AT
THE MASTER’S FEET
by Sadhu Sundar Singh
Translated
From The Urdu By
Rev. Arthur And Mrs. Parker
1922
NOTE
BY THE TRANSLATORS
In the preparation of this translation we have been fortunate in having
the co-operation of the Sadhu himself, and in concert with him certain
alterations have been made with a view to remove obscurities and give added
point and clearness wherever possible. While striving to provide a careful
translation, a certain freedom of expression has been made use of wherever
necessary, at the same time care has been taken to preserve the true spirit and
meaning of the original.
To those who, like ourselves, have had the good fortune to see the Sadhu
at his work in
The man himself, in his own gracious and dignified personality, makes an
indelible impression on the mind. He becomes more than a charming memory; he
remains as a compelling force in the lives of many who have sat with him at the
Master’s feet.
This little book goes out as an emanation from a mind chastened and
refined by experience and prayerful meditation, and chosen by the Lord of love
and mercy to make Him known in life as well as in word.
Arthur Parker
Rebecca J. Parker
PREFACE
“Ye
call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.” (John xiii.13)
“Take
my yoke upon you and learn of me . . . and ye shall find rest unto your
souls.” (Matt. xi.29)
There is nothing so perfect in the world as to be quite above objection
and criticism. The very sun which gives us light and warmth is not free from
spots, yet notwithstanding these defects it does not desist from its regular
duty. It behooves us in like manner to carry on to the best of our ability what
has been entrusted to us, and strive constantly to make our lives fruitful.
When the truths set forth in this book were revealed to me by the Master
they deeply affected my life, and some of them have been used by me in my
sermons and addresses in Europe,
It would be impossible for me to set forth these truths that have been
revealed to me except in parabolic language, but by the use of parables my task
has been made comparatively easy.
It is my prayer that as God by His grace and mercy has blessed me by
these truths, so also they may be a blessing to every reader.
Sundar Singh
INTRODUCTION
First
Vision
Second
Vision
On another day, my work being finished, I again went into the forest to
pray, and seated upon that same rock began to consider for what blessings I
should make petition. Whilst thus engaged it seemed to me that another came and
stood near me, who, judged by his bearing and dress and manner of speech,
appeared to be a revered and devoted servant of God; but his eyes glittered with
craft and cunning, and as he spoke he seemed to breathe an odour of hell.
He thus addressed me, “Holy and Honoured Sir, pardon me for
interrupting your prayers and breaking in on your privacy; but is is one’s
duty to seek to promote the advantage of others, and therefore I have come to
lay an important matter before you. Your pure and unselfish life has made a deep
impression not only on me, but upon a great number of devout persons. But
although in the Name of God you have sacrificed yourself body and soul for
others, you have never been truly appreciated. My meaning is that being a
Christian only a few thousand Christians have come under your influence, and
some even of these distrust you. How much better would it be if you became a
Hindu or a Mussulman, and thus become a great leader indeed? They are in search
of such a spiritual head. If you accept this suggestion of mine, then three
hundred and ten millions of Hindus and Mussulmans will become your followers,
and render you reverent homage.”
As soon as I heard this there rushed from my lips these words, “Thou
Satan! get thee hence. I knew at once that thou wert a wolf in sheep’s
clothing! Thy one wish is that I should give up the cross and the narrow path
that leads to life, and choose the broad road of death. My Master Himself is my
lot and my portion, who Himself gave His life for me, and it behooves me to
offer as a sacrifice my life and all I have to Him who is all in all to me. Get
you gone therefore, for with you I have nothing to do.”
Hearing this he went off grumbling and growling in his rage. And I, in
tears, thus poured out my soul to God in prayer, “My Lord God, my all in all,
life of my life, and spirit of my spirit, look in mercy upon me and so fill me
with Thy Holy Spirit that my heart shall have no room for love of aught but
Thee. I seek from Thee no other gift but Thyself, who art the Giver of life and
all its blessings. From Thee I ask not for the world or its treasures, nor yet
for heaven even make request, but Thee alone do I desire and long for, and where
Thou art there is Heaven. The hunger and the thirst of this heart of mine can be
satisfied only with Thee who hast given it birth. O Creator mine! Thou hast
created my heart for Thyself alone, and not for another, therefore this my heart
can find no rest or ease save in Thee, in Thee who hast both created it and set
in it this very longing for rest. Take away then from my heart all that is
opposed to Thee, and enter and abide and rule for ever. Amen.”
