfect [τέλειοι], even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect." (Matt. v. 38-48.)
We cannot now dwell upon those blessed sentences; we merely quote them
for the reader in order to let him see the immense difference between
the Jewish and Christian economy. What was perfectly right and
consistent for a Jew, might be quite wrong and inconsistent for a
Christian.
This is so plain that a child may see it; and yet, strange to say,
many of the Lord's beloved people seem to be clouded on the subject.
They judge it to be perfectly right for Christians to deal in
righteousness, and go to war, and to exercise worldly power. Well,
then, if it be right for Christians to act thus, we would simply ask,
Where is it taught in the New Testament? where have we a single
sentence from the lips of our Lord Jesus Christ, or from the pen of
the Holy Ghost, to warrant or sanction such a thing? As we have said,
in reference to other questions that have come before us in our
studies on this book, it is of no possible use for us to say, "_We
think_ so and so." Our thoughts are simply worth nothing. The one
grand question, in all matters of Christian faith and morals, is,
"What saith the New Testament?" What did our Lord and Master teach,
and what did He do? He taught that His people now are not to act as
His people of old acted. _Righteousness_ was the principle of the old
economy; _grace_ is the principle of the new.
This was what Christ taught, as may be seen in numberless passages of
Scripture. And how did He act? Did He deal in righteousness with
people? did He assert His rights? did He exercise worldly power? did
He go to law? did He vindicate Himself, or retaliate? When His poor
disciples, in utter ignorance of the heavenly principles which He
taught, and in total forgetfulness of His whole course of action, said
to Him, on one occasion in the which a certain village of the
Samaritans refused to receive Him, "Lord, wilt Thou that we command
fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elias did?"
what was His answer? "He turned and rebuked them, and said, 'Ye know
not what manner of spirit ye are of; for the Son of Man is not come to
destroy men's lives, but to save.' And they went to another village."
It was perfectly consistent with the spirit, principle, and genius of
the dispensation of which Elias was the exponent and representative,
to call down fire from heaven to consume the men sent by a godless
king to arrest him; but the blessed Lord was the perfect Exponent and
divine Representative of another dispensation altogether. His was a
life of perfect self-surrender, from first to last. He never asserted
His rights. He came to serve and to give; He came to represent God--to
be the perfect expression of the Father in every way. The Father's
character shone out in His every look, His every word, His every act,
His every movement.
Such was the Lord Christ when He was down here among men, and such was
His teaching. He did what He taught, and He taught what He did. His
words expressed what He was, and His ways illustrated His words. He
came to serve and to give, and His whole life was marked by those two
things, from the manger to the cross. We may truly say, time would
fail us to quote the passages in proof and illustration of this; nor
is there any need, inasmuch as the truth of it will hardly be called
in question.
Well, then, is not He our great Exemplar in all things? is it not by
His teaching and ways that our course and character as Christians are
to be formed? How are we to know how we ought to walk, save by
hearkening to His blessed words and gazing on His perfect ways? If we
as Christians are to be guided and governed by the principles and
precepts of the Mosaic economy, then, assuredly, it would be right for
us to go to law, to contend for our rights, to engage in war, to
destroy our enemies; but then what becomes of the teaching and example
of our adorable Lord and Saviour? what of the teachings of the Holy
Ghost? what of the New Testament? Is it not as plain as a sunbeam to
the reader that for a Christian to do these things is to act in
flagrant opposition to the teaching and example of his Lord?
Here, however, we may be met by the old and oft-repeated inquiry,
"What would become of the world, what would become of its
institutions, what would become of society, if such principles were to
be universally dominant?" The infidel historian, in speaking of the
early Christians, and their refusal to join the Roman army, sneeringly
inquires, "What would have become of the empire, surrounded as it was
on all sides by barbarians, if every one had indulged in such
pusillanimous ideas as these?"
We reply at once, If those spiritual and heavenly principles were
universally dominant, there would be no wars--no fighting, and hence
there would be no need of soldiers, no need of standing armies or
navies, no need of constabulary or police; there would be no
wrong-doings, no strife about property, and hence no need of courts of
law, judges, or magistrates; in short, the world as it now is would
have an end; the kingdoms of this world would have become the kingdoms
of our Lord and of His Christ.
