Profitable Mixture

Text — “For unto us was the Gospel preached as well as unto them; but the word preached did not

? profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that

heard it.” feb. 4:2.

A LOFTY DESTINY MISSED. — A GRAVE INSTEAD OF A THRONE. — I. ISRAEL’S HEARING OF THE GOSPEL. — A GOSPEL OF REST FOR SLAVES. — OF REDEMPTION. — OF SEPARATION. — OF A PRE-PARED HERITAGE. — OF A DIVINE CALLING. — OF HELP ASSURED. — Il. ISRAEL’S FAILURE TO PROFIT BY IT. — CLINGING TO

oieery EGYPT. — SETTING UP IDOLS. — DESPISING THE PROMISED LAND.

—IlIl. THE FATAL CAUSE OF THE CALAMITY. — NOT IN THE GOSPEL. — NOT IN THE PREACHER. — IN LACK OF FAITH. — THEREFORE COULD LEARN NOTHING. — APPROPRIATE NOTH-ING. — COULD NOT ENTER THE LAND.

THE people that came out of Egypt were an interesting company, if we think of what God had done on their behalf, and of what He proposed to do for them. They had been lifted up from a state of slavery into one of freedom, and they were on their way to a country where they were to be settled, each one upon his own portion of land, therein to become priests and kings unto God. What an unhappy circumstance that

: THE HIGH IDEAL set before them was never realized by any of them save two lone men — Joshua and Caleb! You hear them singing at the Red Sea, in exultant joy, and they are on their way to Canaan, the land that floweth with milk and honey: loud are their songs, and high are their hopes. But mark those lines of graves —

those innumerable hillocks which were formed wher-N f ea 2

ever the camp was pitched in it he desert. “Tha

“Their carcases fell in the wilderness.” reaching Canaan and settling, every man under his

left us of entering into His rest, any of you should

grace be given that we may win where a whole nation

rt s: its?

end of the generation which came out of Egyp Instead of

own vine and fig-tree, they lie in dishonored sre - wy 7 outside of the land of promise. nes

Let us not follow in their track. We are far too much inclined to do so. They were men and we are no better than they by nature. Oh for grace to walk — after a higher rule! Let a holy dread seize upon us at this time, such as that which Paul expresses in the words, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being

seem to come short of it.” Let us not find a tomb when we might gain a throne. Let us not go down into the pit when before us lies the way to heaven, and multitudes are beckoning us thither. May great

failed! es I. First, then, let us consider the way of ere ISRAEL’S HEARING a of the Gospel. Whether you take it as our translators have put it in the Authorized: Version, ‘‘ Unto us a was the Gospel preached as well as unto them,” or accept the Revised rendering, ‘Indeed, we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they,” it comes to much the same meaning: for the message = of Moses and the reports of the faithful spies were both typical of the Gospel which was brought to us by our Lord and His apostles. Our Gospel is more clear than theirs; yet they had the Gospel also, in all ‘ess it would Eee Bis a saving Gostel’ to them.

men were made to labor to exhaustion. They had no

rest from toil by day or night; and if they did not. = supply the full number of bricks, they were cruelly - beaten by their taskmasters. Truly the tribes of Israel

were in a very evil case. — They groaned by reason i) of their bondage, and that promise was A WONDERFUL GOSPEL to them — “I will bring you out from under the burden of the Egyptians.” This is the kind of Gospel which is preached to us to-day. Does not Jesus say, “Come

unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I

will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, and ye shall find rest unto your souls”? Spiritual rest is even more precious than bodily rest. The great promise of the Gospel is rest from the burden of guilt, the pressure of fear, the bondage of habit, the slavery of sin, the scourging of conscience, and the dread of wrath to come. A GOSFEL OF REDEMPTION.

Note, next, that the good tidings to Israel was a Gospel of redemption in order to their entering into the promised rest. They were slaves to Pharaoh; how

could they become dwellers in Canaan? They might

truthfully say, “We cannot break our bonds.” The

We shall notice, first, that the good news brought to Israel was a Gospel of rest for slaves, a promise of deliverance for men who cried by reason of sore bondage. This was a fit emblem of that news which comes to us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These

Ss power of Egypt would aa ere: as te an i on ve hand. But with a high hand and an outstretched —

destroying angel passed through the land of Egypt

with his death-sword. This day I also preach to you

rest through the divine omnipotence of the Holy Spirit, and through the sprinkling of the precious

. blood of the Lamb of God.