When I rose up from this prayer I beheld a glowing Being, arrayed in
light and beauty, standing before me. Though He spoke not a word, and because my
eyes were suffused with tears I saw Him not too clearly, there poured from Him
lightning-like rays of life-giving love with such power that they entered in and
bathed my very soul. At once I knew that my dear Saviour stood before me. I rose
at once from the rock where I was seated and fell at His feet. He held in His
hand the key of my heart. Opening the inner chamber of my heart with His key of
love, He filled it with His presence, and wherever I looked, inside or out, I
saw but Him.
Then did I know that man’s heart is the very throne and citadel of God,
and that when He enters there to abide, heaven begins. In these few seconds He
so filled my heart, and spoke such wonderful words, that even if I wrote many
books I could not tell them all. For these heavenly things can be explained only
in heavenly language, and earthly tongues are not sufficient for them. Yet I
will endeavour to set down a few of these heavenly things that by way of vision
came to me from the Master. Upon the rock on which before I sat He seated
Himself, and with myself at His feet there began between Master and disciple the
conversation that now follows.
I.
THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD’S PRESENCE
SECTION
I
The Disciple,—O Master,
Fountain of life! Why dost Thou hide Thyself from those that adore Thee, and
dost not rejoice the eyes of them that long to gaze upon Thee?
The Master,—1. My true
child, true happiness depends not upon the sight of the eyes, but comes through
spiritual vision, and depends upon the heart. In
If, as you say, thousands of people saw Me in
2. Many there are in this world who know about Me, but do not know Me;
that is they have no personal relationship with Me, therefore they have no true
apprehension of or faith in Me, and do not accept Me as their Saviour and Lord.
Just as if one talks with a man born blind about different colors such as
red, blue, yellow, he remains absolutely unaware of their charm and beauty, he
cannot attach any value to them, because he only knows about them, and is aware
of their various names. But with regard to colors he can have no true conception
until his eyes are opened. In the same manner until a man’s spiritual eyes are
opened, howsoever learned he may be, he cannot know Me, he cannot behold My
glory, and he cannot understand that I am God Incarnate.
3. There are many believers who are aware of My presence in their hearts
bringing to them spiritual life and peace, but cannot plainly see Me. Just as
the eye can see many things, yet when someone drops medicine into the eye does
not see it, but the presence of the medicine is felt cleansing the inner eye and
promoting the power of sight.
4. The true peace which is born of My presence in the hearts of true
believers they are unable to see, but, feeling its power, they become happy in
it. Nor can they see that happiness of mind or heart through which they enjoy
the peace of My presence. It is the same with the tongue and sweetmeats. The
faculty of taste which resides in the tongue and the sweetness it perceives are
both invisible. Thus also I give My children life and joy by means of the hidden
manna, which the world with all its wisdom knows not nor can know (Rev. ii.7).
5. Sometimes during sickness the faculty of taste in the tongue is
interfered with, and during that time, however tasty the food given to the sick
person may be, it has an ill taste to him. In just the same way sin interferes
with the taste for spiritual things. Under such circumstances My Word and
service and My presence lost their attraction to the sinner, and instead of
profiting by them he begins to argue about and to criticize them.
6. Many believers again—like the man born blind, on receiving his
sight—are able to see Jesus as a prophet and the Son of Man, but do not regard
Him as the Christ and the Son of God (John ix.17, 35-37), until I am revealed to
them a second time in power.
7. A mother once hid herself in a garden amongst some densely growing
shrubs, and her little son went in search of her here and there, crying as he
went. Through the whole garden he went, but could not find her. A servant said
to him, “Sonny, don’t cry! Look at the mangoes on this tree and all the
pretty, pretty flowers in the garden. Come, I am going to get some for you.”
But the child cried out, “No! No! I want my mother. The food she gives me is
nicer than all the mangoes, and her love is sweeter far than all these flowers,
and indeed you know that all this garden is mine, for all that my mother has is
mine. No! I want my mother!” When the mother, hidden in the bushes, heard
this, she rushed out and, snatching her child to her breast, smothered him with
kisses, and that garden became a paradise to the child. In this way My children
cannot find in this great garden of a world, so full of charming and beautiful
things, any true joy until they find Me. I am their Emmanuel, who is ever with
them, and I make Myself known to them (John xiv.21).
8. Just as the sponge lies in the water, and the water fills the sponge,
but the water is not the sponge and the sponge is not the water, but they ever
remain different things, so children abide in Me and I in them. This is not
pantheism, but it is the
9. Take a piece of charcoal, and however much you may wash it its
blackness will not disappear, but let the fire enter into it and its dark colour
vanishes. So also when the sinner receives the Holy Spirit (who is from the
Father and Myself, for the Father and I are one), which is the baptism of fire,
all the blackness of sin is driven away, and he is made a light to the world
(Matt. iii.11, v.14). As the fire in the charcoal, so I abide in My children and
they in Me, and through them I make Myself manifest to the world.
