love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind, and with all thy strength_. Such a love is this, as
engrosses the whole heart, as takes up all the affections, as fills the
entire capacity of the soul, and employs the utmost extent of all its
faculties. He that thus loves the Lord his God, his spirit continually
_rejoiceth in God his Saviour_. His _delight_ is _in the Lord, his_
Lord and his all, to whom _in every thing he giveth thanks. All_
his _desire is unto God, and to the remembrance of his name_. His
heart is ever crying out, _Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there
is none upon earth that I desire beside thee_. Indeed, what can he
desire beside God? Not the world, or the things of the world. For he
_is crucified to the world, and the world crucified to him_. He is
crucified to the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, and the
pride of life. Yea, he is dead to pride of every kind: for _love is not
puffed up_; but he that dwelling in love, _dwelleth in God, and God in
him_, is less than nothing in his own eyes.
II.) 2. The second thing implied in the being _altogether a Christian_
is, the love of our neighbour. For thus said our Lord in the following
words, _Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself_. If any man ask who
is my neighbour, we reply, every man in the world; every child of his,
who is _the father of the spirits of all flesh_. Nor may we in any
wise except our enemies, or the enemies of God and their own souls.
But every Christian loveth these also as himself, yea, _as Christ loved
us_. He that would more fully understand what manner of love this is,
may consider St. _Paul’s_ description of it. It is _long-suffering and
kind: it envieth not: it is not rash or hasty in judging: it is not
puffed up_, but maketh him that loves, the least, the servant of all.
Love _doth not behave itself unseemly_, but _becometh all things to
all men_. She _seeketh not her own_, but only the good of others, that
they may be saved. Love _is not provoked_. It casteth out wrath, which
he who hath, is wanting in love. It _thinketh no evil_. It _rejoiceth
not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth_. It _covereth all things,
believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things_.
III.) 3. There is yet one thing more that may be separately considered,
tho’ it cannot actually be separate from the preceding, which is
implied in the being _altogether a Christian_. And that is the ground
of all, even faith. Very excellent things are spoken of this throughout
the oracles of God. _Every one_, saith the beloved disciple, _that
believeth, is born of God. To as many as received him, gave he power
to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name._
And, _this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith_.
Yea, our Lord himself declares, _He that believeth in the Son hath
everlasting life; and cometh not into condemnation, but is passed from
death unto life_.
4. But here let no man deceive his own soul. “It is diligently to be
noted, the faith which bringeth not forth repentance and love, and all
good works, is not that right living faith, but a dead and devilish
one. For even the devils believe, that Christ was born of a virgin,
that he wrought all kinds of miracles, declaring himself very God: that
for our sakes he suffered a most painful death, to redeem us from death
everlasting: that he rose again the third day: that he ascended into
heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father, and at the end
of the world, shall come again to judge both the quick and dead. These
articles of our faith the devils believe, and so they believe all that
is written in the Old and New Testament. And yet for all this faith,
they be but devils. They remain still in their damnable estate, lacking
the very true Christian faith.”[5]
5. “The right and true Christian faith is (to go on in the words of our
own church) not only to believe that holy scripture, and the articles
of our faith are true, but also to have a sure trust and confidence, to
be saved from everlasting damnation by Christ. It is a sure trust and
confidence which a man hath in God, that by the merits of Christ his
sins _are_ forgiven, and he reconciled to the favour of God,――whereof
doth follow a loving heart, to obey his commandments.”
6. Now whosoever has this faith, which _purifies the heart_, by the
power of God, who _dwelleth therein_, from pride, anger, desire, _from
all unrighteousness_, from _all filthiness of flesh and spirit_, which
fills it with love stronger than death, both to God and to all mankind;
love that doth the works of God, glorying to spend and to be spent for
all men, and that endureth with joy, not only the reproach of Christ,
the being mocked, despised, and hated of all men, but whatsoever the
wisdom of God permits the malice of men or devils to inflict; whosoever
has this _faith_, thus _working by love_, is not _almost only, but
altogether a Christian_.
