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addresses-第13章

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insult。  When he was reviled; He reviled not again。  In fact; there

was



Nothing that the world could do to him



that could ruffle the surface of His spirit。



Such living; as mere living; is altogether unique。  It is only

when we see what it was in Him that we can know what the word Rest

means。  It lies not in emotions; or in the absence of emotions。

It is not a hallowed feeling that comes over us in church。  It is

not something that the preacher has in his voice。  It is not in

nature; or in poetry; or in musicthough in all these there is

soothing。  It is the mind at leisure from itself。  It is the perfect


poise of the soul; the absolute adjustment of the inward man to

the stress of all outward things; the preparedness against every

emergency; the stability of assured convictions; the eternal calm

of an invulnerable faith; the repose of a heart set deep in God。

It is the mood of the man who says; with Browning; 〃God's in His

Heaven; all's well with the world。〃



Two painters each painted a picture to illustrate his conception

of rest。  The first chose for his scene a still lone lake among

the far…off mountains。  The second threw on his canvas a thundering

waterfall; with a fragile birch…tree bending over the foam; at the

fork of a branch; almost wet with the cataract's spray; a robin

sat on its nest。  The first was only STAGNATION; the last was REST。

For in Rest there are always two elementstranquility and energy;

silence and turbulence; creation and destruction; fearlessness and

fearfulness。  This it was in Christ。



It is quite plain from all this that whatever else He claimed to

be or to do; He at least



Knew how to live。



All this is the perfection of living; of living in the mere sense

of passing through the world in the best way。  Hence His anxiety to

communicate His idea of life to others。  He came; He said; to give

men life; true life; a more abundant life than they were living; 〃the

life;〃 as the fine phrase in the Revised Version has it; 〃that is

life indeed。〃  This is what He Himself possessed; and it was this

which He offers to mankind。  And hence His direct appeal for all

to come to Him who had not made much of life; who were weary and

heavy…laden。  These He would teach His secret。  They; also; should

know 〃the life that is life indeed。〃



II。  What yokes are for。



There is still one doubt to clear up。  After the statement; 〃Learn

of Me;〃 Christ throws in the disconcerting qualification:



〃TAKE MY YOKE upon you; and learn of Me。〃



Why; if all this be true; does He call it a YOKE?  Why; while

professing to give Rest; does He with the next breath whisper

〃BURDEN〃?  Is the Christian life; after all; what its enemies take

it foran additional weight to the already great woe of life;

some extra punctiliousness about duty; some painful devotion to

observances; some heavy restriction and trammeling of all that is

joyous and free in the world?  Is life not hard and sorrowful enough

without being fettered with yet another yoke?



It is astounding how so glaring a misunderstanding of this plain

sentence should ever have passed into currency。  Did you ever stop

to ask what a yoke is really?  Is it to be a burden to the animal

which wears it?  It is just the opposite。  It is to make its burden

light。  Attached to the oxen in any other way than by a yoke; the

plough would be intolerable。  Worked by means of a yoke; it is

light。  A yoke is not an instrument of torture; it is



An instrument of mercy。



It is not a malicious contrivance for making work hard; it is a

gentle device to make hard labor light。  It is not meant to give

pain; but to save pain。  And yet men speak of the yoke of Christ

as if it were slavery; and look upon those who wear it as objects

of compassion。  For generations we have had homilies on 〃The Yoke

of Christ〃some delighting in portraying its narrow exactions;

some seeking in those exactions the marks of its divinity; others

apologizing for it; and toning it down; still others assuring us

that; although it be very bad; it is not to be compared with the

positive blessings of Christianity。  How many; especially among

the young; has this one mistaken phrase driven forever away from

the kingdom of God?  Instead of making Christ attractive; it makes

Him out a taskmaster; narrowing life by petty restrictions; calling

for self…denial where none is necessary; making misery a virtue

under the plea that it is the yoke of Christ; and happiness criminal

because it now and then evades it。  According to this conception;

Christians are at best the victims of a depressing fate; their

life is a penance; and their hope for the next world purchased by

a slow martyrdom in this。



The mistake has arisen from taking the word 〃yoke〃 here in the same

sense as in the expression 〃under the yoke;〃 or 〃wear he yoke in

his youth。〃  But in Christ's illustration it is not the 〃jugum〃 of

the Roman soldier; but the simple 〃harness〃 or 〃ox…collar〃 of the

Eastern peasant。  It is the literal wooden yoke which He; with His

own hands in the carpenter shop; had probably often made。  He knew

the difference between a smooth yoke and a rough one; a bad fit

and a good fit; the difference also it made to the patient animal

which had to wear it。  The rough yoke galled; and the burden was

heavy; the smooth yoke caused no pain; and the load was lightly

drawn。  The badly fitted harness was a misery; the well…fitted

collar was 〃easy。〃



And what was the 〃burden〃?  It was not some special burden laid upon

the Christian; some unique infliction that they alone must bear。

It was what all men bear。  It was simply life; human life itself;

the general burden of life which all must carry with them from the

cradle to the grave。  Christ saw that men took life painfully。  To

some it was a weariness; to others a failure; to many a tragedy;

to all a struggle and a pain。  How to carry this burden of life

had been the whole world's problem。  It is still the whole world's

problem。  And here is Christ's solution:  〃Carry it as I do。  Take

life as I take it。  Look at it from My point of view。  Interpret

it upon My principles。  Take My yoke and learn of me; and you will

find it easy。  For my yoke is easy; works easily; sits right upon

the shoulders; and THEREFORE My burden is light。〃



There is no suggestion here that religion will absolve any man from

bearing burdens。  That would be to absolve him from living; since

it is life itself that is the burden。  What Christianity does

propose is to make it tolerable。



Christ's yoke



is simply His secret for the alleviation of human life; His prescription

for the best and happiest method of living。  Men harness themselves

to the work and stress of the world in clumsy and unnatural ways。

The harness they put on is antiquated。  A rough; ill…fitted collar

at best; they make its strain and friction past enduring; by

placing it where the neck is most sensi
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