The Insolence of Man

TO me the most awful thing in connection with the sin of man is the death of God’s Son. There is not any sin so inconceivably terrible as that. The Son of God has been in this world. Where is He now? Why is He not here? Do you ever think of it? Do you remember the words, “They will reverence My Son”? Think of the surpassing love of God in sending His Son into this world. Think of His having a body like yours and mine, but without sin. Think of His blessed feet treading this earth, and His voice being heard here, and His face seen! “They will reverence My Son.” Did they? Born in a stable, brought up in a carpenter’s home, His dwelling place the lonely desert, or the silent mountain side; “nowhere to lay His head”: all the avenues of the heart of man closed against Him, and all the flood-gates of human hate opened upon Him, the bitter word, the laugh of unbelief, the mocking taunt, the blasphemous reproach— all for Him. “They will reverence My Son.” Did they? Let Gethsemane’s dark shadows answer; let Calvary’s awful gloom declare. “My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death.” The sin and unbelief of a world were the sorrows of the Son of God. The shroud that wound around Him in the dark night of suffering was woven with the dark threads of man’s iniquity. That awful grief which brought the blood sweat upon His brow, and wrung the awful cry from His heart, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” was the result of the uncalculating wickedness of a world of sinners.
“They will reverence My Son.” Did they? They placed their arms about Him, but it was not the embrace of love; they gazed upon Him, but not with affection’s glance; they spoke to Him, but not in love’s sweet words; they followed Him, but not because they loved Him. No, “they hated Him without a cause,” they sat down to watch Him die; they shouted in their hate, Away with Him!” “Crucify Him.” The Light shone, and they put it out. The Word spoke, and they silenced it. The Truth was manifested, and they would not receive it. The Life was here in God-like beauty and they gathered in their thousands to watch Him die.
Thus was shown the insolence of the world against the Son of God, who came down from heaven to be the Son of Man, the Saviour of the world. And is there less insolence in the world against Christ?
Nay, more, our blessed Lord is “the song of the drunkards” today. Reproach broke His heart when He was on earth, and He has to bear still the reproach of ungodly and wicked men. As one has justly said, “Higher Criticism is destroying faith throughout the land. It is rapidly closing our pulpits to the pure Evangel of Jesus. It is, destroying spiritual life and power in our Churches. It is driving our young people out to a devil’s wilderness, in which any voice of God at all is doubted and contemned. It is writing ‘Ichabod’ over the fact of the earth.”
The Holy Scriptures, beloved of our blessed Lord, are being torn to pieces by these devil’s advocates, who, under the guise of religion, are seeking to undermine all the foundations of faith. They little know what willing tools of Satan they have become: To destroy faith is to destroy mankind. To set aside, and to falsify the Word of God, is to loosen all the barriers of civilization, so that the world may be flooded with a roaring torrent of unbelief and sin, to help men and women to do that which is right in their own eyes, and that the fear of God may be swept away from the human race. These false men are well spoken of by Jude. He calls them “ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Again he calls them “clouds without water, carried about of winds, trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.”
In the same epistle that speaks of the doom of these faith destroyers — insulters of the Christ of God — to be dealt with by and bye when their little day of sin and shame is done — the apostle exhorts the saints of God to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
May God keep us true to His faith and Name, and may the Honor of His beloved Son be more to us than life itself. For this we pray in His precious name. Amen.
We thank God that in answer to our appeal for English Testaments our friends have been lovingly helping us to fill our emptying shelves again.
Now we must have Testaments and Tracts for India. We have not one Tamil Gospel or Testament to send to those who are constantly asking for them. Please read our last page and remember as you read that it is for poor sinners without Christ we plead; for men and women who will be lost without Him.
Yours for Christ’s sake,
Heyman Wreford.