131. Before the Administration of the Lord's Supper.
Before the Administration of the Lord’s Supper.
Luk 10:17-22. And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said. I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy eight. All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
Wise and good men have attempted to present an artificial arrangement of the several events recorded in the history of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, or what they call a Harmony of the Gospels. It is both a pleasing and an useful amusement to ascertain the dates and to settle the order of events; and labors of this kind merit high commendation. But the native majesty and simplicity of Scripture stand in no need of artificial arrangement. The whole spiritual building is august and venerable, and each particular part has its peculiar beauty and excellency. To be assured that such things were done, is of infinitely higher importance than to determine the exact series of succession. Every line of the history of Christ is a radiant splay of divine perfection; every step he takes leaves an impress of benignity behind it. It was predicted concerning him, that he should be “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” But it was likewise predicted that he should “see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied.” . The words which have been read contain the accomplishment of this last prophecy. In all our affliction he was afflicted; let us weep with him: and when he “rejoices in spirit,” let us also “rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; receiving the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls.” The followers of Christ had now increased to a great multitude. And need we wonder, if such doctrine, supported by such purity and dignity of character, and by such mighty works, had the power of attracting attention and respect wherever he went? “There followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan.” Out of those multitudes he selected first twelve, with the peculiar designation of disciples and apostles, to whom he imparted a portion of his spirit and power: “He gave them authority over all devils, and to cure diseases, to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.” Afterwards “he appointed other seventy, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself would come.” It was on occasion of the return of those seventy, after having fulfilled their mission, and upon the report which they made of their success, that Jesus broke out into this holy rapture: “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.” Let us trace the process. The evangelist records, at full length, the commission granted to those seventy, but gives us no particulars respecting their progress. These must be collected from the account which they themselves give of it. The seventy returned again with joy. Every thinking man enters on a difficult or a hazardous enterprise with very mixed emotions. He feels the consequence attached to an arduous and important station; he feels the pressure of responsibility, and the solicitude of general expectation pointed towards him. The animating stimulus of hope is repressed by the dread of miscarriage. It is a terrible thing to return toiled, disappointed, discomfited. The eve of a battle is a season of solicitude. But when the conflict is over, when success is no longer doubtful the soul enters into a state of perfect composure. Mournful is the reflection, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain;” but how complete is the triumph of an apostle reviewing a successful ministry, and looking forward to the glorious recompense of reward. “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me in that day.” Such was the triumph of the seventy, having finished their circuit of the cities of Galilee.
They express peculiar satisfaction in reporting to their divine Master, that “even the devils were subject to them, through his name.” It was matter of great joy to them, that their preaching, had been acceptable and useful; that they had been the honored instruments in his hand to “heal all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease;” to predispose the minds of men to receive the kingdom of God, by healing their bodies: but to prevail against the great adversary who had so long tyrannized over the nations, leading them “captive at his will,” this filled up the measure of their joy. At the same time, they modestly disclaim all personal merit. They humbly ascribe the glory of all this wonderful success to the potent name of their almighty Lord. Jesus himself exercises underived power over universal nature, “What a word is this!” exclaimed the astonished multitudes, “for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out:” but the disciples have power, and prevail only through virtue communicated to them. “Without me,” says he “ye can do nothing:” and then is the believer most strong when he rests on imparted strength. Now those disciples were speedily to be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, carrying with them the doctrine and the name, that is the wonderworking power of their Master. Wherever, therefore, virtue accompanied that name, there was Christ himself present; and of whom but of Deity can it be affirmed that he is in more than one place, in many places, in all space at once? God challenges omnipresence as his own: “Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord: do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord,” “Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: and though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will, search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent and he shall bite them.” The great Author and Finisher of our faith asserts to himself the same divine attribute, and connects with it perpetuity of duration, in the charge which he gave to his disciples before he ascended up into heaven: “Go ye and teach all nations;” there is a claim of universal power and presence; and he adds the gracious assurance; “and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Here are omnipresence, and endless, unchanging united. When the viper dropped harmlessly from the apostle’s hand, in the island of Melita, there was the name, the presence, and the power of Christ. When Philippians in the desert of Gaza, “preached Jesus” to the Ethiopian eunuch, and converted him to the Christian faith, there was the name, the presence, and the power of Christ. When John, in the isle that is called Patmos, “heard a great voice, saying, I am Alpha and Omega,” there was the name, the presence, and the power of Christ. That presence, my brethren, we hope and trust, is in the midst of this