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MAN. 1902. 4 "■•'ii Frtnted 1^ MeXatfT* Bro*., PrtaMfs-fiad Pvbiis'Mn. lieDonBot St. Wtufpcv. •_^i^'ife't A Un/H,-Ui» f " The followiiiK strinon is tlic piotluct of Rev. James A. (>. Stirlinfj, of Cilenclla, Man., a tiioiiKiitftil Sooiiisli niiiiistcr who lias bocii hilwr- ing in the iiiissiiMi tiild in Manitol)a and the North West Territories li r five years, and wliose energy and ability liave attracted the notice of the leaders of Presbyterian throught in tiiis province. Rev. Mr. Stirling conies of good ministerial stock, his father being a Presby- terian minister at York. England. The author of the sermon is one of the best Scottish scholars in the province, being versed in the literature and lore of his native land. It is not unlikely that he will be heard on the lecture platform from time to time in Manitoba." — Reprinted from the Saturday's issue of The Daily Tribune (Dec. li) and the Wednes- •day's issue ol The U'erkly Tribune (Dec. 17, 1902). BURDEN BEARING. Text: "For r.uh iiiiiti shall biar his <'Uit Ijiirtl'.n." ((iiil. vi. .'i). ■ Cast lliy iMirtlin upon llic I.nril, .ind lie shall sustain tluc-." ttc, ( I's Iv. T^). ■■ Ikar >e one anotiicr's hurdens. and so fnlfil the law of rhrist." t«"ial. vi. •,'). The theme if this discourse is— Burden HearinR: .md tins tiuino has heen MipriJisled to nie hy the ihroe i)oriions of Senpture which 1 have cliost n as my text. 1 have hrounht these three texts toKciher, not because if their resemblance to e h other in plir;>seolonv. hut liecan^e ihey represml the successive steps in u spiritual ic h'css. The first step i.s tliis — " Kach man shall hear his oZiit hurden." Tic htirdens which men have to carry tiiroiighoiit life vary alike in lind and in cpianiity, yet "each man shall hear his own hurden." I m;ist, for example, hear the l)urdcii of rcsponsihititv. Just because I am a man. endowed by Cicd with intellect, conscience and will, and informed by nature or revelaiii ii. or both, as to what mv iir«lcn wliiili f.uli :n;iii »wn luar is sorrow The fornH iif Mirrow may vary. Iitit ilicn !■> iiu cmmin' I'ntin its miiviTsal xway. In n »i>iM in \\l''"li liinih i^ tin- law of all nrKanic life atul liniitntioii lIu- attrilmic <>( tvcry human tliinn, pain anil sorrow must i.xist, Init what aiUls to sorrow its l>iticrist ^linR iy the fact that it is condfctcil wnh and ofii'n the result of sin. and yin is ju-t disohedieniv to the caieKorieal iini>eraiives of our ixii -r nature and to the e\|'licil com- tnands i>{ (iod. l',\vn our Lord, sinless though He was, was yrt a "man of sorrows and aecinaiiited with Rrief:" for lie came into a world lilai'kened with sin and into fatal contact with evil in its most iKKravated and concentrated firms. Sorrow is a universal experience; ar.d ivery man must hear the burden of his ov.n sorrow. There is a iTook in iviry lot. a skileton in everv cn|)l>oard. a sorrow in everv life. Macli man mu't hear the hurden of his own sorrow, and often III must hc.ir it in silence ■•nd iloni-, unsolaced hy the sympathy of a kindred soul. If sorrow is ;i hurden eonimon to all men. so is Kuilt the universal lierilaRe of the race. (lUilt is that state of lialiility to deserved ccfisure and i)unishiuent which is the result of disohedience to the voice of our higher nature and the injimctions of the Moral I.aw. whether as e.x- pressiil tliroiinh human leRislatiou or through the revealed i-ommands of Ciod. The Riiilty man may he unconscious of the full enormity of the crime which he has couuuitled. or he mav commit the evil deed (Klilierately. and with the full consciousness of its enormity ami un- lawfulness. Th're are, douhtless. varying dcRrees of Kuilt. hut the one important thiuK to remember is this- that it is a personal state and fjualiiy < f the 1 in opposition to and in conflict with the laws of (lod and man. > man can transfer his own Kuilt to another. Kach man must hear ...e hurden of his own Ruilt. Xo other can bear it for him. With what clearness of moral insiRht does the Rreai prophet, l^zekiel, declare: "The soul that .sinneih. it shall die: the son shall not be.ir the iniiiuity of the father, neither sliall the father bear the ini(|ui!y of the son: the righteousness of the riRliteous shall be upon him. and the wickedness of the wicked shall he upon him." (I'z kiel xviii 2<»). " I'ach man shall bear his own burden" — the burden of responsibility, the burden of sorrow, the burden of Ruilt. The second portion of Svripture which we now purpose briefly to consider qualifies and sf )!