SECTION
II
The Disciple,—Master, if
Thou wouldst make a special manifestation of Thyself to the world, men would no
longer doubt the existence of God and Thy own divinity, but all would believe
and enter on the path of righteousness.
The Master,—1. My son, the
inner state of every man I know well, and to each heart in accordance with its
needs I make Myself known; and for bringing men into the way of righteousness
there is no better means than the manifestation of Myself. For man I became man
that he might know God, not as someone terrible and foreign, but as full of love
and like to himself, for he is like Him and made in His image.
Man also has a natural desire that he should see Him in whom he believes
and who loves him. But the Father cannot be seen, for He is by nature
incomprehensible, and he who would comprehend Him must have the same nature. But
man is a comprehensible creature, and being so cannot see God. Since, however,
God is Love and He has given to man that same faculty of love, therefore, in
order that that craving for love might be satisfied, He adopted a form of
existence that man could comprehend. Thus He became man, and His children with
all the holy angels may see Him and enjoy Him (Col. i.15, ii.9). Therefore I
said that he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father (John xiv.9-10). And
although while in the form of man I am called the Son, I am the eternal and
everlasting Father (Isa. ix.6).
2. I and the Father and the Holy Spirit are One. Just as in the sun there
are both heat and light, but the light is not heat, and the heat is not light,
but both are one, though in their manifestation they have different forms, so I
and the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father, bring light and heat to the
world. The Spirit, which is the baptismal fire, burns to ashes in the hearts of
believers all manner of sin and iniquity, making them pure and holy. I who am
the True Light (John i.9, viii.12), dissipate all dark and evil desires, and
leading them in the way of righteousness bring them at last to their eternal
home. Yet We are not three but One, just as the sun is but one.
3. Whatever worth and power and high faculty God has endowed man with
must be brought into action, otherwise they gradually decay and die. In this way
faith, if it is not truly fixed on the living God, is shattered by the shock of
sin and transformed into doubt. Often one hears something like this, “If this
or that doubt of mine be removed I am ready to believe.” That is as though one
with a broken limb should ask the doctor to take away the pain before he sets
the limb. Surely this is folly, for the pain comes from the breaking of the
limb, and when that is set the pain will of itself pass away. Thus by the act of
sin man’s tie with God has been snapped, and doubts, which are spiritual
pains, have arisen. It needs must, therefore, that the union with God be again
renewed, then those doubts which have arisen regarding My divinity and the
existence of God will of themselves disappear. Then in place of pain there will
come that wonderful peace which the world cannot give nor take away. Thus it was
that I became flesh, that between God and poor broken men there might be union,
and they might be happy with Him in heaven for evermore.
4. God is love, and in every living creature He has set this faculty of
love, but especially in man. It is therefore nothing but right that the Lover
who has given us life and reason and love itself should receive His due tribute
of love. His desire is to all He has created, and if this love be not rightly
used, and if we do not with all our heart and soul and mind and strength love
Him who has endowed us with love, then that love falls from its high estate and
becomes selfishness. Thus arises disaster both for ourselves and for other
creatures of God. Every selfish man, strangely enough, becomes a self-slayer.
This also I have said, “Love thy neighbour as thyself.” Now although
in a sense all men are neighbours one of another, yet the reference is
especially to those who habitually live near each other, for it is an easy
matter to live at peace with one who is near at hand for a few days only, even
though he be unfriendly; but in the case of one who has his dwelling near you,
and day by day is the cause of trouble to you, it is most difficult to bear with
him, and love him as yourself. But when you have conquered in this great
struggle it will be more easy to love all others as yourself.
When man with all his heart, mind, and soul loves God, and his neighbour
as himself there will be no room for doubts, but in him will be established that
Kingdom of God of which there should be no end, and he, melted and moulded in
the fire of love, will be made into the image of his heavenly Father, who at the
first made him like Himself.
5. Also I manifest Myself by means of My Word (the Bible) to those who
seek Me with a sincere heart. Just as for the salvation of men I took on a human
body, so My Word also, which is Spirit and Life (John vi.63) is written in the
language of men, that is, there are inspired and human elements united in it.
But just as men do not understand Me, so they do not understand My Word. To
understand it a knowledge of the Hebrew and Greek tongues is not a necessity,
but what is necessary is the fellowship of that Holy Spirit, abiding in whom the
prophets and apostles wrote it. Without doubt the language of this Word is
spiritual, and he who is born of the Spirit is alone able fully to understand
it, whether he be acquainted with the criticism of the world or be only a child,
for that spiritual language is well understood by him since it is his mother
tongue. But remember that those whose wisdom is only of this world cannot
understand it, for they have no share in the Holy Spirit.
