01.18. The Sunrise Blessing
Chapter 18 THE SUNRISE BLESSING. The sentence above was written in reference to Jacob, after his Peniel experience. In a beautiful sense it was a part of the blessing, and in a most striking manner became a sign and seal of the grace which had come to the night long wrestler and day dawn victor.
We are convinced that the sunrise feature of this scriptural occurrence belongs to sanctification as something inherent as well as declarative; and that it is felt not only in the ushering in of the glorious triumphant life, but something that should and does abide. That not only is there realized immediately an unspeakably glad light streaming into the soul and life; but each day seems to be a repetition of its bright predecessor, and so the sunrise remains as a fixture. We go down a road that has a perpetual morning on it. In a way known only to those to whom the sweet warm blessing has come, we enter upon a spiritual experience where the freshness, beauty, gladness and glory of the soul in its union and communion with the Lord, is like a continual new born day. We travel a way with a constant brightness on the road. It has no declining sun; it witnesses no eclipse and although the course may be long, rock strewn and often margin lined with perils and sorrows, yet it knows no sunset. Light is always on t he path, and it is always the radiance of a sunrise.
We have known people who held unbrokenly to this charm and glory of holiness. We never met them but the sunrise look was on their faces; and every thing that belongs to that first hour of day in freshness, buoyancy and gladness, was theirs in the spiritual sense in all they said and did.
Some others after years of continual victory have gotten somehow under a declining sun. The shadows are unmistakable. The eastern look has gone from the countenance. A west wind is in the air. A droop of spirit, a melancholy way of talking, a pessimistic view of holiness and the Gospel itself comes like the notes of the whippoorwill through the gathering gloaming.
It is wonderful how hard it is to convince some of these glory stripped children of light that the charm and power of holiness is gone, when their sun is beheld in the western instead of the eastern sky. That orthodox experience, good sense, excellent methods, correctness of life and nothing else can take the place of that perpetual sunshine experience of the soul and that sunrise expression on the face, in its effect upon the hearts, minds and consciences of the outside world. In a world like this, of eclipses, cloudy days, black nights and frequent sunsets; the sight of a man with a constant gleam of peace, joy and victory in his spirit and on his countenance; with a holy gladness in his eyes, and the exultant note of moral triumph in his voice; this spectacle is evidently something so divine, so unearthly, so supernatural that logic and argument are powerless in its presence, opposition sinks down overcome by it, and a mighty yearning swells the breast of the beholder to enter upon a life and possess a blessing so manifestly sent down to the human race from another and better country.
There are some avowedly walking the way of holiness who never knew this eastern glory.
They took a will-o’-the-wisp of their own fancy for the Sun of Righteousness. Or some evangelist hung up a lantern and told the deluded soul it was a sunrise. Others followed moons that soon passed into the last quarter, and then the dark stage, and left them in a gloom deeper than they ever knew before. But there were others who really possessed the beautiful experience. Each day began with a sunrise. And there was one every hour. And the sun rose every minute. And a great light was in their faces; a deep gladness in their voices; and a mighty victory was in all their trials, temptations, labors, and battles. Every time we met them we saw the sun-flash on their foreheads, heard the bird song of a happy freedom in their throats, and knew a sweet, fresh, unbroken daytime was in their souls.
Then there came a change in the position and altitude of the sun. It was low in the west. With others it went completely down. So that with all the substitute of the stars; and the lighting up the street with lamps; and the carrying around of lanterns; the fact could not be hid that night had come.
Some of these shadowed ones are full of sadness over this condition: and so concerning them we are full of hope. They will watch for the morning, and on their sad but expectant eyes the day will break again.
There are others who do not seem to realize that "their sun has gone down." They are counting the lamps on the streets, and using candles and some gasoline torches presented by a wandering evangelist. They seem to take more pleasure in the flash of a glow worm these days than in the sunrise glory of former years, and which came after a night spent in the tears of a life surrender and pleading, importunate supplication with God. This leads us to say that the Peniel Sunrise was no accident. It was the result of something said, suffered and done on the human side. When these things took place with Jacob, God told him he had prevailed, was a prince, and gave him a road with a sunrise at the end of it and along which highway he was to walk the rest of his days and indeed forever. In like manner the same price has to be paid today for such a wonderful experience and life. And as the original cost has to be kept paid down in order to retain the heavenly glory, so it is that we see not only why some so-called seekers have never obtained; but why others who did enjoy it have lost the blessing and perhaps forever.
