Hmmmmmmmmmmmm! Mystery! Evening If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution. – Exod 22:6 But what restitution can he make who casts abroad the fire-brands of error, or the coals of lust, and sets men’s souls on a blaze with the fire of hell? The guilt is beyond estimate—and the result is irretrievable. If such an offender is forgiven, what grief it will cause him in the retrospect, since he cannot undo the great harm which he has done! A bad example may kindle a sinful flame—which years of regret cannot quench. To burn a man’s house is bad enough—but how much worse to damn his soul! It may be useful to us to reflect how far we may have been guilty in the past, and to inquire whether, even in the present, there may not be any evil in us—which has a tendency to bring damage to the souls of our relatives, friends, or neighbors. The fire of strife is a terrible evil—when it breaks out in a Christian church. Where converts were multiplied, and God was glorified, jealousy and envy do the devil’s work most effectually! Where the golden grain was being housed, the fire of enmity comes in and leaves little else but smoke and a heap of blackness—a poor reward the toil of the great Boaz! Woe unto those by whom offences come. May they never come through us, for although we cannot make restitution, we shall certainly be the chief sufferers if we are the chief offenders. Those who feed the fire, deserve just censure. But he who first kindles it—is most to blame. Discord usually takes first hold upon the thorns; it is nurtured among the hypocrites and false professors in the church, and away it goes among the righteous, blown by the winds of hell, and no one knows where it may end! O Lord and giver of peace—make us peacemakers, and never let us aid and abet the men of strife, or even unintentionally cause the least division among Your people!
Posted on: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 20:50:52 +0000
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