The Rising Of The Day Star 2
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II. But now we come to the second step of faith. "We have also a more sure Word of prophecy; whereunto you do well that you take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns." Why surely if a man is an unbeliever he cannot "do well;" and therefore the very expression, "you do well that you take heed," implies that a taking heed must be a spiritual gift; for nothing is good but that which is spiritual, and a man cannot do well until, as it is said in Isaiah 1:17, he "learns to do well" - until he is instructed therein by the Holy Spirit; and he does do well when he acts under the spiritual operation of Him who works in him "to will and to do of His good pleasure." He does well then when he is but the passive clay in the hands of the heavenly Potter, who moulds him with His divine fingers. He does well when he listens to the voice of his only-wise Teacher; he does well when he acts in obedience to His dictates.
The second step, then, is "the day dawning." What is this dawning? A larger measure of light in the soul; and not merely a larger measure of light in the soul, but light to produce gladness. When we are abroad before the sun rises, the first thing that strikes our mind is the gradual increase of light. We find this spoken of in the Proverbs Prov 4:18 where it is said, "The path of the just is as the shining light, which shines more and more unto the perfect day."
Well, this dawn is, I believe, the general manifestation to the soul of the mercy of God in the face of Jesus Christ, without any particular revelation of that mercy to ourselves. Whence does the light come which gladdens our eyes when we see the dawn? It comes from the sun. But can we see that glorious orb of day? Is he not yet concealed by the horizon? And yet the rays and beams of that glorious source of light and heat come over the atmosphere, and are refracted thereby; so that though we do not see the sun itself, yet we see the rays and beams that issue out of it. So it is with respect to the mercy of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The only light that we enjoy by day comes from the sun; so the only rays of mercy ever felt in quickened souls beam forth from the Sun of Righteousness. But must our eyes see the Sun of Righteousness that they may drink in His beams? Is not the orb itself often concealed when its beams are manifest? Is not the sun itself unrisen at the very moment when we see the dawn of day? So it is with respect to the manifestation of the mercy of God in the face of Jesus Christ; that is, an encouragement is shed abroad in the heart, just as the rays of light are shed abroad in the sky; scattered gleams of light break forth upon the soul, by which it is seen that there is mercy with God that He may be feared; that there is an Almighty Savior, and that there is mercy in the mind of God towards every one who believes in that Savior.
These streaks of dawn in the sky bring indeed no personal assurance, no individual testimony of our own acceptance; but they shed abroad a sweet and blessed feeling that there is mercy to be found by every one that seeks it. It is not now all blackness of anger against sin; it is not one lowering sky of wrath, and wrath alone; it is not one dark midnight of justice, in which there is no beam whatever; but rays of light shoot across the dusky sky as the dawning day rises over creation, and they gild the soul with the scattered gleams of mercy. And yet at this time there is no individual assurance, no sure and certain testimony of the name being written in the book of life; but still there is such a general sense of God's mercy as encourages, strengthens, enlarges and comforts the soul.
Now this is an experience, which people do not often describe. They say it must be either one or the other; it must be either despair or assurance. I say it is no such thing. There is a medium state of soul - I know the feeling well in which the dark clouds of despair are banished, and yet the Sun of Righteousness has not risen. There is a state of soul in which it is encouraged to knock and pray, to seek and sue, to wait at the door-posts, to be on the watch-tower looking out for light; to be found on its knees begging for mercy, and at times to be lifted up to believe that the messenger has left the palace with glad tidings in his hands, that the vision is for an appointed time, and though it tarry to wait for it.
Now when your soul has got to this point, it has crossed the line, as Huntington somewhere says. The tail of the storm is now only upon it - the lightning has ceased to blaze, the thunder has ceased to roar; the rain still falls, the sky may still in a measure be lowering, but it is only the end of the storm; and the soul becomes settled down, waiting for some manifestation of God's individual grace and love. This is the second step in the actings of divine faith.
III. And now comes the third step, which is the day star rising in the heart. "Until the day dawns, and the day star arises in the heart." What is the day star? A bright luminous speck, different from the dawn. It stands by itself, a bright spot in the clear sky; it shines as the herald of the sun - the messenger, the sure token that he is about to rise. The day star was once hidden, as the sun is still beneath the horizon; but that bright star, that clear luminous spot, that sure harbinger of day, has arisen, and the sun will follow. This then is the third step of divine faith; and it springs out of the application of some sweet promise, the dropping into the heart of some token of love from the fountain of love, a gentle whisper from Jesus to the soul encouraging it to wait - not assurance yet; not certainty yet; the book of life with its fair leaves not unfolded yet; "Abba, Father," not shed abroad in the heart yet; love unto the Father of mercies not enjoyed in its fullest manifestation yet.