('nienis the truth co.itained iti the text which we have just been C( nsiderinR. It is this: "Cast thy burden upon the I.ord "—/'.<'.. Jehovah — " a I lie ,hall sustain thee." We read this Psalm, as we read the whole of the older Scriptures in the light of the Incarnation and of the Cross. The text has been often misundrr- stoovl. and pious ignorance has often understood tlie text thus: "Cast ihy biirdcn uprm the Lord, and He shall Kiijitain if "—4.e., take it awny from yon. The real meaninR is this : " Cast thy burden (ipon the !^r«l. and He shall stisiain "—not i7— but " Ihef." Sitme jMrnplf imagine that when Ihey l)ecome Christians all iIk burdens of ! will forthwith be rolled away from their path, ind that they will always l>e inarching through a land, flowing with milk and honey, shouting halk-ltijah. The very reverse is often the case. The burdens often remain, and are, sometimes, even heavier than they were l)efore. St. Paul, for example, had a thorn in the flesh, "a nussenger of Satan" wnt to buffet him. lest he should be " exalted overmuch." Was it taken away, l>ecause he was no longer a Jewish perieciitor but a Christian ? No. The thorn in the fle.sh remained, even in spite of the f.nct that he besought the Lord thrice for its removal. The burden was his own. ami he l>o(c it; yet, not in his own strength : for the ans ■ er to his prayer was this : "My grace is sufllcient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness." (II Cor. xii. " r... .m unto them th.it according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ ; not in the way of eyeservice. .-.s men-pleas- ers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good wi'i doing service, as imto the Lord, and not unto men:" etc.. (Eph. vi. 3-7). A master is re.sponsible to his servants and to .society, and may oven, if neglectful of his duties, be brought under the jurisdiction of 1 human law. Inn if hv in a CliriMian maMrr lii< iliilie* will U- ir.-m- fiRurccI l»y thv prcspruf ;itul iM.wtr nt a new moiiv,- .iiul a luw hUmI. lie will not r«K.irtl liis Mr.aiiis nur«ly a% llu- in iiiti.iu- nf hi, nwn .iRgrandisiinent. but n^ his hrrihrt'ii and lltu »crvanls ..f a o«nm..ii l...rd. I,ct II-* quote again the wnnis ..f St. Paul: " \,i.l, ye in..-rt.rH. the same things unto lium. and forkar tlireatiiiinR: knowing that I'oih their Masiir and yoiTs i» in hcavin, an»l there i-» no respect of persons with hint." ( Kph. vi. !t). It is evident fnm th.se exami.le* that while every man imiM Iwar the Ininlen of resp,,, il.diiy thi: burden of responsih'iity will l,e nilarKid and inimsilud the ease of the man who is a (.'hristiaii. just because the constrainii/ ,vv.r . f the love of Christ and of Ills gracious teachings has renew.,, nd .luickemd llie moral ami spiriiunl aeii\ities of the si.id. 7 Another burden which, as we have already indiraled. every man must bear is the Jmrdeii of s.,-, v. The Christian is not. because of iiis acceptance of the joyful m as of the Ciospe!, liberated fr«Kn the luirden of sorrow. The burden of sorrow remains, bin it has iRcome transniuled i ito the chastening of the Lord It is no longer a e.->lamity, but a discipline. It is the refuier'> tn. which purg. s awa\ the dross that the gold may be revealed i.i all ii^ i.urity and radiaiue. " Before I was aftlictetl I went astray: but now I ..bsorve tliv \\.>rd" ( I's. < xix «.7). These are the words of the INalmist, but they have end)o.