Christian Enfranchisement

“He placed at the east of the garden a flaming sword to keep the way of the tree of life.” — Genesis hi. 24.

“To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” — Revelation II. 7.

Can a thing be bad on Monday and good on Tuesday! Here is for the same act the issuing of two opposite fiats! The eating of the tree of life was forbidden yesterday; it is to be made allowable to-morrow! Can a thing be wrong yesterday and right to-morrow r Yes, if the change in the day has brought a change in me. Many a fruit is bad for a child which is good for a man. Why? Because the man has overcome something; he has a better constitution than the child. I do not think my Heavenly Father ever forbids a thing merely in order to show His power. We hear a great deal about the sovereignty of God. I do not think He ever acts from the motive of sovereignty. If He forbids one tree out of seven His aim is not regal, but sanitary. The sanitary condition of a place may change in a year; fish may live in a river where they used to die. Prohibition diminishes with moral sanitation. It is quite right to ask, with a certain school, “What would Jesus do?” but I have no right to base it upon “What did Jesus do?” God forbids the tree of life to the first man; am I to follow in his step of prohibition? No, for God Himself has reversed that step for the coming man. He has forbidden us to take His prohibition as a model. The tree proscribed to-day may be allowed to-morrow. The gate shut to-day may be open to-morrow. The fruit denied to-day may be lavished to-morrow. He who reaches moral health shall dispense with the restrictions imposed on the Paradise of God.

Jesus, it is the steps of Thy Spirit I am to follow! It may be that I can serve Thee best to-day by following the opposite route to that of Thy disciples. They had to give up the world; the surrender of the world was their burden. But it would no longer be my burden, O Lord! My temptation is to get away from the tree of daily life — to escape its duties, to ignore its responsibilities. When Thou sayest to me and to Thy first disciples, “Take up My Cross!” both I and they are bound to obey Thee. But my obedience will be the opposite of theirs. Their cross was the giving up of the tree; my cross is the climbing of the tree, the eating of the tree. It is the same spirit, but new steps. Thou art calling me to a larger contact with the world’s tree; but it is not that I may get less of Thy Cross, it is that I may get more. The tree of earthly life has ceased to be bad for me because it has ceased to be selfish. It has become my cross — to be borne for Thee, my weight — to be worn for Thee, my care — to be carried for Thee. Thou hast lifted the restrictions to my service. Thou hast enlarged the limits to my burden. Thou hast extended the sphere of my sacrifice. Thou hast given me more room to deny myself, more space to spend myself, more field to forget myself. Only to my love hast Thou opened the earthly gates; my right to the world’s tree is my power for the world’s cross.