{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_38162/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_38162","id":"gutenberg_38162","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38162","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Christian life -- Anglican authors"],"text":"E-text prepared by Colin Bell, Hazel Batey, and the Online Distributed\nProofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)\n\n\n\nTranscriber's note:\n\n Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=).\n\n\n\n\n\nPRACTICAL RELIGION\n\nBeing Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and\nPrivileges of Professing Christians\n\nby\n\nJOHN CHARLES RYLE, D.D.,\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBaker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\n PREFACE v\n\n I. SELF-INQUIRY 1\n\n II. SELF-EXERTION 23\n\n III. REALITY 46\n\n IV. PRAYER 63\n\n V. BIBLE-READING 97\n\n VI. GOING TO THE TABLE 140\n\n VII. CHARITY 165\n\n VIII. ZEAL 183\n\n IX. FREEDOM 210\n\n X. HAPPINESS 230\n\n XI. FORMALITY 261\n\n XII. THE WORLD 284\n\n XIII. RICHES AND POVERTY 312\n\n XIV. THE BEST FRIEND 336\n\n XV. SICKNESS 352\n\n XVI. THE FAMILY OF GOD 375\n\n XVII. OUR HOME 392\n\n XVIII. HEIRS OF GOD 403\n\n XIX. THE GREAT GATHERING 429\n\n XX. THE GREAT SEPARATION 442\n\n XXI. ETERNITY 472\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE\n\n\nThe volume now in the reader's hands is intended to be a companion to\ntwo other volumes which I have already published, entitled \"Knots\nUntied,\" and \"Old Paths.\"\n\n\"Knots Untied\" consists of a connected series of papers, systematically\narranged, about the principal points which form the subject of\ncontroversy among Churchmen in the present day. All who take interest in\nsuch disputed questions as the nature of the Church, the Ministry,\nBaptism, Regeneration, the Lord's Supper, the Real Presence, Worship,\nConfession, and the Sabbath, will find them pretty fully discussed in\n\"Knots Untied.\"\n\n\"Old Paths\" consists of a similar series of papers about those leading\ndoctrines of the Gospel which are generally considered necessary to\nsalvation. The inspiration of Scripture, sin, justification,\nforgiveness, repentance, conversion, faith, the work of Christ, and the\nwork of the Holy Spirit, are the principal subjects handled in \"Old\nPaths.\"\n\nThe present volume contains a series of papers about \"practical\nreligion,\" and treats of the daily duties, dangers, experience, and\nprivileges of all who profess and call themselves true Christians. Read\nin conjunction with another work I have previously put out, called\n\"Holiness,\" I think it will throw some light on what every believer\nought to be, to do, and expect.\n\nOne common feature will be found in all the three volumes. I avow it\nfrankly at the outset, and will not keep it back for a moment. The\nstandpoint I have tried to occupy, from first to last, is that of an\nEvangelical Churchman.\n\nI say this deliberately and emphatically. I am fully aware that\nEvangelical churchmanship is not popular and acceptable in this day. It\nis despised by many, and has \"no form or comeliness\" in their eyes. To\navow attachment to Evangelical views, in some quarters, is to provoke a\nsneer, and to bring on yourself the reproach of being an \"unlearned and\nignorant man.\" But none of these things move me. I am not ashamed of my\nopinions. After forty years of Bible-reading and praying, meditation\nand theological study, I find myself clinging more tightly than ever to\n\"Evangelical\" religion, and more than ever satisfied with it. It wears\nwell: it stands the fire. I know no system of religion which is better.\nIn the faith of it I have lived for the third of a century, and in the\nfaith of it I hope to die.\n\nThe plain truth is, that I see no other ground to occupy, and find no\nother rest for the sole of my foot. I lay no claim to infallibility, and\ndesire to be no man's judge. But the longer I live and read, the more I\nam convinced and persuaded that Evangelical principles are the\nprinciples of the Bible, of the Articles and Prayer-book, and of the\nleading Divines of the reformed Church of England. Holding these views,\nI cannot write otherwise than I have written.\n\nI now send forth this volume with an earnest prayer that God the Holy\nGhost may bless it, and make it useful and helpful to many souls.\n\n J. C. RYLE,\n\n November, 1878. _Vicar of Stradbroke._\n\n\n\n\nPRACTICAL RELIGION\n\nI\n\n\nSELF-INQUIRY\n\n \"_Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we\n have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they\n do._\"--Acts xv. 36.\n\n\nThe text which heads this page contains a proposal which the Apostle\nPaul made to Barnabas after their first missionary journey. He proposed\nto revisit the Churches they had been the means of founding, and to see\nhow they were getting on. Were their members continuing steadfast in the\nfaith? Were they growing in grace? Were they going forward, or standing\nstill? Were they prospering, or falling away?--\"Let us go again and\nvisit our brethren, and see how they do.\"\n\nThis was a wise and useful proposal. Let us lay it to heart, and apply\nit to ourselves in the nineteenth century. Let us search our ways, and\nfind out how matters stand between ourselves and God. Let us \"see how we\ndo.\" I ask every reader of this volume to begin its perusal by joining\nme in self-inquiry. If ever self-inquiry about religion was needed, it\nis needed at the present day.\n\nWe live in an age of peculiar _spiritual privileges_. Since the world\nbegan there never was such an opportunity for a man's soul to be saved\nas there is in England at this time. There never were so many signs of\nreligion in the land, so many sermons preached, so many services held in\nchurches and chapels, so many Bibles sold, so many religious books and\ntracts printed, so many Societies for evangelizing mankind supported, so\nmuch outward respect paid to Christianity. Things are done everywhere\nnow-a-days which a hundred years ago would have been thought impossible.\nBishops support the boldest and most aggressive efforts to reach the\nunconverted. Deans and Chapters throw open the naves of cathedrals for\nSunday evening sermons! Clergy of the narrowest High Church School\nadvocate special missions, and vie with their Evangelical brethren in\nproclaiming that going to church on Sunday is not enough to take a man\nto heaven. In short, there is a stir about religion now-a-days to which\nthere has been nothing like since England was a nation, and which the\ncleverest sceptics and infidels cannot deny. If Romaine, and Venn, and\nBerridge, and Rowlands, and Grimshaw, and Hervey, had been told that\nsuch things would come to pass about a century after their deaths, they\nwould have been tempted to say, with the Samaritan nobleman,--\"If the\nLord should make windows of heaven might such a thing be.\" (2 Kings vii.\n19.) But the Lord has opened the windows of heaven. There is more taught\nnow-a-days in England of the real Gospel, and of the way of salvation by\nfaith in Jesus Christ, in one week, than there was in a year in\nRomaine's time. Surely I have a right to say that we live in an age of\nspiritual privileges. But are we any better for it? In an age like this\nit is well to ask, \"How do we do about our souls?\"\n\nWe live in an age of peculiar _spiritual danger_. Never perhaps since\nthe world began was there such an immense amount of mere outward\nprofession of religion as there is in the present day. A painfully large\nproportion of all the congregations in the land consists of unconverted\npeople, who know nothing of heart-religion, never come to the Lord's\nTable, and never confess Christ in their daily lives. Myriads of those\nwho are always running after preachers, and crowding to hear special\nsermons, are nothing better than empty tubs, and tinkling cymbals,\nwithout a jot of real vital Christianity at home.[1] The parable of the\nsower is continually receiving most vivid and painful illustrations. The\nway-side hearers, the stony-ground hearers, the thorny-ground hearers\nabound on every side.\n\n 1: It is curious and instructive to observe how history repeats itself,\n and how much sameness there is in the human heart in every age. Even in\n the Primitive Church, says Canon Robertson, \"Many persons were found at\n church for the great Christian ceremonies, and at the theatres, or even\n at the temples, for the heathen spectacles. The ritual of the Church was\n viewed as a theatrical spectacle. The sermons were listened to as the\n display of rhetoricians; and eloquent preachers were cheered, with\n clapping of hands, stamping of feet, waving of handkerchiefs, cries of\n 'Orthodox,' 'Thirteenth Apostle,' and such like demonstrations, which\n such teachers as Chrysostom and Augustine tried to restrain, that they\n might persuade their flocks to a more profitable manner of hearing. Some\n went to Church for the sermon only, alleging that they could pray at\n home. And when the more attractive parts of the service were over, the\n great mass of the people departed without remaining for the\n eucharist.\"--Robertson's \"Church History,\" B. II., ch. vi., p. 356.\n\nThe life of many religious professors, I fear, in this age, is nothing\nbetter than a continual course of spiritual dram-drinking. They are\nalways morbidly craving fresh excitement; and they seem to care little\nwhat it is if they only get it. All preaching seems to come alike to\nthem; and they appear unable to \"see differences,\" so long as they hear\nwhat is clever, have their ears tickled, and sit in a crowd. Worst of\nall, there are hundreds of young unestablished believers who are so\ninfected with the same love of excitement, that they actually think it a\nduty to be always seeking it. Insensibly almost to themselves, they take\nup a kind of hysterical, sensational, sentimental Christianity, until\nthey are never content with the \"old paths,\" and, like the Athenians,\nare always running after something new. To see a calm-minded young\nbeliever, who is not stuck up, self-confident, self-conceited, and more\nready to teach than learn, but content with a daily steady effort to\ngrow up into Christ's likeness, and to do Christ's work quietly and\nunostentatiously, at home, is really becoming almost a rarity! Too many\nyoung professors, alas, behave like young recruits who have not spent\nall their bounty money. They show how little deep root they have, and\nhow little knowledge of their own hearts, by noise, forwardness,\nreadiness to contradict and set down old Christians, and over-weening\ntrust in their own fancied soundness and wisdom! Well will it be for\nmany young professors of this age if they do not end, after being tossed\nabout for a while, and \"carried to and fro by every wind of doctrine,\"\nby joining some petty, narrow-minded, censorious sect, or embracing some\nsenseless, unreasoning, crotchetty heresy. Surely in times like these\nthere is great need for self-examination. When we look around us, we may\nwell ask, \"How do we do about our souls?\"\n\nIn handling this question, I think the shortest plan will be to suggest\na list of subjects for self-inquiry, and to go through them in order. By\nso doing I shall hope to meet the case of every one into whose hands\nthis volume may fall. I invite every reader of this paper to join me in\ncalm, searching self-examination, for a few short minutes. I desire to\nspeak to myself as well as to you. I approach you not as an enemy, but\nas a friend. \"My heart's desire and prayer to God is that you may be\nsaved.\" (Rom. x. 1.) Bear with me if I say things which at first sight\nlook harsh and severe. Believe me, he is your best friend who tells you\nthe most truth.\n\n(1) Let me ask, in the first place, _Do we ever think about our souls at\nall_? Thousands of English people, I fear, cannot answer that question\nsatisfactorily. They never give the subject of religion any place in\ntheir thoughts. From the beginning of the year to the end they are\nabsorbed in the pursuit of business, pleasure, politics, money, or\nself-indulgence of some kind or another. Death, and judgement, and\neternity, and heaven, and hell, and a world to come, are never calmly\nlooked at and considered. They live on as if they were never going to\ndie, or rise again, or stand at the bar of God, or receive an eternal\nsentence! They do not openly oppose religion, for they have not\nsufficient reflection about it to do so;--but they eat, and drink, and\nsleep, and get money, and spend money, as if religion was a mere fiction\nand not a reality. They are neither Romanists, nor Socinians, nor\ninfidels, nor High Church, nor Low Church, nor Broad Church. They are\njust _nothing at all_, and do not take the trouble to have opinions. A\nmore senseless and unreasonable way of living cannot be conceived; but\nthey do not pretend to reason about it. They simply never think about\nGod, unless frightened for a few minutes by sickness, death in their\nfamilies, or an accident. Barring such interruptions, they appear to\nignore religion altogether, and hold on their way cool and undisturbed,\nas if there were nothing worth thinking of except this world.\n\nIt is hard to imagine a life more unworthy of an immortal creature than\nsuch a life as I have just described, for it reduces a man to the level\nof a beast. But it is literally and truly the life of multitudes in\nEngland; and as they pass away their place is taken by multitudes like\nthem. The picture, no doubt, is horrible, distressing, and revolting:\nbut, unhappily, it is only too true. In every large town, in every\nmarket, on every stock-exchange, in every club, you may see specimens of\nthis class by scores,--men who think of everything under the sun except\nthe one thing needful,--the salvation of their souls. Like the Jews of\nold they do not \"consider their ways,\" they do not \"consider their\nlatter end;\" they do not \"consider that they do evil.\" (Isa. i. 3; Hag.\ni. 7; Deut. xxxii. 29; Eccles. v. i.) Like Gallio they \"care for none of\nthese things:\" they are not in their way. (Acts xviii. 17.) If they\nprosper in the world, and get rich, and succeed in their line of life,\nthey are praised, and admired by their contemporaries. Nothing succeeds\nin England like success! But for all this they cannot live for ever.\nThey will have to die and appear before the bar of God, and be judged;\nand then what will the end be? When a large class of this kind exists in\nour country, no reader need wonder that I ask whether he belongs to it.\nIf you do, you ought to have a mark set on your door, as there used to\nbe a mark on a plague-stricken house two centuries ago, with the words,\n\"Lord have mercy on us,\" written on it. Look at the class I have been\ndescribing, and then look at your own soul.\n\n(2) Let me ask, in the second place, _whether we ever do anything about\nour souls?_? There are multitudes in England who think occasionally\nabout religion, but unhappily never get beyond thinking. After a\nstirring sermon,--or after a funeral,--or under the pressure of\nillness,--or on Sunday evening,--or when things are going on badly in\ntheir families,--or when they meet some bright example of a\nChristian,--or when they fall in with some striking religious book or\ntract,--they will at the time think a good deal, and even talk a little\nabout religion in a vague way. But they stop short, as if thinking and\ntalking were enough to save them. They are always meaning, and\nintending, and purposing, and resolving, and wishing, and telling us\nthat they \"know\" what is right, and \"hope\" to be found right at last,\nbut they never attain to any _action_. There is no actual separation\nfrom the service of the world and sin, no real taking up the cross and\nfollowing Christ, no positive _doing_ in their Christianity. Their life\nis spent in playing the part of the son in our Lord's parable, to whom\nthe father said, \"Go, work in my vineyard: and he answered, I go, sir,\nand went not.\" (Matt. xxi. 30.) They are like those whom Ezekiel\ndescribes, who liked his preaching, but never practised what he\npreached:--\"They come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit\nbefore thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do\nthem.... And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that\nhath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear\nthy words, but they do them not.\" (Ezek. xxxiii. 31, 32.) In a day like\nthis, when hearing and thinking, without _doing_, is so common, no one\ncan justly wonder that I press upon men the absolute need of\nself-examination. Once more, then, I ask my readers to consider the\nquestion of my text,--\"How do we do about our souls?\"\n\n(3) Let me ask, in the third place, _whether we are trying to satisfy\nour consciences with a mere formal religion_? There are myriads in\nEngland at this moment who are making shipwreck on this rock. Like the\nPharisees of old, they make much ado about the outward part of\nChristianity, while the inward and spiritual part is totally neglected.\nThey are careful to attend all the services of their place of worship,\nand regular in using all its forms and ordinances. They are never absent\nfrom Communion when the Lord's Supper is administered. Sometimes they\nare most strict in observing Lent, and attach great importance to\nSaints' days. They are often keen partisans of their own Church, or\nsect, or congregation, and ready to contend with any one who does not\nagree with them. Yet all this time there is no _heart_ in their\nreligion. Any one who knows them intimately can see with half an eye\nthat their affections are set on things below, and not on things above;\nand that they are trying to make up for the want of inward Christianity\nby an excessive quantity of outward form. And this formal religion does\nthem no real good. They are not satisfied. Beginning at the wrong end,\nby making the outward things first, they know nothing of inward joy and\npeace, and pass their lives in a constant struggle, secretly conscious\nthat there is something wrong, and yet not knowing why. Well, after all,\nif they do not go on from one stage of formality to another, until in\ndespair they take a fatal plunge, and fall into Popery! When professing\nChristians of this kind are so painfully numerous, no one need wonder if\nI press upon him the paramount importance of close self-examination. If\nyou love life, do not be content with the husk, and shell, and\nscaffolding of religion. Remember our Saviour's words about the Jewish\nformalists of His day: \"This people draweth nigh with their mouth, and\nhonoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. In vain do\nthey worship.\" (Matt. xv. 9.) It needs something more than going\ndiligently to church, and receiving the Lord's Supper, to take our souls\nto heaven. Means of grace and forms of religion are useful in their way,\nand God seldom does anything for His church without them. But let us\nbeware of making shipwreck on the very lighthouse which helps to show\nthe channel into the harbour. Once more I ask, \"How do we do about our\nsouls?\"\n\n(4) Let me ask, in the fourth place, _whether we have received the\nforgiveness of our sins_? Few reasonable Englishmen would think of\ndenying that they are sinners. Many perhaps would say that they are not\nso bad as many, and that they have not been so very wicked, and so\nforth. But few, I repeat, would pretend to say that they had always\nlived like angels, and never done, or said, or thought a wrong thing all\ntheir days. In short, all of us must confess that we are more or less\n\"_sinners_,\" and, as sinners, are guilty before God; and, as guilty, we\nmust be forgiven, or lost and condemned for ever at the last day.--Now\nit is the glory of the Christian religion that it provides for us the\nvery forgiveness that we need,--full, free, perfect, eternal, and\ncomplete. It is a leading article in that well-known creed which most\nEnglishmen learn when they are children. They are taught to say, \"I\nbelieve in the forgiveness of sins.\" This forgiveness of sins has been\npurchased for us by the eternal Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. He\nhas purchased it for us by coming into the world to be our Saviour, and\nby living, dying, and rising again, as our Substitute, in our behalf. He\nhas bought it for us at the price of His own most precious blood, by\nsuffering in our stead on the cross, and making satisfaction for our\nsins. But this forgiveness, great, and full, and glorious as it is, does\nnot become the property of every man and woman, as a matter of course.\nIt is not a privilege which every member of a Church possesses, merely\nbecause he is a Churchman. It is a thing which each individual must\nreceive for himself by his own personal faith, lay hold on by faith,\nappropriate by faith, and make his own by faith; or else, so far as he\nis concerned, Christ will have died in vain. \"He that believeth on the\nSon hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not\nsee life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.\" (John iii. 36.) No terms\ncan be imagined more simple, and more suitable to man. As good old\nLatimer said, in speaking of the matter of justification, \"It is but\nbelieve and have.\" It is only faith that is required; and faith is\nnothing more than the humble, heartfelt trust of the soul which desires\nto be saved. Jesus is able and willing to save; but man must come to\nJesus and believe. All that believe are at once justified and forgiven:\nbut without believing there is no forgiveness at all.\n\nNow here is exactly the point, I am afraid, where multitudes of English\npeople fail, and are in imminent danger of being lost for ever. They\nknow that there is no forgiveness of sin excepting in Christ Jesus. They\ncan tell you that there is no Saviour for sinners, no Redeemer, no\nMediator, excepting Him who was born of the Virgin Mary, and was\ncrucified under Pontius Pilate, dead, and buried. But here they stop,\nand get no further! They never come to the point of actually laying hold\non Christ by faith, and becoming one with Christ and Christ in them.\nThey can say, He is a Saviour, but not 'my Saviour,'--a Redeemer, but\nnot 'my Redeemer,'--a Priest, but not 'my Priest,'--an Advocate, but not\n'my Advocate:' and so they live and die unforgiven! No wonder that\nMartin Luther said, \"Many are lost because they cannot use possessive\npronouns.\" When this is the state of many in this day, no one need\nwonder that I ask men whether they have received the forgiveness of\nsins. An eminent Christian lady once said, in her old age,--\"The\nbeginning of eternal life in my soul, was a conversation I had with an\nold gentleman, who came to visit my father, when I was only a little\ngirl. He took me by the hand one day, and said, 'My dear child, my life\nis nearly over, and you will probably live many years after I am gone.\nBut never forget two things. One is, that there is such a thing as\nhaving our sins forgiven while we live. The other is, that there is such\na thing as knowing and feeling that we are forgiven.' I thank God I have\nnever forgotten his words.\"--How is it with us? Let us not rest till we\n\"know and feel,\" as the Prayer-book says, that we are forgiven. Once\nmore let us ask,--In the matter of forgiveness of sins, \"How do we do?\"\n\n(5) Let me ask, in the fifth place, _whether we know anything by\nexperience of conversion to God_. Without conversion there is no\nsalvation. \"Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye\nshall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.\"--\"Except a man be born\nagain, he cannot see the kingdom of God.\"--\"If any man have not the\nSpirit of Christ, he is none of His.\"--\"If any man be in Christ he is a\nnew creature.\" (Matt. xviii. 3; John iii. 3; Rom. viii. 9; 2 Cor. v.\n17.) We are all by nature so weak, so worldly, so earthly-minded, so\ninclined to sin, that without a thorough change we cannot serve God in\nlife, and could not enjoy Him after death. Just as ducks, as soon as\nthey are hatched, take naturally to water, so do children, as soon as\nthey can do anything, take to selfishness, lying, and deceit; and none\npray, or love God, unless they are taught. High or low, rich or poor,\ngentle or simple, we all need a complete change,--a change which it is\nthe special office of the Holy Ghost to give us. Call it what you\nplease,--new birth, regeneration, renewal, new creation, quickening,\nrepentance,--the thing must be had if we are to be saved: and if we have\nthe thing it will be _seen_.\n\nSense of sin and deep hatred to it, faith in Christ and love to Him,\ndelight in holiness and longing after more of it, love to God's people\nand distaste for the things of the world,--these, these are the signs\nand evidences which always accompany conversion. Myriads around us, it\nmay be feared, know nothing about it. They are, in Scripture language,\ndead, and asleep, and blind, and unfit for the kingdom of God. Year\nafter year, perhaps, they go on repeating the words of the Creed, \"I\nbelieve in the Holy Ghost;\" but they are utterly ignorant of His\nchanging operations on the inward man. Sometimes they flatter themselves\nthey are born again, because they have been baptized, and go to church,\nand receive the Lord's Supper; while they are totally destitute of the\nmarks of the new birth, as described by St. John in his first Epistle.\nAnd all this time the words of Scripture are clear and plain,--\"Except\nye be converted, ye shall in no case enter the kingdom.\" (Matt. xviii.\n3.) In times like these, no reader ought to wonder that I press the\nsubject of conversion on men's souls. No doubt there are plenty of sham\nconversions in such a day of religious excitement as this. But bad coin\nis no proof that there is no good money: nay, rather it is a sign that\nthere is some money current which is valuable, and is worth imitation.\nHypocrites and sham Christians are indirect evidence that there is such\na thing as real grace among men. Let us search our own hearts then, and\nsee how it is with ourselves. Once more let us ask, in the matter of\nconversion, \"How do we do?\"\n\n(6) Let me ask, in the sixth place, _whether we know anything of\npractical Christian holiness_? It is as certain as anything in the Bible\nthat \"without holiness no man shall see the Lord.\" (Heb. xii. 14.) It is\nequally certain that it is the invariable fruit of saving faith, the\nreal test of regeneration, the only sound evidence of indwelling grace,\nthe certain consequence of vital union with Christ.--Holiness is not\nabsolute perfection and freedom from all faults. Nothing of the kind!\nThe wild words of some who talk of enjoying \"unbroken communion with\nGod\" for many months, are greatly to be deprecated, because they raise\nunscriptural expectations in the minds of young believers, and so do\nharm. Absolute perfection is for heaven, and not for earth, where we\nhave a weak body, a wicked world, and a busy devil continually near our\nsouls. Nor is real Christian holiness ever attained, or maintained,\nwithout a constant fight and struggle. The great Apostle, who said \"I\nfight,--I labour,--I keep under my body and bring it into subjection\" (1\nCor. ix. 27), would have been amazed to hear of _sanctification without\npersonal exertion_, and to be told that believers only need to sit\nstill, and everything will be done for them!\n\nYet, weak and imperfect as the holiness of the best saints may be, it is\na real true thing, and has a character about it as unmistakable as light\nand salt. It is not a thing which begins and ends with noisy profession:\nit will be _seen_ much more than _heard_. Genuine Scriptural holiness\nwill make a man do his duty at home and by the fireside, and adorn his\ndoctrine in the little trials of daily life. It will exhibit itself in\npassive graces as well as in active. It will make a man humble, kind,\ngentle, unselfish, good-tempered, considerate for others, loving, meek,\nand forgiving. It will not constrain him to go out of the world, and\nshut himself up in a cave, like a hermit. But it will make him do his\nduty in that state to which God has called him, on Christian principles,\nand after the pattern of Christ. Such holiness, I know well, is not\ncommon. It is a style of practical Christianity which is painfully rare\nin these days. But I can find no other standard of holiness in the Word\nof God,--no other which comes up to the pictures drawn by our Lord and\nHis Apostles. In an age like this no reader can wonder if I press this\nsubject also on men's attention. Once more let us ask,--In the matter of\nholiness, how is it with our souls? \"How do we do?\"\n\n(7) Let me ask, in the seventh place, _whether we know anything of\nenjoying the means of grace_? When I speak of the means of grace, I have\nin my mind's eye five principal things,--the reading of the Bible,\nprivate prayer, public worship, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and\nthe rest of the Lord's day. They are means which God has graciously\nappointed, in order to convey grace to man's heart by the Holy Ghost, or\nto keep up the spiritual life after it has begun. As long as the world\nstands, the state of a man's soul will always depend greatly on the\n_manner and spirit_ in which he uses means of grace. The manner and\nspirit, I say deliberately and of purpose. Many English people use the\nmeans of grace regularly and formally, but know nothing of enjoying\nthem: they attend to them as a matter of duty, but without a jot of\nfeeling, interest, or affection. Yet even common sense might tell us\nthat this formal, mechanical use of holy things, is utterly worthless\nand unprofitable. Our _feeling_ about them is just one of the many tests\nof the state of our souls. How can that man be thought to love God who\nreads about Him and His Christ, as a mere matter of duty, content and\nsatisfied if he has just moved his mark onward over so many\nchapters?--How can that man suppose he is ready to meet Christ, who\nnever takes any trouble to pour out his heart to Him in private as a\nFriend, and is satisfied with saying over a string of words every\nmorning and evening, under the name of \"prayer,\" scarcely thinking what\nhe is about?--How could that man be happy in heaven for ever, who finds\nthe Sunday a dull, gloomy, tiresome day,--who knows nothing of hearty\nprayer and praise, and cares nothing whether he hears truth or error\nfrom the pulpit, or scarcely listens to the sermon?--What can be the\nspiritual condition of that man whose heart never \"burns within him,\"\nwhen he receives that bread and wine which specially remind us of\nChrist's death on the cross, and the atonement for sin? These inquiries\nare very serious and important. If means of grace had no other use, and\nwere not mighty helps toward heaven, they would be useful in supplying a\ntest of our real state in the sight of God. Tell me what a man does in\nthe matter of Bible-reading and praying, in the matter of Sunday, public\nworship, and the Lord's Supper, and I will soon tell you what he is, and\non which road he is travelling. How is it with ourselves? Once more let\nus ask,--In the matter of means of grace, \"How do we do?\"\n\n(8) Let me ask, in the eighth place, _whether we ever try to do any good\nin the world_? Our Lord Jesus Christ was continually \"going about doing\ngood,\" while He was on earth. (Acts x. 38.) The Apostles, and all the\ndisciples in Bible times, were always striving to walk in His steps. A\nChristian who was content to go to heaven himself, and cared not what\nbecame of others, whether they lived happy and died in peace or not,\nwould have been regarded as a kind of monster in primitive times, who\nhad not the Spirit of Christ. Why should we suppose for a moment that a\nlower standard will suffice in the present day? Why should fig trees\nwhich bear no fruit be spared in the present day, when in our Lord's\ntime they were to be cut down as \"cumberers of the ground\"? (Luke xiii.\n7.) These are serious inquiries, and demand serious answers.\n\nThere is a generation of professing Christians now-a-days, who seem to\nknow nothing of caring for their neighbours, and are wholly swallowed up\nin the concerns of number one,--that is, their own and their family's.\nThey eat, and drink, and sleep, and dress, and work, and get money, and\nspend money, year after year; and whether others are happy or miserable,\nwell or ill, converted or unconverted, travelling toward heaven or\ntoward hell, appear to be questions about which they are supremely\nindifferent. Can this be right? Can it be reconciled with the religion\nof Him who spoke the parable of the good Samaritan, and bade us \"go and\ndo likewise\"? (Luke x. 37.) I doubt it altogether.\n\nThere is much to be done on every side. There is not a place in England\nwhere there is not a field for work, and an open door for being useful,\nif any one is willing to enter it. There is not a Christian in England\nwho cannot find some good work to do for others, if he has only a heart\nto do it. The poorest man or woman, without a single penny to give, can\nalways show his deep sympathy to the sick and sorrowful, and by simple\ngood-nature and tender helpfulness, can lessen the misery and increase\nthe comfort of somebody in this troubled world. But alas, the vast\nmajority of professing Christians, whether rich or poor, Churchmen or\nDissenters, seem possessed with a devil of detestable selfishness, and\nknow not the luxury of doing good. They can argue by the hour about\nbaptism, and the Lord's supper, and the forms of worship, and the union\nof Church and State, and such-like dry-bone questions. But all this time\nthey seem to care nothing for their neighbours. The plain practical\npoint, whether they love their neighbour, as the Samaritan loved the\ntraveller in the parable, and can spare any time and trouble to do him\ngood, is a point they never touch with one of their fingers. In too\nmany English parishes, both in town and country, true love seems almost\ndead, both in church and chapel, and wretched party-spirit and\ncontroversy are the only fruits that Christianity appears able to\nproduce. In a day like this, no reader should wonder if I press this\nplain old subject on his conscience. Do we know anything of genuine\nSamaritan love to others? Do we ever try to do any good to any one\nbeside our own friends and relatives, and our own party or cause? Are we\nliving like disciples of Him who always \"went about doing good,\" and\ncommanded His disciples to take Him for their \"example\"? (John xiii.\n15.) If not, with what face shall we meet Him in the judgment day? In\nthis matter also, how is it with our souls? Once more I ask, \"How do we\ndo?\"\n\n(9) Let me ask, in the ninth place, _whether we know anything of living\nthe life of habitual communion with Christ_? By \"communion,\" I mean that\nhabit of \"abiding in Christ\" which our Lord speaks of, in the fifteenth\nchapter of St. John's Gospel, as essential to Christian fruitfulness.\n(John xv. 4-8.) Let it be distinctly understood that union with Christ\nis one thing, and communion is another. There can be no communion with\nthe Lord Jesus without union first; but unhappily there may be union\nwith the Lord Jesus, and afterwards little or no communion at all. The\ndifference between the two things is not the difference between two\ndistinct steps, but the difference between the higher and lower ends of\nan inclined plane. Union is the common privilege of all who feel their\nsins, and truly repent, and come to Christ by faith, and are accepted,\nforgiven, and justified in Him. Too many believers, it may be feared,\n_never get beyond this stage_! Partly from ignorance, partly from\nlaziness, partly from fear of man, partly from secret love of the world,\npartly from some unmortified besetting sin, they are content with a\nlittle faith, and a little hope, and a little peace, and a little\nmeasure of holiness. And they live on all their lives in this\ncondition--doubting, weak, halting, and bearing fruit only \"thirty-fold\"\nto the very end of their days!\n\nCommunion with Christ is the privilege of those who are continually\nstriving to grow in grace, and faith, and knowledge, and conformity to\nthe mind of Christ in all things,--who do not \"look to the things\nbehind,\" and \"count not themselves to have attained,\" but \"press toward\nthe mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.\"\n(Phil. iii. 14.) Union is the bud, but communion is the flower: union is\nthe babe, but communion is the strong man. He that has union with Christ\ndoes well; but he that enjoys communion with Him does far better. Both\nhave one life, one hope, one heavenly seed in their hearts,--one Lord,\none Saviour, one Holy Spirit, one eternal home: but union is not so good\nas communion! The grand secret of communion with Christ is to be\ncontinually \"living the life of faith in Him,\" and drawing out of Him\nevery hour the supply that every hour requires. \"To me,\" said St. Paul,\n\"to live is Christ.\"--\"I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.\"\n(Gal. ii. 20; Phil. i. 21.)\n\nCommunion like this is the secret of the abiding \"joy and peace in\nbelieving,\" which eminent saints like Bradford and Rutherford\nnotoriously possessed. None were ever more humble, or more deeply\nconvinced of their own infirmities and corruption. They would have\ntold you that the seventh chapter of Romans precisely described\ntheir own experience. They would have endorsed every word of the\n\"Confession\" put into the mouths of true believers, in our\nPrayer-book Communion Service. They would have said continually,\n\"The remembrance of our sins is grievous unto us; the burden of them\nis intolerable.\" But they were ever looking unto Jesus, and in Him\nthey were ever able to rejoice.--Communion like this is the secret\nof the splendid victories which such men as these won over sin, the\nworld, and the fear of death. They did not sit still idly, saying,\n\"I leave it all to Christ to do for me,\" but, strong in the Lord,\nthey used the Divine nature He had implanted in them, boldly and\nconfidently, and were \"more than conquerors through Him that loved\nthem.\" (Rom. viii. 37.) Like St. Paul they would have said, \"I can\ndo all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.\" (Phil iv.\n13.)--Ignorance of this life of communion is one among many reasons\nwhy so many in this age are hankering after the Confessional, and\nstrange views of the \"real presence\" in the Lord's Supper. Such\nerrors often spring from imperfect knowledge of Christ, and obscure\nviews of the life of faith in a risen, living, and interceding\nSaviour.\n\nIs communion with Christ like this a common thing? Alas! it is very rare\nindeed! The greater part of believers seem content with the barest\nelementary knowledge of justification by faith, and half-a-dozen other\ndoctrines, and go doubting, limping, halting, groaning along the way to\nheaven, and experience little either of the sense of victory or joy. The\nChurches of these latter days are full of weak, powerless, and\nuninfluential believers, saved at last, \"but so as by fire,\" but never\nshaking the world, and knowing nothing of an \"abundant entrance.\" (1\nCor. iii. 15; 2 Pet. i. 11.) Despondency and Feeble-mind and\nMuch-afraid, in \"Pilgrim's Progress,\" reached the celestial city as\nreally and truly as Valiant-for-the-truth and Greatheart. But they\ncertainly did not reach it with the same comfort, and did not do a tenth\npart of the same good in the world! I fear there are many like them in\nthese days! When things are so in the Churches, no reader can wonder\nthat I inquire how it is with our souls. Once more I ask,--In the matter\nof communion with Christ, \"How do we do?\"\n\n(10) Let me ask, in the tenth and last place, _whether we know anything\nof being ready for Christ's second coming_? That He will come again the\nsecond time is as certain as anything in the Bible. The world has not\nyet seen the last of Him. As surely as He went up visibly, and in the\nbody, on the Mount of Olives, before the eyes of His disciples, so\nsurely will He come again in the clouds of heaven, with power and great\nglory. (Acts i. 11.) He will come to raise the dead, to change the\nliving, to reward His saints, to punish the wicked, to renew the earth,\nand take the curse away,--to purify the world, even as He purified the\ntemple,--and to set up a kingdom where sin shall have no place, and\nholiness shall be the universal rule. The Creeds which we repeat and\nprofess to believe, continually declare that Christ is coming again. The\nancient Christians made it a part of their religion to look for His\nreturn. _Backward_ they looked to the cross and the atonement for sin,\nand rejoiced in Christ crucified. _Upward_ they looked to Christ at the\nright hand of God, and rejoiced in Christ interceding. _Forward_ they\nlooked to the promised return of their Master, and rejoiced in the\nthought that they would see Him again. And we ought to do the same.\n\nWhat have we really got from Christ? and what do we know of Him? and\nwhat do we think of Him? Are we living as if we long to see Him again,\nand love His appearing?--Readiness for that appearing is nothing more\nthan being a real, consistent Christian. It requires no man to cease\nfrom his daily business. The farmer need not give up his farm, nor the\nshopkeeper his counter, nor the doctor his patients, nor the carpenter\nhis hammer and nails, nor the bricklayer his mortar and trowel, nor the\nblacksmith his smithy. Each and all cannot do better than be found doing\nhis duty, but doing it _as a Christian_, and with a heart packed up and\nready to be gone. In the face of truth like this no reader can feel\nsurprised if I ask, How is it with our souls in the matter of Christ's\nsecond coming? The world is growing old and running to seed. The vast\nmajority of Christians seem like the men in the time of Noah and Lot,\nwho were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, planting\nand building, up to the very day when flood and fire came. Those words\nof our Master are very solemn and heart-searching,--\"Remember Lot's\nwife.\"--\"Take heed lest at any time your heart be overcharged with the\ncares of this life, and that day come upon you unawares.\" (Luke xvii.\n32; xxi. 34.) Once more I ask,--In the matter of readiness for Christ's\nsecond coming, \"How do we do?\"\n\nI end my inquiries here. I might easily add to them; but I trust I have\nsaid enough, at the beginning of this volume, to stir up self-inquiry\nand self-examination in many minds. God is my witness that I have said\nnothing that I do not feel of paramount importance to my own soul. I\nonly want to do good to others. Let me now conclude all with a few words\nof practical application.\n\n(_a_) Is any reader of this paper _asleep and utterly thoughtless about\nreligion_? Oh, awake and sleep no more! Look at the churchyards and\ncemeteries. One by one the people around you are dropping into them, and\nyou must lie there one day. Look forward to a world to come, and lay\nyour hand on your heart, and say, if you dare, that you are fit to die\nand meet God. Ah! you are like one sleeping in a boat drifting down the\nstream towards the falls of Niagara! \"What meanest thou, oh sleeper!\nArise and call upon thy God!\"--\"Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from\nthe dead, and Christ shall give thee light!\" (Jonah i. 6; Eph v. 14.)\n\n(_b_) Is any reader of this paper _feeling self-condemned, and afraid\nthat there is no hope for his soul_? Cast aside your fears, and accept\nthe offer of our Lord Jesus Christ to sinners. Hear Him saying, \"Come\nunto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you\nrest.\" (Matt. xi. 28.) \"If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and\ndrink.\" (John vii. 37.) \"Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast\nout.\" (John vi. 37.) Doubt not that these words are for you as well as\nfor any one else. Bring all your sins, and unbelief, and sense of guilt,\nand unfitness, and doubts, and infirmities,--bring all to Christ. \"This\nMan receiveth sinners,\" and He will receive you. (Luke xv. 2.) Do not\nstand still, halting between two opinions, and waiting for a convenient\nseason. \"Arise: He calleth thee!\" Come to Christ this very day. (Mark x.\n49.)\n\n(_c_) Is any reader of this paper a professing believer in Christ, but a\n_believer without much joy and peace and comfort_? Take advice this day.\nSearch your own heart, and see whether the fault be not entirely your\nown. Very likely you are sitting at ease, content with a little faith,\nand a little repentance, a little grace and a little sanctification, and\nunconsciously shrinking back from extremes. You will never be a very\nhappy Christian at this rate, if you live to the age of Methuselah.\nChange your plan, if you love life and would see good days, without\ndelay. Come out boldly, and act decidedly. Be thorough, thorough, very\nthorough in your Christianity, and set your face fully towards the sun.\nLay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset you.\nStrive to get nearer to Christ, to abide in Him, to cleave to Him, and\nto sit at His feet like Mary, and drink full draughts out of the\nfountain of life. \"These things,\" says St. John, \"we write unto you that\nyour joy may be full.\" (1 John i. 4.) \"If we walk in the light as He is\nin the light, we have fellowship one with another.\" (1 John i. 7.)\n\n(_d_) Is any reader of this paper _a believer oppressed with doubts and\nfears_, on account of his feebleness, infirmity, and sense of sin?\nRemember the text that says of Jesus, \"A bruised reed will He not break,\nand smoking flax shall He not quench.\" (Matt. xii. 20.) Take comfort in\nthe thought that this text is for you. What though your faith be feeble?\nIt is better than no faith at all. The least grain of life is better\nthan death. Perhaps you are expecting too much in this world. Earth is\nnot heaven. You are yet in the body. Expect little from self, but much\nfrom Christ. Look more to Jesus, and less to self.\n\n(_e_) Finally, is any reader of this paper _sometimes downcast_ by the\ntrials he meets with in the way to heaven, bodily trials, family trials,\ntrials of circumstances, trials from neighbours, and trials from the\nworld? Look up to a sympathizing Saviour at God's right hand, and pour\nout your heart before Him. He can be touched with the feeling of your\ninfirmities, for He suffered Himself being tempted.--Are you alone? So\nwas He. Are you misrepresented and calumniated? So was He. Are you\nforsaken by friends? So was He. Are you persecuted? So was He. Are you\nwearied in body and grieved in spirit? So was He.--Yes! He can feel for\nyou, and He can help as well as feel. Then learn to draw nearer to\nChrist. The time is short. Yet a little time, and all will be over: we\nshall soon be \"with the Lord.\" \"There is an end; and thine expectation\nshall not be cut off.\" (Prov. xxiii. 18.) \"Ye have need of patience,\nthat, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.\nFor yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not\ntarry.\" (Heb. x. 36, 37.)\n\n\n\n\nII\n\n\nSELF-EXERTION\n\n \"_Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto\n you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able._\"--Luke\n xiii. 24.\n\n\nThere was once a man who asked our Lord Jesus Christ a very deep\nquestion. He said to Him, \"Lord, are there few that be saved?\"\n\nWho this man was we do not know. What his motive was for asking this\nquestion we are not told. Perhaps he wished to gratify an idle\ncuriosity: perhaps he wanted an excuse for not seeking salvation\nhimself. The Holy Ghost has kept back all this from us: the name and\nmotive of the inquirer are both hidden.\n\nBut one thing is very clear, and that is the vast importance of the\nsaying of our Lord to which the question gave rise. Jesus seized the\nopportunity to direct the minds of all around Him to their own plain\nduty. He knew the train of thought which the man's inquiry had set\nmoving in their hearts: He saw what was going on within them. \"Strive,\"\nHe cries, \"to enter in at the strait gate.\" Whether there be few saved\nor many, your course is clear;--strive to enter in. Now is the accepted\ntime. Now is the day of salvation. A day shall come when many will seek\nto enter in and shall not be able. \"Strive to enter in now.\"\n\nI desire to call the serious attention of all who read this paper to the\nsolemn lessons which this saying of the Lord Jesus is meant to teach.\nIt is one which deserves special remembrance in the present day. It\nteaches unmistakeably that mighty truth, our own personal responsibility\nfor the salvation of our souls. It shows the immense danger of putting\noff the great business of religion, as so many unhappily do. On both\nthese points the witness of our Lord Jesus Christ in the text is clear.\nHe, who is the eternal God, and who spoke the words of perfect wisdom,\nsays to the sons of men,--\"Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for\nmany, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.\"\n\n\n I. Here is a _description_ of the way of salvation. Jesus calls it\n \"the strait gate.\"\n\n II. Here is a plain _command_. Jesus says, \"Strive to enter in.\"\n\n III. Here is an awful _prophecy_. Jesus says, \"Many will seek to\n enter in, and shall not be able.\"\n\nMay the Holy Ghost apply the subject to the hearts of all into whose\nhands this paper may fall! May all who read it know the way of salvation\nexperimentally, obey the command of the Lord practically, and be found\nsafe in the great day of His second coming!\n\n\nI. Here is a _description___ of the way of salvation. Jesus calls it\n\"_the strait gate_.\"\n\nThere is a gate which leads to pardon, peace with God, and heaven.\nWhosoever goes in by that gate shall be saved. Never, surely, was a gate\nmore needed. Sin is a vast mountain between man and God. How shall a man\nclimb over it?--Sin is a high wall between man and God. How shall man\nget through it?--Sin is a deep gulf between man and God. How shall man\ncross over it?--God is in heaven, holy, pure, spiritual, undefiled,\nlight without any darkness at all, a Being who cannot bear that which\nis evil, or look upon iniquity. Man is a poor fallen worm, crawling on\nearth for a few years,--sinful, corrupt, erring, defective,--a being\nwhose imagination is only evil, and whose heart is deceitful above all\nthings, and desperately wicked. How shall man and God be brought\ntogether? How shall man ever draw near to his Maker without fear and\nshame? Blessed be God, there is a way! There is a road. There is a path.\nThere is a door. It is the gate spoken of in the words of Christ,--\"the\nstrait gate.\"\n\nThis gate was _made for sinners by the Lord Jesus Christ_. From all\neternity He covenanted and engaged that He would make it. In the fulness\nof time He came into the world and made it, by His own atoning death on\nthe cross. By that death He made satisfaction for man's sin, paid man's\ndebt to God, and bore man's punishment. He built a great gate at the\ncost of His own body and blood. He reared a ladder on earth whose top\nreached to heaven. He made a door by which the chief of sinners may\nenter into the holy presence of God, and not be afraid. He opened a road\nby which the vilest of men, believing in Him, may draw near to God and\nhave peace. He cries to us, \"I am the door: by Me if any man enter in,\nhe shall be saved.\" (John x. 9.) \"I am the way: no man cometh unto the\nFather but by Me.\" (John xiv. 6.) \"By Him,\" says Paul, \"we have boldness\nand access with confidence.\" (Eph. iii. 12.) Thus was the gate of\nsalvation formed.\n\nThis gate is called _the strait gate_, and it is not called so without\ncause. It is always strait, narrow, and difficult to pass through to\nsome persons, and it will be so as long as the world stands. It is\nnarrow to all who love sin, and are determined not to part with it. It\nis narrow to all who set their affection on this world, and seek first\nits pleasures and rewards. It is narrow to all who dislike trouble, and\nare unwilling to take pains and make sacrifices for their souls. It is\nnarrow to all who like company, and want to keep in with the crowd. It\nis narrow to all who are self-righteous, and think they are good people,\nand deserve to be saved. To all such the great gate, which Christ made,\nis narrow and strait. In vain they seek to pass through. The gate will\nnot admit them. God is not unwilling to receive them; their sins are not\ntoo many to be forgiven: but they are not willing to be saved in God's\nway. Thousands, for the last eighteen centuries, have tried to make the\ngate-way wider: thousands have worked and toiled to get to heaven on\nlower terms. But the gate never alters. It is not elastic: it will not\nstretch to accommodate one man more than another. It is still the strait\ngate.\n\nStrait as this gate is, it is _the only one by which men can get to\nheaven_. There is no side door; there is no bye-path; there is no gap or\nlow-place in the wall. All that are ever saved will be saved only by\nChrist, and only by simple faith in Him.--Not one will be saved by\nrepentance. To-day's sorrow does not wipe off yesterday's score.--Not\none will be saved by his own works. The best works that any man can do\nare little better than splendid sins.--Not one will be saved by his\nformal regularity in the use of the outward means of grace. When we have\ndone all, we are poor \"unprofitable servants.\" Oh, no! it is mere waste\nof time to seek any other road to eternal life. Men may look right and\nleft, and weary themselves with their own devices, but they will never\nfind another door. Proud men may dislike the gate if they will.\nProfligate men may scoff at it, and make a jest of those who use it.\nLazy men may complain that the way is hard. But men will discover no\nother salvation than that of faith in the blood and righteousness of a\ncrucified Redeemer. There stands between us and heaven one great gate:\nit may be strait; but it is the only one. We must either enter heaven by\nthe strait gate, or not at all.\n\nStrait as this gate is, it is _a gate ever ready to open_. No sinners of\nany kind are forbidden to draw near: whosoever will may enter in and be\nsaved. There is but one condition of admission: that condition is that\nyou really feel your sins and desire to be saved by Christ in His own\nway. Art thou really sensible of thy guilt and vileness? Hast thou a\ntruly broken and contrite heart? Behold the gate of salvation, and come\nin. He that made it declares,--\"Him that cometh unto Me I will in no\nwise cast out.\" (John vi. 37.) The question to be considered is not\nwhether you are a great sinner or a little sinner--whether you are elect\nor not,--whether you are converted or not. The question is simply\nthis, \"Do you feel your sins? Do you feel labouring and heavy-laden? Are\nyou willing to put your soul into Christ's hand?\" Then if that be the\ncase, the gate will open to you at once. Come in this very day.\n\"Wherefore standest thou without?\" (Gen. xxiv. 31.)\n\nStrait as this gate is, it is _one through which thousands have gone in\nand been saved_. No sinner was ever turned back, and told he was too bad\nto be admitted, if he came really sick of his sins. Thousands of all\nsorts have been received, cleansed, washed, pardoned, clothed, and made\nheirs of eternal life. Some of them seemed very unlikely to be admitted:\nyou and I might have thought they were too bad to be saved. But He that\nbuilt the gate did not refuse them. As soon as they knocked, He gave\norders that they should be let in.\n\nManasseh, King of Judah, went up to this gate. None could have been\nworse than he. He had despised his good father Hezekiah's example and\nadvice. He had bowed down to idols. He had filled Jerusalem with\nbloodshed and cruelty. He had slain his own children. But as soon as his\neyes were opened to his sins, and he fled to the gate for pardon, the\ngate flew wide open, and he was saved.\n\nSaul the Pharisee went up to this gate. He had been a great offender.\nHe had been a blasphemer of Christ, and a persecutor of Christ's people.\nHe had laboured hard to stop the progress of the Gospel. But as soon as\nhis heart was touched, and he found out his own guilt and fled to the\ngate for pardon, at once the gate flew wide open, and he was saved.\n\nMany of the Jews who crucified our Lord went up to this gate. They had\nbeen grievous sinners indeed. They had refused and rejected their own\nMessiah. They had delivered Him to Pilate, and entreated that He might\nbe slain. They had desired Barabbas to be let go, and the Son of God to\nbe crucified. But in the day when they were pricked to the heart by\nPeter's preaching, they fled to the gate for pardon, and at once the\ngate flew open, and they were saved.\n\nThe jailer at Philippi went up to this gate. He had been a cruel, hard,\ngodless man. He had done all in his power to ill-treat Paul and his\ncompanion. He had thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet\nfast in the stocks. But when his conscience was aroused by the\nearthquake, and his mind enlightened by Paul's teaching, he fled to the\ngate for pardon, and at once the gate flew open, and he was saved.\n\nBut why need I stop short in Bible examples? Why should I not say that\nmultitudes have gone to \"the strait gate\" since the days of the\nApostles, and have entered in by it and been saved? Thousands of all\nranks, classes, and ages,--learned and unlearned, rich and poor, old and\nyoung,--have tried the gate and found it ready to open,--have gone\nthrough it and found peace to their souls. Yes: thousands of persons yet\nliving have made proof of the gate, and found it the way to real\nhappiness. Noblemen and commoners, merchants and bankers, soldiers and\nsailors, farmers and tradesmen, labourers and workmen, are still upon\nearth, who have found the strait gate to be \"a way of pleasantness and a\npath of peace.\" They have not brought up an evil report of the country\ninside. They have found Christ's yoke to be easy, and His burden to be\nlight. Their only regret has been that so few enter in, and that they\nthemselves did not enter in before.\n\nThis is the gate which I want every one to enter, into whose hand this\npaper may fall. I want you not merely to go to church or chapel, but to\ngo with heart and soul to the gate of life. I want you not merely to\nbelieve there is such a gate, and to think it a good thing, but to enter\nby faith and be saved.\n\nThink _what a privilege_ it is to have a gate at all. The angels who\nkept not their first estate, fell, never to rise again. To them there\nwas no door of escape opened.--The heathen never heard of any way to\neternal life. What would not many a black man and many a red man give,\nif he only heard one plain sermon about Christ?--The Jews in Old\nTestament times only saw the gate dimly and far away. \"The way into the\nholiest was not made manifest, while the first tabernacle was standing.\"\n(Heb. ix. 8.) You have the gate set plainly before you: you have Christ\nand full salvation offered to you, without money and without price. You\nnever need be at a loss which way to turn. Oh, consider what a mercy\nthis is! Beware that you do not despise the gate and perish in unbelief.\nBetter a thousand times not to know of the gate than to know of it and\nyet tarry outside. How indeed will you escape if you neglect so great\nsalvation?\n\nThink _what a thankful man_ you ought to be if you have really gone in\nat the strait gate. To be a pardoned, forgiven, justified soul,--to be\nready for sickness, death, judgment and eternity,--to be ever provided\nfor in both worlds,--surely this is matter for daily praise. True\nChristians ought to be more full of thanksgivings than they are. I fear\nthat few sufficiently remember what they were by nature, and what\ndebtors they are to grace. A heathen remarked that singing hymns of\npraise was one special mark of the early Christians. Well would it be\nfor Christians in the present day, if they knew more of this frame of\nmind. It is no mark of a healthy state of soul when there is much\ncomplaining and little praise. It is an amazing mercy that there is any\ngate of salvation at all; but it is a still greater mercy when we are\ntaught to enter in by it and be saved.\n\n\nII. In the second place, here is a plain _command_.--Jesus says to us,\n\"_Strive to enter in at the strait gate_.\" There is often much to be\nlearned in a single word of Scripture. The words of our Lord Jesus in\nparticular, are always full of matter for thought. Here is a word which\nis a striking example of what I mean. Let us see what the great Teacher\nwould have us gather out of the word \"_Strive_.\"\n\n\"STRIVE\" teaches that a man must use means diligently, if he would have\nhis soul saved. There are means which God has appointed to help man in\nhis endeavours to approach Him. There are ways in which a man must walk,\nif he desires to be found of Christ. Public Worship, reading the Bible,\nhearing the Gospel preached,--these are the kind of things to which I\nrefer. They lie, as it were, in the middle, between man and God.\nDoubtless no one can change his own heart, or wipe away one of his sins,\nor make himself in the least degree acceptable to God; but I do say that\nif man could do nothing but sit still, Christ would never have said\n\"Strive.\"\n\n\"STRIVE\" teaches that man is a free agent, and will be dealt with by God\nas a responsible being. The Lord Jesus does not bid us to wait, and\nwish, and feel, and hope, and desire. He says, \"Strive.\" I call that\nmiserable religion which teaches people to be content with saying, \"We\ncan do nothing of ourselves,\" and makes them continue in sin. It is as\nbad as teaching people that it is not their fault if they are not\nconverted, and that God only is to blame if they are not saved. I find\nno such theology in the New Testament. I hear Jesus saying to sinners,\n\"Come--repent--believe--labour--ask--seek--knock.\" I see plainly that\nour salvation, from first to last, is entirely _of God_; but I see with\nno less plainness that our ruin, if lost, is wholly and entirely _of\nourselves_. I maintain that sinners are always addressed as accountable\nand responsible; and I want no better proof of this than is contained in\nthe word \"Strive.\"\n\n\"STRIVE\" teaches that a man must expect many adversaries and a hard\nbattle, if he would have his soul saved. And this, as a matter of\nexperience, is strictly true. There are no \"gains without pains\" in\nspiritual things any more than in temporal. That roaring lion, the\ndevil, will never let a soul escape from him without a struggle. The\nheart which is naturally sensual and earthly will never be turned to\nspiritual things without a daily fight. The world, with all its\nopposition and temptations, will never be overcome without a conflict.\nBut why should all this surprise us? What great and good thing was ever\ndone without trouble? Wheat does not grow without ploughing and sowing;\nriches are not obtained without care and attention; success in life is\nnot won without hardships and toil; and heaven, above all, is not to be\nreached without the cross and the battle. The \"violent take the kingdom\nby force.\" (Matt xi. 12.) A man must \"strive.\"\n\n\"STRIVE\" teaches that it is worth while for a man to seek salvation.\nThat may well be said. If there be anything that deserves a struggle in\nthis world, it is the prosperity of the soul. The objects for which the\ngreat majority of men strive are comparatively poor and trifling things.\nRiches, and greatness, and rank, and learning, are \"a corruptible\ncrown.\" The incorruptible things are all within the strait gate. The\npeace of God which passeth all understanding,--the bright hope of good\nthings to come,--the sense of the Spirit dwelling in us,--the\nconsciousness that we are pardoned, safe, ready, insured, provided for\nin time and eternity, whatever may happen,--these are true gold, and\ndurable riches. Well may the Lord Jesus call on us to \"strive.\"\n\n\"STRIVE\" teaches that laziness in religion is a great sin. It is not\nmerely a misfortune, as some fancy,--a thing for which people are to be\npitied, and a matter for regret. It is something far more than this. It\nis a breach of a plain commandment. What shall be said of the man who\ntransgresses God's law, and does something which God says, Thou shalt\nnot do? There can be but one answer. He is a sinner. \"Sin is the\ntransgression of the law.\" (1 John iii. 4.) And what shall be said of\nthe man who neglects his soul, and makes no effort to enter the strait\ngate? There can be only one reply. He is omitting a positive duty.\nChrist says to him, \"Strive,\" and behold, he sits still!\n\n\"STRIVE\" teaches that all outside the strait gate are in great danger.\nThey are in danger of being lost for ever. There is but a step between\nthem and death. If death finds them in their present condition, they\nwill perish without hope. The Lord Jesus saw that clearly. He knew the\nuncertainty of life and the shortness of time: He would fain have\nsinners make haste and delay not, lest they put off soul business too\nlate. He speaks as one who saw the devil drawing near to them daily, and\nthe days of their life gradually ebbing away. He would have them take\nheed they be not too late: therefore He cries, \"Strive.\"\n\nThat word \"Strive,\" raises solemn thoughts in my mind. It is brimful of\ncondemnation for thousands of baptized persons. It condemns the ways and\npractices of multitudes who profess and call themselves Christians. Many\nthere are who neither swear, nor murder, nor commit adultery, nor\nsteal, nor lie; but one thing unhappily cannot be said of them: they\ncannot be said to \"strive\" to be saved. The \"spirit of slumber\"\npossesses their hearts in everything that concerns religion. About the\nthings of the world they are active enough: they rise early, and late\ntake rest; they labour; they toil; they are busy; they are careful: but\nabout the one thing needful they never \"strive\" at all.\n\nWhat shall I say of those who are irregular about public worship on\nSundays? There are thousands all over Great Britain who answer this\ndescription. Sometimes, if they feel disposed, they go to some church or\nchapel, and attend a religious service; at other times they stay at home\nand read the paper, or idle about, or look over their accounts, or seek\nsome amusement. _Is this \"striving\"_? I speak to men of common sense.\nLet them judge what I say.\n\nWhat shall I say of those who come regularly to a place of worship, but\ncome entirely as a matter of form? There are many in every parish of\nGreat Britain in this condition. Their fathers taught them to come;\ntheir custom has always been to come: it would not be respectable to\nstay away. But they care nothing for the worship of God when they do\ncome. Whether they hear law or Gospel, truth or error, it is all the\nsame to them. They remember nothing afterwards. They put off their form\nof religion with their Sunday clothes, and return to the world. And _is\nthis \"striving\"_? I speak to men of common sense. Let them judge what I\nsay.\n\nWhat shall I say of those who seldom or never read the Bible? There are\nthousands of persons, I fear, who answer this description. They know the\nBook by name; they know it is commonly regarded as the only Book which\nteaches us how to live and how to die: but they can never find time for\nreading it. Newspapers, reviews, novels, romances, they can read, but\nnot the Bible. And _is this \"striving\"_ to enter in? I speak to men of\ncommon sense. Let them judge what I say.\n\nWhat shall I say of those who never pray? There are multitudes, I firmly\nbelieve, in this condition. Without God they rise in the morning, and\nwithout God they lie down at night. They ask nothing; they confess\nnothing; they return thanks for nothing; they seek nothing. They are all\ndying creatures, and yet they are not even on speaking terms with their\nMaker and their Judge! And _is this \"striving\"_? I speak to men of\ncommon sense. Let them judge what I say.\n\nIt is a solemn thing to be a minister of the Gospel. It is a painful\nthing to look on, and notice the ways of mankind in spiritual matters.\nWe hold in our hands that great statute Book of God, which declares that\nwithout repentance, and conversion, and faith in Christ, and holiness,\nno man living can be saved. In discharge of our office we urge on men to\nrepent, believe, and be saved; but, alas, how frequently we have to\nlament that our labour seems all in vain. Men attend our churches, and\nlisten, and approve, but do not \"strive\" to be saved. We show the\nsinfulness of sin; we unfold the loveliness of Christ; we expose the\nvanity of the world; we set forth the happiness of Christ's service; we\noffer the living water to the wearied and heavy laden sons of toil: but,\nalas, how often we seem to speak to the winds. Our words are patiently\nheard on Sundays; our arguments are not refuted: but we see plainly in\nthe week that men are not \"striving\" to be saved. There comes the devil\non Monday morning, and offers his countless snares; there comes the\nworld, and holds out its seeming prizes: our hearers follow them\ngreedily. They work hard for this world's goods; they toil at Satan's\nbidding: but for the one thing needful they will not \"strive\" at all.\n\nI am not writing from hear-say. I speak what I have seen. I write down\nthe result of thirty-seven years' experience in the ministry. I have\nlearned lessons about human nature during that period which I never\nknew before. I have seen how true are our Lord's words about the narrow\nway. I have discovered how few there are that \"strive\" to be saved.\n\nEarnestness about temporal matters is common enough. Striving to be rich\nand prosperous in this world is not rare at all. Pains about money, and\nbusiness, and politics,--pains about trade, and science, and fine arts,\nand amusements,--pains about rent, and wages, and labour, and\nland,--pains about such matters I see in abundance both in town and\ncountry. But I see few who take pains about their souls. I see few any\nwhere who \"strive\" to enter in at the strait gate.\n\nI am not surprised at all this. I read in the Bible that it is only what\nI am to expect. The parable of the great supper is an exact picture of\nthings that I have seen with my own eyes ever since I became a minister.\n(Luke xiv. 16.) I find, as my Lord and Saviour tells me, that \"men make\nexcuse.\" One has his piece of land to see; another has his oxen to\nprove; a third has his family hindrances. But all this does not prevent\nmy feeling deeply grieved for the souls of men. I grieve to think that\nthey should have eternal life so close to them, and yet be lost because\nthey will not \"strive\" to enter in and be saved.\n\nI know not in what state of soul many readers of this paper may be. But\nI warn you to take heed that you do not perish for ever for want of\n\"striving.\" Do not suppose that it needs some great scarlet sin to bring\nyou to the pit of destruction. You have only to sit still and do\nnothing, and you will find yourself there at last. Yes! Satan does not\nask you to walk in the steps of Cain, and Pharaoh, and Ahab, and\nBelshazzar, and Judas Iscariot. There is another road to hell quite as\nsure,--the road of spiritual indolence, spiritual laziness, and\nspiritual sloth. Satan has no objection to your being a respectable\nmember of the Christian Church. He will let you pay your tithes, and\nrates, and pew rents; he will allow you to sit comfortably in church\nevery Sunday you live. He knows full well, that so long as you do not\n\"strive,\" you must come at last to the worm that never dies, and the\nfire that is not quenched. Take heed that you do not come to this end. I\nrepeat it, _you have only to do nothing, and you will be lost_.\n\nIf you have been taught to \"strive\" for your soul's prosperity, I\nentreat you never to suppose you can go too far. Never give way to the\nidea that you are taking too much trouble about your spiritual\ncondition, and that there is no need for so much carefulness. Settle it\nrather in your mind that \"in all labour there is profit,\" and that no\nlabour is so profitable as that bestowed on the soul. It is a maxim\namong good farmers that the more they do for the land the more the land\ndoes for them. I am sure it should be a maxim among Christians that the\nmore they do for their religion the more their religion will do for\nthem. Watch against the slightest inclination to be careless about any\nmeans of grace. Beware of shortening your prayers, your Bible reading,\nyour private communion with God. Take heed that you do not give way to a\nthoughtless, lazy manner of using the public services of God's house.\nFight against any rising disposition to be sleepy, critical, and\nfault-finding, while you listen to the preaching of the Gospel. Whatever\nyou do for God, do it with all your heart and mind and strength. In\nother things be moderate, and dread running into extremes. In soul\nmatters fear moderation just as you would fear the plague. Care not what\nmen think of you. Let it be enough for you that your Master says,\n\"STRIVE.\"\n\n\nIII. The last thing I wish to consider in this paper is the _awful\nprophecy which the Lord Jesus delivers_. He says, \"Many will seek to\nenter in, and shall not be able.\"\n\nWhen shall this be? At what period shall the gate of salvation be shut\nfor ever? When shall \"striving\" to enter be of no use? These are\nserious questions. The gate is now ready to open to the chief of\nsinners; but a day comes when it shall open no more.\n\nThe time foretold by our Lord is the time of His own second coming to\njudge the world. The long-suffering of God will at last have an end. The\nthrone of grace will at length be taken down, and the throne of judgment\nshall be set up in its place. The fountain of living waters shall at\nlength be closed. The strait gate shall at last be barred and bolted.\nThe day of grace will be passed and over. The day of reckoning with a\nsin-laden world shall at length begin. And then shall be brought to pass\nthe solemn prophecy of the Lord Jesus,--\"Many will seek to enter in, and\nshall not be able.\"\n\nAll prophecies of Scripture that have been fulfilled hitherto, have been\nfulfilled to the very letter. They have seemed to many unlikely,\nimprobable, impossible, up to the very time of their accomplishment; but\nnot one word of them has ever failed.\n\nThe promises of _good things_ have come to pass, in spite of\ndifficulties that seemed insuperable. Sarah had a son when she was past\nbearing; the children of Israel were brought out of Egypt and planted in\nthe promised land; the Jews were redeemed from the captivity of Babylon,\nafter seventy years, and enabled once more to build the temple; the Lord\nJesus was born of a pure virgin, lived, ministered, was betrayed, and\ncut off, precisely as Scripture foretold. The Word of God was pledged in\nall these cases, that it should be. _And so it was._\n\nThe predictions of _judgments_ on cities and nations have come to pass,\nthough at the time they were first spoken they seemed incredible. Egypt\nis the basest of kingdoms; Edom is a wilderness; Tyre is a rock for\ndrying nets; Nineveh, that \"exceeding great city,\" is laid waste, and\nbecome a desolation; Babylon is a dry land and a wilderness,--her broad\nwalls are utterly broken down; the Jews are scattered over the whole\nearth as a separate people. In all these cases the Word of God foretold\nthat it should be so. _And so it was._\n\nThe prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ which I press on your attention\nthis day, shall be fulfilled in like manner. Not one word of it shall\nfail when the time of its accomplishment is due. \"Many will seek to\nenter in, and shall not be able.\"\n\nThere is a time coming when seeking God shall be useless. Oh, that men\nwould remember that! Too many seem to fancy that the hour will never\narrive when they shall seek and not find: but they are sadly mistaken.\nThey will discover their mistake one day to their own confusion, except\nthey repent. When Christ comes \"many shall seek to enter in, and _not be\nable_.\"\n\nThere is a time coming when many shall be shut out from heaven for ever.\nIt shall not be the lot of a few, but of a great multitude; it shall not\nhappen to one or two in this parish, and one or two in that: it shall be\nthe miserable end of a vast crowd. \"_Many_ will seek to enter in, and\nshall not be able.\"\n\nKnowledge shall come to many too late. They shall see at last the value\nof an immortal soul, and the happiness of having it saved. They shall\nunderstand at last their own sinfulness and God's holiness, and the\nglorious fitness of the Gospel of Christ. They shall comprehend at last\nwhy ministers seemed so anxious, and preached so long, and entreated\nthem so earnestly to be converted. But, alas, they shall know all this\n_too late_!\n\nRepentance shall come to many too late. They shall discover their own\nexceeding wickedness and be thoroughly ashamed of their past folly. They\nshall be full of bitter regret and unavailing lamentations, of keen\nconvictions and of piercing sorrows. They shall weep, and wail, and\nmourn, when they reflect on their sins. The remembrance of their lives\nwill be grievous to them; the burden of their guilt will seem\nintolerable. But, alas, like Judas Iscariot, they will repent _too\nlate_!\n\nFaith shall come to many too late. They will no longer be able to deny\nthat there is a God, and a devil, a heaven, and a hell. Deism, and\nscepticism, and infidelity shall be laid aside for ever; scoffing, and\njesting, and free-thinking shall cease. They will see with their own\neyes, and feel in their own bodies, that the things of which ministers\nspoke were not cunningly devised fables, but great real truths. They\nwill find out to their cost that evangelical religion was not cant,\nextravagance, fanaticism, and enthusiasm: they will discover that it was\nthe one thing needful, and that for want of it they are lost for ever.\nLike the devil, they will at length believe and tremble, but _too late_!\n\nA desire of salvation shall come to many too late. They shall long after\npardon, and peace, and the favour of God, when they can no more be had.\nThey will wish they might have one more Sunday over again, have one more\noffer of forgiveness, have one more call to prayer. But it will matter\nnothing what they think, or feel, or desire then: the day of grace will\nbe over; the gate of salvation will be bolted and barred. It will be\n_too late_!\n\nI often think what a change there will be one day in the price and\nestimation at which things are valued. I look round this world in which\nmy lot is cast; I mark the current price of everything this world\ncontains; I look forward to the coming of Christ, and the great day of\nGod. I think of the new order of things, which that day will bring in; I\nread the words of the Lord Jesus, when He describes the master of the\nhouse rising up and shutting the door; and as I read, I say to myself,\n\"There will be a great change soon.\"\n\nWhat are the _dear things_ now? Gold, silver, precious stones, bank\nnotes, mines, ships, lands, houses, horses, carriages, furniture, meat,\ndrink, clothes, and the like. These are the things that are thought\nvaluable; these are the things that command a ready market; these are\nthe things which you can never get below a certain price. He that has\nmuch of these things is counted a wealthy man. Such is the world!\n\nAnd what are the _cheap things_ now? The knowledge of God, the free\nsalvation of the Gospel, the favour of Christ, the grace of the Holy\nGhost, the privilege of being God's son, the title to eternal life, the\nright to the tree of life, the reversion of a mansion in heaven, the\npromises of an incorruptible inheritance, the offer of a crown of glory\nthat fadeth not away. These are the things that no man hardly cares for.\nThey are offered to the sons of men without money and without price:\nthey may be had for nothing,--freely and gratuitously. Whosoever will\nmay take his portion. But, alas, there is no demand for these things!\nThey go a begging. They are scarcely looked at. They are offered in\nvain. Such is the world!\n\nBut a day is coming upon us all when the value of everything shall be\naltered. A day is coming when bank-notes shall be as useless as rags,\nand gold shall be as worthless as the dust of the earth. A day is coming\nwhen thousands shall care nothing for the things for which they once\nlived, and shall desire nothing so much as the things which they once\ndespised. The halls and palaces will be forgotten in the desire of a\n\"house not made with hands.\" The favour of the rich and great will be no\nmore remembered, in the longing for the favour of the King of kings. The\nsilks, and satins, and velvets, and laces, will be lost sight of in the\nanxious want of the robe of Christ's righteousness. All shall be\naltered, all shall be changed in the great day of the Lord's return.\n\"Many will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.\"\n\nIt was a weighty saying of some wise man, that \"hell is truth known too\nlate.\" I fear that thousands of professing Christians in this day will\nfind this out by experience. They will discover the value of their\nsouls when it is too late to obtain mercy, and see the beauty of the\nGospel when they can derive no benefit from it. Oh, that men would be\nwise betimes! I often think there are few passages of Scripture more\nawful than that in the first chapter of Proverbs,--\"Because I have\ncalled, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man\nregarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my\nreproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear\ncometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh\nas a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall\nthey call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but\nthey shall not find Me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not\nchoose the fear of the Lord: they would none of my counsel; they\ndespised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their\nown way, and be filled with their own devices.\" (Prov. i. 24-31.)\n\nSome reader of this paper may be one of those who neither like the faith\nnor practice which the Gospel of Christ requires. You think us extreme\nwhen we beseech you to repent and be converted. You think we ask too\nmuch when we urge you to come out from the world, and take up the cross,\nand follow Christ. But take notice that you will one day confess _that\nwe were right_. Sooner or later, in this world or the next, you will\nacknowledge that you were wrong. Yes! it is a melancholy consideration\nfor the faithful minister of the Gospel, that all who hear him will one\nday allow that his counsel was good. Mocked, despised, scorned,\nneglected as his testimony may be on earth, a day is coming which shall\nprove effectually that truth was on his side. The rich man who hears us\nand yet makes a god of this world,--the tradesman who hears us and yet\nmakes his ledger his Bible,--the farmer who hears us and yet remains\ncold as the clay on his land,--the labourer who hears us and feels no\nmore for his soul than a stone,--all, all will at length acknowledge\nbefore the world that they were wrong. All will at length desire\nearnestly that very mercy which we now set before them in vain. \"They\nwill seek to enter in, and shall not be able.\"\n\nSome reader of this paper may be one of those who love the Lord Jesus\nChrist in sincerity. Such an one may well take comfort when he looks\nforward. You often suffer persecution now for your religion's sake. You\nhave to bear hard words and unkind insinuations. Your motives are often\nmisrepresented, and your conduct slandered. The reproach of the cross\nhas not ceased. But you may well take courage when you look forward and\nthink of the Lord's second coming. That day shall make amends for all.\nYou will see those who now laugh at you because you read the Bible, and\npray, and love Christ, in a very different state of mind. They will come\nto you as the foolish virgins came to the wise, saying, \"Give us of your\noil, because our lamps are gone out.\" (Matt. xxv. 8.) You will see those\nwho now hate you and call you fools because, like Caleb and Joshua, you\nbring up a good report of Christ's service, altered, changed, and no\nlonger like the same men. They will say, \"Oh, that we had taken part\nwith you! You have been the truly wise, and we the foolish.\" Then fear\nnot the reproach of men. Confess Christ boldly before the world. Show\nyour colours, and be not ashamed of your Master. Time is short: eternity\nhastens on. The cross is only for a little season: the crown is for\never. Make sure work about that crown: leave nothing uncertain. \"Many\nwill seek to enter in, and shall not be able.\"\n\n\nAnd now let me offer to every one who reads this paper a few parting\nwords, in order to apply the whole subject to his soul. You have heard\nthe words of the Lord Jesus unfolded and expounded. You have seen the\npicture of the way of salvation: it is a strait gate.--You have heard\nthe command of the King: \"Strive to enter in.\"--You have been told of\nHis solemn warning: \"Many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be\nable.\"--Bear with me a little longer while I try to impress the whole\nmatter on your conscience. I have yet something to say on God's behalf.\n\n(1) For one thing, I will ask you a plain question. _Have you entered in\nat the strait gate or not?_ Old or young, rich or poor, churchman or\ndissenter, I repeat my question, Have you entered in at the strait gate?\n\nI ask not whether you have heard of it, and believe there is a gate. I\nask not whether you have looked at it, and admired it, and hope one day\nto go in. I ask whether you have gone up to it, knocked at it, been\nadmitted, and _are now inside_?\n\nIf you are not inside, what good have you got from your religion? You\nare not pardoned and forgiven. You are not reconciled to God. You are\nnot born again, sanctified, and meet for heaven. If you die as you are,\nthe devil will have you for ever, and your soul will be eternally\nmiserable.\n\nOh, think, think what a state this is to live in! Think, think above all\nthings, what a state this is to die in! Your life is but a vapour. A few\nmore years at most and you are gone: your place in the world will soon\nbe filled up; your house will be occupied by another. The sun will go on\nshining; the grass and daises will soon grow thick over your grave; your\nbody will be food for worms, and your soul will be lost to all eternity.\n\nAnd all this time there stands open before you a gate of salvation. God\ninvites you. Jesus Christ offers to save you. All things are ready for\nyour deliverance. One thing only is wanting, and that is that you should\nbe willing to be saved.\n\nOh think of these things, and be wise!\n\n(2) For another thing, I will give plain advice to all who are not yet\ninside the strait gate. That advice is simply this: _to enter in without\na day's delay_.\n\nTell me, if you can, of any one who ever reached heaven excepting\nthrough \"the strait gate.\" I know of none. From Abel, the first who\ndied, down to the end of the list of Bible names, I see none saved by\nany way but that of faith in Christ.\n\nTell me, if you can, of any one who ever entered in at the strait gate\nwithout \"striving.\" I know of none excepting those who die in infancy.\nHe that would win heaven must be content to fight for it.\n\nTell me, if you can, of any one who ever strove earnestly to enter, and\nfailed to succeed. I know of none. I believe that however weak and\nignorant men may be, they never seek life heartily and conscientiously,\nat the right door, and are left without an answer of peace.\n\nTell me, if you can, of any one who ever entered in at the strait gate,\nand was afterwards sorry. I know of none. I believe the footsteps on the\nthreshold of that gate are all one way. All have found it a good thing\nto serve Christ, and have never regretted taking up His cross.\n\nIf these things are so, seek Christ without delay, and enter in at the\ngate of life while you can! Make a beginning this very day. Go to that\nmerciful and mighty Saviour in prayer, and pour out your heart before\nHim. Confess to Him your guilt and wickedness and sin. Unbosom yourself\nfreely to Him: keep nothing back. Tell Him that you cast yourself and\nall your soul's affairs wholly on His hands, and ask Him to save you\naccording to His promise, and put His Holy Spirit within you.\n\nThere is everything _to encourage you to do this_. Thousands as bad as\nyou have applied to Christ in this way, and not one of them has been\nsent away and refused. They have found a peace of conscience they never\nknew before, and have gone on their way rejoicing. They have found\nstrength for all the trials of life, and none of them have been allowed\nto perish in the wilderness. Why should not you also seek Christ?\n\nThere is everything to encourage you to do what I tell you _at once_. I\nknow no reason why your repentance and conversion should not be as\nimmediate as that of others before you. The Samaritan woman came to the\nwell an ignorant sinner, and returned to her home a new creature. The\nPhilippian jailor turned from darkness to light, and became a professed\ndisciple of Christ in a single day. And why should not others do the\nsame? Why should not you give up your sins, and lay hold on Christ this\nvery day?\n\nI know that the advice I have given you is good. The grand question is,\nWill you take it?\n\n(3) The last thing I have to say shall be a request to all who have\nreally entered in at the strait gate. That request is, that you will\n_tell others_ of the blessings which you have found.\n\nI want all converted people to be missionaries. I do not want them all\nto go out to foreign lands, and preach to the heathen; but I do want all\nto be of a missionary spirit, and to strive to do good at home. I want\nthem to testify to all around them that the strait gate is the way to\nhappiness, and to persuade them to enter in by it.\n\nWhen Andrew was converted he found his brother Peter, and said to him,\n\"We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And\nhe brought him to Jesus.\" (John i. 41, 42.) When Philip was converted he\nfound Nathaniel, and said to him, \"We have found Him, of whom Moses in\nthe law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of\nJoseph. And Nathaniel said unto him, Can there any good thing come out\nof Nazareth? Philip said unto him, Come and see.\" (John i. 45, 46.) When\nthe Samaritan woman was converted, she \"left her waterpot, and went into\nthe city, and said to the men, Come, see a man which told me all things\nthat ever I did: is not this the Christ?\" (John iv. 28, 29.) When Saul\nthe Pharisee was converted, \"Straightway he preached Christ in the\nsynagogues, that He is the son of God.\" (Acts ix. 20.)\n\nI long to see this kind of spirit among Christians in the present day. I\nlong to see more zeal to commend the strait gate to all who are yet\noutside, and more desire to persuade them to enter in and be saved.\nHappy indeed is that Church whose members not only desire to reach\nheaven themselves, but desire also to take others with them!\n\nThe great gate of salvation is yet ready to open, but the hour draws\nnear when it will be closed for ever. Let us work while it is called\nto-day, for \"the night cometh when no man can work.\" (John ix. 4.) Let\nus tell our relatives and friends, that we have proved the way of life\nand found it pleasant, that we have tasted the bread of life and found\nit good.\n\nI have heard it calculated that if every believer in the world were to\nbring one soul to Christ each year, the whole human race would be\nconverted in less than twenty years. I make no comment on such a\ncalculation. Whether such a thing might be or not, one thing is sure:\nthat thing is, that many more _souls might probably be converted to God,\nif Christians were more zealous to do good_.\n\nThis, at least, we may remember, that God is \"not willing that any\nshould perish, but that all should come to repentance.\" (2 Pet. iii. 9.)\nHe that endeavours to show his neighbour the strait gate is doing a work\nwhich God approves. He is doing a work which angels regard with\ninterest, and with which the building of a pyramid will not compare in\nimportance. What saith the Scripture? \"He which converteth a sinner from\nthe error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a\nmultitude of sins.\" (James v. 20.)\n\nLet us all awaken to a deeper sense of our responsibility in this\nmatter. Let us look round the circle of those among whom we live, and\nconsider their state before God. Are there not many of them yet outside\nthe gate, unforgiven, unsanctified, and unfit to die? Let us watch for\nopportunities of speaking to them. Let us tell them of the strait gate,\nand entreat them to \"strive to enter in.\"\n\nWho can tell what \"a word spoken in due season\" may do? Who can tell\nwhat it may do when spoken in faith and prayer? It may be the\nturning-point in some man's history. It may be the beginning of thought,\nprayer, and eternal life. Oh, for more love and boldness among\nbelievers! Think what a blessing to be allowed to speak one converting\nword!\n\nI know not what the feelings of my readers may be on this subject. My\nheart's desire and prayer is that you may daily remember Christ's solemn\nwords,--\"Many will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.\" Keep these\nwords in mind, and then be careless about the souls of others, if you\ncan.\n\n\n\n\nIII\n\n\nREALITY\n\n \"_Reprobate silver._\"--Jer. vi. 30.\n\n \"_Nothing but leaves._\"--Mark xi. 13.\n\n \"_Let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and\n in truth._\"--1 John iii. 18. \"_Thou hast a name that thou\n livest, and art dead._\"--Rev. iii. 1.\n\n\nIf we profess to have any religion at all, let us take care that it is\nreal. I say it emphatically, and I repeat the saying: Let us mind that\nour religion is real.\n\nWhat do I mean when I use the word \"real.\" I mean that which is genuine,\nand sincere, and honest, and thorough. I mean that which is not base,\nand hollow, and formal, and false, and counterfeit, and sham, and\nnominal. \"Real\" religion is not mere show, and pretence, and skin-deep\nfeeling, and temporary profession, and outside work. It is something\ninward, solid, substantial, intrinsic, living, lasting. We know the\ndifference between base coin and good money,--between solid gold and\ntinsel,--between plated metal and silver,--between real stone and\nplaster imitation. Let us think of these things as we consider the\nsubject of this paper. What is the character of our religion? Is it\nreal? It may be weak, and feeble, and mingled with many infirmities.\nThat is not the point before us to-day. Is our religion real? Is it\ntrue?\n\nThe times in which we live demand attention to this subject. A want of\nreality is a striking feature of a vast amount of religion in the\npresent day. Poets have sometimes told us that the world has passed\nthrough four different states or conditions. We have had a golden age,\nand a silver age, a brazen age, and an iron age. How far this is true, I\ndo not stop to inquire. But I fear there is little doubt as to the\ncharacter of the age in which we live. It is universally an age of base\nmetal and alloy. If we measure the religion of the age by its apparent\nquantity, there is much of it. But if we measure it by its quality,\nthere is very little indeed. On every side we want MORE REALITY.\n\nI ask attention, while I try to bring home to men's consciences the\nquestion of this paper. There are two things which I propose to do:--\n\n I. In the first place, I will show the _importance of reality in\n religion_.\n\n II. In the second place, I will supply _some tests by which we may\n prove whether our own religion is real._\n\nHas any reader of this paper the least desire to go to heaven when he\ndies? Do you wish to have a religion which will comfort you in life,\ngive you good hope in death, and abide the judgment of God at the last\nday? Then, do not turn away from the subject before you. Sit down, and\nconsider calmly, whether your Christianity is real and true, or base and\nhollow.\n\n\nI. I have to show _the importance of reality in religion._\n\nThe point is one which, at first sight, may seem to require very few\nremarks to establish it. All men, I shall be told, are fully convinced\nof the importance of reality.\n\nBut is this true? Can it be said indeed that reality is rightly esteemed\namong Christians? I deny it entirely. The greater part of people who\nprofess to admire reality, seem to think that every one possesses\nit!--They tell us \"that all have got good hearts at bottom,\"--that all\nare sincere and true in the main, though they may make mistakes. They\ncall us uncharitable, and harsh, and censorious, if we doubt anybody's\ngoodness of heart. In short, they destroy the value of reality, by\nregarding it as a thing which almost every one has.\n\nThis wide-spread delusion is precisely one of the causes why I take up\nthis subject. I want men to understand that _reality_ is a far more rare\nand uncommon thing than is commonly supposed. I want men to see that\n_unreality_ is one of the great dangers of which Christians ought to\nbeware.\n\nWhat saith the Scripture? This is the only judge that can try the\nsubject. Let us turn to our Bibles, and examine them fairly, and then\ndeny, if we can, the importance of reality in religion, and the danger\nof not being real.\n\n(1) Let us look then, for one thing, at the parables spoken by our Lord\nJesus Christ. Observe how many of them are intended to put in strong\ncontrast the true believer and the mere nominal disciple. The parables\nof the sower, of the wheat and tares, of the draw-net, of the two sons,\nof the wedding garment, of the ten virgins, of the talents, of the great\nsupper, of the pounds, of the two builders, have all one great point in\ncommon. They all bring out in striking colours the difference between\nreality and unreality in religion. They all show the uselessness and\ndanger of any Christianity which is not real, thorough, and true.\n\n(2) Let us look, for another thing, at the language of our Lord Jesus\nChrist about the scribes and the Pharisees. Eight times over in one\nchapter we find Him denouncing them as \"hypocrites,\" in words of almost\nfearful severity.--\"Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers,\" He says, \"How\ncan ye escape the damnation of hell?\" (Matt. xxiii. 33.) What may we\nlearn from these tremendously strong expressions? How is it that our\ngracious and merciful Saviour used such cutting words about people who\nat any rate were more moral and decent than the publicans and harlots?\nIt is meant to teach us the exceeding abominableness of false profession\nand mere outward religion in God's sight. Open profligacy and wilful\nobedience to fleshly lusts are no doubt ruinous sins, if not given up.\nBut there seems nothing which is so displeasing to Christ as hypocrisy\nand unreality.\n\n(3) Let us look, for another thing, at the startling fact, that there is\nhardly a grace in the character of a true Christian of which you will\nnot find a counterfeit described in the Word of God. There is not a\nfeature in a believer's countenance of which there is not an imitation.\nGive me your attention, and I will show you this in a few particulars.\n\nIs there not an unreal _repentance_? Beyond doubt there is. Saul and\nAhab, and Herod, and Judas Iscariot had many feelings of sorrow about\nsin. But they never really repented unto salvation.\n\nIs there not an unreal _faith_? Beyond doubt there is. It is written of\nSimon Magus, at Samaria, that he \"believed,\" and yet his heart was not\nright in the sight of God. It is even written of the devils that they\n\"believe and tremble.\" (Acts viii. 13; James ii. 19.)\n\nIs there not an unreal _holiness_? Beyond doubt there is. Joash, king of\nJudah, became to all appearance very holy and good, so long as Jehoiada\nthe priest lived. But as soon as he died the religion of Joash died at\nthe same time. (2 Chron. xxiv. 2.)--Judas Iscariot's outward life was as\ncorrect as that of any of the apostles up to the time that he betrayed\nhis Master. There was nothing suspicious about him. Yet in reality he\nwas \"a thief\" and a traitor. (John xii. 6.)\n\nIs there not an unreal _love and charity_? Beyond doubt there is. There\nis a love which consists in words and tender expressions, and a great\nshow of affection, and calling other people \"dear brethren,\" while the\nheart does not love at all. It is not for nothing that St. John says,\n\"Let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.\"\nIt was not without cause that St. Paul said: \"Let love be without\ndissimulation.\" (1 John iii. 18; Rom. xii. 19.)\n\nIs there not an unreal _humility_? Beyond doubt there is. There is a\npretended lowliness of demeanour, which often covers over a very proud\nheart. St. Paul warns us against a \"voluntary humility,\" and speaks of\n\"things which had a show of wisdom in will-worship and humility.\" (Col.\nii. 18, 23.)\n\nIs there not unreal _praying_? Beyond doubt there is. Our Lord denounces\nit as one of the special sins of the Pharisees--that for a \"pretence\nthey made long prayers.\" (Matt. xxiii. 14.) He does not charge them with\nnot praying, or with praying too shortly. Their sin lay in this, that\ntheir prayers were not real.\n\nIs there not unreal _worship_? Beyond doubt there is. Our Lord says of\nthe Jews: \"This people draw nigh to Me with their mouths, and honour Me\nwith their lips, but their heart is far from Me.\" (Matt. xv. 8.) They\nhad plenty of formal services in their temples and their synagogues. But\nthe fatal defect about them was want of reality and want of heart.\n\nIs there not unreal _talking_ about religion? Beyond doubt there is.\nEzekiel describes some professing Jews who talked and spoke like God's\npeople \"while their hearts went after their covetousness.\" (Ezek.\nxxxiii. 31.) St. Paul tells us that we may \"speak with the tongue of men\nand angels,\" and yet be no better than sounding brass and a tinkling\ncymbal. (1 Cor. xiii. 1.)\n\nWhat shall we say to these things? To say the least they ought to set us\nthinking. To my own mind they seem to lead to only one conclusion. They\nshow clearly the immense importance which Scripture attaches to reality\nin religion. They show clearly what need we have to take heed lest our\nChristianity turn out to be merely nominal, formal, unreal, and base.\n\nThe subject is of deep importance in every age. There has never been a\ntime, since the Church of Christ was founded, when there has not been a\nvast amount of unreality and mere nominal religion among professing\nChristians. I am sure it is the case in the present day. Wherever I turn\nmy eyes I see abundant cause for the warning,--\"Beware of base metal in\nreligion. Be genuine. Be thorough. Be real. Be true.\"\n\nHow much religion among some members of the Church of England consists\nof _nothing but churchmanship_! They belong to the Established Church.\nThey are baptized at her fonts, married at her communion rails, buried\nin her churchyards, preached to on Sundays by her ministers. But the\ngreat doctrines laid down in her Articles and Liturgy have no place in\ntheir hearts, and no influence on their lives. They neither think, nor\nfeel, nor care, nor know anything about them. And is the religion of\nthese people real Christianity? It is nothing of the kind. It is mere\nbase metal. It is not the Christianity of Peter, and James, and John,\nand Paul. It is _Churchianity_, and no more.\n\nHow much religion among some Dissenters from the Church of England\nconsists of _nothing but dissent_! They pride themselves on having\nnothing to do with the Establishment. They rejoice in having no liturgy,\nno forms, no bishops. They glory in the exercise of their private\njudgment, and the absence of everything like ceremonial in their public\nworship. But all this time they have neither grace, nor faith, nor\nrepentance, nor holiness, nor spirituality of conduct or conversation.\nThe experimental and practical piety of the old Nonconformists is a\nthing of which they are utterly destitute. Their Christianity is as\nsapless and fruitless as a dead tree, and as dry and marrowless as an\nold bone. And is the Christianity of these people real? It is nothing\nof the kind. It is base metal. It is not the Christianity of Owen, and\nManton, and Goodwin, and Baxter, and Traill. It is _Dissentianity_, and\nnothing more.\n\nHow much Ritualistic religion is utterly unreal! You will sometimes see\nmen boiling over with zeal about vestments, and gestures, and postures,\nand church decorations, and daily services, and frequent communions,\nwhile their hearts are manifestly in the world. Of the inward work of\nthe Holy Ghost,--of living faith in the Lord Jesus,--of delight in the\nBible and religious conversation,--of separation from worldly follies\nand amusements,--of zeal for the conversion of souls to God,--of all\nthese things they are profoundly ignorant. And is such Christianity as\nthis real? It is nothing of the kind. It is a mere name.\n\nHow much Evangelical religion is completely unreal? You will sometimes\nsee men professing great affection for the pure \"Gospel,\" while they are\npractically inflicting on it the greatest injury. They will talk loudly\nof soundness in the faith, and have a keen nose for heresy. They will\nrun eagerly after popular preachers, and applaud Protestant speakers at\npublic meetings to the very echo. They are familiar with all the phrases\nof evangelical religion, and can converse fluently about its leading\ndoctrines. To see their faces at public meetings, or in church, you\nwould think them eminently godly. To hear them talk you would suppose\ntheir lives were bound up in religious Societies, the \"Record\" or \"Rock\"\nnewspapers, and Exeter Hall. And yet these people in private will\nsometimes do things of which even some heathens would be ashamed. They\nare neither truthful, nor straightforward, nor honest, nor manly, nor\njust, nor good-tempered, nor unselfish, nor merciful, nor humble, nor\nkind! And is such Christianity as this real? It is not. It is a\nmiserable imposture, a base cheat and caricature.\n\nHow much Revivalist religion in the present day is utterly unreal! You\nwill find a crowd of false professors bringing discredit on the work of\nGod wherever the Holy Spirit is poured out. You will see a mixed\nmultitude of Egyptians accompanying the Israel of God, and doing it\nharm, whenever Israel goes out of Egypt. How many now-a-days will\nprofess to be suddenly convinced of sin,--to find peace in Jesus,--to be\noverwhelmed with joys and ecstacies of soul,--while in reality they have\nno grace at all. Like the stony-ground hearers, they endure but for a\nseason. \"In the time of temptation they fall away.\" (Luke viii. 13) As\nsoon as the first excitement is passed off, they return to their old\nways, and resume their former sins. Their religion is like Jonah's\ngourd, which came up in a night and perished in a night. They have\nneither root nor vitality. They only injure God's cause and give\noccasion to God's enemies to blaspheme. And is Christianity like this\nreal? It is nothing of the kind. It is base metal from the devil's mint,\n=and= is worthless in God's sight.\n\nI write these things with sorrow. I have no desire to bring any section\nof the Church of Christ into contempt. I have no wish to cast any slur\non any movement which begins with the Spirit of God. But the times\ndemand very plain speaking about some points in the prevailing\nChristianity of our day. And one point, I am quite persuaded, that\ndemands attention, is the abounding want of reality which is to be seen\non every side.\n\nNo reader, at any rate, can well deny that the subject of the paper\nbefore him is of vast importance.\n\n\nII. I pass on now to the second thing which I propose to do. _I will\nsupply some tests by which we may try the reality of our religion._\n\nIn approaching this part of my subject, I ask every reader of this paper\nto deal fairly, honestly, and reasonably with his soul. Dismiss from\nyour mind the common idea,--that of course all is right if you go to\nchurch or to chapel. Cast away such vain notions for ever. You must look\nfurther, higher, deeper than this, if you would find out the truth.\nListen to me, and I will give you a few hints. Believe me, it is no\nlight matter. It is your life.\n\n(1) For one thing, if you would know whether your religion is real, try\nit by _the place which it occupies_ in your inner man. It is not enough\nthat it is in your _head_. You may know the truth, and assent to the\ntruth, and believe the truth, and yet be wrong in God's sight.--It is\nnot enough that it is on your _lips_. You may repeat the creed daily.\nYou may say \"Amen\" to public prayer in church, and yet have nothing more\nthan an outward religion.--It is not enough that it is in your\n_feelings_. You may weep under preaching one day, and be lifted to the\nthird heaven by joyous excitement another day, and yet be dead to\nGod.--Your religion, if it is real, and given by the Holy Ghost, must be\nin your _heart_. It must occupy the citadel. It must hold the reins. It\nmust sway the affections. It must lead the will. It must direct the\ntastes. It must influence the choices and decisions. It must fill the\ndeepest, lowest, inmost seat in your soul. Is this your religion? If\nnot, you may well doubt whether it is \"_real_\" and true. (Acts viii. 21;\nRom. x. 10.)\n\n(2) In the next place, if you would know whether your religion is real,\ntry it by the _feelings towards sin_ which it produces. The Christianity\nwhich is from the Holy Ghost will always have a very deep view of the\nsinfulness of sin. It will not merely regard sin as a blemish and\nmisfortune, which makes men and women objects of pity and compassion. It\nwill see in sin the abominable thing which God hates, the thing which\nmakes man guilty and lost in his Maker's sight, the thing which deserves\nGod's wrath and condemnation. It will look on sin as the cause of all\nsorrow and unhappiness, of strife and wars, of quarrels and contentions,\nof sickness and death,--the blight which has blighted God's fair\ncreation, the cursed thing which makes the whole earth groan and travail\nin pain. Above all, it will see in sin the thing which will ruin us\neternally, except we can find a ransom,--lead us captive, except we can\nget its chains broken,--and destroy our happiness, both here and\nhereafter, except we fight against it, even unto death. Is this your\nreligion? Are these your feelings about sin? If not, you may well doubt\nwhether your religion is \"_real_.\"\n\n(3) For another thing, if you would know whether your religion is real,\ntry it by the _feelings toward Christ_ which it produces. Nominal\nreligion may believe that such a person as Christ existed, and was a\ngreat benefactor to mankind. It may show Him some external respect,\nattend His outward ordinances, and bow the head at His name. But it will\ngo no further. Real religion will make a man glory in Christ, as the\nRedeemer, the Deliverer, the Priest, the Friend, without whom he would\nhave no hope at all. It will produce confidence in Him, love towards\nHim, delight in Him, comfort in Him, as the mediator, the food, the\nlight, the life, the peace of the soul. Is this your religion? Do you\nknow anything of feelings like these toward Jesus Christ? If not, you\nmay well doubt whether your religion is \"_real_.\"\n\n(4) For another thing, if you would know whether your religion is real,\ntry it by _the fruit it bears in your heart and life_. The Christianity\nwhich is from above will always be known by its fruits. It will produce\nin the man who has it repentance, faith, hope, charity, humility,\nspirituality, kind temper, self-denial, unselfishness, forgivingness,\ntemperance, truthfulness, brotherly-kindness, patience, forbearance. The\ndegree in which these various graces appear may vary in different\nbelievers. The germ and seeds of them will be found in all who are the\nchildren of God. By their fruits they may be known. Is this your\nreligion? If not, you may well doubt whether it is \"_real_.\"\n\n(5) In the last place, if you would know whether your religion is real,\ntry it by your _feelings and habits about means of grace_. Prove it by\nthe Sunday. Is that day a season of weariness and constraint, or a\ndelight and a refreshment, and a sweet foretaste of the rest to come in\nheaven?--Prove it by the public means of grace. What are your feelings\nabout public prayer and public praise, about the public preaching of\nGod's Word, and the administration of the Lord's Supper? Are they things\nto which you give a cold assent, and tolerate them as proper and\ncorrect? Or, are they things in which you take pleasure, and without\nwhich you could not live happy?--Prove it, finally, by your feelings\nabout private means of grace. Do you find it essential to your comfort\nto read the Bible regularly in private, and to speak to God in prayer?\nOr, do you find these practices irksome, and either slur them over, or\nneglect them altogether? These questions deserve your attention. If\nmeans of grace, whether public or private, are not as necessary to your\nsoul as meat and drink are to your body, you may well doubt whether your\nreligion is \"_real_.\"\n\nI press on the attention of all my readers the five points which I have\njust named. There is nothing like coming to particulars about these\nmatters. If you would know whether your religion is \"real,\" genuine, and\ntrue, measure it by the five particulars which I have now named. Measure\nit fairly: test it honestly. If your heart is right in the sight of God,\nyou have no cause to flinch from examination. If it is wrong, the sooner\nyou find it out the better.\n\n\nAnd now I have done what I proposed to do. I have shown from Scripture\nthe unspeakable importance of reality in religion, and the danger in\nwhich many stand of being lost for ever, for want of it. I have given\nfive plain tests, by which a man may find out whether his Christianity\nis real. I will conclude all by a direct application of the whole\nsubject to the souls of all who read this paper. I will draw my bow at a\nventure, and trust that God will bring an arrow home to the hearts and\nconsciences of many.\n\n(1) My first word of application shall be _an inquiry_. Is your own\nreligion real or unreal? genuine or base? I do not ask what you think\nabout others. Perhaps you may see many hypocrites around you. You may be\nable to point to many who have no \"reality\" at all. This is not the\nquestion. You may be right in your opinion about others. But I want to\nknow about yourself. Is your own Christianity real and true? or nominal\nand base?\n\nIf you love life, do not turn away from the question which is now before\nyou. The time must come when the whole truth will be known. The judgment\nday will reveal every man's religion, of what sort it is. The parable of\nthe wedding-garment will receive an awful fulfilment. Surely it is a\nthousand times better to find out _now_ your condition, and to repent,\nthan to find it out too late in the next world, when there will be no\nspace for repentance. If you have common prudence, sense, and judgment,\nconsider what I say. Sit down quietly this day, and examine yourself.\nFind out the real character of your religion. With the Bible in your\nhand, and honesty in your heart, the thing may be known. Then resolve to\nfind out.\n\n(2) My second word of application shall be a _warning_. I address it to\nall who know, in their own consciences, that their religion is not real.\nI ask them to remember the greatness of their danger, and their\nexceeding guilt in the sight of God.\n\nAn unreal Christianity is specially offensive to that Great God with\nwhom we have to do. He is continually spoken of in Scripture as the God\nof Truth. Truth is peculiarly one of His attributes. Can you doubt for a\nmoment that He abhors everything that is not genuine and true? Better, I\nfirmly believe, to be found an ignorant heathen at the last day, than to\nbe found with nothing better than a nominal religion. If your religion\nis of this sort, beware!\n\nAn unreal Christianity is sure to fail a man at last. It will wear out;\nit will break down; it will leave its possessor like a wreck on a\nsandbank, high and dry and forsaken by the tide; it will supply no\ncomfort in the hour when comfort is most needed,--in the time of\naffliction, and on the bed of death. If you want a religion to be of any\nuse to your soul, beware of unreality! If you would not be comfortless\nin death, and hopeless in the judgment day, be genuine, be real, be\ntrue.\n\n(3) My third word of application shall be _advice_. I offer it to all\nwho feel pricked in conscience by the subject of this paper. I advise\nthem to cease from all trifling and playing with religion, and to become\nhonest, thorough-going, whole-hearted followers of the Lord Jesus\nChrist.