Divine Blessing to This Mourner
By Rufus A. Underwood
The Sorrow That May Be Healed—The Most Precious Boon to Mankind This is the second of several short articles by Elder Underwood on the fundamentals of the gospel. In a time when there is so much confusion on the subject, the matter is very timely. Editor. “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” Matt. 5:4. The grief and anguish of this world, that come as the heritage of disappointment, disease, and death, which every man in a sinful world must meet more or less, is not primarily the sorrow that Christ refers to. The mourning He is considering is the second step in order that must be taken by the one who has felt his great need of salvation; namely, to have a heartfelt sorrow for sin, which leads him to confess and forsake his wrongdoing. It is the godly sorrow that works repentance, expressed by the apostle Paul in 2 Cor. 7:10: “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” The Comforter First Reproves
No man will ever receive pardon until he is ashamed of his sin, and is ready to confess and forsake the same. The Comforter, Christ’s representative, comes first as a reprover of sin. Christ said: “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin.” John 16:7, 8. All those who accept the reproof and have godly sorrow for sin have the assurance, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Prov. 28:13. This is the explicit condition upon which pardon is promised. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Ps. 32:1. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8, 9. David has said it is the glory of God to conceal or cover our sin, and to this end Christ has died for us, as expressed in 1 John 3:5: “And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin.” The precious promise that God will hide our sins from view, and cover us with His own robe of perfect righteousness, is Heaven’s plan of putting away sin from the individual character, and is beautifully expressed by the prophet Ezekiel in these words: “I decked thee also with ornaments, . . . and a beautiful crown upon thine head. . . . And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through My comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.” Eze. 16:11-14. Before the individual can be decked with the light of heaven, and be robed in the character of Christ, he must manifest a godly sorrow and repentance for his guilt. This assures the individual of the comfort of God’s grace and pardon. What can be more comforting than to know that your sin is pardoned and covered? “The Most Precious Promise to Me”
Some time ago, in our family worship, after we had read some of the precious promises of God, I asked members of the family what promises came to mind that seemed most precious. After my wife had quoted several very precious promises, I asked my son Robert what was the most precious promise to him that he could call to mind in all the Bible. With tearful eyes, he replied, “Father, the promise Jesus has made that He will forgive is the most precious to me.” Surely all the other promises would be in vain if we did not know that Jesus forgives. The prophet Isaiah had this same thought in mind when he exclaimed: “Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.” Isa. 40:1, 2. The Master uttered the sweetest message that ever fell from His lips when He said to a poor, afflicted soul, “Son, be of good cheer [or comfort]; thy sins be forgiven thee.” Matt. 9:2. “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”