THE IMPOSSIBLE "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?"-S. Matt. vi. 27. It is very salutary for us to quite understand that there are a great many things which we cannot possibly do-we who do not understand what is meant by the life in the lily, when we consider it, how they grow; what their growth is; we who do not understand anything about our own growth, we cannot, although we may think, and think, and use all the powers that intellect has given us; we cannot add one cubit to our stature. That seems to belong at once to the sovereignty of God. We may be under-sized, but so God has created us, and we cannot help it. There is not one of us that by taking thought can make ourselves taller. And yet it would seem, certainly, that in society people are always wanting to be taller; or why do women wear such high heels, and men such tall hats? But in doing so, they do not make themselves the least taller. They do not add one cubit to their stature. It is in this way that God challenges us, and the challenge comes so straight, and so simply to us —that little simple fact belongs to the sovereignty of God. We who know so little, can do so little. If you think you can grow taller-grow-the Church roof is high enough! If you think you can touch the lowest star, touch it! You won't knock your head against the heavens. But we who cannot open the gates of the morning, we who cannot determine for one moment the flight of the swallows in the autumnhome we cannot make ourselves taller. We have electricity, it is true, and we say we have found it. It is in the air, but what it is no man can understand. We can get it out of the air and use it, but the secret belongs to the sovereignty of God. So, too, about the genesis of life, about which there is so much talk. If you want to know the genesis of life, you must not go to the laboratory to find it out, but you must go to your old Book, and turn to the first chapter, and you will find the first words of the old Book contain it: " In the beginning God created." And He Who created you, so that you cannot make yourself taller, created all life. It all belongs to the sovereignty of God. Well, let me press this a little in other considerations: Now which of you by taking thought could ever have found out God? "The world by wisdom knew not God" (1 Cor. i. 21). They guessed, and thought, and imagined, and feared, and dreamed, and felt after Him, but "Clouds and darkness are round about Him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His seat" (Ps. xcvii. 2)—and He remained still the unknown God. Which of us by taking thought could possibly find out, think you, the Infinite, the Invisible, the Eternal? But, "That no flesh should glory in His presence" (1 Cor. i. 29). God reveals Himself to us by Himself "that no man should glory in His presence." "Where is the wise? where is the scribe ? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" (1 Cor. i. 20). Which of you by taking thought can find out that God is Love? Oh! you may look round about you, and, living as we do amid the shadows, it is perhaps the last thing we should discover by taking thought; but it is the revelation of the Holy Ghost, for the Holy Ghost has shown the Saviour to be All in all to us. "Who loved me, and gave Himself for me (Gal. ii. 20). And the Saviour has shown us the Heart of God-" God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (S. John iii. 16). So the Saviour shows us the Heart of God, which is Love. But this is God's own revelation of Himself. Oh, no! Which of you by taking thought can find out God? Now, you may say this: Which of us by taking thought can order our own life? We have often tried to do this. But what a dismal failure it has always been! We think that something will comfort us— and, suddenly, that something is gone! Why, we know not what a day will bring forth. We say, "Man proposes and God disposes." That is true. Here is a man who has just signed a lease for fourteen years, and dies within the week! Here is a mother who slaved all she could for her one son. All she could put together and save, she saved for her one son. Before he came of age, he died. Here is another who amasses riches together, and says: "I will be comfortable in my old age," but riches have wings, and they flew away. So always is it. It is always the same. It is Almighty God that ordereth all things both in heaven and earth. There are some keys He never takes from His girdle or gives to Cherubim or angels. Oh, which of us by taking thought can order our own life? Why, God has saved your souls, every one of you, and has made of you what you never imagined He could have made you, ten years ago. Well, He made you, and He has a right to you. Well, then, let me ask another question: Which of us by taking thought can explain God's salvation to men? We never could have imagined it. The stains which are on my hands and on my breast can be washed away with water, but the stains on my heart and character need the Blood of the Covenant. It is only the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that can cleanse us, and rid us from all sin. And, therefore, the faithful saying the true saying-the saying which you ought all of you to say to your own hearts, and to one another, is this, that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Tim. i. 15). The modern Theology is like the feathers we would put into a pillow-very soft. We put our pillow on our bed, and put our head upon it, but we cannot sleep. It is only God who giveth rest to the soul-" So He giveth His beloved sleep" (Ps. cxxvii. 3). It is only God who can rest our poor troubled souls. And if there is not peace in the blood-stained Cross, I ask where is there peace? If you want to find the genesis of salvationdid I not tell you the genesis of life was in the first open word of the Bible: "In the beginning God created"? and if you want to find the genesis of salvation it is at the beginning of the Gospel of S. John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Well, I have given you these three instances. And now just one or two resolutions. We ought if this is the case, ought we not, to give God loving and confiding trust? He made us and not we ourselves; and He has redeemed us with His Blood. Ought not we to give Him love? What does it matter whether we are five feet high, or six feet high? That is no matter at all-only let us trust Almighty God with our life: "My time is in His hands." He brought me into the world when He willed. He will take me out of the world when He will. My birth was His time, and my death must be His time too. "I wish to have no wishes left, But to leave all to Thee; And yet I wish that Thou shouldst will And these two wills I feel within If that is the case, then let us trust our God right through. He made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people, and we are the sheep of His pasture. And, O troubled souls who think of the things that are coming, lie down in His pastures, lie down and rest in Him! And, if this is true, then let us remember this: If we cannot make ourselves higher, let us try and make God's glory higher. You say, Is that possible? No-God's glory is twofold: His essential glory, and His accidental glory. Of course, no creature could touch or add to His essential glory, but God has allowed us to add to His accidental glory, and we 1 Faber's Wishes about Death. T |