Notes of a Sermon

BY THE LATE REV. D. MACDONALD, SHIELDAIG, ROSS-SHIRE.*

(Taken from his own MS., and hitherto unpublished.)

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because he hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.”—ISAIAH lxi. 1.

MAN knows the present and past, but is ignorant of the future. God alone knows beforehand whatever comes to pass. He knew, before ever the world was, that Adam, whom He would create holy and happy, would fall. Although he was in his creation perfectly able to continue in his integrity, yet he was left to the freedom of his own will, to stand or fall as he pleased. God entered into a covenant with him, not only for himself but also for his posterity. If he continued in his integrity, all his posterity would participate in the eternal happiness promised. But when he fell, they all fell with him, and became exposed to all the miseries that sin conveyed to them in its train. Adam freely entered the covenant, and his violation of it justly exposed himself and his posterity to eternal darkness. But the Lord, in His mercy and love, designed that He should have a people saved from among men, and He did not seal their damnation for ever, like the case of the fallen angels. God entered into a covenant of grace with His Son, so that, through the conditions of this covenant, His people might be saved. God, in His mercy and love, fixed His heart from all eternity upon His only-begotten Son as the Saviour of all those whom He elected and loved from everlasting. They were, and are, guilty of violating the law of God, and no one was able to render satisfaction to the broken law, or save them from its punishment,

* The Editor has laid aside his pen to a certain extent this month, and readers will not be disappointed to find the outlines of a Sermon by the late honoured minister of Shieldaig in place of the usual opening article.—ED.

but God’s Son; and He was as willing to fulfil the conditions of the covenant of grace as the Father was that He should do so. If anyone should shrink from performing such arduous work, the Son of God had reason to do so, considering the painful nature of the task which the Father was giving Him to perform. He might have said, in the days of His flesh, to His Father, “O Father, Thou didst honour me to create the world, which was indeed a great work, but it is nothing compared to the work which Thou hast now given me to do—to save Thy people. I then, O Father, delighted to create the world, seeing that it was to be the habitation of a holy race whom we loved from all eternity; but then I had no pain or tears or grief, as I had no body, and my divine nature was not susceptible of pain.”

I.—The Son of God, Jesus Christ, was anointed by the Holy Spirit to qualify Him, in general, for the work of redemption. To be able to redeem His people, the Son had to become man. The blood of bulls and of goats could not take away sin; they were only typical of Christ’s sufferings. His incarnation was predicted by a succession of inspired prophets. Christ then appeared in the fulness of time in the stable at Bethlehem. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit from the womb, as it was promised in Isaiah xlii. 1; and at His baptism the Holy Spirit descended like a dove, to prove that He was more than ordinary men; and the Spirit was more abundantly poured upon Him than upon any other, because He needed to do more and bear more to perform the great work given Him to accomplish. An audible voice accompanied the visible appearance of the Spirit, to convince the world He was the real Son of God. It was His human soul that had need of being anointed.

Kings and priests were of old consecrated to their offices by anointing (Exodus xxx. 23). It was with olive oil, mixed with spices of pure myrrh, sweet cinnamon, calamus, and cassia. The tabernacle, the ark of the testimony, the candlesticks, and all the vessels connected with the service of God were anointed. No man was to make any oil like it, or he would be cut off from his people. No man was allowed to put any of it upon a stranger. It was holy oil for holy use, typical of the Holy Spirit and His operations upon the souls of men. It was not to be employed for any common use. It taught men—whether they were kings, prophets, or priests—their need of the Spirit for the knowledge of God and salvation, and for strength to be faithful to God in their offices.

When the servants of the Most High are anointed, sometimes they have more of the anointing and sometimes less, according to the work they have to perform. No doubt, Peter had more of it on the day of Pentecost than at any other time, when preaching. He had also a great measure of it when writing his Epistles (1 Peter i. 21). The saints have less of the Spirit at times, and no sense of the Spirit at all when in a backsliding state. Peter, when

Christ rebuked him, was not in a watchful state of mind; and after he denied Christ, doubtless the Spirit withdrew Himself for a time, till Peter repented and wept.

But Christ’s anointing by the Father was different; He had the fulness of the Spirit dwelling in Him. That measure was never withdrawn nor diminished, unless when the Lord left Him as to His comfortable presence, when He was suffering as the surety of His people. Their sins having been imputed to Him, He was suffering more or less in His soul till He finished the work upon the Cross. He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” He experienced the hiding of God’s face, and the withdrawals of His Spirit that He might be able to sympathise with His people in their desertions (Hebrews ii. 17-18). He could carry more of the Holy Spirit than others, because He was sinless. The same measure would completely overpower the saints, seeing they are imperfect in this life.

II.—Christ’s works as a prophet, for which God the Father anointed Him with the Spirit.

I. “To preach good tidings to the meek.” He was anointed as prophet, as well as priest and King. As a prophet He reveals by His Word and Spirit to His people the will of God, that they may know their state by the Fall, feel their need of Christ, and embrace Him as their Saviour.

The first step towards their being made “meek,” and receiving Christ in meekness, is their getting the sad news of their sinful and condemned condition by the Fall. It is most sad news for a man to be told that he is condemned for ever on account of a certain crime committed by him. God’s people believe and feel that they are lost when they are convinced of sin. They become alarmed, like one who, awakened out of sleep, finds himself in a most dangerous condition, with the house on fire about his ears. They feel their sins like mountains dragging them into the depth of despair; they are in the devil’s arms, and on the broad way to hell. The covenant of works is now in pieces under their feet, like a broken vessel at sea, everything but sufficient to keep them from drowning in eternal misery (Rom. vii. 10). They see they cannot better their condition. They have no good works like the first Adam before he fell; all their thoughts, words, and actions are full of the leprosy of sin; and the law has no encouraging tidings for them—only curses for their breach of it and the dishonour they have done to God.