\n\nApply without delay to the Lord Jesus, and ask Him to become your\nSaviour, your Physician, your Priest, and your Friend. Let not the\nthought of your unworthiness keep you away: let not the recollection of\nyour sins prevent your application. Never, never forget that Christ can\ncleanse you from any quantity of sins, if you only commit your soul to\nHim. But one thing He does ask of those who come to Him: He asks them to\nbe real, honest, and true.\n\nLet reality be one great mark of your approach to Christ, and there is\neverything to give you hope. Your repentance may be feeble, but let it\nbe real; your faith may be weak, but let it be real; your desires after\nholiness may be mingled with much infirmity, but let them be real. Let\nthere be nothing of reserve, of double-dealing, of part-acting of\ndishonesty, of sham, of counterfeit, in your Christianity. Never be\ncontent to wear a cloak of religion. Be all that you profess. Though you\nmay err, be real. Though you may stumble, be true. Keep this principle\ncontinually before your eyes, and it will be well with your soul\nthroughout your journey from grace to glory.\n\n(4) My last word of application shall be _encouragement_. I address it\nto all who have manfully taken up the cross, and are honestly following\nChrist. I exhort them to persevere, and not to be moved by difficulties\nand opposition.\n\nYou may often find few with you, and many against you. You may often\nhear hard things said of you. You may often be told that you go too far,\nand that you are extreme. Heed it not. Turn a deaf ear to remarks of\nthis kind. Press on.\n\nIf there is anything which a man ought to do thoroughly, really, truly,\nhonestly, and with all his heart, it is the business of his soul. If\nthere is any work which he ought never to slur over, and do in a\nslovenly fashion, it is the great work of \"working out his own\nsalvation.\" (Phil. ii. 12.) Believer in Christ, remember this! Whatever\nyou do in religion, do it well. Be real. Be thorough. Be honest. Be\ntrue.\n\nIf there is anything in the world of which a man need not be ashamed, it\nis the service of Jesus Christ. Of sin, of worldliness, of levity, of\ntrifling, of time-wasting, of pleasure-seeking, of bad temper, of pride,\nof making an idol of money, dress, dancing, hunting, shooting,\ncard-playing, novel-reading, and the like,--of all this a man may well\nbe ashamed. Living after this fashion he makes the angels sorrow, and\nthe devils rejoice. But of living for his soul,--caring for his\nsoul,--thinking of his soul,--providing for his soul,--making his soul's\nsalvation the principal and chief thing in his daily life,--of all this\na man has no cause to be ashamed at all. Believer in Christ, remember\nthis! Remember it in your Bible-reading and your private praying.\nRemember it on your Sabbaths. Remember it in your worship of God. In all\nthese things never be ashamed of being whole-hearted, real, thorough,\nand true.\n\nThe years of our life are fast passing away. Who knows but this year may\nbe the last in his life? Who can tell but that he may be called this\nvery year to meet his God? As ever you would be found ready, be a real\nand true Christian. Do not be base metal.\n\nThe time is fast coming when nothing but reality will stand the fire.\nReal repentance towards God,--real faith towards our Lord Jesus\nChrist,--real holiness of heart and life,--these, these are the things\nwhich will alone pass current at the last day. It is a solemn saying of\nour Lord Jesus Christ, \"Many shall say in that day, Lord, Lord, have we\nnot prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name have cast out devils, and in\nThy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I\nnever knew you. Depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.\" (Matt. vii. 22,\n23.)\n\n\n\n\nIV\n\n\nPRAYER\n\n \"_Men ought always to pray._\"--Luke xviii. 1.\n\n \"_I will that men pray everywhere._\"--1 Tim. ii. 8.\n\n\nPrayer is the most important subject in practical religion. All other\nsubjects are second to it. Reading the Bible, keeping the Sabbath,\nhearing sermons, attending public worship, going to the Lord's\nTable,--all these are very weighty matters. But none of them are so\nimportant as private prayer.\n\nI propose in this paper to offer seven plain reasons why I use such\nstrong language about prayer. I invite to these reasons the attention of\nevery thinking man into whose hands this paper may fall. I venture to\nassert with confidence that they deserve serious consideration.\n\n\nI. In the first place, _Prayer is absolutely needful to a man's\nsalvation_.\n\nI say absolutely needful, and I say so advisedly. I am not speaking now\nof infants and idiots. I am not settling the state of the heathen. I\nremember that where little is given, there little will be required. I\nspeak especially of those who call themselves Christians, in a land like\nour own. And of such I say no man or woman can expect to be saved who\ndoes not pray.\n\nI hold salvation by grace as strongly as any one. I would gladly offer a\nfree and full pardon to the greatest sinner that ever lived. I would not\nhesitate to stand by his dying bed, and say, \"Believe on the Lord Jesus\nChrist even now, and you shall be saved.\" But that a man can have\nsalvation without _asking_ for it, I cannot see in the Bible. That a man\nwill receive pardon of his sins, who will not so much as lift up his\nheart inwardly, and say, \"Lord Jesus, give it to me,\" this I cannot\nfind. I can find that nobody will be saved by his prayers, but I cannot\nfind that without prayer anybody will be saved.\n\nIt is not absolutely needful to salvation that a man should _read_ the\nBible. A man may have no learning, or be blind, and yet have Christ in\nhis heart. It is not absolutely needful that a man should _hear_ the\npublic preaching of the Gospel. He may live where the Gospel is not\npreached, or he may be bedridden, or deaf. But the same thing cannot be\nsaid about prayer. It is absolutely needful to salvation that a man\nshould _pray_.\n\nThere is no royal road either to health or learning. Princes and kings,\npoor men and peasants, all alike must attend to the wants of their own\nbodies and their own minds. No man can eat, drink, or sleep by proxy. No\nman can get the alphabet learned for him by another. All these are\nthings which everybody must do for himself, or they will not be done at\nall.\n\nJust as it is with the mind and body, so it is with the soul. There are\ncertain things absolutely needful to the soul's health and well-being.\nEach one must attend to these things for himself. Each must repent for\nhimself. Each must apply to Christ for himself. And for himself each one\nmust speak to God and pray. You must do it for yourself, for by nobody\nelse can it be done.\n\nHow can we expect to be saved by an \"unknown\" God? And how can we know\nGod without prayer? We know nothing of men and women in this world,\nunless we speak with them. We cannot know God in Christ, unless we speak\nto Him in prayer. If we wish to be with Him in heaven, we must be His\nfriends on earth. If we wish to be His friends on earth, _we must pray_.\n\nThere will be many at Christ's right hand in the last day. The saints\ngathered from North and South, and East and West, will be \"a multitude\nthat no man can number.\" (Rev. vii. 9.) The song of victory that will\nburst from their mouths, when their redemption is at length complete,\nwill be a glorious song indeed. It will be far above the noise of many\nwaters, and of mighty thunders. But there will be no discord in that\nsong. They that sing will sing with one heart as well as one voice.\nTheir experience will be one and the same. All will have believed. All\nwill have been washed in the blood of Christ. All will have been born\nagain. All will have prayed. Yes, we must pray on earth, or we shall\nnever praise in heaven. We must go through the school of prayer, or we\nshall never be fit for the holiday of praise. In short, to be prayerless\nis to be without God,--without Christ,--without grace,--without\nhope,--and without heaven. It is to be in the road to hell.\n\n\nII. In the second place, _a habit of prayer is one of the surest marks\nof a true Christian_.\n\nAll the children of God on earth are alike in this respect. From the\nmoment there is any life and reality about their religion, they pray.\nJust as the first sign of life in an infant when born into the world, is\nthe act of breathing, so the first act of men and women when they are\nborn again, is _praying_.\n\nThis is one of the common marks of all the elect of God: \"They cry unto\nHim day and night.\" (Luke xviii. 1.) The Holy Spirit, who makes them new\ncreatures, works in them the feeling of adoption, and makes them cry,\n\"Abba, Father.\" (Rom. viii. 15.) The Lord Jesus, when He quickens them,\ngives them a voice and a tongue, and says to them, \"Be dumb no more.\"\nGod has no dumb children. It is as much a part of their new nature to\npray, as it is of a child to cry. They see their need of mercy and\ngrace. They feel their emptiness and weakness. They cannot do otherwise\nthan they do. They _must_ pray.\n\nI have looked carefully over the lives of God's saints in the Bible. I\ncannot find one of whose history much is told us, from Genesis to\nRevelation, who was not a man of prayer. I find it mentioned as a\ncharacteristic of the godly, that \"they call on the Father,\" that \"they\ncall on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.\" I find it recorded as a\ncharacteristic of the wicked, that \"they call not upon the Lord.\" (1\nPeter i. 17; 1 Cor. i. 2; Psalm xiv. 4.)\n\nI have read the lives of many eminent Christians who have been on earth\nsince the Bible days. Some of them, I see, were rich, and some poor.\nSome were learned, and some unlearned. Some of them were Episcopalians,\nsome Presbyterians, some Baptists, some Independents. Some were\nCalvinists, and some Arminians. Some have loved to use a liturgy, and\nsome to use none. But one thing, I see, they all had in common. They\nhave all been _men of prayer_.\n\nI study the reports of Missionary Societies in our own times. I see with\njoy that heathen men and women are receiving the Gospel in various parts\nof the globe. There are conversions in Africa, in New Zealand, in\nHindostan, in America. The people converted are naturally unlike one\nanother in every respect. But one striking thing I observe at all the\nMissionary stations. The converted people _always pray_.\n\nI do not deny that a man may pray without heart, and without sincerity.\nI do not for a moment pretend to say that the mere fact of a person\npraying proves everything about his soul. As in every other part of\nreligion, so also in this, there is plenty of deception and hypocrisy.\n\nBut this I do say,--that not praying is a clear proof that a man is not\nyet a true Christian. He cannot really feel his sins. He cannot love\nGod. He cannot feel himself a debtor to Christ. He cannot long after\nholiness. He cannot desire heaven. He has yet to be born again. He has\nyet to be made a new creature. He may boast confidently of election,\ngrace, faith, hope, and knowledge, and deceive ignorant people. But you\nmay rest assured it is all vain talk _if he does not pray_.\n\nAnd I say furthermore, that of all the evidences of real work of the\nSpirit, a habit of hearty private prayer is one of the most satisfactory\nthat can be named. A man may preach from false motives. A man may write\nbooks, and make fine speeches, and seem diligent in good works, and yet\nbe a Judas Iscariot. But a man seldom goes into his closet, and pours\nout his soul before God in secret, unless he is in earnest. The Lord\nHimself has set His stamp on prayer as the best proof of a true\nconversion. When He, sent Ananias to Saul in Damascus, He gave him no\nother evidence of his change of heart than this,--\"_Behold, he\nprayeth_.\" (Acts ix. 11.)\n\nI know that much may go on in a man's mind before he is brought to pray.\nHe may have many convictions, desires, wishes, feelings, intentions,\nresolutions, hopes, and fears. But all these things are very uncertain\nevidences. They are to be found in ungodly people, and often come to\nnothing. In many a case they are not more lasting than \"the morning\ncloud, and the dew that goeth away.\" (Hos. vi. 4.) A real hearty prayer,\nflowing from a broken and contrite spirit, is worth all these things put\ntogether.\n\nI know that the elect of God are chosen to salvation from all eternity.\nI do not forget that the Holy Spirit, who calls them in due time, in\nmany instances leads them by very slow degrees to acquaintance with\nChrist. But the eye of man can only judge by what it sees. I cannot\ncall any one justified until he believes. I dare not say that any one\nbelieves until he prays. I cannot understand a dumb faith. The first act\nof faith will be to speak to God. Faith is to the soul what life is to\nthe body. Prayer is to faith what breath is to life. How a man can live\nand not breathe is past my comprehension, and how a man can believe and\nnot pray is past my comprehension too.\n\nLet no one be surprised if he hears ministers of the Gospel dwelling\nmuch on the importance of prayer. This is the point we want to bring you\nto,--we want to know that you pray. Your views of doctrine may be\ncorrect. Your love of Protestantism may be warm and unmistakeable. But\nstill this may be nothing more than head knowledge and party spirit. The\ngreat point is this,--whether you can speak _to_ God as well as speak\n_about_ God.\n\n\nIII. In the third place, _there is no duty in religion so neglected as\nprivate prayer_.\n\nWe live in days of abounding religious profession. There are more places\nof public worship now than there ever were before. There are more\npersons attending them than there ever have been since England was a\nnation. And yet in spite of all this public religion, I believe there is\na vast neglect of private prayer.\n\nI should not have said so a few years ago. I once thought, in my\nignorance, that most people said their prayers, and many people prayed.\nI have lived to think differently. I have come to the conclusion that\nthe great majority of professing Christians do not pray at all.\n\nI know this sounds very shocking, and will startle many. But I am\nsatisfied that prayer is just one of those things which is thought a\n\"matter of course,\" and, like many matters of course, is shamefully\nneglected. It is \"everybody's business;\" and, as it often happens in\nsuch cases, it is a business carried on by very few. It is one of those\nprivate transactions between God and our souls which no eye sees, and\ntherefore one which there is every temptation to pass over and leave\nundone.\n\nI believe that thousands _never say a word of prayer at all_. They eat;\nthey drink; they sleep; they rise; they go forth to their labour; they\nreturn to their homes; they breathe God's air; they see God's sun; they\nwalk on God's earth; they enjoy God's mercies; they have dying bodies;\nthey have judgment and eternity before them. But they _never speak to\nGod_! They live like the beasts that perish; they behave like creatures\nwithout souls; they have not a word to say to Him in whose hand are\ntheir life, and breath, and all things, and from whose mouth they must\none day receive their everlasting sentence. How dreadful this seems! But\nif the secrets of men were only known, how common!\n\nI believe there are tens of thousands _whose prayers are nothing but a\nmere form_,--a set of words repeated by rote, without a thought about\ntheir meaning. Some say over a few hasty sentences picked up in the\nnursery when they were children. Some content themselves with repeating\nthe Belief, forgetting that there is not a request in it. Some add the\nLord's Prayer, but without the slightest desire that its solemn\npetitions may be granted. Some among the poor, even at this day, repeat\nthe old popish lines:--\n\n \"Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,\n Bless the bed that I lie on.\"\n\nMany, even of those who use good forms, mutter their prayers over after\nthey have got into bed, or scramble over them while they wash or dress\nin the morning. Men may think what they please, but they may depend that\nin the sight of God _this is not praying_. Words said without heart are\nas utterly useless to our souls as the drum-beating of the poor heathen\nbefore their idols. Where there is _no heart_, there may be lip-work\nand tongue-work, but there is nothing that God listens to,--there is _no\nprayer_. Saul, I have no doubt, said many a long prayer before the Lord\nmet him on the way to Damascus. But it was not till his heart was broken\nthat the Lord said, \"He prayeth.\"\n\nDoes this surprise any reader? Listen to me and I will show you that I\nam not speaking as I do without reason. Do you think that my assertions\nare extravagant and unwarrantable? Give me your attention, and I will\nsoon show you that I am only telling you the truth.\n\nHave you forgotten that it is _not natural_ to any one to pray? The\ncarnal mind is enmity against God. The desire of man's heart is to get\nfar away from God, and to have nothing to do with Him. His feeling\ntoward Him is not love but fear. Why then should a man pray when he has\nno real sense of sin, no real feeling of spiritual wants,--no thorough\nbelief in unseen things,--no desire after holiness and heaven? Of all\nthese things the vast majority of men know and feel nothing. The\nmultitude walk in the broad way. I cannot forget this. Therefore I say\nboldly, I believe that few pray.\n\nHave you forgotten that it is _not fashionable_ to pray? It is just one\nof the things that many would be rather ashamed to own. There are\nhundreds who would sooner storm a breach, or lead a forlorn hope, than\nconfess publicly that they make a habit of prayer. There are thousands\nwho, if obliged by chance to sleep in the same room with a stranger,\nwould lie down in bed without a prayer. To ride well, to shoot well, to\ndress well, to go to balls, and concerts, and theatres, to be thought\nclever and agreeable,--all this is fashionable, but not to pray. I\ncannot forget this. I cannot think a habit is common which so many seem\nashamed to own. I believe that few pray.\n\nHave you forgotten _the lives that many live_? Can we really suppose\nthat people are praying against sin night and day, when we see them\nplunging right into it? Can we suppose they pray against the world, when\nthey are entirely absorbed and taken up with its pursuits? Can we think\nthey really ask God for grace to serve Him, when they do not show the\nslightest desire to serve Him at all? Oh, no! It is plain as daylight\nthat the great majority of men either ask nothing of God, or _do not\nmean what they say_ when they do ask,--which is just the same thing.\nPraying and sinning will never live together in the same heart. Prayer\nwill consume sin, or sin will choke prayer. I cannot forget this. I look\nat men's lives. I believe that few pray.\n\nHave you forgotten _the deaths that many die_? How many, when they draw\nnear death, seem entirely strangers to God. Not only are they sadly\nignorant of His Gospel, but sadly wanting in the power of speaking to\nHim. There is a terrible awkwardness, and shyness, and newness, and\nrawness, in their endeavours to approach Him. They seem to be taking up\na fresh thing. They appear as if they wanted an introduction to God, and\nas if they had never talked with Him before. I remember having heard of\na lady who was anxious to have a minister to visit her in her last\nillness. She desired that he would pray with her. He asked her what he\nshould pray for. She did not know and could not tell. She was utterly\nunable to name any one thing which she wished him to ask God for her\nsoul. All she seemed to want was the form of a minister's prayers. I can\nquite understand this. Death-beds are great revealers of secrets. I\ncannot forget what I have seen of sick and dying people. This also leads\nme to believe that few pray.\n\n\nIV. In the fourth place, _prayer is that act in religion to which there\nis the greatest encouragement_.\n\nThere is everything on God's part to make prayer easy, if men will only\nattempt it. \"All things are ready\" on His side. (Luke xiv. 17.) Every\nobjection is anticipated. Every difficulty is provided for. The crooked\nplaces are made straight, and the rough places are made smooth. There is\nno excuse left for the prayerless man.\n\nThere is _a way_ by which any man, however sinful and unworthy, may draw\nnear to God the Father. Jesus Christ has opened that way by the\nsacrifice He made for us upon the cross. The holiness and justice of God\nneed not frighten sinners and keep them back. Only let them cry to God\nin the name of Jesus,--only let them plead the atoning blood of\nJesus,--and they shall find God upon a throne of grace, willing and\nready to hear. The name of Jesus is a never-failing passport to our\nprayers. In that name a man may draw near to God with boldness, and ask\nwith confidence. God has engaged to hear him. Think of this. Is not this\nencouragement?\n\nThere is _an advocate_ and intercessor always waiting to present the\nprayers of those who will employ Him. That advocate is Jesus Christ. He\nmingles our prayers with the incense of His own almighty intercession.\nSo mingled they go up as a sweet savour before the throne of God. Poor\nas they are in themselves, they are mighty and powerful in the hand of\nour High Priest and elder brother. The bank-note without a signature at\nthe bottom is nothing but a worthless piece of paper. A few strokes of a\npen confer on it all its value. The prayer of a poor child of Adam is a\nfeeble thing in itself, but once endorsed by the hand of the Lord Jesus\nit availeth much. There was an officer in the city of Rome who was\nappointed to have his doors always open, in order to receive any Roman\ncitizen who applied to him for help. Just so the ear of the Lord Jesus\nis ever open to the cry of all who want mercy and grace. It is His\noffice to help them. Their prayer is His delight. Think of this. Is not\nthis encouragement?\n\nThere is _the Holy Spirit_ ever ready to help our infirmities in prayer.\nIt is one part of His special office to assist us in our endeavours to\nspeak to God. We need not be cast down and distressed by the fear of not\nknowing what to say. The Spirit will give us words if we will only seek\nHis aid. He will supply us with \"thoughts that breathe and words that\nburn.\" The prayers of the Lord's people are the inspiration of the\nLord's Spirit,--the work of the Holy Ghost who dwells within them as the\nSpirit of grace and supplications. Surely the Lord's people may well\nhope to be heard. It is not they merely that pray, but the Holy Ghost\npleading in them. (Rom. viii. 26.) Think of this. Is not this\nencouragement?\n\nThere are exceeding great and precious _promises_ to those who pray.\nWhat did the Lord Jesus mean when He spoke such words as these, \"Ask,\nand it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall\nbe opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that\nseeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.\" (Matt.\nvii. 7, 8.) \"All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye\nshall receive.\" (Matt. xxi. 22.) \"Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name,\nthat will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall\nask any thing in my name, I will do it.\" (John xiv. 13, 14.) What did\nthe Lord mean when He spoke the parables of the friend at midnight and\nthe importunate widow? (Luke xi. 5, and xviii. 1.) Think over these\npassages. If this is not encouragement to pray, words have no meaning at\nall.\n\nThere are wonderful _examples_ in Scripture of the power of prayer.\nNothing seems to be too great, too hard, or too difficult for prayer to\ndo. It has obtained things that seemed impossible and out of reach. It\nhas won victories over fire, air, earth, and water. Prayer opened the\nRed Sea. Prayer brought water from the rock and bread from heaven.\nPrayer made the sun stand still. Prayer brought fire from the sky on\nElijah's sacrifice. Prayer turned the counsel of Ahithophel into\nfoolishness. Prayer overthrew the army of Sennacherib. Well might Mary,\nQueen of Scots, say, \"I fear John Knox's prayers more than an army of\nten thousand men.\" Prayer has healed the sick. Prayer has raised the\ndead. Prayer has procured the conversion of souls. \"The child of many\nprayers,\" said an old Christian to Augustine's mother, \"shall never\nperish.\" Prayer, pains, and faith can do anything. Nothing seems\nimpossible when a man has the Spirit of adoption. \"Let me alone,\" is the\nremarkable saying of God to Moses, when Moses was about to intercede for\nthe children of Israel. (Exod. xxxii. 10.) The Chaldee version has it\n\"Leave off praying.\" So long as Abraham asked mercy for Sodom, the Lord\nwent on giving. He never ceased to give till Abraham ceased to pray.\nThink of this. Is not this encouragement?\n\nWhat more can a man want to lead him to take any step in religion than\nthe things I have just told him about prayer? What more could be done to\nmake the path to the mercy-seat easy, and to remove all occasions of\nstumbling from the sinner's way? Surely if the devils in hell had such a\ndoor set open before them they would leap for gladness, and make the\nvery pit ring with joy.\n\nBut where will the man hide his head at last who neglects such glorious\nencouragements? What can be possibly said for the man who after all dies\nwithout prayer? God forbid that any reader of this paper should be that\nman.\n\n\nV. In the fifth place, _diligence in prayer is the secret of eminent\nholiness_.\n\nWithout controversy there is a vast difference among true Christians.\nThere is an immense interval between the foremost and the hindermost in\nthe army of God.\n\nThey are all fighting the same good fight;--but how much more valiantly\nsome fight than others! They are all doing the Lord's work;--but how\nmuch more some do than others! They are all light in the Lord;--but how\nmuch more brightly some shine than others! They are all running the same\nrace;--but how much faster some get on than others! They all love the\nsame Lord and Saviour;--but how much more some love Him than others! I\nask any true Christian whether this is not the case. Are not these\nthings so?\n\nThere are some of the Lord's people who seem _never able to get on_ from\nthe time of their conversion. They are born again, but they remain\nbabies all their lives. They are learners in Christ's school, but they\nnever seem to get beyond A B C, and the lowest form. They have got\ninside the fold, but there they lie down and get no further. Year after\nyear you see in them the same old besetting sins. You hear from them the\nsame old experience. You remark in them the same want of spiritual\nappetite,--the same squeamishness about anything but the milk of the\nWord, and the same dislike to strong meat,--the same childishness,--the\nsame feebleness,--the same littleness of mind,--the same narrowness of\nheart,--the same want of interest in anything beyond their own little\ncircle, which you remarked ten years ago. They are pilgrims indeed, but\npilgrims like the Gibeonites of old;--their bread is always dry and\nmouldy,--their shoes always old and clouted, and their garments always\nrent and torn. (Josh. ix. 4, 5.) I say this with sorrow and grief. But I\nask any real Christian, Is it not true?\n\nThere are others of the Lord's people who seem to be _always getting\non_. They grow like the grass after rain. They increase like Israel in\nEgypt. They press on like Gideon,--though sometimes \"faint, yet always\npursuing.\" (Judges viii. 4.) They are ever adding grace to grace, and\nfaith to faith, and strength to strength. Every time you meet them\ntheir hearts seem larger, and their spiritual stature bigger, taller,\nand stronger. Every year they appear to see more, and know more, and\nbelieve more, and feel more in their religion. They not only have good\nworks to prove the reality of their faith, but they are _zealous_ of\nthem. They not only do well, but they are _unwearied_, in well-doing.\n(Titus ii. 14; Gal. vi. 9.) They attempt great things, and they do great\nthings. When they fail they try again, and when they fall they are soon\nup again. And all this time they think themselves poor unprofitable\nservants, and fancy they do nothing at all!--These are those who make\nreligion lovely and beautiful in the eyes of all. They wrest praise even\nfrom the unconverted, and win golden opinions even from the selfish men\nof the world. These are those whom it does one good to see, to be with,\nand to hear. When you meet them, you could believe that, like Moses,\nthey had just come out from the presence of God. When you part with them\nyou feel warmed by their company, as if your soul had been near a fire.\nI know such people are rare. I only ask, Is it not so?\n\nNow, how can we account for the difference which I have just described?\nWhat is the reason that some believers are so much brighter and holier\nthan others? I believe the difference, in nineteen cases out of twenty,\narises from different habits about private prayer. I believe that those\nwho are not eminently holy pray _little_, and those who are eminently\nholy pray _much_.\n\nI daresay this opinion will startle some readers. I have little doubt\nthat many look on eminent holiness as a kind of special gift, which none\nbut a few must pretend to aim at. They admire it at a distance, in\nbooks: they think it beautiful when they see an example near themselves.\nBut as to its being a thing within the reach of any but a very few, such\na notion never seems to enter their minds. In short, they consider it a\nkind of monopoly granted to a few favoured believers, but certainly not\nto all.\n\nNow I believe that this is a most dangerous mistake. I believe that\nspiritual, as well as natural, greatness, depends far more on the use of\nmeans within everybody's reach, than on anything else. Of course I do\nnot say we have a right to expect a miraculous grant of intellectual\ngifts. But this I do say, that when a man is once converted to God,\nwhether he shall be eminently holy or not depends chiefly on his own\ndiligence in the use of God's appointed means. And I assert confidently,\nthat the principal means by which most believers have become great in\nthe Church of Christ is the habit of _diligent private prayer_.\n\nLook through the lives of the brightest and best of God's servants,\nwhether in the Bible or not. See what is written of Moses, and David,\nand Daniel, and Paul. Mark what is recorded of Luther and Bradford, the\nReformers. Observe what is related of the private devotions of\nWhitfield, and Cecil, and Venn, and Bickersteth, and M'Cheyne. Tell me\nof one of all the goodly fellowship of saints and martyrs, who has not\nhad this mark most prominently,--he was _a man of prayer_. Oh, depend\nupon it, prayer is power!\n\nPrayer obtains fresh and continued outpourings of the Spirit. He alone\nbegins the work of grace in a man's heart: He alone can carry it forward\nand make it prosper. But the good Spirit loves to be entreated. And\nthose who ask most, will always have most of His influence.\n\nPrayer is the surest remedy against the devil and besetting sins. That\nsin will never stand firm which is heartily prayed against: that devil\nwill never long keep dominion over us which we beseech the Lord to cast\nforth. But, then, we must spread out all our case before our Heavenly\nPhysician, if He is to give us daily relief: we must drag our\nindwelling devils to the feet of Christ, and cry to Him to send them\nback to the pit.\n\nDo we wish to grow in grace and be very holy Christians? Then let us\nnever forget the value of prayer.\n\n\nVI. In the sixth place, _neglect of prayer is one great cause of\nbacksliding_.\n\nThere is such a thing as going back in religion, after making a good\nprofession. Men may run well for a season, like the Galatians, and then\nturn aside after false teachers. Men may profess loudly, while their\nfeelings are warm, as Peter did; and then, in the hour of trial, deny\ntheir Lord. Men may lose their first love, as the Ephesians did. Men may\ncool down in their zeal to do good, like Mark, the companion of Paul.\nMen may follow an apostle for a season, and then, like Demas, go back to\nthe world.--All these things men may do.\n\nIt is a miserable thing to be a backslider. Of all unhappy things that\ncan befall a man, I suppose it is the worst. A stranded ship, a\nbroken-winged eagle, a garden overrun with weeds, a harp without\nstrings, a church in ruins,--all these are sad sights; but a backslider\nis a sadder sight still. That true grace shall never be extinguished,\nand true union with Christ never be broken off, I feel no doubt. But I\ndo believe that a man may fall away so far that he shall lose sight of\nhis own grace, and despair of his own salvation. And if this is not\nhell, it is certainly the next thing to it! A wounded conscience, a mind\nsick of itself, a memory full of self-reproach, a heart pierced through\nwith the Lord's arrows, a spirit broken with a load of inward\naccusation,--all this is _a taste of hell_. It is a hell on earth. Truly\nthat saying of the wise man is solemn and weighty,--\"The backslider in\nheart shall be filled with his own ways.\" (Prov. xiv. 14.)\n\nNow, what is the cause of most backsliding? I believe, as a general\nrule, one of the chief causes is neglect of private prayer. Of course\nthe secret history of falls will not be known till the last day. I can\nonly give my opinion as a minister of Christ and a student of the heart.\nThat opinion is, I repeat distinctly, that backsliding generally first\nbegins with _neglect of private prayer_.\n\nBibles read without prayer, sermons heard without prayer, marriages\ncontracted without prayer, journeys undertaken without prayer,\nresidences chosen without prayer, friendships formed without prayer, the\ndaily act of private prayer itself hurried over or gone through without\nheart,--these are the kind of downward steps by which many a Christian\ndescends to a condition of spiritual palsy, or reaches the point where\nGod allows him to have a tremendous fall.\n\nThis is the process which forms the lingering Lots, the unstable\nSamsons, the wife-idolizing Solomons, the inconsistent Asas, the pliable\nJehoshaphats, the over-careful Marthas, of whom so many are to be found\nin the Church of Christ. Often the simple history of such cases is\nthis,--they became _careless about private prayer_.\n\nWe may be very sure that men fall in private long before they fall in\npublic. They are backsliders on their knees long before they backslide\nopenly in the eyes of the world. Like Peter, they first disregard the\nLord's warning to watch and pray; and then, like Peter, their strength\nis gone, and in the hour of temptation they deny their Lord.\n\nThe world takes notice of their fall, and scoffs loudly. But the world\nknows nothing of the real reason. The heathen succeeded in making\nOrigen, the old Christian Father, offer incense to an idol, by\nthreatening him with a punishment worse than death. They then triumphed\ngreatly at the sight of his cowardice and apostacy. But the heathen did\nnot know the fact, which Origen himself tells us, that on that very\nmorning he had left his bedchamber hastily, and without finishing his\nusual prayers.\n\nIf any reader of this paper is a Christian indeed I trust he will never\nbe a backslider. But if you do not wish to be a backsliding Christian,\nremember the hint I give you,--Mind your prayers.\n\n\nVII. In the seventh place, _prayer is one of the best receipts for\nhappiness and contentment_.\n\nWe live in a world where sorrow abounds. This has always been its state\nsince sin came in. There cannot be sin without sorrow. And till sin is\ndriven out from the world it is vain for any one to suppose he can\nescape sorrow.\n\nSome, without doubt, have a larger cup of sorrow to drink than others.\nBut few are to be found who live long without sorrows or cares of one\nsort or another. Our bodies, our property, our families, our children,\nour relations, our servants, our friends, our neighbours, our worldly\ncallings,--each and all of these are fountains of care. Sicknesses,\ndeaths, losses, disappointments, partings, separations, ingratitude,\nslander,--all these are common things. We cannot get through life\nwithout them. Some day or other they find us out. The greater are our\naffections, the deeper are our afflictions; and the more we love, the\nmore we have to weep.\n\nAnd what is the best receipt for cheerfulness in such a world as this?\nHow shall we get through this valley of tears with least pain? I know no\nbetter receipt than the habit of _taking everything to God in prayer_.\n\nThis is the plain advice that the Bible gives, both in the Old Testament\nand the New. What says the Psalmist? \"Call upon Me in the day of\ntrouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.\" (Psalm l. 15.)\n\"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall\nnever suffer the righteous to be moved.\" (Psalm lv. 22.) What says the\nApostle Paul? \"Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and\nsupplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto\nGod. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep\nyour hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.\" (Phil. iv. 6, 7.) What says\nthe Apostle James? \"Is any afflicted among you? let him pray.\" (James v.\n13.)\n\nThis was the practice of all the saints whose history we have recorded\nin the Scriptures. This is what Jacob did, when he feared his brother\nEsau. This is what Moses did, when the people were ready to stone him in\nthe wilderness. This is what Joshua did, when Israel was defeated before\nAi. This is what David did, when he was in danger at Keliah. This is\nwhat Hezekiah did, when he received the letter from Sennacherib. This is\nwhat the Church did, when Peter was put in prison. This is what Paul\ndid, when he was cast into the dungeon at Philippi.\n\nThe only way to be really happy, in such a world as this is to be ever\ncasting all our cares on God. It is the trying to carry their own\nburdens which so often makes believers sad. If they will only tell their\ntroubles to God He will enable them to bear them as easily as Samson did\nthe gates of Gaza. If they are resolved to keep them to themselves they\nwill find one day that the very grasshopper is a burden. (Eccles. xii.\n5.)\n\nThere is a friend ever waiting to help us, if we will only unbosom to\nHim our sorrow,--a friend who pitied the poor, and sick, and sorrowful,\nwhen He was upon earth,--a friend who knows the heart of a man, for He\nlived thirty-three years as a man amongst us,--a friend who can weep\nwith the weepers, for He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with\ngrief,--a friend who is able to help us, for there never was earthly\npain He could not cure. That friend is Jesus Christ. The way to be happy\nis to be always opening our hearts to Him. Oh, that we were all like\nthat poor Christian negro, who only answered, when threatened and\npunished, \"_I must tell the Lord_.\"\n\nJesus can make those happy who trust Him and call on Him, whatever be\ntheir outward condition. He can give them peace of heart in a\nprison,--contentment in the midst of poverty,--comfort in the midst of\nbereavements,--joy on the brink of the grave. There is a mighty fulness\nin Him for all His believing members,--a fulness that is ready to be\npoured out on every one who will ask in prayer. Oh, that men would\nunderstand that happiness does not depend on outward circumstances, but\non the state of the heart!\n\nPrayer can lighten crosses for us however heavy. It can bring down to\nour side One who will help us to bear them.--Prayer can open a door for\nus when our way seems hedged up. It can bring down One who will say,\n\"This is the way, walk in it.\"--Prayer can let in a ray of hope, when\nall our earthly prospects seem darkened. It can bring down One who will\nsay, \"I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.\"--Prayer can obtain\nrelief for us when those we love most are taken away, and the world\nfeels empty. It can bring down One who can fill the gap in our hearts\nwith Himself, and say to the waves within, \"Peace: be still!\" Oh, that\nmen were not so like Hagar in the wilderness, blind to the well of\nliving waters close beside them! (Gen. xxi. 19.)\n\nI want the readers of this paper to be really happy Christians. I am\ncertain I cannot urge on them a more important duty than prayer.\n\n\nAnd now it is high time for me to bring this paper to an end. I trust I\nhave brought before my readers things that will be seriously considered.\nI heartily pray God that this consideration may be blessed to their\nsouls.\n\n(1) Let me speak a parting word _to those who do not pray_. I dare not\nsuppose that all who read these pages will be praying people. If you are\na prayerless person, suffer me to speak to you this day on God's behalf.\n\nPrayerless friend, I can only warn you; but I do warn you most solemnly.\nI warn you that you are in a position of fearful danger. If you die in\nyour present state you are a lost soul. You will only rise again to be\neternally miserable. I warn you that of all professing Christians you\nare most utterly without excuse. There is not a single good reason that\nyou can show for living without prayer.\n\nIt is useless to say you _know not how_ to pray. Prayer is the simplest\nact in all religion. It is simply speaking to God. It needs neither\nlearning, nor wisdom, nor book-knowledge to begin it. It needs nothing\nbut heart and will. The weakest infant can cry when he is hungry. The\npoorest beggar can hold out his hand for an alms, and does not wait to\nfind fine words. The most ignorant man will find something to say to\nGod, if he has only a mind.\n\nIt is useless to say you have _no convenient place_ to pray in. Any man\ncan find a place private enough, if he is disposed. Our Lord prayed on a\nmountain; Peter on the house-top; Isaac in the field; Nathanael under\nthe fig-tree; Jonah in the whale's belly. Any place may become a closet,\nan oratory, and a Bethel, and be to us the presence of God.\n\nIt is useless to say _you have no time_. There is plenty of time, if men\nwill only employ it. Time may be short, but time is always long enough\nfor prayer. Daniel had all the affairs of a kingdom on his hands, and\nyet he prayed three times a day. David was ruler over a mighty nation,\nand yet he says, \"Evening and morning and at noon will I pray.\" (Psalm\nlv. 17.) When time is really wanted, time can always be found.\n\nIt is useless to say you _cannot pray till you have faith and a new\nheart_, and that you must sit still and wait for them. This is to add\nsin to sin. It is bad enough to be unconverted and going to hell. It is\neven worse to say, \"I know it, but I will not cry for mercy.\" This is a\nkind of argument for which there is no warrant in Scripture. \"Call ye\nupon the Lord,\" saith Isaiah, \"while He is near.\" (Isaiah lv. 6.) \"Take\nwith you words, and come unto the Lord,\" says Hosea. (Hosea xiv. 1.)\n\"Repent and pray,\" says Peter to Simon Magus. (Acts viii. 22.) If you\nwant faith and a new heart, go and cry to the Lord for them. The very\nattempt to pray has often been the quickening of a dead soul. Alas,\nthere is no devil so dangerous as a dumb devil.\n\nOh, prayerless man, who and what are you that you will not ask anything\nof God? Have you made a covenant with death and hell? Are you at peace\nwith the worm and the fire? Have you no sins to be pardoned? Have you no\nfear of eternal torment? Have you no desire after heaven? Oh, that you\nwould awake from your present folly! Oh, that you would consider your\nlatter end! Oh, that you would arise and call upon God! Alas, there is a\nday coming when men shall pray loudly, \"Lord, Lord, open to us,\" but all\ntoo late;--when many shall cry to the rocks to fall on them, and the\nhills to cover them, who would never cry to God. In all affection I warn\nyou. Beware lest this be the end of your soul. Salvation is very near\nyou. Do not lose heaven for want of asking.\n\n(2) Let me speak in the next place _to those who have real desires for\nsalvation_, but know not what steps to take or where to begin. I cannot\nbut hope that some readers may be in this state of mind, and if there be\nbut one such I must offer him encouragement and advice.\n\nIn every journey there must be a first step. There must be a change from\nsitting still to moving forward. The journeyings of Israel from Egypt to\nCanaan were long and wearisome. Forty years passed away before they\ncrossed Jordan. Yet there was someone who moved first when they marched\nfrom Rameses to Succoth. When does a man really take his first step in\ncoming out from sin and the world? He does it in the day when he first\nprays with his heart.\n\nIn every building the first stone must be laid, and the first blow must\nbe struck. The ark was 120 years in building. Yet there was a day when\nNoah laid his axe to the first tree he cut down to form it. The temple\nof Solomon was a glorious building. But there was a day when the first\nhuge stone was laid at the foot of Mount Moriah. When does the building\nof the Spirit really begin to appear in a man's heart? It begins, so far\nas we can judge, when he first pours out his heart to God in prayer.\n\nIf any reader of this paper desires salvation, and wants to know what to\ndo, I advise him to go this very day to the Lord Jesus Christ, in the\nfirst private place he can find, and entreat Him in prayer to save his\nsoul.\n\nTell Him that you have heard that He receives sinners, and has said,\n\"Him that cometh unto Me I will in nowise cast out.\" (John vi. 37.) Tell\nHim that you are a poor vile sinner, and that you come to Him on the\nfaith of His own invitation. Tell Him you put yourself wholly and\nentirely in His hands,--that you feel vile and helpless, and hopeless in\nyourself,--and that except He saves you, you have no hope to be saved at\nall. Beseech Him to deliver you from the guilt, the power, and the\nconsequences of sin. Beseech Him to pardon you and wash you in His own\nblood. Beseech Him to give you a new heart, and plant the Holy Spirit in\nyour soul. Beseech Him to give you grace, and faith, and will, and power\nto be His disciple and servant from this day for ever. Yes: go this very\nday, and tell these things to the Lord Jesus Christ, if you really are\nin earnest about your soul.\n\nTell Him in your own way and your own words. If a doctor came to see you\nwhen sick you could tell him where you felt pain. If your soul really\nfeels its disease you can surely find something to tell Christ.\n\nDoubt not His willingness to save you, because you are a sinner. It is\nChrist's office to save sinners. He says Himself, \"I came not to call\nthe righteous, but sinners to repentance.\" (Luke v. 32.)\n\nWait not, because you feel unworthy. Wait for nothing: wait for nobody.\nWaiting comes from the devil. Just as you are, go to Christ. The worse\nyou are, the more need you have to apply to Him. You will never mend\nyourself by staying away.\n\nFear not because your prayer is stammering, your words feeble, and your\nlanguage poor. Jesus can understand you. Just as a mother understands\nthe first babblings of her infant, so does the blessed Saviour\nunderstand sinners. He can read a sigh, and see a meaning in a groan.\n\nDespair not, because you do not get an answer immediately. While you are\nspeaking, Jesus is listening. If He delays an answer, it is only for\nwise reasons, and to try if you are in earnest. Pray on, and the answer\nwill surely come. Though it tarry, wait for it: it will surely come at\nlast.\n\nIf you have any desire to be saved, remember the advice I have given you\nthis day. Act upon it honestly and heartily, and you shall be saved.\n\n(3) Let me speak, lastly, _to those who do pray_. I trust that some who\nread this paper know well what prayer is, and have the Spirit of\nadoption. To all such I offer a few words of brotherly counsel and\nexhortation. The incense offered in the tabernacle was ordered to be\nmade in a particular way. Not every kind of incense would do. Let us\nremember this, and be careful about the matter and manner of our\nprayers.\n\nIf I know anything of a Christian's heart, you to whom I now speak are\noften sick of your own prayers. You never enter into the Apostle's\nwords, \"When I would do good, evil is present with me\" (Rom. vii. 21),\nso thoroughly as you sometimes do upon your knees. You can understand\nDavid's words, \"I hate vain thoughts.\" You can sympathize with that poor\nconverted Hottentot, who was overheard praying, \"Lord, deliver me from\nall my enemies; and, above all, from that bad man myself!\"--There are\nfew children of God who do not often find the season of prayer a season\nof conflict. The devil has special wrath against us when he sees us on\nour knees. Yet I believe that prayers which cost us no trouble should be\nregarded with great suspicion. I believe we are very poor judges of the\ngoodness of our prayers, and that the prayer which pleases us _least_\noften pleases God _most_. Suffer me then, as a companion in the\nChristian warfare, to offer you a few words of exhortation. One thing,\nat least, we all feel,--we must pray. We cannot give it up: we must go\non.\n\n(_a_) I commend, then, to your attention the importance of _reverence\nand humility_ in prayer. Let us never forget what we are, and what a\nsolemn thing it is to speak with God. Let us beware of rushing into His\npresence with carelessness and levity. Let us say to ourselves, \"I am on\nholy ground. This is no other than the gate of heaven. If I do not mean\nwhat I say, I am trifling with God. If I regard iniquity in my heart,\nthe Lord will not hear me.\" Let us keep in mind the words of Solomon:\n\"Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter\nanything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou on earth.\" (Eccles.\nv. 2.) When Abraham spoke to God, he said, \"I am dust and ashes.\" When\nJob spoke, he said, \"I am vile.\" (Gen. xviii. 27; Job xl. 4.) Let us do\nlikewise.\n\n(_b_) I commend to you, in the next place, the importance of praying\n_spiritually_. I mean by this that we should labour always to have the\ndirect help of the Spirit in our prayers, and beware above all things of\nformality. There is nothing so spiritual but that it may become a form,\nand this is specially true of private prayer. We may insensibly get into\nthe habit of using the fittest possible words, and offering the most\nScriptural petitions; and yet we may do it all by rote, without feeling\nit, and walk daily round an old beaten path, like a horse in a mill. I\ndesire to touch this point with caution and delicacy. I know that there\nare certain great things we daily want, and that there is nothing\nnecessarily formal in asking for these things in the same words. The\nworld, the devil, and our hearts, are daily the same. Of necessity we\nmust daily go over old ground. But this I say,--we must be very careful\non this point. If the skeleton and outline of our prayers be by habit\nalmost a form, let us strive that the clothing and filling up of our\nprayers be as far as possible of the Spirit. As to praying out of a\nbook, it is a habit I cannot praise. If we can tell our doctors the\nstate of our bodies without a book, we ought to be able to tell the\nstate of our souls to God. I have no objection to a man using crutches,\nwhen he is first recovering from a broken limb. It is better to use\ncrutches than not to walk at all. But if I saw him all his life on\ncrutches, I should not think it matter for congratulation. I should like\nto see him strong enough to throw his crutches away.\n\n(_c_) I commend to you, in the next place, the importance of making\nprayer _a regular business of life_. I might say something of the value\nof regular times in the day for prayer. God is a God of order. The hours\nfor morning and evening sacrifice in the Jewish temple were not fixed as\nthey were without a meaning. Disorder is eminently one of the fruits of\nsin. But I would not bring any under bondage. This only I say, that it\nis essential to your soul's health to make praying a part of the\nbusiness of every twenty-four hours in your life. Just as you allot time\nto eating, sleeping, and business, so also allot time to prayer. Choose\nyour own hours and seasons. At the very least, speak with God in the\nmorning, before you speak with the world; and speak with God at night,\nafter you have done with the world. But settle it down in your minds\nthat prayer is one of the great things of every day. Do not drive it\ninto a corner. Do not give it the scraps, and leavings, and parings of\nyour day. Whatever else you make a business of, make a business of\nprayer.\n\n(_d_) I commend to you, in the next place, the importance of\n_perseverance_ in prayer. Once having begun the habit, never give it up.\nYour heart will sometimes say, \"We have had family prayers; what mighty\nharm if we leave private prayer undone?\"--Your body will sometimes say,\n\"You are unwell, or sleepy, or weary; you need not pray.\"--Your mind\nwill sometimes say, \"You have important business to attend to to-day;\ncut short your prayers.\" Look on all such suggestions as coming direct\nfrom the devil. They are all as good as saying, \"Neglect your soul.\" I\ndo not maintain that prayers should always be of the same length;--but I\ndo say, let no excuse make you give up prayer. It is not for nothing\nthat Paul said, \"Continue in prayer,\" and \"Pray without ceasing.\"\n(Colos. iv. 2; 1 Thess. v. 7.) He did not mean that men should be always\non their knees, as an old sect, called the Euchitae, supposed. But he did\nmean that our prayers should be like the continual burnt offering,--a\nthing steadily persevered in every day;--that it should be like\nseed-time and harvest, and summer and winter,--a thing that should\nunceasingly come round at regular seasons;--that it should be like the\nfire on the altar, not always consuming sacrifices, but never completely\ngoing out. Never forget that you may tie together morning and evening\ndevotions by an endless chain of short ejaculatory prayers throughout\nthe day. Even in company, or business, or in the very streets, you may\nbe silently sending up little winged messengers to God, as Nehemiah did\nin the very presence of Artaxerxes. (Neh. ii. 4.) And never think that\ntime is wasted which is given to God. A nation does not become poorer\nbecause it loses one year of working days in seven by keeping the\nSabbath. A Christian never finds he is a loser in the long run by\npersevering in prayer.\n\n(_e_) I commend to you, in the next place, the importance of\n_earnestness_ in prayer. It is not necessary that a man should shout,\nor scream, or be very loud, in order to prove that he is in earnest. But\nit is desirable that we should be hearty, and fervent, and warm, and ask\nas if we were really interested in what we were doing. It is the\n\"effectual fervent\" prayer that \"availeth much,\" and not the cold,\nsleepy, lazy, listless one. This is the lesson that is taught us by the\nexpressions used in Scripture about prayer. It is called, \"crying,\nknocking, wrestling, labouring, striving.\" This is the lesson taught us\nby Scripture examples. Jacob is one. He said to the angel at Penuel, \"I\nwill not let thee go, except thou bless me.\" (Gen. xxxii. 26.) Daniel is\nanother. Hear how he pleaded with God: \"O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O\nLord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God.\" (Dan.\nix. 19.) Our Lord Jesus Christ is another. It is written of Him, \"In the\ndays of His flesh He offered up prayer and supplication, with strong\ncrying and tears.\" (Heb. v. 7.) Alas, how unlike is this to many of our\nsupplications! How tame and lukewarm they seem by comparison! How truly\nmight God say to many of us, \"You do not really want what you pray for!\"\nLet us try to amend this fault. Let us knock loudly at the door of\ngrace, like Mercy in \"Pilgrim's Progress,\" as if we must perish unless\nheard. Let us settle it down in our minds, that cold prayers are a\nsacrifice without fire. Let us remember the story of Demosthenes, the\ngreat orator, when one came to him, and wanted him to plead his cause.\nHe heard him without attention, while he told his story without\nearnestness. The man saw this, and cried out with anxiety that it was\nall true. \"Ah!\" said Demosthenes, \"I believe you _now_.\"\n\n(_f_) I commend to you, in the next place, the importance of _praying\nwith faith_. We should endeavour to believe that our prayers are always\nheard, and that if we ask things according to God's will, we shall\nalways be answered. This is the plain command of our Lord Jesus Christ:\n\"Whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive\nthem, and ye shall have them.\" (Mark xi. 24). Faith is to prayer what\nthe feather is to the arrow: without it prayer will not hit the mark. We\nshould cultivate the habit of pleading promises in our prayers. We\nshould take with us some promise, and say, \"Lord, here is Thine own word\npledged. Do for us as Thou hast said.\" (2 Sam. vii. 25.) This was the\nhabit of Jacob, and Moses, and David. The 119th Psalm is full of things\nasked, \"according to Thy word.\" Above all, we should cultivate the habit\nof expecting answers to our prayers. We should do like the merchant who\nsends his ships to sea. We should not be satisfied unless we see some\nreturn. Alas, there are few points on which Christians come short so\nmuch as this. The Church at Jerusalem made prayer without ceasing for\nPeter in prison; but when the prayer was answered, they would hardly\nbelieve it. (Acts xii. 15.) It is a solemn saying of old Traill's,\n\"There is no surer mark of trifling in prayer, than when men are\ncareless what they get by prayer.\"\n\n(_g_) I commend to you, in the next place, the importance of _boldness_\nin prayer. There is an unseemly familiarity in some men's prayers, which\nI cannot praise. But there is such a thing as a holy boldness, which is\nexceedingly to be desired. I mean such boldness as that of Moses, when\nhe pleads with God not to destroy Israel: \"Wherefore,\" says he, \"should\nthe Egyptians speak and say, For mischief did He bring them out, to slay\nthem in the mountains? Turn from Thy fierce anger.\" (Exod. xxxii. 12.) I\nmean such boldness as that of Joshua, when the children of Israel were\ndefeated before Ai: \"What,\" says he, \"wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?\"\n(Josh. vii. 9.) This is the boldness for which Luther was remarkable.\nOne who heard him praying said, \"What a spirit,--what a confidence was\nin his very expressions! With such a reverence he sued, as one begging\nof God, and yet with such hope and assurance, as if he spake with a\nloving father or friend.\" This is the boldness which distinguished\nBruce, a great Scotch divine of the 17th century. His prayers were said\nto be \"like bolts shot up into heaven.\" Here also I fear we sadly come\nshort. We do not sufficiently realize the believer's privileges. We do\nnot plead as often as we might, \"Lord, are we not Thine own people? Is\nit not for Thy glory that we should be sanctified? Is it not for Thine\nhonour that thy Gospel should increase?\"\n\n(_h_) I commend to you, in the next place, the importance of _fulness_\nin prayer. I do not forget that our Lord warns us against the example of\nthe Pharisees, who for pretence made long prayers, and commands us, when\nwe pray, not to use vain repetitions. But I cannot forget, on the other\nhand, that He has given His own sanction to large and long devotions, by\ncontinuing all night in prayer to God. At all events we are not likely\nin this day to err on the side of praying _too much_. Might it not\nrather be feared that many believers in this generation pray _too\nlittle_? Is not the actual amount of time that many Christians give to\nprayer in the aggregate very small? I am afraid these questions cannot\nbe answered satisfactorily. I am afraid the private devotions of many\nare most painfully scanty and limited,--just enough to prove they are\nalive, and no more. They really seem to want little from God. They seem\nto have little to confess, little to ask for, and little to thank Him\nfor. Alas, this is altogether wrong! Nothing is more common than to hear\nbelievers complaining that they do not get on. They tell us that they do\nnot grow in grace, as they could desire. Is it not rather to be\nsuspected that many have quite as much grace as they ask for? Is it not\nthe true account of many, that they have little, because they ask\nlittle? The cause of their weakness is to be found in their own stunted,\ndwarfish, clipped, contracted, hurried, little, narrow, diminutive\nprayers. _They have not because they ask not._ Oh, reader, we are not\nstraitened in Christ, but in ourselves. The Lord says, \"Open thy mouth\nwide, and I will fill it.\" But we are like the king of Israel who smote\non the ground thrice and stayed, when he ought to have smitten five or\nsix times. (Psalm lxxxi. 10; 2 Kings xiii. 18, 19.)\n\n(_i_) I commend to you, in the next place, the importance of\n_particularity_ in prayer. We ought not to be content with great general\npetitions. We ought to specify our wants before the throne of grace. It\nshould not be enough to confess we are sinners. We should name the sins\nof which our conscience tells us we are most guilty. It should not be\nenough to ask for holiness. We should name the graces in which we feel\nmost deficient. It should not be enough to tell the Lord we are in\ntrouble. We should describe our trouble and all its peculiarities. This\nis what Jacob did, when he feared his brother Esau. He tells God exactly\nwhat it is that he fears. (Gen. xxxii. 11.) This is what Eliezer did,\nwhen he sought a wife for his master's son. He spreads before God\nprecisely what he wants. (Gen. xxiv. 12.) This is what Paul did, when he\nhad a thorn in the flesh. He besought the Lord. (2 Cor. xii. 8.) This is\ntrue faith and confidence. We should believe that nothing is too small\nto be named before God. What should we think of the patient who told his\ndoctor he was ill, but never went into particulars? What should we think\nof the wife who told her husband she was unhappy, but did not specify\nthe cause? What should we think of the child who told his father he was\nin trouble, but nothing more? Let us never forget that Christ is the\ntrue bridegroom of the soul,--the true physician of the heart,--the\nreal father of all His people. Let us show that we feel this, by being\nunreserved in our communications with Him. Let us hide no secrets from\nHim. Let us tell Him all our hearts.\n\n(_j_) I commend to you, in the next place, the importance of\n_intercession_ in our prayers. We are all selfish by nature, and our\nselfishness is very apt to stick to us, even when we are converted.\nThere is a tendency in us to think only of our own souls,--our own\nspiritual conflict,--our own progress in religion, and to forget others.\nAgainst this tendency we have all need to watch and strive, and not\nleast in our prayers. We should study to be of a public spirit. We\nshould stir ourselves up to name other names beside our own before the\nthrone of grace. We should try to bear in our hearts the whole\nworld,--the heathen,--the Jews,--the Roman Catholics,--the body of true\nbelievers,--the professing Protestant Churches,--the country in which we\nlive,--the congregation to which we belong,--the household in which we\nsojourn,--the friends and relations we are connected with. For each and\nall of these we should plead. This is the highest charity. He loves me\nbest who loves me in his prayers. This is for our soul's health. It\nenlarges our sympathies and expands our hearts. This is for the benefit\nof the Church. The wheels of all machinery for extending the Gospel are\noiled by prayer. They do as much for the Lord's cause who intercede like\nMoses on the mount, as they do who fight like Joshua in the thick of the\nbattle. This is to be like Christ. He bears the names of His people on\nHis breast and shoulders as their High Priest before the Father. Oh, the\nprivilege of being like Jesus! This is to be a true helper to ministers.\nIf I must needs choose a congregation, give me a people that prays.\n\n(_k_) I commend to you, in the next place, the importance of\n_thankfulness_ in prayer. I know well that asking God is one thing, and\npraising God is another. But I see so close a connection between prayer\nand praise in the Bible, that I dare not call that true prayer in which\nthankfulness has no part. It is not for nothing that Paul says, \"By\nprayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made\nknown unto God.\" (Phil. iv. 6.) \"Continue in prayer, and watch in the\nsame with thanksgiving.\" (Coloss. iv. 2.) It is of mercy that we are\nnot in hell. It is of mercy that we have the hope of heaven. It is of\nmercy that we live in a land of spiritual light. It is of mercy that we\nhave been called by the Spirit, and not left to reap the fruit of our\nown ways. It is of mercy that we still live, and have opportunities of\nglorifying God actively or passively. Surely, these thoughts should\ncrowd on our minds whenever we speak with God. Surely, we should never\nopen our lips in prayer without blessing God for that free grace by\nwhich we live, and for that loving-kindness which endureth for ever.\nNever was there an eminent saint who was not full of thankfulness. St.\nPaul hardly ever writes an Epistle without beginning with thankfulness.\nMen like Whitfield in the last century, and Bickersteth, and Marsh, and\nHaldane Stewart, in our own time, were ever running over with\nthankfulness. Oh, if we would be bright and shining lights in our day,\nwe must cherish a spirit of praise! And above all, let our prayers be\nthankful prayers.\n\n(_l_) I commend to you, in the last place, the importance of\n_watchfulness over your prayers_. Prayer is that point of all others in\nreligion at which you must be on your guard. Here it is that true\nreligion begins: here it flourishes, and here it decays. Tell me what a\nman's prayers are, and I will soon tell you the state of his soul.\nPrayer is the spiritual pulse: by this the spiritual health may always\nbe tested. Prayer is the spiritual weather-glass: by this we may always\nknow whether it is fair or foul with our hearts. Oh, let us keep an eye\ncontinually upon our private devotions! Here is the pith, and marrow,\nand backbone of our practical Christianity. Sermons, and books, and\ntracts, and committee meetings, and the company of good men, are all\ngood in their way; but they will never make up for the neglect of\nprivate prayer. Mark well the places, and society, and companions, that\nunhinge your hearts for communion with God, and make your prayers drive\nheavily. _There be on your guard._ Observe narrowly what friends and\nwhat employments leave your soul in the most spiritual frame, and most\nready to speak with God. _To these cleave and stick fast._ If you will\nonly take care of your prayers, I will engage that nothing shall go very\nwrong with your soul.\n\nI offer these points for private consideration. I do it in all humility.\nI know no one who needs to be reminded of them more than I do myself.\nBut I believe them to be God's own truth, and I should like myself and\nall I love to feel them more.\n\nI want the times we live in to be praying times. I want the Christians\nof our day to be praying Christians. I want the Church of our age to be\na praying Church. My heart's desire and prayer in sending forth this\npaper is to promote a spirit of prayerfulness. I want those who never\nprayed yet, to arise and call upon God; and I want those who do pray, to\nimprove their prayers every year, and to see that they are not getting\nslack, and praying amiss.\n\n\n\n\nV\n\n\nBIBLE-READING\n\n \"_Search the Scriptures._\"--John v. 39.\n\n \"_How readest thou?_\"--Luke x. 26.\n\n\nNext to praying there is nothing so important in practical religion as\nBible-reading. God has mercifully given us a book which is \"able to make\nus wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.\" (2 Tim.\niii. 15.) By reading that book we may learn what to believe, what to be,\nand what to do; how to live with comfort, and how to die in peace. Happy\nis that man who possesses a Bible! Happier still is he who reads it!\nHappiest of all is he who not only reads it, but obeys it, and makes it\nthe rule of his faith and practice!\n\nNevertheless it is a sorrowful fact that man has an unhappy skill in\nabusing God's gifts. His privileges, and power, and faculties, are all\ningeniously perverted to other ends than those for which they were\nbestowed. His speech, his imagination, his intellect, his strength, his\ntime, his influence, his money,--instead of being used as instruments\nfor glorifying his Maker,--are generally wasted, or employed for his own\nselfish ends. And just as man naturally makes a bad use of his other\nmercies, so he does of the written Word. One sweeping charge may be\nbrought against the whole of Christendom, and that charge is neglect and\nabuse of the Bible.\n\nTo prove this charge we have no need to look abroad: the proof lies at\nour own doors. I have no doubt that there are more Bibles in Great\nBritain at this moment than there ever were since the world began. There\nis more Bible buying and Bible selling,--more Bible printing and Bible\ndistributing,--than ever was since England was a nation. We see Bibles\nin every bookseller's shop,--Bibles of every size, price, and\nstyle,--Bibles great, and Bibles small,--Bibles for the rich, and Bibles\nfor the poor. There are Bibles in almost every house in the land. But\nall this time I fear we are in danger of forgetting, that to _have_ the\nBible is one thing, and to _read_ it quite another.\n\nThis neglected Book is the subject about which I address the readers of\nthis paper to-day. Surely it is no light matter _what you are doing with\nthe Bible_. Surely, when the plague is abroad, you should search and see\nwhether the plague-spot is on you. Give me your attention while I supply\nyou with a few plain reasons why every one who cares for his soul ought\nto value the Bible highly, to study it regularly, and to make himself\nthoroughly acquainted with its contents.\n\n\nI. In the first place, _there is no book in existence written in such a\nmanner as the Bible_.\n\nThe Bible was \"given by inspiration of God.\" (2 Tim. iii. 16.) In this\nrespect it is utterly unlike all other writings. God taught the writers\nof it what to say. God put into their minds thoughts and ideas. God\nguided their pens in setting down those thoughts and ideas. When you\nread it, you are not reading the self-taught compositions of poor\nimperfect men like yourself, but the words of the eternal God. When you\nhear it, you are not listening to the erring opinions of short-lived\nmortals, but to the unchanging mind of the King of kings. The men who\nwere employed to indite the Bible, spoke not of themselves. They \"spake\nas they were moved by the Holy Ghost.\" (2 Peter i. 21.) All other books\nin the world, however good and useful in their way, are more or less\ndefective. The more you look at them the more you see their defects and\nblemishes. The Bible alone is absolutely perfect. From beginning to end\nit is \"the Word of God.\"\n\nI shall not waste time by attempting any long and laboured proof of\nthis. I say boldly, that the Book itself is the best witness of its own\ninspiration. It is utterly inexplicable and unaccountable in any other\npoint of view. It is the greatest standing miracle in the world. He that\ndares to say the Bible is not inspired, let him give a reasonable\naccount of it, if he can. Let him explain the peculiar nature and\ncharacter of the Book in a way that will satisfy any man of common\nsense. The burden of proof seems to my mind to lie on him.\n\nIt proves nothing against inspiration, as some have asserted, that the\nwriters of the Bible have each a different style. Isaiah does not write\nlike Jeremiah, and Paul does not write like John. This is perfectly\ntrue,--and yet the works of these men are not a whit less equally\ninspired. The waters of the sea have many different shades. In one place\nthey look blue, and in another green. And yet the difference is owing to\nthe depth or shallowness of the part we see, or to the nature of the\nbottom. The water in every case is the same salt sea.--The breath of a\nman may produce different sounds, according to the character of the\ninstrument on which he plays. The flute, the pipe, and the trumpet, have\neach their peculiar note. And yet the breath that calls forth the notes,\nis in each case one and the same.--The light of the planets we see in\nheaven is very various. Mars, and Saturn, and Jupiter, have each a\npeculiar colour. And yet we know that the light of the sun, which each\nplanet reflects, is in each case one and the same. Just in the same way\nthe books of the Old and New Testaments are all inspired truth, and yet\nthe aspect of that truth varies according to the mind through which the\nHoly Ghost makes it flow. The handwriting and style of the writers\ndiffer enough to prove that each had a distinct individual being; but\nthe Divine Guide who dictates and directs the whole is always one. All\nis alike inspired. Every chapter, and verse, and word, is from God.\n\nOh, that men who are troubled with doubts, and questionings, and\nsceptical thoughts about inspiration, would calmly examine the Bible for\nthemselves! Oh, that they would act on the advice which was the first\nstep to Augustine's conversion,--\"Take it up and read it!--take it up\nand read it!\" How many Gordian knots this course of action would cut!\nHow many difficulties and objections would vanish away at once like mist\nbefore the rising sun! How many would soon confess, \"The finger of God\nis here! God is in this Book, and I knew it not.\"\n\nThis is the Book about which I address the readers of this paper. Surely\nit is no light matter _what you are doing with this Book_. It is no\nlight thing that God should have caused this Book to be \"written for\nyour learning,\" and that you should have before you \"the oracles of\nGod.\" (Rom. iii. 2; xv. 4.) I charge you, I summon you to give an honest\nanswer to my question. What art thou doing with the Bible?--Dost thou\nread it at all?--HOW READEST THOU?\n\n\nII. In the second place, _there is no knowledge absolutely needful to a\nman's salvation, except a knowledge of the things which are to be found\nin the Bible_.\n\nWe live in days when the words of Daniel are fulfilled before our\neyes:--\"Many run to and fro, and knowledge is increased.\" (Dan. xii. 4.)\nSchools are multiplying on every side. New colleges are set up. Old\nUniversities are reformed and improved. New books are continually coming\nforth. More is being taught,--more is being learned,--more is being\nread,--than there ever was since the world begun. It is all well. I\nrejoice at it. An ignorant population is a perilous and expensive burden\nto any nation. It is a ready prey to the first Absalom, or Catiline, or\nWat Tyler, or Jack Cade, who may arise to entice it to do evil. But this\nI say,--we must never forget that all the education a man's head can\nreceive, will not save his soul from hell, unless he knows the truths of\nthe Bible.\n\nA man _may have prodigious learning, and yet never be saved_. He may be\nmaster of half the languages spoken round the globe. He may be\nacquainted with the highest and deepest things in heaven and earth. He\nmay have read books till he is like a walking cyclopaedia. He may be\nfamiliar with the stars of heaven,--the birds of the air,--the beasts of\nthe earth, and the fishes of the sea. He may be able, like Solomon, to\n\"speak of trees, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows on\nthe wall, of beasts also, and fowls, and creeping things, and fishes.\"\n(1 King iv. 33.) He may be able to discourse of all the secrets of fire,\nair, earth, and water. And yet, if he dies ignorant of Bible truths, he\ndies a miserable man! Chemistry never silenced a guilty conscience.\nMathematics never healed a broken heart. All the sciences in the world\nnever smoothed down a dying pillow. No earthly philosophy ever supplied\nhope in death. No natural theology ever gave peace in the prospect of\nmeeting a holy God. All these things are of the earth, earthy, and can\nnever raise a man above the earth's level. They may enable a man to\nstrut and fret his little season here below with a more dignified gait\nthan his fellow-mortals, but they can never give him wings, and enable\nhim to soar towards heaven. He that has the largest share of them, will\nfind at length that without Bible knowledge he has got no lasting\npossession. Death will make an end of all his attainments, and after\ndeath they will do him no good at all.\n\nA man _may be a very ignorant man, and yet be saved_. He may be unable\nto read a word, or write a letter. He may know nothing of geography\nbeyond the bounds of his own parish, and be utterly unable to say which\nis nearest to England, Paris or New York. He may know nothing of\narithmetic, and not see any difference between a million and a thousand.\nHe may know nothing of history, not even of his own land, and be quite\nignorant whether his country owes most to Semiramis, Boadicea, or Queen\nElizabeth. He may know nothing of the affairs of his own times, and be\nincapable of telling you whether the Chancellor of the Exchequer, or the\nCommander-in-Chief, or the Archbishop of Canterbury is managing the\nnational finances. He may know nothing of science, and its\ndiscoveries,--and whether Julius Caesar won his victories with gunpowder,\nor the apostles had a printing press, or the sun goes round the earth,\nmay be matters about which he has not an idea. And yet if that very man\nhas heard Bible truth with his ears, and believed it with his heart, he\nknows enough to save his soul. He will be found at last with Lazarus in\nAbraham's bosom, while his scientific fellow-creature, who has died\nunconverted, is lost for ever.\n\nThere is much talk in these days about science and \"useful knowledge.\"\nBut after all a knowledge of the Bible is the one knowledge that is\nneedful and eternally useful. A man may get to heaven without money,\nlearning, health, or friends,--but without Bible knowledge he will never\nget there at all. A man may have the mightiest of minds, and a memory\nstored with all that mighty mind can grasp,--and yet, if he does not\nknow the things of the Bible, he will make shipwreck of his soul for\never. Woe! woe! woe to the man who dies in ignorance of the Bible!\n\nThis is the Book about which I am addressing the readers of these pages\nto-day. It is no light matter _what you do with such a book_. It\nconcerns the life of your soul. I summon you,--I charge you to give an\nhonest answer to my question. What are you doing with the Bible? Do you\nread it? HOW READEST THOU?\n\n\nIII. In the third place, _no book in existence contains such important\nmatter as the Bible_.\n\nThe time would fail me if I were to enter fully into all the great\nthings which are to be found in the Bible, and only in the Bible. It is\nnot by any sketch or outline that the treasures of the Bible can be\ndisplayed. It would be easy to fill this volume with a list of the\npeculiar truths it reveals, and yet the half of its riches would be left\nuntold.\n\nHow glorious and soul-satisfying is the description it gives us of God's\nplan of salvation, and the way by which our sins can be forgiven! The\ncoming into the world of Jesus Christ, the God-man, to save\nsinners,--the atonement He has made by suffering in our stead, the just\nfor the unjust,--the complete payment He has made for our sins by His\nown blood,--the justification of every sinner who simply believes on\nJesus,--the readiness of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to receive,\npardon, and save to the uttermost,--how unspeakably grand and cheering\nare all these truths! We should know nothing of them without the Bible.\n\nHow comforting is the account it gives us of the great Mediator of the\nNew Testament,--the man Christ Jesus! Four times over His picture is\ngraciously drawn before our eyes. Four separate witnesses tell us of His\nmiracles and His ministry,--His sayings and His doings,--His life and\nHis death,--His power and His love,--His kindness and His patience,--His\nways, His words, His works, His thoughts, His heart. Blessed be God,\nthere is one thing in the Bible which the most prejudiced reader can\nhardly fail to understand, and that is the character of Jesus Christ!\n\nHow encouraging are the examples the Bible gives us of good people! It\ntells us of many who were of like passions with ourselves,--men and\nwomen who had cares, crosses, families, temptations, afflictions,\ndiseases, like ourselves,--and yet \"by faith and patience inherited the\npromises,\" and got safe home. (Heb. vi. 12.) It keeps back nothing in\nthe history of these people. Their mistakes, their infirmities, their\nconflicts, their experience, their prayers, their praises, their useful\nlives, their happy deaths,--all are fully recorded. And it tells us the\nGod and Saviour of these men and women still waits to be gracious, and\nis altogether unchanged.\n\nHow instructive are the examples the Bible gives us of bad people! It\ntells us of men and women who had light, and knowledge, and\nopportunities, like ourselves, and yet hardened their hearts, loved the\nworld, clung to their sins, would have their own way, despised reproof,\nand ruined their own souls for ever. And it warns us that the God who\npunished Pharaoh, and Saul, and Ahab, and Jezebel, and Judas, and\nAnanias and Sapphira, is a God who never alters, and that there is a\nhell.\n\nHow precious are the promises which the Bible contains for the use of\nthose who love God! There is hardly any possible emergency or condition\nfor which it has not some \"word in season.\" And it tells men that God\nloves to be put in remembrance of these promises, and that if He has\nsaid He will do a thing, His promise shall certainly be performed.\n\nHow blessed are the hopes which the Bible holds out to the believer in\nChrist Jesus! Peace in the hour of death,--rest and happiness on the\nother side of the grave,--a glorious body in the morning of the\nresurrection,--a full and triumphant acquittal in the day of\njudgment,--an everlasting reward in the kingdom of Christ,--a joyful\nmeeting with the Lord's people in the day of gathering together;--these,\nthese are the future prospects of every true Christian. They are all\nwritten in the book,--in the book which is all true.\n\nHow striking is the light which the Bible throws on the character of\nman! It teaches =us= what men may be expected to be and do in every\nposition and station of life. It gives us the deepest insight into the\nsecret springs and motives of human actions, and the ordinary course of\nevents under the control of human agents. It is the true \"discerner of\nthe thoughts and intents of the heart.\" (Heb. iv. 12.) How deep is the\nwisdom contained in the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes! I can well\nunderstand an old divine saying, \"Give me a candle and a Bible, and shut\nme up in a dark dungeon, and I will tell you all that the whole world is\ndoing.\"\n\nAll these are things which men could find nowhere except in the Bible.\nWe have probably not the least idea how little we should know about\nthese things if we had not the Bible. We hardly know the value of the\nair we breathe, and the sun which shines on us, because we have never\nknown what it is to be without them. We do not value the truths on which\nI have been just now dwelling, because we do not realize the darkness of\nmen to whom these truths have not been revealed. Surely no tongue can\nfully tell the value of the treasures this one volume contains. Well\nmight old John Newton say that some books were _copper_ books in his\nestimation, some were _silver_, and some few were _gold_;--but the Bible\nalone was like a book all made up of _bank notes_.\n\nThis is the Book about which I address the reader of this paper this\nday. Surely it is no light matter _what you are doing with the Bible_.\nIt is no light matter in what way you are using this treasure. I charge\nyou, I summon you to give an honest answer to my question,--What art\nthou doing with the Bible?--Dost thou read it?--HOW READEST THOU?\n\n\nIV. In the fourth place, _no book in existence has produced such\nwonderful effects on mankind at large as the Bible_.\n\n(_a_) This is the Book whose doctrines turned the world upside down in\nthe days of the Apostles.\n\nEighteen centuries have now passed away since God sent forth a few Jews\nfrom a remote corner of the earth, to do a work which according to man's\njudgment must have seemed impossible. He sent them forth at a time when\nthe whole world was full of superstition, cruelty, lust, and sin. He\nsent them forth to proclaim that the established religions of the earth\nwere false and useless, and must be forsaken. He sent them forth to\npersuade men to give up old habits and customs, and to live different\nlives. He sent them forth to do battle with the most grovelling\nidolatry, with the vilest and most disgusting immorality, with vested\ninterests, with old associations, with a bigoted priesthood, with\nsneering philosophers, with an ignorant population, with bloody-minded\nemperors, with the whole influence of Rome. Never was there an\nenterprise to all appearance more Quixotic, and less likely to succeed!\n\nAnd how did He arm them for this battle? He gave them no carnal weapons.\nHe gave them no worldly power to compel assent, and no worldly riches to\nbribe belief. He simply put the Holy Ghost into their hearts, and the\nScriptures into their hands. He simply bade them to expound and explain,\nto enforce and to publish the doctrines of the Bible. The preacher of\nChristianity in the first century was not a man with a sword and an\narmy, to frighten people, like Mahomet,--or a man with a license to be\nsensual, to allure people, like the priests of the shameful idols of\nHindostan. No! he was nothing more than one holy man with one holy book.\n\nAnd how did these men of one book prosper? In a few generations they\nentirely changed the face of society by the doctrines of the Bible. They\nemptied the temples of the heathen gods. They famished idolatry, or left\nit high and dry like a stranded ship. They brought into the world a\nhigher tone of morality between man and man. They raised the character\nand position of woman. They altered the standard of purity and decency.\nThey put an end to many cruel and bloody customs, such as the\ngladiatorial fights.--There was no stopping the change. Persecution and\nopposition were useless. One victory after another was won. One bad\nthing after another melted away. Whether men liked it or not, they were\ninsensibly affected by the movement of the new religion, and drawn\nwithin the whirlpool of its power. The earth shook, and their rotten\nrefuges fell to the ground. The flood rose, and they found themselves\nobliged to rise with it. The tree of Christianity swelled and grew, and\nthe chains they had cast round it to arrest its growth, snapped like\ntow. And all this was done by the doctrines of the Bible! Talk of\nvictories indeed! What are the victories of Alexander, and Caesar, and\nMarlborough, and Napoleon, and Wellington, compared with those I have\njust mentioned? For extent, for completeness, for results, for\npermanence, there are no victories like the victories of the Bible.\n\n(_b_) This is the Book which turned Europe upside down in the days of\nthe glorious Protestant Reformation.\n\nNo man can read the history of Christendom as it was five hundred years\nago, and not see that darkness covered the whole professing Church of\nChrist, even a darkness that might be felt. So great was the change\nwhich had come over Christianity, that if an apostle had risen from the\ndead he would not have recognised it, and would have thought that\nheathenism had revived again. The doctrines of the Gospel lay buried\nunder a dense mass of human traditions. Penances, and pilgrimages, and\nindulgences, relic-worship, and image-worship, and saint-worship, and\nworship of the Virgin Mary, formed the sum and substance of most\npeople's religion. The Church was made an idol. The priests and\nministers of the Church usurped the place of Christ. And by what means\nwas all this miserable darkness cleared away? By none so much as by\nbringing forth once more the Bible.\n\nIt was not merely the preaching of Luther and his friends, which\nestablished Protestantism in Germany. The grand lever which overthrew\nthe Pope's power in that country, was Luther's translation of the Bible\ninto the German tongue.--It was not merely the writings of Cranmer and\nthe English Reformers which cast down popery in England. The seeds of\nthe work thus carried forward were first sown by Wycliffe's translation\nof the Bible many years before.--It was not merely the quarrel of Henry\nVIII. and the Pope of Rome, which loosened the Pope's hold on English\nminds. It was the royal permission to have the Bible translated and set\nup in churches, so that every one who liked might read it. Yes! it was\nthe reading and circulation of Scripture which mainly established the\ncause of Protestantism in England, in Germany, and Switzerland. Without\nit the people would probably have returned to their former bondage when\nthe first reformers died. But by the reading of the Bible the public\nmind became gradually leavened with the principles of true religion.\nMen's eyes became thoroughly open. Their spiritual understandings became\nthoroughly enlarged. The abominations of popery became distinctly\nvisible. The excellence of the pure Gospel became a rooted idea in their\nhearts. It was then in vain for Popes to thunder forth excommunications.\nIt was useless for Kings and Queens to attempt to stop the course of\nProtestantism by fire and sword. It was all too late. The people knew\ntoo much. They had seen the light. They had heard the joyful sound. They\nhad tasted the truth. The sun had risen on their minds. The scales had\nfallen from their eyes. The Bible had done its appointed work within\nthem, and that work was not to be overthrown. The people would not\nreturn to Egypt. The clock could not be put back again. A mental and\nmoral revolution had been effected, and mainly effected by God's Word.\nThose are the true revolutions which the Bible effects. What are all the\nrevolutions recorded by Vertot,--what are all the revolutions which\nFrance and England have gone through, compared to these? No revolutions\nare so bloodless, none so satisfactory, none so rich in lasting results,\nas the revolutions accomplished by the Bible!\n\nThis is the book on which the well-being of nations has always hinged,\nand with which the best interests of every nation in Christendom at this\nmoment are inseparably bound up. Just in proportion as the Bible is\nhonoured or not, light or darkness, morality or immorality, true\nreligion or superstition, liberty or despotism, good laws or bad, will\nbe found in a land. Come with me and open the pages of history, and you\nwill read the proofs in time past. Read it in the history of Israel\nunder the Kings. How great was the wickedness that then prevailed! But\nwho can wonder? The law of the Lord had been completely lost sight of,\nand was found in the days of Josiah thrown aside in a corner of the\ntemple. (2 Kings xxii. 8.)--Read it in the history of the Jews in our\nLord Jesus Christ's time. How awful the picture of Scribes and\nPharisees, and their religion! But who can wonder? The Scripture was\n\"made of none effect by man's traditions.\" (Matt. xv. 6.)--Read it in\nthe history of the Church of Christ in the middle ages. What can be\nworse than the accounts we have of its ignorance and superstition? But\nwho can wonder? The times might well be dark, when men had not the light\nof the Bible.\n\nThis is the Book to which the civilized world is indebted for many of\nits best and most praise-worthy institutions. Few probably are aware how\nmany are the good things that men have adopted for the public benefit,\nof which the origin may be clearly traced up to the Bible. It has left\nlasting marks wherever it has been received. From the Bible are drawn\nmany of the best laws by which society is kept in order. From the Bible\nhas been obtained the standard of morality about truth, honesty, and the\nrelations of man and wife, which prevails among Christian nations, and\nwhich,--however feebly respected in many cases,--makes so great a\ndifference between Christians and heathen. To the Bible we are indebted\nfor that most merciful provision for the poor man, the Sabbath day. To\nthe influence of the Bible we owe nearly every humane and charitable\ninstitution in existence. The sick, the poor, the aged, the orphan, the\nlunatic, the idiot, the blind, were seldom or never thought of before\nthe Bible leavened the world. You may search in vain for any record of\ninstitutions for their aid in the histories of Athens or of Rome. Alas!\nthere are many who sneer at the Bible, and say the world would get on\nwell enough without it, who little think how great are their own\nobligations to the Bible. Little does the infidel workman think, as he\nlies sick in some of our great hospitals, that he owes all his present\ncomforts to the very book he affects to despise. Had it not been for the\nBible, he might have died in misery, uncared for, unnoticed and alone.\nVerily the world we live in is fearfully unconscious of its debts. The\nlast day alone, I believe, will tell the full amount of benefit\nconferred upon it by the Bible.\n\nThis wonderful book is the subject about which I address the reader of\nthis paper this day. Surely it is no light matter _what you are doing\nwith the Bible_. The swords of conquering Generals,--the ship in which\nNelson led the fleets of England to victory,--the hydraulic press which\nraised the tubular bridge at the Menai;--each and all of these are\nobjects of interest as instruments of mighty power. The Book I speak of\nthis day is an instrument a thousand-fold mightier still. Surely it is\nno light matter whether you are paying it the attention it deserves. I\ncharge you, I summon you to give me an honest answer this day,--What\nart thou doing with the Bible? Dost thou read it? HOW READEST THOU?\n\n\nV. In the fifth place, _no book in existence can do so much for every\none who reads it rightly as the Bible_.\n\nThe Bible does not profess to teach the wisdom of this world. It was not\nwritten to explain geology or astronomy. It will neither instruct you in\nmathematics, nor in natural philosophy. It will not make you a doctor,\nor a lawyer, or an engineer.\n\nBut there is another world to be thought of, beside that world in which\nman now lives. There are other ends for which man was created, beside\nmaking money and working. There are other interests which he is meant to\nattend to, beside those of his body, and those interests are the\ninterests of his soul. It is the interests of the immortal soul which\nthe Bible is especially able to promote. If you would know law, you may\nstudy Blackstone or Sugden. If you would know astronomy or geology, you\nmay study Herschel and Lyell. But if you would know how to have your\nsoul saved, you must study the written Word of God.\n\nThe Bible is \"_able to make a man wise unto salvation, through faith\nwhich is in Christ Jesus_.\" (2 Tim. iii. 15.) It can show you the way\nwhich leads to heaven. It can teach you everything you need to know,\npoint out everything you need to believe, and explain everything you\nneed to do. It can show you what you are,--_a sinner_. It can show you\nwhat God is,--perfectly _holy_. It can show you the great giver of\npardon, peace, and grace,--_Jesus Christ_. I have read of an Englishman\nwho visited Scotland in the days of Blair, Rutherford, and Dickson,\nthree famous preachers,--and heard all three in succession. He said that\nthe first showed him the majesty of God,--the second showed him the\nbeauty of Christ,--and the third showed him all his heart. It is the\nglory and beauty of the Bible that it is always teaching these three\nthings more or less, from the first chapter of it to the last.\n\nThe Bible applied to the heart by the Holy Ghost, is _the grand\ninstrument by which souls are first converted to God_. That mighty\nchange is generally begun by some text or doctrine of the Word, brought\nhome to a man's conscience. In this way the Bible has worked moral\nmiracles by thousands. It has made drunkards become sober,--unchaste\npeople become pure,--thieves become honest,--and violent-tempered people\nbecome meek. It has wholly altered the course of men's lives. It has\ncaused their old things to pass away, and made all their ways new. It\nhas taught worldly people to seek first the kingdom of God. It has\ntaught lovers of pleasure to become lovers of God. It has taught the\nstream of men's affections to run upwards instead of running downwards.\nIt has made men think of heaven, instead of always thinking of earth,\nand live by faith, instead of living by sight. All this it has done in\nevery part of the world. All this it is doing still. What are the Romish\nmiracles which weak men believe, compared to all this, even if they were\ntrue? Those are the truly great miracles which are yearly worked by the\nWord.\n\nThe Bible applied to the heart by the Holy Ghost, is _the chief means by\nwhich men are built up and stablished in the faith_, after their\nconversion. It is able to cleanse them, to sanctify them, to instruct\nthem in righteousness, and to furnish them thoroughly for all good\nworks. (Psalm cxix. 9; John xvii. 17; 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17.) The Spirit\nordinarily does these things by the written Word; sometimes by the Word\nread, and sometimes by the Word preached, but seldom, if ever, without\nthe Word. The Bible can show a believer how to walk in this world so as\nto please God. It can teach him how to glorify Christ in all the\nrelations of life, and can make him a good master, servant, subject,\nhusband, father, or son. It can enable him to bear afflictions and\nprivations without murmuring, and say, \"It is well.\" It can enable him\nto look down into the grave, and say, \"I fear no evil.\" (Psalm xxiii.\n4.) It can enable him to think on judgment and eternity, and not feel\nafraid. It can enable him to bear persecution without flinching, and to\ngive up liberty and life rather than deny Christ's truth. Is he drowsy\nin soul? It can awaken him.--Is he mourning? It can comfort him.--Is he\nerring? It can restore him.--Is he weak? It can make him strong.--Is he\nin company? It can keep him from evil.--Is he alone? It can talk with\nhim.--(Prov. vi. 22.) All this the Bible can do for all believers,--for\nthe least as well as the greatest,--for the richest as well as the\npoorest. It has done it for thousands already, and is doing it for\nthousands every day.\n\nThe man who has the Bible, and the Holy Spirit in his heart, has\neverything which is absolutely needful to make him spiritually wise. He\nneeds no priest to break the bread of life for him. He needs no ancient\ntraditions, no writings of the Fathers, no voice of the Church, to guide\nhim into all truth. He has the well of truth open before him, and what\ncan he want more? Yes! though he be shut up alone in a prison, or cast\non a desert island,--though he never see a church, or minister, or\nsacrament again,--if he has but the Bible, he has got the infallible\nguide, and wants no other. If he has but the will to read that Bible\nrightly, it will certainly teach him the road that leads to heaven. It\nis here alone that infallibility resides. It is not in the Church. It is\nnot in the Councils. It is not in ministers. It is only in the written\nWord.\n\n(_a_) I know well that many say they have found no saving power in the\nBible. They tell us they have tried to read it, and have learned nothing\nfrom it. They can see in it nothing but hard and deep things. They ask\nus what we mean by talking of its power.\n\nI answer, that the Bible no doubt contains hard things, or else it would\nnot be the book of God. It contains things hard to comprehend, but only\nhard because we have not grasp of mind to comprehend them. It contains\nthings above our reasoning powers, but nothing that might not be\nexplained if the eyes of our understanding were not feeble and dim. But\nis not an acknowledgment of our own ignorance the very corner-stone and\nfoundation of all knowledge? Must not many things be taken for granted\nin the beginning of every science, before we can proceed one step\ntowards acquaintance with it? Do we not require our children to learn\nmany things of which they cannot see the meaning at first? And ought we\nnot then to expect to find \"deep things\" when we begin studying the Word\nof God, and yet to believe that if we persevere in reading it the\nmeaning of many of them will one day be made clear? No doubt we ought so\nto expect, and so to believe. We must read with humility. We must take\nmuch on trust. We must believe that what we know not now, we shall know\nhereafter,--some part in this world, and all in the world to come.\n\nBut I ask that man who has given up reading the Bible because it\ncontains hard things, whether he did not find many things in it easy and\nplain? I put it to his conscience whether he did not see great landmarks\nand principles in it all the way through? I ask him whether the things\nneedful to salvation did not stand out boldly before his eyes, like the\nlight-houses on English headlands from the Land's-end to the mouth of\nthe Thames. What should we think of the captain of a steamer who brought\nup at night in the entrance of the Channel, on the plea that he did not\nknow every parish, and village, and creek, along the British coast?\nShould we not think him a lazy coward, when the lights on the Lizard,\nand Eddystone, and the Start, and Portland, and St. Catherine's, and\nBeachy Head, and Dungeness, and the Forelands, were shining forth like\nso many lamps, to guide him up to the river? Should we not say, Why did\nyou not steer by the great leading lights? And what ought we to say to\nthe man who gives up reading the Bible because it contains hard things,\nwhen his own state, and the path to heaven, and the way to serve God,\nare all written down clearly and unmistakably, as with a sunbeam? Surely\nwe ought to tell that man that his objections are no better than lazy\nexcuses, and do not deserve to be heard.\n\n(_b_) I know well that many raise the objection, that thousands read the\nBible and are not a whit the better for their reading. And they ask us,\nwhen this is the case, what becomes of the Bible's boasted power?\n\nI answer, that the reason why so many read the Bible without benefit is\nplain and simple;--they do not read it in the right way. There is\ngenerally a right way and a wrong way of doing everything in the world;\nand just as it is with other things, so it is in the matter of reading\nthe Bible. The Bible is not so entirely different from all other books\nas to make it of no importance in what spirit and manner you read it. It\ndoes not do good, as a matter of course, by merely running our eyes over\nthe print, any more than the sacraments do good by mere virtue of our\nreceiving them. It does not ordinarily do good, unless it is read with\nhumility and earnest prayer. The best steam-engine that was ever built\nis useless if a man does not know how to work it. The best sun-dial that\nwas ever constructed will not tell its owner the time of day if he is so\nignorant as to put it up in the shade. Just as it is with that\nsteam-engine, and that sun-dial, so it is with the Bible. When men read\nit without profit, _the fault is not in the Book, but in themselves_.\n\nI tell the man who doubts the power of the Bible, because many read it,\nand are no better for the reading, that the abuse of a thing is no\nargument against the use of it. I tell him boldly, that never did man or\nwoman read that book in a childlike persevering spirit,--like the\nEthiopian eunuch, and the Bereans (Acts viii. 28; xvii. 11),--and miss\nthe way to heaven. Yes, many a broken cistern will be exposed to shame\nin the day of judgment; but there will not rise up one soul who will be\nable to say, that he went thirsting to the Bible, and found in it no\nliving water,--he searched for truth in the Scriptures, and searching,\ndid not find it. The words which are spoken of Wisdom in the Proverbs\nare strictly true of the Bible: \"If thou criest after knowledge, and\nliftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver,\nand searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand\nthe fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.\" (Prov. ii. 3, 4,\n5.)\n\nThis wonderful Book is the subject about which I address the readers of\nthis paper this day. Surely it is no light matter _what you are doing\nwith the Bible_. What should you think of the man who in time of cholera\ndespised a sure receipt for preserving the health of his body? What must\nbe thought of you if you despise the only sure receipt for the\neverlasting health of your soul? I charge you, I entreat you, to give an\nhonest answer to my question. What dost thou do with the Bible?--Dost\nthou read it?--HOW READEST THOU?\n\n\nVI. In the sixth place, _the Bible is the only rule by which all\nquestions of doctrine or of duty can be tried_.\n\nThe Lord God knows the weakness and infirmity of our poor fallen\nunderstandings. He knows that, even after conversion, our perceptions of\nright and wrong are exceedingly indistinct. He knows how artfully Satan\ncan gild error with an appearance of truth, and can dress up wrong with\nplausible arguments, till it looks like right. Knowing all this, He has\nmercifully provided us with an unerring standard of truth and error,\nright and wrong, and has taken care to make that standard a written\nbook,--even the Scripture.\n\nNo one can look round the world, and not see the wisdom of such a\nprovision. No one can live long, and not find out that he is constantly\nin need of a counsellor and adviser,--of a rule of faith and practice,\non which he can depend. Unless he lives like a beast, without a soul and\nconscience, he will find himself constantly assailed by difficult and\npuzzling questions. He will be often asking himself, What must I\nbelieve? and what must I do?\n\n(_a_) The world is full of difficulties about points of _doctrine_. The\nhouse of error lies close alongside the house of truth. The door of one\nis so like the door of the other that there is continual risk of\nmistakes.\n\nDoes a man read or travel much? He will soon find the most opposite\nopinions prevailing among those who are called Christians. He will\ndiscover that different persons give the most different answers to the\nimportant question, What shall I do to be saved? The Roman Catholic and\nthe Protestant,--the Neologian and the Tractarian,--the Mormonite and\nthe Swedenborgian,--each and all will assert that he alone has the\ntruth. Each and all will tell him that safety is only to be found in his\nparty. Each and all say, \"Come with us.\" All this is puzzling. What\nshall a man do?\n\nDoes he settle down quietly in some English or Scotch parish? He will\nsoon find that even in our own land the most conflicting views are held.\nHe will soon discover that there are serious differences among\nChristians as to the comparative importance of the various parts and\narticles of the faith. One man thinks of nothing but Church\ngovernment,--another of nothing but sacraments, services, and forms,--a\nthird of nothing but preaching the Gospel. Does he apply to ministers\nfor a solution? He will perhaps find one minister teaching one doctrine,\nand another another. All this is puzzling. What shall a man do?\n\nThere is only one answer to this question. A man must make the Bible\nalone his rule. He must receive nothing, and believe nothing, which is\nnot according to the Word. He must try all religious teaching by one\nsimple test,--Does it square with the Bible? What saith the Scripture?\n\nI would to God the eyes of the laity of this country were more open on\nthis subject. I would to God they would learn to weigh sermons, books,\nopinions, and ministers, in the scales of the Bible, and to value all\naccording to their conformity to the Word. I would to God they would see\nthat it matters little who says a thing,--whether he be Father or\nReformer,--Bishop or Archbishop,--Priest or Deacon,--Archdeacon or Dean.\nThe only question is,--Is the thing said Scriptural? If it is, it ought\nto be received and believed. If it is not, it ought to be refused and\ncast aside. I fear the consequences of that servile acceptance of\neverything which \"the parson\" says, which is so common among many\nEnglish laymen. I fear lest they be led they know not whither, like the\nblinded Syrians, and awake some day to find themselves in the power of\nRome. (2 Kings vi. 20.) Oh, that men in England would only remember for\nwhat purpose the Bible was given them!\n\nI tell English laymen that it is nonsense to say, as some do, that it is\npresumptuous to judge a minister's teaching by the Word. When one\ndoctrine is proclaimed in one parish, and another in another, people\nmust read and judge for themselves. Both doctrines cannot be right, and\nboth ought to be tried by the Word. I charge them, above all things,\nnever to suppose that any true minister of the Gospel will dislike his\npeople measuring all he teaches by the Bible. On the contrary, the more\nthey read the Bible, and prove all he says by the Bible, the better he\nwill be pleased. A false minister may say, \"You have no right to use\nyour private judgment: leave the Bible to us who are ordained.\" A true\nminister will say, \"Search the Scriptures, and if I do not teach you\nwhat is Scriptural, do not believe me.\" A false minister may cry, \"Hear\nthe Church,\" and \"Hear me.\" A true minister will say, \"Hear the Word of\nGod.\"\n\n(_b_) But the world is not only full of difficulties about points of\ndoctrine; it is equally full of difficulties about points of _practice_.\nEvery professing Christian, who wishes to act conscientiously, must know\nthat it is so. The most puzzling questions are continually arising. He\nis tried on every side by doubts as to the line of duty, and can often\nhardly see what is the right thing to do.\n\nHe is tried by questions connected with the management of his _worldly\ncalling_, if he is in business or in trade. He sometimes sees things\ngoing on of a very doubtful character,--things that can hardly be called\nfair, straightforward, truthful, and doing as you would be done by. But\nthen everybody in the trade does these things. They have always been\ndone in the most respectable houses. There would be no carrying on a\nprofitable business if they were not done. They are not things\ndistinctly named and prohibited by God. All this is very puzzling. What\nis a man to do?\n\nHe is tried by questions about _worldly amusements_. Races, and balls,\nand operas, and theatres, and card parties, are all very doubtful\nmethods of spending time. But then he sees numbers of great people\ntaking part in them. Are all these people wrong? Can there really be\nsuch mighty harm in these things? All this is very puzzling. What is a\nman to do?\n\nHe is tried by questions about the _education of his children_. He\nwishes to train them up morally and religiously, and to remember their\nsouls. But he is told by many sensible people, that young persons will\nbe young,--that it does not do to check and restrain them too much, and\nthat he ought to attend pantomimes and children's parties, and give\nchildren's balls himself. He is informed that this nobleman, or that\nlady of rank, always does so, and yet they are reckoned religious\npeople. Surely it cannot be wrong. All this is very puzzling. What is he\nto do?\n\nThere is only one answer to all these questions. A man must make the\nBible his rule of conduct. He must make its leading principles the\ncompass by which he steers his course through life. By the letter or\nspirit of the Bible he must test every difficult point and question.\n\"_To the law and to the testimony! What saith the Scripture?_\" He ought\nto care nothing for what other people may think right. He ought not to\nset his watch by the clock of his neighbour, but by the sun-dial of the\nWord.\n\nI charge my readers solemnly to act on the maxim I have just laid down,\nand to adhere to it rigidly all the days of their lives. You will never\nrepent of it. Make it a leading principle never to act contrary to the\nWord. Care not for the charge of over-strictness, and needless\nprecision. Remember you serve a strict and holy God. Listen not to the\ncommon objection, that the rule you have laid down is impossible, and\ncannot be observed in such a world as this. Let those who make such an\nobjection speak out plainly, and tell us for what purpose the Bible was\ngiven to man. Let them remember that by the Bible we shall all be judged\nat the last day, and let them learn to judge themselves by it here, lest\nthey be judged and condemned by it hereafter.\n\nThis mighty rule of faith and practice is the book about which I am\naddressing the readers of this paper this day. Surely it is no light\nmatter _what you are doing with the Bible_. Surely when danger is abroad\non the right hand and on the left, you should consider what you are\ndoing with the safe-guard which God has provided. I charge you, I\nbeseech you, to give an honest answer to my question. What art thou\ndoing with the Bible?--Dost thou read it? HOW READEST THOU?\n\nVII. In the seventh place, _the Bible is the book which all true\nservants of God have always lived on and loved_.\n\nEvery living thing which God creates requires food. The life that God\nimparts needs sustaining and nourishing. It is so with animal and\nvegetable life,--with birds, beasts, fishes, reptiles, insects, and\nplants. It is equally so with spiritual life. When the Holy Ghost raises\na man from the death of sin and makes him a new creature in Christ\nJesus, the new principle in that man's heart requires food, and the only\nfood which will sustain it is the Word of God.\n\nThere never was a man or woman truly converted, from one end of the\nworld to the other, who did not love the revealed will of God. Just as a\nchild born into the world desires naturally the milk provided for its\nnourishment, so does a soul \"born again\" desire the sincere milk of the\nWord. This is a common mark of all the children of God--they \"delight in\nthe law of the Lord.\" (Psalm, i. 2.)\n\nShow me a person who despises Bible reading, or thinks little of Bible\npreaching, and I hold it to be a certain fact that he is not yet \"born\nagain.\" He may be zealous about forms and ceremonies. He may be diligent\nin attending sacraments and daily services. But if these things are more\nprecious to him than the Bible, I cannot think he is a converted man.\nTell me what the Bible is to a man, and I will generally tell you what\nhe is. This is the pulse to try,--this is the barometer to look at,--if\nwe would know the state of the heart. I have no notion of the Spirit\ndwelling in a man and not giving clear evidence of His presence. And I\nbelieve it to be a signal evidence of the Spirit's presence when the\nWord is really precious to a man's soul.\n\nLove to the Word is one of the characteristics we see in Job. Little as\nwe know of this Patriarch and his age, this at least stands out clearly.\nHe says, \"I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary\nfood.\" (Job xxiii. 12.)\n\nLove to the Word is a shining feature in the character of David. Mark\nhow it appears all through that wonderful part of Scripture, the cxixth\nPsalm. He might well say, \"Oh, how I love thy law!\" (Psalm cxix. 97.)\n\nLove to the Word is a striking point in the character of St. Paul. What\nwere he and his companions but men \"mighty in the Scriptures?\" What were\nhis sermons but expositions and applications of the Word?\n\nLove to the Word appears pre-eminently in our Lord and Saviour Jesus\nChrist. He read it publicly. He quoted it continually. He expounded it\nfrequently. He advised the Jews to \"search\" it. He used it as His weapon\nto resist the devil. He said repeatedly, \"The Scripture must be\nfulfilled.\"--Almost the last thing He did was to \"open the understanding\nof His disciples, that they might understand the Scriptures.\" (Luke\nxxiv. 45.) I am afraid that man can be no true servant of Christ, who\nhas not something of his Master's mind and feeling towards the Bible.