7. But who are the living witnesses of these things? I beseech you,
brethren, as in the presence of that God, before whom _hell and
destruction are without a covering: how much more the hearts of the
children of men?_ that each of you would ask his own heart, “Am I of
that number? Do I so far practise justice, mercy and truth, as even
the rules of Heathen honesty require? If so, have I the very _outside_
of a Christian? The form of godliness? Do I abstain from evil, from
whatsoever is forbidden in the written word of God? Do I, whatever good
my hand findeth to do, do it with my might? Do I seriously use all the
ordinances of God at all opportunities? And is all this done, with a
sincere design and desire to please God in all things?”
8. Are not many of you conscious, that you never came thus far; that
you have not been even _almost a Christian_? That you have not come
up to the standard of Heathen honesty? At least, not to the form of
Christian godliness? Much less hath God seen sincerity in you, a real
design of pleasing him in all things. You never so much as intended, to
devote all your words and works, your business, studies, diversions, to
his glory. You never even designed or desired, that whatsoever you did,
should be _done in the name of the Lord Jesus_, and, as such, should be
_a spiritual sacrifice, acceptable to God through Christ_.
9. But supposing you had; do good designs and good desires make a
Christian? By no means, unless they are brought to good effect. “Hell
is paved, saith one, with good intentions.” The great question of
all then still remains. Is the love of God shed abroad in your heart?
Can you cry out, “My God and my all?” Do you desire nothing but him?
Are you happy in God? Is he your glory, your delight, your crown of
rejoicing? And is this commandment written in your heart, that he who
loveth God love his brother also? Do you then love your neighbour as
yourself? Do you love every man, even your enemies, even the enemies of
God, as your own soul? As Christ loved you? Yea, dost thou believe that
Christ loved _thee_, and gave himself for thee? Hast thou faith in his
blood? Believest thou the Lamb of God hath taken away _thy_ sins, and
cast them as a stone into the depth of the sea? That he hath blotted
out the hand-writing that was against _thee_, taking it out of the way,
nailing it to his cross? Hast _thou_ indeed ♦redemption through his
blood, even the remission of _thy_ sins? And doth his Spirit bear
witness with _thy_ spirit, that thou art a child of God?
10. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who now standeth in
the midst of us, knoweth that if any man die without this faith and
this love, good it were for him that he had never been born. Awake,
then, thou that sleepest, and call upon thy God: call in the day when
he may be found. Let him not rest, till he _make his goodness to pass
before thee, till he proclaim unto thee the name of the Lord, The Lord,
the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in
goodness and truth; keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity
and transgression and sin_. Let no man persuade thee by vain words,
to rest short of this prize of thy high calling. But cry unto him day
and night, who, _while we were without strength, died for the ungodly_,
until thou knowest in whom thou hast believed, and canst say, “My Lord
and my God.” Remember, _always to pray and not to faint_, till thou
also canst lift up thy hand unto heaven, and declare to him that liveth
for ever and ever, “Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I
love thee.”
11. May we all thus experience what it is, to be not almost only, but
altogether Christians! Being justified freely by his grace, through
the redemption that is in Jesus: knowing we have peace with God through
Jesus Christ: rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and having the
love of God shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost given unto us!
SERMON III.[6]
EPHES. v. 14.
_Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ
shall give thee light._
IN discoursing on these words, I shall, with the help of God,
_First_, Describe the sleepers to whom they are spoken.
_Secondly_, Enforce the exhortation, _Awake thou that sleepest, and
arise from the dead_. And,
_Thirdly_, Explain the promise made to such as do _awake_ and _arise_;
_Christ shall give thee light_.
I.) 1. And first, as to the sleepers here spoken to. By sleep is
signified the natural state of man: that deep sleep of the soul into
which the sin of _Adam_ hath cast all who spring from his loins; that
supineness, indolence, and stupidity, that insensibility of his real
condition, wherein every man comes into the world, and continues till
the voice of God awakes him.
2. Now _they that sleep, sleep in the night_. The state of nature is
a state of utter darkness; a state wherein _darkness covers the earth,
and gross darkness the people_. The poor unawakened sinner, how much
knowledge soever he may have as to other things, has no knowledge
of himself: in this respect, _he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to
know_. He knows not that he is a fallen spirit, whose only business in
the present world, is to recover from his fall, to regain that image
of God wherein he was created. He sees _no necessity_ for _the one
thing needful_, even that inward universal change, that _birth from
above_ (figured out by baptism) which is the beginning of that total
renovation, that sanctification of spirit, soul and body, _without
which no man shall see the Lord_.
