It would be interesting, perhaps mournfully so, to be able to interview an average congregation emerging from church some Sabbath morning. Here is Miss A, an educated young lady, who moves in the best society, and is a member of the church. I ask her, "How did you like the new preacher?"
"I didn't like him at all. He wore a horrid necktie; his hair stuck up like bristles, and he swung his arms as if he were a windmill."
"So you heard with your eyes instead of your ears. You gauged the message by the looks, dress, and manner of the messenger." I fear there are a good many like Miss A. in all our congregations.
I accost Mr. B. He prides himself on his culture. I said, "How did you like the sermon this morning?" "Not at all," was the reply. "Why, the man's style is as old-fashioned as—" "As that of the Bible," I suggested, "for he quoted a great deal of scripture." "Yes, and anybody could do that. He evidently is not familiar with the best literature of the day. I watched closely for those forms of expression and allusions which show that a man's reading is abreast of the times, but I failed to find any, and therefore I set him down as an old fogy. We want a progressive preacher in this church."
I asked Mrs. C, "Didn't you enjoy that good sermon?" And she answered: "O dear me, no! Why, how could I? There was Miss Jonas just before me with that horrid bonnet, and on the other aisle sat the two Misses Stiles, who have just come out in the very newest style of hats,—I must get one for Clara,—and I couldn't help wondering how much they cost. And then there was a strange lady in the pew with Mrs. Smith, who of course attracted my attention. And just opposite me is the Johnson pew. There was a young gentleman in it with Bella, and I watched them, for they carried on a brisk flirtation all through the service. I declare it is too bad for folks to act so in church." Poor Mrs. C. She could see others' faults, but not her own.
I next approached Father D, as he slowly hobbled homeward. When I asked him about the sermon he stopped, and, leaning on his staff, said: "O Brother Rusticus, that sermon was manna to my soul! How sweetly he explained the promises of God! How ably he compared scripture with scripture! How clearly he presented faith—faith in the Lord Jesus, as the only condition of salvation. I tell you, brother, I shall go in the strength of that sermon for many days. It was a message from God to me."
I might multiply these imaginary interviews. It is sad to be compelled to believe that much of the good seed falls on stony places, or amid briers and thorns. In every gospel sermon, no matter how poor the style or awkward the delivery, there is truth that ought to arrest the attention of every hearer. Let him realize that the preacher comes with a message from God, and he cannot listen carelessly or critically. The appeal of the gospel is to all that is best and noblest within us. The preacher is sent to confer with us in regard to our highest duties and interests. We ought to listen as we would to the voice of an angel, for that is Christ's own idea. He calls the pastors of the churches their angels. (See Rev. 1: 20.)
I think that people pay their preachers as well or better now than in former times, but I don't think that they pray for them as much. I can remember when in the Sabbath-morning worship there was earnest and fervent supplication for the blessing of God upon the services of the sanctuary. If more of us would go from our closets and family altars in the spirit of prayer, our ministers would preach with greater unction and power, and their sermons would be more profitable, "being mixed with faith in them that hear." —Rusticus, in Occident.
THE BENEFIT OF SORROW.
By S. S. Times
SORROW is not just the same in its first hours and in its later remembrance. In the earliest shock of a great grief, it seems to the mourner that he can never know joy again. But there are those who once sorrowed sorely, and yet are now without a sense of grief or loss. So evident is the possibility of a forgetfulness of personal bereavement, that there are mourners who seek to drown their sorrow, in order that it may be forgotten; while other mourners deliberately nurse their grief, lest they should forget it. Sorrow can never do its best work in a human heart if, on the one hand it is forgotten, or if, on the other hand, it is nursed. It ought, indeed, to be struggled with, and yet to be borne in memory. Its chastening influence should abide in the heart long after the keenness of its pain has ceased to unnerve the mourner for his daily life-toil. He has failed of profiting by the true ministry of sorrow, who no longer bears his sorrow in mind, or who wishes it might be forgotten.
"They are poor
That have lost nothing; they are poorer far
Who, losing, have forgotten; they are most poor
Of all, who lose, and wish they might forget."
He also has failed of this profiting, who so selfishly cherishes his sorrow that it stands between him and his loving ministry of good to others, in added tenderness of helpful sympathy.
"Grief should be
Like joy, majestic, equable, sedate,
Confirming, cleansing, raising, making free:
Strong to consume small troubles; to commend
Great thoughts, grave thoughts, thoughts lasting to
the end."
