Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1394
Delivered on Lord’s-Day Morning, January 13, 1878
“Behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2.
NONE can change the outward features of a day. The kings of the earth cannot command for themselves bright days nor inflict upon their enemies days of tempest. It belongs to a higher than they to command the morning and cause the daystar to know its place. It is little they can do in reference to the light, the sun, the clouds or the rain. They cannot bind the sweet influences of the Pleiades nor loose the bands of Orion. Still, rulers and governors and kings have accomplished much in shaping the social character of the days of their subjects. Sometimes, like the king of Nineveh, they have proclaimed days of fasting and their subjects have been clothed in sackcloth. On other occasions they have exercised the prerogative to ordain days of feasting, as Ahasuerus did at the palace of Shushan, when for 180 days, “He showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty,” by filling the capital with feasting.
Kings of the older stamp were more able to affect the days of their people than they are now. In former times, when men had less wit and more faith in the fable of divine right than they have now, despots could cause a thick darkness over all the land, even darkness that might be felt. They made war according to their own fancy or frenzy—and what is that but moral midnight? What does war mean but crime, suffering, death, poverty? Is it not usually the sum of all villainies? Everything that is evil either marches with it or follows in its train! The very thought of war for our beloved country darkens our heavens. Alas, with what a light heart have despots drawn the sword and sought to wade through slaughter to imaginary glory, shutting the gates of Mercy on mankind that they might seize a province or avenge a jest.
Kings can also brighten men’s days when they have a mind to be quiet—they make peace and then the nations bask in the sun and earth covers her battlefields with verdure. Peace gives the poor world respite to bind up her gaping wounds and remedy a little of the mischief of the bloody fight. Hard labor and stern self-denial are not grudged by the suffering peasants if they may but have breathing time and the land may enjoy her Sabbaths. But why should such toil and suffering have been demanded? Simply because kings quarrel and their subjects must die to end the strife!
Princes have also, on occasion, exercised their prerogative by proclaiming days of amnesty and oblivion—a long rebellion has been crushed out and there has been no fear of its return—and so the monarch has thought it best to refrain from undue severity and overlook the evil which he has subdued. Accordingly, he proclaims that the past shall be blotted out if, by a certain time, rebellious ones will surrender, yield up their arms and promise loyalty. Such days are calm and clear and bring light to despairing rebels who saw no end but the gallows tree. Thus, for humiliation or rejoicing, for war, for peace, or for pardon, monarchs can set their seal upon a day and mark it with their signature in history.
If earthly monarchs can somewhat affect the days of men, what, then, can be done by the King of kings? The Creator of day and night can surely order all our lights and shades! The Ancient of Days is He who can give us “mornings without clouds” or make the day dark with gloom! How often has He made the sun of prosperity to gladden us and how suddenly has He shrouded us beneath the thick clouds of adversity! Our days are in His hands and He is Lord of all! You and I, looking back, may well bow before the power and majesty of the Eternal who has such infinite power over us that none of us can stop His hand nor say unto Him, “What are you doing?”
The Lord has had His days of vengeance—are they not written in the book of the wars of the Lord? How terrible was the hour when He opened the sluices of the firmament that the rain might descend in torrents and bade the fountains of the great deep rise to meet the descending floods! How dreadful were the 40 days wherein the floods above the firmament, in tumultuous mirth, leaped downward to embrace their brethren of the ocean till the whole earth was covered with one all-devouring deluge and sea monsters whelped and stabled in the palaces of kings! That was the decree of Justice and the day of vengeance of our God.
Such days have been at other times, as, for instance, when He poured Hell out of Heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah! When He overthrew Pharaoh and all his host in the midst of the Red Sea. And when His sword stayed not from blood till Hivite and Perizzite and all the Canaanites fell before the hand of Joshua because the iniquity of the people was full and the hour of execution had arrived. Those were the “dies irae,” and there is another far more terrible yet to come, when Heaven and earth shall flee away before the face of Him that shall sit upon the Great White Throne. Blessed be God, we are not, at this time, living under the rod of vengeance, but our text tells us that “now is the day of salvation”!