(Continued from vol. xxiii., page 331.)
WE now come to consider the passage of Scripture, on which Pre-millenarians have principally built their theory of Christ’s Second Personal Advent, and in the light of which, at least, as to their own interpretation, they look at all other passages bearing upon the subject. It is the following, from the twentieth chapter of the book of Revelation:—
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and whosoever had not worshipped the beast, nor his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (verses 4-6).
Now, the substance of the pre-millenarian interpretation of this passage may be stated as embracing the following points: (1) That the passage is confirmatory of the view that Christ will one day reign personally upon the earth; (2) that at that time there will be a literal resurrection from their graves of all the saints that will then be dead; (3) that these saints (along with those who are alive and ready) will, in a glorified state, personally sit upon thrones and reign with Christ over the earth a thousand years; and (4) that “the rest of the dead,” that is, the wicked, will be raised from their graves after the millennium. The first resurrection is understood in a literal and bodily sense.
The other interpretation, which, we maintain, is in strict accordance with the Word of God in general, takes the passage in a figurative sense. The Book of Revelation is largely a figurative and symbolic book, and it must be studied carefully in this light, otherwise the most absurd conclusions will be reached. The following points in this connection are to be noted: (1) That there is nothing in the passage that asserts or confirms the view that Christ is coming personally to reign upon the earth; (2) that “the first resurrection” is to be understood in a figurative and spiritual sense, and that it is here predicted that there will be a spiritual resurrection of those who were witnesses for Christ during past outstanding days of trial and persecution, a resurrection in the person of their successors whom God will raise up, and who will possess similar Christian attainments; (3) that these saints will be kings and priests and sit upon “thrones,” in the sense that they will occupy the positions of Christian authority and power, and thus exert a reigning and prevailing influence with Christ over the world during the thousand years; and (4) that the wicked, in their representatives, will “live again” for a season to new power after the millennium.
Let us now closely examine the passage, to see if the latter interpretation, and not the pre-millenarian one, is the more thoroughly consistent and satisfactory.
First, let us observe that there is nothing stated to the effect that Christ is coming personally from heaven to earth to reign. Certainly the reign of Christ is mentioned, but then our pre-millenarian friends seem to forget the glorious fact that He is already on the throne, and has been on it since His ascension on high, and further, that He does not need to leave the throne to exert the gracious reigning and prevailing influence which He will exercise during the millennial period. There is nothing specifically in the passage, or in its immediate context, as to any personal advent to the earth at all. The saints can spiritually reign over the earth with Christ, though He is personally in heaven. In fact, it is explicitly stated in God’s Word, as to His personal exaltation to the Father’s right hand, that He shall reign therefrom till all His enemies are made His footstool, and this complete victory is not accomplished at the millennium, but at the last day (Acts ii. 32-36; 1 Cor. xv. 24-26).
Secondly, let it be noticed that it is only a particular class of the saints that are said to “live and reign with Christ” during the thousand years, and that this entirely excludes the pre-millennial view that all the saints are to rise bodily from the dead (who will then be in their graves) and reign with Him. If the passage is to be understood in a literal sense, then it is only some Christians—the martyrs who were “beheaded” (the allusion is to the period of pagan persecution, this form of suffering being peculiar thereto) “for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God,” and those who have refused to serve “the beast,” namely, the Papal power, during its domination—who will then reign with Christ. God’s Word clearly teaches that, when Christ does come personally the second time to judge the world and to be glorified in His saints, “the dead in Christ”—plainly, all the dead in Christ—will rise.
Thus the present passage cannot refer to the time of Christ’s second personal advent at all. The resurrection referred to must be of a different order, and at a different season altogether.
It may be seen, then, that the passage lends itself with far greater ease to the idea of a figurative and spiritual resurrection. The slain witnesses are to live again in their successors, who will possess the same measure of the Holy Spirit; and they will live, not to be downtrodden, as those who went before, but to triumph and reign in the earth. Thus the slain witnesses—the martyrs—will obtain the victory over their foes—the foes of Christ’s cause and truth—during this promised period.
