Life and Times of David. Miscellaneous Writings of C. H. Mackintosh, vol. VIMackintosh, Charles Henry
Religion
Life and Times of David. Miscellaneous Writings of C. H. Mackintosh, vol. VI
Mackintosh, Charles Henry
Theology
In a word, we see total inability to take in the true bearing of the
case, as viewed from a divine standpoint. Nature sees nothing but
death and darkness, where faith basks in the sunlight of the divine
presence. "Let us also go, that we may _die_ with Him." Alas, alas!
was this all that even a disciple had to say? How absurd are the
conclusions of unbelief! Let us go with the Prince of life,
that--what? "we may die with Him"! What blindness even while attached
to the Lord! Should not Thomas have said: "Let us go, that we may
behold His glory; that we may see His marvelous doings in the very
region of the shadow of death; that we may share in His triumphs; that
we may shout, at the very gates of the grave, our hallelujahs to His
deathless name?"
IV
We have already noticed the three prominent subjects presented to us
in John xi., namely, our Lord's own path with the Father; secondly,
His profound sympathy with us; thirdly, His grace in linking us with
Himself, in so far as that is possible, in all His blessed work. He
ever walked with God, in calm, unbroken communion. He walked in the
most implicit obedience to the will of God, and was ruled in all
things by His glory. He walked in the day, and stumbled not. The will
of God was the light in which the perfect workman ever carried on His
work. He found His _only_ motive for action in the divine will--His
_only_ object in the divine glory. He came down from heaven, not to do
His own will, but the will of the Father, in which He ever found His
meat and drink.
But His great, loving heart flowed out in perfect sympathy with human
sorrow. This we see attested in the most touching manner as He moved,
in company with the afflicted sisters, to the tomb of their brother.
If any question had arisen in their hearts during the season of trial,
in the absence of their Lord, it was abundantly answered, yea, we may
add, completely demolished, by the manifestation of His deep and
tender affection as He moved toward the spot where the beams of the
divine glory were so soon to shine out over the dreary region of
death.
We do not here dwell upon the interesting interview between the two
sisters and their beloved Lord, so full of teaching, so illustrative
of His perfect mode of dealing with His people in their varied
measures of intelligence and communion. We pass at once to the
inspired statement in verse 33 of our chapter. "When Jesus therefore
saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, He
groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, and said, Where have ye laid
him? They said unto Him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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