6. In the book of nature, of which I also am the Author, I freely
manifest Myself. But for the reading of this book also spiritual insight is
needed, that men may find Me, otherwise there is a danger lest instead of
finding Me they go astray.
Thus the blind man uses the tips of his fingers as eyes, and by means of
touch alone reads a book, but by touch alone can form no real estimate of its
truth. The investigations of agnostics and sceptics prove this, for in place of
perfection they see only defects. Fault finding critics ask, “If there is an
Almighty Creator of the world why are there defects in it, such as hurricanes,
earthquakes, eclipses, pain, suffering, death, and the like?” The folly of
this criticism is similar to that of an unlearned man who finds fault with an
unfinished building or an incomplete picture. After a time, when he sees them
fully finished, he is ashamed of his folly, and ends by singing their praises.
Thus too, God did not in one day give to this world its present form, nor will
it in one day reach perfection. The whole creation moves onward to perfection,
and if it were possible for the man of this world to see from afar with the eyes
of God the perfect world in which no defect appears, he too would bow in praise
before Him and say, “All is very good” (Gen. i.31).
7. The human spirit abides in the body very much as the chicken in the
shell. If it were possible for the bird within the shell to be told that outside
of it was a great widespread world, with all kinds of fruit and flowers, with
rivers and grand mountains, that its mother also was there, and that it would
see all this when set free from its shell, it could not understand or believe
it. Even if anyone told it that its feathers and eyes, ready now for use, would
enable it to see and to fly, it would not believe it, nor would any proof be
possible till it came out of its shell.
In the same way there are many who are uncertain about the future life
and the existence of God, because they cannot see beyond this shell-like body of
flesh, and their thoughts, like delicate wings, cannot carry them beyond the
narrow confines of the brain. Their weak eyes cannot discover those eternal and
unfading treasures which God has prepared for those who love Him (Isa. lxiv.4,
lxv.17). The necessary condition for attaining to this eternal life is this,
that while still in this body we should receive from the Holy Spirit by faith
that life-giving warmth which the chicken receives from its mother, otherwise
there is danger of death and eternal loss.
8. Again, many say that the thing, or the life, that has a beginning must
of necessity have an end. This is not true, for is not the Almighty who is able
at His will to make from naught a thing which is, also able by the word of His
power to confer immortality on that which He has made? If not He cannot be
called Almighty. Life in this world appears to be liable to decay and
destruction, because it is in subjection to those things which are themselves
the subject of change and decay. But if this life were set free from these
changeful and decaying influences, and brought under the care of the eternal and
unchanging God, who is the fountain and source of eternal life, it would escape
from the clutch of death and attain to eternity.
As for those who believe on Me, “I give unto them eternal life, and
they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand”
(John x.28). “I am the Lord God Almighty that is and was and is to come”
(Rev. i.8).
II.
SIN AND SALVATION
SECTION
I
The Disciple,—Master, it is
clear to almost everyone that to disobey God and to cease to worship Him is sin,
and the deadly result is seen in the present state of the world. But what sin
really is is not absolutely clear. In the very presence of Almighty God, and in
opposition to His will, and in His own world, how did sin come to be?
The Master,—1. Sin is to
cast aside the will of God and to live according to one’s own will, deserting
that which is true and lawful in order to satisfy one’s own desires, thinking
thus to obtain happiness. Yet in so doing one does not obtain real happiness or
enjoy true pleasure. Sin has no individuality, so that no one can say of it that
someone created it. It is simply the name of a state or condition. There is only
one Creator and He is good, and a good Creator could not have created a bad
thing, for to do so would be against His very nature. And apart from the one
Creator there is no other who could have created sin. Satan can only spoil that
which has already been created, but he has not the power of creating anything.
So sin is not a part of creation, nor has it independent existence such that it
could be created. It is simply a delusive and destructive state of being.
For instance, light is something which has real existence, but darkness
has not; it is only a state, the absence of light. Thus sin or evil is not a
self-existent thing, but simply the absence or nonexistence of good. This dark
state of evil is most terrible, for because of it many miss the right course,
and making shipwreck on the rocks of Satan fall into the darkness of hell and
are lost. For this reason I who am the Light of the world became manifest in the
flesh, so that those who put their trust in Me should not perish, for I rescue
them from the power of darkness and bring them safe to that desired and heavenly
haven, where there is neither name nor sign of darkness (Rev. xxi.23, xxii.5).
