and showed you that there was a certain limit allotted to every man,
beyond which he could not go and still expect forgiveness, a point in
the downward course at which the Holy Spirit will cease to strive to
hold him back. We see in this day's Gospel that there is also a Day of
Grace, a period, that is, during which God is ready to give pardon and
strength and guidance, and that if this Day of Grace be wasted, then
those things belonging to our eternal peace which were offered are
withdrawn, or hidden from the eyes. This is, in fact, the same thing
as what I said about the measure of sin; after a time of sin and
neglect, the opportunity for redeeming the past is lost beyond recall,
and that time is measured out by the amount of the transgressions of
the person or the people with whom God is dealing.
SUBJECT.--I am not, however, going to speak to you again on this
subject from another aspect, but of sin itself, and the consequences it
brings. Those consequences we overlook. We believe that God for
Christ's sake pardons sin and wipes away transgressions, but we forget
altogether that He does not deliver us from the consequences of sin,
or, at least, not from all of them.
I. Sin is the transgression of God's commandment. And it entails
three consequences. 1. It separates from God. 2. It entails
punishment. 3. It leaves a stain.
God has given His Commandments for the good of men. They are the
maxims by which they must rule their conduct, in order that the world
may go on in peace and orderliness, and that they may remain in
communion with Him. Sin is the violation of this law, the break-up of
order, the disturbance of peace, and the interruption of communion.
II. _It separates from God_. When mortal sin has been committed, the
flow of divine grace is arrested, just as when something gets into a
pipe it chokes it, so that the stream of water can no longer run till
the stoppage is removed. Thus the presence of mortal sin in the
conscience at once cuts off from the favour of God, and prevents growth
in the spiritual life. The sinner is guilty in the sight of God, and
if he die in unpardoned deadly sin, stands in great danger of being
lost.
Now, here it is that Christ intervenes. He reconciles the sinner to
the Father, and He takes away the barrier which separates them. He
removes the stoppage which interferes with the flow of Grace. In one
word, He removes the guilt. That is the work of the Atonement. For
this Christ died. But for the Cross of Calvary, man, once alienated
from God by sin, must remain in alienation. "Christ," says S. Paul,
"having made peace through the blood of the Cross, hath reconciled all
things unto Himself. And you, that were sometimes alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works, now hath He reconciled in the
body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable
and unreproveable in God's sight."
_It entails suffering_. God's law is that all sin must be
punished--that is, where there is transgression, suffering must follow.
When a man squanders his fortune by extravagance, he may bitterly
repent, but he continues to suffer for his folly. When a man has got
drunk, he may be full of sorrow for what he has done, but he has a
headache next day all the same. When a woman has lost her character,
she may weep tears of bitter repentance, and God may pardon her as He
pardoned Magdalen, but she can never recover her character, and must
suffer the consequences of her act. In this world or in the next, all
sin must be expiated by suffering. Christ by His death removed the
guilt of sin, but not the suffering for sin. S. Peter bids us remember
that suffering remains a consequence, for he exhorts us, "Forasmuch as
Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with
the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from
sin." That is, the sin is wholly expiated only when the suffering it
brings after it has been undergone.
_It leaves a stain or scar_. No man is the same after sinning as he
was before. The sin may be forgiven and suffered for, but the scar
remains on his soul. The soul as it leaves the hand of God is white
and innocent, in its passage through life it meets with many
self-inflicted wounds, these wounds of the soul are sin. Thus it
suffers till the wound is healed, and the medicine of the soul is the
blood of Christ. The blood heals, but the scar remains. The soul, as
seen by God and angels, is marked all over with the traces of the sins
which have torn it. The baptized child is given a robe of innocence
white as snow. Every sin is a stain upon it, and if you could see now,
as angels see, your baptismal garment, you would find it spotted and
smeared all over. Suppose I were to take this surplice and splash it
over with ink, I might with much labour take out the ink stains, but
never so entirely cleanse it that no trace remains. Or I might walk in
it through the bushes, and get it torn with the thorns and brambles.