|i,i| ih,- \periencc of many a saint of Cod ihnnighoiu the Jewish and Chris- tian ages. The Christian character i- thv result of frrowih and develop, mcnt. An essential element in its growth and one which hel|>s to pro- duce richness, mellowness. >vveetnes, and beai, is the disci- e f sorrow. It is a mark <.f our Heavenly Father's lo\<' for ns II libi- icn. Woe betide us if we l)ear it in any oiher spirit thai ihat o .-ek- uess and resignation. .Mas ! that it should so often rro,t.H.- :hc wrong effects and make peojde sour, morose and misanthro, ,. v.ith afl the springs of hoi)e and loye and joy frozen if in ctern;i. . it>T. " .Mv son. regard not lightly the chastening of the ' -d. nor fai. t when thou arc reproved of him; fr.r wlu>in the I.ord loveth He ciiasieiuih. and sconrgcth every son whom He receiycth." ( Heb. xii. .-;-<>). Cast your own burden of sorrow upon the Lord, and He will sns- tain you. He will give you grace to bear it for your own goo ' and His glory, and the words of St. Paul will be the expression of your Dwn experience—'"! can do all things in him that streugtheneih me." (Phil. iv. 1.!). The great lesson of patient and unceasing trust in Cod is enforced with exquisite power and l>eauty in the following lines l.v .'n .Ameriran joet. Dr. Rob rt MeT.-.tyre. " Tlierc's a flow'rct jrrnws called the mountain rr>«e — Many l)lossonis arc far nmre fair — But the brave, wee thing doth chnih and cling Far aloft in the frosty air. Where it lifts its blocim and spills perfume O'er the feet of the forest pine. Which leads the van of the forest clan. \\ lure liic snow-slide sets ilN awful ban, On the edge of the Tinibc.- Line. "There's a maid doth dwell on the rim of hell. In the end of a sin-cnrscd street. Where the sneers are sped about her head And the snares sit for her feet. Though lust may lower, no sweeter flower I'.vcr grew in avnue fine; .And her heart doth ache '.o heal and make Their souls all white for His dear sake On the edge ( f the Timber I.ine. '■ There's a man doth stand in the borderland. Whc.e he battles for daily bread For his children's sake, and doth calmly stake His all on his God ncrheail. r.e strong, my brother, some day or other His saints will the stars outshine. We shall with him sup, he will fill the cup. And his own right hand shall lift us up Fr( ni the edge of the Timber Line." I " Conmiit thy way unto tlie Lord: trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. And he sluiU make thy righteousness to go forth as the li^bt. ar.d iby judgment as the nomday." ( Ps. xxxvii. .IC)). "Cast lliy buidui upon the Lord, and He shall su.stain thee: He shall never sniTer the righteous to be moved." THE BURDEN OF GUILT. But, as has been irdicated. every man must also bear the burden of his own guilt and that guilt be cannot transfer to another. It is a personal -tate or mode of l)eing— a (piality of the soul. Moral and immoral stales of personal existence are not transferable from one pers( n to another, like private, cr landed i)ropertv. Each man must bear the burden (f his own guilt. If guilt means liability to inoral censure or punishment, and also, in most cases, consciousness of per- sonal corruption and demerit, how is it to be got rid of ? If I truly icpent of my sin. confess it to .Mmighty God. and. if need be, to my i \ I i i" fellow-men; and, if I also forsake it, will God, on these conditions, forgive my sins ? I unhesitatingly answer — Yes. This has always been God's method of forRiving sin. And Divine forKivcness of sin includes within its scope the removal of liability to punishment and the bestowal upon the penitent sinner of that new nature which over- comes the power of the old sinful nature. And this doctrine of the J3ivine forgiveness tinds expression in the words of Christ Himself, and is assured to us in the life and death of the Son of Gud Incarnate who, though Himself sinless, sulTircd at the hands of sinful men and died the accursed death of the cross, i;» order that men might be re- conciled to God. When a man comes under the influence of Christ's teaching and example, and meditates upon His awful death, there are two things which he realizes in the most vivid manner: namely, his own sinfulness and the ineffable love of God. Conscious of his