and resurrection, of our gracious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Hence,
St. Peter saith, “God hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Pet. 1:3. And all the
apostles will everywhere be found to lay the foundation of repentance and
of a new life, in the passion of Christ. St. Peter, indeed, gives this
express charge: “Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear; forasmuch
as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver
and gold; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot” (1 Pet. 1:17-19); in which we may observe, that
the ransom paid for our redemption is urged as the motive to a holy
conversation. The same apostle tells us, likewise, that “Christ his own
self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to
sins, should live unto righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24); and Jesus himself
has said: “Thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead
the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be
preached in his name.” Luke 24:46, 47.
12. It is evident, therefore, that from the passion and death of Christ,
proceed both the satisfaction made for our sins, and the renewing of our
nature by faith; and that they both are necessary to the restoration of
fallen man. The latter, as well as the former, is the blessed effect of
Christ’s passion, which worketh our renewal and sanctification. 1 Cor.
1:30. Thus the new birth in us proceeds from Christ. And as a means to
attain this end, holy Baptism has been instituted, wherein we are baptized
into the death of Christ, in order that we might die with him unto sin by
the power of his death, and rise again from sin by the power of his
resurrection.
Chapter IV.
Of True Repentance, And The True Yoke And Cross Of Christ.
_They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts._—GAL. 5:24.
Repentance, or true conversion, is the work of the Holy Spirit, under the
influence of which, man, through the _law_, acknowledges his sin, and the
wrath of God provoked against it; and earnestly mourns over his offences;
and then, understanding, through the _Gospel_, the grace of God, by faith
in Christ Jesus, he obtains the remission of his sins. By this repentance,
the mortification or crucifying of the flesh, and of all carnal lusts and
pleasures, is carried on; together with the quickening of the spirit, or
the resurrection of the new man in Christ. Under the exercise of
repentance, therefore, the old Adam, with his corruptions, dies within us;
and Christ lives in us, by faith (Gal. 2:20); for we must be aware that
these two are inseparably connected. The resurrection of the spirit
follows the mortification of the flesh; and the quickening of the new man,
destroys and annihilates the old man; the ruin of the one, is the life and
resurrection of the other. “Though our outward man perish, yet the inward
man is renewed day by day.” 2 Cor. 4:16. We are, therefore, enjoined to
“mortify our members which are upon the earth” (Col. 3:5); and to “reckon
ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God, through Jesus
Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6:11.
2. Let us, however, inquire why the flesh is thus to be mortified; and why
the whole body of sin is at last to be destroyed. It has been remarked
(Chap. II) that, by the fall of Adam, man became earthly, carnal, and
devilish; without God, and without love: for being without God, he was
also without love. Man was now turned from the love of God to the love of
the world, and especially of himself; so that in every situation, and
under all circumstances, he now studies, favors, flatters, counsels, and
applauds himself; and provides only for his own interest, honor, and
glory. All this is the consequence of Adam’s fall; who, while meditating
how he might erect himself, as it were, into _a God_, was involved,
together with all his posterity, in the same awful sin and perdition. This
depravation of human nature must of necessity be entirely removed; and
this can be effected only by serious repentance; by godly sorrow; by a
faith that apprehends the remission of sin; by the mortification of
sensual pleasure; and by the crucifixion of pride and self-love. For true
repentance consists not in putting away gross and open sins only; but it
requires that a man should enter his heart, and search into its inmost
recesses. The secret parts, the windings and the turnings of iniquity are
to be laid open; in order that the returning sinner may be thoroughly
renewed, and, at length, be converted from the love of himself, to the
love of God; from the love of the world, to a life of spirituality; and
from a participation of earthly pomps and pleasures, to a participation,
through faith, of the merits of Christ.
3. Hence it follows, that a man must deny himself (Luke 9:23); that is, he
must mortify his own will, and suffer himself to be entirely led by the
will of God. He must no longer love, seek, and esteem himself; but he must
account himself to be the unworthiest and most miserable of all creatures.
He must renounce all he has for the love of Christ; and trample on the
world, its pomps, and its vanities. He must pass by his own wisdom and
natural endowments, as though he beheld them not; he must confide in no
creature, but in God alone; yea, he must “hate his own life” (Luke 14:26),
that is, his carnal will and pleasures; his pride, covetousness, lust,
wrath, and envy. He must not please, but rather displease himself; nor
must he attribute anything to his own strength or ability. In a word, he
must be crucified to the world (Gal. 6:14), to the lust of the eyes and
the flesh, and to the pride of life. This, and this alone, is that true
repentance and mortification of the flesh, without which no man can ever
be a disciple of Jesus Christ. This only is conversion from self, the
world, and the devil, unto God (Acts 26:18); without which no one can
receive remission of sins, nor be saved.
4. This is the true cross and yoke of Christ; that of which the Saviour
spoke when he said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek
and lowly in heart.” Matt. 11:29. As if he had said, “Thy self-love and
ambition must be removed by earnest and inward humility, of which thou
hast an example in me; and by the example of my meekness, must thy wrath
and desire of revenge be subdued.” This, to the new man, is an easy yoke
and a light burden; though, to the flesh, it may seem to be a most bitter
and afflictive cross. This is to crucify our own flesh, with the
affections and lusts. Gal. 5:24.
5. They, therefore, who are acquainted with no other cross than the
tribulations and afflictions of this life, greatly err; being ignorant of
that true cross, which we ought to bear after our Lord daily; namely,
inward repentance, and the mortification of the flesh; submitting to our
enemies with great patience; and overcoming the malice of slanderers by
humility and mildness, after the pattern which the Lamb of God has left
us. For it becomes us to follow the example of Christ, who renounced all
worldly splendor and glory, and everything that is commonly esteemed great
and noble.
6. This yoke of Christ is the real cross, which when a man bears he truly
dies to the world. It is not to retire into monasteries and cloisters, nor
to adopt a set of rules and orders for the regulation of life; for while
the heart remains disordered, and the love corrupt; while the man is
puffed up with spiritual pride, and a pharisaical contempt of others;
while he is devoted to lust, envy, hypocrisy, secret hatred and malice; he
does not die to the world, but altogether lives to it. This is not the
Christian yoke nor is it the cross of Christ; for these consist in
mortifying the flesh, with its sinful propensities; in turning away from
the world to God; in an inward and constant secret sorrow for our sins; in
a daily dying to the world, and living to Christ by faith; in following
his steps with sincere lowliness and humility; and in confiding only in
the grace of God in Christ Jesus.
7. To this unfeigned repentance, this true and inward conversion from the
world unto God, hath our blessed Lord called us. The imputation of his
righteousness and obedience, together with the remission of all our sins,
apprehended by faith, is promised to it alone. If we are destitute of
repentance, Christ profiteth us nothing; that is, we cannot then become
partakers of his grace and favor, nor of the efficacy of his merits;
because these can be applied only by a contrite, penitent, lowly, and
believing heart. And truly this is the fruit of the passion of Christ in
us, that we die to sin by a sincere repentance; as the fruit of his
resurrection is, that Christ may live in us, and we in him.
8. All this is necessary to render man that _new creature_ in Christ
Jesus, without which nothing availeth in the sight of God. 2 Cor. 5:17;
Gal. 6:15.
9. Hence, therefore, let us be instructed in the nature of true
repentance; lest we be led away into that common error, that the mere
relinquishment of some gross enormity, as theft, fornication, profaneness,
blasphemy, is the genuine and only repentance. It is certain, that this is
a kind of _external_ repentance; but it is no less so, that all the
Scriptures alike inculcate the necessity of an _inward_ repentance, which
takes possession of the whole soul. A man under the influence of this
repentance, not only supports a fair conversation in the world, but he
also denies and hates himself. Renouncing the world and all he calls his
own, and crucifying the flesh, he commits himself by faith to God alone;
and offers up to him a broken and contrite heart, as the sacrifice most
acceptable in his sight. This character of inward repentance is eminently
set forth in the Psalms of David, and particularly in those termed
Penitential.(4)
10. This is, therefore, the only true repentance, when the heart of the
sinner is inwardly torn with grief, and weighed down by heaviness; and
when, on the other hand, it is healed by faith and the remission of sin,
quickened by the infusion of divine joy, provoked to good works, and
thoroughly transformed and changed. Such a frame of mind cannot fail to be
attended also with an _external_ reformation of life and manners.
11. But, on the other hand, though a man be very serious in the
performance of bodily penances, and, from a dread of punishment, abstain
from the commission of notorious sins; yet if he continue unreformed and
unregenerate in his heart, and enter not upon that new and inward life
which it has been our object to describe, he will prove but a _castaway_
(1 Cor. 9:27) at last, notwithstanding the whole train of his external
acts. It will avail him nothing to cry, “Lord, Lord!” He will hear the
tremendous declaration, “I never knew you!” For most certain it is, that
not every one that saith, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven, but those only who do the will of their Heavenly Father. Matt.
7:21-23. And under this awful sentence of divine majesty, all men are
comprised, of what rank or order so-ever, who do not truly and inwardly
repent, and who are not new creatures in Christ, for “if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Rom. 8:9.
Chapter V.
Wherein Does True Faith Consist?
_Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God._—1
JOHN 5:1.
Faith is a sincere confidence, and a firm persuasion of the grace of God
promised to us in Christ Jesus, for the remission of sin and eternal life;
and it is enkindled in the heart, by the word of God and the Holy Spirit.
Through this faith we obtain the forgiveness of our sins, without any
merits of our own, of mere grace (Eph. 2:8), and for the sake of the
merits of Christ alone; that so, our faith might rest on a firm and solid
foundation, and remain unmoved by perplexity and doubts. This forgiveness
of sin constitutes our justification before God, which is true, solid, and
eternal; for this righteousness is purchased neither by men nor angels,
but by the obedience, merit, and the blood of the Son of God himself. We
appropriate and apply it to ourselves by faith; and hence the
imperfections which still adhere to us cannot condemn us, since, for the
sake of Christ, who now lives and works within us, they are covered with a
veil of grace. Ps. 32:1.
2. By this cordial and unshaken faith, man wholly dedicates his heart to
the Almighty, in whom alone he seeks his rest. To him only is he now
united, and with him alone he enters into delightful fellowship. He
partakes of all things that are of God and of Christ, and is made one
spirit with the Lord. From him he receives divine power and strength;
together with a new life, attended with new joys, new pleasures, new
consolations, in which are found peace, inward ease, and durable
satisfaction, together with righteousness and holiness. And thus man is
born anew of God by faith. For wherever there is true faith, _there_
Christ is verily present with all his righteousness, holiness, and
remission of sin; with all his merits, justification, grace, adoption, and
inheritance of eternal life. This is the new birth and the new creature,
springing from faith in Christ. Hence, the apostle calls faith a
_substance_ (Heb. 11:1); understanding by it, a sure, solid, and unshaken
confidence in “things hoped for,” and a lively conviction of “things not
seen.” For the consolation conveyed by a vital faith is so powerful, as to
convince the heart of the divine truth by inward experience, and by the
tasting of the heavenly goodness in the soul, and of the peace of God,
that passes all understanding; yea, it is so mighty as to enable its
possessors to die with a joyful heart. In this consist that strength of
the spirit, that might of the inner man, that vigor of faith, that holy
boldness; this is that confidence toward God, that exceeding and abounding
assurance, which are so copiously set forth by the holy apostles. 2 Tim.
2:1; Eph. 3:12, 16; Phil. 1:14; 1 John 3:21; 1 Thess. 1:5; 2:2.
3. That for which a man will dare to die, must be rooted in the soul, and,
by the operation of the Spirit of God, afford an inward assurance. It must
be a cordial, powerful, and eternal comfort, infusing heavenly and
supernatural strength into the soul, by which the fear of death and the
love of the world may both be subdued. Now all this begets so solid a
trust in Christ, and so close a union with him, as neither death nor life
is able to dissolve. Rom. 8:38; 2 Tim. 1:12. Hence St. John says:
“Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world.” 1 John 5:4.
4. _To be born of God_ is in truth no vain figure, no empty name; it must
necessarily be a lively and powerful change, worthy of the majesty of an
omnipotent God. To believe that the living God could beget a dead
offspring, that lifeless members and useless organs could proceed from
him, were very wickedness. It is sure and undoubted that God, being a
_living_ God, cannot but beget a _living_ man, even the new man in Christ
Jesus. And our faith is the victory which overcomes the world. 1 John 5:4.