Then all the rents might be carefully darned up, but--the surplice
would never look as sound and beautiful as when new.
This is precisely like the state of the soul after sin, it is torn and
stained, and although the sins may be forgiven, and the stains washed,
and the rents healed, yet to the end of life the marks remain of where
they have been, the effects are uneffaced.
III. Now what are some of these effects? In the first place, every
sin weakens the soul. It takes from it not only its innocence, but its
power of resistance. Just as a wound weakens you by the loss of blood,
so a sin weakens you by loss of resisting power. You are not so strong
to fight against evil after sinning as you were before.
In the second place, you have become more careless and even hardened
about sin than you were before. When you have a new coat or gown, you
are very careful of it that it be not spotted and torn, but once it
loses its first newness, you are not so particular, and the more
spotted and torn it becomes, the less you care for the injuries done
it, you say, "It is an old dress and very much used, another stain or
patch does not matter." So with the soul, when you have become
accustomed to sinning, you no longer dread sin.
CONCLUSION.--And now remember, in this thy day, the things that belong
to thy peace, and dread sin for its consequences, lest by over much
confidence you may exceed your measure, and then the chance of recovery
will be gone from you for ever.
XLVIII.
_SELF-INSPECTION._
11th Sunday after Trinity.
S. Luke xviii., 13.
"The Publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes
unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me
a sinner."
INTRODUCTION.--I have spoken to you on former occasions pretty strongly
upon the evil of backbiting, slandering, and casting of blame without
sufficient cause. I am not going to address this day those who speak
evil, but those of whom evil is spoken.
The Publican in the Parable stood far from the Pharisee, who had no
good word for him, even in his prayer, and he took a great deal of
blame to heart, and prayed to God for mercy on him for his
shortcomings. No doubt the Publican was well aware in what estimation
he was held by the people, and how utterly he was despised by the
Pharisee. The Publican was the tax-gatherer, and as the tax-gatherers
in those days were often hard men, and exacted more than was due to the
State, that they might pocket the difference, the general opinion was
that they were all of them dishonest men, and men without hearts. This
was not true, we know, of this Publican, nor of Zacchaeus, nor of Levi,
who are commended in the Gospel. Perhaps this Publican who was
praying, saw the Pharisee cast a contemptuous glance at him, perhaps he
even heard the words of his prayer, but if so, he made no attempt at
justifying himself. His prayer was not, "God, I am not what other men
say of me, unjust, hard-hearted, peculating, exacting: on the contrary,
I am strictly honest in my dealings, and I am very forbearing and
tender-hearted, and I do not press for payment when no money is to be
got." No! nothing of the sort! all he says is--"God, be merciful to
me, a sinner."
SUBJECT.--I would have those who are blamed by others, instead of
manifesting great eagerness to excuse themselves, and clamouring
against those who speak against them, look into their own hearts and
lives, and see if there be not something blameworthy there.
I. King Philip of Macedon was informed by some of his courtiers that
one of his officers, Nicanor by name, was always speaking evil of him,
that wherever Nicanor was, there he did nothing but grumble against the
king, and disparage and blame him. What was to be done? Should he be
arrested and thrown into prison. "No!" said King Philip, "Before
punishing Nicanor, I must look and see whether I have not given
occasion for this abuse of me." Then the king thought things over, and
it occurred to him for the first time that he had not rewarded Nicanor
for some signal services he had rendered him. By some oversight no
notice had been taken of Nicanor, though he had risked his life for the
king. Then Philip sent for him, and gave him a good appointment, which
brought him in a handsome income, and was one of great honour. Some
while after, Philip said to his courtiers, "How does Nicanor speak of
me now?" They answered that he was never weary of praising the king.
Then Philip said, "Do you not see? it lies in ourselves whether we are
well or evil spoken of."
It is seldom indeed that you will escape blame, that evil of some sort
will not be spoken about you. When that is the case, remember what
Philip said, "I must look and see whether I have not given occasion."
