Induction of Rev. D. J. Matheson – Sermon by Rev. J. A. Tallach: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (II. Cor. iv. 7)

WHILE reading the chapter you will have observed that the Apostle here deals principally with his work as a minister of the gospel: “Seeing we have this ministry we faint not,” etc. He directs attention to two main aspects of his work, the human and the Divine; these deserve our closest attention. On the human side, difficulties and trials, persecutions and afflictions, frailty and infirmity all abounded in such measure as might well daunt the stoutest heart. But the Apostle never allows himself to forget that there is another side to the matter, the Divine side. This side he constantly seeks to remind his hearers of; it is the side of God, of Almighty power, and an abiding faith in God. His consequent view of the matter is summed up for us at the end of the chapter in a way most expressive and instructive: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment . . . While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.”

Now in directing your attention for a little time to the words of our text, as we may be enabled, let us notice:—

1. Paul’s estimate of the Gospel, This Treasure. The Divine Side.

2. Paul’s estimate of himself and his brother ministers, Earthen Vessels. The human side, and

3. The inference he would draw from the due consideration of these, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

I. First then, the Gospel which Paul preached was to him a heavenly treasure: “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord,” Christ in the glory of His Person, in the infinite merit of His blood and the riches of His grace. Here we have God’s remedy for a world lost by sin, and given over to misery; Heaven’s treasure as set over against a world in ruins. Was there ever a time that the nations of the world had greater need of the Gospel than now?

Here is peace in a world of war, forgiveness in a world of retribution, hope in a world of despair, righteousness in a world of injustice, the gospel of the glory of God in a world that glorifies only in its shame, the one way of salvation in a world determined on its own destruction. O, what a treasure has God given to the world in the Gospel of Christ! May the Lord hasten the time that the nations of the earth come to look on it as such.

As a minister, the Apostle never allowed himself to wander far away from the central theme of all gospel preaching—the precious blood of Christ: “God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross.” So also does he seek constantly to impress upon his hearers the supreme necessity and value of the blood of atonement. Are they still unconverted, dead in trespasses and sins? Then, “we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” Are they converted, brought from darkness to light? Then he reminds them: “Ye were not redeemed with silver and gold,”—when redemption is the theme, the greatest earthly treasures are but as dross and dung,—”but with the precious blood of Christ.” Herein is treasure beyond the highest imagination of men or angels.

Again, in the gospel of Christ the glory of God’s character as the God of salvation is clearly revealed: “The glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” A true saving view of the gospel as thus displayed is as the opening up of infinitely vast treasures of Divine love, mercy, righteousness, faithfulness and truth. Consequent upon such a view, blessings which cannot be bought, freely pour their riches into the soul that beholds it, peace, joy, communion, life itself that will never end. The carrying out of the great gospel commission: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” is as the pouring forth of these heavenly treasures among the children of men. “Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely.” What a wonderful testimony do these, and all similar Scriptures, tell forth of the willingness of God to redeem sinners! Surely the treasures of His goodness and long-suffering in the Gospel should lead men to repentance! How long has He held out the hand of gospel mercy to yourself? How long has He borne with your sin, your unbelief, your presumptuous contempt of His Son? To-night, again, the gospel treasure pours its riches out in this place, even before the most ungodly: “Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die? as I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” O, sinner, sinner, take these words and think of them in relation to your own guilty soul; is there not wealth, nay, an eternity of heavenly treasure in them? O, that the Lord would open your eyes to see it, and your heart to possess it! “Why will ye die?”

To the gospel minister, deeply concerned and often anxious on account of the souls God has placed in his care, there is another aspect of the gospel which is peculiarly precious to him. That is the absolute certainty with which, by the blessing of God, it shall effectually accomplish the salvation of God’s elect. “All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” In times of spiritual barrenness, such as the ministers of the gospel are faced with to-day, who can estimate the treasures of encouragement, comfort and quiet confidence to be enjoyed in contemplating the eternal purpose of God according to election; especially the absolute certainty of its accomplishment. The Devil may tempt, evil men and seducers wax worse and worse, our own hearts may often enough tremble for the Ark of God; but whatever happens, this remains, the one sure and certain fact in a world of uncertainties, “All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me,” and “Moreover whom He did predestinate them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.”

