This is a chapter from J.C. Ryle's classic book Practical Religion.
HAPPINESS
"Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!" Psalm 144:15
The story is told of a man trying to persuade a crowd in the open air that there is no God, devil, heaven, hell, resurrection, judgment, or life to come. He talked boldly. The crowd listened eagerly. It was, as Jesus would phrase it, the blind leading the blind. Both were falling into a ditch (Matthew 15:14). A poor old woman slowly moved up front and asked him loudly, "Sir, are you happy?" He looked scornfully at her and gave no answer. She said, "Sir, I ask you to answer my question. You want us to throw away our Bibles, not listen to ministers of the Gospel, and think as you do. Before we take your advice, we have a right to know what good we shall get by it." The skeptical speaker stammered and tried hard to turn the subject, saying he had not come there to preach about happiness, but the crowd began to press the woman's wise question. At last he walked away in confusion. His conscience would not let him answer the question: he dared not say he was happy.
Whenever people you know begin to take up new views of religion or criticize Bible Christianity, thrust onto their consciences the old woman's question. Ask whether their new views make them feel comfortable within. Ask whether they can say, with honesty and sincerity, that they are happy. This is a significant matter because the Bible teaches the heart cannot be right in the sight of God that knows nothing of happiness. That man or woman cannot be in a safe state of soul who feels nothing of peace within.
1. Things essential to all happiness. The desire for happiness is planted deeply in the human heart. We all naturally like comfort and gladness, disliking pain, sorrow, and discomfort. Solomon the Wise tells us that God "has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts.... I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God" (Ecclesiastes 3:11-13). Few, however, really think about what they mean when they talk of happiness. They dream of a happiness that would never satisfy their nature's wants.
A. Happiness does not require freedom from sorrow and discomfort. The happiness I am inquiring about is such as a poor, dying, sinful creature may hope to attain. Evil abounds in this world. Sickness, death, and change are daily doing their sad work on every front. In such a state of things, the highest happiness a man and woman can attain on earth must necessarily be a mixed thing. If we expect to find any perfect happiness this side of the grave, we expect what we shall not find.
B. Happiness does not require laughter and smiles. Many laugh out loud and are merry in company, but are miserable in private and almost afraid to be alone. The eternal Word of God teaches us that even "in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief" (Proverbs 14:13). Like Shakespeare's Hamlet said, a man "may smile and smile and be a villain." A truly happy man will often show his happiness on his face, but not always. A woman may have a very happy face, yet not be happy at all. Of all deceptive things on earth, few exceed mere gaiety and merriment. There is a temporary elevation of spirits about it, but do not call it by the sacred name of happiness. The most beautiful cut flowers stuck into the ground do not make a garden.
C. Happiness does require the highest wants of human nature to be satisfied. What are those wants? Can we do nothing but hear, see, smell, taste, and feel? No, we have a thinking mind and conscience. Do we have consciousness of any world except that in which we live and move? A still, small voice within us all often makes itself heard: This life is not all! There is a world unseen: there is life beyond the grave. Yes, we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). It is foolishness to pretend that food, clothes, and other material things can make us happy. They can do nothing for the immaterial needs of the soul and conscience. There can be no true happiness until those needs are satisfied.
D. Happiness does require sources of gladness not dependent on anything in this world. There is nothing upon earth that is not stamped with the mark of instability and uncertainty. All the good things money can buy are fleeting: they either leave us or we are obliged to leave them. All the sweetest relationships in life are liable to come to an end: death may come any day and cut them off. The person whose happiness depends on those things is like the man building his house on sand (Matthew 7:24-27).
E. Happiness does require being able to face the past, present, and future with justified comfort. To be really happy, a man must be able to look back at the past without guilty fears, to look around him without discontent, and look forward without anxious dread. Are you able to look steadily either before or behind you? Your present position may be easy and pleasant. But stop and think quietly over your past. Can you reflect calmly on all your omissions and commissions? How will they bear God's inspection? How will you answer for them at the last day? Now think of the years yet to come, especially the certain end: death and judgment. Are you prepared? If you cannot look comfortably at any season but the present, you do not yet know what real happiness is like.
2. Common mistakes about the way to be happy. There are several roads thought by many to lead to happiness. On each multitudes of men and women are continually traveling. They think if only they get what they want, they will be happy. If they do not, they are more likely to blame their luck than their choice of road. I will mention by name some of the principal delusions about happiness, which I do out of love and compassion to warn people against cheats, quacks, and imposters.
A. Rank and greatness. The rulers of this world are seldom happy. They have troubles none know but themselves, seeing a thousand evils they are unable to remedy. The Roman Emperor Antonine often said that the imperial power was an ocean of miseries. Queen Elizabeth I of England, when hearing a milk maid singing, said she wished she had been born to a position like hers. Shakespeare's Henry IV sums it up well: "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."
