"THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST."
THE preacher opened his Bible, and read from it two passages:—
"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was
rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty
might be rich."
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in
the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made
Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and
was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man,
He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross."
Then Mr. Kennedy began to speak about the verses he had just read.
"'The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.' These are very familiar words.
We teach the little children to repeat them, when they have learned to
say, 'Our Father,' at the mother's knee, followed by the simple prayer,
'God bless father, mother, brothers, sisters, all kind friends and
relations, and make me good.'
"Again, we tell the little ones to 'say grace' before they eat of the
'daily bread' given in answer to the prayer which Jesus taught us, thus
owning that we want God's blessing with the food.
"But common words are like common blessings. The first are often spoken
without a thought of their meaning, the second without a thought of Him
who gives them. It is so with those I have read. Here we see what the
'grace of our Lord Jesus Christ' means. It means the free love, favour
and gift of God's own Son for sinners. It means all that Jesus gave up,
and all that He gave, to buy back for them what sin had lost. Jesus was
rich, in the form of God and equal with God. Creator of the universe,
ruler of heaven and earth, joint-owner with the Father and the blessed
Spirit of all that is meant by creation. 'For without Him was not
anything made that was made.' Jesus was, as He still is, 'the Lord of
glory.'"
"It is a great deal easier, dear friends, to say these words than to
take in all they mean. Let us try to do it by comparison with earthly
things. We must come down, not a little, but a long way. All the way
from heaven to earth, from the court of the King of kings to the home
of our own Queen. What a great space still remains to be bridged over!
Think what a distance there is between the palaces of our sovereign and
the cottages in which most of us live!
"You would think I was making game of you if I were to say that the
Queen's eldest son was going to leave his home, to put aside his
clothing and every sign of his rank, and to come here to Millborough,
without a single servant or a place to dwell in that he could call his
own. But if an earthly prince really did this, and went in and out
among the working folk, feeling for them, doing them good, spending
nothing on himself, but knowing hunger and weariness, temptation and
sorrow—not because he had any need to do it, but out of deep love and
pity to the miserable and the sinful, and because he had power given
him to do for them what no one else could—what should we think of one
like this?"
There was a sort of stir amongst the people in the Mission Room, and a
murmur, but no distinct words.
"I fancy you say to yourselves, 'A likely story that! No fear of it
coming true!' Well, perhaps not. But surely what I have just read to
you was far more unlikely. And yet it is true that the Son of God, who
was equal with God, put aside all His glory, and came as man among men.
Not as a king, but as a servant, a person, as you would say, 'of no
account' in the world. He made Himself of no reputation.
"He humbled Himself to be man. Further still, to be as a servant, a man
of low estate, and no great name. He humbled Himself even to die, and
further still, to die as the meanest slave might be put to death—on the
cross. And for what?
"Because He saw a world lying in wickedness, with none to save. He saw
that all had sinned and come short of the glory of God. He knew that no
mere man could save himself, much less his fellow man. And so the Son
of God came in man's form, took man's nature, and He who knew no sin
became sin for us, and suffered in our stead.
"'God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners
Christ died for us.'
"Perhaps some of you are saying to yourselves, 'I can't believe this
tale of yours; it is not easy to take it in.'
"I agree with you, dear friends. It is not easy to believe such love
possible, and many of you have not taken it in. If this blessed message
had reached every heart, I should not need to keep repeating it.
Instead of that our keynote to-night would be one of praise, and every
heart and voice would be in tune. There would be no keeping you quiet.
"But I know that as you look round in the world, you see so much that
makes it hard to believe the message; and beside this, there are many
who take Christ's name, but reflect little of their Master's image.
All around people are pushing and jostling for the best places and the
largest share of what the world calls its good things, with no thought
of God or of their own souls.
"Do we see the strong stand back to give the weak a better chance, or
the swift give way for those who move slowly in the race of life? Do we
find the rich cry out, 'Enough!' And stay the flow of gold from going
into their money-bags? Is the earthly brother or friend willing to bear
the shame or punishment in order to let the guilty go free?
"No, dear friends, as a rule we find that each is for himself in this
world. And why do we see nothing better? For want of having in us
the mind which was in Christ Jesus. Because with our outward sight,
we can discern only human beings of like sinful inclinations with
ourselves, liable to the same temptations and trials. We want to turn
away from this picture, from sin to perfect holiness; from rebellion to
perfect obedience; from hate, enmity, indifference, to perfect love,
compassion, and self-devotion. But we need the eye of faith for this.
Faith sees the remedy for sin, the Reconciler of sinners, the sinless
Sufferer, the all-sufficient Saviour in Jesus Christ, the God-man, in
whose name I come to you to-night, and whose message I bring."
Much more did the preacher say. He repeated the loving invitations
and the sweet promises of the gospel. He called upon many who were
present to testify to their faithfulness, and to tell of the joy and
blessedness of those "whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins
are covered," and who, being "justified by faith, have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ."
There were some who spoke in answer to this appeal, amongst them
Richard Evans, the old smith from Rutherford's. As Adam Livesey
listened, he felt convinced of this man's sincerity, and he knew that
his life proved it.
Adam began to run over in his mind the names of those he knew who
professed to be religious, and taking them as a whole, he was fain to
confess that they seemed to be preferable, as companions, to those who
made game of them. Had he not gone himself that very day to Richard
Evans, feeling sure that he would help him out of his difficulty if he
could? And there was Mr. Drummond! Had any manager ever before troubled
himself about what the men did with their time or their money outside
the works, so long as they were at their posts during the regular hours?