This was the treasure which filled the Apostle, filled him up to the brim, “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 of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” We have this treasure, every heaven-sent minister of the gospel has it, the light of the knowledge of God. Light cannot be confined, it must not be confined, the moment it is confined it ceases to be: “Let your light so shine.” O, what a treasure is this in a world of darkness and death! What an unspeakable relief it must have been to you, the citizens of Glasgow, when the blackout restrictions were removed, and the darkness occasioned by these restrictions was a thing of the past; your lights then blazed forth the message of victory, liberty and peace in a war-weary city. How infinitely much more is the occasion one of thankfulness and joy, when the light that shines forth is “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Here is deliverance from sin, death and hell; here is the way of life, peace and everlasting glory; here is victory indeed.

II. Now let us think for a little time of Paul’s estimate of himself; but we have this treasure in earthen vessels. He and his brethren were but earthen vessels. It is conceivable that a treasure may be held in a vessel of silver or gold which may itself be of considerable value. Paul says he was none of these. He was but a vessel made of earth, and if at any time he should be in danger of forgetting it, his Lord and Master saw to it that he was not allowed to. There was given to him a thorn in the flesh, lest he should be exalted above measure. He was required to cry to God, just like any other poor needy sinner, entreating that it should be taken away from him. But no; if it had been taken away; how soon would Paul have forgotten all about it, and the whole experience would have had to have been repeated. The Lord’s way was the better way, the thorn must remain as long as there was any danger of his being exalted above measure; but along with that there was this: “My grace is sufficient for thee.” And what is the result? “Of myself I am nothing, rather will I glory in my infirmities (as an earthen vessel) that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

An earthen vessel! Why so? In the beginning, we are told, the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground; and after man had sinned, part of the curse pronounced upon him in consequence is: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return into the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” From the natural standpoint the men who form the ministry of the church are not made from a specialised kind of refined clay. They are dug out of the same hole of the pit as their fellow-sinners in the world. The Apostle recognises this with regard to himself and his brethren, and due regard to this always acts as a kind of counter ballast to keep a man on a straight course—dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return. The Lord will keep this thought ever before the minds of those of His servants whom He designs to use in the work of the ministry, and bless and sanctify the thought to them, and through them, to their hearers. We have this treasure in earthen vessels.

The Apostle was a saved sinner, a gracious man: but again, from the point of view of salvation and all the blessings and privileges which accompany and flow from it, the Apostle in himself was but a vessel of earth. Before his conversion he was a man notorious for his enmity against the Gospel—a blasphemer, a persecutor, injurious. When Jesus came to him to fill him with the gospel treasure, He found him the chief of sinners; and after that, what did he have that he had not received? When preaching the gospel to other sinners the Apostle spoke to them as one of themselves—one always conscious that but for sovereign grace he would have been the greatest sinner among them. With what a wealth of fellow-feeling, sympathy, tenderness, love and earnestness does the remembrance of this invest the preaching of such a man! What a blessing to any congregation when the man set over it in holy things is, in his own esteem, but an earthen vessel! “We preach Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.” You remember that old cup or jug you have somewhere in the back kitchen. The handle has been broken off and the edge is chipped. It is not much of an ornament, and you carefully keep it out of sight of your visitors; but it is in daily use, and you would miss it badly if it were not there. That is just the Apostle Paul and all his like-minded brethren; he was content to lose himself in the service of his Master. If at any time he did happen to get a sight of himself, the sight humbled him in the very dust: “Oh, wretched man that I am, a body of sin and death.” A heavenly treasure! yes, but contained in a vessel of earth.

Again, in matters involving religious authority great stress is laid in these days upon superior intellect, and much harm has been the consequence. The gifts and endowments of the Apostle, in religion, intellect and education were of an order altogether outstanding; did these not constitute him a vessel of gold worthy of at least some personal respect and admiration? The Apostle did not think so. The human vessel possessing these advantages undoubtedly provides greater holding capacity; and when such a man is filled with gospel treasure, what a blessing he becomes to the Church of God, as Paul, Calvin, Knox, Henderson, Melville and many others. But on the other hand, where the gospel treasure does not fill such a man, what is there that takes its place? Pride ambition, covetousness and jealousy; and has this not spoiled the usefulness of many a brilliant man? That man is fitted for usefulness in the gospel who has deeply learned that “what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” May the Lord help us clearly to distinguish between the things which are gain to Christ, and those which are loss to Christ, lest we confound our loss with His loss, and our gain with His gain. John the Baptist puts the matter thus: “He must increase, but I must decrease,” and that was no loss to him, but his true gain. We have this treasure, a heavenly treasure, a goodly heritage; but let us never forget, it is a treasure in earthen vessels.

