INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE BLESSING
INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE BLESSING
I am much cast down about ————. What sorrow there is here because of love. Every new sorrow awakens up all the old or possible ones. I am thankful that she is so dear to the Lord. I was saying at the meeting after the Lord’s supper, that if every one dear to us had died here, we accept it, for death is on us all. But for the Son of God to die for us! How then could there be anything bright for us here! Alas! how often do His people try to deck His tomb with flowers! I enjoyed the morning, I spoke from John 14 (high Dutch I fear to some) yet it is right that they should hear the great difference between individual blessing and collective blessing. Verses 18— -23 is collective (plural). You see in the gospel He speaks to the sinner alone; great indeed are all the blessings belonging to us individually, children of God enjoying the Father’s house, but there is much more in companionship with the One who is in heaven. The gospel comes to the sinner on the earth. See Romans. The moment you are in the assembly you are in His presence, and thus, though the gospel makes me suitable for His company, it is with the consecrated company, that I know its highest blessedness. John 14: 23 is for the individual, but that is not the same as company with Him in the holiest; we have then come to His side, while individually He comes to our side. Heaven is opened to you, He dwells in your heart by faith,
[p. 176] and the result is you have His power in you, and you are here in heavenly colours descriptive of Him.
There is no love really true but God’s love, but as I have the love of Christ for you, or for another, I seek that you should be suitable to Him, that whatever is not of the light, whatever would hinder real fellowship in the Spirit should be removed. You never see two in the world much united unless they have common interests and study to avoid everything which would cause a jar. So divine love seeks to remove all that hinders.
The gospel makes us suitable for companionship, but we enter upon a new and great world the moment we are companions. Then it is not His company confined to me, but I am as His companion in the region of all His interests.