Furthermore, it was a Gospel of separation. When you read the words of the Lord to His chosen ones, you are compelled to see that He means them to be a people set apart for His own purposes. He no sooner began with them than the first summons was to Pharaoh, ‘“‘Let My people go, that they may serve Me.” Israel was in Egypt: but Israel was not a part of Egypt. No Israelite could become an Egyptian. As a distinct people they came into the land of Ham, and as a distinct people they went out of the land. Too much was Israel defiled by the customs of that heathen nation; but it was not absorbed in Egypt, nor did it cease to be a peculiar race. We are the Lord’s portion, the lot of His inheritance. It is by means of this separation that we find rest. Our rest lies where God hath prepared it, and He cries, “Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest.” Here we have no abiding city. Here we are “strangers and

“ti and bring them out He did. sConneted eae that aa power of arm there was the price of sacrifice; for they were redeemed typically by the blood of the Passover — Lamb. That blood sprinkled on the lintel and on the two side posts, preserved their. houses when the — ers, as Pall ou dataers were.” Yetevenhere

esc ise the ee “ae

DISTINCT FROM THE WORLD

. and cannot be made one with it. This is the Goma A TS ay ea) ea ae

2S ea as a ie a, ead

of separation which leads on to rest. Until separated, there i is no rest for us. Thus is it written, ‘Come ye

out from among them, and be ye separate; and I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” Thus you see that ours is a Gospel of rest, a Gospel of sacrifice, and ©. a Gospel of separation from the rest of mankind.

Hear it with more earnest heed than Israel gave to it;

“For unto us is the Gospel preached, as well as unto

Beem.”

Still further, the Gospel’ preached to the Israelites told them of a glorious heritage which was provided for them. It was the fairest of all countries, an epitome of the whole world; and it was to be theirs as a freehold forever. Each tribe was to have its portion,

each family its lot. This was good news to them; and all the more so because within the outward and

temporal good news there was a spiritual Gospel. Even so are you told that there is a heritage, even a

heavenly one, to which God bringeth His believing

people, and of which He gives them an earnest even

now, in the possession of His Holy Spirit. This herttage is, in a measure, ours even in this life; but into the fullness of its delight we shall enter when the Lord

shall come and receive us unto Himself. O my hearers, you have all heard this Gospel of glory; have you all accepted it?

ion. ‘help to obtain all this. It is a poor Go? which sets heaven before us, but does not help us to

- conquering aids were promised. The Lord said t them, “I will send my fear before thee, and will deout the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before thee.” The like help for the attainment of

-we preach. All helps for the winning of the fadeless: Py

Once more: ney tage eer oan which Pp

enter it. To these Israelites journeying mercies and

stroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive

heavenly blessedness is provided in the Gospel which - a

crown are waiting for them that believe. We are encouraged to go forward and take possession of the promises, for the Lord hath said, “Certainly I will be with thee.” My dear hearer, do you embrace this — Gospel? Do you find in it strength for the journey of life? See to it that you miss not the blessing.

II. But now, secondly, I have the painful business of setting briefly before you a

ISRAEL’S FAILURE

to profit by the Gospel which they heard. Thowen they heard it from many, they clung to Egypt. One would think they would have abhaved the land of the iron furnace, and the brick-kiln; but no; at the first they said, “Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians.” The signs and wonders that God wrought in the field of Zoan were almost as much needed to separate Israel from Egypt, as to loosen the cruel grasp of Pharaoh. The nation had not long

THE COARSE FOOD OF BONDAGE,

-despising the bread from heaven. They talked as if

Be the Lord had done them a great injury by setting

a. them free from their taskmasters. Ah me! The Gospel which they heard did not profit them; for in their

hearts they still tarried in the house of bondage. Worse still, they provoked the Lord. By their murmurings, but chiefly by their idolatry, they vexed

His:Holy Spirit. Could you have believed it? After all the gods of Egypt had been smitten in detail by

the plagues of Jehovah, yet the people remembered

the idol god, the ox of Egypt, and they set up for

their own worship what the Lord derisively called a “calf.” They said, “These be thy gods, O Israel!” Truly the word preached had not profited them.