2. You ask how this dark state of sin came to be in the very presence of
the Lord of creation. It arose because Satan and men, of their own motion in an
unlawful and wrong way, sought to carry out their own desires. And if you ask
why God did not make man in such a way that he could not fall into such a state,
the answer is that if he had been constructed like a machine he could never have
attained to that state of happiness which is reached only by action in
accordance with one’s own choice. Adam and Eve fell into the wiles and deceit
of Satan because in their sinless state they did not know there were such things
as lies and deceit. Before this, Satan himself did not know of the existence of
that pride by reason of which he was cast out of heaven, for before him no such
thing as pride existed. And although both in men and Satan this state of sin
came to be, God by His almighty power has given that state a new aspect, so that
even from it He has brought forth the noblest results.
First of all, the boundless love of God was made manifest in the
incarnation and redemption, which under other circumstances would have remained
hidden; and in the second place, the redeemed, after having tasted the
bitterness of sin, will more richly enjoy the happiness of heaven, just as after
a taste of bitterness the sweetness of honey gives greater delight. For in
heaven they sin no more, but in meekness and obedient love they serve their
Father God, and abide with Him in joy for evermore.
3. Men are keen on discovering faults in the sun and moon, such as spots
and eclipses, but to the spots and eclipses of sin they give no heed. From this
you may measure how great that darkness in men is, when the very light they have
is darkness (Matt. vi.23). Just as the body of the leper by reason of his
disease becomes numb and insensible, so the heart and mind of man by reason of
sin become dull and insensate, and bring to him no sense of disgust or pain. But
the time will come when he will awake to its terrible ravages, and then there
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
4. Many who are immersed in sin are unaware of its load, just as one who
dives into the water may have tons of water upon him, but is wholly unaware of
its weight until he is choked in death. But he who emerges from the water and
seeks to carry some away soon finds its weight, however little he takes up; and
he who, finding the burden of his sin, comes to Me in penitence will freely
receive true rest, for it is such I come to seek and to save (Matt. xi.28, Luke
xix.10).
5. It is not necessary that every single member of the body should become
useless and weak before death occurs. A weakness of, or a blow upon, the heart
or the brain will suffice to bring an end to life, however strong and healthy
other parts of the body may be. Thus one sin by its poisonous effect on the mind
and heart is sufficient to ruin the spiritual life not of one only, but of a
whole family or nation, even of the whole race. Such was the sin of Adam. But as
one word from Me could bring Lazarus from the tomb, even so it is sufficient to
give eternal life to all.
6. Sometimes it happens that an animal or bird after long association
with man returns to its own kind, but they, instead of welcoming it, set upon it
and do it to death, the reason being that by its long residence and familiarity
with man, its habits and manner of life have entirely changed. In the same way
as animals do not admit to their society those of their kind that have come
under man’s influence, how can the saint and angels in heaven welcome those
sinners who have lived in intimate relations with wicked men? This does not mean
that saints and angels have no love for sinful men, but the holy atmosphere of
heaven will itself be distasteful to such men. For clearly, when in this world
sinners dislike the company of good men, how can they be happy in their company
throughout eternity? To them a heaven of that sort would be as distasteful as
hell itself.
Do not suppose that God or His people will turn sinners out of heaven and
cast them into hell, for God who is Love, never cast anyone into hell, nor ever
will do so. It is the foul life of the sinner that will bring him to hell. Long
before the end of life brings heaven and hell near to us, there has been set up
in every man’s heart, according to his good or evil nature, his own heaven or
hell. Therefore whosoever longs to be saved from that eternal torment, let him
truly repent of his sins and give his heart to Me, that by My presence with him
and the Holy Spirit’s influence, he may become for ever a child of the
7. A rebel against a king or government in this world may save himself by
taking refuge in another country, but where shall a rebel against God flee for
safety? Wherever he goes, even in heaven or hell, he will find God ever present.
(Psa. cxxxix.7,8). He will find his safety only in repentance and submission to
his Lord.
8. For Adam and Eve the fig leaves were too scanty a covering, so God
gave them coats of skin. In this way, too, man’s good deeds are as useless as
the fig leaves to save him from the wrath to come. Nothing will suffice save My
robe of righteousness.
9. The moth thinks not of the burning and destructive power of the flame,
but fascinated by its brilliancy rushes into it and perishes. So man, regardless
of the destructive and poisonous power of sin, and feeling only its allurement,
rushes in to his eternal destruction. But My light rescues the sinner from
death, and bestows upon him life and enduring happiness. Man was so made as to
be capable of appropriating the precious gift of My true light.