But the plain fact is, those heavenly principles of which we speak are
not intended for the world at all, inasmuch as the world could not
adopt them, or act upon them for a single hour; to do so would involve
the immediate and complete break-up of the present system of things,
the dissolution of the entire frame-work of society as at present
constituted.
Hence, the objection of the infidel crumbles into dust beneath our
feet, like all other infidel objections, and the questions and the
difficulties which are based upon them. They are deprived of every
atom of moral force. Heavenly principles are not designed for "this
present evil world" at all; they are designed for the Church, which is
not of the world, even as Jesus is not of the world. "If," said our
Lord to Pilate, "My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants
fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but _now_ is My
kingdom not from hence."
Mark the word "now." By and by, the kingdoms of this world will become
the kingdom of our Lord; but now, He is rejected, and all who belong
to Him--His Church--His people--are called to share His rejection, to
follow Him into the outside place, and walk as pilgrims and strangers
here below, waiting for the moment when He shall come to receive them
to Himself, that where He is, there they may be also.
Now, it is the attempt to mix the world and the Church together that
produces such terrible confusion. It is one of Satan's special wiles,
and it has done more to mar the testimony of the Church of God and
hinder its progress than most of us are aware. It involves a complete
turning of things upside down, a confounding of things that differ
essentially, an utter denial of the Church's true character, her
position, her walk, and her hope. We sometimes hear the expression,
"Christian world:" what does it mean? It is simply an attempt to
combine two things which in their source, nature, and character are as
diverse as light and darkness. It is an effort to tack a new piece
upon an old garment, which, as our Lord tells us, only makes the rent
worse.
It is not God's object to Christianize the world, but to call His
people out of the world, to be a heavenly people, governed by heavenly
principles, formed by a heavenly object, and cheered by a heavenly
hope. If this be not clearly seen; if the truth as to the Church's
true calling and course be not realized as a living power in the soul,
we shall be sure to make the most grievous mistakes in our work, walk,
and service. We shall make an entirely wrong use of the Old-Testament
scriptures, not only on prophetic subjects, but in reference to the
whole range of practical life; indeed, it would be utterly impossible
to calculate the loss which must result from not seeing the
distinctive calling, position, and hope of the Church of God, her
association and identification--her living union with a rejected,
risen, and glorified Christ.
We cannot attempt to enlarge upon this most precious and interesting
theme; but we should just like to point out to the reader an instance
or two illustrative of the Spirit's method of quoting and applying
Old-Testament scripture. Take, for example, the following passage from
that lovely thirty-fourth psalm,--"The face of the Lord is against
them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth."
Now, mark the way in which the Holy Spirit quotes this passage in the
first epistle of Peter.--"The face of the Lord is against them that do
evil." (Chap. iii. 12.) Not a word about cutting off. Why is this?
Because the Lord is not now acting upon the principle of cutting off.
He acted upon it under the law, and He will act upon it in the kingdom
by and by; but just now, He is acting in grace and long-suffering
mercy. His face is quite as much and quite as decidedly against all
evil-doers as ever it was or ever it will be, but not now to cut off
the remembrance of them from the earth. The most striking illustration
of this marvelous grace and forbearance, and of the difference between
the two principles on which we have been dwelling, is seen in the fact
that the very men who with wicked hands crucified His only begotten
and well-beloved Son--evil-doers, surely, of the most pronounced
type,--instead of being cut off from the earth, were the very first to
hear the message of full and free pardon through the blood of the
cross.
Now, it may appear to some that we are making too much of the mere
omission of a single clause of Old-Testament scripture. Let not the
reader think so. Even had we but this one instance, it would be a
serious mistake to treat it with any thing like indifference. But the
fact is, there are scores of passages of the same character as the one
just quoted, all illustrative of the contrast between the Jewish and
Christian economies, and also between Christianity and the coming
kingdom.
