THE GROUND FOR CHRISTIAN COURAGE
In His instructions to His disciples, while not hiding from them what
were to be the hardships and, as the world counts it, loss, that must
accompany His service, our Lord was ever full of words of
encouragement. He strove always to show them that while the following
of Him was not what the natural heart would look for as a flowery path,
yet, if understood aright, His yoke was easy and His burden light, and
that those who bore it would find rest for their souls.[1]
Particularly in His last discourse to them He sets forth repeated words
of encouragement. Twice He used those words of tender assurance, "Let
not your heart be troubled," adding, "Neither let it be afraid."[2]
Four times He declares in substance, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in My
name, that will I do."[3] He assures them that He Himself will be
diligent in praying the Father for them that the Blessed Comforter may
{203} abide with them forever.[4] He declares that if they will but
abide in Him, they will be able to bring forth eternal fruit of
victory.[5] Sorrow indeed shall be theirs, but "Your sorrow shall be
turned into joy," a joy that "may be full," a joy that "no man taketh
from you."[6] And the great discourse concludes with a pledge of their
final victory,--words of lofty encouragement that should ever be in the
hearts of His soldiers, sustaining in them the spirit of a divine
valour: "These things I have spoken unto you that in Me ye might have
peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I
have overcome the world."[7]
Let us therefore, as the final study we are to make of the conditions
and progress of our spiritual warfare, consider the grounds we have for
encouragement at every stage of the battle.
I. _Members One of Another_
The Church of God, "the Body of Christ,"[8] as St. Paul repeatedly
calls it, which is "the blessed company of all faithful people," is a
living {204} organism. When the Apostle says it is "the Body of
Christ," and speaks of us as members of that Body, he means that the
members bear the same relation to every other member as, for example,
my hands and my feet, members of my physical body, bear to each other;
and that all are partakers of the one life which flows through the
whole Body and which constitutes it what it is. The effect of all this
he sets forth in a brief saying: "Whether one member suffer, all the
members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members
rejoice with it."[9] When my hand is diseased my whole body is sick;
and when health and strength return to it again, my whole body rejoices
in that healing.
If we keep this principle in mind, the tempter will be powerless to
discourage us in the conflict. Rather will our hearts be ever full of
high hope, which will carry us rejoicing through the darkest hour of
the conflict.
Think of our share in every prayer and good work that is being offered
to God anywhere to-day in all the world. Think of the Eucharists in
which we share. As the sun follows its course, and looks with each
revolving day upon a million altars whose fires ring the world, it
looks upon nothing in which I have not my part. Think {205} how many
times this day the cry has sounded forth, "Let us pray for the whole
state of Christ's Church Militant!" With each exhortation there
ascended to God a prayer for me, that my soul might be strong, that I
might be victor in the end. The great Sacrifice of the Altar is lifted
up, and it is for me; and whatever grace comes to those far-off souls
of priest and people through their faithful performance of that duty,
comes also to me. No grace can enter their souls without flowing on to
mine; they could not be lifted up to a higher and godlier plane of life
without drawing me up with them.
Little do we dream of the power of the unknown prayers of God's people.
This very day Satan may have planned some deadly snare in which to
entrap my feet; and the snare, it may be, was broken and swept from my
path through the power of a simple prayer for tempted souls, offered
this morning by a little child half-way round the world.
Picture a man walking on a dark night along a lonely mountain trail. A
deadly viper lies across his path. He steps across the venomous thing;
it coils and strikes,--just a moment too late! The traveller passes
on, never to know the danger he was in. So with us in our journey
through life. We may never know the hidden {206} dangers; we may never
know the grace that came through the prayer or good works of some
far-off soul, that saved us. But what courage does the thought infuse!
I had thought myself alone on this far outpost of temptation. I knew
not how my soul could be reinforced by my comrades in the strife. But
the help came. I was made strong; and that which might have been a
grievous and hurtful battle was to me an easy victory.
Such is the power of intercession,--here a heart lifted up to God,
yonder a soul made strong; here a spirit wrestling with Him, yonder a
crown of victory won.
"The weary ones had rest, the sick had joy that day
And wondered how.
The ploughman, singing at his work, had prayed,
'God help them now.'
"Alone in foreign lands, they wondered how
Their feeble word had power.
At home the Christians, two or three, had met
To pray an hour.
"So we are always wondering, wondering long
Because we do not see
Some one, unknown perhaps, and far away,
On bended knee."
{207}
II. _The Church's Treasury of Grace_
Since, then, no soul in the Church of God, whether in this world or
beyond, can increase in grace without that same grace flowing also into
my soul and helping me, the recollection of the Communion of Saints and
the vast treasury of spiritual power upon which I can continually draw
must be a never-failing source of hope and courage.
I may be far from the state of spiritual perfection that constitutes
what the Church calls a Saint, but no gift of grace is ever laid hold
upon by a Saint in which I do not have a share. The gifts of God, in
whatever form they may come, and upon whomsoever they may be directly
bestowed, are "for the edifying of the Body of Christ,"[10] for the
enriching of every member thereof.
