Divine Comfort.

The Beatitudes supply a Divine description of those who are the subjects and citizens of Christ's spiritual kingdom. They give us a moral portrait of those who have been born again, and with its several features we should honestly and diligently compare our hearts and lives. It is on the second Beatitude, which I feel led to speak tonight. "Blessed are those who mourn--for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4

Now it is obvious that Christ does not here refer to every species of "mourning." There are thousands of mourners in the world tonight, who are not included within our text; those mourning over blighted hopes, over financial reverses, over the loss of loved ones. But, alas, so far from many of them coming beneath this Divine benediction, that they are under God's condemnation; nor is there any promise or guarantee that they shall ever be Divinely "comforted."

There are three kinds of "mourning" referred to in the Scriptures--

1. a natural mourning, such as I have just described;

2. a sinful mourning, which is disconsolate and inordinate grief, refusing to be comforted, or a hopeless remorse like that of Judas;

3. a gracious mourning, a "godly sorrow," of which the Holy Spirit is the Author.

The "mourning" of our text is a spiritual one. The previous verse indicates the line of thought here, "Blessed are the poor in spirit--for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Yes, "blessed are the poor," not the poor in purse--but the poor in heart--those who realize themselves to be spiritual bankrupts in themselves, paupers before God. That felt poverty of spirit is the very opposite of the Laodiceanism which is so rife today, that self-complacency which says "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing." So it is spiritual mourning here.

Furthermore, these "mourners" Christ pronounced "blessed." They are so because the Spirit of God has wrought a work of grace in them, and hence they have been awakened to see and feel their lost condition. They are "blessed" because God does not leave them at that point, "they shall be comforted."

Now it has to be acknowledged that my text brings before us an aspect of Truth which is not very popular today. In this age, people had much rather hear about that which is bright and cheerful, than what is somber and doleful. The Gospel is far more acceptable than the Law. People had rather hear about Christ than that which, under the Spirit, is calculated to reveal to them their deep need of Christ. Nevertheless our text raises a most important question, which I feel led to press on your hearts, and on my own--Do I really belong to the class which Christ here pronounces "Blessed," for observe it is a class, as the plural pronoun denotes--not "blessed is he," but "those who mourn."

But why raise such a question here? Are not the majority of us professing Christians? Do we not believe firmly that the Scriptures are the Word of God? are we not "resting on the finished work of Christ"? are we not rejoicing in the assurance that our sins are forgiven? Ah, may I remind you of the Lord's parable of the sower. Of the stony-ground hearer He declared, "he received the Word," and received it "with joy"; yet, of him Christ solemnly affirmed "yet he has no root in himself" (Matt. 13:21). And it is greatly to be feared, that there are many such today in orthodox circles of Christendom--the product of a superficial "evangelism," which is so eager to secure quick and visible "results"--their conversion was not preceded by conviction and contrition.

There is a class which come to the great Physician, though they do not feel themselves to be desperately and deadly sick. They have a certain kind of "faith"--I dare not call it a saving faith--but it is not preceded by repentance! They apparently feed on the Lamb--but there are no "bitter herbs" (Exo. 12:8). There is a "joy," but it is not one which follows a deep sorrow. There is a "comfort" experienced, yet there is no previous "mourning." But my dear friends, what is the Divine order? Is there not a stripping before clothing, a wounding before healing, an abasing before exalting? Must not the ground of the hard heart be plowed before the good Seed can enter and take root? Those who are whole--in their own estimation and feelings--need not a physician--but those who are sick. How was it with Israel in Egypt--the greatest of the Old Testament types of salvation.

Were not the Hebrews sorely afflicted, groaning and crying out in deep distress, before God sent them a deliverer? Turn with me now to the following Scriptures, and note carefully the order of Truth presented in them. "Weeping may endure for a night--but joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5). "They that sow in tears--shall reap in joy" (Psalm 126:5). "The heart knows his own bitterness; and a stranger does not intermeddle with his joy" (Proverbs 14:10). "To appoint unto those who mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" (Isaiah 61:3).

The same order is also observable in the New Testament, "As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" (2 Cor. 6:10). "Having received the Word in much affliction (did you so "receive" it?), with joy of the Holy Spirit" (1 Thess. 1:6). "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms" (James 5:13). So it is in our text--the "mourning" precedes the "comfort." Therefore I press upon you, and upon myself--am I among this class of spiritual "mourners"? The pressing importance of this question appears when we thoughtfully observe that Christ pronounces those in this class "blessed"--the Divine benediction rests upon them.

Do you know what it is which rests upon those who do not belong to this class? The Divine condemnation! There is no middle ground, no third class--it is one or the other. You may remember that after Israel crossed the Jordan and entered the land of Canaan, certain ones were required to stand upon mount Gerizim and pronounce upon the obedient the blessings of God; while others were to stand upon mount Ebal and pronounce upon the disobedient the curses of God (Deut. 27:12-13). So again in Matthew 25, unto the sheep Christ says, "Come you who are blessed of My Father" (Matthew 25:34); whereas to the goats He says, "Depart from Me you who are cursed" (Matthew 25:41). If, then, we really value our souls, if we are truly concerned as to where we shall spend eternity, it behooves us to seriously examine our hearts and make sure of which class we belong to.

"Blessed are those who mourn." The first reference is to that initial "mourning" which ever precedes a genuine conversion. Do not misunderstand me--I am not arguing for any stereotyped experience, for any definitely defined depth of sorrow or any protracted season of grief. But I do insist (as Scripture does) that repentance precedes forgiveness; that there must be a real sense of sin before the Remedy for it will even be desired. Thousands acknowledge they are sinners, who have never mourned over the fact.

Take the woman of Luke 7, who washed the Savior's feet with her tears--have you ever shed any over your sins? Take the prodigal in Luke 15--beforehe left the far country he said, "I will arise and go to my Father, and will say unto Him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before You, and am no more worthy to be called Your son" (Luke 15:18, 19)--ah, where shall we find those today with this sense of their sinnership? Take the publican of Luke 18--why did he "smite upon his breast" and say "God be merciful to me, a sinner"? (Luke 18:13). Because he felt the plague of his own heart. So of the three thousand converted on the day of Pentecost--they were "pricked in the heart, and cried out"!

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