* 3. Full of all diseases as he is, he fancies himself in perfect
health: fast bound in misery and iron, he dreams that he is at liberty.
He says, Peace, peace, while the devil, _as a strong man armed_, is in
full possession of his soul. He sleeps on still, and takes his rest,
tho’ hell is moved from beneath to meet him; tho’ the pit, from whence
there is no return, hath opened its mouth to swallow him up: a fire
is kindled around him, yet he knoweth it not; yea it burns him, yet
he lays it not to heart.
4. By one who sleeps we are therefore to understand (and would to God
we might all understand it!) A sinner satisfied in his sins; contented
to remain in his fallen state, to live and die without the image of
God: one who is ignorant both of his disease, and of the only remedy
for it: one who never was warned, or never regarded the warning voice
of God, _to flee from the wrath to come_: one that never yet saw he was
in danger of hell-fire, or cried out in the earnestness of his soul,
_What must I do to be saved?_
5. If this sleeper be not outwardly vicious, his sleep is usually the
deepest of all: whether he be of the _Laodicean_ spirit, _neither cold
nor hot_; but a quiet, rational, inoffensive, good-natured professor of
the religion of his fathers; or whether he be zealous and orthodox, and
_after the most straitest sect of our religion, live a Pharisee_; that
is, according to the scriptural account, one that _justifies himself_;
one that labours _to establish his own righteousness_, as the ground of
his acceptance with God.
6. This is he, who _having a form of godliness, denies the power
thereof_; yea, and probably reviles it, wheresoever it is found, as
mere extravagance and delusion. Meanwhile, the wretched self-deceiver
thanks God, that he _is not as other men are; adulterers, unjust,
extortioners_: no, he doth no wrong to any man. He _fasts twice in the
week_, uses all the means of grace, is constant at church and sacrament:
yea, and _gives tithes of all that he has_, does all the good that he
can: _touching the righteousness of the law_, he is _blameless_: he
wants nothing of godliness but the power; nothing of religion, but the
spirit; nothing of Christianity, but the truth and the life.
7. But know ye not, that however highly esteemed among men, _such a
Christian_ as this may be, he is an abomination in the sight of God,
and an heir of every woe, which the Son of God yesterday, to-day, and
for ever, denounces against _Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites_? He
hath _made clean the outside of the cup and the platter_, but within
is full of all filthiness. _An evil disease cleaveth_ still _unto him_,
so that _his inward parts are very wickedness_. Our Lord fitly compares
him to a _painted sepulchre_, which _appears beautiful without_; but
nevertheless is _full of dead mens bones, and of all uncleanness_. The
bones indeed are no longer dry; _the sinews and flesh are come upon
them, and the skin covers them above_, but _there is no breath_ in them,
no Spirit of the living God. And _if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his. Ye are Christ’s, if so be that the Spirit of
God dwell in you._ But if not, God knoweth that ye abide in death, even
until now.
8. This is another character of the sleeper here spoken to. He
abides in death, tho’ he knows it not. He is dead unto God, _dead in
trespasses and sins_. For, _to be carnally minded is death_. Even as
it is written, _by one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin: and so death passed upon all men_, not only temporal death, but
likewise spiritual and eternal. _In that day that thou eatest_ (said
God to _Adam_) _Thou shalt surely die_. Not bodily (unless as he then
became mortal) but spiritually: thou shalt lose the life of thy soul:
thou shalt die to God; shalt be separated from him, thy essential life
and happiness.
9. Thus first was dissolved the vital union of our soul with God:
insomuch that _in the midst of |natural| life, we are |now| in
|spiritual| death_. And herein we remain till the second _Adam_ becomes
a quickening spirit to us, till he raises the dead, the dead in sin,
in pleasure, riches, or honours. But before any dead soul can live,
he _hears_ (hearkens to) _the voice of the Son of God_: He is made
sensible of his lost estate, and receives the sentence of death in
himself. He knows himself to be _dead while he liveth_, dead to God,
and all the things of God: having no more power to perform the actions
of a living Christian, than a dead body to perform the functions of a
living man.
10. And most certain it is, that one dead in sin, has not _senses
exercised to discern |spiritual| good and evil. Having eyes, he sees
not, he hath ears and hears not._ He doth not _taste and see that the
Lord is gracious_. He _hath not seen God at any time_, nor _heard his
voice_, nor _handled the word of life_. In vain is the name of Jesus
_like ointment poured forth_, and _all his garments smell of myrrh,
aloes and cassia_. The soul that sleepeth in death hath no perception
of any objects of this kind. His heart is _past feeling_, and
understandeth none of these things.