King Solomon had power, wisdom and wealth far beyond any ruler of his time. We know from his own confession in the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes that he made a grand experiment of how far the good things of this world can make a person happy. Never, surely, was such an experiment tried under such favorable circumstances; never was anyone so likely to succeed. Yet what is Solomon's testimony? You have it in his melancholy words, "All is vanity and vexation of spirit!" (Ecclesiastes 1:14; 2:17).
B. Riches. They can enable a person to command and possess just about everything but inward peace. They cannot buy a cheerful spirit and a light heart. There is care in the getting of riches, along with the cares of keeping, using, and distributing them. A wise man said money is another word for trouble.
Walk down the street of any major business district and study the faces of businessmen and women leaving near the close of day. What tale do the deep lines furrowing brow and cheek tell? What about the air of anxious preoccupation that characterizes five out of every six we see? They tell us something greater than gold and bank notes is needed to make people happy.
C. Learning and science. They may profitably occupy people's time and attention, but cannot make them happy. Like Solomon, those with vast learning discover that "in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow" (Ecclesiastes 1:18). The heart wants something as well as the head; the conscience needs food as well as the intellect. All the secular knowledge in the world will not give men and women joy and gladness, especially when faced with sickness, death, and the grave.
D. Rest and leisure. It is easy to assume those things bring bliss if you regularly have to venture out to work early on a cold morning, but the most miserable creature on earth is the one who has nothing to do. Work for the hands or head is essential to human happiness. Without it the mind feeds upon itself, and the whole inward man becomes diseased. The machinery within us, so to speak, is made for work; without something to work upon, it is likely to wear itself to pieces. Work was invented by God before the Fall: Adam and Eve were joyfully tasked with tending the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15). There will be no idleness in heaven: God's servants shall serve Him in bliss (Revelation 22:3).
E. Pleasure and amusement. Of all weary, flat, dull, and unprofitable ways of spending life, this exceeds all. To think of a dying creature with an immortal soul expecting happiness in feasting and reveling, dancing and singing, playing games and watching entertainment—in crowds, laughter, noise, music, and wine! Surely it is a sight to make the devil laugh and the angels weep. Even children will not play with their toys all day long. They must have food. But when grown-up men and women think to find happiness in a steady stream of amusement, they sink far below a child.
Do you doubt what I say? Then stand with me in the most fashionable parts of town in the height of the season. We soon will see many who seem to possess the choicest gifts of this world: beauty, wealth, rank, fashion, and troops of friends. Sadly, few will appear happy. On many faces we shall read weariness, dissatisfaction, discontent, sorrow, or unhappiness as clearly as if written with a pen. This is a humbling lesson to learn, but a wholesome one. It applies not only to town life, but also to more modest settings. You will soon discover that backbiting, lying, slandering, envy, pride, laziness, lust, substance abuse, and petty quarrels murder happiness anywhere. Fallen human nature is the same evil thing everywhere.
All the wrong roads to happiness are like bright fountains of waters that at first taste sweet. A crowd stands around them that refuses to leave, but you may know that God has written over each fountain, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again" (John 4:13). Remember all these mistakes about happiness and be wise!
3. The way to be truly happy: to be a real, enthusiastic, true-hearted Christian. This is a sure road to happiness and open to all. None are excluded but those who exclude themselves. The people I have in view are not mere talkers, but real Christians in heart and life, who rest all their hopes on the Lord Jesus Christ and His atonement, who have been born again and live holy lives. Their religion is a mighty energizing and constraining principle governing every day of life.
A. Christian consistency despite the ebbs and flows of life. Christians are subject to the same difficulties and frailties as anyone else, but deep down inside they have a mine of solid peace and substantial joy that is never exhausted. This is true happiness. Not all true Christians are equally happy, for there are differing levels of maturity, and all have their ebbs and flows of comforts. Some tides, like those of the Mediterranean Sea, are almost imperceptible; others, as in Wales, come 50 or 60 feet at a time. The bodily health of believers is not always the same, and the same goes for their earthly circumstances. The souls of those they love fill them at times with distress; they themselves are sometimes overtaken by a fault and temporarily walk in darkness. But as a general rule, the true Christian has a deep pool of peace within him or her, which even at the lowest is never entirely dry.
 |
B. Christian peace of mind and conscience. Christians are at rest within because they know Christ made atonement on the cross for all their sins, cleansing them forever from guilt. They see in the priesthood and mediation of the risen Christ now in heaven (Romans 8:33-34; Hebrews 7:24-26) a complete answer to all their fears. Conscience is no longer the enemy of the true Christian, but his friend and adviser. Therefore he is happy. He can look behind him and before him, within him and around him, feeling, All is well. He can think calmly about his past life, and however many and great his sins, take comfort in the truth that they are all forgiven. The righteousness of Christ covers all. He can think calmly about things to come, yet not be afraid. Sickness is painful, death is solemn, and Judgment Day is an awe-full reality, but having Christ for him the Christian has nothing to fear. He or she can think calmly about Almighty God, saying, "He is my Father, my reconciled Father in Christ Jesus. I am weak and unworthy, yet in Christ He regards me as His dear child and is well pleased." What a blessed privilege it is to think and not be afraid!
