The golden pot

Front matter

BAIN

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

THE GOLDEN POT.

Contents

PAGE

1. The Golden Pot That Had Manna, Hebrews ix: 4, 9

2. Christ Coming Over the Mountains, Song of Solomon ii: 8, . . 24

II Christ Coming Over the Mountains

"The voice of my Beloved 1 Behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills, ," Song of Solomon ii: 8.

Of all the books of the Bible, perhaps none has been so sadly misunderstood by the cultivated intellect, or perverted and abused by the corrupt heart, as this Song of Solomon. McCheyne speaks of two kinds of religionists as offended with this song; the first is he whose religion is all of the head, a mere masonry work of doctrines. He is offended because it contains no formal dogmatic statements upon which his heartless religion may be built. The second is he whose religion is all of the fancy, only emotional. He stumbles at the mysterious breathings of intimate but intelligent affection, which he cannot appreciate nor understand. But if one's religion be both in the head and heart, he not only receives the truth, but receives it in love; not only embraces by faith the doctrines of Christ, but has fellowship in love with Jesus, such a soul will see through the dramatic form of this poem the joyous intercourse of the Bride, the Church, with the Bridegroom, her Lord, the glad love breathings of the believing soul in communion with the beloved Redeemer. This poem is not one song, but several, all taking the dramatic form, and like the parables of our Lord, they present the most precious spirit ef truth, though veiled under poetic incident and imagery. The business of the expositor and preacher is to take off the veil and expose the unconcealed

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beauty of truth, and the Saviour through the truth. This we shall try to do with the dramatic scene of the text.

Look at the person here — a woman, a sweetheart, bride or wife, sitting in an Eastern kiosk or arbor, alone and desolate. Though surrounded with climbing vines and gilded lattice work, fragrant shrubbery and sparkling fountains, yet she is disconsolate! Why? Because her lover, her husband, is away beyond the distant mountains, which in the last verse she calls "Bether," or the mountains of separation. She knows that rugged, precipitous heights, gaping gulfs, gloomy gorges, and frowning hills lie between them; she therefore fears that her beloved cannot come, or will be long in coming. But in the midst of her desponding thoughts a melodious sound breaks upon her ear. She knows it at once and exclaims, "The voice of my Beloved!" Rising in glad surprise, she looks through the lattice and exclaims, "Behold! He cometh, leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills!" Here the writer drops the curtain over their meeting and embrace, for it is a joy that no stranger may intermeddle with.

Now let us unveil the persons and imagery. The woman, the Bride, alone in the arbor, is the Church, or the individual believer, at the time of the Lord's absence. The coming Beloved is the Divine Redeemer, for whom His Church and people long. The mountains called "Bether," or separation, that lie between are every obstacle that prevents reconciliation between God and man, their fellowship and happiness together. The Beloved leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills, presents Christ overcoming; triumphantly passing every difficulty, and coming for the salvation, comfort and joy of His Church and people. Then we have three points. First. What are the intervening mountains and hills between God and His people? Second. How does Christ pass, remove or come over them? Third. Why does He thus come?

First. What are these mountains of separation between God and men? The first is the mountain of guilt. Between the royal palace in heaven and the Garden of Eden there was neither mountain or hill ; the way was open, the King's highway, and God and man could walk together in it. But the sinful pair were driven out of Paradise, and with wicked hands men have reared a lofty mountain of guilt in the pathway of life. The Men of Babel could not build a tower that would reach unto heaven, but men have piled up a mountain whose top not only reaches above the clouds, but reaches the highest heaven and casts its dark shadow over all the earth. This was the first, and, at first, the only obstacle that separated God and the human race; the mountain of guilt. Its jagged sides man could not climb; nor scale its heights: and the just, holy King would not run a royal road around the base. Therefore the prophet says, "Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you." There it stands, frowning on the earth, shutting out the face of God, blocking up the gate of Eden, and closing the door of heaven. It is the mountain of guilt.

Second is the mountain of justice. Human hands built the mountain of guilt, but the Divine hand piled up the heights of justice. When man cast off allegiance and love and opened rebellion against his

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Maker and King, heaven must be shut up, and the port of earth blockaded; therefore, the hand of justice stretched the mountain wall across the plains of earth and declared this rebellious province in a state of siege. The Psalmist's language is, "Thy justice is like mountains great." There it stands before God and men, stern, high and immovable. Who will dare its guarded passes, or try to scale its solid wall? Who can open a way around it or bow its lofty summit? Man lies condemned, helpless and hopeless, at the base; and the inflexibly righteous King sits enthroned upon the summit; for justice and judgment are the foundation of His dwelling place.

