Not a summary.-It is a mistake to regard the Sermon on the Mount as a summary of the teachings of Christ. It is, indeed, a mere fragment of his teaching, by no means to be considered as exhausting the demand which his gospel makes upon us. On April 30th, 1798, Washington entered on his first administration as President of the United States. In front of the national building on the corner of Wall and Nassau streets in New York he delivered his inaugural address, which, as all agree, was full of sound political sense. But to intimate that his address on that occasion contained all that was necessary for the political welfare of our country, so that the Constitution, the enactments of Congress and decisions of Courts are entirely negligible, would be to say a very foolish thing. So, without minimizing the splendid significance of the Sermon on the Mount, we insist that it does not furnish an exhaustive and conclusive statement of the religion of Christ. It must be taken in connection with his other teachings; for example, his conversation with Nicodemus in which he said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except one be born anew he cannot see the kingdom of God"; and also, "He that believeth on the Son is not judged: he that believeth not is judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only-begotten Son of God." It must be taken in connection with his denunciation of the Pharisees, "Woe unto you, hypocrites; who make long prayers at the corner of the streets and devour widows' houses; ye are as whited sepulchres, fair without, but within full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. How shall ye escape the damnation of hell?" It must be taken in connection with his farewell address in the upper room, wherein he said, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. How sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me?" It must be taken in connection with the great commission which he gave his disciples on the Mount of Ascension: "All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore and evangelize: and lo, I am with you alway." The first word and the last word and every word of Jesus must be received by those who are loyal to him. It will not answer to take a mere fraction of his teaching and build our faith upon it. Not a sermon of salvation.-The greatest mistake of all is made by those who regard the Sermon on the Mount as a sermon of salvation. It was not so intended, inasmuch as it was addressed to those who were already saved by the grace of God. You will find here no reference to the cross, or to justifying faith or to the blood that cleanseth from sin. The moment a man accepts Christ he is delivered from the bondage of the Law by coming into perfect accord with it. The man who would live under the Law must keep it; for if he break it he will die under it. "By the deeds of the Law, therefore, shall no flesh be justified." There is no justification except by the free grace of God. Two inferences.-Two things follow from the foregoing considerations: the first is that the Sermon on the Mount does not contain all the truth which must enter into the fabric of the Church. Here is where Ian Maclaren errs, in his "Mind of the Master," where he says, "No Church since the early centuries has had the courage to formulate an ethical creed, for even those bodies of Christians which have no written theological creed yet have implicit affirmations or denial of doctrine as their basis. But imagine a body of Christians who should take their stand on this sermon of Jesus and construct their creed on his lines. Imagine how it would read: 'I believe in the Fatherhood of God; I believe in the words of Jesus; I believe in the clean heart; I believe in the unworldly life; I believe in the Beatitudes; I promise to trust God and to follow Christ; to forgive my enemies and to seek after the righteousness of God.' Could any form of words be more elevating, more persuasive or more alluring? Do they not thrill the heart and strengthen the conscience? Liberty of thought is allowed; liberty of sinning is alone denied. Who would refuse to sign this creed? They would come from the East and the West and the North and the South to its call; and even they who would hesitate to bind themselves to a crusade so arduous would admire it and long to be worthy." Granted! But when they came together these people would not constitute a Christian Church; for they would not have subscribed to the fundamental principles of the Gospel of Christ. Their "ethical creed" would be no creed at all. An ethical creed is a distinct contradiction of terms. A creed of beliefs is one thing and a code of ethics is quite another thing. They do run in parallel lines. They complement and supplement each other; but it is foolish and preposterous to confuse them. It is enough to say of an "ethical creed" that it saves nobody because it has no color of redeeming blood upon it. The final inference is that the Sermon on the Mount was not intended to be and is not a sufficient guide for sinners seeking the way of spiritual life. If we are ever saved it will not be on account of personal merit but wholly by reason of what Christ has done for us. We may learn a lesson from the simple words that once fell from the lips of a peasant child who was led into the audience room at Windsor Court. She stood for a while in silent awe, her eyes dazzled by the magnificence of gold and purple on every side, and then quaintly repeated the verse: "Jesus, thy blood and righteousness The only work that commends a sinner to the divine favor is that which Christ himself indicated when he said, "This is the work of God, that ye believe in him whom God hath sent." If we are ever saved, therefore, it will not be by the rules of conduct which are laid down in the Sermon on the Mount but by that fundamental rule of faith which precedes it, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." Wherefore sinners are directed not to Olivet but to Calvary, where Christ bare our sins in his own body on the tree. |