Christian's Secret of a Happy Life - Chapter 19 Chapter 19
"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come,he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:neither shall they say, lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of Godis within you."
KINGS AND THEIR KINGDOMS; OR, HOW TO REIGN IN THE INTERIOR LIFE The expressions "kingdom of God" and "kingdomof Heaven" are used in Scripture concerning the divine life in the soul. Theymean simply the place or condition where God rules, and where His will is done.It is an interior kingdom, not an exterior one. Its thrones are not outwardthrones of human pomp and glory, but inward thrones of dominion and supremacyover the things of time and sense. Its kings are not clothed in royal robes ofpurple and fine linen, but with the interior garments of purity and truth. Andits reign is not in outward show, but in inward power. Neither is it in oneplace rather than another, nor in one form of things above another. It is not,lo here, nor lo there, not in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem, that we areto find Christ, and enter into His kingdom. It is not a matter of place at all,but one of condition. And in every place and under every name, and throughevery form, all who seek God and work righteousness shall find His kingdomwithin them.
But this is very little understood. In ourchildish fashion of literalism we have too much imbibed the idea that a kingdommust necessarily be in a particular place and with outward observation; andhave therefore expected that the kingdom of heaven would mean for us an outwardvictory of heaven over earth in some particular place, or under some especialform; and that to sit on a throne with Christ, would be to have an outwarduplifting in power and glory before the face of all around us.
But as the inner sense of Scripture unfolds tous, we see that this would be but a poor and superficial fulfilling of the realmeaning of these wonderful symbols. And the vision of their true significancegrows and strengthens before the "eyes that see," until at last we know thatour Lord's words were truer than ever we had dreamed before, that the "kingdomof God cometh not with observation; neither shall they say, lo here! or, lothere! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."
In Daniel 2:44, we have the announcement of thekingdom, and in Isaiah 9:6, 7, the announcement of the King: --
"The God of heaven shall set up a kingdom whichshall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people,but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall standforever."
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son isgiven: and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall becalled Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, thePrince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be noend, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and toestablish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. Thezeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."
This kingdom is to break in pieces and consumeall other kingdoms by right of the law by which the inward always rules theoutward. If there is peace within, no outward turmoil can affect the soul; butoutward peace can never quiet an inward tempest. A happy heart can walk intriumphant indifference through a sea of external trouble; while internalanguish cannot find happiness in the most favorable surroundings. What a man iswithin himself, makes or unmakes his joy, and not what he possesses outside ofhimself.
Someone said to Diogenes, "The king has degradedyou." "Yes" replied Diogenes, triumphantly, "but I am not degraded!" No act ofkings or emperors can degrade a soul that retains its own dignity; no tyrantcan enslave a man who is inwardly free.
Therefore to have this divine kingdom set upwithin, means that all other powers to conquer or enslave are broken, and thesoul reigns triumphant over them all. Men and devils may try to hold such a onein bondage, but they are powerless before the might of this interior kingdom.No longer will fashion, or conventionality, or the fear of man, or the love ofease, or any other of the many tyrants to which Christians cringe and bow, rulea soul that has been raised to a throne in this inward kingdom. No sin ortemptation can overcome, no sorrow can crush, no discouragement can hinder. Leta man or woman have been bound in ever so tyrannical chains of sinful habits,this kingdom will set them free. Circumstances make men kings in the outwardlife, but in this hidden life men become kings over circumstances. And the soulthat has aforetime been the slave of a thousand outward things, finds itselfhere utterly independent of them, every one.
For the King in this kingdom is One whom nocircumstances can affect or baffle. He it is indeed who makes circumstances.And since the government is upon His shoulders, we cannot doubt that He willorder the kingdom with a judgment and justice that will leave nothing for anysubject in His kingdom to desire.
