Dr. H. F. Kohlbrugge The Language of Canaan (8)

The path of cross-bearing is the only way which leads to the city of the great King. The pilgrim, Straight- Forward, may also speak of the blessed fruits of bearing this cross. It is to the glory of the King of His Church, and he may follow Him.

Ask-Freely has more questions

Ask-Freely: Do you ever have visitors on this way?

Straight-Forward: Oh, yes, all the time! First one and then another accompanies me for a while, but then they leave me again. These people are all magicians, comedians, and liars. They all have snares in their pockets to try to catch me when I trust that they have the same goal as I have. But because I have been given to be wise as serpents and harmiess as doves, I escape these snares. What surprises me the most is that they seem so easily to understand where the true way is, and what the rules are according to which one has to walk. They seem to be able to describe them even better than I can. And as soon as my foot begins to slip or I begin to stumble, they detect it right away. They seem to know quite a bit of the language that I speak. They are very sure that they will reach the right destination, while I am often tossed with doubt and worries and am not so sure at all. I can recognize them quickly by one thing.

Ask-Freely: What is that?

Straight-Forward: Their inward desires are always for the broad way. They quickly cast away the clothing and the cross of my King, and they devour my sheep. They have learned nothing of love or abiding selfdenial. They have learned to read without even knowing how to spell the words properly. In this way they are professors, and I am not farther than in my first spelling book, the A. B. C. book of faith. It also looks strange to me that they are harsh to little children. When I am sick, and they come to take care of me, they have such rough hands, and their bones feel like stone and iron. Furthermore, they are talkers, but not doers. Since they feel they can do everything themselves, they are a torment to those who have no strength, but in reality they either accomplish nothing, or they do things by halves.

Ask-Freely: But why do they turn aside from the right way? Is everything so pleasant on their way? Is there nothing delightful in your way?

Straight-Forward: No, the opposite is true. Everything in this way is glorious. For the roughest path, and those ways which seemingly lead through heil, actually have a glorious outcome. There are refreshing brooks and clear fountains, beautiful fields and fertile meadows. When I consider it all together, then I dare to say that it is a way of corn and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, rich olive trees, and honey. It is a way in which one may eat his bread without shortness. No one lacks anything. Those who may look a little further sometimes may behold the city of the King on the top of the mountains. Then it looks so close to them that it seems as if they are near the end of the way.

The pilgrim has much company on the road, but he has found out that many are deceivers and hypocrites They know everything so well, they are eager to teil others how it has to be, and they are harsh to the little ones. But the pilgrim must say that he himself still needs to be taught in the first principles of the life of faith. He has seen many of these deceivers turning away from the narrow path. However, that does not mean that there is nothing delightful in the way he travels through the wilderness. What a rich testimony he may give of the joy and riches of the true pilgrims to Zion! There are moments that they may see the city of the King and see that heaven is near to them.

Ask-Freely: You seem to have experienced much. And then what did you do?

Straight-Forward: I continued my way to the city which has foundations.

Ask-Freely: Will you not be glad once to hear, “Enter in, thou faithful servant”?

Straight-Forward: The only thing I know is that in every respect I have to complain of my unfaithfulness. However, yes, when I may come there, then my mouth will speak and acknowledge that He has faithfully kept me.

Ask-Freely: I would like to hear your life story from you.

Straight-Forward: I have two friends with me. The one is Ezekiel, the other is Hosea. They have given a true record of my life. The one did this in the 16th chapter, the other in the second chapter of his prophecy.

Straight-Forward then tells about his grandmother, Lois (2 Timothy 1:5), and his mother and his father. He describes his youth, and how the Lord led him in the way of grace. He had come to a house in which a kind man, Matthew, was sitting. With Matthew were Luke, a doctor, Mark, a soldier, and John, a fisherman. They spoke much of the preciousness of the way and of the King, of His willingness to help miserable ones, to heal souls, to deliver the oppressed, and to care for the most loathsome people, and to bring them all to His city. From that time, the pilgrim's heart was inclined to choose this way forever, and he had a heartfelt desire to know this King.

His means of living

Ask-Freely: On what do you live?

Straight-Forward: I do not live from stolen goods, but of that which has been freely given to me on the basis of eternal righteousness, which gave me an abiding right to it. I found a field, and when I was digging there, I detected a treasure hidden in it. Then I sold all that I had, to have this field as my own property. Then my King gave me the treasure that I found. I live by faith in that which my King has promised to me, and in every word that proceeds from His mouth. Therein I am assured that my bread shall be given to me, and my water shall be sure. I live from alms, but I beg these only from my King.

I live on the interest from a fortune which is in the name of my King. This is not kept in my name, but in the name of my King. It is safely kept for me. Thieves cannot take it away, nor can I spend it. It is so safe that it cannot be destroyed, even if everything we can see is burned. I am married to my King, and all that is His is mine. With His riches, I can pay all the bills I receive, as long as I live by faith in my King and His riches.

When I do not live by faith, I have nothing to live on, and I must pine away from hunger and thirst. Then for fear of the unpaid bills, I must hide myself in a corner. I become even more anxious when I look in the old chest of rags that I took along from my mother's home for something that can serve as payment. When I try to buy wine and milk with it, I become shame-faced, but He who is faithful always restores me into His fellowship, opens His treasure room, and does not rebuke me.

Thus I live with Him on an exchange basis. In these transactions He takes all that is mine, which has absolutely no value, and which is of no use to Him, as His own. He gives me, of free grace, all that is of Himself, that is, what has an infinite value. I can use this the best when I have experienced again that all that is mine is nothing.

It is such a privilege when God's children may know what Kohlbrugge describes in this portion. All the unsearchable riches of Christ are theirs. They have everything, and if they live by faith in Him, there is no lack of anything. However, so often they turn back to the broken covenant of works and try to find something which may be acceptable to the Lord. He teaches them that He cannot use anything of theirs. What a blessing it is if we often may come with our nothingness unto Him in truth, and if we may receive out of His riches what we need for our pilgrimage. The reality is that when our hands are made empty, when we are ashamed of ourselves, and have nothing to offer but sin and guilt, then Christ becomes altogether precious to us, and we may profit from His precious gifts.

— to be continued —

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