This view of the matter is manifestly confirmed by the statement made at the sixth verse: “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power.” If the first resurrection were a mere literal or bodily one, we do not see the force of the connection emphasised, that on the subjects of it “the second death hath no power.” The wicked are capable of bodily resurrection, and will experience the same, but that does not secure immunity from the “second” or eternal death. But if the resurrection is understood in a figurative or spiritual sense, then the connection is clear. It is they who are raised from spiritual death, and are among the blessed and holy that shall escape the “second death.” And such is to be the character, in an eminent degree, of the persons who will be “kings and priests unto God” during the millennial period—a time of “life from the dead.”
And, then, let it be clearly noticed that there is scriptural ground for the mode of expression by which the representatives, at the millennium, of earlier witnesses are described as if they were the same persons raised to life again. One notable example of this mode of expression is in connection with the case of the Prophet Elijah and John the Baptist. The Lord says, by the mouth of the prophet Malachi: “Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” And the Lord Himself, in the days of His flesh, explains that this was written concerning John the Baptist: “And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come” (Matt. xi. 14). John the Baptist was divinely commissioned and qualified to go forth “in the spirit and power of Elias,” and so they are spoken of as if they were the same persons, though their personalities were entirely distinct. They possessed the same “spirit and power.” And so it shall be with the saints during the glorious days when Christ shall reign (not personally) but by His Word and Spirit: they shall possess the same “spirit and power” as those who were in pagan times “beheaded for the witness of Jesus and the word of God,” and as those who in more recent times have not submitted to “the beast.” The language used by the Apostle John may at first sight appear to some inappropriate, according to our interpretation, but it will be found on closer examination to be quite scriptural and consistent.
Let us remark, thirdly, that to take the statement that “the rest of the dead,” namely, the wicked, “lived not again until the thousand years were finished,” as referring to the bodily and final resurrection, is not consistent with the general accounts given in the Scriptures of said resurrection. These accounts describe the final resurrection of the righteous and the wicked as practically simultaneous. “The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation” (John v. 28, 29). There is not a thousand years between the resurrection of the two parties. Though “the dead in Christ rise first,” it is the same “voice,” at the same time, that raises both.
Again, let us consider the very solemn account of the resurrection and final judgment given in this very chapter of the Book of Revelation which we are examining, and we shall see that the bodily resurrection of righteous and wicked is simultaneous, and that at a later date than the millennium—the last day. “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it (Christ at His second advent), from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (verses 11-15). To any impartial reader it will be plain that all the dead—not the wicked only—are here referred to as standing before God; all the books are evidently opened, including “the book of life,” and thus it is plain that both the righteous and wicked are raised together, and judged at the same time. The idea, then, of the wicked being raised from the dead, in a literal sense, more than a thousand years after the righteous, must be entirely set aside, and another interpretation found.
The right interpretation appears to be that already alluded to, namely, that the wicked will “live again” in the person of their representatives, to new power and activity when the thousand years are finished. This is in entire harmony with the events which are immediately afterwards narrated in the chapter. “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Satan is to get freedom for a season, and to gather together a great army of the wicked that shall arise after the millennium. They are living again in their malign activities, but their time will be short, and their destruction complete and terrible. We never read of the wicked going forth to battle after their bodily and final resurrection: they are then in the hands of the Judge of all, and are brought in unavailing terror before the judgment-seat of Christ.
In conclusion, we consider that the passage upon which our pre-millenarian friends principally base their theory, affords no real support to it whatsoever. They insist upon the literal interpretation of a portion of a book that is eminently figurative and symbolic in its character and descriptions—a piece of procedure, in this particular case, that they supply no adequate warrant for. It appears to us that they became fascinated with the idea of Christ’s coming personally to reign in the earth, where He was formerly condemned and crucified, and that they are determined to make the Scriptures suit this fancy. We also rejoice in the faith and expectation that He will yet reign, by His blessed Spirit’s operations, over the whole world, but this view, instead of having a tendency to carnalise our thoughts of that glorious period, and to introduce disorder into the interpretation of divine truth, has an elevating influence, and preserves the harmony of the Scriptures.