* 11. And hence having no spiritual senses, no inlets of spiritual
knowledge, the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God; nay, he is so far from receiving them, that whatsoever is
spiritually discerned is mere foolishness unto him. He is not content
with being utterly ignorant of spiritual things, but he denies the
very existence of them. And spiritual sensation itself is to him, the
foolishness of folly. _How_, saith he, _can these things be_? How can
any man _know_, that he is alive to God? Even as you know, that your
body is now alive. Faith is the life of the soul: and if ye have this
life abiding in you, ye want no marks to evidence it _to yourself_, but
that ἔλεγχος Πνεύματος, that divine consciousness, that _witness of_
God, which is more and greater than ten thousand human witnesses.
12. If he doth not now bear witness with thy spirit, that thou art
a child of God, O that he might convince thee, thou poor unawakened
sinner, by his demonstration and power, that thou art a child of the
devil! O that as I prophesy, there might now be _a noise and a shaking_,
and may _the bones come together, bone to his bone_. Then _come from
the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may
live_! And do not ye harden your hearts, and resist the Holy Ghost, who
even now is come to _convince_ you _of sin, because you believe not on
the name of the only begotten Son of God_.
II.) 1. * Wherefore, _Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the
dead_. God calleth thee now by my mouth; and bids thee know thyself,
thou fallen spirit, thy true state and only concern below. _What
meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise! Call upon thy God, if so be thy God
will think upon thee, that thou perish not._ A mighty tempest is
stirred up round about thee, and thou art sinking into the depths of
perdition, the gulph of God’s judgments. If thou wouldst escape them,
cast thyself into them. _Judge thyself_, and thou shalt _not be judged
of the Lord_.
2. Awake, awake! Stand up this moment, lest thou _drink at the
Lord’s hand the cup of his fury_. Stir up thyself _to lay hold on the
Lord, the Lord thy righteousness, mighty to save! Shake thyself from
the dust._ At least, let the earthquake of God’s threatnings shake
thee. Awake and cry out with the trembling ♦gaoler, _What must I do to
be saved?_ And never rest, till thou believest on the Lord Jesus, with
a faith which is his gift, by the operation of his spirit.
3. * If I speak to any one of you more than to another, it is to thee,
who thinkest thyself unconcerned in this exhortation. _I have a message
from God unto thee._ In his name, I _warn_ thee _to flee from the wrath
to come_. Thou unholy soul, see thy picture in condemn’d _Peter_, lying
in the dark dungeon, between the soldiers, bound with two chains, the
keepers before the door keeping the prison. The night is far spent, the
morning is at hand, when thou art to be brought forth to execution. And
in these dreadful circumstances, thou art fast asleep; thou art fast
asleep in the devil’s arms, on the brink of the pit, in the jaws of
everlasting destruction.
4. O may _the angel of the Lord come upon thee_, and _the light shine
into thy prison_! And mayst thou feel the stroke of an almighty hand,
raising thee with _arise up quickly, gird thyself, and bind on thy
sandals, cast thy garments about thee, and follow me_.
5. * Awake, thou everlasting spirit, out of thy dream of worldly
happiness. Did not God create thee for himself? Then, thou canst not
rest, till thou restest in him. Return thou wanderer. Fly back to thy
ark. _This is not thy home._ Think not of building tabernacles here.
Thou art but _a stranger, a sojourner upon earth_: A creature of a day,
but just launching out into an unchangeable state. Make haste. Eternity
is at hand. Eternity depends on this moment. An eternity of happiness,
or an eternity of misery!
6. In what state is thy soul? Was God, while I am yet speaking,
to require it of thee, art thou ready to meet death and judgment?
Canst thou stand in his sight, _who is of purer eyes than to behold
iniquity_? Art thou _meet to be partaker of the inheritance of the
saints in light_? Hast thou _fought a good fight and kept the faith_?
Hast thou secured _the one thing needful_? Hast thou recovered the
image of God, even _righteousness and true holiness_? Hast thou _put
off the old man and put on the new_? Art thou _cloathed upon with
Christ_?
