Earthly Guidance And Heavenly Reception
“Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.”—Psalm 73:24
What confidence the writer of this Psalm had in his God! He had made many blunders and mistakes, but now henceforth he will give up trusting his own wisdom, and take God for his guide alone.
It is so easy to fall into error when we trust our own shortsighted Judgments. It is very assuring when we walk with God, not before Him; when we mark the course He leads, and not mark one out for ourselves. We may with confidence go forward when He leads the way without the slightest fear or hesitancy in any path He calls us to tread.
“Thou shalt guide me” in experience. To give up our will to God costs the proud heart many a conflict, until we are perfectly humbled to God’s will, and become as a little child in His hands. There must be first this full subjection, this entire surrender of heart, will, and conscience unto God, before our souls will know what that perfect peace is which passeth all understanding. Our thoughts and imaginations must be brought into captivity to Christ, the reins given into Hie hands to guide our thoughts, our inward trust. Our inward doubts and fears would oft be at once laid to rest if we did not listen to the surmisings of our own heart, and the suggestions of the evil one, who is ever ready to lead us astray, to prevent our soul’s rest and confidence in our divine Lord.
“Thou shalt guide” in faith. God has been pleased to reveal certain definite truths emanating from His eternal counsel, which are the ground of our faith. We are not called upon to follow the ever-changing vagaries of men, but the clear shining light of God’s Word. Here is a safe guide in all matters of belief, whatever is revealed by God in His Word we are bound to accept, and upon it we may safely build. This would lead to the union of the Church of Christ. It would greatly increase her prosperity; an implicit faith in the Divine oracles, a close adherence in the practice of all which God’s Word teaches. The Church at large, and each believer would then have a stronger faith, a deeper spirituality, greater power in prayer, and more conformity to Christ.
The world guides the Church far too much, it is frequently her guide, I fear, not “what saith the Scriptures,” but what is most expedient in faith and practice. Those who follow in their faith without swerving the counsel of God must be prepared to walk an isolated path with only here and there a fellow-traveller.
“Thou shalt guide me” in service. The redeemed soul should stand with all their ransomed powers waiting to be employed of God; but in what particular way we may best serve Him is often a source of perplexity. We would not thrust ourselves into positions to which we are not called, and for which we are totally unfitted. “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” is a prayer which has often been used by the loving disciple of Christ. We take God at once into our counsel; we will point out the way and open the door of usefulness for us, for which our qualifications are best fitted, and we must keep to His counsel for our use in His service. He does not call us to air the notions of our mind, but to make known in this dark world the thoughts and purposes of His eternal mind; and if we are desirous of making known His counsel to men, He will find us a congenial sphere of service, fitted to our talents.
“Thou shalt guide” in Providence. God is very seldom pleased to lift the veil of the future; we must walk by faith, not by sight. We dare not take a step till He opens the way, and leads us on, then with confidence may we tread the path, though we see not far ahead; we only need to follow the cloud of His Divine leadings, and no step will then go astray. We shall not misjudge His dealings if we watch His hand; we shall not question the equity of His rule, nor murmur at the unequal character of His dealings, with the sons of men; we shall not be envious of the wicked who prospers in his ways, but 1shall wait with patience the unfolding of all events, knowing the unerring Providence of our Heavenly Father can make no mistakes. He will lead us safely right to the end of our journey, removing every care and fear, taking every responsibility upon Himself for safe conduct, providing for our every need until our journey is ended. Being guided thus we shall be spared many a regret for mistakes we otherwise should have made.
When our path here below has reached its termination, we shall be received to dignity. Here unknown and unrecognised by the world, but then crowned with honours worthy the children of God, exalted to the mansions of glory and fellowship with the angelic throng, ushered into the immediate presence of God, to stand nearest His throne, to enter into the glory with Christ, with Him exalted, sharing His honours, basking in His smile, conformed to His image. A dignity shall sit on every brow as they are acknowledged as kings and priests unto God, the dignity of the Lamb’s Bride as He will then present her to the Father without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing.
Received into splendour. Such as the imagination of man has not conceived as yet. What glory is, no mortal here below can fully know; some dim perception God is pleased now and then to give His loved ones, but this is but as the starlight heavens compared to the full blaze of meridian day. Before the splendour of one hour at God’s right hand all the pomp of earth fades away, as the morning cloud before the rising sun; the splendour of the place, the company, the provisions, the entertainment, will fill the most expansive mind with adoring wonder and gratitude that God has prepared all this for sinners of a mortal race, and made them sons of God.
Received to full satisfaction. Not a power but is gratified, not a faculty but is full of bliss ineffable; every emotion of the heart thrilling with superb delight; every avenue of the glorified and enlarged mind filled with perfect knowledge; no secret now hidden; no perplexing problem which our poor finite minds cannot unravel; we shall know as we are known, no ardent longing now unappeased, no reaching after that which we cannot attain, no changing frames, the height of joy and the depth of despair, but one eternal ecstacy of delight. We long for the wheels of time to roll on more swiftly, and hasten that all-glorious day when we shall be satisfied, and only then.
Received into perfection. The perfection of holiness, for that is true glory. Sin has degraded our human nature—lowered us is every way; but then raised up to glory, when every vestige of sin and its consequences are vanished for ever, and the glory of perfect holiness sits on every brow, everyone bearing the image of Christ, the only perfect one who has ever trod this earth since sin entered, and Adam fell; the glory will be congenial to our renewed natures, and we shall be fitted for the glory, made meet for such a high abode and such glorious company. Then Christ will be glorified in His saints, and admired in all them who believe in that day.
Edwin White (1846-?) was a Strict and Particular Baptist preacher. His first pastorate was with the church meeting at Orphington (1877-1879). After two years, the communion question cropped up, the majority of members deciding to throw the Table open. He forthwith resigned his office. His second pastorate was with the church meeting at Clare, Suffolk (1881-1887). After six years of blessed ministry, he resigned the office due to health reasons. His third pastorate was with the church meeting at Woolwich, Enon Chapel (1891-1919). In 1911 was elected president of the Metropolitan Association of Strict Baptist Churches.
