On the other hand the notion of tradition neither recognizes nor amends the state of things. It does not recognize it; for it assumes the literal state of things, but does not fulfill it. It does not acknowledge the evil and fallen state of the church. It assumes the continuance of that literal exactitude of services; and that, these being present, there is the security of the church. It acknowledges not that it has lost its glory in the display of present power to the world. It says, Give me my ordinances, and all is well; not seeing that it has just been deprived of power because of its moral departure from its constitution with God. It may have been God's wisdom so to order the dispensation: I speak merely of the fact. Neither does tradition amend it, but puts the church wholly on wrong ground. The spirit of obedience, the righteousness of faith, is that which we need, if indeed fallen. Though we had the most certain information of traditional forms of worship or ordinance, it would not make the, church of the living God. It is not the sign of, nor suited to the church in, its low and fallen condition. The perpetuity of ordinances is not its position is Babylon, but the spirit of humbled obedience—the word nigh it. The present spirit of obedience to the word nigh them is that which marks the spirit of faith and acknowledgment of God, not making haste. If we repent, we may (according to the word in Ezekiel) be shown more. To mock the fallen church with tradition is but a bitter and death-bearing substitute for the living power of the divine presence, or the obedience of faith, the only sure ground on which to stand, if we have fallen from the manifested glory of it.
But, tracing the other parts of the subject to show that it is the preliminary of blessing, few words after what has been said will be needed. “If any man will do His will,” says our Lord, “he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God.” Now this is precisely the obedience of faith, and shows that moral preparation for blessing given is conversion of will in the spirit of obedience. It is not the literal fact of outward act, but the spirit of mind; which will be necessarily shown in outward acts when that will is set before him. The next point is to do God's will, then he shall know—the gift of knowledge founded on the spirit of obedience; for what would avail to confer gift on the disobedient, unless God should provide for His own dishonor?
I would refer also, without dwelling on them, to Luke 6:4-94How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the showbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone? 5And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. 6And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. 7And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. 8But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. 9Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? (Luke 6:4‑9), Matthew 3:1515And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. (Matthew 3:15), John 13:16, 716Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. (John 13:16)
7Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. (John 13:7), and 22:26. The same truth is very distinctly taught us in John 14:21-2321He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:21‑23), where love to Jesus is thus definitely laid down, and blessing marked as consequent upon it— “He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father; and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.” Nothing can be more distinct than the sovereignty of grace to the sinner, through the obedience of Christ: the sureness of blessing to the saint in the order of obedience to the word.
The chastenings of unchanging love I speak not of here. But the doctrine is very express in the word, as to the order of all special gift, that it is adherence to the obedience of Christ, that it hangs upon and finds its scope and exercise in obedience. There may be an extraordinary act of everlasting sovereignty, as Balaam and Caiaphas, but it is not ground that the church of God can go upon. These are not given to the church as examples, unless they would associate themselves with apostasy as God's order. God may set light to His church upon the most dangerous rocks on the shores of destruction; there may be beacons all around them, but no attractive guide to the place where they stand, though we may bless the hand that set them there, a warning for none to approach, though a guide to all who pass. Unhappy people, the witness of the ruin that rolls around themselves!
One would have thought that it would have been amply enough to have seen the broad and essential principle on which the whole order of Christian truth is founded, to have determined the Christian mind as to its righteousness and judgment. One would have thought that its conclusion would have been intuitive, and the fruit of the presence and leading of the Spirit shown at once in the recognition of obedience as the path of the saint: that path which, as a saint led of the Spirit, is the only one in which the Spirit can lead. But the enemy of our souls is not met by the simplicity of truth, because of the want of simplicity of our minds; according as they are not spiritual, and in any sort affect anything not the object of, to which they are not led by, the Spirit. Therein the simplicity of truth fails to keep them, and the power of the enemy can avail itself of its subtlety against them. If there be any measure of positive though mixed spirituality, apparent rejection of the word would not be received. But Satan does not so proceed. He does not, therefore, propose disobedience, but modifies obedience, proposes preliminaries to it, or substitutes something instead.