Who can question whether it be endued with strength sufficient for the
conquest? It is, it _must be_ a lively, vigorous, potent, divine, and
victorious principle; but all its power is derived from him who is
embraced by it, even Christ. By means of faith, we return into God again,
and become one with him; and from Adam, as from an accursed vine, we are
transplanted into Christ, the living and blessed vine. John 15:4. In
Christ, we possess everything that is good, and in him, are justified.
5. As a scion, when grafted on a good tree, grows, flourishes, and bears
fruit, but, without it, withers away; so man, when out of Christ, is as an
accursed vine, whose grapes are bitterness and gall; and all his works are
sin. Deut. 32:32, 33; Rom. 14:23. But when he is _in_ Christ, he is
righteous and blessed; because “_he_ was made to be sin for us, who knew
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Cor.
5:21.
6. It is most evident, from what has been advanced, that works cannot
possibly justify a sinner; because, before we can perform any good work,
we must be engrafted into Christ by faith: and it is equally clear, that
justification is entirely the gift of God, freely conferred on man and
preceding all human merit. How shall a dead man see, hear, stand, walk, or
do any good thing, unless he be first raised from the dead, and endued
with a new principle of life? So neither canst thou, O man, who art dead
in sins, do any work that is good or acceptable, unless thou be first
raised unto life by Jesus Christ. Thus righteousness proceeds only from
faith in Christ. Faith is like a new-born babe, weak and naked, poor and
destitute, and laid before the eyes of the Saviour; from whom, as from its
author, it receives righteousness and sanctification, godliness, grace and
the Holy Ghost.
7. The naked child is thus clothed with the mercy of God. He lifts up his
hands, receives all from God, and is made a partaker of grace and health,
truth and holiness. It is, therefore, this receiving of Christ in the
heart, that makes a man holy and happy.
8. Righteousness proceeds therefore solely from faith, and not from works.
Indeed, faith receives the whole Christ, and accepts him, together with
all that he has. Then sin and death, the devil and hell, must flee, and
are unable any longer to preserve their ground. Nay, so effectually and so
powerfully do the merits of Christ justify the sinner, that if the sins of
the whole world were charged on one man, they would not avail to condemn
him, if he believed in Christ.
9. Inasmuch, therefore, as Christ lives and dwells in thy heart by faith
(Eph. 3:17), never, O believer! indulge the thought, that his indwelling
in thee, is a dead work unattended with any vital power. Rather believe
that it is a quickening principle, a mighty work, and an effectual
transforming of thy mind. Faith effects two things: it first _engrafts_
thee into Christ, and gives him freely to thee, with all that he has; and
then, it _renews_ thee in Christ, that thou mayest grow, flourish, and
live in him. The wild graft is introduced into the stock, for no other end
than that it may flourish and bear fruit. As by the apostasy of Adam and
the temptation of the devil, the seed of the serpent was sown in man,
growing up into a tree and bearing the fruits of death; even so by the
divine word and the Holy Spirit, is faith sown in man, as the seed of God.
See Chap. II. In this seed all divine virtues and properties are, in a
most wonderful manner, comprehended; which gradually expand themselves
from day to day. This tree is adorned with a profusion of heavenly fruit;
as love, patience, humility, meekness, peace, chastity, righteousness. And
thus the whole kingdom of God descends into man. For true and saving faith
renews the whole man, purifies the heart, sanctifies the soul, and
delivers from the love of the world. It unites with God; it hungers and
thirsts after righteousness; it works love; and it brings peace, joy,
patience, and comfort in adversity: it overcomes the world; it makes us
sons of God, and heirs of the treasures of heaven; and it constitutes us
joint-heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. But if any one should not be
conscious of that joyfulness which faith imparts and does not experience
its consoling influences, let him not, on that account, despair; but
rather let him trust in the grace which is promised in Christ: for this
promise ever remains sure, immovable, and everlasting. And though, through
the infirmities incident to human nature, he should stumble and fall; yet,
if the sinner return by unfeigned repentance, and more cautiously watch
against the sin which so easily besets him, the grace of God will not be
withdrawn. For Christ is and will ever be _Christ_ and a Saviour, whether
the faith that embraces him be strong or weak. A weak faith has an equal
share in Christ with a strong faith, for faith, whether it be weak or
strong, possesses the whole Christ. The grace which is promised is common
to all Christians, and is eternal, and on this grace faith must rely,
whether it be weak or strong. The Lord will revisit thy soul in his own
time, with a sense of his gracious favor, and of his abundant
consolations, although, at the present, he may think fit to put a veil
over it in thy heart. Ps. 37:23, 24; 77:7-10. Upon this subject, see Book
II.
Chapter VI.
Showing How The Vital Power Of The Word Of God Should Be Manifested In Man
Through Faith.
_Behold, the kingdom of God is within you._—JOHN 17:21.
Inasmuch as man’s whole welfare depends on his regeneration and renewal,
it was the will of God that all those changes which ought to take place in
man _spiritually_ and by faith, should be also _outwardly_ set forth in
the words of Holy Scripture. Since the Word is the seed of God (Luke 8:11)
within us, it is necessary that it should also spring up and spiritually
bear fruit. That must be accomplished _in us_ by faith, which is declared
_without us_ in the letter of Scripture; and if this effect be not
produced, then the Word is evidently to us but a dead seed, destitute of
life and energy. Hence, we ought in faith and in spirit to learn by our
own happy experience the truth of that which the Scriptures have outwardly
declared.
2. When God revealed his will in his Word, he never designed that the
latter should be a dead letter, but that it should grow up in us to a new
and inward man; otherwise the Word is of no benefit to us. These truths
may be explained more clearly by a reference to some example, as that of
Cain and Abel. The nature, manners, and actions of these two persons, as
they are recorded in Scripture, clearly explain the motions and workings
of the old and the new man in the breast of the believer. Cain perpetually
endeavors to oppress and destroy Abel. What else is this but the daily
strife of the flesh and spirit, and the enmity subsisting between the
serpent and the seed of the woman? With Abraham, the Christian is required
to quit his own country, leaving all that he possesses, even life itself,
in order that he may walk before God with a perfect heart, obtain the
victory, and enter into the land of promise and kingdom of heaven. Such is
the meaning of the Lord’s words: “If any man come to me, and hate not his
father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters,
yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple;” that is, he must
renounce all these rather than renounce Christ. Luke 14:26. With Lot, he
must depart from Sodom and Gomorrah, forsaking the wicked course of the
world; not looking back with Lot’s wife, but obeying Christ’s injunction
(Luke 17:32), in order that his deliverance may be completed. Hither are
all the wars and battles of Israel against the heathen and infidel nations
to be referred; for what is represented under this history but the
continual strife between the flesh and the spirit? Whatsoever is recorded
of the Mosaical priesthood, the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant, or
the mercy-seat, with the sacrifices, etc.,—all has relation to the
Christian believer. For unto him it appertains to pray in spirit and in
truth; to burn spiritual incense; and to slay the sin-offering by
presenting his body, through mortification, as a reasonable service and
sacrifice, so that Christ may truly dwell in him by faith.
3. And if we advert to the New Testament itself, what is this but an
outward expression of those truths, which are to be inwardly fulfilled by
faith, in the experience of the believer? If I become a new creature in
Christ, it is incumbent on me to live and walk in him; in him and with
him, to flee into exile, and to be a stranger upon the earth. The virtues
that resided in him I ought to practise; humility, contempt of the world,
meekness, and patience; and I am bound to be fervent in acts of benignity,
charity, and loving kindness. In and with Christ I should exercise mercy,
and pardon and love my enemies, and, with him, do the Father’s will. I
must be tempted by Satan with him; and, with him, I must obtain the
victory. I am to be derided, despised and vilified for the sake of the
truth that is in me; and, if called to it, I ought to die for and with
him, after the example of the saints, and in testimony that he, by faith,
hath lived in me, and I in him.
4. This is to be conformed to the image of Christ; this is to be born with
and in Christ; to put on Christ; to grow up and be strong in Christ; to
live with Christ in banishment; to be baptized with his baptism; to be
scoffed and crucified with him; to die with him; to be buried with him; to
rise with him from the dead; and to reign with him to all eternity.
5. If ever thou desirest to live in a constant union and conformity with
thy Head and Saviour, thou art in this manner to die daily with him, and
to crucify the flesh. Rom. 6:5, 6. Should this divine harmony not exist,
and another way be devised more consonant to thy fancy, then Christ will
not be _within_ but _without_ thee; far from thy faith, thy heart, and thy
spirit; and, in that case, he will profit thee nothing. But if thou permit
him to dwell in thy heart by faith, he will be thy strength, thy comfort,
and thy salvation.
6. All this, O man! doth faith in Christ effect within the heart; and thus
the Word of God becomes a living Word, and, as it were, a living witness
in us of all those things which are externally declared in the Scriptures.
Hence, faith is termed by the apostle a substance and an evidence, Heb.
11:1.
7. It is therefore evident, that all the sermons, discourses, and
epistles, contained in the Word of God, whether proceeding from Christ, or
the prophets, or the apostles; and, in a word, that all the Scriptures, in
general, as it regards their complete fulfilment, belong to man, and to
every man individually. Not only do the plain doctrines appertain to us;
but all the parables and miracles with which the history of Christ
abounds, have their final reference to man.
8. The purpose for which they were written was, that they might be
spiritually fulfilled in our own experience. When, therefore, I read that
Christ healed others, I promise myself the same relief; for we live in
unity one with another, Christ with me, and I with Christ. When I read
further, how he cured the blind, I am encouraged to believe that he will
restore me to the enjoyment of spiritual sight, who am blind by nature:
and so, with regard to all his other miracles. Only own thyself to be
blind, lame, deaf, or leprous; to be dead in trespasses and sins; and
then, he will surely heal thy maladies, and quicken that which is dead,
that so thou mayest have part in the first resurrection.
9. The substance of all that has been advanced is this: the Holy Scripture
bears _outward_ testimony to those things, which are to be _inwardly_
fulfilled in man, by faith. It points out that image externally, which, by
faith, is to be formed within him. It describes the kingdom of God in the
_letter_, which is to be established in the heart, by faith, after the
_spirit_. It exhibits Christ outwardly, who is, by faith, to live within
me; and it testifies of the new birth and of the new creature, which I
must experience in myself. All this I am to be made by faith, or the
Scripture will profit me nothing.
Chapter VII.
The Law Of God, Written In The Hearts Of All Men, Convinces Them That On
The Day Of Judgment They Will Be Without Excuse.
_When the Gentiles ... do the things contained in the law ... they
shew the work of the law written in their hearts._—ROM. 2:14, 15.
When God created man in his own image, in righteousness and holiness, and
endowed him with exalted virtues and gifts, he impressed three qualities
on the human conscience so deeply, that they can never be effaced: First,
the natural testimony that there is a God. Secondly, a testimony that a
day of Judgment will come. Rom. 2:15. Thirdly, the law of nature, or
natural righteousness, by which man is enabled to distinguish between
honor and shame, and to experience joy and sorrow.
2. For no nation has ever been discovered so wild and barbarous, as to
deny that a God exists, inasmuch as nature furnishes internal and external
evidence of this fact. Indeed, men have not only acknowledged the _being_
of a God, of which they were assured by their consciences; but they have
also been affected with a sense of his _justice_, as an avenger of evil,
and a rewarder of good; and this persuasion arose from the consciousness,
that, on some occasions, they were harassed with fearful apprehensions;
while, on others, they felt a certain measure of peace and joy. By this
knowledge, they even proceeded farther, and discovered the doctrine of the
immortality of the soul, as appears from Plato, who most amply discussed
this subject. And, lastly, they gathered from this inward law, that God
was the author and source of all that was _good_ in nature, and therefore
ought to be worshipped by an assiduous attention to virtue, and with a
pure heart. Hence, they defined virtue to be man’s chief good; and schools
of moral virtue were accordingly instituted by Socrates, and by other
heathen philosophers. This may be sufficient to convince us, that God,
even since the fall, has allowed a spark of natural light to remain in
men, in order that they might be admonished of their heavenly origin, and
be assured, that it was only by following these footsteps of divinity,
that they could be restored to their former perfection. Some of the
heathens themselves, have not been unacquainted with this truth; among
whom is Aratus, the poet, quoted by St. Paul, who declares that “we are
God’s offspring.” Acts 17:28.