—S. S. Times.
Religion Beyond Stone Walls
"THOSE who think to preserve their religion by hiding it within stone walls to escape the contamination of the world, lose golden opportunities to enlighten and bless humanity." And since "to enlighten and bless humanity" is the pure and undefiled religion of Jesus, it follows that those who do not do so lose their religion.
Grace for Trials, Not Anticipation
For every trial God sends, he gives sufficient grace for its endurance; but he promises no grace to bear anticipations with, and we little know how very large a portion of our mental suffering arises from anticipations of trial.
The Bible and the Stellar Universe
By O. M. Mitchell
The Bible furnishes the only fitting vehicle to express the thoughts that overwhelm us when contemplating the stellar universe.—O. M. Mitchell.
ALL SIN MUST BE PUT AWAY.
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
EVERY sin has to be slaughtered. Not a single sin is to be tolerated. Off with their heads! Drive the sword into their hearts! They are all to die. Not one of them may be spared. The whole race is to be exterminated, and so buried that not a bone of them can be found. Here is a labor worthy of all the valor of faith and the power of love.
They must all be driven out, for every sin is our enemy. I hope we have no enemies in this world among our fellow-men. It takes two to make a quarrel; and if we will not contend, there can be no contention. We are neither to give nor take offense; but if it be possible, as much as lieth in us, we are to live peaceably with all men. I trust that we have forgiven everybody who has ever harmed us, and would desire to be forgiven by all against whom we have done anything wrong. But every sin, every evil, of every shape, is our true enemy, against which we are to wrestle to the bitter end. One of the marks of a child of God is that, although he may sin, he does not love sin. He may fall into sin, but he is like a sheep which, if it tumbles into the mud, is quickly up again, for it hates the mire. The sow wallows where the sheep is distressed. Now, we are not the swine that love the slough, though we are as sheep that sometimes slip with their feet. Would to God that we never did slip! While you hate sin, sin hates you. It will do you all the hurt it can; it will never be satisfied with the mischief that it has wrought you. It will try to lead you farther and farther into danger, so as to bring you down to hell. Sin would utterly destroy you if it could, and it certainly could and would if the grace of God did not prevent. Proclaim, then, a ceaseless warfare against all sin. So long as there remains sin in our heart, or in our life, or in the world, it is to be fought against to death.
Again, we should contend against all these Canaanites, and drive them out, for sin is our Lord's most cruel enemy. Jesus abhors all evil, and evil in every shape persecuted him. All sorts of sins he bore in his own body on the tree. From our sins, all of which were laid upon him, came the lashings of his back. From our sins came the bloody-sweat that covered him from head to foot. From our sins came the crown of thorns, the nails, the spear, the vinegar and gall, and the dread death of agony. Sin—oh, how our Lord loathes it! In putting it away from us he drank of that cup from which, for a moment, he started, saying, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me!"
Remember, brethren, we cannot have Christ and have any one sin reigning in our hearts. Sins of all sorts must go when grace takes possession of the soul. One form of enmity to God is as obnoxious to his law as another. Sin in satin is as great a rebel as sin in rags. You may wash sin in eau-de-cologne, but it smells no sweeter.
Remember, also, dear friends, that a man cannot be free from sin if he is the servant of even one sin. If any one sin binds him, masters him, he is not the Lord's free man. He is still a slave in the worst form of slavery; he is under the dominion of evil. Hence, you see, I spoke not too largely when I said, "Down with all!"—C. H. Spurgeon.
HOW PAUL'S PRAYER WAS ANSWERED.
By W.
WHEN Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans, he said: "For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you." Rom. 1:9, 10.
In the latter part of the epistle, he recurs to this, telling why he had not been able to come to them before, namely, because of his efforts to preach the gospel where Christ had not been named. He would forego the pleasure of meeting with the brethren in Rome, in order that he might labor for those who had never heard of Christ. But he adds: "But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you; whenever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you; for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company. But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints." Rom. 15: 23-25.
He had gone pretty thoroughly over the territory, preaching the gospel, and now he designed to see his Roman brethren as soon as he had discharged his duty to the poor saints at Jerusalem. In Acts 19: 21 we are told of this purpose: "Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome."