10. Sin is not an illusion or a thing of the imagination, but in this
state of spiritual darkness, by the exercise of the evil will of man, such
living seeds of evil have come into existence as will for ever infect his spirit
and finally destroy it—just as smallpox in quite a short time will destroy the
beauty of a man for all time, turning it to repulsive ugliness. As God did not
create wickedness, so also He did not create disease and bodily pains. They are
simply the natural issue of man’s disobedience. Pain and disease also are not
things of the imagination, but are the outward and visible fruits of the hidden
unseen disease of sin, whether it be one’s own sin or that of the family of
which one is a member. When all these members repent and are united with Me, My
health-giving blood circulates through all, healing all their internal and
unseen diseases and giving to them health for all eternity. For such a state of
health man was created, that he might for ever dwell in happiness with his Lord
and Master.
SECTION
II
The Disciple,—Master, in
these days some learned men and their followers regard Thy atonement and the
redemption by blood as meaningless and futile, and say that Christ was only a
great teacher and example for our spiritual life, and that salvation and eternal
happiness depend on our own efforts and good deeds.
The Master,—1. Never forget
that spiritual and religious ideas are connected less with the head than with
the heart, which is the
2. My cross and atonement do the same for believers as the serpent of
brass did for the Israelites, for whoever looked up to that with the eyes of
faith was saved (Num. xxi.9, John iii.14,15). There were some, however, who,
instead of believing, thought of it as brass only and began to criticize and
say, “If Moses had provided an antidote, or were to give us some powerful drug
or special medicine for these venomous serpents, that would be a proper object
of faith, but what power has this pole over poisonous venom?” They all died.
In these days too, those who cavil about the method of salvation which God has
appointed will perish in the poison of their own sin.
3. A young man fell down a precipice and was so much injured, and lost so
much blood that he was at the point of death. When his father took him to the
doctor he said, “The life is the blood, and the supply of this young man’s
blood is exhausted; but if anyone is prepared to sacrifice his own life he may
recover, otherwise he will die.” The father, whose heart was overflowing with
love for his son, offered his own blood, and this being injected into the young
man’s veins he recovered. Man has fallen from the mount of holiness and lies
broken and wounded by his sins, and by reason of those wounds his spiritual life
has ebbed away and he is near to death. But for those who believe in Me I pour
forth my own everlasting and spiritual blood, that they may be saved from death
and obtain eternal life. For this purpose have I come that they might have life
and have it more abundantly (John x.10), and thus live for evermore.
4. In ancient times men were forbidden to drink the blood of animals, or
to eat certain foods, in the belief that they would thus escape certain
diseases; and also lest, as a man has an animal body, his animal propensities
might be strengthened by eating flesh and drinking blood. But now “My flesh is
meat indeed and My blood is drink indeed” (John vi.55), for they give
spiritual life, and by them perfect health and heavenly happiness and joy are
received.
5. The forgiveness of sins does not mean full salvation, for that can
only come with perfect freedom from sin. For it is possible that a man should
die from the disease of his sin, though he has received full pardon for it. For
instance, a man had his brain affected owing to an illness of long standing, and
whilst thus affected he made an attack upon another man and killed him. When
sentence of death was pronounced upon him, his relatives explained the
circumstances and appealed for mercy for him, and he was granted pardon for the
sin of murder. But before his friends could reach him with the good news, indeed
while they were on the way, he had died of the sickness by reason of which he
had committed the murder.
What advantage was this pardon to the murderer? His real safety would
have been to be cured of his disease, and then he would have had real happiness
in his pardon. For this reason I became manifest in the flesh that I might
deliver penitent believers from the disease of sin, from its punishment and from
death; thus taking away both cause and effect. They will not die in their sins,
for I will save them (Matt. i.21), and they shall pass from death to becomes
heirs of eternal life.
6. To many people life is full of peril, and they are like that hunter
who caught sight of a honeycomb on the branch of a tree overhanging a stream.
Climbing up, he began to enjoy the honey, quite unaware of the fact that he was
in peril of death, for in the stream beneath him lay an alligator with open jaws
waiting to devour him, while around the foot of the tree a pack of wolves had
gathered waiting for him to descend. Worse still, the tree on which he sat had
been eaten away at the roots by an insect and it was ready to fall. In a short
time it did fall, and the unwary hunter became the prey of the alligator. Thus,
too, the human spirit, ensconced in the body, enjoys for a short time the false
and fleeting pleasures of sin gathered in the honeycomb of the brain, without a
thought that it is in the midst of this fearsome jungle of the world. There
Satan sits ready to tear it to pieces, and hell like an alligator waits with
open mouth to gulp it down, while, worst of all, the tiny unseen insect of sin
has eaten away the very roots of the body and life. Soon the soul falls and
becomes an everlasting prey to hell. But the sinner who comes to Me I will
deliver from sin, from Satan, and from hell, and will give him eternal joy
“which none shall take away from him” (John xvi.22).
