James 3:3-4 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.… 1. We have no capacity, under the natural laws of the soul, as a self-governing creature, to govern successfully anything, except indirectly — that is, by a process of steering. We cannot govern a bad passion or grudge by choking it down, or master a wild ambition by willing it away, or stop the trains of bad thoughts by a direct fight with them, which fight would only keep them still in mind as before — all that we can do in such matters, in the way of self-regulation, is to steer simply the mind off from its grudges, ambitions, bad thoughts, by getting it occupied with good and pure objects that work a diversion. 2. All human doings as regards the soul's regeneration, or the beginning of a new life, amount to nothing more than the right use of a power that steers it into the sphere of God's operation. And the reason why so many fail is that they undertake to do the work themselves, wearing away spasmodically to lift themselves over the unknown crises by main strength — as if seizing the ship by its mast, or the main hulk of its body, they were going to push it on through the voyage themselves. Whereas it is the work of God, and not in any other sense their own, than that, coming from God by a total trust in Him, they are to have it in God's working. Let the wind blow where it listeth God will take care of that — they have only just to put themselves to it, and the impossible is done. 3. Christ, as the Son of man, is that small helm put in the hand, so to speak, of our affections to bring us into God's most interior beauty and perfection, and puts us in the power of His infinite unseen character, thus to be moulded by it and fashioned to conformity with it. And so we have nothing to do but to keep His company and watch for Him in faithful adhesion to His person, in order to be kept in the very element of God's character, and have the consciousness of God, as a state of continual progressive and immovably steadfast experience. The moral power of God and God's glory is mirrored directly into us, to become a Divine glory in us. Beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory. This it is, working in our sin, that clears it all away — the power of God unto salvation. (H. Bushnell, D.D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.WEB: Indeed, we put bits into the horses' mouths so that they may obey us, and we guide their whole body. |
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