\n\nLove to the Word has been a prominent feature in the history of all the\nsaints, of whom we know anything, since the days of the Apostles. This\nis the lamp which Athanasius and Chrysostom and Augustine followed. This\nis the compass which kept the Vallenses and Albigenses from making\nshipwreck of the faith. This is the well which was re-opened by Wycliffe\nand Luther, after it had been long stopped up. This is the sword with\nwhich Latimer, and Jewell, and Knox won their victories. This is the\nmanna which fed Baxter and Owen, and the noble host of the Puritans, and\nmade them strong to battle. This is the armoury from which Whitefield\nand Wesley drew their powerful weapons. This is the mine from which\nBickersteth and M'Cheyne brought forth rich gold. Differing as these\nholy men did in some matters, on one point they were all agreed,--they\nall delighted in the Word.\n\nLove to the Word is one of the first things that appears in the\nconverted heathen, at the various Missionary stations throughout the\nworld. In hot climates and in cold,--among savage people and among\ncivilized,--in New Zealand, in the South Sea Islands, in Africa, in\nHindostan,--it is always the same. They enjoy hearing it read. They long\nto be able to read it themselves. They wonder why Christians did not\nsend it to them before. How striking is the picture which Moffat draws\nof Africaner, the fierce South African chieftain, when first brought\nunder the power of the Gospel! \"Often have I seen him,\" he says, \"under\nthe shadow of a great rock nearly the live-long day, eagerly perusing\nthe pages of the Bible.\"--How touching is the expression of a poor\nconverted Negro, speaking of the Bible! He said, \"It is never old and\nnever cold.\"--How affecting was the language of another old negro, when\nsome would have dissuaded him from learning to read, because of his\ngreat age. \"No!\" he said, \"I will never give it up till I die. It is\nworth all the labour to be able to read that one verse, 'God so loved\nthe world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth\nin him should not perish, but have eternal life.'\"\n\nLove to the Bible is one of the grand points of agreement among all\nconverted men and women in our own land. Episcopalians and\nPresbyterians, Baptists and Independents, Methodists and Plymouth\nBrethren,--all unite in honouring the Bible, as soon as they are real\nChristians. This is the manna which all the tribes of our Israel feed\nupon, and find satisfying food. This is the fountain round which all the\nvarious portions of Christ's flock meet together, and from which no\nsheep goes thirsty away. Oh, that believers in this country would learn\nto cleave more closely to the written Word! Oh, that they would see that\nthe more the Bible, and the Bible only, is the substance of men's\nreligion, the more they agree! It is probable there never was an\nuninspired book more universally admired than Bunyan's Pilgrim's\nProgress. It is a book which all denominations of Christians delight to\nhonour. It has won praise from all parties. Now what a striking fact it\nis, that the author was pre-eminently a man of one book! He had read\nhardly anything but the Bible.\n\nIt is a blessed thought that there will be \"much people\" in heaven at\nlast. Few as the Lord's people undoubtedly are at any one given time or\nplace, yet all gathered together at last, they will be \"a multitude that\nno man can number.\" (Rev. vii. 9; xix. 1.) They will be of one heart and\nmind. They will have passed through like experience. They will all have\nrepented, believed, lived holy, prayerful, and humble. They will all\nhave washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.\nBut one thing beside all this they will have in common: they will all\nlove the texts and doctrines of the Bible. The Bible will have been\ntheir food and delight in the days of their pilgrimage on earth. And the\nBible will be a common subject of joyful meditation and retrospect, when\nthey are gathered together in heaven.\n\nThis Book, which all true Christians live upon and love, is the subject\nabout which I am addressing the readers of this paper this day. Surely\nit is no light matter _what you are doing with the Bible_. Surely it is\nmatter for serious inquiry, whether you know anything of this love to\nthe Word, and have this mark of walking \"in the footsteps of the flock.\"\n(Cant. i. 8.) I charge you, I entreat you to give me an honest answer.\nWhat art thou doing with the Bible?--Dost thou read it?--HOW READEST\nTHOU?\n\n\nVIII. In the last place, _the Bible is the only book which can comfort a\nman in the last hours of his life_.\n\nDeath is an event which in all probability is before us all. There is no\navoiding it. It is the river which each of us must cross. I who write,\nand you who read, have each one day to die. It is good to remember\nthis. We are all sadly apt to put away the subject from us. \"Each man\nthinks each man mortal but himself.\" I want every one to do his duty in\nlife, but I also want every one to think of death. I want every one to\nknow how to live, but I also want every one to know how to die.\n\nDeath is a solemn event to all. It is the winding up of all earthly\nplans and expectations. It is a separation from all we have loved and\nlived with. It is often accompanied by much bodily pain and distress. It\nbrings us to the grave, the worm, and corruption. It opens the door to\njudgment and eternity,--to heaven or to hell. It is an event after which\nthere is no change, or space for repentance. Other mistakes may be\ncorrected or retrieved, but not a mistake on our death-beds. As the tree\nfalls, there it must lie. No conversion in the coffin! No new birth\nafter we have ceased to breathe! And death is before us all. It may be\nclose at hand. The time of our departure is quite uncertain. But sooner\nor later we must each lie down alone and die. All these are serious\nconsiderations.\n\nDeath is a solemn event even to the believer in Christ. For him no doubt\nthe \"sting of death\" is taken away. (1 Cor. xv. 55.) Death has become\none of his privileges, for he is Christ's. Living or dying, he is the\nLord's. If he lives, Christ lives in him; and if he dies, he goes to\nlive with Christ. To him \"to live is Christ, and to die is gain.\" (Phil.\ni. 21.) Death frees him from many trials,--from a weak body, a corrupt\nheart, a tempting devil, and an ensnaring or persecuting world. Death\nadmits him to the enjoyment of many blessings. He rests from his\nlabours:--the hope of a joyful resurrection is changed into a\ncertainty:--he has the company of holy redeemed spirits:--he is \"with\nChrist.\" All this is true,--and yet, even to a believer, death is a\nsolemn thing. Flesh and blood naturally shrink from it. To part from all\nwe love, is a wrench and trial to the feelings. The world we go to is a\nworld unknown, even though it is our home. Friendly and harmless as\ndeath is to a believer, it is not an event to be treated lightly. It\nalways must be a very solemn thing.\n\nIt becomes every thoughtful and sensible man to consider calmly how he\nis going to meet death. Gird up your loins, like a man, and look the\nsubject in the face. Listen to me, while I tell you a few things about\nthe end to which we are coming.\n\nThe good things of the world cannot comfort a man when he draws near\ndeath. All the gold of California and Australia will not provide light\nfor the dark valley. Money can buy the best medical advice and\nattendance for a man's body; but money cannot buy peace for his\nconscience, heart, and soul.\n\nRelatives, loved friends, and servants, cannot comfort a man when he\ndraws near death. They may minister affectionately to his bodily wants.\nThey may watch by his bed-side tenderly, and anticipate his every wish.\nThey may smooth down his dying pillow, and support his sinking frame in\ntheir arms. But they cannot \"minister to a mind diseased.\" They cannot\nstop the achings of a troubled heart. They cannot screen an uneasy\nconscience from the eye of God.\n\nThe pleasures of the world cannot comfort a man when he draws near\ndeath. The brilliant ball-room,--the merry dance,--the midnight\nrevel,--the party to Epsom races,--the card table,--the box at the\nopera,--the voices of singing men and singing women,--all these are at\nlength distasteful things. To hear of hunting and shooting engagements\ngives him no pleasure. To be invited to feasts, and regattas, and\nfancy-fairs, gives him no ease. He cannot hide from himself that these\nare hollow, empty, powerless things. They jar upon the ear of his\nconscience. They are out of harmony with his condition. They cannot stop\none gap in his heart, when the last enemy is coming in like a flood.\nThey cannot make him calm in the prospect of meeting a holy God.\n\nBooks and newspapers cannot comfort a man when he draws near death. The\nmost brilliant writings of Macaulay or Dickens will pall on his ear. The\nmost able article in the Times will fail to interest him. The Edinburgh\nand Quarterly Reviews will give him no pleasure. Punch and the\nIllustrated News, and the last new novel, will lie unopened and\nunheeded. Their time will be past. Their vocation will be gone. Whatever\nthey may be in health, they are useless in the hour of death.\n\nThere is but one fountain of comfort for a man drawing near to his end,\nand that is the Bible. Chapters out of the Bible,--texts out of the\nBible,--statements of truth taken out of the Bible,--books containing\nmatter drawn from the Bible,--these are a man's only chance of comfort\nwhen he comes to die. I do not at all say that the Bible will do good,\nas a matter of course, to a dying man, if he has not valued it before. I\nknow, unhappily, too much of death-beds to say that. I do not say\nwhether it is probable that he who has been unbelieving and neglectful\nof the Bible in life, will at once believe and get comfort from it in\ndeath. But I do say positively, that no dying man will ever get real\ncomfort, except from the contents of the Word of God. All comfort from\nany other source is a house built upon sand.\n\nI lay this down as a rule of universal application. I make no exception\nin favour of any class on earth. Kings and poor men, learned and\nunlearned,--all are on a level in this matter. There is not a jot of\nreal consolation for any dying man, unless he gets it from the Bible.\nChapters, passages, texts, promises, and doctrines of Scripture,--heard,\nreceived, believed, and rested on,--these are the only comforters I dare\npromise to any one, when he leaves the world. Taking the sacrament will\ndo a man no more good than the Popish extreme unction, so long as the\nWord is not received and believed. Priestly absolution will no more ease\nthe conscience than the incantations of a heathen magician, if the poor\ndying sinner does not receive and believe Bible truth. I tell every one\nwho reads this paper, that although men may seem to get on comfortably\nwithout the Bible while they live, they may be sure that without the\nBible they cannot comfortably die. It was a true confession of the\nlearned Selden,--\"There is no book upon which we can rest in a dying\nmoment but the Bible.\"\n\nI might easily confirm all I have just said, by examples and\nillustrations. I might show you the death-beds of men who have affected\nto despise the Bible. I might tell you how Voltaire and Paine, the\nfamous infidels, died in misery, bitterness, rage, fear, and despair. I\nmight show you the happy death-beds of those who have loved the Bible\nand believed it, and the blessed effect the sight of their death-beds\nhad on others. Cecil,--a minister whose praise ought to be in all\nchurches,--says, \"I shall never forget standing by the bed-side of my\ndying mother. 'Are you afraid to die?' I asked.--'No!' she\nreplied.--'But why does the uncertainty of another state give you no\nconcern?'--'Because God has said, Fear not; when thou passest through\nthe waters I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not\noverflow thee.'\" (Isa. xliii. 2.) I might easily multiply illustrations\nof this kind. But I think it better to conclude this part of my subject\nby giving the result of my own observations as a minister.\n\nI have seen not a few dying persons in my time. I have seen great\nvarieties of manner and deportment among them. I have seen some die\nsullen, silent, and comfortless. I have seen others die ignorant,\nunconcerned, and apparently without much fear. I have seen some die so\nwearied out with long illness that they were quite willing to depart,\nand yet they did not seem to me at all in a fit state to go before God.\nI have seen others die with professions of hope and trust in God,\nwithout leaving satisfactory evidences that they were on the rock. I\nhave seen others die who, I believe, were \"in Christ,\" and safe, and yet\nthey never seemed to enjoy much sensible comfort. I have seen some few\ndying in the full assurance of hope, and like Bunyan's \"Standfast,\"\ngiving glorious testimony to Christ's faithfulness, even in the river.\nBut one thing I have never seen. I never saw any one enjoy what I should\ncall real, solid, calm, reasonable peace on his death-bed, who did not\ndraw his peace from the Bible. And this I am bold to say, that the man\nwho thinks to go to his death-bed without having the Bible for his\ncomforter, his companion, and his friend, is one of the greatest madmen\nin the world. There are no comforts for the soul but Bible comforts, and\nhe who has not got hold of these, has got hold of nothing at all, unless\nit be a broken reed.\n\nThe only comforter for a death-bed is the book about which I address the\nreaders of this paper this day. Surely it is no light matter whether you\nread that book or not. Surely a dying man, in a dying world, should\nseriously consider whether he has got anything to comfort him when his\nturn comes to die. I charge you, I entreat you, for the last time, to\ngive an honest answer to my question. What art thou doing with the\nBible?--Dost thou read it?--HOW READEST THOU?\n\n\nI have now given the reasons why I press on every reader the duty and\nimportance of reading the Bible. I have shown that no book is written in\nsuch a manner as the Bible,--that knowledge of the Bible is absolutely\nnecessary to salvation,--that no book contains such matter,--that no\nbook has done so much for the world generally,--that no book can do so\nmuch for every one who reads it aright,--that this book is the only rule\nof faith and practice,--that it is, and always has been, the food of all\ntrue servants of God,--and that it is the only book which can comfort\nmen when they die. All these are ancient things. I do not pretend to\ntell anything new. I have only gathered together old truths, and tried\nto mould them into a new shape. Let me finish all by addressing a few\nplain words to the conscience of every class of readers.\n\n(1) This paper may fall into the hands of some who _can read, but never\ndo read the Bible at all_. Are you one of them? If you are, I have\nsomething to say to you.\n\nI cannot comfort you in your present state of mind. It would be mockery\nand deceit to do so. I cannot speak to you of peace and heaven, while\nyou treat the Bible as you do. You are in danger of losing your soul.\n\nYou are in danger, because _your neglected Bible is a plain evidence\nthat you do not love God_. The health of a man's body may generally be\nknown by his appetite. The health of a man's soul may be known by his\ntreatment of the Bible. Now you are manifestly labouring under a sore\ndisease. Will you not repent?\n\nI know I cannot reach your heart. I cannot make you see and feel these\nthings. I can only enter my solemn protest against your present\ntreatment of the Bible, and lay that protest before your conscience. I\ndo so with all my soul. Oh, beware lest you repent too late! Beware lest\nyou put off reading the Bible till you send for the doctor in your last\nillness, and then find the Bible a sealed book, and dark, as the cloud\nbetween the hosts of Israel and Egypt, to your anxious soul! Beware lest\nyou go on saying all your life, \"Men do very well without all this\nBible-reading,\" and find at length, to your cost, that men do very ill,\nand end in hell! Beware lest the day come when you will feel, \"Had I but\nhonoured the Bible as much as I have honoured the newspaper, I should\nnot have been left without comfort in my last hours!\" Bible-neglecting\nreader, I give you a plain warning. The plague-cross is at present on\nyour door. The Lord have mercy upon your soul!\n\n(2) This paper may fall into the hands of some one who is _willing to\nbegin reading the Bible, but wants advice_ on the subject. Are you that\nman? Listen to me, and I will give a few short hints.\n\n(_a_) For one thing, _begin reading your Bible this very day_. The way\nto do a thing is to do it, and the way to read the Bible is actually to\nread it. It is not meaning, or wishing, or resolving, or intending, or\nthinking about it, which will advance you one step. You must positively\nread. There is no royal road in this matter, any more than in the matter\nof prayer. If you cannot read yourself, you must persuade somebody else\nto read to you. But one way or another, through eyes or ears, the words\nof Scripture must actually pass before your mind.\n\n(_b_) For another thing, _read the Bible with an earnest desire to\nunderstand it_. Think not for a moment that the great object is to turn\nover a certain quantity of printed paper, and that it matters nothing\nwhether you understand it or not. Some ignorant people seem to fancy\nthat all is done if they clear off so many chapters every day, though\nthey may not have a notion what they are all about, and only know that\nthey have pushed on their mark so many leaves. This is turning Bible\nreading into a mere form. It is almost as bad as the Popish habit of\nbuying indulgences, by saying an almost fabulous number of ave-marias\nand paternosters. It reminds one of the poor Hottentot who ate up a\nDutch hymn-book because he saw it comforted his neighbours' hearts.\nSettle it down in your mind as a general principle, that a Bible not\nunderstood is a Bible that does no good. Say to yourself often as you\nread, \"What is all this about?\" Dig for the meaning like a man digging\nfor Australian gold. Work hard, and do not give up the work in a hurry.\n\n(_c_) For another thing, _read the Bible with child-like faith and\nhumility_. Open your heart as you open your book, and say, \"Speak,\nLord, for thy servant heareth.\" Resolve to believe implicitly whatever\nyou find there, however much it may run counter to your own prejudices.\nResolve to receive heartily every statement of truth, whether you like\nit or not. Beware of that miserable habit of mind into which some\nreaders of the Bible fall. They receive some doctrines because they like\nthem: they reject others because they are condemning to themselves, or\nto some lover, or relation, or friend. At this rate the Bible is\nuseless. Are we to be judges of what ought to be in the Word? Do we know\nbetter than God? Settle it down in your mind that you will receive all\nand believe all, and that what you cannot understand you will take on\ntrust. Remember, when you pray, you are speaking to God, and God hears\nyou. But, remember, when you read, God is speaking to you, and you are\nnot to \"answer again,\" but to listen.\n\n(_d_) For another thing, _read the Bible in a spirit of obedience and\nself-application_. Sit down to the study of it with a daily\ndetermination that _you_ will live by its rules, rest on its statements,\nand act on its commands. Consider, as you travel through every chapter,\n\"How does this affect _my_ position and course of conduct? What does\nthis teach _me_?\" It is poor work to read the Bible from mere curiosity,\nand for speculative purposes, in order to fill your head and store your\nmind with opinions, while you do not allow the book to influence your\nheart and life. That Bible is read best which is practised most.\n\n(_e_) For another thing, _read the Bible daily_. Make it a part of every\nday's business to read and meditate on some portion of God's Word.\nPrivate means of grace are just as needful every day for our souls as\nfood and clothing are for our bodies. Yesterday's bread will not feed\nthe labourer to-day, and to-day's bread will not feed the labourer\nto-morrow. Do as the Israelites did in the wilderness. Gather your manna\nfresh every morning. Choose your own seasons and hours. Do not scramble\nover and hurry your reading. Give your Bible the best, and not the worst\npart of your time. But whatever plan you pursue, let it be a rule of\nyour life to visit the throne of grace and the Bible every day.\n\n(_f_) For another thing, _read all the Bible, and read it in an orderly\nway_. I fear there are many parts of the Word which some people never\nread at all. This is to say the least, a very presumptuous habit. \"All\nScripture is profitable.\" (2 Tim. iii. 16.) To this habit may be traced\nthat want of broad, well-proportioned views of truth, which is so common\nin this day. Some people's Bible-reading is a system of perpetual\ndipping and picking. They do not seem to have an idea of regularly going\nthrough the whole book. This also is a great mistake. No doubt in times\nof sickness and affliction it is allowable to search out seasonable\nportions. But with this exception, I believe it is by far the best plan\nto begin the Old and New Testaments at the same time,--to read each\nstraight through to the end, and then begin again. This is a matter in\nwhich every one must be persuaded in his own mind. I can only say it has\nbeen my own plan for nearly forty years, and I have never seen cause to\nalter it.\n\n(_g_) For another thing, _read the Bible fairly and honestly_. Determine\nto take everything in its plain, obvious meaning, and regard all forced\ninterpretations with great suspicion. As a general rule, whatever a\nverse of the Bible seems to mean, it does mean. Cecil's rule is a very\nvaluable one,--\"The right way of interpreting Scripture is to take it as\nwe find it, without any attempt to force it into any particular system.\"\nWell said Hooker, \"I hold it for a most infallible rule in the\nexposition of Scripture, that when a literal construction will stand,\nthe furthest from the literal is commonly the worst.\"\n\n(_h_) In the last place, _read the Bible with Christ continually in\nview_. The grand primary object of all Scripture is to testify of\nJesus. Old Testament ceremonies are shadows of Christ. Old Testament\njudges and deliverers are types of Christ. Old Testament history shows\nthe world's need of Christ. Old Testament prophecies are full of\nChrist's sufferings, and of Christ's glory yet to come. The first advent\nand the second,--the Lord's humiliation and the Lord's kingdom,--the\ncross and the crown, shine forth everywhere in the Bible. Keep fast hold\non this clue, if you would read the Bible aright.\n\nI might easily add to these hints, if space permitted. Few and short as\nthey are, you will find them worth attention. Act upon them, and I\nfirmly believe you will never be allowed to miss the way to heaven. Act\nupon them, and you will find light continually increasing in your mind.\nNo book of evidence can be compared with that internal evidence which he\nobtains who daily uses the Word in the right way. Such a man does not\nneed the books of learned men, like Paley, and Wilson, and M'Ilvaine. He\nhas the witness in himself. The book satisfies and feeds his soul. A\npoor Christian woman once said to an infidel, \"I am no scholar. I cannot\nargue like you. But I know that honey is honey, because it leaves a\nsweet taste in my mouth. And I know the Bible to be God's book, because\nof the taste it leaves in my heart.\"\n\n(3) This paper may fall into the hands of some one who _loves and\nbelieves the Bible, and yet reads it but little_. I fear there are many\nsuch in this day. It is a day of bustle and hurry. It is a day of\ntalking, and committee-meetings, and public work. These things are all\nvery well in their way, but I fear that they sometimes clip and cut\nshort the private reading of the Bible. Does your conscience tell you\nthat you are one of the persons I speak of? Listen to me, and I will say\na few things which deserve your serious attention.\n\nYou are the man that is likely to _get little comfort from the Bible in\ntime of need_. Trial is a sifting season. Affliction is a searching\nwind, which strips the leaves off the trees, and brings to light the\nbirds' nests. Now I fear that your stores of Bible consolations may one\nday run very low. I fear lest you should find yourself at last on very\nshort allowance, and come into harbour weak, worn and thin.\n\nYou are the man that is likely _never to be established in the truth_. I\nshall not be surprised to hear that you are troubled with doubts and\nquestionings about assurance, grace, faith, perseverance, and the like.\nThe devil is an old and cunning enemy. Like the Benjamites, he can\n\"throw stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss.\" (Judges xx. 16.) He can\nquote Scripture readily enough when he pleases. Now you are not\nsufficiently ready with your weapons to be able to fight a good fight\nwith him. Your armour does not fit you well. Your sword sits loosely in\nyour hand.\n\nYou are the man that is likely to _make mistakes in life_. I shall not\nwonder if I am told that you have erred about your own marriage,--erred\nabout your children's education,--erred about the conduct of your\nhousehold,--erred about the company you keep. The world you steer\nthrough is full of rocks, and shoals, and sandbanks. You are not\nsufficiently familiar either with the lights or charts.\n\nYou are the man that is likely to _be carried away by some specious\nfalse teacher for a season_. It will not surprise me if I hear that some\none of those clever, eloquent men, who can \"make the worse appear the\nbetter cause,\" is leading you into many follies. You are wanting in\nballast. No wonder if you are tossed to and fro, like a cork on the\nwaves.\n\nAll these are uncomfortable things. I want every reader of this paper to\nescape them all. Take the advice I offer you this day. Do not merely\nread your Bible \"a little,\" but read it a great deal. \"Let the Word of\nChrist dwell in you richly.\" (Coloss. iii. 16.) Do not be a mere babe\nin spiritual knowledge. Seek to become \"well instructed in the kingdom\nof heaven,\" and to be continually adding new things to old. A religion\nof feeling is an uncertain thing. It is like the tide, sometimes high,\nand sometimes low. It is like the moon, sometimes bright, and sometimes\ndim. A religion of deep Bible knowledge, is a firm and lasting\npossession. It enables a man not merely to say, \"I feel hope in\nChrist,\"--but \"I know whom I have believed.\" (2 Tim. i. 12.)\n\n(4) This paper may fall into the hands of some one who _reads the Bible\nmuch, and yet fancies he is no better for his reading_. This is a crafty\ntemptation of the devil. At one stage he says, \"Do not read the Bible at\nall.\" At another he says, \"Your reading does you no good: give it up.\"\nAre you that man? I feel for you from the bottom of my soul. Let me try\nto do you good.\n\nDo not think you are getting no good from the Bible, merely because you\ndo not see that good day by day. The greatest effects are by no means\nthose which make the most noise, and are most easily observed. The\ngreatest effects are often silent, quiet, and hard to detect at the time\nthey are being produced. Think of the influence of the moon upon the\nearth, and of the air upon the human lungs. Remember how silently the\ndew falls, and how imperceptibly the grass grows. There may be far more\ndoing than you think in your soul by your Bible-reading.\n\nThe Word may be gradually producing deep _impressions_ on your heart, of\nwhich you are not at present aware. Often when the memory is retaining\nno facts, the character of a man is receiving some everlasting\nimpression. Is sin becoming every year more hateful to you? Is Christ\nbecoming every year more precious? Is holiness becoming every year more\nlovely and desirable in your eyes? If these things are so, take courage.\nThe Bible is doing you good, though you may not be able to trace it out\nday by day.\n\nThe Bible may be restraining you from some sin or delusion into which\nyou would otherwise run. It may be daily keeping you back, and hedging\nyou up, and preventing many a false step. Ah, you might soon find this\nout to your cost, if you were to cease reading the Word! The very\nfamiliarity of blessings sometimes makes us insensible to their value.\nResist the devil. Settle it down in your mind as an established rule,\nthat, whether you feel it at the moment or not, you are inhaling\nspiritual health by reading the Bible, and insensibly becoming more\nstrong.\n\n(5) This paper may fall into the hands of some who _really love the\nBible, live upon the Bible, and read it much_. Are you one of these?\nGive me your attention, and I will mention a few things which we shall\ndo well to lay to heart for time to come.\n\nLet us resolve to _read the Bible more and more_ every year we live. Let\nus try to get it rooted in our memories, and engrafted into our hearts.\nLet us be thoroughly well provisioned with it against the voyage of\ndeath. Who knows but we may have a very stormy passage? Sight and\nhearing may fail us, and we may be in deep waters. Oh, to have the Word\n\"hid in our hearts\" in such an hour as that! (Ps. cxix. 11.)\n\nLet us resolve to be _more watchful over our Bible-reading_ every year\nthat we live. Let us be jealously careful about the time we give to it,\nand the manner that time is spent. Let us beware of omitting our daily\nreading without sufficient cause. Let us not be gaping, and yawning, and\ndozing over our book, while we read. Let us read like a London merchant\nstudying the city article in the Times,--or like a wife reading a\nhusband's letter from a distant land. Let us be very careful that we\nnever exalt any minister, or sermon, or book, or tract, or friend above\nthe Word. Cursed be that book, or tract, or human counsel, which creeps\nin between us and the Bible, and hides the Bible from our eyes! Once\nmore I say, let us be very watchful. The moment we open the Bible the\ndevil sits down by our side. Oh, to read with a hungry spirit, and a\nsimple desire for edification!\n\nLet us resolve to _honour the Bible more in our families_. Let us read\nit morning and evening to our children and households, and not be\nashamed to let men see that we do so. Let us not be discouraged by\nseeing no good arise from it. The Bible-reading in a family has kept\nmany a one from the gaol, the workhouse, and the Gazette, if it has not\nkept him from hell.\n\nLet us resolve to _meditate more on the Bible_. It is good to take with\nus two or three texts when we go out into the world, and to turn them\nover and over in our minds whenever we have a little leisure. It keeps\nout many vain thoughts. It clenches the nail of daily reading. It\npreserves our souls from stagnating and breeding corrupt things. It\nsanctifies and quickens our memories, and prevents them becoming like\nthose ponds where the frogs live but the fish die.\n\nLet us resolve to _talk more to believers about the Bible_ when we meet\nthem. Alas, the conversation of Christians, when they do meet, is often\nsadly unprofitable! How many frivolous, and trifling, and uncharitable\nthings are said! Let us bring out the Bible more, and it will help to\ndrive the devil away, and keep our hearts in tune. Oh, that we may all\nstrive so to walk together in this evil world, that Jesus may often draw\nnear, and go with us, as He went with the two disciples journeying to\nEmmaus!\n\nLast of all, let us resolve to _live by the Bible more and more_ every\nyear we live. Let us frequently take account of all our opinions and\npractices,--of our habits and tempers,--of our behaviour in public and\nin private,--in the world, and by our own firesides. Let us measure all\nby the Bible, and resolve, by God's help, to conform to it. Oh that we\nmay learn increasingly to \"cleanse our ways\" by the Word! (Ps. cxix.\n9.)\n\nI commend all these things to the serious and prayerful attention of\nevery one into whose hands this paper may fall. I want the ministers of\nmy beloved country to be Bible-reading ministers,--the congregations,\nBible-reading congregations,--and the nation, a Bible-reading nation. To\nbring about this desirable end I cast in my mite into God's treasury.\nThe Lord grant that it may prove not to have been in vain!\n\n\n\n\nVI\n\n\nGOING TO THE TABLE\n\n \"_Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread,\n and drink of that cup._\"--1 Cor. xi. 28.\n\n\nThe words which form the title of this paper refer to a subject of vast\nimportance. That subject is the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.\n\nPerhaps no part of the Christian religion is so thoroughly misunderstood\nas the Lord's Supper. On no point have there been so many disputes,\nstrifes, and controversies for almost 1800 years. On no point have\nmistakes done so much harm. Even at this very day the battle is still\nraging, and Christians seem hopelessly divided. The very ordinance which\nwas meant for our peace and profit has become the cause of discord and\nthe occasion of sin. These things ought not so to be!\n\nI make no excuse for including the Lord's Supper among the leading\npoints of _practical_ Christianity. I believe firmly that ignorant views\nor false doctrine about this sacrament lie at the root of half the\npresent divisions of professing Christians. Some neglect it altogether;\nsome completely misunderstand it; some exalt it to a position it was\nnever meant to occupy, and turn it into an idol. If I can throw a little\nlight on it, and clear up the doubts of some minds, I shall feel very\nthankful. It is hopeless, I fear, to expect that the controversy about\nthe Lord's Supper will ever be finally closed until the Lord comes. But\nit is not too much to hope that the fog and mystery and obscurity with\nwhich it is surrounded in some minds, may be cleared away by plain Bible\ntruth.\n\nIn examining the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper I shall content myself\nwith asking four practical questions, and offering answers to them.\n\n\n I. Why was the Lord's supper ordained?\n\n II. Who ought to go to the Table and be communicants?\n\n III. What may communicants expect from the Lord's Supper?\n\n IV. Why do many so-called Christians never go to the Lord's Table?\n\n\nI think it will be impossible to handle these four questions fairly,\nhonestly, and impartially, without seeing the subject of this paper more\nclearly, and getting some distinct and practical ideas about some\nleading errors of our day. I say \"practical\" emphatically. My chief aim\nin this volume is to promote practical Christianity.\n\n\nI. In the first place, _why was the Lord's Supper ordained_?\n\nI answer that question in the words of the Church Catechism. I am sure I\ncannot mend them. It was ordained \"for the continual remembrance of the\nsacrifice of the death of Christ, and of the benefits which we receive\nthereby.\"--The bread which in the Lord's Supper is broken, given, and\neaten, is meant to remind us of Christ's body given on the cross for our\nsins. The wine which is poured out and received, is meant to remind us\nof Christ's blood shed on the cross for our sins. He that eats that\nbread and drinks that wine is reminded, in the most striking and\nforcible manner, of the benefits Christ has obtained for his soul, and\nof the death of Christ as the hinge and turning point on which all those\nbenefits depend.\n\nNow is the view here stated the doctrine of the New Testament? If it is\nnot, for ever let it be rejected, cast aside, and refused by men. If it\nis, let us never be ashamed to hold it fast, profess our belief in it,\npin our faith on it, and steadfastly refuse to hold any other view, no\nmatter by whom it is taught. In subjects like this we must call no man\nmaster. It signifies little what great Bishops and learned divines have\nthought fit to put forth about the Lord's Supper. If they teach more\nthan the Word of God contains they are not to be believed.\n\nI take down my Bible and turn to the New Testament. There I find no less\nthan four separate accounts of the first appointment of the Lord's\nSupper. St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. Paul, all four describe\nit: all four agree in telling us what our Lord did on this memorable\noccasion.--Two only tell us the reason which our Lord assigned why His\ndisciples were to eat the bread and drink the cup. St. Paul and St. Luke\nboth record the remarkable words, \"_Do this in remembrance of Me_.\"--St.\nPaul adds his own inspired comment: \"As often as ye eat this bread and\ndrink this cup, ye do shew (or declare or proclaim) the Lord's death\ntill He come.\" (Luke xxii. 19; 1 Cor. xi. 25, 26.) When Scripture speaks\nso plainly, why cannot men be content with it? Why should we mystify and\nconfuse a subject which in the New Testament is so simple? The\n\"continual remembrance of Christ's death\" was the one grand object for\nwhich the Lord's Supper was ordained. He that goes further than this is\nadding to God's Word, and does so to the great peril of his soul.\n\nNow is it reasonable to suppose that our Lord would appoint an ordinance\nfor so simple a purpose as the \"_keeping His death in remembrance_\"?\nMost certainly it is. Of all the facts in His earthly ministry none are\nequal in importance to that of His death. It was the great satisfaction\nfor man's sin, which had been appointed in God's covenant from the\nfoundation of the world. It was the great atonement of almighty power,\nto which every sacrifice of animals, from the fall of man, continually\npointed. It was the grand end and purpose for which Messiah came into\nthe world. It was the corner-stone and foundation of all man's hopes of\npardon and peace with God. In short, Christ would have lived, and\ntaught, and preached, and prophesied, and wrought miracles in vain, if\nHe had not _crowned all by dying for our sins as our Substitute_! His\ndeath was our life. His death was the payment of our debt to God.\nWithout His death we should have been of all creatures most miserable.\nNo wonder that an ordinance was specially appointed to remind us of our\nSaviour's death. It is the very one thing of which poor, weak, sinful\nman needs to be continually reminded.\n\nDoes the New Testament warrant men in saying that the Lord's Supper was\nordained to be a sacrifice, and that in it Christ's body and blood are\npresent under the forms of bread and wine? _Most certainly not!_ When\nthe Lord Jesus said to the disciples, \"This is my Body,\" and \"this is my\nBlood,\" He evidently meant, \"This bread in my hand is an emblem of my\nBody, and this cup of wine in my hand contains an emblem of my Blood.\"\nThe disciples were accustomed to hear Him use such language. They\nremembered His saying, \"The field _is_ the world,\" \"The good seed _are_\nthe children of the kingdom.\" (Matt. xiii. 38.) It never entered into\ntheir minds that He meant to say He was holding His own body and His own\nblood in His hands, and literally giving them His literal body and blood\nto eat and drink. Not one of the writers of the New Testament ever\nspeaks of the sacrament as a sacrifice, or calls the Lord's Table an\naltar, or even hints that a Christian minister is a sacrificing priest.\nThe universal doctrine of the New Testament is that after the one\noffering of Christ there remains no more need of sacrifice.[2]\n\n 2: If any one fancies that St. Paul's words to the Hebrews, \"We have an\n altar,\" are a proof that the Lord's table is an altar, I advise him to\n read what Waterland, no mean theologian, says on the\n subject:--\"Christians have an altar whereof they partake. That altar is\n Christ our Lord, who is Altar, Priest, and Sacrifice, all in\n One.\"--_Waterland's Works_, Vol. V., 268. Oxford edition.\n\nDoes the English Prayer-book warrant any Churchman in saying that the\nLord's Supper was meant to be a sacrifice, and that Christ's body and\nblood are present under the forms of bread and wine? Once more I reply,\n_Most certainly not!_ Not once is the word _altar_ to be found in the\nPrayer-book: not once is the Lord's Supper called a _sacrifice_.\nThroughout the Communion Service the one idea of the ordinance\ncontinually pressed on our attention is that of a \"remembrance\" of\nChrist's death. As to any presence of Christ's natural body and blood\nunder the forms of bread and wine, the rubric at the end of the Service\ngives the most flat and distinct contradiction to the idea. That rubric\nexpressly asserts that \"the natural body and blood of Christ are in\nheaven, and not here.\" Those many Churchmen, so-called, who delight in\ntalking of the \"altar,\" the \"sacrifice,\" the \"priest,\" and the \"real\npresence\" in the Lord's Supper, would do well to remember that they are\nusing language which is entirely unused by the Church of England.\n\nThe point before us is one of vast importance. Let us lay hold upon it\nfirmly, and never let it go. It is the very point on which our Reformers\nhad their sharpest controversy with the Romanists, and went to the\nstake, rather than give way. Sooner than admit that the Lord's Supper\nwas a sacrifice, they cheerfully laid down their lives. To bring back\nthe doctrine of the \"real presence,\" and to turn the good old English\ncommunion into the Romish \"mass,\" is to pour contempt on our Martyrs,\nand to upset the first principles of the Protestant Reformation. Nay,\nrather, it is to ignore the plain teaching of God's Word, and do\ndishonour to the priestly office of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible\nteaches expressly that the Lord's Supper was ordained to be \"a\nremembrance of Christ's body and blood,\" and not an offering. The Bible\nteaches that Christ's vicarious death on the cross was the one perfect\nsacrifice for sin, which never needs to be repeated. Let us stand fast\nin these two great principles of the Christian faith. A clear view of\nthe intention of the Lord's Supper is one of the soul's best safeguards\nagainst the delusions of modern days.\n\n\nII. In the second place, let me try to show _who ought to be\ncommunicants_? _What kind of persons were meant to go to the Table and\nreceive the Lord's Supper?_\n\nIt will clear the ground if I first show who ought not to be partakers\nof this ordinance. The ignorance which prevails on this, as well as on\nevery part of the subject, is vast, lamentable, and appalling. If I can\ncontribute anything that may throw light upon it, I shall feel very\nthankful. The principal giants whom John Bunyan describes, in \"Pilgrim's\nProgress,\" as dangerous to Christian pilgrims, were two, Pope and Pagan.\nIf the good old Puritan had foreseen the times we live in, he would have\nsaid something about the giant Ignorance.\n\n(_a_) It is not right to urge all baptized persons to become\ncommunicants. There is such a thing as fitness and preparedness for the\nordinance. It does not work like a medicine, independently of the state\nof mind of those who receive it. The teaching of those who press all\ntheir congregation to come to the Lord's Table, as if the coming _must_\nnecessarily do every one good, is entirely without warrant of Scripture.\nNay, rather, it is teaching which is calculated to do immense harm to\nmen's souls, and to turn the reception of the sacrament into a mere\nform. Ignorance can never be the mother of acceptable worship, and an\nignorant communicant who comes to the Lord's Table without knowing why\nhe comes, is altogether in the wrong place.--\"Let a man examine himself,\nand so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.\"--\"To discern\nthe Lord's body,\"--that is to understand what the elements of bread and\nwine represent, and why they are appointed, and what is the particular\nuse of remembering Christ's death,--is an essential qualification of a\ntrue communicant. God \"commands all men everywhere to repent\" and\nbelieve the Gospel (Acts xvii. 30); but He does not in the same way, or\nin the same manner, command every body to come to the Lord's Table. No:\nthis thing is not to be taken in hand unadvisedly, lightly, or\ncarelessly! It is a solemn ordinance, and solemnly it ought to be used.\n\n(_b_) But this is not all. Sinners living in open sin, and determined\nnot to give it up, ought on no account to come to the Lord's Table. To\ndo so is a positive insult to Christ, and to pour contempt on His\nGospel. It is nonsense to profess we desire to remember Christ's death,\nwhile we cling to the accursed thing which made it needful for Christ to\ndie. The mere fact that a man is continuing in sin, is plain evidence\nthat he does not care for Christ, and feels no gratitude for redemption.\nThe ignorant Papist who goes to the priest's confessional and receives\nabsolution, may think he is fit to go to the Popish mass, and after mass\nmay return to his sins. He never reads the Bible, and knows no better!\nBut the Englishman who habitually breaks any of God's commandments, and\nyet goes to the Sacrament, as if it would do him good and wipe away his\nsins, is very guilty indeed. So long as he chooses to continue his\nwicked habits he cannot receive the slightest benefit from Christ's\nordinances, and is only adding sin to sin. To carry unrepented sin up to\nthe Communion Rail, and there receive the bread and wine, knowing in our\nown hearts that we and wickedness are yet friends, is one of the worst\nthings a man can do, and one of the most hardening to conscience. If a\nman must have his sins, and cannot give them up, let him by all means\nstay away from the Lord's Supper. There is such a thing as \"eating and\ndrinking unworthily,\" and to our own \"condemnation.\" To no one do these\nwords apply so thoroughly as to an open sinner.\n\n(_c_) But I have not done yet. Self-righteous people, who think that\nthey are to be saved by their own works, have no business to come to the\nLord's Table. Strange as it may sound at first, these persons are the\nleast qualified of all to receive the Sacrament. They may be outwardly\ncorrect, moral and respectable in their lives, but so long as they trust\nin their own goodness for salvation, they are entirely in the wrong\nplace at the Lord's Supper. For what do we declare at the Lord's Supper?\nWe publicly profess that we have no goodness, righteousness, or\nworthiness of our own, and that all our hope is in Christ. We publicly\nprofess that we are guilty, sinful, and corrupt, and naturally deserve\nGod's wrath and condemnation. We publicly profess that Christ's merit\nand not our's, Christ's righteousness and not our's, is the alone cause\nwhy we look for acceptance with God. Now what has a self-righteous man\nto do with an ordinance like this? Clearly nothing at all. One thing, at\nany rate, is very plain: a self-righteous man has no business to receive\nthe sacrament in the Church of England. The Communion Service of the\nChurch bids all communicants declare that \"they do not presume to come\nto the Table trusting in their own righteousness, but in God's manifold\nand great mercies.\"--It tells them to say,--\"We are not worthy so much\nas to gather up the crumbs under Thy table,\"--\"the remembrance of our\nsins is grievous unto us; the burden of them is intolerable.\"--How any\nself-righteous Churchman can ever go to the Lord's Table, and take these\nwords into his mouth, passes my understanding! It only shows that many\nprofessing Christians use excellent \"forms\" of worship without taking\nthe trouble to consider what they mean.\n\nThe plain truth is that the Lord's Supper was not meant for dead souls,\nbut for living ones. The careless, the ignorant, the wilfully wicked,\nthe self-righteous, are no more fit to come to the Communion rail than a\ndead corpse is fit to sit down at a king's feast. To enjoy a spiritual\nfeast we must have a spiritual heart, and taste, and appetite. To\nsuppose that Christ's ordinances can do good to an unspiritual man, is\nas foolish as to put bread and wine into the mouth of a dead person. The\ncareless, the ignorant, and the wilfully wicked, so long as they\ncontinue in that state, are utterly unfit to be communicants. To urge\nthem to attend is not to do them good but harm. The Lord's Supper is not\na converting or justifying ordinance. If a man goes to the Table\nunconverted or unforgiven, he will come away no better at all.\n\nBut, after all, the ground having been cleared of error, the question\nstill remains to be answered,--Who are the sort of persons who ought to\nbe communicants? I answer that question in the words of the Church\nCatechism. I there find the inquiry made, \"What is required of them who\ncome to the Lord's Supper?\" In reply I find it taught that people should\n\"examine themselves whether they repent them truly of their former sins,\nsteadfastly purposing to lead a new life;\"--whether they \"have a lively\nfaith in God's mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of His\ndeath;\"--and whether they \"are in charity with all men.\"--In a word, I\nfind that a worthy communicant is one who possesses three simple marks\nand qualifications,--repentance, faith, and charity. Does a man truly\nrepent of sin and hate it? Does a man put his trust in Jesus Christ as\nhis only hope of salvation? Does a man live in charity towards others?\nHe that can truly say to each of these questions, \"I do,\" he is a man\nthat is Scripturally qualified for the Lord's Supper. Let him come\nboldly. Let no barrier be put in his way. He comes up to the Bible\nstandard of communicants. He may draw near with confidence, and feel\nassured that the great Master of the banquet is not displeased.\n\nSuch a man's repentance may be very imperfect. Never mind! Is it real?\nDoes he truly repent at all?--His faith in Christ may be very weak.\nNever mind! Is it real? A penny is as truly the current coin of the\nrealm, and as really stamped with the Queen's image as a sovereign. His\ncharity may be very defective in quantity and degree. Never mind! Is it\ngenuine? The grand test of a man's Christianity is not the quantity of\ngrace he has got, but whether he has any grace at all. The first twelve\ncommunicants, when Christ Himself gave the bread and wine, were weak\nindeed,--weak in knowledge, weak in faith, weak in courage, weak in\npatience, weak in love! But eleven of them had that about them which\noutweighed all defects: they were real, genuine, sincere, and true.\n\nFor ever let this great principle be rooted in our minds,--the only\nworthy communicant is the man who is experimentally acquainted with\nrepentance toward God, faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, and\npractical love toward others. Are you that man? Then you may draw\nnear to the table, and take the sacrament to your comfort. Lower\nthan this I dare not pitch my standard of a communicant. I will\nnever help to crowd a communion rail with careless, ignorant,\nself-righteous attendants.--Higher than this I will not pitch my\nstandard. I will never tell any one to keep away till he is perfect,\nand to wait till his heart is as unruffled as an angel's. I will not\ndo so, because I believe that neither my Master nor His Apostles\nwould have done so. Show me a man that really feels his sins, really\nleans on Christ, really struggles to be holy, and I will bid him\nwelcome in my Master's name. He may feel weak, erring, empty,\nfeeble, doubting, wretched, and poor. What matter? St. Paul, I\nbelieve, would have received him as a right communicant, and I will\ndo likewise.\n\n\nIII. In the third place, let us consider _what benefit communicants may\nexpect to get by going to the Table and attending the Lord's Supper_.\nThis is a point of grave importance, and one on which vast mistakes\nabound. On no point, perhaps, connected with this ordinance, are the\nviews of Christians so vague and misty and undefined.\n\nOne common idea among men is that \"taking the sacrament must do them\ngood.\" Why, they cannot explain. What good, they cannot exactly say. But\nthey have a loose general notion that it is the right thing to be a\ncommunicant, and that somehow or other it is of service to their souls!\nThis is of course nothing better than ignorance. It is unreasonable to\nsuppose that such communicants can please Christ, or receive any real\nbenefit from what they do. If there is any principle clearly laid down\nin the Bible about any act of religious worship, it is this,--that it\nmust be _intelligent_. The worshipper must at least understand something\nabout what he is doing. Mere bodily worship, unaccompanied by mind or\nheart, is utterly worthless. The man who walks up to a communion rail,\nand eats the bread and drinks the wine, as a mere matter of form,\nbecause his minister tells him, without any clear idea of what it all\nmeans, derives no benefit. He might just as well stay at home!\n\nAnother common idea among men is that, \"taking the sacrament will help\nthem to heaven, and take away their sins.\" To this delusive idea you may\ntrace up the habit in some parishes of going to the sacrament once a\nyear, in order, as an old farmer once said, \"to wipe off the year's\nsins.\" To this idea again, you may trace the too common practice of\nsending for a minister in time of sickness, in order to receive the\nsacrament before death. Alas, how many take comfort about their\nrelatives, after they have lived a most ungodly life, for no better\nreason than this,--that _they took the sacrament_ when they were dying!\nWhether they repented and believed and had new hearts, they neither seem\nto know or care. All they know is that \"they took the sacrament before\nthey died.\" My heart sinks within me when I hear people resting on such\nevidence as this.\n\nIdeas like these are mournful proofs of the ignorance that fills the\nminds of men about the Lord's Supper. They are ideas for which there is\nnot the slightest warrant either in Scripture or the Prayer-book. The\nsooner they are cast aside and given up, the better for the Church and\nthe world.\n\nLet us settle it firmly in our minds that the Lord's Supper was not\ngiven to be a means either of justification or of conversion. It was\nnever meant to give grace where there is no grace already, or to provide\npardon when pardon is not already enjoyed. It cannot possibly supply the\nabsence of repentance to God, and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. It\nis an ordinance for the penitent, not for the impenitent,--for the\nbelieving, not for the unbelieving,--for the converted, not for the\nunconverted. The unconverted man, who fancies that he can find a\nshort-cut road to heaven by taking the sacrament, without treading the\nwell-worn steps of repentance and faith, will find to his cost one day,\nthat he is totally deceived. The Lord's Supper was meant to increase and\nhelp the grace that a man has, but not to impart the grace that he has\nnot. It was certainly never intended to make our peace with God, to\njustify, or to convert.\n\nThe simplest statement of the benefit which a true-hearted communicant\nmay expect to receive from the Lord's Supper, is that which is supplied\nby the Church Catechism,--\"The strengthening and refreshing of our\nsouls.\"--Clearer views of Christ and His atonement, clearer views of\nall the offices which Christ fills as our Mediator and Advocate, clearer\nviews of the complete redemption Christ has obtained for us by His\nvicarious death on the cross, clearer views of our full and perfect\nacceptance in Christ before God, fresh reasons for deep repentance for\nsin, fresh reasons for lively faith,--these are among the leading\nreturns which a believer may confidently expect to get from his\nattendance at the Lord's Table. He that eats the bread and drinks the\nwine in a right spirit, will find himself drawn into closer communion\nwith Christ, and will feel to know Him more, and understand Him better.\n\n(_a_) Right reception of the Lord's Supper has a _humbling_ effect on\nthe soul. The sight of these emblems of Christ's body and blood, reminds\nus how sinful sin must be, if anything less than the death of God's own\nSon could make satisfaction for it, or redeem us from its guilt. Never\nsurely ought we to be so \"clothed with humility,\" as when we kneel at\nthe Communion rail.\n\n(_b_) Right reception of the Lord's Supper has a _cheering_ effect on\nthe soul. The sight of the bread broken, and the wine poured out,\nreminds us how full, perfect, and complete is our salvation. Those\nlively emblems remind us what an enormous price has been paid for our\nredemption. They press on us the mighty truth, that believing on Christ,\nwe have nothing to fear, because a sufficient payment has been made for\nour debt. The \"precious blood of Christ\" answers every charge that can\nbe brought against us. God can be a \"just God, and yet the justifier of\nevery one that believeth on Jesus.\" (Rom. iii. 26.)\n\n(_c_) Right reception of the Lord's Supper has a _sanctifying_ effect on\nthe soul. The bread and wine remind us how great is our debt of\ngratitude to our Lord, and how thoroughly we are bound to live for Him\nwho died for our sins. They seem to say to us, \"Remember what Christ has\ndone for you, and ask yourself whether there is anything too great to do\nfor Him.\"\n\n(_d_) Right reception of the Lord's Supper into hearts, has a\n_restraining_ effect on the soul. Every time a believer goes up to the\nCommunion rail he is reminded what a serious thing it is to be a\nChristian, and what an obligation is laid on him to lead a consistent\nlife. Bought with such a price as that bread and wine call to his\nrecollection, ought he not to glorify Christ in body and spirit, which\nare His? The man that goes regularly and intelligently to the Lord's\nTable finds it increasingly hard to yield to sin and conform to the\nworld.\n\nSuch is a brief account of the benefits which a right-hearted\ncommunicant may expect to receive from the Lord's Supper. In eating that\nbread and drinking that cup, such a man will have his repentance\ndeepened, his faith increased, his knowledge enlarged, his habit of holy\nliving strengthened. He will realize more of the \"real presence\" of\nChrist in his heart. Eating that bread by faith, he will feel closer\ncommunion with the body of Christ. Drinking that wine by faith, he will\nfeel closer communion with the blood of Christ. He will see more clearly\nwhat Christ is to him, and what he is to Christ. He will understand more\nthoroughly what it is to be \"one with Christ, and Christ one with him.\"\nHe will feel the roots of his soul's spiritual life watered, and the\nwork of grace in his heart stablished, built up, and carried forward.\nAll these things may seem and sound foolishness to a natural man, but to\na true Christian these things are light, and health, and life, and\npeace. No wonder that a true Christian finds the Lord's Supper a source\nof blessing!\n\nRemember, I do not pretend to say that all Christians experience the\nfull blessing of the Lord's Supper, which I have just attempted to\ndescribe. Nor yet do I say that the same believer will always find his\nsoul in the same spiritual frame, and always receive the same amount of\nbenefit from the sacrament. But this I will boldly say: you will rarely\nfind a true believer who will not say that he reckons the Lord's Supper\none of his best helps and highest privileges. He will tell you that if\nhe were deprived of the Lord's Supper he should find the loss of it a\ngreat drawback to his soul. There are some things of which we never know\nthe value till they are taken from us. So I believe it is with the\nLord's Supper. The weakest and humblest of God's children gets a\nblessing from this sacrament, to an extent of which he is not aware.\n\n\nIV. In the last place, I have to consider _why it is that many so-called\nChristians never come to the Lord's Supper_.\n\nIt is a simple matter of fact, that myriads of baptized persons never\ncome to the Table of the Lord. They would not endure to be told that\nthey deny the faith, and are practically not in communion with Christ.\nWhen they worship, they attend a place of Christian worship; when they\nhear religious teaching, it is the teaching of Christianity; when they\nare married, they use a Christian service; when their children are\nbaptized, they ask for the Sacrament of Baptism. Yet all this time they\nnever come to the Lord's Supper! They often live on in this state of\nmind for many years, and to all appearance are not ashamed. They often\ndie in this condition without ever having received the sacrament, and\nyet profess to feel hope at the last, and their friends express a hope\nabout them. And yet they live and die in open disobedience to a plain\ncommand of Christ! These are simple facts. Let any one look around him,\nand deny them if he can. I challenge any one to deny that the\nnon-communicants in all English congregations form the majority, and the\ncommunicants the minority of the worshippers.\n\nNow how is this? What account can we give of it? Our Lord Jesus Christ's\nlast injunctions to His disciples are clear, plain, and unmistakable. He\nsays to all, \"Eat, drink: do this in remembrance of Me.\" Did He leave\nit to our discretion whether we would attend to His injunction or not?\nDid He mean that it did not signify whether His disciples did or did not\nkeep up the ordinance He had just established? Certainly not. The very\nidea is absurd, and one certainly never dreamed of in apostolic\ntimes.--St. Paul evidently takes it for granted that every Christian is\na communicant. A class of Christian worshippers who never came to the\nTable, was a class whose existence was unknown to him. What, then, are\nwe to say of that large multitude of non-communicants which walks out of\nour churches every sacrament Sunday, unabashed, unhumbled, not afraid,\nnot the least ashamed? Why is it? How is it? What does it all mean? Let\nus look these questions fairly in the face, and endeavour to give an\nanswer to them.\n\n(1) For one thing, many are not communicants because they are utterly\ncareless and thoughtless about religion, and ignorant of the very first\nprinciples of Christianity. They go to church, as a matter of form,\nbecause other people go; but they neither know, nor care anything about\nwhat is done, at church! The faith of Christ has no place either in\ntheir hearts, or heads, or consciences, or wills, or understandings. It\nis a mere affair of \"words and names,\" about which they know no more\nthan Festus or Gallio. There were very few such Christians in St. Paul's\ntimes, if indeed there were any. There are far too many in these last\ndays of the world, when everything seems to be wearing out and running\nto seed. They are the dead-weight of the Churches, and the scandal of\nChristianity. What such people need is light, knowledge, grace, a\nrenewed conscience, a changed heart. In their present state they have no\npart or lot in Christ; and dying in this state they are unfit for\nheaven. Do I wish them to come to the Lord's Supper? Certainly not, till\nthey are converted. Except a man be converted he will never enter the\nkingdom of God.\n\n(2) For another thing, many are not communicants because they know they\nare living in the habitual practice of some sin, or in the habitual\nneglect of some Christian duty. Their conscience tells them that so long\nas they live in this state, and do not break off from their sins, they\nare unfit to come to the Table of the Lord. Well: they are so far quite\nright! I wish no man to be a communicant if he cannot give up his sins.\nBut I warn these people not to forget that if they are unfit for the\nLord's Supper they are unfit to die, and that if they die in their\npresent condition they will be lost eternally. The same sins which\ndisqualify them for the sacrament, most certainly disqualify them for\nheaven. Do I want them to come to the Lord's Supper as they are?\nCertainly not! But I do want them to repent and be converted, to cease\nto do evil, and to break off from their sins. For ever let it be\nremembered that the man unfit for the Lord's Supper is unfit to die.\n\n(3) For another thing, some are not communicants because they fancy it\nwill add to their responsibility. They are not, as many, ignorant and\ncareless about religion. They even attend regularly on the means of\ngrace, and like the preaching of the Gospel. But they say they dread\ncoming forward and making a profession. They fear that they might\nafterwards fall away, and bring scandal on the cause of Christianity.\nThey think it wisest to be on the safe side, and not commit themselves\nat all. Such people would do well to remember that if they avoid\nresponsibility of one kind by not coming to the Lord's Table, they incur\nresponsibility of another kind, quite as grave, and quite as injurious\nto the soul. They are responsible for open disobedience to a command of\nChrist. They are shrinking from doing that which their Master\ncontinually enjoins on His disciples,--from confessing Him before men.\nNo doubt it is a serious step to come forward and receive the sacrament.\nIt is a step that none should take lightly and without self-examination.\nBut it is _no less a serious step to walk away and refuse the\nordinance_, when we remember Who invites us to receive it, and for what\npurpose it was appointed! I warn the people I am now dealing with to\ntake heed what they are doing. Let them not flatter themselves that it\ncan ever be a wise, a prudent, a safe line of conduct to neglect a plain\ncommand of Christ. They may find at length, to their cost, that they\nhave only increased their guilt and forsaken their mercies.\n\n(4) For another thing, some are not communicants because they fancy they\nare not yet worthy. They wait and stand still, under the mistaken notion\nthat no one is qualified for the Lord's Supper unless he feels within\nhim something like perfection. They pitch their idea of a communicant so\nhigh that they despair of attaining to it. Waiting for inward perfection\nthey live, and waiting for it too often they die. Now such persons would\ndo well to understand that they are completely mistaken in their\nestimate of what \"worthiness\" really is. They are forgetting that the\nLord's Supper was not intended for unsinning angels, but for men and\nwomen compassed with infirmity, dwelling in a world full of temptations,\nand needing mercy and grace every day they live. A sense of our own\nutter unworthiness is the best worthiness we can bring to the Communion\nrail. A deep feeling of our own entire indebtedness to Christ for all we\nhave and hope for, is the best feeling we can bring with us. The people\nI now have in view ought to consider seriously whether the ground they\nhave taken up is tenable, and whether they are not standing in their own\nlight. If they are waiting till they feel in themselves perfect hearts,\nperfect motives, perfect feelings, perfect repentance, perfect love,\nperfect faith, they will wait for ever. There never were such\ncommunicants in any age,--certainly not in the days of our Lord and of\nthe Apostles,--there never will be as long as the world stands. Nay,\nrather, the very thought that we feel literally worthy, is a symptom of\nsecret self-righteousness, and proves us unfit for communion in God's\nsight. Sinners we are when we first come to the throne of\ngrace,--sinners we shall be till we die; converted changed, renewed,\nsanctified, but sinners still. In short, no man is a really worthy\ncommunicant who does not deeply feel that he is a \"miserable sinner.\"\n\n(5) In the last place, some object to be communicants because they see\nothers coming to the Lord's Table who are not worthy, and not in a right\nstate of mind. Because others eat and drink unworthily, they refuse to\neat and drink at all. Of all the grounds taken up by non-communicants to\njustify their own neglect of Christ's ordinance, I must plainly say, I\nknow none which seems to me so foolish, so weak, so unreasonable, and so\nunscriptural as this. It is as good as saying that we will never receive\nthe Lord's Supper at all! When shall we ever find a body of communicants\non earth of which all the members are converted?--It is setting up\nourselves in the most unhealthy attitude of judging others. \"Who art\nthou that judgest another?\" \"What is that to thee? Follow thou Me.\"--It\nis depriving ourselves of a great privilege merely because others\nprofane it and make a bad use of it.--It is pretending to be wiser than\nour Master Himself. If the words of St. Luke mean anything, Judas\nIscariot was present at the first Communion, and received the bread and\nwine among others.--It is taking up ground for which there is no warrant\nin Scripture. St. Paul rebukes the Corinthians sharply for the\nirreverent behaviour of some of the communicants; but I cannot find him\ngiving a single hint that when some came to the Table unworthily, others\nought to draw back or stay away. Let me advise the non-communicants I\nhave now in view to beware of being wise above that which was written.\nLet them study the parable of the Wheat and Tares, and mark how both\nwere to \"grow together till the harvest.\" (Matt. xiii. 30.) Perfect\nChurches, perfect congregations, perfect bodies of communicants, are\nall unattainable in this world of confusion and sin. Let us covet the\nbest gifts, and do all we can to check sin in others; but let us not\nstarve our own selves because others are ignorant sinners, and turn\ntheir meat into poison. If others are foolish enough to eat and drink\nunworthily, let us not turn our backs on Christ's ordinance, and refuse\nto eat and drink at all.\n\nSuch are the five common excuses why myriads in the present day, though\nprofessing themselves Christians, never come to the Lord's Supper. One\ncommon remark may be made about them: there is not a single reason among\nthe five which deserves to be called \"good,\" and which does not condemn\nthe man who gives it. I challenge any one to deny this. I have said\nrepeatedly that I want no one to be a communicant who is not properly\nqualified. But I ask those who stay away never to forget that the very\nreasons they assign for their conduct are their condemnation. I tell\nthem that they stand convicted before God of either being very ignorant\nof what a communicant is, and what the Lord's Supper is; or else of\nbeing persons who are not living rightly, and are unfit to die. In\nshort, to say, I am a non-communicant, is as good as saying one of three\nthings:--\"I am living in sin, and cannot come;--I know Christ commands\nme, but I will not obey Him;--I am an ignorant man, and do not\nunderstand what the Lord's Supper means.\"\n\n\nI know not in what state of mind this book may find the reader of this\npaper, or what his opinions may be about the Lord's Supper. But I will\nconclude the whole subject by offering to all some warnings, which I\nventure to think are peculiarly required by the times.\n\n(1) In the first place, _do not neglect_ the Lord's Supper. The man who\ncoolly and deliberately refuses to use an ordinance which the Lord Jesus\nChrist appointed for his profit, may be very sure that his soul is in a\nvery wrong state. There is a judgment yet to come; there is an account\nto be rendered of all our conduct on earth. How any one can look forward\nto that day, and expect to meet Christ with comfort and in peace, if he\nhas refused all his life to meet Christ in His own ordinance, is a thing\nthat I cannot understand. Does this come home to you? Mind what you are\ndoing.\n\n(2) In the second place, _do not receive the Lord's Supper carelessly_,\nirreverently, and as a matter of form. The man who walks up to the\nCommunion rail, and eats the bread and drinks the wine, while his heart\nis far away, is committing a great sin, and robbing himself of a great\nblessing. In this, as in every other means of grace, everything depends\non the state of mind in which the ordinance is used. He that draws near\nwithout repentance, faith, and love, and with a heart full of sin and\nthe world, will certainly be nothing better, but rather worse. Does this\ncome home to you? Mind what you are about.\n\n(3) In the third place, _do not make an idol_ of the Lord's Supper. The\nman who tells you that it is the first, foremost, chief, and principal\nordinance in Christianity, is telling you that which he will find it\nhard to prove. In the great majority of the books of the New Testament\nthe Lord's Supper is not even named. In the letter to Timothy and Titus,\nabout a minister's duties, the subject is not even mentioned. To repent\nand be converted, to believe and be holy, to be born again and have\ngrace in our hearts,--all these things are of far more importance than\nto be a communicant. Without them we cannot be saved. Without the Lord's\nSupper we can. The penitent thief was not a communicant, and Judas\nIscariot was! Are you tempted to make the Lord's Supper override and\novershadow everything in Christianity, and place it above prayer and\npreaching? Take care. Mind what you are about.\n\n(4) In the fourth place, _do not use the Lord's Supper irregularly_.\nNever be absent when this ordinance is administered. Make every\nsacrifice to be in your place. Regular habits are essential to the\nmaintenance of the health of our bodies. Regular use of every means of\ngrace is essential to the prosperity of our souls. The man who finds it\na weariness to attend on every occasion when the Lord's Table is spread,\nmay well doubt whether all is right within him, and whether he is ready\nfor the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. If Thomas had not been absent when\nthe Lord appeared the first time to the assembled disciples, he would\nnot have said the foolish things he did. Absence made him miss a\nblessing. Does this come home to you? Mind what you are about.\n\n(5) In the fifth place, _do not do anything to bring discredit_ on your\nprofession as a communicant. The man who after attending the Lord's\nTable runs into sin, does more harm perhaps than any sinner. He is a\nwalking sermon on behalf of the devil. He gives occasion to the enemies\nof the Lord to blaspheme. He helps to keep people away from Christ.\nLying, drinking, adulterous, dishonest, passionate communicants are the\nhelpers of the devil, and the worst enemies of the Gospel. Does this\ncome home to you? Mind what you are about.\n\n(6) In the last place, _do not despond_ and be cast down, if with all\nyour desires you do not feel to get great good from the Lord's Supper.\nVery likely you are expecting too much. Very likely you are a poor judge\nof your own state. Your soul's roots may be strengthening and growing,\nwhile you think you are not getting on. Very likely you are forgetting\nthat earth is not heaven, and that here we walk by sight and not by\nfaith, and must expect nothing perfect. Lay these things to heart. Do\nnot write bitter things against yourself without cause.\n\nTo every reader into whose hands this paper may fall, I commend the\nwhole subject of it as deserving of serious and solemn consideration. I\nam nothing better than a poor fallible man myself. But if I have made\nup my mind on any point it is this,--that there is no truth which\ndemands such plain speaking as truth about the Lord's Supper.\n\n * * * * *\n\nNOTE\n\n I ask the special attention of my readers to the following\n extracts from the last Charge of the late Dr. Longley,\n Archbishop of Canterbury.\n\n The office held by the Archbishop, the remarkable gentleness\n and mildness of his character, the fact that this Charge\n contains his last sentiments, and that it was not made public\n till after his death,--all this appears to me to invest these\n extracts about the Lord's Supper with peculiar interest.\n\n \"It is far from my intention to impute to all those who have\n taken the ill-advised step of adopting the Sacrificial\n Vestments (in administering the Lord's Supper) any sympathy\n with Roman error; but I am constrained to avow that there are\n plain indications in some of the publications which have been\n issued as manifestoes of the opinions of that section of our\n Church, that some of its professed members, yea, even of her\n ministers, think themselves at liberty to hold the doctrines of\n the Church of Rome in relation to the Sacrifice of the Mass,\n and yet retain their position within the pale of the Anglican\n Church with the avowed purpose of eliminating from its\n formularies every trace of the Reformation, as regards its\n protest against Romish error. The language they hold with\n respect to it is entirely incompatible with loyalty to the\n Church to which they profess to belong. They call it 'a\n Communion deeply tainted with Protestant heresy:' 'Our duty,'\n they say, 'is the expulsion of the evil, not flight from it.'\n It is no want of charity, therefore, to declare that they\n remain with us in order that they may substitute the Mass for\n the Communion; the obvious aim of our Reformers having been to\n substitute the Communion for the Mass. Doubtless the Church of\n England admits of considerable latitude in the views that may\n be taken of that most mysterious of all mysteries, the\n Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. And so long as those solemn\n words of its original institution, 'This is my Body,' 'This is\n my Blood,' shall remain in the sentence of consecration (and\n they never can be erased from it), so long will there be\n varieties of interpretation of these words, all of which may be\n consistent with a true allegiance to our Church, provided these\n three conditions be observed:--\n\n \"1. That they be not construed to signify that the Natural Body\n of Christ is present in the Sacrament:\n\n \"2. Nor to admit of any adoration either of the Sacramental\n bread and wine there bodily received, or of any corporal\n presence of Christ's Natural Body and Blood:\n\n \"3. Nor to justify the belief that the Body and Blood are again\n offered as a satisfaction for sin; seeing that the offering of\n Christ once made was a perfect redemption, propitiation, and\n satisfaction for the sins of the whole world, original and\n actual.\n\n \"These are the limits which our Church imposes upon the liberty\n of interpretation of the words of our blessed Lord.\n\n \"The use of these sacrificial vestments is in the minds of many\n intimately connected with the idea that an essential element in\n the Holy Communion is the offering to God a Sacrifice of the\n Body and Blood of Christ, which abide with the elements in a\n mysterious manner after the act of Consecration. The minister\n wears the vestments at that time as a sacrificing priest.\n According to this view it would seem that the most important\n part of this Holy Sacrament is what we offer to God, not what\n we receive from Him.\n\n \"This view is not recognised by the Church of England in her\n formularies. The general definition in the XXVth Article states\n that Sacraments are 'certain sure witnesses and effectual signs\n of grace, by the which [God] doth work invisibly in us;' and it\n is said specifically of the Lord's Supper (Art. XXVIII.), that\n it 'is a Sacrament of our Redemption by Christ's death:\n insomuch that to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith,\n receive the same, the Bread which we break is a partaking of\n the Body of Christ; and likewise the Cup of Blessing is a\n partaking of the Blood of Christ.' The idea of the Sacrifice of\n that Body and Blood finds no place in either of these strict\n definitions. The Catechism speaks the same language when it\n defines a Sacrament to be 'an outward and visible sign of an\n inward and spiritual grace given unto us.' Nor will an\n examination of the Office of the Holy Communion itself give any\n countenance to the idea in question. The only distinct oblation\n or offering mentioned in that Office is previous to the\n Consecration of the elements, in the Prayer for the Church\n Militant, and therefore cannot be an offering or sacrifice of\n the Body and Blood of Christ; and the only sacrifice which we\n are spoken of as making, is the offering of 'ourselves, our\n souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and lively\n sacrifice.'[3] Our Church seems most studiously to have avoided\n any expression which could countenance the notion of a\n perpetual Sacrifice of Christ, while on the other hand it\n speaks of Christ's death upon the cross as 'His own oblation of\n Himself once offered as a full, perfect, and sufficient\n sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.' No room is left for\n the repetition of that sacrifice, or for the admission of any\n other sacrifice for sin.\"\n\n * * * * *\n\n 3: See Proctor on the Common Prayer, p. 320.\n\n\"The Romish notion of a true, real, and substantial Sacrifice of the\nBody and Blood of Christ, as it is called in the Council of Trent,\nentailed the use of the term _altar_. But this term appears nowhere in\nthe Book of Common Prayer, and was no doubt omitted lest any countenance\nshould be given to the sacrificial view. The notion, therefore, of\nmaking in the material elements a perpetual offering of the Body and\nBlood of Christ, is as foreign to the spirit and the letter of our\nService as I hold it to be to the doctrine of the early Fathers, as well\nas of the leading divines of our Church. This latter point also I shall\nendeavour to establish hereafter.\n\n\"Meanwhile it cannot be denied, on the other hand, that the doctrine of\nthe Real Presence is, in one sense, the doctrine of the Church of\nEngland. She asserts that the Body and Blood of Christ are 'verily and\nindeed taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper.' And she\nasserts equally that such presence is not material or corporal; but that\nChrist's Body 'is given, taken, and eaten, in the Supper, only after a\nheavenly and spiritual manner.' (Art. XXVIII.) Christ's presence is\neffectual for all those intents and purposes for which His Body was\nbroken, and His Blood shed. As to a presence elsewhere than in the heart\nof the believer, the Church of England is silent, and the words of\nHooker therefore represent her views: 'The real presence of Christ's\nmost blessed Body and Blood is not to be sought in the Sacrament, but in\nthe worthy receiver of the Sacrament.'\"\n\n\n\n\nVII\n\n\nCHARITY\n\n \"_Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the\n greatest of these is charity._\"--1 Cor. xiii. 13.\n\n\nCharity is rightly called \"the Queen of Christian graces.\" \"The end of\nthe commandment,\" says St. Paul, \"is charity.\" (1 Tim. i. 5.) It is a\ngrace which all people profess to admire. It seems a plain practical\nthing which everybody can understand. It is none of \"those troublesome\ndoctrinal points\" about which Christians are disagreed. Thousands, I\nsuspect, would not be ashamed to tell you that they knew nothing about\njustification or regeneration, about the work of Christ or the Holy\nSpirit. But nobody, I believe, would like to say that he knew nothing\nabout \"charity!\" If men possess nothing else in religion, they always\nflatter themselves that they possess \"charity.\"\n\nA few plain thoughts about charity may not be without use. There are\nfalse notions abroad about it which require to be dispelled. There are\nmistakes about it which require to be rectified. In my admiration of\ncharity I yield to none. But I am bold to say that in many minds the\nwhole subject seems completely misunderstood.\n\n\n I. Let me show, firstly, _the place the Bible gives to charity_.\n\n II. Let me show, secondly, _what the charity of the Bible really\n is_.\n\n III. Let me show, thirdly, _whence true charity comes_.\n\n IV. Let me show, lastly, _why charity is \"the greatest\" of the\n graces_.\n\n\nI ask the best attention of my readers to the subject. My heart's desire\nand prayer to God is, that the growth of charity may be promoted in this\nsin-burdened world. In nothing does the fallen condition of man show\nitself so strongly as in the scarcity of Christian charity. There is\nlittle faith on earth, little hope, little knowledge of Divine things.\nBut nothing, after all, is so scarce as real charity.\n\n\nI. Let me show _the place which the Bible gives to charity_.\n\nI begin with this point in order to establish the immense practical\nimportance of my subject. I do not forget that there are many\nhigh-flying Christians in this present day, who almost refuse to look at\nanything _practical_ in Christianity. They can talk of nothing but two\nor three favourite doctrines. Now I want to remind my readers that the\nBible contains much about practice as well as about doctrine, and that\none thing to which it attaches great weight is \"charity.\"\n\nI turn to the New Testament, and ask men to observe what it says about\ncharity. In all religious inquiries there is nothing like letting the\nScripture speak for itself. There is no surer way of finding out truth\nthan the old way of turning to plain texts. Texts were our Lord's\nweapons, both in answering Satan, and in arguing with the Jews. Texts\nare the guides we must never be ashamed to refer to in the present\nday.--\"What saith the Scripture? What is written? How readest thou?\"\n\nLet us hear what St. Paul says to the Corinthians: \"Though I speak with\nthe tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as\nsounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of\nprophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I\nhave all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity,\nI am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and\nthough I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth\nme nothing.\" (1 Cor. xiii. 1--3.)\n\nLet us hear what St. Paul says to the Colossians: \"Above all these\nthings put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.\" (Col. iii.\n14.)\n\nLet us hear what St. Paul says to Timothy: \"The end of the commandment\nis charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith\nunfeigned.\" (1 Tim. i. 5.)\n\nLet us hear what St. Peter says: \"Above all things have fervent charity\namong yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.\" (1\nPeter iv. 8.)\n\nLet us hear what our Lord Jesus Christ Himself says about that love,\nwhich is only another name for charity.[4] \"A new commandment give I\nunto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also\nlove one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,\nif ye have love one to another.\" (John xiii. 34, 35.) Above all, let us\nread our Lord's account of the last judgment, and mark that want of love\nwill condemn millions. (Matt. xxv. 41, 42.)\n\n 4: In the Greek language one and the same word only is used for\n \"love\" and \"charity.\" In our English version our translators have\n sometimes rendered this word one way and sometimes another.\n\nLet us hear what St. Paul says to the Romans: \"Owe no man anything, but\nto love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.\"\n(Rom. xiii. 8.)\n\nLet us hear what St. Paul says to the Ephesians: \"Walk in love, as\nChrist also hath loved us.\" (Eph. v. 2.)\n\nLet us hear what St. John says: \"Beloved, let us love one another: for\nlove is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth\nGod. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.\" (1 John iv.\n7, 8.)\n\nI shall make no comment upon these texts. I think it better to place\nthem before my readers in their naked simplicity, and to let them speak\nfor themselves. If any one is disposed to think the subject of this\npaper a matter of light importance, I will only ask him to look at these\ntexts, and to think again. He that would take down \"charity\" from the\nhigh and holy place which it occupies in the Bible, and treat it as a\nmatter of secondary moment, must settle his account with God's Word. I\ncertainly shall not waste time in arguing with him.\n\nTo my own mind the evidence of these texts appears clear, plain, and\nincontrovertible. They show the immense importance of charity, as one of\nthe \"things that accompany salvation.\" They prove that it has a right to\ndemand the serious attention of all who call themselves Christians, and\nthat those who despise the subject are only exposing their own ignorance\nof Scripture.\n\n\nII. Let me show, secondly, _what the charity of the Bible really is_.\n\nI think it of great importance to have clear views on this point. It is\nprecisely here that mistakes about charity begin. Thousands delude\nthemselves with the idea that they have \"charity,\" when they have not,\nfrom downright ignorance of Scripture. Their charity is not the charity\ndescribed in the Bible.\n\n(_a_) The charity of the Bible does not consist in giving to the poor.\nIt is a common delusion to suppose that it does. Yet St. Paul tells us\nplainly, that a man may \"bestow all his goods to feed the poor\" (1 Cor.\nxiii. 3), and not have charity. That a charitable man will \"remember the\npoor,\" there can be no question. (Gal. ii. 10.) That he will do all he\ncan to assist them, relieve them, and lighten their burdens, I do not\nfor a moment deny. All I say is, that this does not make up \"charity.\"\nIt is easy to spend a fortune in giving away money, and soup, and wine,\nand bread, and coals, and blankets, and clothing, and yet to be utterly\ndestitute of Bible charity.\n\n(_b_) The charity of the Bible does not consist in never disapproving\nanybody's conduct. Here is another very common delusion! Thousands pride\nthemselves on never condemning others, or calling them wrong, whatever\nthey may do. They convert the precept of our Lord, \"judge not,\" into an\nexcuse for having no unfavourable opinion at all of anybody. They\npervert His prohibition of rash and censorious judgments, into a\nprohibition of all judgment whatsoever. Your neighbour may be a\ndrunkard, a liar, a Sabbath-breaker, a passionate man. Never mind! \"It\nis not charity,\" they tell you, \"to pronounce him, wrong.\" You are to\nbelieve that he has a good heart at bottom! This idea of charity is,\nunhappily, a very common one. It is full of mischief. To throw a veil\nover sin, and to refuse to call things by their right names,--to talk of\n\"hearts\" being good, when \"lives\" are flatly wrong,--to shut our eyes\nagainst wickedness, and say smooth things of immorality,--this is not\nScriptural charity.\n\n(_c_) The charity of the Bible does not consist in never disapproving\nanybody's religious opinions. Here is another most serious and growing\ndelusion. There are many who pride themselves on never pronouncing\nothers mistaken, whatever views they may hold. Your neighbour, forsooth,\nmay be an Arian, or a Socinian, a Roman Catholic, or a Mormonite, a\nDeist, or a Sceptic, a mere Formalist, or a thorough Antinomian. But the\n\"charity\" of many says that you have no right to think Him wrong! If he\nis sincere, it is \"uncharitable\" to think unfavourably of his spiritual\ncondition!--From such charity may I ever be delivered! At this rate the\nApostles were wrong in going out to preach to the Gentiles! At this rate\nthere is no use in missions! At this rate we had better close our\nBibles, and shut up our churches! Everybody is right, and nobody is\nwrong! Everybody is going to heaven, and nobody is going to hell! Such\ncharity is a monstrous caricature. To say that all are equally right in\ntheir opinions, though their opinions flatly contradict one another,--to\nsay that all are equally in the way to heaven, though their doctrinal\nsentiments are as opposite as black and white,--this is not Scriptural\ncharity. Charity like this pours contempt on the Bible, and talks as if\nGod had not given us a written test of truth. Charity like this confuses\nall our notions of heaven, and would fill it with a discordant\ninharmonious rabble. True charity does not think everybody right in\ndoctrine. True charity cries,--\"Believe not every spirit, but try the\nspirits whether they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out\ninto the world.\"--\"If there come any unto you, and bring not this\ndoctrine, receive him not.\" (1 John iv. 1; 2 John 10.)\n\nI leave the negative side of the question here. I have dwelt upon it at\nsome length because of the days in which we live and the strange notions\nwhich abound. Let me now turn to the positive side. Having shown what\ncharity is not, let me now show what it is.\n\nCharity is that \"love,\" which St. Paul places first among those fruits\nwhich the Spirit causes to be brought forth in the heart of a believer.\n\"The fruit of the Spirit is love.\" (Gal. v. 2.) Love to God, such as\nAdam had before the fall, is its first feature. He that has charity,\ndesires to love God with heart, and soul and mind, and strength. Love to\nman is its second feature. He that has charity, desires to love his\nneighbour as himself. This is indeed that view in which the word\n\"charity\" in Scripture is more especially regarded. When I speak of a\nbeliever having \"love\" in his heart, I mean that he has love to both God\nand man. When I speak of a believer having \"charity,\" I mean more\nparticularly that he has love to man.\n\nThe charity of the Bible will show itself in a _believer's doings_. It\nwill make him ready to do kind acts to every one within his\nreach,--both to their bodies and souls. It will not let him be content\nwith soft words and kind wishes. It will make him diligent in doing all\nthat lies in his power to lessen the sorrow and increase the happiness\nof others. Like his Master, he will care more for ministering than for\nbeing ministered to, and will look for nothing in return. Like his\nMaster's great apostle, he will very willingly \"spend and be spent\" for\nothers, even though they repay him with hatred, and not with love. True\ncharity does not want wages. Its work is its reward.\n\nThe charity of the Bible will show itself in a believer's _readiness to\nbear_ evil as well as to do good. It will make him patient under\nprovocation, forgiving when injured, meek when unjustly attacked, quiet\nwhen slandered. It will make him bear much and forbear much, put up with\nmuch and look over much, submit often and deny himself often, all for\nthe sake of peace. It will make him put a strong bit on his temper, and\na strong bridle on his tongue. True charity is not always asking,--\"What\nare my rights? Am I treated as I deserve?\" but, \"How can I best promote\npeace? How can I do that which is most edifying to others?\"\n\nThe charity of the Bible will show itself in the _general spirit and\ndemeanour_ of a believer. It will make him kind, unselfish,\ngood-natured, good-tempered, and considerate for others. It will make\nhim gentle, affable, and courteous, in all the daily relations of\nprivate life, thoughtful for others' comfort, tender for others'\nfeelings, and more anxious to give pleasure than to receive. True\ncharity never envies others when they prosper, nor rejoices in the\ncalamities of others when they are in trouble. At all times it will\nbelieve, and hope, and try to put a good construction on others' doings.\nAnd even at the worst, it will be full of pity, mercy, and compassion.\n\nWould we like to know where the true Pattern of charity like this can be\nfound? We have only to look at the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, as\ndescribed in the Gospels, and we shall see it perfectly exemplified.\nCharity shone forth in all His doings. His daily life was an incessant\n\"going about\", doing good.--Charity shone forth in all His bearing. He\nwas continually hated, persecuted, slandered, misrepresented. But He\npatiently endured it all. No angry word ever fell from His lips. No\nill-temper ever appeared in His demeanour. \"When He was reviled, He\nreviled not again: when He suffered, He threatened not.\" (1 Pet. ii.\n23.)--Charity shone forth in all His spirit and deportment. The law of\nkindness was ever on His lips. Among weak and ignorant disciples, among\nsick and sorrowful petitioners for help and relief, among publicans and\nsinners, among Pharisees and Sadducees, He was always one and the\nsame.--kind and patient to all.\n\nAnd yet, be it remembered, our blessed Master never flattered sinners,\nor connived at sin. He never shrunk from exposing wickedness in its true\ncolours, or from rebuking those who would cleave to it. He never\nhesitated to denounce false doctrine, by whomsoever it might be held, or\nto exhibit false practice in its true colours, and the certain end to\nwhich it tends. He called things by their right names. He spoke as\nfreely of hell and the fire that is not quenched, as of heaven and the\nkingdom of glory. He has left on record an everlasting proof that\nperfect charity does not require us to approve everybody's life or\nopinions, and that it is quite possible to condemn false doctrine and\nwicked practice, and yet to be full of love at the same time.\n\nI have now set before my readers the true nature of Scriptural charity.\nI have given a slight and very brief account of what it is not, and what\nit is. I cannot pass on without suggesting two practical thoughts, which\npress home on my mind with weighty force, and I hope may press home on\nothers.\n\nYou have heard of charity. Think, for a moment, how deplorably little\ncharity there is upon earth! How conspicuous is the absence of true love\namong Christians! I speak not of heathen now, I speak of Christians.\nWhat angry tempers, what passions, what selfishness, what bitter\ntongues, are to be found in private families! What strifes, what\nquarrels, what spitefulness, what malice, what revenge, what envy\nbetween neighbours and fellow-parishioners! What jealousies and\ncontentions between Churchmen and Dissenters, Calvinists and Arminians,\nHigh Churchmen and Low Churchmen! \"Where is charity?\" we may well\nask,--\"Where is love? where is the mind of Christ?\" when we look at the\nspirit which reigns in the world. No wonder that Christ's cause stands\nstill, and infidelity abounds, when men's hearts know so little of\ncharity! Surely, we may well say,--\"When the Son of man cometh, shall He\nfind charity upon earth?\"\n\nThink, for another thing, what a happy world this would be if there was\nmore charity. It is the want of love which causes half the misery there\nis upon earth. Sickness, and death, and poverty, will not account for\nmore than half the sorrows. The rest come from ill-temper, ill-nature,\nstrifes, quarrels, lawsuits, malice, envy, revenge, frauds, violence,\nwars, and the like. It would be one great step towards doubling the\nhappiness of mankind, and halving their sorrows, if all men and women\nwere full of Scriptural charity.\n\n\nIII. Let me show, thirdly, _whence the charity of the Bible comes_.\n\nCharity, such as I have described, is certainly not natural to man.\nNaturally, we are all more or less selfish, envious, ill-tempered,\nspiteful, ill-natured, and unkind. We have only to observe children,\nwhen left to themselves, to see the proof of this. Let boys and girls\ngrow up without proper training and education, and you will not see one\nof them possessing Christian charity. Mark how some of them think first\nof themselves, and their own comfort and advantage! Mark how others are\nfull of pride, passion, and evil tempers! How can we account for it?\nThere is but one reply. The natural heart knows nothing of true charity.\n\nThe charity of the Bible will never be found except in a heart prepared\nby the Holy Ghost. It is a tender plant, and will never grow except in\none soil. You may as well expect grapes on thorns, or figs on thistles,\nas look for charity when the heart is not right.\n\nThe heart in which charity grows is a heart changed, renewed, and\ntransformed by the Holy Ghost. The image and likeness of God, which Adam\nlost at the fall, has been restored to it, however feeble and imperfect\nthe restoration may appear. It is a \"partaker of the Divine nature,\" by\nunion with Christ and sonship to God; and one of the first features of\nthat nature is love. (2 Pet. i. 4.)\n\nSuch a heart is deeply convinced of sin, hates it, flees from it, and\nfights with it from day to day. And one of the prime motions of sin\nwhich it daily labours to overcome, is selfishness and want of charity.\n\nSuch a heart is deeply sensible of its mighty debt to our Lord Jesus\nChrist. It feels continually that it owes to Him who died for us on the\ncross, all its present comfort, hope, and peace. How can it show forth\nits gratitude? What can it render to its Redeemer? If it can do nothing\nelse, it strives to be like Him, to drink into His spirit, to walk in\nHis footsteps, and, like Him, to be full of love. \"The love of Christ\nshed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost\" is the surest fountain of\nChristian charity. Love will produce love.\n\nI ask my reader's special attention to this point. It is one of great\nimportance in the present day. There are many who profess to admire\ncharity, while they care nothing about vital Christianity. They like\nsome of the fruits and results of the Gospel, but not the root from\nwhich these fruits alone can grow, or the doctrines with which they are\ninseparably connected.\n\nHundreds will praise love and charity, who hate to be told of man's\ncorruption, of the blood of Christ, and of the inward work of the Holy\nGhost. Many a parent would like his children to grow up unselfish and\ngood tempered, who would not be much pleased if conversion, and\nrepentance, and faith, were pressed home on their attention.\n\nNow I desire to protest against this notion, that you can have the\nfruits of Christianity without the roots,--that you can produce\nChristian tempers without teaching Christian doctrines,--that you can\nhave charity that will wear and endure without grace in the heart.\n\nI grant, most freely, that every now and then one sees a person who\nseems very charitable and amiable, without any distinctive doctrinal\nreligion. But such cases are so rare and remarkable, that, like\nexceptions, they only prove the truth of the general rule. And often,\ntoo often, it may be feared in such cases the apparent charity is only\nseeming, and in private completely fails. I firmly believe, as a general\nrule, you will not find such charity as the Bible describes, except in\nthe soil of a heart thoroughly imbued with Bible religion. Holy practice\nwill not flourish without sound doctrine. What God has joined together,\nit is useless to expect to have separate and asunder.\n\nThe delusion which I am trying to combat is helped forward to a most\nmischievous degree by the vast majority of novels, romances, and tales\nof fiction. Who does not know that the heroes and heroines of these\nworks are constantly described as patterns of perfection? They are\nalways doing the right thing, saying the right thing, and showing the\nright temper! They are always kind, and amiable, and unselfish, and\nforgiving! And yet you never hear a word about their religion! In short,\nto judge by the generality of works of fiction, it is possible to have\nexcellent practical religion without doctrine, the fruits of the Spirit\nwithout the grace of the Spirit, and the mind of Christ without union\nwith Christ!\n\nHere, in short, is the great danger of reading most novels, romances,\nand works of fiction. The greater part of them give a false or incorrect\nview of human nature. They paint their model men and women as they ought\nto be, and not as they really are. The readers of such writings get\ntheir minds filled with wrong conceptions of what the world is. Their\nnotions of mankind become visionary and unreal. They are constantly\nlooking for men and women such as they never meet, and expecting what\nthey never find.\n\nLet me entreat my readers, once for all, to draw their ideas of human\nnature from the Bible, and not from novels. Settle it down in your mind,\nthat there cannot be true charity without a heart renewed by grace. A\ncertain degree of kindness, courtesy, amiability, good nature, may\nundoubtedly be seen in many who have no vital religion. But the glorious\nplant of Bible charity, in all its fulness and perfection, will never be\nfound without union with Christ, and the work of the Holy Ghost. Teach\nthis to your children, if you have any. Hold it up in schools, if you\nare connected with any. Lift up charity. Make much of charity. Give\nplace to none in exalting the grace of kindness, love, good nature,\nunselfishness, good temper. But never, never forget, that there is but\none school in which these things can be thoroughly learned, and that is\nthe school of Christ. Real charity comes down from above. True love is\nthe fruit of the Spirit. He that would have it must sit at Christ's\nfeet, and learn of Him.\n\n\nIV. Let me show, lastly, _why charity is called the \"greatest\" of the\ngraces_.\n\nThe words of St. Paul, on this subject, are distinct and unmistakable.\nHe winds up his wonderful chapter on charity in the following manner:\n\"Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three: but the greatest of\nthese is charity.\" (1 Cor. xiii. 13.)\n\nThis expression is very remarkable. Of all the writers in the New\nTestament, none, certainly, exalts \"faith\" so highly as St. Paul. The\nEpistles to the Romans and Galatians abound in sentences showing its\nvast importance. By it the sinner lays hold on Christ and is saved.\nThrough it we are justified, and have peace with God. Yet here the same\nSt. Paul speaks of something which is even greater than faith. He puts\nbefore us the three leading Christian graces, and pronounces the\nfollowing judgment on them,--\"The greatest is charity.\" Such a sentence\nfrom such a writer demands special attention. What are we to understand\nwhen we hear of charity being greater than faith and hope?\n\nWe are not to suppose, for a moment, that charity can atone for our\nsins, or make our peace with God. Nothing can do that for us but the\nblood of Christ, and nothing can give us an interest in Christ's blood\nbut faith. It is unscriptural ignorance not to know this. The office of\njustifying and joining the soul to Christ belongs to faith alone. Our\ncharity, and all our other graces, are all more or less imperfect, and\ncould not stand the severity of God's judgment. When we have done all,\nwe are \"unprofitable servants.\" (Luke xvii. 10.)\n\nWe are not to suppose that charity can exist independently of faith. St.\nPaul did not intend to set up one grace in rivalry to the other. He did\nnot mean that one man might have faith, another hope, and another\ncharity, and that the best of these was the man who had charity. The\nthree graces are inseparably joined together. Where there is faith,\nthere will always be love; and where there is love, there will be faith.\nSun and light, fire and heat, ice and cold, are not more intimately\nunited than faith and charity.\n\nThe reasons why charity is called the greatest of the three graces,\nappear to me plain and simple. Let me show what they are.\n\n(_a_) Charity is called the greatest of graces, because it is the one in\nwhich there is _some likeness between the believer and his God_. God has\nno need of faith. He is dependent on no one. There is none superior to\nHim in whom He must trust.--God has no need of hope. To Him all things\nare certain, whether past, present, or to come.--But \"God is love:\" and\nthe more love His people have, the more like they are to their Father in\nheaven.\n\n(_b_) Charity, for another thing, is called the greatest of the graces,\nbecause _it is most useful to others_. Faith and hope, beyond doubt,\nhowever precious, have special reference to a believer's own private\nindividual benefit. Faith unites the soul to Christ, brings peace with\nGod, and opens the way to heaven. Hope fills the soul with cheerful\nexpectation of things to come, and, amid the many discouragements of\nthings seen, comforts with visions of the things unseen. But charity is\npre-eminently the grace which makes a man useful. It is the spring of\ngood works and kindnesses. It is the root of missions, schools, and\nhospitals. Charity made apostles spend and be spent for souls. Charity\nraises up workers for Christ, and keeps them working. Charity smooths\nquarrels, and stops strife, and in this sense \"covers a multitude of\nsins.\" (1 Pet. iv. 8.) Charity adorns Christianity, and recommends it to\nthe world. A man may have real faith, and feel it, and yet his faith may\nbe invisible to others. But a man's charity cannot be hid.\n\n(_c_) Charity, in the last place, is the greatest of the graces, because\nit is the one which _endures the longest_. In fact, it will never die.\nFaith will one day be swallowed up in sight, and hope in certainty.\nTheir office will be useless in the morning of the resurrection, and,\nlike old almanacs, they will be laid aside. But love will live on\nthrough the endless ages of eternity. Heaven will be the abode of love.\nThe inhabitants of heaven will be full of love. One common feeling will\nbe in all their hearts, and that will be charity.\n\nI leave this part of my subject here, and pass on to a conclusion. On\neach of the three points of comparison I have just named, between\ncharity and the other graces, it would be easy to enlarge. But time and\nspace both forbid me to do so. If I have said enough to guard men\nagainst mistakes about the right meaning of the \"greatness\" of charity,\nI am content. Charity, be it ever remembered, cannot justify and put\naway our sins. It is neither Christ, nor faith. But charity makes us\nsomewhat like God. Charity is of mighty use to the world. Charity will\nlive and flourish when faith's work is done. Surely, in these points of\nview, charity well deserves the crown.\n\n(1) And now let me ask every one into whose hands this paper may come a\nsimple question. Let me press home on your conscience the whole subject\nof this paper. Do you know anything of the grace of which I have been\nspeaking? _Have you charity?_\n\nThe strong language of the Apostle St. Paul must surely convince you\nthat the inquiry is not one that ought to be lightly put aside. The\ngrace, without which that holy man could say, \"I am nothing,\" the grace\nwhich the Lord Jesus says expressly is the great mark of being His\ndisciple,--such a grace as this demands the serious consideration of\nevery one who is in earnest about the salvation of his soul. It should\nset him thinking,--\"How does this affect me? Have I charity?\"\n\nYou have some knowledge, it may be, of religion. You know the difference\nbetween true and false doctrine. You can, perhaps, even quote texts, and\ndefend the opinions you hold. But, remember the knowledge which is\nbarren of practical results in life and temper is a useless possession.\nThe words of the Apostle are very plain: \"Though I understand all\nknowledge, and have not charity, I am nothing.\" (1 Cor. xiii. 3.)\n\nYou think you have faith, perhaps. You trust you are one of God's elect,\nand rest in that. But surely you should remember that there is a faith\nof devils, which is utterly unprofitable, and that the faith of God's\nelect is a \"faith that worketh by love.\" It was when St. Paul remembered\nthe \"love\" of the Thessalonians, as well as their faith and hope, that\nhe said,--\"I know your election of God.\" (1 Thess. i. 4.)\n\nLook at your own daily life, both at home and abroad, and consider what\nplace the charity of Scripture has in it. What is your temper? What are\nyour ways of behaving toward all around you in your own family? What is\nyour manner of speaking, especially in seasons of vexation and\nprovocation? Where is your good-nature, your courtesy, your patience,\nyour meekness, your gentleness, your forbearance? Where are your\npractical actions of love in your dealing with others? What do you know\nof the mind of Him who \"went about doing good,\"--who loved all, though\nspecially His disciples,--who returned good for evil, and kindness for\nhatred, and had a heart wide enough to feel for all?\n\nWhat would you do in heaven, I wonder, if you got there without charity?\nWhat comfort could you have in an abode where love was the law, and\nselfishness and ill-nature completely shut out? Alas! I fear that heaven\nwould be no place for an uncharitable and ill-tempered man!--What said a\nlittle boy one day? \"If grandfather goes to heaven, I hope I and brother\nwill not go there.\" \"Why do you say that?\" he was asked. He\nreplied,--\"If he sees us there, I am sure he will say, as he does\nnow,--'What are these boys doing here? Let them get out of the way.' He\ndoes not like to see us on earth, and I suppose he would not like to see\nus in heaven.\"\n\nGive yourself no rest till you know something by experience of real\nChristian charity. Go and learn of Him who is meek and lowly of heart,\nand ask Him to teach you how to love. Ask the Lord Jesus to put His\nSpirit within you, to take away the old heart, to give you a new nature,\nto make you know something of His mind. Cry to Him night and day for\ngrace, and give Him no rest until you feel something of what I have been\ndescribing in this paper. Happy indeed will your life be when you really\nunderstand \"walking in love.\"\n\n(2) But I do not forget that I am writing to some who are not ignorant\nof the charity of Scripture, and who long to feel more of it every year.\nI will give you two simple words of exhortation. They are\nthese,--\"Practice and teach the grace of charity.\"\n\nPractice charity diligently. It is one of those graces, above all, which\ngrow by constant exercise. Strive more and more to carry it into every\nlittle detail of daily life. Watch over your own tongue and temper\nthroughout every hour of the day,--and especially in your dealings with\nservants, children, and near relatives. Remember the character of the\nexcellent woman:--\"In her tongue is the law of kindness.\" (Prov. xxxi.\n26.)--Remember the words of St. Paul: \"Let ALL your things be done with\ncharity.\" (1 Cor. xvi. 14.) Charity should be seen in little things as\nwell as in great ones.--Remember, not least, the words of St. Peter:\n\"Have fervent charity among yourselves;\" not a charity which just keeps\nalight, but a burning shining fire, which all around can see. (1 Pet.\niv. 8.) It may cost pains and trouble to keep these things in mind.\nThere may be little encouragement from the example of others. But\npersevere. Charity like this brings its own reward.\n\nFinally, teach charity to others. Press it continually on servants, if\nyou have any. Tell them the great duty of kindness, helpfulness, and\nconsiderateness, one for another. Press it, above all, on children, it\nyou have any. Remind them constantly that kindness, good nature, and\ngood temper, are among the first evidences which Christ requires in\nchildren. If they cannot know much, or explain doctrines, they can\nunderstand love. A child's religion is worth very little if it only\nconsists in repeating texts and hymns. Useful as they are, they are\noften learned without thought, remembered without feeling, said over\nwithout consideration of their meaning, and forgotten when childhood is\ngone. By all means let children be taught texts and hymns; but let not\nsuch teaching be made everything in their religion. Teach them to keep\ntheir tempers, to be kind one to another, to be unselfish, good-natured,\nobliging, patient, gentle, forgiving. Tell them never to forget to their\ndying day, if they live as long as Methuselah, that without charity, the\nHoly Ghost says, \"we are nothing.\" Tell them \"_above all things_ to put\non charity, which is the bond of perfectness.\" (Colos. iii. 14.)\n\n\n\n\nVIII\n\n\nZEAL\n\n \"_It is good to be zealously affected always in a good\n thing._\"--Gal. iv. 18.\n\n\nZeal is a subject, like many others in religion, most sadly\nmisunderstood. Many would be ashamed to be thought \"zealous\" Christians.\nMany are ready to say of zealous people what Festus said of Paul: \"They\nare beside themselves,--they are mad.\" (Acts xxvi. 24)\n\nBut zeal is a subject which no reader of the Bible has any right to pass\nover. If we make the Bible our rule of faith and practice, we cannot\nturn away from it. We must look it in the face. What says the Apostle\nPaul to Titus? \"Christ gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from\nall iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, _zealous_ of\ngood works.\" (Titus ii. 14.) What says the Lord Jesus to the Laodicean\nChurch? \"Be _zealous_ and repent.\" (Rev. iii. 19.)\n\nMy object in this paper is to plead the cause of zeal in religion. I\nbelieve we ought not to be afraid of it, but rather to love and admire\nit. I believe it to be a mighty blessing to the world, and the origin of\ncountless benefits to mankind. I want to strike a blow at the lazy,\neasy, sleepy Christianity of these latter days, which can see no beauty\nin zeal, and only uses the word \"zealot\" as a word of reproach. I want\nto remind Christians that \"Zealot\" was a name given to one of our Lord\nJesus Christ's Apostles, and to persuade them to be zealous men.\n\nI ask every reader of this paper to give me his attention while I tell\nhim something about zeal. Listen to me for your own sake,--for the sake\nof the world,--for the sake of the Church of Christ. Listen to me, and\nby God's help I will show you that to be \"zealous\" is to be wise.\n\n\n I. Let me show, in the first place, _what is zeal in religion_.\n\n II. Let me show, in the second place, _when a man can be called\n rightly zealous in religion_?\n\n III. Let me show, in the third place, _why it is a good thing for a\n man to be zealous in religion_?