Third is the mountain of wrath. When Israel came into Canaan land, the half of her officers and priests. stood over against Mt. Gerizim, to pronounce blessings upon obedience. The other half over against Mt. Ebal, to pronounce curses upon disobedience. For when man sinned and rebelled against God, Divine wrath was kindled into a flame, and it became a mountain of fire, leaping angrily up to heaven and burning down to the lowest depths. Moses says it "burns to the lowest hell and setteth on fire the foundations of the mountains." When the offended majesty of heaven set His foot on Mt. Sinai, its topwas girdled with flame and the thunder voice of law and justice shook it to the base. For justice that would not be angry with rebellion and sin, would not be justice at all. In Revelation we are told of a burning mountain cast into the sea, but the sea did not quench it. The red tongues of flame, if let alone, could soon lick up the great billows of the deep and wrap this guilty world in ruinous conflagration. This flaming mountain was burning in the place of human habitation, and who will dare to pass it, or who can pour out floods enough to quench its fires? For wrath has gone forth against the sons of men.

Fourth is the mountain of darkness, says Isaiah Ix: 2. The prophet Jeremiah speaks of those whose "feet should stumble on the dark mountains." No light shines upon its black summit or down its rugged cavernous sides. From out its deep caves comes the smoke and blackness of darkness. Its awful shadow shuts out from earth the face of God, and lays blinding night on the hearts and minds of men. There gather the powers of darkness, its caverns are their retreat, and they ambush in its gloomy gorges, and cast their captives and slain into its gaping gulfs. The heathen world to-day is stumbling on through its deep shadow that lies all along their cheerless journey of life, and its pall hangs over thousands of hearts in Christian lands. Its dark shade makes men of understanding grope like the blind. Its horrid shadow makes the night of the death chamber and the gloom of the grave. All the gloom, and dread, and night, and despair of earth fall upon our journey of life from this dark mountain. "For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee," Isaiah lx: 2. Who can pass over it cr chase its night away? Philosophers, poets, scientists, human teachers and reformers have tried to dispel the darkness that lifts itself betwixt us and heaven, but in vain. Their feeble torches only revealed the darkness.

We will not stop to speak of the hills of Provocation, Unbelief, Pride and Self-righteousness, which sinful hands placed in the coming Redeemer's path.

But through such a mountain region there must be also gloomy forests, narrow, dangerous defiles, yawning chasms, gulfs and fearful gorges, made more awful by the covering of darkness that hangs over them, for the lurid flames of wrath is all the light that falls upon this whole mountain road between heaven and earth. This is the region through which the Beloved must come. Those are the difficulties, obstacles, perils and foes He must encounter and overcome. What wonder the Bride is despairing? What wonder if the question troubles her heart, "Can He pass through this wilderness, cross these chasms, leap these gulfs, climb these mountains, conquer these foes and come to me? Can He?" What wonder if doubt and despondency bordering on despair enters the human heart when it sees the way between heaven and earth piled with such obstacles, great, insurmountable difficulties, appalling dangers? What wonder if it questions whether even the Son of God can come over this way? But thanks be to God, we know He can, we know He has come over this very region, as if it were an unobstructed plain.

Second. How did Christ, the Beloved, come? If you should journey among the Alps, the guide would present you with a staff, to make sure your footing on the steep sides, to enable you to leap over the deep gaps that might open across your path. Without this you could not possibly climb the Jura or Mount Blanc. So with the cross as the staff of His hand, Jesus approached these mountains. But first He must consecrate, sanctify, give virtue and power to this cross by dying upon it. It must be more than a common mountain staff; it must be a magic wand, surpassing Moses' rod. He must do wondrous,

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miraculous things with it. So, "for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, bore our sins in His own body on this tree." Nailed upon it as a sacrifice, He suffered there and died. Then rising from this death, He seizes the cross in His hand and •comes to the Mountain of Guilt; He smites it in His might, pours out the blood of His cross upon it and it melted in His presence. Then was fulfilled the language of the Psalmist and the prophets, "The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, and the mountains flowed down at His presence," Isaiah lxiv: 3. "Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain." There is no mountain of guilt, though it may rise to heaven in its height, and spread its wide base over all the earth, but one stroke of Jesus' cross will crumble it, and it will become molten under His blood.