Nor do these graces operate but for a little time, and then lose their
activity. Once the grace of God is set in operation, it goes on
forever. The sanctity of the Saints moves on through the ages. The
Church to-day is strong with the strength which long labour and
faithfulness won for the Apostles and Prophets, the Confessors, the
Martyrs, the Virgins. The grace {208} bestowed upon St. John in his
earthly life still holds its place in the Body of Christ, and so long
as I am in that Body that very grace which was given to him helps me,
and is a part of the defence of my soul in the hour of battle, if I
will only rise up to use what God is offering me.
More wonderful than this, however, is the relation of the Saints in
glory to my soul. Not only am I helped by the grace they received in
their earthly pilgrimage, but every access of glory given them in their
heavenly life is a like increase of grace to every member of the same
Body of which I am a part, and so an added help to me.
Thus wondrously does the law of divine grace work. When the Saints on
earth go on from strength to strength, their strength flows into me;
when the Saints in heaven pass, in their unceasing progress, from glory
to glory, I again am made the beneficiary of what is given them.
All this, however, operates on one condition. Am I keeping the
channels open through which the life and strength of the Body flow into
the members? If I bind fast a member of my body with a cord the
circulation ceases, and strength and life begin to ebb in that member.
If I permit myself, a member of the Body of Christ, to be bound with a
cord of sin, the circulation of {209} the divine life and grace is cut
off from me, and grace begins to fail, strength is reduced, and
spiritual death will ensue, unless by penitence I cut the cord and let
the life-blood flow freely once again.
Prayer and faithfulness in the use of what I already have will keep the
channels open. Every cry of my soul to God, every effort to do His
will, every resistance of the Evil One, produces a stronger, more
vigorous circulation in the Body, that makes my strength greater, my
life richer, with the communication of all that the Body of Christ
possesses for the edifying of its members.
III. _God's Interest in Our Victory_
There is among men to-day a wide-spread notion of Christianity that
bases everything upon a spirit of utter selfishness. It tells me to
think always of my own soul; that if I find a reasonable assurance that
this soul of mine will in the end "be saved," I need give no thought to
further service of God. In short it is a strange and monstrous belief
that teaches me to look out for myself, to serve God for just what I
can get out of Him, to drive as shrewd a bargain with Him as I can, and
win heaven on as cheap terms as is in any way possible. It is a
Christianity, falsely so called, that leaves out of consideration the
{210} most important fact of all, namely, that God has an infinite
interest in me and my victory, because His first relation to me is that
of a tender, loving Father whose heart yearns over me, who loves me
with an everlasting love.[11]
When I think of this, I can understand how strong an encouragement I
can draw from the consideration of His interest in the issue of the
battle to which He calls me. My victory involves the destiny of my
soul, but the destiny of my soul involves the eternal honour of God.
(1) Our Lord has gone to prepare a place for me. This place is
awaiting me, a place in the heavenly choirs among those whose eternal
occupation is to serve God day and night in His temple. What that
service is in its nature and detail I know not. But one thing I know;
that so deeply is it bound up with the divine interest and honour, that
God counted it worth while to sacrifice the life of His eternal Son,
amid the torments of the Cross, in order to win me for that service.
There is the place awaiting me; the heavenly ranks are not full; the
heavenly task is not yet done: a rift is in the heavenly praises, a
hand wanting in the work, until I come thither to have my part among
those who are counted worthy of the eternal rest of Paradise, {211} but
who nevertheless rest not day nor night from His perfect service.
When I think of all this, I see that my relation to God cannot be a
selfish one. God has infinitely more at stake than I have; my victory
is infinitely more to His interest than it is to mine, just because He
is so infinitely greater than His creature. Seeing that this is so, we
can understand how mightily He will strive to give us the victory. No
matter what undreamed of gifts of grace are needed, He stands ready to
bestow them. Having given such infinite hostages already to make sure
of us, nothing can be too great with which to equip us if it be
necessary to our victory; for the victory is bound up in the bundle of
life with the everlasting honour of the Godhead. "He that spared not
His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him
also freely give us all things."[12]
(2) Time and again in Holy Scripture does the Holy Ghost lead the
inspired authors to call upon God for help and deliverance "for His
Name's sake." The expression is so common that we pass it over too
often, as though it were a mere adjuration which, like many that find
their way into human speech, has no real significance. But the Holy
Spirit never uses {212} language in this meaningless fashion, and a few
moments' consideration will show us how definite and deep a meaning
there is in this expression used so constantly in Holy Writ.
It means nothing less than that our pardon, our deliverance, or
whatever it is that is being asked "for His Name's sake," involves the
honour of the Divine Name. God's Name is dishonoured among men
whenever a Christian sins. A simple illustration will show us how this
is. A son leaves the paternal roof; he goes out into the world and
disgraces himself. How quickly do men say, "This man did not have the
proper, honest training; his parents must have been indeed careless of
his bringing-up, since he has turned out so badly." Here we find the
father's good name being spoken against because of the sins of the son.
