'A better covenant.'--_Paul_.
Magna Charta is a name very dear to the hearts of the English people.
For, ever since that memorable day on which that noble instrument was
extorted from King John at the point of the sword, England has been the
pioneer to all the other nations of the earth in personal freedom, in
public righteousness, in domestic stability, and in foreign influence and
enterprise. Runnymede is a red-letter spot, and 1215 is a red-letter
year, not only in the history of England, but in the history of the whole
modern world. The keystone of all sound constitutional government was
laid at that place on that date, and by that great bridge not England
only, but after England the whole civilised world has passed over from
ages of bondage and oppression and injustice into a new world of personal
liberty and security, public equity and good faith, loyalty and peace.
All that has since been obtained, whether on the battle-field or on the
floor of Parliament, has been little more than a confirmation of Magna
Charta or an authoritative comment upon Magna Charta. And if every
subsequent law were to be blotted out, yet in Magna Charta the
foundations would still remain of a great state and a free people. 'Here
commences,' says Macaulay, 'the history of the English nation.'
Now, after the Prince of Peace had subjugated the rebellious city of
Mansoul, He promulgated a proclamation and appointed a day wherein He
would renew their Charter. Yea, a day wherein he would renew and enlarge
their Charter, mending several faults in it, so that the yoke of Mansoul
might be made yet more easy to bear. And this He did without any desire
of theirs, even of His own frankness and nobleness of mind. So when He
had sent for and seen their old Charter, He laid it by and said, Now that
which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. An epitome,
therefore, of that new, and better, and more firm and steady Charter take
as follows: I do grant of Mine own clemency, free, full, and everlasting
forgiveness of all their wrongs, injuries, and offences done against My
Father, against Me, against their neighbours and themselves. I do give
them also My Testament, with all that is therein contained, for their
everlasting comfort and consolation. Thirdly, I do also give them a
portion of the self-same grace and goodness that dwells in My Father's
heart and Mine. Fourthly, I do give, grant, and bestow upon them freely,
the world and all that is therein for their true good; yea, all the
benefits of life and death, of things present and things to come. Free
leave and full access also at all seasons to Me in My palace, there to
make known all their wants to Me; and I give them, moreover, a promise
that I shall hear and redress all their grievances. To them and to their
right seed after them, I hereby bestow all these grants, privileges, and
royal immunities. All this is but a lean epitome of what was that day
laid down in letters of gold and engraven on their doors and their castle
gates. And what joy, what comfort, what consolation, think you, did now
possess every heart in Mansoul! The bells rang out, the minstrels
played, the people danced, the captains shouted, the colours waved in the
wind, and the silver trumpets sounded, till every enemy inside and
outside of Mansoul was now glad to hide his head.
Our constitutional authors and commentators are wont to take Magna Charta
clause by clause, and word by word, and letter by letter. They linger
lovingly and proudly over every jot and tittle of that splendid
instrument. And you will indulge me this Communion night of all nights
of the year if I expatiate still more lovingly and proudly on that great
Covenant which our Lord has sealed to us again to-day, and has written
again to-day on the walls of our hearts. Moses made haste as soon as the
old Charter was read over to him, and nothing shall delay us till we have
feasted our eyes, and our ears, and our hearts to-night on the contents
of this our new and better covenant.
1. The first article of our Magna Charta is free, full, and everlasting
forgiveness of all the wrongs, injuries, and offences we have ever done
against God, against our Saviour, against our neighbour, and against
ourselves. The English nobles extorted their Charter from their
tyrannical king with their sword at his throat, and after he had signed
it, he cast himself on the ground and gnawed sticks and stones in his
fury, so mad was he at the men who had so humiliated him. 'They have set
four-and-twenty kings over my head,' he gnashed out. How different was
it with our Charter! For when we were yet enemies it was already drawn
out in our name. And after we had been subdued it would never have
entered our fearful hearts to ask for such an instrument. And, even now,
after we have entered into its liberty, how slow we are to believe all
that is written in our great Charter, and read to us every day out of it.
And who shall cast a stone at us for not easily believing all that is so
written and read? It is not so easy as you would think to believe in
free forgiveness for all the wrongs, injuries, and offences we have ever
done. When you try to believe it about yourselves, you will find how
hard it is to accept that covenant and always to keep your feet firm upon
it. That the forgiveness is absolutely free is its first great
difficulty. If it had cost us all we could ever do or suffer, both in
this world and in the world to come, then we could have come to terms
with our Prince far more easily; but that our forgiveness should be
absolutely free, it is that that so staggers us. When I was a little boy
I was once wandering through the streets of a large city seeing the
strange sights. I had even less Latin in my head that day than I had
money in my pocket. But I was hungry for knowledge and eager to see rare
and wonderful things. Over the door of a public institution, containing
a museum and other interesting things, I tried to read a Latin scroll. I
could not make out the whole of the writing; I could only make out one
word, and not even that, as the event soon showed. The word was
_gratia_, or some modification of _gratia_, with some still deeper words
engraven round about it. But on the strength of that one word I mounted
the steps and rang the bell, and asked the porter if I could see the
museum. He told me that the cost of admission was such and such. Little
as it was, it was too much for me, and I came down the steps feeling that
the Latin writing above the door had entirely deceived me. It has not
been the last time that my bad Latin has brought me to shame and
confusion of face. But Latin, or Greek, or only English, or not even
English, there is no deception and no confusion here. Forgiveness is
really of free grace. It costs absolutely nothing, the door is open; or,
if it is not open, then knock, and it shall be opened, without money and
without price.