Well, but, say you, how does this differ from the state which you were just describing? It differs thus. When the day dawns it is a general light - you cannot say there is any particular spot brighter than the rest, but it is a general dawning of the light, akin to the general manifestation of the mercy of God in the word of truth. But the day star is a particular speck, a star in the east that attracts the eye, that draws to it observation; it is a bright luminous spot which shines by itself in the sky. Now here is all the difference between a general indistinct acquaintance with the mercy of God - I mean of course an experimental acquaintance and a special promise, a particular sign, an individual token, which has dropped into the heart.
But you say, Does not the application of the promise always bring with it assurance? That must depend upon what the promise is. Suppose, for instance, this promise was applied with power to the soul "Him that comes to Me I will never cast out;" does that bring with it assurance? No, it merely encourages the soul to come, and that if it comes it shall not be cast out. Or take another passage. "Ho, everyone that thirsts, come to the waters;" does that invitation bring assurance? No, it persuades the thirsty to come to the waters. Take another promise - "Come unto Me, all you that are weary and heavy laden;" does that bring assurance? No, it is an invitation to the heavy laden to come to Jesus. But how does it then differ from the general sense of mercy? Why, in the special application of the promise.
How does the day star differ from the dawn? In this way - it is in the midst of the bright sky, and yet is alone in the midst of the bright sky; it is surrounded by a halo of light, and yet it stands alone as a luminous spot in that clear light. Now so is the promise of God applied to the soul, the Word brought home to the heart with power. It is in the midst of the light because it stands up in the light of the mercy of God - but it is something more; it is a bright speck, a luminous spot in the heart which shines there in solitary beauty, distinct from, though surrounded by the light of the dawn.
If you ever had a promise of this kind applied to your soul, you have had the day star. And where does it arise? In the heart. O Peter, how ever could you have applied such a lever to overthrow all the interpreters of modern prophecy? This word "arise in the heart" cuts down at a single stroke all the interpretations of those who are looking for nothing else but the mere outward fulfillment of temporal prophecies. The day star is to arise in the heart, in the feelings, in the soul, in the spiritual conscience, in the new nature. It is to arise within a man, not outside a man - to beam spiritually, not to shine temporally - to be a pledge of everlasting happiness, not of earthly prosperity. And therefore this expression of the day star arising in the heart shows that it is a divine blessing put into the heart, which gives light to the heart, which stands up as a luminous spot in the heart, and therefore is a foretaste of salvation in the heart.
IV. And now comes the fourth step, which is the Sun of righteousness arising with healing in His wings. This is more than the day star; it is brighter than the day star; it overwhelms the day star - it shines in its own clear light; it brings with it its own evidence; it is accompanied with its own sure and certain seal. And this is the witness of the Holy Spirit to the souls of God's people that they are born of God, the personal revelation of Christ, the individual manifestation of Jesus as the Bridegroom of the bride. The shining into the soul of the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and the betrothing of the soul unto Himself, is the day of its espousals in a wedding tie never to be dissolved. This is the fourth and last step of faith; and then comes all the trial of faith, and all the struggle of faith, and all the embarrassments of faith, and all the difficulties of faith; as Deer says, "When the pardon is signed and the peace is procured, Tis then that the conflict begins."
That is, begins in its intensity. It has begun before, but now it begins to be a fight indeed. It was a skirmish before, just the light troops traversing and fighting at intervals; but then the heavy troops come into action, and the battle begins indeed.
These, then, are the different steps of faith - not that they can be always clearly traced out, but these are for the most part the four successive steps of faith in the soul - the same faith, wrought by the same power, given by the same God, working in the same way, but producing different effects.
Well, but say some, how can it produce different effects if it is the same faith? My eye - to which faith is compared, as when the Lord says, "Look unto Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth" - my eye, to which faith is here compared, does it not see every object in the same way? But does it always see the same objects? I may see things most pleasant to my eye, and I may see things most painful to my eye. But do I see them in a different way? No, it is the same organ, but it looks on different objects. So faith sometimes sees painful things, distressing sights, unpleasant objects; and sometimes it sees blessed things, delightful prospects, Mount Pisgah views. It is the same faith, acting in the same way, but beholding different objects.