HE that is truly good will be good in bad times, and in the worst of places. Principles of grace and holiness are lasting, yea, everlasting; they are not like the morning cloud nor the early dew. A gracious soul will be steady and fixed in its principles in the worst times, in the worst places, and under variety of dispensations. Let times and places be what they will, he will not dishonour his God, nor blemish his profession, nor wound his conscience, to preserve his safety or to secure his liberty. He is one that will not be bowed or bent by the sinful customs or examples of the times and places where he lives. Abraham was righteous in Chaldea, and Noah was perfect in his generation, though it was the worst in the world; and Lot was just in Sodom, and Job was upright in the land of Uz, which was a place of much profaneness and superstition; and Nehemiah was courageous and zealous in Damascus; and Daniel was holy, yea, eminently and exemplarily holy, in Babylon. The several generations wherein these holy men lived were wholly devoted to wickedness and superstition, and yet these precious, gracious souls had wholly devoted themselves to the Lord and His service.—Thos. Brooks.
A Sermon.
BY THE REV. D. M. MACDONALD, NORTH UIST.
“Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”—Romans v. 1.
IN this Epistle the main doctrine stated by the Apostle is one of the most precious in the Word of God. It is that of the manner in which a sinner may obtain the forgiveness of sins and a righteousness that will make him acceptable to God in his person and services. Just as the sun is the centre of the solar system, so the doctrine of justification by faith in the Lord Jesus may be regarded as the sun or centre around which all the other doctrines group themselves. The Apostle had to deal with Jewish and Gentile believers, and, in order to show that the Jew was no better than the Gentile, he proves each alike guilty in the sight of God. The privileges of the Jew did not make him better in disposition than the unprivileged Gentile. On the contrary, his privileges made his offences all the more grievous, and his condemnation the more severe. The Gentiles had no privileges to boast of, and, being left to the light of natural revelation, did not attain to the knowledge of God which the Jew possessed. But they did not make use of the natural revelation as they should have done, for they became idolaters, and deliberately ignored the existence of the only living and true God. After having proved that all are in the same condemnation, the Apostle proceeds to show that all must be saved in God’s appointed way. This way is revealed in the Gospel which he announced. It is independent of the law, and yet approved by it. The righteousness which God demands is offered as a free gift. As a concrete example, he mentions the case of Abraham, who was justified when he believed God’s promise. His faith was reckoned to him for righteousness, and this is the case with regard to every believer in every age. Faith was in existence before circumcision. Abel by faith offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous.
In considering the verse, we propose to notice:—
I.—The Person who justifies;
II.—The parties justified;
III.—The nature of justification; and
IV.—The fruits of it.
I.—Let us consider, in the first place, then, the Person who justifies. It is evident that this can be none other than God Himself, in His character as Judge. He is declared in the Scriptures to be Creator, Lawgiver, and Judge. On Mount Sinai He gave the moral law to the Jews. They were commanded to obey this law, and in doing so their true happiness would have consisted. But both Jews and Gentiles, having broken the law, are condemned by it. In His character as Judge, God is absolutely impartial, just, and unerring. He will mete out perfect and unerring justice to every member of the human race. While believers will be openly acknowledged and acquitted by Him in the final judgment, the ungodly shall be condemned to everlasting punishment.
II.—The parties justified.—They go through certain experiences which culminate in their being brought from darkness to light. Some of them live in the world more careless than others. They manifest openly that they are the servants of sin. They are not ashamed to do those things that are not convenient. Sin is that which they delight in. Godly parents and a good example are utterly disregarded. The claims of God are put far away from their thoughts. In this state they may have continued for a longer or shorter period. Others do not run to the same excess of riot. They are correct in their outward life and conversation, but they know not the Gospel in its saving power. They are alienated from the life of God. The mind, that is enmity against God, has dominion over them, and they are content with the things that perish in the using.
