another;” it is equally necessary for all. Unless this spiritual lesson
be learnt, the stores of human science, the treasures of human wisdom,
are vain and worthless; they can impart no knowledge, no true and saving
knowledge, of the ways and dealings of the Most High; they cannot bring
the sinner to his Maker: on the contrary, they prevent and hinder him, by
ministering a spirit of pride and self-sufficiency. If thou wouldest
know God, fear Him, and be taught of His Spirit and His word; this is His
own appointed means, and there is no other. And ye poor, unlearned as ye
may be, seek the Lord in this way, and ye shall assuredly find Him: His
secret shall be with you; and He will graciously teach you more, than you
can attain from all the world besides; more than the wisest can learn in
any other way.
“The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they
stumble: but the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth
more and more unto the perfect day.” {347} The Lord revealeth Himself
unto the righteous, day by day; they grow in wisdom, as in years: the
nearer they approach to the completion of their hopes, to the end of
their earthly pilgrimage, to their heavenly and eternal kingdom, the
clearer will be their knowledge, and the more delightful their
anticipations; even until that day, when the veil of the flesh shall be
utterly removed, when they shall “see their God face to face, and know
even as also they are known.” {348}
SERMON XIX.
RESIST THE BEGINNINGS OF EVIL TEMPTATION.
PROVERBS iv. 14, 15.
_Enter not into the path of the wicked_, _and go not in the way of
evil men_. _Avoid it_, _pass not by it_, _turn from it and pass
away_.
THIS is one of those short, comprehensive, moral directions, with which
the holy Scriptures abound, for our safe conduct in life; directions,
that are seldom attended to with the earnestness, which their importance
demands. Studied such words should be, with devout meditation and the
spirit of prayer; imprinted on the memory, fixed in the heart. We are
apt to trust too much to generalities in religion; we do not sufficiently
concern ourselves with its individual precepts and practical admonitions.
And I wish now to enlarge upon this point, before we enter into a
consideration of the text; hoping that it may induce you, by God’s help,
“to take heed how ye hear” such lessons of instruction.
For the attainment of a religious character, and the means of walking
holily and uprightly in our course through life, doubtless the main thing
is, to establish sound principles in the heart; and without such
principles all the rules and helps in the world will prove of little
avail; never to be depended upon in the hour of temptation and trial.
Accordingly we find, in the word of God, these mainsprings of action
continually insisted on, as of the highest necessity to be settled in the
soul. A true, a right faith is inculcated, as the great foundation of
all spiritual obedience; a vital faith in God, as our Creator, Redeemer,
and Sanctifier; a faith in His revealed word, in all the great doctrines
of life and salvation there propounded to fallen man; a faith in the
necessity of obeying all the commandments therein delivered for the
formation of our character and the regulation of our lives; a faith in
the world to come, after the death of the body; a world depending, for
happiness or misery, upon our choice and conduct here. The love of God
and the fear of God are also laid down as most powerful principles of
thought and action; as spreading an influence over the whole of our
behaviour.
Still however, the establishment of these first principles is not of
itself sufficient for the complete direction and government of our lives.
So manifold and various are the temptations to which we are exposed; so
numerous the trials we are called to bear, that particular instructions
and commands are also needful for us, in order that we may be prepared to
meet the different circumstances which are perpetually arising, in order
that we may be taught how to reduce our principles to practice; and to
apply the declaration of God’s will to our ordinary intercourse and
experience with the world.
For this purpose, we find the old scriptures every where abounding with
rules, for the performance of every duty, and the avoidance of every sin:
for the immediate service and worship of God, for the discharge of every
honest and honourable obligation we owe to our neighbour; for the
correction of all those evil affections and passions, to which the
corrupt heart of man is so lamentably prone. Nor in the new testament,
where the foundation of faith is more clearly and broadly laid down, are
such rules less frequent, or less urgently enforced. We might indeed
expect, what actually is the case, that as a clearer and fuller
revelation, that as a higher principle and view, would require a more
holy and perfect observance, a greater purity and integrity and
blamelessness of character, therefore the several duties demanded of us,
in our walk with God, would be laid down and marked with the greater
accuracy. Accordingly we do find, for this purpose, “line upon line and
precept upon precept” repeated and urged with the greater fulness and
particularity; that we may not, by any unholiness or deficiency in our
conduct, disgrace that more glorious revelation, with which we have been
favoured as believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Look at His own
blessed discourses, especially His sermon on the mount; look at the
epistles, which His servants, inspired by the Holy Ghost, have left for
our guidance and government; and see what full instructions they contain,
for our duty to God and our duty to man. It is wonderful, for how many
cases they provide; for how many instances in our daily experience; how
they teach us, on the one hand, the practice of every virtue, shew all
the bearings of it and the steps that lead to it; how they caution us, on
the other, against every besetting sin; how they point out the manner, in
which it gains an influence over us, and cut it up by the root.
I have embraced the present opportunity of enlarging on this point, with
a view of awakening your attention to, and inducing you to study and
treasure up, the various scriptural rules for holy living: I have done
this, because many suppose, that the fixing of a good principle—of faith,
for instance,—is all that is requisite; if it were so, why should so many
rules have been given in that holy book, in which there can be nothing
unnecessary or superfluous? God, who knows the heart and all the ways of
man, knew how wise and needful it was, to deliver express admonitions and
exhortations to each individual duty; that our faith might not be vague
and unprofitable, but abounding in fruit, in the fruit of holiness unto
everlasting life.
But it is time now to turn to the text, which furnishes us with one of
the most important cautions for our safe and christian government. It
might be thought, that every true believer in that blessed Redeemer, who
came “to cleanse him from all unrighteousness,” would have such a horror
of sin, as effectually to secure him from its dominion; as to prevent us
from the necessity of admonishing him against its fascination and its
power; but such unhappily is far from being the case. Many, who make a
considerable profession of the gospel, are betrayed into grievous
inconsistencies; many, who set out with promising hopes and good
resolutions, are led astray and overcome; many, for want of attending to
the warning given in the text, for want of narrowly watching the
beginnings of evil. Feeling a sincere and decided abhorrence of the
grosser sins, they expose themselves without fear to slighter
temptations; should they be, in some small matter, inveigled and led into
the path of error, it is expected that they shall instantly perceive
their danger; that they shall repent and be forgiven, and be more guarded
and resolute for the time to come.
But they have not formed a proper estimate of the seducing nature of sin;
they know not how the power of the tempter increases with every success:
instead of their being alarmed and disgusted with the first commission,
they become, from the corruption of their nature, the more captivated and
seduced: it is easier for the enemy to draw them on to the second step,
than it was to persuade them to the first; their conscience becomes more
easily silenced and reconciled; they begin to think, that the strictness,
for which they once contended, is not so requisite; they become
accustomed to evil; make excuses for it; take delight in it; are
flattered with the empty praises and congratulations of their new
companions; and proceed by degrees to abandoned and ruinous lengths. The
fact is, that they have been all the while provoking the Spirit of the
Lord to desert them: He was grieved at their very first departure, from
the path of innocence and integrity; it shewed a carelessness of the ways
of God; it argued, that His fear and His love were declining in their
heart: with every renewed commission of evil, the Spirit was more and
more quenched, till at length He left them to themselves; weak, helpless,
incapable of resistance; in the dominion of the enemy, slaves of sin.
