III. True Christians Are Greatly Blessed.
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As the greatest curses are spiritual, so the greatest blessings are also spiritual. Our great needs must be supplied out of God's treasury, or we must suffer eternal loss and undoing. Paul uses no better designation of the privileges of believers, than when he speaks of spiritual blessings. God's mercies to his children are sometimes catalogued. In Psalm 103, David puts forgiveness of sins as the first and pre-eminent blessing. It is entitled to that place. Without pardon we are under an awful curse. God never bestows saving good, on souls left in the chains of condemnation. In more than one place Paul seems to favor the same arrangement. With forgiveness is always connected acceptance in the Beloved. Eph. 1:6. So that believers are no more aliens, strangers, foreigners—but sons, heirs, fellow-citizens. We are brought near by the blood and righteousness of Christ, and so "have right to the tree of life." Rev. 22:14. From our justification flows peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access into all needed grace, joy, hope, triumph in tribulation, patience, experience, boldness, the love of God, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and salvation full and complete.
Peter gives a catalogue in which he mentions "faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, charity." Well does he add, "If these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." Blessed treasury of spiritual good things! Who can tell its value? It is the proof of a godlike temper—and a godlike destiny! Sure of spiritual blessings, men may live in poverty—yet they make many rich. They may have nothing—yet they possess all things. They may be sorrowful—yet they are always rejoicing. They may be dying daily—yet behold, they live. They may be chastened—but they are not killed. Their affections are set on things which do not perish in the using. Their crown is not the less bright or imperishable because it is seen by faith alone. They are sure of wearing it in due season, if they faint not.
Any spiritual blessing is worth more than the most costly temporal good. A devout thought, a pious desire, a holy purpose—is better than a great estate or an earthly kingdom. In eternity it will amount to more, to have given a cup of cold water with right motives to a humble servant of God, than to have been flattered by a whole generation. God often gives the larger portion of His common bounties to the unconverted. Spiritual blessings are put into elect vessels only. God's people share the good things of this world with the wicked; but the world has no lot nor part in spiritual good things. The unbelieving sinner has never been pardoned, renewed, sanctified, or savingly taught of God.
The good things of time will soon be gone forever. The very memory of them will embitter the future existence of all who die in their sins. But spiritual blessings will last eternally. Though faith will give way to vision, and hope to fruition, yet fruition and vision are the legitimate consequences of hope and faith. Temporal blessings come in the channel of nature; but spiritual blessings in the channel of grace. The former are of the earth, earthy; the latter are from heaven. God bestows temporal blessings on those who hate him all their days; but spiritual blessings come to believers only, through our Lord Jesus Christ. They cost his life, his toil, his sweat, his agony.
We may form some estimate of the value of spiritual blessings by the promises of the covenant which secures them. Long after his ascension to heaven, Jesus Christ promised to him who overcomes, that he should eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God; that he should be clothed in white raiment; that he should be a pillar in the temple of God, and go no more out; that he should sit with him in his throne; that he should eat of the hidden manna; that He should give him a white stone. How soon our faculties are overcome by attempting to comprehend the fullness of such promises. Let us dwell a moment on the last, "I will give him a white stone."
Blunt thus explains it: "It is generally thought by commentators that this refers to an ancient judicial custom of dropping a black stone into an urn when it is intended to condemn, and a white stone when the prisoner is to be acquitted; but this is an act so distinct from that described, 'I will give you a white stone,' that we are disposed to agree with those who think it refers rather to a custom of a very different kind, and not unknown to the classical reader, according with beautiful propriety to the case before us.
In primitive times, when traveling was rendered difficult from lack of places of public entertainment, hospitality was exercised by private individuals to a very great extent; of which indeed we find frequent traces in all history, and in none more than the Old Testament. People who partook of this hospitality and those who practiced it, frequently contracted habits of friendship and regard for each other; and it became a well-established custom among the Greeks and Romans to provide their guests with some particular mark, which was handed down from father to son, and insured hospitality and kind treatment whenever it was presented.
This mark was usually a small stone or pebble cut in half, and upon the halves of which the host and the guest mutually inscribed their names, and then interchanged them with each other. The production of this stone was quite enough to insure friendship for themselves or descendants whenever they traveled again in the same direction; while it is evident that these stones required to be privately kept, and the names written upon them carefully concealed, lest others should obtain the privileges instead of the people for whom they were intended.
How natural then the allusion to this custom in the words, 'I will give him to eat of the hidden manna!' and having done so—having make himself partaker of my hospitality, having recognized him as my guest, my friend, I will present him with the white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows, but he who receives it. I will give him a pledge of my friendship sacred and inviolable, known only to himself."
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