God is now dealing in grace with the world, and so should His people,
if they want to be like Him, and such they are called to be. "Be ye
therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
And again, "Be ye therefore imitators of God, as dear children; and
walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for
us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor."
(Eph. v. 1.)
This is our model. We are called to copy our Father's example--to
imitate Him. He is not going to law with the world; He is not
enforcing His rights with the strong hand of power. By and by He will;
but just now, in this day of grace, He showers His blessings and
benefits in rich profusion upon those whose life is one of enmity and
rebellion against Him.
All this is perfectly marvelous, but thus it is; and we, as
Christians, are called to act on this morally glorious principle. It
may be said by some, How could we ever get on in the world--how could
we conduct our business on such a principle as this? We should be
robbed and ruined; designing people would take advantage of us if they
knew that we would not go to law with them; they would take our goods,
or borrow our money, or occupy our houses, and refuse to pay us. In
short, we could never get on in a world like this if we did not assert
our rights and establish our claims by the strong hand of power. What
is the law for but to make people behave themselves? Are not the
powers that be ordained of God for the very purpose of maintaining
peace and good order in our midst? What would become of society if we
had not soldiers, policemen, magistrates, and judges? And if God has
ordained that such things should be, why should not His people avail
themselves of them? and not only so, but who so fit to occupy places
of authority and power, or to wield the sword of justice, as the
people of God?
There is, no doubt, very great apparent force in all this line of
argument. The powers that be are ordained of God. The king, the
governor, the judge, the magistrate, are, each in his place, the
expression of the power of God. It is God who invests each with the
power which he wields; it is He who has put the sword into his hand,
for the punishment of evil-doers, and the praise of them that do well.
We bless God with all our hearts for the constituted authorities of
the country. Day and night, in private and in public, we pray for
them. It is our bounden duty to obey and submit ourselves to them in
all things, provided always that they do not call upon us to disobey
God, or do violence to conscience. If they do this, we must--what?
Resist? Nay, but suffer.
All this is perfectly plain. The world as it now is could not go on
for a single day if men were not kept in order by the strong hand of
power. We could not live, or at least life would be perfectly
intolerable, were it not that evil-doers are kept in terror of the
glittering sword of justice. Even as it is, through lack of moral
power on the part of those who bear the sword, lawless demagogues are
allowed to stir up the evil passions of men to resist the law of the
land and disturb the peace and threaten the lives and property of
well-disposed and harmless subjects of the government.
But admitting all this, in the fullest possible manner, as every
intelligent Christian, every one taught by Scripture, most assuredly
will, it leaves wholly untouched the question of the Christian's path
in this world. Christianity fully recognizes all the governmental
institutions of the country. It forms no part of the Christian's
business to interfere, in any one way, with such institutions.
Wherever he is, whatever be the principle or character of the
government of the country in which his lot is cast, it is his duty to
recognize its municipal and political arrangements, to pay taxes, pray
for the government, honor governors in their official capacity, wish
well to the legislature and the executive, pray for the peace of the
country, live in peace with all, so far as in him lies.
We see all this in the blessed Master Himself in perfection, blessed
be His holy name for evermore! In His memorable reply to the crafty
Herodians, He recognizes the principle of subjection to the powers
that be--"Render to Cæsar the things that be Cæsar's, and to God the
things that be God's." And not only so, but we find Him also paying
tribute, although personally free. They had no right to demand it of
Him, as He plainly shows to Peter; and it might be said, Why did He
not appeal? Appeal! Nay; He shows us something quite different. Hear
His exquisite reply to His mistaken apostle--"Notwithstanding, _lest
we should offend them_, go thou to the sea, and cast a hook, and take
up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his
mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money; that take and give unto them
_for Me and thee_."[9] (Matt. xvii.)
[9] The fact that the tribute-money may have been for the temple does
not touch the principle set forth in the text.