What I am here describing, has been the miserable experience of thousands
of unwatchful and irresolute Christians; who have fallen into the snare,
yea at last into the ruinous abyss of evil, from which they have never
afterwards escaped, because they were too “wise in their own conceits”
and too confident in their own strength, to take a warning against the
peril of yielding to the first temptation; because they ventured into the
borders of forbidden ground, and were insensibly led on to the fatal
lengths, which they once held in abomination.
How many a youth have we known, trained from his earliest infancy in the
holy principles of the gospel, the hope and the promise of his anxious
parents, the joy of his family and friends, yet, from incautiously
listening, on some unsuspected occasion, to the advice of an evil
counsellor, and induced to make experiment of some unhallowed pleasure,
thereby shaken in his integrity and thrown off his bias; prevailed upon
to repeat the pressing indulgence; thence to proceed to others; till, in
the end, the character has been totally changed,—marred, corrupted,
ruined. It seemed but a little matter that first courted his consent;
what, though sinful pleasures did surround him in his new scene and his
new company, he, poor innocent youth, had no intention of joining in
them; was determined to stand aloof. For a while he did so; and
maintained the pious and virtuous and christian habits, in which he had
been trained; the habits of prayer, and holy reading, and holy
meditation, and uprightness of conduct: but he began to give way, to
“fall from the stedfastness of his faith in Christ;” {358} one religious
observance after another was broken in upon; one scruple after another
overcome; till at last he was stripped of every portion of the garment of
righteousness, and left “miserable and poor and naked,” with nothing to
hide his wretchedness and shame; the dishonour of his father, the grief
of his mother’s heart; disowned by his family, disowned by his God: a
misery to himself; dying the death of a sinner. And whence came all this
load of misery upon him?—on account of his first unguarded yielding.
This representation has been but too frequently verified: yet not to the
young only has such heedlessness proved a snare and destruction. We may
see its consequences ravaging around us almost every day; in persons of
every age and condition. How many a sabbath-breaker has contracted his
dreadful habit from a very small beginning of neglect? At the first he
was tempted very occasionally to absent himself from the House of his
God; to indulge now and then, extremely seldom, in worldly pleasure; or
to engage, in a thoughtless hour, in the dispatch of worldly business;
but his affection and reverence for the holy day by degrees grow colder,
and the temptations became stronger: the Lord’s House was, in a great
measure, forsaken; the Lord’s day became his day of dissolute pleasure;
or his day of business and accounts, as best suited his condition; and
hence followed, as it must of necessity, the total decay of religious
principle and religious character.
Thus it is also, in a remarkable degree, with the vice of intemperance;
no man proceeds to its abominable and fatal extremities all at once: but
no man, whatever his principles may have been, is secure from its
horrible influence, if he is once tempted habitually to depart from the
holy rules of sobriety; however seldom the habit may be at first
indulged. It is indeed especially true of this awful vice, that if the
enemy once gains a footing in the heart, he seldom leaves it, till the
heart is his own.
Thus it is, once again, with evil company of every description; it is
ensnaring beyond all suspicion, and beyond all calculation: wicked or
worldly companions infuse their venom, into the mind and the bosom,
gradually and insensibly: even if they have no intention so to do, as in
truth they too often have, their very presence and conversation and
habits are so corrupting, that it is impossible for any one, who is
familiarly acquainted with them, to escape the contagion; in fact,
whoever seeks, or whoever tolerates such company, has a lurking
disposition to evil, though it may be unperceived and unsuspected by
himself. Flee from every approach to this treacherous and dangerous
ground, as you would “flee from the wrath to come.”
From this statement, which indeed is but imperfect and feeble in
comparison with the magnitude of the evil, against which I am seeking to
warn you, my hearers; from this you may be better prepared, by God’s
grace, to receive and value and apply the important admonition of the
text: you will observe how particularly, how urgently, with what
repetition, what varied forms of expression, the wise man delivers his
charge; so delivers it the more, because he speaks feelingly, from
dear-bought experience; because he himself had been lamentably ensnared,
for want of attending to it in his own case.
Let us hearken to the counsel of this inspired and experienced guide: he
says, “Enter not into the path of the wicked;” never be prevailed upon to
set your foot on this forbidden ground; “go not in the way of evil men,”
trust not yourself in their company or in any of their goings: further he
says, “Avoid it,” avoid this ensnaring way; be at pains to keep clear of
it; use your utmost watchfulness to discover it; go in another direction,
in the way of the upright and holy. And, as if this caution were
insufficient for his purpose, he adds, “Pass not by it;” suffer not
yourself even to approach it, to look upon it; lest you be beguiled by
its false charms, and unwarily led to desire them. Not willing yet to
cease from admonishing, in order to make a yet deeper impression, he
concludes, “Turn from it and pass away;” the instant you perceive it,
turn round with the dread of danger; as you would if you discovered
yourself on the edge of a precipice, in fear of falling headlong; turn at
once, and pass decidedly and quickly away.
In obedience to these rules, my brethren, consists our great security,
under the guidance of infinite wisdom and the support of almighty power:
the grace of God is ever ready to be bestowed, ever at hand to “preserve
us from falling;” but God expects and requires us, in the use of this
grace, to employ every means of prudence, and to strive with a holy and
unbending resolution: this grace is afforded for the very purpose, that
we may so watch and work; and if we do not thus improve it, with
circumspection and diligence, it will be withdrawn. Never so much as
listen to any sinful proposal, to any doubtful invitation; stay not to
reason upon it at all; turn away with holy jealousy; never suffer the eye
to dwell upon a forbidden object, to dwell even for a moment; through the
eye it may find a passage to the heart, and inflame it with unlawful and
hurtful desire: resist at once; the first victory is the easiest, as well
as the surest. Say to the temptation, as your Lord said to the tempter,
“get thee hence, Satan;” “flee from him and he will flee from
you”—“escape for thy life.”
And here I must add an observation upon the means, by which we may be
enabled to follow this momentous advice of the wisest of men. We must
“watch and pray, that we enter not into temptation;” {364} we must go
forth into the world in the spirit of watchfulness and prayer; praying,
not only that we may have the grace to watch, but also when the trial
actually arises, when we are watching. In the presence of temptation, or
if we do but perceive or suspect that it is coming, let the soul be
lifted up to the “Lord of all power and might;” let the language of the
heart, if not of the lips, be poured forth in pious aspiration to God; if
it be but a word, a wish, or a thought, it will be clothed with strength,
and minister a stedfastness to the mind and heart. We are thus animated
by the assurance of divine support, and fixed in our holy determination
of resistance to all evil. Much depends, for safety and success, upon
this habitual spirit of devotion; it is our buckler and shield in every
moment of conflict; without it, we are standing, in the feebleness of
nature, before the mighty enemy of our souls; ready to “be taken captive
by him at his will.” {365a} “Be ye therefore sober (that is, be serious)
and watch unto prayer;” {365b} and thus “go forth conquering and to
conquer.”
