(Concluded.)
THE DOXOLOGY.
"But to Him that is able to keep .you without stumbling, and to set [you] with exultation blameless before His glory, to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, [be] glory, majesty, might, and authority, from before the whole age, and now, and to all the ages. Amen." (Verses 24, 25.)
What a paean of holy exultation with which to close a letter which has drawn so dark a picture of the dangers besetting the path of the man of faith! God lives and reigns. His power is limitless. His grace is boundless. His glory and majesty shall to all eternity remain unsmirched by all the evil thoughts and ways of ungrateful and insensate men. It is for the Christian to pillow his head upon these blessed and soul-inspiring truths, and thus rise above all discouragement, and so go on in holy confidence to more than conquer!
"Unto Him that is able-." This is what gives new strength to the wearied warrior. Weak and helpless in himself, he looks up in faith to One who is able, and thus out of weakness is made strong.
Let the difficulties of the path be what they may -however thickly strewn with gins and snares of Satanic device-God is able to keep the trusting soul without stumbling. David knew this when he' sang, "Yea, though I walk through the vale of death's shadow, I will fear no evil:for Thou art with me." This is enough for faith in the darkest and most trying hour. I may not see a step before me, but He who is able sees the end from the beginning, and bids me confide in His love and wisdom, and thus implicitly trust myself to His guidance.
No believer would question the power of God to keep him five minutes without stumbling. But He who can keep for five minutes can keep for sixty; and He who can keep for an hour can keep for twenty-four; and He who can keep for one day can keep all the days if the eye and heart be fixed upon Himself. For this very purpose our Lord Jesus Christ has been "separated from sinners," with whom He once walked in grace, the undefiled and undefilable Man on earth. He prayed, "For their sakes I sanctify Myself [or set Myself apart], that they also might be sanctified through the truth." Thus He became in heavenly glory the object for His people's hearts, that, daily living "looking off unto Jesus," they might be kept from stumbling.
And as He has all needed stores of grace for the pilgrim path, so the end is sure. He is able "to set you with exultation blameless before His glory." There shall be no failure here:God has predestinated every believer to be conformed to the image of His Son. To this end Christ, who loved the Church, and gave Himself for it, is now engaged in its sanctification and daily cleansing by water-washing of the Word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. Then shall the Eve of the last Adam be manifested in the same glory with Himself; and all because God is able! Blessed, heart-refreshing, and soul-uplifting truths are these.
In verse 25 the Authorized Version ascribes adoration and praise to "the only wise God our Saviour." The Revised Version, and all later translations, omit the word "wise," as unsupported by the better authorities. But granting it to be an interpolation made inadvertently, or otherwise, by some pious scribe, how it tells the effect that the transcribing of this epistle had on this unknown soul! Contemplating it, his heart was filled, and he cried in hallowed ecstasy, "This God is the only wise God." It is indeed " He that is perfect in wisdom" with whom we have to do, who will never call back His word. He is indeed the only God, for all others are but the imaginings of men's minds. Nor is it as the Judge he views Him, but with purged conscience worships before the mercy-seat as he owns Him as our Saviour-God;' for He it was who so loved the world as to give His only begotten Son that we might live through Him.
Thus all blessing flows down to us from the heart of God "through Jesus Christ our Lord," in whose peerless name we return our feeble praises, and through whom will be manifested that to our Saviour-God belong all glory, majesty, might and authority, from before the age-times, in the present (despite the jarring note of sin), and through all the ages to come, when the full results of the Cross will be displayed in "a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
For this Christ Jesus gave Himself when He died to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Thus He became the Lamb of God who beareth away the sin of the world. Not yet do we see this fully accomplished, for the trail of the serpent still mars God's fair creation; but His eternal purpose is working out; and when all the ages of time have run their course, the last remains of sin will be banished to the lake of fire, and the sinless ages of eternity will have been ushered in. Then shall God be all and in all forevermore, and none dispute His authority or seek to detract from His glory again.
"Amen" swells up from every believer's breast, and faith looks on with blest anticipation to the accomplishment of all His good promise. This affirmative word is, in the succeeding book (the Revelation), used by the Son of God as one of His own names, or titles. "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God" (Rev. 3:14). He is, in His own character, the affirmation of all God's plans and ways. Through Him all shall end in perfection, and thus all glory, majesty and dominion be ascribed to the God of all grace while endless ages roll on to infinity. Amen and Amen. H. A. I.