RARE are the occasions in which a Christian can venture to answer a fool according to his folly—yet on the fitting occasion the Apostle turned " the carnal weapons " (for irony the most delicate must so be be reckoned) with overwhelming power against those who had assailed him. What strange beings we are, readily succumbing to usurped authority which has no credentials from God, and at the same time questioning or fretting against that power which carries its own credentials as of God with it. What is it? Man hates to be brought into direct contact with God. This can only be done through faith in Jesus Christ—or else God comes into contact with men in judgment. How readily might the Apostle have vindicated himself from every ground of charge against him. He might have demanded maintenance, but he would not forego his privilege of preaching the Gospel freely. He might have appealed to the fruit of his ministerial labors, but he had rather glory in his infirmities. He might have broken silence as to the marvelous revelation vouchsafed to him, but he brings into, prominence the messenger of Satan to buffet him. He might have gone to Corinth at once, to prove the steadfastness of his purpose, instead of writing: " Behold the third time I am ready to come to you. This is the third time I am coming to you.
... I told you before and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time." He might have given them sensible proof of his power by its exercise in terrible discipline on themselves, but he had far rather that they should do " that which was honest," so that he needed not to exercise his power, although it left the question of his power unsettled. None but one conscious of divine power could have afforded to act in such a manner. None but one reckless of his own character among men, and yet conscious of acting before God, could have marked out such a way for himself. None but one having as a single and supreme object the glory of Christ in the saints, in other words, their edification, could have been content to leave himself and his authority in so questionable a position.
It is written of the Lord Jesus himself—"'In his humiliation his judgment was taken away." Satan and Pharisees, tempting Him, alike demanded proofs of His Sonship and Christhood, which it was not consistent for Him, in having humbled Himself, then to afford. "His brethren " also (John 7) would have Him publicly show Himself to the world— publicly show Himself to the world—little thinking, if He had done so, it could only have been in judgment. But Jesus waited, and still waits (and His appeal—with what full credentials!—is still to the conscience of sinners), ere He appears in the irresistible glory of his own person in judgment. He, conscious of His own essential glory, did not need external proof for His own satisfaction. He could allow all His pretensions to be questioned by others, because of that which He really was. He left His claims unvindicated, save to faith and conscience, because He knew there was a set time in the counsels of Eternity for the public vindication both of His own essential glory and of every claim which He had preferred. Thus conscious, " He was crucified through weakness." Faith indeed looks to Him where He now is; faith now owns the glory of His person, faith rests on the value of His work—faith owns His work as the Lamb slain—faith owns now that all power in heaven and earth is given unto Him as the glorified man; faith bows now in the fullest acknowledgment of the name of Jesus. But Jesus himself is yet long-suffering, even though His long-suffering causes His own name to remain unvindicated, and His saints to continue in sorrow and trial. His long-suffering is to be accounted salvation. How marvelous, yet how gracious, is Thy way, Lord Jesus! and Thy " chosen vessel " did, according to his measure, follow Thee in this Thy way! He was conscious of the authority which the Lord himself had given to him; and on the ground of this consciousness he could allow his authority to be questioned. He, too, was " weak " with his Master, leaving the demonstration of his power to the fitting time and season. He, too, knew of a demonstration to the soul far beyond that produced by the mightiest external proofs. " He that believeth on the Son path the witness in himself," and the Apostle could appeal to such a kind of testimony. " Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you ward is not weak, but is mighty in you.... examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.
Know ye not that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates; " without proof answering to their seeking " a proof." The Apostle appeals to their own consciences; if his authority was not commended there, the only resource must be in judgment. Were they in the faith? Was Jesus Christ in them, by revelation of the Holy Ghost? Then their own faith; the very consciousness of Christ in their souls was the irrefragable proof of his Apostleship, as he had before said—" The seal of mine Apostleship are ye in the Lord." It was by the manifestation of the truth that he had commended himself to their consciences, and he could do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. God had once dealt with men by signs and wonders, with the most marked demonstration of His power, but conviction resulting from such evidence (such is man), lasted only so long as the demonstration itself of the power of God was before their eyes., " He saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy; and the waters covered their enemies, there was not one of them left. Then believed they his words—they sang his praise. They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel." So, again, he visited them in after-time, and with the like result. The Israel at the time the Day-spring from on high visited them, Jehovah-Jesus, proved themselves to be the like faithless and perverse generation as their fathers in the wilderness. To this He speedily testified. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, on the feast day, many believed in His name, when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them; " for he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man." He left them indeed without excuse, because they rejected Him, coming as He did with all the credentials of Messiah. But there was deeper condemnation than this, " they had seen Him and believed not." " They had both seen and hated both Him and his Father." God has left man without excuse—He has appealed to their senses, He has appealed to their understanding. He now makes His last appeal in the Gospel of His grace to the consciences and affections of men, and if this is rejected one solemn fact alone solves the phenomenon: " The God of this world hath blinded the minds of those who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine into them." Jesus, knowing His own essential glory, and the fullness that was in Himself, desired to be received on His own testimony rather than on the demonstration of His miracles. "Believe me, that I am in the Father and the Father in me: or else believe me for the Very work's sake." Jesus presents himself, and is presented in the Gospel, to our conscience and affections, and this on the ground of his own essential being. If this claim does not commend Him to us, in vain would be the outward attestation, of His works. So His servant, Paul, conscious of the power given to him of the Lord, not anxious to prove it by judgment on others, sought to rouse the conscience of the Corinthian saints, and this being effected, he was content to leave his own pretensions in question, save that he was ready, in obedience to the Lord, to " use sharpness " when the time came. In this we find the real value of ministerial authority, it appeals to the conscience: the outward demonstration by the most convincing signs was quite a secondary thought in the mind of the Apostle. When the conscience of the most disorderly saint. is reached, what happy and gracious results follow; and Adieu the consciences of many are so exercised as to)rove them " clear in any matter," the weight of their ententes, apart from outward demonstration of power, will be felt by the disobedient and refractory—hr it is sanctioned by the Lord himself.