No, it must be because Christ's true servants had in them the loving
spirit of Christ Himself, and showed it towards their neighbours. Adam
knew well enough that it could not be because they expected to gain
anything by it. What would Mr. Drummond be bettered by any change that
might take place in Adam Livesey? Yet he and others who felt with him
were willing to give up time, and rest, and ease, just because they
wanted sinners to come to Jesus for pardon, for weary souls to find
rest, and to exchange trouble for joy?
Adam's thoughts were interrupted by another hymn, and before the
preacher gave it out he said, "This will just suit those who want to
come to Jesus, and I hope many will join heart and voice in singing
it"; and he read:—
"Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole,
I want Thee for ever to live in my soul;
Break down every idol, cast out every foe—
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."
And so on through all the verses.
Afterwards the preacher spoke again.
"Perhaps," he said, "many of you would like to take Jesus at His word.
You that are tired of your present way of life, without God and without
hope, want to accept the invitation, 'Come unto Me.' But you think it
is for anybody but you. The message is good—too good to be true for
you. You think to yourselves, 'I'm o' no account. Only a poor working
man, or weary woman, tired with the task that never comes to an end.
Who cares for me? Who would do anything for me?'
"'Of no account'? That is what Jesus made Himself. Of no reputation,
so as first to come down to your level in all but sin, and then lift
you from your low estate to be joint heirs with Him to a heavenly
inheritance.
"Of no account? You may say that before you understand the price that
has been paid for you—never after!
"Of no account? When God gave His Son to die for you!
"Of no account? When Jesus loves you, and has bought you with His own
blood!
"Of no account? When the Holy Spirit pleads with you, is willing to
dwell in your hearts and guide you into all truth.
"Of no account? Then for whom are the many mansions in the Father's
home above? For whom are the crowns of glory? It is written, 'Eye hath
not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the
things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.'
"And who are they that love God, but those who believe and rejoice in
His great love for them?
"Are they of no account? Hear what He says of those 'that feared the
Lord, and that thought upon His name. They shall be Mine, saith the
Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels.'
"You know what jewels are, dear friends, though you may not possess
any. You see them glittering in the jewellers' shops, and you know
that the smallest of them cost a great deal to buy. You know how
carefully they are guarded, and valued, and protected from thieves and
housebreakers. Why is this?
"Is it because they are of no account? No; it is because there is the
most money value in the least room. Yet these are of no use beyond the
grave. God's jewels are the poor sinners bought by the blood of Jesus.
And though they may be of little account in the eyes of men, they that
fear the Lord are numbered amongst the jewels of the Lord of hosts.
"Of no account? Never say that again. Rather pray as a good man of old
prayed, 'When Thou comest to number up Thy jewels, remember that I cost
Thee as dear as any.'
"Yes, dear friends, this should be your exulting cry. 'Poor I may be,
of no account in the eyes of men, but God loves me, Jesus died for me,
the Holy Spirit deigns to dwell in me, and though here I own not a foot
of earth, I can claim a share in a heavenly inheritance.' I am one of
the Lord's jewels.
"Not one of the sparkling diamonds so valued and guarded here can be
carried out of the world by those who possess them whilst here. They
are of no account beyond the grave.
"But the jewels of the Lord have an eternal value, and will be safe in
His keeping for ever and ever. No chance of their being lost or carried
away from the heavenly treasure-house, for there 'thieves cannot break
through nor steal.'
"I should like to say just a word about shams before I finish. I
daresay you know that there are such things. Every kind of precious
stone is imitated, and it needs a practised eye to tell the sham from
the real thing. The jewellers know the difference at a glance, because
they have experience, and are in the secret of their manufacture. And
if you were to buy some of these shams, you would find them out in a
little time, because they cannot stand wear and tear, and keep bright
like the real things. The real diamond cannot be scratched, and can
only be polished with its own dust, the sham one can be scratched with
any rough surface it comes against.
"So, dear friends, there are real Christians and imitations. The shams
moving to and fro in the world are often mistaken, at first, for the
genuine articles. But, as the jeweller's experienced eye knows the
true, precious stone, even in the rough, so God knows His own jewels,
however poor may be their surroundings and humble the place they
occupy. He sees hearts and reads thoughts. Man may mistake them. God
never.
"But there is always a fear that sham Christians may mislead those
who know no better, and who have not yet learned what is meant by
the 'grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.' When they see that the bright
outside disappears in the time of trial and temptation, and that they
are no better than those who do not profess to follow Christ, they say
that there is nothing real in religion. They scoff at it, and declare
they would rather be without it, than pretend to be better than their
neighbours, while they are only hypocrites.
"Dear friends, remember this. No matter how many imitations may be
made, they cannot alter the value of the real diamond. Its beauty and
lustre remain the same when hundreds of years have passed away. It
is the same with the Lord's jewels. As the cutting down and grinding
and polishing that the diamond has to go through makes it shine the
more, and take a lustre which time cannot alter, so do the troubles
and trials of the world affect those who are God's children in Christ
Jesus. If only the mind be in any of us that was in Him, trouble will
bring it out more plainly. We see the stuff men are made of when trial
comes. The Spirit of the Master shines in the lives of His disciples.
"Eternity cannot alter the glory of the Lord's jewels, for, when the
hypocrites have received their portion, 'Then shall the righteous shine
forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.'"
The preacher paused a moment, then gave out the hymn, "Just as I am,
without one plea," which was sung with deep feeling by most of those
present. Then, with a brief prayer that each soul not yet surrendered
to the Holy Spirit's influence might yield thereto, and thus come to
Jesus, the meeting closed.