3. The Gentiles, however, stifling the testimony of conscience, contemned
the light of nature, and “the work of the law written in their hearts”
(Rom. 2:15); so that it cannot but be their own fault, that they are
condemned and lost; and they are, as St. Paul argues, left altogether
without excuse. Rom. 1:19, 20. And as the Gentiles knew, by nature, the
justice of God, and that such as did evil were worthy of death; and yet
not only committed evil but had pleasure in it; it follows, that they
thereby condemned themselves, whilst “their thoughts accusing or excusing
one another,” convinced them of the certainty of the day of judgment. Rom.
1:32; 2:15. But if the _Gentiles_ shall be “inexcusable,” because, though
endued with the natural knowledge of God, they sought him not, as was
their duty; what shall _they_ plead in their own behalf, to whom God hath
given his Holy Word, and whom he hath so earnestly invited to repentance,
by Jesus Christ his beloved Son; in order that, forsaking the corruptions
of the world, they might, by faith, apprehend the merits of the Saviour,
and obtain eternal life and salvation?
4. Therefore, every false Christian shall, in the day of judgment, be
condemned by two mighty witnesses: by his own conscience or the law of
nature, and likewise by the revealed Word of God, which will then judge
him. In that day, “it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom,” than
for such false pretenders to religion. Matt. 11:24.
5. Their anguish and torment shall be without end; since God has made the
soul immortal and planted the conscience in it, to be both a witness and a
judge. The conscience can never throw off the recollection of God, and yet
cannot of itself approach him; which must be attended with unutterable
pain to the soul, and expose it to the worm that dieth not, and to the
fire that cannot be quenched. And the more the wicked have, through
impenitence of heart, treasured up to themselves “wrath against the day of
wrath” (Rom. 2:5), the more severe will this inward and eternal suffering
be. For as God, in the exercise of his righteous judgment, gave up the
Gentiles to a reprobate mind, because they sinned against their own
consciences, and “the work of the law written in their hearts;” so that
they became blind in their understandings, and rushed into every kind of
filthy and abominable pollution; thus drawing down upon themselves the
wrath of God, denounced against all crimes that are committed against the
light of knowledge: so the same doom (yea, and a far heavier one) will be
inflicted upon those who rest in the mere profession of the Christian
faith, and deny the life and the power of godliness. The reason of this is
obvious: such persons have contemned the inward as well as the outward
word and testimony of God, and have not only persevered in a state of
impenitence, but have resisted the Divine Spirit, and blasphemed Him who
favored them with the light of his Gospel. On this account, God gives them
up to a reprobate mind, so that they become worse than heathens and
infidels. He sends them “strong delusion, that they should believe a lie;
that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure
in unrighteousness.” 2 Thess. 2:11, 12.
6. This is the true reason why vices of so detestable a nature universally
abound among Christians; many of which were not so much as known among the
Pagan nations. What satanical pride, what insatiable covetousness, what
unheard-of intemperance, what bestial lust; in a word, what inhuman
wickedness, is not practised by those who call themselves Christians! And
whence does all this arise, but from that blindness and hardness of heart,
which they have contracted by confirmed habits of iniquity. When those who
are called Christians disdain to imitate the meek and lowly Jesus in their
manners and their conversation; when they are scandalized at him, and
consider it disgraceful to look to him whom God has appointed to be the
light of the world, and our great example (John 8:12); then the righteous
God gives them up to follow Satan; to take upon them the life of the
devil, his abominable impiety, wickedness, and lies; that they may execute
with him all the works of darkness, inasmuch as they refuse to walk in the
light. For thus saith the Lord, “Walk while ye have the light, lest
darkness come upon you.” John 12:35.
7. Finally, if God gave up the heathen to so terrible a blindness and so
reprobate a mind; and this because they proved disobedient to the
glimmering light of nature; or, as St. Paul expresses it, “because they
did not like to retain God in their knowledge,” in order to be preserved
by him (Rom. 1:28); how much more shall those be banished from life and
salvation, to whom the truth of God has come not only by natural light,
but by means of his revealed word, and the new covenant, and who yet
haughtily despise these special tenders of divine mercy! Of which new
covenant, God thus speaks: “I will put my law in their inward parts, and
write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my
people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man
his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the
least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord; for I will
forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jer.
31:33, 34; John 6:45.
8. And here, let us also attend to that which the Apostle says, concerning
those who offend wilfully. “If,” says he, “we sin wilfully, after that we
have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more
sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and
fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised
Moses’ law,” continues the Apostle, “died without mercy under two or three
witnesses; of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought
worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the
blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and
hath done despite unto the spirit of grace? For we know him that hath
said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. It
is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Heb.
10:26-31. These words, however, are not pronounced in reference to those
who fall through natural infirmity, but against them who sin wilfully and
against knowledge, and who persevere to the end in a state of impenitence.
Chapter VIII.
No One Can Find Comfort In Christ And His Merits, Who Does Not Truly
Repent.
_No unclean person was permitted to eat of the passover._—EXOD.
12:48.
It was the declaration of the Lord Jesus Christ, “They that be whole need
not a physician, but they that are sick. I am not come to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Matt. 9:12, 13. By this declaration
the Lord teaches us, that he indeed calls sinners, but that he calls them
to _repentance_; whence it is evident, that no man can come to Christ
without true repentance and conversion from sin, and without a true faith.
2. Now repentance consists in dying unto sin through true sorrow for our
sins, and in obtaining the remission of sins through faith and living unto
righteousness in Christ. There is no real repentance unless a genuine
godly sorrow is first experienced, by which the heart is broken and the
flesh crucified. Hence it is termed “repentance from dead works” (Heb.
6:1); or the renunciation of such works as issue in death. To abstain from
dead works is, therefore, one of the principal parts of true repentance.
3. If we be not the subjects of this repentance, the merit of Christ
profits us nothing; nor can we lay the smallest claim to the benefits
which thence accrue; for Christ proffers his aid, as the physician of
souls, and his blood, as the only effectual medicine for our spiritual
maladies.
4. But as not even the most precious remedy can effect a cure of a
disorder unless the patient refrain from things that are hurtful in their
tendency, and that resist the operation of the medicine, so the blood and
death of Christ will be of no avail to him who does not fully resolve to
forsake his sins, and to live up to the requirements of the gospel; for
St. Paul says: “They who do such things (the works of the flesh), shall
not inherit the kingdom of God,” and, of course, have not any part in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Gal. 5:21.
5. Again, if Christ, by his most precious blood, is to become our
medicine, it cannot be doubted that we must be in a diseased state, and
that we must, for ourselves, _feel_ that we are so. The whole need not a
physician, but the sick only (Matt. 9:12); and none is spiritually sick
(at least so as to be conscious of it) who does not experience unfeigned
contrition for the sins which he has committed, and who has not a sense of
the indignation of God which is excited against them. He is no proper
patient for the physician of souls who avoids not worldly lusts and
vanities, honors and riches; but goes on in a state of spiritual
unconcern, without any regard to his past life or his final salvation.
Upon a man of this character, no cure can possibly be wrought. He does not
see his distemper, and therefore needs no physician. In short, Christ
profits him nothing, and his merits leave no saving effect upon his soul.
6. Remember, therefore, O man! that Christ is come to call _sinners to
repentance_; and that it is only such as are broken in heart and contrite
in spirit; only such as fervently desire and thirst after this
righteousness that are in a condition to receive the saving influence of
the blood, death, and merits of the Lord Jesus.
7. Happy is he who feels in his heart, and still more happy he who proves
obedient to this holy calling, that is, the “godly sorrow for sin, which
worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of,” and which is the
work of the Holy Spirit himself. It arises, first, from the _law_, and
from serious meditation on the _passion_ of Christ, which abounds with
loud invitations to unfeigned repentance. It exhibits, as in a mirror,
both the wrath of God against sin, and also his infinite grace in saving
the sinner. To make an atonement for our sins, Jesus shed his blood; and
love induced him to die for us while we were yet sinners. Rom. 5:8. Here
the divine justice and clemency combine for the salvation of souls.
8. How is it possible that a man who believes in Christ, should continue
in sins which the Lord expiated at no less a price than his own most
precious blood? When, therefore, O man! thou art tempted to pride and
ambition, reflect upon the contempt and humiliation to which Jesus
submitted in order to atone for thy pride and thy ambition. When thou art
covetous after this world, think of the poverty which he underwent that he
might make satisfaction for thy cupidity; and, surely, this will
extinguish in thee the love of money and of worldly estates. What anguish
and agony did Christ suffer on account of thy lusts and sinful pleasures;
and art thou yet in pursuit of these pleasures that will leave behind them
a mortal sting? Alas! how great must be the corruption of our nature when
we can delight in things for which our Redeemer and Lord was sorrowful
even unto death! Christ died to expiate thy wrath, hatred, and enmity; to
atone for thy bitterness and rancor, for thy love of revenge, and the
implacableness of thy spirit. This he effected by his extreme mildness and
patience, mercy and long-suffering. And wilt thou be angry on every
trifling occasion, and esteem revenge to be sweet, when, to atone for it,
thy Redeemer drank to the very dregs the cup of bitterness and affliction?
9. Truly as many as assume to themselves the name of Christians, and yet
do not forsake the pleasures of sin, “crucify Christ to themselves
_afresh_, and put him to an open shame” (Heb. 6:6); and it is, therefore,
utterly impossible that they should partake of that merit which they tread
under foot. They pollute the blood of the everlasting covenant, and do not
believe that their sins are expiated by it. They do “despite unto the
Spirit of grace;” they despise and resist him; and, by their ungodly
lives, scorn and condemn the grace of God offered in Christ Jesus. Heb.
10:29. Hence, the blood of the Saviour, which was shed for their sakes,
cries aloud for vengeance against them; and this it does by the righteous
judgment of God, which they thus draw down upon themselves,—a
consideration that ought to strike a terror into every one that names the
name of Christ. Indeed, “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of
the living God” (Heb. 10:31); for he is a _living_ God, and not a lifeless
idol, incapable of punishing so scornful a contempt of his grace and
mercy.
10. With this divine wrath and vengeance, even their own consciences
threaten them, as inevitably following those who (though they know that it
was to atone for sin that the Son of God died so ignominious a death) are
yet not careful to put away their sins.
11. It was for this reason that, soon after the death of Christ,
repentance was preached over all the world; namely, both because he died
“for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2); and because _in all
places_ of the world men should repent. Acts 17:30. Thus it is said, “God
now commandeth all men _every where_ to repent,” and to receive with a
contrite, penitent, and believing heart the sovereign medicine purchased
by the death of Christ, in order that the grace of God be not frustrated,
but answer the end designed.
12. Remission of sins immediately follows true repentance; but how shall a
man have his sins remitted when he does not repent of them, nay, when he
still rejoices in them? Nothing surely could be more preposterous than to
expect that sins should be pardoned which a man has no design to renounce;
and nothing can be more absurd than to seek consolation in the sufferings
of Christ, and yet continue in the mire of sin which caused Christ’s
death.
13. But certain and obvious as these truths are in themselves, there are
many that call themselves Christians who never repented, and who yet will
presume to lay claim to a share in the merits of Christ, and in the
remission of sins which he has purchased. They have not ceased to indulge
their accustomed wrath, covetousness, pride, malice, envy, hypocrisy, and
unrighteousness, but have rather become more and more enslaved by them;
and yet, alas! they expect forgiveness of sin, and presumptuously apply to
themselves the merits of Christ as a defence against the impending
judgment of Almighty God. And though this is one of the grossest and most
palpable of errors, yet they do not hesitate to bestow upon it the
specious name of _faith_, by which they hope for salvation. These are they
that flatter themselves to their own destruction; fondly supposing that
they are true Christians because they have a speculative knowledge of the
Gospel, and because they believe that Jesus died for their sins. This,
alas! is not _faith_, but _fancy_; and thou art an unhappy, and most
awfully infatuated _false Christian_, if thou canst suffer thyself to be
deluded in this manner! Never did the Word of God teach such a doctrine;
but the unvarying language of the inspired writers is: “If thou earnestly
desirest the pardon of thy sins, _repent_ of them, and firmly resolve to
give up the practice of them; and thus, grieving from thy heart that thou
hast so greatly offended God, and determining to lead a new life, believe
on Jesus Christ, the great propitiation for the sins of the whole world.”