Always go to your own heart, always examine your own life, and see
whether, after all, there be not something there which is wrong or
unwise, and which may be altered, so as to cut off occasion from evil
speakers. As the proverb says, "There is no smoke without a fire," and
it is not often that blame is cast without there being some cause for
it. It may be attributed unjustly, but it is sometimes just, though
excessive. Everything casts a shadow, and if you see a shadow you may
be sure there is some body to cast it, though the shape and size of the
shadow may be wholly unlike and out of proportion to the object which
throws it. A tree casts a shadow, a house casts a shadow, a needle
casts a shadow, even a hair--where the shadow is, there is some
substance to fling it; where great blame is cast, there is some
occasion for it. You may have stood on a rock, and seen your shadow
thrown all down a valley and up the side of an opposite hill, an
enormous figure, and a ridiculous caricature of yourself. So the blame
cast on you is often excessive and altogether unreasonable and
monstrous. Nevertheless it would never be cast at all unless there
were some little fault to cast it. Stick up a pin on a table when the
sun is low, and it will throw a shadow from one end of the table to the
other, four feet long, and the pin is only an inch in height. So is it
with faults: little faults throw long shadows, cause great talk, but
there would be no talk at all if the little faults were not there.
II. What then is it that you should do? Examine yourselves whenever
you are blamed, and do your utmost to correct what is amiss in you.
"Blessed are ye," said our Lord, "when men shall revile you, and shall
say all manner of evil against you falsely." Why? Why when falsely?
Because it will make you all the more watchful that you give no
offence, that you avoid even the appearance of evil. Blessed are ye
when men revile you, and say all manner of evil against you, for then
you will examine yourselves, and if you see there is any ground
whatever for what they say, you will amend your ways; and blessed are
ye when they speak evil against you falsely, for then, though their
blame be exaggerated and lying, yet it will make you infinitely more
particular to live a blameless life, and to have a conscience void of
offence toward God and men.
CONCLUSION.--If you do not use for your self-correction any blame you
may undergo, then you may be sure that more and more will attach to
you. You may surmount one calumny, but others will follow at its
heels. In Revelation we hear that an angel cried, "One woe is past;
and behold there come two woes more hereafter." So will it be with
you, if the first woe does not profit you to make you better. If the
plague of stinging, tormenting insects had made Pharaoh better, and
amend his ways, the other plagues would not have fallen upon him.
Thus, when you are tormented by evil tongues and spiteful words, if you
do not strive your utmost to live better lives, and undo any wrong you
may have committed, though the first woe may be past: behold, there
will come two more woes hereafter.
XLIX.
_PERFECTION TO BE SOUGHT._
12th Sunday after Trinity.
S. Mark vii., 37.
"He hath done all things well."
INTRODUCTION.--It was said by an old heathen writer that God cares for
Adverbs rather than for Substantives. That is to say, God had rather
have things done _well_, than that the things should be merely done.
He had rather have you pray earnestly than pray, communicate piously
than merely communicate, forgive your enemies heartily than say you
forgive, work diligently than spend so many hours at work, do your duty
thoroughly than solely be content with discharging your duty.
Of Christ, observe what is said. It is not "He hath opened the eyes of
the blind, He hath unstopped the ears of the deaf. He hath loosed the
tongue of the dumb, He hath healed the sick," but--"He hath done all
things well." The eyes do not become dull again, nor the ears again
lose their power of hearing, nor the tongue stutter once more, nor the
sick relapse into their sickness--what He hath done He hath done well
and thoroughly.
SUBJECT.--This, then, is what God desires of you--whatever you
undertake, to do it well. Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with
all your might. If a thing is worth doing at all, it is worth doing
well. It is not sufficient for us to coldly perform our duties, we
must perform them with zeal and thoroughness.
The prophet Amos was one day shown a vision. "Behold, the Lord stood
upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in His hand. And the
Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline.
Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my
people Israel; I will not again pass by them any more."