SERMON XX.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST FOR THOSE WHO DO THE WILL OF GOD.
MARK iii. 35.
_Whosoever shall do the will of God_, _the same is my brother and my
sister and mother_.
FROM this, and one or two other passages in the gospels, it has been
sometimes imagined, that our blessed Lord set no value on the common
relationships, the natural ties, the tender endearments of life; and that
He intended to teach His disciples, by His own example, to neglect such
considerations altogether; as if all Christians had an equal claim upon
our affection; as if the spiritual brotherhood were the only object
worthy of our regard; as if parents and brothers and sisters were merely
upon a footing with the rest of mankind. This notion is entirely
erroneous; it is a mistaken conclusion from the words and conduct of our
Lord.
His own example, on several occasions, has afforded a sanction to the
feelings of private friendship, as well as of family affection. How
deeply was He moved at the death of Lazarus! “Jesus wept, then said the
Jews, behold how He loved him!” {367a} And of our Lord’s disciples we
read, that there was one, treated with peculiar tenderness and regard;
one, “who leaned on His bosom;” {367b} one, distinguished by the high and
honourable name of the “beloved disciple.” And this disciple, the
evangelist St. John, has drawn one of the most striking pictures of an
affectionate family, ever represented to the eye and the heart of man:
“There stood by the cross of Jesus, His mother, and His mother’s sister,
Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw
His mother, and the disciple standing by whom He loved, He saith unto His
mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy
mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”
Jesus not only loved and protected His mother through life, but was
solicitous to provide for her future well-being, even amidst the agonies
of the cross; commending her to His dearest personal friend; and by way
of effectually securing _his_ regard and _her_ confidence, He calls John
the son, and Mary the mother: Behave to each other as mother and son; and
it is all I can ask or require. This must be admitted as a proof, that
Jesus felt most tenderly and peculiarly for His nearest earthly relation:
and it shews, that those passages, which have been supposed to favour a
contrary opinion, have been wrongly interpreted.
Let us now consider the circumstances which led to the declaration in the
text. It appears, that the earnestness and perseverance of Jesus in
teaching the people, notwithstanding the opposition of the Pharisees, had
given disquietude to His friends and brethren, that is, to His near
relations, some of whom did not believe in Him. They seem to have
desired Him to forbear and discontinue His ministry at that particular
time, supposing that He had exceeded the bounds of prudence; and it
further appears, that they had induced Mary, His mother, to concur in
this improper design; which conveyed a reflection upon His wisdom, and
the perfection of His character. They came, therefore, when He was
teaching the people; and, not being able to approach Him for the
multitude, they sent to speak with Him. But Jesus, aware of their
intention, answered by enquiring, who His mother and brethren were;
thereby intimating, that they had no right to interfere on such an
occasion, nor had any authority over Him in respect of His important
work; that His spiritual affection to His disciples, in the advancement
of their eternal interests, was greater than any natural affection, which
He bore to His relations, in a mere earthly point of view; that His love
to men’s souls had the greatest consideration and weight with Him; that
even His mother was nearer to Him as a true believer, than on account of
her natural relationship; and that His brethren would derive no advantage
or favour from Him, if they were not also believers.
Jesus then proceeded to declare, that His true disciples, even though
they had no connexion with Him by the natural tie of blood, would be
regarded in the light of relations; would be the objects of His sincere
affection and esteem; “He looked round on them which sat about Him, and
said, Behold My mother and My brethren, for whosoever shall do the will
of God, the same is My brother and My sister and mother.” We cannot but
observe, that these words are addressed, not merely to the disciples of
that day, but to every individual Christian throughout the world;
_whosoever_, of any age or nation, should do the will of His heavenly
Father, by hearing, believing, obeying His revealed word, by embracing
the gospel of salvation, he would, in life, in death, in judgment, and
for ever, be honoured and blessed; even as the brother, sister, or mother
of Him, who is the Lord of all, and the King of glory.
How encouraging, how delightful an assurance, to be persuaded, that in
all our difficulties and troubles, in all our bereavements and desertions
and afflictions, through this vale of tears, we have a friend, a
relation, at the right hand of God, the omnipotent Redeemer; who is
advanced, after His earthly humiliation, to the throne above, for the
very purpose of “receiving gifts for men;” and of distributing them for
the relief and assistance of all His loving and faithful brethren. How
fortunate do the needy children of men esteem themselves, if they have a
kind relative or friend in a high quarter; one possessed of honour and
wealth and power. They feel themselves ennobled by the connexion; and
are raised above the fear and apprehension of want, by a confidence in
his influence and generosity. But what are the highest and greatest of
earthly relatives, in comparison with the glorious everlasting Son of
God; with Him who “hath put all our enemies under His feet;” with the
“high and holy one that inhabited eternity?”
Earthly friends may and do fail, often when they are most needed; an
untoward occurrence, a groundless displeasure arises; and all our
expectations from them are suddenly swept away. But with Jesus “there is
no variableness, neither shadow of turning:” He searches our hearts; and
as long as they are really and stedfastly united with Him, no casualties,
no outward appearances can estrange us from His favour. Earthly friends
die, one after another; and often at a time, when they are become most
dear and most necessary to us; but Jesus liveth for evermore; and the
union, we form with Him, is in no danger of being severed by any change
of time or circumstance; but goes on progressively and perpetually
increasing. The very disasters, which often tend to disunite us from our
earthly friends and brethren, serve but to bind us the more closely to
the Saviour; in adversity, in poverty, in contempt, in persecution, we
find Him the nearer and dearer; always most ready to succour us, when
most wanted and desired: always ready, and always able. So that, if the
whole world were to fail us, His abiding favour would more than
counterbalance all the evils of our lot. “When even my father or my
mother forsaketh me, the Lord taketh me up;” {373} He is in the stead of
parents, in the stead of all: “the Father of the fatherless, and the God
of the widow;” the Lord of consolation, and the Lord of love. The
upholding of His Spirit will sustain our infirmities; one beam of His
gracious mercy will cheer all the darkness, which the world casteth over
our souls.
The disciples of Jesus experience His friendly comfort every day and
hour: even if there were no other world than this, they feel themselves
abundantly blessed in their connexion with Him, by His present affection
and grace; but there _is_ another world; where their joy and love will be
continued, and their union with Him perfected in glory. He is called, in
gracious condescension, “the first-born among many brethren;” {374a} He
has suffered and died and triumphed and risen again, risen “as the first
fruits of them that sleep;” {374b} and His brethren, “who endure unto the
end,” shall also rise from the sleep of death, and “see Him as He is, and
be like Him:” {374c} they shall “be the children of God, being the
children of the resurrection.” {374d}
And “do not our hearts burn within us” at the representation of this
blessedness? Do we not desire the honour, the privilege, the advantage,
the excellency of being thus united, in a bond of holy endearment, to the
glorious Son of God, to the Saviour of our souls? Undoubtedly we do:
unless our understandings be so darkened and our affections so depraved
and debased, that we are incapable of choosing between good and evil,
that we “put darkness for light and light for darkness.” There cannot be
one amongst us, who does not profess to set a value upon the favour and
friendship of his Lord; upon the relationship which, as christians, we
are graciously permitted to bear to Him. Not one of us would go to rest,
content and happy, with the prospect of being deprived of this
distinguished and heavenly blessing. Let us know and remember then, that
our relationship to Him is not like that of earthly families, a mere name
which we have inherited from infancy; and which will necessarily continue
without our care or concern. We became related to Him by our baptismal
covenant; but there must be something more than baptism; something more
is required than a mere profession, than an outward belonging to His
visible church, in order to our being acknowledged as His brethren.