14. But how should that man feel sorrow for his sins, who will not be
induced to quit them? and how should he quit them, while he remains
unconcerned about committing them? Christ, and all his apostles and
prophets, unite in teaching thee, O man! that thou must die to the world
and to thy sins; die to thy pride, thy covetousness, thy lust, and thy
wrath; and that thou must return to the Lord with all thy heart, and
implore his gracious pardon. And this being sincerely done, thou art
absolved, and thy sins are forgiven. _Then_, the heavenly physician looks
upon thee graciously; for he is come to revive those that are of a
contrite spirit, and to bind up the broken in heart. Ps. 147:3. But if
thou seekest for some other way to be saved, than that which is here
pointed out, then Christ will profit thee nothing, and the boasting of thy
faith is altogether vain. For _true_ faith renews him who possesses it; it
mortifies sin, and raises the soul, with Christ, into a new life; for such
a man lives, by faith in Christ, in his love, his humility, his meekness,
and his patience. It is thus, O man! that Jesus becomes unto thee the way
of life, and thus thou becomest in him a “new creature.” But if thou
continuest to commit thy favorite sins, and remainest unwilling to die to
the corrupt bent of “the old man” (Rom. 6:6; Eph. 4:22), how wilt thou
pretend to be a new creature? How is it possible for thee to belong to
Christ, when thou dost not “crucify the flesh, with its affections and
lusts?” Gal. 5:24.
15. Even if thou shouldst listen to ten sermons in one day, shouldst
confess thy sins every month, and receive the Lord’s Supper, thou wouldst
derive no benefit from such exercises, nor obtain the remission of sins;
the reason is, that thou hast not a penitent, contrite, and believing
heart, which can be reached by the healing influences of the medicine. The
Word of God and the Sacraments are, indeed, salutary remedies; but they
are such to those alone who unfeignedly repent and believe. What would it
profit, to anoint a stone with costly ointment? What harvest shalt thou
reap, if thou sowest among briers and thorns? First pull up the thorns and
thistles that choke the good seed, and, then, thou mayest reasonably
expect the precious fruit. Luke 8:7. And, in fine, Christ will never
profit thee at all, if thou continuest to love sin rather than Him. The
_birth_ of the Saviour is of no advantage to a man whose aim it is not to
be _born_ with him; nor shall his _death_ avail for any, who are not
disposed to _die_ to sin, and to mortify the deeds of the flesh. Rom.
6:11. So, the _resurrection_ of Christ will benefit none who will not
_rise_ from sin, and live unto righteousness; nor will his _ascension_
prove a blessing to any who refuse to _ascend_ with him, and to have their
conversation in heaven.
16. But when, on the contrary, a man, like the Prodigal Son, truly returns
to his offended father, deploring, hating, and forsaking his sins; when he
earnestly seeks forgiveness, and, with the eye of faith, beholds Christ
and his bleeding wounds, as the Israelites beheld the serpent of brass,
and lived (Numb. 21:9); when, at last, under a real sense of guilt, he
cries out with the penitent publican, “God be merciful to me a sinner”
(Luke 18:13); then, _then_, the pardon is granted, the absolution is
sealed, however great and many the sins be which he has committed against
his God.
17. Such is the efficacy of the redemption which the blood of Christ has
effected, and of so extensive a nature is his merit, that it is fully
imputed, through faith, to every penitent soul. Thus is brought to pass
the scripture, “He giveth repentance and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31);
that is, he pardons the repentant sinner freely and wholly, for Christ’s
sake. For it is a pleasure with God to exercise mercy, and to forgive a
sinner. “My bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon
him, saith the Lord.” Jer. 31:20; Hosea 11:8. Then it is, that the death
of Christ is rendered truly effectual; and then it is, that the angels of
God rejoice in heaven (Luke 15:7), because the blood of Christ was not
shed in vain for the poor sinner for whom He had died. 1 Cor. 8:11.
Chapter IX.
The Unchristian Walk Of Many Persons In Our Day, Is A Cause Of The
Rejection Of Christ And Of The True Faith.
_Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof._—2.
TIM. 3:5.
Every one calls himself by the Christian name, even though he do not
perform the least part of what he thereby professes; and, by this means,
the Saviour is denied, contemned, blasphemed, scourged, crucified, and, as
it were, cast out of the sight of men, as dead. The Apostle expressly
declares, that some persons “crucify the Son of God afresh.” Heb. 6:6.
2. Would to God that Christ were not, even in _our_ days, crucified again
and again among those who call themselves after his name, and honor him
with their lips; and yet, by their anti-christian lives and actions,
utterly reject and deny him. His most holy, humble, and exemplary life is,
at this day, to be found among but few; and wherever there is not the
_life_ of Christ, _there_ Christ is not himself, however loudly the faith
and the doctrine may be commended. For the Christian faith without a
Christian life is a tree without fruit. True faith works by love (Gal.
5:6); and wherever it is found, there Christ dwells, with all his divine
graces and virtues. Eph. 3:17.
3. But when these are not expressed in the lives of those who profess his
doctrine, there Christ himself is rooted up and denied; for it is only
where true faith exists that Christ dwells.
4. Now Christ hath said, “Whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I
also deny before my Father and the angels.” Matt. 10:33; Luke 12:9. This
denial of Christ is not only made in words (as by those who renounce
Christ and Christianity), but it is also done when, by our lives and
actions, we wilfully sin against the Saviour and resist the Holy Ghost.
St. Paul speaks of some who “profess that they know God, but _in works
deny him_” (Tit. 1:16); and it is certain that Christ is no less denied by
a wicked and satanic life, than he is by a verbal abjuration. It is with
hypocrisy and an empty profession of the faith as it is with open
wickedness; and this is strikingly illustrated by our Lord’s parable of
the two sons, who were commanded by their father to go and work in his
vineyard. The one (_openly_ denying) said, “I will not;” while the other
(_professing_ obedience) said, “I go, sir,” and went not. Matt. 21:28-30.
5. This is a forcible representation of those Christians who make religion
to consist in empty profession without obedience. They will cry “Yea,
yea,” and “Lord, Lord!” (Matt. 7:21), and yet are worse than others,
because they pretend to be children of the Father, and yet do not, in any
respect, obey his will. Their character is thus given by St. Paul: “Having
a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” 2 Tim. 3:5. Now, what
is it to deny the power of godliness but to deny Christ himself, and to
shake off allegiance to him, and thus to act the part of a heathen under
the mask and name of a Christian? These are “the children of unbelief or
disobedience,” in whom the spirit, not of Christ, but _of this world_,
worketh. Eph. 2:2. They, therefore, who usurp a Christian’s name, and yet
do not a Christian’s work, shall be denied, in their turn, by the Saviour
when he shall pronounce the sentence: “I never knew you: depart from me,
ye that work iniquity.” Matt. 7:23.
Chapter X.
The Children Of The World Are Against Christ, And, Consequently, Their
Life And Their Christianity Are Both Alike False.
_He that is not with me is against me._—MATT. 12:30.
If the conduct of the generality of men in the present age be examined by
the standard of life and doctrine left us by Christ, we must soon come to
the conclusion that it is wholly _unchristian_, and totally repugnant to
his example. The lives of men in our day are, in too many cases, made up
of insatiable avarice, sordid and self-seeking manners,
worldly-mindedness, worldly cares, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eye, and the pride of life; disobedience, wrath, strife, hatred, malice,
contentions, and a violent thirst after human applause, pomps, and
dignities. Add to these the jealousies, the revenge, the secret feuds and
envyings, the unforgiving spirit, the injustice and hypocrisy, the frauds
and calumnies, the lies and perjuries, together with all the impurity and
unrighteousness with which the world so exceedingly abounds. In short, the
whole life of the children of this generation consists of the love of the
world, self-love, self-honor, and self-seeking.
2. To all this the life of Christ is entirely opposed; it can have no sort
of communion with it. His life is nothing else but pure and sincere love
to God and men. It is composed of humanity and kindness, of meekness and
patience, of humility and obedience even unto death, of mercy and
righteousness, of truth and simplicity, of purity and holiness, of
contempt of the world, its honors, wealth, and pleasures; of self-denial;
of the cross, tribulations, and afflictions; of fervent desires after the
kingdom of God, and after the fulfilment of the divine will. This is the
life of Christ, to which the false Christianity of the present age is so
greatly opposed.
3. If, then, it be the truth that he who is not _with_ Christ is accounted
as one that is _against_ him; and he that _standeth_ not _in_ the will of
God, as he that _withstandeth_ it (and we know that this is the meaning of
the language of our Lord himself), it is most evident that the generality
of those who make a public profession of the Christian faith, not being
with Christ, must be against him. They have no communion with him, but are
contrary to him; they are not led by a Christian, but by an antichristian
spirit. Scarcely any, indeed, are to be found who are of one soul, one
will, one mind, and one spirit with him; and yet only these can be
Christ’s, or be accounted his disciples. It is in reference to the latter
that the apostle speaks when he says, they have “the mind of Christ” (1
Cor. 2:16); and, in another place, “Let this mind be in you which was also
in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 2:5. The children of the world have not this mind,
and it is hence certain that they are not _with_ but _against_ Christ. Now
whatever any man’s profession and doctrine be, he who is thus _against_
Christ in his life and actions, is most undoubtedly an antichrist. 1 John
2:18.
4. Where, alas! shall we now find true Christians, in the midst of so many
_unchristian_ disorders that universally abound? How justly may they be
termed “a little flock!” (Luke 12:32) as they were called by our Lord
himself. How justly has the prophet Isaiah compared the church to a
solitary cottage in a vineyard, and to a wasted city! Isa. 1:8. “Woe is
me!” exclaims Micah, “I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits,
as the grape-gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul
desires the first ripe fruit. The good man is perished out of the earth;
and there is none upright among men.” Micah 7:1, 2. See also Ps. 74:19;
102:7.
5. God alone knows where and who these are: but be they where and who they
may, assuredly Christ is with them, yea, in them, “alway, even unto the
end of the world.” Matt. 28:20. Nor will he ever leave them without
sufficient succor; “I will not leave you comfortless,” he says; “I will
come unto you.” John 14:18. For he knoweth them that are his, and those
whom he is said to _know_, he watches over with never-ceasing and
distinguishing care. “The foundation of God standeth sure, having this
seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.” But who _are his_? The answer
is immediately annexed: “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ
depart from iniquity.” 2 Tim. 2:19. But let those who are not disposed to
obey this injunction, assume some _other_ name that shall better accord
with their conduct; and let them not name _His_ name, until they conform
to His life by a living faith.
Chapter XI.
Showing That He Does Not Truly Repent, Is Not A Christian, And Not A Child
Of God, Who Does Not, In _His Life And Conduct_, Follow Christ; Also,
Wherein The New Birth And The Yoke Of Christ Consist.
_Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye
should follow his steps._—1 PET. 2:21.
God has appointed our Lord Jesus Christ to be our prophet or teacher; and,
by a voice from heaven, has commanded us to hear him; saying, “This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him.” Matt. 17:5. This
office was most faithfully executed by the Son of God, not only in words,
but (as became a teacher engaged in so sacred a function) by a most holy
and unblemished life. In allusion to this, St. Luke thus prefaces his
account of the Acts of the Apostles: “The former treatise have I made, O
Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to _do_ and teach, etc.”; where,
it is to be remarked, that he places _doing_ before _teaching_; intimating
that these ought never to be separated. It certainly is the duty of every
true teacher, first, to practise himself the duties which he purposes to
teach others. Such a teacher was our Lord Jesus; and his conduct is the
pattern of teaching, and the book of life which we ought to study.
2. It was for this cause, that the Son of God became man, and conversed
with men upon earth, that he might give us a visible example of an
innocent, perfect, and divine life; and that we might follow him as a
light that shineth in darkness, to lead us in the way in which we should
go. Hence he calls himself “the light of the world;” and promises that “he
who followeth him shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of
life.” John 8:12.
3. Hence it clearly appears, that they who refuse to follow Christ in his
life, and to tread by faith in his steps, remain in darkness, and are not
in the way to obtain “the light of life.” But what is this _darkness_? It
is an impenitent and depraved life, called by the apostle “works of
darkness,” which are to be cast off, that so we may put on “the armor of
light” (Rom. 13:12); and in genuine repentance both these duties are
comprised.
4. It has been abundantly proved above, that godly sorrow and true faith
thoroughly change a man; that they crucify the flesh, effect an entire
transformation in the soul, and beget, through the Holy Ghost, a new life.