In this vision we have the work of God, as carried out by the
Israelites, represented under the form of a wall. God had given them
certain duties to perform, so much work in this world to be done for
Him, and He left them to themselves for a while. Then they thought,
"God is not here, He is not a hard overseer, we will work as we like,
and take it easy. So long as the thing is done, it does not matter
very much how it is done." So they did every thing in a careless,
slovenly manner. They neglected their duties or carried them out in a
bare formal manner. If we come back to the comparison of a wall, it
was just as though masons engaged on one put in any sort of stones, any
how, and did not trouble whether they built it in line and upright,
whether some of the stones stuck too far out, and some were too far in.
Then God appears to Amos and says, "I will not again pass by them any
more; there has been too much of this sort of work. I will not
overlook it, I will try it with the plumbline of My justice, and the
bad work shall be pulled down, the jutting stones knocked away, and the
crooked wall made straight."
This vision applies to you quite as much as to the Jews. You have got
a set task: you have to build up the wall of the Lord, that is, day by
day you have to work at your salvation, and put in at least one stone
so as to raise the work, and what you build must be good, and upright,
and in line. You have a prayer to say, say it well, say it with
devotion. Then it is a stone put on the wall in its right place, and
it is a good stone of the right quality. You have quarrelled with a
neighbour, you have made it up, heartily and bear no more malice, that
is a good stone;--forgiveness of injuries--a capital stone that won't
let the water through. Lay it level, and lay it upright. You have a
chance of showing a kindness to someone who needs, do it quietly and
without fuss or show. That will stand. It was otherwise with the
Pharisees. When they did their alms, they made a noise and called
attention to it. That was like putting a stone in the wall that stuck
a long way out, so that all might see it. When the Lord comes with His
plumbline, He will knock it off with His trowel, and it will go all to
pieces like a bit of slate, and be no good at all. You come to church,
and you take my sermon home. What will you do with it? Toss it away
on your road home, and make no use at all of it? I hope not; build the
lesson I am giving you tight into your lives, and it will raise your
wall, and you can lay other good lessons on top of it. What do you do
with your Sunday? Is it wasted in lounging about, ferreting rabbits,
idle talking? If it be so, then it will add nothing to the wall of
your salvation. It will be like a mere lump of earth put in where
there should have been a stone; it will wash out and leave a hole.
Now remember that our great architect, Jesus Christ, is the man with
the plumbline, and He will go over all our work and try how it is done,
and whether it is upright and likely to stand.
II. S. Paul gives another help to us to understand the parable of the
wall. He says that we are building the wall of our salvation on the
cornerstone of Christ, and he goes on to say, "Now if any man build
upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay,
stubble: every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall
declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall
try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which
he hath built thereon, he shall receive a reward."
S. Paul, you see, says that the wall will be proved with fire, that is,
that God will try all men's work and see of what sort it is--good,
moderate, or worthless. The worthless will disappear in the judgment,
the moderate will be seen in its faulty condition, but the good will
last for ever.
CONCLUSION.--Try, then, to look upon your life as a time of building up
the work of your salvation, and at every day as contributing something
towards it. Ask yourself each day, What have I done to-day towards
this work set me? And if I have done anything towards it, how has it
been done? Moreover, try to do all things well, to be zealous and
thorough in every thing you undertake.
Also, offer all you do to God, and ask Him to prove it, and to cut off
from it all that is faulty, and to enable you to do better in time to
come.
When Nehemiah had rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem, and restored much that
was cast down, and put right many abuses, he prayed, "Remember me, O my
God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done."
Let this also be your prayer, that He may look on all you do for Him
and bless it, and remember it for good, in the day when He tries every
man's work of what sort it is.
L.
_ZEAL._
13th Sunday after Trinity.
S. Luke x., 23.
"What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
INTRODUCTION.--The Kingdom of Heaven, said our Lord, is like unto a
treasure hid in a field. One day a man is turning over the stones
which lie in a heap in a corner of the field, and he finds under them
an iron chest, and this chest he believes to be full of gold. Then he
carefully covers it up again with stones and earth, and goes off in the
greatest excitement to the owner of the field, and offers him a price,
and when that is refused he sells his house, and garden, and everything
he can turn into money, and gives that to the owner in exchange for the
field.