And here we get back, with increased moral force, to our thesis,
namely, the Christian's path in this world. What is it? He is to
follow his Master--to imitate Him in all things. Did He assert His
rights? did He go to law? did He try to regulate the world? did He
meddle with municipal or political matters? was He a politician? did
He wield the sword? did He consent to be a judge or a divider, even
when appealed to, as we say, to arbitrate about property? was not His
whole life one of complete self-surrender, from first to last? was He
not continually giving up, until, at the cross, He gave up His
precious life as a ransom for many?
We shall leave these questions to find their answer deep down in the
heart of the Christian reader, and to produce their practical effect
in his life. We trust that the foregoing line of truth will enable him
to interpret aright such passages as Deuteronomy xiii. 9, 10. Our
opposition to idolatry and our separation from evil, in every shape
and form, while not less intense and decided, most surely, than that
of Israel of old, is not to be displayed in the same way. The Church
is imperatively called upon to put away evil and evil-doers, but not
after the same fashion as Israel. It is no part of her duty to stone
idolaters and blasphemers, or burn witches. The church of Rome has
acted upon this principle, and even Protestants (to the shame of
Protestantism) have followed her example.[10] The Church is not
called--nay, she is positively and peremptorily forbidden to use the
temporal sword. It is a flat denial of her calling, character, and
mission to do so. When Peter, in ignorant zeal and carnal haste, drew
the sword in defense of his blessed Master, he was at once corrected
by his Master's faithful word, and instructed by his Master's gracious
act,--"Put up thy sword into the sheath; for all they that take the
sword shall perish by the sword." And having thus reproved the act of
His mistaken though well-meaning servant, He undid the mischief by His
gracious touch. "The weapons of our warfare," says the inspired
apostle, "are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down
of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Cor. x. 4, 5.)
[10] The burning of Servetus, in 1553, for his theological opinions,
is a frightful blot upon the Reformation, and upon the man who
sanctioned such an unchristian proceeding. True, the opinions of
Servetus were fatally and fundamentally false,--he held the Arian
heresy, which is simply blasphemy against the Son of God; but to burn
him, or any one else, for false doctrine, was a flagrant sin against
the spirit, genius, and principle of the gospel, the deplorable fruit
of ignorance as to the essential difference between Judaism and
Christianity.
The professing church has gone all astray as to this great and most
important question. She has joined herself with the world, and sought
to further the cause of Christ by carnal and worldly agency. She had
ignorantly attempted to maintain the Christian faith by the most
shameful denial of Christian practice. The burning of heretics stands
as a most fearful moral blot upon the page of the church's history. We
can form no adequate idea of the terrible consequences resulting from
the notion that the Church was called to take Israel's place and act
on Israel's principles.[11] It completely falsified her testimony,
robbed her of her entirely spiritual and heavenly character, and led
her upon a path which ends in Revelation xvii. and xviii. Let him that
readeth understand.
[11] It is one thing for the Church to learn from the history of
Israel, and another thing altogether to take Israel's place, act on
Israel's principles, and appropriate Israel's promises. The former is
the Church's duty and privilege; the latter has been the Church's
fatal mistake.
But we must not pursue this line of things further here. We trust that
what has passed before us will lead all whom it may concern to
consider the whole subject in the light of the New Testament, and thus
be the means, through the infinite goodness of God, of leading them to
see the path of entire separation which we as Christians are called to
tread; _in_ the world, but not _of_ it, even as our Lord Christ is not
of it. This will solve a thousand difficulties, and furnish a grand
general principle which can be practically applied to a thousand
details.
We shall now conclude our study of Deuteronomy xiii. by a glance at
its closing paragraph.
"If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the Lord thy God
hath given thee to dwell there, saying, Certain men, the children of
Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the
inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods,
which ye have not known; _then shalt thou inquire, and make search,
and ask diligently_; and, behold, _if it be truth, and the thing
certain_, that such abomination is _wrought among you_, thou shalt
surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword,
destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle
thereof, with the edge of the sword. And thou shalt gather all the
spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with
fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, _for the Lord thy
God_; and it shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again. And
there shall cleave naught of the cursed thing to thine hand; that the
Lord may turn from the fierceness of His anger, and show thee mercy,
and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as He hath sworn
unto thy fathers; when thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy
God, to keep all His commandments which I command thee this day, to do
that which is right in the eyes of the Lord thy God." (Ver. 12-18.)