Lest, however, this should be a mere theoretical knowledge, devoid of life
and practice, God has been pleased to set before us his own Son, not only
as a ransom and a Mediator, but also as a _mirror_ of perfect godliness,
and as a most finished pattern of the new man, who is regenerated after
the image of God. In him, the fleshly Adam, the corrupt nature, never
reigned; but the blessed God alone. Him it hath pleased God to set forth
before our eyes, that, contemplating him and his righteous life, we might
be daily more and more renewed after his image. Let us explain this point
more fully.
5. Sad experience teaches us continually, that our whole nature, body and
soul, is polluted with every kind of sin, vice, and corruption. These are
the works of the devil appearing in the carnal man; and it is principally
in the depraved and perverted _will_, that these diabolical operations are
most visibly discerned. For the depraved will is the root of all sin: if
that were removed, there would be sin no more. With regard to the power
and natural bias of this will, it consists chiefly in turning man away
from God and from _His_ will. Now, whatever departs from that Being who is
the sovereign and supreme Good, cannot but be in itself evil; for it
partakes of the nature of the supreme evil, and is a violation of the
original constitution of our nature, as derived from God himself. It was
this _turning away_ from God that produced the fall both of Satan and of
man; whence sin entered into the world, and has, by fleshly generation,
passed upon all men.
6. The nature of man is then inoculated with the nature of the devil
himself, and his will tainted with satanical wickedness, as with deadly
poison. Hence Christ called the Pharisees “children of the devil” (John
8:44); and even to one of his own disciples gave the name of Satan (John
6:70); intimating as though the covetousness, lying, pride, and evil
concupiscence, by which the nature of all men is defiled, were Satan
himself.
7. Hence it may, with all propriety, be affirmed, that they who lead a
life void of repentance, a life of pride, avarice, lust, and envy, live in
the devil, and partake of his nature. Such persons may assume the garb of
honesty; they may veil their real characters under a fair show of morality
and correct deportment; yet, _inwardly_, according to the saying of Christ
to the Jews, they are, nevertheless, devils. John 8:44. Such a declaration
is dreadful to be made; but the truth of it is confirmed, both by the Word
of God and by continual experience.
8. Our nature, as fallen creatures, being thus miserably depraved, thus
desperately perverted, and vitiated in all its springs; there is an
absolute necessity that it should be purified and _renewed_. There must be
a _total renovation_ of the soul, in all its powers and all its faculties.
But how shall this be effected? We answer: As the _chief evil_ has made a
breach upon our nature, and has infused poison into its very springs; so
must the _chief Good_ revisit and renew our nature, that it may be
assimilated to itself. That which the supreme evil has so radically
corrupted, can be corrected only by a thorough and vital _penetration_ of
the supreme Good, even of God himself; and, therefore, it was necessary
that the Word should be made flesh.
9. The Son of God truly became man, not for his own sake, but for our
sakes; that, by reconciling us to God by himself, he might make us
partakers of the sovereign good, having cleansed and sanctified us, to
that end; for whatever is to be sanctified, must be sanctified by God and
with God. And as God is in Christ, so ought we to be united to him by
faith, that we may live in God, and God in us; we in Christ, and Christ in
us (2 Cor. 5:19, 21); that the will of God be in us, and we in the will of
God, being made the righteousness of God in Christ. 2 Cor. 5:21. This is
the only way in which Christ administers medicine to our corrupt nature;
and the more powerfully he influences man, the more thoroughly will human
nature be purified.
10. Oh! how blessed is the man in whom Christ does all and is all; whose
will, thoughts, mind, and words, are the will, thoughts, mind, and words
of Christ! It was thus the apostle said, “We have the mind of Christ.” 1
Cor. 2:16. And so indeed it must be with the believer; because the life of
Christ is the new life, yea, the new man in him; and whoever lives in
Christ after the Spirit, hath really put on the new man, and all the
graces with which he is adorned. His meekness and obedience are the
meekness and obedience of Christ; his patience and humility are the
patience and humility of Christ; and his life itself is the life of
Christ, by whom and in whom he lives. This is the “new creature” which is
created after God (2 Cor. 5:17); and that life of Christ in us, of which
St. Paul experimentally says, “I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in
me.” Gal. 2:20. This is to follow Christ truly. This is to walk in the
light of his life, and to bring forth “fruits meet for repentance;” for,
by this means, the “old man” is destroyed, the carnal life gradually
declines, and the new and divine life is established in the soul. He who
has this life is not a _nominal_, but a _real_ Christian; a Christian not
in word and in appearance only, but in deed and in truth. He is a true
child of God, begotten of Him, and quickened and renewed by faith after
the image of Jesus Christ.
11. Although we cannot attain to a state of perfection, while encompassed
with so many infirmities that obstruct our progress in the divine life, we
ought not, therefore, to be discouraged, but rather to be inspired with
more fervor in seeking after a consummation so much to be desired. We
ought ardently to wish and pray, to endeavor and study, that the kingdom
of Christ be established within us, and the kingdom of Satan destroyed. 1
John 3:9; Eph. 2:5. The object of our cares and efforts, of our groans and
prayers, should be—how we may more and more mortify the old man by daily
repentance. For, the more a man dies to himself, the more Christ lives in
him; the more corruptions are removed by the good Spirit of God, the more
divine grace possesses the heart. In proportion as the flesh is crucified,
the spirit is quickened; as the works of darkness are put off, the armor
of light from above is put on; and in the same degree as the _outward_ man
perisheth, the _inward_ man is strengthened and renewed. 2 Cor. 4:16; Col.
3:5. The decrease of the carnal life, is the increase of that which is
spiritual and divine. As the affections of the former, self-love,
ambition, wrath, covetousness, and voluptuousness, are weakened and
subdued, so are opposite affections of the spiritual life invigorated and
raised. The farther a man departs from the world, from “the lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16); the
more do God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit enter into the heart and dwell
there. And, on the other hand, the more nature, flesh, darkness, and the
world, reign in man; the less of grace, light, the Holy Spirit, God, and
Christ, is there to be found in him.
12. This spiritual life is enmity to the flesh, because the latter is
hereby restrained, subdued, and brought under the yoke, and crucified with
its “affections and lusts.” In this, however, consist the power, efficacy,
and fruit of true repentance. The nature of flesh and blood is to lead a
lawless, dissolute, and voluptuous life, unshackled by restraint, and
entirely agreeable to its own will and humor. It is this which it finds
sweet, and in which it rejoices. To the flesh and the “old man,” the life
of Christ is a most severe cross, and an intolerable burden; but to the
new and spiritual man, “this yoke is easy and this burden light” (Matt.
11:30), and attended with divine serenity and peace of mind. For the true
rest of the soul will be sought for in vain, unless in faith in Christ; in
his meekness and humility, patience and love. Here he hath himself
promised, “Ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Yea, he that really loves
the Lord Jesus, will not deem it hard to suffer even death for his sake,
but account it a joy and a happiness. Such is the yoke of the Saviour,
which we are invited to take upon us, that we may find “rest unto our
souls.”
13. It is necessary, therefore, that every one who is resolved to take
upon himself the yoke of Christ, and to imitate His holy example, should,
in the first place, shake off the yoke of Satan, and repress the carnal,
selfish, and unruly propensities of his fallen nature, in order that the
flesh may vex the spirit no more. All must be subjugated to the obedience
of Christ, to the wise and righteous discipline of his law; that is, the
will, understanding, reason, and appetites, together with the sensual
desires of the old Adam, that before reigned in the mortal body, must
henceforth yield a free obedience to the government of the Lord. Rom.
6:12.
14. True it is that the flesh is highly gratified when honored, courted,
and praised, and when abounding in the riches and pleasures of this life;
but the yoke of Christ, by which the flesh is mortified and subdued,
requires us to prefer ignominy, contempt, and poverty, to affluence and
honor; to account ourselves unworthy of these things, and freely to give
up all that is great in the estimation of the world. It is here that the
humility and life of Christ are most striking and apparent. This is the
“yoke” and this the “burden,” which are easy and light to the spirit; this
is the law of love, the commandments of which are not grievous but
delightful. 1 John 5:3. What was the whole life of Christ but holy
poverty, extreme contempt, and severe persecution? Is it not true that he
“came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a
ransom for many”? Matt. 20:28.
15. It is the tendency of the natural man to desire to excel others, and
to be thought of importance; but the spiritual man loves the humility of
the Redeemer, and desires to be reputed as nothing in this world. The
carnal man, that follows the propensities of corrupt nature, and has never
learned of Christ’s humility, meekness, and love, deems it folly to live
as Jesus lived, and thinks those only are wise who indulge their appetites
in security, and satiate themselves with every object which they desire;
and when such a one most lives in the devil, he is so blinded by ignorance
and darkness as to esteem his own life the happiest that can be desired,
and to applaud himself in his own folly. And hence it is that these
deluded wretches, following the false light of carnal wisdom, are not only
deceived themselves, but are the means of involving others in the same
ruin. They, on the contrary, whose minds have been enlightened by the true
and eternal light, are struck with horror and surprise whenever they cast
their eyes upon the pomps and vanities of this world, upon the ambition
and pride, the wrath and revenge, the intemperance and voluptuousness, and
the other fruits of the carnal life which universally abound. Their
language is: “Alas! how far removed is all this from Christ! How far from
true repentance and the knowledge of Jesus is the man that acts thus! How
far from the nature and disposition of a child of God! Alas! he is still
dead in sins, and a slave of the devil.” That man, therefore, who does not
imitate the life of Christ, is an entire stranger to true repentance; he
is not a Christian, nor a child of God; nay, he is wholly ignorant of
Jesus Christ; for he who desires to know Christ savingly, both as the
Saviour of the world and as the great exemplar of life, must know him to
be pure meekness, gentleness, and love, and to be wholly composed of
patience and humility. This living ensample of goodness and piety which
the Lord hath set before him, he must carry in his heart, and must labor
to be transformed into its image. The virtues that resided in Christ he
must have within himself; and if he would ever effectually know him, he
must love and admire them in his inward soul. As a plant discovers its
nature by the fragrance which it diffuses around, so the knowledge of
Christ discovers itself by the sweet and sacred odors which proceed from
it. Then is acquired an experimental knowledge of the life, power, rest,
and consolation which flow from the Saviour; which circulate through all
the faculties of the soul, and quicken them by a kind of spiritual
sweetness. Thus is man made to “taste how good the Lord is” (Ps. 34:8);
thus is the truth known, and the supreme and eternal good apprehended and
enjoyed. And thus is it certainly ascertained that the life of Christ is
infinitely superior to every other life in goodness and sweetness, in
dignity and in peace; yea, that it resembles life eternal itself, being
indeed the foretaste of such a life upon _earth_.
16. As there is nothing more excellent than the life of Christ, nothing
more delightful, more peaceful, or more satisfying to the soul, it ought
to have no rival in our affections, but to be endeared to us above all
things else. He who is destitute of Christ and of his knowledge, can form
no conception of the rest and quiet of eternal life; or of the sovereign
good; or of the everlasting truth; or of the imperishable word; or of the
joy of the soul; or of the true light of love; for all these centre in
Christ, and he who has him has them; because Christ is all these to the
man who truly believes in his holy name. “Every one that loveth is born of
God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is
love.” 1 John 4:7, 8.
17. It is, therefore, most evident that the fruits and effect of the new
birth do not consist in words, however sound, or in a _form_ of godliness,
however specious, but in an _abiding substance_, even in that _love_ which
is God himself. A son bears the image of him who begat him; and whoever is
born of God should evidence it by _love_, for God is love; and hence it is
clear that “he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.” 1
John 4:16.
18. The _knowledge of God_, in like manner, does not consist in words, nor
in merely speculative and superficial knowledge, but in a vital,
consolatory, and divine feeling, in a pure and unmixed pleasure, gently
infusing itself into the heart by faith, and penetrating it with an
unutterable and heavenly sweetness. This is a true, living, and
efficacious knowledge of God; such as that which the Psalmist means when
he says, “My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Ps. 84:2);
and again, “Thy loving kindness (as experienced in the divine sensations
of my soul) is better than life” (Ps. 63:3); that is, this divine life
infinitely transcends every other life; in which it is evident that he
means that unutterable joy which is produced by an _experimental_
knowledge of God, and which is infused into a believing heart. Thus man
liveth in God, and God in man; and thus man knoweth God in truth, and is
known of God.
Chapter XII.
The True Christian Dies Unto Himself And The World, And Lives In Christ.