'Free and full.' I could imagine a free forgiveness which was not also
full. I could imagine a charter that would have run somehow thus: Free
forgiveness and full, up to a firmly fixed limit. Free and full
forgiveness for sins of ignorance and even of infirmity and frailty; for
small sins and for great sins, too, up to a certain age of life and stage
of guilt. Free and full forgiveness up to a certain line, and then, that
black line of reprobation, as Samuel Rutherford says. Indeed, it is no
imagination. I have felt oftener than once that I was at last across
that black line, and gone and lost for ever. But no--
'While the lamp holds on to burn,
The greatest sinner may return.'
'Free, full, and everlasting.' Pope Innocent the Third came to the
rescue of King John and issued a Papal bull revoking and annulling Magna
Charta. But neither king, nor pope, nor devil can revoke or annul our
new Covenant. It is free, full, and everlasting. If God be for us, who
can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, shall
be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
2. 'Free, full, and everlasting forgiveness of all the wrongs, the
injuries, and the offences you have done against My Father, Me, your
neighbours, and yourselves.' Now, out of all that let us fix upon
this--the wrongs and the injuries we have done to our neighbours. For,
as Calvin says somewhere, though our sins against the first table of the
law are our worst sins, yet our sins against the second table, that is,
against our neighbours, are far better for beginning a scrutiny with. So
they are. For our wrongs against our neighbours, when they awaken within
us at all, awaken with a terrible fury. Our wrongs against our
neighbours wound, and burden, and exasperate an awakened conscience in a
fearful way. We come afterwards to say, Against Thee, Thee only have I
sinned! But at the first beginning of our repentances it is the wrongs
we have done to our neighbours that drive us beside ourselves. What
neighbour of yours, then, have you so wronged? Name him; name her. You
avoid that name like poison, but it is not poison--it is life and peace.
More depends on your often recollecting and often pronouncing that
hateful name than you would believe. More depends upon it than your
minister has ever told you. And, then, in what did you so wrong him?
Name the wrong also. Give it its Bible name, its newspaper name, its
brutal, vulgar, ill-mannered name. Do not be too soft, do not be too
courtly with yourself. Keep your own evil name ever before you. When
you hear any other man outlawed and ostracised by that same name, say to
yourself: Thou, sir, art the man! Put out a secret and a painful skill
upon yourself. Have times and places and ways that nobody knows anything
about--not even those you have wronged; have times and places and ways
they would laugh to be told of, and would not believe it; times, I say,
and places and ways for bringing all those old wrongs you once did ever
and ever back to mind; as often back and as keen to your mind as they
come back to that other mind, which is still so full of the wrong. Even
if your victim has forgiven and forgotten you, never you forget him, and
never you forgive yourself when you again think of him. Welcome back
every sudden and sharp recollection of your wrong-doing. And make haste
at every such sudden recollection and fall down on the spot in a deeper
compunction than ever before. Do that as you would be a forgiven and
full-chartered soul. For, free and full and everlasting as God's
forgiveness is, you have no assurance that it is yours if you ever forget
your sin, or ever forgive yourself for having done it. 'Forgive
yourself,' says Augustine, 'and God will condemn you. But continually
arraign and condemn yourself, and God will forgive and acquit and justify
you.'
3. 'I give also My holy law and testament, and all that therein is
contained, for their everlasting comfort and consolation.' This is not
the manner of men, O my God. Kind-hearted men comfort and console those
who have suffered injuries and wrongs at our hands, but the
kindest-hearted of men harden their hearts and set their faces like a
flint against us who have done the wrong. All Syria sympathised with
Esau for the loss of his birthright, but I do not read that any one came
to whisper one kind word to Jacob on his hard pillow. All the army
mourned over Uriah, but all the time David's moisture was dried up like
the drought of summer, and not even Nathan came to the King till he could
not help coming. All Jericho cried, Avenge us of our adversary! But it
was Jesus who looked up and saw Zaccheus and said: Zaccheus, come down;
make haste and come down, for to-day I must abide at thy house. 'The
injuries they have done themselves also,' so runs the very first head of
our forgiveness covenant. Ah! yes; O my Lord, Thou knowest all things;
Thou knowest my heart. Thou knowest that irremediably as I have injured
other men, yet in injuring them I have injured myself much more. And
much as other men need restitution, reparation, and consolation on my
account, my God, Thou knowest that I need all that much more--ten
thousand times more. Oh, how my broken heart within me leaps up and
thanks Thee for that Covenant. Let me repeat it again to Thy praise:
'Full, free, and everlasting forgiveness of all wrongs, injuries, and
offences done by him against his neighbours and against himself.' Who,
who is a God, O my God, who is a God like unto Thee!