Some persons in ordinary life receive very sad tidings that embitter their lives to them, and strike at the root of all their pleasures and enjoyments. David, when he heard of Jonathan’s death, wept bitterly, and could hardly be comforted. Jacob, when his sons brought to him Joseph’s coat of many colours, was absorbed in grief. Such tidings, indeed, are heavy to be borne, but they are not equal to the tidings which the law brings to the soul, when it chastises him for sin and prophesies to him eternal

torments. To leave one in this condition without better tidings would be a living death. Oh! the need that God’s people have of “glad tidings” at such a time as this! Their souls are “weary because of murderers.”

Christ came “to preach good tidings to the meek.” He never intended to leave them in their sad state. Mercy, love, and compassion are with God, and Christ is in possession of abundance of blessings to comfort them. He comes to them, when they are anxiously waiting for him, by faith in the appointed means of grace, and speaks to them by His Spirit and promise, using such language as “I am thy salvation,” etc. Life, light, and power accompany His Word. These glad tidings tell them that He died and satisfied the law in their room and stead, and that, embracing Him by faith, they shall not be condemned. Then Christ embraces them in the arms of His favour and fellowship, and holds communion with them. Friends make feasts to prove their love to their friends. Christ does the same to His people. They hunger and thirst after God, and Christ entertains them with His grace, making up all their wants by His presence. As soon as He reveals Himself as their Saviour their darkness flees away as the midnight before the sun. When Christ restores peace, Satan flees; when faith becomes strong, unbelief absconds. When “the blood” removes guilt, God’s chastisements are taken away, the law gives up cursing them, and all the promises suited to their case come from Christ, conveying comfort to their souls. They find that they are justified, and clothed with Christ’s righteousness. At the Gospel feast they are like the prodigal son, feeding on “the fatted calf,” with ring, shoes, and kisses from their Father, as pledges that they are restored to the family of God, and heirs of eternal happiness in glory (Rom. viii. 17 to end).

How are they described as “meek”? A meek person is humble and harmless. God’s people were not meek once, but were wild, fostering deep-rooted pride and enmity against God. Grace effected a remarkable change in them and gave them a new disposition—as remarkable as if a lion would become a lamb, and a tiger a dove. Grace made them meek like Christ, who is meek and lowly above all others.

1. “To bind up the broken-hearted.” Their hearts were broken with the hammer of “the Word” and melted down with the grace of repentance, mourning with godly sorrow for breaking God’s law and for exposing their souls to the pain of the second death. Their hearts became a sweet sacrifice to God (Psalm li.), as they were filled with pantings after Him and resolutions to renounce their former sinful course and to walk closely with Him. They are often “broken” after being healed, every time sin gains the ascendancy. But Christ comes to bind them up, as the good Samaritan did to the man who fell among the thieves. He pours the healing oil of the Spirit into their wounded hearts, and comforts them with the wine of heavenly joy and gladness.

2. “To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” God’s people love God and His law, and would like to be loyal subjects to Him, but they find “a law in their members, warring against the law of their minds.” Their spiritual enemies often gain sway over them, and their souls come into prison. Darkness, shame, and bondage follow a prison life. One cannot exercise himself with freedom, as before. The soul, knowing God to be omniscient, feels ashamed before Him, and has not the freedom, through the Spirit, to delight in worshipping God as before. The soul mourns for nearness to God and for the spirit of prayer. Prayer, which used to be a delight—bringing fine wheat and honey from heaven—is now a burden. Religious duties are bitter, like the waters of Marah. God’s people are bound up, as Peter was kept by four quaternions of soldiers, who would show him no mercy. But Christ comes, as “the angel” that came to deliver Peter, with light, freedom, and power, and the chains that Satan and the flesh bound them with fall off. The gate of the throne of grace opens through Christ, the Angel of the covenant. Then are they absorbed in wonder, love, and praise.

As sinners in our natural estate, we are imprisoned by the law of God. Christ died in the room of His people, and paid all the debt they owed to the law. He subdued Satan, death and hell, and all the powers of darkness, that He might deliver us from their sway. Christ triumphed over them in His cross (Col. ii. 15). Vengeance was inflicted on them for all the injuries they had done to God and men. This is “the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God.” The time of their individual deliverance through Christ is acceptable to them also. As the year of Jubilee, which was a time of deliverance in Israel, was proclaimed by the sound of a trumpet, so the Gospel has been proclaimed to all nations for the deliverance of God’s people from the law, sin, spiritual death and Satan, for their comfort and advancement in the visible Church, and their complete freedom in glory. There their knowledge of God and of the glorious mysteries of redemption shall in Christ’s light be increasing more and more. Their worship of God shall be extremely sweet, and their love to Him inconceivably great. An infinite ocean of glorious mysteries in the being of God will exercise and ravish their finite minds for ever and ever.

IN Christ dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, that we may be complete in Him. Christ is a cabinet of rich and rare jewels that can enrich to all eternity. There are two keys that we use to open this cabinet. Faith is a key, for out of His fulness we receive by faith; prayer is another key. If these keys be not in your hand just now, yet surely they are in His hand, who says, “All things are mine.” Oh, bid Him cast you the keys and give you the spirit of faith and prayer.—Ralph Erskine.