By nature there is no difference between God’s people and others. All are in the same condemnation. They are without hope, without Christ, and without God in the world. Such is the lamentable condition in which the Holy Spirit finds them when He quickens them from the dead. They are utterly undone, having no power to deliver themselves from the grasp of spiritual death. They may be compared to Lazarus in the grave. He could not move a hand or foot until the power of the Saviour was exercised in his body. So, it is when Christ, by His Spirit, works in His people, that they come to seek Him, and find no rest until they put their confidence in Him.
The operations of the Holy Spirit are necessary to convince them of their need of salvation. He comes forth from the Father and from the Son to apply to believers the redemption procured for them by their Saviour. His work in the sinner begins when He convinces him of sin. Conviction is necessary in order to make the sinner see the evil of sin, and his need of being delivered from its power. It may be of long or short duration. God is sovereign in His dealings, and He may keep a sinner a long time under conviction before granting him deliverance. The Philippian jailer was only for a short time under conviction when liberty of soul came to him.
Some may think that a long process of conviction of sin is necessary before a sinner can be saved, but that is not the case. The Word of God does not say that a sinner must be convinced of sin for a long or for a short time before coming to Christ. He is urged, as a sinner, to come at once to Christ with all his sins. Conviction of sin, although present in every case of conversion to some extent, does not save the soul. It is through faith that sinners are made heirs of salvation.
It is not infrequently the case that individuals become much exercised concerning their state for eternity, and yet never attain to a saving knowledge of Christ. There may be much conviction of sin and confession of sin, of a kind, where there is no evangelical repentance. When the agitation in the soul subsides, the sinner becomes more hardened and more indifferent than ever. In this connection it is of solemn interest to notice the confessions of sin made by false professors, as recorded in the Word of God. Judas said, “I have sinned.” But there was no true penitence in his case. Similar acknowledgments were made by Balaam and Saul, yet there is no reason to believe that they became true believers.
Under conviction of sin, the sinner now becomes concerned about his salvation. He believes that God exists, and knows all his shortcomings, and becomes afraid that at any moment he may be called to give an account of his sins in thought, word, and deed. The consciousness of this makes him feel very uneasy. His former practices are given up. No longer does he neglect prayer or the means of grace. The allurements of a sinful world become thoroughly repugnant to him, and his great desire is to obtain the remission of his sins. His transgressions are not now the trivial faults they at one time appeared to be; they are a deep-felt and awful reality. The remembrance of them fills him with fear. Desiring to appease God for them, he resolves to work out a righteousness that will atone for all his shortcomings. He begins to walk circumspectly, and attends diligently the ordinances of grace. Like the Apostle Paul, in his unregenerate days, he will win heaven by his good deeds and religious performances. In this state he continues for a time, not obtaining any real relief, until at last the spirituality of God’s law is revealed to him, and then his self-righteous hopes die. He sees that he cannot be saved through his own righteousness, for sin revives and he dies, discovering that the law which he thought brought life only brings death. He resembles, in this condition, the poor traveller, of whom it is said elsewhere that, when on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho he was maltreated and left half-dead by the roadside, unable to do anything for himself. The good Samaritan picked him up, and attended to his wants. So the convinced sinner finds that he cannot save himself nor believe in Christ in his own strength.
It is at this juncture that the Holy Spirit reveals to him the way of salvation through Christ, and enables him to exercise faith in the Lord Jesus, the fruit of which is reconciliation between the sinner and God. Believers cordially fall in with this way of salvation. They see that it is honouring to all the attributes of the Godhead, and secures in a righteous manner the forgiveness of all their sins. Justification takes place in the court of heaven and in the court of conscience. The guilt that lies on the conscience is removed, and the forgiven sinner is enabled to rejoice in Christ Jesus, and ceases to put confidence in the flesh. His soul is filled with the love of Christ, and all things, in comparison with his Saviour, become loss and dung to him.
