competitor.
5. We may more fully explain this in two or three ways. The church will be like a high mountain, for she will be pre-eminently conspicuous. I believe that at this time the thoughts of men are more engaged with the religion of Christ than with any other. It is true, and there are a few that will deny it, that every other system is growing old: grey hairs are scattered here and there, although the followers of these religions know it. As for Mohammed, has he not become now effete with grey old age? And the sabre once so sharp to kill the unbeliever has it not been blunted with time and rusted into its scabbard? As for the old idolatries, the religion of Confucius, or of Buddha, where are their missionaries, where is the old activity that made minor idolatries bow before them? They are now content to be confined within their own limit, they feel that their hour is come that they can grow no further, for their strong man is declining into old age. But the Christian religion has become more conspicuous now than it ever was. In every part of the world all people are thinking about it; the very gates of Japan — once firmly closed — are now open to it, and soon shall the trumpet voice of the gospel be heard there, and the name of Jesus the Son of the Highest shall be proclaimed there by the lips of his chosen servants. The hill is already growing, and note, it is to grow higher yet; it is to be so conspicuous, that in every hamlet of the world the name of Christ shall be known and feared. There shall not be a Bedouin in his tent, there shall not be a Hottentot in his village, there shall not be a Laplander in the midst of his eternal snow, or an African in that great continent of thirst, that shall not have heard of Christ. Rising higher, and higher, and higher, from north to south, from east to west, this mountain shall be seen; not like the star of the north which cannot be seen in the south, nor like the “cross” of the south which must give way before the “bear” of the north — this mountain, strange to say it, contrary to nature shall be visible from every land. Far off islands of the sea shall see it, and those who are near shall worship at it base. It shall be pre-eminently conspicuous in clear, cloudless radiance gladdening the people of the earth. This I think is one meaning of the text, when the prophet declares “that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills.”
6. However this is only a small part of the meaning. He means that the church of Christ shall become fearful and venerable in her grandeur. It has never been my privilege to be able to leave this country for any time, to stand at the foot of the loftier mountains of Europe, but even the little hills of Scotland, where halfway up the mist is slumbering, struck me with some degree of awe. These are some of God’s old works, high and lofty, talking to the stars, lifting up their heads above the clouds as though they were ambassadors from earth ordained to speak to God in silence far aloft. But poets tell us — and travellers who have very little poetry say the same — that standing at the foot of some of the stupendous mountains of Europe, and of Asia, the soul is subdued with the grandeur of the scene. There, upon the father of mountains, lie the eternal snows glittering in the sunlight, and the spirit wonders to see such mighty things as these? such massive ramparts garrisoned with storms. We seem to be only as insects crawling at their base, while they appear to stand like cherubims before the throne of God, sometimes covering their face with clouds of mist, or at other times lifting up their white heads, and singing their silent and eternal hymn before the throne of the Most High. There is something extremely grand in a mountain, but how much more so in such a mountain as is described in our text, which is to be exalted above all hills, and above all the highest mountains of the earth.
7. The church is to be fearful in her grandeur. Ah! now she is despised; the infidel barks at her, it is all he can do; the followers of old superstitions as yet pay her very little veneration. The religion of Christ, albeit that it has for us all the veneration of eternity about it — “For his goings forth were of old, even from everlasting” — yet to men who do not know him Christianity seems to be only a young upstart, audaciously contending with hoary headed systems of religion. Indeed, but the day shall come when men shall bow before the name of Christ, when the cross shall command universal homage, when the name of Jesus shall stop the wandering Arab and make him prostrate his knee at the hour of prayer, when the voice of the minister of Christ shall be as mighty as that of a king, when the bishops of Christ’s church shall be as princes in our midst, and when the sons and daughters of Zion shall each be a prince, and every daughter a queen. The hour comes, yes, and now draws near, when the mountain of the Lord’s house in her fearful grandeur shall be established on the top of the mountains.
8. There is yet, however, a deeper and larger meaning. It is just this — that the day is coming when the church of God shall have absolute supremacy. The church of Christ now has to fight for her existence. She has many foes, and mighty ones too, who would snatch the garland from her brow, blunt her sword, and stain her banners in the dust; but the day shall come when all her enemies shall die; there shall not be a dog to move his tongue against her; she shall be so mighty that there shall be nothing left to compete with her. As for Rome, you shall look for it but find it not. It shall be hurled like a millstone into the flood. As for Mohammed’s lustful superstition, they shall ask for it, but the imposter shall not be found. As for false gods, talk to the bittern and the owl, to the mole, and to the bat, and they shall tell you where they shall be found. The church of Christ at that time shall not have kings of the earth to bind her, and to control her, as if she were only a puny thing, nor shall she have them to persecute her and lift up their iron arm to crush her; but she, then, shall be the queen and empress of all nations; she shall reign over all kings; they shall bow down and lick the dust of her feet; her golden sandals shall tread upon their necks; she, with her sceptre, with her rod of iron, shall break empires in pieces like earthen vessels. She shall say, “Overturn! overturn! overturn! until he comes, whose right it is; and I will give it to HIM” The destiny of the church is a universal monarchy. What Alexander fought for, what Caesar died to obtain, what Napoleon wasted all his life to achieve, that Christ shall have: — the universal monarchy of the broad acres of the earth. “The sea is his, and he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” The whole earth shall come, and worship, and bow down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker; for every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
9. I think you now have the meaning of the text, — the church growing and rising up until she becomes conspicuous, venerable, and supreme. And now let me pause here for a moment, to ask how this is to be done.
10. How is this to be done? I reply, there are three things which will ensure the growth of the church. The first is the individual exertion of every Christian. I do not think that all the exertions of the church of Christ will ever be able to reach the climax of our text. I think we shall see something more than natural agency, even though employed by the Spirit, before the church of Christ shall be exalted to that supremacy of which I have spoken; but, nevertheless, this is to contribute to it. In the olden times, when men raised cairns to the memory of departed kings, it was usual to put a heap of stones over the tomb, and every passerby threw on another stone. In course of ages those mounds grew into small hills. Now the church of Christ in the present day is growing something like that. Each Christian converted to Christ throws his stone; we each do our part. By the grace of God let us each make sure of one stone being deposited there, and strive to add another by labouring to be the instruments of bringing someone else to Christ; in this way the church will grow; and as year after year rolls on, each Christian serving his Master, the church will increase; and it shall come to pass in the last times, that even by the efforts of Christ’s people, honoured by God the Holy Spirit, this mountain shall be highly exalted in the midst of the hills.
11. This however, although all that we can do, is not, I think, all that we have to expect. We can do no more, but we may expect more. Besides, the church of Christ differs from all other mountains in this: — that she has within her a living influence. The ancients had a fable that under Mount Etna, Vulcan was buried. Some great giant, they thought, lay there entombed; and when he rolled over and over, the earth began to tremble, and the mountains shook, and fire poured forth. We do not believe the fable, but the church of God, truly, is like this
