Tribulation and Heaven
“There is required patience on our part till the summer fruit of heaven be ripe for us. It is in the bud; but there be many things to do before our harvest come. And we take ill with it, and can hardly endure to set our paper-face to one of Christ’s storms, and to go to heaven with wet feet.... We love to carry a heaven to heaven with us, and would have two summers in one year, and no less than two heavens. But this will not do for us; one (and such a one!)may suffice us well enough. Christ got but one only, and shall we have two?”
SAMUEL RUTHERFORD.
HE odium and persecution cast upon followers of God, goes like a knife to many
a saintly heart and makes them “men of
sorrows and acquainted with grief.” They are shut out. Religion of the most heavenly type is cast out by religion. No persecutors are so heartless and relentless as religious persecutors. No hatred is so bitter as the world’s hatred. “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.”
But wherever these persecutions come from, and from whom they come, they become the means of purity and maturity. By them God’s people are purged and perfected. We are not to repine at them, nor be impatient under them! We are not to fight against them, nor murmur at them, but endure them, endure with sweetness and joy; says James: “‘ My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” This is the process.
Paul brings to our minds the same view of trials. Putting Jesus Christ to the forefront, and our relation to Him of justification and its rapturous peace as the result of faith, that faith giving us fuller access to Him and a farther vision and a higher and firmer standing. It brings heaven into full view, with the presence of Christ and the glory of God shining through the door of unclouded, undying hope!
“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope” (Rom.
5:3).
Every holy principle, every precious result, every fragrant sentiment, brought to us by faith in Jesus, is enlarged by tribulation. By it patience is made more patient, enriched in sweetness and in strength, and experience more firmly fixed, deeper rooted, made steadfast and immovable. Hope is enlarged in scope and vision, increased in luster, and its foundations are laid in jeweled adornment. ‘ We glory in tribulations.” Do we? Can we? Heaven in eye and heart enables us to do this strange work, for tribulations not only burnish and garnish our heavenly home, but add many rooms to its size and many gems to its beauty and value.
Peter leaves his normal, prosy, thankless service of “stirring up pure minds by way of remembrance,” and rises to vision, beatitude and anthem:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Whom having not seen ye love: in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:3).
Here they all are — God the Father, Jesus and His resurrection, the Spirit and sanctification, hope, heaven, love and fiery trials. The trials clarify, refine, aid the beatific outburst, and swell the anthems unto praise and honor and glory. Trials have brought heaven into a clearer and nearer vision, perfected the faith, purified the love, and swelled the joy, till it becomes unspeakable and full of glory.
“Counting it all joy” is not simply resignation. That as a cardinal virtue and crowning grace, is scarcely recognized as a grace at all in times of robust faith. It is not the grace of folded arms and silent hearts, but it is “Count it all joy.” It is, “Glory in tribulations also.” Glory in tribulations like you glory in heaven, for they are one and inseparable. Rejoice greatly! Rejoice with “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” Rejoice in the prospect of heaven.
Glory in infirmities. Says Paul: “Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
The beatitudes are born here, and enlarged to their largest measure and most heavenly joy. “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” So says Christ, and He puts it among His diamond utterances, itself a diamond of the first water. Listen to Paul again:
“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal”
(2.Cor. 16-18).
How Paul discredits and eases the pang of every pain and persecution! “Light affliction”” — light in weight and short in time. It is light compared with “the weight of glory.” It is short compared with the “eternal weight of glory.” Highly prized and invaluable are these afflictions as they “work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Add this estimate to Christ’s words, “Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven.”
But these trials work this exceeding and eternal greatness of reward only while “we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are unseen.” ‘The eyes are off of earth — eyes are on heaven. Eyes are off of the things of earth — eyes on the things of heaven.
The reward is sure. The “far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” is ours. When eyes are on the earth, the things of earth fret and wear the trials into our heart’s core, and cause us to lose heaven and all the measureless and imperishable good which these trials bring.
Paul takes the sum, and calculates and judges between the suffering of this life and the glory of the future life: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” The saints of old had such an estimate of heavenly things and such a low estimate of earthly things, that poverty enhanced heavenly riches: ‘ They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing in themselves that they had in heaven a better and enduring substance.”
Peter couples the two thoughts, suffering and heaven, and asserts that it is a common principle to which they are not to be strangers: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part, he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.”
Again Peter, when speaking of the devil, he declares the universality of affliction wherever saints are found: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.”