_Christ died for all, that they which live should not henceforth
live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose
again._—2 COR. 5:15.
“Christ,” says the apostle, “died for all, that they which live should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and
rose again.” Besides that this sentence is replete with divine
consolation, declaring that Jesus died for all, it inculcates a lesson of
the most salutary nature, namely, that we should live not unto ourselves,
but unto him who died for us. To live to him, however, before we are dead
to ourselves, is impossible. If, therefore, thy resolution be to live to
Christ, thou must certainly die to the world and to thyself; but if thou
rather inclinest to live to the world and to thyself, it follows that thou
must renounce thy communion with the Saviour. For what communion hath
light with darkness, Christ with the world, or the Spirit with the flesh?
2 Cor. 6:14, 15.
2. There are three kinds of death: the one _spiritual_, the second
_natural_, and the third _eternal_. The first occurs when a man dies daily
to himself; that is, to his own carnal desires, to his avarice, pride,
lust, and wrath, and such other sins and passions as have their rise in a
corrupt nature.
3. It is of the second kind of death that the apostle speaks, where he
says, “To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Phil. 1:21. As if he
had said, Christ is the life and death, the gain and advantage of the
believer, even when he passes through _natural_ death, for, by it, he
exchanges a short and miserable life for an eternal and blessed one; and
earthly objects for possessions that are eternal and divine: an exchange
which cannot but prove in the highest degree gainful to himself.
4. If, however, any think that the apostle’s language is also to be
understood of the _spiritual_ death of sin, they will not commit an error.
For thrice happy is the soul to whom, in this sense, “to live is Christ:”
thrice happy the soul in which Jesus lives by faith, and that imitates the
graces which manifested themselves in him, especially those of humility
and meekness. But alas! by far the greater part of men have put on the
life of the devil rather than the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, by
yielding to avarice, pride, anger, and other unholy passions.
5. Awake, therefore, O man! and consider who it is that liveth in thee. If
thou canst truly affirm, “to me, to live is Christ,” happy art thou, as it
respects both this world and the world to come. Here, even on earth, let
Christ be thy life, that he may be thy life to all eternity: and in order
to this, account it the greatest of gain, when thou art enabled to die to
the world and to thy own corruptions. Then, in both senses, for thee, to
live is Christ, and to die, gain. What, indeed, can be more profitable or
advantageous, than to die, in this respect, to all thy sinful desires and
affections? Go on, then, in the Lord, and never faint, allowing Christ to
live in thee now, that thou mayest also live with him hereafter.
6. No man is capable of settled peace and tranquillity, who is distracted
and disturbed with earthly desires and designs; therefore, before thou
canst live unto Christ, thou must die to the flesh and to the world. This
dying to self and living to Christ, may be illustrated by a reference to
several types and histories in the Old Testament.
7. Thus, as the promise relative to Christ, and the seal of it by
circumcision, were not given to Abraham, until he had quitted his father’s
house and relinquished his earthly inheritance (Gen. 12:1, and 17:10), so
man, as long as his affections cleave to the world, is unprepared to
receive the promise which is by the Saviour; and as long as he refuses to
die to it, and deny himself, so long it is impossible that he should enjoy
Christ, or the things which are His.
8. Jesus can never live in thy soul, until thou art dead to the affections
of carnal nature. St. Paul was thus dead; and hence he could say, “I live,
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal. 2:20); and writing to the church
at Colosse, he says, “Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in
God.” Col. 3:3.
9. A man may be considered as dead to sin, when sin dies in him, and he
ceases from the commission of it. The same apostle says, “If we live in
the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Gal. 5:25. If we live in
Christ, we must walk even as he walked; for it is not sufficient to boast
of the Spirit in words, while our words are not confirmed by our works; or
of faith, while this is not evidenced by its fruits. Indeed it is said
unto _all_,—“If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye, through
the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Rom. 8:13.
10. Multitudes, however, may be compared to Saul, who, instead of slaying
Agag (1 Sam. 15:8), according to the commandment of God, only cast him
into prison. They do not _destroy_ their lusts and sinful desires; but are
contented to conceal, and as it were imprison them, that at a future
opportunity, they may indulge them with the greater secrecy. But let us
carefully avoid this trifling; and instead of subjecting our corrupt
propensities to a temporary restraint, let us lay the axe of mortification
to the very root: for unless this be effected, we shall, like Saul, be
cast out from the kingdom, and lose the crown of everlasting life.
11. Some professed friends of religion resemble trees, the leaves of which
fall off when winter approaches, but their foliage appears again when the
season becomes more favorable and mild; for in the winter of adversity,
they conceal their lusts, and restrain their sinful propensities; but when
prosperity smiles upon them, they break out again, as at the first, and
return to their evil ways. This is an evidence of _hypocrisy_; whereas a
true Christian is in all circumstances, and under every vicissitude,
whether public or private, always the same, and remains unalterably fixed
in his God. He is the same both in prosperity and adversity, in poverty
and in affluence, steadily cleaving to God, and meeting with resignation
every affliction that Providence lays upon him.
12. The history of Ahab (1 Kings 20:42) furnishes us with another
instance, not much unlike the case of Saul; for, in opposition to the
command of God, he spared the life of the king of Syria; and, in
consequence, sentence went forth against him, and his life was required
for that of the captive king. They who nourish in their breasts those
lusts which are the enemies of God and of themselves, and which are
appointed to destruction, voluntarily draw upon themselves everlasting
death and damnation.
13. Neither prayer nor a devout spirit can ever be perfected in man,
without the mortification of the flesh. Thus God appointed that every
beast which approached the holy mount of Sinai should be destroyed. Exod.
19:12, 13. How much more does it behoove us to slay our unholy lusts and
affections, if we would ever ascend the mountain of the Lord’s house
(Isaiah 2:2, 3; Mic. 4:2), offer up the incense of prayer, or meditate
upon the Word of God! If we neglect to do this, we are already judged, and
shall be banished forever from the presence of the Lord.
14. Jacob (Gen. ch. 29) served for his beloved Rachel twice seven years;
and love so alleviated his toil, that the years seemed but as so many
days: thus, for the salvation of our souls, did Christ Jesus undergo
thirty and three years’ service, and what Jacob said of himself is, in an
eminent degree, applicable to Him: “In the day, the drought consumed me,
and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes” (Gen.
31:40): “for the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Matt. 20:28. Shall we,
then, scruple to love Christ again, and to fight under his banner against
his enemy, the world?
Chapter XIII.
The Christian Ought Willingly To Die Unto Himself And The World, For The
Sake Of The Love Of Christ, And For The Sake Of That Future And Eternal
Glory, For Which We Were Created And Redeemed.
_Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was
rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his
poverty might be rich._—2 COR. 8:9.
Thou art required, O man! to die to thyself, thy sin, and the world; and
to lead a holy, harmless life, according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This thou art to do, not with a view to merit anything at the hands of
God, but from a principle of love to him, who performed and merited all
for thee, and died to save thee.
2. Be not deceived: Jesus must be loved by thee, not in word and in
tongue; but in deed and in truth. “If,” says he (John 14:23), “a man love
me, he will keep my words;” and so St. John speaks: “This is the love of
God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not
grievous.” 1 John 5:3. And, again, the Saviour says: “My yoke is easy, and
my burden is light.” Matt. 11:30. To him, indeed, who loves Christ with
all his heart, it cannot but be easy to sacrifice the pleasure which
earthly vanities afford, and to do that which is good, without constraint.
Love renders every burden light that is laid upon us by Jesus; whereas to
him that is devoid of this heavenly principle, every act which duty
requires is grievous and oppressive. To such a one, every religious
exercise is painful and laborious; whereas the man who sincerely loves the
Lord Jesus Christ, esteems death itself to be in nowise terrible, when
submitted to for his sake. And, therefore, the Apostle says: “Unto you it
is given, in the the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but
also to suffer for his sake” (Phil. 1:29); nay, to lay down life itself,
whenever that sacrifice is required of us.
3. In order to confirm thy faith, consider the example of Moses, who, “by
faith, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people
of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the
reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.” Heb.
11:24-26.
4. Consider Daniel, who refused the luxuries of a court, and desired to be
fed with pulse and water, resolving “that he would not defile himself with
the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank.” Dan.
1:8, 12. He contemned the pleasures of Babylon, that he might attain “the
wisdom that is from above” (James 3:17), which dwells only in a heart
preserved pure from the pollutions of an unholy world. So, if thou
desirest that Christ, the eternal Wisdom, should enter into thy soul, thou
must abhor the pleasures of sin. For as Daniel and his companions were
made fairer by their sobriety and abstemious life, so be thou firmly
assured, that thy soul will appear more beautiful and fair in the sight of
God, even as “partaking of the divine nature,” if thou escape “the
corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Pet. 1:4.
5. Consider, further, the example of St. Paul, who says, “The world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Gal. 6:14); that is, I am dead
to the world, and the world is dead to me. Thus are all true Christians
_in_ the world, yet not _of_ it. Though they live in it, they do not love
it; for they view it as a transient shadow; and its pomps, dignities, and
lusts, as vanity and deceit, vexation and disappointment. Hence, they are
crucified to the world, though they remain in it; and the world is
crucified to them; that is, they desire no mere worldly honor, wealth or
joy.
6. How happy is the man who is dead to earthly vanities, and alive to God;
separated from the world, and drawn into Christ! How blessed is he into
whose heart divine grace is so infused, as wholly to wean it from inferior
objects, and exalt it to the fruition of the light and glory of heaven.
Such a state is the effect of daily prayer and supplication, without which
a true Christian cannot possibly exist.
7. Agur prayed to the Lord thus: “Two things, have I required of thee;
deny me them not before I die. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me
with food convenient for me.” Prov. 30:7, 8. So let the Christian pray:
“Two things I desire of thee, O Lord, even these two: that I may die to
myself, and to the world.” For without this death, it is utterly
impossible to be a true Christian. If thou, O Man! thinkest otherwise,
thou certainly deceivest thyself, and shalt at last hear from the mouth of
Christ that awful sentence, “I know you not.” Matt. 7:23; 25:12.
8. Though to die thus to self and to the world, is, to flesh and blood, a
grievous cross, yet will the spirit and the love of Christ eventually
triumph over every difficulty. So powerful indeed are these aids, that
they enable the true Christian to bear all things for the sake of the
Beloved, as a pleasant yoke and easy burden. And although he who lives a
life thus mortified, will be hated by the world, yet shall he be loved of
God; for the enmity of the world is friendship with him (James 4:4). And
the Lord hath himself declared, “If ye were of the world, the world would
love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you
out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” John 15:19.
9. Those who are dead to the world for the testimony of Jesus, it casts
out; but it honors and applauds them who, living in the enjoyment of its
pomp and splendor, are its genuine offspring; because they live in the
world, and the world liveth in them.
10. In short, that man is not received and commended by the world, but is,
on the contrary, cast out of it, in whose heart, pride, covetousness,
lust, wrath, revenge, and the other corrupt passions of nature, are
mortified and restrained. Unto him the world is dead; and he again is dead
to the world: he begins to live in Christ, and Christ lives in him: and he
will be confessed by the Saviour, as one of his peculiar people, in whom
the great design of redemption has been effected. To others, on the
contrary, it will be said, “I know you not, as ye, in like manner, knew me
not.” You have not confessed me before men, but have been ashamed of my
life, my meekness, humility, and patience; and I will not confess you: you
have despised the shame of my cross; and you shall be with shame disowned
by me. Mark 8:38. For whoever refuses to live with Christ in time, cannot
expect to live with him in eternity: whoever has not the life of Christ
here, shall never have it set forth in him hereafter: and whoever disdains
to follow Jesus in the present world, shall never be glorified with him in
the world to come.
11. Therefore, O Man! strictly scrutinize thy life, and see whether thou
bearest a greater conformity to the life of Christ, or to the life of the
devil: for thou must inevitably be united to one or other of these
throughout all eternity.
12. If thou art dead to thyself and to thy depraved desires within thee,
thou wilt find it no hard task to die to the world and its vain
allurements which are without thee: and whoever is thus dead to the world,
will not love it or the things which it contains; for, “if any man love
the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15. Again, how
shall his desires any more go out after the world without him, when he is
dead to it? Great indeed would be the loss sustained by a lover of the
blessed God, were he, in any degree, to yield to the allurements of the
world, and allow it to obtain a share in that affection which should be
fixed solely on the Supreme Good. A soul so undecided would soon be
entirely vanquished by the blandishments of sin, as was Samson by the
charms of Delilah (Judg. 16:6); and would become subject to all that
misery and vexation of heart, which invariably attend the love of this
world.