Well, his prayer in this respect was answered, for he did go to Rome after he had been to Jerusalem. But he did not go as he expected. He prayed for a prosperous journey; and all know that his journey to Rome was attended with the greatest dangers. We also find from Rom. 15:30-32 another thing that was on his mind. He says:—
"Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; that I may be delivered from them that do not believe, in Judea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; that I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed."
But Paul was not delivered from the unbelievers in Judea. In fact, before he got there he knew that he would be seized by them, and delivered into the hands of the Gentiles. Still he did not begin to doubt, and to say that God had not heard his prayer. He well knew that hearing a prayer and answering it are two different things, and that God is the best judge of how a request should be granted. Notwithstanding Paul's earnest prayers that he might be delivered from the unbelieving Jews (and his entreaty to the Roman brethren shows how much he dreaded them), he was seized by them. For more than two years he was kept a prisoner by the Romans, and finally, when, by his appeal to Cæsar, he was sent to Rome, it was in chains.
Notice, however, how the real desire of Paul was met, and that far better than if he had gone as he hoped. If he had gone as he expected, he would have entered Rome quietly, and might not in that great city have attracted much attention outside of the narrow circle of the acquaintances of the church in Rome. As it was, he was met outside the city by the brethren, and was escorted not only by them, but by an imperial procession. He was a prisoner of State. He had appealed unto Cæsar, and consequently he was brought into the immediate presence of royalty. And so, instead of preaching the gospel to a few obscure people, he preached to all Rome, and had many to help him; for while there he wrote:—
"But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear." Phil. 1: 12-14.
Thus, although Paul's prayer was not answered as he expected, it was answered according to his real desire; for his sole desire was to come to the brethren, "in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ" (Rom. 15:29), and that Christ alone should be honored. And we have no reason to think that at any time Paul was disappointed or discouraged, for let it be noticed that when he prayed it was that he might have "a prosperous journey by the will of God" (Rom. 1:10), and that he might come to them "with joy, by the will of God." Rom. 15:32. The will of God was accomplished, the cause of God was prospered, and we may be sure that that was joy to that devoted servant of God.
"For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established."
Was there ever another man in the world who carried so great a burden for others as the apostle Paul did? To the Ephesians he wrote that he ceased not to give thanks for them, making mention of them in his prayers, that God would give unto them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. Eph. 1:15-17. To the saints at Philippi he wrote: "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy." Phil. 1:3, 4. Likewise to the Colossians he said: "We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you." Col. 1:3. And so he did for the Thessalonians. 1 Thess. 1:2; 2 Thess. 1:3, 11. All these churches were the fruit of his own labor, and it is but natural that he should remember them in his prayers; but he had never seen the brethren of Rome, yet he declares that he prays for them no less than for those among whom he had labored and suffered. He could say of a truth that there was upon him daily, anxious care and solicitude for all the churches. 2 Cor. 11:28.
How much time Paul must have spent in prayer, to mention so many churches and individuals by name in his requests and thanksgivings! Must not this have been one secret of his great success? He had but one thought, one desire, and that was to bring men to Christ, and to strengthen those who had accepted him. He had received abundantly of the grace of God, and he felt himself a debtor to all mankind. That grace was not bestowed upon him in vain, for he says that he labored more abundantly than all of the other apostles. 1 Cor. 15:10. It is probably safe to say that no minister ever lived who was more like Christ in carrying a burden for sinners, than the apostle Paul. The reason was, that he had an ever-present, overwhelming sense of what Christ had done for him. The grace of Christ will always manifest itself in this way, just to the extent that it is received and appreciated. It is not something that a man receives merely for his own enjoyment or profit, and that can be corked up in a bottle for private use, but it can be preserved only by dispensing to others.
So the apostle wrote to the Romans, whom he had never seen: "I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me." His earnest desire for these brethren, whose faith was spoken of in all the world, was that he might settle them in it so surely that nothing could shake them. This great burden of soul he expressed to the Thessalonians, when he said, "Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith." 1 Thess. 3:10. What a lesson there is here for all Christian ministers!
But how did he expect to establish these people? By imparting unto them some spiritual gift. The gifts of the Spirit are named by Paul in Eph. 4:11 and 1 Cor. 12:4-11. The first text says of Christ that "he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." In the other he says:—
"Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. . . . But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues; but all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will."
