THE RAINBOW: A Magazine of Christian Literature, with Special Reference to the Revealed Future of the Church and the World. MAY, 1881. HERE AND HEREAFTER.* "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."-1 Cor. xiii. 12. THE first thing I have to do at present is to correct a prevalent misapprehension. This verse is popularly understood to mean: "Here (on earth) we see through a glass darkly, but there (in heaven) face to face." Now the apostle did not say that, and he did not mean that. Nothing of the kind is found in his writings. Pauline theology is invaluable to us, and we accept it as Divine. There is no hint here about a change of locality; it is a question of time; it is a question of advancing, of growth, of intellectual and moral development; but it is not a question of change of place. Paul did not teach that the moment a man dies, with all his imperfections, in his unfinished condition, he becomes perfect and complete in some other world; you will not find anything of that kind in God's Book. Look at the illustrative analogy: "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." It was the same Paul in the same world; it was a matter of years, of growing experience, of holy culture; but it was the same man. And he adds, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." Go back, if you please, to the 9th and 10th verses: "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come,"we are not going to it, observe-" then that which is in part shall be done away." And what is he speaking about? Divine charity, love; love is his text, and he talks about it in this way: "Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be * A Sermon by the Editor. Printed from the Reporter's manuscript. N burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." And what does he mean by charity? Love. Then he describes charity; and mark this: "Whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." Prophecies shall cease when they are all fulfilled; and by prophecy I do not mean the scientific or theological prophecy we have now, for it is all imperfect. "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known." This text is of widely-embracing, far-reaching extent, and I hardly know how to bring the subject before you in the most compact and suggestive manner. I wish you to think of two or three things connected with this great matter. And first I would remind you that God's processes, in both the material and moral worlds, are very slow. If we believe the geologists, His processes in the creation of the world were wonderfully slow. I am not here, however, either to vindicate or to oppose geological science; it is a science in which I take great pleasure, although, like everything else, our knowledge of it is partial, and geologists, like all other scientific men, differ among themselves, as also do theologians—a proof that we only know in part. We gather our proofs, in fact, from the very thing which at first filled us with surprise and consternation. God took a long time to fit the earth for the habitation of man, and it is a fact that the world is not finished yet, that the creative and changing processes are going on even now in the mighty ocean and throughout many parts of the earth. You speak often about the changes of the seasons. You tell us your oldfashioned summers and winters have gone. What does it mean? It means, if you will seriously think of it, that the creation is not completed, and will not be completed until the glorious words issue from the throne of Omnipotence: "Behold, I make all things new." The tabernacle of witness in the wilderness was but a type, a pilgrim, foreshadowing a resting-place-the temple. But the temple was made by hands, and served only for a time. The heathen rased it to its foundations; a second was built, and it, too, fell. We look for a city which hath foundations whose Builder and Maker is God. We look for perfection. Now we live in an imperfect world, suitable enough for an imperfect race; an exposed house, rocked with storms and earthquakes, suitable enough for an imperfect tenant, ignorant, defiled, and feeble; an earth passing away to give place to a new one; mortal man passing away to give place to an immortal. Now change, then calmness, quietness, and lasting peace now wars and wild tumults, then the battle-field is unknown, the sword and the spear are things forgotten, the Prince of Peace reigns-reigns here, mark that! We have not the least hint of change of locality. And I tell you faithfully, brethren, that, if we are not Christians now, whatever a baseless "Universalism" may say, there is not a Heaven in the universe that can make us better. God is forming character here, and upon character exclusively depends what men shall be hereafter. We At Secondly, we come to man, the occupant of this wonderful world. What is he now ? It is not wise to affect a mock humility. Undoubtedly we are imperfect beings. We have headaches and heartaches, pains and disappointments and vexations, burdens and troubles of many kinds. What does it all mean? Why, these things actually determine our present condition. are not yet perfect, and everything around us partakes of the character that belongs to us mentally and morally. I say it is no use to affect humility; the best plan is at once to admit that morally, intellectually, physically, we are not perfect in any true sense. the same time, do not forget the counsel I often given you; whilst you do not pretend to a humility of which you are not conscious, do not forget that by God's grace you are what you are. Do not go to the throne of grace, you who love Jesus Christ, telling Him that you are wretched sinners. This is poor praise to Him for saving you; but go to the throne of grace with profound thankfulness, glorifying in your Lord and Saviour. And then, what about our prayers? Whilst adoring God for redeeming love, let us ask grace to reach forward to greater heights in the Christian life, for we have yet much to learn. It is a very remarkable fact that Christians often seem to forget the very condition of their existence as Christians; namely, faith. What is faith? Faith implies imperfection. It means that we are trusting in Christ that He will complete the work He has begun in us. Faith! Watch that little child taking its mother's hand, or grasping its mother's dress; that is faith. The child is conscious that the mother loves it, and that the mother's love is strong to protect. So I trust in my Father, God; and that trust means that I am weak, and that He is strong, and that He has things to give me which He will give me as I am capable of receiving them. The