I fear this is rather a picture of what ought to be than what is. No
doubt whatever that we ought to show just as great eagerness to gain
the Kingdom of Heaven, as did that man to buy the field. No doubt we
ought to be just as eager to cast away everything that stands in the
way, to divest ourselves of every thing we have, in order that we may
gain the Kingdom of Heaven,--but, as a matter of fact, we show very
little eagerness about it, and we are very indifferent whether we gain
it or lose it.
SUBJECT.--What we need is more zeal, more enthusiasm, more earnestness
in our quest.
I. King Solomon built the Temple at Jerusalem. He was engaged on it
seven years, and after that, he built his own house, and on that he
spent thirteen years. He therefore spent very nearly twice as much
time and labour, and I doubt not, money over his own house than he did
over the work of God's house; he was wise and good, and he did a great
deal for God, but he did more for himself, and not only for himself,
but for his wives, since he built for them as well.
It is just so with us, we are ready to do something of God's work, to
seek a little the Kingdom of Heaven, but we do not put our heart in
that work, all our heart and zeal is reserved for our own worldly
affairs and our temporal interests.
One day a heathen maiden came to the princess Pulcheria, sister of the
Emperor Theodosius, to complain to her that she was an orphan, and that
her two brothers had turned her out of the house on her father's death,
and had taken all his inheritance to themselves. Now the Emperor
Theodosius, brother of Pulcheria, a young man, was behind a curtain,
and heard the girl pleading her cause with many tears, and he saw how
beautiful she was, and he loved her, and resolved to make her his wife
and exalt her to be Empress of the East. Pulcheria bade her come
another day, and then she told the maiden what was intended. After
that she was taught the faith of Christ, and was baptized, and is known
in history as the Empress Eudoxia. Now when she came from her baptism,
Pulcheria noticed that she was crying, and she went to her lovingly and
said, "Why are you bathed in tears, Eudoxia?" And then the young girl
answered, "When you told me that I was to become the wife of
Theodosius, and Empress of the East, my heart was like to burst with
joy, but now that I have been made a member of Christ, a child of God,
and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven, I feel no such exceeding
joy, but take it all without any emotion,--and I am grieved at my
coldness and want of faith. That is why I am crying."
Is it not very much the same with us? Anything that concerns our
earthly welfare fills us with excitement, but we trouble ourselves very
little about our spiritual concerns. If we have a chance of getting 50
pounds a-year, we are full of delight, but we receive the precious gift
of God without even gratefulness. If we knew that an inheritance of a
thousand pounds was ours if we applied for it, should we not apply?
But when it comes to our approaching the altar of God to receive the
Bread of Heaven, the priceless gift of the Body of our Lord, which will
infuse into our mortal flesh the germ of immortality, we turn
listlessly away. If we had an acquaintance who, we thought, could put
us into a good way of making our fortune, we would be always at his
heels, but we are cold and careless about seeking God in His house, and
in prayer, and yet our eternal welfare depends on our retaining His
favour.
II. Now, this is not a satisfactory condition to be in. "The Kingdom
of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by storm," said
our Lord, and He meant that if Heaven is to be won, it must be won by
those who are in earnest, and vehement in their desire to get it.
Half-hearted soldiers are not good soldiers. Half-hearted servants are
poor servants, half-hearted workers are unsatisfactory workers, and the
battle we have to fight is a hard one, it is a battle against flesh and
blood, against Satan and all his host, against the world, and against
our own wills. Is such a battle to be won when we go into it without
any desire to be conquerors? We are servants of God, and given a work
in this world to do. Are we likely to do it if half-hearted? Are we
likely to keep His commandments, if we care just a little to please
Him, but only a little? Are we likely to win our wage, Eternal Life,
if we do not work zealously, but waste the time of work in half-hearted
trifling with our task?