Such, my dear friends, is the experience of the parties justified, each of whom is convinced of sin, led as a sinner to Christ, and enabled to believe on him. If this be true of any of you it is a token for good.
III.—In the third place we shall now dwell upon the nature of justification.—The question may be asked: “What is justification?” A better answer cannot be given than that of the Westminster divines in the Larger Catechism:—“Justification is an act of God’s free grace unto sinners, in which He pardoneth all their sins, accepteth and accounteth their persons righteous in His sight, not for anything wrought in them or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received by faith alone.” There are several things to be noticed in this definition.
First of all, observe that justification is an act of God’s free grace. This means that it is a sovereign as well as a judicial act. It is of His free favour that He pardons the sinner on the ground of another’s righteousness. He acquits the sinner when he believes in Christ. His sins are forgiven; his guilt is removed; and his person accepted. An earthly king, such as King George V., might, in the exercise of mercy, pardon a subject guilty of treason, but he could not remove his guilt. In the eye of the law, the man, although pardoned, would be as guilty as ever. But when God deals graciously with His people He not only pardons them, but also removes their guilt, through the application to them of the precious blood of His own Son.
Again, justification is the act of a moment. It takes place at a certain time, and is not repeated. The time is when the believer accepts Christ as his personal Saviour. It is given to some of God’s people to have very clear apprehensions of the time when they were justified. Others of them have not such distinct recollections of the Lord’s dealings with them, but they can at least say, like the blind man whom the Saviour healed, “Whereas I was blind, now I see.” There was a time when they were indifferent to the claims of Christ, but another time came when He became precious to them.
It is to be observed that the justified sinner is not only forgiven, but accepted and accounted righteous through the imputation to him of the righteousness of Christ. This is entirely opposed to the Roman Catholic view of justification. According to it, righteousness is infused into the believer. He is sanctified and renewed by the acceptance of grace and gifts. The Word of God declares plainly that the sins of the believer are imputed to Christ, and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer. But, if imputation means infusion, then we should have to maintain the blasphemous doctrine that our sins were infused into Christ. “To justify” means in the original—Hebrew and Greek—to reckon or count righteous, not that the sinner is sanctified and justified by having righteousness infused into him. The Romish theology confuses sanctification and justification, mixing both together instead of making a clear distinction between them.
From having considered briefly the nature of justification, we now pass on to notice its causes. A great philosopher has stated that there are four causes for the existence of things. Making use of his observation, we shall consider:
(1) The first cause of justification—that is the moving cause. It is the love of God to perishing sinners. It is written by the Apostle John that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It was not on account of any worthiness in men that He loved them. They were utterly undeserving of this favour, and He would be just in rewarding them according to their sins. In His sovereign mercy He determined from eternity to save the objects of His love; and infinite wisdom discovered a method consistent with the glory of the divine attributes whereby sinners should be restored to the favour of God. It is a matter of constant wonder to the people of God that He should set His love on them. This feeling is accentuated when they have a conscious enjoyment of His love being shed abroad in their hearts.
(2) The second cause of justification is the meritorious work of Christ. Before sinners could be forgiven, it was necessary that atonement should be made for sin and the price of their redemption paid. The inflexible justice of God demanded satisfaction. His holy and just law demanded obedience. It was not in the power of fallen men to give either law or justice that which they sought. Where, then, could deliverance be obtained? The inspired Isaiah furnishes an answer. This is what he says: “And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore, his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.” Again, “And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold; therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me: and my fury, it upheld me.” It is evident, from what the prophet says, that the second Person of the adorable Trinity came forth to satisfy the demands of law and justice. The psalmist bears similar testimony to Isaiah, for he says, “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened; burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea thy law is within my heart.” The satisfaction required would need to be one of infinite merit, and infinite merit could be found nowhere but in Christ. In order, then, to procure the eternal salvation of His elect, the Saviour had to assume our nature, sin excepted, and in human nature had to endure the penalty due to sin. Throughout His life He rendered perfect obedience to the divine law, and in His death bore its curse, at the same time giving ample satisfaction to God’s justice. It could now say, “I have found a ransom.” Having finished the work that was given Him to do, the eternal Son of God, after rising from the grave a triumphant conqueror, ascended up on high to reign at the right hand of the Father, world without end. The intrinsic worth of His satisfaction was so great that it was sufficient to redeem and reconcile to God worlds of sinners. However numerous, however aggravated, however vile the sins of a sinner may be, there is here sufficient merit to atone for them. There is hope for the most abandoned profligate who repents of his sins and makes believing application to Christ, for His precious blood cleanses from all sin. The infinite merit of this atonement is imputed to believers, rendering them perfect in God’s sight. In themselves they are undone, but, clothed with Emmanuel’s righteousness, neither law nor justice can find imperfection in them. If you feel your need of this atonement, and prize it above all things, then you may conclude that you are of the number whom God has justified.