In the expression "the government shall be uponHis shoulder," we have the whole secret of this wonderful kingdom. Upon Hisshoulder, not upon ours. The care is His, the burdens are His, theresponsibility belongs to Him, the protection rests upon Him, the planning, andproviding, and controlling, and guiding, all are in His hands. No one canquestion as to His perfect fulfilment of every requirement of His kingship.Therefore those who are in His kingdom, are utterly delivered from any need tobe anxious, or burdened, or perplexed, or troubled. And by this deliverancethey become kings. The government is not upon their shoulders, and they have nobusiness to interfere with it. Their King has assumed the whole responsibility,and if He can but see His subjects happy and prosperous, He is content Himselfto bear all the weight and care of kingship. How often we speak of theresponsibilities of earthly kings, and pity them for the burdens that kingshipimposes. We recognize, even on an earthly plane, that to be a king means, orought to mean, the bearing of the burdens of even the meanest of his subject.And even now, as I write, many hearts are aching with sympathy for the newCzar, who has assumed the grievous burden of the mighty Russian Empire.
From this instinctive sense of every human heartas to the rightful duties and responsibilities of kingship, we may learn whatit means to be in a kingdom over which God is King, and where He has himselfdeclared all things shall be ordered with judgment and justice from henceforthand even forever. Surely no care or anxiety can ever enter here, if the heartbut knows its kingdom and its King!
In John 18:36, our King tells us the tactics ofHis kingdom: "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdomwere of this world then would my servants fight, that I should not be deliveredto the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from hence."
Earthly kings and earthly kingdoms gain and keeptheir supremacy by outward conflict; God's kingdom conquers by inward power.Earthly kings subdue enemies; God subdues enmity. His victories must beinterior before they can be exterior. He does not subjugate, but he conquers.Even we, on our earthly plane, know something of this principle, and do notvalue any victory over another which only reaches the body and has not subduedthe heart. No true mother cares for an outward obedience merely; nothing willsatisfy her but the inward surrender. Unless the citadel of the heart isconquered, the conquest seem worthless. And with God how much more will this bethe case, since we are told that "He seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh onthe outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." We speak of"subduing hearts," and we mean, not that they are overpowered or forced into anunwilling and compulsory surrender, but that they are conquered by being won,and are willingly yielded up to another's control. And it is after this fashionand no other that God subdues. So that to read that "His kingdom ruleth overall," means that all hearts are won to His service in a glad and willingsurrender.
For again I repeat, His reign must be inwardbefore it can be outward. And in truth it is no reign at all, unless it iswithin. If we think of it a moment we shall see that this must be so in thevery nature of things, and that it is impossible to conceive of God reigning ina kingdom where the subduing reaches no further than the outside actions of Hissubjects. His kingdom is not of this world, but is in a spiritual sphere, whereits power is over the souls and not the bodies of men; and therefore only whenthe soul is conquered, can it be set up.
Understood in this light, how full of love andblessing do all those declarations and prophecies become, which tell us thatGod is to subdue His enemies under His feet, and is to rule them inrighteousness and power! And how glorious with hope does the voice of thatgreat multitude heard by John sound out, saying, "Alleluia! for the Lord Godomnipotent reigneth!"
In confirmation of all this we have two passagesdescriptive of this kingdom, in Rom. 14:17, and 1 Cor. 4:20: "For the kingdomof God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the HolyGhost." "For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power."
Not outward things, but inward. Not what a maneats and drinks, not where he lives, nor what is his nationality, nor thecustoms of his race, not even what he thinks nor what he says; but what are theinward characteristics of his nature, and the inward power of his spirituallife. For these alone constitute this kingdom of God. Not what I do, but what Iam, is to decide whether I belong to it or not. And only as inwardrighteousness, and inward peace, and inward joy, and inward power are bestowedand experienced, can this kingdom be set up. Therefore no outward subjugationcan accomplish results like these, but only the interior work of theall-subduing spirit of God.