Nor does Satan deceive the saints or those under the form of saints, with an open and simple lie: they are not the subjects of that—he has not ordinarily done so. If Satan said, “Ye shall be as gods (Elohim),” One far above all created beings repeated, “The man is become one of us, knowing good and evil.” But oh! what a store of accompanying evil and ruin come in upon the act of disobedience founded on this devil-used truth. Using it out of place, suppressing what went along with it, when man acted on it, was the foundation of the ruin that came upon the world. We must then meet Satan, not only by the simplicity of truth, which is the happiest way, which is happiness, but when our weakness and inconsistency open the way to his guile, by the wisdom of the word which applies to the case. This the unbounded and illimitable goodness of our God has provided for the weakness and necessities of His children, knowing the subtleties of their enemy, and providing for them who are assailable by reason of that weakness. Thus the Lord, far, most far, from inconsistency or evil, but assailed by that which would act on ours, met by the testimony of the word the subtlety of the enemy of our souls. What subtlety! An unconditional promise, a promise to Him, alleged to be His as Son of God, by virtue of His privilege. “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down hence, for it is written.” O highdrawn wit! a refinement of evil. Was it not true, and was not Satan a liar, and could it be Satan to produce a true promise of God? Would God be true to it? “If thou be Son of God,” act in faith upon this promise, claim its effect, show the power and glory which belongs to the dispensation. And how bright the glory, how fair the witness, how singular and suitable the testimony to what He was, what strength in His service, what foundation to claim the credence to the mission which presented Him in this very character Why not do it? What reason could be alleged? Must they not be the cavils of unbelief? Were the promises not true to the Son of God? Would God prove Himself a liar? It was the characteristic honor and place of Messiah: the ministering angels of the dispensation were to approve their Head in it. What could be more suitable or approved? But it was Satan's proposal—the Lord's total refusal. If a Son, He has yet made Himself a servant. There was no command on which to act. Had there been, ten thousand temple's would not have stopped His course, be they ever so goodly, ever so high, adorned with ever such goodly stones or gifts.
It is remarkable, too, in connection with what we have said as to Deuteronomy, that all the Lord's answers were taken from it. The word Lo-ammi had never been erased from the badge of the Jewish people since the day of their captivity. They bore it still upon their forehead. But the Lord took the part of scripture precisely applicable in their present state. He took the phylacteries of God therein afforded, and bound them round His forehead, and Satan could not touch Him then. And here was another most important principle connected with this subject. The promises of God were true, and the gifts and calling of God without repentance. And the very passage refers directly here to these Jews. But they did not apply to their present state. Satan would have used them so, but the path of obedience was to understand the mind of God; and the Lord applied in their acknowledged apostasy that which God had applied to that state of things.
The Jews applied to themselves, without the recognition of their fallen state, and herein showed that they had not the Spirit of God, and by their application of these promises of God, came under the power of Satan, and were led by him The Lord declined them, and rejected and baffled Satan. He took and kept the path of simple obedience. He rejected tradition. He rejected the promises, aye, the promises needed in the path of obedience and the understanding of the divine word. The first evidence—the first point—of the teaching of God's Spirit, of His wisdom in Christ, is the recognition of the apostate state itself, where the church is fallen. Here is the key, at once the solution, of all the rest: where this is, it is and must be the first instruction of the Spirit to us in our church-acting capacity; and all our conduct flows from it. And God has expressly provided the obedience of faith for His own, never deserting His own wherever the apostasy may be; for He does not and cannot turn away, nor is His faith made of no effect. And in the time of these difficulties the scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus, and are profitable, etc., that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished to every good work. O what a blessed word I what a blight on the holders of tradition as the pretenders to any light which would guide them farther than the perfectness of the man of God—the strength, the comfort, the wisdom of the divine word. May we be occupied with His commandments. J. N. D.
(Continued from page 180.) (To be continued.)