7. Satan with crafty speech and enticements draws men to him and swallows
them down just as a snake fascinates little birds by the magnetism of its
glittering eye, and makes a prey of them. But to those who believe on Me I give
deliverance from that old serpent and from the seductions of this
soul-destroying world. I set them free so that, as a bird, easily resisting the
force of gravity which is in the earth, flies freely through the open heaven,
they mount on the wings of prayer and reach at last the abode of safety and
their hearts dear home, drawn by the sweet attractions of My love.
8. Just as a man with jaundice sees everything yellow, so to the sinner
and the philosopher truth itself takes on the form and fashion of his sin or his
theories, and it is not a matter of much surprise if such people go a step
further and count Me a sinner like themselves. But My work, which is the
salvation of sinners, does not depend on the good opinion of the world, but for
ever moves on its undisturbed way in the lives of believers. Just as Levi, being
still in the loins of Abraham, paid tithe to Me though he was not yet born, so
all generations of believers have in Me, offered upon the cross, the atonement
and ransom for their sins, though they were not at that time even born; for this
salvation is for all races of men in the world.
9. This saying, that a man can by his own effort and good works acquire
salvation, is foolish and absurd so long as the man is not born again.
World-rulers and teachers of morality say, “Become good by doing good,” but
this is what I say, “Become good yourself before doing good works.” When
that new and good life has been entered upon, good deeds will be the natural
result.
It is only a fool that will say that a bitter tree by constantly bearing
fruit will at last become sweet. As a matter of fact a bitter tree can become
sweet by being grafted on a sweet tree, so that the life and qualities peculiar
to the sweet tree will pass into the bitter one and its natural bitterness will
pass away. This is what we call a new creation. So too the sinner may have the
desire to do what is right, and yet the only result is sin; but when he repents
and by faith is grafted into Me the old man in him dies, and he becomes a new
creature. Then from this new life which has its origin in salvation good deeds
come forth as fruit, and this fruit abides for ever.
10. There are many who have learnt from experience that man’s natural
goodness cannot give true peace of heart, nor can it give him a certainty of
salvation or eternal life. The young man who came to Me seeking eternal life is
a case in point. His first thought with regard to Me was wrong, as is that of
some worldly-wise men and their followers at the present day. He thought Me to
be one of those teachers who are like whited sepulchres, and in whose lives
there is not a particle of true goodness. Therefore I said to him, “Why do you
ask Me about goodness? There is none good but One.” But he failed to see in Me
the one giver of goodness and life; and when I sought to admit him to My
companionship and make him a truly good man, and bestow life upon him, he became
sad and left Me. His life, however, makes one thing perfectly clear, and that is
that his keeping the commandments and his goodness did not satisfy him or give
him the assurance of eternal life. If his good works had given him peace he
would not have come to inquire of Me, or had he come he would not have left Me
in sorrow, but, believing My words, would have gone away rejoicing.
Not long afterwards the young man Paul recognized Me, and the desire of
his heart was completely fulfilled. Instead of turning away in sadness he gave
up all that he had and followed Me (Phil. iii.6-15). So everyone who ceases to
trust in his own righteousness and follows Me shall receive from Me true peace
and everlasting life.
III.
PRAYER
SECTION
I
The Disciple,—Sometimes this
question is asked, “Since God is fully aware of our needs, and knows how to
supply them in the best way, not for the good only but for the evil, how should
we pray to Him about them? Whether our necessities be temporal or spiritual, can
we by our prayers alter the will of God?”
The Master,—1. Those who ask
such a question show clearly that they do not know what prayer is. They have not
lived a prayerful life, or they would know that prayer to God is not a form of
begging. Prayer does not consist in an effort to obtain from God the things
which are necessary for this life. Prayer is an effort to lay hold of God
Himself, the Author of life, and when we have found Him who is the source of
life and have entered into communion with Him, then the whole of life is ours
and with Him all that will make life is perfect. To evildoers God, out of love
for them, gives what is necessary for their life in this world, but their
spiritual necessities He does not even show to them, as they have no spiritual
life.
Were He to bestow such spiritual blessings upon them, they would not be
able to appreciate them. But on those who believe gifts of both kinds are
bestowed, especially spiritual blessings, with the result that very soon they
pay little regard to temporal blessings, but fix their love on the unseen and
spiritual. We cannot alter the will of God, but the man of prayer can discover
the will of God with regard to himself. For to men of this kind God makes
Himself manifest in the hidden chamber of the heart, and holds communion with
them; and when His gracious purposes are shown to be for their good, then the
doubts and difficulties of which they complain pass away for ever.