C. Christian hope independent of this world. Christians have something that cannot be affected by sickness, death, private losses, or public calamities: "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:6-7). They have reserved for them in heaven "an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away" (1 Peter 1:4). A believer's wife may die, his darling children may be taken away from him, and he may be left alone in this cold world; his earthly plans may be crossed; his health may fail. But all this time he has a portion nothing can hurt, and one Friend who never dies. His lower springs may fail, but his upper springs are never dry. This is real happiness.
D. Christian priorities in the right order. All the powers of his being are directed to right ends. His mind and affections are set "on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:1-4). His will is not bent on self-indulgence, but is submissive to the will of God. Christians realize that "the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17). Their minds are not absorbed in perishable trifles; they desire useful employment, especially the privilege of doing good.
Who has not seen the misery of disorder and discomfort of a house where everything and everyone are in their wrong places: last things first and first things last? The heart of an unconverted man or woman is such a house. Grace puts everything in that heart in its right position. The things of the soul come first and the things of the world come second. Christ reigns over the whole man, and each part of him does his proper work. This new heart is really a light heart, unburdened from pride and self will. The Christian sits at the feet of Jesus and is in his right mind. He loves God and loves man, so he is happy. In heaven all are happy because all do God's will perfectly. The nearer a man or woman gets to this standard, the happier he or she will be.
The plain truth is that without Christ, there is no lasting happiness in the world. He alone can give the Comforter who abides forever. He is the sun; without Him you never feel warm. He is the light; without Him you are in the dark. He is the bread; without Him you are starving. He is the living water; without Him you remain thirsty. Take what you like, go where you will, be surrounded by all the comforts you can imagine—it does not matter: apart from Christ, the Prince of Peace, you cannot be happy.
E. Christian contentment despite adverse circumstances. Give a man a sensible interest in Christ, and he will be happy in spite of poverty. He will tell you he is lacking nothing that is truly good. He is provided for: he has food to eat the world does not know of (John 4:32-34) and friends who will never leave him or forsake him (Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5-6). The Father and the Son have come to him and made Their home with him (John 14:23). The risen Christ Himself says, "I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20).
Give a woman a sensible interest in Christ, and she will be happy in spite of sickness. Her flesh may groan and her body be worn out with pain, but her heart will rest and be at peace. One of the happiest people I ever met was a young woman who had been ill for many years with a disease of the spine, and lived in a cold attic. Her case was incurable, but she was always rejoicing in the Lord Jesus. Her spirit triumphed mightily over her flesh. She was happy because Christ was with her.
Give a man a sensible interest in Christ, and he will be happy in spite of abounding public calamities. The government of his country may be thrown into confusion, rebellion and disorder may turn everything upside down, laws may be trampled under foot, and might may prevail over right, but still his heart will not fail. He will remember that the Kingdom of Christ will one day be fully established, so that man will say, "It is all right: it is well with the righteous."
I desire to make an affectionate appeal to the many different people who are reading this: Man of the world, caring for nothing but the things of time, neglecting the Bible, making a god of business or money, providing for everything but the day of judgment, planning about everything but eternity: Are you happy? You know you are not.
Foolish woman, trifling life away in levity and frivolity, spending hours on that frail body that must soon pass away, making an idol of fashion, amusement, and human praise, as if this world were all: Are you happy? You know you are not.
Young man or woman, bent on pleasure and self-promotion, fluttering from one pursuit to another, fancying yourself clever and knowing, too wise to be led by godly ministers, yet ignorant that the devil is leading you like a beast to the slaughter: Are you happy? You know you are not.
You will never be happy until you are converted to Christ. You might as well expect the sun to shine on your face when you turn your back to it as to feel happy when you turn your back on God and Christ. The keys of the way to happiness are in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is appointed by God the Father to give the bread of life to all who hunger, and the water of life to all who thirst. Come to Him, confessing you are weary of your own ways and want rest, that you now realize you have no power to make yourself happy or holy, and have no hope but Him. This is coming to Christ.
You have everything to encourage you. The Lord Jesus Himself invites you. He proclaims to you as well as to others, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). Multitudes have walked in the way you are invited to enter, and have found it good. Once like you they served the world and became enmeshed in folly and sin. Once like you they became weary of their wickedness and longed for deliverance and rest. They heard of Christ and His unmatched ability and willingness to save. They came to Him by faith and prayer after many doubts and hesitations, but found Him a thousand times more gracious than they had expected. Walk with them to Christ.
Those of you who know and love Christ have no doubt experienced such sweetness in Christ's peace that you would love to know more of it. I urge us all to have an increase of happiness in Christ's service by laboring every year to grow in grace. Let us beware of standing still and instead search the Scriptures more earnestly, pray more fervently, hate sin more, mortify self-will more, love others more, and become more humble. Let us also be laboring every year to be more thankful and to do more good. May we be more and more like God, who not only is good, but does good (Psalm 119:68). There is much we might do if only we had the will. For God's glory, the enrichment of others, and our own happiness, let us be fervent and faithful Christians!
No comments:
Post a Comment