7. Hast thou oil in thy lamp? Grace in thy heart? Dost thou _love the
Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy mind, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy strength_? Is _that mind in thee, which
was also in Christ Jesus_? Art thou a Christian indeed? That is, a new
creature? Are _old things past away, and all things become new_?
8. Art thou a _partaker of the divine nature? Knowest thou not, that
Christ is in thee, except thou be reprobate?_ Knowest thou, that God
_dwelleth in thee, and thou in God, by his Spirit which he hath given
thee_? Knowest thou not, that _thy body is a temple of the Holy Ghost,
which thou hast of God_? Hast thou _the witness in thyself? The earnest
of thine inheritance?_ Hast thou _received the Holy Ghost_――or dost
thou start at the question, not knowing whether there be any Holy Ghost?
9. If it offends thee, be thou assured, that thou neither art a
Christian, nor desirest to be one. Nay, thy very _prayer is turned into
sin_; and thou hast solemnly mocked God this very day, by praying for
_the inspiration of his holy spirit_, when thou didst not believe there
was any such thing to be received.
10. * Yet on the authority of God’s word and our own church, I must
repeat the question, _Hast thou received the Holy Ghost?_ If thou hast
not, thou art not yet a Christian: for a Christian is a man, that is
_anointed with the Holy Ghost, and with power_. Thou art not yet made a
partaker of pure religion and undefiled. Dost thou know, what religion
is? That it is, a participation of the divine nature, the life of God
in the soul of man: _Christ formed in the heart, Christ, in thee, the
hope of glory_: happiness and holiness: heaven begun upon earth: _a
kingdom of God within thee: not meat and drink_, no outward thing: _but
righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost_? An everlasting
kingdom brought into thy soul, a _peace of God, that passeth all
understanding_; a _joy unspeakable and full of glory_?
11. Knowest thou, that _in Jesus Christ, neither circumcision availeth
any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith that worketh by love_; but
a new creation? Seest thou the necessity of that inward change, that
spiritual birth, that life from the dead? That holiness? And art thou
throughly convinced, that _without it, no man shall see the Lord_? Art
thou labouring after it? _Giving all diligence, to make thy calling
and election sure? Working out thy salvation with fear and trembling?
Agonizing to enter in at the straight gate?_ Art thou _in earnest_
about thy soul? And, canst thou tell the Searcher of hearts, _Thou,
O God, art the thing that I long for_! Lord, thou knowest all things!
Thou knowest that I _would_ love thee!
12. Thou hopest to be saved――but what reason hast thou to give of the
hope that is in thee? Is it because thou hast done no harm? Or, because
thou hast done much good? Or, because thou art not like other men; but
wise, or learned, or honest and morally good? Esteemed of men, and of
a fair reputation? Alas, all this will never bring thee to God. It is
in his account lighter than vanity. Dost thou _know Jesus Christ whom
he hath sent_? Hath he taught thee, that _by grace we are saved through
faith? And that, not of ourselves. It is the gift of God: not of works,
lest any man should boast._ Hast thou received the faithful saying as
the whole foundation of thy hope, _Jesus Christ came into the world
to save sinners_? Hast thou learned what that meaneth, _I came not to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance? I am not sent, but to
the lost sheep?_ Art thou (he that heareth, let him understand!) lost,
dead? _Damned already?_――Dost thou know thy deserts? Dost thou feel
thy wants? Art thou _poor in spirit_? _Mourning_ for God and refusing
to be comforted? Is the prodigal _come to himself_, and well-content to
be therefore thought _beside himself_, by those who are still feeding
upon the husks which he hath left? Art thou willing to _live godly in
Christ Jesus_? And dost thou therefore _suffer persecution_? Do _men
say all manner of evil against thee falsely, for the Son of man’s sake_?
13. O, that in all these questions ye may hear the voice that wakes
the dead, and feel that hammer of the word, which _breaketh the rocks
in pieces!――If ye will hear his voice to day, while it is called to day,
harden not your hearts._ Now _awake thou that sleepest_ in spiritual
death, that thou sleep not in death eternal! Feel thy lost estate,
and _arise from the dead_. Leave thine old companions in sin and death.
Follow thou Jesus, and _let the dead bury their dead. Save thyself
from this untoward generation. Come out from among them, and be thou
separate, and touch not the unclean thing, and the Lord shall receive
thee, Christ shall give thee light._