Brethren by name all of us are; nay, we have been spiritually admitted
into holy connexion with Him: but Jesus regards those only, as accepted
members of His family, who believe in Him with all their heart and soul;
who look to Him, with a single, entire, and constant dependence, for life
and salvation; those, who “are daily renewed in the spirit of their
minds;” and desire and strive to bring all their affections into a
righteous subjection to Him and His holy law; those, in a word, “who do
the will of God.”
We cannot sufficiently reprobate the practice of those persons, who
boastfully claim the Saviour as their “familiar friend,” without an
abiding concern and a strenuous endeavour to walk as He walked, in all
the ways of spiritual and moral integrity. Consider, I pray you, His own
clear text on this point: “If ye love Me, keep My commandments:” {377}
there can be no other evidence of our saving interest in the Lord, but
that which He Himself has established. His true disciples and brethren
must bear His image; and not the marred, corrupted, hideous likeness of
the author of sin and death. This it is, to be spiritually and
effectually incorporated into the family of Jesus Christ; thus is our
relationship to be proved and cherished: he that walketh as a brother and
a friend, will be owned as such; he, that faileth so to walk, will be
disowned and cast away, whatever his pretensions: “better had it been for
that man if he had never been born;” better still, if he had never been
born “of water and the spirit;” if he had never “named the name of
Christ.” Let us then faithfully remember, not only the joys and
privileges of the brethren of our Lord, but the means also, which are
absolutely necessary for the proof and establishment of this holy title;
the conditions, the evidences, and the duties of so high and happy a
state.
And from our Lord’s example in the instance before us, we may gather
several particulars for our instruction in life: He gave His relations to
understand, that it was not so much the natural tie which He valued, as
the spiritual; not, as we have already explained, that He was devoid of
natural affection, but that the spiritual bond was of so much higher
importance in His esteem. In applying this principle for our adoption
and regulation, certainly great allowance must be made, and sound
discretion used; allowance for our mutual infirmities; and discretion,
for the sake of preserving domestic harmony and peace. Far be it from
us, to disclaim and renounce every one of our family, who liveth not as a
faithful follower of Christ; he has a natural hold upon us, which must
not be harshly or hastily broken.
Independently of a universal feeling of benevolence for all mankind; it
is evidently the will of God, that the different members of each family
should be especially attached together, for the sake of promoting each
other’s interest and comfort; and thus of contributing to the good of
society at large; to the increase of the general stock of happiness, and
the diminution of evil.
And this, the design of a merciful Providence, which is manifest to our
common reason and our common feelings, is abundantly verified and
enforced by the holy word of God. The fifth commandment in the law
distinctly recognizes and requires the exercise of domestic affection;
and it is repeatedly confirmed, under the gospel covenant, by the pen of
an inspired apostle. That apostle has farther declared, that “if any
provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he
hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” {379} And the
sense of this precept may be properly extended, to sanction and command
all those peculiar offices, of kindness and countenance and support,
which the members of a family can perform for each other. Under ordinary
circumstances therefore, if there be no opposing necessity, the natural
tie is to be respected by the Christian, and bound upon his conscience
and his heart.
Nor is such a connexion to be dissolved, but in cases of extremity; for
this among other reasons, that there is always a hope, of the recreant
and abandoned becoming, by the mercy of God, at length reclaimed and
converted; and of this great blessing the pious relative may be made an
instrument, by his fervent prayer, his affectionate counsel, and the
constant influence of his good example.
But all this hinders us not from looking, with a very different eye, upon
the spiritual and the worldly relation; upon the good and the evil;
though both may be objects of our kind personal offices, the nature and
degree of our affection may vary most exceedingly. Our love for the
truly christian relative has a fervour, a purity, a delight, which
nothing but the mutual working and spirit of religion can possibly
generate: the happiness proceeds from that sacred, heavenly source, from
which both of us draw our principles and hopes; from the consciousness of
our common interest in the great Redeemer, and our common relationship to
Him: we are both “members of Christ and children of God;” inheritors of a
better kingdom; to which we are journeying together, and of which we love
to be discoursing; it is a bond of union, which nothing can separate; not
distance, not death: for this is the great consideration, the great
enhancement of our joy and comfort, that the love which we are bearing
for one another, in the kingdom of grace, shall be renewed and matured in
the kingdom of glory. And unless there be this principle of attachment
between relations, this common faith and hope, this exercise of piety and
godliness, this interchange of holy affection, all other attachments,
however requisite for this world, are but time-serving and poor: death
will be the dreadful extinction. But when the natural affection is thus
combined with the spiritual, and draws its nourishment from it, they
produce together a happiness, which none but such relations can know.
And further, we are taught by this example of Christ, that every sincere
believer, with whom we are made acquainted, with whom we have
intercourse, is to be treated as a brother; whatever be his situation in
life, he is an object of affection far more noble and delightful, than
any human tie can possibly produce; and is entitled to our best and most
benevolent services. We may not be familiarly associated; we may not
dwell with him as with an earthly relative; there may be a distance of
rank between us; but we love and honour him, for the Lord’s sake and his
own sake, as one of God’s redeemed people, with whom we hope to dwell in
love for ever; and therefore our soul delighteth “to communicate with him
and to do him good.” Pity that there is not, in the christian world,
more of this spirit of the blessed Jesus; more friendly sympathy and
brotherly interchange; more regard for one another, as members of the
same holy family; the rich for the rich, the poor for the poor, the rich
and poor for each other. Far different would be our condition in this
world, if all were thus regarding, thus feeling for, thus helping one
another. Why is it not so? For the want of a true christian faith and
principle. If the tree were good, the fruit would be thus beautiful.
My brethren, allow me affectionately to recommend this subject to your
private and most serious consideration; to your daily prayers; as a
subject, in which your own interest in the Saviour is deeply involved; as
a subject, intimately connected with all your best promises and hopes, in
this life and the life to come. And may the God of love shed His spirit
abroad amongst us, and “pour into our hearts this most excellent gift of
charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues.” Has Jesus, our
common Lord and Master, our heavenly and eternal King, declared, of every
faithful disciple, that “the same is to Him, as a brother and sister and
mother?” Then remember His example, and remember His words, “_as_ I have
loved you, that ye love one another:” remember them, or you will be
forgotten by Him: “love the brotherhood,” or you do not belong to Christ;
your profession is hypocrisy. “Walk in love, as Christ hath loved you;”
let it be your daily walk: the reward is great, in every point of view;
great upon earth, in present comfort and peace and honour; greater on the
latter day, in the approving declaration of your Lord; “Inasmuch as ye
have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto Me:” {384} greatest in heaven, where we shall be made “perfect in
love;” in the love of God, and of the holy angels, and all His redeemed
people, for ever and ever.