worshipping assembly, and presiding over it; is to consecrate that table and those elements of bread and wine; is to sanctify and ennoble our communion and fellowship. But it is not confined to this place. It is at this moment diffusing light, and life, and joy over myriads of worshippers in the east, in the west, in the south, in the north. It is “the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:” “in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee and bless thee.” “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” This subjection of the devils to the disciples, through the name of Christ, Jesus in his reply contemplates as the beginning of Satan’s complete and final overthrow, as a step toward the total subversion of his kingdom, “He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven;” “when I sent you forth armed with my commission, and furnished you with power to execute it, I saw swift destruction overtaking the destroyer. You have begun a conquest which I am proceeding to accomplish. You have subjected his mischievous agents. I shall bruise Satan himself under your feet shortly.” “His usurped dominion,” as “the God of this world,” as “the prince of the power of the air,” as “the ruler of the darkness of this world,” is hastening “to expire. Rooted, established as it may seem to be, it shall vanish in a moment, rapid as a flash of lightning, which disappears before it is well seen.” The expression is in use with both the sacred and profane authors. The downfall of the king of Babylon is, by the prophet, represented under this bold imagery; “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground!” The Roman orator says of Anthony, “thou hast dragged down thy colleague from heaven;” and when Pompey the Great was hurled from his proud preeminence, Cicero represents him as having “fallen from the stars.” The time to favor a darkened, enslaved world was now come, and Jesus triumphs, in the near prospect of the conversion of the Gentile nations “from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.” The former mission of the seventy was limited to “the cities and places, whither he himself would come;” now their sphere is enlarged, and with an extended commission fresh assurances are given of divine protection wherever they went. “Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” After the resurrection from the dead, an unbounded career is set before them, the vast globe is spread out as the scene of action, the whole human race, through all ages and generations is the grand object of the gospel ministry, and powers adequate to the undertaking are granted. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”--“and these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Here every obstruction is removed, all opposition dies, every enemy is subdued, and the Scriptures are fulfilled, which say: “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:” “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noon-day.” “Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.” Thus was the serpent’s head bruised, and the triumph of the Redeemer completed. Compare spiritual things with spiritual, the commission of the great Head of the Church with the execution of it, the promised support of the apostles with what they were enabled actually to achieve, as the facts stand recorded in the book of their acts. But Jesus points out to his disciples a purer source of joy than even a grant of miraculous powers could bestow. It was highly honorable and unspeakably grateful to be invested with authority to control evil spirits, to cure inveterate distemper, and quicken the dead, and to enjoy perfect personal security amidst snares, and dangers, and the shadow of death, to speak with tongues and instruct the ignorant. But these and other choice gifts of God have been conferred on the unworthy. Great talents are not always sanctified to the possessor. Beneficial to others they may be unprofitable or even pernicious to the man himself. He may speak with the tongues of men and of angels: he may have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge: he may have all faith so as to be able to remove mountains; he may lay out his whole estate in works of charity, and even submit to suffer martyrdom, and after all remain destitute of that principle which alone admits into the kingdom of heaven. The magicians of Egypt performed wonders, but they served only to harden the heart against God. Balaam was a true prophet; but “he loved the wages of unrighteousness:” he knew and approved the better course, but he deliberately persevered in the worse. Simon had the art of bewitching the people of Samaria with sorceries; “to him they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, this man is the great power of God.” “He himself believed also, and was baptized,” but his “heart was not right in the sight of God;” he was still “in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.” “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Where God has bestowed much, he will expect much, and in proportion to the number and value of the gifts received is the account that must be given. Who was equally honored with the apostle of the Gentiles, by extraordinary communications from heaven? but “it is not expedient for me,” says he, “to glory:” “of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.” In what then does a Paul, in what does every believer chiefly rejoice and glory? In the composing reflection, “my name is written in the book of life.” “I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” Compared to this, what a poor trifle it is for a man to know that his name is in an opulent testator’s will for a splendid bequest, were it even the reversion of a kingdom? This is that “peace of God which passeth all understanding, which shall keep the heart and mind through Christ Jesus, and which the world can neither give nor take away.” This is “the hour,” the eventful hour when “Jesus rejoiced in spirit:” the hour when the great Sovereign of the universe was subjecting spiritual wickedness to human agents, and perfecting praise out of the mouths of babes and sucklings; when all the glories of the kingdom of heaven unveiled themselves to his view, and the nations of the earth hastened into it. The scenes of sorrow and suffering which must intervene are absorbed in contemplating, the blessed effects which they were to produce. “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.” Here we behold our great pattern setting us the example of referring everything to God, as the first cause and the last end of all; who acts by his own uncontrollable, inexplicable supremacy, and with a view to his own glory. But we are not; to understand our Lord