I have been greatly instructed by the story ofUlysses, when he was sailing past the islands of the sirens. These sirens hadthe power of charming by their songs all who listened to them, and of inducingthem to leap into the sea. To avert this danger, Ulysses filled the ears of hiscrew with wax, that they might not hear the fatal music, and bound himself tothe mast with knotted cords; and thus they passed the isle in safety. But whenOrpheus was obliged to sail by the same island, he gained a better victory, forhe himself made sweeter music than that of the sirens, and enchanted his crewwith more alluring songs; so that they passed the dangerous charmers not onlywith safety, but with disdain. Wax and knotted cords kept Ulysses and his crewfrom making the fatal leap; but inward delights enabled Orpheus and his crew toreign triumphant over the very source of temptation itself. And just so is itwith the kingdom of which we speak. It needs no outward law to bind it, butreigns by right of its inward life. So that it is said of those who haveentered it, "Against such there is no law."
For it is a kingdom of kings. The song we shallone day sing, nay, that we ought to be singing even now and here in this life,declare this: "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His ownblood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him beglory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (Rev. 1:5, 6.)
We who have entered this kingdom, or, rather, inwhom this kingdom is set up, sit upon the throne with our King and share Hisdominion. The world was His footstool, and it becomes our footstool also. Overthe things of time and sense He reigned triumphant by the power of a life livedin a plane above them and superior to them, and so may we. We are all of usfamiliar with the expression that such or such a person "rises superior to hissurroundings," and we mean that there is in that soul a hidden power thatcontrols its surroundings, instead of being controlled by them. Our Kingessentially rose superior to His surroundings; and it is given to us who arereigning with Him to do the same.
But, just as He was not a king in outwardappearance, but only in inward power, so shall we be. He reigned, not in this,that He had all the treasures and riches of the world at His command, but thatHe had none of them, and could do without them. And so shall our reigning be.We shall not have all men bowing down to us, and all things bending to ourwill; but with all men opposing and all things adverse, we shall walk in aroyal triumph of soul through the midst of them. We shall suffer the loss ofall things, and by that loss be set forever free from their power to bind. Weshall hide ourselves in the impregnable fortress of the will of our King, andshall reign there in a perpetual kingdom.
All this is contrary to man's thought ofkingship. The only idea the human heart can compass, is, that outwardcircumstances must bend and bow to the soul that is seated on a throne withChrist. Friends must approve, enemies must be silenced, obstacles must beovercome, affairs must prosper, or there can be no reigning. If man had had theordering of Daniel's business, or of that matter of the three Hebrew childrenin the burning fiery furnace, he would have said the only way of victory wouldbe for the minds of the kings to have been so changed that Daniel should nothave been cast into the den of lions, and the Hebrew children should have beenkept out of the furnace. But God's way was infinitely grander. He sufferedDaniel to be cast among the lions, in order that he might reign triumphant overthem when in their very midst, and He allowed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednegoto be cast into the burning, fiery furnace, in order that they might walkthrough it without so much as the smell of fire upon them. He tells us, notthat we shall walk in paths where there are no dragons and adders, but that weshall walk through the midst of dragons and adders, and shall "tread them underour feet."
And how much more glorious a kingdom is this thanany outward rule or control could be! To be inwardly a king, while outwardly aslave, is one of the grandest heights of triumph of which our hearts canconceive. To be destitute, afflicted, tormented, to be stoned and torn asunder,and slain with the sword; to wander in sheepskins and goatskins, and in desertsand mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth, and yet to be through itall, kings in interior kingdoms of righteousness, peace and joy in the HolyGhost, is surely a kingdom that none but God could give, and none but God-likesouls receive.