SERMON XXI.
ON SEEKING OUT THE WORKS OF THE LORD AND PRAISING HIM.
PSALM cxi. 1. 2.
_I will give thanks unto the Lord with my whole heart_; _in the
assembly of the upright and in the congregation_.
_The works of the Lord are great_, _sought out of all them that have
pleasure therein_.
ONE of the greatest hindrances to the Christian life, in the true
believer, is his perpetual intermixture with the world, his constant
occupation with the business of his daily calling, with earthly pleasures
and pursuits. The world, in its very nature, in the spirit which it
breathes, in the cares which it engenders, in the temptations which it
spreads, stands in opposition to the gospel, to the Christian’s walk with
God; it unfits his mind for spiritual contemplation; it gives him a
disrelish for holy delights; it calls aside his thoughts from God, from
heaven, and from heavenly things; and makes him forget his obligation to,
and dependence upon, the merciful and over-ruling providence of the Most
High.
And yet it is undoubtedly our duty to live in the world; to partake, in a
certain degree, of its pleasures, as well as of its labours and cares.
It is the will and decree of God, that mankind should provide “by the
sweat of their brow” for their subsistence and well-being in life:
integrity and industry in the exercise of our calling are among the
appointed means, by which we must “Work out our salvation.” Since
therefore we are obliged to mix with the world, our great object should
be, to guard against its engrossing and corrupting influence; to retain
all our possessions in a spirit of humble and constant reliance upon the
sovereign power and disposal of the Almighty; to be lifting up our
hearts, in the course of our daily employment, above all secular
concerns, to the author of our being, to the giver of our talents and our
time, to the judge of all our actions. And besides, some portion of each
day must be distinctly set apart for holy reading, meditation, and
prayer. Without such rules and observances, the christian principle
cannot possibly be maintained; faith and zeal will grow cold, the
communion with God be gradually impaired, the affections estranged, and
the obedience destroyed.
These remarks may serve to introduce an exposition of the 2nd verse of
the text. “The works of the Lord are great:” yet great as they are, they
cannot be understood nor perceived by those, who are absorbed in earthly
ideas and pursuits. The attention will thus be entirely drawn off from a
contemplation of the works of Jehovah; and the mind will entirely rest
upon its own labours and objects. To our own hand and our own arm, to
our own skill and enterprise, to our own advantage and honour, we shall
refer all the transactions of life, and all the success and enjoyment
with which we are blessed. The dealings of our heavenly Father, both
with ourselves and with the world around us, will be utterly overlooked;
and however we may believe, as a speculative truth, that His “providence
orders and governs all things both in heaven and earth,” we shall be in
no way improved or affected by that belief; in fact, we shall have no
real or practical persuasion of His providential government: we shall be
blind to His manifold mercies vouchsafed to ourselves, to our brethren,
and to the Church at large.
The works of the Lord must be “sought out;” that is, they must be
mindfully and diligently observed, in order to their being adequately
understood; nay, if we would know any thing of their vastness or their
excellency. We must be continually looking beyond human motives, human
exertions, human experience, if we would in any measure, comprehend or
perceive the merciful interpositions and dealings of God. We must be in
the constant habit of connecting the ordinary operations and occurrences
of life with a higher power, with the counsel and government of heaven; a
gracious promise is given, that “all things shall work together for good
to them that love God;” and we must be always endeavouring to trace this
working, and observe the striking manner in which this effect is
produced. We shall thus be able to perceive, how continually our
merciful Father is watching over us, is crowning our honest designs and
labours with success, and is bringing good even out of evil itself. We
shall perceive, how wonderfully He directs us to the most suitable means
of accomplishing our laudable purposes: how He over-rules those events,
over which we had no controul, for our benefit and prosperity; how He
raises up to us friends and fellow-workers, when we least expected them;
and provides us comforters, where we looked for none; how, in the season
of danger, of which we are not even aware, He spreads over us the shield
of safety, and we come forth unhurt; how He compels the designs, even of
our enemies themselves, to minister in the end to our advantage; how, in
the various calamities and sorrows, privations and disappointments,
sicknesses and pains, which He does permit to befal us, He brings us
consolation under them, and makes us to see and acknowledge, that what we
lamented as a grievance, is turned into a signal blessing. And whenever,
in any of our concerns or experiences, we fail to trace the mercy of God,
it is, for the most part, because we do not sufficiently seek it out;
because we are resting in our own short-sighted views; because we are
“walking by sight and not by faith,” in “the flesh and not in the
spirit;” desiring benefit in our own ways, and not humbly discerning the
ways of the Lord; impatient under the means, and not considering the end;
looking at the earthly instrument and agent, and forgetting the prime
Mover of all.
What I am seeking to recommend to you is this, not a mere principle or
matter of belief, but the importance of a constant, daily observance of
the events and transactions of life, in reference to the almighty power
and goodness of God. It is a point not attended to, even by many sincere
Christians, as it ought to be; as to the generality, day after day passes
by, without any such reference at all. Every thing proceeds, in their
notion and view, from their own will and work, from the good or evil
working of others; and they are affected accordingly; rejoicing or
complaining, elevated or cast down. They have no consideration of the
great Ruler and Preserver; they might almost be said to “live without God
in the world;” it amounts, at least, to a practical disowning of His
providence.
But I must repeat, that even from many sincere Christians this great
influential doctrine does not receive all the attention, which its
importance demands. They are convinced, that “the works of the Lord are
great;” that His mighty operations are continually manifested, in the
moral and spiritual government of mankind; but they do not sufficiently
carry this conviction into their own daily walk in life. Far would we be
from implying, that such reflections ought, in any way, to interfere with
our circumspection or diligence in worldly concerns; or that we are
familiarly to mix up religious observations with ordinary business or
pleasure; but we should have a mind and heart ever open to perceive the
gracious interpositions and visitations of heaven; we should be alive to
every providential deliverance from accident or danger, both in ourselves
and others: to the vouchsafement of every blessing, both temporal and
spiritual. And they, who are thus disposed and ready, will find many
opportunities drawing them to God: many circumstances and events, which
they once regarded somewhat in the light of chance, they will then
clearly ascribe to the sure, though silent working of that invisible
power, by which every thing in the universe is governed and sustained.
But the works of the Lord are “sought out” by those only, “who have
pleasure therein:” and this will explain to us the true cause, why such
lamentable numbers of professed believers seldom or never seek them out
at all. They have no _pleasure_ in their thoughts upon the Almighty:
they love Him not, serve Him not with a devoted and delighted heart;
their conscience is uneasy and self-condemning, and therefore they
reluctantly turn their thoughts to their great Sovereign and Judge; it is
rather a pain than a pleasure to them, so to do. “Loving the world and
the things of the world,” they have no taste for spiritual enjoyment of
any kind: in extraordinary emergencies, when the interference of an
over-ruling power is irresistibly thrust upon their notice, they do not
refuse to join with their brethren in acknowledging the fact: but as for
searching out His ways and dealings in their daily experience, they are
decidedly disinclined and averse to it; the injunction of such a practice
is repugnant to their views and feelings and desires.