Is not the like thing being constantly said of our Heavenly Father
because of the sins of His children? A Christian is guilty of some
dishonest, or mean, or selfish act. He is known to the world as a
Christian man, and how often have we heard it said, "Well, if he is
what you call a Christian, I do not care to be one." Thus is God's
Name dishonoured and blasphemed among men, through the sins of His
children. He and the power of His Gospel are held to be of small
account because those who confess Him {213} fail to be faithful to Him.
Well did the Spirit inspire the holy men of old to pray for deliverance
for the sake of His Holy Name, that it might not, through their
failure, be brought into disrepute.
So in the time of temptation the Psalmist cries, "Save me, O God, for
Thy Name's sake;"[13] and when he fails, his prayer is "For Thy Name's
sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity."[14] Realizing his sins, he asks
for forgiveness, but with no selfish motive. He thought not of his own
salvation alone. It was the honour of his Father's Name that he had at
heart, and so he asked for pardon lest his sins should give the enemy
occasion to blaspheme.
Nor is it only for deliverance that the Psalmist prays. His sins being
forgiven, he knows that he cannot walk in the paths of righteousness
save through the divine guiding, and that if his feet wander from the
way, again will that Name be dishonoured. And so he cries, "For Thy
Name's sake, lead me and guide me";[15] and again desiring more and
more of the divine life of the Spirit, he cries, "Quicken me, O Lord,
for Thy Name's sake."[16]
The lesson for our encouragement is clear. So {214} jealous is God of
His own Name, so deeply dishonoured is that Name whenever we sin, that
the Spirit again and again, in teaching us to pray against the devil,
tells us to plead with God on this very basis. When His Name is
involved God will rise in His might, and come to our help with a mighty
hand and a stretched-out arm. Even if His mighty love were not a
motive force, we can trust Him to care for His own good Name, to do His
utmost to save us, since the fall of one who is called by His Name will
lay His honour in the dust.
(3) Again, consider what is the meaning of each particular defeat to
God. Every baptized soul is a point on the far-flung battle line of
the Church Militant; every baptized soul is His soldier, made in His
image and sealed with His Sign of adoption, and set to defend a
definite point in the front of God's army. Is it nothing to Him that
such a soul be beaten down by the foe? Is it nothing to Him that His
divine image be marred and denied with the marks of the Fiend, and that
he who bears it be dragged away a captive of hell?
Unless all revelation concerning His love be false, even the smallest
defeat in the battle is to God something at which the imagination
staggers when it seeks to grasp it. What would a loving {215} earthly
father think to see his beloved child torn from his bosom, and carried
away into the power of a savage enemy, consigned to untold and eternal
woe? Would he take it philosophically, dismissing the whole affair
from his mind after a time, justifying himself that this dread calamity
came by the child's fault, and was the result of its own disobedience?
And is our heavenly Father less loving, less tender, of His children,
than an earthly father? True, suffering in any human sense, cannot
touch the Godhead, but there must be some awful and mysterious thing
which human thought can never fathom, and which we dare not seek to
understand, that enters, as it were, into the Godhead when souls fail
and are lost; or else the Holy Spirit could never have inspired the
Apostle to reveal concerning the risen, ascended, and glorified
God-Incarnate, that in our surrender to Satan there is a crucifying of
Him afresh.[17]
Where then have we warrant for discouragement? When Satan sets the
battle in array against my soul, I am not alone. The call to arms
rings through all heaven. The Lord Christ Himself goes forth to war in
the unconquerable might of His Sacred Humanity. Angels and archangels,
and all the glorious company of heaven, spring {216} forward to action.
The great multitude which no man can number, of all nations and
kindreds, and people, and tongues, that stand before the throne and
before the Lamb, war for me in the might of their ceaseless
intercession; and as the vast and splendid front of the armies of the
living God sweep on to the conflict, my soul is caught up in the mighty
movement and advance, and their spirit becomes my spirit, as we go
forth, conquering and to conquer, in God's behalf and mine.
[1] St. Matt. xi, 29-30.
[2] St. John xiv, 1 and 27.
[3] St. John xiv, 13; xv, 7 and 16; xvi, 23 and 24.
[4] St. John xiv, 16.
[5] St. John xv, 16.
[6] St. John xvi, 20, 22, and 24.
[7] St. John xvi, 33.
[8] "Now ye are the Body of Christ, and members in particular."--1 Cor.
xii, 27. See also Rom. xii, 5; Eph. i, 23; iv, 12; and v, 23 and 30;
Col. i, 24.
[9] 1 Cor. xii, 26.
[10] Eph. iv, 12.
[11] Jer. xxxi, 3.
[12] Rom. viii, 32.
[13] Ps. liv, 1.
[14] Ps. xxv, 11.
[15] Ps. xxxi, 3.
[16] Ps. cxliii, 11.
[17] Heb. vi, 6.
End of Project Gutenberg's The Warfare of the Soul, by Shirley C. Hughson