\n\n\nI. First of all, I propose to consider this question. \"What is _zeal_ in\nreligion?\"\n\nZeal in religion is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and\nto advance His glory in the world in every possible way. It is a desire\nwhich no man feels by nature,--which the Spirit puts in the heart of\nevery believer when he is converted,--but which some believers feel so\nmuch more strongly than others that they alone deserve to be called\n\"zealous\" men.\n\nThis desire is so strong, when it really reigns in a man, that it impels\nhim to make any sacrifice,--to go through any trouble,--to deny himself\nto any amount,--to suffer, to work, to labour, to toil,--to spend\nhimself and be spent, and even to die,--if only he can please God and\nhonour Christ.\n\nA zealous man in religion is pre-eminently _a man of one thing_. It is\nnot enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising,\nthorough-going, whole-hearted, fervent in spirit. He only sees one\nthing, he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed\nup in one thing; and that one thing is to please God. Whether he lives,\nor whether he dies,--whether he has health, or whether he has\nsickness,--whether he is rich, or whether he is poor,--whether he\npleases man, or whether he gives offence,--whether he is thought wise,\nor whether he is thought foolish,--whether he gets blame, or whether he\ngets praise,--whether he gets honour, or whether he gets shame,--for all\nthis the zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing; and\nthat one thing is to please God, and to advance God's glory. If he is\nconsumed in the very burning, he cares not for it,--he is content. He\nfeels that, like a lamp, he is made to burn; and if consumed in burning,\nhe has but done the work for which God appointed him. Such an one will\nalways find a sphere for his zeal. If he cannot preach, and work, and\ngive money, he will cry, and sigh, and pray. Yes: if he is only a\npauper, on a perpetual bed of sickness, he will make the wheels of sin\naround him drive heavily, by continually interceding against it. If he\ncannot fight in the valley with Joshua, he will do the work of Moses,\nAaron, and Hur, on the hill. (Exod. xvii. 9--13.) If he is cut off from\nworking himself, he will give the Lord no rest till help is raised up\nfrom another quarter, and the work is done. This is what I mean when I\nspeak of \"zeal\" in religion.\n\nWe all know the habit of mind that makes men great in this world,--that\nmakes such men as Alexander the Great, or Julius Caesar, or Oliver\nCromwell, or Peter the Great, or Charles XII., or Marlborough, or\nNapoleon, or Pitt. We know that, with all their faults, they were all\nmen of one thing. They threw themselves into one grand pursuit. They\ncared for nothing else. They put every thing else aside. They counted\nevery thing else as second-rate, and of subordinate importance, compared\nto the one thing that they put before their eyes every day they lived. I\nsay that the same habit of mind applied to the service of the Lord\nJesus Christ becomes religious _zeal_.\n\nWe know the habit of mind that makes men great in the sciences of this\nworld,--that makes such men as Archimedes, or Sir Isaac Newton, or\nGalileo, or Ferguson the astronomer, or James Watt. All these were men\nof one thing. They brought the powers of their minds into one single\nfocus. They cared for nothing else beside. And this was the secret of\ntheir success. I say that this same habit consecrated to the service of\nGod becomes religious _zeal_.\n\nWe know the habit of mind that makes men rich,--that makes men amass\nmighty fortunes, and leave millions behind them. What kind of people\nwere the bankers, and merchants, and tradesmen, who have left a name\nbehind them, as men who acquired immense wealth and became rich from\nbeing poor? They were all men that threw themselves entirely into their\nbusiness, and neglected every thing else for the sake of that business.\nThey gave their first attention, their first thoughts, the best of their\ntime, and the best part of their mind, to pushing forward the\ntransactions in which they were engaged. They were men of one thing.\nTheir hearts were not divided. They devoted themselves, body, soul, and\nmind to their business. They seemed to live for nothing else. I say that\nif you turn that habit of mind to the service of God and His Christ it\nmakes religious _zeal_.\n\n(_a_) Now this habit of mind,--this zeal was _the characteristic of\nall the Apostles_. See for example the Apostle Paul. Hear him when\nhe speaks to the Ephesian elders for the last time: \"None of these\nthings move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I\nmight finish my course with joy, and the ministry that I have\nreceived of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of\nGod.\" (Acts xx. 24.) Hear him again, when he writes to the\nPhilippians: \"This one thing I do; I press towards the mark for the\nprize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.\" (Phil. iii.\n13, 14.) See him from the day of his conversion, giving up his\nbrilliant prospects,--forsaking all for Christ's sake,--and going\nforth to preach that very Jesus whom he had once despised. See him\ngoing to and fro throughout the world from that time,--through\npersecution,--through oppression,--through opposition,--through\nprisons,--through bonds,--through afflictions,--through things next\nto death itself, up to the very day when he sealed his faith with\nhis blood, and died at Rome, a martyr for that Gospel which he had\nso long proclaimed. This was true religious _zeal_.\n\n(_b_) This again was the _characteristic of the early Christians_. They\nwere men \"every where spoken against.\" (Acts xxviii. 22.) They were\ndriven to worship God in dens and caves of the earth. They often lost\nevery thing in the world for their religion's sake. They generally\ngained nothing but the cross, persecution, shame, and reproach. But they\nseldom, very seldom, went back. If they could not dispute, at least they\ncould suffer. If they could not convince their adversaries by argument,\nat any rate they could die, and prove that they themselves were in\nearnest. Look at Ignatius cheerfully travelling to the place where he\nwas to be devoured by lions, and saying as he went, \"Now do I begin to\nbe a disciple of my Master, Christ.\" Hear old Polycarp before the Roman\nGovernor, saying boldly, when called upon to deny Christ, \"Four score\nand six years have I served Christ, neither hath He ever offended me in\nany thing, and how then can I revile my King?\" This was true _zeal_.\n\n(_c_) This again was _the characteristic of Martin Luther_. He boldly\ndefied the most powerful hierarchy that the world has ever seen. He\nunveiled its corruptions with an unflinching hand. He preached the\nlong-neglected truth of justification by faith, in spite of anathemas\nand excommunications, fast and thickly poured upon him. See him going\nto the Diet at Worms, and pleading his cause before the Emperor and the\nLegate, and a host of the children of this world. Hear him saying,--when\nmen were dissuading him from going, and reminding him of the fate of\nJohn Huss, \"Though there were a devil under every tile on the roofs of\nWorms, in the name of the Lord I shall go forward.\" This was true\n_zeal_.\n\n(_d_) This again was _the characteristic of our own English Reformers_.\nYou have it in our first Reformer, Wickliffe, when he rose up on his\nsick bed, and said to the Friars, who wanted him to retract all he had\nsaid against the Pope, \"I shall not die, but live to declare the\nvillanies of the Friars.\" You have it in Cranmer, dying at the stake,\nrather than deny Christ's Gospel, holding forth that hand to be first\nburned which, in a moment of weakness, had signed a recantation, and\nsaying, as he held it in the flames, \"This unworthy hand!\" You have it\nin old father Latimer, standing boldly on his faggot, at the age of\nseventy years, and saying to Ridley, \"Courage, brother Ridley! we shall\nlight such a candle this day as, by God's grace, shall never be put\nout.\" This was _zeal_.\n\n(_e_) This again has been _the characteristic of all the greatest\nMissionaries_. You see it in Dr. Judson, in Carey, in Morrison, in\nSchwartz, in Williams, in Brainerd, in Elliott. You see it in none more\nbrightly than in Henry Martyn. Here was a man who had reached the\nhighest academical honours that Cambridge could bestow. Whatever\nprofession he chose to follow, he had the most dazzling prospects of\nsuccess. He turned his back upon it all. He chose to preach the Gospel\nto poor benighted heathen. He went forth to an early grave, in a foreign\nland. He said when he got there and saw the condition of the people, \"I\ncould bear to be torn in pieces, if I could but hear the sobs of\npenitence,--if I could but see the eyes of faith directed to the\nRedeemer!\" This was _zeal_.\n\n(_f_) But let us look away from all earthly examples,--and remember\nthat zeal was pre-eminently the characteristic of our Lord and Saviour\nJesus Christ Himself. Of Him it was written hundreds of years before He\ncame upon earth, that He was \"clad with _zeal_ as with a cloak,\" and\n\"the _zeal_ of thine house hath even eaten me.\" And His own words were\n\"My meat is to do my Father's will, and to finish His work.\" (Psalm\nlxix. 9; Isaiah lix. 17; John iv. 34.)\n\nWhere shall we begin, if we try to give examples of His zeal? Where\nshould we end, if we once began? Trace all the narratives of His life in\nthe four Gospels. Read all the history of what He was from the beginning\nof His ministry to the end. Surely if there ever was one who was _all\nzeal_, it was our great Example,--our Head,--our High Priest,--the great\nShepherd of our profession, the Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nIf these things are so, we should not only beware of running down zeal,\nbut we should also beware of allowing zeal to be run down in our\npresence. It may be badly directed, and then it becomes a curse;--but it\nmay be turned to the highest and best ends, and then it is a mighty\nblessing. Like fire, it is one of the best of servants;--but, like fire\nalso, if not well directed, it may be the worst of masters. Listen not\nto those people who talk of zeal as weakness and enthusiasm. Listen not\nto those who see no beauty in missions, who laugh at all attempts at the\nconversion of souls,--who call Societies for sending the Gospel to the\nworld useless,--and who look upon City Missions, and District Visiting,\nand Ragged Schools and Open Air Preaching, as nothing but foolishness\nand fanaticism. Beware, lest in joining a cry of that kind you condemn\nthe Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Beware lest you speak against Him who has\n\"left us an example that we should follow His steps.\" (1 Pet. ii. 21.)\n\nAlas! I fear there are many professing Christians who if they had lived\nin the days when our Lord and His Apostles walked upon earth would have\ncalled Him and all His followers enthusiasts and fanatics. There are\nmany, I fear, who have more in common with Annas and Caiaphas,--with\nPilate and Herod,--with Festus and Agrippa,--with Felix and\nGallio,--than with St. Paul and the Lord Jesus Christ.\n\n\nII. I pass on now to the second thing I proposed to speak of. _When is a\nman truly zealous in religion?_\n\nThere never was a grace of which Satan has not made a counterfeit. There\nnever was a good coin issued from the mint but forgers at once have\ncoined something very like it. It was one of Nero's cruel practices\nfirst to sew up Christians in the skins of wild beasts, and then bait\nthem with dogs. It is one of Satan's devices to place distorted copies\nof the believer's graces before the eyes of men, and so to bring the\ntrue graces into contempt. No grace has suffered so much in this way as\nzeal. Of none perhaps are there so many shams and counterfeits abroad.\nWe must therefore clear the ground of all rubbish on this question. We\nmust find out when zeal in religion is really good, and true, and of\nGod.\n\n(1) If zeal be true, it will be a _zeal according to knowledge_. It must\nnot be a blind, ignorant zeal. It must be a calm, reasonable,\nintelligent principle, which can show the warrant of Scripture for every\nstep it takes. The unconverted Jews had zeal. Paul says, \"I bear them\nrecord that they have a zeal of God, _but not according to knowledge_.\"\n(Rom. x. 2.) Saul had zeal when he was a persecuting Pharisee. He says\nhimself, in one of his addresses to the Jews, \"I was _zealous_ toward\nGod as ye all are this day.\" (Acts xxii. 3.)--Manasseh had zeal in the\ndays when he was an idolater. The man who made his own children pass\nthrough the fire,--who gave up the fruit of his body to Moloch, to atone\nfor the sin of his soul,--that man had zeal.--James and John had zeal\nwhen they would have called down fire on a Samaritan village. But our\nLord rebuked them.--Peter had zeal when he drew his sword and cut off\nthe ear of Malchus. But he was quite wrong.--Bonner and Gardiner had\nzeal when they burned Latimer and Cranmer. Were they not in earnest? Let\nus do them justice. They were zealous, though it was for an unscriptural\nreligion.--The members of the Inquisition in Spain had zeal when they\ntortured men, and put them to horrible deaths, because they would not\nforsake the Gospel. Yes! they marched men and women to the stake in\nsolemn procession, and called it \"An Act of Faith,\" and believed they\nwere doing God service.--The Hindoos, who used to lie down before the\ncar of Juggernaut and allow their bodies to be crushed under its\nwheels:--had not they zeal?--The Indian widows, who used to burn\nthemselves on the funeral pile of their deceased husbands,--the Roman\nCatholics, who persecuted to death the Vaudois and Albigenses, and cast\ndown men and women from rocks and precipices, because they were\nheretics;--had not they zeal?--The Saracens--the Crusaders,--the\nJesuits,--the Anabaptists of Munster--the followers of Joanna\nSouthcote,--had they not all zeal? Yes! Yes! I do not deny it. All these\nhad zeal beyond question. They were all zealous. They were all in\nearnest. But their zeal was not such zeal as God approves,--it was not a\n\"zeal according to knowledge.\"\n\n(2) Furthermore, if zeal be true, it will be a zeal _from true motives_.\nSuch is the subtlety of the heart that men will often do right things\nfrom wrong motives. Amaziah and Joash, kings of Judah, are striking\nproofs of this. Just so a man may have zeal about things that are good\nand right, but from second-rate motives, and not from a desire to please\nGod. And such zeal is worth nothing. It is reprobate silver. It is\nutterly wanting when placed in the balance of God. Man looks only at the\naction: God looks at the motive. Man only thinks of the quantity of work\ndone: God considers the doer's heart.\n\nThere is such a thing as zeal from _party spirit_. It is quite possible\nfor a man to be unwearied in promoting the interests of his own Church\nor denomination, and yet to have no grace in his own heart,--to be ready\nto die for the peculiar opinions of his own section of Christians, and\nyet to have no real love to Christ. Such was the zeal of the Pharisees.\nThey \"compassed sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he was\nmade, they made him two-fold more the child of hell than themselves.\"\n(Matt. xxiii. 15.) This zeal is not true.\n\nThere is such a thing as zeal from mere _selfishness_. There are times\nwhen it is men's interest to be zealous in religion. Power and patronage\nare sometimes given to godly men. The good things of the world are\nsometimes to be attained by wearing a cloak of religion. And whenever\nthis is the case there is no lack of false zeal. Such was the zeal of\nJoab, when he served David. Such was the zeal of only too many\nEnglishmen in the days of the Commonwealth, when the Puritans were in\npower.\n\nThere is such a thing as zeal from the _love of praise_. Such was the\nzeal of Jehu, when he was putting down the worship of Baal. Remember how\nhe met Jonadab the son of Rechab, and said, \"Come with me, and see my\nzeal for the Lord.\" (2 Kings x. 16.) Such is the zeal that Bunyan refers\nto in \"Pilgrim's Progress,\" when he speaks of some who went \"for praise\"\nto mount Zion. Some people feed on the praise of their fellow-creatures.\nThey would rather have it from Christians than have none at all.\n\nIt is a sad and humbling proof of man's corruption that there is no\ndegree of self-denial and self-sacrifice to which men may not go from\nfalse motives. It does not follow that a man's religion is true because\nhe \"gives his body to be burned,\" or because he \"gives his goods to feed\nthe poor.\" The Apostle Paul tells us that a man may do this, and yet not\nhave true charity. (1 Cor. xiii. 1, etc.) It does not follow because men\ngo into a wilderness, and become hermits, that therefore they know what\ntrue self-denial is. It does not follow because people immure themselves\nin monasteries and nunneries, or become \"sisters of charity,\" and\n\"sisters of mercy,\" that therefore they know what true crucifixion of\nthe flesh and self-sacrifice is in the sight of God. All these things\npeople may do on wrong principles. They may do them from wrong\nmotives,--to satisfy a secret pride and love of notoriety,--but not from\nthe true motive of zeal for the glory of God. All such zeal, let us\nunderstand, is false. It is of earth, and not of heaven.\n\n(3) Furthermore, if zeal be true, it will be a zeal _about things\naccording to God's mind, and sanctioned by plain examples in God's\nWord_. Take, for one instance, that highest and best kind of zeal,--I\nmean zeal for our own growth in personal holiness. Such zeal will make a\nman feel incessantly that sin is the mightiest of all evils, and\nconformity to Christ the greatest of all blessings. It will make him\nfeel that there is nothing which ought not to be done, in order to keep\nup a close walk with God. It will make him willing to cut off the right\nhand, or pluck out the right eye, or make any sacrifice, if only he can\nattain a closer communion with Jesus. Is not this just what you see in\nthe Apostle Paul? He says, \"I keep under my body and bring it into\nsubjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I\nmyself should be a castaway.\"--\"I count not myself to have apprehended:\nbut this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and\nreaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the\nmark.\" (1 Cor. ix. 27; Phil. iii. 13, 14.)\n\nTake, for another instance, zeal for the salvation of souls. Such zeal\nwill make a man burn with desire to enlighten the darkness which covers\nthe souls of multitudes, and to bring every man, woman, and child he\nsees to the knowledge of the Gospel. Is not this what you see in the\nLord Jesus? It is said that He neither gave Himself nor His disciples\nleisure so much as to eat. (Mark vi. 31.) Is not this what you see in\nthe Apostle Paul? He says, \"I am made all things to all men, that I\nmight by all means save some.\" (1 Cor. ix. 22.)\n\nTake, for another instance, zeal against evil practices. Such zeal will\nmake a man hate everything which God hates, such as drunkenness,\nslavery, or infanticide, and long to sweep it from the face of the\nearth. It will make him jealous of God's honour and glory, and look on\neverything which robs him of it as an offence. Is not this what you see\nin Phinehas, the son of Eleazar?--or in Hezekiah and Josiah, when they\nput down idolatry?\n\nTake, for another instance, zeal for maintaining the doctrines of the\nGospel. Such zeal will make a man hate unscriptural teaching, just as he\nhates sin. It will make him regard religious error as a pestilence which\nmust be checked, whatever may be the cost. It will make him scrupulously\ncareful about every jot and tittle of the counsel of God, lest by some\nomission the whole Gospel should be spoiled. Is not this what you see in\nPaul at Antioch, when he withstood Peter to the face, and said he was to\nbe blamed? (Gal. ii. 11.) These are the kind of things about which true\nzeal is employed. Such zeal, let us understand, is honourable before\nGod.\n\n(4) Furthermore, if zeal be true, it will be a zeal _tempered with\ncharity and love_. It will not be a bitter zeal. It will not be a fierce\nenmity against persons. It will not be a zeal ready to take the sword,\nand to smite with carnal weapons. The weapons of true zeal are not\ncarnal, but spiritual. True zeal will hate sin, and yet love the sinner.\nTrue zeal will hate heresy, and yet love the heretic. True zeal will\nlong to break the idol, but deeply pity the idolater. True zeal will\nabhor every kind of wickedness, but labour to do good even to the vilest\nof transgressors.\n\nTrue zeal will warn as St. Paul warned the Galatians, and yet feel\ntenderly, as a nurse or a mother over erring children. It will expose\nfalse teachers, as Jesus did the Scribes and Pharisees, and yet weep\ntenderly, as Jesus did over Jerusalem when He came near to it for the\nlast time. True zeal will be decided, as a surgeon dealing with a\ndiseased limb; but true zeal will be gentle, as one that is dressing the\nwounds of a brother. True zeal will speak truth boldly, like Athanasius,\nagainst the world, and not care who is offended; but true zeal will\nendeavour, in all its speaking, to \"speak the truth in love.\"\n\n(5) Furthermore, if zeal be true, _it will be joined to a deep\nhumility_. A truly zealous man will be the last to discover the\ngreatness of his own attainments. All that he is and does will come so\nimmensely short of his own desires, that he will be filled with a sense\nof his own unprofitableness, and amazed to think that God should work by\nhim at all. Like Moses, when he came down from the Mount, he will not\nknow that his face shines. Like the righteous, in the twenty-fifth\nchapter of St. Matthew, he will not be aware of his own good works. Dr.\nBuchanan is one whose praise is in all the churches. He was one of the\nfirst to take up the cause of the perishing heathen. He literally spent\nhimself, body and mind, in labouring to arouse sleeping Christians to\nsee the importance of missions. Yet he says in one of his letters, \"I do\nnot know that I ever had what Christians call zeal.\" Whitefield was one\nof the most zealous preachers of the Gospel the world has ever seen.\nFervent in spirit, instant in season and out of season, he was a burning\nand shining light, and turned thousands to God. Yet he says after\npreaching for thirty years, \"Lord help me to begin to begin.\" M'Cheyne\nwas one of the greatest blessings that God ever gave to the Church of\nScotland. He was a minister insatiably desirous of the salvation of\nsouls. Few men ever did so much good as he did, though he died at the\nage of twenty-nine. Yet he says in one of his letters, \"None but God\nknows what an abyss of corruption is in my heart. It is perfectly\nwonderful that ever God could bless such a ministry.\" We may be very\nsure where there is self-conceit there is little true zeal.\n\nI ask the readers of this paper particularly to remember the description\nof true zeal which I have just given. Zeal according to knowledge,--zeal\nfrom true motives,--zeal warranted by Scriptural examples,--zeal\ntempered with charity,--zeal accompanied by deep humility,--this is true\ngenuine zeal,--this is the kind of zeal which God approves. Of such zeal\nyou and I never need fear having too much.\n\nI ask you to remember the description, because of the times in which you\nlive. Beware of supposing that sincerity alone can ever make up true\nzeal,--that earnestness, however ignorant, makes a man a really zealous\nChristian in the sight of God. There is a generation in these days which\nmakes an idol of what it is pleased to call \"_earnestness_\" in religion.\nThese men will allow no fault to be found with an \"_earnest man_.\"\nWhatever his theological opinions may be,--if he be but an earnest man,\nthat is enough for these people, and we are to ask no more. They tell\nyou we have nothing to do with minute points of doctrine, and with\nquestions of \"words and names,\" about which Christians are not agreed.\nIs the man an earnest man? If he is, we ought to be satisfied.\n\"Earnestness\" in their eyes covers over a multitude of sins. I warn you\nsolemnly to beware of this specious doctrine. In the name of the Gospel,\nand in the name of the Bible, I enter my protest against the theory that\nmere earnestness can make a man a truly zealous and pious man in the\nsight of God.\n\nThese idolaters of earnestness would make out that God has given us no\nstandard of truth and error, or that the true standard, the Bible, is so\nobscure, that no man can find out what truth is by simply going to it.\nThey pour contempt upon the Word, the written Word, and therefore they\nmust be wrong.\n\nThese idolaters of earnestness would make us condemn every witness for\nthe truth, and every opponent of false teaching, from the time of the\nLord Jesus down to this day. The Scribes and Pharisees were \"in\nearnest,\" and yet our Lord opposed them. And shall we dare even to hint\na suspicion that they ought to have been let alone?--Queen Mary, and\nBonner, and Gardiner were \"in earnest\" in restoring Popery, and trying\nto put down Protestantism, and yet Ridley and Latimer opposed them to\nthe death. And shall we dare to say that as both parties were \"in\nearnest,\" both were in the right?--Devil-worshippers and idolaters at\nthis day are in earnest, and yet our missionaries labour to expose their\nerrors. And shall we dare to say that \"earnestness\" would take them to\nheaven, and that missionaries to heathen and Roman Catholics had better\nstay at home?--Are we really going to admit that the Bible does not show\nus what is truth? Are we really going to put a mere vague thing called\n\"earnestness,\" in the place of Christ, and to maintain that no \"earnest\"\nman can be wrong? God forbid that we should give place to such doctrine!\nI shrink with horror from such theology. I warn men solemnly to beware\nof being carried away by it, for it is common and most seductive in this\nday. Beware of it, for it is only a new form of an old error,--that old\nerror which says that a man \"Can't be wrong whose life is in the right.\"\nAdmire zeal. Seek after zeal. Encourage zeal. But see that your own zeal\nbe true. See that the zeal which you admire in others is a zeal\n\"according to knowledge,\"--a zeal from right motives,--a zeal that can\nbring chapter and verse out of the Bible for its foundation. Any zeal\nbut this is but a false fire. It is not lighted by the Holy Ghost.\n\n\nIII. I pass on now to the third thing I proposed to speak of. Let me\nshow _why it is good for a man to be zealous_.\n\nIt is certain that God never gave man a commandment which it was not\nman's interest as well as duty to obey. He never set a grace before His\nbelieving people which His people will not find it their highest\nhappiness to follow after. This is true of all the graces of the\nChristian character. Perhaps it is pre-eminently true in the case of\nzeal.\n\n(_a_) Zeal is _good for a Christian's own soul_. We all know that\nexercise is good for the health, and that regular employment of our\nmuscles and limbs promotes our bodily comfort, and increases our bodily\nvigour. Now that which exercise does for our bodies, zeal will do for\nour souls. It will help mightily to promote inward feelings of joy,\npeace, comfort, and happiness. None have so much enjoyment of Christ as\nthose who are ever zealous for His glory,--jealous over their own\nwalk,--tender over their own consciences,--full of anxiety about the\nsouls of others,--and ever watching, working, labouring, striving, and\ntoiling to extend the knowledge of Jesus Christ upon earth. Such men\nlive in the full light of the sun, and therefore their hearts are always\nwarm. Such men water others, and therefore they are watered themselves.\nTheir hearts are like a garden daily refreshed by the dew of the Holy\nGhost. They honour God, and so God honours them.\n\nI would not be mistaken in saying this. I would not appear to speak\nslightingly of any believer. I know that \"the Lord takes pleasure in all\nHis people.\" (Ps. cxlix. 4.) There is not one, from the least to the\ngreatest,--from the smallest child in the kingdom of God, to the oldest\nwarrior in the battle against Satan,--there is not one in whom the Lord\nJesus Christ does not take great pleasure. We are all His children,--and\nhowever weak and feeble some of us may be, \"as a father pitieth his\nchildren, so does the Lord pity them that love and fear Him.\" (Ps. ciii.\n13.) We are all the plants of His own planting;--and though many of us\nare poor, weakly exotics, scarcely keeping life together in a foreign\nsoil,--yet as the gardener loves that which his hands have reared, so\ndoes the Lord Jesus love the poor sinners that trust in Him. But while I\nsay this, I do also believe that the Lord takes special pleasure in\nthose who are _zealous_ for Him,--in those who give themselves body,\nsoul, and spirit, to extend His glory in this world. To them He reveals\nHimself, as he does not to others. To them He shows things that other\nmen never see. He blesses the work of their hands. He cheers them with\nspiritual consolations, which others only know by the hearing of the\near. They are men after His own heart, for they are men more like\nHimself than others. None have such joy and peace in believing,--none\nhave such sensible comfort in their religion,--none have so much of\n\"heaven upon earth\" (Deut. xi. 21),--none see and feel so much of the\nconsolations of the Gospel as those who are zealous, earnest,\nthorough-going, devoted Christians. For the sake of our own souls, if\nthere were no other reason, it is good to be zealous,--to be very\nzealous in our religion.\n\n(_b_) As zeal is good for ourselves individually, so it is also _good\nfor the professing Church of Christ generally_. Nothing so much keeps\nalive true religion as a leaven of zealous Christians scattered to and\nfro throughout a Church. Like salt, they prevent the whole body falling\ninto a state of corruption. None but men of this kind can revive\nChurches when ready to die. It is impossible to over-estimate the debt\nthat all Christians owe to zeal. The greatest mistake the rulers of a\nChurch can make is to drive zealous men out of its pale. By so doing\nthey drain out the life-blood of the system, and hasten on\necclesiastical decline and death.\n\nZeal is in truth that grace which God seems to delight to honour. Look\nthrough the list of Christians who have been eminent for usefulness. Who\nare the men that have left the deepest and most indelible marks on the\nChurch of their day? Who are the men that God has generally honoured to\nbuild up the walls of His Zion, and turn the battle from the gate? Not\nso much men of learning and literary talents, as men of zeal.\n\nBishop Latimer was not such a deeply-read scholar as Cranmer or Ridley.\nHe could not quote Fathers from memory, as they did. He refused to be\ndrawn into arguments about antiquity. He stuck to his Bible. Yet it is\nnot too much to say that no English reformer made such a lasting\nimpression on the nation as old Latimer did. And what was the reason?\nHis simple zeal.\n\nBaxter, the Puritan, was not equal to some of his contemporaries in\nintellectual gifts. It is no disparagement to say that he does not stand\non a level with Manton or Owen. Yet few men probably exercised so wide\nan influence on the generation in which he lived. And what was the\nreason? His burning zeal.\n\nWhitefield, and Wesley, and Berridge, and Venn were inferior in mental\nattainments to Bishops Butler and Watson. But they produced effects on\nthe people of this country which fifty Butlers and Watsons would\nprobably never have produced. They saved the Church of England from\nruin. And what was one secret of their power? Their zeal.\n\nThese men stood forward at turning points in the history of the Church.\nThey bore unmoved storms of opposition and persecution.--They were not\nafraid to stand alone. They cared not though their motives were\nmisinterpreted.--They counted all things but loss for the truth's\nsake.--They were each and all and every one eminently _men of one\nthing_:--and that one thing was to advance the glory of God, and to\nmaintain His truth in the world. They were all fire, and so they lighted\nothers.--They were wide awake, and so they awakened others.--They were\nall alive, and so they quickened others.--They were always working, and\nso they shamed others into working too.--They came down upon men like\nMoses from the mount.--They shone as if they had been in the presence\nof God.--They carried to and fro with them, as they walked their course\nthrough the world, something of the atmosphere and savour of heaven\nitself.\n\nThere is a sense in which it may be said that zeal is contagious.\nNothing is more useful to the professors of Christianity than to see a\nreal live Christian, a thoroughly zealous man of God. They may rail at\nhim,--they may carp at him,--they may pick holes in his conduct,--they\nmay look shy upon him,--they may not understand him any more than men\nunderstand a new comet when a new comet appears;--but insensibly a\nzealous man does them good. He opens their eyes. He makes them feel\ntheir own sleepiness. He makes their own great darkness visible. He\nobliges them to see their own barrenness. He compels them to think,\nwhether they like it or not--\"What are we doing? Are we not no better\nthan mere cumberers of the ground?\" It may be sadly true that \"one\nsinner _destroyeth_ much good;\" but it is also a blessed truth that one\nzealous Christian can _do_ much good. Yes: one single zealous man in a\ntown,--one zealous man in a congregation,--one zealous man in a\nsociety,--one zealous man in a family, may be a great, a most extensive\nblessing. How many machines of usefulness such a man sets a going! How\nmuch Christian activity he often calls into being which would otherwise\nhave slept! How many fountains he opens which would otherwise have been\nsealed! Verily there is a deep mine of truth in those words of the\nApostle Paul to the Corinthians: \"Your zeal hath provoked very many.\" (2\nCor. ix, 2.)\n\n(_c_) But, as zeal is good for the Church and for individuals, so zeal\nis _good for the world_. Where would the Missionary work be if it were\nnot for zeal? Where would our City Missions and Ragged Schools be if it\nwere not for zeal? Where would our District-Visiting and Pastoral Aid\nSocieties be if it were not for zeal? Where would be our Societies for\nrooting out sin and ignorance, for finding out the dark places of the\nearth, and recovering poor lost souls? Where would be all these glorious\ninstruments for good if it were not for Christian zeal? Zeal called\nthese institutions into being, and zeal keeps them at work when they\nhave begun. Zeal gathers a few despised men, and makes them the nucleus\nof many a powerful Society. Zeal keeps up the collections of a Society\nwhen it is formed. Zeal prevents men from becoming lazy and sleepy when\nthe machine is large and begins to get favour from the world. Zeal\nraises up men to go forth, putting their lives in their hands, like\nMoffatt and Williams in our own day. Zeal supplies their place when they\nare gathered into the garner, and taken home.\n\nWhat would become of the ignorant masses who crowd the lanes and alleys\nof our overgrown cities, if it were not for Christian zeal? Governments\ncan do nothing with them: they cannot make laws that will meet the evil.\nThe vast majority of professing Christians have no eyes to see it: like\nthe priest and Levite, they pass by on the other side. But zeal has eyes\nto see, and a heart to feel, and a head to devise, and a tongue to\nplead, and hands to work, and feet to travel, in order to rescue poor\nsouls, and raise them from their low estate. Zeal does not stand poring\nover difficulties, but simply says, \"Here are souls perishing, and\nsomething _shall_ be done.\" Zeal does not shrink back because there are\nAnakims in the way: it looks over their heads, like Moses on Pisgah, and\nsays, \"The land _shall_ be possessed.\" Zeal does not wait for company,\nand tarry till good works are fashionable: it goes forward like a\nforlorn hope, and trusts that others will follow by and bye. Ah! the\nworld little knows what a debt it owes to Christian zeal. How much crime\nit has checked! How much sedition it has prevented! How much public\ndiscontent it has calmed! How much obedience to law and love of order it\nhas produced! How many souls it has saved! Yes! and I believe we little\nknow what might be done if every Christian was a zealous man! How much\nif ministers were more like Bickersteth, and Whitefield, and M'Cheyne!\nHow much if laymen were more like Howard, and Wilberforce, and Thornton,\nand Nasmith, and George Moore! Oh, for the world's sake, as well as your\nown, resolve, labour, strive to be a zealous Christian!\n\nLet every one who professes to be a Christian beware of checking zeal.\nSeek it. Cultivate it. Try to blow up the fire in your own heart, and\nthe hearts of others, but never, never check it. Beware of throwing cold\nwater on zealous souls, whenever you meet with them. Beware of nipping\nin the bud this precious grace when first it shoots. If you are a\nparent, beware of checking it in your children;--if you are a husband,\nbeware of checking it in your wife;--if you are a brother, beware of\nchecking it in your sisters,--and if you are a minister, beware of\nchecking it in the members of your congregation. It is a shoot of\nheaven's own planting. Beware of crushing it, for Christ's sake. Zeal\nmay make mistakes.--Zeal may need directing.--Zeal may want guiding,\ncontrolling, and advising. Like the elephants on ancient fields of\nbattle, it may sometimes do injury to its own side. But zeal does not\nneed damping in a wretched, cold, corrupt, miserable world like this.\nZeal, like John Knox pulling down the Scotch monasteries, may hurt the\nfeelings of narrow-minded and sleepy Christians. It may offend the\nprejudices of those old-fashioned religionists who hate everything new,\nand (like those who wanted soldiers and sailors to go on wearing\npigtails) abhor all change. But zeal in the end will be justified by its\nresults. Zeal, like John Knox, in the long run of life will do\ninfinitely more good than harm. There is little danger of there ever\nbeing too much zeal for the glory of God. God forgive those who think\nthere is! You know little of human nature. You forget that sickness is\nfar more contagious than health, and that it is much easier to catch a\nchill than impart a glow. Depend upon it, the Church seldom needs a\nbridle, but often needs a spur. It seldom needs to be checked, it often\nneeds to be urged on.\n\n\nAnd now, in conclusion, let me try to apply this subject to the\nconscience of every person who reads this paper. It is a warning\nsubject, an arousing subject, an encouraging subject, according to the\nstate of our several hearts. I wish, by God's help, to give every reader\nhis portion.\n\n(1) First of all, let me offer a warning to all _who make no decided\nprofession of religion_. There are thousands and tens of thousands, I\nfear, in this condition. If you are one, the subject before you is full\nof solemn warning. Oh, that the Lord in mercy may incline your heart to\nreceive it!\n\nI ask you, then, in all affection, Where is your zeal in religion? With\nthe Bible before me, I may well be bold in asking. But with your life\nbefore me, I may well tremble as to the answer. I ask again, Where is\nyour zeal for the glory of God? Where is your zeal for extending\nChrist's Gospel through an evil world? Zeal, which was the\ncharacteristic of the Lord Jesus; zeal, which is the characteristic of\nthe angels; zeal, which shines forth in all the brightest Christians:\nwhere is your zeal, unconverted reader?--where is your zeal indeed! You\nknow well it is nowhere at all; you know well you see no beauty in it;\nyou know well it is scorned and cast out as evil by you and your\ncompanions; you know well it has no place, no portion, no standing\nground, in the religion of your soul. It is not perhaps that you know\nnot what it is to be zealous in a certain way. You have zeal, but it is\nall misapplied. It is all earthly: it is all about the things of time.\nIt is not zeal for the glory of God: it is not zeal for the salvation of\nsouls. Yes: many a man has zeal for the newspaper, but not for the\nBible,--zeal for the daily reading of the _Times_, but no zeal for the\ndaily reading of God's blessed Word. Many a man has zeal for the account\nbook and the business book, but no zeal about the Book of Life and the\nlast great account,--zeal about Australian and Californian gold, but no\nzeal about the unsearchable riches of Christ. Many a man has zeal about\nhis earthly concerns,--his family, his pleasures, his daily pursuits;\nbut no zeal about God, and heaven, and eternity.\n\nIf this is the state of any one who is reading this paper, awake, I do\nbeseech you, to see your gross _folly_. You cannot live for ever. You\nare not ready to die. You are utterly unfit for the company of saints\nand angels. Awake: be zealous and repent!--Awake to see the _harm_ you\nare doing! You are putting arguments in the hands of infidels by your\nshameful coldness. You are pulling down as fast as ministers build. You\nare helping the devil. Awake: be zealous, and repent!--Awake to see your\nchildish _inconsistency_! What can be more worthy of zeal than eternal\nthings, than the glory of God, than the salvation of souls? Surely if it\nis good to labour for rewards that are temporal, it is a thousand times\nbetter to labour for those that are eternal. Awake: be zealous and\nrepent! Go and read that long-neglected Bible. Take up that blessed Book\nwhich you have, and perhaps never use. Read that New Testament through.\nDo you find nothing there to make you zealous,--to make you earnest\nabout your soul? Go and look at the cross of Christ. Go and see how the\nSon of God there shed His precious blood for you,--how He suffered and\ngroaned, and died for you,--how He poured out His soul as an offering\nfor sin, in order that you, sinful brother or sister, might not perish,\nbut have eternal life. Go and look at the cross of Christ, and never\nrest till you feel some zeal for your own soul,--some zeal for the glory\nof God,--some zeal for extension of the Gospel throughout the world.\nOnce more I say, awake: be zealous, and repent!\n\n(2) Let me, in the next place, say something to arouse those _who make a\nprofession of being decided Christians, and are yet lukewarm in their\npractice_. There are only too many, I regret to say, in this state of\nsoul. If you are one, there is much in this subject which ought to lead\nyou to searchings of heart.\n\nLet me speak to your conscience. To you also I desire to put the\nquestion in all brotherly affection, Where is your zeal?--Where is your\nzeal for the glory of God, and for extending the gospel throughout the\nworld? You know well it is very low. You know well that your zeal is a\nlittle feeble glimmering spark, that just lives, and no more;--it is\nlike a thing \"ready to die.\" (Rev. iii. 2.) Surely, there is a fault\nsomewhere, if this is the case. This state of things ought not to be.\nYou, the child of God,--you, redeemed at so glorious a price,--you,\nransomed with such precious blood, you, who are an heir of glory such as\nno tongue ever yet told, or eye saw;--surely you ought to be a man of\nanother kind. Surely your zeal ought not to be so small.\n\nI deeply feel that this is a painful subject to touch upon. I do it with\nreluctance, and with a constant remembrance of my own unprofitableness.\nNevertheless, truth ought to be spoken. The plain truth is that many\nbelievers in the present day seem so dreadfully afraid of doing harm\nthat they hardly ever dare to do good. There are many who are fruitful\nin objections, but barren in actions;--rich in wet blankets, but poor in\nanything like Christian fire. They are like the Dutch deputies, recorded\nin the history of last century, who would never allow Marlborough to\nventure anything, and by their excessive caution prevented many a\nvictory being won. Truly, in looking round the Church of Christ, a man\nmight sometimes think that God's kingdom had come, and God's will was\nbeing done upon earth, so small is the zeal that some believers show. It\nis vain to deny it. I need not go far for evidence. I point to Societies\nfor doing good to the heathen, the colonies, and the dark places of our\nown land, languishing and standing still for want of active support. I\nask, _Is this zeal?_ I point to thousands of miserable guinea\nsubscriptions which are never missed by the givers, and yet make up the\nsum of their Christian liberality. I ask, _Is this zeal?_ I point to\nfalse doctrine allowed to grow up in parishes and families without an\neffort being made to check it, while so-called believers look on, and\ncontent themselves with wishing it was not so. I ask, _Is this zeal?_\nWould the apostles have been satisfied with such a state of things? We\nknow they would not.\n\nIf the conscience of any one who read this paper pleads guilty to any\nparticipation in the short-comings I have spoken of, I call upon him, in\nthe name of the Lord, to awake, be zealous, and repent. Let not zeal be\nconfined to Lincoln's Inn, the Temple, and Westminster;--to banks, and\nshops, and counting houses. Let us see the same zeal in the Church of\nChrist. Let not zeal be abundant to lead forlorn hopes, or get gold from\nAustralia, or travel over thick ribbed ice in voyages of discovery, but\ndefective to send the Gospel to the heathen, or to pluck Roman Catholics\nlike brands from the fire, or to enlighten the dark places of the\ncolonies of this great land. Never were there such doors of usefulness\nopened,--never were there so many opportunities for doing good. I loathe\nthat squeamishness which refuses to help religious works if there is a\nblemish about the instrument by which the work is carried on. At this\nrate we might never do anything at all. Let us resist the feeling, if we\nare tempted by it. It is one of Satan's devices. It is better to work\nwith feeble instruments than not to work at all. At all events, try to\ndo something for God and Christ,--something against ignorance and sin.\nGive, collect, teach, exhort, visit, pray, according as God enables you.\nOnly make up your mind that all can do something, and resolve that by\nyou, at any rate, something shall be done. If you have only one talent,\ndo not bury it in the ground. Try to live so as to be missed. There is\nfar more to be done in twelve hours than most of us have ever yet done\non any day in our lives.\n\nThink of the _precious souls_ which are perishing while you are\nsleeping. Be taken up with your inward conflicts if you will. Go on\nanatomizing your own feelings, and poring over your own corruptions, if\nyou are so determined. But remember all this time souls are going to\nhell, and you might do something to save them by working, by giving, by\nwriting, by begging, and by prayer. Oh, awake! be zealous, and repent!\n\nThink of the _shortness of time_. You will soon be gone. You will have\nno opportunity for works of mercy in another world. In heaven there will\nbe no ignorant people to instruct, and no unconverted to reclaim.\nWhatever you do must be done now. Oh, when are you going to begin?\nAwake! be zealous, and repent.\n\nThink of _the devil_, and his zeal to do harm. It was a solemn saying of\nold Bernard when he said that \"Satan would rise up in judgment against\nsome people at the last day, because he had shown more zeal to ruin\nsouls than they had to save them.\" Awake! be zealous, and repent.\n\nThink of _your Saviour_, and all His zeal for you. Think of Him in\nGethsemane and on Calvary, shedding His blood for sinners. Think of His\nlife and death,--His sufferings and His doings. This He has done for\nyou. What are you doing for Him? Oh, resolve that for the time to come\nyou will spend and be spent for Christ! Awake! be zealous and repent.\n\n(3) Last of all, let me encourage _all readers of this paper who are\ntruly zealous Christians_.\n\nI have but one request to make, and that is _that you will persevere_. I\ndo beseech you to hold fast your zeal, and never let it go. I do beseech\nyou never to go back from your first works, never to leave your first\nlove, never to let it be said of you that your first things were better\nthan your last.--Beware of cooling down. You have only to be lazy, and\nto sit still, and you will soon lose all your warmth. You will soon\nbecome another man from what you are now. Oh, do not think this a\nneedless exhortation!\n\nIt may be very true that wise young believers are very rare. But it is\nno less true that zealous old believers are very rare also. Never allow\nyourself to think that you can do too much,--that you can spend and be\nspent too much for Christ's cause. For one man that does too much I will\nshow you a thousand who do not do enough. Rather think that \"the night\ncometh, when no man can work\" (John ix. 4),--and give, collect, teach,\nvisit, work, pray, as if you were doing it for the last time. Lay to\nheart the words of that noble-minded Jansenist, who said, when told that\nhe ought to rest a little, \"What should we rest for? have we not all\neternity to rest in?\"\n\nFear not the reproach of men. Faint not because you are sometimes\nabused. Heed it not if you are sometimes called bigot, enthusiast,\nfanatic, madman, and fool. There is nothing disgraceful in these titles.\nThey have often been given to the best and wisest of men. If you are\nonly to be zealous when you are praised for it,--if the wheels of your\nzeal must be oiled by the world's commendation, your zeal will be but\nshort-lived. Care not for the praise or frown of man. There is but one\nthing worth caring for, and that is the praise of God. There is but one\nquestion worth asking about our actions: \"How will they look in the day\nof judgment?\"\n\n\n\n\nIX\n\n\nFREEDOM\n\n \"_If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free\n indeed._\"--John viii. 36.\n\n\nThe subject before our eyes deserves a thousand thoughts. It should ring\nin the ears of Englishmen and Scotchmen like the voice of a trumpet. We\nlive in a land which is the very cradle of freedom. But are we ourselves\nfree?\n\nThe question is one which demands special attention at the present state\nof public opinion in Great Britain. The minds of many are wholly\nabsorbed in politics. Yet there is a freedom, within the reach of all,\nwhich few, I am afraid, ever think of,--a freedom independent of all\npolitical changes,--a freedom which neither Queen, Lords and Commons,\nnor the cleverest popular leaders can bestow. This is the freedom about\nwhich I write this day. Do we know anything of it? Are we free?\n\nIn opening this subject, there are three points which I wish to bring\nforward.\n\n\n I. I will show, in the first place, _the general excellence of\n freedom_.\n\n II. I will show, in the second place, _the best and truest kind of\n freedom_.\n\n III. I will show, in the last place, _the way in which the best kind\n of freedom may become your own_.\n\nLet no reader think for a moment that this is going to be a political\npaper. I am no politician: I have no politics but those of the Bible.\nThe only party I care for is the Lord's side: show me where that is, and\nit shall have my support. The only election I am very anxious about is\nthe election of grace. My one desire is, that sinners should make their\nown calling and election sure.--The liberty I desire above all things to\nmake known, and further, is the glorious liberty of the children of\nGod.--The Government I care to support is the government which is on the\nshoulder of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Before Christ I want every\nknee to bow, and every tongue to confess that He is Lord. I ask\nattention while I canvass these subjects. If you are not free, I want to\nguide you into true liberty. If you are free, I want you to know the\nfull value of your freedom.\n\n\nI. The first thing I have to show is _the general excellence of\nfreedom_.\n\nOn this point some readers may think it needless to say anything: they\nimagine that all men know the value of freedom, and that to dwell on it\nis mere waste of time. I do not agree with such people at all. I believe\nthat myriads of Englishmen know nothing of the blessings which they\nenjoy in their own land: they have grown up from infancy to manhood in\nthe midst of free institutions. They have not the least idea of the\nstate of things in other countries: they are ignorant alike of those two\nworst forms of tyranny,--the crushing tyranny of a cruel military\ndespot, and the intolerant tyranny of an unreasoning mob. In short, many\nEnglishmen know nothing of the value of liberty, just because they have\nbeen born in the middle of it, and have never been for a moment without\nit.\n\nI call then on every one who reads this paper to remember that liberty\nis one of the greatest temporal blessings that man can have on this side\nthe grave. We live in a land where our _bodies_ are free. So long as we\nhurt nobody's person, or property, or character, no one can touch us:\nthe poorest man's house is his castle.--We live in a land where our\n_actions_ are free. So long as we support ourselves, we are free to\nchoose what we will do, where we will go, and how we will spend our\ntime.--We live in a land where our _consciences_ are free. So long as we\nhold quietly on our own way, and do not interfere with others, we are\nfree to worship God as we please, and no man can compel us to take his\nway to heaven. We live in a land where no foreigner rules over us. Our\nlaws are made and altered by Englishmen like ourselves, and our\nGovernors dwell by our side, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh.\n\nIn short, we have every kind of freedom to an extent which no other\nnation on earth can equal. We have personal freedom, civil freedom,\nreligious freedom, and national freedom. We have free bodies, free\nconsciences, free speech, free thought, free action, free Bibles, a free\npress, and free homes. How vast is this list of privileges! How endless\nthe comforts which it contains! The full value of them can never perhaps\nbe known. Well said the Jewish Rabbins in ancient days: \"If the sea were\nink and the world parchment, it would never serve to describe the\npraises of liberty.\"\n\nThe want of this freedom has been the most fertile cause of misery to\nnations in every age of the world. What reader of the Bible can fail to\nremember the sorrows of the children of Israel, when they were bondmen\nunder Pharaoh in Egypt, or under Philistines in Canaan? What student of\nhistory needs to be reminded of the woes inflicted on the Netherlands,\nPoland, Spain, and Italy by the hand of foreign oppressors, or the\nInquisition? Who, even in our own time, has not heard of that enormous\nfountain of wretchedness, the slavery of the Negro race? No misery\ncertainly is so great as the misery of slavery.\n\nTo win and preserve freedom has been the aim of many national struggles\nwhich have deluged the earth with blood. Liberty has been the cause in\nwhich myriads of Greeks, and Romans, and Germans, and Poles, and Swiss,\nand Englishmen, and Americans have willingly laid down their lives. No\nprice has been thought too great to pay in order that nations might be\nfree.\n\nThe champions of freedom in every age have been justly esteemed among\nthe greatest benefactors of mankind. Such names as Moses and Gideon in\nJewish history, such names as the Spartan Leonidas, the Roman Horatius,\nthe German Martin Luther, the Swedish Gustavus Vasa, the Swiss William\nTell, the Scotch Robert Bruce and John Knox, the English Alfred and\nHampden and the Puritans, the American George Washington, are deservedly\nembalmed in history, and will never be forgotten. To be the mother of\nmany patriots is the highest praise of a nation.\n\nThe enemies of freedom in every age have been rightly regarded as the\npests and nuisances of their times. Such names as Pharaoh in Egypt,\nDionysius at Syracuse, Nero at Rome, Charles IX. in France, bloody Mary\nin England, are names which will never be rescued from disgrace. The\npublic opinion of mankind will never cease to condemn them, on the one\nground that they would not let people be free.\n\nBut why should I dwell on these things? Time and space would fail me if\nI were to attempt to say a tenth part of what might be said in praise of\nfreedom. What are the annals of history but a long record of conflicts\nbetween the friends and foes of liberty? Where is the nation upon earth\nthat has ever attained greatness, and left its mark on the world,\nwithout freedom? Which are the countries on the face of the globe at\nthis very moment which are making the most progress in trade, in arts,\nin sciences, in civilization, in philosophy, in morals, in social\nhappiness? Precisely those countries in which there is the greatest\namount of true freedom. Which are the countries at this very day where\nis the greatest amount of internal misery, where we hear continually of\nsecret plots, and murmuring, and discontent, and attempts on life and\nproperty? Precisely those countries where freedom does not exist, or\nexists only in name,--where men are treated as serfs and slaves, and are\nnot allowed to think and act for themselves. No wonder that a mighty\nTransatlantic Statesman declared on a great occasion to his assembled\ncountrymen: \"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at\nthe price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, almighty God! I know not\nwhat course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me\ndeath!\"[5]\n\n 5: To prevent mistakes, I think it well to say that the man I refer to\n is Patrick Henry, an American Statesman of the last century.\n\nLet us beware of _undervaluing_ the liberty we enjoy in this country of\nours, as Englishmen. I am sure there is need of this warning. There is,\nperhaps, no country on earth where there is so much grumbling and\nfault-finding as there is in England. Men look at the fancied evils\nwhich they see around them, and exaggerate both their number and their\nintensity. They refuse to look at the countless blessings and privileges\nwhich surround us, or underrate the advantages of them. They forget that\ncomparison should be applied to everything. With all our faults and\ndefects there is at this hour no country on earth where there is so much\nliberty and happiness for all classes, as there is in England. They\nforget that as long as human nature is corrupt, it is vain to expect\nperfection here below. No laws or government whatever can possibly\nprevent a certain quantity of abuses and corruptions. Once more then, I\nsay, let us beware of undervaluing English liberty, and running eagerly\nafter every one who proposes sweeping changes. Changes are not always\nimprovements. The old shoes may have some holes and defects, but the new\nshoes may pinch so much that we cannot walk at all. No doubt we might\nhave better laws and government than we have: but I am quite sure we\nmight easily have worse. At this very day there is no country on the\nface of the globe where there is so much care taken of the life, and\nhealth, and property, and character, and personal liberty of the meanest\ninhabitant, as there is in England. Those who want to have more liberty,\nwould soon find, if they crossed the seas, that there is no country on\nearth where there is so much real liberty as our own.[6]\n\n 6: The following weighty passage, from the pen of the judicious Hooker,\n is commended to the attention of all in the present day. It is the\n opening passage of the first book of his \"Ecclesiastical Polity.\"\n\n \"He that goeth about to persuade a multitude that they are not\n so well governed as they ought to be, shall never want\n attentive and favourable hearers, because they know the\n manifold defects whereunto every kind of regiment or government\n is subject; but the secret lets and difficulties, which in\n public proceedings are innumerable and inevitable, they have\n not ordinarily the judgment to consider. And because such as\n openly reprove disorders of States are taken for principal\n friends to the common benefit of all, and for men that carry\n singular freedom of mind, under this fair and plausible colour\n whatsoever they utter passeth for good and current. That which\n is wanting in the weight of their speech is supplied by the\n aptness of men's minds to accept and believe it. Whereas, on\n the other side, if we maintain things that are established, we\n have not only to strive with a number of heavy prejudices,\n deeply rooted in the breasts of men, who think that herein we\n serve the times, and speak in favour of the present state,\n because we either hold or seek preferment; but also to bear\n such reception as minds so averted beforehand usually take\n against that which they are loth should be poured into them.\"\n\nBut while I bid men not undervalue English liberty, so also on the other\nhand I charge them not to _overvalue_ it. Never forget that temporal\nslavery is not the only slavery, and temporal freedom not the only\nfreedom. What shall it profit you to be a citizen of a free country, so\nlong as your soul is not free? What is the use of living in a free land\nlike England, with free thought, free speech, free action, free\nconscience, so long as you are a slave to sin, and a captive to the\ndevil? Yes: there are tyrants whom no eye can see, as real and\ndestructive as Pharaoh or Nero! There are chains which no hands can\ntouch, as true and heavy and soul-withering as ever crushed the limbs of\nan African! It is these tyrants whom I want you this day to remember. It\nis these chains from which I want you to be free. Value by all means\nyour English liberty, but do not overvalue it. Look higher, further than\nany temporal freedom. In the highest sense let us take care that \"we are\nfree.\"\n\n\nII. The second thing I have to show is _the truest and best kind of\nfreedom_.\n\nThe freedom I speak of is a freedom that is within the reach of every\nchild of Adam who is willing to have it. No power on earth can prevent a\nman or woman having it, if they have but the will to receive it. Tyrants\nmay threaten and cast in prison, but nothing they can do can stop a\nperson having this liberty. And, once our own, nothing can take it away.\nMen may torture us, banish us, hang us, behead us, burn us, but they can\nnever tear from us true freedom. The poorest may have it no less than\nthe richest: the most unlearned may have it as well as the most learned,\nand the weakest as well as the strongest. Laws cannot deprive us of it:\nPope's bulls cannot rob us of it. Once our own, it is an everlasting\npossession.\n\nNow, what is this glorious freedom? Where is it to be found? What is it\nlike? Who has obtained it for man? Who has got it at this moment to\nbestow? I ask my readers to give me their attention, and I will supply a\nplain answer to these questions.\n\nThe true freedom =I= speak of is spiritual freedom,--freedom of soul. It\nis the freedom which Christ bestows, without money and without price, on\nall true Christians. Those whom the Son makes free are free indeed:\n\"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.\" (2 Cor. iii. 17.)\nLet men talk what they please of the comparative freedom of monarchies\nand republics; let them struggle, if they will, for universal liberty,\nfraternity, and equality: we never know the highest style of liberty\ntill we are enrolled citizens of the kingdom of God. We are ignorant of\nthe best kind of freedom if we are not Christ's freemen.\n\nChrist's freemen are free from the _guilt of sin_. That heavy burden of\nunforgiven transgressions, which lies so heavy on many consciences, no\nlonger presses them down. Christ's blood has cleansed it all away. They\nfeel pardoned, reconciled, justified, and accepted in God's sight. They\ncan look back to their old sins, however black and many, and say,--\"Ye\ncannot condemn me.\" They can look back on long years of carelessness and\nworldliness and say,--\"Who shall lay anything to my charge?\" This is\ntrue liberty. This is to be free.\n\nChrist's freemen are free from the _power of sin_. It no longer rules\nand reigns in their hearts, and carries them before it like a flood.\nThrough the power of Christ's Spirit they mortify the deeds of their\nbodies, and crucify their flesh with its affections and lusts. Through\nHis grace working in them they get the victory over their evil\ninclinations. The flesh may fight, but it does not conquer them; the\ndevil may tempt and vex, but does not overcome them: they are no longer\nthe bondslaves of lusts and appetites, and passions, and tempers. Over\nall these things they are more than conquerors, through Him that loved\nthem. This is true liberty. This is to be free.\n\nChrist's freemen are free from the _slavish fear of God_. They no longer\nlook at Him with dread and alarm, as an offended Maker; they no longer\nhate Him, and get away from Him, like Adam among the trees of the\ngarden; they no longer tremble at the thought of His judgment. Through\nthe Spirit of adoption which Christ has given them, they look on God as\na reconciled Father, and rejoice in the thought of His love. They feel\nthat anger is passed away. They feel that when God the Father looks down\nupon them, He sees them in Christ, and unworthy as they are in\nthemselves, is well-pleased. This is true liberty. This is to be free.\n\nChrist's freemen are free from the _fear of man_. They are no longer\nafraid of man's opinions, or care much what man thinks of them; they are\nalike indifferent to his favour or his enmity, his smile or his frown.\nThey look away from man who can be seen, to Christ who is not seen, and\nhaving the favour of Christ, they care little for the blame of man. \"The\nfear of man\" was once a snare to them. They trembled at the thought of\nwhat man would say, or think, or do: they dared not run counter to the\nfashions and customs of those around them; they shrank from the idea of\nstanding alone. But the snare is now broken and they are delivered. This\nis true liberty. This is to be free.\n\nChrist's freemen are free from the _fear of death_. They no longer look\nforward to it with silent dismay, as a horrible thing which they do not\ncare to think of. Through Christ they can look this last enemy calmly in\nthe face, and say,--\"Thou canst not harm me.\" They can look forward to\nall that comes after death,--decay, resurrection, judgment, and\neternity,--and yet not feel cast down. They can stand by the side of an\nopen grave, and say, \"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy\nvictory?\" They can lay them down on their death-beds, and say, \"Though I\nwalk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.\"\n(Ps. xxiii. 4.) \"Not a hair of my head shall perish.\" This is true\nliberty. This is to be free.\n\nBest of all, Christ's freemen are _free for ever_. Once enrolled in the\nlist of heavenly citizens, their names shall never be struck off. Once\npresented with the freedom of Christ's kingdom, they shall possess it\nfor evermore. The highest privileges of this world's freedom can only\nendure for a life-time; the freest citizen on earth must submit at\nlength to die, and lose his franchise for ever: but the franchise of\nChrist's people is eternal. They carry it down to the grave, and it\nlives still; they will rise again with it at the last day, and enjoy the\nprivileges of it for evermore. This is true liberty. This is to be free.\n\nDoes anyone ask how and in what way Christ has obtained these mighty\nprivileges for His people? You have a right to ask the question, and it\nis one that can never be answered too clearly. Give me your attention,\nand I will show you by what means Christ has made His people free.\n\nThe freedom of Christ's people has been procured, like all other\nfreedom, at a mighty cost and by a mighty sacrifice. Great was the\nbondage in which they were naturally held, and great was the price\nnecessary to be paid to set them free: mighty was the enemy who claimed\nthem as his captives, and it needed mighty power to release them out of\nhis hands. But, blessed be God, there was grace enough, and power enough\nready in Jesus Christ. He provided to the uttermost everything that was\nrequired to set His people free. The price that Christ paid for His\npeople was nothing less than His own life-blood. He became their\nSubstitute, and suffered for their sins on the cross: He redeemed them\nfrom the curse of the law, by being made a curse for them. (Gal. iii.\n13.) He paid all their debt in His own person, by allowing the\nchastisement of their peace to be laid on Him. (Isaiah liii. 5.) He\nsatisfied every possible demand of the law against them, by fulfilling\nits righteousness to the uttermost. He cleared them from every\nimputation of sin, by becoming sin for them. (2 Cor. v. 21.) He fought\ntheir battle with the devil, and triumphed over him on the cross. As\ntheir Champion, He spoiled principalities and powers, and made a show of\nthem openly on Calvary. In a word, Christ having given Himself for us,\nhas purchased the full right of redemption for us. Nothing can touch\nthose to whom He gives freedom: their debts are paid, and paid a\nthousand times over; their sins are atoned for by a full, perfect, and\nsufficient atonement. A Divine Substitute's death meets completely the\njustice of God, and provides completely redemption for man.\n\nLet us look well at this glorious plan of redemption, and take heed that\nwe understand it. Ignorance on this point is one great secret of faint\nhopes, little comfort, and ceaseless doubts in the minds of Christians.\nToo many are content with a vague idea that Christ will somehow save\nsinners: but how or why they cannot tell. I protest against this\nignorance. Let us set fully before our eyes the doctrine of Christ's\nvicarious death and substitution, and rest our souls upon it. Let us\ngrasp firmly the mighty truth, that Christ on the cross, stood in the\nplace of His people, died for His people, suffered for His people, was\ncounted a curse and sin for His people, paid the debts of His people,\nmade satisfaction for His people, became the surety and representative\nof His people, and in this way procured His people's freedom. Let us\nunderstand this clearly, and then we shall see what a mighty privilege\nit is to be made free by Christ.\n\nThis is the freedom which, above all other, is worth having. We can\nnever value it too highly: there is no danger of overvaluing it. All\nother freedom is an unsatisfying thing at the best, and a poor uncertain\npossession at any time. Christ's freedom alone can never be overthrown.\nIt is secured by a covenant ordered in all things and sure: its\nfoundations are laid in the eternal councils of God, and no foreign\nenemy can overthrow them. They are cemented and secured by the blood of\nthe Son of God Himself, and can never be cast down. The freedom of\nnations often lasts no longer than a few centuries: the freedom which\nChrist gives to any one of His people is a freedom that shall outlive\nthe solid world.\n\nThis is the truest, highest kind of freedom. This is the freedom which\nin a changing, dying world, I want men to possess.\n\n\nIII. I have now to show, in the last place, _the way in which the best\nkind of freedom is made our own_.\n\nThis is a point of vast importance, on account of the many mistakes\nwhich prevail about it. Thousands, perhaps, will allow that there is\nsuch a thing as spiritual freedom, and that Christ alone has purchased\nit for us: but when they come to the application of redemption, they go\nastray. They cannot answer the question, \"Who are those whom Christ\neffectually makes free?\" and for want of knowledge of the answer, they\nsit still in their chains. I ask every reader to give me his attention\nonce more, and I will try to throw a little light on the subject.\nUseless indeed is the redemption which Christ has obtained, unless you\nknow how the fruit of that redemption can become your own. In vain have\nyou read of the freedom wherewith Christ makes people free, unless you\nunderstand how you yourself may have an interest in it.\n\nWe are not born Christ's freemen. The inhabitants of many a city enjoy\nprivileges by virtue of their birth-place. St. Paul, who drew\nlife-breath first at Tarsus in Cilicia, could say to the Roman\nCommander, \"I was free-born.\" But this is not the case with Adam's\nchildren, in spiritual things. We are born slaves and servants of sin:\nwe are by nature \"children of wrath,\" and destitute of any title to\nheaven.\n\nWe are not made Christ's freemen by baptism. Myriads are every year\nbrought to the font, and solemnly baptized in the name of the Trinity,\nwho serve sin like slaves, and neglect Christ all their days. Wretched\nindeed is that man's state of soul who can give no better evidence of\nhis citizenship of heaven than the mere naked fact of his baptism!\n\nWe are not made Christ's freemen by mere membership of Christ's Church.\nThere are Companies and Corporations whose members are entitled to vast\nprivileges, without any respect to their personal character, if their\nnames are only on the list of members. The kingdom of Christ is not a\ncorporation of this kind. The grand test of belonging to it is personal\ncharacter.\n\nLet these things sink down into our minds. Far be it from me to narrow\nthe extent of Christ's redemption: the price He paid on the cross is\nsufficient for the whole world. Far be it from me to undervalue baptism\nor Church-membership: the ordinance which Christ appointed, and the\nChurch which He maintains in the midst of a dark world, ought neither of\nthem to be lightly esteemed.--All I contend for is the absolute\nnecessity of not being content either with baptism or Church-membership.\nIf our religion stops short here it is unprofitable and unsatisfying. It\nneeds something more than this to give us an interest in the redemption\nwhich Christ has purchased.\n\nThere is no other way to become Christ's freemen than that of simply\nbelieving. It is by faith, simple faith in Him as our Saviour and\nRedeemer, that men's souls are made free. It is by receiving Christ,\ntrusting Christ, committing ourselves to Christ, reposing our whole\nweight on Christ,--it is by this, and by no other plan, that spiritual\nliberty is made our own. Mighty as are the privileges which Christ's\nfreemen possess, they all become a man's property in the day that he\nfirst believes. He may not yet know their full value, but they are all\nhis own. He that believeth in Christ is not condemned,--is justified, is\nborn again, is an heir of God, and hath everlasting life.\n\nThe truth before us is one of priceless importance. Let us cling to it\nfirmly, and never let it go. If you desire peace of conscience, if you\nwant inward rest and consolation, stir not an inch off the ground that\nfaith is the grand secret of an interest in Christ's redemption.--Take\nthe simplest view of faith: beware of confusing your mind by complicated\nideas about it. Follow holiness as closely as you can: seek the fullest\nand clearest evidence of the inward work of the Spirit. But in the\nmatter of an interest in Christ's redemption remember that faith stands\nalone. It is by believing, simply believing, that souls become free.\n\nNo doctrine like this to suit the ignorant and unlearned! Visit the\npoorest and humblest cottager, who knows nothing of theology, and cannot\neven repeat the creed. Tell him the story of the cross, and the good\nnews about Jesus Christ, and His love to sinners; show him that there is\nfreedom provided for him, as well as for the most learned in the\nland,--freedom from guilt, freedom from the devil, freedom from\ncondemnation, freedom from hell. And then tell him plainly, boldly,\nbroadly, unreservedly, that this freedom may be all his own, if he will\nbut trust in Christ and believe.\n\nNo doctrine like this to suit the sick and dying! Go to the bedside of\nthe vilest sinner, when death is coming nigh, and tell him lovingly that\nthere is a hope even for him, if he can receive it. Tell him that Christ\ncame into the world to save sinners, even the chief of them; tell him\nthat Christ has done all, paid all, performed all, purchased all that\nthe soul of man can possibly need for salvation. And then assure him\nthat he, even he, may be freed at once from all his guilt, if he will\nonly believe. Yes, say to him, in the words of Scripture, \"If thou shalt\nconfess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that\nGod hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.\" (Rom. x. 9.)\n\nLet us never forget that this is the point to which we must turn our own\neyes, if we would know whether we have a saving interest in Christ's\nredemption. Waste not your time in speculations whether you are elect,\nand converted, and a vessel of grace. Stand not poring over the\nunprofitable question whether Christ died for you or not. That is a\npoint of which no one ever made any question in the Bible. Settle your\nthoughts on this one simple inquiry,--\"Do I really trust in Christ, as a\nhumble sinner? Do I cast myself on Him? Do I believe?\"--Look not to\nanything else. Look at this alone. Fear not to rest your soul on plain\ntexts and promises of Scripture. If you believe, you are free.\n\n(1) And now as I bring this paper to a conclusion, let me affectionately\npress upon every reader the inquiry which grows naturally out of the\nwhole subject. Let me ask every one a plain question: \"Are you free?\"\n\nI know not who or what you are into whose hands this paper has fallen.\nBut this I do know, there never was an age when the inquiry I press upon\nyou was more thoroughly needed. Political liberty, civil liberty,\ncommercial liberty, liberty of speech, liberty of the press,--all these,\nand a hundred other kindred subjects, are swallowing up men's attention.\nFew, very few, find time to think of spiritual liberty. Many, too many,\nforget that no man is so thoroughly a slave, whatever his position, as\nthe man who serves sin. Yes! there are thousands in this country who are\nslaves of beer and spirits, slaves of lust, slaves of ambition, slaves\nof political party, slaves of money, slaves of gambling, slaves of\nfashion, or slaves of temper! You may not see their chains with the\nnaked eye, and they themselves may boast of their liberty: but for all\nthat they are thoroughly slaves. Whether men like to hear it or not, the\ngambler and the drunkard, the covetous and the passionate, the glutton\nand the sensualist, are not free, but slaves. They are bound hand and\nfoot by the devil. \"He that committeth sin is the servant of sin.\"\n(Rom. viii. 34.) He that boasts of liberty, while he is enslaved by\nlusts and passions, is going down to hell with a lie in his right hand.\n\nAwake to see these things, while health, and time, and life are granted\nto you. Let not political struggles and party strife make you forget\nyour precious soul. Take any side in politics you please, and follow\nhonestly your conscientious convictions; but never, never forget that\nthere is a liberty far higher and more lasting than any that politics\ncan give you. Rest not till that liberty is your own. Rest not till YOUR\nSOUL IS FREE.\n\n(2) Do you feel any desire to be free? Do you find any longing within\nyou for a higher, better liberty than this world can give--a liberty\nthat will not die at your death, but will go with you beyond the grave?\nThen take the advice I give you this day. Seek Christ, repent, believe,\nand be free. Christ has a glorious liberty to bestow on all who humbly\ncry to Him for freedom. Christ can take burdens off your heart, and\nstrike chains off your inward man. \"If the Son shall make you free, you\nshall be free indeed.\" (John viii. 36.)\n\nFreedom like this is the secret of true happiness. None go through the\nworld with such ease and content as those who are citizens of a heavenly\ncountry. Earth's burdens press lightly upon their shoulders; earth's\ndisappointments do not crush them down as they do others; earth's duties\nand anxieties do not drink up their spirit. In their darkest hours they\nhave always this sustaining thought to fall back on,--\"I have something\nwhich makes me independent of this world: I am spiritually free.\"\n\nFreedom like this is the secret of being a good politician. In every age\nChrist's freemen have been the truest friends to law and order, and to\nmeasures for the benefit of all classes of mankind. Never, =never= let\nit be forgotten that the despised Puritans, two hundred years ago, did\nmore for the cause of real liberty in England than all the Governments\nwhich ever ruled this land. No man ever made this country so feared and\nrespected as Oliver Cromwell. The root of the most genuine patriotism is\nto be one of those whom Christ has made free.\n\n(3) Are you spiritually free? Then rejoice, and be thankful for your\nfreedom. Care not for the scorn and contempt of man: you have no cause\nto be ashamed of your religion or your Master. He whose citizenship is\nin heaven (Phil. iii. 20), who has God for his Father, and Christ for\nhis Elder Brother, angels for his daily guards, and heaven itself for\nhis home, is one that is well provided for. No change of laws can add to\nhis greatness: no extension of franchise can raise him higher than he\nstands in God's sight. \"The lines are fallen to him in pleasant places,\nand he has a goodly heritage.\" (Psalm xvi. 6.) Grace now, and the hope\nof glory hereafter, are more lasting privileges than the power of voting\nfor twenty boroughs or counties.\n\nAre you free? Then stand fast in your liberty, and be not entangled\nagain in the yoke of bondage. Listen not to those who by good words and\nfair speeches would draw you back to the Church of Rome. Beware of those\nwho would fain persuade you that there is any mediator but the one\nMediator, Christ Jesus,--any sacrifice but the one Sacrifice offered on\nCalvary,--any priest but the great High Priest Emmanuel,--any incense\nneeded in worship but the savour of His name who was crucified,--any\nrule of faith and practice but God's Word,--any confessional but the\nthrone of grace,--any effectual absolution but that which Christ bestows\non the hearts of His believing people,--any purgatory but the one\nfountain open for all sins, the blood of Christ, to be only used while\nwe are alive. On all these points stand fast, and be on your guard.\nScores of misguided teachers are trying to rob Christians of Gospel\nliberty, and to bring back among us exploded superstitions. Resist them\nmanfully, and do not give way for a moment. Remember what Romanism was\nin this country before the blessed Reformation. Remember at what mighty\ncost our martyred Reformers brought spiritual freedom to light by the\nGospel. Stand fast for this freedom like a man, and labour to hand it\ndown to your children, whole and unimpaired.\n\nAre you free? Then think every day you live of the millions of your\nfellow-creatures who are yet bound hand and foot in spiritual darkness.\nThink of six hundred millions of heathens who never yet heard of Christ\nand salvation. Think of the poor homeless Jews, scattered and wandering\nover the face of the earth, because they have not yet received their\nMessiah. Think of the millions of Roman Catholics who are yet in\ncaptivity under the Pope, and know nothing of true liberty, light, and\npeace. Think of the myriads of your own fellow-countrymen in our great\ncities, who, without Sabbaths and without means of grace, are\npractically heathens, and whom the devil is continually leading captive\nat his will. Think of them all, and feel for them. Think of them all,\nand often say to yourself,--\"What can I do for them? How can I help to\nset them free?\"\n\nWhat! Shall it be proclaimed at the last day that Pharisees and Jesuits\nhave compassed sea and land to make proselytes,--that politicians have\nleagued and laboured night and day to obtain catholic emancipation and\nfree trade,--that philanthropists have travailed in soul for years to\nprocure the suppression of negro slavery,--and shall it appear at the\nsame time that Christ's freemen have done little to rescue men and women\nfrom hell? Forbid it, faith! Forbid it, charity! Surely if the children\nof this world are zealous to promote temporal freedom, the children of\nGod ought to be much more zealous to promote spiritual freedom. Let the\ntime past suffice us to have been selfish and indolent in this matter.\nFor the rest of our days let us use =every= effort to promote spiritual\nemancipation. If we have tasted the blessings of freedom, let us spare\nno pains to make others free.\n\nAre you free? Then look forward in faith and hope for good things yet to\ncome. Free as we are, if we believe on Christ, from the guilt and power\nof sin, we must surely feel every day that we are not free from its\npresence and the temptations of the devil. Redeemed as we are from the\neternal consequences of the fall, we must often feel that we are not yet\nredeemed from sickness and infirmity, from sorrow and from pain. No,\nindeed! Where is the freeman of Christ on earth who is not often\npainfully reminded that we are not yet in heaven? We are yet in the\nbody; we are yet travelling through the wilderness of this world: we are\nnot at home. We have shed many tears already, and probably we shall have\nto shed many more; we have got yet within us a poor weak heart: we are\nyet liable to be assaulted by the devil. Our redemption is begun indeed,\nbut it is not yet completed. We have redemption now in the root, but we\nhave it not in the flower.\n\nBut let us take courage: there are better days yet to come. Our great\nRedeemer and Liberator has gone before us to prepare a place for His\npeople, and when He comes again our redemption will be complete. The\ngreat jubilee year is yet to come. A few more returns of Christmas and\nNew Year's Days,--a few more meetings and partings,--a few more births\nand deaths,--a few more weddings and funerals,--a few more tears and\nstruggles,--a few more sicknesses and pains,--a few more Sabbaths and\nsacraments,--a few more preachings and prayings,--a few more, and the\nend will come! Our Master will come back again. The dead saints shall be\nraised. The living saints shall be changed. Then, and not till then, we\nshall be completely free. The liberty which we enjoyed by faith shall be\nchanged into the liberty of sight, and the freedom of hope into the\nfreedom of certainty.\n\nCome, then, and let us resolve to wait, and watch, and hope, and pray,\nand live like men who have something laid up for them in heaven. The\nnight is far spent, and the day is at hand. Our King is not far off: our\nfull redemption draweth nigh. Our full salvation is nearer than when we\nbelieved. The signs of the times are strange, and demand every\nChristian's serious attention. The kingdoms of this world are in\nconfusion: the powers of this world, both temporal and ecclesiastical,\nare everywhere reeling and shaken to their foundations. Happy, thrice\nhappy, are those who are citizens of Christ's eternal kingdom, and ready\nfor anything that may come. Blessed indeed are those men and women who\nknow and feel that they are free!\n\n\n\n\nX\n\n\nHAPPINESS\n\n \"_Happy is that people whose God is the Lord._\"--Psalm cxliv.\n 15.\n\n\nAn infidel was once addressing a crowd of people in the open air. He was\ntrying to persuade them that there was no God and no devil no heaven,\nand no hell, no resurrection, no judgment, and no life to come. He\nadvised them to throw away their Bibles, and not to mind what parsons\nsaid. He recommended them to think as he did, and to be like him. He\ntalked boldly. The crowd listened eagerly. It was \"the blind leading the\nblind.\" Both were falling into the ditch. (Matt. xv. 14.)\n\nIn the middle of his address a poor old woman suddenly pushed her way\nthrough the crowd, to the place where he was standing. She stood before\nhim. She looked him full in the face. \"Sir,\" she said, in a loud voice,\n\"Are you happy?\" The infidel looked scornfully at her, and gave her no\nanswer. \"Sir,\" she said again, \"I ask you to answer my question. Are you\nhappy? You want us to throw away our Bibles. You tell us not to believe\nwhat parsons say about religion. You advise us to think as you do, and\nbe like you. Now before we take your advice we have a right to know what\ngood we shall get by it. Do your fine new notions give you much comfort?\nDo you yourself really feel happy?\"\n\nThe infidel stopped, and attempted to answer the old woman's question.\nHe stammered, and shuffled, and fidgetted, and endeavoured to explain\nhis meaning. He tried hard to turn the subject. He said, he \"had not\ncome there to preach about happiness.\" But it was of no use. The old\nwoman stuck to her point. She insisted on her question being answered,\nand the crowd took her part. She pressed him hard with her inquiry, and\nwould take no excuse. And at last the infidel was obliged to leave the\nground, and sneak off in confusion. He could not reply to the question.\nHis conscience would not let him: he dared not say that he was happy.\n\nThe old woman showed great wisdom in asking the question that she did.\nThe argument she used may seem very simple, but in reality it is one of\nthe most powerful that can be employed. It is a weapon that has more\neffect on some minds than the most elaborate reasoning of Butler, or\nPaley, or Chalmers. Whenever a man begins to take up new views of\nreligion, and pretends to despise old Bible Christianity, thrust home at\nhis conscience the old woman's question. Ask him whether his new views\nmake him feel comfortable within. Ask him whether he can say, with\nhonesty and sincerity, that he is happy. The grand test of a man's faith\nand religion is, \"Does it make him happy?\"\n\nLet me now affectionately invite every reader to consider the subject of\nthis paper. Let me warn you to remember that the salvation of your soul,\nand nothing less, is closely bound up with the subject. The heart cannot\nbe right in the sight of God which knows nothing of happiness. That man\nor woman cannot be in a safe state of soul who feels nothing of peace\nwithin.\n\nThere are three things which I purpose to do, in order to clear up the\nsubject of happiness. I ask special attention to each one of them. And I\npray the Spirit of God to apply all to the souls of all who read this\npaper.\n\n I. Let me point out some things which are absolutely essential to\n all happiness.\n\n II. Let me expose some common mistakes about the way to be happy.\n\n III. Let me show the way to be truly happy.\n\n\nI. First of all I have _to point out some things which are absolutely\nessential to all true happiness_.\n\nHappiness is what all mankind want to obtain: the desire of it is deeply\nplanted in the human heart. All men naturally dislike pain, sorrow, and\ndiscomfort. All men naturally like ease, comfort, and gladness. All men\nnaturally hunger and thirst after happiness. Just as the sick man longs\nfor health, and the prisoner of war for liberty,--just as the parched\ntraveller in hot countries longs to see the cooling fountain, or the\nice-bound polar voyager the sun rising above the horizon,--just in the\nsame way does poor mortal man long to be happy. But, alas, how few\nconsider what they really mean when they talk of happiness! How vague\nand indistinct and undefined the ideas of most men are upon the subject!\nThey think some are happy who in reality are miserable: they think some\nare gloomy and sad who in reality are truly happy. They dream of a\nhappiness which in reality would never satisfy their nature's wants. Let\nme try this day to throw a little light on the subject.\n\nTrue happiness _is not perfect freedom from sorrow and discomfort_. Let\nthat never be forgotten. If it were so there would be no such thing as\nhappiness in the world. Such happiness is for angels who have never\nfallen, and not for man. The happiness I am inquiring about is such as a\npoor, dying, sinful creature may hope to attain. Our whole nature is\ndefiled by sin. Evil abounds in the world. Sickness, and death, and\nchange are daily doing their sad work on every side. In such a state of\nthings the highest happiness man can attain to on earth must\nnecessarily be a mixed thing. If we expect to find any literally perfect\nhappiness on this side of the grave, we expect what we shall not find.\n\nTrue happiness _does not consist in laughter and smiles_. The face is\nvery often a poor index of the inward man. There are thousands who laugh\nloud and are merry as a grasshopper in company, but are wretched and\nmiserable in private, and almost afraid to be alone. There are hundreds\nwho are grave and serious in their demeanour, whose hearts are full of\nsolid peace. A poet of our own has truly told us that smiles are worth\nbut little:--\n\n \"A man may smile and smile and be a villain.\"\n\nAnd the eternal Word of God teaches us that \"even in laughter the heart\nis sorrowful.\" (Prov. xiv. 13.) Tell me not merely of smiling and\nlaughing faces: I want to hear of something more than that when I ask\nwhether a man is happy. A truly happy man no doubt will often show his\nhappiness in his countenance; but a man may have a very merry face and\nyet not be happy at all.\n\nOf all deceptive things on earth nothing is so deceptive as mere gaiety\nand merriment. It is a hollow empty show, utterly devoid of substance\nand reality. Listen to the brilliant talker in society, and mark the\napplause which he receives from an admiring company: follow him to his\nown private room, and you will very likely find him plunged in\nmelancholy despondency. Colonel Gardiner confessed that even when he was\nthought most happy he often wished he was a dog.--Look at the smiling\nbeauty in the ball-room, and you might suppose she knew not what it was\nto be unhappy; see her next day at her own home, and you may probably\nfind her out of temper with herself and everybody else besides.--Oh, no:\nworldly merriment is not real happiness! There is a certain pleasure\nabout it, I do not deny. There is an animal excitement about it, I make\nno question. There is a temporary elevation of spirits about it, I\nfreely concede. But call it not by the sacred name of happiness. The\nmost beautiful cut flowers stuck into the ground do not make a garden.\nWhen glass is called diamond, and tinsel is called gold, then, and not\ntill then, your people who can laugh and smile will deserve to be called\nhappy men.[7]\n\n 7: Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, at a time when all Spain was\n laughing at his humorous work, was overwhelmed with a deep cloud of\n melancholy.\n\n Moliere, the first of French comic writers, carried into his domestic\n circle a sadness which the greatest worldly prosperity could never\n dispel.\n\n Samuel Foote, the noted wit of the last century, died of a broken heart.\n\n Theodore Hooke, the facetious novel writer, who could set everybody\n laughing, says of himself in his diary, \"I am suffering under a constant\n depression of spirits, which no one who sees me in society dreams of.\"\n\n A wobegone stranger consulted a physician about his health. The\n physician advised him to keep up his spirits by going to hear the great\n comic actor of the day. \"You should go and hear Matthews. He would make\n you well.\" \"Alas, sir,\" was the reply, \"I am Matthews\n himself!\"--_Pictorial Pages._\n\nTo be truly happy _the highest wants of a man's nature must be met and\nsatisfied_. The requirements of his curiously wrought constitution must\nall be filled up. There must be nothing about him that cries, \"Give,\ngive,\" but cries in vain and gets no answer. The horse and the ox are\nhappy as long as they are warmed and filled. And why? It is because they\nare satisfied. The little infant looks happy when it is clothed, and\nfed, and well, and in its mother's arms. And why? Because it is\nsatisfied. And just so it is with man. His highest wants must be met and\nsatisfied before he can be truly happy. All must be filled up. There\nmust be no void, no empty places, no unsupplied cravings. Till then he\nis never truly happy.\n\nAnd what are _man's principal wants_? Has he a body only? No: he has\nsomething more! He has a soul.--Has he sensual faculties only? Can he\ndo nothing but hear, and see, and smell, and taste, and feel? No: he has\na thinking mind and a conscience!--Has he no consciousness of any world\nbut that in which he lives and moves? He has. There is a still small\nvoice within him which often makes itself heard: \"This life is not all!\nThere is a world unseen: there is a life beyond the grave.\" Yes! it is\ntrue. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. All men know it: all men\nfeel it, if they would only speak the truth. It is utter nonsense to\npretend that food and raiment and earthly good things alone can make men\nhappy. There are soul-wants. There are conscience-wants. There can be no\ntrue happiness until these wants are satisfied.\n\nTo be truly happy _a man must have sources of gladness which are not\ndependent on anything in this world_. There is nothing upon earth which\nis not stamped with the mark of instability and uncertainty. All the\ngood things that money can buy are but for a moment: they either leave\nus or we are obliged to leave them. All the sweetest relationships in\nlife are liable to come to an end: death may come any day and cut them\noff. The man whose happiness depends entirely on things here below is\nlike him who builds his house on sand, or leans his weight on a reed.\n\nTell me not of your happiness if it daily hangs on the uncertainties of\nearth. Your home may be rich in comforts; your wife and children may be\nall you could desire; your means may be amply sufficient to meet all\nyour wants. But oh, remember, if you have nothing more than this to look\nto, that you stand on the brink of a precipice! Your rivers of pleasure\nmay any day be dried up. Your joy may be deep and earnest, but it is\nfearfully short-lived. It has no root. It is not true happiness.\n\nTo be really happy _a man must be able to look on every side without\nuncomfortable feelings_. He must be able to look back to the past\nwithout guilty fears; he must be able to look around him without\ndiscontent; he must be able to look forward without anxious dread.\nHe must be able to sit down and think calmly about things past,\npresent, and to come, and feel prepared. The man who has a weak side\nin his condition,--a side that he does not like looking at or\nconsidering,--that man is not really happy.\n\nTalk not to me of your happiness, if you are unable to look steadily\neither before or behind you. Your present position may be easy and\npleasant. You may find many sources of joy and gladness in your\nprofession, your dwelling-place, your family, and your friends. Your\nhealth may be good, your spirits may be cheerful. But stop and think\nquietly over your past life. Can you reflect calmly on all the omissions\nand commissions of by-gone years? How will they bear God's inspection?\nHow will you answer for them at the last day?--And then look forward,\nand think on the years yet to come. Think of the certain end towards\nwhich you are hastening; think of death; think of judgment; think of the\nhour when you will meet God face to face. Are you ready for it? Are you\nprepared? Can you look forward to these things without alarm?--Oh, be\nvery sure if you cannot look comfortably at any season but the present,\nyour boasted happiness is a poor unreal thing! It is but a whitened\nsepulchre,--fair and beautiful without, but bones and corruption within.\nIt is a mere thing of a day, like Jonah's gourd. It is not real\nhappiness.\n\nI ask my readers to fix in their minds the account of things essential\nto happiness, which I have attempted to give. Dismiss from your thoughts\nthe many mistaken notions which pass current on this subject, like\ncounterfeit coin. To be truly happy, the wants of your soul and\nconscience must be satisfied; to be truly happy, your joy must be\nfounded on something more than this world can give you; to be truly\nhappy, you must be able to look on every side,--above, below, behind,\nbefore,--and feel that all is right. This is real, sterling, genuine\nhappiness: this is the happiness I have in view when I urge on your\nnotice the subject of this paper.\n\n\nII. In the next place, _let me expose some common mistakes about the way\nto be happy_.\n\nThere are several roads which are thought by many to lead to happiness.\nIn each of these roads thousands and tens of thousands of men and women\nare continually travelling. Each fancies that if he could only attain\nall he wants he would be happy. Each fancies, if he does not succeed,\nthat the fault is not in his road, but in his own want of luck and good\nfortune. And all alike seem ignorant that they are hunting shadows. They\nhave started in a wrong direction: they are seeking that which can never\nbe found in the place where they seek it.\n\nI will mention by name some of the principal delusions about happiness.\nI do it in love, and charity, and compassion to men's souls. I believe\nit to be a public duty to warn people against cheats, quacks, and\nimpostors. Oh, how much trouble and sorrow it might save my readers, if\nthey would only believe what I am going to say!\n\nIt is an utter mistake to suppose that _rank and greatness alone_ can\ngive happiness. The kings and rulers of this world are not necessarily\nhappy men. They have troubles and crosses, which none know but\nthemselves; they see a thousand evils, which they are unable to remedy;\nthey are slaves working in golden chains, and have less real liberty\nthan any in the world; they have burdens and responsibilities laid upon\nthem, which are a daily weight on their hearts. The Roman Emperor\nAntonine often said, that \"the imperial power was an ocean of miseries.\"\nQueen Elizabeth, when she heard a milk-maid singing, wished that she had\nbeen born to a lot like her's. Never did our great Poet write a truer\nword than when he said,\n\n \"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.\"\n\nIt is an utter mistake to suppose that _riches alone_ can give\nhappiness. They can enable a man to command and possess everything but\ninward peace. They cannot buy a cheerful spirit and a light heart. There\nis care in the getting of them, and care in the keeping of them, care in\nthe using of them, and care in the disposing of them, care in the\ngathering, and care in the scattering of them. He was a wise man who\nsaid that \"money\" was only another name for \"trouble,\" and that the same\nEnglish letters which spelt \"acres\" would also spell \"cares.\"\n\nIt is an utter mistake to suppose that _learning and science alone_ can\ngive happiness. They may occupy a man's time and attention, but they\ncannot really make him happy. They that increase knowledge often\n\"increase sorrow:\" the more they learn, the more they discover their own\nignorance. (Eccles. i. 18.) It is not in the power of things on earth or\nunder the earth to \"minister to a mind diseased.\" The heart wants\nsomething as well as the head: the conscience needs food as well as the\nintellect. All the secular knowledge in the world will not give a man\njoy and gladness, when he thinks on sickness, and death, and the grave.\nThey that have climbed the highest, have often found themselves\nsolitary, dissatisfied, and empty of peace. The learned Selden, at the\nclose of his life, confessed that all his learning did not give him such\ncomfort as four verses of St. Paul. (Titus ii. 11--14.)\n\nIt is an utter mistake to suppose that _idleness alone_ can give\nhappiness. The labourer who gets up at five in the morning, and goes out\nto work all day in a cold clay ditch, often thinks, as he walks past the\nrich man's door, \"What a fine thing it must be to have no work to do.\"\nPoor fellow! he little knows what he thinks. The most miserable\ncreature on earth is the man who has nothing to do. Work for the hands\nor work for the head is absolutely essential to human happiness. Without\nit the mind feeds upon itself, and the whole inward man becomes\ndiseased. The machinery within _will_ work, and without something to\nwork upon, will often wear itself to pieces. There was no idleness in\nEden. Adam and Eve had to \"dress the garden and keep it.\" There will be\nno idleness in heaven: God's \"servants shall serve Him.\" Oh, be very\nsure the idlest man is the man most truly unhappy! (Gen. ii. 15; Rev.\nxxii. 3.)\n\nIt is an utter mistake to suppose that _pleasure-seeking and amusement\nalone_ can give happiness. Of all roads that men can take in order to be\nhappy, this is the one that is most completely wrong. Of all weary,\nflat, dull, and unprofitable ways of spending life, this exceeds all. To\nthink of a dying creature, with an immortal soul, expecting happiness in\nfeasting and revelling,--in dancing and singing,--in dressing and\nvisiting,--in ball-going and card-playing,--in races and fairs,--in\nhunting and shooting,--in crowds, in laughter, in noise, in music, in\nwine! Surely it is a sight that is enough to make the devil laugh and\nthe angels weep. Even a child will not play with its toys all day long.\nIt must have food. But when grown up men and women think to find\nhappiness in a constant round of amusement they sink far below a child.\n\nI place before every reader of this paper these common mistakes about\nthe way to be happy. I ask you to mark them well. I warn you plainly\nagainst these pretended short cuts to happiness, however crowded they\nmay be. I tell you that if you fancy any one of them can lead you to\ntrue peace you are entirely deceived. Your conscience will never feel\nsatisfied; your immortal soul will never feel easy: your whole inward\nman will feel uncomfortable and out of health. Take any one of these\nroads, or take all of them, and if you have nothing besides to look to,\nyou will never find happiness. You may travel on and on and on, and the\nwished for object will seem as far away at the end of each stage of life\nas when you started. You are like one pouring water into a sieve, or\nputting money into a bag with holes. You might as well try to make an\nelephant happy by feeding him with a grain of sand a day, as try to\nsatisfy that heart of your's with rank, riches, learning, idleness, or\npleasure.\n\nDo you doubt the truth of all I am saying? I dare say you do. Then let\nus turn to the great Book of human experience, and read over a few lines\nout of its solemn pages. You shall have the testimony of a few competent\nwitnesses on the great subject I am urging on your attention.\n\nA King shall be our first witness: I mean Solomon, King of Israel. We\nknow that he had power, and wisdom, and wealth, far exceeding that of\nany ruler of his time. We know from his own confession, that he tried\nthe great experiment how far the good things of this world can make man\nhappy. We know, from the record of his own hand, the result of this\ncurious experiment. He writes it by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost,\nfor the benefit of the whole world, in the book of Ecclesiastes. Never,\nsurely, was the experiment tried under such favourable circumstances:\nnever was any one so likely to succeed as the Jewish King. Yet what is\nSolomon's testimony? You have it in his melancholy words: \"All is vanity\nand vexation of spirit.\" (Eccles. i. 14.)\n\nA famous French lady shall be our next witness: I mean Madam De\nPompadour. She was the friend and favourite of Louis the Fifteenth. She\nhad unbounded influence at the Court of France. She wanted nothing that\nmoney could procure. Yet what does she say herself? \"What a situation is\nthat of the great! They only live in the future, and are only happy in\nhope. There is no peace in ambition. I am always gloomy, and often so\nunreasonably. The kindness of the King, the regard of courtiers, the\nattachment of my domestics, and the fidelity of a large number of\nfriends,--motives like these, which ought to make me happy, affect me no\nlonger. I have no longer inclinations for all which once pleased me. I\nhave caused my house at Paris to be magnificently furnished: well; it\npleased for two days! My residence at Bellevue is charming; and I alone\ncannot endure it. Benevolent people relate to me all the news and\nadventures of Paris: they think I listen, but when they have done I ask\nthem what they said. In a word, I do not live: I am dead before my time.\nI have no interest in the world. Everything conspires to embitter my\nlife. My life is a continual death.\" To such testimony I need not add a\nsingle word. (_Sinclair's Anecdotes and Aphorisms_ p. 33)\n\nA famous German writer shall be our next witness: I mean Goethe. It is\nwell known that he was almost idolized by many during his life. His\nworks were read and admired by thousands. His name was known and\nhonoured, wherever German was read, all over the world. And yet the\npraise of man, of which he reaped such an abundant harvest, was utterly\nunable to make Goethe happy. \"He confessed, when about eighty years old,\nthat he could not remember being in a really happy state of mind even\nfor a few weeks together; and that when he wished to feel happy, he had\nto veil his self-consciousness.\" (_See Sinclair's Anecdotes and\nAphorisms, p. 280._)\n\nAn English peer and poet shall be our next witness: I mean Lord Byron.\nIf ever there was one who ought to have been happy according to the\nstandard of the world, Lord Byron was the man. He began life with all\nthe advantages of English rank and position. He had splendid abilities\nand powers of mind, which the world soon discovered and was ready to\nhonour. He had a sufficiency of means to gratify every lawful wish, and\nnever knew anything of real poverty. Humanly speaking, there seemed\nnothing to prevent him enjoying life and being happy. Yet it is a\nnotorious fact that Byron was a miserable man. Misery stands out in his\npoems: misery creeps out in his letters. Weariness, satiety, disgust,\nand discontent appear in all his ways. He is an awful warning that rank,\nand title, and literary fame, alone, are not sufficient to make a man\nhappy.\n\nA man of science shall be our next witness: I mean Sir Humphrey Davy. He\nwas a man eminently successful in the line of life which he chose, and\ndeservedly so. A distinguished philosopher,--the inventor of the famous\nsafety-lamp which bears his name, and has preserved so many poor miners\nfrom death by fire-damp,--a Baronet of the United Kingdom and President\nof the Royal Society;--his whole life seemed a continual career of\nprosperity. If learning alone were the road to happiness, this man at\nleast ought to have been happy. Yet what was the true record of Davy's\nfeelings? We have it in his own melancholy journal at the latter part of\nhis life. He describes himself in two painful words: \"Very miserable!\"\n\nA man of wit and pleasure shall be our next witness: I mean Lord\nChesterfield. He shall speak for himself: his own words in a letter\nshall be his testimony. \"I have seen the silly round of business and\npleasure, and have done with it all. I have enjoyed all the pleasures of\nthe world, and consequently know their futility, and do not regret their\nloss. I appraise them at their real value, which in truth is very low;\nwhereas those who have not experience always overrate them. They only\nsee their gay outside, and are dazzled with their glare; but I have been\nbehind the scenes. I have seen all the coarse pullies and dirty ropes\nwhich exhibit and move the gaudy machine, and I have seen and smelt the\ntallow candles which illuminate the whole decoration, to the\nastonishment and admiration of the ignorant audience. When I reflect on\nwhat I have seen, what I have heard, and what I have done, I cannot\npersuade myself that all that frivolous hurry of bustle and pleasure of\nthe world had any reality. I look on all that is past as one of those\nromantic dreams which opium occasions, and I do by no means wish to\nrepeat the nauseous dose for the sake of the fugitive dream.\" These\nsentences speak for themselves. I need not add to them one single word.\n\nThe Statesmen and Politicians who have swayed the destinies of the\nworld, ought by good right to be our last witnesses. But I forbear, in\nChristian charity, to bring them forward. It makes my heart ache when I\nrun my eye over the list of names famous in English history, and think\nhow many have worn out their lives in a breathless struggle after place\nand distinction. How many of our greatest men have died of broken\nhearts,--disappointed, disgusted, and tried with constant failure! How\nmany have left on record some humbling confession that in the plentitude\nof their power they were pining for rest, as the caged eagle for\nliberty! How many whom the world is applauding as \"masters of the\nsituation,\" are in reality little better than galley-slaves, chained to\nthe oar and unable to get free! Alas, there are many sad proofs, both\namong the living and the dead, that to be great and powerful is not\nnecessarily to be happy.\n\nI think it very likely that men do not believe what I am saying. I know\nsomething of the deceitfulness of the heart on the subject of happiness.\nThere are few things which man is so slow to believe as the truths I am\nnow putting forth about the way to be happy. Bear with me then while I\nsay something more.\n\nCome and stand with me some afternoon in the heart of the city of\nLondon. Let us watch the faces of most of the wealthy men whom we shall\nsee leaving their houses of business at the close of the day. Some of\nthem are worth hundreds of thousands: some of them are worth millions of\npounds. But what is written in the countenances of these grave men whom\nwe see swarming out from Lombard Street and Cornhill, from the Bank of\nEngland and the Stock Exchange? What mean those deep lines which furrow\nso many a cheek and so many a brow? What means that air of anxious\nthoughtfulness which is worn by five out of every six we meet? Ah, these\nthings tell a serious tale. They tell us that it needs something more\nthan gold and bank notes to make men happy.\n\nCome next and stand with me near the Houses of Parliament, in the middle\nof a busy session. Let us scan the faces of Peers and Commoners, whose\nnames are familiar and well-known all over the civilized world. There\nyou may see on some fine May evening the mightiest Statesmen in England\nhurrying to a debate, like eagles to the carcase. Each has a power of\ngood or evil in his tongue which it is fearful to contemplate. Each may\nsay things before to-morrow's sun dawns, which may affect the peace and\nprosperity of nations, and convulse the world. There you may see the men\nwho hold the reins of power and government already; there you may see\nthe men who are daily watching for an opportunity of snatching those\nreins out of their hands, and governing in their stead. But what do\ntheir faces tell us as they hasten to their posts? What may be learned\nfrom their care-worn countenances? What may be read in many of their\nwrinkled foreheads,--so absent-looking and sunk in thought? They teach\nus a solemn lesson. They teach us that it needs something more than\npolitical greatness to make men happy.\n\nCome next and stand with me in the most fashionable part of London, in\nthe height of the season. Let us visit Regent Street or Pall Mall, Hyde\nPark or May Fair. How many fair faces and splendid equipages we shall\nsee! How many we shall count up in an hour's time who seem to possess\nthe choicest gifts of this world,--beauty, wealth, rank, fashion, and\ntroops of friends! But, alas, how few we shall see who appear happy! In\nhow many countenances we shall read weariness, dissatisfaction,\ndiscontent, sorrow, or unhappiness, as clearly as if it was written with\na pen! Yes: it is a humbling lesson to learn, but a very wholesome one.\nIt needs something more than rank, and fashion, and beauty, to make\npeople happy.\n\nCome next and walk with me through some quiet country parish in merry\nEngland. Let us visit some secluded corner in our beautiful old\nfather-land, far away from great towns, and fashionable dissipation and\npolitical strife. There are not a few such to be found in the land.\nThere are rural parishes where there is neither street, nor public\nhouse, nor beershop,--where there is work for all the labourers, and a\nchurch for all the population, and a school for all the children, and a\nminister of the Gospel to look after the people. Surely, you will say,\nwe shall find happiness here! Surely such parishes must be the very\nabodes of peace and joy!--Go into those quiet-looking cottages, one by\none, and you will soon be undeceived. Learn the inner history of each\nfamily, and you will soon alter your mind. You will soon discover that\nbackbiting, and lying, and slandering, and envy, and jealousy, and\npride, and laziness, and drinking, and extravagance, and lust, and petty\nquarrels, can murder happiness in the country quite as much as in the\ntown. No doubt a rural village sounds pretty in poetry, and looks\nbeautiful in pictures; but in sober reality human nature is the same\nevil thing everywhere. Alas, it needs something more than a residence in\na quiet country parish to make any child of Adam a happy man!