13. The love of the world appertains not to the _new_ creature, but to the
_old_: for the world has nothing to bestow but honor and vainglory,
riches, pleasures, and carnal desires; in these the “old man” delights.
The new man, on the other hand, has no peace except in Christ, who is his
honor and glory, his riches and his heaven.
14. And as nothing can be conceived of that is greater or more exalted
than the image of God renewed in Christ Jesus, so it should be our only
concern and care, to render ourselves partakers of this exalted honor;
remembering the words of Tauler, “What man, who is possessed of reason,
can doubt for a moment, that God can infinitely more rejoice and delight
the heart, than the corrupt and indigent creature is capable of doing?”
15. In addition to this, the Scriptures assure us that man was not created
for the world’s sake, but the world for man’s. It was not to pamper his
appetite, to heap up riches, or to extend his empire without limits, that
man was formed; it was not that he might acquire large estates and
possessions, erect palaces, or be gorgeously attired, that he was endued
with a soul intelligent and immortal: man was made to be _lord_ of the
earth, and not its _slave_; to subdue, and not to be subdued. He was not
to seek his pleasure and enjoyment on earth, however fair and fascinating
it might be to a depraved taste: he was not destined to be an heir of this
inferior world, nor the possessor of terrestrial, treasures, nor to be
actuated by any worldly motive whatsoever. Man is to depart hence, as one
that dwells on earth as a _tenant at will_. He was not made for it, and
cannot remain in it; he entered it naked, and naked he must quit it again.
Many, indeed, are born into the world at the same time; but an equal
number, on the other hand, are daily taken out by death; nor can any carry
with them even an atom of the treasures which they had accumulated upon
earth.
16. Man, then, is but a guest and a pilgrim below; and most obvious it is,
that he was not created for this temporal life, and that this world was
never designed to be the _end_ of his being. That _end_ is God, and the
image of God in Christ Jesus, unto which we are renewed by the Spirit; and
we are created for the kingdom of God and for eternal life. These our
blessed Redeemer purchased for us, when they had been forfeited by us; and
it is his Spirit that regenerates men who had been without God in the
world.
17. How unreasonable, therefore, is it in man to fix his affections on
temporal objects, when we are assured that the soul is infinitely more
noble and more precious than the whole world! How preposterous is it, that
he should lavish his time in the pursuit of earthly things, when he is
conscious that he was created to bear the image of God in Christ, through
the Holy Spirit! Therefore, let us now solemnly repeat what has been
before affirmed, namely, that man was not made for the world, but the
world for man. The excellency of the image of God in Christ Jesus, is
inconceivably great and glorious: so that were all mankind to unite their
labor and might, their wealth, their honors, and their all, they could not
succeed in restoring even _one_ soul to the possession of this image. It
became requisite that Christ himself should die, in order that this divine
image which had been utterly defaced by sin, might, through His Spirit, be
revived; and that man might again become the temple and house of God
through all eternity.
18. This being duly considered, as certainly it ought to be, how is it
that man so thoroughly debases his soul as to seek after the things of
this world, its honors, its pleasures, lusts, and wealth? He should surely
reason with himself, and say: “Shall I, for the sake of a little gold, or
for this fading world, or for all the honors and pleasures it can afford
me,—shall I, for the sake of _these_, sacrifice my _immortal soul_, which
Christ has redeemed at so infinite a price? God forbid.” “What is a man
profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matt. 16:26. Alas! the “whole
world,” with all its power and glory, could not avail to rescue one soul
from eternal destruction; for the soul is immortal, while the world
passeth away with all that it contains. 1 Cor. 7:31; 1 John 2:17.
Chapter XIV.
The True Christian, Who Imitates Christ, Hates His Own Life In This World,
And Forsakes The World.
_If any man come to me, and hate not ... his own life also, he
cannot be my disciple._-LUKE 14:26. _He that loveth his life shall
lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it
unto life eternal._—JOHN 12:25.
In order that a man may hate himself, he must, in the first place, cease
to love himself; secondly, he must daily die to sin; and, thirdly,
maintain a continual warfare with his corrupt nature, or the flesh.
2. There is nothing that more obstructs the everlasting salvation of
mankind than _self-love_. This is not to be understood of that natural
love which excites to a due regard to self-preservation, but of that
carnal and inordinate affection which influences man to be wholly
concerned about himself, without any reference to the Supreme Being, the
great Author of life. In this sense the term is used in the present Book.
Man was created to love God alone; and since God only is to be loved, it
follows that he who loves himself is an idolater, and makes of himself a
god. The heart of man rejoices and rests in the object of his affection;
and, whatever this be, he is brought by it into bondage, and is devoted to
it. Man, in this state, is become a servant, and is deprived of that
genuine liberty in the enjoyment of which he was originally created; and
in this lapsed and divided state he must serve as many masters as there
are objects upon which his affections are placed. But if thy love, O man!
be sincerely and simply fixed on God, then thou art subject to no lord but
Him; and thou preservest thy liberty with all the privileges appertaining
to it. It becometh thee, therefore, to be very circumspect in thy life and
conduct, lest thou shouldst in any degree obstruct the progress of divine
love in thy soul. If ever thou desirest to possess God alone, thou must
make a surrender of thyself solely to him. If thou lovest and pleasest
thyself, instead of loving and pleasing God, then sorrow and fear, sadness
and anxiety, will inevitably attend thee; whereas, if thou wholly yieldest
thyself unto God, cleaving to him and delighting thyself in him alone,
then he will never leave thee nor forsake thee, but remove by his gracious
presence all fear and anxiety from thy mind. He, on the other hand, who
seeks himself in all situations and in every circumstance, and who
incessantly pursues after profit, praise, and lust, can never attain to
serenity and peace of mind; for some circumstance there always will be to
cross his desires and to disturb his rest. Never, therefore, yield to the
belief that an accession of fame, wealth, or honor in this world, is
always good and profitable for thee; when, on the contrary, a righteous
contempt of all such transient objects, nay, an utter extirpation of our
love of them, would be attended with an infinite blessing and advantage.
3. As then, on the one hand, the things of this life, such as praise,
riches, and pleasure, are frail, and pass away with the world that
supplies them, while, on the other, the love of God endureth forever, it
is evident that no satisfaction can be durable that is founded upon the
love of self and of earthly objects. Such peace would be interrupted by
every trivial circumstance that occurred; whereas, when the mind is firmly
set upon God and upon his love, it cannot fail to be preserved in perfect
peace and perpetual serenity amid all the changes of this life. Forsake
thou, therefore, all things, and thou shalt, by faith, recover all things
again; for never can the lover of himself and of the world find the
blessed God.
4. Inordinate self-love is begotten of the world, and not of God; it is
earthly, and the chief enemy to “the wisdom which is from above.” James
3:17. This wisdom does not seek the praise and applause of men; and though
in itself “a pearl of great price” (Matt. 13:46), yet appearing with no
other recommendation than its own native simplicity, it is but little
valued in the world, and, with but few exceptions, is entirely neglected
and forgotten; and though there are many who make a boast of this wisdom,
yet the gem conceals itself from all who do not desire to apply it in
their practice. If, therefore, thou desirest to be possessed of it, O man!
lay aside all that human wisdom which “puffeth up” (1 Cor. 8:1), together
with thy self-love and self-applause, and then shalt thou exchange thy
earthly wisdom, which the world admires, for that which is heavenly and
divine. Then, instead of the wisdom of this world, which in its nature is
elevated and seeks the applause of men, thou shalt be put in possession of
a wisdom which, far from attracting the notice of the world, is despised
and rejected by it, but which is, nevertheless, of a divine origin, and of
everlasting continuance.
5. It is impossible to love God, until thou abhorrest thyself; that is,
until thou art heartily displeased with thyself and with thy sins; until
thy own carnal nature is crucified, together with the evil propensities of
thy self-will. For the more a man strives to love God, the more he labors
to subdue the lusts of the flesh and his sensual appetites; and the more
he departs from self and from self-love, by the power of the Spirit of
God, the more nearly he approaches, by faith, unto God, and to his divine
love. For as inward peace depends on a freedom from desires after the
things of this world; so when this peace is once settled in the soul, and
the heart has disengaged itself from the ties which bound it to the
creature, it returns freely into God, and rests in him alone.
6. Now he who is sincerely disposed to deny himself, must follow, not his
own will, but the will of Christ, who has declared, “I am the way, and the
truth, and the life.” John 14:6. As though he had said: “Without the way,
no man walketh; without the truth, nothing is known; and without life, no
man liveth: therefore, look upon me, who am the way in which it is thy
duty to walk, the truth in which thou art called to believe, and the life
in which thou art bound to live. I am the unerring way, the infallible
truth, and the everlasting life: the way to immortality is through my
merit; the truth itself is in my word; and life is through the efficacy of
my death; and, therefore, if thou continuest in the _way_, the _truth_
will guide thee unto eternal _life_. If thou desirest not to go astray,
follow me; if thou wilt know the truth, believe in me; and if thou wouldst
possess life everlasting, put thy whole trust in me, who for thy sake have
endured the death of the cross.”
7. What, indeed, is the safe way, the infallible truth, and the endless
life? What, the way, truth, and life, that are more excellent than every
other? Surely there is no way, but the holy and precious merits of Christ;
no truth, but his eternal word; no life, but a blissful immortality in
heaven. If, therefore, O Christian! thou desirest to be raised up into
heaven with Christ Jesus, believe in him here, and tread in the footsteps
of his humility; this is the safe Way to everlasting glory. If thou
wouldst escape the snares of the world, take hold of his Word by faith,
and follow the example which he has left for thy imitation; because this
is the infallible Truth. And if it be thy wish to live with Christ, then
die thou with him and in him unto sin, and become a new creature; for this
is Life. Thus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life; and he is so,
both by his example and by his merit.
8. “Be ye followers of God as dear children.” Eph. 5:1. Let us labor and
strive after this one thing; that our lives may resemble the life of
Christ. Were there nothing else to confound the false Christian, the
example of Christ might effectually and abundantly do it. When we consider
that Christ our Lord passed his life in grief and pain, we ought to be
ashamed to spend our lives in ease and pleasures. If the soldier forgets
his own ease and comfort when he beholds his captain fighting unto death,
shalt thou pursue after worldly pleasures and honors, when thy Prince was
so ignominiously treated, and, for thy sake, nailed to the cross? Is it
not a sign that then thou dost not, in fact, fight under his banner?
9. It is true that, in our day, every one desires to be considered a
Christian; but how few are they who imitate the life and deportment of
Christ! Had it been the character of a follower of Christ, to aim at the
acquisition of honors and possessions, our Lord would never have taught
that these are not worthy to be compared with heavenly treasures.
Contemplate the life and doctrine of the blessed Jesus, and thou shalt own
that nothing can be more opposed than he and the world. Behold that manger
and that stable! do they not forcibly evidence a contempt of worldly
things? And will the example of Christ lead thee to err from the right
way? No! he is the way, and he is the truth; and his life, compared with
his doctrine, is the only means to preserve thee from mistake, and to
guard thee from the delusions and errors of the world. Since then the Lord
hath chosen to enter into his glory by the way of suffering and reproach,
why shouldst thou labor to make thy way to hell, through the pomps and
vanities of the world? Return, then, O deluded soul! escape from the broad
way that leadeth unto death, and in which thy only enjoyment is “the
pleasures of sin for a season” (Heb. 11:25); enter into this safe Way, in
which the wayfaring man shall not stray: cordially embrace that Truth
which never can deceive: and live in Him who is Life itself. This way is
the truth, and this truth is the way. Awful blindness! a worm of the earth
would make himself great in the world, when the Lord of glory abased
himself to the very dust. O faithful soul! when thy bridegroom moves to
meet thee, clothed with humility, come down from the elevation of thy
pride and ambition, and descend into the vale of humiliation to meet him,
and he will embrace and receive thee with joy.
