BY THE LATE REV. JOHN ROSS, BRUCEFIELD, ONTARIO.
“The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner. This is the doing of the Lord and it is marvellous in our eyes” (Ps. cxviii. 22).
I. The treatment which the stone received at the hand of the builders—rejected, condemned, and rejected as not fit for the building, not suited to the place, or to any place in the building. If rejected by any others than the builders, the stone might notwithstanding get its own proper place in the building; but rejected by them with one consent, it would seem that the stone in consequence of their rejection, must be left out of the building. It was their voice, their veto, their decision that the stone should be left out of the building.
II. The honour put upon the stone notwithstanding their rejection—the Head of the corner. The most
honourable, conspicuous and important place in all the building—Head of the corner—not the top stone but the chief stone of the foundation, answering to what we call the first stone. This is the chief stone, the main stone.
III. Consider who it is who gave this place to the rejected stone. This is the doing of the Lord, and it is marvellous in our eyes. This is a marvellous work and it is wrought by the Lord. He is the Author of it. He reversed the decision of the builders regarding it. They refused it. He said: “It is the headstone of the corner.” Rejected of men but chosen of God and precious, and the decision of God in its favour prevails against the decision of the builders.
IV. How the Lord makes Christ the rejected stone, the headstone of the corner. (1) He does this by all His acts towards the Lord Jesus Christ personally. 1. His resurrection. 2. By accepting of His works which He wrought on earth, obedience, and sacrifice for all the ends and purposes for which He sent Him into the world. 3. By exalting to His own right hand and constituting Him Head and King over His own church, and over the whole New Testament dispensation, and over all principalities and powers, delivering all things into His hand. All things put under Him and nothing left that is not put under Him.
(2) By His treatment of men because of Him, and for His name’s sake. All His treatment of this world, both by grace and providence, and providence in all its aspects of mercy and judgment, God makes the rejected stone the head of the corner. In all His dealings with men as individuals, and also as united to each other in all the relations of this life, He has respect, supreme respect to His own purpose and decisions regarding this stone—and is at work making it the headstone of the corner in everything in the family, in daily life, in the church, in the nation and kingdom. 1. By sending out His word as the sceptre of His great power out of Zion. He makes known to men who Christ is; for what ends He has sent Him; what blessings He communicates by Him, and for His name’s sake, and makes known to them also what need they have, and what doom awaits all who live and die in disobedience to Him. 2. By shedding forth His spirit, the Holy Ghost, upon us abundantly; for His sake He makes known His Son effectively as the only name given among men under heaven whereby we must be saved. He makes known His glory and loveliness so as to win to Him the heart of His people. They come to believe in Him, love Him and to serve and obey Him in all things. Ties are
formed between Him and them which neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to break. He dwells in them, they are one Spirit with Him. He fills them with divine power, makes them kings and priests unto God and His Father. What they ask in Christ’s name and for Christ’s interests are granted to them. Their labours for His name’s sake are owned and blessed. They overcome and conquer in His name. The power of sin and Satan and the world goes on breaking before them, wasting and consuming as the fire consumes the stubble.
(3) By His providence God works in behalf of His Son to give Him in effect the place which God has given Him by purpose. He protects His servants who go forth in His name. So that though they are sent forth as lambs they are safe until their work is done. He sets before them doors of usefulness which no man can shut. He weakens and overturns and breaks in pieces everything in human society which stands opposed to the interests of Jesus Christ, making His enemies His footstool; defeating armies, overturning thrones, bringing low the pride and the might of the enemy. His far-reaching wisdom and his almighty power is continually at work to bring to nought the counsels and the power of His adversaries until the last of Christ’s foes are made His footstool and every knee of things in heaven and things in earth and of things under the earth bow to Him, and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
The new state of matters which is constituted by making the Lord Jesus Christ the head of the corner, universally, in the family; the head of the corner, in human society; the head of the corner, in the nation: the head of the corner, in the Church; the head of the corner—peace, abounding light, abounding holiness, and power, abounding happiness—full authority given to the Word of God, and all things governed by it. When Jesus Christ has actually given to Him all the place and power which God has given to Him in His Word and purpose, all attempts to keep Him out of the place which God has appointed for Him is idle and vain. Those who take part in such action are at work for their own ruin but keep back His cause they cannot for a single moment. God will stand to His purpose regarding Him and before His power all opposition and all opposing forces are but as dry thorns and briars in the way of the devouring fire.
The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner. This is the doing of the Lord, and it is marvellous in our eyes. Why is Christ compared to a stone? What view of Him does this representation give us of Him? He is as fit and suitable for the whole work given Him, and the position assigned to Him in the purpose of God, as a proper stone is for the foundation of a building. Solidity, durability, strength, are ideas suggested by this metaphor. And as it is a stone for a building, it is meant not to be alone, but to stand in intimate relation with others. This stone was rejected by the very men who should be judges of what is fit and unfit to be used in the building—by the very men whose judgment is usually final in such matters. When a number of builders with one voice reject any stone or anything else that is brought for the building and condemn it as unfit for use, no one thinks of placing in the building what they condemned. The stone which the builders reject and throw aside is usually disposed of according to their judgment. It was otherwise with this stone. The adverse judgment of the builders was reversed, and the most honourable, important and useful place in the building was assigned to it. It not only got into the building, but became the head of the corner. It had the chief place in the foundation.