Here we have instruction of the most solemn and weighty character. But
the reader must bear in mind that, solemn and weighty as it most
surely is, it is based upon a truth of unspeakable value, and that is,
Israel's national unity. If we do not see this, we shall miss the real
force and meaning of the foregoing quotation. A case is supposed of
grave error in some one of the cities of Israel, and the question
might naturally arise, Are all the cities involved in the evil of
one?[12]
[12] It is, of course, needful to bear in mind that the evil referred
to in the text was of the very gravest character. It was an attempt to
draw the people away from the one living and true God. It touched the
very foundation of Israel's national existence. It was not merely a
local or municipal question, but a national one.
Assuredly, inasmuch as the nation was one. The cities and tribes were
not independent; they were bound up together by a sacred bond of
national unity--a unity which had its centre in the place of the
divine presence. Israel's twelve tribes were indissolubly bound
together. The twelve loaves on the golden table in the sanctuary
formed the beauteous type of this unity, and every true Israelite
owned and rejoiced in this unity. The twelve stones in Jordan's bed,
the twelve stones on Jordan's bank, Elijah's twelve stones on Mount
Carmel--all set forth the same grand truth--the indissoluble unity of
Israel's twelve tribes. The good king Hezekiah recognized this truth
when he commanded that the burnt-offering and the sin-offering should
be made for _all Israel_. (2 Chron. xxix. 24.) The faithful Josiah
owned it and acted upon it when he carried his reformatory operations
into all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel. (2
Chron. xxxiv. 33.) Paul, in his magnificent address before king
Agrippa, bears witness to the same truth when he says, "Unto which
promise _our twelve tribes_, instantly serving God day and night, hope
to come."[13] (Acts xxvi. 7.) And when we look forward into the
bright future, the same glorious truth shines, with heavenly lustre,
in the seventh chapter of Revelation, where we see the twelve tribes
sealed and secured for blessing, rest, and glory, in connection with a
countless multitude of the Gentiles. And finally, in Revelation xxi.
we see the names of the twelve tribes engraved on the gates of the
holy Jerusalem, the seat and centre of the glory of God and the Lamb.
[13] It may interest the reader to know that the word rendered, in the
above passage, "twelve tribes," is singular--τό δωδεκάψυλον
It certainly gives very full and vivid expression to the grand idea of
indissoluble unity which is so precious to God, and therefore so
precious to faith.
Thus, from the golden table in the sanctuary to the golden city
descending out of heaven from God, we have a marvelous chain of
evidence in proof of the grand truth of the indissoluble unity of
Israel's twelve tribes.
And then, if the question be asked, Where is this unity to be seen? or
how did Elijah or Hezekiah or Josiah or Paul see it? The answer is a
very simple one--They saw it by faith; they looked within the
sanctuary of God, and there, on the golden table, they beheld the
twelve loaves, setting forth the perfect distinctness and yet the
perfect oneness of the twelve tribes. Nothing can be more beautiful.
The truth of God must stand forever. Israel's unity was seen in the
past, and it will be seen in the future; and though, like the higher
unity of the Church, it is unseen in the present, faith believes it
all the same, holds it and confesses it in the face of ten thousand
hostile influences.
And now let us look for a moment at the practical application of this
most glorious truth, as presented in the closing paragraph of
Deuteronomy xiii. A report reaches a city in the far north of the land
of Israel of serious error taught in a certain city in the extreme
south--deadly error, tending to draw the inhabitants away from the
true God.
What is to be done? The law is as plain as possible; the path of duty
is laid down with such distinctness that it only needs a single eye to
see it, and a devoted heart to tread it. "Then shalt thou inquire, and
make search, and ask diligently." This surely is simple enough.