III. From consideration of the fact that the gospel treasure is contained in earthen vessels the Apostle draws this inference: “That the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” There are but two possible dangers this word warns us against: (1) The danger of giving that place to the vessel which must be given exclusively to God; the excellency of the power is of God, not of us. If the gospel is at all effectual, power must be of the essence of it, power that convinces, converts and edifies; but the excellency of the power is of God, not of us. Doubtless among the hearers of the Apostle there were some who had benefited much by his ministry, and who greatly admired him, and who were inclined to give him some part at least of the glory—”I am of Paul”—thereby making in some sort an idol of the vessel. Are there not many in danger of falling into this error among ourselves? When the Apostle John fell down to worship at the feet of the angel which showed him “these things,” he was instantly and sternly rebuked: “See thou do it not; worship God.” The vessel must never be confounded with the treasure that is in it; and the glory due to the gospel must on no account be given to the human instrument, but to God, of whom alone is the excellency of the power. (2) On the other hand, let us not despise the treasure because it is contained in a vessel of earth. How many hearers of the gospel, instead of fixing their attention upon the message, and receiving it as from God, rather fix their attention upon the weaknesses and infirmities (real or supposed) of the minister who preaches? If we are inclined to be critical, we will, no doubt, find plenty to criticise. No one is so acutely conscious of that as the conscientious minister himself—what is he but an earthen vessel. Indeed, sometimes the consciousness of infirmity and imperfection is so pronounced that we feel—I speak for myself, and, I am sure, for my brethren also: “O, that I like a dove had wings, then would I fly far hence and soon remove.” And it is only in the stern call of duty that these feelings are suppressed: “Woe is me if I preach not the gospel.” Do not, my friends, jeopardize the salvation of your precious souls by allowing the faults and failings of a minister to blind you to the Divine glory of the gospel he preaches. This same treasure will mean to thousands all the difference between everlasting damnation and everlasting glory: “He that belieleveth shall be saved, he that believeth not shall be damned”; and unbelief excusing itself by the frailties of ministers, is damnation as surely as unbelief from any other cause: for the excellency of the power is of God, and not of us.

Here is a word of encouragement for ministers, much needed in these difficult times. Standing in front of the same congregations week after week we are often depressed and grieved at heart because, as we think, “we have laboured in vain and spent our strength for nought.” See this side of the ministry described by the Apostle in the verses immediately following our text: “We are troubled on every side, we are perplexed, persecuted, cast down, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus,” etc. But to all that there is a more than adequate counterbalance which the Apostle is never slow to emphasise: “Yet not distressed, not in despair, not destroyed, not forsaken, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our body, knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you,” for the excellency of the power is of God, and not of us. Here then is something sweet to think on and to pray over, especially on Sabbath morning, before beginning the work of the day, and again in the evening after the work of the day is over.

Here is encouragement also for the praying people of this congregation. I am persuaded that there are many among you deeply concerned for the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem. There are no doubt many burdened on account of their own souls, earnestly seeking light, food, comfort which Christ alone can give; others are anxious for the spiritual good of those near and dear to them; some, it may be, are so gospel-minded as to be concerned for the spiritual good of Glasgow, Scotland and the world in general. Would that such a spirit were more in evidence than it appears to be. If we believe what we profess how can we rid ourselves of the burden of a sinful world of never-dying souls going down to a Christless eternity? But where there are such burdened souls, here is something surely for their comfort and encouragement, the excellency of the power which is of God and not of man: “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” Is there not enough in the almighty strength of God’s arm to meet your most urgent prayers, your most limitless needs? What were we singing at the beginning of the service—that His kingdom shall be from sea to sea, that all nations shall be blest in Him, that even the heathen shall be given to Him, and the uttermost parts of the earth for His inheritance; for the excellency of the power is of God and not of us.

And is there not encouragement here, and hope, for every unconverted man, woman and child who may attend upon the ministry of the gospel in this building from Sabbath to Sabbath? To-day there is something coming between them and the Saviour of sinners, something of the world and the flesh and the devil in some form or other. But still they like to frequent the place where they know the gospel in purity is preached. Possibly they have listened to the gospel for many years, preached by ministers whom they respected and admired. Of present-day ministers they say: “These men are not to be compared to the great men I have listened to in days gone by.” The pity is that the gospel you heard then has had no better effect upon you. But, my friend, your case, though deplorable enough, is far from hopeless yet. The excellency of the power is of God, and not of this minister or that, and the years which have brought so many changes have brought no change upon Him. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as snow.”

And what glorious prospects does this great truth set before the Church of God down through the ages. The power is the power of God, and by it Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands to God. Missionary labour, even in face of difficulties which seem insurmountable, is not hopeless. It but provides the opportunity for the greater display of that infinite power whose excellency is of God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. May the Lord graciously bless His Word.