\n\nI know these are ancient things. They have been said a thousand times\nbefore without effect, and I suppose they will be said without effect\nagain. I want no greater proof of the corruption of human nature than\nthe pertinacity with which we seek happiness where happiness cannot be\nfound. Century after century wise men have left on record their\nexperience about the way to be happy. Century after century the children\nof men will have it that they know the way perfectly well, and need no\nteaching. They cast to the winds our warnings; they rush, every one, on\nhis own favourite path; they walk in a vain shadow, and disquiet\nthemselves in vain, and wake up when too late to find their whole life\nhas been a grand mistake. Their eyes are blinded: they will not see that\ntheir visions are as baseless and disappointing as the mirage of the\nAfrican desert. Like the tired traveller in those deserts, they think\nthey are approaching a lake of cooling waters; like the same traveller,\nthey find to their dismay that this fancied lake was a splendid optical\ndelusion, and that they are still helpless in the midst of burning\nsands.\n\nAre you a young person? I entreat you to accept the affectionate warning\nof a minister of the Gospel, and not to seek happiness where happiness\ncannot be found. Seek it not in riches; seek it not in power and rank;\nseek it not in pleasure; seek it not in learning. All these are bright\nand splendid fountains: their waters taste sweet. A crowd is standing\nround them, which will not leave them; but, oh, remember that God has\nwritten over each of these fountains, \"He that drinketh of this water\nshall thirst again.\" (John iv. 13.) Remember this, and be wise.\n\nAre you poor? Are you tempted to fancy that if you had the rich man's\nplace you would be quite happy? Resist the temptation, and cast it\nbehind you. Envy not your wealthy neighbours: be content with such\nthings as you have. Happiness does not depend on houses or land; silks\nand satins cannot shut out sorrow from the heart; castles and halls\ncannot prevent anxiety and care coming in at their doors. There is as\nmuch misery riding and driving about in carriages as there is walking\nabout on foot: there is as much unhappiness in ceiled houses as in\nhumble cottages. Oh, remember the mistakes which are common about\nhappiness, and be wise!\n\n\nIII. Let me now, in the last place, _point out the way to be really\nhappy_.\n\nThere is a sure path which leads to happiness, if men will only take it.\nThere never lived the person who travelled in that path, and missed the\nobject that he sought to attain.\n\nIt is a path open to all. It needs neither wealth, nor rank, nor\nlearning in order to walk in it. It is for the servant as well as for\nthe master: it is for the poor as well as for the rich. None are\nexcluded but those who exclude themselves.\n\nIt is the one only path. All that have ever been happy, since the days\nof Adam, have journeyed on it. There is no royal road to happiness.\nKings must be content to go side by side with their humblest subjects,\nif they would be happy.\n\nWhere is this path? Where is this road? Listen, and you shall hear.\n\nThe way to be happy is _to be a real, thorough-going, true-hearted\nChristian_. Scripture declares it: experience proves it. The converted\nman, the believer in Christ, the child of God,--he, and he alone, is the\nhappy man.\n\nIt sounds too simple to be true: it seems at first sight so plain a\nreceipt that it is not believed. But the greatest truths are often the\nsimplest. The secret which many of the wisest on earth have utterly\nfailed to discover, is revealed to the humblest believer in Christ. I\nrepeat it deliberately, and defy the world to disprove it: the true\nChristian is the only happy man.\n\nWhat do I mean when I speak of a true Christian? Do I mean everybody who\ngoes to church or chapel? Do I mean everybody who professes an orthodox\ncreed, and bows his head at the belief? Do I mean everybody who\nprofesses to love the Gospel? No: indeed! I mean something very\ndifferent. All are not Christians who are called Christians. The man I\nhave in view is _the Christian in heart and life_. He who has been\ntaught by the Spirit really to feel his sins,--he who really rests all\nhis hopes on the Lord Jesus Christ, and His atonement,--he who has been\nborn again and really lives a spiritual, holy life,--he whose religion\nis not a mere Sunday coat, but a mighty constraining principle governing\nevery day of his life,--he is the man I mean, when I speak of a true\nChristian.\n\nWhat do I mean when I say the true Christian is happy? Has he no doubts\nand no fears? Has he no anxieties and no troubles? Has he no sorrows and\nno cares? Does he never feel pain, and shed no tears? Far be it from me\nto say anything of the kind. He has a body weak and frail like other\nmen; he has affections and passions like every one born of woman: he\nlives in a changeful world. But deep down in his heart he has a mine of\nsolid peace and substantial joy which is never exhausted. This is true\nhappiness.\n\nDo I say that all true Christians are equally happy? No: not for a\nmoment! There are babes in Christ's family as well as old men; there are\nweak members of the mystical body as well as strong ones; there are\ntender lambs as well as sheep. There are not only the cedars of Lebanon\nbut the hyssop that grows on the wall. There are degrees of grace and\ndegrees of faith. Those who have most faith and grace will have most\nhappiness. But all, more or less, compared to the children of the world,\nare happy men.\n\nDo I say that real true Christians are equally happy at all times? No:\nnot for a moment! All have their ebbs and flows of comfort: some, like\nthe Mediterranean sea, almost insensibly; some, like the tide at\nChepstow, fifty or sixty feet at a time. Their bodily health is not\nalways the same; their earthly circumstances are not always the same;\nthe souls of those they love fill them at seasons with special anxiety:\nthey themselves are sometimes overtaken by a fault, and walk in\ndarkness. They sometimes give way to inconsistencies and besetting sins,\nand lose their sense of pardon. But, as a general rule, the true\nChristian has a deep pool of peace within him, which even at the lowest\nis never entirely dry.[8]\n\n 8: I use the words, \"as a general rule,\" advisedly. When a believer\n falls into such a horrible sin as that of David, it would be monstrous\n to talk of his feeling inward peace. If a man professing to be a true\n Christian talked to me of being happy in such a case,--before giving any\n evidence of the deepest, most heart-abasing repentance,--I should feel\n great doubts whether he ever had any grace at all.\n\nThe true Christian is the only happy man, because _his conscience is at\npeace_. That mysterious witness for God, which is so mercifully placed\nwithin us, is fully satisfied and at rest. It sees in the blood of\nChrist a complete cleansing away of all its guilt. It sees in the\npriesthood and mediation of Christ a complete answer to all its fears.\nIt sees that through the sacrifice and death of Christ, God can now be\njust, and yet be the justifier of the ungodly. It no longer bites and\nstings, and makes its possessor afraid of himself. The Lord Jesus Christ\nhas amply met all its requirements. Conscience is no longer the enemy of\nthe true Christian, but his friend and adviser. Therefore he is happy.\n\nThe true Christian is the only happy man, because he can _sit down\nquietly and think about his soul_. He can look behind him and before\nhim, he can look within him and around him, and feel, \"All is well.\"--He\ncan think calmly on his past life, and however many and great his sins,\ntake comfort in the thought that they are all forgiven. The\nrighteousness of Christ covers all, as Noah's flood overtopped the\nhighest hills.--He can think calmly about things to come, and yet not be\nafraid. Sickness is painful; death is solemn; the judgment day is an\nawful thing: but having Christ for him, he has nothing to fear.--He can\nthink calmly about the Holy God, whose eyes are on all his ways, and\nfeel, \"He is my Father, my reconciled Father in Christ Jesus. I am weak;\nI am unprofitable: yet in Christ He regards me as His dear child, and is\nwell-pleased.\" Oh, what a blessed privilege it is to be able to _think_,\nand not be afraid! I can well understand the mournful complaint of the\nprisoner in solitary confinement. He had warmth, and food, and clothing,\nand work, but he was not happy. And why? He said, \"He was obliged to\nthink.\"\n\nThe true Christian is the only happy man, because _he has sources of\nhappiness entirely independent of this world_. He has something which\ncannot be affected by sickness and by deaths, by private losses and by\npublic calamities, the \"peace of God, which passeth all understanding.\"\nHe has a hope laid up for him in heaven; he has a treasure which moth\nand rust cannot corrupt; he has a house which can never be taken down.\nHis loving wife may die, and his heart feel rent in twain; his darling\nchildren may be taken from him, and he may be left alone in this cold\nworld; his earthly plans may be crossed; his health may fail: but all\nthis time he has a portion which nothing can hurt. He has one Friend who\nnever dies; he has possessions beyond the grave, of which nothing can\ndeprive him: his nether springs may fail, but his upper springs are\nnever dry. This is real happiness.\n\nThe true Christian is happy, because he is _in his right position_. All\nthe powers of his being are directed to right ends. His affections are\nnot set on things below, but on things above; his will is not bent on\nself-indulgence, but is submissive to the will of God; his mind is not\nabsorbed in wretched perishable trifles. He desires useful employment:\nhe enjoys the luxury of doing good. Who does not know the misery of\ndisorder? Who has not tasted the discomfort of a house where everything\nand everybody are in their wrong places,--the last things first and the\nfirst things last? The heart of an unconverted man is just such a house.\nGrace puts everything in that heart in its right position. The things of\nthe soul come first, and the things of the world come second. Anarchy\nand confusion cease: unruly passions no longer do each one what is right\nin his eyes. Christ reigns over the whole man, and each part of him does\nhis proper work. The new heart is the only really light heart, for it is\nthe only heart that is in order.--The true Christian has found out his\nplace. He has laid aside his pride and self-will; he sits at the feet of\nJesus, and is in his right mind: he loves God and loves man, and so he\nis happy. In heaven all are happy because all do God's will perfectly.\nThe nearer a man gets to this standard the happier he will be.\n\nThe plain truth is that without Christ there is no happiness in this\nworld. He alone can give the Comforter who abideth for ever. He is the\nsun; without Him men never feel warm. He is the light; without Him men\nare always in the dark. He is the bread; without Him men are always\nstarving. He is the living water; without Him men are always athirst.\nGive them what you like,--place them where you please,--surround them\nwith all the comforts you can imagine,--it makes no difference. Separate\nfrom Christ, the Prince of Peace, a man cannot be happy.\n\nGive a man a sensible interest in Christ, and he will be happy _in spite\nof poverty_. He will tell you that he wants nothing that is really good.\nHe is provided for: he has riches in possession, and riches in\nreversion; he has meat to eat that the world knows not of; he has\nfriends who never leave him nor forsake him. The Father and the Son come\nto him, and make their abode with him: the Lord Jesus Christ sups with\nhim, and he with Christ. (Rev. iii. 20.)\n\nGive a man a sensible interest in Christ, and he will be happy _in\nspite of sickness_. His flesh may groan, and his body be worn out with\npain, but his heart will rest and be at peace. One of the happiest\npeople I ever saw was a young woman who had been hopelessly ill for many\nyears with disease of the spine. She lay in a garret without a fire; the\nstraw thatch was not two feet above her face. She had not the slightest\nhope of recovery. But she was always rejoicing in the Lord Jesus. The\nspirit triumphed mightily over the flesh. She was happy, because Christ\nwas with her.[9]\n\n 9: John Howard, the famous Christian philanthropist, in his last\n journey said, \"I hope I have sources of enjoyment that depend not on\n the particular spot I inhabit. A rightly cultivated mind, under the\n power of religion and the exercises of beneficent dispositions,\n affords a ground of satisfaction little affected by _heres and\n theres_.\"\n\nGive a man a sensible interest in Christ, and he will be happy _in spite\nof abounding public calamities_. The government of his country may be\nthrown into confusion, rebellion and disorder may turn everything upside\ndown, laws may be trampled under foot; justice and equity may be\noutraged; liberty may be cast down to the ground; might may prevail over\nright: but still his heart will not fail. He will remember that the\nkingdom of Christ will one day be set up. He will say, like the old\nScotch minister who lived unmoved throughout the turmoil of the first\nFrench revolution: \"It is all right: it shall be well with the\nrighteous.\"\n\nI know well that Satan hates the doctrine which I am endeavouring to\npress upon you. I have no doubt he is filling your mind with objections\nand reasonings, and persuading you that I am wrong. I am not afraid to\nmeet these objections face to face. Let us bring them forward and see\nwhat they are.\n\nYou may tell me that \"_you know many very religious people who are not\nhappy at all_.\" You see them diligent in attending public worship. You\nknow that they are never missing at the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.\nBut you see in them no marks of the peace which I have been describing.\n\nBut are you sure that these people you speak of are true believers in\nChrist? Are you sure that, with all their appearance of religion, they\nare born again and converted to God? Is it not very likely that they\nhave nothing but the name of Christianity, without the reality; and a\nform of godliness, without the power? Alas! you have yet to learn that\npeople may do many religious acts, and yet possess no saving religion!\nIt is not a mere formal, ceremonial Christianity that will ever make\npeople happy. We want something more than going to Church, and going to\nsacraments, to give us peace. There must be real, vital union with\nChrist. It is not the formal Christian, but the true Christian, that is\nthe happy man.\n\nYou may tell me that \"_you know really spiritually-minded and converted\npeople who do not seem happy_.\" You have heard them frequently\ncomplaining of their own hearts, and groaning over their own corruption.\nThey seem to you all doubts, and anxieties, and fears; and you want to\nknow where is the happiness in these people of which I have been saying\nso much.\n\nI do not deny that there are many saints of God such as these whom you\ndescribe, and I am sorry for it. I allow that there are many believers\nwho live far below their privileges, and seem to know nothing of joy and\npeace in believing. But did you ever ask any of these people whether\nthey would give up the position in religion they have reached, and go\nback to the world? Did you ever ask them, after all their groanings, and\ndoubtings, and fearings, whether they think they would be happier if\nthey ceased to follow hard after Christ? _Did you ever ask those\nquestions?_ I am certain if you did, that the weakest and lowest\nbelievers would all give you one answer. I am certain they would tell\nyou that they would rather cling to their little scrap of hope in\nChrist, than possess the world. I am sure they would all answer, \"Our\nfaith is weak, if we have any; our grace is small, if we have any; our\njoy in Christ is next to nothing at all: but we cannot give up what we\nhave got. Though the Lord slay us, we must cling to Him.\" The root of\nhappiness lies deep in many a poor weak believer's heart, when neither\nleaves nor blossoms are to be seen!\n\nBut you will tell me, in the last place, that \"_you cannot think most\nbelievers are happy, because they are so grave and serious_.\" You think\nthat they do not really possess this happiness I have been describing,\nbecause their countenances do not show it. You doubt the reality of\ntheir joy, because it is so little seen.\n\nI might easily repeat what I told you at the beginning of this\npaper,--that a merry face is no sure proof of a happy heart. But I will\nnot do so. I will rather ask you whether you yourself may not be the\ncause why believers look grave and serious when you meet them? If you\nare not converted yourself, you surely cannot expect them to look at you\nwithout sorrow. They see you on the high road to destruction, and that\nalone is enough to give them pain: they see thousands like you, hurrying\non to weeping and wailing and endless woe. Now, is it possible that such\na daily sight should not give them grief? Your company, very likely, is\none cause why they are grave. Wait till you are a converted man\nyourself, before you pass judgment on the gravity of converted people.\nSee them in companies where all are of one heart, and all love Christ,\nand so far as my own experience goes, you will find no people so truly\nhappy as true Christians.[10]\n\n 10: When the infidel Hume asked Bishop Horne why religious people\n always looked melancholy, the learned prelate replied, \"The sight of\n you, Mr. Hume, would make any Christian melancholy.\"--_Sinclair's\n Aphorisms._ Page 13.\n\nI repeat my assertion in this part of my subject. I repeat it boldly,\nconfidently, deliberately. I say that there is no happiness among men\nthat will at all compare with that of the true Christian. All other\nhappiness by the side of his is moonlight compared to sunshine, and\nbrass by the side of gold. Boast, if you will, of the laughter and\nmerriment of irreligious men; sneer, if you will, at the gravity and\nseriousness, which appear in the demeanour of many Christians. I have\nlooked the whole subject in the face, and am not moved. I say that the\ntrue Christian alone is the truly happy man, and the way to be happy is\nto be a true Christian.\n\nAnd now I am going to close this paper by a few words of plain\napplication. I have endeavoured to show what is essential to true\nhappiness. I have endeavoured to expose the fallacy of many views which\nprevail upon the subject. I have endeavoured to point out, in plain and\nunmistakable words, where true happiness alone can be found. Suffer me\nto wind up all by an affectionate appeal to the consciences of all into\nwhose hands this volume may fall.\n\n(1) In the first place, _let me entreat every reader of this paper to\napply to his own heart the solemn inquiry, Are you happy_?\n\nHigh or low, rich or poor, master or servant, farmer or labourer, young\nor old, here is a question that deserves an answer,--_Are you really\nhappy_?\n\nMan of the world, who art caring for nothing but the things of time,\nneglecting the Bible, making a god of business or money, providing for\neverything but the day of judgment, scheming and planning about\neverything but eternity: are you happy? _You know you are not._\n\nFoolish woman, who art trifling life away in levity and frivolity,\nspending hours after hours on that poor frail body which must soon feed\nthe worms, making an idol of dress and fashion, and excitement, and\nhuman praise, as if this world was all: are you happy? _You know you are\nnot._\n\nYoung man, who art bent on pleasure and self-indulgence, fluttering from\none idle pastime to another, like the moth about the candle,--fancying\nyourself clever and knowing, and too wise to be led by parsons, and\nignorant that the devil is leading you captive, like the ox that is led\nto the slaughter: are you happy? _You know you are not._\n\nYes: each and all of you, you are not happy! and in your own consciences\nyou know it well. You may not allow it, but it is sadly true. There is a\ngreat empty place in each of your hearts, and nothing will fill it. Pour\ninto it money, learning, rank, and pleasure, and it will be empty still.\nThere is a sore place in each of your consciences, and nothing will heal\nit. Infidelity cannot; free-thinking cannot; Romanism cannot: they are\nall quack medicines. Nothing can heal it, but that which at present you\nhave not used,--the simple Gospel of Christ. Yes: you are indeed a\nmiserable people!\n\nTake warning this day, that you never will be happy till you are\nconverted. You might as well expect to feel the sun shine on your face\nwhen you turn your back to it, as to feel happy when you turn your back\non God and on Christ.\n\n(2) In the next place, _let me warn all who are not true Christians of\nthe folly of living a life which cannot make them happy_.\n\nI pity you from the bottom of my heart, and would fain persuade you to\nopen your eyes and be wise. I stand as a watchman on the tower of the\neverlasting Gospel. I see you sowing misery for yourselves, and I call\nupon you to stop and think, before it is too late. Oh, that God may show\nyou your folly!\n\nYou are hewing out for yourselves cisterns, broken cisterns, which can\nhold no water. You are spending your time, and strength, and affections\non that which will give you no return for your labour,--\"spending your\nmoney on that which is not bread, and your labour for that which\nsatisfieth not.\" (Isa. lv. 2.) You are building up Babels of your own\ncontriving, and ignorant that God will pour contempt on your schemes for\nprocuring happiness, because you attempt to be happy without Him.\n\nAwake from your dreams, I entreat you, and show yourselves men. Think of\nthe uselessness of living a life which you will be ashamed of when you\ndie, and of having a mere nominal religion, which will just fail you\nwhen it is most wanted.\n\nOpen your eyes and look round the world. Tell me who was ever really\nhappy without God and Christ and the Holy Spirit. Look at the road in\nwhich you are travelling. Mark the footsteps of those who have gone\nbefore you: see how many have turned away from it, and confessed they\nwere wrong.\n\nI warn you plainly, that if you are not a true Christian you will miss\nhappiness in the world that now is, as well as in the world to come. Oh,\nbelieve me, the way of happiness, and the way of salvation are one and\nthe same! He that will have his own way, and refuses to serve Christ,\nwill never be really happy. But he that serves Christ has the promise of\nboth lives. He is happy on earth, and will be happier still in heaven.\n\nIf you are neither happy in this world nor the next, it will be all your\nown fault. Oh, think of this! Do not be guilty of such enormous folly.\nWho does not mourn over the folly of the drunkard, the opium eater, and\nthe suicide? But there is no folly like that of the impenitent child of\nthe world.\n\n(3) In the next place, _let me entreat all readers of this book, who are\nnot yet happy, to seek happiness where alone it can be found_.\n\nThe keys of the way to happiness are in the hands of the Lord Jesus\nChrist. He is sealed and appointed by God the Father, to give the bread\nof life to them that hunger, and to give the water of life to them that\nthirst. The door which riches and rank and learning have so often tried\nto open, and tried in vain, is now ready to open to every humble,\npraying believer. Oh, if you want to be happy, come to Christ!\n\nCome to Him, confessing that you are weary of your own ways, and want\nrest,--that you find you have no power and might to make yourself holy\nor happy or fit for heaven, and have no hope but in Him. Tell Him this\nunreservedly. This is coming to Christ.\n\nCome to Him, imploring Him to show you His mercy, and grant you His\nsalvation,--to wash you in His own blood, and take your sins away,--to\nspeak peace to your conscience, and heal your troubled soul. Tell Him\nall this unreservedly. This is coming to Christ.\n\nYou have everything to encourage you. The Lord Jesus Himself invites\nyou. He proclaims to you as well as to others, \"Come unto Me, all ye\nthat labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke\nupon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye\nshall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is\nlight.\" (Matt. xi. 28--30.) Wait for nothing. You may feel unworthy. You\nmay feel as if you did not repent enough. But wait no longer. Come to\nChrist.\n\nYou have everything to encourage you. Thousands have walked in the way\nyou are invited to enter, and have found it good. Once, like yourself,\nthey served the world, and plunged deeply into folly and sin. Once, like\nyourself, they became weary of their wickedness, and longed for\ndeliverance and rest. They heard of Christ, and His willingness to help\nand save: they came to Him by faith and prayer, after many a doubt and\nhesitation; they found Him a thousand times more gracious than they had\nexpected. They rested on Him and were happy: they carried His cross and\ntasted peace. Oh, walk in their steps!\n\nI beseech you, by the mercies of God, to come to Christ. As ever you\nwould be happy, I entreat you to come to Christ. Cast off delays. Awake\nfrom your past slumber: arise, and be free! This day come to Christ.\n\n(4) In the last place, _let me offer a few hints to all true Christians\nfor the increase and promotion of their happiness_.\n\nI offer these hints with diffidence. I desire to apply them to my own\nconscience as well as to your's. You have found Christ's service happy.\nI have no doubt that you feel such sweetness in Christ's peace that you\nwould fain know more of it. I am sure that these hints deserve\nattention.\n\nBelievers, if you would have an increase of happiness in Christ's\nservice, _labour every year to grow in grace_. Beware of standing still.\nThe holiest men are always the happiest. Let your aim be every year to\nbe more holy,--to know more, to feel more, to see more of the fulness of\nChrist. Rest not upon old grace: do not be content with the degree of\nreligion whereunto you have attained. Search the Scriptures more\nearnestly; pray more fervently; hate sin more; mortify self-will more;\nbecome more humble the nearer you draw to your end; seek more direct\npersonal communion with the Lord Jesus; strive to be more like\nEnoch,--daily walking with God; keep your conscience clear of little\nsins; grieve not the Spirit; avoid wranglings and disputes about the\nlesser matters of religion: lay more firm hold upon those great truths,\nwithout which no man can be saved. Remember and practise these things,\nand you will be more happy.\n\nBelievers, if you would have an increase of happiness in Christ's\nservice, _labour every year to be more thankful_. Pray that you may know\nmore and more what it is to \"rejoice in the Lord.\" (Phil. iii. 1.) Learn\nto have a deeper sense of your own wretched sinfulness and corruption,\nand to be more deeply grateful, that by the grace of God you are what\nyou are. Alas, there is too much complaining and too little thanksgiving\namong the people of God! There is too much murmuring and poring over the\nthings that we have not. There is too little praising and blessing for\nthe many undeserved mercies that we have. Oh, that God would pour out\nupon us a great spirit of thankfulness and praise!\n\nBelievers, if you would have an increase of happiness in Christ's\nservice, _labour every year to do more good_. Look round the circle in\nwhich your lot is cast, and lay yourself out to be useful. Strive to be\nof the same character with God: He is not only good, but \"doeth good.\"\n(Ps. cxix. 68.) Alas, there is far too much selfishness among believers\nin the present day! There is far too much lazy sitting by the fire\nnursing our own spiritual diseases, and croaking over the state of our\nown hearts. Up; and be useful in your day and generation! Is there no\none in all the world that you can read to? Is there no one that you can\nspeak to? Is there no one that you can write to? Is there literally\nnothing that you can do for the glory of God, and the benefit of your\nfellow-men? Oh I cannot think it! I cannot think it. There is much that\nyou might do, if you had only the will. For your own happiness' sake,\narise and do it, without delay. The bold, outspeaking, working\nChristians are always the happiest. The more you do for God, the more\nGod will do for you.\n\nThe compromising lingering Christian must never expect to taste perfect\npeace. THE MOST DECIDED CHRISTIAN WILL ALWAYS BE THE HAPPIEST MAN.\n\n\n\n\nXI\n\n\nFORMALITY\n\n \"_Having a form of godliness, but denying the power\n thereof._\"--2 Tim. iii. 5.\n\n \"_He is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that\n circumcision, which is outward in the flesh_:\n\n \"_But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is\n that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose\n praise is not of men, but of God._\"--Rom. ii. 28, 29.\n\n\nThe texts which head this page deserve serious attention at any time.\nBut they deserve especial notice in this age of the Church and world.\nNever since the Lord Jesus Christ left the earth, was there so much\nformality and false profession as there is at the present day. Now, if\never, we ought to examine ourselves, and search our religion, that we\nmay know of what sort it is. Let us try to find out whether our\nChristianity is a thing of form or a thing of heart.\n\nI know no better way of unfolding the subject than by turning to a plain\npassage of the Word of God. Let us hear what St. Paul says about it. He\nlays down the following great principles in his Epistle to the Romans:\n\"He is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision,\nwhich is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly;\nand circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter;\nwhose praise is not of men, but of God.\" (Rom. ii. 28, 29.) Three most\ninstructive lessons appear to me to stand out on the face of that\npassage. Let us see what they are.\n\n\n I. We learn, firstly, that formal religion is not religion, and a\n formal Christian is not a Christian in God's sight.\n\n II. We learn, secondly, that the heart is the seat of true religion,\n and that the true Christian is the Christian in heart.\n\n III. We learn, thirdly, that true religion must never expect to be\n popular. It will not have the \"praise of man, but of God.\"\n\nLet us thoroughly consider these great principles. Two hundred years\nhave passed away since a mighty Puritan divine said, \"Formality,\nformality, formality is the great sin of England at this day, under\nwhich the land groans.--There is more light than there was, but less\nlife; more shadow, but less substance; more profession, but less\nsanctification.\" (_Thomas Hall, on 2 Tim. iii. 5, 1658._) What would\nthis good man have said if he had lived in our times?\n\n\nI. We learn first, that _formal religion is not religion, and a formal\nChristian is not a Christian in God's sight_.\n\nWhat do I mean when I speak of formal religion? This is a point that\nmust be made clear. Thousands, I suspect, know nothing about it. Without\na distinct understanding of this point my whole paper will be useless.\nMy first step shall be to paint, describe, and define.\n\nWhen a man is a Christian in name only, and not in reality,--in outward\nthings only, and not in his inward feelings,--in profession only, and\nnot in practice,--when his Christianity in short is a mere matter of\nform, or fashion, or custom, without any influence on his heart or\nlife,--in such a case as this the man has what I call a \"formal\nreligion.\" He possesses indeed the _form_, or husk, or skin of religion,\nbut he does not possess its substance or its _power_.\n\nLook for example at those thousands of people whose whole religion seems\nto consist in keeping religious ceremonies and ordinances. They attend\nregularly on public worship. They go regularly to the Lord's table. But\nthey never get any further. They know nothing of experimental\nChristianity. They are not familiar with the Scriptures, and take no\ndelight in reading them. They do not separate themselves from the ways\nof the world. They draw no distinction between godliness and ungodliness\nin their friendships, or matrimonial alliances. They care little or\nnothing about the distinctive doctrines of the Gospel. They appear\nutterly indifferent as to what they hear preached. You may be in their\ncompany for weeks, and for anything you may hear or see on a week day\nyou might suppose they were infidels or deists. What can be said about\nthese people? They are Christians undoubtedly, by profession; and yet\nthere is neither heart nor life in their Christianity. There is but one\nthing to be said about them.--They are formal Christians. Their religion\nis a FORM.\n\nLook in another direction at those hundreds of people whose whole\nreligion seems to consist in talk and high profession. They know the\ntheory of the Gospel with their heads, and profess to delight in\nEvangelical doctrine. They can say much about the \"soundness\" of their\nown views, and the \"darkness\" of all who disagree with them. But they\nnever get any further! When you examine their inner lives you find that\nthey know nothing of practical godliness. They are neither truthful, nor\ncharitable, nor humble, nor honest, nor kind-tempered, nor gentle, nor\nunselfish, nor honourable. What shall we say of these people? They are\nChristians, no doubt, in name, and yet there is neither substance nor\nfruit in their Christianity. There is but one thing to be said.--They\nare formal Christians. Their religion is an empty FORM.\n\nSuch is the formal religion against which I wish to raise a warning\nvoice this day. Here is the rock on which myriads on every side are\nmaking miserable shipwreck of their souls. One of the wickedest things\nthat Machiavel ever said was this: \"Religion itself should not be cared\nfor, but only the appearance of it. The credit of it is a help; the\nreality and use is a cumber.\" Such notions are of the earth, earthy.\nNay, rather they are from beneath: they smell of the pit. Beware of\nthem, and stand upon your guard. If there is anything about which the\nScripture speaks expressly, it is the sin and uselessness of FORMALITY.\n\nHear what St. Paul tells the Romans: \"He is not a Jew which is one\noutwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh.\"\n(Rom. ii. 28.) These are strong words indeed! A man might be a son of\nAbraham according to the flesh,--a member of one of the twelve\ntribes,--circumcised the eighth day,--a keeper of all the feasts,--a\nregular worshipper in the temple,--and yet in God's sight not be a\nJew!--Just so a man may be a Christian by outward profession,--a member\nof a Christian Church,--baptized with Christian baptism,--an attendant\non Christian ordinances,--and yet, in God's sight, not a Christian at\nall.\n\nHear what the prophet Isaiah says: \"To what purpose is the multitude of\nyour sacrifices unto Me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt\nofferings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the\nblood of bullocks or of lambs, or of he-goats. When ye come to appear\nbefore Me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?\nBring no more vain oblations: incense is an abomination unto Me; the new\nmoons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it\nis iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed\nfeasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto Me: I am weary to bear\nthem. And when ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from\nyou; yea, when ye make many prayers I will not hear: your hands are full\nof blood.\" (Isaiah i. 10--15.) These words, when duly weighed, are very\nextraordinary. The sacrifices which are here declared to be useless were\nappointed by God Himself! The feasts and ordinances which God says He\n\"hates,\" had been prescribed by Himself! God Himself pronounces His own\ninstitutions to be useless when they are used formally and without heart\nin the worshipper! In fact they are worse than useless; they are even\noffensive and hurtful. Words cannot be imagined more distinct and\nunmistakeable. They show that formal religion is worthless in God's\nsight. It is not worth calling religion at all.\n\nHear, lastly, what our Lord Jesus Christ says. We find Him saying of the\nJews of His day, \"This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and\nhonoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in\nvain do they worship Me.\" (Matt. xv. 8.) We see Him repeatedly\ndenouncing the formalism and hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, and\nwarning His disciples against it. Eight times in one chapter (Matt.\nxxiii. 13) He says to them, \"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,\nhypocrites!\" For sinners of the worst description He always had a word\nof kindness, and held out to them an open door. But formalism, He would\nhave us know, is a desperate disease, and must be exposed in the\nseverest language. To the eye of an ignorant man a formalist may seem to\nhave a very decent _quantity_ of religion, though not perhaps of the\nbest _quality_. In the eye of Christ, however, the case is very\ndifferent. In His sight formality is no religion at all.\n\nWhat shall we say to these testimonies of Scripture? It would be easy\nto add to them. They do not stand alone. If words mean anything, they\nare a clear warning to all who profess and call themselves Christians.\nThey teach us plainly that as we dread sin and avoid sin, so we ought to\ndread formality and avoid formality. Formalism may take our hand with a\nsmile, and look like a brother, while sin comes against us with sword\ndrawn, and strikes at us like an open enemy. But both have one end in\nview. Both want to ruin our souls; and of the two, formalism is far the\nmost likely to do it. If we love life, let us beware of formality in\nreligion.\n\nNothing is _so common_. It is one of the great family diseases of the\nwhole race of mankind. It is born with us, grows with us, and is never\ncompletely cast out of us till we die. It meets us in church, and it\nmeets us in chapel. It meets us among rich, and it meets us among poor.\nIt meets us among learned people, and it meets us among unlearned. It\nmeets us among Romanists, and it meets us among Protestants. It meets us\namong High Churchmen, and it meets us among Low Churchmen. It meets us\namong Evangelicals, and it meets us among Ritualists. Go where we will,\nand join what Church we may, we are never beyond the risk of its\ninfection. We shall find it among Quakers and Plymouth Brethren, as well\nas at Rome. The man who thinks that, at any rate, there is no formal\nreligion in his own camp, is a very blind and ignorant person. If you\nlove life, beware of formality.\n\nNothing is _so dangerous_ to a man's own soul. Familiarity with the form\nof religion, while we neglect its reality, has a fearfully deadening\neffect on the conscience. It brings up by degrees a thick crust of\ninsensibility over the whole inner man. None seem to become so\ndesperately hard as those who are continually repeating holy words and\nhandling holy things, while their hearts are running after sin and the\nworld. Landlords who only go to church formally, to set an example to\ntheir tenants,--masters who have family prayers formally, to keep up a\ngood appearance in their households,--unconverted clergymen, who are\nevery week reading prayers and lessons of Scripture, in which they feel\nno real interest,--unconverted clerks, who are constantly reading\nresponses and saying \"Amen,\" without feeling what they say,--unconverted\nsingers, who sing the most spiritual hymns every Sunday, merely because\nthey have good voices, while their affections are entirely on things\nbelow,--all, all, all are in awful danger. They are gradually hardening\ntheir hearts, and searing the skin of their consciences. If you love\nyour own soul, beware of formality.\n\nNothing, finally, is _so foolish_, senseless, and unreasonable. Can a\nformal Christian really suppose that the mere outward Christianity he\nprofesses will comfort him in the day of sickness and the hour of death?\nThe thing is impossible. A painted fire cannot warm, and a painted\nbanquet cannot satisfy hunger, and a formal religion cannot bring peace\nto the soul.--Can he suppose that God does not see the heartlessness and\ndeadness of his Christianity? Though he may deceive neighbours,\nacquaintances, fellow-worshippers, and ministers with a form of\ngodliness, does he think that he can deceive God? The very idea is\nabsurd. \"He that formed the eye, shall He not see?\" He knows the very\nsecrets of the heart. He will \"judge the secrets of men\" at the last\nday. He who said to each angel of the seven Churches, \"I know thy\nworks,\" is not changed. He who said to the man without the wedding\ngarment, \"Friend, how camest thou in hither?\" will not be deceived by a\nlittle cloak of outward religion. If you would not be put to shame at\nthe last day, once more I say, beware of formality. (Psalm xciv. 9; Rom.\nii. 16; Rev. ii. 2; Matt. xxii. 11.)\n\n\nII. I pass on to the second thing which I proposed to consider. _The\nheart is the seat of true religion, and the true Christian is the\nChristian in heart._\n\nThe heart is the real test of a man's character. It is not what he says\nor what he does by which the man may be always known. He may say and do\nthings that are right, from false and unworthy motives, while his heart\nis altogether wrong. The heart is the man. \"As he thinketh in his heart,\nso is he.\" (Prov. xxiii. 7.)\n\nThe heart is the right test of a man's religion. It is not enough that a\nman holds a correct creed of doctrine, and maintains a proper outward\nform of godliness. What is his heart?--That is the grand question. This\nis what God looks at. \"Man looketh at the outward appearance, but the\nLord looketh at the heart.\" (1 Sam. xvi. 7.) This is what St. Paul lays\ndown distinctly as the standard measure of the soul: \"He is a Jew, which\nis one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart.\" (Rom. ii. 28.)\nWho can doubt that this mighty sentence was written for Christians as\nwell as for Jews? He is a Christian, the apostle would have us know,\nwhich is one inwardly, and baptism is that of the heart.\n\nThe heart is the place where saving religion must begin. It is naturally\nirreligious, and must be renewed by the Holy Ghost. \"A new heart will I\ngive unto you.\"--It is naturally hard, and must be made tender and\nbroken. \"I will take away the heart of stone, and I will give you a\nheart of flesh.\" \"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken\nand contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.\"--It is naturally\nclosed and shut against God, and must be opened. The Lord \"opened the\nheart\" of Lydia. (Ezek. xxxvi. 26; Psalm li. 17; Acts xvi. 14.)\n\nThe heart is the seat of true saving faith. \"With the heart man\nbelieveth unto righteousness.\" (Rom. x. 10.) A man may believe that\nJesus is the Christ, as the devils do, and yet remain in his sins. He\nmay believe that he is a sinner, and that Christ is the only Saviour,\nand feel occasional lazy wishes that he was a better man. But no one\never lays hold on Christ, and receives pardon and peace, until he\nbelieves with the heart. It is heart-faith that justifies.\n\nThe heart is the spring of true holiness and steady continuance in\nwell-doing. True Christians are holy because their hearts are\ninterested. They obey from the heart. They do the will of God from the\nheart. Weak, and feeble, and imperfect as all their doings are, they\nplease God, because they are done from a loving heart. He who commended\nthe widow's mite more than all the offerings of the wealthy Jews,\nregards quality far more than quantity. What He likes to see is a thing\ndone from \"an honest and good heart.\" (Luke viii. 15.) There is no real\nholiness without a right heart.\n\nThe things I am saying may sound strange. Perhaps they run counter to\nall the notions of some into whose hands this paper may fall. Perhaps\nyou have thought that if a man's religion is correct outwardly, he must\nbe one with whom God is well pleased. You are completely mistaken. You\nare rejecting the whole tenor of Bible teaching. Outward correctness\nwithout a right heart is neither more nor less than Pharisaism. The\noutward things of Christianity,--baptism, the Lord's Supper,\nChurch-membership, almsgiving, and the like,--will never take any man's\nsoul to heaven, unless his heart is right. There must be inward things\nas well as outward,--and it is on the inward things that God's eyes are\nchiefly fixed.\n\nHear how St. Paul teaches us about this matter in three most striking\ntexts: \"In Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor\nuncircumcision; but faith that worketh by love.\"--\"In Christ Jesus\nneither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new\ncreature.\"--\"Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but\nthe keeping of the commandments of God.\" (1 Cor. vii. 19; Galat. v. 6;\nGalat. vi. 15.) Did the Apostle only mean in these texts, that\ncircumcision was no longer needed under the Gospel? Was that all? No\nindeed! I believe he meant much more. He meant that true religion did\nnot consist of forms, and that its essence was something far greater\nthan being circumcised or not circumcised. He meant that under Christ\nJesus, everything depended on being born again,--on having true saving\nfaith,--on being holy in life and conduct. He meant that these are the\nthings we ought to look at chiefly, and not at outward forms. \"Am I a\nnew creature? Do I really believe on Christ? Am I a holy man?\" These are\nthe grand questions that we must seek to answer.\n\n_When the heart is wrong all is wrong in God's sight._ Many right things\nmay be done. The forms and ordinances which God Himself has appointed\nmay seem to be honoured. But so long as the heart is at fault God is not\npleased. He will have man's heart or nothing.\n\nThe ark was the most sacred thing in the Jewish tabernacle. On it was\nthe mercy-seat. Within it were the tables of the law, written by God's\nown finger. The High Priest alone was allowed to go into the place where\nit was kept, within the veil, and that only once every year. The\npresence of the ark with the camp was thought to bring a special\nblessing. And yet this very ark could do the Israelites no more good\nthan any common wooden box, when they trusted to it like an idol, with\ntheir hearts full of wickedness. They brought it into the camp, on a\nspecial occasion, saying, \"Let us fetch the ark, that it may save us out\nof the hand of our enemies.\" (1 Sam iv. 3.) When it came in the camp\nthey showed it all reverence and honour. \"They shouted with a great\nshout, so that the earth rang again.\" But it was all in vain. They were\nsmitten before the Philistines, and the ark itself was taken. And why\nwas this? It was because their religion was a mere form. They honoured\nthe ark, but did not give the God of the ark their hearts.\n\nThere were some kings of Judah and Israel who did many things that were\nright in God's sight, and yet were never written in the list of godly\nand righteous men. Rehoboam began well, and \"for three years walked in\nthe way of David and Solomon.\" (2 Chron. xi. 17.) But afterwards \"he did\nevil, because he prepared not his _heart_ to seek the Lord.\" (2 Chron.\nxii. 14.)--Abijah, according to the book of Chronicles, said many things\nthat were right, and fought successfully against Jeroboam. Nevertheless\nthe general verdict is against him. We read, in Kings, that \"his _heart_\nwas not perfect with the Lord his God.\" (1 Kings xv. 3.)--Amaziah, we\nare expressly told, \"did that which was right in the sight of the Lord,\nbut not with a perfect _heart_.\" (2 Chron. xxv. 2.)--Jehu, King of\nIsrael, was raised up, by God's command, to put down idolatry. He was a\nman of special zeal in doing God's work. But unhappily it is written of\nhim: \"He took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with\nall his _heart_: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which\nmade Israel to sin.\" (2 Kings x. 31.) In short, one general remark\napplies to all these kings. They were all wrong inwardly. They were\nrotten at heart.\n\nThere are places of worship in England at this very day where all the\noutward things of religion are done to perfection. The building is\nbeautiful. The service is beautiful. The singing is beautiful. The forms\nof devotion are beautiful. There is everything to gratify the senses.\nEye, and ear, and natural sentimentality are all pleased. But all this\ntime God is not pleased. One thing is lacking, and the want of that one\nthing spoils all. What is that one thing? It is heart! God sees under\nall this fair outward show the form of religion put in the place of the\nsubstance, and when He sees that He is displeased. He sees nothing with\nan eye of favour in the building, the service, the minister, or the\npeople, if He does not see converted, renewed, broken, penitent hearts.\nBowed heads, bended knees, loud amens, crossed hands, faces turned to\nthe east, all, all are nothing in God's sight without right hearts.\n\n_When the heart is right God can look over many things that are\ndefective._ There may be faults in judgment, and infirmities in\npractice. There may be many deviations from the best course in the\noutward things of religion. But if the heart is sound in the main, God\nis not extreme to mark that which is amiss. He is merciful and gracious,\nand will pardon much that is imperfect, when He sees a true heart and a\nsingle eye.\n\nJehoshaphat and Asa were Kings of Judah, who were defective in many\nthings. Jehoshaphat was a timid, irresolute man, who did not know how to\nsay \"No,\" and joined affinity with Ahab, the wickedest king that ever\nreigned over Israel. Asa was an unstable man, who at one time trusted in\nthe King of Syria more than in God, and at another time was wroth with\nGod's prophet for rebuking him. (2 Chron. xvi. 10.) Yet both of them had\none great redeeming point in their characters. With all their faults\nthey had right _hearts_.\n\nThe passover kept by Hezekiah was one at which there were many\nirregularities. The proper forms were not observed by many. They ate the\npassover \"otherwise than the commandment\" ordered. But they did it with\ntrue and honest _hearts_. And we read that Hezekiah prayed for them,\nsaying, \"The good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek\nGod,--though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the\nsanctuary. And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.\"\n(2 Chron. xxx. 20.)\n\nThe passover kept by Josiah must have been far smaller and worse\nattended than scores of passovers in the days of David and Solomon, or\neven in the reign of Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah. How then can we account\nfor the strong language used in Scripture about it? \"There was no\npassover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the\nprophet; neither did all the Kings of Israel keep such a passover as\nJosiah kept, and the Priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and\nJerusalem that were present.\" (2 Chron. xxxv. 18.) There is but one\nexplanation. There never was a passover at which the _hearts_ of the\nworshippers were so truly in the feast. The Lord does not look at the\nquantity of worshippers so much as the quality. The glory of Josiah's\npassover was the state of people's hearts.\n\nThere are many assemblies of Christian worshippers on earth at this very\nday in which there is literally nothing to attract the natural man. They\nmeet in miserable dirty chapels, so-called, or in wretched upper-rooms\nand cellars. They sing unmusically. They hear feeble prayers, and more\nfeeble sermons. And yet the Holy Ghost is often in the midst of them!\nSinners are often converted in them, and the kingdom of God prospers far\nmore than in any Roman Catholic Cathedral, or than in many gorgeous\nProtestant Churches. How is this? How can it be explained? The cause is\nsimply this, that in these humble assemblies heart-religion is taught\nand held. Heart-work is aimed at. Heart-work is honoured. And the\nconsequence is that God is pleased and grants His blessing.\n\nI leave this part of my subject here. I ask men to weigh well the things\nthat I have been saying. I believe that they will bear examination, and\nare all true. Resolve this day, whatever Church you belong to, to be a\nChristian in _heart_. Whether Episcopalian or Presbyterian, Baptist or\nIndependent, be not content with a mere form of godliness, without the\npower. Settle it down firmly in your mind that formal religion is not\nsaving religion, and that heart-religion is the only religion that leads\nto heaven.\n\nI only give one word of caution. Do not suppose, because formal religion\nwill not save, that forms of religion are of no use at all. Beware of\nany such senseless extreme. The misuse of a thing is no argument\nagainst the right use of it. The blind idolatry of forms which prevails\nin some quarters is no reason why you should throw all forms aside. The\nark, when made an idol of by Israel and put in the place of God, was\nunable to save them from the Philistines. And yet the same ark, when\nirreverently and profanely handled, brought death on Uzza; and when\nhonoured and reverenced, brought a blessing on the house of Obed-edom.\nThe words of Bishop Hall are strong, but true: \"He that hath but a form\nis a hypocrite; but he that hath not a form is an Atheist.\" (_Hall's\nSermons_, No. 28.) Forms cannot save us, but they are not therefore to\nbe despised. A lantern is not a man's home, and yet it is a help to a\nman if he travels towards his home in a dark night. Use the forms of\nChristianity diligently, and you will find them a blessing. Only\nremember, in all your use of forms, the great principle, that the first\nthing in religion is the state of the heart.\n\n\nIII. I come now to the last thing which I proposed to consider. I said\n_that true religion must never expect to be popular. It will not have\nthe praise of man, but of God._\n\nI dare not turn away from this part of my subject, however painful it\nmay be. Anxious as I am to commend heart-religion to every one who reads\nthis paper, I will not try to conceal what heart-religion entails. I\nwill not gain a recruit for my Master's army under false pretences. I\nwill not promise anything which the Scripture does not warrant. The\nwords of St. Paul are clear and unmistakable. Heart-religion is a\nreligion \"whose praise is not of men, but of God.\" (Rom. ii. 29.)\n\nGod's truth and Scriptural Christianity are never really popular. They\nnever have been. They never will be as long as the world stands. No one\ncan calmly consider what human nature is, as described in the Bible,\nand reasonably expect anything else. As long as man is what man is, the\nmajority of mankind will always like a religion of form far better than\na religion of heart.\n\nFormal religion just suits an unenlightened conscience. Some religion a\nman will have. Atheism and downright infidelity, as a general rule, are\nnever very popular. But a man must have a religion which does not\nrequire much,--trouble his heart much,--interfere with his sins much.\nFormal Christianity satisfies him. It seems the very thing that he\nwants.\n\nFormal religion gratifies the secret self-righteousness of man. We are\nall of us more or less Pharisees. We all naturally cling to the idea\nthat the way to be saved is to do so many things, and go through so many\nreligious observances, and that at last we shall get to heaven.\nFormalism meets us here. It seems to show us a way by which we can make\nour own peace with God.\n\nFormal religion pleases the natural indolence of man. It attaches an\nexcessive importance to that which is the easiest part of\nChristianity,--the shell and the form. Man likes this. He hates trouble\nin religion. He wants something which will not meddle with his\nconscience and inner life. Only leave conscience alone, and, like Herod,\nhe will \"do many things.\" Formalism seems to open a wider gate, and a\nmore easy way to heaven. (Mark vi. 20.)\n\nFacts speak louder than assertions. Facts are stubborn things. Look over\nthe history of religion in every age of the world, and observe what has\nalways been popular. Look at the history of Israel from the beginning of\nExodus to the end of the Acts of the Apostles, and see what has always\nfound favour. Formalism was one main sin against which the Old Testament\nprophets were continually protesting. Formalism was the great plague\nwhich had overspread the Jews, when our Lord Jesus Christ came into the\nworld.--Look at the history of the Church of Christ after the days of\nthe apostles. How soon formalism ate out the life and vitality of the\nprimitive Christians!--Look at the middle ages, as they are called.\nFormalism so completely covered the face of Christendom that the Gospel\nlay as one dead.--Look, lastly, at the history of Protestant Churches in\nthe three last centuries. How few are the places where religion is a\nliving thing! How many are the countries where Protestantism is nothing\nmore than a form! There is no getting over these things. They speak with\na voice of thunder. They all show that formal religion is a popular\nthing. It has the praise of man.\n\nBut why should we look at facts in history? Why should we not look at\nfacts under our own eyes, and by our own doors? Can any one deny that a\nmere outward religion, a religion of downright formality, is the\nreligion which is popular in England at the present day? It is not for\nnothing that St. John says of certain false teachers, \"They are of the\nworld: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth\nthem.\" (1 John iv. 5.) Only say your prayers,--and go to church with\ntolerable regularity,--and receive the sacrament occasionally,--and\nthe vast majority of Englishmen will set you down as an excellent\nChristian.--\"What more would you have?\" they say: \"If this is not\nChristianity, what is?\"--To require more of anyone is thought bigotry,\nilliberality, fanaticism, and enthusiasm! To insinuate a doubt whether\nsuch a man as this will go to heaven is called the height of\nuncharitableness! When these things are so it is vain to deny that\nformal religion is popular. It is popular. It always was popular. It\nalways will be popular till Christ comes again. It always has had and\nalways will have \"the praise of man.\"\n\nTurn now to the religion of the heart, and you will hear a very\ndifferent report. As a general rule it has never had the good word of\nmankind. It has entailed on its professors laughter, mockery, ridicule,\nscorn, contempt, enmity, hatred, slander, persecution, imprisonment, and\neven death. Its lovers have been faithful and ardent,--but they have\nalways been few. It has never had, comparatively, \"the praise of man.\"\n\nHeart-religion is too _humbling_ to be popular. It leaves natural man no\nroom to boast. It tells him that he is a guilty, lost, hell-deserving\nsinner, and that he must flee to Christ for salvation. It tells him that\nhe is dead, and must be made alive again, and born of the Spirit. The\npride of man rebels against such tidings as these. He hates to be told\nthat his case is so bad.\n\nHeart-religion is too _holy_ to be popular. It will not leave natural\nman alone. It interferes with his worldliness and his sins. It requires\nof him things that he loathes and abominates,--conversion, faith,\nrepentance, spiritual-mindedness, Bible-reading, prayer. It bids him\ngive up many things that he loves and clings to, and cannot make up his\nmind to lay aside. It would be strange indeed if he liked it. It crosses\nhis path as a kill-joy and a mar-plot, and it is absurd to expect that\nhe will be pleased.\n\nWas heart-religion popular in Old Testament times? We find David\ncomplaining: \"They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the\nsong of the drunkards.\" (Psalm lxix. 12.) We find the prophets\npersecuted and ill-treated because they preached against sin, and\nrequired men to give their hearts to God. Elijah, Micaiah, Jeremiah,\nAmos, are all cases in point. To formalism and ceremonialism the Jews\nnever seem to have made objection. What they did dislike was serving God\nwith their hearts.\n\nWas heart-religion popular in New Testament times? The whole history of\nour Lord Jesus Christ's ministry and the lives of His apostles are a\nsufficient answer. The scribes and Pharisees would have willingly\nreceived a Messiah who encouraged formalism, and a Gospel which exalted\nceremonialism. But they could not tolerate a religion of which the first\nprinciples were humiliation and sanctification of heart.\n\nHas heart-religion even been popular in the professing Church of Christ\nduring the last eighteen centuries? Never hardly, except in the early\ncenturies when the primitive Church had not left her first love. Soon,\nvery soon, the men who protested against formalism and sacramentalism\nwere fiercely denounced as \"troublers of Israel.\" Long before the\nReformation, things came to this pass, that anyone who cried up\nheart-holiness and cried down formality was treated as a common enemy.\nHe was either silenced, excommunicated, imprisoned, or put to death like\nJohn Huss.--In the time of the Reformation itself, the work of Luther\nand his companions was carried on under an incessant storm of calumny\nand slander. And what was the cause? It was because they protested\nagainst formalism, ceremonialism, monkery, and priestcraft, and taught\nthe necessity of heart-religion.\n\nHas heart-religion ever been popular in our own land in days gone by?\nNever, excepting for a little season. It was not popular in the days of\nQueen Mary, when Latimer and his brother-martyrs were burned.--It was\nnot popular in the days of the Stuarts, when to be a Puritan was worse\nfor a man than to get drunk or swear.--It was not popular in the middle\nof last century, when Wesley and Whitfield were shut out of the\nestablished Church. The cause of our martyred Reformers, of the early\nPuritans, and of the Methodists, was essentially one and the same. They\nwere all hated because they preached the uselessness of formalism, and\nthe impossibility of salvation without repentance, faith, regeneration,\nspiritual-mindedness, and holiness of heart.\n\nIs heart-religion popular in England at this very day? I answer\nsorrowfully that I do not believe it is. Look at the followers of it\namong the laity. They are always comparatively few in number. They\nstand alone in their respective congregations and parishes. They have to\nput up with many hard things, hard words, hard imputations, hard\ntreatment, laughter, ridicule, slander, and petty persecution. This is\nnot popularity!--Look at the teachers of heart-religion in the pulpit.\nThey are loved and liked, no doubt, by the few hearers who agree with\nthem. They are sometimes admired for their talents and eloquence by the\nmany who do not agree with them. They are even called \"popular\npreachers,\" because of the crowds who listen to their preaching. But\nnone know so well as the faithful teachers of heart-religion that few\nreally like them. Few really help them. Few sympathize with them. Few\nstand by them in any time of need. They find, like their Divine Master,\nthat they must work almost alone. I write these things with sorrow, but\nI believe they are true. Real heart-religion at this day, no less than\nin days gone by, has not \"the praise of man.\"\n\nBut after all it signifies little what man thinks, and what man praises.\nHe that judgeth us is the Lord. Man will not judge us at the last day.\nMan will not sit on the great white throne, examine our religion, and\npronounce our eternal sentence. Those only whom God commends will be\ncommended at the bar of Christ. Here lies the value and glory of\nheart-religion. It may not have the praise of man, but it has \"the\npraise of God.\"\n\nGod approves and honours heart-religion in the life that now is. He\nlooks down from heaven, and reads the hearts of all the children of men.\nWherever He sees heart-repentance for sin,--heart-faith in\nChrist,--heart-holiness of life,--heart-love to His Son, His law, His\nwill, and His Word,--wherever God sees these things He is well pleased.\nHe writes a book of remembrance for that man, however poor and unlearned\nhe may be. He gives His angels special charge over Him. He maintains in\nhim the work of grace, and gives Him daily supplies of peace, hope, and\nstrength. He regards him as a member of His own dear Son, as one who is\nwitnessing for the truth, as His Son did. Weak as the man's heart may\nseem to himself, it is the living sacrifice which God loves, and the\nheart which He has solemnly declared He will not despise. Such praise is\nworth more than the praise of man!\n\nGod will proclaim His approval of heart-religion before the assembled\nworld at the last day. He will command His angels to gather together His\nsaints, from every part of the globe, into one glorious company. He will\nraise the dead and change the living, and place them at the right hand\nof His beloved Son's throne. Then all that have served Christ with the\nheart shall hear Him say, \"Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the\nkingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:--you were\nfaithful over few things, and I will make you rulers over many things;\nenter into the joy of your Lord.--Ye confessed Me before men, and I will\nconfess you before my Father and His holy angels.--Ye are they who\ncontinued with Me in my temptations, and I appoint unto you a kingdom as\nmy Father hath appointed unto Me.\" (Matt. xxv. 21--34; Luke xii. 8;\nxxii. 28, 29.) These words will be addressed to none but those who have\ngiven Christ their hearts! They will not be addressed to the formalist,\nthe hypocrite, the wicked, and the ungodly. _They_ will, indeed, stand\nby and see the fruits of heart-religion, but they will not eat of them.\nWe shall never know the full value of heart-religion until the last day.\nThen, and only then, we shall fully understand how much better it is to\nhave the praise of God than the praise of man.\n\nIf you take up heart-religion I cannot promise you the praise of man.\nPardon, peace, hope, guidance, comfort, consolation, grace according to\nyour need, strength according to your day, joy which the world can\nneither give nor take away,--all this I can boldly promise to the man\nwho comes to Christ, and serves Him with his heart. But I cannot promise\nhim that his religion will be popular with man. I would rather warn him\nto expect mockery and ridicule, slander and unkindness, opposition and\npersecution. There is a cross belonging to heart-religion, and we must\nbe content to carry it. \"Through much tribulation we must enter the\nkingdom.\"--\"All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer\npersecution.\" (Acts xiv. 22; 2 Tim. iii. 12.) But if the world hates\nyou, God will love you. If the world forsakes you, Christ has promised\nthat He will never forsake and never fail. Whatever you may lose by\nheart-religion, be sure that the praise of God will make up for all.\n\n\nAnd now I close this paper with three plain words of application. I want\nit to strike and stick to the conscience of every one into whose hands\nit falls. May God make it a blessing to many a soul both in time and\neternity!\n\n(1) In the first place, Is your religion a matter of form and not of\nheart? Answer this question honestly, and as in the sight of God. If it\nis, _consider solemnly the immense danger in which you stand_.\n\nYou have got nothing to comfort your soul in the day of trial, nothing\nto give you hope on your death-bed, nothing to save you at the last day.\nFormal religion never took any man to heaven. Like base metal, it will\nnot stand the fire. Continuing in your present state you are in imminent\nperil of being lost for ever.\n\nI earnestly beseech you this day to know your danger, to open your eyes\nand repent. Churchman or Dissenter, High Church or Low Church, if you\nhave only a name to live, and a form of godliness without the power,\nawake and repent. Awake, above all, if you are an Evangelical formalist.\n\"There is no devil,\" said the quaint old Puritans, \"like a white\ndevil.\" There is no formalism so dangerous as Evangelical formalism.\n\nI can only warn you. I do so with all affection. God alone can apply the\nwarning to your soul. Oh, that you would see the folly as well as the\ndanger of a heartless Christianity! It was sound advice which a dying\nman, in Suffolk, once gave to his son: \"Son,\" he said, \"whatever\nreligion you have, never be content with wearing a cloak.\"\n\n(2) In the second place, if your heart condemns you, and you wish to\nknow what to do, _consider seriously the only course that you can safely\ntake_.\n\nApply to the Lord Jesus Christ without delay, and spread before Him the\nstate of your soul. Confess before Him your formality in time past, and\nask Him to forgive it. Seek from Him the promised grace of the Holy\nGhost, and entreat Him to quicken and renew your inward man.\n\nThe Lord Jesus is appointed and commissioned to be the Physician of\nman's soul. There is no case too hard for Him. There is no condition of\nsoul that He cannot cure. There is no devil He cannot cast out. Seared\nand hardened as the heart of a formalist may be, there is balm in Gilead\nwhich can heal him, and a Physician who is mighty to save. Go and call\non the Lord Jesus Christ this very day. \"Ask, and it shall be given you;\nseek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.\" (Luke\nxi. 9.)\n\n(3) In the last place, if your heart condemns you not, and you have real\nwell-grounded confidence towards God, _consider seriously the many\nresponsibilities of your position_.\n\nPraise Him daily who hath called you out of darkness into light, and\nmade you to differ. Praise Him daily, and ask Him never to forsake the\nwork of His own hands.\n\nWatch with a jealous watchfulness every part of your inward man.\nFormality is ever ready to come in upon us, like the Egyptian plague of\nfrogs, which went even into the king's chamber. Watch, and be on your\nguard.--Watch over your Bible-reading,--your praying,--your temper and\nyour tongue,--your family life and your Sunday religion. There is\nnothing so good and spiritual that we may not fall into formal habits\nabout it. There is none so spiritual but that he may have a heavy fall.\nWatch, therefore, and be on your guard.\n\nLook forward, finally, and hope for the coming of the Lord. Your best\nthings are yet to come. The second coming of Christ will soon be here.\nThe time of temptation will soon be past and gone. The judgment and\nreward of the saints shall soon make amends for all. Rest in the hope of\nthat day. Work, watch, and look forward.--One thing, at any rate, that\nday will make abundantly clear. It will show that there was never an\nhour in our lives in which we gave our hearts too thoroughly to Christ.\n\n\n\n\nXII\n\n\nTHE WORLD\n\n \"_Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the\n Lord._\" 2 Cor. vi. 17.\n\n\nThe text which heads this page touches a subject of vast importance in\nreligion. That subject is the great duty of separation from the world.\nThis is the point which St. Paul had in view when he wrote to the\nCorinthians, \"Come out,--be separate.\"\n\nThe subject is one which demands the best attention of all who profess\nand call themselves Christians. In every age of the Church separation\nfrom the world has always been one of the grand evidences of a work of\ngrace in the heart. He that has been really born of the Spirit, and made\na new creature in Christ Jesus, has always endeavoured to \"come out from\nthe world,\" and live a separate life. They who have only had the name of\nChristian, without the reality, have always refused to \"come out and be\nseparate\" from the world.\n\nThe subject perhaps was never more important than it is at the present\nday. There is a widely-spread desire to make things pleasant in\nreligion,--to saw off the corners and edges of the cross, and to avoid,\nas far as possible, self-denial. On every side we hear professing\nChristians declaring loudly that we must not be \"narrow and exclusive,\"\nand that there is no harm in many things which the holiest saints of old\nthought bad for their souls. That we may go anywhere, and do anything,\nand spend our time in anything, and read anything, and keep any company,\nand plunge into anything, and all the while may be very good\nChristians,--this, this is the maxim of thousands. In a day like this I\nthink it good to raise a warning voice, and invite attention to the\nteaching of God's Word. It is written in that Word, \"Come out, and be\nseparate.\"\n\nThere are four points which I shall try to show my readers, in examining\nthis mighty subject.\n\n\n I. First, I shall try to show _that the world is a source of great\n danger to the soul_.\n\n II. Secondly, I shall try to show _what is not meant by separation\n from the world_.\n\n III. Thirdly, I shall try to show in _what real separation from the\n world consists_.\n\n IV. Fourthly, I shall try _to show the secret of victory over the\n world_.\n\n * * * * *\n\nAnd now, before I go a single step further, let me warn every reader of\nthis paper that he will never understand this subject unless he first\nunderstands what a true Christian is. If you are one of those unhappy\npeople who think everybody is a Christian who goes to a place of\nworship, no matter how he lives, or what he believes, I fear you will\ncare little about separation from the world. But if you read your Bible,\nand are in earnest about your soul, you will know that there are two\nclasses of Christians,--converted and unconverted. You will know that\nwhat the Jews were among the nations under the Old Testament, this the\ntrue Christian is meant to be under the New. You will understand what I\nmean when I say that true Christians are meant, in like manner, to be a\n\"peculiar people\" under the Gospel, and that there must be a difference\nbetween believers and unbelievers. To you, therefore, I make a special\nappeal this day. While many avoid the subject of separation from the\nworld, and many positively hate it, and many are puzzled by it, give me\nyour attention while I try to show you \"the thing as it is.\"\n\n\nI. First of all, let me show that _the world is a source of great danger\nto the soul_.\n\nBy \"the world,\" be it remembered, I do not mean the material world on\nthe face of which we are living and moving. He that pretends to say that\nanything which God has created in the heavens above, or the earth\nbeneath, is in itself harmful to man's soul, says that which is\nunreasonable and absurd. On the contrary, the sun, moon, and stars,--the\nmountains, the valleys, and the plains,--the seas, lakes, and\nrivers,--the animal and vegetable creation,--all are in themselves \"very\ngood.\" (Gen. i. 31.) All are full of lessons of God's wisdom and power,\nand all proclaim daily, \"The hand that made us is Divine.\" The idea that\n\"matter\" is in itself sinful and corrupt is a foolish heresy.\n\nWhen I speak of \"the world\" in this paper, I mean those people who think\nonly, or chiefly, of this world's things, and neglect the world to\ncome,--the people who are always thinking more of earth than of heaven,\nmore of time than of eternity, more of the body than of the soul, more\nof pleasing man than of pleasing God. It is of them and their ways,\nhabits, customs, opinions, practices, tastes, aims, spirit, and tone,\nthat I am speaking when I speak of \"the world.\" This is the world from\nwhich St. Paul tells us to \"Come out and be separate.\"\n\nNow that \"the world,\" in this sense, is an enemy to the soul, the\nwell-known Church Catechism teaches us at its very beginning. It tells\nus that there are three things which a baptized Christian is bound to\nrenounce and give up, and three enemies which he ought to fight with and\nresist. These three are the flesh, the devil, and \"the world.\" All three\nare terrible foes, and all three must be overcome if we would be saved.\n\nBut, whatever men please to think about the Catechism, we shall do well\nto turn to the testimony of Holy Scripture. If the texts I am about to\nquote do not prove that the world is a source of danger to the soul,\nthere is no meaning in words.\n\n(_a_) Let us hear what St. Paul says:--\n\n\"Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing\nof your mind.\" (Rom. xii. 2.)\n\n\"We have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is\nof God.\" (1 Cor. ii. 12.)\n\n\"Christ gave Himself for us, that He might deliver us from this present\nevil world.\" (Gal. i. 4.)\n\n\"In time past ye walked according to the course of this world.\" (Eph.\nii. 2.)\n\n\"Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.\" (2 Tim. iv.\n10.)\n\n(_b_) Let us hear what St. James says:--\n\n\"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit\nthe fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself\nunspotted from the world.\" (James i. 27.)\n\n\"Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?\nWhosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.\"\n(James iv. 4.)\n\n(_c_) Let us hear what St. John says:--\n\n\"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any\nman love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.\n\n\"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of\nthe eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the\nworld.\n\n\"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the\nwill of God abideth for ever.\" (1 John ii. 15--17.)\n\n\"The world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.\" (1 John iii. 1.)\n\n\"They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world\nheareth them.\" (1 John iv. 5.)\n\n\"Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world.\" (1 John v. 4.)\n\n\"We know that we are of God and the whole world lieth in wickedness.\" (1\nJohn v. 19.)\n\n(_d_) Let us hear, lastly, what the Lord Jesus Christ says:--\n\n\"The cares of this world choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful.\"\n(Matt. xiii. 22.)\n\n\"Ye are of this world: I am not of this world.\" (John viii. 23.)\n\n\"The Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth\nHim not, neither knoweth Him.\" (John xiv. 17.)\n\n\"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you.\"\n(John xv. 18.)\n\n\"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye\nare not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore\nthe world hateth you.\" (John xv. 19.)\n\n\"In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have\novercome the world.\" (John xvi. 33.)\n\n\"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.\" (John xvii.\n16.)\n\nI make no comment on these twenty-one texts. They speak for themselves.\nIf any one can read them carefully, and fail to see that \"the world\" is\nan enemy to the Christian's soul, and that there is an utter opposition\nbetween the friendship of the world and the friendship of Christ, he is\npast the reach of argument, and it is waste of time to reason with him.\nTo my eyes they contain a lesson as clear as the sun at noon day.\n\nI turn from Scripture to matters of fact and experience. I appeal to any\nold Christian who keeps his eyes open, and knows what is going on in the\nChurches. I ask him whether it be not true that nothing damages the\ncause of religion so much as \"the world\"? It is not open sin, or open\nunbelief, which robs Christ of His professing servants, so much as the\nlove of the world, the fear of the world, the cares of the world, the\nbusiness of the world, the money of the world, the pleasures of the\nworld, and the desire to keep in with the world. This is the great rock\non which thousands of young people are continually making shipwreck.\nThey do not object to any article of the Christian faith. They do not\ndeliberately choose evil, and openly rebel against God. They hope\nsomehow to get to heaven at last; and they think it proper to have some\nreligion. But they cannot give up their idol: they must have the world.\nAnd so after running well and bidding fair for heaven, while boys and\ngirls, they turn aside when they become men and women, and go down the\nbroad way which leads to destruction. They begin with Abraham and Moses,\nand end with Demas and Lot's wife.\n\nThe last day alone will prove how many souls \"the world\" has slain.\nHundreds will be found to have been trained in religious families, and\nto have known the Gospel from their very childhood, and yet missed\nheaven. They left the harbour of home with bright prospects, and\nlaunched forth on the ocean of life with a father's blessing and a\nmother's prayers, and then got out of the right course through the\nseductions of the world, and ended their voyage in shallows and in\nmisery. It is a sorrowful story to tell; but, alas, it is only too\ncommon! I cannot wonder that St. Paul says, \"Come out and be separate.\"\n\n\nII. Let me now try to show _what does not constitute separation from the\nworld_.\n\nThe point is one which requires clearing up. There are many mistakes\nmade about it. You will sometimes see sincere and well-meaning\nChristians doing things which God never intended them to do, in the\nmatter of separation from the world, and honestly believing that they\nare in the path of duty. Their mistakes often do great harm. They give\noccasion to the wicked to ridicule all religion, and supply them with an\nexcuse for having none. They cause the way of truth to be evil spoken\nof, and add to the offence of the cross. I think it a plain duty to make\na few remarks on the subject. We must never forget that it is possible\nto be very much in earnest, and to think we are \"doing God service,\"\nwhen in reality we are making some great mistake. There is such a thing\nas \"zeal not according to knowledge.\" (John xvi. 2, Rom. x. 2.) There\nare few things about which it is so important to pray for a right\njudgment and sanctified common sense, as about separation from the\nworld.\n\n(_a_) When St. Paul said, \"Come out and be separate,\" he did not mean\nthat Christians ought to give up all worldly callings, trades,\nprofessions, and business. He did not forbid men to be soldiers,\nsailors, lawyers, doctors, merchants, bankers, shop-keepers, or\ntradesmen. There is not a word in the New Testament to justify such a\nline of conduct. Cornelius the centurion, Luke the physician, Zenas the\nlawyer, are examples to the contrary. Idleness is in itself a sin. A\nlawful calling is a remedy against temptation. \"If any man will not\nwork, neither shall he eat.\" (2 Thess. iii. 10.) To give up any business\nof life, which is not necessarily sinful, to the wicked and the devil,\nfrom fear of getting harm from it, is lazy, cowardly conduct. The right\nplan is to carry our religion into our business, and not to give up\nbusiness under the specious pretence that it interferes with our\nreligion.\n\n(_b_) When St. Paul said, \"Come out and be separate,\" he did not mean\nthat Christians ought to decline all intercourse with unconverted\npeople, and refuse to go into their society. There is no warrant for\nsuch conduct in the New Testament. Our Lord and His disciples did not\nrefuse to go to a marriage feast, or to sit at meat at a Pharisee's\ntable. St. Paul does not say, \"If any of them that believe not bid you\nto a feast,\" you must not go, but only tells us how to behave if we do\ngo. (1 Cor. x. 27.) Moreover, it is a dangerous thing to begin judging\npeople too closely, and settling who are converted and who are not, and\nwhat society is godly and what ungodly. We are sure to make mistakes.\nAbove all, such a course of life would cut us off from many\nopportunities of doing good. If we carry our Master with us wherever we\ngo, who can tell but we may \"save some,\" and get no harm? (1 Cor. ix.\n22.)\n\n(_c_) When St. Paul says, \"Come out and be separate,\" he did not mean\nthat Christians ought to take no interest in anything on earth except\nreligion. To neglect science, art, literature, and politics,--to read\nnothing which is not directly spiritual,--to know nothing about what is\ngoing on among mankind, and never to look at a newspaper,--to care\nnothing about the government of one's country, and to be utterly\nindifferent as to the persons who guide its counsels and make its\nlaws,--all this may seem very right and proper in the eyes of some\npeople. But I take leave to think that it is an idle, selfish neglect of\nduty. St. Paul knew the value of good government, as one of the main\nhelps to our \"living a quiet and peaceable life in godliness and\nhonesty.\" (1 Tim. ii. 2.) St. Paul was not ashamed to read heathen\nwriters, and to quote their words in his speeches and writings. St. Paul\ndid not think it beneath him to show an acquaintance with the laws and\ncustoms and callings of the world, in the illustrations he gave from\nthem. Christians who plume themselves on their ignorance of secular\nthings are precisely the Christians who bring religion into contempt. I\nknew the case of a blacksmith who would not come to hear his clergyman\npreach the Gospel, until he found out that he knew the properties of\niron. Then he came.\n\n(_d_) When St. Paul said, \"Come out and be separate,\" he did not mean\nthat Christians should be singular, eccentric, and peculiar in their\ndress, manners, demeanour, and voice. Anything which attracts notice in\nthese matters is most objectionable, and ought to be carefully avoided.\nTo wear clothes of such a colour, or made in such a fashion, that when\nyou go into company every eye is fixed on you, and you are the object of\ngeneral observation, is an enormous mistake. It gives occasion to the\nwicked to ridicule religion, and looks self-righteous and affected.\nThere is not the slightest proof that our Lord and His apostles, and\nPriscilla, and Persis, and their companions, did not dress and behave\njust like others in their own ranks of life. On the other hand, one of\nthe many charges our Lord brings against the Pharisees was that of\n\"making broad their phylacteries, and enlarging the borders of their\ngarments,\" so as to be \"seen of men.\" (Matt. xxiii. 5.) True sanctity\nand sanctimoniousness are entirely different things. Those who try to\nshow their unworldliness by wearing conspicuously ugly clothes, or by\nspeaking in a whining, snuffling voice, or by affecting an unnatural\nslavishness, humility, and gravity of manner, miss their mark\naltogether, and only give occasion to the enemies of the Lord to\nblaspheme.\n\n(_e_) When St. Paul said, \"Come out and be separate,\" he did not mean\nthat Christians ought to retire from the company of mankind, and shut\nthemselves up in solitude. It is one of the crying errors of the Church\nof Rome to suppose that eminent holiness is to be attained by such\npractices. It is the unhappy delusion of the whole army of monks, nuns,\nand hermits. Separation of this kind is not according to the mind of\nChrist. He says distinctly in His last prayer, \"I pray not that Thou\nshouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them\nfrom the evil.\" (John xvii. 15.) There is not a word in the Acts or\nEpistles to recommend such a separation. True believers are always\nrepresented as mixing in the world, doing their duty in it, and\nglorifying God by patience, meekness, purity, and courage in their\nseveral positions, and not by cowardly desertion of them. Moreover, it\nis foolish to suppose that we can keep the world and the devil out of\nour hearts by going into holes and corners. True religion and\nunworldliness are best seen, not in timidly forsaking the post which God\nhas allotted to us, but in manfully standing our ground, and showing the\npower of grace to overcome evil.\n\n(_f_) Last, but not least, when St. Paul said, \"Come out and be\nseparate,\" he did not mean that Christians ought to withdraw from every\nChurch in which there are unconverted members, or to refuse to worship\nin company with any who are not believers, or to keep away from the\nLord's table if any ungodly people go up to it. This is a very common\nbut a very grievous mistake. There is not a text in the New Testament to\njustify it, and it ought to be condemned as a pure invention of man. Our\nLord Jesus Christ Himself deliberately allowed Judas Iscariot to be an\napostle for three years, and gave him the Lord's Supper. He has taught\nus, in the parable of the wheat and tares, that converted and\nunconverted will be \"together till the harvest,\" and cannot be divided.\n(Matt. xiii. 30.) In His Epistles to the Seven Churches, and in all St.\nPaul's Epistles, we often see faults and corruptions mentioned and\nreproved; but we are never told that they justify desertion of the\nassembly, or neglect of ordinances. In short, we must not look for a\nperfect Church, a perfect congregation, and a perfect company of\ncommunicants, until the marriage supper of the Lamb. If others are\nunworthy Churchmen, or unworthy partakers of the Lord's Supper, the sin\nis theirs and not ours: we are not their judges. But to separate\nourselves from Church assemblies, and deprive ourselves of Christian\nordinances, because others use them unworthily, is to take up a foolish,\nunreasonable, and unscriptural position. It is not the mind of Christ,\nand it certainly is not St. Paul's idea of separation from the world.\n\nI commend these six points to the calm consideration of all who wish to\nunderstand the subject of separation from the world. About each and all\nof them far more might be said than I have space to say in this paper.\nAbout each and all of them I have seen so many mistakes made, and so\nmuch misery and unhappiness caused by those mistakes, that I want to put\nChristians on their guard. I want them not to take up positions hastily,\nin the zeal of their first love, which they will afterwards be obliged\nto give up.\n\nI leave this part of my subject with two pieces of advice, which I offer\nespecially to young Christians.\n\nI advise them, for one thing, if they really desire to come out from the\nworld, to remember that the shortest path is not always the path of\nduty. To quarrel with all our unconverted relatives, to \"cut\" all our\nold friends, to withdraw entirely from mixed society, to live an\nexclusive life, to give up every act of courtesy and civility in order\nthat we may devote ourselves to the direct work of Christ,--all this may\nseem very right, and may satisfy our consciences and save us trouble.\nBut I venture a doubt whether it is not often a selfish, lazy,\nself-pleasing line of conduct, and whether the true cross and true line\nof duty may not be to deny ourselves, and adopt a very different course\nof action.\n\nI advise them, for another thing, if they want to come out from the\nworld, to watch against a sour, morose, ungenial, gloomy, unpleasant,\nbearish demeanour, and never to forget that there is such a thing as\n\"winning without the Word.\" (1 Peter iii. 1.) Let them strive to show\nunconverted people that their principles, whatever may be thought of\nthem, make them cheerful, amiable, good-tempered, unselfish, considerate\nfor others, and ready to take an interest in everything that is innocent\nand of good report. In short, let there be no needless separation\nbetween us and the world. In many things, as I shall soon show, we must\nbe separate; but let us take care that it is separation of the right\nsort. If the world is offended by such separation we cannot help it. But\nlet us never give the world occasion to say that our separation is\nfoolish, senseless, ridiculous, unreasonable, uncharitable, and\nunscriptural.\n\n\nIII. In the third place, I shall try to show _what true separation from\nthe world really is_.\n\nI take up this branch of my subject with a very deep sense of its\ndifficulty. That there is a certain line of conduct which all true\nChristians ought to pursue with respect to \"the world, and the things of\nthe world,\" is very evident. The texts already quoted make that plain.\nThe key to the solution of that question lies in the word \"separation.\"\nBut in what separation consists it is not easy to show. On some points\nit is not hard to lay down particular rules; on others it is impossible\nto do more than state general principles, and leave every one to apply\nthem according to his position in life. This is what I shall now attempt\nto do.\n\n(_a_) First and foremost, he that desires to \"come out from the world,\nand be separate,\" _must steadily and habitually refuse to be guided by\nthe world's standard of right and wrong_.\n\nThe rule of the bulk of mankind is to go with the stream, to do as\nothers, to follow the fashion, to keep in with the common opinion, and\nto set your watch by the town-clock. The true Christian will never be\ncontent with such a rule as that. He will simply ask, What saith the\nScripture? What is written in the Word of God? He will maintain firmly\nthat nothing can be right which God says is wrong, and that the customs\nand opinions of his neighbours can never make that to be a trifle which\nGod calls serious, or that to be no sin which God calls sin. He will\nnever think lightly of such sins as drinking, swearing, gambling, lying,\ncheating, swindling, or breach of the seventh commandment, because they\nare common, and many say, \"Where is the mighty harm?\" That miserable\nargument,--\"Everybody thinks so, everybody says so, everybody does it,\neverybody will be there,\"--goes for nothing with him. Is it condemned or\napproved by the Bible? That is his only question. If he stands alone in\nthe parish, or town, or congregation, he will not go against the Bible.\nIf he has to come out from the crowd, and take a position by himself, he\nwill not flinch from it rather than disobey the Bible. This is genuine\nScriptural separation.\n\n(_b_) He that desires to \"come out from the world and be separate,\"\n_must be very careful how he spends his leisure time_.\n\nThis is a point which at first sight appears of little importance. But\nthe longer I live, the more I am persuaded that it deserves most serious\nattention. Honourable occupation and lawful business are a great\nsafeguard to the soul, and the time that is spent upon them is\ncomparatively the time of our least danger. The devil finds it hard to\nget a hearing from a busy man. But when the day's work is over, and the\ntime of leisure arrives, then comes the hour of temptation.\n\nI do not hesitate to warn every man who wants to live a Christian life,\nto be very careful how he spends his evenings. Evening is the time when\nwe are naturally disposed to unbend after the labours of the day; and\nevening is the time when the Christian is too often tempted to lay aside\nhis armour, and consequently brings trouble on his soul. \"Then cometh\nthe devil,\" and with the devil the world. Evening is the time when the\npoor man is tempted to go to the public-house, and fall into sin.\nEvening is the time when the tradesman too often goes to the Inn\nparlour, and sits for hours hearing and seeing things which do him no\ngood. Evening is the time which the higher classes choose for dancing,\ncard playing, and the like; and consequently never get to bed till late\nat night. If we love our souls, and would not become worldly, let us\nmind how we spend our evenings. Tell me how a man spends his evenings,\nand I can generally tell what his character is.\n\nThe true Christian will do well to make it a settled rule never to\n_waste_ his evenings. Whatever others may do, let him resolve always to\nmake time for quiet, calm thought,--for Bible-reading and prayer. The\nrule will prove a hard one to keep. It may bring on him the charge of\nbeing unsocial and over strict. Let him not mind this. Anything of this\nkind is better than habitual late hours in company, hurried prayers,\nslovenly Bible reading, and a bad conscience. Even if he stands alone in\nhis parish or town, let him not depart from his rule. He will find\nhimself in a minority, and be thought a peculiar man. But this is\ngenuine Scriptural separation.\n\n(_c_) He that desires to \"come out from the world and be separate,\" must\n_steadily and habitually determine not to be swallowed up and absorbed\nin the business of the world_.\n\nA true Christian will strive to do his duty in whatever station or\nposition he finds himself, and to do it well. Whether statesman, or\nmerchant, or banker, or lawyer, or doctor, or tradesman, or farmer, he\nwill try to do his work so that no one can find occasion for fault in\nhim. But he will not allow it to get between him and Christ. If he\nfinds his business beginning to eat up his Sundays, his Bible-reading,\nhis private prayer, and to bring clouds between him and heaven, he will\nsay, \"Stand back! There is a limit. Hitherto thou mayest go, but no\nfurther. I cannot sell my soul for place, fame, or gold.\" Like Daniel,\nhe will make time for his communion with God, whatever the cost may be.\nLike Havelock, he will deny himself anything rather than lose his\nBible-reading and his prayers. In all this he will find he stands almost\nalone. Many will laugh at him, and tell him they get on well enough\nwithout being so strict and particular. He will heed it not. He will\nresolutely hold the world at arm's length, whatever present loss or\nsacrifice it may seem to entail. He will choose rather to be less rich\nand prosperous in this world, than not to prosper about his soul. To\nstand alone in this way, to run counter to the ways of others, requires\nimmense self denial. But this is genuine Scriptural separation.\n\n(_d_) He that desires to \"come out from the world and be separate\" must\nsteadily _abstain from all amusements and recreations which are\ninseparably connected with sin_.\n\nThis is a hard subject to handle, and I approach it with pain. But I do\nnot think I should be faithful to Christ, and faithful to my office as a\nminister, if I did not speak very plainly about it, in considering such\na matter as separation from the world.\n\nLet me, then, say honestly, that I cannot understand how any one who\nmakes any pretence to real vital religion can allow himself to attend\nraces and theatres. Conscience no doubt, is a strange thing, and every\nman must judge for himself and use his liberty. One man sees no harm in\nthings which another regards with abhorrence as evil. I can only give my\nown opinion for what it is worth, and entreat my readers to consider\nseriously what I say.\n\nThat to look at horses running at full speed is in itself perfectly\nharmless, no sensible man will pretend to deny. That many plays, such as\nShakespeare's, are among the finest productions of the human intellect,\nis equally undeniable. But all this is beside the question. The question\nis whether horse-racing and theatres, as they are now conducted, in\nEngland, are not inseparably bound up with things that are downright\nwicked. =I= assert without hesitation that they are so bound up. =I=\nassert that the breach of God's commandments so invariably accompanies\nthe race and the play, that you cannot go to the amusement without\nhelping sin.\n\nI entreat all professing Christians to remember this, and to take heed\nwhat they do. I warn them plainly that they have no right to shut their\neyes to facts which every intelligent person knows, for the mere\npleasure of seeing a horse-race, or listening to good actors or\nactresses. I warn them that they must not talk of separation from the\nworld, if they can lend their sanction to amusements which are\ninvariably connected with gambling, betting, drunkenness, and\nfornication. These are the things \"which God will judge.\"--\"The end of\nthese things is death.\" (Heb. xiii. 4; Rom. vi. 21.)\n\nHard words these, no doubt! But are they not true? It may seem to your\nrelatives and friends very strait-laced, strict, and narrow, if you tell\nthem you cannot go to the races or the theatre with them. But we must\nfall back on first principles. Is the world a danger to the soul, or is\nit not? Are we to come out from the world, or are we not? These are\nquestions which can only be answered in one way.\n\nIf we love our souls we must have nothing to do with amusements which\nare bound up with sin. Nothing short of this can be called genuine\nscriptural separation from the world.[11]\n\n 11: See Note, page 310.\n\n(_e_) He that desires to \"come out from the world, and be separate,\"\nmust be _moderate in the use of lawful and innocent recreations_.\n\nNo sensible Christian will ever think of condemning all recreations. In\na world of wear and tear like that we live in, occasional unbending and\nrelaxation are good for all. Body and mind alike require seasons of\nlighter occupation, and opportunities of letting off high spirits, and\nespecially when they are young. Exercise itself is a positive necessity\nfor the preservation of mental and bodily health. I see no harm in\ncricket, rowing, running, and other manly athletic recreations. I find\nno fault with those who play at chess and such-like games of skill. We\nare all fearfully and wonderfully made. No wonder the poet says,--\n\n \"Strange that a harp of thousand strings\n Should keep in tune so long!\"\n\nAnything which strengthens nerves, and brain, and digestion, and lungs,\nand muscles, and makes us more fit for Christ's work, so long as it is\nnot in itself sinful, is a blessing, and ought to be thankfully used.\nAnything which will occasionally divert our thoughts from their usual\ngrinding channel, in a healthy manner, is a good and not an evil.\n\nBut it is the excess of these innocent things which a true Christian\nmust watch against, if he wants to be separate from the world. He must\nnot devote his whole heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, and time\nto them, as many do, if he wishes to serve Christ. There are hundreds of\nlawful things which are good in moderation, but bad when taken in\nexcess: healthful medicine in small quantities,--downright poison when\nswallowed down in huge doses. In nothing is this so true as it is in the\nmatter of recreations. The use of them is one thing, and the abuse of\nthem is another. The Christian who uses them must know when to stop,\nand how to say \"Hold: enough!\"--Do they interfere with his private\nreligion? Do they take up too much of his thoughts and attention? Have\nthey a secularizing effect on his soul? Have they a tendency to pull him\ndown to earth? Then let him hold hard and take care. All this will\nrequire courage, self-denial, and firmness. It is a line of conduct\nwhich will often bring on us the ridicule and contempt of those who know\nnot what moderation is, and who spend their lives in making trifles\nserious things and serious things trifles. But if we mean to come out\nfrom the world we must not mind this. We must be \"temperate\" even in\nlawful things, whatever others may think of us. This is genuine\nScriptural separation.\n\n(_f_) Last, but not least, he that desires to \"come out from the world\nand be separate\" must be _careful how he allows himself in friendships,\nintimacies, and close relationships with worldly people_.\n\nWe cannot help meeting many unconverted people as long as we live. We\ncannot avoid having intercourse with them, and doing business with them,\nunless \"we go out of the world.\" (1 Cor. v. 10.) To treat them with the\nutmost courtesy, kindness, and charity, whenever we do meet them, is a\npositive duty. But acquaintance is one thing, and intimate friendship is\nquite another. To seek their society without cause, to choose their\ncompany, to cultivate intimacy with them, is very dangerous to the soul.\nHuman nature is so constituted that we cannot be much with other people\nwithout effect on our own character. The old proverb will never fail to\nprove true: \"Tell me with whom a man chooses to live, and I will tell\nyou what he is.\" The Scripture says expressly, \"He that walketh with\nwise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.\"\n(Prov. xiii. 20.) If then a Christian, who desires to live consistently,\nchooses for his friends those who either do not care for their souls, or\nthe Bible, or God, or Christ, or holiness, or regard them as of\nsecondary importance, it seems to me impossible for him to prosper in\nhis religion. He will soon find that their ways are not his ways, nor\ntheir thoughts his thoughts, nor their tastes his tastes; and that,\nunless they change, he must give up intimacy with them. In short, there\nmust be separation. Of course such separation will be painful. But if we\nhave to choose between the loss of a friend and the injury of our souls,\nthere ought to be no doubt in our minds. If friends will not walk in the\nnarrow way with us, we must not walk in the broad way to please them.\nBut let us distinctly understand that to attempt to keep up close\nintimacy between a converted and an unconverted person, if both are\nconsistent with their natures, is to attempt an impossibility.\n\nThe principle here laid down ought to be carefully remembered by all\nunmarried Christians in the choice of a husband or wife. I fear it is\ntoo often entirely forgotten. Too many seem to think of everything\nexcept religion in choosing a partner for life, or to suppose that it\nwill come somehow as a matter of course. Yet when a praying,\nBible-reading, God-fearing, Christ-loving, Sabbath-keeping Christian\nmarries a person who takes no interest whatever in serious religion,\nwhat can the result be but injury to the Christian, or immense\nunhappiness? Health is not infectious, but disease is. As a general\nrule, in such cases, the good go down to the level of the bad, and the\nbad do not come up to the level of the good. The subject is a delicate\none, and I do not care to dwell upon it. But this I say confidently to\nevery unmarried Christian man or woman,--if you love your soul, if you\ndo not want to fall away and backslide, if you do not want to destroy\nyour own peace and comfort for life, resolve never to marry any person\nwho is not a thorough Christian, whatever the resolution may cost you.\nYou had better die than marry an unbeliever. Stand to this resolution,\nand let no one ever persuade you out of it. Depart from this resolution,\nand you will find it almost impossible to \"come out and be separate.\"\nYou will find you have tied a mill-stone round your own neck in running\nthe race towards heaven; and, if saved at last, it will be \"so as by\nfire.\" (1 Cor. iii. 15.)\n\nI offer these six general hints to all who wish to follow St. Paul's\nadvice, and to come out from the world and be separate. In giving them,\nI lay no claim to infallibility; but I believe they deserve\nconsideration and attention. I do not forget that the subject is full of\ndifficulties, and that scores of doubtful cases are continually arising\nin a Christian's course, in which it is very hard to say what is the\npath of duty, and how to behave. Perhaps the following bits of advice\nmay be found useful.--In all doubtful cases we should first pray for\nwisdom and sound judgment. If prayer is worth anything, it must be\nspecially valuable when we desire to do right, but do not see our\nway.--In all doubtful cases let us often try ourselves by recollecting\nthe eye of God. Should I go to such and such a place, or do such and\nsuch a thing, if I really thought God was looking at me?--In all\ndoubtful cases let us never forget the second advent of Christ and the\nday of judgment. Should I like to be found in such and such company, or\nemployed in such and such ways?--Finally, in all doubtful cases let us\nfind out what the conduct of the holiest and best Christians has been\nunder similar circumstances. If we do not clearly see our own way, we\nneed not be ashamed to follow good examples. I throw out these\nsuggestions for the use of all who are in difficulties about disputable\npoints in the matter of separation from the world. I cannot help\nthinking that they may help to untie many knots, and solve many\nproblems.\n\n\nIV. I shall now conclude the whole subject by trying to _show the\nsecrets of real victory over the world_.\n\nTo come out from the world of course is not an easy thing. It cannot be\neasy so long as human nature is what it is, and a busy devil is always\nnear us. It requires a constant struggle and exertion; it entails\nincessant conflict and self-denial; it often places us in exact\nopposition to members of our own families, to relations and neighbours;\nit sometimes obliges us to do things which give great offence, and bring\non us ridicule and petty persecution. It is precisely this which makes\nmany hang back and shrink from decided religion. They know they are not\nright; they know that they are not so \"thorough\" in Christ's service as\nthey ought to be, and they feel uncomfortable and ill at ease. But the\nfear of man keeps them back. And so they linger on through life with\naching, dissatisfied hearts,--with too much religion to be happy in the\nworld, and too much of the world to be happy in their religion. I fear\nthis is a very common case, if the truth were known.\n\nYet there are some in every age who seem to get the victory over the\nworld. They come out decidedly from its ways, and are unmistakably\nseparate. They are independent of its opinions, and unshaken by its\nopposition. They move on like planets in an orbit of their own, and seem\nto rise equally above the world's smiles and frowns. And what are the\nsecrets of their victory? I will set them down.\n\n(_a_) The first secret of victory over the world is a _right heart_. By\nthat I mean a heart renewed, changed and sanctified by the Holy\nGhost,--a heart in which Christ dwells, a heart in which old things have\npassed away, and all things become new. The grand mark of such a heart\nis the bias of its tastes and affections. The owner of such a heart no\nlonger likes the world, and the things of the world, and therefore finds\nit no trial or sacrifice to give them up. He has no longer any appetite\nfor the company, the conversation, the amusements, the occupations, the\nbooks which he once loved, and to \"come out\" from them seems natural to\nhim. Great indeed is the expulsive power of a new principle! Just as the\nnew spring-buds in a beech hedge push off the old leaves and make them\nquietly fall to the ground, so does the new heart of a believer\ninvariably affect his tastes and likings, and make him drop many things\nwhich he once loved and lived in, because he now likes them no more. Let\nhim that wants to \"come out from the world and be separate,\" make sure\nfirst and foremost that he has got a new heart. If the heart is really\nright, everything else will be right in time. \"If thine eye be single,\nthy whole body shall be full of light.\" (Matt. vi. 22.) If the\naffections are not right, there never will be right action.\n\n(_b_) The second secret of victory over the world is a _lively practical\nfaith_ in unseen things. What saith the Scripture? \"This is the victory\nthat overcometh the world, even our faith.\" (1 John v. 4.) To attain and\nkeep up the habit of looking steadily at invisible things, as if they\nwere visible,--to set before our minds every day, as grand realities,\nour souls, God, Christ, heaven, hell, judgment, eternity,--to cherish an\nabiding conviction that what we do not see is just as real as what we do\nsee, and ten thousand times more important,--this, this is one way to be\nconquerors over the world. This was the faith which made the noble army\nof saints, described in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, obtain such a\nglorious testimony from the Holy Ghost. They all acted under a firm\npersuasion that they had a real God, a real Saviour, and a real home in\nheaven, though unseen by mortal eyes. Armed with this faith, a man\nregards this world as a shadow compared to the world to come, and cares\nlittle for its praise or blame, its enmity or its rewards. Let him that\nwants to come out from the world and be separate, but shrinks and hangs\nback for fear of the things seen, pray and strive to have this faith.\n\"All things are possible to him that believes.\" (Mark ix. 23.) Like\nMoses, he will find it possible to forsake Egypt, seeing Him that is\ninvisible. Like Moses, he will not care what he loses and who is\ndispleased, because he sees afar off, like one looking through a\ntelescope, a substantial recompense of reward. (Heb. xi. 26.)\n\n(_c_) The third and last secret of victory over the world, is to attain\nand cultivate the _habit of boldly confessing Christ_ on all proper\noccasions. In saying this I would not be mistaken. I want no one to blow\na trumpet before him, and thrust his religion on others at all seasons.\nBut I do wish to encourage all who strive to come out from the world to\nshow their colours, and to act and speak out like men who are not\nashamed to serve Christ. A steady, quiet assertion of our own\nprinciples, as Christians,--an habitual readiness to let the children of\nthe world see that we are guided by other rules than they are, and do\nnot mean to swerve from them,--a calm, firm, courteous maintenance of\nour own standard of things in every company,--all this will insensibly\nform a habit within us, and make it comparatively easy to be a separate\nman. It will be hard at first, no doubt, and cost us many a struggle;\nbut the longer we go on, the easier will it be. Repeated acts of\nconfessing Christ will produce habits. Habits once formed will produce a\nsettled character. Our characters once known, we shall be saved much\ntrouble. Men will know what to expect from us, and will count it no\nstrange thing if they see us living the lives of separate peculiar\npeople. He that grasps the nettle most firmly will always be less hurt\nthan the man who touches it with a trembling hand. It is a great thing\nto be able to say \"No\" decidedly, but courteously, when asked to do\nanything which conscience says is wrong. He that shows his colours\nboldly from the first, and is never ashamed to let men see \"whose he is\nand whom he serves,\" will soon find that he has overcome the world, and\nwill be let alone. Bold confession is a long step towards victory.\n\n\nIt only remains for me now to conclude the whole subject with a few\nshort words of application. The danger of the world ruining the soul,\nthe nature of true separation from the world, the secrets of victory\nover the world, are all before the reader of this paper. I now ask him\nto give me his attention for the last time, while I try to say something\ndirectly for his personal benefit.\n\n(1) My first word shall be _a question_. Are you overcoming the world,\nor are you overcome by it? Do you know what it is to come out from the\nworld and be separate, or are you yet entangled by it, and conformed to\nit? If you have any desire to be saved, I entreat you to answer this\nquestion.\n\nIf you know nothing of \"separation,\" I warn you affectionately that your\nsoul is in great danger. The world passeth away; and they who cling to\nthe world, and think only of the world, will pass away with it to\neverlasting ruin. Awake to know your peril before it be too late. Awake\nand flee from the wrath to come. The time is short. The end of all\nthings is at hand. The shadows are lengthening. The sun is going down.\nThe night cometh when no man can work. The great white throne will soon\nbe set. The judgment will begin. The books will be opened. Awake, and\ncome out from the world while it is called to-day.\n\nYet a little while, and there will be no more worldly occupations and\nworldly amusements,--no more getting money and spending money,--no more\neating, and drinking, and feasting, and dressing, and ball-going, and\ntheatres, and races, and cards, and gambling. What will you do when all\nthese things have passed away for ever? How can you possibly be happy in\nan eternal heaven, where holiness is all in all, and worldliness has no\nplace? Oh consider these things, and be wise! Awake, and break the\nchains which the world has thrown around you. Awake, and flee from the\nwrath to come.\n\n(2) My second word shall be _a counsel_. If you want to come out from\nthe world, but know not what to do, take the advice which I give you\nthis day. Begin by applying direct, as a penitent sinner, to our Lord\nJesus Christ, and put your case in His hands. Pour out your heart before\nHim. Tell Him your whole story, and keep nothing back. Tell Him that you\nare a sinner wanting to be saved from the world, the flesh, and the\ndevil, and entreat Him to save you.\n\nThat blessed Saviour \"gave Himself for us that He might deliver us from\nthis present evil world.