Nor can any, but the pious and faithful servant of God, find delight in
this holy and profitable exercise: and the longer he lives, the more
clearly he perceives the hand of the Almighty in every thing; in
discomfiting the evil and blessing the good: he sees and admires the
wonders of grace, as well as the wonders of providence, vouchsafed to
others as well as himself; to the Church in all ages. He reads, in the
word of truth, of the signal manner, in which the Lord has delivered His
people from the foundation of the world; not only by the miraculous
interposition of His omnipotent arm; but also in the ordinary course of
His dealings with them. How merciful and manifold have been His ways of
enlightening them when in ignorance, and converting them when in sin.
How pitifully and patiently has He borne, not only with their
infirmities, but with their guilt and rebellion; and graciously reclaimed
them from the path of error and ruin, by the mercies of His chastising
rod. Nor do the defeat and destruction of wicked men afford less
decisive proof, than the deliverance of the righteous, of the greatness
of the Lord’s works: the whole history of the Church shews Him to have
been great in justice, as in mercy: and, we may add, in truth also.
Often indeed have the promises of divine favour, and the denunciations of
vengeance, been fulfilled in the most unexpected and marvellous manner;
by instruments apparently altogether unequal to the momentous object
designed. But “the Lord worked for His people; and there is no restraint
to the Lord to save by many or by few.” {395}
And amongst his friends and brethren in the Lord, the christian also
beholds many satisfactory and encouraging instances of the working of
heavenly power: he sees them advancing in their spiritual course,
steadier in principle, and improved in character, “growing in grace and
in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” And wherever he
observes the increase of true religion, there he also finds, to his
heart’s delight, a correspondent increase of contentment and happiness;
the power of the gospel is manifest before him, in the altered characters
and lives of men; and in all this, he perceives and admires the gracious
operations of a merciful God.
But the christian is best acquainted with himself; studies the most
narrowly his own conduct, and life; he judges indeed, with deep humility,
of the manifestation of divine power in his behalf, sincerely conscious
of his undeservings; still he can truly bear witness that in his own
case, his own experience also, the works of the Lord have been great.
Though still far, in spirit and in character, from what he ought to be
and would be; he finds himself continually gaining the mastery over his
evil affections and habits, and drawing nearer to God; perpetually
advancing in holiness, as in knowledge; more “hungering and thirsting
after righteousness, and more filled;” taking more delight in spiritual
ordinances, and shewing the fruit of them in his life and conversation.
And when he considers his own sinful nature, and the powerful enemies
opposed to him, he cannot but ascribe this change in his heart, this
improvement in his conduct, to the mighty workings of heavenly grace.
Unworthy as he is of God’s favour, he does find a well-spring of comfort
established in his soul; comfort at all times, especially in the hour of
tribulation; either he is provided with the means of deliverance, or the
tribulation itself is converted into a blessing. He is also made in many
ways, the instrument of benefit to others, to his family or friends; and
every door of usefulness that is opened to him, he gratefully
acknowledges to be opened of the Lord. In all the good he receives or
does, and all the evil he escapes or prevents, he traces the power and
mercy of his God; “not unto me, O Lord, not unto me, but unto Thy name be
the glory and the praise.” Thus he imitates the conduct of the Psalmist,
recorded in the text; “I will give thanks unto the Lord with my whole
heart:” it is not a formal service, not a partial tribute, not a
reluctant offering: all the powers of his understanding and all the
affections of his soul are employed in magnifying the majesty and
loving-kindness of the “author and giver of every good gift.”
And the grateful Christian imitates the Psalmist yet farther; he does not
hide the sense of God’s goodness within his own bosom; nor confine the
mention of it to the narrow boundary of his closet; but declares it
openly as opportunity serves; first of all “in the assembly of the
upright,” or, according to the better version of the Prayer Book,
“secretly among the faithful;” in the company of his family and his
religious friends. When he has experienced or observed the peculiar
mercies of his almighty and merciful Father, he delights to speak of
them; though with humility, yet with fervour and joy. Such is the
natural disposition of man, when he feels deeply the obligation of
benefits conferred: if an earthly friend has enriched or favoured him, he
thankfully makes mention of the kindness: and shall he do less for the
abundant, the infinite goodness of his God? Shall he not rejoice to
proclaim it in the very overflowing of his heart?
There are persons, who would draw a line of distinction between the two
cases; and say, that our obligations to God should be felt only, and our
obligations to man should be both felt and proclaimed. It is probable,
that such observations, however sincerely made, generally proceed from
the want of spirituality of heart: there is an aversion to the
introduction of religious topics, however sober or seasonable. That they
are often indiscreetly introduced, often in a spirit of
self-righteousness, and fanatical pretension, we cannot deny: but the
abuse of any holy exercise is not to prevent us from the use. Look at
the recorded lives of any pious Christians, of those who are held up to
us as patterns of righteousness, whom in fact we profess to admire; and
see how ready and forward they were, on all occasions, to speak of the
manifold works which God had wrought for them, of the kindness which they
had experienced at His hands. The Psalms are full of such expressions
and resolutions: the text is a decided instance: let it have its effect
upon us: let every one who has been favoured of the Lord, delight to be
“talking of His doings:” not intrusively, not boastingly, as if he were a
special favourite of heaven; as if he would make it appear, that the Lord
were kinder to him than to others: but with simplicity and singleness of
mind. The true believer abhors the two extremes, of spiritual pride on
the one hand; and of cold-hearted insensibility on the other. He feels
himself all undeserving of the bounty of the Lord, and is astonished that
it should be so bestowed upon _him_, who is “not worthy to gather up the
crumbs under his master’s table;” but the bounty _is_ bestowed, and he
cannot let it pass unnoticed or undeclared.
Again, the Psalmist says, “in the assembly of the upright and in the
congregation.” He vows, that not only in the company of his faithful
friends, but also in the great congregation, in the holy temple, the
power and mercy of Jehovah shall be publicly proclaimed. {401} Not that
any particular acts, of providence or grace, could be there mentioned by
name; but that the thankfulness, which he feels for them, would put new
life and energy into his praises, in the House of God. And this also we
shall do well to imitate; this we shall assuredly imitate, if we have the
true spirit of faith and piety. At all times, the sincere worshipper has
so powerful a sense of the divine goodness in his heart, as to preserve
him, in his public thanksgivings, from indifference and languor; but
there are times, when he is visited with peculiar favour, with signal
deliverances and blessings; and the remembrance of them will inspire him,
when he next visits the temple of the Lord, with more than ordinary
ardour; “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh;” and as
his love and gratitude rise, his tribute of praise will ascend, in a
loftier strain, to the fountain of mercy, to the throne of grace.