There are two great hindrances to healthful" action in the Church of God—assumption of authority, and leaning on authority. These are connected; but, whether united or separate, effectually hinder “standing by faith " Pretension to authority in the Church is generally found great in proportion as it is lacking in divine credentials to the conscience. It never appeals to the conscience; it aims at domination over faith-it is used, not for edification, but for destruction. Of this character is the authority claimed by Romanists and Anglicans for a presumed sacerdotal standing. It professes to be of God, it boasts of wonders, it is loud, authoritative, terrifying. It appeals to itself, not to conscience. That they are of God is the point of faith, and not faith recognizing divine power, commending itself to the conscience by manifestation of the truth. But there is a charm in this usurped authority. Men, and men of superior mind and of high moral worth, will “suffer if a man thus exalt himself." Whence this phenomenon! It tends to lull all exercise of conscience towards God. It keeps man in his natural element of distance from God, while persuading him that he is honoring God. We have seen, at Corinth, authority most unquestionably of God refused, and usurped power acknowledged, the one appealed to the conscience to lead it into exercise before God, the other claimed subjection to itself and prevailed, and thus interposed itself between God and the conscience. Such usurped authority carries with it a strong conventional claim. Deference to it was early inculcated, and has grown with our growth, so as to become a settled habit. What if the holder of this presumed authority did not commend himself to our moral judgment? Still there was a sacredness attached to his office. In many instances, men who have had discernment to see through the hollowness of the claim have been too impatient to satisfy themselves as to the truth, too busily occupied with the world to step out of their vocation to investigate, as they judge, a mere matter of opinion, dreading the alternative of infidelity if they rejected such venerable authority, and have tacitly allowed the claim on the ground of decent usage and legal acknowledgment, which they thoroughly despised in their hearts. " They put away a good conscience and make shipwreck of the faith," for such is the force of educational prejudice that, in the minds of the majority, the claims of the authorized minister and the claims of Scripture rest on the same basis, so that to undermine the one would be to jeopardize the authority of the other. And when from time to time an independent mind, disgusted by assumption of authority, has carried out its own thoughts, it has only found in skepticism relief from domination over faith. Alas—that it should be so, but of whom shall the blood of such be demanded? They, indeed, are in awful condemnation; for God holds every one responsible to himself to hear what He says. But God will not hold those guiltless who have, by means of their system, hindered the direct exercise of conscience before God. It was a serious charge the Lord had to make against Judah. “In thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents. I have not found it by secret search, but by all these." And it is a very solemn thought, that the great professing body has used authority so effectually to hinder the exercise of faith and conscience, as to leave apparently no alternative between submission to its authority and skepticism. However definite may be the interpretation, the principle applies to the great professing body—" In her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."
Real Christians need serious warnings as to the danger of allowing their faith to rest in the wisdom of man, instead of in the power of God. There may be large dominion over the faith tacitly allowed by Christians, even when such dominion is neither sought nor asserted by their teachers. Man is impatient under the sense of responsibility. He would persuade himself that he can do things by proxy, and thus relieve himself from care. The Solicitor cares for his worldly interests; the Physician for his health; and the Minister takes charge of his spiritual concerns. The Lord, in His ministry, and His servants subsequently, warned against this tendency. We have the double warning—" Be not ye called Rabbi."
“Call no man your father on earth"—and the direct acknowledgment of Christ Himself as Master of all, both of teachers and of taught, and confidential intercourse with the Father is the alone preservative. "One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren." ", One is your Father, which is in heaven." “By faith ye stand." Relinquishing traditional authority, need not land us in skepticism. We assert the authority of God with whom we have to do; and if we claim independence from human authority, it is in order to be dependent on God. This is the point. On the one side, we find all that is merely conventional tottering; on the other, men promising themselves great things from the emancipation of man's will from the tradition of ages. The very shaking of conventional authority has given occasion for the assertion of authority (as of God) over the consciences of men in a more undisguised manner in this land, than at any period since the Reformation; and the very fact of its not being politically asserted, gives more validity to its pretensions. On the other hand, a philanthropical theory is attempting, vainly attempting, to control the emancipated will of man, in order to produce " peace on earth," and " good-will among men," but entirely disregarding the essentials of Christianity. Between these two sections—the "little flock of God," to whom it is His good pleasure to give the kingdom, will be lost sight of Happy for them, if, in the midst of the disruption of everything, they seek not unto visible authority, as the basis of their faith, but " build themselves up on their most holy faith." Happy for them, if when the mind of man, emancipated from traditional authority, is running again its wayward course to folly, in the vain profession of wisdom, they be found' with their consciences exercised before God, standing by faith in Him, and holding to the unshaken, eternal, and invisible realities, which the Holy Ghost Himself reveals to them.