2. Prayer is, as it were, a breathing in of the Holy Spirit, and God so
pours His Holy Spirit into the life of the prayerful that they become “living
souls” (Gen. ii.7; John xx.22). They will never die, for the Holy Spirit pours
Himself by means of prayer into their spiritual lungs, and fills their spirits
with health and vigour and everlasting life.
God, who is Love, has freely bestowed on all men those things which are
necessary for both the spiritual and temporal life, but since He offers
salvation and His Holy Spirit to all as freely, they are lightly esteemed. But
prayer teaches us to value them, because they are as necessary as air and water,
heat and light, without which life is impossible. The things for our spiritual
life God has freely provided, but men so lightly regard them that they offer no
thanks to their Creator; but on the other hand, His gifts of gold, silver, and
precious jewels, which are scarce and obtained with great difficulty, they
highly esteem, though with such things the hunger and thirst of the body cannot
be assuaged, nor the longings of the heart be satisfied. With such folly do men
of the world act with regard to spiritual things, but to the man of prayer are
given true wisdom and eternal life.
3. This world is like a widespread ocean in which men sink and are
drowned, but marine animals carry on their life in the deepest water, because
they occasionally come to the surface and, opening their mouths, take in a
certain amount of air, which enables them to live in the depths. So they who
rise to the surface of this life-ocean, by means of private prayer breathe in
the life-giving Spirit of God, and find even in this world life and safety.
4. Although fish spend their whole life in the salt water of the sea, yet
they do not themselves become salty, because they have life in them; so the man
of prayer, though he has to live in this sin-defiled world, remains free of the
sinful taint, because by means of prayer his life is maintained.
5. Just as the salt water of the sea is drawn upwards by the hot rays of
the sun, and gradually takes on the form of clouds, and, turned thus into sweet
and refreshing water, falls in showers on the earth (for the sea water as it
rises upwards leaves behind it its salt and bitterness), so when the thoughts
and desires of the man of prayer rise aloft like misty emanations of the soul,
the rays of the Sun of Righteousness purify them of all sinful taint, and his
prayers become a great cloud which descends from heaven in a shower of blessing,
bringing refreshment to many on the earth.
6. Just as the waterfowl spends its life swimming in the water, yet when
in flight its feathers are perfectly dry, so men of prayer have their abode in
this world, but when the time comes for them to fly aloft they pass from this
sin-polluted world and arrive without spot or stain at their everlasting home of
rest.
7. The ship, quite properly, has its place in the water, but for the
water to flow into the ship is both unsuitable and dangerous. So for a man to
have his abode in this world is right and good for himself and others, for,
keeping himself afloat, he will be able to help them to arrive along with
himself at the haven of life. But for the world to find its way into his heart
means death and destruction. Therefore the man of prayer ever reserves his heart
for Him who formed it to be His temple, and thus both in this world and that
which is to come he rests in peace and safely.
8. We all know that without water it is impossible to live; but if we
sink beneath it we choke and die. While we need to make use of and drink water,
we ought not to fall into and sink beneath it. Therefore the world and worldly
things must be used with discretion, for without them life is not only difficult
but impossible. For this very purpose God created the world that men might make
use of it, but men should not drown themselves in it, for thus the breath of
prayer is stopped and they perish.
9. If by ceasing to live the life of prayer the life of the spirit begins
to fail, then those worldly things which are intended to be useful become
hurtful and destructive. The sun by its light and heat makes all vegetable
things to live and flourish, and also causes them to wither and die. The air
also gives life and vigour to all living beings, but itself is the cause of
their decomposition. Therefore “Watch and Pray.”
10. We ought so to live in this world that though we are in it we are not of it, and then the things of this world instead of being hurtful will be useful, and will help the growth of the spiritual life; but only on this condition, that the spirit ever keeps its face turned towards the Sun of Righteousness. Thus it sometimes happens that in a plot of unclean and filthy ground flowers spring up and flourish, and the sweet scent of the flowers overpowers the evil smell of the place. The plants, turning towards the sun, receive from it light and heat, and the filth instead of being hurtful to the plants fertilizes them and helps them to grow and flourish. So, too, the man of prayer as he prays turns his heart to Me, and receives from Me light and warmth, and amidst the ill odours of this evil world the sweet scent of his new and holy life glorifies Me, and there is produced in him not sweet odours only, but also fruit which shall abide for ever.
-
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25
Webservant for TwoListeners.org
a non-profit project for the edification of Christians worldwide