And God will hear him, and accept the free-will offering; he will return
from worship in a holier frame, and with a more heavenly temper; the
incense which he has been wafting to the skies, will leave a fragrance
behind, and spread to his character; and he will be rendered meet,
through the grace and intercession of his Redeemer, for further
manifestations of divine love. And O still better fruit, still happier
effects of his devout thanksgiving! he will be preparing his soul for
more exalted praises in the world to come, amid the countless multitude
of worshippers, in the courts of the Lamb; where the holy-angels and the
glorified saints shall rejoice together, in seeking out and recounting
the surpassing love of God to His church and people, to His universal
creation in all ages. Exulting in the light divine, and sharing together
the blessedness of the Saviour’s triumph, praise shall be their constant
employment; and the vaults of heaven shall eternally echo with this their
joyful theme, “Great and marvellous are Thy works. Lord God Almighty;
just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of Saints.” {403}
SERMON XXII.
DILIGENCE AND PERSEVERANCE IN THE CHRISTIAN RACE.
PHILIPP. iii. 13, 14.
_Brethren_, _I count not myself to have apprehended_; _but this one
thing I do_, _forgetting those things which are behind_, _and
reaching forth unto those things which are before_, _I press toward
the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus_.
FROM what St. Paul had said in a few verses before, he feared, lest he
should have seemed to make himself sure of salvation, without the
necessity of any further anxiety or labour; as if he might rest quietly
satisfied with his present views and attainments; and had nothing to do,
but to wait for the certain result. And truly, if such confidence and
relaxation could ever have been justified, it must have been in the case
of this apostle; witness the sacrifices which he had made for the gospel;
his unswerving and invincible faith; his holiness of character; his
unparallelled labours; and the many signal marks of divine blessing, with
which he had been distinguished.
But still, he was far from presuming in this way; and the resolution
which he expresses in the text, and the account which he gives of his own
spirit and conduct, may furnish us with a very suitable lesson, and teach
us the absolute necessity of continued watchfulness and diligence and
perseverance unto the end; may teach us, that we are not, as the prophet
Ezekiel expresses it, to “_trust_ in our own righteousness;” {405} in any
principles we have formed, any views we have entertained, any holiness we
have acquired, any experiences with which we have been blessed; and thus
grow heedless and secure: but, that the further we advance, the more we
must be convinced of the need of exertion; the more we shall find to do,
and the more we shall be enabled to do: who loiters, loses; loses the
advantage of the ground he has gone over; loses the means of a victorious
and successful accomplishment.
It will be improving, to those, who listen with humble and teachable
hearts, who spiritually receive the word of God as the teaching of the
Spirit of God, if we repeat a considerable portion of the important
passage connected with the text; let us begin then with the 7th verse.
“What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ, yea
doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of
all things, (all earthly things) and do count them but dung, (as mere
refuse and worthlessness) that I may win Christ and be found in Him, not
having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is
through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship
of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death, (by dying to sin
that I may live to God;) if by any means I might attain to the
resurrection of the dead,” (to that perfect felicity, to which the saints
are admitted at the resurrection.) From these words, it might have
appeared to some, as if the apostle had expected his great object to be
already accomplished; as if he had arrived at a state of faith and
holiness, by which he had actually secured this felicity, independently
of any further vigilance or labour: and therefore he immediately adds, by
way of caution and correction: “Not as though I had already attained,
either were already perfect; but I follow after, (keep following after
the object before me,) if that I may apprehend _that_, (may lay hold of
_that_ prize,) for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus;” (for
which He, as it were, has graciously laid hold of me, arresting me in my
course of blindness and obstinacy, as a malignant persecutor of Him and
His gospel.) Then follows the text; “Brethren, I count not myself to
have apprehended;” I reckon not upon the prize as actually won; however
high and fervent my hope, however undoubted my assurance of ultimate
success, I cannot be careless, I must not diminish my anxiety or
activity; my hope can only be sustained in proportion to my vigour in the
contest; success must depend upon my unbending resolution and unabating
constancy: the victory is not gained in the middle of the course, and
cannot be gained till it is finished.
Many of us, no doubt, are aware, that the apostles, as well as our
blessed Lord, were in the habit of drawing their observations and modes
of instruction from the common transactions of daily life; from the
circumstances, by which they were surrounded; from the manners and
customs of the people, amongst whom they sojourned. Thus, when our Lord
called Peter and Andrew, who were fishermen, to be His disciples, He
said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” And St. Paul, on
the occasion before us, alludes to certain games or sports, generally
celebrated, and highly esteemed by the people, whom he was addressing.
One of these games was the foot-race, in which a number of competitors
contended together for the prize; and, in the result of which, they and
their friends were deeply interested. Severe was the previous training,
which it was necessary for them to undergo; and great and persevering the
exertion necessary, in order to gain the prize. It would readily occur
to their minds, that if the racer, who was out-stripping his opponents,
were so to please himself by the advantage he had gained, by thinking of
the ground he had successfully gone over, as to relinquish his efforts,
as to stop and look back upon his wonderful feats, and indolently enjoy
his satisfaction, that, by such folly he would soon lose his superiority,
that his past endeavours would have been to little or no purpose; it
would be perfectly manifest to them, that nothing could ensure his
success, but the continuance of that activity, which had placed him
foremost in the trial.
Agreeably to this view and this figure, the apostle took his resolution,
and formed his principle and conduct in the christian race. “This one
thing I do;” this is the unswerving purpose of my soul, this the plan and
object by which my whole course is constantly regulated; “forgetting
those things which are behind, and reaching forth, (stretching out and
forward all the faculties of my body and soul) to those things which are
before, I press toward the mark.” Great and successful as his
attainments already were, he did not dwell upon them with a complacence
and security, which should induce him to relax; on the contrary, he
forgot them, in the comparison and prospect of the exertions which yet
remained.
And how much less reason have we, my brethren, to be satisfied with our
past character, with any thing that we have already achieved. Woe to me!
(may many of us say,) how large a portion of my time has been consumed in
indifference and trifling! how long was it before I earnestly set out in
the race at all! and even after it was begun, I proceeded carelessly and
supinely, as if the prize had not been worth contending for. How idly
and insufficiently did I prepare for the contest; expecting to gain the
victory without a sacrifice or a struggle! yea, and perhaps the best of
us may look rather with shame than satisfaction upon our christian
attainments: how much further might we have advanced, than we have done,
if we had commenced the good work in earlier life, or been more diligent:
how much more enlightened might our minds have now been, had we more
fervently sought, and more implicitly yielded to, the teaching of the
Spirit of God; had we been more frequently and earnestly “searching the
scriptures,” more devout in meditation and more constant in prayer: how
much more purified our hearts, and “cleansed from all unrighteousness,”
by a more sincere and unqualified subjection to the divine will; how much
higher our affections elevated, had they been more conversant with
heaven; how much more firmly and blamelessly our feet have been fixed in
the way of God’s commandments, in all the blessed ordinances of the
gospel, in the narrow path of life eternal, had we been more zealously
and faithfully walking with God. Nearer should we have been drawn to
Him, in holier and happier communion, had we not been so long, and so
often, cold and remiss.