All these gifts come by the Spirit; so it is evident that when Paul said, "I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift," he did not mean that he would bestow upon them the power to work miracles or to speak with tongues. He could not have done this if he had desired to. Moreover, it is not by the possession of these gifts that a person is established. They are given "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:12); but a man may possess these gifts to the edifying of others, and he himself be lost. The apostle Paul had these gifts in greater measure than any other man, yet he had to keep his body under, lest after he had preached to others he himself should be a castaway (1 Cor. 9:27); and he says that a thorn in the flesh was given him to buffet him, lest he should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations given unto him. 2 Cor. 12:7. It is evident, therefore, that Paul did not expect to establish the Romans by enabling them to exhibit the gifts of the Spirit, but rather, by the exercise of the gifts which were bestowed upon him, to build them up in the faith so that they might exhibit the fruits of the Spirit. It is the same thing that he wrote to the Corinthians, concerning the grace of giving: "We desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same gift also." 2 Cor. 8:6, margin.
Perhaps there are few who realize how well fitted the apostle was for this task. There is not one of the spiritual gifts that he did not possess. In the book of Acts we learn of his power to work miracles, to heal, and to discern spirits. His own writings give evidence of the spirit of prophecy that he possessed; and he says that he spoke with tongues more than all the rest, and that he would not speak without interpreting. 1 Cor. 14:18. He was an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, and a teacher. If any wish to know why he should be so highly favored above other men, we can only say that "the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal," and Paul had such singleness of purpose, such whole-souled devotion, that he used to the utmost every gift bestowed upon him. God gives to every man all that he can and will use to his glory.
"To the end ye may be established." The gifts of the Spirit are for the building up of the body of Christ, and none of them has been used for this purpose more than the gift of prophecy. When Jehoshaphat had received from the prophet of the Lord a message for the people, he said: "Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper." 2 Chron. 20:20. And to the same effect Isaiah, when he had delivered a prophecy from God to the king of Judah,119said to him, "If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established." Isa. 7:9.
What, indeed, can establish the people of God like prophecy? Tongues are for a sign to them that believe not; miracles serve the same purpose, showing the power of God; but, prophesyings instruct and warn. So the apostle says:—
"Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men but unto God; for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort." 1 Cor. 14:1-3.
The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. Rev. 19:10. It was the Spirit of Christ that was in the ancient prophets (2 Peter 1:10, 11), and that same Spirit is to be with his people even unto the end. Consequently we find that "the testimony of Jesus Christ," which is the spirit of prophecy, is to be found in the last state of the church—the remnant. Rev. 12:17. Paul, also, writing to those who should live at the time of the coming of the Lord, says, "Despise not prophesyings." 1 Thess. 5:20.
The establishing power of the prophetic word is shown by the apostle Peter when, after relating the view which he had of "the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," on the mount of transfiguration, he said: "We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts." 2 Peter 1:19.
By the gift of prophecy we are shown when we are nearing the end of time; we are warned of the dangers incident to the last days. It foretells the widespread apostasy, so that none need be moved. While the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments contain all the truth that is necessary to make the man of God perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works, there must be that same spirit of prophecy in the church, to shed light upon those prophecies, for "no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation."
It is because of despising prophecies and prophesyings that so many have apostatized. The word of prophecy is a light, and when men turn away their eyes from it, they go into darkness, and soon stumble and fall. Their minds become blinded to the simplest truths. And since the prophetic word is a light shining in a dark place until the day shall dawn, and the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day, it is evident that as we approach the end we shall have more and more of the gift of prophecy to keep us from the darkness that covers the earth, and the gross darkness that covers the people. "If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established." May God help us to believe.
WHY IT IS TRUE.
MR. MOODY is credited with the following utterance, in a recent discourse delivered in San Francisco, upon the coming of the Lord:—
“The world is no better now than it was before Christ was crucified. A person who has had light, and sins, is a great deal worse than one who has had no light. Dupont Street is a great deal worse than Chinatown, and the men who hire the girls in the saloons, are infinitely worse than the women in Chinatown. I want to impress upon you four great facts, three of which have been fulfilled: First, it was prophesied that Christ would come, and he did; second, he said he would save sinners, and he did; third, he said he would send the Holy Ghost to carry on his work, and the Holy Ghost came. The fourth fact is that he will come back according to his promise. The first three have been fulfilled, and so will the fourth.”
This is true, not because Mr. Moody said so, but because the Bible says so. The popular opinion is that the world is growing better, and that erelong everybody will be converted; but the word of God says that “in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away.” 2 Tim. 3:1-5.