as giving thanks that “the wise and prudent” were kept in a state of ignorance respecting the things of God, but that while they were so, while they remained under the power of willful blindness, it had graciously pleased God to manifest these things to the comparatively simple and illiterate. We have a similar mode of expression, and which falls under the same mode of interpretation, in the epistle to the Rom 6:17, where the apostle says: “But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin;” meaning obviously, “that although, that whereas ye were the servants of sin, ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you:” So here, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that while the wise in their own conceits, and the prudent in the estimation of the world, neglect and despise the things which belong to their peace, their all-importance is discerned, felt, prized, and improved by persons, lowly in their own sight, contemptible in the eyes of men, but estimable in the eyes of Him who “resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
Jesus ascribes to the Father universality of dominion, under the title of “Lord of heaven and earth;” and he resolves all creatures and all events into divine sovereignty: “Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.” “He giveth not account of any of his matters.” “He doth according to his will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” That which is good in the eyes of man is frequently a sore evil; but that which is good in the sight of God must be good in itself; and when Deity shall have executed the whole plan of his providence, the myriads of his saints and angels shall with one voice proclaim “all is good.” “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne; and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.”
Having made this ascription of universal power, authority, and property to the Father, he represents himself as invested in an equal extent of dominion, as sole and sovereign administrator of the world which he made, which he upholds, and which he came to redeem. “All things are delivered to me of my Father.” God is “Lord of heaven and earth.” Now these two words imply all space, with all the beings which inhabit the worlds “visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities; or powers,” To the utmost extent of the words, therefore, and of their import, the sovereignty of God, Redeemer extends, and it is asserted and ascribed neither in a single passage, nor in doubtful terms. “All power,” says he, in another place, “is given unto me in heaven and in earth;” “authority to execute judgment also;” “power over all flesh, to give eternal life.” “The Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them: even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man; but hath committed all judgment unto the Son; that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.” Now this is either mere pretension, unfounded as that of the devil over “all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them,” or it is a claim of right: and who but God can support such a claim? Who but God can possess and exercise the power of quickening the dead, of executing judgment upon all, not only according to their works, but according to their most secret thoughts, and of bestowing eternal life? Is a creature, a mere man like ourselves, to be entrusted with, is he capable of managing such an empire? No; Where all power, then, is lodged, there is Deity; “in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him.” Behold, Christian, and rejoice in spirit, the powers of darkness prostrate under the feet of the Prince of Peace: He “maketh his angels spirits, his ministers a flaming fire,” and “are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” Behold the heathen given him for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for a possession; “He must reign until he hath put all enemies under his feet.” We, my beloved brethren, are part of the all things which are delivered by the Father unto the Son; and the precious deposit is securely placed: Thine they were and thou gavest them me:--those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is “lost:” and you are going this day solemnly to deliver up yourselves to him, to be taught by his spirit, to be governed by his laws, to be protected by his arm, to be supplied by his providential care; therefore “ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
It is added, “and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.” That is, the nature, excellency, and dignity of the Godhead can be known only by Deity. God is infinite in all his perfections, but in contemplating infinity all created understanding is lost. This reciprocal knowledge of the Father and of the Son is itself a mystery inscrutable, or it presents at once plurality and unity; which human reason sinks under. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” If man has been enabled to form any right notion of God, he is indebted for it to the revelation of Jesus Christ the Son of God. That revelation has unfolded God’s purpose and grace, before the world began. That revelation has explained the history of Providence through ages and generations past. That revelation has disclosed an eternal duration to come, for unfolding, in endless succession, the inexhaustible treasure of the knowledge of “the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent.” Every past, every present, every future discovery of the divine counsels, and of their execution, is the operation of the great light of the world; “for God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory if God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
If such were the honor and the power conferred on the twelve and on the seventy simple Galileans; if through the grace of Christ they not only exceeded the attainments of science, and the operations of art, but exercised authority over the devil and his angels, then what may not man become? What bounds shall be set to the progress of an immortal being, “the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness?” The eye of sense discerns a frail child of dust, sinking under a load of growing infirmity; “in heaviness through manifold temptations;” “through fear of death subjected to bondage.” The eye of faith beholds in that same forlorn creature, one hastening unto the resurrection of the dead, about to assume a glorious body fashioned after the similitude of that of a risen and glorified Redeemer, arising “to meet the Lord in the air,” triumphing over death, and “him who has the power of death,” “with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, and changing into the same image from glory to glory.”