4. 'I do also give them a portion of the self-same grace and goodness
that dwells in My Father's heart and Mine.' The self-same grace and
goodness, that is, that My Father and I have shown to them. That is to
say, we shall be made both willing and able to grant to all those men who
have wronged us the very same charter of forgiveness that we have had
granted to us of God. So that at all those times when we stand praying
for forgiveness we shall suspend that prayer till we have first forgiven
all our enemies, and all who have at any time and in any way wronged or
injured us. Even when we had the Communion cup at our lips to-day, you
would have seen us setting it down till we had first gone and been
reconciled to our brother. Yes, my brethren, you are His witnesses that
He has done it. He has taken you into His covenant till He has made you
both able and willing, both willing and able, to grant and to bequeath to
others, all that free, full, and everlasting forgiveness and love that He
has bequeathed to you. Till under the very last and supreme wrong that
your worst enemy can do to you and to yours, you are able and forward to
say: Father, forgive him, for he knows not what he has done. Forgive me
my debts, you will say, as I forgive my debtors. And always, as you
again say and do that, you will on the spot be made a partaker of the
Divine Nature, according to the heavenly Charter, 'I do also give them a
portion of the self-same grace and goodness that dwells in My Father's
heart and in Mine.'
5. 'I do also,' so Mansoul's Magna Charta travels on, 'I do also give,
grant, and bestow upon them freely the world and all that is therein for
their good; yea, I grant them all the benefits of life and of death, and
of things present and things to come.' What a magnificent Charter is
that! 'All things are yours: whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the
world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are
yours.' What a superb Charter! Only, it is too high for us; we cannot
attain to it. Has any human being ever risen to anything like the full
faith, full assurance, and full victory of all that in this life? No;
the thing is impossible! Reason would fall off her throne. The heart of
a man would break with too much joy if he tried to enter into the full
belief of all that. No; it hath not entered into the heart of a still
sinful man what God hath chartered to them whom He loves. This world,
and all that therein is, and then all the coming benefits of life and of
death. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at their death? We
all drank in the answer to that with our mother's milk, but what is
behind the words of that answer no mortal tongue can yet tell. All are
yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's. Till, what joy, what
comfort, what consolation, think you, did now possess the hearts of the
men of Mansoul! The bells rang, the minstrels played, the people danced,
the captains shouted, the colours waved in the wind, and the silver
trumpets sounded.
6. 'And till the glory breaks suddenly upon you, and as long as you yet
live in this life of free grace I shall give and grant you leave and free
access to Me in My palace at all seasons, there to make known all your
wants to Me; and I give you, moreover, a promise that I will hear and
redress all your grievances.' At all seasons; in season and out of
season. There to make known all your wants to Me. And all your
grievances. All that still grieves and vexes you. All your wrongs. All
your injuries. All that men can do to you. Let them do their worst to
you. My grace is sufficient for all your grievances. My goodness in you
shall make you more than a conqueror. I undertake to give you before you
have asked for it a heart full of free, full, and everlasting forgiveness
and forgetfulness of all that has begun to grieve you. No word or deed,
written or spoken, of any man shall be able to vex or grieve the spirit
that I shall put within you. You will immediately avenge yourselves of
your adversaries. You will instantly repay them all an hundredfold. For,
when thine enemy hungers, thou shalt feed him; when he is athirst, thou
shalt give him drink. For thou shalt not be overcome of evil, but thou
shalt overcome evil with good.
7. 'All these grants, privileges, and immunities I bestow upon thee;
upon thee, I say, and upon thy right seed after thee.' O Almighty God,
our Heavenly Father, give us such a seed! Give us a seed right with
Thee! Smite us and our house with everlasting barrenness rather than
that our seed should not be right with Thee. O God, give us our
children. Give us our children. A second time, and by a far better
birth, give us our children to be beside us in Thy holy Covenant. For it
had been better we had never been born; it had been better we had never
been betrothed; it had been better we had sat all our days solitary
unless all our children are to be right with Thee. Let the day perish,
and the night wherein it was said, There is a man-child conceived. Let
that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above; neither let the
light shine upon it, unless all our house is yet to be right with God. O
my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for thee,
O Absalom, my son, my son! But thou, O God, art Thyself a Father, and
thus hast in Thyself a Father's heart. Hear us, then, for our children,
O our Father, for such of our children as are not yet right with Thee! In
season and out of season; we shall not go up into our bed; we shall not
give sleep to our eyes nor slumber to our eyelids till we and all our
seed are right with Thee. And then how we and all our saved seed beside
us shall praise Thee and bless Thee above all the families on earth or in
heaven, and shall say: Unto Him who loved us and washed us from our sins
in His own blood, and hath bestowed upon us a free, full, and everlasting
forgiveness, and hath made us partakers of His Divine Nature, to Him be
our love and praise and service to all eternity. Amen and Amen!