No, my brethren, we have no reason to be dwelling, with such delight and
confidence, upon the progress we have already made, as to feel ourselves
privileged to be content. In no case, would this be considered the
evidence of a true christian principle or view; in no case, would it be
the means of safety; nor even consistent with the hope of salvation; no,
not even in an apostle; much less in us, whose faith is so weak, whose
knowledge so moderate, whose resolutions so wavering, whose attainments
so comparatively poor. On the contrary, we should sorrow over our past
failings; be deeply affected on considering how far we have come short of
what was required of us; and heartily desire and pray, that the grievous
remembrance may stimulate us to fresh endeavours, with a “new heart and a
new spirit;” that so we may be “reaching forth to those things which are
before.” All that we have well done, and all that we have left undone,
should have, for this purpose, the same effect; experiencing the blessed
consequences of our holy labour, on the one hand, we should be animated
and encouraged to persevere in the conflict, that we may gather thereby
additional comfort and success; and sensible of our deficiencies, on the
other hand, in a work of such inconceivable and everlasting importance,
we should be anxious to repair our neglect; and thankful for our
opportunity of “redeeming the time,” and making further advances.
Thank God, whatever our negligence may have been, all is not lost; the
course is yet before us, and we may go onward in the spirit and strength
of the Lord; the prize is yet before us, and it may be won. But it
requires a full purpose of heart, a fixed determination, an undaunted
courage, a strenuous exercise of every faculty and every nerve: all that
we are, and have, must be devoted to the securing of the one great
object. All the talents of reason, with which our Creator has endued us;
all the energy of grace, with which our souls are supplied, must
incessantly be brought to bear upon our high and holy calling. We must
be daily and hourly proceeding; no lingering, longing looks upon the
world we are leaving behind us; no loitering amid its vanities and
follies; no backsliding to its sinful pleasures and pursuits; no
declining from the strict line of duty, as if it were become wearisome,
as if it were not fully believed to be right or requisite: “the just
shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no
pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition;
but of them who believe to the saving of the soul.” {415}
St. Paul says, “I press toward the mark;” alluding to the mark, or line,
drawn across the end of the course, to shew where it terminated. The end
of our course is death; that is the mark, to which we must constantly
press; never, till we reach it, can our striving be over, can the victory
be gained. If we perceive ourselves languishing or weary, if the enemy
of our souls would tempt us, as he undoubtedly will do, to indolence or
repose, let us instantly pray to our Almighty Father, for a double
portion of His Holy Spirit, and he will enable us to renew our vigour,
and maintain our stedfastness. Yea, though the race be so protracted,
that our limbs may be growing feeble with age, and our vital energies
decaying, still we shall be inspirited with a courage and strength, that
will be found abundantly sufficient; and as we near the end, our hopes
will rise, and our prospect will brighten; the weakness of nature will be
assisted and compensated by a merciful increase of faith; and we shall
press onward, through the latter part of the trial, with holier
confidence and fuller expectation.
And all this, “for the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus.” What
was it, that led the people of former days, to enter into the list, and
engage in the race? Why were they content to undergo such previous
hardships and privations, in order to qualify them for the task? Why did
they exert themselves in the contest, so laboriously and painfully, as if
willing to sacrifice their lives in the struggle? It was for a little
crown of withering leaves; for the honour of their countrymen’s applause;
and the approval of their families and friends. How then do they put to
shame the negligent and indifferent christian; him that refuses to train
and labour for the conflict of life, for the cause of salvation! What is
our prize? what are our objects? “an incorruptible crown,” a “crown of
glory that fadeth not away;” an eternal inheritance in the heavens; the
approbation of all good men; the welcome acclaim of a “multitude of
angels which no man can number;” the approval, the everlasting reward of
the Judge of our christian race. Are not these objects worthy of our
supreme regard? Is not this worth contending for? Does it not demand
all our attention, all our anxiety, all our watchfulness and diligence
and labour? Should not our whole soul be devoted thereto? Ought it not
to be, comparatively speaking, the sole purpose, for which we care to
live and hope to die?
Especially when we consider the consequences of our failure, in this
great enterprise and work. He that lost the earthly race, lost little;
perhaps it was somewhat of an honour for him to have contended at all:
but he, who loses the christian race, loses every thing; loses his own
soul, his precious immortal soul; defeat will be ruin, eternal misery and
perdition. He that lost the earthly prize on one occasion, might run for
another on a future day: but when once the spiritual race is run, when we
have arrived at the mark, at the goal, at the gate of death, no further
trial will then be vouchsafed; there will never be another opportunity.
Anxiously perhaps we may desire it; and resolve, as we find ourselves
approaching to the border of eternity, that if we could be permitted to
continue our race for a little season, we would “use all diligence” for a
successful termination; to gain the great prize we appear to be losing:
but the desire will be vain. We knew the nature of the prize before; we
knew what was necessary in order to gain it; we declined and refused; we
chose the broad and easy way of idleness and sin: the night will be come,
and there will be no more working.
O that before, that long before this time shall come, all our hearts may
be thoroughly fixed upon the high calling of our God; upon that blessed
revelation of the gospel, which calls us to life and immortality. O that
the heart of every hearer may be fixed this day, so as never to be
diverted from the holy and heavenly purpose; so as to be filled with a
zeal and ardour, that shall never be extinguished; with invincible
courage, and irremovable confidence; so that we may never “be weary of
well-doing,” but persevere unto the end.
The Saviour, on His lofty throne, calls us by _His word_, which announces
the glorious prize and the conditions of the race; by _His spirit_,
“which is striving with us;” by His _heralds_ and _messengers_, warning,
animating, exhorting, persuading; He promises strength for the contest
and victory in the end, to all who will engage in the great cause, with
earnestness and sincerity. Awake, arise, we have nothing to fear: “the
Lord is with us; who shall be against us?” who shall let or hinder?
Listen, listen to the invitation and the promise! Take them for your
government and your comfort; “so run as to obtain;” so, that on arriving
at the end of the christian course, you may be calmly delighted to
behold, with the eye of faith the crown of victory and of glory, ready to
be placed upon your head. Often indeed are we permitted to behold the
evident superiority of grace, at the latter hour; the peculiar accordance
of divine mercy and strength, triumphing over the weakness of expiring
nature: many pious Christians have then openly exhibited the most
undoubted and convincing tokens of heavenly assurance and support; their
Lord thus manifestly affording them an anticipation of their “crown of
rejoicing,” and cheering them before their dissolution.
At this awful hour, there may be, and doubtless are, differences of
spiritual experience in different individuals: but whatever, when we are
ceasing to labour, be the foretaste of that rest, “which remaineth for
the people of God;” whatever, when we are setting our foot upon the goal,
be the outward and visible sign of approaching glory; sure we may be, if
faithful unto death, that we shall soon enter upon that rest and that
glory; but a small moment is remaining: the prize is ready at our
departure: heaven will rejoice over us; the spirits of just men made
perfect, (many whose names we have honoured, some whom we have seen and
loved) will rejoice over us; and _we_ shall rejoice with them for ever.
* * * * *