Passing this molten Mountain of Guilt, the Mountain of Justice rises before Him. It is a high mountain ; its top is above the clouds and its broad, immovable base rests firmly on the earth. God built it, and His glory is enthroned upon it. No smiting can crumble this; justice must not be beaten down; no blood or tears can wash away the claims of law or righteousness. What can the Redeemer do here? Can He not pass it? No! It fills all the earth. Will it not bow before Him? No! Justice cannot bend even to the Son of God. Must He turn back and leave His Bride to perish alone? No. Around the base of this height runs the gulf of human despair. With His cross He filled this up, and piled above it a mountain of mercy, up to the clouds, through and above the clouds, up to the heavens and above the "heavens. Then was fulfilled the language of the

Psalmist, "Thy mercy is great above the heavens." Faithfulness and justice is through the clouds and up to the heavens. But mercy rejoiceth over judgment. The Mountain of Mercy overtops the Mountain of Justice, and with Kis cross He leaps over its summit. God's justice is honored, His holiness sustained, the place of His habitation unmoved, and leaping over this height, the Redeemer comes down the earth side of this mountain and lights upon the Mountain of Wrath. But its fire did not consume Him, nor its flame kindle upon Him. Up through the red billows that reached to its summit and rolled from its lava sides He trod. Then were His "feet like unto fine brass, as though they burned in a furnace." But as He poured upon it the blood of His cross and the tears of His atoning agony, its flame ceased and its burning coals were utterly quenched. This is He who, at the prayer of Moses, put out the fire that burned in the midst of the children of Israel. This is He who gives to those that work righteousness power to "quench the violence of fire." This is the one like the Son of man that walked with His holy children in the blazing furnace at Babylon. And as His sacred feet leaped up the scorched and blackened sides of this Mountain of Wrath, it crumbled into a cold and ashen heap, upon which sprung up verdure, fruits and flowers, as He passed over it, and sprinkled forth the showers of mercy. The fiercest flames of Divine anger cannot burn against the Gethsemane sweat and tears, and Calvary-blood, of the Son of God. Then He leaped upon the Mountain of Darkness. He shed all over its dark sides the light of His lovelit and victorious face. The glowing arrows of light entered all its gloomy defiles and black caverns. He

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chased its shadow, and night, and horrid despair before Him, and in the blaze of His glory, which illumined all the mountain, He saw the powers of darkness; He pursued them over the ragged sides, through the gorges into the caves of night. He overtook them, overpowered them, took them captive, and cast them, bound with chains of darkness, into the bottomless gulf, where their slain and captives were found. Then did He lead captivity captive, and as He turned His victorious face from the summit of this mountain, the whole earth was lightened with His glory, and lo! behind Him all the region over which He passed had become a plain. Then was fulfilled the language of Isaiah, "Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain, and there shall be in the desert a highway for our God." For the joy of this victory He endured the cross; then as a rejoicing conqueror He came, skipping upon the hills and leaping upon the mountains. The greatest obstacles were no longer barriers, insurmountable difficulties disappeared from before Him. As a strong man, a man of Divine strength, He came from his heavenly chamber, rejoicing to run His race, refreshed with the wine of love to God and love to man, He passed over the course with shoutings, and stopped not until He embraced His lovely and disconsolate Bride. This is Jesus, the conquering Redeemer. This is Jesus, the Beloved of the believing soul, the Husband and Lord of the Church, the waiting and longing Bride.

Third. Why did He come? First He came to exhibit His own glory and the glory of His Father. Jesus rejoiced in the work given Him to do, because

He saw in its accomplishment a matchless display of His divine glory. He saw that a victory over the battle set in array against Him, a defeat of all the hosts of foes to God and man, a triumph over all obstacles, would spread over the earth such a sheen of glory as nothing else could, reveal rightly the divine character, fill heaven with joyful shouting. Therefore, as difficulties were overcome, foes beaten down, and His triumphal march continued, every Divine perfection was glorified; truth was vindicated, law was magnified, justice was honored, holiness was crowned, mercy was satisfied, and love was enthroned. Therefore, the first note of the angel's song over Bethlehem was, "Glory to God in the highest!" It was delight in this, joy for this ascription of praise to God, that gave Him such strength, that made Him leap upon the mountains and skip upon the hills. The glory of the Son and of the Father never was, never will be, never can be, so displayed in anything else as in this redemption work and conflict and victory of the Son of God. Creation's glory pales under the ineffable brightness of complete salvation from sin, eternal life and happiness bestowed on guilty men. This is the glory that excelleth, and for this reason He came. In the work of creation and providence could be seen the glory of wisdom, power and goodness. In Divine law and its administration could be seen the glory of holiness, justice and truth; but in the work of Redemption, love and mercy blended with all these royal gems to garland and crown with matchless glory the cross.

