m
at will, is precisely the reverse of the first. The rock rises now into
mid-heaven, hovers over the assailants for a while, and then falls upon
their heads. Here, as in the other case, the human adversaries of this
rock are destroyed, but their destruction is wholly different in degree
and kind. In the first case, they were broken; in the second, they are
grinded to powder.[42] The words in the original are very specific, and
the translation is remarkably accurate. The term employed to indicate
the injury which men inflict upon themselves when they resist the
Redeemer in the day of grace, conveys the idea of the crushing which
takes place when a man strikes swiftly with all his force against a
great immoveable rock; the term which indicates the overwhelming of
Christ's enemies by his own power put forth in the day of judgment,
conveys the idea of the crushing which takes place when a great rock
falls from a height upon a living man. The one calamity is great in
proportion to the weight and impetus of a man; the other calamity is
great in proportion to the weight and impetus of a falling rock. Both
the rejection of Christ by the unbelieving in the time of grace, and the
rejection of the unbelieving by Christ when he comes for judgment, are
bruisings; but the second is to the first, as the power of a great rock
is to the power of a man. The first bruising, caused by a man's
unbelieving opposition to Christ under the Gospel, may be cured; but the
grinding accomplished by the wrath of the Judge when the day of grace is
done can never be healed. There remaineth no more sacrifice for sin.

[42] The expression is chosen with reference to the mysterious stone
in Daniel ii. 34, 35, which grinds to powder the image of the
monarchies; that is, to Christ who unfolds his life in the kingdom
of God and grinds the kingdom of this world to powder.--_Lange_.

There are only two ways. This stone lies across our path from edge to
edge. It is not possible to be neutral, so as to be neither for Christ
nor against him: we must either accept or reject the Son of God. In the
prophecy to which the text refers (Isa. viii. 14, 15,) it is intimated
that "He shall be for a sanctuary, but for a stone of stumbling." The
mighty one stands on our life path, and we cannot pass without coming
into contact with him. If we flee to him for refuge, he is the sanctuary
in which we shall be safe; if we fall on him, in a vain effort to
escape, we sha