loving Lord lets me take hold of His hand or the hem of His garment, and I am upheld by His strength. We believe; the interpretation of which is, that we have not yet reached manhood, but that we are growing up in Christ. And then, all this time, now, we are at school. Little boys do not like school. Of course not. Who ever yet liked the thing that was best for him in this world? Without Divine education we do not choose that which is good for us. It is distressing to be plunged in grief; it is saddening to have to wipe tears from one's eyes. But, brethren, it may be that that griet is gladness in the making, and that those tears by-and-bye shall crystallise into gems and sparkle upon your foreheads in the new age. Now that these things are taking place we are at school learning to read, and the first lesson that the Christian learns consists of four letters, AB-BA, Abba; but, having learnt that lesson and having power to utter the word, and to have the feeling which the word implies, then you place yourself in God's school, and say that you are prepared to go through with your tasks and bear your burdens, His Christ, your Saviour, helping you. Now we get the discipline, the invaluable spiritual teaching. Man cannot become what God intends him to be without personal experience. My experience may help you a little, but only your own experience can bring the lesson home to you effectually. So that many of those things, which are of course annoying, vexatious, and painful, become through their teaching invaluable parts of that moral discipline which will by-and-bye culminate in the "then," the day which is coming. "Now" we are in the same world with the devil and his angels; the great adversary of God and man, the prince of the powers of the air, the god of this world is our watchful foe. People talk foolishly about the devil being "in hell.” He will by-and-bye be imprisoned for a time; but now he is dangerously near us. Look at Christ in the wilderness; what does it mean? It means that He was going through every kind of temptation to which we are liable, and it means that we, too, are in the wilderness now, being tempted. But through grace we are furnished with weapons, with armour, with defence against his wiles. God knows his subtlety, and He has given us the coat of mail in which we are to resist the adversary, helmet, breast plate, and shield. We have all that "now.' It is a characteristic of this dispensation of mingled light and darkness, joy and sorrow, smiles and tears. But what is the meaning of school? Surely it is not intended that the boy and the man are to continue at school always. Surely school means something which is temporary. The doors of the school will close when the boy has gone through his primary education; for there is no such thing as being thoroughly educated. What a boy acquires at school he employs in business in manhood. So of the school of God. It is preparatory to something which is coming when all will be known. "Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face." Let me now proceed for a short time to show you the other side of this question, and then my object will be gained. Brethren, if you and I determine to bear our burden like brave Christian men and to accept our discipline like loving children; if we make up our minds resolutely to accept the now with all its groans and pains and mysteries, we shall not be disappointed in our hope of the then. What is the peculiar glory then? "Face to face!" I shall see TRUTH as it is! Why, brethren, that is worth worlds! Truth as it is; not through coloured glass, not by guess work, but as it is! Oh! to see things as GOD sees them! We cannot "now; we shall "then." And the Scripture proceeds upon the principle that when we see things as God sees them we shall glorify Him for all that we have seen of storm and tempest in times long gone past; we shall not have to guess at truth, to translate and "then but we shall get the benefit when compare, comes of the great lessons we are learning "now." If any of you, my hearers, are strangers to God in Christ, and if you were transported to the then this moment, that is, if Christ should come to-day, you would miss the glory of Christian manhood, because you have not been trained in the school of faith, with all its invaluable lessons and culture and discipline. If you are to stand then face to face with Christ without shame, as the Apostle John sublimely puts it, you must now be in fellowship with Him by faith; you must often speak to Him now, and take your burden to Him now. Never was there a greater delusion than the mournfully popular one: "If we get to heaven we shall be all right." It is false! It is the fraud of the adversary, one of the wiles of the devil. You would be all wrong if not Christ's, and would long to get out of that holy place if it were possible for you to ascend there. Heaven would be a consuming fire to the man who has not been in the purifying furnace before. We should value the discipline of the now because of its glorious connection with the then. "Then shall I know even as also I am known." Wonderful declaration! Our Lord reveals the grand issue thus: "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." Spotless, brilliant, Christ-like. Redeemed men, at last in the spotless image of their glorious Redeemer! Now death, then life; now our props are stricken down from us, our earthly hopes are blasted; then we shall say what the Queen of Sheba said to Solomon, the type of the Prince of Peace: "It was a true report that I heard in mine own land but the half was not We shall be like Him, But O! such an all! told me." "We shall see Him as He is.' Now, once more, brethren, let me remind you that there is an inseparable connection in God's purpose between the now and the then. I have touched on that in passing, but I must dwell upon it for a few moments. My meaning is just this. Now by faith in Christ our Redeemer we get rid of the bondage and corruption of sin, but its effects are with us still. Now we are afflicted and chastened and are being sanctified; but the purest amongst us, who lives in constant communion with the Son of God, has his spots and stains. Now we are safe, as safe as we ever can be ; but we are not yet out of the battle-field. We are exposed to the fiery darts of our adversaries, who accuse us before our God day and night. There is, as the apostle tells us, sorrow, tribulation, death, everything against us; but they are not able to kill us, for Christ is our life. The storm is raging outside, but we are in the Divine asylum; the dangers are near us, but an Omnipotent Hand has hold of us. |