\" (Gal. i. 2.) He knows what the world is, for\nHe lived in it thirty and three years. He knows what the difficulties of\na man are, for He was made man for our sakes, and dwelt among men. High\nin heaven, at the right hand of God, He is able to save to the uttermost\nall who come to God by Him,--able to keep us from the evil of the world\nwhile we are still living in it,--able to give us power to become the\nsons of God,--able to keep us from falling,--able to make us more than\nconquerors. Once more I say, Go direct to Christ with the prayer of\nfaith, and put yourself wholly and unreservedly in His hands. Hard as it\nmay seem to you now to come out from the world and be separate, you\nshall find that with Jesus nothing is impossible. You, even you, shall\novercome the world.\n\n(3) My third and last word shall be _encouragement_. If you have learned\nby experience what it is to come out from the world, I can only say to\nyou, Take comfort, and persevere. You are in the right road; you have no\ncause to be afraid. The everlasting hills are in sight. Your salvation\nis nearer than when you believed. Take comfort and press on.\n\nNo doubt you have had many a battle, and made many a false step. You\nhave sometimes felt ready to faint, and been half disposed to go back to\nEgypt. But your Master has never entirely left you, and He will never\nsuffer you to be tempted above that you are able to bear. Then persevere\nsteadily in your separation from the world, and never be ashamed of\nstanding alone. Settle it firmly in your mind that the most decided\nChristians are always the happiest, and remember that no one ever said\nat the end of his course that he had been too holy, and lived too near\nto God.\n\nHear, last of all, what is written in the Scriptures of truth:\n\n\"Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of man also\nconfess before the angels of God.\" (Luke xii. 8.)\n\n\"There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or\nfather, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the\ngospel's,\n\n\"But he shall receive an hundred-fold now in this time, houses, and\nbrethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with\npersecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.\" (Mark x. 29, 30.)\n\n\"Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of\nreward.\n\n\"For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God,\nye might receive the promise.\n\n\"For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not\ntarry.\" (Heb. x. 35--37.)\n\nThose words were written and spoken for our sakes. Let us lay hold on\nthem, and never forget them. Let us persevere to the end, and never be\nashamed of coming out from the world, and being separate. We may be sure\nit brings its own reward.\n\n\nNOTE\n\n Thoughtful and intelligent readers will probably observe that,\n under the head of worldly amusements, I have said nothing about\n ball-going and card-playing. They are delicate and difficult\n subjects, and many classes of society are not touched by them.\n But I am quite willing to give my opinion, and the more so\n because I do not speak of them without experience in the days\n of my youth.\n\n (_a_) Concerning _ball-going_, I only ask Christians to judge\n the amusement by its tendencies and accompaniments. To say\n there is anything morally wrong in the mere bodily act of\n dancing would be absurd. David danced before the ark. Solomon\n said, \"There is a time to dance.\" (Eccle. iii 4.) Just as it is\n natural to lambs and kittens to frisk about, so it seems\n natural to young people, all over the world, to jump about to a\n lively tune of music. If dancing were taken up for mere\n exercise, if dancing took place at early hours, and men only\n danced with men, and women with women, it would be needless and\n absurd to object to it. But everybody knows that this is not\n what is meant by modern ball-going. This is an amusement which\n involves very late hours, extravagant dressing, and an immense\n amount of frivolity, vanity, jealousy, unhealthy excitement,\n and vain conversation. Who would like to be found in a modern\n ball-room when the Lord Jesus Christ comes the second time? Who\n that has taken much part in balls, as I myself once did, before\n I knew better, can deny that they have a most dissipating\n effect on the mind, like opium-eating and dram-drinking on the\n body? I cannot withhold my opinion that ball-going is one of\n those worldly amusements which \"war against the soul,\" and\n which it is wisest and best to give up. And as for those\n parents who urge their sons and daughters, against their wills\n and inclinations, to go to balls, I can only say that they are\n taking on themselves a most dangerous responsibility, and\n risking great injury to their children's souls.\n\n (_b_) Concerning _card-playing_, my judgment is much the same.\n I ask Christian people to try it by its tendencies and\n consequences. Of course it would be nonsense to say there is\n positive wickedness in an innocent game of cards, for\n diversion, and not for money. I have known instances of old\n people of lethargic and infirm habit of body, unable to work or\n read, to whom cards in an evening were really useful, to keep\n them from drowsiness, and preserve their health. But it is vain\n to shut our eyes to facts. If masters and mistresses once begin\n to play cards in the parlour, servants are likely to play cards\n in the kitchen; and then comes in a whole train of evils.\n Moreover, from simple card-playing to desperate gambling there\n is but a chain of steps. If parents teach young people that\n there is no harm in the first step, they must never be\n surprised if they go on to the last.\n\n I give this opinion with much diffidence. I lay no claim to\n infallibility. Let every one be persuaded in his own mind. But,\n considering all things, it is my deliberate judgment that the\n Christian who wishes to keep his soul right, and to \"come out\n from the world,\" will do wisely to have nothing to do with\n card-playing. It is a habit which seems to grow on some people\n so much that it becomes at last a necessity, and they cannot\n live without it. \"Madam,\" said Romaine to an old lady at Bath,\n who declared she could not do without her cards,--\"Madam, if\n this is the case, cards are your god, and your god is a very\n poor one.\" Surely in doubtful matters like these it is well to\n give our souls the benefit of the doubt, and to refrain.\n\n (_c_) Concerning _field-sports_, I admit that it is not easy to\n lay down a strict rule. I cannot go the length of some, and say\n that galloping across country, or shooting grouse, partridges,\n or pheasants, or catching salmon or trout, are in themselves\n positively sinful occupations, and distinct marks of an\n unconverted heart. There are many persons, I know, to whom\n violent out-door exercise and complete diversion of mind are\n absolute necessities, for the preservation of their bodily and\n mental health. But in all these matters the chief question is\n one of degree. Much depends on the company men are thrown into,\n and the extent to which the thing is carried. The great danger\n lies in excess. It is possible to be _intemperate_ about\n hunting and shooting as well as about drinking. We are\n commanded in Scripture to be \"temperate in all things,\" if we\n would so run as to obtain; and those who are addicted to\n field-sports should not forget this rule.\n\n The question, however, is one about which Christians must be\n careful in expressing an opinion, and moderate in their\n judgments. The man who can neither ride, nor shoot, nor throw a\n fly, is hardly qualified to speak dispassionately about such\n matters. It is cheap and easy work to condemn others for doing\n things which you cannot do yourself, and are utterly unable to\n enjoy! One thing only is perfectly certain,--all intemperance\n or excess is sin. The man who is wholly absorbed in\n field-sports, and spends all his years in such a manner that he\n seems to think God only created him to be a \"hunting, shooting,\n and fishing animal,\" is a man who at present knows very little\n of Scriptural Christianity. It is written, \"Where your treasure\n is, there will your heart be also.\" (Matt. vi. 21.)\n\n\n\n\nXIII\n\n\nRICHES AND POVERTY\n\n \"_There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and\n fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day_:\n\n \"_And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid\n at his gate, full of sores_,\n\n \"_And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the\n rich man's table: moreover, the dogs came and licked his\n sores._\n\n \"_And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by\n the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and\n was buried_;\n\n \"_And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth\n Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom._\"--\n\n Luke xvi. 19--23.\n\nThere are probably few readers of the Bible who are not familiar with\nthe parable of the rich man and Lazarus. It is one of those passages of\nScripture which leave an indelible impression on the mind. Like the\nparable of the Prodigal Son, once read it is never forgotten.\n\nThe reason of this is clear and simple. The whole parable is a most\nvividly painted picture. The story, as it goes on, carries our\nsenses with it with irresistible power. Instead of readers, we\nbecome lookers on. We are witnesses of all the events described. We\nsee. We hear. We fancy we could almost touch. The rich man's\nbanquet,--the purple,--the fine linen,--the gate,--the beggar lying\nby it,--the sores,--the dogs,--the crumbs,--the two deaths,--the\nrich man's burial,--the ministering angels,--the bosom of\nAbraham,--the rich man's fearful waking up,--the fire,--the\ngulf,--the hopeless remorse,--all, all stand out before our eyes in\nbold relief, and stamp themselves upon our minds. This is the\nperfection of language. This is the attainment of the famous Arabian\nstandard of eloquence,--\"He speaks the =best= who turns the ear into\nan eye.\"\n\nBut, after all, it is one thing to admire the masterly composition of\nthis parable, and quite another to receive the spiritual lessons it\ncontains. The eye of the intellect can often see beauties while the\nheart remains asleep, and sees nothing at all. Hundreds read Pilgrim's\nProgress with deep interest, to whom the struggle for the celestial city\nis foolishness. Thousands are familiar with every word of the parable\nbefore us this day, who never consider how it comes home to their own\ncase. Their conscience is deaf to the cry which ought to ring in their\nears as they read,--\"Thou art the man.\" Their heart never turns to God\nwith the solemn inquiry,--\"Lord, is this my picture?--Lord, is it I?\"\n\nI invite my readers this day to consider the leading truths which this\nparable is meant to teach us. I purposely omit to notice any part of it\nbut that which stands at the head of this paper. May the Holy Ghost give\nus a teachable spirit, and an understanding heart, and so produce\nlasting impressions on our souls!\n\n\nI. Let us observe, first of all, _how different are the conditions which\nGod allots to different men_.\n\nThe Lord Jesus begins the parable by telling us of a rich man and a\nbeggar. He says not a word in praise either of poverty or of riches. He\ndescribes the circumstances of a wealthy man and the circumstances of a\npoor man; but He neither condemns the temporal position of one, nor\npraises that of the other.\n\nThe contrast between the two men is painfully striking. Look on this\npicture, and on that.\n\nHere is one who possessed abundance of this world's good things. \"He was\nclothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.\"\n\nHere is another who has literally nothing. He is a friendless, diseased,\nhalf-starved pauper. \"He lies at the rich man's gate full of sores,\" and\nbegs for crumbs.\n\nBoth are children of Adam. Both came from the same dust, and belonged to\none family. Both are living in the same land and subjects of the same\ngovernment. And yet how different is their condition!\n\nBut we must take heed that we do not draw lessons from the parable which\nit was never meant to teach. The rich are not always bad men, and do not\nalways go to hell. The poor are not always good men, and do not always\ngo to heaven. We must not rush into the extreme of supposing that it is\nsinful to be rich. We must not run away with the idea that there is\nanything wicked in the difference of condition here described, and that\nGod intended all men to be equal. There is nothing in our Lord Jesus\nChrist's words to warrant any such conclusion. He simply describes\nthings as they are often seen in the world, and as we must expect to see\nthem.\n\nUniversal equality is a very high-sounding expression, and a favourite\nidea with visionary men. Many in every age have disturbed society by\nstirring up the poor against the rich, and by preaching up the popular\ndoctrine that all men ought to be equal. But so long as the world is\nunder the present order of things this universal equality cannot be\nattained. Those who declaim against the vast inequality of men's lots\nwill doubtless never be in want of hearers; but so long as human nature\nis what it is, this inequality cannot be prevented.\n\nSo long as some are wise and some are foolish,--some strong and some\nweak,--some healthy and some diseased,--some lazy and some\ndiligent,--some provident and some improvident;--so long as children\nreap the fruit of their parent's misconduct;--so long as sun, and rain,\nand heat, and cold, and wind, and waves, and drought, and blight, and\nstorms, and tempests are beyond man's control,--so long there always\nwill be some rich and some poor. All the political economy in the world\nwill never make the poor altogether \"cease out of the land.\" (Deut. xv.\n11.)\n\nTake all the property in England by force this day, and divide it\nequally among the inhabitants. Give every man above twenty years old an\nequal portion. Let all take share and share alike, and begin the world\nover again. Do this, and see where you would be at the end of fifty\nyears. You would just have come round to the point where you began. You\nwould just find things as unequal as before. Some would have worked, and\nsome would have been idle. Some would have been always careless, and\nsome always scheming. Some would have sold, and others would have\nbought. Some would have wasted, and others would have saved. And the end\nwould be that some would be rich and others poor.\n\nLet no man listen to those vain and foolish talkers who say that all men\nwere meant to be equal. They might as well tell you that all men ought\nto be of the same height, weight, strength, and cleverness,--or that all\noak trees ought to be of the same shape and size,--or that all blades of\ngrass ought to be of the same length.\n\nSettle it in your mind that the main cause of all the suffering you see\naround you is sin. Sin is the grand cause of the enormous luxury of the\nrich, and the painful degradation of the poor,--of the heartless\nselfishness of the highest classes, and the helpless poverty of the\nlowest. Sin must be first cast out of the world. The hearts of all men\nmust be renewed and sanctified. The devil must be bound. The Prince of\nPeace must come down and take His great power and =reign=. All this must\nbe before there ever can be universal happiness, or the gulf be filled\nup which now divides the rich and poor.\n\nBeware of expecting a millennium to be brought about by any method of\ngovernment, by any system of education, by any political party. Labour\nmight and main to do good to all men. Pity your poorer brethren, and\nhelp every reasonable endeavour to raise them from their low estate.\nSlack not your hand from any endeavour to increase knowledge, to promote\nmorality, to improve the temporal condition of the poor. But never,\nnever forget that you live in a fallen world, that sin is all around\nyou, and that the devil is abroad. And be very sure that the rich man\nand Lazarus are emblems of two classes which will always be in the world\nuntil the Lord comes.\n\n\nII. Let us observe, in the next place, that _a man's temporal condition\nis no test of the state of his soul_.\n\nThe rich man in the parable appears to have been the world's pattern of\na prosperous man. If the life that now is were all, he seems to have had\neverything that heart could wish. We know that he was \"clothed in purple\nand fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.\" We need not doubt that\nhe had everything else which money could procure. The wisest of men had\ngood cause for saying, \"Money answereth all things.\" \"The rich hath many\nfriends.\" (Eccles. x. 19; Prov. xiv. 20.)\n\nBut who that reads the story through can fail to see that in the highest\nand best sense the rich man was pitiably _poor_? Take away the good\nthings of this life, and he had nothing left,--nothing after\ndeath,--nothing beyond the grave,--nothing in the world to come. With\nall his riches he had no \"treasure laid up in heaven.\" With all his\npurple and fine linen he had no garment of righteousness. With all his\nboon companions he had no Friend and Advocate at God's right hand. With\nall his sumptuous fare he had never tasted the bread of life. With all\nhis splendid palace he had no home in the eternal world. Without God,\nwithout Christ, without faith, without grace, without pardon, without\nholiness, he lives to himself for a few short years, and then goes down\nhopelessly into the pit. How hollow and unreal was all his prosperity!\nJudge what I say,--_The rich man was very poor_.\n\nLazarus appears to have been one who had literally nothing in the world.\nIt is hard to conceive a case of greater misery and destitution than\nhis. He had neither house, nor money, nor food, nor health, nor, in all\nprobability, even clothes. His picture is one that can never be\nforgotten. He \"lay at the rich man's gate, covered with sores.\" He\ndesired to be \"fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table.\"\nMoreover, the dogs came and \"licked his sores.\" Verily the wise man\nmight well say, \"The poor is hated even of his neighbour.\" \"The\ndestruction of the poor is their poverty.\" (Prov. xiv. 20; x. 15.)\n\nBut who that reads the parable to the end can fail to see that in the\nhighest sense Lazarus was not poor, but _rich_? He was a child of God.\nHe was an heir of glory. He possessed durable riches and righteousness.\nHis name was in the book of life. His place was prepared for Him in\nheaven. He had the best of clothing,--the righteousness of a Saviour. He\nhad the best of friends,--God Himself was his portion. He had the best\nof food,--he had meat to eat the world knew not of. And, best of all, he\nhad these things for ever. They supported him in life. They did not\nleave him in the hour of death. They went with him beyond the grave.\nThey were his to eternity. Surely in this point of view we may well say,\nnot \"poor Lazarus,\" but \"rich Lazarus.\"\n\nWe should do well to measure all men by God's standard,--to measure them\nnot by the amount of their income, but by the condition of their souls.\nWhen the Lord God looks down from heaven and sees the children of men,\nHe takes no account of many things which are highly esteemed by the\nworld. He looks not at men's money, or lands, or titles. He looks only\nat the state of their souls, and reckons them accordingly. Oh, that you\nwould strive to do likewise! Oh, that you would value grace above\ntitles, or intellect, or gold! Often, far too often, the only question\nasked about a man is, \"How much is he worth?\" It would be well for us\nall to remember that every man is pitiably poor until he is rich in\nfaith, and rich toward God. (James ii. 5.)\n\nWonderful as it may seem to some, all the money in the world is\nworthless in God's balances, compared to grace! Hard as the saying may\nsound, I believe that a converted beggar is far more important and\nhonourable in the sight of God than an unconverted king. The one may\nglitter like the butterfly in the sun for a little season, and be\nadmired by an ignorant world; but his latter end is darkness and misery\nfor ever. The other may crawl through the world like a crushed worm, and\nbe despised by every one who sees him; but his latter end is a glorious\nresurrection and a blessed eternity with Christ. Of him the Lord says,\n\"I know thy poverty (but thou art rich).\" (Rev. ii. 9.)\n\nKing Ahab was ruler over the ten tribes of Israel. Obadiah was nothing\nmore than a servant in his household. Yet who can doubt which was most\nprecious in God's sight, the servant or the king?\n\nRidley and Latimer were deposed from all their dignities, cast into\nprison as malefactors, and at length burnt at the stake. Bonner and\nGardiner, their persecutors, were raised to the highest pitch of\necclesiastical greatness, enjoyed large incomes, and died unmolested in\ntheir beds. Yet who can doubt which of the two parties was on the Lord's\nside?\n\nBaxter, the famous divine, was persecuted with savage malignity, and\ncondemned to a long imprisonment by a most unjust judgment. Jeffreys,\nthe Lord Chief Justice, who sentenced him, was a man of infamous\ncharacter, without either morality or religion. Baxter was sent to jail\nand Jeffreys was loaded with honours. Yet who can doubt which was the\ngood man of the two, the Lord Chief Justice or the author of the\n\"Saint's Rest\"?\n\nWe may be very sure that riches and worldly greatness are no certain\nmarks of God's favour. They are often, on the contrary, a snare and\nhindrance to a man's soul. They make him love the world and forget God.\nWhat says Solomon? \"Labour not to be rich.\" (Prov. xxiii. 4.) What says\nSt. Paul? \"They that _will_ be rich, fall into temptation and a snare,\nand into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction\nand perdition.\" (1 Tim. vi. 9.)\n\nWe may be no less sure that poverty and trial are no certain proof of\nGod's anger. They are often blessings in disguise. They are always sent\nin love and wisdom. They often serve to wean man from the world. They\nteach him to set his affections on things above. They often show the\nsinner his own heart. They often make the saint fruitful in good works.\nWhat says the book of Job? \"Happy is the man whom God correcteth;\ntherefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.\" (Job v. 17.)\nWhat says St. Paul? \"Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth.\" (Heb. xii. 6.)\n\nOne great secret of happiness in this life is to be of a patient,\ncontented spirit. Strive daily to realize the truth that this life is\nnot the place of reward. The time of retribution and recompense is yet\nto come. Judge nothing hastily before that time. Remember the words of\nthe wise man: \"If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent\nperverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the\nmatter: for He that is higher than the highest regardeth, and there be\nhigher than they.\" (Eccles. v. 8.) Yes! there is a day of judgment yet\nto come. That day shall put all in their right places. At last there\nshall be seen a mighty difference \"between him that serveth God; and him\nthat serveth Him not.\" (Malachi iii. 18.) The children of Lazarus and\nthe children of the rich man shall, at length be seen in their true\ncolours, and every one shall receive according to his works.\n\n\nIII. Let us observe, in the next place, how _all classes alike come to\nthe grave_.\n\nThe rich man in the parable died, and Lazarus died also. Different and\ndivided as they were in their lives, they had both to drink of the same\ncup at the last. Both went to the house appointed for all living. Both\nwent to that place where rich and poor meet together. Dust they were,\nand unto dust they returned. (Gen. iii. 19.)\n\nThis is the lot of all men. It will be our own, unless the Lord shall\nfirst return in glory. After all our scheming, and contriving, and\nplanning, and studying,--after all our inventions, and discoveries, and\nscientific attainments,--there remains one enemy we cannot conquer and\ndisarm, and that is death. The chapter in Genesis which records the long\nlives of Methuselah and the rest who lived before the flood, winds up\nthe simple story of each by two expressive words: \"he died.\" And now,\nafter 4,800 years, what more can be said of the greatest among\nourselves? The histories of Marlborough, and Washington, and Napoleon,\nand Wellington, arrive at just the same humbling conclusion. The end of\neach, after all his greatness is just this,--\"he died.\"\n\nDeath is a mighty leveller. He spares none, he waits for none, and\nstands on no ceremony. He will not tarry till you are ready. He will not\nbe kept out by moats, and doors, and bars, and bolts. The Englishman\nboasts that his home is his castle, but with all his boasting, he cannot\nexclude death. An Austrian nobleman forbade death and the smallpox to\nbe named in his presence. But, named or not named, it matters little, in\nGod's appointed hour death will come.\n\nOne man rolls easily along the road in the easiest and handsomest\ncarriage that money can procure. Another toils wearily along the path on\nfoot. Yet both are sure to meet at last in the same home.\n\nOne man, like Absalom, has fifty servants to wait upon him and do his\nbidding. Another has none to lift a finger to do him a service. But both\nare travelling to a place where they must lie down alone.\n\nOne man is the owner of hundreds of thousands. Another has scarce a\nshilling that he can call his own property. Yet neither one nor the\nother can carry one farthing with him into the unseen world.\n\nOne man is the possessor of half a county. Another has not so much as a\ngarden of herbs. And yet two paces of the vilest earth will be amply\nsufficient for either of them at the last.\n\nOne man pampers his body with every possible delicacy, and clothes it in\nthe richest and softest apparel. Another has scarce enough to eat, and\nseldom enough to put on. Yet both alike are hurrying on to a day when\n\"ashes to ashes, and dust to dust,\" shall be proclaimed over them, and\nfifty years hence none shall be able to say, \"This was the rich man's\nbone, and this the bone of the poor.\"\n\nI know that these are ancient things. I do not deny it for a moment. I\nam writing stale old things that all men _know_. But I am also writing\nthings that all men do not _feel_. Oh, no! if they did feel them they\nwould not speak and act as they do.\n\nYou wonder sometimes at the tone and language of ministers of the\nGospel. You marvel that we press upon you immediate decision. You think\nus extreme, and extravagant, and ultra in our views, because we urge\nupon you to close with Christ,--to leave nothing uncertain,--to make\nsure that you are born again and ready for heaven. You hear, but do not\napprove. You go away, and say to one another,--\"The man means well, but\nhe goes too far.\"\n\nBut do you not see that the reality of death is continually forbidding\nus to use other language? We see him gradually thinning our\ncongregations. We miss face after face in our assemblies. We know not\nwhose turn may come next. We only know that as the tree falls there it\nwill lie, and that \"after death comes the judgment.\" We _must_ be bold\nand decided, and uncompromising in our language. We would rather run the\nrisk of offending some, than of losing any. We would aim at the standard\nset up by old Baxter:--\n\n \"I'll preach as though I ne'er should preach again,\n And as a dying man to dying men!\"\n\nWe would realize the character given by Charles II. of one of his\npreachers: \"That man preaches as though death was behind his back. When\nI hear him I cannot go to sleep.\"\n\nOh, that men would learn to live as those who may one day die! Truly it\nis poor work to set our affections on a dying world and its shortlived\ncomforts, and for the sake of an inch of time to lose a glorious\nimmortality! Here we are toiling, and labouring, and wearying ourselves\nabout trifles, and running to and fro like ants upon a heap; and yet\nafter a few years we shall all be gone, and another generation will fill\nour place. Let us live for eternity. Let us seek a portion that can\nnever be taken from us. And let us never forget John Bunyan's golden\nrule: \"He that would live well, let him make his dying day his\ncompany-keeper.\"\n\n\nIV. Let us observe, in the next place, _how precious a believer's soul\nis in the sight of God_.\n\nThe rich man, in the parable, dies and is buried. Perhaps he had a\nsplendid funeral,--a funeral proportioned to his expenditure while he\nwas yet alive. But we hear nothing further of the moment when soul and\nbody were divided. The next thing we hear of is that he is in _hell_.\n\nThe poor man, in the parable, dies also. What manner of burial he had we\nknow not. A pauper's funeral among ourselves is a melancholy business.\nThe funeral of Lazarus was probably no better. But this we do\nknow,--that the moment Lazarus dies he is carried by the angels into\nAbraham's bosom,--carried to a place of rest, where all the faithful are\nwaiting for the resurrection of the just.\n\nThere is something to my mind very striking, very touching, and very\ncomforting in this expression of the parable. I ask your especial\nattention to it. It throws great light on the relation of all sinners of\nmankind who believe in Christ, to their God and Father. It shows a\nlittle of the care bestowed on the least and lowest of Christ's\ndisciples, by the King of kings.\n\nNo man has such friends and attendants as the believer, however little\nhe may think it. Angels rejoice over him in the day that he is born\nagain of the Spirit. Angels minister to him all through life. Angels\nencamp around him in the wilderness of this world. Angels take charge of\nhis soul in death, and bear it safely home. Yes! vile as he may be in\nhis own eyes, and lowly in his own sight, the very poorest and humblest\nbeliever in Jesus is cared for by his Father in heaven, with a care that\npasseth knowledge. The Lord has become his Shepherd, and he can \"want\nnothing.\" (Ps. xxiii. 1.) Only let a man come unfeignedly to Christ, and\nbe joined to Him, and he shall have all the benefits of a covenant\nordered in all things and sure.\n\nIs he laden with many sins? Though they be as scarlet they shall be\nwhite as snow.\n\nIs his heart hard and prone to evil? A new heart shall be given to him,\nand a new spirit put in him.\n\nIs he weak and cowardly? He that enabled Peter to confess Christ before\nhis enemies shall make him bold.\n\nIs he ignorant? He that bore with Thomas' slowness shall bear with him,\nand guide him into all truth.\n\nIs he alone in his position? He that stood by Paul when all men forsook\nhim shall also stand by his side.\n\nIs he in circumstances of special trial? He that enabled men to be\nsaints in Nero's household shall also enable him to persevere.\n\nThe very hairs of his head are all numbered. Nothing can harm him\nwithout God's permission. He that hurteth him, hurteth the apple of\nGod's eye, and injures a brother and member of Christ Himself.\n\nHis trials are all wisely ordered. Satan can only vex him, as he did\nJob, when God permits him. No temptation can happen to him above what he\nis able to bear. All things are working together for his good.\n\nHis steps are all ordered from grace to glory. He is kept on earth till\nhe is ripe for heaven, and not one moment longer. The harvest of the\nLord must have its appointed proportion of sun and wind, of cold and\nheat, of rain and storm. And then when the believer's work is done, the\nangels of God shall come for him, as they did for Lazarus, and carry him\nsafe home.\n\nAlas! the men of the world little think whom they are despising, when\nthey mock Christ's people. They are mocking those whom angels are not\nashamed to attend upon. They are mocking the brethren and sisters of\nChrist Himself. Little do they consider that these are they for whose\nsakes the days of tribulation are shortened. These are they by whose\nintercession kings reign peacefully. Little do they reck that the\nprayers of men like Lazarus have more weight in the affairs of nations\nthan hosts of armed men.\n\nBelievers in Christ, who may possibly read these pages, you little know\nthe full extent of your privileges and possessions. Like children at\nschool, you know not half that your Father is doing for your welfare.\nLearn to live by faith more than you have done. Acquaint yourselves with\nthe fulness of the treasure laid up for you in Christ even now. This\nworld, no doubt, must always be a place of trial while we are in the\nbody. But still there are comforts provided for the brethren of Lazarus\nwhich many never enjoy.\n\n\nV. Observe, in the last place, _what a dangerous and soul-ruining sin is\nthe sin of selfishness_.\n\nYou have the rich man, in the parable, in a hopeless state. If there was\nno other picture of a lost soul in hell in all the Bible you have it\nhere. You meet him in the beginning, clothed in purple and fine linen.\nYou part with him at the end, tormented in the everlasting fire.\n\nAnd yet there is nothing to show that this man was a murderer, or a\nthief, or an adulterer, or a liar. There is no reason to say that he was\nan atheist, or an infidel, or a blasphemer. For anything we know, he\nattended to all the ordinances of the Jewish religion. But we do know\nthat he was lost for ever!\n\nThere is something to my mind very solemn in this thought. Here is a man\nwhose outward life in all probability was correct. At all events we know\nnothing against him. He dresses richly; but then he had money to spend\non his apparel. He gives splendid feasts and entertainments; but then he\nwas wealthy, and could well afford it. We read nothing recorded against\nhim that might not be recorded of hundreds and thousands in the present\nday, who are counted respectable and good sort of people. And yet the\nend of this man is that he goes to hell. Surely this deserves serious\nattention.\n\n(_a_) I believe it is meant to teach us _to beware of living only for\nourselves_. It is not enough that we are able to say, \"I live correctly.\nI pay every one his due. I discharge all the relations of life with\npropriety. I attend to all the outward requirements of Christianity.\"\nThere remains behind another question, to which the Bible requires an\nanswer. \"To whom do you live? to yourself or to Christ? What is the\ngreat end, aim, object, and ruling motive in your life?\" Let men call\nthe question extreme if they please. For myself, I can find nothing\nshort of this in St. Paul's words: \"He died for all, that they which\nlive should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died\nfor them and rose again.\" (2 Cor. v. 15.) And I draw the conclusion,\nthat if, like the rich man, we live only to ourselves, we shall ruin our\nsouls.\n\n(_b_) I believe, further, that this passage is meant to teach us _the\ndamnable nature of sins of omission_. It does not seem that it was so\nmuch the things the rich man did, but the things he left undone, which\nmade him miss heaven. Lazarus was at his gate, and he let him alone. But\nis not this exactly in keeping with the history of the judgment, in the\ntwenty-fifth of St. Matthew? Nothing is said there of the sins of\ncommission of which the lost are guilty. How runs the charge?--\"I was an\nhungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no\ndrink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me\nnot: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.\" (Matt. xxv. 42, 43.)\nThe charge against them is simply that they did not do certain things.\nOn this their sentence turns. And I draw the conclusion again, that,\nexcept we take heed, sins of omission may ruin our souls. Truly it was a\nsolemn saying of good Archbishop Usher, on his death-bed: \"Lord, forgive\nme all my sins, but specially my sins of omission.\"\n\n(_c_) I believe, further, that the passage is meant to teach us that\n_riches bring special danger with them_. Yes! riches, which the vast\nmajority of men are always seeking after,--riches for which they spend\ntheir lives, and of which they make an idol,--riches entail on their\npossessors immense spiritual peril! The possession of them has a very\nhardening effect on the soul. They chill. They freeze. They petrify the\ninward man. They close the eye to the things of faith. They insensibly\nproduce a tendency to forget God.\n\nAnd does not this stand in perfect harmony with all the language of\nScripture on the same subject? What says our Lord? \"How hardly shall\nthey that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a\ncamel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter\nthe kingdom of God!\" (Mark x. 23, 25.) What says St. Paul? \"The love of\nmoney is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have\nerred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.\"\n(1 Tim vi. 10.) What can be more striking than the fact that the Bible\nhas frequently spoken of money as a most fruitful cause of sin and evil?\nFor money Achan brought defeat on the armies of Israel, and death on\nhimself. For money Balaam sinned against light, and tried to curse God's\npeople. For money Delilah betrayed Sampson to the Philistines. For money\nGehazi lied to Naaman and Elisha, and became a leper. For money Ananias\nand Sapphira became the first hypocrites in the early Church, and lost\ntheir lives. For money Judas Iscariot sold Christ, and was ruined\neternally. Surely these facts speak loudly.\n\nMoney, in truth, is one of the most _unsatisfying_ of possessions. It\ntakes away some cares, no doubt; but it brings with it quite as many\ncares as it takes away. There is trouble in the getting of it. There is\nanxiety in the keeping of it. There are temptations in the use of it.\nThere is guilt in the abuse of it. There is sorrow in the losing of it.\nThere is perplexity in the disposing of it. Two-thirds of all the\nstrifes, quarrels, and lawsuits in the world, arise from one simple\ncause,--_money_!\n\nMoney most certainly is one of the most _ensnaring and heart-changing_\nof possessions. It seems desirable at a distance. It often proves a\npoison when in our hand. No man can possibly tell the effect of money on\nhis soul, if it suddenly falls to his lot to possess it. Many an one did\nrun well as a poor man, who forgets God when he is rich.\n\nI draw the conclusion that those who have money, like the rich man in\nthe parable, ought to take double pains about their souls. They live in\na most unhealthy atmosphere. They have double need to be on their guard.\n\n(_d_) I believe, not least, that the passage is meant to _stir up\nspecial carefulness about selfishness in these last days_. You have a\nspecial warning in 2 Tim. iii. 1, 2: \"In the last days perilous times\nshall come: for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous.\" I\nbelieve we have come to the last days, and that we ought to beware of\nthe sins here mentioned, if we love our souls.\n\nPerhaps we are poor judges of our own times. We are apt to exaggerate\nand magnify their evils, just because we see and feel them. But, after\nevery allowance, I doubt whether there ever was more need of warnings\nagainst selfishness than in the present day. I am sure there never was a\ntime when all classes in England had so many comforts and so many\ntemporal good things. And yet I believe there is an utter disproportion\nbetween men's expenditure on themselves and their outlay on works of\ncharity and works of mercy. I see this in the miserable one guinea\nsubscriptions to which many rich men confine their charity. I see it in\nthe languishing condition of many of our best religious Societies, and\nthe painfully slow growth of their annual incomes. I see it in the small\nnumber of names which appear in the list of contributions to any good\nwork. There are, I believe, thousands of rich people in this country who\nliterally give away nothing at all. I see it in the notorious fact, that\nfew, even of those who give, give anything proportioned to their means.\nI see all this, and mourn over it. I regard it as the selfishness and\ncovetousness predicted as likely to arise in \"the last days.\"\n\nI know that this is a painful and delicate subject. But it must not on\nthat account be avoided by the minister of Christ. It is a subject for\nthe times, and it needs pressing home. I desire to speak to myself, and\nto all who make any profession of religion. Of course I cannot expect\nworldly and utterly ungodly persons to view this subject in Bible light.\nTo them the Bible is no rule of faith and practice. To quote texts to\nthem would be of little use.\n\nBut I do ask all professing Christians to consider well what Scripture\nsays against covetousness and selfishness, and on behalf of liberality\nin giving money. Is it for nothing that the Lord Jesus spoke the parable\nof the rich fool, and blamed him because he was not \"rich towards God\"?\n(Luke xii. 21.) Is it for nothing that in the parable of the sower He\nmentions the \"deceitfulness of riches\" as one reason why the seed of the\nWord bears no fruit? (Matt. xiii. 22.) Is it for nothing that He says,\n\"Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness\"? (Luke\nxvi. 9.) Is it for nothing that He says, \"When thou makest a dinner or a\nsupper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor\nthy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be\nmade thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the\nlame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense\nthee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just\"?\n(Luke xiv. 14.) Is it for nothing that He says, \"Sell that ye have and\ngive alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the\nheavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth\ncorrupteth\"? (Luke xii. 33.) Is it for nothing that He says, \"It is more\nblessed to give than to receive\"? (Acts xx. 35.) Is it for nothing that\nHe warns us against the example of the priest and Levite, who saw the\nwounded traveller, but passed by on the other side? Is it for nothing\nthat He praises the good Samaritan, who denied himself to show kindness\nto a stranger? (Luke x. 34.) Is it for nothing that St. Paul classes\ncovetousness with sins of the grossest description, and denounces it as\nidolatry? (Coloss. iii. 5.) And is there not a striking and painful\ndifference between this language and the habits and feeling of society\nabout money? I appeal to any one who knows the world. Let him judge what\nI say.\n\nI only ask my reader to consider calmly the passages of Scripture to\nwhich I have referred. I cannot think they were meant to teach nothing\nat all. That the habits of the East and our own are different, I freely\nallow. That some of the expressions I have quoted are figurative, I\nfreely admit. But still, after all, a principle lies at the bottom of\nall these expressions. Let us take heed that this principle is not\nneglected. I wish that many a professing Christian in this day, who\nperhaps dislikes what I am saying, would endeavour to write a commentary\non these expressions, and try to explain to himself what they mean.\n\nTo know that alms-giving cannot atone for sin is well. To know that our\ngood works cannot justify us is excellent. To know that we may give all\nour goods to feed the poor, and build hospitals and cathedrals, without\nany real charity, is most important. But let us beware lest we go into\nthe other extreme, and because our money cannot save us, give away no\nmoney at all.\n\nHas any one money who reads these pages? Then \"take heed and beware of\ncovetousness.\" (Luke xii. 15.) Remember you carry weight in the race\ntowards heaven. All men are naturally in danger of being lost for ever,\nbut you are doubly so because of your possessions. Nothing is said to\nput out fire so soon as earth thrown upon it. Nothing I am sure has such\na tendency to quench the fire of religion as the possession of money.\nIt was a solemn message which Buchanan, on his death-bed, sent to his\nold pupil, James I.: \"He was going to a place where few kings and great\nmen would come.\" It is possible, no doubt, for you to be saved as well\nas others. With God nothing is impossible. Abraham, Job, and David were\nall rich, and yet saved. But oh, take heed to yourself! Money is a good\nservant, but a bad master. Let that saying of our Lord's sink down into\nyour heart: \"How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the\nkingdom of God.\" (Mark x. 23.) Well said an old divine: \"The surface\nabove gold mines is generally very barren.\" Well might old Latimer begin\none of his sermons before Edward VI by quoting three times over our\nLord's words: \"Take heed and beware of covetousness,\" and then saying,\n\"What if I should say nothing else these three or four hours?\" There are\nfew prayers in our Litany more wise and more necessary than that\npetition, \"In all time of our _wealth_, good Lord deliver us.\"\n\nHas any one little or no money who reads these pages? Then do not envy\nthose who are richer than yourself. Pray for them. Pity them. Be\ncharitable to their faults. Remember that high places are giddy places,\nand be not too hasty in your condemnation of their conduct. Perhaps if\nyou had their difficulties you would do no better yourself. Beware of\nthe \"love of money.\" It is the \"root of all evil.\" (1 Tim. vi. 10.) A\nman may love money over-much without having any at all. Beware of the\nlove of self. It may be found in a cottage as well as in a palace. And\nbeware of thinking that poverty alone will save you. If you would sit\nwith Lazarus in glory, you must not only have fellowship with him in\nsuffering, but in grace.\n\nDoes any reader desire to know the remedy against that love of self\nwhich ruined the rich man's soul, and cleaves to us all by nature, like\nour skin? I tell him plainly there is only one remedy, and I ask Him to\nmark well what that remedy is. It is not the fear of hell. It is not the\nhope of heaven. It is not any sense of duty. Oh, no! The disease of\nselfishness is far too deeply rooted to yield to such secondary motives\nas these. Nothing will ever cure it but an experimental knowledge of\nChrist's redeeming love. You must know the misery and guilt of your own\nestate by nature. You must experience the power of Christ's atoning\nblood sprinkled upon your conscience, and making you whole. You must\ntaste the sweetness of peace with God through the mediation of Jesus,\nand feel the love of a reconciled Father shed abroad in your heart by\nthe Holy Ghost.\n\n_Then_, and not till then, the mainspring of selfishness will be broken.\n_Then_, knowing the immensity of your debt to Christ, you will feel that\nnothing is too great and too costly to give to Him. Feeling that you\nhave been loved much when you deserved nothing, you will heartily love\nin return, and cry, \"What shall I render unto the Lord for all His\nbenefits?\" (Ps. cxvi. 12.) Feeling that you have freely received\ncountless mercies, you will think it a privilege to do anything to\nplease Him to whom you owe all. Feeling that you have been \"bought with\na price,\" and are no longer your own, you will labour to glorify God\nwith body and spirit, which are His. (1 Cor. vi. 20.)\n\nYes: I repeat it this day. I know no _effectual_ remedy for the love of\nself, but a believing apprehension of the love of Christ. Other remedies\nmay palliate the disease: this alone will heal it. Other antidotes may\nhide its deformity: this alone will work a perfect cure.\n\nAn easy, good-natured temper may cover over selfishness in one man. A\nlove of praise may conceal it in a second. A self-righteous asceticism\nand an affected spirit of self-denial may keep it out of sight in a\nthird. But nothing will ever cut up selfishness by the roots but the\nlove of Christ revealed in the mind by the Holy Ghost, and felt in the\nheart by simple faith. Once let a man see the full meaning of the words,\n\"Christ loved me and gave Himself for me,\" and then he will delight to\ngive himself to Christ, and all that he has to His service. He will live\nto Him, not in order that he may be secure, but because he is secure\nalready. He will work for Him, not that he may have life and peace, but\nbecause life and peace are his own already.\n\nGo to the cross of Christ, all you that want to be delivered from the\npower of selfishness. Go and see what a price was paid there to provide\na ransom for your soul. Go and see what an astounding sacrifice was\nthere made, that a door to eternal life might be provided for poor\nsinners like you. Go and see how the Son of God gave Himself for you,\nand learn to think it a small thing to give yourself to Him.\n\nThe disease which ruined the rich man in the parable may be cured. But\noh, remember, there is only one real remedy! If you would not live to\nyourself you must live to Christ. See to it that this remedy is not only\nknown, but applied,--not only heard of, but used.\n\n(1) And now let me conclude all by _urging on every reader of these\npages, the great duty of self-inquiry_.\n\nA passage of Scripture like this parable ought surely to raise in many\nan one great searchings of heart.--\"What am I? Where am I going? What am\nI doing? What is likely to be my condition after death? Am I prepared to\nleave the world? Have I any home to look forward to in the world to\ncome? Have I put off the old man and put on the new? Am I really one\nwith Christ, and a pardoned soul?\" Surely such questions as these may\nwell be asked when the story of the rich man and Lazarus has been heard.\nOh, that the Holy Ghost may incline many a reader's heart to ask them!\n\n(2) In the next place, _I invite_ all readers who desire to have their\nsouls saved, and have no good account to give of themselves at present,\nto seek salvation while it can be found. I do entreat you to apply to\nHim by whom alone man can enter heaven and be saved,--even Jesus Christ\nthe Lord. He has the keys of heaven. He is sealed and appointed by God\nthe Father to be the Saviour of all that will come to Him. Go to Him in\nearnest and hearty prayer, and tell Him your case. Tell Him that you\nhave heard that \"He receiveth sinners,\" and that you come to Him as\nsuch. (Luke xv. 2.) Tell Him that you desire to be saved by Him in His\nown way, and ask Him to save you. Oh, that you may take this course\nwithout delay! Remember the hopeless end of the rich man. Once dead\nthere is no more change.\n\n(3) Last of all, _I entreat_ all professing Christians to encourage\nthemselves in habits of liberality towards all causes of charity and\nmercy. Remember that you are God's stewards, and give money liberally,\nfreely, and without grudging, whenever you have an opportunity. You\ncannot keep your money for ever. You must give account one day of the\nmanner in which it has been expended. Oh, lay it out with an eye to\neternity while you can!\n\nI do not ask rich men to leave their situations in life, give away all\ntheir property, and go into the workhouse. This would be refusing to\nfill the position of a steward for God. I ask no man to neglect his\nworldly calling, and to omit to provide for his family. Diligence in\nbusiness is a positive Christian duty. Provision for those dependent on\nus is proper Christian prudence. But I ask all to look around\ncontinually as they journey on, and to remember the poor,--the poor in\nbody and the poor in soul. Here we are for a few short years. How can we\ndo most good with our money while we are here? How can we so spend it as\nto leave the world somewhat happier and somewhat holier when we are\nremoved? Might we not abridge some of our luxuries? Might we not lay\nout less upon ourselves, and give more to Christ's cause and Christ's\npoor? Is there none we can do good to? Are there no sick, no poor, no\nneedy, whose sorrows we might lessen, and whose comforts we might\nincrease? Such questions will never fail to elicit an answer from some\nquarter. I am thoroughly persuaded that the income of every religious\nand charitable Society in England might easily be multiplied tenfold, if\nEnglish Christians would give in proportion to their means.\n\nThere are none surely to whom such appeals ought to come home with such\npower as professing believers in the Lord Jesus. The parable of the text\nis a striking illustration of our position by nature, and our debt to\nChrist. We all lay, like Lazarus, at heaven's gate, sick unto the death,\nhelpless, and starving. Blessed be God! we were not neglected, as he\nwas. Jesus came forth to relieve us. Jesus gave Himself for us, that we\nmight have hope and live. For a poor Lazarus-like world He came down\nfrom heaven, and humbled Himself to become a man. For a poor\nLazarus-like world He went up and down doing good, caring for men's\nbodies as well as souls, until He died for us on the cross.\n\nI believe that in giving to support works of charity and mercy, we are\ndoing that which is according to Christ's mind,--and I ask readers of\nthese pages to begin the habit of giving, if they never began it before;\nand to go on with it increasingly, if they have begun.\n\nI believe that in offering a warning against worldliness and\ncovetousness, I have done no more than bring forward a warning specially\ncalled for by the times, and I ask God to bless the consideration of\nthese pages to many souls.\n\n\n\n\nXIV\n\n\nTHE BEST FRIEND\n\n \"_This is my friend._\"--Cant. v. 16.\n\n\nA friend is one of the greatest blessings on earth. Tell me not of\nmoney: affection is better than gold; sympathy is better than lands. He\nis the poor man who has no friends.\n\nThis world is full of sorrow because it is full of sin. It is a dark\nplace. It is a lonely place. It is a disappointing place. The brightest\nsunbeam in it is a friend. Friendship halves our troubles and doubles\nour joys.\n\nA real friend is scarce and rare. There are many who will eat, and\ndrink, and laugh with us in the sunshine of prosperity. There are few\nwho will stand by us in the days of darkness,--few who will love us when\nwe are sick, helpless, and poor,--few, above all, who will care for our\nsouls.\n\nDoes any reader of this paper want a real friend? I write to recommend\none to your notice this day. I know of One \"who sticketh closer than a\nbrother.\" (Prov. xviii. 24.) I know of One who is ready to be your\nfriend for time and for eternity, if you will receive Him. Hear me,\nwhile I try to tell you something about Him.\n\nThe friend I want you to know is Jesus Christ. Happy is that family in\nwhich Christ has the foremost place! Happy is that person whose chief\nfriend is Christ!\n\n\nI. Do we want _a friend in need_? Such a friend is the Lord Jesus\nChrist.\n\nMan is the neediest creature on God's earth, because he is a sinner.\nThere is no need so great as that of sinners: poverty, hunger, thirst,\ncold, sickness, all are nothing in comparison. Sinners need pardon, and\nthey are utterly unable to provide it for themselves; they need\ndeliverance from a guilty conscience and the fear of death, and they\nhave no power of their own to obtain it. This need the Lord Jesus Christ\ncame into the world to relieve. \"He came into the world to save\nsinners.\" (1 Tim. i. 15.)\n\nWe are all by nature poor dying creatures. From the king on his throne\nto the pauper in the workhouse, we are all sick of a mortal disease of\nsoul. Whether we know it or not, whether we feel it or not, we are all\ndying daily. The plague of sin is in our blood. We cannot cure\nourselves: we are hourly getting worse and worse. All this the Lord\nJesus undertook to remedy. He came into the world \"to bring in health\nand cure;\" He came to deliver us \"from the second death;\" He came \"to\nabolish death, and bring life and immortality to light through the\nGospel.\" (Jer. xxxiii. 6; Rev. ii. 11; 2 Tim. i. 10.)\n\nWe are all by nature imprisoned debtors. We owed our God ten thousand\ntalents, and had nothing to pay. We were wretched bankrupts, without\nhope of discharging ourselves. We could never have freed ourselves from\nour load of liabilities, and were daily getting more deeply involved.\nAll this the Lord Jesus saw, and undertook to remedy. He engaged to\n\"ransom and redeem us;\" He came to \"proclaim liberty to the captives,\nand the opening of the prison to them that are bound;\" \"He came to\nredeem us from the curse of the law.\" (Hos. xiii. 14; Isai. lxi. 1; Gal.\niii. 13.)\n\nWe were all by nature shipwrecked and cast away. We could never have\nreached the harbour of everlasting life. We were sinking in the midst of\nthe waves, shiftless, hopeless, helpless, and powerless; tied and bound\nby the chain of our sins, foundering under the burden of our own guilt,\nand like to become a prey to the devil. All this the Lord Jesus saw and\nundertook to remedy. He came down from heaven to be our mighty \"helper;\"\nHe came to \"seek and to save that which was lost;\" and to \"deliver us\nfrom going down into the pit.\" (Psalm lxxxix. 19; Luke xix. 10; Job\nxxxiii. 24.)\n\nCould we have been saved without the Lord Jesus Christ coming down from\nheaven? It would have been impossible, so far as our eyes can see. The\nwisest men of Egypt, and Greece, and Rome never found out the way to\npeace with God. Without the friendship of Christ we should all have been\nlost for evermore in hell.\n\nWas the Lord Jesus Christ obliged to come down to save us? Oh, no! no!\nIt was His own free love, mercy, and pity that brought Him down. He came\nunsought and unasked because He was gracious.\n\nLet us think on these things. Search all history from the beginning of\nthe world,--look round the whole circle of those you know and love: you\nnever heard of such friendship among the sons of men. There never was\nsuch a real friend in need as Jesus Christ.\n\n\nII. Do you want _a friend in deed_? Such a friend is the Lord Jesus\nChrist.\n\nThe true extent of a man's friendship must be measured by his deeds.\nTell me not what he says, and feels, and wishes; tell me not of his\nwords and letters: tell me rather what he does. \"Friendly is that\nfriendly does.\"\n\nThe doings of the Lord Jesus Christ for man are the grand proof of His\nfriendly feeling towards him. Never were there such acts of kindness and\nself-denial as those which He has performed on our behalf. He has not\nloved us in word only but in deed.\n\nFor our sakes He took our nature upon Him, and was born of a woman. He\nwho was very God, and equal with the Father, laid aside for a season His\nglory, and took upon Him flesh and blood like our own. The almighty\nCreator of all things became a little babe like any of us, and\nexperienced all our bodily weaknesses and infirmities, sin only\nexcepted. \"Though He was rich He became poor, that we through His\npoverty might be rich.\" (2 Cor. viii. 9.)\n\nFor our sakes He lived thirty-three years in this evil world, despised\nand rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Though\nHe was King of kings, He had not where to lay His head: though He was\nLord of lords, He was often weary, and hungry, and thirsty, and poor.\n\"He took on Him the form of a servant, and humbled Himself.\" (Philipp.\niii. 7, 8.)\n\nFor our sakes He suffered the most painful of all deaths, even the death\nof the cross. Though innocent, and without fault, He allowed Himself to\nbe condemned, and found guilty. He who was the Prince of Life was led as\na lamb to the slaughter, and poured out His soul unto death. He \"died\nfor us.\" (1 Thess. v. 10.)\n\nWas He obliged to do this? Oh, no! He might have summoned to His help\nmore than twelve legions of angels, and scattered His enemies with a\nword. He suffered voluntarily and of His own free will, to make\natonement for our sins. He knew that nothing but the sacrifice of His\nbody and blood could ever make peace between sinful man and a holy God.\nHe laid down His life to pay the price of our redemption: He died that\nwe might live; He suffered that we might reign; He bore shame that we\nmight receive glory. \"He suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,\nthat He might bring us to God.\" \"He was made sin for us, who knew no\nsin: that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.\" (1 Peter\niii. 18; 2 Cor. v. 21.)\n\nSuch friendship as this passes man's understanding. Friends who would\ndie for those who love them, we may have heard of sometimes. But who can\nfind a man who would lay down his life for those that hate him? Yet this\nis what Jesus has done for us. \"God commendeth His love towards us, in\nthat while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.\" (Rom. v. 8.)\n\nAsk all the tribes of mankind, from one end of the world to the other,\nand you will nowhere hear of a deed like this. None was ever so high and\nstooped down so low as Jesus the Son of God: none ever gave so costly a\nproof of his friendship; none ever paid so much and endured so much to\ndo good to others. Never was there such a friend in deed as Jesus\nChrist!\n\n\nIII. Do we want _a mighty and powerful friend_? Such a friend is Jesus\nChrist.\n\nPower to help is that which few possess in this world. Many have will\nenough to do good to others, but no power. They feel for the sorrows of\nothers, and would gladly relieve them if they could: they can weep with\ntheir friends in affliction, but are unable to take their grief away.\nBut though man is weak, Christ is strong,--though the best of our\nearthly friends is feeble, Christ is almighty: \"All power is given unto\nHim in heaven and earth.\" (Matt. xxviii. 18.) No one can do so much for\nthose whom He befriends as Jesus Christ. Others can befriend their\nbodies a little: He can befriend both body and soul. Others can do a\nlittle for them in time: He can be a friend both for time and eternity.\n\n(_a_) He is _able to pardon_ and save the very chief of sinners. He can\ndeliver the most guilty conscience from all its burdens, and give it\nperfect peace with God. He can wash away the vilest stains of\nwickedness, and make a man whiter than snow in the sight of God. He can\nclothe a poor weak child of Adam in everlasting righteousness, and give\nhim a title to heaven that can never be overthrown. In a word, He can\ngive any one of us peace, hope, forgiveness, and reconciliation with\nGod, if we will only trust in Him. \"The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth\nfrom all sin.\" (1 John i. 7.)\n\n(_b_) He is _able to convert_ the hardest of hearts, and create in man a\nnew spirit. He can take the most thoughtless and ungodly people, and\ngive them another mind by the Holy Ghost, which He puts in them. He can\ncause old things to pass away, and all things to become new. He can make\nthem love the things which they once hated, and hate the things which\nthey once loved. \"He can give them power to become the sons of God.\" \"If\nany man be in Christ, he is a new creature.\" (John i. 12; 2 Cor. v. 17.)\n\n(_c_) He is _able to preserve_ to the end all who believe in Him, and\nbecome His disciples. He can give them grace to overcome the world, the\nflesh and the devil, and fight a good fight at the last. He can lead\nthem on safely in spite of every temptation, carry them home through a\nthousand dangers, and keep them faithful, though they stand alone and\nhave none to help them. \"He is able to save them to the uttermost that\ncome unto God by Him.\" (Heb. vii. 25.)\n\n(_d_) He is _able to give_ those that love Him the best of gifts. He can\ngive them in life inward comforts, which money can never buy,--peace in\npoverty, joy in sorrow, patience in suffering. He can give them in death\nbright hopes, which enable them to walk through the dark valley without\nfear. He can give them after death a crown of glory, which fadeth not\naway, and a reward compared to which the Queen of England has nothing to\nbestow.\n\nThis is power indeed: this is true greatness; this is real strength. Go\nand look at the poor Hindoo idolater, seeking peace in vain by\nafflicting his body; and, after fifty years of self-imposed suffering,\nunable to find it. Go and look at the benighted Romanist, giving money\nto his priest to pray for his soul, and yet dying without comfort. Go\nand look at rich men, spending thousands in search of happiness, and yet\nalways discontented and unhappy. Then turn to Jesus, and think what He\ncan do, and is daily doing for all who trust Him. Think how He heals all\nthe broken-hearted, comforts all the sick, cheers all the poor that\ntrust in Him, and supplies all their daily need. The fear of man is\nstrong, the opposition of this evil world is mighty, the lusts of the\nflesh rage horribly, the fear of death is terrible, the devil is a\nroaring lion seeking whom he may devour; but Jesus is stronger than them\nall. Jesus can make us conquerors over all these foes. And then say\nwhether it be not true, that there never was so mighty a friend as Jesus\nChrist.\n\n\nIV. Do we want _a loving and affectionate friend_? Such a friend is\nJesus Christ.\n\nKindness is the very essence of true friendship. Money and advice and\nhelp lose half their grace, if not given in a loving manner. What kind\nof love is that of the Lord Jesus toward man? It is called, \"A love that\npasseth knowledge.\" (Ephes. iii. 19.)\n\nLove shines forth in His _reception of sinners_. He refuses none that\ncome to Him for salvation, however unworthy they may be. Though their\nlives may have been most wicked, though their sins may be more in number\nthan the stars of heaven, the Lord Jesus is ready to receive them, and\ngive them pardon and peace. There is no end to His compassion: there are\nno bounds to His pity. He is not ashamed to befriend those whom the\nworld casts off as hopeless. There are none too bad, too filthy, and too\nmuch diseased with sin, to be admitted into His home. He is willing to\nbe the friend of any sinner: He has kindness and mercy and healing\nmedicine for all. He has long proclaimed this to be His rule: \"Him that\ncometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out.\" (John vi. 37.)\n\nLove shines forth in His _dealings with sinners_, after they have\nbelieved in Him and become His friends. He is very patient with them,\nthough their conduct is often very trying and provoking. He is never\ntired of hearing their complaints, however often they may come to Him.\nHe sympathizes deeply in all their sorrows. He knows what pain is: He is\n\"acquainted with grief.\" (Is. liii. 3.) In all their afflictions He is\nafflicted. He never allows them to be tempted above what they are able\nto bear: He supplies them with daily grace for their daily conflict.\nTheir poor services are acceptable to Him: He is as well pleased with\nthem as a parent is with his child's endeavours to speak and walk. He\nhas caused it to be written in His book, that \"He taketh pleasure in His\npeople,\" and that \"He taketh pleasure in them that fear Him.\" (Ps.\ncxlvii. 11; cxlix. 4.)\n\nThere is no love on earth that can be named together with this! We love\nthose in whom we see something that deserves our affection, or those who\nare our bone or our flesh: the Lord Jesus loves sinners in whom there is\nno good thing. We love those from whom we get some return for our\naffection: the Lord Jesus loves those who can do little or nothing for\nHim, compared to what He does for them. We love where we can give some\nreason for loving: the great Friend of sinners draws His reasons out of\nHis own everlasting compassion. His love is purely disinterested, purely\nunselfish, purely free. Never, never was there so truly loving a friend\nas Jesus Christ.\n\n\nV. Do we want _a wise and prudent friend_? Such a friend is the Lord\nJesus Christ.\n\nMan's friendship is sadly blind. He often injures those he loves by\ninjudicious kindness: he often errs in the counsel he gives; he often\nleads his friends into trouble by bad advice, even when he means to help\nthem. He sometimes keeps them back from the way of life, and entangles\nthem in the vanities of the world, when they have well nigh escaped. The\nfriendship of the Lord Jesus is not so: it always does us good, and\nnever evil.\n\nThe Lord Jesus _never spoils_ His friends by extravagant indulgence. He\ngives them everything that is really for their benefit; He withholds\nnothing from them that is really good; but He requires them to take up\ntheir cross daily and follow Him. He bids them endure hardships as good\nsoldiers: He calls on them to fight the good fight against the world,\nthe flesh, and the devil. His people often dislike it at the time, and\nthink it hard; but when they reach heaven they will see it was all well\ndone.\n\nThe Lord Jesus _makes no mistakes_ in managing His friends' affairs. He\norders all their concerns with perfect wisdom: all things happen to them\nat the right time, and in the right way. He gives them as much of\nsickness and as much of health, as much of poverty and as much of\nriches, as much of sorrow and as much of joy, as He sees their souls\nrequire. He leads them by the right way to bring them to the city of\nhabitation. He mixes their bitterest cups like a wise physician, and\ntakes care that they have not a drop too little or too much. His people\noften misunderstand His dealings; they are silly enough to fancy their\ncourse of life might have been better ordered: but in the\nresurrection-day they will thank God that not their will, but Christ's\nwas done.\n\nLook round the world and see the harm which people are continually\ngetting from their friends. Mark how much more ready men are to\nencourage one another in worldliness and levity, than to provoke to love\nand good works. Think how often they meet together, not for the better,\nbut for the worse,--not to quicken one another's souls in the way to\nheaven, but to confirm one another in the love of this present world.\nAlas, there are thousands who are wounded unexpectedly in the house of\ntheir friends!\n\nAnd then turn to the great Friend of sinners, and see how different a\nthing is His friendship from that of man. Listen to Him as He walks by\nthe way with His disciples; mark how He comforts, reproves, and exhorts\nwith perfect wisdom. Observe how He times His visits to those He loves,\nas to Mary and Martha at Bethany. Hear how He converses, as He dines on\nthe shore of the sea of Galilee: \"Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me?\"\n(John xxi. 16.) His company is always sanctifying. His gifts are always\nfor our soul's good; His kindness is always wise; His fellowship is\nalways to edification. One day of the Son of Man is better than a\nthousand in the society of earthly friends: one hour spent in private\ncommunion with Him, is better than a year in kings' palaces. Never,\nnever was there such a wise friend as Jesus Christ.\n\n\nVI. Do we want _a tried and proved friend_? Such a friend is Jesus\nChrist.\n\nSix thousand years have passed away since the Lord Jesus began His work\nof befriending mankind. During that long period of time He has had many\nfriends in this world. Millions on millions, unhappily, have refused His\noffers and been miserably lost for ever; but thousands on thousands have\nenjoyed the mighty privilege of His friendship and been saved. He has\nhad great experience.\n\n(_a_) He has had friends of _every rank and station_ in life. Some of\nthem were kings and rich men, like David, and Solomon, and Hezekiah, and\nJob; some of them were very poor in this world, like the shepherds of\nBethlehem, and James, and John, and Andrew: but they were all alike\nChrist's friends.\n\n(_b_) He has had friends _of every age_ that man can pass through. Some\nof them never knew Him till they were advanced in years, like Manasseh,\nand Zacchaeus, and probably the Ethiopian Eunuch. Some of them were His\nfriends even from their earliest childhood, like Joseph, and Samuel, and\nJosiah, and Timothy. But they were all alike Christ's friends.\n\n(_c_) He has had friends _of every possible temperament and\ndisposition_. Some of them were simple plain men, like Isaac; some of\nthem were mighty in word and deed, like Moses; some of them were fervent\nand warm-hearted, like Peter; some of them were gentle and retiring\nspirits, like John; some of them were active and stirring, like Martha;\nsome of them loved to sit quietly at His feet, like Mary; some dwelt\nunknown among their own people, like the Shunamite; some have gone\neverywhere and turned the world upside down, like Paul. But they were\nall alike Christ's friends.\n\n(_d_) He has had friends _of every condition in life_. Some of them were\nmarried, and had sons and daughters, like Enoch; some of them lived and\ndied unmarried, like Daniel and John the Baptist; some of them were\noften sick, like Lazarus and Epaphroditus; some of them were strong to\nlabour, like Persis, and Tryphena, and Tryphosa; some of them were\nmasters, like Abraham and Cornelius; some of them were servants, like\nthe saints in Nero's household; some of them had bad servants, like\nElisha; some of them had bad masters like Obadiah; some of them had bad\nwives and children, like David. But they were all alike Christ's\nfriends.\n\n(_e_) He has had friends _of almost every nation, and people, and\ntongue_. He has had friends in hot countries and in cold; friends among\nnations highly civilized, and friends among the simplest and rudest\ntribes. His book of life contains the names of Greeks and Romans, of\nJews and Egyptians, of bond and of free. There are to be found on its\nlists reserved Englishmen and cautious Scotchmen, impulsive Irishmen and\nfiery Welchmen, volatile Frenchmen and dignified Spaniards, refined\nItalians and solid Germans, rude Africans and refined Hindoos,\ncultivated Chinese and half-savage New Zealanders. But they were all\nalike Christ's friends.\n\nAll these have made trial of Christ's friendship, and proved it to be\ngood. They all found nothing wanting when they began: they all found\nnothing wanting as they went on. No lack, no defect, no deficiency was\never found by any one of them in Jesus Christ. Each found his own soul's\nwants fully supplied; each found every day, that in Christ there was\nenough and to spare. Never, never was there a friend so fully tried and\nproved as Jesus Christ.\n\n\nVII. Last, but not least, do we want _an unfailing friend_? Such a\nfriend is the Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nThe saddest part of all the good things of earth is their instability.\nRiches make themselves wings and flee away; youth and beauty are but for\na few years; strength of body soon decays; mind and intellect are soon\nexhausted. All is perishing. All is fading. All is passing away. But\nthere is one splendid exception to this general rule, and that is the\nfriendship of Jesus Christ.\n\nThe Lord Jesus is _a friend who never changes_. There is no fickleness\nabout Him: those whom He loves, He loves unto the end. Husbands have\nbeen known to forsake their wives; parents have been known to cast off\ntheir children; human vows and promises of faithfulness have often been\nforgotten. Thousands have been neglected in their poverty and old age,\nwho were honoured by all when they were rich and young. But Christ never\nchanged His feelings towards one of His friends. He is \"the same\nyesterday, to-day, and for ever.\" (Heb. xiii. 8.)\n\nThe Lord Jesus _never goes away from His friends_. There is never a\nparting and good-bye between Him and His people. From the time that He\nmakes His abode in the sinner's heart, He abides in it for ever. The\nworld is full of leave-takings and departures: death and the lapse of\ntime break up the most united family; sons go forth to make their way in\nlife; daughters are married, and leave their father's house for ever.\nScattering, scattering, scattering, is the yearly history of the\nhappiest home. How many we have tearfully watched as they drove away\nfrom our doors, whose pleasant faces we have never seen again! How many\nwe have sorrowfully followed to the grave, and then come back to a cold,\nsilent, lonely, and blank fireside! But, thanks be to God, there is One\nwho never leaves His friends! The Lord Jesus is He who has said, \"I will\nnever leave thee nor forsake thee.\" (Heb. xiii. 5.)\n\nThe Lord Jesus _goes with His friends wherever they go_. There is no\npossible separation between Him and those whom He loves. There is no\nplace or position on earth, or under the earth, that can divide them\nfrom the great Friend of their souls. When the path of duty calls them\nfar away from home, He is their companion; when they pass through the\nfire and water of fierce tribulation, He is with them; when they lie\ndown on the bed of sickness, He stands by them and makes all their\ntrouble work for good; when they go down the valley of the shadow of\ndeath, and friends and relatives stand still and can go no further, He\ngoes down by their side. When they wake up in the unknown world of\nParadise, they are still with Him; when they rise with a new body at the\njudgment day, they will not be alone. He will own them for His friends,\nand say, \"They are mine: deliver them and let them go free.\" He will\nmake good His own words: \"I am with you alway, even unto the end of the\nworld.\" (Matt. xxviii. 20.)\n\nLook round the world, and see how failure is written on all men's\nschemes. Count up the partings, and separations, and disappointments,\nand bereavements which have happened under your own knowledge. Think\nwhat a privilege it is that there is One at least who never fails, and\nin whom no one was ever disappointed! Never, never was there so\nunfailing a friend as Jesus Christ.\n\n\nAnd now, suffer me to conclude this paper with a few plain words of\napplication. I know not who you are or in what state your soul may be;\nbut I am sure that the words I am about to say deserve your serious\nattention. Oh, that this paper may not find you heedless of spiritual\nthings! Oh, that you may be able to give a few thoughts to Christ!\n\n(1) Know then, for one thing, that I call upon you to _consider solemnly\nwhether Christ is your Friend and you are His_.\n\nThere are thousands on thousands, I grieve to say, who are not Christ's\nfriends. Baptized in His name, outward members of His Church, attendants\non His means of grace,--all this they are, no doubt. But they are not\nChrist's _friends_. Do they hate the sins which Jesus died to put away?\nNo.--Do they love the Saviour who came into the world to save them?\nNo.--Do they care for the souls which were so precious in His sight?\nNo.--Do they delight in the word of reconciliation? No.--Do they try to\nspeak with the Friend of sinners in prayer? No.--Do they seek close\nfellowship with Him? No.--Oh, reader, is this your case? How is it with\nyou? Are you or are you not one of Christ's friends?\n\n(2) Know, in the next place, that _if you are not one of Christ's\nfriends, you are a poor miserable being_.\n\nI write this down deliberately. I do not say it without thought. I say\nthat if Christ be not your friend, you are a poor, miserable being.\n\nYou are in the midst of a failing, sorrowful world, and you have no real\nsource of comfort, or refuge for a time of need. You are a dying\ncreature, and you are not ready to die. You have sins, and they are not\nforgiven. You are going to be judged, and you are not prepared to meet\nGod: you might be, but you refuse to use the one only Mediator and\nAdvocate. You love the world better than Christ. You refuse the great\nFriend of sinners, and you have no friend in heaven to plead your cause.\nYes: it is sadly true! You are a poor, miserable being. It matters\nnothing what your income is: without Christ's friendship you are very\npoor.\n\n(3) Know, in the third place, that _if you really want a friend, Christ\nis willing to become your friend_.\n\nHe has long wanted you to join His people, and He now invites you by my\nhand. He is ready to receive you, all unworthy as you may feel, and to\nwrite your name down in the list of His friends. He is ready to pardon\nall the past, to clothe you with righteousness, to give you His Spirit,\nto make you His own dear child. All He asks you to do is to come to Him.\n\nHe bids you come with all your sins; only acknowledging your vileness,\nand confessing that you are ashamed. Just as you are,--waiting for\nnothing,--unworthy of anything in yourself,--Jesus bids you come and be\nHis friend.\n\nOh, come and be wise! Come and be safe. Come and be happy. Come and be\nChrist's friend.\n\n(4) Know, in the last place, that _if Christ is your friend, you have\ngreat privileges, and ought to walk worthy of them_.\n\nSeek every day to have closer communion with Him who is your Friend, and\nto know more of His grace and power. True Christianity is not merely the\nbelieving a certain set of dry abstract propositions: it is to live in\ndaily personal communication with an actual living person--Jesus the Son\nof God. \"To me,\" said Paul, \"to live is Christ.\" (Phil. i. 21.)\n\nSeek every day to glorify your Lord and Saviour in all your ways. \"He\nthat hath a friend should show himself friendly\" (Prov. xviii. 24), and\nno man surely is under such mighty obligations as the friend of Christ.\nAvoid everything which would grieve your Lord. Fight hard against\nbesetting sins, against inconsistency, against backwardness to confess\nHim before men. Say to your soul, whenever you are tempted to that which\nis wrong, \"Soul, soul, is this thy kindness to thy Friend?\"\n\nThink, above all, of the mercy which has been shown thee, and learn to\nrejoice daily in thy Friend! What though thy body be bowed down with\ndisease? What though thy poverty and trials be very great? What though\nthine earthly friends forsake thee, and thou art alone in the world? All\nthis may be true: but if thou art in Christ thou hast a Friend, a mighty\nFriend, a loving Friend, a wise Friend, a Friend that never fails. Oh,\nthink, think much upon thy friend!\n\nYet a little time and thy Friend shall come to take thee home, and thou\nshalt dwell with Him for ever. Yet a little time and thou shalt see as\nthou hast been seen, and know as thou hast been known. And then thou\nshalt hear assembled worlds confess, that HE IS THE RICH AND HAPPY MAN\nWHO HAS HAD CHRIST FOR HIS FRIEND.\n\n\n\n\nXV\n\n\nSICKNESS\n\n\"_He whom Thou lovest is sick._\"--John xi. 3.\n\n\nThe chapter from which this text is taken is well known to all Bible\nreaders. In life-like description, in touching interest, in sublime\nsimplicity, there is no writing in existence that will bear comparison\nwith that chapter. A narrative like this is to my own mind one of the\ngreat proofs of the inspiration of Scripture. When I read the story of\nBethany, I feel \"There is something here which the infidel can never\naccount for.\"--\"This is nothing else but the finger of God.\"\n\nThe words which I specially dwell upon in this chapter are singularly\naffecting and instructive. They record the message which Martha and Mary\nsent to Jesus when their brother Lazarus was sick: \"Lord, behold he whom\nThou lovest is sick.\" That message was short and simple. Yet almost\nevery word is deeply suggestive.\n\nMark the child-like faith of these holy women. They turned to the Lord\nJesus in their hour of need, as the frightened infant turns to its\nmother, or the compass-needle turns to the Pole. They turned to Him as\ntheir Shepherd, their almighty Friend, their Brother born for adversity.\nDifferent as they were in natural temperament, the two sisters in this\nmatter were entirely agreed. Christ's help was their first thought in\nthe day of trouble. Christ was the refuge to which they fled in the\nhour of need. Blessed are all they that do likewise!\n\nMark the simple humility of their language about Lazarus. They call Him\n\"He whom Thou lovest.\" They do not say, \"He who loves Thee, believes in\nThee, serves Thee,\" but \"He whom Thou lovest.\" Martha and Mary were\ndeeply taught of God. They had learned that Christ's love towards us,\nand not our love towards Christ, is the true ground of expectation, and\ntrue foundation of hope. Blessed, again, are all they that are taught\nlikewise! To look inward to our love towards Christ is painfully\nunsatisfying: to look outward to Christ's love towards us is peace.\n\nMark, lastly, the touching circumstance which the message of Martha and\nMary reveals: \"He whom Thou lovest is sick.\" Lazarus was a good man,\nconverted, believing, renewed, sanctified, a friend of Christ, and an\nheir of glory. And yet Lazarus was sick! Then sickness is no sign that\nGod is displeased. Sickness is intended to be a blessing to us, and not\na curse. \"All things work together for good to them that love God, and\nare called according to His purpose.\" \"All things are yours,--life,\ndeath, things present, or things to come: for ye are Christ's; and\nChrist is God's.\" (Rom. viii. 28; 1 Cor. iii. 22.) Blessed, I say again,\nare they that have learned this! Happy are they who can say, when they\nare ill, \"This is my Father's doing. It must be well.\"\n\nI invite the attention of my readers to the subject of sickness. The\nsubject is one which we ought frequently to look in the face. We cannot\navoid it. It needs no prophet's eye to see sickness coming to each of us\nin turn one day. \"In the midst of life we are in death.\" Let us turn\naside for a few moments, and consider sickness as Christians. The\nconsideration will not hasten its coming, and by =God's= blessing may\nteach us wisdom.\n\nIn considering the subject of sickness, three points appear to me to\ndemand attention. On each I shall say a few words.\n\n\n I. The _universal prevalence_ of sickness and disease.\n\n II. The _general benefits_ which sickness confers on mankind.\n\n III. The _special duties_ to which sickness calls us.\n\n\nI. The _universal prevalence of sickness_.\n\nI need not dwell long on this point. To elaborate the proof of it would\nonly be multiplying truisms, and heaping up common-places which all\nallow.\n\nSickness is everywhere. In Europe, in Asia, in Africa, in America; in\nhot countries and in cold, in civilized nations and in savage\ntribes,--men, women, and children sicken and die.\n\nSickness is among all classes. Grace does not lift a believer above the\nreach of it. Riches will not buy exemption from it. Rank cannot prevent\nits assaults. Kings and their subjects, masters and servants, rich men\nand poor, learned and unlearned, teachers and scholars, doctors and\npatients, ministers and hearers, all alike go down before this great\nfoe. \"The rich man's wealth is his strong city.\" (Prov. xviii. 11.) The\nEnglishman's house is called his castle; but there are no doors and bars\nwhich can keep out disease and death.\n\nSickness is of every sort and description. From the crown of our head to\nthe sole of our foot we are liable to disease. Our capacity of suffering\nis something fearful to contemplate. Who can count up the ailments by\nwhich our bodily frame may be assailed? Who ever visited a museum of\nmorbid anatomy without a shudder? \"Strange that a harp of thousand\nstrings should keep in tune so long.\" It is not, to my mind, so\nwonderful that men should die so soon, as it is that they should live so\nlong.\n\nSickness is often one of the most humbling and distressing trials that\ncan come upon man. It can turn the strongest into a little child, and\nmake him feel \"the grasshopper a burden.\" (Eccles. xii. 5.) It can\nunnerve the boldest, and make him tremble at the fall of a pin. We are\n\"fearfully and wonderfully made.\" (Psalm cxxxix. 14.) The connection\nbetween body and mind is curiously close. The influence that some\ndiseases can exercise upon the temper and spirits is immensely great.\nThere are ailments of brain, and liver, and nerves, which can bring down\na Solomon in mind to a state little better than that of a babe. He that\nwould know to what depths of humiliation poor man can fall, has only to\nattend for a short time on sick-beds.\n\nSickness is not preventible by anything that man can do. The average\nduration of life may doubtless be somewhat lengthened. The skill of\ndoctors may continually discover new remedies, and effect surprising\ncures. The enforcement of wise sanitary regulations may greatly lower\nthe death-rate in a land. But, afterall,--whether in healthy or\nunhealthy localities,--whether in mild climates or in cold,--whether\ntreated by homeopathy or allopathy,--men will sicken and die. \"The days\nof our years are three-score years and ten; and if by reason of strength\nthey be four-score years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for\nit is soon cut off, and we fly away.\" (Psalm xc. 10.) That witness is\nindeed true. It was true 3300 years ago.--It is true still.\n\nNow what can we make of this great fact,--the universal prevalence of\nsickness? How shall we account for it? What explanation can we give of\nit? What answer shall we give to our inquiring children when they ask\nus, \"Father, why do people get ill and die?\" These are grave questions.\nA few words upon them will not be out of place.\n\nCan we suppose for a moment that God created sickness and disease at\nthe beginning? Can we imagine that He who formed our world in such\nperfect order was the Former of needless suffering and pain? Can we\nthink that He who made all things \"very good,\" made Adam's race to\nsicken and to die? The idea is, to my mind, revolting. It introduces a\ngrand imperfection into the midst of God's perfect works. I must find\nanother solution to satisfy my mind.\n\nThe only explanation that satisfies me is that which the Bible gives.\nSomething has come into the world which has dethroned man from his\noriginal position, and stripped him of his original privileges.\nSomething has come in, which, like a handful of gravel thrown into the\nmidst of machinery, has marred the perfect order of God's creation. And\nwhat is that _something_? I answer, in one word, It is sin. \"Sin has\nentered into the world, and death by sin.\" (Rom. v. 12.) Sin is the\ncause of all the sickness, and disease, and pain, and suffering, which\nprevail on the earth. They are all a part of that curse which came into\nthe world when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and fell. There\nwould have been no sickness, if there had been no fall. There would have\nbeen no disease, if there had been no sin.\n\nI pause for a moment at this point, and yet in pausing I do not depart\nfrom my subject. I pause to remind my readers that there is no ground so\nuntenable as that which is occupied by the Atheist, the Deist, or the\nunbeliever in the Bible. I advise every young reader of this paper, who\nis puzzled by the bold and specious arguments of the infidel, to study\nwell that most important subject,--the _Difficulties of Infidelity_. I\nsay boldly that it requires far more credulity to be an infidel than to\nbe a Christian. I say boldly, that there are great broad patent facts in\nthe condition of mankind, which nothing but the Bible can explain, and\nthat one of the most striking of these facts is the universal prevalence\nof pain, sickness, and disease. In short, one of the mightiest\ndifficulties in the way of Atheists and Deists, is the body of man.\n\nYou have doubtless heard of Atheists. An Atheist is one who professes to\nbelieve that there is no God, no Creator, no First Cause, and that all\nthings came together in this world by mere chance.--Now shall we listen\nto such a doctrine as this? Go, take an Atheist to one of the excellent\nsurgical schools of our land, and ask him to study the wonderful\nstructure of the human body. Show him the matchless skill with which\nevery joint, and vein, and valve, and muscle, and sinew, and nerve, and\nbone, and limb, has been formed. Show him the perfect adaptation of\nevery part of the human frame to the purpose which it serves. Show him\nthe thousand delicate contrivances for meeting wear and tear, and\nsupplying daily waste of vigour. And then ask this man who denies the\nbeing of a God, and a great First Cause, if all this wonderful mechanism\nis the result of chance? Ask him if it came together at first by luck\nand accident? Ask him if he so thinks about the watch he looks at, the\nbread he eats, or the coat he wears? Oh, no! Design is an insuperable\ndifficulty in the Atheist's way. _There is a God._\n\nYou have doubtless heard of Deists. A Deist is one who professes to\nbelieve that there is a God, who made the world and all things therein.\nBut He does not believe the Bible. \"A God, but no Bible!--a Creator, but\nno Christianity!\" This is the Deist's creed.--Now, shall we listen to\nthis doctrine? Go again, I say, and take a Deist to an hospital, and\nshow him some of the awful handiwork of disease. Take him to the bed\nwhere lies some tender child, scarce knowing good from evil, with an\nincurable cancer. Send him to the ward where there is a loving mother of\na large family in the last stage of some excruciating disease. Show him\nsome of the racking pains and agonies to which flesh is heir, and ask\nhim to account for them. Ask this man, who believes there is a great\nand wise God who made the world, but cannot believe the Bible,--ask him\nhow he accounts for these traces of disorder and imperfection in his\nGod's creation. Ask this man, who sneers at Christian theology and is\ntoo wise to believe the fall of Adam,--ask him upon his theory to\nexplain the universal prevalence of pain and disease in the world. You\nmay ask in vain! You will get no satisfactory answer. Sickness and\nsuffering are insuperable difficulties in the Deist's way. _Man has\nsinned, and therefore man suffers._ Adam fell from his first estate, and\ntherefore Adam's children sicken and die.\n\nThe universal prevalence of sickness is one of the indirect evidences\nthat the Bible is true. The Bible explains it. The Bible answers the\nquestions about it which will arise in every inquiring mind. No other\nsystems of religion can do this. They all fail here. They are silent.\nThey are confounded. The Bible alone looks the subject in the face. It\nboldly proclaims the fact that man is a fallen creature, and with equal\nboldness proclaims a vast remedial system to meet his wants. I feel shut\nup to the conclusion that the Bible is from God. Christianity is a\nrevelation from heaven. \"Thy word is truth.\" (John xvii. 17.)\n\nLet us stand fast on the old ground, that the Bible, and the Bible only,\nis God's revelation of Himself to man. Be not moved by the many new\nassaults which modern scepticism is making on the inspired volume. Heed\nnot the hard questions which the enemies of the faith are fond of\nputting about Bible difficulties, and to which perhaps you often feel\nunable to give an answer. Anchor your soul firmly on this safe\nprinciple,--that the whole book is God's truth. Tell the enemies of the\nBible that, in spite of all their arguments, there is no book in the\nworld which will bear comparison with the Bible,--none that so\nthoroughly meets man's wants,--none that explains so much of the state\nof mankind. As to the hard things in the Bible, tell them you are\ncontent to wait. You find enough plain truth in the book to satisfy your\nconscience and save your soul. The hard things will be cleared up one\nday. What you know not now, you will know hereafter.\n\n\nII. The second point I propose to consider is _the general benefits\nwhich sickness confers on mankind_.\n\nI use that word \"benefits\" advisedly. I feel it of deep importance to\nsee this part of our subject clearly. I know well that sickness is one\nof the supposed weak points in God's government of the world, on which\nsceptical minds love to dwell.--\"Can God be a God of love, when He\nallows pain? Can God be a God of mercy, when He permits disease? He\nmight prevent pain and disease; but He does not. How can these things\nbe?\" Such is the reasoning which often comes across the heart of man.\n\nI reply to all such reasoners, that their doubts and questionings are\nmost unreasonable. They might us well doubt the existence of a Creator,\nbecause the order of the universe is disturbed by earthquakes,\nhurricanes, and storms. They might as well doubt the providence of God,\nbecause of the horrible massacres of Delhi and Cawnpore. All this would\nbe just as reasonable as to doubt the mercy of God, because of the\npresence of sickness in the world.\n\nI ask all who find it hard to reconcile the prevalence of disease and\npain with the love of God, to cast their eyes on the world around them,\nand to mark what is going on. I ask them to observe the extent to which\nmen constantly submit to present loss for the sake of future\ngain,--present sorrow for the sake of future joy,--present pain for the\nsake of future health. The seed is thrown into the ground, and rots: but\nwe sow in the hope of a future harvest. The boy is sent to school amidst\nmany tears: but we send him in the hope of his getting future wisdom.\nThe father of a family undergoes some fearful surgical operation: but\nhe bears it, in the hope of future health.--I ask men to apply this\ngreat principle to God's government of the world. I ask them to believe\nthat God allows pain, sickness, and disease, not because He loves to vex\nman, but because He desires to benefit man's heart, and mind, and\nconscience, and soul, to all eternity.\n\nOnce more I repeat, that I speak of the \"benefits\" of sickness on\npurpose and advisedly. I know the suffering and pain which sickness\nentails. I admit the misery and wretchedness which it often brings in\nits train. But I cannot regard it as an unmixed evil. I see in it a wise\npermission of God. I see in it a useful provision to check the ravages\nof sin and the devil among men's souls. If man had never sinned I should\nhave been at a loss to discern the benefit of sickness. But since sin is\nin the world, I can see that sickness is a good. It is a blessing quite\nas much as a curse. It is a rough schoolmaster, I grant. But it is a\nreal friend to man's soul.\n\n(_a_) Sickness helps to _remind men of death_. The most live as if they\nwere never going to die. They follow business, or pleasure, or politics,\nor science, as if earth was their eternal home. They plan and scheme for\nthe future, like the rich fool in the parable, as if they had a long\nlease of life, and were not tenants at will. A heavy illness sometimes\ngoes far to dispel these delusions. It awakens men from their\nday-dreams, and reminds them that they have to die as well as to live.\nNow this I say emphatically is a mighty good.\n\n(_b_) Sickness helps to _make men think seriously of God_, and their\nsouls, and the world to come. The most in their days of health can find\nno time for such thoughts. They dislike them. They put them away. They\ncount them troublesome and disagreeable. Now a severe disease has\nsometimes a wonderful power of mustering and rallying these thoughts,\nand bringing them up before the eyes of a man's soul. Even a wicked king\nlike Benhadad, when sick, could think of Elisha. (2 Kings viii. 8.)\nEven heathen sailors, when death was in sight, were afraid, and \"cried\nevery man to his god.\" (Jonah i. 5.) Surely anything that helps to make\nmen think is a good.\n\n(_c_) Sickness helps to _soften men's hearts_, and teach them wisdom.\nThe natural heart is as hard as a stone. It can see no good in anything\nwhich is not of this life, and no happiness excepting in this world. A\nlong illness sometimes goes far to correct these ideas. It exposes the\nemptiness and hollowness of what the world calls \"good\" things, and\nteaches us to hold them with a loose hand. The man of business finds\nthat money alone is not everything the heart requires. The woman of the\nworld finds that costly apparel, and novel-reading, and the reports of\nballs and operas, are miserable comforters in a sick room. Surely\nanything that obliges us to alter our weights and measures of earthly\nthings is a real good.\n\n(_d_) Sickness helps to _level and humble us_. We are all naturally\nproud and high-minded. Few, even of the poorest, are free from the\ninfection. Few are to be found who do not look down on somebody else,\nand secretly flatter themselves that they are \"not as other men.\" A sick\nbed is a mighty tamer of such thoughts as these. It forces on us the\nmighty truth that we are all poor worms, that we \"dwell in houses of\nclay,\" and are \"crushed before the moth\" (Job iv. 19), and that kings\nand subjects, masters and servants, rich and poor, are all dying\ncreatures, and will soon stand side by side at the bar of God. In the\nsight of the coffin and the grave it is not easy to be proud. Surely\nanything that teaches that lesson is good.\n\n(_e_) Finally, sickness helps _to try men's religion_, of what sort it\nis. There are not many on earth who have on religion at all. Yet few\nhave a religion that will bear inspection. Most are content with\ntraditions received from their fathers, and can render no reason of the\nhope that is in them. Now disease is sometimes most useful to a man in\nexposing the utter worthlessness of his soul's foundation. It often\nshows him that he has nothing solid under his feet, and nothing firm\nunder his hand. It makes him find out that, although he may have had a\nform of religion, he has been all his life worshipping \"an unknown God.\"\nMany a creed looks well on the smooth waters of health, which turns out\nutterly unsound and useless on the rough waves of the sick bed. The\nstorms of winter often bring out the defects in a man's dwelling, and\nsickness often exposes the gracelessness of a man's soul. Surely\nanything that makes us find out the real character of our faith is a\ngood.\n\nI do not say that sickness confers these benefits on all to whom it\ncomes. Alas, I can say nothing of the kind! Myriads are yearly laid low\nby illness, and restored to health, who evidently learn no lesson from\ntheir sick beds, and return again to the world. Myriads are yearly\npassing through sickness to the grave, and yet receiving no more\nspiritual impression from it than the beasts that perish. While they\nlive they have no feeling, and when they die there are \"no bands in\ntheir death.\" (Psalm lxxiii. 4.) These are awful things to say. But they\nare true. The degree of deadness to which man's heart and conscience may\nattain, is a depth which I cannot pretend to fathom.\n\nBut does sickness confer the benefits of which I have been speaking on\nonly a few? I will allow nothing of the kind. I believe that in very\nmany cases sickness produces impressions more or less akin to those of\nwhich I have just been speaking. I believe that in many minds sickness\nis God's \"day of visitation,\" and that feelings are continually aroused\non a sick bed which, if improved, might, by God's grace, result in\nsalvation. I believe that in heathen lands sickness often paves the way\nfor the missionary, and makes the poor idolater lend a willing ear to\nthe glad tidings of the Gospel. I believe that in our own land sickness\nis one of the greatest aids to the minister of the Gospel, and that\nsermons and counsels are often brought home in the day of disease which\nwe have neglected in the day of health. I believe that sickness is one\nof God's most important subordinate instruments in the saving of men,\nand that though the feelings it calls forth are often temporary, it is\nalso often a means whereby the Spirit works effectually on the heart. In\nshort, I believe firmly that the sickness of men's bodies has often led,\nin God's wonderful providence, to the salvation of men's souls.\n\nI leave this branch of my subject here. It needs no further remark. If\nsickness can do the things of which I have been speaking (and who will\ngainsay it?), if sickness in a wicked world can help to make men think\nof God and their souls, then sickness confers benefits on mankind.\n\nWe have no right to murmur at sickness, and repine at its presence in\nthe world. We ought rather to thank God for it. It is God's witness. It\nis the soul's adviser. It is an awakener to the conscience. It is a\npurifier to the heart. Surely I have a right to tell you that sickness\nis a blessing and not a curse,--a help and not an injury,--a gain and\nnot a loss,--a friend and not a foe to mankind. So long as we have a\nworld wherein there is sin, it is a mercy that it is a world wherein\nthere is sickness.\n\n\nIII. The third and last point which I propose to consider, is _the\nspecial duties which the prevalence of sickness entails on each one of\nourselves_.\n\nI should be sorry to leave the subject of sickness without saying\nsomething on this point. I hold it to be of cardinal importance not to\nbe content with generalities in delivering God's message to souls. I am\nanxious to impress on each one into whose hands this paper may fall, his\nown personal responsibility in connection with the subject. I would fain\nhave no one lay down this paper unable to answer the questions,--\"What\npractical lesson have I learned? What, in a world of disease and death,\nwhat ought I to do?\"\n\n(_a_) One paramount duty which the prevalence of sickness entails on\nman, is that of _living habitually prepared to meet God_. Sickness is a\nremembrancer of death. Death is the door through which we must all pass\nto judgment. Judgment is the time when we must at last see God face to\nface. Surely the first lesson which the inhabitant of a sick and dying\nworld should learn should be to prepare to meet his God.\n\nWhen are you prepared to meet God? Never till your iniquities are\nforgiven, and your sin covered! Never till your heart is renewed, and\nyour will taught to delight in the will of God! You have many sins. If\nyou go to church your own mouth is taught to confess this every Sunday.\nThe blood of Jesus Christ can alone cleanse those sins away. The\nrighteousness of Christ can alone make you acceptable in the sight of\nGod. Faith, simple childlike faith, can alone give you an interest in\nChrist and His benefits. Would you know whether you are prepared to meet\nGod? Then where is your faith?--Your heart is naturally unmeet for God's\ncompany. You have no real pleasure in doing His will. The Holy Ghost\nmust transform you after the image of Christ. Old things must pass away.\nAll things must become new. Would you know whether you are prepared to\nmeet God? Then, where is your grace? Where are the evidences of your\nconversion and sanctification?\n\nI believe that this, and nothing less than this, is preparedness to meet\nGod. Pardon of sin and meetness for God's presence,--justification by\nfaith and sanctification of the heart,--the blood of Christ sprinkled on\nus, and the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us,--these are the grand\nessentials of the Christian religion. These are no mere words and names\nto furnish bones of contention for wrangling theologians. These are\nsober, solid, substantial realities. To live in the actual possession\nof these things, in a world full of sickness and death, is the first\nduty which I press home upon your soul.\n\n(_b_) Another paramount duty which the prevalence of sickness entails on\nyou, is that of _living habitually ready to bear it patiently_. Sickness\nis no doubt a trying thing to flesh and blood. To feel our nerves\nunstrung, and our natural force abated,--to be obliged to sit still and\nbe cut off from all our usual avocations,--to see our plans broken off\nand our purposes disappointed,--to endure long hours, and days, and\nnights of weariness and pain,--all this is a severe strain on poor\nsinful human nature. What wonder if peevishness and impatience are\nbrought out by disease! Surely in such a dying world as this we should\nstudy patience.\n\nHow shall we learn to bear sickness patiently, when sickness comes to\nour turn? We must lay up stores of grace in the time of health. We must\nseek for the sanctifying influence of the Holy Ghost over our unruly\ntempers and dispositions. We must make a real business of our prayers,\nand regularly ask for strength to endure God's will as well as to do it.\nSuch strength is to be had for the asking: \"If ye shall ask anything in\nmy name, I will do it for you.\" (John xiv. 14.)\n\nI cannot think it needless to dwell on this point. I believe the passive\ngraces of Christianity receive far less notice than they deserve.\nMeekness, gentleness, long-suffering, faith, patience, are all mentioned\nin the Word of God as fruits of the Spirit. They are passive graces\nwhich specially glorify God. They often make men think, who despise the\nactive side of the Christian character. Never do these graces shine so\nbrightly as they do in the sick room. They enable many a sick person to\npreach a silent sermon, which those around him never forget. Would you\nadorn the doctrine you profess? Would you make your Christianity\nbeautiful in the eyes of others? Then take the hint I give you this\nday. Lay up a store of patience against the time of illness. Then,\nthough your sickness be not to death, it shall be for the \"glory of\nGod.\" (John xi. 4.)\n\n(_c_) One more paramount duty which the prevalence of sickness entails\non you, is that of _habitual readiness to feel with and help your\nfellow-men_. Sickness is never very far from us. Few are the families\nwho have not some sick relative. Few are the parishes where you will not\nfind some one ill. But wherever there is sickness, there is a call to\nduty. A little timely assistance in some cases,--a kindly visit in\nothers,--a friendly inquiry,--a mere expression of sympathy, may do a\nvast good. These are the sort of things which soften asperities, and\nbring men together, and promote good feeling. These are ways by which\nyou may ultimately lead men to Christ and save their souls. These are\ngood works to which every professing Christian should be ready. In a\nworld full of sickness and disease we ought to \"bear one another's\nburdens,\" and be \"kind one to another.\" (Gal. vi. 2; Ephes. iv. 32.)\n\nThese things, I dare say, may appear to some little and trifling. They\nmust needs be doing something great, and grand, and striking, and\nheroic! I take leave to say that conscientious attention to these little\nacts of brotherly-kindness is one of the clearest evidences of having\n\"the mind of Christ.\" They are acts in which our blessed Master Himself\nwas abundant. He was ever \"going about doing good\" to the sick and\nsorrowful. (Acts x. 38.) They are acts to which He attaches great\nimportance in that most solemn passage of Scripture, the description of\nthe last judgment. He says there: \"I was sick, and ye visited Me.\"\n(Matt. xxv. 36.)\n\nHave you any desire to prove the reality of your charity,--that blessed\ngrace which so many talk of, and so few practise? If you have, beware of\nunfeeling selfishness and neglect of your sick brethren. Search them\nout. Assist them if they need aid. Show your sympathy with them. Try to\nlighten their burdens. Above all, strive to do good to their souls. It\nwill do you good if it does no good to them. It will keep your heart\nfrom murmuring. It may prove a blessing to your own soul. I firmly\nbelieve that God is testing and proving us by every case of sickness\nwithin our reach. By permitting suffering, He tries whether Christians\nhave any feeling. Beware, lest you be weighed in the balances and found\nwanting. If you can live in a sick and dying world and not feel for\nothers, you have yet much to learn.\n\nI leave this branch of my subject here. I throw out the points I have\nnamed as suggestions, and I pray God that they may work in many minds. I\nrepeat, that habitual preparedness to meet God,--habitual readiness to\nsuffer patiently,--habitual willingness to sympathize heartily,--are\nplain duties which sickness entails on all. They are duties within the\nreach of every one. In naming them I ask nothing extravagant or\nunreasonable. I bid no man retire into a monastery and ignore the duties\nof his station. I only want men to realize that they live in a sick and\ndying world, and to live accordingly. And I say boldly, that the man who\nlives the life of faith, and holiness, and patience, and charity, is not\nonly the most true Christian, but the most wise and reasonable man.\n\n\nAnd now I conclude all with four words of practical application. I want\nthe subject of this paper to be turned to some spiritual use. My heart's\ndesire and prayer to God in placing it in this volume is to do good to\nsouls.\n\n(1) In the first place, I offer a _question_ to all who read this paper,\nto which, as God's ambassador, I entreat their serious attention. It is\na question which grows naturally out of the subject on which I have been\nwriting. It is a question which concerns all, of every rank, and class,\nand condition. I ask you, What will you do when you are ill?\n\nThe time must come when you, as well as others, must go down the dark\nvalley of the shadow of death. The hour must come when you, like all\nyour forefathers, must sicken and die. The time may be near or far off.\nGod only knows. But whenever the time may be, I ask again. What are you\ngoing to do? Where do you mean to turn for comfort? On what do you mean\nto rest your soul? On what do you mean to build your hope? From whence\nwill you fetch your consolations?\n\nI do entreat you not to put these questions away. Suffer them to work on\nyour conscience, and rest not till you can give them a satisfactory\nanswer. Trifle not with that precious gift, an immortal soul. Defer not\nthe consideration of the matter to a more convenient season. Presume not\non a death-bed repentance. The greatest business ought surely not to be\nleft to the last. One dying thief was saved that men might not despair,\nbut only one that none might presume. I repeat the question. I am sure\nit deserves an answer, \"What will you do when you are ill?\"\n\nIf you were going to live for ever in this world I would not address you\nas I do. But it cannot be. There is no escaping the common lot of all\nmankind. Nobody can die in our stead. The day must come when we must\neach go to our long home. Against that day I want you to be prepared.\nThe body which now takes up so much of your attention--the body which\nyou now clothe, and feed, and warm with so much care,--that body must\nreturn again to the dust. Oh, think what an awful thing it would prove\nat last to have provided for everything except the one thing\nneedful,--to have provided for the body, but to have neglected the\nsoul,--to die, in fact, like Cardinal Beaufort, and \"give no sign\" of\nbeing saved! Once more I press my question on your conscience: \"What\nwill you do when you are ill?\"\n\n(2) In the next place, I offer _counsel_ to all who feel they need it\nand are willing to take it,--to all who feel they are not yet prepared\nto meet God. That counsel is short and simple. Acquaint yourself with\nthe Lord Jesus Christ without delay. Repent, be converted, flee to\nChrist, and be saved.\n\nEither you have a soul or you have not. You will surely never deny that\nyou have. Then if you have a soul, seek that soul's salvation. Of all\ngambling in the world, there is none so reckless as that of the man who\nlives unprepared to meet God, and yet puts off repentance.--Either you\nhave sins or you have none. If you have (and who will dare to deny it?),\nbreak off from those sins, cast away your transgressions, and turn away\nfrom them without delay.--Either you need a Saviour or you do not. If\nyou do, flee to the only Saviour this very day, and cry mightily to Him\nto save your soul. Apply to Christ at once. Seek Him by faith. Commit\nyour soul into His keeping. Cry mightily to Him for pardon and peace\nwith God. Ask Him to pour down the Holy Spirit upon you, and make you a\nthorough Christian. He will hear you. No matter what you have been, He\nwill not refuse your prayer. He has said, \"Him that cometh to Me I will\nin no wise cast out.\" (John vi. 37.)\n\nBeware, I beseech you, of a vague and indefinite Christianity. Be not\ncontent with a general hope that all is right because you belong to the\nold Church of England, and that all will be well at last because God is\nmerciful. Rest not, rest not without personal union with Christ Himself.\nRest not, rest not till you have the witness of the Spirit in your\nheart, that you are washed, and sanctified, and justified, and one with\nChrist, and Christ in you. Rest not till you can say with the apostle,\n\"I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep\nthat which I have committed to Him against that day.\" (2 Tim. i. 12.)\n\nVague, and indefinite, and indistinct religion may do very well in time\nof health. It will never do in the day of sickness. A mere formal,\nperfunctory Church-membership may carry a man through the sunshine of\nyouth and prosperity. It will break down entirely when death is in\nsight. Nothing will do then but real heart-union with Christ. Christ\ninterceding for us at God's right hand,--Christ known and believed as\nour Priest, our Physician, our Friend,--Christ alone can rob death of\nits sting and enable us to face sickness without fear. He alone can\ndeliver those who through fear of death are in bondage. I say to every\none who wants advice, Be acquainted with Christ. As ever you would have\nhope and comfort on the bed of sickness, be acquainted with Christ. Seek\nChrist. Apply to Christ.\n\nTake every care and trouble to Him when you are acquainted with Him. He\nwill keep you and carry you through all. Pour out your heart before Him,\nwhen your conscience is burdened. He is the true Confessor. He alone can\nabsolve you and take the burden away. Turn to Him first in the day of\nsickness, like Martha and Mary. Keep on looking to Him to the last\nbreath of your life. Christ is worth knowing. The more you know Him the\nbetter you will love Him. Then be acquainted with Jesus Christ.