10. As Abraham quitted his father’s house, to go into a land which the
Lord was to show him (Gen. 12:1), so quit thou, as a true child of
Abraham, the pleasure-house of self-will and self-love, that thou mayest
obtain the divine blessing. Self-love biases the judgment, blinds the
understanding, disturbs the reason, seduces the will, corrupts the
conscience, closes the gates of life, and acknowledges neither God nor
neighbor. It banishes virtue; seeks after honors, riches, and pleasures;
and, in a word, prefers earth to heaven. He, therefore, who thus “loveth
his life, shall lose it; but he that hateth his life” (that is, resists
this principle of self-love), “shall keep it unto life eternal.” John
12:25. Self-love is the root of impenitence, and the cause of damnation.
They who are controlled by self-love and self-honor are destitute of
humility and a knowledge of sin; consequently, they never can obtain the
remission of sin, though they seek it with tears; their tears not being
shed because they have offended God, but merely on account of the personal
loss which they have sustained.
11. The kingdom of heaven is compared in Scripture to “a pearl of great
price;” in order to obtain which, a man sold _all_ that he had. Matt.
13:45, 46. This pearl is God himself, and that eternal life which he has
promised, and for the attainment of which every other object must be
forsaken. We have an example of this in our Lord Jesus Christ, who
descended from heaven not for his own sake, but for thy sake; not for his
own profit and advantage, but for thine. Luke 19:10. And wilt thou yet
delay to love him who gave himself up unto death for thee?
12. It doubtless is the part of a faithful spouse, to please her husband
alone: and art thou desirous of pleasing the world, when thou mayest be
espoused unto Christ, the great lover of souls? Forsake therefore and
sincerely despise all that is in the world, in order that thou mayest
become worthy of the eminent dignity of this spiritual marriage: for if
thy love cleave not solely to Christ, it is a corrupt and adulterous love,
and not that which a Christian should bear to the Redeemer. For the
Christian’s love to the Redeemer must possess virgin purity.
13. The law of Moses required that the priest should marry a virgin
(Levit. 21:13, 14); and Christ, our High Priest, will espouse only a
_virgin-soul_; one that is attached to nothing that the world can offer,
but solely to himself; nay, one that loves not even herself, in comparison
with Christ. “If any man come to me,” he says, “and hate not his _own
life_, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26.
14. In order to understand what is meant by hating ourselves, we are to
remember that we carry about with us “the old man,” and are indeed the old
man himself; whose nature is to hasten from one sin to another, to love
himself, to pursue his own profit and honor, and to indulge his own will
and carnal appetite. For the flesh is at all times the same; always
considering itself, easily grieved, envious, bitter, covetous, and
revengeful. This, O Man! is what thou doest: these sinful motions proceed
from thy heart; this is thy very life, even the life of the old man in
thee: and therefore thou must of necessity hate thyself, and thine own
natural life, if ever thou desirest to be a disciple of Christ. Whoever
loves himself, must love his own pride and avarice, his own wrath and
hatred, envy and lying, perfidiousness and unrighteousness; and, in short,
he must love all the progeny of unholy desires, and a corrupt heart. But
if thou desirest to be a Christian indeed, thou must not love, nor excuse,
nor palliate thy sins, but thou must hate them, forsake them, and subdue
them.
Chapter XV.
Showing How The “Old Man” Daily Dies, And The “New Man” Is Daily Renewed,
In A True Christian; Also, Wherein Self-Denial Consists, And What Is Meant
By The Christian’s Cross.
_If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross daily, and follow me._—LUKE 9:23.
It is the charge of the apostle Paul, “Put off the _old man_, which is
corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of
your mind; and put on the _new man_, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness.” Eph. 4:22-24. And in another of his
Epistles, he gives us a reason for doing so: “Ye are not your own; for ye
are bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your
spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Cor. 6:19, 20.
2. We have already noticed what is meant by _the old man_; namely, pride,
covetousness, lasciviousness, unrighteousness, wrath, enmity, hatred,
etc.; all of which must die in the Christian, if ever the _new man_ arise
in him again, and is day by day renewed.
3. In proportion as the old man dies, the new man is quickened. As pride
loses its influence, humility, by the grace of God the Holy Spirit,
succeeds; as wrath yields, meekness advances; as covetousness is done
away, trust in God is increased; and as the love of the world is removed,
the love of God takes its place in the soul, and becomes more and more
vigorous and ardent. In this consists the renovation of the new man. This
is the fruit of the Spirit; this is practical and living faith (Gal.
5:22); this is Christ in us; this is the new command of Christ and new
obedience; this is the result of the new birth in us, in which thou must
live if thou desirest to be a child of God; for those only who so live
have a right to be so called.
4. This is the reason why a man ought now to deny himself; to renounce his
own honor and will, his own love and pleasure, and all his profit and
interest in the world; and why he ought freely to give up his own right
and life, and consider himself unworthy of everything that Providence
bestows upon him. A real Christian, who is endued with the humility of
Christ, readily owns that no man can lay claim to even the least of those
benefits that descend from above, because they are all gifts, and freely
proceed from the goodness of God. On this account he uses all as being
really the property of God, with fear and trembling; not to promote his
own pleasure and satisfaction, his own profit and praise, but from
necessity alone, and because he cannot otherwise subsist.
5. Let a true Christian who denies himself, and a false Christian who is
filled with inordinate self-love, be compared together. If an affront be
offered to the latter, you may soon behold his anger rising, and visible
marks of passion and discontent; and these are, not unfrequently, followed
up by reproachful language and actions, by a spirit of revenge, and
sometimes by imprecations and curses. All this proceeds from the _old
man_, whose proper character it is to be angry and bitter, and to exhibit
rancor and asperity. On the contrary, he that is a Christian indeed, and
has sincerely begun to practice self-denial, is gentle, patient, and ready
to forgive; free from a revengeful spirit; full of compassion and
tenderness; and esteems himself worthy of all the sufferings which
Providence may be pleased to allot to him. These qualities are all
included in _self-denial_.
6. In the exercise of this patience, meekness, and lowliness of mind, our
Lord Jesus Christ has set us an example by willingly denying himself. “The
Son of man,” he says, “came not to be ministered unto, but to minister”
(Matt. 20:28); and again, “I am among you as he that serveth” (Luke
22:27); and in another place, “The Son of man hath not where to lay his
head.” Luke 9:58. David, when reviled by Shimei, practised the duty of
self-denial, for his words were: “The Lord hath said unto him, Curse
David.” 2 Sam. 16:10. As if he had said: “I am a worm in the sight of God,
and deserve to suffer far worse things.” And thus have all the saints and
prophets of God freely denied their own will, and esteemed themselves
unworthy of every blessing. They bore the burden of their day with
patience (Acts 5:40, 41); they cursed not when they were cursed; they
blessed their persecutors, and prayed for them by whom they were
slaughtered (Acts 7:60); and thus, “through much tribulation, entered into
the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22.
7. This was true when they acknowledged themselves unworthy of any favor,
but worthy of all the evils that could befall them.
8. Now, this self-denial is the cross of Christ, which he has encouraged
us to bear, saying: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself
and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23. This self-denying
life is a severe cross to the flesh; the natural man desires a life free
from restraint and contradiction, and would follow the inclination of his
own will, and seek after his own ease and pleasure, rather than the
humility, patience, and meekness of Christ, with the other graces of his
life and example.
9. But whatever opposition _the old man may_ raise for a time, he has
received the sentence of death, and if thy soul be ever saved, he must
surely die. For never canst thou be clothed with the humility of Christ
unless thy natural pride be first subdued; nor canst thou feel a love of
his poverty unless thy avarice and thy love of the world be first
overcome. Thou wilt not be able to follow Christ in the contempt of
vainglory, nor to endure the reproach of his cross, until thine ambition
be rooted out; nor wilt thou ever express in thy life the meekness and
patience of Jesus until thy revengeful spirit be inwardly mortified.
10. These are the spiritual exercises which the Scriptures mean when they
speak of _denying ourselves_, of _bearing the cross of Christ_, and of
_following him_,—exercises that are submitted to, not with any expectation
of profit, merit, reward, interest, or praise, but from pure love to the
Saviour, and because Christ hath passed through all this before us, and
“hath left us an example that we should follow his steps.” Since the image
of God is the greatest dignity of man, we ought the more earnestly to
practise the duty of self-denial, by which that image, effaced by sin, is
revived within us. And as this is the highest honor of which our nature is
susceptible, so is it the strongest inducement that can possibly be
suggested to endear to us the practice of self-denial.
11. Why, then, should man so eagerly desire the fading honors of this
world, which, however they may raise him in the estimation of his
fellow-mortals, render him in no degree more acceptable in the sight of
God. The great and the wise have bodies composed of flesh and blood as the
meanest and the most despised; so that, in this respect, no man has the
slightest superiority over another. One is born even as the other, and
dies even as the other; for the beginning and end of all men, as to this
world, is alike. What folly then is it to covet worldly honors and the
praise of men! Such desires spring from the root of self-love, that bane
of the soul, that seed of all spiritual diseases, by which the heart of
man is turned from God to the world, and from Christ to _self_. How
incapable and how backward is the lover of himself to obey the words of
the blessed Redeemer, and to lose his life for His sake that he may save
it. This is a paradox hostile to the inclinations of the “old nature,” and
therefore but little considered by the bulk of mankind.
12. Alas! how small is the number of those who have a thorough knowledge
of the depraved life of the old Adam, or who heartily strive against it!
And yet, if ever we would rescue our souls from perdition, we must die to
it and to all its restless workings. Whatever corruptions have been
entailed on us by Adam, must be removed in Christ. In his humility, our
pride and ambition must expire; in beholding his poverty, our thirst after
earthly things must die away. The contemplation of his bitter sufferings
should subdue our sensual lusts; the reproaches which he endured, and the
entire resignation with which he submitted to the contempt of the world,
should restrain us from the pursuit of worldly honors, and from the
indulgence of anger and passion.
13. He who is thus dead to himself, will also readily die to the world,
its pomps, and wealth, and honors, and pleasures, solacing himself with
those higher riches, dignities, and enjoyments, to which he is admitted by
faith in Christ. He becomes, indeed, “a stranger upon the earth” (Ps.
39:12), but he is the friend of Christ, and Christ will comfort his heart
with the light of his countenance here, and with joy everlasting and
unutterable in the world to come.
Chapter XVI.
A Conflict Is Constantly Maintained In The Christian Between The Spirit
And The Flesh.
_I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my
mind._—ROM. 7:23.
The two opposite principles in the heart of the real Christian, are spoken
of by the apostle under different names, viz.: _the inward and outward
man_ (2 Cor. 4:16), the _law of the mind_ and the law of the members (Rom.
7:23), and the _flesh and spirit_. “The flesh,” says he, “lusteth against
the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.” Gal. 5:17.
2. When the Spirit conquers the flesh, then man lives in the new nature
and is in God and in Christ: but when the flesh vanquishes the Spirit, and
thus gains the ascendency, then man lives in the devil and in the old
nature; he is under the dominion of the world, and without the kingdom of
God, and, consequently, is called _carnal_. And “to be carnally minded is
death.” Rom. 8:6.
3. It is according to the predominance of either of these principles (the
flesh and the Spirit), that a man obtains his name in Scripture, and is
called _carnal_ or _spiritual_. When the flesh and its sensual lusts are
subdued, it is an indication of the strength of the spirit, and of a man’s
proficiency in the inward life; but if a man be vanquished by the flesh,
it betrays the weakness both of his faith and spirit.
4. Solomon says, “He that ruleth his spirit (his mind), is better than he
that taketh a city.” Prov. 16:32. If, then, thou desirest to be a valiant
conqueror, and to gain an immortal victory, conquer thyself; subdue thy
passions, mortify thy pride, quell thine ambition, and destroy every
inordinate lust with which thou art assailed; and thus shalt thou
overthrow the kingdom of Satan, who, by means of such sins, ruleth in the
world. Many have signalized themselves by the capture of towns and cities;
but, alas! how few are they who, in a higher sense, may be denominated
_conquerors of the world_!
5. If thou yieldest too far to the flesh, thou destroyest thy soul. It is
surely better that the soul overcome, and that the body also be preserved,
than that, the body overcoming, both body and soul should be destroyed
together.
6. This contest, though attended with various trials and difficulties,
will, however, issue in a glorious victory and a heavenly crown: “Be thou
faithful unto death,” saith the Captain of our salvation, “and I will give
thee a crown of life.” Rev. 2:10. And the disciple that lay in his bosom
tells us, “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
1 John 5:4. Thou wilt say, What is it to overcome the world? We answer, It
is the world within us, which is here principally meant. Overcome thy
_self_, and then the victory over the world is thine.