Christ has taught us, my brethren, to resort to the radical source of consolation; “rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” It is a pleasant and an honorable feeling to take complacency in an illustrious or even reputable descent; to reflect on the attainment of eminence of station by eminence in talent; to contemplate wealth earned by industry and fair dealing. But these, and such advantages as these are transient. They may be marred and embittered by untoward circumstances. But to meditate on an unalienable, unalterable good, running through the whole progress of duration, increasing continually in luster and value; to think that all is the free gift of a Father, whose love is not liable to change, whose bounty is inexhaustible, whose power sustains the worlds visible and invisible, and whose existence is from everlasting to everlasting; this soothes the soul to peace, this sweetens the bitterest morsel, this quenches the flame of the fiery trial, this disarms the king of terrors. “These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars.” “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before him angels.” The highest privileges which Christianity confers, and the fairest prospect which it opens, powerfully recommend the spirit of humility. Is thy name written in heaven? What hand wrote it there? Might not the hand that wrote blot it out again? Has not thy own right hand made many a dreadful attempt to erase the signature? If it has found a place on that hallowed page, if it has been permitted to remain there, if it has not in fatherly displeasure been for ever obliterated, it is all of free sovereign grace. Art thou an heir of “a kingdom which cannot be moved?” “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom,” have grace, whereby you may “serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear.” The highest and holiest are also the humblest of beings. With whom does “the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy,” delight to dwell? “With him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” He who is most humble has the greatest similitude to his divine Master, and to be like Christ is to possess the highest glory which the creature is capable of attaining. “Learn of me,” says he, not to walk upon the water, or rebuke the wind, not to open the eyes of the blind or quicken the dead, but “Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye hall find rest unto your souls.”
“Jesus rejoiced in spirit,” as he contemplated the rise, the progress, the consummation of his kingdom, and the correspondent downfall of the empire of sin and Satan. He is the same who wept over the rave of Lazarus, “who groaned in the spirit and was troubled,” in sympathy with the woe of others; the same who beheld the devoted city, “and wept over it;” the same who in the agony of Gethsemane, exclaimed, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” Let our sorrows and joys flow from the same sources with his. Are the ravages of time and death presented to our view, or the still more dreadful ravages, which issue in death committed by “the carnal mind which is enmity against God,” and hatred to man? Are we the spectators of the progress of moral corruption from evil to worse, till all is lost? Can we behold it unmoved? “Fool’s make a mock at sin,” but every serious spirit is very differently affected. “I beheld the transgressors;” says the Psalmist, “and was grieved because they kept not thy word. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes; because they keep not thy law.” On the other hand, how delightful is it, to mark the progress of goodness; “the path of the just as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the prefect day;” to behold “a brand plucked out of the fire,” a soul saved from death, an heir born into the kingdom of God! This causes “joy in heaven, in the presence of the angels of God.” This is that “travail of his soul,” which the Redeemer “shall see, and shall be satisfied.” This is the dawning of that eternal day when “the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” That we all may be found in that company, partake of that joy, assist in raising those songs, may God of his infinite mercy grant, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.