\n\n(3) In the third place, I exhort all true Christians who read this paper\nto remember how much they may glorify God in the time of sickness, and\nto _lie quiet in God's hand when they are ill_.\n\nI feel it very important to touch on this point. I know how ready the\nheart of a believer is to faint, and how busy Satan is in suggesting\ndoubts and questionings, when the body of a Christian is weak. I have\nseen something of the depression and melancholy which sometimes comes\nupon the children of God when they are suddenly laid aside by disease,\nand obliged to sit still. I have marked how prone some good people are\nto torment themselves with morbid thoughts at such seasons, and to say\nin their hearts, \"God has forsaken me: I am cast out of His sight.\"\n\nI earnestly entreat all sick believers to remember that they may honour\nGod as much by patient suffering as they can by active work. It often\nshows more grace to sit still than it does to go to and fro, and perform\ngreat exploits. I entreat them to remember that Christ cares for them as\nmuch when they are sick as He does when they are well, and that the very\nchastisement they feel so acutely is sent in love, and not in anger.\nAbove all, I entreat them to recollect the sympathy of Jesus for all His\nweak members. They are always tenderly cared for by Him, but never so\nmuch as in their time of need. Christ has had great experience of\nsickness. He knows the heart of a sick man. He used to see \"all manner\nof sickness, and all manner of disease\" when He was upon earth. He felt\nspecially for the sick in the days of His flesh. He feels for them\nspecially still. Sickness and suffering, I often think, make believers\nmore like their Lord in experience, than health. \"Himself took our\ninfirmities, and bare our sicknesses.\" (Isaiah liii. 3; Matt. viii. 17.)\nThe Lord Jesus was a \"Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.\" None\nhave such an opportunity of learning the mind of a suffering Saviour as\nsuffering disciples.\n\n(4) I conclude with a word of _exhortation_ to all believers, which I\nheartily pray God to impress upon their souls. I exhort you to keep up a\nhabit of close communion with Christ, and never to be afraid of \"going\ntoo far\" in your religion. Remember this, if you wish to have \"great\npeace\" in your times of sickness.\n\nI observe with regret a tendency in some quarters to lower the standard\nof practical Christianity, and to denounce what are called \"extreme\nviews\" about a Christian's daily walk in life. I remark with pain that\neven religious people will sometimes look coldly on those who withdraw\nfrom worldly society, and will censure them as \"exclusive,\nnarrow-minded, illiberal, uncharitable, sour-spirited,\" and the like. I\nwarn every believer in Christ who reads this paper to beware of being\ninfluenced by such censures. I entreat him, if he wants light in the\nvalley of death, to \"keep himself unspotted from the world,\" to \"follow\nthe Lord very fully,\" and to walk very closely with God. (James i. 27;\nNum. xiv. 24.)\n\nI believe that the want of \"thoroughness\" about many people's\nChristianity is one secret of their little comfort, both in health and\nsickness. I believe that the \"half-and-half,\"--\"keep-in-with-everybody\"\nreligion, which satisfies many in the present day, is offensive to God,\nand sows thorns in dying pillows, which hundreds never discover till too\nlate. I believe that the weakness and feebleness of such a religion\nnever comes out so much as it does upon a sick bed.\n\nIf you and I want \"strong consolation\" in our time of need, we must not\nbe content with a bare union with Christ. (Heb. vi. 18.) We must seek to\nknow something of heart-felt, experimental _communion_ with Him. Never,\nnever let us forget, that \"union\" is one thing, and \"communion\" another.\nThousands, I fear, who know what \"union\" with Christ is, know nothing of\n\"communion.\"\n\nThe day may come when after a long fight with disease, we shall feel\nthat medicine can do no more, and that nothing remains but to die.\nFriends will be standing by, unable to help us. Hearing, eyesight, even\nthe power of praying, will be fast failing us. The world and its shadows\nwill be melting beneath our feet. Eternity, with its realities, will be\nlooming large before our minds. What shall support us in that trying\nhour? What shall enable us to feel, \"I fear no evil\"? (Psalm xxiii. 4.)\nNothing, nothing can do it but close communion with Christ. Christ\ndwelling in our hearts by faith,--Christ putting His right arm under our\nheads,--Christ felt to be sitting by our side,--Christ can alone give us\nthe complete victory in the last struggle.\n\nLet us cleave to Christ more closely, love Him more heartily, live to\nHim more thoroughly, copy Him more exactly, confess Him more boldly,\nfollow Him more fully. Religion like this will always bring its own\nreward. Worldly people may laugh at it. Weak brethren may think it\nextreme. But it will wear well. At even time it will bring us light. In\nsickness it will bring us peace. In the world to come it will give us a\ncrown of glory that fadeth not away.\n\nThe time is short. The fashion of this world passeth away. A few more\nsicknesses, and all will be over. A few more funerals, and our own\nfuneral will take place. A few more storms and tossings, and we shall be\nsafe in harbour. We travel towards a world where there is no more\nsickness,--where parting, and pain, and crying, and mourning, are done\nwith for evermore. Heaven is becoming every year more full, and earth\nmore empty. The friends ahead are becoming more numerous than the\nfriends astern. \"Yet a little time and He that shall come will come, and\nwill not tarry.\" (Heb. x. 37.) In His presence shall be fulness of joy.\nChrist shall wipe away all tears from His people's eyes. The last enemy\nthat shall be destroyed is Death. But he shall be destroyed. Death\nhimself shall one day die. (Rev. xx. 14.)\n\nIn the meantime let us live the life of faith in the Son of God. Let us\nlean all our weight on Christ, and rejoice in the thought that He lives\nfor evermore.\n\nYes: blessed be God! Christ lives, though we may die. Christ lives,\nthough friends and families are carried to the grave. He lives who\nabolished death, and brought life and immortality to light by the\nGospel. He lives who said, \"O death, I will be thy plagues: O grave, I\nwill be thy destruction.\" (Hos. xiii. 14.) He lives who will one day\nchange our vile body, and make it like unto His glorious body. In\nsickness and in health, in life and in death, let us lean confidently on\nHim. Surely we ought to say daily with one of old, \"Blessed be God for\nJesus Christ!\"\n\n\n\n\nXVI\n\n\nTHE FAMILY OF GOD\n\n \"_The whole family in heaven and earth._\"--Ephes. iii. 15.\n\n\nThe words which form the title of this paper ought to stir some feelings\nin our minds at any time. There lives not the man or woman on earth who\nis not member of some \"family.\" The poorest as well as the richest has\nhis kith and kin, and can tell you something of his \"family.\"\n\nFamily gatherings at certain times of the year, such as Christmas, we\nall know, are very common. Thousands of firesides are crowded then, if\nat no other time of the year. The young man in town snatches a few days\nfrom business, and takes a run down to the old folks at home. The young\nwoman in service gets a short holiday, and comes to visit her father and\nmother. Brothers and sisters meet for a few hours. Parents and children\nlook one another in the face. How much there is to talk about! How many\nquestions to be asked! How many interesting things to be told! Happy\nindeed is that fireside which sees gathered round it at Christmas \"the\nwhole family!\"\n\nFamily gatherings are natural, and right, and good. I approve them with\nall my heart. It does me good to see them kept up. They are one of the\nvery few pleasant things which have survived the fall of man. Next to\nthe grace of God, I see no principle which unites people so much in\nthis sinful world as family feeling. Community of blood is a most\npowerful tie. It was a fine saying of an American naval officer, when\nhis men insisted on helping the English sailors in fighting the Taku\nforts in China,--\"I cannot help it: blood is thicker than water.\" I have\noften observed that people will stand up for their relations, merely\nbecause they _are_ their relations,--and refuse to hear a word against\nthem,--even when they have no sympathy with their tastes and ways.\nAnything which helps to keep up family feeling ought to be commended. It\nis a wise thing, when it can be done, to gather together at Christmas\n\"the whole family.\"\n\nFamily gatherings, nevertheless, are often sorrowful things. It would be\nstrange indeed, in such a world as this, if they were not. Few are the\nfamily circles which do not show gaps and vacant places as years pass\naway. Changes and deaths make sad havoc as time goes on. Thoughts will\nrise up within us, as we grow older, about faces and voices no longer\nwith us, which no Christmas merriment can entirely keep down. When the\nyoung members of the family have once begun to launch forth into the\nworld, the old heads may long survive the scattering of the nest; but\nafter a certain time, it seldom happens that you see together \"the whole\nfamily.\"\n\nThere is one great family to which I want all the readers of this paper\nto belong. It is a family despised by many, and not even known by some.\nBut it is a family of far more importance than any family on earth. To\nbelong to it entitles a man to far greater privileges than to be the son\nof a king. It is the family of which St. Paul speaks to the Ephesians,\nwhen he tells them of the \"whole family in heaven and earth.\" It is the\nfamily of God.\n\nI ask the attention of every reader of this paper while I try to\ndescribe this family, and recommend it to his notice. I want to tell you\nof the amazing benefits which membership of this family conveys. I want\nyou to be found one of this family, when its gathering shall come at\nlast,--a gathering without separation, or sorrow, or tears. Hear me\nwhile, as a minister of Christ, and friend to your soul, I speak to you\nfor a few minutes about \"the whole family in heaven and earth:\"--\n\n\n I. First of all, _what is this family_?\n\n II. Secondly, _what is its present position_?\n\n III. Thirdly, _what are its future prospects_?\n\n\nI wish to unfold these three things before you, and I invite your\nserious consideration of them. Our family gatherings on earth must have\nan end one day. Our last earthly Christmas must come. Happy indeed is\nthat Christmas which finds us prepared to meet God!\n\n\nI. _What is that family_ which the Bible calls \"the whole family in\nheaven and earth\"? Of whom does it consist?\n\nThe family before us consists of all real Christians,--of all who have\nthe Spirit,--of all true believers in Christ,--of the saints of every\nage, and Church, and nation, and tongue. It includes the blessed company\nof all faithful people. It is the same as the election of God,--the\nhousehold of faith,--the mystical body of Christ,--the bride,--the\nliving temple,--the sheep that never perish,--the Church of the\nfirst-born,--the holy Catholic Church. All these expressions are only\n\"the family of God\" under other names.\n\nMembership of the family before us does not depend on any earthly\nconnection. It comes not by natural birth, but by new birth. Ministers\ncannot impart it to their hearers. Parents cannot give it to their\nchildren. You may be born in the godliest family in the land, and enjoy\nthe richest means of grace a Church can supply, and yet never belong to\nthe family of God. To belong to it you must be born again. None but the\nHoly Ghost can make a living member of His family. It is His special\noffice and prerogative to bring into the true Church such as shall be\nsaved. They that are born again are born, \"not of blood, nor of the will\nof the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.\" (John i. 13.)\n\nDo you ask the reason, of this name which the Bible gives to the company\nof all true Christians? Would you like to know why they are called \"a\nfamily\"? Listen and I will tell you.\n\n(_a_) True Christians are called \"a family\" because they have all _one\nFather_. They are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. They are\nall born of one Spirit. They are all sons and daughters of the Lord\nAlmighty. They have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby they cry,\nAbba Father. (Gal. iii. 26; John iii. 8; 2 Cor. vi. 18; Rom. viii. 15.)\nThey do not regard God with slavish fear, as an austere Being, only\nready to punish them. They look up to Him with tender confidence, as a\nreconciled and loving parent,--as one forgiving iniquity, transgression,\nand sin, to all who believe on Jesus,--and full of pity even to the\nleast and feeblest. The words, \"Our Father which art in heaven,\" are no\nmere form in the mouth of true Christians. No wonder they are called\nGod's \"family.\"\n\n(_b_) True Christians are called \"a family,\" because they all _rejoice\nin one name_. That name is the name of their great Head and Elder\nBrother, even Jesus Christ the Lord. Just as a common family name is the\nuniting link to all the members of a Highland clan, so does the name of\nJesus tie all believers together in one vast family. As members of\noutward visible Churches they have various names and distinguishing\nappellations. As living members of Christ, they all, with one heart and\nmind, rejoice in one Saviour. Not a heart among them but feels drawn to\nJesus as the only object of hope. Not a tongue among them but would\ntell you that \"Christ is all.\" Sweet to them all is the thought of\nChrist's death for them on the cross. Sweet is the thought of Christ's\nintercession for them at the right hand of God. Sweet is the thought of\nChrist's coming again to unite them to Himself in one glorified company\nfor ever. In fact, you might as well take away the sun out of heaven, as\ntake away the name of Christ from believers. To the world there may seem\nlittle in His name. To believers it is full of comfort, hope, joy, rest,\nand peace. No wonder they are called \"a family.\"\n\n(_c_) True Christians, above all, are called \"a family\" because there is\nso strong _a family likeness_ among them. They are all led by one\nSpirit, and are marked by the same general features of life, heart,\ntaste, and character. Just as there is a general bodily resemblance\namong the brothers and sisters of a family, so there is a general\nspiritual resemblance among all the sons and daughters of the Lord\nAlmighty. They all hate sin and love God. They all rest their hope of\nsalvation on Christ, and have no confidence in themselves. They all\nendeavour to \"come out and be separate\" from the ways of the world, and\nto set their affections on things above. They all turn naturally to the\nsame Bible, as the only food of their souls and the only sure guide in\ntheir pilgrimage toward heaven: they find it a \"lamp to their feet, and\na light to their path.\" (Psa. cxix. 105.) They all go to the same throne\nof grace in prayer, and find it as needful to speak to God as to\nbreathe. They all live by the same rule, the Word of God, and strive to\nconform their daily life to its precepts. They have all the same inward\nexperience. Repentance, faith, hope, charity, humility, inward conflict,\nare things with which they are all more or less acquainted. No wonder\nthey are called \"a family.\"\n\nThis family likeness among true believers is a thing that deserves\nspecial attention. To my own mind it is one of the strongest indirect\nevidences of the truth of Christianity It is one of the greatest proofs\nof the reality of the work of the Holy Ghost. Some true Christians live\nin civilized countries, and some in the midst of heathen lands. Some are\nhighly educated, and some are unable to read a letter. Some are rich and\nsome are poor. Some are Churchmen and some are Dissenters. Some are old\nand some are young. And yet, notwithstanding all this, there is a\nmarvellous oneness of heart and character among them. Their joys and\ntheir sorrows, their love and their hatred, their likes and their\ndislikes, their tastes and their distastes, their hopes and their fears,\nare all most curiously alike. Let others think what they please, I see\nin all this the finger of God. His handiwork is always one and the same.\nNo wonder that true Christians are compared to \"a family.\"\n\nTake a converted Englishman and a converted Hindoo, and let them\nsuddenly meet for the first time. I will engage, if they can understand\none another's language, they will soon find common ground between them,\nand feel at home. The one may have been brought up at Eton and Oxford,\nand enjoyed every privilege of English civilization. The other may have\nbeen trained in the midst of gross heathenism, and accustomed to habits,\nways, and manners as unlike the Englishman's as darkness compared to\nlight. And yet now in half an hour they feel that they are friends! The\nEnglishman finds that he has more in common with his Hindoo brother than\nhe has with many an old college companion or school-fellow! Who can\naccount for this? How can it be explained? Nothing can account for it\nbut the unity of the Spirit's teaching. It is \"one touch\" of grace (not\nnature) \"that makes the whole world kin.\" God's people are in the\nhighest sense \"a family.\"\n\nThis is the family to which I wish to direct the attention of my readers\nin this paper. This is the family to which I want you to belong. I ask\nyou this day to consider it well, if you never considered it before. I\nhave shown you the Father of the family,--the God and Father of our Lord\nJesus Christ. I have shown you the Head and Elder Brother of the\nfamily,--the Lord Jesus Himself. I have shown you the features and\ncharacteristics of the family. Its members have all great marks of\nresemblance. Once more I say, consider it well.\n\nOutside this family, remember, there is no salvation. None but those who\nbelong to it, according to the Bible, are in the way that leads to\nheaven. The salvation of our souls does not depend on union with one\nChurch or separation from another. They are miserably deceived who think\nthat it does, and will find it out to their cost one day, except they\nawake. No! the life of our souls depends on something far more\nimportant. This is life eternal, to be a member of \"the whole family in\nheaven and earth.\"\n\n\nII. I will now pass on to the second thing which I promised to consider.\n_What is the present position_ of the whole family in heaven and earth?\n\nThe family to which I am directing the attention of my readers this day\nis divided into two great parts. Each part has its own residence or\ndwelling-place. Part of the family is in heaven, and part is on earth.\nFor the present the two parts are entirely separated from one another.\nBut they form one body in the sight of God, though resident in two\nplaces; and their union is sure to take place one day.\n\nTwo places, be it remembered, and two only, contain the family of God.\nThe Bible tells us of no third habitation. There is no such thing as\npurgatory, whatever some Christians may think fit to say. There is no\nhouse of purifying, training, or probation for those who are not true\nChristians when they die. Oh no! There are but two parts of the\nfamily,--the part that is seen and the part that is unseen, the part\nthat is in \"heaven\" and the part that is on \"earth.\" The members of the\nfamily that are not in heaven are on earth, and those that are not on\nearth are in heaven. Two parts, and two only! Two places, and two only!\nLet this never be forgotten.\n\nSome of God's family are safe _in heaven_. They are at rest in that\nplace which the Lord Jesus expressly calls \"Paradise.\" (Luke xxiii. 43.)\nThey have finished their course. They have fought their battle. They\nhave done their appointed work. They have learned their lessons. They\nhave carried their cross. They have passed through the waves of this\ntroublesome world and reached the harbour. Little as we know about them,\nwe know that they are happy. They are no longer troubled by sin and\ntemptation. They have said good-bye for ever to poverty and anxiety, to\npain and sickness, to sorrow and tears. They are with Christ Himself,\nwho loved them and gave Himself for them, and in His company they must\nneeds be happy. (Phil. i. 23.) They have nothing to fear in looking back\nto the past. They have nothing to dread in looking forward to things to\ncome. Three things only are lacking to make their happiness complete.\nThese three are the second advent of Christ in glory, the resurrection\nof their own bodies, and the gathering together of all believers. And of\nthese three things they are sure.\n\nSome of God's family are still _upon earth_. They are scattered to and\nfro in the midst of a wicked world, a few in one place and a few in\nanother. All are more or less occupied in the same way, according to the\nmeasure of their grace. All are running a race, doing a work, warring a\nwarfare, carrying a cross, striving against sin, resisting the devil,\ncrucifying the flesh, struggling against the world, witnessing for\nChrist, mourning over their own hearts, hearing, reading, and praying,\nhowever feebly, for the life of their souls. Each is often disposed to\nthink no cross so heavy as his own, no work so difficult, no heart so\nhard. But each and all hold on their way,--a wonder to the ignorant\nworld around them, and often a wonder to themselves.\n\nBut, however divided God's family may be at present in dwelling-place\nand local habitation, it is still one family. Both parts of it are still\none in character, one in possessions, and one in relation to God. The\npart in heaven has not so much superiority over the part on earth as at\nfirst sight may appear. The difference between the two is only one of\ndegree.\n\n(_a_) Both parts of the family love the same Saviour, and delight in the\nsame perfect will of God. But the part on earth loves with much\nimperfection and infirmity, and lives by faith, not by sight.--The part\nin heaven loves without weakness, or doubt, or distraction. It walks by\nsight and not by faith, and sees what it once believed.\n\n(_b_) Both parts of the family are saints. But the saints on earth are\noften poor weary pilgrims, who find the \"flesh lusting against the\nspirit and the spirit lusting against the flesh, so that they cannot do\nthe things they would.\" (Gal. v. 17.) They live in the midst of an evil\nworld, and are often sick of themselves and of the sin they see around\nthem.--The saints in heaven, on the contrary, are delivered from the\nworld, the flesh, and the devil, and enjoy a glorious liberty. They are\ncalled \"the spirits of just men made perfect.\" (Heb. xii. 23.)\n\n(_c_) Both parts of the family are alike God's children. But the\nchildren in heaven have learned all their lessons, have finished their\nappointed tasks, have begun an eternal holiday.--The children on earth\nare still at school. They are daily learning wisdom, though slowly and\nwith much trouble, and often needing to be reminded of their past\nlessons by chastisement and the rod. Their holidays are yet to come.\n\n(_d_) Both parts of the family are alike God's soldiers. But the\nsoldiers on earth are yet militant. Their warfare is not accomplished.\nTheir fight is not over. They need every day to put on the whole armour\nof God.--The soldiers in heaven are all triumphant. No enemy can hurt\nthem now. No fiery dart can reach them. Helmet and shield may both be\nlaid aside. They may at last say to the sword of the Spirit, \"Rest and\nbe still.\" They may at length sit down, and need not to watch and stand\non their guard.\n\n(2) Last, but not least, both parts of the family are alike safe and\nsecure. Wonderful as this may sound, it is true. Christ cares as much\nfor His members on earth as His members in heaven. You might as well\nthink to pluck the stars out of heaven, as to pluck one saint, however\nfeeble, out of Christ's hand. Both parts of the family are alike secured\nby \"an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure.\" (2 Sam.\nxxiii. 5.) The members on earth, through the burden of the flesh and the\ndimness of their faith, may neither see, nor know, nor feel their own\nsafety. But they are safe, though they may not see it. The whole family\nis \"kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation.\" (1 Peter i.\n5.) The members yet on the road are as secure as the members who have\ngot home. Not one shall be found missing at the last day. The words of\nthe Christian poet shall be found strictly true:--\n\n \"More happy, but not more secure,\n The glorified spirits in heaven.\"\n\nBefore I leave this part of my subject, I ask every reader of this paper\nto understand thoroughly the present position of God's family, and to\nform a just estimate of it. Learn not to measure its numbers or its\nprivileges by what you see with your eyes. You see only a small body of\nbelievers in this present time. But you must not forget that a great\ncompany has got safe to heaven already, and that when all are assembled\nat the last day they will be \"a multitude which no man can number.\"\n(Rev. vii. 9.) You only see that part of the family which is struggling\non earth. You must never forget that the greater part of the family has\ngot home and is resting in heaven.--You see the militant part, but not\nthe triumphant. You see the part that is carrying the cross, but not the\npart which is safe in Paradise. The family of God is far more rich and\nglorious than you suppose. Believe me, it is no small thing to belong to\nthe \"whole family in heaven and earth.\"\n\n\nIII. I will now pass on to the last thing which I promised to\nconsider.--_What are the future prospects_ of the whole family in heaven\nand earth?\n\nThe future prospects of a family! What a vast amount of uncertainty\nthese words open up when we look at any family now in the world! How\nlittle we can tell of the things coming on any of us! What a mercy that\nwe do not know the sorrows and trials and separations through which our\nbeloved children may have to pass, when we have left the world! It is a\nmercy that we do not know \"what a day may bring forth,\" and a far\ngreater mercy that we do not know what may happen in twenty years.\n(Prov. xxvii. 1.) Alas, foreknowledge of the future prospects of our\nbelongings would spoil many a family gathering, and fill the whole party\nwith gloom!\n\nThink how many a fine boy, who is now the delight of his parents, will\nby and by walk in the prodigal's footsteps, and never return home! Think\nhow many a fair daughter, the joy of a mother's heart, will follow the\nbent of her self-will after a few years, and insist on some miserably\nmistaken marriage! Think how disease and pain will often lay low the\nloveliest of a family circle, and make her life a burden and weariness\nto herself, if not to others! Think of the endless breaches and\ndivisions arising out of money matters! Alas, there is many a life-long\nquarrel about a few pounds, between those who once played together in\nthe same nursery! Think of these things. The \"future prospects\" of many\na family which meets together every Christmas are a solemn and serious\nsubject. Hundreds, to say the least, are gathering together for the last\ntime: when they part, they will never meet again.\n\nBut, thank God, there is one great family whose \"prospects\" are very\ndifferent. It is the family of which I am speaking in this paper, and\ncommending to your attention. The future prospects of the family of God\nare not uncertain. They are good, and only good,--happy, and only happy.\nListen to me, and I will try to set them in order before you.\n\n(_a_) The members of God's family shall all be _brought safe home_ one\nday. Here upon earth they may be scattered, tried, tossed with tempests,\nand bowed down with afflictions. But not one of them shall perish. (John\nx. 28.) The weakest lamb shall not be left to perish in the wilderness:\nthe feeblest child shall not be missing when the muster-roll is brought\nout at the last day. In spite of the world, the flesh, and the devil,\nthe whole family shall get home. \"If, when we were enemies, we were\nreconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled,\nwe shall be saved by His life.\" (Rom. v. 10.)\n\n(_b_) The members of God's family _shall all have glorious bodies_ one\nday. When the Lord Jesus Christ comes the second time, the dead saints\nshall all be raised and the living shall all be changed. They shall no\nlonger have a vile mortal body, full of weaknesses and infirmities: they\nshall have a body like that of their risen Lord, without the slightest\nliability to sickness and pain. They shall no longer be clogged and\nhindered by an aching frame, when they want to serve God: they shall be\nable to serve Him night and day without weariness, and to attend upon\nHim without distraction. The former things will have passed away. That\nword will be fulfilled, \"I make all things new.\" (Rev. xxi. 5.)\n\n(_c_) The members of God's family shall all be _gathered into one\ncompany_ one day. It matters nothing where they have lived or where they\nhave died. They may have been separated from one another both by time\nand space. One may have lived in tents, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,\nand another travelled by railway in our own day. One may have laid his\nbones in an Australian desert, and another may have been buried in an\nEnglish churchyard. It makes no difference. All shall be gathered\ntogether from north and south, and east and west, and meet in one happy\nassembly, to part no more. The earthly partings of God's family are only\nfor a few days. Their meeting is for eternity. It matters little where\nwe live. It is a time of scattering now, and not of gathering. It\nmatters little where we die. All graves are equally near to Paradise.\nBut it does matter much whether we belong to God's family. If we do we\nare sure to meet again at last.\n\n(_d_) The members of God's family shall all be _united in mind and\njudgment_ one day. They are not so now about many little things. About\nthe things needful to salvation there is a marvellous unity among them.\nAbout many speculative points in religion, about forms of worship and\nChurch government, they often sadly disagree. But there shall be no\ndisagreement among them one day. Ephraim shall no longer vex Judah, nor\nJudah Ephraim. Churchmen shall no more quarrel with Dissenters, nor\nDissenters with Churchmen. Partial knowledge and dim vision shall be at\nan end for ever. Divisions and separations, misunderstandings and\nmisconstructions, shall be buried and forgotten. As there shall only be\none language, so there shall only be one opinion. At last, after six\nthousand years of strife and jangling, perfect unity and harmony shall\nbe found. A family shall at length be shown to angels and men in which\nall are of one mind.\n\n(_e_) The members of God's family shall all be _perfected in holiness_\none day. They are not literally perfect now, although \"complete in\nChrist.\" (Col. ii. 10.) Though born again, and renewed after the image\nof Christ, they offend and fall short in many things. (James iii, 2.)\nNone know it better than they do themselves. It is their grief and\nsorrow that they do not love God more heartily and serve Him more\nfaithfully. But they shall be completely freed from all corruption one\nday. They shall rise again at Christ's second appearing without any of\nthe infirmities which cleave to them in their lives. Not a single evil\ntemper or corrupt inclination shall be found in them. They shall be\npresented by their Head to the Father, without spot, or wrinkle, or any\nsuch thing,--perfectly holy and without blemish,--fair as the moon, and\nclear as the sun. (Eph. v. 27; Cant. v. 10.) Grace, even now, is a\nbeautiful thing, when it lives, and shines, and flourishes in the midst\nof imperfection. But how much more beautiful will grace appear when it\nis seen pure, unmixed, unmingled, and alone! And it shall be seen so\nwhen Christ comes to be glorified in His saints at the last day.\n\n(_f_) Last, but not least, the members of God's family shall all be\n_eternally provided for_ one day. When the affairs of this sinful world\nare finally wound up and settled, there shall be an everlasting portion\nfor all the sons and daughters of the Lord almighty. Not even the\nweakest of them shall be overlooked and forgotten. There shall be\nsomething for everyone, according to his measure. The smallest vessel of\ngrace, as well as the greatest, shall be filled to the brim with glory.\nThe precise nature of that glory and reward it would be folly to pretend\nto describe. It is a thing which eye has not seen, nor mind of man\nconceived. Enough for us to know that each member of God's family, when\nhe awakes up after His Master's likeness, shall be \"satisfied.\" (Psalm\nxvii. 15.) Enough, above all, to know that their joy, and glory, and\nreward shall be for ever. What they receive in the day of the Lord they\nwill never lose. The inheritance reserved for them, when they come of\nage, is \"incorruptible, undefiled, and fadeth not away.\" (1 Peter i. 4.)\n\nThese prospects of God's family are great realities. They are not vague\nshadowy talk of man's invention. They are real true things, and will be\nseen as such before long. They deserve your serious consideration.\nExamine them well.\n\nLook round the families of earth with which you are acquainted, the\nrichest, the greatest, the noblest, the happiest. Where will you find\none among them all which can show prospects to compare with those of\nwhich you have just heard. The earthly riches, in many a case, will be\ngone in a hundred years hence. The noble blood, in many a case, will not\nprevent some disgraceful deed staining the family name. The happiness,\nin many a case, will be found hollow and seeming. Few, indeed, are the\nhomes which have not a secret sorrow, or \"a skeleton in the closet.\"\nWhether for present possessions or future prospects, there is no family\nso well off as \"the whole family in heaven and earth.\" Whether you look\nat what they have now, or will have hereafter, there is no family like\nthe family of God.\n\n\nMy task is done. My paper is drawing to a close. It only remains to\nclose it with a few words of practical application. Give me your\nattention for the last time. May God bless what I am going to say to the\ngood of your soul!\n\n(1) I ask you a plain question. Take it with you to every family\ngathering which you join at any season of the year. Take it with you,\nand amidst all your happiness make time for thinking about it. It is a\nsimple question, but a solemn one,--_Do you yet belong to the family of\nGod_?\n\nTo the family of God, remember! This is the point of my question. It is\nno answer to say that you are a Protestant, or a Churchman, or a\nDissenter. I want to hear of something more and better than that. I want\nyou to have some soul-satisfying and soul-saving religion,--a religion\nthat will give you peace while you live, and hope when you die. To have\nsuch peace and hope you must be something more than a Protestant, or a\nChurchman, or a Dissenter. You must belong to \"the family of God.\"\nThousands around you do not belong to it, I can well believe. But that\nis no reason why you should not.\n\nIf you do not yet belong to God's family, I invite you this day to join\nit without delay. Open your eyes to see the value of your soul, the\nsinfulness of sin, the holiness of God, the danger of your present\ncondition, the absolute necessity of a mighty change. Open your eyes to\nsee these things, and repent this very day.--Open your eyes to see the\ngreat Head of God's family, even Christ Jesus, waiting to save your\nsoul. See how He has loved you, lived for you, died for you, risen again\nfor you, and obtained complete redemption for you. See how He offers you\nfree, full, immediate pardon, if you will believe in Him. Open your eyes\nto see these things. Seek Christ at once. Come and believe on Him, and\ncommit your soul to His keeping this very day.\n\nI know nothing of your family or past history. I know not where you go\nto spend your leisure weeks, or what company you are going to be in. But\nI am bold to say, that if you join the family of God you will find it\nthe best and happiest family in the world.\n\n(2) If you really belong to the whole family in heaven and earth, count\nup your privileges, and _learn to be more thankful_. Think what a mercy\nit is to have something which the world can neither give nor take\naway,--something which makes you independent of sickness or\npoverty,--something which is your own for evermore. The old family\nfireside will soon be cold and tenantless. The old family gatherings\nwill soon be past and gone for ever. The loving faces we now delight to\ngaze on are rapidly leaving us. The cheerful voices which now welcome us\nwill soon be silent in the grave. But, thank God, if we belong to\nChrist's family there is a better gathering yet to come. Let us often\nthink of it, and be thankful!\n\nThe family gathering of all God's people will make amends for all that\ntheir religion now costs them. A meeting where none are missing,--a\nmeeting where there are no gaps and empty places,--a meeting where there\nare no tears,--a meeting where there is no parting,--such a meeting as\nthis is worth a fight and a struggle. And such a meeting is yet to come\nto \"the whole family in heaven and earth.\"\n\nIn the meantime let us strive to live worthy of the family to which we\nbelong. Let us labour to do nothing that may cause our Father's house to\nbe spoken against. Let us endeavour to make our Master's name beautiful\nby our temper, conduct, and conversation. Let us love as brethren, and\nabhor all quarrels. Let us behave as if the honour of \"the family\"\ndepended on our behaviour.\n\nSo living, by the grace of God, we shall make our calling and election\nsure, both to ourselves and others. So living, we may hope to have an\nabundant entrance, and to enter harbour in full sail, whenever we change\nearth for heaven. (2 Peter i. 11.) So living, we shall recommend our\nFather's family to others, and perhaps by God's blessing incline them to\nsay, \"We will go with you.\"\n\n\n\n\nXVII\n\n\nOUR HOME!\n\n \"_Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations._\"\n\n Psalm xc. 1.\n\n\nThere are two reasons why the text which heads this paper should ring in\nour hearts with special power. It is the first verse of a deeply solemn\nPsalm,--the first bar of a wondrous piece of spiritual music. How others\nfeel when they read the ninetieth Psalm I cannot tell. It always makes\nme lean back in my chair and think.\n\nFor one thing, this ninetieth Psalm is the only Psalm composed by\n\"Moses, the man of God.\"[12] It expresses that holy man's feelings, as\nhe saw the whole generation whom he had led forth from Egypt, dying in\nthe wilderness. Year after year he saw that fearful judgment fulfilling,\nwhich Israel brought on itself by unbelief:--\"Your carcases shall fall\nin this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your\nwhole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured\nagainst Me, doubtless ye shall not come into the land.\" (Num. xiv. 29.)\nOne after another he saw the heads of the families whom he had led forth\nfrom Egypt, laying their bones in the desert. For forty long years he\nsaw the strong, the swift, the wise, the tender, the beautiful, who had\ncrossed the Red Sea with him in triumph, cut down and withering like\ngrass. For forty years he saw his companions continually changing,\nconsuming, and passing away. Who can wonder that he should say, \"Lord,\nThou art our dwelling-place.\" We are all pilgrims and strangers upon\nearth, and there is none abiding. \"Lord, Thou art our home.\"\n\n 12: I am quite aware that I have no direct authority for this\n statement, except the prefatory heading at the beginning of the\n Psalm. However ancient those headings may be, it is agreed among\n learned men that they were not given by inspiration, and must not be\n regarded as a part of God's Word. There is, nevertheless, a curious\n amount of agreement among critics, that in the case of this\n ninetieth Psalm the tradition about its authorship is not without\n foundation.\n\nFor another thing, the ninetieth Psalm forms part of the Burial Service\nof the Church of England. Whatever fault men may find with the\nPrayer-book, I think no one can deny the singular beauty of the Burial\nService. Beautiful are the texts which it puts into the minister's mouth\nas he meets the coffin at the churchyard gate, and leads the mourners\ninto God's house. Beautiful is the chapter from the first Epistle to the\nCorinthians about the resurrection of the body. Beautiful are the\nsentences and prayers appointed to be read as the body is laid in its\nlong home. But specially beautiful, to my mind, are the Psalms which are\nselected for reading when the mourners have just taken their places in\nchurch. I know nothing which sounds so soothing, solemnizing,\nheart-touching, and moving to man's spirit, at that trying moment, as\nthe wondrous utterance of the old inspired law-giver: \"Lord, Thou hast\nbeen our dwelling-place.\" \"Lord, Thou art our home.\"\n\nI want to draw from these words two thoughts that may do the readers of\nthis paper some good. An English home is famous all over the world for\nits happiness and comfort. It is a little bit of heaven left upon earth.\nBut even an English home is not for ever. The family nest is sure to be\ntaken down, and its inmates are sure to be scattered. Bear with me for\na few short minutes, while I try to set before you the best, truest, and\nhappiest home.\n\n\nI. The first thought that I will offer you is this:--I will show you\n_what the world is_.\n\nIt is a beautiful world in many respects, I freely admit. Its seas and\nrivers, its sunrises and sunsets, its mountains and valleys, its\nharvests and its forests, its fruits and its flowers, its days and its\nnights, all, all are beautiful in their way. Cold and unfeeling must\nthat heart be which never finds a day in the year when it can admire\nanything in nature! But beautiful as the world is, there are many things\nin it to remind us that it is not home. It is an inn, a tent, a\ntabernacle, a lodging, a training school. But it is not home.\n\n(_a_) It is a _changing_ world. All around us is continually moving,\naltering, and passing away. Families, properties, landlords, tenants,\nfarmers, labourers, tradesmen, all are continually on the move. To find\nthe same name in the same dwelling for three generations running is so\nuncommon, that it is the exception and not the rule. A world so full of\nchange cannot be called home.\n\n(_b_) It is a _trying and disappointing_ world. Who ever lives to be\nfifty years old and does not find to his cost that it is so? Trials in\nmarried life and trials in single life,--trials in children and trials\nin brothers and sisters,--trials in money matters and trials in\nhealth,--how many they are! Their name is legion. And not the tenth part\nof them perhaps ever comes to light. Few indeed are the families which\nhave not \"a skeleton in the closet.\" A world so full of trial and\ndisappointment cannot be called home.\n\n(_c_) It is a _dying_ world. Death is continually about us and near us,\nand meets us at every turn. Few are the family gatherings, when\nChristmas comes round, in which there are not some empty chairs and\nvacant places. Few are the men and women, past thirty, who could not\nnumber a long list of names, deeply cut for ever in their hearts, but\nnames of beloved ones now dead and gone. Where are our fathers and\nmothers? Where are our ministers and teachers? Where are our brothers\nand sisters? Where are our husbands and wives? Where are our neighbours\nand friends? Where are the old grey-headed worshippers, whose reverent\nfaces we remember so well, when we first went to God's house? Where are\nthe boys and girls we played with when we went to school? How many must\nreply, \"Dead, dead, dead! The daisies are growing over their graves, and\nwe are left alone.\" Surely a world so full of death can never be called\na home.\n\n(_d_) It is a _scattering and dividing_ world. Families are continually\nbreaking up, and going in different directions. How rarely do the\nmembers of a family ever meet together again, after the surviving parent\nis laid in the grave! The band of union seems snapped, and nothing welds\nit again. The cement seems withdrawn from the parts of the building, and\nthe whole principle of cohesion is lost. How often some miserable\nsquabble about trinkets, or some wretched wrangle about money, makes a\nbreach that is never healed, and, like a crack in china, though riveted,\ncan never be quite cured! Rarely indeed do those who played in the same\nnursery lie down at length in the same churchyard, or keep peace with\none another till they die. A world so full of division can never be\nhome.\n\nThese are ancient things. It is useless to be surprised at them. They\nare the bitter fruit of sin, and the sorrowful consequence of the fall.\nChange, trial, death, and division, all entered into the world when Adam\nand Eve transgressed. We must not murmur. We must not fret. We must not\ncomplain. We must accept the situation in which we find ourselves. We\nmust each do our best to lighten the sorrows, and increase the comforts\nof our position. We must steadily resolve to make the best of everybody\nand everything around us. But we must never, never, never, forget that\nthe world is not home.\n\nAre you young? Does all around and before you seem bright, and cheerful,\nand happy? Do you secretly think in your own mind that I take too gloomy\na view of the world? Take care. You will not say so by and by. Be wise\nbetimes. Learn to moderate your expectations. Depend on it, the less you\nexpect from people and things here below the happier you will be.\n\nAre you prosperous in the world? Have death, and sickness, and\ndisappointment, and poverty, and family troubles, passed over your door\nup to this time, and not come in? Are you secretly saying to yourself,\n\"Nothing can hurt me much. I shall die quietly in my bed, and see no\nsorrow.\" Take care. You are not yet in harbour. A sudden storm of\nunexpected trouble may make you change your note. Set not your affection\non things below. Hold them with a very loose hand, and be ready to\nsurrender them at a moment's notice. Use your prosperity well while you\nhave it; but lean not all your weight on it, lest it break suddenly and\npierce your hand.\n\nHave you a happy home? Are you going to spend Christmas round a family\nhearth, where sickness, and death, and poverty, and partings, and\nquarrellings, have never yet been seen? Be thankful for it: oh, be\nthankful for it! A really happy Christian home is the nearest approach\nto heaven on earth. But take care. This state of things will not last\nfor ever. It must have an end; and if you are wise, you will never\nforget that--\"the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have\nwives be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they\nwept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they\nthat buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as\nnot abusing it; for the fashion of this world passeth away.\" (1 Cor.\nvii. 29--31.)\n\n\nII. The second thought that I will offer you is this: I will show you\n_what Christ is, even in this life, to true Christians_.\n\nHeaven, beyond doubt, is the final home in which a true Christian will\ndwell at last. Towards that he is daily travelling: nearer to that he is\ndaily coming. \"We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were\ndissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands,\neternal in the heavens.\" (2 Cor. v. 1.) Body and soul united once more,\nrenewed, beautified, and perfected, will live for ever in the Father's\ngreat house in heaven. To that home we have not yet come. We are not yet\nin heaven.\n\nBut is there meanwhile no home for our souls? Is there no spiritual\ndwelling-place to which we may continually repair in this desolate\nworld, and, repairing to it, find rest and peace? Thank God, there is no\ndifficulty in finding an answer to that question. There is a home\nprovided for all labouring and heavy-laden souls, and that home is\nChrist. To know Christ by faith, to live the life of faith in Him, to\nabide in Him daily by faith, to flee to Him in every storm of\nconscience, to use Him as our refuge in every day of trouble, to employ\nHim as our Priest, Confessor, Absolver, and spiritual Director, every\nmorning and evening in our lives,--this is to be at home spiritually,\neven before we die. To all sinners of mankind who by faith use Christ in\nthis fashion, Christ is in the highest sense a dwelling-place. They can\nsay with truth, \"We are pilgrims and strangers on earth, and yet we have\na home.\"\n\nOf all the emblems and figures under which Christ is set before man, I\nknow few more cheering and comforting than the one before us. Home is\none of the sweetest, tenderest words in the English language. Home is\nthe place with which our pleasantest thoughts are closely bound up. All\nthat the best and happiest home is to its inmates, that Christ is to\nthe soul that believes on Him. In the midst of a dying, changing,\ndisappointing world, a true Christian has always something which no\npower on earth can take away. Morning, noon, and night, he has near him\na living Refuge,--a living home for his soul. You may rob him of life,\nand liberty, and money; you may take from him health, and lands, and\nhouse, and friends; but, do what you will, you cannot rob him of his\nhome. Like those humblest of God's creatures which carry their shells on\ntheir backs, wherever they are, so the Christian, wherever he goes,\ncarries his home. No wonder that holy Baxter sings,--\n\n \"What if in prison I must dwell,\n May I not then converse with Thee?\n Save me from sin, Thy wrath, and hell,--\n Call me Thy child, and I am free!\"\n\n(_a_) No home like Christ! In Him there is _room for all_, and room for\nall sorts. None are unwelcome guests and visitors, and none are refused\nadmission. The door is always on the latch, and never bolted. The best\nrobe, the fatted calf, the ring, the shoes are always ready for all\ncomers. What though in time past you have been the vilest of the vile, a\nservant of sin, an enemy of all righteousness, a Pharisee of Pharisees,\na Sadducee of Sadducees, a publican of publicans? It matters nothing:\nthere is yet hope. All may be pardoned, forgiven, and forgotten. There\nis a home and refuge where your soul may be admitted this very day. That\nhome is Christ. \"Come unto Me,\" He cries: \"Knock, and it shall be opened\nunto you.\" (Matt. xi. 28; vii. 7.)\n\n(_b_) No home like Christ! In Him there is boundless and unwearied\n_mercy for all_, even after admission. None are rejected and cast forth\nagain after probation, because they are too weak and bad to stay. Oh,\nno! Whom He receives, them He always keeps. Where He begins, there He\nmakes a good end. Whom He admits, them He at once fully justifies. Whom\nHe justifies, them He also sanctifies. Whom He sanctifies, them He also\nglorifies. No hopeless characters are ever sent away from His house. No\nmen or women are ever found too bad to heal and renew. Nothing is too\nhard for Him to do who made the world out of nothing. He who is Himself\nthe Home, hath said it, and will stand to it: \"Him that cometh unto Me,\nI will in no wise cast out.\" (John vi. 37.)\n\n(_c_) No home like Christ! In Him there is unvarying _kindness_,\n_patience_, _and gentle dealing for all_. He is not \"an austere man,\"\nbut \"meek and lowly in heart.\" (Matt. xi. 29.) None who apply to Him are\never treated roughly, or made to feel that their company is not welcome.\nA feast of fat things is always provided for them. The holy Spirit is\nplaced in their hearts, and dwells in them as in a temple. Leading,\nguiding, and instruction are daily provided for them. If they err, they\nare brought back into the right way; if they fall, they are raised\nagain; if they transgress wilfully, they are chastised to make them\nbetter. But the rule of the whole house is love.\n\n(_d_) No home like Christ! In Him there is _no change_. From youth to\nage He loves all who come to Him, and is never tired of doing them good.\nEarthly homes, alas, are full of fickleness and uncertainty. Favour is\ndeceitful. Courtesy and civility are often on men's lips, while inwardly\nthey are weary of your company and wish you were gone. You seldom know\nhow long your presence is welcome, or to what extent your friends really\ncare to see you. But it is not so with Christ. \"He is the same\nyesterday, and to-day, and for ever.\" (Heb. xiii. 8.)\n\n(_e_) No home like Christ! Communion once begun with Him shall _never be\nbroken off_. Once joined to the Lord by faith, you are joined to Him for\nan endless eternity. Earthly homes always come to an end sooner or\nlater: the dear old furniture is sold and dispersed; the dear old heads\nof the family are gathered to their fathers; the dear old nest is pulled\nto pieces. But it is not so with Christ. Faith will at length be\nswallowed up in sight: hope shall at last be changed into certainty. We\nshall see one day with our eyes, and no longer need to believe. We shall\nbe moved from the lower chamber to the upper, and from the outer court\nto the Holy of Holies. But once in Christ, we shall never be out of\nChrist. Once let our name be placed in the Lamb's book of life, and we\nbelong to a home which shall continue for evermore.\n\n(1) And now, before I conclude, let me ask every reader of this paper a\nplain question. _Have you got a home for your soul?_ Is it safe? Is it\npardoned? Is it justified? Is it prepared to meet God? With all my heart\nI wish you a happy home. But remember my question. Amidst the greetings\nand salutations of home, amidst the meetings and partings, amidst the\nlaughter and merriment, amidst the joys and sympathies and affections,\nthink, think of my question,--Have you got a home for your soul?\n\nOur earthly homes will soon be closed for ever. Time hastens on with\ngiant strides. Old age and death will be upon us before many years have\npassed away. Oh, seek an abiding home for the better part of you,--the\npart that never dies! Before it be too late seek a home for your soul.\n\nSeek Christ, that you may be safe. Woe to the man who is found outside\nthe ark when the flood of God's wrath bursts at length on a sinful\nworld!--Seek Christ, that you may be happy. None have a real right to be\ncheerful, merry, light-hearted, and at ease, excepting those who have\ngot a home for their souls. Once more I say, Seek Christ without delay.\n\n(2) If Christ is the home of your soul, _accept a friendly caution_.\nBeware of being ashamed of your home in any place or company.\n\nThe man who is ashamed of the home where he was born, the parents that\nbrought him up when a baby, the brothers and sisters that played with\nhim,--that man, as a general rule, may be set down as a mean and\ndespicable being. But what shall we say of the man who is ashamed of Him\nwho died for him on the cross? What shall we say of the man who is\nashamed of his religion, ashamed of his Master, ashamed of his home?\n\nTake care that you are not that man. Whatever others around you please\nto think, do you never be ashamed of being a Christian. Let them laugh,\nand mock, and jest, and scoff, if they will. They will not scoff in the\nhour of death and in the day of judgment. Hoist your flag; show your\ncolours; nail them to the mast. Of drinking, gambling, lying, swearing,\nSabbath-breaking, idleness, pride, you may well be ashamed. Of\nBible-reading, praying, and belonging to Christ, you have no cause to be\nashamed at all. Let those laugh that win. A good soldier is never\nashamed of his Queen's colours, and his uniform. Take care that you are\nnever ashamed of your Master. Never be ashamed of your home.\n\n(3) If Christ is the home of your soul, _accept a piece of friendly\nadvice_. Let nothing tempt you to stray away from home.\n\nThe world and the devil will often try hard to make you drop your\nreligion for a little season, and walk with them. Your own flesh will\nwhisper that there is no danger in going a little with them, and that it\ncan do you no mighty harm. Take care, I say: take care when you are\ntempted in this fashion. Take care of looking back, like Lot's wife.\nForsake not your home.\n\nThere are pleasures in sin no doubt, but they are not real and\nsatisfactory. There is an excitement and short-lived enjoyment in the\nworld's ways, beyond all question, but it is joy that leaves a bitter\ntaste behind it. Oh, no! wisdom's ways alone are ways of pleasantness,\nand wisdom's paths alone are paths of peace. Cleave to them strictly\nand turn not aside. Follow the Lamb whithersoever He goes. Stick to\nChrist and His rule, through evil report and good report. The longer you\nlive the happier you will find His service: the more ready will you be\nto sing, in the highest sense, \"There is no place like home.\"\n\n(4) If Christ is the home of your soul, _accept a hint about your duty_.\nMind that you take every opportunity of telling others about your\nhappiness. Tell them THAT, wherever you are. Tell them that you have a\nhappy home.\n\nTell them, if they will hear you, that you find Christ a good Master,\nand Christ's service a happy service. Tell them that His yoke is easy,\nand His burden is light. Tell them that, whatever the devil may say, the\nrules of your home are not grievous, and that your Master pays far\nbetter wages than the world does! Try to do a little good wherever you\nare. Try to enlist more inmates for your happy home. Say to your friends\nand relatives, if they will listen, as one did of old, \"Come with us,\nand we will do you good; for the Lord hath spoken good concerning\nIsrael.\" (Numbers x. 29.)\n\n\n\n\nXVIII\n\n\nHEIRS OF GOD\n\n \"_As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of\n God._\n\n \"_For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;\n but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry,\n Abba, Father._\n\n \"_The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we\n are the children of God_:\n\n \"_And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs\n with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be\n also glorified together._\"--(Romans viii. 14--17.)\n\n\nThe people of whom St. Paul speaks in the verses before our eyes are the\nrichest people upon earth. It must needs be so. They are called \"heirs\nof God, and joint heirs with Christ.\"\n\nThe inheritance of these people is the only inheritance _really worth\nhaving_. All others are unsatisfying and disappointing. They bring with\nthem many cares. They cannot cure an aching heart, or lighten a heavy\nconscience. They cannot keep off family troubles. They cannot prevent\nsicknesses, bereavements, separations, and deaths. But there is no\ndisappointment among the \"heirs of God.\"\n\nThe inheritance =I= speak of is the only inheritance _which can be kept\nfor ever_. All others must be left in the hour of death, if they have\nnot been taken away before. The owners of millions of pounds can carry\nnothing with them beyond the grave. But it is not so with the \"heirs of\nGod.\" Their inheritance is eternal.\n\nThe inheritance I speak of is the only inheritance _which is within\nevery body's reach_. Most men can never obtain riches and greatness,\nthough they labour hard for them all their lives. But glory, honour, and\neternal life, are offered to every man freely, who is willing to accept\nthem on God's terms. \"Whosoever will,\" may be an \"heir of God, and joint\nheir with Christ.\"\n\nIf any reader of this paper wishes to have a portion of this\ninheritance, let him know that he must be a member of that one family on\nearth to which it belongs, and that is the family of all true\nChristians. You must become one of God's children on earth, if you\ndesire to have glory in heaven. I write this paper in order to persuade\nyou to become a child of God this day, if you are not one already. I\nwrite it to persuade you to make sure work that you are one, if at\npresent you have only a vague hope, and nothing more. None but true\nChristians are the children of God! None but the children of God are\nheirs of God! Give me your attention, while I try to unfold to you these\nthings, and to show the lessons contained in the verses which head this\npage.\n\n\n I. Let me show _the relation of all true Christians to God. They are\n \"sons of God._\"\n\n II. Let me show _the special evidences of this relation_. True\n Christians are \"_led by the Spirit_.\" They have \"_the Spirit of\n adoption_.\" They have the \"_witness of the Spirit_.\" They \"_suffer\n with Christ_.\"\n\n III. Let me show _the privileges of this relation_. True Christians\n are \"_heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ_.\"\n\n\nI. First let me show _the relation of all true Christians to God_. They\nare God's \"Sons.\"\n\nI know no higher and more comfortable word that could have been chosen.\nTo be servants of God,--to be subjects, soldiers, disciples,\nfriends,--all these are excellent titles; but to be the \"sons\" of God is\na step higher still. What says the Scripture? \"The servant abideth not\nin the house for ever, but the Son abideth ever.\" (John viii. 35.)\n\nTo be son of the rich and noble in this world,--to be son of the princes\nand kings of the earth,--this is commonly reckoned a great temporal\nadvantage and privilege. But to be a son of the King of kings, and Lord\nof lords,--to be a son of the High and Holy One, who inhabiteth\neternity,--this is something far higher. And yet this is the portion of\nevery true Christian.\n\nThe son of an earthly parent looks naturally to his father for\naffection, maintenance, provision, and education. There is a home always\nopen to him. There is a love which, generally speaking, no bad conduct\ncan completely extinguish. All these are things belonging even to the\nsonship of this world. Think then how great is the privilege of that\npoor sinner of mankind who can say of God, \"He is my Father.\"\n\nBut HOW can sinful men like ourselves become sons of God? When do we\nenter into this glorious relationship? We are not the sons of God by\nnature. We were not born so when we came into the world. No man has a\nnatural right to look to God as his Father. It is a vile heresy to say\nthat he has. Men are said to be born poets and painters,--but men are\nnever born sons of God. The Epistle to the Ephesians tells us, \"Ye were\nby nature children of wrath, even as others.\" (Ephes. ii. 3.) The\nEpistle of St. John says, \"The children of God are manifest, and the\nchildren of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God.\"\n(1 John iii. 10.) The Catechism of the Church of England wisely follows\nthe doctrine of the Bible, and teaches us to say, \"By nature we are\nborn in sin, and children of wrath.\" Yes: we are all rather children of\nthe devil, than children of God! Sin is indeed hereditary, and runs in\nthe family of Adam. Grace is anything but hereditary, and holy men have\nnot, as a matter of course, holy sons. How then and when does this\nmighty change and translation come upon men? When and in what manner do\nsinners become the \"sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty?\" (2 Cor vi.\n18.)\n\nMen become sons of God in the day that the Spirit leads them to believe\non Jesus Christ for salvation, and not before.[13] What says the Epistle\nto the Galatians? \"Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ\nJesus.\" (Gal. iii. 26.) What says the first Epistle to the Corinthians?\n\"Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus.\" (1 Cor. i. 30.) What says the Gospel of\nJohn? \"As many as received Christ, to them gave He power (or privilege)\nto become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.\" (John\ni. 12.) Faith unites the sinner to the Son of God, and makes him one of\nHis members. Faith makes him one of those in whom the Father sees no\nspot, and is well-pleased. Faith marries him to the beloved Son of God,\nand entitles him to be reckoned among the sons. Faith gives him\n\"fellowship with the Father and the Son.\" (1 John i. 3.) Faith grafts\nhim into the Father's family, and opens up to him a room in the Father's\nhouse. Faith gives him life instead of death, and makes him, instead of\nbeing a servant, a son. Show me a man that has this faith, and, whatever\nbe his church or denomination, I say that he is a son of God.\n\n 13: The reader will of course understand that I am not speaking now\n of children who die in infancy, or of persons who live and die\n idiots.\n\nThis is one of those points we should never forget. You and I know\nnothing of a man's sonship _until he believes_. No doubt the sons of God\nare foreknown and chosen from all eternity, and predestinated to\nadoption. But, remember, it is not till they are called in due time, and\nbelieve,--it is not till then that you and I can be certain they are\nsons. It is not till they repent and believe, that the angels of God\nrejoice over them. The angels cannot read the book of God's election:\nthey know not who are \"His hidden ones\" in the earth. (Ps. lxxxiii. 3.)\nThey rejoice over no man till he believes. But when they see some poor\nsinner repenting and believing, then there is joy among them,--joy that\none more brand is plucked from the burning, and one more son and heir\nborn again to the Father in heaven. (Luke xv. 10.) But once more I say,\nyou and I know nothing certain about a man's sonship to God _until he\nbelieves on Christ_.\n\nI warn you to beware of the delusive notion that all men and women are\nalike children of God, whether they have faith in Christ or not. It is a\nwild theory which many are clinging to in these days, but one which\ncannot be proved out of the Word of God. It is a perilous dream, with\nwhich many are trying to soothe themselves, but one from which there\nwill be a fearful waking up at the last day.\n\nThat God in a certain sense is the universal Father of all mankind, I do\nnot pretend to deny. He is the Great First Cause of all things. He is\nthe Creator of all mankind, and in Him alone, all men, whether\nChristians or heathens, \"live and move and have their being.\" All this\nis unquestionably true. In this sense Paul told the Athenians, a poet of\ntheir own had truly said, \"we are His offspring.\" (Acts xvii. 28.) But\nthis sonship gives no man a title to heaven. The sonship which we have\nby creation is one which belongs to stones, trees, beasts, or even to\nthe devils, as much as to us. (Job i. 6.)\n\nThat God loves all mankind with a love of pity and compassion, I do not\ndeny. \"His tender mercies are over all His works.\"--\"He is not willing\nthat any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.\"--\"He\nhas no pleasure in the death of him that dieth.\" All this I admit to the\nfull. In this sense our Lord Jesus tells us, \"God so loved the world,\nthat He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him\nshould not perish, but have eternal life.\" (Ps. cxlv. 9; 2 Peter iii. 9;\nEzek. xviii. 32; John iii. 16.)\n\nBut that God is a reconciled and pardoning Father to any but the members\nof His Son Jesus Christ, and that any are members of Jesus Christ who do\nnot believe on Him for salvation,--this is a doctrine which I utterly\ndeny. The holiness and justice of God are both against the doctrine.\nThey make it impossible for sinful men to approach God, excepting\nthrough the Mediator. They tell us that God out of Christ is \"a\nconsuming fire.\" (Heb. xii. 29.) The whole system of the new Testament\nis against the doctrine. That system teaches that no man can claim\ninterest in Christ unless he will receive Him as his Mediator, and\nbelieve on Him as his Saviour. Where there is no faith in Christ it is a\ndangerous error to say that a man may take comfort in God as his Father.\nGod is a reconciled Father to none but the members of Christ.\n\nIt is unreasonable to talk of the view I am now upholding as\nnarrow-minded and harsh. The Gospel sets an open door before every man.\nIts promises are wide and full. Its invitations are earnest and tender.\nIts requirements are simple and clear. \"Only believe on the Lord Jesus\nChrist, and, whosoever thou art, thou shalt be saved.\" But to say that\nproud men, who will not bow their necks to the easy yoke of Christ, and\nworldly men who are determined to have their own way and their sins,--to\nsay that such men have a right to claim an interest in Christ, and a\nright to call themselves sons of God, is to say what never can be proved\nfrom Scripture. God offers to be their Father; but He does it on certain\ndistinct terms:--they must draw near to Him through Christ. Christ\noffers to be their Saviour; but in doing it He makes one simple\nrequirement:--they must commit their souls to Him, and give Him their\nhearts. They refuse the _terms_, and yet dare to call God their Father!\nThey scorn the _requirement_, and yet dare to hope that Christ will save\nthem! God is to be their Father,--but on their own terms! Christ is to\nbe their Saviour,--but on their own conditions! What can be more\nunreasonable? What can be more proud? What can be more unholy than such\na doctrine as this? Let us beware of it, for it is a common doctrine in\nthese latter days. Let us beware of it, for it is often speciously put\nforward, and sounds beautiful and charitable in the mouth of poets,\nnovelists, sentimentalists, and tender-hearted women. Let us beware of\nit, unless we mean to throw aside our Bible altogether, and set up\nourselves to be wiser than God. Let us stand fast on the old Scriptural\nground: _No sonship to God without Christ! No interest in Christ without\nfaith!_\n\nI would to God there was not so much cause for giving warnings of this\nkind. I have reason to think they need to be given clearly and\nunmistakably. There is a school of theology rising up in this day, which\nappears to me most eminently calculated to promote infidelity, to help\nthe devil, and to ruin souls. It comes to us like Joab to Amasa, with\nthe highest professions of charity, liberality, and love. God is all\nmercy and love, according to this theology:--His holiness and justice\nare completely left out of sight! Hell is never spoken of in this\ntheology:--its talk is all of heaven! Damnation is never mentioned:--it\nis treated as an impossible thing:--all men and women are to be saved!\nFaith, and the work of the Spirit, are refined away into nothing at all!\n\"Everybody who believes anything has faith! Everybody who thinks\nanything has the Spirit! Everybody is right! Nobody is wrong! Nobody is\nto blame for any action he may commit! It is the result of his position.\nIt is the effect of circumstances! He is not accountable for his\nopinions, any more than for the colour of his skin! He must be what he\nis! The Bible is a very imperfect book! It is old-fashioned! It is\nobsolete! We may believe just as much of it as we please, and no\nmore!\"--Of all this theology I warn men solemnly to beware. In spite of\nbig swelling words about \"liberality,\" and \"charity,\" and \"broad views,\"\nand \"new lights,\" and \"freedom from bigotry,\" and so forth, I do believe\nit to be a theology that leads to hell.\n\n(_a_) _Facts_ are directly against the teachers of this theology. Let\nthem visit Mesopotamia, and see what desolation reigns where Nineveh and\nBabylon once stood. Let them go to the shores of the Dead Sea, and look\ndown into its mysterious bitter waters. Let them travel in Palestine,\nand ask what has turned that fertile country into a wilderness. Let them\nobserve the wandering Jews, scattered over the face of the world,\nwithout a land of their own, and yet never absorbed among other nations.\nAnd then let them tell us, if they dare, that God is so entirely a God\nof mercy and love that He never does and never will punish sin.\n\n(_b_) _The conscience of man_ is directly against these teachers. Let\nthem go to the bedside of some dying child of the world, and try to\ncomfort him with their doctrines. Let them see if their vaunted theories\nwill calm his gnawing, restless anxiety about the future, and enable him\nto depart in peace. Let them show us, if they can, a few\nwell-authenticated cases of joy and happiness in death without Bible\npromises,--without conversion,--and without that faith in the blood of\nChrist, which old-fashioned theology enjoins. Alas! when men are leaving\nthe world, conscience makes sad work of the new systems of these latter\ndays. Conscience is not easily satisfied, in a dying hour, that there is\nno such thing as hell.\n\n(_c_) _Every reasonable conception that we can form of a future state_\nis directly against these teachers. Fancy a heaven which should contain\nall mankind! Fancy a heaven in which holy and unholy, pure and impure,\ngood and bad, would be all gathered together in one confused mass! What\npoint of union would there be in such a company? What common bond of\nharmony and brotherhood? What common delight in a common service? What\nconcord, what harmony, what peace, what oneness of spirit could exist?\nSurely the mind revolts from the idea of a heaven in which there would\nbe no distinction between the righteous and the wicked,--between Pharaoh\nand Moses, between Abraham and the Sodomites, between Paul and Nero,\nbetween Peter and Judas Iscariot, between the man who dies in the act of\nmurder or drunkenness, and men like Baxter, George Herbert, Wilberforce,\nand M'Cheyne! Surely an eternity in such a miserably confused crowd\nwould be worse than annihilation itself! Surely such a heaven would be\nno better than hell!\n\n(_d_) The _interests of all holiness and morality_ are directly against\nthese teachers. If all men and women alike are God's children, whatever\nis the difference between them in their lives,--and all alike going to\nheaven, however different they may be from one another here in the\nworld,--where is the use of labouring after holiness at all? What motive\nremains for living soberly, righteously, and godly? What does it matter\nhow men conduct themselves, if all go to heaven, and nobody goes to\nhell? Surely the heathen poets and philosophers of Greece and Rome could\ntell us something better and wiser than this! Surely a doctrine which is\nsubversive of holiness and morality, and takes away all motives to\nexertion, carries on the face of it the stamp of its origin. It is of\nearth, and not of heaven. It is of the devil, and not of God.\n\n(_e_) _The Bible_ is against these teachers from first to last. Hundreds\nof texts might be quoted which are diametrically opposed to their\ntheories. These texts must be rejected summarily, if the Bible is to\nsquare with their views. There may be no reason why they should be\nrejected,--but to suit the theology I speak of they must be thrown away!\nAt this rate the authority of the whole Bible is soon at an end. And\nwhat do men give us in its place? Nothing,--nothing at all! They rob us\nof the bread of life, and do not give us in its stead so much as a\nstone.\n\nOnce more I warn all into whose hands this volume may fall to beware of\nthis theology. I charge you to hold fast the doctrine which I have been\nendeavouring to uphold in this paper. Remember what I have said, and\nnever let it go. No inheritance of glory without sonship to God! No\nsonship to God without an interest in Christ! No interest in Christ\nwithout your own personal faith! This is God's truth. Never forsake it.\n\nWho now among the readers of this paper _desires to know whether he is a\nson of God_? Ask yourself this question, and ask it this day,--and ask\nit as in God's sight, whether you have repented and believed. Ask\nyourself whether you are experimentally acquainted with Christ, and\nunited to Him in heart. If not you may be very sure you are no son of\nGod. You are not yet born again. You are yet in your sins. Your Father\nin creation God may be, but your reconciled and pardoning Father God is\nnot. Yes! though Church and world may agree to tell you to the\ncontrary,--though clergy and laity unite in flattering you,--your\nsonship is worth little or nothing in the sight of God. Let God be true\nand every man a liar. Without faith in Christ you are no son of God: you\nare not born again.\n\nWho is there among the readers of this paper who _desires to become a\nson of God_? Let that person see and feel his sins, and flee to Christ\nfor salvation, and this day he shall be placed among the children.--Only\nacknowledge thine iniquity, and lay hold on the hand that Jesus holds\nout to thee this day, and sonship, with all it privileges, is thine\nown. Only confess thy sins, and bring them unto Christ, and God is\n\"faithful and just to forgive thee thy sins, and cleanse thee from all\nunrighteousness.\" (1 John i. 9.) This very day old things shall pass\naway, and all things become new. This very day thou shalt be forgiven,\npardoned, \"accepted in the Beloved.\" (Ephes. i. 6.) This very day thou\nshalt have a new name given to thee in heaven. Thou didst take up this\nbook a child of wrath. Thou shalt lie down to night a child of God. Mark\nthis, if thy professed desire after sonship is sincere,--if thou art\ntruly weary of thy sins, and hast really something more than a lazy wish\nto be free,--there is real comfort for thee. It is all true. It is all\nwritten in Scripture, even as I have put it down. I dare not raise\nbarriers between thee and God. This day I say, Believe on the Lord Jesus\nChrist, and thou shalt be \"a son,\" and be saved.\n\nWho is there among the readers of this paper that _is a son of God\nindeed_? Rejoice, I say, and be exceeding glad of your privileges.\nRejoice, for you have good cause to be thankful. Remember the words of\nthe beloved apostle: \"Behold what manner of love the Father hath\nbestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.\" (1 John\niii. 1.) How wonderful that heaven should look down on earth,--that the\nholy God should set His affections on sinful man, and admit him into His\nfamily! What though the world does not understand you! What though the\nmen of this world laugh at you, and cast out your name as evil! Let them\nlaugh if they will. God is your Father. You have no need to be ashamed.\nThe Queen can create a nobleman. The Bishops can ordain clergymen. But\nQueen, Lords, and Commons,--bishops, priests, and deacons,--all together\ncannot, of their own power, make one son of God, or one of greater\ndignity than a son of God. The man that can call God his Father, and\nChrist his elder brother,--that man may be poor and lowly, yet he never\nneed be ashamed.\n\n\nII. Let me show, in the second place, _the special evidences of the true\nChristians relation to God_.\n\nHow shall a man make sure work of his own sonship? How shall he find out\nwhether he is one that has come to Christ by faith and been born again?\nWhat are the marks and signs, and tokens, by which the \"sons of God\" may\nbe known? This is a question which all who love eternal life ought to\nask. This is a question to which the verses of Scripture I am asking you\nto consider, like many others, supply an answer.\n\n(1) The sons of God, for one thing, are all _led by His Spirit_. What\nsays the Scripture which heads this paper? \"As many as are led by the\nSpirit of God, they are the sons of God.\" (Rom. viii. 14.)\n\nThey are all under the leading and teaching of a power which is\nAlmighty, though unseen,--even the power of the Holy Ghost. They no\nlonger turn every man to his own way, and walk every man in the light of\nHis own eyes, and follow every man his own natural heart's desire. The\nSpirit leads them. The Spirit guides them. There is a movement in their\nhearts, lives, and affections, which they feel, though they may not be\nable to explain, and a movement which is always more or less in the same\ndirection.\n\nThey are led away from sin,--away from self-righteousness,--away from\nthe world. This is the road by which the Spirit leads God's children.\nThose whom God adopts He teaches and trains. He shows them their own\nhearts. He makes them weary of their own ways. He makes them long for\ninward peace.\n\nThey are led to Christ. They are led to the Bible. They are led to\nprayer. They are led to holiness. This is the beaten path along which\nthe Spirit makes them to travel. Those whom God adopts He always\nsanctifies. He makes sin very bitter to them. He makes holiness very\nsweet.\n\nIt is the Spirit who leads them to Sinai, and first shows them the law,\nthat their hearts may be broken. It is He who leads them to Calvary, and\nshows them the cross, that their hearts may be bound up and healed. It\nis He who leads them to Pisgah, and gives them distinct views of the\npromised land, that their hearts may be cheered. When they are taken\ninto the wilderness, and taught to see their own emptiness, it is the\nleading of the Spirit. When they are carried up to Tabor or Hermon, and\nlifted up with glimpses of the glory to come, it is the leading of the\nSpirit. Each and all of God's sons is the subject of these leadings.\nEach and every one is \"willing in the day of the Spirit's power,\" and\nyields himself to it. And each and all is led by the right way, to bring\nhim to a city of habitation. (Ps. cx. 3; cvii. 7.)\n\nSettle this down in your heart, and do not let it go. The sons of God\nare a people \"led by the Spirit of God,\" and always led more or less in\nthe same way. Their experience will tally wonderfully when they compare\nnotes in heaven. This is one mark of sonship.\n\n(2) Furthermore, all the sons of God _have the feelings of adopted\nchildren towards their Father in heaven_. What says the Scripture which\nheads this paper? \"Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to\nfear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba\nFather.\" (Rom. viii. 15.)\n\nThe sons of God are delivered from that slavish fear of God which sin\nbegets in the natural heart. They are redeemed from that feeling of\nguilt which made Adam \"hide himself in the trees of the garden,\" and\nCain \"go out from the presence of the Lord.\" (Gen. iii. 8; iv. 16.) They\nare no longer afraid of God's holiness, and justice, and majesty. They\nno longer feel as if there was a great gulf and barrier between\nthemselves and God, and as if God was angry with them, and must be angry\nwith them, because of their sins. From these chains and fetters of the\nsoul the sons of God are delivered.\n\nTheir feelings towards God are now those of peace and confidence. They\nsee Him as a Father reconciled in Christ Jesus. They look on Him as a\nGod whose attributes are all satisfied by their great Mediator and\nPeacemaker, the Lord Jesus,--as a God who is \"just, and yet the\nJustifier of every one that believeth on Jesus.\" (Rom. iii. 26.) As a\nFather, they draw near to Him with boldness: as a Father, they can speak\nto Him with freedom. They have exchanged the spirit of bondage for that\nof liberty, and the spirit of fear for that of love. They know that God\nis holy, but they are not afraid: they know that they are sinners, but\nthey are not afraid. Though holy, they believe that God is completely\nreconciled: though sinners, they believe they are clothed all over with\nJesus Christ. Such is the feeling of the sons of God.\n\nI allow that some of them have this feeling more vividly than others.\nSome of them carry about scraps and remnants of the old spirit of\nbondage to their dying day. Many of them have fits and paroxysms of the\nold man's complaint of fear returning upon them at intervals. But very\nfew of the sons of God could be found who would not say, if\ncross-examined, that since they knew Christ they have had very different\nfeelings towards God from what they ever had before. They feel as if\nsomething like the old Roman form of adoption had taken place between\nthemselves and their Father in heaven. They feel as if He had said to\neach one of them, \"Wilt thou be my son?\" and as if their hearts had\nreplied, \"I will.\"\n\nLet us try to grasp this also, and hold it fast. The sons of God are a\npeople who feel towards God in a way that the children of the world do\nnot. They feel no more slavish fear towards Him: they feel towards Him\nas a reconciled parent. This, then, is another mark of sonship.\n\n(3) But, again, the sons of God _have the witness of the Spirit in their\nconsciences_. What says the Scripture which heads this paper? \"The\nSpirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children\nof God.\" (Rom. viii. 16.)\n\nThe sons of God have got something within their hearts which tells them\nthere is a relationship between themselves and God. They feel something\nwhich tells them that old things are passed away, and all things become\nnew: that guilt is gone, that peace is restored, that heaven's door is\nopen, and hell's door is shut. They have, in short, what the children of\nthe world have not,--a felt, positive, reasonable hope. They have what\nPaul calls the \"seal\" and \"earnest\" of the Spirit. (2 Cor. i. 22; Eph.\ni. 13.)\n\nI do not for a moment deny that this witness of the Spirit is\nexceedingly various in the extent to which the sons of God possess it.\nWith some it is a loud, clear, ringing, distinct testimony of\nconscience: \"I am Christ's, and Christ is mine.\" With others it is a\nlittle, feeble, stammering whisper, which the devil and the flesh often\nprevent being heard. Some of the children of God speed on their course\ntowards heaven under the full sails of assurance. Others are tossed to\nand fro all their voyage, and will scarce believe they have got faith.\nBut take the least and lowest of the sons of God. Ask him if he will\ngive up the little bit of religious hope which he has attained? Ask him\nif he will exchange his heart, with all its doubts and conflicts, its\nfightings and fears,--ask him if he will exchange that heart for the\nheart of the downright worldly and careless man? Ask him if he would be\ncontent to turn round and throw down the things he has got hold of, and\ngo back to the world? Who can doubt what the answer would be I? \"I\ncannot do that,\" he would reply. \"I do not know whether I have faith, I\ndo not feel sure I have got grace; but I have got something within me I\nwould not like to part with.\" And what is that \"_something_\"? I will\ntell you.--It is the witness of the Spirit.\n\nLet us try to understand this also. The sons of God have the witness of\nthe Spirit in their consciences. This is another mark of sonship.\n\n(4) One thing more let me add. All the sons of God _take part in\nsuffering with Christ_. What says the Scripture which heads this paper?\n\"If children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if\nso be that we suffer with Him.\" (Rom. viii. 17.)\n\nAll the children of God have a cross to carry. They have trials,\ntroubles, and afflictions to go through for the Gospel's sake. They have\ntrials from the world,--trials from the flesh,--and trials from the\ndevil. They have trials of feeling from relations and friends,--hard\nwords, hard treatment, and hard judgment. They have trials in the matter\nof character;--slander, misrepresentation, mockery, insinuation of false\nmotives,--all these often rain thick upon them. They have trials in the\nmatter of worldly interests. They have often to choose whether they will\nplease man and lose glory, or gain glory and offend man. They have\ntrials from their own hearts. They have each generally their own thorn\nin the flesh,--their own home-devil, who is their worst foe. This is the\nexperience of the sons of God.\n\nSome of them suffer more, and some less. Some of them suffer in one way,\nand some in another. God measures out their portions like a wise\nphysician, and cannot err. But never, I believe, was there one child of\nGod who reached paradise without a cross.\n\nSuffering is the diet of the Lord's family. \"Whom the Lord loveth He\nchasteneth.\"--\"If ye be without chastisement, then are ye bastards, and\nnot sons.\"--\"Through much tribulation we must enter the kingdom of\nGod.\"--\"All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer\npersecution.\" (Heb. xii. 6, 8; Acts xiv. 22; 2 Tim. iii. 12.) When\nBishop Latimer was told by his landlord that he had never had a trouble,\n\"Then,\" said he, \"God cannot be here.\"\n\nSuffering is a part of the process by which the sons of God are\nsanctified. They are chastened to wean them from the world, and make\nthem partakers of God's holiness. The Captain of their salvation was\n\"made perfect through suffering,\" and so are they. (Heb. ii. 10; xii.\n10.) There never yet was a great saint who had not either great\nafflictions or great corruptions. Well said Philip Melancthon: \"Where\nthere are no cares there will generally be no prayers.\"\n\nLet us try to settle this down into our hearts also. The sons of God\nhave all to bear a cross. A suffering Saviour generally has suffering\ndisciples. The Bridegroom was a man of sorrows. The Bride must not be a\nwoman of pleasures and unacquainted with grief. Blessed are they that\nmourn! Let us not murmur at the cross. This also is a sign of sonship.\n\nI warn men never to suppose that they are sons of God except they have\nthe scriptural marks of sonship. Beware of a sonship without evidences.\nAgain I say, Beware. When a man has no leading of the Spirit to show me,\nno spirit of adoption to tell of, no witness of the Spirit in his\nconscience, no cross in his experience,--is this man a son of God?\nWhatever others may think I dare not say so! His spot is \"not the spot\nof God's children.\" (Deut. xxxii. 5.) He is no heir of glory.\n\nTell me not that you have been baptized and taught the catechism of the\nChurch of England, and therefore must be a child of God. I tell you that\nthe parish register is not the book of life. I tell you that to be\nstyled a child of God, and called regenerate in infancy by the faith and\ncharity of the Prayer-book, is one thing; but to be a child of God in\ndeed, another thing altogether. Go and read that catechism again. It is\nthe \"death unto sin and the new birth unto righteousness,\" which makes\nmen _children of grace_. Except you know these by experience, you are no\nson of God.\n\nTell me not that you are a member of Christ's Church, and so must be a\nson. I answer that the sons of the Church are not necessarily the sons\nof God. Such sonship is not the sonship of the eighth of Romans. That is\nthe sonship you must have if you are to be saved.\n\nAnd now, I doubt not some reader of this paper will want to know if he\nmay not be saved without the witness of the Spirit.\n\nI answer, If you mean by the witness of the Spirit, the full assurance\nof hope,--You may be so saved, without question. But if you want to know\nwhether a man can be saved without _any_ inward sense, or knowledge, or\nhope of salvation, I answer, that ordinarily He cannot. I warn you\nplainly to cast away all indecision as to your state before God, and to\nmake your calling sure. Clear up your position and relationship. Do not\nthink there is anything praiseworthy in always doubting. Leave that to\nthe Papists. Do not fancy it wise and humble to be ever living like the\nborderers of old time, on the \"debateable ground.\" \"Assurance,\" said old\nDod, the puritan, \"may be attained: and what have we been doing all our\nlives, since we became Christians, if we have not attained it?\"\n\nI doubt not some true Christians who read this paper will think their\nevidence of sonship is too small to be good, and will write bitter\nthings against themselves. Let me try to cheer them. Who gave you the\nfeelings you possess? Who made you hate sin? Who made you love Christ?\nWho made you long and labour to be holy? Whence did these feelings come?\nDid they come from nature? There are no such products in a natural man's\nheart.--Did they come from the devil? He would fain stifle such feelings\naltogether.--Cheer up, and take courage. Fear not, neither be cast down.\nPress forward, and go on. There is hope for you after all. Strive.\nLabour. Seek. Ask. Knock. Follow on. You shall yet see that you are\n\"sons of God.\"\n\n\nIII. Let me show, in the last place, _the privileges of the true\nChristian's relation to God_.\n\nNothing can be conceived more glorious than the prospects of the sons of\nGod. The words of Scripture which head this paper contain a rich mine of\ngood and comfortable things. \"If we are children,\" says Paul, \"we are\nheirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ,--to be glorified\ntogether with Him.\" (Rom. viii. 17.)\n\nTrue Christians then are \"heirs.\"--Something is prepared for them all\nwhich is yet to be revealed.\n\nThey are \"heirs of God.\"--To be heirs of the rich on earth is something.\nHow much more then is it to be son and heir of the King of kings!\n\nThey are \"joint heirs with Christ.\" They shall share in His majesty, and\ntake part in His glory. They shall be glorified together with Him.\n\nAnd this, we must remember, is for _all_ the children. Abraham took care\nto provide for all his children, and God takes care to provide for His.\nNone of them are disinherited. None will be cast out. None will be cut\noff. Each shall stand in his lot, and have a portion, in the day when\nthe Lord brings many sons to glory.\n\nWho can tell the full nature of the inheritance of the saints in light?\nWho can describe the glory which is yet to be revealed and given to the\nchildren of God? Words fail us. Language falls short. Mind cannot\nconceive fully, and tongue cannot express perfectly, the things which\nare comprised in the glory yet to come upon the sons and daughters of\nthe Lord Almighty. Oh, it is indeed a true saying of the Apostle John:\n\"It doth not yet appear what we shall be.\" (1 John iii. 2.)\n\nThe very Bible itself only lifts a little of the veil which hangs over\nthis subject. How could it do more? We could not thoroughly understand\nmore if more had been told us. Our mental constitution is as yet too\nearthly,--our understanding is as yet too carnal to appreciate more if\nwe had it. The Bible generally deals with the subject in negative terms\nand not in positive assertions. It describes what there will not be in\nthe glorious inheritance, that thus we may get some faint idea of what\nthere will be. It paints the _absence_ of certain things, in order that\nwe may drink in a little the blessedness of the things _present_. It\ntells us that the inheritance is \"incorruptible, undefiled, and fadeth\nnot away.\" It tells us that \"the crown of glory fadeth not away.\" It\ntells us that the devil is to be \"bound,\" that there shall be \"no more\nnight and no more curse,\" that \"death shall be cast into the lake of\nfire,\" that \"all tears shall be wiped away,\" and that the inhabitant\nshall no more say, \"I am sick.\" And these are glorious things indeed. No\ncorruption!--No fading!--No withering!--No devil!--No curse of sin!--No\nsorrow!--No tears!--No sickness!--No death! Surely the cup of the\nchildren of God will indeed run over! (1 Pet. i. 4; v. 4; Rev. xx. 2;\nxxi. 25; xxii. 3; xx. 14; xxi. 4; Is. xxxiii. 24.)\n\nBut there are positive things told us about the glory yet to come upon\nthe heirs of God, which ought not to be kept back. There are many sweet,\npleasant, and unspeakable comforts in their future inheritance, which\nall true Christians would do well to consider. There are cordials for\nfainting pilgrims in many words and expressions of Scripture, which you\nand I ought to lay up against time of need.\n\n(_a_) Is _knowledge_ pleasant to us now? Is the little that we know\nof God and Christ, and the Bible precious to our souls, and do we\nlong for more? We shall have it perfectly in glory. What says the\nScripture? \"Then shall I know even as also I am known.\" (1 Cor.\nxiii. 12.) Blessed be God, there will be no more disagreements among\nbelievers! Episcopalians and Presbyterians,--Calvinists and\nArminians,--Millennarians and Anti-millennarians,--friends of\nEstablishments and friends of the Voluntary system,--advocates of\ninfant baptism and advocates of adult baptism,--all will at length\nsee eye to eye. The former ignorance will have passed away. We shall\nmarvel to find how childish and blind we have been.\n\n(_b_) Is _holiness_ pleasant to us now? Is sin the burden and bitterness\nof our lives? Do we long for entire conformity to the image of God? We\nshall have it perfectly in glory. What says the Scripture? \"Christ gave\nHimself for the Church,\" not only that He might sanctify it on earth,\nbut also \"that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not\nhaving spot or wrinkle, or any such thing.\" (Ephes. v. 27.) Oh, the\nblessedness of an eternal good-bye to sin! Oh, how little the best of\nus do at present! Oh, what unutterable corruption sticks, like birdlime,\nto all our motives, all our thoughts, all our words, all our actions!\nOh, how many of us, like Naphtali, are goodly in our words, but, like\nReuben, unstable in our works! Thank God, all this shall be changed.\n(Gen. xlix. 4, 21.)\n\n(_c_) Is _rest_ pleasant to us now? Do we often feel \"faint though\npursuing?\" (Judges viii. 4.) Do we long for a world in which we need not\nto be always watching and warring? We shall have it perfectly in glory.\nWhat saith the Scripture? \"There remaineth a rest for the people of\nGod.\" (Heb. iv. 9.) The daily, hourly conflict with the world, the\nflesh, and the devil, shall at length be at an end. The enemy shall be\nbound. The warfare shall be over. The wicked shall at last cease from\ntroubling. The weary shall at length be at rest. There shall be a great\ncalm.\n\n(_d_) Is _service_ pleasant to us now? Do we find it sweet to work for\nChrist, and yet groan being burdened by a feeble body? Is our spirit\noften willing, but hampered and clogged by the poor weak flesh? Have our\nhearts burned within us, when we have been allowed to give a cup of cold\nwater for Christ's sake, and have we sighed to think what unprofitable\nservants we are? Let us take comfort. We shall be able to serve\nperfectly in glory, and without weariness. What saith the Scripture?\n\"They serve Him day and night in His temple.\" (Rev. vii. 15.)\n\n(_e_) Is _satisfaction_ pleasant to us now? Do we find the world empty?\nDo we long for the filling up of every void place and gap in our hearts?\nWe shall have it perfectly in glory. We shall no longer have to mourn\nover cracks in all our earthen vessels, and thorns in all our roses, and\nbitter dregs in all our sweet cups. We shall no longer lament with Jonah\nover withered gourds. We shall no longer say with Solomon, \"All is\nvanity and vexation of spirit.\" We shall no longer cry with aged David,\n\"I have seen an end of all perfection.\" What saith the Scripture? \"I\nshall be satisfied when I awake with Thy likeness.\" (Eccles. i. 14; Ps.\ncxix. 96; xvii. 15.)\n\n(_f_) Is _communion with the saints_ pleasant to us now? Do we feel that\nwe are never so happy as when we are with the \"excellent of the earth?\"\nAre we never so much at home as in their company? (Ps. xvi. 3.) We shall\nhave it perfectly in glory. What saith the Scripture? \"The Son of man\nshall send His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all they\nthat offend, and them which work iniquity.\" \"He shall send His angels\nwith a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His\nelect from the four winds.\" (Matt. xiii. 41; xxiv. 31.) Praised be God!\nWe shall see all the saints of whom we have read in the Bible, and in\nwhose steps we have tried to walk. We shall see apostles, prophets,\npatriarchs, martyrs, reformers, missionaries, and ministers, of whom the\nworld was not worthy. We shall see the faces of those we have known and\nloved in Christ on earth, and over whose departure we shed bitter tears.\nWe shall see them more bright and glorious than they ever were before.\nAnd, best of all, we shall see them without hurry and anxiety, and\nwithout feeling that we only meet to part again. In the coming glory\nthere is no death, no parting, no farewell.\n\n(_g_) Is _communion with Christ_ pleasant to us now? Do we find His\nname precious to us? Do we feel our hearts burn within us at the thought\nof His dying love? We shall have perfect communion with Him in glory.\n\"We shall ever be with the Lord.\" (1 Thess. iv. 17.) We shall be with\nHim in paradise. (Luke xxiii. 43.) We shall see His face in the kingdom.\nThese eyes of ours will behold those hands and feet which were pierced\nwith nails, and that head which was crowned with thorns. Where He is,\nthere will the sons of God be. When He comes, they will come with Him.\nWhen He sits down in His glory, they shall sit down by His side. Blessed\nprospect indeed! I am a dying man in a dying world. All before me is\ndark. The world to come is a harbour unknown. But Christ is there, and\nthat is enough. Surely if there is rest and peace in following Him by\nfaith on earth, there will be far more rest and peace when we see Him\nface to face. If we have found it good to follow the pillar of cloud and\nfire in the wilderness, we shall find it a thousand times better to sit\ndown in our eternal inheritance, with our Joshua, in the promised land.\n\nIf any one among the readers of this paper is not yet among the sons and\nheirs, I do pity you with all my heart! How much you are missing! How\nlittle true comfort you are enjoying! There you are, struggling on, and\ntoiling in the fire, and wearying yourself for mere earthly\nends,--seeking rest and finding none,--chasing shadows and never\ncatching them,--wondering why you are not happy, and yet refusing to see\nthe cause,--hungry, and thirsty, and empty, and yet blind to the plenty\nwithin your reach. Oh, that you were wise! Oh, that you would hear the\nvoice of Jesus, and learn of Him!\n\nIf you are one of those who are sons and heirs, you may well rejoice and\nbe happy. You may well wait, like the boy Patience in Pilgrim's\nProgress: your best things are yet to come. You may well bear crosses\nwithout murmuring: your light affliction is but for a moment. \"The\nsufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the\nglory which is to be revealed.\"--\"When Christ our life appears, then you\nalso shall appear with Him in glory.\" (Rom. viii. 18; Colos. iii. 4.)\nYou may well not envy the transgressor and his prosperity. You are the\ntruly rich. Well said a dying believer in my own parish: \"I am more rich\nthan I ever was in my life.\" You may say as Mephibosheth said to David:\n\"Let the world take all, my king is coming again in peace.\" (2 Sam. xix.\n30.) You may say as Alexander said when he gave all his riches away, and\nwas asked what he kept for himself: \"I have hope.\" You may well not be\ncast down by sickness: the eternal part of you is safe and provided for,\nwhatever happens to your body. You may well look calmly on death: it\nopens a door between you and your inheritance. You may well not sorrow\nexcessively over the things of the world,--over partings and\nbereavements, over losses and crosses: the day of gathering is before\nyou. Your treasure is beyond reach of harm. Heaven is becoming every\nyear more full of those you love, and earth more empty. Glory in your\ninheritance. It is all yours if you are a son of God: \"If we are\nchildren, then we are heirs.\"\n\n(1) And now, in concluding this paper, _let me ask every one who reads\nit Whose child are you_? Are you the child of nature or the child of\ngrace? Are you the child of the devil or the child of God? You cannot be\nboth at once. Which are you?\n\nSettle the question without delay, for you must die at last either one\nor the other. Settle it, for it can be settled, and it is folly to leave\nit doubtful. Settle it, for time is short, the world is getting old, and\nyou are fast drawing near to the judgment seat of Christ. Settle it, for\ndeath is nigh, the Lord is at hand, and who can tell what a day might\nbring forth? Oh, that you would never rest till the question is\nsettled! Oh, that you may never feel satisfied till you can say, \"I have\nbeen born again: I am a son of God!\"\n\n(2) _If you are not a son and heir of God, let me entreat you to become\none without delay._ Would you be rich? There are unsearchable riches in\nChrist. Would you be noble? You shall be a king. Would you be happy? You\nshall have a peace which passeth understanding, and which the world can\nnever give and never take away. Oh, come out, and take up the cross and\nfollow Christ! Come out from among the thoughtless and worldly, and hear\nthe word of the Lord: \"I will receive you, and will be a Father unto\nyou, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord almighty.\" (2\nCor. vi. 18.)\n\n(3) _If you are a son of God, I beseech you to walk worthy of your\nFather's house._ I charge you solemnly to honour Him in your life; and\nabove all to honour Him by implicit obedience to all His commands, and\nhearty love to all His children. Labour to travel through the world like\na child of God and heir to glory. Let men be able to trace a family\nlikeness between you and Him that begat you. Live a heavenly life. Seek\nthings that are above. Do not seem to be building your nest below.\nBehave like a man who seeks a city out of sight, whose citizenship is in\nheaven, and who would be content with many hardships till he gets home.\n\nLabour _to feel like a son of God_ in every condition in which you are\nplaced. Never forget you are on your Father's ground so long as you are\nhere on earth. Never forget that a Father's hand sends all your mercies\nand crosses. Cast every care on Him. Be happy and cheerful in Him. Why\nindeed art thou ever sad if thou art the King's son? Why should men ever\ndoubt, when they look at you, whether it is a pleasant thing to be one\nof God's children?\n\nLabour _to behave towards others like a son of God_. Be blameless and\nharmless in your day and generation. Be a \"peacemaker among all =you=\nknow.\" (Matt. v. 9.) Seek for your children sonship to God, above\neverything else: seek for them an inheritance in heaven, whatever else\nyou do for them. No man leaves his children so well provided for as he\nwho leaves them sons and heirs of God.\n\nPersevere in your Christian calling, if you are a son of God, and press\nforward more and more. Be careful to lay aside every weight, and the sin\nwhich most easily besets you. Keep your eyes steadily fixed on Jesus.\nAbide in Him. Remember that without Him you can do nothing, and with Him\nyou can do all things. (John xv. 5; Philip. iv. 13.) Watch and pray\ndaily. Be steadfast, unmoveable, and always abounding in the work of the\nLord. Settle it down in your heart that not a cup of cold water given in\nthe name of a disciple shall lose its reward, and that every year you\nare so much nearer home.\n\n\"Yet a little time and He that shall come will come, and will not\ntarry.\" (Heb. x. 37.) Then shall be the glorious liberty, and the full\nmanifestation of the sons of God. (Rom. viii. 19, 21.) Then shall the\nworld acknowledge that they were the truly wise. Then shall the sons of\nGod at length come of age, and be no longer heirs in expectancy, but\nheirs in possession. Then shall they hear with exceeding joy those\ncomfortable words: \"Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom\nprepared for you from the foundation of the world.\" (Matt. xxv. 34.)\nSurely that day will make amends for all!\n\n\n\n\nXIX\n\n\nTHE GREAT GATHERING\n\n \"_Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus\n Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him._\"--2 Thess. ii.\n 1.\n\n\nThe text which heads this page contains an expression which deserves no\ncommon attention. That expression is,--\"Our gathering together.\"\n\n\"Our gathering together!\" Those three words touch a note which ought to\nfind a response in every part of the world. Man is by nature a social\nbeing: he does not like to be alone. Go where you will on earth, people\ngenerally like meeting together, and seeing one another's faces. It is\nthe exception, and not the rule, to find children of Adam who do not\nlike \"gathering together.\"\n\nFor example, Christmas is peculiarly a time when English people \"gather\ntogether.\" It is the season when family meetings have become almost a\nnational institution. In town and in country, among rich and among poor,\nfrom the palace to the workhouse, Christmas cheer and Christmas parties\nare proverbial things. It is the one time in the twelvemonth with many\nfor seeing their friends at all. Sons snatch a few days from London\nbusiness to run down and see their parents; brothers get leave of\nabsence from the desk to spend a week with their sisters; friends accept\nlong-standing invitations, and contrive to pay a visit to their\nfriends; boys rush home from school, and glory in the warmth and comfort\nof the old house. Business for a little space comes to a standstill: the\nweary wheels of incessant labour seem almost to cease revolving for a\nfew hours. In short, from the Isle of Wight to Berwick-on-Tweed, and\nfrom the Land's End to the North Foreland, there is a general spirit of\n\"gathering together.\"\n\nHappy is the land where such a state of things exists! Long may it last\nin England, and never may it end! Poor and shallow is that philosophy\nwhich sneers at Christmas gatherings. Cold and hard is that religion\nwhich pretends to frown at them, and denounces them as wicked. Family\naffection lies at the very roots of well-ordered society. It is one of\nthe few good things which have survived the fall, and prevent men and\nwomen from being mere devils. It is the secret oil on the wheels of our\nsocial system which keeps the whole machine going, and without which\nneither steam nor fire would avail. Anything which helps to keep up\nfamily affection and brotherly love is a positive good to a country. May\nthe Christmas day never arrive in England when there are no family\nmeetings and no gatherings together!\n\nBut earthly gatherings after all have something about them that is sad\nand sorrowful. The happiest parties sometimes contain uncongenial\nmembers: the merriest meetings are only for a very short time. Moreover,\nas years roll on, the hand of death makes painful gaps in the family\ncircle. Even in the midst of Christmas merriment we cannot help\nremembering those who have passed away. The longer we live, the more we\nfeel to stand alone. The old faces will rise before the eyes of our\nminds, and the old voices will sound in our ears, even in the midst of\nholiday mirth and laughter. People do not talk much of such things; but\nthere are few that do not feel them. We need not intrude our inmost\nthoughts on others, and especially when all around us are bright and\nhappy. But there are not many, I suspect, who reach middle age, who\nwould not admit, if they spoke the truth, that there are sorrowful\nthings inseparably mixed up with a Christmas party. In short, there is\nno unmixed pleasure about any earthly \"gathering.\"\n\nBut is there no better \"gathering\" yet to come? Is there no bright\nprospect in our horizon of an assembly which shall far outshine the\nassemblies of Christmas and New Year,--an assembly in which there shall\nbe joy without sorrow, and mirth without tears? I thank God that I can\ngive a plain answer to these questions; and to give it is the simple\nobject of this paper. I ask my readers to give me their attention for a\nfew minutes, and I will soon show them what I mean.\n\n\nI. There is a \"gathering together\" of true Christians which is to come.\n_What is it, and when shall it be?_\n\nThe gathering I speak of shall take place at the end of the world, in\nthe day when Christ returns to earth the second time. As surely as He\ncame the first time, so surely shall He come the second time. In the\nclouds of heaven He went away, and in the clouds of heaven He shall\nreturn. Visibly, in the body, He went away, and visibly, in the body, He\nwill return. And the very first thing that Christ will do will be to\n\"gather together\" His people. \"He shall send His angels with a great\nsound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the\nfour winds, from one end of heaven to the other.\" (Matt. xxiv. 31.)\n\nThe _manner_ of this \"gathering together\" is plainly revealed in\nScripture. The dead saints shall all be raised, and the living saints\nshall all be changed. It is written, \"The sea shall give up the dead\nwhich are in it, and death and hell shall give up the dead that are in\nthem.\"--\"The dead in Christ shall rise first. Those which are alive and\nremain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the\nLord in the air.\"--\"We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,\nin a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the\ntrumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we\nshall be changed.\" (Rev. xx. 13; 1 Thess. iv. 16, 17; 1 Cor. xv. 51,\n52.) And then, when every member of Christ is found, and not one left\nbehind, when soul and body, those old companions, are once more\nreunited, then shall be the grand \"gathering together.\"\n\nThe _object_ of this \"gathering together\" is as clearly revealed in\nScripture as its manner. It is partly for the final reward of Christ's\npeople: that their complete justification from all guilt may be declared\nto all creation; that they may receive the \"crown of glory which fadeth\nnot away,\" and the \"kingdom prepared before the foundation of the\nworld;\" that they may be admitted publicly into the joy of their\nLord.--It is partly for the safety of Christ's people, that, like Noah\nin the ark and Lot in Zoar, they may be hid and covered before the storm\nof God's judgment comes down on the wicked; that when the last plagues\nare falling on the enemies of the Lord, they may be untouched, as\nRahab's family in the fall of Jericho, and unscathed as the three\nchildren in the midst of the fire. The saints have no cause to fear the\nday of gathering, however fearful the signs that may accompany it.\nBefore the final crash of all things begins, they shall be hidden in the\nsecret place of the Most High. The grand gathering is for their safety\nand their reward. \"Fear not ye,\" shall the angel-reapers say, \"for ye\nseek Jesus which was crucified.\"--\"Come, my people,\" shall their Master\nsay: \"enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide\nthyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be\noverpast.\" (Matt. xxviii. 5; Isa. xxvi. 20.)\n\n(_a_) This gathering will be a _great_ one. All children of God who have\never lived, from Abel the first saint down to the last born in the day\nthat our Lord comes,--all of every age, and nation, and church, and\npeople, and tongue,--all shall be assembled together. Not one shall be\noverlooked or forgotten. The weakest and feeblest shall not be left\nbehind. Now, when \"scattered,\" true Christians seem a little flock;\nthen, when \"gathered,\" they shall be found a multitude which no man can\nnumber.\n\n(_b_) This gathering will be a _wonderful_ one. The saints from distant\nlands, who never saw each other in the flesh, and could not understand\neach other's speech if they met, shall all be brought together in one\nharmonious company. The dwellers in Australia shall find they are as\nnear heaven, and as soon there, as the dwellers in England. The\nbelievers who died five thousand years ago, and whose bones are mere\ndust, shall find their bodies raised and renewed as quickly as those who\nare alive when the trumpet sounds. Above all, miracles of grace will be\nrevealed. We shall see some in heaven who we never expected would have\nbeen saved at all. The confusion of tongues shall at length be reversed,\nand done away. The assembled multitude will cry with one heart and in\none language, \"What hath God wrought!\" (Num. xxiii. 23.)\n\n(_c_) This gathering shall be a _humbling_ one. It shall make an end of\nbigotry and narrow-mindedness for ever. The Christians of one\ndenomination shall find themselves side by side with those of another\ndenomination. If they would not tolerate them on earth, they will be\nobliged to tolerate them in heaven. Churchmen and Dissenters, who will\nneither pray together nor worship together now, will discover to their\nshame that they must praise together hereafter to all eternity. The very\npeople who will not receive us at their ordinances now, and keep us back\nfrom their Table, will be obliged to acknowledge us before our Master's\nface, and to let us sit down by their side. Never will the world have\nseen such a complete overthrow of sectarianism, party spirit,\nunbrotherliness, religious jealousy, and religious pride. At last we\nshall all be completely \"clothed with humility.\" (1 Pet. v. 5.)\n\nThis mighty, wonderful \"gathering together,\" is the gathering which\nought to be often in men's thoughts. It deserves consideration: it\ndemands attention. Gatherings of other kinds are incessantly occupying\nour minds, political gatherings, scientific gatherings, gatherings for\npleasure, gatherings for gain. But the hour comes, and will soon be\nhere, when gatherings of this kind will be completely forgotten. One\nthought alone will swallow up men's minds: that thought will be, \"Shall\nI be gathered with Christ's people into a place of safety and honour, or\nbe left behind to everlasting woe?