But some of the citizens might say, "What have we in the north to do
with error taught in the south?" Thank God, there is no error taught
amongst us; it is entirely a local question; each city is responsible
for the maintenance of the truth within its own walls. How could we be
expected to examine into every case of error which may spring up here
and there all over the land? our whole time would be taken up, so that
we could not attend to our fields, our vineyards, our oliveyards, our
flocks, and our herds. It is quite as much as we can do to keep our
own borders all right. We certainly condemn the error, and if any one
holding or teaching it were to come here, and that we knew of it, we
should most decidedly shut our gates against him. Beyond this, we do
not feel ourselves responsible to go.
Now, what, we may ask, would be the reply of the faithful Israelite to
all this line of argument which, in the judgment of mere nature,
seems so exceedingly plausible? A very simple and very conclusive one,
we may be sure. He would say it was simply a denial of Israel's unity.
If every city and every tribe were to take independent ground, then
verily the high-priest might take the twelve loaves off the golden
table before the Lord and scatter them here and there and every where;
our unity is gone; we are all broken up into independent atoms, having
no national ground of action.
Besides, the commandment is most distinct and explicit--"Thou shalt
inquire, and make search, and ask diligently." We are bound,
therefore, on the double ground of the nation's unity and the plain
command of our covenant-God. It is of no possible use to say there is
no error taught amongst _us_, unless we want to separate ourselves
from the nation; if we belong to Israel, then verily the error is
taught amongst us, as the Word says, "Such abomination is wrought
_among you_." How far does the "you" extend? As far as the national
boundaries. Error taught at Dan affects those dwelling at Beersheba.
How is this? Because Israel is one.
And then the Word is so plain, so distinct, so emphatic. We are bound
to search into it. We cannot fold our arms and sit down in cold
indifference and culpable neutrality, else we shall be involved in the
awful consequences of this evil; yea, we _are_ involved until we clear
ourselves of it by judging it, with unflinching decision and unsparing
severity.
Such, beloved reader, would be the language of every loyal Israelite,
and such his mode of acting in reference to error and evil wherever
found. To speak or act otherwise would simply be indifference as to
the truth and glory of God, and independency as regards Israel. For
any to say that they were not responsible to act according to the
instructions given in Deuteronomy xiii. 12-18, would be a complete
surrender of the truth of God and of Israel's unity. All were bound to
act, or else be involved in the judgment of the guilty city.
And surely if all this was true in Israel of old, it is not less true
in the Church of God now. We may rest assured that any thing like
indifference where Christ is concerned is most hateful to God. It is
the eternal purpose and counsel of God to glorify His Son; that every
knee should bow to Him, and every tongue confess that He is Lord to
the glory of God the Father; "that all should honor the Son even as
they honor the Father."
Hence, if Christ be dishonored,--if doctrines be taught derogatory to
the glory of His Person, the efficacy of His work, or the virtue of
His offices, we are bound, by every motive which could possibly act on
our hearts, to reject, with stern decision, such doctrines.
Indifference or neutrality where the Son of God is concerned is high
treason in the judgment of the high court of Heaven. We would not be
indifferent if it were a question of our own reputation, our personal
character, or our personal or family property; we should be thoroughly
alive to any thing affecting ourselves or those dear to us. How much
more deeply ought we to feel in reference to what concerns the glory
and honor, the name and cause, of the One to whom we owe our present
and everlasting all--the One who laid aside His glory, came down into
this wretched world, and died a shameful death upon the cross, in
order to save us from the everlasting flames of hell. Could we be
indifferent to Him? neutral where He is concerned? God, in His great
mercy, forbid!
No, reader; it must not be. The honor and glory of Christ must be more
to us than all beside. Reputation, property, family, friends--all must
stand aside if the claims of Christ are involved. Does not the
Christian reader own this, with all the energy of his ransomed soul?
We feel persuaded he does, even now; and oh, how shall we feel when we
see Him face to face, and stand in the full light of His moral glory?
with what feelings shall we then contemplate the idea of indifference
or neutrality with respect to Him!
And are we not justified in declaring that next to the glory of the
Head stands the great truth of the unity of His body--the Church?
