LXI.

_DREAD OF RIDICULE._

24th Sunday after Trinity.

S. Matt. ix. 24.

"And they laughed Him to scorn."

INTRODUCTION.--"All that will live G.o.dly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim. iii. 12.) This is what S. Paul says. This is what everyone of you must make up your mind to, if you intend to live G.o.dly lives, and, moreover, to live in Christ. Do you know what that meant to the early Christians? It meant that if they were going to be firm in their faith, live up to their profession, and eschew evil, they should be dragged before governors, and hung on what was called the "little horse," and their flesh torn with redhot pincers. It meant that they should be scourged to death, or that they should be roasted alive over slow fires, or that they should be gored in the amphitheatre by a bull, or torn to pieces by a lion, or that they should have their skin taken off, or that their heads should be struck off, or that they should be crucified. So when they were baptized and professed the Creed, and were signed with the cross, they knew that they were enlisted to suffer persecution if they acted up to their profession, and were worthy of the cross on their brows.

But this is not the sort of persecution you will be subjected to. The time of such cruel torture is over. The world has become Christian in name, but in heart it is pagan still.

"_All_ that will live G.o.dly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

S. Paul does not limit this to his day. It is not only all in the first century, but all in the nineteenth century as well. Only this is altered--the mode of persecution.

SUBJECT.--The persecution you will be subjected to, if you live G.o.dly in Jesus Christ is--Ridicule. No one will make you suffer in the body.

No pincers and knives will be brought against you,--only Tongues.

I. Noah was ordered by G.o.d to build an ark on dry ground. Imagine the ridicule he met with! How the people would flock out of an evening, to see how he was getting on. What jibes! How he was tormented with questions, When was the great boat to be launched? How was he to bring the sea up to it? Was he with his three sons to put their shoulders to it, and push it down to the seash.o.r.e? But Noah did not heed them, he went on with his building. It was very unpleasant to bear. It made him very red with shame and annoyance sometimes. But he did not give up. If he had done so, he would have been drowned. And one day the flood came. The fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven opened, and then the water overflowed the land.

Then!--how was it with those men and women who had made fun of Noah?

On whose side was the laugh now?

The Israelites were ordered by G.o.d to camp against Jericho. They were to march round the city once a day, with the priests going before, blowing their trumpets; this was to be done six days in succession, but on the seventh day they were to march seven times round the city, with the priests leading the way, blowing the rams' horns. The first day the inhabitants of Jericho rushed to their walls, and watched, and wondered. The second day they saw the same procession go round the town. It had ended in nothing on Sunday, so they laughed and pointed at them. What a ludicrous sight! All those men armed with swords and spears, who do not use them, those priests blowing the horns as to encourage the Israelites to battle, and not one rushing forward to scale the walls. The third day all the women and children were on the walls, marching round and mimicking them, blowing toy trumpets. What jokes! What jeers shouted from the walls! So on to the Friday. On the Sabbath the people got rather tired of this same scene. It was growing monotonous; so they did not come in such numbers. However, after the Israelites had marched round once, they began to march round a second time. Here was something new! Something still more nonsensical; and the people of Jericho came out on their walls again to flout them, and pa.s.s their jokes. When the Israelites had been round twice, they started to go round a third time, then a fourth, then a fifth, then a sixth. The mocking grew more excessive, the ridicule more keen. But, when the circuit of the city was made the seventh time, then, the walls of the city fell down, and the Israelites rushed in over the ruins, and killed all they came across. On whose side was the laugh then?

II. As I told you at the beginning of my sermon, if you will live G.o.dly in Christ Jesus, you must expect persecution, and the only sort of persecution you will get is Ridicule.

Therefore, if you will live G.o.dly in Christ Jesus, you must be prepared to be taunted, and made fun of, and teased. The tongues will wag and say all sort of hard things about you; You are a hypocrite, or you are going too far, or you are a fine person to set up to be a saint! but be of good cheer, do not mind the laughter, it is only for a while, and then the tables will be turned, and the laugh will be on your side.

It is very unpleasant to be made a b.u.t.t for ridicule. Of course it is, but it is not so unpleasant as to have your flesh torn off with redhot pincers. The early Christians who would live G.o.dly in Christ Jesus had to expect that.

It is very galling to have bitter things said of you, often unjust and untrue, only because you have begun to serve G.o.d, and lead a better life. Of course it is, but it is not so bitter to bear as a cruel death, and that is what the early Christians had to expect if they would live G.o.dly in Christ Jesus.

Then again. As the Master was used, so the servant must expect to be treated. Jesus Christ had not only to endure the cruelty of wicked men, but their ridicule as well, "They laughed Him to scorn."

CONCLUSION.--Pluck up a little courage, my brethren, and do not be such cowards. If you lack courage, ask of G.o.d, and He will give it you.

The Spirit of Fort.i.tude is one of the gifts of the Holy Ghost. He gave it to the martyrs to strengthen them under torment, and they were able to endure and not forsake their Lord. Then surely He will give to you that measure of fort.i.tude which will enable you to stand up against Ridicule.

LXII.

_WHAT LASTS, AND WHAT Pa.s.sES AWAY._

25th Sunday after Trinity.

S. Matthew xxiv., 35.

"Heaven and earth shall pa.s.s away, but My word shall not pa.s.s away."

INTRODUCTION.--Yes! all will pa.s.s away! This beautiful world and all that is on it. Our houses, our churches, our cities, will crumble away; the very earth with its mountains and rivers, and plains, and seas, will pa.s.s away. The stars will fall from heaven, the sun will have exhausted its fires, the moon will sink into night. But the words of Christ will last.

