Worketh

John v. 17.

f OD is the great Worker in the World. Though He entered into His rest on the seventh day, yet His rest has been full of work. He works in rest, and rests in work. The operations of Nature, the course of Providence, and the evolution of an evident plan in history; all these are living tokens of His unwearying activity. “Of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things; to whom be glory forever.”

We must be very careful not to hide this fact of God’s personal activity ttbe 5u$$en&ere& 37

under the veil of the Reign of Law. Men speak much of Law, as if they considered that laws were forces; when, in point of fact, a law is simply the unvarying method in which the force works which is behind it, mysterious and ineffable. Talk of Law, and you have explained nothing as to the essence of the force itself. And if you demand what that force is, there is but one re* ply, adequate to the enquiry; and it is given in the one all-containing word — God.

God’s workshop is the Universe; but you may also find it in the surrendered heart. There is a beautiful illustration of this in the life of our Lord. When His enemies found fault with Him for having healed the paralytic man on the Sabbath day, He answered, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” This deep answer to the question is not always understood or appreciated. The usual explanation is, “Morfeetb.”

that deeds of mercy no more broke the Sabbath than the incessant workings of God interfered with His rest. But there is something still deeper. The in-workings and promptings of the Father had been stirring within our Saviour’s spirit, even up to that moment, and to that miracle; and therefore He, as the Servant and Son, had no alternative than to obey. If then they found fault at all, it should not be with Himself, but with that energising Will, which had moved Him to the act that had aroused their hate.

Now, in a lesser degree, but on the same lines, God works in all loving and obedient hearts; so that the Apostle could say, “Work out your own sal - vation with fear and trembling! for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Phil. ii. 12, 13.) The same truth appears in many other places. “His working, which worketh in me might-’ ily.” “Working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight.”

What a weight of staggering thought is excited by these words! Stay, my soul, and wonder, that the Eternal God should stoop to work within thy narrow limits — filthy as a stable; dark as a cellar; stifling as an over-crowded room. Is it not a marvel indeed, that He, whom the heavens cannot contain, and in whose sight they are not clean, should trouble Himself to work on material so unpromising, and amidst circumstances so uncongenial? How careful should we be to make Him welcome, and to throw no hindrance in His way! how eager to garner up all the least movements of His gracious operation — as the machinist conserves the force of his engine; and as the goldsmith, with miserly care, collects every flake of gold-leaf! Surely we shall be sensible of the fear of holy reverence and the trembling of eager

4 o

“Morfcetb*”

anxiety; as we “work out,” into daily act and life, all that God our Father is “working in.”

Of course, in one sense our salvation is complete; but in another it is still in process. “We are being saved.” We were saved from the condemnation and penalty of sin, when Jesus died; we are being saved from indwelling sin, through the gracious renewal of the Holy Ghost; and we shall yet be saved, so far as the emancipation of the body is concerned, when the trumpet of the archangel has given the signal of Resurrection. It is of the middle term in this series, that we are thinking now; of that salvation which consists in delivering us from the power of indwelling sin, and in fashioning us into the likeness of the Son of God.

The agent in this work is God Himself. He dwells in the surrendered heart; and He drives all evil before him,

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as the first beams of light expelled the brooding chaos from the universe. But He does not perform His work mechanically, irresistibly, or by iron force.

He works by promptings, movings, checkings, suggestions, inspirations, touches light as a feather and soft as an angel’s. If we treat these workings with neglect, they subside; and the soul resembles one of those deserted pits, in which the machinery and debris tell of the busy tides of workmen that have long since ebbed away. If, on the other hand, we carefully obey them, they become more powerful; and our obedience makes their effect permanent in our characters. Obedience to a divine prompting transforms it into a permanent acquisition. It is a new piece of workmanship, whether of gold, silver, 01 precious stones, built into the fabric of the spiritual nature.

There is one important matter, how- “Morftetb,”

ever, which we must bear carefully mind. If we attend only to the inner working and striving of God’s Holy Spirit, we may become confused as to what is really His; for Satan will simulate it, that he may annoy us, transforming himself into an angel of light. We should therefore remember that God educates human spirits by three agencies: by the Word, by the Spirit, and by the events of Providence. And these three always agree in one; they never clash. Whensoever, therefore, we are sensible of a mighty striving within our hearts, we should test it by the Word of God on the one hand; and on the other we should await the opening of circumstances. If we follow the inner light without the Bible, we shall become visionaries. If we follow the inner light without awaiting the unfolding of circumstances, we shall be unpractical.

Let it be our chosen attitude (C

©Iortfs ©o&, open our whole being increasingly to the inworking of God. We were originally “His workmanship, created unto good works.” And now, let us ask Him to work in us to will those good works, so that our will, without being impaired in its free operation, may be permeated and moulded by His will; just as light suffuses the atmosphere, without displacing it. And let us also expect that He will infuse into us sufficient strength that we may be able to do His will unto all pleasing. Thus, day by day, our life will be a manifestation of those holy volitions, and lovely deeds, which shall attest the indwelling and inworking of God. And men shall see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in Heaven.