Unquestionably. If the nation of Israel was one, how much more is the
body of Christ one! and if independency was wrong in Israel, how much
more wrong in the Church of God! The plain fact is this: the idea of
independency cannot be maintained for a moment in the light of the New
Testament. As well might we say that the hand is independent of the
foot, or the eye of the ear, as assert that the members of the body
of Christ are independent one of another. "For as the body is one, and
hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many,
are one body; _so also is Christ_"--a very remarkable statement,
setting forth the intimate union of Christ and the Church.--"_For by
one Spirit are we all baptized into one body_, whether we be Jews or
Gentiles, whether bond or free; and have been all made to drink into
one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot
shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it
therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not
the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the
whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were
hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members
every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him. And if they
were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many
members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I
have no need of thee; nor again, the head to the feet, I have no need
of you. Nay, much more, those members of the body which seem to be
more feeble, are necessary; and those members of the body which we
think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor;
and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness; for our comely
parts have no need; but God hath tempered the body together, having
given more abundant honor to that part which lacked: _that there
should be no schism in the body_; but that the members should have
the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the
members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members
rejoice with it. NOW YE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST, AND MEMBERS IN
PARTICULAR." (1 Cor. xii. 12-27.)
We do not attempt to dwell upon this truly marvelous scripture; but we
earnestly desire to call the attention of the Christian reader to the
special truth which it so forcibly sets before us--a truth which
intimately concerns every true believer on the face of the earth,
namely, _that he is a member of the body of Christ_. This is a great
practical truth, involving, at once, the very highest privileges and
the very weightiest responsibilities. It is not merely a true
doctrine, a sound principle, or an orthodox opinion; it is a living
fact, designed to be a divine power in the soul. The Christian can no
longer view himself as an independent person, having no association,
no vital link, with others. He is livingly bound up with all the
children of God--all true believers--all the members of Christ's body
upon the face of the earth.
"By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body." The Church of God
is not a mere club, or a society, an association, or a brotherhood; it
is a body united by the Holy Ghost to the Head in heaven; and all its
members on earth are indissolubly bound together. This being so, it
follows, of necessity, that all the members of the body are affected
by the state and walk of each. "If one member suffer, all the members
suffer with it,"--that is, all the members of the body. If there is
any thing wrong with the foot, the hand feels it. How? Through the
head. So in the Church of God, if any thing goes wrong with an
individual member, all feel it through the Head with whom all are
livingly connected by the Holy Ghost.
Some find it very hard to grasp this great truth; but there it stands
plainly revealed on the inspired page, not to be reasoned about, or
submitted in any way to the human judgment, but simply to be believed.
It is a divine revelation. No human mind could ever have conceived
such a thought; but God reveals it, faith believes it, and walks in
the blessed power of it.
It may be the reader feels disposed to ask, How is it possible for the
state of one believer to affect those who know nothing about it? The
answer is, "If one member suffer, all the members suffer with it." All
the members of what? Is it of any mere local assembly or company who
may happen to know or be locally connected with the person concerned?
Nay, but the members of the body wherever they are. Even in the case
of Israel, where it was only a national unity, we have seen that if
there was evil in any one of their cities, all were concerned, all
involved, all affected. Hence, when Achan sinned, although there were
myriads of people totally ignorant of the fact, the Lord said,
"_Israel_ hath sinned," and the whole assembly suffered a humiliating
defeat.
Can reason grasp this weighty truth? No; but faith can. If we listen
to reason, we shall believe nothing; but, by the grace of God, we
shall not listen to reason, but believe what God says because He says
it.
And oh, beloved Christian reader, what an immense truth is this unity
of the body! What practical consequences flow out of it! How eminently
calculated it is to minister to holiness of walk and life! How
watchful it would make us over ourselves--our habits, our ways, our
whole moral condition! How careful it would make us not to dishonor
the Head _to_ whom we are united, or grieve the Spirit _by_ whom we
are united, or injure the members _with_ whom we are united!
But we must close this chapter, much as we should like to linger over
one of the very grandest, most profound, and most powerful formative
truths that can possibly engage our attention. May the Spirit of God
make it a living power in the soul of every true believer on the face
of the earth.