They went so far as to despise the promised land:

a they said, ‘‘It is a land that eateth up the inhabitants

thereof.” They would fain go back to Egypt rather

than advance upon a scene of such great danger.

They dared to speak as if death in Egypt had been preferable to the wilderness, for they would never be

able to conquer the land. The spies whom they sent

to spy out the land, ten of them flattered their humor

and defamed the country. They could not deny that

it owed with milk and honey, for the fruits were

of the land Balan: they Eau out Wie: gs re hast ou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out. a f Egypt? It had been better for us to serve the es -SyPptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” Again and again they sighed for the leeks and the garlic and the onions of Egypt, whining for

eo a ae ing Enionee of its valine but oe said i it ate up inhabitants, implying that it was a deadly place to dwell in.: rs THE END OF IT. was, they died in the wilderness. Ah me! The whole re generation died in the wilderness — these very men that stood by the Red Sea, and said, ‘I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously.

Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the —

mountain of thine inheritance.” They sang, “Sorrow

ae shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestine. All pet the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away;” but, on

“¢ the borders of the land they trembled, turned back into the wilderness, and died. To them the inspiring Gos-

pel of the promised rest was altogether unprofitable.

- O my hearers, fear and tremble lest it be the same with you! Let me go over this story once more, with a personal application. Do you still cling to sin? Do you still love it? Would you be willing to go to heaven, but are you unwilling to part with sin? Is the flavor of the onion of sinful pleasure still pleasant to your palate? Do you despise the goodly land?

: Do you say in your heart, “Heaven and heavenly

Sa things are too visionary for me; I have too much to

3 do to earn my daily bread”? Are you sighing after flesh, after worldly wealth, and honor and pleasure? Do you loathe the manna of holy joy, and fellowship, aa and bliss, and life in Christ? Is it so? And are you — fearing to-day that you never can do what you should do,and that you can never conquer your evil propen-Sie Cee ‘oe -. TAC oP. es Pei date Sods VRE ee ate te a ted -

ioe
rye Sees

whole nation missed the rest of God; it will not be a

wonder if you and I miss it, who are but one or two,

unless we take earnest heed, and are filled with fear “lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of us should seem to come short of it.” III. So now, thirdly, I am going to put my finger upon THE FATAL CAUSE

of this direful calamity. Why was it the Gospel that —

they heard did not profit them? Assuredly, it was not the fault of the Gospel which they heard. In itself it is calculated to profit all who receive it. It promised liberty, and this should have made them gratefully obedient. It promised an inheritance, and added to it a high and holy calling, and this should have aroused their loftiest aspiration. It promised every help to the getting of the promised blessings; and what could they have more? Concerning the Gospel which I have preached to you, I can truly say that if you miss blessedness, it is not because you are straitened in the Gospel, or are discouraged by the narrowness of the Lord’s grace. Pardon of sin, justification of your persons, the salvation of your souls, and everlasting bliss; what more can be set before

“sities? Do you sit down supinely, judging your pas-

sions to be too strong to be subdued, your habits too’ firmly fixed to be changed? Are the giants too strong for you to slay them? Have you no trust in + “God, and in His boundless grace? If so, O sirs, I

fear me your carcases will fall in the wilderness; your dying hour will come, and you will have no hope. A or Muses spoke Cbd’s Word wad ieee incense, and gentleness. He set before them the truth with all fidelity. With all my imperfection, I hope I can a e say, also, that if you die in the wilderness, I am clear of your blood; for I have warned you to escape, and - T have bidden you seek, first, the kingdom of God a: and His righteousness. ere Well, then, what was the cause? We et our finger on it at once: “Not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.”. Where there is no faith in the Gospel, no good consequence can possibly come of it, If it were preached to you by angels, yea, if one arose from the dead and proclaimed*it to you, if you believed it not what could be the beneficial effect of — hearing it? Men, why do you hear it if you do not mean to believe it? If you will be damned, why do you throng this’ place to hear about salvation? If — — - — -you are resolved that you will not have the promise “a: of God, why come and listen to His servant, who has nothing else to tell you? Are we set up to be as marionettes, or dancing dolls, for you to stare at? God forbid that we should ever accept the calling of actors in a play! If we do not win your hearts for Christ, and.so save you, we have labored in vain, and — spent our strength for nought. See the effect of absence of faith, and lament it. Where there is no faith, men remain

ie SLAVES TO THE PRESENT. Bay If they did not believe in the milk and honey of Ca-Beyond: ir ee yet, as a cane hee cannot oc the estate, they pine for the onions. When men Core not believe in eternal life they naturally enough. Ghyee