Heaven is declared to be God’s eternal glory. These are words far beyond the dictionaries of earth. ‘The glory of earth’s greatest one, though a fading glory, would be much honor, enough to stir the mightiest ambition and gratify the loftiest aspiration. But God’s eternal glory! What measure is equal to it? What words can define? What ambition compass? And yet to that we are called, to God’s glory! To God’s “eternal glory,” awake ambition worthy of God! Awake hope as limitless as eternity and as endless! It is not to be revealed till we have suffered a while! Oh, happy suffering! Oh, short suffering, indefinable in its shortness and limited in its pain, when contrasted with God’s eternal glory, of which trials are the glory and the usher,
This chastening process often comes through persecutions from the hands of evil men and devils, and yet God holds the control and results of the process in His own hands. Nothing is outside of His power, nothing excluded from His control for the good of His children. “All things,” whether they be things from the devil or bad men, or the mistakes of good men; “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Nothing of the nature of persecution and affliction can hinder God from pressing His faithful elect ones on till they are glorified.
“They that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” “If we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.” ‘These are axiomatic in the Christ life. There is no persecuting Romish power now, either pagan or papal. ‘Those fierce and cruel days are gone, perhaps forever, but there are petty persecutions. ‘The world still hates Christ’s saints, and a worldly church still ostracizes and bans God’s peculiar people.
Dr, Adoniram Judson writes from Burmah to a friend in America: “Remember, I pray you, that word of Brainerd. Do not think it enough to live at the rate of common Christians. True, they will call you uncharitable and censorious, but what is the opinion of poor worms of the dust that it should deter us from our duty? Remember that other word of the same holy man, ‘ Time is but a nioment, life a vapor, and all its enjoyments but empty bubbles and fleeting blasts of wind.’”’ Again Dr. Judson writes, “Let me beg of you not to rest contented with the commonplace religion that is now prevalent.”
Yet it is this rising above the commonplace, current religion that gives offense, that awakens opposition, and kindles the fires of a petty, yet painful persecution. No person does much for God, no person seeks heaven in a real, honest, successful way, who does not rise above the average piety.
The Apostle Paul charges Timothy to “follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life,”’ giving the most vital relation between the “following after” these things and the “laying hold of eternal life.” Heaven is won by winning the heavenly virtues. Ardent pursuit after the graces which constitute heaven is the only way to pursue heaven with ardor and gain the prize. To mature and perfect these graces is to be made ready for heaven,
Patience is one of those fundamental Christian virtues in which we are schooled for the heavenly life. Paul, writing to Romans, says: “’To them who by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life.” Again he says: “In your patience ye shall win your souls,” as the Revised Version reads. Patience is defined as the grace of holding out, endurance, literally staying, remaining behind, steadfastness. He is patient who is unswerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings. Patience is a cardinal virtue in Christian character. Its importance cannot be overrated. It is strong and sweet, the pillar of strength, the adornment of beauty. It does not succumb under suffering. It is self-restrained. It does not retaliate wrongs. Brave it is, opposed to cowardice or despondency, and has nothing in common with wrath and revenge, a gentle grace of serenity and sweetness. It expresses its sweetness through every bruised and bleeding pore. It goes to make up a summary of the gospel power and grace. It is “the kingdom and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Patience is born and perfected in trial. ‘“‘ We glory,” says Paul, “in tribulation also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience.” In James we have this remarkable demand and statement: “Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, knowing this that the trial of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting. nothing.” Count every trial joy, not resignation — simply, but joy, gladness. All joy, no part distressful or sad. Joy at their coming, joy at their results. ‘This is the way perfection comes, ‘“Per feet and entire, wanting nothing,’ every grace present, every grace mature. ‘Trials bring perfection, maturity, fulness. God makes our fruit perfect by perfecting our character, and character is perfected by trial.
How necessary this patience is to the winning heaven we are not left in doubt. “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promises.” “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Job is the illustration of patience because he held on to God without variance or shadow of turning through his manifold trials. ‘“‘ The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord,” is the language of patience in its undisturbed, uncomplaining serenity and sweetness. “Though He slay me yet will I trust in Him,” is the language of patience in its endurance and perseverance.
Impatience is the epidemic sin. Strong people are impatient, weak people are impatient, sick people are impatient, well people are impatient, old people are impatient, young people are impatient. All people try our patience. So how appropriate the trying, difficult, universal injunction, “Be patient toward all men”! Patience is necessary to fruit bearing. They who are ready to be reaped for the heavenly harvest, “keep the word and bring forth fruit with patience.” This grace seems to be slow, indolent and always waiting. Not so.
Christian patience is very quiet, often silent, but never lazy, “not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Heaven is for the patient spirit. Heaven is already possessed by the patient. Has patience possessed us?
Who suffer with our Master here,
We shall before his face appear
And by his side sit down;
To patient faith the prize is sure,
And all that to the end endure
The cross, shall wear the crown.
Thrice blesséd, bliss-inspiring hope!
It lifts the fainting spirits up,
It brings to life the dead:
Our conflicts here shall soon be past,
And you and I ascend at last,
Triumphant with our head. — Charles Wesley.