Never let it be forgotten that the heartsick Jacob sent everything he possessed and loved over the brook Peniel, while he remained alone on the western side.
It takes everything we have to obtain the blessing of holiness. Like Jacob we must be left alone. Everything we own and everybody we hold most dear must be sent over the brook, put on the altar, or in a word yielded to God. The cattle, servants, business, the children, and finally Rachel must go. God is a jealous God. He must be all or nothing. He will not allow a rival of any kind. Rachel, or the person or thing which Rachel stands for, must go over the brook. The soul must be left first alone, and then find itself with God. As far as we can understand the passage of Scripture describing the wonderful scene, the Lord made no appearance, and no wrestling spirit of prayer commenced until Jacob was alone. This ought to throw light on some beshadowed, gloomy cases today. They wonder why the burden, or agonizing spirit of prayer for the blessing does not come upon them. The answer is that they are not yet solitary. They are holding on to somebody or something. The soul must come into an experience of isolation and loneliness before the divine wrestler appears, and that real prayer begins which is to mean so much for the individual and so much to many more in the years that are to follow. The sunrise blessing, replete with sweet compensation for every earthly loss; full of an indescribable reward and glory, comes naturally and properly to one who has given up everything to God. But as it is only bestowed on one who has sent his all over the brook; what folly to look for such a pearl when we have not laid down the price; when not only God, but even men can see that we are not left alone on the brookside. Something, or someone, is still with us. The business has not been forsaken or consecrated. The troubles have not been committed to God. The enemies have not been left with heaven. The children are not laid on the altar. Rachel is still by the side and ruling in the heart and life. And yet with all this withheld from God there are people who want the same sunrise to come upon them, that came upon a man who sent everything he had over the brook, prayed all night, and weeping in the cold, cheerless dawn, said to God, "I will not let thee go except thou bless me." The sunrise experience is a glorious one. It is better far than all that which time, money and men can give. It keeps the heart from breaking when the suns of earth set, moons pale, stars vanish, and the lamps and candles lit by human hands are extinguished. But it cannot be obtained for a song or for a trifle. An imperfect consecration cannot get in sight of it. All we have has to go over the brook. And we must be left alone. Then ascends the prevailing prayer! Then comes the divine testimony that we have conquered, and are princes! And then a sun rises to light the newmade prince upon his way to fields of duty, to a throne of glory, and to the home of his Father in heaven.
After crossing Peniel. men who have received the blessing of holiness seem to hold former loves and possessions with a new kind of tenure, pleasing and acceptable to God. They are given repossession of many things, under a greater light, a sweeter affection, and with God as supreme over everything and all the time.
If this heavenly life should be broken, and the business or idols get back and uppermost again; if in a word, the Lord is made second in place in the heart, mind and life by anything or anyone; then the sunrise glory at once departs! Moreover, everybody can see it is gone. The word Ichabod is on the wall. The following view will now be placed before every thoughtful observer, viz., one class of people camping on the east side of Peniel with their sun on the west side. Others on the west side with their sun gone down entirely. Still others groping their distant way under the stars. Others still lighting their lamps at home. And still others borrowing candles from individuals met in the many meetings which they restlessly and feverishly frequent.
Listen how they knock and call! Our sun has gone down! Who will give us light? Who will direct and lead us from our sunset and midnight, to the glorious sunrise we saw and felt and knew in other days? The only reply to be given is, that the same price paid to secure in the first instance is necessary to recover the blessing when it is lost. Everything has to be sent over the brook again. The business must be made secondary and tributary. The idol must be dethroned. The midnight wrestle and lonely struggle must be resumed. The weeping words must be spoken to God, "I will not let thee go except thou bless me!" When lo! the brook is crossed by the supplicator himself; the oldtime glory is restored; the former power is back; perfect love once more swells and overflows the heart, and the prince turns with a smile to walk a road that he notices with a tender thrilling joy, has a beautiful golden sunrise at the end.
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