(3) The third cause of justification is faith. It may be described as the instrumental cause. Some think that there is merit in faith itself, and therefore make it the ground of our acceptance with God. It is Christ only who saves, not faith. Mere assent to the truth is not the meaning of the faith that justifies. Faith has for its object a person. “Is faith a person?” asked Dr. John Duncan; “was faith crucified for you?” The ground of merit is the finished work of Christ, and the instrument of appropriating this meritorious ground is faith.
It has been well defined as “belief passing over into trust.” It is the gift of God; a sinner cannot work it in his own heart. Arminianism would lead men to think that they can, but that is a delusion. It is the Holy Spirit who implants this grace in the soul, and faith enables the believer to receive Christ as his Saviour. He accepts Him as his Prophet, Priest, and King, and looks to Him alone for righteousness and salvation. But faith in and by itself alone does not procure salvation. Here we may repeat what has been already said: it is only the instrumental cause of justification. By means of it the Christian is united to Christ in a union which neither time nor eternity shall break.
There are three elements in faith. In the first place there is knowledge. The Apostle says, “How can they hear without a preacher?” This implies that sinners must have some knowledge of Christ, and of what He did to procure redemption. Knowledge is the apprehension of an object. Faith is an assent to its truth. Through the preaching of the Gospel and reading the Scriptures sinners can attain to an intellectual knowledge of the Person and work of the Saviour, and this knowledge precedes the spiritual knowledge that faith implies. The Holy Spirit enables the believer to see the excellency of Christ, and His sufficiency to meet all his needs. The result is that the Saviour becomes to him wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Like Paul, his chief desire now is to know Him, and to experience the power of His resurrection.
The next element in faith is belief, or assent. In general, “belief is grounded on our senses, the integrity of our consciences, and the intuitions of our reason, which in turn are grounded on the existence and veracity of God.” But the belief which is of the essence of faith rests upon the faithfulness of God and personal experience of the power of the truth in giving spiritual enlightenment. The quickened sinner believes God’s testimony concerning himself as a sinner. The truth searches him, and shows him what he is. He feels that sin has corrupted him in all his faculties, and that from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot there is no soundness in him. The fountains of the great deep are broken up in his soul, and he now sets his seal to his character, as described in God’s Word. The demerit of sin is also revealed to him. He sees it in its loathsomeness, and comes to abhor it. He realises in some measure how dishonouring it is to God and destructive to the soul. The penalty due to it, he considers to be just; and the question for him now is, “How can God justly forgive me?” He is led to see that the satisfaction rendered by the Saviour to law and justice is a sufficient answer. In Him “truth met with mercy, righteousness and peace kissed mutually.”
The third element in faith is trust. The scriptural expressions, “Looking to Christ,” “Receiving Christ,” “Coming to Christ,” imply trust as an essential implicate of faith. We cannot act in any of the ways indicated in these expressions without having regard to Christ as a Saviour and Deliverer. The believer is cut off from putting confidence in the flesh; his trust is in the Lord Jesus. He has committed his soul to the keeping of a faithful Redeemer. “They that put their trust in him,” it is written, “shall not be put to shame.”