SUBJECT.--Incessant is the change. Ever are things present pa.s.sing away, but there is still something that remains. Things pa.s.s in their present fashion, but in substance remain.

I. S. Paul, in his 1st Epistle to the Corinthians, says (vii. 31): "The fashion of this world pa.s.seth away." It is as though this world were a theatre, on which pa.s.s many scenes. The curtain rises, and we see first Eden, all beautiful; there is no sin, no death; how lovely is the world in its maiden freshness and innocence, the flowers are blooming, and the birds are singing, and Adam and Eve stand surrounded by the beasts, which fawn on them, and fear them not. O that this lovely scene might remain! But no! "The fashion of this world pa.s.seth away."

Another scene. The Angel armed with the flaming sword drives our parents forth, the earth brings forth thorns and briars. Man slays the beasts to provide him with food and clothing. The earth is full of violence, Cain raises his hand against Abel. All flesh is corrupt before G.o.d. "The fashion of this world pa.s.seth away."

The flood has purified earth, but now men are scattered through the confusion of tongues, and go over all the world colonising, cutting down trees, planting corn, hunting wild beasts, pasturing cattle, and having flocks of sheep. "The fashion of this world pa.s.seth away."

Great empires arise, the Chaldean or a.s.syrian, the Persian, the Greek, these three. Do they last? "The fashion of this world pa.s.seth away."

A fourth arises; the mighty Roman Empire, extending over the whole known world. The Roman poet wrote of it in the name of his false G.o.d, Jupiter, "I put no bounds to this empire, neither of s.p.a.ce nor of time, I give it a kingdom without end." Was it so? We find scattered almost everywhere in the old world where we travel traces of this mighty empire, its roads, its castles, its palaces, its coins, but it is gone, gone utterly away, swept away by the hordes of Gothic barbarians. "The fashion of this world pa.s.seth away."

If we look back at the past times of our own country, what changes do we see! the fashion ever changing, the fashion of government, the fashion of religion, the fashion of dress, the fashion of architecture, all is change, change, and change.

Have you ever seen fireworks? Have you seen the rockets rush up into the air, casting a golden light, pouring forth sparks, and then bursting, this one into a silvery globe of light, that one into a thousand stars, crimson, blue, green, yellow, that again into sparks of curling fire-dust? What became of them? Down they fall, and all that remains is a stick and a bit of smouldering brown paper. The fashion has wondrously changed. Are not these rockets figures of the life of man? Up we rush in the eagerness of youth, and cast a light about us, up, up, growing brighter, throwing out our stars and globes of light, and then, "the fashion changeth," and we come down and are laid in our graves, a little ash. Here is the man who was full of wealth and honour, how he blazed as a sun, how he scattered his gold. "The fashion changeth." He is now a crumbling bit of clay.

Here is the man who made such a noise in the parish, such a boaster, so quarrelsome, so litigious, no one could come near him. "The fashion changeth." He lies still as a mouse now, and can resent no injury done to his dust.

Here is the active housewife, whose hand was always busily employed sewing, darning, scouring, never idle for one minute, keeping her house clean, and her children tidy. "The fashion changeth." She can stir no hand, can think for no one any more.

II. Evilmerodach, king of Babylon, was wroth with Daniel, because he denied that Bel was a G.o.d. Meats were placed on the altar before the idol every night, and before morning they had vanished. "Therefore,"

said the king, "Bel must be a G.o.d." But Daniel got fine ashes and strewed the temple floor, and locked the doors. Next morning he came with the king to the temple, and when the doors were opened, the king saw that all the meat was gone, then he cried out that Bel was a G.o.d.

But Daniel pointed to the floor, and there, in the ashes, were the prints of many feet, for the priests had a secret door under the altar, and in the night they came out with their wives and children, and ate what had been offered to the idol. Then Evilmerodach had them all slain.

Now, my brethren! Job says of G.o.d: "Thou lookest narrowly unto all my paths," or, as it might be better rendered, "my footprints." That is, Thou, O G.o.d, seest my traces where I have been, and Thou wilt take account of what I have done. Mark this!--The steps pa.s.s away, but the footprints do not pa.s.s away. The steps go on into Endless Life or Eternal Death, but the footprints remain to shew where you have walked.

Your fashion in this world may pa.s.s away, but your footprints remain to tell tales of you; they pa.s.s not away.

You house-father! You house-mother! you will go your way, but your traces will remain in your family, the good you have done, or the bad, these cannot be wiped out.

You who have done any dishonest act, spoken falsehood, dealt deceitfully, all your dishonest acts, and false words, and deceitful dealings, will pa.s.s away, but the traces will remain, and G.o.d will look narrowly at them.

You have been given talents, intelligence, physical strength, spiritual opportunities; these pa.s.s away, but not their traces.

You have been a boy, a youth, a man, and are now old. Each age has pa.s.sed away, but not the footsteps, they shall not pa.s.s away. What you did when first you got your reason, your childish acts, are pa.s.sed away, but not the results. Your actions when young,--did you yield to your pa.s.sions or conquer them? those acts are pa.s.sed away, but not the results. In your manhood, what have you done in your family, what example have you set? You are now old and white-headed. Vigorous manhood is over, pa.s.sed away, but the footsteps, the tell-tale footsteps remain.

CONCLUSION.--Now then, considering this, I urge you sincerely to live each day as if the last, to live so that you may not be afraid of your footsteps that will betray of what sort your life has been.