2d. He came for the sake of His Church, His chosen and beloved people on earth. The earth is in a state of siege, it is a land of condemnation and

THE GOLDEN P0\ wrath. His poor imprisoned, sinful, helpless, hopeless people are down there in the vale of death. The cry of distress could reach His ear over all the vast distance of mountain region that lay between; from the far away glory His eye could look upon the helpless misery and guilt of sin. Then were His "delights with the sons of men." Love like His could overleap any obstacle; such zeal could pass through any difficulties. True, the way is long and steep and hard and perilous; the mountains are high and rugged, and dark and dangerous ; the enemies are many, cruel and mighty; but love is strong, enduring and undaunted; zeal will not be quenched; it burns in the redeeming heart. The travail of His soul must be satisfied. Divine compassion will not turn away from misery, even guilty misery. While we were yet sinners, because we were sinners, the Beloved came to wash out guilt with the blood which the sword of justice would shed, to stay the wrath, subdue the enemies, heal the hurt, and chase fear, terror, darkness and misery from earth. When the great Captain of our salvation died on Calvary, our enemies died with Him; for He conquers the earth through His death. He turned away and passed by the prison house of fallen and wretched angels — Divine wisdom only knows why, sovereign love only knows how — and cast His heart upon the earth, for the sake of His people. These mountains had never been crossed or these hills removed if Christ had not had a people beyond them that He loved. But He could not hold His peace even in heaven, could take no rest; He would come through fire and water, for His heart was in the earth. Heaven is not less glorious, but love has a call from below and can make itself a habitation there among men; so He came to His Church, His Bride, exclaiming,

"This is My rest, here still I'll stay, For I do love it well."

3d. He came to beget love and kindle it to a flame in the hearts of those He loved. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us. We love Him because He first loved us." Love, and love alone, begets love; it creates in its own likeness. Gibbets, thumbscrews and racks may crush life out of the heart, but not love. The iron rod of the law may strike water out of the rock, but not love; the sword of justice may strike fire from the flinty soul, but not love. All the power of heaven, earth and hell combined could not compel love by mere force; therefore, when the Almighty and the all-wise One would woo, win and redeem the earth, He made the provisions of love; He carried out the arrangements of love; He flung out from the battlement of heaven the banner of love over the rebellious world; He gave to the guilty a conquering exhibition, an irresistible display of love. He came Himself down to fallen, guilty, wretched man. The hand of love lifted the fallen up, the finger of love opened the blind eyes, the finger of love unstopped deaf ears, the hand of love poured oil and wine into painful wounds and gave food and drink to the famishing. The voice of love spoke pardon and peace to the heart of guilt and misery, when the magic wand of love touched the dead soul, it lived and felt through all its awakened powers the inflowing of the sweetest love and happy endless life. All God's arrangements and redemption work is to implant and turn human love back to neaven. We have good reason for wondering why all do not love the redeeming Jesus. Why is it? Because they shut their eyes to the exhibition of Divine love; they turn their hearts away from the touch of heaven's love; their souls refuse to believe the love God has to them. If they would lift up their eyes to the opening heaven that lets through the Son of God; if they would see on Calvary the atoning Son of God dying with love; if they would lift their heads and behold Him leaping over the crumbling, melting mountain, and skipping on the tottering hills in the glad great joy of His redeeming love, their hearts would not refuse to love and trust Him. To win this love and through it make happy a people on earth, He came.

4th. He came to put hope and joy into desolate and despairing hearts. During the siege of Lucknow, the English and Christian missionaries shut up there were fast sinking into despair. The engineers told them the sappers and miners of the foe were fast undermining the walls, that twenty-four hours would end the scene, and they must perish amid heathen horrors. On every side death stared them in the face, no human skill could avert it longer. Jessie Brown, wife of a Scotch corporal, overcome with fatigue, and hopeless, heartsick, wrapped her plaid about her and lay down amid the roar of cannon, to rest, if not sleep. Lying thus upon the ground, a well known sound struck upon her ear. She sprang upon her feet, a light of intensest joy and hope beamed upon her face. With clasped hands she exclaimed, "Dinna ye hear it! Dinna ye hear it? I'm no dreamin'; it's the slogan of the Highlanders! Hark to the slogan! We're saved! We're saved!" Her Scottish ears had caught the music of the victorious pibroch as Havelock's Highlanders marched through defeated enemies to the fort. Surely not unlike this, but more gladdening and glorious far, the angel herald of the Gospel on the plains of Bethlehem to a guilty and helpless race, and millions of desolate, despairing hearts have leaped for joy under the sound of it, proclaiming "peace on earth, good will to men." It is the music of heaven's triumphant pibroch sounding out over the earth, it is the Redeemer's victorious slogan as He overthrows the legions of hell, and it has brought the deepest joy and the brightest hope this imperiled world has ever known or felt. Out over the hills and mountain tops of earth it is singing and sounding its glad tidings yet. Open your Bibles and read the words set to this music, "Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." "Behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains, and skipping upon the hills." If you would enter into this joy, lift up your hearts and cry, "Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly." For to those who look for Him will He come a second time "without sin unto salvation."