\" LET US TAKE CARE THAT WE ARE NOT\nLEFT BEHIND.\n\n\nII. _Why is this \"gathering together\" of true Christians a thing to be\ndesired?_ Let us try to get an answer to that question.\n\nSt. Paul evidently thought that the gathering at the last day was a\ncheering object which Christians ought to keep before their eyes. He\nclasses it with that second coming of our Lord, which he says elsewhere\nbelievers love and long for. He exalts it in the distant horizon as one\nof those \"good things to come,\" which should animate the faith of every\npilgrim in the narrow way. Not only, he seems to say, will each servant\nof God have rest, and a kingdom, and a crown; he will have besides a\nhappy \"gathering together.\" Now, where is the peculiar blessedness of\nthis gathering? Why is it a thing that we ought to look forward to with\njoy, and expect with pleasure? Let us see.\n\n(1) For one thing, the \"gathering together\" of all true Christians will\nbe a _state of things totally unlike their present condition._ To be\nscattered, and not gathered, seems the rule of man's existence now. Of\nall the millions who are annually born into the world, how few continue\ntogether till they die! Children who draw their first breath under the\nsame roof, and play by the same fireside, are sure to be separated as\nthey grow up, and to draw their last breath far distant from one\nanother.--The same law applies to the people of God. They are spread\nabroad like salt, one in one place and one in another, and never allowed\nto continue long side by side. It is doubtless good for the world that\nit is so. A town would be a very dark place at night if all the lighted\ncandles were crowded together into one room.--But, good as it is for the\nworld, it is no small trial to believers. Many a day they feel desolate\nand alone; many a day they long for a little more communion with their\nbrethren, and a little more companionship with those who love the Lord!\nWell, they may look forward with hope and comfort. The hour is coming\nwhen they shall have no lack of companions. Let them lift up their heads\nand rejoice. There will be a \"gathering together\" by and by.\n\n(2) For another thing, the gathering together of all true Christians\nwill be _an assembly entirely of one mind_. There are no such assemblies\nnow. Mixture, hypocrisy, and false profession, creep in everywhere.\nWherever there is wheat there are sure to be tares. Wherever there are\ngood fish there are sure to be bad. Wherever there are wise virgins\nthere are sure to be foolish. There is no such thing as a perfect Church\nnow. There is a Judas Iscariot at every communion table, and a Demas in\nevery Apostolic company; and wherever the \"sons of God\" come together\nSatan is sure to appear among them. (Job i. 6.) But all this shall come\nto an end one day. Our Lord shall at length present to the Father a\nperfect Church, \"having neither spot nor wrinkle, nor any such thing.\"\n(Eph. v. 27.) How glorious such a Church will be! To meet with\nhalf-a-dozen believers together now is a rare event in a Christian's\nyear, and one that cheers him like a sunshiny day in winter: it makes\nhim feel his heart burn within him, as the disciples felt on the way to\nEmmaus. But how much more joyful will it be to meet a \"multitude that no\nman can number!\" To find too, that all we meet are at last of one\nopinion and one judgment, and see eye to eye,--to discover that all our\nmiserable controversies are buried for ever, and that Calvinists no\nlonger hate Arminians, nor Arminians Calvinists, Churchmen no longer\nquarrel with Dissenters, nor Dissenters with Churchmen,--to join a\ncompany of Christians in which there is neither jarring, squabbling, nor\ndiscord,--every man's graces fully developed, and every man's besetting\nsins dropped off like beech-leaves in spring,--all this will be\nhappiness indeed! No wonder that St. Paul bids us look forward.\n\n(3) For another thing, the gathering together of true Christians will be\n_a meeting at which none shall be absent_. The weakest lamb shall not be\nleft behind in the wilderness: the youngest babe that ever drew breath\nshall not be overlooked or forgotten. We shall once more see our beloved\nfriends and relatives who fell asleep in Christ, and left us in sorrow\nand tears,--better, brighter, more beautiful, more pleasant than ever we\nfound them on earth. We shall hold communion with all the saints of God\nwho have fought the good fight before us, from the beginning of the\nworld to the end. Patriarchs and Prophets, Apostles and Fathers, Martyrs\nand Missionaries, Reformers and Puritans, all the host of God's elect\nshall be there. If to read their words and works has been pleasant, how\nmuch better shall it be to see them! If to hear of them, and be stirred\nby their example, has been useful, how much more delightful to talk with\nthem, and ask them questions! To sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and\nJacob, and hear how they kept the faith without any Bible,--to converse\nwith Moses, and Samuel, and David, and Isaiah, and Daniel, and hear how\nthey could believe in a Christ yet to come,--to converse with Peter, and\nPaul, and Lazarus, and Mary, and Martha, and listen to their wondrous\ntale of what their Master did for them,--all this will be sweet indeed!\nNo wonder that St. Paul bids us look forward.\n\n(4) In the last place, the gathering of all true Christians shall be _a\nmeeting without a parting_. There are no such meetings now. We seem to\nlive in an endless hurry, and can hardly sit down and take breath before\nwe are off again. \"Good-bye\" treads on the heels of \"How do you do?\" The\ncares of this world, the necessary duties of life, the demands of our\nfamilies, the work of our various stations and callings,--all these\nthings appear to eat up our days, and to make it impossible to have long\nquiet times of communion with God's people. But, blessed be God, it\nshall not always be so. The hour cometh, and shall soon be here, when\n\"good-bye\" and \"farewell\" shall be words that are laid aside and buried\nfor ever. When we meet in a world where the former things have passed\naway, where there is no more sin and no more sorrow,--no more poverty\nand no more money,--no more work of body or work of brains,--no more\nneed of anxiety for families,--no more sickness, no more pain, no more\nold age, no more death, no more change,--when we meet in that endless\nstate of being, calm, and restful, and unhurried,--who can tell what the\nblessedness of the change will be? I cannot wonder that St. Paul bids us\nlook up and look forward.\n\n\nI lay these things before all who read this paper, and ask their serious\nattention to them. If I know anything of a Christian's experience, I am\nsure they contain food for reflection. This, at least, I say\nconfidently: the man who sees nothing much in the second coming of\nChrist and the public \"gathering\" of Christ's people,--nothing happy,\nnothing joyful, nothing pleasant, nothing desirable,--such a man may\nwell doubt whether he himself is a true Christian and has got any grace\nat all.\n\n(1) _I ask you a plain question._ Do not turn away from it and refuse\nto look it in the face. Shall you be gathered by the angels into God's\nhome when the Lord returns, or shall you be left behind?\n\nOne thing, at any rate, is very certain. There will only be two parties\nof mankind at the last great day: those who are on the right hand of\nChrist, and those who are on the left;--those who are counted righteous,\nand those who are wicked;--those who are safe in the ark, and those who\nare outside;--those who are gathered like wheat into God's barn, and\nthose who are left behind like tares to be burned. Now, what will your\nportion be?\n\nPerhaps you do not know yet. You cannot say. You are not sure. You hope\nthe best. You trust it will be all right at last: but you won't\nundertake to give an opinion. Well! I only hope you will never rest till\nyou do know. The Bible will tell you plainly who are they that will be\ngathered. Your own heart, if you deal honestly, will tell you whether\nyou are one of the number. Rest not, rest not, till you know!\n\nHow men can stand the partings and separations of this life if they have\nno hope of anything better,--how they can bear to say \"good-bye\" to sons\nand daughters, and launch them on the troublesome waves of this world,\nif they have no expectation of a safe \"gathering\" in Christ at\nlast,--how they can part with beloved members of their families, and let\nthem journey forth to the other side of the globe, not knowing if they\nshall ever meet happily in this life or a life to come,--how all this\ncan be, completely baffles my understanding. I can only suppose that the\nmany never think, never consider, never look forward. Once let a man\nbegin to think, and he will never be satisfied till he has found Christ\nand is safe.\n\n(2) _I offer you a plain means of testing your own soul's condition_, if\nyou want to know your own chance of being gathered into God's home. Ask\nyourself what kind of gatherings you like best here upon earth? Ask\nyourself whether you really love the assembling together of God's\npeople?\n\nHow could that man enjoy the meeting of true Christians in heaven who\ntakes no pleasure in meeting true Christians on earth? How can that\nheart which is wholly set on balls, and races, and feasts, and\namusements, and worldly assemblies, and thinks earthly worship a\nweariness--how can such a heart be in tune for the company of saints,\nand saints alone? The thing is impossible. It cannot be.\n\nNever, never let it be forgotten, that our tastes on earth are a sure\nevidence of the state of our hearts; and the state of our hearts here is\na sure indication of our position hereafter. Heaven is a prepared place\nfor a prepared people. He that hopes to be gathered with saints in\nheaven while he only loves the gathering of sinners on earth is\ndeceiving himself. If he lives and dies in that state of mind he will\nfind at last that he had better never have been born.\n\n(3) If you are a true Christian, _I exhort you to be often looking\nforward_. Your good things are yet to come. Your redemption draweth\nnigh. The night is far spent. The day is at hand. Yet a little time, and\nHe whom you love and believe on will come, and will not tarry. When He\ncomes, He will bring His dead saints with Him and change His living\nones. Look forward! There is a \"gathering together\" yet to come.\n\nThe morning after a shipwreck is a sorrowful time. The joy of\nhalf-drowned survivors, who have safely reached the land, is often sadly\nmarred by the recollection of shipmates who have sunk to rise no more.\nThere will be no such sorrow when believers gather together round the\nthrone of the Lamb. Not one of the ship's company shall be found absent.\n\"Some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship,--all will get\nsafe to shore at last.\" (Acts xxvii. 44.) The great waters and raging\nwaves shall swallow none of God's elect. When the sun rises they shall\nbe seen all safe, and \"gathered together.\"\n\nEven the day after a great victory is a sorrowful time. The triumphant\nfeelings of the conquerors are often mingled with bitter regrets for\nthose who fell in action, and died on the field. The list of \"killed,\nwounded, and missing,\" breaks many a heart, fills many a home with\nmourning, and brings many a grey head sorrowing to the grave. The great\nDuke of Wellington often said, \"there was but one thing worse than a\nvictory, and that was a defeat.\" But, thanks be to God, there will be no\nsuch sorrow in heaven! The soldiers of the great Captain of our\nsalvation shall all answer to their names at last. The muster-roll shall\nbe as complete after the battle as it was before. Not one believer shall\nbe \"missing\" in the great \"gathering together.\"\n\nDoes Christmas, for instance, bring with it sorrowful feelings and\npainful associations? Do tears rise unbidden in your eyes when you mark\nthe empty places round the fireside? Do grave thoughts come sweeping\nover your mind, even in the midst of your children's mirth, when you\nrecollect the dear old faces and much loved voices of some that sleep in\nthe churchyard? Well, look up and look forward! The time is short. The\nworld is growing old. The coming of the Lord draweth nigh. There is yet\nto be a meeting without parting, and a gathering without separation.\nThose believers whom you laid in the grave with many tears are in good\nkeeping: you will yet see them again with joy. Look up! I say once more.\nLay hold by faith on the \"coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our\ngathering together unto Him.\" Believe it, think of it, rest on it. It is\nall true.\n\nDo you feel lonely and desolate as every December comes round? Do you\nfind few to pray with, few to praise with, few to open your heart to,\nfew to exchange experience with? Do you learn increasingly, that heaven\nis becoming every year more full and earth more empty? Well, it is an\nold story. You are only drinking a cup which myriads have drunk before.\nLook up and look forward. The lonely time will soon be past and over:\nyou will have company enough by and by. \"When you wake up after your\nLord's likeness you shall be satisfied.\" (Ps. xvii. 15.) Yet a little\nwhile and you shall see a congregation that shall never break up, and a\nsabbath that shall never end. \"The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and\nour gathering together unto Him,\" shall make amends for all.\n\n\n\n\nXX\n\n\nTHE GREAT SEPARATION\n\n \"_Whose fan is in His hand, and He will throughly purge His\n floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn\n up the chaff with unquenchable fire._\"--Matt. iii. 12.\n\n\nThe verse of Scripture which is now before our eyes contains words which\nwere spoken by John the Baptist. They are a prophecy about our Lord\nJesus Christ, and a prophecy which has not yet been fulfilled. They are\na prophecy which we shall all see fulfilled one day, and God alone knows\nhow soon.\n\nI invite every reader of this paper to consider seriously the great\ntruths which this verse contains. I invite you to give me your\nattention, while I unfold them, and set them before you in order. Who\nknows but this text may prove a word in season to your soul? Who knows\nbut this text may help to make this day the happiest day in your life?\n\n\nI. Let me show, in the first place, _the two great classes into which\nmankind may be divided_.\n\nThere are only two classes of people in the world in the sight of God,\nand both are mentioned in the text which begins this paper. There are\nthose who are called _the wheat_, and there are those who are called\n_the chaff_.\n\nViewed with the eye of man, the earth contains many different sorts of\ninhabitants. Viewed with the eye of God it only contains two. Man's eye\nlooks at the outward appearance:--this is all he thinks of. The eye of\nGod looks at the heart:--this is the only part of which He takes any\naccount. And tried by the state of their hearts, there are but two\nclasses into which people can be divided:--either they are wheat, or\nthey are chaff.\n\n_Who are the wheat in the world?_ This is a point which demands special\nconsideration.\n\nThe wheat means all men and women who are believers in the Lord Jesus\nChrist,--all who are led by the Holy Spirit,--all who have felt\nthemselves sinners, and fled for refuge to the salvation offered in the\nGospel,--all who love the Lord Jesus and live to the Lord Jesus, and\nserve the Lord Jesus,--all who have taken Christ for their only\nconfidence, and the Bible for their only guide, and regard sin as their\ndeadliest enemy, and look to heaven as their only home. All such, of\nevery Church, name, nation, people, and tongue,--of every rank, station,\ncondition, and degree,--all such are God's \"wheat.\"\n\nShow me people of this kind anywhere, and I know what they are. I know\nnot that they and I may agree in all particulars, but I see in them the\nhandiwork of the King of kings, and I ask no more. I know not whence\nthey came, and where they found their religion; but I know where they\nare going, and that is enough for me. They are the children of my Father\nin heaven. They are part of His \"wheat.\"\n\nAll such, though sinful and vile, and unworthy in their own eyes, are\nthe precious part of mankind. They are the sons and daughters of God the\nFather. They are the delight of God the Son. They are the habitation of\nGod the Spirit. The Father beholds no iniquity in them:--they are the\nmembers of His dear Son's mystical body: in Him He sees them, and is\nwell-pleased. The Lord Jesus discerns in them the fruit of His own\ntravail and work upon the cross, and is well satisfied. The Holy Ghost\nregards them as spiritual temples which He Himself has reared, and\nrejoices over them. In a word, they are the \"wheat\" of the earth.\n\n_Who are the chaff in the world?_ This again is a point which demands\nspecial attention.\n\nThe chaff means all men and women who have no saving faith in Christ,\nand no sanctification of the Spirit, whosoever they may be. Some of them\nperhaps are infidels, and some are formal Christians. Some are sneering\nSadducees, and some self-righteous Pharisees. Some of them make a point\nof keeping up a kind of Sunday religion, and others are utterly careless\nof everything except their own pleasure and the world. But all alike,\nwho have the two great marks already mentioned--_no faith and no\nsanctification_,--all such are \"chaff.\" From Paine and Voltaire to the\ndead Churchman who can think of nothing but outward ceremonies,--from\nJulian and Porphyry to the unconverted admirer of sermons in the present\nday,--all, all are standing in one rank before God: all, all are\n\"chaff.\"\n\nThey bring no glory to God the Father. \"They honour not the Son, and so\ndo not honour the Father that sent Him.\" (John v. 23.) They neglect that\nmighty salvation which countless millions of angels admire. They disobey\nthat Word which was graciously written for their learning. They listen\nnot to the voice of Him who condescended to leave heaven and die for\ntheir sins. They pay no tribute of service and affection to Him who gave\nthem \"life, and breath, and all things.\" And therefore God takes no\npleasure in them. He pities them, but He reckons them no better than\n\"chaff.\"\n\nYes! you may have rare intellectual gifts and high mental attainments:\nyou may sway kingdoms by your counsel, move millions by your pen, or\nkeep crowds in breathless attention by your tongue; but if you have\nnever submitted yourself to the yoke of Christ, and never honoured His\nGospel by heartfelt reception of it, you are nothing in His sight.\nNatural gifts without grace are like a row of cyphers without an unit\nbefore them: they look big, but they are of no value. The meanest insect\nthat crawls is a nobler being than you are: it fills its place in\ncreation, and glorifies its Maker with all its power, and you do not.\nYou do not honour God with heart, and will, and intellect, and members,\nwhich are all His. You invert His order and arrangement, and live as if\ntime was of more importance than eternity, and body better than soul.\nYou dare to neglect God's greatest gift,--His own incarnate Son. You are\ncold about that subject which fills all heaven with hallelujahs. And so\nlong as this is the case you belong to the worthless part of mankind.\nYou are the \"chaff\" of the earth.\n\nLet this thought be graven deeply in the mind of every reader of this\npaper, whatever else he forgets. Remember there are only two sorts of\npeople in the world. There are wheat, and there are chaff.\n\nThere are many nations in Europe. Each differs from the rest. Each has\nits own language, its own laws, its own peculiar customs. But God's eye\ndivides Europe into two great parties,--the wheat and the chaff.\n\nThere are many classes in England. There are peers and\ncommoners,--farmers and shopkeepers,--masters and servants,--rich and\npoor. But God's eye only takes account of two orders,--the wheat and the\nchaff.\n\nThere are many and various minds in every congregation that meets for\nreligious worship. There are some who attend for a mere form, and some\nwho really desire to meet Christ,--some who come there to please others,\nand some who come to please God,--some who bring their hearts with them\nand are not soon tired, and some who leave their hearts behind them, and\nreckon the whole service weary work. But the eye of the Lord Jesus only\nsees two divisions in the congregation,--the wheat and the chaff.\n\nThere were millions of visitors to the Great Exhibition of 1851. From\nEurope, Asia, Africa, and America,--from North and South, and East and\nWest,--crowds came together to see what skill and industry could do.\nChildren of our first father Adam's family, who had never seen each\nother before, for once met face to face under one roof. But the eye of\nthe Lord only saw two companies thronging that large palace of\nglass,--the wheat and the chaff.\n\nI know well the world dislikes this way of dividing professing\nChristians. The world tries hard to fancy there are _three_ sorts of\npeople, and not _two_. To be very good and very strict does not suit the\nworld:--they cannot, will not be saints. To have no religion at all does\nnot suit the world:--it would not be respectable.--\"Thank God,\" they\nwill say, \"we are not so bad as that.\" But to have religion enough to be\nsaved, and yet not go into extremes,--to be sufficiently good, and yet\nnot be peculiar,--to have a quiet, easy-going, moderate kind of\nChristianity, and go comfortably to heaven after all,--this is the\nworld's favourite idea. There is a third class,--a safe middle\nclass,--the world fancies, and in this middle class the majority of men\npersuade themselves they will be found.\n\nI denounce this notion of a middle class, as an immense and soul-ruining\ndelusion. I warn you strongly not to be carried away by it. It is as\nvain an invention as the Pope's purgatory. It is a refuge of lies,--a\ncastle in the air,--a Russian ice-palace,--a vast unreality,--an empty\ndream. This middle class is a class of Christians nowhere spoken of in\nthe Bible.\n\nThere were two classes in the day of Noah's flood, those who were inside\nthe ark, and those who were without;--two in the parable of the\nGospel-net, those who are called the good fish, and those who are called\nthe bad;--two in the parable of the ten virgins, those who are described\nas wise, and those who are described as foolish;--two in the account of\nthe judgment day, the sheep and the goats;--two sides of the throne, the\nright hand and the left;--two abodes when the last sentence has been\npassed, heaven and hell.\n\nAnd just so there are only two classes in the visible Church on\nearth,--those who are in the state of nature, and those who are in the\nstate of grace,--those who are in the narrow way, and those who are in\nthe broad,--those who have faith, and those who have not faith,--those\nwho have been converted, and those who have not been converted,--those\nwho are with Christ, and those who are against Him,--those who gather\nwith Him, and those who scatter abroad,--those who are \"wheat,\" and\nthose who are \"chaff.\" Into these two classes the whole professing\nChurch of Christ may be divided. Beside these two classes there is none.\n\nSee now what cause there is for self-inquiry. Are you among the wheat,\nor among the chaff? Neutrality is impossible. Either you are in one\nclass, or in the other. Which is it of the two?\n\nYou attend church, perhaps. You go to the Lord's table. You like good\npeople. You can distinguish between good preaching and bad. You think\nPopery false, and oppose it warmly. You think Protestantism true, and\nsupport it cordially. You subscribe to religious Societies. You attend\nreligious meetings. You sometimes read religious books. It is well: it\nis very well. It is good: it is all very good. It is more than can be\nsaid of many. But still this is not a straightforward answer to my\nquestion.--Are you wheat or are you chaff?\n\nHave you been born again? Are you a new creature? Have you put off the\nold man, and put on the new? Have you ever felt your sins, and repented\nof them? Are you looking simply to Christ for pardon and life eternal?\nDo you love Christ? Do you serve Christ? Do you loathe heart-sins, and\nfight against them? Do you long for perfect holiness, and follow hard\nafter it? Have you come out from the world? Do you delight in the Bible?\nDo you wrestle in prayer? Do you love Christ's people? Do you try to do\ngood to the world? Are you vile in your own eyes, and willing to take\nthe lowest place? Are you a Christian in business, and on week-days, and\nby your own fireside? Oh, think, think, think on these things, and then\nperhaps you will be better able to tell the state of your soul.\n\nI beseech you not to turn away from my question, however unpleasant it\nmay be. Answer it, though it may prick your conscience, and cut you to\nthe heart. Answer it, though it may prove you in the wrong, and expose\nyour fearful danger. Rest not, rest not, till you know how it is between\nyou and God. Better a thousand times find out that you are in an evil\ncase, and repent betimes, than live on in uncertainty, and be lost\neternally.\n\n\nII. Let me show, in the second place, _the time when the two great\nclasses of mankind shall be separated_.\n\nThe text at the beginning of this paper foretells a separation. It says\nthat Christ shall one day do to His professing Church what the farmer\ndoes to his corn. He shall winnow and sift it. He \"shall throughly purge\nHis floor.\" And then the wheat and the chaff shall be divided.\n\nThere is no separation yet. Good and bad are now all mingled together in\nthe visible Church of Christ. Believers and unbelievers,--converted and\nunconverted,--holy and unholy,--all are to be found now among those who\ncall themselves Christians. They sit side by side in our assemblies.\nThey kneel side by side in our pews. They listen side by side to our\nsermons. They sometimes come up side by side to the Lord's table, and\nreceive the same bread and wine from our hands.\n\nBut it shall not always be so. Christ shall come the second time with\nHis fan in His hand. He shall purge His Church, even as He purified the\ntemple. And then the wheat and the chaff shall be separated, and each\nshall go to its own place.\n\n(_a_) Before Christ comes _separation is impossible_. It is not in man's\npower to effect it. There lives not the minister on earth who can read\nthe hearts of every one in his congregation. About some he may speak\ndecidedly;--he cannot about all. Who have oil in their lamps, and who\nhave not,--who have grace as well as profession,--and who have\nprofession only and no grace,--who are children of God, and who of the\ndevil,--all these are questions which in many cases we cannot accurately\ndecide. The winnowing fan is not put into our hands.\n\nGrace is sometimes so weak and feeble, that it looks like nature. Nature\nis sometimes so plausible and well-dressed, that it looks like grace. I\nbelieve we should many of us have said that Judas was as good as any of\nthe Apostles; and yet he proved a traitor. I believe we should have said\nthat Peter was a reprobate when he denied his Lord; and yet he repented\nimmediately, and rose again. We are but fallible men. \"We know in part\nand we prophesy in part.\" (1 Cor. xiii. 9.) We scarcely understand our\nown hearts. It is no great wonder if we cannot read the hearts of\nothers.\n\nBut it will not always be so. There is One coming who never errs in\njudgment, and is perfect in knowledge. Jesus shall purge His floor.\nJesus shall sift the chaff from the wheat. I wait for this. Till then I\nwill lean to the side of charity in my judgments. I would rather\ntolerate much chaff in the Church than cast out one grain of wheat. He\nshall soon come \"who has His fan in His hand,\" and then the certainty\nabout every one shall be known.\n\n(_b_) Before Christ comes it is useless to _expect to see a perfect\nChurch_. There cannot be such a thing. The wheat and the chaff, in the\npresent state of things, will always be found together. I pity those who\nleave one Church and join another, because of a few faults and unsound\nmembers. I pity them, because they are fostering ideas which can never\nbe realized. I pity them, because they are seeking that which cannot be\nfound. I see \"chaff\" everywhere. I see imperfections and infirmities of\nsome kind in every communion on earth. I believe there are few tables of\nthe Lord, if any, where all the communicants are converted. I often see\nloud-talking professors exalted as saints. I often see holy and contrite\nbelievers set down as having no grace at all. I am satisfied if men are\ntoo scrupulous, they may go fluttering about, like Noah's dove, all\ntheir days, and never find rest.\n\nDoes any reader of this paper desire a perfect Church? You must wait for\nthe day of Christ's appearing. Then, and not till then, you will see a\n\"glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.\" (Eph.\nv. 27.) Then, and not till then, the floor will be purged.\n\n(_c_) Before Christ comes it is vain to _look for the conversion of the\nworld_. How can it be, if He is to find wheat and chaff side by side in\nthe day of His second coming? I believe some Christians expect that\nmissions will fill the earth with the knowledge of Christ, and that\nlittle by little sin will disappear, and a state of perfect holiness\ngradually glide in. I cannot see with their eyes. I think they are\nmistaking God's purposes, and sowing for themselves bitter\ndisappointment. I expect nothing of the kind. I see nothing in the\nBible, or in the world around me, to make me expect it. I have never\nheard of a single congregation entirely converted to God, in England or\nScotland, or of anything like it.--And why am I to look for a different\nresult from the preaching of the Gospel in other lands? I only expect to\nsee a few raised up as witnesses to Christ in every nation, some in one\nplace and some in another. Then I expect the Lord Jesus will come in\nglory, with His fan in His hand. And when He has purged His floor, and\nnot till then, His kingdom will begin.\n\n_No separation and no perfection till Christ comes!_ This is my creed. I\nam not moved when the infidel asks me why all the world is not\nconverted, if Christianity is really true. I answer, It was never\npromised that it would be so in the present order of things. The Bible\ntells me that believers will always be few,--that corruptions and\ndivisions and heresies will always abound, and that when my Lord returns\nto earth He will find plenty of chaff.\n\n_No perfection till Christ comes!_ I am not disturbed when men say, \"Make\nall the people good Christians at home before you send missionaries to\nthe heathen abroad.\" I answer, If I am to wait for that, I may wait for\never. When we have done all at home, the Church will still be a mixed\nbody,--it will contain some wheat and much chaff.\n\nBut Christ will come again. Sooner or later there shall be a separation\nof the visible Church into two companies, and fearful shall that\nseparation be. The wheat shall make up one company. The chaff shall make\nup another. The one company will be all godly. The other company will be\nall ungodly. Each shall be by themselves, and a great gulf between, that\nnone can pass. Blessed indeed shall the righteous be in that day! They\nshall shine like stars, no longer obscured with clouds. They shall be\nbeautiful as the lily, no longer choked with thorns. (Cant. ii. 2.)\nWretched indeed will the ungodly be! How corrupt will corruption be when\nleft without one grain of salt to season it! How dark will darkness be\nwhen left without one spark of light! Ah, it is not enough to respect\nand admire the Lord's people! You must belong to them, or you will one\nday be parted from them for ever. There will be no chaff in heaven.\nMany, many are the families where one will be taken and another left.\n(Luke xvii. 34.)\n\nWho is there now among the readers of this paper that loves the Lord\nJesus Christ in sincerity? If I know anything of the heart of a\nChristian, your greatest trials are in the company of worldly\npeople,--your greatest joys in the company of the saints. Yes! there are\nmany weary days, when your spirit feels broken and crushed by the\nearthly tone of all around you,--days when you could cry with David,\n\"Woe is me that I dwell in Mesech, and have my habitation in the tents\nof Kedar.\" (Ps. cxx. 5.) And yet there are hours when your soul is so\nrefreshed and revived by meeting some of God's dear children, that it\nseems like heaven on earth. Do I not speak to your heart? Are not these\nthings true? See then how you should long for the time when Christ shall\ncome again. See how you should pray daily that the Lord would hasten His\nkingdom, and say to Him, \"Come quickly, Lord Jesus.\" (Rev. xxii. 20.)\nThen, and not till then, shall be a pure unmixed communion. Then, and\nnot till then, the saints shall all be together, and shall go out from\none another's presence no more. Wait a little. Wait a little. Scorn and\ncontempt will soon be over. Laughter and ridicule shall soon have an\nend. Slander and misrepresentation will soon cease. Your Saviour shall\ncome and plead your cause. And then, as Moses said to Korah, \"the Lord\nwill show who are His,\"[14] (Num. xvi. 5.)\n\n 14: \"This is certain,--when the elect are all converted, then Christ\n will come to judgment. As he that rows a boat stays till all the\n passengers are taken into his boat, and then he rows away; so Christ\n stays till all the elect are gathered in, and then He will hasten\n away to judgment.\"--_Thomas Watson._ 1660\n\nWho is there among the readers of this paper that knows his heart is not\nright in the sight of God? See how you should fear and tremble at the\nthought of Christ's appearing. Alas, indeed for the man that lives and\ndies with nothing better than a cloak of religion! In the day when\nChrist shall purge His floor, you will be shown up and exposed in your\ntrue colours. You may deceive ministers, and friends, and\nneighbours,--but you cannot deceive Christ. The paint and varnish of a\nheartless Christianity will never stand the fire of that day. The Lord\nis a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. You will find\nthat the eye which saw Achan and Gehazi, has read your secrets, and\nsearched out your hidden things. You will hear that awful word, \"Friend,\nhow camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment?\" (Matt. xxii.\n12.) Oh, tremble at the thought of the day of sifting and separation!\nSurely hypocrisy is a most losing game. Surely it never answers to act a\npart. Surely it never answers, like Ananias and Sapphira, to pretend to\ngive God something, and yet to keep back your heart. It all fails at\nlast. Your joy is but for a moment. Your hopes are no better than a\ndream. Oh, tremble, tremble: tremble and repent!\n\n\nIII. Let me show, in the third place, _the portion which Christ's people\nshall receive when He comes to purge His floor_.\n\nThe text at the beginning of this paper tells us that, in good and\ncomfortable words. It tells us that Christ shall \"gather His wheat into\nthe garner.\"\n\nWhen the Lord Jesus comes the second time, He shall collect His\nbelieving people into a place of safety. He will send His angels and\ngather them from every quarter. The sea shall give up the dead that are\nin it, and the graves the dead that are in them, and the living shall be\nchanged. Not one poor sinner of mankind who has ever laid hold on Christ\nby faith shall be wanting in that company. Not one single grain of wheat\nshall be missing and left outside, when judgments fall upon a wicked\nworld. There shall be a garner for the wheat of the earth, and into that\ngarner all the wheat shall be brought.\n\nIt is a sweet and comfortable thought, that \"the Lord taketh pleasure in\nHis people\" and \"careth for the righteous.\" (Ps. cxlix. 4; 1 Pet. v. 7.)\nBut how much the Lord cares for them, I fear is little known, and dimly\nseen. Believers have their trials, beyond question, and these both many\nand great. The flesh is weak. The world is full of snares. The cross is\nheavy. The way is narrow. The companions are few. But still they have\nstrong consolations, if their eyes were but open to see them. Like\nHagar, they have a well of water near them, even in the wilderness,\nthough they often do not find it out. Like Mary, they have Jesus\nstanding by their side, though often they are not aware of it for very\ntears. (Gen. xxi. 19; John xx. 14.)\n\nBear with me while I try to tell you something about Christ's care for\npoor sinners that believe in Him. Alas, indeed, that it should be\nneedful! But we live in a day of weak and feeble statements. The danger\nof the state of nature is feebly exposed. The privileges of the state of\ngrace are feebly set forth. Hesitating souls are not encouraged.\nDisciples are not established and confirmed. The man out of Christ is\nnot rightly alarmed. The man in Christ is not rightly built up. The one\nsleeps on, and seldom has his conscience pricked. The other creeps and\ncrawls all his days, and never thoroughly understands the riches of his\ninheritance. Truly this is a sore disease, and one that I would gladly\nhelp to cure. Truly it is a melancholy thing that the people of God\nshould never go up to mount Pizgah, and never know the length and\nbreadth of their possessions. To be brethren of Christ, and sons of God\nby adoption,--to have full and perfect forgiveness, and the renewing of\nthe Holy Ghost,--to have a place in the book of life, and a name on the\nbreast-plate of the Great High Priest in heaven,--all these are glorious\nthings indeed. But still they are not the whole of a believer's portion.\nThey are upper springs indeed, but still there are nether springs\nbeside.\n\n(_a_) The Lord _takes pleasure in His believing people_. Though black in\ntheir own eyes, they are comely and honourable in His. They are all\nfair. He sees \"no spot\" in them. (Cant. iv. 7.) Their weaknesses and\nshort-comings do not break off the union between Him and them. He chose\nthem, knowing all their hearts. He took them for his own, with a perfect\nunderstanding of all their debts, liabilities, and infirmities, and He\nwill never break His covenant and cast them off. When they fall, He will\nraise them again. When they wander, He will bring them back. Their\n_prayers_ are pleasant to Him. As a father loves the first stammering\nefforts of his child to speak, so the Lord loves the poor feeble\npetitions of His people. He endorses them with His own mighty\nintercession, and gives them power on high. Their _services_ are\npleasant to Him. As a father delights in the first daisy that his child\npicks up and brings him, even so the Lord is pleased with the weak\nattempts of His people to serve Him. Not a cup of cold water shall lose\nits reward. Not a word spoken in love shall ever be forgotten. The Holy\nGhost inspired St. Paul to tell the Hebrews of Noah's faith, but not of\nhis drunkenness,--of Rahab's faith, but not of her lie. It is a blessed\nthing to be God's wheat!\n\n(_b_) The Lord _cares for His believing people in their lives_. Their\ndwelling-place is well known. The street called \"straight,\" where Judas\ndwelt, and Paul lodged,--the house by the sea-side, where Peter prayed,\nwere all familiar to their Lord. None have such attendants as they\nhave:--angels rejoice when they are born again; angels minister to them;\nand angels encamp around them. None have such food;--their bread is\ngiven them and their water is sure, and they have meat to eat of which\nthe world knows nothing. None have such company as they have: the Spirit\ndwelleth with them; the Father and the Son come to them, and make their\nabode with them. (John xiv. 23.) Their steps are all ordered from grace\nto glory: they that persecute them persecute Christ Himself, and they\nthat hurt them hurt the apple of the Lord's eye. Their trials and\ntemptations are all measured out by a wise Physician:--not a grain of\nbitterness is ever mingled in their cup that is not good for the health\nof their souls. Their temptations, like Job's, are all under God's\ncontrol.--Satan cannot touch a hair of their head without their Lord's\npermission, nor even tempt them above that which they shall be able to\nbear. \"As a father pitieth his own children, so does the Lord pity them\nthat fear Him.\" He never afflicts them willingly. (Ps. ciii. 13; Lam.\niii. 33.) He leads them by the right way. He withholds nothing that is\nreally for their good. Come what will, there is always a \"needs-be.\"\nWhen they are placed in the furnace, it is that they may be purified.\nWhen they are chastened, it is that they may become more holy. When they\nare pruned, it is to make them more fruitful. When they are transplanted\nfrom place to place, it is that they may bloom more brightly. All things\nare continually working together for their good. Like the bee, they\nextract sweetness even out of the bitterest flowers.\n\n(_c_) The Lord _cares for His believing people in their deaths_. Their\ntimes are all in the Lord's hand. The hairs of their heads are all\nnumbered, and not one can ever fall to the ground without their Father.\nThey are kept on earth till they are ripe and ready for glory, and not\none moment longer. When they have had sun and rain enough, wind and\nstorm enough, cold and heat enough,--when the ear is perfected,--then,\nand not till then, the sickle is put in. They are all immortal till\ntheir work is done. There is not a disease that can loosen the pins of\ntheir tabernacle, until the Lord gives the word. A thousand may fall at\ntheir right hand, but there is not a plague that can touch them till the\nLord sees good. There is not a physician that can keep them alive, when\nthe Lord gives the word. When they come to their death-bed, the\neverlasting arms are round about them, and make all their bed in their\nsickness. When they die, they die like Moses, \"according to the word of\nthe Lord,\" at the right time, and in the right way. (Deut. xxxiv. 5.)\nAnd when they breathe their last, they fall asleep in Christ, and are at\nonce carried, like Lazarus, into Abraham's bosom. Yes! it is a blessed\nthing to be Christ's wheat! When the sun of other men is setting, the\nsun of the believer is rising. When other men are laying aside their\nhonours, he is putting his on. Death locks the door on the unbeliever,\nand shuts him out from hope. But death opens the door to the believer,\nand lets him into paradise.\n\n(_d_) And the Lord _will care for His believing people in the dreadful\nday of His appearing_. The flaming fire shall not come nigh them. The\nvoice of the Archangel and the trump of God shall proclaim no terrors to\ntheir ears. Sleeping or waking, quick or dead, mouldering in the coffin,\nor standing at the post of daily duty,--believers shall be secure and\nunmoved. They shall lift up their heads with joy when they see\nredemption drawing nigh. They shall be changed, and put on their\nbeautiful garments in the twinkling of an eye. They shall be \"caught up\nto meet the Lord in the air.\" (1 Thess. iv. 17.) Jesus will do nothing\nto a sin-laden world till all his people are safe. There was an ark for\nNoah when the flood began. There was a Zoar for Lot when the fire fell\non Sodom. There was a Pella for early Christians when Jerusalem was\nbesieged. There was a Zurich for English reformers when Popish Mary came\nto the throne. And there will be a garner for all the wheat of the earth\nin the last day. Yes! it is a blessed thing to be Christ's wheat!\n\nI often wonder at the miserable faithlessness of those among us who are\nbelievers. Next to the hardness of the unconverted heart, I call it one\nof the greatest wonders in the world. I wonder that with such mighty\nreasons for confidence we can still be so full of doubts. I marvel,\nabove all things, how any can deny the doctrine that Christ's people\npersevere unto the end, and can fancy that He who loved them so as to\ndie for them upon the cross, will ever let them be cast away. I cannot\nthink so. I do not believe the Lord Jesus will ever lose one of His\nflock. He will not let Satan pluck away from Him so much as one sick\nlamb. He will not allow one bone of His mystical body to be broken. He\nwill not suffer one jewel to fall from His crown. He and His bride have\nbeen once joined in an everlasting covenant, and they shall never, never\nbe put asunder. The trophies won by earthly conquerors have often been\nwrested from them, and carried off; but this shall never be said of the\ntrophies of Him who triumphed for us on the cross. \"My sheep,\" He says,\n\"shall never perish.\" (John x. 28.) I take my stand on that text. I know\nnot how it can be evaded. If words have any meaning, the perseverance of\nChrist's people is there.\n\nI do not believe, when David had rescued the lamb from the paws of the\nlion, that he left it weak and wounded to perish in the wilderness. I\ncannot believe when the Lord Jesus has delivered a soul from the snare\nof the devil that He will ever leave that soul to take his chance, and\nwrestle on in his own feebleness, against sin, the devil, and the world.\n\nI dare be sure, if you were present at a shipwreck, and seeing some\nhelpless child tossing on the waves were to plunge into the sea and save\nhim at the risk of your own life,--I dare be sure you would not be\ncontent with merely bringing that child safe to shore. You would not lay\nhim down when you had reached the land, and say, \"I will do no more. He\nis weak,--he is insensible,--he is cold: it matters not. I have done\nenough,--I have delivered him from the waters: he is not drowned.\" You\nwould not do it. You would not say so. You would not treat that child in\nsuch a manner. You would lift him in your arms; you would carry him to\nthe nearest house; you would try to bring back warmth and animation; you\nwould use every means to restore health and vigour: you would never\nleave him till his recovery was a certain thing.\n\nAnd can you suppose the Lord Jesus Christ is less merciful and less\ncompassionate? Can you think He would suffer on the cross and die, and\nyet leave it uncertain whether believers in Him would be saved? Can you\nthink He would wrestle with death and hell, and go down to the grave for\nour sakes, and yet allow our eternal life to hang on such a thread as\nour poor miserable endeavours.\n\nOh, no: He does not do so! He is a perfect and complete Saviour. Those\nwhom He loves, He loves unto the end. Those whom He washes in His blood\nHe never leaves nor forsakes. He puts His fear into their hearts, so\nthat they shall not depart from Him. Where He begins a work, there He\nalso finishes. All whom He plants in His \"garden inclosed\" on earth, He\ntransplants sooner or later into paradise. All whom He quickens by His\nSpirit He will also bring with Him when He enters His kingdom. There is\na garner for every grain of the wheat. All shall appear in Zion before\nGod.\n\nFrom false grace man may fall, and that both finally and foully. I never\ndoubt this. I see proof of it continually. From true grace men never do\nfall totally. They never did, and they never will. If they commit sin,\nlike Peter, they shall repent and rise again. If they err from the right\nway, like David, they shall be brought back. It is not any strength or\npower of their own that keeps them from apostacy. They are kept because\nthe power, and love, and promises of the Trinity are all engaged on\ntheir side. The election of God the Father shall not be fruitless; the\nintercession of God the Son shall not be ineffectual; the love of God\nthe Spirit shall not be labour in vain. The Lord \"shall keep the feet of\nHis saints.\" (1 Sam. ii. 9) They shall all be more than conquerors\nthrough Him that loved them. They all shall conquer, and none die\neternally.[15]\n\n 15: \"Blessed for ever and ever be that mother's child whose faith\n hath made him the child of God. The earth may shake, the pillars of\n the world may tremble under us, the countenance of the heaven may be\n appalled, the sun may lose his light, the moon her beauty, the stars\n their glory: but concerning the man that trusteth in God,--what is\n there in the world that shall change his heart, overthrow his faith,\n alter his affection towards God, or the affection of God to\n him?\"--_Richard Hooker_, 1585.\n\nIf you have not yet taken up the cross and become Christ's disciple, you\nlittle know what privileges you are missing. Peace with God now and\nglory hereafter,--the everlasting arms to keep you by the way, and the\ngarner of safety in the end,--all these are freely offered to you\nwithout money and without price. You may say that Christians have\ntribulations;--you forget that they have also consolations. You may say\nthey have peculiar sorrows;--you forget they have also peculiar joys.\nYou see but half the Christian life. You see not all. You see the\nwarfare;--but not the meat and the wages. You see the tossing and\nconflict of the outward part of Christianity; you see not the hidden\ntreasures which lie deep within. Like Elisha's servant, you see the\nenemies of God's children; but you do not, like Elisha, see the chariots\nand horses of fire which protect them. Oh, judge not by outward\nappearances! Be sure that the least drop of the water of life is better\nthan all the rivers of the world. Remember the garner and the crown. Be\nwise in time.\n\nIf you feel that you are a weak disciple, think not that weakness shuts\nyou out from any of the privileges of which I have been speaking. Weak\nfaith is true faith, and weak grace is true grace; and both are the gift\nof Him who never gives in vain. Fear not, neither be discouraged. Doubt\nnot, neither despair. Jesus will never \"break the bruised reed, nor\nquench the smoking flax.\" (Isa. xlii. 3.) The babes in a family are as\nmuch loved and thought of as the elder brothers and sisters. The tender\nseedlings in a garden are as diligently looked after as the old trees.\nThe lambs in the flock are as carefully tended by the good shepherd as\nthe old sheep. Oh, rest assured it is just the same in Christ's family,\nin Christ's garden, in Christ's flock! All are loved. All are tenderly\nthought of. All are cared for. And all shall be found in His garner at\nlast.\n\n\nIV. Let me show, in the last place, the _portion which remains for all\nwho are not Christ's people_.\n\nThe text at the beginning of this paper describes this in words which\nshould make our ears tingle: Christ shall \"burn up the chaff with fire\nunquenchable.\"\n\nWhen the Lord Jesus Christ comes to purge His floor, He shall punish all\nwho are not His disciples with a fearful punishment. All who are found\nimpenitent and unbelieving,--all who have held the truth in\nunrighteousness,--all who have clung to sin, stuck to the world, and set\ntheir affections on things below,--all who are without Christ,--all such\nshall come to an awful end. Christ shall \"burn up the chaff.\"\n\nTheir punishment shall be _most severe_. There is no pain like that of\nburning. Put your finger in the candle for a moment, if you doubt this,\nand try. Fire is the most destructive and devouring of all elements.\nLook into the mouth of a blast-furnace, and think what it would be to be\nthere. Fire is of all elements most opposed to life. Creatures can live\nin air, and earth, and water; but nothing can live in fire. Yet fire is\nthe portion to which the Christless and unbelieving will come. Christ\nwill \"burn up the chaff with fire.\"\n\nTheir punishment shall be _eternal_. Millions of ages shall pass away,\nand the fire into which the chaff is cast shall still burn on. That fire\nshall never burn low and become dim. The fuel of that fire shall never\nwaste away and be consumed. It is \"unquenchable fire.\"\n\nAlas, these are sad and painful things to speak of! I have no pleasure\nin dwelling on them. I could rather say with the Apostle Paul, as I\nwrite, \"I have great heaviness and continual sorrow.\" (Rom. ix. 2.) But\nthey are things written for our learning, and it is good to consider\nthem. They are a part of that Scripture which is \"all profitable,\" and\nthey ought to be heard. Painful as the subject of hell is, it is one\nabout which I dare not, cannot, must not be silent. Who would desire to\nspeak of hell-fire if God had not spoken of it? When God has spoken of\nit so plainly, who can safely hold his peace?\n\nI dare not shut my eyes to the fact that a deep-rooted infidelity lurks\nin men's minds on the subject of hell. I see it oozing out in the utter\napathy of some: they eat, and drink, and sleep, as if there was no wrath\nto come. I see it creeping forth in the coldness of others about their\nneighbours' souls: they show little anxiety to pluck brands from the\nfire. I desire to denounce such infidelity with all my might. Believing\nthat there are \"terrors of the Lord,\" as well as the \"recompense of\nreward,\" I call on all who profess to believe the Bible, to be on their\nguard.\n\n(_a_) I know that some do not believe there is any hell at all. They\nthink it impossible there can be such a place. They call it inconsistent\nwith the mercy of God. They say it is too awful an idea to be really\ntrue. The devil of course rejoices in the views of such people. They\nhelp his kingdom mightily. They are preaching up his own favourite\ndoctrine: \"Ye shall not surely die.\" (Gen. iii. 4.)\n\n(_b_) I know, furthermore, that some do not believe that hell is\neternal. They tell us it is incredible that a compassionate God will\npunish men for ever. He will surely open the prison doors at last. This\nalso is a mighty help to the devil's cause. \"Take your ease,\" he\nwhispers to sinners: \"if you do make a mistake, never mind, it is not\nfor ever.\" A wicked woman was overheard in the streets of London saying\nto a bad companion, \"Come along: who is afraid? Some parsons say there\nis no hell.\"\n\n(_c_) I know also that some believe there is a hell, but never allow\nthat anybody is going there. All people, with them, are good as soon as\nthey die,--all were sincere,--all meant well,--and all, they hope, got\nto heaven. Alas, what a common delusion is this! I can well understand\nthe feeling of the little girl who asked her mother where all the wicked\npeople were buried, \"for she found no mention on the grave-stones of any\nexcept the good.\"\n\n(_d_) And I know very well that some believe there is a hell, and never\nlike it to be spoken of. It is a subject that should always be kept\nback, in their opinion. They see no profit in bringing it forward, and\nare rather shocked when it is mentioned. This also is an immense help to\nthe devil. \"Hush, hush!\" says Satan, \"say nothing about hell.\" The\nfowler wishes to hear no noise when he lays his snares. The wolf would\nlike the shepherd to sleep while he prowls round the fold. The devil\nrejoices when Christians are silent about hell.\n\nAll these notions are the opinions of man. But what is it to you and me\nwhat man thinks in religion? Man will not judge us at the last day.\nMan's fancies and traditions are not to be our guide in this life. There\nis but one point to be settled: \"What says the Word of God?\"\n\n(_a_) Do you believe the Bible? Then depend upon it, _hell is real and\ntrue_. It is true as heaven,--as true as justification by faith,--as\ntrue as the fact that Christ died upon the cross,--as true as the Dead\nSea. There is not a fact or doctrine which you may not lawfully doubt if\nyou doubt hell. Disbelieve hell, and you unscrew, unsettle, and unpin\neverything in Scripture. You may as well throw your Bible away at once.\nFrom \"no hell\" to \"no God\" there is but a series of steps.\n\n(_b_) Do you believe the Bible? Then depend upon it, _hell will have\ninhabitants_. The wicked shall certainly be turned into hell, and all\nthe people that forget God. \"These shall go away into everlasting\npunishment.\" (Matt. xxv. 46.) The same blessed Saviour who now sits on a\nthrone of grace, will one day sit on a throne of judgment, and men will\nsee there is such a thing as \"the wrath of the Lamb.\" (Rev. vi. 16.) The\nsame lips which now say, \"Come: come unto Me!\" will one day say,\n\"Depart, ye cursed!\" Alas, how awful the thought of being condemned by\nChrist Himself, judged by the Saviour, sentenced to misery by the Lamb!\n\n(_c_) Do you believe the Bible? Then depend upon it, _hell will be\nintense and unutterable woe_. It is vain to talk of all the expressions\nabout it being only figures of speech. The pit, the prison, the worm,\nthe fire, the thirst, the blackness, the darkness, the weeping, the\ngnashing of teeth, the second death,--all these may be figures of speech\nif you please. But Bible figures mean something, beyond all question,\nand here they mean something which man's mind can never fully conceive.\nThe miseries of mind and conscience are far worse than those of the\nbody. The whole extent of hell, the present suffering, the bitter\nrecollection of the past, the hopeless prospect of the future, will\nnever be thoroughly known except by those who go there.\n\n(_d_) Do you believe the Bible? Then depend upon it, _hell is eternal_.\nIt must be eternal, or words have no meaning at all. For ever and\never--everlasting--unquenchable--never-dying,--all these are expressions\nused about hell, and expressions that cannot be explained away. It must\nbe eternal, or the very foundations of heaven are cast down. If hell has\nan end, heaven has an end too. They both stand or fall together.--It\nmust be eternal, or else every doctrine of the Gospel is undermined. If\na man may escape hell at length without faith in Christ, or\nsanctification of the Spirit, sin is no longer an infinite evil, and\nthere was no such great need for Christ making an atonement. And where\nis there warrant for saying that hell can ever change a heart, or make\nit fit for heaven?--It must be eternal, or hell would cease to be hell\naltogether. Give a man hope, and he will bear anything. Grant a hope of\ndeliverance, however distant, and hell is but a drop of water. Ah, these\nare solemn things! Well said old Caryl: \"FOR EVER is the most solemn\nsaying in the Bible.\" Alas, for that day which will have no\nto-morrow,--that day when men shall seek death and not find it, and\nshall desire to die, but death shall flee from them! Who shall dwell\nwith devouring fire? Who shall dwell with everlasting burnings? (Rev.\nix. 6; Isa. xxxiii. 14.)\n\n(_e_) Do you believe the Bible? Then depend upon it, _hell is a subject\nthat ought not to be kept back_. It is striking to observe the many\ntexts about it in Scripture. It is striking to observe that none say so\nmuch about it as our Lord Jesus Christ, that gracious and merciful\nSaviour; and the apostle John, whose heart seems full of love. Truly it\nmay well be doubted whether we ministers speak of it as much as we\nought. I cannot forget the words of a dying hearer of Mr. Newton's:\n\"Sir, you often told me of Christ and salvation: why did you not oftener\nremind me of hell and danger?\"\n\nLet others hold their peace about hell if they will;--I dare not do so.\nI see it plainly in Scripture, and I must speak of it. I fear that\nthousands are on that broad way that leads to it, and I would fain\narouse them to a sense of the peril before them. What would you say of\nthe man who saw his neighbour's house in danger of being burned down,\nand never raised the cry of \"Fire\"? What ought to be said of us as\nministers, if we call ourselves watchmen for souls, and yet see the\nfires of hell raging in the distance, and never give the alarm? Call it\nbad taste, if you like, to speak of hell. Call it charity to make things\npleasant, and speak smoothly, and soothe men with a constant lullaby of\npeace. From such notions of taste and charity may I ever be delivered!\nMy notion of charity is to warn men plainly of danger. My notion of\ntaste in the ministerial office is to declare all the counsel of God. If\nI never spoke of hell, I should think I had kept back something that was\nprofitable, and should look on myself as an accomplice of the devil.\n\nI beseech every reader of this paper, in all tender affection, to beware\nof false views of the subject on which I have been dwelling. Beware of\nnew and strange doctrines about hell and the eternity of punishment.\nBeware of manufacturing a God of your own,--a God who is all mercy, but\nnot just,--a God who is all love, but not holy,--a God who has a heaven\nfor everybody, but a hell for none,--a God who can allow good and bad to\nbe side by side in time, but will make no distinction between good and\nbad in eternity. Such a God is an idol of your own, as really as Jupiter\nor Moloch,--as true an idol as any snake or crocodile in an Egyptian\ntemple,--as true an idol as was ever moulded out of brass or clay. The\nhands of your own fancy and sentimentality have made him. He is not the\nGod of the Bible, and besides the God of the Bible there is no God at\nall. Your heaven would be no heaven at all. A heaven containing all\nsorts of characters indiscriminately would be miserable discord indeed.\nAlas, for the eternity of such a heaven! there would be little\ndifference between it and hell. There is a hell! There is a fire for the\nchaff! Take heed lest you find it out, to your cost, too late.\n\nBeware of being wise above that which is written. Beware of forming\nfanciful theories of your own, and then trying to make the Bible square\nin with them. Beware of making selections from your Bible to suit your\ntaste,--refusing, like a spoilt child, whatever you think\nbitter,--seizing, like a spoilt child, whatever you think sweet. What is\nall this but taking Jehoiakim's penknife? (Jer. xxxvi. 23.) What does it\namount to but telling God, that you, a poor short-lived worm, know what\nis good for you better than He. It will not do: it will not do. You must\ntake the Bible as it is. You must read it all, and believe it all. You\nmust come to the reading of it in the spirit of a little child. Dare not\nto say, \"I believe this verse, for I like it. I reject that, for I do\nnot like it. I receive this, for I can understand it. I refuse that, for\nI cannot reconcile it with my views.\" Nay, but, O man, \"who art thou\nthat repliest against God?\" (Rom. ix. 20.) By what right do you talk in\nthis way? Surely it were better to say over every chapter in the Word,\n\"Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.\"--If men would do this, they\nwould never deny hell, the chaff, and the fire.\n\n\nAnd now, let me say four things in conclusion, and then I have done. I\nhave shown the two great classes of mankind, the wheat and the chaff.--I\nhave shown the separation which will one day take place.--I have shown\nthe safety of the Lord's people.--I have shown the fearful portion of\nthe Christless and unbelieving.--I commend these things to the\nconscience of every reader of this paper, as in the sight of God.\n\n(1) First of all, settle it down in your mind that the things of which I\nhave been speaking are _all real and true_.\n\nI do believe that many never see the great truths of religion in this\nlight. I firmly believe that many never listen to the things they hear\nfrom ministers as realities. They regard it all, like Gallio, as a\nmatter of \"names and words,\" and nothing more; a huge shadow,--a formal\npart-acting,--a vast sham. The last novel, the latest news from France,\nIndia, Australia, Turkey, or New York,--all these are things they\nrealize: they feel interested and excited about them. But as to the\nBible, and heaven, and the kingdom of Christ, and the judgment\nday,--these are subjects that they hear unmoved: they do not really\nbelieve them. If Layard had dug up at Nineveh anything damaging the\ntruth and authority of the Old Testament Scriptures, it would not have\ninterfered with their peace for an hour.\n\nIf you have unhappily got into this frame of mind, I charge you to cast\nit off for ever. Whether you mean to hear or forbear, awaken to a\nthorough conviction that the things I have brought before you are real\nand true. The wheat, the chaff, the separation, the garner, the\nfire,--all these are great realities,--as real as the sun in heaven,--as\nreal as the paper which your eyes behold. For my part, I believe in\nheaven, and I believe in hell. I believe in a coming judgment. I believe\nin a day of sifting. I am not ashamed to say so. I believe them all, and\ntherefore write as I do. Oh, take a friend's advice,--live as if these\nthings were true.\n\n(2) Settle it down in your mind, in the second place, that the things of\nwhich I write _concern yourself_. They are your business, your affair,\nand your concern.\n\nMany, I am satisfied, never look on religion as a matter that concerns\nthemselves. They attend on its outward part, as a decent and proper\nfashion. They hear sermons. They read religious books. They have their\nchildren christened. But all the time they never ask themselves, \"What\nis all this to me?\" They sit in our churches like spectators in a\ntheatre or court of law. They read our writings as if they were reading\na report of an interesting trial, or of some event far away. But they\nnever say to themselves, \"I am the man.\"\n\nIf you have this kind of feeling, depend upon it it will never do. There\nmust be an end of all this if ever you are to be saved. You are the man\nI write to, whoever you may be who reads this paper. I write not\nspecially to the rich. I write not specially to the poor. I write to\neverybody who will read, whatever his rank may be. It is on your soul's\naccount that I am pleading, and not another's. You are spoken of in the\ntext that begins this paper. You are this very day either among the\n\"wheat\" or among the \"chaff.\" Your portion will one day either be the\ngarner or the fire. Oh, that men were wise, and would lay these things\nto heart! Oh, that they would not trifle, dally, linger, live on\nhalf-and-half Christians, meaning well, but never acting boldly, and at\nlast awake when it is too late!\n\n(3) Settle it down in your mind, in the third place, that if you are\nwilling to be one of the wheat of the earth, _the Lord Jesus Christ is\nwilling to receive you_.\n\nDoes any man suppose that Jesus is not willing to see His garner filled?\nDo you think He does not desire to bring many sons to glory? Oh, but you\nlittle know the depth of His mercy and compassion, if you can think such\na thought! He wept over unbelieving Jerusalem. He mourns over the\nimpenitent and the thoughtless in the present day. He sends you\ninvitations by my mouth this hour. He invites you to hear and live, to\nforsake the way of the foolish and go in the paths of understanding. \"As\nI live,\" He says, \"I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth.\nTurn ye, turn ye: why will ye die?\" (Ezek. xviii. 32.)\n\nOh, if you never came to Christ for life before, come to Him this very\nday! Come to Him with the penitent's prayer for mercy and grace. Come to\nHim without delay. Come to Him while the subject of this paper is still\nfresh on your mind. Come to Him before another sun rises on the earth,\nand let the morning find you a new creature.\n\nIf you are determined to have the world, and the things of the\nworld,--its pleasures and its rewards,--its follies and its sins;--if\nyou must have your own way, and cannot give up anything for Christ and\nyour soul;--if this be your case, there is but one end before you. I\nfairly warn you,--I plainly tell you:--You will sooner or later come to\nthe unquenchable fire.\n\nBut if any man is willing to be saved, the Lord Jesus Christ stands\nready to save him. \"Come unto Me,\" He says, \"weary soul, and I will give\nyou rest. Come, guilty and sinful soul, and I will give you free pardon.\nCome, lost and ruined soul, and I will give you eternal life.\" (Matt.\nxi. 28.)\n\nLet that passage be a word in season. Arise and call upon the Lord. Let\nthe angels of God rejoice over one more saved soul. Let the courts of\nheaven hear the good tidings that one more lost sheep is found.\n\n(4) Settle it down in your mind, last of all, that if you have committed\nyour soul to Christ, _Christ will never allow that soul to perish_.\n\nThe everlasting arms are round about you. Lean back in them and know\nyour safety. The same hand that was nailed to the cross is holding you.\nThe same wisdom that framed the heavens and the earth is engaged to\nmaintain your cause. The same power that redeemed the twelve tribes from\nthe house of bondage is on your side. The same love that bore with and\ncarried Israel from Egypt to Canaan is pledged to keep you. Yes! they\nare well kept whom Christ keeps! Our faith may repose calmly on such a\nbed as Christ's omnipotence.\n\nTake comfort, doubting believer. Why are you cast down? The love of\nJesus is no summer-day fountain: no man ever yet saw its bottom. The\ncompassion of Jesus is a fire that never yet burned low: the cold, grey\nashes of that fire have never yet been seen. Take comfort. In your own\nheart you may find little cause for rejoicing. But you may always\nrejoice in the Lord.\n\nYou say your faith is so small. But where is it said that none shall be\nsaved except their faith be great? And after all, \"Who gave thee any\nfaith at all?\" The very fact that you have any faith is a token for\ngood.\n\nYou say your sins are so many. But where is the sin, or the heap of\nsins, that the blood of Jesus cannot wash away? And after all, \"Who\ntold thee thou hadst any sins?\" That feeling never came from thyself.\nBlessed indeed is that mother's child who really knows and feels that he\nis a sinner.\n\nTake comfort, I say once more, if you have really come to\nChrist. Take comfort, and know your privileges. Cast every care\non Jesus. Tell every want to Jesus. Roll every burden on Jesus:\nsins,--unbelief,--doubts,--fears,--anxieties,--lay them all on\nChrist. He loves to see you doing so. He loves to be employed as\nyour High Priest. He loves to be trusted. He loves to see His\npeople ceasing from the vain effort to carry their burdens for\nthemselves.\n\n\nI commend these things to the notice of every one into whose hands this\nvolume may fall. Only be among Christ's \"wheat\" now, and then, in the\ngreat day of separation, as sure as the Bible is true, you shall be in\nChrist's \"garner\" hereafter.\n\n\n\n\nXXI\n\n\nETERNITY!\n\n \"_The things which are seen are temporal; but the things which\n are not seen are eternal._\"--2 Cor. iv. 18.\n\n\nA subject stands out on the face of this text which is one of the most\nsolemn and heart-searching in the Bible. That subject is _eternity_.[16]\n\n 16: The following pages contain the _substance_ of a sermon which I\n preached, by invitation, in the nave of Peterborough Cathedral, on\n the fourth Sunday in Advent, 1877,--the _substance_ and not the\n precise words. The plain truth is, that the sermon was not intended\n for publication. It was preached from notes, and was one of those\n popular addresses which will not bear close reporting. A style of\n language which satisfies the ear when listened to, will seldom\n satisfy the mind when read. On receiving a manuscript report from\n the publisher, I soon found that it would require far more labour to\n condense, correct, paragraph, punctuate, and prepare the sermon for\n the press, than to write it out roughly from my own notes and\n recollection. From want of time I had no alternative but to adopt\n this course, or to object altogether to publication. The result is\n that the reader has before him the matter, order, heads,\n arrangement, and principal thoughts of my sermon, but not, I repeat,\n the precise words.\n\nThe subject is one of which the wisest man can only take in a little. We\nhave no eyes to see it fully, no line to fathom it, no mind to grasp it;\nand yet we must not refuse to consider it. There are star-depths in the\nheavens above us, which the most powerful telescope cannot pierce; yet\nit is well to look into them and learn something, if we cannot learn\neverything. There are heights and depths about the subject of eternity\nwhich mortal man can never comprehend; but God has spoken of it, and we\nhave no right to turn away from it altogether.\n\nThe subject is one which we must never approach without the Bible in our\nhands. The moment we depart from \"God's Word written,\" in considering\neternity and the future state of man, we are likely to fall into error.\nIn examining points like these we have nothing to do with preconceived\nnotions as to what is God's character, and what _we think_ God ought to\nbe, or ought to do with man after death.[17] We have only to find out\nwhat is written. What saith the Scripture? What saith the Lord? It is\nwild work to tell us that we ought to have \"noble thoughts about God,\"\nindependent of, and over and above, Scripture. Natural religion soon\ncomes to a standstill here. The noblest thoughts about God which we have\na right to hold are the thoughts which He has been pleased to reveal to\nus in His \"written Word.\"\n\n 17: \"What sentence can we expect from a judge, who at the same time\n that he calls in witnesses and pretends to examine them, makes a\n declaration that however, let them say what they will, the cause is\n so absurd, is so unjust, that no evidence will be sufficient to\n prove it?\"--_Horbery_, vol. ii. p. 137.\n\nI ask the attention of all into whose hands this paper may fall, while I\noffer a few suggestive thoughts about eternity. As a mortal man I feel\ndeeply my own insufficiency to handle this subject. But I pray that God\nthe Holy Ghost, whose strength is made perfect in weakness, may bless\nthe words I speak, and make them seeds of eternal life in many minds.\n\n\nI. The first thought which I commend to the attention of my readers is\nthis:--_We live in a world where all things are temporal and passing\naway_.\n\nThat man must be blind indeed who cannot realize this. Everything around\nus is decaying, dying, and coming to an end. There is a sense no doubt\nin which \"matter\" is eternal. Once created, it will never entirely\nperish. But in a popular practical sense, there is nothing undying about\nus except our souls. No wonder the poet says:--\n\n \"Change and decay in all around I see:\n O Thou that changest not, abide with me!\"\n\nWe are all going, going, going, whether high or low, gentle or simple,\nrich or poor, old or young. We are all going, and shall soon be gone.\n\nBeauty is only temporal. Sarah was once the fairest of women, and\nthe admiration of the Court of Egypt; yet a day came when even\nAbraham, her husband, said, \"Let me bury my dead out of my sight.\"\n(Gen. xxiii. 4.)--Strength of body is only temporal. David was once\na mighty man of valour, the slayer of the lion and the bear, and the\nchampion of Israel against Goliath; yet a day came when even David\nhad to be nursed and ministered to in his old age like a\nchild.--Wisdom and power of brain are only temporal. Solomon was\nonce a prodigy of knowledge, and all the kings of the earth came to\nhear his wisdom; yet even Solomon in his latter days played the fool\nexceedingly, and allowed his wives to \"turn away his heart.\"\n(1 Kings xi. 2.)\n\nHumbling and painful as these truths may sound, it is good for us all to\nrealize them and lay them to heart. The houses we live in, the homes we\nlove, the riches we accumulate, the professions we follow, the plans we\nform, the relations we enter into,--they are only for a time. \"The\nthings seen are temporal.\" \"The fashion of this world passeth away.\"\n(1 Cor. vii. 31.)\n\nThe thought is one which ought to rouse every one who is living only for\nthis world. If his conscience is not utterly seared, it should stir in\nhim great searchings of heart. Oh, take care what you are doing! Awake\nto see things in their true light before it be too late. The things you\nlive for now are all temporal and passing away. The pleasures, the\namusements, the recreations, merry-makings, the profits, the earthly\ncallings, which now absorb all your heart and drink up all your mind,\nwill soon be over. They are poor ephemeral things which cannot last. Oh,\nlove them not too well; grasp them not too tightly; make them not your\nidols! You cannot keep them, and you must leave them. Seek first the\nkingdom of God, and then everything else shall be added to you. \"Set\nyour affections on things above, not on things on the earth.\" Oh, you\nthat love the world, be wise in time! Never, never forget that it is\nwritten, \"The world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that\ndoeth the will of God abideth for ever.\" (Col. iii. 2; 1 John ii. 17.)\n\nThe same thought ought to cheer and comfort every true Christian. Your\ntrials, crosses, and conflicts, are all temporal. They will soon have an\nend; and even now they are working for you \"a far more exceeding and\neternal weight of glory.\" (2 Cor. iv. 17.) Take them patiently: bear\nthem quietly: look upward, forward, onward, and far beyond them. Fight\nyour daily fight under an abiding conviction that it is only for a\nlittle time, and that rest is not far off. Carry your daily cross with\nan abiding recollection that it is one of the \"things seen\" which are\ntemporal. The cross shall soon be exchanged for a crown, and you shall\nsit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God.\n\n\nII. The second thought which I commend to the attention of my readers is\nthis:--_We are all going towards a world where everything is eternal_.\n\nThat great unseen state of existence which lies behind the grave, is for\never. Whether it be happy or miserable, whether it be a condition of joy\nor sorrow, in one respect it is utterly unlike this world,--it is for\never. _There_ at any rate will be no change and decay, no end, no\ngood-bye, no mornings and evenings, no alteration, no annihilation.\nWhatever there is beyond the tomb, when the last trumpet has sounded,\nand the dead are raised, will be endless, everlasting, and eternal. \"The\nthings unseen are eternal.\"\n\nWe cannot fully realize this condition. The contrast between now and\nthen, between this world and the next, is so enormously great that our\nfeeble minds will not take it in. The consequences it entails are so\ntremendous, that they almost take away our breath, and we shrink from\nlooking at them. But when the Bible speaks plainly we have no right to\nturn away from a subject, and with the Bible in our hands we shall do\nwell to look at the \"things which are eternal.\"\n\nLet us settle it then in our minds, for one thing, that the _future\nhappiness_ of those who are saved is eternal. However little we may\nunderstand it, it is something which will have no end: it will never\ncease, never grow old, never decay, never die. At God's \"right hand are\npleasures for evermore.\" (Ps. xvi. 11.) Once landed in paradise, the\nsaints of God shall go out no more. The inheritance is \"incorruptible,\nundefiled, and fadeth not away.\" They shall \"receive a crown of glory\nthat fadeth not away.\" (1 Pet. i. 4; v. 4.) Their warfare is\naccomplished; their fight is over; their work is done. They shall hunger\nno more, neither thirst any more. They are travelling on towards an\n\"eternal weight of glory,\" towards a home which shall never be broken\nup, a meeting without a parting, a family gathering without a\nseparation, a day without night. Faith shall be swallowed up in sight,\nand hope in certainty. They shall see as they have been seen, and know\nas they have been known, and \"be for ever with the Lord.\" I do not\nwonder that the apostle Paul adds, \"Comfort one another with these\nwords.\" (1 Thess. iv. 17, 18.)\n\nLet us settle it, for another thing, in our minds, that the _future\nmisery_ of those who are finally lost is eternal. This is an awful\ntruth, I am aware, and flesh and blood naturally shrink from the\ncontemplation of it. But I am one of those who believe it to be plainly\nrevealed in Scripture, and I dare not keep it back in the pulpit. To my\neyes eternal future happiness and eternal future misery appear to stand\nside by side. I fail to see how you can distinguish the duration of one\nfrom the duration of the other. If the joy of the believer is for ever,\nthe sorrow of the unbeliever is also for ever. If heaven is eternal, so\nlikewise is hell. It may be my ignorance, but I know not how the\nconclusion can be avoided.\n\nI cannot reconcile the non-eternity of punishment with the _language of\nthe Bible_. Its advocates talk loudly about love and charity, and say\nthat it does not harmonize with the merciful and compassionate character\nof God. But what saith the Scripture? Who ever spoke such loving and\nmerciful words as our Lord Jesus Christ? Yet His are the lips which\nthree times over describe the consequence of impenitence and sin, as\n\"the worm that never dies and the fire that is not quenched.\" He is the\nPerson who speaks in one sentence of the wicked going away into\n\"everlasting punishment\" and the righteous into \"life eternal.\" (Mark\nix. 43--48; Matt. xxv. 46.)[18]--Who does not remember the Apostle\nPaul's words about charity? Yet he is the very Apostle who says, the\nwicked \"shall be punished with everlasting destruction.\" (2 Thess. i.\n9.)--Who does not know the spirit of love which runs through all St.\nJohn's Gospel and Epistles? Yet the beloved Apostle is the very writer\nin the New Testament who dwells most strongly, in the book of\nRevelation, on the reality and eternity of future woe. What shall we say\nto these things? Shall we be wise above that which is written? Shall we\nadmit the dangerous principle that words in Scripture do not mean what\nthey appear to mean? Is it not far better to lay our hands on our mouths\nand say, \"Whatever God has written must be true.\" \"Even so, Lord God\nAlmighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments.\" (Rev. xvi. 7.)\n\n 18: \"If God had intended to have told us that the punishment of\n wicked man shall have no end, the languages wherein the Scriptures\n are written do hardly afford fuller and more certain words than\n those that are used in this case, whereby to express a duration\n without end; and likewise, which is almost a peremptory decision of\n the thing, the duration of the punishment of wicked men is in the\n very same sentence expressed by the very same word which is used for\n the duration of happiness of the righteous.\"--_Archbishop Tillotson\n on Hell Torments._ See _Horbery_, vol. ii. p. 42.\n\nI cannot reconcile the non-eternity of punishment with the _language of\nour Prayer-book_. The very first petition in our matchless Litany\ncontains this sentence, \"From everlasting damnation, good Lord, deliver\nus.\"--The Catechism teaches every child who learns it, that whenever we\nrepeat the Lord's Prayer we desire our Heavenly Father to \"keep us from\nour ghostly enemy and from everlasting death.\"--Even in our Burial\nService we pray at the grave side, \"Deliver us not into the bitter pains\nof eternal death.\"--Once more I ask, \"What shall we say to these\nthings?\" Shall our congregations be taught that even when people live\nand die in sin we may hope for their happiness in a remote future?\nSurely the common sense of many of our worshippers would reply, that if\nthis is the case Prayer-book words mean nothing at all.\n\nI lay no claim to any peculiar knowledge of Scripture. I feel daily that\nI am no more infallible than the Bishop of Rome. But I must speak\naccording to the light which God has given to me; and I do not think I\nshould do my duty if I did not raise a warning voice on this subject,\nand try to put Christians on their guard. Six thousand years ago sin\nentered into the world by the devil's daring falsehood,--\"Ye shall not\nsurely die.\" (Gen. iii. 4.) At the end of six thousand years the great\nenemy of mankind is still using his old weapon, and trying to persuade\nmen that they may live and die in sin, and yet at some distant period\nmay be finally saved. Let us not be ignorant of his devices. Let us walk\nsteadily in the old paths. Let us hold fast the old truth, and believe\nthat as the happiness of the saved is eternal, so also is the misery of\nthe lost.[19]\n\n 19: \"There is nothing that Satan more desires than that we should\n believe that he does not exist, and that there is no such a place as\n hell, and no such things as eternal torments. He whispers all this\n into our ears, and he exults when he hears a layman, and much more\n when he hears a clergyman, deny these things, for then he hopes to\n make them and others his victims.\"--_Bishop Wordsworth's Sermons on\n Future Rewards and Punishments_, p. 36.\n\n(_a_) Let us hold it fast _in the interest of the whole system of\nrevealed religion_. What was the use of God's Son becoming incarnate,\nagonizing in Gethsemane, and dying on the cross to make atonement, if\nmen can be finally saved without believing on Him? Where is the\nslightest proof that saving faith in Christ's blood can ever begin after\ndeath? Where is the need of the Holy Ghost, if sinners are at last to\nenter heaven without conversion and renewal of heart? Where can we find\nthe smallest evidence that any one can be born again, and have a new\nheart, if he dies in an unregenerate state? If a man may escape eternal\npunishment at last, without faith in Christ or sanctification of the\nSpirit, sin is no longer an infinite evil, and there was no need for\nChrist making an atonement.\n\n(_b_) Let us hold it fast _for the sake of holiness and morality_. I can\nimagine nothing so pleasant to flesh and blood as the specious theory\nthat we may live in sin, and yet escape eternal perdition; and that\nalthough we \"serve divers lusts and pleasures\" while we are here, we\nshall somehow or other all get to heaven hereafter! Only tell the young\nman who is \"wasting his substance in riotous living\" that there is\nheaven at last even for those who live and die in sin, and he is never\nlikely to turn from evil. Why should he repent and take up the cross, if\nhe can get to heaven at last without trouble?\n\n(_c_) Finally, let us hold it fast, _for the sake of the common hopes of\nall God's saints_. Let us distinctly understand that every blow struck\nat the eternity of punishment is an equally heavy blow at the eternity\nof reward. It is impossible to separate the two things. No ingenious\ntheological definition can divide them. They stand or fall together. The\nsame language is used, the same figures of speech are employed, when the\nBible speaks about either condition. Every attack on the duration of\nhell is also an attack on the duration of heaven.[20] It is a deep and\ntrue saying, \"With the sinner's fear our hope departs.\"\n\n 20: \"If the punishment of the wicked is only temporary, such will\n also be the happiness of the righteous, which is repugnant to the\n whole teaching of Scripture; but if the happiness of the righteous\n will be everlasting (who will be equal to the angels, and their\n bodies will be like the body of Christ), such also will be the\n punishment of the wicked.\"--_Bishop Wordsworth's Sermon on Future\n Rewards and Punishments, p. 31._\n\nI turn from this part of my subject with a deep sense of its\npainfulness. I feel strongly with Robert M'Cheyne, that \"it is a hard\nsubject to handle lovingly.\" But I turn from it with an equally deep\nconviction that if we believe the Bible we must never give up anything\nwhich it contains. From hard, austere, and unmerciful theology, good\nLord, deliver us! If men are not saved it is because they \"will not come\nto Christ.\" (John v. 40.) But we must not be wise above that which is\nwritten. No morbid love of liberality, so called, must induce us to\nreject anything which God has revealed about eternity. Men sometimes\ntalk exclusively about God's mercy and love and compassion, as if He had\nno other attributes, and leave out of sight entirely His holiness and\nHis purity, His justice and His unchangeableness, and His hatred of sin.\nLet us beware of falling into this delusion. It is a growing evil in\nthese latter days. Low and inadequate views of the unutterable vileness\nand filthiness of sin, and of the unutterable purity of the eternal God,\nare fertile sources of error about man's future state. Let us think of\nthe mighty Being with whom we have to do, as he Himself declared His\ncharacter to Moses, saying, \"The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and\ngracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping\nmercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression and sin.\" But\nlet us not forget the solemn clause which concludes the sentence: \"And\n_that will by no means clear the guilty_.\" (Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7.)\nUnrepented sin is an eternal evil, and can never cease to be sin; and He\nwith whom we have to do is an eternal God.\n\nThe words of Psalm cxlv. are strikingly beautiful: \"The Lord is\ngracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The\nLord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.--The\nLord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed\ndown.--The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works.\nThe Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon\nHim in truth.--The Lord preserveth all them that love Him.\" Nothing can\nexceed the mercifulness of this language! But what a striking fact it is\nthat the passage goes on to add the following solemn conclusion, \"_All\nthe wicked will He destroy_.\" (Psalm cxlv. 8-20.)\n\n\nIII. The third thought which I commend to the attention of my readers is\nthis:--_Our state in the unseen world of eternity depends entirely on\nwhat we are in time_.\n\nThe life that we live upon earth is short at the very best, and soon\ngone. \"We spend our days as a tale that is told.\"--\"What is our life? It\nis a vapour: so soon passeth it away, and we are gone.\" (Psalm xc. 9;\nJames iv. 14.) The life that is before us when we leave this world is an\nendless eternity, a sea without a bottom, and an ocean without a shore.\n\"One day in Thy sight,\" eternal God, \"is as a thousand years, and a\nthousand years as one day.\" (2 Pet. iii. 8.) In that world time shall be\nno more.--But short as our life is here, and endless as it will be\nhereafter, it is a tremendous thought that eternity hinges upon time.\nOur lot after death depends, humanly speaking, on what we are while we\nare alive. It is written, God \"will render to every man according to his\ndeeds: to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory\nand honour and immortality, eternal life: but to them that are\ncontentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,\nindignation and wrath.\" (Rom. ii. 6, 7.)\n\nWe ought never to forget, that we are all, while we live, in a state of\nprobation. We are constantly sowing seeds which will spring up and bear\nfruit, every day and hour in our lives. There are eternal consequences\nresulting from all our thoughts and words and actions, of which we take\nfar too little account. \"For every idle word that men speak they shall\ngive account in the day of judgment.\" (Matt. xii. 36.) Our thoughts are\nall numbered, our actions are weighed. No wonder that St. Paul says, \"He\nthat soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that\nsoweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.\" (Gal.\nvi. 8.) In a word, what we sow in life we shall reap after death, and\nreap to all eternity.\n\nThere is no greater delusion than the common idea that it is possible to\nlive wickedly, and yet rise again gloriously; to be without religion in\nthis world, and yet to be a saint in the next. When the famous\nWhitefield revived the doctrine of conversion last century, it is\nreported that one of his hearers came to him after a sermon and\nsaid,--\"It is all quite true, sir. I hope I shall be converted and born\nagain one day, but not till after I am dead.\" I fear there are many like\nhim. I fear the false doctrine of the Romish _purgatory_ has many secret\nfriends even within the pale of the Church of England! However\ncarelessly men may go on while they live, they secretly cling to the\nhope that they shall be found among the saints when they die. They seem\nto hug the idea that there is some cleansing, purifying effect produced\nby death, and that, whatever they may be in this life, they shall be\nfound \"meet for the inheritance of the saints\" in the life to come. But\nit is all a delusion.[21]\n\n 21: \"The Scripture never represents the state of future misery, as a\n state of purgation and purification, or anything like analogous to a\n state of trial, where men may fit and qualify themselves for some\n better state of existence: but always as a state of retribution,\n punishment, and righteous vengeance, in which God's justice (a\n perfection of which some men seem to render no account) vindicates\n the power of His majesty, His government, and His love, by punishing\n those who have despised them.\"--_Horbery_, vol. ii. p. 183.\n\n \"Life is the time to serve the Lord,\n The time to insure the great reward.\"\n\nThe Bible teaches plainly, that as we die, whether converted or\nunconverted, whether believers or unbelievers, whether godly or ungodly,\nso shall we rise again when the last trumpet sounds. There is no\nrepentance in the grave: there is no conversion after the last breath is\ndrawn. Now is the time to believe in Christ, and to lay hold on eternal\nlife. Now is the time to turn from darkness unto light, and to make our\ncalling and election sure. The night cometh when no man can work. As the\ntree falls, there it will lie. If we leave this world impenitent and\nunbelieving, we shall rise the same in the resurrection morning, and\nfind it had been \"good for us if we had never been born.\"[22]\n\n 22: \"This life is the time of our preparation for our future state.\n Our souls will continue for ever what we make them in this world.\n Such a taste and disposition of mind as a man carries with him out\n of this life, he shall retain in the next. It is true, indeed,\n heaven perfects those holy and virtuous dispositions which are begun\n here; but the other world alters no man as to his main state. He\n that is filthy will be filthy still; and he that is unrighteous will\n be unrighteous still.\"--_Archbishop Tillotson's Sermon on Phil. iii.\n 20._ (See _Horbrey_, vol. ii. p. 133.)\n\nI charge every reader of this paper to remember this, and to make a good\nuse of time. Regard it as the stuff of which life is made, and never\nwaste it or throw it away. Your hours and days and weeks and months and\nyears have all something to say to an eternal condition beyond the\ngrave. What you sow in life you are sure to reap in a life to come. As\nholy Baxter says, it is \"now or never.\" Whatever we do in religion must\nbe done now.\n\nRemember this in your use of all the means of grace, from the least to\nthe greatest. Never be careless about them. They are given to be your\nhelps toward an eternal world, and not one of them ought to be\nthoughtlessly treated or lightly and irreverently handled. Your daily\nprayers and Bible-reading, your weekly behaviour on the Lord's day, your\nmanner of going through public worship,--all, all these things are\nimportant. Use them all as one who remembers eternity.\n\nRemember it, not least, whenever you are tempted to do evil. When\nsinners entice you, and say, \"It is only a little one,\"--when Satan\nwhispers in your heart, \"Never mind: where is the mighty harm? Everybody\ndoes so,\"--then look beyond time to a world unseen, and place in the\nface of the temptation the thought of eternity. There is a grand saying\nrecorded of the martyred Reformer, Bishop Hooper, when one urged him to\nrecant before he was burned, saying, \"Life is sweet and death is\nbitter.\" \"True,\" said the good Bishop, \"quite true! But eternal life is\nmore sweet, and eternal death is more bitter.\"\n\n\nIV. The last thought which I commend to the attention of my readers is\nthis:--_The Lord Jesus Christ is the great Friend to whom we must all\nlook for help, both for time and eternity_.\n\nThe purpose for which the eternal Son of God came into the world can\nnever be declared too fully, or proclaimed too loudly. He came to give\nus hope and peace while we live among the \"things seen, which are\ntemporal,\" and glory and blessedness when we go into the \"things unseen,\nwhich are eternal.\" He came to \"bring life and immortality to light,\"\nand to \"deliver those who, through fear of death, were all their\nlife-time subject to bondage.\" (2 Tim. i. 10; Heb. ii. 15.) He saw our\nlost and bankrupt condition, and had compassion on us. And now, blessed\nbe His name, a mortal man may pass through \"things temporal\" with\ncomfort, and look forward to \"things eternal\" without fear.\n\nThese mighty privileges our Lord Jesus Christ has purchased for us at\nthe cost of His own precious blood. He became our Substitute, and bore\nour sins in His own body on the cross, and then rose again for our\njustification. \"He suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He\nmight bring us unto God.\" He was made sin for us who knew no sin, that\nwe poor sinful creatures might have pardon and justification while we\nlive, and glory and blessedness when we die. (1 Peter ii. 24; iii. 18; 2\nCor. v. 21.)\n\nAnd all that our Lord Jesus Christ has purchased for us He offers freely\nto every one who will turn from his sins, come to Him, and believe. \"I\nam the light of the world,\" He says: \"he that followeth Me shall not\nwalk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.\"--\"Come unto Me, all\nye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.\"--\"If any\nman thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.\"--\"Him that cometh unto Me\nI will in no wise cast out.\"--And the terms are as simple as the offer\nis free: \"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be\nsaved.\"--\"Whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish but have eternal\nlife.\" (John viii. 12; Matt. xi. 28; John vii. 37; vi. 37; Acts xvi. 31;\nJohn iii. 16.)\n\nHe that has Christ, has life. He can look round him on the \"things\ntemporal,\" and see change and decay on every side without dismay. He has\ngot treasure in heaven, which neither rust nor moth can corrupt, nor\nthieves break through and steal. He can look forward to the \"things\neternal,\" and feel calm and composed. His Saviour has risen, and gone to\nprepare a place for him. When he leaves this world he shall have a crown\nof glory, and be for ever with his Lord. He can look down even into the\ngrave, as the wisest Greeks and Romans could never do, and say, \"Oh,\ndeath, where is thy sting? oh, grave, where is thy victory? oh,\neternity, where are thy terrors?\" (1 Cor. xv. 55.)\n\nLet us all settle it firmly in our minds that the only way to pass\nthrough \"things seen\" with comfort, and look forward to \"things unseen\"\nwithout fear, is to have Christ for our Saviour and Friend, to lay hold\non Christ by faith, to become one with Christ and Christ in us, and\nwhile we live in the flesh to live the life of faith in the Son of God.\n(Gal. ii. 20.) How vast is the difference between the state of him who\nhas faith in Christ, and the state of him who has none! Blessed indeed\nis that man or woman who can say, with truth, \"I trust in Jesus: I\nbelieve.\" When Cardinal Beaufort lay upon his death-bed, our mighty poet\ndescribes King Henry as saying, \"He dies, but gives no sign.\" When John\nKnox, the Scotch Reformer, was drawing to his end, and unable to speak,\na faithful servant asked him to give some proof that the Gospel he had\npreached in life gave him comfort in death, by raising his hand. He\nheard; and raised his hand toward heaven three times, and then\ndeparted. Blessed, I say again, is he that believes! He alone is rich,\nindependent, and beyond the reach of harm. If you and I have no comfort\namidst things temporal, and no hope for the things eternal, the fault is\nall our own. It is because we \"will not come to Christ, that we may have\nlife.\" (John v. 40.)\n\n\nI leave the subject of eternity here, and pray that God may bless it to\nmany souls. In conclusion, I offer to every one who reads this volume\nsome food for thought, and matter for self-examination.\n\n(1) First of all, how are you _using your time_? Life is short and very\nuncertain. You never know what a day may bring forth. Business and\npleasure, money-getting and money-spending, eating and drinking,\nmarrying and giving in marriage,--all, all will soon be over and done\nwith for ever. And you, what are you doing for your immortal soul? Are\nyou wasting time, or turning it to good account? Are you preparing to\nmeet God?\n\n(2) Secondly, where _shall you be in eternity_? It is coming, coming,\ncoming very fast upon us. You are going, going, going very fast into it.\nBut where will you be? On the right hand or on the left, in the day of\njudgment? Among the lost or among the saved? Oh, rest not, rest not till\nyour soul is insured! Make sure work: leave nothing uncertain. It is a\nfearful thing to die unprepared, and fall into the hands of the living\nGod.\n\n(3) Thirdly, would you be _safe for time and eternity_? Then seek\nChrist, and believe in Him. Come to Him just as you are. Seek Him while\nHe may be found, call upon Him while He is near. There is still a throne\nof grace. It is not too late. Christ waits to be gracious: He invites\nyou to come to Him. Before the door is shut and the judgment begins,\nrepent, believe, and be saved.\n\n(4) Lastly, _would you be happy_? Cling to Christ, and live the life of\nfaith in Him. Abide in Him, and live near to Him. Follow Him with heart\nand soul and mind and strength, and seek to know Him better every day.\nSo doing you shall have great peace while you pass through \"things\ntemporal,\" and in the midst of a dying world shall \"never die.\" (John\nxi. 26.) So doing, you shall be able to look forward to \"things eternal\"\nwith unfailing confidence, and to feel and \"know that if our earthly\nhouse of this tabernacle be dissolved we have a building of God, a house\nnot made with hands, eternal in the heavens.\" (2 Cor. v. 1.)\n\n * * * * *\n\nP. S.\n\nSince preaching the above Sermon I have read Canon Farrar's volume,\n\"Eternal Hope.\" With much that this book contains I cannot at all agree.\nAnything that comes from the pen of such a well-known writer of course\ndeserves respectful consideration. But I must honestly confess, after\nreading \"Eternal Hope,\" that I see no reason to withdraw anything I have\nsaid in my Sermon on \"Eternity,\" and that I laid down the volume with\nregret and dissatisfaction, unconvinced and unshaken in my opinions.\n\nI can find nothing new in Canon Farrar's statements. He says hardly\nanything that has not been said before, and refuted before. To all who\nwish to examine fully the subject of the reality and eternity of future\npunishment, I venture to recommend some works which are far less known\nthan they ought to be, and which appear to me far sounder, and more\nScriptural, than \"Eternal Hope.\" These are \"_Horbery's Enquiry into the\nScripture Doctrine of the Duration of Future Punishment_,\"\n\"_Girdlestone's Dies Irae_,\" the Rev. C. F. Childe's \"_Unsafe Anchor_\"\nand the Rev. Flavel Cook's \"_Righteous Judgment_.\" \"_Bishop Pearson on\nthe Creed_,\" under the head \"Resurrection,\" and \"_Hodge's Systematic\nTheology_,\" vol. iii. p. 868. will also repay a careful perusal.\n\nThe plain truth is, that there are vast difficulties bound up with the\nsubject of the future state of the wicked, which Canon Farrar seems to\nme to leave untouched. The amazing mercifulness of God, and the\nawfulness of supposing that many around us will be lost eternally, he\nhas handled fully and with characteristic rhetoric. No doubt the\ncompassions of God are unspeakable. He is \"not willing that any should\nperish.\" He \"would have all men to be saved.\" His love in sending Christ\ninto the world to die for sinners is an inexhaustible subject.--But this\nis only one side of God's character, as we have it revealed in\nScripture. His character and attributes need to be looked at all round.\nThe infinite holiness and justice of an eternal God,--His hatred of\nevil, manifested in Noah's flood and at Sodom, and in the destruction of\nthe seven nations of Canaan,--the unspeakable vileness and guilt of sin\nin God's sight,--the wide gulf between natural man and his perfect\nMaker,--the enormous spiritual change which every child of Adam must go\nthrough, if he is to dwell for ever in God's presence,--and the utter\nabsence of any intimation in the Bible that this change can take place\nafter death,--all, all these are points which seem to me comparatively\nput on one aside, or left alone, in Canon Farrar's volume. My mind\ndemands satisfaction on these points before I can accept the views\nadvocated in \"Eternal Hope,\" and that satisfaction I fail to find in the\nbook.\n\nThe position that Canon Farrar has taken up was first formally advocated\nby Origen, a Father who lived in the third century after Christ. He\nboldly broached the opinion that future punishment would be only\ntemporary; but his opinion was rejected by almost all his\ncontemporaries. Bishop Wordsworth says,--\"The Fathers of the Church in\nOrigen's time and in the following centuries, among whom were many to\nwhom the original language of the New Testament was their mother tongue,\nand who _could not be misled by translations_, examined minutely the\nopinion and statements of Origen, and agreed for the most part in\nrejecting and condemning them. Irenaeus, Cyril of Jerusalem, Chrysostom,\nBasil, Cyril of Alexandria, and others of the Eastern Church, and\nTertullian, Cyprian, Lactantius, Augustine, Gregory the Great, Bede, and\nmany more of the Western Church, were unanimous in teaching that the\njoys of the righteous and the punishments of the wicked will not be\ntemporary, but everlasting.\"\n\n\"Nor was this all. The Fifth General Council, held at Constantinople\nunder the Emperor Justinian, in 553, A.D. examined the tenets of Origen,\nand passed a synodical decree condemnatory of them. And for a thousand\nyears after that time there was an unanimous consent in Christendom in\nthis sense.\" (Bishop Wordsworth's \"Sermons,\" p. 34.)\n\nLet me add to this statement the fact that the eternity of future\npunishment has been held by almost all the greatest theologians from the\ntime of the Reformation down to the present day. It is a point on which\nLutherans, Calvinists, and Arminians, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and\nIndependents have always, with a few exceptions, been of one mind.\nSearch the writings of the most eminent and learned Reformers, search\nthe works of the Puritans, search the few literary remains of the men\nwho revived English Christianity in the eighteenth century, and, as a\nrule, you will always get one harmonious answer. Within the last few\nyears, no doubt, the \"non-eternity of future punishment\" has found\nseveral zealous advocates. But up to a comparatively modern date, I\nunhesitatingly assert, the supporters of Canon Farrar's views have\nalways been an extremely small minority among orthodox Christians. That\nfact is, at any rate, worth remembering.\n\nAs to the _difficulties_ besetting the old or common view of future\npunishment, I admit their existence, and I do not pretend to explain\nthem. But I always expect to find many mysteries in revealed religion,\nand I am not stumbled by them. I see other difficulties in the world\nwhich I cannot solve, and I am content to wait for their solution. What\na mighty divine has called, \"The mystery of God, the great mystery of\nHis suffering vice and confusion to prevail,\"--the origin of evil,--the\npermission of cruelty, oppression, poverty, and disease,--the allowed\nsickness and death of infants before they know good from evil,--the\nfuture prospects of the heathen who never heard the Gospel,--the times\nof ignorance which God has winked at,--the condition of China,\nHindostan, and Central Africa, for the last 1800 years,--all these\nthings are to my mind great knots which I am unable to untie, and depths\nwhich I have no line to fathom. But I wait for light, and I have no\ndoubt all will be made plain. I rest in the thought that I am a poor\nignorant mortal, and that God is a Being of infinite wisdom, and is\ndoing all things well. \"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right.\"\n(Gen. xviii. 25.) It is a wise sentence of Bishop Butler: \"All shadow of\ninjustice, and indeed all harsh appearances in the various economy of\nGod, would be lost, if we would keep in mind that every merciful\nallowance shall be made, and no more shall be required of any one, than\nwhat might have been equitably expected of him from the circumstances in\nwhich he was placed, and not what might have been expected from him had\nhe been placed in other circumstances.\" (\"Analogy,\" part ii. ch. vi. p.\n425. Wilson's edition.) It is a grand saying of Elihu, in Job, \"Touching\nthe Almighty, we cannot find Him out: He is excellent in power, and in\njudgment, and in plenty of justice: He will not afflict.\" (Job xxxvii.\n23.)\n\nIt may be perfectly true that many Romish divines, and even some\nProtestants, have made extravagant and offensive statements about the\nbodily sufferings of the lost in another world. It may be true that\nthose who believe in eternal punishment have occasionally misunderstood\nor mistranslated texts, and have pressed figurative language too far.\nBut it is hardly fair to make Christianity responsible for the mistakes\nof its advocates. It is an old saying that \"Christian errors are infidel\narguments.\" Thomas Aquinas, and Dante, and Milton, and Boston, and\nJonathan Edwards were not inspired and infallible, and I decline to be\nanswerable for all they may have written about the physical torments of\nthe lost. But after every allowance, admission, and deduction, there\nremains, in my humble opinion, a mass of Scripture evidence in support\nof the doctrine of eternal punishment, which can never be explained\naway, and which no revision or new translation of the English Bible will\never overthrow.[23] That there are degrees of misery as well as degrees\nof glory in the future state, that the condition of some who are lost\nwill be far worse than that of others, all this is undeniable. But that\nthe punishment of the wicked will ever have an end, or that length of\ntime alone can ever change a heart, or that the Holy Spirit ever works\non the dead, or that there is any purging, purifying process beyond the\ngrave, by which the wicked will be finally fitted for heaven, these are\npositions which I maintain it is utterly impossible to prove by texts of\nScripture. Nay, rather, there are texts of Scripture which teach an\nutterly different doctrine. \"It is surprising,\" says Horbery, \"if hell\nbe such a state of purification, that it should always be represented in\nScripture as a place of punishment.\" (Vol. ii. p. 223.) \"Nothing,\" says\nGirdlestone, \"but clear statements of Scripture could justify us in\nholding, or preaching to ungodly men, the doctrine of repentance after\ndeath; and not one clear statement on this subject is to be found.\"\n(\"Dies Irae,\" p. 269.) If we once begin to invent doctrines which we\ncannot prove by texts, or to refuse the evidence of texts in Scripture\nbecause they land us in conclusions we do not like, we may as well throw\naside the Bible altogether, and discard it as the judge of controversy.\n\n 23: Horbery alone alleges and examines no less than one hundred and\n three texts, on his side, in his reply to Whiston.\n\nThe favourite argument of some, that no religious doctrine can be\ntrue which is rejected by the \"common opinion\" and popular feeling\nof mankind,--that any texts which contradict this common popular\nfeeling must be wrongly interpreted,--and that therefore eternal\npunishment cannot be true, because the inward feeling of the\nmultitude revolts against it,--this argument appears to me alike\nmost dangerous and unsound. It is _dangerous_, because it strikes a\ndirect blow at the authority of Scripture as the only rule of faith.\nWhere is the use of the Bible, if the \"common opinion\" of mortal man\nis to be regarded as of more weight than the declarations of God's\nWord?--It is _unsound_, because it ignores the great fundamental\nprinciple of Christianity,--that man is a fallen creature, with a\ncorrupt heart and understanding, and that in spiritual things his\njudgment is worthless. There is a veil over our hearts. \"The natural\nman receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are\nfoolishness to him.\" (1 Cor. ii. 14.) To say, in the face of such a\ntext, that any doctrine which the majority of men dislike, such as\neternal punishment, _must_ therefore be untrue, is simply absurd!\nThe \"common opinion\" is more likely to be wrong than right! No doubt\nBishop Butler has said, \"If in revelation there be found any passage\nthe seeming meaning of which is contrary to natural religion, we may\nmost certainly conclude such seeming meaning not to be the real\none.\" But those who triumphantly quote these words would do well to\nobserve the sentence which immediately follows: \"But it is not any\ndegree of a presumption against an interpretation of Scripture, that\nsuch an interpretation contains a doctrine which the light of nature\ncannot discover.\" (\"Analogy,\" part i. chap. ii. p. 358. Wilson's\nedition.)\n\nAfter all, what the \"common feeling\" or opinion of the majority of\nmankind is about the duration of future punishment, is a question which\nadmits of much doubt. Of course we have no means of ascertaining: and it\nsignifies little either way. In such a matter the only point is, What\nsaith the Scripture? But I have a strong suspicion, if the world could\nbe polled, that we should find the greater part of mankind believed in\neternal punishment! About the opinion of the Greeks and Romans at any\nrate there can be little dispute. If anything is clearly taught in the\nstories of their mythology it is the endless nature of the sufferings of\nthe wicked. Bishop Butler says, \"Gentile writers, both moralist and\npoetic, speak of the future punishment of the wicked, both as to\nduration and degree, in a like manner of expression and description as\nthe Scripture does.\" (\"Analogy,\" part i. chap. ii. p. 218.) The strange\nand weird legends of Tantalus, Sisyphus, Ixion, Prometheus, and the\nDanaides, have all one common feature about them. In each case the\npunishment is eternal! This is a fact worth noticing. It is worth what\nit is worth. But it shows, at all events, that the opponents of eternal\npunishment should not talk too confidently about the \"common opinion of\nmankind.\"\n\nAs to the doctrine of the _Annihilation of the Wicked_, to which many\nadhere, it appears to me so utterly irreconcilable with our Lord Jesus\nChrist's words about \"the resurrection of damnation,\" and \"the worm that\nnever dies, and the fire that is not quenched,\" and St. Paul's words\nabout \"the resurrection of the unjust\" (John v. 29; Mark ix. 43-48; Acts\nxxiv. 15), that until those words can be proved to form no part of\ninspired Scripture it seems to me mere waste of time to argue about it.\n\nThe favourite argument of the advocates of this doctrine, that \"death,\ndying, perishing, destruction,\" and the like, are phrases which can only\nmean \"cessation of existence,\" is so ridiculously weak that it is\nscarcely worth noticing. Every Bible reader knows that God said to Adam,\nconcerning the forbidden fruit, \"In the day thou eatest thereof thou\nshalt surely _die_.\" (Gen. ii. 17.) But every well-taught Sunday scholar\nknows that Adam did not \"cease to exist,\" when he broke the commandment.\nHe died spiritually, but he did not cease to be!--So also St. Peter says\nof the flood: \"The world that then was, being overflowed with water,\n_perished_.\" (2 Peter iii. 6.) Yet, though temporarily drowned, it\ncertainly did not cease to be; and when the water was dried up Noah\nlived on it again.\n\nIt only remains for me now to add one more last word, by way of\ninformation. Those who care to investigate the meaning of the words\n\"eternal\" and \"everlasting,\" as used in Scripture, will find the subject\nfully and exhaustively considered in _Girdlestone's \"Old Testament\nSynonyms_,\" ch. 30, p. 495; and in the same writer's \"_Dies Irae_,\" ch.\n10 and 11, p. 128.\n\n\n\n\n * * * * *\n\n\n\n\nTranscriber's note:\n\n p.8 thing changed to think\n p.38 the burden o changed to the burden of\n p.77 beecome changed to become\n p.148 still remain to be changed to still remains to be\n p.241 Aphorisims changed to Aphorisms\n p.320 all lasses changed to all classes\n p.335 thorougly changed to thoroughly\n p.469 still fresh on you mind changed to still fresh on your mind\n Hyphenation of words is inconsistent and has been left as in the\n original.","title":"Practical Religion: Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing Christians","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":170045}