It is safe to say that considering the enlightenment of the world, there never has been a period since the flood when all classes were more completely steeped in sin than at the present time. Civilization gives a gild and a gloss to modern society, which was unknown among more primitive peoples, but wickedness is none the less great. Men may flatter themselves, as many do, that they are as good as their neighbors, and very much better than some who lived in the Dark Ages, and that altogether the world is growing better; but God, who looks at the heart, knows that it is not so, and soon the command will go forth, “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow, for their wickedness is great.” Surely we should sound an alarm, and say, “The day of the Lord cometh;” “it is nigh at hand.”
THE CHRISTIAN'S HOPE.
By W.
"For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor; yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better." Phil. 1:21-23.
THE common view of the first verse of the quotation was expressed some time ago by a condemned murderer in San Francisco, who, when speaking of what he termed the "persecutions" he had suffered since the commission of his crime, said that he had made his peace with God, and was prepared to die, and that he could say with Paul, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain," meaning that if he should die he would thus escape a great deal of trouble. In so saying he but voiced the almost universal opinion that to the Christian death is always a gain, whenever or however it may come. Much of the theological teaching, nowadays, conveys the idea that death is always something to be desired. This idea is strengthened by the hymns which teach that "death is the gate to endless joy," and that "'tis but the voice that Jesus sends to call us to his arms."
Now to show that this is a mistaken view, it is only necessary to quote a few texts which show that death is not a friend, and that it does not usher a person into the realms of bliss. Paul said that Jesus died, "that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." Heb. 2:14. But the devil is the adversary of the human race, and he especially hates and seeks to destroy the good (1 Pet. 5:8), so that it is utterly inconsistent to think of death as being the gate to endless joy; and one needs only to remember that the devil has the power of death, to know that it is not the voice that Jesus sends to call his people to himself. Death is plainly declared to be an enemy (1 Cor. 15:26), and we are told that they who are dead cannot see the Lord (Isa. 38:10, 11), and that in the grave they cannot praise him. Isa. 38:18, 19. We are taught also, by the Lord himself, that his people cannot be with him unless he comes again (John 14:1-3); and we learn that when he does come it will be to redeem them from the power of the grave. Hosea 13:14; 1 Cor. 15:51-55.
From these texts, and many others that might be quoted, we are forced to conclude that if there is any gain in death, it is simply the gain of exchanging toil and trouble for nothingness. It is true that in the grave the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest, yet it is doubtful if it can with strict propriety be said that a person is a gainer by being freed from trouble, when he cannot be conscious of his release. But however this may be, the fact remains that death is an enemy, and is the emblem of cruelty (Song of Solomon 8:6), and on this ground alone there is a manifest absurdity in speaking of death as a gain. If it were a gain, then it would not be an enemy, but a friend.
Suppose, however, it be allowed that to an overworked, persecuted man, death may be called a gain, even though he is unconscious of the relief that would come from laying off care, we shall see that this idea was not in the mind of the apostle. To wish for death as a release from toil is essentially a selfish wish; and selfishness was something entirely foreign to that devoted servant of Christ. His sole object in life was to advance the cause of Christ. So in this epistle to the Philippians, written when he was a prisoner in Rome, he thought not of himself and his sufferings, but of the cause. He says: "I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things that have happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; and many of the brethren of the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear." Phil. 1:12-14.
Here we see that he rejoices because his bondage has resulted in the spread of the gospel in places which probably could not have been reached if he had been free. True, there were some who preached Christ of envy and strife, thinking, no doubt, that by presenting the simple truth of the gospel, which calls for the crucifying of self, and which was so opposed to the self-pleasing doctrines of paganism, they would lead the emperor to make more severe the persecution of the one who had done so much to introduce that gospel. But Paul did not care for himself. Said he, "What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice." Verse 18. Then he goes on to say that his earnest expectation and hope are, that Christ should be magnified in his body, whether it be by life, or by death. Verse 20. And he adds, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Verse 21. Who cannot see that in all this Paul had no thought of personal gain? It is impossible to suppose that immediately after saying that his sole desire was that Christ should be honored by him, whether it were by life or by death, he should add that if he should live Christ would be the gainer, but that if he should die, he himself would be the gainer.