Trusting in morality, or personal goodness, or one’s own righteousness, will not save the soul. These are foundations of no value for eternity. But the sinner, whose trust is centred in Christ, rests upon a foundation that will never be moved. You are invited to put your trust in the great Saviour of the lost, and, if you do so, you have the assurance of God’s Word for it, that you will be saved with an everlasting salvation.
(4) The fourth cause is the glory of God. This is the final cause of justification. All things were created by God for His own glory. It is the ultimate reason for the existence of all things, and God is glorified pre-eminently in redemption, and in the justification of His people.
IV.—In the fourth and last place, we must now notice very briefly the fruits of justification. It is declared in our text that we have peace with God. The meaning of the word “peace” here used is reconciliation. The first fruit of justification is reconciliation with God.
This implies that the believer’s state is changed. God the Father receives him graciously, and bestows upon him spiritual blessings. All his iniquities are blotted out, and all things now work together for his good. His peace of conscience is accompanied with joy, and this joy is a foretaste of the eternal blessedness that Christians shall obtain in the kingdom of Heaven. The Person through whom reconciliation is effected is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only Mediator between God and men. Through Him God deals graciously with such as seek His favour; and it is through Him alone that sinners can have access to God.
And now, in conclusion, the question for each one to consider is, Do we know anything of the justification and reconciliation spoken of by the Apostle in this verse? If not, it is written, “Now is the accepted time, and now is the day of salvation.” Let each one of you, my dear friends, above all things, seek a personal interest in the Lord Jesus, for to know Him is life eternal. Amen.
A Letter from Rev. J. B. Radasi,
MATABELELAND.
THE following letter was received by the Rev. Neil Cameron, Convener of Foreign Mission Committee. We regret that, through overlook, it did not appear in the May number:—
C/O NATIVE COMMISSIONER, BEMBESI, MATABELELAND, SOUTH AFRICA, 24th February, 1919.
MY DEAR MR. CAMERON,—I received your letter, dated the 22nd October, and I thank you very much for your trouble and interest in the matter. I got the huts all right, as Mr. MacGillivray sent me £100—£70 for the huts, and £30 for pulling down, for carriage or transport from Bush-tick Mill to Bembesi, and for erecting them. They have already been erected at Ingwenya, Bembesi. All the huts are in very good condition, and everybody says that we got them very cheaply, as iron is at present so very dear, and no reduction has yet been made of anything. Although the War is over, I fear that things will never again revert to their pre-War prices, on account of the enormous expense of the War, and of the widows and orphans caused by it, and those disabled at the War, who are to be pensioned. However, we ought to be very thankful to the Lord for having ended this terrible War.
I also received the £3 8s. you sent from friends for my personal use. Kindly thank those friends for me. We have had an epidemic of Spanish influenza here in Rhodesia, and in Cape Colony, and many thousands of natives have died from it, Europeans as well. It spread rapidly all over the country. I was advised to buy the cart from Cape Colony, as the wood there is of a better quality than the wood here in Rhodesia.
Have you heard anything yet from Principal J. Henderson about the printing of the Psalms? When will the Second Edition be printed? Our people cannot understand why they are taking so many years to revise them. What Mr. Bokwe and Mr. Ntsikana were required to do was to put the Psalms in metre, just as they are in the Kafir Bible. We already have them in prose. They finished their work a long time ago, as they were not required to make a new translation of their own. Now, Mr. Henderson’s contention seems to be, as far as I can understand, that he does not know whether the Psalms put in metre are according to Hebrew or not, and he is comparing them with the Hebrew. Mr. Henderson does not say that Mr. Bokwe did not put them in metre, as they are in the Kafir Bible. It is to be hoped that we shall soon get the whole of the Book of Psalms printed in metre. We shall all be very glad to get something definite from Mr. Henderson about the Psalms.
I must now close, with kindest regards to you. I shall be writing my report sometime next month, so that it might be in time for the Synod, as the steamers are still irregular.—Yours sincerely, J. B. RADASI.