Elijah the Tishbite. Miscellaneous Writings of C. H. Mackintosh, vol. VMackintosh, Charles Henry
Religion
Elijah the Tishbite. Miscellaneous Writings of C. H. Mackintosh, vol. V
Mackintosh, Charles Henry
Theology
which our blessed Lord and Saviour makes to us. "Come unto Me, all ye
that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke
upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye
shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is
light."
These words are familiar to our readers, and we but introduce them
here as completing the lovely picture presented in our chapter. We
feel assured the spiritual reader will greatly enjoy the presentation
of the divine Workman in His rebuffs, His resources, and His returns.
It is a marvelous lesson indeed. The Lord Jesus retires from a scene
of disappointments, and finds all His springs in God; He then comes
forth into the midst of the very scene that had repulsed Him, and
makes His gracious returns. It is all in perfect grace--grace
unfailing--mercy inexhaustible--patience unwearied. True, He had sent
an answer to the Baptist; He had faithfully portrayed the men of that
generation; He had denounced a solemn woe upon the impenitent cities;
but He can come forth in all the divine freshness and fulness of the
grace that was in Him, and say, to every heavy laden soul, "_Come unto
Me_."
Beloved reader, all this is divine. It draws out our hearts in worship
and thanksgiving. If _faithfulness_ is constrained, in the view of
aggravated impenitence, to say, "_Woe_ unto thee," _grace_ can
address every burdened heart in the touching accents, "_Come_ unto
_Me_." Both are perfect. The Lord Jesus felt the rebuffs. He would not
have been very man if He had not felt them. Yes, He felt the rebuffs.
He could say, "I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and
for comforters, but I found none." Mark, "_I looked_." His loving
human heart fondly "looked" for pity, but found it not. He looked for
comforters, but looked in vain. There was no pity for Jesus--no
comforters for Him. He was left alone. Loneliness and desolation,
thirst, ignominy and death--such was the portion of the Son of God and
Son of man. "Reproach," says He, "hath broken my heart." It is a fatal
mistake to suppose that the Lord Jesus did not feel in every respect,
as man should feel, the varied exercises through which He passed. He
felt everything that man is capable of feeling except sin, and this
latter He bore and expiated on the cross, blessed be His name!
This is not only a great cardinal doctrine of the christian faith, but
a truth of infinite sweetness to the heart of every true believer.
Jesus, as man, felt what it was to be neglected, to be disappointed,
to be wounded and insulted. Blessed Jesus! thus it was with Thee, down
here, because Thou wast very man, perfect in all that became a man, in
the midst of this heartless world. Thy loving heart sought sympathy,
but found it not. Loneliness was Thy portion while craving sweet
companionship. This world had no pity, no comfort for Thee.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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