“Give me bread and cheese! Let me have a fortune. bak

tere!” They keep their nose to the grindstone, aoe

always thinking about this passing life, because they do not heartily believe in heaven and its glories. They are as ‘“dumb-driven cattle,” that see not into another state; this life seems real to them, but the next life they suspect to be a dream. As long as there is no faith, this world is all, and the world to ie come is nothing at all.. If a man ee and has no faith, he learns nothing. What would be the use of your listening to lectures - — upon science if you disbelieved what the professor set - forth? You are no pupil — you are a critic, and 7 YOU CANNOT LEARN. Many professors have no faith, and, consequently, i whoever may teach them, they will never come to a knowledge of the truth. Israel never saw through the almost transparent veil of the typés because they did not believe.. Want of faith means want of eye and want of perception.

A man that has no faith in what he hears does not appropriate it. There is gold! Eagerly one crieth, “Tet me go and get it!” Unbelief restrains him, as it whispers, ‘‘ There is no gold, or it is beyond reach.” He does not go to get it, for he does not believe. Unbelief palsies the hand, and it appropriates nothing.

iY That Ea is not apiece can bs age no use t you. Look at your food. How is it that it builds up| ies your body? Because you take it into the mouth, inde

‘taken up into the system and becomes a life-sustaining

assimilated. And so it is with heavenly truth: if it is taken into the heart, and then mixed with faith, it is digested, and becomes food to every part of the spiritual nature.

Lastly, these people could not enter in because they

land, but they must die even there. They could send their spies into the country, but they could not see - the fertile valleys themselves. Without faith they ’ could not enter Canaan. Shall it be so with us, that, for want of faith, we shall hear the Gospel, know something about its power, and yet miss its glories,

and never enter into possession of the life eternal —

ae which it reveals? Here is the point: ‘They could not. enter in because of unbelief.” Still, the great necessity ts faith. Instead of pea ing upon that subject, let me beg you to DO A LITTLE MIXING AT ONCE. Don’t mix philosophy with the Gospel, but by the help of God’s Spirit mix faith with it. Before us is the glorious Word made flesh, in the eternal Son of God in our nature! He lives for men; He dies to make atonement for sin. Even He cannot save you unless you now mix faith with all those truths about

ce it descends into the stomach, and there it is mixed with certain fluids, and is digested, and ultimately is”

force. Being properly mixed, it is taken up and

had no faith. They could go to the border of the -

Him which the Scriptures teach you. Now mix faith with what you know concerning the Saviour, and say,

“Lord, I believe that Thou art the Son of God. I

believe that Thou didst live a perfect life, which is our righteousness. I believe that Thou didst die a painful death, which brings us pardon. I believe that — Thou ever livest to intercede. I trust my soul in Thy hands.” That is mixing faith with the Gospel, and you will in this fashion richly profit by the Gospel. You will go your way a saved man.

Try what you can do with eternal life itself. Say, “Lord, I believe that there is a spiritual life which Thou dost breathe into believers. I believe that this grows from grace to glory. Thou givest to believers eternal life even here; death cannot kill it, and so they live on, and on, and on, throughout eternity, forever blessed in Christ. I believe in the new creation. I appropriate it. I trust in Jesus for it. This heritage is mine! By faith I take it to myself.” God will never take away what you can grasp by faith. Mix faith with every promise. Henceforth continue to practice the holy art of mixing faith with the revelations of Scripture. Compound them as the dispensers do. Here is a choice drug, but it wants. mixing with its proper affinity; the promise must be mixed with faith if it is to be life-giving to the soul. Mix it, then, with faith, and be profited immediately and eternally. Be united to the truth and it will save you. Let it come into union with you, and you will never perish. The Lord help you to be joined unto His truth by faith, for Christ’s sake. Amen.