'Commit thy works unto the Lord'--that is to say, do not be too sure
that you are right because you do not think you are wrong. We should
be very distrustful of our own judgments of ourselves, especially when
that judgment permits us to do certain things. 'I know nothing against
myself,' said the Apostle, 'yet am I not hereby justified.' And again,
still more emphatically, he lays down the principle that I would have
liked to have enlarged upon if I had had time. 'Happy is he that
condemneth not himself in the things which he alloweth.' You may have
made the glove too easy by stretching. It is possible that you may
think that something is permissible and right which a wiser and more
rigid and Christlike judgment of yourself would have taught you was
wrong. Look under the stones for the reptiles, and remember the
prayer, 'Cleanse thou me from secret faults,' and distrust a
permitting and easy conscience.
Then, again, let us seek the divine strengthening and illumination. We
have to seek that in some very plain ways. Seek it by prayer. There is
nothing so powerful in stripping off from our besetting sins their
disguises and masks as to go to God with the honest petition: 'Search
me ... and try me ... and see if there be any wicked way in me, and
lead me in the way everlasting.' Brethren! if we will do that, we
shall get answers that will startle us, that will humble us, but that
will be blessed beyond all other blessedness, and will bring to light
the 'hidden things of darkness.' Then, after they are brought to light
and cast out, 'then shall every man have praise of God.'
We ought to keep ourselves in very close union with Jesus Christ,
because if we cling to Him in simple faith, He will come into our
hearts, and we shall be saved from walking in darkness, and have the
light of life shining down upon our deeds. Christ is the conscience of
the Christian man's conscience, who, by His voice in the hearts that
wait upon Him, says, 'Do this,' and they do it. It is when He is in
our spirits that our estimate of ourselves is set right, and that we
hear the voice saying, 'This is the way, walk ye in it'; and not
merely do we hear the voice, but we get help to our feet in running in
the way of His commandments, with enlarged and confirmed hearts.
Brethren! for the discovery of our faults, which we ought all to long
for, and for the conquest of these discovered faults, which, if we are
Christians, we do long for, our confidence is in Him. And if you trust
Him, 'the blood of Christ will cleanse'--because it comes into our
life's blood--'from all sin.'
And the last thing that I would say is this. We must punctiliously
obey every dictate that speaks in our own consciences, especially when
it urges us to unwelcome duties or restrains us from too welcome sins.
'To him that hath shall be given'--and the sure way to condemn
ourselves to utter blindness as to our true selves is to pay no
attention to the glimmers of light that we have, whilst, on the other
hand, the sure way to be led into fuller illumination is to follow
faithfully whatsoever sparkles of light may shine upon our hearts. 'Do
the duty that lies nearest thee.' Put thy trust in Jesus Christ.
Distrust thine own approbation or condonation of thine actions, and
ever turn to Him and say, 'Show me what to do, and make me willing and
fit to do it.' Then there will be little contrariety between your
estimate of your ways and God's judgments of your spirits.