Ezra 3:11-13 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks to the LORD; because he is good… It is worth while noticing that while the old men's grateful tears honoured their God as really as the young men's shouts of praise, yet that these last were after all the truest to the fact, for that whilst to the eyes of those who had seen the house in her past glory this house was in comparison as nothing, yet that to the opened glance of God's prophet it was even now revealed that "the glory of this latter house should be greater than that of the former." At such a time pure exultation and absolute dejection are alike out of place. Shouts of joy which pass into sobs and tears, which tell of humbled but grateful recollection, are the meetest temper in which we can present before our God our best offerings. If, then, this be the right temper for our minds, it must be a proper time for us to mark some of the chief imperfections which have hindered our service, as well as some of those brighter features which may at once fill our hearts with hope and help to direct us in our further course. I. First, then, for SOME. OF THE LEADING IMPERFECTIONS OF OUR WORK. 1. Now in entering upon this subject of the imperfections of our services, I may say at once, in the first place, that a work which is so much as this is, the coming forth of the Church's inner spiritual life, must, by the inevitable laws of the kingdom of grace, bear about it marks of the sins and infirmities which at the time weaken the spiritual life of the Church. We shall therefore surely find repeated in this our work the transcript of our own besetting sins; our secularity, our love of ease, our want of self-denial, our low estimate or unbelief of the spiritual character and power of Christ's Church, our indistinct apprehensions of her distinctive doctrines, our low sense of the power of the Cross of Christ and of the indwelling of God the Holy Ghost in His regenerate people, our want of love to Christ, our weak faith, our fainting love to our brethren. But to use this truth most practically let us endeavour to see in detail some of the special forms of weakness in which our own spiritual evils have in fact made themselves manifest. And first among these, how scanty has our work been when weighed against our opportunities. Where are nations born through us into the faith? Where is there not the same sight? — a little work done, feeble and divided efforts blest far above their deserving, but still effecting little against the mass of evil. Next, how late was our service! And then to note but one more mark of imperfection and instrument of weakness, how have our services lacked, alas I how do they still lack, that grace of unity, with which more perhaps than with any other condition, both in the Word of God and in the experience of the Church, any great success in the evangelisation of the world has always been connected! Who can estimate the measure in which these, our sinful strifes, banish from us the indwelling strength of the ever-blessed Spirit of unity? Who can limit the success which might accompany His working, even by our feeble hands, if there were but restored to us the gift of a true brotherly union and concord? II. AND YET WITH THAT SOUND OF WEEPING SHOULD THERE NOT BE FOR US ALSO VOICES OF MEN THAT SHOUT FOR JOY? For too scanty as our work is, compared with what it should be, yet is it in itself great, real, and increasing. Late as we began it, yet for three half centuries has God received from us its thankful offering. It is no little thing to have been enabled to plant the Church of Christ throughout North America. It is no light blessing to have been permitted to accompany everywhere throughout the world England's too irreligious colonisation with the blessed seed of the Church's life, so that even for the extent of our work with all its scantiness we may indeed bless God. And for our last and greatest imperfection, for our own separations, many. as are still, alas! our divisions, yet are marks of unity appearing and increasing with us. How full of hope and humble joy is this day's new and glorious sight? Surely it is written for us to-day, "Rejoice, thou barren, that hearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which, hath an husband." But then once more there is here matter for our future guidance, as well as for our present joy. Such gifts of God as those which are this day poured, out upon us must not only be received with thankfulness, they must also be used with diligence: They are cheering mercies, but they are also stirring calls to duty. (Bp. Samuel Wilberforce.). Parallel Verses KJV: And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. |
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