A few such kings we have at some time or otherseen or heard of in this world of ours, and all hearts have acknowledged theirunconscious sway. One I read of among the brethren of the monastery of St. Cyr.Because of their piety, these brethren incurred the hatred of the monasteriesaround them, and the anger of their superiors, and were cast out as evil fromtheir community. One of them was sent as prisoner to a monastery where hischief enemies dwelt, and was there subjected to the most cruel and degradingtreatment. Although he was of gentle birth, and had been an abbot in thecommunity he had left, he was compelled to do the most menial work, was forcedto carry a noisome burden on his back, and was driven out to beg with a placardon his bosom declaring him to be the vilest of the vile. But through it all thespirit of the saint reigned triumphant, and nothing disturbed his calm, orsoured for a moment his Christ-like sweetness. For his persecutors he never hadanything but words of kindness and smiles of love. And at last by the mightypower of the divine kingdom in which he lived, he subdued all hearts around himto himself, and became the trusted friend and adviser, and the beloved rulerover the very enemies who had once so delighted to persecute and revile him."Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." By his meekness heconquered and became king.
At one time a dangerous criminal was sent to themonastery for imprisonment. He was so violent that no bonds sufficed to bindhim, and no strength could control him. At last he was taken to the cell ofthis brother from St. Cyr, and they were shut up together; even the stolidmonks themselves recognizing in that divine meekness a power to conquer thatsurpassed all the powers with which they were acquainted. The saint receivedthe violent man as a beloved brother, and smiled upon him with heavenlykindness. But the criminal returned it with abuse and violence. He broke themonk's furniture and destroyed his bed, he kicked him, and beat him, and torehis hair, and spat upon him. He exhausted himself in his violence against him.Through it all the monk made no resistance, and said no word but words of love;and when at length the criminal, worn out with his fury, paused to take breath,the beaten and outraged man looked upon his persecutor with a smile ofineffable love and tender compassion, as though he would gather him to hisbosom and comfort him for his misery. It was more than the criminal could bear.Hatred, and revenge, and anger he could repay in kind, but against love andmeekness like this he had no weapons, and his heart was conquered. He fell atthe feet of the saint and washed them with his tears, as he entreatedforgiveness for his cruelty, and vowed a lifelong loyalty to his service. Andfrom that moment all trouble with that criminal was over. He followed the saintabout like a loving and faithful dog, eager to do or to be anything the othermight desire. And when the time of his imprisonment was over, and the gates ofhis prison were opened for his release, he could not be induced to go, becausehe could not bear to leave the man who had saved him by love.
Of such a nature is kingship in this kingdom ofheaven.
Each soul can make the application for itself,without need of comment from me.
In Matt. 5, 6, and 7, we have the King of thiskingdom describing the characteristics of His kingdom and giving the laws forHis subjects. "Blessed are the poor in spirit," He says, "for theirs is thekingdom of heaven." Not the rich, or great, or wise, or learned, but the poorin spirit, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, those who mourn, andthose who hunger and thirst, those who are persecuted, and reviled, and spokenevil against, all such belong to this kingdom. Gentleness, yieldingness,meekness, charity, are the characteristics of these kings, and they reign inthe power of them.
One Christian asked another, "How can I makepeople respect me?" "I would command their respect," was the reply. And thismeant, not that he should stand up and say in tones of authority, "Now Icommand you all to respect me," but that he should so act, and live, and be,that no one could help respecting him. Men sometimes win an outward show ofrespect and submission by an over-bearing tyranny, but he who would rule theheart of his subjects must try other methods.
Our Lord developed this thought to some whowished to share His throne. He called them to Him, and said, "Ye know that theywhich are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; andtheir great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be amongyou: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: andwhosoever of you will be the chiefest shall be servant of all. For even the Sonof man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life aransom for many."
From the human standpoint, that man alone reignswho is able to exercise lordship over those around him. From the divinestandpoint the soul that serves is the soul that reigns. Not he who demandsmost, receives this inward crowning, but he who gives up most.
What grander kingship can be conceived of thanthat which Christ sets forth in the sermon on the mount, "But I say unto you,that ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek,turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law and takeaway thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee togo a mile, go with him twain"?
Surely only a soul that is in harmony with Godcan mount such a throne of dominion as this!
But this is our destiny. We are made for thispurpose. We are born of a kingly race, and are heirs to this ineffable kingdom;"heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ."