Christ came first in personal, visible presence, to serve man amidst ignominy and suffering; passed through the furnace of Divine wrath and hid Himself in the grave, the victim and sacrifice for sin. He comes now by His word and Spirit and takes possession of the guilty soul, to deliver it from sin. But to those who look for Him He will come again; His snming feet shall rejoice upon the hills and mountain tops of earth; they shall reel and melt beneath Him, and every eye shall see Him. If you would greet with joy that coming, then lift up your hearts now and cry, "Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly," and take possession of my soul.

III. Peter's Peril

"Lord, save me," Matthew xiv: 30.

Why did our blessed Lord ever bring about this thrilling incident? Why move the mind of Peter to attempt this walk on the waves? May it not have been that he might give to the world an illustration of the necessity, authority and certainty of salvation, that would flash truth upon the unbelieving soul, like light bursting forth in the midst of darkness, and give to the perishing the Gospel in three short words, "Lord, save me?" You need not make broad phylacteries upon which to write before the world that you are a sinking sinner trusting in a Saviour — it can be graven on a prodigal's finger ring. You need not make long prayers and confession to tell the Lord your peril — these three words tell Him enough. Some are prone to value prayers by their length — they cannot even quote this correctly, but add the words, "I perish," which are not there, and not needed. Peter said about all he had time to say, and all that was necessary. You should never complain that you cannot remember the Gospel. Can you forget these three words? Enshrine them in your heart and ponder the priceless truths they convey, and you have the Gospel in its greatest and most comforting truths. If all the Bible were lost except these three short words, put into the mouth of a perishing sinner by inspiration, the world might still have the Gospel. Jehoiakim may mutilate the roll with his sacrilegious knife; Antiochus may rend aud burn the law; the Jews and Voltaires of the world may destroy the life of Christ; Rome may chain it in the cell of her monks, but before they can rob us of the Gospel they must pluck those inspired words from the believer's heart. These contain the truth which types and shadows, sacrifice and offering, prophecy and parables, crucifixion and resurrection, have all been employed in setting forth, the truth of man hopelessly perishing and Christ a present, able, willing Saviour.

Peter's condition is that of every individual of the sinful human race, and this prayer is for them.

First. What is asked for? Salvation.

Second. Of whom asked? The Lord.

Third. For whom asked? For me.

Salvation implies danger. There can be no salvation where there is no danger present or threatening. Why at this time did Peter cry out for deliverance? Because he saw the billows rolling upon him, and he was sinking in the waters. At another time, on the sea of Galilee, why did the disciples wake Jesus from His sleep, crying, "Lord, save us, we perish?" Because yawning gulfs were opening around them and the wind was tilting their frail ship on the toppling waves.

So there is great danger not only threatening but present, from which you need to be saved. You are already in the slavery of sin, and your fetters are becoming stronger and your bondage more grievous and hopeless every day; more grievous because more exacting, and more hopeless because you have less sense of its oppression. The neck of the ox soon becomes calloused and he ceases to twinge and give back from the pressure of his load, for the yoke has

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ceased to gall. After many years of bondage, the slave partially forgets the sweets of liberty, the weight of his chains and the misery of degradation. So with man in the service of sin. At first he must be baited with strong temptation to transgress, and after commission feels himself wronged in his wages and robbed of his happiness, but some little kindness of his master and indulgence of his desires wins his affections, and he forgets the wrong and robbery of his oppressor and becomes more contented with his wages, until at length, like the Hebrew servant, he says, "I love my master and will not go out free." He drinks in sin like water — it has become his delight and his pleasure, not his labor.

But is it true that any man who has once breathed the air of freedom, used his limbs for himself and walked at liberty, earned wages to put into his own purse, embraced his wife and children and called them his own — it is true that he can ever love and wed bondage that takes them all away? No, he cannot! The wind that blew on the mountains of freedom is around him yet, and the shell still sings of the sea. But those born in slavery may. They have never known the bounding joys, the sunny skies and fragrant flowers of freedom, and they must be persuaded of the truth before they will desire liberty.