Faith is sometimes compared to tasting - "If so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious; .. O taste, and see that the Lord is good." But does my tongue always taste pleasant things? Is there no bitter medicine? no wormwood and gall? no unpleasant draught to be swallowed, as well as honey, milk and wine? Yet the same palate tastes the bitter and the sweet.
So also faith is compared to the ear - "Hear, and your soul shall live; .... Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." But does my ear always hear pleasant sounds? It may hear sweet music - it may hear most discordant notes; yet it is the same ear that hears both. So faith may hear the thunders of the law, or faith may hear the jubilee trumpet of the gospel - but it is the same faith, as it is the same ear.
Again, faith is sometimes compared to the hand, as when it is said, "Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me;" where faith is compared to a hand. But my hand may grasp a nettle, or my hand may touch swans down; how different are the sensations! yet it is the same hand that lays hold of each. And so faith may take hold of threatenings, rebukes and cutting reproofs; and faith may take hold of love, righteousness and atoning blood; yet it is the same faith taking hold of different objects.
By these familiar illustrations we may see that the province of faith is to see, to taste, to hear, to feel; and that it is the same faith, though the objects of faith differ. Thus in these four successive steps it is the same faith that takes the first step, the second step, the third step, and the fourth step; but these steps are different, though it is the same limb that moves. I may walk, naturally, sometimes over smooth ground, sometimes over rough ground - sometimes in miry places, sometimes over the green turf. Do I need a different foot to walk on different ground? Do I need one kind of foot to walk on smooth ground, and another kind of foot to walk on rough ground? No, I walk with the same foot in both cases. So it is with faith. We walk by faith, and therefore faith will be affected, as my limbs are affected, according to the road by which I walk. If I travel in a very thorny road, my feet will be lame and sore; if I walk in a green grassy path, my feet will be in comparative ease and comfort. So faith walks sometimes in a rough and thorny path; but it is faith still. It sometimes walks in a pleasant path, in the garden of the Lord; it walks in liberty, as David speaks Psalm 119:45, supported by Christ, and in the love and blood of Christ, but is still the same faith - for there is but "one faith," as well as but "one Lord, one baptism." Faith, like its author, is not divided, but is one and the same.
Now some here present may have only got to the first step - light shining in darkness; just light enough to see and mourn over their darkness, just grace enough to feel their corruption, just fear of God enough to tremble at His Word. Well, these are taking heed; they cannot sit under dark ministers, they cannot herd with dead professors, but they are taking heed to "the sure Word of prophecy." They will come for miles to hear those men who speak with feeling and power to their hearts. They think no obstacle too great, no hindrances too numerous, to prevent them from hearing "the sure Word of prophecy." They are like Mary, who "pondered these things in her heart." They lay up the truths that they know and feel in their souls; as David says, "Your Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against You." Thus they are brought to take heed, and ponder, and scrutinize, and weigh the path in which they are walking. This is the first step, and a painful step it is when the conscience is compelled to take heed to all that passes within, and all that passes without.
Some of you perhaps have got a step beyond this; you have been lifted up in your soul by a sense of God's love in giving His dear Son, and have been encouraged from time to time to hope in His Word, to trust in His goodness, to cast yourselves at His feet, and ask mercy from Him from whom alone mercy comes. But you are tried in your minds because you have never had a promise specially given you - you are exercised because there has been no Word spoken with power to your heart; and yet you have felt faith and hope working in your souls. Well, it will come by and by; the day star will arise in the appointed time.
There are those perhaps here who have had the Word of promise, the application of some scripture with power, some love token dropped into their hearts, some sweet testimony from God in their souls. Well, you have got the day star. And there may be one or two, or a few - I know not their number - who may have seen one of the days of the Son of Man, and had the glorious Sun of righteousness arising in their souls, with healing in His wings. These are, as long as it lasts, walking in the light of His countenance, exalting and praising Him to the utmost of their power, and the utmost stretch of their faculties.
But all and each have the same faith.
Let not the strong the weak despise;
Their faith, though small, is true.
It is all from the same source - a less or greater drop from the same fountain, a smaller or larger crumb from the same loaf. They are all of the same family, as the babe in its mother's arms is the brother or the sister of the eldest of the children. And the time shall come when they shall all see eye to eye. This shall be when the Lord brings again Zion. Then there shall be no difference. They shall all sit on the same throne, they shall all wear the same crown, all see the same God, be all conformed to the image of the same Lord, all see Him face to face, and all be filled with the same glory. It is the purpose of God that there shall be differences while here on earth, but when this world shall have passed away like a dream of the night, all distinctions shall cease. All shall meet around their Father's throne, ascribing salvation to God and the Lamb.
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