Would that we could realize this; and could seein every act of service or surrender to which we might find ourselves called,an upward step in the pathway that leads us to our kingdom and our throne!
I mean this in a very practical sense. I meanthat the homely services of our daily lives, and the little sacrifices whicheach day demands, will be, if faithfully fulfilled, actual rounds in the ladderby which we are mounting to our thrones. I mean that if we are faithful overthe "few things" of our earthly kingdom, we shall be made ruler over the "manythings" of the heavenly kingdom.
He that follows Christ in this ministry ofservice and of suffering, will reign with Him in the glory of supremeself-sacrifice, and will be the "chiefest" in His divine kingdom of love.Knowing this, who would hesitate to "turn the other cheek," since by theturning a kingdom is to be won and a throne is to be gained?
Joseph was a type of all this. In slavery and inprison he reigned a king, as truly as when seated on Pharaoh's throne or ridingin Pharaoh's chariot. (See Gen. 39:6, 22, 23.) He became the greatest by beingthe least, the chiefest by being servant of all.
Dear reader, art thou reigning after thisfashion, and in this sort of a kingdom? Art thou the greatest in thy littleworld of home, or church, or social circle by being the least, and chiefest bybeing the servant of all? If not, thy kingdom is not Christ's kingdom, and thythrone is not one shared by Him.
To enter into the secrets of this interiorkingdom and to partake of its heavenly power, is no notional victory, nofancied supremacy. It is a real and actual reigning, which will cause thee as amatter of fact to "rise superior" to the world and the things of it, and towalk through it independent of its smiles or frowns, dwelling in a region ofheavenly peace and heavenly triumph which earth can neither give nor take away."For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power." It is not a talk but afact; and those who are in it recognize their kingship and prove it byreigning.
But perhaps thou wilt say, "How can I enter intothis kingdom, if I am not already in?" Let our Lord himself answer thee: "Atthe same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in thekingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in themidst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, andbecome as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same isgreatest in the kingdom of heaven."
It is a kingdom of childlike hearts, and onlysuch can enter it.
To be a "little child" means simply to be one. Icannot describe it better than this. We all have known little children in ourlives, and have delighted ourselves in their simplicity and their trustfulness,their light-hearted carelessness, and their unquestioning obedience to those inauthority over them. And to be the greatest in this divine kingdom means tohave the most of this guileless, tender, trustful, self-forgetting, obedientheart of the child.
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Fatherwhich is in heaven."
It is not saying, but doing, that will avail ushere. We must be a child, or we cannot sit on the child's throne. And to be achild means to do the Father's will, since the very essence of true childhoodis the spirit of obedience united to the spirit of trust.
Become a little child, then, by laying aside allthy greatness, all thy self-assertion, all thy self-dependence, all thy wisdom,and all thy strength, and consenting to die to thy own self-life, be born againinto the kingdom of God. The only way out of one life into another is by adeath to one and a new birth into the other. It is the old story, therefore,reiterated so often and in so many different ways, of through death to life.Die, then, that you my live. Lose your own life that you may find Christ'slife. The caterpillar can only enter into the butterfly's kingdom by dying toits caterpillar life, and emerging into the resurrection life of the butterfly;and just so can we also only enter into the kingdom of God by the way of adeath out of the kingdom of self, and an emergence into the resurrection lifeof Christ. Let everything go, then, that belongs to the natural; all your ownnotions, and plans, and ways, and thoughts; and accept in their stead God'splans, and ways, and thoughts. Do this faithfully and do it persistently, andyou shall come at last to sit on His throne, and to reign with Him in aninterior kingdom which shall break in pieces and consume all other kingdoms,and shall stand for ever and ever.