How came the stone, after being rejected of the builders, the head of the corner? It was the Lord’s doing and marvellous in our eyes. All the honour conferred upon the Lord Jesus is of God the Father. By Him He was chosen and anointed—His work and position and success in it—the marvellous things wrought by Him—accomplished by Him—the honour and glory conferred on Him are all of the Lord. He never got any real honour or place from man, but as the Lord wrought in His favour. And never gets to this day any real glory but as the Lord works in His behalf. Builders now are no better than builders of old. Builders now as of old would fain build and leave out the stone which the Lord has appointed to be the chief corner stone. This text accordingly calls attention to a twofold action toward the Lord Jesus. Christ—opposition and rejection on the part of man, and approbation on the part of God. In man’s view there was no need of Him; they can do well enough without Him. In God’s view, and by His judgment, all building in which He is not the head of the corner stands condemned and is appointed to destruction. Men oppose Him, reject Him and betake themselves to
other expedients, other physicians, while the Lord declares: “There is no other name given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved.” All the love of sin there is in the individual; and also in the nations stand opposed to Jesus Christ who is the enemy and destroyer of sin. And the fact that He is the Redeemer and Saviour of sinners does not—cannot modify their enmity. All the pride and selfrighteousness of human society stand opposed—all the blindness and hardness are in direct hostility to Him, putting men in array against Him—all the love of wealth and pomp and power and pleasure on earth combine against Him. And these are as powerful in human nature to-day, as in the day when Christ was crucified by them; there is in reality no change in the unregenerate hearts of men towards the Lord’s Christ. Love of sin, self-will, love of the world in its pride, power, pomp, wealth, and pleasure, blindness, and hardness of the heart, and the disrelish and enmity of the carnal heart to vital godliness and to that course of self-renunciation and crucifixion to the world to which the Lord Jesus calls His people, come forth in opposition to Him. Ways in which this opposition manifests itself differ according to time and place and circumstances. But the opposition to the Lord Jesus exists and shews itself as opportunity is allowed to it.
Yet this stone rejected of the builders is become the head of the corner; this is the doing of the Lord and it is marvellous in our eyes. He goes to work marvellously to put His Son in the place assigned to Him in His own purpose. No opposition on the part of earth and hell combined can prevail against Him to keep Him out of that place which God has given Him; or to keep from Him aught of all the glory which God has appointed for Him. Regarding Him, God has said: This stone is head of the corner, and head of the corner this stone is become. Head of the corner this stone shall be, and all that is set up by hand of man in which He is not Head of the corner stands condemned of God, and is appointed to destruction. Head of the corner in the church, the house of God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Head of the corner in the family. Head of the corner in human society. Head of the corner in the constitutions of nations—in their legislation and administration of all civil government. Head of the corner over all things. “And many nations shall come and say: Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will
walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore, but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts hath spoken it” (Micah iv. 2-4). “And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and behold he eateth; but he waketh and his soul is empty; or as when a thirsty man dreameth and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite; so shall the multitude of the nations be that fight against Mount Zion” (Is. xxix. 7, 8).
The head of the corner, the chief stone of all the building, the prime stone in all the structure, the post of honour and importance given to it. This is the doing of the Lord and it is marvellous in our eyes. His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. What is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. In nothing else do the thoughts and ways of God transcend the thoughts and ways of men as in the matters concerning Jesus Christ. The opposition made to Him by men; the contempt with which He is treated by them and the glory which God gives Him; and the delight which He has in Him; and the marvellous things which He accomplishes by Him stand in the most striking contrast and opposition. Christ is all in all in the purposes and works of God, but in those of men, except as they are led and taught by grace, Christ is nothing—has no place. And when any place is given, it is usually the last. But in God’s plans Christ is the centre, the beginning and the end. Which is to prevail, the ways of men or those of God? Whose purposes shall stand, those of God or those of men concerning Jesus of Nazareth? Seemingly men’s decisions prevail. They form purposes against Him, and they succeed in them. They plotted to take His life away, to load Him with shame, and to make Him the sport of the nation, and they carried out their purpose into execution. But in all that they plotted against Him, they were actually working out the purpose of God regarding Him,
and laying the foundations of His eternal power and glory as Mediator between God and man. His enemies combined against His name and truth and people to oppose and ridicule and persecute them. And might and power are in their hand to do all that is in their heart to do against Him by opposing and ridiculing His truth, and persecuting His people even to the death. And yet the ends which they aimed at securing are departed. Fresh armies take the field in room of the fallen, and stand forth as soldiers and witnesses for Jesus of Nazareth. His truth goes on making converts, conquering hearts, overturning dominions none the less because of the opposition made to it on the part of others. Howsoever the enemies of Christ may seem to gain and triumph for a brief moment, all their successes and victories redound to His glory, and turn to their own shame. God’s purposes regarding Christ stand fast and entire. There is no departure from it in any way or in any degree. “Head of the corner” is the decree that regulates all the movements of His providence towards nations, churches, and families, and every human being in His individual personality. “Head of the corner” sounds forth in the earthquake and the tornado. “Head of the corner” peals forth in all judgments—in the earthquake, the tornado, the overturning of thrones and dynasties, the crash of falling nations, the clash of contending armies. These are strokes from His iron rod which God has put in His hands, and cannot cease until the nations submit themselves to His rule.