No; living and laboring for Christ is not the only way in which Christians can advance his cause. Not a martyr has fallen but that the cause of God has been advanced thereby. Paul well knew that if he should be put to death for the sake of Christ, that also would turn out to the furtherance of the gospel. Said he, "Yea, and if I be offered [margin, "poured forth"] upon the sacrifice and the service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all." Phil. 2:17. "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church;" and Paul's sole thought was that he might preach "the unsearchable riches of Christ" while he lived, and might be enabled to meet death in such a manner as to add another to the long list of testimonies to the power of faith. "For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's." Rom. 14:7.
Having thus stated his unselfish devotion to the cause of Christ, he proceeds to say, "What I shall choose, I wot not." That is, he does not know whether if the choice were given him, he would choose life or death. Having no desire but to honor Christ either by life or by death, and yet knowing which would honor Christ the more, he is unable to express any preference. He says, "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better."
There is no question that the two things between which Paul was in a strait, or, more literally, by which he was pressed, were life and death, and that he says that he does not know which of these he would choose. And yet his desire "to depart and to be with Christ" is usually considered as the expression of a desire to die. But by what process of reasoning people make the apostle express an intense desire for death, as being far preferable to life, immediately after he has said that he could not tell which he would choose, we cannot imagine. It120would be the same as saying: "It is impossible for me to tell whether I would choose life or death, but I would much rather die." Anybody can see that one statement is a contradiction of the other.
What, then, was it that Paul declared, in the emphatic Greek idiom, to be "very much more better" than anything else? It was to depart and to be with Christ. But is not this the same as death? Not by any means. Said Jesus to the Jews, "I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins; whither I go, ye cannot come." John 8:21. Here Jesus told them that though they should die, they could not be with him. "Of course not," says one, "because they were wicked." Well, then, turn to John 13:33, and read what he said to his own beloved disciples: "Little children, yet a little while I am with you; and as I said to the Jews, whither I go ye cannot come; so now I say to you." So, then, death does not take a man to Christ, even though he be a righteous man. Remember, also, what has been quoted above, that death is an enemy, and that they who die cannot praise the Lord. Death is, in fact, the very farthest thing imaginable from a condition of being with the Lord. It is the instrument by which Satan attempts to keep men forever banished from God. King Hezekiah thus recounts his feelings, when he was told that he should die, and not live: "I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave; I am deprived of the residue of my years. I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of the living; I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the earth." Isa. 38:10, 11.
Death is so far from being a departure to be with Christ, that the process of death must be entirely reversed before one who has died can be with him. In 1 Thess. 4:15-17, Paul himself describes the means by which people are taken to be with the Lord. We read:—
"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [that is, go before] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so [by this means] shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4:15-17.
Nowhere in the Bible can we find any hint of any other means by which people can be with Christ. Either they must be alive when the Lord comes, so that they may be taken up bodily into Heaven, as was Elijah, or, if they have died, they must be raised from the dead, and then be caught up with those who never died. Now since Paul said (Phil. 1:22) that he did not know which he should choose, life or death, and yet he said that it was far better to depart and to be with Christ; and since he knew that there was no way that men could be with Christ except by the resurrection of the dead and the translation of the living, both of which take place only at the coming of Christ, there is only one conclusion open to us, and that is, that Paul longed intensely for the coming of the Lord, and for translation.
It does not militate at all against this conclusion, that Paul knew that he could not expect to live till the Lord should come. He could long for the event with just as much ardor. Neither does the fact that in 2 Tim. 4:6 the words, "The time of my departure is at hand," refer to his execution, prove that the word "depart," in Phil. 1:23, means death. The word "depart" does not in itself convey any idea as to the manner of the departure. When Paul was praying in the temple, shortly after his conversion, the Lord said to him, "Depart; for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21); but we very well know that this was not a command for Paul to die. Paul's death was indeed a departure, and so is the death of every man,—a departure from life,—but we have ample proof from the Scriptures that no man's death is a departure to be with Christ.
It may help some to realize that Paul longed only for the return of the Lord, that he might be with him, if we state that the only other place in the Bible where the Greek word occurs which in Phil. 1:23 is rendered "depart," is in Luke 12:36, where it refers to the coming of the Lord. Thus: "Let your loins be girded about and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately." And even in the place where Paul unquestionably referred to his death—not, however, as something for which he longed, but as a sacrifice for which he was ready—he looked forward to the coming of the Lord as his only hope, saying: "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day [the day of his coming, see verse 1]; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." 2 Tim. 4:8. The coming of the Lord is the blessed hope of the Christian, and besides it there is no other.