There is no other way. This kingdom cannot beentered by pomp, and show, and greatness, and strength; but by littleness, andhelplessness, and childlikeness, and babyhood, and death. He that humblethhimself, and he only, shall be exalted here; and to mount the throne withChrist requires that we shall first have followed Him in the suffering, andloss, and crucifixion. If we suffer with him, we shall also reign with Him. Notas an arbitrary reward for our suffering, but as the result that will follow inthe very nature of things. Christ's loss must necessarily bring Christ's gain,Christ's death must bring Christ's resurrection, and to follow Him in theregeneration, will surely and inevitably bring the soul that follows to Hiscrown and His throne.
In a volume of sermons for children I have founda vivid illustration of this royal kingdom: --
"A little fellow from one of the Refuges inEngland had risked his life to save one of his comrades, and England's Queenhad sent him a medal by the hand of one of England's earls. The little fellowwas held forward by his comrades to receive it, for he was shy and nervous andtried to sidle away.
"Look at the noble chairman; he had driven downfrom his proper place in the House of Lords, where were gathered earls anddukes, and the men who had done well as lawyers, and judges, and statesmen, andwarriors, and the Princes of the royal blood. Yet, all peer though he was, hewas moved to the sincerest depths of his being as he murmured, `I have thehonor,' and pinned the life-saving medal on the child's jacket. His heart wasfull. He paused to swallow down something that would rise in his throat beforehe could go on.
"There is the `glory and honor' of successfulstatesmen, and warriors, and lawyers, but the glory of self-forgetful saving oflife is a glory that excelleth, and that was the wondrous glory won by thisboy. He had plunged into the stream and shared a drowning boy's risk, and thatlittle hand, look at it there, steadying him by holding the table, had come outholding the saved.
"Why has self-forgetfulness such mighty power?How was it that a twelve-year-old boy could bow down an audience of grown menbefore him? What gave to that brow, that its stubby crown of carroty hair, aglory and honor more than the lustre of gold and jewels? Why was it that thatsmall body in its little breeches and jacket, wiping its tears on the roughlittle sleeve, could grip thousands of hearts and hold them all, and make themfor the time loyal members of his kingdom?
"Why was all this so?
"It was so because that little boy in his measurehad been like Christ, in the self-forgetful spirit of sacrifice for others. Hehad a bit of the same beauty we are all made on purpose to worship; the glorybefore which angels give a great shout, and all the company of heaven fall downand adore, saying with a loud voice, `Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!'"
The "Lamb that was slain" is the mightiest Kingthe world has ever known, and all who partake of His spirit share in Hiskingdom.
And since this kingdom is not a place, but ischaracter, those who have not the character cannot by any possibility be init.
We pray daily, "Thy kingdom come." Do we knowwhat we are praying for? Do we comprehend the change it will make in us if itcomes in us? Are we willing to be so changed?
What is the kingdom of God but the rule of God?And what is the rule of God but the will of God? Therefore when we pray, "Thywill be done on earth as it is in heaven," we have touched the secret of itall.
A horde of savages might conquer a civilizedkingdom by sheer brute force; but if they would conquer the civilization ofthat kingdom, they could only do so by submitting to its control. And just sois it with the kingdom of heaven. It yields its sceptre to none but those whorender obedience to its laws.
"To him that overcometh will I give to sit withme in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in histhrone."
"He always reigns who sides with God," says anold writer. And again, "He who perfectly accepts the will of God, dwells in aperpetual kingdom."
Art thou reigning after this fashion and in thissort of a kingdom?
Art thou the "chiefest" by being the "servant ofall"?
Art thou a king over thy circumstances, or do thycircumstances reign over thee?
Dost thou triumph over thy temptations, or dothey triumph over thee?
Canst thou sit on an inward throne in the midstof outward defeat and loss?
Canst thou conquer by yielding, and become thegreatest by being the least?
If thou canst answer Yes to all these questions,then thou art come into thy kingdom; and whatever thy outward lot may be, orthe estimation in which men may hold thee, thou art in very truth among thenumber of those concerning whom our Lord declares "the same shall be calledgreatest in the kingdom of heaven."