own sinfulness and with a heart touciied by the love of Grxl as revealed in the life and death of Hi- dear Son. he rei)ents, confesses his sin, for- sakes it, accepts of Christ as his Saviour, and is forgiven. He is re- conciled to God, and is no longer subject to the Divine punishment. He is no longer under the terrible Ijondage of sin: for he has conic under the power of the constraining love of Christ and his whole nature has been changed. He has lost the burden of guilt, and has become a new creature in Christ Jesus who can now say in the language of St. Paul : " I have been crucified with Christ ; yet I live ; and vet no longer I. but Christ liveth in me : and that life which I now live m the flesh I live in faith, the faiih which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave hmself up for me." (Gal. ii. 20). Brethren, if we bear all our burdens in the strength of Christ's sustaining grace, we shall not sink under them but grow in spiritual stature. I have read of an old Scottish martyr who had on his crest the engraving of a paliu tree with weights hanging from its fronds and also the motto : Sub foiidcrc crcsco — I grow under a weight. The man who bears all the burdens ( f his life with the consciousness that the Lord is sustaining him is like this beautiful Oriental tree. He grows under ,. weight. Poverty, disease, bercaveiuent, suspicion, slander, persecution, faithlessness of friends. — none of these things can bow him down : for he is growing under them and because of them, upwards and God-ward. Sub fondcrc crcsco — I grow under a weight is his experience and his motto. " The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree.' etc. ( Ps. xcii. 12). " Each man shall bear his own burden ;" but he may bear it in his own .strength, or, he may bear it in the strength of God, conscious that God is sustaining him. Such a man is a strong man : he has solved the problem of burden bearing. But the strong man will not remain inactive. What, then, is his duty? Here it is in the words of St. Paul, will II writing to the Romans: " Now we that are strong oiiKht to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves." (Rom. xv. 1). This is just <.he same thought which St. Paul expresses, when writinj? lo the Galatians, in the words of our third text: "Bear ye one an- other's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." Many people deliberately increase and accentuate their own bur- dens and, by their inhuman conduct, make the burdens of life harder for their feHow-men. How sadly true are the exquisite lines of the great Scottish poet ! '■ Many and sharp the numerous ills Inwoven with our frame ! More pointed still we make ourselves Regret, remorse, and shame: And man. whose heaven-erected face The smiles of love adorn, Man's inhumanity to man Makes countless thousands mourn : " Sec yonder poor, o'crlaborcd wight. So abject, mean, and vile. Who begs a brother of the earth To give him leave to toil : And see his lordly fellow- worn The poor petition spurn. I'nniindful. though a weeping wife And helpless off.spring mourn." Bretiiren. the words of our final text form the climax of spiritual life and experience. I.et us not fail to remember that the love of Christ is not only a sustaining but also a constrainir ' jve. It is, as Chalmers finely puts it : " The expulsive power of a -lew affection." It expels sinful passions and constrains us to bear one another's burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ. What was that law ? The law of love. It is this law which Christ fulfilled perfectly and which He thus com- mands us His disciples to obey: "A new commandment I give unto you. that ye love one another: even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." (St. John xiii. 34). Brethren, these three texts are not contradictory but supplementary to one ano'.her. They form the successive steps of a spiritual proces3. ■• I'aeh man shall bear his own burden." " Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee : " etc. " Bear ye one another's )urdens and so fulfil the law of Christ." \